This game truly impressed me the longer I played it. The first few hours were pretty lackluster to be honest but I kept going. It got very interesting around the “tree”. I really liked the fact that after you defeat Mordagon, the game “ends” and the credits roll, but yet the story continues and you discover the ACTUAL true enemy that you need to stop. The writing is simple, yet genius at the same time. Great game
Better yet that explains why Mordegon destroyed the Lantern before Calasmos had a chance to break free out of his seal. Because only the luminary could defeat Calasmos. That’s why they had to seal him since Erdwin got betrayed by brainwashed Morcant.
They made this boss so bad ass. And the post boss is awesome too. Very memorable villains. I surely will never forget them as bosses. He'll they kicked my ass 😂
Because the Luminary's damage output with 2H is comparable if not better, and also more reliable, and on top of that he outclasses Erik in defense and utility.
Tried using those..it's good but greg/hendrik with parallax does more damage in the 3ds version. I am using both him and camus/erik but the luminary and hendrik/greg have better damage output at least in the 3ds version.
@Daiyaan Slamang nah it's ok. I beat him while using divide and fatal flash with the dual wielding swords for x6 damage. It only worked on his second phase that way and only hit for x2 on his first form and other enemies. Some weird glitch
Did it on 47, It was super tight, had to juggle my line up for specific abilities constantly, with several incredibly close calls. Felt immensely satisfied in what I did! But no more dumb bragging from me, this was probably my favorite game of the year (casually ignoring the switch remaster was a new game lol)
Because of my party (hero, Erik, Sylvando, Rab) as soon as Hero and Rab die, it’s pretty much over unless I find some Yggdrasil leaves but those are super rare.
I beat him first try when my party was around level 53. I used the luminary, Erik (using divide and mountainmover, as well as the cobra strike and victimiser combo), Sylvando (hustle dance for healing, oomphle for luminary and erik, and attacking), and Serena (main healer, offensive spells, and debuffs). If you cast mountainmover and do the cobra strike victimiser combo with Erik, you can deal insane damage, given he's stong enough and you have those abilities (you'll need to be using knives). But yeah this fight was still tricky, luckily if you play it safe, you won't even wipe out your first party
I was level 55. I used luminary,hendrick,rab, and sylvando. I would buff hendrick and luminary's attack, use multiheal when low, and use some of my strongest attacks. After a couple rounds of that his first form was defeated.
@@misterrhombus it's been a while since I played so unfortunately I don't have a lot of details. From what I remember, you have two options. 1 is to have the luminary be a main source of damage using his specials and spells. 2 is to have Erik's combos be a main source of damage (very effective), which requires more setting up. I'm pretty sure you can track down certain items that increase Erik's accuracy and chances of poisoning enemies.
Killed at first try. Luminary, Hendrik (tanks) and Rab, Serena (healers). Level 50 with best armor you can find at this point in the game. Just Unbridled Blade the bastards and use Multiheal, Magic Barrier and Kabuff.
Dude, it's a Dragon Quest. Check out Final Boss music for first Dragon Quest games... I kinda do like this music. Surely, i love epic Final Boss themes like FFVIII, FFIX, Tales of Destiny 2 (Wheel Of Fortune, that's the song name), Etrian Odyssey V... But i still do like this tune. Sounds the same as Shin Megami Tensei IV Final Boss music.
The voice acting surprised me, but I'm glad they try new thimgs while still keeping things like multiple forms, surprise main bosses and doublr bosses alive
When I fought Mordegon for the first time, Luminary (named Elliot in my first complete playthrough) was level 99, and my party members' levels were above 70.
Did this on strong monsters about 10 levels lower than you. Lost to the first form twice but beat his 2nd phase in one attempt. Such an intense battle... I was running out of MP on almost every member. If it wasn't for Wild Side, I would have lost
@@AzureFIame kinda cringe when these people brag about their accomplishments in a turn based video game, especially on a video you probably made for fun.
@@gamerprince-tl5hg "Did this on strong monsters about 10 levels lower than you" That's literally bragging, in a turn based single player video game no less. Why feel the need to go out of your way and say it like that? It's just cringe.
