*STELLA DEUS: THE GATE OF ETERNITY!* Character Guide and FAQ by Kashell Triumph Copyright 2005 Philip Traylor Email: KOS_MOS_loverboy@hotmail.com Table of Contents: 1.) Legal Information 2.) Purpose 3.) FAQs 4.) Characters a. Spero b. Viser c. Adara d. Grey e. Linea f. Avis g. Gallant h. Prier i. Lumena j. Jade k. Echidna l. Tia 5.) Combo Attacks 6.) Credits (1*)Legal Information: First off, if you want this guide to be put on your web page or anything else, just email me and ask for my permission. Should I find out who took this guide without my permission, I will deal with you. The use of this guide on any web site is a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. If you find something from here and it's on another site without the proper credit given, let me know. Also let me know if I made a mistake. I am human, so I make mistakes at times. Yes I know it's hard to believe that the fabulous, glamorous me is human, but what can you do? ---------- (2*) Purpose Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity. Doesn't that game's name just send chills down your spine? It does for me, and that's why I decided to create a guide for the characters in this game. You'll find out who is good at what, how to get the secret characters, and all about their special moves. But before we jump on in, let's go to the FAQ. ---------- (3*) FAQ Q: How many characters are there? A: 8 story characters that you get automatically, and 4 secret characters for a total of 12. Q: Who are the secret characters? A: Viser, Jade, Tia, and Echidna require certain things to be done in order to have them join your team. Q: Are these characters worth it? A: I found Viser and Jade to be awesome. I haven't had much of a chance to experience the full potential of Tia and Echidna. However, like the story characters, they are all powerful in their own way. Q: Who is the strongest character? A: Hmm, in terms of strength it'd be Spero, Gallant, Viser and Avis to some degree. Strongest mages are Adara, Prier, Lumena, and Linea to a certain extent. Grey, Tia, and Jade are fast. Really, all characters have their own strengths and weaknesses. Q: What was your final team? A: Spero, Grey, Adara, Linea, Prier and Viser. It was a tough choice, because most of the characters were ones that I enjoyed. Q: Should I use the characters I get from side-quests? A: Well, you can but I won't be doing any coverage on them. I didn't use them once I started getting into the chapter 2. Q: Do the characters have an ultimate weapon like in other RPGs? A: Yes. In fact, there are multiple "ultimate" weapons. The ones supposed to be ultimate are gained through side quest in the last chapter. Fusion, while costly, is another way to make them. Q: What is a good way to level up? A: Catacombs, Catacombs, Catacombs. Use them; they are there for a reason. Also, if you want to build up someone who is low in level, teach him/her Quick Cure. It costs little AP and they can perform it multiple times to get a bunch of EXP and SP. The higher in level the person is who gets Quick Cured, the more EXP and SP. --------- (4*) Characters The secret characters will have explanations as to how to get them. a. Spero: The main man of the game. With his sword taken by Echidna, he has vowed to get it back. Working along side his two friends Adara and Grey, Spero will do everything in his power to make the world a better place. Some say he is too idealistic, but I say Spero is what every main character should be: optimistic. Spero is one of the strongest characters of the game. His attributes are well balanced and he fits the role for a lead character in terms of strength and defense. In fact, he is so strong that he is able to usually knock down an enemy with a few attacks that are at his level or stronger; just so long as he has enough AP. His one downfall is that he uses two katanas in battle. This will add a bunch of weight to him, making him unable to move far. My suggestion is to give him strong weapons, strong armor, and maybe one accessory or item. Spero's attributes are high enough as is, so there is little need to give him accessories that boost stats. Use him as a front line fighter. Yes, if he reaches zero HP it is game over, but with a plethora of healers and items that are used for support, that won't be a problem. Some good Support Skills for Spero are things that allow him to move farther and not consume as much AP. Also, anything that grants him more experience and SP work great as well. Just keep one slot open for combo skills. The Zone Skill for Spero that I used was EVA Up. This is because he has a lot of combos and will therefore have to be surrounded by a his team whenever you wish to combo. Increasing their evade will ensure their safety. SPERO'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Wolf's Fang, 55 AP and 20 MP: A lash of quick cuts against one enemy. For a starting skill, this is a great technique to use. However, it becomes weaker than his normal attack once he goes through a rank up. Sonic Blade, 60 AP and 50 MP: Learned at Spero's first rank up. Spero will perform a quick dash through one enemy. More powerful than Wolf's Fang, but becomes worthless