SaGa Frontier FAQ Begun Apr 22, 1998 By Nefdar (nefdar@hotmail.com) Places to find this FAQ: members.spree.com/sip/nefdar www.gamefaqs.com Revision 1 - Got the idea to write the thing, started intro section. Revision 2 - Finished intro section, began character descriptions. Revision 3 - Added sword, gun, and fighting ability lists. Revision 4 - Added mecha and monster ability lists and monster forms. Revision 5 - Added magic lists and descriptions. Added combo section. Revision 6 - Added weapon/armor lists. Revision 7 - Added enemy lists and began walkthroughs. Revision 8 - Did T260G's walkthrough. Revision 9 - Did Lute, Asellus. Revision 10 - Did Red, Emelia, Riki, am finally done!!! Revision 11 - Fixed a mistake in Asellus section, added my site to places to find this faq list, added name to thanks First thing---if there are any mistakes in this FAQ then please pretty please with a cherry on top write to me at the address given and tell me. I typed this thing completely by myself and am responsible for 90% of the work that went into gathering this information(9% goes to my fiance and about 1% goes to various emails from readers). There are bound to be mistakes, so let me know about them. Hello, and welcome to my SaGa Frontier FAQ! Hopefully this document will be useful to the players of this game and will help out with any problem that the gaming public may have. Note that I intend for this document to be exhaustive and to cover as much as I can, but since I am doing all the work myself with a small amount of help from other writers(who will be duly commended and credited) there is a decent chance that I'll miss something. If so, notify me by email and you will be credited here for any useful info you supply. Note that anyone who uses this FAQ for personal gain other than personal enjoyment is not only violating the law, but incurring my wrath! You are free to use any information here for your page, but have the decency not to cut and paste this work and call it your own, give me due credit. Writing a FAQ for a game like this, which has so much to discover and to offer, is not easy - in fact, it's damn painstaking work which I'm sure will ruin my enjoyment of this game in the end. So please have the respect to not steal from me. This FAQ was written in MS-DOS editor for the US version of SaGa Frontier for the PSX. I am aware that there are differences between the Japanese and US versions, and I felt that(at least at the time I started writing) there were not many resources available for the American version and that this FAQ would be useful. Hopefully it still will be when I finish... SaGa Frontier is a RPG by Square, the makers of the ludicrously popular Final Fantasy series. It is unique in that it allows you to select from 7 different characters, each with their own storyline and different(though not COMPLETELY different) adventure. This game also contains something which Square has been leaving out of its RPG's lately - some challenge. You won't tear your hair out or anything, but you will probably get killed a few times over the course of the game, especially when you first start and don't understand how the hell the level-up's work. Some characters are easier than others, but none of them are a complete joke. Compared to the games that they have come out with recently, this is a decided improvement. Not including fighting the completely optional weapon monsters, I have never seen the Game Over screen in FF7. It may be because of the very slow pace that I play RPG's at, spending a lot of time exploring and level raising to take in the full experience of the setting, but that game was pretty much a piece of cake. Come on, there's a spell that can kill the last boss in one move. I remember back when you had to walk around and play patiently in order to have even the slightest chance of victory(remember the first Final Fantasy? Or the first Breath of Fire game? You'd get your ass kicked so bad the characters in your other games would feel it if you didn't spend a good bit of time leveling up). This game requires a good bit of patience if you don't want to be reloading your game every 10 minutes. Granted, you can win that way eventually, but is that really a victory? Hopefully the game designers are wrong in their assumption that game players(read: American game players) are impatient and do not want to spend time to learn a challenging game. How well this game sells will be a good indicator to me, since it is one of the most intriguing RPG's I've played in a while. Note that all the lists of weapons, armor, enemies, abilities, and general gameplay advice is given before the walkthroughs so that you do not have to scroll past the walkthroughs to read the lists, as the walkthroughs are big spoilers. I would not advise you to read any walkthrough for any game until you have already finished the game or you are irrevocably stuck, as these ruin the story's suspense completely. Playing the game Upon booting up your game and reaching the opening screen, you must select your character. Note that you'll be spending a lot of time with this character, so pick one that you like. Next you'll be asked to make system data for SaGa Frontier to use. This is just a way for the PSX to keep track of how many characters you have comp- leted. This is important so that you can get the special bonus room available if you complete all seven characters. These menus are fairly self-explanatory, so I won't go into detail, just remember to wait after the ending for your character for the screen that allows you to update this system data, or else you'll miss out on the semi-cool bonus. Oh yeah, this data requires 1 memory block on your card, and the actual game requires 2. The PSX controller is lain out(grammar...) like this: L2 R2 (on top) L1 R1 " T(riangle) D-Pad Select Start S(quare) O(circle) X(cross) Hope that makes sense(actually, hope you don't need it). You will have some cinematic scene, then you will be in control of your character. Holding down the X button allows you to dash(You'll be holding this down throughout the whole game. If I were in charge, I would have made you hold down the X button NOT to dash). The O button is for talking and picking up items, as well as investigating an area. The T button is not used on this screen except for the quicksave option, achieved by holding T and pressing R1. Don't use this, just save to the card, since pressing reset erases your quicksave. The S button allows you to access your subscreen. Start pauses the game, Select is useless. The D-pad moves your character. If you hold L1, R1, and select, then press start, you will perform the quick restart(faster than hitting reset on the console). Once on your subscreen, a plethora of options become available to you. You can see your current party's basic stats in the windows on the left. Pressing left and right will scroll through the stats until you reach the one you want. Pressing select will change the display format. Holding the T button will cause the windows on the right to disappear so you can see more clearly. On the lower right is a window containing your credits(money), and the name of the area that you currently occupy. On the upper and middle right is your list of options. From the top down, they are: Status Item Position Equip Weapon Equip Ability Config Save 1. Status This is an in-depth description of your character's abilities and equipment, as well as their stats. The screen shows the character's name, race, sex, HP, LP, WP, and JP, as well as their statistics. Each stat affects your characters in a different way. STRength: Affects the damage you do with physical attacks. QUIckness: Affects your ability to dodge attacks and your turn in battle. INTelligence: Affects speed at which you learn magic and effectiveness with mechanical equipment(cannons). Also affects how fast you learn techs. WILl: Affects accuracy and power of techniques. PSYchic: Affects resistance to abnormal status. VITality: Affects resistance to damage and sleep. CHArm: Affects resistance to and power of charm attacks. DEFense: Reduces amount of damage taken. 2. Item This screen allows you to view and use the items in your posession. The maximum number of any item that you can carry is 99. Pressing right on the D-pad or R1 allows you to page down, while left or L1 pages up. Double click on an item with the circle button to use it(if possible). Pointing at an item shows its basic function(def power, attack power, sometimes relevant abilites) at the bottom of the screen. Note that pressing select on this screen automatically sorts the items for you by type(gun, sword, armor, etc.). 3. Position This option allows you to move the characters in your posession around in your formation. The basic setup is three five man parties, represented by the three vertical columns on the subscreen. Place your characters in the three columns as desired. Note that the vulnerability of a character in your formation decreases the farther he is from the front, so place them from the top down in order of descending strength. Double clicking on a character will take you to the status screen. 4. Equip weapon This allows you to stick some equipment on your characters. Each type of character can wear different kinds of equipment. A human can wear 4 items at the top of the equipment list, which is used for weapons, items, and shields, and 4 items at the bottom, used for armor and accessories. A weapon can be a gun, sword, or cannon. Shields come in various types and are useful for defending against many attacks. Items can be for attack, or for curing the party in battle. Note that unless you have equipped the item "backpack" you will be unable to use items in stock unless you equip them. Armor can be helmets, gloves, boots, vests, suits, and shirts. Accessories have a variety of uses, described later. Note that a human can only wear 1 of each type of armor. If you are wearing an armor suit, you can only wear a shirt to go with it(the suit takes the place of vest, helmet, gloves, and boots). As many accessories can be equipped as there is room. If a piece of equipment on a character is shaded red, that means that it cannot be removed. Usually this is a permanent fixture that comes with a character. Certain items are cursed, and can only be removed by breaking them. Mystics follow the same rules as humans on equipping and de-equipping items. Their special mystic weapons are abilities, not weapons, so they are not covered here. A mystic can use any item that a human can. Monsters can only equip accessories. They are given four slots to use for any accessory that you wish to place on them. They can use no weapons, armor, or shields, nor can they use items. Mecha can use any equipment in the game, as well as being the only class to use circuit boards to upgrade their stats. When any item is equipped on a mech, it affects their stats. This includes weapons and armors. Normally, the better the equipment, the more positive the increase will be. I will provide a list of the stats gained from each piece of equipment later. Also, mecha do not follow conventional rules and can equip more than one of the same type of armor. This includes anything that they can equip. The best way to find the best equipment for a mech is through trial and error and a lot of money(or by reading my list..). 5. Equip Ability This option allows you to equip one of the abilities that your characters have learned. The current abilities are in the left window, and the right window contains the categories of abilities to choose from. Click on a space in your inventory, click on a category you wish to equip an ability from, and select what you will use. You can only use equipped abilities. The categories are as follows: Sword Gun Fighting Magic Special Dodge Seal Gun, fighting, and sword techniques are considered combat techs. This is important because if you equip 6 combat techs without any magic techs, then you will get a crown on your ability screen(that is what the bar at the top is for). This means that all techs take 1 less WP. If any magic is equipped, you lose that bonus. The same goes vice-versa: if you equip 6 magic techs without any combat techs, you get a crown for magic and all spells take 1 less JP to cast. If any combat techs are equipped, that bonus is also lost. Special techniques are comprised of mecha abilities, special mystic weapons, and other rare or race specific abilities. Basically, anything that doesn't fit into another category. Dodge techniques allow a character to be virtually immune to a certain form of attack. Sometimes a truly powerful opponent attacking a very weak character can nullify a dodge ability(this happens with the end boss at times if your levels are ridiculously low) but that is extremely rare. For all intensive purposes, you are immune to the attack that you learn to dodge. Note that you can only learn new sword, fighting, and dodge techs if there is an empty space on your equip ability screen for them to go in. Always leave an empty space or two until you are completely satisfied with your character's abilities. If you want to de-equip an ability, then double- click on it and then select "Seal". This returns it to its respective category to be re-equipped later(or usually, never seen again). 6. Config This allows you to customize some aspects of the game, such as selecting stereo and mono sound, or an opaque or transparent window format. It also provides in-game help on the screens and commands. Self-explanatory. 7. Save Here you can save your game. Saving is possible almost anywhere in the game and it is recommended that you do it often. Once you select this option, the screen will show the contents of the current memory card. Pressing left or right will allow you to select either memory card slot, or to select the quicksave option. Self explanatory as well. Combat As you walk about, you will see enemies from time to time. Bumping into one initiates a combat. You will be given a picture of the enemies and your first party. Pressing left and right allows you to switch out which party you want to use against the enemy. Try to use all your characters to give them equal strength. Having many good characters is important, since each time you complete a combat, all characters that were not used regain some LP, WP, and JP. This allows your unused party to rest, and allows you to have a lot of endurance in a dungeon. A mech does not gain LP from resting, but it does gain WP. By selecting an individual character's name and pressing T, you can switch him between the front and back row. This affects his vulnerability to the enemy. Physical attacks usually cannot reach characters who are hidden behind other characters. Pressing O initiates the combat. You give commands to each character at the start of the round. Press right and left to switch between the different categories of attacks available to each character, then select what you want to use. Pressing T at this time allows you to see your HP, WP, JP, and status. This is also shown to you between rounds. Pressing R1 allows you to select "defense" which reduces the damage done by the enemy instead of performing action. The attacks then take place based on a combination of random numbers and your quickness values. If your character's HP falls to 0, then you will lose 1 LP and fall unconscious. You can be healed through normal means, which returns you to combat. Each time a character falls, it loses 1 LP. Also, if the enemy hits the unconscious body then it is damaged 1 LP for each hit. If a character's LP falls to 0, then that character is dead and can only be revived by a Sanctuary Stone or a rest that refreshes all your LP. Use of techs other than magic decreases your WP, and the use of magic decreases your JP. When these become too low, you can no longer use the respective ability. When damage is done, then the number in white over the target shows the damage taken. If the number is green, then the target gains HP. If the number is red, then the target has lost that many LP. A "chink" sound indicated that the attack was blocked by a shield, whereas the word "miss!" appears if you, um, miss. After battle, your stats for each character may increase, any monsters or mecha you have may absorb the enemy abilites, and any gun or magic techs will be learnt and placed in the respective categories on the "Equip Ability" screen. Battle Strategies There are a few things that you should always keep in mind when engaging enemies. 1. Fight often It is often tempting to blast past the lethargic enemies and try to finish as soon as possible, but this will be slower in the long run when you spend 2 days trying to beat the end boss because your levels are so low. Fight whenever you get the chance unless you are in danger or your characters are already very powerful. 2. Walk, don't run Running around(holding the X button) is normally the thing to do, but never run into an enemy. When an enemy attacks you while you are running, then your party's formation will not be correct and the rear characters will be exposed to attack. If you are walking, then the rear characters will either be behind the front guys, or you will surround the enemy. Run close to the enemy to want to attack, then walk when you run into them. Note that the direction that you and the enemy are facing is not important so don't waste time trying to sneak up behind them. 3. Train when you can Don't fight with your techniques all the time or you will learn very slowly. Use your regular attacks unless you are trying to learn a specific attack. Don't take this too far and get killed though! Also, certain enemies are excellent training partners. Early in the game, you'll meet enemies called "Unknown". Punching them with your bare hand does almost no damage, so use them to learn the low level fighting techs. They have almost no offense except to stun you and blind you. Occasionally they will use DeathGaze, but that is rare. Punch them out and you'll learn most of the low-level fighting techs pretty easily. You might even get a few dodge techs while you're at it. Later in the game enemies like the Chimeras which are fairly weak but have high HP and power allow you to learn the really high power attacks. Certain hidden enemies(DemonGoat, Minotaur) are good for learning the mid-level techs. 4. Know your enemy If one of the enemies is much more powerful than the others, then you want to concentrate your attacks on it to combo it out of existence. However, if the enemies are of fairly even power, then you might want to spread out the wealth a little so you don't do a combo that wastes 2 or 3 attacks on a dead enemy. Learn what enemies are immune to certain attacks and use the appropriate moves. The Gelatin monsters are strong against punches but are hit by guns, while the undead are generally strong against guns but are damaged by swords and fighting. Learn what enemies are susceptible to your instant death moves and use them! Unlike most games, the death spells in Saga actually work most of the time. This is the easiest way to get rid of the giant squids called "Kraken". Learn who you can paralyze and who you can't, because those attacks are unusually useful in this game too. 5. Never underestimate your enemy In this game, you can die at any time. Save often. Any enemy, no matter how weak, that has a charm attack can kill you any time it wants. If one of your characters has MegaWindblast, Galeslash, Haze-to-Wheel, or a few other powerful big attacks and they get charmed, they WILL use it and kill every single person in your party. If you are in Riki's game and you have the RING/Merchant equipped(the one that charms all the enemies) and that person gets charmed, then they WILL use it and charm everybody else. That is not a pretty picture and you probably will not survive(I can't count the number of times that a charmed character has suddenly found it in their heart to learn 2Galeslash and kill my whole group). Many of the bosses in this game are genuinely hard, so remember your combos in order to speed up the process of whacking off their high HP. Get DSC on at least 1 or 2 characters before facing the end boss, it'll be a hell of a lot easier. Don't use close range attacks on an enemy with a barrier, especially the CounterFear barrier that turns you into a red mess. That is almost as bad as being charmed. 6. Fix status problems Don't be tempted to ignore the poison, blindness, or stone condition of a character in a long battle. They don't really affect you all that much in a short fight, but over ten or twelve rounds it adds up big. Use Grail, MagicHeal, your healing items, or StarlightHeal as soon as possible. The following problems may come up: Poison : lose about 1/8 total HP each round CURE: StarlightHeal, Cure items, MagicHeal, SnakeOil Charm : always attack other party members with the most inconvenient damn attack you have(maybe I'm just unlucky) CURE: StarlightHeal, Cure items, MagicHeal, SnakeOil Blind : hit rate decreases CURE: StarlightHeal, Cure items, MagicHeal, SnakeOil Stun : Lose rest of attacks in round CURE: none Angry : can only use basic attacks CURE: SnakeOil, MagicHeal Sleep : cannot act CURE: any of the above, getting hit Palsy : cannot act CURE: StarlightHeal, Cure items, MagicHeal, SnakeOil Mess : acts confused to 3 different degrees, depending on color: Blue: May not perform selected action Yellow: May perform selected action on either friends or enemy Red: Performs a random action on either friends or enemy CURE: StarlightHeal, Cure items, MagicHeal, SnakeOil Stone : cannot act or be damaged CURE: Antistone, SnakeOil Any of these except stun can also be healed with the Grail spell. 7. Equip before big battles Always equip the correct attacks against big bosses. The most useful ones are DSC, LifeSprinkler, Tower, and some attacks to link together your Towers and LifeSprinklers in combos. Don't forget the healing, especially MindHeal. This allows the characters to be self-sufficient. If they can each heal themselves, then that's less work for the Starlight- Healers to do. Don't mix healing and attacking unless you must. Heal with all characters for a round, then have them all attack so you maximize your combo possibilities. Against undead bosses, LightShift(that useless sunlight space spell) is invaluable to keep them from getting back 1000 HP every round. Think first. I try to give advice for the bosses in the walkthroughs but I probably have not seen all of the attacks in the game, and I doubt anyone who doesn't work for Square has, so follow rule #5 and don't play around unless you don't mind reloading the game. Kick ass, then take names, I suppose. 8. Notice the enemy's facing direction At the start of a combat round, while you are giving orders, take note of the direction that the enemy is facing. If the enemy is going to use a physical attack, then they will be attacking the character that they are facing. It is especially easy to tell who they will attack if you are surrounding them, but if you are in formation you can usually only tell between 2 or 3 people. However, it is easy to use this foresight to your advantage. If you know that the enemy will use a physical attack, and you have to decide who to heal, then heal the character that the enemy is facing first, since that is the likely point of attack. If you are in a situation where you surround the enemy and it has particularly strong attacks that focus on one character, then you may want to use "defense" for the character that is being faced by the enemy. This will halve the damage and allow the other characters to attack freely. This method provides no warning for attacks that hit all your characters, however, so against these enemies be careful. Races There are four basic races in the world of SaGa Frontier - humans, mystics, mecha, and monsters. Each type gains strength in a completely different way which forces you to vary your fighting stategies to strengthen all the members of your party. I will list them in order from most to least useful (in my opinion). Humans Humans are by far the most versatile and easiest characters to use in the world of SF. They level up through the most traditional means - fighting. Depending upon the method that they use in combat, a human character will gain certain attributes after every battle. They also have the capacity to learn sword, fist, gun, magic, and dodge techniques, and do fairly well at any of those abilities. The method by which these techniques are learned will be covered later. In order to increase certain stats, you must use a certain kind of attack during combat. The more you attack in a certain way, the more likely you are to gain an attribute increase. Note that the only way to gain JP is through the use of magic. Also, the stronger the enemy, the more likely you are to get an increase. HP: All except Magic WP: All except Magic JP: Magic(this is the only way to gain JP). STR: Fighting, Sword QUI: Guns, Fighting INT: Magic, Guns WIL: Sword, Guns, Magic PSY: Magic VIT: Fighting, Sword CHA: Magic, Guns These are just general guidelines, but if you stick to a certain pattern, your characters will develop a certain way. Note that a human with no magic will have 0 JP, and you can only gain JP by using JP, so it may seem that these characters can never use magic. However, if you buy them spells, they will gain 10 JP to use. Mecha Mecha are man-made machines used for research and combat. They gain strength in a completely different way than Humans or Mystics, in that the equipment that they wear determines their statistics. By equipping swords, guns, armor, circuit boards, and basically almost any other equipment, a mech gains attributes in each of the areas, including HP. Mecha cannot use techs other than Special. Mecha learn their special mech abilities by fighting and defeating other mecha and stealing their programming. If you pump enough money into your mech in order to give it the best equipment, it can become an extremely powerful warrior, due to its ability to equip multiple suits of armor. This allows it to have very high DEF ratings. Also, placing circuit boards on a mech increases the number of abilities it can equip. Overall not a bad class, but since cure items do not work on mecha and curative magic is not tremendously effective, repairing damage in long battles can become difficult. Also, the limited number of abilities availiable and the amount of money required to purchase armor causes mechs to fall second in my hierarchy of usefulness. Note that if you try to absorb a program that you already have, the message "Recharged" will appear and your mech will regain all its WP. Mystics Mystics are a lot like humans in that they also can gain certain attributes from battle, but unlike humans, Mystics only gain CHA, HP, WP, and JP from combat. Their other stats are increased by absorbing monsters into their three special abilities: their Mystic Sword, Glove, and Boots. Certain enemies give better stat increases than others, this will be covered later. Simply by finishing off an enemy's HP using one of these attacks will usually cause an absorption, but certain enemies cannot be absorbed(humans, mecha, certain powerful opponents). Also, all three of the Mystic weapons have an instant death effect, and any enemy killed by this is absorbed as well. As far as gaining the four attributes that they can gain from combat, these are gained the same as humans. Mystics cannot learn any techs other than Magic and Special(their Mystic weapons). They learn magics just like humans. Mystics can become powerful very quickly if you know what enemy to absorb, but since they cannot learn most techs, they are at a disadvantage to the humans, IMHO. If you absorb monsters and get a high VIT score, then a mystic can have very high resistance to attack as well, but not nearly as high as a powered up mech. Monsters Monsters are non-human creatures with intelligence. Monsters are unique in that they gain strength by absorbing other enemy monsters and stealing their abilities. After battle, a monster gains the opportunity to learn an ability from one of its opponents. Sometimes, based upon an ability absorbed, a monster will change form. Each form has completely different stats. In order to make a monster change into the desired form, you must absorb the abilities of the monster you wish to emulate until you have most or all of them. This usually works, if not, then either you cannot turn into that type of monster or you have not absorbed enough. Usually if you try to emulate a truly powerful monster, you will become a weaker version, symbolized by a "jr" after your race. Unbeknownst to most, monsters can gain HP through combat. Each time your monster absorbs an ability which it has never absorbed before, it gains 4 more HP. This is added to the base amount for the monster's race. If you absorb most of the abilities from each monster, then assume a fairly powerful form, your monster can have as many HP as your human characters. Some of the attacks that a monster can learn are very powerful, whereas most are pretty useless. Due to the unpredictable nature of the monster's transformations which often causes you to assume a weaker form, and due to the vast amount of time required to gain more HP max by fighting every single enemy type numerous times, monsters are usually more of a pain in the ass than an actual useful member. Once you get the hang of changing your monster into the form you want(takes some getting used to) and have absorbed the right enemies' abilities, a monster can become a valuable backup character which can attack all enemies and heal the party with its abilities, but this takes a while to achieve. I would advise against placing more than 1 or 2 monsters in your group. Note that if the monster tries to absorb an ability that it already has, you will get the "couldn't absorb anything" message. Also note that each time a monster absorbs an ability, all its WP and JP are restored. General Tips for Using the Various Races Each race has a certain thing that they can offer a party. For the most part, I like to spread out my characters among the three parties and not concentrate on any one race(although my lead party has been known to only contain humans). Usually, 3 humans, a mystic, and either a mecha or monster make a good 5 man combination. Humans When using human characters, it is important to spend the time to build their attributes and train them in their abilites as soon as possible. When you get a new human character, it is usually weak as piss and should be leveled up as soon as possible. Otherwise, this character will die in every other battle. Usually, I start training my human characters intensively as soon as I have built a 5 person group. Also, is is important to have 2 or 3 good parties, so your humans can regain their WP while resting. Without WP, a human loses its advantages over the other races. Mecha Save up enough money to buy them some good armor. The merchant in Koorong sells an armor called "Powered suit", placing two of these on your mecha not only gains you substantial HP and stats, but you also get an instant 99 DEF rating. A few circuit boards never hurt either. As a weapon, find the sword or gun which gives you the most important attribute increases. Weapons with innate special attacks are also useful, since this allows you to have another ability at your disposal which a mech sorely needs. Whenever there are mecha in the enemy party, try to use your mechs so you can absorb the enemy programs. Some of the mecha abilities are insanely useful, whereas others are virtually useless, so choose your equipped abilities with caution. Mystics As soon as possible, absorb the best monsters you can into the equipment of your mystic. With the high stats you can gain this way, a mystic's other abilities become much more powerful. Concentrate especially on the quickness, intelligence, and will scores, because mystics are best used as mages. You can get some cool attacks from each monster to use with your mystic weapons, but normally gaining the best stats is more important, IMHO. Each monster has 3 abilities you can gain on your weapons, 1 for each sword, glove, and boots. Some good enemies are the Suzaku(phoenix things), Dullahan (the headless horsemen) and any type of dragon. A complete list(almost) is provided. Monsters The best way to increase a monster's abilities over the long run is to absorb every enemy you can, especially newer ones or ones that have useful attacks. Even if a monster is very weak, it still may have an ability that you have never absorbed, and that is worth more HP to your monster. Often your monster will transform into a powerful creature, only to turn back into a slime the next battle, but in order to gain more HP in the long run you must absorb those new abilities. Make sure to move abilities you want to keep out of the bottom slot of your ability screen, since this is the spot that is replaced by new abilities. Some abilities should be actively sought out, since they make a monster very useful(such as Magicheal, the best monster ability I've seen). Usually you want to have one powerful single-enemy attack for bosses(such as Silf), one powerful multi-enemy attack to clear out large groups (Maelstrom, Heatwave), a protective barrier(Fire/Ice/Bolt barrier), a healing ability(Magicheal or Life Rain), and an instant death attack(Deathtouch, Deathgaze) for annoyingly powerful normal enemies. Once you've spent some time hunting down the right abilities, a monster becomes quite powerful(though still not able to take a beating nearly as well as any other race). As for equipment, try to equip accessories which protect against certain attack forms rather than for total defense power. Your monster will always have low DEF, live with it, and give it items that allow it to survive powerful water, death, fire, bolt, sonic, etc. attacks. This allows it to have a role in battles with powerful enemies(if a monster is immune to water and has Magicheal, it can save your ass in battle with a Kraken, same goes for a monster immune to sonic when fighting an enemy with Oscillation). Once you have your monster's HP and reportoire of attacks to the desired level, then find the enemy whose form you want to assume, and absorb the hell out of it until you have at least 3 of its abilites. Once you've done this long enough, you may become that monster. If not, you probably cannot assume that monster's form. Some good enemies to become are the Trisaurjr(strong), Chimera(very strong), the Gelatin(high resistance to attacks), and Suzakujr(flies, high HP, good attacks and strength). The best is probably the kraken, it has the highest HP and vitality. Note you must keep the abilities equipped in order to become the monster you want under normal circumstances(sometimes you get lucky). Learning Abilities The methods used to learn new abilities are different for each race. Monsters and mecha learn through absorption, and Mystics learn their mystic weapons by using the mystic weapons that they currently have. They learn magic the same way as humans. By far, the most difficult class to learn abilities for is humans. To learn a new sword or fighting tech, a human uses another sword or fighting tech that it already has, or uses the base attack(sword, punch). Occasionally a lightbulb will appear over the character's head, and voila! you perform a new attack. This attack costs no WP, and it is put on your Equip Ability screen so you can use it at the cost of WP from that point on. Usually the best way to learn a new ability is by using the basic attack, but some can only be learnt(or are learnt much more quickly) by using another attack that is related to it. For instance, to learn a new fighting tech, it is best to use Air Throw as your base attack to learn other throws, and Kick as your base attack to learn other kicks. With swords, to learn Galeslash quickly, use Swallowswing, etc. This is not an exact science, and there is some randomness involved. The more powerful the enemy, the more likely you will learn a technique, but there are no guarantees how long it may take. Also, having a crown in combat abilities makes learning sword and fighting techs easier. Here are some guidelines if you are having trouble learning techs: 1. Make sure there is free space on your inventory of abilities for the new ability to appear, or else you will learn nothing. 2. Fight more powerful enemies, since this makes learning much faster. 3. Equip two swords in order to learn the two sword techs. These are learned the same as any other tech, but you will never get them unless you have two swords equipped. 4. Equip a katana to learn the katana techs. Certain swords are labelled "Katana" or "can use sword technique". These weapons have a few attacks that the normal swords cannot do. If you want these, you must attack with the katana. 5. In fighting, use the base attack that matches what you want to learn. To learn a new throw, use Air Throw, or Kick to learn a new kick. 6. Try using a different attack as your base attack. I will provide a list of all the attacks that frequently lead into new techs, but if you discover something easier, let me know and you get full credit on this page. 7. To learn the very advanced sword techs, I have found that it helps to use a powerful sword. This seems to speed up the process slightly. 8. Your character must be at a certain level in order to learn the very powerful attacks. Don't expect to get LifeSprinkler if you only have 250 HP and a 15 strength. 9. Have all your human characters train together. This is best because if one character learns a new attack, the other characters are more likely to get the same attack in the same battle, often one right after the other. If you still can't learn the new attack, then you probably just need to keep trying. Eventually it will probably happen. The above tips speed it up, but the learning of specific techs is difficult and takes a while, usually. Sword Tech List --Stun Slash: 0 WP This does low damage and stuns one enemy. Not too useful, but you get it fast. --Double Slash: 1 WP You get this one soon too. Does double damage of a normal attack and combos easily with other low level attacks. --Hard Slash: 2 WP More useful against large bosses than Double slash, because it combos with itself. Have your whole party use it and this weak attack becomes moderately powerful. --Thrust: 2 WP Barely better than a normal attack, but is the base for learning more powerful techs. --Cross Slash: 2 WP---double sword tech Does good damage for a cheap attack. Use Double Slash with two swords equipped to learn this quickly. --Smash: 3 WP A little more powerful than Cross Slash. Use Double slash to learn this quickly. --Swallow Swing: 2 WP A long range attack that is good against enemies with barriers. Combos well. --Thunder Thrust: 2 WP Thrust, only more so. Use Thrust to learn this tech. --Heaven/Hell: 3 WP Powerful attack which may stun your opponent. --Wheel Slash: 4 WP A long range attack that hits a wedge-shaped area. More powerful than Swallow Swing. --Willow Branch: 4 WP Not as good as other mid-level attacks, but used to learn some powerful upper-level ones. --Deflect: 1 WP If this is equipped, your character will sometimes jump in front of enemy attacks and block them for himself and other characters. Very useful tech. --Bear Crush: 5 WP A powerful attack that is good at finishing combos. Use Smash to learn it quickly. --Dead End: 6 WP A 3-hit attack that sometimes causes instant death. Use Thunder Thrust to learn this quickly. --Head Wind: 5 WP Powerful single enemy attack. --Triple Thrust: 7 WP Very powerful single enemy attack. Fighting powerful enemies is the best way to learn it. --Kasumi: 4 WP In response to a physical attack, your character spins back and retaliates with a 2 hit combo. Extremely useful. A character with this and Deflect is almost immune to physical attack(esp. if they have a shield). --NoMoment: 7 WP High power single enemy attack. Causes them to be distracted(their back is turned). Use Head Wind to learn it quickly. This attack is unblockable. --Gale Slash: 5 WP Powerful attack that hits all enemies. Use Swallow Swing to learn it quickly. --2Gale Slash: 5 WP---double sword tech Just like Gale Slash, only with two swords and twice the damage. Use Gale Slash to learn this useful one. --Turbid Current: 7 WP You split into 5 replicas, then converge on your opponent for a powerful attack. Using a sword that is not a katana seems to make you learn this. If using a katana, then try using ShadowCounter. --Godless: 5 WP Just like Kasumi, except that you do a 5 hit counterattack and it is not automatic(you command your character to do it at the beginning of the round). Use Kasumi to learn this one. --Shadow Counter: 4 WP---Katana tech A powerful, cool-looking attack. --Blizzard: 6 WP---Katana tech A freezing snowstorm attack. Use Shadow Counter to get it. --Still Stream: 7 WP A good attack for combos. Decent power. --CrossDeflect: 1 WP---Double sword tech A very good defensive maneuver, making a character extremely difficult to hit. Not automatic like Deflect. Use Deflect w/ 2 swords to get this. --Moonlight Cut: 4 WP---Katana tech A pretty attack, with moderate usefulness. --RisingNova: 7 WP A very powerful attack which causes the enemy to explode into flame. Use Willow Branch to get this. --Rosario Impale: 8 WP A downward thrust in the shape of a cross. Extra damaging against undead. Use Triple Thrust to learn this. --Tres Flores: 9 WP---Katana tech The prettiest attack of all, but not useful enough to warrant the high WP cost. Use Blizzard to get this. --Haze-to-Wheel: 9 WP A bigger version of Wheel Slash that hits all enemies. Use Wheel Slash to learn this. --Life Sprinkler: 10 WP The ultimate sword attack in which you split into 4 forms and beat the crap out of your opponent. Not easy to learn, but Turbid Current may make it faster. Use a sword that is not a katana. Note that this attack cannot be blocked. --Kaiser Wing: 1 WP---Alkaiser only A moderately powerful strike, only to be used by Alkaiser. Long range. --Kaiser Smash: 4 WP---Alkaiser only A little better than Kaiser Wing at close range. Fighting Tech List --Kick: 0 WP No better than punch, but helps you learn better kicks. --Air Throw: 1 WP An attack that stuns. Good for learning powerful throws. --Sway Back: 1 WP You lean back to avoid attack. If this occurs before you attack, then your punch will immediately occur and cause extra damage. --Suplex: 4 WP A body-slam that stuns. Use Air Throw to get it. --Sliding: 2 WP An attack that stuns. Misses flying enemies. Combos with itself for big attacks. --Chop: 1 WP A weak attack that blinds enemies. Not too useful. --Rolling Cradle: 2 WP King's move from Tekken 3. Not nearly as powerful as in that game, though. Stuns opponent. Learn by using Air Throw. --Fist: 3 WP A good moderate attack that combos with itself. --Backfist: 2 WP Another moderately damaging move that causes your opponent to lose a lot of blood. --Crush Beat: 4 WP You run over to the opponent and punch them a few times. Not too great. Use Backfist to get it. --Rotation Kick: 3 WP A fairly powerful wheel kick. Use Kick to get it. --Babel Crumble: 5 WP A frankensteiner throw. Use Air throw to learn it. Stuns opponent. --Triangle Kick: 7 WP A kick that jumps off the wall. Good power attack. Use Kick to get it. --Ogre Run: 5 WP A wave is sent along the ground, throwing enemies. Misses flying enemies. --Scuffle: 4 WP You throw your opponent off the screen and commence to roughing them up. Pretty good attack. --Locomotion G: 5 WP Suplex your opponent 5-8 times, stunning them and causing a lot of damage. Use Air Throw or Suplex to get it. --Giant Swing: 6 WP A throw which sometimes causes instant death. Use Air Throw to get it. --KO Throw: 2 WP A counterattack in which you grab an enemy punch and reverse it. --Dragon Turn: 3 WP Just like KO Throw, only reverses kicks. --Corkscrew: 9 WP Makes a triangle around your opponent, where dragons come out and hit them. Use Triangle Kick to get this one. --Gold Hand: 6 WP Your Fist of the North Star tactics are upgraded to an attack which causes the enemy to explode into a ball of light. Use Fist to get this. --Last Shot: 9 WP A very pretty attack which is also very damaging. --DSC: 18 WP The most powerful attack in the game by far. Causes 10-20 thousand points of damage and makes those annoying end bosses a snap. Is not learned like a normal tech, however. First, you must learn Sliding, Suplex, Babel Crumble, and Giant Swing. Then equip them all. In battle, DSC will be available at the bottom of the tech list. Your character will slide, babel crumble, suplex, then randomly may giant swing, and if you're really lucky suplex again. --Bright Fist: 0 WP---Alkaiser only A decent free tech. --SparklingRoll: 2 WP---Alkaiser only Alkaiser backfists the enemy twice. Use Bright Fist to get it. --FlashTurn: 4 WP---Alkaiser only Looks a lot like the Fist attack. Use Bright Fist to get it. --AL-Blaster: 2 WP---Alkaiser only Alkaiser's long range attack. Does magic damage. Use Bright Fist to get it. --Shining Kick: 1 WP---Alkaiser only A kick that is powered by the Alkaiser armor. Use Bright Fist to get it. --DeflectLance: 5 WP---Alkaiser only Looks a lot like TriangleKick. Use ShiningKick to get