Due to its nature as a sequel, all spoilers for Fate/Apocrypha are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
The Fate/Apocrypha collaboration.
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Tropes:
- Alternate Self: Played With. Chiron states that he and Achilles actually don't have any knowledge of what went down during the Great Holy Grail War and compares their situation to more as if how they were before the War ever happened. The awakened Servants express similar sentiments, though that doesn't stop several of them from having interactions rather similar to what went down in Apocrypha, such as Siegfried and Karna, or Mordred and Semiramis. The only exception is Vlad III, who attributes it to his Fusion Dance with Darnic.
- Back from the Dead: The simulated Servants revive no matter how many times they're killed. Even after the protagonist and their allies start "awakening" and resummoning the actual Servants after defeating certain ones, their simulations continue to come back to life every night.
- Battle Aura: Each of the simulated Servants had a colored aura surrounding them, Shakespeare even states one of the difference between him and his simulated copy is the copy had an aura around them.
- Big Bad: Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia.
- Call-Back:
- The way Darnic's soul was absorbed into the Grail and mistakenly identified as the winner of the Holy Grail War is exactly the same way Angra Mainyu entered the Grail.
- When Siegfried looks upon Sieg's dragon body, he admits he would rather never fight Fafnir again due to his bad memories of the fight, the protagonist sheepishly apologizes as that's exactly what happened in the Orleans Singularity.
- Cute and Psycho: While Jack is kinder under the protagonist they're still not entirely sane as they were looking forward to dismembering Shakespeare when he was under suspicion of being a simulation.
- Debut Queue: Achilles and Chiron are added to the general summoning pool with this event.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Chiron states the only way to awaken the enemy Servants is by defeating them.
- Didn't See That Coming:
- Sieg is shocked that the simulated servants can use their Noble Phantasms when they're essentially just puppets without thoughts.
- Darnic didn't see Vlad III being properly summoned as a Servant happening at all, angrily ranting that he made sure that Vlad couldn't be and he would just remain a mindless puppet. Vlad III merely replies he should have, since it was inevitable both with the endless simulations he put into motion and so much of his energy and attention devoted to fighting the heroes.
- Divide and Conquer: Just before Sieg lost control of the Greater Grail, he was able to turn the Chiron and Achilles simulations into their real Servants but that just leaves the protagonist, Chiron, Achilles and Sieg against 12 other Servants. Chiron outright states a head-on attack is impossible so instead Sieg and the protagonist attack three Servants at a time to restore their memories (as Sieg is the only one who can) while Chiron and Achilles hold off the remainder at first. Due to the enemy Servants joining our side after their defeat, who does what changes each night.
- Drama-Preserving Handicap: In his proper dragon form as Fafnir, Sieg could likely hold his own against all but the strongest Servants such as Karna and of course Siegfried. As a result, to keep up the drama he's ambushed and injured by the enemy Servants' Noble Phantasms almost right out the gate and badly wounded, forcing him to rely on his Remote Body that can only draw on Fafnir's full power for a short period of time.
- Dream Land: Sieg summons the Protagonist through their dreams so that they may enter the Greater Grail and prevent it from wreaking havoc in the Reverse Side of the World.
- Foreshadowing:
- Spartacus refuses any assistance to fly to the Hanging Gardens and states he'll find a way to soar to the skies. It's a Call-Forward to the 3rd Lostbelt, where he'll hurl himself to the skies to deflect an attack.
- The idea that a powerful being can have a Terminal version of itself which acts independent of the main body is used to the fullest extent in other Lostbelts.
- Spartacus also leaves, saying there are other Oppressors to crush, which hints at his later appearance in a Lostbelt.
- Gameplay and Story Integration:
- The other 12 Servants in the event aren't actual Heroic Spirits at first just simulations of them, thus as raid bosses, they don't speak at all.
- Several of the simulated Servants have the unremovable skill "Pseudo-Divinity", which in-game gives them increased damage. After the first encounter with such Servants (Atalante, Spartacus, and Frankenstein), Achilles notes afterwards they were legitimately able to hurt him, even mentioning he could feel the spikes of Fran's mace dig into him, meaning they've somehow gained Divinity.
- As Apocrypha Vlad III was the Lancer of Black in his original series while he's a Berserker in FGO, the raids have him classed as a Lancer.
