SHINING FORCE MINIMUM PARTY FAQ ------------------------------- Written by: KenpoCoyote a.k.a. FrozenKitsune Introduction ------------ So what's this all about? This is a guide to outline, illustrate, and gently prod you along into a new way of playing Shining Force I for Sega in a way that few people have thought of. This guide will take you through the game with the fewest (like WITHOUT GETTING TAO, HANS, KEN, LUKE and LOWE!) characters possible!! So give a chance to the lesser used characters (i.e. the birdmen, Adam*) and read on, you might be surprised! *Actually you still won't use Adam. CONTENTS ======== 1.NOTE 2.WALKTHROUGH - BATTLE BY BATTLE -1. Ancient Gate -2. Back to Guardinia -3. En Route to Alterone -4. In Alterone -5. En Route to Manarina -6. The Cave of Evil -7. The Circus Tent -8. Shade Abbey -9. Bustoke Quarry -10. En Route to the Big Bridge -11. Big Bridge Battle -12. vs. General Elliot -13. Balbazak's Fortress -14. vs. Balbazak -15. At Sea I -16. The Shining Path -17. At Sea II -18. En Route to Dragonia -19. vs. Kane -20. En Route to Demon Castle -21. vs. Mishaela -22. En Route to the Tower of the Ancients -23. The Tower of the Ancients -24. vs. Chaos -25. En Route to Runefaust -26. King Ramladu's Fortress I -27. King Ramladu's Fortress II -28. vs. Collossus -29. FINAL BATTLE I vs. Darksol -30. FINAL BATTLE II vs. Dark Dragon 3.CHARACTER PROFILES ///////// /1. NOTE/ ///////// If you're noticing that this game is STILL way to easy, don't hesitate to level quite as dramatically. There aren't many ways (or any, that I know of) to make Shining Force more challenging, so don't hesitate to tailor your levels as you see fit. Or hell, play without saving/loading before and after every level up to reap maximum sufficiency. And of course, if you are using an emulator, not using save states for once will almost always make a game a bit more challenging. /////////////////////////////////// /2. WALKTHROUGH - BATTLE BY BATTLE/ /////////////////////////////////// =============================== CHAPTER ONE: RUNEFAUST INVASION =============================== You'll notice if you try to leave town before consulting the king, two guards block your way. Hmm, looks like you're stuck. Or are you?! Slightly north of here there's a blonde-haired man in a purple vest walking around aimlessly. Here's how to manipulate him to your advantage. You'll want to force him to walk to a location such that he blocks the guards' movements. |GXXOOXXG| EXIT Notice the map above? You'll want to move the man anywhere there is an X provided he is blocking one of the guards so you can escape through the gap that he makes. So how do you 'move' him? This may take a few minutes, but not too long. Simply stand one tile up from him, so he cannot move up. Keep doing this until he gets in position. Take care not to get too close to the guards such that they immediately block your path. Use save states if necessary. ------------------------ Battle One: Ancient Gate ------------------------ Party: Hero Strategy: About all I can say here is LEVEL LEVEL LEVEL!! Get to about level 7 (at which you should be killing Goblins in a single blow) and destroy! Goblins are very dumb and can't seem to coordinate attacks very well. Use this to your advantage. Same goes for the Knight, who never moves. Careful when dealing with the dwarves, though... they IQ is actually DOUBLE their shoe size! ----------------------------- Battle Two: Back to Guardinia ----------------------------- Party: Hero Strategy: If the goblins were smart enough to surround and attack you, this battle might be a bit tough considering your low HP. However, they're not, so you should be able to mow fairly quickly through this battle. If you want to continue with the game, you'll need to see the king, so go to the castle (for the first time). Watch Varios fight Kane. Mae comes in and joins you. On to Alterone! ---------------------------------- Battle Three: En Route to Alterone ---------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae Strategy: Level Mae up until she's about the same level as your hero. Mae is going to be your main attacker (in addition to your hero) for more than a few battles, so don't neglect her. (You shouldn't be neglecting any characters at all as you only get a handful.) With Mae properly leveled, you shouldn't have too much trouble with this one either. Talk to the guy in the Bar who has a friend from Guardinia. This will allow you to enter the castle and talk to the king. Follow the king out of the room when he instructs you to do so. (Don't miss the Bread of Life in here!) Once in the next room, talk to Kane who will throw you in prision. Talk to the priest to save, etc., then search the bars and Khris will join you. ------------------------ Battle Four: In Alterone ------------------------ Party: Hero, Mae, Khris Strategy: You know the drill - level up Khris by letting her knock off the final 2-3 HP of the first few bad guys. She should be level 5-6 by the end of this battle or at least have Heal2. ====================================== CHAPTER TWO: SPIRIT OF THE HOLY SPRING ====================================== --------------------------------- Battle Five: En Route to Manarina --------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris Strategy: This battle might be a bit tough... the end part anyhow. I suggest taking on the mages and zombies by approaching from the top-right part of the screen. This will lure all but 1 mage and 1 zombie. Not too bad. The Mages should fall in a single hit from your hero. Be sure to carry healing seeds as Khris' MP won't be able to sustain the many times she will need to cast Heal. ---------------------------- Battle Six: The Cave of Evil ---------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris Strategy: You know what to do here. This battle was MADE for a little thing I like to call, "Mae's Spear Technique" or "Wow! The Computer Sure is Stupid!". For example, take the two zombies at the beginning of this battle. Mae can easily take them out by staying out two squares away and just hurling her spear at them. It does less damage then her lance attack, but, hey, the zombies won't fight back and you will easily defeat them unscathed. This should work for every zombie in the cave. The Mage and Archers will fall (or get down to 1-2 hp) from one attack from your hero. Bats, well, you know what to do with them. As for the last three mages, make sure Khris has slow and cast it on the Mages and have Mae take them out in a single hit. (The Hero should have no trouble doing this WITHOUT the need for slow.) As for the skeleton, he should fall prey to Mae's Spear Technique. Take the Orb of Light and your work here is done. ----------------------------- Battle Seven: The Circus Tent ----------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris Strategy: Start off with the puppets and manequins on the left. They should fall in about two hits. The bats on the right are easily taken out in a hit or two as well. Enter the arena, but stay within the first few squares to lure the puppets out. This way you can advance on them and take them out before they even knew what hit 'em. The Dire Clowns are pathetic, but take care not to get within 3 squares of the Marionette or he will unleash the fury of Freeze3 on you. You can finish off the Dire Clowns, before they can even counter attack, using Mae's Spear Technique (notice the usefulness of this yet?) Marionette will require a quick full-force (all three of 'em!) attack. Wait until he takes his turn, then surround him on all three sides to prevent him from using Freeze3. He should fall in 4 attacks, provided he doesn't regenerate his HP too quickly. ------------------------- Battle Eight: Shade Abbey ------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris Strategy: First note that Mae's Spear Technique will NOT work here as the zombies seem a little too anxious to tear you apart. The idea here is to attack one enemy with all three characters. At level 10, one attack from Mae or the Hero plus an attack from Khris will pretty much finish off any zombie or skeleton. It might require a little luck (like double attacks), but in due time you will finish off the nefarious undead. Unfortunately, Balbaroy will ungratefully join you after saving him and Amon blocks your path out of Shade Abbey. Looks like you'll be taking them along =( ========================================== CHAPTER THREE: SECRET WEAPONS OF RUNEFAUST ========================================== NOTE: Your characters should be around level 10+ at this point. Do not promote any of them until around level 15 to reap maximum efficiency. You'll thank me later. Talk to Diane's mom in the upper-left of Bustoke, then talk to Diane. You'll need to let her join too, since she's the only one who knows the way to the quarry. (Yeah, right!) --------------------------- Battle Nine: Bustoke Quarry --------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane Strategy: Your party size just doubled, so go ahead and level up Balbaroy, Amon, and Diane to about level 10. To do so, I usually take out the first two skeletons and then use the birdpeople to take out the Dark Priest to the south. When you get bored, just go ahead and win the battle. More level-up battles are on the way, so no need to obsess over making your characters godly, quite yet. -------------------------------------- Battle Ten: En Route to the Big Bridge -------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane Strategy: No sense in hanging around. By now, skeletons will be utterly worthless. Just plow through here