it. --Final Crusade: 2 WP---Alkaiser only Get it after beating Shuzer. Heals the other party members. Costs 1 LP. --AL-Phoenix: 7 WP---Alkaiser only A powerful flaming attack. Use Bright Fist to get it. --Re-AL-Phoenix: 10 WP---Alkaiser only AL-Phoenix, only more so. The most powerful fighting tech other than DSC. Must be gotten in the battle with MBlackIII. Use Al-Phoenix on him after he uses his Dark Phoenix attack. To learn a new Gun or Magic Tech, the rules are different. These techs do not require a free space on the ability screen, because they go directly into the category and must be equipped. Unlike sword & fighting techs, these are learned after the battle is complete. To learn gun techs, you must use a normal gun(not a cannon-type gun), because if a gun cannot use the tech, then you will not learn it. Using more powerful attacks generally speeds up the learning process. Fight exclusively using the gun and you should quickly learn all the gun techs(there are not very many). Gun Tech List --Sharp Shot: 2 WP Slightly more powerful than a normal attack. --Focus Shot: 4 WP The most powerful single enemy attack outside of combos. --Total Shot: 4 WP Attacks all enemies for decent damage. --Trick Shot: 2 WP Damages enemies that are strong against guns by shooting rocks off the ceiling onto them. Not too great. --Reaction Shot: 3 WP Causes you to go on defense. You will immediately respond to any physical attack by firing a powerful counter. You take no damage from this. --Stun Shot: 1 WP Attempts to stun all enemies. --Cross Shot: 5 WP An attack that is good against undead. Easily combos with itself. If all 5 characters use this, it will almost certainly create a combo for over 10 thousand points of damage. --Bound Shot: 5 WP A powerful shot that rebounds off the wall. Combos well, good damage. If used in a combo, the most damaging gun tech. --Quick Draw: 0 WP If this is equipped, then the first time you use your gun in battle, you will automatically go first. --Twogun: 0 WP Allows you to equip two guns. All gun techs and attacks now do double damage. To learn new magic, you must first have the gift for the type of magic you are trying to learn. The methods to get these gifts will be covered later. If you have the gift, then a star will appear beside the type of magic that you have the gift for on your equip ability screen. If you don't have the gift, you can only buy magic, you will never learn it through battle. Once you have the gift, you simply use the spells of that magic type in combat. Using that type of magic exclusively speeds up the process, as well as having a crown for magic on your ability screen. There are not many spells in each category, and half of them can be bought, so learning magic shouldn't take long. The magic list will be done in the section dealing with magic. To learn a new dodge tech is probably the most inconvenient process of them all. In order to learn a certain dodge, you must be attacked by the enemy attack you wish to dodge. Occasionally, as the enemy attacks, a lightbulb appears and you dodge the attack. This requires you to have an empty space on your ability list, as it goes directly onto the list(like a sword or fighting tech). Now you are virtually immune to that type of attack. Note that even if you learn the dodge from a very weak enemy, it will work against the same type of attack from any enemy. Certain dodges are invaluable to your survival against some of the end-bosses, whereas others might as well not even exist since you are usually immune to that attack anyway. Note that the more often the enemy attacks the character in the same fashion, the more likely you will learn to dodge. Also, you are more likely to learn against powerful enemies. However, there is no way to control what the enemy will do to you or who he will do it to, so learning these techs is a matter of luck. If you really want a certain dodge, then find a relatively weak enemy who can perform the attack you wish to dodge, then put yourself on defense and heal yourself while it attacks. After a while, someone will probably get the dodge. The enemy "Unknown" is very good for learning DodgeFlash(sucks) and DodgeGaze(very useful). All the dodges that I have ever seen in my play are listed here. Note that trying to get all these for all your characters will cause you to lose a lot of sanity, so just get the important ones on a few guys and leave it at that. I think this list is done now, but tell me if you know of any more. Dodge Tech List --DodgeDrain Avoids Bloodsucker, HP Drain, and FireKiss. --DodgeNeedle Avoids Needle, Poison Needle. --DodgeFlash Avoids Flash. --DodgeSmash Avoids Trample attacks. --DodgeThunder Avoids Thunderbolts. --DodgeGale Avoids Gale Slash, Gale Attack. --DodgePowder Avoids Spore attacks. --DodgeTouch Avoids touch attacks(Ghosttouch, Gremlintouch). --DodgeWing Avoids Wing and Hellwing, as well as Gliderspike. --DodgeGaze Avoids all gaze attacks(Charmgaze, Stonegaze, Stungaze, Deathgaze). --DodgeNet Avoids all nets(Ectoplasnet, Spidernet, Bladenet). --DodgeTackle Avoids body attacks(Tackle, Dash). --DodgeTail Avoids Tail, Tailhit. --DodgeDeathGrip Avoids DeathGrip. --DodgeSeduction Avoids Seduction, Pheromone. --DodgeRock Avoids Rock. --DodgeTremor Avoids Quake, Tremor. Others Here I will list the monster abilities and mech abilities that I have seen, as well as the enemies that I got the monster abilities from. As far as I can tell, mecha learn random abilities not based upon the enemy that they absorb, but if I find differently I'll list that too. These are too numerous and my memory isn't good enough to describe them all, so I'll rate them with asterisks in order of usefulness. * - useless ** - useful in rare situations *** - useful often **** - always keep this one The only abilities that I know you can get every time from the same enemy are: Virus: from the viruses in the virtual reality world in HQ(T260G's chapter) DragonProgram: From MBlackII(Red's Chapter) or the BigDigger that uses Maelstrom in T260G's chapter(where you hit all the switches) TigerProgram: From MBlack(Red's Chapter) or the MecGod(in the Doomsday Machine, T260G's chapter) Mecha Ability List(Alphabetized) Combat Mastery: 0 WP----- ** Counter ECM: 0 WP-------- * Crosshair: 3 WP---------- ** DragonProgram: 0 WP------ ** --If you have this in combination with an OctopusBoard, your mech can use the Maelstrom special attack. EnergySupply: 0 WP------- *** Evasion Bullet: 0 WP----- ** Evasion Laser: 0 WP------ ** Evasion Rocket: 0 WP----- ** HypnoFlash: 2 WP--------- ** InterceptSystem: 0 WP---- ** --Your mech will counterattack a physical attack with missiles. Jammer: 1 WP------------- * KAMIKAZE-Crush: 4 WP----- *** --You use 1 LP to ram the enemy with a powerful attack. Logic Bomb: 4 WP--------- ** Magnify: 15 WP----------- **** --This causes any laser weapon to do tremendous damage, but the weapon will then be useless for the rest of the battle. Maxwell Program: 0 WP---- * MecSonata: 4 WP---------- ** Plural Slash: 5 WP------- **** Pop-Knight: 10 WP-------- **** RangeFire: 3 WP---------- ** Satellite Linker: 7 WP--- *** --After using the bit system, use this to make the bits fire a powerful (2000-3000 damage) laser at all enemies. Self Repair: 0 WP-------- *** Shock Soldier: 8 WP------ *** Shoot-All: 24 WP--------- ** --Your mech will fire all of the ammo out of its cannons and guns. Not as damaging as the WP cost and ammo consumption would indicate. Shooting Mastery: 0 WP--- ** TigerProgram: 0 WP------- *** --If you have this in combination with an OctopusBoard, you can use the TigerRampage attack. Virus: 0 WP-------------- ** --This allows you to use Jammer and LogicBomb if you have a SecretBoard. Monster Ability List(alphabetized) --Acid Breath: 3 WP-------- * From Slugger, Trapvine, Gaeatoad --Arctic Breath: 3 WP------ * From Banshee, Ettin, Genbu, Snowfolk, Iceworm --Assist: 2 WP------------- *** From Mellow --BattleSong: 3 WP--------- * From SpearValkyrie --Beak: 0 WP--------------- * From Axebeak, Pickbird, Platoonpus, Cockatrice, Platyking --Beat: 0 WP--------------- * From Gunfish, LivingGlove --Beetlejuice: 4 WP-------- * From Wormbrood, Manticore --Blade: 1 WP-------------- * From Giant, Harpy, SickleBug, Zyphon, FatDevil, Mystic, Living Sword, etc. --BladeNet: 3 WP----------- ** From LivingSword, KillerBee --Bloodsucker: 1 WP-------- * From Rabbat, Banshee --BoltBarrier: 0 WP-------- **** From Gelatin --BoltBlast: 5 WP---------- ** From Gelatin, Thundragon --BoltBreath: 2 WP--------- * From Gelatin, Thundragon, Minidragon --BrainCrush: 3 WP--------- * From Snakeman, Siren --CentipedeCrush: 4 WP----- ** From Nidheg --Charmgaze: 3 WP---------- ** From Mimic, Dullahan, Unknown, SwordValkyrie --Chop: 1 WP--------------- * From Zombie, Snakeman, Gremlin --Claw: 0 WP--------------- * From WonderDog, Snakeman, Red Dragon --Coils: 5 WP-------------- * From WhipJelly --CounterFear: 0 WP-------- *** From Lich --Da-Dum: 1 WP------------- * From Yeti, Rockbaboon --DaggerJaw: 3 WP---------- * From Ankheg, Gargoyle, LivingGlove --Dash: 2 WP--------------- * From LivingArmor, Wererhino, Razorback --DeadlyMoss: 6 WP--------- * From Lich --Deathgaze: 4 WP---------- **** From Unknown, LivingMirror, Demongoat --Deathsynthesis: 0 WP----- ** (This restores HP only without sunlight) From Lich, DeadKnight, Zombie, Ankheg, Skullasaurus, etc. --Deathtouch: 4 WP--------- **** From Lich --DoubleAxe: 2 WP---------- * From LivingAxe, Ogre, Minotaur, Rockbaboon --Ectoplasnet: 4 WP-------- **** From Gelatin, Ankheg --ElfShot: 1 WP------------ * From Wormbrood, Sprite, Darkfairy --Fang: 0 WP--------------- * From Minidragon, Wyvern, Gargoyle, Xeno, Razorback --FangCrush: 2 WP---------- * From Black Dragon, Genbu, Chimera, Dragonpup, Skullasaurus --Feeler: 5 WP------------- ** From Kraken, Mollasite, Treant --Feint: 4 WP-------------- * From Straysheep, Ogre, Frillneck --FireBarrier: 0 WP-------- **** From Suzaku --FireBreath: 3 WP--------- * From Ettin, Suzaku, Red Dragon, Flamefolk, Dragon Pup, Hellhound, etc. --FireKiss: 4 WP----------- *** From Succubus, Lamia --FlameBlast: 5 WP--------- ** From Red Dragon, Hellhound --Flash: 0 WP-------------- * From Unknown, Mystic, Sunflower --GaleAttack: 3 WP--------- ** From Zyphon, Mystic, SickleBug, CrystalTree, DeadKnight --GasFlame: 4 WP----------- *** From Chimera, FatDevil, EarthDragon --GhostTouch: 2 WP--------- * From Ghost --GliderSpike: 5 WP-------- ** From SpearValkyrie, Wyvern --Grasp: 3 WP-------------- * From Gaeatoad, EarthDragon --GremlinTouch: 2 WP------- * From Gremlin, Siren --GriffithScratch: 7 WP---- **** From Griffin, GriffinJr --GroundHit: 5 WP---------- **** From DeadKnight, Mystic, FatDevil, Scorpion --Heal: 0 WP--------------- *** From Butch, Razorback, KittyClawer, WonderDog --Heatsmash: 3 WP---------- ** From Giant, Flamefolk --Heatwave: 5 WP----------- ** From Suzaku, Zyphon --Horn: 1 WP--------------- * From Dragonpup, Basilisk, Trisaur, Unicorn, Armorpilla, etc. --HP Drain: 4 WP----------- ** From Ankheg, DeathLord, Tanzer, DeadKnight --Hypnotism: 0 WP---------- * From Aperider, Ghost --IceBarrier: 0 WP--------- **** From Snowfolk --IceSmash: 3 WP----------- ** From Snowfolk, LiquidMetal --IllStorm: 4 WP----------- ** From Furdo, Gelatin --Ink: 1 WP---------------- * From Kraken, Devilsquid --Kick: 0 WP--------------- * From Frillneck, Gekko, Aperider, PrimaBronza --Kusanagi: 3 WP----------- ** From DeathLord --Kylin's Song: 3 WP------- ** From Kylin --Life Rain: 4 WP---------- **** From Unicorn --LightBall: 2 WP---------- * From Darkfairy, SwordValkyrie, IceCrystal, SpearValkyrie --Lullaby: 2 WP------------ ** From Straysheep, Succubus --MadAttack: 3 WP---------- * From Butch --Maelstrom: 8 WP---------- *** From Kraken --MagicHeal: 5 WP---------- ****(*******) Get this, it'll save your life. From Wormbrood, Unicorn, Mellow --MagneticStorm: 7 WP------ **** From CrystalTree --MightyCyclone: 6 WP------ **** From Kraken, Iceworm --MinionStrike: 6 WP------- ** From DeathLord --Needles: 0 WP------------ * From Manticore, Cactus, CrystalTree, Gargoyle --Oscillation: 6 WP-------- *** From Living Sword, SickleBug, CrystalTree --PainPowder: 2 WP--------- * From Harpy, Battlefly, Nightshade --Petrify: 6 WP------------ *** From Zeroworm, Cockatrice --Pheromone: 4 WP---------- ** From Battlefly --Photosynthesis: 0 WP----- ** (This restores HP only with sunlight) From Sunflower, Treant --PoisonGas: 1 WP---------- * From FatDevil, Basilisk --PoisonGrip: 3 WP--------- * From SonicBat, Zombie --PoisonGun: 1 WP---------- * From HugeSlime, Wormbrood --PoisonMist: 5 WP--------- ** From Darkfairy, Furdo --PoisonNeedle: 5 WP------- ** From Scorpion, Wyvern --Powerbeat: 4 WP---------- *** From Chimera, Wererhino --Psychout: 0 WP----------- * From Rocky --Quake: 5 WP-------------- ** From Wererhino, Earth Dragon --Quicksand: 3 WP---------- *** From Slugger, Cockatrice --Rock: 2 WP--------------- * From Wererhino, Platoonpus --Sacred Song: 6 WP-------- ** From Suzaku, DeathLord, Sphinx --SadSong: 3 WP------------ * From Scorpion, Succubus --Scissors: 0 WP----------- * From Iceworm, Scorpion, Zeroworm --Scream: 4 WP------------- ** From SonicBat, Banshee, Skullasaurus --Seduction: 3 WP---------- ** From Lamia --SeedVulcan: 1 WP--------- * From LivingRifle, Sunflower, Fishman --Silf: 5 WP--------------- ** From SpearValkyrie, Airfolk --Siren: 7 WP-------------- **** From Siren, Ghostrider --SleepGas: 2 WP----------- * From Mandrake --Solvent: 0 WP------------ * From Slime, BigSlime, HugeSlime --SphinxRiddle: 7 WP------- *** From Sphinx --SpiderNet: 1 WP---------- * From Sporepile, Armorpilla --Spoil: 2 WP-------------- * From Slime, Butch, Zeroworm, Mollasite --Spore: 1 WP-------------- * From Shrieker, Sporepile --Stampede: 4 WP----------- ** From Dullahan, Frillneck, Chariot, Unicorn --Stinger: 3 WP------------ * From Butch, KillerBee --StinkGas: 2 WP----------- ** From Manticore, Slugger --StoneGas: 6 WP----------- *** From Black Dragon, CrystalTree --Stonegaze: 5 WP---------- *** From Basilisk --Stungaze: 1 WP----------- * From Unknown, Nightshade, Aperider --StunTouch: 0 WP---------- * From IceCrystal, FireCrystal, Airfolk --Supersonic: 2 WP--------- * From Quakeworm, Rabbat, Ghostrider, Sonicbat, Platoonpus, Ettin --Sweep: 1 WP-------------- * From WhipJelly, Trapvine, Platoonpus --Tackle: 1 WP------------- * From Straysheep, WhipJelly, LivingAxe --Tailhit: 3 WP------------ * From Trisaur, Lamia --Thrust: 0 WP------------- * From Mellow, Killerbee, Sprite, LivingLance --Thunderbolt: 3 WP-------- ** From OgreLord, Fishman, Siren, Genbu --TitasWave: 6 WP---------- ** From Zyphon, Black Dragon, Giant, SickleBug --Tornado: 5 WP------------ ** From Genbu --Trample: 4 WP------------ * From OgreLord, Trisaur, Chimera, Demongoat --Tremor: 5 WP------------- * From Shrieker, Zeroworm, Ankheg, Axebeak, Trisaur --TripGas: 4 WP------------ * From Shrieker --WaterCannon: 1 WP-------- * From Mellow, Undine, Gekko, Gunfish, Fishman --Windblast: 5 WP---------- ** From Wyvern, Airfolk, Sphinx --Wing: 1 WP--------------- * From Minidragon, Battlefly, Airfolk, Sphinx, Straysheep, etc. Monsters can change into several forms. All the forms that I have seen and their base HP(before adding the HP gained by absorbing new abilities) and their base stats before equipment is listed here. Monster Forms List(Alphabetized) Name HP LP WP JP STR QUI INT WIL PSY VIT CHA DEF Ankheg 305 4 94 52 57 51 19 46 29 57 13 42 Armorpilla 160 6 40 24 17 6 3 22 15 27 15 18 Axebeak 310 5 100 44 49 38 17 34 29 37 38 9 Battlefly 300 6 106 50 31 47 16 40 37 46 45 15 BigSlime 240 8 26 32 12 3 9 23 24 30 4 17 Butch 460 6 124 76 51 63 44 62 37 48 44 30 Cactus 100 6 14 18 4 2 7 13 8 11 7 8 Chimera 540 6 162 84 75 64 48 67 46 73 57 40 Cockatrice 405 5 132 76 55 61 28 47 67 39 55 27 CrystalTree 440 6 162 116 64 38 55 88 79 80 72 25 DeadKnight 250 4 98 48 42 34 24 41 24 40 41 42 DeathLord 280 4 98 58 41 34 34 40 34 44 40 54 DragonPup 210 5 64 36 21 28 19 20 26 17 32 25 FrillNeck 310 6 84 38 35 33 29 28 12 36 32 22 Gaeatoad 395 6 78 48 44 12 40 38 8 68 16 38 Gekko 125 6 20 6 6 8 3 1 1 12 7 8 Gelatin 430 8 110 84 32 36 16 74 68 99 28 12 Genbu 515 7 144 78 64 38 62 52 34 66 60 45 Ghost 130 4 28 30 14 16 13 22 16 12 8 24 Harpy 255 5 94 36 27 32 24 22 18 28 51 9 Hellhound 345 6 78 46 46 40 22 37 24 26 22 17 Iceworm 460 6 162 74 60 69 27 72 41 82 58 50 KillerBee 210 6 66 34 18 33 9 28 21 29 26 15 kraken 640 8 166 74 78 54 62 53 26 90 56 19 KylinJr. 540 6 150 128 52 71 90 48 70 41 82 41 LiquidMetal 350 8 100 64 40 40 40 40 40 40 40 37 LivingAxe 115 5 24 16 9 7 1 4 18 13 11 14 LivingLance 165 5 36 26 15 14 3 9 31 14 16 24 LivingSword 340 5 86 56 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 30 Lummox 60 10 16 12 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 6 Mandrake 200 10 32 0 17 15 25 32 29 23 25 20 Manticore 400 6 104 54 64 41 31 48 20 48 29 34 Nidheg 280 4 92 34 59 63 13 32 14 37 13 35 Nightshade 265 6 76 70 34 20 38 49 43 36 31 15 Ogre 220 10 40 28 27 11 16 12 20 24 9 16 OgreLord 430 10 122 66 69 41 48 37 39 78 29 47 Platoonpus 245 6 76 30 28 25 20 22 9 28 37 5 Rabbat 150 5 42 28 11 23 9 15 22 9 21 12 Razorback 230 6 70 28 25 22 14 24 11 33 31 14 Rocky 110 6 22 12 8 6 4 8 3 10 11 9 Scorpion 260 6 76 42 32 21 12 37 26 44 28 22 Shrieker 390 6 142 102 53 42 52 75 68 56 68 42 Skeleton 65 4 22 16 11 8 3 15 4 15 6 20 Skullasaurus 390 4 132 78 71 61 37 77 34 40 47 52 Slime 130 10 26 28 8 6 7 22 24 28 4 21 SonicBat 320 6 84 54 26 47 13 49 37 36 31 33 Sphinx 455 5 140 90 43 58 94 33 46 51 64 27 Sporepile 150 6 38 32 12 6 14 19 21 18 21 13 SunFlower 350 6 114 88 44 25 47 62 59 54 54 26 SuzakuJr. 495 5 182 80 56 78 45 51 57 66 82 41 Tidi 220 7 46 20 16 31 12 22 13 16 21 24 Trapvine 220 6 64 54 26 16 27 37 34 30 28 15 Treant * 300 6 108 88 41 23 50 55 62 50 52 27 TrisaurJr. 450 7 122 50 63 49 31 39 21 55 40 30 UnicornJr. 320 5 142 86 46 61 70 45 49 35 71 33 Unknown 300 8 56 82 22 24 62 48 46 32 17 9 WhipJelly 200 8 48 40 16 20 16 21 33 26 18 13 Wyvern 360 5 120 64 53 60 26 45 49 29 50 27 Zombie 185 4 40 22 28 6 2 34 1 44 1 16 * The Treant form has the item ShadeRobe(only in battle). It heals HP. Mystics get certain abilities based upon which weapon they absorbed the mon- ster into and what monster they absorb. This will be listed in the enemy list section. Magic Magic in the world of SF is classified into several schools. Almost all the schools of magic have an opposite school, and if you have magic from one school you must give it up to learn magic of the opposite school. In order to learn new spells and be a master of a particular school of magic, you must obtain the gift for that magic. This can normally be inquired about at the shop where you buy the magic. Some gifts are easy to get, some are hard, and some are annoying. Some of the character's main quests involve the earning of these gifts, and almost all characters are advised to do so as magic is a very helpful tool in SF. Here is each type of magic, where to get it, where to get the gift, and its opposite. The specifics about getting each gift will be dealt with in the walkthrough section. Magic Ability List(spells that require the gift are marked with *) Light Magic Buy at: Luminous Get gift at: Luminous Opposite: Shadow --StarlightHeal: 2 JP This spell restores HP to any one party member. It works on mecha, but to a lesser degree. Very useful, as healing spells usually are. The main advantage of Light Magic. --SunRay: 1 JP This spell attacks one enemy with a sunbeam. Does extra damage against undead opponents. If you have 6 magic abilities equipped then it is free to cast, but a pretty weak spell overall. --FlashFlood: 5 JP This spell attempts to instantly kill all your enemies by sweeping them away in a flood. The low success rate of this makes it less useful than it sounds. --FlashFire: 4 JP This spell damages all enemies with fire. Not very damaging, but clears out large groups of lower-level enemies. Also may blind the enemies. --Light Sword: 7 JP * This spell creates a sword with extremely high attacking power to use in battle. Not a very useful spell unless you don't have the money yet to buy the best swords for the character. In that case, this is good to deal out damage to large bosses. --MegaWindBlast: 9 JP * The other reason, besides StarlightHeal, to get Light magic. Probably the most powerful mass attack spell. Hits all enemies with 1000-3000 damage, depending on the power of the caster. Shadow Magic Buy at: Luminous Get gift at: Omble Opposite: Light --PowerGrab: 1 JP This spell steals a small amount of HP from the target. Allows you to regain a few lost HP, and is free if you have a crown in magic, but does too little damage to be extremely useful. --HideBehind: 1 JP This spell causes you to appear behind your opponent, tap their shoulder, and run away. They turn around to face that way. Characters who attack while the enemy's back is turned do slightly more damage and have a much higher hit rate. Pretty much completely useless. Combos with itself though. You should see that at least once, it's pretty comical. --ShadowNet: 3 JP This spell paralyzes all of the enemies. Actually pretty useful if used against the right enemies who are vulnerable to paralysis. Probably the best low level Shadow magic. --DarkSphere: 4 JP * This spell attacks one enemy with a large sphere of dark energy. Fairly powerful(500-1500 damage) and combos with itself. If two or three people cast it together, then the damage adds up. Still, there are much better sources of magic damage out there. --ShadowServant: 9 JP * The only real reason to bother with Shadow magic. This useful spell creates a shadow that overlays the caster. It repeats every action you perform, guaranteeing a level 2 combo with whatever attack you use. This is very useful against big bosses. In addition, the shadow servant will protect the caster from 1 attack, destroying the servant but keeping the caster safe from damage. If you always have a shadow servant active, then you can nullify any attacks toward that character while your JP lasts. You can only have 1 shadow servant at a time. A shadow servant will not mimic DSC, I guess they figured that would be too powerful. Note: Of these two, I consider Light magic to be superior in most cases. The healing ability and MegaWindBlast are very useful. However, in the case of characters who already have healing abilities(Dr. Nusakan, Measarthim, etc.) or in characters that can master Time Magic(Blue/Rouge, TimeLord) I recommend Shadow magic. Shadow Servant doubles the power of Overdrive, and without the healing advantage, the Shadow Servant spell is very useful in comparison to the MegaWindBlast(there are many other slightly less effective mass-kill spells). However, no matter who it is, if you don't get the gift don't bother with Shadow Magic. Shadow Servant is the only useful spell there. Arcane Magic Buy at: Devin Get gift at: Collect all 4 Arcana Tarot Opposite: Rune --Saber: 1 JP A decent, free spell(if you have a crown) to attack one enemy. Low damage, but is good for learning the upper level spells if you have the gift. --Shield: 3 JP This spell raises the DEF rating of your entire party. Note that if you use the spell more than once, the "DEF UP" signs will still show up but the spell only actually works once. This spell also automatically comes out before any enemies can attack. A useful spell for long battles. The effect lasts until the end of the battle. If a character is knocked un- conscious(loses all its HP) then it loses the benefits of Shield. --Grail: 3 JP This spell cures one party member of any status ailment. Useful against enemies with petrify or charm attacks. It is a good idea to always have at least 1 party member with this. --Gold: 3 JP This seemingly useless spell is actually not bad if used against enemies that are susceptible to instant death. It has one of two effects. The milder, useless one causes all the enemies to turn around, which is like a HideBehind spell that affects all the enemies. Attacks on an enemy's back have a slight damage and hit rate increase. Occasionally, however, the spell will utterly destroy the creature because it chases the gold coins that drop completely off the screen, and is never seen again. This happens most often against one lone enemy. This spell gets rid of Chimeras, Zeroworms, and other powerful monsters with ease. --Magician: 7 JP * This spell creates a shadow of the caster that appears randomly among your ranks. It has an infinity symbol over its head(to differentiate it from ones created by Mystic magic). If an enemy attacks it, then it is detroyed. If the attack used was a close range attack, then the destroyed shadow creates a vortex that sucks up and utterly destroys the unfortunate attacker. This will not work on bosses, but it is valuable nontheless against enemies that use powerful physical attacks. You can have up to 5 shadows on screen at once. --Death: 4 JP * This spell summons grim reapers(one for each enemy) to attempt to instantly kill all the enemies. Any enemy that is hit is destroyed, but for each enemy that fails to be killed, the reapers come back and take 1 LP from the caster. Moderately useful against single enemies, but don't use it against a large group or you risk losing all your LP. --Fool: 6 JP * Your character does a funny dance, and from that point on the enemies attack power is decreased. The spell's effect is lost if the caster is ever knocked unconscious. Don't waste your time with this. --Tower: All JP * This spell takes away all of your JP to create an immensely powerful attack. The more JP you have, the more damage is inflicted. This spell is your most powerful source of damage(other than DSC). Unlike DSC, though, this spell can go into combos for horrendous damage. If you plan to use a character in a boss battle as a fighter or swordsman, then equip them with this and let them blow all their JP first to soften up the target a bit. Rune Magic Buy at: Devin Get gift at: Collect all 4 Rune stones Opposite: Arcane --Victory Rune: 1 JP This rune causes one character in the party to gain more attacking power. All their attacks will do about 1.25 times the original damage for the remainder of the battle or until they are knocked unconscious(lose all their HP). Free to cast if you have a crown, but not too great except to learn better spells. --Vitality Rune: 2 JP This rune causes one character in the party to regenerate HP at the end of each round. The number of HP gained is equal to about 1/8 of the max HP of the affected character. Probably the most useful of the lower level runes. In long battles this is a good source of a little extra healing. The effect lasts until the end of the battle or until the affected character becomes unconscious(loses all HP). --Hide Rune: 2 JP This spell causes one character to disappear from battle. The character is immune to attack, but if it performs any action other than defense, then it comes out of hiding and the spell is broken. This spell may be good for keeping low level characters alive so they can gain power, but overall it is a waste of time. Heal the wounded character instead. Note that a hidden character may still be hit by attacks that hit all characters. A hidden character may affect itself without coming out of hiding(healing, Victory Rune, etc.). --Freedom Rune: 4 JP The character that this rune is inscribed over is protected from petrify, parlysis, and sleep until the end of the battle or until they are knocked unconscious. --Wall Rune: 8 JP * This spell erects a protective barrier around one character. Any long range attacks(bullets, lasers, rockets, etc.) fired on the character will destroy the barrier instead of hurting the character. If the shield could take more damage, or if it affected the whole party, this might be a good spell. As it is, it is forever condemned to rot in the unused ability list. I don't see why it is a higher level spell. --Dwarf Rune: 8 JP * This spell reduces the attack power of one enemy. Another spell that is a waste of time except against very powerful enemies. Even then, there is probably some better use of your time and JP. --Soul Rune: 7 JP * This spell raises all of the caster's abilities, making him/her faster, stronger, more intelligent, etc.. If the caster is knocked unconscious, the spell is broken. Handy in long battles, but this spell is not really that great normally. --Stasis Rune: All JP * This spell causes the caster and the affected enemy to go into stasis, a condition where neither can perform any action or be affected in any way. This lasts longer the more JP you use. If you are badly wounded against a boss, use this so the remaining characters can heal up, I suppose. That is one use for it, although I don't know if its worth the cost of all your JP to perform. The spell really only has one true use, and that is in combination with the Time magic Overdrive. Only 2 characters in the game (Blue/Rouge, and TimeLord) can have this spell, but once they do be sure to give them Rune magic so they can get StasisRune. If you Overdrive, then as the last command you give put the enemy and yourself in stasis, then you will not lose all your JP and WP from the Overdrive! This means you can just do it again once you come out of stasis. Also, after you come out of stasis, the game will still think you are in Overdrive. This means that the affected character can still attack 6-8 times every round. Note that magic and skills used will still deplete WP and JP. Also, you still must pay the 10 JP for the Overdrive. Any boss can be easily defeated using this technique. Note: Of these two, I consider Arcane magic to be vastly superior to Rune except in the case of TimeLord and Blue/Rouge. If a character has Overdrive, then it is much better to give them Rune magic due to the Stasis Rune trick. Mind Magic Buy at: Kyo Get gift at: Kyo Opposite: Evil --MindHeal: 2 JP This useful spell allows the caster to completely refill his/her HP. Give this to all the characters you can. It helps against enemies that can use mass attacks that hurt your whole party badly. The more characters that can heal themselves, the less work your healers have to do to prepare for the next big attack. Probably the best Mind magic spell. --Spellbound: 2 JP This spell paralyzes one enemy. Only good in specific situations, but can completely debilitate one enemy if used on the right enemy. --Evaporate: 2 JP This spell allows the caster to go into hiding. It has the same effect as the Rune spell Hide Rune, except it can only affect the caster. If the caster performs any action that affects another character, the spell is broken. Not one of my favorites at all. --LifeWave: 2 JP * This spell attacks one enemy with a large yellow spear. Does very good damage and ignores the defense level of the target. On the average, does 500-1500 damage to a single target. --Awakening: 2 JP * This spell causes all the stats of the caster to increase, making him/her stronger, faster, more intelligent, etc.. Just like the Rune magic Soul rune, except it can only affect the caster. Only good against large bosses where the effect will last long enough to be noticed. The spell ends if the affected character is knocked unconscious(loses all HP). Evil Magic Buy at: N/A(only Zozma can have this magic) Get gift at: N/A(the gift for this magic does not exist) Opposite: Mind --RavaShot: 1 JP A decent attack spell. Does little damage, though, and is probably not as powerful as Zozma's normal attacks. Hits one enemy. --PainDoubler: 1 JP This spell does damage to all enemies equal to the amount of damage that they have already suffered, up to a limit of 666. The spell can never do more than 666 damage, and that is what limits its usefulness significantly. I usually don't bother with this spell. --Deathcurse: 4 JP Just like the Arcane Death spell, except it only targets one enemy. --SharpPain: 1 JP This is by far the most powerful Evil spell and the reason that Zozma is one of the best characters in SF. This spell attempts to stun all the enemies. This does not sound useful, but the spell comes out before any enemies can attack automatically, and it is almost 100% effective against enemies that are vulnerable to stun! Having trouble with Dullahan? Crystal Trees oscillating and kicking your ass? If Zozma uses this spell each round, then these enemies will never get a chance to move and your other characters can leisurely beat them up. This spell even works on some bosses, making them completely harmless for the cost of only 1 JP each round. Note: Of these two, Evil magic is the best due to the SharpPain spell. However, since only one character can have it, Mind magic is the obvious choice for most characters. Note that only humans can get Mind magic, and that Blue/Rouge cannot get the gift for it until they fight near the end of Blue's chapter. Realm Magic Buy at: Magic Kingdom Get gift at: Only Blue/Rouge have the gift Opposite: Mystic --EnergyChain: 1 JP Probably the best low-level single enemy attack spell in the game. It does good damage at first. If it is used enough times, then the caster will "level-up" this spell and the chain will begin to swirl around the enemies after hitting them. At this point the spell will also paralyze the enemy. Also, if you have a crown in magic this spell is free of charge. It is un- known if other spells can "level-up" through use as this one does(some of them definitely need to), but if I find something out, rest assured that it will show up here. --Implosion: 3 JP Attacks a single enemy. More damaging than EnergyChain, and may cause instant death of the enemy. The increased JP use makes it less useful on the average, and the instant death effect is annoyingly rare. A good cheap attack to use on large enemies that are vulnerable to instant death. --PsychoArmor: 2 JP This spell increases the PSY and VIT points of one character, making them less vulnerable to magic and physical attack. This spell only works once, even though the "PSY up" message will continue to appear. Only useful against the end bosses where the battle will last long enough to see the effect of the spell. It ends if the target character is knocked unconscious. --Gate: 0 JP * This spell is not a battle spell, but is used in conjunction with the RegionMap item to allow Blue/Rouge to travel with ease. You do not need to ever have it equipped. --PsychicPrison: 7 JP * This spell seals the enemy in a shell. If they try to cast magic, then it will backfire on them and cause them damage. Since there are not very many magic-using enemies in the game, the effectiveness of this is fairly low. If you are facing a magic user, then by all means give this a try. It helps against some guys in Blue's game. After blocking one spell, then the shell is destroyed and must be renewed. --Vermilion Sand: 8 JP * This spell attacks all enemies for good damage(800-1800 points). It also may blind the enemies. The second best mass attack spell behind MegaWind- Blast. Make it a point to get this if you have Blue/Rouge in your party. Mystic Magic Buy at: Facinaturu Get gift at: Mystics and Asellus have this gift automatically, otherwise N/A Opposite: Realm --Fascination: 1 JP This spell attempts to charm one enemy. Charmed enemies will attack their friends, but they will not physically attack themselves(although they may hit themselves with mass attacks). This spell is more effective depending on your CHA score. --PhantasmShot: 3 JP This spell attacks one enemy with a random phantasm beast. It does good damage, and inflicts status problems as well. The phantasms are the same as the Mirage magic spells, so look there for a description of each effect. A very good single enemy attack spell, does 200-1000 points to an enemy as well as causing them various ailments. --Glass Shield: 5 JP This spell creates a glass shield in front of the caster. Any attack that targets the caster will break the shield instead of hurting the caster. In addition to this protection, if the attack that broke the glass was a close- range attack, then the broken glass shards will attack the enemy and do a good bit(500-1000) of damage. This spell is a good idea to cast at the beginning of long battles to protect your healing characters from attack. If it is broken, then refresh it and the healers will be difficult to damage. --MirrorShade: 7 JP * This spell creates 1-4 shadows of the caster in random locations among your characters' ranks. Enemies may target the mirrorshades instead of damaging your real party members. If a mirrorshade is hit, then it is detroyed. If you are fighting an enemy that uses mass attacks, then this is useless as 1 mass attack will destroy all the mirrorshades, but with enemies that kill you 1 man at a time or get to physically attack many times in a single round, this can save you a lot of damage. You cannot have more than 5 mirrorshades in existence at once. Note: Of these two, I prefer Mystic magic because of PhantasmShot and GlassShield. These spells are much better than the comparable Realm spells. Exceptions to this are Blue/Rouge, who can get the higher level Realm spells. Also, the inconveience of having to travel to Facinaturu to buy the Mystic magic may be a reason in itself to get the Realm spells. Time Magic Buy at: TimeLord's Region Get gift at: Kill TimeLord(only Blue/Rouge and TimeLord can get this gift) Opposite: Space --DelayOrder: 1 JP Lowers the enemy's QUI score. Whoopee. --TimeLeap: 3 JP This spell is like the poor man's Sharp Pain. If it hits an enemy, then that enemy will be stunned and lose its turn that round. However, unlike Sharp Pain, it only targets one enemy and it is not guaranteed to go off before the enemy moves. Therefore, unlike Sharp Pain, it is useless. --ChaosStream: 9 JP This spell attacks all the enemies by spinning them around on the arms of a huge clock. It does a small amount of damage and may paralyze them. Not a very good mass attack spell, despite the cool name. Doesn't do enough damage to compete with other spells, but the paralysis effect is actually pretty common. --TimeEclipse: 5 JP This spell attempts to petrify one enemy, instantly killing them. If it fails to do this, then the enemy's quickness is lowered and they take damage. A useful spell for destroying enemies that have high HP but are vulnerable to petrification. --TimeTwister: 5 JP * This spell allows one character to perform the action that they would normally perform in the round twice. Characters with DSC or LifeSprinkler are good candidates for this spell. Overall a very useful move if used wisely. Don't try to glitch out your Saga Frontier program by Time Twistering yourself, those guys over at Square thought of everything. You will not create an endless loop that way. --OverDrive: 10 JP *(depletes all JP, WP at the end of the spell) This powerful spell causes the caster to enter another dimension with a big clock on the floor. This spell automatically comes out before any enemy can move. In this dimension, the caster can perform any action(except another OverDrive) 5-8 times depending on the number of JP used. These actions cost 0 JP or WP. You can use Tower or DSC 5-8 times in a row-say goodbye to any boss. Also, if you cast a Shadow Servant first, each move in OverDrive is doubled! Better yet, if the last move of the OverDrive is the Rune spell StasisRune, then you can avoid losing all your JP/WP and also perform an interesting cheat which allows you to move 5-8 times for the rest of the battle! Just OverDrive again and repeat. Note that after subtracting the 10 JP for OverDrive, then you must have enough JP/WP left to perform the actions in OverDrive. It does not cost any points, but the points must be there. Space Magic Buy at: Kylin's Paradise Get gift at: Kill Kylin(Only Blue/Rouge and Kylin can get this gift) Opposite: Time --VaporBlast: 1 JP This spell attacks one enemy for 300-800 points of damage. One of the best attacking spells that cost no JP if you have a crown. --Vanish: 3 JP This spell attempts to instantly kill the target creature by making them vanish from existence. Useful against big strong monsters that are vulnerable to instant death. --ReverseGravity: 6 JP This spell attacks all enemies by reversing gravity and dumping them on their head. It does high damage and may also stun them. A high power mass attack spell that is fairly cheap to cast. --LightShift: 1 JP This spell causes the sun to shine on the battlefield. What the hell does that do, you ask? Well, nothing usually. However, when fighting undead that have DeathSynthesis(the ability to regenerate their HP), this spell causes their DeathSynthesis to stop working. Very helpful against some undead bosses who get back 1000 HP every round. Put a stop to that and the battle is much quicker. Also, any monster that has Photosynthesis will begin to regenerate HP while the sun is out. This could be helpful to your monster. This spell actually has its specific uses, but is not generally very good. --DarkShift: 1 JP * This spell is the opposite of LightShift. It causes the sun to go away. DeathSynthesis will begin working, and PhotoSynthesis will stop working. Since there are fewer big plant enemies than there are big undead enemies, this is less useful than LightShift, but if your monster has Deathsynthesis then it will allow it to take advantage of that ability. --Vortex: 3 JP * This spell opens a large vortex into which all status conditions, both positive and negative and from both friends and enemies, are drawn away. This spell can cure your entire party of status problems, but it will also remove from them positive spells like Reviva, Shield, and Vitality Rune. It will also remove the enemy's positive enhancements, but also any poison or paralysis you may have caused. A useful spell when fighting status affecting enemies. Note: Of these two, Space magic is preferable unless you are TimeLord or Blue/Rouge, in which case Time magic with OverDrive is the obvious choice. If one of these characters has Time, Shadow, and Rune magic they can Over- Drive, ShadowServant, and then Stasis Rune at the end and cause any boss to be destroyed without even an effort. If you cannot get the gift, however, the low level Space spells like ReverseGravity and Vanish are vastly superior to the Time spells, in my opinion. Life Magic Buy at: N/A(only Blue/Rouge can get it in Blue's chapter) Get gift at: N/A Opposite: N/A --Sacrifice: 2 JP This spell completely heals the entire party except the caster. The caster loses 1 LP from casting this spell. This is one of the only healing spells that can affect the whole party, and if kept in moderation it is very useful. Don't let Blue's LP get too low, or else you might abruptly end your game. --Reviva: 9 JP This spell works like the Reraise spell in FF Tactics. If a character under this spell is knocked unconscious, then this spell automatically revives them with full HP. The spell then ends. The character still loses LP. This spell is useful for many reasons, but can save your life against enemies with powerful mass kill attacks. It is great against Blue's final boss, as it keeps you from being killed instantly by some of his attacks. Mirage Magic Buy at: N/A(only the Mystic Rei can have this magic) Get gift at: N/A Opposite: N/A --Black Cat: 1 JP This spell causes a phantasmal panther to appear and attack 1 enemy. It does moderate damage and may cause the enemy to become a blue mess. Subsequent castings may make them a yellow or red mess. --NightMare: 2 JP This spell causes a ghostly horse to attack an enemy. It does a little more damage than Black Cat and may put the enemy to sleep. --Jackal: 4 JP This spell causes an illusory jackal to attack an enemy. It does about the same damage as the NightMare, but may poison the enemy. --Cockatrice: 6 JP This spell causes a little more damage than the Jackal, and may petrify the enemy. --Reaper: 7 JP The ultimate illusion spell causes more damage than Cockatrice and may cause instant death to the enemy. Note: All the spells of Mirage magic are available through the Mystic spell PhantasmShot. The advantage of Mirage magic is that you get to choose which phantasm you summon, but the disadvantage is the higher JP cost to summon the more powerful monsters. Combos One of the new features of SF is the combo system, which allows you to link several attacks together to increase the damage inflicted by the attacks. Attacks that are in combos are about twice as powerful as they would be seperately. At first, the combo system seems random, and to a certain extent it is, but there are ways to rig it in your favor. Combos happen when two characters who move one right after another perform attacks which can link together. Usually, these characters will link togther and perform a level 2 combo. If another character which moves directly before or after this performs an attack that can link with the first or second attack in the link(respectively) then he will and you get a level 3 combo. So on and so forth up to level 5, where all your characters link together. Not all attacks link with all other attacks, and certain ones link better than others. Only techs, magic, cannons, and monster skills may link, not regular attacks. When you find 2 attacks that link, then try to find something that goes before the first or after the second and then try to do a level 3. Eventually, a level 5 combo can be built this way. These are difficult, as if the enemy moves in the middle of your characters then the combo will be split in half(since the comboing characters must move in direct succession). Also, if your characters move in the wrong order then the combo will be foiled. The game seems to cheat for you with small combos and make your characters move in the right order, but this does not happen with large combos. Some pointers if you are having trouble linking: 1. Make a note of what attacks link together well. I have a list of attacks that I have noticed link, but this is not and will never be complete due to the high number of combinations possible. Make a personal note of what links and add it to useful ones from this list. 2. If a human character has a lightbulb and learns something, it breaks the combo. Make sure that you know enough techs so that learning is rare. 3. Attacks that link with themselves are your best friend. If all your characters perform the same attack that links with itself, then it does not matter what order they attack in and they will almost always link. They can only be broken by the enemy moving in between them. This is the easiest way to build level 4 and 5 combos. Good examples are CrossShot, DarkSphere, Fist, GiantSwing, and HardSlash. Have your whole party do the same attack and watch the damage rack up. 4. Target the same enemy with all your attacks. Combos will not work on multiple enemies(except in the case of mass attacks that link). 