-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ys: The Ark of Napishtim FAQ/Walkthrough Version 1.02 by Aaron "falcon815" Bolner falcon at sandwich.net -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This document Copyright 2005 Aaron 'falcon815' Bolner. This document may be posted in its original form ONLY, and ONLY with written permission from me. If you would like to put this on your Ys site, please ask! I'll take a look at your site and let you know ASAP. Sites allowed to post this FAQ: http://www.gamefaqs.com/ Sites not allowed to post this FAQ: http://www.cheatcc.com/ I am not affiliated with Konami Digital Entertainment, nor with Nihon Falcom - I simply enjoyed this game enough to put work into it and to try to make the best FAQ out there for the PS2 version. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents (CTRL-F any of the following strings of text to jump): 1. Introduction 2. FAQ A. General Information B. Gameplay-related Questions 3. Adol's Abilities / Common Terms / Status Effects A. Basic Attacks B. Advanced Attacks C. Magic Attacks D. Status Effects 4. Walkthrough A. Rehdan Village / Woods of Quatera B. Mythos Path / Port City Rimorge / Canaan Plain C. Grana-Vallis Mountain D. The Ruins of Amnesia E. Windseeker Heights F. Limewater Cave / Canaan Plain G. Return to Rimorge / Completing the Mirror / Ruins of Amnesia H. Romun Imperial Fleet / Optional Bosses part 1 I. Ruined City Kishgal / Optional Bosses part 2 J. Endgame 5. Alma's Trials 6. Optional Sidequests 7. Cheat Codes A. Master Cheat Code B. Gameplay-based Codes ***GUIDE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD*** C. Movie Player Codes 8. Time Attack / Boss Strategies A. Normal B. Hard C. Nightmare 9. Armor/Shield Listing 10. Key Item Listing 11. Accessory Listing 12. Miscellaneous A. Official Time Attack Contest B. Sound CD C. Voice Actors 13. Closing / Thanks 14. Version History -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is the sixth game in the long-running "Ys" RPG series. It was released in the US by Konami in February of 2005, ending a decade-long drought of Ys games being localized to a non-Japanese market. Ys VI is short by today's RPG standards, but it's a nice little action- RPG in its own right, even if you're unfamiliar with the series. The three swords and their various fighting styles add a lot to the gameplay. Whether you're more about timing, button-mashing, or just plain smashing in your battle system, you'll find something to love about Ys VI's system. I wanted to write the most complete, exhaustive FAQ on the game that I could; I sincerely hope it helps you in your play of this little gem. This FAQ will do its best to be spoiler-free. I'm not going to remark much on the plot, only on things to do. The bosses section is after the walkthrough for a reason; if you get to a boss and have trouble or want to see what to do on it, you have to actively seek the spoiler to find it. You'll find the best boss strategies of any Ys VI FAQ right here. None of that "I bought the hintbook and paraphrased it" junk - these are tested and proven strategies that can work both in-game and especially in Time Attack. Who would you trust: someone who bought the hint book and rewrote the strategies within, or someone who ranks among the top players in the world in Normal and Hard Boss Rush on Konami's official site? That's what I thought. Note: In all areas, I will only tell you things to do that are required for the plot, or that give useful items from subquests. You can talk to whomever you wish in any area to add to your gaming experience. Enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. FAQ --- A. General Information --- Q: Just what is Ys, anyway? I've never heard of it. A: Rather than turn this guide into a reference for the series, I'll defer to those who have put together the best summary of the Ys series on the internet. Visit http://www.classicgaming.com/reviews/ys/ys.htm. Don't spend too much time looking at all the pictures, or you won't learn anything. ^_^; Q: How do you pronounce Ys? A: Imagine the English word "geese". Now remove the g. It is not pronounced "whys", nor is there an apostrophe in the name. Q: Is the original soundtrack in this game? I heard Konami changed it. A: Yes, the original soundtrack is on this PS2 version, along with a few extra songs composed by Konami, which are present in the areas not present in the PC version of the game. Q: What's that eyeball thing in the anime intro / Ruins of Amnesia? A: Your guess is as good as mine. It looks pretty fearsome, but it has no bearing on the game. --- B. Gameplay-related Questions --- Q: How do I get [insert item here]? A: If it's a shield or armor, CTRL-F "9. Armor/Shield Listing" and look for its name there. If it's a Key Item, CTRL-F "10. Key Item Listing" and look for its name there. If it's an accessory, CTRL-F "11. Accessory Listing" and look for that accessory's name. Q: Why can't I enter the water? A: Go back to Rimorge and talk to Baslam. The problem will take care of itself then. Q: How do I perform the dash jump / extended wind attack / etc.? A: Please refer to section 3, "Adol's Abilities". Q: What are the names of the swords, again? I forget. Wind Sword: Livart. Fire Sword: Blirante. Lightning Sword: Ericcil. Q: Do I get a reward for refusing the reward at the end of the trials? A: Yes. If you refuse the reward all five times, you get the Daylight Stone, an accessory that revives you to full upon KO one time, then disappears. It's not worth it. I advise taking the Emel reward instead. Q: What are the differences in Hard and Nightmare? A: Hard - some enemies are color-coded and can only be killed by that colored weapon; all bosses have more HP; some bosses have more attacks; the final weapon level costs 250,000 instead of 100,000 Emel; Seeds of Vitality cost more. Nightmare - more enemies are color-coded; some are black and cannot be killed; all bosses have even more HP; some bosses have even more attacks; the final weapon level costs 500,000 instead of 100,000 Emel; Seeds of Vitality cost even more; enemies can have critical hits. Q: Why is my save file red? A: You used a cheat at the beginning. Q: I beat the game on Nightmare. Where's my picture of Crevia? A: Finish the game in English with NO CHEATS. It doesn't show up in Japanese, nor does it appear if you used any cheats at all. Q: What does luck do? These accessories say they raise luck. A: The only thing I can define is that it increases critical hit rate. It may have other effects that I'm not aware of, such as item drop rates and Emel drop rates, but these are harder to quantify. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Adol's Abilities / Common Terms / Status Effects -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The combat system of Ys VI allows Adol to perform many different types of attacks. A full list of those I have discovered will be here. I will refer to all of these attacks as such throughout the guide, so this section is very important to your perusal of the FAQ. A. Basic Attacks Slash - Tap Square to slash forward. This can be used up to three times in succession; four if Livart is leveled sufficiently. Jumping Slash - Jump. On the way up, hit Square. Adol will spin in midair, and can strike enemies multiple times while doing so. Swordplant - Jump. On the way down, hit Square. Adol will do a move similar to Link's Downthrust from Zelda II / SSBM. This can hit up to four times, and each hit will do more damage than a regular attack. A great technique to use on immobile enemies, such as Kishcarin. Jumping Stab - Tap Square and X together to jump forward and stab at the same time. This move has very little practical use, as the Jumping Slash does more damage and is easier to connect with. B. Advanced Attacks Dash Slash - Tap in the direction Adol is facing, let the stick return to the neutral position, then tap Square. Adol will dash forward and attack, and if it connects, it will hit up to 5 times for higher damage than a normal slash. It takes a bit to learn the timing of the move, but the slight delay between tapping forward and tapping Square will become easier with practice. Dash Jump - Tap in the direction Adol is facing, let the stick return to the neutral position, then tap Square and X at the same time. Adol will do a forward jump/slash that will go further than a running jump. This allows the player to reach several platforms in the game that aren't reachable otherwise. Extended Wind Attack - When you've leveled Livart sufficiently, the game will tell you "Wind Sword Skill can now be used". This technique extends the wind sword's normal combo from four hits to eight or more hits. To perform the attack, tap attack four times, pause slightly, then tap attack as fast as you can. The slight pause between the fourth and fifth strikes will come more nautrally as you practice and memorize the sound effects. It's a very rhythmic pattern. Extended Fire Attack - When you've leveled Blirante sufficiently, the game will tell you "Flame Sword Skill can now be used". Hold Square. After a certain amount of time, Adol will swing his sword (for more damage than he does normally), and a trail of fire will come from the sword, which inflicts multiple hits worth of damage on whatever it strikes. All three of his regular combo attacks with Blirante can be charged in this manner. Extended Lightning Attack - When you've leveled Ericcil sufficiently, the game will tell you "Lightning Sword Skill can now be used". Tap Square rapidly. Adol will do a standard three-hit combo, then another two hits. If you are tapping Square fast enough, he will rear backward, then charge forward with an aura of lightning around him. This can connect up to three times, and generally does around 3 times the damage of normal attacks. Sometimes it can take up to eight attacks before this works. Just keep tapping away, it'll come eventually. If you have a turbo controller, the extended lightning attack will happen after three attacks. C. Magic Attacks Each elemental sword has a special magic attack that you can use when the gauge in the bottom-left corner of the screen is full. Livart: A cyclone surrounds Adol. As this attack levels up, the cyclone grows larger. Adol can move as the cyclone is attacking, which is quite useful. Blirante: A trail of flame to put charged attacks to shame goes forward, striking anything in its path. As this attack levels up, the columns of flame grow and do more damage. Ericcil: A beam of lightning comes forth and bounces around the screen, homing in on all enemies. This attack is *wonderful* against single enemies, as it does all its hits, but on just that one target. It's a very useful boss killer late in the game, and is also the best move for clearing lots of weak enemies out in a hurry. D. Status Effects Poison - Green bubbles surround Adol, and he slowly loses HP. Preventable by wearing the Silver Armlet. Confusion - Stars appear above Adol's head, and controls are reversed. Wears off after a short time. Preventable by wearing the Runed Earring. Slow - Purple rings surround Adol, and his movement speed is drastically reduced. Preventable by wearing the Sylphen Boots. Curse - A purple skull appears above Adol's head, and his attack power is reduced. Preventable by wearing the Magic Talisman. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Walkthrough -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note that this walkthrough was written during a play on Normal difficulty. Amount of leveling WILL vary among the difficulties. The same general walkthrough will hold true, but please refer to the boss strategies section for recommended minimum levels to take on the various bosses. These levels are not the bare minimum for being able to damage the bosses, but they can be close. If you EVER do 0 damage to a boss, aside from the two that have attack patterns with only certain times they're able to be hit, the solution is to level up more, upgrade your weapons, or switch to a more powerful sword. That said, let's begin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Rehdan Village / Woods of Quatera -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Walk out of the room you start in, then walk north and talk to Olha. Ask her any questions you wish, then exit to the south. Keep going south until you exit the village. Talk to Largo, the village guardian. He'll tell you to head northeast. Exit east for your first taste of combat. Slice up the squirrels. When you get near a flower, watch its attack range closely, then when it's safe, swordplant them. You should quickly advance to level 2. Exit to the northeast. You can knock the bees here out of the air with a jumping slash. Once on the ground, they're helpless. Pummel a few to get to level 3, while ignoring the shelled monsters on the ground. Once you hit level 3, start swordplanting/pummeling these monsters. Levels 4 and 5 should come quickly. Wasn't that easy? Now, exit this screen to the northeast. Talk to the chief and Quval, then head back to the village and talk to Largo. Might as well save while you're there. Hop into the village and go west to meet the shopkeeper. Buy Leather Armor. Exit the village, return to the east, then exit to the southeast. Continue east, dodging or killing as you please, to reach the Fountain of Prayer. Talk to Olha, then head back to Largo again by going straight west. This time, Largo sends you to the beach you washed up on. Go west, then immediately go south to reach it. Talk to Isha, then return north. If you wish, you can find a chest with an Herb in the top-right corner of this screen, but it's largely unnecessary. Go back to Largo. He'll tell you to go back to the Fountain (east, southeast, east). As if the ominous lack of music weren't enough, SAVE YOUR GAME. Be sure to equip your healing nuts. [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B01 for Normal, H01 for Hard, N01 for Nightmare] Once the boss is defeated, watch the event, follow the chief, and talk to him. Say yes, of course, and receive the wind sword, Livart. Exit the village, go east, accept your first accessory, equip it, and move on. Go back to the Fountain of Prayer, and follow the new exit north. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Mythos Path / Port City Rimorge / Canaan Plain -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Drop down the hole you see in front of you and acquire the Honey from the chest. Exit north, walk to the bottom-left corner, and repeatedly swordplant until you're level 7. Exit and re-enter the screen in this manner 3-4 more times until you're level 8. Go up the stairs, exit south, go out and save, then come back in in the same manner. This time, instead of killing enemies in the room north of the chest, go north again. Attack the blue door, head east, and say hello to... