Chicken Wrangling

Chicken Wrangling is a special type of battle only fought during the quest to secure a meeting with Luca Stolas. The Chickens are found in Auramosa Plains, and three must be defeated in order to complete the quest. Though the battle mechanics function similarly to the normal combat system, there are special mechanics which will need to be managed in order to succeed.

## Locations

The three Chickens are spread across the plains, though are not too far from one another. The first is located immediately after you enter the zone, and prompts a dialogue box.

The second one is found by going all the way down from where you spotted the first chicken, then heading left at the dead end. Keep walking left until you see the fork in the path and head up towards the small house. The Chicken can be found wandering around the patch of land behind the house sticking out into the water with the treasure chest at the top.

To find the last Chicken, head back to the forked path from before, keep going left past the old car, then up to find another area tucked away in the top right corner. The Chicken can be found up there along another small section of ground.

## Stats

 Normal
 Hard

## Moves

* Peck - Low Damage | Hits One Enemy | High Stun Chance
* Edge Away - Self-Targeted | Increases Escape Meter by 1
* Rile Up - Self-Targeted | Heals 2 Pulse

## Behavior

The Chicken usually focuses on using its Peck ability. When it get’s low, it will Rile Up occasionally. And, depending on difficulty, it will mix in Edge Away as the fight drags out.

## Strategy (Normal)

The Chicken battle follows a similar turn-based system as the normal combat. But during this battle, all of your normal moves are replaced by three new commands:
Wrestle - Deals 2 Damage
Calm - Decreases the Chicken’s Rage Meter by 1
Bait - Decreases the Chicken’s Escape Meter by 1

In the battle there are three meters that you need to manage: the Chicken’s Pulse, Rage, and Escape. As with normal battle, its Pulse must be decreased to 0 in order to capture it. The Rage Meter goes from 1-3, and indicates how many moves the Chicken will take during each of its turns. The Rage Meter always has at least 1 point in it, so keep that in mind when using Calm. The Escape Meter measures when the Chicken will flee the battle, forcing you to start again. The meter measures from 0-5, and when it reaches 5 the Chicken immediately escapes.

Successful Chicken wrangling requires managing all three meters effectively. The first thing to keep in mind is that the Chicken always goes first. This is important, since if its Escape Meter is not managed, it will slip away before you get a chance to Calm it. It should also be noted that, typically at this point in the game, your characters will go in the following order: Eve, Klein, then Chip.

A general strategy looks something like this: Start with Eve using Wrestle, Klein using Calm, then Chip using Wrestle. So long as no one is Stunned, this should deal 4 damage and keep the Rage Meter at 2. Then, alternate: Eve Calm, Klein Wrestle, Chip Calm. From there, try to use moves in such a way that the Rage Meter never ends at more than 2, while keeping an eye on the Escape Meter. It’s a good idea to keep the Escape Meter at 2 or below, because if it reaches 3 or more, there’s a chance the Chicken will be able to simply Edge Away twice in a row and escape.

The biggest hazard of the battle is the Stun chance on the Chicken’s Peck. Because the chance is very high, you should always fight in such a way that assumes at least one party member will be stunned each turn. For example: If the Chicken’s Rage Meter is at 2, it’s a good idea to have at least 2 people use Calm to ensure it gets lowered by at least 1. Or another example: If the Escape Meter is at 2, it’s a good idea to have everyone use Bait to ensure it gets lowered back to 0.

Finally, if the Chicken’s health gets relatively low, you can attempt to go all out to finish it off. But keep in mind that, depending on how high its Rage Meter is, it can Rile Up multiple times in a row and pull away from defeat. In general, the best strategy is to keep it slow and steady, wearing it down bit by bit until you come off triumphant.

## Strategy (Hard)

The basic outline above works for Hard Mode as well. The only major difference is that on Hard Mode, the Chickens are much more prone to use Edge Away. This meter MUST be watched carefully. If it ever reaches 2, it’s highly recommended that you Bait until it goes back down to 0. Don’t get too greedy, and you should come out victorious.

## Chicken Elemental

A word of warning! After you've captured the third Chicken, you will be forced into a battle with the Chicken Elemental, so go in prepared for a fight! See the Elemental's page for more details.