-Shining Force Character FAQ
-V1.0 (6/29/06)
-By KIRBIX
DISCLAIMER:
This is property of KIRBIX (Sean D'Hoostelaere). This may be not be
reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not
be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance
written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
In plain English, this means that it is against the law for you to copy this
guide. If you want to print it out, that's fine, but I do not permit its use
anywhere on the web or for it to be used for anything profitable.
_________________
/ \
|*****************|
|Table of Contents|
|*****************|
\_________________/
I. Version History
II. Your Plethora of Characters
III. About This Guide
IV. The Hero, Max
V. Luke and Gort
VI. Knights/Paladins
a. Ken
b. Mae
c. Arthur
d. Pelle
e. Vankar
f. Earnest
VII. Archers/Bowmasters (and Lyle)
a. Hans
b. Diane
c. Lyle
VIII. Mages/Wizards (and Domingo)
a. Tao
b. Anri
c. Alef
d. Domingo
IX. Healers/Vicars (and Gong)
a. Lowe
b. Khris
c. Torasu
d. Gong
X. Amon and Balbaroy
XI. Misc
a. Kokichi
b. Guntz
c. Bleu
d. Zylo
e. Musashi
f. Hanzou
g. Adam
h. Jogurt
XII. New Characters
a. Narsha
b. Zuika
c. Mawlock
XIII. My Selection
XIV. Contact Me
XV. Credits
I. VERSION HISTORY
#############################################################################
V1.0 (02/07)- First version
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
II. YOUR PLETHORA OF CHARACTERS
#############################################################################
Shining Force was a great game on both the Genesis and on the Gameboy Advance.
Great strategy game, easily holds up to Fire Emblem. One of the parts that made
Shining Force so great was the awesome variety in your characters. You've got
many MANY different characters to choose from. Unfortunately, you can't take
them all into battle, and so you have to choose some. The question is- who do
you choose?
That's what this guide is for- I'm going to provide a breakdown of all of the
characters. First, I'll give you the basics of the character- starting stats,
equipment, location, et cetera. After that, I give a rating out of 10, with 5
being average, 1 being worthless and 10 being all but perfect.
Now, I'm not going to give it a rating and not base my answers off some truth-
I plan to justify myself for every character, too!
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
III. ABOUT THIS GUIDE
#############################################################################
This is a guide that gives my analysis of the characters in Shining Force. It
is by no means a statement of fact. It is the opinion (and conclusion) I have
drawn after testing these characters. To test them, I leveled each of these
characters up to level 15, promoted them and then raised them to 15 once again.
EVERY character went through this so that there would be no foul-ups. If you
feel I misrepresented one of them, read the section on contacting me and write
a detailed email about where I misjudged them and provide your OWN analysis.
This guide is for first-round only. Not being a big fan of challenge games, I
have not delved deeply into 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. round games of Shining Force,
where certain characters may become more useful than they were in the first
round. As such, don't use "they are INVALUABLE in the later rounds" in your
analysis of the characters.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
IV. THE HERO, MAX
#############################################################################
STATISTICS:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Swordsman (Promotes to Hero) |
|Weapons: Swords |
|Location: You are him, and so he doesn't really have one. |
| |
|Spells: |
|Egress- Already Learned |
|Supernova- L1: Level 12, L2: Level 16, L3: Level 20, L4: Level 26 |
| |
|Items: Short Sword, Steel Ring |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 14 |
|MP- 8 |
|Attack- 6 |
|Defense- 6 |
|Speed- 4 |
|Magic Defense- 6 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RATING: 9/10
Max is an excellent character. His stat growth is very steady, with plenty of
increases in all areas. He's comparative to Hector from Fire Emblem, really. He
has the high attack, high defense, high HP... high everything. His MP growth is
solid enough for you to use Supernova, which does a good amount of damage (for
a spell, anyway).
His only downfall is that he's great in magic and in physical, but there are
better physical characters and better magical characters, leaving him behind
in both. You won't ever feel like Max is holding your team back, but he's also
probably not the one pushing it forward.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
V. LUKE AND GORT
#############################################################################
There are two that are in this class- the dwarven members, Luke and Gort. You
get both of them in Chapter 1, and they're steadfast through the very end.