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B02 for Normal, H02 for Hard, N02 for Nightmare] Win or lose, continue southeast. Clear out this room twice, then head north and clear out that room. This should take you to level 9. Exit north again. Climb the stairs, exit southeast, then exit south to finish the dungeon. Watch the scene, and follow the path around to the north, then east, then south, to get to the port city Rimorge. Head down the stairs and into the hut on the far left. Talk to the woman, Leav, and level your sword once. You should have sufficient Emel to do so. ***OPTIONAL SIDEQUEST*** CTRL-F [sq1] Exit town to the east, save your game, and head north to the plain. Kill enemies until you have 13 Emel, then return to Leav and level Livart again. If you hit level 10 while you were out, great. If not, you're about to. Go back to the plain, and head north, ignoring all enemies on your way, until you reach Grana-Valis Mountain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Grana-Vallis Mountain -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ignore the enemies in the first room; climb up, and exit southeast. From here, jump right to the platform and kill the mine ASAP. Proceed to the right along the raised platforms, killing the mines. This will net you 2-3 levels, easily. Enter the next room and exit, and minesweep this area again. And again. Keep doing that until you're level 18. It won't take very long at all. Once you hit level 18, proceed north. Jump up the cliff on the west edge, then jump up on the right edge of the next cliff. Continue in this manner until you can walk east and exit south. Platform-jump up and to the right. Once you get up to a very large ledge that you can walk a significant distance south on, go south and snag the extra accessory holder. Return to the platforms and continue upward to the next room. Follow the left-right pattern again and exit at the top-left to find a save point. Save. Exit south, and proceed west, killing mines. Enter the next cave. Ignore the enemies, jump up on the cliff to the right, jump across to the left cliff, and head south to get the Bandit Mail. Equip it. Exit north twice and clear the mines to receive the [Wing of Alma]. Exit south and repeatedly swordplant the moles to advance to level 19, then exit west. Repeatedly swordplant the moles to save Ur. Exit south and proceed east. Follow the rock wall to the south all the way east to acquire the Rehdan Shield. Equip it. Go back west and jump up a bit, so that you can follow yet another left/right series of cliff jumps. Make your way to the top, and enter the cave. Intentionally fall off the cliff to the northeast. You'll land in a room with a box; take it. It's the Blue Tabulas. Might as well kill the moles here to snag some Emel. Exit south, then head straight south and follow the wall west to another box; this time, it's the Sylphen Boots, which prevent Slow. Equip them; you have nothing better at this point. Use the Wing of Alma to Escape back to the beginning of the dungeon. Save. Leave Grana-Vallis Mountain and go all the way back to Rimorge to upgrade your sword. If you followed my minesweeping powerleveling scheme, you're likely a bit short on Emel. That's okay; as long as you have the 34 Emel required to raise Livart's level to 4, you're fine. Do so. Now you can use the extended Wind attack. Head all the way back up the mountain, killing what you wish. Save at the third save point, then exit southeast, then northeast. Claim the mirror piece in the middle of the room, then face... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B03 for Normal, H03 for Hard, N03 for Nightmare] After the event, take Blirante - it's on a ledge above you. Use Alma's Wing to Escape, then go back to Rimorge. An event will occur without your control. After that, upgrade Blirante as far as you can (I'd estimate 4), then save your game. Since we're a shade underlevel for the next area, now would be a good time to do Alma's first trial. Use Alma's Wing to Warp. ***ALMA'S TRIAL 1: CTRL-F [Alma1]*** The 500 Emel reward from Alma's Trial should be enough to raise Livart and Blirante to 6. Do so, then... ***OPTIONAL SIDEQUEST: CTRL-F [sq2]*** Head back to the Rehdan Village and give the first mirror fragment to Olha for a reward. Then, go back into the Mythos Path. Remember where you fought Geis? Head to that door and smack it with Blirante to open it. From there, exit west into... -------------------------------------------------------------------------- D. The Ruins of Amnesia -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Save your game. Exit west, then southwest down the stairs. Go north along the path, and jump over the hole in the floor. Look out for the enemy that shoots purple lasers; swordplant it or use extended elemental attacks to kill it before it knocks you from your platform. Take out the enemies as you go north, then go east. Before you exit, fall south through the gap in the wall's barrier to acquire the Heavy Belt. Return to the top and then exit east. A magic attack from Blirante will clear this room nicely, and may well gain you a level. Exit east. In this room, you have the option to go for an item now that will make a subquest later far easier. If you wish to undertake this option, follow these instructions. If not, skip to the second line of asterisks. ***OPTIONAL*** Jump across to the east, and take out the laser enemy. Jump east again. Hold L2 as you approach the end of this next platform, and then jump east to the small pillar. Dash Jump east from there to the next platform. Jump east, then dash jump north to the chest, which contains Capla Water. Fall down in the pit, then return to the beginning of this sequence. ***END OPTIONAL SECTION*** Jump to the east, and follow the path south and east. Here is another set of optional items that may or may not be of interest: an accessory that increases STR by 10 but decreases DEF by 10, and an accessory that increases MP regeneration rate. If you wish to acquire these items, use the following directions. If not, skip to the second line of asterisks. ***OPTIONAL*** See those four pillars coming up from the hole to the east? Dash jump to the middle of them. You'll fall onto a platform containing a box with the Galba Hand. Now. What you don't see here is an invisible platform to the north. Dash Jump to it, then jump forward and exit north. IGNORE THE BOSS. Avoid it at all costs and get to the chest, which contains the Eldian Orb. If you die, big deal, just "restart", it'll put you back in the same room. Once you get it, get out quickly, then return to the place you jumped from to get down here. ***END OPTIONAL SECTION*** Jump south, then follow the path, jumping east twice, and exit east. Head straight for the stairs in this room, then jump left as soon as you get to the gap in the wall. See that chest to the right? Walk to near the edge of the platform you can see, and dash jump right. When you succeed, you'll get the Bloody Nail. Dash Jump back across (or, if you miss, just climb back up here), then exit west. Jump over / kill the enemies and exit south to claim an Accessory Holder. Equip the Bloody Nail for the moment. Make your way back to the room you got the Bloody Nail in, climb the stairs, and exit north. Avoid the enemies, follow the path, and exit west. Now, in this room, hug the walls to avoid both the enemies and the lava. Simply walk into a wall, then edge along it to prevent lava damage. Exit west, then exit north, and save your game. Now is a good time to undertake Alma's Trial 2, so long as you're over level 22. In fact, it's the best place to level to fight the next boss, so let's do that. ***ALMA'S TRIAL 2 - CTRL-F [Alma2]*** Once you're done, you should be level 27-28, which is more than sufficient to move forward. Exit north, jump over the lava, claim the mirror piece, and meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B04 for Normal, H04 for Hard, N04 for Nightmare] After your victory, you'll likely gain a level. Exit north, and follow the long, winding path through the island of Zemeth, watch the scenes, and claim Ericcil. Return to the Ruins of Amnesia, use Alma's Wing to "Escape" back to the beginning, then exit. Back in Mythos Path, use Ericcil on the yellow door to obtain the Rainbow Fragment and the Red Tabulas. Return to Rimorge and use your Emelas rewards to power up your swords. I easily had enough to take all three to level 6; I imagine you will, too. I also had the money to buy the Breast Plate. Pick up either that or the Kite Shield before you leave town. Either is fine, and will help you out. Now, go to the Rehdan Village to return the mirror piece to Olha. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- E. Windseeker Heights -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to your old buddy Largo, who will tell you that Olha took off for Windseeker Heights. Exit west from the entrance to the village, then head northwest, hopping over the barrier. Follow the path on the next screen. At the first split, go right to acquire the Runed Earring. Might want to equip it in this area just in case you get hit. Go back to the split in the trail and exit northwest. You'll immediately see a split. Go left. Follow this path to another split; go left again, and exit west. Time for an optional boss! [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B05 for Normal, H05 for Hard, N05 for Nightmare] Return to the previous screen, return to the previous juncture, then go right. Follow the path all the way around until you can exit north to Windseeker Heights. Talk to Olha, then talk to her again to give her the second mirror fragment. Head all the way back to Rimorge; we've got some things to pick up before our next dungeon. Stop in the bar and talk to the blue-haired guy to trade your Capla Water for the Emel Mallet, an accessory that gives you 1.5x Emel per piece that you pick up. Wasn't that frustrating jump worth it? Go next door to Baslam's house and talk to him. Since you went to Zemeth, he'll give you the Gratios Talisman, an item that will let you move underwater. Exit Rimorge and go to the east, to the plains. Go one screen north from the save point, then go west, and follow that path to enter the Limewater Cave. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- F. Limewater Cave / Canaan Plain -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Save at the first point, then level on the green slimes for a bit. They should be extraordinarily easy kills for the EXP they grant. Level to around 32, charge up all your swords, and get to over 3080 Emel. Head back to Rimorge and pick two of your swords to get MP Regen at level 8. I'd advise Blirante (for the upcoming plot boss). As for which of the other two, it's up to you. In any case, I advise charging all three of their MP gauges before you go back to the plains, because we have an optional boss to take out. [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B06 for Normal, H06 for Hard, N06 for Nightmare] You'll likely gain a level if you were at 32. Snag the Silence Bell from the chest that appears, then head back to the Limewater Cave. Go north, and ignore the first path east. Follow the north path in this screen until you exit north. Continue north another screen, then take the fork to the east. On the far east side of this room, you'll see a chest. That's what we're going for. Exit north, then exit east twice. Immediately go south, then go west at the first opportunity. Exit west to claim the Galba Armor. Return east, follow the path in the previous room east then north, but this time, exit east. A room with every color of slime imaginable awaits. Kill / avoid them, then exit north to claim the Galba Shield. Equip it immediately. Use Alma's Wing to Escape. If you don't have 20,000 gold by this point, fight the green slimes just north of the save point to get it. To be able to safely use the Galba Armor, we need the Silver Armlet from Rose in Rimorge. If you have enough Emel to upgrade a sword, do so; if not, no big deal. I was able to take all swords to 8 by this point. Go back to the Limewater Cave and save your game. Exit north, north again, and then go west. Follow the path west in this room and exit west. You have no choice but to exit north from the next two rooms; do so. Exit east in the next room - again, you have no choice. Exit north from the next room to snag an Herb if you want to. Whether you do or not, follow the path to the east, and exit north eventually. Follow the path straight north from here for two screens, and you'll come to a save point, and unlock Alma's third trial. Save your game. ***OPTIONAL*** If you want to complete the Tabulas quest, follow these directions: Return south two screens, and exit east. Go east one more screen, then go north. Climb the platforms to the north and exit west. Go straight west through this room and exit west again. You'll see a stalagmite halfway between you and your destination. To get to it, do a regular jump from a few Adol-lengths away from the southern edge of the platform you're on. Jump across to the other side from there and exit west. Hug the north wall in this room; you don't want to fall. Exit west. Fall off the platform and exit north. Equip the Silence Bell, kill the enemies in this room, then dash jump northwest from the bridge-like place in the northeast and exit north to claim the Gold Tabulas. Go south, south, south, east, east/north, then north all the way to the second save point. ***END OPTIONAL PORTION*** Equip the Silence Bell and Rainbow Fragment and exit north. Exit west, then north, then go west, around the top of the next room, and exit east. Jump over the purple lasers when you see them. Having the Rainbow Fragment equipped makes this stretch quite easier. Now, in this room, use lightning magic and/or wind magic to take out the bats. This is a GREAT leveling spot. Exit in and out of this room, squashing bats, until you're at least level 37 or 38. Also, in this room is a Seed of Defense. Dash jump from the southmost platform to get it. When you're done leveling, continue east, and exit north. Follow the path east, and exit south. Follow the path south three screens, then south some more in the fourth until you can finally exit west. Follow the path west, then exit north. You'll come face-to-face with larger versions of the enemies you fought in the Mythos Path. Extended fire attacks work well against them. Follow the path east, exit north, then immediately exit west. Snag the Blue Potion, then return east. Follow the path north, exit north, then immediately exit west. You should be in a foggy area. Exit west, then exit south. Go south a bit. ***OPTIONAL*** Exit east. This room should look familiar. Dash Jump east, then jump north to acquire a Capla Water. Jump south, Dash Jump west, and return. ***END OPTIONAL SECTION*** Exit south to face an optional boss. [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B07 for Normal, H07 for Hard, N07 for Nightmare] Return north, north, east, and east through the foggy area. Follow the path north for another Blue Potion. Return south, south, south, east, and east to get back to the room with the purple lasers and red slimes. Exit south to acquire an Herb, if you like. Otherwise, return north two screens, then at the first opportunity, go a little bit east. Climb these platforms with bats on them and exit north to receive your fourth Accessory Holder. Exit north twice, then go a bit west into a very bright room which should look familiar, and exit north again. Follow the path straight north to meet Geis again. Exit north, ignore the flower enemies, and exit north again to reach the third and final save point for this area. Exit north to acquire the final piece of Olha's mirror. Of course, you have to fight a boss, as well... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B08 for Normal, H08 for Hard, N08 for Nightmare] After you win, climb the remains of the boss and exit north. Examine the pile of rocks at the end of the tunnel, then try to leave. Watch the events. Once you regain control, exit the cabin, then enter the other portion of the ship. Head downstairs and into the door on the right to claim the Pirates' Firewater. Exit the ship and talk to Ladoc. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- G. Return to Rimorge / Completing the Mirror / Ruins of Amnesia -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you regain control, head to Leav and have her upgrade your swords. I recommend Ericcil for the next boss; the other(s) is/are up to you. Go back to the Rehdan Village. Stop in front of the second hut on the right and give the Firewater to Toksa to obtain the Gold Locket. Go north to give Olha the final mirror piece to recieve a Capla Water. When you regain control, return to Rimorge, go to the bar, and give the Gold Locket to the furthest east man to receive the Lucky Silver Coin, which increases your critical hit rate. Go back to the Ruins of Amnesia and save your game. Since you're here, it might not be a bad idea to pick up the Black Tabulas, if you're so inclined. ***GETTING THE BLACK TABULAS*** Make sure you have the Rainbow Fragment equipped. Return to the room where you got the Accessory Holder by jumping off the long bridge and exiting west. There will be a line of formerly invisible platforms for you to jump across. Once you get to the line of three platforms together, stop and switch to Ericcil. Stand on the third platform from the left, face left, and pound Square. The extended lightning attack should carry you across to the next room. Get the Black Tabulas. ***END OPTIONAL SECTION*** Continue on to the end of the Ruins and watch the scene, then use Alma's Wing to Escape. Now is a good time to undertake Alma's Trial #3. Use Alma's Wing to Warp. ***ALMA'S TRIAL 3: CTRL-F [Alma3]*** Once you finish, return to the Rehdan Village. Largo's not there. Uh- oh. Head up to talk to Chief Ord, watch the events, then return to Rimorge. Talk to Leav and upgrade weapons. I recommend Ericcil again; after the third Alma's Trial reward, you should have enough to bring it to level 10. Buy up any healing items you think you may need - on Normal and Hard, I suggest Wild Fowl Meat, and on Nightmare, I suggest a third Blue Potion - then go to Baslam's office and talk to Baslam, then talk to Terra to advance. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- H. Romun Imperial Fleet / Optional Bosses part 1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Terra once you regain control. Enter the cabin on the first ship (it's to the northeast), then proceed west, down the stairs. Enter the door to the northeast, pound the soldier, and watch the scene. Examine the door to continue. Exit this ship, and continue southeast to the next ship. Follow the same path to the downstairs portion, save your game, and exit northeast to meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B09 for Normal, H09 for Hard, N09 for Nightmare] Watch the scene after you win, then search Agares for a key. Head up the two flights of stairs, then up another to the bridge. Open the chest here for the Starlight Medal. Equip it, then get out of here and return to Rimorge. When you're in control again, go back to the Rehdan Village. Go to Chief Ord's hut and watch the event. Leave the village. Alma's fourth trial is now available, but we've got some other things to take care of first. First: remember where you fought Gaposdhala in the plains before Windseeker Heights? Head up there. From the Rehdan Village, it's west, north over the barrier, then north, going west at every fork. In the upper-right corner, you'll meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B10 for Normal, H10 for Hard, N10 for Nightmare] If you were at level 42 (as I was) with the Starlight Medal, you'll gain a level and three-quarters at once. For such an easy fight! And as your reward, you gain the Emelas Crown, which is a top-notch accessory. Now, with that victory under your belt, head back to Windseeker Heights. If you've forgotten, that's right from the final fork before Gaposasura's area. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Ruined City Kishgal / Optional Bosses part 2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you approach Windseeker Heights, grab the pikkard, then examine the pedestal at the top of the stairs. Welcome to the Ruined City, Kishgal - the final dungeon of the game. Save, and head down the stairs. Wail on the flamethrowers with extended fire attacks. Go east, then north into the next room to meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B11 for Normal, H11 for Hard, N11 for Nightmare] Head north, down the stairs to the west, then follow the path all the way until you can exit down more western stairs. Head down more stairs in the next screen, then north into a separate room. Follow the path downward until you can exit south. The chest in this up-and-down room contains a Blue Potion; get it if you wish. Exit at the bottom of the room to obtain the White Tabulas. Climb all the way back up, then proceed east. Climb the stairs you come to, then snag the Seed of Vitality in the box to the left. Proceed east again. Follow the stairs all the way down to another screen. Go west to the edge and north through the door to meet another form of the previous boss. Again, B11/H11/N11 for help. When you win, exit north, examine the gem, grab the Capla Water to the left, then save your game. Now is a good time to undergo Alma's Trial #4. ***ALMA'S TRIAL 4: CTRL-F [Alma4]*** Once you finish Alma's fourth trial, head south, down the stairs, up the stairs to the northeast, down the next stairs, and into the room you see. This is easily the coolest room in the game. Check out this swag: *80000 Emel*, the final Accessory Holder, and the Emelas Shield. Equip a new accessory, as well as your new shield, then continue south and west. Drop off the first ledge you see and examine the gem. Head south, then back up the stairs to where you started. Go in the door to the north and climb down another platform-based room. Again, the chest in this room contains a Blue Potion. When you reach the bottom, exit south and examine the gem, then return to the top of the shaft. Jump across the platform to the left and exit north. Again, the chest in this room contains a Blue Potion. Work your way down and exit south. Examine this gem. Work your way back up, fall off the ledge to the south to claim 10,000 more Emel, then work your way back up to the three raised platforms. Take them south and follow the only path you've got all the way to the last gem. Exit north and save your game. I recommend Emel-building to 200,000 here, if you don't have it already. This is the point of no return, and Olha will tell you as much. Don't go forward; we have things to do. Use Alma's Wing to escape once you have 200,000 Emel. Return to Rimorge. Your first stop is Leav's hut. She'll take 100,000 Emel to make you some Armor. Sweet deal, considering you got 90,000 for free in Kishgal. Equip it. With your other 100,000, either upgrade all your swords to 10 (Hard/Nightmare) or take a sword to max (Normal). Now leave, and give the pikkard to Emilio. If you wish to get the rest of the pikkards to receive a one-time-use accessory that will bring you back from KO, go to the end of the Ruins of Amnesia for one, the harbor past Orjugan for another, and the room where you found Blirante on Grana-Vallis Mountain for the last. If not, no big deal. You probably won't need it. Now, go to the bar. If you have all five Tabulas, talk to the bard at the table to the left. Have him read all five, and he'll give you the Winged God Emblem, which prevents all negative status effects. Next, return to the Limewater Cave, to where you fought Noodollon. If you've forgotten where that is, CTRL-F 'foggy area' to go back to that portion of the walkthrough. [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B12 for Normal, H12 for Hard, N12 for Nightmare] Once you win, open the chest to obtain the Emelas Guard. Use Alma's Wing to escape, unless you want to get the pikkard at the back of the dungeon. Save your game on the way out. From the entrance to Limewater Cave, go east, north, west, north to meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B13 for Normal, H13 for Hard, N13 for Nightmare] When you win, open the chest to obtain the Emelas Glove. Go back to the save point outside of Rimorge and save. Now is a good time to undergo Alma's Trial #5. ***ALMA'S TRIAL 5: CTRL-F [Alma5]*** Once you're finished, visit Leav and upgrade the swords of your choice, then return to the Rehdan Village. Blow all your money on Seeds of Vitality. On Normal, I had enough to buy nine; on Nightmare, one. Any will help. Now, we have one final piece of business to take care of - and this is entirely optional. If you got the Eldian Orb, you remember the little goldfish-looking enemy that stomped you repeatedly (unless you were incredibly lucky). If not, we're about to meet him. ***NOTE*** You have to be at least level 53 before you even THINK about taking this guy on... more like 55 if you really want to have a chance. You'll have to level up a lot in Kishgal if you want to fight this enemy. It may not be worth your time, but if you want to do it, go right ahead. ***FINAL OPTIONAL BOSS*** Go back to the Ruins of Amnesia, save, and equip the Rainbow Fragment. Return to the large room where you found the Accessory Holder: down the stairs, then east twice. Jump over the first hole in the standard path, then Dash Jump to the middle of the four pillars. Dash Jump to the formerly invisible platform in front of you, then jump to the exit. I recommend equipping the following accessories: Emelas Crown, Lucky Silver Coin, Emelas Guard, Eldian Orb (if you have it; if not, equip the Wooden Bracelet). Switch healing items to Capla Water. Walk north to face... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B17 for Normal, H17 for Hard, N17 for Nightmare] When you win, return to Kishgal and make your way to the bottom. ***END OPTIONAL SECTION*** If you don't want to bother with the final optional boss, don't want to level that much, or just don't care, we're done now. Head to Kishgal to finish the game. Make your way all the way back to the Wyvern Corridor to save and talk to Olha and tell her you're ready. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- J. The Ark of Napishtim -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch the scene, take the Seed of Power from the chest, then save. Go up the stairs to meet... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B14 for Normal, H14 for Hard, N14 for Nightmare] When you win, get on the same platform Geis did and continue north. Take the Capla Water from the next chest (if you can hold it), save your game, and exit north to confront... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B15 for Normal, H15 for Hard, N15 for Nightmare] Watch the scenes, then return to the previous screen to save. Finally, go back north one screen and take the new staircase to take on the final boss... [Boss Strategy: CTRL-F B16 for Normal, H16 for Hard, N16 for Nightmare] Once you've defeated the final boss, sit back and enjoy the ending. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Alma's Trials -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Added to the PS2 version of the game by Konami, Alma's Trials are more about little puzzles and extra combat than anything. They're nice for level and Emel building, but don't really add much to the game. Still, they're worth undertaking for the sheer amount of Emel you can rack up from the rewards. A. Alma's Trial #1 [Alma1] After Crevia does her little talk, head north. I suggest Livart for clearing out the flies. Exit north. In the next room, walk to the right, then platform jump from large pillar to large pillar until you can exit north again. I suggest Blirante for clearing out the next room. Exit north again to find a room full of plants. Beat the stuffing out of them, and a group of flies will show up. Beat the stuffing out of them to end the trial. Take the Emel reward. B. Alma's Trial #2 [Alma2] After Crevia does her little talk, head north. I suggest Blirante for clearing out this trail of flowers. Exit north. Go straight north, climb the pedestal, and get on the left platform. Go on the left platform again, then exit north. Again, Blirante works well for taking care of the flowers in this area; swordplants are the best idea given their attack radius. Exit north, climb to the left, and get on the blue platform. Follow the chain of blue platforms after that to get to the northern exit. (The chest is just an Herb.) I suggest Blirante again in the next room, and I also suggest going in and out of said room until you are at least level 26. This shouldn't take more than 4-5 clearings of the room. When you get to level 26, exit the room to the north to fight a Gaposdhala clone. The cheapest and easiest way to win is thus: go to the top-left or top-right corner and jump on a platform. Face the flame in the center. Charge an attack with Blirante, then just barely tap the stick to turn around midcharge. Your attack will hurt Gaposdhala without any chance of retaliation. Keep that up to win. If you don't want to be cheap like that, CTRL-F [B05] to find tips on how to fight Gaposdhala. A victory at level 26 should net you a level and a half straight out. Take the Emel bonus and leave. C. Alma's Trial #3 [Alma3] After Crevia does her little talk, head north. The slimes should be no problem at any point after this trial becomes available; kill them and advance. In the next room, quickly run forward and jump on the ledge to the left. Watch the waves. They'll alternate as follows: Wave -> short pause -> Wave -> long pause -> Wave -> short pause, etc. Learn the timing, then on the long pauses, advance forward. The safe platforms alternate from left to right and back. Once you get to the final platform on the right, Dash Jump forward for a Seed of Vitality. Exit north. This room's a bit confusing. First, fire off Ericcil's magic to clear the path. Walk right a bit, up, left, up, right as soon as you can, up (jump up when you run into a wall, you can continue), left, up, right as soon as you can, up (jump) and up to the exit. More slimes await here. They should be no problem. The boss of this trial is Noodollon. CTRL-F [B07] for tips if you like, but honestly, if you came here after you completed Limewater Cave, this should be no trouble at all. Go nuts with Livart and take him out. Take the Emel bonus and leave. D. Alma's Trial #4 [Alma4] After Crevia finishes her little talk, head north. The slimes should be a non-issue by now. Exit north. Get on the first platform you see in front of you, then get on the next one. Dash Jump from this one over the next one, to the third in line. Snag the Blue Potion from the chest if you need it, then get on the next two platforms in sequence and exit north. The rehashed enemies from the Limewater Cave should be a non-issue. Continue north. This room will be different if you have the Rainbow Fragment equipped or not. If you don't, take out your shadows by sword- plants and/or magic. If you do, jump over the lasers and take out their sources. Either way, at your level, it shouldn't be hard. Equip the Silence Bell and continue east. Walk straight east in this next room and climb the first stairs you see. Get on the platform, then dash jump west to get to the next platform. The chest contains another free blue potion. Get on the westmost platform, then the one it crashes into. From there, jump southeast to the final platform and exit south. Proceed south again, and take out yet another room full of Limewater Cave holdovers. Every last one of them can be lured to uselessness by standing on the southern platform in this stage. Extended fire attack can kill them at your leisure. Proceed west through the room of purple slimes, kill the mines in front of you, and get on the westmost platform. Exit west, kill yet another room of Limewater Cave holdovers, then exit west for the final time. The boss of this trial is Gaposasura. As in Alma's Trial 2, you can win easily by using extended fire attacks from the northwest/northeast platforms. If you don't feel like it, CTRL-F [B10], [H10], or [N10] for help. Take the Emel reward and return to the game. E. Alma's Trial #5 [Alma5] After Crevia finishes her talk and Adol shows his Shinji complex (I mustn't run away I mustn't run away... *ahem*), head north. Take out your clones / laser-shooters, and go west. Kill / jump over these enemies and exit west. Switch to Blirante and swordplant the platform in the center of this room. Equip the Silence Bell and go back to the lava room. Platform-jump your way north, then exit north twice. Switch to Livart and use its magic on the center platform. Take the Capla Water (if you can - in Nightmare, your inventory may be too full to take it) and return to the lava room. Follow the new platforms south and east, and exit east. Kill your way east, then switch to Ericcil and use its magic. Go back to the lava room, and platform jump your way north and east. The box contains a Seed of Defense; Dash Jump from the second-to-last platform to get it. Exit north, kill your way north, then exit north again. This room has two waves of more of the same random enemies. Kill them and exit north to meet the boss of Trial 5. It's Deadollon. This time, though, you don't need a big strategy. Just equip either the Runed Earring or the Winged God Emblem, switch to Ericcil, and repeatedly use its magic while hugging the south wall of the screen. His attacks can't hit you. You win. Take the Emel reward for the final time and return to the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Optional Sidequests not covered in the walkthrough -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section contains the various sidequests in the game not covered in the walkthrough. [sq1] Sidequest: Deliver a letter for Quval. Reward: Seed of Power (+1 STR) Note: This quest is unavailable after the completion of Grana-Vallis Mountain. Go back to the Rehdan side of the Mythos Path, and return to the draw- bridge. Talk to Quval. He'll give you a letter to take back to Rimorge. Do so. Its destination is the furthest-right house on the top level. Give it to Baslam, then return to Quval, who gives you your reward. Go ahead and use it, then return to Rimorge. [sq2] Sidequest: Defeat the enemies by the Rimorge side of the bridge. Reward: Lloyd's Glove (increased Gold from defeated enemies) Note: This quest is unavailable after the completion of the Ruins of Amnesia. Talk to Xaxon, outside the north exit of Rimorge. He'll tell you about a group of monsters blocking work on the bridge. Exit west and go to it. The enemies are different based on the difficulty level. Normal: Just a group of flower-type enemies that attack by whipping vines around. Swordplant them. Hard: The same group of flower-type enemies, with one Gaposdhala backing them up. Utilize either the extended wind attack or the extended fire attack to keep them at bay. Nightmare: The same group of flower-type enemies, with two Gaposdhalas backing them up. Now you're in trouble. I recommend coming in with fire and wind magic fully charged to take out the random enemies. After that, it's a simple matter to lure the Gaposdhalas into attacking by standing still briefly, then quickly walking away, turning around, and firing an extended fire attack. The Gaposdhalas in these fights are unable to summon support, and are thus significantly easier to kill than their miniboss counterpart. Once you kill everything, talk to Xaxon, then go back to Baslam's Mansion and talk to Lloyd for your reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Cheat Codes -------------------------------------------------------------------------- To enter cheat codes, you must go to "New Game" from the main menu, then "Cheat". Adol will be in a room from Alma's Trials, with three colored gems around a central platform. Strike the gems to input codes. Once you finish inputting a code, swordplant the platform. All cheat codes were taken from the Ys: The Ark of Napishtim official site: http://www.konami.com/gs/ys/official/cheats/index.html Please note that section C of this portion contains SPOILERS for the game's plot. You will be warned again. Read at your own risk. A. Master Cheat Code This code must be input before any of the other codes are input: Red, Blue, Yellow, Red, Blue, Yellow. B. Gameplay-based Codes 1. Begin at Level 10 Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Blue 2. Begin at Level 20 Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue 3. Begin at Level 30 Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue 4. Begin at Level 40 Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow 5. Begin at Level 50 Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow 6. Begin at Level 60 Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow 7. Raise Max Item quantity from 9 to 20 Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Red 8. Raise Max Item quantity from 9 to 50 Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Red 9. Begin with maximum level Livart Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow 10. Begin with maximum level Blirante Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow 11. Begin with maximum level Ericcil Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Yellow 12. Begin with all three swords at maximum level Blue, Yellow, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Yellow, Red 13. All buyable items 1/2 price Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Blue 14. All buyable items cost 1 gold Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue 15. Replace English voices with Japanese voices Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Red, Blue 16. Unlock Time Attack Mode without clearing the game Red, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red ************GUIDE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD*************** From this point on, the guide contains heavy spoilers for the game's plot. You have been warned. ************GUIDE CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORWARD*************** C. Movie Player Codes These codes allow you to watch any videos from the game. Please note that this portion of the guide contains SPOILERS. Read at your own risk. 1. Intro Movie (CG) - Japanese voices, English subtitles Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Red 2. Beach Movie (CG) - Japanese voices, English subtitles Blue, Red, Red, Yellow 3. Beach Movie (CG) - English voices Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow 4. Beach Movie (CG) - English voices, Japanese subtitles Blue, Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow 5. Beach Movie (CG) - Japanese voices, Japanese subtitles Blue, Red, Yellow 6. Romun Fleet's Appearance (CG) Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Blue 7. Romun Fleet's Appearance (Anime) Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Blue 8. Prologue Movie (CG) - English voices Blue, Blue, Yellow, Red 9. Prologue Movie (CG) - Japanese voices, English subtitles Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Red 10. Prologue Movie (CG) - English voices, Japanese subtitles Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Red 11. Prologue Movie (CG) - Japanese voices, Japanese subtitles Blue, Yellow, Red 12. Romun Fleet's Destruction (CG) Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Red 13. Romun Fleet's Destruction (Anime) Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Red 14. Napishtim's Destruction (CG) Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Yellow 15. Napishtim's Destruction (CG) - Japanese voices, English subs Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow 16. Napishtim's Destruction (CG) - English voices, Japanese subs Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow 17. Napishtim's Destruction (CG) - Japanese voices, Japanese subs Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow 18. Napishtim's Destruction (Anime) - English voices Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red 19. Napishtim's Destruction (Anime) - Japanese voices, English subs Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Red, Red 20. Napishtim's Destruction (Anime) - English voices, Japanese subs Blue, Blue, Red, yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Red, Red, Red 21. Napishtim's Destruction (Anime) - Japanese voices, Japanese sub Blue, Blue, Red, Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Red 22. Ending - English voices Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow 23. Ending - Japanese voices, English subtitles Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Yellow 24. Ending - English voices, Japanese subtitles Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Blue, Yellow 25. Ending - Japanese voices, Japanese subtitles Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Time Attack / Boss Strategies -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***THIS SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS*** Time Attack is a method of play that involves killing bosses as quickly as possible. You may have seen this feature in GBA Castlevanias, among other recent games. The three difficulties from the regular game are repeated here. By finishing a full time attack run, you can see extra scenes on the beach with Olha, in progressively skimpier outfits with higher difficulties. Once you've defeated Majunun, there will be a ripple in either the top left or top right corner of the room. Enter it to see the extra scene. The bosses you face, in order, are (CTRL-F anything in [] to skip): Demi-Galba ([B01] for Normal, [H01] for Hard, [N01] for Nightmare) Geis ([B02] for Normal, [H02] for Hard, [N02] for Nightmare) Zonplas ([B03] for Normal, [H03] for Hard, [N03] for Nightmare) Ud-Meiyu ([B04] for Normal, [H04] for Hard, [N04] for Nightmare) Gaposdhala ([B05] for Normal, [H05] for Hard, [N05] for Nightmare) Piana-Pius ([B06] for Normal, [H06] for Hard, [N06] for Nightmare) Noodollon ([B07] for Normal, [H07] for Hard, [N07] for Nightmare) Orjugan ([B08] for Normal, [H08] for Hard, [N08] for Nightmare) Lanaluna ([B09] for Normal, [H09] for Hard, [N09] for Nightmare) Gaposasura ([B10] for Normal, [H10] for Hard, [N10] for Nightmare) Kishcarin ([B11] for Normal, [H11] for Hard, [N11] for Nightmare) Deadollon ([B12] for Normal, [H12] for Hard, [N12] for Nightmare) Piana-Pullus ([B13] for Normal, [H13] for Hard, [N13] for Nightmare) Galba-Roa ([B14] for Normal, [H14] for Hard, [N14] for Nightmare) Ernst ([B15] for Normal, [H15] for Hard, [N15] for Nightmare) Napishtim ([B16] for Normal, [H16] for Hard, [N16] for Nightmare) Majunun ([B17] for Normal, [H17] for Hard, [N17] for Nightmare) As these bosses are exactly the same as the ones you fight in-game, this section will double as the boss strategy section. Adol will be at the same level with the same equipment and healing items in each difficulty level of time attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Normal -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B01] - Demi-Galba (HP 200) Suggested Minimum Level: 4 Main Game: If you followed my walkthrough, you'll be at level 5, which is more than sufficient. When it uses its fire breath, move away from it. When it swings a claw, run away from it or jump over it. When it's not attacking, do a jumping slash for 13 damage a shot. With luck and a little skill, you'll stomp the sucker into the ground. Time Attack: Same thing, only your Adol is at level 6, thus making it even easier. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B02] - Geis (HP 141) Suggested Minimum Level: 7 Main Game: If you followed my walkthrough, you'll be at level 8. The most effective move to hit him with is the Dash Slash, but it's not worth the trouble. Just attack him. Heal if you absolutely have to; keep in mind that if you win (or lose - losing won't get you a game over), you're healed to full anyway. Time Attack: Same thing, only your Adol is at level 9, thus making it even easier. Criticals and Geis not blocking are needed for a low time; criticals from a Dash Slash have been known to give times of under 3 seconds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B03] - Zonplas (HP 800) - The Feather of Avarice Suggested Minimum Level: 19 Main Game: If you followed my walkthrough, you'll be around level 20 with a level 4 or 5 Livart. The only way to damage Zonplas is with a Jump Slash. When he's in range, do so repeatedly. Zonplas has three attacks: 1) Zonplas draws one of its claws back, then stabs the ground directly below. Rocks fly from the point of impact in all directions. Both the stab and the rocks can damage you. Get away ASAP when you see him draw his arm backward. 2) Zonplas retreats to a corner and sprays pink pollen onto the platform. Simply retreat to the opposite corner and you won't be hurt. 3) Zonplas fires eggs onto the platform, which, after a short time, will hatch into the firefly enemies from the previous area. You can easily knock these eggs off the platform with Livart's fourth combo attack. Dodge enough attacks and you should be fine. Time Attack: Adol is at level 21 with three Herbs, which is complete overkill for healing. The biggest key in fighting Zonplas in Time Attack (aside from total luck, as his attack "pattern" doesn't exist) is this - Between 400 and 600 HP, Zonplas almost always retreats to a corner in which you cannot hit him. If necessary, stop attacking him around 620 HP until he starts another downward stab or shoots eggs, then pummel him until he's below 400. That should help keep your time down. Don't bother dodging ANYTHING; your healing is more than sufficient. Just jump slash him over and over. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B04] - Ud-Meiyu (800 HP) - The Guardian of Cradles Suggested Minimum Level: 23 Main Game: If you followed the walkthrough, you could be anywhere from 23 to 26. The basic strategy remains the same. At the beginning, move away and jump over the shockwave. After this, Ud-Meiyu has two attacks. 1) Ud-Meiyu crouches, then jumps. He will land in a couple of seconds, roughly where you were standing when he jumped. Move out of the way and jump over the shockwave he creates. 2) Ud-Meiyu extends his legs and spins toward you. Run away to avoid damage. The easiest way to kill Ud-Meiyu is to use the extended fire attack. Makes no sense, since he's a fire boss, but whatever. If you're over level 25, this really shouldn't be much of a problem, so long as you get the jump timing down. Time Attack: Adol is at level 26. Switch to Blirante and jump over the shockwave caused by Ud-Meiyu's falling. Use the extended fire attacks from Blirante to pummel him. If he jumps, move and jump over the shockwave, then continue attacking. If he uses the spin attack, STAY NEAR HIM and continue using the charged attack. If you time the charged attack properly, you can continue to attack even if you're hit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B05] - Gaposdhala (1816 HP) Suggested Minimum Level: 26-27 Main Game: If you've been following the walkthrough, you're probably around level 27-28. Just pummel him with extended fire attacks. Or, alternately, a cheap way to beat him is to have Ericcil leveled to 7, and use its magic attack just outside of Gaposdhala's range repeatedly. To do this, walk up to the \-shaped corner of the isthmus just below him, use the magic, then walk away to let it recharge. Takes a while, but it's safe. If you're not quite that high level, here's how to avoid his attacks. Stand still. When he stops and opens his mouth, walk out of range, then charge an extended fire attack in his direction. Repeat as necessary. Time Attack: Adol is at level 29. Stay with Blirante and use the charged attack. Don't worry about taking damage from Gaposdhala's attack; you'll kill it before it kills you. If you're doing a full TA run, switch to Livart (R1) or Ericcil (L1) just before you kill it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B06] - Piana-Pius (HP 723) Suggested Minimum Level: 32 Main Game: If you followed the walkthrough, Adol is at level 32 with all three swords charged up. Unleash the fury of all your magic and he should die. If not, swap to Livart, try to jump over the missile of doom, and kill off the bees. The quicker you kill the bees, the quicker he comes back down for more. Kill him to gain a level. Time Attack: Healing Item is upgraded to Wild Fowl Meat. Adol is at level 34. There are two distinct strategies for Piana-Pius; it depends on which sword you're using. Both require luck, as Piana-Pius's movements are random. *** If you switched to Livart: It's entirely possible to kill it in one pass with an extended combo and a regular combo if you get a couple of criticals. It's not EASY, but it's possible. Hit it as much as possible, and try to get an extended wind attack off. *** If you switched to Ericcil: Start pounding Square as soon as the battle starts, and try to follow it with the extended lightning attack. If the dash connects with multiple hits, its HP will drop like a rock. In either case, if it survives the first pass, it will summon lots of little bees as support. Kill them all to get him to come back, then finish the job. If you can get him dead in two passes, that'll be fine for getting a good time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B07] - Noodollon (HP 1610) Suggested Minimum Level: 37 Main Game: As long as you have at least one sword at level 8 or greater, this battle is cake. The easiest way to kill Noodollon is to circle his room, let your magic charge, then use the magic. Repeat as necessary. The extended wind attack is your best option if you go toe-to-toe with him, but be warned: you'll definitely want to have the Runed Earring equipped. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a good run of attacks, then getting confused. If you don't want to do either of these strategies, you can also utilize the extended fire attack from the ledge just to Noodollon's left. I again suggest the Runed Earring if you want to try this. Face away from Noodollon as you start the attack, then turn to face him just before the attack goes off. This will help you stay on the ledge and avoid falling down to get knocked around by his support. Another way to handle him is to combine the previous strategies. Equip Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Noodollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. Time Attack: Adol is at level 39. Switch to Livart if you weren't using it already, go straight downward, and pound him into the ground with the extended wind attack. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B08] - Orjugan (HP 1200) - Roaring in the Abyss Suggested Minimum Level: 38 Main Game: Orjugan has five attacks, three of which come from his arms, and two of which come from his face. First, the attacks that come from his face are as follows: 1) Small missiles appear in a half-circle around Orjugan's head. They are fired at Adol in the order they appear. If they appear in a line, they'll be fired one at a time. If they appear two at a time, they'll be fired two at a time. If they all appear at once, they'll all fire at the same time. Hit these missiles back at Orjugan to damage him. 2) Orjugan's mouth opens and he fires a giant purple laser. I don't think you need to be told to get out of the way. The key to killing Orjugan is the flame magic. The key to acquiring the flame magic is not to run around and wait for your sword to recharge. Instead, you can attack his arms; they're weak at the wrists. When you kill an arm, you get an instant, full recharge of your current magic meter. Use Blirante; its attack power is the greatest and its magic is basically the only useful attack in this fight. The arms will not attack you until you damage the face. Here are the attacks the arms can perform: 1) Orjugan swipes at Adol with one arm. You'll hear a loud WHOOSH as he winds his arm to perform this attack. Move toward Orjugan and jump over the arm portion rather than trying to jump over the hand. ***The following two attacks can only take place if both of his arms are intact*** 2) Orjugan clasps both hands together and smashes the ground directly in front of his face. Rocks come falling from the ceiling afterward. First, when you see the arms raise, GET AWAY. Then, after the rocks start falling, look at the shadows they leave on the ground to avoid them. 3) Orjugan raises his arms and slaps the ground, causing rocks to fall. The arms alternate impact with the ground. If Orjugan is using his laser, either get to the top-left or top-right corner of your walkable area and hide until the attack passes. If not, stay in the back-middle of your walkable area until the attack passes. Keep killing his hands and using your flame magic until he dies. Time Attack: Adol is at level 40. Switch to Blirante. The key to offing Orjugan in a low time is knowledge. His arms are weak at their wrists. Attack them with a jumping slash. Ten normal hits from a jumping slash will temporarily disable them - AND give your magic charge a boost to 100% instantly. Disable the arm to Adol's right, then wound the arm to Adol's left (say, with 6-8 hits), all while dodging whatever he spawns to shoot at you. (The arms will stay in their neutral positions as long as you don't damge the face.) Then, run directly in front of Orjugan's face and use the fire magic in his direction. It helps if you can hit his missiles with the fire magic; they'll reflect and do extra damage to him. Hurry and disable the other arm, and use another fire magic. Now the arms are active. They have three attacks, all of which are listed above. Dodge accordingly, and work on disabling them again and again. Finish him off by reflecting missiles with Livart if his HP is under 100. Additionally, if you ever see him spawn all eight missiles at the exact same time, stop, switch to Livart, and hit them all back at him at once if you can. One volley like that can really help. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B09] - Lanaluna (HP 2000) - Giant Toad from Deep Afroca Suggested Minimum Level: 39 Main Game: Swap to either Ericcil or Blirante. Ericcil: Get between Lanaluna's legs and use the extended lightning attack to take her down quickly. Hold L2 to prevent too much slippage. Blirante: Pound her with extended fire attacks. Just avoid her tongue slaps; if you're close enough to her, you won't have to worry about taking much damage. Heal when necessary. It's not too hard of a boss if you've been upgrading your weapons. Time Attack: Healing Item is upgraded to Blue Potions. Adol is at level 41. Switch to Ericcil, get between Lanaluna's legs, and use the extended lightning attack. Two things really help it connect: holding down L2 to walk, and changing direction *just* before the attack comes out to prevent Adol from slipping really far away. By changing direction, his forward momentum is essentially killed, which is essential on this largely frictionless map. If Lanaluna rolls up into a ball, you can still theoretically connect with the extended lightning attack. If you don't feel confident in said attack, use the extended fire attack to hit it from afar instead. I would highly recommend using the extended fire attack in this case if Lanaluna is at or below 100 HP, as a couple charged shots would take her out. This one is largely dependent on luck and positioning. Getting three hits per lightning stab is absolutely critical, as that's 210 potential damage. It's doable in under 30 seconds, but a more conservative time estimate is between 45 and 50. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B10] - Gaposasura (HP 2442) Suggested Minimum Level: 41 Main Game: Just pummel him with extended fire attacks. Or, alternately, a cheap way to beat him is to have Ericcil leveled to 7, and use its magic attack just outside of Gaposdhala's range repeatedly. To do this, walk up to the \-shaped corner of the isthmus just below him, use the magic, then walk away to let it recharge. Takes a while, but it's safe. If you're not quite that high level, here's how to avoid his attacks. Stand still. When he stops and opens his mouth, walk out of range, then charge an extended fire attack in his direction. Repeat as necessary. Time Attack: Adol is at level 43. Just as you did with Gaposdhala, switch to Blirante and use its charged attack. However, it is essential that you ONLY heal when your HP is in the 20s. Gaposasura does heavy damage with each attack, and you may need to use all three Blue Potions. If you only heal when your HP is in the 20s, you'll be fine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B11] - Kishcarin (HP 2508) Suggested Minimum Level: 41-42 Main Game: Use Blirante, jump from side to side, and swordplant him. Kishcarin is easily the least notable boss of the game in Normal. Time Attack: Adol is still at level 43. Use a charged fire attack to (hopefully) kill one of Kishcarin's support as well as do some damage. If Kishcarin isn't blocking, continue using extended fire attacks. If he blocks, swordplant him. That's all there is to it; he's quite probably the easiest boss in Time Attack mode. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B12] - Deadollon (HP 1773) Suggested Minimum Level: 42 Main Game: The easiest way to kill Deadollon is to circle his room, let your magic charge, then use the magic. Repeat as necessary. The extended wind attack is your best option if you go toe-to-toe with him, but be warned: you'll definitely want to have the Winged God Emblem equipped. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a good run of attacks, then getting confused. If you don't want to do either of these strategies, you can also utilize the extended fire attack from the ledge just to Deadollon's left. I again suggest the Runed Earring if you want to try this. Face away from him as you start the attack, then turn to face him just before the attack goes off. This will help you stay on the ledge and avoid falling down to get knocked around by his support. Another way to handle him is to combine the previous strategies. Equip Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Deadollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. Time Attack: Adol is at level 44 and gains the Emelas equipment. Switch to Livart and pummel him with the extended wind attack. Hopefully you don't get confused. Switch to Ericcil when you see Deadollon's HP coming close to 0, and try to strike the final blow with it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B13] - Piana-Pullus (HP 952) Suggested Minimum Level: 47 Main Game: By this point, you should have a sword maxed. Fry him with it. Other than that, it's the same fight as Piana-Pius. Time Attack: Adol is at level 49. Exactly like Piana-Pius. Hit Piana-Pullus as much as you can with stabs and extended lightning attacks before it flies upward. Kill its support as quickly as you can, then use the lightning magic. That should do the job; if it doesn't, stab some more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B14] - Galba-Roa (HP 2000, then 1000) - The Original Galbalan Suggested Minimum Level: 47-48 with at least one sword maxed Main Game: Run forward and use extended fire attacks between his legs. If he jumps, follow him and keep at it. The Winged God Amulet makes this battle a cinch, even if he uses his best attack. When he falls, use whichever sword you have maxed - unless it's Ericcil - and pound his head. Jump over his shockwaves, and dodge his claw swipes. Time Attack: Adol is at level 49. Switch to Blirante and charge forward. Hopefully he stays on the ground. When your face is in his belly, start letting loose with extended fire attacks, over and over. If he jumps, follow him and keep doing extended fire attacks. If your magic gauge fills, good, but don't use it yet. Once his HP runs out, he'll fall to the ground. Use an extended fire attack on his head, then use your fire magic if you built it up on form 1. After that, dodge his claws, jump his shockwaves, and use jumping slashes on his head. For the final blow, switch to whichever weapon you feel most comfortable with for the next battle; best times don't vary much, so it's all in your style. I personally prefer Livart, as it allows for an easier transition to the sixteenth boss. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B15] - Ernst (HP 2738) Suggested Minimum Level: 48-49 with at least one sword maxed Main Game: Ernst has more variations on his attacks than any boss yet. His basic sword slash is hard to dodge; if you can see it coming, more power to you. I usually can't. He has a lightning stab similar to the extended lightning attack; jump over it or get out of the way if you can. The two biggest attacks to worry about are as follows: - Ernst pauses in midair and raises his sword to the sky, then purple circles appear around him. Run away. - Ernst holds his sword in front of him and fires multiple projectiles at Adol. Jump over them. Whatever you do, don't get caught in them, unless you're really overleveled. The other problem with this battle is the fairies. Each of them has their own attack. Xisa: She fires a ball of light that homes in on Ernst. If it hits him, it heals 100 HP. If you run in front of it, it'll heal you for 10. Not particularly fair, but them's the breaks, I guess. Sera: She fires lightning at you. It tends to not hit you if you keep running. Jue: She fires an extended fire attack at you. Run away from it if you see it coming. The three of them together also have an attack that paralyzes you. I recommend taking one of them out. Using Ericcil's magic at the start of the fight tends to KO Xisa. Alternately, you can use Blirante's magic to KO Xisa, or Livart's to KO Jue quickly. If one is dead, they obviously can't do their team-up. As for how to attack him, it's largely up to personal preference. Whichever sword you maxed out should be your primary instrument of death. With whichever sword, utilize its extended attack to wear Ernst down and ultimately take him out. Time Attack: Adol is at level 50. Use whichever sword you're most comfortable with. In any case, use its extended attack, and use its magic when you fill the gauge. I personally prefer the extended wind attack, as it really racks up the punishment when Ernst does his move where he stands still and charges, but the other two swords are fairly effective as well. In Time Attack mode, all three are at equal level, thus are roughly evenly effective. In any case, there's not much worry of death unless you get caught in his multiple-projectile attack. If you see that coming, jump. Otherwise, just go nuts and kill him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B16] - The Ark of Napishtim (HP 1000/1000/1000, then 5000) Suggested Minimum Level: 49-50 with at least one sword maxed Main Game: Pound each gem with its respective sword. Napishtim then begins its full assault. It operates in the following pattern: 1) Napishtim raises from the ground. Its eye will be at a level Adol can hit with jumping slashes. For a moment, it fires purple lasers that will damage Adol if he's in the trench, but he'll be safe if he stands on the ledge the gems were on. 2) When the purple lasers finish firing, the main eye will fire a large laser beam. Get down in the trench to avoid it. 3) Napishtim raises further, its eye out of reach, and fires purple lasers affecting the upper ledge. Stay in the trench to avoid them. 4) Napishtim lowers its eye to trench-level and fires a large laser. In this phase, it can rotate either direction or stay still. After this first cycle, Napishtim summons support gems that will fire purple orbs and beams at you. Unleash Ericcil's magic at the beginning of the fight with the second form, then Livart's magic during part 2 of the pattern, then Blirante's magic during part 4. Pummel its eye with extended fire attacks when it's in range. If this combination doesn't kill it, let Ericcil's magic recharge first, and fire it off when he summons support. Time Attack: Adol is at level 51. Switch to Livart if you weren't using it already. Go nuts on the first gem; an extended combo and two regular combos should do the trick. Switch to Ericcil (R1) and run to the right. Intentionally hit the lasers to build up your magic gauge. When the yellow gem is just out of range, start stabbing, and follow it with an extended lightning attack. Go nuts on it after that, hopefully landing another extended attack to kill it. If your magic gauge is full, good. If not, run into lasers a little more. Swap to Blirante before the red gem gets to you, and time an extended fire attack to hit it as it comes in. With luck, this will cause the gem to stop and turn around. Unload with more extended fire attacks to kill it. If this one takes two passes, no big deal; it'll only cost you 3-4 seconds in the end. Welcome to form two. IMMEDIATELY switch to Ericcil and use its magic. If your magic gauge wasn't quite full, switch, jump into the trench, then use it ASAP. This will take at least 1100 HP off immediately. Switch to Blirante and use Jump Slashes to damage the eye as it uses its laser. You can position yourself to its side so that the laser doesn't hit you while you damage it. Wait while the second net of purple lightning comes out, then when the eye comes down, pound it with the fire magic and extended fire attacks. with a little luck, it'll die in one pass. If not, switch to Livart as the first net of purple lightning comes out in its second pass, and finish it off with Livart's magic. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [B17] - Majunun (HP 7610) Suggested Minimum Level: 52-53 with all swords maxed Main Game: The best way to fight him if you're significantly below level 60 is to play keep-away. Majunun has three attacks: 1) Majunun spins around in a circle, firing numerous white projectiles. If you're far enough away from him when he does this move, it's simple to either find an open space or jump over these projectiles, as they travel in a straight line. 2) Majunun stops and fires multiple small orange projectiles. These are much more difficult to dodge than the white fireballs, as these projectiles do not fly in a straight line. Keep running in a circle to escape from these projectiles. 3) Majunun summons a large creature that appears above him and sends nine shockwaves out from his center. If you're far enough away, none will hit you. If you can avoid his attacks for a reasonable amount of time, you'll build up your magic gauge without having to do much. Use either Blirante or Ericcil; I prefer Ericcil, as it's auto-target and he's the only target. Keep him at a distance and wail on him with magic after magic to take him down. Coming in to get the Eldian Orb early in the game makes this battle much easier. Time Attack: Adol is at level 60 with all swords at max level. Healing Item is upgraded to Capla Water. Switch to Ericcil and go nuts on it. As soon as you fill your magic gauge, use it, then use a Capla Water, and use the magic again. Then swap to Blirante and use its magic. You can also use Livart's magic, but it's a bit slow and doesn't do much damage compared to the time it takes. For speedier times, repeat this Ericcil attacks --> Ericcil magic --> Capla Water --> Ericcil Magic -> Blirante Magic pattern. If it gets below 1000 HP after two combos, just use your last Capla Water and fry it with magic. Majunun's only real attack of note in this format is its summoning of a large creature that creates shockwaves in all directions. Run away from this; the rest are easily jumped over or ignorable with this max level Adol. Congratulations! There will be a ripple in either the top-left or top-right corner of the screen. Enter it to meet Olha on the beach. Hopefully you set a new record! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Time Attack records in Normal difficulty are as follows: Demi-Galba 09.60 Geis 05.08 Zonplas 17.53 Ud-Meiyu 14.15 Gaposdhala 12.21 Piana-Pius 13.10 Noodollon 11.70 Orjugan 56.33 Lanaluna 28.66 Gaposasura 33.75 Kishcarin 10.71 Deadollon 30.48 Piana-Pullus 16.23 Galba-Roa 29.01 Ernst 20.98 Napishtim 42.63 Majunun 23.98 Boss Rush: 08:12.48 I still have pretty lousy times on a couple bosses. Still haven't managed to kill Piana-Pius in one pass, for example. But I'm reasonably happy with my total. I'm sure I could get it sub-8, but with the contest overwith, I'm not particularly motivated to do so as of now. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Hard -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H01] - Demi-Galba (HP 340) Suggested Minimum Level: 5 Pretty well the same as Normal with one extra attack. This time, Demi- Galba's fire breath roughly follows you. To dodge it, get as far away as possible, preferably the the left side of the screen. Run right along the bottom edge of the screen until you get to the staircase and run up it. This should keep you relatively safe. Otherwise, do the same thing as Normal; jump over his claw attacks and jump slash him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H02] - Geis (HP 239) Suggested Minimum Level: 8 Main Game: Time Attack: Same as Normal. He'll do more damage, but just keep attacking and he'll go down. The Dash Slash is the most effective attack to use if you can get it to connect, but just regular attacks should work fine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H03] - Zonplas (HP 1360) Suggested Minimum Level: 21 Zonplas's stab attack sends more rocks out than in Normal. In addition, he can summon twice as much support as in Normal. Don't focus too much on killing him quickly; take the time to knock away some of the eggs when he summons them. Again, Livart's fourth attack does wonders for knocking away the eggs. Jump Slashes are still the only way to effectively damage him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H04] - Ud-Meiyu (HP 1360) Suggested Minimum Level: 25 Ud-Meiyu now has support in the form of four of the purple laser- shooting pylons from his dungeon; one in each of the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast corners. I suggest going to one of those corners and swordplanting one of them with Blirante, then staying around that corner to avoid getting knocked out of attacks. Again, the extended fire attack is the way to go to damage him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H05] - Gaposdhala (HP 3087) Suggested Minimum Level: 28 Pretty well the same as Normal, except he can summon twice the support. As with Zonplas, it might be a good idea to knock out some of his eggs before they hatch - if they're in the middle of the plain, anyway. If they're along an edge, just keep up the pattern of stop --> lure an attack --> run a few steps --> extended fire attack, and he'll go down in under a minute. Don't forget to switch to Livart or Ericcil before he dies in Time Attack to help against Piana-Pius. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H06] - Piana-Pius (HP 1063) Suggested Minimum Level: 33 with all swords fully charged Not only are Piana-Pius's support bees harder to kill now, but they can be color-coded. This throws a monkey wrench into the plan of using either Livart or Ericcil to build up magic. It's simpler to just jump over the missiles and bees until he comes back down, then continue wailing on him with your chosen sword. It's simplest to come in with all three swords fully charged and fry him with magic. In Time Attack, it's the same as Normal; use the extended wind attack or extended lightning attack to pound him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H07] - Noodollon (HP 2737) Suggested Minimum Level: 38 His support does more damage, but he's not much of a worry. Either use the extended wind attack to pummel him, or use the extended fire attack from the ledge to his left. To utilize the extended fire attack well, face away from Noodollon initially, then tap in his direction just before the attack finishes. Another way to handle him is as follows: Equip Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Noodollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H08] - Orjugan (HP 1500) Suggested Minimum Level: 39 Exactly the same as Normal, just with more HP. It's simply more imperative to dodge his projectiles and the laser. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H09] - Lanaluna (HP 2500) Suggested Minimum Level: 40 When Lanaluna does her slime-spitting attack, double the number of pools of slime appear. Try to stay away from them. Other than that, it's pretty much the same fight as Normal. Ericcil and extended lightning attacks will take her down. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H10] - Gaposasura (HP 3639) Suggested Minimum Level: 42 Pretty well the same as Normal, except he can summon twice the support. As with Zonplas, it might be a good idea to knock out some of his eggs before they hatch - if they're in the middle of the plain, anyway. If they're along an edge, just keep up the pattern of stop --> lure an attack --> run a few steps --> extended fire attack, and he'll go down in under a minute. (If that sounds the same as Gaposdhala, you're right. They *are* the same fight. Pretty much, anyway.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H11] - Kishcarin (HP 4267) Suggested Minimum Level: 43 His support can no longer be killed. Walk up on one side of him, then jump toward his other side and swordplant. Repeat. He should go down easily. I suggest Blirante simply because its power is greater, but if it's underlevel, go ahead and use something else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H12] - Deadollon (HP 3180) Suggested Minimum Level: 44 In-game, the safest way to handle him is as follows: Equip Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Noodollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. In Time Attack, his support does more damage, but he's not much of a worry. Either use the extended wind attack to pummel him, or use the extended fire attack from the ledge to his left. To utilize the extended fire attack well, face away from Deadollon initially, then tap in his direction just before the attack finishes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H13] - Piana-Pullus (HP 1400) Suggested Minimum Level: 48 with all three swords fully charged Main Game: Unload on him with lightning magic and either fire or wind magic, whichever is more convenient. Dodge while his support flies about, then hit him with your remaining magic and finish him off with either Ericcil or Livart. Time Attack: Use Ericcil. Stab him and hit him with the extended lightning attack as much as possible, then go nuts stabbing his support, even if you can't kill them with Ericcil. That and taking hits from them intentionally - you should be able to handle it - will help build up your magic quickly. Nail him with lightning magic as much as you can. Two lightning magics, along with a few stabs, should do the trick. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H14] - Galba-Roa (HP 4000 / 2000) Suggested Minimum Level: 50 Run between his legs and use the extended fire attack. Look out, though. His new variation is a shockwave that comes out each time he jumps. Make sure to jump over it, or it'll give him time to use his poison/curse/confuse ability, and if that hits, you're pretty much done. Stay as close as you can to avoid this, and use your fire super as you get it. You'll get plenty of chances. In-game, equip the Winged God Emblem for assistance. His second form is the same as before. Swordplant it immediately if you can, then do Jump Slashes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H15] - Ernst (HP 3504) Suggested Minimum Level: 50-51 Put more emphasis on avoiding Jue's attacks, as well as jumping over his projectiles. Use whichever sword you feel most comfortable with; I've had more luck with extended fire attacks than anything else. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H16] - Napishtim (HP 1500/1500/1500, then 6250) Suggested Minimum Level: 50-51 Napishtim now has three color-coded flamethrowers guarding the three gems. The first one to your right can be killed with Livart; the first one to the left, Ericcil; the second from either direction, Blirante. I suggest taking them out. Use your extended elemental attacks on the gems, as before. However, this time, take extra care to avoid the yellow laser as it tracks up and down. Try to make sure you evenly distribute your MP restoration; you'll need all three magics to take down Napishtim quickly. If you took out the flamethrowers, your built-up magic from Ericcil will take off at least 1100-1200 HP from Napishtim immediately. Get to the laser and immediately use the Wind magic. Jump and hit him a couple times with Blirante, then use the Fire magic as it comes down and pummel it with extended fire attacks. It's doubtful that you'll kill it in one pass; on the second, hit it with Blirante as much as you can, or build up your wind magic in the channel with the lasers, if you have the healing to keep up with it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [H17] - Majunun (HP 8341) Suggested Minimum Level: 53-54 with all swords maxed STAY AWAY FROM HIM. The further you are away from Majunun, the easier it is to dodge his projectiles along with his new attacks. These attacks are as follows: 1) Majunun pauses and flickers with light. In a couple of seconds, he fires a spread of five lasers directly at Adol. When he pauses to do this attack, wait about two seconds, then jump to avoid the lasers. 2) Majunun flies up out of reach and drops a trail of fire along the ground. As soon as you see him fly up, start running. If he only uses the attack once, you'll be fine. Be careful, though, as he likes to use this attack multiple times consecutively. Keep running until you see him performing a different attack, then fall back into your normal pattern. DO NOT try to jump the flames; you'll more than likely collide with him in midair and end up landing on more flames, compounding your troubles. Time Attack: I recommend sticking with Ericcil. Wait until its magic is charged, use it, then if you're really low on health, use a Capla Water, and immediately use all three magics, then go back to Ericcil and keep running away. Hopefully you can get 1-2 magics from Ericcil for each Capla Water. If you can, it'll be a cinch to take him down, though not especially quickly. In Hard, though, it's more important just to stay alive at the end of Time Attack, and in the main game, it doesn't matter how quickly you win. :P -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Time Attack records in Hard difficulty are as follows: Demi-Galba 30.53 Geis 10.71 Zonplas 49.75 Ud-Meiyu 36.76 Gaposdhala 32.20 Piana-Pius 31.45 Noodollon 24.08 Orjugan 1:13.23 Lanaluna 1:38.88 Gaposasura 55.68 Kishcarin 25.63 Deadollon 1:01.71 Piana-Pullus 39.35 Galba-Roa 1:11.03 Ernst 30.90 Napishtim 1:47.78 Majunun 46.01 Boss Rush: 19:28.13 I haven't worked with Hard very much, but as I currently have the lowest US total on the rankings site by a good four and a half minutes, I suppose I can't complain. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Nightmare -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N01] - Demi-Galba (HP 480) Suggested Minimum Level: 6 Pretty much the same as Hard, but his fire attack that follows you does more damage and hits you faster, meaning that once you get hit, you're done. At the beginning of the fight, don't focus too much on attacking him; he'll usually use his fire attack a couple times to start. Get to the back-left corner, follow the south edge of the screen to the east, climb the stairs, and jump north from them to avoid the flame. As for attacking, the only real option is, again, jumping slashes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N02] - Geis (HP 324) Suggested Minimum Level: 9 Geis is significantly tougher in Time Attack this time around. In the main game, equip Honey coming in so you can heal at roughly the same rate as Normal and Hard; in Time Attack, you have no such option. Attack as normal for a bit, but if he damages you too much, start jumping over his attacks and countering him from behind. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N03] - Zonplas (HP 1920) Suggested Minimum Level: 21 Zonplas's stab attack sends more rocks out than in Hard. In addition, he can summon three times as much support as in Normal. If you got away with not removing some of his eggs before they hatched in Hard, you might want to consider knocking them away in this difficulty, as not only can more of them survive, they can also critical you, which will deplete your healing items too quickly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N04] - Ud-Meiyu (HP 1920) Suggested Minimum Level: 26 Ud-Meiyu now has even more support. Not only does he have four of the purple laser-shooting pylons from his dungeon in each the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast corners, he also has two more, one each on the east and west side of the central platform. I suggest going to one of those corners and both the sides and swordplanting the lasers with Blirante, then staying around the empty corner to avoid getting knocked out of attacks. Again, the extended fire attack is the way to go to damage him. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N05] - Gaposdhala (HP 4176) Suggested Minimum Level: 29 Pretty well the same as Normal, except he can summon three times the support. As with Zonplas, it might be a good idea to knock out some of his eggs before they hatch - if they're in the middle of the plain, anyway. If they're along an edge, just keep up the pattern of stop --> lure an attack --> run a few steps --> extended fire attack, and he'll go down. It'll take longer to get rid of him than it did in the other difficulties, but that pattern should keep you safe. It's even more imperative to use such a pattern in Nightmare, since one critical will take two of your healing items to recoup the damage done. With luck, you can have him down inside of a minute. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N06] - Piana-Pius (HP 1525) Suggested Minimum Level: 34 with all three swords fully charged Essentially the same fight as Hard. It's simpler to just jump over the missiles and bees until he comes back down, then continue wailing on him with your chosen sword. It's simplest to come in with all three swords fully charged and just fry him with magic. In Time Attack, you have no such luxury; stick to Ericcil, as the lightning magic completely rips him apart. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N07] - Noodollon (HP 3702) Suggested Minimum Level: 39 Both slimes are far more tricky in Nightmare, as they not only have more support, but their support is frequently color-coded, and they also like to focus on their attack that sends all their little jelly balls at you at once. Rather than just using Livart and pounding them as before, I recommend using Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Noodollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. In Time Attack mode, you may wish to just go nuts with the extended wind attack until you have to use two healing items, then use the pattern above. It'll cut your time from just using the pattern above significantly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N08] - Orjugan (HP 1650) Suggested Minimum Level: 40 Orjugan has no new attacks per se, but he can now do his hand-smash attack with only one arm, and on top of that, he now has support as well. There are two very distinct ways of dealing with said support, and it all depends on whether you're in the main game or in Time Attack. Remember those Shadow Adols from earlier in the dungeon that turn into laser- shooters when you wear the Rainbow Fragment? One of those appears to help him on a regular basis. If in the main game with the Rainbow Fragment: When the laser shooter shows up, jump over its projectiles toward it and swordplant the sucker with Blirante. That and a quick set of attacks should take it down, and you can get right back to work. If in the main game without the Rainbow Fragment or in Time Attack: Now you have a copy of yourself chasing you around the platform. Generally, the most effective way to deal with him is much like how you deal with Gaposdhala/Gaposasura. Pause momentarily, then jump as he approaches you. His attack will hit thin air. On your way down, swordplant him. Repeat as necessary until he buzzes off, then you can get back to work. Alternately, if you're feeling really brave, you can simply lure him into attacks and keep dodging them while you do your normal dodging of Orjugan's arms and missiles, but I find it a lot easier to just get rid of the Shadow Adol when it shows up. Since enemies in Nightmare can critical, I find it very dangerous to leave yet another potential death inflictor alive on the field. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N09] - Lanaluna (HP 3000) Suggested Minimum Level: 41 Lanaluna gains a new variation in Nightmare. When she does the slime spitting move, she'll summon various support; mostly bug-type monsters that appear in the Limewater Cave. They shouldn't be too overly dangerous as damage-dealers, but they can easily juggle you enough to let Lanaluna either get away from you, or bludgeon you with her tongue. There's a very simple way to deal with this, though. Stick with Ericcil, as always, and use its extended attack to damage Lanaluna the most effectively. However, this time, SAVE YOUR MAGIC. When she summons her support, use your magic to clear them out immediately, and you won't miss a beat in your attacks. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N10] - Gaposasura (HP 4679) Suggested Minimum Level: 43 Pretty well the same as Normal, except he can summon three times the support. As with Zonplas, it might be a good idea to knock out some of his eggs before they hatch - if they're in the middle of the plain, anyway. If they're along an edge, just keep up the pattern of stop --> lure an attack --> run a few steps --> extended fire attack, and he'll go down. This pattern is incredibly important to keep up, as it's the only safe way to deal with him. The addition of critical hits makes it imperative that you take as few hits as possible. It'll probably take 1.5-2 minutes, at best, to get rid of him. If need be, direct your flame magic at his support to clear some of them out when there are too many of them to deal with effectively. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N11] - Kishcarin (HP 5768) Suggested Minimum Level: 43 Exactly the same as Hard, just with one more support monster. Walk up on one side of him, then jump toward his other side and swordplant. Repeat. He should go down easily. I suggest Blirante in Time Attack simply because its power is greater, but in the main game, use whichever is the highest level. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N12] - Deadollon (HP 4303) Suggested Minimum Level: 46 Both slimes are far more tricky in Nightmare, as they not only have more support, but their support is frequently color-coded, and they also like to focus on their attack that sends all their little jelly balls at you at once. Rather than just using Livart and pounding them as before, I recommend using Blirante. Run in a circle around the platforms above Noodollon, then when you come to the ledge immediately to his left, go to it, jump toward him, and swordplant. It'll do good damage, it'll probably take out some of his support, and it will build your magic meter quickly. When you get a full magic meter, get to the platform furthest south on the screen and unleash your magic straight north. Continue in this manner until he dies. In Time Attack mode, you may wish to just go nuts with the extended wind attack until you have to use two healing items, then use the pattern above. It'll cut your time from just using the pattern above significantly. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N13] - Piana-Pullus (HP 2008) Suggested Minimum Level: 48-49 with all three swords charged Essentially the same fight as Hard. It's simpler to just jump over the missiles and bees until he comes back down, then continue wailing on him with your chosen sword. It's simplest to come in with all three swords fully charged and just fry him with magic. In Time Attack, you have no such luxury; stick to Ericcil, as the lightning magic completely rips him apart. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N14] - Galba-Roa (HP 6000 / 3000) Suggested Minimum Level: 50 Run between his legs and use the extended fire attack. Look out, though. Rather than use his fireball attack in the same spot multiple times, he likes to follow you in Nightmare. Thus, don't get *too* close to his belly, or he'll hit you with multiple fireballs and contact damage, and kill you before you know it. Take the first fireball hit, then inch a little further in to begin your extended fire attack barrage. Use your fire magic as you get chances; you'll certainly get plenty. His second form is the same as before. Swordplant it immediately if you can, then do Jump Slashes and use your magic when you get it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N15] - Ernst (HP 4501) Suggested Minimum Level: 50-51 This is by far the most difficult fight across all three difficulties, mostly due to the ability of enemies to critical in Nightmare. Even a simple hard-to-dodge sword slash could kill you or severely wound you. Put less emphasis on going head-to-head with Ernst, and instead, keep at least one of the fairies dead. Again, I recommend either Jue or Xisa as your target. Once you get one of them down, try to use your extended attacks or magic to take him out. Fire attacks and magic seem to work the best, as Blirante has the highest attack power and Ernst has no elemental resistances. Good luck. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N16] - Napishtim (HP 2000 / 2000 / 2000, then 7500) Suggested Minimum Level: 51-52 Essentially the same battle as Hard. The first half is identical, with the same color-coded flamethrowers (Blue to the immediate right, Yellow to the immediate left, Red across). To succeed, though, special attention must be paid to the yellow lasers that track up and down. Avoid them at all costs. Jump them if you have to, run alongside them if you have to, sacrifice attacks if you have to. Staying alive is far more important. The second half is only different in that it has even more support flying about. There are two different ways to deal with this. You can either do the normal thing and use your Lightning Magic as soon as the second form appears, or you can save the lightning magic until its support comes out, and use that to destroy his support so you have an easier time damaging Napishtim. Your choice. I've found it easier to get the kill quickly by continuing to use the lightning magic as soon as the second form comes up, but for staying alive, it's best to save it to knock out his support. Once that support is dead, it doesn't come back, allowing you to easily dodge the lasers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [N17] - Majunun (HP 9132) Suggested Minimum Level: 55+ with all swords maxed Once again, the best thing to do is to play keep-away. Majunun gains no new attacks over Nightmare, but I will reiterate that the most difficult and most important attack to dodge is the trail of flames. The best way I've found to deal with this attack is to change direction every couple of steps. Be sure not to double back into the trail, though; if you jump over the trail, odds are high that you're going to collide with Majunun in midair. Aside from that attack, just jump over the 5-beam laser, run from the shockwaves, and run in circles away from the round, orange projectiles, all while charging lightning magic to fry Majunun with. You'll definitely need two, sometimes three, magics per Capla Water to take him down. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9. Armor/Shield Listing -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Armor and Shields are found in your equipment menu in the following format: ----------------------------- | | | | | | | ----------------------------- There are six armors and six shields in the game. If you need more detail on how to find any of these items, CTRL-F their name to find the section in the guide that deals with them, and follow the directions immediately above. Armor (Stats - how to find): ----------------------------- | HL | RM | BM | BP | GA | EA | ----------------------------- HL - Hard Leather (DEF +8 - buyable in Rehdan Village for 100 Gold) RM - Ring Mail (DEF +16 - buyable in Port Rimorge for 670 Gold) BM - Bandit Mail (DEF +24, acquired Gold+10% - found on Grana-Vallis Mountain, CTRL-F Bandit Mail for directions) BP - Breast Plate (DEF +32 - buyable in Port Rimorge for 6200 Gold) GA - Galba Armor (DEF +40, Always: Poison - found in Limewater Cave, CTRL-F Galba Armor for directions) EA - Emelas Armor (DEF +50, HP+10%, occasionally reduces damage to 0 - give 100,000 Emel to Leav after unlocking the final dungeon) Shields: ----------------------------- | BK | OS | RS | KS | GS | ES | ----------------------------- BK - Buckler (DEF +6 - equipped at the beginning of the game) OS - Round Shield (DEF +12 - buyable in Port Rimorge for 410 Gold) RS - Rehdan Shield (DEF +18 - found on Grana-Vallis Mountain, CTRL-F Rehdan Shield for directions) KS - Kite Shield (DEF +25 - buyable in Port Rimorge for 4600 Gold) GS - Galba Shield (DEF +30, STR +5 - found in Limewater Cave, CTRL-F Galba Shield for directions) ES - Emelas Shield (DEF +40, increases magic recovery rate - found in Ruined City Kishgal, CTRL-F Emelas Shield for directions) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Key Item Listing -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you need more detail on how to find any of these items, CTRL-F their name to find the section in the guide that deals with them, and follow the directions immediately above. Key Items appear under "Item" in the menu in the following 4x5 table: ------------------------ | MF | MF | MF | MZ | WA | ------------------------ | GT | KR | AK | WM | MC | ------------------------ | LB | RI | PF | GL | PK | ------------------------ | BT | RT | OT | KT | WT | ------------------------ MF - Mirror Fragment - Found at the end of Grana-Vallis Mountain, Ruins of Amnesia, and Limewater Cave, from left to right MZ - Mirror of Zeme - Receive automatically WA - Wing of Alma - Found in Grana-Vallis Mountain, CTRL-F [Wing of Alma] for directions. Selectable: use Escape to return to the beginning of the current dungeon or exit a trial of Alma, and use Warp to begin a trial of Alma GT - Gratios Talisman - Receive automatically KR - Key of Romun - Receive automatically AK - Admiral's Key - Search Admiral Agares after defeating Lanaluna WM - Wyvern Medallion - Receive automatically MC - Map of Canaan - Receive automatically; Selectable - select to see your relative location among the islands of Canaan LB - Letter to Baslam - Undertake Sidequest 1; CTRL-F [sq1] for details RI - Rose's Influence - purchase every item in Rose's store in Rimorge PF - Pirates' Firewater - Found on the Pirate Ship; CTRL-F Pirates' Firewater for directions GL - Gold Locket - Give the Pirates' Firewater to Toksa the Rehdan PK - Pikkard - Found at Windseeker Heights, Sunrise Inlet, and at the ends of Grana-Vallis Mountain and Limewater Cave BT - Blue Tabulas - Found on Grana-Vallis Mountain, CTRL-F Blue Tabulas for directions RT - Red Tabulas - Found in Mythos Path behind the yellow door OT - Gold Tabulas - Found in Limewater Cave, CTRL-F Gold Tabulas for directions KT - Black Tabulas - Found in the Ruins of Amnesia, CTRL-F Black Tabulas for directions WT - White Tabulas - Found in the Ruined City Kishgal, CTRL-F White Tabulas for directions -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11. Accessory Listing -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Accessories: If you need more detail on how to find any of these items, CTRL-F their name to find the section in the guide that deals with them, and follow the directions immediately above. All accessories are listed in the following format: XX - Name - effect when equipped - how to obtain Accessories appear in the menu under Equip --> Accessory in the following 4x5 table: ------------------------ | WB | EM | TG | LC | DS | ------------------------ | RF | BS | EO | SM | BN | ------------------------ | EG | EU | EC | HB | GH | ------------------------ | RE | MT | SB | SA | WE | ------------------------ WB - Wooden Bracelet - STR+2 and DEF+2 - Received automatically EM - Emel Mallet - Raises Emel gain by 50% - Give a Capla Water to Agu in the Rimorge Bar TG - Thieves' Glove - +50% gold - complete sidequest 2, CTRL-F [sq2] for details LC - Lucky Silver Coin - Increases luck - give Gold Locket to Calman in the Rimorge Bar DS - Daylight Stone - Revives once upon KO - give the four Pikkards to Emilio in the center of Rimorge OR refuse a reward in all five of Alma's Trials RF - Rainbow Fragment - reveals hidden platforms and reveals true form of Adol-clone enemies - behind the yellow door in the Mythos Path BS - Bell of Silence - allows Adol to attack the bat enemies in the fourth and fifth Alma's Trial as well as Limewater Cave - receive by defeating Piana-Pius, CTRL-F [B06] EO - Eldian Orb - increases magic gauge recovery speed - found in the Ruins of Amnesia, CTRL-F Galba Hand for directions SM - Starlight Medal - double EXP from enemies while equipped - found in the Romun Flagship, CTRL-F Starlight Medal for directions BN - Bloody Nail - +5 HP healed per enemy killed - found in the Ruins of Amnesia, CTRL-F Bloody Nail for directions EG - Emelas Glove - STR+5 and DEF+5 - found after defeating Piana- Pullus, CTRL-F [B13] EU - Emelas Guard - DEF+5 and HP regen when still - found after defeating Deadollon, CTRL-F [B12] EC - Emelas Crown - HP+50% and increased luck - found after defeating Gaposasura, CTRL-F [B10] HB - Heavy Belt - DEF+6 and Always: Slow - found in the Ruins of Amnesia, CTRL-F Heavy Belt for directions GH - Galba Hand - STR+10 and DEF-10 - found in the Ruins of Amnesia, CTRL-F Galba Hand for directions RE - Runed Earring - Null: Confusion - found in Quatera Woods, CTRL-F Runed Earring for directions MT - Magic Talisman - Null: Curse - buyable in Rimorge for 1,300 Gold SB - Sylphen Boots - Null: Slow - found on Grana-Vallis Mountain, CTRL- F Sylphen Boots for directions SA - Silver Armlet - Null: Poison - buyable in Rimorge for 20,000 Gold WE - Winged God Emblem - Null: All Statuses - give all five Tabulas to August in the Rimorge Bar -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Miscellaneous -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Official Time Attack Contest In late March of 2005, about a month after the game's release, Konami announced an official gameplay contest. The rules were simple: play the Time Attack mode in Normal difficulty, and acquire the lowest total time possible. The top five players would receive deluxe copies of the game, including: - a copy of the game signed by Konami's producer, Yoshinori Sasaki - a pocketwatch featuring Olha and Isha - a sound disc featuring disc art of Crevia - a booklet containing artwork of some of the characters (mostly Crevia), as well as music for some of the Konami-composed portions of the soundtrack, and a tracklist for the sound CD GameFAQs user Nobuhiko started a thread on the message board a few days later, wondering why hardly anyone was participating, as the official rankings site was practically dead. Sherminator quickly got into the mix, and DrLight66, MistakenFightingMan, and I soon followed. It became readily apparent that the lowest times would be posted by Sherminator and Nobuhiko, as they took advantage of a glitch involving sword magic. DrLight and I refused to use this glitch, and this kept our times close to each other. We had a quite friendly competition, as none of us were particularly worried about losing the contest, given the relative lack of activity on the official site. At the close of the contest, the rankings on the official site were as follows (all of the following are GameFAQs users): 1. Sherminator (07:00:866) 2. Nobuhiko (07:10:933) 3. falcon815 (08:12:483) 4. DrLight66 (08:36:783) 5. Anita King (09:43:516) The five of us received our prizes in late May. The 'sound CD' contains the Konami-composed portions of the PS2 version's soundtrack, as well as all of the sound effects used in the game. I will do my best to transcribe the tracklist from the booklet in the next update. (As a side note, Nobuhiko posted a time of 08:05 before he began using the magic glitch. I didn't mean to imply that he or Sherminator were inferior players because they used the glitch; one had my score bested regardless, and the other likely would have as well. I was just afraid of being disqualified. :P) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Sound CD This section will be completed soon. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Voice Actors (in order from the credits) Ys: The Ark of Napishtim is fully voice acted. Following is a list of the English voice actors featured in the game, with some of their other notable voice roles that you may have heard of also listed. All information regarding other roles was gathered from the Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/) and the following data has already been submitted to IMDb by myself. A couple of the VAs had no info on IMDb; if you have any information on them, please let me know, and I'll verify and credit you. Sometime in June, my submitted information got posted. You may find the IMDb site for Ys VI at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0454989/. 1. Trevor Devall Parts in Ys VI: Dogi, Admiral Agares, Geis, Largo, Lloyd Other Roles: Drill Man in Mega Man NT Warrior 2. Kathy Morse Parts in Ys VI: Leav, Attli Other Roles: Puar in Dragonball, Tsubaki in Inu Yasha 3. Janice Beaudoin Parts in Ys VI: Sera, Anice Other Roles: None(?) 4. Martin Cassels Parts in Ys VI: Agu Other Roles: None(?) 5. Kathleen Barr Parts in Ys VI: Olha, Sia, Jue, Marve, Sophia Other Roles: Dot Matrix in Reboot, Morrigan in Darkstalkers, Roll in Mega Man the animation 6. Paul Dobson Roles in Ys VI: August, Gazel, Quval Other Roles: Mr. Wily and Magic Man in Mega Man: NT Warrior, Zarbon in Dragonball Z, Faust in Saber Marionette J, Ieyasu Tokugawa in Kessen. (How are those last two for ironic?) 7. Brian Dobson Roles in Ys VI: Ord, Ladoc, Ernst, Baslam, Calman, Thoud, Jedo Other Roles: Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ('02), Red Alert in Transformers: Armada 8. Scott McNeil Roles in Ys VI: Raba, Ryug, Cloa, Toksa, Mikhail, Emilio, Napishtim, Mannan Other Roles: Duo in Gundam Wing, Piccolo in Dragonball Z, Jetfire in Transformers: Armada 9. Ellen Kennedy Roles in Ys VI: Sola, Maple, Alma, Rakthe, Milca Other Roles: Tamasaburo in Saber Marionette J, Baba in Dragonball Z, Cindy in Hamtaro 10. Kirby Morrow Roles in Ys VI: Ur, Lolo, Camara, Seblo Other Roles: Miroku in Inu Yasha, Rad in Transformers: Armada, ElecMan in Mega Man NT Warrior, Trowa in Gundam Wing, Van in The Vision of Escaflowne 11. France Perras Roles in Ys VI: Terra, Crevia, Wemura, Rose, Nies Other Roles: Bulma in Dragonball Z 12. Terry Klassen Roles in Ys VI: Isaac, Silva, Kevin, Xaxon, Guen Other Roles: Hatchi in Inu Yasha, Krillin in Dragonball Z 13. Laara Sadiq Roles in Ys VI: Isha, Noi, Xisa, Tise, Nahrva Other Roles: Chi-Chi in Dragonball Z -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13. Closing / Thanks -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to Konami for bringing this game to the US, for listening to the fans regarding the original soundtrack, and for running the Time Attack Contest. Thanks to Andrea, for constant love and support. Thanks to Nobuhiko, Sherminator, and DrLight66 for the friendly competition during the official Time Attack contest. Thanks to DragonElemental and Mithrandir1331 for being sounding boards during the official contest, and to Chris Kern and MystErikEry for helping me make sense of the Japanese boss strategies website in a couple of places. Knowing that some of the bosses were solely based on luck made my life a lot easier. And speaking of said Japanese site, thanks to "tei lv. challenger" for his Ys VI Time Attack and Low-Level Game website. One little tip against Napishtim dropped my TA time against him by 15 seconds, helping me greatly in the contest. ^_^ You can visit his website, which includes pictures of the Time Attack omake, at http://teilv.gozaru.jp/. Finally, the man without which GameFAQs would not exist, CJayC. Keep up the good work. This guide copyright 2005 Aaron 'falcon815' Bolner. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. Version History -------------------------------------------------------------------------- version 1.0 - first writing of the guide (05/09/05) version 1.01 - Added status effects section due to a query from Xantus179 on the GameFAQs message board; updated Hard mode Time Attack scores; updated status of Time Attack contest and final placing; changed suggested level for Normal Majunun from 55 to 52; denied cheatcc's request to post the FAQ (05/17/05) version 1.02 - Added to and revised the FAQ; updated Time Attack contest section; lowered suggested level for Hard and Nightmare Majunun to 53-54 and 55, respectively; updated Hard Time Attack scores; updated Voice Actors section with IMDb sub-page (07/07/05) --- apb 07/07/05