T A L E S O F S Y M P H O N I A
FAQ/WALKTHROUGH by GheddonLN
For the Nintendo GameCube
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"My glorious return to the FAQing scene, and for what game! Tales of
Symphony offers thrills comparable to those lived in the past Tales
games, but with a lot more polish and style thanks to its "next-
generation" pedigree. When you first see the beautiful graphics, you'll
feel like a total stranger to the series, but when you try the battle
system, with its trademark breakneck-pace and hectic controls... that's
when you'll be sure you're right at home."
Well, that's what I wrote a year ago... no, more than a year ago. For
some reason, I let this FAQ rot in one of my many, dusty folders after
finishing it. Hm... I think I got bored writing the lists... which is why
I decided not to include them (seemed like overkill). But anyways... here
it is... A FAQ for Tales of Symphonia...
-GheddonLN
Let's get it started.
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I. Walkthrough
II. Sidequests
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I. WALKTHROUGH
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WALKTHROUGH
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The camera floats about the land as a voice explains how the world came
to be as it is now. Eventually, you'll be transported to a wooden shack
which kind of serves as school. Enter Lloyd Irving, the game's hero. In
typical Gheddon fashion, I'll let you watch the cutscene... by yourself.
No summaries or anything, not from me at least ;)
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After the insightful cutscene, you'll take control of Lloyd. After
chatting with your partner's, approach the room's exit to get a short
scene. You'll have to make a choice along the scene; pick the second to
keep the scenes flowing. When prompted, agree to accompany Colette on her
quest to retrieve the Oracle. You'll be given some information regarding
skits; afterwards, speak with the blue haired kid nearby to get a Magic
Lens. By now, you should get your first skit; hit Z to watch it. Examine
the Colette-shaped hole at the northern side of the screen, next to the
board, to earn a title for the chosen girl.
Exit the classroom through its only door and head out the building. After
the small amount of dialogue, head down the dirt road to find a white,
shiny circle on the floor; these are your save points. After saving, you
have a variety of paths to choose. The road that's directly above the
save point (the one with the wooden archway) should be avoided from now.
Instead, head up from the save point and when possible, turn west (the
house over there is locked, mind you). In the subsequent screen is Genis'
house; should you approach it, you'll trigger a scene.
Go south to reach a small plaza of sorts. There are some soldiers around
here, a locked-up house and the Halo store. The equipment sold there is
useless, since you have it already, but they sell the ever so useful Gels
and Life Bottles. Stock up and leave. Head north to arrive at the Save
Point area; head east instead of north and proceed rightwards in the next
screen. Head inside the first house you come across to meet a guy who'll
fully heal you for free. Neato.
Head back to the save point screen. Well, it was nice exploring the town!
Too bad it's time to go town ;) Head north and into the next area.
A monster will pop out of nowhere! Bust down this fool with standard
physical strikes. After he's gone for, another fiend comes into the
scene. Shift targets and attack the zombie with Lloyd, and through the
menu, attack the ghost with magic. After the battles, head out to the
world map.
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W O R L D M A P
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Enemies now roam the are and are completely visible, so you choose
whether you fight them or not! Watch the skit and head down and then turn
right. Keep going along the coastline until you find the Martel Temple.
Head inside.
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M A R T E L T E M P L E
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After the introductory cinema, head up the steps all the way to the
temple's entrance. Here, you'll have to fight!
It's a standard fight, really. Cast your two spells on them with your
partners, and attack physically with Lloyd. That's about it.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Vidarr
Well, your first boss fight! Attack him some (heal up if you have any
wounded character) until a scene kicks in. After it, you'll resume the
battle, with a new, mysterious ally. Pound him physically with Lloyd (not
much else to do) and have your pals attack magically. You might want to
set their Strat. so they're more laid back and attack with their spells
nearly-exclusively.
This guy attacks with both his hammer and spiked ball. A hammer hit does
around 100 PTS of DMG if it connects (gulp!). Thankfully, you can stun
this guy with a handful of well placed hits, meaning he won't get much
chances to strike you down. Heal if you need. I've noticed that he also
blocks attack often, and likes to counter after being hit a couple of
times. His spiked ball does about half the damage as the hammer-sword,
but it is still dangerous.
He's a strong guy, so expect a couple of your characters to lose a lot of
their health. The mysterious guy who aids you heals often, so you should
not worry too much. Attack him constantly and block if needed when he
counters.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Enjoy the cutscene and don't agree to stay outside; Colette will stand up
for you (...meh. I can already smell the love!). After some more scenes,
you'll be inside the temple (and you'll have the Training Manual).
You'll be at a hub of sorts. There are three paths to take; head to the
right first. Around this area, you'll find hard-shelled SPIDERS that can
soak up lots of hits and wobbly SLIMES, who attack from afar and do
considerable damage. The spiders are best suited for your strikers, while
the slimes should be dealt with magic.
Anyway, move along the chosen path. You can find some more enemies,
namely ZOMBIES, whom you've already fought and are easily damaged by
physical strikes, and GHOSTS, who are weak to magic. At the end of this
path there is a staircase that goes down; descend into a room with a
glowing, tiled floor that overlooks a shrine of sorts.
You'll have to fight a GOLEM. He's a big, powerful guy, but he's slow.
Attack with Lloyd and retreat to prevent a possible, hard-hitting strike,
or block if you're feeling like it. Magic works excellently. When he
blocks, punish him with your magical strength. When he's open to attacks,
hit him with your techs as well as your attacks.
After he's gone for, he'll turn into a huge rock and slide down. Another
GOLEM will pop out. Now, the idea is to beat all of the golems that keep
appearing and send down the stone they turn into. Deal with them as you
dealt with them before: attack frontally, and block when you see the
GOLEM is about to strike. Use magic and techs and it should be no
trouble.
His spin attack should be easy to block or dodge if you're really near to
him; his pound attack should be blocked (hit X as soon as he raises his
hands). His pound attack is hard to block if you're mid combo, so you
might just need to be struck down... or run back. None is really
effective, really o_O It isn't a damaging attack, thankfully.
Now, as you can see, the room has nine holes you can push the blocks
through; not all of them are of any use, you see.
# ** #
# # *
# # #
Push down the blocks down the asterisked holes; the one with two
asterisks should be fed two blocks.
After completing this task, exit the room through the northwestern
staircase. Run to the bottom end of this area to find an offshoot with
three chests, which contain a Life Bottle, an Apple Gel and 250 Gald.
Now, return to the Golem room.
Walk down the staircase at the southwestern tip of the room (you might
need to drop down again that extra crate at the double-asterisk hole).
Save up and head to the northern end of this winding path. Push the crate
forward (if you did not drop the two crates, as told, there won't be a
crate to push) to create a bridge. Hm... interesting, Zelda-like sound
there...
You'll get the Sorcerer's Ring at the shrine at the top. Cool, this thing
has made it through many games and it doesn't seem it'll be leaving
anytime soon! Head up to find some new enemies roaming the area. Finish
them off.
Now, if you want to explore the temple some more, you'll need to do some
more Golem killin'. Exit the room and come back. Kill off the Golem that
appears and drop down his block here:
# # # Now, go down and push the extra block forward to crate a bridge
* # # towards the staircase there. There is a chest with a Life Bottle
# # # at the top of them. Now, there is one more item to get. Exit the
room, re-enter, and kill the Golem again.
This time, drop down his block through here:
# # # Once again, head down and push the extra block into the gap to
# # * craft a bridge. Cross it, head up and get your Panacea Bottle.
# # # Kill the enemy floating around, too.
This'd be it for this room. The Golem has re-appeared, and if you kill it
now, you'll get a block that's really useless.
Make it back to the central hub (along the way, watch the skit when
prompted). You went through the rightmost wing already and got the
Sorcerer's Ring; the left wing would seem like the obvious place to
explore now, but it is blocked off by debris. So, instead, head north.
Get really near to the blue, circular field here and hit X to activate
the Sorcerer's Ring, clearing the path for you. Approach the portal and
warp up.
Enjoy the scene. Among other things, you'll be told your next destination
is to the south, where the Seal of Fire rests. Talk with your friends
thereafter: when you speak to Kratos, you'll an extra scene. Warp back
down and head out of the temple (unless you wish to stay around and level
up; if you've fought constantly up to this point, that shouldn't be
needed).
If you wait a bit before heading out of the temple (around the warp
circle), you'll get a series of fun skits. It's not like you have to wait
too long, so stay behind for a bit and watch them.
It's not like you can exit the temple, anyways, since when you try to do
so, you'll be interrupted by a scene. After it, try to exit the temple to
be interrupted by yet another scene. Outside, walk out to the world map
and watch the skit there. Now, head back to Iselia.
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Talk with the people around and head inside the school for an extra scene
and a new title for Genis ("Brotherly Love"). Now, you're free to explore
the town. Visit Genis' house (you can actually enter it) and check out
his bookcase. Also, notice that there is a locked cupboard.
Stock up on healing items at Halo and head back to the save point area.
From there, go east and enter the huge house you'll come across to
trigger a scene. Watch it (you'll get the Collector's Book). Once it is
over, your next mission will be to... vist Genis' house.
You should get a skit along the way. Anyways, at Genis´, you can get an
explanation about cooking, which is a fairly useful art you should pay
attention to through the game (as Lloyd said, Gels ain't cheap).
Head to the southern tip of town and approach the town's exit to meet
Noishe, Lloyd's pet. After the short-lived scene, exit Iselia.
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Our next destination, the Iselia forest, is directly to the left of the
town. Head inside.
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A short cutscene and then you're on your own. Enemies around these areas
include MINICOIDS, small mushrooms with moderate resistance and attack
power and who're weak to fire. Physical attacks work well, too. The
SLIMES make their comeback, being as damaging as ever; deal with them
first in any enemy party. Lastly, there are hard-shelled SPIDERS and
agile RABBITS, who're moderately weak but fast.
Head up the slope you start at. Keep going up (it's a linear path) and be
sure to open the chest you'll find along the way, to get a Life Bottle.
It should be noted that if you waste time around this place, you might
get a skit. At the very top of the area, proceed to the next screen.
Here, enjoy the scene. Save at the memory circle, then, and proceed to
the area past it to check out on Genis' friend. A short cinema kicks in.
You will be in front of the Desian human ranch once it ends. Instead of
heading to the front door, head to the left of the ranch. You'll see
another cinema.
Meet Marble, Genis' so called friend. When prompted, agree to make a Key
Crest for Marble. When told to, run away. After the scene, head back to
the front entrance and go to its rightmost side. Look up for a ledge here
that overlooks the shrubbery. Approach it from its bottom side and jump
up.
Bounce up again and pick the chest (Orange Gel) that's to the right.
Afterwards, head up the ledge opposite the chest and approach its peak.
You'll witness Marble's whippage.
Listen to Lloyd's ridiculous salvation plan. When the time to take it
into effect comes, you'll be fully healed, thanks to Genis' mad-cookies.
The whole thing fails (well... duh) and you'll end up engaging two Whip
Masters. They really aren't tough, as long as you take a conservative
approach into the fight. Slash them some, and once the combo is done, hit
the block button.
That way, you'll save a lot of health and kill them quickly. After
they're done for, a scene kicks in. Endure through it. The scene ends up
by sending you to the save point of yore (well, of ten minutes ago,
actually). Do your thing and head forward into the next screen.
Now that you're alone, blocking should become one of your main abilities.
Take a conservative approach into your fights (hit-and-block) to save up
health. There is a new enemy here, a BEE of sorts, who is weak and when
struck once has little to no chance of surviving (just keep comboing it).
Anyways, run up the slope. Hm, bifurcations! There are three additional
paths (besides the one you came from). There is one directly to the
right, and two ahead of you. One of these two goes further forward while
the other one veers to the right and eventually converges with the first
road. It also leads to an Apple Gel chest as well as a bridge.
The other available road (the one that goes further ahead) is to be
explored now. You can either turn left or right here; to the left there
is a small mount with an Apple Gel resting at its top. Head to the right
and open the chest overlooking the river to get a Leather Glove.
Head back to the bifurcation now and take either of the other two roads.
Both lead to a bridge you should cross. At the other side, move forward
and open the chest you will come across to get 500 Gald. Head around the
corner and move on. A tree trunk serves of an archway to the northern
road, besides which there is a road that veers to the left; it leads to a
dead end.
So, instead, cross the tree trunk archway. You have probably noticed the
item bag resting on top of the trunk. You can simply pick it by walking
into the trunk. It contains an Orange Gel.
Head further to the north to exit the area.
