Kranko sightings

[kimo]

@Lady_JJ started this conversation in another thread, but I think it deserves a thread of its own since Indy has commented that something "special" is associated with this NPC.

Updated List eff. 7/12
3@ Evil Shrine (pink area all 3)
1@ Metal Fortress (river of blood 2nd floor near Metal God location)
1@ Zarmazari Breach (in SE corner of last area with all those dark chasms before the Boss fight)
2@ (3?) NW Drone building (this is tricky, so save and read @Rabbit's/@Lady_JJ's comments below)
Basically, before entering The Pit; if you play Jukebox Song #2 then go find Kranko near Sandy, you can then possibly play Jukebox song #4 and find him again? It seems like you may be able to find Kranko a third time after returning from the Pit, too.

I do not have a save that can test this hypothesis, but that would mean it might be possible to find Kranko 8 times (I only found him 7 times).

Note: The last encounters in Drone were incredibly intense (he now has 25k-30k HP). Kranko had also increased skills that wiped out 2 party members regardless of resurrection and items. Kraken was the only 1 left alive and with only 125 HP. Expect to die. But there is some luck in what skills he uses.

Does that match what other people know?
One thought I also had regarding Kranko is that he drops lots of swords that I sold. But what if keeping those swords is the key to solving this puzzle?
Note: Keeping the swords doesn't seem to do a thing.

[Rabbit]

Great idea for a topic! I've been curious about Kranko too.

I looked pretty hard in the Holy Shrine, and did not find him at all. We must have very different approaches to this area.

In the Evil Shrine, I found him 3 times.

Spoiler: show

In the pale pink area where the poison orb is, he was there before I collected the orb, back again after I collected the orb, and a third time when I came back with Lexus.

In the Metal Fortress, I found him him once, though I feel like I'm missing something there.

Spoiler: show

In the river of blood area, he appeared when I touched one of the pillars with a red ball on top. The ball cracked after I did this.

In Zarmazari Breach, we found him in the same area.

In Drone, I found him earlier in the game than you did.

Spoiler: show

He appeared in the basement of NW (the corrupted area above Sandy) when any song was playing on the Jukebox upstairs. Kranko had a different comment depending on which song I picked. This could be done with the full party of 4 before entering the Pit.

Kranko's sword has a special skill. This time around, I'll try using that skill 100 times and see what happens.

My theory about Kranko:

Spoiler: show

I think he is Albert, the hero from 888 years ago, who died during his quest. There is a statue of Albert in Faust, which also appears on the game's title screen. Albert has blue hair, and so does Kranko. Perhaps he has been corrupted by Nemesis, or perhaps he has been corrupted by his own feelings of inadequacy and failure (as Piper seems to suggest).

[kimo]

@Rabbit
Thanks for the Kranko info. I am apparently playing a 3rd time because I have no life.

Now I wonder how many times he reappears in the various locations and what triggers the appearances. You also have some excellent ideas of testing for possible outcomes. Were you refering to the "Rage" spell (or something like that) that might cause an interesting effect if used often (20/70/100 times). Kranko's anger/rage is mentioned several times by the various party members.

I'll share what I find in the next game. Kranko is becoming a game in himself. Sort of like acquiring all the Ultima skills.

I am sure @Lady_JJ will also love this info you shared.

[Lady JJ]

@Lady JJ is DEFINITELY loving all this info, @Rabbit and @kimo. Some really good thoughts here. I didn't find Kranko in the Holy Shrine. I think I'll have to restart again. I'd been taking some really detailed notes throughout the 3 shrines, then got sidetracked a bit in the Breach and kind of fizzled out.

[Lady JJ]

Once again, I did not find Kranko in the Holy Shrine, but, like Rabbit, I was able to find him 3 times in the Evil Shrine (twice before Lexus joined, then once after Lexus joined), same pink area. I'm now in the Metal Fortress and I've found him once. I'll check again just before I recruit Kraken and then again after Kraken is in the party.

The skill is 'Pure Hate.' It's not a skill I'd ordinarily beef up, but I'm curious as well as to what will happen. Thus far the skill has a 'crazy power of 144!' I wonder how high it will go. Piper tells me my soul is pure so I can't be tainted, but I"m wondering if that will stay true the more I use the sword.

