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Lu Meng FAQ

by Rydain

Lu Meng FAQ v1.0
Written by Rydain Darkstar <[email protected]>
Last Revised November 20, 2008

===============================================================================
                           
                                Table of Contents
                           
===============================================================================

 1)  Introduction                                                       [INTRO]

 2)  Unlocking Lu Meng                                              [UNLOCKING]

 3)  Move Set                                                         [MOVESET]

 4)  Getting Equipped                                                   [EQUIP]

 5)  Battle Advice                                                  [HOWTOPLAY]
    
 6)  Analysis of Fighting Aptitude                                   [ANALYSIS]

 7)  Weapons, Abilities, and Tactic                               [WEAPONS_ETC]
 
 8)  Quotes and Dialog                                                 [QUOTES]
 
 9)  Revision History                                               [REVISIONS]

 10) Credits                                                          [CREDITS]

 11) Legal Junk                                                         [LEGAL]

===============================================================================
            
 1)  Introduction                                                       [INTRO]

===============================================================================

 Lu Meng fights with straight up halberd brute force and some strategic setup -
 a style well-suited to a historical figure who hit the books to become more
 than just a brawler.  Whether just unlocked or going against chaos mode with a
 tricked-out setup, Meng is fun and effective to play.  I wrote this FAQ to
 bring some attention to a commonly overlooked character who is well worth your
 time if his style appeals to you.

===============================================================================
            
 2)  Unlocking Lu Meng                                              [UNLOCKING]

===============================================================================

 Complete Samurai Story 5.  The end.
 
===============================================================================
            
 3)  Move Set                                                         [MOVESET]

===============================================================================

 This is Lu Meng's full attack string.  Some moves may not be available if he
 isn't leveled up enough.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Standard Attacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 S              Left to right swing.
 SS             Right to left swing.
 SSS            Poke with the butt end of the halberd.
 SSSS           Right to left swing.
 SSSSS          Left to right swing.
 SSSSSS         Poke with the butt end of the halberd.
 SSSSSSS        Right to left swing.
 SSSSSSSS       Left to right swing.
 SSSSSSSSS      Right to left swing.

 Dash attack    Tackle with the halberd held out in front.

 Jump attack    Right to left vertically oriented swing.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Charge Attacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 C3, C4, C5, and C6 activate weapon elements.
 
                    ________________________________________
 
 
 C1 / T         Fire orb that detonates after a few seconds.
    
 C2 / ST        Uppercut that knocks enemies into the air.  Press and hold T
                before the first swing is done.  Otherwise, you will start into
                a C3.
                  
 C3 / SST       Repeated back and forth halberd swings.  More T presses produce
                more swings.  The final strike activates weapon elements.

 C4 / SSST      A wide horizontal swing.
                
 C5 / SSSST     Ground pound splash launcher.

 C6 / SSSSST    Lu Meng jumps and does a 270-degree swing around him.

 Jump + T       Lu Meng flips forward and does a halberd smash with a smallish
                area of effect.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Special Attacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 R1             Multiple waves of long-ranged fire bullets that pierce through
                enemies and burn anything they touch.  Consumes a small amount
                of musou.
 
 Dir + R1       Omnidirectional block.  If timed correctly, Dir + R1 will guard
                attacks from any direction.  Lu Meng staggers for a moment
                after a successfully guarded attack.
 
 Musou          A series of back and forth swings.
 
 True musou     As above, plus a cool introductory splash screen and a
                shockwave ender.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Horse Attacks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 S string       Up to six slashes alternating from side to side.

 T              Two slashes, one on each side of the horse.
  
===============================================================================
            
 4)  Getting Equipped                                                   [EQUIP]

===============================================================================
 Recommended Weapon Elements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The following eight elements should be used.
 
 Bolt           Increases damage, stuns enemies, and hurts nearby foes as well.
 
 Flash          Breaks enemies' guard.
 
 Slay           Has a chance of outright killing peons and always does a nice
                chunk of damage against officers.  Too useful not to include.
 
 Air            Increases damage against airborne targets.  When chained 
                together or used on an enemy flinched by his R1 fire bullets,
                Lu Meng's staple charges will juggle enemies.  The leadup S
                attacks knock flinched foes off their feet.
 
 Brave          For more anti-officer oomph.
 
 Multi          Creates illusions that do several extra hits.  With Bolt, these
                illusions noticeably crank up charge attack damage and won't
                interfere with Meng's combo chains.
 
 Agility        Speeds up charge attack execution.  Faster killing is gooood.
 
 Might          Increases damage.  Simple as that.
 
                   ________________________________________
 
 
 I don't recommend Range because Lu Meng doesn't need it for safety thanks to
 his naturally long reach.  I suggest more attack boosters instead of Absorb
 because Meng's musou needs can be easily met elsewhere in his setup.  He 
 infrequently uses small amounts of musou, so the Supremacy upgrade skill or 
 Refill ability will work well enough to keep him stocked, especially if he 
 also takes Conserve.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Recommended Weapon Upgrade Skills
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 The following upgrade skills are highly recommended.
 