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To get to Dirk's House (which is Lloyd's, too), simply go along the dirt
road marked on the grass. Head inside.
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D I R K ' S H O U S E
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After the introductory sequence, simply head forward and into your house.
Inside, watch the tragicomedy-kind of scene here.
Once it is over, you'll be outside. When prompted, pick the "Just a
Minute" option and talk with your partners. Once you're done, speak to
Colette, who's sitting at a bench next to Noishe's stable (speak with
Noishe, too.)
After the scenes, it'll be morning and you'll be in control of Lloyd.
Head down the stairs. Save at the memory circle that's underneath the
staircase and exit your house.
Head towards Lloyd's mother gravestone and speak with Dirk. You'll be
given the Key Crest and a whole lot of items that should be of use on
your travel. More importantly, you get the Sylvarant Map. After the
scenes are done for, you'll be taken back to Iselia.
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After the initial cutscene, head to the eastern side of the area and
proceed to the next screen. There, walk towards Colette's house. It
should be noted that you'll probably get a couple of skits as you wander
about the town. Watch both.
At Colette's place (the big house up north) you'll get a scene, where
Lloyd is told (through a letter) the truth about Colette's sudden
departure. When you're about to be told some more interesting stuff,
something crashes into town!
Exit Colette's and, blam, Desians are attacking the town! A cinema
reveals that your obvious destination is the town plaza, but before
getting there, head towards your school. A local soldier there is being
harassed by some Desians. Kick their half-elven butts.
You'll get an Apple Gel and an Orange Gel for your efforts. You should
get a skit around this point; visit Genis' house, too, to find it in
flames and trigger a scene. Now, head back Colette's house area (save
here) and go south. Kill the Desians gawping at a burning house.
Having done all of this, head to the plaza on the southern side of the
town (you can get there through all of the roads the town has). A scene
will kick in there, and thereafter, a boss battle!
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
????
A gigantic, nasty looking mutant with an interesting wardrobe (similar to
Marble's...) This guy uses his long arms to claw you for around 60 PTS of
DMG a hit. So, he's powerful. If blocked, the damage is reduced to around
12 PTS of DMG.
Genis is far too weak to attack this guy head on, so set one of his
spells to your shortcuts and use it constantly. Have Lloyd run up to the
monster and apply the laws of hit-and-block: slash him once or twice with
a special skill or normal attack, and hit the X button to block the
subsequent attack.
It should be noted that this guy has a variety of tricks up its sleeve.
He can attack you mid-combo, and if it performs an uppercut, you'll be
sent flying backwardly. Once you land, it'll take a few seconds for you
to send up again. Should you attack it with an aerial attack, he might
uppercut you in midair.
If you see Genis getting dangerously near to the monster, be sure to
alter his strategy so he stays back ("Don't Pursue"). If his TP depletes,
he'll move forward, no matter what. So, once he exhausts them, use an
Orange Gel on him.
You can usually apply the hit-and-block tactic, but some times, it's even
possible to back off and dodge the attack altogether. This would be hit-
and-run. However, the combo must be short, so you get time to run away
before a monstrous hit connects. If the combo drags on too much, you
won't make it and will be slashed.
Other times, when you move in for the kill, the guy might swap you,
preventing you from getting near. If you have quick reflexes, you can
block this. Keep in mind that when Lloyd is running, it takes him time to
stop. So, even if you stop, you have to wait around a second for your
defenses to come up. That second is usually well-spent by the monster.
The monster also has an attack called "Insane Cell". He creates small,
circular, dark-energy field around his body. Should you get near it,
you'll be damaged. It's quite damaging, don't get fooled!
As you wear down his HP, he'll add more attacks to his repertoire. One of
such attacks is Impact Hammer, where he slams you with his long arm. This
attack can actually hit you twice, for a total of around 80 PTS of DMG!
As told, hit and block tactics work well. Slash him and block down his
attack, while you constantly cast Genis' spells. By attacking him this
way, it's possible to slow him down just enough so he doesn't corner you
(which would be very bad).
A great skill for this fight is Demon Fang. It strikes the enemy even if
you're far from him, so if you want a long-distance fight, it's the skill
to go. Exhaust your TP reserves with such skill. It'll damage the bastard
greatly, and it'll also gradually push him back.
Using such skill exclusively works, surely. Instead of replenishing
Genis' TP, do so with Lloyd's, and keep on the onslaught. However, once
Genis' reserves run low, he undoubtedly will try to attack the monster
and will probably get killed! So, try to keep a balance between both of
these guys.
It should be noted that you're going to be damaged a lot in this fight;
sometimes blocking is impossible, you know. For that, it's imperative
that you constantly use Apple Gels to heal. Genis probably won't need
them (since he'll be laid back, as long as you feed him Gels to keep his
TP up), but Lloyd will be at the shores of the Stygian many times
throughout the battle. Heal him with Apple Gels and DON'T let him die.
Why? Life Bottles are expensive and hard to come by, and Genis will
probably get wasted before he can even revive his partner o_O As long as
you keep Lloyd around the 250s Hit Points, it should be all right.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
See? Told you it had a strange wardrobe ;) Meh. Anyways, the scene is
quite touching (it is!), so watch it. After all of the cinemas are done
for, you'll be officially banished from town. Talk with Frank and her
wife to learn Colette went south. Try to exit the town to find Noishe and
get a new title for Lloyd: "Drifting Swordsman".
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Go south along the dirt road. If you veer to the east of the road, you
can find Nova's Caravan where you can rest up if needed. Also, you can
save. Anyways, resume your way south along the dirt road.
You'll eventually reach a place where a scene kicks. Here, you'll be
given an important explanation on Exspheres. After the Tutorial, it'll be
added as an entry to your Training Manual. Neato. There is an EX Gem to
the west of here, among some trees at the bottom of some hills.
For now, you need not to worry about Ex-Skills. Resume your way south
along the dirt road. On your way, you will come across a House of
Salvation. Here, you can rest to heal your wounds (i.e. fully heal
yourself). Also, you're bound to get a skit here.
Approach the guy in green garb to initiate a scene. You'll be given an
cryptic explanation about some monuments and Long-Range Mode. Agree to
learn more about it, to clear up your doubts. Ah, I get it now. That's
good. Now, get some insight on Guidepost Monuments. Yeah, that's right...
Head inside the House; at its second floor, you can heal for 100 Gald.
Save, too.
Now, exit the House of Salvation. Ahead of you (further to the south) is
the Trite Desert. Wander into it. Here, you can find BANDITS who are
regular humans with daggers; they're powerful when it comes to offense,
so be careful with them. Also, if you stay on the area long enough, you
might just get a skit.
Other enemies include SCORPIONS and SIDEWINDERS. Both of these guys can
poison you, but the Sidewinders kind of get the advantage, as they can do
so from afar. These two are also quite damaging, so if you dive in
towards them recklessly, expect to get your HPs reduced real quickly. If
so, back away and heal. The best to deal with them is with magic, Demon
Fang (from afar) and hit-and-block/run tactics.
We were heading south, remember? Head into Triet as soon as you spot it.
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T R I E T
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Woah! Chambard? Try Triet! Seriously, is this some kind of homage to
ToDII? Even if it isn't, simply watch the scene.
After it, you might want to check out the wanted poster the Desian just
put up, for laughs, you know. Entering the house directly to the right of
it is also recommendable; there is an inn there, as well as a save point.
Do as you see fit; before leaving, though, head up. Go the balcony's
eastern end and examine the pottery there.
It's the Wonder Chef! He'll teach you the Cabbage Rolls and will also
bestow you with the appropriate ingredients. The rooms themselves don't
hold much, so leave.
Talk with a guy in blue garb across the "Traveler's Mate" (item shop) to
get a short-lived mini-scene. Also, you might want to stock up on items
and get your first Panacea Bottles (an essential item). If you're the
type that doesn't like to fight, there are also Holy Bottles, so you can
reduce the enemy encounter rate.
Even if you're up to the fighting challenges, purchasing one or two might
be good, just for kicks.
Now, if you head further down the store's road, you'll be called upon by
a storekeeper. Agree to listen to him. He'll ask you to bring some Beast
Hide; if you've been fighting, you should have one. If not, battle some
enemies at the grassy lands until you get one.
Once you have it, talk with the old guy. You'll get a Soft Leather
(armor). This guy will basically improve your stuff by giving him the
right items. Which is good.
If you have an extra Beast Hide, you can turn the Soft Leather into Hard
Leather. Do so if you can. Notice the two Chakrams here; you'll
eventually come back and get 'em.
He'll give a short, to the point explanation on customizing (yep, it is
like most of the game's tutorials). Afterwards, you might want to check
out the adjacent stores. If possible, upgrade Lloyd's equipment (and
Genis', too). If in need of money, sell some items, namely, Beast Hides.
They sell for good cash. Don't touch the Magic Cloth (if you have)
though, and don't sell all of your Hides.
There is a hut across the Weapons Shop. Talk with the guy and he'll say
"Isn't this an impressive hole?". Hm? Oh, yes, look at the odd shaped
figure on the hut's wall. That's the hole, and it looks just like
Colette... Hm. Anyways, be sure you've purchased all you _could_ get
here. Damn, those things are expensive!
Right now, you might be thinking about fighting outside of town, but I'd
advise against it. Enemies give out minimal EXP and almost no Gald, so
it's rather useless. Forget about those weapons you couldn't get your
hands on.
Anyways, it's time to go further into the town. Head across the road next
to the inn. Talk with the cat-dressed woman there and ask her about the
Katz Exploration Team. These guys will basically explore areas for you,
even if you can't access them anymore, and scope on items and enemies,
adding them to your collection.
They'll also look for Guidepost Monuments and unexplored places. It's a
really useful feature. If you wish to get this area's Guidepost, pay them
so they do so (you could also look for it, it's much cheaper). The
success rate increases if you pay them more.
One of the Katz explorers that's next to the reception will sell you EX
Gems for your grades. You increase your grade by winning fights, by the
way. Right now, you probably can't get it any gems, so simply head past
him and into the next screen.
Talk with the people here. Here you can also find a food store so you can
replenish your reserves and get that cookin' going again. Go up from the
food store to find Fortune Teller's hut. Head inside and talk with her to
trigger a scene. Pay the required 100 Gald to keep it flowing.
You're told she's "heading to the oasis that was destroyed when Efreet
went out of control"... huh, right. Backtrack all the way to the town's
entrance and try to exit. You'll be stopped on your tracks by those
Desians fools! Fight them (they're easy, but keep an eye on the Bowman.
Kill him first) to continue with the scenes.
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You'll be locked up in a cell. It seems there is no way out, but Lloyd
has an idea: hitting the guard patrolling the area with the Sorcerer's
Ring. Do so to unlock your cell door.
Open the two other cells to the left to get a Beast Hide and a save
point. If you feel you can't open them, Examine the little panels besides
each door. That's the key to opening.
Now, head to the right and go into the small, disorganized control room
up north. Open the chest there to regain all of your equipment pieces;
they'll be automatically outfitted on Lloyd. Now, head further to the
right. At the corner, a scene will kick in and you'll have to do battle
against some soldiers. Beat them (be sure to employ conservative battle
tactics here) and head through the door.
After the short, semi-insightful scene, check out the energy ball here to
change to the Sorcerer's Ring function from fire to electricity. With it,
you can stop the flying robots here on their tracks. You can also fight
them RAYBITS. They're weak, attack wise, easily stunned, but have
moderate HP. Should you beat one, it'll regenerate after it. You'll also
earn a skit. Keep beating them to get extra skits (wandering about for a
lot of time might earn you the "Help, Genis" skit).
Now, as explained on the cutscene, the idea is to freeze the robots on
the blue panels here by using the Sorcerer's Ring. This'll unlock the
westernmost door. The northernmost door is also locked up.
To get one to stand on the blue panel, simply stand in front of it (take
some prudent distance) and lure the robot towards you. When it hits the
panel, fire at it with the S. Ring. You must freeze both fast, because
the Ring's effects wear off after a bit. I'll be honest with you: this
part can be notably frustrating. Damn these stupid minigames.
The best way to do this painlessly is to exit and re-enter the room. When
you do, both robots will be floating right in front of the panels. Simply
wait for them to fly by them and stun them. The one that's giving you its
back is easily stunned, but the other one, which is coming your way
(unless you go around him) will dash toward you once he spots you. It's
harder to make him stop on the blue panel when he does so.
Once you get the door opened, head through it. In the next room, move on
to the left. Eventually, you'll see the path veers forward, but also
continues to the left. Ah, yes, like any good Tales dungeon, this place
is a goddamn dance of bifurcations.
