_____ _ __ _ _ |_ _|_ _| | ___ ___ ___ / _| | |_| |__ ___ | |/ _` | |/ _ \/ __| / _ \| |_ | __| '_ \ / _ \ | | (_| | | __/\__ \ | (_) | _| | |_| | | | __/ |_|\__,_|_|\___||___/ \___/|_| \__|_| |_|\___| _ _ / \ | |__ _ _ ___ ___ / _ \ | '_ \| | | / __/ __| / ___ \| |_) | |_| \__ \__ \ /_/ \_\_.__/ \__, |___/___/ |___/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ VERSION Tear FAQ/Walkthrough By: PeTeRL90 Copyright: 2006-2008 Date Started: October 12, 2006 Date Finished: October 25, 2006 Latest Update: March 30, 2007 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ =================== Table of Contents =================== 1.) Introduction 2.) Legal Stuff 3.) Characters 4.) Basics 5.) Walkthrough 6.) Sidequests a.) Luke b.) Tear c.) Jade d.) Guy e.) Anise f.) Natalia g.) Mieu h.) Other 7.) Bosses 8.) Item List 9.) AD Skills 10.) FAQ 11.) Credits/Thanks 12.) Version History =================== 1.) Introduction =================== Howdy and welcome to my guide for the latest game in the Tales of series: Tales of the Abyss. You see those pants out there lined up? Those are the pants that needed to be cleaned after the confirmation that this game was coming over to the United States. Mine are the blue pants next to the black ones with holes in them. But yeah, this arguably the best Tales of game in the series, and after what Symphonia brought a few years back, it's a huge debate. I liked Symphonia and Legendia, and I wrote guides for those, so I thought to myself "Hey, why not write a guide for Abyss?" And here I am. =================== 2.) Legal Stuff =================== The latest version of this guide will always be posted at GameFAQs first. This FAQ is copyrighted by me, and may be used for personal use. This FAQ may NOT be used for any kind of profit, or be put in any kind of magazine. I write these on my spare time for free, and you shouldn't be able to get money from ripping this, claiming it as your own, and selling it off. You may NOT use this on your website. You may NOT copy and paste part of any part of my work, as that is still plagiarising. I am no longer allowing any more sites to use any of my present or future FAQs any longer. The only sites that are allowed to use my present and future FAQs are the sites listed below. ALLOWED SITES TO USE THIS FAQ AND FUTURE FAQS: http://www.neoseeker.com http://faqs.ign.com http://www.supercheats.com http://www.gamerhelp.com http://www.honestgamers.com =================== 3.) Characters =================== Name: Luke fon Fabre Age: 17 Class: Swordsman Height: 5'7" Weight: 150 lbs. -Luke is the only son of a Duke of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. He lost all memory of his childhood due to the shock of being kidnapped. Since his return he has been a prisoner in his own palace, but his family's wealth has kept him in comfort, leaving him spoiled and naive. His only hobby is practicing with his sword, and, though he lacks refinement, he does possess some skill. Name: Tear Grants Age: 16 Class: Melodist Height: 5'4" Weight: 110 lbs. -Tear is a Seventh Fonist in the military wing of the Order of Lorelei, the religion ovreseeing the Score. She lost both her parents when she was still an infant, and has been raised as a warrior ever since. She is staid and silent, giving her a cold air, but she has a secret weak spot for cute things. A certain incident leads to her joining with Luke on his adventure. I'd also like to point out, my friends, that Tear is the definition of Jailbait. I mean really, that's not a 16 year old girls body. Name: Mieu Age: Unknown Class: Unknown Height: Unknown Weight: Unknown -Mieu is a young cheagle. Cheagles, considered holy by the Order of Lorelei, normally live in herds in the forest, but fate will bring him to join Luke and the others on their adventure. The Sorcerer's Ring that he wears around his tummy allows him to use human speech, and he can use the ring's fonic power to breathe fire. Name: Jade Curtiss Age: 35 Class: Fonist Height: 6'1" Weight: 163 lbs. -Jade is a colonel in the Malkuth Empire's military. He is both a skilled fonish and a master of the spear. He always smiles, so no one knows what he is truly thinking. He is known to be the right-hand man to the Malkuth Emperor, Peony, but he is also known among those in the military as "Jade the Necromancer." Name: Anise Tatlin Age: 13 Class: Puppet Master Height: 5'0" Weight: 93 lbs. -Always cheerful and happy, Anise is a Fon Master Guardian, charged with personally protecting Fon Master Ion, the leader of the Order of Lorelei. The stuffed doll, Tokunaga, that she keeps strapped to her back can grow to gargantuan size, and she fights while riding on its back. She hopes to marry rich, and ever since meeting Luke she has been plotting to become his future duchess. Name: Guy Cecil Age: 21 Class: Swordsman Height: 6'0" Weight: 174 lbs. -Guy is a servant in the Fabre household. He was first taken on as a babysitter, and ever since then, Guy has been like both a brother and a parent to the palace-bound Luke. He is uncomfortable around women, so his kind words to them often lead to awkward situations. Name: Natalia Luzu Kimlasca Lanvaldear (say that 5 times fast) Age: 18 Class: Archer Height: 5'6" Weight: 117 lbs. -Natalia is the princess of the Kingdom of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. She is haughty and arrogant, but at the same time, as a member of the royal family she is concerned for her subjects and for her country. She is proficient with a bow, and difficult situations bring out the true strength of her will. Natalia is engaged to Luke, and her lifelong friendship allows her to freely criticize him for his lapses in judgment. =================== 4.) Basics =================== Battles ------- -Just like all of the other Tales of games, this battle system is in a real time state, which allows you to move your characters to attack your enemies. However, battles in Tales of the Abyss have been beefed up a bit. You are now able to use Free Run (scroll down to find it) and you have a number of skills, or Artes (pronounced Arts) at your disposal to use. There are no random encounters in the game (let alone for scripted fights) and any number of enemies can be on the screen at once. Pressing X will allow you to use a normal attack. Simply pressing X will do a regular slash. Hold right/left (depending on the directions you're facing) and pressing X will swing your weapons upwards. Hold up and pressing X will do a jump slash. Hold down and pressing X will do a sweep attack. Once all the enemies on the screen are defeated, you'll gain experience points and Gald and a certain amount of GRADE depending on how well you fought. Free Run -------- -As pointed out above, you're able to use Free Run in this game, which allows you to freely run around the battlefield which is a first in the Tales of series. In order to use Free Run, first you need to learn it (your other characters will most likely come with it, but Tear and Luke need to learn it) and once you do, simply hold L2 and use the left analog stick to move around the battlefield. However, while Free Running, you can't attack or use spells, so you'll need to let go of L2 in order to attacks. Using this strategically will help you catch enemies offguard and hit them easily. AD Skills --------- -These are some nice skills that you gain as you level up, or you learn them from Capacity Cores. AD Skills are quite useful (Free Run is one of them) and will prove to be helpful in even the most toughest battles. Town Link System ---------------- -Normally in RPGs, shops always have the same items for sale at the same prices, which makes it pretty simple to find what you're looking for. But in Tales of the Abyss, you're able to control the prices of items and the availability of the items in shops by your actions. If you do something to help someone in town, prices may go down for you. This gives you a good feel that your choices actually do matter in the game. Capacity Cores -------------- -Capacity Cores are things you're able to equip on your characters, and each one gives a different stat boost to a character, or holds special AD Skills that can only be learned if the character has it equipped. Looking at a Core and seeing which direction it points in tells you which stats you will get a boost at when you level up. Unequipping a Capacity Core will NOT remove the stat bonuses that you recieved at your previous level ups. Cooking ------- -Cooking is back, and it's the same as before. You gather recipies and then ingredients to cook those recipies. You can cook from the Menu (Triangle button) and select cooking. You can choose which character will do the cooking, and then which item to cook. Then you push the Triangle button to cook the food. As a character cooks more of the same food, they'll get some stars to increase their ability for that food, as well add in some additional ingredients. =================== 5.) Walkthrough =================== Note: There are spoilers in this guide, so read at your own risk. Watch the opening scene, descriping a prophecy or two. Soon, the game will switch to luke looking out his window. It's like that for a minute or so, so be patient. After that, you'll have control of Luke. Get used to the button configurations and the feel of the game and whatnot. When you're ready, exit Luke's room. Head to the right side of the courtyard, and go on through the door. Talk to the maid and go south and use the save point. Talk to the person in here and he'll bring up Van, who is Luke teacher, has come for a visit. Exit the room, and your first skit will become available. Press Select in order to view Skits. There are a lot, and I mean a lot of skits in this game, but none are voiced, so enjoy. Make your way back to Lukes room, and a voice will come inside of Luke's head. Soon, someone else shows up in Luke's room, which is Guy. Guy asks Luke if he wants to practice with his sword, but Luke says he can't since Van is here today. A maid knocks on the door, and Guy flees. You're left to go find your way to the audience room. Exit Lukes room, and head to the left side of the courtyard. Instead of going down, go north into Lukes parents room. Examine the right cabinet for an item. Now exit this room and go all the way south to find the audience chamber. Luke nearly wets himself with excitement when he sees Van. Van explains why he is here, and then heads out to the courtyard to wait for Luke. Make your way to the courtyard to find Guy and Luke. The scene switches to someone singing, and two Guards falling down. The scene switches back to Luke and Van, and you're thrusted into a training session. Van will explain the battle basics to you and tell you what to do in order to attack, guard, use Artes, and use a combination of normal attacks and Artes. Do as Van says. After the training session, Tear comes into the picture and Guy falls asleep. Tear attempts to attack Van, but Luke jumps in the way, causing some sort of portal to occur, teleporting the two somewhere else. ============== TATAROO VALLEY ============== Tear wakes up Luke, and after some talking, an enemy will spot you two, and you'll be in your first real battle. You should remember how to attack and guard and move, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. After the fight, you'll have control of Luke. Head down the path and use the save point. Continue along the path and go left at the fork for a couple of chests. Follow the river to reach the next area. Continue along the path and you'll trigger a scene, in which two enemies will attack you. Oh my, how will Luke ever manage. During the fight, Tear will instruct you about targetting your enemies. Once the enemies are defeated, go right for a couple of chests. Head back and go left and follow it as it bends to the right. Hug along the top portion of this road and you'll find a hidden path that leads to a chest. Open it. Go back to the main path and follow it and you'll soon bump into a man. Tear will offer her pendant to ride in the Coach. Use the save point and grab the chest behind it as well. Now talk with the man whenever you're ready to exit the Valley. Once outside, you'll spot another Coach running away from some kind of ship. The coach you're in pulls away so you're not in the middle of the crossfire. You'll then learn that you hopped onto the wrong coach and are going in the wrong directions from where you intentionally were going to go. You'll then have a choice to make: either ride to Engeve, or walk to it. I picked the second option. If you choose that, then head directly to the east and you'll spot a bridge. A scene will trigger and you'll get a tutorial about Cooking. After that's all done, it's time to move on. Head over the bridge and read the sign in the middle of the road to find the direction to Engeve. Follow the path and you'll reach it in a matter of seconds. ============== ENGEVE ============== Once you enter, a scene will trigger, with Tear asking for directions. The bridge seems to be down, and you'll need to go through a checkpoint, but you don't have passports at all. Well, with that in mind, it's time to explore the town. Head left from the entrance to find the inn, but it appears there's an angry mob with pitchforks and torches hunting Dracula. Okay, maybe not. But even still, you can't get in yet. Head back to the right and head north and another scene will trigger, with Luke taking an apple from the merchant, and eats it without paying. This just shows how ignorant Luke is about the world around him, but I guess you can't really blame him since he can't leave the mansion. Anywho, Tear will teach you how to pay for items (seriously now) and whatnot. Talk with the merchants to find several different items on sale. Go past the man ringing a bell and behind the house and go through the back door. Open the chest for an item. Exit, and head back down and go across the bridge to the left to reach the next section of town. Head into the most left house and talk with the woman cooking something. She will ask you to fetch some Miso from an old woman. Exit the house and enter the house to the right of this one to find the old woman. Talk with her and go back to the previous house and give the lady the Miso. As a reward, you'll learn the recipie for Spaghetti, as well as some ingredients. Hooray!... I think. Exit the house and make your way back to the Inn, in which another scene will trigger. Luke will then be accused of stealing all the towns food. Luke is taken to a house that belongs to someone named Rose. The man from the ship chasing the Coach will be there as well. He'll introduce himself as Jade Curtiss. After some more scenes, someone else walks into the house: Fon Master Ion. Ion shows some evidence from the food thieves, and it is believed to belong to a Cheagle. After some more scenes, you'll be in control of Luke once again. Head back to the Inn. Talk to the man to the right of you to buy some equipment, though you most likely don't have enough Gald to fully upgrade. Now head up and talk to the Innkeeper, Kelly, and he'll let you stay for free because of the little mishap earlier. Once in control, save your game and exit town, and head north and into the woods. Look for a big tree in the middle of a forest. That's your next destination. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Pyscho Penguin has informed me of an item that you can get in Engeve after a certain quest. From Psycho Penguin: you talk to the grocer who luke stole the apple from, after the inn scene. he asks you to bring back a box from the cheagle forest. you go get it and bring it to him and he gives you the collectors book. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ ============== CHEAGLE WOODS ============== As you enter, you'll spot Ion being surronded by monsters, but Ion does some kind of spell to destroy them, and then collapses to the ground. Luke then properly introduces himself to Ion, as does Tear. After some more talking, you'll be in control. Head up to the fork and go to the right and down. Follow the path around to find a chest (it looks like a pile of rocks, but it is actually a chest.) Continue to the next screen, and you'll spot that Cheagle again. Watch the scenes. Continue down the path and you'll find some apples on the ground. Examine them to trigger another scene. Once you're back in control, don't enter the giant tree just yet. Instead, head around it and follow the path to reach a new screen. Take both paths at the fork to find two chests. Now head back to the tree and head inside to find a lot of Cheagles. The Elder steps up and explains the situation. Apparently, one of the Cheagles burned down the Ligers home, and the Ligers got super pissed, so they start demanding the Cheagles steal food from the village, or else the Ligers would eat a Cheagle each day. Poor little guys. The elder calls forth one of the little Cheagles, and gives it the Sorcerer's Ring. Meet Mieu. Once in control, talk with the Elder to rest, and use the save point. Exit the tree now. Mieu will show that it can breathe fire. The Sorcerer's Ring helps the little fellow breathe the fire, and that'll prove to be helpful for us. Before advancing any further, go down another screen, and then to the right to find a bunch of vines guarding a path. Use Mieu to get rid of them, and open the chest at the end. Backtrack to the screen before the giant tree, and go to the right at the fork. Use Mieu to burn the roots of the tree and cross it. Keep going and then a scene will trigger, which leads to the introduction of the Capacity Cores. Go up and burn the roots of the tree across the river to cross it. Go left at the fork for a chest, and then head up to enter a cave, which happens to be the home of the Ligers. Once you enter, you'll get into a fight, so make sure you're at full health. Continue down the slope, and use Mieu to burn the vines holding the chest. Continue down the slopes, grabbing the chest along the way. Once you reach the bottom, continue to the right to find a save point that will completely heal your HP and TP. Use it and open the chest. Continue to the next screen to find the Liger Queen. Once you enter, it roars at Mieu, which is its way of telling you to piss off. The Liger Queen is about to hatch some eggs, but due to circumstances, Tear wants to destroy them all, which leads to our first boss fight. O-------------------O | Liger Queen | O-------------------O | HP | 10,200 | O-------------------O -Pretty sweet music, eh? That HP total is not a typo (well, maybe it is since I was dumb enough not to write down the HP total during the entire fight) but the HP total is surely in the 10k range. The Liger Queen herself isn't very tough. Simply guarding her will render her defenseless, which opens you up to attack her three times, and then use a Fang Blade. After the Liger Queen loses about a quarter of its health, Jade steps in to help. From this point on, this fight is a breeze, since Jade hacked his stats and has God Mode on (not really, but it's close enough). Just attack and let Jade rip it apart with ease. Jade calls Anise over after the battle (I know I've heard Jade's and Anise's VAs before, but I just can't remember where). After some more talking, head back to the Cheagle Elder and make your report. Mieu will then be tagging along to repay you for saving him. Now make your way to the entrance. Once you reach there, a scene will occur, with Jade having Luke and Tear arrested. Well isn't that just fan-effin-tastic. ============== TARTARUS ============== You'll be in some kind of interrogation room. Jade, Ion, and Anise are all there and Jade starts talking. Ion claims there isn't any evil in either Luke or Tear. Jade also explains the situation he is in. Jade and Ion soon leave, and Anise goes over to Luke and wants to show him around the ship. That's funny. Anise hasn't known Luke for long, and yet she's already making the moves on him. Gee, I bet it couldn't be that Luke is a rich man and comes from a noble family. Nope, that sure can't be it. Once in control, head up and enter the second door on your left. Head to the left side of the room to find a chest. Continue down the hall and you'll soon reach the deck. Talk with both Ion and Jade. Make your way back to the interrogation room and talk with the guard in here, and say that you're ready to talk with Jade. Jade and Ion will explain the current situations. They also bring up how they need Luke's help, mainly because of what family he's from. Head out into the hallway and head down it and talk with Jade to trigger a scene. The alarm goes off, and Griffons start attacking the ship as well as drop Ligers onto it. Luke decides to make a break for it, but a large man by the name of Largo steps in to stop him and pins him against the wall. Largo then throws a cube over Jade, which nullifies his magic abilities. Mieu fires up at the ceiling, and during the confusion, Anise runs off to get Ion, and Jade stabs Largo, with Luke shaking over it. It's time to take back the ship. Oh, and Jade is no longer a hacker. His stats and level are down to what yours basically are, so no more breezing through fights. Climb up the ladder that's closest to you, and climb the next ladder. Head along the path and Tear will put the guards to sleep. Luke stays out with Mieu and starts hurting him (Poor little guy) while Tear and Jade head on inside. Luke gets a little excited, and the guard wakes up and attacks Luke. After hitting him once or twice, Luke, in self defense, will stab the guard, which ends up killing him, and Luke seem disturbed by the fact that he actually killed someone. Soon, a voice comes out, and a red haired man drops down. After some talking, you'll be in a jailcell. Jade thinks out a plan about ambushing the guards so they can take Ion back. After some more talking, Jade hits the switch to release the bars of the cell. Jade runs to the speaker, and says a command that shuts down the entire ship, which he claims should buy them some time. Well, let's not let that time go to waste by drinking beer and playing poker. Head down and into the room to find a chest containing your equipment. Now explore the left doors until you find a room that has 3 chests in a box puzzle. It's a simple puzzle, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. After getting the chests, exit and head to the room where you found your equipment and head into the room below it to find another box puzzle. Solve it and watch a scene. Open the chest and head through the hole. Make your way up the ladders and then once you're on the deck, head all the way to the right portion of the ship and head through the upper door. A scene will trigger, with one of the Six God-Generals with Ion. The party surprises her, and Tear comes down, only to recognize the lady as Legretta. Luke then uses Mieu to knock the soldier over the head. I hate Luke now. Anyway, a Liger catches Tear off guard, and the situation goes back to the guards, until someone jumps down. It's Guy! Talk about good timing. With Guy catching them off guard, the situation goes back to your favor, and then they're gone. After some more talking, you'll be left to get to your next destination: St. Binah. On the world map, go southeast, but along the way, a scene will trigger. Guy introduces himself, and he shakes hands with Jade and Ion, but once Tear gets close, Guy quickly backs away and starts shaking. Yes, Guy has gynophobia. It means he's afraid of women. No, he's not gay, so don't ask. Guy brings up that Van is looking for Luke. During the talking, the party is interrupted by some Oracle Knights. Lay waste to them. Luke tries to kill the guard, but can't, and the guard knocks away his sword, and is about to slice Luke until Tear jumps in the way. You'll then be around a campfire. Talk with everyone but save Tear for last. After talking with Tear, talk with Mieu to rest up. Once in control, continue to the southeast until you find St. Binah. ============== ST. BINAH ============== Upon entering, you'll find the Oracle Knights standing guard, so we can't go in yet. Luckily, a wagon from Engeve stops by, and since there's another one behind it, the party decides to hitch a ride on the second. Rose is driving it, and she agrees to help you out with it. Once you're in town, check out all the shops. Head to the eastern part of town, and enter the house on the left. Head to the left side of the house and examine the book on the floor to learn a recipe for a Sammich... I mean Sandwich. At the end of this portion of town is a Medicine shop that sells Gels and Ailment Curing items. Head back to the western part of town, and head to the house with the two guards in front of it. Watch the following scenes. It appears Anise left a letter for Jade, but it's mostly about her talking to Luke. Jade mentions that your next destination is to the southwest. You'll recieve the World Map after the scenes. Press R3 (push the right analog stick down) to bring it up. You can zoom in into towns you've visited before, so it shouldn't be too hard to navigate. After reciving the map, exit the house and head for the entrance of the town and a scene will occur with the Six God-Generals. Largo and Legretta are still there, as well as Arietta, but it appears someone else is there with them: Sync and Dist. Asch is missing. Watch the scenes, and Sync pulls the Knights from town, as he points out the party will be heading to the southwest next. Looks like the little bastard is one step ahead of us. After the scenes, head to th einn and choose to rest up. In the inn, Ion mentions a place called Sephiroth (Oh dear lord no...). Once you're in control, exit St. Binah, and head southwestish direction. You'll eventually run into a huge group of rocks. Head for it to find your next destination. ============== FUBRAS RIVER ============== Just to make a little note, this is where I replaced Luke with Guy to control in battles. It's up to you if you want to do that, though. Once in control, go to the left to find a chest in some vines. Use Mieu to get rid of them. Now head down the path and continue down it until Jade pulls you over, and offers you to teach you how to use FOF Fields effeciently. View the tutorial if you wish. Once the tutorial and battle is over, head right for an item. Now go down and left for a chest, and then go down the most left wooden barrier and go through the opening to reach the next section. Check on the left to find a chest. Head down and you'll eventually bump into a save point. Go right of the save point, and then up to reach another screen that has a chest. Defeat the Zombie here too if you wish. Backtrack to the save point. From there, head down and to the right for a chest. Head back to th esave point, and go left and down until you reach the next screen. Open the chest here, and follow the river and head right and down. A scene will trigger with Arietta. As it turns out, Arietta is out for your heads, because you killed her Mother, which apparently was the Liger Queen that you defeated back at the Cheagle Forest. As Arietta is about to attack, an earthquake occurs, causing poison gas to come out. Tear uses a shield to block it out momentarily so you can escape. Once in control, go to the right for a chest. Head down for another chest. Now go to the left and hten up for another chest. Follow the path and you'll eventually reach the exit. On the world map, head south and you'll eventually spot a town. That would be Kaitzur. As you venture there, another scene triggers, with Jade asking about how Tear learned her songs. After it, enter the town. ============== KAITZUR ============== Enter the first building you see and rest up to refill your HP and TP. Luke will also learn Sonic Thrust. After that's over, continue down and you'll spot Anise. After the reunion, Van comes in, and says he wishes to speak with you at the Inn. Head for it and talk with him, and you'll recieve passports. Once the scene is over, head back down to the bridge, and show the guards your passports. Head on down. Examine the right building to find an equipment shop, but all the things are pricey. Once you're done, exit the town. Head south to find the Kaitzur Naval Port. ================== KAITZUR NAVAL PORT ================== As you come in, the first thing you'll realize is that the Port is under attack, and that Van somehow got here before you. (damn cheater) Head all the way down to where the ships are docked, and you'll find Arietta. She claims that Asch told her to do this, and she tells you that she's kidnapped the main engineer and that you'll need to go to Choral Castle to get him back, and to bring Ion as well. Well, isn't that just fine and dandy. Use the inn if needed, and attempt to exit, and a scene will trigger. After it, exit the town. To reach Choral Castle, follow the dirt road until you find a signpost. Take the other dirtpath and follow it until it breaks off into a huge field. Go east between the forests and you'll eventually find the castle. ============== CHORAL CASTLE ============== Head down the path and enter the castle. A scene will trigger, which will introduce you to Surprise Encounters, meaning your 5th party member will be taking a role in this fight. After it, use the save point, and go into the room near it. Examine the right door with the purple glow from it. Exit and go right and up the stairs and head down to reach the Balcony. Head left and go through the door. You'll find a ghost with a red orb in it. If you get close, he'll run away. Grab the nearest statue, and pull it down as far as you can to the left of the railing. Pull the other statue from the passageway, and pull that down as far as it will go. If done correctly, it'll form a barricade. Exit this room and re-enter it. Don't attack the ghost yet. Instead, go through the left door. Go down the stairs here to find a chest. Head down and exit the hallway. You'll bump into a ghost with a yellow orb in it. It'll chase you around and if you fight it, you'll recieve the yellow orb. Go outside to find another chest. Go back to the stairs and head back to where the ghost with the red orb is. Fight it and get the red orb. Go back to the stairs, and while you go up them, explore the side rooms to find treasure chests. As you make your way up, you'll eventually spot a ghost with a blue gem. Use Mieu to breathe fire on it to freeze it. Continue to the top and you'll find a chest. Ignore the ghost with the green orb. With the red and blue gems in hand, make your way back to the save point, and go into the room with the door with a purple orb. Examine it and it should open. Head down the stairs and you'll eventually find a huge machine. Stepping on it triggers a scene. After the scene, continue along the path to the right to reach the next screen. You'll spot a Liger running away. Continue into that room and head up the stairs and you'll find a save point that heals your HP and TP. Also make sure to explore the side rooms as you make your way up to the top. Once you reach the top, you'll spot the Liger, but Luke suddenly gets picked up by a monster, as does Anise, but Areitta commands the monster to drop Anise and she lands on her face. After some more talking, Luke is taken away, and another scene occurs involving Luke inside that huge machine you found. Guy comes to the rescue, knocking off Sync's mask, and in the moment of shock over Guy, Sync kicks Guy away and makes a break for it. You'll get Luke back. Make your way back to where the healing save point is and make your way back all the way to the top to find Arietta. She isn't playing around this time. O-----------------O | Arietta | O-----------------O | HP | 3000 | O-----------------O -Talk about a tough battle. Arietta comes with two other monsters, in which you'll want to care of first for obvious reasons. Free Run will play a huge factor in this fight, as Arietta casts some pretty powerful spells such as Limited, and will often use a FOF Effect to use Spark Wave. Take out the Liger first while using Free Run to avoid Ariettas spells. The Liger hits hard, and since you may not be able to use items on your other characters, you'll need to be extra careful. Once the Liger is gone, focus on the other monster. Once it's gone, Arietta shouldn't be too hard to finish off. After the fight, Jade is read yto finish off Arietta for good this time, but Ion gets in the way. Van decides to take Arietta back instead. You'll then get a choice of hitching a ride back, or walking. Choose whichever, and make your way back to the port. ================== KAITZUR NAVAL PORT ================== Head to the other building in the port, and you'll find Van. Luke requests that a message be sent. After the scene, you'll rest and get your HP and TP restored. Head down to the port and talk to the guard near the ship and tell him that you're ready to board. ============== KATSBERT FERRY ============== Try to leave your room, and the voice will come inside of Lukes head again. Once you exit, a soldier will tell you that Van is waiting for you on the deck. Head down the hallway and go up the first set of stairs, followed by the next set of stairs to find a chest. Open it and go back down. Before going through the door, head to the right and hug along the right wall until you get the choice to examine something. Do so to recieve an item. Exit. While on the deck, talk with everyone if you wish. I'm not sure if the choice with Anise makes an impact or not. Go talk to Tear on the far side of the ship. After the scene, continue along the deck until a scene triggers, in which the voice in Luke's head comes back, and starts controlling his body. Van comes out, and tells Luke to come calm down. Luke learns about this ability of his, and finds out that he's been kept at the castle so he could be used as a tool of war. After some more scenes, you'll reach your destination. