Chaz

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Chapter 1, House Dust

❝ Mister, have any blue?
 Ten dirty mags for the blue, mister... ❞
— **Chaz Dale**
**Chaz Dale** is a Joy addict that appears in House Dust, turning into a Joy Mutant once the player decides to rest in one of the rooms.

## In-Game

Initially, Chaz will be passive, sitting to the right of the entrance next to Swen Bahansen. If interacted with, he will ask Alex and Joel if they *'have any blue'*, referring to Joy - an addictive depressant that numbs all sensation and emotion. If the player talked to Slim Hartmann and received a Joy pill from him, Chaz will offer 10 Dirty Magazines for the drug. However, the Joy can also be sold to Barkeep Mysteriozo for double the value of what Chaz gives. Giving him Joy or not will not affect if he mutates.

After Alex and Joel rest, off-screen, Chaz panics from Geen Jean suddenly slitting the barkeep's throat, the emotional stress causing him to mutate. Next to him is a slaughtered Swen, decapitated. If approached, a battle will begin.

Defeating Chaz is the only way to obtain the Eerie Record from the gramophone within House Dust.

## Chaz

### LUCK

160
25
25
4
5
4

## Skills

Devastating Chompfreq:10
Bitefreq:4

Scratchfreq:4
Gearing up for Chompfreq:3

Tastefreq:3
Glarefreq:3

Blood Coughfreq:3

## Rewards

1000 EXP
2

100%  Mystery Jerky

Chaz has the highest HP out of any enemy in the entire chapter, and is the only enemy that can inflict Brain Damage - a debilitating status effect that can only be treated by a Trauma Kit, an item that appears much later on into the game. As such, Chaz should be approached with caution.

Maintaining both Alex and Joel's SP is important to avoid Chaz's Devastating Chomp - a lethal move capable of KO'ing a party member and applying Brain Damage, telegraphed beforehand by Gearing up for Chomp. Keeping your SP high enough to Dive/Roll Out whenever Chaz uses this move is essential for avoiding a knocked out party member and a crippling status effect that must be dealt with for the majority of the game. It should be noted that Chaz can be stunned while readying the chomp and that the chomp is capable of missing. However, due to the poor odds of these events occurring, incorporating them into a strategy is inadvisable.

Taste has a chance to inflict Pissed, which has the potential to deal massive critical damage to Chaz, or either party member. An enraged Alex or Joel can disturb the careful synergy needed between the two to maintain each other's SP and inflict consistent damage to Chaz. While this can potentially lead to an early victory, dealing with the Joy Mutant as quickly as possible is recommended to avoid this risk.

#### Strategy

Fighting Chaz can be a lengthy process, but the EXP he grants gives you an edge against future enemies.

Always start off by using Joel's Gun Toss and attacking him with Flying Axe Kick - the higher damage output and cheaper SP makes it a more viable option than gambling for Goat Headbutt's stun chance.

Whenever Chaz prepares to use Devastating Chomp, Roll Out with Joel and keep Alex's SP filled with Receding Stance.

Use Joel's Single Out skill to make Chaz weaker to basic attacks. If Rage is inflicted, it will further decrease his defense and will make him more susceptible to being stunned.

If Joel isn't taunting, Alex can use his Dive ability to avoid the Chomp attack. However, this will inflict Off Balance, making it impossible to use stances for 3 turns and having the potential to lengthen the encounter.

If all else fails, Chaz's battle can be escaped from. Doing so will allow the player to avoid a potential KO, but will restart the battle with all items used in the previous encounter being wasted.

## Bugs

* Bite and Scratch can only be used on Chaz's second turn rather than every two turns. Once this turn is over, Devastating Chomp becomes the only move Chaz can use to deal physical damage.

## Trivia

* Chaz currently has the highest HP of any single enemy in the game.