=============================================================================== Shadow Hearts: Covenant =============================================================================== Platform: Playstation 2 Author: Georgi Samaras Developer: Midway, Aruze, Nautilus (2004) E-mail: SophiaLee04@yahoo.com Genre: Turn-based RPG, Historical Fantasy Version: 1.22 Rating: T (Language, Partial Nudity, Last Updated: July 10, 2010 Suggestive Themes, Violence) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction .................................................... [int] 2. Controls ........................................................ [con] 3. Battle Basics - Character Stats ............................................... [chs] - The Action Menu ............................................... [act] - The Judgment Ring ............................................. [jud] - Crest Magic ................................................... [cre] - The Class System .............................................. [cla] - Combos and Affinity ........................................... [com] - Ailments ...................................................... [ail] - Forming a Party ............................................... [for] 4. Walkthrough - Disc One - Apoina Tower ................................................ [ea1] - Domremy ..................................................... [edo] - Ardennes Forest ............................................. [eaf] - Paris ....................................................... [epa] - Le Havre .................................................... [elh] - Wine Cellar ................................................. [ewc] - Port of Southampton ......................................... [eps] - Rhondda Mine ................................................ [erm] - Wales ....................................................... [ewa] - Florence .................................................... [efl] - Manmariana Island ........................................... [emi] - SG Italian Branch HQ ........................................ [esg] - Neam Ruins .................................................. [enr] - Cannes ...................................................... [eca] - St. Marguerite Island ....................................... [esm] - Petrograd ................................................... [ep1] - Goreme Valley ............................................... [egv] - Mirror Castle ............................................... [emc] - Petrograd ................................................... [ep2] - Idar Flamme ................................................. [eif] - Finishing Europe ............................................ [efe] - Apoina Tower ................................................ [ea2] - Disc Two - Brick Warehouse ............................................. [jbw] - Yokohama Streets ............................................ [jys] - Battleship Mikasa ........................................... [jbm] - Hojo Research Lab ........................................... [jh1] - Foreigner's Cemetery ........................................ [jfc] - Nihonbashi .................................................. [jni] - Hojo Research Lab ........................................... [jh2] - Forest of Wind .............................................. [jfw] - Inugami Village ............................................. [jiv] - Immortal Mountain ........................................... [jim] - Azabu Kamiyashiki ........................................... [jak] - Finishing Japan, Back to Europe ............................. [jfj] - Queen's Garden .............................................. [eqg] - Asuka Stone Platform ........................................ [jap] 5. Sidequests - Deeper into the Neam Ruins .................................... [snr] - Tiffauges Castle .............................................. [stc] - Chasing Lenny ................................................. [scl] - The Dark Seraphim ............................................. [sds] - The Doll House ................................................ [sdh] - The Wolf Bout ................................................. [swb] - The Fort of Regrets ........................................... [sfr] - The Man Festival .............................................. [smf] - Item Trading .................................................. [sit] - The Black Forest .............................................. [sbf] - The Dog Shrine ................................................ [sdf] - King Solomon's Key/Trials ..................................... [sks] - Quizzes ....................................................... [sqz] 6. Recaps - Ring Soul Locations ........................................... [rrs] - Ultimate Weapons/Armor/Unique Accessories ..................... [rwa] - Lottery Members ............................................... [rlm] - Important Items ............................................... [rii] - Maps .......................................................... [rmp] 7. Miscellaneous - Credit/Thanks ................................................. [mct] - Author's Notes/Version History/Hosts/Legal Info ............... [mal] I've done my best to implement an in-document search system. For best results, copy and paste the letters and numbers (complete with brackets) into the browser's Find feature under Edit. Be warned that this walkthrough is spoilery because I just can't shut up when it comes to commentary. Boss battles are indented and item and enemy lists are provided at the beginning of each section, so if you want the bare essentials in terms of aid, then pay no attention to all the text in between the beginning of a section and boss strategy scattered throughout. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction [int] After the end of the first Shadow Hearts, Yuri Hyuga and Alice Elliot were on a train bound for Zurich. Unfortunately, due to Malice poisoning after saving Yuri's soul, Alice would never leave the train alive. With tears in his eyes, Yuri pledges not to squander the life for which she died. Months later, World War I breaks out. A troop of German soldiers looking to take the city of Domremy in France are decimated by a demon residing in the local church, a demon that seems to be able to take human form, a demon that seems to emanate sadness... ---- For those of you who've played the original Shadow Hearts, get ready for a wonderful surprise. For those of you who haven't, you're still in for a treat. Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a monster of an RPG and one of my absolute favorites, so I decided to try my hand at writing a guide for it. Playing the first game is partly recommended since Covenant references it, but you shouldn't be left out plot-wise and you definitely don't need to play the first one to appreciate this game's humor and awesome battle system. Please note that this walkthrough is for the NTSC version of Shadow Hearts: Covenant. I do not have access to the PAL version or the Director's Cut, sadly, so I am missing out on some cool extras. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Controls [con] left analog stick/directional buttons: move character/navigate menus triangle: open Command Menu, display specific information on items, skip cutscenes (when paused) circle: run (when using directional buttons to move), cancel X: confirm, talk, examine square: sort items in menus, change camera angle in battle L1/R1: cycle through different menus/pages L2/R2: scroll through pages in menus R3: close current menu start: pause, list all entries in library select: toggle subtitles during cutscenes/navigation map out of battle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Battle Basics (mostly for those without an instruction manual or who would rather not look at the game's help file) Character Stats [chs] First off, you need to know what each of your character stats are and what they mean. Basic stuff, yes, but important to know since you can boost a character's base stats with Seal items, and you need to know your mages from your fighters when you're forming a party and equipping stat boosting accessories and whatnot. Hit Points (HP): how much damage a character can sustain Mana Points (MP): capacity for using special attacks Sanity Points (SP): how long they can stay in battle without going crazy Dominance Capacity Points (DCP): crests they can hold according to level Strength (Str): physical attack power Intelligence (Int): special attack power Vitality (Vit): physical defense power Power (Pow): special defense power Agility (Agl): affects evasion rate and how many turns they get in battle Luck (Lck): affects how often critical blows are dealt Below are the stats that are affected when you equip accessories, as opposed to the base stats above that only change when a character levels up. P-Atk: physical attack strength S-Atk: special attack strength P-Def: physical defense S-Def: special defense It goes without saying that the higher the numbers, the better, but be wary when equipping items. Sometimes it's better to sacrifice an increase in stats for, say, an accessory with a healing effect. This will become more apparent as you gain more in the way of equipment. ---- The Action Menu [act] Whenever you find yourself in a fight (which will be often) you will have to navigate the Action Menu. Most selections will require a spin on the Judgment Ring, a disc representing motive, action, and outcome that appears on the screen when an action is chosen and has a rotating needle. The object here is to hit certain areas of the ring when the needle sweeps over them. Below are the different actions you can take and a description of each. Attack: This is the standard way to show your enemies who's boss. This prompts a ring with orange hit areas and red strike areas. Pressing X over the orange will let you execute an attack. If you hit the red areas, your attack will cause more damage. Missing the first orange area means your attack fails completely. Hitting the first but missing any others means you'll execute a number of attacks equal to the number of areas you hit. There are different ways to attack (Standard, Hard Hit, High Angle, and Knock Down) but these are used for combos more than anything. Normally, the indicator only sweeps around the ring once, but items called Keys allow 3, 5, 7, and even an unlimited amount of sweeps of the needle when used. Special Abilities: Every character has a special ability that sets them apart from the rest. For example, Yuri's is the ancient art of fusion. All abilities differ in strength, property, and element so get friendly with the notes on the bottom of the battle screen to know which does what. It's way too much to summarize here. Crest Magic: Crest magic is new to Shadow Hearts and is basically magic that everyone can use (see the Crest Magic section for more details). Special abilities and crest magic share the same kind of Judgment Ring. Magic hit areas are blue but still have a red strike area to make the move more potent. The hit areas of some magic attacks have what are called modulate areas, ranging from white to blue in color. Hitting in the white will execute a weak attack while aiming for the blue will make the attack stronger. Most magic has green areas called step areas that must be hit in order to perform the spell at all. Items: This option allows you to use an item from your inventory in battle. This also requires a Judgment Ring with hit and strike areas. The strike area will make the item more effective (for example, if it were a healing item, it would restore more HP than normal). Missing the hit area means the item will not be used, and it will still be in your inventory, so you haven't wasted it. Defend: One of the few actions that does not require the Judgment Ring, defending makes a character sacrifice a turn to reduce damage from an attack. There are two types: Block simply reduces damage and Resist sacrifices SP to let you stand your ground (used mostly for combos). Combo: Another new addition to Shadow Hearts is the awesome and sometimes frustrating combo system. There's a lot to discuss here, so refer to the Combo and Affinity section below to learn how it works. Run Away: Simple. Run away like the coward you are (no Judgment Ring required)! Note that you cannot escape from every fight, and you get nothing after battle no matter what. If you do well at fighting, the game actually rewards you. Say, if you hit the strike area for every party member's Judgment Ring or finish off all your opponents without taking any damage, you'll get bonus EXP, soul energy, cash, or items. ---- The Judgment Ring [jud] Here we go into the Judgment Ring, the thing that governs the characters' fates and makes the game interesting. Actually, the basics of usage were pretty much outlined in the above section. It's a game of timing and reflexes. What this section is really about is how you can customize it. Yes, your fate is in your hands for a change! This feature lets you make battles easier or harder for you and is uber important to understand. There's an in-game tutorial on this, but the nitty gritty is outlined below. All these options appear under Ring Customization in the Command Menu. Hit Area Width: Having trouble with a certain hit or strike area? If you have Hit/Strike Area Expand items, you can widen certain areas on the Judgment Ring so you can hit them easier. Add-On Effects: Enemies do this, now you can too! Certain items allow you to add a status/parameter ailment to a character's normal attack. Now you can coat Karin's sword with poison or lower an enemy's defenses with a punch from Yuri. They range in strength from 1-4 (ex: Poison 4 has a higher probability than Poison 1). Hit Area Number: Each character starts off with a certain number of hit areas on their Attack Judgment Ring. With Attack Boost items, you can increase this number (the max is two). For example, Yuri's normal combo starts with three and can include up to five attacks. Ring Types: This allows you to shake up your ring. Normal is the standard model. Practice is good for beginners: if you miss a hit area, you still get the chance to hit the others so this allows for mistakes. However, there are no strike areas. Technical rings are for pros: you have to hit all the areas or you execute no attack whatsoever. This ring allows for really powerful attacks. Gamble rings are similar, with only one hit area. Hit it, and it's as if you hit every area on a normal ring. Auto Ring: This automates your ring, making you almost obsolete. Not advised if you want to get the full experience, you lazy bum. There may be places where letting the game figure out the ring is advantageous, but this walkthrough will never go there because it's best not to let a game have control over your fate. ---- Crest Magic [cre] A new addition to Shadow Hearts is magic that everyone except Harmonixers can use. Magic spells are stored in demon crests that can be equipped to characters with enough DCP. This allows you to customize your magic users to the fullest. Anyone can wield any type or element of magic, as long as you have the crest and they have the DCP. There is an in-game tutorial on how to use crests, but there's really not much to it. Most characters join your party with crests already equipped. Early on in the game, you'll get something called Solomon's Key, which is a puzzle concerning all the crests you have, so be sure to pick them all up. Completing the puzzle makes the crests stronger and will ultimately lead to a tough battle and one hell of a powerful magic spell, but more on that later. Magic comes in five types: Single, Circular, Linear, Piercing, and All. Single targets (surprise) one enemy only. Circular spells can hit multiple enemies; a circular hit radius engulfs your target and everyone unfortunate enough to stand next to it. Linear is the same except that it starts from the caster's position and hits enemies standing in front of and behind the target. Piercing shots are a combination of the former two: they start in a linear motion, hitting and knocking back all enemies in their path, and then finish off in a circular blast. All-type spells are rare but powerful. As you could probably tell, they target all enemies on the field, no matter where they are. Be careful when using magic during combos. Spells can be High Angled, Hard Hitting, or ones that Knock Down opponents. There are also some magic spells that are Anti-air or Anti-ground. Anti-air will completely miss any opponent that is knocked down low to the ground, and Anti-ground misses any enemy in the air during combos. (Seems backwards to me, but that's how it goes.) ---- The Class System [cla] Nearly every character and enemy has a class or an element. This is important to know in battle. Certain classes are opposed: Water and Fire, Earth and Wind, Dark and Light. This means that Water attacks do more damage to Fire types, and Wind attacks will not harm Wind class monsters as much as Earth attacks. It also means that opposing types that are fighting each other are equally susceptible to the other's attacks. As I like to put it, it's a twist on the classic rock-paper-scissors set-up: rock and paper duking it out while scissors is off fighting a pencil or something. It's a good idea to give your characters a variety of classes when equipping crests so they can handle any class pitted against them. There are some enemies that have no class (ha ha), in which case the rules here do not apply. ---- Combos and Affinity [com] The combo system is a neat feature that allows you to rack up tons of damage and perform special magic if done properly. It also looks cool. To start a combo, use the Combo command from the Action Menu. Then, choose a character you'd like to combo with and how you'd like them to wait (doing nothing or preparing to weather an attack). Keep an eye on the turn priority meter at the top of the screen to know when your opponents are going to attack so you know how to wait/defend. The active party member will then run over and stand next to their combo partner until one of them gets a turn. You can do this with two, three, or all four party members. Sometimes fighters will even be knocked into combo position by enemy attacks. Once it's one of the combo members' turns, you'll get the option of how you want to attack (normally, with magic, with a skill, etc.). If you were successful at the Judgment Ring, it will start to spin and you'll see one of the four face buttons on the Playstation controller. Hit that button before the ring stops and you'll have successfully passed the combo baton. The first character will attack, immobilizing the enemy and giving the next person in line the chance to add insult to injury. Failing the ring or the button-pushing sequence or missing the enemy will end the combo. Combos can get interesting. Using all the different attack options (Standard, Hard Hit, High Angle, and Knock Down), one character can flip an enemy in the air and the next can bash it into the ground. This is also where combos get annoying. Depending on an enemy's weight, your timing can get screwed up, destroying a combo. For example, High Angling a lighter enemy will mean the person next in line may miss with some of their attacks since it will fly higher and so stay airborne longer, and knocking down a small enemy is the same as them ducking, evading damage. You also have to pay attention to how your fighters actually attack. For example, Yuri's second move in his normal attack is a low punch, so he's be able to hit an enemy low to the ground, no matter their height. Combos take some practice in this sense. If you successfully pull off a four-person combo, the last person in line will have a new option in the Action Menu: Combo Magic. This is super powerful magic that adds a nice finishing blow. There's one for each element but only certain characters can perform certain spells due to their class. It's also worth noting that Harmonixers can perform combo magic. The first time you use it, it will only be labeled ????. Afterwards, it will have a name and an element listed. Affinity is important in building combos and is just what it sounds like: how attracted certain party members are to each other. Certain events in the story affect affinity, but it's mostly built up by having characters perform combos together. When two characters with high affinity perform attacks right after each other, extra bonus damage is dealt. Affinity may also lead characters to protect one another in battle, but I can't prove this. In certain instances, I've seen Yuri yell out and jump to protect Karin, but this is rare. Bottom line: make sure your party members are friendly with each other if you're going to be using combos a lot. Enemies can combo as well. Use a Hard Hit to knock them away from each other to keep this from happening. Some opponents can even use combo magic, and they will guard against your attacks to stay in place. Act fast before they unleash a combo and possibly end up killing one of your party members. There is an in-game tutorial that explains combos really well and even tells you how to semi-automate the process if you like. ---- Ailments [ail] Ailments can make or break a fight, and there are a hefty amount of them you need to watch out for. There are three kinds: status, ring, and parameter. Status ailments affect your characters' health and how well they can fight. The Heal/Arc Heal spells and Soul Benediction item will cure any and all ailments. You can wait for ailments to heal themselves, and they can also be prevented by wearing a Crucifix or a certain accessory, outlined below. Unconscious: When a character runs out of HP, they are rendered unconscious and cannot perform any action. This is especially bad for Harmonixers, as they will return to normal if fused. Bring them back with life- restoring magic or a Talisman item. Poison/Deadly Poison: Poison steadily drains HP. If a poisoned character is poisoned again, their condition escalates to Deadly Poison and drains even more HP. Wear Shell or Cosmic Bracelets to prevent this. Paralysis: Paralyzed characters are useless on the field. They're immobilized and simply skip their turn when it comes. Wear Bhodi/Zodiac Bracelets as protection. Paralysis is one of the three "game over" ailments; since paralyzed characters can't act, it's game over for you if they're the last ones standing on the battlefield. Seal: Magic users beware, Seal is the inability to use magic or special skills. Bell and Cosmic Bracelets prevent this. Petrify: One of the more horrible ailments, petrifaction is Paralysis and Instant Death combined. Petrified characters cannot perform any action and will shatter if the enemy touches them, making them unconscious instantly. Mirror and Zodiac Bracelets will save you here. Petrify is another "game over" ailment. Instant Death: Does what it says, instantly knocks a party member out. Cure it the same way you would unconsciousness or bring a Leonardo's Bear into battle. Instant Death is the third "game over" ailment. Mental Break: Poisoning of the mind! Mental Break drains the afflicted character's MP every turn. Wear Silver/Cosmic Bracelets to protect yourself. Panic: An important thing to remember in Shadow Hearts is that battles test your party's sanity. Normal characters lose one SP every turn no matter what; Harmonixers (when fused) will lose more per turn depending on the type on monster into which they have fused. Panic causes the sanity to drain a lot quicker. Feather and Cosmic Bracelets protect from Panic. Berserk: When the sanity runs out, a character goes Berserk. The music in the background becomes disoriented to let you know, and you lose control of the afflicted fighter. The character's picture in the turn priority meter at the top of the screen turns red as well. Restore sanity with Pure items right away because it will go into the negative range. Berserked fighters attack and use items indiscriminately. However, they may also just space out in battle with humorous results. If a character is wearing a Blood Jewel, you can restore SP with a successful Spin Ring when they go Berserk. Certain enemies have an SP Lowering attack that halves SP in battle, but Will Power accessories prevent this. Berserked characters get no EXP at the end of a fight. Judgment Ring abnormalities are a major pain but are easily avoided. Phoenix Tail items and Heal/Arc Heal magic cures them, but Pocket Watches and Crucifixes nullify them. Fast: The indicator speed is doubled. Tight: The size of the hit and strike areas are halved. Small: The entire ring shrinks. Random: Each time a new Judgment Ring is prompted, the speed of the indicator is different. Fickle: The indicator speed changes different times on the same ring. Blind: All the hit and strike areas are invisible. Up: The speed of the indicator steadily increases as it spins. Fake: Fake hit areas will appear on the ring to throw you for a loop. Reverse: The indicator sweeps backwards. Parameter ailments affect a character's stats and how well they can attack, defend, evade, etc. They can't be prevented or healed. The only thing to do is to counter them with a magic spell that does the opposite of the ailment. They're all pretty self-explanatory. Physical Attack Down, counter with Rage Physical Defense Down, counter with Shield Special Attack Down, counter with Surge Special Defense Down, counter with Barrier Evasion Down, counter with Mirage Action Speed Down (reduces number of turns), counter with Gale Delay (completely puts off character's next turn) There is also a special condition that is not an ailment per se but is important to know about. Bind is when a character is immobilized until his/her next turn. When bound, any damage done to that character is treated as combo or bonus damage. Few enemies use this and few of your fighters can use it in turn, but it can be devastating either way. Bind is indicated by a blue icon with a circle in it next to the damage display. Note that, as explained in the Judgment Ring section, most of the status and parameter ailments can be attributed to your normal attack and used against your enemies with great results. ---- Forming a Party [for] One of the BEST improvements over the original Shadow Hearts is how you can organize and manage your party. Accessing the Command Menu will let you see all your current party members; you can change their equipment, crests, view their personal info and so forth at any time. Your battle party can consist of four characters, the top four on the list. Whenever you have more than four people to choose from, you can pre-form up to three parties and cycle between them, making it easy to form teams good for certain tasks (ex: it is a really good idea to form a party specifically tailored for boss battles). This is all explained in an in-game tutorial. After winning a battle, your active party will claim the EXP spoils as usual, but your other party members will also get in on the action: they'll each get half of what the fighters got, meaning no one is really left out. As for fighting, choosing characters you like and are comfortable with is a bit of a no-brainer, but it wouldn't hurt to try to keep everyone level since you'll be forced to use everyone if you want to do all the extra stuff. Yuri does not have to be in your party all the time anymore, but he is really good to have since his fusions make him a really well-rounded fighter. Some party members are more suited for magic, while others are pure strength, and all have really unique special skills that make them a good asset in a fight. Keep a nice balanced party with a good supply of defensive and offensive crest magic, and you can't go wrong. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Walkthrough There's a lot left to be explained in this game but it's much easier to go over it when we get to it while playing. The one thing left to tell you now is that the little map in the upper left-hand corner of your screen is your best friend. Most of the directions given in this guide are according to that navi-map. I also need to mention that this walkthrough was written while playing a reloaded save file with all the crests/fusions/etc. so I could note the differences and consult the library. I tried my best to avoid referencing something first-time players might not have yet. NOTE: If you're still confused about anything, the game actually has a built-in Help file accessible through the Command Menu. If this is your first time through, new topics will be highlighted in orange. =============================================================================== Disc One =============================================================================== Ah, Europe. Where the last game left us and where our new adventure begins. The entire first disk will take us all over the European continent. We've got a lot to look forward to after the amazing opening cutscene! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apoina Tower [ea1] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Thera Leaf Enemies: Revenant ___ Talisman of Luck Statue ___ Mana Leaf Gargoyle ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Attack Boost ___ Pure Leaf ___ Evasion Down 1 ___ Tent After the lovely history lesson, head forward to get into your first fight. There's a tutorial available on battle basics; I'd recommend watching it if this is your first time playing. After the scene, note the blue glowing spot on the floor; it's your save point. From there, head left up the nearby staircase to find a chest with a THERA LEAF. Then head right and go up the little spiral staircase here to grab a TALISMAN OF LUCK. Now go up the large stairs to the southeast. Whenever you get into your second fight, you'll get the option to see a tutorial on combos. This is important stuff; view it if you need it. Follow the path until you get a scene. Head left to find a chest with a MANA LEAF. Go to the right to find a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND. Continue to the right to run into the Ring Soul. He'll give you an ATTACK BOOST. You can now customize your Judgment Ring and have the option to see yet another tutorial. You get an EVASION DOWN 1 whether you view the tutorial or not. (Don't listen to Nicolai; using that Attack Boost on him is not wise since he won't be with us for very long.) Continue up the stairs. Before you activate the portal on the floor in this area, look to the right of it to find a PURE LEAF. Now step on the portal and hit X to get transported. You might want to use the save point to your right to heal up and save. You'll find a conveniently-placed TENT in the right-hand corner here. Head north. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gargoyle Class: Dark HP: 140 MP: 90 EXP: 50 Cash: 200 Souls: 0 Drop: Pure Seed Nicolai could do this fight all by himself without any problems. Since it's Dark class, his Blessed Light attack will be more than enough to bring it down. Karin can attack and support with items in case he runs out of MP or needs some curing. If you're not quick, Karin will go Berserk since she has little SP. Watch the turn priority meter and use a Pure Leaf on her before she goes nuts. (Her picture appears red on the turn it happens.