Should you take the upper path you'll spot a guard that, when beaten,
gives out a Memory Gem. Head down this road and through the door. In the
next screen, open the chest to get a Beast Fang. Check the yellow
machine; it's a shop. Stock up on items.
Go back to the bifurcation and take the road to the left. You'll land on
a room with a Gamecube in its middle. Examine the small panel next to the
'Cube for a cryptic explanation on this puzzle.
The gist of it: there are three poles on the room's western end. You need
to hit 'em with the S. Ring. Hit the bottom pole to open the room's
bottom door. Head through it to find a completely empty room. Meh.
Hit the upper pole now to unlock the upper door. Before going through it,
you might want to hit the middle pole to unlock the rightmost door. Head
towards it. Uh, what is it? Memory Gems? As you approach this door,
you're bound to get an explanation (out of nowhere) regarding these Gems
and sealed save points. After you endure through it, squint for a odd-
shaped pattern on the floor. Step on it; it's a save point! Unlock, and
save.
Open up the door you just unlocked and get the item in the chest there.
Go back to Gamecube room. If you want to return to the previous screen
(the one with the bifurcation), hit the middle pole. Even if you don't
need to go back, hit it. Then, blast the upper pole followed by the
middle pole. This'll unlock both the bottom and upper doors.
Head through the bottom one and pick up the Magical Cloth in the room
with the pillars. The door further to the south is locked.
Back at the Gamecube room, head through the northern door. Walk up the
steps here to find a robot who simply won't pursue you. He'll merely
stare at you; you can beat him down if that's what you wish to do.
Back at the GCN room, hit the middle pole and then the upper one. Finish
by hitting the bottom pole to unlock the control room. Save and head
through the upper door.
Here, go forward a bit to get a cutscene. After it, you'll be on a boss
fight! With all of your party members, of course...
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Botta
Foot Soldier x 2
Modify your Strat: have both Genis and Colette set theirs to "Don't
Pursue" and "At Once". Give Kratos the "Heal", "Scatter" and Move Freely.
Set Colette's and Genis' spells to your shortcuts, too.
With Lloyd, I suggest running up to the soldiers and killing them with
physical strikes and Techs. Do not worry about blocking or anything,
since it's real hard to do so. Just focus on kicking the soldier's asses;
Botta will, meanwhile, attack with elemental magic and his sword. His
elemental attacks are notably good at damaging, but his slashes aren't
specially powerful.
Once the soldiers are done for, you may focus on Botta. Constantly tap on
the C-Stick to trigger your spells, while Lloyd attacks him head on. It
might be wise to change Kratos' directives from Scatter to another, more
attack-oriented setting; leave "Heal", though. It is useful.
When attacking Botta with Lloyd, finish your combos with Techs, if
possible. Just be sure that you block after finishing a combo, so you
prevent Botta from wrecking too much havoc on you. If you get too near
him, he's bound to use a ground attack, where he slams his sword into the
ground and crates some shockwaves.
This attack hits more than once, but is blockable. By blocking it, the
total damage should not surpass the 50 PTS of DMG. If unblocked, it
should do over 120 PTS of DMG. His other attacks did around the same, so
it's no biggie (well, his spells could go past the hundreds...).
As usual in this game, keep your friend's TP up so the spell casters
don't decide to get too near Botta. If they do, too many will be around
him. And if the situation, he will use Stalagmite to wreck some critical
damage on you. This attack could go past the 200 PTS of DMG! If your
spell casters get too near him, you're going to lose them. Even if you
replenish their TP, it'll be a while before they back out...
...and Botta ain't no fool. Once he sees the weaklings attacking him, he
IMMEDIATELY shifts his attention to them and starts kicking their
asses... real quick. Even if you slash him like a madman he won't flinch;
he'll keep laying waste on those poor little guys! In general, keep an
eye on your TPs to keep this kind of scenario from happening.
That way, the only people Botta will attack will be Kratos and Lloyd,
who'll be up front and can block his attacks. Kratos will heal you from
them, too.
Botta Over-Limits after a bit of punishment, and when he does, be
careful! If he ever gets a chance to land a hit on your weak-boys, he'll
make you pay dearly for it; there is no stopping him! Over-Limited Botta
is quite more powerful, but not much of a threat as long as he only
focuses on Lloyd and Kratos.
When he's casting an spell, it might be wise to heal. You don't know if
such spell might turn out to be Stalagmite, and this guy is basically
unstoppable when it comes to spell casting. Since it's Kratos who heals,
have Lloyd keep on attacking.
Keep the onslaught of spells and attacks and he should fall to your
sword.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After the battle there'll some cutscenes. You'll end up in the map; head
to the southwest to find Triet (you'll have to withstand a skit on the
way). Head inside.
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T R I E T
=========
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After the scenes, talk with Kratos and exit the screen. Head up and enter
the rooms to chat with your partners. Colette's should be visited first;
after the scene, visit Raine's room. Talk with her once again after the
scene; check Genis, too, and select not to wake him up to learn how fond
this guy is of you. Exit the room and you'll be given a choice (damn?! is
this Skies of Arcadia or something!?). Follow him for additional scenes.
In the morning, save and head out. Watch the scene and you'll be told
that your next destination is to the southwest. You'll also get the
Monster List from Raine; it records enemy data for further analysis.
Raine will also join you. Her initial spell (First Aid) makes her a
healer as of now. If She's in your party, Kratos' role might be limited
to fighting only.
Now, it's time to go. Before heading out, it might be good to explore the
town again.
You probably have a lot more cash now, so re-checking the stores is
recommendable. Upgrade Genis' and Colette's weapons. The Flying Disk (the
standard Chakram you can purchase here) can be customized into the Duel
Ring if you have a Beast Fang. Get it. Purchasing armor is also vital; if
in need of money, sell some Magic Cloth and Beast Hides, if you have any
--just don't sell all of them.
There is a fun little sidequest you can begin here. With Colette as the
displayed party member, talk with the town's wandering dog. If you wish
to do so, return to the House of Salvation and talk with the dog there,
too. The idea is to talk with all of the world's dog to get a special
title. The quest has just started!
Oh, I should note: while you wander about town, you might get a skit.
Wait for it and once you have it, exit.
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W O R L D M A P
================
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Head directly to the southwest. You should the Triet Ruins at the
horizon. Head inside.
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T R I E T R U I N S
====================
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A short scene precedes a fight against two elemental based enemies. Set a
water-based spell to one of your shortcuts and beat these flying dudes.
They're FIRE ELEMENTS. They aren't really tough and attack with Fireball
mainly, which does around 50 PTS of DMG. Not too bad.
You'll be given some new defensive skills you can pump out anytime. After
the scenes, you'll get a skit, too. Once it is done, head to the left and
go up the steps to find the temple's actual entrance. Through the
introductory scene you'll be given Raine's "Archeological Mania" Title.
Enter the temple afterwards.
Walk forward along the hall. You'll bump into some of the temple's
enemies, namely, the FIRE BIRDS and BROWN POTS. The POTS defend a lot, so
it's hard to damage them adequately, while the Birds are agile and swift.
Both aren't tough, really. Employ the standard "attack-block" combo along
with spells.
I should note that it's recommendable to keep your TPs up through the
exploration, but if you feel you're wasting too much item, simply
accommodate your party's Strat. to a more physical-attack minded kind of
offensive. That way, you'll save up lots of TP and replenish it after
every fight (so you can cast first Aid). It's a good way to proceed. If,
however, you're going to face some of the toughest enemies (Fire
Warriors), don't do this, at least not with your weaklings.
Ahead of the entrance is a doorway that leads to a shrine of sorts, and
two paths that go up and down, respectively. The shrine is the actual
destination, but ignore it for now and go south. You'll find SCORPIONS
here, who you've fought in the desert. No biggie.
At the far end of the southern hallway, there is a doorway as well as a
chest, but the chest has some debris on top of it. Shoot it down with
your S. Ring and claim the Lemon Gel inside. Thereafter, head through the
doorway.
Here, move forward a bit and turn right into the small nook there. A
scene kicks in. Fire at the torch there afterwards. Kill the enemy
floating about to earn a Memory Gem. Exit. If you wish to get more items,
head up the steps BEFORE firing at the torch, and light up the one there.
Then, fire at the first torch.
Head back to the shrine entrance and go in. There, move south and open
the chest by the monster to get an Apple Gel. Then, run to the far north
side of the screen and turn left when possible. There is another chest
here, guarded by a monster. Kill it and earn your prizes, a Life Bottle
and a Bracelet.
Go back around the corner and push the block there down for a couple of
tiles. You should spot a small gap below an staircase, to the left. Push
your block into such gap. It'll fill half of it. Now, a bit to the south
of this place there is another block; drag it here and push it into the
other half of the gap, creating a bridge to the staircase and to the
torch. Light it.
Now, head the stairs and follow the linear path towards some chest with a
Mumei, 1000 Gald and a Savory.
Go back to the shrine entrance and head north along the winding path. You
might find FIRE WARRIORS here, by the way. Eliminate their companions and
be careful of them. Their standard attacks do half-a-hundred PTS of DMG,
while their special skill does up to a hundred. Block and don't let your
spell casters get too near.
At the end of this path there'll be a stony chest resting besides a
doorway. Don't open the chest; it contains a dangerous FAKE enemy. If
you've played abundant RPGS, you might know that these guys pack a
whallop and are usually hard to beat; this no exception. Head through the
doorway instead.
Go forward and head around the corner. Run down this path and be careful
of the floating enemy; it holds a party of two Fire Warriors, a Fire
Element and a Brown Pot; definitely not good. At the end of the path,
where there is a boulder, go down and light up the torch there. This'll
raise some blocks. Backtrack and use them to cross to the other side;
light up the torch there.
Before leaving the place, head back to the area with the torch and look
for the boulder resting around there. Now, in front to the torch there is
a small gap next to a treasure chest. Push the boulder into the gap and
use it to get to chest, which contains a Stiletto. You can also use one
of the raised platforms to get to a chest with a Circlet.
Head back into the middle shrine and ascend; halfway through the
staircase, you'll notice you can use a raised platform to cross to the
sealed save point, as well as a teleporter. Unseal the save point, save,
and hit the warp.
(BTW, if you wander around too much, you should get a skit).
A scene kicks in. Watch it for a bit.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Ktugach
Ktugachling x 2
An elemental boss! Hit Y and work a bit on your Strats. and shortcuts.
Wind Blade and Aqua Edge should be set to the C-Stick. Meanwhile, have
your spell caster take a laid-back, magic-pumping approach to the battle.
Set Kratos to "Heal". Have all of them "Attack Same" (i.e. attack the
enemy you attack).
Focus on the Ktugachlings. Go for them with Lloyd, which will make
everybody attack them. Thankfully, Colette and Genis will stay back. If
you see Colette getting too near, don't worry. She can handle it. Kratos
will be healing constantly, too, so it's no biggie. If needed, though,
heal manually (go to the menu and select First Aid). Specially Lloyd
(we'll see why).
So, run up to the Ktugachlings and start jamming on the A Button, as well
as the B button to rack up some quick, hard hitting combos. The idea is
to button mash to give the Ktugachlings little chance to move about and
finish them quickly. Since everybody will attack the same enemy, they'll
help you.
It sounds easy. Let's outline some problems: Lloyd will be real near to
the Ktugachling AND to Ktugach, which means he'll be punished twice as
much as your party members. Kratos' healing helps, but it's not enough.
Ktugach attacks with a mult-hitting spike attack (each hit is worth 30
PTS of DMG) while the Ktugachlings simply lounge at you. However, damage
will rack up fast. How to deal with this?
Your pals really won't suffer too much. With Lloyd, it'd be wise to take
a "blind blocking" approach. How so? After getting a combo down on the
Ktugachling, immediately hit the X button to block for a few seconds.
After blocking down a few attacks, resume your attacking. This is a nice
way to tackle these guys. While attacking, you'll be undoubtedly damaged;
but by applying this strategy, the damage is drastically reduced.
It's highly possible that you won't even know what you're blocking;
that's why I refer to it as blind blocking; it works, to an extent at
least, and it's useful. Lloyd is your main concern, since your other guys
will rarely get damaged (if you set up the adequate strategies). If
Colette is getting too near these folks, keep an eye on her. Heal her
often (manually). She won't be as damaged as Lloyd, but she's weak, HP-
wise.
After a Ktugachling is gone for, switch to the other one. Kill this one
even quicker (keep an eye on your health) so you can finally focus on
Ktugach.
Heal up your wounds first (give priority to Lloyd). If needed, run back
and wait you can replenish your health. Then, run forward.