later in the game when Spero's regular attacks do more damage than this skill. Justice Blade, 75 AP and 90 MP: Learned at Spero's second rank up. Spero will summon a powerful sword of light up from the ground, skewering the foe. This causes heavy damage, even later in the game. However, due to the large amount of AP and MP, you'll have to plan when it is appropriate to use this. Cosmic Nova, 85 AP and 150 MP: Learned at Spero's final rank up. This occurs late in the game right before you fight the last few stages. Spero's ultimate attack hits all enemies around him with a blast from the outer space. The damage is great and if used properly, it can kill all the enemies on screen. How cool is that? --------------- b. Viser: More like a big brother than a friend to Spero, Viser is a powerful alchemist whose knowledge about the topic is legendary. He is also a skilled swordsman. The Imperial Legion nabs him up away from Spero in order to use his skills as an alchemist. Will his new allegiance change the way Viser views alchemy and the world of Solum? Viser is the last character in the game you'll recruit, but the first one you get to meet. As a secret character, there are certain things you need to do in order to obtain him. However, there are a lot of variations to these methods. Either way, what I suggest if you want to have him join you is to make separate save files and see which method works. While you don't get him until very late, doing this is worth it because Viser is a great character. Viser has a wide range of movement. You should use this to your advantage and give him light accessories, like a Love Drop and Blue Ribbon. His strength isn't as powerful as Spero's, and he can only hit one person at a time with his regular attacks. However he is still powerful enough to dish heavy damage. His defense is a bit lacking, so he needs powerful armor, especially by the time you get him. Keep him as weightless as possible and with his Alchemic Sword, you have a great fighter. A good idea is to have him learn Quick Cure so he can level up faster. I can't stress this enough, you get him permanently very late in the game. Some great Support Skills for Viser are anything that increases his SP. He has a wide array of stuff to learn, so it's good to have him get as much as possible. He can combo with Spero and Adara. While they are flashy, it's not recommended to give him a combo skill because he may need some things to help his stats out so he can catch up quicker to Spero and the others. My Zone Skill for Viser was HP Absorb because he was rather weak when I first got him. This skill made it so he was able to get the HP he needed from enemies around him. HP Recover is also a good one to use. VISER'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Rune Blast, 55 MP and 30 AP: Viser charges up some blue energy into his sword and sends loose a shock blade, hitting one enemy. A cool attack, make no mistake, but not worth wasting a slot because of Viser's spells and other action skills. Bio Spark, 120 MP and 70 AP: Red energy surrounds Viser and he slashes an enemy in the middle. Blood gushes from the foe's middle area. This move is fun, but it's rather costly. You're better off using Rune Blast and Final Maxima. Final Maxima, 140 MP and 80 AP: Learned at Viser's final rank up in which you get his ultimate weapon. Viser sports his flashy lab goggles and surrounds himself with yellow matrices. These matrices end up engulfing the enemy, causing heavy damage. If you want an action skill for Viser, this is the one to use. Costly, but powerful. Also, since it is only 10 more AP and MP than Bio Spark, you are better off with having this as his only attack skill and giving him magic with his remaining slots. ACQUIRING VISER: Step 1: This step isn't really involving Viser, but it is needed in order to get Viser. You need to over kill Echidna, Jade, and Croire in the battles you fight them. This is what at least I did. Viper isn't necessary to overkill. Step 2: When you encounter Viser in the first battle with his Golems, over kill him. Also, kill off a few of his Golems. You do not need to kill all of them, just a few of them. That's what happened with me and he still joined. Step 3: In the second battle of the game, you need to over kill him. This is a bit more challenging due to the battle field being on an incline. The best thing is to have everyone charge at while using long range attacks to pick off enemies. Don't kill ALL of them, however, because the battle will end. Step 4: That's it! Viser should join you. While you get him last, you'll be hooked after seeing how cool he is. --------------- c. Adara: Adara is a young girl who had a tragic accident involving alchemy. After a failed experiment, she lost her arm and replaced with a blunt, metal weapon. While she tries to remain optimistic while keeping Grey in line, she is self conscious at times about her condition. You get Adara at the start of the game. I will be the first to admit that I was not happy with her performances. While she starts off with magic spells Shock Blast and Quick Cure, she is physically weak in terms of attack and defense. Don't over look her, however. Use