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Explore the town, examining all the shops and whatnot. While walking around the town, you'll bump into a lady that tries to seduce Luke, and then starts to waltz off until Tear jumps in and demands to give back what she stole. The lady, Noir, then runs off, but Tear knocks one of the members down and demands the wallet back. Continue searching the town, and you'll eventually find a huge mansion. Head inside, and Guy will want to analyze the Fon Disc. You'll recieve the results seconds later. Head back into the mansion and examine around it and you'll eventually find an Accessory for Anise. (It's in a drawer) Now exit the mansion, and head back to the markets and a guard will find you, telling you the ship is ready. However, Sync suddenly comes into the picture, and puts some weird mark on Guys right arm. Sync takes the disc, but Guy retreats with the results from the disc, as does everyone else. You'll be back on the Ferry. ============== KATSBERT FERRY ============== During the scene, a soldier will rush in, telling you the ship is under attack and then some Oracle Knights come in. Once you defeat them, head down the hallway and up the stairs and head for the deck. Out here, some little poorly built robot steals a fragment from one of the sailors. Here starts a minigame and it's quite simple. You need to run after the crude robot, but when the boat starts to shake, you need to walk instead of run. You should be able to catch the little critter fairly quickly. Once you do, you'll recieve the fragment back, and the little guy will jump off the ship... only to realize that robots and water don't mix. You'll recieve a Capicity Core from the sailor. Continue along the deck, and Dist will come to pay your a visit. After some talking, you're thrusted into a fight. O---------------------O | Kaiser Dist R | O---------------------O | HP | 19,000 | O---------------------O -If you're controlling Guy, and he has Crescent Strike, this battle shouldn't be too hard. The Kaiser has a lot of HP as well as decent Defense, but he's weak to Water. If there's a Water FOF on the field, have Guy get in it and use Crescent Strike to get an FOF Effect going to do some decent damage on the Kaiser. The Kaiser's attacks aren't very strong, but because this battle will last awhile, your other party members may run out of TP here. Just keep using your best Artes and you'll win eventually. After the fight, you'll be in Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== Once you arrive, you'll be greeted by a General. After the scene, you'll need to head for the castle. Baticul is a huge city. Explore the town if you want, and then ride the cable car to the next section of town. Find the elevator and take it up to reach the next section of town. Ride the next elevator to finally reach the castle. Head along the path and watch the scene. Enter it and go up the stairs to find the King. Watch the scene. Exit and head for where Lukes quarters are. Head along to Lukes mothers room and you'll bump into Natalia along the way. Watch the scene here, and head for Luke's mothers room and watch the scene in here. Head for Lukes room and rest up. Luke wakes up and a maid comes into Lukes room, telling him that Natalia wants to see him at the castle. Watch some talking, and head to the throne room. A town requests your aid, and Luke is named the Good Will Ambassador. Can't say that Luke would be my first choice. Luke agrees to do this so that Van will be released. Now it's time to find Van. Exit the room and go down the stairs and head through the left door and follow the path until you find Van. Van explains what he wants to do with Luke, and admits that he was the one that kidnapped Luke 7 years ago. After the scene, make your way to the city and you'll bump into everyone else. Anise explains the situation and Guy says there's probably another way to leave town without being spotted. Use the elevator and go down, and before you go any further, Guy says he wants to take Luke somewhere. You'll be in Miyagi's Dogo, and you'll be able to use FSC's, or Fonslot Chambers. These will enhance your current Artes depending on the stone you put in it. You'll also recieve an item that lets you change the order of your party during battles. This is great in healing your other characters. Once in control, head to the right side of town and use the Aircar and use it to enter the Factor. ================= ABANDONED FACTORY ================= Once you etner, Guy will explain about the Factory, and then a voice calls out to him. It appears that woman that went on ahead of us was Natalia, and it seems she's pretty stubborn about wanting to go with you. Luke doesn't want to take her along until Natalia pulls him aside, and blackmails him. How nice. From the start climb the ladder that's next to you and open the chest up at the top. Climb back down and use the next ladder that goes down. Head for the chest, and the pipe will break, moving the chest away from you. We'll get this in a bit. Head back up the ladder and head right to find a chest. Now climb up the ladder, and then climb up the next ladder. Head along the pipes and climb down the next two ladders, and follow the path and you'll find the chest that dropped from the pipe. Open it up. Head back and go into the door. After a scene, go down the ladder and open the chest. Go back up and go up the ramp and activate the switch here. Use the elevator and climb the ladder and head along the pipe to find a chest containing a Scimitar. Go back down the ladder and go along the main path until you reach an intersection. Go down for a chest. Go back and go up and then up the ladder. You'll get a scene on how to light the drumbarrels here. Light it up with Mieu, and activate the switch next to you. Go through the door and go past the Aircar and down the ladder. Run along the pipe and the pipe will break, and oil will pour out of it. Head down to get the chest, and go back up the ladder and return to the previous room. Take the elevator down and step on the pipe and it will break. Go down it and head into the door. You'll find another drumbarrel, and some oil dripping into it. You'll need to time yourself and use Mieu to hit an oil drop as it falls to light the barrel. Once you light it, go back to where the Aircar was, and activate the switch for it. Once you land, you'll find a device that changes where the oil flows. Make it flow to the left first. Once it does, hop back into the Aircar and go to the right and take the ladder down. You'll see the oil dripping. Use Mieu to light it and backtrack to where the oil controlling machine is. Change the oil direction to the right this time and follow the path. Take the ladder going down before the door and follow the pipe to find a chest with some Gald in it. Go back up and go back to the save point. Use it and activate the switch near the save point and ride the elevator up. Follow the path to reach the next screen. Grab the chest in his room and follow the pipes, lowering the ladders as you do. Now climb down the ladder that's near the healing save point, and push the oil drum over the edge. Push it to where the gap is along the wall, and line it up with it and push it over. Now go back up and work your way around the pipes until one of them breaks and oil spills into the drumbarrel. Go back to the barrel and use Mieu to light it. Go back up and head for the healing save point. Use it and activate the switch for the Aircar and use it, and you'll trigger a scene. O-----------------O | Abaddon | O-----------------O | HP | 22,000 | O-----------------O -The only damaging attack this boss really has is Negative Gate, and it can easily be avoided with Free Run, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. The boss at first has slime covered all around it. As you attack it, it'll form into a giant spider. This is where he starts to get a bit tougher. Sometimes he'll unleash several little spiders. Free Run around those and continue using your best Artes on him. Make sure to keep Tear's or Natalia's TP up. This boss isn't very hard compared to Arietta. After some talking, exit the Factory, and you'll come across your first anime cutscene of the game, with Luke and Asch. During the fight, Luke is shocked and disturbed to see that Asch the Bloody looks just like him. Once on the world map, head along the coast and head east and you'll eventually find the Oasis. ============== DESERT OASIS ============== Luke hears the voice again, but he soon realizes that the voice is actually Asch's. Asch tells Luke that Ion as at the Zao Ruins. Once in control, examine the shops and talk with everyone. Once you think you're ready, exit the Oasis and head directly east. ============== ZAO RUINS ============== The first part is pretty straightforward. Just go down the spiraling stairs and once you reach the bottom, open the chest and head down to the next screen. Ignore the left branch and continue down and you'll eventually reach an item and a scene. Mieu will be able to bust open rocks now. In order to change what Mieu does, hold R2 and push left and right to shuffle through his abilties. Make sure it's set so that he can break rocks, and make your way back up and take the left path this time. Go down the slope to the right for a chest containing some Gald. Go back up and use Mieu to break the rocks to continue on. Go left and break the rocks here for a chest. Go across the bridge and get rid of these rocks for another chest. Use the save point and continue along the path. Grab the next chest as you come across it. As you go along, some rocks will fall in front of a chest. Use Mieu to break it and grab the chest. Continue along the path and soon some of the bridge will crumble. Continue along the path and go right at the split and go down the slope. Once you reach the bottom, break some rocks for a chest. Cross the bridge and break the rocks you come across for another chest. Head down to reach the next screen. Follow the linear path here, and you'll find a healing save point. Make sure to use this. Head up to the next screen to find Asch, Sync, and Largo with Ion. Seems like your presence is not welcomed here. Go figure. O----------------O O-----------------O | Sync | | Largo | O----------------O O-----------------O | HP | 13,000 | | HP | 17,000 | O----------------O O-----------------O -This is going to be a very tough fight, so I'm hoping you used that previous save point. You'll want to target Sync first since he has less HP and is much quicker than Largo. Sync's attacks do quite a bit of damage, and you may find your other characters getting hurt pretty quickly, so take him out as fast as possible. Sync has a tendency to use Arcane Artes on frequent basis, so if you see him ready to use one, quickly run away from him so you won't be caught up in the attack. Once Sync is down, Largo should be rather easy to take down. Though his attacks hit just as hard as Sync's, he's much slower, so you shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding him. Just make sure to switch characters on a frequent basis so that you can heal them if you can't heal them yourself yet. After the fight, watch the following scenes, you'll be back in control. Head for the save point, and another scene will trigger, introducing the use of Wing Bottles. The sparkly things above a save point indicate that you can use a Wing Bottle to automatically exit the dungeon. Then you magically recieve a Wing Bottle, so try it out and don't ask how you got it. Once you exit the Ruins, watch the scene, and exit the Ruins. Head northwest to find Chesedonia. If you get lost, just look at the large red dot on your map to find your way there. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Luke suffers from a headache again, and Asch tells him to pull out his sword and to turn it against Tear. Luke does so, and then just collapses. You'll be at the inn, and everyone asks what could the problem be with Luke. Once in control, shop around if you want, and head for the Malkuth Consul building. Enter the back door and talk with the person there. During the talking, the scene shifts to Sync outside, and then Guys body starts acting on his own. Jade recognizes the Curse Slot. It's more powerful if the user is nearby, so the party decides to leave Chesedonia right away. You'll then be on the ship, and then at the Kaitzur Naval Port. ================== KAITZUR NAVAL PORT ================== Head for the exit, and Jade will tell you to go northeast to cross the Deo Pass. Let's do so. If you want, you can go to Choral Castle and fight the first Sword Dancer if you wish. ============== DEO PASS ============== Watch the scene when you enter. After it, break the rock with Mieu, and hit the tree with Mieu as well and a chest will fall out. Open it for an Apple Gel. Continue along the path and take a right at the split. Head along the path and break the rock at the end to find a chest containing 1600 Gald. Head back and continue along the main path. Hit the tree in the next area for a Panacea Bottle. Now go left and down for a Gothic Mace. Go back up the slope and continue following the main path. Go down the slope going under the bridge and hit the tree with Mieu for a chest containing 1800 Gald. Head back up and go across the bridge this time. Ion will then get tired, and the party suggests that you rest, but Luke, being the thick headed brat he is, demands to move on, but decides to rest in the end for Ion. After the scene, use the save point. Go right and down the slope. Break the rock along the way for a chest containing a Cobalt Chamber. At the split, go down and down the slope until you find a tree. Hit it to find a chest containing an Apple Gel. Now head down from the middle and hit the chest here to throw out a chest into a broken down hut. Go back and go right and make sure to save your game. Head left to reach the next screen and to find a chest containing an Orange Gel. Head back to the previous area and hit the tree to make a chest appear. Open it up for an Apple Gel. Go left and break the rocks for a chest containing 1500 Gald. Go up and go along the path that has grass on it and climb the ladder at the end. Open the chest for a Steel Blow. Before advancing, head back to the save point and save your game. Make your way back here and go down the bottom slope and a scene will trigger. Boss time. O------------------O | Legretta | O------------------O | HP | 31,000 | O------------------O -Since Legretta uses some Guns as her weapon, you can guess that she'll mostly attack in a linear fashion. This makes it easy to dodge her in Free Run, but her attacks do a lot of damage, so you may need to do some character switching to use healing items. Legretta will sometimes use an Arcane Arte attack that hurts a lot, so if you see her raise some fire from the ground, quickly run away. That HP total will take awhile to knock off, so make sure you have enough healing supplies to last through out the fight. Just make sure not to stand still and use your best Arte combos or Arcane combos and you'll come out on top eventually. After the scene, Jade starts to get angry, and then goes back to being the calm smartass that we know and love. Exit to the world map. Follow the road and go east at the split and you'll find your next destination. ============== AKZERIUTH ============== You'll see how bad the situation is once you enter. Natalia goes over to see how someone is fareing, but Luke tells her not to get close or else she might catch what they have. After some more talking, you'll be in control. Work your way to the bottom to find the Inn, as well as some shops. The Inn is free, so use it and buy anything if needed. Also make sure to explore the houses, as one people will give you some free items. Once you're all set, use the elevator and enter the tunnel. ======================= AKZERIUTH MINE SHAFT 14 ======================= A soldier will come up to Tear, telling her some business. Ion tells Tear to go ahead and confirm the Fon Stone. With that, Tear leaves the party. Once you enter, take the left path and open the chest at the end for a Panacea Bottle. Now head all the way to the right until you hit the wall and go down the slope to go back into town. Grab the chest out here for some Archery Gloves for Natalia. Go back in and go through the other door. Take a left at the next split for a chest containing a Steel Circlet. Continue along the path. Grab the chest in here for a Life Bottle, and then continue down the path until you reach a split. Go down the path that has no tracks and open the two chests at the end for a Carmine Chamber and 5500 Gald. Continue along and take the next trackless path for a chest containing a Nocer Forte. Continue along the main path and take the next split for a chest containing a Cobalt Chamber. Head off the track and go right and then back for a chest that has a Halberd in it. Continue to the next screen to find the miasma is really bad here. Asch will tell Luke not to go any further, but Luke ignores him. Go down the path and talk to Van once you reach him. Ion will open the door. Follow the next set of paths, and Asch will continue to warn you not to go in. Soon you'll be in a hall with a straight path and an odd device at the end of it. Go to it for a scene. Upon being told to do so by Van, Luke uses his power to use the device, and then Asch arrives. Van flees along with Asch. Tear and the others come in, and Tear begins a Hymn to try to protect the party from the earthquake. You'll wake up near a healing save point. Use it and talk with everyone, but save Tear for last. Tear spots a survivor, who happens to be a little boy. He cries out for his mommy and daddy before sinking into the mud. Jade suggests that you should head to the Tartarus. Upon entering, Tear mentions a city named Yulia City. You'll then gain control. Head west until the screen blackens. Another scene occurs, with the party turning on Luke. Once in control again, continue to the west and you'll eventually reach Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== The party heads into the city, except for Luke, so stays back and says he doesn't want to go. Asch's voice appears, and he jumps out of nowhere again. Seriously, how does he just come from out of nowhere? Asch calls Luke a replica like Van did, and Luke gets confused. Tear tries to stop Asch, but Asch tells him that Luke is just a clone, and that Asch is the real Luke, the Luke that was captured 7 years ago. Luke gets pissy, and draws his sword out. You'll then get to fight Asch. You can win or lose, it doesn't matter. Winning will consume a handful of healing items, and you get nothing for winning, so just go ahead and throw the fight. Some more talking occurs, and you'll be in control of Asch. One thing to note here. DO NOT equip any Capacity Cores on Asch whatsoever. The stat boosts will be meaningless. Asch has the same level as Luke, and same skills, plus some magic ones. Now with Asch, examine the closet for a Deck Brush. Head down stairs and examine the table for a recipe for Ramen. Exit the house and find and talk with your party members. If you head all the way left in this area, you'll find a man that wants 3 Apple Gels. Give them to him, as it's a little sidequest for Tear. Now enter the center building. Buy some items from the merchant on your left if needed. Save your game if you want and go to the top floow and head across the table and talk with the Mayor. Watch the talking, and you'll be asked if you're ready to go. If you are, say that you are. After some scenes, you'll then be back up in the Outer World. You'll now need to find a place called Belkend. The port for Belkend is on the same continent at Baticul, and the port is in the outer southwest section of the continent, so hover the Tartarus around there until you find it. ============== PORT BELKEND ============== Exit the port and go south to reach Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== As soon as you enter, examine the machine on the right, and a grabber will come down and pick up the box and drop it, smashing it, revealing a chest. Head over and open it for an Orange Gel. Continue along the path until you can go down and right and under the bridge. Do so and examine the little hatch to find someone stuck in there. Help him out and he'll give you a new recipe. Now go back up and continue left until you can't go left anymore and enter the huge building here. Go into the next room, and go through the right door. Examine the drawers until you find a Dark Seal. Check behind the drawer behind the doctor for a Warrior Maiden. Head back and continue straight and follow the path and you'll eventually reach your destination. You'll meet a scientist that recognizes Jade. After some talking, make your way to the exit. As you leave, Guy will tell you that he's going back to Luke, and with that, Guy leaves the party. Exit Belkend, and go on the Tartarus. Before going to the Ortion Cavern, first find the Sheridan Port (it should be on the east side of a huge brown continent on the west side of the map) and approach an old man surrounded by thugs. Natalia will learn a new Arte from him. When you're ready, move the Tartarus back to Port Belkend. From there, go west to the huge brown continent, and follow the coast line southwest, and follow it as it bends and you'll eventually find the cave. ============== ORTION CAVERN ============== Head inside the cavern and open the chest you see for a Ruby Wand. Continue along, and a scene will trigger with Natalia examining three Jellyfish type enemies, until they attack her. Asch steps in and gets rid of them. Open the chest that's close to you for a LIfe Bottle. Ignore the elevator and head along the path to reach the next screen. Grab the chest here for a Grass Chamber. Continue to reach the next screen. At the split, go down for a chest containing a Nimble Rapier. Go up and follow the path and use the save point. Head through the door. You'll find a huge machine. Asch examines it and you'll find two Cheagles who were part of a replica experiment. After the scene, make your way back to the entrance, but we're stopped well short of our destination. O-------------------O | Ancylopolyp | O-------------------O | HP | 35,000 | O-------------------O -This boss comes with those three Jellyfish type enemies you found earlier, and if you destroy them, he'll summon some more. Either way, get rid of the Jellyfish enemies first, as they'll become a pain for your spellcasters if you leave them alive for too long. The Ancylopolyp's attacks are easy to dodge with Free Run, so if you see him winding up for an attack, quickly run away. After you do enough damage, he'll go into a shell state where he will be invulnerable for a few seconds, so focus on the Jellyfish enemies if he summoned more. It's not a really tough fight, so just keep your attention on the main boss for most of the time. As you make your way back to the ship, an earthquake occurs. Asch also mentions that Van is targetting St. Binah. He then kicks Luke out of himself. ============== YULIA CITY ============== Luke wakes up and is greeted by Mieu. Luke looks out the window, and sees Tear standing in a flower bed. Luke then ventures outside to where Tear is, and tells her that St. Binah is going to fall. Tear says to stop listening to Van and Asch, and to start thinking for himself. Luke agrees, and then says he wants to change. He asks Tear for one of her knives. An anime cutscene occurs with Tear handing over the knife, and Luke cuts off his hair in order to symbolize his wanting to change. It's about time he stopped being a little bitch. Tear suggests going to visit her grandfather, or the mayor. Head for the first floor of Tears house and go through the back door, and Tear will ask you for some help with character identification. After the scene, examine the left side of the room for a chest containing a Scild Forte. Exit the house and go to the man that you gave 3 Apple Gels to. He wants 5 Rices now. Give them to him if you have any. Head for the Mayors room, but a woman comes and stops you just short. She asks Tear to visit her before leaving. Before visitng the Mayor, go down and enter the lower door in this building and talk with the lady. After the scene, Tear will learn Holy Song. Go visit the Mayor now, and he'll talk about how Akzeriuth was supposed to be destroyed because the Score said it would be. After some more talking, you'll be in control. Head back to Tear's house and head to her room and she'll give you an item helping Luke control his Fonons. After some more scenes, head back to the Mayors building, and go to the second floor. Take the right exit to reach your next destination. ============== ARAMIS SPRING ============== Follow the path upwards and open the chest for a Carmine Chamber. Continue along and you'll eventually bump into Guy who was waiting for you. After some talking, you'll be in control. The first thing you'll notice is that when you get into a battle, the battle music has changed. Go down the bottom path and open the chest for 6000 Gald. Go up and use the save point and follow the path to reach the next area. After the fight, continue along the path and open the chest for a Silver Mail. Guy will have a chat with Luke. After it, open the chest here for a Panacea Bottle. Use Mieu to burn the tree roots, and head outside. Guy will talk with Luke again. Continue along and burn the next set of roots you come across. Continue along and Guy will talk with Luke yet again. Go up at the split and you'll be outside. Head into the next cave and open the chest for a Nimble Rapier. Go back to the split and go down and you'll reach the exit. You'll bump into Jade who was looking for Guy. He informs you that both Ion and Natalia have been captured by Daath. Once in control, go to the right to find a chest containing a Pineapple Gel. Go left to find a chest containing a Yellow Ribbon. Now exit and follow the dirt path until you reach Daath. ============== DAATH ============== You'll need to cross a hill to reach Daath. Cross it and enter the town. Head up the stairs on your left for an item. Go back down and examine the right vendor to buy some Food. Right above him is an Inn Keeper. Go to the left to find a weapon/armor merchant. Upgrade as needed. Now go back to the right and north and talk with the Chef to learn a recipe for Pizza. There's an item shop near the Chef. Across from the item shop is a chest (it's pretty hard to see, but it's there) containing a Espirit Forte. Continue your way to the Cathedral and Anise will come out of nowhere, and scare the living bejebus out of Guy, who hides behind Luke shaking. After some more talking, enter the Cathedral. Head directly north and talk with Anise's parents alone the way. Talk with the man you're looking for and he'll give you a Permit. Head back down to the first part of the Cathedral. Take a left and enter the Library first. Examine the table to find a recipe for Sushi. Now go back to the main hall and go through the right door. Go through the next door here, and then through the first door you come across. Talk with the guard at the end of the hall, and go through the door. Keep going and you'll reach your next destination. =================== ORACLE HEADQUARTERS =================== Follow the linear path and you'll find a gong next to a door. Try to open the door, and Anise will look over the gong. Switch Mieu's power to his rock breaking ability, and use him to bang the gong and the door will unlock and an Oracle Knight will come out. Fight him and head through the door. Open the two chests in this room for a Lemon Gel and 5500 Gald. Exit and head along the path and up the stairs. Keep going to the end for a Miracle Gel. Bang the gong and go back down the stairs and go to the door the soldier came out of. Go inside and open the chest for a Carmine Chamber. Exit and go left and down the stairs. Hed around the path and up the stairs. Ride the elevator and defeat the guard out here. Go back down and bang the gong. The soldier will run out and examine the downed guard. Ride the elevator back up and go through the door. Open the chest for a Green Ribbon. Go back down the elevator and head left and down the stairs. Go right and through the door here. Head along the hall and enter the room on your left for a chest that has a Cobalt Chamber in it. Exit and continue down the hall and enter the left door. Open the chest for a Bella Forte. Exit and enter the right room for a chest containing a Silver Cloak. Exit the room and continue down the hall and enter the left door for a chest containing a Partisan. Exit and go through