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Nicolai will get the item he needs, so now we can set out for Domremy. We won't be able to go back to Apoina Tower for quite some time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Domremy [edo] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Mana Leaf Enemies: Ducky Toy ___ Thera Lead Wooden Lion ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Talisman of Luck ___ Strike Expand ___ Tent ___ Thera Seed ___ Pure Leaf Take the northwest fork up to a chest with a MANA LEAF. Go northeast/north to the next screen. To the northeast is a THERA LEAF on the ground. Take the northwest branch all the way past the soldier to find a HIT AREA EXPAND. Go back and head northeast to the little town of Domremy. The soldier here will fully heal you if you speak to him. There is a TALISMAN OF LUCK directly to the left of him in the shed. (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.) There are trip wires scattered throughout the area but going through them is no big deal. One is above and to the right of the soldier. A STRIKE EXPAND lies in the chest in that little yard. Head north in the main area and you'll see another trip wire guarding an area to the right (it's much easier to see on your navi- map). There's a TENT back there. Going north, there's another trip wire to your immediate left on the next screen. The chest beside the soldier here contains a THERA SEED. When the main path goes northeast, look for a faint area on your map to the southeast. Back here, there's a PURE LEAF in a chest. Continue on, past the save point, to the church. What follows is a lengthy scene. Seems Nicolai is pissed about what happened during the first Shadow Hearts, and he aims to finish what he never started. After the flashback and crazy dream sequence, you'll be ready to set out with a new party. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ardennes Forest [eaf] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Focalor ___ Tent Enemies: Death Snail ___ Andras ___ Barbatos Skeeter ___ Furfur ___ Thera Leaf Zoism ___ Mana Leaf ___ Hit Area Expand Arachne ___ Battery ___ Soul Benediction ___ Pure Leaf ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Soul Benediction ___ Poison 1 ___ Leather Cap ___ Vassago Talk to Gepetto to get three crests: FOCALOR, ANDRAS, and FURFUR. Yuri can't use crests, but Gepetto and Blanca can so equip them ASAP. Talk to Karin to get going. You'll get into a fight soon afterwards. Now, there are two ways to get to your final destination in this forest. For the sake of item hunting, we'll go through both. If you'd rather forge your own path with a map of this area, here's a link: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/ardennesforest.jpg Head left to the next screen. Take the northwest branch here for a MANA LEAF. Now go northeast and head left. Follow the path along the cliff. Grab the BATTERY in the chest on the way. There's a PURE LEAF in the chest on the next screen. Keep going, going, going until you see a wooden fixture. Examine the poster here for a SOUL BENEDICTION. Use your battery on the lift. It'll take you down, but that's your final destination and we're not done yet. (If you'd rather just go, head out into the open area for a scene and skip to the fight.) On the lift again, hit the "Power Operation" button and take it to the top level. There's a LEATHER CAP in the alcove and a TENT by the wooden fence. Go down one level. Backtrack about three or four screens until you're in the woods again. There is a hidden path leading to the right just barely visible on your map. Angle Yuri to your right as you run to find it. Go right over the bridge to find the BARBATOS crest in a chest. From here, keep going south until you're over the log bridge and back where you started. Go north and north again. At the next fork, go northwest, then left for a THERA LEAF. Head right and then right at the next fork to find yourself near a lake. When the path curves to the north, you can find a hidden path leading to the right. A HIT AREA EXPAND is hidden back here. Continue north. At the next fork, head left for a SOUL BENEDICTION in a chest. On the next screen, you'll see a drawbridge. Examine the panel and pull the right, middle, then left levers. Halfway across the bridge, you'll find a HIT AREA EXPAND. Heal up and save before continuing on. Yuri will collapse and find himself in the Graveyard of his soul. After a scene, you'll get to pick a fusion, any fusion. You'll find the Fire, Wind, and Light classes to the left and the Water, Earth, and Dark classes to the right. There's nothing to do to the north. Pick whichever one suits your fancy by having Yuri hold his hand up to its altar. Attempt to leave and the cinematics will take over. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Arachne Class: Earth HP: 300 MP: 77 EXP: 70 Cash: 1000 Souls: 40 Drop: Poison 1 Vassago There are plenty of different ways to go about this fight depending on which fusion you chose for Yuri. (Be sure to fuse now that you have that option!) If you chose one with higher magic stats, then pile on the magic. If not, have Gepetto or Blanca cast Air Edge on Yuri since all his fusions have higher physical strength compared to his normal P-Atk. If you're not sure either way, experiment. Combo if you like and break out all your Wind magic. You shouldn't have any problems since you've got three characters to watch out for each other. This monster can and will try to poison you; if it succeeds, use a Soul Benediction to cure it. The only other threat is its Crag attack. Nothing a Thera Leaf can't cure. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Karin freaks out afterwards, then gets Harmonixer 101 from Gepetto. All that Soul Energy that you've been collecting is the key to unlocking the rest of Yuri's fusions. When you have enough, go to the Graveyard from a save point or the world map and power up a fusion by charging its altar with your Soul Energy. You can continue to increase a fusion monster's power by feeding it Soul Energy through Yuri's personal info in the Command Menu. If you keep powering up the altar in the Graveyard, you'll eventually upgrade your fusions to level 2, making them stronger and giving them new spells. There are plenty of souls to go around so use them however you want. You'll want to unlock all the classes first and then focus on powering up the fusions of your choice. When ready, head to Paris. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paris [epa] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Nibelung Prelude ___ Shell Bracelet Enemies: Clawed Soldier ___ Mr. Sommelier ___ Phoenix Tail Tetsu ___ Mr. Matador ___ Talisman of Luck Sting ___ Crocell ___ Pocket Watch Ekimmu ___ Thera Leaf ___ Attack Boost Castor ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Sp-Defend Down 1 Pollux ___ Stamp Card ___ Pure Leaf ___ Point Card ___ Amy ___ P-Defend Down 1 ___ Soul Benediction ___ Thera Leaf ___ Fuse ___ Haures ___ Sitri ___ Tent ___ Zepar ___ Strike Expand You'll get a couple of scenes when you enter Paris. (Gepetto sure is a wily old man.) Clawed Soldiers will burst through the skylight after a bit; send 'em packing. After seeing how good Karin is with a sword, Gepetto will give her the NIBELUNG PRELUDE, and she'll learn a sword technique. This is her special ability, and it's powered up and added onto by finding all of Wagner's scores. Afterwards, Yuri will automatically pick up MR. SOMMELIER and MR. MATADOR, two Stud Cards. (Note: You will only get two cards if you have a save file from the first Shadow Hearts on your memory card. Otherwise, you will only get Mr. Sommelier right now.) The CROCELL crest is by the save point. Enter the nearby door and open the chest for a THERA LEAF. Go outside and head south, admiring the view. If you go too far south, you'll get attacked. Instead, go down the stairs to the right and down the hatch. Follow the linear path up and out of the subway. You're now in Montmartre. Go all the way up the stairs north of you, as far as you can. There's a HIT AREA EXPAND up by the lamppost. Go back down the stairs a ways and enter the bar for a scene. Go back the way you came, and you'll be stopped by a man named Ernest. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tetsu Class: Wind HP: c. 90 MP: --- EXP: 20 Cash: 100 Souls: 0 Drop: Coral Lariat This is just meant to get Blanca's paws wet. Physical attacks will get you through just fine. Try and finish him off before Blanca goes Berserk, but it's no matter if you sacrifice a turn to heal. He'll try to lower your P-Def, but he's no threat. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Ernest will give you the STAMP CARD. This marks the start of Blanca's major sidequest, the Wolf Bout, and gives him his special skill. See the sidequest section for more info. Go back to the subway station and take the train to the Champs-Élysées. Oh goody! Walk forward and Pierre and Gerard Magimel will catch you. Gerard gives you the POINT CARD. He's your item shop. That card allows you to try for discounts and mark-ups; the more times you shop, the more points you get, and the higher the discount/mark-up you can go for. Discounts and mark-ups are governed by a Spin Ring, a ring game. Choose which one you want, nail all the wedges, and you get it. Miss, and you must pay the original price. Upgrade everyone's weapons while you're here. Pierre is a tailor and makes dresses for Cornelia, Gepetto's puppet. Each dress has a class and powers Gepetto's special ability: magic spells he and Cornelia can do, one for each class. When you have more than one dress, you can change it in Gepetto's personal info in the Command Menu. Pierre will only make dresses for you if you have Stud Cards; you have at least one so go ahead and pick out some nice clothes. After all is said and done, go behind the stairs you came in on and look for a P-DEFEND DOWN 1. Go right down the street. Examine the light post by the kid with his mum by the car to find a THERA LEAF. Continue right. North of the little girl by the light post is a hotel. Inside, the HAURES crest can be found in a chest behind the check-in desk. Upstairs, enter the last door on the right to find Dr. Gautier and a TENT. Now backtrack to the station and talk to the foreman guarding the stairs leading down. If you'd like a map for the up-coming journey through the tunnels, here's a link: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/subway.jpg. It's drawn in relation to how the area looks while walking on the screen, not the navi-map. Follow the linear path to see that we're being followed once again. Our escape route is blocked ahead so follow the open path to see a three-way split. On the far right side of this area is a STRIKE EXPAND in a chest, and a SHELL BRACELET is to the far left, next to the hay in the wood corral. Take the middle path first. Head north, and you'll meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST by the car that says Amu-328. Head left. South is a partially hidden chest with a SP-DEFEND DOWN 1 inside. Go north to the save point. Flip the switch you find here. Backtrack to where you found the Ring Soul and head all the way south until you're at a two-way junction. There's a PURE LEAF in the upper left-hand corner here. Head left (south on your map), and you're back at the three-way junction. Now head up the rightmost path. You'll come to a two-way split; take the upper path and snag the POCKET WATCH. Go back and take the other one now. There are two paths leading left farther down, take the first one you see. Go north, then left, then north to a chest with a PHOENIX TAIL. Head back and left yet again. Go north for a TALISMAN OF LUCK. From here, go south, right, south, right to the engine. Remember that switch we pulled? It moved this engine so we can continue north, but we have to go around. Go right, north, left, and then as far north as you can to find the AMY crest. Head down and go right. North is a ladder. Climb it and you'll be in the cathedral district. Among the boxes around the shop is a SOUL BENEDICTION. Enter the shop and talk to the junk dealer to get a FUSE. You can also stock up on items here. Go back down to the tunnels and backtrack all the way to the beginning of this tunnel madness, past the three-way junction and back to our blocked escape route. You'll be attacked on the way. Use the fuse on the engine to your right. Be sure to use your new save point and make sure you've equipped someone with your Pocket Watch. After giving Lenny the slip, Yuri and co. will run into Veronica. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Castor Class: Fire Pollux Class: Water HP: 275 MP: 100 HP: 275 MP: 100 EXP: 75 Cash: 550 EXP: 75 Cash: 550 Souls: 25 Drop: Tent Souls: 25 Drop: Lottery Ticket Sitri Zepar These guys are going to combo attack you, so it is vitally important to focus all your energy on killing one of them first. Hopefully you've unlocked more of Yuri's fusions, so you can pick one of the opposing classes and wail on your target. Your most recent crests should have given you the Heat Edge and Red Rave spells which will come in handy against Pollux. It is very possible to eliminate one of them with a single four-person combo if you've been building affinity and are good at the Judgment Ring. They can cause the Tight Ring ailment and have basic attacks and magic spells. The only real danger is the fact that they can combo. Once one of them is down, it's a pretty easy battle. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Veronica vanishes, and we can now go to Le Havre. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Le Havre [elh] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of Force ___ Hit Area Expand Enemies: Grand Papillon ___ Pure Leaf ___ Strike Expand Thug ___ Thera Seed ___ Star Brooch Fat Thug ___ Attack Boost ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Wool Coat ___ Thera Leaf ___ Tent ___ P-Attack Down 1 ___ Bathin ___ Mana Leaf At the bottom of the stairs, you'll find a SEAL OF FORCE by the light post. Gerard is here; be sure to upgrade your armor and sell your excess stock and whatnot. Head south from here over the bridge. Up the stairs to Yuri's left is a PURE LEAF. Loop around the building here to find a chest with a THERA SEED. The Ring Soul is waiting by the tree south of this chest; he'll give you an ATTACK BOOST. Go back a screen and continue north. Talk to the men here to try to get a ride. Continue on past the save point to the next screen. At the end of this alley, you'll find a bum and a WOOL COAT. There's also a TENT by the barrel to the left. (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.) Now head over from the save point and a man will accost you. He's a Lottery Member and forces you to play his game for a ticket. The Lottery is just a ring game; a Judgment Ring will appear on the screen with different color wedges that correspond to different prizes, listed to the left. The needle will spin until you hit the X button. If it hits a color, you get that prize. Choose your wedge carefully; red wedges are generally considered the best prizes since you can only win one of each, so they're also the hardest to hit. If you fail to hit any color wedge, you get tissues which only have one use in the entire game during the Fort of Regrets sidequest much later on. Lottery Member #16 Ring: Normal Bathin *The special prize here is the BATHIN crest; try Hit Area Expand your best to win it now. If you miss, be sure to Daphne Fruit come back when you've got another ticket. Pure Leaf Tissues As you'll see, you can only play with Lottery Members when you have a ticket. There are plenty of them scattered around though. Be sure to get as many as you can and play all the lotteries you come across. Keep going down to the mayor's house. Pick up the HIT AREA EXPAND outside the storage room to the right of the entrance. Inside, you'll find a STRIKE EXPAND to the left and a STAR BROOCH in the back. Now talk to the mayor in the house. Examine the bear skin rug for a LOTTERY TICKET. Go upstairs and examine the mayor's portrait for a THERA LEAF. Talk to Cole on the right when ready. Leave and head out to the docks to get your assignment. Head south to the shop by the tree, look around, and leave. Head for the warehouses next. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Grand Papillon Class: Earth HP: 355 MP: 55 EXP: 50 Cash: 250 Souls: 0 Drop: P-Attack Down 1 Seal of Vitality This guy's got great physical strength, can drain your HP to heal his, and can lower your P-Atk. Other than that, there's not much to this fight. Wind magic and Air Edge are good, and combos will just leave him in pain. Make sure to watch your HP, but if you're so close to beating him that you can afford to let it drop, go for it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, he'll turn into a bat and fly away, leaving you with some snide remarks. He should seem extremely familiar to those who've played the first Shadow Hearts. After you meet with the mayor, go back to the shop. You'll get a scene. There's a MANA LEAF back behind Granny Lot's bar when it's over. Head back to the mayor's to do the right thing. No good deed goes unpunished; fight off the mayor's cronies and head back to the shop. Joachim will now join you to defend justice, and you get the option to view a tutorial on forming parties. Leave town and go to the Wine Cellar. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wine Cellar [ewc] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Bhodi Bracelet ___ Sp-Attack Down 1 Enemies: Thug ___ Seal of Wisdom ___ Sallos Fat Thug ___ Mana Seed ___ Solomon's Key Centipede ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Mr. Chef Gregor (Samsa!) ___ Thera Seed Roach Queen ___ Silver Bracelet Veronica ___ Raum Mersault ___ Pure Seed Kelly Joachim must be in the party for this section. If you'd like a map for this area, feel free to go here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winecellar.jpg. You'll get attacked past the save point. Go all the way north, ignoring the paths to the right, until you can enter a room to the left. Climb the stairs up and over and enter the door. There's a BHODI BRACELET in a chest in this room. Back in the previous room, go up and over the stairs south of you to nab a SEAL OF WISDOM. Leave the room and go back a screen. Take either of the two paths going right; go north to the next screen when you get a chance. Head up and go through the door on the right. There's a chest with a MANA SEED over the stairs and under the metal platform on the other side of the room. Flip the switch by the door. Go up those stairs and hit the switch. Go through the newly-opened door for a LOTTERY TICKET in a chest. Backtrack to the main path. Go south, left, and enter the room on the left side of this area. Go to the left and down to find a switch under the metal grating; flip it. Go back to the entrance, nab the THERA SEED in the chest, go up the stairs and through the door for a SILVER BRACELET. Backtrack once again to the main path. Exit to the north. There's a save point in the next storeroom. Go up the stairs and flip the switch. Go back down and up the stairs on the other side of the room. Flip the switch underneath them. Go back to the other set of stairs and flip the switch on the other side of the room. Go up the stairs directly behind you and through the newly-accessible door. Flip the switch under the stairs to the south, go up, and flip the switch there. Climb the stairs on the north side of the room and flip that switch. Go up and over the stairs to the south and flip the switch under them. Go through the door to the east for the RAUM crest in a chest. Go back to the stairs on the north side of the previous room to find a chest with a PURE SEED in it. Backtrack to the room with the save point and head through the door to the north. Make sure you've got as many Bhodi Bracelets equipped as you have. Approach Veronica. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Veronica Class: Water HP: 220 MP: 90 EXP: 100 Cash: 250 Souls: 0 Drop: Sp-Attack Down 1 Joachim will be in his Grand Papillon form, meaning he's stronger than usual. Physical attacks are the way to go here since she'll try to lower your S-Atk. You can use Drain Touch to heal yourself and do damage at the same time, but don't be shy about using a Thera item if you really need it since Drain Touch doesn't seem to drain much. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, Veronica stops playing around and summons a familiar. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mersault Class: Wind HP: 666 MP: 170 EXP: 200 Cash: 1500 Souls: 55 Drop: Sallos If Joachim was hurt badly in the last fight, be sure to heal him. Also make sure you take out the two smaller enemies before tackling the big guy. He can paralyze you so make sure you've got Soul Benediction items handy and Bhodi Bracelets equipped. Other than that, do the usual: combo, use all the Earth magic you've got, and start using your support spells. If you've got the Fire fusion, you'll have access to Rage, which is great for Yuri and Joachim. You've got room to experiment as long as someone has the Cure magic handy. Watch the SP, especially if Karin's fighting. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll be back at the mayor's house. Go back to Granny Lot's and speak with her to get SOLOMON'S KEY. See the sidequest section for more detail on what it's for. Yuri and co. can now board the ship to England, but there's more to do in the Wine Cellar, so head back. Go north two screens and west to find that a man has set up shop here. His game, Lucky Chests, is a memory game. The first level isn't hard. Pay the 100 cash and try to win the prize, the MR. CHEF Stud Card. Now go back to where you fought Veronica to find a wolf. Give Blanca a Pocket Watch and speak to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kelly Class: Fire HP: c. 200 MP: --- EXP: 66 Cash: 300 Souls: 0 Drop: Strike Expand Seal of Luck His special attack inflicts Fast Ring, but the Pocket Watch you [hopefully] equipped will save you. If not, use a Phoenix Tail or just put up with it. That's all that he's got up his furry sleeves, really. Water magic will deal good damage. The length of this fight depends on what spells you've got and your level. Make sure to heal Blanca's SP if you can't finish him quickly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Blanca's Soul Comet is powered up if you win. Now go to Le Havre and catch your ship to Southampton by speaking to the guys near the save point. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Port of Southampton [eps] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Hit Area Expand Enemies: Great Gama ___ Mr. Detective ___ Strike Expand ___ Nibelung Scene 4 ___ Dried Straw ___ Leonardo's Bear ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Slow 1 ___ Seal of Aura ___ Locker Boy, we really are in England; check out that weather! Go straight to the inn, Hope & Anchor, across from the entrance to town. Inside, we'll meet a familiar face: Kato from the first Shadow Hearts. Afterwards, nab the chest by the stairs for a HIT AREA EXPAND. Go upstairs. In the first room on the right is a chest with MR. DETECTIVE. Kato's in the second room. Talk with him to recap his and Yuri's hardships and see how wasted Gepetto and Karin are. Yuri will talk with Jeanne next. Head outside and check the left statue next to the town entrance to find a STRIKE EXPAND. Head up to the other side of this area. Talk with the man at the bottom of the steps to receive the NIBELUNG SCENE 4. Go up those steps for a scene and a piece of DRIED STRAW. Yuri is not kidding when he says this will be a pain in the butt; this marks the beginning of a new sidequest, and there's more info on it in the sidequest section (Item Trading). There's a hidden chest with a LEONARDO'S BEAR to the right of the stairs before going down. Downstairs, keep going to the back of this area to find the Magimel brothers, an old woman, and a lamppost. Check the posters on the wall next to the post for a LOTTERY TICKET. The old woman is a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #15 Ring: Normal Slow 1 *Try to nab the SLOW 1 if you're one who likes Hit Area Expand customizing your Judgment Ring. Talismn. of Mercy Thera Seed Tissues Do some shopping, equip your new Leonardo's Bear on Joachim, then head left to find a wrestling arena. You'll meet Joachim's teacher, the Great Gama. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Great Gama Class: Light HP: 250 MP: 0 EXP: 100 Cash: 10 Souls: 0 Drop: Tissues If you did not equip a Leonardo's Bear, there is no way you will win this fight. His Grand Slam technique will knock you clear out of the ring, which is Instant Death. If you have Rage magic, now would be an excellent time to use it. You can use Dark magic if you like to rack up damage as well, but Rage works much better. Use Thera items or Cure to heal rather than Drain Touch since Gama packs a punch. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Joachim will learn a new wrestling technique, powering up his special skill. If you want to see the nuttier side of Shadow Hearts: Covenant, you will definitely want to keep in touch with the Great Gama. There's a SEAL OF AURA in a chest on the left side of the arena. Examine the LOCKER in the lower left-hand corner and Joachim will take it with him as his new weapon after admiring its beauty. This is the cool thing about Joachim: you never have to buy weapons for him. Just look for weird objects lying around, and he'll take care of it himself while Yuri makes fun of him. Just remember to equip it. (Before leaving, note that one of the kids on the north side of the ring is named Tyson, the Dreamer!) Leave town and enter Rhondda Mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rhondda Mine [erm] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Pure Seed Enemies: Barghest ___ Mana Seed ___ Studded Belt Propolis ___ Thera Seed ___ Pure Seed Tammuz ___ Thera Seed ___ Murmur Lambton Worm ___ Whetstone ___ Seal of Strength Grimlock ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Attack Boost ___ Lantern ___ Seal of Speed ___ Fine Rapier If you want a map of the mines, here you go: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/rhonddamines.jpg. It might be a little cramped due to all the lifts. Go forward and left all the way to a LOTTERY TICKET in the corner. Go north, then southwest to a chest with a MANA SEED. Backtrack to where you came in and go up to the save point. Go north on the next screen to loop around and find a THERA SEED. Now go back and go west. Follow the path around to the next screen. Hidden in the corner ahead is a chest with a THERA SEED. Go east at the next junction and east again for a WHETSTONE. Go north and continue to go left to come to a lift. Examine the poster for a LOTTERY TICKET and go down. Straight south, the Ring Soul waits in the corner with an ATTACK BOOST. Ignore the north fork; it's too dark to continue. It's the same if you go too far left on the next screen. Instead, go south to a lift. There's a LANTERN in the little shack here. Go back up and go to the north junction that was too dark before. Yuri will light the lantern and you can see a shack ahead. Inside is a SEAL OF SPEED. Go back and go all the way to the left now that we can see. Go north, then south to a chest with a FINE RAPIER. Go back to where you originally turned north and head south. Keep going south to loop around to a dead end with a PURE SEED on the ground. Go back and head west. Go northeast when you get a chance, then east. At the end of this path is a lone man, a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #14 Ring: Invisible Third Key *Don't sweat that his Ring is invisible. You'll Hit Area Expand get a glimpse of the wedges and they're pretty Daphne Fruit large. Mana Seed Tissues Go back and go north and then west at the next junction. At this four-way intersection, left is a STUDDED BELT, north is Gerard, and south is a lift. Take it, go south, and check the alcove on your left for a PURE SEED. Get ready for a fight in the next area. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Grimlock Class: Dark HP: 780 MP: 215 EXP: 425 Cash: 1600 Souls: 65 Drop: Murmur This monster will cast Gale on itself, giving it more turns in battle, and its special attack causes Slow, giving you less. You should have Gale in your arsenal; use it to counter Slow. Being Dark class, of course, use all the Light magic you have or go the physical route using Rage, Holy Edge, and combos. Oddly enough, it knows Heaven (a Light-based attack) so watch out if it casts it on Yuri a lot unless you've fused him to a class other than Dark or he's not in your party. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Directly behind you is a chest with a SEAL OF STRENGTH. Exit the mines and head to Wales. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wales [ewa] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of Life Enemies: Clawed Commander ___ Hit Area Expand Lenny ___ Attack Boost ___ Bearclaw ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Forneus ___ Paralysis 1 Yuri will give you some back story (with his own illustrations!) in the shadow of Nemeton Monastery. The chest to your right has a SEAL OF LIFE inside. Head down and to the right to find a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND. Approach Roger's house, as strange as it ever was. On the right side, the Ring Soul awaits with another ATTACK BOOST. To the far left of the entrance is a chest with the BEARCLAW. Go inside. The table south of the entrance has a LOTTERY TICKET on it, and there's a chest to the northeast with the FORNEUS crest. Roger's nowhere to be found, and the vending machine in the back is busted so you can't go shopping. Equip all the Bhodi Bracelets you have and head outside. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lenny Class: Earth HP: 570 MP: 0 EXP: 666 Cash: 300 Souls: 70 Drop: Paralysis 1 Get rid of the Clawed Commanders before tackling Lenny or else they'll try to pull off some combo attacks. Lenny's vulnerable to S-Def Down so if someone has that on their ring, have them physically attack, hope it takes effect, and then go in with your Wind magic. It's a good idea to have someone casting support magic and using healing items in the background since Lenny is no novice when it comes to fighting, and you don't want your party paralyzed in the middle of a crisis. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll meet a new face after the fight, Thomas. He's got some gruesome info on Sapientes Gladio for everyone. He also urges you to go to Florence to meet someone named Carla. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Florence [efl] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Strike Expand Enemies: Jerome ___ Thera Seed ___ Vepar ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Underground Film ___ Seal 1 ___ Bat's Gold ___ Nibelung Scene 7 ___ Pedometer You get a scene upon arriving wherein Yuri lusts after the newest pretty face to cross his path. Afterwards, search the statue on the left on the north side of the room to get a STRIKE EXPAND. Go south to enter town. To your left is a THERA SEED in a chest. To the right, examine the fountain to get the VEPAR crest. (Christoph has pointed out in an e-mail that if you did not get Mr. Matador in Paris, you will be able to get this Stud Card from a woman south of the fountain.) Farther to the right, along the north wall, is a LOTTERY TICKET by a lamppost. South of there is a man involved in the trading sidequest; he'll give you an UNDERGROUND FILM for your straw. There's also a Wolf Bout opponent nearby. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Jerome Class: Water HP: c. 250 MP: --- EXP: 110 Cash: 350 Souls: 0 Drop: Seal 1 If you're leveled high enough, this guy is an absolute pushover. He'll try to inflict Seal, but physical attacks are more than enough to bring him down. (What does that say about schooling, eh?) If you'd like to use magic before he Seals you, stick with Fire attacks. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet will be powered up afterwards. South of here is a chest with BAT'S GOLD. Go across to the fountain again and talk to the man (the one who was none too happy about Lucia's reading) on the south side to get the NIBELUNG SCENE 7. Try to exit town to the southeast to be interrupted by Rooney, the head of the World Fitness Walking Society. Yuri experiences déjà vu as he's handed a PEDOMETER. Equip this on someone; it'll count your steps in monster- infested areas, and you'll get prizes depending on how far you've gone. Leave town for a scene. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manmariana Island [emi] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Gemini Tile Enemies: Fortune Stick ___ Virgo Tile ___ Cancer Tile Domovoi ___ Aquarius Tile ___ Sagittarius Tile Katherine ___ Taurus Tile ___ Pisces Tile Andre ___ Pure Seed ___ Scorpio Tile ___ Seal of the Soul ___ Fifth Key ___ Libra Tile ___ Thera Seed ___ Aries Tile ___ Feather Bracelet ___ Capricorn Tile ___ Beleth ___ Attack Boost ___ Purson ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Ocean Oil ___ Star Key ___ Misty Oil ___ Petrify 1 ___ Mana Seed ___ Leo Tile Head into the mansion for a scene and a fight. To your left is a HIT AREA EXPAND. Ignore the stairs for now and head north to the next room. Open the chest for three tiles: VIRGO, AQUARIUS, TAURUS. Head back and go up the stairs to your right. To the right of the door to the north is a PURE SEED. Check the third lamp on the left for a SEAL OF THE SOUL. Go right when you get the chance to grab the LIBRA, ARIES, and CAPRICORN tiles. The Ring Soul is hiding behind the table with an ATTACK BOOST. Before you leave, look south of the exit for a LOTTERY TICKET. Go north in the corridor to the next room to get the STAR KEY. Backtrack to the entrance hall and go up the stairs to the left now. On the table in this room are some fortune cookies. Eat some if you want, but beware that not all fortunes are good. They'll either drain or replenish your HP or MP. Exit north and go as far north as you can to the next room. The puzzle here could be complicated but is explained really well by Karin. All you have to do test everyone's blood type with Karin and Lucia. If the same person lights the lamp above the door with both of them, his blood type is AB. You can try it out or *SPOILER* take my word for it that Gepetto's blood is AB. Inside is PETRIFY 1 (the treasure that would have disappeared had you failed the puzzle) and the LEO, GEMINI, and CANCER tiles. Go back and head west when you get a chance. In this room are the SAGITTARIUS, PISCES, and SCORPIO tiles. Go back to the room where we first learned of the zodiac puzzle. Try another cookie on your way back; maybe your luck's changed! The door on the far left deals with an archer, children, and a wild beast so look for the Leo tile and place it in the far right slot since the lion is the only man eater in your lot, and where else would a beast hide but in the bushes? The middle tile is Sagittarius because he's an archer, and the children, Gemini, are behind him since the archer is supposed to protect them. Go through this door to get a FIFTH KEY. The left-hand side of the middle door deals with livestock. Wool is the least valuable, so put Aries the sheep on the bottom of the pyramid. Cheese is better. What makes cheese? Goats (even fish-tailed ones) so Capricorn is above Aries. Meat is best, so Taurus the bull is up top. For the right-hand side, follow the arrow. First is fish, so put Pisces in the bottom slot. Next it grew legs, which is a perfect fit for a crab, Cancer. Next it developed poison which sounds like a scorpion, so Scorpio is last. Enter and pick up the THERA SEED. You can proceed if you like. The rightmost door is probably the toughest. It's not hard to figure what tiles to use, just where to put them. Virgo should go on the upper of the two scales since it's her weight you're trying to match. Aquarius looks like he's pouring water into something so put him on the lower scale. The Libra tile simply goes in the leftover bottom slot. This door and the middle one both lead to the same area. There's a FEATHER BRACELET in the lower left corner. Heal, equip Pocket Watches, save, and go down the stairs. Lucia tries to pull a fast one and fails. Silly Lucia, cats never follow orders. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Andre Class: Fire HP: 830 MP: 260 EXP: 1200 Cash: 1900 Souls: 75 Drop: Beleth By far, the most obnoxious thing about this boss besides its look is its Cash Steal attack. Instead of inflicting damage, it just steals your hard-earned money. Andre will also try to inflict Fake Ring, which is the most annoying Judgment Ring ailment ever. Get those Phoenix Tails ready. He's susceptible to P-Def Down so inflict it if you can, then pile on the combos. Water magic is effective as well. He's only really tough if you let Fake Ring get the best of you. His Blaze attack is easily countered with a healing item/spell. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll automatically be taken back to Florence, and Carla gives you the PURSON crest. She'll then give you her story, and Lucia the ditz will join your party. You'll get a primer on her special skill using Tarot cards, and Carla will give her OCEAN OIL and MISTY OIL to mix for her other skill, Aromatherapy, which is actually quite useful. You won't know what the oils do until you mix them, so experiment. Leave town and go back to Manmariana Island to where you fought Andre. There's a chest with a MANA SEED to the far left. Now head to the world map and select the SG Italian Branch HQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SG Italian Branch HQ [esg] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Delay 1 ___ Seal of the Urn Enemies: Gremlin ___ Uvall ___ Strongoids Langsuir ___ Thera Root ___ Talsmn. of Mercy Clawed Commander ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Justice Janus ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Sp-Attack Down 2 Henri ___ Toggle Switch In the northeast corner of the first room inside is a chest with DELAY 1 behind a pillar. In the next room, there are books scattered all around. Up by the piano, you'll find the very useful UVALL crest in a chest and a black book for you to read. There's a red book on the table to the south. A blue book sits in the southeast corner. North of there is a yellow book on a shelf. Examine the clock in the northeast corner. The books scattered around all mention specific times that can be put into the clock in the corner. The only book you needed to read to proceed was the blue one, so if you want to go ahead, set the time to nine. You might get a kick out of checking out the others times too. In this corridor, go all the way to the left and examine the painting to gain access to a secret room. Flip the switch on the left control panel. The machine to the north is missing a part. Go back and head north through the new passage. Go south to grab a THERA ROOT. Go up past the ladder to find the password in the middle of the bookshelves. Go back to the entrance and go east to the other side of the room for a LOTTERY TICKET. Go back to the room with all the machinery and use the password on the console to the left. Now go south through the newly-opened passage. There's a switch in the northeast corner of this room and a HIT AREA EXPAND in a chest to the northwest. Open the chest downstairs for a TOGGLE SWITCH. To the left is a SEAL OF THE URN in a barrel. South, you'll find STRONGOIDS in a chest. Go back to the machinery room and use the switch on the machine to the north. Go to the clock and ride it to the third floor. On the south side of this room, the second vase on the left hides a TALSMN. OF MERCY. Heal and save in the next room. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Janus Class: Light HP: 880 MP: 69 EXP: 2000 Cash: 2300 Souls: 85 Drop: Justice Sp-Attack Down 2 Janus can lower your S-Atk so it's probably best to go with a physical approach. Rage magic and Dark Edge are good spells to cast. Watch out if Yuri or Lucia are in the party since it will cast Light-based magic, and they are susceptible to extra damage. Its normal combo is also quite powerful, which is why a dedicated healer is always an asset. The Uvall crest you picked up has the Arc Cure spell, so if you equipped it on someone, they'll do fine healing your party. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, head to Florence. Yuri gives us more backstory concerning the Vatican's forbidden books that caused such a ruckus in the first game. Talk to Carla to replenish your party's health. Go back to the SG Italian HQ to where you fought Janus to find a wolf waiting in the rubble. Equip a Pocket Watch before speaking to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Henri Class: Earth HP: c. 300 MP: --- EXP: 166 Cash: 450 Souls: 0 Drop: Mana Extract Poor old Henri can inflict Reverse Ring, which isn't too bad. He also knows Thorn. Blanca's Wind class so that could be bad, but your level should be high enough that it won't cause a problem. Use Thera items to cure your ills. Soul Comet, being Wind-type magic, is really good for damage. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up yet again. Now head to Wales. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Neam Ruins [enr] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Red Mailbox ___ Leonardo's Bear Enemies: Calamity Orb ___ Rope Ladder ___ Phenex Ofnir ___ Face Guard ___ Getitup! Otheon ___ Mana Seed ___ Berith Star Gazer ___ Talisman of Luck ___ Attack Boost Grail Gazer ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Mana Extract ___ Thera Seed ___ Instant Death 1 ___ Seal of Vitality ___ Ose ___ Lottery Ticket You should see a RED MAILBOX, an English classic, next to Roger's house. Examine it and Joachim will claim it. Inside, you'll find a chest with a ROPE LADDER up by the save point. The vending machine is now working; do some shopping while you can. Now go out and head north to the fissure. Use your ladder to climb down. Grab the FACE GUARD near the save point. Get ready for a puzzle on every level of these godforsaken ruins. Step forward and ride the block. Follow the path and ride the next one. Ride the one to the north (according to your map) and get the MANA SEED. Ride that block back, step on it again, and go left this time to ride the block there. Ride the nearest block to go south. Ride the northern block here to a chest with a TALISMAN OF LUCK. Step on the red block to go to the next level. Push the triangle button to your right to manipulate the color of the blocks. You can only ride blocks here if their color corresponds to that of the "receiving" block, a dock if you will. Ride the gold one over. Ride the other gold one on this platform to a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND. Push the button and ride your new blue block over. Ride the gold block across from you to nab a THERA SEED. Ride the other gold block back to the central platform. Ride the blue block across from you to a platform with two gold blocks. Ride the left one, push the button, ride it back, and ride the right blue block to the red panel. Cross the blue light bridge and push the button you see above you. Get the SEAL OF VITALITY in the chest as you go north. Cross the pink light bridge, push the button three times, and follow the path to a LOTTERY TICKET. Now go back to that pink button and press it two more times to get to the red panel. There's a save point here if you need it. Ride the block. Then ride the one next to it down, hit the yellow button, then ride it back up. Cross the yellow block and ride the blue one down. Go to the northwest corner of this area to find a yellow button. Press it and go south and east through the new opening. Ignore the blue block here for now. Go north to a chest with a LEONARDO'S BEAR. Now go back and ride that block up. Take the one directly north of you up to a chest with the PHENEX crest. Back down, go as far north as you can and press the yellow button. Go back south and look for a little path to the left hidden by the rock formation. Take this block down and flip the yellow switch (you've been down here before so it should look familiar). Take that block back up and hit the yellow button to the north again. Now go all the way south and cross the yellow block to get a chest with a GETITUP!. Push the yellow button to the north again and ride the leftmost block up to another blue block that will take you to the exit. You'll get a scene here. Continue on to yet another fun puzzle. Step on the green, then the blue twice to make the stairs climbable. There are two of these puzzles in the next room. (Ugh.) Ignore the first one you come to by stepping on it and hitting "None". Go the left and tackle this puzzle first. Step on the colors in the following order: blue, yellow, yellow, blue, blue, red, red. Up these steps is the BERITH crest. Now go solve the other puzzle by selecting these colors: green, green, yellow. As soon as you enter this area, head straight to the right to meet the Ring Soul in the corner for an ATTACK BOOST. The brothers have set up shop in the opposite corner next to a save point. (Why did they have to reset all the puzzles they'd already solved? What a big help they are.) If you like to play it safe, buy enough Leonardo's Bears for your entire party or make sure you have at least one and some Talisman items. Head north to a red panel. Yuri will automatically demonstrate what you need to do to progress in the next area. Step on the yellow blocks to get a glimpse of the path, then follow that path to make it appear permanently. Once you step on the path, you can't fall off the edge. However, I recommend deviating from the path and falling over at least once since it's pretty amusing. On the third path, head to Yuri's right to fill out a walkway that leads to a chest with a MANA EXTRACT and a shortcut if you fall. Head back and fill out the rest of that last path to a red panel. Heal and save and make sure you've got Leonardo's Bears equipped. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Grail Gazer Class: Water Star Gazer Class: Water HP: 1240 MP: 409 HP: 320 MP: 0 EXP: 2900 Cash: 2500 EXP: 200 Cash: 200 Souls: 90 Drop: Instant Death 1 Souls: 2 Drop: --- Ose The two Star Gazers' special attack inflicts Instant Death, and they will combo with the Grail Gazer so you want to take them out as soon as possible. Hit hard and fast; combos with Heat Edge or Fire Magic work well if you've been building that affinity. The Grail Gazer has circular magic so watch out when performing combos around it. Again, anything Fire based is good for offense. It is susceptible to both P-Atk and S-Atk Down, the latter of which might come in handy since it likes to use Hail Breeze a lot and can rack up nice damage against Fire class fighters. Your dedicated healer should have Arc Cure available; that spell is nice to have here since Hail Breeze can and will hit multiple party members. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Yuri will black out afterwards and find himself in the Graveyard. Looks like his soul is trying to give him ideas. Now it's off to Cannes to deliver the book and save Roger. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cannes [eca] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of Force ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Grass Oil ___ Treasure: Dawn ___ Waterway Key ___ Mr. Samurai ___ Marchosias ___ Limestone Block ___ Western Belt Head down the stairs. Check the second flower box above you for a SEAL OF FORCE. Go east. Before going down the next set of stairs, check the lamppost above Yuri for a LOTTERY TICKET. You'll find GRASS OIL in the fountain at the base of the stairs. To the left is Loud Croft, who'll challenge Yuri to find some treasure he's hidden. Your first clue is TREASURE: DAWN. Be sure to read it in your inventory and keep it in the back of your mind. Enter the bar next to him. At the back is Nelson, the man who'll get you to St. Marguerite. He lets you use his boat and gives you the WATERWAY KEY in exchange for keeping him out of it. The other man in the bar will give you the MR. SAMURAI Stud Card for buying him a drink for 500 cash. Talk to him again to learn that he's had enough. Back outside and farther to the left is a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #13 Ring: Small Marchosias *You'll definitely want the MARCHOSIAS crest; the Face Guard red wedge is at about 7:00 and isn't too hard to Hit Area Expand hit. Pure Seed Tissues There's also a kid walking along this stretch of walkway that will take your underground film and give you a LIMESTONE BLOCK. Pierre and Gerard are on the next screen. South of here is the dock. There's nothing interesting on the beach so head all the way down to a chest with a WESTERN BELT by Nelson's boat. Set sail to St. Marguerite. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- St. Marguerite Island [esm] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Camio ___ Fountain Pen Enemies: Stray Wolf ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Adhesive Paladin ___ Face Guard ___ Bifrons Clawed Admiral ___ Slow 2 ___ Bent Wire Philippe ___ Ring of Keys ___ Handmade Key Oscar ___ Temperance ___ Nibelung Scene 2 Kheperer ___ Poison 2 ___ Daphne Fruit Gatorback ___ Wheel of Fortune ___ Seal of Strength Godhand ___ Strike Expand ___ Earthen Pipe ___ Sp-Defend Down 2 ___ Pure Root ___ Attack Boost ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Tent ___ Seal of Luck ___ Thera Extract ___ Treasure: Love I have a map for this area; I don't know how easy it is to read, but if you would like it, it's here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/stmisland.jpg. Right off the bat, Yuri will get the key stolen by a wolf. You'll now be in control of Blanca. Through the hole, there's a save point and a saleswolf to the north if you need anything. Past him, you'll find the CAMIO crest on the ground. To the northeast is the thief. Beat him down! You'll automatically be taken back, so you can head inside. In the room with the card table, check the corner for a LOTTERY TICKET. Past here, the north gate is locked and the warehouse is useless now, so head right. Your exit is locked in the next room, and you need to talk to the cellmates to learn the code. At the end of the southernmost row of cells, you'll find a FACE GUARD in a chest. Talk to the guy closest to you to learn there's an 8 in the code. The next guy hints that the numbers are in descending order and are all 4 or higher. The cells in the next row up house a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #12 Ring: Fickle Slow 2 *The needle is fickle but it starts so slow that if Western Belt you hit the wedge on the first rotation, you won't Talsmn. of Mercy notice and can easily get the SLOW 2 if you want. Thera Seed Tissues The guy next door says all the numbers are even. Putting all your clues together, you will get the code 864. Input it and move on. You'll get a couple scenes down the stairs. What follows is a staple of the Shadow Hearts series. First off, Veronica is going to choose someone to play with. It's hard to tell who she's looking at when cycling through the options, but you can make an educated guess as to who it is, and guessing is half the fun. Pick someone and she'll take them away. Now, there's a prize for getting through her torture. If you get through without getting shocked, you'll get the best prize: a new weapon for the victim. Choose the first option every time to ensure you don't get shocked and survive Veronica's game. There are lesser prizes to win based on the second and third options as well. Really, getting a prize isn't that big of a deal. I say just play through this for the entertainment value since some of the things your party members can say to Veronica are downright hilarious. We're switched over to Blanca again to save the day. Head through the hole, equip a Silver Bracelet, and go to the northeast to encounter a Wolf Bout opponent. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Philippe Class: Dark HP: c. 360 MP: --- EXP: 240 Cash: 600 Souls: 0 Drop: Pure Extract Shell Bracelet Philippe's special attack causes Mental Break, so use your magic while you can before your MP is totally depleted (unless you equipped a Silver Bracelet). Attack however you want as long as you make sure to take a turn or two to heal your HP. Don't worry about replenishing MP since this fight shouldn't last long and physical attacks and Thera items will pull you through. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Blanca will learn Full Moon for winning. Back inside, you'll run into guards (red triangles on your map) that will attack if they see you. Honestly, it's not a big deal if they do. You get EXP if you fight, and it gets harder to avoid them later on; it's just so much easier to fight than flee. Run past the first one, *walk* over the branches to the north, and go south. Enter the door to the right while the two guards here are looking away (don't worry about that chest, we can get it later). Use the pillars to hide from the guard in this hall. In the office room, search around until you get the RING OF KEYS. Head back out and exit to the right. The guard here is extra alert so be careful when making your way north. More guards await down the stairs. Your destination is the northern door. To draw the guards out in the next room, walk right up behind the gate to get their attention. This will make them patrol around this little room so you can play hide-and-go-seek with them via the pillars. Go through the north door. Make sure you have a Shell Bracelet equipped before you step forward! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Oscar Class: Wind HP: 400 MP: 0 EXP: 600 Cash: 2000 Souls: 0 Drop: Temperance Poison 2 Oscar's deadliest attack is his ability to poison you. If he poisons you once and gets you again, he'll give you Deadly Poison. He also knows a spell called Remove, which will cancel out all support magic you cast, so don't bother. Since you're fighting alone, always heal first and attack second. His magic attacks are Wind class so Blanca can weather them. If you have either P-Atk or S-Atk Down on Blanca's ring, you can lower the amount of damage Oscar inflicts and start piling on your own. P-Atk Down is definitely the preferred of the two. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Remember your treasure clue? Mash the X button near the end of the chain to find the WHEEL OF FORTUNE card. The chest on the upper right side of the room has a STRIKE EXPAND. Head down the stairs to find your party. The chest to the left has your prize for the torture scene, and SP-DEFEND DOWN 2 is hidden in the boxes nearby. Make use of your new save point as well. Go south past where you fought Oscar, exit south, then head straight right in the next room to meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST. Exit to the south. Up the stairs, a man will stop you and offer to make a key for Roger's cell if you can get him the supplies. To the south in this hall is a chest with a TENT. Exit to the west. Go upstairs to find a chest with a THERA EXTRACT; examine the desk for a FOUNTAIN PEN. Before going downstairs, go to the left and go through the metal gate in this hall. Go in the warehouse to the left to get some ADHESIVE. Back through the gate, exit left. Go straight left to get that chest we saw earlier; it has the BIFRONS crest. Go to the southwest corner of this area to the hole where Blanca came in. The wolf outside will give you a BENT WIRE. Head all the way back to the locksmith in the cell. (Exit east as far as you can, and he'll be to the north.) You'll get the HANDMADE KEY and the NIBELUNG SCENE 2. Exit west and go downstairs now to a chest with a DAPHNE FRUIT. The next room is Veronica's and should look familiar. There's a SEAL OF STRENGTH by the machine. Exit to the right, and you'll see an EARTHEN PIPE on the ground. Examine it and it's yours. The chest up top contains a PURE ROOT. Hidden up on the other side of the room is a LOTTERY TICKET. Up the stairs and through the door puts you with the prisoners that helped you with the code lock. Exit west, north through the gate, and west. You want to go in the north door in this area. Hug the left wall as you advance and snag the SEAL OF LUCK hiding by a pillar. (Thanks to DarkBlood for pointing this out.) There's a save point beyond it; make good use of it. Equip Mirror Bracelets if you have them or just make sure you've got ways to combat Petrify. Inside, we have one more obstacle keeping us from Roger. There's a couple of easy battles before the big one. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Godhand Class: Earth HP: 1960 MP: 0 EXP: 4400 Cash: 4000 Souls: 95 Drop: Thera Extract Bandit Earrings Lenny in his new form can cause Petrify, which is a terrible, terrible status ailment. If you don't have Mirror Bracelets but Lucia is in the party, you can use her Aromatherapy skill with Misty and Ocean Oils to protect everyone from status abnormalities. This is only for one turn, so it can feel tedious casting it over and over, but petrifaction is no laughing matter. At least make sure someone is on hand with Heal magic or Soul Benediction items. You can also try and inflict Slow on him to give yourself a little more breathing room. The Godhand is all raw power. He can attack multiple party members with his Deadly Three attack, and if one of the bystanders happens to be petrified, things get ugly. Shield magic or Lucia's aromatherapy will come in handy boosting your defenses, and Arc Cure is also a good idea. Pile on the Wind- powered combos and watch your SP because this fight might drag on. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, everyone has their laughs at Roger's expense. You can try to name him if you want, but (like in the last game) he won't have it. Next stop, Cannes, to hear what Roger knows about Sapientes Gladio. Before you head back to Wales, talk to Croft outside the bar to rub your hunting prowess in his face and get a new clue, TREASURE: LOVE. It may look weird, but read it backwards and it'll be clear. Talk to Roger in his house and then flip the switch on the right wall. Take the elevator down and head left. Roger will unveil his airship to miraculous applause. Heh. He'll then fly us to Russia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petrograd [ep1] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of Life ___ Super Piroshki Enemies: Pendulum ___ P-Attack Down 2 ___ Lottery Ticket Quartzback ___ The Empress ___ Espada Wormgaur ___ Mana Root ___ Prism Band Victor ___ Pure Root ___ Circlet R-3 ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Eligos ___ Seal of Wisdom ___ Bell Bracelet ___ Furcas ___ Halphas ___ P-Defend Down 2 ___ Night Oil ___ Strike Expand ___ Lion Shrine Key ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Pirate Earrings ___ Nibelung Scene 5 You'll get a scene. Enter our newest enemy, the Mad Monk Rasputin. Prepare to forsake all your history schooling as we meet Anastasia next. The Winter Palace is pretty big, and it's easy to get lost if it's your first time through. Therefore, I've got a map: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winterpalace.jpg. Be warned that you're going to be making multiple trips through the halls, and this map covers the whole palace, so there's places on it you won't be able to get to yet. For now, let's go item hunting, shall we? Exit this hall to the south. Go in the second door on your right to find a chest with a SEAL OF LIFE by the beds. Exit the hall to the south and go to the next hall over since two guards are blocking the staircase. Before going in, check this corner for a hidden chest with P-ATTACK DOWN 2. In the first door on the left, check the teddy bear for THE EMPRESS. The chest by the bed contains a MANA ROOT. Leave and speak to Ewan in the third room on the left. Go back to Anastasia's room (the one with the save point). Choose to sleep to move on. She'll automatically sneak out to Edgar's shop to get a camera. Seems Kato's in town as well... Outside, you'll get a primer on Anastasia's special abilities, Snap Shot and Album. Whenever she's in a fight, she can take pictures of enemies to figure their stats, replacing those annoying question marks we've seen up until now. Fun fact: This is also the only special ability in the game that does not require the Judgment Ring. However, you'll only get to see this info when she is in the battle party or through your library. Certain enemies grant her summoning abilities so make sure you snap as many pictures as you can. Back to matters at hand, the chest right next to you has a PURE ROOT. North is the way out of town. Go south (looks like left from this camera angle) two screens to be outside the palace. Go to your left for a chest way back in the corner of the screen for a HIT AREA EXPAND. Check the lamppost closest to the screen for a SEAL OF WISDOM. Pierre and Gerard are in the right-hand corner. Go to the opposite side of this area, near the palace entrance. North of the steps is a chest with the FURCAS crest. Exit this area through the archway, the way you came. Go back to the intersection and head right (towards the screen). Anastasia will spot Rasputin and hide. Follow him to the next screen. Make note of where he goes next, then run towards the camera to the corner for a P-DEFEND DOWN 2 in a chest. Go over to the bridge and check the left lamppost for a STRIKE EXPAND. Go down the little stairs for a scene. Anastasia will get into trouble; guess who comes to the rescue? Be sure to take a picture of the monster when fighting, and you'll get her first summon attack. Afterwards, it's a party at Edgar's place. There's a LOTTERY TICKET behind the counter but nothing in the back room. Outside, speak to the old man south of the shop on the way to the palace; now that Karin's with you, he'll give you the NIBELUNG SCENE 5. You might want to go shopping before heading inside and, if you have it, talk to the artist near the brothers to trade your limestone block for a SUPER PIROSHKI. A scene occurs. Politics are fun, yes? Go in the door past the save point, then north to the next room. Check the second flower pot for a LOTTERY TICKET. The next room up has the ESPADA in a chest. Head back to the save point and go up the stairs to the east hall. Enter the second door on the right and speak to the woman on the right to play the Lottery. Lottery Member #11 Ring: Reverse Prism Band *The PRISM BAND is one of Joachim's special Replacement Man accessories; luckily, winning it is a cinch. Hit Area Expand Mana Seed Tissues Past the save point, go in the door to the left and then the north to meet with the Empress. Go into one of the two doors to the north; inside, check behind the bed for a CIRCLET. Now do as your mother says and go to your room. (It's the first door on the left in the west hall if you've forgotten.) Enjoy your history lesson; most of it is actually true (except for the part about Nicholas being a good man). Afterwards, form your team, of which Anastasia must be a member, because you'll start getting random encounters in the halls. Head out to the main hall, go down the stairs, and go through the door to the north and then through the next. Go north yet again. Through the door between the stairs is a store room of sorts. In the northwest corner is the ELIGOS crest. Go back and up the stairs to the left-hand side of the room to grab a BELL BRACELET. Enter the door on the right-hand side. In this hall, enter the door to the far right. Go south, then to the first door you see on your right to confront Victor. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Victor Class: Fire HP: 1800 MP: 200 EXP: 5200 Cash: 4200 Souls: 100 Drop: Halphas Night Oil Victor will fight you with his Pendulum familiar. He'll use Entrance to boost its magic power so you want to focus on killing it first so they can't work together. Pendulums can poison you as well as inflict Reverse Ring; Victor knows Magma, can attack with his sword, and can inflict Seal. This is where Blanca's Full Moon ability saves lives! Once you've taken out the Pendulum, get to work on Victor. Anastasia is Water class so she needs to be especially careful of Victor's magic. He can pack a punch and hit multiple party members with Magma. Try inflicting P-Atk or S-Atk Down if it's on your ring. Hit him hard with combos and all your Water magic. If you remembered to take a picture of the Pendulum, Anastasia can use Aqua Raise on him. Be always mindful of SP since Anastasia's is low to begin with, and Victor will hang in there. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Pick up the LION SHRINE KEY afterwards. Go up past the save point. In the second room on the right is a chest with PIRATE EARRINGS. The door at the end of this hall is the Lion Shrine. Save if you like, then head up for a scene. No fight with Rasputin this time, as it seems we can't break that shield of his. Yuri then flashes back to scenes of the first game before passing out due to the curse. Looks like we're not going to be welcome in Russia again for a while. Don't leave town yet because a Wolf Bout opponent has shown his face in the alley where Anastasia met her first monster. Equip a Feather Bracelet and speak to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- R-3 Class: Light HP: c. 500 MP: --- EXP: 400 Cash: 900 Souls: 0 Drop: Feather Bracelet Strike Expand The emoticon-using pooch from space can cause Panic (as all space creatures would among Earthlings). Since Blanca's SP isn't too great, this could be a problem. Cast Shield/Barrier and Rage and you're good to go. If you didn't protect against Panic, Shield and Barrier will make his attacks super weak, giving you enough health to be able to sacrifice a turn to use a Pure item. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up. Leave town; the soldiers won't let you do much else. Head to the Goreme Valley. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goreme Valley [egv] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Marax ___ Seal of Aura ___ Seere ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Blue Cape ___ Evasion Down 2 ___ Attack Boost Hey, it's Thomas Lawrence. Er, Edward Lawrence. (Does that name sound familiar, you World War I buffs?) Head into the valley. That chest holds the MARAX crest. The brothers are here as well. Head towards the entrance to get stopped by Sarah. This marks the start of King Solomon's Trials, which are the pit fights reincarnated. They're actually a mix of fights and puzzles. They're worth your time to finish since Sarah will give you prizes for completing them. See the sidequest section for strategy and prize lists. You can do the first four trials right now if you wish. Inside, in the first door to your right, you'll find a chest with a SEAL OF AURA. Outside, head up the stairs. What a beautiful sunset. Remember your last treasure clue? Mash X around the pillar to get the SEERE crest. In the next room to the right, you'll find a LOTTERY TICKET on one of the tables. Go up and talk to Lawrence and head inside. There's a short hall to your right down this corridor; inside is a chest with a BLUE CAPE. Now continue down the corridor to meet with Jovis. Afterwards, look behind the altar in this room for an EVASION DOWN 2. Your destination is the door in the northeast corner of this room. Before going up to talk with Jovis again, head to the right side of this room to meet the Ring Soul again for an ATTACK BOOST. When ready, speak to the bishop to get going. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mirror Castle [emc] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Third Key Enemies: Tweedledee ___ Glass Key Tweedledum Ogoroja Karin Yuri Amon You'll be in the Graveyard to start. Do any soul fusion business you might have, then head through the door north of the Yuri Tree. After a chat with Jeanne, go through the northern door. Take a few steps forward to get into a scripted fight. This castle is a one-time only visit, but there's really not a lot to do. I've drawn a map to provide a visual to help you see how the mirror system that's in place here works: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/mirrorcastle1.jpg. You'll need to get used to it if you want to do a certain sidequest later. Follow the corridor through the door. You'll pass some mirrors on your way around the place, but we can't do anything with them yet. At the end of the second corridor, pass through the mirror-like archway to the right and through the door to the north. In the fireplace lounge, examine the mirror since there's nothing through the door to the north right now except a save point. You'll have to fight your reflections, which makes for an odd but easy battle since Mirror Yuri won't fuse and both are pretty weak. You're now inside the mirror part of the castle. Karin explains how this works, and Jovis will fully heal you. Go through the north door to get a THIRD KEY in a chest. Now go south through the lounge. Our destination is the mirror version of where we started in the castle. Go through the archway to your right and follow the corridor down, ignoring all the mirrors. When you get to the circular room, open the chest for the GLASS KEY. Backtrack and fight your way through the first mirror you see to your left. Now make your way back to the fireplace lounge and go through the door to the north. Heal and save, open the door, and step on the circular pattern to get Amon to show himself. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Amon Class: --- HP: 765 MP: 268 EXP: 6800 Cash: 6000 Souls: 105 Drop: Pure Extract Seal of the Urn Yay for swanky new battle music! Amon looks intimidating: he has no class and so no glaring weaknesses. He's also immune to all ailments, so this is really a battle of pure strength. Fuse Yuri and boost his attack stats with either Rage or Surge (depending on which fusion you chose). Karin is best suited for acting solely as support. Amon has two special attacks, Demon Rays and The End, and the standard combo; depending on your level, they might not do much damage, but it can and will add up. This battle is not tough and shouldn't pose a real challenge as long as you don't forget to heal and protect yourself. In other words, don't rush. If you have the Fire fusion leveled up, Rage and Energy Charge will absolutely blow Amon away. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, Yuri meets up with an old friend from the first Shadow Hearts: Albert Simon. Leave it to Albert to make us feel like crap after beating him in the first game. You'll get Amon's soul afterwards and a scene with Nicolai and Rasputin for more WWI history. After Yuri and Karin talk, go to the bishop's room (the one with the Blue Cape earlier) to start a whole 'nother series of cutscenes until we're back in Petrograd. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Petrograd [ep2] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Mana Seed ___ Plastron Enemies: Jack ___ Nibelung Scene 8 ___ Silver Locket Jill ___ Thera Root ___ Ipos Agony ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Talsmn. of Mercy Necros ___ The Magician ___ Haagenti Peryton ___ Attack Boost ___ Moon Oil Night Queen ___ Leraje ___ Mr. Swan ___ Leonardo's Bear ___ Tissues ___ Andromalius ___ Purple Bondage ___ Seal 2 ___ Silver Angel ___ Talisman of Luck ___ Frozen Tuna ___ Strongoids ___ Panoramic Lens Make your way to the area where Anastasia tracked down Rasputin and took his picture last time: the stairs by the bridge out of town. Jeanne will interrupt you to tell you that you can now attain level three fusions by collecting certain items (Soul Drops), but more on that later. Down the stairs, speak to Prince Yusupov to gain entrance to the Gallery of the Dead. Go back up the stairs and check the boxes here for a MANA SEED. Back down, examine the skeleton to get the NIBELUNG SCENE 8. There's a map available for this area: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/gotd.jpg. Ahead is a gate and a lever, both with a Cyrillic/Russian character on them. (ANSI doesn't like me using actual Cyrillic characters, so I'm going to try to mimic them with an English equivalent to the best of my ability.) Anastasia will give you a grammar lesson each time you find one of these, and Gepetto explains how to use them to get through this area. Pull the lever and continue on. Examine the next skeleton you see for a THERA ROOT. Go north when you can. Then head west, check the skeleton for a LOTTERY TICKET, and flip the "E" switch. Go back and head all the way north and check the right-hand corner for THE MAGICIAN. Go down and head right under the "E" gate. You should notice a wolf in one of the cells ahead of you. Equip a Bhodi Bracelet before speaking to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Necros Class: Dark HP: c. 550 MP: --- EXP: 650 Cash: 1300 Souls: 0 Drop: Talsmn. of Mercy Necros can paralyze you, and that's about it. After you neutralize that special attack, he's a normal wolf, and you should be used to them by now. If you didn't protect against paralysis, hope it doesn't take effect when he uses it since you can't battle with a paralyzed one-person party. Use Rage and/or Surge to make short work of him. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up. Go south according to your map and hit the "K" switch. Head all the way north and go as far east as you can to meet the Ring Soul again to get an ATTACK BOOST. Go south to get the LERAJE crest in a chest. Now go back to where you found the Magician card (northwest of the wolf fight); the gate nearby should be raised. Go as far west as you can to nab the LEONARDO'S BEAR in the corner here. Follow this path until you come to a room. The exit is north and west, but it is blocked. Go north anyway and turn right to flip the "A" switch. Back in the room, examine the coffins and the wall to find out who is blocking our exit. The sign on the other side of the wall shows what gates are open and how many are left. Check the southwest corner of this room for the ANDROMALIUS crest. Save if you want and head south. Go left when you get a chance and open the chest in the corner for a SEAL 2. Follow the path and examine the skeletons you find before the intersection for a TALISMAN OF LUCK. Start by taking the west path and follow it as it loops around and around, checking the one metal gate you see for STRONGOIDS. Take the north path to a chest with a PLASTRON and the "B" switch. That gate was down the east path, right next to the "P" switch. Following this path will take you back to the original intersection. The southern switch, "b", is now unblocked. Flip it. Head north back to the room with the save point. Go east, south as far as you can, west, then south to find the SILVER LOCKET. Use the left path past the save point to get back to the coffin room quickly; just follow it north. Examine the middle coffin to give the man his locket. Now you can exit these tunnels by going north, then west. Dimitri will meet you, and you can proceed to the palace for a scene. (Thank goodness the Tsar has more sense than his wife.) When you gain control, go left, down the stairs, and to the right. The brothers have set up shop next to a save point. Stock up on Leonardo's Bears if you want to play it safe with the next boss. Head through the door south of them and continue south to find a chest with the IPOS crest (give that to someone ASAP). Head right for a scene and a scripted fight. Go south and check the fountain for a TALSMN. OF MERCY. Now head up the spiral staircase after making sure you have all your Leonardo's Bears equipped. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Night Queen Class: Water HP: 2380 MP: 420 EXP: 9900 Cash: 8000 Souls: 110 Drop: Haagenti Moon Oil Take care of the two Peryton first. As noted before, the Night Queen's special attack causes Instant Death. If you didn't equip Leonardo's Bears, it's not the end of the world as long as you make sure the next person in line sacrifices their turn to revive the fallen party member. She's vulnerable to P-Def and S-Def Down, so try to inflict it if it's on your ring to make your attacks worth more damage. The Ipos crest you recently got has the extremely useful Arc Gale spell, which gives your entire party more turns in battle. You can imagine how awesome that is; cast it as soon as possible! Have your magic users buff everyone up and heal when needed. The Night Queen has a variety of spells at her disposal and she knows your characters' weaknesses so she'll pick their opposing class to maximize damage. This means Barrier magic is good to have here. Arc Gale will give you enough turns to cure whatever ails you. Use Heat Edge, Arc Rage, Surge, combos, and all that good stuff to bring the Night Queen down. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You get an amazing cutscene for winning. Afterwards, talk to the guard walking along this corridor to get the MR. SWAN Stud Card. Head over to the east wing; now we can finally snoop in Rasputin's bedroom (it's the sixth door on the right). Check both sides of the bed for TISSUES and PURPLE BONDAGE. You can shop for new equipment from the hefty man near the save point in the main hall. Make your way back to the roof where you fought Veronica (north until you hit the stairs, then east and south and up the stairs), and check the snow to the northwest for a SILVER ANGEL, something you won't have a use for for a while yet. You'll get a scene when you go outside. When you gain control, head south and examine the FROZEN TUNA stuck in the snow outside the palace. Go give Pierre that Purple Bondage and your new Stud Card; I'm sure he'll love them. Make your way to Edgar's place and speak to him for Anastasia's PANORAMIC LENS, supper, and a scene. Head to the world map to Idar Flamme. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Idar Flamme [eif] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Mana Root ___ Third Key Enemies: Gigafilaria ___ Jupiter Fan ___ Feather Bracelet Megafilaria ___ Paralysis 2 ___ Hit Area Expand Zamuza ___ Cosmic Bracelet ___ Will Power Echidna ___ Soul Benediction ___ Pure Root Hati ___ Strike Expand ___ Seal of Speed Mother Filaria ___ Bat's Gold ___ Replacement Man Asmodeus ___ Thera Root ___ The World ___ Silver Bracelet Ugh, I hate this place. Thank goodness it's a one-time only visit. There are items scattered around these landmark-less tunnels, but if you ever want to get to your destination quickly, just head north. If you would like a map of this area to follow instead, here's a link to one: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme1.jpg. Go up past the save point until you see a pod blocking your way. Running into it will get you into a fight with some normal enemies; just be aware that these things are scattered around the tunnels as well as fake walls that disappear as you approach. Also, have Anastasia snap the Hati enemy in this area for the Direct Press album. The first intersection you come to will have a chest in the upper left corner with a MANA ROOT. Continue up this path and turn right at the next opportunity. In the U-bend of this skinny path is a chest with the JUPITER FAN. Follow it until you come to a four-way split. Take the lower right path and fight your way through the pod for a chest with a PARALYSIS 2. Go right at the three-way intersection and right again at the next. As it loops around, it'll take you to yet another three-way after a pod fight; take the skinny path leading right to a dead end with three chests to nab a COSMIC BRACELET, SOUL BENEDICTION, and STRIKE EXPAND. Go back to the intersection and take the upper left path. It will lead you to yet another three-way split. Take the southern path to a chest with BAT'S GOLD but then go back up to the split and take the left path now. Go south and then left at the next intersection. Follow it to a pod and another three-way split. Take the northern path for two chests at a dead end for a THERA ROOT and a SILVER BRACELET. And that is it for treasure in this hellhole. Find the nearest main path (go to the last intersection and turn left) and then go north as far as you can to reach a save point and the Maigmel brothers. If you need to return to the beginning of this stage for any reason, ask them to give you a ride. Exit to the north. Here's a [somewhat condensed] color-coded map for this new area: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme2.jpg. Head right to the next screen and keep going as far right as you can. North is a THIRD KEY. Go left and north to hit the purple switch by the fan. Go left again but instead of going through the new door, continue left to the next screen. Hit the light blue switch to the far left and go through the nearby door north of you. Go north, then west to hit the green switch. Now go east and hit the yellow switch. South and then east is a chest with a FEATHER BRACELET. Straight east through the nearby door is another chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND. North is a save point. Go south to the next screen. Head right to go enter that door you opened earlier. Go east as far as you can and hit the purple switch to the south. That reveals a chest with a WILL POWER to the north. Now go west and hit the pink switch by the fan. Go back a screen and head north, then east to hit the other yellow switch. Go west until you hit a save point. Heal and save. Immediately after going through the yellow door but before going to the next screen, you'll see a chest with a PURE ROOT to your right. You'll automatically be brought into a fight in the next room. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mother Filaria Class: Light HP: 700 MP: 230 EXP: 3000 Cash: 2000 Souls: 30 Drop: Mana Extract You'll have to fight four of these things total (two per fight). Focus on them one at a time. Get in the habit of casting all your Arc spells at the beginning of each fight if you haven't already. You'll need ones like Gale and Rage to keep on top of these guys since they know Cure. Use combos and exploit their weaknesses to eliminate at least one before they can start healing each other. If Anastasia's in your party, she can use her new Direct Press skill to halve these guys' HP. Attack-wise, they can combo and know basic Light magic, so Dark fighters beware. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, check the left side of the room for a SEAL OF SPEED and run along the wall on the right side to find a REPLACEMENT MAN. Heal, save, and give your fighter with the least SP that Will Power accessory you found (or any others you might have) before moving on. I have to say, there is something oddly funny about hearing the Mad Monk turn Yuri's catchphrase on him. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Asmodeus Class: --- HP: 2880 MP: 468 EXP: 14,500 Cash: 12,000 Souls: 150 Drop: The World Warlock Earrings Get out those Arc spells. As with Amon, Asmodeus has no real weakness since he's no class, but he is susceptible to S-Def Down, so you know what to do. Asmodeus likes to spam a new kind of magic; the crest spells he uses each have a parameter effect associated with them, and they all hit for a good amount of damage and a large area. He also has an attack called Bent Space that is pretty much the same without the ailment attached. This is all made worse by the fact that he'll cast Surge on himself. Be careful with combos and make sure you keep Barrier magic in place at all times. Keep an eye on your SP as well since this fight might drag on, and Asmodeus has a normal attack with an SP Lowering effect. Attack however you like. As long as you watch your stats and make sure your party is protected, you can hang in there long enough to put this ugly demon out of his misery. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Rasputin still has enough life in him to put a downer on our party. Poor Yuri. Time to rinse and repeat Rasputin's punishment on Nicolai in Apoina Tower. However, that will be the last stop in Europe, and there's still a lot left to do before you leave. If you'd like to skip to the fight, just skip the next section. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finishing Europe [efe] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Soul Drop ___ Treasure: Sneak Enemies: Martega Svarozic ___ The Fool ___ Asmodeus Mash Erisvorch ___ Alloces ___ Soul Drop Maya Svarog ___ Silver Chair ___ Talking Panda Mocos Veles ___ Soul Drop Pripegala Great Gama First stop, Domremy. Make your way into town and speak to old man Nagy walking around further in to learn there's wolves terrorizing the village. Then, go up to the church and look for a glowing yellow item behind the altar. It's your first SOUL DROP. Take that to an elemental altar in the Graveyard and use it to get into a fight with a demon. Defeating this demon will grant you the highest level of the fusion you chose, level 3. Be careful though because those demons are no pushovers; they will boost their stats according to their class' specialty (e.g. - the Dark altar monster will use Surge and the Air altar demon will cast Gale). They also have decent physical offense as well as a good magic attack based on their class. All their names are in the enemy list for this section. In the woods south of town, go south, west, south, and east, and you'll find the wolves. Equip your Cosmic Bracelet and confront them. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Martega Class: Dark Mash Class: Wind HP: c. 150 MP: --- HP: c. 150 MP: --- Souls: 0 Drop: Mana Root Souls: 0 Drop: Lottery Ticket Maya Class: Light HP: c. 300 MP: --- Souls: 0 Drop: The Fool EXP: 999 Cash: 999 Yeah, three-on-one. Real fair. They are going to combo you every turn and will even use combo magic. Focus on one at a time. Buff Blanca up with Shield and Barrier and use Rage or Surge when you can. Cast your spells immediately because they can inflict Seal and Mental Break (unless you're wearing that Cosmic Bracelet). Maya is also capable of poisoning you; it's not so bad unless you get Deadly Poison. Your defense spells will render their combos almost ineffective, damage-wise. If they Seal Blanca before you can cast your magic, consider healing it because those spells really make a difference. You should be at a high enough level after all the running around you did in Idar Flamme to be able to stand up to a couple rounds of attacks. If not, just keep a closer eye on your HP. Their HP totals are pathetically low. With Shield and Barrier in place, you just need patience. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Blanca will learn Comeback for winning. Next, head to Gepetto's apartment in Paris. The landlady will be waiting for you, but if you have a Lottery Ticket then she'll let you play in lieu of paying rent. Lottery Member #10 Ring: Slightly faster than normal Alloces *The ALLOCES crest has a useful Arc Spell on it. Will Power Watch the speed here closely since it is a little Hit Area Expand fast. Pure Seed Tissues In Montmartre, talk to Ernest to get prizes for your Wolf Bout stamps. In the cathedral district, the junk shop owner has a special item for Gepetto for 10,000 cash. It's his special accessory, the SILVER CHAIR, which I have never seen to be of any use. It does raise his stats though. He also sells Hit Area Expands if you want some. In the Wine Cellar, the Lucky Chest game now has a second round which you can play for 300 cash. The prize this time is a SOUL DROP. In Southampton, you can battle the Great Gama again for a new technique. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Great Gama Class: Light HP: c. 500 MP: --- EXP: 600 Cash: 10 Souls: 0 Drop: Third Key You don't need your Leonardo's Bear this time around. His new attack hits 15 times but for 1 or 2 points of damage, so it's not bad. However, he will pull out a Third Key on his third turn. Make sure you block or are at full health with Shield in place! With his low HP, this'll be over quickly. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Make sure you stop by Cannes to talk to Croft and get a new treasure clue, TREASURE: SNEAK. This one's a toughie. It's read similar to Japanese text (which is read from top to bottom starting from the right), except this clue should be read top to bottom starting from the left. In Petrograd, the drunk man near the entrance to the Gallery of the Dead has found something he'll part with for 100,000 cash. It is the ASMODEUS crest. Next, Sarah has four new trials set up in Goreme Valley. Talk to Lawrence in the altar room for a SOUL DROP. Nothing left to do now but make sure you've finished all your item trading. Trade the super piroshki you got in Petrograd for a TALKING PANDA by talking to a man standing by the row of shops on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Now it's off to Apoina Tower. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apoina Tower [ea2] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Belial ___ Pure Extract Enemies: Emptiness ___ Strike Expand ___ Seal of the Soul Danters ___ Attack Boost ___ Hit Area Expand Lemures ___ Murderer's Wt. ___ Paimon Astaroth ___ Kidnapper's Wt. ___ Galahad's Sword ___ Arsonist's Wt. ___ Delay 2 ___ Thief's Wt. A scene occurs upon arrival. The first three floors of the tower haven't changed, and items haven't regenerated. However, on the first floor, you can go up the stairs to the left and through the doors outside to find two chests: one with the BELIAL crest and the other with a STRIKE EXPAND. Back inside, head up the stairs to the right and make your way to the third floor. Left of the circular area (where the portal to the mistletoe was), you'll find the Ring Soul hiding in a corner. Catch up with him and get your ATTACK BOOST. The fourth floor is the new stuff. Unfortunately, it's a puzzle. Yuri and Gepetto muse over the scales and hint that you need counterweight. You'll find it in the other four cells: MURDERER'S WT., KIDNAPPER'S WT., ARSONIST'S WT., and THIEF'S WT. Now check out the plaque on the wall. You need to balance the scales using the weights you picked up and the clues on the plaque. If your scale is so off that it hits the ground, you get attacked. The math for this puzzle makes my head spin, but here's an attempt at mathematical reasoning: - assume thievery has a value of 1 - kidnapping is thievery x2 - arson is thievery x4 - murder is kidnapping x4 which is thievery x8 (2 x 4 = 8) - arson x3 is executable - so to balance the weight we need arson x3 - since arson x3 is thievery x4 x3, we need a weight of 12 based on thievery - murder is thievery x8 and arson is thievery x4 so 4 + 8 = 12 The correct weights to place are the murderer and the arsonist. Phew, I was never very good at math or logic, but hey! The doors are open! Flip the lever up on the ground floor and climb the stairs. Go to the left to nab the PURE EXTRACT in the chest, then up the stairs across from you. Don't miss the chest at the top; it has a SEAL OF THE SOUL. Before messing with the switch, go north to get the HIT AREA EXPAND. Flip the switch down and then go back a level. You can now access the switch to the north. Flip it to the lower level and then go back to the ground floor. You should see a chest in the upper right in one of the cages; inside is the PAIMON crest. Go back up two levels and flip that switch to the top. You are now free to exit to the right. Use that save point to heal up. Enter the door to the north to confront Nicolai, who is single-handedly responsible for all the evil in the world. What more incentive could you need to pick a fight? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Astaroth Class: --- HP: 3040 MP: 472 EXP: 17,400 Cash: 15,000 Souls: 150 Drop: Galahad's Sword Delay 2 Like Asmodeus before him, Astaroth spams powerful crest magic. The good news is that he's susceptible to S-Atk Down so get whoever has that on their ring to physically attack like crazy! Make sure you cast your Arc spells, Gale and Barrier being the most important. As long as you're careful with your combos, you can use them to rack up nice amounts of damage. Astaroth can cast Barrier on himself so a Rage-powered physical approach is a good idea. His normal attack is also associated with Delay. Keep your defenses up, have a healer in the background, and watch that turn meter in case he causes Delay a lot. ----------------------------------------------------------------- So ends the first disc. Save and get ready for a change of scenery. =============================================================================== Disc Two =============================================================================== The second half of the game, three months later. You know what this means: time for a change of scenery and for the story to get more confusing. Away we go! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brick Warehouse [jbw] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Dandy's Kimono ___ Silver Rasp Enemies: Akagi Soldier ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Colorful Comb ___ Small Jug ___ Cimeies ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Raccoon Friend ___ Seal of Speed ___ Giant Pillar ___ Mana Root ___ Huge Jug ___ Naberius Poor Yuri hasn't gotten over his seasickness, and Alice isn't here to comfort him this time. You'll gain control of Blanca; make sure you've got the subtitles on if you don't already. They'll interpret what he has to say in the following cutscenes, and it's worth it to read them for the entertainment factor. Take the DANDY'S KIMONO from the chest and go out. Follow the walkway and Blanca will spy a young man being attacked. You'll control him for the first fight and be able to jump in for the next few. Afterwards, you can go item hunting or skip the following paragraph and move on. First, go left and up the little steps and enter the first warehouse you see. There's a chest at the back with a HIT AREA EXPAND, a SMALL JUG in the crates, and a LOTTERY TICKET by one of the benches. The next warehouse up has a SEAL OF SPEED by the crates above you and a chest in the back with a MANA ROOT. Go down the little stairs and north by the train car for the NABERIUS crest in a chest. Go to the right and head south until you see a save point with a chest nearby. Grab the SILVER RASP, equip it, and go down between the wall and the lumber below you to save the swordsman's master. Blanca will get the COLORFUL COMB, his special accessory, for his trouble. When Yuri wakes up, head out. The top right warehouse, where you got the Mana Root and such, houses a man selling contraband. Upgrade your equipment and make sure you buy the CIMEIES crest and the RACCOON FRIEND. In the next warehouse down, Joachim will find a GIANT PILLAR. South along the tracks is a man in a white shirt and green pants who is a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #9 Ring: Normal Huge Jug *The HUGE JUG will come in handy for party members Mirror Bracelet with low SP if you're sick of trying to keep tabs Thera Extract on them in fights. Thera Root Tissues Exit to the south. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yokohama Streets [jys] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Soul Drop ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Amdusias ___ Mr. Doctor ___ Shining Oil ___ Attack Boost ___ The Sun Let's go item hunting again! There's a chest north of the old man with a SOUL DROP in. Outside, check in between the wheelbarrows at the intersection to your left for a LOTTERY TICKET. (Thanks to Chinedu for pointing this out.) Keep going left and check up past the guy in orange for a chest with the AMDUSIAS crest. Continue left to the next screen. Check behind the black sign by the brothers for the MR. DOCTOR Stud Card. Give it and the Raccoon Friend to Pierre for a new design. Go down the street and look for a lady in a sunhat standing still. Talk to her three times to get the SHINING OIL. Left of her, down the side street, walk around the lamppost on the corner to meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST. You'll also find THE SUN card by the side door to this building (left of the post). Exit down this street. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Battleship Mikasa [jbm] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Attack Boost ___ Cabin Key Enemies: Akagi Soldier ___ Vapula ___ P-Attack Down 3 Spider Walker ___ Nibelung Scene 3 ___ Lottery Ticket Flying Drone ___ Security Key 1 ___ Instant Death 2 Lt. Col. Terada ___ The Lovers ___ Vine ___ Security Key 2 ___ Tent First off, go into the warehouse to your left to find the Ring Soul yet again. Get your ATTACK BOOST then open the chest underneath the stairs to the ship to get the VAPULA crest. Talk to the first guy you see in the ship to get the NIBELUNG SCENE 3. Downstairs, you'll get a scene and have to split your party in two, with Yuri and Kurando acting as leaders. Use square to switch between them for the remainder of this section. Grab the SECURITY KEY 1 and put it in slot 1 near the door. You can also view a map of the ship here, but you'll need to do some thinking to interpret the characters if your Japanese isn't up to snuff. Enter and go south when you can, then right. You'll find THE LOVERS Tarot card by the pipes here. Everything else here is locked so go back to the console and put your key in slot 2 this time. Switch to Yuri's party. Go north and right to get the SECURITY KEY 2 in the chest here. Have Yuri put his key in slot 1. Switch to Kurando and take his key out. Enter the open door and go south, then left, then north and insert your key into slot 3. Switch to Yuri, put your key in slot 2, and go due left to find the CABIN KEY in a chest. Go south to find a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #8 Ring: Up P-Attack Down 3 *The ring items are getting better! You will really Kendo Mask be glad you picked up the P-ATTACK DOWN 3. Hit the Hit Area Expand wedge before the needle gets too fast. Mana Root Tissues Go right, south, left, and use your new key to open the cabin here. There's a LOTTERY TICKET on the little table. Flip the "A" switch and check the nearby jacket for INSTANT DEATH 2, your treasure item. Go back to Kurando and go left through the now open door. Get the VINE crest in the chest in the corner and flip the "B" switch. You can't go into the captain's quarters past the doors by the switch, but you will later. Switch to Yuri, exit the cabin, and go right, north, right to get back to the original console. Have him put his key in slot one. Now switch back to Kurando and take his key out of the console to the right and north. Go all the way back to the console with slots 1 and 2. Put your key in slot 2 and switch to Yuri. Take Yuri's key out and go left, south, left, north to a console with slots 1 and 4. Put your key in slot 1, switch to Kurando, walk through the door, switch back to Yuri, and put your key in slot 4. Switch back to Kurando and go as far left as you can. Down the stairs, you'll find a TENT in a chest and the "C" switch. Flip it and go down the other set of stairs. Back to Yuri, go as far left as you can, talk to the sailor here, and then go down the stairs to meet up with everyone. (Make sure you talked to the sailor so you know how the doors work.) Heal and save up ahead. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lt. Col. Terada Class: Water HP: 3360 MP: 0 EXP: 18,600 Cash: 20,000 Souls: 200 Drop: Demon Earrings Seal of Vitality Take care of his buddies first; this is vital! He is susceptible to P-Atk, S-Atk, and P-Def Down. Imagine the fun you can have with that. He's actually all physical attacks so don't even bother with Barrier magic or S-Atk Down. His only attack (besides the basic gunfire combo), Rapid Fire, will cause Slow and inflict the Bind status. This means that the afflicted person is immobilized until their next turn and any damage dealt to them is treated as bonus damage. This is actually not a big deal since he should be the only enemy on the field (you took care of those soldiers, right?). Cast Gale to counter the Slow effect. Use your Shield magic, pile on the Rage, try to inflict the physical parameter ailments, and have fun beating up on him. ----------------------------------------------------------------- A couple of scenes take over afterwards. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hojo Research Lab [jh1] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Petrify 2 Enemies: Hien ___ Treasure: Roamer Raiden Armored Fighter Carven This is different. The path here is pretty straightforward. Just remember not to open any chests you find since this is not Yuri's inventory, and he'll be here to get them soon enough. You'll have to do battle with Hien through the door; this fight is actually boring since Ouka can't do much. Next is a shooting mini-game, which is explained for you. You're under a time limit, but it actually means nothing as far as prizes go because there are none that I can tell. Just follow the track along the floor and shoot anything that gets in your way (even Kato, if you like). After all the shooting ranges, Raiden will challenge you. Then you get to team up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Armored Fighter Class: Light HP: 2500 MP: 0 EXP: 0 Cash: 0 Souls: 0 Drop: --- Boring fight! Use combos to pile on the damage and see their special combo magic move. If you equipped the ring customizing items dropped by Hien and Raiden, they'll make this fight even shorter since the ailments will take effect nearly every turn. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, it's back to Yuri and co. Diplomacy to the rescue! Go back to the Battleship Mikasa. Go to the middle deck (don't worry, all the doors are unlocked!), left two screens, and south to find what looks like a wolf. Equip a Mirror Bracelet before approaching it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Carven Class: Earth HP: c. 700 MP: --- EXP: 1350 Cash: 1500 Souls: 0 Drop: Petrify 2 Seal of Luck This wolf can petrify you, so there's really no way to win unless you wear a Mirror Bracelet other than hoping it doesn't take effect. Use Shield, Barrier, Surge, and Wind magic to really embarrass him. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up. Next, go to the captain's quarters to the far left of the southern part of the middle deck. The captain has a quiz for you. See the Quizzes section of the sidequests if you need a hand. When ready, head back to Yokohama Streets. Loud Croft has made his way to Japan. He's up a screen and in the next side street. Get your new treasure clue from him, TREASURE: ROAMER. This one is much easier to interpret than the last one. Go to Kawashima's place and then head out to the Foreigner's Cemetery. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foreigner's Cemetery [jfc] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Sp-Defend Down 3 Enemies: Tsukiyomi ___ Valak Pera-pera ___ Pure Root Gaki ___ Calming Charm Noh Masks ___ Strike Expand Garan ___ Getitup! ___ Dispelling Charm ___ Fifth Key ___ Glasyalabolas Check the grave directly north of you for a SP-DEFEND DOWN 3. Continue along the path to learn that Karin's woman's intuition never fails. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Tsukiyomi Class: Light HP: 3600 MP: 444 EXP: 19,000 Cash: 24,000 Souls: 210 Drop: Valak Seal of Aura This guy, er, gal is susceptible to lots of things: P-Atk and S-Atk Down, Slow, and Delay. She's also got a big weakness to Dark class attacks. Her normal attack can also cause Evasion Down. Cast all your Arc spells and have at it. You might want to do the defense spells first since she can hit kind of hard, and they will render her attacks meaningless if you can inflict the parameter ailments as well. Use Gale to get the upper hand and then wail on her with Rage/Surge-powered combos. She has quite a bit of HP to take down. ----------------------------------------------------------------- I love how no one questions Kurando's ability to fuse after they just beat the living daylights out of him. Anyway, he can join your battle party again with his fusion ability and can finally become a worthy member of the team, though his fusion's abilities are really limited. As for the otherworld, it's not a large area, but there is a trick to it along with branches and winding paths. I have a map to help you get your bearings, with numbers marking the order in which the paths should be taken: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld1.jpg. The brothers are up ahead. At the fork, take the left path since the red gates will teleport you back to the start. Open the chest here for a PURE ROOT. Through the next blue gate is a CALMING CHARM. This one works on the first red gate you saw, so teleport back to the start and use it. The next chest you see has a STRIKE EXPAND. Take the left path and, as it loops to the right, check the northern side for a side path leading down to a chest with a GETITUP! (this is easier to see on your navi-map). Follow the trail around, take the left path here and get the DISPELLING CHARM at the end. Now, go all the way south until you're at the first fork. Go left and use your new charm on the red gate you see. Check the left side of this path up a ways for another of those little side paths. There's a FIFTH KEY down this one. Heal and save and make sure you've got a lot of physical fighters in your battle party. Garan's voice makes my throat hurt. Ick. Make it stop! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Garan Class: Dark HP: 3720 MP: 500 EXP: 21,000 Cash: 30,000 Souls: 220 Drop: Oracle Earrings Glasyalabolas First things first, get rid of the Pera-pera and cast your support magic ASAP! Garan knows Mind Assault, which will completely drain one character's MP. He's susceptible to S-Def Down, but you know what? He's a mage so he has good defense against special attacks anyway, and it's much easier to go with a physical approach since you'll likely have no MP to cast magic. The spells you'll need are Arc Barrier, Gale, and Rage. Barrier is probably the most important because Garan is no novice when it comes to magic; he knows powerful spells and, like the Night Queen, he knows your characters' weaknesses and will hit for huge amounts of damage. Use combos but use them carefully since all of his magic can hit more than one fighter. If your healer should get his/her MP taken away, use Thera Items rather than trying to get your MP back up to use Cure. ----------------------------------------------------------------- For those of you not familiar with the real Yoshiko Kawashima, Yuri will enlighten you. After the next couple scenes (including the return of Yuri's dad), you'll be forced to go to Nihonbashi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nihonbashi [jni] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ The Tower ___ Judgment Enemies: Great Gama ___ Daphne Fruit ___ Extreme Shoki ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Attack Boost Koshoki ___ Emcee's Desk ___ Soul Drop Eleanor ___ Buer ___ Nibelung Scene 6 ___ Mana Extract ___ Warning Device ___ Seal of Wisdom ___ Stolas Check the right side of the end of the bridge for THE TOWER card. At the four- way intersection, check the northwest door for a DAPHNE FRUIT. Go west to the park to see the Great Gama has set up his ring. Check to the left of the man on the street for a LOTTERY TICKET. Before confronting teacher, go to the two guys standing to the left of the area and steal their EMCEE'S DESK right from under them. The brothers are to the right of the ring; upgrade your equipment. South of them is a chest by a tree; it holds the BUER crest. Now go see Gama to get a new technique. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Great Gama Class: Light HP: c. 850 MP: --- EXP: 3000 Cash: 10 Souls: 0 Drop: Fifth Key Same old, same old. However, he'll pull out a Fifth Key on his fifth turn. Cast Shield and be sure to block. His new attack is nothing special. Cast Rage and fight, fight, fight. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Go back to the four-way split and head east. Grab the MANA EXTRACT by the pole and enter the park for a scene. Yuri's a smooth one, he is. Afterwards, you'll get in a fight. This is actually a preliminary match so do the usual: cast your Arc spells and attack however. (A single four-person combo will wreck absolute havoc.) Before following the sound of gunfire, head back into the park and grab the chest at the back for a SEAL OF WISDOM. Everyone will meet in the street. Get supplies from the brothers if you need them and talk to Sarah if you want to do a trial for some reason (none are new). Equip Leonardo's Bears while you're at it. Talk to Karin to go. You'll be in control of the Mutant Apes to help clear the demon spawn. It's all routine until you get to the big guy. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Shoki Class: Light HP: 4550 MP: 455 EXP: 26,000 Cash: 34,000 Souls: 23 Drop: Judgment Seal of Vitality His normal attack can cause Instant Death. If not wearing Leonardo's Bears, make absolutely sure the next person in line revives whoever fell. This monster is susceptible to S-Atk Down and Slow. Since he's basically a spawn of Astaroth, you'll see him cast crest magic and Meteor Fall. Get Arc Barrier and Shield in place! Inflicting S-Atk Down will really come in handy because he packs a punch. You also need to be careful with your combos. It's not a difficult fight if you prepared and keep a close eye on your stats. If you didn't prepare, it just might take a little longer since you might have to do a lot of reviving. ----------------------------------------------------------------- After the dust clears, speak to Naniwa. If you've got a good perfect ring success rate, he'll give you an awesome accessory: EXTREME. Keinedon has informed me that the actual percentage needed to achieve this accessory is 65%. The Extreme is a Mind's Eye on steroids: everything disappears for a tripled attack boost. The plus is that you get a glimpse of the needle and hit areas before they disappear. This actually makes it easier to use than the Mind's Eye if you know your ring. Before moving on, revisit the last two areas since we haven't been able to yet. In the Foreigner's Cemetery in Yokohama, angle south of where you start to meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST. Follow the walkway and check the north side for a SOUL DROP by a grave. The man right next to you will give you the NIBELUNG SCENE 6. In Nihonbashi in the Imperial Capital, a Lottery Member is now standing at the end of the bridge on the right. Lottery Member #7 Ring: Normal Warning Device *The WARNING DEVICE prevents you from being Zodiac Bracelet surrounded in a fight; it is necessary if you want Hit Area Expand a full monster library and all of Anastasia's Pure Root albums. Tissues There's a wolf bout in the park. Equip a Pocket Watch and speak to her. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Eleanor Class: Water HP: c. 800 MP: --- EXP: 2000 Cash: 2500 Souls: 0 Drop: Frilly Apron Stolas Fangirl alert! Her special ability is causing Small Ring, which isn't so bad unless your eyesight is terrible. She also knows some good Water class magic. Buff Blanca and attack as usual. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up. Now you can enter the Hojo Research Lab. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hojo Research Lab [jh2] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Loin Guard ___ Pure Root Enemies: Steel Soldier ___ Evasion Down 3 ___ Strike Expand Beetle Walker ___ Thera Root ___ Step Tripler Flying Drone X ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Sp-Attack Down 3 Master Cylinder ___ Dragonsword ___ Daphne Fruit ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Seal of Luck ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Fifth Key ___ Strike Expand ___ Tent Take Kurando's cue and head over to grab a suit of armor. Cue espionage music! Head north and go left to get your orders. A scene takes over in the elevator. Go to the right, sit back, and watch everything go to hell. Afterwards, go back and check the device that held Nicolai for a LOIN GUARD. Go back and exit north. Check the southwest corner of this room for EVASION DOWN 3 in a chest. Go up the stairs and follow the walkway for a THERA ROOT at the end. Exit to the northeast. Look familiar? Head right and check the corner for a LOTTERY TICKET. Exit left. South is the DRAGONSWORD. You can also find a HIT AREA EXPAND by the door to the north. (Thanks to DarkBlood for pointing this out.) Exit through this northern door. Check the #4 shooting range for a LOTTERY TICKET. On the next screen, check the first corner you see for a STRIKE EXPAND. Go south when you can for a PURE ROOT. Continue west twice. Here, go west for a STRIKE EXPAND. Then follow the path south twice. At the four-way, go left to find the STEP TRIPLER in a corner. Examine the right side of the bed in the next room for a SP-ATTACK DOWN 3. At the base of the stairs in the next room is a DAPHNE FRUIT. Start climbing. Check the 4/5 sign for a SEAL OF LUCK. On the third floor, you'll find a chest with a FIFTH KEY. On the first floor is a TENT in a chest. Go east, heal, save, equip all your Leonardo's Bears, and head for the lobby. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Master Cylinder Class: Earth HP: 5040 MP: 520 EXP: 29,000 Cash: 39,000 Souls: 240 Drop: Priest Earrings Lottery Ticket The most annoying thing about this boss is his ability to cause Instant Death with his nasty Dissolve attack. He can also attack multiple party members with Super Rotation by landing on one of them and whipping those arms around. Get whoever has P-Atk Down on their ring to attack like mad since that will neutralize some damage from his annoying attacks. He can still do special damage with a Cannon attack so be sure to cast both Barrier and Shield. Attack hard and fast with Wind magic or Rage/Surge/Wind-powered attacks since he can take some punishment and dish it too. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Afterwards, it's back to Naniwa's. Yuri knows all too well what Nicolai is going through, as per the flashback to the first game of the weird demon destroying Shanghai. Nihonbashi is where you'll meet everyone. Go north at the intersection to get Joachim and Anastasia to appear. Kurando and Blanca are in the park with Yoshiko, and Lucia and Gepetto are at the wrestling ring. As you leave, you'll meet Roger again. This means we can go back to Europe any time. For now, let's go to the Forest of Wind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forest of Wind [jfw] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of the Soul Enemies: Towd ___ Hit Area Expand Enku ___ Mana Root Yomi Samurai ___ Strike Expand Yama Garan ___ Marbas Tengu ___ Poison 3 Mutant Snail ___ Malphas ___ Blood Jewel On the right side of the path on the second screen, you'll find a SEAL OF THE SOUL. A scene takes over in the next part of the forest. Another trap, another puzzle. Pay close attention to the table with the candles. The entire area is set up like that. To clear the area, you have to light the candles. To light the candles, you have to pass through gates representing them only once. This is actually really simple, and I have a map detailing the path out: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld2.jpg. The brothers are here if you need anything. First, take the left fork as far up as you can. On the way, you'll find a HIT AREA EXPAND in a chest and another with a MANA ROOT at the end. From here, go right and then take the southwest path. At the next junction, go due east. Now take the northwest path. From the middle of the outside path again, go right; there's a STRIKE EXPAND for you at the end. Follow the other path here down to the beginning to undo the seal. Go down this new path to meet Garan again. Time to jerk his chain some more. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Yama Garan Class: Dark HP: 5100 MP: 600 EXP: 32,500 Cash: 45,000 Souls: 250 Drop: Marbas Poison 3 Get the Enku out of the way. Garan in his new form still knows his old tricks, plus some news ones. He's immune to all ailments now, so you've got to fight with pure skill. He is also completely immune to special damage so don't bother with offensive magic. Mind Assault is still a problem so cast your spells right from the start. He's all magic attacks so Arc Barrier is a must. Since magic doesn't faze him, you've obviously got to go for a Rage- powered approach. Holy Edge will make this even better if you can get it in. Even with Arc Barrier in place, he'll do awesome damage since he knows what to cast to maximize the pain. Keep a healer at the ready! Don't be afraid to use combos because of his magic; get everyone together before he gets a turn and the bonus damage will speak for itself. ----------------------------------------------------------------- When in control, go back to the Forest of Wind since there is still some stuff to find there. First off, if you're looking to complete your monster library, know that there is a rare monster here called Tengu. They're tricky buggers. They will always surround you and they will always run away first thing, making snapping and beating them hard unless you know the trick. Equip the Warning Device so you can attack first and have Anastasia snap its photo for the Falling Leaves album. Next, either try to Seal it so it can't use Falling Leaves or just wail on it with combos and powerful attacks to actually beat it and get it in your library. On the third screen of the forest, follow the side path going right. At the end of this familiar path, you'll find the MALPHAS crest. As soon as you exit and get back to the forest, don't move! Hit X where Yuri stands and you'll pick up a BLOOD JEWEL, one of Croft's treasures. Go back to Inugami Village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inugami Village [jiv] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Soul Drop ___ Lottery Ticket Enemies: Kouneki ___ Valefor ___ Sunrise Oil Matsunaga ___ Attack Boost ___ Seal of Aura ___ Silver Angel ___ The Star ___ Clay Idol ___ P-Defend Down 3 ___ 10-day-old Rice ___ Treasure: Done ___ Seal 3 ___ Dog Bone The little shed ahead of you hides a SOUL DROP in a chest. On the north side of the village is a chest with the VALEFOR crest. Directly west of here is the Ring Soul with an ATTACK BOOST. Check behind the rack to the west for a SILVER ANGEL. The brothers are south of here. You can examine the tree by them to find a talking ladybug, who is also a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #6 Ring: Small Dark Angel *The red wedge is at about 5:00 if you want the Dark Cosmic Bracelet Angel accessory, which increases max SP. Thera Extract Hit Area Expand Tissues Go up the path behind this tree. Examine the weird-looking pillar on the way to get the CLAY IDOL for Joachim. You can also trade your talking panda to the ventriloquist here for 10-DAY-OLD RICE. Before entering the cave, make sure your magic users have protection against the Seal status. Kurando's mother, Saki, waits inside. She'll initiate an amazing cutscene. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kouneki Class: Fire HP: 5720 MP: 582 EXP: 39,000 Cash: 46,000 Souls: 260 Drop: Seal 3 This boss can inflict the Seal status so watch out for the party members with your important spells. If you didn't guard against it, heal them or just make sure you buff everyone early. She's extremely susceptible to P-Atk Down and Water attacks. She's still got powerful magic to use (not necessarily just Fire class) so make sure Barrier's in place. This isn't a difficult fight as long as you don't let Seal get the better of you. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get a couple scenes after it's over. When in control, nab the LOTTERY TICKET at the base of the stairs and ascend. You'll be back downstairs with Aunt Saki after your talk. Go back upstairs to get the SUNRISE OIL in the enclosure by the window and the SEAL OF AURA past the other enclosure by the cabinet. Check the fence to the right of the house for THE STAR Tarot card. Back at the Fountain of Sukune, there's a wolf bout available. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Matsunaga Class: Light HP: c. 900 MP: --- EXP: 3500 Cash: 4500 Souls: 0 Drop: P-Defend Down 3 This is probably one of the toughest wolf fights since he can and will inflict P-Def Down on Blanca. Depending on how many times he uses it, you might need to keep a closer watch on your HP than usual. He'll cast Barrier and Surge on himself so if you're going to buff attack stats, use Rage. It's probably best to go on the offensive most of the time. Casting Shield will raise your defense power only to have it lowered, wasting your MP. Barrier probably isn't worth the time either. Rage gives you the best chance for success. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet gains more power for the win. Before going to the Immortal Mountain, return to Yokohama Streets to show Croft your latest find and to get the last clue, TREASURE: DONE. This is what he calls extra difficult?! The battleship one was harder than this! Where have you been countless times that has a pond with a rock? The treasure is hidden in Mukyo-An in the Imperial Capital. You'll get the DOG BONE upon examining the stone object by Naniwa's pond. Try to take it back to Croft to find that he's had it with Yuri and left. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Immortal Mountain [jim] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Pure Extract ___ Attack Boost Enemies: Blooming Phoenix ___ Samigina ___ Huge Jug Lava Lump ___ Red Crystal ___ Thera Extract Samurai Ghoul ___ Blue Crystal ___ Seal of Life Scorpilus ___ Yellow Crystal ___ Kogara-Maru Lobo ___ Hades Fan ___ Mana Extract Neo Astaroth ___ Small Jug ___ Flare Brooch ___ Orias ___ Delay 3 ___ Instant Death 3 ___ Astaroth Arg, another pain in the rear dungeon crawling maze of level. Yech. I do have a map for this area; it may not be the easiest thing to read, but it helps give an idea of the layout of this place: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/immortalmountain.jpg Check the left side of this path for a PURE EXTRACT. At the fork on the next screen, go right to find the SAMIGINA crest in a chest. Go back and go left to find the RED CRYSTAL. Use it at the altar at the fork. You'll warp. At the next fork, go west for the BLUE CRYSTAL. Put the blue crystal in the altar you first saw, not the one by the save point. Warp and go south for a chest with a YELLOW CRYSTAL. Put your yellow crystal in the portal down the other path, warp, and head north to find the HADES FAN behind a pillar. Backtrack and remove the yellow and blue crystals and the red one as well. Put the yellow crystal where you had the red. Warp and head left to the altar in the roundabout. Place your blue crystal and warp. Head south from here and place your red crystal and warp at the first altar you see. In this new area, head south and hug the right wall until you see the telltale "?" over Yuri's head. Pick up the SMALL JUG and backtrack (taking your crystals with you) to the first altar, where you placed the red crystal. Put the blue crystal where you had the red. In the roundabout in this section, put the red crystal in the altar. Up this foggy path is a chest to your right containing the ORIAS crest. Put your yellow crystal in the altar here and warp. You should spy a wolf at the end of this path. You must equip a Leonardo's Bear before talking to it! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lobo Class: Fire HP: c. 1000 MP: --- EXP: 5000 Cash: 5000 Souls: 0 Drop: Instant Death 3 The old King of the Wolves can inflict Instant Death. There's no way you'll win without your stuffed bear. Shield and Rage will make him a laughingstock. He knows Fire magic as well, but it doesn't really seem to do much damage. It's nothing a Thera item or Cure wouldn't fix right away. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Blanca will learn Aurora for winning. And the plot thickens! Backtrack all the way to the altar with the blue crystal, taking all your crystals with you. Replace the blue with the red. Go up to the altar by the save point and put in the blue crystal. Go south at the fork to meet the Ring Soul for your last ATTACK BOOST. Take the other fork all the way to a roundabout. Grab the HUGE JUG on the ground to the right of the altar and put the yellow crystal in. (Many thanks to Dan for telling me about this and the Small Jug.) Now you can move on to your destination. First, take the far right fork to the next screen. A THERA EXTRACT awaits in a chest. Go back a screen, take the western fork, and examine the right wall to get a SEAL OF LIFE. Go back and take the north path to find yourself in hot lava. There is an extremely well-hidden chest in the lower right corner of the screen. Open it for the KOGARA-MARU. Cross the bridge. Before crossing, open the chest in the lower right for a MANA EXTRACT. On the left side of the bridge, you can find a FLARE BROOCH. Save and heal before moving on. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Neo Astaroth Class: --- HP: 6120 MP: 630 EXP: 46,000 Cash: 47,000 Souls: 270 Drop: Delay 3 Astaroth The only parameter ailment that works on him is Delay. This can be an effective lifesaver if you find Neo Astaroth getting the drop on you. If you can inflict it every turn, he'll never even get to attack! This is not too likely with a low-level Delay ring item, but it will take effect a good number of times, giving you some breathing room. Not much has changed from last time; he'll still spam crest magic and lower your defenses at the same time. He'll also cast Barrier so take the physical route and pile on the Arc Rage. Start using combos like mad when his health is in the red or else he'll use Cure Plus for about 800 HP. ----------------------------------------------------------------- When you gain control, go to the Foreigner's Cemetery in Yokohama. Yuri and Kato will have a disheartening heart-to-heart. Go to Azabu Kamiyashiki when ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Azabu Kamiyashiki [jak] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Lottery Ticket Enemies: Titanium Soldier ___ Locker Key 5 Mecha Lord ___ Locker Key 1 ___ Seal of Strength ___ Mind's Eye ___ Pure Extract ___ Slow 3 After moving in, know that you'll get soldiers charging at you around every corner as well as in random encounters. Enter the door to your right if you just want to pick a fight. The next door on the right is a locker room with a save point. Check the cabinet for a LOTTERY TICKET. Upstairs, enter both rooms to the left and right. Soldiers in these groups will drop LOCKER KEY 5 and LOCKER KEY 1, and there's also a SEAL OF STRENGTH in the room to the right. Use the keys downstairs to get a MIND'S EYE and a PURE EXTRACT. Make sure you've got competent magic users in your team and equip Pocket Watches before entering the southern door upstairs. Fight your way through to the big man, Terada. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Mecha Lord Class: Water HP: 6380 MP: 555 EXP: 50,000 Cash: 48,000 Souls: 280 Drop: Ashera's Earrings Seal of Force The Mecha Lord is 100% immune to physical attacks. How annoying is that?! It's susceptible to all parameter ailments but since you have to physically attack to inflict them, it's not worth wasting your energy. If you want to though, go for P-Atk Down or S-Def Down. It's all physical attacks so cast Arc Shield and definitely Arc Surge. It'll also try to inflict Reverse Ring. Combo with Fire magic and just chip away while watching your HP and SP. If Anastasia's in the party, have her snap for the Power Cannon album. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Damn. Yuri. Is. Pissed. Later, after Roger breathes new hope into Yuri's existence, go back to Azabu Kamiyashiki in the Imperial Capital to the locker room. There's a Lottery Member hiding in one of them. Lottery Member #5 Ring: Reverse, Narrow Slow 3 *There's two red wedges, but they're insanely small. Ninja Gi It might take a few tries to win the SLOW 3. Mana Extract Hit Area Expand Tissues Skip the next section if you'd rather get right down to the black magic. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finishing Japan, Back to Europe [jfj] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Bune Enemies: Peach Bat ___ Mr. Wrestler ___ Anne's Cross ___ Nibelung Scene 9 ___ Research Paper ___ Dark Tower ___ Decarabia In the Brick Warehouse in Yokohama, the guy selling contraband in one of the warehouses is selling the BUNE crest. In Yokohama Streets, there's a guy in a white suit standing in front of the hotel. He has a quiz for you, all about your monster library. See the Quizzes section for more. In Nihonbashi, there's a man in a white shirt and green pants near the wrestling ring who wants you to take the MR. WRESTLER Stud Card off his hands. On the European map, Zurich is available. Go there to see a scene between Yuri and Karin over Alice's grave. Yuri will hand over his mother's charm: ANNE'S CROSS, which has grown infinitely more useful since the last game. In Montmartre, Ernest will have disappeared, but Tetsu will give you your prizes and a letter. The junk store owner in the cathedral district has upgraded his wares, including Strike Expands. There's a man in Southampton that will give you the NIBELUNG SCENE 9. He's in the Hope & Anchor and is actually the guy that gave you directions to Rhondda. He also hints at how to get the last scene. There's a man upstairs that will give you a RESEARCH PAPER for your 10-day-old rice. In Le Havre, return to The Sea Gull to see Yuma and John playing with a new bat, Joachim's little sister. She'll give him the DARK TOWER weapon and leave him alone if he can prove himself to her. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Peach Bat Class: Earth HP: c. 750 MP: --- EXP: 30,000 Cash: 10,000 Souls: 0 Drop: Priest Earrings Lottery Ticket You have five turns to beat up Joachim's little sister. Well, that's how many you *should* have, but Joachim's little sister is a lying cheater, and Nyx e-mailed in to point out to me that she only gives you four turns. Just attack like crazy; don't bother with Rage or anything since she'll downright murder you in the fourth turn. This shouldn't be too hard with your new weapon. If it is, try pulling a Third Key on her. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The Lucky Chests game in the Wine Cellar is on round three. Play for 500 cash to win the DECARABIA crest. In Goreme Valley, Sarah has some new trials for you. You can also start a few sidequests now like Chasing Lenny and the Fort of Regrets. You cannot finish them yet though. Go to the Queen's Garden when ready. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Queen's Garden [eqg] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Thera Extract ___ King Enemies: Graffias ___ Knight ___ Paralysis 3 Morgan ___ Hit Area Expand ___ Strength Bethlehem ___ Pawn ___ Moon Crystal King Tamakos ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Gusion Guardian ___ Queen ___ P-Attack Down 4 ___ Seal of Force ___ Nibelung Finale ___ Flamberge Roger will fully heal you if you need it. Enter the villa and go to the room directly north of you. There's a chest here with a THERA EXTRACT and a KNIGHT chess piece on the table. Enter the west door to loop around to a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND. In the room across from there is a PAWN piece in a chest. Examine the clock in the corner for a LOTTERY TICKET as well. Yuri will be able to examine plenty of things in this room, all of which are important to remember. Here's a list: - the chair by the table should face the bookcase - the portrait of the man should be on its side - the bookcase's glass door is sitting on the floor - the flag on the wall is blue - the picture on the wall is tilted towards the flag - the sofa near the wall should face the entrance - there should be a vase on the little stand Exit and go north. Don't try to go up towards the save point through the north door because that way lies an infinite hall for now. Keep going around east. Use the pawn to unlock the door to the west. The chest here won't open until you make this room similar to the last. Use the list above to fix everything and open the chest for the QUEEN piece. There's also a chest by the right side of the bed with a SEAL OF FORCE. The door the queen opens is to the north of here, so backtrack a screen and you'll see the door to the south. In here, check behind the pool table for the FLAMBERGE in a chest. You'll have to place your knight piece on the board in the corner. To this day, I still don't get how this one is solved. It's hard to tell which piece is attacking the king and, knowing how the knight moves, choices two and three would both work as far as I can see. However, the correct answer is the third option (getting it wrong gets you attacked). (I have since been informed that the third option is correct because it is apparently the only one that checkmates the enemy king since the others do nothing offense-wise. Thanks, M L!) You'll get the KING to take with you. He goes in the fireplace in the room where you got the knight. As you loop around the east corridor, stick to the left (your left) side and you'll find PARALYSIS 3 by one of the torches. Place the king and backtrack all the way north again. The endless corridor will have disappeared and you can move on. Approach the statue. ----------------------------------------------------------------- King Tamakos Class: Wind HP: 6450 MP: 675 EXP: 53,000 Cash: 49,000 Souls: 290 Drop: Strength Seal of Speed Ah! The ugly Doll House boss from the last game is back! It's weak to Slow and HP Down attacks. If Anastasia's in the party, she can snap this guy to learn the Spirit Ward album and then use Direct Press to halve its HP. It knows powerful magic like Bent Space, so get Arc Barrier up. It will also cast Gale on itself. Either counter with Arc Gale or try to inflict Slow. Earth Edge, Rage, Surge, and Earth magic will all do great damage. The worst thing about this guy is Spirit Ward. It'll cast it when its HP is in the red and send someone permanently out of the battle. Start a huge combo when it gets low on health or just hope it doesn't send one of your strong fighters packing. And if it does, bite the bullet. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get the MOON CRYSTAL for winning. Jeanne will stand you up in the Graveyard afterwards. You'll be back on the map, but we're not done in the Queen's Garden. Remember what the guy in Southampton said? Go back to where you fought the last boss, examine the altar for the GUSION crest, and check the far wall behind the statue. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Guardian Class: Light HP: 6800 MP: 720 EXP: 75,000 Cash: 50,000 Souls: 300 Drop: P-Attack Down 4 Seal of Life You can inflict P-Def and S-Def Down if you've got it on your ring, and you might want to. This guy's a hard-hitter, and you want to take him out fast before he gets the upper hand. You can also try Evasion Down if you find him dodging a lot. Get Shield and Barrier in place because he can deal upwards of 400 damage with physical attacks alone. He's also capable of lowering your attack power. The strategy you used in the last fight will work, just replace all the Earth stuff with Dark class offense. You'll just need to keep a closer eye on your HP with this guy; use Arc Gale to ensure enough turns to stay one step ahead. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Karin gets the NIBELUNG FINALE and her last Sword Art, which is pretty cool. And we're finally done with this place. Go to Roger's basement and head east to start the experiment. Next, go see Aunt Saki. Oh, but first, Yuri will get pulled in the Graveyard again. Go through the north door, then east twice to meet up with Jeanne. Delve even deeper by going east twice more to meet an old friend. Saki's in her house, downstairs. You'll find Karin at the Fountain of Sukune. After all the scenes, the Asuka Stone Platform will be on the world map. This is also the time when all the major sidequests become available. Make sure you enter the Asuka Stone Platform and view the scene with Jeanne on the first level to make sure you can complete some of the more awesome ones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asuka Stone Platform [jap] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Spiderweb Enemies: Takaokami Arahabaki ___ Seal of Strength Hinogakutsuchi Fuujin ___ Pure Extract Lion Dog Raijin ___ Dancer's Stars Yatonokami Kusunagi Sword ___ Ultra Belt Takemikazuchi Yata Mirror ___ Evasion Down 4 Ashra Yasakani Gem ___ Monk Earrings Kukunochi Susano-O ___ Devil Loincloth ___ Death ___ Getitup! ___ Seventh Key ___ Sp-Defend Down 4 ___ P-Defend Down 4 Kato continues the Shadow Hearts tradition of final bosses who want to destroy the world to save it. Enter by way of the glowing portal. Jeanne will remind Yuri of what he's got to decide, and you'll be on level one. The mechanism in the center here controls the levels of the platform and how they rotate. Yuri will point out a switch that is marked on your map with a red dot. Go north and turn left at the third intersection for a SPIDERWEB in a chest. Go back and turn left at the next intersection down. Go down at the blue symbol and flip the switch. Go up through the blue portal. Head north according to the map and turn right at the first intersection to get the SEAL OF STRENGTH in the chest. Ignore the thing in the center for now and go north past it. Go left when you can, then left again, and left at the red symbol for a PURE EXTRACT. Go back to the central path and head as far north as you can. Go to the right, go right at the next intersection, north at the green symbol, then south to get the DANCER'S STARS, Lucia's best armor. Go back to the center and spin the mechanism so the greens line up. Go up with the red portal. Go south and to the right for an ULTRA BELT. Backtrack and head north. Ignore the thing in the center and continue north. To your left is an EVASION DOWN 4. In the center, turn the mechanism yellow-down and go north. The left path yields MONK EARRINGS. Go back to the center and line up the greens. Go north and make your way right to the yellowish/white portal. Use it, go left, and get Kurando's best armor, the DEVIL LOINCLOTH, in the chest. Backtrack a level and warp with the green portal (go south at the center to reach it). South is the DEATH Tarot Card. Turn the central ring blue-down and go left, then south for a GETITUP!. Go back and turn it green-down. You'll automatically be brought to the first level. Before going to the far north, go up a level on the red and make your way to the yellow/white panel by going right, south, right. After going down a level on the yellow/white portal, go north to get the SEVENTH KEY in the chest here. If you'd like one last CRUCIFIX, go back down to the first level and make your way left to the blue portal. Go up to the fourth floor and it'll be in a chest south of you. When ready, go towards the newest portal to the very north of the first level. The decision Yuri must make here decides what ending you'll get. You can either pick one at will or based on the knowledge that *SPOILER* the first option is considered the good ending and the second is the bad. Both have their merits. Move ahead for the last fight ... or not. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fuujin Class: Wind Raijin Class: Earth HP: 3540 MP: 620 HP: 3780 MP: 620 EXP: 65,000 Cash: 26,000 EXP: 65,000 Cash: 26,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Sp-Defend Down 4 Souls: 300 Drop: P-Defend Down 4 Fuujin is susceptible to P-Atk Down and Raijin is weak to Slow, Delay, and Evasion Down. These two are going to do nothing but combo you for the entire fight, and they know to guard so you're going to be dealing less damage than you should. The worst thing about this is that you can't inflict parameter ailments while they're guarding, and those ailments are key. The best you can do is chip away at them until it's their turn. You need to buff yourself against physical and special attacks because they'll use combo magic. When you see an opening, if you can get whoever has P-Atk Down on their ring to attack Fuujin constantly, his combos will mean nothing, and if you can inflict Delay on Raijin, he will never get a turn. Ever! Delaying Raijin's turn will mean he can't attack or defend, making him a sitting duck. With him gone, Fuujin can't combo or use combo magic and is left with a physical attack that does 1 damage for each hit. Easy fight! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Save and heal if you want/need to at the save point through the portal ahead of you. Make sure everyone is wearing a Crucifix before moving on! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kusunagi Sword Class: --- Yata Mirror Class: --- HP: 1590 MP: 0 HP: 1370 MP: 666 EXP: 0 Cash: 0 EXP: 0 Cash: 0 Souls: 400 Drop: --- Souls: 300 Drop: --- Yasakani Gem Class: --- Susano-O Class: --- HP: 1250 MP: 777 HP: 10,000 MP: 999 EXP: 0 Cash: 0 EXP: 0 Cash: 0 Souls: 300 Drop: --- Souls: 300 Drop: --- You'll want to take out the three helpers first. They will combo with Susano-O, and they will generally make things tough for your party. Destroy the gem first because of its special abilities: Profound Purity (which cancels all support boosts from buffing spells) and Supreme Divinity (which heals its HP). The sword is nothing but physical attacks, and the mirror has a special move called Frenzied Surge that is an All spell but with no bells and whistles. I've also seen it buff the enemies' stats. Susano-O's Final Revelation is an All spell that also drains MP. His Howl attacks target one character, and each inflicts a different status ailment. Susano-O can actually call the three helpers to him and combo that way. They will waste a turn combining and then unleash an attack afterwards. Anyone who combos with Susano-O will be immune from attacks since they combine with him, and that is the real kicker and why they need to be taken out of the picture pronto. To be honest, I don't see them do this very often and you shouldn't either since the helpers are easily dispatched. A four-person combo by Susano-O isn't something you want to be caught in; surviving can be tough even with a high level and stat buffs in place. Take the sword, mirror, and gem out ASAP! Buff up against special attacks and raise all the stats you want using Gale, Rage, and Surge. Susano-O's attacks deal a good amount of damage, but he is slow, so you will have plenty of turns to heal your group after a devastating blow if you've got Arc Gale in place. Since this is the last fight, there is no reason whatsoever to hoard items in your inventory. Hell, even if you have Seal items left over, use them if you get a chance! You don't need me to tell you that he's got the most HP of any boss in the game; use all your keys to take a big chunk of it off! Depending on what and how many sidequests you've done (if any), he can be a total pushover or a challenge. Just remember to keep at least one member of your party on full-time healing/buffing duty and the rest piling on the hurt. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoy, or lament, your ending and be sure to save your data when it's over. Replaying from your saved data is well worth it since there are a lot of things that carry over if you obtained them: - Black and White underpants - your crests - Anastasia's albums - your Stud Cards - Cornelia's dresses - the women's alternate costumes - Yuri and Kurando's fusions, as well as their levels/attacks - the monsters in your library and their data There are also some new bonuses you get on a second playthrough: - theatre mode becomes available - you get to compare scores with your current and past games ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Sidequests Every character in your party has a sidequest devoted to them, so it's easy to pick and choose which ones you want to do and which characters you want to power up. If you want the full meal deal, it's worth it to do all of them. The sidequests here are grouped by character but some are dependent on others to complete so you'll have to jump around a bit. You can start several of these sidequests well before the endgame. In order to finish all of them, you will need to go into the Asuka Stone Platform and view the first graveyard scene with Jeanne. After that, you will be ready to kick the final dungeon's ass. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Deeper into the Neam Ruins [snr] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Seal of Wisdom ___ Seventh Key Enemies: Aerolite ___ Thera Extract ___ Hieroglyphics Onlooker ___ Delay 4 ___ Daphne Fruit Talos ___ Strike Expand ___ Bat's Gold Orobas ___ Shanghai Heaven ___ Zodiac Bracelet ___ Pure Extract ___ Orobas ___ Seal of Speed ___ White Underpants ___ Eternal Key ___ Chimera Claw Go back to Roger's house and talk with him. He'll tell you about the weird goings-on he's seen in the Neam Ruins, and Anastasia will take the reins. For your trip, she and Kurando must be in the party. The first four levels haven't changed, and items haven't regenerated. However, on the fourth (the level with the blue and yellow blocks), you'll find a red block that wasn't there before: after flipping the first switch to lower the yellow block, ride the blue block down and the camera will show it to you. This is the new area. What a mess. Ride the purple block, then the gold. Hit the switch, go back, and ride the new gold block. Ride the purple down. Go up past the other blocks here to the northwest corner according to your navi-map. The chest here has a SEAL OF WISDOM. Go east and ride the purple up to a chest with a THERA EXTRACT and another with DELAY 4. Back down, go to the southeast corner of this area, ride the purple up, and flip the switch. Go back north but turn right the first chance you get. Ride the purple up, the gold over, the purple over, the next purple down, and then the next. If you need a shortcut out for any reason, step on the purple block south of the chest with the Seal of Wisdom and use the red to go up. The chest here holds a STRIKE EXPAND. Go left and north into the corner to pick up the SHANGHAI HEAVEN. Feel free to peek at it in your inventory. Go east and south to flip a purple switch. Go back near the purple block to pass under it. You'll find two purple blocks here. Ride the lower one, flip the purple switch up here, flip the new green one, go back down, ride the upper block, hit the yellow switch, and go back to the two purple blocks. Ride the lower one, hit the green and purple switches, go back down, and head for the northeastern side of this level. The chest here has a PURE EXTRACT in and the one to the west has a SEAL OF SPEED. Ride the nearby purple block up and flip the green switch. Go back down and return to the two purple blocks near each other. Take the lower one, flip the purple and green switches, go back down, and then ride the upper block and follow the path to an ETERNAL KEY. (Note: this allows unlimited sweeps of the needle on a successful attack Judgment Ring and is your only one. To get the most out of it, turn on the Gamble Ring for the person using it, hit the wedge, sit back, and enjoy.) Take the lower block up again and flip the green and purple switches. Then return to the northeast corner on the lower level and ride the purple blocks up here to a SEVENTH KEY. Ride the northern purple block down and get the HIEROGLYPHICS in the chest. Hit the white switch, go back up, ride the right purple block over, the blue one over, and the purple ones over and down. Cross the green block and grab the DAPHNE FRUIT. Ride the purple south and get the BAT'S GOLD. Now get on the red panel to the home stretch! The chest behind you has a ZODIAC BRACELET. Save and equip your party members accordingly: if you have any Crucifixes, put them on! If not, put Lucia in the party and give her a Cosmic and Zodiac Bracelet. Approach the altar when ready. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Orobas Class: --- HP: 7500 MP: 860 EXP: 75,000 Cash: 30,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Crucifix The first thing he's going to do is cast Euthanasia, a Water class attack that inflicts just about every status abnormality there is. Hope someone survived it and use them to heal/revive the others. If you didn't have the means to protect against numerous ailments but Lucia is in the party, use her Aromatherapy skills with Misty and Night Oils. This will protect everyone against everything for three turns. You might also consider casting Aqua Resist to lessen Euthanasia's damage. This monster is susceptible to P-Def Down; however, he'll use Mirage to dodge most physical attacks so magic combos work well. He's going to use Hail Crest to lower your evasion rate. The last major attack of his is called Dying, which instantly brings one character down to 1 HP. Cast Arc Barrier and Arc Rage/Surge and chip away! For me, there were times during this fight when Kurando was the only one dealing damage (with everyone around level 50); you need to constantly watch your stats, so this might take a while. Have Anastasia take this monster's picture when you've got breathing room and she'll learn Euthanasia for herself. ----------------------------------------------------------------- He'll turn into the OROBAS crest after getting spared by sweet little Anastasia. You'll be back in Wales automatically. Go talk to Roger. In an absolutely heart-warming scene, Yuri will give the Shanghai Heaven back. Roger gives you the WHITE UNDERPANTS in return. Don't ask, don't tell. Leave and then come back from the world map. Roger will have started working on his teleporter again. Players of the first game know what this means: it's time to do a Spin Ring 10 to send Roger to the moon, nearly killing him! Roger is fixated with his teleporter; you won't get anything else out of him until you nail this damn ring. The plus side is that you get Yuri's best weapon, the CHIMERA CLAW, when you finally do. (Note: I can't really prove this, but I think the ring actually slows down for you if you miss it enough times. The strategy I use to nail it consists of counting the rotations. It always speeds up around rotations 6 and 8, but I noticed it going just a tad slower around that time after I'd missed it more times than I can count.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tiffauges Castle [stc] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Ronove Enemies: Duergar ___ Petrify 3 Peg O'Nell ___ The Devil Muscida ___ Daphne Fruit Henri ___ Crucifix Neo Amon ___ Seal of the Urn ___ Amon There's a man by the entrance to Carla's in Florence that has a hot tip he'll share with you. After this, Tiffauges Castle in France will appear on the map. Looks familiar. This place uses the same mirror set-up as the Mirror Castle in Yuri's soul, so you should know the basics of moving around. The chest in the second corridor holds the RONOVE crest. When you get to a four-way intersection, go north to the fireplace lounge. Get the PETRIFY 3 from the chest in the corner. Continue north and go through the mirror at the very end of this corridor. In the corner of the mirror hallway is THE DEVIL card. Go back and look in the mirror by the little girl. Go north and talk to the little girl (Alicia in Wonderland) at the end here. She's a Lottery Member. Lottery Member #4 Ring: Invisible Demon Ward *Like the last invisible ring you had, you'll get a Strongoids glimpse of the wedges. The red one is kinda small Pure Extract but it's not impossible to hit. It's at 8:00. Hit Area Expand Tissues Go to the opposite end of the hall and look in the mirror at the end. At the end of this path is a chest with DAPHNE FRUIT. The door here is locked so go back up and look in the first mirror you see to your left. Follow the corridor south until you get to a four-way intersection. In the lower left corner is a chest with a CRUCIFIX. Go south and nab the SEAL OF THE URN in the chest. At the split, go east and look in the first mirror you see. Follow it to a split and go south until you're in a room like where you first started. There's a wolf here. Equip a Pocket Watch and speak to it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Henri Class: Earth HP: c. 1300 MP: --- EXP: 6500 Cash: 6000 Souls: 0 Drop: Valuable Gem Henri will still try to inflict Reverse Ring. He's stronger than last time though. Buff Blanca and use Surge combined with Soul Comet and other Wind spells to snap him out of it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet is powered up. Go back to the four-way split. Head ever northward, and (after leaving the fireplace lounge) go through the first mirror on the left. Go up to the save point and use it to heal. Keep going to a mirror. Fight your way through. Step on the familiar-looking symbol to meet Albert. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Neo Amon Class: --- HP: 6660 MP: 777 EXP: 54,000 Cash: 49,000 Souls: 290 Drop: Amon This is very similar to the fight with Amon. You need to rely on raw power boosted by Rage or Surge. However, you can try to inflict P-Def Down as well. He's got all of Amon's attacks along with some new ones like Red Crest, but it's nothing you can't handle. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get Neo Amon's soul for winning and will, thankfully, be taken right back to the world map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chasing Lenny [scl] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Bike Jacket If you go to the beach at Cannes, you'll see children there. They'll start talking about a huge, bad-looking guy that washed up not too long ago. Remind you of anyone? Hey, it's Lenny! The kids say he went north. Wow, that's pretty vague. The northernmost place on your map is Petrograd. On the screen with the drunk and the entrance to the Gallery of the Dead, you'll find an old woman who wasn't there before. Talk to her to learn Lenny went to France. If you go to the Champs-Élysées, you'll see a guy with terrible posture in the middle of the sidewalk. Talk to him and he'll tell you Lenny's gone back to Cannes. On the landing of the steps of Cannes leading down to the walkway with the bar, you'll find a guy who knows Lenny but wants to test you on your arithmetic first. It doesn't matter if you pass his test or not because he'll give up on you after three tries (Yuri is my hero for what he says if that happens), but here's all the questions I've seen him ask for those who care: 3 x 4 x 3 = 36 1122 + 1122 = 2244 1002 - 40 = 962 33 + 44 = 77 26 - 4 + 8 = 30 17 + 8 = 25 2 + 9 + 2 + 3 = 16 6 x 6 + 6 = 42 33 / 11 = 3 23 x 3 = 69 84 / 4 = 21 12 + 33 = 45 29 + 29 = 58 12 x 4 = 48 12 + 5 + 8 = 25 89 + 16 = 105 3 x 13 = 39 91 - 86 = 5 4 + 4 + 4 + 5 = 17 24 - 8 + 8 = 24 He clues you in as to Lenny's whereabouts: St. Marguerite, where he got beaten. ("Where he got beat at"? Why couldn't they test these guys on grammar?!) Go to where you fought him in the prison, and he'll give Yuri a BIKE JACKET, his best armor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dark Seraphim [sds] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Reborn Droplet Enemies: Dark Seraphim If you're going to do any one sidequest to boost your attack power, make it this one! Well, actually, you have to finish a couple other chores before attempting to unlock the strongest fusion monster. You must have gotten all of Yuri's grade 3 fusions and unlocked Kurando's final fusion as well. After that's taken care of, watch the Graveyard scene on the first level of the Asuka Stone Platform and go to the Graveyard. Check the Yuri Tree for a REBORN DROPLET. Before going any further, make sure you have plenty of Thera and Pure Extracts and that Yuri is wearing a Flare Brooch and anything to increase defense or attack power. (The extracts can be purchased at the Winter Palace.) Go through the northern door and then east twice. After a series of flashbacks, Yuri's father will show himself. Like in the last game, he wants to test his son's strength to see if he can handle his power. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Dark Seraphim Class: --- HP: c. 3000 MP: --- EXP: 99,999 Cash: 50,000 Souls: 350 Drop: Thor's Belt This monster only has two attacks: a normal combo and one called For Tomorrow, which damages you and heals it. Because Yuri is alone, buffing him is going to be difficult; you'll have to do some fusion-swapping to get it done if you want to go all-out. I'd stick with Shield and wouldn't bother with Rage or Surge since this monster's combo deals incredible damage, and you'll need to work to stay alive. You have to realize that you'll really only be able to attack every other turn, and you must use a Thera Extract after it damages you, no matter what. The plus side of this fight is that this monster is kind of slow. Yuri should get two turns in a row most of the time, meaning you can heal and then attack right afterwards. If you are fusion-swapping, use a Pure Extract as soon as you have a chance, though you should really only stick with a defensive demon since taking a turn to restore SP may not be a luxury you can afford. Do not be afraid to pull out a Third or Fifth Key. In fact, that may be the only way to win if you find yourself running low on supplies and HP. Gordon has pointed out that switching to Fides and using Energy Charge in conjunction with a key will wreak some nice havok. iadler has written in to say that a level 7+ water fusion will know Cure All, and this makes a great substitute for Thera Extracts if you would rather not use them or couldn't afford them. The fusion-swapping and single-fusion defensive strategies will both get the job done, which one you choose depends on your level more than anything. A higher-level Yuri will obviously have more HP and SP, so he could fusion-swap without having to worry about replenishing SP. You could also focus on boosting your HP so you can weather more attacks in a row. In other words, pick your strategy and boost your respective stat. And if you'd rather not win by pulling out a key, just level up some more and come back. Another note about this fight: J.D. Maison pointed out that the Dark Seraphim tends to buff itself when its HP is at about 25%. I've only seen this monster use its buffing spell maybe once or twice in my many playthroughs, but going all out with a key when its health is that low is never a bad idea. ----------------------------------------------------------------- For winning, you get the ultimate fusion monster: the Dark Seraphim, which is the old Seraphic Radiance with a new look. This monster will make mince meat out of anything in its way and can replace all of your Arc spells with his For Everyone... technique, and For Tomorrow... is Arc Cure with a vengeance! Its For the Child... move is an All spell that inflicts Bind and obliterates anything on the field. Thanks, Jinpachiro. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Doll House [sdh] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Thera Extract Enemies: Torso ___ Petrify 4 Bailey ___ Silver Angel Baal ___ Crucifix ___ Lottery Ticket ___ Baal ___ Crimson Thread ___ Seal of the Soul There's a new face along the Yokohama streets, a man in a purple suit, that will tell Gepetto about the mansion of a famous doll maker. On the world map, head to the Doll House and Gepetto will take over. Outside the house, check the right hand bushes for a THERA EXTRACT. Put Anastasia in your party if you are looking for Snap Shots; the Bailey enemies here give up the creepy Nightmare album. Head upstairs and open the chest here for a PETRIFY 4. Enter the northernmost room. Check behind the couch to the left for a SILVER ANGEL. Then read the diary on the desk. Pay attention to the dolls' names and their habits: Rebecca: always alone Illeana: tells nothing but lies Gina: loves to trick people Barbara: well-behaved Diane: quiet Tina: always with Emma Emma: always with Tina If you talk to the dolls sitting around, they'll want to hear their names. You'll get attacked if you guess incorrectly. The doll behind the chair is Rebecca since she's alone. She says the first letter of the code is "B". Exit and enter the other room up here. There's a chest south of the door with a CRUCIFIX. The doll directly east of here seems to care a lot about the other one in the room. She must be Barbara. She'll say the third letter is "I". Go north, the southernmost doll is Gina since she was trying to trick you into thinking she was Diane. The final letter is "T", she says. The other doll up here is Emma since she was separated from Tina. The fifth letter is "G". Go to the room downstairs. Go left to find a doll on a table. I don't trust her. She must be, and is, Illeana. The fourth letter is "D". Go north and check the fireplace for a LOTTERY TICKET. The doll to the right doesn't say much. She's Diane, and the second letter is "R". The last doll is at the center table and must be used to having someone to talk to. She's Tina and tells you the sixth letter is "E". Go to the west and input the code: BRIDGET. Equip Silver Bracelets/Crucifixes on your magic users and head down. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Baal Class: --- HP: 7200 MP: 860 EXP: 75,000 Cash: 50,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Flare Brooch This is a pretty routine fight for this stage of the game. It knows powerful magic like Meteor Storm and Gale Crest, so it is capable of inflicting Delay and Slow, and it will cast Gale on itself. Its combos hit for good damage, and your magic users will need to watch out for Mental Break. Buff your party and attack however you like since this monster has no class. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get the BAAL crest and the CRIMSON THREAD, Gepetto's best weapon. There is also a SEAL OF THE SOUL waiting for you should you return to the boss fight area. (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.) If you haven't done so yet, make sure you've got all 9 Stud Cards. If you take your last one to Pierre, Yuri will step in and show off a design of his own, in crayon. Pierre will sew it for Gepetto, and he'll get his strongest Marionette attack: Advent, which is a straight reproduction (with some cutesy elements added) of Alice's strongest move from the last game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Wolf Bout [swb] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Thera Extract Enemies: Wolfman ___ Zagan ___ The Emperor ___ Seventh Key ___ Sp-Attack Down 4 ___ Beast Medal ___ Charm Pouch This sidequest will power up Blanca's special Manifestation skill and ultimately net you his strongest weapon. It is triggered automatically your first time through Paris. The idea is to fight every wolf you come across to get stamps. J.D. has pointed out that, while you do not have to fight these wolves in order, Blanca and his skills will power up in a certain order regardless, so don't pick your battles based on the rewards. See Ernest in Montmartre every third stamp you get, and he'll give you prizes. There are 15 fights in all, and all of the strategies for each (except the final fight) are in the walkthrough. Below are their locations if you missed any. Tetsu: Montmartre, occurs automatically Kelly: Wine Cellar, shows up after you fight Veronica Jerome: Florence, on the north side of town Henri: SG Italian Branch HQ, shows up after you defeat Janus Philippe: St. Marguerite Island, occurs automatically R-3: Petrograd, in an alley Necros: Petrograd (Gallery of the Dead), see walkthrough Martega, Mash, Maya: Domremy, talk to Nagy and they'll be in the woods Carven: Battleship Mikasa, middle deck Eleanor: Nihonbashi, eastern park Matsunaga: Inugami Village, Fountain of Sukune Lobo: Immortal Mountain, see walkthrough Henri: Tiffauges Castle, see walkthrough Lobo: Forest of Wind, second screen When you've met and beaten all of these wolves, return to Montmartre and you'll see ... Ernest? ----------------------------------------------------------------- Wolfman Class: Wind HP: c. 1800 MP: --- EXP: 70,000 Cash: 10,000 Souls: 0 Drop: Sp-Attack Down 4 Lottery Ticket You need to buff Blanca ASAP because he packs a literal punch, but don't bother with Barrier. He'll use Energy Charge a lot. You must make sure you Block before his next turn when this happens. Rocket Fist is a goofy hard-hitting attack that does good damage even with Shield in place. Always remember to heal first, attack second. You will most likely need to heal Blanca's SP in this fight as well. Don't charge into the fray or the Wolfman will end up catching you with your Shield down. Take your time, and you'll whittle away his HP in no time. If you need help buying yourself some time in this fight, Latrice has emailed in to say that putting a Delay ring item (preferably 4) on Blanca will take effect with almost every attack. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet will turn into Red Comet, Blanca gets his BEAST MEDAL (his best weapon), and the fighting finally ends. Next, go to Domremy. Everyone says they've seen Jeanne's ghost. Go to the church and Blanca will get a scene with Jeanne. She'll give him his best armor, the CHARM POUCH. For a surprise, after you've beaten Ernest, return to Tiffauges Castle to where you encountered Henri. After finally seeing him in his human form, take his advice and return to Montmartre. There's a kid there that wasn't there before. It's ... Tetsu? Listen to what he has to say. There's nothing else to do except expect to see the Insect Bout in future Shadow Hearts installments. Honestly, this little side trip is only here for those of you looking to get a full library and to see Ernest get his comeuppance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Fort of Regrets [sfr] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Engagement Ring ___ Ogress Mask ___ Broken Watch ___ Nautilus ___ Durandal ___ Microskirt If you return to St. Marguerite, you'll find the locksmith out and about. He'll tell you ghosts are haunting the storeroom, so go check it out. You'll uncover a secret passage and Karin will take over. The ghostly professor down here will explain how things work. The first guy is found up and to the right. It's Darcy! (Remember him, Shadow Hearts players?) Seems he's got the same problem he did last time: no paper when he needs it most. If you have tissues (and you should), hand them over. If not, go lose a Lottery Member's game and come back. The next guy is to the right. He'll give you an ENGAGEMENT RING to give to Irene in Le Havre. She's the cranky old bat outside the Sea Gull. On the next level, go left, up, and turn right the first chance you get to find a Lottery Member. You have to play this game three times to get the spirit to go. Lottery Member #3 Ring: Haste Mind's Eye *The infamous Mind's Eye doubles attack power in Bat's Gold return for a Blind Ring. If you can't win it in Strike Expand three tries, don't worry. There's more out there. Thera Extract Tissues Go left and up to find a little girl plagued by an OGRESS MASK. Karin needs to unload it on someone. The other poor soul is to the right by the guillotine. He can't remember his name and only had a BROKEN WATCH to help figure it out. For unloading the mask, this was kind of tricky. No one in Japan would probably want it since they're not so rare over there. If you'd been chatting it up in the Paris cathedral district, you would have seen a Japanophile hanging around outside the shop who'd taken special interest in Yuri since he's half Japanese. He'll gladly take the mask off your hands. The other guy was wearing a sailor's suit and said he was a soldier. You could try checking the cemetery around Domremy, but the Foreigner's Cemetery next to the ocean seems a more likely place. The man due west knows who you mean when you show him the watch. The professor is the only one left now, but he can't remember a thing. He said he was researching something earlier. Go back to land (i.e. - the beach at Cannes), and you can spy his partner: the old man by the docks. Talk to him and then go back to the prison. He still can't remember anything. Leave the place entirely and then come back. He'll remember! If you've already done the Neam Ruins quest, you'll have the Hieroglyphics to give to him. If not, go complete it and then come back. Go back to Cannes' beach and examine the weird-looking object lying there. It's the NAUTILUS, Joachim's best weapon. Professor Stein is up on the sidewalk. Speak to him and then head back to the prison. The professor will finally move on, and Karin can continue to meet her grandma, who gives her her best weapon, DURANDAL. While we're getting equipment for Karin, why not go to Florence and talk to Rooney? If you have 10,000 steps on your pedometer, she'll give you the MICROSKIRT, Karin's best armor. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Man Festival [smf] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Enemies: Murgh Korma Chingri Korma Egg Curry Murgh Masala Chingri Masala Poor Man's Curry Murgh Madras Chingri Madras Curry Sage Murgh Vindaloo Chingri Vindaloo Cutlet Curry Gosht Korma Fish Curry Great Question Gosht Masala Hashed Beef Man Gosht Madras Dry Curry Man Gosht Vindaloo Curry Prince This is it. The goofiest sidequest Shadow Hearts: Covenant has to offer. The first cutscene with Gama is enough to tell you that. Go to Nihonbashi in the Imperial Capital and confront the Great Gama. He will explain the Man Festival after Joachim challenges him. You'll now have to fight your way up the tower. Truth be told, the battles are all really boring because they're easy and you have to plow through so many, but I guess they're more for you to laugh at than anything. Whenever two party members or more are allowed, bring Anastasia if you want to snap as many monsters as possible, though you won't get any albums here. After levels 10 and 20, you'll see a symbol on the floor that lets you go back to the park. Once you pass level 26, you'll automatically jump to level 89. After level 92, go back down to prepare for some one-on-one battles: - give Kurando a Pocket Watch - give Gepetto a Shell/Cosmic Bracelet - give Lucia a Pocket Watch - make sure Karin is wearing Anne's Cross or a Pocket Watch - give Blanca a Will Power - give Anastasia a Leonardo's Bear - make sure you fuse Yuri into something with high S-Def and that you have a way to restore lots of HP to counter Blood Loss - give Joachim a Leonardo's Bear As long as you follow that set-up, the one-on-one fights should be much easier. When you finally reach the top, Joachim puts his manhood on the line to fight the champion of the Man Festival! ----------------------------------------------------------------- Great Question Class: Light HP: c. 2400 MP: --- EXP: 70,000 Cash: 10 Souls: 0 Drop: Seventh Key Count his turns because he's going to use a Seventh Key on the seventh turn. Joachim will be in his Grand Papillon form, but you still need to use Rage and Shield to pile on sufficient damage and to sustain it. He's going to use all of the wrestling moves he taught Joachim, so if you didn't equip a Leonardo's Bear, you'll get knocked into the Milky Way. Heal and buff above all else and make sure to guard on the sixth turn. If you find the battle getting tough, use a Third or Fifth Key. Someguy e-mailed in to say that the Great Question is susceptible to Delay, so try putting your highest-probability Delay item on your ring to buy you some time in this fight. ----------------------------------------------------------------- In a memorable scene, Joachim will take the title of the Great Question, replacing his Grand Papillon form. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Item Trading [sit] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Nemesis Fan ___ Dating Outfit First off, I have to say that this was the hardest part of this walkthrough to map out. I never want to see a piece of dried straw as long as I live. In Southampton, there's a man standing on the castle battlements that's dropped a piece of straw. Yuri will try to return it, only to get the pleasure of keeping it himself in the spirit of trading that the man believes in. So begins a tangled web of item trading that can end a myriad of different ways but should end with a reunion with an old friend and Lucia's ultimate weapon. Throughout your travels, if you talk to certain people, they'll notice the tradable item you're carrying and will ask to trade with you. It's hard to tell who will give you what; sometimes they'll give you a tradable item in return, sometimes they'll give you a normal item and you're done. Therefore, you can imagine how difficult this sidequest can be without it mapped out. You could be halfway through the game before you realize you made a bad trade. Below are all the items (that I've found) and what you'll get for each. - Dried Straw gets you: - Underground Film from man in Florence - Underground Film gets you: - Limestone Block from kid in Cannes - Daruma Doll from man in Cannes - Limestone Block gets you: - Super Piroshki from artist next to the merchants in Petrograd - Daruma Doll gets you: - Holy Easter Egg from Edgar in Petrograd - Super Piroshki from man in Petrograd (east wing of Winter Palace) - Holy Easter Egg gets you: - Pure Root from man standing by Sarah in Goreme Valley - Super Piroshki gets you: - Burning Candle from hefty man in Goreme Valley - Talking Panda from man on the Champs-Élysées (Paris) - Fine Tea Set from man in Florence (by the guy with the straw) - Burning Candle gets you: - Getitup! from woman near wrestling ring in Nihonbashi (how appropriate) - Fine Tea Set gets you: - Strongoids from man in Brick Warehouse - Talking Panda from woman in Yokohama Streets - Talking Panda gets you: - Third Key from man in Nihonbashi (at the intersection) - Third Key from woman in Nihonbashi park - 10-day-old Rice from man in Inugami Village - 10-day-old Rice gets you: - Fifth Key from bum in Le Havre - Research Paper from man in upstairs room of hotel in Southampton - Research Paper gets you: - 100,000 cash from the man in Southampton who gave you your Dried Straw - NEMESIS FAN from Margarete in cathedral district of Paris Using this, you can choose your own way to finish this sidequest. However, if you want the easiest way to get the fan, follow the path outlined in the walkthrough since it'll tell you who to trade with and when. For quick reference, here it is: Dried Straw -> Underground Film -> Limestone Block -> Super Piroshki -> Talking Panda -> 10-day-old Rice -> Research Paper -> Nemesis Fan If you got the fan from Margarete (Moocher Yuri's babysitter from the first Shadow Hearts) and have finished the Fort of Regrets, you'll have given her reason to visit Roger. Go see the old man and he'll show Yuri something Margarete left behind, a skimpy DATING OUTFIT. They'll try to give it to Karin with no success. Or not... Equip it on her if you want to see how it looks. If you finished your item trading without the fan, it is not out of your reach. The item shop in the cathedral district will sell it to you for 500,000. (Thanks to Chris for pointing this out.) This will also trigger Margarete's visit to Roger (so you can get the Dating Outfit) even if you didn't see her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Black Forest [sbf] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Rose Bondage ___ Aurora Oil Enemies: Beatrice ___ Pure Extract ___ Bride's Dress Golden Beetle ___ The Chariot ___ Black Underpants Penangglan ___ Slow 4 ___ Seventh Key Gaap ___ Paralysis 4 ___ The Seven Stars ___ Gaap Go back to Le Havre. If you've played the Lottery with members 2-16, Joachim's little brother Keith from the first Shadow Hearts will return to share the news that he's taken over presidency of the lottery society. Lottery Member #1 Ring: Fickle Rose Bondage *The ROSE BONDAGE is Joachim's best armor. Wait for Meteor Mask the fickle needle to slow down over the red wedge Strike Expand before you hit it. Pure Extract Tissues Head into the Sea Gull to see a drunk. He'll tell you about the Black Forest in Germany and will mark it on your map. Lucia won't stop begging until we go, so let's get to it. She'll take over once we get there. The white flower will tell you how things work: - talk to a red after a yellow, the red speaks the truth - talk to a blue after a red, the blue speaks the truth - talk to a yellow after a blue, the yellow speaks the truth - white flowers always speak the truth - black flowers will only try to get you to leave So they follow a pattern: Yellow -> Red -> Blue -> Yellow -> etc. If you follow the wrong advice, you'll get warped back to the save point and the first white flower. Open the nearby chest for a PURE EXTRACT. At the fork, talk to the red and then the blue. Go left, then up the middle path. Talk to the white flower and go right, open the chest for THE CHARIOT, go right, then left. Talk to the blue flower and then the yellow. Go left, middle, open the chest to the right for a SLOW 4, up the middle, and right. Talk to the white flower and go right, middle, right, left, left. Here, talk to the yellow, then the red. Go left until you see more flowers. Talk to the blue flower (not the black one!). Go right, left, and up the middle. Save here! If you want a surprise, follow the white flower's suggestion and go right. The correct path to take is actually the black flower's: to the left because we want to get out of the forest, yes? Equip Bhodi Bracelets/Crucifixes beforehand. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gaap Class: --- HP: 7500 MP: 860 EXP: 75,000 Cash: 30,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Paralysis 4 It's susceptible to S-Def Down, can paralyze you, will cast Shield, and knows some powerful magic. Use Lucia's aroma oils to buff your party. If you're adventurous, you can use her Tarot Cards too. You'll definitely want Arc Gale since Gaap is fairly fast and will get lots of turns. Go for a Surge-powered approach, especially if you can inflict the parameter ailment. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll get the GAAP crest upon winning. We'll finally get that Adriatic Magnolia for Carla too. Lucia will get AURORA OIL back in Florence, which will lead to some amazing stat boosts in battle. Leave and return to Florence to speak to Carla. Go to Southampton to see the vain Mr. Lawrence on the castle battlements. If you still don't know who he is supposed to be after speaking with him, check your library or take a history course! He'll give Lucia a BRIDE'S DRESS. On a replay game, if you complete your monster library and talk to Lawrence at any time, he will, for some odd reason, give you the BLACK UNDERPANTS. Go back to the Black Forest. All the flowers will be gone, and all roads will point to the same place. Go to the third screen (the one with the three-way split) and check the far right for a SEVENTH KEY. Now go down the middle path to get THE SEVEN STARS, Lucia's special accessory. (Thanks to Heretic for this info.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dog Shrine [sdf] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Dog Shrine Map ___ Jin Stone Enemies: Lobo ___ Rin Stone ___ Zai Stone Otoroshi ___ Hei Stone ___ Seal of the Urn Waira ___ Tou Stone ___ Ultra Belt Dog Guardian ___ Sha Stone ___ Mana Extract Hotoke Garan ___ Kai Stone ___ Mumeiro Kouneki ___ Rei Stone ___ Seal 4 ___ Strongoids ___ Autumn Kimono ___ Talsmn. of Mercy ___ Gold Angel ___ Poison 4 ___ Prayer Robe First, enter the Forest of Wind outside Inugami Village. Before long, you'll spy a white wolf. Get out your Leonardo's Bear. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Lobo Class: Fire HP: c. 1300 MP: --- EXP: 7500 Cash: 7000 Souls: 0 Drop: Instant Death 4 Without a Leonardo's Bear, you cannot win. Cast Shield and Barrier and increase whichever attack stat you like. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Comet gains more power. Now, return to Inugami village and speak to Saki. She'll have Kurando go on an errand to check the Dog Shrine. She'll give you the DOG SHRINE MAP and the RIN, HEI, TOU, SHA, and KAI STONES in order to get around. The Dog Shrine will now appear on the world map, and Kurando must be in the party for the duration of your stay. He'll explain how to get around at the first stone altar. It's a little confusing at first, but you get the hang of it after a while. Note the four gods of direction on the compass of the map. We're gonna go to the Red Phoenix room first. Put the "|" stone in the middle southern slot, the "+" in the middle, and the "-" in the middle left. Go north, north, west, west. Grab the REI STONE in the chest. At the altar, place the "-|" stone to the right and the "r" stone to the left. Go north, west, south. In here are STRONGOIDS, a TALSMN. OF MERCY, and POISON 4. Now return to the very first altar and take all your stones with you. Let's hit the Blue Dragon room next. Put "|" in the southern middle, "-|" in the middle, and "+" at the top. Now go north as far as you can until you see a chest with the JIN STONE. Here, put "T" in the southeastern slot, "L" in the southwestern, "r" in the northwestern, and "-" in the last slot. Go north, west, north, east, east. Nab the ZAI STONE and the SEAL OF THE URN. Backtrack to the save point and take all your stones with you. The White Tiger room is next. Put "|" in the southern middle, "-|" in the middle, "|-" in the northern middle, and "-" in the northeastern slot. Go north, north, north, east, east, and get the ULTRA BELT. Here, put "r" in the lower left and "T" in the lower right. Go north, east, east, and put the "+" stone in the altar here. South and west is the tiger room. Get the ZEN STONE and the MANA EXTRACT and backtrack, taking all your stones with you. Now we need to get to the Black Tortoise room. Put "|" in the southern middle slot and your new stone which looks like a shorter version of the one you just placed in the middle. Heal and save and go north twice. Kurando will get the MUMEIRO, his best weapon, and the psychic disturbance shows itself. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hotoke Garan Class: Dark HP: 6980 MP: 888 EXP: 75,000 Cash: 50,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Oracle Earrings This guy is really nothing new. He's exactly the same as the last time you fought him so don't bother with parameter ailments, watch out for Mind Assault, and don't waste MP casting offensive magic. Use Holy Edge, Arc Rage, and combos to finally put him down for good. ----------------------------------------------------------------- You'll automatically be on the world map afterwards. Go see Saki and then leave the village entirely and come back. Put a Bell Bracelet on Kurando before going to the Fountain of Sukune. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kouneki Class: Fire HP: c. 2500 MP: --- EXP: 70,000 Cash: 10,000 Souls: 300 Drop: Seal 4 Nothing's really changed here either except Kurando has some new moves, and he's all by himself. This means that you should heal first above all else. Seal isn't really a big deal since Kurando's new fusion is raw physical power. If you put P-Atk Down on his ring, it'll take effect nearly every turn, meaning all you really have to watch out for is her magic. If she uses Energy Charge, it's probably best to guard even if you have inflicted P-Atk Down five times over. You know, just to be safe. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Kurando gets to keep his last fusion for winning. After this, go see Saki in her house to get the best dialogue ever between her and Anastasia. She'll give her an AUTUMN KIMONO. Talk to her again after this to learn what kind of mother she really is. Ho ho! While we're in Japan, why not visit Kurando's master and Yoshiko? She'll have gotten a job recently, as a Lottery Girl. She'll only let you play if you've played with everyone up to this point. Lottery Member #2 Ring: Normal Thief Earrings *Oddly enough, her ring is nothing special. She's a Getitup! novice when it comes to the Lottery! Strike Expand Mana Extract Tissues While we're getting items for Anastasia, if you've found all five Silver Angels, take them to Edgar in Petrograd to get her best weapon, the GOLD ANGEL. If you go visit her family in the Winter Palace (her brother always cracks me up), her mother will present her best armor, the PRAYER ROBE. Gerard has also set up shop nearby and sells Third Keys and extract healing items. Stock up! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- King Solomon's Key/Trials [sks] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Sabnock ___ Gold Band Enemies: Solomon ___ Blood Jewel ___ Seventh Key ___ Third Key ___ Silver Angel ___ Mr. Sax ___ Ultra Belt ___ Gold Necklace ___ Dragonfangs ___ Fifth Key ___ Dark Angel ___ Step Doubler ___ Electro Band ___ Mind's Eye ___ Puppeteer's Cape ___ Warlock Earrings ___ Solomon ___ Shax After you receive Solomon's Key from Granny Lot in Le Havre, you can start to fill it in with all your crests by selecting it from the Command Menu. Placing the crests is like solving a riddle based on the description of the monster living in the crest and the drawings in the Key. Correctly placing all the crests in an area will power them up and add new spells. Filling in all the areas is important for the next portion of this sidequest. I don't have a list of all the crests' locations, but all of them are in the item checklists in the walkthrough (except those that are already equipped on characters that join your party), so scan them to see which ones you're missing, if any. Below are the solutions to each area of the Key. Pal. of Trans. Enchanting Sea 0 0: Astaroth 0: Vepar | 1: Orobas 0 - 1 1: Crocell 1 2: Gaap | | 2: Forneus | 3: Baal 2 - 3 - 4 3: Focalor 2 - 3 - 4 4: Asmodeus 4: Uvall | 5: Amon 5 Frst. Passion Forsaken Hill 0: Furfur 0: Camio 0 1: Gremory 3 - 4 1: Phenex | 2: Andras | 2: Purson 1 - 2 - 3 3: Zepar 0 - 1 - 2 3: Paimon | | | 4: Sitri | | 4: Marchosias 4 - 5 - 6 5: Sallos 5 - 6 - 7 5: Raum 6: Vassago 6: Barbatos 7: Agares Flame Desert Etrn. Boneyard 0 0: Amy 0 - 1 0: Glasyalabolas | 1: Beleth | 1: Bune 1 - 2 2: Bathin 2 - 3 2: Bifrons | | 3: Haures | 3: Samigina 3 - 4 4: Aim 4 - 5 4: Murmur 5: Furcas Wilder. of War 0: Dantalion 5: Eligos 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 1: Leraje 6: Balam | | | | 2: Halphas 7: Ose 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 3: Berith 8: Alloces 4: Ipos 9: Sabnok Bastn. Riches 6 0: Zagan 7: Decarabia | 1: Shax 8: Seere 4 - 5 2: Malphas 9: Cimeies | | 3: Haagenti 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 4: Valefor | | | 5: Belial 7 - 8 - 9 6: Andromalius Sprng. Wisdom E 0: Foras 9: Marax | 1: Gusion A: Amdusias B - C - D 2: Buer B: Stolas | | | 3: Orias C: Botis 0 - 1 - 2 - 3 4: Marbas D: Naberius | | | | 5: Ronove E: Vapula 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 6: Valak | | | 7: Andrealphus 8 - 9 - A 8: Vine Later, when you first enter Goreme Valley, you'll meet Sarah, an attendant of King Solomon himself. She scares the bejeezus out of Yuri and gets him to undergo King Solomon's Trials, which are basically pit fights. Some are as simple as beating the living daylights out of all the monsters thrown at you; some must be beaten under certain conditions. You'll get prizes for completing them. Below are descriptions and strategies for the various levels of the trials. The pit fights are the best place to get Snap Shots and fill out Anastasia's Album, so bring her along for most of them. The following fights are available when you first talk to Sarah. Beginner, Level 1 ----------------- Conditions: choose any 1 person and win 5 battles in a row Enemies: Gatorback, Kheperer, Paladin, Gremlin, Langsuir, Clawed Commander, Ofnir, Otheon, Barghest, Propolis, Tammuz, Stray Wolf Prize: Sabnock crest Strategy: This is as easy as it gets. Chose anyone you like and clean house. Wearing a Pocket Watch or a Mirror Bracelet wouldn't be a bad idea. Beginner, Level 2 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win using a 28+ hit combo at least once Enemy: Godhand Prize: Blood Jewel Strategy: You'll want to use magic and skills that hit a good number of times, like Karin's Geuschbenst skill or Evil Ray. It's not hard to do as long as you watch out how your spells hit (don't use Evil Ray twice in a row, for instance). Here was my set up: Gepetto used Evil Ray for 7 hits Karin used Geuschbenst for 12 hits Blanca used Soul Comet for 5 hits Anastasia finished with Air Shot for 15 hits, totaling 39 If you mess up, Godhand has enough HP for you to try again. After you get it, just finish him off as usual. Watch for petrifaction! Beginner, Level 3 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 4 battles in a row with Reverse Ring in effect without missing a ring or curing abnormalities Enemies: Ducky Toy, Wooden Lion, Ekimmu, Clawed Soldier, Sting, Thug, Fat Thug, Gregor, Centipede, Roach Queen Prize: Third Key Strategy: Before starting this trial, equip Coral Pendants on your two fighters. This way, you can take your time hitting your rings. Just remember that you cannot miss or cure any ailments or you automatically fail. Note that breaking a combo by failing the button pushing sequence also counts as "missing a ring". Beginner, Level 4 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 6 battles in a row while poisoned without curing abnormalities or using items Enemies: Gatorback, Kheperer, Clawed Admiral, Skeeter, Death Snail, Zoism, Lambton Worm, Calamity Orb, Revenant, Statue, Domovoi, Fortune Stick, Katherine Prize: Mr. Sax Strategy: Definitely bring Arc Cure with you. Since you can't use items, you must use magic to heal, and since you've got to go six in a row with poison, you will need to heal. Make sure you've got enough MP to use it as well since you can't replenish it. The following fights are available after defeating the Night Queen. Monk, Level 1 ------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win using an 18+ hit combo at least once but without using special skills Enemies: Pendulum, Victor Prize: Gold Necklace Strategy: Keep your cursor away from that second option in the Action Menu! If Yuri's in the party, don't fuse! Even if you fuse and just use normal attacks, you'll fail. Treat this fight like you did the first time you fought these guys. The Pendulum most likely won't survive an 18 hit combo at your level so get to work on Victor when it's dead. Here's how I pulled off the combo: Gepetto used Gale Spark for 10 hits Yuri knocked him down for 5 hits Blanca used Gale Spin for 2 hits Lucia finished with Air Shot for 15 hits, totaling 32 Monk, Level 2 ------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 3 battles in a row with Tight Ring in effect without missing a ring or curing abnormalities Enemies: Arachne, Castor, Pollux, Karin, Yuri Prize: Fifth Key Strategy: Wear those Coral Pendants again to slow the needle down so you make sure you don't miss a ring. You don't need to worry about status ailments as these guys are all pushovers. Monk, Level 3 ------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row Enemies: Andre, Pendulum, Wormgaur, Quartzback, Jill, Jack, Agony, Peryton, Night Queen Prize: Step Doubler Strategy: Definitely bring Anastasia to this fight because she can snap Andre for the Cash Steal album, as well as the Pendulum if you keep missing it. The one bad thing about this trial is the Night Queen and her Instant Death attacks. Blanca's Comeback or Amon's Revival abilities help to get you back on your feet quickly unless you wore Leonardo's Bears. Monk, Level 4 ------------- Conditions: choose one person to fight 5 battles in a row with Blind Ring in effect and without curing abnormalities