her, you'll be hooked. She is able to attack 2 to 3 times in a row near the start of the game, and her ultimate weapon gives her the ability to attack 4 times a turn. Couple that with her learning some powerful magic without books and just being genuinely cute, you got yourself a great fighter. Be sure she has a healing spell on her; she'll be a healer of the game. Also, give her powerful armor and a Love Drop accessory. The rest of her slots are better off being filled with things that increase her defense. My Support Skill suggestions: Well, give her a combo ability so she can use Twin Lighting, Shooting Star, Trinity Strike, and Relay Play (just to name a few). Next, give her something to up defense. She may need it. Finally, I would give her something to give her more SP. She learns a lot of magic so it's recommended to allow her to learn spells faster. A good Zone Skill would be Attack Cost+. She is prone to being targeted, so if someone should target her, she won't get attacked as many times. ADARA'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Meltdown, 130 MP and 80 AP: This is learned at her second rank up. Adara shoots a bomb in the air, and jumps up. She'll slam the bomb down and watch it explode on a HUGE area of foes. This is a great skill. I use it ALL the time because it hits so many people. Adara may not get any other skills, but she learns a ton of magic with her rank ups. This will save you the trouble of purchasing spell books and/or fusing them. --------------- d. Grey: Blue haired, spear wielding Grey is the cocky one of the bunch. While he may at first come off as stand-offish and self- centered, he is actually very passionate and caring for his friends, especially Adara. While he is usually reluctant to help out, he will still lend a hand when the time comes. Grey is the other character you immediately acquire. From the start, you can tell Grey is awesome. His spear allows him to attack two people in a line and he is very fast. He can move over a large terrain, and can scale jumps very easily. As he levels up, he just becomes faster and more agile. Grey is a great character to use. Give him a strong spear and some light armor, and a few accessories that increase mobility and you're good to go. Give him powerful head gear, just to up his defense a tad more. If you haven't already guessed, Grey is the speedy character in the game. That's why good support skills are ones that allow him to move farther and faster. Hermes Wing, Ninja Dash, and anything along those lines. Also, give him a combo skill. He has some great moves. The Zone Skill I recommend is Movement Cost+. He is a bit weak, and since he'll be moving far it will take enemies more AP to get close to him. GREY'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Magic Burst, 25 MP and 55 AP: Grey charges some blue light on his spear and hits one enemy with a downward cut. For a beginning skill, this is really nice. Not as powerful as Spero's Wolf Fang, but it gets the job done. However, as usual, it becomes obsolete. Vortex, 55MP and 65 AP: Grey learns this at his first rank up. He hits three enemies in a line with a tornado shot from his spear. Powerful and hits a wide range of foes. This is the perfect replacement for Magic Burst. I used this until the end of the game. Sky Rift, 110 MP and 75 AP: Grey learns this move at his second rank up. He jumps into the sky and charges his spear with lightning and immediately throws it on one unfortunate foe. Very powerful. Use this skill to off one foe. It is costly, but powerful. Giga Lance, 150 MP and 85 MP: Learned at his final rank up, Grey's ultimate skill is an awesome one. Grey raises his spear and unleashes a lightning storm on a huge range of foes. I love this skill. Grey is awesome all around, and this is the final reason why. --------------- e. Linea: Beautiful, determined, and optimistic shaman princess Linea will do anything to save the spirits of the world. She cares deeply about nature, and is the one who will see the journey through to the end. She carries a heavy burden, but will not be stopped. She also develops a cute crush on Spero. Linea is my favorite character in the game, for various reasons. Part of the reason is because of her skill in battle. She is an archer, and while she can't attack much, she can attack from a distance. Giving her a powerful bow will make her a force NOT to be messed with. Also, give her the strongest armor so she is protected from attacks. Since she is a long range fighter, she doesn't need to move far. Linea is also gifted in magic. She learns some powerful spells for support and she can summon huge monsters. Therefore a wizard type hat and some magic boosting accessories are recommended equipment. Linea's best support skills are ones in which she can jump, to give her a height advantage with her arrows. I also give her Anti-All. She is too valuable to be at risk of being stoned, feared, or poisoned. As far as combos, I recommend filling a slot with a combo skill. Relay Play is a great skill, so it's to your advantage to use it. Also, since she has low HP, give her HP Recover. Most likely all of her AP will be used during her