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Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena Character FAQ
PSX
by Gourry and Evil R.
12/30/04
Version 1.20
My E-mail: kaoch@uga.edu
Evil R's e-mail: EvilR99@hotmail.com

============
Introduction
============
Brigandine is a strategy RPG made by Atlus. It is somewhat similar to Shining
Force, except it uses hexagons, or hexes, instead of squares for unit
movement. This allows units to be surrounded by six sides rather than four,
which makes for a slightly more interesting experience than the four side
square system.

Brigandine features six playable countries that are attempting to reunite the
continent of Forsena. Each country has its own unique qualities and Knights.
Knights are generals who are able to use Rune power to control monsters. Each
Knight has a varying amount of Rune Power, and each monster has a different
Rune power value. For success in the game, a player has to learn to
micromanage Knights and monsters in order to make the most efficient use of
Rune Power possible. Don't let the word 'micromanagement' frighten you, since
any real micromanagement you do is minimal, and maximizing efficiency is not
totally necessary for success in the game.

There are two phases in the game, the Organize phase and the Attack phase.
Obviously, one can only attack during the attack phase. 3 Knights can attack
a castle at a time. More than three can come to the assault, but only three
will actually be attacking. Knights that don't participate in the siege can
be used to fortify a castle the next turn. Despite the system's simplicity,
Brigandine can get rather addicting.

The storyline for Brigandine is simple. Zemeckis, influenced by the Death
Knight, Cador, betrays and kills the king of Almekia. The Prince of Almekia,
Lance, flees to Padstow for help. Prince Lance gains Padstow's armies, and he
vows to take back what is rightfully his. Each country has its own agendas,
which all amount to unifying (or in some cases, taking over) the continent.

The purpose of this FAQ is to inform readers on who's useful and who isn't.
The first few versions had just potential power (I evaluated most people
based on level 30 stats). However, since leveling everyone to level 30 is
often impractical (who the hell is going to level Langueborg to level 30?), I
made some changes that acknowledged potential power, but mainly focused on
how well they'd do in the course of your conquests. Rune Power remains the
most important aspect when it comes to rating knights, but this rewards some
characters with high starting levels (who generally have poor stats in
comparison to others at level 30 and thus may have received lower rankings)
as well.

The new "Is s/he worth using" part of the Knights section is generally meant
to rate a Knight's performance in the context of the normal game, because it
didn't make sense for a character with little in game use (Rain, for example)
to rank higher than decent Knights who may not end up that great on level 30.
Gauging level 30 Knights aren't the best way to measure a Knight's worth,
since many Knights are only available for a short amount of time. The grades
were also removed because they were mostly arbitrary (as grades often are).
Instead, the justifications for rating the Knight's use were fleshed out and
given more detail.

I added in Evil R's stats to reduce randomization. Also, his stats include
setups for dual classing, if that's your bag (and it probably should be).

=================
Table of Contents
=================
A. Copyright Info
B. Tips/Strategies
C. Monsters
D. Classes
E. Spells
F. Game Mechanics [mech_guide]
G. Countries
1. Brief country overview
2. In-depth country and Rune Knight overview
a. New Almekia [teh_salamander]
b. Caerleon [teh_dorky]
c. Leonia [teh_religious]
d. Iscalio [teh_crazy]
e. Norgard [teh_suck]
f. Esgares [teh_evil]
g. Quest Knights [teh_optional]
H. Evil R's Knight Analysis
a. New Almekia [Evil_NA]
b. Caerleon [Evil_Caer]
c. Leonia [Evil_Leon]
d. Iscalio [Evil_Isca]
e. Norgard [Evil_Norg]
f. Quest Knights [Evil_Quest]
I. Top Ten Knight Stats
J. Brigandine: Grand Edition
K. Stuff I still need
L. Feedback/Filler
M. Version History
N. Credits

I made keywords to make it easier to jump specific sections. Use CTRL + F and
search for the bracketed word.

=================
A. Copyright Info
=================
Copyright 2003 by Kao Chua. Do not reproduce this FAQ without my consent. You
may not copy this into any other FAQ without my permission. You may use my
FAQ on your website if you e-mail me first, but only if you do not alter it
in any way.

==================
B. Tips/Strategies
==================
If you are a beginner, start with Lance or Cai. Lance (New Almekia) requires
some pampering, but most of his Knights are useful and he comes with a
Salamander, an insanely powerful level 20 monster that is stronger than most
Knights. He also has an alliance with Caerleon, which seals off his southern
border. Cai (Caerleon) only has a single castle to defend from the beginning
of the game, and he has several magic Knights that are valuable for their
ability to rain magical death on your enemies. Do not try Lyonesse or Dryst
until you've gotten a good feel of the game. Leonia is in a comfortable
strategic situation, but its Knights and starting monsters are unimpressive.
Dryst has decent monsters and competent Knights, but he doesn't have enough
Knights to protect his borders and make strong assaults at the same time.
Vaynard's difficulty is intermediate, because he's in a terrible strategic
situation. What makes him manageable is that all of his Knights are
relatively powerful. Controlling Zemeckis can be rather difficult, since his
country is surrounded by all of the other countries and he starts out with 5
cities to defend. Take note that it's not necessarily the battles that make a
country "easy" or "hard." Each country will eventually be on the same level
of power, except Esgares, which has a few Knights that are extremely powerful
at the beginning of the game, and Leonia, which has no good units at the
beginning of the game. The real differences show up in how well you can deal
with initial assaults. After you conquer your first country, you're pretty
much set for the rest of the game.

When the leader in your country is injured (in other words, HP = 0), all of
your Knights and monsters will retreat for that battle, so keep him/her well
defended. Conversely, if an enemy ruler is defeated, their Knights and
monsters will all run away. If you find yourself losing a battle (like if the
enemy has too many monsters for you to deal with), try to attack and
eliminate the ruler of that country. Lance and Lyonesse are easy targets,
while Dryst, Vaynard, and Zemeckis are relatively difficult to take down. Cai
is pretty easy to defeat, but he usually tears you a few holes in you during
the process (if you have the initiative, a round of decent physical attack
should off him). The AI can be stupidly aggressive with him and bring him to
the front in order to get better position for magic, which makes him fairly
easy to take out. The best ways to kill leaders are ranged attacks from
Centaurs and concentrated magic attacks, because leaders rarely leave
themselves undefended. This isn't always true, since Vaynard can be a moron
and rush your army of dragons, so consider yourself lucky in these
situations. Of course, you should probably use leader sniping as a last
resort tactic, because it is often much more profitable to destroy the
enemy's monsters and Knights for additional experience than to simply pound
on one Knight to end a battle.

Don't put all your powerful generals together at first. It's best to have
balance in the game. For example, try not to have Gereint, Meleagant, and
Halley in the same fighting party. By doing so, you leave your kingdom
with very few good defenders. It is best to have a few (maybe 2 or 3) pretty
strong groups, than one godly trio and two weak ones. When you're putting
groups together, keep Rune Power and monster costs in mind. You don't want a
bunch of guys who can only carry one or two monsters. Remember that
no matter how strong a Knight may become, monsters will always be the bulk of
your army. In assessing whether a character is useful or not, I placed more
value in Rune stats than unit stats, because a level 1 unit with 200 Rune
Power is almost always more valuable than a level 20 unit with ~150. In
general, more monsters means a higher chance of victory (to a point, because
you can still pack your units with six Ghouls. But then you're dumb).

Several Knights under level 5 eventually become worth using. I call these
characters "project Knights." Usually, they start out with low Rune Power,
but have high growth and lots of levels to exploit that growth. Also, they
usually end up becoming decent units. Lance is the poster-child of project
Knights, starting out as a mediocre unit but ending up as a nigh unstoppable
killing machine with some leveling. Other project Knights won't end up quite
as good, but they follow the same mold. In the country sections, I'll try to
point out good project Knights.

Knights don't die in this game, though I sometimes wish they did. They are
given the Wounded status if their HP goes down to 0 in battle. After the
battle, they are sent to the country's capital (or the closest thing to it)
and cannot perform any actions for a month. After that month, the Knight must
be moved to another castle to do anything. This is a giant pain in the ass
because it often means that it takes two months for that Knight to
participate in the offense again, so try to avoid losing generals in battle.
Quests can also give Knights the wounded status. There are some situations
where a general may be wounded for more than a month (like being turned into
a duck). Occasionally, Knights can be injured during the storyline. There is
a trigger to "unwound" them in these cases, and it usually fixes itself given
time.

Underestimating opponents was the cause of many of my losses in Brigandine
early on. Don't be too aggressive in your invasions. Look at other castles
during the attack screen and try to assess their strength before rushing in.
Eventually, your judgment will improve, and you will be able to tell if your
force is strong enough to take a given castle. If you think it's dead even,
save, then charge in. You may end up taking a casualty that may not have been
worthwhile.

The stars on the status screen of your Knights show how many levels he/she
has gained in that class. When you level up in a class, you get a star (the
process for getting stars in the Ninja class is unknown at this time). When
you get 5 stars/levels in a class, the screen says EXPERT where there would
have been stars. After you reach EXPERT, you can change into another class
with your EXPERT class's abilities.

Example: Camden reaches EXPERT in Druid. He can change his class to something
else (his basic stats, like HP, MP, STR, INT, AGI, and Rune Power stay the
same), like a priest. In this new class, he still retains his old Druid
abilities.

This makes things like spell-casting fighters possible. Dual classing can
make for some very powerful Knights. However, important stats are often
diluted in this process. Try not to give primarily physical characters magic
classes. They miss out on much needed HP, STR, and AGI. It might be okay to
give a Priest or Bishop a fighting class for improved durability, but they
are usually lacking in INT afterwards. For the best results with dual-
classing, it seems best to combine the Champion class with one of the other
primary male paths (Cavalier/Paladin, Samurai/Shogun, Berserker/Avenger).
Champion growth has a very positive impact on HP, STR, and AGI, which are
vital stats for fighter classes. Magic users generally do well when switching
between the healing and offensive mage classes. This creates a relatively
versatile unit that can dish out damage or heal depending on the situation.
Your mileage may vary, but these combinations have nearly always worked out
for me.

After 12 turns of fighting, the battle ends and the attacking country
retreats, no matter what the situation is like. If you are defending
against someone you cannot beat, then have your Knights move to different
parts of the map. If you just sit around different corners of the map, the
computer won't be able to take all of you down if you're too far away. If you
can keep this up for 12 turns (which isn't that hard), the enemy is forced to
retreat. It's cheesy, but you might have to use it if you're desperate. You
might even be able to wound one of their Knights in the process.

Here's a boring story that illustrates this point: Once, I had Teath defend
against an Esgares assault with a Roc, a Dragon, and a few Centaurs. Mira was
closing in on him (she was leaving herself exposed by not placing monsters
ahead of her). So I says to myself, "what the hell, I'll attack her." I moved
in with the Centaurs first, then the Dragon, then Teath. Teath managed to
kill her, and Esgares ran away. The sit-around-and-wait-out-the-enemy-for-
twelve-turns strategy is often tedious and unexciting. If you're seriously
out powered and can't outmaneuver your enemy, go for Knights or powerful
monsters. In another one of my battles, I had Soleil grouped with a bunch of
Centaurs and a Dragon. They were fighting Dryst, Iria, and Bagdemagus. I used
all of my Centaurs and a couple Divine Rays to chop down Dryst's Bahamut, and
he ran out of real fighting power. I ended up running, but I killed off
Iscalio's most powerful monster. "Lost" battles may end up being profitable
if you can take something down with you.

When you undergo a pincer attack (when you're attacked from 2 or more
directions), try to focus your strength on Knights that come alone. Unless
it's Zemeckis, three of your Knights should be able to overpower one of the
enemy's. The AI usually runs if one of its Knights is injured, so this tactic
is good if you're outgunned.

Elements are pretty important in this game. Blue opposes Red, White opposes
Black, and Green doesn't oppose anything except itself (to my knowledge). The
damage you take (and give) is increased by a percentage for the number of
opposite elements you have. For example, if a Giant (1 Red) attacks a Lizard
Man (1 Blue), the Lizard Man will take 25% more than usual. Conversely, if
the Lizard Man attacks the Giant, it will take 25% more. For two spheres,
damage is increased by 33%. For three, damage is increased by ~42% or so.
This isn't exact, but these were values I noticed during the game. They're
not exact values, but they should be around that area. If Dryst (1 Black, 1
Red) hits a White Dragon (1 White, 1 Red), the two reds will cancel out the
weakness created by the Black and White, and Dryst's attack will yield normal
damage. For more precise information on this, check the mechanics section of
this FAQ.

Defend your borders! There's nothing more annoying than having to chase an
invader across your own territory. You have to move your attacking Knights to
retake the land that was yours. It's a real pain in the ass. Leave at least
three Knights with enough monsters at vital areas. Note that the AI doesn't
always take empty castles, but don't count on this.

Most of the Rangers/Grapplers are worth working with. Shast, Gallo, Dillard,
Batercus, and Hyude are some of the best Knights if you build them up.
Champions have good movement and high critical hit rates. Team this up with
an attack rating of 270+, a good glove, and 750+ HP at higher levels, and you
have an excellent Knight. The same is true for females in the Archer class.
They can become an Artemis, which are excellent ranged units who can shoot
from 4 hexes away (they're also nigh unhittable because of high AGI). A 4
range hex attack is incredibly useful to have around (that's more than some
Knights' Rune Area).

Winning a battle nets your surviving Knights and monsters 200 EXP. This is
very valuable for weak Knights and monsters. If you know you're in for an
easy fight, take someone weak (it's easy to tell when the AI is going to run.
They'll wait for a little while in the harder modes, but they still run after
turn 1). They could use the experience more than some of your better
generals.

Remember that more you can bring more than three people to attack a castle at
the same time. However, only three may actually enter the battle. Once you
have won, all of the Knights sent on the attack will be stationed at the
castle you sent them. This saves you the trouble of moving them the next
turn, and they can take part in future assaults from that castle.