@@Ribcut i genuinely dont understand why this bothers u enough to call it cringe but whatever man i would hope you got over it in the past year you posted that comment lol
Here’s a tip for people. Line up , Sylvano, Luminary, Hendrickson, and Arab Focus on Swords for Luminary, Greatswords for Hendrik, Whatever for the other two tbh Turn Rab to fight Wisely and spam oomphle on Luminary and Hendrickson for max damage
I beat him on my first attempt, all of my characters were past level 60 at that point after farming Hardy Hands at the Manglegrove whalestation after beating Gildygga
Why no shield or extra wand for Serena? I just beat this boss yesterday. Was definitely a doozy. It's interesting seeing other ppl's equipment. I had hero with greatsword, Hendrick with shield+axe, serena with dual wand, jade with spear.
@@SquallLion90 Ha awesome. It just felt right, though I did initially want hero to go sword+shield for DQ8 nostalgia. I haven't played in a while after this point. I got whooped by that crystal ground crawler thing and it demotivated me haha.
The most balanced overall level I'd suggest for the party is 60 because it seems like most people in the comments seem to be nearly getting killed if their party isn't near that level.
I got to the twin dragon stage of this fight, but couldn't get past that. What would you all say is the best tactic to use at that point? I'm not quite as high level as in the video, but I think I should be high enough.
I beat the first boss with no problem but the I struggled on the second one. 😂 Got jade and rab dead. But after checking this I felt bad for my weak characters. 😂
I was level 60 so I kinda got by without any trouble which is annoying because I really like tough fights it’s more memorable. I just had Hendrix spam Kabul and magic barrier, sylvando for hustle dance and gold rush and hero and jade for damage output
I've been trying to beat this for a few days I think I should just step back and level up Edit: I beat him a while ago and I gotta say slowing down and leveling up really helps, I no longer had to give a arm and a leg to get close.
Probably from about 48-58 is where you should be when you get to him which should be fine if you have a good build for everyone and don’t make dumb mistakes
Damn, how did he not use red mist and not be impervious to sap? Every time i tried on ps5 i got raped by red mist and was never able to lower his defense
Yeah it works alright, I was tired with the 4th boss fight in Drustan's trials, I kept going over the required turns, then I switched everyone to fight wisely and had my meal, when I went back I actually won! And the number of turns are just right.
I beat em yesterday first try level 49, it was not hard, i used luminary, Hendrick,Sylvando and Serana(ofc she is a beast), crapped my pants after focusing on head and seeing the other cast Zing XD, after hendrick ran out of mp switched him for jade who buffed was doing close to a 1000 dmg per turn XD with the lightning kick looking attack.
Mordrgon cast zing if you defeat lord of shadows first lol It wasn’t too bad but I thought it was funny, actually thought it would end the fight if I finished him first
I kinda wish he was harder (but that is mostly a problem with the whole game) I was like lvl.50 and didn't even use serena. Lol i had Omniheal on my hero.
I think is one of the few times I think the English dub of a Japanese source material is way way better than the Japanese dub. The Japanese acting especially for mordegon is so flat compared to this performance!
I actually did the metal king slime grind before i went into the castle , it's a tedious grind but it jumps all the characters up 3 levels each time you kill one.
You can use a pep up with sylvando, yourself, and jade and then use spectacle show/electro light. Doing so has a 75% chance of summoning metal slimes. Depending on your level, it could range from liquid metal slimes to the ultra rare vicious metal king slime + vicious liquid metal slime combo. I recommend that both jade and serena equip spears and know the skill that does critical or nothing, because these things are prone to run away. Another way is to go to tatsunaga's lair and run into the bloody hands. Hardy hands sometimes show up alongside them, and they give A LOT of exp. However, they act like metal slimes, are hard to hit, have a high defense, and tend to run away often, but when they don't, they call for backup, which brings even more hardy hands into battle, which is VERY useful for grinding. I did this and easily got to level 68 before going up against Mordegan, crushing him with ease.
Chu Chan you have to use pep powers. With jade and I think 2 others for the metal slimes to appear. Keep in mind sometimes you get these stupid robot things which aren’t worth any experience
Tbh i liked the story until the end of act 2. Thats when it all went downhill. But ignoring act 3's existence, I'll say dragon quest xi has the best story of dragon quest franchise.
I beat em yesterday first try level 49, it was not hard, i used luminary, Hendrick,Sylvando and Serana(ofc she is a beast), crapped my pants after focusing on head and seeing the other cast Zing XD, after hendrick ran out of mp switched him for jade who buffed was doing close to a 1000 dmg per turn XD with the lightning kick looking attack.