the center door for two more chests containing a Life Bottle and 6500 Gald. Exit this room and go back down the hall and exit it. Go left and use the save point here. Don't go up the stairs yet. Instead, go up behind the gold bars and switch Mieu to breathe fire, and hit the guard with some fire. He'll be frozen. (Huh.. someone that's frozen after being hit by fire... go figure) Now go back down and then up the stairs leading to the guard and fight him. Once you defeat the enemies, go back down and bang the gong. Go through the door. Ignore the first left and right doors. Enter the second door on the right for a chest containing a Melange Gel. Exit and enter the third door on the right for two chests containing a Syrup Bottle and a Silver Guard. Exit and go through the door the Oracle Knight was in front of and you'll find Ion and Natalia. After some talking, you'll automatically exit the dungeon. Exit the city and head for the hill that you had to cross to reach Daath. Head for Daath Port. ============== DAATH PORT ============== After the scene, get into the Tartarus, and make your way to the bridge, which is northeast of Chesedonia. Along the way, a scene will trigger with the Tartarus taking some damage, and you'll make an automatic stop. ============== KETERBURG BAY ============== Enter the house to your left to find a recipe for Salad. Now head to the man in front of the storehouse, and talk with him. He'll ask you to rearrange the boxes, and he'll even let you keep the items you get from the chests. This puzzle shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The three items you can get are a Pineapple Gel, a Rebirth Doll, and a Stun Bracelet. If you obtain all three chests, you'll also recieve 5000 Gald from the man. Exit the port and go west and you'll eventually find Keterburg. ============== KETERBURG ============== Go up the stairs on the left and go left again. Head into the building here and you'll find a woman who happens to be Jade's sister. After some talking, Jade's sister says she'll get the Tartarus fixed. As you leave, she asks to see Luke alone. Oh my, a steamy situation? Make your way to the hotel (there are two entrances to it: one on the east side of town, and one on the west) and you'll find out that you have your rooms booked. Luke will take off, and Mieu will follow. Make your way back to where Jade's sister is, and she'll talk about Jade's past about how he used to be a Devil Child and found fun in killing harmless monsters. A person named Nebilim changed him for the better, though. But due to Jade's mistake, she ended up dying. Once back at the hotel, Jade will bump into Luke, and Jade says he has no intentions of trying to bring Nebilim back. Once you regain control, go back to where Jade's sister is and examine her drawers to find an Alca Forte. If you go to the second floor of the hotel, you can play the Waitress Minigame that was in Symphonia. You'll play as Tear during it. If you never played Symphonia, or never played the minigame, it's simple. You simply memorize who ordered what, get their orders, and bring them to the correct people. You'll get paid according to how you do. The first two are easy to do. Once you're done with all the customers, Tear will get a title. Also, visit the Casino, and an amusing scene with Anise will trigger, with her getting a title at the end of it. Go back to the Port, and hop aboard the Tartarus. Find Chesedonia on the map, and follow the coastline as it bends and you'll eventually find the bridge you're looking for. Dock at it, and head north and go east along the cliff and you'll fund Theor Forest eventually. ============== THEOR FOREST ============== As you enter, some Malkuth Guards will stop you, and Jade will leave your party here. While the party waits for Jade to come back, screams can be heard and the party decides to investigate themselves. You're going to need to pull a Solid Snake here and make your way to the exit carefully and make sure no one catches you. However, if you want, you can get caught a few times, and you'll get a choice to just destroy any enemies that spot you. Do that to make it as painless as possible. Head to the left first. Grab the chest here for a Panacea Bottle. Now head to the right twice. Grab the chests here that contain a Life Bottle, a Silver Bracelet, 4800 Gald, and a Half Guard. Now head up and check to the right for a chest containing a Lemon Gel. Go down and left for a chest containing 5500 Gald. Don't head north and go back to the previous area and go left. Go down to find a chest containing a Magic Lens. Head across the bridge and grab the chest upper left of the rock. Go left and hit the tree to distract the guards. Go between them as they look away. Go left and up the slope to find a chest containing a Sage, and then check the right side of the area to find a chest containing a Grass Chamber. Use the save point and head north. You'll find some down soldiers, and as Natalia goes to inspect them, Largo comes down and surprises the party. Guy suddenly starts attacking Luke, and Ion realizes that Sync is near. Guy knocks Luke's sword of his hand, and an earthquake occurs. Tear tells Natalia to shoot at the trees, and Sync comes to the ground. Malkuth Guards shout out, and Largo and Sync make a run for it as Guy collapses to the ground. The guards then arrest you. ============== GRAND CHOKMAH ============== As you enter, you'll find a General. You'll be thrown into Jail regardless of what has happened, but Ion wants to heal Guy. Ion tells Luke that a Curse Slot stirs the memories of a person, and the reason Guy attacked Luke was because there was a part of him that hated Luke so much that he wanted to kill him. Go left and Tear and Mieu will follow you. Time to find Jade and Natalia. Enter the building across from the bridge and head to the second floor. Head to the end of the bar and you'll find Jade. Exit to the first floor and talk with the bartender. Go down the stairs across from the bar and you'll find Natalia. Head back up and continue left and talk to a guard standing outside of the palace. Peony will talk about how he wants to evacuate St. Binah, but can't because they think their soldiers will be wiped out by the Kimlasca guards. Luke says he'll evacuate the people. Exit the castle and make your way to the Inn. Upon the Inn, Luke will apologize to Guy, and Guy will tell the party of how he used to live in Hod, and how Duke Fabre killed many of Guy's kin, and Duke Fabre laughed as he did so. His family, relatives, and servants were all killed. Guy went to the Fabre household in order to get his revenge, but he wants to stick with Luke, saying he wants to find something out. If you wish to head for St. Binah automatically, choose the first option. If you decide to walk, exit the town and go to the exit of Theor Forest, and head southeast from there to find a Search Point. Examining it will allow you to fight the second Sword Dancer. Once ready, head for St. Binah. ============== ST. BINAH ============== Use the inn and save your game. Go to the main base and a scene will trigger. After it, the evacuation will begin, and Jade and Tear are holding off something in the distance. A machine comes to the ground, and Dist comes out of hiding. He wants Ion, but being the good people we are, we just tell him to go screw himself. O----------------------O | Kaiser Dist RX | O----------------------O | HP | 40,000 | O----------------------O -This is just like the last Kaiser you fought, except he's much stronger and he'll go into Overlimit from time to time. If you're at Level 30, this is the perfect opportunity to test out your Mystic Artes. In order to perform one, first you'll need to be in Overlimit. If you're using Luke, Guy, Natalia, or Anise, use an Arcane Arte and hold the attack button, and at the end of the attack, they'll go into their Mystic Arte attack. For Tear, have her use a Hymn and hold the attack button as she's casting it and she'll use hers. Jade can't use his yet. Mystic Artes work incredibly well here, and if you want, you can switch characters as they go into Overlimit and manually make them use their Mystic Artes to get the most damage. Just make sure to keep the Kaiser away from your party and you should be fine. After the fight. St. Binah starts to fall apart, and the party tries to think of a way to get them, but to no avail until Guy mentions about a place called Sheridan experimenting with flying machines. Once on the world map, go back to the Tartarus (to the west) and if you've been to Port Sheridan before, you'll know where it is. If you haven't, then head for the southwest continent (it's a big brown continent) and hover around the uppereast side and you'll find it eventually. ============== PORT SHERIDAN ============== Talk to the man in front of the storehouse and you'll get another minigame. This one is simple if you can remember to do one thing. If you can push the most left box from the start into the most right gap in the 4 gaps above the boxs starting position, you should be able to figure out how to position the other boxes easily. The chests this time contain an Apple Gel, an All Divide, and an Holy Ring. You'll also recieve 5000 Gald if you get all the chests. Exit the port and go northeast to find Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== So what do we do when we find a new town? That's right. We go into peoples houses unexpectedly and raid their items while they just stand there not caring. Head for the inn and examine the right room for 3000 Gald. Examine the left room this time for a Savory. Stay on the bottom section of the town and go north to reach the next area. Use Mieu's rock breaking ability on the seesaw here until the chest goes flying into the air. Return back to the first portion of town. Go back to where the inn is and follow the metal slope to the next screen. Examine the to the left of the Capacity Core shop to find the chest you just launched. Open it up for a Demon's Seal. Go back to where the seesaw is and head to the north part of that area to trigger a scene. Now go back to the entrance and enter the first building to find Iemon. The party says that they'll go rescue Ginji in exchange for being able to use the flying machine. You'll recieve a Launcher. Make sure to stock up on supplies here. To find the Meggiora Highlands, head southwest past the port and hug along the east mountains until you find a gap. That's where you're going. ================== MEGGIORA HIGHLANDS ================== You're going to be splitting into two teams. Make sure the first party contains either Guy or Jade. Your first party should contain your best characters, and since Luke is involved, and you need either Jade or Guy, I'd suggest bringing Tear along, as you'll find out why soon enough. I went with Guy and Tear for Luke's party, though. But it's up to you. You'll have 12 minutes to bring down the flying machine. The timer doesn't run while you're in the menu, but it will run during battles, so if you get into a fight, make sure to run away. With your first party, go left for a chest containing a Weak Bottle. Go up and follow the path around and then go right and down for a chest containing a Wasier Rapier. Now follow the path up and go right for a chest containing a Battlesuit. Follow the slope to the left and a scene will trigger, with a boss fight. O-------------------O | Blade Rex | O-------------------O | HP | 40,000 | O-------------------O -The timer is running, so don't screw around. The boss generally isn't hard. If you can get a Fire FOF, have Guy (if you brought him along) use Demon Fang in it to get an FOF Effect. The Blade Rex is easy for the most part, and using your Mystic Artes will get him to fall faster than he already should. You shouldn't have too much trouble. After the fight, your second party will have their turn. Start by going left at the split for a chest containing a Mystic Cloak. Go along the bottom path and open the chest for 6800 Gald. Now follow the path around and you'll eventually reach the flying machine and Ginji. The party will pull both down to safety. Make your way back to Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Head to the north section of town again (where the seesaw is) and attempt to enter the left building, but some soldiers will come to try to arrest you. As you go in, Guy attempts to hold them off as the flying machine is getting the last few touches it needs. After hearing it's done, they head to the center to board it while the elders hold off the soldiers. Noelle introduces herself to the party as the pilot. You'll automatically be taken to St. Binah. Everyone gets rescued before St. Binah sinks. After some more talking, it's time to head for Yulia City. Go west. ============== YULIA CITY ============== The citizens of St. Binah head inside of Yulia City once you land. Talk to the man who you've given items to so far, and he'll want 5 Maces this time. Once ready, head to where Tears Grandfather is and talk with him. After some talking, your next destination is Shurrey Hill. It's east of St. Binah. You'll need to fly over the mountains east of St. Binah and land on the other side of them, and then hug along the mountains there until you find it. ============== SHURREY HILL ============== Head up and Ion will tell you that the passage is currently hidden. Switch Mieu to his fire breathing ability. At the split, go right and open the chest at the end for a Lemon Gel. Stand on the hill here and hit the red slab with fire to make it disappear. Go back down and head back to the split. Go left and go up onto the hill here and hit the red slab with fire again. Go back down and then up and around the path to find a chest containing a Pineapple Gel. Go up the hill here and hit the red slab with fire once more. The passage will open it, so go to it and enter. Head in and go straight and you'll find some seals on the ground. Ion explains that you can't do anything until the seals are broken. Once in you are in control, use the save point and go through the left path first. Pick up the Green Fonon in here. Head to the left and you'll find a Yellow Fonon inside some glass. Have Mieu break it with his second ability. To the right is a Red Fonon. Use Mieu and have him breathe fire on it. Now head further into the dungeon and open the chest for a Cure Bottle. Defeat the enemy carrying the Blue Fonon here. Continue along the linear path and you'll eventually reach a room with some stairs going down. Go to the bottom and examine the Fonons underneath the pillar of light. Examine them again and you'll need to correctly place the colored Fonons that aren't lit up yet from the left. Put in the correct Fonons (Red, Green, Blue) and a bridge will form. Go across it and have Mieu break the rock here and the first seal will disappear and you'll be taken back to the three way split. Save your game and take the path on the right this time. You'll need to collect Fonons again. Open the chest for a Light Plate. Go to the right and head over to the stairs and open the chest behind it for 12,000 Gald. Yowza. Make sure to pick up the Red and Yellow Fonons, and go back to the area you were just in. Go up and to the right. Get the Green Fonon in here and open the chest for a Dinei Bottle. Now go left for a chest containing a Sclid Meggiore. Head back and go right and climb up the stairs on the right. Pull and push the right mirror so the light pillar shoots off to the left. Now move the left pillar so the light pillar shoots downwards onto the lens and more Fonons will appear. Go down to examine it. Use the Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green Fonons, and a bridge will form. Cross it and have Mieu break the rock to break the second seal. You'll be taken back to the save point. Use it and take the middle path this time. Before we start, make sure to pick up only the Fonons you need. You'll need: 2 Reds, 1 Green, 1 Blue, and 1 Yellow. Open the chest for a Panacea Bottle and grab the Yellow and Blue Fonons in here. Take the middle path and get the Red Fonon in this room. Head up and to the right for two chests containing a Specific and a Battle Guard. Ignore the Yellow and Blue Fonons and go through the door and go down and left. Pick up the Red and Green Fonons in here, as well as the chest containinga Carmine Chamber. Now go back and go up the middle and up the stairs. Use Mieu and hit the bottom switch once counter clockwise. Now go to the top and hit the top one twice clockwise will align the lens and the Fonon Score will appear. Go down to it and put in the Red, Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green Fonons. The third seal will be broken. Go back to the center now and a scene will trigger. Tear approaches the Passage Rings and it starts up for her. Luke then erases the code in it. After a little bit more talking, you'll be back up on the surface. Attempt to fly and a cutscene will trigger with the war starting. You'll need to split up into two parties now, with Jade being mandatory for Engeve, and Natalia being mandatory for Kaitzur. You can make Luke go to either one. I chose to have Luke go to Kaitzur along with Anise, which meant Guy, Jade, and Tear went to Engeve. The next two parts will assume that you chose Luke to go to Kaitzur. ============== KAITZUR ============== You'll spot one of the Generals, and Natalia wishes for her to stop the war, but she can't without the order from the higher ups. The party then agrees to go to Chesedonia. Exit Kaitzur to the north. On the world map, you're going to north and west (bring up your map from time to time to make sure you're heading to the long bridge that connects this continent to Chesedonia). Along the way, you'll make several camp stops. Try to avoid any battles you can. You'll see why at the end. Once you reach the bridge, cross it and make your way to Chesedonia. You'll recieve some items once you reach Chesedonia, depending on how many battles you fought. I fought 2 battles, and wound up getting an Apple Gel and a Specific. It might wind up being different for you. The scene will then switch to Jade's party. UPDATE: If you don't fight any battles, the items you recieve are: -Rebirth Doll -Efreet -Apple Gel -Specific Many thanks to Cory and Ruth for this information. ============== ENGEVE ============== Head for Rose's house and talk with her. She'll suggest that the townspeople go to Chesedonia on foot while Noelle takes some of the people in the flying craft to safety. Just like with Kaitzur, try to avoid any fights you can. Make your way south and west to reach Chesedonia. Along the way, you'll reach several camp sites again with various scenes. Cross the bridge once you come to it and head for Chesedonia. Again, depending on how many fights you got into, your items will vary. I got into 2 fights again, and I wound up with a Life Bottle and an Ether Slash. Both parties are now in Chesedonia. UPDATE: If you don't fight any battles, the items you recieve are: -Hourglass -Magical Pouch -Life Bottle -Ether Slash Again, many thinks to Cory and Ruth for this information. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== The two parties will reunite and you'll be one big happy party again, so make sure to rearrange your party to put your main characters in the first four slots. Head southward for a scene. Mohs steps in and says that there is no need for the words of a Fake Princess to be taken seriously. Mohs explains that Natalia is infact not the real daughter of the King of Baticul, and that she was switched with the real Princess. Ion says he wants to go back to Daath. Anise of course disagrees with his actions, and Ion then relieves her of her duty as a Fon Master Guardian. Ion whispers to her to stay with Luke and to report anything to him. Perhaps Ion has something up his sleeve? Head into the bar and talk to the man on the other side. He'll ask for the password, but apparently we don't know any passwords. I wanted to guess Rosebud, too. Oh well. The Dark Wings show up, offering to give the party the password... for a price. They tally up 1000 Gald per member, which would total into 6000 Gald... until Mieu mentions he's part of the party, which bumps the price to 7000. You then get an option to pay or not. Select not to pay and after a short scene, you'll be able to pass for free. Head for the exit, and a Guard will come running into town. Head for Astor's Mansion and head through the bottom left doors and talk with him. He'll tell you that Chesedonia is apparently sinking, just like Engeve and St. Binah. After some talking, our next destination is known. Make sure to talk with the man outside of Astor's room. Make your way to the exit, and Asch will start mindraping Luke again. He says to go to the Desert Oasis. Might as well. ============== DESERT OASIS ============== If you haven't done so yet, hit the Palm Tree in the north section of town with Mieu to recieve an Apple Gel. Now go to the right to find Asch. He asks Luke if other people have been able to get through his mind, but Luke has no clue what he's talking about. Asch tells you that the Passage Rings are all connected to each other, so you can toy around with any Ring from another Ring. Huh... why's he being so helpful? Asch then takes off. Head for the Zao Ruins. ============== ZAO RUINS ============== Make your way to the room where you fought Sync and Largo earlier in the game for another fight. O-------------------O | Tyrannopion | O-------------------O | HP | 48,000 | O-------------------O -This guy is strong, and most of his attacks usually target a certain range, so you'll need to keep him away from your spell casters, as well as your other characters so you won't be using healing items every 2 minutes. His attacks can also possibly poison you, and since his poison attack can reach into a wide area, this can spell trouble if you don't use Natalia or don't have any Panacea/Poison Bottles. He has no weaknesses or strengths, so make sure to take full advantage of any FOFs on the field and switch between characters as they go into Overlimit to use their Mystic Artes. After the fight, the second part of the Zao Ruins open up. Make sure to go back and heal up at the healing save point, though. The first part of this area is pretty linear. Head along it and open the chest along the way for a Pineapple Gel. Soon you'll get an overhead view of the Passage Rings. Go all the way to the right, ignoring the slope to find two chests containing 7650 Gald and a Lemon Gel. Now go back to the slope and go down it and continue following the path and you'll eventually find the Passage Rings. Luke inscribes what Jade tells him to put, and a scene with Chesedonia sinking starts up. After it, Tear collapses to the ground, but she'll claim she's alright. After the scene, make your way to the entrance of the Ruins and you'll see that you're not in the Outer Lands anymore. Head for Chesedonia. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Noelle will come to greet you as you enter. Well, at least we know that our pilot is safe. Jade says that he's concerned about something, but doesn't want to mention what it is until he's sure of it. Exit Chesedonia and hop aboard your flying machine. Begin to leave the Chesedonia region, and a cutscene will trigger. Apparently the Sephiroth Trees are going out of control, and if it keeps it up, the entire Outer Lands will sink below. After some talking, head to Daath. ============== DAATH ============== Head up to the Cathedral and a scene will trigger, with people wanting a boat and them not believing the story of nearly an entire region sinking. Now it's time to find Ion. Go through the door on the right and head for the seal on the bottom floor. Go to the right to find Ion's room, but he's not there. Someone suddenly approaches the door, and the others go hide. Well well well. If it isn't Dist and Mohs. After some talking, you'll automatically be in the Library where Ion is. Luke asks Ion if there's anything in the Score about the Sephiroth Trees going out of control. Ion says he'll check in the backroom, and again, you'll be taken there automatically. Ion reads the score and it doesn't mention anything about it. Soon, some soldiers will run in, and you'll flee to exit the city. Head for the entrance of the city, and you'll be met with Mohs. Jade attempts to play the Hero, but Dist tells him not to do anything, as he has Noelle in his chair. On the ship, Luke says that him being executed will most likely be for the best, as his birth screwed over the Score. Tear quickly gets angry and tells him to stop speaking nonsense. You'll soon arrive in Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== Talk with Natalia, and a scene will trigger. A minister will come in, and call Natalia... Meryl? Odd. Guards come in with some poison, until Tear uses one of her Hymns to knock out the guards and the minister. JAILBREAK TIME! Sorta. Make your way to the Audience Chamber and a scene will trigger, explaining Natalia's true existence. The true Princess of Baticul was actually a stillborn infant, meaning it was dead. Therefore, Natalia, or Meryl, was switched with the never-was Princess. Natalia asks her Father if he believes it, and he says they found a buried infant where they pointed him to. That's just lovely... digging up an infants grave. Mohs then accuses Natalia that she was going to bring down Akzeriuth because of this mistaken identity. Natalia quickly rejects that logic. Mohs again wants them executed. Asch then runs in, telling the party that he released them from the prison for a reason and to run away. Dist then calls Asch a traitor, in which Asch quickly strikes back by saying Dist was leaking Van's information, which in return gets Largo mad. Make your way to the elevator outside of the castle, and you'll trigger a scene. Go down the elevator and continue along and some guards will surround you. The townspeople then come and try to back off the guards as the others make their escape. Continue to the exit, and Goldberg will appear this time. The townspeople protect the party again, but Natalia is confused why they're doing it as she's an imposter, but the townspeople apparently never forget her kindness to them. Asch comes in again, distracting Goldberg as the party makes their escape. As you make your way to the entrance of the city, a townsperson will give encouraging words as you pass them. Once on the world map, head southwest until you bump into some mountains to the west. From there, go west and you'll find Inista Marsh eventually. ============== INISTA MARSH ============== The water here will slow your running speed, so you may wind up getting a lot of surprise counters if you're not careful. Open the chest to your left to obtain a Talwar. Take the northeast path and open the chest at the end for a Knight Helm. Go back and take the west path and a scene will trigger, with Guy and Jade bringing up an old story about a monster that used to attack bypassers. The monster then appears and the party runs away. From here on out, if you encounter the Behemoth (the big black monster), run away. Don't try to fight it, as its strength is immense. After the scene, continue along where you came from (where the Behemoth first appeared) and continue along the path to find two chests containing 5600 Gald and a Mystic Rod. Once you reach a bridge, go south from it to find a chest containing 3200 Gald. Now cross the bridge. Continue along, and a scene with Natalia occurs. She lags back and the Behemoth comes out and traps her on the other side of you. Tear uses her Hymn, while Anise uses the pollen it doesn't like and Luke attacks it. Go northeast from where you to find a chest containing a Drain Ward. Go a bit north to find a Knight Guard. Now go west and follow the path as it curves to the south to cross another bridge. Use the healing save point here and grab the chest in sight to obtain a Mirage Robe. Now follow the path from the treasure chest to reach the exit. Natalia will fall behind again, and the Behemoth comes out again. You'll need to fight it until Natalia is safe and secure. After awhile, run away and you'll be outside of the Marsh. From here, head along the cliff sides until you find a slope going down. Now follow the path westward and you'll find a dirtroad eventually. Follow it to reach Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== Upon entering, go to the Replica Facility. Attempt to enter and some Oracle Knights will come out. They tell Luke, or rather in their eyes, Asch, that Van is waiting inside for him. Upon entering, Luke and Tear ask what Van's true intentions are. Guy calls Van foolish, only to have Van say that if he wants to help him, he'll accept Guy's help. So it seems those two know each other from way back. They both swore vengence upon the Fabre Household. Asch then makes his way inside. After some more talking, make your way to the inn now. Guy says he no longer wants revenge, and the party is skeptical at first, but since Luke still trusts him, so does everyone else. Jade will recieve some Forbidden Text, and it'll take him a night to read it. You'll automatically stay the night at the inn. Talk with everyone, saving Jade for last. Jade mentions that everything is sinking below is because there are vibrations coming from the core, thus making the liquefaction. You'll need help from the people of Belkend, but since they're under Van's and the King of Kimlasca's watch, it won't be easy. Guy, however, mentions that someone else might be able to help. Head for the Replica Facility again and examine Van's room for a recipe. Explore aorund the facility to find the man you're looking for. At first, he is reluctant to help, but once he mentions Iemon, he's ready to go. Exit the facility and make your way to the Governor's House (the building next to the inn) and watch the scene in here. Anise mentions that you should go see Ion. Leave the house, and you'll find out that you had an eavesdropper. Asch takes off to catch the culprit. You'll then be able to go to Daath automatically if you want, or you can choose to go by yourself. Either way, get to Daath. ============== DAATH ============== Head for the Cathedral, and the party decides to go visit with Anise's parents and ask about the current situation about the Six God-Generals. Apparently all of them are out. Well, that just falls right into our hands, doesn't it? You'll then be taken to Ion automatically. Ion mentions that while in the Tartarus, he heard Legretta say something about a Sephiroth Tree at Tataroo Valley. He says it should be sealed, and that'll he'll come along with you. As you exit, Asch will mindrape Luke again, telling him that Spinoza leaked your information to Van, and that the Six God-Generals took him away. You'll now need to go to Sheridan. Upon reaching the town entrance, Anise's mother comes out and says that Arietta has returned, and that she told her that Anise was looking for her. Okay well... maybe we didn't get so lucky. Arietta appears, and immediately has her Ligers attack the party. Anise attempts to protect Ion, and Pamela jumps in front of Ion to protect him. Guy watches the whole thing, and he drops to his knees after having a small flash back, remembering the thing he couldn't remember from his past. You'll be back in the Tatlin's room. She says to go check up on Guy. Head for the Chapel portion of the Cathedral and talk with Guy. Guy mentions that he remembers now when his family was killed. A flashback occurs with a woman hiding Guy in a stove, telling him that he needs to stay alive. Apparently the woman, Mary, is Guy's sister. Duke Fabre's voice can be heard outside of the building, and soldiers from Kimlasca enter the house, and kill Mary in front of Guy. Pere then came to rescue him. Upon awakening, he found himself underneath the bloody bodies of his sister and his maids, which then triggered his Gynophobia. Anise, Natalia, and Tear all apologize to Guy for not taking his condition seriously, but Guy tells them to not worry about it. You'll then get an option of going to Sheridan automatically. Do so if you wish. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Upon entering Sheridan, you'll spot the Dark Wings. Asch asked them to help him out. Talk with the old people in front of the first building, and then head inside to see Class I and Class M arguing. After some more arguing, they agree to work together to make the device you need. Make your way to Tataroo Valley. Open up your map and select Dungeons, and you'll notice Tataroo Valley is the only dungeon, or location for that matter on the Continent is resides on. Head for it. ============== TATAROO VALLEY ============== Don't underestimate the enemies here. Though some of them are from your first visit here, there are new enemies as well. Open the chest near you for a Purple Ribbon. Head across the rockbridge over the river. Hug along the top area and you'll find a hidden path. Open the chest for a Carmine Chamber. Now go back to the main path and go up and right and go across the river and open the two chests here for a Pineapple Gel and 7500 Gald. Go back to where the slope is and go up it. Go left from here to find two chests containing a Lemon Gel and a Silk Hat. Follow the path up. If you go left, you'll find where you first started the game at. I like this spot, because it has a beautiful view with the flowers and the petals flowing through the air and whatnot. Go back to the split and go right. Go down and then right and you'll eventually spot a rock along the mountain side. Have Mieu destroy it. Go to the right side of this area to find another one of those crystals you found at the Zao Ruins. This will give Mieu the ability to fly... sorta. He'll just hover in the air as you grab onto him. Hit the switch on the ceiling, and go through the door for a Knight Mace. Exit and head for the left side of this room and hit the switch on the ceiling with Mieu again. Go through the door to find a Life Bottle and a Wing Bottle. Now exit the cave itself and continue along the main path. Anise spots a rare creature, and attempts to chase after it, but stops once it flies over the cliff edge. An earthquake occurs, and Anise clings onto the mountain as Tear tries to pull Anise up. Guy comes over, and pulls Anise up, forgetting about his phobia for the moment. An amusing skit occurs after this once you regain control. Use the healing save point here and hit the tree with Mieu to make a chest fall out. Open it up for a Panacea Bottle. Go up the slope and you'll find a chest in a tree. Have Mieu fly up there and open the chest for a Knight Robe. Jump down and go left to find another chest in a tree. Have Mieu fly up there again and open it up for 6000 Gald. Jump down from the tree and go down and follow the path. You'll eventually find a monster in the mist, and it seems to be suffering. The mist clears, and the monster doesn't appear to be anywhere, until it charges at you from behind. O------------------O | Uniceros | O------------------O | HP | 54,000 | O------------------O -You'll want to avoid using Wind and Light based spells and FOFs, as this boss is strong against them, and weak against Shadow type spells. His attacks don't do a lot of damage, but he likes to charge a lot, so make sure to keep him away from your spellcasters. Using your Mystic Artes as they become available to use will help end this battle quickly. After the battle, Mieu will communicate with the Uniceros. He claims that the miasma made him do this, and that he recieved it from Tear. She acts startled and claims she doesn't know what it's talking about. It apologizes to you for attacking, and thanks you for healing it and it runs off. Have Ion open the door near you, and you'll be at the second part of the Tataroo Valley. Grab the chest on the left for an Alca Maggiore. Head along and you'll find a Tuning Fork. Have Mieu hit it and it'll activate two switches. The door opens. Go through the newly opened door and you'll find the Passage Rings, but the Yulia Seals haven't been deactivated. Use the save point to your right and go down the right path and through the door. In this room, hit the right Tuning Fork, and then the left one. Go through the door. Climb the stairs and go past the door and open the chest at the end for some Mirage Gloves. Go back to the door and go through it. Hit the Tuning Fork in here to break the seal. Once it's broken, hit it again to open up the wind pipe again. Go left and through the door. Hit the Tuning Fork in the middle first. Climb the stairs to reach the Tuning Fork at the top and hit the left and then right fork. Make your way back down, ignoring the middle Tuning Fork and hit the left Tuning Fork on the bottom, and then the right one. Now go back up to the middle Tuning Fork and hit it and a new wind pipe will open up. Go to the previous area, and line yourself up with the chest in the southeast corner. Have Mieu fly into the air and you'll be lifted over to the chest. Open it up for an Aqua Cape. Make your way back to the Passage Rings. Apparently Van hasn't been here yet. Watch the following scenes, and make your way back to Sheridan. Or you can use the Wing Bottle on the nearby save point to exit the Valley quickly. Either way, get back to Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Head for the meeting hall and you'll find out the Tartarus is being modified so that you can go to the core without exploding from the inside. They'll need a bit more time. Outside, Natalia suggests going back to Baticul, but she wants some time to think about it, and the party splits up. You can explore the town and find your party members if you want. If you don't want to, go right from where you're standing and talk with Natalia, and she'll head off for the inn. Follow her and choose to rest. As the sun sets, Natalia looks out to the ocean, and Asch appears. After the scene, Luke makes his way back to the Inn, only to find Tear. It'll be morning soon. After some talking, it's time to head to Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== Head for the castle, and you'll need to find the Kings private room, not the Audience Chamber. It's on the second floor to the left. Once you enter, the King is surprised to see Natalia. Luke mentions that the memories he shared with Natalia should be a factor into treating Natalia as his daughter. Jade presents a letter to the King, and he asks for you to return tomorrow. Make your way to the Inn in the town. The next day, you'll be in the Audience Chamber already. After some talking, it's time to head to Grand Chokmah. Before leaving, go to the Front Hall and talk with Pere looking at a sword. This will come into play later. ============== GRAND CHOKMAH ============== Make your way to the Audience Chamber and you'll talk with Peony. Since Mohs will try to interfere, Luke wants to do it at Yulia City instead, but you can't fly yet due to Dist having the Flightstone. Make your way to Daath now. ============== DAATH ============== Make your way to the Cathedral, and a paper airplane will hit Anise on the back of the head. Luke picks it up and reads it. Apparently it's from Dist, and it says that the Flightstone isn't in Daath, and that he [Dist] brought it with him to the Covenant location. According to Jade, it's still in Daath. Jade says to let Dist wait there and freeze as they search for the Flightstone in Daath. After some talking, you'll soon learn that Mohs is at the Aramis Spring. Exit the Cathedral and go to the right side. Talk with the guard and he'll let you pass. Go through the shortcut here to re-enter an all too familiar place. =================== ORACLE HEADQUARTERS =================== Once you enter, you'll get into a fight with some Oracle Knights. Make your way to the top level and head for the right side and use the Mieu Wing to reach the ladder here. Go through the door to find a chest containing a Melange Gel. Exit the room and follow the path to find another chest that contains a Red Savory. Go back to the ladder and climb down. Now go to the left side of the top level here, and use the Mieu Wing to reach another ladder you couldn't reach before. Open the two chests up here to find an Epee and a Killer Bow. Make your way to the save point near the bottom level, and go through the door. Head through the door at the end. Make your way down the stairs, and open the chest along the way to obtain the Noble Thief. Continue down the stairs and open the next chest for a Carmine Chamber. Make your way to the bottom and talk with the man down here. He can't hand over the Flightstone since Dist told him not to. So instead, Tear uses a Fonic Hymn to knock him out and Jade takes it by force. Exit the headquarters, and make your way to Chesedonia. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Go find Astor and talk with him. He's more than happy to help you out. You'll then spend the night at the inn, and a scene involving Tear and Luke starts up. Once in control, make your way to Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== Both of the Kings sign the peace treaty, and Guy steps up, asking the King of Kimlasca if he can really keep his promise this time, since he didn't keep his promise last time with the Hod treaty. Guy pulls out his sword, not wanting any crap. Duke Fabre points out that he killed Guy's family, and that if Guy's going to kill anyone, it should be him. Peony then speaks up, taking the blame for what happened at Hod, but it was his ancestors that did it, not Peony himself. Jade brings up a test subject that was 11 years old, and that Guy and Luke might know him. Apparently, Van was also a replica subject. Interesting. Guy puts his sword away at the request of Ion, and you'll be in Tear's room. Make your way back to the Mayor's room for another scene. Time to head for Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Go to the meeting hall and talkw ith Iemon. He tells you that the Tartarus is ready to go to the core, but you only have 130 hours until the shields die out. It takes 5 days to get to Akzeriuth, which leaves them only 10 hours to fix the core. You'll now get a chance of stocking up on items if needed. If you're seriously lacking in items (I.E. Lemon Gels/Apple Gels and so on), I strongly recommend getting at least 10 of each (Apple/Orange/Lemon/Pineapple). If you feel you're ready, talk with Iemon to start the operation. As you're ready to leave, Legretta ambushes the party, and the villagers start to protect the party. Iemon tells you to get going to the port. Try to exit to the south, but some Oracle Knights will block your path. Make your way to the north exit, and some Kimlasca guards will appear. Make your way to Port Sheridan. ============== PORT SHERIDAN ============== Jade quickly notices some sleeping fonons in the air, and he uses some of his own Fonons to disperse the sleeping gas. As you make your way to the Tartarus, Legretta and Van appear. The elders jump in front of Van to buy the party some time. They escape, but Van strikes down the elders. Upon going down, the alarm sounds, indicating an intruder on the ship. Once you arrive, Guy notices a flash, and he mentions that he saw it as a kid once in Hod. Soon you'll be outside of the Tartarus, and you'll find the Glyph that Iemon mentioned, but something seems wrong about it. Sync appears, and says that he erased it, and that he's ready to finish you off. O----------------O | Sync | O----------------O | HP | 83,500 | O----------------O -Since you're fighting Sync alone this time, he shouldn't be as tough as he was with Largo, but his attacks still hurt a lot, so make sure to keep him away from your party. Make sure to keep your distance from him whenever he gets ready to wind up his Arcane Artes, as sometimes he'll use his Mystic Arte to heavily damage whoever is caught in it, possibly killing them. Don't hesitate to using any healing items, and keep him away from your party as you use your own Mystic Artes and combos on him. After the fight, Sync's mask falls off, and he looks just like Ion. Ion then speaks up, admitting that he's only a replica of the real Ion, as is Sync. He released Arietta from her position as a Fon Master Guardian because he couldn't remember who she was. The real Ion was apparently sick, and was near death. Sync mentions that the failure Ion replicas were all thrown alive into a volcano, and that he was the only one left. Ion suggests to escape with Sync together, but Sync says he's only alive because he is to be used by Van. Sync then leans back and falls off the edge. Jade asks for Luke's and Tear's help in recreating the Glyph. Luke will need to use Mieu's fire to draw the Glyph as Tear gives directions. You do have a time limit with this, so you'll need to time your angles correctly the first time. Any mistake, and you'll need to start over. You can have Tear do it if you want, but you won't get a title for Tear if you do that. Once it's done, watch the following scenes. Head for Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== Before going to the Governor's house, go to where the entrance of the Replica Facility is. Have Mieu breaks the boxes on the right side of it until you find a chest. Open it to obtain a Poison Ward. Now go to the Governor's house and talk with him. He'll tell you to go find a man named Shu and have him examine Tear. You'll automatically be taken to him, and after the examination, he calls you in. He says that Tear is absorbing the miasma from the Passage Rings. If she keeps it up, she'll most likely die. Once in control, go to the right and talk with Tear. After some talking, exit the Medical room and go up and left to find the researcher from Yulia City. He'll mention the Meggiora Highlands and some mountains. Ion suggests leaving the mountains for last, as the Six God-Generals were badly wounded from the monsters there. Attempt to leave, and the researcher will stop you, saying you'll need to enter the Meggiora Highlands from the sea. Head for the world map. Open up your map, and zoom in and highlight the continent Sheridan is on. See that blue line that's inside of the continent? That's the river we need to head down. Make it so that you're skimming across the water, and head for that river. Follow the paths and enter the Highlands. ================== MEGGIORA HIGHLANDS ================== From the entrance, go north and west underneath the bridge and go south to find a chest containing 4800 Gald. Continue west and go south again for a chest containing a Royal Guard. Go into the nearby cave as well. Head up to where the fans are higher off the ground, and use the Mieu Wing to grab the two chests on the left and right sides containing a Melange Gel and a Katana. Exit and go east and then north. Head east, and then west to find a save point. Go under the bridge to find two chests containing a Duel Helm and a Battle Axe. Go east and go south the first chance you get. Head down the path and open the two chests to obtain a Full Plate and 7200 Gald. Go back until you reach the most north portion of the cliff. Go east and keep going east. Turn south to find a chest containing a Hamayumi. Go back to the west to find a glowing door. As you approach it, Legretta will come in, and she tells Tear to stop her nonsense. She tells Tear that Van is worried about her, since he knows about her condition. After a bit more talking, head for the door and have Ion open it. Use the healing save point, and go to the right to find a chest that has a Miracle Gel in it. Now go all the way to the left for a chest containing a Marcato. It's a Capacity Core. Now go down the path and you'll find an odd looking machine. Guy approaches it, and Tear warns him not to get too close, but Guy says it's not a fighter. Go to where the elevator is, and a scene will occur. The power is down, and it needs a new power source. The only option is Guy's new best friend. Go over to the machine, and choose to attack it. O---------------------O | Repair Fonbot | O---------------------O | HP | 57,000 | O---------------------O -The Repair Fonbot has a lot of spells in its arsenal, such as Turbulence and Stalagmite. His lasers are a bit weaker than his spells, but you should try to avoid them nonetheless. You shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding both his magic and lasers, though, as he takes a few seconds to wind up his lasers before firing, and he gives you about a 3 second notice that he's about to use a spell. As long as you take full advantage of its ability to warn you ahead of time that it's about to attack, you should have no problems. After the fight, Jade takes the power source from the Fonbot. Go to the elevator and Guy will fix it. Ride it down and go up to the Passage Rings. Jade asks for Tear to put something on her arm to see if it's really the Passage Rings that are making her sick. Luke uses the same directions that he used at Tataroo Valley. Apparently, the Passage Rings respond to Tear and transfer the miasma to Tear because she's a descendent of Yulia. If the core is really the source of the miasma, then Jade says there might be a way to stop it. Make your way back to Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== Upon entering, Luke will throw Mieu at Spinoza, and Mieu breathes fire to stop him and Guy grabs him fron behind. Spinoza was there to apologize to Aston for what he did. Jade suggests if he feels like that, that he should help him on a way to isolate the miasma. The Governor mentions that he got a message saying the next Sephiroth Tree is at Daath. Make your way to Daath now. ============== DAATH ============== Make your way to the Cathedral and you'll bump into Mohs. Mohs will show you the door leading to where the Passage Ring is, but he won't tell you how to get there. Exit through the right door. Go up the stairs and go through the left door. Go through the door Mohs pointed at and follow the path and you'll reach the Library eventually. The party looks for a secret door. Anise stumbles against a bookshelf, and it lowers, revealing a door. Huh... seems like Anise might've known about this. Well, whatever. Once you enter, you'll be taken to Mt. Zaleho. ============== MT. ZALEHO ============== Cross the bridge to the south, and go left for a chest containing an Arc Wand. Go all the way to the right from there to find a chest containing a Strecido. Go to the next area and follow the path until you reach a split. Go up to find a chest containing a Wing Bottle. Continue along the main path until you reach another split. Go down this time to find a chest containing a Cobalt Chamber. Continue along the main path and you'll find the sealed door. Ion will open it up. Open the chest at the end for a Druid Cloak. Head down the slope and you'll find an unlit torch. Have Mieu breathe fire on it to form a bridge. Continue along and defeat the enemy you find. After the fight, the enemy will form into a block that you can push. Push it off the right ledge. Go stand on the block and have Mieu light the next torch to reach the next area. Go through the bottom door first and head go down the ramp here. Defeat the monster down here and push the block to the middle of the platform above you. Now exit and go up the ramp and go through the door up here. Go down the path to find the same monster. Defeat it, and push the block off the middle portion of the platform. Make your way back down to the bottom door and step on the blocks and have Mieu light the torch. Follow the path and you'll find the Passage Ring eventually. Luke does his thing, and Jade suggests going back to Belkend to check up on Spinoza. Use a Wing Bottle if you want on the save point in the room outside and make your way to Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== Enter the Replica Facility and at the four way split, take the left door to find Spinoza. Jade describes his plan. Apparently, the last Sephiroth Tree is at Mt. Roneal. You'll be staying at the inn tonight. Head for it and choose to rest. Morning will come, and Anise comes to wake up Luke, saying that Tear is gone. She claims that she went with Asch. Tear left a mineral from the Ortion Cavern in her room. Make your way to the Cavern. ============== ORTION CAVERN ============== As you enter, you'll be stopped short by the Oracle Knights. Legretta follows them and tells them that Van said to let them pass. Legretta says she's not here to fight, and she'll settle things once and for all once the party goes to Mr. Roneal. Make your way to the lab area (the path is very linear) and you'll find Van, Asch, and Tear. Van strikes down Asch, and Natalia quickly runs to his side. Van notices the party, and tells Tear and Asch to go with them. Asch, being the ass he is, decides to just leave on his own, despite his injuries. You'll automatically be taken to Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Go to the meeting hall, and Luke asks Tear where she went. Tear knew that Van would be effected by the Passage Ring as well, and went to see if he was feeling well, and wanted to convince Van out of his plan. Well gee, I wonder if that worked. Our next destination is Mt. Roneal, but Jade wants to stop by Nephry's place first in Keterburg. So let's head there. ============== KETERBURG ============== Head for Nephry's office. Talk with her and she'll say that they found someone named Saphir collapsed in the middle of town. Jade explains that Saphir is Dist's real name. Nephry says that she brought him to a room at the Hotel. Make your way there and you'll automatically be taken to where Dist is lying down at. Jade looks over him, and asks the others to leave while Jade needs to do what he came for. Well that can't lead to anything good. After the... odd/disturbing (your word here) scene, exit the Hotel. Enter the house that's next to Nephry's house to find an Accessory for Anise. Also, make sure to head to the weapon/armor shop in the first part of town and upgrade your equipment. You should be able to afford everything there now. Also make sure to stock up on Lemon/Pineapple Gels, as well as Life Bottles. Once you're ready, exit the town via north and go west to find Mt. Roneal. ============== MT. RONEAL ============== Upon entering, go to the left and hit the tree here with Mieu to find a chest containing a Lemon Gel. Now go back to the right and go north and hit the tree here with Mieu to find a chest containing a Wing Bottle. Now go to the right and examine the bottom portion of the cliff you're under. There's a well hidden chest there containing a Pineapple Gel. Go back to the left and go up the slope here. At the split, go right for a chest containing an Aquamarine. Go back to the left and go up to the next area. Go right at the split for a chest containing a Panacea Bottle. Take the left path this time and you'll find the entrance to a cavern. Before entering, go left and slide down the ice. Hug along the left wall and open the chest near the bottom of the screen to obtain a Dinei Bottle. Make your way back up to the entrance to the cavern and enter it. Go straight ahead and use the Mieu Fire to melt the snow pile. Open the chest to obtain a Mythril Guard. Continue down the main path and melt the snow pile on the left to find a chest containing a Nocercido. Exit the cave. Go to the right and use the Mieu Fire on the bottom portion of the snow bank to reveal a path. Follow it to find a chest containing a Lemon Gel. Go back to the main path and follow it and you'll find a chest containing a Battle Bow. Use the save point here, and follow the path as it slopes up. Soon, you'll trigger a scene, in which Legretta lands behind you. That's not all. She also brought Arietta and Largo to play with you. O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O | Arietta | | Largo | | Legretta | O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O | HP | 26,000 | | HP | 32,000 | | HP | 29,000 | O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O -You can already tell that fighting three of the Six God-Generals at once is going to be a bothersome matter. Focus on Arietta first, as she still has some powerful spells, and her HP total is the lowest out of all the three. As you're attacking Arietta, make sure to Free Run around Legretta if she tries to attack you, as her attacks will rip you to shreds if she connects. Once Arietta is gone, focus your attacks on Legretta, as she's more powerful than Largo is, and her Arcane Artes hit a wider area. Once Legretta falls, Largo shouldn't be hard to take down. After the battle, an avalanche occurs, and the screen blackens. Jade wakes Luke up, and Luke is shocked that they're still alive. Unfortunately (or forunately, depending on how you want to look at it), Legretta, Arietta, and Largo got swallowed by the avalanche. The avalance also carried you to where the sealed door is. Well, talk about lucky. And a little bit cliche. Go inside after the door disappears and open the chest you find to obtain a Pineapple Gel. Continue down the path and you'll eventually spot an elevator. Ride it down. Keep going to find the Passage Ring. Luke does what he needs to do, and an earthquake occurs. After some talking, it's time to take Ion to town to rest. Go down to the save point, but don't exit yet. Instead, go to the left and open the chest here for a Grass Chamber. Take the southern pass and you'll eventually reach a room with a snowy slope on your right. Don't take it. Instead run down the path and have Mieu melt the snow. Open the chest here for 7800 Gald. Now go back to the save point and use the Wing Bottle to get back to the entrance. Make your way back to Keterburg. ============== KETERBURG ============== As soon as you enter, Noelle tells you that your engine has frozen over, and that Nephry is helping her with it and it should be ready by tomorrow. The party then splits up. They're at the following locations: Tear - West of the Hotel. Jade - In front of the entrance to the town (southside) Guy - In the Casino. Anise - Out in front of Nephry's office. Natalia - Near the igloos, near the northern exit. Mieu - Right next to you. Ion - in Nephry's office. Talk with each of them, and go to the Hotel and go to the counter to trigger a scene. Tear says that the Outer Lands can fall at any given time, but Jade only wants you and Tear know. While sleeping, Luke gets another headache. Luke heads outside, and sees Asch. Luke asks for help to defeat Van, but being the self centered assmonkey he is, Asch refuses in an abrupt way. Morning comes, and the party gathers. Ion says he'll stay behind, as he'll only be a burden on the party. Before leaving, make sure you're absolutely prepared for the upcoming battle. Meaning get as many Lemon/Pineapple Gels and Life Bottoes that you can. When ready, head for Port Keterburg, and fly northeast and you'll find some whirlwind activity on an island. That's the Absorption Gate. =============== ABSORPTION GATE =============== Enter down the pathway, and Noelle will go back to the Albiore. Make your way in, and you'll find a Score in the center. Take the top western path and follow it to find a Blue Fonon. You'll get an option to be warped back to where the Score is. Once back at the Score, take the bottom right path and pick up the Yellow Fonon here. Go back to the center and take the top eastern path and follow it for the Red Fonon. Now go back to the score and place the Fonons in their correct order, and a warp will appear underneath you. Follow down the path and go through the door here. (it's glowing, so you can't really miss it) Work your way around the twists and turns. Examine the upper portion of the room to find a chest containing 8000 Gald. Go through the next door once you come across it. Once you reach a split, go down to find a chest containing a Tartan Ribbon. Go back and through the next door. This room is the same as last one, so make your way to the door. Go to the left of the door first to find a chest containing a Pineapple Gel. Continue along. Make your way to the bottom and go through the door here. As you make your way down, you'll notice an enemy with fire inside of it. Defeat it and all the red flames will disappear. Grab the chest also that contains a Red Basil. Go through the next door and before the next one, open the two chests that contain an Ancient Ribbon and Mythril Cloak. Warp down and an earthquake will occur, seperating your party members. Your party will be split into 3: Luke and Tear, Guy and Natalia, and Jade and Anise. The glowing circles will allow you to switch between parties until the party reunites. I'll split the next section into parties. --------- LUKE/TEAR --------- From the start, go left and use Mieu to light the torch here. Make your way down the spiral pathway and light the other torches as you come across them. You need to light them, as the other parties will need to cross them. If you're having trouble hitting them, hug along the wall near the torch until you get an action to examine it. If you do so, you'll line up with the torch, so fire Mieu and you'll light it. Once you reach a split, go right to find a chest containing a Mighty Saber. Once you reach the bottom, use Mieu and hit the Tuning Fork and go through the newly opened door. Use the warp here. Go down and at the second split, go left and light the torch with Mieu. Take the right this time and hit the Tuning Fork with Mieu. Take the warp and switch to Guy and Natalia. ----------- GUY/NATALIA ----------- Follow the path and go across the bridges as you come across them. Use the warps to make your way to the bottom. Once you reach a split, go up and use the warp to find a chest containing a Treat. Take the other warp this time and use the save point and go through the door. Follow the path that spirals downwards and at the split, go left to find a chest containing a Grass Chamber. Go through the door. Go down and take the warps and grab the chest that contains a War Hammer. Go through the next door and defeat the enemy in here. It'll form into a block. Push it off the right ledge between the two green posts. It'll land on the seesaw. Switch back to Luke and Tear. --------- LUKE/TEAR --------- Go up to the seesaw and go up the left side of it. Hit the tuning fork here and a door will open. Go back down to the seesaw and hit the block on the right side of it. Make your way to the glowing circle and switch to Jade and Anise. ---------- JADE/ANISE ---------- From the start, go to the right to find a chest containing a Rare Protector. Go to the left and through the door. Make your way to the bottom and open the chest to find a Carmine Chamber. Go