and don't look back. ;) ------------------------------------------ Battle Eleven: vs. Laser Eye on Big Bridge ------------------------------------------ Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane Strategy: Because of your weak party, combating the Laser Eye head on would be foolhardy. The Silver Knight who attacks the mercenary knight at the beginning of the battle should be your primary target. Equip one of your birdmen with the Power Ring, have them cast boost on themself, speed them up with Khris' QUICK spell, then let them kill the Silver Knight. Upon his defeat, the scenario is over, even without destroying the Laser Eye! The mercenary Pelle who supposedly was killed at the start of this battle will turn out to be alive. He'll join you. ============================================ CHAPTER FOUR: THE GREAT FORTRESS OF BALBAZAK ============================================ You'll be in Pao, a town of wagons. You'll find General Elliot, who will talk about Darksol and King Rimladu in the bottom center house. To the west is a house with a Long Sword. Talk to Queen Koran (the red-haired little girl on the train) twice so you can leave town. Once the train clears, ignore Vankar, 'cuz he'll join your party if you talk to him. Just leave town. --------------------------------- Battle Twelve: vs. General Elliot --------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle Strategy: General Elliot commands an army of dumbasses. You should have no problem taking out the Lizardmen and Pegasus Knights with everyone Level 10-13. Pelle, Mae, and the Hero can easily take out General Elliot in one turn each, most likely before he can (if you've noticed all bosses have this ability) regenerate HP. Pao, the wagon town, returns again. So go here. Avoid the sheep pen in the southeast corner like the plague. If you get near the entrance to it, Guntz will talk to you and eventually join you. Remember, we're here to LIMIT who joins, so don't bother. You'll hear a lot about Earnest and Balbazak here. There's a treasure chest with a Steel Sword (that no one unpromoted can equip, but get it anyway, you'll be promoting your fighters real soon) in the train near Queen Koran. Leave town and head for the fortress in the north. ------------------------------------ Battle Thirteen: Balbazak's Fortress ------------------------------------ Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle Strategy: Here I usually get everyone up to level 15, then promote them. From there, I level up everyone to at least level 2 promoted, then finish the battle, which you should have little problem with. Just watch out for the Cerberus' fire breath! Once you defeat the northmost Cerberus, the battle ends. Go through the topmost door to enter Uranbatol. Go north and down the stairs, watch Earnest fight the hell hound. Unfortunately, Earnest doesn't die =( and even more unfortunate is that he joins your party =( unavoidably. Oh well... head back to Pao to equip Ernie with a Power Lance, looks like he's gonna be in it for the long haul. Head to the harbor in Uranbatol when you're ready. ----------------------------- Battle Fourteen: vs. Balbazak ----------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest Strategy: Try to get everyone (except Earnest) up to level 3-4. Sea bats will give you a nice dose of experience. Balbazak himself isn't too tough. Just swamp him with your fighters and he'll be finished quickly. ========================================== CHAPTER FIVE: GATEWAY TO THE HIDDEN SHRINE ========================================== You're at sea right now and immediately you'll be thrust into battle. ------------------------ Battle Fifteen: At Sea I ------------------------ Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest Strategy: Divide and conquer is the best way to deal with your invaders. One half defends the left side while the other defends the right. Fairly straightforward... You'll head for Waral, the island village. Grab a Mobility Ring, Defense Potion, Bread of Life, and other goodies from the treasure chests in the shop. Outfit your Sky Warriors with Steel Swords and Paladins with Steel Lances. Now head towards the east side of the village and you'll find a boat which you can get on. Find Shell's mom, who's guarding the buoys. Say "yes" to go beyond the buoys and you'll get sucked into the whirlpool. When you come to, enter the Shining Path. -------------------------------- Battle Sixteen: The Shining Path -------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest Strategy: Nothing too difficult here. The new enemy, Worm, shouldn't give you a whole lot of trouble. The battle ends when you defeat the Master Mage. I suggest gaining a few levels for Earnest and yourselves here. When you emerge victorious from the Ring Reef, talk to the king