This game truly impressed me the longer I played it. The first few hours were pretty lackluster to be honest but I kept going. It got very interesting around the “tree”. I really liked the fact that after you defeat Mordagon, the game “ends” and the credits roll, but yet the story continues and you discover the ACTUAL true enemy that you need to stop. The writing is simple, yet genius at the same time. Great game
Love okami for this exact reason, you think the game is ending and it just keeps going
Better yet that explains why Mordegon destroyed the Lantern before Calasmos had a chance to break free out of his seal. Because only the luminary could defeat Calasmos. That’s why they had to seal him since Erdwin got betrayed by brainwashed Morcant.
A hidden "Even Bigger Bad" is a longstanding tradition in Dragon Quest plots
Serena is essential
Double multiheal and kabuff saved me
Except she is perma golden
My serena actually died turn 1 on both phases and still beat it in one try hustle dance was enough healing for me (I was around level 50)
They made this boss so bad ass. And the post boss is awesome too. Very memorable villains. I surely will never forget them as bosses. He'll they kicked my ass 😂
Why does nobody use Erik? He’s Hella OP if u use divide, and then fatal slash!
Jullius Lykkell because they assume he’s the same as earlier in the game at that point he’s incredibly weak and assuming leads to not doing
Because the Luminary's damage output with 2H is comparable if not better, and also more reliable, and on top of that he outclasses Erik in defense and utility.
Tried using those..it's good but greg/hendrik with parallax does more damage in the 3ds version. I am using both him and camus/erik but the luminary and hendrik/greg have better damage output at least in the 3ds version.
@Daiyaan Slamang nah it's ok. I beat him while using divide and fatal flash with the dual wielding swords for x6 damage. It only worked on his second phase that way and only hit for x2 on his first form and other enemies. Some weird glitch
Yep
Mordegon’s voice actor James Goode does a great job voicing him I love the voice he gave him. Shame Mordegon is such a underrated villain
What else does he act in?
@@ParadoxDown Games like Cyberpunk and Lego City Undercover.
@@Mario87456 Didn't know that, cool 😎
He does a Goode job
@@100Wilbur999 Great pun never thought of using his name like that.
Was around level 70 when I did this fight. Made it a bit easier, but that's if you want to spend your time grinding!
Did it on 47, It was super tight, had to juggle my line up for specific abilities constantly, with several incredibly close calls. Felt immensely satisfied in what I did! But no more dumb bragging from me, this was probably my favorite game of the year (casually ignoring the switch remaster was a new game lol)
I did ut on lvl 99 😂😂😂😂
Electrolight Pep Power
my party is in their late and esely 50s and still i cannot bear his second form
I did it at level 50
Because of my party (hero, Erik, Sylvando, Rab) as soon as Hero and Rab die, it’s pretty much over unless I find some Yggdrasil leaves but those are super rare.
Why not use Serena?
I eventually replaced Rab with her and that made the fight MUCH easier
Or zing
Mic snyman Erik and sylvamdo can’t use zing
I beat him first try when my party was around level 53. I used the luminary, Erik (using divide and mountainmover, as well as the cobra strike and victimiser combo), Sylvando (hustle dance for healing, oomphle for luminary and erik, and attacking), and Serena (main healer, offensive spells, and debuffs). If you cast mountainmover and do the cobra strike victimiser combo with Erik, you can deal insane damage, given he's stong enough and you have those abilities (you'll need to be using knives). But yeah this fight was still tricky, luckily if you play it safe, you won't even wipe out your first party
I was level 55. I used luminary,hendrick,rab, and sylvando.
I would buff hendrick and luminary's attack, use multiheal when low, and use some of my strongest attacks. After a couple rounds of that his first form was defeated.
How do you actually utilize Erik? He keeps missing his attacks and not proc Cobra Strike poison
@@misterrhombus it's been a while since I played so unfortunately I don't have a lot of details. From what I remember, you have two options. 1 is to have the luminary be a main source of damage using his specials and spells. 2 is to have Erik's combos be a main source of damage (very effective), which requires more setting up. I'm pretty sure you can track down certain items that increase Erik's accuracy and chances of poisoning enemies.