They're also the only characters who can use the axe, and so keeping one around
is a good idea.
I'm going to rate both characters at once because they're so similar to each
other.
LUKE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Warrior (Promotes to Gladiator) |
|Weapons: Swords, Axes |
|Location: Joins automatically before the first battle |
| |
|Spells: None! |
|Items: Short Sword |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level: 1 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 10 |
|Defense- 7 |
|Speed- 5 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GORT
~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Warrior (Promotes to Gladiator) |
|Weapons: Swords, Axes |
|Location: Talk to him in the bar before the first battle. After the second |
| battle, talk to him again and he'll join you. |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Hand Axe |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 2 |
|HP- 14 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 9 |
|Defense- 10 |
|Speed- 5 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
RATING: Luke- 8/10, Gort- 8/10
Both warriors get a 8/10 because they're equally good in their own rights.
Of the two warriors, Luke is my favorite. They're both awesome characters all
the same. Luke is the heavier attacker, while Gort tends to be a bit quicker and
to have more defense. Given the fact that both are generally fast, have
basically high defense and both can deal good damage, it's all down to what you
find to be more important. I've always put emphasis into attack, and so I prefer
using Luke.
Now, both warriors would rate higher if they didn't both suffer terribly later
on. Starting in chapter 6, or so, the gladiators are just not up to snuff. Their
stats seem to stop growing a bunch in the later levels of promotion and start to
lag heavily towards the end.
They're both AWESOME characters to use early on, and due to when you get them,
I love them both. The only problem is that they end up taking up space in your
party that could be given to much better people.
Conclusively, ditch them sometime in chapter 5 and you'll leave them behind with
a good taste in your mouth.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VI. KNIGHTS/PALADINS
#############################################################################
Knights are centaurs, simply put. Physical attackers, they generally excel in
all areas, but their biggest advantage is they've all got 8 movement, putting
them in battle that much faster. They utilize the lance and spear with the lance
being generally more powerful while the spear gets two range.
Va. Ken
~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Automatically joins your party before the first battle. |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Spear |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 9 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 7 |
|Defense- 7 |
|Speed- 5 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 4/10
As the knights go, Ken is below average. His physical stats are never very
impressive. He gets by early on and manages to stay alive most of the time, but
he doesn't hit for very high numbers and fails to be much of a tank at all.
His focal point is his HP, and as such he's more of a meat shield than anything.
Don't bother with him once you have option- there are better knights to be used.
Vb. Mae
~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Automatically joins your party after the second battle. |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 2 |
|HP- 12 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 6 |
|Defense- 6 |
|Speed- 7 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 7/10
Mae is good, that's certainly true. You get her early on, and she's a much
better tank than Ken is. I don't like her, though- There are others who can (and
do) get the job done with greater ease.
Vc. Arthur
~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Joins you in Chapter 2 at Manarina after the fight in the cave. |
| |
|Spells: Bolt, Blaze, Freeze (all only level 1) |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 4 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 2 |
|Attack- 7 |
|Defense- 7 |
|Speed- 8 |
|Magic Defense- 11 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 5/10
Arthur is a mixed bag. I've heard countless stories about how he's an incredible
paladin that can outfight all of the others. However, every story says the exact
same thing: he's only good VERY late in the game. Now, you get him at the end
of chapter 2, and they're claiming that it will EASILY be chapter 7, or even 8
before he's useful. Until that time, no one argues that Arthur is incredibly
weak and nowhere near the stats of his comrades.
If you feel the need to spend that much time leveling him up to be a total
monster, you can do that. I never bothered- it was easier to use people who were
monsters much earlier on in their levels.