to leave. --------------------------- Battle Seventeen: At Sea II --------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest Strategy: Be forewarned: 2 more Sea Bats and 4 Shellfish will just 'appear' in the middle of this battle. The Sea Bats will charge you, but they're easily taken care of with level 6-7 characters. ============================================= CHAPTER SIX: DESCENDENT OF THE SACRED DRAGONS ============================================= You'll find yourself in Rudo, a town of children. Buy a few Chrome Lances (it might be a good time to promote Earnest now). There's a Holy Staff for Khris in the northeast most building in a treasure chest. When you want to leave talk to Karin, then go next door, down the stairs, past the dog and talk to Krin, who will tell you about the Manual of the Seal. Talk to the kid by the exit to leave. ------------------------------------- Battle Eighteen: En Route to Dragonia ------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest Strategy: 5 Golems, some Master Mages, and some Worms will appear later in the battle (like when you come close to the last five troops guarding Dragonia). Master Mages with their Freeze spell and Golems with their high defense will be your primary concern. Take out the Mages A.S.A.P. as they pose the most threat. Be sure to heal as necessary. The battle ends when you defeat Durahan. Enter Dragonia. There is a Broad Sword in the northeastmost house. Buy Healing items if you need them from the item shop in the southwest corner. Directly to the north is a house with a Halberd for one of your knights and a staircase. Take the Halberd and the staircase. When you emerge, enter the house and talk to Bleu. Karin will enter, so talk to her, then to Bleu again. Karin will leave, but moments later she'll call for help. Take the chest, then go after Karin. Talk to Bleu once he's done with the Runefaust Knight. He'll join up. Exit the house, then talk to Kain, who is outside. Return to headquarters, then exit HQ when you're ready to fight. ------------------------- Battle Nineteen: vs. Kane ------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu Strategy: Mmmmman! Bleu sucks! However, don't count that dragon out quite yet! Add some levels to Bleu and maybe you'll change your mind. Bleu gets some of the best level up bonuses, even unpromoted! Sometimes you can get as much as +5 to attack per level. Level him up until you're satisfied, then have Bleu (and Earnest, if necessary) catch up to the rest of your characters. Kane is a nasty fighter. He can kill some of you fighters in a single blow, but if not one, then they'll surely fall with two. Your hero and the knights should attack head on, keeping Khris nearby to heal the Hero, as Kane finds an irresistable attraction to him. Try breaking the seal again, then talk to Kane. Once that fiasco's over, return to Rudo. Talk to Karin, then Krin (not a typo), then Karin again. Then leave town. --------------------------------------- Battle Twenty: En Route to Demon Castle --------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu Strategy: The land effect will be your worst enemy, cutting your movement by 15-30% on most tiles. Other than that, you'll face a few new foes that are real pushovers. Plow right through your foes here... ------------------------------- Battle Twenty-One: vs. Mishaela ------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu Strategy: Mishaela is one tough customer! She can deal some good damage with her fists, but her true terror comes from her level 2 Bolt spell, which affects up to 13(!) targets. You can have up to 4 fighters attacking her at once. Have the member with the highest attack power fight her from the front. Your best Sky Warrior from the rear, Bleu from the flank, and Diane from four spaces away. Your other birdman can attack from the flank opposite Bleu if you so desire. If you're still having trouble have your Hero grab the Sword of Light from the chest next to Mishaela, but be forewarned: you won't get a chance to get the other chests after the battle, if you do so. ==================================== CHAPTER SEVEN: THE LOST CIVILIZATION ==================================== You'll arrive in Prompt. Everyone's acting like a retard, so just head to the castle in the southwest corner of town and go see the king. You'll get thrown in prison for being a spy. Search the bars and your good friend Boken will help you out. Talk to the king, who will expect you to now just help him. Try to leave town, then talk to the king again. Go through the door behind him, then down to see Kane! Talk to the king, then try leaving and Kane will talk to you. Leave town for the Tower of the Ancients. -------------------------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Two: En Route to the