5. Take into account each character's QUI attribute. Try to have the combo occur in descending order of QUIckness, as that is the most likely order that the characters will attack. This is not 100% accurate, but it insures that the combo will occur as often as possible. Let's take an example. I'm fighting some boss and I want to do as much damage as possible. I don't have DSC, so the next best source of damage is linking. I notice that RosarioImpale - Triple Thrust occurs pretty often. Also, I know that RisingNova can link before Rosario Impale. If I do these three attacks on the same enemy, then I have a good chance of linking. I do this, but notice that Lute, who is doing the Rosario Impale, keeps moving after Fuse with Triple Thrust and the combo is failing. Since Lute is slower than Fuse, I have him do the 3rd attack in the link and have Fuse do the 2nd. Mei Ling is doing the Rising Nova, and she is the fastest, so that works fine and they link together(provided the enemy does not attack in between and ruin the link) about 75% of the time. Wow, there's 10,000+ damage right there. Well, I want to make it bigger so I look for something to put after the Triple Thrust. I remember that Asura combos after Triple Thrust so I get my slowest character, White Rose(she accidentally absorbed 2 Rockys and a Pickbird so she has 8 QUI) to use that Asura that I stuck on her way back in Facinaturu. Hmmm, that's 4, how can I make it 5? I don't know of anything that goes after Asura right off hand, so I look to see if anything links before RisingNova, the first move in the combo. I notice that Asellus, the quickest character on the team, has the Sunray spell that links before RisingNova. I do this, and I have set up a level 5 link that can do up to 20,000 points of damage! By having the attacks go off in order from the fastest to slowest party member, I increase the chance that the link will not be foiled by the characters moving out of order. If they do, or the enemy moves in the middle and splits it, I will still almost always get 1 or 2 level 2 links, and maybe a level 3 or 4. The damage on my attacks is increased dramatically this way, and the poor boss goes the way of all flesh due to the Sunray - RisingNova - RosarioImpale - Triple Thrust - Asura level 5 combo. I know this sounds unnecessarily complicated, but understanding this system is important in order to be able to use your attacks to their utmost. Following is a list of links that I have made note of through my gameplay. Note that this is far, far, far from all of them and contribution to this section is extremely appreciated(as is contribution to any other section). Only 2 part links are listed, as bigger ones are built by combining these. Combo List AcidBreath - Beak Air Throw - Kick Sliding Silf Trample MightyCyclone Missile Fist Saber HyperBlaster PluralSlash BeamSword RollingCradle BabelCrumble Suplex CrossSlash Triple Thrust Smash Thrust GiantSwing ShadowCounter Al-Phoenix - HyperBlaster TurbidCurrent ArcticBreath - HeatSmash Asura - Kusanagi Backfist - Fist Scuffle CrushBeat BattleSong - Needles HeadWind DoubleSlash Beak - Beak BeamSword - Graviton BearCrush - Still Stream Beetlejuice - ArcticBreath Blade - Fist BlasterSword - ThunderThrust Blizzard - MightyCyclone BearCrush ShadowCounter TurbidCurrent Thrust WheelSlash WillowBranch DeadEnd Kick NoMoment SwallowSwing Tornado AirThrow Bloodsucker - Scissors PainPowder WaterCannon PoisonGun BoltBlast - Silf BoltBreath - Blade Scream BoltThrower - EnergyChain MightyCyclone LifeSprinkler BoundShot - GroundHit BoundShot Missile ShadowCounter PluralSlash ArcticBreath SharpShot DarkSphere FocusShot GliderSpike BrightFist - Kusanagi CharmGaze - Smash Chop - MightyCyclone Fist Sliding Claw - WaterCannon Coils - Rock Corkscrew - Sky Twister CosmicRave - PluralSlash CrossShot - CrossShot PluralSlash GriffithScratch CrushBeat - Scuffle DarkSphere - DarkSphere Saber EnergyChain LifeWave GroundHit PluralSlash SunRay TrickShot FocusShot BoundShot DeadlyMoss - Missile DirtyFang - Asura DoubleAxe - WaterCannon Ectoplasnet - EnergyChain EnergyChain - EnergyChain LifeWave DarkSphere Implosion RavaShot FireBreath PoisonGas GliderSpike Silf TitasWave MightyCyclone GasFlame FireBreath - PhantasmShot Implosion Fist - Fist MightyCyclone SunRay FireBreath BoundShot AirThrow CentipedeCrush NoMoment FlameBlast - Wing TitasWave FlashFire - WheelSlash SwallowSwing Thrust PhantasmShot Saber DarkSphere Scream EnergyChain VaporBlast LifeWave GaleSlash - Still Stream (GaleSlash, 2GaleSlash, and GaleAttack are NoMoment interchangeable) MightyCyclone DoubleSlash Asura SwallowSwing Heaven/Hell BoundShot HyperBlaster Kick TurbidCurrent AirThrow Triple Thrust ShadowCounter GroundHit Smash CrossSlash DeadEnd GremlinTouch GasFlame - Saber Thrust WheelSlash GhostCannon - PhantasmShot GiantSwing - GiantSwing BabelCrumble Fist Suplex LifeSprinkler GliderSpike - FocusShot Asura ThunderThrust Gold - GasFlame MightyCyclone Beetlejuice ArcticBreath DarkSphere HideBehind LifeWave SunRay GrainCannon - HyperBlaster SonicBlaster Grasp - EnergyChain Graviton - Graviton GremlinTouch - Beak GroundHit - TitasWave EnergyChain Implosion LifeWave CrushBeat Fist HyperBlaster Kusanagi BearCrush CrossShot HardSlash - Dash HardSlash DoubleSlash CrossSlash Dead End Heaven/Hell SwallowSwing WaterCannon TripleThrust EnergyChain Haze-to-Wheel - TitasWave Rock ThunderThrust GroundHit TurbidCurrent CrossSlash StunSlash PluralSlash BoltThrower DoubleSlash HeadWind - ShadowCounter Claw Smash HeatSmash - QuickSand Asura EnergyChain HeatWave - StunSlash VaporBlast EnergyChain Implosion Heaven/Hell WheelSlash Missile HyperBlaster PhantasmShot HellWing - GroundHit Tower HE-Rocket - AirThrow RollingCradle HideBehind - HideBehind SunRay LifeWave DarkSphere SharpShot FocusShot MightyCyclone HP Drain - DoubleSlash HyperBlaster - Kusanagi DarkSphere Fist HyperionBazooka MightyCyclone FireKiss Al-Phoenix HyperionBazooka - HyperBlaster AirThrow Al-Phoenix IceSmash - Thunderbolt IllStorm - EnergyChain Implosion Implosion - Saber Supersonic LifeWave KAMIKAZE-Crush - SunRay Kick - Backfist HardSlash Kusanagi - RavaShot HyperionBazooka TigerRampage Laser - Kusanagi CrossSlash MachineVulcan HyperBlaster PluralSlash LifeSprinkler - Rising Nova CrossSlash TitasWave PluralSlash HyperBlaster LifeWave - GroundHit EnergyChain GhostCannon GasFlame FireBreath Implosion HandBlaster HyperBlaster LifeWave Beetlejuice ElfShot ThunderThrust BearCrush DoubleSlash MachineVulcan - HyperionBazooka Maelstrom - EnergyChain RavaShot GroundHit MightyCyclone MagicStone - FangCrush Asura RavaShot ArcticBreath CrossShot ThunderThrust PluralSlash MagneticStorm - HellWing Heaven/Hell TitasWave Kusanagi RailCannon HyperBlaster KAMIKAZE-Crush SunRay PluralSlash DarkSphere AirThrow WheelSlash ShadowCounter Triple Thrust MightyCyclone MecSonata - Air Throw PluralSlash HyperBlaster HyperionBazooka MegaWindblast - PhantasmShot Implosion GroundHit AirThrow GiantSwing LifeSprinkler MicroMissile - HyperBlaster MightyCyclone - MightyCyclone CrossShot MillionDollers - Horn GhostCannon HeatSmash RavaShot BoltThrower ShadowCounter HyperBlaster Missile - MightyCyclone AirThrow LastShot MoonlightCut - WillowBranch CrossSlash Tres Flores TurbidCurrent PhantasmShot MysteryTap - Thrust Needles - RavaShot EnergyChain GroundHit AcidBreath FireBreath NoMoment - Silf BearCrush Asura Kick OgreRun - Rotation Kick Backfist Oscillation - EnergyChain DarkSphere StoneGas Bloodsucker PainPowder - AcidBreath Phantasm Shot - Sliding (PhantasmShot/Mirage magic are interchangeable) SwallowSwing DoubleSlash Asura HeadWind DarkSphere BladeNet RavaShot SunRay FireBreath GroundHit PoisonGas Ectoplasnet Silf GasFlame LifeSprinkler Air Throw GiantSwing Tower LifeWave MightyCyclone PluralSlash ThunderThrust BearCrush GliderSpike RollingCradle Tornado CrossShot PluralSlash - BearCrush RisingNova PluralSlash GiantSwing AirThrow HyperBlaster GroundHit Sky Twister Fist HyperionBazooka SuperMissile Graviton MightyCyclone LifeSprinkler LastShot Sliding TurbidCurrent Laser Tower Pop-Knight - HyperBlaster Kusanagi PowerGrab - MightyCyclone RailCannon - HyperBlaster MachineVulcan BeamSword RavaShot - PhantasmShot HeatSmash Asura HandBlaster Supersonic Implosion RaySword - TigerRampage Kusanagi Re-Al-Phoenix - PluralSlash TigerRampage Laser ReverseGravity - Saber RavaShot EnergyChain Implosion GhostCannon Needles GliderSpike TitasWave LifeSprinkler GriffithScratch PluralSlash Silf MightyCyclone Rising Nova - Rosario Impale Triple Thrust LifeSprinkler MightyCyclone DeadEnd Rock - HardSlash RollingCradle - AirThrow RosarioImpale - Triple Thrust Rising Nova GroundHit BearCrush TurbidCurrent SkyTwister Rotation Kick - AirThrow CrushBeat Backfist Saber - Fist Phantasm Shot DarkSphere Implosion EnergyChain LifeWave FireBreath HyperBlaster SacredSong - RavaShot HyperBlaster DoubleSlash Scream - EnergyChain TitasWave HyperBlaster ShadowNet - EnergyChain Kusanagi HyperBlaster ShadowCounter - CrossSlash ShadowCounter Sharp Pain - PhantasmShot LifeWave LifeSprinkler ShockSoldier - PluralSlash HyperBlaster Silf Silf - Implosion PhantasmShot EnergyChain AirThrow BoltThrower HyperBlaster GroundHit Sky Twister - GoldHand Sliding PluralSlash PowerBeat Sliding - Sliding GiantSwing Backfist Kick GhostCannon Scuffle Smash - Fist Sliding SonicBlaster - Blade Spellbound - HyperBlaster EnergyChain Spoil - Claw Spore - ArcticBreath Stampede - Kick StoneGas - FireBreath StoneGas StunGaze - Bloodsucker StunSlash - Heaven/Hell HardSlash Still Stream DoubleSlash CrossSlash Smash SunRay - Rising Nova Triple Thrust Rosario Impale AirThrow Fist PhantasmShot RavaShot HyperBlaster Kusanagi Saber Thunderbolt ArcticBreath VaporBlast MightyCyclone Ink Beetlejuice LifeWave DarkSphere BoundShot TrickShot SuperMissile - HyperBlaster PluralSlash Supersonic - EnergyChain Implosion LifeWave Suplex - BabelCrumble GiantSwing RollingCradle SwallowSwing - Horn SwallowSwing Asura Heaven/Hell BoundShot Spoil StunSlash ThunderThrust LifeWave Tornado DoubleSlash Tackle - Tackle Thrust - CrossSlash DoubleSlash ShadowCounter MightyCyclone ThunderThrust Kick Tornado ThunderBall - GroundHit Thunderbolt - AirThrow SunRay Thunder Thrust - SwallowSwing Still Stream StunSlash TurbidCurrent DoubleSlash Thrust ThunderThrust TriangleKick TigerRampage - Kusanagi Al-Phoenix Tornado - Thrust SwallowSwing HyperBlaster Tower - PhantasmShot PluralSlash HyperBlaster Trample - Air Throw Kick Tremor - EnergyChain Triangle Kick - Beak AirThrow Triple Thrust - BearCrush Rising Nova Asura GasFlame ShadowCounter HardSlash TurbidCurrent - Smash BearCrush WheelSlash Thrust ShadowCounter HyperionBazooka Al-Phoenix Asura PluralSlash Laser Kick VaporBlast - EnergyChain HP Drain Beak ArcticBreath SunRay BoundShot PluralSlash VermilionSand - PhantasmShot GasFlame Saber WaterCannon - SwallowSwing WheelSlash - FireBreath Heaven/Hell SwallowSwing HeadWind Asura BearCrush DeadEnd NoMoment Smash Asassinate Horn TurbidCurrent GroundHit ShadowCounter StunSlash TripleThrust LifeSprinkler MightyCyclone CrossSlash HyperBlaster WillowBranch - Heaven/Hell HeadWind Rosario Impale SunRay Triple Thrust WheelSlash DeadEnd Asura BearCrush Silf DoubleSlash PluralSlash Thrust StunSlash MightyCyclone Thunder Thrust LifeSprinkler ShadowCounter TurbidCurrent AirThrow Sliding BabelCrumble WindBlast - GhostCannon BoltThrower Missile Kusanagi BoltBreath Wing - Horn Suplex Laser Dash FangCrush Weapons There are many weapons in the world of SF. They are classified by type in this list. The types of weapons are: Swords: cannot use katana techs Katanas: can use katana techs Guns: can use gun techs Cannons: cannot use gun techs Shields: block incoming attacks(listed with weapons, since they are put on the hands) Outfitting your characters is a matter of personal opinion. I usually give humans 2 swords, one powerful one and one katana to learn the katana and double sword techs. I then put on a shield and a gun. Another approach is to equip 2 guns once you get the Twogun technique to add more power to your long range fighting. You may also want to drop the extra sword for a cannon or a backpack. For armor I usually prefer individual pieces to the suits because I like to have JetBoots at all times to defend myself from ground attacks. If you use the suits, then you have more room to equip protective accessories, however. On any of the swords that are powerful but have no regular attack, you can save WP and still get the powerful weapon by using free sword techs such as StunSlash or DoubleSlash. This costs the same as with any normal sword. This makes Asura and Kusanagi much more useful. Weapon List Non-technique swords Name AT power Other Asura 70 Asura(powerful sword tech) AsuraRevenge(counters with death attack) STR, QUI, INT, WIL, PSY, VIT, CHA+7 --Note: This weapon has no regular attack. You must use Asura. BroadSword 11 CeramicSword 22 DragonSword 72 FiendRod 13 FinalStrike(breaks weapon for big attack) Glirandly 42 FinalStrike(breaks weapon for big attack) STR, QUI, INT, WIL, PSY, VIT, CHA+10 --Note: This weapon can only be removed by using FinalStrike. Golden Lion 75 Iron Pipe ? --Note: Gen gets it for a moment in T260G's chapter. JackalSword 33 DirtyFang(rarely causes poison) Knife 7 Kusanagi 66 Kusanagi(powerful holy attack) --Note: This weapon has no regular attack. You must use Kusanagi. LaserKnife 15 LordStar 51 Braveheart(increases attack power) Murakumo 33 Obsidian 64 Osc-Sword 30 RuneSword 50 VictoryRune(just like the rune spell) Shadow Dagger 9 PSY+3, ShadowHold(paralyzes an enemy) SilverSpread 22 PSY+22 SplashSword 49 ElementDissolve(attempts to destroy an enemy) TwiggyRod 52 FinalStrike(breaks weapon for a big attack) TwinSword 20 ZeroSword 60 Technique swords(katanas) Name AT power Other Comet Blade 55 MillionDollers(attacks all enemies w/ meteors) Katana 34 Kukri Blade 10 Samurai Sword 19 SilverMoon 69 Twin Dragon 41 Guns Name AT power Ammo Other AGUNI-CP1 12 13 AGUNI-MBX 36 20 AGUNI-SSP 9 15 BehemothRifle 47 7 BrokenRifle 1 - --Note: Get it in arena w/ T260G DuelGun 55 1 EagleGun 28 6 EasyRifle 13 8 KillerRifle 25 5 Lethal Gun 60 5 Living Rifle 42 4 WIL+9 SniperRifle 31 6 TroopRifle 22 8 ZenGun 45 16 LightRifle 88 1 PSY+20 Cannons Name AT Power Ammo Other Beam Cannon 20 6 Hits all enemies on a line BigMissile 44 4 Never misses if it attacks enemy that was originally selected(at the start of the round). Bolt Thrower 33 3 Hits wedge shaped area DOBBY Bazooka 10 3 Attacks all enemies, low hit rate Flame Thrower 33 3 Hits wedge shaped area GhostCannon 5 12 Effective against undead, pushes target Grain Cannon 45 8 Hand Blaster 15 10 Hits all enemies on a line Paralyzer(paralyzes all enemies) BlasterSword(close range attack) HEAT Bazooka 55 2 Low hit rate H-G Cannon 60 5 HyperBlaster 50 7 Hits all enemies on a line HyperionBazooka 85 2 Hits large circular area Ion Cannon 27 10 Junk Bazooka 10 1 LaserCarbine 25 10 Hits all enemies on a line LightBazooka 20 4 Lightning Cannon 20 6 Hits all enemies on a line LightVulcan 15 60 Hits wedge shaped area MachineVulcan 30 40 Hits wedge shaped area MissilePod 12 8 Never misses if it attacks enemy that was originally selected(at the start of the round). Sonic Cannon 25 16 SuperMissile 70 3 Never misses if it attacks enemy that was originally selected(at the start of the round). Thunderbolt 25 4 Hits all enemies on a line WaterCannon 20 N/A Pushes target Shields Name Blocks Is immune to Other Buckler Weapon ShellShield Physical WonderBangle Bullets ExcelShield Physical Better than ShellShield GenbuShield Physical Water Mizukagami Physical Water, Heat Dragon Shield All Durahan Shield All STR, VIT+5, DeathGaze attack Armor Like weapons, armor is classified into several categories: Helmets: worn on the head Boots: worn on the feet Gloves: worn on the hands Armor: worn on the body Shirts: can be worn on the body underneath armor or suits Suits: worn on the body, cannot have any other armor besides a shirt Armor List Helmets(all helmets defend against blind, so it is not noted) Name DEF power Other Mirror Glass 8 MagiHat 6 Egg Hat 5 CHA+5 LaserScope 7 WIL+10 FiberHood 6 Yolk Hat 5 Junk Helm 4 InfraScope 6 Allows you to see lasers in Despair(Did you ever wonder why Emelia could see them and no one else could?) Boots DEF power Other Jet Boots 7 QUI+5, allows you to float SH-Anklet 10 Iron Clogs 8 VIT+10, Defend push IronClogShot(physical attack) FeatherBoots 7 RubberShoes 5 QUI+2 LeatherBoots 3 Catsocks 6 Defend stun Gloves DEF power Other CyberGlove 9 HarmoniumBangle 7 Defend sonic attacks Armor Glove 8 Shell Bracer 6 Leather Glove 4 SH-Armlet 10 NornsBangle 7 PSY+10, Defend sleep OgreGlove 5 STR+10 Armor DEF power Other Pluto Armor 35 Defend faint Warlord Armor 32 Mystic Mail 23 Comes w/ most mystics, can't be removed Golden Fleece 28 Defend sleep Master Robe 10 PSY+5 HarmoniumArmor 24 Defend sonic attacks Bone Breast 13 Protector 10 Beast Leather 6 AngelArmor 27 QUI+10, allows you to float CelestialLeather 24 Stardust Robe 16 WIL, CHA, PSY+5, Defend faint Dark Robe 8 PSY+5, Defend Blind ElectroArmor 25 ArmorVest 18 Defend bullets FiberVest 8 Glow Robe 18 INT, WIL+7, Defend Petrify HardLeather 12 Shade Robe 9 WIL+9, restores non-mech's HP Blue Elf 20 Defend water attacks Hyper Scale 30 Moonlight Robe 17 PSY, CHA+8, Defend sleep FireLeather 16 LivingArmor 26 Shirts DEF power Other Hyperwear 10 Defendwear 8 Budowear 7 Magicwear 4 WIL+5 Silkshirt 3 Cottonshirt 3 Powerbelt 1 STR+20, Defend sleep Mysticwear 8 Restores non-mecha's HP Suits(all suits defend blind, so it is not stated) Name DEF power Other PoweredSuit 50 STR+10, QUI+10 RubberSuit 22 CyberSuit 36 STR, QUI, INT, WIL, PSY, VIT, CHA+5 JumpSuit 25 CombatSuit 15 GolemSuit 25 SprigganSuit 55 Accessories These devices can be equipped on any race, even monsters, to increase their resistance to certain kinds of attack. They usually don't provide much defense, but are invaluable against certain enemies with specific attacks. Accessories List Name DEFpower Other Harmonium Earring 1 Defend sonic attacks Sea Stone 3 PSY, VIT+7, Defend water attacks Uses Maelstrom if wearer has all 3 mystic weapons SandVessel 2 QuickSand, Defend Petrify BloodChalice 1 PSY+5, Defend faint PurpleEye 4 PSY+7, PhantasmShot, Defend gaze WindShell 5 QUI, WIL+5 Junk 2 BrokenBumper 1 UnicornTear 1 PSY+1, Defend poison KrisKnife 3 PearlHeart 2 Defend water attacks FeatherCharm 1 CHA+5 BoltCrystal 1 Use up in battle for BoltBarrier IceCrystal 1 Use up in battle for IceBarrier FireCrystal 1 Use up in battle for FireBarrier SteelAmulet 1 VIT+5 FlowerAmulet 1 PSY, CHA+5 WingAmulet 1 QUI+5 FangAmulet 1 STR+5 Magatama 1 SacredSong(holy attack all enemies) SleetCoin 1 AngelBroach 5 Defend Psychout EMES Tag 5 Defend Petrify Bumper 3 Tao-Tieh Pattern 3 Defend Psychout ThunderCharm 1 CharmNecklace 1 CHA+10, Uses Kylin's song if wearer has all 3 mystic weapons MellowRing 1 Defend water, LifeRain(restores rest of party at cost of own LP) Uses Maelstrom if wearer has all 3 mystic weapons RING/Guardian 1 Raises party's DEF RING/Merchant 1 CHA+10, Charms all enemies RING/Thief 1 QUI+10, Hides party RING/Healer 1 VIT+10, Heals party RING/Hero 1 WIL+10, Heals/prevents abnormal status RING/Schemer 1 INT+10, Confuses all enemies(red mess) RING/Hermit 1 Nullifies enemy magic RING/Fighter 1 STR+10, Raises party's attack power RING/Lord 1 PSY+10, Restores all WP/JP Items Items are used for a variety of purposes from healing to attack. Note that unless you have the item "Backpack" equipped, you must equip the items before they can be used in combat. Items List Name Effect StunNeedle Paralyzes an enemy Magic Stone PSY+1, attacks all enemies Arcana Tarot Get 4 to complete Arcane quest Rune Stone Get 4 to complete Rune quest Magi-Water Restores a little JP X-Magi Drink Restores a lot of JP SnakeOil Fixes all status problems Cure Restores 200 HP Power Cure Restores 400 HP Max Cure Restores all HP Unlucky Coin Reduces enemy attack power Repair Kit Restores mecha HP Sanctuary Stone Restores entire party RottenMeat Paralyzes enemy Backpack Allows use of unequipped items Life Candy Restores 1 LP Small stone Get them in Devin Card Get them in Devin Flash Bomb Blinds all enemies Gold Ingot Give to Gnomes for Gold card Antistone Cures petrification Lucky Coin Increases party's attack power Sand Vessel Get in Facinaturu RegionMap Use to travel between regions VirgilKey Get in Virgil Palace Mecha equipment When equipped on mecha, equipment has various effects on your statistics. The specifics for each item is below. Swords Lordstar HP+200, STR-QUI-WIL+20 Silver Moon HP+200, STR-QUI+25 Obsidian HP+200, STR-QUI+25 Zero Sword HP+100, STR-QUI+20 Comet Blade HP+250, STR-QUI+25 Twiggy Rod HP+80, STR-QUI+16 Splash Sword HP+100, STR-PSY+20 Twin Dragon HP+90, STR-QUI+18 Katana HP+65, STR-QUI+13 Osc-sword HP+60, STR-WIL+15 Silver Spread STR-QUI-INT-WIL-PSY-VIT-CHA+5 Shadow Dagger HP+30, STR-QUI-PSY+6 Glirandly STR-QUI-INT-WIL-PSY-VIT-CHA+9 Murakumo HP+150, STR-QUI+15 Fiend Rod HP+30, STR-WIL-PSY+6 Kusanagi HP+250, STR-QUI+25 Twin Sword HP+80, STR-WIL+10 Ceramic Sword HP+70, STR+13 Samurai Sword HP+50, STR-QUI+10 Laser Knife HP+40, STR-QUI-WIL+10 Kukri Blade HP+25, STR-QUI+5 Broadsword HP+35, STR+7 Knife HP+20, STR-QUI-WIL+4 Asura HP+150, STR-PSY+30 Runesword HP+100, STR-PSY+20 Dragon Sword HP+250, STR+30 Jackal Sword HP+50, STR-PSY+16 Guns MissilePod HP+90, STR-WIL+15 DOBBY Bazooka HP+60, STR-WIL-VIT+8 HEAT Bazooka HP+200, WIL+30 LightBazooka HP+70, WIL+15 GhostCannon HP+100, WIL+20, PSY+10 IonCannon HP+100, QUI-WIL+15 BoltThrower HP+125, WIL-VIT+20 ThunderBolt HP+125, WIL-VIT+20 LightVulcan HP+70, QUI-WIL-VIT+8 WaterCannon HP+70, WIL-VIT+10 SonicCannon HP+150, QUI-WIL+20 LightningCannon HP+80, WIL-VIT+15 BeamCannon HP+80, WIL-VIT+15 HandBlaster HP+40, QUI-WIL+7 LethalGun HP+150, QUI-WIL-VIT+20 LivingRifle STR-QUI-INT-WIL-PSY-VIT-CHA+13 AGUNI-MBX HP+100, QUI-WIL-VIT+16 SniperRifle HP+75, QUI-WIL+13 EagleGun HP+75, QUI-WIL+13 TroopRifle HP+50, QUI-WIL+10 KillerRifle HP+50, QUI+10, WIL+25 AGUNI-CP1 HP+50, QUI-WIL+10 EasyRifle HP+25, QUI-WIL-VIT+5 AGUNI-SSP HP+25, QUI-WIL-VIT+5 JunkBazooka HP+20, STR-WIL+5 LaserCarbine HP+90, QUI-WIL+13 GrainCannon HP+150, QUI-VIT+10, WIL+20 BehemothRifle HP+200, QUI-WIL-VIT+10 BigMissile HP+150, STR-WIL+20 MachineVulcan HP+150, QUI-WIL-VIT+18 HyperBlaster HP+175, QUI-WIL+25 FlameThrower HP+125, WIL-VIT+20 DuelGun HP+50, QUI-WIL-VIT+20 HyperionBazooka HP+250, WIL+40 SuperMissile HP+225, STR-WIL+25 BrokenRifle HP+5, QUI-WIL+1 ZenGun HP+150, QUI-WIL-PSY+20 HG-Cannon HP+250, QUI-WIL+30 Armor ECM System DEF+10, ECM(deflects incoming missiles) MecBody DEF+10 MiniPlant DEF+10 Accelerator DEF+10, Accelerator(increases speed) FortBody DEF+20, Graviton(Cannon attack) GoldenFleece HP+50, PSY-CHA+10 MasterRobe HP+20, VIT+4 HarmoniumArmor HP+75, QUI-VIT+15 BoneBreast HP+25, VIT+5 Protector HP+25, VIT+5 PlutoArmor HP+150, PSY-VIT+20 AngelArmor HP+100, QUI-VIT+20 StardustRobe HP+20 DarkRobe HP+20 WarlordArmor HP+100, STR-VIT+20 ElectroArmor HP+75, QUI-WIL+15 ArmorVest HP+65, VIT+5 FiberVest HP+35, VIT+7 GlowRobe HP+20 HardLeather HP+50, VIT+5 ShadeRobe HP+20 BlueElf HP+100, INT-PSY+15 HyperScale HP+75, VIT+15 MoonlightRobe HP+20 FireLeather HP+40, VIT+8 LivingArmor HP+65, PSY-VIT+13 Helmets MagiHat HP+75, INT+15 EggHat HP+50, INT-WIL+10 MirrorGlass HP+75, INT-WIL+25 LaserScope HP+100, INT-WIL+20 FiberHood HP+75, INT-WIL+15 YolkHat HP+25, INT-WIL+1 JunkHelm HP+25, INT-WIL+5 InfraScope HP+100, WIL+20 Gloves HarmoniumArmor HP+100, STR+20 CyberGlove HP+100, STR+20 ArmorGlove HP+75, STR-VIT+15 ShellBracer HP+50, STR-VIT+10 LeatherGlove HP+10, STR+5 SH-Armlet HP+150, STR-VIT+20 NornsBangle HP+75, STR-PSY+15 OgreGlove HP+100, STR-VIT+20 Shields WonderBangle HP+100, QUI+20 DragonShield HP+75, STR-VIT+15 GenbuShield HP+75, STR-VIT+15 ExcelShield HP+100, STR-VIT+20 ShellShield HP+40, STR-VIT+8 Buckler HP+20, STR-VIT+4 Mizukagami HP+75, STR-VIT+15 Durahan Shield HP+100, STR-VIT+20 Suits GolemSuit HP+200, STR+30 RubberSuit HP+60, STR+12 PoweredSuit HP+100, STR-QUI+20 CyberSuit HP+90, STR-QUI+18 JumpSuit HP+75, STR-QUI+15 CombatSuit HP+50, STR-QUI+10 SprigganSuit HP+200, STR-QUI-INT+25, +2 ability slots Shirts HyperWear HP+5 DefendWear HP+5 BudoWear HP+5 MagicWear HP+5 SilkShirt HP+5 CottonShirt HP+5 PowerBelt HP+5 Boots SH-Anklet HP+150, QUI-VIT+20 Iron Clogs HP+100, VIT+20 FeatherBoots HP+75, QUI-PSY+15 JetBoots HP+75, QUI+15 RubberShoes HP+75, QUI+10 LeatherBoots HP+10, QUI+5 Catsocks HP+10, QUI+5 Accessories Junk HP+5 BrokenBumper HP+5, VIT+1 SandVessel HP+5 UnicornTear PSY+1 KrisKnife HP+25, PSY+5 PearlHeart HP+5 PurpleEye HP+50, PSY+20 SeaStone HP+5 FeatherCharm HP+5 WindShell HP+5 HarmoniumEarring HP+50, INT+10 BloodChalice HP+5 BoltCrystal HP+5 IceCrystal HP+5 FireCrystal HP+5 SteelAmulet HP+25, STR-QUI-VIT+5 FlowerAmulet HP+5 WingAmulet HP+5 FangAmulet HP+5 Magatama HP+5 SleetCoin HP+5 EMES Tag HP+50, VIT+10 Bumper HP+13, VIT+3 Tao-Tieh Pattern HP+50, PSY+10 ThunderCharm HP+5 RING/Guardian nothing RING/Merchant CHA+10 RING/Thief QUI+10 RING/Healer VIT+10 RING/Hero WIL+10 RING/Schemer INT+10 RING/Hermit nothing RING/Fighter STR+10 RING/Lord PSY+10 Items StunNeedle HP+5 Magic Stone HP+10, VIT+2 Snake Oil HP+5, CHA+1 PowerCure HP+5, CHA+1 MaxCure HP+5, CHA+1 UnluckyCoin HP+5 RepairKit HP+5, CHA+1 RottenMeat HP+5 Cure HP+5, CHA+1 Backpack HP+5, CHA+1 LifeCandy HP+5, CHA+1 FlashBomb HP+5 AntiStone HP+5, CHA+1 LuckyCoin HP+5 Boards LaserCannon ATT-50 Bit System ATT-20(bits attack at the end of each round) MachineVulcan ATT-10, AMMO-20 RepairPack Restores Mecha HP+status(6 uses per battle) RailCannon ATT-35, AMMO-16 AT Missile ATT-40, AMMO-10 MediPack Restores non-Mecha HP and status(6 uses per battle) MicroMissile ATT-10, AMMO-16, attacks all enemies Hammer ATT-45 BeamSword ATT-30 MegaBeamSword ATT-55 OctopusBoard STR-QUI-WIL+25, INT+30, +2 ability slots SecretBoard HP+100, QUI-WIL+20, INT+15, +1 ability slot MemoryBoard HP+100, QUI+20, INT+25, +2 ability slots JunkParts STR-QUI+3 NakajimaBoard HP+50, QUI+30, INT+10, +1 ability slot NakajimaBoard2 HP+100, QUI-INT-WIL+15, +1 ability slot V-System Uses V-MAX(allows powered-up stats and the use of the attacks Cosmic Rave and Starlight Shower. When the duration runs out, you lose a lot of strength.) The following equipment was gotten in a game where Mecha cannot join, or I have not been lucky enough to find in such a game. Any help on these is appreciated. Sword GoldenLion Accessory AngelBroach Accessory CharmNecklace Accessory MellowRing Shirt MysticWear Armor MysticMail Gun LightRifle Friends This is a list of all the companion characters that will join your party in SF. Not all characters will join you depending on your main character, this is mentioned in the description. Note that if you try to get more than 15 characters, the game will usually just let them join, but then they will disappear from the game! Careful about this. Even worse, if your party is full and you leave them for some part of the story, then gain new characters, when you return to your normal party, the new people will just randomly replace your old characters! It is best to plan ahead who you want in your party to avoid disasters like that(this happened to me near the end of Emelia's game, when Zozma, Asellus, and White Rose join. They replaced three good characters in my lineup with their sorry asses(well, except for Zozma, I like him). Characters List --Lute-Human Will join: anyone T260G-talk to him in the Scrap pub, then go to the hut on the right outside Caballero's factory and beat the enemy. He'll join. Everybody else-talk to him in the Scrap pub. --Red-Human Will join: noone He must be the main character. --Blue-Human Will join: noone He almost joins Red at the beginning, but doesn't. Must be the main character. --Emelia-Human Will join: anyone Go on the Arcane quest, then inquire about the Gold Card at Baccarat. She'll offer to join you as you descend into the Gnome Cave. --Asellus-Half-Mystic Will join: Emelia, Red Emelia-talk to her outside the room where you begin the Trinity building, then beat the enemy to get her. Red-talk to her on board the Cygnus during the pirate attack. She joins temporarily. --Riki-Monster Will join: Lute, Blue, Emelia, T260G Talk to him in the Scrap pub. He'll join. --T260G-Mech Will join: Lute, Blue, Riki Talk to him in the Scrap pub. He'll join. --Rouge-Human Will join: Lute, Red, Emelia, Asellus, Blue(sort of) Blue-lose the battle with him. Your main character will become Rouge. Everyone else-talk to him in the Luminous port. Answer yes when he asks if you want to study magic. If you say no, he goes to Devin where you can ask him again if you want. --Roufas-Human Will join: Lute, Red, Emelia, Blue Emelia-either use the same method as everyone else, or accept your first mission and he'll join after the tournament. Red-he'll join on the Cygnus during the pirate attack. after that, get him back the same way as everyone else. You can also get him by choosing him instead of Liza after returning to the restaraunt when you beat the BlackX boss in Koorong(but you can get Liza and then get Roufas the normal way and get them both). Everyone else-Go to the tomb of Mu after triggering the Rune quest. Talk to him in the far left hand room in the entrance and say yes to his question. --Annie-Human Will join: anyone Red-when attacking the BlackX base in Koorong, she'll join. You also can use the everyone else method. Emelia-you start with her. Talk to her outside the Gradius base to get her back permanently when she leaves. Everyone else-trigger the Rune quest, then go to Koorong after getting the other three runes and talk to her. She'll take you to Despair. --Doll-Human Will join: Red Talk to her in the port at Shingrow. --Fuse-Human Will join: anyone Red-He joins near the beginning temporarily. Afterward, get him the same way as everyone else. Everyone else-trigger the Arcane quest, then head to IRPO and get the Shield card. He joins permanently. --Gen-Human Will join: anyone T260G-finish the combat arena, then talk to him in the Junk bar. Riki-Talk to him in the Scrap pub. He'll join as you attempt to leave. Everyone else-Trigger the Arcane quest, then go talk to the skeleton that is standing in the southern part of Koorong. Afterwards, go to Scrap and talk to him. --Fei-on-Human Will join: Red, Emelia, Riki, T260G, Lute, Asellus Riki-enter Tanzer to get the ring from Nomad. He joins after beating Platyhooks if you answer "wait a sec" when about to descend into the tunnel, then talk to him. Otherwise, he joins after killing Tanzer. Everyone else-Trigger the Rune quest. Get one rune, then board a ship. Tanzer will eat you. Follow him to his hideout and then agree to help him. --Liza-Human Will join: Red, Emelia, Blue Red-return to the restaraunt after getting Annie in Koorong. Choose either Liza or Roufas. Emelia-you start with her. Get her back after she leaves by talking to her in the Gradius base. Blue-talk to her after you get Roufas. --Mei-Ling-Human Will join: Blue, Riki, Lute, Emelia, T260G Talk to her in the Scrap bar. --Capt. Hamilton-Human Will join: Lute Talk to her in the Owmi restaraunt. Then go to Nelson. Talk to her in her cabin. Whether you agree to go to Mondo base or not, she'll join. --TimeLord-Mystic Will join: Lute, Emelia, Asellus, Red Complete either the Rune or Arcane quests, then get the Light or Shadow magic gift. Go to Mosperiburg and let Virgil send you to TimeLord's region. Go to the hourglass until you get a text message, then go back and talk to Virgil again. Buy the Sand Vessel in Facinaturu, then go back to TimeLord's region and collect sand. Take the sand to the top of the hourglass. Go to the drawbridge and cross it and ask for his help. --Silence-Mystic Will join: Lute, Red, Emelia, Blue, Asellus Go to Omble for the Shadow gift. Talk to his shadow on the first screen. After you leave, talk to him in the upper right corner of the magic shop. --Measarthim-Mystic Will join: Asellus, Red, Emelia, Riki, Lute, Blue Asellus-she joins the first time you arrive at Owmi temporarily. After that, get her normally. You must wait until you have progressed a little in the story. Everyone else-Go to the Lord manor in Owmi with a mystic in your party, but without Silence. She'll offer to join in her pool or give you a SeaStone. --White Rose-Mystic Will join: Asellus, Emelia, Red Red-she joins temporarily on the Cygnus during the pirate attack if you go to her room. Emelia-talk to her with Asellus outside the first room in the Trinity building. Beat the enemy and you get her. Asellus-you get her at the beginning. She leaves after the Dark Labyrinth. --Zozma-Mystic Will join: Asellus, Emelia Asellus-he joins after the Dark Labyrinth Emelia-after getting Asellus and White Rose in Trinity, go to the next room to the right and talk to him. --Ildon-Mystic Will join: Asellus He shows up after you beat the Lion Princess the first time in the next random occurence. --Dr. Nusakan-Mystic Will join: Riki, Blue Riki-talk to the rich man in Yorkland, then go to his office in the Koorong backstreet. Blue-Accept the Rune quest, then talk to the guy in front of the chicken in Koorong. Go to Nusakan's office. --Rei-Mystic Will join: Asellus In Facinaturu, visit Rei's room both with and without White Rose in your party. Later, after the Dark Labyrinth, go to Devin and talk to her. Tell her that you know who she is. You may also have to speak to her before the labyrinth(when White Rose comes out and stares at her) but I'm not sure. Do it anyway, just to be safe. --Rabbit-Mech Will join: Red Go to the Garden in the center of Kyo and talk to him. --EngineerCar-Mech Will join: Blue, Red, Riki, T260G, Lute Talk to him in the back of Nakajima Robotics with a mech in your party. --ZEKE-Mech Will join: T260G Talk to him after getting the rat out of Sei's tomb. --BJ&K-Mech Will join: Red Talk to him on the Cygnus after the pirate attack. He's the robot medic. --Leonard-Mech Will join: T260G Talk to him in Trinity after completing the Ancient Ship. --PzkwV-Mech Will join: T260G Talk to the shopkeeper in the backstreets at Koorong with Leonard in your party. --Slime-Monster Will join: Blue, Red, Emelia, T260G, Asellus, Lute Get the Vitality Rune in Tanzer, he jumps in uninvited. --Cotton-Monster Will join: anyone Go upstairs in the Bio Research Lab in Shrike. Beat the enemies and he's yours. --Sei-Monster Will join: anyone Riki-enter his chamber in his tomb, then talk to him. Everyone else-enter his chamber in the tomb, then beat him. Choose to get him or his Kusanagi. --Thunder-Monster Will join: anyone Get Lute then talk to him in Yorkland. --Red Turnip-Monster Will join: Asellus Talk to him in the Dark Labyrinth, then leave. He'll join. --Kylin-Monster Will join: T260G, Asellus, Lute, Riki, Emelia, Red Talk to him in Kylin's paradise and ask for his help. --Suzaku-Monster Will join: anyone Go to Mosperiburg after the Shield Card. On the first screen, beat the fairy enemy then fight your way to the clearing with three boar enemies. Fight the snowman, then go back into the cave and enter the north cavern and get him. If the snowman is not there, then go back and fight the fairy again and return until it is. Enemies Here is probably the most incomplete list of them all-the list of the enemies you can encounter in SF. This includes what abilities a mystic can get on its mystic weapons from the enemy, approx. HP, and name. Any input is appreciated on this list, as I'm sure it is far from complete(especially the items dropped). If there are any striking things I remember I'll note it. A line ---------- indicates the monster can't be absorbed by mystics. Note that when a new mystic joins your party that already has absorbed monsters, the stats that the mystic gets will be different than shown here. I am unsure why the stats are incorrect, but if you absorb new monsters into the weapons then they are corrected. Note that the approximate HP estimate is just that, an estimate. I got it based upon how much damage the enemy took before dying. I try to be as accurate as possible, but these numbers are not exact. They are just meant to convey a rough idea of the power of the monster. A ???? in a spot means that I have not had a chance to try and absorb the monster for that weapon, or I have not fought that enemy w/ mystics in my party yet. If you have the information, then by all means contribute and you'll get full credit on this page. The list is almost complete, but I'm kind of tired of hunting down monsters so any help is appreciated deeply. The HP of these monsters does fluctuate according to your power level, so I tried to give the upper limit of their HP if possible. A roman numeral in parenthesis after a monster's name indicates that it is a boss you will fight more than once. Enemies List MYSTIC ABILITIES Name est. HP Sword Glove Boots Stats A-Tractor 150 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BrokenBumper Airfolk 2600 PsyNet PoisonousBlow Suffocation WIL-PSY+20 drops: Magic Stone, WonderBangle, SilverSpread Ankheg 1200 GriffithScratch Feeler MysteryTap STR-QUI+15 drops: BoneBreast, BloodChalice, SH-Anklet Aperider 500 Hypnotism Da-Dum Spiders ALL but CHA+10 drops: Yolk Hat, LuckyCoin Arachne(I) 40000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: HarmoniumArmor Arachne(II) 60000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: HarmoniumArmor Armorpilla 150 Lance Feeler BladeNet WIL-VIT+8 drops: ShellShield AutoBuffer 5000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Axebeak 800 Lance DeadlyPowder PowerKick STR-VIT+15 drops: FeatherCharm Banshee 650 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DarkRobe, FlowerAmulet Basilisk 2700 Bloodsucker Crystalizer TitasWave STR-WIL+25 drops: CelestialLeather BatKnight 50000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Battleaxe 80 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Buckler Battlefly 600 PsyNet DeadlyPowder Suffocation QUI-WIL+14 drops: Magic Stone Berva(I) 50000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Berva(II) 65000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SecretBoard Berva(III) 40000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SecretBoard BigDigger 46000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BigSlime 600 Hypnotism Spoil Assist PSY+15 drops: BirdMec 1000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: LightVulcan, GrainCannon Black Dragon 8000 GriffithScratch Crystalizer TitasWave STR-WIL-VIT+30 drops: Protector, DragonShield, BloodChalice BlackGarb 3500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DOBBY Bazooka BlackKnight 72500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BlackX 40000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PurpleEye, CyberSuit BlueFighter 500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RubberSuit BossX 150000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Butch 1500 Needle Spoil Thunderbolt STR-QUI-WIL+20 drops: UnluckyCoin Cactus 80 Needle Spoil PowerKick WIL+8 drops: CancerMec 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: LightBazooka, MachineVulcan, RepairKit Chariot 10000 Lance TigerRampage TitasWave STR-QUI-VIT+25 drops: Chimera 5400 HeatSmash PoisonousBlow Suffocation STR+40 drops: FangAmulet, CelestialLeather, BehemothRifle Cockatrice 1600 Lance Crystalizer Spiders STR-QUI+20 drops: WingAmulet, CelestialLeather CrimeLady 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: LaserScope CrystalTree 1850 Oscillation Crystalizer Spiders STR-WIL-PSY-VIT+22 drops: BoltCrystal, HarmoniumArmor, HarmoniumBangle Cyclops 8400 Psy-Net IceSmash TitasWave STR-VIT+20 drops: PurpleEye D-Tractor 200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Dancer 1000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Darkfairy 2000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SilverMoon DeadKnight 600 Blade Spoil Asassinate STR-QUI-VIT+13 drops: FiendRod, BoneBreast DeathLord 16000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DemonGoat 34000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: FiendRod, SH-Armlet DevilSquid 15000 GremlinEffect TigerRampage ThunderBolt ALL but CHA+8 drops: OgreGlove Diva 100000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DragonLord 70000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DragonPup 400 Lance HellWing ThunderBall QUI-WIL-VIT+9 drops: FangAmulet, CelestialLeather Dullahan 7500 GriffithScratch Crystallizer Assasinate STR-QUI-INT-PSY+20 drops: DurahanShield, PlutoArmor EarthDragon 80000 HeatSmash GrapeShot TitasWave STR-VIT+36 drops: ElectroSheep 1300 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: ThunderBolt, BeastLeather Ettin 9400 GriffithScratch Feeler Suffocation STR-INT+20 drops: FatDevil 1800 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: UnluckyCoin, Obsidian, TwiggyRod FireCrystal 500 HeatSmash Crystalizer Assist VIT+20 drops: FireCrystal FireSage 8000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: FireCrystal Fishman 900 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PearlHeart Flamefolk 3000 HeatSmash HellWing Assist STR-WIL-PSY+20 drops: FlyMec 100 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Junk FrillNeck 500 Flash SpreadBlaster PowerKick QUI+18 drops: PearlHeart, BlueElf Furdo 37500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: GaeaToad 1400 Bloodsucker WaterCannon Tremor VIT+30 drops: BehemothRifle, SnakeOil Gargantu 4000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Gargoyle 80 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: UnluckyCoin Gekko 70 GremlinEffect WaterCannon PowerKick STR+8 drops: SnakeOil Gelatin 2380 GremlinEffect Feeler Thunderbolt PSY-VIT+25 drops:BoltCrystal, ThunderCharm Genbu 2300 GriffithScratch ArcticBreath Thunderbolt INT-PSY-VIT+30 drops: SeaStone, GenbuShield GenocideHeart 135000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Ghost 90 Bloodsucker Spoil Asassinate INT-PSY+8 drops: BloodChalice GhostRider 320 Oscillation Spoil Tremor WIL-PSY-VIT+13 drops: SteelAmulet, DarkRobe, BloodChalice Giant 12000 Blade IceSmash TitasWave QUI-STR-PSY+30 drops: PowerBelt, GenbuShield, Obsidian Note: This enemy appears as a boss for several characters. The boss versions are much more powerful, with 52500 HP. Goblin 4000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Buckler Golem 6500 Oscillation ???? ???? VIT+40 drops: Grappler 2500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MaxCure, HyperWear GreenFighter 950 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: GreenSage 20000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Gremlin 600 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SilverSpread, SteelAmulet, Junk, UnluckyCoin Griffin 42500 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????? drops: CelestialLeather GriffinJr. 