Vd. Pelle
~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Automatically joins you at the end of Chapter 3 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 24 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 12 |
|Defense- 14 |
|Speed- 19 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Pelle is a decent character, yes. He has his uses, yes. However, Pelle can't be
a long-term character. While he starts with great stats and gets some great
levels early on, he can't hold his ground far into the promotion stages. He'll
last one, possibly two chapters. In the end, he's an above average character and
does better than many, but he's really not that good at all, especially for a
knight.
Ve. Vankar
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Joins you party if you bother him in the caravan in Chapter 4 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 22 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 14 |
|Defense- 12 |
|Speed- 13 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 8/10
Vankar comes in second for the knight/paladin combinations. He comes early
enough that he can be put to some good use, and he comes through very well. A
solid paladin find if you need another lance user. Unfortunately, he's nothing
when put up against...
Vf. Earnest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Knight (Promotes to Paladin) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Joins you in the fortress at the end of Chapter 4 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 23 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 17 |
|Defense- 14 |
|Speed- 14 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 8 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 9/10
Earnest is amazing. I've played through Shining Force many times, and he has
NEVER been a disappointment. He's always ranking in the top three for attack
and speed. You will not be disappointed with his ability to rip everyone apart,
and with his 8 movement and his high speed, he'll get plenty of action.
You may have to baby him a bit to get him up to promotion, but once you do, get
out of the way and let him wreak utter havoc.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VII. ARCHERS/BOWMASTERS (And Lyle)
#############################################################################
They utilize bows to attack enemies. This allows them to do physical damage to
an enemy without much fear of retaliation (if you play the characters right.)
Terrible primary fighters, they make decent support, especially when they're
promoted and using weapons of increased range.
VIa. Hans
~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Archer (Promotes to Bowmaster) |
|Weapons: Bows |
|Location: Joins your party automatically before the first battle |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Wooden Arrow |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 15 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 7 |
|Defense- 4 |
|Speed- 6 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 3/10
Archers are not very good characters to begin with. They aren't designed to take
a hit and their attack range is bizzare are best. Hans is not a very good
archer, either. Diane and Lyle outclass him very quickly. I wouldn't use him at
all if I had better options, but at the start you don't, so make the best of his
inability to fight.
VIb. Diane
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Archer (Promotes to Bowmaster) |
|Weapons: Bows |
|Location: Talk to her and her mother in Bustoke |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Iron Arrow |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 6 |
|HP- ? |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- ? |
|Defense- ? |
|Speed- ? |
|Magic Defense- ? |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 4/10
Diane isn't much better than Hans. Her stats are somewhat better all around, but
her attack is never high enough for my tastes. She can't take a hit, either.
Simply put, Diane is a much better ARCHER, but that doesn't make her a very good
CHARACTER.
VIc. Lyle
~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Assault Knight (Promotes to Strike Knight) |
|Weapons: Bows |
|Location: Joins you in Rudo in Chapter 6 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Elven Arrow |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 14 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 14 |
|Defense- 8 |
|Speed- 9 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 5/10
Lyle is certainly the best of the archers, but that once again doesn't hold up
to much. Many people like Lyle- his speed and defense are OK and his attack is
not as bad as his two counterparts. However, they're still incredibly average.
He's the best archer you'll get, and so if you want to utilize the attack range
of the archer, Lyle is your guy. However, you get him late in the game and his
stats aren't great, which begs the question: Why bother?
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
VIII. MAGES/WIZARDS (and Domingo)
#############################################################################
If you played the original Shining Force, you probably remember the power of
the mages. A good amount of damage with a wicked attack range, they were a force
to be reckoned with.
...Unfortunately, they're not what they used to be. Magic suffered a serious
decrease in effectiveness, and as such most people don't have the love for mages
that they once did.
Mages utilize staffs, same as the healers. They're generally not good physical
attackers in the slightest, so don't expect much of them.
VIIa. Tao
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Mage (Promotes to Wizard) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Automatically joins your party before the first battle |
| |
|Spells: Blaze (1-4), Dispell, Sleep, Attack |
| |
|Items: Wooden Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 7 |
|Attack- 5 |
|Defense- 4 |
|Speed- 6 |
|Magic Defense- 20 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 4/10
Tao is probably the worst of the mages. Anri joins you in chapter 2 and will
quickly outdo her. Blaze is her only attack spell, and it's really not all that
good when put up against freeze and bolt. She does get to wear the bikini, and
that counts for something, but when it's all over, her stats don't make up for
that detail.
