Photon Harvest 1 (guide)
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This article is a guide and may contain opinions or other subjective information. The PSUPedia is not responsible for any inaccuracies or mistakes. |
Contents
Introduction
This article is a guide intended to help players clear the timed portion of Photon Harvest 1 with an S rank. The timed element is sometimes difficult (especially with the higher level mobs) and this guide was created entirely for the purpose of clearing the story mission with the least amount of effort. This is just a suggestion on how to proceed, however, as there is nothing stopping players from killing every mob or picking every mushroom. I'm not trying to dictate how someone does this mission. Instead I'm offering tips, tricks and shortcuts to make clearing the mission as quick and painless as possible.
Tips & Tricks
1: If the mushroom visibly glows without scanning it with your goggles, it's good.
2: Don't hit the Rappy Polec mobs when they are in the air, it wastes your time chasing them.
3: In a trio of mushrooms, only the visibly glowing ones are good.
4: If the mushroom is before a bridge, it's a bad mushroom (with one exception).
5: Mushrooms in the tunnels are good.
6: If you are racing the clock, don't pick up anything but mushrooms.
7: You MUST pick the first mushroom. It might not give you Kv right away, but without it you are going to be short 1 Kv.
8: Each block has 30 Kv of good mushrooms. Make sure you have all 30 before you move onto the next block as you can't go back.
9: Not every mob has to die. If this guide says kill, that means you have to kill it to progress, otherwise you can pass the pops if you are worried about time.
10: When in doubt, scan with your goggles. Mushrooms that are bad are essentially sleep traps and sleep means lost time. (Note: Testing with Sleep / Resist seems to indicate you can avoid the sleep effects.)
11: Avoid confusion smoke, traps, Rappy Polec light balls and the Megid balls of the Kagajibari. The first three are lost time, the last means you can die and have to restart.
12: Ethan Waber and/or Karen Erra can die without consequences to your final score.
Final Note: I highly suggest a dry run or two on the C rank level of this story mission. This will give you a good feel for the map, allow you to take time to find mushrooms and read instructions at the same time. Block 1 is long, so don't get tense if it takes you 5-6 minutes to complete it. The other two blocks are far shorter and will go much, much more quickly.
Enemy information
| Enemy name | Enemy buffs | Ele. | Mission LV C | Mission LV B | Mission LV A | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LV | EXP | LV | EXP | LV | EXP | |||
| Rappy Polec |  |
31 | 66 | 45 | -- | 60 | -- | |
| Kakwane | |
31 | 66 | 45 | -- | 60 | -- | |
| Kudetob |  |
33 | 105 | 47 | -- | 62 | -- | |
| Kudetob |  |
|
33 | 157 | 47 | -- | 62 | -- |
| Kagajibari | |
34 | 309 | 48 | -- | 63 | -- | |
| Rappy Gugg | |
49 | 510 | 63 | -- | 78 | 940 | |
Note on the Kagajibari: For those who haven't fought these before, a small warning. This creature, while technically a (Light) Element, has attacks that vary depending on the element of weapon/bullet/TECHNIC used on it. Using 
(Dark) weapons might seem a good idea, but it's easier to heal yourself from a fireball than it is from Megid.
Overview
You have twenty (20) minutes to complete your task of gathering 90 Kv of mushrooms with Ethan Waber and Karen Erra. For an S rank completion on any level of this story mission, you must finish with more than five (5) minutes left on the clock with all 90 Kv of mushrooms. There is no kill count or survival count (other than yourself) for this mission.
Block 1
Turn to the alcove immediately to the west and pick up the mushroom there.
Go north to the room, skip the kakwane pop and pick both the southeast and the northeast mushroom.
Go up the stairs to the north and turn left. Take the path as it curves north, bypassing the stairs, to the northwest end of the path to pick the mushroom there. Then go back to the steps west and go down.
The room down the steps to the west has a Rappy Polec pop, pass them and pick the mushroom on the north. Pass the bad mushroom before the bridge west.