Enemies: Oscar, Gatorback, Kheperer, Paladin, Quartzback, Wormgaur, Ogoroja, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Amon Prize: Mind's Eye Strategy: Pick your fighter and make their ring a Practice Ring! This will ensure you enough tries to get a hit in for the price of no strike areas. Or, if you prefer not to be cheap, make sure you fight with someone with whose ring you are familiar. If you're not comfortable using Anastasia, make sure you level her up and come back to this trial because she can snap Oscar for the Remove album. Plus, it's kind of amusing to see Amon get beaten by a little girl. The following fights are available after Roger revisits you in Japan. Believer, Level 1 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 3 battles in a row with Reverse and Tight Ring in effect without missing a ring or curing abnormalities Enemies: Zamuza, Megafilaria, Echidna, Akagi Soldier, Gaki, Pera-pera, Noh Masks Prize: Warlock Earrings Strategy: Give your two fighters Coral Pendants and you should be fine. Believer, Level 2 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row while poisoned and with Fake Ring in effect without curing abnormalities Enemies: Megafilaria, Echidna, Hati, Gigafilaria, Spider Walker, Flying Drone, Akagi Soldier, Pera-pera, Noh Masks, Lt. Col. Terada Prize: Shax Strategy: This is the single most annoying trial ever. Practice Rings are a must because that fight with Terada is a pain. If you don't want to use that strategy, level up like crazy so your fighters can take more punishment. Bring along someone with Arc Cure to help with the poison and Anastasia if you missed the Hati photo. Believer, Level 3 ----------------- Conditions: choose any 1 person and win 4 battles in a row with Small Ring in effect and without curing abnormalities Enemies: Echidna, Hati, Zamuza, Mother Filaria, Noh Masks, Pera-pera, Gaki, Asmodeus Prize: Gold Band Strategy: Make sure you pick someone who can hold their own in a fight by themselves. Small Ring isn't so bad, especially since you can miss and still pass. If you have Delay on your ring, Asmodeus will probably never get a turn in. Just watch your SP. Believer, Level 4 ----------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 12 battles in a row Enemies: Gargoyle, Arachne, Castor, Pollux, Centipede, Gregor, Meursault, Grimlock, Andre, Janus, Star Gazer, Grail Gazer, Oscar, Mother Filaria, Armored Fighter, Mini Tanukis Prize: Seventh Key Strategy: Definitely bring Anastasia if you're looking for snaps. This trial was tailor-made for those looking to complete their library, and there are a number of albums to get, including Pillage Storm from the Mini Tanukis. The monsters are all pushovers at your level. The following fights are available before going to the Queen's Garden. Worshiper, Level 1 ------------------ Conditions: using Gepetto, Blanca, Lucia, and Anastasia, win 5 battles in a row without using Attack Enemies: Danters, Lemures, Emptiness, Koshoki, Steel Soldier, Flying Drone X, Mutant Snail, Armored Fighter Prize: Silver Angel Strategy: This is not meant to be hard. It's really more a test of your memory to see if you remember you're not supposed to physically attack. That Armored Fighter might make a worthy opponent to your P-Def-lacking mages, though as long as someone has Arc Cure, you're good. And keep those Mana items at the ready. Worshiper, Level 2 ------------------ Conditions: using Yuri, Karin, Joachim, and Kurando, win 5 battles in a row without using Crest or Combo Magic Enemies: Koshoki, Beetle Walker, Flying Drone X, Towd, Enku, Yomi Samurai, Mutant Snail, Yama Garan Prize: Ultra Belt Strategy: No problem. Everyone can use their special skills, and Yuri and Kurando can even use magic since it's not crest based, so if you need to buff up for Yama Garan, fusion-swap with Yuri. Worshiper, Level 3 ------------------ Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row with Fast Ring in effect without curing abnormalities or using items Enemies: Gaki, Noh Masks, Pera-pera, Beetle Walker, Flying Drone X, Steel Soldier, Enku, Yomi Samurai, Towd, Shoki Prize: Dragonfangs Strategy: Equip Coral Pendants on your fighters of choice and it will neutralize Fast Ring, bringing the needle to normal speed. Most of the enemies in this trial can inflict Judgment Ring abnormalities so if you don't want an Up Fast Ring, wear Pocket Watches. You might also want to wear Leonardo's Bears for Shoki. The following fights are available when the Asuka Stone Platform appears. Embodiment, Level 1 ------------------- Conditions: choose any 1 person and win six battles in a row Enemies: Titanium Soldier, Lava Lump, Samurai Ghoul, Raiden, Scorpilus, Hien, Great Gama Prize: Dark Angel Strategy: Make sure you pick someone who can hold their own in a fight against a bunch of enemies at once. Embodiment, Level 2 ------------------- Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 6 battles in a row Enemies: Towd, Blooming Phoenix, Samurai Ghoul, Lava Lump, Titanium Soldier, Mecha Lord, Bethlehem, Graffias, Morgan, King Tamakos Prize: Electro Band Strategy: Not much to say except make sure you've got some powerful magic for when you fight the Mecha Lord. Bring Anastasia if you missed the Spirit Ward album. The following trial is unlocked after beating all the others. Creator ------- Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 4 battles in a row Enemies: Veronica, Clawed Commander, Lenny, Grand Papillon, Tin Lion Prize: Puppeteer's Cape Strategy: Joachim MUST be in your party! The last enemy, the Tin Lion, is immune to absolutely everything, and it will instantly kill anyone it attacks by dealing over 10,000 damage in one hit! The only thing that will hurt it is Joachim's Drain Touch. Why? Drain Touch has no damage affiliation. It isn't special or physical damage. It just drains HP, which is just what you need to do. If Joachim should happen to turn into a bat when you face the Tin Lion, you're screwed (as Gepetto would put it). In case you don't want to trust your luck, J Z has informed me that the Tin Lion is susceptible to Petrify, so make sure you have people with Petrify on their Rings or use special attacks that can cause it, like Anastasia's Euthanasia. After you've beaten all the trials and have filled in King Solomon's Key, talk to Sarah, and she'll grant you an audience with Solomon. Turns out the old man is just bored and needs a fight to the death to liven things up for him. Let's give it to him! But first, you must equip your characters with Crucifixes or Pocket Watches! (J.D. Maison has pointed out that putting Lucia in your party is a way to circumvent status ailments by using her aroma oils; just make sure you can heal or prevent ailments on her as well if you do this. Kind of like the strategy for Orobas I recommended earlier.) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Solomon Class: --- HP: 9350 MP: 999 EXP: 99,999 Cash: 50,000 Souls: 350 Drop: Seven-Eyed Mask I highly recommend coming into this battle having done most of the major sidequests, especially The Dark Seraphim. If not, you'll just have to work a little harder to keep your stats up. Buff everyone as soon as possible! You'll need Arc Barrier and Gale, without a doubt. Blanca's Aurora ability will more than likely save your life as well. If you have the Dark Seraphim, just cast For Everyone... and use For Tomorrow... in lieu of Arc Cure. Solomon's major spell is Melt Crest, an All spell that also inflicts Bind while doing insane damage and inflicting nearly every Judgment Ring abnormality at once. You must heal after this or else he'll just keep using it, driving your HP ever lower while making you scramble to keep it up, and you don't want to scramble. He can also halve your SP with one slap of that wand so keep Pure items at the ready and make sure no one even slightly risks going Berserk. Always keep Barrier in place as it will lessen damage, and always have someone healing! (Blanca is probably best for that.) In order to finish him efficiently, keep your support characters always working in the background and your main attackers never letting up in the foreground. Watch the turn meter as well and have an attacker heal if necessary before Solomon's turn is up. It might take a while, but the old man will fall. Pull out a Key if you're having trouble keeping up. ----------------------------------------------------------------- He'll turn into the SOLOMON crest, giving you the Melt Crest spell. Talk to Sarah if you still want to do any trials. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quizzes [sqz] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Items: ___ Foras ___ Steel Egg ___ Silver Angel Certain characters you meet will want to test you to see how well you study your inventory and monster library. Answer ten questions correctly with ten seconds for each question to show your stuff. The first quiz is on the Battleship Mikasa after you finish the initial events. Enter the captain's quarters to be put to the test. His questions focus mainly on your item inventory, and you get the FORAS crest for winning. Below are all the questions I've seen him ask. Which item cures all status and ring abnormalities in an instant? Daphne Fruit Which of Blanca's weapons is in the top 100 whetstones of the world? Whetstone Plus Which of the following accessories guards against Petrification? Mirror Bracelet Which of the following weapons used by Lucia sports a full-moon emblem? Luna Fan Which of the following items restores MP? Mana Leaf What pro-level accessory makes Hit Areas vanish but doubles Attack Power? Mind's Eye What kind of weapon is Joachim's Timber? Square lumber What's the coating on Gepetto's weapon, Copper Filament? Copper How many are there in a pack of tissues, the lottery consolation prize? 8 What's the name of the secret global organization running the lottery? The World Lottery Society Which is the most effective restoring item? Thera Extract Which of the following accessories protects against Poison? Shell Bracelet What creature's eggshell is Anastasia's weapon, Blue Serpent, made from? Reptile Which accessory is the savior that stops Instant Death from working? Leonardo's Bear What's the effect of the charming get-up for men, the Loin Guard? Increased Attack Power Which essential item in battle recovers the HP of unconscious characters? Talisman of Mercy What's the name of the practice sword Karin borrowed from Gepetto? Fleuret What is Yuri's special weapon, Phantom Claw, made from? Unidentified bones Which item increases Max SP, which shows a character's emotional stability? Seal of the Soul What's drawn on the front of the Seal of Force, which increases Power? An angel The next quiz is available before you go to the Queen's Garden. A jerk in a white suit in front of the Yokohama Hotel will quiz you on your monster library and give you a STEEL EGG for winning. Katherine, who shows up on Manmariana Island, is what kind of monster? A tussock moth What does the Clawed Admiral have on his head that young officers envy? A piece of red cloth What kind of toy is the monster Ducky Toy, which appears in Domremy? Drakes What's the name of the flag in the otherworld of the Foreigner's Cemetery? Pera-pera What does the monster Death Snail from the Ardennes Forest carry on its back? A skull The twin familiars Veronica summons are Castor, and who? Pollux What's the name of the armor worn by low-ranking Iron Soldiers on the Mikasa? Akagi What's the tough guy called who appears in Le Havre wielding square lumber? Thug On Manmariana Island, what's the name of Carla's cat that she got at a festival? Andre What's the worm-like monster possessing antibodies for Idar Flamme? Megafilaria Jill, the monster that appears in the Gallery of the Dead, was once what? A girl Blooming Phoenix, who shows up in the Immortal Mountain, has how many legs? 1 Veronica's pet monster, Oscar, is a mixture with what animal? A Doberman Tammuz, who shows up in the mine in Rhondda, is a human mixed with what? A scorpion What form is the vessel containing Astaroth's negative power, Shoki? A dog What's the name of the airborne weapon controlled by Dr. Hojo? Master Cylinder Veronica summoned a monster called Meursault. What's its favorite thing? Liquor What's the name of the Imperial Army's unmanned airborne weapon on the Mikasa? Flying Drone Who is the most important member of the secret society group led by Lenny? Lenny Peryton, who attacked Russia, has the body of a bird. What is its head? A deer The last quiz is being held by the man who gave you the Mr. Wrestler Stud Card by the wrestling ring in Nihonbashi. This one is a Stud Card quiz. Studying for it is just a little strange, but he'll give you a SILVER ANGEL if you can manage it. What does Oliver, the German Mr. Doctor, have in his left hand? Medical records Who is England's top bodybuilder and super-sleuth? Ashley What is the occupation of Russia's top bodybuilder Kalpin? Ballerina What instrument does the popular musician, O'Brien, play? Sax What can you smell if you rub the vest of the slightly shy masked wrestler? Curry How many world bodybuilders that appear on Stud Cards have their back turned? 1 How does soul man O'Brien, America's top bodybuilder, wear his hair? Afro What is the occupation of Italy's top bodybuilder, Miccoli? Chef What does Marcel, France's largest Sommelier, have in his right hand? A wine glass People call Enrique, Spain's top bodybuilder, the "Iberian ..." what? Red Tornado What does the ultimate matador, Enrique, have in his mouth? A rose Japan's top bodybuilder, Mr. Samurai, likes getting naked. What's his name? Ogasawara What does France's top bodybuilder, Marcel, do for a living? Sommelier What field does Dr. Oliver, Germany's top bodybuilder, work in? Gynecology What color underwear does the Indian top bodybuilder, Mr. Wrestler, wear? Black How does super-sleuth Ashley like to spend his spare time? Reading How many bodybuilders that appear on Stud Cards have nothing in their hands? 2 What does chef and restaurateur, Miccoli, have in his left hand? A fry pan Which ballet did superstar ballerina Kalpin perform entirely solo? Swan Lake What color loincloth does the Last Samurai, Ogasawara, wear? Red ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Recaps To make things easier, I did a recap of the important stuff. This way, you don't have to go looking all over for things spread out in the walkthrough, and there's a lot of stuff spread all over the place for this game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ring Soul Locations [rrs] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll meet the Ring Soul a total of 16 times. Each time, you'll get a scene of his progressively funnier talks with Yuri and an Attack Boost item. The exact locations of the Ring Spir- er, Soul are in greater detail in the walkthrough. Apoina Tower: occurs automatically Paris: subway tunnels after leaving the Champs-Élysées Le Havre: near the tree by Granny Lot's shop Rhondda Mine: see walkthrough Wales: to the right of Roger's house Manmariana Island: room with Libra, Aries, and Capricorn tiles Neam Ruins: southeast corner of room with Magimel Brothers St. Marguerite Island: see walkthrough Goreme Valley: east side of the room where Jovis sends Yuri to Mirror Castle Petrograd (Gallery of the Dead): see walkthrough Apoina Tower: third floor, to the left Yokohama Streets: by a lamppost Battleship Mikasa: in the warehouse to the left before entering ship Foreigner's Cemetery: left of entrance/south of walkway Inugami Village: north side of village Immortal Mountain: see walkthrough ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ultimate Weapons/Armor/Unique Accessories [rwa] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a list of each character's best equipment. Most even have an accessory specially tailored for them. Yuri and Kurando do not since, as Harmonixers, the one accessory they should be wearing all the time is a Flare Brooch. There are two of those, one for each. Yuri ---- Weapon: Chimera Claw, do a Spin Ring 10 in Roger's house in Wales after the Neam Ruins sidequest Armor: Bike Jacket, track down Lenny from Cannes to St. Marguerite and he'll give it to you Karin ----- Weapon: Durandal, finish the Fort of Regrets Armor: Microskirt, given by Rooney (president of the World Fitness Walking Society) in Florence when you reach 10,000 steps on your Pedometer Accessories: Anne's Cross, given by Yuri when visiting Zurich for the first time; Dating Outfit, given by Roger in Wales after finishing the Fort of Regrets and the item trading sidequest Blanca ------ Weapon: Beast Medal, prize for finishing the Wolf Bout Armor: Charm Pouch, return to Domremy and Jeanne will give it to Blanca Accessory: Colorful Comb, acquired automatically in the Brick Warehouse Gepetto ------- Weapon: Crimson Thread, complete the Doll House quest Armor: Puppeteer's Cape, prize for finishing Creator trial Accessory: Silver Chair, bought for 10,000 in cathedral district of Paris Joachim ------- Weapon: Nautilus, acquired during the Fort of Regrets sidequest Armor: Rose Bondage, won from Lottery Member #1 Accessories: Prism Band, won from Lottery Member #11; Gold Band, prize for Believer Level 3 trial; Electro Band, prize for Embodiment Level 3 trial Lucia ----- Weapon: Nemesis Fan, finish item trading sidequest Armor: Dancing Stars, found in a chest on second level of Asuka Stone Platform Accessory: Bride's Dress, given by Mr. Lawrence in Southampton after visiting the Black Forest; The Seven Stars, in the middle of the three-way path when revisiting the Black Forest Anastasia --------- Weapon: Gold Angel, give Edgar all five Silver Angels Armor: Prayer Robe, return to Winter Palace and the empress will present it Accessories: Panoramic Lens, given by Edgar; Autumn Kimono, talk to Saki after obtaining Kurando's last fusion Kurando ------- Weapon: Mumeiro, finish the Dog Shrine sidequest Armor: Devil Loincloth, found in a chest on the fourth level of the Asuka Stone Platform ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lottery Members [rlm] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listed here are all the members of the World Lottery Association, what prizes they offer, and where you can find them. Check the walkthrough for detailed locations and tips on nailing your wedge of choice. Lottery Member #16 Lottery Member #15 Location: Le Havre Location: Port of Southampton Ring: Normal Ring: Normal Bathin Slow 1 Hit Area Expand Hit Area Expand Daphne Fruit Talismn. of Mercy Pure Leaf Thera Seed Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #14 Lottery Member #13 Location: Rhondda Mines Location: Cannes Ring: Invisible Ring: Small Third Key Marchosias Hit Area Expand Face Guard Daphne Fruit Hit Area Expand Mana Seed Pure Seed Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #12 Lottery Member #11 Location: St. Marguerite Island Location: Winter Palace Ring: Fickle Ring: Reverse Slow 2 Prism Band Western Belt Replacement Man Talsmn. of Mercy Hit Area Expand Thera Seed Mana Seed Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #10 Lottery Member #9 Location: Gepetto's Apartment Location: Brick Warehouse Ring: Slightly faster than normal Ring: Normal Alloces Huge Jug Will Power Mirror Bracelet Hit Area Expand Thera Extract Pure Seed Thera Root Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #8 Lottery Member #7 Location: Battleship Mikasa Location: Nihonbashi Ring: Up Ring: Normal P-Attack Down 3 Warning Device Kendo Mask Zodiac Bracelet Hit Area Expand Hit Area Expand Mana Root Pure Root Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #6 Lottery Member #5 Location: Inugami Village Location: Azabu Kamiyashiki Ring: Small Ring: Reverse, Narrow Dark Angel Slow 3 Cosmic Bracelet Ninja Gi Thera Extract Mana Extract Hit Area Expand Hit Area Expand Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #4 Lottery Member #3 Location: Tiffauges Castle Location: Fort of Regrets Ring: Invisible Ring: Haste Demon Ward Mind's Eye Strongoids Bat's Gold Pure Extract Strike Expand Hit Area Expand Thera Extract Tissues Tissues Lottery Member #2 Lottery Member #1 Location: Mukyo-An Location: Le Havre Ring: Normal Ring: Fickle Thief Earrings Rose Bondage Getitup! Meteor Mask Strike Expand Strike Expand Mana Extract Pure Root Tissues Tissues ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Important Items [rii] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Plenty of sidequests and special skills have you collect [insert number here] of [insert item here], and it gets really hard to keep track of it all. Here's a list of all the scattered items worth collecting. I don't have the energy to make a list of all the crests when you can just use the answers to the key in the Solomon section as a checklist. Soul Drops ---------- These are needed to acquire Yuri's level 3 fusions and are necessary to access the strongest fusion monster. - church in Domremy - prize for beating level 2 of Lucky Chests - talk to Lawrence in Goreme Valley - chest in Yokohama - by grave in Foreigner's Cemetery - chest in shack in Inugami Village Stud Cards ---------- These are used to power up Gepetto's Marionette technique and will let you take the Stud Card quiz for a Silver Angel. Mr. Sommelier: automatically acquired in Gepetto's apartment Mr. Matador: automatically acquired in Gepetto's apartment if you have a Shadow Hearts save file; otherwise, a woman south of the fountain in Florence will give it to you Mr. Chef: prize in Lucky chests in Wine Cellar Mr. Detective: chest in Southampton Mr. Samurai: buy the sumo wrestler in the Cannes bar a drink Mr. Swan: talk to pacing guard in Winter Palace Mr. Doctor: behind black sign in Yokohama Streets Mr. Wrestler: given by man near Nihonbashi wrestling ring Mr. Sax: prize for Beginner Level 4 trial Nibelung Scenes --------------- These are used to teach Karin German sword techniques, powering up her special skill. Since you must learn Karin's skills in order, you will always get each scene in a specific order. This means that, should you skip someone, the list below will be slightly altered. All you need to make sure of is that you visit everyone in this list, and you should be fine. Prelude: acquired automatically in Gepetto's apartment Scene 2: given by locksmith in St. Marguerite Scene 3: given by sailor on the Mikasa Scene 4: given by man in Southampton Scene 5: given by old man in Petrograd Scene 6: given by man in Foreigner's Cemetery Scene 7: given by man in Florence Scene 8: examine skeleton in Gallery of the Dead Scene 9: given by man in Southampton if you've all other scenes Finale: found in Queen's Garden Aroma Oils ---------- These are used in Lucia's really useful Aromatherapy skill. Ocean: automatically given by Carla Misty: automatically given by Carla Grass: check fountain in Cannes Night: dropped by Victor Moon: dropped by Night Queen Shining: talk to woman in Yokohama three times Sunrise: upstairs of Saki's house in Inugami Village Aurora: finish the Black Forest sidequest Tarot Cards ----------- Lucia uses these to read the fates of your party and those of the monsters you fight. The High Priestess: Lucia starts with this The Hierophant: Lucia starts with this The Hermit: Lucia starts with this The Hanged Man: Lucia starts with this The Moon: Lucia starts with this Wheel of Fortune: St. Marguerite, where you fought Oscar The Magician: Gallery of the Dead The Sun: by building on Yokohama Streets The Lovers: battleship Mikasa The Tower: Nihonbashi, by bridge The Star: fence outside Saki's house in Inugami Village The Devil: Tiffauges Castle The Chariot: in the Black Forest The Fool: dropped by Maya The Empress: check the teddy bear in Anastasia's room The Emperor: prize for getting stamps in Wolf Bout Strength: dropped by King Tamakos Justice: dropped by Janus Temperance: dropped by Oscar Judgment: dropped by Shoki World: dropped by Asmodeus Death: fourth level of the Asuka Stone Platform Silver Angels ------------- Enigmatic drawings that Edgar collects. They can be traded for Anastasia's best weapon. - roof of Winter Palace after defeating Veronica - behind rack in Inugami Village - behind couch in Doll House - prize for beating Worshiper Level 1 trial - prize for winning the Stud Card quiz Anastasia's Albums ------------------ Here are all of Anastasia's attacks and what monsters you need to snap to get them. Aqua Raise: Pendulum Direct Press: Hati Cash Steal: Andre Remove: Oscar Pillage Storm: Mini Tanukis Falling Leaves: Tengu Power Cannon: Mecha Lord Spirit Ward: King Tamakos Nightmare: Bailey Euthanasia: Orobas ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maps [rmp] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This game had twice as many sprawling areas as its predecessor, and I had to draw maps for some of them. Here's a list of links to scans of all the ones I drew since I'm no good at doing ASCII maps. They might be easier to follow than my directions. Ardennes Forest: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/ardennesforest.jpg Paris Subway Tunnels: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/subway.jpg Wine Cellar http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winecellar.jpg Rhondda Mines: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/rhonddamines.jpg St. Marguerite Island: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/stmisland.jpg Winter Palace: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winterpalace.jpg Mirror Castle (first visit): http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/mirrorcastle1.jpg Gallery of the Dead: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/gotd.jpg Idar Flamme: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme2.jpg Otherworld: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld2.jpg Immortal Mountain: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/immortalmountain.jpg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Miscellaneous Credit/Thanks [mct] As always, thanks goes out to the developers of the game and the ones who keep Shadow Hearts going: Midway, Aruze, Nautilus, et al. Thanks to Alex's guide for this game for help with item and crest lists. Thanks also to the Shadow Hearts: Covenant message board at GameFAQs.com for help interpreting the third treasure clue. I need to say thanks to Joanna Gray's guide to the third installment of the Shadow Hearts series because it gave me a good idea of what a guide for a monster of an RPG such as this title needs to include. A lot of how this walkthrough is set up is thanks to Joanna's work. Thanks to threetimes' excellent fusion FAQ on GameFAQs for clearing up some misconceptions on obtaining Yuri's final fusion. My brother Christopher gets credit for helping me beat that smartass arithmetic geek in the Chasing Lenny sidequest and for mapping out all his questions. I still prefer what happens should you fail the test. My dad gets beaucoup thanks for venturing into the wild wilderness of the mall around Christmas time to get this game for me. I couldn't have become obsessed with it without his efforts! Chris needs thanks for letting me know that the Nemesis Fan can be bought if the item trading is botched. Heretic gets a thanks for showing me that Lucia has another unique accessory. Thanks to J Z for letting me know the Tin Lion can be petrified. Thanks to Christoph for helping me discover the reason you want to keep a save file from the first Shadow Hearts on hand: an extra Stud Card in Paris. Thanks also to Chinedu for pointing out a lottery ticket I missed in Yokohama. M L needs some props for helping understand the chess puzzle in the Queen's Garden. (Sorry it took so long to add in!) Thanks to Nyx for e-mailing an oversight with the Peach Bat. DarkRaven22, Kelly, Jinhee Lee, and Gordon need BIG thanks for taking the time to e-mail in small corrections. Thanks to Keinedon for letting me know about the exact percentage needed to win the Extreme accessory. J.D. gets thanks for adding some insight into the Wolf Bout and how it powers up Blanca, and Soloman and Dark Seraphim tips. Thanks to Someguy for the Delay tip on the Great Question. Thanks to Dan and DarkBlood for help in finding some items I missed. Apologies for taking so long to get the info added. Thanks to Latrice for sending in the tip about using Delay 4 on Wolfman. Thanks to all the sites listed as hosts for this guide as well as anyone who happens to read this guide on said sites! Say that five times fast! ---- Author's Notes/Version History/Hosts/Legal Info [mal] If there's anything in this guide that doesn't sit right or if you have questions or comments about the walkthrough or the game, let me know at SophiaLee04 at yahoo dot com, and I'll try to respond to the best of my ability. Just be sure to mention Shadow Hearts: Covenant in the title. Version History: 1.22 - 07/10/10: I have been a slacker. No excuses, just apologies. I've added some items that I missed; nothing too major or game-breaking, just about 5 little items scattered throughout the game, specifically in Domremy, LeHavre, Immortal Mountain, and the Doll House. Also, a minor correction in direction in the Brick Warehouse. 1.21 - 11/13/09: With help from some e-mails, I got the Battleship Mikasa section sorted out; we had some big directional errors going on there. 1.20 - 08/22/09: Fixed a really big glaring error in the Susano-O fight; my bad for not catching it earlier. 1.19 - 04/20/09: Long time, no see; I've gotten confirmation that the percentage needed to win the Extreme from Naniwa is 65%. 1.18 - 12/25/08: Fixed a demon name in the Solomon section and added some stuff to the strategy for the Dark Seraphim. 1.17 - 12/20/08: Fixed some glaring errors in the Asuka Platform section. 1.16 - 10/22/08: I think I've done about all the damage I can do; I've finished adding maps and have added a correction to the Peach Bat fight. 1.15 - 05/21/08: In light of Chaos Wars being held back again, I now have more time to devote to finishing up this guide; all that's left are the rest of the maps, but I'm also getting little corrections here and there: it's been pointed out that you only get two Stud Cards in Paris if you have a save from the first Shadow Hearts; the info regarding Karen's Dating Outfit has also been tweaked. 1.14 - 02/01/08: Got a hot tip on Lucia's ultimate accessory under the Black Forest section. 1.13 - 01/19/08: Found out that the Nemesis Fan can be bought if item trading goes awry. 1.12 - 01/17/08: Made some changes in the Creator trial section; also, I noticed more story development in the Wolf Bout subplot and added it to that section. 1.11 - 12/23/07: More basic revisions; the bulk of the walkthrough is pretty much complete because I can't think of anything else to add; the only thing left for this guide are the maps I have yet to draw. 1.10 - 09/16/07: Basic proofreading as well as added the maps section like I promised; they're hand-drawn and I write small but they should be legible. 1.00 - 08/14/07: Walkthrough [finally] finished; I'll more than likely find mistakes in it as soon as I submit it so if you see any, feel free to let me know; I'm also considering adding links to hand-drawn maps for the tougher-to- follow areas. 0.00 - 06/07/07: Walkthrough started. Hosts: Below are the sites that have permission to host this guide, so you should only be able to find it there. GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com Neoseeker, http://www.neoseeker.com HonestGamers, http://www.honestgamers.com Super Cheats, http://www.supercheats.com GamesRadar, http://www.gamesradar.com http://thenumber35.webs.com/ Legal Info: This document was created for personal, private use. It took several months to write and even more to proofread and finalize, so please respect the work involved and do not do anything with it that you shouldn't: namely, passing it off as your own or posting it anywhere without my permission. Copyright (©) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Georgi Samaras