Place high HP and DEF units in the front and low HP and DEF units towards the
back. This may seem incredibly obvious, but sometimes it is very tempting to
put a mage in the front where they can wreak the most havoc. When you find a
good place to cast a mass-destruction spell, put them behind stronger units
like Dragons. In general, G-Scorps are useful meat-shields as well, though
they are obviously nothing close to dragons or hydras. Building a solid line
of defense is probably the best tactic available in Brigandine, and even at
its best, the AI just can't do much to a decent line of tanks.

When you destroy a country by taking all of its cities, you will receive some
of its Knights. This may seem like an awesome deal, but your enemies get
Knights as well. It also seems that they often get stronger Knights. It may
be more profitable for someone else to destroy another country so you get the
better Knights. For example, if you destroy Iscalio, you get Daffy and
Victoria, who are mediocre compared to Bagdemagus. I've heard that you have a
chance of getting Bagdemagus if you let someone else kill Iscalio off, but I
have not confirmed this. The last time I played, an enemy destroyed Leonia,
and I didn't get any of their Knights, so you don't always get Knights when
someone else destroys a country. I've seen Bagdemagus, Batercus, Adilicia,
Castor, MelTorefas, Faticia, Zerafin, Isfas, Charlene, Cierra, and Shast
after their respective countries were destroyed.

Anyhow, here's a semi-complete list of transferred Knights. I still haven't
completely figured out how the Knight dispersion method works yet, but I will
add information as I find it.
If you beat:               You get:
New Almekia:               Carlota, Loufal
Caerleon:                  Janfadar, Bilcock
Iscalio:                   Daffy, Victoria
Esgares:                   Ivan, Fiel
Leonia:                    Langueborg, Chantail
Norgard:                   Dillard, Kirkmond

Also, when acquiring certain Knights through questing, enemy countries also
get some Knights sometimes. If you get Shiraha, the enemy gets Kazan. If you
get Layoneil, the enemy gets Helrato. There are a few circumstances that
require something special (such as Liguel joining Iscalio when meeting
Miguel). Enemy countries do quest occasionally, because weaker countries can
get Aldis.

When it comes to choosing a low-level Rune Knight with high Rune Power (like
Dogal or Soleil), or a level 15+ Knight with 150+ Rune Power (like Layoneil),
I would recommend taking the low level Knight. The additional monsters the
lower leveled Knight could hold are always more valuable than anything a
single Knight could provide.

Try to take out as many monsters as you can before you go for Knights. This
injures that country's Mana reserves, as it has to make up for killed
monsters by making new ones. It is fully possible to wage a war of attrition
and win, even without taking all of a country's castles. Just keep killing
their expensive monsters (Dragons and Angels especially). As a country loses
its castles, it loses its ability to create and maintain new monsters, so
eventually a country will only be able to make crappy fodder like Ghouls and
G-Scorpions.

Given the choice, I would rather kill New Almekia's level 20 Salamander than
Lance in a given battle. Promoted monsters are not easily replaced, while
leaders just need a period of one month to become active again. However, if
your army can't afford to waste time killing monsters, target the leaders
instead. When you kill a leader, there is a good chance that one of his
monsters will be left behind. If the castle a retreating Knight is in is
surrounded or blocked off from that country's other castles, then retreating
leaders will have to initiate a Force Retreat. Force Retreats increase the
chance of abandoned monsters by quite a bit. For the best results with
monster stealing, use Charm on the monster and kill it. Monsters that are
outside a Knight's Rune Area when a Knight force retreats or gets injured
have a higher probability of being left behind, so Dimension is a handy
tactic there.

Units have unlimited counterattacks in Brigandine, except against ranged
attacks and magic. Make sure you can take a counterattack before you make an
attack. You can calculate the amount of damage you do by subtracting their
defense from your attack. For example, if a Golem (ATK 250) attacks another
Golem (DEF 120), then that attack will do 130 (give or take a few points), or
250 minus 120. With this knowledge and constant use of the status screen, you
should be able to play much more intelligently, especially when figuring out
if your group of monsters can destroy a certain unit.

Monsters are much weaker when they are outside their leader's Rune Area (the
blue field that appears whenever you select your leader or his/her monsters).
This is why leaders with a Rune Area of 3 are less useful. Their monsters
must stay within 3 hexes of the leader to remain effective. The wider range
of movement for Knights with higher Rune Area allows for more diverse
strategies. This does not necessarily mean that you should keep monsters
inside the Rune Area at all times, however. There are some instances where
you may need to take a monster outside of this area in order to get an extra
attack in. Still, keep the monster's lowered statistics into account in your
planning. Masterless monsters that are left behind by wounded Knights also
suffer from lowered stats.

Hitting monsters will give you around 50-100 EXP, but hitting Knights will
almost always give you 100+ EXP if you hit hard enough. Killing a monster
will net you anywhere between 200-1200 EXP. Killing a Knight will give you
600-1600+ EXP. To maximize experience gain, kill as many monsters as
possible, then go for the Knights. Defeating (or even hitting) country
leaders gives a lot of experience as well. The experience system in
Brigandine is merit based, in a sense. The experience you get from a physical
hit or a spell is proportional to the amount of damage that it does. Support
spells give experience values equal to the spell's MP cost. Monsters with the
Halo status always hit, and they also receive a 50% boost in experience,
making the Halo spell a very useful leveling tool.

There are a lot of Knights that you will end up not using in this game. For
example, Langueborg and Brusom are absolutely atrocious Knights. They really
end up hindering your progress in battle, so they would probably end up
helping you more if you sent them off to quest. When Knights quest, they will
be gone for 1-3 months. They can get upgraded stats, new items, weapons,
monsters, and they can even recruit other Rune Knights. The drawback is that
they could also get wounded in the process. Some Knights have special quests,
like Loufal, Lucia, Hyude, and Mira and Millet.

Centaurs are a valuable part of any army. They might not be very strong, but
their ranged attack makes for reliable damage (high AGI means that they
rarely miss) with no retaliation. Also, they are relatively cheap (just 35
Rune, so even stiffs like Langueborg can fit a couple). High Centaurs can
shoot from 3 hexes away, which is insanely useful. If you have a Scout,
Archer, or Artemis, team them up with lots of Centaurs. This is probably the
most powerful support attack group I can think of, since they can kill or
mortally wound a unit every round. Another thing that makes them so useful is
the fact that it is so easy to crowd around a single enemy. There are only
six hexes around any single unit, and having all six open is rare,
considering the enemy's allies and your own monsters. Their ranged attack
gives a whole new row of offensive potential, and the increased range of the
High Centaur makes for three potential rows of offense (one for frontline
monsters, and the next two for Centaurs). Though the damage they do is never
stellar, repeated snipes will wear down almost any opposition you face. I
think Centaurs are the most effective creatures in the game for this reason.

This goes back to the point above, but if you find yourself in a situation
with sucky Knights, and you are forced to defend a castle, the best possible
last minute army is a group the purely consists of centaurs. Even the worst
Rune Knight should fit at least 3 in their army. They're cost effective, and
they're probably the best units you can muster up for quick defenses. Some
would argue for dragons, but there's more than a 2/1 split between Dragons
and Centaurs in terms of Rune Cost. Centaurs are arguably better in these
situations (they can snipe invading Knights, while Dragons have to fight
through frontline monsters first). In these situations, it's almost
inevitable that you'll take casualties, but this works out fine because
Centaurs aren't hard to replace at all.

Turn order is determined based on level. The Knight with the highest level
will act first, and the rest of the characters follow this order. In case of
a tie, the person who goes first is random. Adjust your strategies
accordingly. If you think you'll need healing late in a turn, put your
healing monsters on a low-leveled character. This takes a little planning,
but you should pretty much know which of your groups is going to take a
beating. Also, keep in mind that lower leveled Knights will probably end up
behind higher level Knights and their monsters in full-frontal assaults,
meaning that they might be trapped behind other units, unable to contribute
to the battle.

Every STR point is 2 ATK points. Every 3 AGI points yields 1 defense point.
AGI also determines hit and evade rates. INT affects damage you take from
magic, and how effective healing and offensive spells are. It also effects
how often status spells like Charm, Stone, Paralyze, etc. work.

Try not to make the first move in battles. If your enemy charges your army
first, then destroying them becomes very easy. Conversely, if you attack
first, then the enemy has the advantage. Make sure you form a strong
defensive line that is difficult to penetrate. Strong frontline units like
Dragons or Rocs should be in front of weaker units like Fairies, Centaurs,
Unicorns, etc. Alternatively, you can make a defensive line using G-Scorpions
or Ghouls as fodder and then move in for the kill. Both are pretty good
strategies, but buying new cannon fodder gets expensive.

This game has a time limit. It's 60 years for Easy, 30 for Normal, and 15 for
Hard. I really don't know how someone could drag the game out for 60 years,
though. This is more than reasonable at any difficulty level, since your
conquest should take you five to seven years at the most.

===========
C. Monsters
===========
Monsters are the most valuable part of any army. Even a level 30 Knight could
not hold long against the onslaught of several monsters. Each Knight has a
stat called Rune Power, which determines how many monsters they can hold.
Each monster has an amount of Rune Value, which is how much they cost. You
will find probably that the most useful Knights are often ones with high Rune
power. Most monsters can be upgraded at level 10, and others can be upgraded
further at level 20. Some others require special promotion items to promote,
but these upgrades aren't necessary.

The monster's stats are in this format:
Monster Name
Elemental Affinities (if any)
Summoning Cost (only for level 1 monsters)
HP:
MP:
RuneCost:
Upkeep:
STR:
INT:
AGI:
ATK:
DEF:
MOV:
Base ATK:
Base DEF:
Comments:
Rankings:

All summoned monsters start out on level one. All statistics except RuneCost
and Upkeep are random. The numbers here are just approximations on the summon
screen. A Ghoul you summon may have a higher STR rating, but the number I
list is merely an average.

=======================
Monster Promotion Trees
=======================
The numbers in parentheses are the levels required before a unit is eligible
for the upgrade. Promotions always occur once at level 10, and some classes
have promotions beyond level 10. A few units (Thor, Loki, Lucifer, Lilith)
require a special item to achieve the next promotion. More information about
that is listed in the monster section. Now I will subject you to my wonderful
promotion trees. Don't cry too much.

       -> Dao (10)
     -> Marid (10)
Jinn
     -> Djinni (10)
       -> Efreeti (10)

Clay Golem --> Stone Golem (10) --> Bronze Golem (20) --> Talos (30)

Roc --> Phoenix (10)

Wyvern --> Couatl (10) --> Bahamut (20)

Merman --> Triton (10) --> Poseidon (20)

Lizard Man --> Lizard Guard (10)

Hydra --> Tiamat (10)

G-Scorpion --> Death Needle (10)

        -> Gigas (10) --> Thor (Promotion Item)
Giant --
        -> Titan (10) --> Loki (Promotion Item)

       --> Red Dragon (10) --> Salamander (20)
Dragon
       --> White Dragon (10) --> Fafnir (20)

Pixie --> Fairy (10)

Mandrake --> Man-Eater (10)

Centaur -> High Centaur (10)

        --> Pegasus (10)
Unicorn
        --> Nightmare (10)

Gryphon --> HolyGriff (10)

Angel --> ArchAngel (10) > Seraph (20) --> Lucifer (Promotion Item)

Ghoul --> Vampire (10) --> Vampire Lord (20)

Hellhound --> Fenrir (10)

Demon --> ArchDemon (10) --> Satan (20) > Lilith (Promotion Item)

=========================
Monster Data and Rankings
=========================
Jinn.
120 Mana
HP: 310
MP: 100
RuneCost: 30
Upkeep: 12
STR: 45
INT: 60
AGI: 65
ATK: 205
DEF: 101
Base ATK: 115
Base DEF: 80
A level 10 Jinn is required before the promotion to Dao, Marid, Djinni, or
Efreeti.

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-1
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Jinns are pretty solid units. They don't get to counterattack, but
they get Air Storm, which hits two hexes in a straight line. Nothing can
counterattack Air Storm. With the Power spell, Jinns dominate, because Power
increases ATK by 1.5x, and this directly affects the damage that Jinn breaths
do (against 100 DEF, their damage spikes from an unboosted 105 to 208, with
Power). They're very cheap units, and they can be tacked on most groups
without being much of a burden on Rune Power. They're useful to upgrade as
well, because you get to choose which element you want them to become. They
level
up fairly quickly, too. I killed a Knight with a Jinn and it gained 7 levels.

Their breath is usable even after movement. This is incredibly useful,
because most spells and special attacks are unusable after movement. This
allows Jinns to move wherever they need to be to get their breath attacks
off. Jinns have good mobility, they don't get countered, and they can usually
attack units past obstacles, such as mountains. However, the nature of the
breaths means that they have to get pretty close to an enemy to deal damage.
Jinns are not durable at all, so they are likely to get pasted quickly if
left exposed. They have decent evasion, which helps a little, but it isn't
something to be counted on. It may be best to have a Jinn move in and use its
attack first, and then move the rest of your monsters in to protect it. The
major drawback to level 1 Jinns is that they only get two shots of Air Storm
at first. This changes quickly, but once they run out of MP, they're just
deadweight. The AI really loves to pick on Jinns. Jinns can't counterattack,
so there are no real drawbacks to targeting them.

How to deal with enemy Jinns: There isn't really anything to killing Jinns.
They have a little bit of evasion (nothing that other flying units or ranged
attacks can't handle), but poor HP and defenses makes them very easy to kill.
The AI is usually pretty reckless with them, and they never use Power on
them, so they're usually pretty non-threatening.