turn. Therefore, she can recover a ton of HP with the end of each turn. LINEA'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Quick Snap, 25 MP and 55 AP: An arrow charged with light and sent forward. This skill actually is about the same AP as an attack, so at the start of the game you should use this to really lay down the damage. Later, it gets worthless. Cluster Ray, 50 MP and 65 AP: This is learned at Linea's first rank up. She will shoot a cluster of arrows in the air, and they all fall down on a group of foes. Since this attack is one of the first to hit a wide area of enemies, it is really a great skill to use. However, it becomes useless at her last rank up. Angel Wing, 120 MP and 70 AP: Linea learns this cool skill at her second rank up. With a little prayer, Linea grows beautiful wings and heads up towards the heavens and hits one foe with a light arrow. I keep this skill on, even late in the game. I just think its fun, and it is a powerful attack as well. Elemental Force, 200 MP and 90 AP: This is learned at her last rank up. With a prayer to Mother Nature, the elements attack a wide range of enemies. This is what I use as the finishing off skill. While Linea was always my most high level character, this skill was still used to get her mega experience points. It's powerful and hits basically everyone around her. I love Linea. Summon Ventus, 150 MP and 80 AP: Learned after conquering Ventus. This hits a wide area of foes and also causes possible silence. Since I love the wind (it's my favorite element in the real world) I use this all the time, just based on that. However, her other summons are much more potent. Summon Humus, 155 MP and 80 AP: Learned after conquering Humus. This hits a wide area of foes and also causes possible petrifaction. Much more useful, especially if it causes the status effect. Summon Aqua, 160 MP and 80 AP: Learned after conquering Aqua. This hits a wide area of foes and also causes possible sleep. Not that useful, but at least it's pretty blue color! Summon Flamma, 165 MP and 80 AP: Learned after conquering Flamma. This hits a wide area of foes and also causes possible fear. This skill also isn't that great. Fear is a nice effect on your foes, but it causes them to run away and that makes the battle last longer. --------------- f. Avis: This pretty, pretty prince will do anything for the Aeque, especially Lumena. He fights for them and will see it so Dignus falls beneath his feet. Avis comes off as arrogant due to his good looks, but he fights for his cause and will not let anything stand his way. When I first acquired him, I used Avis as my fifth character. While everything about him is pretty much average, he proves to be a better fighter than Adara and a better mage than Spero and Grey. However, after a certain point you lose him. During this time, he becomes weaker than your other characters and by the time you get him for good, he isn't able to hold his own in battle. While this happens with Viser, Avis doesn't have an attribute about him that really sticks out. Give him a good sword, a good piece of armor, and a few accessories and he becomes useful, but there are better characters to use. One good thing about him is that his special action skills don't cost as much AP or MP. Give him support skills to up his attributes. Don't bother with a combo attack skill because he has very few. Up his attack, his defense, his everything. I just couldn't find any uses for him. The Zone Skill for him is really up to you. As I said, there is nothing that sticks out with Avis. Maybe something to cure status or something that decreases movement because he needs heavy equipment. AVIS' SPECIAL SKILLS: Tiger Strike, 30 MP and 55 AP: A quick lash of furious strikes. Nothing out of the ordinary here, just a nice skill to use at the start of the game. Flame Strike, 60 MP and 60 AP: Avis learns this at his first rank up. With a bit of concentration, Avis summons a flame geyser up from the ground scorching one enemy. I like this move much better than his Tiger Strike, so I replaced it as soon as it was learned. Chaotic Beat, 90 MP and 70 AP: Avis will be able to learn this on his second rank up. If he leaves before that point, he'll be able to learn it when he joins you again. Avis summons energy from sword and sends out a green bolt of energy, hitting up to three enemies in a row. This skill is nice, but by the time you get it, other skills from other characters will be learned. Therefore, it becomes obsolete. Volcanic Storm, 150 MP and 80 AP: This is learned after Avis' final rank up. While it covers a wide area, your other character's skills will cover more ground. Avis creates a volcanic eruption to melt foes. Powerful, but not very useful when compared to other skills. --------------- g. Gallant: Hey, g is for Gallant, I just noticed that. Anyway, Gallant appears as a blood thirsty warrior, ready for his axe to cut down some flesh. However, he is silent and contemplative. He has the ability to communicate with nature and will do anything to protect it. His origins are a mystery, and will remain as such for a good while. Gallant isn't the type to talk. Acquiring Gallant made me happy because he was