 Supremacy      Slowly replenishes musou.  Improves battlefield endurance
                during long stints of soloing.
 
 Stability      Your charge attacks and R1 specials will not be interrupted by 
                most enemy attacks.  Prevents you from being hit out of your R1
                fire bullets and allows you to safely walk into crowds with C3.
          
 Resolve        Arrows and bullets won't flinch you.
 
                    ________________________________________
 
 
 Just for fun, you may wish to give the following a try.
 
 Almighty       When musou is full, all attacks carry elements.  Lu Meng does
                quite well without this overpowered upgrade skill, but there's
                a certain charm to playing him as a button mashing death
                blender.
 
                    ________________________________________
 
 
 Fire Power does not increase the damage of Lu Meng's R1 flame bullets to any
 worthwhile extent.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Recommended Abilities
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Regardless of setup, these four are essential.

 Boost          Makes perfect sense for a character reliant on charge attacks.
 
 Impulse        More foot speed translates to better offense and defense.

 Potence        It always hurts to hit extra hard.  Har har har.       

 Speed          Increases attack power even further.
  
                    ________________________________________
 
 
 Consider any of the following depending on your play style and the rest of Lu
 Meng's setup.
 
 Adrenalin      If you find yourself losing life when running solo on high 
                difficulty.  Don't forget to break your combos periodically 
                because Adrenalin only fills once when you hit 10.  R1 bullets
                are great for triggering a 10+ combo.
 
 Cavalier       Horses are no longer obsoleted by high-level Impulse.  Impulse
                now beefs up the horse, so you can blaze around maps at warp
                speed.  I usually prefer to steal somebody else's horse, but
                it can sometimes be helpful to begin with a fast mount.
 
 Conserve       Decreases the cost of musou-consuming attacks.  Especially
                handy if you plan to self-restore most of your musou with
                the Refill ability or the Supremacy upgrade.  Small amounts of 
                musou are more efficiently recovered than larger chunks of a 
                long bar.
 
 Focus          Lengthens the musou bar.
 
 Fortitude      Lu Meng's defense stat is unimpressive, especially on high
                difficulty.  Fortitude gives him more room for error.
 
 Refill         For musou self-replenishment without the Supremacy upgrade.  Lu
                Meng's R1 special is cheap enough that high-level Refill can
                improve his battlefield endurance.
                
 Vitality       More health comes in handy, especially at low levels and when
                dealing with fire and poison.
                
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Recommended Setups
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Select your setup depending on how Lu Meng will be played.  Since he only has
 one maximized weapon configuration, ability selection is the main difference
 between solo and team setups.

 Attack Power Max -------------------------------------------------------------

    Weapon      Bolt / Flash / Slay / Air / Brave / Multi / Agility / Might
                * Supremacy
                * Stability
                * Resolve
 
    Abilities   Boost / Impulse / Potence / Speed
    
    For solo    Conserve / Fortitude / Adrenalin, Refill, or Vitality

===============================================================================
            
 5)  Battle Advice                                                  [HOWTOPLAY]

===============================================================================
 General Fighting Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Take frequent advantage of Lu Meng's R1 fire bullets for speedy crowd clearing
 and attack setup.  Bust a blazing path through peon hordes and zip in for the
 officer kill.
 
 Chained C3's are Meng's quickest means of defeating generals, especially
 with a R1 preceding.  C4 can also be used in some situations.  For sticky
 situations and officer pileups, use hit and run tactics.  Shoot some fire
 bullets, do a few C3's, double jump to safety as needed, and repeat until
 everyone's dead.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Move Set Analysis
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Most of Lu Meng's S string has good reach and coverage.  Aside from the two
 pokes with cruddy reach, his halberd swings are fast and protective.

 *  indicates Lu Meng's most useful attacks.

    C1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Might be fun to use once in a while, but the R1 bullet special is better
    for setting people ablaze.
    
    
    C2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Doesn't activate elements or have any innate properties worth bothering
    with.  Next!
    
    
 *  C3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Lu Meng's staple anti-officer move.  An untapped C3 (SST) has two forced 
    non-elemental strikes, but the full charge attack finishes quickly.  With
    Bolt, Meng can link C3's together against a target.  The wide elemental
    strike works well for crowd clearing, too.
    
    By themselves, the C3 strikes aren't fast enough to guarantee safety in 
    crowds.  With the Stability upgrade skill, C3 works well for crowd entry.
    
    
 *  C4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Another useful charge against officers and peon crowds.  For best results
    when Lu Meng has Multi on his weapon, deliberately miss the target with his
    third normal attack.  Otherwise they will be knocked too high for maximum
    damage from C4.
    