6500 GriffithScratch HellWing TitasWave STR-QUI+30 drops: CelestialLeather Gunbird 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: KillerRifle, AGUNI-MBX Guncart 200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BrokenRifle Gunfish 180 Lance WaterCannon Assist WIL+12 drops: PearlHeart Harpy 800 Blade Spoil BladeNet QUI-INT-PSY+11 drops: WingAmulet, ShellShield Hedgehog 350 Needle Spoil Sweep STR-WIL+8 drops: StunNeedle Hellhound 800 FireBreath Psychout PowerKick STR-VIT-QUI+12 drops: FireCrystal, FireLeather Hell's Lord 125000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Hermes 3000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: HEAT Bazooka, MachineVulcan, BigMissile HugeSlime 2200 Hypnotism Spoil Assist PSY+20 drops: HunterKnight 32000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: IceCrystal 500 Oscillation Crystalizer Assist VIT+20 drops: IceCrystal IceWorm 2200 Blade IceSmash Assist STR-QUI-VIT+22 drops: ShellShield, HyperScale, GolemSuit Ironhopper 300 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Jotnar 51000 GremlinEffect IceSmash TitasWave INT-WIL-PSY+20 drops: IceCrystal K9 Mec 800 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: WaterCannon, ExcelShield, LaserCarbine KillerBee 250 Needle HellWing Assist STR-QUI+10 drops: StunNeedle, WingAmulet KittyClawer 550 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BeastLeather KittyKicker 550 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Kraken 12000 Oscillation TigerRampage ThunderBolt STR-VIT+30 drops: SeaStone, MaxCure Note: This enemy is extremely vulnerable to status problems, instant death, and petrification. Kylin 55000 GriffithScratch TigerRampage Assist All but CHA+25 drops: AngelArmor, HarmoniumArmor Ladyblade 1600 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Osc-sword, Obsidian Ladyhawk 1800 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Lamia 5000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PearlHeart, MoonlightRobe Lich 2400 PsyNet DeadlyPowder Suffocation INT+42 drops: BloodChalice LionPrincess 29000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Liquid Metal 850 HeatSmash IceSmash ThunderBall STR-VIT+18 drops: Steel Amulet, SH-Anklet LivingArmor 600 MagicHeal SpreadBlaster Suffocation VIT+18 drops: LivingArmor LivingAxe 100 Blade Spoil Sweep STR-VIT+6 drops: LivingGlove 285 HeatSmash IceSmash Spiders STR+15 drops: ArmorGlove LivingLance 150 Lance Feeler Sweep STR-QUI-VIT+8 drops: LivingMirror 1600 Flash SpreadBlaster ThunderBall INT-PSY+20 drops: LivingMusket 1600 GremlinEffect GrapeShot Asassinate WIL+25 drops: LivingRifle LivingSword 1000 Blade Spoil Asassinate STR-INT+20 drops: Glirandly Note: three living weapon enemies(musket, sword, armor) have a special attack called "posession". If you are hit by it and you have an open weapon slot, then a weapon will appear there. If a mystic is posessed and has no empty slot, then the monster will jump onto his/her mystic weapons at random. The stats that are given to the mystic will be different than the ones shown here. Lummox 50 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Lunatic 11000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Mandrake 200 Hypnotism PoisonousBlow Assist INT-WIL-PSY+10 drops: Cure Manticore 1300 Needle PoisonousBlow Suffocation WIL-STR+16 drops: CelestialLeather, StunNeedle MaskBuffer 7500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MaskedGiant 6000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MasterRing 50000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Note: MasterRing has 9 companions to represent each ring spirit. They resemble normal enemies, but their HP are: Gremlin: 5000 UnicornJr: 7000 Mariche: 8000 Lich: 5750 Chimera: 10000 Tidi: 7000 LivingArmor: 10000 Titania: 5500 GhostRider: 6000 MBlack 30000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: WarlordArmor MBlackII 50000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MBlackIII 120000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MecDOBBY 150 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: FlashBomb MecDOBBY100 1700 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: DOBBY Bazooka, RepairKit, BoltThrower, HG-Cannon MecGod 60000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Mellow 700 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SplashSword Mimic 16300 FireBreath Psychout Asassinate QUI-WIL+25 drops: PowerCure, SilverMoon Note: The HP given is for a Mimic that is alone. If it appears with other enemies or in a group, then the HP is half that amount. MiniDragon 300 FireBreath HellWing ThunderBall QUI-WIL-VIT+9 drops: FireLeather Minotaur 40000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MaxCure Mollasite 7000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RottenMeat Mystic 1500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: CombatSuit, RuneSword, StardustRobe Nidheg 40000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Note: The HP given is for all characters except Emelia. If you are Emelia, then the smaller Nidheg only takes 3000 HP before it runs away. NightShade 500 PsyNet GrapeShot Asassinate PSY+20 drops: LifeCandy NomadFighter 300 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RubberSuit Ogre 600 HeatSmash PoisonousBlow TitasWave STR-VIT+15 drops: OgreLord 1200 HeatSmash PoisonousBlow TitasWave STR-VIT+25 drops: Iron Clogs Orlouge 75000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Pickbird 100 Lance HellWing Assist QUI+9 drops: WingAmulet PinkFighter 1000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Platoonpus 300 Lance Psychout MysteryTap STR-WIL-VIT+10 drops: EggHat PlatyHooks 4800 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PlatyKing 1000 Lance Da-Dum PowerKick ALL but CHA+15 drops: PrimaBronza 2500 HeatSmash IceSmash PowerKick ALL but CHA+10 drops: EMES Tag, SteelAmulet PrimaMaska 3000 HeatSmash IceSmash PowerKick ALL but CHA+10 drops: SteelAmulet QuakeWorm 16000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: HyperScale R & R 5500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RepairKit, HyperScale, SuperMissile Rabbat 120 BloodSucker Spoil Assist ALL but CHA+5 drops: LifeCandy Razorback 300 Lance PoisonousBlow PowerKick STR-QUI-VIT+9 drops: BeastLeather Red Dragon 4000 FireBreath HellWing TitasWave STR-WIL-VIT+25 drops: RedFighter 2000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RockBaboon 800 Hypnotism IceSmash MysteryTap STR-VIT+10 drops: SnakeOil, BeastLeather RockScout 1800 HeatSmash Crystalizer TitasWave STR-VIT+30 drops: Rocky 90 Hypnotism Da-Dum Sweep STR+8 drops: Scorpion 450 Blade PoisonousBlow Spiders STR-WIL-VIT+11 drops: StunNeedle, ShellShield Shadow 900 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PowerCure, MaxCure Shaman 2400 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MagicStone Shellworm 80 Blade WaterCannon Sweep STR-PSY-VIT+5 drops: Shrieker 1500 Oscillation Da-Dum Tremor QUI-WIL+25 drops: FlowerAmulet Shuzer(I) 16500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Shuzer(II) 12500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: KillerRifle Shuzer(III) 60000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: KillerRifle SickleBug 2500 Oscillation HellWing TitasWave STR-QUI-WIL+20 drops: Twin Dragon Sir Demon 400 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Siren 3100 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: FireCrystal, GlowRobe, HarmoniumBangle Skeleton 60 Blade Spoil Sweep STR-PSY+6 drops: Skullasaurus 3100 Bloodsucker PoisonousBlow ThunderBall STR-QUI-VIT+20 drops: BoneBreast Skulldrake 25000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: FireCrystal, BoneBreast Skylab 4200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: BoltThrower, GrainCannon Slime 140 Hypnotism Spoil Assist PSY+12 drops: LuckyCoin, UnluckyCoin Slugger 2000 Bloodsucker PoisonousBlow QuickSand STR-VIT+18 drops: RubberSuit, RubberShoes Snakeman 500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Snowfolk 3800 PsyNet IceSmash MysteryTap INT-PSY-VIT+30 drops: IceCrystal, SleetCoin Soldier 300 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: SonicBat 725 Oscillation HellWing BladeNet WIL-QUI+15 drops: BeastLeather, WingAmulet, BloodChalice, PurpleEye SpearValkyrie 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: IceCrystal, HarmoniumBangle, AngelArmor Sphinx 1700 MagicHeal HellWing MysteryTap INT+40 drops: CelestialLeather, WingAmulet Sporepile 120 MagicHeal DeadlyPowder MysteryTap INT-WIL-PSY+8 drops: Spriggan 160000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Sprite 50 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: MagicStone Straysheep 800 MagicHeal Psychout Spiders QUI-CHA+20 drops: Succubus 2000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: StardustRobe Sunflower 1200 MagicHeal GrapeShot Assist WIL+28 drops: GlowRobe, MaxCure Suzaku 6000 FireBreath HellWing TitasWave ALL but CHA+20 drops: FireLeather Note: When this enemy appears as the boss in Mosperiburg(for the Shield Card) it has 30000 HP. SwordMec 150 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Repairkit, AGUNI-CP1 Swordsman 130 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Cure SwordValkyrie 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Runesword Tanzer 145000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: RING/Thief Thundragon 6000 GriffithScratch HellWing Thunderbolt STR-QUI-VIT+20 drops: BoltCrystal, DragonSword TimeLord 80000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Titania 1200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: TrapVine 300 Bloodsucker Feeler Sweep STR-QUI+12 drops: FlowerAmulet Treant 750 MagicHeal Feeler BladeNet INT-PSY+18 drops: ShadeRobe Trisaur 3500 Lance PoisonousBlow Tremor STR-VIT+20 drops: BeastLeather, FangAmulet Trisaur Jr. 8500 Lance PoisonousBlow Tremor STR-VIT+20 drops: T-Walker 1500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Undine 300 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: PearlHeart Unicorn 3200 MagicHeal SpreadBlaster PowerKick QUI-INT-WIL-CHA+18 drops: UnicornTear, MagiHat, GoldenFleece Unknown 750 Flash SpreadBlaster ThunderBall INT+20 drops: PurpleEye Virgil N/A ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Virus 1000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Vulcan 200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: VulcanII 400 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: WaspMec 500 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: LightVulcan Waterfolk 3250 MagicHeal WaterCannon ThunderBall STR-PSY-WIL+20 drops: WaterSage 14000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: GenbuShield WereRhino 2200 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: GolemSuit, SH-Armlet, BudoWear WhipJelly 200 MagicHeal Feeler Sweep QUI+15 drops: PowerCure, MagicStone Wonderdog 60 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: CottonShirt Wormbrood 800 MagicHeal DeadlyPowder Assist WIL-VIT+14 drops: ShellShield, Protector, HarmoniumBangle Wyvern 1050 Lance HellWing Assasinate STR-QUI+17 drops: FeatherCharm, WindShell Xeno 68 BloodSucker WaterCannon Assist WIL-VIT+5 drops: FangAmulet YellowFighter 1000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: Yeti 585 Hypnotism Da-Dum MysteryTap STR-VIT+15 drops: BeastLeather, SnakeOil, OgreGlove ZeroWorm 3300 Blade Crystalizer QuickSand STR-QUI-VIT+25 drops: HyperScale Zombie 300 BloodSucker GrapeShot Suffocation STR-VIT+10 drops: AGUNI CP1 Zyphon 5000 ----------------------------------------------------- drops: WindShell, MaxCure Places in the World In each major area of SF there is a travel office where you can go to travel to another town(free of charge). Each town has a lot to offer(although some more than others), and a basic overview of the shops and items in each town is given here. Note that more detail will be used in the walkthroughs, these are just basic guidelines. Any optional areas that any character can reach are described here in detail. Character specific areas and areas that are involved in the Arcane or Rune quests are in those respective areas. Koorong This town is at the center of the world, and from here you can travel to anywhere else that is approachable by ship(except Nelson). You will find a few shops here to buy and sell goods, as well as valuable information. Buy Boots LeatherBoots 70 RubberShoes 130 JetBoots 250 FeatherBoots 210 Helmets JunkHelm 130 Yolk Hat 170 FiberHood 210 InfraScope 250 LaserScope 300 MirrorGlass 300 Army goods FiberVest 250 ArmorVest 860 CombatSuit 710 PoweredSuit 5200 DefendWear 250 HyperWear 350 ArmorGlove 250 CyberSuit 300 Guns AGUNI-SSP 140 EasyRifle 260 AGUNI-CP1 230 TroopRifle 640 EagleGun 980 SniperRifle 1180 AGUNI-MBX 1550 LethalGun 4020 Swords LaserKnife 330 SamuraiSword 490 CeramicSword 640 TwinSword 800 Osc-sword 1111 Katana 1390 RuneSword 2850 ZeroSword 4000 Items Cure 20 PowerCure 150 MaxCure 400 AntiStone 80 SnakeOil 80 Magi-Water 200 X Magi-Drink 1000 Sell Leather LeatherBoots 7 LeatherGlove 10 HardLeather 45 BeastLeather 100 FireLeather 400 CelestialLeather 800 DragonShield 3000 Also Koorong has the gold shop, an invaluable tool in powering up your characters by buying them the best equipment. You see, there is a way to use this gold shop in conjunction with the Nelson gold shop to make infinite money. Do the following: 1. Collect about 15000 credits(you have to earn these, unless you use the other infinite money trick in Scrap) 2. Go to Nelson and buy as many GoldIngots as you can from the guy in the bar. 3. Go back to Koorong. Go to the gold shop and sell gold. Press down on the controller to sell your gold until the value of gold drops to 0. Keep pressing down until you have run out all your gold, then press up to take your gold back. You see that the game does not count how many below 0 you went with your ingots. Keep pressing up until you are back at your original number of ingots, then press down until the price reaches 520 and sell. You should see a good credit profit from this. 4. If you need more, repeat the process. The more money you have the more you will make, but you cannot get more than about 50000 credits from this trick, since the gold price has an upper limit at 2040. Spend some money, then you can come back and refresh your supply up to 50000 as many times as you need. Don't spend your money below 15000 ever again once you get the trick working, or else it will be very difficult to get it going again without having to go out and earn more money. There are two exits from town. The southern one leads to Dr. Nusakan's office and to a small section of sewer w/ 200 credits. You end up here during training in Emelia's game. The northern one is much longer and leads to the Natural Cave w/ the Hide Rune, several pieces of treasure, and a secret shop. Walkthrough for this area will be done in the Rune Quest section. Shrike This is the most highly technologically advanced region except for Manhattan. The scientists here, led by Dr. Nakajima, are in constant competition with the Trinity scientists for the most cutting edge mecha technology. The area is rich with history, as well, containing the tombs of two great kings of the past. The town also has its bad side, with genetic research and bio- weapon manufacturing ocurring at the Bio Research Lab in the southeast. Street kids can be seen playing and information can be gained in the streets. There is a free inn here, as well as a bookstore for learning about the region's history. Nakajima Robotics sells and buys items from your characters. Buy RepairKit 30 ElectroArmor 1480 MissilePod 300 LightVulcan 450 LightningCannon 750 LaserCarbine 1110 IonCannon 1250 BoltThrower 1880 Sell Knife 10 BroadSword 20 KukriBlade 20 LaserKnife 30 SamuraiSword 50 CeramicSword 60 TwinSword 80 Osc-Sword 110 Mu's Tomb is here, containing the Victory Rune. This area will be dealt with in the Rune Quest section. The Bio Research Lab contains a character and a very powerful shield, as well as being the home to very powerful monsters. Once you have enough power to defeat them, these monsters are your best chance to learn new techs and find powerful items and abilities. Sei's Tomb in the north contains 3 items. If you want and are using a character other then Riki, then you can keep these items(a crappy sword, decent accessory, and an excellent shield) or trade them for a chance to fight King Sei. Sei's Tomb Treasures: Magatama, Mizukagami, Murakumo, Kusanagi Characters: Sei This area is part of a few character's storylines, but I advise everyone to visit here to get some good treasures. From the entrance, head downstairs past the slime enemy into the large altar room. Remember its location, since, like most large altar rooms, it is important. Pass through it for now. In the northeast corner of the next room you'll see a shield on the wall guarded by a couple of skeletons. Don't try to get it yet, you cannot until you get the sword and accessory. For the sword, go to the west side of this room near where you came in and step on the floor near the base of the stairs until you fall through a weak spot in the floor. You will land below on a path that leads to a sword. Defeat the skeletons and take the sword, "Murakumo". Next, exit this room by jumping down to the north and going upstairs until you reach the room you were just in w/ the shield. Take the southeast exit this time. You will reach a 3-way intersection, so head north. Near the northeast corner in the back of the room you will see a teardrop shaped stone on a pedestal. Take it(after beating the 2 skeletons), the "Magatama". Now return to the room w/ the shield. Now that you have the other 2 items, you can reach the shield. Beat the 2 skeletons and take it, the "Mizukagami". Now you have a decision to make. Normally, I just leave the dungeon now, since the Mizukagami is one of the best shields in the game(it protects you from heat and water, and has a high defense rate). If you have many mecha in your party then the Kusanagi may be attractive to you, since it increases a mech's power a good deal. The Kusanagi is not as valuable on a human or mystic character as the Mizukagami is, in my opinion, but your opinion may differ. Also, if you want Sei in your party, then you must give up the 3 items you found. Riki has no choice but to give up the items to meet Sei. If you want Sei or his Kusanagi, then go to the large altar room(west from the room w/ the shield) and place the three treasures on the 3 lit altars. Once all of them are placed, the rear door opens. Enter here and approach the coffin to meet Sei. He will join Riki without a fight. For others, you must fight him. BOSS-DeathLord Sei is a fairly powerful enemy if you are not powered up, so be cautious. He regenerates 795 HP each round with his Deathsynthesis, so if you have LightShift then use it. When Sei attacks he will have several DeadKnights that will guard him. Kill all but one of them then attack Sei full force. If you kill all the DeadKnights then Sei will use his big attack, MinionStrike which does 100-200 HP damage to all your characters. The DeadKnights really don't have much offense, so leaving one is not going to hurt you that bad. Sei has a shield and can block, so be wary of using physical attacks. Use your fighting techs to combo him to death. Sei has the SacredSong attack which is more powerful than MinionStrike (300+damage) but he uses it rarely. Once you beat Sei, you can choose to have him join you(he comes with all the attacks you saw in battle, including MinionStrike) or get his sword. The sword is the obvious choice to me, because the last thing I really want in my group is another monster. If you like the monsters, then take him. The sword takes 3 WP to use a normal attack, so equip DoubleSlash or StunSlash on the character to cut the WP consumption(just use that as your normal attack). If you have a mech, give the sword to it. Bio Research Lab Treasures: Dragon Shield Characters: Cotton This area contains the second best shield in the game, as well as another monster that can join your party. The shield is guarded by a huge, powerful boss, the EarthDragon, but Cotton is guarded by some wimpy normal enemies. This accurately portrays the relative worth of the two, I think. The scientists throughout the lab are not there on a routine field study, they want you dead. Talking to one results in a battle with some powerful enemies. Once you are high level, return here to fight the enemies, as they teach you techs fairly quickly. Also, the Dullahan enemies(the second scientist on the first floor, as well as some others) can drop the best shield in the game(DurahanShield) as well as the best armor(PlutoArmor). The CrystalTrees drop several sound-resistant items, and the Suzakus are great for absorbing into your mystic weapons for very high stats. The Snowfolk enemies often travel with DarkFairies, and they drop the SilverMoon. This is the best katana in the game. First, head upstairs from the first room(the stairs are near the southern wall). You can visit the side rooms throughout the lab if you want, they contain some scientists. Once upstairs, go to the far north door to reach the library. Inside here, you can read some books(near where the scientist is). Once you have filled your mind with the useless knowledge, then search(press O) against the far north bookshelf. Voila! It moves aside and reveals a secret door. Head through here. After passing the secret door and going down the ladder, you'll have a choice of going upstairs or down. Cotton is upstairs, the DragonShield is down. If you want Cotton, go to the top of the stairs and through the door. Then go through the red door here to fight a few enemies and get Cotton(Cotton is a friend of Fuse's, apparently. If you have Fuse in your party, they will have a meaningless conversation). If you don't want Cotton, then just head downstairs and out the south passage at the bottom. You will be in a large greenery. Your final destination is the far north door, but right now it is locked. In order to unlock it, head for the southeast building(you have to go around it to the north and follow a semi- hidden path to get there). Inside, go up the ladder to the second floor and activate the computer behind where the woman is standing. The readout above you should change to (LOCK: OFF), signifying that you did it. Now go outside and head for the northern building(the path to get there is sort of tricky to find, but it shouldn't be too difficult). Save right after you enter, because that innocent looking scientist standing there will summon the EarthDragon, a powerful enemy. BOSS-EarthDragon The EarthDragon is one of the game's harder enemies. One of the things that makes this boss so difficult is that throwing techs of any kind(including DSC) are completely ineffective against it. It is just too heavy, I guess. It has several forms of attack, GasFlame that usually hits all your party, Grasp(steals HP), Trample, and IronBall. IronBall is the worst one, since he will drop a random number(I have had him move up to 10 times in one round with this attack). Each IronBall does about 300-500 points of damage. Occasionally he will just bite for minimal damage, and the Grasp attack is not too powerful either. However, to make things worse, his shell turns out to be a very effective shield that blocks attacks almost half the time. To beat the EarthDragon, you must be of fairly high level. Make sure each of your characters has at least 500 HP and a few high power techs. NoMoment and LifeSprinkler are good ones, since he can't block them. Be sure that you equip these 5 with your best shields and the Deflect tech, so you can protect yourself from the multiple IronBalls. Having a monster with MagicHeal is very useful in this fight if you can turn it into a form that can survive the IronBall attack. Try to perform combos if you can. Having MindHeal is also a good idea so each character can revive themselves after being nailed by a big cannonball. If you are lucky, the EarthDragon will use his weaker attacks often and not drop too many IronBalls at once, but if not this can be a very difficult fight. Once you beat the EarthDragon, take the DragonShield behind him(near the S&M gear on the table). Manhattan Manhattan is the home of Trinity Inc., the power company that is responsible for mech manufacturing and almost all technological advancement in the regions. Since they are so powerful, corruption is rampant at Trinity as each commander vies for control of the company and the public at large suffers(is this sounding familiar yet?). Mondo, the commander of Trinity base is perhaps the most ruthless of all, but is a cunning liar and manip- ulator of others. He plans to take over the whole company, using his hidden army. This company is central in a few character's quests. Other than that, there is the C.T.C. Building, the home of Cindy Campbell. She is a criminal who smuggles stolen weapons for anyone who pays the price, including Trinity. Lately, she has been seen doing a lot of business with the interregional crime syndicate BlackX. The shopping malls here are actually not very good for shopping, only having one store that sells accessories. This shop is integral in Riki's quest. They sell a few accessories that are good for your monsters. Shop PearlHeart 1500 FireCrystal 1500 IceCrystal 1500 HarmoniumEarring 1500 BloodChalice 4000 PurpleEye 8000 WonderBangle 10000 RING/Schemer 30000(you can't buy this) Luminous Luminous is the home of Light and Shadow Magic. Magicians travel here often to test their skills at the Luminous Labyrinth and in Omble, the shadow region. Several magics are for sale here. Light SunRay 300 StarlightHeal 300 FlashFire 600 FlashFlood 300 Shadow PowerGrab 600 HideBehind 300 ShadowNet 300 Rouge is standing in the port here, he will join most characters. In the far west, Light magic users can enter the Luminous Labyrinth to earn the gift for Light magic. The gift for Shadow magic can be accessed by talking to the shopkeeper in the Shadow magic shop and asking about the gift. You will be sent to Omble to earn the Shadow gift. Luminous Labyrinth Treasures: MoonlightRobe, 400 credits, SanctuaryStone Characters: none This dungeon is really a series of 3 puzzles. While inside, your item and save commands will not be usable, so do so before you enter. Soon you will come to a room with many mirrors and a beam of light. Rotate the mirrors until the light shines on the circular insignia on the north wall. You will come to another similar room with two insignia on the wall in the north- west corner. Also this room contains small prisms which serve to split the light beam. Only one prism can be on at any one time, so turn off one(press O) before turning on another or it won't work. Split the beam and rotate the mirrors so that light is shining on both of the insignia. You will then be in a room with many colored screens. The solution to this room is provided, since it is the only one that takes a while to solve. 3 4 red c green b blue 2 1 a blue key numbers: rotatable mirrors lowercase letters: prisms words: color screens The numbers and letters in the diagram are in the same relative positions as these objects in the room. Turn each mirror(using the north end as a guide) in the direction indicated and turn on the indicated prism to get the color described. Then walk up to the insignia to claim your prize. Blue: 1-right, 2-left, 3-left, 4-left, turn on prism a You must fight some fairly weak enemies here, usually a RockScout or some LivingArmor and Mirrors. Red: 1-left, 2-left, 3-left, 4-left, turn on prism a You must fight some stronger enemies, usually a Cyclops or a Giant. Green: I don't think it's possible. If anyone can get green, please tell everyone else. Purple(Blue+Red): 1-left, 2-left, 3-left, 4-left, turn on prism c You get a SanctuaryStone. Yellow(Red+Green): 1-left, 2-left, 3-right, 4-left, turn on prism a You get 400 credits. Teal(Blue+Green): 1-right, 2-left, 3-right, 4-left, turn on prism a You get MoonlightRobe. White(all colors): 1-left, 2-left, 3-right, 4-left, turn on prism c You get the gift and exit. Wait until you get the other treasures before you do this or you will miss them. Note that there is a room in the last puzzle in the southeast corner. It has a few pillars and a mirror that you can't turn. I have not found any use for this room, so if anyone knows please let me know too. I tried shining every color of light in there and nothing happened. Omble Treasures: 200 credits, Magi-Water Characters: Silence As soon as you enter the shadow region, your shadow runs off and you must find it in order to get the gift and exit. If you want the Mystic Silence in your party, then find his shadow in the first room and talk to it. Then after you complete the shadow region you can talk to Silence(the guy standing in the right hand rear corner of the magic shop) and he'll join you. After doing that, then head for the northwest door. There are 200 credits in the northwest corner of the next room(you can only see the shadow, so it is easy to miss), get that and then head upstairs. Turn left here(the right leads to a dead end). In the next room, you can head to the east to find a shop. There are several fairly useless items for sale: Cure 15 PowerCure 100 MaxCure 300 MagicStone 100 ShadowDagger 160 DarkRobe 300 After doing your shopping, go back out and head north. Get the Magi-Water here(you can only see the shadow). The next area north seems empty. You can see another room to your west with the shadows of each of the 7 characters in it, though, and this is where you have got to go. Go back south and head west from the room with the Magi-Water. Follow the path and you'll end up in the room full of shadows. Find the shadow of your character(could be easy or difficult depending upon who you have) and bump into it. It will go into the room across to the east. Try not to bump into the other shadows, they will be monsters when you touch them again in the other room. Once your shadow has been sent across, then go back and go in the northern room again. Bump into your shadow again and it should go into the north passage. If you bump into a shadow that is not your own, a fight will occur. Follow your shadow into the north room and bump into it. A fight will occur. BOSS-Shades The Shades are mirror images of your party, complete with all of your abilities and HP. Their failing is that they do not have much intelligence, as they will often use your most ineffective attacks. Use this to your advantage. Equip each character with abilities that you are immune to or that do not hurt you badly, then put on one good attack ability at the bottom of the list. The Shades will often waste their time using Thrust, Kick, and other weak attacks instead of using the best attack, which you should use every time. Another strategy is to de-equip your characters of all their abilities. This de-equips the Shades too, so they must use regular attacks. However, occasionally you may learn a new attack whereas they cannot, so you will normally come out on top. Definitely de-equip characters who have Galeslash, ReverseGravity, Death, or other spells that could kill your whole party to keep the Shades from slaying you in one blow. This could be a very difficult fight, but it usually is not. After beating the Shades, then the gift is yours and you are returned to the shop. Note that for either the Luminous Labyrinth or Omble, if your main character cannot go(is Riki or T260G, or already has the opposite type of magic) then your characters that can go will walk in and then immediately come back out with the gift(no effort required). Magic Kingdom The Magic Kingdom is a land of mages. All males born there have the gift for the native type of magic, Realm magic. The Kingdom has a past littered with destruction. Long ago, demons attacked here from the underworld killing many. Since that day, the people have been trained so as to prevent that from happening ever again. There is an item shop here, as well as a magic shop that sells Realm magic. A mystic named Furdo has his workshop here, which is an optional quest that may test your abilities. Note that if Rouge is in your party, then you will have to leave him to go to Magic Kingdom. You can find him again in Luminous once you are done here with all of his weapons, armor, levels, and abilities intact. Items MagicStone 30 MagicWear 100 Magi-Water 200 X-Magi-Drink 1000 BoltCrystal 1500 RuneSword 2850 Realm Magic EnergyChain 300 Implosion 500 PsychoArmor 300 There is a woman blocking a path in the magic shop. If anyone has ever been behind her, then I'd like to know what is back there. She will not be help- ful to any of the characters. Furdo's Workspace Treasures: GlowRobe, UnicornTear, PearlHeart Characters: none This tricky area is completely optional, and all you get is a few worthless treasures and the privelege of fighting Furdo. I usually do it just for fun, but it is not necessary. Furdo's Workspace is in the western part of Magic Kingdom, past the trees. From where you enter, go west, then north. Do not go upstairs in this room, but go north past them. Then head east until you reach the large arena with the stone dragon. Go south and you'll be in a room with a large pillar in the center. Activate this pillar(press O). The fairies on the upper floor will begin to fly about. They will unpetrify the treasures and enemies in the castle. The treasures are located: Along path east of entry room: chest with GlowRobe Upstairs and west of GlowRobe, then south: PearlHeart, UnicornTear Be patient with the fairies, sometimes it takes them a while to unpetrify the treasures. If you kill a fairy, then go back to the pillar and reactivate it to bring the dead fairies back. Once you get the treasure, head upstairs and to the balcony where the stone fairies once were. You can walk through the wall on the west side of the room where a fairy used to be into a secret area. Follow this path and you will meet Furdo. BOSS-Furdo Furdo really is not all that difficult. He will taunt you several times during the fight, letting you know when he is injured badly. His attacks include StoneGas(an attack that can petrify a character), PhantasmShot, and GlassShield. Use long range attacks to avoid getting nailed by a GlassShield and have someone with the Grail spell or a backpack with SnakeOils or Anti-stones to counter the petrify effect. Rarely he will use one of his Mystic weapons to attempt to instantly slay a character, but this is not usually very dangerous. If you are able to dish out a moderate amount of damage, then you will be able to topple Furdo pretty easily. Once you beat Furdo, you get----nothing! Head back out. You may want to absorb Furdo into a monster, there are a few rare abilities that he has(rare, not useful). Kyo Kyo is the training grounds for martial artists throughout the world. It is also the home of Mind Magic, which utilizes your mind and spirit. Kyo has also made a name for itself as a popular tourist attraction. Overall a beautiful place to live, but each rose has its thorn. The criminal organization BlackX has a headquarters here, hidden from the public. This is the location of much of their narcotics development. If you are Red, then a lot of your game takes place here, but most characters only pay Kyo a cursory visit to stock up on Mind Magic. There is also a pretty useless item shop. Items MagicStone 30 LuckyCoin 30 UnluckyCoin 30 FangAmulet 150 WingAmulet 150 FlowerAmulet 150 SteelAmulet 150 BudoWear 210 Mind Magic MindHeal 300 Spellbound 300 Evaporate 300 You can also get the gift for Mind Magic here, by asking about the gift and accepting the training. You will go into the back room, where each character must fight an enemy alone. Any character that loses will not get the gift. Note that Blue/Rouge cannot get the gift until after they fight in Blue's chapter, and that mystics cannot use Mind Magic. The enemies that you must fight in the training are quite lopsided, some being very powerful and others being very weak. You can choose the order that your characters go in, so save your most powerful characters to fight the powerful enemies like the Lich and the Slugger. Yorkland Yorkland is the most rural of all the regions of the world. The people here live a carefree life, brewing beer and wine like their families have done for generations. The Trinity are slowly moving in on the liquor trade, as well as buying up parts of Yorkland to build another base. The new commander of Trinity Base, Mondo, was born here. This area is home to another point of interest for Trinity-the Cube power generator is stored here. This extremely valuable power generator was built from the ruins of a highly advanced ancient culture, and many forces are vying to control it. If you want the Grail card, then your travels will bring you here. There is a monster named Thunder that can join you here too if you have Lute in your group(this is Lute's hometown). Devin Devin is the home of Arcane and Rune magic. Here fortune tellers and psychics run rampant. This region is popular among tourists. It also serves as the new home of Rei Hime, a mystic who escaped Orlouge's custody in Facinaturu. Rei can send you to Kylin's Paradise to get Space Magic, but only if you prove yourself worthy by first getting the gift for either Light or Shadow, then getting the gift for either Rune or Arcane magic. Then ask her(the purple-haired woman at the shrine) about Space Magic and you're on your way. You must ask about the gifts for Rune or Arcane magic and get the cards and stones here from the shops before you can begin collecting cards or runes. Don't bother trying to draw a sacred lot, they are always sold out. Note that Rei can join Asellus-the details are in Asellus's walkthrough. Arcane Palace Saber 300 Shield 300 Grail 300 Gold 150 Lure of the Rune VictoryRune 300 VitalityRune 300 HideRune 300 FreedomRune 300 Kylin's Paradise Treasures: none Characters: Kylin After Rei sends you here, your first goal is to enter the circus tent structure in the northeast. Kylin is inside, and he asks to test you. Say yes, and you'll be in a maze. The directions for getting through the maze, step by step, are: Go through first room Go northwest Go north one room Go west in the next room Get the clover-shaped key on the ground Go back two rooms and head south Go west Go northwest, then go upstairs Use the key to open the Northeast door(now you should be walking on the bottom of the floor) Head along the bottom of the floor until you cannot go any further, then get back on top and drink the water in the vase(now you will shrink) Go through the small door here(now you're back near the beginning) Go in the other small door on the same screen near the northeast door. Go west, then south. Pull the lever to open the tea cup(this is starting to look familiar) Go back north, then east, then south. Go in the other small door on this same screen. Climp on the teaspoon into the teacup Follow the stairs to the door. I know you are expecting to fight the Mad Hatter after all that, but all you find is Kylin. Talk to him again. You have two options, to ask for his help or "Don't bother". I know it's rude, but its probably best to not bother. If he joins you then you will not be able to learn Space Magic, and this magic is much more useful than another monster in your party. If you do get Kylin, then he will have the space spells equipped(the only time a monster may use magic), so don't get rid of them because they are impossible to replace. If you choose not to get him, then talk to him again and he'll sell you Space Magic. Space Magic VaporBlast 400 Vanish 400 ReverseGravity 1200 LightShift 400 Once your business is done, then talk to the new person(the blonde girl who is the only one standing still outside). She'll offer to send you back. Instead of being nice and sending you conveniently back to Devin, however, you are sent to the middle of the Koorong sewer system. Head down the rocky stairs to the east here and get back to town. IRPO IRPO stands for Inter-Regional Police Organization. It is responsible for law enforcement in the regions. A few of their officers(Doll, Fuse) become involved in your quests, and anyone who wants the Shield Card must work for the police for a while. If you are not doing the Arcane quest, then there will be nothing here for you, but if you are then talking to the secretary will allow you to go to the Mosperiburg mountains to get a flower(obviously important police business). Success earns you the Shield Card and a permanent alliance with Fuse. This area will be explained in detail in the Arcane quest section. Mosperiburg Mosperiburg is the location of Virgil Palace. Virgil Palace is home to the Mystic Virgil, also known as Ring Lord. He holds the RING/Lord, as well as the key to travel to Facinaturu and TimeLord's Region. If you have proven your worth by getting the gifts for Light/Shadow and Rune/Arcane magics, then Virgil will send you to TimeLord's Region to get Time Magic. TimeLord's Region Treasures: none Characters: TimeLord Once Virgil sends you here, you should travel forward along the path(it is pretty straightforward) until you reach the large hourglass that is broken. By walking up to the hourglass, a text message will appear. Once you have seen the broken hourglass and read the message, return to Virgil. Once Virgil hears about the broken hourglass, he will send you to Facinaturu to get the SandVessel from Gozarus. There is a section about Facinaturu later, but for your purpose here you only need to go to Gozarus's shop and buy the SandVessel. While you are here, you may also want to buy some Mystic Magic, or get the Asura. Don't use up too many of your LP, though! Note that T260G cannot do business with Gozarus. Once you have what you want, go to the northwest house and talk to the man, then enter the house just south of there. Talk to the slime and you will be admitted to the Facinaturu Floor. This path is pretty straightforward too, so keep going until you reach the plane and the exit. Now return to Virgil and he'll send you back to TimeLord's Region. Go to the bottom of the hourglass and collect some sand, then climb to the top and pour it in. The clock will work again, and the SandVessel will become an accessory that has the QuickSand attack and protects you from petrification. Now that the enemies are active, you also have access to some of the game's rarer enemies. Fight most of them if you want to make sure you've seen it all. This area is home to the Demongoat, PrimaBronza/Maska, Minotaur, some ultra-powered up StraySheep, and a pair of Rockbaboons that, when hurt, combine to form a Yeti. A few of these guys drop good items, and the Minotaurs and Demongoats are good to learn mid-level techs from. Once you've had your fill, let down the drawbridge just beyond the hourglass and cross. TimeLord will be here. You can choose to get him, or to buy his magic. In my opinion, since he has the gift, getting him in your party so you can have Overdrive is superior to buying the fairly weak low-level time spells. He is a mystic, so his attacks are generally not as powerful as a human, but Overdrive is a tremendous asset. If you choose to buy the magic, the prices are: Time Magic DelayOrder 300 TimeLeap 600 ChaosStream 1500 TimeEclipse 600 Scrap If there is a slum in the world of SF, then Scrap is it. This region is basically a large junkyard. There is a bar, an inn, a junk shop that works like a grab bag(pay first, then get random items), and a factory run by Caballero. Caballero is a profiteer who exploits the people here and in Junk, Scrap's sister region. The bar is a great place for most characters to get more party members. Riki, Mei-Ling, Lute, Gen, and T260G are all here. Riki and T260G must beat Caballero in his factory in order to complete their quests. In order to leave Scrap, you must pay a fare. Normally it is 100 credits, but if you are not supposed to leave(you are in the middle of the Caballero event) then the price skyrockets to 10000 credits(come on boy, jump through the hoop, good doggy..). To make matters worse, even if you do scrape together the 10000 credits to exit, you still won't be allowed to leave-your character will still say "I don't have enough money". This really pissed me off... After the Cabllero event is over, then the two characters who can do this get a discount and the price becomes 10 credits. Don't worry, if you don't have the cash, then the ride is free. The junk shop will buy back the following items: RepairKit 20 HyperScale 2000 BehemothRifle 3000 DuelGun 3500 SuperMissile 5500 HG-Cannon 6000 LightRifle 8500 HyperionBazooka 10000 Probably the most lucrative cheat in the whole game is here in Scrap. The monsters who run the Junk Shop in the southeast may be wise businessmen, but they are not very observant--it is possible to pay once and take as many items as you want! It goes like this: 1. Pay the price the first time. It may cost from 100-3000 credits, depending on your current power level. It's worth it, so pay. 2. Go in and get your 3 items. 3. Go back to the counter and offer to sell items. Go down to the last item, "Hyperion Bazooka", and click on it as if you were going to sell it. Since you don't have one, you will hear a "bzz". (Note: if you have one, then equip it so you can't sell it. If you sell a Hyperion Bazooka, then you need to hire someone to come over to the house and laugh at you.) 4. After buzzing on the item, you will have 7 more items to take from the shop for free!. You can also buzz on any of the other items, they give you progressively fewer free chances. 