Lv10 Jinn
HP: 370
MP: 145
STR: 50
INT: 69
AGI: 80
ATK: 215
DEF: 106

Dao, Marid, Djinni, Efreeti (1 Black, 1 Blue, 1 White, and 1 Red
respectively)
Rune Cost: 45
Upkeep: 28
Base ATK: 120
Base DEF: 85

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Lv30 Dao/Marid/Djinni/Efreeti
HP: 570
MP: 245
STR: 60
INT: 99
AGI: 110
ATK: 240
DEF: 121

Comments: They're basically the same as Jinns, except they have a 3 hex range
with the breath attack, and they're all of a different element. This is a
decent upgrade, and it's usually worth the higher Rune costs. The element can
be a drawback in some instances, so choose wisely (if you're going to use a
Jinn to fight Leonia, don't pick a White element upgrade). As you can see,
their attack power never gets that high, but they're still worthwhile because
they're good at dealing chip damage and they can become heavy hitters with
a well-placed Power spell. Their attacks are slightly more expensive than
normal Jinns, but this isn't really a big deal.

How to deal with enemy Daos/Marids/Djinnis/Efreetis: The logic from the Jinn
section also applies here. They now have an elemental weakness to
exploit. They're a bit more evasive, but they're still not that threatening
because they can't counter. Their HP never really grows that high, so they're
still fairly easy to kill.

Clay Golem
240 Mana
HP: 540
MP: 0
RuneCost: 45
Upkeep: 24
STR: 85
INT: 0
AGI: 35
ATK: 230
DEF: 126
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 115
A level 10 Clay Golem is required before the promotion to Stone Golem

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 0-2
INT: 0
AGI: 0-1

Comments: Clay Golems and Giants are almost opposites of each other in terms
of ATK and DEF. Golems have good defense and OK attack, while Giants have
good attack and lousy defense. Given a choice, I would much rather have
Golems in my party than Giants. Giants have a better MOV stat, but Golems
are a better (and cheaper) unit as a whole. One major downside of Golems is
their 0 in INT. This means that they'll take full damage from spells. Golems
often fry to repeated Divine Rays or Curse spells.  Also, Golems have a
terrible hit rate due to poor AGI. They're immune to negative statuses like
Poison, Paralysis, Stone, Stun, Charm, etc, which means that you can pit them
against Rocs and Mandrakes without fear.

I feel that Golems are superior to Giants because they have passable offense
and good defense. However, they still suffer the same accuracy problems that
Giants do. A 0 in INT means that they're going to take the full brunt of any
magic attack. Their good defense makes them serviceable front liners, and
they serve well as "fodder" of sorts. Low mobility may hold them back a
little, since they often are too far behind to get a spot to attack when the
battle is joined. Still, they're much cheaper than Giants (45 Rune Power vs
60 Rune Power), and they're generally more effective units as a whole.

How to deal with enemy Clay Golems: Any high power damage spell (Divine Ray,
Curse, Exa-Blast, Fall Berg, Thunder) will take a huge bite out of a Clay
Golem. They have fits against fliers, so Wyverns and Rocs are effective
against them. If you have a Nightmare around, Dimension is pretty much an
assured hit against Golems.

Lv10 Stone Golem
HP: 630
MP: 0
Rune Cost: 55
Upkeep 38
STR: 94
INT: 0
AGI: 40
ATK: 258
DEF: 133
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 120
A level 20 Stone Golem is required before the promotion to Bronze Golem

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0
AGI: 0-1

Lv20 Bronze Golem
HP: 730
MP: 0
Rune Cost: 70
Upkeep: 80
STR: 109
INT: 0
AGI: 45
ATK: 298
DEF: 140
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 125
A level 30 Bronze Golem is required before the promotion to Talos

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0
AGI: 0-1

Lv30 Talos
HP: 856
MP: 0
Rune Cost: 90
Upkeep: 66
STR: 124
INT: 0
AGI: 50
ATK: 338
DEF: 146
Base ATK: 90
Base DEF: 130

Stat Growth (useless, but hey):
HP: 16-20
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0
AGI: 0-1

Comments: The Golem upgrades are almost all identical, so I clumped them all
together. They all have Rock Throw, a ranged attack that doesn't get
penalized against fliers (it's probably your best bet against flying units,
despite the damage penalty). Also, the Golems get slightly more accurate with
upgrades. All of them retain excellent defense, and the Talos has one of the
highest ATK ratings in the game. As you promote, the problems found in Clay
Golems become less apparent. The upgrades still take nasty damage from magic,
though high HP makes up for this deficiency at higher levels. Talos
golems rarely miss, and their mobility is passable. Still, getting a Talos
will be somewhat rare, since it has to be level 30. That's a little less than
30,000 experience, which is an insane amount, even for Knights.

How to deal with enemy Golem upgrades: It's pretty much the same deal as Clay
Golems, except that they're a lot tougher as you deal with better
incarnations. As a general rule, offensive magic will always work well on
Golems, and the Dimension trick will still work out. A Talos isn't very
threatening if it's fifty hexes away, is it? If that doesn't work out, you'll
probably end up having to fight the golem head to head. While they are
generally more accurate than Clay Golems, they struggle with the same
creatures. Wyverns and other fliers with high AGI still give golems fits, and
you should probably use the Power spell on your best attacker to take the
golems down. They're really hard not to kill, but high HP and DEF can make
them last a long time.

Roc
380 Mana
HP: 580
MP: 110
RuneCost: 70
Upkeep: 38
STR: 85
INT: 35
AGI: 60
ATK: 230
DEF: 105
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Cry Bird
A Lv10 Roc is required before the promotion to Phoenix.

Lv30 Roc.
HP: 754
MP: 197
STR: 114
INT: 64
AGI: 89
ATK: 288
DEF: 115

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Rocs are great. They have a chance to petrify their enemy, making
them a very useful unit, especially if you petrify a Knight. They deal decent
physical damage, and they're somewhat evasive (60 AGI isn't that special, but
flying gives a 20% evasion boost against ground vs air physicals). The Cry
Bird ability does damage to everyone in a 2 hex radius, and it may paralyze
units that are hit, including your own. This is a pretty useful ability, but
you have to consider the potential damage done to both sides before actually
doing it. One strategy to utilize is to cast Protect on your Roc, then make
it draw enemy fire. More often than not, the Roc will petrify enough enemies
to make up for the damage taken. Also, if enough units cluster around the
Roc, you can use Cry Bird for some damage and a chance of paralysis. This
is a risky strategy, but it has paid off for me in the past. Even without
complex strategies, Rocs are serviceable front-liners, since they can
generally petrify at least one unit over the course of three or four hits.
However, Rocs have poor defense and average HP, so you need to protect them.
Their only other downside is that they're pretty expensive, and sometimes you
don't want a unit to be petrified. Being petrified makes monsters more
resilient to physicals (150 DEF), so it may end up hurting you if you need to
kill a unit quickly.

How to deal with enemy Rocs: Enemy Rocs can be one of the most annoying units
in the game, especially because the AI is so aggressive with them. I remember
when I first played, Leonia won some battles with Rocs that it really
shouldn't have. Ranged attacks like Centaur shots and magic deal with Rocs
fairly well. Golems are immune to Stone, so they can attack Rocs without any
real drawbacks, although they might have problems hitting them. Bring a
couple units that can cast Cure along with you if you know you're going to
fight a lot of Rocs. The stone effect doesn't kick in that often, but it's
very annoying when it works, since it effectively removes that unit from
participating in the battle.

Lv10 Phoenix
3 Red.
HP: 634
MP: 137
RuneCost: 95
Upkeep: 58
STR: 94
INT: 44
AGI: 69
ATK: 258
DEF: 113
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 90
Spells: Heal Voice
Regenerates 10% HP/turn

Lv30 Phoenix
HP: 834
MP: 237
STR: 114
INT: 64
AGI: 99
ATK: 298
DEF: 123

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: I like. They're strong attackers, and they have better defenses
than Rocs. They regenerate 10% of their maximum HP a turn, which isn't bad
since they can get respectable HP scores later on. Heal Voice is a useful
healing move which affects both friend and foe, and it is more likely to help
you than hurt you, unlike Cry Bird. Phoenixes maul most blue units, so
pitting them against Hydras and female mage classes is generally a good idea.

The choice between a Roc and Phoenix is tough sometimes. On one hand, you
lose the ability to petrify. On the other hand, you gain an even better
attacker that has regeneration and a good area heal move. The choice is up to
you, but the Phoenix tends to be better, statistically.

How to deal with enemy Phoenixes: They're generally somewhat tough to kill,
but using enough blue elemental units will eventually take the Phoenix down,
though you should anticipate a nasty counterattack. Poison cancels out
regeneration, but that's not always practical. Enough Fall Bergs or even
Frost spells will eventually take a Phoenix down. They're not nearly as hard
to kill as high level Dragons are, so they don't warrant as much concern.

Wyvern.
320 Mana
HP: 540
MP: 100
RuneCost: 60
Upkeep: 32
STR: 80
INT: 30
AGI: 65
ATK: 220
DEF: 106
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
A level 10 Wyvern is required before the promotion to Couatl

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Wyverns are the most mobile unit in the game (7-7). They have
passable attack power, but it's nothing stellar. Still, they're never a
burden, and they can usually reach anyone you want to get to. Because
they're so mobile, they can often fly past your Knight's Rune Area. This is
more useful than you'd think, since you can finish off dying enemies this
way. The Wyvern's evasion is noteworthy as well. If you pit one against a
Giant or a Golem, the Wyvern will probably come out on top due to sheer
evasion (as well as the Giant/Golem's poor accuracy). A good unit, overall.
They're somewhat pricey, but they're much better than Giants, another unit
that takes 60 Rune Power.

How do deal with enemy Wyverns: Because they're so evasive, things like
Giants and Golems don't really stand a chance of hitting them. Instead, use
other flying units (Rocs, Gryphons, other Wyverns) and ranged units
(Centaurs). Ranged units don't get a penalty when hitting flying units, so
they should be able to do decently well. Wyverns are very easy to kill once
you hit them, and the AI tends to be very aggressive with them.

Lv10 Couatl.
HP: 594
MP: 130
Rune Cost: 80
Upkeep: 50
STR: 94
INT: 35
AGI: 79
ATK: 258
DEF: 116
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 90
Special Attacks: Dragon Roar
A level 20 Couatl is required before the promotion to Bahamut

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-3

Comments: If you can afford the upgrade, there's no real reason not to like a
souped up Wyvern. The boost in ATK gives Couatls a respectable offensive
punch, and the upgrade is definitely worthwhile. Some problems with Wyverns
are apparent, though. Couatls have poor HP for a pure slugging unit
(especially one that's level 10), and they're pretty dependent on evasion to
stay afloat. That works out well, until you run into the problem of units
like Demons and Angels, who like to casually throw strong spells like Curse
and Divine Ray around. They're still worth using, since they usually give
most ground units fits, but they still need to be pampered a bit. Dragon Roar
is a pretty crappy attack. It does damage to every target in an area for 1/6
max HP. This isn't really useful, since the Couatl could probably do more
damage with its physical, and that wouldn't endanger friendly units in the
area.

How to deal with enemy Couatls: They're harder to hit this time around, but
the same principles that applied to Wyverns apply here. Also, note that the
Wyvern tree never gets good INT growth, which means that magic tends to make
mincemeat out of them.

Lv20 Bahamut
HP: 654
MP: 160
Rune Cost: 110
Upkeep: 76
STR: 109
INT: 40
AGI: 99
ATK: 298
DEF: 128
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 95
Special Attacks: Final Breath, Dragon Roar

Lv30 Bahamut
HP: 754
MP: 190
STR: 124
INT: 44
AGI: 113
ATK: 328
DEF: 132

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Couatls turn into Bahamuts, which are a dragon class. While the
base stats for the Bahamut are lower than the other level 20 dragons, they're
still quite powerful. They lose the mobility of the Wyvern and Couatl, but
they get higher power in exchange. As usual, the Power + Breath combination
with them is quite deadly, especially since they are non-elemental. They're
not as strong as other dragon classes, but I think the non-elemental breath
is more useful in some cases. They're not nearly as tanky as other top tier
dragons because of lower HP, but they retain the high evasion that the
previous Wyvern forms had. Still, they're not quite as costly as the top tier
dragons, so it balances itself out.

How to kill enemy Bahamuts: This comes up quite a bit, since Iscalio has one.
Even at level 20, the Wyvern only has the HPs of a level 1 Dragon, so it
shouldn't be too hard to take down with enough magic and ranged shots. Still,
be careful, since you can get your ass kicked if you try to engage it too
recklessly. In the beginning of the game, the Bahamut is a real bastard to
hit, and you often end up trying to hit it, missing, then eating a counter.
Tanky units like the Dragon family shouldn't have huge troubles surviving
Bahamut attacks. Iscalio is pretty aggressive with its Bahamut, so use this
to your advantage.

Merman
1 Blue
120 Mana
HP: 410
MP: 50
RuneCost: 25
Upkeep: 12
STR: 65
INT: 50
AGI: 50
ATK: 190
DEF: 106
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 90
A Lv10 Merman is required before the promotion to Triton

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Mermen aren't very good unless you're defending a coastal town.
They have poor mobility on land, and they get a -10 hit penalty when fighting
on the ground. They can only move and fight efficiently on water. They're
passable against red monsters, though. They're pretty wussy overall, but if
you need a Blue unit and you can't afford a Hydra or a Lizard Man, just put a
Merman in your unit, since they're pretty cheap. If you know that you're
going to have to fight in a city with water in it, Mermen become less
horrible, because they can take advantage of water regeneration, along with
hit and evasion boosts. Still, the other blue monster families badly outclass
the Mermen family. If you're going to use one, be mindful that Mermen
generally aren't that great at hitting things, and they're no good at taking
hits either. Use them in a support role, possibly to soften an opponent up or
finish it off.

How to deal with enemy Mermen: Hit them once or twice with a dragon.
Seriously, they're insanely easy to take down. 410 HP doesn't really cut it
for anyone, especially one with such an easily exploited weakness. Both red
magic and physicals from giants and dragons are more than enough to overwhelm
a merman. In my experience, Mermen often go down as collateral damage to
Geno-Flame spells. At any rate, they're not threatening enough to really
worry about.