@@brendanroy8499 I just beat the boss! The cobra strike and victimizer combo is actually strong
I’m only like lvl 43 imma grind up a bit. I’m too baked to beat this on even ground
I beaten this boss at lvl 50 took me 3 tries and I finally beat em but now my characters are lvl 99 with the best gear and weapons equiped lol
bruh
This brings tears and nostalgia to my eyes 🥲🥲🥲
Killed at first try. Luminary, Hendrik (tanks) and Rab, Serena (healers). Level 50 with best armor you can find at this point in the game. Just Unbridled Blade the bastards and use Multiheal, Magic Barrier and Kabuff.
Daniel Leonardo Villalobos Iturriaga I’m about to try that I’ve been dying so many times to this dude
Daniel Leonardo Villalobos Iturriaga UPDATE I finally beat this man thank god
@@KENTA.7320 yeah, my dude!!!!!!!
Exact same method sane levels and party for me 1st try
AND Oomphle at Hendrik
i feel like the music is a let down for sure, it doesnt make me feel like its important or that i should care about the fight really
Dude, it's a Dragon Quest. Check out Final Boss music for first Dragon Quest games...
I kinda do like this music. Surely, i love epic Final Boss themes like FFVIII, FFIX, Tales of Destiny 2 (Wheel Of Fortune, that's the song name), Etrian Odyssey V...
But i still do like this tune. Sounds the same as Shin Megami Tensei IV Final Boss music.
Кейти Тамира I know this is late but DQ 8 Final boss theme is pretty damn epic
This boss was tough, was able to finish this boss at level 42!
That’s actually pretty good
that is really good i had to be at level 50
Jesus! I had everyone at level 99 🙈
WHAT THE HECK DU YA MEAN LEVEL 42 I WAS LEVEL 62
@@alejandro7138 bruh i was even level 70 when i beat calosmas and u were 99 when you beat mordegon ;-;
The voice acting surprised me, but I'm glad they try new thimgs while still keeping things like multiple forms, surprise main bosses and doublr bosses alive
When I fought Mordegon for the first time, Luminary (named Elliot in my first complete playthrough) was level 99, and my party members' levels were above 70.
I think i made the right choice to wear the bunny suit for jade
I was lvl 38 and kept using Ommphle on Hendrick and after that I had him use Unbridled blade and beat her in 4 turns
jeesus christ your like 25 levels under lol i was level 38 when the world tree fell ;-;
Man this final boss fight was really hard at first. I was way under leveled.
Epsilonsama What level were you
I was Lvl 39 when I killed him
I kill him and my whole team still alive.
@@micsnyman2832 how tf did u beat him at lvl 39 lol
@@Xaverrrrr I had the power of strategy, RNG and anime on my side!
Evil guys never skip a gym day
Did this on strong monsters about 10 levels lower than you. Lost to the first form twice but beat his 2nd phase in one attempt. Such an intense battle... I was running out of MP on almost every member. If it wasn't for Wild Side, I would have lost
yeah it's a pretty drawn out battle but in a good way
@@AzureFIame kinda cringe when these people brag about their accomplishments in a turn based video game, especially on a video you probably made for fun.
@@Ribcut I said i struggled with the fight and barely won... how the hell is that bragging??
@@gamerprince-tl5hg "Did this on strong monsters about 10 levels lower than you"
That's literally bragging, in a turn based single player video game no less.
Why feel the need to go out of your way and say it like that?
It's just cringe.
@@Ribcut i genuinely dont understand why this bothers u enough to call it cringe but whatever man i would hope you got over it in the past year you posted that comment lol
Here’s a tip for people.
Line up , Sylvano, Luminary, Hendrickson, and Arab
Focus on Swords for Luminary, Greatswords for Hendrik, Whatever for the other two tbh
Turn Rab to fight Wisely and spam oomphle on Luminary and Hendrickson for max damage
This could’ve been the final boss and it would still be satisfying
I could face him now in the high 60s but I wanna crush mordegon and be in the 90s, I know I'm already over leveled but I like the grind anyway.
