An Elder Secret (Merciless)

An Elder Secret (Merciless) is the first stage in Growing Strange. Beating this stage allows the player to access one of seven random Continuation Stages. The possible Continuation Stages include:
*Color of Blood (Merciless)
*Fear of Flying (Merciless)
*Hearts of Darkness (Merciless)
*Holy Wrath (Merciless)
*Galactic Threat (Merciless)
*Clash of Steel (Merciless)
*Seas of Death (Merciless)
Each is based around a different enemy type, with a 99% chance of yielding an Elder Catfruit Seed and a 1% chance of an Elder Catfruit (at least one reward is guaranteed).
==Battleground==
*2 Mr. Angels (200%) spawn after 10 seconds300f, delay 1.33 seconds40f.
*1 Ginger Snache spawns after 20 seconds600f.
*Infinite Ginger Snaches spawn after 22.67 seconds680f, delay 53.33 seconds1,600f.
*When the base reaches 99% HP:
**1 Mr. Angel (10%) spawns as the boss.
**1 Berserkory spawns.
**4 Mr. Angels (200%) spawn, delay 0.07 seconds2f.
**1 Maawth spawns.
**1 Shadow Boxer K spawns.
**1 Zory spawns.
**1 Zory spawns.
**3 Ginger Snaches spawn, delay 0.07 seconds2f.
**1 Pigeon de Sable spawns.
**1 Pigeon de Sable spawns.
**1 Pigeon de Sable spawns.
**2 Heavenly Hippoes spawn, delay 0.07 seconds2f.
**1 Metal One Horn spawns.
**5 Ginger Snaches spawn, delay 5~10 seconds150f~300f.
**2 Mr. Angels (200%) spawn, delay 0.07 seconds2f.
==Strategy==
Since you will have to deal with another level afterwards to actually get the Elder Fruit or Seed, you can use one of these 2 methods to beat this:
# Use a centralized lineup for a few specific stages and hope they appear (Very luck-based and inefficient, but MUCH easier.)
#*For example, if preparing for Galactic Threat or Seas of Death, units that can counter Aliens and Zombies comfortably should be used. They'll clear the stages without issue if the time is right, but otherwise they won't hold up at all, cutting consistency to a meager 2/7. The chances can be improved with formation diversity, but in general it's recommended to not factor in Clash of Steel, as Metal stages are difficult to clear in general without a fully dedicated strategy.
# Go with a more universal lineup that can comfortably take on many stages. (Difficult without good Ubers or high levels, but gets the most out of the stage.)
#*Some units, if owned, prove to be spectacular generalists that can work in most of the stages with the proper support, which can save slots for specialists. Again, it's not recommended to build around Clash of Steel unless the units could comfortably handle it.
Here are some units that can help greatly on this stage:
#Manic Eraser Cat, Eraser Cat, Ramen Cat, and/or Shigong Cat – good choices for meatshields, with Ramen having extra use against Holy Wrath and Shigong greatly easing Seas of Death. Don't bring too many: two or three of these should be enough to get by, and you will need the extra slots.
#Cyborg Cat, Kasa Jizo, and/or Baby Gao – powerful spammable attackers, although if using the latter 2, a good backliner for the Angel stage is needed as Ramen cannot solo it without support.
#Bombercat – Nearly required for Heart of Darkness unless you have some very powerful Ubers that can brute force it.
#Cyberpunk, Aphrodite, or Bardiel – using any of these will guarantee a win on the Alien stage, although Cyberpunk must be stacked for best effect.
#Roe Cat, Cat Machine Mk 3, or Tokyo Miku – for stalling the Berserkory in the first stage, and to trivialize Color of Blood
#Generalist ubers with excellent damage and/or a good crowd-control effect (Gao, Amaterasu, Mighty Rekon Korps, Kasli the Scourge, Kasli the Bane, Mitama, MOMOCO, and/or Chronos to name a few) can help on more than one stage and are a great use of your precious 10 slots.
#Waitress / Soba Cat, Paladin Cat, or Hayabusa – critters for the Metal One Horn in the first stage as well as the entirety of the Metal stage. Note that Soba is more consistent for the former with her 100% crit, but the Ubers are more consistent for the latter as they have fast Area Attacks.
You must also remember that most items do not carry over, meaning that Treasure Radars will be useless and you can't get any extra help in the second stage. However, this does open new possibilities, as battle items can be used to compensate deficiencies on An Elder Secret so any remaining units can be dedicated to all continuation stages.
===Strategy 1 (Universal)===
Having Shigong at level 40+ is useful to solo Seas of Death with little to no support, and Catasaurus with max crit talents can be used for the Metal One Horn and in Clash of Steel. This lineup is meant to be used to carry into all of the next stages. If you have the Cheating Heart? combo then you can add Roe, Pizza or Cameraman for your extra slot and talented Riceball can be an emergency meatshield.
Battle: Upgrade your wallet once and take out the Mr. Angels with Ramen and Courier. After that, keep spamming Ramen for the rest of the battle and start sending out Catasaurus. Once the base is hit, spam all useful units but prioritise Ramen and Courier. Prioritise Catasaurus when Metal One Horn is alive and Octopus when Berserkory is out, too. You don't need to send out Shigong any time for this stage, as it won't contribute as much to the battle as the other units, but you can use him as an emergency meatshield. The Metal One Horn should be dead before Berserkory reaches your frontlines. If your rng is not going well for you and Catasaurus is not critting, you can swap him out for Waitress Cat, but note this may cause you some trouble in Clash of Steel if she is not boosted enough; in this case level 40-45+ is recommended.