Lv10 Triton
2 Blue
HP: 500
MP: 77
RuneCost: 40
Upkeep: 28
STR: 74
INT: 55
AGI: 59
ATK: 218
DEF: 114
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
A level 20 Triton is required before the promotion to Poseidon

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: The Triton promotion strikes me as a "might as well" upgrade, in a
similar vein to Ghoul --> Vampire.  Nothing substantial is gained with this
upgrade (+10 ATK, +5 DEF, slightly better stat growth), but it's a piddling
15 Rune Power to upgrade, and the unit is still reasonably priced for what
you get (though still kinda sad for a second tier unit). Tritons get the
Maelstrom ability, which can be somewhat useful, but it's only usable in the
water. They're slow and still receive land penalties, but they're still a
step up from Mermen. The extra blue sphere makes them more effective against
Dragons, but they still fry to most red aligned spells or units. Again, use
these if you know you're going to defend or attack coastal towns (you can
pretty much tell if a town has water in it if it's near a lake or the sea on
the World Map).

How to deal with enemy Tritons: Same as Mermen, but be a tad more careful
when sending red units against them. They're still not much of a threat, so
don't alter your strategies to defend against one. Remember, Tritons are
second tier, but that still doesn't mean that it's a particularly good unit.

Lv20 Poseidon
3 Blue
HP: 590
MP: 107
RuneCost: 55
Upkeep: 44
STR: 89
INT: 60
AGI: 69
ATK: 258
DEF: 123
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 100

Lv30 Poseidon
HP: 730
MP: 137
STR: 104
INT: 75
AGI: 79
ATK: 288
DEF: 126

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Poseidons, while still not that effective on land, are much more
useful than their past forms. They have better movement, and they can
actually do some damage. In the water, Poseidons own everything but Tiamats
and flying dragons. While the Triton was a rather lackluster upgrade, the
Poseidon is truly worth having around to screw red element units up. The
Poseidon's 3 Blue element spheres ensure that they will make horrible messes
of Dragons and red aligned Mages. However, it is rather difficult to get a
level 20 unit in this class because the past forms are so pathetic. The only
Poseidon you're likely to see is Caerleon's Triton, and that's only if you
bother to use it. That's a big if.

Anyway, they get great bonuses in water, regeneration, and (most importantly)
they lose their movement penalties, which means that they won't be lagging
behind with your Golems. Still, the effort you have to put into a
Merman/Triton to get one of these probably isn't worth it compared to other
blue elemental monsters (Lizard Men and Hydras), which are usable without any
real hassle.

How to deal with enemy Poseidons: If you ever see one (I have never seen the
computer use one in all my playthroughs), don't panic. Exa-Blast and Thunder
still screw them over pretty badly. They can deal pretty serious damage to
red units, but it's usually a fair trade because red units usually have a
decent enough offensive punch to make up for the elemental differences.
Common sense will tell you to try to stay away from water, but you don't
always have a choice, especially when some maps are filled with water.
They're quite potent on water, since they get Maelstrom and evasion boosts,
but you should be able to draw them away onto land, where they're manageable.

Lizard Man.
1 Blue
140 Mana
HP: 450
MP: 50
RuneCost: 30
Upkeep: 14
STR: 70
INT: 30
AGI: 60
ATK: 200
DEF: 125
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 105
A Lv10 Lizard Man is required before the promotion to Lizard Guard

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0-2
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Lizard Men are pretty strong. They aren't very durable at first,
but their physical defense is actually quite good for a level 1 unit. Stick
with them, because they're good at fighting dragons. They have a hefty hit
bonus, so they will hit almost anything consistently except the most evasive
of creatures. Later on, their defense becomes very high, so you don't have to
worry about their well being so much. They get hit and evasion bonuses when
fighting on water. They have mediocre ATK power at first, but this quickly
increases since Lizard Men have decent STR growth. They become respectable
attackers by the time they reach level 10, when they can promote to Lizard
Guards.

Lizard Men are especially useful when you consider how cheap they are. They
cost only five Rune more than Mermen, but they have better ATK, accuracy,
mobility, defense, and HP. 30 Rune will also buy 2 Ghouls or a Scorpion.
Considering that a single Lizard Man could solo two Ghouls (I crunched the
numbers. It's somewhat depressing), and Scorpions generally suck, the Lizard
Man is probably one of the best units to fill empty spots with.

Lv10 Lizard Guard.
2 Blue
HP: 540
MP: 60
RuneCost: 45
Upkeep: 32
STR: 79
INT: 39
AGI: 69
ATK: 228
DEF: 133
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 110
Spells: Poison Breath

Lv30 Lizard Guard
HP: 740
MP: 80
STR: 109
INT: 59
AGI: 99
ATK: 288
DEF: 143

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0-2
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Lizard Guards are more than worth their upgrade. They get a 2-Hex
breath attack, and they get very high defense later on (it nearly rivals
petrification defense at level 30). They're also one of the most effective
Dragon killers in the game. Though they'll get the short end of the bargain,
they can do respectable damage to any dragon. Against other units, their
offense is respectable but not spectacular. Even so, they generally deal more
damage than they receive, which makes them very useful monsters. Poison
Breath gives them a decent option for a close attack without a chance of a
counterattack, and it gives them a little bit more range as well (also, as
the name implies, it can cause poison!). They get the standard aquatic
bonuses in water.

Again, the 45 in Rune Power is nothing compared to a lot of other second tier
creatures. Hell, a lot of first tier units cost more, and they aren't nearly
as effective. 45 is the equivalent of three Ghouls (which is just a waste of
space) or a single Clay Golem. Lizard Guards don't have the accuracy or
mobility problems that Clay Golems have, and they generally don't fry to
magic. All that aside, Lizard Guards may be the most cost effective units
in the game other than High Centaurs.

How to deal with enemy Lizard Guards: They're actually somewhat tough to
kill, but Lizard Guards don't have impressive HP. A few concentrated attacks
should be able to knock it out. As with Mermen, Exa-Blast, Flame, and Thunder
really take a bite out of Lizard Guard's HP supply. While annoying to fight,
Lizard Guards don't pose the offensive threat that Dragons do. But then, what
does?

Hydra.
2 Blue
460 Mana
HP: 670
MP: 110
RuneCost: 80
Upkeep: 46
STR: 100
INT: 30
AGI: 35
ATK: 260
DEF: 111
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 100
Special Attacks: Ice Breath
A Lv10 Hydra is required before the promotion to Tiamat

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Hydras are like Blue elemental dragons. However, they're really
freaking slow (3 hex movement on land), and they have lackluster defense.
However, when you finally get to the enemy, it will wreak some serious havoc.
They have the highest ATK power of any level 1 monster, and their breath
allows them to exploit this power to hit multiple units. In a one on one
fight with a Dragon, the Hydra will win most of the time. Roads and the Accel
or Flight spells help rectify this issue. Flight is particularly helpful,
since it gives Hydras good mobility in addition to giving 20% evasion against
ground hits. If you can put up with their low mobility, they're really worth
having around. They have low accuracy, but breaths never miss, and you can
just use the Halo spell otherwise.

How to deal with enemy Hydras: Dragons can't go toe to toe with Hydras, but
they can still take a large bite out of their HP reserves. Despite excellent
HP, Hydras tend to go down quickly due to average defenses. Fire magic does
extremely well against hydras because of their Hydra's low INT. As with most
units with accuracy problems, creatures like Rocs, Wyverns, and Gryphons have
a good chance of dealing damage to Hydras without taking damage from
counterattacks. If the AI is aggressive, you may not even have to fight
Hydras because they'd be falling behind so much. In the water, Hydras are
very hard to kill, so just pound at them with magic and concentrated physical
attacks.

Lv10 Tiamat.
2 Blue, 1 Black
HP: 724
MP: 137
RuneCost: 110
Upkeep: 70
STR: 114
INT: 35
AGI: 44
ATK: 298
DEF: 119
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 105
Special Attacks: Death Breath, Dragon Roar

Lv30 Tiamat
HP: 924
MP: 197
STR: 144
INT: 55
AGI: 74
ATK: 358
DEF: 129

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Though Tiamats are still slow, they're such insane powerhouses that
it doesn't matter. When they get to their destination, they'll just clobber
anything in sight. Death Breath lives up to its name. It just murders
monsters when Power'ed. High STR growth ensures that they will stay powerful
throughout the game, even though they don't have a second promotion. With the
extra Black sphere, they can simply obliterate Unicorns and Angels. They have
plenty of HP, and they have good durability because the upgrade makes their
defenses passable. Decent AGI growth makes their accuracy issues a bit less
apparent. They're pretty much unstoppable on the water. If you can put up
with low mobility (which isn't that unbearable, since you have 12 turns,
which is often more than enough to beat anything), Tiamats are very
worthwhile.

How to beat enemy Tiamats: It is now weak to Divine Ray, so Tiamats aren't
huge fans of Angels and Bishops. Attacking Tiamats head on with White units
is a pretty poor idea, but there are some cases where it could work out.
Dinadan, for example, should be able to hold his own against a Tiamat. Still,
use caution, especially since Zemeckis likes to cast Power on his own Tiamat.

Scorpion
1 Red.
HP: 270
MP: 0
RuneCost: 20
Upkeep: 10
STR: 60
INT: 10
AGI: 45
ATK: 180
DEF: 135
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 120
A Lv10 G-Scorpion is required before the promotion to Death Needle

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Scorpions are pretty lousy. They never get much better, but they
have pretty good defense. They have one red slot, which makes them good for
taking hits from dragons. Even so, their only real use is as cannon fodder.
They do have the ability to poison, but this isn't immensely useful, as
Brigandine poison is a fairly benign status (though it can kill if your HP is
low enough). Low HP and INT make it so that even the weakest Blue spell will
be able to wreck Scorpions. However, they do decently well as meat-shields.
Because they're inexpensive, just get a lot of them, place a mage behind
them, and let him/her go nuts with magic. Alternatively, make a wall of
scorpions and use breath attacks from afar. Like Ghouls, they gain levels
quickly and are much better in their second form.

How to deal with enemy Scorpions: Scorpions are a nuisance at best. Any blue
offensive spell will easily wreck Scorpions, and they don't even last a long
time against other Red units. They have fairly bad accuracy, so they don't
pose any real offensive threat either, even to blue units. The ability to
poison is somewhat irritating, but as stated above, it's not a real threat.
Their low INT makes Dimension a near guaranteed hit.

Lv10 Death Needle
2 Red.
HP: 360
MP: 0
RuneCost: 35
Upkeep: 22
STR: 69
INT: 15
AGI: 54
ATK: 208
DEF: 143
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 125

Lv30 Death Needle
HP: 640
MP: 0
STR: 89
INT: 25
AGI: 84
ATK: 248
DEF: 153

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Scorpions become more potent when they become Death Needles. For 15
Rune Power, the scorpion becomes stronger and more mobile. They get decent HP
growth as well, which makes them a very physically durable unit later on.
Also, it seems that they poison their enemies more often. They're still
fodder, but they're fodder who can actually take beatings. Still, that seems
to defeat the point of fodder units. Fodder units are supposed to die and be
easily replaced, but it is a little harder relegating Death Needles to that
role, because you put enough work into them so that they earned promotion.
Maybe it's a personal thing.

At any rate, they still can't take Blue spells. They actually get good HP at
the end of the game, and their physical durability may not be bad since Death
Needle defenses eventually get better than petrified defense (150 DEF).
They're still not an offensive threat, but that's not really what they're
around for.

How to deal with enemy Death Needles: They're still not threatening, and they
still tend to die in repeated Geno-Frost spells with no extra work. ~210 ATK
isn't scaring anybody too much. 140+ DEF is impressive, but Death Needles are
still easy to take down because of pathetic HP.

Giant.
1 Red.
280 Mana.
HP: 540
MP: 180
RuneCost: 60
Upkeep: 28
STR: 95
INT: 45
AGI: 40
ATK: 245
DEF: 103
Base ATK: 55
Base DEF: 90
A Lv10 Giant is required before the promotion to Gigas or Titan

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Giants are very strong, but they have a lot of trouble hitting
anything. It takes several tries to hit flying enemies (especially Wyverns
and to a lesser extent, Rocs). As reference, they have roughly a 50-60%
chance of hitting Wyverns at level 1. Giants have terrible defense for a
frontline unit, and they don't really have the HP to make up for this.
Because of their terrible hit rates, Giants won't do very well in the front
lines in the early game. Though accuracy issues fade away with promotions,
feeding Giants kills seems like a bit of a waste of time and effort. Golems
are less mobile, but they have equal HP and better DEF, and they cost 15 less
Rune.

Still, Giants may have their uses. Against low AGI units, they do quite well.
They have good ATK, and they tend to deal heavy damage against Hydras. For
the best results, use the Halo spell on them. Halo gives a 100% hit rate and
increases experience gain, so feeding them kills this way is probably
the easiest method of leveling Giants. I don't think they justify a 60
RuneCost, but they may be worth using if you can promote them.

How to deal with enemy Giants: The computer is pretty reckless with them,
which is good for you because Giants don't last very long. Flying units do
well against them because they don't hit very often. Lizard Men and Hydras
generally give Giants a hard time.

Lv10 Giant
HP: 594
MP: 207
STR: 110
INT: 50
AGI: 49
ATK: 285
DEF: 111

Lv30 Titan/Gigas
HP: 794
MP: 307
STR: 140
INT: 70
AGI: 69
ATK: 345
DEF: 118

Note: Since the stat progression for Titans and Gigases are identical, I used
the same stats for both.

Titan
1 White, 1 Red
RuneCost: 75
Upkeep: 48
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 95
A level 10 Titan and the Rage Lightning item are required for the promotion
to Thor.

Gigas
1 Black, 1 Red
RuneCost: 75
Upkeep: 48
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 95
A level 10 Gigas and the Wisdom Seed item are required for the promotion to
Loki.

