$._ . $ `'"ee., ,$. ," ," ," $. '"4. e"`$ ,$' `$. $; $ ,;$4. .4; . `$ .de;$; $;$' .$ ;$ $'e;' $' '"4$;" , ;$'" 4' ,"$. .$"4e,. .,e;ed'$; ,$"$4. $,. ;, $ `ee' .$; $; $$. ,$.,,$" `"4e, ' ;$ $; :$, $'`$; $; $; $ `$, $' ,$' ,$e, ; .e4 ;$ '$; $ $; $; $; $ $; $ $; $ $; $ ,e.d'" 4$ '; $,;$; $; $; $ $; $ $; 4,$; $; _, ,$ ""' pH `e$' "4 $; $ ."' ", 4;, "' `'e ,$ _,eee., 1911 _ .$' $; $ e. ,e "$, ,4, ," ,$'" `'"4$P' `,d$" `"4$P $; $ '$' `"$" "$" $; $ T H E R U I N S $; $ O F L O R E $; $ $.$ $ LUFIA: THE RUINS OF LORE, for the GameBoy Advance ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FAQ/Walkthrough, rev. 1.05, September 8th, 2003 (c) Phoenix 1911 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi, and hello, and welcome to my Lufia: The Ruins of Lore FAQ! This FAQ covers the GameBoy Advance version of the US-release, and should be complete with game basics, a walkthrough, and supplementary information such as charts and appendices. This document is best viewed in a fixed- width font, such as Courier New. Also, I've made use of the "overscore" character: ¯ (if this character does not look like an upside-down underscore, many section headers will look like crap). In any event, enjoy! Before we start, please take these three points in mind: 1. This FAQ is copyrighted. Don't gain any profit of it--reproduction and modification are prohibited, except for personal, private use. If you're a FAQ author and wish to use parts of my FAQ in any way, please contact me first. 2. The latest version of this FAQ can always be found at GameFAQs. Wanna host this file? Great! You have to drop me a line requesting permission, and most likely you will get it. I especially encourage fan-sites to list this document. 3. I get almost no e-mail concerning this game, so I'll probably reply if you drop me a line. Make sure to see section 5 first before contacting me! Thanks for your courtesy, and have fun. Note that I changed e-mail addresses; everything sent to my @hccnet.nl after September 2004 was not received by me. See above for my new address, and sorry for any inconvenience. Table o' Contents: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 1. THE GAME BASICS 1-A: Introduction 1-B: Cast of Characters 1-C: Getting Acquainted 1-D: Combat 1-E: The Other Stuff 2. WALKTHROUGH 2-A: Licensed to Hunt 2-B: Gruberik 2-C: The Black Auction 2-D: Over the Hills 2-E: Beauty and the Beast 2-F: The Ancient Ruins 2-G: Curses! 2-H: Through the Sewers 2-I: Gruberik Revisited 2-J: Ordens 2-K: The Tower's Treasure 2-L: The Almighty Swordsman 2-M: The Nimona Mines 2-N: Family Reunion 2-O: The Wind Stone 2-P: The Exorcist 2-Q: The Girl's Spirit 2-R: Gratze 2-S: The Royal Ring 2-T: The Time Portal 2-U: Inside the Behemoth 2-V: The Last Stone 2-W: Save the Townspeople! 2-X: A New Tower... 2-Y: To the Holy Land 2-Z: Goldiark and Ragule 3. APPENDICES 3-A: The Ancient Cave 3-B: Jobs and Skills 3-C: Disc Monsters 3-D: Blacksmiths and Alchemists 4. CHARTS 4-A: Items 4-B: Skills 4-C: Monsters 4-D: Shops and Inns 5. FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS 6. THE FAQ'S REAR BUTT What's New?!: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Submitted info was added. Keep those corrections comin', guys! - Small (miniscule) changes in the layout. ======================================================================== PART 1: THE GAME BASICS ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-A: Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The kingdom of Gratze attacks neighboring countries, while in search of the Beast. It appears that the Beast is quite a powerful hunk, seeing as he is sought after for reasons not hard to make up: someone wants complete control of the world. That someone is Ragule, a mysterious stranger who managed to get Gratze on his side. Finding the Beast is no easy job; soul and body are separated, and it is said that one part is sealed away in the holy land. Who can stop Ragule? You take the role of a kid named Eldin. Although he appears to be a simple kid, something's different about him... While he travels around the world, he meets a priestess, who is in search of shards and stones. Those are needed to enter the holy land, and it so happens that that place is on Ragule's list of locations to visit. During the game, Eldin, and his friends Torma and Rami, meet people, visit places, and are drawn into the historic sequence of events. Confrontation with Ragule is inevitable. So in the end, it all comes down to saving the world from some evil bastard... how original. For the interested: Lufia: The Ruins of Lore takes place twenty years after Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. It takes place in the same world (i.e. a different world from the first Lufia or the third one), so you'll no doubt find some references to that game. You've played Lufia II, right? That wonderful game on the Super Nintendo (which actually appeared in Europe, which I thank Taito for), which many people believe to be one of the best role-playing games on that console? The third in the series appeared on the GameBoy Color and wasn't _that_ of a success, and this game, the fourth, should do something about that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-B: Cast of Characters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ You see, I was supposed to give biopics for these characters, but they aren't exactly detailed throughout the game like other games. So, here is a breakdown of their B-button skills and their battle usefulness. Whee! Eldin: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Eldin's B-button skill is a knife, with which he can cut away vines on the walls and bushes, and other stuff that can be hacked down. - In battle, compared to Lufia II, Eldin is Maxim. All-around, not too shabby in the magic department, and okay when you need physical strength, but not the number one choice when pure muscles or an IQ of 200 is required. Torma: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Torma's B-button skill is a rope. This is similar to Lufia II's hook or Zelda's Hookshot; you can cross chasms when a pole/stake is on the other side. - In battle, Torma is between Eldin and Bau; his magic is lower than average and the size of his muscles more than average. He's a little slow, however. Rami: ¯¯¯¯¯ - Rami's B-button skill is fire; she's good at lighting up candles and the like, and burning away stuff, like bushes, tree stumps, or spider webs. Pyromania forever! - In battle, compared to Lufia II, Rami is Tia. A giant bucket of SUCK when talking about weapon and using them, but with powerful magic to her potential. I'm not talking about pulling a rabbit out of your ass, but summoning a firebird and roasting your foes' butts to coal. She's also good as a healer, because her AGL is the highest of the four main characters. Bau: ¯¯¯¯ - Bau's B-button skill is a hammer, with which you can smash any breakable object to a hundred pieces. Or something like that. Skulls and barrels break when bashed upon, but oddly enough, pots that fracture by knives are able to resist the hammer. - In battle, compared to Lufia II, Bau is Guy. Can't learn magic (Bau isn't able to get a job), but powerful with his weapon. Also seems quick in battle. He however seems to miss many attacks, which sucks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-C: Getting Acquainted ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ...also known as "role-playing games for dummies"; or "a beginner's guide to RPGs"; but most likely "the crap you can skip". The "The Nuts 'n Bolts" section is copied from my other FAQs, because they just happened to be for RPGs as well. Listen up! CONTROLS ------------------------------------------------------------- Here is a quick rundown of the buttons and their functions. A -- Confirm, interact, examine, etc. B -- Cancel. L -- On the field, you can switch characters with this button. Each personage has a unique ability, such as Eldin with his knife (to cut away stuff). R -- Hold this button, and use the directional buttons to turn, without actually moving. Start -- Save your game (GameBoy Advance-style: if you load your savegame, it is deleted upon reinitiating the game). Select -- Opens up the menu, from where you can configure, etc. Resetting the game software-wise can be done by simultaneously pressing and holding A, B, Start and Select. THE NUTS 'N BOLTS ---------------------------------------------------- RPG. That's role-playing game, I guess, and this genre involves gazing at your television screen or PC monitor while controlling a bunch of people. The A-B-C is simple: your goal is to walk around and visit wacky places, slapping together a team of super-skilled personages, and accomplishing a certain goal (which is most likely saving the world for the thirty-seventh time). But wait; that's not all! While doing this, you have to explore dungeons and slay monsters the monsters inside. By doing this, you will get better (a.k.a. gaining experience), so that you can slay more monsters, so that you can slay the boss of the monsters (who usually resides near the end of a dungeon), and so that you can eventually slay the boss of the bosses. Isn't that fun?! To be frank, it's not. Fortunately, there is a storyline that makes you forget most of this essential RPG-element. A bit more on that gaining experience: another typical RPG-element is leveling up; fighting monsters willingly to get stronger, making future enemies a breeze. In this game, as long as you don't escape from most battles, it's not absolutely necessary to spend hours of leveling up, but staying ahead a couple of levels DOES make the game a tad easier. Of course, not only your experience level determines your strength in battle--you'll have to equip your characters with weapons as well. Besides dungeons, RPGs contain places where special events occur, and towns. If you wanna save the world, it doesn't help much to stay in the same place the whole game, eh? Therefore, you have to move on. Towns consist mostly of houses, shops and inns. Shops make it possible to buy and sell things, and inns are sowed just about everywhere to recover every single lost bit of HP and AP. EVEN if you've been roasted to a pile of nothingness, or attacked brutally by a madman, or just lost a few limbs... an inn instantly cures ANYTHING. The price of an inn, contrary to equipment, varies from town to town. It's mostly not much, trust me. You will also have to buy new armor and upgrade your weapons; like I said above, leveling up alone won't be enough to sustain the damage you take from newer enemies. Stronger equipment is acquired as you go; a handful is hidden in chests, and there are always shops that put these things up for sale. These stores are your main source of equipment, and monsters will be your main source of income (as well as selling your older gear). Defeating them will result in the acquisition of G (gold; currency in the game), to reimburse the costs, or to sleep at inns to recover your health. There you go. FEATURES UNIQUE TO LUFIA --------------------------------------------- Of course, not entirely "unique", but unique in such a way that not 99% of all RPGs tackle the system in a similar way. In Lufia, there are no random battles. It's more like Chrono Trigger, where you could see the monsters on the map and choose to fight them or not. Since the game works with "tiles" (one step is one tile, or block), you can only touch a monster by standing in one of the four tiles surrounding one. This is when combat initiates. If you catch them in the back or in the side, you will gain an extra round of attacking. If it's vice-versa, on the other hand, _you_ will have to bear with an extra black eye. Whereas in Lufia II the emphasis was on puzzles, that's not the case in this installment of the series. Still, there are a few switches and pots to be found, and mini-puzzles. Don't expect something to the effect of Lufia II, however. Each character has been given a unique skill for usage in the field. Torma, for example, has a rope. With it, he can grab a hold of a stake on the other side and get the entire party there. You can switch characters by using the L-button, and using skills is done by pressing B. Sometimes, B-button abilities are crucial to continue. In a few cases, they're optional (cutting away bushes to reveal items). Also, there are Disc Monsters (similar to Pokémon) you can capture. You can let them fight for you in battle; they'll be a new party member, so to say. There's also the job system; you can switch to a certain class, and learn skills unique to that job, as well as getting stat-modifications particular to that it. Although it is not crucial to know, section 1-E is a recommended read before you play the game. Conventionally, Lufia has four types of screens, which are the field, the battle screen, the world map, and the menu. They are separately explicated below, except the battle information, which has been moved down to section 1-D. THE FIELD SCREEN ----------------------------------------------------- You can walk around, talk to people, get items, see monsters, etc. Here are brief breakdowns of dungeon and town elements, i.e. well, everything that is not the ground: Dungeons: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ + LADDERS, DOORS: Self-explanatory. ...I hope. + BUTTONS AND SWITCHES: Appear as, well, buttons on the ground. Most are connected to doors; they open when you step on the button. In some cases, this isn't enough, as you'll need something to hold down the button forever. + BUSHES, VINES: Cut away with Eldin's B-button technique. You might find some obscure thing under it, and in some cases you _have_ to mow down in order to continue. Some vines on the wall give cover to secret passageways, so keep a close eye on them... + POTS, BARRELS, AND OTHER THINGS YOU CAN MOVE: Push or grab them, and most likely place them on a button. Pots can be grabbed and placed freely (use the R-button technique if you need to), but the heavier stuff is limited to being pushed. That means you must NOT push them against a wall, for they can't be *pulled*. + HAZARD: Needless to say, don't step into the lava! Or anything hazardous for that matter--HP is lost with every step. Towns: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ + RESIDENCES: Just your regular buildings, housing people to talk to. I have yet to see an RPG with people that *do* bother about strange people wandering inside. + CHURCH: Inside, you can save your game (for free), cure status ailments (for 100G), and remove cursed items (for 150G)--you can't remove the curse from the item itself. + INN: The supplement to the church; recovering HP and AP. Contrary to what the church asks in return, here the price varies from town to town. And no; the trick from Lufia II (sleep for free if you don't have the money) doesn't work here. + SHOPS: And of course, these can't be left unmentioned. Buy all kinds of crap here, varying from items to cure your party to equipment that protects your characters and slaughters any opponents. Unlike the inn, the price of everything is the same everywhere. You can select to buy stuff, but for equipment, it's possible to equip what you want instantly. THE WORLD MAP -------------------------------------------------------- Lufia's world map is different from those in other games in that you don't need to walk through the overworld. Instead, you can just select the place you wish to visit and the game will take you there. This takes away the need of a boat and an airship, _and_ the need of the Warp-spell that was one of the most-used skills in Lufia II. The positive side of this is that it makes the game easier, but the negative effect is that it, well, makes the game easier. The developers presumably chose for this type in order to not have to give access to the entire world; e.g. Elcid, Sundletan and many other places that made appearance in Lufia II are not accessible in Lufia: The Ruins of Lore. Anyway, the overview of the entire world is the world map, and from there you can select parts, move to the area map. Different locations are unlocked by progressing with the game, and different area maps are revealed by unlocking new places. Red spots on the map indicate zones inhabited by monsters (dungeons, caves, etc.), while blue is a friendly color and thus specifies a town or village. THE MENU SCREEN ------------------------------------------------------ Heh, this would be simple. Press Select to bring it up when you're not busy in battle, and a few letters and numbers pop up. The above bar is the status of your characters, in the lower-left corner you'll see your playing-time and the amount of cash you're carrying, and eight choices are found to the right of that box: Items: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ Selecting this brings up a list of your items, from where you can Use those items or Discard them. It's all straightforward, really; select an item and employ it on the person of preference, if applicable. Most of what you see here are curative items, and battle-only stuff, equipment and some accessories are listed in grey. This means that you can't use them from here. Hit Select while hovering above an item to create a box with the description of that item. Special: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Similar to Items above, 'cept that this houses your--guess this-- *special* items. Some can be used, and some not. Sometimes, you will need to use them in the field; the Stone Fragment, for instance, has to be placed in a hole. This can be done by facing the hole and selecting the item in the Special menu. Skills: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Select this and the person whose skills you wish to see, and your wish is granted. Skills are like magic in Lufia II or techs in Chrono Trigger; see section 3-B on how to learn them and 4-B for a list of the skills. And skills aren't the same as the dungeon skills in Lufia II, such as the arrow and the bomb, so keep that in mind. Monsters: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Only available if you have captured a Disc Monster. Simply a status screen with HP, AP, stats, etc. of the monster you select. For more info, check out section 3-C. Press L and R to switch between monsters quickly. Status: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The same as the Monsters menu, only this concerns yourself. You will find your name, level, HP, AP, job, B-button technique, equipment, and much more here. Again, press L and R for a handy shortcut to switch to other characters in your party. Equip: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ Straightforward, really. Select the character you wish to change the equipment of, then select which equipment to change, then select which equipment you want him or her to wear. Note that some people can't equip this and that, and make sure to keep an eye on the stats to the left, which show the pros and cons of the equipment you select. Change: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ This puts characters in the front or back row, or switches their position horizontally. People in the back row (can't be done in the very beginning of the game, until you get five or more in your team) do not participate in battle, although you can switch them--during the fight--with other party members. Options: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The message speed can be configured here, as well as the cursor position (changing it to memory saves the position of the cursor when selecting options in battle and menus). Furthermore, your Compendiums are located here; all your acquired items, captured monsters and much more are recorded in these books. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-D: Combat ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE SCREEN ----------------------------------------------------------- For starters, you have three important statistics in battle: + HP (HIT POINTS): Determines your health; if it's zero, you're as good as dead. A game-over is scored when everyone (Disc Monsters not counted) has kicked the bucket. + AP (ABILITY POINTS): Allows the use of skills (a.k.a. magic). + IP (INSTALLATION POINTS): IP is a special gauge unique to the series. Basically, when you get hit, the gauge increases (think of it of a fury-meter). When it's full, you can install with a monster you have captured, in order to become a stronger monster (even though you can't control it). See below for more. Those stats are listed below, in the boxes. On the screen are the monsters (your targets), and the weird characters below are your party members, which you control. THE OPTIONS ---------------------------------------------------------- The battle system of the game works with rounds. When it's your turn, you'll get to choose from three different options once they pop up: + SWITCH: Change positions of your party members. Although you have a party of four characters that actively hack and slash, in reality you've got actually eight; at any time, you can switch them with an active person. Use this strategically; low-HP characters should be put in the back row, etc. And remember _that_ this is possible in the first place (I didn't know 'til I've completed half of the game). If you switch, everything's reset when the battle is over. + ATTACK: This brings you to the actions sub-menu, from where you can choose from a variety of options, such as using an item, attacking, or defending. See below for more details. + RUN: Attempts to escape from battle. This is different from Lufia II in the sense that you can assign this to your party members individually. When one fails to escape, the battle just resumes. So if you really need to get away, set everyone to run. A note on those rounds and turns--it's not _entirely_ turn-based, because the AGL-stat (speed) is factored in a few cases. If you surprise the enemy, you will get the first round (or vice-versa) no matter what. Then it goes according to the AGL of the characters and monsters--the fastest attacks first. If the AGL of someone is twice as much as another, then that person gets to attack twice as much. I believe the mechanics work like this. THE ACTIONS ---------------------------------------------------------- If you select Attack, then the following options appear: + ATTACK: Physically attack the opponent(s). This does damage based on the ATK-stat of the performer, and that stat is based on the character's strength and his or her weapon. + SKILL: Opens up a menu with the spells the character in question has, and using them if you wish. Press Select in this menu to see descriptions of the skills. + ITEM: Use an item. Well, duh. You can choose healing Potions from here, or special balls to attack the enemy, or whatever you have collected. Only items that can be used while fighting are listed, so you won't need to scroll through equipment and all of that useless crap. + DEFEND: If you manage to defend before your foe attacks you, damage is decreased (how much is something I've yet to figure out). You cannot attack if you defend, though. + INSTALL: Fuse with your monster--if you have one, that is. This requires a full IP-bar. When you fuse, you'll lose control over your character (and monster); for three rounds, the newly-created creature will attack on its own. Of course, attack is pumped up, and you are immune for your opponent's attacks. Basically, you fight and get hit back, and because of the latter, you will need to sacrifice a few healing Potions or some AP to restore your health. Always keep your HP high! TYPES OF ATTACKS ----------------------------------------------------- Physical Attacks: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Physical attacks (the default option in battle) do damage according to the target's defense and the ATK-stat of the performer. This kind of melee attacks is best reserved for use by the hard hitters; the weaker characters (Rami) are better off in the magic department. If you use a physical attack, there's a slight chance that your damage is doubled--this is called a critical hit, and it's indicated by a zoom-in of the camera and a flash. Unfortunately, there's a possibility that you miss an attack, obviously doing no damage. Skills: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Skills cost AP (ability points), and they are usually stronger than just physical attacks. We have physical skills, such as Knuckler, an ability of the fighter. Magical attacks are there as well, like Cinder, which does fire-based damage. All monsters are of a certain preset type, like Lava Dragons, which are fire. Fire is extinguished by water, and so the obvious thing is to use water- based magic on this kind of monsters. Furthermore, we have curative (heal HP, cure status effects) and supportive skills (stat-up spells, etc.), and a bunch of miscellaneous stuff (steal items, random damage, etc.). You learn skills according to the job you have (priests learn curative skills, etc.), and by defeating monsters. The more experience they give out, the faster you learn them. Note: Maximum damage, be it physical or magical, doesn't cap at an effective level of 999--the game calculates past that, although it doesn't show more. STATS ---------------------------------------------------------------- Each character and monster has specific stats that determine his or her strength in specific things and all. I think you've figured out already that some people are stronger physically, but others have absolutely no muscles but cast away with immensely powerful magic. Lufia doesn't have fifteen different types of stats, which makes it all the easier: HP -- Hit points. Your basic stat in battle. See above. AP -- And ability points would be your second basic stat. ATK -- ATK obviously stands for attack, and this is the indicator of physical strength--i.e. the higher this stat is, the more damage you do when using the default attacking option during combat. DEF -- Defense determines your resistance versus physical punches and kicks your stomach gets to endure. AGL -- Agility is your speed. With your experience with other turn- based RPGs, you should know by now that speed is taken into account when deciding who attacks first and who last. INT -- Intelligence is the factor that decides how much damage your magical abilities do; makes sense, right? Dumb people completely suck when it comes to this, so reserve the magical jobs to the smart. MGR -- Magic resistance is basically equal to the defense stat, with the only difference that MGR applies to _magical_ attacks. STATUS EFFECTS ------------------------------------------------------- Like any other RPG, your character and your opponents can catch a negative status effect, like sleep; the inability to do something. In order to negate these effects, use the appropriate skills or items-- sleep, for example, is countered by using a Wake-Up Call. Here's the list of the most-important (most-occurring) status effects: Burns -- Similar to poison, see below. Confusion -- You lose control over the character and it will attack by itself, both ally and foe (including him-/herself). Cure this with a Sanity Pill. Deadly Poison -- See "poison" below; replace "bit" with "bunch". Paralysis -- Unable to act. Cure with a Mysterious Pin or the Release-spell. Poison -- When a poisoned character acts, he or she will lose a bit of HP. Cure this with an Antidote. If you're afflicted after battle, you will lose 1 HP with every step you do! Sleep -- Unable to act. Cure with a Wake-Up Call or with the Wake-spell. If you're hit by an attack, you are usually woken up as well (*punch* "Wake up, you!") ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-E: The Other Stuff ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE JOB SYSTEM ------------------------------------------------------- New to the Lufia series is the job system. Once you reach Gruberik (somewhere in the beginning of the game), you can change the job of your characters (Eldin, Torma and Rami only). Jobs are similar to "classes"--you can talk to people that accept you as their apprentices and switch to their style, if you accept their offer. So what does this do? Stats are modified for one thing; should you become a swordsman, your ATP (attack power; how much damage you do physically) will rise significantly, or if you become a thief, your AGL (agility) goes up. The downsides are not to be left unmentioned as well: becoming a swordsman results in a drop of the INT- and MGR- stats (intelligence and magic resistance respectively), and so on, and so forth. Not only are stats affected by the jobs; you will acquire special attacks or skills unique to that job. Wizards get offensive magic, priests cure the party, and fighters learn how to teach opponents what melee fighting is. Furthermore, jobs are divided by rank. You are a novice in the beginning, and via the apprentice-, expert-, and teacher-rank, your ultimate goal is becoming a master. Jobs are assigned individually. That means that if you assign your main character to be a swordsman, the other people in your party are not (unless you opt to switch them to one as well). For the rest, see section 3-B. DISC MONSTERS -------------------------------------------------------- Disc Monsters, many times abbreviated to DM in the game, are similar to Capsule Monsters (from Lufia II), but more alike to the monsters you catch in Pokémon. Rather than letting them fight for you, you fight yourself, of course, but with their help. You cannot control them; only statistic information is available. Other differences are that Disc Monsters can be equipped with weapons and armor, and that you can teach them skills, plus a lot more. The pro of having Disc Monsters is that you stand better in battle. Disc Monsters attack, and they can deliver the final blow you just need. They also take a few hits, so that you don't have to bear with the black eye yourself. If Disc Monsters are killed, they are revived the next fight with just a little HP left; this contrary to the human part of the party, which stays dead when a new battle is entered. The cons of having monsters with you are that they become a new addition to the party, and that they thus eat up your experience points; experience gain is divided among all party members, and if you have a Disc Monster for nothing, make sure you get rid of it. So how do you get them? I'm sure you've given Pokémon a try--Lufia's way of capturing monsters is similar. If you thought you were too old for Pokémon, here's how you do it: you weaken the monster first in order to reduce the chance of the capture failing, and you throw the monster a disc (Pokéball). If you're successful, the disc is lost, but you have a new disc Monster to attack with. If you've failed, the disc is lost and the monster resumes attacking your party. For the rest, see section 3-C. ======================================================================== PART 2: WALKTHROUGH ======================================================================== A few notes; your schoolwork for the next minute, before you, well, start walking (after all, this IS a walkthrough). Read and learn. Or something to that extent. Whatever. * I've used some ASCII-drawings to explain a couple things in the game. For them to line up correctly, you need to view this document in a fixed-width font, e.g. Courier New. If you look at it in anything else, my FAQ will look more like utter crap than it does already. It's also suggested to use a Windows 1250-compatible font, or the character ¯ may not be an upside-down underscore (I use this to underline a few headers). * Preceding each chapter is a list of items and monsters, as well as a recommended level (usually a range). Sometimes, the levels are off, so don't depend on them TOO much. * Remember! North is up, west is left, east is right, and south is down. I use this quite often throughout the FAQ. * And finally, by reading further, you agree that you shall *not* send me e-mails consisting of roughly 3/4 of any abusive words- dictionary because I have ruined your gaming experience. Obviously, this is a walkthrough full of SPOILERS. I have not made an effort in excluding every plot-revealing bit of text--something happens, I tell you what. Remember that a solution to a problem is a spoiler as well; always try by yourself before you resort this or other guides. Just don't read more than what you need and you'll be fine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-A: Licensed to Hunt ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Clothes, Clothes, 100G, Potion, 10G, Potion, 5G, Potion, Potion, Potion; Monster Book, Weapon Book, Shield Book, Armor Book, Helmet Book, Accessory Book, Potion; Sharp Bone, 5G, Stone Fragment, Charred Newt, Cave Disc, 5G, Cave Disc, Earth Fruit, Potion; Hunter's License Monsters: Red Jelly, Puny Moth, Newt, Bat, Blue Jelly, Death Moth, Goblin Recommended Level: 1-3 PARCELYTE ------------------------------------------------------------ As you begin, press through the cut-scenes. You'll acquire Clothes for your friend (Torma) and you (Eldin). There will be a convo or two, the last of which is with an old guy (the major), about Priphea flowers being stepped on and stuff. You know those old guys--just promise them you'll be good and everything's the tops. In this case you really should, 'cuz you will have to pay 50G otherwise; although it has to be forked over eventually, you need it more at this moment. When you gain control over Eldin, you can talk to the guy again for some information. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Go to the right and enter the house. There's a closet to the left (right of the bookshelf); open it to get 100G. I'm sure grandma doesn't mind. - Head down. Below the inn are three trees and five bushes; cut away the second one with the B-button to reveal a Potion. - Head inside the inn. A girl says that the pots break easily, and it just *so* happens that there are pots here. Fortunately, "you break it, you pay it!" does not apply here; break the second you find and you will _get_ 10G. Not a bad deal. - Now go left for a shop. You can go inside to, well, shop. However, it appears that it is enterable via the back; do so, and open the closet to receive a Potion. - You can also interact with the bed here to make it up, and get 5G from the shopkeeper as a reward. - Now get outside. You see a mailbox there, right? Under it is a bush, right? Cut it away, then walk through the newly-created path. Find yourself another bush and cut it away for another Potion. - Enter the house nearest to said mailbox. Open the closet here for a Potion. Potions potions potions. They're supposed to cure you, but I get sick of them instead. - And your own house has a Potion as well. Check the upper-left corner of the first floor; a bottle that is breakable. - And finally, there's some guy in your house. Next to your bed is a Red Jelly; interacting with it reveals an alchemist. He says that to make a Rune Ring, you'll need to get 150G and a Sacred Branch. The latter is not in your hands for the moment, so ignore this for now. I guess that's enough for now. Remember you can sleep at an inn anytime (here for 20G) to recover health, and that saving or curing negative status is done at the church. See section 4-D for a listing of what the shops sell. PARCELYTE CASTLE ----------------------------------------------------- Your next goal is Parcelyte Castle, of which the entrance to is left of Parcelyte. Enter it. Apparently, there's a Hunter's test or anything like that, and it seems our hero gets to sign up for it. Upon entering, your buddy Torma joins your party. Your new team has a talk with a soldier while waiting in line (learning that the new test is no cookie), and once it's their turn, they'll sign up. You can name your first character (default: "Eldin") and choose an outfit for them. Note: The outfit you choose has no effect on anything, except the way you look. Remember you'll be stuck with it for the rest of the game! The soldier explains that there's a Lukie Cave around here and that your test is to go down it and find an old grave, read the inscription on it, and that's that. Sounds simple, of course, but they say nobody's been down there for a hundred years. You will lastly get the Compendiums, which are books that will fill up with info as you progress (sort of like a Pokédex, you know?). Check "Options" in the menu to see 'em. Before we set out to the cave, let's dig an item: go up the upper- left stair set and open the second cabinet for a Potion. The one to the left is empty. You can reach Lukie Cave by taking the path in the lower-left corner. Get there, whip out your sword, and prepare to kick some butt. LUKIE CAVE / PART ONE ------------------------------------------------ In this cave, you will meet a variety of monsters that should not be unfamiliar to you if you've played Lufia II; Red Jellies, Puny Moths, Newts... Same counts for the battle system; it's basically almost exactly the same. Go north until you find a lamp; head left through a hidden path before going north. Ignore the Red Jelly and go on until you see a formation of bushes; the uppermost of the 3x3 formation has a Potion and the lone one left of it gives containment to a Sharp Bone. That Sharp Bone (*bone*? Looks more like a sword to me...) is a weapon; unfortunately, Eldin is already equipped with it and Torma has a stronger weapon. Uselessness. Go back to the lamp and head north. The guy says that he gives you a hint if you cut all the bushes in front of him... if you do so and talk to him, he'll say that monsters move when you do, and... yeah. Useless tip to veterans of the Lufia series. Head north to the next area and you'll find what seems like a gravestone; unfortunately, it is not The Gravestone With The Inscription (tm), but as pointed out by Torma, there seems to be some empty space in it... wonder what's that for? Perhaps it's got something to do with the weird door in the back... In any case, nothing can be done with it now, so let's move on. Go to the upper-right corner and up the stairs, and have a chat with the guy. He'll mention the Ancient Cave, which must means that the Ancient Cave is in this game. YAY! Head up to the plus-formation of bushes and cut away the bottommost one for 5G. Yay again. Don't go up, as nothing interesting is there unless dead ends interest you. Go right instead, down, and the door closes behind you! Oh no! Also, there is one other door in this room. However, it's closed as well. Oh no no! Your experience from Lufia II kicks in here (or this guide, if you didn't play it ^_^;)--you will need to defeat all monsters in this room (Red Jelly, Newt, Puny Moth) for the next area to become accessible. Do so and enter a new room. Kill the Red Jelly; it seems to follow you, and that's fairly annoying. Cut away the bush in the upper-right corner to reveal a button--step on it to open a door. However, if you leave the button, the door closes! Luckily, there's a pot in this room that you can place on the button, holding down it and allowing you to go through the door. Simple stuff, really. Pick it up with the A-button, and make sure to take note of the R-button technique that the guy in this room talks about. Go to the next area. In here, move north till you reach a rectangular-shaped formation of bushes with a chest in the middle. Open the chest for a Stone Fragment, and cut away the upper-right bush for a Charred Newt. That Stone Fragment probably fits in the previously-visited grave! Also, remember that room with the dead end I spoke of earlier? To the left is that dead end, but seeing as you're on the other side, it's no longer a dead end. Cut a bush and push a crate forward to make yourself a path, go through the entrance, then south one screen, then south one screen again. Go to that mysterious grave. LUKIE CAVE / PART TWO ------------------------------------------------ Note: It is recommended to head back to Parcelyte and save, before continuing. While you're at it, make sure you have enough Potions! Torma will mention that Stone Fragment, which apparently fits in there. Press Select and choose "Special" in the menu (make sure to face the grave); select the Stone Fragment and you will put it in the empty spot. A light emits and the door behind unlocks... go through. Or not and head back to Parcelyte first to save; you're roughly halfway done with this dungeon. Inside, tell the guy to scram himself, and go up for your first puzzle! ...and last, it seems. Damn. I'm an idiot who likes to draw ASCII-thingies, but I won't bother you with an ASCII-drawing of the situation this time, for the puzzle is really simple. Blocks can be pushed, but not pulled; push the block in the middle all the way forwards against the stairs, and then cut away all bushes. You can now push a block left or right; whatever you wish. Doing so allows you to go down the stairs. As you enter, a guy comes to you and leaves; he's scared to hell. We, of course, are not. Head down and you'll see a switch; cut away the other bush to find another switch. Left are four bottles. However, only one of them can be picked up and put on the switch; the other three are just there to get broken. Upon entering this room, you've seen a barrel; move this to the second switch (remember not to push it against a wall!). The door opens. Enter; the three chests you'll find here are empty, but there's a fourth! Cut one of the bushes to reveal it; the Cave Disc is inside it. Backtrack back to the room. Cave Discs can be used to capture monsters--see section 1-E. And go down. As a small note, there's a new monster introduced here, the Death Moth. Its name indicates the monster's friendliness against you, but dealing with it should be not a problem at all. In the next room, go to the pole and Torma says this is a job for him; press L to switch to him and press B while facing the other pole. He will cross the chasm with his, uh, fishing rod. Like in Secret of Mana with the Whip, or, more appropriately, in Lufia II with the Hook. In any case, you're on the other side, and that's all that matters. Defeat the Bat (recommended catching! Use the Cave Disc) over there and pick up the bottle below. Bring it up and place it on the switch in order for a pole on the other side to go up. Use Torma's mad fishing skills to get to the other cliff and head up. Make sure to surprise the next Bat; stand against the wall above, face left, and when the Bat comes down (he comes to you), make sure you're facing him. The Bat should face down, and this leads to a surprise attack in your favor. After defeating him, go left. Get rid of the Newt in here, and cut away the plus-formation of bushes. Grab the 5G that is revealed, and resume south. Here's a bunch of chests (only one of them is still unopened, though). Open the last one for a Cave Disc, and sequentially cut the lone bush left. That one contains an Earth Fruit, which you should take with you as well. Next, there seem no other entrances, meaning you'll need to cut away the rest of the bushes. Start below; one of the lower ones holds a Potion. Second, kill the Death Moth. And thirdly, cut one of those bushes in the upper-left corner to reveal a hole. Fall down it. Circle south through the path, and make your way to a vine. As a small note, I see a *red* monster there, and when I fight it I get *Blue* Jellies down my throat. What madness is this? Anyway, that vine is not something to climb yet--it's a shortcut to go BACK, thus a longcut for now. Instead, make your way north. Beat the Bat in the next room and the door opens. Before you continue, heal yourself! Use those Potions; you should've gotten plenty of them back in Parcelyte. When you're ready, interact with the grave. You'll open it--bad idea indeed, as a Goblin pops up, not even being grateful for being released. It even attacks you! Boss Strategy -- Goblin: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 155 200 31 6 20 20 11 250 100 Goblin's main attack is Tackle, but it rarely reaches the double digits if you've leveled up even the slightest bit. Fumble disables your character for one round. In battle, the Goblin is nothing tough. Seeing as this is the beginning of the game, and that you're only with two characters, and that there's no magic to your potential, this is just a simple attack-attack-heal-and-repeat fight. So, just attack him until your health gets below 10 HP, when you need to kick in a Potion. After the fight, Torma reads what's on the grave: "When the ancient sunken city awakens from its long slumber, the path to the holy land will appear." Torma's question remains unanswered for this moment, and he's right about returning. You're finished here, so let's report back to the soldier and become a Hunter! Make sure to use the vine, for that's a shortcut to go back. I'm sure you know the rest of the path. PARCELYTE CASTLE ----------------------------------------------------- You will be brought to the King and you'll need to say what you've read on the inscription. Rather, _he_ will say it and you'll need to fill in the blanks. The correct answers are as follows: "City" (second option), "Slumber" (second option), and "Will appear" (first option). By choosing the correct answers, you will acquire the Hunter's License--if you fail, video game voodoo kicks in and you can just try again. PARCELYTE ------------------------------------------------------------ Once you have the license, let's head to Gruberik--home of the Ancient Cave and the Hunter's Guild. Back in Parcelyte, there was a guy that was blocking the path leading south, right? He isn't anymore, allowing you to go down that road. Before you leave, though, go to the church (north in the village). Save your game. You might also want to visit the inn and rest the night for 20G, if you're low on health. When you're done, pack your stuff, and go down. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-B: Gruberik ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Potion, Antidote, Field Disc, Pot, Field Disc, Field Disc, Insect Egg, Chopping Board; Katyusha, Cloth Tunic, Insect Egg, Antidote, Simple Ring, Sanity Pill, 100G, Cave Disc, Mysterious Pin, Sharp Bone, Field Disc, Potion, Vitamins, 50G, 100G, Simple Ring, Hi-Potion, Hi-Potion, Revive Monsters: Red Jelly, Pupa, Baby Frog, Mosquito, Blue Jelly, Mousse S, Spider, Beetle, Green Jelly, King Spider Recommended Level: 2-4 ROAD TO GRUBERIK / SOUTH --------------------------------------------- Go down, then left. Don't worry about the formations of four bushes; there's a bunch of them on this road, but none of them contain items. Ignore the Red Jelly and just go left until you reach the next screen. Here's a Pupa--an enemy that looks like Kakuna in the Pokémon games. As it did in Pokémon, it poses no threat here. After defeating it, head north. Never mind the chickens; they're there just to *be* and you can't do that Legend of Zelda trick on them. Unfortunately. Instead, see those bushes over there? Cut all of them away; the last of them contains a Potion. Pick it up and go left. When the path goes to a lower level, go down that lower level. Head north and meet up with a Mosquito. Beat it up, then cut away the bushes that lead to a small area inhabited by chickens and a Baby Frog. There's a lone bush in here, which holds an Antidote for you to pick. Get it, then head right. Circle around the path (you will probably need to fight a Mosquito that crosses your path) and enter the next area. The previous part of the road didn't require any brains, but that changes here. A little. Switch to Torma by pressing L; you're gonna need his mad fishing skills again. Go up and press the barrel to the left. Walk up to the flower; you should see a pole at the far side of the screen. Press B to get your ass there, and repeat the process with the pole left of you. Defeat the Baby Frog and pick up the bottle. Bring it north to an odd patch of ground--this is, well, a switch. I know it's stupid. Place the pot there and the on-screen pole goes down. Now go south, whip yourself to the right, then up, then go up; the pole you've used at first is now down, allowing you to go through the path. Of course, you could've just hacked away that flower... but the game doesn't allow that. Too bad. Anyway, head north. Never mind the barrel with the switch; they're just there and I can't seem to find a true purpose behind them. Walk past the jelly and you'll find a weird scum-like monster (looks similar to Jelze...); they're easy to get rid of and like to run away. Cut the four bushes for a Field Disc. Great! Now you can catch monsters from the field. See the game basics for more info. Cross the bridge and you'll eventually come to a fork (you can go up and right); if you head north, you'll get to a cave that you can't enter (spider web is blocking the entrance). Which means, of course, that you'll need to take a right. There's a house here, which you can enter. OPTIONAL / BLACKSMITH'S HOUSE ---------------------------------------- Talk to the old hag and she says that the path to Gruberik is blocked by spider webs. You can also break the uppermost pot to reveal a, well, a Pot. o_O; This Pot is a helmet--I know, it's really stupid (sort of like the OzziePants from Chrono Trigger). But hey--whatever. Have any of your party members wear it and go through the entrance. You'll arrive in the basement, in which is a blacksmith. Break the pot for a Field Disc and have a talk with the man; he says that he's a once-popular blacksmith and that he needs an apprentice--one whose best friend is the hammer. Unfortunately, you know of nobody with a hammer, and thus you can't help him out yet. Head out and let's continue. ROAD TO GRUBERIK / NORTH --------------------------------------------- Go right. You'll see a fence with an opening; don't go through it (there's only a cave blocked by spider webs). Instead, go right, and beat the Spider if you can't avoid it. When the path forks, take the upper path; below is nothing of interest. You'll find a Beetle and a vine on the wall; this is the first vine that covers a hidden entrance! Cut it away and enter a secret cave. Work your way through it (it's a super-small one), and after defeating the Pupa, open the chest to acquire a Field Disc. Exit the cave and head right, then up. You can see a bag of cash in the lower-right corner of the screen; ignore it for the time being, because it remains inaccessible for the moment. Instead, walk up and work your behind all the way to the left. Ignore the vine as well; it _does_ lead to that bag of cash, but a stump will be blocking your path. So go left; you will eventually find a well. You can go down it, but something will be blocking your path all the way to the bottom. Damn those things. (If you avoid monsters and they're following you now, enter and exit the well. They'll reset to their original places.) Left of the well is a plus-shaped formation of bushes, the middle bush of which contains an Insect Egg. Pick it up (don't use it yet; no need for that). When you have it, take the path to the north. The path forks here. A sign denotes that Gruberik is east (right), and to the east is a path blocked by a spider web. Damn! If you examine it, Torma says that it's different from the others (...spider- sense... tingling!). It's still blocking your path, and you can't do anything with it yet. Take the western path instead. Take note of the monsters blocking your path: a Green Jelly and some more of that scum. Crush them and resume, finding a Spider. Crush that one as well, and enter the next area. Here's a path, blocked again. Not by spider web, but by vines--and vines can be cut away. Do so, and enter the cave. Upon entering, you'll see a bunch of webs... a BUNCH of webs that is. Torma exactly sums up my thoughts. Head north through the entrance and, well... crap. That's quite a big spider over there, and it's the head honcho of the area. And of course, he's not too keen on letting you kill him that easily. Boss Strategy -- King Spider: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 188 60 33 5 25 2 8 365 400 King Spider's behavior in battle is the same as the Goblin, whose ass you've kicked earlier, except that Fumble is now replaced by "Toxic Cloud"--this hits all two of you and inflicts the more dangerous poison-status. Use Antidotes when you are struck. Essentially, this fight is also similar to the one with Goblin: it's just trading hits and healing when needed, until you emerge victorious. Basically, see the Goblin's strategy; heal, attack, repeat. After the fight, Torma points out the obvious. The webs in the entire cave promptly disappeared upon defeating King Spider (stupid name), and that must mean that the webs everywhere else are bye-bye as well. Let's find out! Exit the cave. Go down, then right, then up. The path that leads to Gruberik that was blocked first isn't blocked anymore! However, _only_ this path is unlocked. The other two web-blocked paths are still there (the two near that house), however... go check it for yourself if you don't believe me. In any case, you're on this road to find a way to Gruberik, so those aside. Go through the path. On your way is a bush; be sure to cut it away to get a Chopping Board (although no one can equip it yet). Head north, bust some Mosquitoes, go north again, and finally, we're done here. GRUBERIK ------------------------------------------------------------- Note: From now on, the world map is available (accessible). Just exit the town for a moment. You won't enter the road, but instead a map appears on-screen; now you don't have to walk all the way to Parcelyte, but you just select it. Handy! Also, there's a location left uncleared--this is the Old Well just below Gruberik and it's not needed to go through there now. Holy crap! This place is BIG. First, head all the way north. Torma will say he'll visit his grandpa, and leaves your party. You can visit the town now, but you might as well get Torma back now. Head up the stairs and take a right when you can. Go to the far right and walk south; you should see a small house. Enter it. Inside, you'll overhear a not-so-friendly conversation between Torma and his grandpa; grandpa is not best pleased with Torma and Torma is not best pleased with grandpa. So Torma leaves, and Eldin as well. Outside, Torma rejoins your team. (Torma also rejoins when you go to the path to the Ancient Cave. "Don't leave me behind!") Everything below until the next section is optional. First I'll give you a rough summary of the place, then I'll discuss any hidden items I've found so far. Roughly, Gruberik is divided into two parts, both of which have a screen for themselves: the village-part and the marketplace. First, the village. Left of the entrance is a school of some sorts. If you talk to the teacher, you'll have to solve a puzzle--any math freak can easily solve this. If you choose the wrong answer, you'll have to attend class for a sec or so, and I've no idea if this has effect on anything later on. Also in this school (in the northern area) is a bookshelf. Go check it for some info about Torma... And other residences in this place are either empty of people or just for information. As for the marketplace, there is an item shop in the lower left corner, a weapon shop in the house above there (upstairs), and an armor shop in the same house (downstairs). Scroll down to section 4-D for the lists. Right of the item shop is a bar; everyone's talking about the hot dancer dancing here. Visit the chick (Marin) upstairs, if you wanna. Also, a blacksmith is in the lower-right corner of the map. Check section 3-D for info on this special "shop". And there's a fortune teller around; she costs 10G, and stays that you are boarding a pirate ship, stealing something. Hmmm? Furthermore, you can stay in the inn for 50G. Right of the inn is a huge house that says "Antique". This is the Hunter's Guild (which you came for); check out below for the details. And right of the guild is a small residence, housing a church. Save if need be. Right of THAT building is the path to Mr Cashwell's mansion. ("So go away!!") And in that manor is, well, a rich guy with enough $$$ to spend, as well as a members-only area. I wonder what's there... Left of the marketplace is a path leading to the Ancient Cave. But... the cave is closed. Too bad. Right of the marketplace is the path leading to the dock; you can find a pirate ship, sailors, and a few more things here. Nothing exorbitantly interesting. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Go to that school again. Right of the entrance to it is a stair set leading up; get on the roof and walk all the way to the left. Somewhere, there's a spot where you can drop down. Do so, head north, and cut away the bush for a Katyusha. - Now enter the school--there's a back entrance directly south of the just-cut bush. Slash the pot left of you to reveal a Cloth Tunic. - While you're in the school, talk to the monkey attending class. It is in fact an alchemist, and it teaches you that in order to make Hi-Magic, you'll need to mix a Magic Jar with a Hi-Potion. - And lastly, open the cabinet near the teacher to get an Insect Egg. - Go north of the school. Three houses are here; enter the uppermost one. Two bottles are on your left; below them (you can barely see it) is an Antidote. Pick it up. - North of Torma's grandfather's house is a house. Enter it, head up the stairs, and open the cabinet to receive a Simple Ring. - West of Torma's grandfather's house is a house. In there is a cabinet also, this time containing a Sanity Pill. - South of Torma's grandfather's house is a house. An old hag inhabits it; check out what she reads! A NAUGHTY PICTURE BOOK in the bookshelf! Go read it too. You're of course very interested in that book and check it again--you'll find 100G if you do so. And of course, pictures aren't shown on-screen... but oh well. - Finally, head to the marketplace. On your way is a kid that wants a Charred Newt; give it and he'll give you a Cave Disc. Note: The following portion below applies to the second part of Gruberik (the marketplace). - In the bar, go upstairs and visit Marin. Open the cabinet to get a Mysterious Pin. ("Yeah, I ought to visit your cabinet more often.") - In the weapon shop, go upstairs. Push the crate forward and get a Sharp Bone out of the first cabinet. - Go to the inn (upper-left corner of the screen). Don't enter it, but instead walk around it via the left side. There's a pot, which has a Field Disc. - Inside the inn, go straight ahead through the entrance. You will arrive in the suites. One of the closets contains a Potion, and the other one Vitamins. - There's another suite (deluxe suite) in the inn with a locked cabinet. I'm sure there's something good in there, but I know of no way yet to open it... - Right of the path to Mr Cashwell's mansion is a small house, in which there are two cabinets, one of which has 50G, which is some more to spend, which you can do at shops, which are elsewhere. - Two items are in the Cashwell Manor. The first can be acquired by examining the bookshelf; someone was generous enough to put 100G between the pages of a romance novel. Erm. - The other treasure, a Simple Ring, is in the cabinet. - Now, head to the docks--a path to them is right of the market. You can see a Hi-Potion over there; get it by either passing the sailor to the left or via the house to the right. - Go to the Hunter's Guild via the big entrance, go through the entrance to the right, and find a cabinet that contains a Hi- Potion. - While you're still here, go upstairs to the job switching room. The first ad to the left (left of the stair set) says that you can buy a Revive from one Nick at the docks. Head to the docks and talk to the first guy--the Revive costs 400G, but Revives are rare and not buyable (only one-time opportunity here). And MAN--this is one big place to cover. I'm not even finished yet; that big building, the Hunter's Guild, is left uncovered. THE HUNTER'S GUILD --------------------------------------------------- The Hunter's Guild is a place from where you can do a variety of things. Keepers Assoc.: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ First, go straight ahead from the big entrance; you'll enter the Keepers Assoc., from where you can do all kinds of stuff with Disc Monsters. There are bookshelves here; read them if you're new to the game. Talk to the left guy to assign, teach skills, or set free monsters, or to the right guy to buy discs. If you haven't captured any monsters yet, you can't do anything here, though. Bandino: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Take the flight of stairs in the western part of the building. Talk to Bandino for a job--getting Iris Water out of the Ancient Cave for a reward of 100G. Take it or not; you will have to wait anyway since the cave is closed for the moment. Also, you can buy goods from him; first say no, then choose yes. For more information, see section 3-A (and scroll down a bit from there). Jobs: ¯¯¯¯¯ And lastly, jobs and all of that stuff. You can change jobs here by talking to the people behind counters upstairs (follow the red carpet to reach the room) and becoming their apprentices. You can choose to become a fighter, mage, priest, swordsman, thief, or wizard. You will learn skills and magic unique to the job you choose; if you become a wizard, for instance, you'll learn many offensive magic- spells, but changing into a fighter will result into learning a few martial arts-attacks. Choose a job for both of your characters; I'd suggest (but that's my suggestion) to make Eldin a thief (stealing stuff, learn Escape, learn Sonar!) and Torma a swordsman (kill kill kill!). Leave. Note: It's possible to become a knight here, but being a master swordsman is a prerequisite for that. Find the knight by going outside, up the stairs, then through the door, then through another door, upstairs to the roof, falling down one level, then entering a small room. You can't become his apprentice just yet, though, unless you've mastered the swordsman already. Unless you're a terribly obsessed FREAK, you haven't done so yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-C: The Black Auction ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Terror Ball, Antidote, Potion, Wind Fruit, Gold Shard, Priphea Flowers, Love Letter, Member's Card, 500G, Moon Stone Monsters: (none) Recommended Level: 3-5 CHASE THE THIEF! ----------------------------------------------------- Head to the Ancient Cave (directly opposite to the docks). The guys in front of the entrance to it say that the entrance has collapsed, meaning you'll have to wait till it gets fixed. Also, there's an alchemist here; talk to the guy in the lower-right corner and he'll reveal to be one. He says that in order to create a Cinder Ring, 150G and a Fire Ore is needed. Which is great... if you had a Fire Ore. But you don't... so it's not great. Return; upon getting back to the marketplace, the camera pans over to a thief! He steals some stuff from some lady, and of course, our party comes for the rescue. Torma takes the lady to the inn and you have to chase the thief. Run to the right and he bolts. And the music changes to an unbelievably happy tone--this sounds like a mini- game, but it's not. Chase the thief around a few times (just go in his direction, and if you lose him, walk around until you see him again). Eventually, he will go to the docks; resume giving chase. Go all the way north to the pirate ship; the music tones down again and the thief appears to be gone... Now, talk to the bald sailor, and he says that the thief probably entered the ship. Oh well. Return to the inn; there's nothing you can do for the moment. Go to the suites and find Torma and the girl; near them and Barger joins in. There's a short conversation; basically, the thief went on the pirate ship and the items _need_ to be returned. And, well, you are the two victims that need to retrieve it. The party seems a little hesitant, but immediately takes the job after learning that the gal is loaded with cash. PIRATE SHIP ---------------------------------------------------------- Okay--you need to retrieve a stone with ancient lettering and a Gold Shard used to read it. Head outside the inn and go to the docks; there is a spot on the docks where Torma asks you to board the ship. Get there and agree with him, and it's time for some Metal Gear Solid. Basically, there are chests, obstacles, and pirates. Chests can be opened for items, and pirates may not see you. If they see you, you will need to start all over again. Which means, of course, that you have to try not to be seen. That's what the obstacles are for; stand behind crates and that sort of stuff--basically, if you can't walk over it, the pirates can't see you through it. There are some crates and pots that can be moved; this can be used to your advantage. Here's a mini-guide on getting all items and staying unseen. - Enter the ship and go down the stairs. - Go left and face the pot; you should see two guards left of it. One guard is in your horizontal range; the other can't see you. When the above guard turns left, pick up the pot, move two spaces to the left, and quickly place the pot. That pot should be under the crate. - You can now safely open the chest for a Terror Ball. - Now go up, around the barrels, and open the other chest for an Antidote. Don't open the chest from below--the pirate may see you. - Go to the right, back to the stairs. - You can see a pirate walking up and down, and a pot somewhere in that area. Pick up that pot and walk two spaces to the right; make sure that the pirate walking in a circle is not seeing you. - Walk around the obstacle thing, using the pot if needed. - There's a pirate between two barrels and a wall; if you still have the pot, put that in his sight and go to the next part. - Circle south of the stack and push the crate ONE spot above; make sure the pirates don't see you. - And go down the stairs. And that's that. You will now overhear a conversation; one of the items is sold, the other is still on the ship. You'll also learn that the thief is to the casino in Daros, but save that tidbit for later. After a while, you'll regain control over Eldin and Torma; you see that crate over there? Push it ALL THE WAY to the left 'til you lock in a pirate. Once that's done, go in the room directly south of him, and break the pot for a Potion. The pot in the other room is empty. Make sure the other pirate doesn't see you as well (there's a movable pot), and head left. Two chests are here! Make sure to open the lower-right one FIRST; you will get a Wind Fruit. Sequentially open the other chest to retrieve the Gold Shard. You are automatically returned outside; and that "automatically" is the reason to open the other chest first. GETTING THE MEMBERSHIP CARD ------------------------------------------ Barger notes that you know the son of Mr Cashwell, and perhaps he can provide you with what you need. He'll be your next goal; Torma is unfortunately not happy with it. You'll learn that Rubius is the name of the girl, and your new job starts now. Go to the bar (where Marin, the dancer, is). Upon entering, you'll see Marin doing a dance and returning to her room. Now, talk to the son of Cashwell--he's the guy with the glasses, at the bar. He'll agree on helping you, but it's not like "Hey, you! With the face! I need a card!" and getting it immediately. Rather, you'll need to get the guy a present to give to Marin... blargh you, kid. And what in the world would be that present for Marin, eh? Let's ask the fortune teller. She says, "You have flowers... It's a present... Hmmm? An old man?" And that's enough for a hint. Do you remember the major of Parcelyte? That old guy is your next stop--leave the town to enter the world map. Select Parcelyte to get there instantly, and find the major. Talk to him and he'll be glad to give you a bunch of Priphea Flowers... for free! Give him a thank and return to Gruberik. (Note: it costs 50G if you didn't pay it in the beginning of the game.) Talk to Cashwell's son again (I still don't know his name... might his name be "Cashwell's son"? Everyone calls him so...). The gift you have is perfect--however, he's a bit wimpy, and you need to bring it yourself. Torma's urge to destroy him rises... but he doesn't. Go upstairs and give Marin the present, and return to Cashwell's son. The next thing he wants you to do is giving him the Love Letter he wrote. This is too much for pansy-ass Torma and he decides to quit. Without him in your party, bring Marin the letter, and Marin will in turn get you the Member's Card. Whee! She says that the auction starts in a few moments. Let's bid some. Oh, and take note that Torma will join your party later on; don't worry about him. CASHWELL MANOR ------------------------------------------------------- Go to Mr Cashwell's mansion (the path to it is right of the Hunter's Guild) and Rubius joins your party. She'll not really *join* you in the sense of willing to take part in fights; she just trails your ass until she has what she needs. She gives you 500G, which you need while bidding. Go into the mansion and go down the stairs; the guy that used to guard it stands no longer in front of it, allowing you to enter the auction. "Next up... catalog number 25... Here we have an ancient stone, straight from Nazare." The bid starts at 100G; now, you can choose to either bid 50G more, or wait. The most efficient way of bidding is by waiting TWICE and then bidding 400G--you should get the stone for 400G and you can put those 100 bucks in your own pocket. If you bid from the start and don't wait, the guy to the left will constantly bid higher, and you'll have to fork over 550G eventually; this is a bad choice indeed. Just wait, wait again, and then bid, and you'll get the Moon Stone for 400G. Alright then. Outside, Rubius tells you that she's going to the Tower of Guidance by Karnack--say yes when she asks you to join her. Well... if you say no, she just asks it again. And again. And again. I hate video games. In any case, Karnack is not far from Mera Volcano, and that volcano is your next stop. Notice "Mera Volcano - East" on the map. If you use the Gold Shard on the Moon Stone, you will read, "WHEN THE DOORS OPEN"--this is part of an ancient script, I guess. Wonder what it means? And, before going, head back to the auction part. There's an alchemist here; reveal him and learn that in order to create a Fire Ore, you'll need to mix a Fire Sand with Iris Water. And the Ancient Cave is open right now--go have a look! See section 3-A for info. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-D: Over the Hills ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Flame Fruit, Charred Newt, Antidote, Magic Guard, Iron Beak, Flame Fruit, Speed Source, Insect Crush, Potion, Potion, Charred Newt, Power Source Monsters: Killer Bee, Newt, Lizard Mage, Windona, Pucci, Red Selph, King Lizard, Light Essence Recommended Level: 3-6 MERA VOLCANO / EAST -------------------------------------------------- For starters, Rubius sucks in battle. You know why? She doesn't even participate. That means you're all on your own, unless you've captured monsters. If not, go capture one now! Make sure you have some Mountain Discs and Cave Discs; you can buy then in Gruberik in the Hunter's Guild. Disc Monsters really help you here. Make sure you have a lot of Potions as well. AND be sure you're wearing a decent weapon! The first time I went through the place I was armed with my initial equipment, and even though I managed to get to the end, that was something I regretted. Cross the path to the next screen. You'll see a trio of bushes; take note of that. Kill the Killer Bee; note that you can go left off the screen to get to the three bushes. They contain a Flame Fruit and a Charred Newt. Return and go up. Defeat the Newt here and go all the way to the right; here is a lone bush that contains an Antidote. Pick it up and go up. There's a Killer Bee here--go to the right. Left is a path also, but you'll only find a crack in the wall. I suppose we'll get to that later. To the right is a cave entrance, which you need to go through. Go up two vines and fight the Lizard Mage. Kill it, and go down the entrance. Outside, head up to the next screen, in which you'll find a mountain with climbable vines and a cave entrance. There's no need to enter the cave--it leads to a dead end and is probably a shortcut while backtracking back. Instead, climb the vines--you can climb on the wall from the vines. If you look closely, you can see white steps on the wall--this indicates climbability. (I just invented a new word!) Okay! First go up the second vine. Go all the way up 'til you can't go any further, then left, up, etc. Make your way above until you find a cliff with a cave entrance. Go inside and open the chest for a Magic Guard. Kill the Lizard Mage if you wish, and return. On the cliff again, press Down until you fall off... how you can survive that is beyond me. Ignore the third vine and go up number four; again, find your way above and enter a cave. In there, circle around the path, encounter a Lizard Mage, and end up on another cliff. From here, don't go up yet. Drop down first and enter the cave. Push the blocks out of your way and follow the path to a chest--it contains an Iron Beak. Go down and take route four again, and go up to the top of the mountain. Don't go to the right, as there's nothing of interest. Instead, head up to the next screen, which is all foggy. Find a vine to climb and go up a level. Left is a Windona (if you are interested in capturing), and up is another vine. Go up another level and go to the right. Climb a vine yet again, and cut away the bushes for a Flame Fruit. Head back down and go left and up. Here, meet up with a duck (Pucci). Beat it up, then go to the next screen to repeat the process with a Windona. Then go up for another one of those Pucci dudes. Finally, head up and you're on the non-shroudy part of the mountain. Pass the monsters and follow the path. Midway, the screen rumbles; a rock falls from way above and lands right in your path, disabling you from returning. Yes. Exactly THAT rock falls on exactly THAT place on exactly THAT moment. In any case, we entered this mountain to continue and not to go back, so resume to the next screen. And things aren't looking good for the team, as the bridge we need to cross is broken. But fortunately, this is a video game, and video games are notorious for having alternate paths when the main path is inaccessible; this time it's a hole to the right. Cut away the bushes and drop down the hole (it's hard to see because of the smoke but it IS there). MERA VOLCANO / WEST -------------------------------------------------- As you might have guessed, that red substance in the area is lava, and lava is hot. Video game power kicks in here; you can walk over the lava, though not safely--1 HP is lost with every step made in it (until you have 1 HP left, in which case you lose no HP ^_^;). There's enough normal land to walk on, so it's not necessary to go through the lava. First, there's a Red Selph enemy over there; attack and defeat it. Next, you see a chest in the corner there, right? It is inaccessible, unless you can bear with the loss of 4 HP; the Speed Source inside instantly makes up for it. Once you have it, go up, through the passage. In the next area, there are ultra-weak bridges that you can step over only once. If you go over the tiles one more time, you're dropped down into the lava, meaning you'll have to walk through it all the way back to the beginning of the room--and that's a loss of a lot of HP. So make sure to be careful on those bridges--if you fail, re-enter the room for the bridge to reappear. And speaking of bridges, there are two of them in this room; one is a 4x4 bridge, the other a 1x3. Cross the 4x4 first, and enter a small room. In here, defeat the King Lizard (capture it if you have no monster and a Cave Disc left), and sequentially get the Insect Crush out of the chest. And equip that weapon, if it's better than what you're armed with now! Now go back and go over the other bridge. Deal with the Lizard Mage if he stands in your way, then go left to the next area. And this next area, let me tell you, sucks. There's one long bridge and three enemies; you have to cross that bridge using a particular method and those three Pugs (probably plus companions) need to be fought. Worst of all, two fight are surprise attacks, in favor of THEM. Make sure you've got lots of Potions, that you're wearing the best stuff, then cross the bridge like this: at the first path-split go left, at the second down, third up, and fourth up again. If you deviate from given route, you'll need to go back through the lava and re-enter. Ugh! Anyway, if you've successfully crossed the route (hope you leveled up prior to entering), go through the next. It's a Z-shaped (sorta) path, with a King Lizard and Red Selph on your way. Resume the road and make sure to pick up the two Potions on your way. With those two items in the bag, enter the final room. Cross the bridge, and three Red Jelly-like substances are up ahead. It's an inevitable fight. Boss Strategy -- Light Essence (x3): ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 95 200 28 4 10 5 5 500 200 A fairly annoying fight; you're only with one character (your Disc Monster isn't _too_ much of a help...) and there are three of them to deal with. It, again, is an attack-heal-repeat kind of fight. The fight's difficulty is hard in the beginning, and this decreases to medium once you kill off one of them, and it's a piece of cake when it's a one-on-one. You'll probably use up a bunch of Potions-- don't worry about this, as there's no other way of winning unless by leveling up. The attacks of your foes are just about regular enemy- strength, and need only be feared in the beginning, when you get three down your throat every turn. One of the jellies manages to get away... but I suppose he'll be no trouble for you anymore. Get out of the cave via the entrances. You're now on the other side of the broken bridge, which must mean we're close to the end. Go down and find a long bush enclosed by dead trees; hack it away to reveal a Charred Newt. Continue going down, and cut away the bush in the middle of the plus-shaped formation for a Power Source. With that, go back and take the other path. Climb down the wall, pass a Red Selph, resume going south, and you're FINALLY done here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-E: Beauty and the Beast ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: 10G, Dried Meat, Aqua Fruit, 10G (x3); Potion, Earth Sap, Magic Source, Earth Fruit, Revive; Hi-Potion Monsters: Goblin Recommended Level: 4-7 KARNACK / DRY SEASON ------------------------------------------------- Enter. And, well, leave. Upon heading out to the desert, Rubius faints. Fortunately, some woman comes for the rescue and helps bringing Rubius to her house. There, you'll learn her name (Aira), that she's blind, and that she needs to bring some water to Karnack. Your two party members will escort her there in return for helping Rubius. In Karnack, some guy tells you that another girl has been taken; this doesn't appear to be good. Aira is asked to visit the Elder, and Eldin and Rubius decide to follow the villagers that head out to bring the girl to safety. Go up and then right to the next screen; a signpost says that a rock cave is ahead. But not a rock cave only; a beast is there as well, and this fellow appears to be the one having captured the girls. You'll discover that this monster actually talks, and the three people that were supposed to rescue the girl bolt away. Which leaves you and Aira left; it ends up with a battle with him. The enemy this time is a Goblin; exactly the same Goblin you've fought in Lukie Cave, with the only difference that you are stronger (but with only a single party member) now. Defeat him. Aira appears to know this guy--he's Sando, whom she mentioned in her tent earlier. Sando opens the cave in the back; his motives for kidnapping the girls is to let Aira see again, but the party warns him that she doesn't really know that he's a monster. Sando passes away, to Aira's disappointment. The good thing is that the girls are rescued; this includes some little brat by the name of Rami. She will join your party now, which is a good thing, because she actually _helps_ fighting in battle. (And saying no to her doesn't help. "I won't take no for an answer!") With Rami in your team, you're finished in this town and the next goal is the Tower of Guidance (which you actually came for). There is a number of random bits you might want to take note of (albeit totally optional). Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - From the entrance, take a left. You'll see a person lying on the ground and two bottles; break the bottommost one to reveal 10G. - And talk to that person to reveal that he's in fact an alchemist! Learn that to make a Water Ore, you'll need Iris Water and a Crystal. - Of the tents "in the back", enter the first one (all the way to the left). One of the pots inside contains Dried Meat. - The second tent has nothing but two youngsters in love (how cute). To enter the third, tell the beast that you have business with his master, which is a chemist. If you feel the need to become her apprentice (400G), have a chat with her. - Next to her is a bottle that contains Aqua Fruit. - And in the fourth tent are four pots; if you're in need of cash, grab 10G out of one of them. Well... if you're *desperately* in need of cash. - Exit the tent and go down; you'll find four other pots. Cut away all of them. One contains 10G, and another one has 10G as well. WOW. As for equipping and buying, I recommend equipping the Katyusha from Gruberik on Rami. She can wear it. If you don't have it yet... well, get it. You should have a Chopping Board for her as well. If you have some money, but her a Toga as well. For Eldin, I suggest giving him some defensive items, if you didn't do so before. A weapon is not absolutely necessary if you've acquired the Insect Crush in Mera Volcano. And get Rami a job! Physically, she isn't worth a bean in battle, and thus I recommend making her anything that uses magic. A chemist is okay (gains the ability to stop enemy movement for 10 steps in the field--useful), or a priest to heal your sluggish party. OPTIONAL / ROAD TO GRUBERIK ------------------------------------------ Also, now you've got Rami, you can burn down bushes (rather than cutting them away), small tree stumps, and those spider webs. Yeah! You might want some items, so head to the Road to Gruberik (North). Switch to Rami by pressing L. Go down one screen and walk on until you see two stumps close together; burn them, and you'll gain access to a lone bush with a Potion. Now go back and head down until you get to the fork (one path goes south, the other leads to King Spider's cave). Go down. In this screen, immediately take a right, and burn the stump. Do the same with the bush thereafter to reveal Earth Sap, and then circle around the ledge all the way while burning everything that crosses your path (which includes a Beetle). Eventually, you will gain access to a bag of cash, which contains 200G. Return when you have it, and head all the way to the entrance (of this screen). Go down from there and you'll see an arrow leading down from the ledge (it's close to the well). Drop down and burn the web. Enter, avoid the Mad Bulb (he's tough), and find a chest with a Magic Source down the cave. Go back. The other spider web is, unfortunately, inaccessible for now. You need Torma to get there (chasm), and, well, you don't have Torma now. See the end of the chapter for more. Go south from the fork (where north leads to said spider web), and find a tree stump enclosed by four bushes. Under that stump is an Earth Fruit. Also, if you've changed to a chemist (which you should do, for the Tear Gas-skill) go to Gruberik. Go to the room with all the jobs in the Hunter's Guild and read the second ad right of the stair set. Bacchus the blacksmith needs a healer (not a priest, but a chemist). After reading it, go to the blacksmith (lower-right corner of the marketplace-part of Gruberik) and talk to Bacchus (lower-left guy). He wants you to get some Aspirin from Sedel at the Hunter's Guild. Go back to the jobs-room and find Sedel, the ex-chemist, in the lower- left corner. Get the Aspirin, give it to Bacchus, and you will receive a Hi-Magic as a reward. Yay... I think that's all the noteworthy stuff. When you're done, leave whatever place you are in and head for the Tower of Guidance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-F: The Ancient Ruins ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Escape Ball, Ice Ball, Fire Ball, Revive, Magic Jar, Tower Disc, Potion, Thin Cape, Camu Armor Monsters: Armored Horse, Mini Dragon, Spinner, Baby Frog, Blood Bat, Poison Toad, Snail Recommended Level: 4-7 TOWER OF GUIDANCE ---------------------------------------------------- Go one step forward. Rami says that this is one of the Ancient Ruins, and then you'll regain control over your team. Head forward, read the stone with Rubius if you wish, and to the next area. Cross down the hall. In the next room is a broken bridge, thus creating a chasm-- seeing as going down the abyss isn't of preference, there's no way to continue. Or is there? If you examine the gray pillar-like things, Rami says that they're stone lamps... and that she can light them up. Let's try so; press L to switch to her, and hit B to create a fire. Lo and behold: a bridge pops up. Convenient, eh? I love those programmers. In the sequent chamber is a number of monsters (the first four of the list on top), as well as a crack in the wall in the upper-left corner (which you can't do anything with yet) and a chest in the upper-right corner (open it for an Escape Ball). When you're done, head straight up to an elevator, and lift yourself up. The next area is a maze-like room. Two steps down and you're confronted by two ways you can take; left or right. If you're an item collection freak, take the left path first; push away the blocks and trail down the paths. Skip the dead ends and you will eventually find a chest with an Ice Ball (and a Buffalo guarding it). When you take the remaining path, you will again get to a fork; going down here brings you to a chest with a Fire Ball (and Buffalo), leaving the other to continue. Take the ball if you wish and go up. Push away the blocks, read the stone if you wish, give the Baby Dragon a beating if you feel like it, then head down. Get past the Platypus in the way of your preference, and go down to the next screen. Step on the switch to open up an entrance, then go through it. In here is a trio of King Frogs, and the frogs' chaotic movements make it hard to get past them unscathed. Still, it's possible... but of course, collecting the experience should be done as well. You will get to some formation of blocks, two of which are movable. Move one of them two blocks up, then push it all the way to the left or right (on a button). Repeat with the other, and both doors should be open. You can opt to take the left door first to land in a trap, filled with monsters (Neo Bats, Baby Dragons, and T-Rexes) and chests (Revive and Magic Jar). Push the four blocks on the switches to create a path to return, if you enter. Take the other path when you're finished. Here are more blocks and switches; you need to push all blocks on the switches to lower the stakes in the room. This opens up a path, but also releases two Buffaloes, who are obviously blood-thirsty and ready to kick your butt. If you wish to avoid them, push the lower blocks last to gain a head-start. When you're done, follow the path to a stone--read it if you want--and two paths to take. Skip the lower, and go up the stairs. Beat up the Baby Dragon (which you can't avoid), and then drop down the gap in the middle. There are nine weak spots on the ground; you can walk over them once, and the second time you do so you'll land in the floor below you. So, walk over the weak spot in the middle, then return over it. You should land exactly on a switch, which creates a path to the north. Go through it. Use your sword to hack your way through the two Platypuses, and go up a floor. Pick up the Tower Disc in this room (below), and go through the entrance. Again, there are two doors. Two switches are there as well, and one block. The door to the right is a trap (two Armored Horses), so push the block on the left switch. Go through the door. This chamber is plus-shaped; north and west lead to a dead end, leaving only south left. Go there. What awaits you here is another of those pathetically-easy puzzles. There are four switches and three bottles; pick up the top-left (or -right) pot and place it near the buttons, then pick up the other and put it on the upper right button. This reveals a fourth pot, allowing you to complete the puzzle. Do so and a door opens up. Go through. Pick up a Potion from the chest and go up the stairs after dealing with the Baby Dragon and other monsters. Go south before going up the stairs and acquire a Thin Cape from another chest (Rami can equip it, but doesn't need it if you bought her a Toga). What's left is going up a few floors and walking through a door, arriving outside. As for hostile bother, there is an Armored Horse here, as well as a King Frog. If you manage to pass them, you can access a lift and two entrances. The lift leads to a chest, giving containment to the all- popular Camu Armor. There's also a stone inscription here. Be sure to grab the armor (unfortunately, nobody you have now can equip it), and go back down. Of the two entrances you can take, you might want to take the second (the left one) first, as the other was only inserted to annoy you--only a Platypus and stone inscription are found inside. The other entrance leads inside as well, and it's another stair set. Follow it all the way to the top of the tower. Outside, find some more stairs, go up them, and the game takes over. If you carefully attended the inscriptions, you can deduce that this place is the portal to the holy land (four dragons around you). If you didn't, well, Rubius will do. She will also inform you of the stones and shards you retrieved from the pirates, and ends with a did-you- understand question. Say yes when you're sick of her lecture, and then you'll get to deal with something confusing for importers. But now it's all clear: your objective is putting the stone in one of the four holes and then standing in the middle to see if it works. The solution is facing the lower-left hole (the one with the yellow/orange/gold dragon), going to Special in the menu, and selecting either the Moon Stone or the Gold Shard. Select its counterpart to read the stone. Press Start to translate, then turn around with the shard until you read text (one turn clockwise to read, "When the doors open"). Lastly, press A to confirm and place it in the hole. Now stand in the middle. If nothing happens, you either didn't rotate the translator correctly or the stone wasn't put in the right hole. And if something DOES happen, well, you're screwed as well. A lightning bolt strikes Eldin as he inspects the stone, Rami gets help, and the screen fades black... PARCELYTE ------------------------------------------------------------ Eldin awakes in his own bed, with the team plus Torma around him. You will learn about Rubius, the tower, that a curse fell upon you, and about the Northeastern War. Apparently, some Ragule guy entered the kingdom of Gratze, resurrected an ancient Beast, and let the King of the kingdom conquer the world. That Beast is now split in two, a body and a spirit, and Gratze is presently invading other lands to get the Beast back. The soul is in the holy land, to which the portal was on the just-visited tower, and yes, you need to find it. And save the world. Again. Anyway, this curse is your priority for the time being, and the Elder of Nazare might know a way to do away with it. Nazare is behind Mt. Ruhie, a mountain now accessible on the world map. Torma rejoins your party, which is great, of course, as strolling around with a two- member party isn't the tops. Stuff To Do: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Get Torma a job! If you haven't done so already, of course. Personally, I'd make him an ass-kicker, so make him a swordsman or fighter. Forget about the mages or wizards; Torma doesn't like them. - Get a job from Bandino (in the Hunter's Guild), if you haven't done so before. - Equip Torma with some better items. If you have the money, my recommendations are a Slingshot and Leather Shield (Gruberik) and a Scale Plate (Karnack). - You can now reach the other spider web and burn it with Rami's super powers. Go there, beat the enemies (Blood Bat, Poison Toad, Snail) and receive a Revive. If you didn't take the trip to the Road to Gruberik before with Rami, go get the other stuff as well! See the start of this chapter. - Make sure to sleep at the inn before moving on. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-G: Curses! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Escape Ball, Ice Ball, Magic Source, Aqua Fruit, Dried Bread, Smoke Ball, Earth Fruit, Lak Cheese, Ice Ball, Mountain Disc, Sanity Pill, Light Tattoo, Victory Bandanna, 20G, Ice Ball; Mysterious Pin, Magic Jar, 10G, Wind Fruit, Revive Monsters: Wondy, Mad Bulb, Goblin, Bolt Fish, Blue Selph, Wyvern, Stone Hawk, Elpasar Recommended Level: 5-8 MT. RUHIE / EAST ----------------------------------------------------- Head up. There's a Wondy to your left and four bushes, but those bushes don't contain nice items, so there's no need to go there and the enemy can be safely skipped. The Mad Bulb next ahead is a little harder to avoid, as it's right in your way, but it's not impossible. Take the path to the next screen--two obstacles will be in your way. Melt the ice with Rami and then hack away the revealed bottles in order to make yourself a path. In the middle of the road is a whatever-it-is that pushes you back. It's weird. Avoid it by just walking around it... I've no idea what's the use of this, other than to annoy you. In the next screen, Eldin will lose control for a second, and Rubius says that the village is just ahead. JUST AHEAD, she says, and if there's a twelve-paragraphed walkthrough for this mountain, something's not right about those two words. Immediately take a left, and go through a secret passageway. Head down, then left, and so on, until you meet up with a Wondy. Beat it up, have Rami get fiery on the two bottles, and let Eldin finish up with his blade. An Escape Ball and Ice Ball are revealed by doing this. Take them both and return. If you're in for more items, go all the way to the right. At the four bushes, go down, and circle around until you see a chest partially covered in ice. Rami is your girl here; a Magic Source can be found inside it. Two Bolt Fish are near this chest, but they can be avoided. Go back. Apparently, there are certain holes in the ice; when you walk over them, you fall in and you can't move. To get out, you'll need to press the directional buttons eight times. These holes are on the way north, and if you're prepared to fight a bunch of monsters, go there. Beat the various enemies, climb the vine, assault the Blue Selph, then light the lower-left bottle and break it for the item. Return, and take the left path (which you should've taken in the beginning, actually). Resume going left and don't bother with the ice bottle (it's empty). Fight or skip the Mad Bulb, and go left. The four bushes contain no items as well, so don't cut them if you don't feel like fighting the Goblin behind them. A Mad Bulb is up ahead, as well as a few of those annoying holes; when you pass them, you'll be at a T-split. Take a right and cut the plus-formation of bushes on your way. A Dried Bread is hidden beneath one of them, and your next obstacle is a Wyvern (which is unavoidable). Behind it is a Wondy; beat both of them, then find your way around those pesky holes (just damn those things) to get to the bottles. Light and break the first to reveal an Earth Fruit. Head back to the T-split and go left. Skip the two ice bottles at the west side of the road and make your way past the Mad Bulb and Stone Hawk. As the bushes contain nothing of use, head to the next area. Rubius notes here that the exit lies west, and that means you must go east first. Kill the Blue Selph and continue until you see six bushes with a Goblin behind them. The bush in front of him has a Smoke Ball, which you can freely take; the Goblin doesn't attack until you opt to touch him. MT. RUHIE / WEST ----------------------------------------------------- Return, and there are again two paths you can take. I would suggest the upper road if you're in for some Lak Cheese and fighting a few monsters (and falling in those friggin' holes). Jump down via the arrow on the ledge and continue. At a certain point, there'll be a narrow path, but it cannot be passed because you're blown to a hole if you walk in a certain spot. The solution to your problem is Torma; see that pole on the other side? Whip yourself there and resume left. When you reach the end of the path, Rubius says we're close. A bird flies by at this moment, however, and catches Rubius. Which sucks, as you're obliged to save her ass now. Go left. Forget about the Wyvern and head up. See those white steps on the wall? They're hard to see, but they're there. Climb them and mow down the quartet of bushes--an Ice Ball is under them. Jump down the steps, go right, fight the Stone Hawk, and seek for more steps. Go up them. This... is getting repetitive. Once you arrive in the next part of the mountain, a skull drops down from high above--how utterly depressing. There are a few monsters here, and again, paths on the walls. The previous time I covered a place like this, I found a step-by-step guide worked best, so I'll bother you with that crap again. - Firstly, do a Rami/Eldin combo on the ice bottle close to you and grab a Mountain Disc out of it. - Now, from the skull that dropped down, walk to the left until you see another skull. Look for steps on the wall and climb up. - Get on the first "platform" with a pole, and use Torma to whip to the platform right of it. - Climb up the steps to another platform, whip to the right again, climb up, and you will find a bottle and a half-frozen chest, respectively containing a Sanity Pill and a Light Tattoo. - Climb down and whip left. Two paths of steps are on the wall; one was used to get here a moment earlier, and the other is the one you'll need to use now. - The next platform has three paths. Take the leftmost one. - Whip left, go up, and whip right. You can now go up via the wall, but opt to fall down (arrows on the ledge allow you to do so) instead. You will land near a bottle with a Victory Bandanna. - Fall down again (well... you *have* to). Follow the path to the platform you chose to drop down from and climb the wall instead. Whip to the right and climb up again. Make your way to the left and you'll fortunately see Rubius. She appears unconscious, and upon trying to get to her, the bird that took off with her pops out and rears his butt for you to kick it. Boss Strategy -- Elpasar: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 478 320 55 60 30 1 11 2000 550 Not too tough; Elpasar appears to use Relentless over and over doing not too much damage to you, especially if you leveled up and/or equipped the best armor yet, as well as a Frost-attack, dealing even less damage. Eldin and Torma are your attackers, and Rami stays on the defensive side. What your Disc Monster does is up to him or her; you don't really need him. The basic strategy is having Eldin and Torma use Cinder Slash repeatedly, until they run out of MP, in which case they should resume with physical attacks. If they don't have Cinder Slash, use Blaze. If they don't have Blaze, use Cinder. Cinder Slash stays preferred, though (compared to Cinder, it's less MP and you get a free physical attack extra). Have Rami heal when it's needed, and that should be, like, once or twice. Repeat until you win. Rubius is okay, and rejoins the team. Find your way back down again; video game physics say that jumping down from insane heights deals zero damage in many occasions; use that to your advantage and go left to the next screen. Here was a skull at first, but it is now removed, allowing you to continue. Beat the monsters and head to the next area; take note that there are two paths you can take--take the narrow one and cut the bushes for 20G. Go back and resume trudging through the field of snow and ice, and cut away the middle of a formation of eight bushes (Ice Ball). From here, all that's left is going down a stair set, and you'll appear on the World Map. A new village is accessible, and that is the village of Nazare. NAZARE VILLAGE ------------------------------------------------------- Welcome to Rubius's home. I am unfortunately one of those guys who like to find all items. I am also unfortunately one of those guys who like to list that kind of stuff down. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - First thing is an alchemist. Take a left from the entrance to find a dog; talk to it, reveal him, and learn that Bright Gem + Star Quartz = Bright Ore. - Head into the house directly above you and go down a floor. Take it to the right part of this bedroom and cut the bottle for a Mysterious Pin. - Exit and go to the right. Enter the item shop (see below for a list), take the ladder downstairs, and open the closet. You can steal a Magic Jar out of it unseen. - Head north and enter the inn (in which you can rest for 80 bucks). Go downstairs and make the bed; the lady will reward you with 10G for this. I really don't know why I include these small unimportant things. - Next of the inn is another house, although I didn't find anything of use inside. Instead, head into the cave north of it--this is the Nazare bazaar. There's a guy selling stuff (see below for a list). Behind him are two chests, containing a Wind Fruit and a Revive. - While you're still in the bazaar, head upstairs to the Training Hall--doesn't seem much of a "training hall" though... In any event, go upstairs and through the entrance. Talk to the guy (don't fall off!), who says he's matured into a bishop. If you have mastered the job of a priest, you can change to a bishop too. - There's a woman in front of the Elder's house, who wants a tea of some sorts (Ordens Blue Tea). We also have shops down here; items are found in the house somewhat south of the inn, and equipment is sold by the guy in the Nazare bazaar (behind the inn). Check section 4-D for a reprint of the list. THE ELDER ------------------------------------------------------------ And now it's time to see the Elder! He's in the big fat tent. Have a talk to him; you'll learn that the curse can't be broken by him, and that the answer may lie in the holy land. In order to get there, though, you'll have to continue traveling with Rubius and getting the other stones required to access it. The old guy wonders if Eldin is actually a descendant of the Ancients. He says that the town of Narbick is your place to go for more info on reaching the holy land. However! Some messenger guy pops in and tells the Elder that Gratze has captured Gruberik (*panicky music*). Our party wants to go there and kick some sorry asses, and since the front door is closed, we'll have to bring a visit to Jida (apparently close to Gruberik), the home of the hobbits, first. Perhaps they know a way inside. Head out of the town; the closest area to Gruberik is the Old Well, and since it is yet to be visited, let's enter it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-H: Through the Sewers ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Moldy Bread, Revive, Power Source, Moldy Bread, Insect Egg, Lizard Shield, Jelly Shield, Rotten Meat, Poison Claw, Poison Needle; 10G x7, Life Source, Hi-Potion Monsters: Shadowfly, Snail, Small Crab, Lizardman, Blood Bat, Ant Worm, Shell Fiend, Poison Toad, King Frog, Sea Crab, Ice Lizard Recommended Level: 6-9 OLD WELL ------------------------------------------------------------- Just before the entrance to this place is a white bird lying near the trees to the left. Have a chat with it and you will discover that it is in fact an alchemist. He'll tell you that in order to create a Flash Ring, 150G and an Earth Ore are needed. When he disappears, go north and jump inside the well, despite its dark, slimy interior. Bon appetit! SEWERS --------------------------------------------------------------- Climb all the way down and place the bottle elsewhere. Jump down the hole you make, and watch the conversation. When it's over, make a right. See that bridge there? Cross it, then go in the water via the steps. Go left and then down, then on the normal path again. First go down and crush the four bottles you see for a Moldy Bread, then head north until you reach a chest that contains a Revive. Get it, then let Torma get the party to the other side with his hook, avoiding the Snail in the water. Walk back to the bridge you went over earlier, cross it again, and go to the right (don't go in the water, this time). Move on. When you come across a pole, let Torma do his thing. Walk up, kill the Small Crab, whip to the left, and let Eldin break the pot for a Power Source. Pull yourself back, go to the right, and cross the ravine to the right. Go in the water and make damn sure you don't touch the streaming water--it takes you back to the start. Go to the right instead, get past the Snails, and make your way to the next screen. Take the upper path first, get the Moldy Bread out of the chest, and then take the lower path--otherwise you only find a Lizardman (which is only good for being captured, if you need a Disc Monster). Go back and take the lower path. When your feet get wet again, go up, past the Shadowfly and Snail, and through a small gate. You will eventually find a nice formation of bushes and pots; only hack away the upper-left bush, for it is the only one with an item (an Insect Egg). A new enemy is found here as well (Blood Bat). Lastly, use Torma to whip yourself to the right. Go in the water, and beat the Shell Fiend if you wish (fire-magic works best). Go with the stream, and you will arrive near a chest, which contains a Lizard Shield. Unfortunately, none of your human party members are able to equip it, as it's meant for Disc Monsters. In any case, head back to where you entered this water, and go to the right (the path that is yet to be explored). Continue down the path, whip yourself to the other side at the end, kill the Blood Bat, and notice a path behind that vine... a little too obvious, right? Get inside the secret room, and it is treasure-time: a Jelly Shield in the chest, and Rotten Meat in the bush up-left of it. If you're wondering what the hell you're supposed to do with Rotten Meat--it's for Disc Monster of shadow-types, which are damaged by healing potions etc.; this then is what they need for a HP boost. Don't go back; that path leads to a dead end. Instead, take a right and have Torma do something witty with his rope. You'll witness two Lizardmen and some snake just ahead. The fights with the two lizards are inevitable; make sure to surprise them for an extra round. Once they're done with, free the Corydoras; heal and make sure you surprise them, and when you fight, don't hesitate to unload a good dose of fiery whoop-ass. Don't walk around if you're poisoned; immediately pop out an Antidote in that case. The door opens by clearing the room of monsters, so continue. Again, make your way through a stream, end up somewhere south, etc. I'm sure you know the deal. When you can choose between crossing a river with Torma's rope, and jumping in the river and returning to the beginning, do the former. Head up and pull the switch, and voila! Something happens and the water isn't streaming anymore, meaning it won't take you to random locations every time you just want to take a swim. Unfortunately, this means an invitation for a bunch more monsters... Anyway, whip to the pole and head south all the way. There are Poison Toads on your way, but they are easily avoided. Follow the path. When you get the chance to get out of the water, don't and continue heading east. Eventually, you'll get to an upside- down T-split; head north, fight two Poison Toads, and to the next screen. Upon entering, the party witnesses a creature being attacked by a snake! Heal your party, make sure to have some AP left, and talk to the unconscious creature. The snake that attacked returns and assaults you. Boss Strategy -- Ice Lizard: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 428 255 65 50 22 20 16 2500 1300 Ice Lizard is relatively easy, compared to some of the bosses you've butt-kicked earlier. He either comes alone or with a Lizardman, and if that ally of his kicks the bucket, Ice Lizard calls for help-- sometimes, this is good, for it occasionally fails, giving you an extra round to attack. In case it wasn't already obvious, Ice Lizard is of the ice-element, and ice melts when it comes in contact with fire. Have each of your party members use Cinder Slash or Cinder, if they've learned it, and let anyone heal the party when they take hits. It's not that hard. When a Lizardman joins the fight, make sure you kill it as soon as possible, though. After the battle, the creature (it's a fox) (or a dog?) awakens, thanks you, and faints again. It appears he was a human that fused with a monster, and can't revert to his original form again. Rubius suggests carrying him somewhere safe, and then you'll regain control over the party. In the upper-left corner of the room are two chests, containing a Poison Claw and a Poison Needle. When you have those in your inventory, use Torma to swing to the right. Pull the switch there to put the water to rest. Walk back to the previous screen. From the T-split, head left and get out of the water. Now make your way to the right, cross the fence- bridge, cross the other fence-bridge, and climb the short ladder. Cross ravines with Torma's rope, and enter the water (which you told to stay quiet earlier). Head all the way north and beat up any enemies you encounter, follow the path, and you'll meet up with a hobbit. Jida Village is near, and he lets you pass--he won't if you haven't brought Bau (the dog), though. JIDA VILLAGE --------------------------------------------------------- Apparently, the hobbits hold a grudge against humans, meaning you don't need to expect hospitality anytime soon. Anyway, when you enter, there's a bunch of paths to take; to your left is the church (make sure to save), and a path leading to a cave with 70G (10G x7). Go show these fellows another reason to hate humans (a.k.a. get the cash), and head back. The path to the north has a ladder leading to a hobbit making dinner, while the other stairs bring you to a floor below. Go down and to the right; keep holding Right and you will walk in a green sort of thing. Have a chat with the fish to reveal an alchemist, who in turn reveals that an Earth Ore requires Iris Water and Lake Sand. Skip the weapon shop (go away!), head south instead, and enter the Treasure Room. Three chests can be found here, one of which is empty, another of which contains a Life Source, and the last of which has a Hi-Potion. Head all the way back to the first room, where one cave is still unexplored; it's the Chief's Dwelling, and your next stop. Chat up with the oldest guy around. While he doesn't hate you like the rest in this place does, he unfortunately isn't too helpful once you request his help to get in Gruberik--you need a guide for that, and he wants to keep his gang together. So then the obvious solution is to send Bau; apparently, the dog-human isn't too welcome here either, and we're all set. The party rests the night (HP and AP restored), and you can leave. You might want to bring a visit to the weapon shop first, though (it's open now). If you can afford it and want optimal defense, Bark Shields and Bark Helmets are your number one choice; keep an eye on your wallet, though, and distribute equipment evenly. Don't buy the Stone Horn for Bau, as we'll get something almost as good in a moment. When you're finished, leave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-I: Gruberik Revisited ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Wooden Mallet, Dark Fruit, Tail Ring, Bitter Cheese, Life Source, Aqua Fruit, Sea Disc, Revive, 200G, 30G, Escape Ball, Iron Box, Moldy Bread, Insect Egg, Rotten Meat; Wake-Up Call, Potion, Mountain Disc, Fire Ball, 100G Monsters: Shadowfly, Snail, Small Crab, Lizardman, Blood Bat, Ant Worm, Shell Fiend, Poison Toad, King Frog, Sea Crab, Baby Hydra, Shell Snake Recommended Level: 7-10 SEWERS / CONTINUED --------------------------------------------------- Instead of going to the right, return left first. Stand directly under the hobbit you are "offending" (hahaha), and swing south. Switch to Bau and use his B-button skill, which is to smash down stuff with his hammer. By breaking the barrels, you'll gain access to a chest, which contains a Wooden Mallet. Have Bau equip it, and if he isn't already in your team, make him a member. Return via the water, and take the previously-ignored path leading east. Enter the water, walk to the right, and exit the water. Barrels are blocking your way, and the party has an argument regarding that blockade--which is a pretty stupid thing if you just acquired the Wooden Mallet. In any event, head right, and cross the bridge. In the water, head south to the next screen. Here, resume south, then east, then north. Go over the bridge and don't use Torma's rope when the opportunity arises; head left first and pull the switch. Go back, swing, get out of the water and enter the land north; get to the end and smash the bottle in order to receive Dark Fruit. Go back in the water and walk left to the T-split. Go south until you find something weird-looking on the wall; here is where the programmers went wrong with sprites, and this is supposed to be a crack in the wall. Bau saves the day here; switch to him and bust the place open. There's a lotta treasure to be found here, although three Blood Bats dwell around the area. Open the treasure chest for a Tail Ring. The bottle in the third column has a Bitter Cheese, and the uppermost bottle in the seventh column has a Life Source. Head outside and go up, to the aforementioned T-split. Go left to the next screen. Go left, and you'll find yourself in the screen to the right of Jida Village, except that the water isn't running like hell anymore, allowing you to continue through a passage (first fork, go up). Do so. Head north and then walk to the right, and from there go south to reach a chest with 200G, as well as a Lizardman (which doesn't appear to attack unless you touch him). Now, go back and walk up. When you get the chance to step out of the water, do so and resume going to the right--go all the way to the right until you can't anymore. Here you might want to opt taking the southern path, if you're interested in a Dark Fruit. Get it out of a bottle and return, and choose the steps to the right. Walk up and enter the water. From here, you have two choices; either take a side-trip to the right, which is a dead-end (although there are some items to be found), or continue left. Skip the next paragraph if you don't want to bother. Or not, of course. I would suggest healing the party. Go right and up. Bau denotes that you're going the wrong way, so tell him to shut up and continue. Cross the bridge and beat the Lizardman, and go to the left (to the right leads back to the beginning). When you see a stake, use Torma to get there, and go up. One of the bushes there has Aqua Fruit. Head back south and follow the path (you will step in and out of the water once). At the end, you will find a Sea Disc and a Revive. The other side is inaccessible as of yet, so go back in the water, and walk all the way to the right. Back at the fork. See those four bushes over there? One of them contains 30G, if you're interested. Now, head south; there's a stream, and you can "enter" it via the left or the right; hug the wall left (of the screen) and you'll wind up near a door. A Baby Hydra is here as well. Defeat it, and get the Escape Ball out of the chest. Do not use Torma to swing to the left, unless you wish to go back. Rather, utilize his rope in the next room. Go through the door and defeat each monster you find, and another door opens up. Additionally, open the chest for an Iron Box, and Moldy Bread is under one of the bushes in the upper-right corner. Enter the next room. Change to Bau and use his hammer to smash the skulls blocking the way to the bridge. Then, it is time for another of those stupidly- pathetic puzzles (I believe it's the second one?) in the game; two pots are here and two spots on the ground are marked by arrows. Guess what to do? Place the pots there. The door opens, and if it's not already bluntly obvious, you'll need to go through it. This area is the one with the optional items and such, except on the other side. Walk to the right and enter the water. Don't go down the waterfall, but follow the path to the left, which leads to the next screen. Go up and get out of the water. There's a crack in the wall; first walk to the right, though. Follow the path until you find some pots, one of which has an Insect Egg. Get it, return, and smash the wall. Here, you'll need to cut away all the bushes in the vicinity of the crates (there's one bush with Rotten Meat), then first push the right crate up, the left crate to the left, and then the right crate all the way to the right. After you beat the Blood Bat (unavoidable), take the ladder. Supposedly, Gruberik is just ahead. Unfortunately, the ladder is too short to reach the next level. In order to continue, have Bau smash the skull to create a path (which is amazing--how the hell did *that* happen?). Make sure to heal, and resume north. A boss spots you, and decides he's hungry. Boss Strategy -- Shell Snake: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 720 300 72 50 23 45 54 3000 1010 Shell Snake uses Strike all the time, which isn't too harmful. Every now and then, he opts to attack with Fury, doing more damage. But worry not, my friend--this battle is easier than you would expect. You have three things you can do: (1) just mash the A- button repeatedly and you're practically set, unless you're unlucky. Or (2) a guaranteed victory, by also making sure to heal those struck upon with Fury. Or (3) to royally kick this fella's butt, use fire-elemental skills. Or (4) a combination of (2) and (3). Walk north, bonk the skull, and climb the ladder. GRUBERIK ------------------------------------------------------------- You will wind out of the well near the Ancient Cave area. Go to the right to the marketplace, and a Gratzean soldier halts you (weird tidbit: upon that event, Bau *changes into* Rubius). The bunch of you looks suspicious, which is enough reason for him to dump you in jail. Great! Imprisoned, the party discusses this entire event and what to do next. Fortunately, the guard that took you to this place says he'll get you out of here, because he's sick of fighting. The only he asks in return is bringing him to Ordens, past Meadow Road--a secret exit is next to the item shop--and his name is Cain, the mayor's son. Say yes when Torma asks you whether you should trust the guy or not, and you'll appear in the Hunter's Guild. Make sure to change jobs if you want to (Bau unfortunately can't become an apprentice), and head outside. So what's up in Gruberik? For starters, Gratzean soldiers are everywhere, watching your every move and, well, being there. The entire marketplace is dead, but the Ancient Cave is thankfully still functional (Gratze is looking for something down there... what could that be?). Also, you can't exit Gruberik the normal way (soldiers are blocking the road). Some normal residences are also blocked. And, if you care, Parcelyte's inn is closed as well. Walk southeast to a guy with four bottles next to him. The one left of him has a Wake-Up Call, and right of him is a Potion. Walk to the left from there. Four bushes are here, the uppermost of which contains a Mountain Disc. Pick it up, then make it to the rightmost side of the town. Two bottles are there. Break the uppermost one to find a Fire Ball. There are also shops (still in the lower-left corner of this part of the town), which have new stuff. Check section 4-D for the list. Head south to the first screen of Gruberik, and cut away the bushes all the way near the bottom--you will get 100G. Next, bring a visit to Torma's grandpa. He's still the same and tells you to jump in the lake. Exit and witness a rat left of his house (not sure: if it isn't there, open the closet in grandpa's house). Talk to it and reveal an alchemist, which in turn teaches you that a Dark Ore's recipe is a Dark Ruby mixed with Black Water. Basically, you're all set and you can leave now. Go back to the now- defunct marketplace, and go to the lower-left corner (item shop). Cain says that the secret exit is here. Before you leave, Bau stays behind to rest--he'll return later in the game, though (much later). Note that you can enter and exit Gruberik at any time from the World Map, now. Your next stop is Meadow Road, near Parcelyte. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-J: Ordens ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Antidote, Earth Fruit, Mysterious Crest, Hi-Potion, Potion, Escape Ball, Mysterious Pin, Mysterious Pin, Thornlet, Stun Ball, Revive; Sleep Ball, Boomerang, Daze Ball, Lak Cheese, 10G, Terror Ball; Navaroa; Blue Tea (x3), Black Key Monsters: Butterfly, Morphan, Eagle, Rugamo, Wild Bull, Cockatrice, Treant, Pretty Moth Recommended Level: 8-11 MEADOW ROAD / EAST --------------------------------------------------- At the start, you see a yellow/white grassy area to the left. You can walk through those shrubs, but only when there are short lines on the borders. Try it with the first shrub, which has a bottle containing an Antidote. Head to the left then to find a guy. He says that there are quickly-regenerating trees around the place, which probably evolve into monsters sooner or later. Eek! Worse news is that there are more trees like that to the west, blocking the path to Ordens. Another guy tells you that there's a side-trail down the path, which according to him "is really tough!" You, unlike this scared fellow, are armed, and should have the audacity to take the road through the shrubs. Your path is blocked by a barrel only Bau can do away with, however, but fortunately there are more of those lines and pluses in the shrubs. Find a path to the area with a Butterfly, walk a bit down and enter the shrubs again. There are two paths you can take from here; you're probably interested in taking the left one, which leads to an Insect Egg under the bushes. When you have it, don't head back yet; you can advance further through the grass. Do so, and you will finally reach a chest, guarded by a Cockatrice, that contains a Short Sword. Equip it, head back and take the last path. Beware for the Rugamo that lurks at the end, and walk to the next screen. From the beginning, make your way to the left, and cut the lone bush to reveal an Earth Fruit. Then go back and find a path that leads north, and take it. Ultimately, you'll cross a Cockatrice. Beat it up, and again, there are two paths you can take. You might want to opt going south first (don't take the path through the shrubs that leads to a pole); it eventually gets you to a pot surrounded by bushes, and under that pot is a hole. Open the chest inside the cave for a Mysterious Crest, but beware: a Treant spawns from the skull upon opening it. Use fire if you have it to beat it, then go back. Cut the bushes around the pot and look left. Press Up and Down for the Wild Bull to move with you (if it's there), and use Torma's rope to go to the left; you _should_ surprise- attack the monster. Travel north to the next screen. This area consists of a path leading north, west, and east. To the right is the road that you would've been able to take if it weren't for those damn trees in the beginning, north are more of those trees blocking your way, which means that left is the way to go. To the right are some items, but since you can't get all of them at once, we'll get to those later. So, head left, past the Butterflies. In the next screen, get yourself to the left part of the area. There's a shrub with a chicken inside; enter it via the left, walk to the right, then down, then find a corner to the left; you should be able to reach a pot with a Hi-Potion. Head back now and go all the way north. MEADOW ROAD / WEST --------------------------------------------------- In the screen thereafter, enter the shrub via what looks like a, well... never mind. When you reach the plus, take a right first. Cut the middle bush for a Potion, make sure not to get back-attacked by the two Pretty Moths, and go back to the left (somewhere along the path, you'll need to walk one block up). Exit the shrub via the north border, and enter yet another one via what looks like an asshole. Follow the path to the right and you'll see a barrel; push it to the *left* or the *right*--otherwise you won't be able to reach the Escape Ball down the vine. Get it, head northwest, and arrive in the next screen. Enter the shrub, exit the shrub, and go all the way to the right. Here's a quartet of bushes, two of which have Mysterious Pins. Pick them up, find a line on the border of the shrub, and head right to the next area. Here's a little "puzzle" for you; find a vine leading down to the "maze" and search for a bottle. Pick it up, bring it all the way to the right, and place it on the button. Get down the vine you just gained access to, hack away the two bushes between the box and the button, and then those objects. Go back to where you found the bottle and jump down the cliff. Climb the vine below you and slash the bushes to the right to reveal a button. That means we need a bottle, and that can be found at your left hand; cut any of the bushes that form a spade to reveal it. Do what I'm sure you can figure out yourself with it, and travel south. In the next screen, jump down two times, and Torma says that those trees are REALLY getting on his nerves, whereupon Rami discovers the big momma--heal before you take it on, and assault the source of this forest's greatest annoyance. Boss Strategy -- Madeant: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 720 320 100 60 30 30 25 4500 1500 Nothing terribly exciting--mainly because Madeant has nothing better to do than using Leaf Edge over and over again, doing little-to- medium damage, and sometimes popping in with Leech, absorbing a medium amount of HP. Which, yes, means that this will be another attack-and-watch-your-HP-and-repeat fight. I figured that a tree is made of wood, and with wood burning good and all that, you might be interested in causing a little forest fire. Post-battle, Rubius and Torma point out the obvious. The other trees have also decided to leave before they have their butts roasted to coal as well, and frankly, that was a smart thing to do. Take note of the Earth Sap in one of the bushes behind where Madeant was, and walk to the right. As you can see and if you remember, you are back in one of those areas you've crossed earlier. Ordens is west, but a trip east for some items never hurts, right? Head to the right and open the chest behind the fence for a Thornlet. Next, enter the shrub to find a Stun Ball and a Revive. When you have them, go two screens to the left. Walk left, past the shrub with the chicken, and go down from here--this path was blocked by trees earlier, if you remember. The rest is straightforward; you'll eventually wind up in the Village of Ordens, unlocking the fourth part of the World Map. VILLAGE OF ORDENS ---------------------------------------------------- Cain leaves your party here. Before following him to his home, you might want to explore around. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - From the entrance, walk to the right and cut the bushes you see to reveal a Sleep Ball. - A few steps to the right from there is the inn. Make sure to take a nap for 80G, and open the closet for a Boomerang. - While you're still here, break the pot for a Daze Ball. - North of the inn are shops; left is the equipment store, and to the right, you can buy items. See below for reprints. You can make some grand cash here by buying 99 Blue Tea for 100G and then selling it for 150G at the same store--that's about 5000G in just a few seconds. Not bad, eh? Remember, though, that this is the only opportunity to do it. In a few moments, it isn't possible anymore!! See section 4-D for a reprint of the shops. - Walk to the upper-left part of the village and cut the bushes; you will find Lak Cheese. - Go to the right and enter the church. Save and do whatever you need with the holy guy, and break the pot for 10G. - Somewhere under the church is a bush, which you can reach by circling around the tree right of it. Under it is a Terror Ball. - In the lower-right corner is a horse (or cow?) "trapped" behind bushes. Talk to it and it's an alchemist: a Wind Ore is created if you combine a Star Quartz with Iris Water. Also, bring Blue Tea to Karnack. Some woman in front of the Elder's tent wants this tea, and gives you a Navaroa in return. Lufia II flashback! THE KEY TO THE RUINS ------------------------------------------------- The only motive for your visit to Ordens is bringing Cain back home, so let's see how he's doing. In the upper-right corner of the village is the Mayor's Estate. Enter it, and Cain's mom wants Cain to piss off, back to the Gratzean army. Some homecoming, no? Cain exits the house, and then Torma suggests leaving as well. Exit the room and then return; to the left is a path leading to nine bottles, three of which contain Blue Tea and one a Black Key. Pick it up and head outside. You can talk to Cain and Abel if you wish. When you're done, walk left and up, and have a chat with the old guy who seemed to have "relations" with a horse earlier. Rubius gets all freaked out when he mentions the Ancient Ruins. The old man says that the mayor may know more, so go back to the Mayor's Estate and speak with Cain's mom. She says, however, that it is locked and that the key is missing... Then, Hayes comes in and says that Gratze is heading in this direction, and of course that's not good at all. This means that Cain needs to leave to the tower. She then notices the key you have there (if you don't have it yet, pick it up and talk to her again), but Hayes then steals it from you. Oh no! Leave the village and enter the Tower of Dohain, which is a new spot on the world map. Actually, that tower is compared to the previous dungeons--which were easy as crap--a little harder, and you'll easily get lost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-K: The Tower's Treasure ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Magic Jar, Iron Beak, Iron Fang, Blood Rod, Escape Ball, Hi-Potion, Power Source, Stone Helm, Stone Horn, Stone Plate, Golem Helm, Green Shard Monsters: Imp, Skeleton, Doben, Butterfly, Bone Golem, Necromancer, Poison Bug, Earth Viper, Gargoyle Recommended Level: 9-12 TOWER OF DOHAIN ------------------------------------------------------ Head north. There's no sign of Hayes here, and Rami notices that there are no monsters around... but just like Torma, I'm not complaining! All paths are blocked by cats, except for the one northwest of you. Head there, and find a Hayes who got what he just deserved. Go left, down, left, up, and to the next floor. South of you is a bottle with a Magic Jar. Pick it up and follow the trail to the door--meanwhile, you see a Gratzean soldier strolling around as well. The door is blocked by a spider web, so have Rami cause a small fire to gain access to a small room. Inside, you'll find four strange white tiles, and HOW COINCIDENTAL, there are four blocks to be found as well. And guess what? You'll need to place those blocks on the tiles. When you do so, all red cats turn into monsters--which isn't good, of course, but the pros are that your path isn't blocked anymore. Exit, beat up the Imp, walk around and defeat a Skeleton, and take the stairs leading down. Here, walk to the right and take the ladder going down. This is an annoying maze, with lots of stakes and buttons which are connected in some way. Pick up the pot and place it on the switch. Walk to the left, over the stake that went down, then down until you see a bottle. Place it on the switch left of you, and a stake goes down, thus allowing you to reach that other switch. Go all the way back to the start, pick up the bottle, and go to the aforementioned switch (there are various paths to take). Place it and head south. Three chests are now accessible--open them to find an Iron Beak, an Iron Fang, and a Blood Rod. The iron stuff is for your Disc Monsters, and Rami can wear the rod--beware, though, as it's cursed. Exit the room. Head south. Follow the path (no need to break the jars) to a stair set and go up. Go down, left, and down again, and follow the way to more stairs leading up; you'll see a Gratzean lackey walking around. Circle around the area and enter the room with an entrance with yellow (or orange; whatever) blocks on its sides. Inside, open the chest for an Escape Ball, and push the blocks on the white tiles. This time it's a bit harder; if you fail, re-enter the room, and if you have trouble, take in mind that stepping (rather than moving a block on it) works as well (only for the last tile). All yellow cats are brought to life. Find a way back to the entrance area and head north. Enter the room with a blue entrance, and this time, it's not going to be that simple to push the blocks. Placing a block on the middle tile lowers the stakes, so start by pushing lower- left block (you can get to it via below) in the middle. Push the second of the two blocks that stand next to each other below, and I think you can do the rest yourself. The blue cats are now "monsterized". Head outside. After attacking the Necromancer, head south. In the lower-right part is a now-open entrance. Enter. There's a Hi-Potion here, plus there's a stair set leading up. Take it, and run all the way to the right. Ascend another floor. Grab the pot and bring it to the left. Put it on the switch and backtrack a few steps. A pole went up north, so use Torma to get you there. Behind the spider web is another pot, but first go up the stairs--there's a Power Source to be found there, as well as a Stone Helm if you walk through the narrow path. Head back and get the pot from behind the web, and rather than placing it on the southern switch, go up. Place it and swing to the other side. Open the chest for a Stone Horn. Don't go down the ladder! It's a shortcut if you want to leave, but go down and you can't go up anymore. Instead, walk left of the barrel, and try to stay in the middle of the road. You can go through the wall (damn those hidden paths). At the end, you should stumble upon a barrel (damn those hidden objects), and you might get attacked by a Butterfly (damn those hidden enemies). Push the barrel to the far left, then down, then left, and then down on the switch. This makes a pole elsewhere go up. Open the chest for a Stone Plate, and go back. The barrel needs to be placed on the switch, but it's against the wall--move it up first, then one tile to the right, then down. Cross the chasm with the rope, pick up the bottle you've placed on the button, and relocate it on the button south of the stair set. Whip south, then whip to the left. Follow the way, and swing north when the opportunity is there--you'll get a Golem Helm this way (only if you secretly pushed the secret barrel on the secret switch in the secret area north of the screen). Go back and ascend one floor. There's something blocking your path and a button that clears it; however, you need something to hold it. You should know by now that a lot is hidden around this tower, so search behind the lower-left one of the eight poles for a crate. Push it on the button, and voila! Enter the next screen, and you'll discover a bunch of dead Gratzean soldiers. Hah! Serves 'em right. Go north and you'll find a chest-- when I last checked Sonar, zero treasures were in this area, so this must be a trap. Interact with it and the three cat-statues turn into snakes. You'll be attacked. Boss Strategy -- Earth Viper: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 705 200 105 85 28 27 24 4000 1800 Er, I could swear I saw *three* of them. Anyway. Earth Viper's battle behavior is pretty much like using Bite most of the time, now and then attacking with Crush, dealing slightly more damage than Bite (but sometimes misses), and I saw an attack that greatly reduced everyone's DEF. But no worries here; the previous bosses weren't hard at all and Earth Viper makes no difference; just attack and heal whenever needed... Oh, and this guy might come with a Gargoyle as his fighting buddy. Just defeat that one before focusing on Earth Viper. Open the chest Gratze was after (and failed to get), and you'll acquire the Green Shard out of it. Rubius is all excited, but isn't sure about this shard's function--the mayor of Ordens is our next stop. If someone in your party is or has been a thief, use Escape to leave immediately. Or, use an Escape Ball. Otherwise you'll need to WALK to the exit, and I feel for you in that case. Make sure to make use of the ladder-shortcut I mentioned earlier. ORDENS / REVISITED --------------------------------------------------- Visit the mayor and she says that you can keep the treasure of the tower, so long as you give back the key. A fine deal if you ask me. Rami asks if there's a boat or something nearby, for the next destination is across the ocean; the mayor replies with Daros, a bigger town, which may have what we need. Daros lies beyond the Windlands, so that'll be our next stop. Outside, Cain is told to leave to one Ugene in Merix village (might that be the kid who gave us a Dragon Egg in Lufia II?). Exit the village and enter the Windlands. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-L: The Almighty Swordsman ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Field Disc, Turban, Speed Source, Wind Armor, Dried Milk, Wind Fruit, Dried Meat, Dried Bread; 10G, Hi-Potion, Revive, Earth Fruit, 10G (x2), Cave Disc, 10G (x2), Flame Fruit Monsters: Yan, Galeon, Procyon, Crow, Armored Nail, Neo Trice, Horned Beetle, Lion, Dryzan Recommended Level: 10-13 WINDLANDS / EAST ----------------------------------------------------- Head south and west. Fight the Yans and go one screen to the left. Besides the monsters, take care when you see little cactuses on the ground, which you shouldn't walk over unless you want to take damage. Also, there are arrows on your way, and stepping on them will move you in the direction they're pointing to. First off, walk all the way to the left until you see a chest in a narrow passage, and open it to get a Field Disc. Then make for the north. Beat the Crow, and you'll find those arrows I mentioned. Find a way to the right (make sure to watch out not to get back-attacked!); to pass the last trail, you'll need Torma's rope (or you can walk around the cactus). All the way to the right is a chest with a Turban (burn the stumps if you wish to remain damage-free). Head back. South of the second arrow-trail is a pole, and from there, you can swing to the cliff right of it. Do so, and head south to the next screen. Resume south, and go left when you can. Beat the Galeon, and break the pot to reveal a Speed Source. Pick it up, return, and make for the left. Here, there's nothing much else to say than to follow the way and killing monsters until you get to a fork. Choose to go up first, burn the stumps, and you'll find two arrow-trails. Take the one going up--you will fly to the parallel cliff ("But you see, dear, that's *magic*..."). Walk around the trails via the right, and whip yourself down to the leftmost pole. Walk left from there, swing up, walk left, and beat the Procyon. Walk down, below the tree, until you're horizontally aligned with the chest. Walk one step down, to the pole, then go to the chest and open it to get the Wind Armor. Then, take the arrow-trail going north (you'll lose 1 HP by landing in a cactus-field), and head back to the fork. Walk down to the next area. Follow the way until you see a signpost, with the message that Daros is north. Well, yes; Daros _is_ north, but that path is blocked, and the only thing to find is a Wind Fruit. If you want, get it (it's under pots; you'll have to pass a few enemies to reach it, and you'll see a monster eating a snake--a snake which has an abnormally large head at that) and return back, and go south of the signpost. Two (groups of) Lions need to be fought. Follow the path until you reach the screen with the Wind Fruit, but now the other side. North of you is a chest with Dog Ears (...yay), and right of you is an arrow-trail; rather than using it, walk "manually" and use Torma's rope to swoosh to the pole to the right. South of that pole, across an arrow-trail, is another pole. Get there, follow the way to a chest with an Insect Edge guarded by Galeons, and backtrack back. Find arrows that point north, and take a ride to the other side... which rhymes, by the way. Walk one step to the right and two steps up (meanwhile, the camera pans back to the previous beast--probably the monster the mayor of Ordens mentioned--which apparently is sleeping). We're only a few steps away from the monster, and Rami suggests walking slowly past him. Just a little video gaming experience is required to predict that something's going to happen, and this time it's Eldin tripping (idiot)--the Dryzan spots you, and seems to be hungry again. Make sure to be healed up before engaging in combat. Boss Strategy -- Dryzan: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 750 320 90 52 92 45 80 6000 2500 Wind Storm causes medium damage to everyone, and it appears that this attack is your main threat during the fight. Besides that, Bite seems exclusive to his attack pattern, and this is nothing to worry about. By now, you should have the fighter's Chance Hit skill (which does trippin' damage if you're lucky). If not, you are pretty much limited to attacking and healing whenever needed. If someone of you is a mage, using Enfeeble to lower Dryzan's defense is a must. And don't forget to install as well. This battle will be short if you're lucky and have Chance Hit, a bit longer if luck isn't by your side, or long if you don't have that skill. And yes, that skill seems a bit overpowered. But who's complaining about that? After dealing with Mr Dryzan, crush the bottles behind him for Dried Meat, and go south. From there, follow the way until you find another four bottles, one of which has Dried Bread. Exit north, and you'll be in the Town of Daros. TOWN OF DAROS -------------------------------------------------------- Upon entering, you'll see Marin hopping in as well. After the chat, you're free to explore the town. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The inn (hotel) is right ahead, where you can sleep for 80G (I believe the post with "Bar Desert Rose" is misplaced). Upstairs are two pots, one of which has 10G inside. - Right of the inn is arms store "Wildboar", and some real good equipment can be bought there. Next to that house is the church, and north of the church is the item shop. Inside is a pot with a free Hi-Potion. The lists are in section 4-D. - All the way to the right, near the church, is a guy watching over a couple of horses. Talk to him twice--he needs Dried Milk for his horses, and if you give him some, you'll get a Revive in exchange. - Slightly northwest of the item shop is a small house, in which Marin and her mother live; enter it. Go to the beds (please, no snickering) and break the bottle next to the closet. There's a hidden path to the left, in which you can find an Earth Fruit, and two times 10G. - Also, there's an alchemist to be found (the chicken). Talk to it and learn that a Squall Ring can be made if you have 150G and a Water Ore. - North of Marin's house are two houses, in the rightmost of which you can get a Cave Disc. - And finally, the big place on the elevated area is the casino. Don't enter it via the main entrance, but from the left. Break the pots to get two bags of 10G. - Then enter the main hall of the place. There's a Flame Fruit all the way to the right. Get it. - If you have Iris Water (from the Ancient Cave), look at one of the ads on the wall and talk to the owner (he's on the same floor). He wants to buy it for 120G. I *strongly* recommend buying the Main Gauche for Eldin and the Cutter Whip for Torma, plus armor for everyone. Those weapons kick some ass, I tell ya. They are expensive, yes, but via the Blue Tea trick (buy 99 Blue Tea in Ordens for 100G apiece and sell for 150G), this should be no problem. I love exploits (although this isn't possible anymore in a few moments!). Anyway: DEKAR, AN OLD FRIEND (LITERALLY) ------------------------------------- When you're ready with all, go upstairs in the casino. You will watch two guys gambling; one dumb guy losing everything he's got, and a pirate making some major cash. However, the dumb guy shows his sword, which is the Dekar Sword... which must mean that this is Dekar! Yeah! Still the dumb fool he was a few years ago. In any case, Marin comes in, and right when Eldin and co. wants to have a chat with Dekar, Gratzean soldiers come in. Of course, they're after you and the stones you have, but fortunately Marin knows a way out... After the escapade to her house, the pirate leaves (after telling everyone he's got a ship in Gruberik), there'll be some more conversation, and in the end, Dekar joins your party! Apparently, he's after the Beast and you share the same goals. The now- unstoppable party stays the night. Your next goal is Parcelyte, because the king might have a ship to borrow. During the night, Eldin overhears Marin and her mom. When you regain control over the party, you may want to add Dekar to the active team. Dekar is quite strong (although slow like hell, unable to switch jobs and thus use magic, and field ability-less), and even though he looks weird (he looked WAY cooler in Lufia II), he'll be a great asset to the team. If you've mastered the job of a thief, you can change to a rogue as well--the one to talk to can be found on the third floor of the casino. Make sure to equip your party (don't forget the Main Gauche and Cutter Whip for Eldin and Torma), and leave town. On your way out, however, some kid stops you and asks for Dekar. Gratze attacked the Nimona Mines, and his dad is buried under the ground. Worry not, my son, because we shall save that father of yours. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-M: The Nimona Mines ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Cave Disc, Vitamins, Goggles, Dark Fang, Kukuri, 300G, Explosives, Wooden Mallet, Headband, Pump Fuel, Fatal Pick, Ship Fuel; Fire Armor, Flame Fruit, Navaroa Monsters: Shadow, Tartner, Basilisk, T-Rex, Gorgon, Salamander, King Spider, High Hydra, Fire Dragon; Magma Golem, Firebird, Blue Core Recommended Level: 12-15 PARCELYTE ------------------------------------------------------------ Dekar said that he was planning to pay the king of Parcelyte a visit and check if he's got a shop for us. If you go to him now, he says that all ships were deployed to the front lines. Unfortunately, can't lend you a boat during these times, and that means you'll have to find a civilian vessel. Now then. Remember the pirate in Daros, who said he had a ship? Let's bring him a visit. GRUBERIK ------------------------------------------------------------- Enter Gruberik. Yes, in case you didn't know, Gruberik can be re- entered; just click on it on the world map, go one step to the right and one step up. Voila! Head to the docks, and go to the place where you retrieved Rubius's stuff earlier. If you speak to the pirate, he says that you're welcome to board... but unluckily, we've got a problem here as well: his fuel has been taken possession of by the army. Damn. This means that we need to find fuel, and where is this kind of stuff mostly found? That's right; mines. And what spot just appeared on the world map? The Nimona Mines. This is too easy. NIMONA MINES / PART ONE ---------------------------------------------- A *long* dungeon, as you can see by the size of the walkthrough for this location. Fortunately, no boss is here to bother you, and it seemed that the monsters weren't too hard--of course, that's because I went through it with Dekar, plus the latest weaponry for Eldin and Torma. Before entering, make sure to have at least two Escape Balls. They aren't buyable at the moment, I think, so if you don't have them, make sure that someone is/was a thief and has learned Escape. As you enter, the dramatic music sounds, and that means something's up. You'll see some guys lying on the ground. Also, there's a cave entrance, plus a pole to the right of it. Some idiot is blocking that pole, however, meaning you'll have to go inside first. The old guys inside seem not too happy on seeing you--they say that they don't need your help. Make sure to talk to everyone, and checked the cave-in in the back. You'll hear a sound on your way back. Go out and head right; the moron who blocked your way to the stake earlier allows you to go through now. So, whip to the right, climb up, push the barrel to the right up, and enter the cave. Inside, get in the cart and ride off. Enter the other cart, and drop down the hole you'll wind up at. Fight the Tartners and head east, where a chest is with a Cave Disc. Pick it up, go back to the wagon, and ride back. If you're interested in Vitamins, walk up-left-down to one of the chests you saw while spurting by them. The other chest remains inaccessible. Head north through the passage. First, there's a bunch of monsters around (the warping flame is a Shadow). There's also a chest with Goggles (helmet; equip it if you don't have something better already), and the exit is to the right. Take it. There's a sequence of things to do now; first go south, whip right, and whip down. Pull the lever for the rails to switch (although it's not to see on-screen). Whip left twice and go up. Don't head into the cart or pull yourself over the rails; follow the path instead (there's a High Hydra to defeat), and open the chest for a Dark Fang. Go back, whip up, and enter the cart that goes south. Push the barrels out of the way, lift the pot, and enter the hole. From here, just follow the way until you find a ladder, and climb up. Don't go in the cart but walk around it. Fight the King Spider (...I know you), and open the chest to receive a Kukuri. Drive the cart, swing to the left, fight the Gorgon, climb the ladder, and head to the next screen. It's getting a little boring already, eh? Move the crates to the left away and kill the Basilisk just ahead. Climb down and jump down the arrow. From here, walk to the left for a bag with 300G (and a High Hydra). Jump down again. There's an old guy who says that his friend went below for some explosives, and he hasn't come back yet... Well, if you go down (the other path is blocked by rubble), you'll see that fellow. He's scared to hell because monsters are blocking the way, which of course means that we will have to clear the road. Three pairs of King Spiders (they always seem to come in pairs) are on dinner. When they're done for, pick up the Explosives (boom boom boom!) and head back. Talk to the man and give him the bombs by pressing Select and selecting it in the Special-menu (it has a funny description). With it, he'll head back. Take the other path and talk to the guy. Watch the scene, then head through the path they just bombed open. You are now in the same area you were at first (with those bad- tempered old guys), and the left path is open. However, you might want to head back to Daros and save, as well as sleeping at the hotel. NIMONA MINES / PART TWO ---------------------------------------------- Take the left path those men dug open (they say they're exhausted... and for a damn reason, yes). Just follow the path from here; it's straightforward. On your way is a chest that contains a Wooden Mallet (it's guarded by a Gorgon, but you can avoid it). Enter the next screen, and from there, enter the next screen. This room is inhabited by two Shadows, and there are two exits; take the rightmost one. Take the elevator downstairs. Continue on until you see a wagon, but don't enter it yet. Don't touch the first crate, and push the second one to the right. Burn the web with Rami's B-button skill, and fight three King Spiders. Behind them is a worker, which you need to save. Do so, head back, and enter the cart. Vroom vroom! Fork. You can go north, southwest, and southeast. First take the southeastern path. Here's a mini-puzzle, sort of; the deep abyss is something you don't want to fall into (trap: Fire Dragons), and the path is weak; you can only step on each tile once. Do so twice, you fall down, and you need to fight those dragons. Here's the solution; U, D, L, and R refer to directions, numbers to the amount of steps (if it's 0, then you need to hold the R-button!), and you need to start by entering the lowermost tile: 1U, 5R, 1U, (pick up pot), 3L, 2U, 0D, (place pot), 0R, (pick up pot), 4U, 0D, (place pot), 0U, (use Torma's rope) There. That wasn't too hard, was it? Enter the room and speak with the guy. He sprained his ankle and needs you to move the barrels away, so do so. He runs off (eh?). Torma gives note--even if you didn't talk to the guy earlier. Anyway, you should also take the path he took. You'll be back at the fork, with a single path left; the lower-left one. Ride the wagon. Switch to Torma and go up. See that lever on the other side? Pull it with Torma's rope, and re-enter the cart. You will now exit from the left side, so go left. Pick up the Headband out of the chest, after you defeat the Basilisk, and go back to the cart. Ride it again, and it will now take a left because you pulled the lever earlier. Follow the path to the next screen. Follow the path to the next screen. Follow the path to the next screen. (Sorry about that.) Get something on the switch and the barrels surrounding the pot disappear. Hmmm. Must be voodoo. In any event, you can relocate the pot, which you should do. You'll reveal a hole to go down. North is a path festooned with spider web; if you go inside (not needed now), you will find a pump of some sorts, although there's no fuel for it. Which means that you need to find fuel, and you can do so by taking the path that leads in the water. Go to the screen to the right and don't bother with the crates and barrels over there; I've spent a good while trying to reach the chest, and saw later that there's a lever in the lower-right corner. Pull it and the barrel mysteriously breaks into pieces, allowing you to open the chest, which conveniently has the Pump Fuel. Now head back to aforementioned room and stand in front of the pump's control panel. Press Select and choose the Pump Fuel in the sub-menu with the key items, and go back outside. The water you just went through is gone (that's quick; must be a very strong pump), so enter the empty pool (the Tartner that followed you earlier is now scared of you!) and go through the entrance north. Follow the path to the north until you find a chest with a Fatal Pick. Get it, go back, swing up, and enter the cart. In the sequent room, take the elevator down. The room blocked by webs is just a dead end, so go through the hole below. The interior is different here (I still see railings in the battle screen. What the hell?). Head right. See the web? Burn it (burn the spot right below the switch) and defeat the Tartner. Go to the right, then up, then left, then circle around to the crate (the place seems kinda cold... what is a Fire Dragon doing around here?). Push the crate *carefully* (as in don't push it against the damn wall--the paths are extremely narrow here) to and on the switch. Go back. The stake you saw earlier is down; push the crate to the left and pull the lever on the other side with Torma's rope. This makes the three barrels elsewhere in this chamber go splotch, allowing you to get the Explosives. Go north and talk to the old guy, who isn't aware of the situation. He runs off. Well, now it's time to head back to where you found the Pump Fuel earlier. Make your way there, and a man will be standing next to the cave-in. Talk to him and give him the Explosives (give it without talking to him; he'll say the same thing twice!). After blasting the cave-in, a new path has opened up, and the worker is saved. Walk a little further and take the elevator up. Now you're done saving the people, you need to leave the mines. Do so by using the Escape-skill (the thief learns it), or by using an Escape Ball. If you don't have either of them... well, sucks to be you. Note: If you've visited Parcelyte and Gruberik already and know about the fuel problem, read on below. If not, you'll need to go there first. Talk to the miner. He says that there's coal down the mines, and because he owes you a favor, he goes with you to the bottom level. Which means you need to go through that damn mine again--fortunately, it's possible without fighting too much of a monster. Enter, and take the left path, and from there just follow the road until you end up at the fork (where both paths are elevators). The left path is an elevator going down, and it should be available if you took it up after you bombed the last cave-in. That elevator is not there, either if you didn't take it up, or if you've re-entered the mines (from the world map, that is). Take either path; the left is just a little faster than the other is. Continue until you're at the drained pool. Head through the path and make it to the next elevator. Go down it, and climb the ladder. Burn the spider web and head inside. Walk to the next screen and the miner will clear the way for you. Fight any monsters in your way and the Fire Dragon guarding the chest at the end, then open that chest to get the Ship Fuel. ...finally. Leave the dungeon using your method of preference. GRUBERIK ------------------------------------------------------------- When you enter, you'll see two kids bullying Bau, who apparently wasn't too welcome in this town. Then our party joins the scene, the kids see the BIG sword Dekar's carrying, and they run off. After the talk, Bau leaves. Head to the docks and talk to the pirate near the ship. He sees that you brought some fuel, which means we're ready to launch off. Before you leave, Bau (permanently) joins your party, to Pixie's grief. When you arrive, exit the screen and return. Talk to the pirate and get on the ship; leave, because there're some things to do. OPTIONAL / RANDOM BITS 'N PIECES ------------------------------------- Contrary to what he says himself, Bau's actually good for something. + Head for the Road to Gruberik (most convenient is if you enter from the north) and follow the way to the Blacksmith's House. Now you have Bau, you can forge items. See section 3-D. + Head for Mera Volcano (enter from the east side). Enter the next screen, and enter the next screen again. Head north until there's a fork; to the right is the cave, but left is the way to go. Break the crack with Bau and enter. Inside are Magma Golems (the battle theme is different!), and they come with Firebirds and Blue Cores-- these cores, as you may know from Lufia II, give massive EXP, have little HP, but extreme DEF. In any case, there are five or so monsters. After you beat them, you'll appear outside again, where you can cut the bushes to get a Fire Armor, and Flame Fruit. Note: If you beat all of them and get the Fire Armor, these monsters will NOT reappear! However, an alert contributor adds that this place _can_ be used as a level-up spot: "If you kill all but one of them and do *not* take the Fire Armor, you can re-kill all (but one) of them over and over... You just need to leave one alive (Tear Gas helps greatly with that), exit the cave, and go right back in. Repeat until bored. If you have three chars with Chance Hit (instant-kills the cores), this builds levels *fast*." + Head for Mt. Ruhie (enter from the west side). Remember when you exited this place that there were some stakes blocking a side-path? Well, it just happens that Bau can whomp them down! Do so. Take the path to the right leading to a chest, melt the ice with Rami, then open it for a Navaroa. I recall there being a crack in the Tower of Guidance as well, but unfortunately, the entrance is closed... Also, make sure to equip Bau with the latest stuff you've got. Many equipment you've found a couple of whiles earlier wasn't wearable by your human party members, so Bau might be able to equip them. In addition, if you enter Parcelyte, a scene between Marin and Dekar takes place (not that it's any important). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-N: Family Reunion ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Insect Egg, 10G, Large Egg, Wild Berry, Mountain Disc, Insect Cover, Earth Sap, Francesca, Earth Fruit, 10G, Power Source, Rose Seed, Revive; Cloud Stone, Pure Water, Magic Jar, Hell Armor, 10G (x4), 100G, Sacred Fruit Monsters: Bug Lord, Butterfly, Rafflesia, Stinger, Blue Griff, Madeant, Whitewing, Desert Rose, Winged Blossom, King Creeper Recommended Level: 13-16 JUNGLE SPIRE / EAST -------------------------------------------------- Head up, left, up, and right, while beating the Bug Lords, Stingers, and any buddies they bring with them. At the fork, go right first. Cut the bushes away; at the end is one with an Insect Egg. Take it and go all the way left to the next screen. You'll see breakable rocks to your left, but skip them for the moment. One of the bushes near the Blue Griff has 10G. Get it and move on. At one point is a vine leading down. If you want an item, go down; there's a Blue Griff, and it will surprise-attack you no matter what--heal before going into battle. After beating it, break the egg above it and get a Large Egg out of it. (Which, of course, is abnormally stupid, considering you just smashed that egg to pieces.) (Which, actually, is _really_ stupid, because the item inside that egg doesn't even look like an egg at all.) (But anyway.) If you now go left, past the Whitewing, you'll find a dead end. Return to those rocks I mentioned and break them with Bau's hammer. Head left and climb the fourth vine. You're now past the "dead end" that blocked your way earlier. Travel to the left from here, and burn the stump below the stake. A hole is hidden underneath it, which you need to go through. You'll land near an egg, which has a Wild Berry. Pick it up, fall down, break the egg for a Mountain Disc, make sure to surprise-attack the Desert Rose, and climb the vine again. Go back to the stump and the stake, and this time, use Bau to bump the stake down. A stake on the other side goes up. Swing across with Torma twice, and enter the next area. From here, just follow the path; there's no way you can get lost. At a certain point, you can choose to either to left or right, and that path to the right is blocked by a Madeant. Defeat it and break the eggs behind it; make sure to ONLY break the upper-left and lower-right one for an Insect Cover and Earth Sap respectively. If you hit the last one, three Whitewings appear (trap). Go back and go to the next screen. South of you are five bushes, the middle of which has an Earth Fruit. Walk left and drop into the hole. You are now surrounded by four stakes--smash the left one (the other ones release Rafflesias) to reveal another hole and go down. Exit the cave, go left, climb the vines, and take a right; there's a chest here with a Francesca. Take it and travel to the left. There should be a vine leading down at a certain point, which you should take; after the Madeant is an egg with a Thornlet. Go back and resume left until you see a collection of bushes, with a few enemies as well; they should be no problem, seeing as it's easy to surprise-attack them. One of the bushes has 10G, and another one has a hole (the bush two tiles left of the Whitewing)--make sure you don't fall in it yet, because all the way in the back is another bush, and it has a Power Source. Once you have that, leap down. Go northwest from here and cut the bushes to get a Rose Seed. With this in your inventory, go back to the intersection and walk left. You'll hear a monster-sound on the way. Kill the tree, head up the vine, cut the bush for a Revive, kill another tree, and stop! Heal your party, make sure your healer has enough AP, and then resume left. When you reach a decapitated tree, Dekar senses something. He says his instinct never fails him, and I have to acknowledge that. Boss Strategy -- King Creeper: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1000 999 128 99 32 32 35 7000 2800 King Creeper is a tree with hungry leaves, or so it seems. Looks hard and has a lovely name, but you'll be surprised at this fellow's easiness--it only took me a few rounds before he kicked the bucket. Your general strategy is, as always, using Chance Hit whenever possible, and healing whenever needed. Installation and powerful spells should be thrown at him too. King Creeper's strategy involves using Heal Plus (restore 100 HP) frequently, which is advantageous for you, because it takes up his round, and you should do over 100 HP damage anyway. He has a normal attack, but also uses Mind Blast, causing damage and confusion. Confusion sucks, and that could become a big problem--use Sanity Pills, or switch them with someone in the inactive party. If you can overcome Mind Blast, you can easily overcome this entire battle. Go to the left and climb down the vine. Go south a few screens and you'll appear on the world map. A new spot on the map, Narbick Village, is available. (Shouldn't that be Narvick? Yes it should. But you know those translators...) NARBICK VILLAGE ------------------------------------------------------ The first guy you see says that Narbick is a village that worships the ancient gods (I think he refers to the Sinistrals). If you explore around for a bit, some woman in a house says that Rand is in town; Rand is your father who left in the beginning of the game, in case you forgot (you probably did). This must mean that he's still alive, so let's bring him a visit! He's in the large house in the north. Go downstairs, and you'll have a chat with him. He says that he met Ragule ten years ago to give him the Royal Ring, from which Rand learned that it leads to a sunken island. Ragule returned later to take it back. He is apparently from Eristol; people with Eristolean blood made the Beast long ago, and that same Beast destroyed Eristol. Rand says that there's a stone in the forest by Narbick, and that another is in Eristol, and that half of the Beast's body is there as well. Lastly, he gives you the Cloud Stone. Later, Rubius will talk with Rand about Eldin's curse; he says that his family hasn't inherited the ancients' blood, although he does reveal that Eldin has. Huh? That's the storyline stuff, and you are no doubt interested in collecting some odds and ends. There's a lot to find here in Narbick, and some extras don't hurt, right? Make sure you start from the house where you met Rand. Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - There's Pure Water in the closet in the main room of the house. - Exit and walk to the right; a Magic Jar can be found next to the house there. If you go inside the house, you can read a book that says that money is hidden everywhere. We're about to find out... - Go south and enter the house with the blue roofing. It's the equipment shop, and it has EXTREMELY POWERFUL stuff. Fortunately, it's extremely expensive as well. - Left of the shop is another house. If you make the bed, you'll get a Hell Armor out of it (it says Bark Tapa, but that's a script error). Beware--it's cursed! Also, if you check the bookcase, you will face off with a really odd surprise. - West of that house is the church; save if you need to. - North of the church are the graves of Saints Marie, Lisa, and Clare; the three girls who helped Maxim to defeat the Sinistrals. The three bushes near them cover 10G, 10G, and 100G. - South of the church is the brawler's home. You can change to the brawler-class if you wish, granted you have mastered the fighter. - There are two bushes near the entrance with 10G each. - You can sleep at the inn for 80G. There's also a guy inside with items for sale. See below for a reprint of the list. - Go upstairs at the inn and talk to the sleeping guy. You will reveal an alchemist that way; a Revive is made by mixing Bright Ore with a Hi-Potion. - The bottle in front of the inn has a Sacred Fruit. I will continue the next few boss strategies assuming you don't have anything with "Zircon" in its name, because that would eliminate the need of strategies. You can afford it if you exploited the Blue Tea trick like hell earlier (it's not possible anymore), otherwise you're limited to the weaker items (which aren't too bad). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-O: The Wind Stone ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Take note: this chapter can be skipped. Although it has to be done eventually, you can go to the Border Forest now and do this in the end. Items: Large Egg, Cotehardie, Bark Helm, Bark Tapa, Escape Ball, Dark Fruit, Bark Shield, Rose Seed, Heavy Tunic, Revive, Hi-Potion, Large Egg, Flame Fruit, Antennae, Flame Fruit, Mysterious Crest, Wind Stone Monsters: Wispy, Medusa, Ice Lizard, Firebird, Red Core, Thunder Dragon, Winged Lion, Lava Dragon, Demon Recommended Level: 14-17 JUNGLE SPIRE / WEST -------------------------------------------------- We now need to go through the west part of the Jungle Spire. Go back to where you beat King Creeper and head left from there. In the next screen, head up and break the eggs for a Large Egg. Now go back and take a left, and go up the structure. Walk on until you see a stair set down; there's a dog here. Talk to it; it's an alchemist, who says that an Ex-Potion is made of a Hi-Potion with Iris Water. Walk on until you see a big face on the wall. Examine it, and Rami remembers, "A different face between night and day..." This means that it might open in the night, and so the party waits until it gets dark. It seems to work, as the mouth opens, and an entrance becomes visible. Inside, there's a tombstone with ancient inscriptions; if you read it with Rubius, you'll learn that you need to continue via the hole and that "a curtain of water" needs to be risen. Fall down the hole (step on the marked tiles twice) and walk outside. Go left. Fight the Wispy and Medusa, and take the road up at the fork. A chest with a Cotehardie is here. Get it and continue. An Ice Lizard is up ahead, as well as two stakes further on. Use Bau to hammer the first one down, and use Torma to swing over the obstacle. Walk to the next screen. Go up and right, and cut the bushes to reveal a Bark Helm. Also, there's a Firebird here. I've seen this (and other monsters) come with a Red Core--cores give massive EXP (they have little HP but extreme DEF). When you're ready, go left, swing left, and make your way through the "maze". You might need to fight a Medusa. Follow the way a little longer until you see there bushes (near the exit of this screen). One has a Bark Tapa. Get it and head up. From here, go up until you see a waterfall and a pedestal. Light the pedestal with Rami, but to reach it, you'll need to fight a Thunder Dragon (forced back-attack). Make sure to heal before and after, then go back down and to the right, over the tree. When you find an Ice Lizard, there's a path to the left and one leading to the right. The one to the left is your final goal after lighting all four pedestals, although you're free to check here if you want. Otherwise, head right. Follow the way, beat a Winged Lion, and look for four bushes on the path. There's an Escape Ball under the lower-right one. Then continue to a vine, a LONG vine that is, and make it to the top. You are now near pedestal number two, and this time it's guarded by a Lava Dragon (no forced back-attack). Fight the monster and light the torch. Resume left, and go down one screen via the vines. If you wish, walk left and cut three bushes for a Dark Fruit, although you can get this later as well. Swing across to the right, and fall down the arrow. Cut the bushes to receive a Bark Shield, and make sure NOT to do so with the four bushes below; a Thunder Dragon will pop out and give you a good scare. Go down the vines instead, and head into the red substance. It's luckily not HP-draining, although Firebirds are in it. Find a spot where you can get on land again, and go south to the next screen. Go down and left. Don't enter the hole yet, but cut the bushes north of them for a Rose Seed first. When you have it, leap down. Don't cut the bush here but use it to gain a surprise-attack against the Firebird, and go to the lower-right corner. Open the chest for a Heavy Tunic (for Dekar; if he wears the Stone Plate, give him the Heavy Tunic and give the Stone Plate to Bau). Return and go up the vine. You'll need Torma again, for his roping skills. In the red liquid are holes that bring you to the cave you just visited, so whip across it via the poles. Swing south and then east. On this "island", stand in the tile right of the plant (?) thing, and walk to the right. You should reach a bush with a Revive. Go south from here, cut the grass for a Hi-Potion, and move east to the next screen. There are other paths you could've taken from here, but we'll get to those later. Go north, past the hole (which, although Sonar denotes there's one treasure in there, has nothing but monsters), and past the Thunder Dragon. Break the egg to receive a Large Egg, then go east; there are holes in the red liquid, but if you stay close to the cliff, you should not fall in any of them. Cut the grass you'll find next for Flame Fruit, and enter the hole you'll find next. There is a chest here with Antennae. Open it and exit the hole, and go right. Make sure to stay _against_ the cliff--there's a hole around the corner, so watch out. There's a seemingly-dead end, but somewhere near the end of the red "river" is a hole. Find it and drop down. You'll see a monster, which is a boss, and strangely enough, you need to initiate the fight. Heal before you attack. Boss Strategy -- Demon: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 900 350 158 120 50 25 25 9000 3200 Chance Hit is your friend again, and if you're lucky, this guy's out in a few rounds. When I attempted this boss without Chance Hit, I discovered he's not THAT easy--Leech absorbs a bunch of HP, Destroy can instant-kill a character of yours, and Dark Breath is the nastiest spell I've seen a boss use; it can inflict confusion, sleep, and paralysis! Fortunately, he uses the last two not much; I went into battle and got hit by these only in the beginning. Heal- attack-repeat from there on. Use strong attacks! After beating him, go up the vine and fight the Lava Dragon. Light the pedestal afterwards, go left, and jump down. Go down and left, past the red river, to the area with the huge collection of poles. Walk up to a pole, then walk through the red stuff to the "island" left of it, then whip twice to the left. Break the eggs for a Flame Fruit. Now walk a bit south of the pole and swing to the right. From here, head south. Instead of going to the pole left, go to the lower- right corner of the screen; there's a hole, and inside is a chest with a Mysterious Crest. Pick it up, go back, swing west twice and north once, and walk to the next screen. Here's the last pedestal, and another of those stupid forced back- attack fights, this time with a Lava Dragon. Settle it and light the torch. Fall down, go left to the next part. Continue all the way to the left from here and you'll be back at the maze part in the beginning, if you still remember. Head left, up, right, and up to the next screen. Walk on until you see a tree, and go over it. At the next fork, don't go to the right. Instead, climb the vine and cut three bushes for a Dark Fruit (if you didn't get it before), return and go left through the "decoration" (whatever it is). Walk under the waterfall and enter the cave. If you followed the walkthrough correctly or put your gaming skills to good use, all four pedestals are lit, and something has appeared--as the inscription on the stone said. In the box is a Wind Stone, mentioned by Rand, and that means that we now need to find the other stone in Eristol. To find Eristol, the Royal Ring is needed, and it is either in Ragule's or Gratze's hands. You know that Gratze is on the eastern continent, and it is accessible with your ship (only the Border Forest can be entered; you'll need to reach Gratze via land), so that is your next stop. Cast Escape, use an Escape Ball, or exit by foot, and leave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-P: The Exorcist ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Dark Fruit, Holy Water, Forest Disc, Dark Tattoo, Zombie Killer, Sleep Rod, Life Source, Earth Sap, Wild Berry; Dried Meat, Moldy Bread, Moldy Bread, Moldy Bread Monsters: Death Petal, Butterfly, Shell Snake, Giant Bloom, Dark Fly, Vampire Rose, Snow Fiend, Ice Lizard, Chimera, Ghoul, Medusa, Shadow, Zombie, Doganbo, Winged Blossom Recommended Level: 15-18 BORDER FOREST / EAST ------------------------------------------------- On the docks is a pirate who apparently saw a ghost; a priest inside the house says that these wandering spirits might have been awakened by Gratze's invasion. Inside that same house is a treasure--Sonar denotes there's one, and it no doubt is in that closet (the pots are empty). Unluckily, the priest is in the way, so exit left to the forest. Follow the path around to the next screen, and you will see a ghost! Gah! Scary stuff this is indeed. Follow him (i.e. go south; the path to the right is blocked). Walk on until you see four bushes; one of them has a Dark Fruit. Follow the ghost again, and... wait. Did I just enter the same area? This area is a loop, and it's pointless to continue. Instead, head back. Monsters have appeared. Beat the Death Petal and go to the right. The priest guy is here, and if he's here, he isn't blocking the way to previously-mentioned closet, so return to the docks. You'll find Shell Snakes (weaker forms; not the same boss), Snow Fiends, Chimeras and more monsters, although none of them should pose a threat. Enter the building on the docks and open the closet for Holy Water (key item). With it, return to the forest and get to the priest. Talk to him; he says that with it, you must go to the graves and banish the evil, yadda yadda, et cetera. You should know the deal by now. Whip across the river of some juicy substance (mm... lemonade) with Torma. Beat the Ghoul and walk on until you see a chest. Get the Forest Disc out of it. Go all the way south from here, kill the Doganbo guarding a chest, and claim the Dark Tattoo as your reward. Equip it; it's a nice accessory that ups both ATK and DEF. Go to the right and up a cliff (the other way is a little longer), fight the Ghoul if he's blocking the path, and go across the acid (make sure not to touch it). Walk up and right to the next screen, where the fog has cleared. Here, cross the acid by following the mapped-out path in it, and switch to Torma. Whip south twice and east once. If you're interested in an okay weapon (effective against zombies) and don't care about losing a great deal of HP (although you can't die unless you run into monsters), jump in the acid. Walk up- right-down and get the Zombie Killer out of the chest. Return all the way left to the path, HEAL, and resume whipping (south twice, east twice, and north once). Go up to the next screen. You'll see the ghost again, and it enters a grave, which no doubt needs to be cleansed with that Holy Water you have right there. Stand in front of the grave and select the item in the menu. The ghost shows his face, and it seems that he's... not too happy. Boss Strategy -- Demon Steed: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1050 305 164 68 50 15 27 9800 3800 Seriously; the previous bosses were cookies, and it doesn't get any harder, eh? Normally, you shouldn't be able to kill a boss without losing a party member, by using physical attacks only and not even healing. It seems to be possible here. I suggest going in with your strongest characters and Chance Hitting him to death, or draining his DEF if you attack physically, and healing when your HP is about 25%-50% of the max. His Slash-attack does mediocre damage, and Cinder Slash a little more. Evil Flame causes burns and (if it doesn't miss) should be cured with either Cold Wind or Soothe, and, well, that's it. If he's such a fan of fire, it must mean he's weak against water (Blizzard and other ice-attacks did 1 damage when I used them), although fire seems to do the same damage. Let's hope that this gets rid of the curse upon the forest. Return to the previous screen and go to the upper-left part, and whip left. Return to the screen where the path looped continuously and go south. You are now in a new area, and let's hope that Gratze's nearby. BORDER FOREST / SOUTH ------------------------------------------------ Fork. Take a left and burn the stump. Go through the path you just created and fight the Giant Bloom. Climb the vine, burn another stump, kill the three Ghouls that appear (it's easy to surprise-attack them), and finally, claim the Sleep Rod out of the chest. Equip it if you want to, and go back to the first stump you roasted. Go south from there. Follow the way (ignore the stakes), until you find two stumps close together. The rightmost one has a Life Source. Now go up, mark this place with an X (or just remember it), and then right, and whip down. Kill the Doganbo and get Earth Sap out of the egg, and whip up. Go back to spot X and take the lower-left road. The three eggs below are empty, but the one above, guarded by a Doganbo, has a Wild Berry. Get it, return to spot X, and take the upper-left road to the next part of the forest. The creepy music changes into a militaristic tune, and that must mean that we're close to Gratze. Burn the four stumps you see to reveal a Hell Scythe. Now, head north. As you walk on, an arrow is fired upon you. Gratzean soldiers don't like you, and although I prefer Dekar's method of busting in (if they use bows and arrows... then THIS IS GONNA BE EASY), we need to sneak in as unnoticed as possible. Walk up (they won't hurt you) and left into the forest--there's a path through the trees you can take. Go through and left, and you'll be in a village. A rather scary village. GONDARLE ------------------------------------------------------------- Gondarle was victim to Gratze's attacks, and all the villagers are dead, it seems. From what I understand, everything you see consists of memories. Yeah, I know it's weird. Before we continue to Gratze, there's a bunch of things you can collect and do. Remember: if you miss an item now, you can't get it later! First off, the inn costs 120G, the church is in the upper- right corner (open the book), the item shop is left of the church, and equipment can be bought in the house with the yellow/brown roof. What you can buy is listed in section 4-D. If you ask me, the Restraint Chain isn't worth the 30,000 bucks. Torma will do 1.5 or 2 times as much damage, depending on what weapon he's wearing now (not counting Zircon stuff), and if he has the Cutter Whip, which hits all monsters, I would choose to stay with the Cutter Whip. Rather, I'd say, buy a Holy Cap and Silk Toga for Rami, and if you need armor for the others, buy them in Narbick (there's nothing for Rami in Narbick). As for items: enter the house in the lower-right corner and break the bottle inside to get Dried Meat. Go left and head in the equipment shop. Open the closet for Moldy Bread. Inside the inn is another closet with, again, Moldy Bread. And above the inn is the item shop, and you can enter it from the left. Open the closet for yet another Moldy Bread. Yeah; it's not much and it's worth crap, but hey, life is roughly like that. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-Q: The Girl's Spirit ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Killer Armor, Charred Newt (x2), Revive, Life Source, Dark Chains, Antidote, Clothes, Dark Armor, Room Key, Rotten Meat, Moldy Bread, Rotten Meat, Dark Crystal, Magical Bikini, Moldy Bread, Mind Source (x2), Mirror Key, Dark Armor, Demon Mask, Soldier Shield, Magic Jar, Tail Ring, Storage Key, Memorial Pendant, White Shard; 10G (x9) Monsters: Dark Spirit, Sprite, Zombie, Sky Horse, Hellhound, Dark Wolf, Black Dragon, Wispy, Girl's Spirit Recommended Level: 16-20 GONDARLE ------------------------------------------------------------- In the village, there is an upper-left path and an upper-right path leading outside. If we take the westernmost one, we'll find a mansion with closed doors. If we take the easternmost path, we see a couple of graves and a hole. Enter that hole. LAND OF THE DEAD ----------------------------------------------------- Creepy! And complex (somewhat) too... this is going to require some brains; try to remember what you've found and what not, as you hike through this haunted mansion. Head left and go through the door. At the end of this room, inhabited by two Lichs, are two candlesticks and a crack in the wall. Let's try to light the candles; the room illuminates and the crack opens. Enter, and try not to step in the red waste you see; it's hazardous. Go north to the next room, and go left when you can. You will fall down; if you fell in the lower-leftmost spot, you should land near two skulls. Press Up until you're near the grave, and pick up the Killer Armor (cursed). Go back via the same path and head south--if you do it like this, the skulls should not come to life and you shouldn't fall in a hole. Take the ladder up, break the pots for two Charred Newts and a Revive, and go north (you'll lose 1 HP). Back in the room that you fell through, follow the path while NOT falling down. Instead, light each candle on your way (you might have to fight a Sprite), and the crack in the back pops open. Go through. Here are Zombies, the evolved forms of Ghouls. Go all the way up and break the pot in the upper-right corner for a Life Source, and go left to the next room. New monsters: a Sky Horse and Hellhound are inside. Plus unlit candles and a crack, although they aren't connected: just use Bau to smash your way through. Before you enter the next room, get the Dark Chains and Antidote from the pots in the lower-left corner. Those Dark Chains are best equipped on Rami, because its stats are DEF +30. LAND OF THE DEAD / INSIDE THE MANSION -------------------------------- Head to the right. Here's a locked door that says "Storage Area", and there are bottles, one of which has Dark Armor. Go back to the crates. Push the first crate up, smash the barrel, push the second crate up, smash the other barrel, and go upstairs. This is the main room, so to say, and there's a total of eight doors. That's the reason why I thought an overview of the place might come in handy: Upper-left door -- ROOM 1 Upper door -- LOCKED ROOM 1 Upper-right door -- ROOM 2 Left door -- BLOCKED ROOM (blocked by a statue) Middle door -- LOCKED ROOM 2 Right door -- TO STORAGE AREA (used to enter this place) Lower-left door -- MIRROR ROOM Lower-right door -- ROOM 3 Rooms 1, 2 and 3 can be entered with no trouble, but the locked rooms require something to clear the lock. In the upper-right corner of Room 1 is a bottle with Clothes. You most likely have to fight Dark Spirits to get it. Once you do have it, enter Room 2. Fight the first Zombie and open the closet to get the Room Key. With it, exit the room. Enter Locked Room 1 by standing in front of it and selecting the Room Key in the key items menu. You'll see a girl appear and vanish... she seems to be looking for a pendant. Read the diary, if you wish. Now, it's time to go to Locked Room 2; just go to the first level and the door simply opens. How convenient. Go inside. This time, there is a total of three doors, and a hallway leading outside. The doors are completely optional and for items, so I'll cover those first: - Enter the leftmost room. In the upper-left corner is Rotten Meat, and Moldy Bread right of it. Whee! Enter the next room and beat all enemies (three), for the door to open. Make sure to heal before and after. Break the bottles north for Rotten Meat, and go into the next room. Nothing here; just go up. Read the diary and go all the way to the lower-left corner. Get a Dark Crystal out of the bottle, and backtrack all the way back to the three doors. - Enter the second room (the one in the middle) and break the lower- left bottles. You will get a Magical Bikini (...no dirty thoughts here) and Moldy Bread. Make sure to give the bikini to Rami--it is EXTREMELY USEFUL. It leeches 50 HP (i.e. all HP, sadly) whenever she gets hit, and even though it sometimes fails, it can even save her life when she dies. - Go right, then at the intersections go down and left. When you reach four bottles, break them for two Mind Sources. Go back. Now, take the hallway outside. In the garden (or whatever it is), try to stay on the path; if you deviate from the route, you might fall in a hole. There're a few enemies on your way as well, including skulls that turn into Dark Spirits when you walk over a certain spot. If you wish to avoid all of them, go left from the entrance and all the way south (as far as possible). Then go to the right, and lastly, up. You might have to fight Black Dragons, but the Dark Spirits are evaded this way. Enter the building and break the upper-right pot; the Mirror Key is inside. Now, go back to the main room (with the eight doors). You have a Mirror Key, so that means it must fit on the Mirror Room; head there and use the key on the door. It--*gasp*--opens. Inside, Rami will go to the mirrors; her reflected image comes to life, and you'll have to fight a Lich. During the fight, the mirror breaks, and there's a stairway behind it. Before you take it, you can read the diary on the table and get a Dark Armor from the pots in the lower-left corner. In the next room, watch out--the holes CAN be fallen through, and they either take you to the Mirror Room or the central hall. Make your way to the end, and use Torma to swing across the one-to-last hole. Break the pots in the upper-right corner to get a Demon Mask (cursed), and fall down the 2x3 hole. You'll land in a small room with bottles everywhere, and a Zombie and Dark Wolf--this is in fact Room 3, except you're now in the back part that was inaccessible from the front. Break the jars to the right to get a Soldier Shield (a key item), push the crate out of the way, beat the Dark Spirit, and smash the jars to your right to reveal a Magic Jar (in case you didn't get it earlier). Go back to the central area, and walk to the Blocked Room. A statue is blocking the door, and Bau says that it looks different from the others. If you compare the statues, you'll see that this one has no shield, and whaddaya know, you just happen to have a shield for him! Equip the statue and it moves away, allowing you to go through. So, well, what are you waiting for? Inside, there are monsters having dinner (or so it seems), a picture on the wall, another part of the diary, a Tail Ring in the lower-right corner, and the bottle in the upper-left corner as the Storage Key. Get it and leave. Well, a Storage Key. Remember a Storage Area in the beginning of the mansion? Go there (go through the door opposite of the one you just exited). Use the key on the door and enter. There's a bunch of bottles and stuff here, plus two roaming monsters. Make it to the right, break the barrels, and open the closet--you will get the Memorial Pendant. It's from the girl that haunts the place, and let's give it back. Head back to the central area, go upstairs, and enter the room in the middle (previously referred to as "Locked Room 1"). Heal up. The girl was last seen on her bed, so use the pendant on the bed. The girl's spirit appears, and some dark force takes her over--you'll have to kick her butt, and she's good at returning the favor. Boss Strategy -- Girl's Spirit: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1580 320 154 137 30 30 27 10000 4400 I've seen her use three different attacks: Black Storm, doing about as much damage to kill Rami in one hit, Haunting, a little weaker than Black Storm (but a cool-looking attack), and Toxic Cloud, which attempts to cause poison. Because of her strong attacks, choose a party of Eldin, Torma, Bau and Dekar, who should be able to take a few Black Storms. Just let them attack with their strongest attacks (again, Chance Hit works wonders), and let them heal themselves (Hi- Potions, or Heal Plus, or anything that restores many HP) when you think one hit kills them. Your party seems faster than your opponent, so that's a plus. Eventually, you should win. The dark forces disappear, and a mysterious man (priest? Or perhaps her love that she was waiting for?) comes in. He gives the girl a pendant, she takes it, and the gives someone a White Shard. I don't know whether it's for the man or Eldin, but Eldin just takes it (why the sore face?). The girl is freed from her misery, I think, and disappears. The mansion falls apart, and the party escapes... the mysterious man goes with them but is gone in the end. No, I don't get it. I don't get this entire event, in fact. But that's probably because I need some sleep. OPTIONAL / GONDARLE -------------------------------------------------- South is Gondarle, only this time in reality, and not a memory. Everything's kaput and dead, except for a few dogs populating the land. And a rat; find it, talk to it, and reveal that it is an alchemist: a Witch Ring is made by mixing 150G and a Dark Ruby. Furthermore, cut all the bushes, and you can find a total of nine bags with 10G. The church is still intact (amazingly, it looks even better than it was before), so make sure to save and restore the status effects you've been inflicted by. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-R: Gratze ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Pure Water, Speed Source, Magic Source, Sacred Fruit, Escape Ball, Blood Chain, Rotten Meat, Dark Fruit; Dark Fruit, Life Source, Mind Source, Estoc, Bronze Armor Monsters: Wood Fairy, Blood Plant, Green Jelly, Metal Yan, Beast Grass, Commander, Thunder Hawk, Lunar Bear, Green Core Recommended Level: 17-21 BORDER FOREST / WEST ------------------------------------------------- Go up, beat the Wood Fairy (oh my God! They're *naked*!), and cut the bushes for Pure Water. Walk right to the next screen--you're back near Gratze, except now on the other side of a tree (which blocked your path). Fight the Blood Plant and get a Speed Source out of the bush in the lower-left corner. Go up until you're at a fork with a bunch of Green Jellies, and go to the right (optional). Kill the Beast Grass (you have to), heal your party, and head south. Gratzean soldiers spot you, and they'll attempt to dispose of you. The word "attempt" is the keyword in the previous sentence. Boss Strategy -- Commander (x2): ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 700 320 160 155 70 50 50 12000 3800 The strategy? Keep your HP above 50, and you're practically set. They know Slash and Slash All, doing a little less than 50 hit points of damage, plus they have the S.O.S.