through the next door and make your way down. Defeat the enemy here and it'll turn into a block. Push it off the ledge. Open the chest near you for a Pineapple Gel. Go through the door that is near you. Take the top warp and then use the green warp to find a chest containing a Special Gel. Make your way to the bottom and go through the door. Open the chest for 20,000 Gald. Continue along for another chest that has a Rare Bracelet in it. Switch to Guy and Natalia's party this time. ----------- GUY/NATALIA ----------- Make another block and push it through the gap between the green posts on the left this time, and switch back to Jade and Anise. ---------- JADE/ANISE ---------- Push the block through the left gap this time, and switch to Luke and Tear. --------- LUKE/TEAR --------- Go up the right side on the seesaw this time and hit the tuning fork here. Switch back to Jade and Anise's party, and go through the door. Then switch to Guy and Natalia's party, and go through the newly opened door and the four will reunite. Go a bit south and defeat the W shaped enemy and the blue flames will disperse and the party will reunite. Rearrange your party, and use the save point. Before advancing to the Passage Ring, make your way back to the very beginning of the dungeon. Take the bottom left path and open the chest here for a Red Sage. Examine the top right Score this time, and collect the respective colored Fonons. Once you do so, a warp will open. Take it to find two chests containing a Red Savory and a Ballacido. Also pick up the Green Fonon here. Go back to where the Scores are, and examine the top left score. Pick up the respective colored Fonons as you find them, and complete the Score. Take the warp down here to find a Cobalt Chamber and a Carmine Chamber. Now make your way back down to the very bottom. Use the save point and take the warp near it. Van doesn't seem to be pleased that you've arrived. Well, to take out his frustrations, he'll attempt to slice you up. O-----------------O | Van | O-----------------O | HP | 132,000 | O-----------------O -Van is really tough, so you'll want to make sure you keep a close eye on everyones HP. Make sure to Free Run around him so he attacks and misses you and take that free opportunity to attack him while his guard his down. Go into Overlimit whenever you can, and don't hold back with your Mystic Artes. Van himself will go into Overlimit, and even on Normal Difficulty, he'll use his Mystic Arte, and if anyone gets caught up in it, they'll most likely die, so get the Life Bottles ready. He's got a lot of HP to take down, so make sure you're persistent in your attacks, but don't hesitate to step away from the fight to use healing items, or switch to Tear to use Revitalize. Either way, just make sure to keep him away from your casters, and do your best to Guard and avoid his attacks. This fight isn't easy at all. After the fight, an anime cutscene kicks up. Van sticks his sword into the ground, and staggers backwards and falls into the Core, just like Sync. The party leaves the area. Luke gets a voice in his head, saying that Lorelei will send him and Asch the key to set him [Lorelei] free. It's all over... or is it? ============== BATICUL ============== A month has passed since that incident. Mieu is on Luke's bed and tries to wake him up. Mieu says that his mother and father are looking for him. Make your way to the Drawing Room. Duke Fabre scolds Luke about just sitting around the castle as Natalia is out on official business. After some more talking, Luke's mother tells Luke to go see his friends. Talk to the butler and he'll give you the letters from your friends. Make your way to the Baticul Port. Choose to take a Ferry. While on the Ferry, you'll get the option of reading Tear's Letter, Guy's Letter, and Anise's Letter in that order. Read them in that order to advance the story. You'll arrive at Port Sheridan. Exit and head for Sheridan. ============== SHERIDAN ============== Enter the Meeting Hall, and you'll find Aston. Noelle also comes out, saying she doesn't mind flying you around, and then blushes after saying it. Oh my, what do we have here? Noelle claims that Asch went to Yulia City. After some more talking, head for Yulia City. The first thing you'll notice is that all of the Outer Lands has now descended to the lower level. You also have an Auto Pilot on the Albiore. Just bring up your World Map, and push the Triangle button any any city or dungeon you wish to visit, and you'll be taken there automatically. Head for Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== Make your way in and Tear's Grandfather will greet you. Apparently Asch isn't here anymore. Well poo. Make your way to the flower bed in Tear's Room and a scene will trigger. Van's grave is here, and Tear thanks Luke for praying. Exit Yulia City and make your way to Daath. ============== DAATH ============== As soon as you enter, you'll see Anise being a tourguide of sorts. Looks like our little Anise thought up of some scams in the month away from us. Go to the Cathedral and Luke wonders what happened to Mohs. Anise rejoins your party here. Make your way to Ion's room now, and Ion will greet the party. After some talking, Ion will escort you out of the Chathedral, where you'll run into Guy. Guy says he came to talk with Ion about two things. One, Dist escaped. Two, the Ferry carrying Mohs was attacked, and the soldiers were all killed, but they can't find Mohs' body, which most likely means that Dist rescued Mohs. Asch apparently went to St. Binah, so let's make our way there. ============== ST. BINAH ============== Go directly north to trigger a scene. Apparently Asch was just here, but he left for Shurrey Hill. Before leaving, head to the inn and examine the bed for a new recipe. Exit and go to Shurrey Hill. ============== SHURREY HILL ============== Go into the ruins and you'll find the slain bodies of some Oracle Knights. Continue deeper into the ruins and you'll find Asch and... Legretta?! Legretta is attacking Asch, trying to get the Key of Lorelei from him. Tear is shocked that Legretta is still alive. Legretta says that Arietta's monsters saved them during the avalanche. She also mentions that they're going to carry out Van's plan. Asch points out that most likely all of the Six God-Generals are still alive, including Sync. If Sync survived, then that must mean... Van may have also survived. Well isn't that a swift kick in the ass for us. After some more talking, go back to St. Binah. ============== ST. BINAH ============== You'll spot Jade as you enter, as well as some injured Malkuth Soldiers. Jade explains that some soldiers got injured during training. After a bit more talking, it appears that Frings also got injured. Jade is going to return to Grand Chokmah, and Luke wishes to accompany him. ============== GRAND CHOKMAH ============== You'll be taken to Frings automatically who is barely sitting and talking at all. Frings mentions that the people that attacked him where suicide bombers carrying the Kimlascan Banner. Luke quickly rejects that idea. Frings asks you to escort him to a certain place. You'll be taken there automatically. He collapses to the ground, and Luke holds him, and then Frings asks Luke to prevent anymore outbursts like this to prevent another war. Frings then dies. Go to Peony's Audience Chamber now. Jade and Guy make their reports. Peony then asks Luke to return to Baticul and tell Ignobert about what happened with Frings and the others. After some talking, you'll be outside. Anise wishes to send Ion a letter, and asks you to meet her by the town's entrance. Head for it, and Anise will come up to you, complaining that you got here too soon. Go figure. Make your way to Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== Make your way to the castle, and Natalia will find you. Natalia grabs Jade by the throat, and gets pretty pissy. Jade, on the other hand, seems to be calm and soothing as ever. The King says he had nothing to do with the attacks on the Malkuth soldiers. After some talking, Natalia asks to go to Daath with the party, and he lets her. Time to head to Daath. ============== DAATH ============== Upon entering, Tear will collapse, and Luke catches her. Tear reassures you that she's feeling fine since there's no more miasma. You'll then be taken to the Cathedral. Ion comes out and welcomes you, but Anise isn't with him. She said that she was going back to meet with you. Hmm... that's a bit odd. Ion says he might know of a way to get rid of the miasma in Tear's body. Anise then runs in, saying that the miasma is all around the town, and she drags him out. Make your way down to the bottom floor, and some Oracle Knights, along with Legretta, surround you. A Liger suddenly rushes into the room, and Arietta gets in Legretta's way, telling you to run and protect Ion. Apparently Mohs is going to make Ion read the Score off the Seventh Fonstone, which will end up killing him. Well we can't let that happen. Make your way to the door that leads to the secret passage leading to Mt. Zaleho. Once you reach the Library, a scene will occur. Mohs, Anise, and Ion are there. Mohs runs off with Ion, leaving Anise to deal with the party. Apparently Anise's parents are being held hostage by Mohs, which results him in pulling the strings on Anise to do his bidding. Low life bastard. Anise admits that she was keeping an eye on Ion, because Mohs told her to. Anise throws something at the party and Luke catches it. Make your way to the Glyph, and another scene will trigger. A letter is attached to what Anise threw at you. Luke says that she apologizes, and that you should use the top of Mt. Zaleho to find them. Make your way to the entrance of town, and another scene will trigger, with some recognizable faces. Wait... Iemon?! That must mean that all of them are replicas. Guy then starts freaking out when he finds out that one of the replicas is his sister, Mary. A replica of Frings is also present. Tear puts them all to sleep, and then collapses, but the party escapes. Autopilot the Albiore to Mt. Zaleho. ============== MT. ZALEHO ============== Grab the chest that you first see for a chest containing a Flare Cape. Continue along and at the next split, go up to find a chest containing a Melange Gel. Go down along the path to reach the next area. If you touch the lava here, you'll lose some HP, but we'll manage. Open the chest for a Life Bottle. Head for the bottom portion of the area, and you'll see a pool of lava. Run through it and open the chest at the other end for a Stun Talisman. Go back across the lava and follow the main path. Make sure to heal up. Take a right to find two chests that has a Pineapple Gel and a Cobalt Chamber. Continue to the next area. You'll find a dragon here that will shoot fire at you, so now we have two obstacles to worry about. Go down the nearby slope and open the chest for a Sunlight Chamber, as well as a Carmine Chamber. Continue up the slope and hide behind the pillars to shield yourself from the fireballs. Once no more come, run to the next area. Go left at the next split for a chest containing a Rare Circlet. Continue down the main path and head for the next area. Go through the opening here for a chest containing a Lunar Guard. Go back and then down and follow the path around. Open the chest you see along the way for a Life Bottle. Use the save point you come across. In the next area, go right at the split for a chest containing a Do Sanga. Go back and take a left at the split this time. Go down and at the next split, go through the path with the lava that doesn't go down. Open the chest at the end of it for a Silver and White. It's a music disc. Go back to the save point to heal, and go back to the second split and go through the door on the left. Continue down the path, and you'll find the dragon from earlier. O-------------------O | Fyr Bronc | O-------------------O | HP | 95,000 | O-------------------O -This guy really isn't that hard. He'll start off on the ground once the battle starts. After you do enough damage, he'll start flying into the air and start spewing fire from his mouth. He'll also slam the ground if he's walking on the ground. His attacks may do some damage, but they're very easy to dodge, but your characters aren't that smart, so make sure to keep an eye on their health. All in all, not a tough battle. Continue down the linear path and go across the bridge when you come to it. You'll find Ion who's already reading the Score. Luke runs in, and Ion collapses and Luke catches him. Jade runs over to Anise's parents and frees them. Ion calls Tear over, and tells her that he'll asborb the miasma in her body into his own. He claims it's the only way to save her. He then looks over at Anise, and thanks her for watching over him these past few years, saying she was the most important person to him. Ion then dies in Luke's arms and his body disappears. Mohs, being the dick he is, claims Ion couldn't read the correct score. Luke gets pissy, saying he's a fool for relying on it and Mohs quickly counters, saying that the only way to prosperity is to follow the score. Replicas come in and block the party as Mohs makes his exit. The replicas make their exit right after. You'll be in the Tatlin's room, where Arietta walks over to Anise, and slaps her right across the face, calling Anise a murderer. Arietta challenges Anise to a duel, and without hesitating, Anise accepts it. Anise's parents try to talk to Anise about it, but Anise just tells them to shut up and runs off. Make your way to the Chapel and you'll find Anise with her knees up to her chest on the right side of the room. Anise admits that when she was with Ion and the rest of you, she had to report to Mohs what she saw or heard. This was because her parents got into debt, and Mohs helped pay it off, which in return meant the Tatlin's had to work in the Cathedral with no pay. Anise breaks down, saying Ion's death was her fault. Luke hands her a piece of the Score off the Seventh Fonon that Ion was reading. Anise says she'll go with you, becuase Ion would most likely want that. You'll be outside of the Cathedral and Anise will want to fulfill Ion's final wish. Now it's time to make your way to Belkend. But first, let's us do something. Make your way to Aramis Spring. You'll find a dog, and a man caught in some vines. Make your way up to him, and use Mieu to burn the Vines. The man will give you the King's Portrait. Now go to Keterburg, and go to the area where there was a chest on top of the room. You'll find the man you just saved there. You'll recieve the Ice Seed after some talking, and you'll be taken to Mt. Zaleho automatically. The lava is now frozen, so you can walk on it as you please. Make your way down to where you can actually walk on the lava, and a new path should be opened. Follow it and go up the stairs at the end and through the passage. Continue along and you'll find a Fonslot that will upgrade Mieu's fire ability to allow him to shoot further. After it's upgraded, go to the right and shoot the torch to form a bridge. Cross it and open the chest for a Special Gel. Also examine the fire like object next to the chest to obtain the Flamberge. Exit and shoot the torch on the left side now and you'll be at the first part of Mt. Zaleho when you first visited it. Make your way to the save point outside of the passage ring, and go left to find three moving torches. Shoot some fire once the torch closest to you is in the center and you should light all three at once. Cross it and open the chest at the end for a Carmine Chamber. Now exit and go to Belkend. ============== BELKEND ============== As you enter, someone will collapse from the miasma, and a soldier will come over, and say that there have been similiar deaths recently. The soldier mentions that a travelling Scorer was just here recently. He says that they went to Baticul. Before going, go find Spinoza. To find him, go up and left from the entrance of the Replica Facility. Spinoza says the Tartarus won't be able to hold up in the pressure at the Core, and that the miasma can't be sealed now. It has to be completely dispersed. Spinoza mentions that Luke can probably use his Hyperresonance to get rid of it. Spinoza also tells you that Asch went to Mt. Roneal. Make your way out, and watch the scene between Luke and Jade. Now make your way to Mt. Roneal. ============== MT. RONEAL ============== Make your way inside of the Mountain and you'll find the Dark Wings. Asch told them to wait outside, and that Asch talks about Natalia 60% of the time, Luke (or "The Replica") 30% of the time, and Van 10% of the time. After the scene, make your way to the Passage Ring, but before reaching it, Luke will find a locket with 1999, and the name Meryl inside of it. Luke remembers that Natalia's real name is Meryl, and that the birthdate and year are the same. Once you reach the Passage Ring, you'll find Asch. Apparently he's still looking for the Jewel of Lorelei before the Six God-Generals can get their hands on it, and then blames Luke for this whole mess. Before leaving here, there's something we can do. Go down from where the Passage Ring is. Go left from the save point and take the path on the southwest portion of the platform. Go past the open chest and go onto the world map. Go west from here and you'll find the next part of Mt. Roneal. As you make your way in, take a left and some of the ice will collapse to form a slope. Go down it and go right and examine the blue dot (it may be a bit hard to see due to the Blizzard) and you'll recieve the Vorpal Sword. Now go up and to the right where there are some trees. Use the Mieu Wing on one of them to reach two chests containing a Special Gel and a Mythril Circlet. Jump off and use the tree to the right of you and use the Mieu Wing on it. Follow the path and break the rock you come across to find a chest containing 15,000 Gald. Light the torch and go through the newly opened door. Use Mieu and breathe fire on the snow pile for a chest containing a Wind Cape. Continue deeper in the ruins, and you'll need to light two torches at once. Simply stand by one of them while facing it, and have Mieu breathe fire. Also open the chest in this room for a Red Lavender. Go through the newly opened door. You'll notice a statue behind a Score sheet. You need to bounce the fire off it to light the other torch, so line yourself up with one of the torches so that the fire will reflect off the statue. Continue down the path and you'll find another statue here. Push it onto the tile with the white mark on it. Make your way back to the beginning of the mountains (where you're in the Blizzard) and go directly north from the entrance to find a bunch of torches. You'll need to make them face in a diagnol direction. The first set should contain the torches lining up from the bottom left, meaning push the bottom torch to the left, and then leave the middle one in the middle, and then push the top torch to the right so it's facing in a diagnol direction to the right. With the second set, use the opposite formation you used in the first set. For the third set, use the same formation you used in the first set. Make sure that the middle torches are on the white marks on the ground. Now make your way back to the first portion of Mt. Roneal. Make your way back to where the save point is by the Passage Ring, and go back to the left. This time, take the northwest path, which leads to a huge ice block. Use Mieu to break it and go through it. Go through the door right across from you and push the statue onto the white mark on the floor. Go back and go through the door above you this time. Position yourself so that the fire will go through all the torches, and then bounce off the reflectors, lighting all the other torches along the way. One you do that, return to that hallway with the torches, and go through the newly opened door to reach the world map. Go north until you can't go north any further. Now go east, and then turn and go southwest. You'll eventually find a Search Point. Examine it to find an upgrade to the Albiore. Now make your way to Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== The soldiers seem to be in a panic mode, saying that Mohs was spotted in town and is trying to get out. Make your way to the Port and you'll find Mohs, along with Dist. Dist uses some kind of odd fonic arte on Mohs, which in the end turns him into a hideous monster. Okay well, honestly, it makes him look better than he was before. Mohs and Dist then fly off. This can't be good. Luke wishes to talk to the King about the Locket he found, but he can't do it with Natalia in his presence, so Jade and Guy make up some excuses to keep her out of the castle. Jade wins though, by saying that Peony is going to marry her. Ingobert says that the picture in the Locket is indeed Natalia, and Anise says that she saw Largo carrying it around. Hmmm... interesting. The King mentions that Natalia's old nanny is in Chesedonia at Astor's. So let's go to Chesedonia. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Make your way to Astor's Manor, but before you can reach it, you'll find someone offering to read Scores. Well, looks like that little lie about the Scorer being in Chesedonia wasn't a lie. As you get closer, you'll notice that the Score Reader is... Sync?! After an exchange of words, Sync uses Ion's voice to toy with Anise's insecurities, and taunts her saying that if she fights him, she's fighting Ion as well, and then takes off. Go to Astor's Manor and go to Astor's room. Natalia's old nanny will come in and she'll say that the Locket belongs to a man named Badaq, who is Natalia's, or Meryl's real father. He used to work as a guardian for a desert carriage, and that he was known as the Lion of the Desert. Guy points out that Largo goes by the name of Largo the Black Lion. With that, the party realizes that Largo is Natalia's real father. PLOT TWIST! Head for the shops and check around the bend going to the Inn to find Anise and Natalia. Tear suggests going to Yulia City and talking with Teodoro. Make your way to Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== After some talking, you'll learn about a Sephiroth Tree that hasn't been stationary at all. Apparently it's been drifting around in the Ocean. Exit Yulia City, and look for a ship like city floating around in the Ocean. As you approach it, a scene will trigger. Once the scene is over, enter it. ============== ISLE OF FERES ============== Guy looks around, saying everything seems to be so familiar. He then blurts out that this is the Isle of Feres, which was across from Hod. It was destroyed during a Tidal Wave one day. Just one thing I'd like to point out about this place, is that I really like the music here. It's so calm. From the start, head directly north to find a chest containing a Pineapple Gel. Go to the west now and keep going and you'll find two chests containing a Rare Guard and a Wing Bottle. Backtrack to the entrance and go east this time. Go down the slope to the right to find a chest at the bottom that has a Pineapple Gel in it. Enter the right door, as the left one is locked from the inside. The door locks. Defeat the enemy in here to unlock both doors. Go through the other door in here, and go left to find a chest containing a Schwarzvogel. Now go up the stairs on the other side and then climb the ladder here. Go to the right a bit, and have Mieu breathe fire across the bridge to flip the lever on the other end to form the bridge. Cross it and open the chest for a Mythril Circlet. Go to the left and hit the lever on the other side and go across the bridge. Go to the 5th floor and open the chest for a Melange Gel. Go to the second floor and enter the door. Defeat the enemies to unlock the door, as well as lower a ladder. Take the ladder and follow the path to reach the next area. Use the healing save point, and use the Mieu Wing to get up to the ladder on the nearby house. Go to the next area and enter the house here. Go to the second floor and head outside. Have Mieu breathe fire on the statue so it reflects off it and hits the switch to form a bridge. Cross it and open the chest for a Lebhaft. Backtrack to the healing save point, and go into the next building for a chest containing an Apple Gel. Have Mieu attack the centered floor a few times and a hole will appear. An Apple Gel is down there. Have Mieu attack the center again and head towards the screen. Climb up the stairs on the right and enter the door going towards the screen for a chest containing a Magic Lens. A door on the left has a chest containing a Red Lavender. Go into the door on the other side of the hall this time and defeat the enemy. Exit to the right and cross the bridge and go down the ladder. Go through the door on the right and go south and you'll find another reflecting statue. Have Mieu breathe fire so it reflects off it and a bridge will form. Go down the stairs and go through the door on the right. Defeat both of the enemies here to unlock the doors, and go through the other door. Go to the right and across the bridge. Eventually you'll find another house. Enter it and defeat the enemy in here and exit this area to the right. Use the save point and go up the stairs and you'll find Arietta. Arietta says that this is her own little special place, and that Anise isn't welcome here at all. Arietta also says that she was born here. Her parents died during the Tidal Wave, and she was rescued by a Liger. She then joined Van, and that this island was a base to the Six God-Generals. Anise asks if the duel is going to be here, but Arietta says she'll send Largo to tell you when and where. She hops on her Liger and runs away. Enter the building here and go up the stairs and you'll find a Fon Machine. Replicas come down, saying that they follow Mohs. The building starts to shake, and a cutscene occurs with a floating island coming out of the Ocean. After the scene, you'll be outside. Re-enter the building and take the right set of stairs. Climb the ladder at the top, and you'll be on the roof. You will find two chests up here containing an Hourglass and some Persian Boots. Also outside, you'll find the third Sword Dancer if you defeated the previous two. Fight him if you want. Go back to the very first screen of the Isle, and go left, and up the ladder. Go across the bridge you formed earlier and open the chest for a Sunlight Chamber. Attempt to fly towards the floating Island, and a scene will trigger, with Noelle saying that she can't get any closer due to the Planet Storm being so strong. I wonder if Mohs fed it some steroids. Jade suggest you go to Grand Chokmah. Let's take him up on that offer. ============== GRAND CHOKMAH ============== Make your way all the way to the western part of town and enter the Military Base. Go to the second floor and enter the left door. Talk to the person in here. During the talking, a soldier runs in, saying that some of the land masses that surrounded Hod are now disappearing. Jade thinks it might be a Hyperresonance. Go visit Peony this time. Before you reach him, Mohs will be talking to everyone from the sky. So now he's playing God. He blames Malkuth and Kimlasca for the lands falling because they seperated themselves from the Score. During his little speech, he tends to stutter from time to time. Jade says that Mohs' mind is starting to disperse, due to him not being able to handle the immense amount of Seventh Fonons he recieved during his transformation. Make your way to Peony. After some talking, the party wants to head to Yulia City. Exit the Palace, and you'll find Largo. He'll tell you that Arietta is waiting for you at the Cheagle Woods. Stock up on items if you need to, and make your way there. ============== CHEAGLE WOODS ============== Anise will walk into the Forest by herself, thinking she's going to do this alone, until Luke stops her, saying it's all of their problem. Plus, Arietta will most likely be using her monsters as allies, so they might as well make it a fair fight. You'll be taken to the Liger section of the Woods. Use the healing save point and go to the next area. Arietta is wearing a new outfit this time around, and she's ready to finish you off. O-----------------O | Arietta | O-----------------O | HP | 25,000 | O-----------------O -Don't let the HP total fool you. She's with two other monsters like she was the first time you fought her alone. Arietta's spells are still strong, and her monster friends are strong as well, so focus on taking them out. A few good combos should be able to waste them quickly, including any Mystic Artes you can manage to use. Just make sure to Free Run around if you see Arietta casting a spell. She also has a new Mystic Arte she uses if you get too close, but it's not entirely damaging like Van's or Sync's. Once the monsters are gone, Arietta is easy to take out. After the fight, Arietta collapses to the ground, muttering her final words before she dies. Anise starts apologizing and cries, and Largo goes and picks her up, telling Anise not to apologize, as she'll only be mocking the goals Arietta had set for herself. Luke calls out to Largo, but only by his real name, Badaq, but Largo claims that name has been tossed aside. Luke then throws the Locket at Largo and Largo catches it. Largo claims that the next time you meet, you'll die. How nice. Make your way to Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== As you enter, you'll spot a person on the ground, shaking. Natalia rushes over to them, asking if everything is alright. A townsfolk comes over and takes the Replica away, saying that the Replica came here all the way from Sheridan. Go find Teodoro in the Meeting Room and talk with him. He'll say that he'll attend the meeting in Daath. You'll then be taken to Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== As you enter the town, you'll find many Replicas. Head for the elevator on the east side of town, not the west. Ride it up, and continue along and you'll see a man push down a Replica, calling it a monster. He says that it was a buddy of his that died not too long ago. The Replica will get up, and will mention the Tower of Rem. Now make your way to the courtyard of the castle, and you'll find a mob of sorts out front. Natalia tries to calm everyone down, and a man strikes her to the ground. Natalia says they're looking for a way to disperse the miasma. Now make your way into the Palace and talk with the King. He says he won't give into Mohs, but if they stray from the Score, the townspeople may start acting violently. The King is also ready to head to Daath to talk with all the other Govenors or Political Powers. He also brings up that the Replicas are leaving town, and going to the Tower of Rem. Natalia asks to attend the meeting at Daath, and the King agrees to let her. Luke says he has news on that "other matter", and the King says to visit him in his room. Go visit his room, and the King wonders if they should tell Natalia or not about Largo being her Father. Luke says that it might be the best thing to tell her now, instead of waiting later. Once you leave the Palace, Jade will also leave to go prepare the Malkuth side. Luke then gets mindraped by Asch again, asking him where he is. Asch then finds out he's in Baticul, and that Luke will meet him in the