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: These two classes are basically the same, but they have different
elemental affiliations. They have slightly better hit rates than normal
giants, but it's still rather unimpressive, because they still whiff a lot
against most fliers. As usual, Titans/Gigas pack in quite a punch provided
that they hit. You may not have to rely on Halo as much to get them hits now.
Their defenses are a little bit better, but they are still less durable than
they seem. At level 30, they get some of the highest STR and ATK stats in the
game.

As for the choice between Titans and Gigases, it's really up to you. Nothing
distinguishes one class from the other except that one has a black element
and the other has a white element. If you're going to fight Leonia, get a
Gigas. If you're going to fight Esgares (which has Cador, a Tiamat, a Vampire
Lord and lots of Fenrirs), get a Titan. One matter of importance is that
there is a marginal chance that you can get upgrade items through quests. If
you already have one of these items, promote the Giant to the corresponding
class. If you're just shooting to get one, Lokis are better, but the quest
for the promotion item is so rare that you may not have a choice about it.

How to deal with enemy Titans/Gigases: They're potent offensive attackers,
but they're still not that durable, and now they have easily exploitable
weaknesses. Curse and Divine Ray can be used by Angels, Demons, and a lot of
priest/mage classes.

Lv30 Thor
HP: 874
MP: 307
RuneCost: 75
Upkeep: 66
STR: 150
INT: 70
AGI: 69
ATK: 375
DEF: 123
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Required Items: Rage Lightning
Special Attacks: Mjollnir

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Lv30 Loki
HP: 874
MP: 307
RuneCost: 75
Upkeep: 66
STR: 140
INT: 80
AGI: 69
ATK: 355
DEF: 123
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Required Items: Wisdom Seed
Spells: Meteor Doom

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
ING: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: These are the real reason to use Gigases or Titans. They both have
insane attack power. Their defense is still sadly low for creatures of their
calibur (equivalent of third tier), but they can take some abuse because of
their high HP scores. The two spells these classes get are pretty powerful.
Mjollnir is a decent area attack, and Meteor Doom is, well, Meteor Doom. It's
insanely useful to have a unit that is able to cast Meteor Doom, but Lokis
need a few levels to be able to cast it. They're both good monsters, and
accuracy issues in these forms are minimal. The only real downside to these
units is that the items required for the upgrades are incredibly rare, which
means that you'll have to quest a lot before you even get the chance to see
one. You're also not assured that you will get the right item. I had a Gigas
once, but I got the opposite item, so I was royally screwed and I cursed
God/the RNG for his cruelty.

If you're unfamiliar with item promotions, just use Rage Lightning on a Titan
to get a Thor, and a Wisdom Seed on a Gigas to get a Loki. There are no level
constraints. All you need is a Titan or a Gigas and the corresponding item to
promote them.

How to deal with enemy Thors/Lokis: It won't ever be an issue, since the AI
will never get one. On the off chance that you do meet one, they still have
elemental weaknesses to exploit, but attacking them head on may be
disastrous. Lokis need to be killed quickly, because you really don't want to
eat a Meteor Doom.

Dragon
1 Red
420 Mana
HP: 630
MP: 100
RuneCost: 75
Upkeep: 42
STR: 90
INT: 40
AGI: 40
ATK: 240
DEF: 113
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 100
Special Attacks: Acid Breath
A level 10 Dragon is required before the promotion to Red Dragon or White
Dragon

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Dragons are the backbone of any good army. The best units in the
game are from the Dragon promotion tree. They have excellent offense and have
decent durability. They're expensive for first tier units, but they're strong
enough to be worth it. As usual, Power + Breath is extremely useful. The
prevalence of dragons makes this tactic very useful, especially in the
beginning of the game. Their ability to dish out strong attacks and take
abuse should get you through most of your troubles in your initial assaults.
They have a few accuracy issues, but only against things like Wyverns or high
level Knights. Also, they're not as mobile as a lot of other creatures, but
this isn't a huge issue.

The choice between the White and Red Dragon promotion isn't always that easy.
Red Dragons are excellent against Blue units, but White Dragons fly and can
deal heavy damage to black units (they're also a little bit more expensive).
Neither is a great deal better than the other, but Salamanders tend to be a
bit more useful than Fafnirs.

How to deal with enemy Dragons: Dragons (and their subsequent forms) tend to
do poorly against Frost and Fall Berg. Hydras can usually take a Dragon down
quite easily. They're fairly hard to kill, but it can be done if you
concentrate your fire on them.

White Dragon
1 White, 1 Red
HP: 684
MP: 127
RuneCost: 100
Upkeep: 64
STR: 105
INT: 49
AGI: 49
ATK: 280
DEF: 121
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 105
Special Attacks: Energy Bolt
A level 20 White Dragon is required before the promotion to Fafnir

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: White Dragons are just flying Dragons with an extra White element.
Watch them destroy Demons and Hellhounds in two hits. It's funny. It's always
nice to have a high-powered White unit around, since the other White monsters
aren't that great offensively (Gryphons are OK, but White Dragons naturally
have more power). The Black weakness makes them vulnerable to Curse, but
their high HPs make them pretty hard to kill.

Lv20 Fafnir
2 White, 1 Red
HP: 738
MP: 157
RuneCost: 120
Upkeep: 86
STR: 120
INT: 64
AGI: 59
ATK: 310
DEF: 129
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 110

Lv30 Fafnir
HP: 838
MP: 187
STR: 135
INT: 79
AGI: 69
ATK: 340
DEF: 133

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: They're the strongest White units in the game. Fafnirs are probably
the best units around to take Tiamats down (1 Black, 2 Blue). They deal
excellent damage, and they're very hard to kill. Salamanders tend to be a
little bit better, but it's quite close.

How to deal with enemy Fafnirs: You'll probably see at least Fafnir down the
road, since weak countries like to pick up Aldis and her Fafnir, Puro. Also,
one of Vaynard's White Dragons may promote over the course of the game. A
barrage of Curse spells should be able to put them down pretty quickly.
Tiamats match up well with Fafnir weaknesses, but they'd probably lose if you
tried to pit one against a Fafnir because Fafnirs dodge more.

Red Dragon
2 Red
HP: 684
MP: 127
RuneCost: 95
Upkeep: 64
STR: 105
INT: 49
AGI: 49
ATK: 280
DEF: 121
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 105
Special Attacks: Fire Breath
A level 20 Red Dragon is required before the promotion to Salamander

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: They're identical to White Dragons, except they don't fly, and they
have different elements. They are a little cheaper than White Dragons. They
get added land mobility, and their damage is stellar. 2 Red spheres allow
them to stomp on most blue units.

Lv20 Salamander
3 Red
HP: 784
MP: 157
RuneCost: 115
Upkeep: 86
STR: 120
INT: 59
AGI: 59
ATK: 320
DEF: 129
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 110

Lv30 Salamander
HP: 884
MP: 187
STR: 135
INT: 69
AGI: 75
ATK: 340
DEF: 133

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Salamanders are probably the strongest unit in the game. They have
plenty of everything: their HP, STR, ATK, and DEF stats are great. Their
breath attack, Grand Flame will punch massive holes in your enemy's lines.
Their only drawback is that they are of the Red element, so they won't do
much against Phoenixes or other dragons. This is hardly a drawback against
Blue elemental units, however. Vaynard soils his dress every time he sees New
Almekia's Salamander.

How to deal with enemy Salamanders: Cry. Fall Berg still does good damage
against them, and Hydras/Tiamats can kind of hold their ground against them.
You really want to avoid direct retaliation while fighting one, so ranged
attacks and magic may be the way to go. Using Red units against Salamanders
may dilute their offensive prowess, but there's no guarantee that the
Salamander will target your red units.

Pixie.
1 Green
120 Mana.
HP: 220
MP: 160
RuneCost: 30
Upkeep: 12
STR: 30
INT: 65
AGI: 80
ATK: 130
DEF: 86
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 60
Spells: Protect, Silent
A level 10 Pixie is required before the promotion to Fairy

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-1
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Pixies are useless for physical combat, but they have fairly useful
support magic. Protect does wonders for a unit's defense, especially mages.
Its long range makes it a very handy spell. Silent almost never works against
human mages, but it has a fairly good chance of success against enemy
Unicorns. One bad thing about them is that they're completely worthless when
they run out of MP. They don't even serve well as targets since they die so
quickly (in spite of good evasion). Despite this, they're fairly cheap, and
they can be tacked onto a lot of groups. Pixies are generally well worth
putting time into, because the Fairy upgrade gets the React spell.

Many monsters can dispose of Pixies with two hits, so you should just keep
them towards the back of your ranks to cast support spells. Their Critical
attack can do lot of damage, but you shouldn't be using their physical
attacks in hope that they perform a critical. I believe that they can only
critical off counters.

How to deal with enemy Pixies: Hit them twice with any non-Ghoul unit,
seriously. They're irritating, and they like using Protect a lot on the most
annoying units. The AI likes to waste MPs on Silent even it has a poor chance
of connecting, so use this to your advantage. Pixies aren't threatening at
all, so don't make them a high priority.

Lv10 Fairy
2 Green
HP: 274
MP: 205
Rune Cost: 45
Upkeep: 28
STR: 35
INT: 74
AGI: 95
ATK: 145
DEF: 96
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 65
Spells: Protect, Silent, React

Lv30 Fairy
HP: 474
MP: 345
STR: 45
INT: 104
AGI: 125
ATK: 165
DEF: 106

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Though still useless for offensive purposes, Fairies get the best
support spell in the game: React. For 126 MP, you give one unit two actions
in the same turn. This could be very useful if cast on a strong mage. A few
Fairies teamed up with Cai or any Knight who knows Meteor Doom or the Geno
spells can indirectly cause a lot of destruction. The Fairy's new critical
attack causes Charm, but again, you shouldn't depend on this. Other than
that, Fairies aren't that much different than Pixies are. Still, the ability
to allow allies to rain magical death upon opponents is well worth 45 Rune
Power.

How to deal with enemy Fairies: If, by some freak accident, the computer
actually gets a Fairy, you probably shouldn't worry too much about it. I've
seen an enemy Fairy, and they still might waste MP on Protect rather than
React. Even if they use React, the AI makes poor choices, and you should have
no problem killing the Fairy off if need be.

Mandrake
1 Green
200 Mana
HP: 630
MP: 0
RuneCost: 35
Upkeep: 20
STR: 50
INT: 5
AGI: 30
ATK: 160
DEF: 100
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 90
A level 10 Mandrake is required before the promotion to Man-Eater

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-1

Comments: They're really lousy in the beginning. Their only merit is that
they have high HP. They've got awful defense, and they're not too mobile
outside forest areas. They're also offensively hampered, struggling to do
more than 50 damage to most any unit. One neat thing about Mandrakes is that
their attacks have excellent hit rates despite low AGI. Another merit is that
they have a good chance of paralyzing an enemy with their physical attack.
This aspect is very handy, because if you have a Mandrake in the frontlines
drawing attacks, you'll probably paralyze something through counterattacks.
They're actually pretty useful frontline units, as they have durability and
the paralyze ability. Thing is, they're pretty expensive for fodder. Ghouls
are 15 Rune, and Scorpions are 20. 1 Mandrake would be equal to 2 Ghouls and
almost 2 Scorps. If you're planning to use them to promote them, they're
probably worthwhile, but if you're using them just as fodder, you may as well
just pick up 2 Ghouls or Scorpions.

How to deal with enemy Mandrakes: Like Rocs, fighting Mandrakes can get
really annoying. They have a lot of HP to eat through, and the paralysis
effect is irritating. Have a couple units with Cure spells around, and blast
'em with magic. Dimension will almost always work because of the Mandrake's
pathetically low INT (how smart do you expect a plant to be?).

Lv10 Man-Eater
HP: 720
MP: 0
RuneCost: 45
Upkeep: 34
STR: 59
INT: 9
AGI: 35
ATK: 188
DEF: 106
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95

Lv30 Man-Eater
HP: 920
MP: 0
STR: 89
INT: 19
AGI: 55
ATK: 248
DEF: 113

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Souped up Mandrakes? Hell, why not? They cost just 10 more Rune
than their previous incarnations, which is remarkably inexpensive for an
upgrade. They still have great HP, and the defense boost is very helpful,
considering the role that Man-Eaters have. They still have the paralysis
effect on their physical and counters, but they also get a ranged attack,
which means that they can stay back and attack as well (or attack units
farther away from the front-lines). They're useful if you can actually get
one, but it's not always easy to get a level 10 Mandrake. Use them as
meatshields (well... plant-shields) to maximize their effectiveness. Use the
Protect spell on them for the best results, as this combination makes them
pretty hard to kill.

How to deal with enemy Man-Eaters: Same as Mandrakes. It just takes a little
longer.

Centaur
1 Green.
160 Mana.
HP: 360
MP: 0
RuneCost: 35
Upkeep: 16
STR: 60
INT: 45
AGI: 65
ATK: 180
DEF: 101
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 80
A level 10 Centaur is required before the promotion to High Centaur

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Centaurs should have a part in almost any good army, in my opinion.
Ranged attacks are incredibly useful in a game like Brigandine. Whether it's
picking off weak units or wearing stronger units down, Centaurs are the main
monster for the job. Their one in Green makes their attacks against other
Green creatures weaker, though. This isn't that bad for other elements,
because Green is outside of the other elemental oppositions. They're pretty
accurate, and they can hit flying units without getting penalized. Though the
damage they deal isn't great, it adds up after four or five shots.

Centaurs are probably the most cost effective level one monsters around.
Think of it this way: in most other situations, monster behind your frontline
are rarely productive since they usually have to stay back and wait. If your
second line of units consists of centaurs, however, you essentially gain a
whole row of offense that would not have been utilized otherwise. Because of
the game's hex system, this can be potentially deadly, because four to six
snipes from centaurs is going to wear the target down, even if a few miss.
Protecting them is a bit annoying sometimes, but they aren't horrible at
surviving because of their decent AGI.