- Genre Savvy: Shakespeare, of course. When the protagonist wonders if the Shakespeare in front of them is the one they awakened and not a simulated one, Shakespeare is annoyed that someone would bring up the Fake Twin Gambit trope.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: Not technically one, but apparently the Simulated Great Holy Grail War has been repeated over 10,000 times with more and more Servants appearing on each repeat.
- Hold the Line: Chiron and Achilles choose to take up this role against the enemy Servants in the Divide and Conquer strategy, as only Sieg can actually restore the simulated Servants to their true selves and thus convince them to join their side. Achilles is particularly noted to be capable of this since, aside from Karna and Semiramis, none of the simulation Servants have Divinity (at first) so as long as he watches their attacks and kept everyone away from his Achilles' Heel he could keep fighting against them, if not actually win against such numbers.
- Insistent Terminology: The heroes start to call the simulated Servants by their titles from Fate/Apocrypha such as Shakespeare as Caster of Red to distinguish them from their allies that awoke after the reveal that the simulated Servants keep coming back.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: When Xanthos, the only one of Achilles' horses that can speak, warns of the possibility that the enemy has simulations of Chiron and Achilles on the Hanging Garden Achilles tries to disagrees just as he's attacked by someone from a distance that he admits is himself.
- It Can Think: The heroes underestimate the simulated Servants due to being empty shells but as the event progresses, they notice the simulated Servants are starting to use strategies. On the third day since the protagonist arrived the simulated Servants even used a Divide and Conquer plan like theirs by copying Chiron's bounded field.
- Lighter and Softer: The event is more comedic compared to the original work. It even starts with Sieg in his dragon form trying (and failing) to speak in old English in an attempt to sound formal while talking to the protagonist. Additionally, the Servants aren't in opposing roles this time around so it allows for more banter in the script even for characters who were previously serious in Apocrypha.
- Mundane Utility: Sieg reveals on the third day that he normally wouldn't be able to cook inside the Greater Grail without using his authority as the Greater Grail's Custodian to grant a wish.
- Mythology Gag:
- Sieg makes many references to Apocrypha as the only character who retained his memory.
- Early on he states he's happy to see Chiron and Achilles working together, noting that in the Great Holy Grail War they were rivals. He also admits he finds it odd being allies with Achilles as he didn't interact with him before.
- Sieg is uncomfortable around Jack at first because of his memories of her defeat in Apocrypha. He's shocked that Jack at how nice she is due to the protagonist's influence as she was an Enfant Terrible under Reika.
- When brainstorming the plan to attack the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Sieg mentions how Jeanne's side did so with planes, Jeanne blocking the majority of Semiramis' beams, and Astolfo destroying the defenses. He also reminds Atalante about her Calydonian Boar NP by referencing how she used it to fly, and Atalante mentions her other self must have been truly desperate to rely on it.
- Sieg is a bit awkward around Siegfried as he explains that Siegfried sacrificed his life to save Sieg's own. Sieg admits to the protagonist that he feels guilty for Siegfried's sacrifice.
- When the protagonist offers for Sieg to visit Chaldea, he politely refuses as he's waiting for someone referring to Jeanne.
- When Mordred briefly asks what the hell's the point of learning anything new if they're just Servants who are destined to fade away, Sieg mentions he met at least one Servant during the Great Holy Grail War who changed their outlook and learned something along the way. When she asks who, he just smiles and states it's not his place to say, referring to how Mordred herself realized by the end the true desire behind her wish.
- Once they successfully invade the Hanging Gardens, Mordred makes a quip about Semiramis and states she has a feeling even if they were on the same side, they definitely wouldn't get along. That rather accurately describes their brief relationship before Mordred flat-out left the Red Faction and they became proper rivals/enemies.
- Jack complains that high-level Servants always blow away their Mist and it gets annoying after Karna does so with his Mana Burst (Flames). This is the exact same tactic Mordred used to disperse the Mist in their clash in the Great Holy Grail War.
- Once the heroes beat Karna, Siegfried admits he's a bit disappointed that Karna is their ally now due to Karna being able to harm him, Karna shares the sentiment. Sieg can only stare as he sees the two of them once again building the Worthy Opponent relationship they had in the Great Holy Grail War.
- The protagonist can ask Achilles after he reveals his name if he happens to know "a certain Queen of Amazons." Achilles immediately goes Oh, Crap! and asks if she's been summoned to Chaldea before quickly and not quite successfully telling himself everything's fine and she's not here.