While you combo him, Ktugach is stunned. Once he gets back on his feet,
he'll unleash the Spike attack. So, the idea here is to combo him (a
three hit combo; use techs to damage him more) and hit X to absorb the
Spike attack. Meanwhile, jam on the shortcut buttons to send spells
flying towards his way and prevent your weaker characters from getting
too near.
TP disappears fast in this battle. When replenishing it, give priority to
Kratos and Genis. Kratos, for the healing; Genis, because you can't
afford him to get too near. With Colette it's not biggie, since she's a
mid-physical striker, and can soup up the hits. Kratos should be given
priority above everyone else, though. Healing depends on him, remember?
While you fight, you might sometime see Ktugach lay down and start
shining; he's going to cast Eruption. This spell has a limited attack
range, plus, it takes him a lot of time to actually cast it. So, after he
announces he's going to use, you have plenty of room to move back and
dodge it. Should you be hit, be ready to absorb up to 150 PTS of DMG.
All in all, I must say it's a fairly simple fight. Keeping your HPs up is
fundamental, and blocking the spike attack is a necessity; otherwise,
Lloyd will die too often. Eruption is damaging, but can recovered from.
Not too bad.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After the scenes, Colette will have learned Angel Feathers. Neato. Head
out of the temple for an extra cinema. Your party will camp thereafter.
Talk with your partners before chatting with Colette. Twice. Outside,
watch the skit and go back to Triet.
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T R I E T
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Raine will get the title Sisterly Love here. You are here to stock up on
items, so do so. Save if you feel you need to. After you've gotten your
items, chat with the townsfolk to learn that your next destination, the
Ossa Trail, is to the east of the town. Before heading over there, you
might want to pay a visit to the Triet Ruins to earn a level or two. Get
to level 11; if you wish to go past there, go you! It's time consuming,
though.
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W O R L D M A P
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So, head east. The Trail's entrance is at the bottom of some hills, on a
grassy patch past the desert area. Head inside after saving.
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O S S A T R A I L
==================
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Head up along the dirt road until a scene kicks in. Pick whatever choice
you want to keep the cinema flowing. Once it is done, resume your way
forward. In the next screen, you'll find some enemies, namely THIEVES and
ARCHERS. The Archers are definitely the major threat, hitting from afar
for notable damage; deal with them first, and then go for the thieves.
There are some MANDRAGORAS, AXE BEAKS and BEARS in this area. All are
surprisingly powerful, specially the Mandragoras, who are rather swift,
and the Bears, who hit hard (be sure to block). In any party the Bear's
on, it's better to deal with him last.
Keep moving until you have take a turn to the left and go up a steep
slope. At its top a bifurcation rests; it goes to the left and to the
right. The leftmost path is actually a limited portion of grass that
holds a Battle Staff; the camera might make it seem like a full-length
path; it isn't. Once you've gotten such item, take the other available
road.
Run to the subsequent screen, where the trek upwards resumes (note: keep
your health/TP up around this place. There is a boss battle coming up,
and it starts without notice). It's a steep path; once you see the road
flattens down and then resumes in another steep, declined slope, head
south (down) to find an offshoot with two chests (Apple Gel and Melange
Gel) as well as a save point. Heal up and save (fight the monsters if you
feel like so).
Run down the steep, declined slope that continues eastward. At the next
screen, keep going down and take a sharp left when prompted, at the base
of the cliff. Head down, turn right when needed and pick up the Orange
Gel that's patrolled by a soldier. You might find a WITCH if you engage
them; deal with them first, before anybody else (they're quite strong,
though!). Then, run down the hill across the chest (heal on the way
down).
At the bottom of this hill, a scene kicks in. Right after it, it's battle
time!
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Sheena
Wind Guardian
Techs and Strat, ASAP! I recommend the standard party here (no Raine).
Set Angel Feathers and a Genis' spell to your shortcuts. Be sure you have
Tempest and Tiger Blade on Lloyd's shortcuts. As for the Strat, go for
"Don't Pursue" and "Keep Reserve" on the spell casters, and "Heal" and
"Move Freely" on Kratos. Set Kratos' to "Attack Same", too, as well as
Colette.
Go for the Guardian first. Hit it with a Slash-Tempest combo and then
block immediately the Guardian's two-hit combo. Go for the combo again.
This guy likes to protect himself a lot (just like you ;)), so your total
damage might be greatly reduced. It's important that you block, though. A
combo of this guy adds up for serious damage, and it sends you flying
back (effectively stunning you).
The Guardian also uses a fireball kind of attack that hits 4-5 times for
around 90 PTS of DMG, total. If you're really near to her, it'll miss.
But if, for instance, you were sent back, and you're running to her,
she'll use it and hit you head on.
Sheena probably won't bother you, but she'll go for Colette and Genis;
with Kratos, their HPs should be up the whole way. Lloyd will get less
attention, but he'll often be healed by the time he hits the 400s. Keep
Kratos' TPs up to keep the healing going on.
Keep in mind that if too much of your party members get too near an
enemy, and another one is left behind, Sheena will probably go for this
one and beat the living crap out of him. In this case, shift tactics so
your party attacks the Guardian will you look for Sheena. Hit her twice
or so, block and backtrack to drag her away and "spread" her attacks.
However, don't let the Guardian alone for too long! If you do, she'll
kick your ass _hard_. The only way to effectively control her is with
Lloyd, by attacking her and blocking her hits. Your other friends can't
handle her; trust me. So, if you can't get Sheena to spread, simply
backtrack and let her bitch be killed (so be it!)
That way, she'll eventually run up to the main party, giving your dead
friend space to be revived. In this scenario, Kratos will have to heal up
like crazy. Use Gels if needed. Meanwhile, you should always attack the
Guardian so it doesn't get a chance to wreck havoc.
Eventually, the Guardian will be killed. Kratos should have kept your
party at optimum conditions throughout; Lloyd is probably beat, though.
Give him a Gel while you run up to Sheena. Now, it's possible to end with
her rather quick. Simply get up to her sexy ninja body and slash away,
hitting A furiously. You'll rack up fast, easy hits.
Sheen really won't get much of a chance to recover if you jam on the A
button fast enough. If she ever breaks your attack string, hit block to
absorb the damage and then resume your attacks. It's possible to hack
away her for quite a bit before she can get to stop you. As a matter of
fact, and if she was damaged as you dealt with the Guardian, you can kill
her quickly just by juggling her.
It's a simple fight. The Guardian ain't too much of a threat, but she's
the most dangerous of the bunch, due to her high blocking and damaging
attacks. And if you your party the "simple" task of dealing with her on
their own, be ready to get creamed. But she's easy to get down with
Lloyd. Once she's out, Sheena ain't hard.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Enjoy the cinemas and heal your party. Go inside the mine.
Watch the skit and run forward to hit a bifurcation. You can continue
further into the mine by going forward, to the right and to the left.
Head left and then all the way up to get a Fine Guard. Head back to the
bifurcation and turn to the right. Head all the way down to get a Black
Silver.
Return to the bifurcation and take the middle road all the way to the
next screen. Here, open up the two chests for a Ex Gem Lv 1 and a Beast
Fang. Note the floating Black Skull who won't pursue you. You can even
talk to it; do so and you'll be asked if you want to fight.
Don't be reckless and start fighting just like that; you'll get creamed.
This guy is the Sword Dancer and he's one tough cookie! He's part of a
bigger sidequest. You can beat him later, but after you go through
certain story-related events, he disappears. He stays here until you get
to Hima (and do a couple of things here).
Since you have yet to save, I'd suggest holding off on fighting him now.
Instead, let's finish this place, get to the world map to save, and then
return. Ok?
So, exit the mine shaft and go south from it. Head out of the Trail. To
do so, you'll have to watch a skit before. You'll learn to use Unison
Attacks after that. Read the Tutorial.
Outside, save and watch the skit. Now, head back to the shaft and talk
with the Sword Dancer (note: you might feel like proceeding with the
story so you can get to a town and stock up on items. Not a bad idea, if
you feel like doing so). Initiate the battle.
... Oh, you'd rather go to town a little while and get some items. Okay.
Just follow the dirt road towards Izoold.
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I Z O O L D
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Here, talk with the dog that greets you and head into the house nearest
to the entrance to find the inn. Resting there triggers a skit (doing so
one more time triggers yet another one). Do so and save afterwards.
Talk with the townsfolk and then head to the eastern side of the town to
find a bridge that leads to the docks. Here is the items shop. Stock up
on Orange Gels and Life Bottles (very important if you feel like fighting
the Sword Dancer).
Now, you can proceed with the story or fight the Dancer. If you feel like
fighting him, read the strategy below. Otherwise, go past it and read
what suits your tastes better.
****************************************
OPTIONAL FIGHT
Preparations: First, I suggest you bump up your levels to the 13-15 area
by battling the folks at the beach. Be sure you fight the "big" guys
(larger, experience-happy groups) to speed up the process. You'll also
earn Gald this way, which is necessary to get all of the items you'll
need. Apple Gels are notably useful, but you should give Orange Gels and
Life Bottles a priority. Also, be sure you have the Unison Gauge
completely filled up; Lloyd's "Beast" and "Tempest" learned; a party of
Genis, Colette, Kratos and Lloyd.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Sword Dancer
Shortcuts are for losers! Instead, go to all of your non-controllable
character's Tech Menu and have them use only a select amount of spells:
Angel Feathers for Colette, Lighting for Genis and Lighting/First Aid for
Kratos. Set both Colette and Genis for "At Once" and "L-Range Magic".
Your other character (Kratos) should sport "Heal" and "Move Freely".
Let's analyze a couple of things about this fight. First, it's hard. It
took me lots of tries to beat it (mainly because I was utilizing the
wrong party), but in the end I managed to get through it with all of my
party members alive at the end of the battle. The Sword Dancer hits hard,
specially on unsuspecting folks. This is the battle where you'll learn
just how terrible the game's AI can be.
When you run up to the Dancer with your controllable character, he'll
usually do a two-hit combo and sometimes performs a "Cross Slice" attack
after that. If these attacks manage to connect, prepare to be killed on
the spot. Now, how do you deal with these? Simple: block.
Now, there are a lot of variables to be considered here. When you first
start the fight, you'll be at a prudent distance from the Dancer. Run up
to him and immediately hit block to absorb the first wave of attacks.
This'll be an important rule in this fight: every time you run up to the
Dancer, hit the block button. Blocking the first two attacks is fine, but
after they're done, keep your finger pressing X for a split-second.
Why? Cross Slice _may_ follow. If you let go of Block too soon, it'll hit
you and practically kill you. The split-second pressing of X will give
you a great chance of blocking it, and, if it doesn't come, you only need
to resume your attacking.
Now, for the attacking. Angel Feathers and Lighting both do great amounts
of damage, but Lloyd also needs to contribute to the battle! The best way
to attack the Dancer with him is to hit him good with a standard sword
combo (hit A rapidly) followed by Tempest and finished by Beast. By
pulling off this combo, you'll knock the Dancer over.
While he's on the ground, heal your wounds, revive fallen allies or
replenish your TPs (more on all of this later). Keep in mind that the
Dancer enjoys to block, and if he does, he won't be knocked over. If
that's the case, you should hit the block button once you conclude your
combo to absorb the inexorable barrage of attacks that shall follow.
This is all very simple, but like I said before, there are tons of things
to consider: firstly, the combo Lloyd will be continuously using drains
TP fast, so you'll have to replenish it on a minutely basis(well, not
really). The best moments to do so is when the Dancer is knocked over.
Back away a little and utilize a refreshing Orange Gels to keep the
skills flowing.
Replenishing your other character's TP is as fundamental, too: Genis and
Colette need to crank out the spells to rack up the damage, but more
importantly, to keep them back from the Dancer. No matter how you tweak
their Strats., they'll always run up to the Sword Dancer whenever their
TPs run dry, getting effectively creamed on the process. By maintaining
their magic bars at an acceptable level, this shouldn't happen too often.
But it'll happen, nonetheless. And that brings up another point: prepare
to die. A lot. Lloyd will be dying the most, and, with any luck, your
other characters won't be visited by the Reaper too often. Life Bottles
are fundamental in this fight. Administer them to the affected character
as soon as he or she goes down.
To prevent too much dying on Lloyd's part, you'll have to play it careful
sometimes. Instead of running to the Dancer with just 200 HPs, wait for a
healing. Or heal yourself with a Gel. While you float around waiting for
the healing to come, the Dancer gets dangerously near to your other party
members. This is really not a trouble, since it's easy to push him back
with Lloyd's combo attacks.