How to deal with Centaurs: Even though they have low HP, they're still
annoying to kill because they usually hide behind other units to shoot you.
Magic, breaths, and other ranged attacks can get through, and they're not
hard to kill as long as you have a shot at them. Centaurs can get annoying,
since they're dealing damage that can't be countered (well, unless they're a
single hex away).

Lv10 High Centaur
HP: 450
MP: 0
RuneCost: 50
Upkeep: 32
STR: 69
INT: 50
AGI: 80
ATK: 208
DEF: 111
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85

Lv30 High Centaur
HP: 650
MP: 0
STR: 99
INT: 60
AGI: 120
ATK: 268
DEF: 125

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-3

Comments: The upgrade to High Centaur is well worth it. They can attack from
3 hexes away now, and they're stronger than before. With a group of High
Centaurs, your army will be pretty unstoppable. They're probably the most
useful unit in the game.

If you take the second line of offense example from the Centaur commentary,
imagine having a third line of Centaurs. Very little can survive 8-12 snipes,
and your other units can clean up what's left. I'm not saying that your
armies should consist solely of Centaurs, but their ranged attacks allow for
offense that you would not have had if you were using other units.

How to deal with enemy High Centaurs: High Centaurs are annoying to take
down, but they enemy can be unusually reckless with them, often going for
shots even if it leaves the Centaur overextended. If this is the case, then
the Centaur should be an easy kill.

Unicorn
1 White
220 Mana
HP: 350
MP: 140
RuneCost: 40
Upkeep: 22
STR: 55
INT: 55
AGI: 65
ATK: 165
DEF: 96
Base ATK: 55
Base DEF: 75
Spells: Heal, Cure
A level 10 Unicorn is required before the promotion to Pegasus or Nightmare

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Unicorns get healing spells, which make them decently useful.
Protect them, because they're fragile. Their critical attack knocks the enemy
back a hex. If the enemy is next to a wall, then they cannot counterattack
after getting knocked back. Their ability to cure status effects also makes
them worth using (Stone in particular is annoying at the beginning of the
game). They lack any sort of offense, and they're pretty useless after
running out of MP.

You have another choice to make here when Unicorns reach level 10. Pegasi can
fly, which makes them fairly useful as mobile healers. Nightmares sacrifice
healing for better physical stats and a few status spells. Pegasi are better
in my experience, but you should consider if you have too much healing or
not. If so, get a Nightmare. Nightmares have their uses, since Dimension is
very useful if it succeeds.

How to deal with enemy Unicorns: Unicorns are fragile, so it doesn't take
much. Hellhounds deal good damage against Unicorns. They don't have much
offense, but they should be taken down, since their healing spells can get
annoying. Sometimes Unicorns will prioritize healing a status rather than
healing HP damage, so it's possible to waste their MP on curing something
like Poison.

Pegasus.
2 White
HP: 440
MP: 167
RuneCost: 55
Upkeep: 38
STR: 64
INT: 64
AGI: 78
ATK: 188
DEF: 106
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 80
Spells: Heal, Cure, Halo

Lv30 Pegasus
HP: 640
MP: 267
STR: 74
INT: 89
AGI: 118
ATK: 224
DEF: 119

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Pegasi can fly and heal. They're fast and pretty useful, but keep
them away from the frontlines. They also get the Halo spell, which can be
used to help giants/golems hit things, or to help Knights level up quicker.
There's no reason not to upgrade them, but they're still not that special.
Healing is always useful in a pinch, but they lack the offense to be truly
good units.

How to deal with enemy Pegasi: Curse.

Nightmare
2 Black
HP: 440
MP: 167
RuneCost: 55
Upkeep: 38
STR: 64
INT: 64
AGI: 78
ATK: 198
DEF: 111
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Dimension, Weakness

Lv30 Nightmare
HP: 640
MP: 227
STR: 94
INT: 94
AGI: 118
ATK: 258
DEF: 124

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Nightmares have better physical stats than Pegasi, but they aren't
as useful. The Dimension spell can teleport a unit to another location on the
map. This can be pretty handy against Knights, because that Knight's monsters
will be severely weakened if the Knight is moved far away. However, the
Nightmare's lowish INT gives its status spells poor accuracy. Weakness is
also pretty useful when it works, but it's not that accurate. Still, against
Golems, Mandrakes, Scorpions and monsters with near 0 INT, Dimension is an
assured hit, so take advantage of this. Like Unicorns, Nightmares aren't much
help after they lose their MP, but they can deal a little bit of damage.

How to deal with enemy Nightmares: Gryphons and Cavaliers generally murder
Nightmares. Nightmares can be pretty annoying if Weakness is successful, so
you may want to kill one quickly if the enemy has one.

Gryphon
1 White
300 Mana
HP: 500
MP: 0
RuneCost: 55
Upkeep: 30
STR: 80
INT: 35
AGI: 60
ATK: 220
DEF: 105
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
A level 10 Gryphon is required before the promotion to HolyGriff

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Gryphons are the main physical White monsters. They may seem
pathetic at first, but they're deceptively strong. Gryphons are useful for
taking out Demons and Hellhounds. Also, they're fast and hard to hit. They
make a good addition to any army. They're basically a wussier Wyvern unit
with less HP and mobility. Still, that's fairly useful, and they gain offense
faster than Wyverns do. They have pretty poor durability, so they have a
tendency to die if you are too aggressive with them.

How to deal with enemy Gryphons: Curse makes short work of Gryphons. They're
fairly fragile for frontline units, and a few attacks from Dragons or a good
physical Knight should easily take it out.

Lv10 HolyGriff
2 White
HP: 554
MP: 0
RuneCost: 80
Upkeep: 48
STR: 94
INT: 40
AGI: 65
ATK: 258
DEF: 111
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 90

Lv30 HolyGriff
HP: 754
MP: 0
STR: 124
INT: 70
AGI: 95
ATK: 318
DEF: 121
Special Attacks: Feather Storm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 0
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: HolyGriffs are quite a bit stronger than Gryphons. They get Feather
Storm, a 2 hex ranged attack, which is actually fairly powerful because of
the HolyGriff's decent ATK score. They're worth the expensive upgrade. A
strong HolyGriff can take large chunks out of Avengers, and they handle
Hellhounds and Demons with very little problem. The only downside to a
HolyGriff is that their defense is still rather low. Even so, it's the best
physical White monster outside of Fafnirs, and it costs 35 less Rune.

How to deal with HolyGriffs: Same as Gryphons. Gryphons don't have good stat
growth, so HolyGriffs aren't particularly hard to kill for a level 10 unit.
Even so, they have enough offense to warrant some caution.

Angel
HP: 360
MP: 300
RuneCost: 85
Upkeep: 50
STR: 63
INT: 65
AGI: 70
ATK: 186
DEF: 113
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 90
Spells: Heal, Divine Ray.

A level 10 Angel is needed before the promotion to ArchAngel

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Angels are good units. While not physically imposing in any sense,
they have Divine Ray, one of the strongest single target spells in the game.
If you place an Angel two hexes away from a target, they can unleash Divine
Ray the next turn. This gives them the best damage potential of the level 1
units. They're never a burden, and you should buy some if you can afford
them. Of course, with that Rune Cost, you could have a Dragon instead, but
Divine Ray is excellent single target damage. Your call.

How to deal with enemy Angels: Hellhounds and Curse spells from Demons and
Druids kill Angels pretty quickly. 360 HP is nothing, and Angel defense isn't
good enough for more than a couple of turns. Try to keep your distance from
them, as Angels really like to cast Divine Ray. To avoid this, try to
mortally injure any of his allies. The AI will almost always use Heal instead
of Divine Ray if one of his allies is near death, which is good because
Divine Ray hurts.

ArchAngel
HP: 450
MP: 327
RuneCost: 105
Upkeep: 74
STR: 73
INT: 80
AGI: 79
ATK: 216
DEF: 121
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Heal, Halo, Divine Ray, Holy Word

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

A level 20 ArchAngel is required before the promotion to Seraph

Comments: ArchAngels get some ATK and DEF boosts, which is nice, but the best
addition by far is the Holy Word spell. Holy Word is pretty potent in the
hands of ArchAngels, because they have decent INT. It is also an excellent
option in tandem with other multi-target spells. After Holy Word, level 10
ArchAngels should have just enough MP for Divine Ray. You can use their MP
offensively for 1 Holy Word and 1 Divine Ray, or you can relegate them to a
support role for 5-6 Heal spells. I prefer to use them offensively since
supporting roles are best left to Unicorns, and it's a big waste of the Holy
Word spell.

How to deal with enemy ArchAngels: They can cast Holy Word, so you should
probably make them into a high priority. Curse still works well, though high
INT softens its impact. They're still not particularly durable, so wail away.

Lv20 Seraph.
3 White
HP: 550
MP: 374
RuneCost: 120
Upkeep: 98
STR: 83
INT: 95
AGI: 89
ATK: 246
DEF: 129
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Divine Ray, Holy Word

Lv30 Seraph
HP: 650
MP: 424
STR: 94
INT: 110
AGI: 104
ATK: 268
DEF: 134

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

A level 20 Seraph and the Fruit of Vice item are required before the
promotion to Lucifer.

Comments: Seraphs get Light Feather, which is a ranged attack that can be
used after movement. This is immensely useful. You don't have to put out very
much effort to keep these guys alive anymore, because of added defense (which
Angels sorely need). They should be able Holy Word twice at level 20, so try
to conserve your MP for that purpose. They're very expensive units, but
their damage potential is high enough to justify the costs.

How to deal with enemy Seraphs: Same as ArchAngels.

Lv30 Lucifer
1 White, 1 Black, 1 Red
HP: 650
MP: 424
RuneCost: 120
Upkeep: 122
STR: 98
INT: 115
AGI: 119
ATK: 281
DEF: 139
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Divine Ray, Holy Word, Meteor Doom,
Dimension, Flame, Power
Required Item: Fruit of Vice

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-3
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Lucifers are excellent units if you can actually get a Fruit of
Vice. It already takes a Seraph to promote one, so the chances of actually
getting one are quite marginal. They get Meteor Doom, and they have excellent
INT scores, so you probably know what to do. The Lucifer's Dimension spell
will work pretty often because of high INT, and it even has the Power spell
to supplement your other units (hey, something has to be done with the MP
after Meteor Doom).

How to deal with enemy Lucifers: You don't.

Ghoul.
1 Black.
60 Mana
HP: 410
MP: 100
RuneCost: 15
Upkeep: 6
STR: 55
INT: 20
AGI: 50
ATK: 170
DEF: 96
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 80
Spells: None

A Lv10 Ghoul is required before the promotion to Vampire.

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: To put it plainly, Ghouls suck. However, they do eventually become
the formidable Vampire Lord. Until then, you'll have to put up with a lot of
mediocrity. However, it's not so bad, because they gain levels very quickly.
If a Ghoul kills an average monster, they are guaranteed to get at least one
level. When they get to level 10, they can become a Vampire, which are
average at best, but still a step up from Ghouls. You can use Ghouls as
decoys. The AI likes to target them a lot for some reason. This is the only
real good thing about them. You can use them to fill in your ranks, since
they're the cheapest monsters around. They're great fodder since they draw
fire and are quite easy to replace. It's really sad/hilarious to see Dinadan
and White Dragons kill off your Ghouls in one hit.

How to deal with enemy Ghouls: Don't worry. They can't hurt you. They have a
tendency to get in the way, but they're really not worth wasting a Divine Ray
over. A couple smacks should get them into the range where the AI pulls a
unit back.

Lv10 Vampire.
2 Black.
HP: 500
MP: 127
RuneCost: 30
Upkeep: 12
STR: 64
INT: 25
AGI: 59
ATK: 198
DEF: 104
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85
Special Attacks: Blood Suck (heals some damage after hitting something)
5% HP regeneration

A Lv20 Vampire is required before the promotion to Vampire Lord

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: The Ghouls you have that survive can become Vampires. Vampires are
very average creatures, but average is still leagues ahead of Ghouls. Even
so, they're on par with level 1 monsters. They are more expensive than
Ghouls, and their upgrade isn't very cost-effective. They can suck a bit of
blood from enemies, but the damage they do is so pathetic that any HP you get
is inconsequential. They recover 5% of their max HP each turn, which is...
something. They may be able to hold their own against Clerics and Unicorns.
Vampires also level up quickly, which is nice considering that they become
Vampire Lords.

How to deal with enemy Vampires: Divine Ray and Gryphons still take care of
Vampires quite well. Like the Ghoul, they're more of an annoyance than
anything else. Dimension usually works on them, but it may not be worth the
effort, since they're so easy to kill.

Lv20 Vampire Lord.
3 Black
HP: 640
MP: 154
RuneCost: 70
Upkeep: 42
STR: 74
INT: 29
AGI: 74
ATK: 228
DEF: 114
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 90
Special Attacks: Bat Attack
Spells: Weakness, Necro Rebirth

Lv30 Vampire Lord
HP: 780
MP: 204
STR: 84
INT: 44
AGI: 89
ATK: 248
DEF: 119
10% HP regeneration, heals 25% of melee damage done.

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Now we're talkin'. Finally, after all that crap, the dividends pay
off. They regenerate 10% or so of their HP every turn and heal 25% of the
damage they deal with their physical attack. They have a ranged attack called
Bat Attack, which is pretty strong. They also get the Necro Rebirth spell,
which turns the enemy's dead monsters against him/her. This is especially
useful after you kill a promoted monster. The three black elements, along
with decent attack, make Vampire Lords into one of the best monsters to kill
White units with. They're still not great at pure slugfests, but they can
usually hold their own.  Vampire Lords are the prize you get for putting up
with the horrible previous classes.

How to deal with enemy Vampire Lords: At this point, it may be worthwhile to
Divine Ray these guys. They just stomp on your White units, but units like
White Dragons, Fafnirs, HolyGriffs and Cavaliers/Paladins should be able to
do well against them. Their offense is decent, but it's nothing too scary
(Lv1 Dragon level), so they don't really have to be a high priority.