my sixth character, at least for until I got other members. While slow, he is the most powerful fighter in the game. He tends to miss a lot because of his slowness, so be sure he has accessories that give him more accuracy. Stock him up with powerful weapons and armor; he is a heavy character as is so adding the extra weight will not matter in the long run. Be sure to use him as a barricade when need be; he has and gains a lot of HP. Some personal favorites as far as Support Skills go is MEV 20% and ones that allow him to counter attack. Always having him rush into the action will make him get attacked more often, so therefore it is best to give him something to dish out damage more often. I recommend giving him a combo skill because while he doesn't have many, the ones he does have are very, very powerful. I gave Ignore Direction as his Zone Skill. This is because I always had him rush into the action, and this caused him to get easily surrounded. Ignore Direction allows him to not get hit as many times. GALLANT'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Iron Cross, 25 MP and 55 AP: A double attack with his axe. This is a powerful skill, even relatively later in the game. I used this early in the game to greatly reduce enemy HP. Mighty Press, 50 MP and 70 AP: This skill is learned at Gallant's first rank up. He will charge energy into his axe head and slam it down on an enemy head with great force, causing mega damage. This is also powerful, and is a good replacement for Iron Cross. Ground Slam, 100 MP and 80 AP: This skill is learned at the second rank up. Gallant will take his axe and hit the ground numerous times, causing an earthquake around a wide area of foes. This is a good skill for Gallant because he gets surrounded often times by melee fighters. Using this will knock a few of them down. Gaia Shaker, 150 MP and 90 AP: Learned at the final rank up for Gallant. This is basically an upgraded Ground Slam. Therefore, replace Ground Slam with Gaia Shaker. Gallant summons blue light into his axe and hits the ground numerous times, hitting more foes around him for more damage. A good skill to use, indeed. --------------- h. Prier: A young girl who seems to lack emotions. She serves Lumena without question and will follow orders no matter what. While at first she is reluctant about the journey, Prier soon opens up to Spero and his friends as she learns more about the world of Solum and its people outside of the Aeque. Most people over look Prier because she is so weak. However, she is the first character in the game you'll get who is able to learn powerful healing magic which will save you many times in the difficult battles. She also is able to learn a revive spell. While her physical attack is weak and her defense makes her vulnerable to most attacks, she is a powerful mage so have her learn some attack magic. I used Prier in my final party, and I was greatly satisfied with the results. Don't worry so much about giving her a powerful weapon and give her strong armor, a Love Drop, and some things that recover her MP. Using MP is the key to allowing her to gain levels. Staffs later in the game do pack a punch, but like I said worry more about her defense. I give Prier Support Skills that increase her magic power. Also, I had her learn Anti-All so she is immune to any status effect. This is because she'll be the one recovering the party from poison, stone, etc. If she is hit with one of these, it could mean trouble. As far as combo skills go, I wouldn't bother with them. Prier, at least as far as I can tell, has only three combo attacks. It's only fitting that the Zone Skill I had her use was Purify. This will recover all negative statuses at the end of her turn. Granted, they have to be in Prier's zone, but still this is a great way to conserve MP for healing instead of status recovering. PRIER'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Like Adara, Prier learns tons of magic with rank ups as opposed to action skills; however she learns some attack skills. Holy Brawl, 60 MP and 65 AP: This is learned from the start. Prier gives her foes a good whack in the face with her staff, causing some damage. I recommend not using it. My Prier was decked out with healing and support spells until way late in the game when she was able to make room for an attack spell. Diluted Might, 120 MP and 70 AP: This will be available to learn at her second rank up. Prier will silence a foe's special powers by sealing them away within a magic pyramid. Since Prier isn't much of an attack person, and since this doesn't do damage, I suggest not bothering to use this skill either. Hell, save the 50 SP and learn something else. --------------- i. Lumena: The head priestess of the Aeque, and lover to Avis. Lumena appears as a delicate, soft-spoken woman but her drive to serve God will always push her forward. However, due to the war with the Imperial Legion, she has begun to act strange. Just what exactly is Lumena going through inside her head, and does she have a connection with that mysterious black-winged demon? Lumena is basically an upgraded version of Prier in terms of healing magic. She learns the most powerful of