[kimo]

Once again, I did not find Kranko in the Holy Shrine, but, like Rabbit, I was able to find him 3 times in the Evil Shrine (twice before Lexus joined, then once after Lexus joined), same pink area. I'm now in the Metal Fortress and I've found him once. I'll check again just before I recruit Kraken and then again after Kraken is in the party.

The skill is 'Pure Hate.' It's not a skill I'd ordinarily beef up, but I'm curious as well as to what will happen. Thus far the skill has a 'crazy power of 144!' I wonder how high it will go. Piper tells me my soul is pure so I can't be tainted, but I"m wondering if that will stay true the more I use the sword.

I was apparently wrong about the Holy Shrine Sighting.

I have the same count that both of you do. I couldn't find additional instances in the Metal Fortress and I did the same wandering around with Kraken.

@Rabbit has a good idea in playing a song on the Jukebox in Drone "NW" and then going downstairs to find him just north of Sandy. It's one hell of a battle, but at least you have 4 party members instead of just 3 if you wait like I did the first time. It does look like there is only one sighting in Drone.

I have the "Pure Hate" skill "with a crazy power of 360" right now. There's a lot of number skipping which doesn't make sense. The only purpose of this playthrough is to try to discover what Indy has hidden from us. I am re-entering the Cosmic Plane after I return from my last trip to Faust.

[Rabbit]

Hi LadyJJ and kimo,
I've just finished my own run using the Hatred Sword. It was not as illuminating as I had hoped. Using his sword a lot did provide an explanation why Kranko gets stronger and stronger each time we meet him, but I didn't find any further clues that might support (or not!) my little theory about Kranko's identity.

The Pure Hate skill gradually got stronger and stronger and the "Crazy Power" of X increased. I found this number increased every battle where the sword was equipped in the Evil Shrine and Metal Fortress, but not in the Underground Tube, Zamazari Breach, the Pit, or the Cosmic Plane. Somewhere around Drone (I didn't catch exactly where) it increased by +25, and when I got to the fight with Nemesis, it had increased by another +11. My large Crazy Power prevented me from entering Lover's Night ("I'm sorry but I think this is a waste of time"), but I didn't notice any other changes. Using the Pure Hate skill on Kranko and Nemesis did not elicit any special response. I ended the game with the Crazy Power of 754. I think it could go higher than this, but why bother?

Kimo, it turns out that our initial Kranko sightings in Drone were 2 different instances. I have found them both now.

Spoiler: show

Kranko appears in the empty space above Sandy when music is playing on the jukebox upstairs. After Sandy is abducted, he reappears in the same place. I think the abduction is triggered when the party reaches the Magic Zone of the Cosmic Plane?

This brings us to a total of 7 Krankos.

I saw where Indy said that Kranko "means something". It's obvious that he's a symbol of the growing corruption, but I'm not sure what else. Did either of you find an interaction that gives more insight?

[kimo]

@Rabbit
What/where is the "magic zone" in the Cosmic Plane? Sandy gets abducted? I missed that event.
EDIT: Okay! It seems that Sandy is not abducted unless you have found Kranko before by playing a Jukebox song.

I was wondering why I was unable to complete the Lover's Night quest despite what I tried. That may also be why Esmeralda basically broke up with Luke when returning from Drone one last time. Some jealous mention of Brianna being the one Luke preferred.


A little aside, has anyone figured out if there is a connection with learning all 4 songs in the Jukebox and then playing them on a piano? I can't make anything happen, even when you play that tune by some Falls guy.

[Rabbit]

Hi kimo,

Magic Zone is just the name of the final screen of the Cosmic Plane. I like how all the places are named in this game. It's the place with all the gates leading up to the final battle with Nemesis. This is where I turn around and go back to Drone to take care of unfinished business. When I tried checking on things in NW

Spoiler: show

Sandy was gone and Kranko was back to be killed 1 more time. At the end of the game, in the Equilibrium ending, this becomes SQ21. I think Sandy was the top left prisoner.

Lover's Night was the only Esmeralda thing I missed when using the Hatred Sword. They still had a happy ending together. Perhaps you misclicked when Brianna said "I love you, Luke"?