Hellhound
1 Black.
180 Mana
HP: 450
MP: 100
Rune Cost: 35
Upkeep: 18
STR: 65
INT: 30
AGI: 70
ATK: 190
DEF: 103
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 80
A level 10 Fenrir is required before the promotion to Fenrir

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Hellhounds are very useful. They lack strength, but they have the
Hit&Away ability, which allows them to move again after attacking. This is
very useful if you want to get rid of a certain unit, since it allows more
units to get attacks in. Also, in higher difficulty modes, you can use a
Hellhound to attack a certain unit, and then run back to your own lines. The
AI on Hard difficulty is often reluctant to make the first move, so this
tactic is useful for getting the computer off its ass (the AI goes on
offensive mode only when you get too close or when you deal damage).
Hellhounds get Hellfire, which attacks in a two hex line. It's not too
strong, but it's nice to have around. They're helpful in any situation for
their hit and run offense. They have poor HP and DEF, but they can usually
hide behind other units after attacking.

How to deal with enemy Hellhounds: All things considered, these guys really
aren't that much more durable than Ghouls are. Hellhounds are irritating
because they run away after attacking, but they can't really take very many
counters before dying. Divine Ray kills 'em dead, if you're willing to spend
MP on it.

Lv10 Fenrir
2 Black
HP: 540
MP: 127
Rune Cost: 50
Upkeep: 36
STR: 75
INT: 35
AGI: 79
ATK: 220
DEF: 111
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85

Lv30 Fenrir
HP: 740
MP: 187
STR: 105
INT: 55
AGI: 109
ATK: 280
DEF: 121

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Fenrirs are one of the most useful Rune Monsters around. They deal
good black elemental damage, and they are highly mobile. The Hit&Away ability
is just as deadly as ever, especially when paired with decent offense.
They're hard to hit, and they have a 3 hex breath attack to play around with.
Have at least one around to harass your enemies. They're an absolute bargain
at 50 Rune Power.

How to deal with enemy Fenrirs: Same as Hellhounds. They're much harder to
kill, but Divine Ray and other heavy duty spells will do the job.

Demon
2 Black
480 Mana
HP: 360
MP: 300
RuneCost: 85
Upkeep: 48
STR: 68
INT: 65
AGI: 70
ATK: 196
DEF: 113
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 90
Spells: Venom, Curse

A level 10 Demon is required before the promotion to ArchDemon

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Demons are the evil counterpart of Angels. They're generally
stronger, and faster, but they lack the ability to heal. Venom and Curse are
pretty handy attack spells. Venom is weak, but it has a very long range and
it has a chance of causing the poison status. Curse requires the Demon to be
relatively close to her target, but it dishes out very heavy black elemental
damage, which is very handy for taking out enemy Bishops, Gryphons,
Cavaliers, and White Dragons. They're very expensive, but it's nice to have a
unit that can dispose of White element creatures quickly.

How to deal with enemy Demons: Demons are generally annoying because they can
cast Venom from afar. If you don't get too close, however, they can't Curse
you. Sadly, there's no real MP baiting tactic for Demons, so you'll probably
have to waste them pretty quickly. Gryphons are excellent for this task, and
Cavaliers also tend to do well.

Lv10 ArchDemon
3 Black
HP: 450
MP: 327
RuneCost: 100
Upkeep: 72
STR: 77
INT: 80
AGI: 79
ATK: 224
DEF: 121
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Venom, Curse, Dimension, Weakness

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: They're still fragile, but they now have all the Nightmare spells.
Weakness is very useful and can be used with Power to make something die.
Curse is as strong as ever, and Dimension is useful for stealing monsters (or
just launching them across the battlefield). They're generally better than
Nightmares, since they, you know, have offense. Also, ArchDemons tend to be
more intelligent than Nightmares, which means that their status spells have a
higher chance of working.

Lv20 Satan
3 Black
HP: 550
MP: 374
RuneCost: 120
Upkeep: 96
STR: 87
INT: 95
AGI: 89
ATK: 254
DEF: 129
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 100

Lv30 Satan
HP: 650
MP: 424
STR: 97
INT: 110
AGI: 104
ATK: 274
DEF: 134
Spells: Venom, Meteor Doom, Curse, Dimension, Weakness, Necro Rebirth
Special Attacks: Death Lip, Nasty Needle

A level 20 Satan and the Liquor of Charm item are required for the promotion
to Lilith.

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Look! Meteor Doom! Well, if you're like me, and you're careful not
to catch too many of your allies in the crossfire, you should do fine.
However, they only have enough MP for one casting, and little left for
anything else (maybe a Curse or a Dimension). They're still great damage
dealers (high intellect and Curse). They have a decent ranged attack in Nasty
Needle. Dimension and Weakness have a pretty good chance of working on your
opponent because Satans have excellent INT and their status spells are
boosted a little bit (more on this in the mechanics section. Yes, I'm
plugging my own FAQ within my own FAQ).

How to deal with Satans: Divine Ray will hurt, but White Dragons and
HolyGriffs are probably your best bets. Satans actually last quite a while
despite averagish HP because they have such high defenses. They're quite
dangerous, since they can fling Meteor Dooms around. If your opponent happens
to have one, you should probably make it your first priority.

Lv30 Lilith
1 White, 1 Black, 1 Red
HP: 650
MP: 424
RuneCost: 120
Upkeep: 120
STR: 102
INT: 115
AGI: 109
ATK: 289
DEF: 136
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Heal, Divine Ray, Venom, Meteor Doom, Curse, Dimension, Weakness,
Necro Rebirth, Frost, Charm
Required Item: Liquor of Charm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-3
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Liliths are quite useful. Meteor Doom is a very useful spell, as
usual. The Lilith's Charm spell has an excellent chance of working because of
the Lilith's insane INT (120 is unbeatable). Liliths have Divine Ray, Curse,
and Frost, which means that they cover every important element (Green doesn't
count) except Red. Getting one is insanely rare, but if you get the item, you
should train up a Satan.

How to deal with enemy Liliths: No.

==========
D. Classes
==========
Rune Knights are basically soldiers who lug monsters around. Without a
Rune Knight, monsters cannot be used. Rune Knights are the only units that
can defend or take a castle. Monsters inside castles that aren't assigned to
a Rune Knight are taken with the castle. Monsters in reserve cannot defend
castles. Rune Knights are the most important part of the game. As their level
increases, their Rune Power and other stats (HP, MP, STR, etc.) increase.

A weak Knight with a high Rune Power is more valuable than a strong Knight
with a low one. On level 10 and 20, Rune Knights can change classes or be
promoted. Each level you get in a Class, you get a star. After 5 stars,
you'll become an EXPERT in that class. EXPERT just means that you retain
abilities from that class if you switch classes. It is also a prerequisite
for many of the 2nd and 3rd tier classes.

============
Male Classes
============
------------------
First Tier Classes
------------------
Fighter
No Elements
Attacks: Fighter Blade, Power Strike
Class Change: Berserker, Cavalier, Samurai
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 95

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Fighters are the basic male Knights. Treat them like a monster that
needs to be trained and defended well (feed them kills on dying enemies).
Many of the Knights that start out as Fighters (Ector, Loufal, Eloute,
Teath), usually have good potential, so it might be wise to build them up.
The decision to become a Cavalier or a Samurai is pretty important in the
evolution of your Knight, so choose well. If you have an excess of either
Cavaliers or Samurais, choose the one you have less of. Samurai become pretty
potent offensive forces, but Cavaliers aren't a bad option, overall.

Barbarian
No Elements
Class Change: Berserker, Cavalier, Samurai
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0-2
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Barbarians are Fighters with more ATK and less DEF. They generally
don't hit as often, but have better HP and STR growth. They've got inferior
defense, but later on, they can become Berserkers and Avengers. Avengers are
stronger than Paladins, but they don't heal or have Holy Word. When they get
to level 10, make these guys Berserkers.

Priest
1 White.
Class Change: Monk, Bishop
Spells: Heal, Cure
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Priests are the basis for the male healing classes. They lack
offense, and training them can be a pain. It's best for them to attack weak
black element units like Hellhounds, Demons, and Sorceresses. If you the
Knight to focus on physical power, become a Monk. If you want better healing
and a good offensive spell, become a Bishop. For all intents and purposes,
these guys are slightly stronger Unicorns that require more protection.

Ranger
No Elements
Class Change: Grappler
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 90

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0-2
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Rangers are pretty wussy at first, but stick with them. No ranger
in the game is ever useless. They become grapplers, then Champions. Champions
have the highest HP and STR growth in the game. Rangers have pretty high MOV,
and they always end up being tough due to high HP, STR, and AGI growth.

Mage
1 Red
Class Change: Druid, Sorcerer
Spells: Flame, Geno-Flame, Thunder, Power
Base ATK: 50
Base DEF: 75

Stat Growth
HP: 4-8
MP: 4-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Mages are the basic male offensive magic class. Mages have strong
Fire spells, but the Power spell is very useful as well. Because breath
attacks are based on ATK and the Power spell increases ATK by 1.5x, any
Powered Breath attack will deal excellent damage in a line. Mages don't
really have troubles leveling like the other first tier male Knights do
because Geno-Flame gives them good area damage (which gives lots of
experience), and Thunder is a high powered attack spell that can easily kill
monsters with around 150 HP. If you want Black element spells, promote your
mage to a Druid. If you want a variety of red/blue spells, pick the Sorcerer.
Dual-classing them to a Priest class probably isn't a bad idea, since they
can Heal and use offensive magic at the same time.

-------------------
Second Tier Classes
-------------------
Bishop
2 White
Class Change: Cardinal
ATK: 65
DEF: 90
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Divine Ray

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: The Bishop upgrade gives a big boost in usefulness. Divine Ray
provides good offense, which the Bishop sorely needs. Area Heal and Halo are
good additions as well, but try to conserve your MP until you need it (in
general, Priests are inferior to offensive mages in terms of MP). Don't cast
Area Heal unless you've been hit with a big area spell or are just in dire
straits. Otherwise, Heal is cheaper and more cost effective. If you have
enough Unicorns around to give healing, you can use Divine Ray at your own
leisure.

Sorcerer
1 Red, 1 Blue
Class Change: Wizard
ATK: 55
DEF: 80
Spells: Flame, Geno-Flame, Thunder, Exa-Blast, Power, Frost, Fog

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Sorcerers have a large variety of spells. Exa-Blast is the most
powerful Fire spell in the game. Geno-Thunder, while weaker, hits a circular
range around a single hex. Frost makes the Sorcerer useful against Dragons
and other red Creatures. Fog is pretty useless, but it can screw Giants over
if it ends up working. Sorcerers have more variety than Druids, because they
get access to both sides of the red/blue elemental opposition. However,
Druids become Necromancers, who may be more useful than Wizards because of
Meteor Doom.

Druid
1 Red, 1 Black
Class Change: Necromancer
Base ATK: 55
Base DEF: 80
Spells: Venom, Curse, Weakness, Flame, Geno-Flame, Thunder, Power

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Druids can be more useful than Sorcerers in some cases. Venom has a
lot of range, but it doesn't do much damage. Curse is a very powerful spell,
and it will take down Unicorns and Angels very quickly. Weakness is pretty
useful since it makes good use of the Druid's high INT. A Weakness spell on a
monster along with a Power spell on one of your own units usually ends up
with a dead enemy monster.

Monk
1 White
Class Change: Guardian
Special: Debar Knuckle may paralyze
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Heal, Cure

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Monks are slightly stronger than Bishops, but they don't become
potent fighters until much later. They don't get any more spells, but they
get much better HP, STR, and AGI growth than Bishops do. As a tradeoff, a
Monk's INT and MP growth is lower. Debar Knuckle has the annoying tendency
(well, depending on who is on the receiving end) to paralyze an enemy. This
class isn't a horrible option, but it's generally a poor man's
Bishop/Grappler. The stats are diluted, and you end up with a unit that isn't
particularly great at anything. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it
seems like you should just use a Grappler or a Bishop instead.

Cavalier
1 White
Class Change: Paladin
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 105
Spells: Heal

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Cavaliers get the Heal spell, as well as a White element. In
general, Cavaliers are weaker than Berserkers and Samurais, but they have the
best defense of the three. They don't get anything special like regeneration
or high hit rates, which makes dual-classing them a lot less useful. The Heal
spell isn't that great for a unit that's primarily in battle as a frontline
character, but it has its uses here and there. Cavaliers and Paladins get
some decent swords if you quest enough.

Berserker
1 Black
Class Change: Avenger
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 95

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0-2
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-1
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Berserkers are stronger than Cavaliers, but they have much lower
base defense. They also have trouble hitting things sometimes, because
Berserkers have lower AGI. Berserkers recover 5% of their max HP per round,
which is handy. Berserkers get to use Axes, and there are some pretty
powerful axes around if you can get them. If you get your hands on Balor (+18
ATK, Black element), the Berserker's physical can become pretty potent.

Samurai
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Class Change: Shogun
Spells: Iai Slash (40 MP)

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Samurais are always a good class to change to if you can't choose
between a Cavalier and a Berserker. They rarely miss, due to good AGI and
their +10% to hit rates. They're pretty strong, and they get Iai Slash
ability. This lets them attack from 2 hexes away at cost of 40 MP, allowing
Samurai to be involved in the offense without having to get too close to the
enemy. Even if the enemy is next to them, they cannot counterattack the Iai
Slash. Usually, Samurai can cast this 2-3 times. They're not a great class to
dual to, since they don't really give any great abilities (the added hit rate
is nice, but it's not as good as regeneration or an increase in critical
rates).

Grappler
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 95

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 0-2
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Grapplers are pretty good Knights. They get very good STR and HP
growth, which makes them into deadly fighters. They also get a +10% to their
Critical hit rate, which is especially good as a dual-class ability since it
transfers over to other classes. Their defense isn't too great, but they
usually have more than enough HP (or, later in the game, evasion) to take it.