5. Repeat, repeat, repeat. There are 6 boxes in the junk shop, and each contains a different type of item. They are laid out like so: 1 2 3 4 5 6 1: swords: Knife, LightKnife, KukriBlade, SamuraiSword, TwinSword, Osc-Sword 2: guns: AGUNI-CP1, AGUNI-SSP, EasyRifle, TroopRifle, AGUNI-MBX, LethalGun 3: cannons: JunkBazooka, LaserCarbine, ThunderBolt, LightBazooka, SonicCannon 4: shields/gloves: Buckler, ShellShield, ExcelShield, ShellBracer, CyberGlove 5: armor: HardLeather, ArmorVest, ElectroArmor, JumpSuit, WarlordArmor, CombatSuit, CyberSuit 6: helmets/boots: LaserScope, FiberHood, MirrorGlass, LeatherBoots, FeatherBoots, JetBoots *note: these are not the only items there, just samples-the junk boxes contain many different inconsequential items of this type. You will also find Junk, BrokenBumpers, and RepairKits in each box(unless you are T260G, who only finds weapons/armor). This is random. At first the items you get are fairly weak, but each time that you sell RepairKits to the shop, the items get slightly better on the average. It does not matter how many you sell, just how many times you sell them. Since you will find them in the junk pretty regularly, just go back and sell the excess to get better and better items. If you are T260G, note that since you'll never find RepairKits, you should bring plenty of your own to use for this. Just clear out the junk room, go back and sell a RepairKit, buzz on the correct item, then go back and do it again. Getting here to equip your characters should be one of your first priorities when starting a new game. At your first opportunity, get to Scrap and get equipment for your present and future characters. You will rarely have to worry about equipment again. The best things to look out for for each race are: Humans, Mystics: 2 Osc-swords, ExcelShield, LethalGun, WarlordArmor, MirrorGlass, CyberGlove, JetBoots Mecha: 2 CyberSuits, SonicCannon, LaserCarbine, ExcelShield, LethalGun, etc. Now, for a very low price of some time and a few credits, you have good swords, shields of good power for all your characters, the 2nd best non-cannon type gun I've seen, the second best armor in the game, a very good helmet, glove, and the best boots(some have better DEF, but JetBoots are still the best because of the QUI raised and because you float). Your mecha can get up to around 500-600 HP, 2 Cybersuits give them great defense until you can afford the PoweredSuits, and they get some very good cannons to use. Since the game considers CyberSuits to be superior to WarlordArmor, and MirrorGlasses to be superior to JetBoots, then if you sell RepairKits too many times you may pass your opportunity to get these items. Don't worry, you can buy them elsewhere using the infinite money tricks in the game. You can use this junk shop to get infinite money as well, because once you start getting Osc-swords you can get 99 of them and sell them off to the guy at Nakajima Robotics in Shrike. They'll net you 110 credits a piece and then you can repeat the process. This is slower than the GoldIngot trick (see Koorong section), but is good for scraping together the roughly 15000 credits you need to get the other trick working. Then you can buy the really good stuff, like the Katanas, ZeroSwords, HyperBlasters, etc.. I advise you spend an hour or so in Scrap as soon as possible to get the equipment that will make the rest of the game much easier. The Caballero Factory will be explained in the individual character walkthroughs. Owmi The waterfront region, Owmi is home to the seafood and merchant shipping industries of the world. The rich man who owns the Lord Manor has eccentric tastes, especially in magical rings and a certain water mystic with the tail of a fish. There is a free place to rest here. The Lord Manor is the backdrop for a few character's quests. Even if you are not required to drop by, there is a SanctuaryStone, a unique sword, and some opportunities to fight enemies here that you might not want to pass up. The port in Owmi is the only port that has access to Nelson, the fisherman's town. Lord Manor Treasures: KrisKnife, GhostCannon, RubberSuit, MaxCure X 3, Magi-Water, SanctuaryStone, RottenMeat, JetBoots, SeaStone(w/ Measarthim), ArmorGlove, JackalSword, ShellBracer, RubberShoes, PearlHeart, LeatherBoots Characters: Measarthim The Manor is a treasure trove of semi-useful items, but more so it is some- thing to undertake while you are trying to level-up your characters. First, get the items that are in the mansion before going into the enemy ridden basement. Go upstairs, then turn right and enter the door next to where you come out(hard to see, since the door is on the wall that you cannot see). Go past large doors w/ suits of armor and into the attic for a KrisKnife and a GhostCannon. Then head back to the first room of the mansion and go east. Head downstairs, then take the 2nd door(near the wine rack) to get a MaxCure and a RubberSuit. After that, head back and enter the door you just walked past in the room with the wine rack. You should be in the basement with the enemies. Keep heading downstairs until you reach a room with two treasures and a bunch of the winged demons and amphibian enemies. Take the SanctuaryStone and the Magi-Water, then keep going south. In the next room you'll find JetBoots and RottenMeat, then you exit to the east. You'll soon stumble across the area's boss, the DevilSquid. BOSS-DevilSquid The DevilSquid looks and acts a lot like the Kraken enemies you'll meet in the Yorkland swamp and wandering around once you reach a high level. It, unfortunately, is not susceptible to the paralysis and death effects that its bigger cousin is. Fortunately, though, its attacks do less than half the damage of the Kraken's similar attacks, so defeating it should not be too hard. Prepare for battle by equipping BlueElfs, PearlHearts, and such that protect you from water so the Maelstrom doesn't wash you away. Other than that, the DevilSquid doesn't have much to fight with. If you don't have enough accessories to protect everyone, then be sure to protect your healers. This is one of the bosses that I use as a combo target-it really can't hurt you if you're prepared. Beat the squid(don't let out that sigh of relief yet-you've got to fight it again to get out), DON'T GET THE TREASURE THAT IS ON THE PEDESTAL, then head into the west room. Walk up to the water. Measarthim will swim up to you. If you have a mystic, and Silence is not in your party, then Measarthim will offer to join you or give you an item (SeaStone). She is a mystic who comes equipped with a MellowRing and a BlueElf, both of which are good items. If you'd rather have the SeaStone, then it's not bad either, it's like a PearlHeart only more so. If you have no mystics, or if Silence is in your party, Measarthim will swim away(she will not help Silence because he is mute, and his lack of a response makes her think that she offended him). Now go back out to the squid room. Now you can get the treasure there if you want-it is a trap that will throw you into the lowest part of the basement. Not too bad, that's where you wanted to go anyway. Go upstairs, into the room with the PearlHeart and LeatherBoots. Head east from here, and you'll be in a room with 3 treasures in plain view. Get the MaxCure, ShellBracer, and ArmorGlove, then go to the platform across from the ArmorGlove and search behind the wall for the JackalSword. This weapon is not too great, but has a nifty looking special attack and cannot be obtained anywhere else as far as I know. In the room to the south of the room with the JackalSword you can find RubberShoes and a MaxCure. Go back and keep heading upstairs. Once you reach the room with the squid, remember not to get the trapped treasure and fight the squid again(for some reason, the game can't remember that you already defeated it). Make your way out. Nelson Nelson is a fisherman's city on the outside, but behind the scenes it is also the meeting place for Captain Hamilton and her group of pirates. Their goal is the defeat of Mondo, the new commander of Trinity Base. This city has a person who will sell GoldIngots for 500 credits(unlike the Koorong shop, his price remains constant-this allows for the ripoff trick described in Koorong). There is also an armor shop here: Armor Buckler 200 ShellShield 500 WarlordArmor 2300 ZeroSword 4000 Other than that, there's not really much to see here unless you're Lute. Baccarat Baccarat is the casino resort of the world. There are hundreds of games(none of which you can play, unfortunately), a hotel, and a bar. Several characters make their way here for various reasons. The casino, unbenkownst to most, is run by the Gnomes, a secretive little race of people who crave gold. Emelia is here, and will join you if you are going on the Arcane quest. If you are not going after the Gold Card, then there's not really much here for you normally(specific characters have missions here). The Gnome Cave will be covered in the Arcane quest section. By the way, don't try to walk all the way down the stairs in the hotel area, they'll stop you at room 1000(yes, I did it...took quite a while...). Shingrow This region is the home of the Masked Martial Arts tournament, a competition of fighting skills that brings warriors from the ends of the earth. If you are Emelia or Red, it'll bring you too. There are also two ruins here: an ancient spacecraft with a secret mission crashed nearby and contains valuable information and items for a certain mech. The ruins to the north- east are actually a cover for Berva's base. As one of BlackX's 4 emperors, he runs his network of crime from safety, protected by the traps and beasts that populate the ancient ruins. Any character may visit the Ancient Ship and the Shingrow Ruins to collect the items and experience there. Only those who are allowed to participate in the Masked tournament may fully explore Shingrow Palace, so that area will be covered in the individual walkthroughs. Ancient Ship Treasures: Junk, RottenMeat, 200 credits, JumpSuit, 200 credits, MemoryBoard, 300 credits, DuelGun, HyperScale, BoltThrower, 500 credits Characters: none This place is populated pretty heavily with mecha, so bring along your mecha to absorb the enemies and get as many programs as you can. After climbing up into the ship, you can head north and press O against the rear wall to open it and enter the secret passage. All that is in there are some bats, some mecha, and 2 treasures that I'm sure you're dying to get-Junk and RottenMeat. Get these two if you want, if not, then head south from the first room in the ship. In the next room, keep heading south. Follow the path as it curves west and go past the door. Eventually you will reach a room with some enemies and a couple of treasures: 200 credits and a MemoryBoard. Grab these, then go back and head through the door that you just walked past in the north wall. You'll be in a room with two levels-on the level below you you'll see a couple of treasures(JumpSuit, 200 credits). You can climb down and get them now, or wait until you come back this way on your way out to get them, it doesn't matter. Go through the north door on the upper level, then climb the ladder near the skeleton enemy. In the next area w/ the slimes, you have three paths. The southern one leads to what appears to be the flight deck of the ship, where you can find 300 credits and a DuelGun(find the path through the bushes). The western path leads to a room with a HyperScale. After getting all this, head north into the large room. Go past the tower in the north and around to the west to the chest there. The chest won't open if you click directly on it, you have to sort of press O against the fence next to it to open it and get a BoltThrower. Finally, there is a secret door just above the area with the BoltThrower-just press O against the wall to the north near there to get 500 credits in the room with the computer terminal(this is part of T260G's chapter). That's everything, so go back the way you came. Don't forget the treasures in the 2-level room if you didn't get them earlier. Shingrow Ruins Treasures: TwinSword, MagicStone, HarmoniumArmor, HarmoniumEarring, 250 credits, SanctuaryStone, ExcelShield Characters: none The ruins here are optional unless you're Red, but I advise going in here anyway to gain a little more experience and to get some useful items, esp. the Harmonium items that protect you from sonic attacks. Another Sanctuary Stone never hurts either, and if you haven't cheated in Scrap yet then the ExcelShield will probably help out too. First, keep going north until you reach a room with a TwinSword in a chest. Don't try to open the door in this room, as it is a trap and you will be attacked by some BlackX guys after being hit with sleeping gas. There are three doors like this in the ruins, and each gives you a progressively worse ailment-sleep to palsy to being an instant red mess! Luckily the enemies are weak as pond scum. After getting the sword go back to the first room with the flying red enemy and the path to the west. Go west from here. This path leads up some stairs and - did you hear that? Loud croaking sound...must be an enormous toad! Head through the door and you'll see the cause for the commotion: a huge GaeaToad blocks your path. It has slightly more HP than a normal Gaeatoad, but it still should be of absolutely no threat to you. BOSS-Gaeatoad If you need a boss strategy, that means you got killed by the Gaeatoad. You are ridiculously too low of level to be here-go to Scrap and steal some weapons and armor from the Junk Shop. Even with the characters you have at the very beginning of most characters' games, the Gaeatoad should be easily conquered. If you are still having trouble, then I hope you kept the original packaging of your SaGa Frontier disc so you can go back to Wal- Mart and get a full refund-you should probably give up RPG's and play Crash Bandicoot or whatever kids play nowadays. After stomping the Gaeatoad, enter the next room. If you want the MagicStone, then you should stay on the higher path and head north. Follow this path to a room with a door and the MagicStone in a chest. Get it, but don't open the door because it is trapped. Go back to the room just past the Gaeatoad. From this room, you should go downstairs and through the other door. Soon you'll be in a room with a dirt floor in the middle that is covered with slime enemies. Go to the corner to get HarmoniumArmor. Then head through the north door. Here is the HarmoniumEarring, but you can't get it until you beat the Valkyries on the steps. BOSS-SpearValkyrie and SwordValkyrie You may have seen these enemies in your travels, and these are simply more powerful versions of the normal ones. They both can block your attacks, so you should make sure to have some unblockable attacks to use on them. Concentrate on destroying one of them, then the other, that way they won't combo you. The SwordValkyrie(in front) can use Windblast, so take it out first. The other one can use LightBall, which hits you all but is less powerful than the Windblast. NoMoment, magic, and throwing attacks are all very useful. If you are of high level, this will be just a nuisance, but if you are unprepared it can be hard. After beating the Valkyries, get the treasure and continue upstairs. Here you will be in another room with a high path and a low path. First, go downstairs. At the foot of one of the staircases in the bushes is hidden 250 credits. Get that, then head west out the lower door. In the next room, a SanctuaryStone is hidden in the far north behind the tree. There is a door to enter here, but it only leads to another trap so go back and climb up to the top path in the room just past the Valkyrie room. Keep heading this way a few screens and you'll come to a room with another minor boss enemy, the Slimes. BOSS-HugeSlime and BigSlimes These guys are either easy or impossible, depending on your strength. If you can kill 2 of them in one round, then you should be able to cut down the slimes faster than they can grow back, and their Solvent attack is pretty pathetic. Just keep hacking and destroy the HugeSlime and his BigSlime buddies. If your levels are too low and you can't kill more than one in a round, then you are going to have a hard time. You then must injure them in such a way that you can throw a MagicStone or other attack and kill them all at once. Of course, if you just spend some time to prepare and get GaleSlash then use it a few times and the slimes will be a memory. After trouncing the slimes(I'm starting to run out of synonyms for "beating") get the ExcelShield and then you can enter the path to the rear room. I cannot open the north door in the slime room-if anyone knows what's back there then please tell me. I figure it's just scenery, though. The room in the back is empty unless you're Red, so back up and leave the way you came. Wakatu Wakatu is the homeland of Gen, the swordsman who sticks his nose in virtually everyone's chapter at some point. It was once a thriving land of powerful warriors who were known far and wide for their sword skills. But all that was ended abruptly when Trinity's Mondo decided to build a base here. The land was destroyed and became a haven for monsters and ghosts to cover the location of Mondo's hidden base which even the Trinity does not know about- the base he will use to take over the company completely. Ships will not sail here unless you are accompanied by another person from the region(and Gen appears to be the only one that is still alive). The Saber Card is here, and the Comet Blade can be gained by a warrior with enough skill. You can only go here on the Arcane quest, so it'll be covered there. Facinaturu The home of the Mystics, Facinaturu is a hidden region that is Orlouge's city and prison. Orlouge, the evil king of the region, is also known as the "Charm Lord" because of his guile and powers over the opposite sex. He keeps the women that he wishes to use in his region by his charm and sorcery, and if necessary, by force. Only one has ever escaped, Rei Hime, and Orlouge still scours the earth for her. This strange land is the only place to buy Mystic Magic. There is also a shop where your main character can trade their max LP for powerful items. The SandVessel you can buy here is important for reaching TimeLord, and the Asura is an extremely powerful weapon. Mystic Magic Fascination 300 PhantasmShot 500 GlassShield 300 LP shop Asura 3 LP Tao-Tieh Pattern 2 LP ShadeRobe 1 LP SandVessel 1 LP There is also Orlouge's castle(only Asellus has any business here) and the Eternal Flame of Facinaturu(in the north). These attractions may hold your attention for a while, but when you are ready to leave you must talk to the pilot in the northwestern house. He will tell you to come to the house to the south, so go there and talk to the slime to open the passage to the Facinaturu Floor. This is a straightforward dungeon-just follow the path and beat up the enemies until you reach the plane and escape. Junk Junk is Scrap's sister city. It is only reachable in T260G's chapter. The area contains a battle arena, a large crater created by a crashed ship, a port for transporting Junk's main export(junk), and an item shop. This area is terrorized by Caballero's henchmen from Scrap, who want to control all the garbage in the universe, I guess. Items Cure 30 PowerCure 200 MaxCure 600 AntiStone 100 SnakeOil 100 RepairKit 20 HyperBlaster 10000 \ these items are broken, but don't worry, you can't GrainCannon 10000 / afford them anyway. Despair The Despair prison is used to house the captured criminal element of the world. The Warden himself is a criminal, guilty of a crime that he will not discuss with anyone. He is serving a million year sentence! The Freedom Rune is here, so if you are on the Rune Quest, then this will be one of your stops. Also, the Warden has one of Riki's rings. This area will be covered in the Rune quest section. Tanzer The giant sea monster Tanzer may somtimes swallow oceangoing ships. This creature is the home of a small civilization of people who have been swallowed by the huge monster. Fei-on, the renowned martial artist, was swallowed here and now leads a small group of people in the struggle to protect themselves from Nomad, a pirate who is also a prisoner here. One of the Rings is in here, as well as the Vitality Rune. This will be covered in the Rune quest section. The Rune Quest Most characters can undertake this quest-the quest for the gift of Rune magic. In order to get this gift, one must collect all 4 runes in the various regions. If you want this gift, then remember the following pointers: 1. Before going on the Rune quest, you will have to go to Devin and ask about the Rune magic gift to get the 4 normal stones. Otherwise, you cannot collect the runes. 2. Once you begin collecting Runes, you cannot collect any Cards until you have all 4 Runes. Once you have all the Runes, you can also get all the Cards if you want, but you cannot get them both at once. This means that if you know you cannot get all the runes(you are Riki and you already killed Tanzer) then don't get any of them or else you will be forever unable to get the cards either. 3. Only characters who are in your party when you collect all 4 of the runes will get the gift. For example, if you are Emelia and you get the Freedom Rune near the beginning, then collect a whole bunch of new characters and get the other runes, only Emelia, Annie, and Liza(the people who were there the first time) can get the gift. OK, to get started head for Koorong. The Hide Rune-Koorong Sewers and Natural Cave Sewers Treasures: 200 credits, SecretBoard, MemoryBoard, IceCrystal, FireCrystal Characters: none Exit the town to the northwest(near the armor shop). Follow the back alley until you run into a couple of goons who want 100 credits to let you pass. Needless to say, stomp them and continue. You will see one manhole that leads nowhere, so go past it and through a hidden path to a second manhole. Go this way. In the area here you'll find 200 credits in the north. Get it, then head south. Go upstairs. There is a hidden passage here in the southeast that leads to a scientist who will sell you a SecretBoard for 400 credits. If you are using mecha, take it the first time(if you say no, the price gets jacked up big time). Afterwards, head down the next manhole. Here there is a MemoryBoard to the north, then a path that leads south around a corner. Go this way. You'll come to a ladder with a mech beneath it. Keep going past the ladder to get an IceCrystal, then head back and go up. Up here there is a door that leads to a shop. If you are T260G and have Leonard in your group, the shopkeeper(named PzkyZ or some mishmash of meaning- less letters- it's in the characters section) will join you, otherwise you can buy stuff: Cannons FlameThrower 1880 SonicCannon 1110 ThunderBolt 1110 HEAT Bazooka 4020 BigMissile 3200 GrainCannon 3300 MachineVulcan 1550 HyperBlaster 4020 After your business here is done, go on and down the next manhole. From here, you can go down the stone steps to get a FireCrystal and head back to Koorong, or you can go down the manhole to get to the Natural Cave. Get the Fire- Crystal if you want, the go down the manhole and past the fairy that creates monsters. The cave entrance is the one you're looking for. Natural Cave Treasures: 200 credits, 300 credits, 500 credits, StardustRobe, Magi-Water, AngelArmor, HideRune Characters: none Once inside the cave, get the 200 credits right across from you, then head downstairs to the intersection. If you want all the treasure then head north, otherwise skip to the next paragraph. After going north then enter the cave and get the 300 credits hidden across from you behind the wall. Go south and follow the path. In the next room with two skeleton enemies, there is a vine leading south and a cave to the north. North leads back to the entrance, so go south down the vine. There are 500 credits hidden behind the stones on the east at the bottom of the vine. Then exit out the south door to get the StardustRobe. Go back up the vine, through the north door, up the next vine, and west back to the intersection where you were standing earlier. Now head south downstairs. You'll come to a large chamber full of monsters. Right in the middle of this is a Magi-Water. Get it, then enter the northern cave entrance. Beat the plants there and climb the vines to the chasm at the top. If you want the AngelArmor then walk slowly to the chasm and fall down to get it below you, then head south and back around to the chasm again through the large chamber. Jump across the chasm. When you come to a cave in the west wall just past a mech and an amphibian monster, save your game and enter to fight the boss, Quakeworm. BOSS-Quakeworm This enemy can be very dangerous to a low-level party, because of its Oscillation attack and the ability to heal itself using its Wormbrood offspring's MagicHeal ability. Equip characters with anti-sonic equipment if you have it. Your first priority in battle is to kill all the Wormbroods so they will stop Assisting and MagicHealing the boss. Concentrate on them one at a time until all three of them are destroyed. Once you kill all of them then the Quakeworm will start using its Quake attack, but if you have JetBoots this will not be a problem. If it Oscillates, then you need to concentrate fully on healing in case he does so again to finish you. Other than that, the only attacks that it has are a few weak HP draining attacks and a Trample attack that is not too powerful. He is pretty slow so your combos should work well(he probably won't move in the middle of your attacks). The bright side of all this is that the MagicHeal ability of the Wormbrood can be absorbed by a monster. Even after beating the boss, you should stick around and go in and out of this cave until you get MagicHeal on a monster, it is the best monster ability in the game except possibly for LifeRain. I like MagicHeal better because you cannot heal yourself with LifeRain. Don't worry, on subsequent trips into the cave you will only be attacked by the small Wormbroods, the Quakeworm only attacks you once. Once the Quakeworm is dead, you have the Hide Rune. Head back to Koorong and heal up. The Vitality Rune-Inside the Belly of the Beast Tanzer Treasures: VitalityRune Characters: Fei-on, Slime After collecting one rune, board an ocean-going vessel from Koorong. You should immediately notice that the ship you're on is much cooler looking than usual, and we all know how tasty cool looking ships are. The sea beast Tanzer will swallow you up before you can reach your destination. After entering Tanzer, you will see a scene where the other passengers are complaining about their predicament. Then a skeleton guy shows up and starts harassing the passengers. Depending upon who you have, you may have to fight him(don't worry, it's just a normal random enemy). After this, a woman shows up and apologizes for the actions of her lackey. But before you can even begin to buy into her scheme, Fei-on appears and tells you she is none other than the infamous crime boss, Nomad! GASP! Well, I'm sure you don't want to go with her now(not like you can..Fei-on only says to take your pick because he knows you can't get up to the ledge to follow her..) so watch her jump across her lackey's head and escape. Follow Fei-on and the crowd to the south to reach Fei-on's lair. In this small town, there is a place to rest and regain your LP, but not your JP or WP, so use them sparingly. When you have had enough of the townspeople threatening to "karate-chop your ass"(I found this to be amusing) head to the far right room and talk to Fei-on. He will join most characters if you agree to help him fight Nomad(won't join Blue, though). Afterwards, you have to go to the Slime Pool to get the rune. Go northwest, up the vines. Throughout Tanzer there are windpipes that you can enter(the doors that are on the walls). After you pass through one, you will pop out of a hemhorroid and can't go back. ...What? That's what they look like. Anyway, one of these windpipes is at the top of the vines, so go through and keep heading north. Take the right fork at the path and go up the vine where Fei-on should be standing if he came along. You'll be in a room with a bird enemy on your left and Fei-on on your right. Stay far away from the windpipe directly north of you or else it will suck you in and you'll go back pretty far. Take the exit to the east near Fei-on. Go south to the next windpipe. There will be two more windpipes, then you'll be given a choice again. If Fei-on is here, you'll hear from him again. There is a small black turd-looking thing on the ground(this place sure is nasty) and if you jump in it you'll head to Nomad's Lair. You can stop by if you want, but unless you're Riki there's nothing there of value. Stay away from the entrance to the right of the turd-puddle-it'll take you back a long way! Go to the extreme northeast windpipe. When given a choice, go north. You will see another little turd-puddle. Jump in and you'll be in the next area with the slides. Note that you should avoid all the turd-puddles in the slide area, they all lead you back a very long way. For the first set of slides, it does not matter which way you go, all the paths lead to the same place. If you are in a hurry, then you won't get slimed here. Enter the cave at the bottom. Now take the slide here to the west, then slide down the short slide next. From here, don't slide, but instead jump to the east. Now slide down until you reach the boss. BOSS-HugeSlime and BigSlimes This enemy can be difficult if you are not leveled up. If you have GaleSlash, FlashFire, MegaWindblast, VermilionSand, or any other mass attack spell then it should be a piece of cake. If not, then you will have to strategically damage the slimes so that you kill all of them at once, then use the new Touch command to touch the rune before they grow back. If there is only one slime left, then use your big attacks with a few guys then have some people Touch the slime. If the others kill it, then Touch will default and touch the rune. Note that you don't have to kill all the slimes, just clear a path and Touch the rune. Hitting the rune has no ill effects, so don't worry about it. After clearing the slimes and getting the VitalityRune, Tanzer will spit you out-but not quickly enough to avoid you picking up one of the slimes as an unwelcome member of your party. I wish this game had a drop member command to get rid of these monsters. You'll end up back in Koorong. The Victory Rune - The Tomb of the Great King Mu's Tomb Treasures: 2 random items from mimics, ShadowDagger, Katana, 200 credits, 500 credits, BloodChalice, VictoryRune Characters: Roufas Mu's Tomb is located in the southwest corner of Shrike. Enter here next. You'll immediately come to a fork with a guy standing there. If you want the two treasures from the mimics and to meet Roufas, head west. Enter the first door to the west in the passage. Soon you'll meet Roufas. He'll join Emelia, and any male human who is going on the Rune quest. Just answer yes to his question about victory. There is a room behind him(press O against the wall) with 3 slimes and 2 mimics. If you beat them(they are hard), you will get a couple of fairly useless items, usually SnakeOil or a GoldIngot. Now head back to the fork with the bald guy and head east. Ignore the warnings of danger(that warning is meant for someone else, not you!) and follow the path through the next door. Get the ShadowDagger here and keep going south. Eventually, you'll reach a chest with a Katana and a fork in the path. If you want all the treasure, then head east. Get the 200 credits here, then keep going up and around. In the room with many doors, explore the back for 500 credits and a BloodChalice. After getting these, keep going and you'll end up back around where Roufas was. Either go this way or go back until you get back to where you found the Katana and go downstairs. In the next room, there are many enemies guarding the door to the southwest. Either fight them or lure them into the center chamber and run past. A few more screens down and you'll meet the boss, SkullDrake. BOSS-SkullDrake The first round of combat, the SkullDrake is just a pile of bones. Use defense this round, as your attacks will do no damage. After 1 round, the SkullDrake makes the biggest mistake of his life and gets up to attack. The SkullDrake is not tremendously powerful, as his attacks can only hit 1 or 2 people at a time normally and do low damage. However, he does regenerate 1000 HP a round, so if you can't do that much, you can't win. Chances are, however, that you can. If you have LightShift, use it. You probably don't, though, so use your best combos to pound the SkullDrake into oblivion. He has some fire breath attacks and a dash attack, but this is nothing special. If you want, you can use the enemy as a chance to train in your lower-level fighting and sword techs if you have not done so. Just de-equip your characters of abilities and then go in and start punching and slashing. Since he regenerates so much, you will do no damage and learn technique after technique. You can only learn the low to mid-level ones this way, though, because he's not powerful enough to give you the best ones. After beating him the VictoryRune is yours. Now head back to Koorong. The Freedom Rune - The Halls of Despair Despair Treasures: LightBazooka, ShellShield, FreedomRune Characters: Annie Once in Koorong with three runes, talk to Annie in front of the restaraunt. She'll offer to sneak you into Despair for the final rune, the Freedom Rune. Take her up on it. You'll enter disguised as janitorial workers(some of the characters get dressed up, some don't even bother. The security around here is pretty lax, if you ask me.). Follow the path until Annie asks you to follow her up a ladder. If you want all the treasures(and what great treasures they are) then keep heading west. Go in the second door, then get the LightBazooka from the lockers. Immediately hide in the lockers across from the item, because a guard will hear and come looking for you(if they see you, you won't like it). After getting this, then go back and jump in the door near there with the green arrow on it. Head out of this room, then north to the door. From here, head up elevator for the ShellShield. Now continue down the path here(there is a hallway with many mecha) through the locker room you were in earlier, and into the room where you first fell down from the door with the arrow. Go down the northwest ladder. Go past the sewer room and then jump down from the high ledge into the room with the conveyor(riding it takes you back to the elevator room). After going downstairs here, you'll be in a room with many posts. If there is a helmet called InfraScope in your inventory, then you'll see the laser beams(this is a good reason to always pack one). If not, you must guess the path through the lasers(it is random). If you cross a beam, then you are attacked by a group of mecha. Keep going until you come to a grate. You will be attacked by the boss here, Nidheg. BOSS-Nidheg The Nidheg is an extremely poor example of an enemy. Its attacks do very little damage, even its ultimate attack, the CentipedeCrush. You probably don't need my help here, just beat it down with your best attacks. If you have a monster in your party, you may absorb the CentipedeCrush attack after the battle. It is slightly better for you than for him. After beating him, it's just a hop, skip, and jump down the the FreedomRune and the exit! Congratulations, you have earned the gift for Rune magic. The Arcane Quest Most characters can undertake this quest-the quest for the Arcane magic gift. In order to get this gift, one must collect all 4 cards in the various regions. If you want this gift, then remember the following pointers: 1. Before going on the Arcane quest, you will have to go to Devin and ask about the Arcane magic gift to get the 4 normal cards. Otherwise, you cannot collect the Arcana Tarot. 2. Once you begin collecting Cards, you cannot collect any Runes until you have all 4 Cards. Once you have all the Cards, you can also get all the Runes if you want, but you cannot get them both at once. This means that if you know you cannot get all the cards then don't get any of them or else you will be forever unable to get the Runes either. 3. Only characters who are in your party when you collect all 4 of the cards will get the gift. Characters who join during the Arcane quest will not get the gift. This quest begins in IRPO. The Shield Card - Frozen Mountain Pass Mosperiburg Treasures: LordStar, SanctuaryStone, KrisKnife, GoldenFleece, OctopusBoard, 1000 credits, Shield Card Characters: Fuse, Suzaku Travel to the IRPO office. Fuse will ask you to prove yourself by climbing to the top of the Mosperiburg mountain range and getting a flower(couldn't come up with something better than that...). Fuse joins you permanently here, and you also can get the monster Suzaku, if you really think it is worth all the trouble. On the very first screen, you will see a fairy enemy. Kill it, then continue. On the second screen, then you will come to a cave. If you want the treasures listed, they are all in there(except for the card). Unfortunately for you, they are guarded by two dragons. BOSS-RedDragon and BlackDragon These two menacing lizards will hurt you bad if you are not powered up. If your characters don't have a few mid-level techniques and at least 300- 400 HP, don't even go in here. The RedDragon is just like any other RedDragon that you may randomly encounter, but the other one is about 4 times as dangerous as a normal one, and the normal ones don't give in too easy. Your first priority is to concentrate your attacks on the RedDragon, or else they will combo you to death. It should not take too long to beat him. Then go to work on the big guy. Have a Grail spell or some curing items to take care of the guys that are petrified by his StoneGas. Be sure to keep yourself healed to above half your HP because the BlackDragon can deal out big damage to multiple characters with the TitasWave and StoneGas. If it chooses to use physical attacks, then it gets to attack three times a round. It also may DeathGrip you and knock out 1 LP. Make sure that your characters are equipped with JetBoots so that you cannot be hit with its tail. Once you take out the two dragons, grab all that treasure(the LordStar is a good sword-its BraveHeart ability allows you to power up your attacks based upon the strength of the rest of the party). If you are using mecha, then the OctopusBoard will come in handy. Then exit and move on up the mountain. Soon you'll enter another cave. There are two exits from here, northeast and northwest. The northeast way leads to a frozen Suzaku. If you want it to join your party, then you are in for a treat. Exit from here and move on to the northwest. Now you'll be in a large clearing with three boar enemies. There may be a large snowman standing there too. If you want Suzaku in your group, then you need to kill this snowman. If the snowman is not there, then go back to the first screen and fight the fairy enemy there again(that was important earlier) and climb back up to this clearing and look again. After a few tries, you should find the big snowman. Save first, because he is tough. BOSS-Jotnar Jotnar is even harder than the pair of dragons, because he can hit all your characters with a Windblast and tear you apart if you are not of good strength. He also has IceSmash, ArcticBreath, and a DivingPress attack, all of which do major damage to your characters. To make matters worse, the monster has an IceBarrier that causes any close range attacks against it to be rewarded with an automatic freezing counterattack. Beating Jotnar will require your characters to have enough HP to survive the Windblast(it usually does from 400-500 points of damage). Then equip at least two guys with healing items or spells and start attacking with long range weapons. If you have gun techs, then chain together a few BoundShots or CrossShots in a large combo to do big damage. Twogun is another very nice tech to have. If not, then use GaleSlash, LifeSprinkler, TurbidCurrent, RosarioImpale, and other long-range sword techs to dice up Jotnar. Always try to engineer combos if you can. After beating Jotnar, then if you revisit the frozen Suzaku you will find that it is thawed out. Bump into it and it joins you. After you have done this (or not) and want to get the card and get out, continue north past Jotnar's clearing. After a few screens you will come to a flowerbed. Save again. If you have fought both the dragons and Jotnar, then using that SanctuaryStone the dragons had may not be a bad idea, because as soon as you pluck the flower another boss awaits you. BOSS-Suzaku This is just like one of the Suzaku enemies you may meet randomly as a normal battle, except it has about 4 times the HP. It has a FireBarrier to counter any close range attacks, several mildly powerful strikes like FireBreath and GliderSpike to hit a character, and its best attack, a Heatwave that hits all of you for serious damage. Gun techs are definitely useful here-a few level 3, 4, or 5 combos of repeated CrossShots or BoundShots will dice up the Suzaku in a few rounds, before it can use its Heatwave. If you don't have these, then you must rely on your long range sword and fighting techs. If the monster uses Heatwave, then your first priority is to heal yourself, because it will not hesitate to do it again almost right away. Then continue on the attack. This boss is tough, but not as tough as Jotnar or the dragons in my opinion. Once the Suzaku is destroyed, you will return to the station with the flower. Fuse stays with your party, and the Shield Card is yours. The Grail Card - Treading Through the Haze Yorkland Treasures: Grail Card Characters: Thunder Next, head for Yorkland. At the intersection, head southwest(toward the breweries). There are five cellars that brew wine here. Visit them all and talk to the people. They will give you a drink of their best wine, then refer you to the next cellar. Finally, at the fifth cellar, the man will give you a drink and telll you to visit the liquor shrine, in the middle of the swamp. Go back to the intersection and go north. In the swamp, you will notice a lot of eyes staring at you. You will also notice that your walking ability has been affected by the alcohol-you can't hold a straight line! The shrine is to the north of the swamp, but those eyes are enemies that will attack you if you come too close. The best path to meet the fewest enemies is to walk to the right at first, go up the right side, then back to the middle once you are near the shrine and up the middle of the rows of eyes. It is possible to get through without any enemies, but it is highly unlikely given your drunken state. To make matters worse, once you are in battle the drunkenness affects you by making each character in your party start off with a random status ailment, even characters immune to such ailments. These effects include beserk, charm, poison, mess, and blind. De-equip attacks that hit all the enemies before fighting anything, or else a charmed character may randomly waste your whole party. Most of the enemies that attack here attack alone, so these attacks are not worth the risk. Oh yeah, speaking of the enemies, they are among the most powerful enemies in the game, ranking right up there with the ones in the lab. If you are of low level, it will be Gaeatoads, so that's not too hard. It then becomes Genbus, then Basilisks. Once you get about 400-500 HP, though, the bad boys come out and every single enemy will be a Kraken. If you are fighting Krakens, then equip SeaStones and PearlHearts ahead of time to protect you from the Maelstrom. If you have a monster, make sure it has DeathTouch or some similar attack. Equip instant death, paralysis, and petrification attacks to take out the Krakens in a hurry. Every three rounds the drunken stupor will reinstate itself and give you a whole new host of status problems so you don't want the fights to take that long. Later, when you are not drunk, the enemies here are good for leveling up, but now just hurry through as best you can. Once you reach the liquor shrine, your characters will have a hallucination that is actually the true form of the Grail Card. There's one more down. The Gold Card - The Cavern of the Gnomes Baccarat Treasures: Gold Card Characters: Emelia The first thing to do is to get 4, and only 4, GoldIngots. Head to Nelson and spend 2000 credits to get 4. If you have already done the infinite money trick then you will have some left, so sell them down to 4. Any more than 4 Ingots will be lost for no reason, so get the money for them now. Once you have the gold, head for Baccarat. Travel to the casino, and head upstairs. Find Emelia in her bunny outfit(she is near the slot machines) and talk to her. A gnome will trot by, and the two of you will follow it upstairs. Follow it to the elevator. Once you see it go down the elevator, you need to find a different elevator and take it to the parking deck. Once there, you will see that a manhole cover has been lifted, leading to the Gnome Cave. Note that if you are Emelia, this cannot be done until after the event that occurs in Baccarat(see Emelia's walk- through). As you try to descend into the tunnel, Emelia will run out. If you want her in your group, then talk to her, otherwise ignore her and move on. Once inside the cave, you must travel to the southwest exit in the first room. Once in the next room, walk into the wall to the west to enter a passage. You should see a winged demon enemy, and a cavern to the north. Go in the cavern, and you'll see the gold cache of the Gnomes. There is much more to explore in the cave, but there are no treasures, so I wouldn't bother. Talk to the lead Gnome(the one on the upper right). He'll ask for LOTS of GOLD. If you talk to him again and you have 4 GoldIngots, he'll reward you with the Gold Card. If you have more, he'll take all you have and give you the card. If you have less, he'll take that then send you after more. You then must bring 4 more to get the card. Once you have the card, exit the cave and head back to Koorong. The