----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Walkthrough is for the *NORTH AMERICAN VERSION* of the game, and is meant to be used in conjunction with my North American Appendix. If you are playing the Japanese version of the game, please refer to my other FAQ/Walkthrough. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===========================================================================/ | Dragon Quest VIII-Journey of the Cursed King | | | | FAQ/Walkthrough | | Final Version 01/27/06 | | By: Red Scarlet (akaiscarlet_at_hotmail.com) | /===========================================================================/ There are multiple pages to the Zoom spell list. Seven locations show up per page. Hit left or right on the d-pad or analog to get to other pages. You can change your equipment in battle if you have other weapons/armor in a character's personal inventory. Just go to 'Item', then what you want to equip, then choose to equip it. You do not use a turn changing your equipment. Pressing the Start button out of battle allows you to converse with your party. The other party members quite often have something to say. The Argonia bazaar *never* goes away. If Argonia has castle music playing again and it looks like the bazaar is gone, it has simply moved into the building between the church and the castle door on the left side of town. If you beat a visible monster on the overworld map, it will return after you have walked away a little bit from where it spawned. Some visible monsters have multiple locations they can appear, and some appear only during the day or night. You need to beat a certain 'Rank' at the Monster Arena in order for some monsters to appear. The only use for Monster Coins is to sell for money. They do nothing else in the game. So sell, sell, sell! With version 1.00, I've finished the conversion. I truly hope that my walkthrough and appendix are helpful to you and worth the wait. Thank you. This FAQ is for personal use only. It cannot be altered without the consent of the FAQ's owner (me), nor published in any magazines or any reproduced form. This FAQ is not meant for sale and is copyright 2004, 2005, 2006, Red Scarlet. If you want to use this FAQ on your Website or page, please email me for permission (akaiscarlet_at_hotmail.com, or mockballqueen_at_hotmail.com). This guide was written for a big game. Sorry to all the 56k'ers using this guide. --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- If you want to find a specific section in this guide, simply combine the roman numeral, letter, and number of a section from the Table of Contents while in the 'find' window of your browser to zip right to whatever section you want. For example: If you've just received the ship, and want to skip ahead directly to that section, find which part of the guide has it (part II), then which letter (G) and number (1), and hit 'find' at the top of your window or hit Control+F. Enter the combination II - G 1 (without spaces) and you will jump straight to the part of the guide after getting the ship. My search codes method is nowhere near as precise as some others, but I prefer this method over having a code for every single thing in the game, due to that method bringing up way too many results that you are most likely not looking for, and having to spend 20 minutes digging through to find what you are trying to. Hopefully these make navigating the guide simpler and faster for all. --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- --------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED-------------------------- -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- Please note that the 'My level' before each section is only a reference, my levels and equipment I use (as well as what I mix and how I build up skill points for each character) are not canon in order to play this game. Go at your own pace, with levels higher or lower, and use whatever skillset you feel like. I am by no means trying to force people to play the game how I play only. I will try my best at keeping the other weapon types in mind when it comes to buying items and making new ones in the Alchemy Pot. This guide is for the North America/PAL version of the game. One last note: I don't consider myself a great writer. My walkthrough is pretty dry to me; do not expect a doctoral English paper here. I'm writing this for free and because I enjoy this game. If you are looking for tons of eloquent ways for me to say "open the door and take the stairs", you are going to be disappointed. This guide is way, way too big to begin with, and lofty language does not help. I tried my best to find out everything I could about the game, but I am pretty sure that I am missing a couple of tidbits. There is a limit to what a person can do. With over 10 playthroughs of this game since November, 2004, I'd like to take a break. The info provided here is enough. Due to the amount of time it took to convert this, and the date I finished, I will probably not be making an update. This is the best I could do. With that out of the way, let's begin. -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- -------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES------------------------------- /======================================================/ |------------------Table of Contents-------------------| /======================================================/ | Part I-Getting Started | /======================================================/ | A-Adventure Files | /------------------------------------------------------/ | B-Control Scheme | /------------------------------------------------------/ | C-Menu Screen, Status, Strategy Translations | /------------------------------------------------------/ | D-Battle Commands | /------------------------------------------------------/ | E-General Game Information | | 1-Characters | | 2-Skills | | 3-Churches / Saving the Game | | 4-Day / Night | | 5-Storing Money | | 6-Casino | | 7-Tension | | 8-Status Ailments | /======================================================/ | Part II-Walkthrough | /======================================================/ | A-The Journey Begins | | 1-Farebury | | 2-Preparing for the Waterfall Cave | | 3-The Waterfall Cave | /------------------------------------------------------/ | B-The Plight of the Sexy Redhead | | 1-Alexandria | | 2-Tower of Alexandra | | 3-Port Prospect | | 4-The Alchemy Pot | | 5-Peregrin Quay | | 6-Using the Thief's Key | /------------------------------------------------------/ | C-The Templar Knight that Looks like Trunks | | 1-Maella Abbey | | 2-Simpleton | | 3-Ruined Abbey | | 4-A World Map for a Party of Four | | 5-More Treasure Hunting, My Skills Order | | 6-Riverside Chapel | /------------------------------------------------------/ | D-A Castle Draped in Black and a Matching Door | | 1-Ascantha | | 2-Wisher's Peak | | 3-On the way to Pickham | /------------------------------------------------------/ | E-The Case of the Mysteriously Vanishing Horse | | 1-Pickham | | 2-The Pickham Casino | | 3-A Tear for a Horse | | 4-Swordsman's Labyrinth | | 5-The Informant and a New Destination | /------------------------------------------------------/ | F-Revisiting the Past for a Ship | | 1-Hilltop Hut | | 2-West Trodain Church | | 3-Trodain | | 4-Item/Recruitable Monster Cleanup | | 5-Monster Arena | | 6-Mole Hole | | 7-Trading a Moonshadow Harp for a Ship | /------------------------------------------------------/ | G-Set Sail for the High Seas | | 1-Princess Minnie's Castle | | 2-Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 1) | | 3-Neos | | 4-Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 2) | | 5-Desert Chapel | | 6-Savella Cathedral | /------------------------------------------------------/ | H-The Western Continent | | 1-Seaview Church | | 2-Baccarat | | 3-Desperately Seeking Baumren | | 4-Argonia | | 5-Royal Hunting Ground | | 6-Argonia Bazaar; the Great Selloff | /------------------------------------------------------/ | I-The Sun Mirror and Dhoulmagus | | 1-The Strange Man and a Mystical Spring | | 2-Powering up the Sun Mirror | | 3-Dark Ruins | /------------------------------------------------------/ | J-Jessica Takes a Vacation | | 1-Arcadia | | 2-Beating the Monster Arena | | 3-Rydon's Tower | | 4-Jessica Comes Back for Work | /------------------------------------------------------/ | K-Follow that Dog! | | 1-Chapel of Autumn | | 2-Orkutsk | | 3-Herb Grotto | | 4-Item Cleanup, Part Two | | 5-Sibling Rivalry and the Dragon Graveyard | | 6-The Baccarat Casino | /------------------------------------------------------/ | L-From the Seas to the Skies | | 1-Pirate's Cove | | 2-'X' Marks the Spot? | | 3-Empycchu | | 4-Godbird's Eyrie | | 5-Item Cleanup, Part 3 | /------------------------------------------------------/ | M-From Black Paws to Cruel Hands | | 1-Tryan Gully | | 2-Showdown at the Lord High Priest's House | | 3-The Lord of Darkness Returns | | 4-Trolls' Maze | /------------------------------------------------------/ | N-Encounter with the Lord of Darkness | | 1-Black Citadel | | 2-Seven Orbs of a Different Color | | 3-The Final Battle | /------------------------------------------------------/ | O-Beyond the Lord of Darkness | | 1-More Monster Hunting | | 2-Dragovian Path | | 3-Dragovian Sanctuary | | 4-Heavenly Dais | | 5-The True Ending | /------------------------------------------------------/ | P-The Dragovian Trials | | 1-Vermillion Dragon | | 2-Emerald Dragon | | 3-Silver Dragon | | 4-Golden Dragon | | 5-Intermission of Metal | | 6-Darksteel Dragon | | 7-Divine Dragon | | 8-Ultimate Dragon | /------------------------------------------------------/ | Q-Credits/Thanks/Version History | /======================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================/ | Part I-Getting Started | /========================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (I-A) Adventure Files | /=======================/ As you turn the game on, you will be greeted with 3 options, here is what they are and what they mean. Continue your adventure. (Load a game) Create a new adventure log. (Begin a new game) Delete an adventure log. (Erase a save file) After choosing Continue your adventure, you are given a choice of which Memory Card Slot to load from. Select Slot 1 or Slot 2, then the file. After choosing Create a new adventure log, you are asked what you want to name the Hero. No other characters can be renamed. You are given 8 spaces to input the Hero's name. Once you choose End, you are asked if you want to save to a Memory Card. Choose either yes and then the Memory Card Slot, or no. After choosing Delete an adventure log, you are given a choice of which Memory Card Slot to load from. Select Slot 1 or Slot 2, then the file. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================/ | (I-B) Control Scheme | /======================/ Directional Pad: Walk,Move cursor Left Analog Stick: Run, Move cursor Right Analog Stick: Change camera angle L1 Button: Rotate view left L2 Button: Shift camera behind player character L3 Button: Confirm, Perform action R1 Button: Rotate view right R2 Button: Toggle first-person view R3 Button: Toggle first-person view Circle Button: Open menu X Button: Confirm, Perform action Triangle Button: Cancel Square Button: View map (if you have one) Select Button: Opens up the Battle Log menu Start Button: Converse with your party ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==================================================/ | (I-C) Menu Screen, Status, Strategy Translations | /==================================================/ Note-a ** means there are more options that open when you select that command. Items / Magic / Attributes / **Misc. --------------------------------------- Items screen When you choose the Item command, you will see what items (up to 12) are in each character's inventory. Underneath them all is the Item Bag. Each character can hold 12 items, and can put extra items into the bag, which is very helpful. Note that like in the remake of Dragon Quest 5, you can hold more than 99 of an item in the bag. Choose a character, then hit the Circle or X button on the item in question, and another menu pops up. What you can do with the items is: Use item Transfer item to another spot in that character's inventory, or give to another party member Equip or Remove (unequip) the item if you can Discard the item away; once its tossed, its gone! Do Nothing The Item Bag has its own options. Place the cursor over the Item Bag, then press circle or X. You should see three options: **View Bag's Contents Organise Items **Sort Bag's Contents Choosing View Bag's Contents then pressing circle or X will give you these options: Use: Use an item (if it can be) Transfer: Move an item from the bag to a character's inventory. If you choose to move the item from the bag into the bag, the item will be the first item in the list. Discard: Throws the item away for good. Nothing: Cancel Choosing Organise Items lets you put all unequipped items from any or all character's inventories into the Item Bag. Choosing Sort Bag's Contents lets you sort the items By Type (Items, Weapons, Armour, Accessories) or Alphabetically. --------------------------------------- Magic screen Look through each character's learned spells and cast them if you can out of battle. --------------------------------------- Attributes screen View the stats of each character, their equipment, and learned skills/spells --------------------------------------- **Misc. When you open this menu, several options pop up. Not every option is selectable at the start of the game. Note-a ** means there are more options that open when you select that command. Heal All: Heals the party to full HP with magic **Tactics: Changes the AI setting for the character selected Line-up: Change party's field/battle order Equipment: Equip weapons and armour **Settings: Change some game settings Help: Get some general hints and a reminder of the controls **Battle Records: View the party's "score" in battles, etc. Alchemy Pot: Look at the Alchemy Pot and retrieve items from it **Monster Team: Look at your monster teams and reorganize them --------------------------------------- Tactics subscreen This is the menu used to change the AI tactics of the other characters aside from the hero. The screen displays each characters name in the current battle party on the left, and their current tactic to the right of their name. If you want everyone to have the same tactic, choose the All option underneath the names. When you choose either an individual character, or the All Change option, these six strategies will appear: Show No Mercy Fight Wisely Focus on Healing Don't Use Magic Get Psyched Up Follow Orders Show No Mercy: When this strategy is used, the other party members go all-out in offense. They will use their most powerful spells, and healing is a low priority. Fight Wisely: When this strategy is used, the party members balance offense with defense. Focus on Healing: Defensive strategy. Healing and increasing Defence is a high priority. Useful in fights against strong monsters. Don't Use Magic: As the name says, no magic will be cast with this strategy. Get Psyched Up: With this strategy, the party member will build Tension to do more damage/use spells when they are stronger. Follow Orders: Manual control for the character. --------------------------------------- Settings subscreen In this option, you can change the screen size, sound settings, etc. Screen Settings: Choose between Normal (4:3) and Wide (16:9) Selecting the Wide (16:9) option on smaller TV's squishes the screen horizontally. Selecting Sound allows you to adjust the volume of voices from 0 (off) to 5 (loud), sound effects from 0 (low) to 5 (high), the BGM (Background Music) from 0 (low) to 5 (high), and whether to have Stereo or Monaural sound. Selecting Camera lets you adjust the up/down and left/right controls from standard to inverted. --------------------------------------- Battle Records This menu opens up game and battle information. The selectable options (not all are available at the start of the game) are: Defeated Monster List Collected Item List Alchemy Recipe Book For an in-depth explanation of the Defeated Monster List's options, please refer to that section of the guide. Choosing Collected Item List will let you go through information for all of the various equipment and items you have found in your playthrough. They are organized as follows: All Weapons Armour Shields Helmets Accessories Items Important Items Choosing Alchemy Recipe Book will let you go through the hints and successful recipes for mixing items in the Alchemy Pot of your current playthrough. They are organized as follows: All Recipes Incomplete Recipes Weapons Armour Shields Helmets Accessories Items The other listings describe various battle information: Time Spent Adventuring: How long you've been playing the game, in hours and minutes. Distance Travelled: How far you have travelled in the game, in miles. Battles: Number of encounters you have had up to your current point Monsters Defeated: Number of monsters you have killed Monsters Intimidated: Number of monsters that have fled from scaring them off Victories: Battles won Times Fled: How many times the party has ran away Times Wiped Out: How many times the party has been killed Total Gold Obtained: Gold obtained from battles up to this point Highest amount of damage done in 1 turn. --------------------------------------- Alchemy Pot subscreen For an in-depth explanation of the Alchemy Pot's options, please refer to that section of the guide. --------------------------------------- Monster Team subscreen Choosing this option allows you to modify your monsters you have let join up. First up are these 3 options at the top (not all are available at the start of the game): Team 1 / Team 2 / Reserves Once you have monsters in a team, press the circle or X button over any of the above options, then press circle or x again when the cursor is over the monster you want to do something with. You'll see three options (two if you select a monster from Reserves): Switch members: Swap the monster with one of the monsters in Reserves. Place in reserves: Put the monster in Reserves without replacing it. Set free: Release the monster to the world. It will return to where it can be found on the overworld to get again later if you choose to. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (I-D) Battle Commands | /=======================/ When entering a battle, you are greeted with 4 commands. They are: **Fight Flee Intimidate **Tactics Intimidate is a new command for the series. What is does is a party member will try to scare the enemies off, avoiding a fight. If the monsters are weak enough compared to the character, they will run off. There is a chance that any monster that via Intimidation can drop an item. You have a higher 'chance' of getting dropped items via Intimidate. I believe this is so because you can only get 1 item dropped per group of monster when you fight them, but every monster that gets intimidated has a chance of dropping an item. For example: Say you fight 1 Slime + 2 Slimes + 3 Slimes as separate groups. If you fight them, each group has a chance of dropping an item. That's 3 chances. If you use Intimidate, all 6 Slimes have a chance of dropping an item if they all run off. Thus, your 'chance' of getting a dropped item is increased from 3 to 6, but the 'probability' is likely the same whether you killed the Slimes or used Intimidate. If you are trying to stock up on certain items, (successful uses of) Intimidate should get you an item faster than fighting them due to the increased number of chances of an item being dropped. After choosing Fight, these commands show up: Attack Ability Spells Items Defend Psyche Up Attack: attack an enemy with your equipped weapon. Spells: cast a spell. Defend: take 50% damage, but can't do any other action. Ability: use a skill the character has learned from skill points. Items: use an item from your personal inventory, or change equipment in the character's inventory (such as weapons). Psyche Up: Build Tension to the next level. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================================/ | (I-E) General Game Information | /================================/ As the title states, this is general game info that can be helpful for new players to the game/series on how to do various things that are useful to know when playing. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===================/ | (I-E1) Characters | /===================/ Here is what the manual has to say about each character: Hero: A royal guard who had to leave his kingdom when a curse was placed upon it. Through his training as a royal guard, he is proficient with swords, spears, and boomerangs. Yangus: A former bandit with a rather strange accent. An unexpected turn of events brought you together, and now Yangus treats you as his trusted "guv". He is a physically powerful man who favors axes, clubs, and scythes in combat. Jessica: The only daughter of an aristocratic family from a small village. Something of a tomboy, she is constantly arguing with her mother but is respected by her fellow villagers. She is a budding sorceress who is adept not only at casting combat spells, but at wielding short blades, whips, and staves as well. Angelo: A Templer knight who has sworn an oath to protect his abbey. He seems to be far more dedicated to gambling and beautiful women than to the church though, so he is somewhat scorned by his fellow Templars. Still, he is quite competent with swords, bows, and staves and is capable of casting a variety of recovery spells. Trode: Your odd-looking traveling companion. Despite his outward appearance, he speaks with a royal tone befitting a king. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============/ | (I-E2) Skills | /===============/ A new method of gaining abilities to the Dragon Quest series, the skill point system is a debatable improvement to what Dragon Quest 6 and 7 used (I prefer this method, 6 and 7 were too clunky and user unfriendly). As each character levels up, he or she will start gaining skill points that can be allocated to five different skill areas. Each character has 4 weapon-based areas, and a 5th "general" attribute. The Hero and Yangus will not start gaining skill points until they reach level 4. Jessica and Angelo will start gaining skill points when they level up after joining the party. Although it would be nice, you cannot powerlevel a skill and max out right away. After a point, you will only be able to add 2 points to a skill once it becomes a certain amount. Not until a character reaches level 38 can a skill finally receive 100 points. In order to use a skill, the character must have that weapon type equipped (not that big of a hassle with 12 item slots). Each type of skill area are as follows: Hero Swords Spears Boomerangs Fisticuffs Courage Yangus Axes Clubs Scythes Fisticuffs Humanity Jessica Knives Whips Staves Fisticuffs Sex Appeal Angelo Swords Bows Staves Fisticuffs Charisma Please refer to the Skill List section to see what abilities are learned for each skill, and the number of skill points needed to learn a particular skill. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===================================/ | (I-E3) Churches / Saving the Game | /===================================/ In order to save your game, you must go to a church. Some other people act like a church, however. When you talk to the person, the options to choose from are as follows: Confession (Save): Saves the game. You will be asked which Memory Card you want to save to, and then if you want to keep playing or not. Divination: Find out how many experience points each character needs in order to reach the next level. Resurrection: Bring a fallen party member back to life. The cost relates to the current level of the character. Purification: Unpoisons a character with Poisoned or Envenomated statuses. Benediction: Unequips a cursed item from a party member. Does not destroy the item. Nothing: Cancel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================/ | (I-E4) Day / Night | /====================/ As in Dragon Quest 3-5, time passes in this game. Unlike the earlier games, time passes while outdoors on the overworld and while outdoors in towns. Time also now passes while standing still. Some places are open only during day, some at night. Some people say different things at day than night as well. There is neither a Day/Night spell nor Darkness Lamp in this game to change times. However, you can change time at inns. During daytime, you can select Stay overnight to sleep until the next morning, Rest until evening, or Cancel. During nighttime, you can only choose Stay overnight to sleep until morning or Cancel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================/ | (I-E5) Storing Money | /======================/ In a handful of places, you can deposit your money at the Gold Bank, in 1,000 increments. The point of the Gold Banks are that if your party is defeated in battle, you lose half of the Gold you have. Money stored in Gold Banks is not affected. Speak to the person at the bank, and you can choose to: Deposit Withdrawal Leave ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============/ | (I-E6) Casino | /===============/ A staple of many Dragon Quest games, there are two casinos in Dragon Quest 8. Out of the two casinos are three games you can play: Slot Machines, Bingo, and Roulette. Casinos run on tokens. In order to get tokens (generally), you have to buy them with gold. The only prizes to all three games are tokens, but you can trade in tokens for items in the casinos. Many lucrative prizes can be received from the counter at casinos. Roulette is the fastest way to rake tokens in, but it is not available until much later in the game than Slots and Bingo are. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================/ | (I-E7) Tension | /================/ A new command in battle, the Tension system can change a battle dramatically if used correctly. In a battle, select Psyche Up to build Tension. The first time Tension is built, you gain +5 (to some stat/s) that makes attacks and many skills and spells more effective, in damage/healing/amount. You can keep building Tension. The first buildup is +5, then +20, then +50, and finally +100. +5 through +50 will not fail. +100 has a chance of failing. Just keep trying when it is available, and you will eventually reach it. When +100 is reached, the character's body will glow pink from reaching Super High Tension. +50 is the maximum Tension level at the start of the game. As to when you can get up to Super High Tension, I am not sure. When I initially wrote this, I would stop at +50 until after I got the ship. The time after (during my solo Hero game attempt), Jessica went up to +100 as soon as I got her, at level 9. Yangus was dead, though. The Hero was able to go up to +100 as well. You can lose any built up Tension in various ways. Such ways are: winning a battle (it does not carry over to the next), and being hit by the status ailments of Asleep, Paralysed, Cursed, Dead, being knocked off your feet (usually from a Warcry or leg sweep from an enemy), or when an enemy is 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. Although you may think it due to the sound effect, you *do not* land a critical hit when at +50 or +100. Building up to +50 and then attacking a Metal-family monster can still miss like any regular attack. For the complete list of what spells and skills are affected by Tension, please refer to those lists in the guide. All skills and spells with an asterisk (*) before its name means that it becomes stronger with built-up Tension. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================/ | (I-E8) Status Ailments | /========================/ The bane of probably every RPG, status ailments, are of course present in this game. Here is the list of them, what they do, and what you can cure them with (note that some Accessories can prevent some status ailments): /===========================================================================/ | Asleep: Incapacitates a party member, no action can be done. Removes any | | stored Tension. Eventually wears off during a battle. | | Cures: Wears off after a battle, Greater Panacea, Tingle spell. | /===========================================================================/ /==========================================================================/ | Confused: Character becomes uncontrollable, not knowing friend from foe. | | Can attack party members. Eventually can wear off during a | | battle, or can lead to other status ailments, such as | | Paralysed. | | Cures: Wears off after a battle, physically attacked in battle, | | Greater Panacea. | /==========================================================================/ /==========================================================================/ | Paralysed: Character is unable to act, no action can be done. Removes | | any stored Tension. If all living party members are | | paralyzed, you will *not* get an instant game over, like in | | previous games. Eventually wears off during battle. | | Cures: Wears off after a battle, Moonwort Bulb, Rose-Wort, Moon's Mercy, | | Lesser Panacea, Greater Panacea. | /==========================================================================/ /=========================================================================/ | Dazzle: Character is temporarily blinded, and has a hard time hitting a | | target with attacks. Eventually wears off during battle. | | Cures: Wears off after a battle, Greater Panacea. | /=========================================================================/ /==========================================================================/ | Fizzle: Character has been silenced, and cannot cast spells. Eventually | | wears off during battle. | | Cures: Wears off after a battle, Greater Panacea. | /==========================================================================/ /===========================================================================/ | Poisoned: Character receives damage while walking around outside of | | battle. Does not wear off. | | Cures: Antidotal Herb, Strong Antidote, Special Antidote, Lesser Panacea, | | Greater Panacea, Squelch spell, Purification from a church. | /===========================================================================/ /===========================================================================/ | Envenomated: Character receives damage while walking around outside of | | battle, and receives damage after each round in battle. | | Very dangerous. Does not wear off. | | Cures: Antidotal Herb, Strong Antidote, Special Antidote, Lesser Panacea, | | Greater Panacea, Squelch spell, Purification from a church. | /===========================================================================/ /==============================================================/ | Cursed: Character loses a turn. Removes any stored Tension. | | Cures: Wears off after a lost turn, Greater Panacea. | /==============================================================/ Note: there is a different "Cursed" ailment, which is received from equipping certain equipment. The only way to remove it is by going to a church and paying for Benediction. The Hero cannot be cursed in this way. /========================================================================/ | Dead: Character has 0HP, and is "dead". Cannot do anything in battle. | | Does not wear off. | | Cures: Yggdrasil Leaf, Angel Cheese, Zing spell (50% chance), | | Kazing spell (100% chance), use of the Staff of Resurrection, | | Kerplunk spell, Resurrection from a church. | /========================================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================/ | Part II-Walkthrough | /=====================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================================================================/ | (II-A) The Journey Begins | /----------------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary | | | | 1-Fight Slimes while taking a break, then head to Farebury and | | meet Kalderasha and his daughter Valentina to learn of your | | next destination. | | 2-Explore around the Farebury area for some helpful items. | | 3-Enter the Waterfall Cave and beat the boss. | | 4-Return to Farebury and head off for the next destination. | /================================================================/ After naming the Hero and watching the new intro added to the game, the game will start with the current party: you, Yangus, and Trode are taking a rest, and your pet mouse, Munchie, is seen running through the grass and back to your pocket. Yangus calls out to you, so get up. You can pick up the barrels near you with the X or L3 button, then throw them with another press. Nothing is in these barrels, but remember that you can break them when you get to town. Talk to Yangus (either get up to him and hit the X or L3 button). After Yangus and Trode have a 'friendly' conversation, Trode asks if you have seen the princess, and you are attacked! Let's fight. If you don't know what the commands are, please refer to the 'Battle Commands' portion of Section I. First off, Yangus is set to manual control by default in this version. You do not have to, but in every Dragon Quest game I have played since AI was introduced, it has annoyed me. Even in games after Dragon Quest 4, where the AI is supposedly "good", it still pisses me off. Manual all the way for me. The Hero is always controlled manually, but the other characters are selectable in their control. If you want to switch another character's tactics, choose Tactics and then either option (you are choosing between 'Yangus' and 'all' with those options. Afterward, fight and kill the lovable Slimes. One should drop a chest, containing a Medicinal Herb. A white horse will walk by, Princess Medea, and Trode is relieved and hugs her. Before thinking bad thoughts, just go with it for now. The title sequence will start as the party walks to Farebury. Trode smiles at townspeople as he walks by, but does not get one returned. /======================================================================/ | (II-A1) Farebury | | My level: 1 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $3 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 28 + 1 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Cypress Stick $10 | | Oaken Club $110 | | Giant Mallet $240 | | Copper Sword $270 | | Boomerang $420 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Bandit's Grass Skirt $35 | | Wayfarer's Clothes $70 | | Leather Armour $180 | | Leather Shield $70 | | Leather Hat $65 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (guy in orange turban) | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Plain Clothes $30 | /======================================================================/ Upon entering Farebury, Trode wants to find a man by the name of Master Rylus about breaking the curse on him and Medea, who was preparing to marry the Prince of Argonia, until Dhoulmagus appeared and cursed them. Trode will then ask if you will go and find Master Rylus. It doesn't matter how you answer. Now you can move about town, and Yangus goes with you. Let's snoop around town and see what free stuff there is to find first! Walk over to the side of the item shops on the ground floor. You should see two pots. Walk over to them and press the X or L3 button to pick one up, then press X or L3 again to smash it. Nothing is in these pots, but now that smashing pots is easy, let's actually find some items. Still on the ground floor, walk past Trode and to the building that recently burned down. Next to the inn are two barrels. Break the one at the corner and you will find 4 gold inside! The other one has nothing. Enter the inn. Ignore the pots in the corner, and go upstairs. Once upstairs, you should find some goodies. Open the cupboard in the corner (press X or L3 when up to it), and you will find Holy Water. Open the next one to score Plain Clothes. Inside the chest is a handy Chimaera Wing. In the cupboard to the left of the chest should be a Cypress Stick. Search the bags on the side of the room opposite the chest, and you should snag an Antidotal Herb and a Medicinal Herb. Now exit the inn. Across from the inn is the armour shop, but don't buy anything there yet. Instead, follow the walls of the inn to find another door to enter it. Behind the counter, sift through the bag on the wall to find 3 gold. Exit the inn again and enter the house to the left of the armour shop. In here, open the dresser in the corner to find another Antidotal Herb, then break the barrel in the corner for 5 gold. Now leave the house, turn right, and climb the stairs to the second floor of town past the lady in the red dress. On the second floor, go straight ahead first and around the corner of the building. Break the pot to find another Medicinal Herb. Now go back to the stairs and take a left until you see three barrels against a wall. Break the first one to receive 2 gold, and the second one for yet another Medicinal Herb. Now turn around, and go around the corner of the building and enter the door. Inside the house, go straight across to the bedroom and open the dressers on the left wall. The first one should have 20 gold (nice)! No more items in here, so leave the house and turn right, then go left between the next two buildings, and enter the red door on the left to enter the tavern. Inside the tavern, the music playing should sound familiar to anyone who has played the remake of Dragon Quest 3 (on the Super Famicom and the Game Boy Color). Look to the upper-right and you should see three barrels. The third one has an Antidotal Herb inside. Walk up to the bar, and a cutscene should start. Kalderasha will be drinking away his sorrows..about Master Rylus! After the cutscene, talk to Kalderasha. Another cutscene will start, with a townsperson running in and telling everyone that a monster is in town. Exit the bar, turn left, then go around the left corner, and enter the door ahead. Once again in the tavern, break open the barrels you see behind the counter. The one in the corner has 10 gold inside. Exit the bar again, and walk straight ahead until you spot a door on your right, and enter. Go forward to the two pots past the