Colour of Blood: Upgrade your wallet to level 2 or 3 and start meatshielding with Ramen. Then, send out a Courier to kill the Shy Boy, then just keep spamming Ramen and Courier for the rest of the battle and it should go smoothly. If it's not, then add Shigong and Octo to the spam.
Fear of Flying: Upgrade your wallet to level 2. Send out Octopus, then spam it and Courier. Add your Ramen to the spam if needed.
Hearts of Darkness: Lightly meatshield and send out a Bombercat when the Dark Otter spawns, followed by a few Couriers. Then, start spamming Ramen and Shigong along with the occasional Bombercat and Roe or uber when you have enough money (which is the whole battle). If you have the Thunderbolt Cannon equipped, it can be useful in stalling Razorback and the Tackeys as your other Bombercat(s) stack. If you don't have any syncing cannons (Slow, Thunderbolt) sending Courier instead of your uber can help against the Tackeys and sync or even kill them with his LD.
Holy Wrath: Stall the initial peons with Ramen until you have some money and a level 2-3 wallet, then spam Ramen and, after the boss wave, Courier. Courier will be able to chip Winged Pigge down slowly but surely, but if you brought an anti-angel uber, it would help even more. Breakerblast can help regain ground here. Shigong can be added into the mix but may drain your money, and might not help that much at all.
Galactic Threat: Meatshield with Ramen and keep sending Couriers with your uber. You may need to meatshield with Shigong too and high Ramen levels may be needed.
Clash of Steel: Lure the Metal Doge to get some money, then kill it with Catasaurus and Ramen. Keep sending Ramen, and add Shigong to the spam when your army is getting to the base. Upgrade your wallet once and keeping spamming these 3 units for the rest of the battle. Cameraman can also be used (if you brought him) as a secondary meatshield and attacker too if you have the crit talent unlocked. Hope for crits.
Seas of Death: If your Shigong is levelled enough, spamming him for the entirety of the battle is enough to win. The Zang Roo may cause some trouble if Shigong is not boosted enough (level 50 can take care of it easily), so Pizza or Courier can help with that.
===Strategy 2 ===
Battle: Send out Ramen Cat to stall the Mr. Angels. When the Ginger Snaches arrive, send out a Courier Cat or two to kill them. Upgrade your Worker Cat to level 3. When the base is hit, start spamming everything except Bombercat, and Soba Cat. Send out a Soba Cat at the time you think the Metal One Horn will reach the frontlines. Try to do this quick as the Zories will ruin that plan, and make it so you have to kill Metal One Horn after the Zories. The Heavenly Hippoes, Shadow Boxer Ks, and the Pigeon de Sables should be taken care of naturally. In the end, it should just be Maawth and Berserkory. Prioritize having Maawth permafrozen while sending out Courier to kill Berserkory from behind it. The stage should be free.
Colour of Blood:Upgrade your wallet to level 2 or 3 and start meatshielding with Ramen. Then, send out a Courier to kill the Shy Boy, then just keep spamming Roe and Courier for the rest of the battle and it should go smoothly. If it's not, then add Ramen to the spam.
Fear of Flying: One Octopus Cat and one Cameraman Cat can take care of the Pigeons and the Brollows. Use these to stall for money. When you have enough, start spamming Ramen, Cameraman, Seafarer, Courier, and Octopus. If you defense isn't holding up, add Roe Cat to the spam.
Hearts of Darkness: Lightly meatshield and send out a Bombercat when the Dark Otter spawns, followed by a few Couriers. Then, start spamming Ramen and Shigong along with the occasional Bombercat and Roe or uber when you have enough money (which is the whole battle). If you have the Thunderbolt Cannon equipped, it can be useful in stalling Razorback and the Tackeys as your other Bombercat(s) stack. If you don't have any syncing cannons (Slow, Thunderbolt) sending Courier instead of your uber can help against the Tackeys and sync or even kill them with his LD.
Holy Wrath: This stage is extremely dependent on your final slot. Try to stall with Ramen before the base is hit, and try to stack as much as you can against Winged Pigge.
Galactic Threat: Meatshield with Ramen and try to stack some Seafarers at the start to dispose of the Scissoroos. Everything else is either Kroxo or slow attacking.
Clash of Steel: Stack as many Soba Cats and Cameraman Cats as you can at the start, and pray RNGesus works.
Seas of Death: If your Shigong is levelled enough, spamming him for the entirety of the battle is enough to win. The Zang Roo may cause some trouble if Shigong is not boosted enough (level 50 can take care of it easily), so your other units can take care of that.
==Walkthrough==
==Trivia==
*Prior to version 7.5, this stage contained a 400% Calamary instead of a 1,600% Maawth.
*In the speech-bubble reference beside the event name, this level used to be labeled "Deadly" instead of "Merciless".
*This stage's gimmick is the opposite of the regular Catfruit stages. The first level is similar to Catfruit Jubilee with a variety of enemies, while the Continuations are similar to the other "Growing" stages, featuring enemies of one trait.
*The stage contains at least one enemy from every trait the continuation stages feature.
==Reference==
*https://battlecats-db.com/stage/s01162-01.html
Category:Catfruit Stages
Category:Event Stages