Go west over the bridge and pick the good mushroom in the south alcove.
The room north has no pops yet. Pass the west mushroom near the sealed portal and pick the mushroom to the north.
Go through the tall plants in the northeast to get to a path heading north. Avoid the Rappy Polec pop at the north end and pick the mushroom behind them. Go a little morth northeast to pick the glowing mushroom out of the trio in the alcove. Go back southwest along the path.
This time as you enter this room there will be a pop of Kakwane & Rappy Polec. Kill them to open the portal here on the west side.
Take the portal. It will place you at the top of the first stairs. This time go along the east path, continuing on as it curves north. Again, bypass the steps for now to pick the mushroom in the northeast end of the path, then take the stairs down to the east.
The room east holds a Kakwane pop you must kill. Make sure to pick the mushroom in the southeast corner as well.
Take the tunnel heading north, picking the mushroom inside it.
North, the room is empty of pops, but pick the center mushroom.
There's a short path to the north here. Skip the bad mushroom and continue to the room ahead.
This room north holds a Kakwane pop to kill. Pick both the mushroom in the center and the one in the west of the room.
Enter the tunnel north to go to the next block. You should have 30 Kv of mushrooms. Choose the Move Along option to enter Block 2. WARNING! You can't go back so make certain you have your mushrooms!
Block 2
Bypass the alcove in the west, that mushroom is bad.
Go along into the room north, killing the Rappy Polec pop. Pick the southwest, southeast and north mushrooms here. This mushroom near the bridge is the lone exception to the normal bridge rule.
Cross the bridge to the northeast. Ignore the Kudetob pop on the other side and pick the mushroom north before continuing to the next bridge. Bypass the bad mushroom before the bridge and kill the Kakwane pop to bring down the photon fence. Pick the next three mushrooms as you travel northeast up the path after the second bridge.
The room north of the path, skip the Kakwane & Rappy Polec pop, stopping to pick the east and west mushrooms. There's also a little alcove in the west holding another mushroom to pick.
Take the path northwest to the next room, passing the bad mushroom here.
This north room holds a Kudetob pop you need to kill. There are also four mushrooms in this room. Leave the one to the southeast alone and pick the southwest, north and west mushrooms.
The alcove to the west, by the door, has another mushroom trio. Pick the two glowing mushrooms here and go through the door and through the tunnel to the next block. By now you should have 60 Kv of mushrooms. Choose Move On to continue to Block 3.
Block 3
Pick the mushroom in the west alcove immediately outside the door, as well as the one to the east before taking the short path north.
Go into the north room and kill the Rappy Polec pop. Pick the center and the southeast mushrooms here.
Take the tunnel to the north, pick the good mushroom here and continue north along the pathway. The path will eventually head east.
In the east room avoid the Kagajibari & Kakwane pop, as much as possible. Pick up the the glowing mushroom in the northwest corner. Go into the cave to the north and also pick the single mushroom inside.
Backtrack to the tunnel and take the western path this time. The path will eventually turn north and then west again.
The west room holds a Rappy Polec pop that you can skip. Grab the glowing mushroom in the southeast corner.
Take the path south, stopping to pick the mushroom at the entrance to it as you go.
The room south holds a Kakwane & Rappy Polec pop to kill, as well as mushrooms on the north and west walls to pick.
Enter the tunnel to the west. It curves around to the north, with a branch on the west. This branch holds a cave with the special boxes for this mission. If you have time, there are some nice items in the boxes. Exit the tunnel and pick the glowing mushroom only in this little western alcove. Take the path leading east to the last room, picking one more good mushroom there.
The path opens into a room on the south with a Kagajibari & Rappy Polec pop to kill. Your last two mushrooms are found on the north wall and in an alcove in the northeast.
Take the door west into the last tunnel. You should have all 90 Kv of mushrooms. Choose End Hunt to complete the timed portion of the mission. If you had more than 5 minutes left, you also got an S rank on your mission.