-skill, with which they can call for backup. This never works, it seems (if it does work, a Soldier is summoned, nothing tough). Keep attacking, and, well, attack a little more. It's all about watching your HP, and when it gets low, healing with Heal Plus or a Hi-Potion. And don't bring Rami... when I did, she was mostly healing. Herself. The three soldiers (I could swear I only fought two) pass away, and the gate opens. You can now travel via that shortcut without having to hike through Gondarle. Go back to the fork with the Green Jellies and head northwest. The path forks; go up, burn the stumps to reveal a Magic Source. Follow the way to the next screen (you'll probably have to fight a few monsters; the Thunder Hawks might come with Green Cores). If you unluckily fall in a hole, make sure to face the monsters while you're getting out: back-attacks suck. You'll hear a streaming river. Go to the left and whip across it. Follow the path to a chest with Sacred Fruit, return, go up, and whip again to the left. Walk to the next screen. Follow the path south until you see an opening in the trees. Ignore it. Go left, kill the Lunar Bear, and move on until you reach a stake. Above it is another opening in the trees, and you need to go through it. Cut the bushes for an Escape Ball, and go through the trees at your right hand. Break the rocks surrounding a bush, cut away the bush, and go down the hole under it. Note: Inside the cave, you'll see three weird monsters--these are Green Cores, have an "avoidy" behavior, mostly escape in battle, and are your favorite targets the next couple of minutes. They have little HP and high DEF, and drop a load of EXP (2525 each); it can be annoying to kill them, so Chance Hit (which instantly kills them no matter what) is a good choice. Make sure to kill them all! Experience = leveling up = good. Get the Blood Chain (cursed) next to the skeleton, and use Bau to smash that skeleton to pieces. There's an exit behind him. Go through and fall in the hole. Break the upper-right skull to get Rotten Meat (it must be *extremely* rotten if you find it _there_). Elsewhere in this room are five bushes, the rightmost of which has Dark Fruit. Get it as well. Defeat all five monsters, and you'll hear the sound of a door opening. Go back to the spot that you fell on, and there'll be a pot. Take it to the vine all the way left, cut the bush here, and place it on the switch. Climb up. Back in the forest, go one screen left, and immediately return. You are now on the world map, from where you should head to a town, rest, and save. When you're done, you can go to Gratze. GRATZE --------------------------------------------------------------- There are two soldiers guarding the gate, and once Dekar talks to them, they decide to attack. You know what to do. If not, scroll a bit up for a wee strategy. After you beat them, head inside the town (it's not actually a town, but has all town-elements). There's a bunch of stuff to collect and to do, but Gratze is quite a maze, so try to stay with me. Gratze Fortress is your main goal, but we'll first take care of the odds and ends. Note: Everything below is optional. Go up, past the two soldiers, and to the right. Enter the small house and open the chests; two are empty, but one has a Dark Fruit. When you have it, go up. Find a large doorway and go through it. There are more people and rooms in the first screen, but none of them hold anything valuable. (Also, if you use Sonar, you'll see that there's one treasure to be found--unfortunately, I haven't been able to find it. Help?) Go up to the second part of Gratze. Head up and then right. Enter the door and talk to the girl; you can sleep here for 100G. There's also a chest here with a Life Source. Exit and head left, until you see a ladder. Climb down and enter the room. Inside, you can buy discs (left) and items (right), and some old grandma is here as well. If you talk to her, she asks what item she needs to wake someone--that's of course a Wake-Up Call, so tell her so (she's smart enough that it's not an Antidote). You will receive a Mind Source in return. North of this "house" is the weapon shop. Having 99 Potions is a good thing (to heal outside of battle when AP is needed for other things), and make sure to have some Hi-Potions as well (so Bau and Dekar can heal too, when needed). Buy discs as well, while you're here. As for equipment, try to make sure that everyone has a DEF-value of around 125 or more, and 150 is a nice value to have for ATK (bar Rami). Don't buy a weapon for Rami; she won't use it. A shield for Dekar is unneeded too--we'll get something good in a few moments. If you want to be up-to-date, buy weapons that greatly up ATK (by 40 or so), and Crystal Mails wouldn't hurt either. But before you buy, get the following two items first: Go to the upper-right corner of the area and enter the door. A treasure chest is here, containing an Estoc, a nice weapon for Eldin. But don't leave yet! He's not seeable on-screen, but in the lower- right corner of the "cell" is an alchemist! He tells you that a Frost Ring is made from 150G and a Wind Ore. Leave, then enter the room left of it, and head all the way to the right. Open the closet for a Bronze Armor, also something nice for Eldin (or Dekar). Go left, down the stairs, down the stairs again, then down the stairs to the right. Go through the big entrance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-S: The Royal Ring ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Iron Box, Escape Ball, Long Sword, Tower Disc, Lantern Shield, Main Gauche, Power Ring, Angelic Ring, Power Source, Hell Armor, Fire Ore, Royal Ring Monsters: Commander, Earth Viper, Soldier, Blue Core, Armored Dog, Mimic, Magma Golem, Firebird, Sphinx, Teio, Thunder Hawk, Metal Yan, Sprite Recommended Level: 18-22 GRATZE FORTRESS / PART ONE (THE PIPELINES) --------------------------- Go north and fight the two Commanders (scroll a few pages up if you're in desperate need of a strategy). Follow the one-way path. An Earth Viper is on your way; notice the new battle music? When you reach two Soldiers, fight them (they rarely come with a Blue Core, are extremely easy, and you'll have to beat four in total). You can take the path to the right if you with, but it's just a dead end with nothing but an Armored Dog (and Mimic). Walk a little further to find a Commander (not as strong as the boss-versions, plus you'll gain the surprise- attack). Climb the ladder and you'll be on a pipeline. Follow it until you get to an intersection. Go south first, for some items. Follow the southern pipe-part, go down the ladder, and when you can go up, go up. Take the left path for an Iron Box, and the right path for an Escape Ball (and a Magma Golem and Armored Dog). Go back. The path to the right leads to the prisons (guarded by two Commanders), but since there's nothing you're able to do there, you might as well skip it. Go back to the intersection on the pipe and take the path to the right. Eventually, you'll wind up at another intersection: north or south? The answer I'd give is north--follow that path and you'll find a Long Sword (you'll have to beat a Sphinx to reach the chest). Now, take the southern path, go down the ladder, fight the Blue Core, fight the Magma Golem, and get on another pipe. Follow this one until you reach a door, guarded by two Soldiers. Beat them and head inside. A Teio and Commander are inside. There are two elevators as well; take the one to the right (the left one leads to... NOTHING). Exit outside. There is an electric barrier below, and you'll lose 5 hit points if you attempt to go through it. Rather, deactivate it by going to the right and swinging your sword at the brown wire three times. It breaks, and you can go to the next area. Do so, follow the path, and open the chest for a Tower Disc. From here, you can again choose from two different paths. Head north over the wire netting first and open the two chests for a Lantern Shield and Main Gauche. Equip the Lantern Shield (Dekar)! Now go back to the previous screen, and enter the pipe. When you reach an intersection, go south. The other way leads to a dead end. Continue until you see a ladder, and go down it. Follow the way to two chests with a Power Ring and an Angelic Ring, both of which should be equipped immediately. Return, go up the ladder, and go south. GRATZE FORTRESS / PART TWO ------------------------------------------- You'll be in a foggy area. Just follow the way until you get on another pipe, and head forward until you can't continue anymore. Cross the hole with Torma's rope, and resume until you're in a room. Cut the BROWN wire. Don't break the other one--it will release a bunch of monsters (although it's good for the EXP). Return to where you crossed with Torma, and fall down via the arrow. Head to the left, and go through a few screens. Eventually, you should reach a now-disabled electric field guarded by a Commander. Beat him and go down. Follow the way (the Teio seems to be in a hurry--he makes two steps if you move once). Walk on until you see a Soldier guarding a stair set (surprise-attack him), go to the next floor, open the door, and step on the transporting tile. Then, use the other tile to go south. Enter it again from the left to reach a chest with a Power Source, go back, and walk on. You will again find two elevators, the left of which doesn't lead to anything. Take the right one instead, lift up, and walk to the next room. Go south, follow the path to the right (not over the wire netting) and open the chest for a Hell Armor. Go back one screen and take the upper path (nice tanks). Eventually, you should find a bunch of soldiers that guard the area, and you need to dispose of them. After you do so, one person stays behind and crosses the chasm. He just walked over air, which must mean there's a secret path. It's as follows (start in the lower-leftmost tile): 3 down, 4 right, 3 down. Go to the next room, and you'll find another hole with invisible tiles. Look closely at the soldier to see where to start: under the one-to-last black tile. Do this: 3 up, 6 left, 3 up. Note: If you ever fall in the hole, you'll land in a storage room with lots of monsters. Get out (exit is south), walk left and find your way over the wire netting to the previous screen. Try again! There are three doors here. Number one has a treasure chest with a Fire Ore. Get it. Number two has four wires--cut the third one (the second one if you want a soldier to attack you). Number three has a Blue Core, and a soldier if you smash the skeleton. Make sure you've cut the wire, and head south. Two poles are on the other side. Whip across to the right one, and go through the door. The electric barrier is gone. Fight the two Commanders and go upstairs. The floor is different, which must mean we're close. Follow the way to a Commander (this time the boss-version), beat it, and head inside the throne room. You will come to the shocking discovery of the reason why the King doesn't show up anymore and why nobody may enter this place (and why is it such a freakin' long path to REACH it in the first place?). Push his chair in any direction and you'll fall down to a treasure chest. Open it to get the Royal Ring, inscribed with, "When this ring returns to the sleeping capital, Eristol, the home of the cursed Beast, shall be awoken from its slumber." AT SEA --------------------------------------------------------------- So, well, Eristol is our next stop. Exit using Escape or an Escape Ball, and you'll find yourself on the pirate's ship. You can talk to your party members, if you wish, and if you want to continue, face the ocean and select the Royal Ring. When you throw it in the water, the screen tremors, and you'll find yourself on the world map. A new, sore music, plus there's an entire new island north of Gratze. Well, what are you waiting for? Get there! Note: Oh, and your party formation is reset, so make sure to place everyone correctly. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-T: The Time Portal ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Sea Disc, Sea Disc, Water Armor, Maze Key, Blue Shard Monsters: Hornfish, Garbost, Ammon, Octopod, Seahorse, Medusa, Drill Shell, Elasmosaur, Aqualoi, Devilfish, Proto Kraken Recommended Level: 19-23 ERISTOL / PRESENT ---------------------------------------------------- Go north and enter the building. Read the ancient inscriptions if you wish, and make sure to check the inscription upstairs--it says that in order to make a Protect Ring, all that is needed is a Bright Gem (so it's an alchemist, but it's not an alchemist... I'm sure you know what I mean). Exit, go left, up, and downstairs. If you enter the building to your right, you'll find a few inscriptions, including a very interesting one upstairs... especially what Rubius thinks after reading it. Anyway, north of the village (I assume it was a village) is a big entrance, and you need to go there. LABYRINTH OF ERISTOL / PRESENT --------------------------------------- Go up, follow the way, down the stairs (the bottles are empty), and to a doorway blocked by a block. Push it away and head through. Monsters are here--they are water-type enemies because the place is flooded, and that means you can't use B-button skills underwater. Go up, beat the Hornfish (they are twice as fast as you on the screen-- watch out!), and inspect the stone with Rubius. By reading what it says, the door in the back opens. Go through. There are many more inscriptions on the walls throughout this labyrinth, but I won't mention them; read them though. When you can go up or left, swim up first. There's a treasure chest with a Sea Disc inside. When you have it, take the other path. Get out of the water, head up, and all the way left. When you see two pillars, whip yourself to the other side, and enter the door. Stand on the transporting tile and walk to the next screen. Here, walk south (the water just a pool; dead end), and enter the water again (might have to fight a few monsters). The path splits again, and the one going to the right has nothing but an Elasmosaur. So, go left. Here, instead of going into the water, rope to the left. For this puzzle with the transporting tiles, do the following. First, enter the first tile from above. From the two tiles you can take now, use the lower-left one. Walk around the platform and re-enter it from below to go up. Enter the next tile from above, and then get on the last tile. Exit via the path south. In the next room, go in the water. To the right is a dead end, so swim down. Continue on until you see a bridge. Go over it and make it to the end, but watch out; you can only step on a tile once, and if you fall, you'll have to re- enter the room and fight a few enemies. Now, just follow the way until your path is blocked. Push the block out of the way, watch out for the Devilfish, and go downstairs. Follow the way to the next screen; just ignore the pillars. Go up and get a Sea Disc out of the chest, then jump in the water. Swim onward, but when you see a ladder, don't take it! Instead, go to the left, to the next screen, and through the doorway. You'll eventually reach a dead end... but do I see a crack in the wall there? It is! Smash your way through with Bau, whomp the life out of the Medusa, and find a chest with Water Armor. Equip it on any water-type Disc Monsters you have, and head back to aforementioned ladder. Climb it. Head into the first door you see, step on the tile, and open the chest. You'll get the Maze Key. With it, go back, and take the ladder you haven't climbed yet. All the way up, go through the big entrance. Follow the path north and you'll see a door--it appears to be locked, and it's such a damn coincidence that you just found a key. Maybe you should use it on the door? Inside is an inscription on a stone: "Proceed, ye who bear the sacrifice." ...oops. Well, there's no other path to take, so I guess there's no other choice than to sacrifice ourselves. In the next room, go left, and you'll find a big entrance and a crack in the wall. Ignore the crack just yet. Step on the transporting platform and follow the path, while you defeat all those annoying Aqualois. You should reach four lion heads, and you can actually enter the second (the fourth has a monster). Again, four heads: enter the third (first has monster). Now, enter the fourth (second one has monster). You'll see a water- type monster, and it's the boss of the dungeon. Boss Strategy -- Proto Kraken: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1050 999 180 177 82 66 50 15000 4500 Proto Kraken comes with two Drill Shells. Getting rid of those two should be done as soon as possible (although it's not extremely important). His attacks include Tidal Wave and Bubble Bath, doing medium-to-high damage. Both hit all your characters, so healing is extremely important. I've also seen him using Sap Suds, which lowers DEF by 60 (everyone), and makes Tidal Wave more effective. Plus, he used Heal Plus quite much (heal himself for 100 HP). I can tell you that using strong attacks without healing doesn't work as well as it did with others--see how much damage his attacks do and then make sure the amount of HP of your characters is and stays above that value. Go through the door that opens and open the chest. The Blue Shard is inside... Rami wonders why it's a shard, and says, "I thought there was a stone in Eristol..." Well, technically, there WAS a stone in Eristol. Now, head back to the crack in the wall and bust it open. Enter. Proceed through the cave to the next screen, which is a... TIME PORTAL / PRESENT ------------------------------------------------ There's a strange light, which apparently takes us through time. Also, an exit is below, and it's recommended to take it before going inside the light (Torma stops you; just exit again). Save, heal, and go back. Jump in the portal... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-U: Inside the Behemoth ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Hi-Magic, Revive, Hi-Potion, Life Source, Core Mail, Void Disc, Rotten Meat, Muscle Ring, Insect Egg, Antennae, Life Source, Wedding Bouquet, Insect Egg, Meat Cube, Earth Ore, Insect Egg; 10G (x4), Golden Cloak, Honey Stone Monsters: Neo Jelly, Flying Egg, Incubus, Anti-Core, Mousse L, Demon Eye, Parasitic Cell Recommended Level: 20-24 INSIDE THE BEHEMOTH -------------------------------------------------- And you'll appear in what seems the stomach of something. Is it the Beast? Well, it DID look like a giant mouth, and the inscriptions in Eristol aren't denying it. Imagine the smell... Well, head up and climb the vine. Or, uh, the nerve. Slash the pillar with your sword and the door opens. Don't ask. Anyway, you see a jelly over there; it's an advanced one (Neo Jelly), but should still be not a single problem. You can use Eldin's knife to splash the bubbles, which are this place's form of bushes. One of them has a Hi-Magic. Go north, beat the Flying Egg (which is indeed an incredibly stupid name), and climb down. One of the bubbles here has a Revive, and there's an Anti-Core--it gives 3535 EXP each, but hell, don't count on capturing it. They escape even if you surprise-attack them! There's also a Mousse L, and a hole on this floor, which you have to fall through. You'll land in a not-so-pleasant substance; you'll lose 1 HP for every step you make in it. There are four ways you can go: in the upper- left corner is the path to continue, upper-right is a nerve leading back to the previous floor, and in the lower-left and -right corner are a Hi-Potion and Life Source respectively. Get the two items, and go to the upper-left path. Before you engage in battle with the Incubus, make sure to heal. Then, go through the "door" (it opens automatically when you touch it). Face the Anti-Core, but don't count on laying a finger on it. Go north, under the bridge (or whatever it's supposed to be), and follow the path. When you see a pole, don't slash it yet but go south to the next room. You'll have to fight all three monsters (two Neo Jellies, Demon Eye) to go back, but your reward is the Core Mail in one of the bubbles. Go back and hit the pole. A part of a bridge forms for each hit you make, so hit it four times and go to the other side. Walk to the next screen. Here, climb down the nerve and whip to the right, over the acid (at least three steps in it are unavoidable). Get the Void Disc out of one of the bubbles, and climb all the way up. In the next room, there is a collection of holes, plus a few items. To the left (from the entrance) is Rotten Meat, north from there a Muscle Ring, and somewhat east from there is an Insect Egg. As for other things in this room, there are five holes and an entrance north; ignore that entrance, and let's talk about the holes. They lead to a platform with either an entrance through what look like intestinal canals, to a room with items, or to nothing. You can go north and climb the vine to return to this room. The first hole in the upper-left corner leads to a room with a Neo Jelly and Antennae in one of the bubbles. Get that helmet, and return to the previous room. Fall down, walk to the right, and smash the skull with Bau's hammer to reveal a Life Source. Go up and climb up to the holes again, and go through the second hole in the upper-right corner. You'll find a Wedding Bouquet (eh?), a shield (Rami only, greatly ups MGR), and an Insect Egg. When you have them, exit, and fall down the arrows. Immediately go right and cut the bubbles for a Meat Cube, and go back to the floor above. The third and fourth holes lead to an empty platform, and you need to go through the lower-left hole to continue. Do so, and head to the next area. From this point on, you can only walk left or right. There are poles that turn the screen around when you hit them, and that's what you need to do. It's nearly impossible to get lost here, though. Hit the pole, fall down, go to the right, hit the pole, and go through the door. In the next room, just walk forward until you see a pole and hit it, until you can enter a door. Now, make sure to heal everyone, and cut all the bubbles. The last one has a parasitic cell, and for just a cell, it's quite big. Boss Strategy -- Parasitic Cell: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1250 300 200 210 40 40 40 20100 500 Virus kills everyone with less than 50 HP instantly, so leave Rami out. Poison Hit does medium damage (just pray it doesn't critical- hit) and causes poison (which is annoying as hell). This boss is difficult (especially compared to everything you've faced 'til now), and a good thing is that you're faster than him (everyone should get a turn before Parasitic Cell attacks). If you have Dekar, just let him attack, and cure himself with Hi-Potions when his HP gets low. Eldin and Torma should Miracle Hit him, or use Chance Hit, and when they lose a fair bit of HP, use either Heal Plus (or Sacrifice on themselves; this is a bug and heals them completely). Rami is doomed in this battle, so have a Disc Monster to install with. When it dies, bring Bau, and let him do what Dekar does. When you're poisoned AND your HP is low, make sure to deal with your HP first! Go through the door. Bop the pillars to make the poles come up, whip yourself to the other side twice, and enter the next room. Follow the path, and eventually, there are three paths to take. The rightmost "vine" leads to emptiness, but if you take the middle one you can find an Earth Ore. Take it, return, and go to the lower-left corner of the room. One of the bubbles has an Insect Egg. When you have it, take the leftmost nerve and climb all the way up. RANGOON TOWN --------------------------------------------------------- A... town. It's weird, I know. The screen tremors for a short moment; that's from the creature you are on waking up. Rubius says that Rangoon Town was destroyed years ago, according to the books, so either you're in the past, which is very possible, or Rubius/those books say crap. Let's assume it's the former. First, some items: near the entrance are two pots under two barrels; those pots contain 10G each. If you go northwest from there, you'll again find two times 10G. Open the closet in the equipment shop (shop is in upper-right corner) to get a Golden Cloak, and then, well, there isn't much more to do. Oh wait! In the upper-left corner is an alchemist! Talk to the core and learn that an Egg Ring is made of 150G and an Egg Dragon Fang. Whee! Directly north from the entrance is the item shop, the equipment shop is in the upper-right corner, and you can find the inn (200G) in the upper-left part of the town. See section 4-D. To continue, enter the house south of the equipment shop. If you talk to the people inside, you'll learn that their laks fell into a hole in the ground. One of them mentions that Bau is actually a Wild Fencer, a fighter with monster abilities. He says that he knows how to reach Eristol via his doorway, but asks for your help to catch his runaway laks. Say yes. Go upstairs, open the closet for a Honey Stone, and exit the house. Head in the hole. Saving the laks is extremely simple. It's just one not-so-big room with a few easy monsters, and three laks to interact with. Just touch them, follow the path, etc. until you've rescued all three laks, and head back. Also, this place is a little bugged; I've found a few spots where you can walk through (which should be normally possible). Anyway, when you're done, head back and talk to the guy. Take the ladder down (it's a LONG one). You'll appear on the world map. Actually, it's the area map, but since you have no ship (you're in the past), there's no way you can reach the outside world. Head to Eristol. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-V: The Last Stone ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Wind Fruit, Power Source, Hi-Magic, Magic Source, Revive; Aqua Fruit, Mind Source, Meat Cube, Solid Milk, Magic Source, Sea King Helm, Surf Staff, Pure Water, Sacred Fruit, Revive, Sea Stone, Healing Disc Monsters: White Whale, Killer Whale, Aqualoi, Lamia, Elasmosaur, Sea Dragon, Sea Giant, Octopus, Ammonite, Kraken Recommended Level: 21-25 ERISTOL / PAST ------------------------------------------------------- The Labyrinth of Eristol is your main destination, but since there's a bunch to do, let's explore a little. From what I understand, Eristol's civilization is more advanced than the rest of the world, so everyone's busy doing nothing. Although everyone claims not to work or do anything useful, there are shops; straight ahead, in fact. See section 4-D for a reprint of what they sell. And... Odds and Ends: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - In the lower-left corner is the inn, where you can rest the night for 200G. There's a Wind Fruit in the closet, and if you read the books, you'll learn the recipe (alchemist) for Ex-Magic: a Magic Jar plus an Ex-Potion. - From the inn, go up and enter the left house. Inside is a girl in a bunny outfit; tell her it was cute and she'll tell you how to make a Fortune Ring! Needed are a Light Ore and 3000G. - Right of that house are the shops (see above). - Go up, and enter the church. Save, cure, etc. Make sure to get the Power Source out of the bottle! - Head inside the building horizontally opposite to the church (upstairs). In the lower-right corner, you can find a Hi-Magic and a Magic Source. Talk to the people as well for information. - Walk downstairs and break the bottles at your left hand. A Revive should be inside one of them. Again, if you want, talk to the people for info. The Elder says that you kind of look like his daughter... Head to the labyrinth. LABYRINTH OF ERISTOL / PAST ------------------------------------------ Note: This is the same dungeon you've visited before, but seeing as it wasn't a filled pool of water a while earlier, the water is lower. You can now reach places you weren't able to access first. Note: There are chests you've opened already, even though you are in the past. The programmers haven't played Chrono Trigger, I believe. Go forward and downstairs until you find the nine bottles, and break them to get Aqua Fruit. Head left, push the block out of the way, and enter. The water is still here, as are the monsters (the monsters in this place are stronger). Head north, read the stone with Rubius, and the door opens. Follow the way and enter the water. Ignore the way north; it's an opened chest (see the note above). So head to the left, climb the ladder to get out of the water, and move on. You should see a ladder to get wet again, but skip it. Take the path to the left instead, kill the Sea Dragon, and go through the door (the door below, not the one above). Open the chest for a Mind Source. As you can see, the upper level is a dead end, so return all the way back to the ladder we've skipped earlier. Get past the Sea Giant and go through the door. In the next room, get out of the water, and walk through another doorway. You can see a monster here, a weak spot in the ground, and a crack in the wall. Bust the crack open first. This is apparently a treasure chamber, and you'll have to break all walls to reach the chests. Go right and all the way up for a Meat Cube. Go back, left, and up for Solid Milk. Follow the path around and break the other walls, and you should reach the last chest, which is a Magic Source. Now, head back one room, and fall down the weak spot (walk over it twice). Exit the water. The stairs bring you to a dead end (the same dead end you've visited earlier, only now from the other side), so go south. When the path forks, go to the right. Enter the first door you see (under the lion head), and step on the switch (the Octopuses will attack you). Return, and go to the right. Enter another room and a chest will be here (not if you didn't push the button)--open it to get a Sea King Helm. When you have it, go back to the fork, and take the other path to the next chamber. The previous time you visited this room, you had to do annoying stuff with transporting tiles and all-- this time you just need to go to the lower-right corner of the room, where there's an entrance to take. From here on, just follow the path all the way. When the path forks, go left, and cross the bridge (the bridge with the tiles you can only step over once). Remember that the bridge is different; if you're too fast for a second, you're going to have to fight. Follow the one-way path until you see three poles, whip yourself across, and enter the next room. Because you've been here already, a few rooms don't have to be entered, so go in the water, climb the ladder, and push the crates out of the way. There's a new room you can access; continue left, push the crates away, and it is treasure-time! Your prizes are a Surf Staff, Pure Water, Sacred Fruit, and a Revive. Cool, huh? Go back to the first crate you pushed and climb up. Kill the Lamia, go up, and head north all the way. Resume until you see the stone again that says that the upcoming path leads to the sacrificing spot. Go downstairs. Are you low on health? Take the path to the Time Portal (west, through the crack in the wall), don't go in the light but exit to Rangoon Town or Eristol, save and heal up, and return to where you are now. Go south, in the water, and follow the way. Eventually, you should be in a similar room to the one you fought Proto Kraken in, and this time his follower is inside. (How that is possible is beyond me.) Boss Strategy -- Kraken: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1480 280 208 200 32 68 52 25000 6000 Kraken is this time accompanied by two Sea Giants, and like before, you'll need to focus your attacks on them until they die. Basically the same strategy; heal after the strong attacks (Tsunami does much damage, Strike does almost the same to one target). Fortunately, he knows Heal Plus--although it heals him for 100 HP, you should be doing a lot more, and it doesn't hurt you. Attack with your best attacks and you should eventually win. Actually, I had more trouble with the prototype version of this boss, so... The door opens. A chest is inside the next room, and it has the last stone: the Sea Stone. If you've followed the walkthrough, you should have all four shards and stones--Rubius will say so if you do. If you haven't, you did not get the shard in Eristol (the present version), or the stone in the Jungle Spire near Narbick. Break the crack in the back and get a Healing Disc. The other path leads to the Beast, but there's nothing you can do there at the moment. So, go back, and go to the Time Portal. TIME PORTAL / PAST --------------------------------------------------- Well, warp Back To The Future (tm). Erm, Present. TIME PORTAL / PRESENT ------------------------------------------------ We're home! Happiness! Until the pirate comes in and says that Gratze has taken everything from Gruberik. So I went to Gruberik, but there didn't seem to have happened anything. Weird! Your next goal is Gratze. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-W: Save the Townspeople! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Stun Gun, Crystal Robe, Revival Armor, Jail Key, 100G, Pure Water, Magic Source, Music Box, Mind Source, Speed Source; Dark Fruit, Mind Source, Life Source, Aqua Fruit Monsters: Iron Golem, Mousse XL, Gold Golem, Faux Chest, Silver Dragon, Anti-Core, Dark Skull, Blue Core Recommended Level: 22-26 GRATZE --------------------------------------------------------------- Parcelyte has attacked Gratze, so if you check the "town-part" of the kingdom, you'll see dead soldiers everywhere. You can still shop and sleep at the inn, plus the townsfolk are still alive. We don't know what's up with the townsfolk of Gruberik, so let's check up on them. Go to Gratze Fortress. Note: There are new enemies on your way, namely the Iron Golem (high defense, but one or two Chance Hits should kill it), a Mousse XL, Gold Golems, and Faux Chests. If you've gotten all chests during your first go-through of this place, most "unopened" chests are actually monsters. Take care! Follow the path until it forks; a Commander is here, and you can go either to the right or up. Go up and find your way on a pipe. Follow this one until you can either go south or east, and continue down. When you get off the pipe, make it all the way to the right and enter the prisons (you'll have to fight a Soldier and two Commanders). Here, you'll find a variety of townspeople, including Cashwell and his son (bahaha), and... Marin. Unfortunately, Dekar isn't able to break- open the cell door like he did years ago, so we'll have to do it the "normal" way--getting the Jail Key. Walk back outside. On your way, a Commander spots you and you'll have to fight it (the boss-version, but should now be easy EXP). After the battle, you can see him drop the Jail Key. The guard manages to take it and get away, though, so follow him! Outside, you see him walking on the pipe, so get on it as well and return to the intersection. Now take the path that goes to the right, and follow it to the end. At one point, the path forks up and down. Go down, because up leads to a Faux Chest (looks like a chest but is a monster instead). Follow the path, kill two Gold Golems, and resume until you see the commander whose key you need. Enter the building, and take the rightmost elevator. Exit, go to the right, break the brown wire, and go to the next screen. Again, some guards will be in your way. Move on until you find a Silver Dragon, and take the ladder on the pipe. Remember that the chests are monsters! While you go over the pipe, the path should split to the right and down. Go down, and the path should now split to the left and down. Go down again. Walk through the foggy area and over the pipes until you need to whip across, do so, and follow the way. You will see Tappa, an old friend of Torma and company, who managed to deal with a Gratzean soldier. Enter the building and break the brown wire (needs a few slashes)--not the other one, because that opens two doors to rooms with both two Mousses XL and an Iron Golem. Now, go back to where you whipped with Torma, and fall down the arrow. Heal before you do so, though, because three Gold Golems have to be fought! After overcoming both of them, head left, kill the two guards at the electric barrier you just disabled, enter and exit a foggy area, and go in a building. Go on, step on a transporting tile, and enter another building (background messed up here?). Lift up, and when the path splits, take the one leading south (i.e. not to the invisible platforms). Go to the big chamber with the wire netting- bridge. Go over the bridge and go down one level (the chest you see is fake). Walk to the right and enter the door. Here, the storage area, go to the right, and you'll see the Jail Key-carrying soldier enter a room. Before you enter it as well and kick some sorry butt, enter the cell to the right. Some great stuff is here: a Stun Gun, a Crystal Robe, and a Revival Armor. You might just be interested in equipping them as well. The Revival Armor _attempts to_ revive you when you die. Now enter the other room, and you'll five Commanders--the last one in the lower-right corner holds the key, but you can choose to fight the others (talk to them). They're the boss-versions, and since they're not so hard, fight them all: a LOT of experience points up for grabs! When you're done, give the last one a hello and kick his ass so hard he'll crap that friggin' key out. Get is and cast Escape, or use an Escape Ball (that's faster than walking back; the prisons are closer to the entrance). Find your way to the prisons and release everyone. In the second cell, talk to Mr Cashwell too to receive your reward: 100G (a little TOO much), and get the Pure Water from the chest. In the third cell is a Magic Source, and in the fifth cell, hammer the skeleton in the back to uncover a path. Follow the path and get a Music Box out of the fourth cell (it's for Bandino; see section 3-A). In the sixth cell is a Mind Source, and before you open the last cell with Marin, remove all of Dekar's equipment. Unfortunately, he leaves the party to join the army and kick some Gratze butt. Get the Speed Source out of the cell and exit this place--you'll automatically arrive in Parcelyte. PARCELYTE ------------------------------------------------------------ Everyone will meet up at the church, so head there, talk to the townsfolk if you wish, and save. Then leave. So, what to do next? The Tower of Guidance! If you have the four shards and the four stones, that is. But alas, even if you enter the tower with them, you'll see that the entrance is closed. However, there's a new tower on the map: Lugwa Tower. Before you enter it, you might want to bring Karnack a visit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-X: A New Tower... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Dark Fruit, Mind Source, Life Source, Aqua Fruit; Bolt Shield, Wind Shield, Magic Source, Life Source, Blue Flame, Strong Disc, Terror Ball, Gold Flame, Escape Ball, Sacred Fruit, Pure Water, Nectar, White Flame, Holy Edge, Wind Fruit, Rainbow Veil Monsters: Death, Dark Skull, Neo Goblin, Earth Dragon, Ice Demon, Demon Steed, Holiner, Dark Guardian Recommended Level: 23-27 KARNACK / WET SEASON ------------------------------------------------- The previous time you entered Karnack, it was dry season. And now, it's wet season! Nothing much has changed, except Aira now lives here and some now stuff can be bought. And most people talk about The Two Towers (tm), the last of which just appeared. There are two item shops; one straight ahead from the entrance, and one in front of the chemist's tent. The guy in the tent next to the first item seller has equipment. There're some items you can get as well. At the western part of the village, left of Aira's tent, is a bunch of bottles, and one of them has Dark Fruit. Above Aira's tent is the item seller, and the bottles around him have a Mind Source and a Life Source. Right of the equipment shop's tent is another tent, and in the lower-left corner (you can barely see it) is a pot with Aqua Fruit. And lastly, there's a fish near this tent, and it's an alchemist. Nectar is made by mixing a Wild Berry with an Ex-Potion. PREPARATION ---------------------------------------------------------- You should have plenty of money right now; enough to buy the strongest equipment available. A Zircon Sword for Eldin, Restraint Chain for Torma, and a Zircon Axe for Bau will come in handy, and I'll assume you take those through Lugwa Tower. If you didn't get them earlier, make sure you have the Revival Armor (Eldin/Torma, Gratze Fortress), Golden Cloak (Eldin/Torma, Rangoon Town), and Crystal Robe (Rami, Gratze Fortress). If you need a shield for Eldin or Torma, you will get a good one right at the start of Lugwa Tower. LUGWA TOWER ---------------------------------------------------------- Enter the tower from the world map. Before you actually go inside, walk right of the entrance and open the chest for a Bolt Shield. You might want to check the other side as well; enter to find a door, and go in. Ignore the empty chest, because, well, they're empty. Try to surprise-attack the Death-monster--it knows instant-death and you probably don't want to get hit by it. Go to the back of the room and climb down the ladder. Open the chest for a Wind Shield, and go one level down. Make it to the right until you see three skulls somewhat close together, and break the leftmost one for a Magic Source. You can find a Life Source as well if you head all the way to the right and break the pot. Somewhat south of that pot if a switch. Pull it. Go back to the three skulls. A ladder has appeared that leads to a small platform with another switch on the wall. Pull that one as well, and a lot (and I mean A LOT) of sand comes flying down. Any Neo Goblins in the room are dead meat, but the sand is an invitation for other enemies (Earth Dragons, Ice Demons, etc.). You can now enter a new room (entrance in the middle of the northern wall), and there's a bright, blue flame inside. The stone says something about a triad burning and a King being arisen, and don't ask me how Eldin does it, but you can get that blue flame. Or, Blue Flame. With this "item" in your pocket, go back to the entrance (you can use Escape... if you're THAT lazy). And enter via the normal door. You'll see three holes (you can't fall in them anymore) and a pot. Break that pot for a Strong Disc, and there'll be two paths to take. Left leads to a dead end, but there's an item, so follow left to the end until you reach nine pots. Break them to get a Terror Ball, backtrack back, and enter the other stair set. This time, you can go north and south. Opt to go north first, bash the skulls, and open the chest in the northwest corner. Inside is a... wait--it's an alchemist! The last alchemist of the entire game! He tells you that mixing Bright Ore with Dark Ore makes a Miracle. Great. Now go back, and go south. And AGAIN, the path forks. Which way to go now? To the right, I suggest. Break the crack in the wall and go down the stairs. In here is the Gold Flame. Get it, then go back to where the path forked. Go up the stairs to the left. Go around left, kill the Neo Goblin, beat the Demon Steed, and break the pots north for an Escape Ball. Go back to the stair set and walk to the right. You'll enter a maze, and it's pretty easy; there's only one fork, and you should go right from there to reach Sacred Fruit. When you have that, go back and take the other path, through the entrance. Gratze Fortress still fresh in your mind? Remember the holes with the invisible paths? They're back, and this time, step on the tile in the lower-left corner to see what path you need to take. If you don't care about remembering all this crap, start in the solution-giving tile, and press the following sequence of keys (if you fail, you will land in the room with the alchemist-chest): 2L, 4U, 2R, 1D, 2R, 2U, 1R, 2U, 1L, 1U, 2L, 2D, 3L, 1D, 2L, 2D, 2L, 4U, 3R, 1U, 2R, 1U And voila! In the next chamber is a chest ripe for the grape (Pure Water). Go back left and all the way south, and get Nectar. Go to the right and go down to another room with a flame, and this time add the White Flame to your inventory. Go back and to the right, past the Holiner, break the pots, and get a Holy Edge from the chest. With all these new items, head back to where you found the Pure Water. See those stairs? Don't go up them just yet; south of them is a bottle guarded by a Death, and you might want to take the Wind Fruit out of it. Now go up the stairs, follow the way around the block, and exit outside. Shut up, Bau. Go to the right and go through the big entrance. Read the inscription on the statue; it says to seek the one across and the camera pans over to another statue. That you need to do; find the other statue. That one will point you to another, and another, and eventually, something will happen. This is indeed annoying, with all the enemies on the exterior of the tower (Tear Gas might help dealing with those). It's also annoying that it's not clear where you are, but anyway. And it is also annoying that I'm annoyed, so I'm not in the mood to figure out exactly what to do; just follow the path around and eventually, the last statue will make a path leading to the right. Follow it and enter the warp. Climb the ladder, and open the chest to the left for a Rainbow Veil. There are three stones: the symbol of peace, the source of life, and the sign of prosperity. You just happen to have three flames, and they belong here. Add the White Flame to peace, the Blue Flame to life, and the Gold Flame to prosperity. If you place the wrong ones, nothing happens. But when the triad burns appropriately, the screen rumbles and the guardian of the place awakens. I don't think he's glad you woke him. Boss Strategy -- Dark Guardian: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1800 500 222 200 105 60 12 27000 4500 Sometimes comes with Death Skull. His most absolutely irritating move is Meditate, which restores 20% of his HP--and because he has a lot of HP, that's 360 HP restored. Which sucks. He attacks with Slash a few times as well, as well as Mind Blast, which hurts a little more. Pray that he never uses Meditate and BLAST AWAY. He's not really that hard. He has a low MGR, so if you taught Rami some neat spells, whoop his ass with those. After defeating the guardian, you will hear a song. Rubius's suggestion is visiting the Tower of Guidance, because a seal, according to the song, is broken. Perhaps you can now enter... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-Y: To the Holy Land ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Silver Sword, Silver Rod, Silver Plate, Escape Ball, Rune Rapier, Revival Armor, Miracle, Bright Armor Monsters: Death, Garm, Toutei, Demon, Death Skull, Goblin Mage, King Hydra, Dullahan, Neo Goblin; Unicorn, Commander, Yeti, Divine Bird, Thunder Beast, Air Elemental, Bolt Fish, Narwhal, Gold Dragon, Serpentine Dragon Recommended Level: 25-29 TOWER OF GUIDANCE ---------------------------------------------------- The door's open! Neat. Go through. You'll find out that new monsters are here. Walk on, light the two torches, and enter the big hallway. If you don't want to fight monsters, go one step up, nine steps to the left, and all the way up. Bash the crack in the wall with Bau, read the inscription inside and open the two chests: a Silver Sword and a Silver Rod. Go back to the previous room and enter the next area. Go up the lift and enter the maze-like area. See the pole to your left? Push the blocks south of you out of your way and follow the path until you reach that pole, and cross to the other side. Go south to the next room. Go upstairs, and open the chest to acquire a Silver Plate. Swing across to the right twice, and go upstairs again. In the next area, pull the switch to make a barrier of poles go up on the other side. Swing across, then use Torma's rope to pull the switch again. Continue through the door. Get the Escape Ball out of the chest. Don't go through the door but stay in this room; there's a small maze with pillars, and if you fall down, you'll fall in a room with some monsters (the way back is through the door you ignore). Push the pillar on "the path" to the right, go back, and whip to it from below. Push it all the way up, and push the other all the way to the left. Move the other one back on the switch and go through the door. Immediately go back and open the chest for a Rune Rapier. Whip south to the pillar against the wall and repeat the puzzle, and go again to the next room. Before you go to the right, you might want to break the crack first. Go north, watch out for the King Hydra, and you'll find another puzzle. Solution to get the chest? Stand under the blue block, press and hold A, and follow these directions: right, up, right, up, up, left, left, up, left, left, down, right, and voila. A Holy Shield. Going back shouldn't be too much of a hard job. Follow the path until you see a pole, and go down to the next chamber. Walk to the end of the room, and don't go through the entrance below. Instead, fall through any of the holes in the maze, and make it north to two chests, with a Revival Armor and a Miracle. When you have them, go south, and make it to the room with the puzzle. You'll lose a bit of HP by walking through the spikes, but it's not much. Solution: first, whip to the left. Whip up (to a pole with space in front of it), push the pillar left of you to the left, and push the other pillar one space to the right. Whip up and whip right. There's a pole in the lower-right corner of the screen, now. Stand in the tile northeast of it and whip south--you'll cling on the pillar near the chest. Get the Bright Armor and whip back up to another pillar. Push that one two up and go all the way left. Push the pillar to the left, go back, and whip yourself under that pillar by reaching the one southwest of it. Push the pillar on the switch and go north to the next area. The poles appear to form a dead end, but fortunately, Bau is able to smash them down. Do so and enter the next chamber. This plus-shaped room was visited before, if you remember. Go north first--there's a crack in the wall and can now be busted open for a Feathered Cap. Go back to the plus and go south. Here, move the three bottles on three of the four switches (put the last one on the upper-right switch), a path opens, etc. etc. etc., you know what to do. Go north, defeat or avoid the Dullahans, go up the many stairs, and you'll be on top of the tower. Ignore the elevator and the first entrance and take the second, go up, and you'll arrive at the dragons and the spots to place the stones in. You'll need to place the stones in the following way (stand in front of the hole and use a shard on a stone; the order doesn't matter, but make sure to rotate the shards correctly that you can read the message on the stone): - Upper-left dragon (gray): White Shard on Cloud Stone. - Lower-left dragon (gold): Gold Shard on Moon Stone. - Upper-right dragon (green): Green Shard on Wind Stone. - Lower-right dragon (blue): Blue Shard on Sea Stone. "When the door is opened, that which is sealed in the white lands and blue depths shall be freed once again..." That is what the four stones say. Heal your party, and step on the center platform. The screen fades, but Ragule and his buddies come in. This is the first time you actually see his face, and to be honest, it's ugly. Ragule's power is way too much for you at the moment, and he manages to enter the holy land. His minions attack before you can follow him. Boss Strategy -- Monster Crony (x2): ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 900 280 230 230 100 50 22 16000 6850 Their weakness is their low amount of HP--only 900, and it's easy to drain it. They have strong attacks, however: Slash does medium-to- high damage, Dark Breath attempts to cause confusion, sleep, and paralysis, and they have Sad Suds, lowering your DEF. Use your strongest attacks and heal aplenty (you should have Heal All by now). You can use Fortify to negate the effect of Sap Suds, although it will take up a few rounds. Just pray that Dark Breath is ineffective most of the fight and you'll have this boss in the bag. Try to focus your attacks on one of them first, because versus one, this battle is easy. After seeing what Ragule's capable of, wielding the power of the Beast's half, we need to free the other half and gain its power. Although there are a few risks involved in this, Eldin is the one to possess that power, located in Nazare. NAZARE VILLAGE ------------------------------------------------------- I could swear I saw Nazare a few moments ago on the world map, but it's gone now! Originally, you've reached the village via the Mt. Ruhie, and that means you'll have to go through that damn place again. MT. RUHIE ------------------------------------------------------------ Go north, beat the Unicorn, and talk to the Gratzean soldier. Of course, no entry is allowed, and since they still haven't learned, you have to kill them. Easy EXP. Same place, new enemies (see monster list, monsters after the semicolon), so in case you grabbed all the items on your previous visit, don't take the side-paths (and even if you didn't, they aren't any worth). That means that in the next screen, with lots of monsters, you'll need to go left. Follow the way till another fork (with a Unicorn), and go left. When you reach the place with a bunch of paths on the wall, skip it and go all the way left. You're going to have to fight a Gold Dragon. A moment after that, you'll find a Gratzean soldier, who sends you a Serpentine Dragon. Boss Strategy -- Serpentine Dragon: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1600 500 222 224 120 60 55 30000 11000 Serpentine Dragon has three attacks: Dragon Breath and Ultra Dark, doing medium-to-high damage, and Deadly Hit, a little weaker (but capable of adding deadly poison). Each hits all, and each hits hard if you haven't leveled up sufficiently. Dragon Breath is mostly used, and I've noticed that if you wear a Bolt Shield (found at start of Lugwa Tower), damage is greatly reduced (lower than 10). In my game, the only character faster than this guy was Rami, so that's probably the case in your game as well. Therefore, make Rami your healer--Heal All is great to use. Let her Chance Hit when healing is not needed. If you don't have Heal All or enough AP, then it'll be tougher. Use AP-restoring items before the fight, if the latter is the case. You can also try to use Miracle Hit, which restores 50 HP, so let Eldin and Torma use it. Equip said Bolt Shield on one of them and let that one use his most powerful attack--Dragon Slash is supposed to do a bunch of damage, but wasn't as effective as other spells. I don't know what to do with Bau; he doesn't have any skills and more than half of his HP is drained if he's hit by an attack. If I let him heal, the only thing he'd be doing is healing himself, so I just let him die during the fight. Make surviving your first priority and attacking your second, and you can't lose. The soldier is of course on the run. If you wish, you can fight him (talk to him) for the EXP (it's the boss-version of a Commander). When you're done, head south. Take either path (left requires Bau's hammer), and enter Nazare. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2-Z: Goldiark and Ragule ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Items: Miracle (x2), Ancient Shield, Strong Disc, Ancient Sword, Ancient Helmet Monsters: Sky Tree, Deathbringer, Necromancer, Nightmare Dragon, White Snake, Golden Fox, Demon Lord, Ragule, Goldiark Recommended Level: 27-31 NAZARE VILLAGE ------------------------------------------------------- Ragule was a guest to Nazare earlier, it seems, and Gratze is crawling all over the place. That means that you have some ass to kick, because Soldiers and Commanders (normal enemy-versions) are sprayed everywhere. You can still buy items and a weapon, the inn is closed (it's recommended to sleep elsewhere before continuing), but the Elder's tent is your main goal. Find your way there. Oh, and in the item shop, if you go downstairs, you can get a Life Source out of the closet. Now go to the Elder's tent. The inner chamber was blocked earlier, but you can enter now. Follow the way (Gratze hasn't taken this building yet), talk to the Elder if you're in for a chat, and continue. The seal on the half of the Beast is Rubius's twin-sister Irmis. Rubius breaks the seal, and I don't think that the Beast was supposed to wake up. Uh, oops? Boss Strategy -- Beast Half: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 1700 500 255 250 50 55 99 32000 30000 This fellow's attack-scheme consists of Fire Breath and Meteor Rain (rare), reducing about 1/3 of your HP (except Bau, in my case). His Meditate restores 340 HP, but it's better when that happens rather than a shower of meteors down your throat. I found this fight actually easier than the one with Serpentine Dragon earlier, since all characters are faster than him. Fury and Rapidfire him to death and heal when possible. If this is the threat of the world, then this is gonna be easy. On the other hand, if this is the power Eldin will get, this is gonna suck. As the Beast's power, now possessed by Eldin (unfortunately doesn't affect his stats...), will destroy Eldin in time, it has to be resealed after beating that Ragule mister to pulp. Rubius and Irmis have a short chat when the others have left, and the next goal is the holy land. Whee! Leave Nazare and head for the Tower of Guidance. TOWER OF GUIDANCE ---------------------------------------------------- Before you go, make sure you have the following: a few Miracles, which you can forge at Gruberik's blacksmith, the best equipment available (just use up all your cash), the skills Miracle Hit and Fury for Eldin and Torma, Chance Hit for Rami, and Heal All for Eldin, Torma, and Rami. You're gonna need 'em. I suggest being around or over level 30; it helps so much for the final boss. If you aren't, then take a few trips through the Ancient Cave--if you make it to the final level, you're practically guaranteed to win. And make sure to use up all those Sources! And yes, you'll need to go up this friggin' tower again. I won't bother you with a guide again; read above if you're stuck. When you finally reach the summit, enter the portal and you are warped to the holy land... BASTAAM -------------------------------------------------------------- Well, not just yet. First read all the inscriptions on the pillars (eight in total); you'll learn a lot more about what's happened. Then, examine the weird portal on the northern stone. You are then warped to what seems like an island in space. ANCIENT TEMPLE ------------------------------------------------------- It does look a little ahead of its time for an *ancient* temple. But anyway. Left and right are two "chests"--break them with your sword (they stole the animation from a bottle!) and get two Miracles. Go north to the next screen and resume up until you see a Sky Tree. Beat it, continue left (take the upper path), fight the Deathbringer, and follow the way until you get to a fork. Go left from there (you'll meet a Lucifer), and head to the next screen. Three stair sets to choose from; the lower-right one leads to nothing, and the left set is a "longcut" leading to the upper-right stairs. So, take the upper-right flight, kill the Nightmare Dragon, and take the stairs in the upper-left corner. Follow the path. When it forks, go up, beat the White Snake, and crush the package-thingies to get an Ancient Shield. And you better damn well equip it right away! Once you've done so, go back to the fork with a Golden Fox, and take the other path leading to the next area. Here, basically follow the one- way path until it forks, go left, and fight the Sky Tree that blocks your way. Before going to the left, head south and break the objects for a Strong Disc. Go back and take the upper flight of stairs to the next room. Go up, and now, FOUR stairs. What madness is this? The upper-left one is a dead end, so skip that one. The upper-right flight leads to an item you MUST get, so take those stairs. Follow the path, take the elevator up, and smash the objects. One of them has an Ancient Sword, and, well, it kicks some rear ends HARD. Go back to the four stairs and take the lower-right path. Follow it, go up an elevator, and walk on. Next room, you'll find a bunch of monsters and a bunch of objects as well. Break the ones in each corner to find a Miracle, a Hi-Magic, another Hi-Magic, and an Ancient Helmet. You know what to do with the helmet. Go down the hole in the middle of the room, and you'll fall, fall, fall... Turns out to be a bit high, eh? Go north and follow the way (I want those torches in my room too!), and you'll find Ragule. Talk to him; he uses his power to try to stop you, but Eldin is strong enough to resist. Sequentially, a fight ensues. Boss Strategy -- Ragule: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 2240 500 334 295 158 290 65 0 0 So. The bad guy himself. First his attacks, which, well, hurt quite a bit. Double Hit is about enough to kill someone in one hit, Miracle Hit is weak, Vacuum Wave and Star Burst hit everyone and deplete about half (or more) of their HP. Heal Plus is mostly enough to negate the effect of those attacks, but using Heal All is preferred. Use your most powerful attacks to take this guy down as fast as possible. But! Be aware that after beating Ragule, you have to fight the next--much harder--boss without getting the chance to patch yourself up. Make sure to do so before releasing the final blows! Ragule kicks the bucket, and the Beast reveals that he is Goldiark; actually Odin, who joined with him. Unfortunately, this installation is permanent, and Goldiark decides to eat you. Boss Strategy -- Goldiark: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Stats -- HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: EXP: G: 8000 500 365 365 178 150 126 32767 32000 And this would be the other half of the Beast, whose name you now know. And holy crap--just look at the amount of HP this guy's got. 8000! Normally, I don't consider "leveling up" a strategy to beat a boss. I make an exception now, however--if you're level 20-25, you stand almost no chance against Goldiark. Apparently, the developers are assuming you've taken the time to master all the jobs and that level 60 is already cleared. There's one simple strategy to beat him, and that's by draining all his AP. He's got 500, and equipping everyone with Rune Rings (forge at Gruberik's blacksmith) is a good way to deplete it to zero. If you do so, most of the time Goldiark will be doing nothing ("Miracle Hit! ...but nothing happened."), although he has 0 AP spells as well. Speaking of his spells, he has Meteor Rain and Big Bang, doing about 100 HP of damage to everyone (0 AP). Furthermore, he has Heal Plus and Miracle Hit (nothing to fear), Mind Blast (cure the status effect!), and Double Hit. This hurts. Extremely. It *fortunately* attacks only one person at a time, but that's enough already--it's mostly enough to kill the person in one hit. He won't use this when he has 0 AP left. Okay, so, I suggest the AP-draining strategy. If not, then it is going to be a long, hard battle. Level 30 is a minimum, and the Ancient equipment you've found everywhere is recommended to equip. Use Fury, or whatever attack is most powerful for you. Install with your Disc Monster (if you didn't use up the IP previous fight) as soon as possible (it probably gets killed in a few rounds), and, well, I suggest having two healers. If you're lucky, one of your characters is faster than Goldiark, and that'll be your main healer. Have the second use AP-restoring items and Miracles when the main healer isn't able to. I don't know what to do with Bau, but I just let him die (he's underpowered, after having missed a few levels). Keep a close eye on your HP, and attack. Make surviving your main priority, and pray that you win. So, did you win? Congratulations; you've beaten the game. Watch the ending, which I won't spoil for you, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. ======================================================================== PART 3: APPENDICES ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-A: The Ancient Cave ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHAT THIS STUFF IS ALL ABOUT ----------------------------------------- The Ancient Cave is back, and it's differently different. You can find it in Gruberik, and since that's the second town you'll come to, you'll gain access to it soon. Unfortunately, the cave is closed on your first visit, meaning you'll have to continue playing for a little while until after clearing the auctioning scene (which is just a little while later). The Ancient Cave is a big cave that consists of 60 levels, and since it was so tough in Lufia II to get all the way to the bottom (99 levels in that game), and even tougher in Lufia: The Legend Returns (200 friggin' floors!), it's a bit easier in The Ruins of Lore. The point is to go down the cave and collect all kinds of rare items, many of which aren't findable elsewhere. Only Eldin can go inside, and the Disc Monster assigned to him goes with him. You will choose a total of ten items prior to entering. Note: The *number* of items you bring with you isn't taken into account, so if you choose Potion, you will bring the number of Potions you have--be it 1 or 99. And the level of Eldin is not reset to 1; Eldin brings his learned skills and experience with him. If you die, you'll lose everything you've found in the cave, all the experience you've acquired and the skills you've learned. So make sure you don't die! Also lost are the ten items you've chosen to bring with you, so be sure you have a save- game right before entering. In order to leave the cave, you'll have to use a Providence, which you'll find throughout your journey through the cave. Sometimes it appears on floor 1, sometimes all the way down the bottom... it's all random. Also, if you managed to reach floor x and exited, you can choose to start from floor 1 to x when you re-enter the Ancient Cave. This is another factor that makes it easier to make it all the way down to the bottom, but the main reason this was implemented is because the items and equipment aren't spread randomly throughout the cave. Whereas in Lufia II you could get the Sky Sword and all the ultra-powerful whoop- ass weapons on the first floor, in The Ruins of Lore not. The programmers probably decided to do this to prevent you from getting the best stuff in the beginning of the game, making the rest a breeze. So that means if you want to make it to the final floor, you WILL need to level up and you stand NO chance in the beginning of the game. THINGS YOU'LL ENCOUNTER ---------------------------------------------- As for the dungeon levels themselves: instead of monsters walking around the entire place, they aren't there anymore. Instead, you'll find the following: - Chests, bags, and decorated pots. These contain items, or a monster is hiding in them, or a trap (lose a bit of HP), or nothing at all. - "Shrines"--all weird-looking objects that don't include the above. There are different types of shrines. Not all shrines can be used by everybody; in order to use a certain shrine, you'll have to be of a particular job. Also, note that some shrines are in fact thieves, stealing an amount of cash (the higher the floor number, the higher the amount). Don't touch a shrine if you know you can't use it, because it might be a thief. If you can't use it but it isn't a thief as well, it just gives you a cancel-sound. - Temples--these things either restore HP, or AP, or cure status effects, or cause poison, deadly poison, or burns. Or it lowers your HP, or AP. Recommended to avoid--it's too risky. - Red balls of light restore all HP, and blue balls restore all AP. - Bushes and vines. Don't cut them away unless they're blocking your path, because there's nothing under them. Methinks that bushes randomly become treasures--the rooms aren't ENTIRELY random. - Paths. In each room is one path to continue, and if you enter a room, there's no way to return to the previous one. Sort of like the stairs in Lufia II's cave, but now with doors. There are no two-way paths, and make sure to have grabbed everything in the room before you move on. - Floor Masters. Eventually, you'll reach the final room; inside is the Floor Master--the "boss" of the area. You will need to beat it to continue to the next floor. The cave isn't your ordinary dungeon, as you've read above. Unlike Lufia II (I've mentioned that game _so_ many times in this FAQ. Does it show I've played that game to death?), your progress through the game *does* factor in your journey through the cave. It's risky to enter it in the beginning of the game, so wait until you reach the middle or somewhere like that--if you have the patience. :P THE REWARD ----------------------------------------------------------- Your reward for beating the Big Red Jelly is an Egg Ring! This thing owns--it ups all stats by 50--but of course, it's nothing compared to what it was in Lufia II. When you're able to get one, get some extra ones for your party members. Just start from floor 60 and beat the jelly once more. However, the real treasure lies in the chests, bags and pots. Make sure to be a frequent guest to floors 57-60, as the stuff you'll find there is uber. I used to have a level-by-level breakdown of the floors in the Ancient Cave. However, it was just based on what I've received, and to complete the list I had to go through each floor at least twenty times. That is the reason it's not in this FAQ anymore, and it would unnecessarily bloat up my FAQ in terms of KB anyway. Instead, I refer you to the Ancient Cave FAQ, written by bhr, available on GameFAQs. My old list is adapted in his. BANDINO'S JOBS ------------------------------------------------------- Bandino is found in the Hunter's Guild (take the stairs in the western part of the house). He wants you to go down the cave and get items for him. In return, he gives you an amount of cash, which increases as you find more things for him. The better the goods he asks, the deeper you have to go through the cave. The rewards aren't much, but still. Item: Reward: Found on Floors: ¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Iris Water -- 100G -- B03F to B10F Crystal -- 300G -- B06F to B13F Dark Ruby -- 500G -- B11F to B20F Bright Gem -- 600G -- B16F to B22F Fire Sand -- 700G -- B25F to B27F Bitter Cheese -- 800G -- B32F to B42F (*) Rotten Meat -- 1000G -- B01F to B60F (*) Music Box -- 2000G -- -- (*) Rose Seed -- 3000G -- B27F to B34F (*) Navaroa -- 3500G -- B32F to B36F (*) Meat Cube -- 4000G -- B37F to B57F (*) Egg Dragon Fang -- 5000G -- B37F to B43F * Bitter Cheese is also found in the Sewers, in a pot in a hidden room, a while after Jida Village. * Rotten Meat is found twice in the Sewers, and can be bought in Daros. If you don't have it by now, though, you suck. * Music Box is found in Gratze Fortress (second visit); when you save the townsfolk, enter the fifth cell, break the skeleton, and walk around. * Rose Seeds are findable in the Jungle Spire. * Navaroa can be gotten by trading a Blue Tea with the woman in front of the chief's tent in Nazare. If you have no Blue Tea, go to Mt. Ruhie with Bau (see walkthrough, end of section 2-N). * Meat Cubes can be bought in Eristol (Past). Note: I have taken the "Found on Floors" column values from bhr's Ancient Cave FAQ. Take note that it's not something to rely on completely; if we didn't find this item on that floor, it doesn't necessarily mean it cannot be found there. It's just that we didn't spot and record it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-B: Jobs and Skills ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make sure to see section 1-E for the basics of the job system. This is the detailed information. As for this section, if you don't care about the descriptions and all that stuff, at least read the last part, "Tips and Recommendations". LOCATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------ In the Hunter's Guild in Gruberik, go upstairs and talk to the various people behind the counters to change to a wizard, mage, thief, fighter, swordsman, and priest. As for locations of the "secret" fellows, read ahead: Chemist: Karnack; head to the northern part of the town and enter the tent guarded by a bear. You can switch to a chemist, but there's a 400G fee. This is the only "hidden" class that doesn't require you to have mastered a certain job-- chemists are "standalone". Knight: Hunter's Guild, Gruberik. Go up the stairs from outside the building, go through the door, and you'll be inside. Go through the door nearest to you and get up to the roof again. Fall down one level (ONE level), then enter the small room to find a knight. In order to become a knight, you will need to have mastered the swordsman. Bishop: Training Hall, Nazare. Enter the bazaar (behind the inn), go upstairs, and through a door. Make sure not to fall off, and talk to the fellow who's devoted way too much time to this kind of stuff. In order to become a bishop, you will need to have mastered the priest. Rogue: Casino, Daros. The rogue is the cloaked person on the third floor of the casino; you can get there after the events in this town. In order to become a rogue, you will need to have mastered the thief. Brawler: Narbick; the first house to the left. Talk to the guy in front of the entrance, get in, and you'll find the master of martial arts. In order to become a brawler, you will need to have mastered the fighter. WHICH JOB OUGHT ONE TO CHOOSE? --------------------------------------- The job descriptions are in alphabetical order. I cover the skills you'll learn with the class, and then judge the stat modifications. See below this section for the stat changes in one handy table. Bishop: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The only useful skills the bishop learns are the last three; Rally, which revives and restores 1/4 of the total HP, Heal All, recovers all HP of all party members (40 AP!), and Valor, which revives and restores all HP. Bishops also get an offensive holy-spell, but they get useful later in the game when you have much AP and healing needs to be done as quickly as possible. - Bishops are nice if you need a magical boost, but they're not nearly as useful as the wizards. If you think the wizard loses too much on the ATK- and DEF-side, then choose the bishop, because it loses only 10% in that department. Brawler: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Upgrade of the fighter. Useful is Sacrifice, which kills an enemy (not bosses) but you as well. You can also use Sacrifice on yourself and you'll restore all HP (bug). Brawlers get two physical attacks, and Fury is a strong one. Regenerate, the last skill, restores half of the max HP, and is unfortunately not that useful. - This is great: attack and defense go up, and your speed as well. Of course, everything related to magic decreases, but if you don't care about that, choose the brawler. Chemist: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The chemist learns the useful Tear Gas (the second skill), which stops enemy movement in dungeons for 0 AP--well, it's useful if you use it. Chemists also gain weird attacks like Imitate (copy enemy's skill set for the battle) and Manipulate (force an enemy to attack for you). - As for the stat modifications, the chemist gets a gain in AGL. The rest stays the same, except AP, which decreases, and you'll take more damage because DEF and MGR go down as well. If you want an "average" job, choose the chemist and equip the best defensive stuff you can get. Fighter: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - There's only one reason to become a fighter, and that is the fourth skill: Chance Hit. Chance Hit is overpowered--I would suggest teaching this to Rami as soon as possible, because Chance Hit does a random amount of damage from 20 to 200, and especially in the first half of the game, this is a killer. - See brawler. Knight: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The upgrade of the swordsman (described below). The greatest skill of the knight is the last one: Miracle Hit. It deals higher-than- normal damage and restores 50 HP no matter what. The other skills are so-so. One of them is nearly useless; disable an ally until the end of the fight? Bah. - Compared to the swordsman, the knight is still a job with the focus on the ATK-stat, but this time, DEF rises as well when you choose him. Consider it a less-extreme swordsman. It's actually exactly the same as the fighter/brawler, but the knight gains a decrease in AGL rather than increase. Mage: ¯¯¯¯¯ - Mages are neither offensive (wizard) nor defensive (priest). Rather, they're supportive, with effect-spells (stat-up and stat- down, etc.). Their first skill, Enfeeble, which reduces the target's DEF, is extremely useful especially in the beginning of the game. If you ask me, mages are underrated; most people think they can do without them, but trust me--they make battles, in particular boss fights, much easier. - Lots of AP, lots of INT, and the belonging stat-downs. Rami, by default, has lots of AP and lots of INT. If you make her a mage, she will be so freakin' weak against physical attacks that one smash by Bau's hammer will not send her to Tokyo, but _via_ Tokyo to the third moon of Jupiter. Priest: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - They learn curative magic. Need I say more? Priests can cure the party, treat poison and other status effects, and they get a holy- elemental attack. Mainly, you'll have priests to cure, though. - See bishop. Rogue: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The rogue is an upgraded form of the thief (read below). Whereas the thief gains knowledge of non-battle skills, like Escape and Sonar, the rogue learns a few attacks. Shared Pain, for instance, does damage that depends on the caster and the target's current HP, and Magic Drain lets you absorb AP when you're attacked. - See chemist. Swordsman: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The swordsman is the offensive type in the physical department. He doesn't learn many skills; the first is Cinder Slash, with which you normally attack and cast Cinder, and Slash All, a normal attack that targets the entire enemy party. - The one in the Hunter's Guild says it himself: "Your ATK will go through the roof!" If you ask me, that is the main profit of being a swordsman--HP and ATK are greatly increased, although AP, DEF and AGL suffer from that. Thief: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Ah, the thief. Thieves have a varying set of skills, most of which have not much to do with actual fighting. Of course, if you change to a thief, you'll learn to steal things from enemies (although the programmers didn't put much time in this feature, it seems). You'll also get Escape, to instantly leave a dungeon, as well as Sonar, to see how much treasures are still left in the room (the _room_; not the entire dungeon). Lastly, you'll get Scan, to discover monsters' amount of HP, AP, and their element. - See chemist. Wizard: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - The wizard is an offensive type in the magic department. Wizards learn spells such as Cinder, a fire-elemental attack that is good to use in the beginning in the game, to Ice Storm, a level-three ice-attack. They get instant-death-attacks as well. - See mage. The difference between the wizard and the mage is that the mage's ATK is decreased a little more. STAT MODIFICATIONS --------------------------------------------------- Here's a chart with all the stat changes. For the significance of the stats, see section 1-D of the game basics. Two hyphens ("--") indicate that the stat is not altered. Job: HP: AP: ATK: DEF: AGL: INT: MGR: ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯ Bishop -- +32% -10% -10% -- +12% +10% Brawler +16% -34% +20% +14% +20% -15% -10% Chemist -- -23% -- -10% +25% -- -10% Fighter +16% -34% +20% +14% +20% -15% -10% Knight +16% -34% +20% +14% -20% -15% -10% Mage -30% +44% -30% -20% -- +25% +10% Priest -- +32% -10% -10% -- +12% +10% Rogue -- -23% -- -10% +25% -- -10% Swordsman +26% -40% +30% -30% -30% -20% -10% Thief -- -23% -- -10% +25% -- -10% Wizard -30% +44% -20% -20% -- +25% +10% AFTER MASTERING ALL JOBS --------------------------------------------- So! Mastered all the jobs? That means the only reason for switching jobs is the modification of your stats. Choose what fits your style by studying the chart above. To narrow the options down, the knight and the mage should not be taken, for the reason that there is at least one class with better stats (e.g. comparing the knight with the brawler, you see that everything is the same, except that the knight has -20% AGL, rather than +20% AGL for the brawler). Priest = bishop, fighter = brawler, and chemist = thief = rogue, so that leaves five options: - PRIEST/BISHOP: AP, INT and MGR up, ATK and DEF down. - FIGHTER/BRAWLER: Everything stat related to magic goes down, while the rest of the stats gain a few points. - CHEMIST/THIEF/ROGUE: Not much goes up. AGL rises, and AP and MGR go down. - SWORDSMAN: The job to use if you go all out offensive on the physical side; HP and ATK are increased greatly, but defensive and magical stats, and your AGL, go down. - WIZARD: The best job if you want many AP and a high INT, but it is suggested to wear some good armor; HP and DEF both decrease significantly. TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --------------------------------------------- 1. The first time you can change jobs, set Eldin and Torma to priest and battle until you've learned Heal. Healing is an absolute must because your main healer later (Rami, mostly) might run out of AP. It heals 30 HP no matter what, so it doesn't matter what INT you have. 2. Since Eldin isn't prolific in the physical and magical department (he's kinda average), make him a thief. That job is extremely useful--the first skill is Pickpocket, to steal items, and with the second skill, Escape, you can instantly leave from a dungeon. 3. When you get to Karnack, have at least one party member become a chemist, temporarily or not. Make sure he or she learns the Tear Gas skill (the second one you'll learn)--this costs 0 AP and stops enemy movement for a brief while on the field screen. This is the replacement of Lufia II's arrow, and will be your best friend when your healer is down and your HP low. 4. When Rami isn't busy with anything, make her a fighter. She isn't worth crap physically, but Chance Hit does random damage up to 200 and ignores defense--incredibly useful, especially against bosses. Chance Hit is useful in the beginning of the game, and does respectable damage even later. 5. When you can change to the rogue, make sure to do so; Rapidfire is great, costs 0 AP, targets all enemies, and temporarily increases your AGL. Another great skill is Fury, of the brawler. There's a wee bug concerning Pickpocket--if you select the skill, target a monster, cancel, and choose to defend, you will defend _and_ steal an item/G. Exploit this whenever you defend! Another bug with Sacrifice--cast this on yourself (i.e. the caster) and you will restore all of your HP. And that for 0 AP! Only usable in battle, but still... LIST OF SPELLS ------------------------------------------------------- Scroll down to section 4-B... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-C: Disc Monsters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Make sure to see section 1-E for the basics of the Disc Monster system. This is the detailed information. There are different types of discs in the world of Lufia; they are tuned to fit the area. You have Cave Discs, for example, which are to be used in caves. Tower Discs, on the other hand, have the highest success rate in towers. This doesn't mean that a Cave Disc doesn't work in towers, though; the chances of being successful are just a little worsened. Therefore, it is recommended to keep a handful of various types of discs with you when you go on your journey; in Gruberik's Hunter's Guild (the Keepers Assoc.), you can buy them. They aren't really expensive. There are 198 monsters to capture in total, and catching one (not just fighting one) means an addition to your Monster Book (compendium). The only exception to this is when you capture one in the Ancient Cave, in which case it does _not_ get recorded. Also, monsters learn skills as they level up and get experience. They can only have a maximum of eight skills, and only three of them may be used in battle. Press Select and choose Monsters, and you can Set Skills and Forget them; this should be done to fully customize your monster and kick some ass appropriately. Note that if you learn a ninth skill, you are prompted to choose to replace a skill at the end of a battle. This prompt will nag you every time you complete a battle until you remove a skill and put the skill "waiting in line" in an empty slot. THE KEEPERS ASSOC. --------------------------------------------------- If you capture a monster, it will be instantly assigned to the one who has thrown the disc. Only Eldin, Torma and Rami are able to use discs. If they successfully catch a monster while they already have one with them, the captured monster is sent to the Keeper's Assoc. If you want to change or remove monsters, you need to pay a visit to that place, in the Hunter's Guild all the way in the back of Gruberik. Talk to the left guy. Three options are given: - ASSIGN: Choosing your monster. If you abhor that stupid Red Jelly which does nothing useful in battle, switch/remove it with this option. - TEACH SKILL: You need to have two or more monsters for this. One monster has a skill and another one wants to learn that skill. Here, you can make that happen. The catch to this, however, is that the teaching monster will DISAPPEAR. Bear that in mind! - SET FREE: If you need room. You can only hold 16 monsters here! Many monsters are acquirable, but some aren't. If you're unsure, check out section 4-C. TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS --------------------------------------------- 1. A Disc Monster is nice, but keep in mind: the experience you receive at the end of a battle is split upon the party. This includes your Disc Monsters and everyone in the back row (inactive people). If you have three Disc Monsters, only one of which you actually use, get rid of the last two! They eat up the EXP, which can be put to better use. 2. When you meet a Pucci (Road to Gruberik, Mera Volcano), make sure to catch a few. They aren't worth using in the long run, but are great to teach Rapidfire with--a 0 AP skill that does respectable damage to everyone. 3. Pucci also learns Sacrifice, as well as the T-Rex (Tower of Guidance). This skill does 999 damage and kills the Disc Monster; handy in normal battles (doesn't work against bosses), although not EXP-furnishing (for the Disc Monster). 4. Later in the game, catch a Gold Core. If you can't come up with a good name for it, I believe "Ownage" is a nice title. Got your own tips? Know of a monster that kicks butt like Dekar in his earlier days? Seen your pet use a skill that shakes the planet? Or anything else? I'm waiting for your e-mails. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-D: Blacksmiths and Alchemists ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BLACKSMITH IN GRUBERIK ----------------------------------------------- The blacksmiths in Gruberik (second screen, lower-right corner) can forge a bunch of things for you, varying from rings, ores, and special potions. But they're different from normal shops--you'll need to give them the ingredients, plus you need to have learned the recipe from an alchemist. So if you have the required items, but haven't spoken to the alchemist (hidden everywhere), you can't make it. Here is everything you need: + RUNE RING --> 150G + Sacred Branch Parcelyte, in your own house, next to your bed (Red Jelly) + HI-MAGIC --> Magic Jar + Hi-Potion Gruberik, student in the school (monkey) + CINDER RING --> 150G + Fire Ore In front of Ancient Cave, Gruberik, guy in the lower-right corner + FIRE ORE --> Fire Sand + Iris Water Cashwell Manor, Gruberik, auction room + WATER ORE --> Iris Water + Crystal Karnack (Dry Season), some person lying behind pots, west part + BRIGHT ORE --> Bright Gem + Star Quartz Nazare, a dog lying on the ground + FLASH RING --> 150G + Earth Ore Old Well, a chicken (right?) in front of the entrance to the well + EARTH ORE --> Iris Water + Lake Sand Jida Village, near the weapon shop (you can walk into the green) + DARK ORE --> Dark Ruby + Black Water Gruberik (after second time), next to Torma's grandfather's house + WIND ORE --> Star Quartz + Iris Water Village of Ordens, a horse in the lower-right corner of the village + SQUALL RING --> 150G + Water Ore Town of Daros, a chicken in Marin's house (secret room) + REVIVE --> Bright Ore + Hi-Potion Narbick Village, inn, upstairs, in a bed + EX-POTION --> Hi-Potion + Iris Water Jungle Spire (west), a dog somewhere in front of "the big head" + WITCH RING --> 150G + Dark Ruby Gondarle, a rat, after the event at the mansion + FROST RING --> 150G + Wind Ore Gratze, second screen, upper-right room, near the chest in the cell + PROTECT RING --> Bright Gem Eristol, first building, read the ancient inscriptions upstairs + EGG RING --> 150G + Egg Dragon Fang Rangoon Town, a core in the upper-left corner of the town + EX-MAGIC --> Magic Jar + Ex-Potion Eristol (Past), check the bookcase in the inn + FORTUNE RING --> Light Ore + 3000G Eristol (Past), house above the inn, talk to the bunny girl + NECTAR --> Wild Berry + Ex-Potion Karnack (Wet Season), a fish in the eastern section of the village + MIRACLE --> Bright Ore + Dark Ore Lugwa Tower, a chest in the corner of a room BLACKSMITH ON ROAD TO GRUBERIK --------------------------------------- You will meet this blacksmith in the beginning of the game, on your way to Gruberik. He needs someone with a hammer--Bau is the perfect one. When Bau permanently joins your party (once you get a ship), visit him again, watch the comical scene, and start hammering. You need to bring him an item and hammer it 'til you get a new item. Mid- way, you can choose to keep the item or keep hammering; it might furnish a better item. However, it might break... see in the list below before you hammer further. There are four forgeable items: Rose Seed --> Stun Gun --> Gold Bracelet Dragon Edge --> Silver Sword --> Silver Shield Arcane Rod --> Silver Rod --> (breaks) Miracle Plate --> Heavy Lance --> Adamant Axe --> (breaks) Some Notes (some are important): ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - ...if this guy knows how to turn a seed into a bracelet with a hammer, I want to know his secret. - When the guy just says, "Whew! I'm beat after all that work." and doesn't do anything else, talk to the grandma on the first floor and he'll continue working (if you have the item). - You can only forge an item once. If you finish the Rose Seed, he will ask for a Dragon Edge. - When you get the item, make sure you forge them IMMEDIATELY. What he asks for is not based on what he's forged already for you, but on what point you are in the game. If you didn't forge a Rose Seed and you're at the point that you can forge the Arcane Rod, you can't forge the first two items! - There's an exploitable bug, which is all detailed below. Whereabouts: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - Rose Seeds can be found in the Jungle Spire. See the walkthrough for exact locations. When you forge it, get the Stun Gun instead of the Gold Bracelet! - Dragon Edges are dropped by Black Dragons (Land of the Dead). - Arcane Rods can be found in the Ancient Cave, somewhere in the middle. You need to forge them before going to Gratze for the second time (before saving the townsfolk). - Miracle Plates can be found in the Ancient Cave too, on the final floors. Forge it before clearing the Tower of Guidance (for the second time). The Exploitable Bug: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ The exploitable bug: this works when he asks for an item other than the Rose Seed. Talk to him and he asks for something (if he says he's beat, talk to the grandma first). Because you don't have it, you can't forge it. However, the programmers forgot to "reset" the table (the one you hammer on): if you hammer on it with Bau a few times, you will AGAIN get the previous item. For example: you have forged a Rose Seed and he now asks for a Dragon Edge (which you don't have). Hammer on the table and you will get a Stun Gun for free! If you now talk to grandma and resume hammering without talking to the bloke, you'll get the Gold Bracelet too. If you missed an item, so for example he asks for an Arcane Rod while you haven't forged the Rose Seed and Dragon Edge, and you hammer on the table, you'll get the Dragon Edge's product: a Silver Sword that you can turn into a Silver Shield too. A good thing about this bug is that it can be done infinitely: get an item, talk to grandma on the first floor, then get the item again. Get loads of items, and this is a good way to make a fat, bulky amount of cash. Because it works with the previous item, it doesn't work with the last item, unfortunately... ======================================================================== PART 4: CHARTS ======================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4-A: Items ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Consumable Items: (curative/supportive) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Potion -- Restores 30 HP Hi-Potion -- Restores 100 HP Ex-Potion -- Restores 300 HP Magic Jar -- Restores 10 AP Hi-Magic -- Restores 50 AP Ex-Magic -- Restores 100 AP Revive -- Restores 100 HP, can revive Miracle -- Restores all HP/AP, can revive Antidote -- Removes status effect poison Wake-Up Call -- Removes status effect sleep Sanity Pill -- Removes status effect confusion Mysterious Pin -- Removes status effect paralysis Vitamins -- Raises ATK for the duration of the battle Smart Tonic -- Raises INT for the duration of the battle Magic Guard -- Raises MGR for the duration of the battle Life Source -- Permanently raises max HP Magic Source -- Permanently raises max AP Power Source -- Permanently raises ATK Speed Source -- Permanently raises AGL Mind Source -- Permanently raises INT Aspirin -- Makes your head stop hurting Bitter Cheese -- Restores 40 HP and 10 AP Blue Tea -- Restores 20 HP Charred Newt -- Restores 5 HP/AP Dried Bread -- Restores 50 HP Dried Milk -- Restores 50 HP Dried Meat -- Restores 120 HP Honey Stone -- Restores 100 HP Insect Egg -- Restores 10 AP Lak Cheese -- Restores 80 HP and 10 AP Large Egg -- Restores 20 AP, raises ATK by 30 during battle Meat Cube -- Restores 200 HP Moldy Bread -- Damages for 20 HP and causes poison (use to heal demon-type monsters); doesn't damage outside of battle Navaroa -- Restores all HP, can only be used in battle Nectar -- Restores 100 HP and all HP, or restores all HP and AP during battle Rotten Meat -- Damages for 20 HP and causes poison (use to heal demon-type monsters); doesn't damage outside of battle Solid Milk -- Restores 50 AP, raises DEF by 50 during battle Consumable Items: (Disc Monster-related) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Water Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of water-elemental monsters Dark Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of dark-elemental monsters Bright Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of light-elemental monsters Fire Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of fire-elemental monsters Earth Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of earth-elemental monsters Wind Ore -- Raises max HP/AP of wind-elemental monsters Sacred Fruit -- Light-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Dark Fruit -- Dark-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Earth Fruit -- Earth-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Wind Fruit -- Wind-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Flame Fruit -- Fire-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Aqua Fruit -- Water-elemental fruit, used to evolve monsters Sea Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters in the sea or other wet areas Mountain Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters on mountains Forest Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters in forests Field Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters on the fields Cave Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters in caves Tower Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters in towers Void Disc -- A disc, used to capture monsters in alternate dimensions (Inside the Behemoth, Ancient Temple) Strong Disc -- A white disc Healing Disc -- A blue disc Revival Disc -- A gold disc Platinum Disc -- A disc that shines with light Consumable Items: (miscellaneous) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Monster Book -- Compendium Weapon Book -- Compendium Shield Book -- Compendium Armor Book -- Compendium Helmet Book -- Compendium Accessory Book -- Compendium Sleep Ball -- Adds status effect sleep Daze Ball -- Adds status effect confusion Stun Ball -- Adds status effect paralysis Smoke Ball -- Allows you to run away from a battle Ice Ball -- Ice-elemental attack Fire Ball -- Fire-elemental attack Terror Ball -- Instant-death Escape Ball -- Transports the party out of a dungeon Pure Water -- Removes cursed equipment (doesn't remove curse) Wild Berry -- Used to forge items Earth Sap -- Used in various occasions throughout the game Rose Seed -- Forge at the blacksmith on the Road to Gruberik, given to Bandino for 3000G Ancient Cave Items: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Black Water -- Used to forge items Bright Gem -- Given to Bandino for 600G, used to forge items Crystal -- Given to Bandino for 300G, used to forge items Dark Ruby -- Given to Bandino for 500G, used to forge items Dragon Fossil -- Usage unknown (to me) Egg Dragon Fang -- Given to Bandino for 5000G, used to forge items Fire Sand -- Given to Bandino for 700G, used to forge items Iris Water -- Given to Bandino for 100G, used to forge items Lake Sand -- Used to forge items Providence -- Allows you to escape from the Ancient Cave Sacred Branch -- Used to forge items Star Quartz -- Used to forge items Special Items: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Note: Sorted in order of acquisition. Spoilers (if any--it's not THAT harmful) are avoided by not looking at items you don't have yet. Stone Fragment -- A stone with an inscription; found and used in Lukie Cave, to continue Hunter's License -- A Hunter's license (THAT'S helpful, eh?) Gold Shard -- A stone with ancient writing on it, used to translate what is said on the Moon Stone Priphea Flowers -- A bouquet of Priphea flowers, planted by the mayor of Parcelyte, used in the Quest To Get The Membership Card Love Letter -- A letter written to Marin by Cashwell's son Member's Card -- Used to participate in Cashwell Manor's auctions Moon Stone -- A stone with ancient writing on it Black Key -- The key to Dohain Tower Green Shard -- A stone with ancient writing on it, used to translate what is said on the Wind Stone Explosives -- Boom boom boom! Pump Fuel -- Oil that is used as fuel, required to activate a hydraulic pump Ship Fuel -- Fuel for ships (well, DUH), obtained in the Nimona Mines after learning that the original fuel for the ship has been confiscated by Gratze Cloud Stone -- A stone with ancient writing on it Wind Stone -- A stone with ancient writing on it Holy Water -- Water from a sacred spring, used to exorcise the demons plaguing the Border Forest Room Key -- A simple-looking key, used to access the girl's spirit's room Mirror Key -- A key made of glass, used to access the Mirror Room in the haunted house (Land of the Dead) Soldier Shield -- A slightly rusty steel shield, belongs to a shield-less statue Storage Key -- A normal key made of wood, used to access the Storage Area in the haunted house (Land of the Dead Memorial Pendant -- A memorial pendant with a photo of two people, lost and sought after by a girl's spirit White Shard -- A stone with ancient writing on it, used to translate what is said on the Cloud Stone Royal Ring -- A mysterious ring from Ragule, used to find the way to the sunken land Eristol; by throwing this in the water, the land rises Maze Key -- Found in the Labyrinth of Eristol Blue Shard -- A stone with ancient writing on it, used to translate what is said on the... Sea Stone -- A stone with ancient writing on it Jail Key -- A key that opens Gratze Fortress's jail doors, held by a commander that wants his ass kicked Music Box -- Made by a friend of Bandino; Bandino wants you to get this (found in Gratze Fortress) (this appears in your regular item list) Blue Flame -- A sacred blue flame, used in Lugwa Tower Gold Flame -- A sacred golden flame, used in Lugwa Tower White Flame -- A sacred white flame, used in Lugwa Tower ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4-B: Skills ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The jobs are listed on alphabetical order, but the skills are sorted in the order that you learn them. You will need to have learned the last skill to acquire a master-rank for that job. Note: 1T = 1 Target (be it ally or foe) 1A = 1 Ally 1E = 1 Enemy AA = All Allies AE = yep, you guessed it: All Enemies -- = only works outside of battle + Bishop: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Soothe -- 1T, 5 -- Removes status effect burns Divine Ray -- AE, 38 -- Level 3 light-elemental attack Defrost -- 1T, 5 -- Removes status effect frozen Rally -- 1A, 20 -- Restores 1/4 of max HP, can revive Heal All -- AA, 40 -- Restores all HP Valor -- 1A, 30 -- Restores all HP, can revive + Brawler: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Fatal Blow -- 1T, 6 -- Physical attack Sacrifice -- 1T, 0 -- Guaranteed instant-kill to target, at the cost of the caster dying as well (BUG: target yourself to bring back all HP!) (misses on bosses) Fury -- 1T, 3 -- Physical attack Shared Pain -- 1T, 30 -- Current HP of the target plus that of the caster, divided by two, is the calculated damage done to both (doesn't work on bosses) Regenerate -- 1T, 8 -- Restores 1/2 of max HP + Chemist: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Toxic Cloud -- AE, 0 -- Adds status effect poison (can miss) Tear Gas -- --, 0 -- Stops enemy movement on the screen for 10 steps (touching them doesn't result in a fight) Imitate -- 1T, 30 -- You'll get all the skills the enemy is able to use, for the duration of the battle Poison Fumes -- AE, 2 -- Adds status effect deadly poison Virus -- AE, 20 -- Guaranteed instant-kill to target, if it has less than 50 HP Manipulate -- 1T, 20 -- Makes target attack itself/other foes for one turn + Fighter: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Knuckler -- 1T, 2 -- Physical attack Risky Hit -- AE, 3 -- Physical attack Cover -- 1T, 0 -- If the target has less than 20 HP, the caster of this skill will take damage done to him or her Chance Hit -- 1T, 2 -- Does a random amount of damage (cannot miss), from 20 to 200 (in twenties) Raging Fist -- 1T, 2 -- Physical attack + Knight: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Blunt Hit -- 1A, 1 -- Instant-kill an ally for the fight (he or she will revive _after_ the battle with 1 HP left) Dragon Slash -- 1T, 2 -- Physical attack, strong versus dragons Horrify -- 1T, 4 -- Physical attack, adds status effect fear (target can't act for a round) Earth Slash -- AE, 10 -- Earth-elemental attack Miracle Hit -- 1T, 3 -- Physical attack, and get 50 HP + Mage: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Enfeeble -- 1T, 5 -- Lowers the target's DEF Flash -- 1T, 5 -- Level 1 wind-elemental attack Feint -- 1T, 4 -- Raises the target's AGL Fortify -- 1T, 8 -- Raises the target's DEF Sleep -- AE, 4 -- Adds status effect sleep Shield -- 1T, 4 -- Raises the target's MGR Bolt -- 1T, 10 -- Level 2 wind-elemental attack Silence -- AE, 8 -- Adds status effect silence Mirror -- 1T, 8 -- Reflects magical attacks cast upon you Absorb -- 1T, 3 -- Drains AP from the target Thunder -- 1T, 24 -- Level 3 wind-elemental attack + Priest: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Heal -- 1T, 3 -- Restores 30 HP Antidote -- 1T, 2 -- Removes status effects poison and deadly poison Awaken -- 1T, 4 -- Removes status effect sleep Release -- 1T, 2 -- Removes status effect paralysis Heal Plus -- 1T, 8 -- Restores 100 HP Banishment -- AE, 25 -- Level 2 light-elemental attack + Rogue: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Rapidfire -- AE, 0 -- Physical attack Smog -- AE, 0 -- Adds status effect blind Shared Pain -- 1T, 30 -- Current HP of the target plus that of the caster, divided by two, is the calculated damage done to both (doesn't work on bosses) Magic Drain -- 1T, 0 -- When hit, absorbs the amount of AP equal to the cost of the attack Bribe -- 1T, 0 -- For 1000G, the target starts attacking anyone, except your party + Swordsman: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Cinder Slash -- 1T, 2 -- First a regular physical attack, then Cinder (a wizard-spell) Deflect -- 1T, 0 -- Reflects attacks cast upon you Frost Slash -- 1T, 6 -- First a regular physical attack, then Frost (a wizard-spell) Slash All -- AE, 3 -- Stronger physical attack Vorpal Blade -- 1T, 2 -- Physical attack, strong versus hard-type monsters + Thief: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Pickpocket -- 1T, 0 -- Steal money or items Escape -- --, 3 -- Exit to entrance of dungeon (to where you've entered, which may not be the beginning) Fumble -- 1T, 0 -- Target cannot act for one round Sonar -- --, 0 -- Reveals the amount of items left in the room (i.e. not entire area), not including items in closets Cold Wind -- 1T, 3 -- Removes status effect burns (can only be used in battle) Scan -- 1T, 1 -- View target's HP, AP and element + Wizard: Range, MP: Effect: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Cinder -- 1T, 3 -- Level 1 fire-elemental attack Frost -- AE, 8 -- Level 1 ice-elemental attack Squall -- 1T, 4 -- Level 1 water-elemental attack Blaze -- 1T, 6 -- Level 2 fire-elemental attack Blizzard -- AE, 12 -- Level 2 ice-elemental attack Destroy -- 1T, 4 -- Chance of instant death Explode -- AE, 12 -- Level 1 non-elemental attack Whirlpool -- 1T, 7 -- Level 2 water-elemental attack Blast -- AE, 15 -- Level 2 non-elemental attack Flood -- 1T, 22 -- Level 3 water-elemental attack Firebird -- AE, 30 -- Level 3 fire-elemental attack Ice Storm -- AE, 32 -- Level 3 ice-elemental attack Obliterate -- 1T, 8 -- Better chance of instant death Sunder -- AE, 33 -- Level 3 non-elemental attack ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4-C: Monsters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ya wondering what monsters can be caught and which not? Ah yes. This is a list of all monsters in the game; if you don't see it here, don't bother wasting any discs on them! I suggest using a Find-command (Ctrl + F, or F3, in most Windows text viewers) to check quickly. Or if you wish to use this as a checklist, print it out. 001 Eagle 067 Killer Bee 133 Ghoul 002 Whitewing 068 King Spider 134 Goblin 003 Windona 069 Shadowfly 135 Neo Goblin 004 Crow 070 Stinger 136 Goblin Mage 005 Neo Trice 071 Spider 137 Shadow 006 Cockatrice 072 Sentopez 138 Skeleton 007 Divine Bird 073 Dark Fly 139 Siren 008 Thunder Hawk 074 Pretty Moth 140 Zombie 009 Stone Hawk 075 Death Moth 141 Dark Skull 010 Snow Fiend 076 Dulfille 142 Dark Spirit 011 Pug 077 Butterfly 143 Demon 012 Firebird 078 Beetle 144 Death 013 Pucci 079 Puny Moth 145 Death Skull 014 Blue Griff 080 Pupa 146 Deathbringer 015 Blue Selph 081 Poison Bug 147 Demon Lord 016 Rugamo 082 Poison Moth 148 Dullahan 017 Red Selph 083 Vampire Fly 149 Necromancer 018 Dark Hunter 084 Horned Beetle 150 Demon Steed 019 Armored Dog 085 Metal Yan 151 Bone Golem 020 Armored Nail 086 Mosquito 152 Incubus 021 Armored Horse 087 Morphan 153 Medusa 022 Yeti 088 Yan 154 Lamia 023 Newt 089 Ammon 155 Lich 024 Winged Lion 090 Aqualoi 156 Lucifer 025 Winged Lizard 091 Narwhal 157 Wispy 026 Wondy 092 Shell Fiend 158 Flying Egg 027 Air Elemental 093 Octopus 159 Sky Horse 028 Garm 094 Garbost 160 Sprite 029 Galeon 095 Sea Dragon 161 Saint Fang 030 Chimera 096 Sea Crab 162 White Snake 031 King Frog 097 Killer Crab 163 Wood Fairy 032 Gorgon 098 Killer Whale 164 Holiner 033 Golden Toad 099 Sea Giant 165 Muse 034 Corydoras 100 Seahorse 166 Unicorn 035 Salamander 101 Small Crab 167 Giant Bloom 036 Thunder Beast 102 Devilfish 168 Death Petal 037 Spinner 103 Drill Shell 169 Beast Grass 038 Sphinx 104 Octopod 170 Desert Rose 039 Dark Wolf 105 Elasmosaur 171 Treant 040 Tartner 106 Hornfish 172 Vampire Rose 041 Teio 107 Bolt Fish 173 Sky Tree 042 Toutei 108 White Whale 174 Blood Plant 043 Poison Toad 109 Snail 175 Madeant 044 Doben 110 Piranha 176 Mad Bulb 045 Doganbo 111 T-Rex 177 Rafflesia 046 Basilisk 112 Earth Dragon 178 Earth Viper 047 Bat 113 Lava Dragon 179 Iron Golem 048 Buffalo 114 Dark Dragon 180 Jelly Lord 049 Neo Bat 115 King Hydra 181 Green Core 050 Blood Bat 116 Gold Dragon 182 Green Jelly 051 Ice Lizard 117 Baby Dragon 183 Gold Core 052 Baby Frog 118 Thunder Dragon 184 Gold Golem 053 Wild Bull 119 Silver Dragon 185 Golden Fox 054 Shell Snake 120 Black Dragon 186 Anti-Core 055 Hellhound 121 Cyclops Dragon 187 Neo Jelly 056 Platypus 122 Nightmare Dragon 188 Blue Core 057 Minotaur 123 High Hydra 189 Blue Jelly 058 Lion 124 Fire Dragon 190 Faux Chest 059 King Lizard 125 Mini Dragon 191 Magma Golem 060 Lizardman 126 Procyon 192 Mimic 061 Lizard Mage 127 Baby Hydra 193 Mousse XL 062 Stag 128 Wyvern 194 Mousse L 063 Lunar Bear 129 Ice Demon 195 Mousse M 064 Ant Worm 130 Imp 196 Mousse S 065 Tarantula 131 Demon Eye 197 Red Core 066 Bug Lord 132 Gargoyle 198 Red Jelly Note: The monsters are sorted on their family. For the two or three interested people: 000-018 -- Bird 019-063 -- Beast 064-087 -- Bug 088-110 -- Sea 111-128 -- Dragon 129-156 -- Demon 157-166 -- Holy 167-177 -- Plant 178-198 -- Object ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4-D: Shops and Inns ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In case you were wondering, are wondering, or will wonder: I = items E = equipment W = weapons D = discs And without further ado, the list: + Parcelyte: (inn: 20G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Antidote -- 120 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Wake-Up Call -- 20 E: Sharp Bone -- 7 Cloth Tunic -- 11044 Bamboo Spear -- 30 Leather Vest -- 150 Club -- 110 Chopping Board -- 30 Fishing Rod -- 50 Pot -- 30 + Gruberik: (inn: 50G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Antidote -- 120 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Wake-Up Call -- 20 W: Sharp Bone -- 7 Slingshot -- 550 Bamboo Spear -- 30 Boomerang -- 650 Rapier -- 210 Kukuri -- 1500 Knife -- 380 E: Cloth Tunic -- 110 Mini Shield -- 800 Leather Armor -- 180 Pointy Hat -- 70 Bronze Armor -- 2000 Cloth Hood -- 70 Tray -- 100 Cap -- 120 Leather Shield -- 200 Simple Ring -- 300 D: Sea Disc -- 40 Cave Disc -- 20 Mountain Disc -- 30 Tower Disc -- 30 Forest Disc -- 40 Void Disc -- 100 Field Disc -- 20 B: Club -- 110 Stone Horn -- 1100 Boomerang -- 650 Potion -- 30 Butterfly Knife -- 900 Antidote -- 120 Note: The disc dealer is found in the Hunter's Guild, at the Keepers Assoc. Bandino ("B") is in the Hunter's Guild as well; say no first, and then yes, in order to start shopping. + Karnack (Dry Season): (inn: N/A, church: N/A) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Smoke Ball -- 100 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Fire Ball -- 200 Sanity Pill -- 20 Lak Cheese -- 250 E: Butterfly Knife -- 900 Scale Plate -- 380 Wooden Sword -- 800 Toga -- 700 Iron Claw -- 1400 Bark Shield -- 1200 Leather Whip -- 1400 Lantern Shield -- 7500 Dagger -- 1620 Cat Ears -- 120 Insect Crush -- 780 Cloth Helm -- 400 One-Piece -- 110 Turban -- 4100 + Nazare Village: (inn: 80G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Smart Tonic -- 100 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Sleep Ball -- 100 Sanity Pill -- 20 Ice Ball -- 200 E: Mace -- 610 Fur Cape -- 1200 Rod -- 1800 Training Outfit -- 1500 Flail -- 2200 Cotehardie -- 5000 Gladius -- 2400 Rune Shield -- 4200 Wooden Staff -- 3600 White Band -- 400 Aqua Whip -- 3950 Pelt Hood -- 500 Cloth Robe -- 300 Glass Stud -- 500 + Jida Village: (inn: N/A, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ E: Sharp Bone -- 7 Bark Tapa -- 720 Slingshot -- 550 Fur Cape -- 1200 Insect Crush -- 780 Bark Shield -- 1200 Stone Horn -- 1100 Bark Helm -- 1400 Battle Wire -- 1800 + Gruberik (Revisited): (inn: 50G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Antidote -- 120 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Wake-Up Call -- 20 W: Kukuri -- 1500 Scimitar -- 4400 Francesca -- 3200 Fire Dagger -- 5800 Aqua Whip -- 3950 Long Staff -- 6200 Iron Hammer -- 4000 E: Training Outfit -- 1500 Mini Shield -- 800 Bronze Armor -- 2000 Pointy Hat -- 70 Heavy Tunic -- 4700 Glass Cap -- 1300 Stone Plate -- 4850 Full Face -- 2100 Tray -- 100 Simple Ring -- 300 Buckler -- 600 + Village of Ordens: (inn: 80G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Vitamins -- 100 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Smoke Ball -- 100 Sanity Pill -- 20 Blue Tea -- 100 E: Short Sword -- 1480 Shell Armor -- 3800 Divine Staff -- 6000 Kukuri -- 1500 Power Knuckles -- 7100 Cloth Armor -- 400 Moonlight Lance -- 7500 Kite Shield -- 2200 Mace -- 610 Katyusha -- 350 Silk Toga -- 6300 + Town of Daros: (inn: 80G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Vitamins -- 100 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Smoke Ball -- 100 Sanity Pill -- 20 Rotten Meat -- 20 E: Kukuri -- 1500 Chain Mail -- 1800 Power Knuckles -- 7100 Light Armor -- 700 Scimitar -- 4400 Hard Leather -- 600 Long Sword -- 8100 Bronze Shield -- 3600 Main Gauche -- 9500 Stone Helm -- 2900 Cutter Whip -- 9100 Leather Helm -- 800 Camu Armor -- 1000 Glass Bracelet -- 800 + Narbick Village: (inn: 80G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Antidote -- 120 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Large Egg -- 140 E: Holy Staff -- 8000 Zircon Armor -- 54000 Pain Whip -- 9500 Hard Coat -- 9000 Estoc -- 11500 Zircon Shield -- 34400 Rockbreaker -- 9850 Hollow Shield -- 4800 Zircon Sword -- 38000 Feather Shield -- 5100 Zircon Axe -- 37500 Zircon Helm -- 34000 + Gondarle: (inn: 120G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Terror Ball -- 1000 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Rotten Meat -- 20 Sanity Pill -- 20 Moldy Bread -- 10 E: Chakram -- 13800 Golden Cloak -- 9200 Chain -- 10000 Silk Toga -- 18600 Holy Staff -- 8000 Holy Cap -- 18600 Restraint Chain -- 30000 Gold Bracelet -- 1500 + Gratze: (inn: 120G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Hi-Potion -- 300 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Fire Ball -- 200 Wake-Up Call -- 20 D: Sea Disc -- 40 Cave Disc -- 20 Mountain Disc -- 30 Tower Disc -- 30 Forest Disc -- 40 Void Disc -- 100 Field Disc -- 20 E: Hammer Rod -- 12100 Metal Mail -- 6250 Dragon Slayer -- 12500 Round Shield -- 4600 Stun Gun -- 14500 Tower Shield -- 6000 Aqua Sword -- 15000 Spiked Helm -- 9600 Pole Axe -- 6500 Erinite Helm -- 8800 Crystal Mail -- 14500 + Rangoon Town: (inn: 200G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Sanity Pill -- 20 Hi-Potion -- 300 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Antidote -- 120 Honey Stone -- 180 Wake-Up Call -- 20 E: Rangoon Sword -- 16500 Crystal Robe -- 15000 Halberd -- 17400 Fake Fur -- 12000 Trident -- 20900 Crystal Shield -- 8000 Heavy Lance -- 24500 Spiked Shield -- 7500 Pole Axe -- 6500 Gauntlet -- 13200 + Eristol (Past): (inn: 200G, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Hi-Potion -- 300 Power Beans -- 850 Antidote -- 120 Solid Milk -- 800 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Meat Cube -- 850 Sanity Pill -- 20 E: Ice Boomerang -- 18400 Erinite Dress -- 22000 Scimitar -- 4400 Techt Buckler -- 8500 Silver Sword -- 29000 Silver Shield -- 6900 Silver Rod -- 35000 Silver Helm -- 6800 Silver Plate -- 11000 Circlet -- 9000 Silver Robe -- 11000 + Karnack (Wet Season): (inn: N/A, church: N/A) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Hi-Potion -- 300 Smoke Ball -- 100 Antidote -- 120 Fire Ball -- 200 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Lak Cheese -- 250 Sanity Pill -- 20 E: Restraint Chain -- 30000 Power Robe -- 30000 Trident -- 20900 Feather Cloak -- 18000 Heavy Lance -- 24900 Lantern Shield -- 7500 Silver Rod -- 35000 Turban -- 4100 + Nazare Village (Revisited): (inn: N/A, church: yes) ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ I: Potion -- 30 Mysterious Pin -- 30 Hi-Potion -- 300 Smart Tonic -- 100 Antidote -- 120 Sleep Ball -- 100 Wake-Up Call -- 20 Ice Ball -- 200 Sanity Pill -- 20 E: Ice Boomerang -- 18400 ======================================================================== PART 5: FREQUENTLY-ASKED QUESTIONS ======================================================================== Q: Help! The game crashes when I sell items! A: You're probably using the ROM of the game; if so, tough luck. Two ROMs were released; one apparently works (Eurasia release) and the other did not (Mode Seven release), getting its deserved nuke. Solution is of course getting the working ROM or *BUYING THE ACTUAL CARTRIDGE*. Unless you live in Europe, in which case I feel for you, as the game has yet to be released there (if at all); you don't know how much I agree with you that Atlus and Taito suck on that part. Q: How do I save the game? How does the church work? A: Saving can only be done at a church. Talk to the priest, and you will get three options: save, cure, and remove. These are quite vague; "save", of course, is obvious, "cure" revives a fallen party member, and choose "remove" to remove cursed equipment. There are no other methods of saving (other than pressing Start, but that save will be deleted when you load the game). Q: Whoops! I let Eldin die in the beginning. How do you revive him? A: Access to Revive-items is gained access to later in the game, and Revive-magic WAY later. So how do you revitalize your party members? The church, of course! See the above question. Q: How do I get rid of those friggin' monsters I don't want anymore? A: In Gruberik, enter the Hunter's Guild (the big building in the back of the town). The Keepers Assoc. is straight ahead (if you enter from the main entrance). This is where you can store your monsters, dump them, teach skills, etc. Q: Can I return to Gruberik after Bau leaves my party? A: Yes you can; remember how you exited Gruberik? You'll have to enter via the exact same path through the trees, and Taito deserves a punch for not making that more obvious. After selecting Gruberik on the world map, go one step right and one step up, and voila--you're in. Q: I'm stuck in the Nimona Mines! A: Apparently, you're not the only one. Here are a few pointers: - If you still have to start on this dungeon, I recommend following the walkthrough for this place from beginning to end. If you do, you can't get lost. - Can't enter the mine in the first place (everyone tells you to get lost)? Talk to everyone, check the cave-in in the back, and go back (you'll hear a sound). The guy who blocked the stake earlier isn't blocking it now. - Missed a miner? Well... I can't really help you here. I would restart the dungeon and follow the walkthrough from beginning to end. - Are you annoyed to hell by this place? Try to resist the urge to throw your GBA to random people around you. - Does the miner not join you to get the Ship Fuel? Exit and go to Parcelyte. Talk to the king. Now, head over to Gruberik and enter the docks. Talk to the pirate at the ship to learn about the fuel problem, and NOW you can get the miner to join you. Q: Hey, you're missing something! A: I know! If you can help me, I would _greatly_ appreciate it. Any corrections? E-mail me! Got nothing better to do? E-mail me! Know about the following? E-mail me! 1. In Gruberik, the Hunter's Guild, the room with all the jobs, if you select Sonar, it will say that there's a treasure. I've searched high and low, and found nothing. There are some inaccessible pots... might it be in there? 2. In the "town-part" of Gratze, if you select Sonar, there's one treasure. I haven't been able to find it--help? ======================================================================== PART 6: THE FAQ'S REAR BUTT ======================================================================== Legal Junk: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Copyright (c) 2003 R.D. van Heuven van Staereling The FAQ is entirely unofficial, and may not be reproduced and/or altered (in part or in whole) without permission, except for personal, private use. No complaining or breaking the rules, boy, or your ass and my foot will have an appointment. Furthermore, all copyrights and trademarks contained within this document are owned by their respective holders--any usage of them in this file does not comprise a challenge to those rights. If you wish to host this file on your website, that's great--I only ask from you that you drop me a line first, asking me for permission (and you will almost always get it). This way, I know where my work floats around on the Internet, and I will be able to send you any updates when I revise the FAQ. Special Thanks: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ - CJayC. Need I give a reason? - D. Simpson, a great FAQ author. I've partially based my own layout on his style, which is the best. - Athanor, from whose FAQ I got the Blue Tea selling trick. The Hell Armor/Bark Tapa error in Narbick was from his guide as well, and the Wind Ore alchemist. - captainj, who mentioned the Pickpocket/defend trick on the GameFAQs message boards. - bhr, for a few things in the Ancient Cave section. - Darien, for pointing out what to do with Bacchus's ad in Gruberik. - falcon815, for a strategy to beat the last boss (from his FAQ). - Hannah Chung, for informing that a Commander can summon Soldiers. - Senpuu, for correcting a few left/right mess-ups. - Wes Burchnall, for correcting another left/right mess-up. - Ben, for a nice level-up spot (at the end of section 2-M). Revision History: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ 0.0 -- 05/09/03 -- Got the game, drooled, and started FAQing. 0.05 -- 05/13/03 -- My contribution account is exactly 1 year old! Preliminary version; walkthrough up to Karnack. 0.1 -- 06/08/03 -- Walkthrough up to Nazare. 0.15 -- 06/15/03 -- Walkthrough up to Gruberik (second visit). 0.2 -- 06/17/03 -- Added Ancient Cave breakdown, list of skills. 0.25 -- 06/19/03 -- Walkthrough up to Tower of Dohain. 0.3 -- 06/24/03 -- Walkthrough up to Daros, FAQ restyled, Ancient Cave levels removed (waste of space). 0.35 -- 06/26/03 -- Walkthrough up to Narbick, sections updated. 0.4 -- 06/28/03 -- Walkthrough up to Gratze Fortress. 0.45 -- 06/30/03 -- Walkthrough up to Labyrinth of Eristol (Past). 0.5 -- 07/02/03 -- Walkthrough up to Karnack (Wet Season), job info completed, many other sections updated too. 0.55 -- 07/04/03 -- Walkthrough almost finished; one chapter left. 0.6 -- 07/06/03 -- Ladies and gentlemen, the walkthrough is done. Additions here and there too, layout revision. 0.65 -- 07/10/03 -- Item chart added, many corrections everywhere. 1.0 -- 07/21/03 -- Disc Monster info added. It's complete enough for now; no more big updates from here on. 1.05 -- 09/08/03 -- Submitted info added (birthday-update!). Final Words...: ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ My fourth FAQ on GameFAQs (of fifth, if you count that 70%-completed one for Splinter Cell, now removed due to lack of interest in the game), and yet again fun to work on (although the game turned out to be a little unsatisfactory for me). In case you glanced at the text (my apologies if the wording is so boring--I couldn't find the inspiration this time...), and you are obviously doing so, thanks for using my FAQ! I appreciate it. -- phx Thanks for reading! SHAMELESS PLUG--other FAQs written by me, myself, and I: http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/19734.html