sink. The one nearest to the corner has 8 gold inside. In the bedroom, search the cupboard away from the corner and pocket more Plain Clothes, then leave the house. Turn to the right, then left at the building. You should see a well and the door to the house is locked. Remember where this house is, and go down the well (hit X or L3 when up to it). In the well is a chest with a free Leather Shield! Equip it on the Hero. If you aren't sure how to, note that most items (except healing Herbs) go into the Item Bag when you find them. To find and equip the Leather Shield, press the circle button, select Items, then go down to the Item Bag. Choose View Bag's Contents and move the cursor to the Leather Shield, hit circle or X, choose Transfer, then select to give the item to the Hero and choose a blank spot. Finally, the game will ask if you want to equip it now, so pick Yes, and voila. Now leave the well, turn to the right, and go between the wall and building. To your left is the town church. Before entering, walk around the right side of it and to the back. Bust open the pot in the corner to receive a Seed of Defence. Save this item for later. Enter the church and walk to the door in the upper-right area. Walk around to the right and break the pot you find to nab another Medicinal Herb. Turn around, then enter the door ahead. Ignore the pots, and open the dresser. Inside is a Pot Lid. Equip Yangus with it. Don't bother with the treasure chest right now, it is locked. If you go up the stairs and to the top of the church, there is a paper laying on the ground, the Thief's Key Recipe. If you read it, you will receive the first of many recipes in this game for the Alchemy Pot. Since this guide has all of the recipes anyway, and the Thief's Key Recipe does not count as an item in the town, this (and all other recipes) is not a necessary object to get. I do not think you have to talk to the guy that places recipes in a couple of other areas, either; I found them anyway. You definitely *do not* have to pay him in order for the recipes to show up. They will show up later on by themselves for free. Save your gold. Leave the church via the front door. Run through the 'tunnel' or to the opposite end of town (past the conveniently placed man in purple that is blocking the center stairs), and go back to the ground floor of town to see what all the monster brouhaha is about. Once on the ground, run into the tunnel to where the item shops are. Another cutscene starts, with townspeople throwing rocks at the 'monster', Trode. After a few rocks are thrown, the horse stands between Trode and the confused townspeople. The party will then leave town with jeers from the citizens. Outside, Trode asks if you saw Master Rylus. Answer any way you like. Trode is shocked to find out that Master Rylus is dead, killed by Dhoulmagus. Just as the party is about to leave, a young girl's voice asks you to wait. She talks about seeing a dream of monsters in town, then introduces herself as Kalderasha's daughter, Valentina. After inviting you to her house (the one by the well that was locked), she departs. Back in town, go to her house. Before waking Valentina up, sneak around for items. Downstairs in the dining room, open the cupboard on the right for 4 gold. Break the pot to the left of the sink and take the Medicinal Herb. Smash the barrel in the corner for 7 gold. Now speak to Valentina. Valentina will ask if you will help get her stolen Crystal Ball back. Tell her to start the story from the beginning, then her father will walk in, then go upstairs. She will then ask if you will find a real Crystal Ball for Kalderasha. Answer Yes. The Crystal Ball is in a cave to the south, behind a waterfall. Now leave, go to the church, and save (select the top option). Since it is nighttime, speak to the nun to save at this church (during the day, talk to the priest), then leave town via the back door (by the inn). Before heading out, you should have found 25 (the Thief's Key Recipe does not count) of the 28 items in Farebury. If you have, you should have these items in your inventory, (not counting the Hero and Yangus's initial equipment) and 116 Gold: Medicinal Herb x6 Antidotal Herb x3 Seed of Defence x1 Holy Water x1 Chimaera Wing x1 Cypress Stick x1 Plain Clothes x2 Pot Lid x1 Leather Shield x1 If you have all of these, you have cleaned up Farebury as much as you can up to this point. Make sure the Leather Shield is equipped to the Hero and that Yangus has the Pot Lid equipped, then leave Farebury from the back, next to the inn. After you exit town, Trode will tell the Hero and Yangus to stay at the Inn. It is free this time. In town during the day, you can go to the weapon shop in Farebury. If you are going to use spears for the Hero, buy one more Cypress Stick and sell the two Plain Clothes. See that Boomerang being sold for 420 gold? That's the next item to buy. Don't worry, it will not take as long as you think to get that much money. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================/ | (II-A2) Preparing for the Waterfall Cave | | My level: 1 | /==========================================/ Monsters found in this region: #001 Slime #002 Candy Cat #003 Lips #004 Dracky #005 Satyr #006 Capsichum #007 Bunicorn #009 Firespirit #012 Bubble Slime #013 Dancing Devil Welcome to the overworld! You do not have a map yet, so try not to get lost. Hopefully my directions will keep you on track. Your first destination is the Waterfall Cave, but let's wait and find some goodies and buy that Boomerang first. For now, turn right and walk north along the right mountain path. Very shortly, you will see a green dinosaur holding an axe standing around. Do not approach him at this time, he will destroy you. Keep running along the right wall (the green dinosaur guy will start running towards you when you get close enough, don't let him catch you!) until you see a chest. Open it and take the Seed of Life. Save this for later and run back to town while avoiding the visible monster. After a certain distance it will go away. Fight around town until Yangus and the Hero reach level 2. Use Medicinal Herbs or stay at the inn if you get really injured. Once you are level 2, head west from Farebury, running down the road. A fork in the road leads to the right, which is where the party took a rest at the beginning of the game. Keep going ahead, past that area. When the road starts curving to the south (watch your compass), keep running straight ahead off the road. Behind a tree should be another treasure chest, this one holds Boxer Shorts, armour for Yangus to equip. Now either run back to Farebury, or if you are in dire health, use that Chimaera Wing to warp back. When the Hero reaches level 3, he should learn the Heal spell, which will help. Reach level 3, stay at the inn, either sell Yangus's old armour (or keep it later for a mix, but you will get another one later), save your game at the church, then exit Farebury from the front. Head towards the Waterfall Cave by simply following the road. When you hit a T-intersection, you should see the waterfall straight ahead. Don't enter the Waterfall Cave yet when you get to it. Instead, go around the western side (avoid the Slime Knight, a little knight riding a green slime) of it to the back of the waterfall, and you should see a road going to the top. Run up there and enter the house. Inside, peek through the bags hanging on the wall. One should have a Seed of Agility, and the other some Holy Water in them. Save the Seed of Agility for Yangus when you are at a save. Speak to the man, and he will ask if you can do a favor for him. Answer with Yes, and he will then ask you to find a bag of his, which is lying under a red tree. Let's fetch this item for him. Leave his house and face east. You should see the red tree in the distance. To get to the red tree, head back to Farebury and go east, then south through the forest, and finally east again at the road. You may spot a treasure chest while walking south, but you cannot open it yet. Don't worry about it until later. You will then be able to get to the tree and you'll find the Tool Bag under the red tree. Before running back to the house on top of the Waterfall Cave, go south- southeast of the red tree and open the treasure chest waiting there, with 82 gold inside. Now head back to the man's house. You should be reaching level 4 by now (or already), and the Hero and Yangus will start getting skill points when they level up. You can build up points however you wish, but I build my characters a certain way that fits my play style, after about five playthroughs of the game. Choose to level up your skills however you wish (refer to the Skills List section to look over what skills you learn). I build up the Hero's boomerangs and the axes skill for Yangus. For the Hero, I give skill points to boomerangs until he learns the Power Throw ability at 18 skill points, and for Yangus I use axes until the level cap starts kicking in (around level 14). Swords aren't that great for the Hero in my opinion, and I use spears against bosses and that's it. Boomerangs are my main weapon for the Hero, so it gets priority first in building up skill points. After learning Power Throw, I tend to get the spear skills out of the way, learning these abilities: 3 skill points: Attack +5 when equipped with a spear 7 skill points: Mercurial Thrust 12 skill points: Thunder Thrust 18 skill points: Attack +10 when equipped with a spear 25 skill points: Multithrust Multithrust is what I tend to use against bosses with the Hero. If you would rather use something else, or another skillset, go ahead. As for Yangus, his club skills are more or less useless. Not many of his scythe ones are very helpful either. His axe ones, such as the Hatchet Man and Executioner (for killing Metal monsters), Helm Splitter (attacks an enemy and reduces its Defence by half), and Axes of Evil (0MP group-hitting attack) get used infinitely more often than his club and scythe skills. Right before Axes of Evil is learnable, the level cap kicks in. I give him 2 points towards axes at each level, then I give the extra skill points to Humanity. With 4 skill points, he will learn Whistle, which instantly puts you into a fight. At 10 skill points, he learns the Heal spell. At 16 skill points, he learns Nose for Treasure. Nose for Treasure tells you how many items are in an area, but if you are using this guide then you don't really need that ability for now. The choice is yours. Back at the man's house, speak to him and he will notice Munchie, and give you eight pieces of Plain Cheese for finding his bag. These sell for 25 gold apiece, which right now is worth more than the item's effect in battle (Munchie spews fire, which does less than 10 damage to enemies). In fact, none of the cheeses are useful as items, in my experiences. Only two kinds I bother with in this guide, and that is to make a weapon that you may not even want to make nor need, and the other is to sell for money. If someone knows some super, extremely helpful use to any of the cheeses, then by all means e-mail me, and I will praise cheeses in this game. Until then, they are not useful items nor worth the mixing time. Run to Farebury and sell the eight pieces of Plain Cheese. You should have enough gold to buy a Boomerang (420 gold) now. Do so and sell the Hero's Soldier's Sword, as you will get a free Copper Sword in the Waterfall Cave. Walk outside and try out your Boomerang until the Hero and Yangus reach level 5, then buy about 7 Medicinal Herbs for Yangus, 4 for the Hero, and try to have about 5 Antidotal Herbs in the bag. After saving the game, use that Seed of Agility on Yangus. Save again if he gets a 2 point bonus, reset if he gets only 1. Yes, it takes awhile to start the game back up again when resetting the PS2 (quick reset would have been nice), but getting the most out of seeds is worth the time. I have never gotten a 3 point bonus from Seeds of Strength, Defence, and Agility, only 1 or 2. So if it is possible, that would be best to go for, but considering that I have gone through this game nine times and have never gotten a 3 point bonus for those seeds ever, it likely is not worth the time trying to get the 3 point bonus for each of those seeds along with the Seed of Wisdom (which I have gotten a 3 point bonus from...twice). Now it is time to enter the Waterfall Cave! You should know how to get there by now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /============================/ | (II-A3) The Waterfall Cave | | My level: 5 | /============================/ Monsters found in this cave: #001 Slime #004 Dracky #009 Firespirit #010 Mischievous Mole #011 Mecha-Mynah #012 Bubble Slime #013 Dancing Devil #015 Skipper Optional: #022 Hammerhood Boss: #261 Geyzer Level 1-Upon entering, there is only one way to go at first, so head forward until you see a treasure chest and open it. Now you have the map. Press the square button to view it. Please note that this (and most caves in the game) do not follow the compass very well (such as 'up' not really being 'north'), so I will refrain from using cardinal directions for the caves that do not go with the compass. From the chest with the map inside, turn to the right and run over to the three chests you should see. The far right one has a Chimaera Wing inside. The two on the left hold a Medicinal Herb and a Leather Hat inside them. Since Yangus already starts with one, equip it onto the Hero and put his Bandana in the bag. Look at your map and head for the stairs going down. Level 2-Follow the path through the large center room and talk to the sleeping monster. You must answer his question with Yes to move on. If you talk to him again, and answer with Yes again, you can fight him. You do not have to if you don't want. You'll get 22 experience points for beating him (you can only fight him once), which can help you get to level 6 before the boss of the dungeon. Either way, once you reach a T-intersection, head left first (towards the arrow on the map, instead of the downward staircase). Talk to the Slime hopping about if you want; you won't fight it. At the end of the tunnel, you will be on Level 1 again. Level 1-Open the chest containing a Copper Sword. Put it in the Hero's inventory, then walk back to Level 2. Level 2-Walk past the Slime and take a left at the T-intersection going to the downward stairs and take them down to Level 3. Level 3-Hear the eerie music change? This means you are on the bottom/boss floor of the dungeon. Walk up to the Crystal Ball, heal up, then hit the X or L3 button. Try to take it, then answer Yes to the monster's question. It's time to fight a boss! ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, raises a Cursed Mist to | | make characters lose their turn, | | claw attack, casts Sizz | /==================================================/ This guy isn't too tough, but he can be if you are unprepared or just unlucky. His Cursed Mist attack is used on both the Hero and Yangus. The Hero won't get cursed though, only Yangus can, so use this to your advantage. His Sizz spell can do about 15 damage to both party members, so you will want to heal whenever either character falls or is about to fall under 20HP. First off, equip the Copper Sword to the Hero. Boomerangs and other group/all enemy-hitting weapons cannot do critical hits, which are helpful. Try out the Psyche Up command for the Hero, and attack with Yangus until either character falls below 20HP. Using Psyche Up to build Tension in this fight with Yangus can be a waste of time, since if he is cursed with the Cursed Mist, he loses all built-up Tension. Because of this, use Yangus to attack and heal with Medicinal Herbs. After 3 uses of Psyche Up without attacking, defending, or using a spell/ability that can use Tension, the Hero will have 50 Tension. Right now, this is the maximum, so attack Geyzer with the Hero when you have 50. If you must heal with both characters, have the Hero use a Medicinal Herb instead of the Heal spell (it uses Tension to heal more HP, while using items never uses up Tension). Getting to 50 Tension and attacking with the Hero twice, and a couple more attacks (or another buildup of 50) should be enough to do Geyzer in and win the battle. Geyzer has about 180 HP (I beat him at 192, doing 11 on the last hit). Geyzer will give you 107 experience points, 108 gold, and drop a Seed of Strength. After beating him, Geyzer will look into your past, and see the thorns surrounding Trodain.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Take the Crystal Ball, save the Seed of Strength, and either walk out of the cave or have the Hero cast the Evac spell (learned when he reaches level 6), then head back to Valentina's house in Farebury. Remember to re-equip your Boomerang! Also put excess Medicinal Herbs (I usually keep 2 or 3 in each character's inventory early in the game) into the bag. Back at the house, walk up to Kalderasha, then after the conversation with his daughter and waking up, run downstairs. He will look into the Crystal Ball and see a man at a gate south of town. The same man that killed Master Rylus, Dhoulmagus. Now you know your next destination...south! Save your game at the church. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=================================================/ | (II-B) The Plight of the Sexy Redhead | /-------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary | | | | 1-Travel to Alexandria and get Bangerz to join. | | 2-Enter the Tower of Alexandra, reach the top | | and meet Jessica. | | 3-Return to Alexandria to see Jessica leave | | town. | | 4-Go to Port Prospect and help Jessica out. | | 5-Sail to Peregrin Quay, get the Alchemy Pot | | and Jessica as a party member. | | 6-Start mixing items in the Alchemy Pot and use | | the Thief's Key. | /=================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #014 Bodkin Archer #015 Skipper #016 Drackmage #017 Beetleboy #019 Funghoul #020 Fencing Fox #022 Hammerhood Exit Farebury via the front door, where Trode is waiting. After he finds out it was Dhoulmagus that did Master Rylus in, you are free to move about. Head south along the road and take a left at the T-intersection. Follow this road and before the red tree, then take a right onto another road. You will reach the southern gate Dhoulmagus was seen at. Those pesky guards that won't let you pass are now mysteriously gone. Maybe Dhoulmagus isn't all that bad! Cross through the gate, and then turn right (west on the compass) and open the treasure chest on the hill. Equip the Slime Earrings to either character. Then simply follow the road east and you will see the village of Alexandria on your left. Enter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | (II-B1) Alexandria | | My level: 7 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $4 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 11 + 2 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Oaken Club $110 | | Giant Mallet $240 | | Copper Sword $270 | | Boomerang $420 | | Stone Axe $550 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Leather Kilt $220 | | Scale Armour $350 | | Scale Shield $180 | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | /======================================================================/ Upon entering the village, two little kids will run up and attack you. Unfortunately before you can show them who's boss, an old lady bops Bangerz and Mash on the head and tells them to run off, then apologizes. Enter the house on your right and break the pot next to the sink to find a Medicinal Herb. Search the dresser away from the corner and stealthfully pocket the 11 gold you find, then run out of the house and past the pond to the inn (if you need to stay), or to the pots laying beside the house next to the inn. In the pot away from the corner is a free Holy Water. Now enter the house. Open the dresser on your right and take the Chimaera Wing found inside. That's all that is in this house, so leave and go to the big house straight ahead. You can't enter at night, so stay at the inn if you have to. In this big house, take the first door on the left of the ground floor, ignore the door in front of you, and take the next door on your left down the hall, into the kitchen. Break the pot in the corner for 5 gold, and the one next to it for some Plain Cheese. Now leave the kitchen as if nothing happened, then go to the entryway and up to the second floor. On the second floor, take a left and enter the door. Investigate the cupboard in the corner on your right for some free Wayfarer's Clothes. If the Hero still has Plain Clothes as his armour, then equip the Wayfarer's Clothes instead. Now go up the stairs in this room up to the attic. Bust open the barrel in the corner by the orange maid to snag a Seed of Magic, and then the barrels along the wall. You should find 18 gold, a Moonwort Bulb, and a mouse hole. Walk up to the mouse hole and press X or L3. You will be asked if you want to let Munchie enter. Answer Yes, and let the antics begin. With Munchie, run down the stairs and towards the chair with the pink back on the right. Run up the broom, say hi to the grey mouse, and press the X or L3 button when Munchie is next to/on top of the note on the desk. Take Jessica's Letter, then head back up to the mouse hole (run up the wooden sides of the stairs to get back up top). The Hero will read Jessica's Letter. It more or less is Jessica apologizing to her mother that she has to leave and find her brother's killer. Now leave the attic and talk to Bangerz (the one with the actual helmet) on your right. Speak to him again and say that you will read the letter to him. Bangerz does not believe that Jessica wrote it, then asks if you are telling the truth, and swing open the door to her room and see that she is not in there. Now Bangerz will say that she must have gone to the eastern tower, and if he can go with you. You must answer with Yes, or he will simply beg you over and over to take him with you. After doing so, he will join the party! Bangerz isn't usable at all, though. Now leave the house and head over to the weapon/armour shops in town. If you are going to use hammers for Yangus, you might as well buy a Giant Mallet. Since I'm using axes, it is time to buy a Stone Axe. If you can afford it, buy a suit of Scale Armour for the Hero. Also if you can afford it, buy a Scale Shield for Yangus. If you can't afford them, leave town and fight around. Both will be helpful for the next few places you are going to travel to. If you need to sell items, be careful and do not sell things that you might want to mix later (Cypress Sticks for spears, the Hero's Bandana, stat-increasing seeds). Yangus's Oaken Club should be fine and it fetches 55 gold. Once you have a suit of Scale Armour for the Hero and a Scale Shield for Yangus, make your way toward the tower east of Alexandria. Skip the visible monster you should see on your left during the trip, but go north from it. Near the top-right corner by a tree is a treasure chest with 100 gold inside. Open the chest, then go to the tower (or go back to Alexandria if that 100 will help you buy something). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /============================/ | (II-B2) Tower of Alexandra | | My level: 7 | /============================/ Monsters found in this tower: #012 Bubble Slime #016 Drackmage #017 Beetleboy #018 Imp #019 Funghoul #021 Healslime #024 Frogface Watch out for the Frogface enemies. At low levels, they can be dangerous if encountered in large groups, due to the demonic face on their backs, which alternate with the front with every hit done to them. The easiest way to to take care of these when the party is weak is to build the Hero's Tension up to 20 (or 50 if you want to be really safe), then attacking with the Boomerang and have Yangus attack the farthest right one. If there are small groups of them only, you can switch the Hero's weapon to the Copper Sword, then have both characters attack and kill the same enemy each turn instead. Also watch out for Imps, their Cool Breath can do 15+ damage to both party members. Upon entering the tower, when you reach the door, Bangerz will have you try to open the door. It won't budge. He will show you the trick to getting into the tower, then run home. Run through and up the stairs. Outer Area: Turn left and enter the wooden double door (the small door to the right is locked at first). Level 1: In this room, go down the stairs and to the door. Outer Area: Walk up to the chest and take the map, then follow the right wall of the tower to a set of stairs, and go through the smaller door ahead and to the right. Level 2: Walk up to the door and press X or L3 to unlock this door. Now go to the downward ladder and climb to the bottom. Level 1: Down here are some goodies. Open the chest to receive a Seed of Agility, a Moonwort Bulb from a barrel, 11 gold from a barrel, 22 gold from the pot, and a Medicinal Herb from the barrel in the corner. Climb up the ladder and take the ladder going up to the next floor. Level 3: Only one way to go right now, enter the door. Outer Area: Go to the door across the walkway. You can fall off the sides if you aren't careful. If you do, you'll just have to make your way back up here. Level 3: Walk up to either of the faces with blue eyes on the wall, and push X or L3 to activate the rotating wall. Then head up the stairs to Level 4. Level 4: Use the rotating wall to your left, then face right and break open the pots there. The one in the corner hides a Seed of Strength inside. The other pot has 7 gold in it. Now use the same rotating floor (the stairs lead to a dead end), then the one on the other wall, and the next one on the left from there. Turn to the left and break the barrel away from the corner to find a Medicinal Herb. Now take the stairs going to Level 5. Level 5: Either walk to the stairs, or use the rotating wall (they are fun at airports!) and take the stairs going up to Level 6. Level 6: Follow the pathway and use the rotating floor at the top of the room. On the left side is a pot with an Antidotal Herb inside, and the chest on the right contains a Scale Shield to give to the Hero. Then use the rotating floor and continue along the path to the left to another staircase. Level 7: Walk up to the statue, then Jessica will appear. Hellooo nurse! Oops, she mistakes you for her brother's killer, and tries to roast you! The statue will tell her to wait and show what really happened. Jessica's brother, Alistair, visits the statue, and is greeted by Dhoulmagus. He tries to pull out his sword but is unable to, as Dhoulmagus paralyzes Alistair's entire body, then approaches him. Dhoulmagus walks up to the helpless Alistair and promptly impales him with his sceptre. Jessica is overtaken by grief; talking to her won't bring her out of it. Walk towards the stairs to Level 6, and Jessica will apologize for her actions. Go ahead and cast Evac or leave the tower. Return to Alexandria, rest at the inn, and go into the big house in town. In Jessica's house, go upstairs and you will see Jessica getting into an argument with her mother, Rosalind. Despite her mother's wishes, Jessica changes into her adventuring clothes and starts her search to avenge her brother's murder. She says her goodbyes to Bangerz and Mash, then leaves. Before you leave, enter her room and be a pervert. Check her dresser upstairs and steal the clothes she was wearing when you first met, Jessica's Outfit. Save the game at the church and leave town with your head held high, proud of your prize! Monsters found in this region: #014 Bodkin Archer #016 Drackmage #017 Beetleboy #019 Funghoul #020 Fencing Fox #022 Hammerhood #023 Jailcat #024 Frogface #027 Spiked Hare #237 See Urchin #238 Man o' War #239 Yabby Ever wonder what contraption Trode is working on sometimes when you stay at an inn? You are about to find out very soon. Be careful making your way to Port Prospect, some of the monsters around here can be pretty tough. Fight your way through; the money will be useful quickly, and the boss coming up can be tough under level 11 or 12. Leave Alexandria and make your way towards the tower. Just before reaching the tower, the road branches off to the south. Take the southern road until you can see the beach, and wander off onto the western end of the beach. Skip the visible Healslime for now and open the chest northwest of it. Save the Seed of Strength for later, then make your way north back onto the main road and continue west. Just follow the road and you will reach Port Prospect. Once you see the stone arches leading to the entrance, head to the southern mountain going southeast. You should find a treasure chest containing a Seed of Life just east of Port Prospect. After opening the chest, make your way into Port Prospect. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | (II-B3) Port Prospect | | My level: 10 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $5 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 14 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon and Armour Shop | | | | Stone Axe $550 | | Iron Lance $750 | | Farmer's Scythe $910 | | Leather Kilt $220 | | Scale Armour $350 | | Scale Shield $180 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | /======================================================================/ Monsters found: Boss: #262 Khalamari Right now, you can only get 5 of the items in this town; the other 6 are not available until after you beat the next boss. So for the time being, hug the left wall and break the barrels and pots you should see. You'll find these items there: a Medicinal Herb, a Chimaera Wing, and a Seed of Wisdom. Enter the inn and you will find Holy Water in a cupboard. From the inn, walk straight past the shops and break the barrels next to the fortune teller-looking woman. She can tell you how many skill points a character needs in order to learn his or her next ability. One barrel near her has 17 gold inside. Check out the shops. Not much is new, but buy two Scale Shields, as they will come into use soon. Only buy one if you are not going to use whips for Jessica. If you can afford it, buy a Farmer's Scythe and stick it in the bag for later. If you can't afford it, remember to come back here when you do have the 910 gold needed to buy one (only buy one if you are going to use axes. You will get a free Farmer's Scythe a little later in the game, so save your money if you are not using axes). There is a woman outside by the wharf that sells herbs for 10 gold each. She can sell a few different kinds. I've gotten 3 or 4 kinds, but do not know what other kinds she can sell. As Adam G. (HugDaddy) sent in an e-mail, she can sell Medicinal Herbs, Antidotal Herbs, and Moonwort Bulbs. I believe she sold me a Special Antidote, but it could have been a Strong Antidote. I am not sure what all she sells, so the woman is not listed in the Appendix section as a place to buy said Herbs. All that is left to do in town now is fight a boss, but at levels lower than 11 or 12 it can be extremely tough. If you think you have the mettle, save your game then walk down to the wharf, talk to Jessica a few times, answering Yes to the questions asked, and get ready to fight. If you can't beat the boss, then reset and level up the Hero and Yangus to 11 or 12, then return to the wharf. Once you think you are ready, put the Copper Sword in the bag and fill up both the Hero and Yangus's inventory with Medicinal Herbs, rest at the inn (if you aren't at max HP and MP), save, then walk down to the wharf and enter. Past the stairs going to the roof, you will see Jessica trying to take a ship south, but the man in the way says no ships can go out. It seems that whenever a ship leaves, a monster appears and attacks. Jessica will then spot you as a solution to her (and your) problem. Bringing you along, she asks the man if the monster is defeated while sailing, if they can go. The man acknowledges that as a solution, and then Jessica asks you if you are willing to do so. Reply with Yes then speak to her again and answer Yes to set sail. Shortly after the ship embarks, out comes a giant octopus, Khalamari. After talking to himself, he attacks! ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /===========================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, spews Flame-Breath at the party, | | mows down the party | /===========================================================/ Be very careful in this fight, Khalamari is a tough boss, especially for this early into the game. His Flame-Breath can do more than 30 damage to both the Hero and Yangus, his regular attack can do over 20, and his mow down attack hits both the Hero and Yangus for a little under 20 damage. My strategy to beat Khalamari involves building up Tension at the start, and healing either character before falling under 25 or 30 HP with Medicinal Herbs. Alternate between the Hero and Yangus, until a character reaches 50 Tension, then attack with the Hero and use Helm Splitter with Yangus or Hatchet Man if you are feeling lucky. After unleashing an attack, use the Heal spell to conserve some Medicinal Herbs. After the initial attacks, you can either repeat the tactic or have one character build up Tension to 50 again to attack while the other simply heals or builds up 5 Tension and casts the Heal spell when it is needed, and attacking during the rare rounds that both characters are healthy (over 40HP). Three or four attacks with 50 Tension will do the boss in. Khalamari has about 375 HP (I beat him at 377, doing 25 on the last hit). Beating Khalamari nets you 311 experience points, 230 gold, as well as a dropped Gold Bracer. Keep this item, as it can be used for some mixes. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Impressed by your strength, Jessica Albert introduces herself (little does she know that the Hero and Yangus know more about her than she thinks). She then asks you to introduce yourself, and Yangus does the talking. He is Yangus, you are his 'guv'. Jessica then thanks you for stopping the monster, and now she can go hunt Dhoulmagus down, and will talk to you later. As the ship lands at its destination, talk to Jessica and answer her question with Yes. She will see that you also are after Dhoulmagus, then asks if she can join the party. Answer with Yes and she will join the party as the third member. Afterward, Jessica will ask again that you are Yangus's governor? Yangus will then tell the story of how you both met. A few days ago, while the Hero and Trode were travelling eastward to Farebury, Yangus meets them at a bridge and to leave. Trode has some choice words to say, and they bicker back and forth, until Yangus lunges at you with his axe. And hits the wooden bridge.. A plank falls out from under him, and you and Trode use him to cross over. As the bridge is collapsing, the Hero helps Yangus up. Gracious towards the Hero helping him up, Yangus then calls him 'guvnor' and to always be there to return the favor. Trode doesn't see the point, and he bickers with Yangus some more. Back on the ship, Jessica asks if she should call you 'guv' as well. Reply with yes or no, and she will laugh, saying Dhoulmagus is somewhere to the south, then say no more. Enter the door going into the ship, and look to your left. Break the barrel and take the Pot Lid, then walk behind the wagon. In the barrels and pots you should find these items: Medicinal Herb, Seed of Life, and a Seed of Agility. In the next corner, you will find an Antidotal Herb inside a barrel. In the last corner, you'll find 12 gold and a Medicinal Herb in those pots. Now head downstairs. On the lower floor, turn left and break open the pot for 10 gold. Then enter the door, open the chest with a Bronze Knife inside, then talk to Trode. Finally, his contraption is finished, the Alchemy Pot! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================/ | (II-B4) The Alchemy Pot | /=========================/ What this item does is it lets you mix two items and make something new. Not just anything can be thrown in, however. Many mixes also require three items to be thrown in, and the Alchemy Pot can only hold two maximum for now. Please refer to the Alchemy Pot Mixes List section to see all of the combinations. In the guide itself I will share the mixes I make, why, how, and when I make them. If you are going to play with different weapons than I do, then please check items you get and buy, and whether or not they can be mixed into something else. I'll do my best to include equipment from all angles of playing the game, not just what I do. To access the Alchemy Pot, press the circle button, select Misc., and finally Alchemy Pot. You can then choose to throw items in from your inventory or the item bag. Equipped items cannot be thrown in, unequip them first. Confirm the items to be put into the Alchemy Pot with the X or L3 button. Pressing the circle button will let you sift through your list of recipes. Pressing the triangle button will take an item out of the Alchemy Pot. After selecting the ingredients, press the square button to start the mix. If a mix is a dud, the items will pop right back out and you will get them back (into the first character's inventory with free space). If a mix will make something, the pot will start to make noises and bounce around. In order to have a mix finish, you cannot just stand around and wait, you have to be moving around. After a certain distance walked, the Alchemy Pot will make a 'ding' sound similar to a microwave. Some important things to note about the Alchemy Pot: 1-If you go to the Alchemy Pot and the mix is not finished, you will be asked if you want to remove the items currently in there. Choose Yes to cancel the mix and get the items back. Choose No to keep the mix going. The pointer's default is at No. 2-If you do remove the items, any mix you do after will start from the beginning. If you put two items in, decide to take them out, then realize you messed up and throw the items back in, the mix starts all over. 3-Once a mix is finished (signified by the 'ding'), you cannot choose to get the original items back. You have the refined item. You can hit reset, though, if you saved before the mix was finished. 4-You have to walk or run around to progress a mix. Where you run, however, does not matter. You can progress a mix while going on with the game, run in circles in town if you want, hold up on the analog (or get something for it to rest on), or run in place until the item finishes and mix something else after. 