healing spells in the game. Therefore, if you don't enjoy using Prier you can replace her with Lumena. Unfortunately, Lumena isn't as strong as Prier. Her defense and offence are both weaker, so she needs to be protected. Give her powerful armor to reduce damage from foes; however it may still not be enough. By the time you get her, she is a bit weaker than her comrades. But if you stick with her and keep her protected, you won't be displeased with the results. I gave Lumena EXP + 10% for her first Support Skill because she is at a lower level than her friends. This will allow her to catch up. The other two skills were for her MAG and MGR. Since I kept her at the side lines, magic was the key to success for winning against the opposing forces. Therefore, strong magic attack and defense will greatly benefit her. She, like Prier, only has a couple of combo attacks. One is with Avis, and the other is with the entire squad of girls. The Zone Skill I gave her was HP Recover. As a healer, I found it fitting. This will also save some of her MP, which can be used in emergencies for healing. LUMENA'S SPECIAL ATTACK SKILLS: Are you sensing a pattern here? Yep, Lumena only learns two attack skills but will learn a plethora of magic with her rank ups. Holy Rune, 100 MP and 70 AP: Lumena starts with this skill equipped. This covers the entire battlefield. Lumena will summon the holy light from God to recover the negative statuses of the entire team. This is an excellent skill to use. However since I was a bit over powered near the end of the game I found it to become useless. Still though, for just starting out Lumena has a nice skill! Glimmering Shaft, 25 MP and 60 AP: Lumena learns this with her final rank up. She will summon golden lances to skewer the enemy. Since she is a mage, and since her regular attacks are weak, I ended up giving her this skill to use. It has a decent range and is a great way to finish off foes. --------------- j. Jade: Well, j is for Jade, look at that. Jade works for the Imperial Legion as a mercenary, doing whatever it takes to get his gold. Money is the most important thing to him and if it means destroying the world of Solum to make him rich, so be it. However, after several encounters with Spero, Jade just may start to think otherwise about his ways. Jade is the first secret character you can get. He is also the coolest, next to Viser of course. His weapon of choice is a dagger, and unfortunately he cannot equip two. Don't let his battle stance make you believe otherwise. Jade is very fast and usually the first to attack. He can also move far while consuming little AP. Since his defense is somewhat low, I recommend giving him good armor and head gear. Weight won't be too much of a problem with him. Since Jade's stats are relatively well balanced as is, I made use of his Support Skills by giving him Get Weapon, Get Armor, and Get AS. These three skills allowed him to gain good things from enemies in the catacombs and such after he killed them. This was definitely great for various reasons. Sometimes, you will get the best equipment at the current time. Also, you can use the stuff from battle for item fusion. He has only one combo attack, so don't bother giving him a skill for a combo. If you aren't a fan of stealing, Ninja Dash and Hermes Wing are great choices for Jade. The Zone Skill for Jade is EVA Up. His evade is already high as is, but if you put this on him he'll be untouchable. If you don't like this idea, maybe give him Ignore Direction. JADE'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Sticky Fingers, 35 MP and 55 AP: Jade comes with this skill already learned. He will attempt to steal something from an enemy. Well, from the animation, it appears as though he is always successful but really he is not. You're better off using his support skills for stealing. Gust, 70 MP and 70 AP: This is another skill Jade knows. He will shoot two wind blades out from his daggers, causing damage to two people in a row. The damage is nice, and since he'll be unable to rank up until the end of the game this skill is a good one to use. Shadow Strike, 130 MP and 80 AP: Jade can learn this after his rank up to Shinobi. He unleashes a furious combo on one unfortunate enemy as red sparks fly everywhere. Ouch. This skill is great. I gave Jade him all of the three skills he comes with, and the last slot was filled with First Aid just so he has something else to fill the slot. ACQUIRING JADE: Step 1: In the first encounter with Jade, over kill him. Don't listen to the people who say you have to over kill all of his men, that is false. The battle may appear intimidating at first, but the key to success is killing all of the enemies on your way to Jade, and then surrounding him. Use a Relay Play when he has a bit over half HP and you're good to go. Step 2: In the second battle with Jade, same deal. Over kill him and don't worry about his men. Step 3: You'll be given two choices about Jade. Pick the one that says "I wasn't really going to kill him." Step 4: In late Chapter 4 or early Chapter 5, do the quest that talks about a gold transport from the Guild. You'll encounter Jade and he will run away. Step 5: Back