Cleaned out the last UM in Sword Valley, and finished all collectables for the three regions that i'm about to lose access to, there's only one Spiking little bitch of a UM down in the B1 level of Mechonis Field. Can't get near the damn thing without losing most of my own HP.

Even at level 10, Purge only buys you 14.5 seconds? wtf?

Ah, it seems i've been misinformed. I was under the assumption that Mechonis Field was the only region aside from Mechonis Core. This is less of an issue, then. Also means i can do one last run-through of Galahad and Sword Valley later on to get more collectables for gifting purposes.

Edit: not all that concerned about quests anyway, unless i feel i need to grind (which will likely have to be before whatever big boss is in Mechonis Core anyway). The only things i really want to get in this game, long run, are all the Heart-to-Hearts, Colony 6, and maybe some of the extra skill trees if they're really all that.

The 5th skill trees really ARE all that! At this point, you'll probably be running out (if you haven't already) of new skills to learn for Shulk and Reyn, Sharla should be nearly there, as with Dunban. Riki and Melia should be entering their 3rd, and Fiora finishing her first.

So you really need to 4th skill trees. They aren't THAT hard to do. If you've been questing, that is.

Wrong. The only area which locks out at that point is Mechonis Field. You can still walk to Central Factory (you need to for a quest in Junks when you enter the top level of Central Factory, which involves you forging a new weapon), and take the teleporter at the top to Agniratha. Only thing is, you can't fast-travel.

It's after Mechonis Core where the big lockout happens. That locks out Central Factory, Agniratha, Mechonis Core and Prison Island, and changes Alcamoth and Tephra Cave greatly.

Don't forget you also need 2 Angel Engine X's from Central Factory as well, and I'm sure there's something you need from the Capital as welll...

Yeah... one of the thing's i've severely neglected is switching skill-trees, so Riki and Sharla have only barely started on their second (this is with me at level 61 and in Mechonis Field), and no-one else has even moved yet. I long assumed that by switching trees, you could no longer use the skills in the old tree, right? The only thing i've done is linked everyone else to Riki's EXP-enhancing skill so he would stop getting so far ahead (which was a "duh" moment on my part, when i was stressing about why Riki was getting too far ahead).

Nope. When you've done a tree and moved on to the next one, all of the skills remain. The only one which doesn't is the specific trait, which is outlined in the top when you highlight a specific tree. 

Those energy aubergines are unfindable. Everything else i'm good on. I have exactly 1 Energy Aubergine, so i need at least two more for Colony 6.

I'm beginning to suspect that there are fixed locations for collectables based on whether it's day or night. Is that true?

I've been trying to get up to that spot. I noted the shop and Quest points on the map, but haven't derived how to get up to that section. Not that it should be too hard if i put my mind to it.

Thanks for the spreadsheet.

In the meantime, it seems i spent a bit too much time grinding around Mechonis Field out of the mistaken idea that i would lose access to Mechonis Field at the same time as Sword Valley and Galahad Fortress, as the enemies in the runup to Jade Face couldn't even really touch me, and Jade Face (first encounter) was a pushover.

Now, regarding the Heart-to-Heart's in Alcamoth, will they be accessible after the changes that are coming to that region?

This whole notion of things that won't be available later has me all in a tizzy, rushing around, stocking up for what is veritably the end of the world.