5-Mixes take different lengths of time to finish. The more the Alchemy Pot is bouncing around and making bubbling sounds, the closer it is to being done. Some mixes can take up to 15 minutes of running to complete. 6-When a mix finishes, the item is taken to the first open slot in your party's inventory, so look at the party leader's inventory first. 7-You can only take what is in the Alchemy Pot out if the wagon is present. Anywhere that the wagon is *not* present (usually most dungeons), you have to wait until you are where the wagon is in order to fetch the item. Running in dungeons will count towards the mix, however. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | (II-B5) Peregrin Quay | | My level: 11 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $6 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 12 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Bronze Knife $150 | | Thorn Whip $350 | | Iron Lance $750 | | Farmer's Scythe $910 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Scale Armour $350 | | Silk Robe $420 | | Chain Mail $500 | | Scale Shield $180 | | Pointy Hat $70 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (old woman) | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (blonde guy sitting down) | | | | Cypress Stick $10 | | Pot Lid $40 | | Bandana $45 | | Hairband $150 | | Slime Earrings $400 | /======================================================================/ Don't mix anything just yet, you are about to get an item to make the Thief's Key, which lets you unlock a few chests that were locked. Now you have Jessica in the party. I put Jessica in the lead, but she is rather weak offensively, defensively, and HP-wise at the start (but that is why I kept those Seeds of Strength, Seeds of Defence, and Seeds of Life). You can keep her in the third position if you want to play it safer. But where's the fun in her varying outfits if they are only shown during battle and cutscenes?! Also remember that Jessica is under manual control, just like Yangus. Choose however you want. First off, put three Medicinal Herbs in Jessica's inventory, one of the extra Scale Shields you bought, either the Slime Earrings or the Gold Bracer and if you want, Jessica's Outfit. It is weaker than her default armour by 4 points, but otherwise you'll probably never wear it. What's the use in a prize if it isn't used? Luckily, Jessica won't even wonder why you have her clothes. Leave the ship and walk straight to the inn at the end of town. Turn to your left and talk to the man in black and green to receive a free Iron Nail. Now let's use that Alchemy Pot! Put the Iron Nail and a Bronze Knife into the pot. If you got and read the Thief's Key Recipe in Farebury, you may remember that these are the ingredients for making the Thief's Key. Let it mix until you hear the 'ding', then look at the Alchemy Pot and receive your item. You can make two other things with an Iron Nail: Boomerang + Iron Nail = Reinforced Boomerang Leather Hat + Iron Nail = Pointy Hat The Reinforced Boomerang is nice, but you will get another Iron Nail to make that in the next cave you are going to. The Pointy Hat is buyable at Peregrin Quay, and the Feathered Cap is better. While still in the inn, check the dresser by the door. Inside is a Seed of Magic. Stay at the inn, then head back to the town area. Hop over to the weapon shop first, and start breaking stuff. You should find an Antidotal Herb in a barrel and an Oaken Club in a pot. At the item shop to the left of the priest, you can find a Medicinal Herb in a barrel there. Walk around the table to an old woman wearing green. You should find 8 gold in a barrel there. Go back around the table and go to the three pots. In the left one is a Leather Kilt. Walk around to where the shopkeeper of the armour shop is, and a Chimaera Wing is in a barrel there. Walk to your left to a man with 3 treasure chests. You'll find a Seed of Defence in a barrel and a Medicinal Herb in a pot. The last 3 items in town are in those chests by the blonde guy in green. Go ahead and just walk around in town until the mix finishes. After the Thief's Key is finished, unequip Jessica's Leather Whip so you can throw it into the Alchemy Pot along with that extra Scale Shield to make her a better whip, the Snakeskin Whip. If you aren't going to use whips for Jessica, then either wait to make the Iron Lance with the free Cypress Stick and a Dagger you are about to get. If you aren't going to use spears for the Hero, then throw in a Leather Hat and Chimaera Wing into the Alchemy Pot to make a Feathered Cap, then repeat the mix one more time. If you are going to use the same weapons that I do, then start with the Snakeskin Whip, then Iron Lance, and then two Feathered Caps. Once you have the Thief's Key, open the three chests in town. They contain a Boomerang, 200 gold, and your first Mini Medal. Mini Medals are traded in for special prizes once you have collected a certain amount of them. Please read the 'Mini Medals List' section for more details. After opening the chests, the man will sell items, but nothing is worth buying at this time. As for the other shops, buy a Bronze Knife for Jessica if you are going to use those and if you made the Thief's Key. Skip the Iron Lance, as you can make one for free in a minute. If you haven't bought a Farmer's Scythe and are using axes, buy one now if you can. Nothing at the armour shop is worth your money right now, as you will get a free Silk Robe for Jessica and a free suit of Chain Mail for Yangus relatively soon. If you are using boomerangs, don't sell the one you just found, as you'll be upgrading one in a little while. If you don't have at least 4 Chimaera Wings, get at least that many from the item shop, then leave town and use one or cast the Zoom spell if the Hero has it and warp to Farebury. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================/ | (II-B6) Using the Thief's Key | /===============================/ Monsters found in this region: #008 She-Slime #025 Lump Mage #026 Winky #028 Chainine #029 Giant Moth #030 Dingaling #031 Jargon #033 Bullfinch #037 Scorpion #038 Morphean Mushroom #049 Treeface Don't get too excited; there are only a couple of chests to get with the Thief's Key that you have seen. Quite a few chests coming up on the overworld will make use of this item, though. At Farebury, enter the weapon shop from the back door. In the chests you will find a Cypress Stick and a Dagger. Putting these two items into the Alchemy Pot will make an Iron Lance. If you aren't going to use spears, then either make it anyway to sell, or if you are using knives with Jessica, give the Dagger to her. Now make your way into the town's church. In the church, enter the room behind the priest (if it is daytime) and then go through the next door. Now you can open that chest, and it contains Mini Medal #002. Walk out of Farebury via the front door. As soon as you are outside, walk east until you hit the river, then head south and follow the ridge. You should spot a chest that is locked, but you can unlock it now. Inside is Mini Medal #003. Now warp back to Peregrin Quay, save, and get ready to hit reset a couple of times. If you are following the guide, you should have these status-increasing items currently: Seed of Strength x3 Seed of Agility x2 Seed of Defence x2 Seed of Wisdom x1 Seed of Life x3 Seed of Magic x2 You should use the Seeds of Strength, Seeds of Defence, and Seeds of Life on Jessica. Give Yangus the Seeds of Agility. Try to get +2 for the seeds, and save when you do (if +3 is possible, then of course save). Reset when you only get a +1 bonus. For the Seeds of Life, try to get +4 with each. Now Jessica will be a little bit more powerful, with +6 Attack, +4 Defence (hey, it makes up for her weaker armour if you are using it), and the +12 HP bonus will really help. Use the Seed of Wisdom and the Seeds of Magic on Yangus or the Hero, or save them if you wish. Leave town via the door in the inn. Head southeast and avoid the visible Brownie. You should see a treasure chest shortly after it. Unlock the chest with the Thief's Key, and equip the Feathered Cap to Jessica. Keep her Hairband in the bag as you can make a better helmet for her soon. When the Snakeskin Whip is finished mixing, make a second Feathered Cap by throwing in a Leather Hat and a Chimaera Wing into the Alchemy Pot. Walk back past the Brownie, then walk northwest (west of Peregrin Quay into the ruins-looking area. Watch the southern wall when you arrive and you will spot another chest. Inside is Magic Water, an item that restores about 30 MP. Save it for now; you should not really need to use it anytime soon. Continue westward, then slightly go southwest a ways to a treasure chest in a small forest. Inside this chest is a Stone Axe, which Yangus already has. Remember to sell it when you return to town, which I usually do now. When the Feathered Cap finishes mixing, make one more Feathered Cap, this time for Yangus. You can also choose to buy a Pointy Hat and mix it with the Stone Axe to make a Stone Hardhat, which has +15 Defence instead of the +9 from a Feathered Hat if you choose. Back in town, sell the Stone Axe if you are not going to make a Stone Hardhat. If you have the money and do not want to wait for the free Farmer's Scythe, buy a second one now and throw in both Farmer's Scythes to make an Iron Axe for Yangus. It'll be a little while until you reach the area with the free one. When Jessica levels up, I give her points to whips, until she learns Twin Dragon Lash at 23 skill points, then towards staves for some spells. The Twin Dragon Lash ability alone (well, along with hitting groups of enemies with whips being more favorable to me than single enemies with knives and staves) makes Jessica a worthwhile fighter on single enemies and even bosses. When I play, she can do the most damage out of all party members, able to kill some bosses in one attack. If you'd rather use knives, swords, or staves, then build up her Knives or Staves skills instead. I personally don't see the point of the Knives skill; her whips hit groups without costing MP as opposed to single enemies, her Twin Dragon Lash attack does more damage than she can with swords anyway, her *two* knife/sword attacks stink, and it is a long time until you get swords that are actually decent. Staves are inherently weak until the bazaar, and still only hit one enemy at a time. Staves do teach a couple of useful spells, though. Go with what you want, then return to Peregrin Quay, rest and save. Then head back out. Follow the road and you will reach the next destination, Maella Abbey. Along the way, if the last Feathered Cap is finished and you do not want to make the Iron Axe (and when all your equipment mixing is complete; you may want to make that Iron Lance before starting with herbs), start making Strong Medicines. To make these, just throw two Medicinal Herbs into the Alchemy Pot. The mix does not take a long time to make, and each Strong Medicine sells for 88 gold. Do not make a couple and then sell them, eventually the merchants will wise up and give you less money for them (or any item that you try to sell in large quantities repeatedly). After making your first two Strong Medicines, throw them both into the Alchemy Pot to make a Special Medicine. Keep this item for later, then resume making Strong Medicines. From this point on, you should always try to have something being mixed in the Alchemy Pot. If you aren't mixing a new piece of equipment, make Strong Medicine. You can also start replacing the party's inventory of Medicinal Herbs with Strong Medicines if you want. The best time to sell your stocked Strong Medicines is all at once when the Alchemy Pot gets upgraded later on. Before the huge church should be a barn. Walk southeast of it while running alongside the river to find a locked treasure chest next to a tree with a Seed of Strength inside. The chest is quite a ways away from the barn. Save the Seed of Strength found inside the chest for a mix later, the next Seed of Strength is not found for a long time. After opening the chest, return to the road and head to the big church. The man in grey at the entrance can save your game. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================================/ | (II-C) The Templar Knight that Looks like Trunks | /----------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary | | | | 1-Enter Maella Abbey and meet Marcello for the first of | | many times. | | 2-Go to Simpleton, meet Angelo and receive the Templar's | | Ring. | | 3-Return to Maella Abbey and meet Angelo again. | | 4-Enter the Ruined Abbey. | | 5-Get the World Map and Angelo as a party member. | | 6-Meet the old couple and pass through the Riverside | | Chapel, winding up at Ascantha. | /==========================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=============================================================/ | (II-C1) Maella Abbey | | My level: 12 | /-------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: Not Available / Church: yes / Items to find: 5 | /=============================================================/ Enter the abbey and go through the northeastern door. Another door to your right will be in front of you to take. Go down the stairs and turn around, and you should see a pair of pots. The one in the corner has Mini Medal #004. Now re-enter and go straight ahead to another door leading outside. Go down the stairs again and turn to the right. You'll spot two barrels in the distance. The left one contains Holy Water. Re-enter the doorway, but this time, turn left and walk towards the two guards in blue and speak to either one. These guys will block your path, and Marcello will introduce himself. He'll spout off some, then suggest that you leave. That's all you can do here for now, so leave and take a left going out of the abbey. Walk directly south, off the road into the forest. Climb up the hill, then walk south to a locked treasure chest. Inside is a Bunny Tail. Throw this and a Hairband into the Alchemy Pot to make a new helmet for Jessica, Bunny Ears. Then return to the road, continue east, and take the right branch to reach your next destination. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-C2) Simpleton | | My level: 12 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $8 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 2 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop (guy in purple and yellow on 2F of the bar) | | | | Rapier $300 | | Thorn Whip $350 | | Wizard's Staff $1,300 | | Long Spear $1,700 | | Sledgehammer $1,700 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item/Armour Shop (blonde guy in blue on 2F of the bar) | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Chain Mail $500 | | Turban $410 | /========================================================================/ None of the weapons/armour available are worth your money, unless you are using hammers/clubs for Yangus or staves with Jessica. Buy enough so you have about 40 Medicinal Herbs and 35 Antidotal Herbs for mixing, and a couple of Chimaera Wing for your bag if you are out of them and haven't learned Zoom for the Hero. Enter the bar (the building on the left) and go up the stairs before talking to anyone. Past the counter are three barrels. The left barrel has 6 gold, and the center one has Mini Medal #005. Now go downstairs and talk to the man with silver hair and a red outfit that is playing cards. The bully (guy with the yellow mask and horns) is getting pissed off at this Angelo guy's winning streak, and a good ol' bar fight breaks out. Right before Jessica zaps the participants, she and the Hero are dragged away by Angelo. He notices Jessica and gives her the Templar's Ring. Jessica isn't impressed with his affections, and he runs off while telling you to return to Maella Abbey. Since you've cleared out the town already, go back to Maella Abbey and talk to those blue guards that blocked your path earlier. Now that you have Angelo's ring, the guards will let you pass through. Enter the door to the right and break the barrel in the corner to find Mini Medal #006. Don't bother going upstairs; no items are there. Instead, walk straight ahead after getting the Mini Medal to the basement. Walk to the end of the hallway until you see a wooden door, then enter and walk towards the jail. A cutscene between Angelo and Marcello should occur. After they are done talking, leave the basement area and enter the double doors straight ahead and to the left a little. Outside again, turn to the right a little and you should see a pair of barrels to destroy. The left one has 26 gold waiting inside. The guards on the bridge will not let you pass, so head back towards the main entrance to the abbey. Angelo will spot you and ask if you can do something for him. Say Yes and he well tell you to follow the river south of the abbey and use the ring he gave Jessica there. Onto the next destination! Save at the guy standing in front of the abbey, then take the exit out that leads to Simpleton. As soon as you see the first road sign pointing towards Simpleton, turn east and head in that direction, parallel to the abbey. Avoid the visible Restless Armour, but remember where he is. Just head down the path and you'll reach the cave. Before entering, if a mix is almost done, let it finish and start a new mix. You won't be able to check the Alchemy Pot while down in the cave. Once you have reached the cave entrance area, walk over to the stone monolith and press the X or L3 button. A message window will ask if you want to place Angelo's ring into the slot. Choose Yes, and the entrance to the Ruined Abbey will appear. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================/ | (II-C3) Ruined Abbey | | My level: 13 | /======================/ Monsters found in this cave: #032 Drackyma #034 Bag o' Laughs #035 Skeleton #036 Metal Slime #040 Flyguy #044 Mummy Boy #052 Walking Corpse #062 Cannibox Boss: #263 Tortured Soul You can fight Metal Slimes here, but you probably don't have many abilities yet that can kill them effectively. You can try Yangus's Hatchet Man, Jessica's Twin Dragon Lash, or the Hero's Mercurial Thrust to try to at least get a hit on it or Thunder Thrust if you have them, but right now don't worry too much about hunting those monsters. Level 1-Walk straight ahead through the doorway and take the staircase going down on the right. Level 2-Follow the wall into an inlet with two treasure chests. The left one is a Cannibox if you wish to fight one. The chest on the right is the map for the cave. Now that you have the map, check it out and head west across to the next staircase going down. This is one of the dungeons in the game that the map goes along with the compass. Before going down to Level 3, look on the right wall next to the stairs for a pair of dressers. Check the left one for an Iron Nail. Do you still have that second Boomerang you got for free? After leaving this cave, throw the Boomerang and Iron Nail into the Alchemy Pot to make a stronger boomerang, the Reinforced Boomerang. Now go down the ladder next to you going to Level 3. Level 3-Go all the way east into a small room and break open the pots. The one in the corner has Mini Medal #007. Now go back into the hall and take the southern passage. Open the locked treasure chest right in front of you and equip the Bronze Shield onto Yangus. Now enter the door west of you, which will close on its own and lock itself behind you, and go through the hallway. Walk east to the downward stairs leading to Level 4. Level 4-In the swamp room, walk on to of the junk bridge on the west side of the room to get across, then climb the stairs going up. Level 3-Before entering the long hallway, enter the small side rooms near the stairs you just came up. In the eastern one you'll find Mini Medal #008 inside the barrel farthest from the dresser, and Waterweed Mould in the center barrel. In the western room are two pots right beside you if you turn left. The one away from the corner has 50 gold inside. If Yangus has Nose for Treasure, cast it and you should be only missing 1 item in the cave. If so, then good. Check the map again and head towards the staircase going up to the exit at the southern end of the map. After opening a door, you will see the boss. Before fighting the boss, turn to your right and check the dresser behind the woman's statue for the last item in here, a Bandit's Grass Skirt. Now heal your party and talk to the boss. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=====================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, casts Sizzle, | | summons Skeleton and Walking Corpse | /=====================================================/ This boss is a cinch. Just build 50 Tension (use Psyche Up three times) with Jessica and another party member, then have them attack. If Jessica has been using a whip, have her use Twin Dragon Lash. If Yangus has been using axes, have him use Helm Splitter. Use what you have with the Hero, or have him just do an attack with his strongest weapon or heal if you need to. If the Tortured Soul summons a Skeleton and Walking Corpse, equip the Boomerang to the Hero (if he doesn't have it equipped) and have him use Power Throw while the others are building Tension. If the boss doesn't die from those two attacks at 50 Tension, either heal up if you really need it and then attack, or just repeat your attacks again (don't build up any more Tension) for another round to defeat the boss. Simple. Tortured Soul has about 450 HP (I beat him at 451, doing 33 on the last hit). Beating the Tortured Soul nets you 680 experience points, 200 gold, as well as a dropped Gold Rosary. Keep this item, as it can be used for some mixes. Beating the boss will heal the party, so continue on through the passageway to the ladder leading out of the cave at the southern end of the room. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Once you exit the cave, mix that Reinforced Boomerang by placing a Boomerang and the Iron Nail you found in the dungeon. Straight ahead are a pair of barrels. Break open the barrel on the left for Mini Medal #009, the last item at Maella Abbey that Nose for Treasure can smell. Go around to the opposite end of the building, and enter Abbot Francisco's house. In Abbot Francisco's house, turn right and climb the stairs to the second floor. A cutscene should start with Abbot Francisco sleeping, and Dhoulmagus floating above him then disappearing. Walk up to Abbot Francisco and speak to him. Guards will appear and wonder how you got into his room. Marcello will show up, brown-nose, then have you taken prisoner. Angelo will appear during interrogations and get his ring back from Marcello. He'll tell Marcello that he saw the party of three steal his ring, then leave. Another guard will enter and kick Trode in, then Marcello says you are to be tortured tomorrow. Excellent! In jail, speak to everyone until a scene starts with Angelo letting the party out. He is the troublemaker, after all. Angelo knows a way out, via an iron maiden. Trode is horrified and subsequently tossed in..to his death? But wait! The floor opens and he is unharmed, and the other party members follow suit, led by Angelo to the stable outside. Trode hugs Medea, then the party leaves the stable only to see a fire breaking out on the bridge to Abbot Francisco's house. Run back to the house, and a cutscene should begin. Knock down the front door, talk to Angelo, (answer his question any way you want), then run upstairs. In Abbot Francisco's room, Dhoulmagus appears again and whoops Marcello then Angelo. Dhoulmagus then threatens Abbot Francisco and Trode appears and has some beef with him. Dhoulmagus gets pissed off and throws his sceptre, which Abbot Francisco runs in to protect Trode. Dhoulmagus' sceptre powers up from Abbot Francisco's death, then Dhoulmagus leaves. After Abbot Francisco's funeral, Angelo wakes the party up and tells you to see Marcello. Leave the room, turn right, then talk to the guards. They'll move out of the way for you to meet with Marcello... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================/ | (II-C4) A World Map for a Party of Four | | My level: 14 | /=========================================/ Talk to Marcello, who acquits you of any blame. After Angelo and Trode leave, Marcello gives you the World Map then sends you on your way. Near the front entrance to the abbey, Angelo is waiting. Run up to him, and he will join the party to find Dhoulmagus. Give the not-being-worn Feathered Cap and Scale Shield to Angelo, then save. Leave the abbey so you can look at the World Map, then have Angelo cast the Zoom spell and warp to Peregrin Quay. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================================================/ | (II-C5) More Treasure Hunting, My Skills Order | | My level: 14 | /================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #008 She-Slime #029 Giant Moth #030 Dingaling #037 Scorpion #038 Morphean Mushroom #039 Brownie #045 Hell Hornet #049 Treeface View your map. The next two chests are a little easier to find with it. The first one to get is to the far northeast of Peregrin Quay, and the next is in the southeast corner after going east. So head east. Once again, skip fighting the visible Brownie and head east at the treasure chest that had the Feathered Cap inside, then go as far east as you can. You'll have to watch the right side in order to go through a stone archway to keep going east. Skip the visible Golem, but remember where he is; you'll want to fight him later. The chest itself lies next to the mountains east-southeast of Peregrin Quay. Inside the locked chest is a Seed of Magic. Give these to either Yangus or the Hero. Afterward, just follow the mountains south (you'll have to go back around to where the Golem is in order to get all the way there) to another treasure chest, found in a small 'valley' next to a tree. Inside this locked chest is a Seed of Wisdom. Give these to whomever you want. Now cast Zoom and warp to Simpleton. Once the Reinforced Boomerang is finished mixing, continue on with the Strong Medicines. Now that you have all four party members, here is a list of the skills I learn for each character, in order, and why I learn what I do. This is simpler than mentioning a new skill every now and then when you may or may not level up at the same pace. ----- Hero Boomerangs 6PT Crosscutter Throw: Boomerang hits all enemies, then the first enemy one more time. Not as strong as Power Throw. Boomerangs 12PT When equipped with a boomerang, Attack +5 Boomerangs 18PT Power Throw: All targets get damaged equally Spears 3PT When equipped with a spear, Attack +5 Spears 7PT Mercurial Thrust: Attack first Spears 12PT Thunder Thrust: Perform a critical hit, miss, or do normal damage Spears 18PT When equipped with a spear, Attack +10 Spears 25PT Multithrust: Randomly attack 3-4 enemy targets Boomerangs 25PT When equipped with a boomerang, Attack +10 Swords 4PT When equipped with a Sword, Attack +5 Swords 9PT Dragon Slash: Effective against Dragon-family monsters Swords 15PT Flame Slash: Fire elemental attack to one enemy Swords 22PT When equipped with a Sword, Attack +10 Swords 30PT Metal Slash: Hits Metal-family monsters for 1 or 2 damage Courage 8PT Zoom: Warp to a previously visited town/dungeon. Not all locations are available Courage 16PT Tingle: Cures Paralysed and Asleep on all party members Boomerangs 32PT Firebird Throw: Flame-powered boomerang hits all enemies Boomerangs 40PT When equipped with a boomerang, Attack +15 Boomerangs 52PT Super Throw: All targets get damaged equally Courage 28PT Holy Protection: Keeps weak monsters away, in dungeons and on the overworld map. Can stop working on the the overworld map after a certain point in the game Courage 40PT Fizzle: Prevent an enemy group from casting spells Courage 48PT Zap: Hits all enemies for about 70 points of damage Courage 56PT Spells cost 25% less MP to cast in and out of battle Courage 70PT Kamikazee: Kills all enemies at the cost of the caster's life. Does not work against every enemy in the game Courage 82PT Omniheal: Restores all HP to all living party members Courage 90PT Spells cost 50% less MP to cast in and out of battle Total: 197 skill points (reached at level 41 without Seeds of Skill) I learn boomerangs until I get Power Throw, then max out spears at 25 points. In my experiences, the Hero's Thunder Thrust attacks are poor in actually connecting for an instant kill with metals compared to Yangus's Hatchet Man attacks. Metal Slash does fine, paired with a Falcon Blade and using the Timbrel of Tension gives me a higher chance to kill the stronger metal monsters as well as Metal Slimes easily. Boomerangs are the main weapon I use with the Hero, except on bosses, which spears and Multithrust is used on. The second-strongest spear in the game can be gotten relatively soon compared to other weapons, namely swords. The last two attacks from a boomerang, Starburst Throw and Gigathrow, are too little, too late for damage, and thus pretty much a waste of skill points, which the Hero uses a lot of. I only use swords to kill metal monsters, and most of the attacks from swords are otherwise not helpful. Dragon Slash is of course useful at the very end, if you choose to do that. Gigaslash and Gigagash are just for show..Gigagash doesn't even seem to hit the bonus monster after the end of the game. Don't bother getting it. If you are just playing the game to beat it, then Tingle via the Courage portion should be good enough to learn. Omniheal and the reduced MP cost abilities are all I get a lot of Courage for, and that is only to fight the entirety of the bonus monster. I try to give the Hero either 3 (or more to your liking) or 4 of the 7 Seeds of Skill I find in the game regularly. ----- Yangus Axes 6PT Helmet Splitter: Attack an enemy and sometimes lower the target's Defence by half Axes 12PT When equipped with an axe, Attack +5 Axes 19PT Hatchet Man: Perform a critical hit, miss, or do normal damage Axes 26PT Higher chance of performing a critical hit when equipped with an axe Axes 34PT When equipped with an axe, Attack +10 Axes 42PT Parallax: Attack and try to paralyze an enemy Humanity 4PT Whistle: Automatic battle Axes 54PT Axes of Evil: Hits a group of enemies Humanity 10PT Heal: Heals about 30HP to a party member Humanity 16PT Nose for Treasure: Notes how many items are in the town, dungeon, or special area Humanity: 22PT Warcry: Tries to shock an enemy group to lose its turn Axes 66PT Executioner: Perform a critical hit or miss Humanity 32PT Share Magic: Give some of Yangus' MP to an ally Axes 82PT When equipped with an axe, Attack +20 Humanity 42PT Kabuff: Increases the party's Defence by 25%, up to +200 Afterward, any skills you feel like learning. Total: 124 skill points (reached at level 30 without Seeds of Skill) Where I sometimes go afterward is: Fisticuffs 3PT Attack +5 when not equipped with a weapon Fisticuffs 7PT Agility +10 when not equipped with a weapon Fisticuffs 12PT Knuckle Sandwich: Damages an enemy Fisticuffs 18PT Higher chance of a critical hit when not equipped with a weapon Fisticuffs 25PT Attack +20 when not equipped with a weapon 33PT Padfoot: Random battle encounter rate is lowered in dungeons and on the overworld map. I'll be honest; Yangus's Clubs skills, Scythe skills, and Fisticuffs all suck compared to axes, to me. Literally *none* of the attacks gained are worth anything. A total waste of skill points. After getting Hatchet Man, I turn to Humanity to have another healer, instant fights, and a quick check with Nose for Treasure to make sure I have all items in a place are handy. If you follow this order, the skill point level cap should kick in for Yangus after getting Axes of Evil at level 16, which is fine; Axes of Evil is a nice group-hitting attack for Yangus that costs 0MP. His group/all enemy- hitting abilities from Scythe and Fisticuffs skills cost MP, something he sorely lacks. Plus it is overall quicker to get stronger axes than other weapons for Yangus. The Kabuff spell is useful to learn for quick Defence boosts on later enemies and/or bosses. Due to the low number of skill points needed for learning what I consider useful, I don't give Yangus any Seeds of Skill. ----- Jessica Staves 3PT Acceleratle: Agility for the party is increased by its base amount, up to 999 maximum Whips 5PT When equipped with a whip, Attack +5 Whips 10PT Whiplash: Attempt to paralyze a group of enemies while damaging them Whips 16PT When equipped with a whip, Attack +10 Whips 23PT Twin Dragon Lash: Hit a single enemy twice with the whip or hit monsters in a group twice randomly Staves 7PT Kasap: Reduces an enemy group's Defence Staves 13PT When equipped with a staff, Maximum MP +20 Staves 21PT Bounce: Spells bounce off the user and back to the original caster Staves 31PT Magic Barrier: Enemy spells do less damage to the party Whips 32PT Lady's Thong: Absorb some HP when attacking Whips 43PT When equipped with a whip, Attack +15 Whips 55PT Lashings of Love: Attempt to paralyze a group of enemies while damaging them Whips 68PT When equipped with a whip, Attack +25 Staves 44PT When equipped with a staff, Maximum MP +50 Staves 57PT Caduceus: Heals a party member by about 90HP Staves 70PT When equipped with a staff, MP is recovered in batttle Staves 84PT When equipped with a staff, Maximum MP +100 Staves 100PT Kazing: Revives a dead party member with full HP Afterward, any skills you feel like learning. Since you'll reach the skill point cap before being able to put 100 points into Staves, I give her extra points (and those thereafter) to Sex Appeal. Total: 168 skill points (reached at level 36 without Seeds of Skill) Personally, I do not see what the hooplah is over Jessica's Knives/Sword skillset. She gets two attacks, and they are both lackluster at best. Sure, Jessica can equip swords at 30 skill points, but it is still a single attack that is dwarfed by the damage done with Twin Dragon Lash, quickly learnable. By the time Jessica gets a good sword, she can do more damage with a whip and Twin Dragon Lash anyway (both hits benefit from Tension). Right off the bat, she can get a much better whip than knife. Even with her strongest sword, it still does not compare. Plus the bonus of hitting a group of monsters for 0MP is nice, as well as her last whip hitting all enemies is nice as well. She always does the most damage in a single attack in my games when she uses a whip. Twin Dragon Lash plus 100 Tension plus Oomph is pretty brutal. Some of her Staves skill spells are useful; Magic Barrier is extremely helpful against many bosses, and Acceleratle is helpful when fighting metal monsters. If it was not for the Kazing spell being learnable, I would stop giving points to Staves skill after Magic Barrier. Staves as weapons are pretty bad, I never actually equip one when I play now. Jessica's Sex Appeal skill has some fun attacks, which I of course maxed out as soon as I could the first time I played. Although being fun, they really are not very helpful to play through the game with. Since Jessica does not use many skill points, she is easily customizable for other skills afterward. I eventually give her some Sex Appeal skill points just because I have to give the points to something. Due to the low number of skill points needed for learning what I consider useful, I don't give Jessica any Seeds of Skill. ----- Angelo Charisma 3PT Squelch: Cures Poisoned and Envenomated Swords 4PT When equipped with a Sword, Attack +5 Swords 9PT Flame Slash: Fire-elemental attack to one enemy Swords 15PT When equipped with a Sword, Attack +10 Swords 22PT Metal Slash: Hits Metal-family monsters for 1 or 2 damage Swords 30PT When equipped with a Sword, Attack +20 Swords 40PT Falcon Slash: Hit a monster two times in one attack Swords 52PT Higher chance of performing a critical hit when equipped with a sword Staves 3PT Dazzle: Lower an enemy group's accuracy of attacks Staves 6PT Fizzle: Prevent an enemy group from casting spells Staves 9PT Bounce: Spells bounce off the user and back to the original caster Staves 12PT Drain Magic: Steal MP from an enemy Staves 28PT When equipped with a staff, Maximum MP +20 Staves *48PT Caduceus: Heals a party member by about 90HP Staves 56PT Kathwack: Tries to kill all enemies instantly Staves 65PT Oomph: Doubles an ally's Attack Staves 80PT When equipped with a staff, Maximum MP +50 Staves 100PT When equipped with a staff, MP is recovered in battle Total: 155 skill points (reached at level 41 without Seeds of Skill) I used bows the first time I played the game, and thought they were great. Cherub's Arrow and the upgraded Seraph's Arrow were pretty helpful for my main healer. But once I started using swords, and seeing how to mix better ones quicker than bows, the actual usefulness of bows faded away. Finding the Happy Hat also made Cherub's Arrow and Seraph's Arrow a waste of time to learn. You get stronger swords much faster than stronger bows. With bows, you are stuck for large sections of the game before an upgrade; excruciatingly long between Eros' Bow and Cheiron's Bow, and Cheiron's Bow and the Great Bow, which is an instant Alchemy Pot mix for the strongest bow in the game. I can easily do more damage with a stronger sword and Falcon Slash (doing Falcon Slash with a Falcon Blade or an Uber Falcon Blade will do 4 hits for even damage with Tension). Not many of the bow abilities are very useful, Metal Slash is about the only real way that Angelo can do damage to metals, and otherwise he is my main healer and user of the Timbrel of Tension. The last sword skill that I give Angelo is the one at 52 skill points. I don't use Miracle Slash, and since the Attack bonus abilities replace the previous one and do not stack, skipping the 82 skill point 'When equipped with a Sword, Attack +25' saves me 30 skill points if I stop giving skill points towards swords at 52 (16 if I were to stop after learning Miracle Slash). A +5 Attack bonus at that point in the game for the character I wind up attacking with the least is not really worth it to me. Angelo's Staves skill does not teach many truly useful spells; he learns his best ones from simply levelling up. Oomph can be handy, but I try to get Staves built up for his 100-point ability for the final fight in the game to be easier. If the Oomph spell and the 100-point Staves ability is not worth