at the Guild, you'll receive a letter from Jade asking you for a final battle. Fight him, over kill him, and you have finally acquired him. --------------- k. Echidna: Echidna is a master-swordswoman with the attitude of a cold-blooded killer. She also has on the most interesting outfit in the entire game. After swiping Spero's sword, she continues to work for Dignus without question. However, why is she working for the bad guys? What's her real motive behind joining the Imperial Legion? You'll find out, but in the meantime you're going to have to deal with her desire to fight to the death. It's a shame that Echidna joins so late, because she appears to be a kick ass character. In all honesty, all characters are very kick ass when you level them up enough. It's just that you'd think with the secret characters you would have to not bother as much; secret characters are usually more powerful than the main characters. Ah well, it's a matter of taste. I picked Viser to be the one to level up crazily. Anyway, Echidna. She is a powerful woman and she can move relatively far. She is able to equip the katana, so she can dish out the damage. Granted she's not as powerful as Spero, she can still dish out the damage. She comes with her final rank up so that saves you the trouble of doing another quest. Also, she can equip one of Spero's final weapons! Give her powerful armor and a few accessories to give her a power boost. Her head gear doesn't matter; just make sure she can take damage. Echidna is a great addition to the team, so you should try to recruit her. Like the other secret characters, don't expect too much, but stick with her and you're good to go. The Support Skills I gave Echidna were ones that increased power or helped her gain EXP easier. She comes with two action skills learned, so it's not necessary to give her SP boosts. She has one combo with Spero, which isn't all that impressive so it's probably better to fill her three slots with things that make her more powerful. Echidna has a very large area, so I recommend giving her a Zone Skill that either recovers HP or causes a negative status to the enemy. Dark, poison, fear and such are great ideas to hit your foes with some nasty ailments. ECHIDNA'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Setsugetsuka, 50 MP and 55 AP: Probably one of the coolest skills ever, this is a three slash attack showing off the traditional Japanese sources of power: the blizzard's cold, the blossom's blessing, and the moon's brilliance. While each attack doesn't do it's own part of damage, it does do some damage. Myojou, her second skill is much more potent. Echidna may use Setsugetsuka on you when you fight her. If she does, then pray. Myojou, 130 MP and 70 AP: Echidna charges some chi into her hot body, and let's loose with a slash to end all slashes right through the enemy's model. A powerful skill, while costly. It hits one enemy and it really dishes out the damage. I used this skill frequently on the last boss of the game. ACQURING ECHIDNA: Step 1: When you encounter Echidna and given options to say something to her, tell her "You're about to find out!" to begin a battle with her. Be sure to over kill her. Step 2: You'll fight Echidna one more time near the end of the game. Be sure Spero has become the "Samurai" rank. If he does, fight the battle to the end while over killing Echidna. If he doesn't, complete the quest to obtain his sword. When the battle ends, she joins you! --------------- l. Tia: The comedy relief of the game, there isn't much known about Tia. You'll meet her a few times in the quest, and you don't get to learn much about her even after she joins. Despite these shortcomings, Tia is an amusing addition to the team, for really reals! After I acquired Tia, she was at level 25. This level is LOW. Tia was the only character besides Avis who I didn't bother with to train. I'm sure that Tia does get better, but since she starts at such a low level, be sure to give her weapons and armor that are good for level, not the strongest available so she doesn't get bogged down by weight. She is very light, and weak, so it's important to give her a good balance of equipment. Definitely give her accessories that boost defense, a Love Drop, and a healing item for her own personal use. Tia is all about moving, so I gave her the Support Skills that increased her movement. Also, I gave her a defense up skill. Finally, give her something to combo. She can perform some of the most amusing combo attacks. With her low HP, I would recommend some HP Recover action. Another option is Attack Cost Up so foes who are tempted to go near her don't have the AP to attack. TIA'S SPECIAL ACTION SKILLS: Blazing Attack, 30 MP and 55 AP: A blue flame attack in which Tia will furiously combo an enemy, ending with her slashing claws. This isn't too costly and does a good job of finishing up the enemy. Since Tia isn't great with magic, I gave her all of her Action Skills for the slots. Beat Down, 60 MP and 65 AP: A red flame attack in which Tia lets loose a three hit combo. The last hit delivers a double fisted crush punch that lays the enemy flat. It's quite amusing, and powerful. Definitely