Use her early on, certainly. However, with Anri available as early as she is,
you won't need Tao at all past chapter 3, possibly even earlier depending on who
you choose to use.
VIIb. Anri
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Mage (Promotes to Wizard) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Joins you in chapter 2 after you talk to here in Manarina |
| |
|Spells: Freeze (1-4), Bolt (1-2), Blaze (1-2), Elude |
| |
|Items: Power Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 3 |
|HP- 12 |
|MP- 15 |
|Attack- 5 |
|Defense- 5 |
|Speed- 8 |
|Magic Defense- 35 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Anri is a more solid mage than Tao with a nice spell assortment. Blaze is often
more effective against the earlier undead enemies, but they are increasingly
less common as the game progresses, making the blaze advantage obsolete. Freeze
is a solid spell through the entire game no matter who it's used against (bosses
excluded.) Her ability to utilize blaze early on when it has an advantage, while
not being left in the dust when it becomes less effective gives her the
flexibility to be useful through most of the game, up until the enemy's HP
becomes so high that it just doesn't do the damage that it needs for Anri to
compare to the other characters available at the time.
I tend to keep her around until Domingo pops up and then let her go. No reason
to keep her after that unless you like her (and with her daring dress, I can
understand why you might.)
VIIc. Alef
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Mage (Promotes to Wizard) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Joins you with Torasu after you finish the tower in Chapter 7 |
| |
|Spells: Bolt (1-4), Blaze (1-2), Freeze (1-2), Desoul |
| |
|Items: Power Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 15 |
|HP- 19 |
|MP- 38 |
|Attack- 9 |
|Defense- 12 |
|Speed- 17 |
|Magic Defense- 56 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 7/10
Alef is an excellent mage and has an awesome array of spells. Bolt spells have
a great range of damage and, more importantly (to me), they're especially
effective against robots. Seeing as robots become an incredibly popular enemy
in these later stages of the game, bolt is a naturally good spell to have.
Desoul is another great spell and is a real saving power for her. She's probably
the best mage of the four.
Unfortunately, you get her really late in the game, and once again you have to
decide if it's worth the bother. Bolt is an awesome spell, as is desoul, but you
ought to have a great assortment of physical attackers at your disposal to rip
every enemy apart. She will not disappoint and is a great asset to the team, but
she can't rate any higher due to the fact that she's available so late into the
game.
VIId. Domingo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Magic Egg |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Find the domingo egg in Manarina and put it in the egg warmer on |
| the 2nd caravan in chapter 4. It will hatch, and vouila! |
| |
|Spells: Freeze (1-4), Desoul, Elude, Attack |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 16 |
|MP- 15 |
|Attack- 11 |
|Defense- 16 |
|Speed- 18 |
|Magic Defense- 34 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 8/10
Domingo's one of the favorites for mages, and how could he not be? He's a cute
squid-thing! He starts out at level 1 and has no promotion, which means he winds
up at a fairly high level. The difference is that Domingo really doesn't have
his stats level off like the other characters seem to. His stats are all
spectacular- his attack is great (if he could wield weapons he'd be good enough
to physically attack), his defense is good enough for him to tank most blows,
he's relatively fast (especially early on), and his HP and MP are both good
enough for him to do all the attacking and spellcasting that he needs.
He's got Freeze, which is of course a solid spell through most of the game, and
where Anri falls towards the end, Domingo still has desoul to carry him on.
Past chapter 6, I rarely used Domingo for anything except his ability to Desoul
the enemies, and on enemies with low evasion (such as the blue dragons in the
very last battle), he's incredible.
He's not as good as Alef for spellcasting, but he makes up for it with better
stats and a much earlier recruitment time. A great spellcaster that you'll learn
to love.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
IX. HEALERS/VICARS (and Gong)
#############################################################################
Every party needs a healer of some sort to take care of them when the going
gets tough... don't they?