Saber Card - Scavenging Through the Ghost Town Wakatu Treasures: CometBlade, IronClogs, TwinDragon, Saber Card Characters: Gen In order to get this card, you need Gen in your party. If you don't have him then talk to the skeleton guy standing near the leather shop in the south of Koorong. After hearing the description of Gen, talk to him in the pub in Scrap and he'll go with you. Now head for Wakatu from the Koorong port. Since Gen is with you, they will let you go and collect the Saber Card. Talk to the skeleton boatman to get a ride to Wakatu Castle. Enter the doors and travel one screen to the west. Follow Gen to the next screen to the east. Go up the stairs and go north at the end of them. You'll come to a house. Enter it and Gen will direct to to the back way. Follow him. You'll come to another north-south intersection a few screens later. Gen will walk off to the south, so follow him for now. There are some pretty valuable treasures to the north, but it is faster to get the card first because the northern path leads back to the start. If you are Blue, you may want to get the treasures first because of the way that you are instantly transported away every time you get a rune/card. To get them, just follow the directions below the paragraph with the card, then come back here to get the card. If you followed Gen south, then you will come to a screen where Gen points out a back way in to get the card. There is an entrance in the northwest of this area. First, however, keep heading south and get the TwinDragon katana from the chest. Then head back and go in the building. You should be in a room with a skeleton sitting beneath a pinwheel. Go upstairs from this room, then go upstairs a couple more times. On the fourth floor, you'll see three candles. Stand among them and Gen will come out and tell you the trick: three shapes will appear on the wall. Press O to stop them on three swords and the card is yours. If you get 3 rabbits or a combination of swords and rabbits then nothing happens. If a monster is among the shapes, you must fight some random enemies. The best way to get the swords is to listen to the "clink" noise that pops up about every other second. If you press the button right as the clink goes off, you have the best chance of getting the card. This sometimes takes a few tries, though. Now you can go back and get the rest of the treasure. Go back to the north-south intersection and go north. Jump across the chasm you find. You will eventually come to a west-south intersection. Go south. Enter the building here, and you'll see that you are on the other side of the crack in the building you were in earlier. Go downstairs. In the cellar, you will find the Blade God. Depending upon Gen's strength level and number of times he has used his sword, you may be granted the CometBlade by the Blade God. If I do not get it immediately, I usually hang around and fight enemies until it is given to me, as the CometBlade is a very valuable sword. Its attack power is high, but even better it has the MillionDollers attack that deals big damage to all the enemies you are facing. Once you get this weapon, head back and travel west. Get the IronClogs, then jump across the chasm here and head south until you reach the front door and exit. Note that on the second floor of the building with the card, you can jump out and walk across the roof to get around to the other side of the room. If anyone knows why, drop me a line. Congratulations, that completes the quest for the gift of Arcane Magic. WALKTHROUGHS _______________________________________________ IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED THE GAME, DON'T READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!! Many RPG's I've played lately have been ruined because I already knew the story line and what was going to happen before I even played the game. These kinds of games are a hell of a lot more fun when there is some element of surprise, so only read beyond this point if you are irrevocably stuck or if you are finished and want to see if you missed anything. If you read this without playing first you will have less fun, I promise. SPOILER SPACE OK, that's enough. Now let's get on with it. Characters T260G T260's game was one of my favorites to play. It had one of the most involved story lines of the game, as well as having many enemies and dungeons to travel through that are specific to the character. When I first heard of this game, I envisioned all of the characters having games like this one, but many of them fall short of that goal. You can kind of tell what order the writers did the characters in when they were making this game--they did Red, then T260G and Asellus, then signs of fatigue were starting to show with Riki and Emelia, they decided to make Blue's game consist of just collecting cards or runes(which I do with any character anyway), then at the end of their rope with the deadline coming up they did Lute. After playing through a couple of times to do the walkthroughs, I must say that when I play this game for fun I always choose Red, Asellus, or T260G. But anyway, on with the story. Travel From Junk and the Defeat of Caballero T260's game starts in Junk, a region that is only accessable in his game. You will see a scene with a spacecraft that is destroyed. T260 escapes from this craft, but his memory is erased and he is left for dead in the junkyard nearby. Thyme, an obnoxious kid from the town here, finds you and brings you back to his home where you are repaired by his Uncle Taco(who is an octopus-screwed up family, huh?). Talk to Thyme and to his sister, Rosemary. You can then explore the town outside. There is a shop, but that is the only other house you can enter. You will also notice that a man named Caballero has sent some goons to rough up the townspeople who are not obeying him--you get to take care of that later. Your first order of business is to go to the Combat Arena. In the back of the arena, there is a bar. Who do you expect to find in a bar but good old Gen. Talk to him, then enter the other room to the north of that one, where you register for battle. Before entering the combat arena, you will need to spend some of your cash on some RepairKits in the town shop. Equip a Backpack so you can reach your RepairKits, because you may need healing in the arena battles. After you are prepared, enter the arena and fight. There will be three robots you must beat at first, each one a little tougher than the previous one. If you keep yourself healed up with Repair- Kits you should not have any trouble with these guys. You will also get some items from them-namely, a BrokenBumper, a Junk, and a BrokenRifle. Whoopee, you say. Well, these worthless items can be fixed by Uncle Taco in town to make some below average weapons and armor. In order to beat the fourth and most dangerous robot, you will need to repair these items. After taking the stuff to Taco, you will get: Junk becomes JunkHelm BrokenBumper becomes Bumper BrokenRifle becomes EasyRifle Also, between each battle return to the northeast room to collect your prize money. After getting all this stuff, equip it and head back to the bar. Save, then talk to Gen and you will be sent into a battle with Caballero's most powerful servant, Vulcan. BOSS-Vulcan What can I say, you're all by yourself, and there is not much equipment to choose from here. Shoot it with your JunkBazooka, then fill it with lead from the EasyRifle you got(you did get it, right?). If your HP drops below 1/2 maximum, you should use a RepairKit because Vulcan can do a lot of damage to you with its guns. After the battle, there will be a scene with Taco in town and then the people will let you into their houses. Talk to all of them, and you may be rewarded with a few menial treasures(nothing too useful, though). Once you've had your fill of that, head back to the bar and talk to Gen again. You will find out that Thyme is missing, so it's time to find him-head for the Crater. Gen will join you here. Shaft Treasures: FiberVest, SanctuaryStone Characters: none Go to the area on the big map called Crater. You will see Thyme's hat on the ground in front of an elevator. Head down the elevator. Once inside, follow the path until you reach a clearing. Go in the opposite cave to get a FiberVest, then jump down to the stairs and enter the next elevator. You'll eventually go up another elevator and be back outside. Go down the next elevator to get a SanctuaryStone from the cavern, then go back up and enter the northern cave. There's Thyme, strung up by a pair of very unfortunate enemies. Unfortunate, because you're here to kill them! BOSS-SirDemon I almost did not give this guy the dignity to be called a boss. He will show up with a Skeleton and a Xeno as bodyguards, kill them then kill the head honcho. If you beat Vulcan, you can easily beat this. The only notable thing about this battle is that Gen uses an IronPipe like a sword to club the enemies, then cut down Thyme from the ropes--pretty cool of him, I guess. After you rescue Thyme, you will begin to search for your original programming that was lost in the accident. Realizing that this information will never be found in Junk, you must travel to another region. You'll leave Thyme and Rosemary and travel to Scrap by hitching a ride in the garbage. Once you arrive in this area, you should travel to the pub. Here, you can pick up a few friends to help you on your cause. Get Mei-Ling and Riki if you want. Talk to Lute. He will not join you now, but he will soon. Next, travel to Caballero's office. Needless to say, he will not simply leave the people of Junk alone without a fight. I mean, there is so much valuable, er, um, junk there to steal. Don't want to miss out on that. Looks like you're going to have to pay the factory a visit and do this the hard way. Before going there, though, I would recommend going to the Junk Shop and using the cheat outlined in the Scrap section(above) to equip your characters with some very good equipment. That will make the factory a piece of cake. Caballero Factory Treasures: KukriBlade, 400 credits, PowerCure, SteelAmulet Characters: Lute The first thing you'll want to do is get Lute in your party(you saw him sneak out after you approached the factory, that sneaky devil). Head into the house on your right and beat the enemy there and Lute will run up and join you. Now go across into the other two outer buildings to get 400 credits and a KukriBlade(these are guarded by enemies, though). After rummaging through the crap out here, enter the main factory building. There are several snipers above you in the factory. If you get in a battle with an enemy near where a sniper is, then throughout the battle you will be getting nailed with Enemy Fire from the snipers. If you are strong, or got good equipment from the Junk Shop, then the weak Enemy Fire won't really hurt you all that much, but if you don't have good armor or you are going for the maximum style points, you can use the cranes and levers around the factory to knock off the snipers. In order to achieve this level of smoothness, you should immediately run into the east door upon entering the factory(don't fight the mech there or you'll get shot up and look really silly). Climb upstairs. You will see a lever right next to where you come out of the stairwell on the upper level. Hit it and you'll knock off the sniper below. There's one down. Beat up the human enemies up here, then go to the far west of the upper level. There are two levers here. The upper one is used later, so for now hit the lower one. You'll move a box on the lower level to reveal a switch that will soon be important. Now go back to the stairwell and climb down(you can go down from the stairs nearby, but you'll have to be pretty swift to avoid the enemies there. It's probably best to go back the way you came). Once you exit the stairwell, you'll be back where you started. Immediately hit the switch right next to you to your north. That will take out the sniper that is in front of you. Now lure as many enemies as you can into the south- east area and destroy them there away from the snipers. After that, you can get to the lever that is where the box once was(the box you moved earlier). Hit it, and you will be operating a crane. Press O just as the crane passes over the sniper and you will not only get him out of your way, but also give him one hell of a wedgie. This allows you to pick up the SteelAmulet and the PowerCure in the two boxes(you can see that two of the boxes are glowing-it's those two). Now sneak north until you can lure the human enemy and the flying skeleton enemy south away from the last sniper and kill them. After that, go to the lever that is near the box in the northwest and hit it to raise the elevator. Now you can go all the way back upstairs and press the switch that was useless earlier(in the northwest) to drop the box on the head of the strangely unsuspecting sniper. It should now be free and clear all the way to Caballero. What treachery is this? Caballero running away and letting robots do his fighting for him? Unheard of! After approaching him, he does just that and leaves you to deal with his new model, the VulcanII. BOSS-VulcanII and D-Tractors This enemy can be either very hard or ridiculously easy depending upon whether you did the trick and got good equipment from the Junk Shop. If you did not, you'd better go all out with your techs and cut your way through to destroy VulcanII, then mop up the remaining D-Tractors. VulcanII's vulcan cannon will knock off a good chunk of a weakly armored character's health. The D-Tractors are not pushovers either, since their most common attack is Tackle, an attack that combos with itself(so if they all target the same guy, they'll probably combo him into oblivion). However, if you shopped in the Junk Shop for 30-45 minutes and stocked up on good items, then these four enemies will probably go down to 4 attacks, and they will be almost unable to hurt you. After trashing these piles of scrap, Junk's freedom from Caballero is earned, and you are permitted to leave the region of Scrap via the port(the price drops from 10000 to 10 credits). Jump on board and head for Koorong. Nakajima Robotics and Sei's Tomb Once you are in Koorong, you have access to any region you want to visit. This is the ideal time to go and recruit new characters, and to undertake some optional quests to get some experience and items. Make sure to leave at least 3 spaces in your party open for the mecha that must join you later, they are all very useful. Normally when playing with T260G, since it is the only game where you can get the required number of mecha, I like to have my lead party consist of nothing but 5 mecha. The other two are usually divided among the other races. The following characters can join T260G: Humans Mecha Mystics Monsters Lute EngineerCar Riki Emelia ZEKE Thunder Annie Leonard Cotton Fuse PzkwV Slime Gen Sei Fei-on Kylin Mei-Ling Suzaku I usually go on the Rune and Arcane quests at this point, as well as clearing the optional areas like the manor in Owmi of treasure. This allows me to get a chance to get some experience for the characters. Also, try absorbing some good programs. If you do not take time to level up, then the game will be extremely frustrating. After getting the Cards and Runes, you're usually high enough level to move on to the next part of the story. My party usually ends up looking like this: 1 2 3 T260G Gen Lute EngineerCar Fuse Annie ZEKE Mei-Ling Fei-on Leonard Emelia Slime PzkwV Riki Cotton T260G can't get TimeLord because he can't get the SandVessel in Facinaturu (Gozarus doesn't want your stinking robot life points). ZEKE, Leonard, and PzkwV are gotten during the story, Gen is with you from the beginning, you get Fuse and Emelia from the Arcane quest, and you get Annie, Fei-on, and Slime from the Rune quest. I like to have a lead party of mecha so that any time an enemy looks dangerous I can use my mecha to utterly destroy it (about the only attack in the entire game that a party of five mecha with two PoweredSuits each needs to worry about is MagneticStorm, and that attack is rare). Make sure to get the infinite money trick started as soon as possible to get those suits for the mecha and weapons and armor for the humans. Anyway, once you have powered yourself up and gotten the characters you want, head to Koorong. There is a room behind the chicken in the southern part of town, go in there and log into the computer. If you are a speed reader, you may get some useful information about Nakajima Robotics, their legal problems with Trinity, a Dr. Leonard, and the Ancient Ship ruins in Shingrow. Apparently, Nakajima is pissed because Trinity ripped off their mech design, and doubly pissed because he cannot do anything about it due to Trinity's influence. Looks like these guys might be able to repair you and help you find out about your lost mission, so head for Shrike and enter Nakajima Robotics. Apparently, a very important mouse is lost in Sei's Tomb to the north, and finding it will allow these guys to help you. Head north to the tomb. Sei's Tomb Treasures: Murakumo, Magatama, Mizukagami, Kusanagi Characters: Sei If you haven't done so, now would be a good time to collect the treasures here(see the walkthrough above in the Shrike section). All you have to do to continue the game, however, is fall into the large room with the Murakumo and get the mouse from the west corner. If you need help, I already did the walkthrough for this section above. Once you have done this, head back to Nakajima Robotics and you'll see ZEKE(the new mech model) get reactivated. Talk to him to get him to join you. Don't forget EngineerCar while you're here, either. You also can get your own body type changed here to suit your needs. In my opinion, the two best are the one that has the Medipack and LaserCannon, and the original model. The Medipack is useful if you have humans in T260G's party, and the original model has little standard equipment but the most slots to stick equipment on to increase its power. Once you've decided, exit and head for Manhattan to investigate Dr. Leonard. Leonard and Infiltrating Tartaros Go to the mall and enter the burger joint to talk to the bald guy in the back. This is Leonard. If you have logged into the computer at Koorong, he will take you to his lab. There he will examine you and tell you that you are a unique model that he has never seen before. He gives you a memory chip, and tells you to come back sometime. That you will, but not before you check out your last lead, the Ancient Ship in Shingrow. Ancient Ship Treasures: Junk, RottenMeat, 200 credits, JumpSuit, 200 credits, MemoryBoard, 300 credits, DuelGun, HyperScale, BoltThrower, 500 credits Characters: none There is already a walkthrough for this section done above, so if you need help refer to it. You must make your way to the secret room with 500 credits in it near the Bolt Thrower. Access the computer in here, and you can read the data files describing the ship and RB3, some type of powerful device. Once you have read them all, you can choose to download one of three mech programs to use: ShootingMastery, CombatMastery, and EvasionLaser. Now exit the ship. Looks like that's all the information you can get now, so you should head back to Manhattan and check on Leonard. Leonard is nowhere to be found, so now you should activate the computer in the rear. Leonard will then come out to greet you-but now he is a mech! Apparently somebody wanted him dead and destroyed his old body so that he had to transplant his personality into one of his mech models. His model is unique, and he'll turn out to be a very useful character. Anyway, Leonard thinks that the only way to find out who you are is to break into the Trinity security program and see what they know. He asks you to go with him to Tartaros(what a cheery name) for this purpose. You'll hide in a container and be smuggled into Tartaros. Tartaros Treasures: Osc-sword, LaserCarbine, ZenGun, SecretBoard, OctopusBoard, HyperionBazooka, PoweredSuit, SanctuaryStone Characters: none After entering the main building, head through the door on the left, then go downstairs and to the east. Just as the passage curves north, there will be a door in the west wall. Enter here, then go directly north up stairs to get Osc-sword. Then head west. In the southwest corner, hit the switch on the wall to open the door above you. Get the LaserCarbine from the upper part of the room and then go back to the 2nd room(right after the first hall- way with two doors). Go out the north door on the upper level. Turn east and go through door. You'll see a large mech enemy that is there-fight it. it is a BigDigger. Beat it and you'll get a ZenGun. There are four of these enemies in the area, and each drops a treasure. They each have different attacks as well. One of them uses a large cannon, and another uses Maelstrom. If a mech absorbs the one that uses Maelstrom, you will get DragonProgram which allows you to use Maelstrom if you have an OctopusBoard. Be sure to fight them all. Anyway, after getting the ZenGun, check the northeast door and Leonard will tell you that you need to hit all the switches around here to open the door. There are 4 total, so do the following: 1st: Go out west door and cross bridge. Go down ladder and head north. Get SecretBoard then head through the door here. The BigDigger in this room is the one that uses Maelstrom, so be sure to absorb it. Beat it for an OctopusBoard and hit the switch. 2nd: Go back up the ladder, then enter the north room and fight the BigDigger for a HyperionBazooka. This one may use the HyperionBazooka in combat(it is about to do so if it lays down) so be careful. Hit the switch. 3rd: Go southwest from the room with the ladder, then take the west door. You can get a PoweredSuit from this BigDigger, then hit the switch. 4th: Go back down the ladder and head south along the tracks. Get the SanctuaryStone and hit the last switch. Now go back to the locked door and head through. Go up the elevator and head east, then follow the path to the computer. Here you will find out the coordinates of HQ, where you hope to finally get your answers. HQ - The Secret Revealed Treasures: BehemothRifle, MemoryBoard, LaserScope, FlameThrower, HarmoniumArmor, GrainCannon, HyperBlaster, ExcelShield, HEAT Bazooka Characters: none First, before heading to HQ, you may want to visit the Backstreets at Koorong with Leonard in the party. You can talk to the smuggled goods salesman in the alley and he'll join you. Now you can have a 5 mech party! Get PzkwV, then take off for HQ from the Manhattan port. The first section of HQ is nothing but a treasure trove of items. There are several rooms with items, and at the end there is a large computer console. Don't access it until you have all the items above. There is not really any way to get lost here, so just collect all the stuff then talk to the person at the entrance to refill your health. Log into the computer at the end of the hall and you'll enter the CPU. Apparently a virus has taken over the CPU, and you must destroy it to get any useful information out of it. You will end up in a virtual town, populated by Virus enemies. Absorbing these enemies gives you a program called Virus. I know this does not sound like a good thing, but if you use it in conjunction with a SecretBoard, you can use Jammer and LogicBomb. Anyway, the first thing to do is to head into the eastern house. Activate the dresser and you will be transported to another place. Exit here, then beat the Viruses to clear a path to the second door from the left. Enter and open the big door to fight the boss, HQ Core. BOSS-HQ Core This is unique in that the HQ Core is not the enemy, but the viruses around it must be destroyed. T260G will have a new command, "Contact". Clear a path, then use this on the HQ Core to end the battle. Overall, this is an easy fight, just remember you are not supposed to kill everything, just Contact the HQ Core. After beating this enemy, the viruses will be gone from the system. Now you can exit the large doors to the south and go west as far as possible. Go across the southern bridge, then enter the building. Now you are presented with a puzzle. You must walk across the panels in the right order to open the door(this reminds me of Q-bert, you know, the hard levels where the blocks change back if you jump on them again). In order to make it, walk across them in the numbered order: door 7 6 3 4 5 2 1 entrance Once you've solved that one, then you get another puzzle. The panels are switched with the panels above when you stand on them and press O. They start out: B R B R B R B R B Activate the panels in the following order: 2 4 3 5 1 and the panel will rise and give you access to the main computer. T260G's real mission is finally revealed - to destroy RB3, a doomsday device that is programmed to destroy all the regions at the slightest hint of its own danger. The hacking into the computers that you have performed was constituted as an attack, so RB3 is activated and is on its way to destroy everything. Your only chance is to get a ride and fly to RB3 to take it out. Exit HQ(with each room punctuated by more talk from Gen and T260G). You may have found a panel that was out of order earlier, with a suit of armor that look sort of like a jet plane. Go to this panel now, and activate it. T260G will get the Omega Body, the most powerful mec model available. You can use the V-Max ability, giving you StarlightShower and CosmicRave(two powerful attacks). Looks cool too. Get this, then exit the way you came in by talking to the guy out front. RB3 - The Doomsday Machine Treasures: none Characters: none This is the final dungeon, and once inside there's no going back, so if you want to level up(T260G has one of the hardest end bosses, so you may want to) or get more items and techs do so now. When you're ready, head for RB3 from the Manhattan port. You'll land on the ship with your cheap rocketship. From where you start, head west until you reach a room with green lasers across the doors. Don't worry, these don't hurt you. Go north from here and hit the switch on the computer console. Then head south 2 screens and do the same to the computer console there. Go out the east door once both are off. The laser defense system will be turned off. Head north. Here there are a series of red buttons you must push to open the path. First, climb the first ladder and hit that button. Then climb the next ladder and cross the bridge to hit another button. Now you must go back to the first ladder and turn left to hit the button and open the passage. In the next room, many robots will floof out of the north. They are just normal robot enemies, but you must kill them all. Beat all of them(there are many), and then you will fight the first boss here, MecGod. BOSS-MecGod The MecGod is not a weak enemy, but if you have good programs and the right equipment then it should not be terribly hard. PluralSlash works well, especially if comboed with your HyperionBazooka and Kusanagi. The MecGod's attacks will probably not be able to do severe damage to your mecha except for one: he rarely uses the MagneticStorm attack. If this happens, most of your mecha will be dead and the survivors will be paralyzed. Throw everything but the kitchen sink at him do destroy him before he does this. Remember that mecha-affecting attacks like LogicBomb and MagneticStorm will be very effective against the MecGod. If you are skilled at comboing, then a party of mecha should be able to destroy the MecGod without too much trouble. Make sure to absorb the MecGod into the same mech that has Dragon- Program, since you will get TigerProgram from this enemy. I usually like to have these programs together. After you destroy the MecGod, you will enter the core to destroy it. This is another virtual reality world. In order to progress, you must fight the enemies. At first, the path to the east is blocked, but if you fight enough enemies it will open. The area will just seem like a big circle, but after you fight enough enemies in the forest area then you will be able to reach a desert area by walking around to the north. Fight many enemies in the desert area, and you will be able to reach the boss by walking around in the desert for a while. This usually takes a while. You will notice that the enemies are constantly changing form as they walk around. If you want to get the TigerProgram on more of your mecha, then you can fight the MecGod again by finding an enemy in the jungle and waiting for it to change into a Hermes-like mech. Run into it then and it will be the MecGod again. If you fight a Hermes-like mech in the desert, then it will be a Lunatic enemy with many K9Mecs. There is not much to gain from this, but it is a unique enemy. After fighting enough in the desert, you will meet the final boss, GenocideHeart. BOSS-GenocideHeart This boss is quite powerful. My advice is to use an all mecha party, because GenocideHeart's favorite attack, Carnage, has a faint effect that instantly slays humans. If you use humans, give them BloodChalices and PlutoArmor. The battle method of GenocideHeart is to hit you with Carnage, then Virtual Shift into one of 4 or 5 regions. Each region gives GenocideHeart new attacks. There is an ice world, a fire world, a wind world, a world where it uses holy attacks, and a few others. None of these attacks will severely hurt a mech, but the Carnage will still whack off a good bit of health. Heal up after he Virtual Shifts, and attack relentlessly. If you got the V-Max armor, now is the time to use it. Keep yourself healed to above 1/2 total HP at all times, or else you are risking losing some fighters, which is very inconvenient. Unload your PluralSlash, CosmicRave, and HyperionBazookas into the enemy. If you have a human, DSC is never a bad idea. Note that each time the enemy returns from a Virtual Shift, some of the screens in the background break and a message appears that says "now at security level #". The number of broken screens and the security level let you know how damaged the boss is. Once it is destroyed, sit back and enjoy your ending, it's a pretty good one. Note that the theatrics and graphics in this battle are among the best in the game, enjoy it. Good music too. LUTE Lute's game is, to put it bluntly, crap. If I had chosen him first when I bought the game, then I probably would have taken it back to the store and wanted my money back. However, a few details about the overall story(albeit very few) are to be gleaned from enduring his arduous mission(arduous due to the desire to go to sleep that you will have throughout). The reason Lute's game is my least favorite is because he really does not have one. There is only one dungeon that is specific to Lute's game, and it is the last one. You can access the final dungeon at virtually the beginning of the game. I wasted 4 or 5 hours the first time I played this one because I went ahead into the dungeon(I assumed that I was nowhere near the end) with my fairly low-level party. Naturally, I had no hope of defeating the boss, so I had to start over(once you save inside the dungeon, there is no going out). It is obvious to me that the guys at Square did this story very close to the release deadline for the game. If one of you guys reads this and that is not so, write and tell me why you did it. Lute Leaves Home You start your quest in Yorkland, Lute's hometown. You are kicked out into the street by your mother so you can find a job, and since the only job around here is brewing liquor(Lute can't do that for a living-he'd drink the merchandise) you head for the port. Once you reach the port, you have a little trouble with the guards who say that the ship has been chartered for Trinity, and that you can't get on board. However, Captain Mondo comes out of the housing project or whatever there on the left and says to let you on board. You'll have a little chat with him, where you discover that he is also from Yorkland(if you do Emelia's game, then a lot of this makes more sense-Yorkland is the home of Trinity's power source). You'll be dropped off in Manhattan. The only thing to really do here is go to the burger joint in the mall. Fuse will be sitting in the back there. Talk to him and you'll find out (gasp) Mondo isn't nice! In fact, he's another crazy-ass criminal bent on controlling Trinity, and then the world...hahahahahahaha!!! Ahem.. anyway, we all know what happens in RPG's to people who aren't nice, so it's time to prepare to eventually face Mondo. The first thing to do is to use the port to head for Owmi(you'll have to transfer at Koorong). In Owmi, go to the seafood shop(near the dock). There is a sailor there near the entrance-talk to her. She'll make your standard small talk about food additives and preservatives, then offer to take you to her ship. Take her up on it by going to the port and heading for Nelson. Instead of being in Nelson, you'll be on board Capt. Hamilton's ship. Speak with her in the rear room. She'll tell you the startling news that, on top of not being nice, Mondo also had a hand in the death of your father. Strangely, Lute really doesn't seem to care about that too much though. Now, this is very important-you will be given a choice whether or not to go to Mondo Base now-do not go yet. Believe it or not, this is the last dungeon and the only way out once you go in is through Mondo. You won't be able to beat him with two characters who have 100 HP each. This brings you to your next order of business, getting characters and leveling up. Lute can get the following people to join him: Humans Mecha Mystics Monsters Emelia T260 TimeLord Riki Rouge EngineerCar Silence Cotton Roufas Measarthim Slime Capt. Hamilton Sei Annie Thunder Fuse Kylin Gen Suzaku Fei-on Mei-Ling Collect enough people to fill out your three teams. A good way to do this is to go on the Rune and Arcane quests, since you pick up some good characters that way like Fuse, Fei-on, Annie, and TimeLord. Picking up the two mecha that you can get is a good idea too. Clear out all the optional areas of treasure and fight the enemies to raise your strength. A good group looks sort of like: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Gen T260 Capt. Hamilton Lute EngineerCar Fuse Annie Fei-on Emelia TimeLord Mei-Ling Rouge Thunder Slime Silence It really doesn't matter who you get, except that getting TimeLord is highly recommended. His powerful Time spells are hard to refuse. Rouge is a pretty good pick too. Once you have built a party, raise their levels until they have at least 600-700 HP each before continuing your journey to Mondo Base. Mondo Base-The Unveiled Tyrant Treasures: none Characters: none Return to Nelson, then talk to Capt. Hamilton in her room and accept her offer. You will head for Wakatu, the home of Mondo Base. If you have Gen with you, he'll come out and realize that's why Wakatu was destroyed-to maintain the secrecy of Mondo's HQ. In so doing, Gen's interaction in the story equals Lute's! Why wasn't Gen just a main character instead? Anyway, there will be a battle with one of Mondo's ships, and you will escape to Mondo Base. There are no treasures inside the base, so just head through the first room and touch the green panel in the next room to lower the platform. You must get a key in order to lower the elevator any further, so go in the room ahead. In the back, there is a box(behind the railing). Get it, then return and you can operate the elevator again. Repeat the process on the next floor, and you will reach the bottom. Here you will see a large enemy. Don't fight it-it is very powerful, completely optional, and gives you nothing that is very important or useful at this stage of the game. If you bump into it, then use unblockable attacks to cut through its shield and heal up after it uses its GaleAttack. Enter the door behind the enemy. You'll pass through one more room. After entering the hallway with the large open doors, you'll face Mondo. Use a SanctuaryStone first if you've got it. BOSS-Spriggan Spriggan can give you major trouble simply due to the surprise factor of meeting the end boss so soon that you are not ready. If you are prepared, however, the Spriggan is one of the easier end bosses. As you damage him he will phase through 5 progressively cooler forms with progressively cooler attacks. Occasionally, as he changes form, you will be hit by the background objects like IronPole and Enemy Fire. This usually is not too damaging, though. The attacks of the first three forms are pretty weak, with only the HyperBazooka attack posing any real danger. Once he reaches his fourth form, however, he begins using Shoot-All and BusterLauncher(two big damage attacks). The BusterLauncher may only hit two or three characters, though. If you have built some powerful techs and heal after the BusterLauncher strikes, then Spriggan should be no problem. Enjoy the deservedly brief ending and be glad you don't have to play Lute's chapter again. ASELLUS Asellus is one of my favorite games to play, since she has a great deal of character and a high level of involvement in the story when compared to some other characters. She also has many strategic options available through the ability she has to become a mystic at will. It is like having the high stats and special powers of a mystic along with having the learning ability and techniques of a human. The nature of most of the dungeons and boss battles in the game is somewhat random-as you wander around the world the enemies find you-you don't find them. There are predetermined places where they may find you, of course(this is a computer program) but the slight element of randomness forces you to stay on your toes. Death and Rebirth Facinaturu Treasures: SandVessel Characters: White Rose, Ildon Asellus' journey begins with you hearing the story told from the viewpoint of Gina, a person who lives in the Mystic village Rootville, in Facinaturu. Asellus was a human, who was hit by a carriage and killed. She was saved by an infusion of Mystic blood, but thusly consigned to live in Facinaturu forever. After listening to the intro, wake up and head through the room full of coffins. Turning east at the base of the stairs on the next screen leads to a room with several treasures that are very nice-unfortunately you can't keep them(you lose them when you leave the room). Once you reach the outside area, talk to Zozma in the northeast. After hearing his story, then you should go back and head northwest. There will be a room with a transporter that leads to a large room with flowers. Once you enter, however, you are greeted with a knife in your back! This is fairly surprising, but even more surprising is the purple blood that you suddenly seem to have and the strange fact that you are not dead. Something crazy must be going on, so you head back through the transporter and go south to the throne room(in the large double doors to the north in the main hall). Orlouge(this happens to be the asshole that ran you over to begin with) tells you that you are doomed to be his concubine or whatever, and that you cannot leave Facinaturu. Ildon, one of his lackeys, joins you. You are told to go to town and get a dress to wear. This is the first time you get to meet Gina. She works in the dress shop here. There will be a nice scene and Asellus will get her outfit.