Manor. Head for it, and Asch will appear. Asch still hasn't found the Jewel of Lorelei. After a bit more talking, Luke asks Asch to stay a bit longer, as Luke has something else he wants to do. Go to Luke's Mother and Father's room and a scene will occur. Luke runs off as Asch gets friendly with his parents again. After some talking, Asch comes out, saying he's never coming back here again. Pffft. Big baby. You'll then rest automatically. Watch the following scenes concerning the conferences with each branch speaking out. Make your way out of Baticul, and Spinoza will find you, saying that Asch asked about how to eliminate the miasma with Hyperresonance. Now it's time to head for the Tower of Rem. Go southwest of the Kaitzur Naval Port. It's on a pretty small island. ============== TOWER OF REM ============== You'll find tons of Replicas once you enter. Noir then shows up, saying that the other two members of the Dark Wings have already chased after Asch. Noir asks them to look for Asch. Luke tries to get into the elevator, but it suddenly closes, and starts moving. Go figure. Go left and up the stairs. It's a straight foward path from here. Grab the chests along the way containing the following items: Melange Gel, Schwarzloewe, Scildecido, and an Elder Robe. Once you reach the top, you'll find a small lift. Grab the chest near it containing a Grass Chamber, then ride it up. Flip the lever near the lift and climb the ladder. Go to the right and climb down the second manhole you find. Open the chest here for a Lottery Gel. Flip the lever here and go to the right and climb the ladder here and open the chest for a Red Chamomile. Go back down and flip the lever. Go all the way to the left and flip the lever here and the final set of doors will open. Now use the Mieu Wing and climb the ladder to find three chests containing a Rebirth Doll, a Pineapple Gel, and an Ancient Ribbon. Go back down and go left and you'll find another left. Take it up and use the healing save point here. Head along the path, and you'll find a spinning Fon Machine. Go take it. We need to power this up. Remember those Golems that had those Blue Fonons in them? We need to kill 5 of them. So head back down. Remember, you need to use the item on at least one of the Golems during the fight to charge up the Fon Machine. Once you get 100%, go back to where you found it and the machine will break the glass, and the elevator will stop. Hop aboard it and you'll ride along with several Replicas. During the ride, Dist shows up, wanting to interfere with you again. He shoots the Replicas. Dist says he still needs Jade to resurrect Nebilim, but Jade has had enough of Dist, and is ready to take care of him once and for all. O------------------------O | Kaiser Dist XX | O------------------------O | HP | 110,000 | O------------------------O -This is a similiar fight to the previous two Kaiser's you fought earlier in the game. The only real difference is that it has a lot of defense, so taking that HP down will take a while, but you shouldn't have too much trouble if you follow the same strategy you used for the previous Kaisers. After the fight, Dist is ready to make the elevator explode, but Luke knocks the Kaiser, as well as Dist, into the sky, and the Kaiser blows up, killing Dist. I sure hope he doesn't put that in his Revenge Journal, but then again, he most likely won't, and can't. You'll find Asch. After some talking, he'll take off again. Exit the Tower and the Dark Wings will tell you that Asch has headed for Daath. So let's follow him. ============== DAATH ============== Enter the Cathedral and enter the Chapel portion and a scene will trigger, with all three political powers gathered together. Peony says he recieved a letter from Asch, mentioning a way to neutralize the miasma. The party explains what Asch means, and the three are shocked to hear about it. The party will then split up. You can wander around and talk with everyone else if you want. Once you want to advance the story, go talk to Tear who's in the Library. After some talking, you'll go back to talk with the political powers, but Natalia spots Asch leaving. After another fun filled day of Asch's attitude, he leaves. Guy then hits Luke to the ground, calling him an idiot for even thinking about giving up his life. However, Luke says he already made up his mind about the whole ordeal. Teodoro says that if Luke can get rid of the miasma, then Yulia's Score might be fulfilled. Now it's off to the Tower of Rem. ============== TOWER OF REM ============== Take the elevator up to the top floor. Asch hasn't shown up yet. You'll spot an injured Replica, being nursed by Mary. She says that they've decided to also give their lives, so that the future Replicas may have a land to live in to call their own. Asch then shows up, saying he'll be the one to die, and tells the Replicas to gather around. Luke says he'll take Asch's place, and that he should be looking for the Jewel of Lorelei, as he's the original. Asch gets pissy again (anger management anyone?), and lifts his sword, ready to move on with the process, until Luke jumps in, and grab his sword from him. Luek kciks Asch away, and sticks the sword into the ground. Luke's body then begins to fade away. It appears that the miasma isn't disappearing. Asch points out that the Jewel of Lorelei must be preventing this, and that the Jewel was inside of Luke the entire time. Asch runs up to Luke. A cutscene then occurs, with the miasma dispersing everywhere. After a bit more talking, Jade suggests going to Belkend so Luke can get a medical examination. ============== BELKEND ============== You'll be taken to the doctor automatically, and he asks everyone to leave. The Doctor asks Luke to remain at the facility. He explains that the Fonons holding his cells together are rapidly disappearing, and that Luke is going to die. Game or not, that still sucks to hear. Luke asks if there's a cure, but the Doctor says they can't do anything. Luke then asks the doctor to keep it between them, as he doesn't want everyone worrying about him. Luke goes to the rest of the party, saying he's fine. You'd think he would know that Jade can find out when he's lying by now. Jade tells Luke that he knows what he's suffering from. Now it's time to head to Baticul. ============== BATICUL ============== Head for Luke's Manor, and Natalia goes to the Palace while Luke and the others go to rest up at the Manor. Before going in, Mieu asks Tear to stay behind, as he has something he wants to tell her. The scene shifts to Luke's room. Tear comes in, saying that she knows what he's going through now, since Mieu told her. Poor Mieu. Luke's probably going to eat him now. Tear asks if there's a cure, but Luke says no. Luke wishes to keep it a secret from everyone else, and wants to live the rest of his days out the best he can, hoping to have his final memories be good ones. Once morning comes, a soldier will barge in, saying a mediator from the New Order of Lorelei has appeared at the Palace. Head there and you'll find Largo, asking the King what his response to Mohs will be. The King refuses to meet the demands, and threatens that if his land is attacked, that he will attack back with no hesitations. Largo leaves. The King thanks Luke for getting rid of the miasma, and then asks him to go to his room with Natalia later about "that other matter." You'll be taken there automatically, and the King will tell Natalia that Largo is her real father. Natalia runs off, looking for the truth. Head for the Port, and you'll find Largo and Natalia. Largo talks about his wife, Sylvia. When he returned one day from guarding a caravan, he found both Sylvia and their new born child missing. Days had passed, until Largo found the body of Sylvia in the water. The child went missing, which drove Sylvia to snap and kill herself. Largo then left Baticul, and then eventually ran into Van, who took him in. You'll be back at the Palace. After some more talking, it's time to head to Yulia City. ============== YULIA CITY ============== Go find Teodoro. The party then splits up after some talking. You can talk with your other party members if you wish. When you're ready to advance the story, go to Tear's room to find Tear and Natalia talking. After the scene, head back to Teodoror. After a bit more talking, it's time to head back to the Absorption Gate. =============== ABSORPTION GATE =============== Make your way down to where you fought Van earlier. Upon going there, you'll find Sync, Mohs, Legretta, and someone who looks like Ion. You'll then find Asch battling Largo. A familiar voice then appears. It's... Van?! Well, I guess it was to be expected since Sync is also alive. After Legretta, Sync, Mohs, Van, and the Replica Ion leave, Largo stays behind, ready to finish you off. O-----------------O | Largo | O-----------------O | HP | 140,000 | O-----------------O -Largo is very slow, so take that to your advantage. Since he's not fighting alongside with the other God-Generals, he shouldn't be too hard to handle. His attacks are pretty simple to dodge, and if you see him winding up into his Mystic Arte, you should have enough time to Free Run away. It's not a tough fight at all, which is kind of disappointing, really. After the fight, Largo goes to finish Luke off, but Natalia shoots him in the back, bringing him to his knees, and after a few last words, Largo dies. Look for a path going downwards and follow it. You'll find a Passage Ring down here. Take the warp to the left of it. Luke tries to close the Gate, but everything goes white, and he's apparently drifting in the Core. He sees images of Van, as well as Sync. Luke finds out that Van has Lorelei inside of him. Because of this, he used his powers to revive Sync. He then sees an image of Sync and Asch. Luke wakes up. Make your way back to the top, and you'll find Asch and Sync fighting. Sync dodges your attacks, and runs away. Head outside and you'll find the Replica Ion reading the Score off of the Seventh Fonstone fragment. Mohs flees the scene, as do Van, Sync, and Legretta, leaving the Ion Replica behind. Anise asks if they can stop by Daath to drop the Replica Ion off. The party agrees to do so. Go to the Cathedral, and he'll be taken in. He can't have the name Ion, though, as the townsfolk would go in an uproar. So instead, Anise names him Florian. Before leaving Daath, go up to Ion's room, and a scene will trigger, with one of the Priests asking you to attend a memorial service for Ion. Anise asks Tear to sign the Seventh Fonic Hymn, but Tear says she doesn't know it. Anise says to sing what she knows. Watch the scene, with Tear singing. After it, Tear will learn the skill Judgment. Go back to Ion's room and talk to Florian and another scene will occur. You'll then obtain a recipe for Stew. Now make your way to the Radiation Gate. Fly to the Absorption Gate, and go north and you'll find a Whirlwind. That's where you need to go. ============== RADIATION GATE ============== Once you land, go down the ramp and through the hole on the left. Open the chest for a Red Saffron. Exit and make your way down. Open the next chest you come across to obtain a Star Rod. Continue along and you'll find a Passage Ring. Behind it are two chests containing an Elder Cloak and a Cobalt Chamber. Go down the ramp and use the healing save point you come across. Continue along, and you'll find the Glyph you're looking for. Luke uses the Jewel of Lorelei. Peek-a-boo, it's Mohs. O---------------------O | Gigant Mohs | O---------------------O | HP | 141,000 | O---------------------O -Mohs is pretty easy. His spells are easy to dodge, and his attacks are on the mediocre side. Just watch out, as he can cause status effects, but other than that, you should have no troubles whatsoever. After the fight, Mohs dissolves in the ground. Methinks no one will be jumping into that mud puddle. Jade suggests going to Grand Chokmah. Enter it and you'll be taken to the meeting room automatically. ============== GRAND CHOKMAH ============== One of the men says that it takes about 15 seconds for the barrages to reload. Noelle says that's plenty of time for her to get you into the base, and that she'll get you in. Head for the town entrance, and you'll find Asch. As usual, it ends up with Asch throwing a hissy fit at Asch for putting himself down. But this time, Asch gets so pissy, he tells Luke that he wants to find out who really is Van's pupil. He asks you to meet him at Eldrant. Now make your way to Chesedonia. ============== CHESEDONIA ============== Head over to the Bar and talk with Goldberg. He'll ask if you're ready. If you are, say yes. Before saying yes, stock up on any items and foods you may need first, meaning get 16 of all the healing items you can get. Jade says that you have 24 hours to do whatever the hell you want, so the party decides to split up. A scene with Natalia and Guy occurs, followed by Jade and Anise, with Jade being a smartass as usual, then a small scene with Mieu and Noelle, and then finally a scene with Luke and Tear. Like we didn't see that coming. Watch the following scenes, and you'll be in the final dungeon of the game. ============== ELDRANT ============== Head up and a scene will trigger with Ginji. Asch appears to be here as well. After the scene, go to the right and up the stairs. Use the save point and head inside. As soon as you take a step foward, a bullet grazes the ground. Well that certainly didn't take long. O------------------O | Legretta | O------------------O | HP | 143,000 | O------------------O -Legretta is still strong, but her spells are easily dodged by Free Running away from them. Keep your distance from her if she uses an Arcane Arte, and especially if she uses her Mystic Arte, Prism Ballet. She still wields those guns, so you can easily Free Run around her to dodge her attacks. However, your computer controlled characters aren't as smart. Not a tough fight all in all, though. Legretta falls to the ground, and dies right there. Head down the stairs to the left for a chest containing a Fonic Lance. Now follow the main path and take the next set of stairs down for a chest containing a Cobalt Chamber. Continue along the main path and grab the chest along the way for a Fonic Robe. Eventually you'll reach a save point. Go down the nearby stairs for a chest containing a Fonic Rod. Follow the main path, and go down the stairs. Luke will fall into a trap, and lands in the same room as Asch. Well isn't that convienent. Asch opens the door, and it closes again. Asch says that one of you will need to stay behind. Luke says that he'll stay behind, but that only makes Asch pissy again. Asch decides it's time to see who the real pupil of Master Van is. O----------------O | Asch | O----------------O | HP | 60,000 | O----------------O -Even if you haven't been using Luke up to this point, it shouldn't be that hard of a fight. You can either Free Run around Asch as he attacks you, and attack him then, or block his attack and then attack him. The latter is most likely the better choice, as it's pretty hard to dodge his attacks. His spells, however, are easy to dodge. Just block and attack and you shouldn't have too much trouble. Asch tosses the Key of Lorelei to Luke. Guards blitz into the room, and Asch says he'll hold them off. Luke runs off, but makes Asch promise to come back alive for Natalia's sake before leaving. Once outside, the rest of the party will find Luke. Once in control, go up the stairs your party ran down and exit outside. Run down the path and open the chest to your left for a Fonic Mace. Go right and down the ramp to find another chest containing a Fonic Mail. Return to the area you were at, and go up the left set of stairs to find a chest containing a Fonic Guard. Continue to the left and into the hall. Go across the bridge and grab the chest here for a Fonic Blade. Go up the stairs. Open the chest at the top for a Fonic Helm. (see a trend here?) Go down the slope and open the chest at the bottom for a Fonic Arrow. Use the healing save point. Hug along the right to find a chest containing a Fonic Bracelet. Continue along down the path, and a scene will trigger, with Guy recognizing his old house. Grab the chest you saw during the scene for a Fonic Hat. Go under the arch and take a right and follow the path for a chest containing a Fonic Crest. Go to the left of the chest to find another chest that has a Special Gel in it. Continue along down the main path, and Asch will call out to Luke. Asch takes care of the Guards, and he tries to contact Luke. While doing so, one of the Guards gets up, and rushes at Asch, stabbing him from behind. A gruesome sound occurs as the sword goes through Asch, and two other soldiers also stab Asch, but Asch knocks them away. An anime cutscene then occurs, showing Asch slumping against the wall, and tells Luke that he's leaving it up to him, and then dies. Luke tells the party that Asch died, and Natalia seems to lose it. A circle suddenly appears under the party, and Jade says it's a trap. Natalia doesn't want to budge, and Luke uses a second hyperresonance to disperse the trap. Sync then shows up. O----------------O | Sync | O----------------O | HP | 120,000 | O----------------O -It figures that they leave the toughest God General for last. Sync is still as fast as you remember him, and his attacks still do a lot of damage. And to add it up, it's hard to make him stagger, so he'll be getting off a lot of spells, as well as a lot of Arcane Artes, and possibly a Mystic Arte. You'll want to keep him distracted so he doesn't focus on your casters, but you'll need to make sure you don't take a beating yourself, because Sync can easily wipe out a character if you're not paying attention. Use your Mystic Artes when possible, and chain your Artes with Arcane Artes to get the most damage. It'll take a bit, but he'll fall eventually. Sync then falls to his knee and dies. Natalia is still gloomy about Asch's death. So Jade walks over to her, and slaps her out of it, telling her that Asch wants you to finish the job. You'll then get the Key of Lorelei, which is a weapon for Luke. Once in control, go left and south. Keep going to find a chest containing a Red Sage. Go back to the stairs and enter the building. Climb up the stairs here and have Mieu breathe fire on the blue orb. In doing so, a path will open up. Examine inside to find a chest containing a Grandioz. This is a very very good Capacity Core. Head northward now and rotate the reflector against the wall and have Mieu breathe fire. A door will then open. Go to the left to find a chest containing a Fonic Cloak. Go up the stairs and to the left. Go left and climb the tall ladder. Use the Mieu Wing on the switch to reveal a Special Gel. Go down the ladder, and hit the pillar that's near the ladder with Mieu from the right side. Go to the other pillar below you and hit it in the direction of the pillar you just hit. (not to the right, but in the direction when it was standing) Head through the door in the back. Defeat the Guardian with Light based spells, and defeat the other enemy with Dark based spells. Use the Light Stone you get on the huge fonstone in the center and head towards the screen and climb the pillar. Use the Mieu Wing to touch the orb in here. Climb the other pillar and climb up the tall ladder in the back. Step on the plate like object here and the room will rotate. Go towards the screen, and open the chest for a Fonic Sword. Go back to the plate that rotated the room and step on it again. Use the tall ladder that's in the back again, and check around for a chest containing some Fonic Gloves. Go back to where the huge Fonstone is and use the Dark Stone this time. Continue on and rotate the two reflectors so that they're facing each other. Step on the switch now and climb the stairs and have Mieu breathe fire on the reflectors you just messed around with. In order to complete this, you need to shoot fire so that the fire reflects off the reflectors and starts coming back. Once it does, use the Mieu Wing to fly up from where you're standing. Stay up until the fire reaches you. If the fire hits the second switch, the first switch will reset. If you're in the air when the fire comes back, it'll only hit the first switch and then disperse once it touches you, opening the door. Now go through the door and you'll be in front of Yulia's Grave. After the scene, there's also a chest to the left containing a Treat. Now make your way back to the room where those two Guardians were and go up the stairs on either side and use the save point. Head up the stairs to find Van. O---------------O | Van | O---------------O | HP | 122,000 | O---------------O -Van fights like he did last time, but he's much stronger this time around. His spells are easy enough to dodge, so take that time to attack him, as he doesn't stagger easily. Make sure to keep your distance if you see him using an Arcane Arte, as he'll usually follow with a Mystic Arte shortly after. After you take half of his health down, a scene will trigger. After it, take the rest of his health down. A couple of more scenes occur, and a cooler looking Van is ready for another round. O---------------O | Van | O---------------O | HP | 152,000 | O---------------O -Van has the same spells and Artes as he did in the previous round, but this time he has a new Mystic Arte. While it doesn't have the range like his other one has, this one is more powerful and it will kill anyone in it. Make sure to Free Run around his spells and take that opportunity to attack him, as he still doesn't stagger easily. Don't hold back on using any items you have on you since this is the final fight. If you're still having trouble, use an All Divide if you have to. After the fight, watch the following scenes. I won't spoil the ending for you, so sit back and enjoy. Also notice the nice images in the credits. After the credits finish rolling, one last scene occurs. After it, that's the end of Tales of the Abyss. I hope you enjoyed the game like I did. You can load up your clear game file to purchase things from the GRADE Shop. There's also a Sound Test option on the opening screen now. Here are my records for my first runthrough. You can compare if you want. I just wanted to share mine. Records ------- Total Playtime: 69 hours : 24 minutes : 1 second Max Gald: 1,249,478 Total Gald Used: 843,150 Skits Viewed: 385/489 Number of Saves: 281 Games Completed: 1 Avg. Battle Time: 29 seconds Total Encounters: 926 Total Escapes: 41 Max Number of Hits: 58 Max Damage: 31,589 Max GRADE: 15.79 Character Use: -Luke (16%) -Tear (91%) -Jade (82%) -Anise (78%) -Guy (89%) -Natalia (13%) -Asch (1%) Fastest Win: 1 second Time Without Damage: 2 minutes : 28 seconds Total Damage Given: 31,519,595 Total Damage Taken: 1,074,330 =================== 6.) Sidequests =================== Yes, I know that all of the sidequests are not in here, so please don't e-mail me saying that I'm missing one. ========= LUKE ========= =================== LUKE'S ARCANE ARTES =================== There are four books that you can find during the game that will give Luke some new Arcane Artes. Book 1 - After meeting Natalia for the first time, talk to Ramdas (he's usually in the first room you enter as you enter Duke Fabre's residence) and he'll mention that some of Master Van's books have been old. He gives you 20,000 Gald to get the books back. Now go to the Port in Baticul, and you'll find the merchant. Pay him the 20,000 Gald, and Luke will learn Demon Fist. Book 2 - After St. Binah sinks, head for Yulia City and go over to Tear's house and there should be a man standing outside of it. Talk with him, and he'll want a hefty amount of Gald too. Go talk with Luke's mother, and after a scene, she'll give him the money. Talk with the merchant and Luke will learn Lightning Blade. Book 3 - After Nephry tells you about Dist, go to the Keterburg Hotel and talk to the man on the right side of the counter. He'll want a lot of Gald as well, so go talk with Luke's mother. Go back with the money, and Luke will learn Slag Assault. Book 4 - After coming back from the Radiation Gate, go to the secret Library in Daath. Talk with the man that's looking out the window, and he'll want some Gald as well. Go talk with Luke's mother, and she'll give him the Gald. Return and Luke will learn Sonic Blast. ------------------- ======================= GUY AND LUKE'S TRAINING ======================= After sleeping at St. Binah, but before entering Akzeriuth, sleep in the inn at St. Binah again, and Guy and Luke will go out for sword training. In the end, Luke learns Sonic Thrust. ------------------- ============== BERSERKER ============== This is a costume title for Luke. To obtain it, you need to fight 256 battles on Hard Mode or higher. (not entirely sure if they have to be consecutive battles or not) After doing so, go to the Coliseum after clearing the Absorption Gate for the first time and Natalia rejoins the party. At the Coliseum entrance, take the right door and go through the next door to find the crowd. Talk to the man on the right pillar and Luke will get the title Berserker, as well as the costume that comes along with it. ------------------- ============== VISCOUNT ============== Once you obtain all of Luke's Arcane Artes by buying back all the books, and after you've completed the Radiaton Gate, talk with Ramdas, and he'll tell you about a ceremony for Luke. After the scene, Luke will recieve the title Viscount, as well as that spiffy costume he wore during the ceremony. ------------------- ========= TEAR ========= ============== TEAR'S HYMNS ============== There are two songs in which you can learn for Tear. Song 1 - After Luke cuts his hair, and you're about to meet with Teodoro, a woman will ask Tear to go to her house later. Go to her house then. It's right below Teodoro's office. Talk with her and Tear will learn Holy Song. Song 2 - After Luke visits the doctor in Belkend, but before finishing the Absorption Gate the second time, go to Ion's room in Daath, and a scene will occur, involving the party going to Ion's Memorial Service. Anise asks Tear to sing the Seventh Fonic Hymn, but Tear doesn't know all of it. During the server, Tear sings, and in the end, she learns the skill Judgment. ------------------- ============== TEAR THE MAID ============== There are two events you need to do in order to get this: Event 1 - After visiting the King of Baticul for the first time, go find the guest room on the right side of the castle and talk with the maid. Event 2 - After Ingobert acknowledges Natalia as his daughter, go talk to the maid in Natalia's room, and Tear will get a title, as well as a costume. ------------------- ================ TEAR THE SOLIDER ================ There are a few timed events to get a title and costume for Tear. First, you must see 4 events from Tear's past. Event 1 - After you enter Daath for the first time, sleep at the Inn. Event 2 - After you enter Sheridan for the first time, sleep at the Inn. Event 3 - After the Oracle Knights try to attack you as Ion recites the Score, sleep at the Inn in Daath before attempting to exit. Event 4 - After clearing Tataroo Valley for the second time, sleep at the Inn in Sheridan. After doing those, and after viewing the final scene in Eldrant before the final boss, go to Yulia City and go to Tear's room and enter the room leading to the flower bed. A scene will trigger with Tear reading a letter Legretta left behind. After it, Tear will get a title, as well as the costume she wore during her training. ------------------- ====================== MONSTER COLLECTOR TEAR ====================== You must be on your second playthrough for this sidequest. After completeing the Absorption Gate for the first time, and Natalia rejoins the party, go to the Hotel in Keterburg, and go to the third floor. Go left and enter the first door that can be entered. Talk with the boy in the cat costume. Tear is hypnotized by the costume, and takes on a job without even knowing it. You'll need to fight three monsters to complete this sidequest: Monster 1 - Go to the Inista Marsh and defeat the Behemoth. Monster 2 - Go to the desert and fly into the sandstorm with the Albiore. Land and explore around the area until you see a worm jumping from the sand. That's your target. Monster 3 - Defeat the Replicantis in the Abyss Replica Facility. After defeating all three of the monsters, go back to the boy in the cat costume and talk with him. Tear will recieve a title, as well as a black cat costume. Hells yeah. ------------------- ========= JADE ========= ======================= JADE'S FORBIDDEN SPELLS ======================= There are 9 stones to find, and every 3 you find, Jade will learn a new, powerful spell. I recommend waiting to do this entire sidequest until after you've completed the Radiation Gate. To start the sidequest, go to the Malkuth Headquarters and enter the Briefing Room and talk with the man in here, and you'll recieve an Ancient Scroll. Now go to St. Binah and talk to McGovern to get the sidequest underway. The stones are in the following places: Stone 1 - Go to Chesedonia and enter the Inn. Go to the second floor and examine the rooms until you find the stone in a dresser. Stone 2 - Go to Keterburg from the south side, and watch the scene. Now go to the north portion of the town, and examine behind the statue. Stone 3 - Go to Sheridan from the south side, and go northwest to reach the next screen for a scene. After it, you'll recieve the stone, and Jade will learn Absolute. Stone 4 - Go to Belkend and make your way to the room where you first met Spinoza in the game. Don't go into the exact room, but in the room before it, explore the right side of the room and you'll find the stone. Stone 5 - Go to the Kaitzur Naval Port, and you'll recieve it automatically. Stone 6 - Go to the Radiation Gate and Jade will find the stone as soon as you enter. Jade will then learn Prism Sword. Stone 7 - Go to Daath and go to Ion's room and talk with Florian, and he'll give it to Jade after a bit of mind trickery. Stone 8 - Go to Fubras river from the north side and you'll get the stone after a scene. Stone 9 - Go to Yulia City and go into the main building. Examine around the northeast corner on the bottom floor for it. Jade will then learn Meteor Storm. ------------------- ============== DOCTOR JADE ============== After clearing the Radiation Gate, go to Belkend and enter the Replica Facility. From the entrance, go north, north, and then west and a scene will trigger, in which Jade will need to play doctor. Pick any of your characters to be a guinea pig, and after the scene, Jade will get a title, as well as the costume he wore during the scene. ------------------- =================== ITEM COLLECTOR JADE =================== You can only get this title on your second playthrough. Once you complete Mt. Zaleho for the second time, and have finished filling in the Collector's Book, go to Daath for a scene. Jade will recieve his title after it. ------------------- ========= GUY ========= ==================== GUY'S SIGMUND SKILLS ==================== There are 7 total scenes for this. Part 1 - After talking with the King of Baticul for the first time, talk to Pere three times, and he'll mention a man at the Desert Oasis named Gee. Part 2 - After entering the