The unfortunate truth is that they really don't. I've played through this game
many times, and once I was able to get rid of the healers I made sure to do so.
Narsha is a good enough healer to support your entire party, and up until that
point you can use herbs and healing seeds.
NOW, perhaps they're more useful when you get into the later rounds of the game
and the enemies get more difficult. However, for the purposes of a first-round
game, healers are superfluous.
VIIIa. Lowe
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Healer (Promotes to Vicar) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Automatically joins you before the first battle |
| |
|Spells: Heal (1-4), Detox, Slow (1-2), Quick (1-2) |
| |
|Items: Wooden Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 13 |
|Attack- 6 |
|Defense- 4 |
|Speed- 6 |
|Magic Defense- 16 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 4/10
None of the healers can be rated for much based on their stats, and no healer
really is. All that really matters is that they've got the spells to cast and
the MP to cast them. Lowe has no problems getting the MP to cast them, but nor
do Torasu or Khris, and so we must look at the spells he has, and they're... not
good at all. Heal is all right, I suppose, but it's got NOTHING on Aura. This
alone makes Lowe completely pointless next to Khris, who will also have Heal 4
as well as Aura 2.
Ditch Lowe soon as you get a chance. Khris is much better suited for the job in
almost every way, and you get her before Chapter 1 is even over.
VIIIb. Khris
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Healer (Promotes to Vicar) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Joins automatically in Alterone at the end of chapter 1 |
| |
|Spells: Heal (1-4), Aura (1-2), Slow (1-2), Quick (1-2) |
| |
|Items: Wooden Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 2 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 10 |
|Attack- 6 |
|Defense- 6 |
|Speed- 5 |
|Magic Defense- 19 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Ah, much better. Khris has heal and she has Aura, and while Aura isn't as
high as Torasu's, she has what your typical RPG healer has- high restoration for
single units and lower amounts for groups. Aura level 2 has a huge area of
effect, and as such it's OK that it doesn't heal for quite as much as Heal does.
Still, she's a healer, and despite being a far better one than Lowe, she's
hardly worth your while.
VIIIc. Torasu
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Healer (Promotes to Vicar) |
|Weapons: Staves |
|Location: Joins with Alef in the Tower in Chapter 7 |
| |
|Spells: Aura (1-4), Heal (1-2), Detox, Shield |
| |
|Items: Power Staff |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 16 |
|HP- 24 |
|MP- 29 |
|Attack- 14 |
|Defense- 15 |
|Speed- 15 |
|Magic Defense- 46 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Torasu is probably the ultimate healer that you can get. Aura level 4 heals
EVERYONE on the field for only 18 MP, and he gets plenty of MP to allow him
multiple castings of it. His stats are pretty good, too. However, just like Alef
he deals with the problem that he's a really late bloomer due to his incredibly
late starting time. While there's no denying his effectiveness as a healer,
there just isn't enough time with him to make him of any real effectiveness.
VIIId. Gong
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Monk (Promotes to Master Monk) |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Retreat/Egress from the first battle and walk to the nearby |
| cabin. Talk to Gong and he will join you. |
| |
|Spells: Heal (1-4), Aura |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 12 |
|MP- 8 |
|Attack- 13 |
|Defense- 5 |
|Speed- 6 |
|Magic Defense- 5 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 4/10
A very strong similarity to Max, Gong attempts to be a mage and a fighter in the
same character. However, where Max excels in both areas, Gong is not especially
adept in either. While he learns Aura, it's at a very high level, and he hardly
has the MP to make good use of the Heal spells that he does manage to acquire.
His physical stats are nothing to write home about, either. While many people
might try to sell him off as someone of use, he's really not. Mediocre in both
magic and physical, he falls below the mark in both categories.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
X. AMON AND BALBAROY
#############################################################################
As was true with the warrior/gladiator combination, I'll do an assessment of
Amon and Balbaroy together. They're nearly identical to one another and
therefore can easily be assessed together.