However, sometimes he'll shift his attention to one of your party members
and start whacking him. In those cases, the best you can do is run up to
the dancer and hit block. It'll immediately shift back its attention to
you, and slash you good. However, it's easier to control damage issues
with your controlled character, so it's better this way.
Overall, you have to learn to block, attack constantly and heal
frequently. High TPs are a must. Healing will be nicely handled by Kratos
(whom you should revive first whenever he dies), so manual-curing will
most likely not needed. Just be sure you try to keep your characters at
optimum conditions and distract the Dancer with Lloyd (so it doesn't kill
the rest of your folks). Use Unison Attacks, too.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
**********************************************
Are you back? Good. Now head to the docks.
After stocking up on items, explore the docks a bit. There is a cat-woman
here who'll play Emotion Balloon with you, a weird minigame where you
match the "EB" shown to you with the d-pad button that's assigned to it.
Not too good.
There are two ships here, too. One of them is docked on the eastern side
of the harbor, staggering over the dim waves. The other one is a bit to
the southwest, ahead of a small storehouse. Max, its owner, and
apparently the only guy who'd be willing to give you a ride, refuses to
provide you with any means of transport. Shucks.
So, head back to the town's first area and head into the northernmost
house after talking with the guys around here. Speak with the lady there
(you might need to do so twice) to trigger a scene. Once it is over,
backtrack to the harbor and head over to Max's boat.
Agree to take the letter to Aifread. When you're ready to leave, chat
with Max and pick yes to ignite a scene.
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P A L M A C O S T A
===================
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Stroll through the docks and chat with the townsfolk. There is even a dog
to be named! You should also get a skit around these parts.
There are various shops around here. The newer equipment is pretty
expensive, but if you've been fighting a lot you should have the cash to
afford them. Now then, if you've burned some of it on healing items
(coughSwordDancercough) you might not be able to upgrade your party. Hold
off for a bit if that's the case.
Even then, you might just be able to upgrade your weapons at the
Customization Shop. Some of the items require you to make a previous
purchase at one of the local stores (aha! a powerful synergy it is,
a'ight?). Some can be made right off the bat, if you earned the items
previously (most likely, but even then...)
The harbor has two exits: the northern one leads to a sealed-off
lighthouse, while the southern one connects the docks to the main
residential area. Shortly after entering it you'll witness a cutscene.
Short story made even shorter: Colette makes some girl break her Palma
Potion. And you have to replace it.
You don't have many places: you can enter the inn right besides the two
guys who are, apparently, the girl's bodyguards. They are the ones who
limit your exploration: should you go too far, they'll basically stop
you, thinking you're just trying to escape. Meh, whatever.
Head east of these two guys and enter the big building there (on its
second floor you can find the Katz Exploration Team) which would be the
best place to get a Palma Potion at... but it turns out they're sold out!
Go inside the shop next to the wine-and-drinks shop. After the short
scene there, purchase the Palma Potion for a hefty 1,000 Gald. If you're
short on cash, you'll be told you can amass some of it by playing a
minigame. Keep in mind that you're told this ONLY if you first view the
shop list with less than 1,000 Gald. If you view the shop's list with
over 1,000 Gald, and then purchase something, lowering your cash to less
than such amount and proceed to check out the list... you won't get the
aforementioned suggestion.
With the Potion in hand, head back to where the girl's bodyguards are and
hand over the item. After the scene, head over to the easternmost side of
town and cross the bridge over there. A cutscene kicks in.
Stroll about the plaza. There is a narrow paved road that leads to
steamship that rests on the horizon, Dorr's mansion to its left, and the
Church of Martel to its right. Head into the church and chat with the
priest to get some valuable information. Go out once the chitchat is
over. Your folks will consider the course of action, and they'll decide
visiting General Dorr is the best-suited plan.
Now, before heading over there, you might want to visit the steamship
area. As you approach the vehicle itself you will get a nice cutscene.
Once it is done, you're free to talk with the people around the area
(check out the two guys by the bowsprit. Heh.) There really isn't a lot
to do here, I just figured you'd like to see the whole town ;)
There is another interesting place around these parts, namely, the local
Academy, right next to the church. Right off the bat you're given a
challenge... on the intellectual level, though. And you don't have to
take it up right up.
Examine the weird, torch-like thing underneath the staircase to find the
Wonder Chef, who grants you the recipe for the Omelette. After getting it
head to the right and explore the two classrooms spread across this short
hall. In the second one you're given the possibility to become a waitress
for a short time.
It's an interesting minigame. People come over and giver you orders. You
memorize them (and the people's appearance), make the cook prepare them,
and then deliver it to the appropriate folks in the right amounts. Do
well enough and you'll get some cash and the "Turbo Waitress" title.
Go back to the entrance area and head to the second floor. Enter the
first classroom to trigger a scene. You'll be asked three questions, and
their answers are: Guardian, Acceleration due to gravity and I don't
know. Having taken up this test, exit the classroom and head over to the
adjacent room. Another hilarious scene for you to enjoy.
Once it is over Genis will have a new title: "Honor Roll". Good enough.
You can now leave the academy.
So now would be a good time to backtrack and consider heading into Dorr's
place. Before crossing the doorway, talk with the two big-framed guys by
the door. Doing so triggers a special scene (only of you choose to see
it). After you're done with it you might want to enter the mansion once
and for all.
Head up the steps and watch the scene. By the time it ends, you'll be
given a new objective: to reach Hakonesia Peak!. When you exit the
mansion, you're bound to get some skits. Go back to the previous screen
and move to its westernmost side and chat with the people there to learn
that Hakonesia Peak is to the northeast. This is also where you can exit
Palmacosta.
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W O R L D M A P
================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd suggest fighting around the beaches and grasslands for a bit to earn
cash. That way you can modernize your party's equipment.
There are GIANT BEETLES around this area, which are flying enemies who
usually come in back packs. They're really weak, so I'd say no special
considerations should be taken with them. The bigger parties give out a
nice amount of EXP and Gald.
At the beaches you can find FISH and SEA JELLY. The Jellies can resist a
lot of hits before going down, but aren't very damaging. The Fishes are
run-down-the-mill enemies. They give out much less EXP and Gald than the
other guys, but they really ain't too bad.
Finally, there are SOLDIERS and ARCHERS whom we've met before and are
EXTREMELY resistant, but don't do much damage. Not so bad. Oh, there is
also a skit to be seen around these parts. Just wander around until it
shows up.
Another enemy you will see around here is the GRASSHOPPER. They can dish
out quite some damage; consider defending. They can also poison you,
which is never good. Use Panacea Bottles or prevent it altogether by
equipping any Poison Charms you have.
There are also some places to be visited around the map. Firstly, head
more or less southeast from Palmacosta and to find Nova's Caravan sitting
in the middle of a grove.
Talk with the people inside (one of them tells a hilarious story about
tree nuts crafting beautiful melodies). You'll get a Linkite Nut and some
interesting information about how to find Aska. Like Raine says, it's not
like you have to look for her right now, though...
Go back to the field and head towards the mountain that's behind the
Caravan. Resting at its bottom there is an Ex Gem Lv2. Take it.
That about sums it up. Our next destination, Hakonesia Peak, is to the
northeast, so stroll over there. You basically just need to follow the
dirt road and cross the bridge at its northeastern end. Keep on until you
find a House of Salvation. Head inside.
Talk with the people around here and name the dog before heading into the
House itself. Inside, talk with the assassin who previously tried to kill
you to learn she's called Sheena. After the short scene, you're free to
heal at the top floor (save, too). Once you come back down, talk to the
newly-spawned people. Leave then.
Resume your way towards Hakonesia by following the adjacent unpaved road
that goes more or less north. The path branches out after a bit, one of
the roads leading to the continent's easternmost shore where the
Guidepost Monument is. Follow the other available road to finally reach
the Peak (it's a long walk). Before heading in, head to the east of it to
find a Magic Mist overlooking the sea.
Head into the peak now.
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H A K O N E S I A P E A K
==========================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head into the only house here and talk with the old chap inside. Turns
out the impostor Chosen party sold him the Book of Regeneration and won't
let you look at it unless you pay him some money... or bring him the
Spiritua Statue that's the House of Salvation. Hm... exit his shack to
witness another scene.
After it you should get a skit.
--
So, head back to the map and move over to the House of Salvation we just
passed by (on the way you're bound to get a skit). A word of advice:
fight a lot as you stroll about the map. Levels are quite easily attained
around these parts. You should be at around level 14-16.
Heal up and talk with the priest by the Spiritua statue to learn that you
can't it take just now. Exit and now, head back to Palmacosta.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
P A L M A C O S T A
===================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first thing you might want to do is to stay at the inn and save.
Then, head to the town's plaza by Dorr's house. Fight the Desians there
after the scene (it's a simple fight).
Once the whole thing ends you'll be at Cacao's shop. Stock up on the
necessary items and head towards the town's western exit (you're bound to
get some skits by this time). Talk with the woman in white garb by the
exit and agree to walk her part of the way to Hakonesia.
--
You'll be at the House of Salvation the next minute. Approach the House
itself to trigger a cutscene. Agree to help out Chocolat and enter the
House. Speak with the Grand Priest to trigger yet another cinema. As it
flows you'll be prompted to make a choice; pick the answer that suits
your tastes.
Our next destination is the Human Ranch; leave the House.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
W O R L D M A P
================
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If you read your Synopsis you'll be told that the Human Ranch is to the
southeast of Hakonesia Peak... which means you should go southeast from
the House along the dirt road. When the road ends, go northeast. Turn
around the mountain to find the ranch nested between the shrubbery. Head
inside.
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P A L M A C O S T A H U M A N R A N C H
=========================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the introductory cinema, watch the skit and dash forward. Another
cinema kicks in; watch it. You'll be told if you want to go back to
Palmacosta to confront Dorr, or if you want to storm the ranch right
away. The logical option would be to go to Palmacosta, but I highly
suggest attacking the ranch. So, in order to follow this walkthrough, do
so too please :)
Head through the rightmost path towards the ranch's front entrance.
Battle the WHIP MASTERS and BOWMEN around the area. They're upgraded
versions of the dudes you've faced in the past; they're easy, overall.
Open the main door and do battle against the guards patrolling the yard
while moving to the northernmost side of the area, where the entrance to
the ranch awaits.
Inside you should examine the pedestal in the middle of the room to
change the S. Ring's function to that of a "radar". You should also get a
skit around here.
Exit the area through the door to the right. In the subsequent screen,
fight the two Desians and trigger the radar to uncover some items,
namely: Omega Shield and White Silver. At the top right side of this
small platform there is an interesting, cylindrical structure. Trigger
the radar and choose to examine it. Do so until a staircase appears in
the horizon. Notice how the bridge across from it disappears once the
staircase pops up.
Firstly, make the bridge appear and head to the other side. Watch the
short cinema that explains how the apparatus in the middle of the
platform works (it heals you). Fight the Desian for a Purple Card and
pick up the hidden items (Orange Gel). Trigger the radar again and check
the cylinder (from now on "radar switch") to craft a bridge that leads to
a hidden life bottle.
Deactivate this radar switch and activate the one on the previous
platform so only the staircase is visble. Head back to the main hub
(where you got the special Radar Ring).
Exit through the west and kill the lone guy there for a Memory Gem (there
is also a hidden Apple Gel). Go southwest to find a small passage that
sprawls into a wide hallway with lots of enemies (the robot group is
quite damaging). Clear it and trigger the radar to find an Orange Gel by
the hall's northern exit, which is actually a dead end... with a hidden
Life Bottle.
So, stroll towards the corridor's southernmost exit. There, go forward
but then go down the hall just now (you can't go up it, anyways).
Instead, head past it and get the hidden item there.
Run back to the main room and "unlock" the warp point there by using your
radar. In the next screen, save and explore around. There are a total of
four possible paths: the one you came through, a sealed warp point off to
the north (it can't be unlocked with just the ring) and two doorways
veering off to the west and east.
Firstly, head east. Hit the S. Ring button to uncover a bunch of
invisible crates. One of them, at the bottom of the platform, overlooks a
gap that precedes a small landing with an item on it. Clear the gap with
the block and get the Ex Gem Lv2 that's resting on the small platform. As
for the other crates, you can easily move them around.
Push them into the gaps by the small landing where the Ex Gem was. You
can now easily access the refresher area. Heal up if needed and hit the
radar switch on the eastern side of the crate platform. At the other
side, go down the stairs to trigger a small cinema, along which you'll be
given a Red Card. Having done that, cross back the bridge and lock it
back through the radar switch.
