First encountered in Viewax's Edifice, Poolmen can be very, very rough. They're not the most damaging enemy out there, but when they're left alone, you've got one hell of a sticky situation on your hands. Here's the deal with Poolmen.

FLESH: 60
POWER: 12
ABILITIES:

LAMBASTE - The Poolman slaps one of your party members 3 times, each slap dealing 2 damage, and then doing a final slam for 7 damage.

MULTIPLY - The most infamous part of Poolmen. Poolman clones itself, and the resulting clones cleanse all status conditions they had, but as of v32, they inherit the health of the original Poolman. Poolmen cannot Multiply if they are Burning.

The powered up, mid- to late-game version of the Poolman. Everyone who plays hopes that they don't have to encounter an upgraded Poolman, but alas, their prayers fall on deaf ears. First found either on Foglast or on the path to the second Active Cabinet, Poolmagnes can be one of the most dangerous enemies in the entire game if ignored. Lets get in to em.

FLESH: 90
POWER: 25
ABILITIES:

LAMBASTE - Same move that Poolman uses, but stronger. Slaps one of your characters three times, each time dealing about 5 damage, with a fourth, final hit dealing 20 damage.

ALLOTROPE - A new devastating move that only Poolmagnes have at their disposal. Whenever a Poolmagne gets hit, they counterattack whoever hit them, dealing around 25 damage and inflicting Leaking.

MULTIPLY - The classic, you know it, you love it. Poolmagne duplicates itself, and its duplicated selves have cleansed status conditions - again, as of v32, multiplied Poolmagnes inherit the health of their progenitor. Burning prevents Poolmagnes from Multiplying.

Alright! It's time to end your suffering once and for all! In the days of old, Poolmen and Poolmagnes were a top threat, but as of v32, they've been quite a bit more manageable. Here's how to beat every Poolman and Poolmagne in the game easy peasy!

- 1: Go in to the mines under New Muldul and give the thirsty miner some Juice to get the House Key.
- 2: Take the House Key to the locked house near the statue, and get Soul Crisper.
- 3: Always use Soul Crisper on Poolmen/Poolmagnes before anything else to burn them so they can't Multiply.
- 4: Blitz the Poolman/Poolmagne down before Burning wears off, or keep reapplying Soul Crisper until they're gone.
- 5: Kick back and relax.

Here's some other tips and tricks.

- With the changes to Poolmen and Poolmagnes introduced in v32, any damage dealt to a Poolman or Poolmagne will carry over to its duplicates. Even if you can't burn them, make sure to deal some damage to them before they multiply - it will make your life exponentially easier.

- DISSOLUTION deals very high bonus damage against Poolmen and Poolmagnes. It can be very good for killing them once and for all, but Dissolute does NOT prevent them from using Multiply. Using Soul Crisper and then Dissolution is basically a guaranteed one-two punch to kill regular Poolmen.

- CHARGED LIGHTNING inflicts Burning, if you're extremely desperate. With enough power, Lightning or Charged Lightning can also just one-shot both Poolmen and Poolmagnes.

- FOAM ARMOR prevents Leaking from Poolmagne's Allotrope - make sure to unleash Charged Foam Armor in almost every battle you partake in, even without Poolmen, because Charged Foam Armor is just gooooood.

- If you find yourself getting overwhelmed by a horde of Poolmen or Poolmagnes and don't have a way to immediately burn them, whittle them down to low health one by one, and then kill them all in one swoop. There is a limit of 3 to 4 Poolmen per battle - when this limit is reached, they cannot multiply any further. WAVE ARTIFICE is very good for finishing off groups of low health Poolmen and Poolmagnes, especially if it's Charged. Be very careful of using Wave Artifice against Poolmagnes, however, since they will all counter with Allotrope if they remain alive!


And so, that's how to deal with Poolmen and Poolmagnes. There's a ton of other dangerous enemies in the game, but with this guide, hopefully you'll be able to consistently squash (what used to be) one of the most terrifying of them. Remember, kids, it's important to trim the fronds, so you don't get Poolmen.