Both Amon and Balbaroy utilize swords, neither uses spells, and they're both
found at the end of chapter 2 in the ruined abbey.
Amon
~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Birdman (Promotes to Sky Warrior) |
|Weapons: Swords |
|Location: Joins with Balbaroy at the end of Chapter 2 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Middle Sword |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 5 |
|HP- ? |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- ? |
|Defense- ? |
|Speed- ? |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Balbaroy
~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Birdman (Promotes to Sky Warrior) |
|Weapons: Swords |
|Location: Joins with Amon at the end of Chapter 2 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Middle Sword |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 5 |
|HP- ? |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- ? |
|Defense- ? |
|Speed- ? |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amon- 7/10, Balbaroy- 7/10
As with Gort and Luke, both have their own use. Balbaroy is the Luke equivalent
with more attack, while Amon has more speed and defense. As with Luke and Gort,
which you use is up to you. They're both VERY fast, but their attack and defense
are both pretty average.
Both of them are useful for a good portion of the game, just like Luke and Gort.
Less because they're very powerful than because they're pretty powerful and can
also fly, allowing them to go in and make some early kills. As you may have
guessed (based on how I make my decisions), I chose Balbaroy. That little boost
to attack made all the difference in a character that's not especially strong,
anyway.
Come the later chapters, they seem especially useful for crossing the mountain
ranges. However, you'll have Kokichi and/or Bleu by that point to replace them.
Keep them if you want (I've done it before), but they're never going to be
incredibly powerful.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
XI. MISCELLANEOUS
#############################################################################
This is the hodgepodge remainder of the characters that you can get in Shining
Force. No grouping applies to these guys, really. They're all physical fighters,
though.
Xa. Kokichi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Sky Knight (Promotes to Sky Lord) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Talk to him on the mountainside during Chapter 3 and then he will|
| join you after the first Pao caravan. |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 7 |
|HP- 16 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 14 |
|Defense- 12 |
|Speed- 14 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 8/10
Kokichi delivers a step above the skywarriors. He too can fly and he also gets
access to the lances and more importantly, the spears. Kokichi with a good spear
makes an AWESOME flying partner, easily rivaling the archers when it comes to
getting in that extra hit that no one else would have gotten. He's also got some
decent stats. His attack and speed are good enough for him to get by on his own,
and the rest of his stats are pretty good as well.
He's definitely my pick for the flying character. If you need a second one, you
can use Balbaroy or Amon. However, this guy is just a notch above them both.
Xb. Guntz
~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Steam Knight (Promotes to Steam Baron) |
|Weapons: Lances, Spears |
|Location: Talk to him in Rindo in chapter 2 and then talk to him again in |
| Pao. |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Bronze Lance |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 15 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 16 |
|Defense- 19 |
|Speed- 9 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 4 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 9/10
AMAZING physical attacker. Incredible attack, defense, even speed. Uses spears
to great effectiveness, too. His one handicap is that he's got only 4 movement.
Now, you can use a speed ring or a turbo pepper to fix that problem, but it's
still a nuisance that you must deal with before he can be truly monstrous,
because he'll otherwise wind up missing the action by not getting there in time.
Don't get me wrong, though- he's a must-have on any team.
Xc. Bleu
~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Dragon (Promotes to Great Dragon) |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Joins you in Dragonia before you battle Kain |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- ? |
|HP- ? |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- ? |
|Defense- ? |
|Speed- ? |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Now this was a terrible disappointment to me... Bleu was incredible in the first
version of this game. This time around, he's just... not incredible. He has
ridiculously high HP and defense, yeah. That makes him a great tank, yeah. The
problem is that his attack is abysmal. Without a weapon to compensate for his
lack of attack, he's really REALLY weak. His attack is also incredibly
inaccurate for some reason. Throw in his average speed and only 5 movement, and
Bleu isn't very good at all. There are better tanks and there are better flying
units.
I've heard stories of a Bleu with good attack... but I've never seen it.
I was really sad to see him wind up this way after using him to amazing ends in
the original.