Backtrack to the save point (NOTE: I think it's necessary to head back to
the refresher area to make the staircase appear again), four-way
intersection and veer west.
In this screen (the prison area) you'll be given the Blue Card. With that
in hand, return to the previous area and open up the sealed warp to the
north (simply access your radar). Transport to the subsequent zone.
Here, there are some enemies as well as two warp points. Finish off the
Desians and take the leftmost warp after picking up the Melange Gel that
rests besides it. In the next area, use the upper warp point. In this new
screen, pick up the hidden Apple Gel resting by the recently-used warp.
Then, take up the northernmost warp point.
Kill the enemy upstairs (the staircase will be here only if you've
followed the steps mentioned throughout the area's walkthrough) and get
the hidden Panacea Bottle. Head back to the warp room and take the bottom
transporter. Then, take the western, red warp (grab the item next to it).
In the next screen, don't pick the hidden "item" to the north, as it is
an alarm-triggering device. Instead, take the southernmost warp and pick
up the Life Bottle there. Head back to the previous room and go north
this time around. In the next area, take the western warp (pick up the
item floating by it) and head through the north. Then go west.
Beat the Desians here to free Chocolat. She then takes the northern warp;
before following her, go east to find a sealed save point. Unlock it and
save/heal. Then, head north. At the next screen, beat the Desians (after
the mandatory scene, of course) and then you'll have to deal with
Magnius.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Magnius
Whip Master
Bowman
Strat./shortcut time! Set some powerful spells to your shortcuts (Angel
Feather is somewhat mandatory) like Stalagmite or Spread... or if you're
not there yet, then Lightning, which is also quite powerful. If you don't
feel like using the C-Stick, then simply have both Colette and Genis use
only one spell (through their Tech menu) by canceling out the other ones.
Set your CPU-controlled characters to "Attack Same"; Genis should also
have "Use Skills Freely" and "L-Range Magic". Colette should "Move" &
"Attack Freely" while Kratos "Heals". That's about it.
Magnius will be attacking right off the bat with some powerful skills,
such as Eruption, which can hit your entire party for a hefty 300 PTS of
DMG, Beast, that knocks you back and deals over 200 PTS of DMG, and his
standard physical attack, which knocks off around 150 HPs! His lackeys
serve as a nuisance and give him plenty of space to cast his spells.
It's important that you first kill his lackeys. They're weak, but have a
lot of HP. They're not too bad; the problem is that Magnius will be
assaulting you while you deal with the soldiers. Manually heal your
wounds through items or First Aid (through this first part of the fight,
it might be good to have Kratos cast First Aid exclusively. You can then
tweak his behavior).
If you get a chance to cancel one of Magnius' spells, do so, but be
careful; if you get too near to him, he'll definitely use either Beast or
his axe-swing attack, both of which are powerful. Blocking is a definite
advantage you have here, so be sure to use it constantly to absorb some
of the damage he can deal.
Magnius might sometime focus on only one or two of your party members and
wreck havoc on them. If that's the case, simply run up to him to get a
nice share of the fighting; otherwise he'll just cream the members he's
focusing on.
If you have the Unison Gauge full, be sure to hold off on using it until
Magnius is alone. That way he'll take most of the damage.
When you go forward to attack Magnius, be sure to heal your folks before.
Also, I've noticed that both Genis and Colette seem to lose their TPs
quite quickly here, so it'd be good to replenish them for maximum
effectiveness. Do so with Kratos as he is the one with the healing.
Magnius ain't a joke; keep that in mind. Aside of the aforementioned
attacks, he's got Flame Lance which roughly does 150-200 PTS of DMG.
Guard-breaking Hell Axe is another dangerous attack that dishes out over
200 PTS of DMG, while Hell Hound, which can hit two party members at a
time, hits hard (200-300 PTS of DMG), is hard to block (but not
impossible) and knocks you back. Ouch!
Healing and reviving are two fundamental actions you'll need to
constantly do; otherwise you'll get killed. Maintaining both your TPs and
HPs will take you through the fight, since Magnius attacks often, hard
and uses attacks that often can't be blocked (so they dish out maximum
pain). TP reserves will be exhausted on a blink here, so you've got to
keep an eye on them, otherwise your spellcasting will be limited.
Powerful spells really help the battle go by faster, so if needed, cast
them manually through a shortcut or through the Tech Menu. If you see
Genis is reluctant to use Stalagmite, Spread or any other powerful spell,
then set it to a shortcut and wiggle on it. Damaging spells add up to the
pain quota and stun Magnius, which is good.
Blocking is not as effective here as it's been in other battles, but it
still can absorb some damage of a some of Magnius' attacks; yet, they're
worthless against some others :) That makes healing all more important.
Mark my words: you need to heal and revive.
If you can knock off his HPs at a steady rate and maintain yours up, then
it shouldn't be too hard of a fight. It's really more about being careful
with your folks than anything else (since he's easily healed from).
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After all the nice scenes, exit to the map and watch the skit you'll
probably get. Head back to Palmacosta.
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P A L M A C O S T A
===================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Healing at the inn and buy some new items, specially if you used some
against Magnius. After that, head to Cacao's shop for a scene, and then
move over to Dorr's mansion. There, head downstairs after the brief
cinema.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Kilia
This girl is quite powerful! Still, she's not as tough as Magnius and I'd
say she's quite easy to defeat. Have some powerful, hard-hitting spells
set to your shortcuts.
Run up to her unleash some combos on her; use skills such as Beast or
Fierce Demon Fang to deliver the coup de grace; it makes racking up the
damage a much faster process. Meanwhile, wiggle on the stick to unleash
some powerful spells. With some timing, you can obliterate her with a
powerful combination of spells and skills, that can easily add up to 20
or so hits.
Blocking is quite effective in this battle; this girl attacks by using a
series of quick-hit combos that often deal around 200-300 PTS of DMG,
perhaps even a bit more. These attacks are very damaging, as you can see,
so manually healing from them is a must. Even then, if you keep the spell
casting up, it's highly probably that only Lloyd will be damaged by them,
since she doesn't have any long-range attacks.
As a matter of fact, Kratos finished this battle with full-health, which
was quite a surprise! He basically spent his time healing. My other
characters were barely touched, and they were easily healed from. So, as
long as Lloyd attacks her relentlessly and you keep your other characters
busy, casting a myriad of spells, they should be alright.
Kilia will eventually sprout some wings off her back; her combos become
more powerful and harder to block (they usually pierce right through it)
plus she uses them more often... and faster. Lloyd will be in for a
world of hurt, so keep the healing up, but, also keep up the offense. If
you heal steadily, Lloyd should not die.
To prevent your other characters from getting too close to Kilia, have
them constantly cast long-range spells... and make sure the TPs reserves
are always moderately full so they don't feel like going to the
frontlines. All in all, this is an easy fight. Just make sure you heal
Lloyd's wounds.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
If you came here before going to the Ranch, you'll be given a passcode
and Card Key which you can use to enter the ranch through a different
path; if you've already gone through it, you'll get a Pass you can use to
cross Hakonesia. All of this along the cutscenes, of course :)
As you move around Palmacosta, you're bound to see some skits. Save/heal
and stock back on items. You can also play "Orienteering" at the plaza
(talk with the soldier that rests at the southwestern corner of it) where
you must find people that match the criteria given to you. The soldier
gives out some clues that are actually quite helpful.
The people who you have to look for are: a boy that wanders about the
steamship dock, the two guards overlooking the mansion, an old woman
standing inside a fence by the academy (tell her she actually hear you)
and the fishing stand (yes the stand) at the northern dock (the one that
belongs to Seven Seas). Finish the game by talking with the soldier at
the plaza (there is no prize, mind you).
Keep playing and you should have to find more people, but those are the
first, I think (this might be random. If it is, please contact me).
Now, head to the western side of town and talk with the woman in white
garb. Take her with you "part of the way" so you end up at the House of
Salvation. From there, head over to the human ranch and veer south from
it. Go inside Thoda Dock.
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T H O D A D O C K
==================
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The house nearest to the entrance is actually a House of Salvation, so
heal up there if needed. Across the House's entrance there should be a
white, dotted dog that Colette should take here time naming. Inside the
House's first floor, look to the right to find an almost-hidden desk with
the travel woman. Pay her 200 Gald to be taken to the Thoda Geyser.
Save up and head up the rocky slope. There a cutscene will kick in. After
it, name the dog to the left and chat with the people around. There is
also a guy by the top of the slope who sells items, and is the first guy
to start selling Melange Gels. They're expensive, too.
Head to the rightmost side of the spring and head up the small mount over
there. After the scene you'll play a small minigame. Simply follow Genis
directions and you shall not fall (or take damage). It's simple and quite
easy. Once it finishes, you'll have the Spiritua Stone with you. Neato.
Examine the lectern-like thing next to the signpost here to find out it's
the Oracle Stone. This'll open up the water temple.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
W A T E R T E M P L E
======================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head all the way forward through the entrance road. Along the way, you'll
find FLOAT DRAGONS and STARFISH. The Dragons can poison you, which is
never good, so take a conservative approach towards them and back off
every time you see "Poison Needle". These two guys are only moderately
damaging, so they're not too tough.
At the end of the path there is a staircase that goes down; proceed.
You're bound to find GREEN ROPERS (ah yes, I remember them...) and WATER
ELEMENTS. The Elements have the extremely powerful Aqua Laser (over 300
PTS of DMG); the Ropers have lots of HP and have a spin combo-like attack
that hits abundantly and quite hard for what it is; it can shove off more
than 200 HPs, I'd say. When you see the Roper is about to perform it
(it's got a telltale sign, don't worry) hit block.
A good way to deal with multiple, ultra damaging Elements is to
constantly shift between them whenever you see they're chanting a spell.
That way you can silence them and prevent further damage.
At the bottom of the aforementioned staircase there is another downward-
oriented stairway, and to its far right, a chest, holding a Mermaid's
Tear. Snag this item and then head down. From there, proceed to the very
bottom of this temple. It's a rather expansive platform that overlooks a
small pond with some geysers to the west, and has a circular, lit-up
shrine to the east, resting next to two treasure chests.
The chests hold a Life Bottle and a Circlet, respectively. The shrine
next to them changes the function of your S. Ring. Ignore it for now,
though. Instead, exit the room through the southwestern path.
You'll arrive at a huge, two-story room that's composed mainly of
catwalks-like roads, small, interesting shrines and whatnot. Head across
the entrance to find two big, cylindrical pillars resting along the right
wall; in between them is a hidden path that leads to a minute platform
with two treasure chests positioned on top of it. Open them for White
Silver and an Orange Gel.
Back at the previous screen, head over to the small shrine to the left of
the aforementioned entrance. Such shrine is composed of two flanking,
unlit torches, in the middle of which there are two water jugs. Light up
the torches and head back to the room with the S.Ring-shifting shrine.
Shift the S.ring. Then, go through the southeastern exit. In the
following room, head down the flight of steps straight ahead.
Turn right to find a series of wide, horizontally lined archways that
serve as a support to a bigger platform. Underneath such platform, and by
crossing the archways, you can find a duo of chests holding a Stun
Bracelet and a Circlet. There are also some foes to be fought here,
amongst which you can find the big-but-tender OCTOSINE.
One of the enemies here (the one on the eastern side of the archways)
holds a valuable Memory Gem. Anyways, after snagging all of the possible
items, head down the staircase at the bottom side of this platform.
You'll land in a rocky, unpaved and brief road.
The enemy floating about is usually a dangerous combo of Ropers and
Elements. Healing must be employed throughout such a fight, and skills,
too, so it ends rather fast.
At the western end of the road there is a doorway. Cross it to enter an
L-shaped (with a small offshoot by the L's bottom-left) at the tip of
which there is one of those small shrine, the same as the one in the
floor above of you. There is also a boulder and an enemy; I'd say get rid
of the enemy.
Enemy, push the boulders backwardly towards a small square that's
underneath the doorway you just used to enter. It should make a click
sound. Once you've done so, backtrack to the first shrine we visited,
where we lit up some torches.
As told in this walkthrough, you should have already shifted your S. Ring
from fire to water; if not, do so now. Anyways, at this shrine, hit the
rightmost jug with a blast of fresh, clear water. Having done this, go
back to the boulder-room shrine.
There, you only have to splash the rightmost jug at the shrine to fulfill
this puzzle (and get an interesting Zelda-like sound, again... hm). With
all of this done, head back to the floor where the first shrine is. By
now you're probably wondering where you can find a good save point. Head
directly across from the shrine area's entrance door and go a bit past
the two cylindrical pillars. Squint hard at the area in front of the
railing to find the faint remnants of what once was a save point.