Tower of the Ancients -------------------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu Strategy: Hmm, an interesting battle. You're up against some new faces here, namely Torch Eyes, Jets, and a Minotaur. All three of them have the ability to reduce a fighter to ashes in a matter of a few attacks. Everyone should be about level 11-12 here, but if not, don't go out of your way to level up here, unless you're having serious problems. The land effect here is too inhibiting to be a good place to gain levels. Don't miss the Devil Lance and Turbo Pepper on the first two floors of the tower. ---------------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Three: The Tower of the Ancients ---------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu Strategy: Like the last battle, only larger and with no Land Effect. Plow right through here, egressing to gain more experience (although this is quite possibly the worst place to do it) if necessary. Kill the Demon Master and the battle will end. (Note: Don't miss the Valkyrie in the treasure chest!) You'll meet Alef and Torasu and they'll join you. (Thank God, a wizard!) Head back to Prompt to inform the King that everyone is royally screwed. (No pun intended.) Once Otrant does his/her spiel, go to the Shining Path and use the Orb to get to Metapha. Do the orb thing here, then talk to Adam, who (DAMN HIM! DAMN HIM TO HELL!) must join you. ----------------------------- Battle Twenty-Four: vs. Chaos ----------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: Oh...my...god... Adam is pure crap. He has less attack power than both Alef and Torasu. That's how much suck you're dealing with. Get Alef (and Torasu, if you have the patience) up to level 20 before you promote them. Alef should have Level 2 Blaze, Freeze, and Bolt... oh yes! If you really want to, you can get Alef and Torasu up to par with all your other characters. If you have the time, I say go for it. Alef will be packin' some heat with Bolt IV and Torasu will have his handy-dandy Aura IV spell. Chaos is a piece of cake, so don't let him slow you down. Go north and do the orb thing if you don't know what to do and follow the directions to get the Chaos Breaker. Talk to Otrant again and leave town. ----------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Five: En Route to Runefaust ----------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: Just plow through the enemy lines here. A few new enemies (Armed Skeletons, Cerberus and Horsemen) will make their appearance here, but in all honesty, they're not at all tough. ========================================= CHAPTER EIGHT: RISE OF THE ANCIENT CASTLE ========================================= Head south to enter Runefaust, then go to the north part of town and talk to Mahato so the guards will let you into the castle. -------------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Six: King Ramladu's Fortress I -------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: A few new faces here, namely, Blue Dragons and Chimaeras. Chimaera's have an insanely high evade rate, so you may run into some trouble when trying to kill them. Overall, you shouldn't have much trouble with this battle. Upon victory, King Ramladu will show up and unleash the fury of his robots. ----------------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Seven: King Ramladu's Fortress II ----------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: A well placed Bolt III from Alef will put a bunch of robots in critical allowing the rest of your party to dispose of them. Your more powerful characters, namely, the hero, Bleu, and Earnest should have no problem taking a robot out at full HP. As for King Ramladu, a nice Bolt IV from Alef will soften him up enough for the hero and two other strong attackers to take him out in a couple hits. After winning, you can go see Mahato who will tell you what to do next, but it's not necessary since I will tell you. Go back to the entryway and take the stairs on the left. Go to the westernmost point of land and use the Chaos Breaker. Now enter the Ancient Gate... --------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Eight: vs. Collosus --------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: You will be swarmed by Chimaeras and Blue Dragons right off the bat, so engage them in full combat, but don't hesitate to make use of Khris and Torasu. (This is where Aura IV comes in handy.) By now you should realize that Alef is adept at ass-kicking, which makes her a good Chimaera-killer (magic is unavoidable.) The Collosus heads themselves aren't too challenging. They have a fairly high evade rate, but you really only need to kill the center one. Unless you're really hurting for experience points, dispatch of the center head with appropriate firepower