Im actually going to grind until im 60. Im high to low 50s with my team
@@tyshadowflame6973 do the metal slime farming method with electrolyte, save a hours of grinding
Nick Gianesin this. I faced him at level 95 made it easy. But I like grinding
Threw all my money at him. Literally and Figuratively
I beat him on my first attempt, all of my characters were past level 60 at that point after farming Hardy Hands at the Manglegrove whalestation after beating Gildygga
Use Sylvando's starstrike if you are at a low level, if it lands, he'll miss a lot of hits
I was looking at music and found this. It’s really weird looking. I’m at Jasper Unbound in my game, but I gotta level up as he 1/2 one hits us.
On normal mode, this boss is as simple as any other in act 2. Oomphle on Hendrik and kabuff. Then spam unbridled blade.
Why no shield or extra wand for Serena? I just beat this boss yesterday. Was definitely a doozy. It's interesting seeing other ppl's equipment. I had hero with greatsword, Hendrick with shield+axe, serena with dual wand, jade with spear.
I had the same set up lol.
@@SquallLion90 Ha awesome. It just felt right, though I did initially want hero to go sword+shield for DQ8 nostalgia. I haven't played in a while after this point. I got whooped by that crystal ground crawler thing and it demotivated me haha.
The most balanced overall level I'd suggest for the party is 60 because it seems like most people in the comments seem to be nearly getting killed if their party isn't near that level.
Im around this same level. However, i have hard monsters draconian set. He wreaked me in first form...
This game reminds me like final fantasy x so i use everybody with line up in battle
I got to the twin dragon stage of this fight, but couldn't get past that. What would you all say is the best tactic to use at that point? I'm not quite as high level as in the video, but I think I should be high enough.
@Bumble Bee Alright thanks for the tips appreciate it
Get serena's double spell skill for multiheal and kabuff, and nuke with oomple'd cutting edge on the hero and oomple'd parralax on hendrik
Saw the thumbnail and I HAD to click
I beat the first boss with no problem but the I struggled on the second one. 😂 Got jade and rab dead. But after checking this I felt bad for my weak characters. 😂
My character build is a mess. 😂 Will try this again with this build.
This reminds me of Endgame for some reason!
Girl:yeah! This Boss Looks Like Castlevania LOS
Mordragons tail can use Zing... It made me want to stop playing altogether
Wait what
He can use zing?!
Lol i always aimmed for the tail to prevent the tail from biting a team member.
So i never knew he had zing
Fucker kept chewing on me so I shagged the tail first. I'm so glad I averted a more serious problem
Oh cmon it’s not that big of a deal, you just gotta take out the tail which should be low enough, and Mordegon will still be in the yellow
I did this boss at level 49, 1st try, I feel like a god
Haha same here! finished him on lvl 49 in my first try
Damn! I was only level 45 for this fight!
Same. I’ve failed 4 times now 😅 time to griiiind
yeah
Nano Gamer I was level 42 and I defeat it the first time... But it wasn’t easy
I had to go real big brain mode to beat on level 46, it was an absolute nightmare but I felt rewarded
MY CHARACTERS ARE FUCKING 55 AND UP AND I STILL DIDNT BEAT HIM
Edit:Nvm my characters are already at lv 90
I FINALLY DID IT OMG IT WAS SO HARD
Same I remember how this boss was hard lmfao I was a lvl 50 lol
I was level 60 so I kinda got by without any trouble which is annoying because I really like tough fights it’s more memorable.
I just had Hendrix spam Kabul and magic barrier, sylvando for hustle dance and gold rush and hero and jade for damage output
This is was a joke at around level 55 for me.
I beat the mordegon forms on first try unlike jasper where i had to grind a bit first
Maybe i shoulndt have tried it mid 40s level
I've been trying to beat this for a few days I think I should just step back and level up
Edit: I beat him a while ago and I gotta say slowing down and leveling up really helps, I no longer had to give a arm and a leg to get close.
What's the recommended level to face him?
Around 45
Probably from about 48-58 is where you should be when you get to him which should be fine if you have a good build for everyone and don’t make dumb mistakes
I was lvl 52 which seems about the average.
For strategy, I'd recommend hendrik, luminary, serena/rab, and jade
I fought him above Level 70.
Damn, how did he not use red mist and not be impervious to sap? Every time i tried on ps5 i got raped by red mist and was never able to lower his defense
Fun fact: If you wanna beat any boss, Put everyone on fight wisely.
It works.
Solaire Of Dabstora true
Yeah it works alright, I was tired with the 4th boss fight in Drustan's trials, I kept going over the required turns, then I switched everyone to fight wisely and had my meal, when I went back I actually won! And the number of turns are just right.