Save/heal and work on your Strategy. You'd want a fully-healed party that
can attack magically and physically and has healing capabilities; I
suggest Raine, Kratos, Genis and Lloyd, because you'll need some healing
in the next fight. Have Raine "Heal", of course. And "Protect Friends".
Make sure that her only cast-able spell is First Aid.
Meanwhile, have Kratos shift between First Aid and Lightning, as well as
any other skill you feel is useful. Have your Spell-caster (Genis) take a
laid-back approach with a L-Range Magic/Don't pursue setting.
Kratos should also have "Heal".
Oh, and have they everybody except Lloyd use "Scatter".
Now, head over the platform that just rose and step into the warp. It's
battle time!
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Andulocia
Amphitra x 2
Andulocia is the main guy here, but as you were probably expecting, it's
highly recommended to go for her(?) lackeys first.
Keep in mind that Andulocia will start wrecking havoc on you as soon as
possible with Spread, which is outstandingly powerful, shoving off over
600 PTS of DMG if fully hit! Now, that's quite something.
So, how to go around this? Well, you... can't. Andulocia can't be stopped
mid-chant, so once she starts casting a spell, it's party time! The best
way to prevent getting killed from that is to heal constantly; keep your
HPs above 800 and you should be fine.
At first, I suggest moving around a lot with Lloyd. Have some nice,
powerful spells on your shortcuts and wiggle on them while you circle
between targets. Constantly hit R and shift your objective, head towards
it and slash it down with a combo or two. Keep moving. This helps, trust
me.
Your folks will do a great job handling the Amphitras, so don't be
surprised when you slash one and it dies. If possible, manually heal. It
helps a lot, since your friends will sometimes ignore healing. And top-
notch health is really helpful throughout this battle.
When you circle around Andulocia, try to block or block-jump (hit block
and press "left" on the stick) to prevent damage from her, which is often
a lot (her bubble-combo deals a good ~250 PTS of DMG, while the Aqua
Laser can take off as much as 300-300 PTS). The Amphitras don't dish out
that much pain, but it's still considerable.
When you're hit by Spread, manually heal to prevent further, threatening
wounds. That's a good strategy.
After moving around for a bit, the Amphitras will be dead and it'll be
Andulocia against ye. Before engaging her, heal up your party. Two
healers makes this noticeably easier.
Hit Andulocia with a powerful combo that makes her stagger (finish it
with Beast, for example) and hit block to absorb her subsequent attack.
Or block-jump to dodge it altogether. If she starts chanting an spell,
backtrack and hit block to absorb it with Lloyd. Also, take some time to
heal any wounds you have.
I died quite a bit through this fight, mainly with Lloyd. He's going to
die, don't sweat. However, your other party members shouldn't die too
often if you maintain them healthy.
All in all, a semi-tough fight. Andulocia is relentless and quite
damaging, so healing takes a great importance. Make good use of any
spaces you get to replenish your health and attack conservatively. Use
Unison attacks, too. If your characters die, don't be afraid to employ
Life Bottles.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After the bevy of scenes, exit the temple. Watch the scene outside and
save at the washtub dock.
Make your way to Hakonesia Peak and enter the shack there. I should note
that you're bound to get some skits as you make your way (sleep at the
House of Salvation to get one, for instance).
Talk with Koton to earn a scene where the party reads the Book of
Regeneration. Afterwards, head up the slope to the north to find two
soldiers standing by the pathway that leads to the "Asgardian" part of
the continent. Cross it.
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W O R L D M A P
================
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The enemies around this area are no joke! DRAGOON RIDERS and VELODRAGON
accompany some old guys. These two enemies do a lot of damage per hit (to
the point it's obscene) and have quite a bit of resistance. Be careful
around them.
There are also WARRIORS and SORCERERS, the two of which seem to have no
resistance whatsoever, are easily stunned, and take lots of damage per
hit (due to their limited resustance). They aren't too much of a threat,
so don't sweat it.
Most of the bigger groups give out generous amounts of EXP and Gald, so
anybody who's feeling like incrementing his/her levels should fight
around for an hour or two.
Anyway, just out of the Peak it's a dirt road. Follow it into an
intersection in the middle of the spread-out, lush grassy fields.
Mountains surround the horizon. At the intersection there is a House of
Salvation. There is a dog to be named and information to get (be sure to
speak with everybody), like the whereabouts of your next destination.
You can go east towards the Balacruf Mausoleum, or head weast to Asgard.
Of course, we could head over to Luin, but let's go to Asgard first (both
of this cities are marked off as must-visits on your Synopsis).
Go southwest to find Asgard practically hidden amongst some strategically
placed cliffs and mountaintops.
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A S G A R D
===========
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Just by the entrance is the Vortex Inn, hidden beneath the rocks and
placed next to the flight of rocky stairs. Further ahead there is an
improvised entrance to the city, formed by the two cylindrical pillars
that sustain the stone bridge gazing at the top of the them.
The shops are spread along the upper area. There is also a natural cavern
formed within the rocky walls that contain Asgard, inside which ancient
piece of wall-art rest, waiting to be gawked by impressed tourists and
art maniacs.
There are not a lot of new items to be bought at the Weapons Shop, but
the Armory is carrying an interesting set of new items. The Katz
Exploration team is also floating around here.
At the bottom area of town there are also some interesting places to be
visited. The item shop is around this place, too, next to the road that
leads into a cavern. Next to it is a dog waiting to be named, and up a
gentle slope you can find a rather large mansion that it's actually an
inn, but an expensive one.
You can go down a small flight of steps across the item shop and go
forward along the twisting path. At its end there are various ways to go,
including a dragon's ranch to the left and another inn to the right. Ich!
So many places to rest at :)
To the right of the inn here lies another part of the town. There is also
a dog to be named. Head up the flight of stairs and enter the house to
the right. There, go upstairs and examine the record player on the floor
to find the Wonder Chef! He'll teach you the Meat Stew.
It's possible to further explore this zone, but I wouldn't deem it as
necessary. Our real destination is at the previous screen (around where
we found the third inn). Next to such inn is a long road that leads to a
long staircase. Head up.
After the scene you can stay behind to listen Raine's mind-numbing
chatter, talk with your folks... or head around the square-shaped ruin to
find two mischievous kids. Endure through the annoying scene (I hate
Raine. Who does she think she is!?)
Once the cinema is over, you may save at any of the available places in
town... and heal. Having done this, move back to the ruin area, where the
game will continue. Go up the stairs to start a cinema, at the end of
which you should leave. Move over to the easternmost area of town and go
into the house where we found the Wonder Chef.
Read the dialogue that ensues and bounce back to the Ruin's entrance
staircase. Long story made short, you'll need to pick a party that
includes Raine for the following fight. Since she provides the healing,
pack in some physical strikers and the obligatory spell caster.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Windmaster
This guy ain't really too bad. He's go a decent defense, and can dish out
a good amount of damage. Physical hits shove off as much as 160 HPs,
while its scythe combo deals around 60-130 PTS of DMG per hit (it's a
four-hitter).
Jump block and normal block will be of great importance. Have somebody
occupy himself/herself on healing constantly, and set up some powerful
spells to your Shortcuts. Use them constantly throughout the entire fight
to put a dent on the Windmaster's health.
Limit your character's attacking choices so they use the best spells more
consistently or actually heal whenever it is needed. The onslaught of
shortcut-summoned spells will help rack up the total damage delivered,
but it won't make the boss stagger.
With Lloyd, move forward to the Windmaster and employ a good combo of
techs and physical strikes. Tempest and Fierce Demon Fang work well, if
you have them. After performing it, you could end up with Beast to stun
the boss (although it sometimes does not work). Or you could block, to
absorb any subsequent hit.
When you're near the boss, hit block and perform jump blocks steadily to
prevent damage: after you perform a combo, or when you get near him. Once
you've done such maneuver, run forward and slash him down with a powerful
amalgam of attacks and Techs. Meanwhile, try to nail him with your
strongest spells (Stalagmite, Spread, Photon).
Manual healing should not be necessarily used too often, but you might
find yourself in a dire situation. In that case, don't hesitate to heal.
All in all, I'd call this a simple battle. As long as you can deal with
the semi-extreme damage the Windmaster can deliver, you're good to go.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After the scene, go to Linar's House (the one with the wonder chef).
Watch the cinema and once it is over, make your way out of the city. On
your way, rest at the expensive inn to trigger a scene with Kratos.
Accept his training proposal. You should also get a skit or two as you
go.
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W O R L D M A P
================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, hello! Make your way to the House of Salvation.
Veer west. You'll find a city; it's Luin. Ignore it and keep moving. On
the horizon, next to the big mountain that's a besides a wooden bridge,
you can find the Guidepost Monument. At the other side of the mountain
it's the Tower of Mana, and a bit to the northeast of it a chest sits
resting in front of the ocean, holding an Ex Gem Lv2.
You can visit Luin as you make your way back to the House.
From there, head east along the limited cliff that ends up in a wooden
bridge. Cross it and head eastwards towards the peninsula's end. Just
before the small crevice formed by the mountains, amongst which is the
Mausoleum, turn more or less to the north to find a Strike Ring resting
at the bottom of a soft mountain, some hundred meters away from the
ocean.
The Balacruf Mausoleum is your next destination. However, before getting
to it, I'll comment on Luin. If you're not interested, skip over to the
Mausoleum directly below. You can also visit the Lake Umacy, to the
northeast of the House of Salvation, on top a plateau, surrounded by low
forests and with a mountain overlooking it. Some scenes take place there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
L U I N
=======
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
As told before, skip over to the Mausoleum part if you don't wish to
visit Luin.
Directly ahead of the entrance is the inn. Rest up and save if you feel
like it, or you can visit the Weapons Shop directly to the left of it. A
customizer also uses this place for its business; he can customize all
sorts of new weapons for you, but they all require an assortment of items
you may not have now.
The actual shop is very lame, so if you can't customize you might as well
leave. From here, head west towards the next screen, where a scene
ensues. You'll be given a swashbuckling choice here. Endure through the
cinema.
If you exit this area through the far southeast you'll find an ever-so-
useful item shop. If you examine the small piggy-bank to the left of the
counter you'll find no other than the Wonder Chef, who'll teach you the
Seafood Stew.
Hmmm... that's about it for Luin. Proceed to the Mausoleum.
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B A L A C R U F M A U S O L E U M
==================================
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Name the dog roaming the area and chat with the nice folks that loiter
the entrance of the ruined Mausoleum. If you head over to the far left
side of the entrance you'll find a treasure chest beneath an improvised
hut, behind a traveler.
Anyway, head to the northernmost door where a scene is triggered.
At the inner side of the mausoleum you'll be treated to a series of
branching paths... hm. Head to the right to find a square room with a
sealed save point and an slithering worm. Among the enemies in this place
are ARACHNIDS, GARGOYLES and HARPIES. The Harpies can absorb an uncanny
amount of damage, as do the Arachnids. But none of these are two tough.
Open up the chest here for a Beast Fang and try to light up the torch.
The strong wind current coming from the western side of the Mausoleum
quickly suffocates the fire.
Head west, past the entrance to find two possible paths to take. The one
that goes further west has a portion of the floor clad in punctured
iron... try to cross that and spikes will protrude from the floor and
single-handedly remove 125 HPs out of your bars. Ich!
To cross the spike-protruding floor simply move slowly across it (heh).
At the other side, head up the steps and kill the enemy there to get a
Memory Gem. At the very top, read the inscription to the left and push
down the block to the bottom floor. From there, move it into the pattern
on the floor to stop the wind current.
You can now read the plaque east of the entrance. Neato. And you can also
unlock the save point there.
Go back to the spike-protruding steel floor and look up. Oh, a hallway!
This other available path veers northward and its highlights include
spiked, squared plaques that crash against each other in a slow fashion.
These are spread across the hallway and are easily dodged. So, go north
through this hall.
At the other side there is a floating skull; it probably carries a few
SKELETONS or, heck, WIND ELEMENTS. Try to do away the Elements first, or
at least keep them from using their powerful magical attacks. The
Skeletons do above-average damage but sustain lots of it if they can't
manage to block.
Ahead of the spike-plaque hall is another torch smothered by the strong
current crashing against it. To its left is a short flight of steps; head
up. Be careful with the enemy there, as it may carry a MELTING POT. These
guys are VERY DAMAGING, specially since there usually is a duo of them.