------------------
Third Tier Classes
------------------
Cardinal
2 White, 1 Blue
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Divine Ray, Holy Word, Flight, Charm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-3
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Cardinals are the final step on the Priest/Bishop path. They get a
few Blue spells, as well as Holy Word. Flight is useful for Hydras/Tiamats or
any other slow units. Charm works on a semi-regular basis because of high
Cardinal INT, and Charmed monsters are almost always left behind after the
Knight dies. Some Cardinals get decent attack ratings, too. Their INT growth
seems to be consistently high. They're really not too bad, but lowish MP is
still an issue, which may mean that you should plan to dual-class them with a
mage class.

Wizard:
1 Red, 1 Blue, 1 Green
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Flame, Geno-Flame, Thunder, Geno-Thunder, Exa-Blast, Power, Frost,
Geno-Frost, Fog, React

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 8-10
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-3
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Wizards are incredible magic units. They get every Geno-spell, and
React. React probably won't be useful for a Wizard, but Geno-Thunder gives
Wizards an offensive punch. It has a nice range, and it is pretty versatile
in its ability to deal damage because you choose where it targets. Think of a
Wizard as a Mini-Cai.

Necromancer
2 Black, 1 Red
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Venom, Meteor Doom, Curse, Dimension, Weakness, Necro Rebirth, Flame,
Geno-Flame, Thunder, Power

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 8-10
STR: 0-1
INT: 2-3
AGI: 0-1

Comments: Necromancers are very powerful. At higher levels, they can cast
Meteor Doom twice in a fight. Screw everything else, just use Meteor Doom a
lot. It's hard to set up sometimes, and sometimes you have to take a hit to
use it, but the raw damage you can do to large areas with this spell is
unmatched. The Necromancer's other spells besides Meteor Doom are pretty
insignificant in comparison, though Dimension and Necro Rebirth can be handy
in a pinch.

Shogun
No Elements
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 105
Spells: Iai Slash (45 MP)

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Shoguns almost never miss (+20% Hit Rate), making them good
candidates for fighting more evasive flying units. They get good HP at
level 30 (780+), and they can get +3 in STR when they level up now. There's
nothing bad about them. Also, the fact that they have no elements makes able
to deal good damage against any unit. Iai Slash's MP cost is increased for
Shoguns, but this isn't a major issue.

Avenger
2 Black
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 105
Spells: Curse, Weakness

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Avengers are probably the strongest physical class in the game,
except Champions. They regenerate 10% of their maximum HP a turn, and they
can absolutely womp White units. The Curse spell is useful to weaken the
enemy from afar, if you have the MP to use it (many Avengers don't at first).
They use swords, but they lose the use of Berserker/Barbarian axes. Most of
the strongest Knights in the game are Avengers. They usually end up with more
than 115+ STR at level 30.

Paladin
2 White
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 110
Spells: Heal, Cure, Holy Word

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Paladins get better DEF, blah, blah, blah. They get Holy Word, but
many cannot use it until a later level. Holy Word isn't a bad spell, but it's
not too frightening with Paladin INT. Paladins are good fighters, but they're
generally inferior to Avengers, Shoguns, and Champions in terms of physical
ability. They're pretty good at knocking Demons and Hellhounds out, and their
good defense should make them last a while.

Guardian
2 White
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo

Stat Growth:
HP: 16-20
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-3
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Guardians don't really get that much new. Guardians can still
paralyze, and this is still probably their most useful ability. The
Guardian's new spells don't help him that much. Area Heal is good, but it's
not something that Guardians need. Guardians get Champion level HP and STR
growth, but the fact that they started out as priests makes them weaker in
the long run. They end up as passable fighters, but Champions are clearly
superior.

Champion
No Elements
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 100

Stat Growth:
HP: 16-20
MP: 0-2
STR: 2-3
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Champions are probably the best male physical class. They get
incredibly high Critical rates, and many can get HP values of 900 and up!
They're never a burden, but some suffer from subpar defense. Sometimes, their
criticals can do up to 300+ damage. These aren't a bad investment, especially
considering that its weaker class forms aren't bad at all. Later on,
Champions become very hard to hit because of their decent AGI. Dualling them
with Avengers is generally agreed to be one of the best combinations in the
game.

==============
Female Classes
==============
------------------
First Tier Classes
------------------
Scout
No Elements
Class Change: Archer, Lancer
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 90

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Scouts are slightly stronger Centaurs with no elemental
affiliation. They can become Archers or Lancers. Pick their class based on
what you need. Archers can still shoot, but from a longer distance (3 hexes
as compared to 2). Lancers are the best melee attackers that females can
become. Scouts are not hard to train at all because they can attack without
fear of reprisal.

Enchantress
1 Blue
Class Change: Sorceress, Mystic
Spells: Frost, Geno-Frost, Fog, Charm
Base ATK: 50
Base DEF: 75

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Enchantresses are the basic female offensive magicians. Frost and
Geno-Frost make them very useful against Dragons and Scorpions. Charm works
wonders against some enemies, and it's very helpful if you're trying to steal
monsters. Fog is pretty useless, so stick with Frost. They can become
Sorceresses or Mystics at level 10. Mystics are somewhat useful since they
get heal and have good MP growth, but the Sorceress path will eventually lead
to Meteor Doom.

Cleric
1 White
Class Change: Lector, Mystic
Spells: Heal, Halo
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Clerics are very weak. They have no damage output, but they're
pretty good as support units. Halo helps Giants and Golems out by giving a
100% hit rate. However, they're pretty much deadweight until they become
Lectors or Mystics. Lectors get Holy Word, but Mystics get more offensive
variety. Your choice.

-------------------
Second Tier Classes
-------------------
Lector
2 White
Class Change: Saint
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 90
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Holy Word

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Lectors are infinitely more useful than Clerics because of Holy
Word. With this spell, they finally get an offensive ability. Use Holy Word
to weaken enemy units for your monster parties. They also get Area Heal, but
Holy Word is generally more useful.

Archer
1 Green
Class Change: Artemis
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Accel, Paralyze, Silent

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Archers aren't exceptionally good offensive units, but they can
attack from very long distances. Accel and Paralyze are good spells to use,
but Silent is best left to Fairies. Accel increases a unit's MOV stat
(helpful for Hydras), and Paralyze has a pretty good chance to make a target
immobile. Archers are worth using, if not just because they can become
Artemi. In a choice between Archers and Lancers, I would really consider
using Archers. Their long attack range, good mobility, high AGI (evasion and
increased defense), status attacks, and a group of good Centaurs are more
than enough to justify their presence in your army. Lancers are good if you
really need a strong Blue elemental melee fighter, but Lizard Guards and
Tiamats cover the Blue element pretty well.

Lancer
1 Blue
Class Change: Valkyrie
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Fog

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-1
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Lancers are the only way for a female character to become a
competent melee attacker. They're not too strong, but they tend to be hard to
hit at the beginning of the game. They get Spear Throw, which allows them to
attack from 2 hexes away. They're decent, but they may not be worth choosing
over the Archer path. Still, Lancers that start out on the Lancer path are
still useful. There are a lot of good spears floating around, like the Gae
Bolg (+18 ATK). Considering trying to quest for one if you think your Lancers
are too weak.

Mystic
1 White, 1 Blue
Class Change: Sage
Base ATK: 65
Base DEF: 80
Spells: Heal, Halo, Frost, Geno-Frost, Flight, Fog, Charm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Mystics are relatively useful, but they don't have much that the
Enchantress doesn't. Halo and Flight are OK, but their use is mostly
situational. Heal is the only thing that the Mystic really gets that the
Sorceress doesn't. This is kind of useful, but it takes away potential
Geno-Frosts. It doesn't make much of a difference, but they get a higher base
attack than the Sorceress does (you'd have to be pretty damn desperate if
you're actually using their physicals).

Sorceress
1 Blue, 1 Black
Base ATK: 55
Base DEF: 80
Spells: Venom, Dimension, Frost, Geno-Frost, Fall Berg, Fog, Charm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Sorceresses have a good spell set. Fall Berg is an immensely
powerful Blue spell (best for Dragon hunting), and Dimension can teleport a
Knight far, far away, if you're lucky (the chances aren't that bad, since
Sorceresses have good INT). Venom is also good for a long ranged attack.

==================
Third Tier Classes
==================
Valkyrie
1 White, 1 Blue
Base ATK: 85
Base DEF: 105
Spells: Heal, Holy Word, Fog

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Valkyries are the best female warriors around. They are very hard
to hit, and they tend to deal decent damage. They can heal and cast Holy
Word, which makes them more useful than some other classes. Use them with
caution, because they're somewhat fragile against Dragons and Tiamats. Still,
the added White element makes them good against Demons and other black
elemental creatures.

Saint
3 White
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 95
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Halo, Divine Ray, Holy Word

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 1-3
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Saints are the same as Lectors, but they get a concentrated damage
spell, Divine Ray. With the Saint's high INT, Divine Ray is pretty
devastating. Other than this, they're just slightly stronger Lectors. They're
essentially watered down versions of Lyonesse, which isn't bad, per se.

Artemis
2 Green
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Accel, Protect, Paralyze, Solid, React, Silent

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 0-2
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-3

Comments: The Artemis is one of the most useful classes in the game. They can
attack from 4 hexes away! That's farther than the range of most magic spells.
They are pretty strong, but they need protection. Solid is one of the most
annoying spells in the game (for the opponent). Give an Artemis a lot of High
Centaurs, and you're pretty much set. The computer can't really handle this
at all, and Artemi are insanely evasive.

Sage
1 White, 1 Red, 1 Blue
Base ATK: 70
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Halo, Exa-Blast, Power, Frost, Geno-Frost, Flight,
Fog, Charm

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 8-10
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-3
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Sages get a large variety of spells. Exa-Blast is useful against
stronger Blue opponents (Vaynard), and Power is an insanely useful spell for
monsters with breaths. However, her best Area attack is still Geno-Frost.
This tones down her usefulness a little bit, since other third tier mages
have something like Geno-Thunder and Meteor Doom.

Witch
2 Black, 1 Blue
Base ATK: 60
Base DEF: 85
Spells: Venom, Dimension, Frost, Geno-Frost, Fall Berg, Fog, Charm, Meteor
Doom, Necro Rebirth

Stat Growth:
HP: 8-12
MP: 8-10
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-3
AGI: 0-2

Comments: Meteor Doom. 'Nuff said. If you want actual commentary, they don't
actually get that much except Meteor Doom. Necro Rebirth can be a pretty
useful spell, but it doesn't cause the destruction the Meteor Doom does. MD
is rather expensive, but most Witches should be able to cast it and Geno-
Frost in the same battle.

=========================
Rulers and Unique Classes
=========================
Prince
No Elements
Base ATK: 75
Base DEF: 100
Attacks: Twin Blade, Wing Slash
Spells: Heal, Flame

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-2
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Lance's class. He gets pretty good stat growth, as well as the Flame
and Heal spell. At first, he'll have to be a support Knight with Heal, but
later on he can attack other units with high efficiency. He's a hassle, but
he's worth putting up with, because he's pretty unstoppable at higher levels.

King
1 Red
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 100
Spells: Heal, Flame, Geno-Flame

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-3
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: By the time Lance is a King, he won't be a burden anymore (that is,
if you used him at all). The King is just a Prince with enhanced stat growth
and the Geno-Flame spell. With Geno-Flame, Lance finally has an area attack,
making him several times more useful. To get Lance to the King class, bring
him to Logres (Esgares's capital), and let him stay there. You'll get a
scene, and he'll become a King.

Lord
1 Blue
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 109?
Attacks: Caladbolg, Wolf Fang
Spells: Frost, Geno-Frost, Fog

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 1-3
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Vaynard's class. Vaynard has good STR growth, and he gets pretty
intelligent later on. He's mainly a physical powerhouse. Towards level 20+,
he can cast Geno-Frost twice. He can crush G-Scorpions in one hit, and
Dragons in a couple more. However, keep him away from red monsters that are
too strong, like Lance's Salamander or Phoenixes.

Emperor
2 Red
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 110
Attacks: Tempest Bow, Lightning Bow
Spells: Geno-Thunder, Power

Stat Growth:
HP: 12-16
MP: 2-4
STR: 2-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Zemeckis's class. Zemeckis rules. He can attack as far as a High
Centaur. He can cast power on himself to do even more damage. He also has
Geno-Thunder to wreak havoc upon a concentrated area. He'll never lose in a
one on one duel, because he can just move away, cast Power, then
counterattack. Non-Esgares players are lucky that he has such mediocre stats
for a high level Knight. His high starting level makes it so that most early
game monsters don't stand a chance against him.

Queen
2 White
Base ATK: 115
Base DEF: 90
Attacks: Liath-Fail
Spells: Heal, Area Heal, Cure, Divine Ray, Holy Word, Charm, Protect

Stat Growth:
HP: 4-8
MP: 6-8
STR: 0-1
INT: 1-2
AGI: 1-2

Comments: Lyonesse's class. She's very frail, but she's not really meant for
the front lines. She can cast Holy Word 2-3 times at the end of the game.
That's enough to severely weaken the enemy's armies. Divine Ray along with
her high INT growth is deadly. Her Heal spell heals about 280 at level 30.
She has surprisingly high base ATK, but that is made up by her crappy STR
stat. Lyonesse is probably the weakest Lord, but she's certainly worth using.

Tyrant
1 Black, 1 Red
Base ATK: 80
Base DEF: 110
Attacks: Vandal Scythe, Dark Spiral
Spells: Curse, Weakness, Flame, Power

Stat Growth
HP: 8-12
MP: 4-6
STR: 1-3
INT: 0-2
AGI: 1-3

Comments: Dryst's class. Dryst is not as strong or as intelligent as some of
the other leaders, but he's fast. His attack packs a wallop against White
element units. He a