a good skill to know. Bum Rush, 160 MP and 75 AP: The ultimate attack learned at Tia's rank up. Sabin is filing a law suit, but he'll lose no doubt. Tia unleashes a combo attack to end all combo attacks. She may be pocket sized, but she packs a punch when this is learned. A great skill to know, but keep in mind it will take a while to learn. ACQURING TIA: Step 1: In the beginning parts of the game you'll get letters at the guild. Be sure to read them all, there are 12 total. You won't get the last few until late in the game. Step 2: There will be a battle where the AI controls her. Don't let her die. These enemies are weak against light spells so have Adara ready with Shock Blast and the like. Step 3: Another battle will occur with Tia, this time you can control her. She is probably weak, so keep her safe from harm while everyone else let's loose on the baddies. Step 4: In Chapter 5, she will appear in Silva or Aphen so check both places after the last letter is read. She'll ask to join. Say yes, and she is yours! --------------- (5*) Combo Attacks: I assume that you know how to pull these off, so I won't go into details about that. All combo moves are powerful, so it's best to save them for enemies with high HP. One thing to keep in mind is that the person you select to perform the move will be the deciding factor in how much damage is caused. So if you perform Double Rush with Viser and he is at level 25 while Spero is at level 35, it won't be as damaging as it would be if Spero selected it. TEC is the deciding factor, so high levels gives high TEC, which means high damage. Double Rush, Spero and Viser: The two sword masters perform x-slashes on the enemy, cleaving it apart. Alchemic Goddess, Adara and Viser: The two alchemists hop onboard a woman made of metal and command it to shoot out beams of energy on one unfortunate foe. Wolf's Fury, Spero and Linea: Spero uses Wolf's Fang on the enemy. Linea takes his place and fires arrows at him at lightning speed. Spirit Bow, Spero and Linea AFTER you get their final rank up: The two heroes combine their energies to form a golden bow and arrow that hits the enemy right through the middle. Skewer, Spero and Grey: Spero grabs the enemy from behind. Grey goes in front of the enemy and skewers the foe right through the abdomen. Yes, Spero is hit by it but he doesn't take any damage. Shooting Star, Grey and Adara: Grey jumps in the air as Adara sends a ball of energy towards him. Grey catches it on his spear and throws his weapon down on the foe. The two strike a pose after the attack ends. Twin Lightning, Adara and Linea: Both girls summon energy of a thunder storm and let loose on one enemy with a gigantic bolt of lightning. Samurai Slash, Spero and Echidna: Using the power of the oriental techniques, Spero and Echidna perform a powerful samurai blow on one enemy. Be sure Echidna is equipped with Kagura. Burning Hearts, Avis and Lumena: The two lovers hold hands as they summon pink energy from the grace of God. A flash of fire hits the enemy. Stag Party, Gallant and Jade: A breeze blows with cherry blossom petals flying through the air. The screen turns black as both warriors attack an enemy in ninja fashion. They reappear and strike a pose as a kanji falls on the enemy. Rocket Spike, Gallant and Tia: The most amusing attack in the game as far as combos are concerned, Gallant and Tia attack the enemy and knock it up in the air. Tia cheers, but soon is flung upwards by Gallant, causing a powerful blow to the foe. Hot Stuff, Prier and Tia: Another cute attack in which Prier and Tia knock down an enemy and jump up and down on it. Ouch. Trinity Strike, Spero, Grey, and Adara: The first 3-person attack available. Spero cuts the enemy with a rushing attack, Grey flings him up in the air with his spear, and Adara finishes the enemy off with a beam of energy. Death Pong, Spero, Grey, and Prier: Prier and Spero hit the enemy back and forth with their weapons. Spero delivers a might blow that knocks Prier away. The foe lands on Grey's spear. Shoot the Moon, Spero, Linea, and Gallant: Spero slashes the enemy to Gallant, who axes him straight up into the air. Linea shoots a golden arrow at him, as she shouts "Bull's-eye!" Relay Play, Spero, Linea, Adara, and Grey: My favorite attack. The foursome begins the attack with Spero shouting "GO" as he knocks the enemy towards Linea. She yells "SET" as she punches the enemy up in the air. Adara shouts "SPIKE" as she clobbers the enemy downwards to Grey. He yells "It's the end of the line" as the foe falls on the spear. Slam Dance, Linea, Adara, Prier, Tia, and Lumena: Oh yes its Ladies Night, and the damage is right. The five gals jump on the enemy in succession, proving that the group of gals from Stella Deus are not to be messed with. --------------- (6*) Credits: Myself for writing this damn thing, phew it's done. Atlus for publishing Stella Deus and bringing it stateside. Pine Grow for making this game. I guess we can let Hoshigami slide. The people at the Stella Deus board for making sure I was alive. Calling Hour, Game Freek, and Viser. GameFAQs.com for just being there for all the information we need. --------------- Thanks for reading!