Desert Oasis for the first time, go into the bar and talk with the man in the corner. Gee will give Guy a special item, and to look for the other men he needs to talk to. Part 3 - After returning to the Kaitzur Naval Port from Chesedonia, go to Kaitzur and head for the north portion of town. Enter the inn and talk with the man in there. He'll teach Guy Tempest. Part 4 - After rescuing Natalia and Ion in the Orackle Headquarters, go up to the Cathedral, but halfway up the stairs, go right and talk to the man near the statue. Part 5 - After Guy has the Curse Slot removed, go to the bar in Grand Chokmah and go to the second floor. Talk to the man standing next to the bar, and he'll give you your next hint. Part 6 - After Guy has the Curse Slot removed, go to Belkend and look for a huge spinning machine. Talk to the main in front of it, and he'll give you the final hint. Part 7 - After Guy has the Curse Slot removed, go to Keterburg and go to the northern part of town, and enter the Igloo on the west side. Talk to the man here and Guy will learn Soaring Light Spear. ------------------- ============== FLY GUY ============== After entering Eldrant, and viewing the scene involving Ginji, go to Sheridan and approach the Meeting Hall. Guy and Noelle get into a conversation, and Guy confesses his love for... wanting to fly. Guy then gets a new costume, which is my favorite. ------------------- =========================== BARTENDER! A JACK DANIELS! =========================== After completeing the Absorption Gate and Natalia rejoins the party, go to Grand Chokmah, and hug along the buildings as you make your way westward. Eventually, a scene will trigger. After it, go to Keterburg Bay by sea and a scene will trigger once you enter. After it, go to Chesedonia and talk with the Bartender and watch the scene. Guy will get a title, as well as the costume he wore during the scene. ------------------- =================== GUY'S FAMILY JEWELS =================== There are 3 events to complete this sidequest. Event 1 - Before the Peace Treaty is signed, talk to Pere in the room you enter when you enter the Fabre Household from the Palace side. He'll mention the sword hanging there. Event 2 - After completeing the Absorption Gate and Natalia rejoins the party, go back to where the sword is and talk with Pere. Event 3 - After viewing the final scene before the final battle in Eldrant, go back to the Fabre Household and go to the room where the Sword is. Talk with Duke Fabre, and Guy will recieve the Sword. ------------------- ========= ANISE ========= ==================== ANISE THE PUS... CAT ==================== After you reach Nam Cobanda Island, go find a booth that has a masked man in it. Talk with him, and he'll ask which person is most important to you. Pick anyone, and that person will disappear. He'll then want you to pay him 76,500 Gald to retrieve the person. Do so, and in the end, Anise will recieve a Cat costume. ------------------- ==================== ANISE THE CUTE DEVIL ==================== After completing the Radiation Gate, go to Daath, and Florian asks Anise to be the Devil in a play that they're holding for orphans. Watch the following scene (I replaced the word Candies with Monies in my mind, because well... it's the truth) and after it, Anise will recieve her Devil Costume. ------------------- ========= NATALIA ========= =============== NATALIA'S ARTES =============== Once the Tartarus rises up from the Qliphoth, go find Port Sheridan (it's on a huge brown continent on the west side of the map) and look for an old man surrounded by some thugs. Save the man, and Natalia will learn Gallant Barrage. Later, after completing Mt. Zaleho twice, go to the Daath Port, and you'll find the man who taught you Gallant Barrage. After a scene, Natalia will learn Healing Force. ------------------- ================= NATALIA THE THIEF ================= Once you enter Nam Cobanda Island, go to the left to find a boy in a cow suit. He'll ask you to find his two brothers. Go to Yulia City and enter the main building, and enter the house below the one Teodoro lives in. You'll find one of the brothers. Talk with him and he'll run off. Next, go to Baticul Port to find the other brother. Talk with him. Now go to Engeve, and you'll find out the first brother has been kidnapped. Go to the Cheagle Woods to get him back. Next, go back to Baticul Port and talk with the other brother. Finally, take both of them back to the boy in the cow suit at Nam Cobanda Island, and he'll give Natalia a rather... breast revealing suit. ------------------- ========= MIEU ========= ============== MIEU WING ============== During your second visit to Tataroo Valley, make your way to the Passage Ring. Along the way, you'll spot a rock slumped against a cliff. Have Mieu break it and you'll find the upgrade for the Mieu Wing inside. ------------------- ============== MIEU FIRE 2 ============== After saving Shiba, and after completing Mt. Zaleho for the second time, go to Keterburg and go to the area that had the chest on the roof (take the left from the entrance of the town and you'll be in front of it) and you'll find Shiba. He'll give you the Ice Seed. Take it to Mt. Zaleho, and make your way to the bottom and there are some new areas you couldn't reach before. You'll find the Mieu Fire 2 upgrade in one of them. ------------------- ========= OTHER ========= ================ COLLECTOR'S BOOK ================ Before leaving for the Cheagle Woods at the beginning of the game, talk to the Grocer that Luke stole an apple from. He'll ask you to retrieve something for him. You'll find the item he's looking for in the Cheagle Woods. Once you find it, bring it back to him and you'll recieve the Collector's Book. ------------------- ============== FANDOM ============== While in St. Binah the first time, and after you spend the night at the inn, head for the other side of town and there should be a bulletin board with a poster on it. Use Mieu to breathe fire on it, and someone will spaz out and he'll ask you to retrieve another poster. He gives you 200 Gald. Once you enter Chesedonia for the first time, head for the north inn and a scene will occur. The merchant will want 1,000 Gald for the poster instead of 200. Pay the 1,000 Gald. After leaving the Kaitzur Naval Port, and before St. Binah sinks, go confront the man that gave you the Gald for a new poster. He'll give you the rest of the Gald [800] that he didn't give you. ------------------- ================ THE ANT LION MAN ================ There are 5 events for this sidequest, each with a time limit. Event 1 - After entering Chesedonia for the first time, head to the Inn on the south side of town. Check behind it to find the Ant Lion Man. Talk with him and he'll want an Apple Gel. Give it to him, and you'll recieve a recipe. Event 2 - After clearing the Zao Ruins, go back to Chesedonia and talk with The Ant Lion Man. He'll want a Scimitar and a Magic Lens this time. Give him the items, and you'll recieve an Orange Gel in exchange. Event 3 - Before you complete the Zao Ruins for a second time, go back to Chesedonia and talk with The Ant Lion Man. He'll want a Miracle Gel, Panacea Bottle, and an Apple. Give them to him, and you'll recieve a Theif's Cape. Event 4 - After obtaining the Flightstone in Daath, go to Chesedonia and talk with The Ant Lion Man again. He'll ask for a Striped Ribbon, Beef, and Chicken. You most likely don't have a Striped Ribbon. You can buy one at Chesedonia after completeing the Radiation Gate. Don't worry, as if you get to his trade, The Ant Lion Man will still be there after completeing the Radiation Gate. After giving him the items, he'll give you a Holy and Spirit Ring in return. Event 5 - After giving him the items in Event 4, he won't want anything this time around. Instead, he'll give you a new recipe. ------------------- ============== SWORD DANCERS ============== There are 3 Sword Dancers you can fight in the game, but the first two disappear at certain points. You must fight the first two if you wish to fight the third one. Sword Dancer 1 - After completing Choral Castle, but before entering Akzeriuth, choose to walk back to the Kaitzur Naval Port. At the entrance, you'll find a sword sticking into the ground. That's the Sword Dancer. Sword Dancer 2 - After completeing Theor Forest, but before clearing the Absorption Gate, examine the search point southeast from the exit of Theor Forest to find the second Sword Dancer. Sword Dancer 3 - After completing the Isle of Feres, re-enter it at any time and you should see a Sword sticking into the ground. That's the third Sword Dancer. ------------------- ========================= ERRAND BOY FOR YULIA CITY ========================= There are 3 Events to complete this sidequest. Event 1 - While you control Asch for the first time, exit Tear's house and go to the far left side to find a man standing there. He'll want 3 Apple Gels. Event 2 - After Luke cuts his hair, visit the man again and he'll want 5 Rice. Event 3 - After St. Binah sinks, but before completing the Absorption Gate, talk with him again and he'll want 5 Maces. ------------------- ============== THE DARK KEY ============== After the Peace Treaty is signed, but before completing the Absorption Gate, go to Grand Chokmah and head for the Palace. As you make your way there, a scene involving the Dark Wings will occur. After the scenes, you'll recieve the Dark Key. ------------------- ============== SAVING SHIBA ============== After Chesedonia sinks, go to Aramis Spring, and a dog will be outside. You will then see a man caught up in some roots. Make your way up to him and have Mieu burn the roots down. You'll then recieve the King's Portrait. ------------------- =================== PEONY'S PET PIGGIES =================== After you clear the Absorption Gate for the first time, and Natalia is in your party, go to Grand Chokmah and go to Peony's room and the maid will ask if you've seen the Emperor's Rappigs. Now enter his bedroom, and he'll tell you to find his beloved bigs. There 5 in total, and I'm pretty sure that you need to find one to make another appear: Pig 1 - Exit Peony's room and check the side of the left staircaise. Pig 2 - Go to the Audience Chamber and examine behind the right throne (it's against the wall) Pig 3 - Go to the Guest room on the second floor to find it. Pig 4 - Go to the Library to find it. Pig 5 - Exit the Library and it should be there. After retrieving all the pigs, you'll recieve a Spa Pass, as well as a title for Jade. ------------------- ================ SWIMSUIT SCANDAL ================ With the Spa Pass in hand, go to Keterburg, and go to the Hotel. Approach the counter and a scene will trigger, asking if you want to use the spa. Use it and you'll obtain titles for everyone, as well as their Swimsuit costumes. Talk to the employee on the right side of the counter and enter the spa again. An amusing scene with Tear, Natalia, Anise, and Guy will occur, with Guy getting the title Naughty Devil. ------------------- ================== CECILLE AND FRINGS ================== This sidequest is an involving one, and has a very strict time limit. It's very easy to miss this sidequest. There are a total of 5 events. Event 1 - After Chesedonia sinks, and right after you get the Albiore, do the following: -Head for Engeve and enter from the south. -Head for the Inn at Engeve. -Head for Kaitzur and enter from the south and enter the left building. -Head for Engeve and enter Rose's house. -Head for Kaitzur and enter from the north. After the scene, talk with Frings. -Head for the Kaitzur Naval Port and enter the right building. -Head for Engeve and enter Rose's house. -Head for the Kaitzur Naval Port and talk with General Cecille. -Head for Chesedonia and enter Astor's Mansion. -Head for Kaitzur and enter from the north and talk with Frings. -Head for the Kaitzur Naval Port and talk with General Cecille. Event 2 - After the Peace Treaty is formed, go to the Kaitzur Naval Port and talk with General Cecille. Event 3 - After clearing the Absorption Gate, but before Jade rejoins the party, head for the Baticul Port and talk with General Cecille. (If you did the previous two events, you can't really miss this, as it happens pretty much automatically) Event 4 - After clearing the Absorption Gate and Natalia joins the party, go to the Baticul Port and talk with General Cecille. Event 5 - After your second visit to the Tower of Rem, and Luke visits the doctor in Belkend, go to the Tower of Rem to find General Cecille. You'll automatically escort her back to Baticul, and Guy will recieve a title, as well as a costume. ------------------- ============== BATTLE SUITS ============== After viewing the final scene before the final fight in Eldrant, (approach the stairs leading up to the final fight to trigger it) go to Grand Chokmah and go talk to Peony. Everyone will recieve new costumes. ------------------- ============== MUSHROOM ROAD ============== After completing the Absorption Gate and Natalia is in your party, go visit the Fabre Household and you'll be informed that your mother is sick, and that you need a certain mushroom to cure her. To find the Mushroom Road, first open up your World Map and select the Cheagle Woods from the Dungeon list. See where there's a river right next to it? Take that river to find Mushroom Road. Once you reach there, you'll be able to control Asch, but you need to control Luke, as Mieu is needed in this dungeon. Use Mieu to breathe fire on the mushrooms here, as they'll usually contain chests or enemies. Once you find a mushroom that's acting differently from the others, that's the mushroom you need to examine. Do so. Before going back, take the north exit. You'll find a search point containing an upgrade to the Albiore. Now go back to the Fabre Household to complete the sidequest. ------------------- ================ ALBIORE UPGRADES ================ There are two Albiore Upgrades you can get. For the first, refer to the Mushroom Road sidequest. To get the other, do the following before leaving Mt. Roneal the second time: NOTE: You must have Mieu Fire 2 in order to do this. Before leaving here, there's something we can do. Go down from where the Passage Ring is. Go left from the save point and take the path on the southwest portion of the platform. Go past the open chest and go onto the world map. Go west from here and you'll find the next part of Mt. Roneal. As you make your way in, take a left and some of the ice will collapse to form a slope. Go down it and go right and examine the blue dot (it may be a bit hard to see due to the Blizzard) and you'll recieve the Vorpal Sword. Now go up and to the right where there are some trees. Use the Mieu Wing on one of them to reach two chests containing a Special Gel and a Mythril Circlet. Jump off and use the tree to the right of you and use the Mieu Wing on it. Follow the path and break the rock you come across to find a chest containing 15,000 Gald. Light the torch and go through the newly opened door. Use Mieu and breathe fire on the snow pile for a chest containing a Wind Cape. Continue deeper in the ruins, and you'll need to light two torches at once. Simply stand by one of them while facing it, and have Mieu breathe fire. Also open the chest in this room for a Red Lavender. Go through the newly opened door. You'll notice a statue behind a Score sheet. You need to bounce the fire off it to light the other torch, so line yourself up with one of the torches so that the fire will reflect off the statue. Continue down the path and you'll find another statue here. Push it onto the tile with the white mark on it. Make your way back to the beginning of the mountains (where you're in the Blizzard) and go directly north from the entrance to find a bunch of torches. You'll need to make them face in a diagnol direction. The first set should contain the torches lining up from the bottom left, meaning push the bottom torch to the left, and then leave the middle one in the middle, and then push the top torch to the right so it's facing in a diagnol direction to the right. With the second set, use the opposite formation you used in the first set. For the third set, use the same formation you used in the first set. Make sure that the middle torches are on the white marks on the ground. Now make your way back to the first portion of Mt. Roneal. Make your way back to where the save point is by the Passage Ring, and go back to the left. This time, take the northwest path, which leads to a huge ice block. Use Mieu to break it and go through it. Go through the door right across from you and push the statue onto the white mark on the floor. Go back and go through the door above you this time. Position yourself so that the fire will go through all the torches, and then bounce off the reflectors, lighting all the other torches along the way. One you do that, return to that hallway with the torches, and go through the newly opened door to reach the world map. Go north until you can't go north any further. Now go east, and then turn and go southwest. You'll eventually find a Search Point. Examine it to find an upgrade to the Albiore. ------------------- ================= PROTECTING ENGEVE ================= After completing the Absorption Gate, and Natalia is in your party again, go to Engeve and you'll learn of monsters raiding the town. Choose to protect the town. You'll fight seven consecutive battles. After doing so, you'll recieve Rose's Pendant. ------------------- ================== NAM COBANDA ISLAND ================== To find Nam Cobanda Island, first you need both of the Albiore Upgrades, as well as Mieu Fire 2 and the Mieu Wing. To find the Island itself, go to the continent that Sheridan resides on, and go to near the northern tip of the continent, and you'll find two Whirlpools surrounded a cave. You'll need to get to full power to pass through them. There's a lot of neat stuff in here. ------------------- ====================== THE ANT LION MAN PT. 2 ====================== You must have done The Ant Lion Man sidequest in Chesedonia completely in order to do this. Go to Nam Cobanda Isle, and find the booth with an Ant Lion Man in it. Talk to the one behind the counter. He'll want 150,000 Gald for a Grab Bag. You will recieve some of the items that you gave to the previous Ant Lion Man in Chesedonia. Anise will then throw a bitch fit, and the Ant Lion Man will give you the Ant Lion Doll for Anise. ------------------- ============== ABYSSMAN ============== You can only get these costumes on your second playthrough. After completeing the Absorption Gate and Natalia joins the party, go to Grand Chokmah and head for Peony's room at the palace. Before entering the actual room itself, talk with the maid closest to you and you'll recieve the Abyssman costumes (which closely resembles the Power Rangers) and you now know that Abyssman is Peony's favorite superhero show. How... interesting. And to top it off, Asch gets one of those costumes as well. ------------------- ==================== ORTION CAVERN (EAST) ==================== You must have upgraded the Albiore and have gotten Mieu Fire 2 in order to complete this dungeon. To reach this dungeon, go east from the first Ortion Cavern entrance. You should find a cave surrounded by a single whirlpool. Break through it with the Albiore at full speed to enter. Hit the lever to stop the conveyor belt. Continue on. For the next lever, you'll need to reflect Mieu's fire off the reflector on the left to hit it. Once you do so, cross the conveyor belt. Continue along and you'll find a split path going to the left. Take it and use the reflector to bounce the fire so it activates the crane. Open the chest. In the next area, you'll spot a Cheagle. Hit the levers with Mieu's fire to free it. Open the next two chests. To free the next Cheagle, reflect the fire off the crystal to hit the lever. Continue down the path. Use the reflectors you find along the way to free the next two Cheagles. Keep going down the path. Ignore the left split and hit the next lever. The Cheagle can't escape though. Use the save point and open the two chests. Take the left split this time. Position yourself at an angle next to the right torch and have Mieu breathe fire to light it. If angled properly, the fire should bounce off the reflectors, lighting all the torches along the way, and then it'll hit the lever. The Cheagle will escape through the new hole in the wall, but some Ogre Replicas will come out to play. Touch one to trigger a fight. After they're defeated, exit the Cavern. ------------------- ================ CATALYST WEAPONS ================ There are six Catalyst weapons, one for each character. I recommend gathering up these weapons after completeing the Radiation Gate so you can gather them all at once. Note that you get Luke's during the story, so I won't be adding his. Catalyst Weapon 1 - Go to the Cathedral in Daath, and talk with Tritheim. After the scene, go to Keterburg and talk with Nephry. Finally, go to Grand Chokmah and talk with Peony in his room. After an amusing scene, you'll recieve the first Catalyst weapon. Catalyst Weapon 2 - Go to St. Binah and talk with the older McGovern. After the scene, go to the inn and talk with the younger McGovern. After that, exit the town and you'll find the rappig you're looking for. Get it and go back to the inn. After handing the pig over, you'll recieve the second Catalysy weapon. Catalyst Weapon 3 - Enter the Cathedral in Daath, and you'll see Florian running away with a weapon in his hands. He wants you to play Hide-and-Seek with him. Take the right door from the entrance and use the bottom right Glyph to find Florian. After the scene, you'll recieve the third Catalyst Weapon. Catalyst Weapon 4 - Head for the Abanonded Factory in Baticul. Got to the ladder on the far right side on the first screen and climb, and climb the next one. Go a bit to the right and use the Mieu Wing to reach the ladder. Follow the pipes and use Mieu Fire 2 to hit the switch on the other side. Now exit the factory and take the newly available Air Car above the one you got out of. Climb the ladder and open the two chests. One containing a Sunlight Chamber, the other containing Natalia's Catalyst Weapon. Catalyst Weapon 5 - Refer to the Eldrant walkthrough portion of how to get the Catalyst weapon. It's in Yulia's Grave. After obtaining all of the Catalyst weapons, make sure none of them are equipped. If you're going for the Tactical Leader title, MAKE SURE TO PUT THE DIFFICULTY SETTING ON VERY HARD OR UNKNOWN. This is very important, as you must beat Nebilim on one of those two difficulties to get the title in the US Version. Once you're ready, head northwest of Keterburg into the Blizzard. You should spot a mountain with a huge crack on it. That's where you need to go. Make sure to save before entering. Enter the crack, and watch the scene. Then you'll be thrusted into a fight. O-------------------O | Nebilim | O-------------------O | HP | 320,000 | O-------------------O -No, that HP total is not a typo, and if you're fighting her on Very Hard or Unknown, that HP total will be upped to 640,000 or higher. No matter what difficulty setting you're fighting her on, though, she's easily one of the toughest bosses in the game, if not the toughest. Nebilim has a crapload of spells and skills at her arsenal, and they hurt. A LOT. If your levels aren't high at all, you can expect to be wiped all over the floor. Her spells are easy enough to dodge yourself, but your other characters are too stupid to dodge them, so you'll be using a lot of Life Bottles and Lemon Gels in this fight. Try not to Melee her if she's not casting a spell, as the Melee skills she uses will hurt you just as much as her spells do, so try to focus your attacks on her when she's casting a spell. The one thing you'll want to really look out for are her Mystic Artes, and even then, you might not be able to dodge them at all, as they hit a wide area. This is going to be a very long fight, so hopefully you have the maximum amount of Life Bottles, Lemon Gels, Pineapple Gels, and Miracle Gels you can have. Don't hesitate to use your higher Gels too like Special Gels or Treats or Specifics. You'll need every bit of HP you can get to take her down. After the fight, if you fought her on Very Hard or Unknown mode, go to Grand Chokmah to talkw ith Peony. Then go to Daath and talk with Tritheim. After talking with Tritheim, go to Baticul and talk with Pere to obtain the Tactical Leader title. Don't thank me for this. Go and thank the Tales of the Abyss message board, as they're the ones that confirmed it. All the credit goes to them. ------------------- ========================== THE ABYSS REPLICA FACILITY ========================== In order to do this sidequest, you'll need to have done a handful of things beforehand. First, you must have the Mieu Wing and Mieu Fire 2. You must have also saved Shiba at Aramis Spring, as well as completed the Eastern portion of the Ortion Cavern. You must also be on your second playthrough to unlock this dungeon, and you'll need a lot of Gald to do this dungeon. You must have also seen the final scene in Eldrant before the final fight. In order to activate this sidequest, go to Sheridan, and head for where the Dock is and go to the two men near the ladder. They'll tell you about Shiba. Go to the Meeting Hall now, and talk with Shiba. He'll give you a chance to prepare. If you're ready, talk with him, and you'll wind up at the Ortion Cave automatically. Shiba will then open up a path to the facility. The facility is a huge maze, and you'll need to pay Shiba Gald to excavate the rocks (the default Gald payment is 10,000. You can change this if you wish by talking with him while on the map) and the blue bar in the upper portion of the screen is Shiba's health. If you get into a random encounter, the bar will go down. The only ways to refill his health are finding one of the three springs in the area, or exiting the cave completely. (Again, talk with Shiba if you wish to exit) You need to destroy all the Replica Machines you come across in order to advance. Also, the birds ontop of the machines give a lot of Gald, so make sure to fight with them. Make sure to equip your Blue Sephira as well to get the most Gald possible from the birds. To fight them, have Mieu reflect fire off the crystals to agitate them. There's a map on the bottom of the screen, so use that as your guide. I don't have directions for a route that makes you lose the least amount of Gald, but hopefully I'll get some directions here soon. Remember, you need to destroy all the Replica Machines you come across. You can find how many you've destroyed and how many there are in the upperleft hand corner. As you venture further into the dungeon, you'll find some familiar faces. O--------------------O O-------------------O O------------------O | Arietta Replica | | Largo Replica | | Sync Replica | O--------------------O O-------------------O O------------------O | HP | 45,000 | | HP | 65,000 | | HP | 55,000 | O--------------------O O-------------------O O------------------O O--------------------O | Legretta Replica | O--------------------O | HP | 50,000 | O--------------------O -Legretta doesn't join the fight once it starts. Once one of the first three go down, she'll jump into the fight. You can already tell that a combo of Arietta and Sync is going to be a very troublesome matter, so it's best to take one of those two out first. I would recommend Sync, as he uses his Arcane Artes A LOT, and his attacks still hurt a lot. Arietta shouldn't cause too much trouble since you can easily dodge her spells. Once one of the Replicas falls, get ready for Legretta. Just use the same strategy you used when you fought against each individual earlier in the game and you should be fine. After the fight, you'll need to destroy a few more Replica Machines. Once you reach the final room of the dungeon, a scene will trigger. O-------------------O | Replicantis | O-------------------O | HP | 250,000 | O-------------------O -The fighting style of this boss is the same of Fyr Bronc, meaning it's slow, and it's attacks are easily avoidable. However, the most dangerous thing about this boss is it's ability to cast powerful magic such as Divine Saber and the godawful Meteor Storm. And to top it off, it's hard to knock him out of his casting mode, so if you see him getting ready to cast, and can't knock him out of it, you better brace yourself. Other than that, his other attacks are easily avoidable, but he'll take awhile to take down because of his high physical defense. After the fight, you'll leave the dungeon automatically after Mieu destroys the Replica Machine. You can enter the dungeon again if you wish, but you won't be able to fight the bosses again. =================== 7.) Bosses =================== This section will list the bosses in the game. O-------------------O | Liger Queen | O-------------------O | HP | 10,200 | O-------------------O -Pretty sweet music, eh? That HP total is not a typo (well, maybe it is since I was dumb enough not to write down the HP total during the entire fight) but the HP total is surely in the 10k range. The Liger Queen herself isn't very tough. Simply guarding her will render her defenseless, which opens you up to attack her three times, and then use a Fang Blade. After the Liger Queen loses about a quarter of its health, Jade steps in to help. From this point on, this fight is a breeze, since Jade hacked his stats and has God Mode on (not really, but it's close enough). Just attack and let Jade rip it apart with ease. ------------------- O-----------------O | Arietta | O-----------------O | HP | 3000 | O-----------------O -Talk about a tough battle. Arietta comes with two other monsters, in which you'll want to care of first for obvious reasons. Free Run will play a huge factor in this fight, as Arietta casts some pretty powerful spells such as Limited, and will often use a FOF Effect to use Spark Wave. Take out the Liger first while using Free Run to avoid Ariettas spells. The Liger hits hard, and since you may not be able to use items on your other characters, you'll need to be extra careful. Once the Liger is gone, focus on the other monster. Once it's gone, Arietta shouldn't be too hard to finish off. ------------------- O---------------------O | Kaiser Dist R | O---------------------O | HP | 19,000 | O---------------------O -If you're controlling Guy, and he has Crescent Strike, this battle shouldn't be too hard. The Kaiser has a lot of HP as well as decent Defense, but he's weak to Water. If there's a Water FOF on the field, have Guy get in it and use Crescent Strike to get an FOF Effect going to do some decent damage on the Kaiser. The Kaiser's attacks aren't very strong, but because this battle will last awhile, your other party members may run out of TP here. Just keep using your best Artes and you'll win eventually. ------------------- O-----------------O | Abaddon | O-----------------O | HP | 22,000 | O-----------------O -The only damaging attack this boss really has is Negative Gate, and it can easily be avoided with Free Run, so you shouldn't have too much trouble. The boss at first has slime covered all around it. As you attack it, it'll form into a giant spider. This is where he starts