Spoiler: show

You have to tell her "Sorry but I'm already taken" to keep Esmeralda happy. If you've been doing Ernest's quests, she'll still give you her relic.

Great idea with the piano! I know that different music gives different dialog with certain characters, and one guy even gave an item, but I haven't checked everything thoroughly. Next time...

I'm going to take a break from NOTS for today, but I still have 1 more side quest to solve and 1 more relic to find, so I will play again soon.

[kimo]

I got 7 Kranko sightings, too. That dual sighting in the NW building was certainly tricky. Sandy's sprite is there if you don't do the Jukebox thingy first, but her eventual abduction is mentioned when choosing that ending.

I worked hard to use Luke's "Evil" spell associated with the sword and I only got to a "crazy power of 435". So, there is a specific condition for advancing the sword's use. Anectdotally, it seemed the sword missed less often as the sword was used more, but ....

I never got any comments from anyone that would indicate the sword choice could have been better. And unlike Bokden, there seems to be no reward for repeatedly finding Kranko.

And, yeah, it's possible I said the wrong thing to someone to get Esmeralda to dump Luke. In fact, Luke comments about that at the end of the game when deciding which ending to choose.

Do you think Indy will ever give us hints for the Kranko stuff or other secrets?

[Rabbit]

I got 7 Kranko sightings, too. That dual sighting in the NW building was certainly tricky. Sandy's sprite is there if you don't do the Jukebox thingy first, but her eventual abduction is mentioned when choosing that ending.

Hummm... if you also got 2 Krankos in Drone but didn't get one with Luke asking Kranko what he's done with Sandy, that means there must be at least 3 Krankos in Drone, and we both missed one.

I'm ready to start again, and will be much more careful in the Drone/Cosmic Plane areas. I'll try checking NW after every event, every screen of progress, and every secret room. Maybe 8 is the magic number?

[Lady JJ]

I am at the end of Zarmazari Breach and have encountered Kranko here, so that makes 5. Kranko didn't say anything, but Piper and Lexus had a discussion about Kranko trying to corrupt Luke. Piper warned Luke not to let doubt enter his heart and Luke assured her he wouldn't. I gave up on the hatred sword quite a while ago as I was more focused on achieving all Ultimas, which I have now done. Curiously, I didn't need 100 Resurrection uses to attain the He Has Arisen ultima.
I'll keep a detailed and accurate dialogue report on my next Kranko meetings. I hope Rabbit is right and there are 3 Kranko sightings left to find. If I'm following this correctly, 2 are by the jukebox (I'm pretty sure I got him twice there the first playthrough) and 1 in the cosmic plane (I don't remember fighting him there).
I sure hope this doesn't turn into a red herring...

Kranko shows up in NW building when Lexus leaves party, and again when Lexus rejoins party.

Kranko shows up when Lexus leaves party
Luke: The Void will not win! I will not let corruption change myself!

After Lexus rejoins party
Lexus: Where is Sandy, what did you do to her??
Kranko: AHAHAHA YOU'RE GETTING EATEN ALIVE LEFT AND RIGHT!!!
Fight, then
Lexus: But where is Sandy? For real??
Kraken: We can't afford to look for her. Not now.
Kraken: If she wandered into the Pit or got caught, too bad.

That's the 6th and 7th. Looking for an 8th now. Hopefully, if there is an 8th, it's not supposed to come before the 7th, but I have plenty of saves if I need to backtrack.

Just to clarify, I found Kranko immediately after Lexus substituted herself for the Core, then, when she returned, I made a direct route to get the Spectral Wings and immediately returned to find Kranko. I didn't do any further exploring in the Cosmic Plain, and I never went beyond that second screen, so I truly think the trigger for finding Kranko again is Lexus rejoining the party.

[kimo]

Curiously, I didn't need 100 Resurrection uses to attain the He Has Arisen ultima.

Correct, that Technic gains lvl2 at 15 uses and also less than 70 uses are needed for Lvl 3. It was always the last one I needed of the three that are combined, so I never really paid attention to the uses required for what I consider to be the best Technic in the game.