If you get caught in their rapid-fire combo attacks you can expect to be
400 HPs nearer to death.
Go forward and check out the inscription by the lit-up torch. You might
wanna jot it down; if you're following the walkthrough it might be
unnecessary. Anyway, head around the corner and cross the hall with the
spike-plaques. Next, you may light up the two torches, effectively
unlocking the door leading to the final part of the dungeon... however,
we're not done yet.
Instead, head past this door and go down the steps (note: ignore the
S.Ring-shifting device to the left). Read the inscription by the torch.
Across from it is a block; push it forward so it is perpendicular to the
wind current and carry it to the right until it stands upon a switch.
Once you've done so, it'll stop the wind current here. Head north and get
the Iron Guard and Blue Ribbon off the chests.
Go south to find a torch; light it and read the inscription to its left.
Also, get the Beast Hide out of the chest. Now, backtrack all the way
back to first, twin-spike-plaque hallway, by where there should be a
torch; light it and read the inscription by it.
You might want to save now at the memory seal east of the entrance.
Having done all of this, go back to the door you opened by lighting up
two torches (I mentioned it as the door leading to the final room) and go
down the steps to its right once again. Turn left and examine the S.Ring-
shifting device resting underneath the foundations of the road above of
you.
Shift the Ring and go through the door with the torches. Finally.
A seemingly out of place scene takes place and you'll regain control
shortly thereafter. Next, you'll be in a sprawling room with two enemies
floating about. Killing them might be a good choice. You can also get a
skit around here.
Notice the five windmills, all differently colored. The inscriptions on
this dungeon were tips on how to work them out.
They're spread out like this:
1 2
5
3 4
You can skip over to simplified solution, or read on for an in-depth
explanation.
-----------
1 is red colored, 2 is green colored, 4 is yellow colored and 3 is white.
5 is blue. 1 would be what "the _throne_ of gods", 2 is "the power of
gods", 4 is the "rich earth", 3 is the "calm earth" and 5 is "the blue
wind princess"
What you have to do is to start the windmills with your S. Ring in a
certain order to unlock *something*.
The meanings are a tad ambiguous, but it works. Now, let's check out the
info from the inscriptions that describes how to work these puzzles:
"That which is offered to the throne of gods, from the power of gods,
makes the rich earth as the calm earth and arrives at the blue wind
princess. This be as if traveling the giant's body in the manner of a
clock's hand"
This is dreadfully easy. Just start with the "throne of gods" and make
your way through the windmills in clockwise fashion, finishing with the
blue wind princess.
Next, "That which the blue and wind princess protects. Heads from the
throne of gods and across the rich earth. Stands up the calm earth, and
gazes up ay the power of gods".
Notice that it first mentions the blue wind princess; it goes first. From
there it should be smooth sailing.
Lastly, "The holy seal that extols the king, flows from the throne of
gods to the rich earth, travels from the power of gods to the calm earth.
And when the blue princess is born in the center of the world, the holy
seal shall also be complete".
Start from the throne of the gods. Quite normal.
-----------
Uninterested folks need to apply? Good enough. Check out this simplified
solutions and also, the prizes you earn from working out each puzzle.
1 2 4 3 5 = destroys a wall with an enemy and a chest holding a Ex Gem
Lv2.
5 1 4 3 2 = destroys another wall, which holds another enemy and a chest
with a Blue Ribbon.
1 4 2 3 5 = Unlocks the door leading to the seal.
Once you've unlocked the door, heal up and head north (you might want to
backtrack and save, but it's not entirely necessary) to the seal room.
After the mandatory scene, a mandatory boss fight.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Iapyx
I should mention that I started this battle without healing (I forgot
*smirk*) and didn't really have much trouble... but I guess that's
because I compulsively used Orange Gels on everybody VERY often
throughout the fight, which made me endure it.
Iapyx flies about and uses only a handful of attacks. When you're near
it, it spins and renders around 230 PTS of DMG. When it manages to get
some air, it tries to keep foes away with its Feather attacks, that can
dish out as much as 300 PTS of DMG if each feather connects.
His most dangerous but seldom-used attack is Air Thrust, which can shove
off as much as 450 HPs out of various of your party members, since it's
got a decent "splash" radius. As told, he doesn't seem to use it often,
and is rather hell-bent on preventing anyone from getting too near him by
utilizing constant physical strikes.
Lloyd will be severely damaged throughout the fight, but it's possible to
lessen such wounds by employing block often, and by manually healing (or
trust Kratos/Raine's judgment on that. Be sure they're set to "Heal").
Unlike other fights, blocking after a combo is only mildly effective
here, since Iapyx is fast and will often strike you after you unleash a
bevy of strikes.
It seems very vulnerable to Beast, since it doesn't like to block too
often. A good combo should be one with fast, quick-hitting attacks, and
finished by Beast to send it tottering back. This also gives you some
valuable time to be spent on healing your folks or replenishing their TP
reserves.
Genis is practically a must in this battle, since you need to unleash
spells constantly to rack up some decent damage, since physical attacks
only do a little of it. Spread is by far the best attack to use here;
ignore Stalagmite, though. It does pitiful damage to the flying enemy, as
do any other spells. Angel Feathers, and I guess Photon, work good.
Constant use of Spread also gives out a little bit of time to use on the
all-important healing, since Spread stuns your foes. As mentioned, it
also renders notable amount of health.
Obsessively maintaining your TPs up will be a great asset in this battle.
That way you can keep up the Lloyd's combos and keep up the relentless
spell-casting, all of which makes the fight flow easier, stuns the enemy,
and give you time to heal if needed. Healing is also an important point:
use Apple Gels, or manually heal through Kratos/Raine, or whatever; just
keep your HPs up.
In general, a good spell casting will keep the monster at bay (to an
extent) and make the battle flow faster. Employ Lloyd's Beast to stun it
easily and get valuable time to replenish your health and TP. If you
maintain an adequate balance of healing, you shouldn't need to revive
dead characters... but if it comes down to that, don't hesitate to use
Life Bottles.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
After the scene, you'll be fully healed. Make your way back to the
entrance and try not to fight enemies. Once you try to exit the
Mausoleum, a boss fight ensues.
+ + + + + + + + + +
BOSS BATTLE
+ + + + + + + + + +
Guardian-Lightning
Resolute Assassin
Have Genis "Attack Same" and be sure he's only got Spread and Stalagmite
as his cast-able spells. Meanwhile, set Kratos to "Heal" and "Scatter".
Your other character should try to attack, but, in case it is Raine, make
sure she takes a laid back approach and works as the healer only.
The Guardian and Sheena move around with great agility and attack with
great cunning. The Guardian moves one way, Sheena the other, and they
swiftly start to wreck havoc on your party. If you concentrate on the
Guardian, Sheena will employ her grace and make her way to Colette or any
other character and employ a series of hard-hitting combos on your ally.
Her attacks are less damaging than those of the Guardian's, but she's
quicker and can rack up hits faster; the guardian is about pure,
unadulterated strength, but he's rather cumbersome. Even then, he enjoys
blocking and playing it conservatively.
I'd say it's better to attack Sheena first. Lock-her-on and run towards
here jiggly self. Immediately pull off some floor-based, hard-hitting
combos. If you see she's not blocking, use Beast to send her back
stuttering, which should give you a limited window of time, which in this
case should be employed on something different to healing.
How so? While you're attacking Sheena, the Guardian might be shredding
one of your other partners, and the only way to stop him from doing so is
to hit him with Lloyd. If you stun Sheena, haul ass to the Guardian and
hit him a couple of times. Do this only if you see one of your
character's HPs declining dangerously fast (that means he's being
creamed). Otherwise keep hitting the girl.
Healing is really important here, believe or not; manually heal with
First Aid or use Apple Gels; they both work. Just try to keep an
acceptable level of HPs _and_ TPs and it should be good.
Sheena can be killed quite quickly, specially if she forgets to block.
Once she's out, the Guardian ain't much of a threat. He does lots of
damage, but he's rather slow and can be blocked off quite painlessly.
When he's your only target, all you've got to do is mercilessly attack
him with the best of your repertoire. Don't get too cocky, though; be
sure to heal.
If Genis has "Attack Same", his spells will let you prevent these two
guys from getting too annoying or dangerous, all while dishing out
massive amount of pain. He'll attack whomever you're attacking, which is
a very useful thing, indeed. It also helps stun them.
Colette and Raine are both decent attackers (Angel Feathers and Photon),
but if you have the latter coupled with Kratos, she's better off healing
and letting the 6'1'' mercenary attack... or you can have him be a
partial healer, too, all while attacking. This way it'll be quite hard to
die.
Keep your hit points up and try to prevent the Guardian or Sheena on
killing your characters by attacking him/her exclusively (to do so, move
around the field and shift targets constantly) and it should be good.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
The now hackneyed ritual of party vs Sheena starts! Watch the scenes and
exit the Mausoleum. More cutscenes. But these ones... are rather
interesting. Aaaanyways. Leave the Mausoleum and make your way back to
Luin (rest at the House)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
L U I N
=======
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Explore town and move over to the fountain area where you will recruit
Sheena. Further move around town for some skits.
Your next destination is the human ranch. Exit Luin through its far east.
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W O R L D M A P
================
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Go east until you find a raised portion of land; a plateau. You can
probably see glimpses of the ranch's structures from afar, as it rests on
top of it. Head inside.
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A S G A R D H U M A N R A N C H
=================================
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After a short scene you'll have to fight some Desians. Beat them for an
extra batch of cinemas. After them, you'll regain control inside the
ranch. Go ahead. When you see the glimpse of a bunch of crates to your
right, move over there to find a Beast Hide resting the grass. Then enter
the ranch through the north.
Inside the ranch itself, take the northwestern door for some more
cinemas. After you regain control, pick up the item hidden at a corner to
a bit upwards and go down the staircase ahead of it. Kill the Desian and
resume your path parallel to the conveyor belts. At the end, head up and
turn left to find an extra Desian. Kill him.
Save up at the memory seal overlooking the conveyor belts and exsphere
factory spread between them. Resume your way leftward and make quick work
of the Desian patrolling the staircase. Head down these thereafter and
take the first left you can. Go up the raised platform and make mincemeat
of the Desian there for a Memory Gem.
Open up the chest for an Iron Baracelet and return to the hall running
parallel to the leftmost parcel. Go north (there is a Desian around here)
and up the steps. A cinema kicks in immediately.
-----------
Head back to Luin. After the scene, head directly to the south of where
you are to learn about your next destination, Hima. Also, talk with the
swordsman by the weapons shop and agree to train with Kratos when
prompted. Of course, you can only train with him if you trained at
Asgard; otherwise is mission FALILATED!!
Anyways, exit Luin through its westernmost side (around the fountain).
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W O R L D M A P
================
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Head towards the dirt road ahead of you. If you go directly to the north
of Luin you'll find the land tightens as the ocean starts sprawling to
your sides. Head to the top of this cliff to find a chest with a
Technical Ring and ahead of it, a Skit Point. To get to the skit you'll
have to go down into the beach, though.
Go back to Luin and land on the dirt road that's ahead of it and right
before the cliff. Veer west (you might find big, but easily beaten OGRES
along the way) through it. Powerful and damaging COCKRATICES also inhabit
the area; their tornado attack dishes out lots of pain, over 200 PTS to
be exact, so better be careful! Spread dismiss them quickly, though.
Move along the path. As you near its end, you should notice on the map a
long, straight peninsula that is also the end of the this portion of the
continent. A bit to the right of it there is a wider, ample peninsula,
more or less southeast of the main road. As you hit this peninsular area,
you should immediately notice a sinuous, fierce-looking, brownish road
that heads up a mountain.
This actually the entrance to Hima, but before heading there, go
southeast from it. When you hit a long, steep mountain that is spread
across the land, head around it. Look around to find the Guidepost
Monument as well as a skit point. Now trek back to Hima and go in.
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H I M A
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Move along the arid, cooked-up (by the sun, no less) road to find a big
house, at the front of which there is a dog to be named. This is also the
inn. Rest and talk with the woman there to learn some shocking
information regarding Pietro... hm. Save and leave.
A shop rests to the right of the inn (which is the whole village,
actually). You can get items, weapons and customize newer stuff. Stock up
on what you need and then head around the inn. Trek the slope there.
Once you reach the first rest a scene kicks in. You'll get the Desian Orb
after this. Now, you might to visit the mountain's summit to chat with
the guy there, and name the dog by the graves. Enter the inn's bottom
room (by the save point) and examine the pot letting out some steam to
find the Wonder Chef and learn the Risotto.
Having done all of this, move back to the Human Ranch.
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A