Xd. Zylo
~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Wolf (Promotes to Wolf Baron) |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Get the drops in chapter 3 and give them to him to make him |
| join you |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- ? |
|HP- ? |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- ? |
|Defense- ? |
|Speed- ? |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 7 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 9/10
Zylo is an excellent melee character through the entire game. High HP, high
attack and high speed allow him to hit fast and hard. Good movement, too. He
seems to have a higher tendancy to attack twice and to do critical hits, and
that's always a plus, is it not?
Fast and strong through and he stays that way until the game ends- a valuable
asset to the force. What more can I say?
Xe. Musashi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Samurai (Promotes to Swordmaster) |
|Weapons: Swords |
|Location: Follow the signpost maze in Rudo at any time during Chapter 6 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: Katana |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 32 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 20 |
|Defense- 17 |
|Speed- 17 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 9/10
This guy's just like Guntz, except where Guntz is totally unmatched in defense,
this guy has no rival in attack. Gaining monstrous amounts each level, Musashi
is an absolute BEAST. He also starts with the katana, an AWESOME weapon.
...But, once again, he's only got 5 movement and so he needs some items to bring
the movement up to a point that he's actually useful to you. If he can't get in
the battles, how can he serve any purpose to you, right?
Keep him around until you get the items- with a ring on one person and a pepper
used on the other, Guntz and Musashi are incredible and invaluable.
Xf. Hanzou
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Ninja (Promotes to Super Ninja) |
|Weapons: Swords |
|Location: Follow the signposts after the second battle in Chapter 5 |
| |
|Spells: Desoul (1-2), Sleep, Shield, Attack |
| |
|Items: Doom Blade |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 26 |
|MP- 10 |
|Attack- 12 |
|Defense- 13 |
|Speed- 20 |
|Magic Defense- 10 |
|Movement- 7 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 10/10
This is him- the guy who earns the best score of them all. He has it all-
incredible amounts of attack and speed, great HP and defense, and enough MP for
him to utilize his spells, which are great. Shield and sleep are decent in their
own uses (although I doubt you'll ever want him to use them), but attack is a
great spell to beef yourself up when you can't hit someone, and then we have
desoul... level 2. Take the devastation of instant KOs, and now give it a
5-grid star attack radius, meaning you can instantly kill up to 5 enemies at one
time. "Can life get better? I submit to you that it can NOT!"
A must-have for any team, it's almost unfair how early they give him to you. At
least in the old game you didn't get to utilize his pwnage for more than a few
battles, making his broken stats and skills justified. Now, it almost feels
like cheating.
Xg. Adam
~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Robot (Promotes to Cyborg) |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Joins you before you fight Chaos in chapter 7 |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 10 |
|HP- 26 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 23 |
|Defense- 23 |
|Speed- 12 |
|Magic Defense- 5 |
|Movement- 4 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 6/10
Adam is a decent hand-to-hand fighter, yes. His stats wind up pretty good, yes.
...but it's not worth your time. You've got no reason to raise him that late in
the game when you have so many other characters who are just BETTER than him.
No more to say about him, really. He's good, but you get him far too late. No
reason to use him.
Xh. Jogurt
~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Yogurt |
|Weapons: None |
|Location: Talk to him whenever you see him, and he'll eventually join in |
| chapter 4 outside of the church |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 1 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 1 |
|Defense- 1 |
|Speed- 1 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 7 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 1/10 for power, 10/10 for sexiness
Yeah, I spelt it right- Jogurt was the original name, and it's the name that's
going to stay, whether you like it or not. Screw the changes- it's like FFV with
Butz...
But I digress. Jogurt has 1 in every stat (except movement, where he's got 7)
and he cannot level up. Get 100 XP and it says "Jogurt has gained a level! Or so
it seems," and his stats don't change, nor does his level.
There's a perk, though- kill an enemy with Jogurt and they will drop a yogurt
ring. This special ring will turn anyone who wears it into a person wearing a
Jogurt suit (you can see the zipper running up the back.) Nowhere near as cute
as the real Jogurt, it gets boring quickly.