I'll keep a detailed and accurate dialogue report on my next Kranko meetings. I hope Rabbit is right and there are 3 Kranko sightings left to find. If I'm following this correctly, 2 are by the jukebox (I'm pretty sure I got him twice there the first playthrough) and 1 in the cosmic plane (I don't remember fighting him there).
I sure hope this doesn't turn into a red herring...

I had no Kranko encounters in the Cosmic Plane. I missed the 1st sighting in Drone during my first playthrough, because I didn't know about the Jukebox that @Rabbit mentioned. The second Kranko appearance is somehow triggered by entering the Cosmic Plane. He is not found by the jukebox that you need to play for the first appearance to happen. In both instances, he appears at the lowest level where Sandy is located where the floor appearance is becoming corrupted.

Both times I had a party of 4 because my second encounter was just after returning from Faust and completing all the open quests there. If you have these sightings so far (3@ Evil Shrine, 1@ Metal Fortress, 1@ Breach, 2@ Drone), that's the most I have found. Unless @Rabbit is holding out, 8 seems to be the max. I worked hard going back and forth to activate more sightings (basically fishing for herrings).

To reprise Kranko in Drone (he has approx 15k HP and can 1-hit some characters):
1st Kranko after playing a song on the Jukebox and going to the lowest level next to where Sandy is standing.
2nd Kranko can be accomplished after return from Faust via the repaired transporter (so you have a party of 4).

If you find another Kranko, you deserve an award!

And if you figure out the secret of the Jukebox songs, then we'll need an award ceremony. Maybe in Fandom?

[Lady JJ]

Both times I had a party of 4 because my second encounter was just after returning from Faust and completing all the open quests there. If you have these sightings so far (3@ Evil Shrine, 1@ Metal Fortress, 1@ Breach, 2@ Drone), that's the most I have found. Unless @Rabbit is holding out, 8 seems to be the max. I worked hard going back and forth to activate more sightings (basically fishing for herrings).

To reprise Kranko in Drone (he has approx 15k HP and can 1-hit some characters):
1st Kranko after playing a song on the Jukebox and going to the lowest level next to where Sandy is standing.
2nd Kranko can be accomplished after return from Faust via the repaired transporter (so you have a party of 4).

If you find another Kranko, you deserve an award!

And if you figure out the secret of the Jukebox songs, then we'll need an award ceremony. Maybe in Fandom?

You don't have to go to Faust before getting the 7th encounter in NW (jukebox and downstairs with Sandy). I got it right after Lexus rejoined the party, with that party of 4. Unless Kranko gets in a preemptive strike, he goes down rather easily with ultimas. I returned there after going back to Faust and no 8th Kranko sighting. Then I returned there from the pit after Salem joined the party, Q21, but still no more Kranko. I'm pretty much done with chasing this red herring. If Kranko is indeed important, then I suspect he's more important to the game developer as part of the lore than he is to the game player. The only thing I didn't test was completing all the side quests and getting all the relics in Faust before returning to the Drone, as I just wanted to do a sequence test in the most efficient way possible. It does seem a shame, though, that Kranko can't be killed once and for all and put out of his misery. Maybe there is an answer, maybe not. Either way, I'm pretty much done with this, though I have immensely enjoyed this conversation with you and @Rabbit.

Another obscure loose end is Nicholas back in Faust. The NPC in the town hall keeps inquiring about him and why he hasn't reported to work, yet when you talk to Nicholas, he's just standing there admiring the view and doesn't talk about his job at all. I wonder if this was a planned quest that was later scrapped, or maybe it's intended to show just how mesmerized everyone is with the incredible view of the Night of the Stars?

[Rabbit]

Hi LadyJJ,
Wow, you've put in a lot of effort here! I got a Kranko in Drone before your two sightings, before even entering the Pit for the 1st time. Put some music on the jukebox upstairs, then go down to where Sandy is. If it's the 2nd song, Kranko says "I hate happy music" or the 4th song he says "This will be the music of your funeral". So I'm wondering if it's possible to get all 3 Drone Krankos in the same playthrough, for a total of 8 Krankos. I'll check for it, it'll just take me a while to get back there, since I started over from the beginning. (Still looking for 1 sidequest solution and 1 relic.)