(Is it just me, or does it look like Asellus' arm is in a sling on the character status screen?) Once you're decent, head back to the castle, and into the far northeast building. Explore and get used to the place if you have trouble finding it, it is not too confusing. If you come to a place with monsters, then you went the wrong way. Just east of the throne room is a room that allows you to train, but this is pretty much a waste of time(you gain nothing except some experience, and there are better ways to get it). Once you get where you should be, you'll know because you'll meet White Rose. There will be a scene here, and she'll join you. Once you have White Rose, then travel to the southeast and southwest rooms to have the dialogue regarding Princess Lion and Princess Rei. Anytime you want to split up your party, just return to your room(where you started). Do that now. Return to get White Rose again, and revisit Princess Rei's room(southwest). Now that Ildon's gone, you will have a different conversation. This is important-if you don't visit Rei's room she will not join you later. If you visit Gozarus in Rootville while White Rose is in the party, then you can get the Asura and the SandVessel from him. You will need to get the SandVessel now if you want to get TimeLord later(trust me, you do). If you think the super powerful sword is worth 3 LP, then grab that too. As long as White Rose is in the party and Ildon is not, then you can go to the area in the back of the castle and fight the monsters to gain strength. I recommend you do this for a little while. In the far northwest, at the left of a fork in the road, there is a place where you can regain your strength. To the right is a Giant and a door that leads back to the flower room. Don't even consider fighting the giant now, you will not make it. Head back to your room, and you'll get to chat with Zozma. For another scene, you should train one time at the training ground(doesn't matter if you win), then return to the main hallway. Rastaban will talk to you there. Most of the scenes that occur here are not very enlightening, but you should endure them all if you want to see everything. Return to you room to dump your party, then head to Rootville and talk to Gina. When you return to the castle, Ciato will tell you about a human in the bar. Talk to him in the northwest house in Rootville, then return to the castle and get White Rose. She will join, and now you can exit Facinaturu through the house in the center-west side of Rootville(talk to the slime to open a path). The pilot will drop you off in Owmi. Upon your arrival here, White Rose notices the distress of another mystic by reading the rose petals in the water. Your search leads you to the Lord Manor in the north. The Mermaid's Scar (good movie, rent it) Lord Manor Treasures: KrisKnife, GhostCannon, RubberSuit, MaxCure X 3, Magi-Water, SanctuaryStone, RottenMeat, JetBoots, SeaStone(w/ Measarthim), ArmorGlove, JackalSword, ShellBracer, RubberShoes, PearlHeart, LeatherBoots Characters: Measarthim Talk to the lord of the manor. Since he will not be particularly helpful, you will have to search the manor yourself. After a little searching (upstairs, far west room) you'll meet Measarthim, a demure mystic who seems to enjoy being a slave to others. She quickly realizes, however, that she would rather be your slave than the mansion owner's slave ... um ... use your imagination here. Anyway, she joins you and you need to take her to the basement so she can escape. Get the treasures in the upper floor of the mansion, then travel downstairs. The walkthrough for this area is already done, so if you need help then follow it. Your target is to drop Measarthim off at her pool. Once you do this, you will be taken out of the manor(so you only have to fight the DevilSquid once). Therefore, I recommend getting the other treasures there first before dropping her off. The DevilSquid has reduced HP in this battle to make it reasonable. Switch around equipment(take Measarthim's BlueElf and give it to someone else, since she is already immune to water) to make beating it easier. Once you're done here, then drop her off and you're outta here. If you want her back, then you can get her just like any other character, but you need to wait until you progress in the story a little. I usually come back for her after the Dark Labyrinth. Anyway, go back and talk to the pilot and he'll take you to Shrike. First, if you want to get Rei later, or if you are just interested in every little bit of character interaction you can squeeze out of this game, then go to Devin and talk to the purple-haired lady at the shrine. White Rose will stare at her intently. Don't know if this is required to get her or not, since I always do it. No reason not to. Your next real mission is to visit your house in Shrike(an area only Asellus can access). However, once you do, you will begin the cycle of random events that results in 5 bosses and a dungeon being thrown at you at somewhat random locations with no warning. It is understandable if you want to power up and round up some friends before setting those wheels in motion. At this point, you have the freedom to travel the world. Go to Scrap and get the infinite equipment trick going, then sell the Osc-swords from there until you can get the infinite money trick going. This will take a few hours, probably, but it will save you a few hours later, trust me. You also can start collecting characters now, and go on the Rune or Arcane quests. Make sure to leave 3 spaces open at least for characters that you will get during the story(4 spaces if you want Measarthim). There are actually 4 characters you will get, but you will lose one so it comes out to 3. The following characters can join Asellus: Humans Mystics Mecha Monsters Lute White Rose none Slime Annie Ildon Cotton Fuse Zozma Sei Rouge TimeLord Thunder Emelia Measarthim Kylin Gen Rei Red Turnip Fei-on Suzaku You lose White Rose later, but you trade her in for Zozma who is vastly superior. Ildon is required, and Measarthim and Rei are recommended, as well as TimeLord. The large number of mystics available allows you to use them generously. Power them up, then absorb the Suzaku enemy into their three weapons and they will be very powerful. In the end, my party usually ends up looking like: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Asellus Gen Annie Ildon TimeLord Zozma Fuse Rouge Fei-on Rei Measarthim Lute Red Turnip Slime Emelia Each of these parties has a power character that can turn the tide of a battle(Asellus, TimeLord, Zozma). Asellus is arguably the most powerful character in the game(her special powers are discussed later). TimeLord is near the top too, with the Overdrive spell. Normally, I'll go on the Arcane quest first, then get TimeLord, then go on the Rune Quest with him. This allows him to get StasisRune and use the OverDrive cheat. The SharpPain attack, although not effective against all enemies, is effective against most and makes Zozma one of the best too. If you need power, then you can concentrate these three into a party and they will be an almost unstoppable team(relatively, that is). Once teams are formed, equipment is bought, and levels are sufficient, then you are ready to head back to Shrike and go to your house. Save first, you have to fight a boss here. Where Nobody Knows Your Name Shrike Your House When you arrive here, you learn that you've been gone a little longer than you thought - well, a little while in the cosmic sense. See, time has a different meaning in Facinaturu, apparently, so what was a little while there was a long while here. Your aunt thinks you are a ghost, and chases you away. After that emotional trauma, the last thing you need is one of Orlouge's henchmen jumping in to ruin your day. BOSS-FireSage This enemy is pretty easy if you prepared yourself first, but you may need some luck if you just came straight here. His best attack is the ChainHeat attack, which may instantly slay a character. Use your best attacks and the FireSage probably won't give you much trouble. After you win this battle, Asellus will get her MysticSword. This works like the MysticSword of any normal mystic, but it is the key to realizing Asellus' true power. If you use one of Asellus' Mystic weapons in battle, she undergoes a MysticalChange. This form is extremely powerful, because it has all the best traits of both humans and mystics. Like a human, she can learn and use any type of technique, including gun, fighting, and sword. Her base statistics remain the same as well. However, her mystic blood adds the stats gained from monsters absorbed on her weapons on top of that. If you use the MysticSword, you will eventually learn the other two like a normal mystic. Once you absorb 3 Suzaku enemies into the weapons, then you get your normal human stats +60 to each one. All your stats will equal or approach 99. This effect only lasts during the battle, and you cannot absorb monsters into the weapons until after you have finished the MysticalChange. Mystics in SF normally have higher stats than humans-their weakness comes from the lack of powerful techs. If you get DSC on Asellus and use it after a MysticalChange, then it will do twice as much damage as normal, up to 25000 points! All her abilities are affected this way. Also, like a mystic, she is highly resistant to death and bad status. Imagine a human character, with all the powerful sword and fighting techs, but with the high defense and attacking power of a powered up mystic, and you've got Asellus. The only down sides are that it does take a round to transform, and you gain stats like a mystic after the battle(only CHA, HP, WP, and JP). Asellus' heavy attack power with the big techs is something you want, so I recommend getting DSC on her when you can. You can then play around a bit with most of the bosses and have fun, because all you must do is use DSC and end it all if you get in trouble. Anyway, now you've opened a box of hornets because the next few elements of Asellus' story happen in random locations. If you still have things to do (collecting characters/cards/runes/experiece) you may as well do that. At some point during your wandering you will be attacked by the next boss. If you want to hurry to the next boss though, and you're ready, then I have listed a few of the places where the boss events may happen. There are certain places where these events can occur, so they are not completely random. Go to one of them and continuously exit and re-enter the screen until the event occurs. Listed next to the event is the place where it is most likely to occur quickly(when I go there, the event almost always gets me). Note that I don't think that two events can happen in the same place. Event locations Wakatu-in front of the building w/ Comet Blade Kyo- Garden Devin- Rei's Shrine Luminous- just outside the port Koorong- in Nusakan's Backstreet Mu's Tomb- on path leading to where Roufas is Sei's Tomb- in large central room w/ shield There are undoubtedly others, but these should be plenty. Go to one of these places(preferrably the one listed next to the event below) and exit/reenter until you get the event. Save often if you are trying to do something else, because the bosses have a habit of rudely interrupting you. The listed places are places where I have met these events 2 times in a row, so I know that they can be there if you wait long enough-it usually is there on the first try, though. Event 1- Water Sage------(Kyo's Garden) BOSS-WaterSage Equip sound-resistant items(provided that you were prepared for WaterSage's attack), because WaterSage counts Oscillation as one of its powers. It also has a shield and can block. Other than that, there are a few weak water attacks it can do. Oscillation is your biggest problem, so if you can avoid that then you'll be fine. Use unblockable attacks like throws and NoMoment to cut up the WaterSage's HP. After you take him out, you'll get his shield (GenbuShield). Also, if you have not gotten it yet, you will recieve your MysticGlove. Event 2- Green Sage------(Luminous-near the port) BOSS-GreenSage The GreenSage(why not EarthSage, I dunno) is the most powerful of the Sages. He has Scream and WindBlast attacks that can decimate you if you are not powerful. Also, this Sage has a CounterFear barrier that causes any close range attacks against it to give the impertinent attacker a red mess status for their insolence. Needless to say, this is to be avoided. Use long range attacks like gun tech combos(if you can get a long string of CrossShots or BoundShots going as a combo, do it). Of course, if you have DSC or LifeSprinkler, use it. Don't forget to take advantage of Asellus' Mystical Change. If you took the time to get some good monsters on her weapons then you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much more powerful she becomes. This Sage also throws the Spore attack at you, but that's not too fearsome. Harmonium items can help against the Scream attack, but the only thing that can keep the Windblast off is a good shield and some luck. Try to make sure you are powerful enough to survive this attack, or else you will be resetting a lot here. Note that if you don't have it yet, Asellus gets her Mystic Boots after this fight. Event 3- The Lion Princess------(Devin-Rei's Shrine) BOSS-LionPrincess Tired of sending the weak underlings after you, Orlouge decides that its time for the real deal. He sends the Lion Princess to mop you up. After the GreenSage, the LionPrincess is pretty easy. The same rule applies here as with the GreenSage though-no close up attacks. The reason here is even more convincing than before, as the LionPrincess will retaliate with Kasumi and either kill or severely maim the attacker. On top of that, she avoids all damage. Use long range moves that are unblockable(NoMoment, LifeSprinkler, throwing techs), because she has a shield too. If you can build a combo out of your attacks, then do so. However, if you stick to long range, then LionPrincess' loses her counterattacking ability, and that is really all her power. Other than that, she's just got a few semi-wimpy sword techs and fire/arctic breath attacks that shouldn't give you too much trouble. Event 4- Ildon Returns--------(Koorong-Nusakan's Backstreet) At this point, Ildon returns to join you. Event 5- Ciato---------(Mu's Tomb-near Roufas) Ciato, your old friend from Facinaturu, is now forced to come get you and prove himself to Orlouge. BOSS-HunterKnight This enemy is a real pushover compared to the others. He will use various Mystic spells like GlassShield and PhantasmShot, and occasionally will take a hack with one of his Mystic weapons to knock off a character instantly. This rarely works, however. Just be carful not to impale yourself on a Glass Shield. If he uses one, break it with a gun so the glass doesn't hit you. Be prepared to cure yourself in case the Reaper or a mystic weapon kills someone, or if the Cockatrice turns you to stone. The Fascination spell is pretty dangerous if it hits the right person, so try not to equip attacks that hit multiple targets in case that attack is turned against your party. As with all enemies, preparation is the key. However, it is sometimes difficult to prepare for bosses in Asellus' chapter... Event 6- The Dark Labyrinth------(Sei's Tomb----in the large central room) You will, in a last ditch effort by Orlouge, be pitched into the Dark Labyrinth never to escape-for a few minutes anyway. Really, the place is not all that hard to escape at all. The large doors sometimes lead to monsters if you go the wrong way, so to avoid a big nuisance & just take the northeast green door, then take the green door just to your southwest, then take the northwest green door. Walk west and talk to the turnip there (if you want him to become a member of your party), then take the large center door to escape. Apparently, the thing that you were told about not escaping the Labyrinth without losing something dear was true, as in order for you to escape White Rose stayed behind. Asellus seems heavily distraught over the loss (They sure seem like more than 'friends' to me... a few other people have said the same thing too...well, don't know if the American game industry is ready for that cultural experiment yet, so maybe not...). I can't think of any reason(other than the parenthetical note) why I'd be upset in her place-she dropped White Rose, sure, but she was replaced by Zozma, a much more powerful character by far. He has the Evil magic that can stun whole groups of monsters before they can even react. Oh yeah, you might be wondering what happened to the rest of your party. Don't get too upset, if you go to the Shrine in Devin they are all there to meet you again. Also, if you visited her room in Facinaturu back at the beginning like I recommended, you can get Rei. Go back and grab Measarthim if you want. You should go ahead and fill out your party at this point, if you haven't already done so. Do any leveling up or treasure gathering first, then when you think you are ready head for Owmi. The pilot is there and he can take you back to Facinaturu to stop Orlouge once and for all. Return to Facinaturu Facinaturu Treasures: HarmoniumEarring, HarmoniumArmor, PowerBelt, SilverMoon, LightRifle, GoldenLion, PlutoArmor Characters: None Upon first arriving at Facinaturu again, you will want to visit Gina in the tailor's shop in the south of Rootville. You'll find out that she is missing-taken by Orlouge(and you thought that you were special, being picked to have his blood-looks like the guy's just got a thing for humans). Anyway, being Orlouge's concubine certainly wasn't your idea of a good time, so you decide to save Gina. Note that one of the variables that determines your ending is whether or not you saved her, so you might want to try not saving her every time so you can see the other endings. Now head for the castle. Go to the bedrooms if you want to see some dialogue(yours, Rei's, Princess Lion's, and White Rose's rooms). On the way up to your room, stop off in that treasure room that is down the stairs to the east to pick up those treasures that you could not get before. The SilverMoon is a powerful Katana, and the LightRifle is the most powerful gun in the game(although it only has 1 bullet, so the multi-bullet attacks like CrossShot will be less effective). There is also the two Harmonium items and a lame old PowerBelt. Be sure to search all the pots till you get all this stuff, then continue on your way. Next order of business-if you don't want to save Gina then skip the next few paragraphs. Otherwise, go to the area in the back with the monsters(in the northeast). Travel up the road until you reach the area with the Giant on the right and the room where you recharge on the left. Recharge in the crystal room, then run into the Giant to fight him. BOSS-Giant As is the case with all Giants, this one is no pushover. It has GaleAttack to hit all of your characters-if anyone has DodgeGale then stick it on them. If it opts to physically attack, then it gets to attack 2-3 times in a round. It has a shield and blocks attacks pretty well. It has high HP. Makes tons of Julienne fries! You definitely want to use your most powerful unblockable attacks on it. DSC, LifeSprinkler, No Moment, and LocomotionG all come to mind as decent choices, DSC obviously being the best. If you transform Asellus before you use DSC, you will nearly kill the thing instantly. Once the Giant has moved on to the next world, you need to open the window behind him. This seemingly innocent act opens a door in a previous room. You may have noticed a large room with a statue and a high window on the way up here(it is on the screen just before the screen with the Giant). Go in there, and you'll see that the sunlight from the window(funny, there's no sun up outside) has opened a door. Enter there to fight the Griffon boss and save Gina. BOSS-Griffon The Griffon is a good bit easier than the Giant, as far as I can tell. It has a few fairly potent tricks, but if you stick to your powerful attacks you'll be okay. It can't block, so feel free to use whatever you want. After winning, absorb it into a monster if you want the GriffithScratch attack(that's what I usually get). It's a pretty good attack tech. Yay, you saved the girl! Lucky she has a knight in shining armor like you, huh? Well, once she's okay, then you are ready to take out the main man, the insufferable lecher Orlouge. Keep going up the mountian until you reach the room with the flowers(where you were stabbed way back at the beginning). If you saved Gina, just head up the cliffs until you get here, otherwise use the transporter in the northwest. Once you're there, head east. Normally, Ciato is there to block you, but now he's feeling gutsy and wants to take you out. BOSS-BatKnight No, he won't throw Batarangs at you or use his hero-repellant spray, but this BatKnight does use a few pet bats to do his dirty work. Just concentrate your attack on the BatKnight, it shouldn't be too tricky to take him out. If you have trouble with him, then go back and raise levels before continuing up the tower. You beat him, but now not more that 5 steps later you are confronted by the Lion Princess. Despite your attempts to be friendly, she still feels obligated to serve Orlouge and destroy you(whatever drugs he's dropping in these girl's drinks to make them this devoted to him for no good reason, he could triple the size of the castle if he just put it on the open market- I guess he wouldn't be the Charm Lord anymore then, though). BOSS-LionPrincess You'd think that she'd be more powerful this time than the was the first time you wasted her, but she is actually exactly the same. The only difference is that you are more powerful so she should be even easier. Remember, just don't use close range attacks to avoid getting a rectal probe with Kasumi. You get the GoldenLion sword after beating her. Well, good thing that's ov...ahh damn, just down the path there is another boss standing there. If you didn't save Gina, then this boss is not here, but if you did then Rastaban(remember him, the happy guy) is standing there demanding his fair chance to beat you up. You might want to use a Sanctuary Stone or go back and rest to recharge your WP, because the BlackKnight is the worst of the three sub-bosses. BOSS-BlackKnight He'll hit all your characters with powerful attacks. He'll inflict annoying status problems on you. He'll occasionally be stupid and try to smack you- but this does little damage. His one saving grace is that he is often pretty reluctant to use his more powerful attacks(at least to me-maybe I'm lucky). Keep smashing him with your big combos and attacks and you probably won't have too much trouble. Orlouge is more powerful than this guy, so if he gives you trouble then raise levels more before continuing. You get the PlutoArmor after winning. Now, in the next room, is the doorway to Orlouge. Before you enter, you'll be asked if you're sure...If you want to save, do it first and use a SanctuaryStone if you have to. Don't save after you enter, as there is no way to go back and you may have to level-up more. Once you're ready, go across the next room and you'll be on Orlouge's balcony. There you will have a conversation with him. This conversaton is different depending on what ending you are about to receive, but it basically is just telling Orlouge that you're pissed and that he should leave you alone. He seems to do so, so you walk out. But, before you can leave the area, Orlouge attacks to stop you from escaping his land. BOSS-Orlouge Orlouge is no enemy to be trifled with, but compared to some of the other end bosses you'll face in other chapters, he has pretty low HP. Make sure Asellus has DSC before the fight, then MysticalChange and keep firing the DSC at him till he's gone. Other characters could try Tower(in a combo if possible), LifeSprinkler, or DSC as well. Orlouge will go down pretty quickly if you have a good number of powerful attacks, especially if they are being delivered by powered up Mystics. You'll notice that occasionally the portraits in the back of the room will emit a beam that increases Orlouge's abilities. Also, Orlouge has three spirits that stay behind him to help him attack. At first, they will only appear one at a time, but once Orlouge is badly wounded they will all attack at once. The spirits have powerful attacks like Salamander, Silf, and Windblast. Orlouge himself also has the Selection attack, which instantly petrifies a character. Have something on hand to cure or prevent this. Once all three of the spirits are out at once, then they will have access to the 3Mistresses attack. This is better than having all three of them attack you in one round, but it is still pretty powerful. Now you get to enjoy the ending. I know that whether or not you rescue Gina is important, but there are three endings. I think the other criteria for which ending you get is how many times you used your MysticalChange during the game, but I'm not 100% sure, so if you are tell me all about it. RED If I had to vote for the most fun character to play in SaGa, then it would have to be Red. I mean, who else can just turn into a superhero, has a large number of dungeons that are not only fun but also specific to Red's game (so you haven't seen them 200 times already...) and who else gets to fight such a wide variety of bosses? Some of the other characters are pretty repetitious, but Red was pretty fun to play all the way through. The Birth of Alkaiser There you are in the car, minding your own business, when you get run off the road by that buttface Shuzer. Not only that, but he appears to have burned your house down and toasted your family alive!!! That is beyond rude, IMHO, so you probably should get all pissed and attack him(not like you have much choice, really). BOSS-Shuzer Not like much strategy is required here. Once you get KO'ed here by the much greater power of Shuzer, the mighty hero Alkarl comes and defends you! There will be much rejoicing and blowing of trumpets (well, at least in my mind there was) as you use the special attacks of Alkarl(you take control of him) to chase Shuzer back into whatever BlackX hole he crawled out of. Once Shuzer runs off, Alkarl saves your life by giving you the power of his successor, as you become the next mighty hero Alkaiser. Alright, so you're just the gold power ranger, but bear with them and just say Alkaiser, OK? Anyway, since you're a little preturbed about your family being reduced to their component elements right in front of you, you swear vengeance on the evil criminal organization BlackX. Hmmmm, where can you find a job that lets you travel and keep an eye on BlackX in all regions of the world? Taking on the guise of mild mannered assistant engineer Red(well, you were already him, so it wasn't so hard...) you get a job on board the Cygnus, some high tech airship that travels all over the world shipping cargo and porting rich people around in style. Now would be a good time to explain exactly what powers and limitations Alkaiser has. You cannot become Alkaiser just any old time, unfortunately. You see, you have a secret identity, and even your party members can't find out who you are(even though there are times when they'd have to be pretty stupid not to figure it out). You can only change into Alkaiser when: 1. Red is in a party by himself. 2. Red is in a party composed entirely of mecha and himself(apparently, you can just trust the mecha not to tell anyone if you tell them not to because they are machines). 3. All of Red's Human/Mystic/Monster friends in his party are under a bad status condition or knocked out so that they cannot see him transform. (Apparently, if you transform right in front of them they notice, but if they get paralyzed for 3 seconds then come around and suddenly Alkaiser is standing where Red should be, then after the battle Red is just back, then they just can't put 2 and 2 together. I call this "Sailor Moon Syndrome". "What is her real identity?" "I dunno, probably the only other person on the damn planet with that haircut, maybe???"). Alkaiser has more power depending upon Red's level of power, so you don't have to become Alkaiser to level him up. You do have to become Alkaiser to learn his Alkaiser fighting and sword techs, which are listed in the tech list and marked Alkaiser Only. It is worth it to go to the trouble to get these, as they look cool and are very powerful. Also, Alkaiser can use any normal human tech. Alkaiser will only learn Alkaiser sword techs with his trademark sword, the RaySword. It is not a tremendously powerful sword, so you will probably find yourself using the Alkaiser fistfighting techs more often. They are his most powerful. Head out of the engine room where you begin and walk around the Cygnus a bit. The passageways are numerous, but after a little exploration they are not too confusing so I'm not gonna be terribly specific here. Check out the little green monitors if you want to see a useless map of the ship(reminds me of the useless car ad you can watch in the Shinra building in FFVII). You'll come across Yuria, talk to her and you'll be promised a date(she never delivers, though, or at least I never found it). You can pick up your paycheck in the Accounting Office. Make yourself familiar with the location of the Accounting Office, Medical Room, Cockpit, Ballroom, and Cargo Bays, none of them are hard to find. Once you've finished exploring the ship, go back to engineering and talk to Hawk and you'll land in Baccarat. In the casino, you'll be tipped off to BlackX by the fact that several of the BlackX power ranger guys in their rubber body suits are playing the games there. Go talk to them, then run over to the elevator and go to Parking. In the elevator you'll become (Superman theme plays) Alkaiser, Defender of Justice and Savior of the Innocent, and whatever other moniker you want to stick on there. When you arrive at the parking lot, you'll have to fight Shuzer's men. BOSS-Those pathetic little power ranger guys Please tell me no one needs help here...just whack these guys. Have no fear when the last one takes you to the fearsome 4th dimension magisphere, although he says that there BlackX fighter's power is tripled, it sure seems exactly the same to me. I think it's just a psychological thing to make the BlackX guys feel more confident about fighting such a fearsome opponent with such a powerful looking helmet and pair of boots. Once you have beaten these guys, the Cygnus calls you back to work. Sure, you'd like to follow that guy who killed your family, but hey you can't be late for work...what the hell kind of superhero would you be then? On board the Cygnus, you can get your paycheck again(you can collect it again each time you complete a stop on the Cygnus's grand tour). Once you're ready to move on, talk to Hawk again, and you'll end up in Shrike. Go to the playground and talk to the little red-headed girl. Aggghh...BlackX punks are attacking you right here in the street! Smash their puny heads then you'll have to head over to Sei's Tomb(in the northern part of town) to rescue the girl. You will morph into the mighty Wielder of the Shiny Visor, Alkaiser and handily mop the floor with the evildoers there. Then you've got to head back to work. Do the usual, get your paycheck then go talk to Hawk. He'll drop you off in Manhattan. You can look around, but you won't find much here of use. I wouldn't reccommend spending any money, it's really not worth it yet. Just head back to the Cygnus after you've had enough mall-walking. Go get your paycheck, then go find Yuria. She's found something in the cargo and you need to check it out. Egad! Weapons of terrible power which you obviously should not confuscate...you don't need these! I wish you could at least touch them or something...anyway, after you see this, it's time to head over to the C.T.C. Building and find out what's going on. Fuse, a cop from I.R.P.O., will join you and you head up to talk to Miss Campbell, the head of this area. She's obviously hiding something from you, but you decide discretion is the better part of valor and leave. Note how Fuse smacks you around like a little dork throughout this whole scene. If only you could turn into the Warrior with the Golden Lampshade on his Oversized Head and kick his ass, but you don't want to blow your secret identity, eh? As if Fuse pimp-slapping you around isn't enough, now there's pirates attacking the Cygnus! Fight off the ones that bust into the engine room. Fuse will show up to help after you take out the first wave. You can then escape through his secret exit. Now to save Yuria. She's in the second door after you leave the ballroom (yeah, that one with all the damn enemies in front of it). Try to lure them away if you can, fighting enemies is pretty dangerous throughout this entire scene(save often). Next head up to the second floor and get Asellus and White Rose to join up(they're in the room in the far south). Roufas is in the center door on the third floor, he'll join in your little rebellion too. You can talk to Blue on the third floor too. He'll act like he's going to join you until he finds out your name(Rouge is his brother and arch-enemy, and Rouge is French for Red...get it? Hahahahaha those wacky Square guys have some sense of humor, huh?) Once you have all the characters you can get (you'll need them), head to the spot on the second floor that has three doors side by side. You'll need to enter each of these doors and kill these enemies one by one. The reason for this will become apparent soon. These enemies are not really too bad if you have all of the characters you can get, provided you fight them one at a time. Once they're all dead, go fight the enemy that guards the door to the cockpit. If you defeated the three enemies in the room like I said, then the enemy guarding the cockpit will be easy pickings all by himself. However, if you did not, then all four enemies will attack you at once and you can say "Bon Voyage" to your life, it really is that difficult. Even as Alkaiser you would require some serious luck to beat all four of these guys at once. Now after going through all that trouble to get to the cockpit door, Fuse doesn't want to go in that way. Go downstairs to the Airlock. You have to run across the platform outside to the cockpit. Save first, because if you don't dash across as fast as possible, you'll be blown off the ship and it's Game Over for you. I think that's a pretty cheesy way to die, so just save so you don't have to lose much progress just in case. Once you get over to the cockpit, you have to fight Platyhooks. BOSS-Platyhooks Platyhooks shouldn't be too difficult. After you've fought him for a while, he'll run off and summon some common Platoonpusses to fight you, then rejoin the battle later. Try to build some simple combos if you can. If you are having trouble, then use heals only on Red to keep him alive. If everyone else get knocked out, become Alkaiser then bring them back. It shouldn't be too hard after that, certainly. After you beat the pirates, then you'll see a short cinema that gives away who Miss Campbell is really working for...duh... Get your paycheck, then talk to the Mecha in the Medical Room. Go visit Hawk for the next stop on your itinerary. The ship drops you off in Koorong, and right away the abuse starts up again with a bunch of little drug addict-looking punks making fun of mild-mannered Red's hair. Not that he doesn't deserve a little ragging over that strange shape he chooses to keep on his head, but these guys go a little too far. Walk back to them after you pass them once, and you'll have to fight a Yeti(weak enemy), both saving the kid's worthless life and putting out a strong anti-drug message(who says games aren't good for kids?) Red chases the drug dealer through the backstreet and into the sewers. Make your way to the sewer exit that leads back to the Cygnus(use the sewer walkthrough that is in the Rune quest section-it's down the stone steps, then out the exit near the FireCrystal treasure). Aaaggh...lookit all them drug dealers!!! Well, maybe they're not all drug dealers, but those silly hats earn them an ass- whooping in my opinion. However, Red doesn't share my opinion so it's on to the next assignment. Get your pay, then talk to Hawk to move on to Kyo. In Kyo, follow the drug dealer guy to the building marked "Syoin". You hear about the 4 BlackX Emperors, but you have to go back to work before you can learn more. Get your pay again(you should have a fairly impressive bankroll by now) and talk to Hawk and you go to Shingrow. Shingrow Treasures: SanctuaryStone, CeramicSword Characters: none Apparently there's a martial arts tournament being held here. There's not much else to find, so wait in line then enter the tournament as Alkaiser. It doesn't really matter whether you win or lose, which is lucky for you because you'll probably lose pretty big to the third or fourth opponent. However, after it's over, you spot Dr. Klein (evil BlackX guy) above you. Chase him. Go all the way down the northern path to get to a place where you can recharge your strength, then go back to the room with the long red carpet and go east. There are two exits here, the northern one has a Sanctuary stone, the southern one has a secret passage that is revealed if you search the flowerpot there. In the next room, there is a secret switch near the treasure that allows you to get it(CeramicSword). Keep going east, then you'll meet the Goblin. I'm not even going to dignify him with a strategy, simply pound him into lunchmeat and you'll be back on board the Cygnus. Get your pay for the last time, then get Hawk to drop you off in Yorkland. Now the real game begins...to find the 4 BlackX Emperors and reduce them to dust, then take down BlackX to avenge your family and save the future generations from their evil influence. But whoa there, tiger, you don't wanna do that until you've gotten some friends to help you and you've levelled up! Some of these BlackX guys are pretty rough. Get over to Scrap and get the infinite money and equipment trick working, then round up friends to stick all your new equipment on. I would definitely recommend getting all 3 mecha that can join Red. I usually only have 4 people in Red's party, him and the 3 mecha. Then he can change into Alkaiser anytime, and the mecha are almost unstoppable in combination with him once you give them all the good equipment. Annie, Doll, BJ&K, and Rabbit will join you in the story, and you can get Liza and Roufas (they're cool, so I usually do). Leave space for these people in the party. The following people can join Red's quest: Humans Mystics Mecha Monsters Roufas TimeLord Rabbit Slime Annie Measarthim BJ&K Thunder Doll Silence EngineerCar Cotton Lute Sei Fuse Kylin Rouge Suzaku Emelia Gen Fei-on Liza After all is said and done, I usually have a party like this: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Red TimeLord Gen BJ&K Measarthim Annie EngineerCar Liza Doll Rabbit Roufas Fuse (empty) Slime Fei-on Go on the Rune and Arcane quests if you want and get the magic you want. Note how I leave an empty space so that Alkaiser can be used generously. If only you could get T260 to join you, you'd have a full party, but you can't. At least I don't see how. Anyway, once you've built the party you want(make sure to leave space for the characters that will join during the story events) then level up until you feel like a pretty bad ass and then move on to Phase 2 of project Kick BlackX's Ass. You have to decide which Emperor to dethrone first. The order that they are listed in is the order I usually take them in, and it seems easiest to me, so here goes: The Downfall of Shuzer Shuzer Base Treasures: ElectroArmor, FinalCrusade Characters: Annie, Liza or Roufas Head to Koorong. Talk to Annie(in the north, near the hat shop). She'll offer to take you to Shuzer Base. Talk to her again when you're ready. Enter the Koorong sewers, then go to the area where there is a pipe you can walk across(it's down the stone steps, follow Annie there). Walk across, then climb the ladder to enter the base. Don't worry, Annie leaves for a second but she'll be back in no time. There are 3 doors in the entry hall. The first leads nowhere, the second leads to ElectroArmor. Then go to the third door. Climb the ladders to the rooftop. You'll have to fight Cyclops here...I hope you levelled up first. BOSS-Cyclops The Cyclops has high HP and a few powerful attacks. If you levelled up a little and got all the good equipment using the infinite money cheat then you should be okay, but otherwise you are going to need to use a lot of healing to survive the bashing he gives you. He can also stun members of your party with his gaze. Run across the rooftops, then at the first choice go upstairs. Fight the 5 BlackX guys in the ominous but futile 4th dimension magishpere, then go into the next building. Press the circle button to search the lion on the right to open a secret passageway. Follow and defeat Shuzer. BOSS-Shuzer Shuzer really isn't all that much of a problem once you've powered up. You'll see pretty much the same attacks that you saw the first time you met, beefed up a little. He'll use some flame attacks and his claw bits. Keep whacking him until he runs off and Alkaiser chases him by himself. Once this happens, it gets a little trickier because Alkaiser is all by himself. If you took the time to learn some of Alkaiser's fighting techs then you should have no problem, otherwise you're gonna need a few healing items before it's over with Shuzer. Once you beat him, Alkaiser will learn his healing tech FinalCrusade(allows him to heal the rest of the party completely at the cost of one of his LP). After wasting Shuzer, then go back to the restaurant in Koorong and get either Liza or Roufas to join up. If you get Liza, then you can get Roufas the normal way in Mu's Tomb and have them both, so that's what I usually do. Infiltrating Berva's Stronghold First off, if you had any trouble beating Shuzer then you should level up before coming here because Berva is a lot tougher. Go to Shingrow. You'll see Doll in the port, so get her to join your party then work your way to the room past the big slime boss in the ruins(use the walkthrough in the Shingrow section above if you want). Here you'll find Berva, the second of BlackX's Emperors. Defeat him here. BOSS-Berva Berva is one annoying guy to fight. He has the ability to SwayBack and avoid incoming physical attacks. Use attacks that he cannot SwayBack to avoid like NoMoment, LifeSprinkler, and most gun techs. Don't waste your time with normal attacks because he'll dodge them 90% of the time. You'll see the Tremor attack in this fight, so JetBoots are a must. He also has a few power- ful single attacks like GroundHit and PowerBomb. Once you run Berva off, he'll run off to the castle outside. Fight your way through the goons, then go the the arena inside Shingrow Castle to finish him off. BOSS-Berva(again) Now, he'll have increased the stakes a little. Instead of using SwayBack to avoid attacks, he'll start using BrvaCounter to counterattack big time. Do not do close range attacks to him or you will die very quickly! His other new attack, GodHand, is a super powerful punch. Keep the healing coming and pound him with long range attacks. If you have a lot of trouble, then level up and come back. There's two down, two more to go. Cindy Campbell's Secret C.T.C. Building Treasures: 400 credits, WaterCannon, MissilePod, LightBazooka, Magi-Water, EagleGun, MaxCure, Protector, Thunderbolt Characters: none Head to the C.T.C. Building and talk to the receptionist. You'll head up the elevator. Beat the PinkFighters in there then talk to the woman at the top of the elevator. You'll be attacked by a PinkFighter and some monsters. Climb up the ladder and activate the control panel to open the door out. Get the MissilePod in the upper right hand corner, then head west and get the 400 credits and the WaterCannon in the west room. Exit in the upper right hand corner of this room. You'll be in a corridor with 2 doors. Take the first door, then take your first left, then take the LightBazooka from this room. Go back to the hall just outside that room and continue north. You'll see a fairy thing over a turbine off to your east if you're in the right place. Keep going north. You'll come to a long staircase covered with slime enemies, then once you reach the 32nd floor you'll have to fight a HugeSlime and some PinkFighters. Beat them and get a Magi-Water, then go to the next staircase. This one is covered with mecha. Once you reach the 34th floor you'll fight some mecha and a PinkFighter. They'll drop an EagleGun. Continue upstairs beating the thick enemies and get the treasures from the guys guarding each even-numbered floor(MaxCure, Protector). Once you reach the 40th floor, you'll meet a woman. Accept her offer to get a Thunderbolt. Then keep going south to Campbell's office. You'll have to fight BlackGarb and his AutoBuffer friends here. BOSS-BlackGarb This Will Smith impersonator shouldn't put up too much of a fight. He'll use his Vulcan while the Autobuffers fire their weak guns. Take them out however you like, they're easy. The screens in the back use HypnoFlash and Yell to aid BlackGarb, but he needs more aid than that, I'm afraid. Once he's dead, then there's a blackout! Quick, take the opportunity to become Defender of Disco, Alkaiser! Now you must fight Campbell in her true form, Arachne. BOSS-Arachne Arachne is not really all that hard to take out. If you beat Berva, this will be no problem. She'll use RavaShot and Jackal from the Mirage and Evil schools of magic, as well as BladeNet and LightningWeb. She can use HPDrain and can charm characters with Pheromone(but luckily she rarely does so). Keep healed and have Alkaiser send her on to the next dimension. After beating the third BlackX Emperor(Empress???) you end up in the Manhattan port. Now for the last one! Just Say No to BlackX Metal Black Base Treasures: 300 credits, SamuraiSword, 300 credits, MaxCure, MagiWater, BigMissile Characters: none Go to Kyo. If you haven't gotten him yet, pick up Rabbit in the Garden. Then go to the Syoin. Rabbit will point out a secret entrance to Metal Black Base. Go inside(search the wall). Go downstairs and get the 300 credits. Go out the lower door. In the first corridor, take the southernmost door on the upper level to get the Samurai Sword, then go back out and into the far north door to get 300 more credits. Exit downstairs and to the south. Keep going south until you reach a hallway with a large greenhouse to the north. Get the MaxCure and Magi-Water in the greenhouse, then keep going north to the room with the furnace. Get the BigMissile from the floor, then head up the ladder to destroy the GreenFighter there. Examine the drug furnace and Red will set bombs there. Get the hell out quick(I've never actually had it blow up with me inside, so I'm not sure if it does, but it's probably not in your best interests to test it). Once you get outside, the final BlackX Emperor, MBlack, attacks you. BOSS-MBlack MBlack has a pretty powerful attack to hit one character(TigerRampage) and to hit all(MoonScraper). The MoonScraper is particularly painful and is his best attack. Keep yourself healed, and use your best attacks, obviously. You should outlast him after beating the other Emperors. That should do it-you've mopped the floor with BlackX's Emperors! The Black Ray and BlackX Base Black Ray Treasures: IronClogs, WarlordArmor, SprigganSuit or IronClogs, WarlordArmor, OctopusBoard or WarlordArmor, SilverMoon or IronClogs, SilverMoon Characters: BJ&K After beating all 4 Emperors, the Cygnus will call again. Go the nearest port and hop on board. Go to the Medical Room and talk to the mecha there, he'll join your party(BJ&K). Then talk to Hawk in engineering and you'll get a BlackX disguise and board the Black Ray. You'll see several treasures around the BlackRay, but you can't get them while you're disguised. Your goal is to meet MBlackII on the bridge on the top floor, but once you do you'll have a fun little runaround to do. You'll see on the treasure list above that you can not get all of the treasure, so decide which ones you want(it's in order from most to least useful, IMHO). Then follow the directions below. The basic idea is to go through 10 straight rooms without backtracking. If you backtrack, MBlackII will attack and even if you win you die because the ship will self-destruct. If you make it through 10 rooms(until the readout says "About to reach BlackX base") then fight MBlackII then you will make it to the base before the ship explodes. There are only a few paths that allow you to get through all 10 rooms, so save before meeting MBlackII on the bridge and NEVER save while you are running through the rooms. If you make a mistake that cannot be corrected then save then you get to start your whole game over. To get IronClogs, WarlordArmor, SprigganSuit: Bring the elevator up to the 3rd floor before meeting MBlackII on the bridge. Set off the alarm, then take the elevator to the bottom floor. Go south, then up the flight of stairs on the right and out the east door. Enter the first door on the left, get IronClogs, go west. Go across the room and exit southwest. Get the WarlordArmor, then exit to the southwest. Head southwest at the intersection in the next room. Take the door on the left at the end of the passage. Get SprigganSuit in the room, then exit through the northeastern door. Now you're at BlackX base. To get IronClogs, WarlordArmor, and OctopusBoard: The Black Ray is symmetrical, and the OctopusBoard is on the other side of the ship from the SprigganSuit. If you want the OctopusBoard instead, just reverse the above directions. To get WarlordArmor and SilverMoon: Put the elevator on the bottom floor before you activate the alarm. Activate the alarm, then go down the stairs to the left. Get the WarlordArmor, then head southwest. Go north at the intersection. Keep going north out the door, then follow the path around to the next screen. Go south to the next screen, then go to the intersection and go west. Continue down the passage to the west-don't go in the door! In the next room, go downstairs, go in the north door, take the elevator to the second floor, then go in the 2nd northern door. Get the SilverMoon. You should have arrived now, so go out and fight MBlackII. To get IronClogs, SilverMoon: Reverse the above directions. BOSS-MBlackII You'll just see stronger versions of the same attacks you saw from MBlackI. His new attack, Shoot-All, is pretty powerful, but nothing you can't handle. Overall, he's not much harder than he was before. The ship will crash, and you'll be at BlackX Base. BlackX Base Treasures: SanctuaryStone, Magi-Water, MaxCureX3, GrainCannon, LethalGun, PowerBelt, HyperionBazooka Characters: none Your first two characters will come out and wonder where Red went, at which point Alkaiser shows up and says Red was injured and he'll fight with them from now on. Go upstairs and get the SanctuaryStone, then head up the ladder and go in the door around the corner. Try to exit from the north door in the next room and the big enemy-filled area will open up. Fight