One of the most tragic tales within Live a Live is the story of The Earthen Heart Shifu and his quest to find a successor. The player will have to make a series of choices at the start of the Imperial China chapter that will ultimately impact the story's outcome.
With three disciples to choose from in this chapter, they will need to decide which one to favor. This will determine who will be Shifu's successor. While Live a Live features several instances where the player will need to make a decision, this is perhaps the most critical choice they will need to make out of all of them.
The Three Disciples
The player will have a hard decision to make during the Imperial China chapter. With Shifu ready to hand the reins over to his successor, they'll have to choose who that person is. The three available options all have excellent merits of their own that make them viable candidates.
Once the player decides which disciple they want to favor for succession, they should focus all Shifu's efforts on that character. This means unequipping all gear and weapons from the other two and solely training this individual. Only the disciple with the most experience will survive, so it is essential to focus on the intended successor.
Lei Kugo
For the player looking for speed, Lei Kugo is the disciple to choose. She's expertly skilled at moving in and out quickly without getting damaged. She can frequently act several times before her enemies get the chance to strike back. Her base skills make her outstanding, as they allow her to stand up well in a fight even before she has learned the Earthen Heart techniques.
Once she does pick up these techniques, she uses them to her advantage well, often able to outpace the damage inflicted by Earthen Heart Shifu. She will also pick up an awesome AOE skill at level 16 to combine with her excellent mobility and evasion. In the beginning, she far exceeds the other two with her skills.
Yun Jou
Starting off as the weakest of the three disciples, Yun Jou quickly outpaces the others as he gains more stat increases with each level than they do. Eventually, he can become the strongest of the three with all the training devoted to him.
However, his skills leave something to be desired, requiring him to focus on using Earthen Heart techniques as he levels up. While his stats are impressive with leveling, he lacks versatility in his tactics.
Hong Hakka
If the player is interested in a tank, Hong Hakka comes with a heavy amount of HP. However, he is the slowest of the three even after he receives the focused training on Day Two. The thing about this disciple is that the others cannot match his defense, which allows him to keep on fighting no matter the situation.
While he offers useful skills and tactical options unavailable to the others, his hits just aren't as hard, offering less damage. He's decent with both up-close fighting and ranged combat, but the player will not get the same results with Hong Hakka as they will with Lei Kugo or Yun Jou.
Choosing The Best Option For A Successor
Once the player has found all three disciples and has them in training, they will need to select one to focus on. The one that has the most experience at the end of training will be the one that succeeds the Earthen Heart Shifu. Additionally, they'll also be the only one of the three disciples to survive. That being said, the player must choose the best option and focus all their attention on that character.
The most well-rounded option is Lei Kugo for several reasons. First, some of her skills actually exceed those of Earthen Heart Shifu. Second, when she learns his Earthen Heart techniques, she takes them to another level with the damage she inflicts. Third, she has fantastic ranged abilities that will become essential in the final chapter. This strength alone makes her a critical asset to have against certain enemies at the final stages of the game.
Tips For Training
Training consists of one-on-one fights with the disciples. Shifu must defeat them for the fight to count. As a disciple is defeated, they will gain experience based on the day of training. To have the easiest time completing this chapter, training should be completed strategically.
By following these tips, the player will have the most success:
- Spend all 12 fights on Lei Kugo, as she will need the most experience possible to make the boss fight a breeze
- The player must remember to use Shifu's skills that they want Lei Kugo to learn
- Unequip all important gear and weapons from the other two disciples and give them to Lei Kugo
Live a Live is available now on Nintendo Switch.