to get a bit tougher. Sometimes he'll unleash several little spiders. Free Run around those and continue using your best Artes on him. Make sure to keep Tear's or Natalia's TP up. This boss isn't very hard compared to Arietta. ------------------- O----------------O O-----------------O | Sync | | Largo | O----------------O O-----------------O | HP | 13,000 | | HP | 17,000 | O----------------O O-----------------O -This is going to be a very tough fight, so I'm hoping you used that previous save point. You'll want to target Sync first since he has less HP and is much quicker than Largo. Sync's attacks do quite a bit of damage, and you may find your other characters getting hurt pretty quickly, so take him out as fast as possible. Sync has a tendency to use Arcane Artes on frequent basis, so if you see him ready to use one, quickly run away from him so you won't be caught up in the attack. Once Sync is down, Largo should be rather easy to take down. Though his attacks hit just as hard as Sync's, he's much slower, so you shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding him. Just make sure to switch characters on a frequent basis so that you can heal them if you can't heal them yourself yet. ------------------- O------------------O | Legretta | O------------------O | HP | 31,000 | O------------------O -Since Legretta uses some Guns as her weapon, you can guess that she'll mostly attack in a linear fashion. This makes it easy to dodge her in Free Run, but her attacks do a lot of damage, so you may need to do some character switching to use healing items. Legretta will sometimes use an Arcane Arte attack that hurts a lot, so if you see her raise some fire from the ground, quickly run away. That HP total will take awhile to knock off, so make sure you have enough healing supplies to last through out the fight. Just make sure not to stand still and use your best Arte combos or Arcane combos and you'll come out on top eventually. ------------------- O-------------------O | Ancylopolyp | O-------------------O | HP | 35,000 | O-------------------O -This boss comes with those three Jellyfish type enemies you found earlier, and if you destroy them, he'll summon some more. Either way, get rid of the Jellyfish enemies first, as they'll become a pain for your spellcasters if you leave them alive for too long. The Ancylopolyp's attacks are easy to dodge with Free Run, so if you see him winding up for an attack, quickly run away. After you do enough damage, he'll go into a shell state where he will be invulnerable for a few seconds, so focus on the Jellyfish enemies if he summoned more. It's not a really tough fight, so just keep your attention on the main boss for most of the time. ------------------- O----------------------O | Kaiser Dist RX | O----------------------O | HP | 40,000 | O----------------------O -This is just like the last Kaiser you fought, except he's much stronger and he'll go into Overlimit from time to time. If you're at Level 30, this is the perfect opportunity to test out your Mystic Artes. In order to perform one, first you'll need to be in Overlimit. If you're using Luke, Guy, Natalia, or Anise, use an Arcane Arte and hold the attack button, and at the end of the attack, they'll go into their Mystic Arte attack. For Tear, have her use a Hymn and hold the attack button as she's casting it and she'll use hers. Jade can't use his yet. Mystic Artes work incredibly well here, and if you want, you can switch characters as they go into Overlimit and manually make them use their Mystic Artes to get the most damage. Just make sure to keep the Kaiser away from your party and you should be fine. ------------------- O-------------------O | Blade Rex | O-------------------O | HP | 40,000 | O-------------------O -The timer is running, so don't screw around. The boss generally isn't hard. If you can get a Fire FOF, have Guy (if you brought him along) use Demon Fang in it to get an FOF Effect. The Blade Rex is easy for the most part, and using your Mystic Artes will get him to fall faster than he already should. You shouldn't have too much trouble. ------------------- O-------------------O | Tyrannopion | O-------------------O | HP | 48,000 | O-------------------O -This guy is strong, and most of his attacks usually target a certain range, so you'll need to keep him away from your spell casters, as well as your other characters so you won't be using healing items every 2 minutes. His attacks can also possibly poison you, and since his poison attack can reach into a wide area, this can spell trouble if you don't use Natalia or don't have any Panacea/Poison Bottles. He has no weaknesses or strengths, so make sure to take full advantage of any FOFs on the field and switch between characters as they go into Overlimit to use their Mystic Artes. ------------------- O------------------O | Uniceros | O------------------O | HP | 54,000 | O------------------O -You'll want to avoid using Wind and Light based spells and FOFs, as this boss is strong against them, and weak against Shadow type spells. His attacks don't do a lot of damage, but he likes to charge a lot, so make sure to keep him away from your spellcasters. Using your Mystic Artes as they become available to use will help end this battle quickly. ------------------- O----------------O | Sync | O----------------O | HP | 83,500 | O----------------O -Since you're fighting Sync alone this time, he shouldn't be as tough as he was with Largo, but his attacks still hurt a lot, so make sure to keep him away from your party. Make sure to keep your distance from him whenever he gets ready to wind up his Arcane Artes, as sometimes he'll use his Mystic Arte to heavily damage whoever is caught in it, possibly killing them. Don't hesitate to using any healing items, and keep him away from your party as you use your own Mystic Artes and combos on him. ------------------- O---------------------O | Repair Fonbot | O---------------------O | HP | 57,000 | O---------------------O -The Repair Fonbot has a lot of spells in its arsenal, such as Turbulence and Stalagmite. His lasers are a bit weaker than his spells, but you should try to avoid them nonetheless. You shouldn't have too much trouble avoiding both his magic and lasers, though, as he takes a few seconds to wind up his lasers before firing, and he gives you about a 3 second notice that he's about to use a spell. As long as you take full advantage of its ability to warn you ahead of time that it's about to attack, you should have no problems. ------------------- O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O | Arietta | | Largo | | Legretta | O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O | HP | 26,000 | | HP | 32,000 | | HP | 29,000 | O---------------O O-------------O O-----------------O -You can already tell that fighting three of the Six God-Generals at once is going to be a bothersome matter. Focus on Arietta first, as she still has some powerful spells, and her HP total is the lowest out of all the three. As you're attacking Arietta, make sure to Free Run around Legretta if she tries to attack you, as her attacks will rip you to shreds if she connects. Once Arietta is gone, focus your attacks on Legretta, as she's more powerful than Largo is, and her Arcane Artes hit a wider area. Once Legretta falls, Largo shouldn't be hard to take down. ------------------- O-----------------O | Van | O-----------------O | HP | 132,000 | O-----------------O -Van is really tough, so you'll want to make sure you keep a close eye on everyones HP. Make sure to Free Run around him so he attacks and misses you and take that free opportunity to attack him while his guard his down. Go into Overlimit whenever you can, and don't hold back with your Mystic Artes. Van himself will go into Overlimit, and even on Normal Difficulty, he'll use his Mystic Arte, and if anyone gets caught up in it, they'll most likely die, so get the Life Bottles ready. He's got a lot of HP to take down, so make sure you're persistent in your attacks, but don't hesitate to step away from the fight to use healing items, or switch to Tear to use Revitalize. Either way, just make sure to keep him away from your casters, and do your best to Guard and avoid his attacks. This fight isn't easy at all. ------------------- O-------------------O | Fyr Bronc | O-------------------O | HP | 95,000 | O-------------------O -This guy really isn't that hard. He'll start off on the ground once the battle starts. After you do enough damage, he'll start flying into the air and start spewing fire from his mouth. He'll also slam the ground if he's walking on the ground. His attacks may do some damage, but they're very easy to dodge, but your characters aren't that smart, so make sure to keep an eye on their health. All in all, not a tough battle. ------------------- O-----------------O | Arietta | O-----------------O | HP | 25,000 | O-----------------O -Don't let the HP total fool you. She's with two other monsters like she was the first time you fought her alone. Arietta's spells are still strong, and her monster friends are strong as well, so focus on taking them out. A few good combos should be able to waste them quickly, including any Mystic Artes you can manage to use. Just make sure to Free Run around if you see Arietta casting a spell. She also has a new Mystic Arte she uses if you get too close, but it's not entirely damaging like Van's or Sync's. Once the monsters are gone, Arietta is easy to take out. ------------------- O------------------------O | Kaiser Dist XX | O------------------------O | HP | 110,000 | O------------------------O -This is a similiar fight to the previous two Kaiser's you fought earlier in the game. The only real difference is that it has a lot of defense, so taking that HP down will take a while, but you shouldn't have too much trouble if you follow the same strategy you used for the previous Kaisers. ------------------- O-----------------O | Largo | O-----------------O | HP | 140,000 | O-----------------O -Largo is very slow, so take that to your advantage. Since he's not fighting alongside with the other God-Generals, he shouldn't be too hard to handle. His attacks are pretty simple to dodge, and if you see him winding up into his Mystic Arte, you should have enough time to Free Run away. It's not a tough fight at all, which is kind of disappointing, really. ------------------- O---------------------O | Gigant Mohs | O---------------------O | HP | 141,000 | O---------------------O -Mohs is pretty easy. His spells are easy to dodge, and his attacks are on the mediocre side. Just watch out, as he can cause status effects, but other than that, you should have no troubles whatsoever. ------------------- O------------------O | Legretta | O------------------O | HP | 143,000 | O------------------O -Legretta is still strong, but her spells are easily dodged by Free Running away from them. Keep your distance from her if she uses an Arcane Arte, and especially if she uses her Mystic Arte, Prism Bullet. She still wields those guns, so you can easily Free Run around her to dodge her attacks. However, your computer controlled characters aren't as smart. Not a tough fight all in all, though. ------------------- O----------------O | Asch | O----------------O | HP | 60,000 | O----------------O -Even if you haven't been using Luke up to this point, it shouldn't be that hard of a fight. You can either Free Run around Asch as he attacks you, and attack him then, or block his attack and then attack him. The latter is most likely the better choice, as it's pretty hard to dodge his attacks. His spells, however, are easy to dodge. Just block and attack and you shouldn't have too much trouble. ------------------- O----------------O | Sync | O----------------O | HP | 120,000 | O----------------O -It figures that they leave the toughest God General for last. Sync is still as fast as you remember him, and his attacks still do a lot of damage. And to add it up, it's hard to make him stagger, so he'll be getting off a lot of spells, as well as a lot of Arcane Artes, and possibly a Mystic Arte. You'll want to keep him distracted so he doesn't focus on your casters, but you'll need to make sure you don't take a beating yourself, because Sync can easily wipe out a character if you're not paying attention. Use your Mystic Artes when possible, and chain your Artes with Arcane Artes to get the most damage. It'll take a bit, but he'll fall eventually. ------------------- O---------------O | Van | O---------------O | HP | 122,000 | O---------------O -Van fights like he did last time, but he's much stronger this time around. His spells are easy enough to dodge, so take that time to attack him, as he doesn't stagger easily. Make sure to keep your distance if you see him using an Arcane Arte, as he'll usually follow with a Mystic Arte shortly after. After you take half of his health down, a scene will trigger. After it, take the rest of his health down. ------------------- O---------------O | Van | O---------------O | HP | 152,000 | O---------------O -Van has the same spells and Artes as he did in the previous round, but this time he has a new Mystic Arte. While it doesn't have the range like his other one has, this one is more powerful and it will kill anyone in it. Make sure to Free Run around his spells and take that opportunity to attack him, as he still doesn't stagger easily. Don't hold back on using any items you have on you since this is the final fight. If you're still having trouble, use an All Divide if you have to. =================== 8.) Item List =================== Name: Apple Gel Does: Recovers 30% HP Name: Lemon Gel Does: Recovers 60% HP Name: Orange Gel Does: Recovers 30% TP Name: Pineapple Gel Does: Recovers 60% TP Name: Melange Gel Does: Recovers 30% HP and TP Name: Miracle Gel Does: Recovers 60% HP and TP Name: Specific Does: Recovers 30% HP for entire Party Name: Treat Does: Recovers 30% TP for entire Party Name: Special Gel Does: Recovers all HP and TP Name: Lottery Gel Does: Heals for a random amount Name: Poison Bottle Does: Cures Poison Name: Paralysis Bottle Does: Cures Paralysis Name: Stone Bottle Does: Cures Petrification Name: Seal Bottle Does: Cures Seal Name: Weak Bottle Does: Cures Weak Name: Virus Bottle Does: Cures Illness Name: Life Bottle Does: Revives a character with 30% HP and 15% TP Name: Cure Bottle Does: Cures all Physical Ailments Name: Dinei Bottle Does: Cures all Magical Ailments Name: Panacea Bottle Does: Cures all Ailments Name: Holy Bottle Does: Makes enemies notice you less often Name: Dark Bottle Does: Makes enemies notice you more often Name: Syrup Bottle Does: Prevents Physical Ailments for 1 Minute Name: Nectar Bottle Does: Prevents Magical Ailments for 1 Minute Name: Wing Bottle Does: Allows you to exit dungeons from certain save points Name: Sage Does: Increases Max HP by 10 Name: Red Sage Does: Increases Max HP by 30 Name: Savory Does: Increases Max TP by 10 Name: Red Savory Does: Increases Max TP by 30 Name: Lavender Does: Increases Physical Attack by 1 Name: Red Lavender Does: Increases Physical Attack by 3 Name: Verbena Does: Increases Physical Defense by 1 Name: Red Verbena Does: Increases Physical Defense by 3 Name: Chamomile Does: Increases Fonic Attack by 1 Name: Red Chamomile Does: Increases Fonic Attack by 3 Name: Basil Does: Increases Fonic Defense by 1 Name: Red Basil Does: Increases Fonic Defense by 3 Name: Saffron Does: Increases Agility by 1 Name: Red Saffron Does: Increases Agility by 3 Name: Magic Lens Does: Reveals enemies stats Name: All-Divide Does: All attacks done by allies and enemies do 50% less damage Name: Hourglass Does: Temporarily stops time =================== 9.) AD Skills =================== This section will list the AD Skills in the game. I'll break down each skill into their own branch (I.E. P. Atk, F. Def, etc...) I thought it would be much easier if I wrote it down that way as I played. ------------------ Level Based Skills ------------------ Name: Backstep Level: 2 Does: Allows you to do a jump backwards when holding Square and pushing left on the left analog stick. Name: Recover Level: 3 Does: If you're hit into the air, push the Square button to land on your feet. Name: Critical Guard Level: 4 Does: Push Square and forward on the left analog stick to go towards the enemy and reduce the damage you recieve. Name: Free Run Level: 5 Does: Push L2 down and you'll be able to run around anywhere on the battle field. Name: Magic Guard Level: 7 Does: Push Square and down on the left analog stick to form a magical barrier. Name: Overlimit Level: 15 Does: Push R2 to go into Overlimit once the Overlimit gauge is full. Name: Taunt Level: 22 Does: Push R2 when the Overlimit gauge isn't full to taunt your enemy which results in your Overlimit gauge to fill up a little. Name: Special Level: 30 Does: Allows you to use Mystic Artes. ---------------------------- Physical Attack Based Skills ---------------------------- Name: Combo Force Required: +20 P. Atk Does: Damage is reduced as you go deeper into your combo. This lessens the effect of it. Name: Power Charge Required: +40 P. Atk Does: Hold down on the left analog stick for a few seconds to increase your Physical attack temporarily. Name: Item Thrower Required +40 P. Atk Does: Allows you to use items on your other characters in battle. Name: Critical Up Required: +50 P. Atk Does: Increases chance of landing a Critical hit. Name: Heavy Hit Required: +60 P. Atk Does: Increases chance to stun the enemy. Name: Add Combo Required: +70 P. Atk Does: Adds an extra attack in a basic combo, enabling you to hit 4 times. ----------------------------- Physical Defense Based Skills ----------------------------- Name: Roll Required: +20 P. Def Does: Damage is reduced if you're hit into the air and land on the ground. Name: Guard Plus Required: +30 P. Def Does: Damage is reduced even more if you guard. Name: Rear Guard 1 Required: +40 P. Def Does: Decreases chance of having your guard broken from behind. Name: Void Attack Required: +50 P. Def Does: Decreases chance of staggering when you're being hit. Name: Immunity Required: +60 P. Def Does: Decreases chance of being hit with an Ailment. Name: Endure Required: +70 P. Def Does: Decreases the time of when you're stunned. ------------------------- Fonic Attack Based Skills ------------------------- Name: Critical Magic Required: +20 F. Atk Does: Increases chance of landing a Critical hit with magic. NOTE: Luke, Guy, and Natalia aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Lucky End Required: +30 F. Atk Does: Decreases time to move after casting a spell. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Heavy Magic Required: +40 F. Atk Does: Increases chance of stunning the enemy with magic. NOTE: Luke, Guy, and Natalia aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Lucky Magic Required: +50 F. Atk Does: Increases chance of decreasing your TP Consumption during a spell. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Speed Cast Required: +60 F. Atk Does: Decreases the time it takes to cast a spell. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Magic Charge Required: +70 F. Atk Does: Hold down on the left analog stick to increase Fonic Attack temporarily. NOTE: Luke, Guy, and Natalia aren't able to learn this skill. -------------------------- Fonic Defense Based Skills -------------------------- Name: Void Magic Required: +20 F. Def Does: Decreases the chance of staggering when being hit by a spell. Name: Resist Required: +30 F. Def Does: Decreases chance of being hit with magical ailments. Name: Anti-Element Required: +40 F. Def Does: Gives you the chance to reduce magic damage by half. Name: Magic Guard Plus Required: +50 F. Def Does: Using Magic Guard will reduce damage even more if this skill is active. Name: Stat Boost Required: +60 F. Def Does: Increases effectiveness of magical stat boosts. --------------------- Enhanced Based Skills --------------------- Name: Life Up Required: +20 Enh Does: Sometimes increases a characters Max HP after a battle. Name: Spirit Healer Required: +30 Enh Does: Recover more TP after a battle ends. Name: Happiness Required: +40 Enh Does: Sometimes increases the Exp earned after battle [character specific] Name: Life Healer Required: +50 Enh Does: Recover HP after a battle ends. Name: Mind Up Required: +60 Enh Does: Sometimes increases a characters max TP after a battle. Name: HP Recovery Required: +70 Enh Does: Recover more HP after a battle. Name: TP Recovery Required: +80 Enh Does: Increase effectiveness of TP restoring items. Name: Exp Plus Required: +90 Enh Does: Increases Exp earned after a battle. -------------------- Agility Based Skills -------------------- Name: Dash Required: +20 Agl Does: Increases movement speed in battles. Name: Run Away Required: +30 Agl Does: Decreases time to escape a battle. Name: Comeback Required: +40 Agl Does: Repeatedly pushing Square will reduce Stun time. Name: Item Pro Required: +50 Agl Does: Decreases delay time after using an item. Name: Overlimit Boost Required: +60 Agl Does: Extends the time you spend in Overlimit. Name: Landing Required: +70 Agl Does: Decreases delay time of when a character can move again after landing. Name: Quick Turn Required: +80 Agl Does: Gets rid of the delay when you turn around while running. Name: Aerial Jump Required: +90 Agl Does: Allows you to jump twice. ----------------------- P. Atk/AGL Based Skills ----------------------- Name: Rebound Required: +20 P. Atk, +20 Agl Does: If Recover skill is active, comboing can be used. Name: Step Away Required: +20 P. Atk, +20 Agl Does: Eliminates staggering if you're hit while backstepping. Name: Jump Combo Required: +30 P. Atk, +30 Agl Does: Allows you to start attacking once you land. Name: Neutralizer Required: +30 P. Atk, +30 Agl Does: Gives you a chance to completely negate damage recieved from enemies. Name: Item Rover Required: +20 P. Atk, +40 Agl Does: Increases chance of stealing an item. Name: C. Counter Required: +40 P. Atk, +40 Agl Does: Increases attack power while attacking if you're being hit. Name: Super Chain Required: +60 P. Atk, +60 Agl Does: Allows the linking of Arcane Artes back to Base Artes. Name: Ability Plus Required: +80 P. Atk, +80 Agl Does: Allows the linking of 2 Base Artes. Name: Add Combo 2 Required: +120 P. Atk, +20 Agl Does: Adds a 5th hit to a basic combo. Name: Add Combo 3 Required: +160 P. Atk, +40 Agl Does: Adds a 6th hit to a basic combo. Name: Add Combo 4 Required: +200 P. Atk, +60 Agl Does: Adds a 7th hit to a basic combo. -------------------------- P. Atk/P. Def Based Skills -------------------------- Name: Counter Required: +30 P. Atk, +30 P. Def Does: Push X after blocking an attack to counter. Name: Pow Hammer Required: +40 P. Atk, +40 P. Def Does: Gives you a chance to automatically use Pow Hammer when you get hit. -------------------------- P. Atk/F. Atk Based Skills -------------------------- Name: E. Plus Required: +20 P. Atk, +20 F. Atk Does: Gives you the chance to increase damage from elemental based Artes. -------------------------- P. Def/F. Def Based Skills -------------------------- Name: Lucky Soul Required: +20 P. Def, +20 F. Def Does: If you get knocked down, you have a chance of recovering TP. Name: Nullify Required: +30 P. Def, +30 F. Def Does: Gives you a chance to negate damage recieved from spells. Name: Condition Guard Required: +30 P. Def, +30 F. Def Does: Decreases effectiveness of ailments. Name: Reflect Required: +40 P. Def, +40 F. Def Does: Gives you a chance to reflect damage back if you guard. Name: Status Guard Required: +40 P. Def, +40 F. Def Does: Decreases chance of being hit with ailments. Name: Blood Spirit Required: +45 P. Def, +45 F. Def Does: Recover TP based on the number of hits you recieve by the enemy. Name: Resurrect Required: +50 P. Def, +50 F. Def Does: Gives you a chance to be automatically revived. Name: Auto-Aid Required: +60 P. Def, +60 F. Def Does: Gives you a chance to automatically cast First Aid when you get hit. ----------------------- F. Atk/AGL Based Skills ----------------------- Name: Magic End Required: +30 F. Atk, +30 Agl Does: Eliminates the delay after casting a spell. ----------------------- F. Def/AGL Based Skills ----------------------- Name: Skill Guard Required: +25 F. Def, +25 Agl Does: Push Square and hold down on the left analog stick allows you to use Guardian. Name: Dash Guard Required: +40 F. Def, +40 Agl Does: Allows you not to stagger while running and being hit by a spell. ----------------------- P. Def/AGL Based Skills ----------------------- Name: Long Step Required: +20 P. Def, +20 Agl Does: Allows you to Backstep further. Name: Rear Guard 2 Required: +60 P. Def, +50 Agl Does: Prevents Guard Break. -------------------------- F. Atk/F. Def Based Skills -------------------------- Name: Reducer Required: +30 F. Atk, +30 F. Def Does: Reduces TP Consumption if the same spell is used back to back. -------------------- AGL/ENH Based Skills -------------------- Name: Item Master Required: +30 Agl, +30 Enh Does: Effectiveness of items are increased (it must be used by the character that has the skill on) Name: Item Getter Required: +40 Agl, +40 Enh Does: Increases chance of recieving an item after a battle. --------------------------------- P. Def/F. Def/F. Atk Based Skills --------------------------------- Name: Spell Save Required: +30 P. Def, +30 F. Def, +30 F. Atk Does: If hit while casting a spell, casting the same spell picks up from where it left off. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. ------------------------------ P. Atk/P. Def/AGL Based Skills ------------------------------ Name: C. Combo Required: +40 P. Atk, +40 P. Def, +20 Agl Does: Allows the useage of Artes after countering. ------------------------------ F. Def/F. Atk/AGL Based Skills ------------------------------ Name: Rhythm Required: +20 F. Def, +20 F. Atk, +20 Agl Does: Tapping X repeatedly allows you to decrease the casting time. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. Name: Reprise Required: +20 F. Def, +20 F. Atk, +40 Agl Does: Reduces casting time if the same spell is used back to back. NOTE: Luke and Guy aren't able to learn this skill. ------------------------------ F. Def/P. Def/ENH Based Skills ------------------------------ Name: Rebirth Required: +30 F. Def, +30 P. Def, +30 Enh Does: Recover half the HP from the damage you recieve. Name: Angel's Tear Required: +60 F. Def, +60 F. Def, +50 Enh Does: Automatically revives a character once per battle. --------------------------------- P. Atk/P. Def/F. Def Based Skills --------------------------------- Name: Flash Required: +30 P. Atk, +30 P. Def, +30 F. Def Does: Eliminates the chance to stagger while comboing. ------------------------------ P. Def/F. Def/AGL Based Skills ------------------------------ Name: Resilience Required: +60 P. Def, +60 F. Def, +40 Agl Does: Eliminates the chance to stagger while casting a spell. ---------------------------------- P. Def/F. Def/AGL/ENH Based Skills ---------------------------------- Name: Glory Required: +60 P. Def, +60 F. Def, +50 Agl, +60 Enh Does: Eliminates the chance to stagger. =================== 10.) FAQ =================== Q: Should I use Luke or Guy? A: That's honestly up to you. Some people will tell you Luke, while others will tell you Guy. Personally, I control Guy, but in the end, it's what you want. Q: How do I use FOF's? A: You need to wait for a FOF to be 100% first (you'll see the outside of the field colored in as well). From there, it's a guessing game in which skill corrosponds to the FOF Element. If you nail the correct skill, then you'll use a FOF Effect. Q: How do I use Mystic Artes? A: First, your character needs to be Level 30 to obtain the AD Skill Special, which lets them use Mystic Artes. Next, if you're using Luke, Guy, Anise, or Natalia, you'll need to push and hold the attack button in the middle of an Arcane Arte or FOF Effect. Example: Let's say you're using Luke. First, Luke needs to be in Overlimit. Then, have Luke use one of his Arcane Artes on the enemy, such as Fang Blade Havoc. Once you use the attack, hold down the attack button as Luke uses his Arte, and if it hits the enemy, then you'll use Luke's Mystic Arte attack. If you're using Tear, you need to use a Hymn and hold the attack button while it's casting. Example: First, Tear needs to be in Overlimit. Now cast Nightmare, and as it's being casted, hold down the attack button and during the cast, Tear will use her Mystic Arte. If you're using Jade, you need to use a High level Spell, such as Ground Dasher, and hold the attack button during the cast. Example: First, Jade needs to be in Overlimit. Now cast Ground Dasher and hold down the attack button during the cast. During the cast, Jade will use his Mystic Arte. Q: If this were on the Gamecube... A: Simple answer. If I see an e-mail containing that line, I'm going to automatically delete it. I have nothing against the Gamecube (I own one myself), but I'm not going to argue why it should or shouldn't be on the Gamecube, because frankly, I don't care. Q: Where are the sidequests in your guide? A: I usually don't put entire sidequests in my guide. If I don't have it in there, it usually means that I'm going to put it in a Sidequest section, or that I haven't done it or missed it, so please don't e-mail me about it. =================== 11.) Credits/Thanks =================== Psycho Penguin: For informing me about the Collectors Book. GameFAQs and the other hosting sites: For hosting this FAQ. Cory and Ruth: Many thanks for giving me the information of the items you recieve if you don't get into any fights during the Engeve/Kaitzur War portion of the game. Namco/Bandai: For bringing this game over to us. http://www.rootsecure.net/?p=ascii_generator: For the ASCII. TotA Manual: For the character stats. And a huge thanks to you, the readers. Without you guys, I wouldn't be making these guides. =================== 12.) Version History =================== Version 0.01 - October 12, 2006 - Started on the guide. Finished up to exitting St. Binah. Version 0.02 - October 13, 2006 - Finished up to returning to Baticul. Version 0.03 - October 16, 2006 - Finished up to finishing the Meggiora Highlands. Version 0.04 - October 17, 2006 - Finished up to entering the Inista Marsh. Version 0.05 - October 18, 2006 - Finished up to finishing Tataroo Valley. Also added in a FAQ section. Version 0.06 - October 19, 2006 - Finished up to finishing the Meggiora Highlands. Version 0.07 - October 20, 2006 - Finished up to finishing Mt. Roneal. Version 0.08 - October 23, 2006 - Finished up to finishing the Tower of Rem. I'm also hoping to get some of the sidequests up soon. Version 1.0 - October 25, 2006 - Finished up the main walkthrough and added in some sidequests. Version 1.1 - November 6, 2006 - Added in a boss section and organized the Sidequest section up. Hopefully some more sidequests will be added and a skill list will be added soon. Version 1.2 - November 8, 2006 - Fixed up a couple of typos, and added in some more sidequests. Version 1.3 - January 16, 2007 - Updated a small portion of the rewards you get from the Engeve/Kaitzur War part of the game. Version 1.4 - February 6, 2007 - Added in an Item List and added in an AD Skills list. Version 1.5 - March 30, 2007 - Re worded a couple of the sections.