and continue on. Get everything you need at this point. There's no turning back. The last battles must be fought consecutively without rest in order to win! ---------------------------------------------- Battle Twenty-Nine: FINAL BATTLE I vs. Darksol ---------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: Darksol isn't too pleased about you crashing his Dark Dragon revival party, and he doesn't hesitate to unleash his most dangerous troops. However, your troops should be bad-ass enough to go right up the middle of the map, completely ignore his underlings and go right for the big man himself. Darksol won't put up much of a fight. Surround him with melee fighters and hammer him with arrows from Diane and Bolt IV's from Alef and he'll be gonzo... ---------------------------------------------- Battle Thirty: FINAL BATTLE II vs. Dark Dragon ---------------------------------------------- Party: Hero, Mae, Khris, Balbaroy, Amon, Diane, Pelle, Earnest, Bleu, Alef, Torasu, Adam Strategy: You'll be facing Dark Dragon (x3) and two armed skeletons that will keep appearing (until you kill about thirty or so of them.) First things first, kill the skeletons, then put a healer (or better yet, Adam) on the tiles to keep the skeletons from popping out. Distribute your forces evenly to the two side heads and take them out with appropriate fire power. (Alef's Bolt IV will soften them up, no problem!) The center head is a bit stronger, but some Bolt IV's and Chaos Breaker attacks should do the trick. Once all heads are destroyed, Dark Dragon is history... again. Well, looks like we managed to scrape by with barely a complete party (no extras). Yay! GAME OVER. /////////////////////// /3. CHARACTER PROFILES/ /////////////////////// -Max* the Swordsman -> Hero The hero of the story. You wield swords and can cast the Egress spell which whisks you and your party out of battle to the nearest priest. *Max is the default name. -Mae the Knight -> Paladin Mae is the first of a few centaur knights who will join up with you. Mae, like all knights, can equip spears and javelins. She has high defense and decent attack power. -Khris the Healer -> Vicar Khris is one of the best healers in the game. How fortunate that she is unavoidable! Khris gets Heal, Slow, Quick, and Aura spells, the later two being very useful! Khris can wield staves as her weapon, but her attack power is not too impressive. She is better suited to aiding her comrades with healing. -Balbaroy the Birdman -> Sky Warrior Balbaroy, like all birdmen, is not exactly a fearsome warrior. He equips swords. He is unaffected by terrain and can fly over all obstacles, making his movement range very large. However, he requires a lot of attention and it can sometimes be frustrating when leveling him as you'll definitely want some Attack power points with every level gain. -Amon the Birdman -> Sky Warrior See Balbaroy. -Diane the Archer -> Sniper Diane is... well, Diane. Archers/Snipers aren't very über in Shining Force 1. Like the Birdmen, you'll want to optimize your level-ups. However, what Diane lacks in strength, she makes up for in her ability to attack from even further away than knights/paladins. She is very good as a support fighter to knock off a few HP as your main fighters go in for the kill. -Pelle the Knight -> Paladin Pelle starts with really good stats. In my opinion, Pelle is just about equal to Mae. There's really not much to say about him... -Earnest the Knight -> Paladin Another knight... Earnest is by far the most powerful knight in terms of offense. Defense is so-so, but not like Mae who pretty much takes 1 damage from everything. -Bleu the Dragon -> Great Dragon You'd think, upon first inspection, that Bleu falls into the category of "Party Members who Suck Ass." (I know I certainly did!) But level this guy up and HOLY SH#*%#*%! He'll poop slap everything in sight! POO-YEAH! -Alef the Mage -> Wizard The Bolt wizardess is the only mage/wizard who is unavoidable. She is also the most powerful (and cutest... for a furry. And no, I'm not a furry, I just thougth I'd make that observation. And no, I don't know why I'm getting defensive about the possibility of being a furry.) It is highly suggested that you take the time to level her up to par with all your other characters. Her Bolt IV can do a serious number on you opponents. -Torasu the Healer -> Vicar Torasu is good for two reasons: Aura IV and Shield, two spells which you will not see anywhere else (except Shield, which Hanzou, who you won't see in this FAQ, has). Yes, he does take some leveling, but far less than Alef to get his much appreciated Aura IV. Like Khris, Torasu can make for speedier level-ups once he hits his promoted class allowing him to equip the powerful Holy Staff. -Adam the Robot -> Cyborg Sucks ass. If he dies, who cares?