past them to get the Magi- Water, MaxCure, and GrainCannon. Hit the yellow button in the back to open the northern door and escape. Go upstairs in the next room and exit by way of the stairs in the northwest. Get the MaxCures and LethalGun, then exit through the northern door. Get the PowerBelt in the northeastern corner of the next room. Hit the switch in the north to bring down the elevator, then use it to get up. Get the Hyperion Bazooka to the east, then go north. Go around the railing to the north and walk across the pipe just past the stairs. Enter the door there. Here you discover that your mother and sister are not dead! They are here inside this room. After a touching scene, talk to your mom again to get the key you need to continue. If you talk to her again, she'll heal your party. Now go back and through the yellow door in the northern wall. You will soon meet the man himself, BlackX. BOSS-BlackX This guy is not too powerful in comparison to the guys you have to fight after this, so if he's hard then you're gonna be in a little trouble. His most powerful attacks are his instant death and petrify attacks like ChainHeat, DeathGaze, and StoneGaze. DodgeGaze will help out here. Just whack him into submission. Once you beat him, you'll meet Dr. Klein. Now you'll not only have to listen to his little speech, but you'll have to beat Berva, Shuzer, and Arachne all at once. BOSS-3 Emperors This enemy keeps changing between 1 of the Emperors, except for MBlack. They have pretty much the same attacks, so use the same strategy as before. This might take a while, but it's nothing Alkaiser hasn't handled before. Once that's over, then you'll get a moment's respite. Talk to Klein when you're ready to continue. MBlackIII will appear, and heal all your party out of some strange sense of robot honor before attacking you. BOSS-MBlackIII MBlackIII is just like MBlackII, only more so. He has high HP, and a few new attacks, most notably his Dark Phoenix. Once he uses Dark Phoenix, then have Alkaiser use his Al-Phoenix attack and you'll learn Alkaiser's ultimate attack, Re-Al-Phoenix. You should be able to beat this guy without too much help, just make sure to get Re-Al-Phoenix. MBlackIII fully heals you when he dies, and Dr. Klein runs away. Now the final boss of BlackX, BossX, attacks you. Instead of being in the 4th dimension magisphere, you go to some other place with green swirly stuff. I guess it's the 5th dimension magisphere. BOSS-BossX BossX is a pretty bad ass, all in all. He's got the highest HP of any of the other character's end bosses. However, his attacks leave a little to be desired and the other characters don't have Alkaiser on their side, do they? He'll use Charm and StunGaze so equip the DodgeGaze tech or PurpleEyes. This will also protect you from his special HyperGaze that can really mess you up. He will use a LordCannon(powerful attack), and his prettiest and most power- ful attack, JudgmentX, can take out anyone who's not above at least 300 or so HP. If you've never seen this, then let him do it because it is nice- looking. You know the drill here, DSC, LifeSprinkler, Tower, and heal up when necessary. Re-Al-Phoenix will come in handy too. Now it's finally over. Enjoy your ending, you earned it on this one. BLUE Next to Lute, Blue has the least eventful game in SF. His entire game revolves around getting the gifts for the different types of magic, but since I always do that anyway no matter who I have it seems like there's not much to Blue's adventure. You do get to play with some magic spells that no other character can get, though. All in all, this game might be good for beginners to learn how SF works, but once you have played the game a few times you'll probably find Blue's chapter pretty boring. The Birth of a Great Wizard You begin the game at your graduation ceremony at the university in Magic Kingdom. There you are told that the Kingdom needs a perfect magician, and that you cannot be one unless you cease to be divided. This means that you must kill your twin brother Rouge and add his power to yours. Isn't that cheery? Even better is the fact that he is looking to do the same to you. Some family, huh? Your first mission to become a better magician is to gain the gift for as many different types of magic as possible. You will get to choose to travel to either Devin or Luminous to begin your search. It doesn't really matter which one you go to, what's more important is the RegionMap that you're using to travel. Blue gets a special item called RegionMap. This item allows you to travel to any region that you have been to before quickly and easily. Each icon on the screen represents a different region. Note that all the icons will never be lit up, since I think several of them represent areas that cannot be reached in Blue's game. They were probably added so the game wouldn't crash if some gameshark using cheater decided to go there, or maybe there were more regions in the Japanese game that were removed, I dunno. You should go to Scrap and get the infinite money and equipment trick going as soon as possible, then go collect as many characters as you can. Also, at least pay a cursory visit to each region so that it will appear on your RegionMap. You will pick up a few characters on the Rune or Arcane quests, so leave space for them if you want them. If not then don't worry about it because they will simply disappear if they join you while your party's full. The following characters will join Blue: Humans Mystics Mecha Monsters Lute Silence T260 Slime Roufas Dr. Nusakan EngineerCar Cotton Annie Measarthim Sei Fuse Thunder Emelia Riki Gen Suzaku Liza Mei-Ling I usually build a squad like this: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Blue T260 Gen Dr. Nusakan EngineerCar Measarthim Roufas Liza Mei-Ling Lute Silence Emelia Slime Riki Cotton Round up whoever you want, then level up and learn some techs. Once you feel confident enough, then move on to the next phase of the adventure: collecting the gifts for the magics. This walkthrough is pretty easy for me, because I already wrote it. Just follow the directions for the Rune or Arcane quest(your choice) and get the gift for either Light or Shadow magic. Once you've done that, then level up a little more and learn the spells in these areas. The walkthroughs for these quests are right above the character walkthroughs. Note that you cannot get Mind magic's gift because Blue's mind is "divided". Once you're ready(power up until you're packing at least 600 HP for your characters because you are gonna have a pretty hard fight in a second) head out to get the gift for either Time or Space magic. Get these gifts normally(this is outlined above). Instead of offering to buy the magic from TimeLord or Kylin, respectively, Blue will instead attack them. Apparently only one being in the universe can have the gift for Time or Space magic, so Blue must kill these creatures to get the gift. Both are hard, so pick one and start whacking. BOSS-TimeLord TimeLord has all those nasty Time spells that are so powerful in your hands, plus he seems to have quite a few more HP than he does when you joins you in other chapters. His TimeEclipse can render a party member motionless in stone, and ChaosStream can sometimes do very high damage. He also has Mystic Magic and can put up GlassShields and throw PhantasmShots at you. Don't accidentally get caught in a GlassShield. Use long range attacks if possible. A useful spell here is the Realm Magic PsychicPrison, since it seals his magic spells. It only works once though, and then must be refreshed. Use PsychicPrison with Blue and smash him with everybody else. Once he get beaten pretty bad, then he'll use his OverDrive spell to get 6-8 free hits on you. If you survive that, though, he'll be drained of power and be forced to rely on his poison and kick attacks, which are pretty weak. Make sure to equip PsychicPrison and also a spell like Grail or an item like AntiStone to sure the petrify spell. BOSS-Kylin Kylin is probably the harder of the two bosses to beat. His first move will be to LightShift, so that he can use his Photosynthesis to gain HP each round of battle. Then he'll start smashing your party with truly awesome attacks that hit all your members, like ReverseGravity and SacredSong. His Vortex attack will remove any powerups you put on your characters, so don't bother with status up spells. Instead, use Blue's PsychicPrison spell to seal Kylin's magic. This takes away most of his damaging attacks. Make sure to use the PsychicPrison again each time it absorbs a spell, because it only works once. Have everybody else use their best attacks. The attack to watch for is the SacredSong, because the PsychicPrison won't block that(it's not really a spell). After being hit with that, then it's time to concentrate on healing the party as quickly as possible because two of those in a row can easily kill the whole group. As soon as you defeat the boss, then you'll get the gift for that magic. Exit the room and you'll begin the battle with Rouge immediately. BOSS-Rouge This is a one-on-one battle between Blue and Rouge. Rouge will use magic that is the opposite school from the magic that you got in the game, and some- times throw a MagicStone(which is usually his best attack, actually). You'll see that every few rounds a type of magic appears in a dialogue box in the center of the screen. This means that for the next few rounds of combat, that type of magic will be enhanced in power. You can try to match the type of magic you use to the magic that is enhanced to get an advantage, but sometimes the enhanced magic is a magic that you cannot possibly have(like Mirage or Life). Rouge will have the same HP as you. Each time you are defeated, you lose 1 LP and are revived by an automatic Reviva spell. Whoever runs out of LP first loses. My advice is: instead of screwing around with that magic crap, just use your best sword tech or DSC until Rouge is pushing up daisies. The game does not penalize you for this at all, and the battle goes by much faster. Note that if you lose this battle, then you will continue the rest of the game as Rouge. This means that you will get back any LP you used to buy weapons at the shop in Facinaturu, but you will lose all your techs except for Magic. Otherwise, Rouge is the same as Blue. After this battle, you will see some credits...don't be fooled, the game's not over! After the credits are over, the truth about your identity is revealed...Blue and Rouge were just two halves of the same person! Looks like you need to go to Magic Kingdom and find out who's responsible for this. But first, head back to Kyo and get the gift for Mind Magic. Now you have all the types of magic in the game, except Evil, Mystic, and Mirage. Life Magic contains only two spells, but they're good ones. If you want, you can experiment to see how they work, because once you go to Magic Kingdom(using the RegionMap) then you're on the road to the end of the game. Demons Attack! The Defeat of Magic Kingdom Magic Kingdom, Hell Treasures: NornsBangle, SanctuaryStone, BloodChalice, MaxCure, DragonSword Characters: none When you get back home, you find it in ruins. Defeat the undead monster near the fountain and climb down the pipe in the upper right hand corner of the map. Go down the wall and find out about the demon attack from the wounded people. When presented with two paths, take the one on the right. Fight the monsters, then fight the Giant. He's pretty powerful, so be careful. Now you'll be standing in front of three stars on a pedestal. Get them in order: Right, Left, Center. You'll get the NornsBangle. Now go back up and take the left route. Inspect the center Goddess statue. You'll find yourself inside the Goddess, where you are told why you were split at birth...to create a powerful magician that could defeat the demons. You are upset at being used this way, but after the demons attack again you are motivated to do what you were meant to do and destroy them. When you reach the screen with all the bodies on it, you can go to the right and inspect the back of the podium in the room. It tells you what order to get the stars in to get the NornsBangle. I already told you that, though, so when you are ready to move on talk to the woman on the upper right hand side of the screen. She'll take your RegionMap and Gate spell and you will descend into Hell to fight the demons. Note that you can return to the entrance to Hell to get your power recharged anytime you want. Hell has a lot of little angels and puffy clouds(as a joke, I think). The innocent looking cherubs are enemies, though, so avoid them if you can. Note that in Hell, on the first round of combat enemies take a lot less damage than they should from attacks, then they take normal damage on the second and subsequent rounds. I call this the "Hell Shield" and don't know why it is there. Don't use up your super attacks in the first round, though, because they will not have full effect. Exit the first screen to the northeast. Go north one screen, then walk west into the clouds and follow that path to get a SanctuaryStone. Then go back onto the road and head north. Go across the bridge until you are at a screen with a chest to your south. It's a mimic, so avoid it. There is a chest in the north that has a BloodChalice, and another in the west with a MaxCure. Exit northwest after getting the stuff. Go up spiral staircase and make your way to the center door in the east. In there, you can fight the DragonLord for the DragonSword. Don't use close range attacks against him, or else he'll use Kasumi to shred you. Do that, and he should die pretty easily (otherwise, you're gonna have trouble with the big boss). Then go back out and use the transporter in the northeast corner to go to the end boss. BOSS-Hell's Lord This guy can be a real nuisance. You cannot even use the OverDrive/Stasis Rune trick on him very effectively, because he switches between 2 forms and when he changes he breaks out of stasis! His humanoid form has IllStorm to poison the whole party, Smile which paralyzes you all, LifeSteal to steal LP and heal himself, and his power attack, Sabers, which knocks off a good chunk of life. His beastly form has a choice of either pelting you with all three of his breath attacks each round(fire, bolt, arctic) or physically attacking anywhere from 3-10 times. I would recommend using the ShadowServant spell, followed by an OverDrive. In the OverDrive, use Tower until the last move then use the StasisRune. He'll probably break out of stasis, but you at least won't lose your JP. Now hold him off until Blue wakes up and repeat. This makes it pretty easy, especially if the rest of the party has good attacks to work with. Don't forget about the "Hell Shield". Never waste an OverDrive on the first round or else it'll have reduced effect. What! That's the ending??? This made me want to vomit, really. You don't want to see this. Just turn away and make up your own ending, this is silly. The thing just fades to grey. EMELIA Emelia has a pretty enjoyable adventure. She stands out as the one character who has multiple outfits, so the Barbie fans who play SF won't be disappointed. You can get several different things to wear, from a Rambo outfit to a wedding dress. (Obviously the bunny outfit is the best, It's the cutest by far). So far as gameplay, there is a decent story interwoven with a few unique dungeons. Unfortunately, most of Emelia's game is played in places that you can go with any character, removing a lot of the uniqueness. I Shot the Sheriff Hi honey! I'm home! Oh, you're dead, huh? And there's this freaky looking guy there with a bloody weapon! You get arrested under suspicion of killing your husband, who was killed by the infamous criminal Joker. After Fuse accuses you of killing his partner and being a durty slut or whatever he calls you, you end up in Despair prison. Strangely, later if you get the Shield Card in I.R.P.O., Fuse seems to have forgotten about you(I guess partners getting killed just doesn't stick in your mind in this game). Anyway, that's off the point. You'll have a few conversations that basically say that if you can get the Freedom Rune, then the warden will release you. So you, Annie, and Liza sneak out of your room at night to get it. Head south after leaving your cell. Take the next pipe to the west, then head west through the pipe and up the ladder. Jump down the hole into the locker room. Now you can use the Despair walkthrough in the Rune Quest section above to get the rest of the way to the rune, since I don't feel like typing all that again. The Nidheg boss will be decidedly weaker, and will run away after you damage it a little, so don't be afraid. After you touch the rune, the warden releases you. You try to head home, but Joker attacks you. Luckily everybody's favorite muppet Roufas shows up to help out. You are taken to Gradius HQ. Agree to help them find Joker. This will allow you to undergo "training". First, you have to shoot the target. This is a menial task, shouldn't pose any trouble. Next, you've got to get back to Gradius HQ from the sewers. It's pretty much a straight shot, just don't miss the sack of credits down there. Talk to Roufas to finish the training. Then you need to talk to Liza and Annie(Liza's in the other room, and Annie's standing outside). You can then talk to Roufas a few more times to get some money and a clue about Devin. Before you go to Devin, you should probably go and pick up a few characters and do the infinite equipment trick to strengthen yourself. Asellus, White Rose, Roufas, and Zozma will join you in the game. Leave space for them, you don't want to miss a chance to get Zozma! You'll probably want to go on the Rune quest, too, so leave space for Fei-On and Slime. Fill up the rest of the party now, and get the good stuff. The following people will join Emelia: Humans Mystics Mecha Monsters Lute TimeLord none Slime Roufas Measarthim Cotton Annie Silence Sei Fuse White Rose Thunder Rouge Zozma Riki Gen Kylin Fei-On Suzaku Liza Mei-Ling Asellus Collect characters, then go on the Rune Quest to get Fei-On, Roufas, and Slime. You should have 3 empty spots for Zozma, White Rose, and Asellus, these are all powerful characters. My final party is something like: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Emelia Annie Liza Asellus TimeLord Zozma Fei-On Fuse Gen Roufas White Rose Lute Slime Mei-Ling Riki Note that if you want to do the Arcane quest too, you won't be able to get the Gold Card until you finish your Gradius mission in Baccarat. Once you're done with all that, then return to Gradius HQ to get your first mission. Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics Shingrow Palace Treasures: SanctuaryStone Characters: none You end up being entered in the Masked Martial Arts Tourament in the most ridiculous outfit I have ever seen. Get in line and enter the contest. Depending upon how much powering up you may have done, maybe you can win, but it doesn't affect anything. After the tournament is over, you'll see Joker in the stands. Talk to Annie and Roufas, then chase him. Exit west, and keep going north to the end of the path for some people who'll recharge your energy. Then go back down to the room with the long red carpet and go to the northernmost east exit. Get the SanctuaryStone, then follow Joker south. Beat the guards, then search the flowerpot to reveal a secret entrance. Get the CeramicSword in the next room by hitting a hidden button near the sword, then go east. You'll have to fight the Goblin boss in the next room past the three guards. This guy sucks so bad I'm not gonna put a strategy for him, he probably can't even damage you at all if you've levelled up, and if not he certainly can't kill you. Bash his brains in and the mission is over. To accept your next mission, then you need to go talk to Roufas at HQ and get your pay, then train in the firing range. After that, if you talk to Roufas again you'll get another mission. The Gold Rush You'll end up in Baccarat. Talk to the people until you see Joker. Follow him 2 floors up and get in the elevator. Go down the manhole where Liza and Annie will join you. Use the walkthrough for this section in the Arcane quest section to find the Gnome's room. You'll have a confrontation with Joker, and just as you're about to end his miserable life, he throws some gold and the Gnomes go crazy, allowing him to escape. **ALERTALERTALERT** What you do here affects your ending. Emelia has 2 endings. If you simply leave the sewer now, then you get one. If you follow the directions below and beat the boss, you get another. The ending you get if you don't fight the boss is actually more informative, I think, but whichever one you want you've got to decide now. ******************* If you decided to go beat the boss, then go south from the gnome room, then go south again, turn east, go past the staircase up, then enter the cavern just past them near the center of the room. Follow this path to meet Gargantu. BOSS-Gargantu Gargantu is a big wussie. Equip JetBoots and 3/4 of his attacks will have no effect. His MysteryTap is his only attack that may cause a problem, but chances are he'll be dead before he can use it. That is, of course, provided you got the good equipment from the Junk Shop before coming here. Otherwise it may take a while, but it still isn't too difficult. Beat Gargantu and get the PurpleEye. You comment that it used to belong to Ren. Exit the manhole to get back home and end the mission. Now, if you are on the Arcane quest, you can go back in there with your gold ingots and get the Gold Card. Go back to HQ, get your pay, rest, train in the firing range, then talk to Roufas again to get the next mission. Yaruto Gets Fired! The Arrival of Mondo Trinity Base Treasures: EMES Tag, SanctuaryStone Characters: Asellus, White Rose, Zozma Now you've "volunteered" to become part of Yaruto's harem(Yaruto is the head of Trinity Base, and a real sex-starved maniac). Not only that, but you're dressed like a damn genie. Oh well, at least you get to dance a little and loosen up, even if it is in front of those evil guys...AAAHH! A blackout! Just when you were starting to have fun. Oh well, at least you can try to find out about Joker. Exit the room. Asellus and White Rose will join up here, after you beat a monster together. Equip the new characters. Try to avoid fighting whenever possible, your small force will make it difficult to survive. Go upstairs one floor and enter the second room on the far right. Beat the two monsters, then talk to the boy in the back. He's really Zozma, a mystic who is responsible for attacking this base. He'll join up. Equip him and you'll have a pretty powerful party. Use his SharpPain spell to immobilize most enemies and fight more safely. Go back out and all the way downstairs and into the door on the left. Follow the path until you meet a robot guarding a door. Go in there after smashing the robot. AAACK! Joker is getting away! Get out and head to the bottom floor. Go to the western end and enter the door. Beat the living weapon enemies for an EMES Tag, then get the SanctuaryStone. Go downstairs across from door, head east, and take the north door at the end of the passage. Head west to exit. **NOTE** There's a room in the base with a crane you can operate, and I haven't found any use for it. If you know Email me please. I'm pretty sure it's nothing, though. ******** Now you can go back to Roufas and get paid, rest, train, and get your next mission. You'll be sent back to Trinity Base...alone. Do not get in any fights here if you can help it, because you are not going to last long by yourself. On a brighter note, you get a cool commando outfit, second only to the bunny outfit in style and overall cuteness. Go downstairs, go all the way to the east, then take the north door. Head east then go up the stairs in the next room. From the next room take the door to the east and keep following the path until you get to the commander's room. Commander Mondo will talk to you...he's a pretty smooth talker, that hides the fact that he's certifiably insane. He'll give you the AngelBroach that was given him by an old friend(Lute's dad...who he killed). After that's over, meet your friends outside and regroup. Go all the way downstairs and out the front door to complete the mission. A Long Awaited Wedding Return to Roufas, and you'll get your last campaign fund. Then talk to him again when you're ready to face the final challenge. You'll make your way toward the outpost in the Yorkland mountains. It is pretty much a straight shot, but there is a hidden path in the trees to the south about halfway there that leads to a scenic yet useless area. All the way to the east you'll come to a chapel, where for some reason everybody decides to have a mock wedding in the middle of the mission. During this festivity, you are attacked by the end boss, Diva. BOSS-Diva The Diva goes through two forms. She has many simple attacks, but the ones to watch out for are her GaleAttack and Retribution. These hit all your guys hard. Keep healed up, and use your best attacks and combos. If Asellus is there, don't forget MysticalChange to increase her power. Anti-death items or DodgeGaze will come in handy to avoid her DeathGaze attack. Other than that, really not much to say. If you're powerful enough, she'll pose no problem. Your ending, like I noted earlier, depends on whether you beat Gargantu or just left the Baccarat dungeon after meeting Joker. They're both decent, so you might want to play this one twice. RIKI Riki has one of the better adventures in SaGa. There's lots of stuff to do, and the character deelopment is much better than in some other games. You are limited in that you cannot do the Rune quest(Riki can't get the rune inside Tanzer). Don't get any runes, or else you won't be able to go on the Arcane quest either. Also, Riki's end boss is probably the hardest one of all to defeat. I had a good time with this one. His ending doesn't suck too bad, like a lot of the other ones do, either. Unfortunately, as in most chapters of SaGa, Riki recycles the common dungeons to make his story events occur instead of having unique areas to visit. Margmel is Dying! A Call to Action Margmel, Scrap Treasures: RING/Guardian, 400 credits, 400 credits, KukriBlade, PowerCure, SteelAmulet, RING/Merchant Characters: Lute, Gen, Mei-Ling, T260 After watching the opening, you'll be in the town of Margmel. The only eventful thing to do here is to fight the sisters that are near the center of town. Absorbing their powers will give Riki some valuable extra HP and abilities. Once you're satisfied, go to the elder in the northernmost dwelling and hear the story of the rings. Riki must collect all 9 in order to save Margmel. Get the RING/Guardian from the elder, and move on to Scrap. Riki's Rings are very useful tools, so equip him with at least 1 or 2 of them at all times(once you have a collection). These rings are what give Riki the power he needs to beat some of the powerful foes he must face. The first ring, Guardian, allows you to double your entire party's defense power. Use it in boss battles. You end up in Scrap. Go to the bar. Talk to everyone and you'll acquire T260, Mei-Ling, Lute, and Gen(as you leave) into your party. Now that you've done that, now would be an excellent time to go down to the Junk Shop and do the infinite equipment trick. This will take a little while, but it makes the first part of Riki's game 10 times easier. If you do not do it, then the Caballero factory and the next area will be very dangerous, otherwise they'll be a joke. Once you've equipped yourself in the Junk Shop, save and go to Caballero's office to work out an arrangement. Apparently he wants Mei-Ling to go with him for some "private negotiations". Hmmm, time to rescue her. Talk to Gen in the bar when you're ready to begin the rescue. After you split up and Mei-Ling smacks Caballero silly, you'll be in a room with 400 credits. Get them, then go out and meet your friends. Get the 400 credits and the KukriBlade in the buildings outside, then enter the front door. There are several snipers above you in the factory. If you get in a battle with an enemy near where a sniper is, then throughout the battle you will be getting nailed with Enemy Fire from the snipers. If you are strong, or got good equipment from the Junk Shop, then the weak Enemy Fire won't really hurt you all that much, but if you don't have good armor or you are going for the maximum style points, you can use the cranes and levers around the factory to knock off the snipers. In order to achieve this level of smoothness, you should immediately run into the east door upon entering the factory(don't fight the mech there or you'll get shot up and look really silly). Climb upstairs. You will see a lever right next to where you come out of the stairwell on the upper level. Hit it and you'll knock off the sniper below. There's one down. Beat up the human enemies up here, then go to the far west of the upper level. There are two levers here. The upper one is used later, so for now hit the lower one. You'll move a box on the lower level to reveal a switch that will soon be important. Now go back to the stairwell and climb down(you can go down from the stairs nearby, but you'll have to be pretty swift to avoid the enemies there. It's probably best to go back the way you came). Once you exit the stairwell, you'll be back where you started. Immediately hit the switch right next to you to your north. That will take out the sniper that is in front of you. Now lure as many enemies as you can into the south- east area and destroy them there away from the snipers. After that, you can get to the lever that is where the box once was(the box you moved earlier). Hit it, and you will be operating a crane. Press O just as the crane passes over the sniper and you will not only get him out of your way, but also give him one hell of a wedgie. This allows you to pick up the SteelAmulet and the PowerCure in the two boxes(you can see that two of the boxes are glowing-it's those two). Now sneak north until you can lure the human enemy and the flying skeleton enemy south away from the last sniper and kill them. After that, go to the lever that is near the box in the northwest and hit it to raise the elevator. Now you can go all the way back upstairs and press the switch that was useless earlier(in the northwest) to drop the box on the head of the strangely unsuspecting sniper. It should now be free and clear all the way to Caballero. What treachery is this? Caballero running away and letting robots do his fighting for him? Unheard of! After approaching him, he does just that and leaves you to deal with his new model, the VulcanII. BOSS-VulcanII and D-Tractors This enemy can be either very hard or ridiculously easy depending upon whether you did the trick and got good equipment from the Junk Shop. If you did not, you'd better go all out with your techs and cut your way through to destroy VulcanII, then mop up the remaining D-Tractors. VulcanII's vulcan cannon will knock off a good chunk of a weakly armored character's health. The D-Tractors are not pushovers either, since their most common attack is Tackle, an attack that combos with itself(so if they all target the same guy, they'll probably combo him into oblivion). However, if you shopped in the Junk Shop for 30-45 minutes and stocked up on good items, then these four enemies will probably go down to 4 attacks, and they will be almost unable to hurt you. After beating the robots, Mei-Ling negotiates a settlement for the ring, and Caballero reluctantly agrees. You get the second ring, the RING/Merchant. This ring allows you to charm all of your enemies, a powerful attack against many monsters. Now you can head for Koorong(the guy at the taxi service has lowered the price from 10000 to 10...talk about a discount!). Tanzer's Hungry! Inside the Beast Tanzer Treasures: MissilePod, Magi-Water, SanctuaryStone, RING/Thief Characters: Fei-On Talk to Mei-Ling, and she'll run off the locations of all the rings for you. Once you've had your fill of info and shopping, then try to go anywhere from the port and Tanzer will swallow you. Looks like you just decided which ring to get next... Talk to Fei-On, then follow him to his village. Talk to him there, and he'll lead you to Nomad's Lair. It is in a small black puddle to the south along the path to the Vitality Rune. Note that you cannot get the Vitality Rune because you're not on the Rune Quest yet(and you can't get to Devin to get on the Rune quest until after you've defeated Tanzer, so you can't get this rune). If you need help here, check the walkthrough in the Rune Quest section. Once inside Nomad's lair, avoid or defeat her henchmen then enter the north door. Get the Magi-Water in the east room and the MissilePod in the north room. Then take the far southwest door to fight Playhooks. BOSS-Platyhooks This guy will be a piece of cake if you got the good equipment while you were in Scrap. Otherwise, try to combo and destroy his little friend quickly, or else they will combo you and hurt you bad. There's really not much strategy available, just kill them one at a time. Once Platyhooks is dead, get the SanctuaryStone from the dresser. As you try to descend, Fei-On appears. Put "Wait a sec" and talk to him to get him to join you. Then continue down. You'll follow a short path. Save here, then enter the door to fight Tanzer. BOSS-Tanzer This guy is tough, especially for characters at the strength you're probably at. Also, Tanzer is proficient at comboing with his spore throwing pods that surround the heart. You cannot target these pods, so you have to go all out on the heart. Use the best attacks you can. If you didn't take the time to do the infinite equipment trick in Scrap, then really only luck can save you here. Otherwise, it is still a fairly hard fight, but if you're careful you should come out on top. Try to combo, and keep yourself healed. The RING/Guardian's defense increase will be useful here, but it will have no effect against the heart's AcidBreath attack so don't let your HP get too low. After beating Tanzer and saving Nomad, you get the RING/Thief. This ring hides the whole party(like a HideRune spell). This allows you to completely avoid attacks. However if you attack, you come out of hiding. Now you finally have freedom to travel and go wherever you want. Use this time to collect magic, equipment, and characters. You already have Gen, Lute, T260, Fei-On, and Mei-Ling. You will get Dr. Nusakan, Sei, and Annie in the game. You should fill out the rest of the squad now. The following people will join Riki: Humans Mystics Mecha Monsters Lute Dr. Nusakan T260 Cotton Gen Measarthim EngineerCar Sei Fuse Thunder Mei-Ling Suzaku Annie Kylin Emelia Fei-On You'll have to start the Arcane quest to get a full roster of characters. I usually go ahead and do that now. Once it's all over, I have a party like: Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 T260 EngineerCar Gen Mei-Ling Fei-On Fuse Dr. Nusakan Measarthim Annie Lute Emelia Kylin Riki Sei Cotton Once you're satisfied with your characters, then it's time to start collecting the rest of the rings. Go to Koorong and talk to Mei-Ling. The order in which you get them is somewhat flexible, but I usually do it this way, because you get the more useful rings first. First head to Yorkland. The Stealer of Dreams Go to the rich man's home in Yorkland. It's near the center of town. You'll be told of the daughter's condition, and offer to help. Mollasite will attack you, then run away before you can defeat it. You are told that you need to talk to a man who is well versed in destroying monsters like this, who lives in the backstreets of Koorong. Head back there and go to Nusakan's office. He'll join you permanently at this point. Now go back to Yorkland with him. Fight Mollasite again, this time for real. BOSS-Mollasite This enemy is really easy, as long as you don't chase it away. Don't damage it very much each round, only maybe 1000 points or so. Wait until it climbs on the bed and destroys it. That's your cue to kick ass, since it's not going to run away anymore. Once you unleash all your power on it, Mollasite won't last long. Once you beat Mollasite, the girl gives you the RING/Healer. This ring heals the whole party to max, very useful in big battles. Talk to the rich man and get money from him over and over until he begs you to stop, then go back to Koorong. Rats and Schemers Once you get to Koorong and talk to Mei-Ling, she'll offer to take you to Baccarat to get another ring. Take her up on it. Get off the elevator in the hotel and go to room 2001. The suicidal guy in there says he lost everything...oh well, not the ring! Um, uh oh. A rat stole the ring. Well, now he really should kill himself. But he does have the decency to wait for you to leave the room chasing that rat! Chase it from the table to the woman's dress and hit the rat jackpot on the slot machine. After the guy wins the roulette game, chase the rat to the top of the chandelier and fall to the parking lot. Enter the Gnome Cave. Once inside, exit the first room to the southeast and corner the rat to get the RING/Hero. This ring seals your status so that you are immune to status problems until the end of the battle or you are knocked unconcious. Probably the most useful ring. It's invaluable fighting the end boss. Now for the next ring, head to Manhattan. Go to the accessory shop. You'll get a message that the ring has been bought by the Lord of Owmi. Note that you'll only get this message if you have at some point in the game had the money to buy it. If you have done the infinite money trick, then that's no problem otherwise go do it and it'll be taken care of. Once you see that it's sold, head to Owmi for it. Once in the castle, some guy(he looks nothing like the castle lord from Asellus' game. Maybe he moved out?) throws you into the dungeon! Use the walkthrough for this area that is in the Owmi section above to get out and go into the bedroom(with the large suit of armor in front of it). Once you confront the guy, he'll give up the RING/Schemer. This ring attacks the enemies. It's not too great, but that's one more ring down. The Two Prisoners...The Warden and the King Head back to Koorong and talk to Mei-Ling again. Liza will show up and tell you to talk to Annie at the restaraunt. She'll offer to take you to Despair for the ring(Mei-Ling sure is loaded with cash, huh?). Follow Annie once you get inside the prison. She'll take you to the far east upper level. Talk to the warden in the door here and you'll get the RING/Hermit. This ring allows you to block magic attacks. If you are getting the runes, then the warden will allow you to get the Freedom Rune before you leave. Since you can't get all 4 runes, I wonder why he does this?? Anyway, you got your ring, so now go to Shrike. Go to Sei's Tomb. Use the walkthrough above in the Shrike section to find your way to Sei's chamber. Instead of attacking you, Sei gives you the RING/Fighter and joins you. This ring increases your attack power. Now you have 8 rings. Only one more to go... The Final Ring! Riki's 8 Trials Mosperiburg Treasures: 400 credits, 400 credits, RING/Lord Characters: none Head to Mosperiburg. Travel straight north until you see Virgil. He'll tell you to complete each room in his castle, then come back and he'll let you challenge him for the ring. So it's off you go back down into the castle to complete the tests. You must get this ring last, because the other 8 rings are the keys to enter each room in Virgil's palace. There are 2 floors with 4 rooms each. It's laid out something like: 2nd Floor 6 8 5 7 1st Floor 2 4 1 3 Check the corresponding number for a description of the test. Once you get all 8 VirgilKeys, then go talk to Virgil again(save first). 1. Search each gravestone until you see the sparkle of a key. Each time you search the wrong gravestone, a skeleton enemy appears in the room. It's random each time where the key is. 2. Fight your way to the key. This one's pretty straightforward. 3. Fight the MagmaSlimes. Use a party with a lot of mecha if you can, because the MagmaSlimes attacks directly take away 1 LP. Protect Riki with LifeCandy and such if he's about to die, since if you lose him the game's over. Use 2GaleSlash, Haze-to-Wheel, and mass attack magic spells to cut down wave after wave of the slimes. After you kill about 30 of them they stop coming. 4. Participate in the game show. The items that are used are random, so you'll just have to remember their prices. The game is like Price is Right, you have to tell whether the next item on the list is more or less expensive than the previous one. If you get them all, then you get the key as well as the last item on the items list. If you miss one, you have to fight enemies, but your entire party becomes a bunch of Rocky enemies. That's pretty embarassing, so try to avoid messing up. 5. Search each barrel until you find a key. It's random, you'll just have to check them all. 6. Get all the money bags in the Pac man-like maze, then get the chest. 7. Beat all the enemies in the room. For extra style points, you can use the switches in the floor to activate the bowling balls and knock the enemies off. 8. There is a secret path across the spikes that allows you to get the 2 bags of credits and the key. If you step off the path, you are attacked. Follow the woman walking on the spikes to find the path(be patient with her, she's in no hurry). Before returning to Virgil, save and put 4 humans in the party with Riki that each have CrossShot, EnergyChain, Fist, HardSlash, SwallowSwing, or any other attack that combos with itself. Equip them all the same way. Save, then enter Virgil's room. BOSS-Virgil You can't actually do damage to Virgil's HP. The only way to beat him is to score 10 points by doing combos. Level 2 combos are worth nothing, but level 3 is worth 2, level 4 is worth 3, and level 5 is worth 5. The easiest way to get the big combos is to have all 4 humans do the same attack that will combo with itself, then have Riki do something that can stick on the front or back of it. You'll get either a level 4 or 5 combo almost every time and Virgil will die easily. Of course, you can try to be all fancy, but that just takes longer as far as I'm concerned. If you take too long to do your combos then Virgil starts attacking, and you won't last long once that happens, so try to take him out fast. After beating Virgil, you'll get the RING/Lord. This ring restores the party's WP and JP. Now that you have all 9 rings, you'll be instantly taken back to Margmel. The End of Margmel You'll meet the elder here, and he'll tell you to use the rings to wish Margmel back to life. You've got to be careful with the wording on those all powerful wishes, though...Riki's wish for Margmel to be reborn is causing everyone who wasn't there when the region was created to disappear! As if that wasn't bad enough, Mei-Ling reveals that the whole time she has been under the evil control of the Black Ring, lord of the 9 rings(um, is this starting to sound familiar, Tolkien fans?). Now you must fight her in her powered up form, Master Ring. **NOTE** If Mei-Ling is in the lead party, move somebody else in there before you walk over to her and initiate the battle. Otherwise you'll have an empty space in your party. Also, equip the RING/Healer and RING/Hero too. ******** BOSS-MasterRing This guy is a nightmare! Master ring has 9 friends that each represent one of the minor rings. They each have status attacks, and they cast spells to increase MasterRing's stats. The ones that attack have a nasty habit of trying to combo with MasterRing. Well, just use mass attacks to kill all of the little guys and have MasterRing all to yourself, you say? That's not such a good idea either, since if you kill all the small ring guardians then MasterRing will start continuously using its Revolution9 attack on you. Two of those in a row and even the most powerful party is destroyed. Do not kill the small guys, just concentrate on MasterRing with your best attacks. Start the battle by using the RING/Hero to protect yourself from the status ailments. Save the use of the RING/Healer for when you're in serious HP trouble, and use your DSC, LifeSprinkler, Tower, and best monster attack from Riki to dust MasterRing. MasterRing has very high defense, so it will be hard to severely damage him, but if you're strong enough you'll come out on top. Now enjoy the ending, it's a pretty good one(you'll think so too if you look at some of the others...). Well, I'm finally done!!!!! If there are any questions, additions, suggestions, or comments be sure to email me at nefdar@hotmail.com. Thanks for looking at my work, it makes it actually sort of worth it. Thanks Square, for a game good enough to motivate me to write this monster Phoenix, who helped me take notes and crap and sat with me while I played this game entirely too much Marc, for helping me type and playing Tekken with me when I got bored Mikba, for the location of the LightRifle weapon RoadHog, for helping me with the combo and monster forms lists Dimetric Houston, for pointing out that you don't have to get the turnip in Asellus' chapter Anyone else I accidentally left out? Write me and refresh my memory.