- When it's revealed that simulated Servants revive even if the actual Servant has been awakened, Atalante jokes that she doesn't want Achilles to drag her corpse around the fortress referencing him infamously doing that to Hektor's corpse in The Iliad.
- Sieg makes many references to Apocrypha as the only character who retained his memory.
- Nice Day, Deadly Night: Chiron reveals that the enemy servants are only active at night and stop at 6:00 am which gives the heroes time to rest.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Vlad III states him and Darnic are both extremely dedicated to their dreams even if their actions are extreme or they have given up on their dream even coming true, they cannot stop. It's through this similarity that Vlad is able to get Darnic to finally give up.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Once Achilles realizes that Sieg is going to be placed under the same training regimen he got from Chiron as a kid, he can only ask Sieg that he not die. A clueless Sieg promises to survive, mistakenly thinking that Achilles was referring to the war in general. Lampshaded by the protagonist:Achilles: Just... don't die, okay?Sieg: ...Of course. I'll make sure I survive (both tonight and tomorrow night).Achilles: Right on!Protagonist: I get the feeling you two aren't quite on the same page...
- Open Mouth, Insert Foot: On the third day when it's revealed the simulated Shakespeare attacked the heroes' stronghold, Shakespeare attempts to calm the protagonist's worries that they're the copy but only makes him even more suspicious. It's only to due Avicebron and Chiron's calm heads that Jack didn't dismember Shakespeare there and then.
- Ship Tease: Between Achilles and Atalante just like in their home series.
- Achilles is stunned to silence when Atalante awakens and states that he looks up to her due to his father's stories of her to Atalante's embarrassment.
- When Atalante uses her Calydonian Boar NP, she's embarrassed by how revealing the outfit is. Achilles is quick to say he likes it which causes a flustered Atalante snapping that she didn't ask him.
- In the final chapter after Darnic has given up, Atalante's good-bye is entirely directed at Achilles and says she'll see him again. Achilles is disappointed that she's leaving already.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Once the heroes confront Darnic, he offers to incarnate the Servants in the real world if they stand down. Every single Servant refuses either because it goes against their principles or they just don't like Darnic.
- Squishy Wizard: Once both Shakespeare and Avicebron awaken, they don't fight on the front lines due to being physically weak but instead provide magical support. Avicebron makes a sole exception for the first night after awakening to help Chiron and Jack fight off the enemy Servants with his golems while Achilles goes with Sieg and the protagonist, but once Atalante, Spartacus, and Frankenstein join up he happily takes his place on the back-row for support. Avicebron lampshades this when it looks like he'll need to step up to fight Karna, telling Shakespeare he'll be the next sacrifice after the "five seconds" it will take Karna to kill him.
- Stealth Sequel: Unlike the Zero collaboration (and debatably the CCC one), this event is a full-on sequel taking place in the Apocrypha timeline (but before the Distant Finale), focusing on the fallout of Sieg's actions at the end of the Great Holy Grail War.
- The Strategist: Chiron is the strategist of the heroes, thinking up the Divide and Conquer plan the heroes use as well as modifying it when they gain new allies, knowing exactly how to get them to listen to him thanks to knowledge of their personalities from Sieg.
- Training from Hell: According to a flashback of Achilles being trained by Chiron, his teacher made him dodge a storm of arrows for twenty-four hours. This flashback is prompted by Chiron making it clear he's about to whip Achilles and Sieg into shape to take on the other Servants by training them to dodge their Noble Phantasms, something that doesn't please Achilles in the slightest.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Part of the reason the heroes even have a chance against the enemy Servants is because in their Empty Shell states, they can't use their abilities to their full potential and their strategies are effectively Attack! Attack! Attack!. Plus, while they can use their Noble Phantasms their wind-up is incredibly obvious and most of them can be dodged if sighted in time. Shakespeare also admits he barely managed to defeat his own doppelganger for this very reason.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Sieg talks to the protagonist in this style to present himself as dignified till it becomes obvious he has no idea what he's saying and ultimately just gives up on it when he messes up.Sieg: I mean, all that faux Old English and such...what was I thinking? It's embarrassing! Please...just do me a favor and forget all that?
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: At the end, Siegfried tells Sieg he wishes Fafnir was as friendly as him so that they wouldn't have had to fight, even if it meant Siegfried would have died a nobody due to never gaining his invulnerabilty. Sieg assures him that he would have still been a great hero.
- You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: This is the protagonist's reaction when they realize that once again they're dragged into a situation through their dreams.
