The goal of this route is to max out Noelle's stats to the highest possible values.
In order to reach the maximum values, follow these instructions exactly:
Play through the chapter normally until Noelle joins your party.
At this point, instead of continuing to the right, walk back to the left.
IMPORTANT:
In order to max out Noelle's stats, always use Noelle's spell IceShock on enemies.
Do not use any other attacks or ACTs on enemies.
Remember, you can defend to gain TP.
Do not skip any available enemy encounters.
Continue all the way left, back to the trash zone you landed in.
Once you cannot go any further left, you can continue to the right again.
Continue rightwards until you reach a room with a billboard with a ferris wheel on it.
Remember the instructions on enemy encounters.
Tip: You don't have to do any puzzles if you don't want to do them.
In the room with the ferris wheel billboard, do not go down the alleyway to the south yet.
There is more to find in this room first. Look around.
IMPORTANT:
"Something else"
Get the item.
When you have the item, equip it.
Tip:
Noelle starts out with very powerful armor, which is very useful for Kris.
Swap Noelle's armor to Kris for a good stat boost.
Once you've equipped the new item, you can go down the alleyway to the south.
Continue through the city dealing with enemy encounters as previously explained.
Note: By the time you reach the room with 3 cardboard boxes, the background music of the city should have changed. If it has not, something has gone wrong. Quit the game without saving, and reload your save.
When you reach the room where you must walk up or down a highway to continue, make sure you clear out every enemy in the room first. Once you have, make your way to the alleyway in the far south of this room. (This may be an area you have not visited in previous playthroughs.)
Once you've checked out what's in the alleyway, you can continue to the next room, via the alleyway to the far north of the room with the long roads.
In the next room you will find a puzzle. Make sure to skip the puzzle.
Solving the puzzle will make it impossible to reach Noelle's maximum stats.
Continue to the right, until you reach a room with traffic cones, crosswalks, and 4 trash bins.
IMPORTANT:
Do not continue past the room with traffic cones, crosswalks, and trash bins.
You should be able to complete the mission you were given in the alleyway in this room.
If you are unable, you likely missed a previous encounter. Go back and find it.
Once it is complete, return to the alleyway where you were given the mission.
Talk to the dumpster in the alleyway.
Accept what it offers you.
Equip the new item.
You can now return to the room with 4 trash bins, and Proceed into the next room.
Proceed.
IMPORTANT:
Only Proceed.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT:
In battles, IceShock will no longer suffice. Noelle has a new spell.
If someone mentions your "strength values", something has gone wrong.
Quit the game and reload your save.
If the path to the north is open, you have accomplished your goal.
Continue on to the end of the chapter.
Any special requirements no longer apply, you are free to Proceed however you'd like.
Tip: Once you're back in Hometown, maybe you'll want to check in on someone.
And that's the Weird Route!