    
    C5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    May be helpful early on when flame juggling is Lu Meng's most efficient
    means of dishing out damage.  Other than that, meh.
    
    
    C6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Fun for variety, perhaps, but chained early charges will hurt more in a
    shorter amount of time.
    
    
 *  R1 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    With their speed, long range, and generous flinching time, these flaming 
    bullets are excellent for setting up approaches through the thickest of 
    enemy crowds.  Be aware of the slight startup lag, which you can be hit
    out of.  The Stability upgrade takes care of this concern.  In the
    meantime, just get to a safe spot before letting loose.
    
    Meng's bullets are quite helpful before he has Flash or a weapon tricked 
    out for big time charge attack damage.  Though blockable, the bullets reach
    far enough that Meng can zap an officer long before they would begin to
    guard his attacks.  He can then juggle the burning officer for added pain.
    
    
    Dir + R1 ------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    May come in handy against firepower before Lu Meng gets the Resolve
    upgrade skill.  I don't bother much with it.

===============================================================================
            
 6)  Analysis of Fighting Aptitude                                   [ANALYSIS]

===============================================================================

 Lu Meng is a solid all-around warrior.  You name it, he'll get rid of it in a
 jiffy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Strengths
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 With his versatile R1 fire bullets and efficient C3 chains, Lu Meng makes 
 quick work of generals in any battle situation.  When he is maxed, R1 > C3
 will sometimes KO weaker 5-star chaos generics by itself.  An additional C3 is
 enough for everything up to typical playable officers.  Orochi X only needs a
 couple more C3's.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Shortcomings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Lu Meng doesn't soak damage as well as some other characters.  This isn't
 much of an issue when he's mastered, as he won't be getting hit often enough
 to put him in danger.
 
===============================================================================
            
 7)  Weapons, Abilities, and Tactic                               [WEAPONS_ETC]

===============================================================================
 Weapons
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Glaive (+9 base attack)
 
 Great Glaive (+19 base attack)
 
 Tiger Hook (+39 base attack)
 
 White Tiger (+79 base attack) - obtained randomly from weapon boxes on 3-star 
 and above hard battles or any chaos battle.
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Abilities
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Boost ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Defeat 3 officers.
 
 
 Awakening --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Keep life at or above 30% and defeat 3 officers.
 
 
 Acclaim ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Without using musou attacks, defeat 3 officers while keeping life at or
    above 50%.
    
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tactic
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Shield - Get 100 KO's to increase your commander's defense.
    
===============================================================================

 8)  Quotes and Dialog                                                 [QUOTES]

===============================================================================
 As an Ally
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Character Select: "There is always a way to win!"
 Switch: "I'll sort this out!"
 Team Assist: "Pay attention!"
 Musou: "Come on!"
 True Musou: "It comes down to this!"
 Officer Defeat: "One more for the glory of Wu!"
 1000 KO's: "A well thought-out strategy always yields rewards."
 Tactic: "I will risk my life to protect my commander!"
 
 Praise: "Your expertise serves as a model to us all!"
 Enemy Officer KO Praise: "You show tremendous potential."
 100 KO Praise: "Keep up now!"
 1000 KO Praise: "You fight with the mind as well as with the arm, warrior!"
 1000 KO Praise 2: "Wu would be honored to have your services."
 Endangered: "I am fresh out of ideas..."
 Thanks: "That was a narrow escape."
 Thanks 2: "Reinforcements, what a relief!"
 
 
                    =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=


 If approaching an enemy, give them a chance to talk before you squish them.
 
 Samurai 6 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Dong Zhuo: "My prize is on the line.  Stand still while I kill you."
    
    Lu Meng: "You never learn, do you?"
 
 
 Samurai 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
    Orochi X: "Come, mighty warriors.  Defeat me once more, if you are able."
    
    Lu Meng: "Are you prepared?  These moments will truly be your last."

===============================================================================
            
 9)  Revision History                                               [REVISIONS]

===============================================================================

 v1.0   11/20/2008 - Initial revision of this FAQ.

===============================================================================
            
 10) Credits                                                          [CREDITS]

===============================================================================

 calbee219 for maximizing Lu Meng in Warriors Orochi.  Much of that setup and
 strategy still applies here.

 Black Murasame63 for piquing my curiosity about Lu Meng with his character FAQ
 for Warriors Orochi.

 Humble Novice for battle quotes.

===============================================================================
            
 11) Legal Junk                                                         [LEGAL]

===============================================================================

 This FAQ is copyright 2008 by Rydain Darkstar <[email protected]>  Feel free to
 pass it around, put it on your website, print it out for future reference (or 
 kindling, toilet paper, or anything that floats your boat), et cetera, blah 
 blah blah, whatever.  Just don't sell it or take credit for any of my work 
 expressed herein.