I’m actually gonna try this lol
@@bookmakerjohn455 gonna try it because postgame bosses are a pain
High level.
Wait Mordegon and the lord of shadows are different? Someone please explain
...no
@@amso7169 I already figured that out,thanks for the 2 month late reply!
I think this is on normal and not draconian.
No where does it say it's on Draconian soo what's the big deal?
I beat em yesterday first try level 49, it was not hard, i used luminary, Hendrick,Sylvando and Serana(ofc she is a beast), crapped my pants after focusing on head and seeing the other cast Zing XD, after hendrick ran out of mp switched him for jade who buffed was doing close to a 1000 dmg per turn XD with the lightning kick looking attack.
Mordrgon cast zing if you defeat lord of shadows first lol It wasn’t too bad but I thought it was funny, actually thought it would end the fight if I finished him first
serena is always in my party lol what is that weapon she has..and erick is my fave for farming
I think it's literally called Glow Stick.
Same team but Rhahab instead of Serena. Probably Serena was a better choise as healer
I got this boss at my 1st try i was level 52
Seeing ur attacks i guess i need to grind some more levels cause im no where near that damage 😂
I kinda wish he was harder (but that is mostly a problem with the whole game)
I was like lvl.50 and didn't even use serena.
Lol i had Omniheal on my hero.
My Serena was terrible at the time but yeah he was easy,the other bosses were way harder
How do yall find this boss hard i got it first try lvl 53 or something
How do you get those dynamic camera angles like that? Is that what the game does when you take camera control out of the player's hands in settings?
Yea, go to settings and change the camera to classic
I'm never liking this video because it has 69 likes which is nice
.-.
Idk but he was kinda easy,the boss at the beginning was way harder and made me have to farm
Level 50,first try.
I was on level 69 I think when I beat this one
The hero has the same name as me
Do you now dragon quest
I think is one of the few times I think the English dub of a Japanese source material is way way better than the Japanese dub. The Japanese acting especially for mordegon is so flat compared to this performance!
Beat him on my first try and I was 10 levels under you
So?
aFuller16 Maize and Blue me too
Weird flex, but okay.
Wow, you're a little bit overleveled.
Good place to level up to 60?
I actually did the metal king slime grind before i went into the castle , it's a tedious grind but it jumps all the characters up 3 levels each time you kill one.
You can use a pep up with sylvando, yourself, and jade and then use spectacle show/electro light. Doing so has a 75% chance of summoning metal slimes. Depending on your level, it could range from liquid metal slimes to the ultra rare vicious metal king slime + vicious liquid metal slime combo. I recommend that both jade and serena equip spears and know the skill that does critical or nothing, because these things are prone to run away. Another way is to go to tatsunaga's lair and run into the bloody hands. Hardy hands sometimes show up alongside them, and they give A LOT of exp. However, they act like metal slimes, are hard to hit, have a high defense, and tend to run away often, but when they don't, they call for backup, which brings even more hardy hands into battle, which is VERY useful for grinding. I did this and easily got to level 68 before going up against Mordegan, crushing him with ease.
@@AzureFIame where will I find the Metal Slimes?
Chu Chan you have to use pep powers. With jade and I think 2 others for the metal slimes to appear. Keep in mind sometimes you get these stupid robot things which aren’t worth any experience
was going to buy this game, but thank god i did not, i fucking hate this kind of combat
Turn based combat is the goat but ok
The graphic quality of this game is so good ... what a pity that its storyline seem to be.... off.
It’s the opposite of dq9 haha
I entirely disagree but ok
@@sharkhaha9770 It's boring, honestly.
Tbh i liked the story until the end of act 2.
Thats when it all went downhill.
But ignoring act 3's existence, I'll say dragon quest xi has the best story of dragon quest franchise.
What’s wrong with the story?
Vincent
Ew, midi!
such a boring game
I should feed you a white pikmin for saying that
I beat em yesterday first try level 49, it was not hard, i used luminary, Hendrick,Sylvando and Serana(ofc she is a beast), crapped my pants after focusing on head and seeing the other cast Zing XD, after hendrick ran out of mp switched him for jade who buffed was doing close to a 1000 dmg per turn XD with the lightning kick looking attack.