Jogurt is not supposed to be powerful, he's supposed to be funny. In that
department, he's a total success... just don't actually USE him for ANYTHING.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
XII. NEW CHARACTERS
#############################################################################
These characters all join your party after you defeat Elliot and are used in
the chapter epilogues. A motley crew that proves very useful to the team.
XIIa. Narsha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Sage (Promotes to Guru) |
|Weapons: Maces |
| |
|Spells: Aura (1-4), Attack (1-3), Boost (1-3), Step (1-3) |
| |
|Items: Mace |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 1 |
|HP- 11 |
|MP- 15 |
|Attack- 7 |
|Defense- 5 |
|Speed- 5 |
|Magic Defense- 34 |
|Movement- 6 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 10/10
Narsha is, hands down, the absolute best spell user in the entire game. My
brother managed to get her to level 99 without using any cheats whatsoever,
comparing to the average 20-25 that the rest of them were. All four of her
spells are ridiculously good, although the MP cost becomes staggering for boost,
step and attack level 3 (40!). Aura level 4 is, just as with Torasu, an awesome
spell. Attack level 3 increases 5 people's attack by 10, while Step level 3
increases 5 people's movement by 4 (that's INCREDIBLE- a 12-movement Earnest is
literally UNSTOPPABLE.) Add on her high MP, high defense and high M. Defense and
she can tank it out while dishing out the magical spells.
She's INCREDIBLY broken, with her only counter being that she can't use step 3
and attack 3 in the same battle as she won't ever get to 80 MP.
XIIb. Zuika
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Assassin (Promotes to Terminator) |
|Weapons: None |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 6 |
|HP- 19 |
|MP- 0 |
|Attack- 21 |
|Defense- 13 |
|Speed- 10 |
|Magic Defense- 0 |
|Movement- 7 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rating: 7/10
A weaker form of Zylo, really. Good attack, but not quite as good. High speed,
but not quite as high. Defense is somewhat better, but eh... What makes him
score at 7 is his little feature when he gets to low HP. Now, he looks like
a huge centipede when promoted. The outer shell cracks at low HP and his attack
skyrockets. If you're willing to risk him like that and willing to deliberately
get him hurt EVERY battle to unlock that, he's incredible. For most people, it's
merely a nice thing to have now and again and a little perk in his performance.
XIIc. Mawlock
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Class: Card Master |
|Weapons: None |
| |
|Spells: None! |
| |
|Items: None |
| |
|Starting Stats: |
|Level- 8 |
|HP- 25 |
|MP- 22 |
|Attack- 23 |
|Defense- 19 |
|Speed- 12 |
|Magic Defense- 27 |
|Movement- 5 |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Read the Card FAQ to get a decent description of Mawlock. I won't give him a
rating, because his place to shine is in the New game+ areas, and I'm not even
covering that in this guide.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
XIII. MY SELECTION
#############################################################################
Now, if you've just been saying "Cut the crap! Just tell me who to use!" then
here it is.
Max
Vankar
Earnest
Alef
Domingo
Kokichi
Guntz
Zylo
Musashi
Hanzou
Narsha
Zuika
That's my party of choice. However, it may not be yours. As people submit their
opinions, this will hopefully become more and more "right" with the reasoning
lying higher up in the text.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
XIV. CONTACT ME
#############################################################################
It's not 100% complete yet- I'm missing the stats for 5 of the characters. I'm
also looking for alternative opinions on EVERYONE. If you don't agree,
tell me! If you've got either the stats for those people or the different
ratings, Email me at kirbix@gmail.com. For the analysis, send it to me
with your disagreement and a decent analysis of your own. If it's up to snuff,
I'll put it into the guide and stick your name into the credits. I want some
user input so that this guide is respected rather than repulsed.
_ _ _
/ \/ \/ \
\_/\_/\_/
XV. CREDITS
#############################################################################
My brother, Patrick- for compiling the character data for me.
CJayC,GameFAQs- The site where I write- my gaming home.
COPYRIGHT © 2007 Sean D'Hoostelaere