it for you (you can just mix a bunch of Elfin Elixir), then do not worry about putting many points into Staves. Angelo's Fisticuffs skillset is downright sad. Charisma does not give much help aside from the Squelch spell, learned with only 3 skill points. His Sarcastic Snigger ability is somewhat useful against some bosses that build up Tension, but it doesn't actually cancel out Tension very well. You could skip it and save some skill points. I build up bows in case I get bored of using swords, and to skip the level cap I would get from maxing out just swords anyway. If I use my exact setup for all of the characters, I give Angelo around 3 or 4 of the 7 Seeds of Skill regularly found in the game. There you have it, what I use when I want to play the game with what works best for me for each party member. Feel free to use what you want, disagree with me, and call me a moron for what I pick. After about nine playthroughs of the game, the above order has proven to be the best path for me to take my characters. But the options are there, and if you know of a good use of a skill or ability that I have bad-mouthed, then feel free to e-mail me and enlighten me. I can easily miss out on something obvious. After warping to Simpleton, either turn around and follow the road, taking the eastern branch, or walk through town and follow that road and take the eastern branch. Just follow the road until you see two buildings on opposite sides of it, and enter the first one (on your left). There isn't much to do at the old couple's house right now, but you can find two items here. Turn to your right and open the dresser in the corner for a Silk Robe. Break the barrel next to the old woman to find Mini Medal #010. Equip the Silk Robe to Jessica (it should be stronger than whatever she has equipped currently), then leave the house and look at your map. Look to the northwest of your current location, across the river. Do you see a small, forested area between two groups of mountains? You want to go right across from that spot, but on the current side of the river. So head west, and turn north when you can get into the small valley across from that spot. Stay on the low ground while getting to the area; there is another chest on this side of the river, but it won't unlock, even with the Thief's Key. With a different key you can get the goodies inside. At the edge by the river is a chest you can open, and inside is a free suit of Chain Mail for Yangus to equip. Did you see a treasure chest across from this chest? You'll want to get it in a little bit. For now, walk back to the old couple's house. When you reach the old couple's house, head north of it onto a small strip of land along the river. A locked chest there has 230 gold inside, always helpful. Stay on this side of the river, going south past the old couple's house. At the very end of walkable land (you should see a log cabin off in the distance) is a chest with a Seed of Life inside. Now head to and enter the church across the river from the old couple's house, via the road. Next to the church, you should start seeing cows from here on out. Talking to a cow will get you some free Fresh Milk. Unlike the Japanese version of the game, Fresh Milk from cows on the overworld map are *not* linked to Monster Coins, so you can talk to every cow in the game and still get all the Monster Coins in this version of the game. The downward-sloping hill next to the chest with 230 gold leads to a beach that you can fight Metal Slimes, but it is not necessary to fight around the area in order to progress. Do so if you want. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | (II-C6) Riverside Chapel | | My level: 15 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $0 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 1 | /======================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #008 She-Slime #021 Healslime #026 Winky #031 Jargon #034 Bag o' Laughs #038 Morphean Mushroom #039 Brownie #041 Puppeteer #042 Bodkin Bowyer #043 Night Sneaker #044 Mummy Boy #046 Pan Piper #047 Slime Knight #048 Clockwork Cuckoo #049 Treeface #050 Kisser #051 Diemon #053 Fat Bat #056 Chimaera #078 Mum #079 Boh #080 Jum #081 Boe Please note that once you arrive at the Riverside Chapel, places aren't "showing up" on the Zoom list anymore. That is because there are 7 places per page of the Zoom list. Press left or right on the d-pad or analog to go to the next/previous page. Search the dresser in the bedroom to find the one item here, a Seed of Magic. Speak to the nun to stay the night. You cannot change day into night at this 'inn'. If you sleep here at this time, Angelo will have a flashback scene of joining the abbey as a young boy after the death of his parents, and meeting Marcello and Abbot Francisco for the first time. Afterward, leave the church and go to that chest across the river from earlier. Be wary of the Diemon and Chimaera monsters around here; the Diemons can do an 'eye dice roll' which can do 60 damage to one party member if a 6 is rolled, and the Chimaeras spew Flame-Breath which can do 30+ damage to all party members. To get to the chest, travel north, then walk around the mountains and through the forest until you reach the chest at the end. Skip the chest you should see on the way (it is another of those locked chests that the Thief's Key cannot unlock) and the visible Bodkin Bowyer at this time. Open this locked chest, take the Seed of Agility, and press the R2 button. You should see another treasure chest in the top-left corner of your screen. That is yet another chest that you cannot open yet, but in a little while, we will remember that one too. Now either cast Zoom and warp back to the Riverside Chapel or walk back and follow the road going east until you reach the castle at the end. When you get near the vicinity of the castle, walk around the eastern side of it into a small forest with a chest northeast of the castle. Take the 154 gold then enter the castle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================/ | (II-D) A Castle Draped in Black and a Matching Door | /------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary | | | | 1-Enter Ascantha and meet Emma at the castle. | | 2-Return to the throne room at night to meet the | | king, and speak to Emma again. | | 3-Speak to Emma's grandmother to learn about | | Wisher's Peak. | | 4-Enter the door atop Wisher's Peak and meet | | Ishmahri. | | 5-Visit the Lakeside Cabin on the way to Pickham. | /======================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-D1) Ascantha | | My level: 16 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $10 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 8 + 1 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Dagger $350 | | Short Bow $750 | | Wizard's Staff $1,300 | | Edged Boomerang $1,360 | | Steel Broadsword $2,000 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Leather Dress $380 | | Bronze Armour $840 | | Iron Cuirass $1,000 | | Bronze Shield $370 | | Turban $410 | | Slime Earrings $400 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Rennet Powder $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | /========================================================================/ Do not stay at the inn as soon as you arrive in Ascantha. Enter the well on your left, and you will find a Lady's Ring. at the bottom. Climb up and enter the house in front of you. Apparently, the whole "get a Seed of Wisdom for showing the Lady's Ring to the guy in Farebury" thing is a "lost forever". Here's what Adam G. (HugDaddy) had to say in an email about it: "Along your journey, you can find the Lady's Ring in the well in Ascantha. This accessory gives the wearer a Defence +2 bonus. Since this is not very good, you can try to give it to someone who can use it! If you return to Farebury, you can encounter a man outside the church who mentions losing his wife's ring (he can also be found in the Farebury inn at night). If you show him the ring, he will examine it and mention that he'll get into more trouble if you show it to his wife; then, he will give you a Seed of Wisdom to stay quiet. You can only find the man in Farebury for a short time, so don't wait too long! Mind you, I don't know how long this opportunity will be there, but I think you can get it from your first visit to Ascantha until you get the ship (I have saves from those times... but nothing after the ship until just before defeating Dhoulmagus, at which point I could no longer ger the Seed of Wisdom)". I tried to give her the ring after going to Trodain (as still shown later in the guide), and that was still too late. So whatever. Try going to Farebury as soon as you get the Lady's Ring and maybe you will get that Seed of Wisdom. Inside the pot to your left next to the sink hides some Rennet Powder. Turn around and search the cupboard by the little boy to find Mini Medal #011. That's all in this house, but if you talk to the residents, you will notice a trend involving everyone in this town: the townspeople are all wearing black, and have sad looks on their faces. Let's try to cheer these people up! Walk around the house to another house next to the church. Open the cupboard to your right for some Plain Clothes. Leave the house and head over to the weapon shop. If you are using Boomerangs for the Hero, the Edged Boomerang is weaker than the Reinforced Boomerang, so do not buy it. If you are using swords for the Hero, you could buy a Steel Broadsword, although I don't use them really and you can get a free one of these in a little while. If you are going to use bows for Angelo, you can buy the Short Bow sold here, but the next town you are going to sells a better bow. At the armour shop, you may be tempted to buy a suit of Bronze Armour for the Hero. Instead, you can make one for a little cheaper than buying the armour outright. Buy an Iron Cuirass for Yangus. It is only 5 points better than the Chain Mail, but it can be mixed in a little while to make a nicer suit of armour for him. When your current mix is done, put the Chain Mail and a Bronze Shield that you can buy at this armour shop into the Alchemy Pot and you will make a suit of Bronze Armour. Now head into the castle via the small door on the left side of the large center door. As you enter, two cupboards are to your left. Open the one nearest to the door to find Mini Medal #012. The cupboard next to it has 42 gold inside. Follow the hall to a staircase going up, and follow the walkway outside on 2F to a door. In the kitchen, look to your right to see a pot and two barrels. In the pot should be a Medicinal Herb, and inside the right barrel is some Red Mould. Go through the other door in the kitchen and take the stairs going up on your right. On 3F, enter the door on your right and open the cupboard away from the corner to find Mini Medal #013. This should be all of the findable items in the castle. Leave this room and go up the stairs that the guard is standing by, then straight up the next set of stairs to the top of the castle. At the top, walk around the center building until you see a maid wearing black. When you walk close enough, you will see the maid Emma talking to the person inside, then leave (with a sad look on her face, of course). Go down one floor to the throne room and talk to Emma. Now leave the castle area and stay at the inn. Choose to Rest until evening, then return to the throne room. A man in black should be kneeling in front of the throne, with his head on the seat. Speak to King Pavan. The dreary feeling of this place now becomes known by the party, Pavan's young wife Sasha was taken away from him 2 years ago. He and the country still are in shock and depression towards the loss of Pavan's queen. Pavan himself will not even notice you, so make your way out of the castle and you should bump into Emma. Emma will then tell the party about Sasha, then mention her grandmother that lives west of the castle..sound familiar? Walk out of Ascantha, then cast Zoom and warp back to the Riverside Chapel (remember, it is on page 2 of the Zoom list), then visit the old couple's house across from the Riverside Chapel. Emma's grandmother will mention a hill behind her house that leads to a mysterious world, and to visit the top of the hill at night. Do not worry about waiting until night, just go ahead and look for a downward slope leading to a sandy area behind her house. Monsters found in this region: #036 Metal Slime #050 Kisser #236 Khalamari Kid #237 See Urchin #240 King Kelp Fight Metal Slimes here if you want, and/or just go to the end of the beach to a cave. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-D2) Wisher's Peak | | My level: 16 | /=======================/ Monsters found in this cave: #021 Healslime #042 Bodkin Bowyer #044 Mummy Boy #045 Hell Hornet #047 Slime Knight #049 Treeface #051 Diemon #052 Walking Corpse #053 Fat Bat As you enter Wisher's Peak, you are greeted by a couple of passages to choose from. Go straight across first and you will find a chest with a Wizard's Staff at the end. Now leave this passageway and take the first one on your left. When the path divides, go right and you will see a staircase leading up for you to take. Out of the initial cavern, turn around and follow the path going up to a second cavern. In here, take the left passage to find the treasure chest with the map to this place inside. It isn't very useful now, though. Climb up the rope in the main room and follow the path. Shortly after crossing a bridge, watch for a side path to your right going up. Follow this path to the end and open the treasure chest there for the last item found at Wisher's Peak, a Templar's Shield for Angelo to equip. Now just turn around and follow the left wall to a slope heading to the top of Wisher's Peak. If you have followed what to do in Ascantha, once you arrive at the top of Wisher's Peak it should automatically be nighttime. Look to your right, and you should see a black window. The shadow of the window will steadily grow in length, until it reaches the wall across from it. At this time, a cutscene should start. Walk up to the door and press the X or L3 button to open and go through the door to another world.. Welcome to the Moonshadow Land! Check out all of the phases of the moon circling the building, then enter. The party will be greeted by Ishmahri. Speak to him and he will say that Pavan needs to get over the loss of Sasha. Ishmahri will then join the party, so go ahead and take the door back to the regular world. You will warp back to Ascantha. Lead Ishmahri to the throne room. He will play his harp and bring back an image of Sasha and a younger Pavan. Seems kind of mean to me..but this knocks Pavan out of his melancholy state to get over her death. Pavan orders the black tapestries rolled up and to cast regular ones to cover the castle (I think they're tapestries..whatever they are, the black ones get rolled up and replaced). A feast is held for the party, then you can leave Ascantha for now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================/ | (II-D3) On the way to Pickham | | My level: 17 | /===============================/ Monsters found in this region: #016 Drackmage #021 Healslime #026 Winky #037 Scorpion #039 Brownie #041 Puppeteer #043 Night Sneaker #044 Mummy Boy #045 Hell Hornet #046 Pan Piper #047 Slime Knight #048 Clockwork Cuckoo #049 Treeface #050 Kisser #051 Diemon #052 Walking Corpse #054 Night Fox #055 Paprikan #057 Hood #058 Headhunter #059 Minidemon #060 Gorerilla #078 Mum #079 Boh #080 Jum #081 Boe #236 Khalamari Kid #239 Yabby #240 King Kelp As the party leaves Ascantha, Yangus says maybe the group should try asking a man named Brains about Dhoulmagus in the town of Pickham, to the south. It's time to head off-road! Travel southeast along the coastline of Ascantha. Soon you should spot a beach. Ignore the visible Yabby and explore the northern end of the beach to find a treasure chest. Inside this Thief's Key-locked chest is a Seed of Defence. Now look at your map, and along the very bottom of the close-up map view, you should see a house of some sort. That is the next destination. Pass the visible Yabby then head southwest. Once you see the lake, you should also see the building from the map, a log cabin, to the south. Enter the Lakeside Cabin. /======================================================/ | Lakeside Cabin | /------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $10 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 0 | /======================================================/ All that is here are an inn and a church to save. Use these facilities if you need to, then leave. Look at your map again, and in the close-up view you should see Pickham in the very bottom-left corner. There is one more place to visit before Pickham though, so head south-southwest. If you are lucky, the Minidemon monsters here may drop a chest with a Wing of Bat inside. Or a Fat Bat may already have. If you do have one, save this item for some later mixes to get some weapons early. The two important mixes with a Wing of Bat are these: Holy Silver Rapier + Devil's Tail + Wing of Bat = Fallen Angel Rapier Edged Boomerang + Wing of Bat + Steel Scythe = Razor Wing Boomerang If I only have one Wing of Bat, I wait to make the Fallen Angel Rapier because by the time I can make it, the Razor Wing Boomerang is soon buyable at a shop. Plus, the Fallen Angel Rapier is instantly upgradable to a stronger sword for Angelo. With two Wings of Bat, I make both of these items as soon as I can. Keep going south-southwest until you see a road. You may see a chest or two along the way, but these are locked beyond the Thief's Key. Following this road, you will see a strange-looking building with a locked front door. Don't bother with the chest at the southern end of the building, this one is locked beyond the Thief's Key, too. Instead, walk up the ramp going to the roof of the building. There should be a man standing at the edge, wearing green and red clothes. Speak to him, then walk away. The strange man will introduce himself as Morrie. Talk to him again and answer his question with Yes. Morrie will then give the party three Memos. The 3 memos are more like wanted posters; each one has a visible monster for you to find and beat in battle, then bring to Morrie. One of them (Morrie's Memo #2) you have already seen, the other two not yet. Do not worry about fighting Lonely Joe at this time, just do it all at once. Now go on your way, following the road west right into Pickham. Before entering town, if you have anything important mixing in the Alchemy Pot, finish the mix first. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================================================/ | (II-E) The Case of the Mysteriously Vanishing Horse | /-----------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary | | | | 1-Enter Pickham, look for Brains the informant, and | | find Medea's thief. | | 2-Get Casino tokens for items (optional). | | 3-Visit Red and learn of her 'deal'. | | 4-Get the Venus' Tear in the Swordsman's Labyrinth | | and bring it to Red to get Medea back. | | 5-Locate Brains and hear about Dhoulmagus escaping | | to the west, and information about a boat. | /=====================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-E1) Pickham | | My level: 17 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $12 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 27 + 1 / Casino | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Poison Moth Knife $950 | | Hunter's Bow $1,700 | | Steel Broadsword $2,000 | | Iron Axe $2,600 | | Holy Lance $2,700 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Bronze Armour $840 | | Leather Cape $1,100 | | Dancer's Costume $1,300 | | Iron Shield $720 | | Iron Helmet $1,100 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Amor Seco Essence $120 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Casino (use tokens bought/won at the casino to buy casino items) | | | | Magic Water 100 tokens | | Silver Platter 500 tokens | | Agility Ring 1,000 tokens | | Titan Belt 1,500 tokens | | Rune Staff 3,000 tokens | | Platinum Headgear 5,000 tokens | /=========================================================================/ Welcome to Pickham! After looking around for a bit, Trode decides to have a drink at the bar while the party looks for Brains the informant. Start the search by entering the door straight ahead of you. Walk past the blacksmith and search the dresser in the corner. Inside is another suit of Chain Mail. Keep this for later. Exit by taking either door on the side of the building and browse at the weapon and armour shops. At the weapon shop, buy a Hunter's Bow. If Angelo is using bows, then equip it now. If Angelo is not using them, just put it in the bag; it can be mixed to make a useful item/bow later on. This shop also sells the Holy Lance, but you can make one without having to shell out 2,700 gold. I just wait on this. At the armour shop, buy a Dancer's Costume for Jessica. Not only are they a stylish new look for her, but good armour for her, too. Buy an Iron Shield for both the Hero and Yangus, and one more to put into the bag for a mix later. If you have enough money, you can also buy a Leather Cape for Angelo. Don't worry about buying an Iron Helmet. They are pretty expensive and you can get a free one in a little while. Now look at your map, and head towards the well (left of the inn) and go down it. Down here should be a cage-looking door. Open it and break the pots on the side of the room with the large cauldron. Inside these pots are Mini Medal #014 and some Amor Seco Essence. Now leave the well and enter the door across from the item shop, past the well. In this corridor area are a couple of items, some you cannot get at this time. Push L2 as soon as you enter, then open the door right in front of you. Break the barrel in the corner of the room to find a Seed of Life. Now continue down the hall, taking the right fork down to a room by itself. Turn left and search the cupboard for some Holy Water, then exit the building via the way you came in. At the end of the hall are four chests, but you cannot unlock the door to them for quite a long time. Back outside, enter the item shop. Snoop through the bag closest to the counter and you will find Mini Medal #015 inside. Leave the item shop and enter the door across from the church. In these tiny living quarters are some items. Look for a Seed of Strength in a bag, and Mini Medal #016 in a barrel inside the two rooms closest to you, then leave the building. Turn to the left and break open the pot next to the staircase. Inside is a Cowpat (aka Cow Manure), just what you needed. Try using it outside of battle for a laugh. Turn around and enter the second door on the eastern wall of town. In the cupboard there is Magic Water, just for you! Now turn left and enter the next door. Hmm, it's locked? Well nevermind then. Take out your frustration on the barrels across from the bar (there are 2 bars in town). One has 26 gold inside. Don't enter this bar right now, instead go up the stairs to the rooftops. Enter the tent in front of you and search the hanging bags. Inside the first one is a pair of Boxer Shorts. Leave the tent and continue across the rooftops. Go all the way to the end, and break the pots in a corner. One of them has Mini Medal #017. Then take the stairs going down by the skinny man in green. Walk up to the door, and a cutscene should start. It seems that Brains the informant is not here right now. So let's go in and see what we can take from him! Enter the room and open the door to your left. Inside are some pots and barrels. You should find a Seed of Wisdom and 30 gold inside the pots. Time to go back and tell Trode that Brains the informant is not here. Stop at the inn first and rest if it is almost nightfall. At the inn, go upstairs to the second floor. In the second room on the left is 35 gold waiting in the dresser. Leave the inn from the second floor by going through the door on your left after leaving this room. On the rooftops is an item to grab. Turn left and break the barrels. The left one has some Red Mould inside. From here, just re-enter the inn and leave via the first floor door. After leaving the inn, enter the bar to your right (the wagon is nicely hiding the sign). Before speaking to Trode, go to the far right side of the bar and bust the barrels. The left one has some Fresh Milk for you. Now talk to Trode. While he is talking, you will hear some commotion outside..sounds like a horse..wasn't Medea just outside?! Exit the bar, Medea and the wagon are gone! No more Alchemy Pot for awhile. And Medea is gone, too! Time to try to figure out what happened. You cannot leave Pickham until you do. Head to the southwest corner of town, past the casino. If you go down the alley with the weapon and armour shops, the man at the end requires you to pay him to move out of the way. Pass the casino and enter the door on the wall to the right after the casino. Walk to the end of this extremely messy room, and a man will be counting his coins for stealing a horse. Wonder what horse it was! After seeing that you overheard him, the man cowers and you get a free 1,000 gold. Now you know who stole Medea, but where is she? Time to find out. Before leaving the messy room, search the cupboard to find a Bunny Tail, then break the pots to find some Rennet Powder and 12 gold. While you are still here, you can get another non-counting item if you are a completionist. Walk up the stairs where a ladder is going way up. Behind the ladder on the wooden podium is the Eros' Bow Recipe. If it is not showing up, come back later in the game to find it. Remember, you *do not* have to pay the weapon shop guy in Farebury to get the recipes to appear. Now you want to go to the bar near the southeast corner of town, the one that was skipped earlier. Inside, break the barrels behind the man in purple that is seated to your right. The center barrel has some Waterweed Mould. Speak to the bartender, who will let you through to the door behind him. In here, search the cupboard for Mini Medal #018. Now talk to the man behind this corner to get the scoop on your missing horse. The man will say that someone named Red has bought your horse. Seems Yangus knows her. Now you can leave Pickham to confront Red, but first, take some time out at the Casino. Enter the casino and talk to the yellow bunny girl on your left. Buy 50 tokens for 1,000 gold (100 if you can afford that many), then save your game and be ready to hit reset a lot. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /============================/ | (II-E2) The Pickham Casino | | My level: 17 | /============================/ Casinos are completely optional, but they are well worth your time. Lots of nice prizes can be bought here; some useful right away, others for mixing some helpful equipment. Unfortunately, the only games playable at this casino are Bingo and 1-coin slot machines. 1-coin slots are not worth your time, so play Bingo. Stand on the green floormat next to the Bingo table and press the X or L3 button, then answer with Yes to play. You must buy casino tokens in order to play the casino games (except for a few rare instances). It costs 20 gold for each token. Tokens cannot be sold for gold anywhere. Play at your own risk, and play/save smart. At this Bingo 'table', the most tokens you can wager is 100. Depending on how many balls it takes the annoying Healslime to get you a Bingo, you can win a pretty good amount. The center square is already given to you, allowing for 4 ball Bingos. Press the circle button during play to see a different view of the board. The amount of tokens won are if you get a Bingo within: 4 balls = wager x400 (40,000 tokens with a 100-token wager) 5 balls = wager x200 (20,000 tokens with a 100-token wager) 6 balls = wager x100 (10,000 tokens with a 100-token wager) 7 balls = wager x50 (5,000 tokens with a 100-token wager) 8 balls = wager x25 (2,500 tokens with a 100-token wager) 9 balls = wager x10 (1,000 tokens with a 100-token wager) 10 balls = wager x5 (500 tokens with a 100-token wager) If you get 4 balls in a line, you will be at Chance status. If you are 1 ball from two possible Bingos, you will be at double Chance. This is when the Healslime gets to be a pest by totally missing your ball. Even worse is the triple Chance, where it still refuses to pull a winning ball. The amount won if you have a double chance that the Bingos need (and get) the same winning ball, like this: xxxox xxxox xxxox ooo?o xxxox Well, I do not know how much is won, as I have never had it happen. This guy is the epitome of evil, and loves playing God while you helplessly watch him pull the wrong ball at will, looking down upon you, smiling like a buffoon, taking your tokens away. One day this guy will pay..one day..sometimes the ability to switch the camera view with the circle button is a nice way to just not see this guy smiling as he draws bad ball after bad ball. Eventually you'll win. Save the game after doing so then play again, resetting when a low win isn't worth keeping (I usually reset after I lose 500 tokens) and buy what you like. Here's what I buy, and why (talk to the bunny girl in green to buy items): Magic Water x10 (1,000 tokens) Useful for mixing some strong items later in the game, and if you need MP in a pinch. Try to buy about 5 of these, up to however many you feel you will want. Silver Platter x4 (2,000 tokens) A horrible shield by itself, but can be mixed to make a good shield for both Jessica and Angelo, and for some good armour that Yangus can equip, you need 2 more Silver Platters, so I buy 4 of these. Agility Ring x4 (4,000 tokens) Agility +15 for the Hero, Yangus, and Angelo, and it takes one of these to make one Mercury's Bandana, which I make one right away for the Hero, and two more for the Mercury's Rapier for Angelo. Two free ones are found in chests relatively soon, so you can save some tokens that way. If you aren't using swords for Angelo, then buying 3 or 4 are fine. Titan Belt x1 (1,500 tokens) Jessica needs all the Attack help she can get when just attacking, and this gives a nice +10 bonus. Rune Staff x2 (6,000 tokens) Can be mixed for one of the strongest staves in the game sooner than you think, which can be sold for 22,500 gold or kept to revive party members. Also the Rune Staff is useful for the Hero and Jessica in battle, as it casts the Kabuff spell when used as an item in battle. Total: 14,500 tokens + 9,400 extra = 23,900 The Platinum Headgear, while a good helmet, is too expensive for me to bother with. If you get lucky with a big win, then buy one for Angelo if you like. The extra 9,400 is for a later Casino, and to start raking in the tokens right away at that one. After hitting 23,900 or more tokens, I buy what I have written, and move on. If you win more than that, keep at least 9,400 tokens and buy whatever else you feel like (a Rune Staff for Yangus can be a good choice). You can actually get lucky and win 40,000 with one 100-coin wager. I did shortly after having 100 tokens my first time. It has never happened since. You can make money best by buying Magic Water for 100 tokens and selling it for 150 gold each. In the Japanese version, Agility Rings sold for 1,550 gold. Now they only sell for a measly 180. Prayer Rings give the same amount of gold as 10 Magic Water, so buy either one when you can get to both casinos and have extra tokens if you need cash. After you have the tokens and items that you want, leave Pickham and head west. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /============================/ | (II-E3) A Tear for a Horse | | My level: 17 | /============================/ Monsters found in this region: #016 Drackmage #048 Clockwork Cuckoo #049 Treeface #050 Kisser #052 Walking Corpse #054 Night Fox #055 Paprikan #056 Chimaera #057 Hood #058 Headhunter #059 Minidemon #060 Gorerilla #064 Witch #236 Khalamari Kid #239 Yabby #240 King Kelp Follow the western ridge and you should go south, west, then northeast a small bit. Skip the visible Redtail Hipster and go for the chest behind it. Inside the Thief's Key-locked chest is 450 gold. After opening the chest, leave the small cul-de-sac and go south towards the beach (the western one on your map, just south of a small, circular desert). Once you reach the small desert area, follow the ridge to the east and look for a treasure chest along the ridge. In this Thief's Key-locked chest is a Leather Whip. Not a great prize at this point of the game, but whatever. If you accidentally sold Jessica's initial Leather Whip, now you have a replacement. Now walk directly south to the beach and look for a visible Khalamari Kid. Run into it to start a battle. This enemy should go down with regular attacks in one round. The monster should drop a Copper Monster Coin, then its stats will appear and the game will ask if you want to send the little guy to Morrie. Answer with Yes, as this is the monster on Morrie's Memo #3, Squiggles! Most of the visible monsters will drop a Monster Coin. There are three types: the Copper Monster Coin, Silver Monster Coin, and the Gold Monster Coin. Monster Coins have no use other than they can be sold for money (that I know of). Copper Monster Coins sell for 200 gold each, Silver ones sell for 500 gold each, and finally Gold Monster Coins sell for 1,000 gold apiece. Send Squiggles on his way to Morrie, then travel northwest across the small desert and go into the house on your map. This house (Red's) can only be accessed from the eastern side. Once you arrive, check out the horse shed first. In here are Medea, the wagon, and a pair of barrels to your left. The barrel closest to you has Mini Medal #019 inside. Now enter the house by talking to the man out front. A woman's voice will tell the man to let you inside. Yangus must be alive in order for Red to let the party into her house. Enter the bedroom to your right and search through the dresser by the entrance. Inside it is a Hairband. Leave the bedroom and spot some pots. The back one has Mini Medal #020. Now talk to Red, the woman in red sitting in a rocking chair. Red has your horse, but she wants to keep it. Red then decides that if you travel north to a cave and fetch the Venus' Tear inside, maybe she will trade you the Venus' Tear for your horse and wagon. Now head north towards the swamp (purple blotches on the map) on the right side of the area. Go up the hill in order to reach the eastern swamp and you should see a treasure chest on the opposite side. You have to walk straight through (you will be damaged 1HP on occasion) the swamp to the treasure chest. Inside this Thief's Key-locked chest is that free Farmer's Scythe I was mentioning earlier in the guide. If you are using axes for Yangus and did not yet make an Iron Axe (throw two Farmer's Scythes into the Alchemy Pot), do so once you get the Alchemy Pot back. Go down the hill then west, to the Swordsman's Labyrinth and enter. As soon as you enter, leave. This place will be added to your Zoom list, but there's one more treasure chest to get first. Look at your map. Northwest of the Swordsman's Labyrinth is a small clump of forest. Head that way by going west-southwest to the coastline, then follow the coast northeast. At the end is a chest containing an Iron Shield. You should have two of these in your bag now. The trip here has probably used up a bit of your HP/MP, so warp to Pickham, rest up and save, then cast Zoom again and warp directly to the Swordsman's Labyrinth. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================/ | (II-E4) Swordsman's Labyrinth | | My level: 18 | /===============================/ Monsters found in this cave: #044 Mummy Boy #062 Cannibox #063 Goodybag #065 Mummy #067 Restless Armour #068 Lost Soul #069 Phantom Fencer Boss: #264 Trap Box Some of the monsters in here can hit pretty hard. Counter this with usage of the Rune Staff or cast the Kabuff spell. Level 1-Straight ahead of you is the chest with Venus' Tear. But you have to go around and through the dungeon to actually get there. Start by taking the door on your left (right is just a dead end) and take the stairs down to Level 2. Level 2-Follow the passageway (skip the door on your right) until you reach a four-way intersection. Go straight across and you will see three doors. Go through the leftmost door, and you'll be in a room with a lot of pots and a treasure chest, like this: 5 6 x 7 x x 4 3 x x 1 2 x x x Break the numbered pots and open the chest to find these items: 1-Mini Medal #021 2-11 gold 3-62 gold 4-Red Mould 5-Antidotal Herb 6-Mini Medal #022 7-Seed of Magic Level 2-Leave this room, skip the next door on your left (it won't open), and open the next door and go through. In here are two chests. The one on the left is a Cannibox. Inside the chest on the right is a Kitty Shield for either Jessica or Angelo to equip. It'll help Jessica more, and should have lower Defence than Angelo's current shield, so give it to her. Now return to the four-way intersection and take a left (where the torches are). You'll see a pit and a door. Either fall in the pit or open the door (and fall down the pit anyway). Level 3-When you land, you'll see a chest right next to you. Open it to obtain the map for the dungeon. Run across the swampland and go up to the stairs at the end of the hallway. Next to the stairs are two pots. Inside the left one is a Cowpat. Take it, then head up to Level 2. Level 2-Now you are in the room with the door that was skipped earlier. Head south (this dungeon does follow the compass), then take a right at the four-way intersection, to the stairs going down to Level 3 again. Don't fall down the pit or open the first door you see. Open the door at the end to get to the stairs. Level 3-When you can take two paths going west, take the bottom one that is straight ahead (the upper one leads to a dead-end door). In the way of the door is a statue. Walk up to it and press X or L3. You can then push or pull it out of your way. Then just follow the passage to some more stairs going down. Level 4-When you can go right, do so. At the end of the windy passage are two pots. The left one has Mini Medal #023. All that's left to get is Venus' Tear. Get out of the winding hall, then take a right at the t-intersection. Push/pull the statue onto the button to keep the drawbridge down, then cross. Follow the passage to a big room at the end, with two statues and a bunch of square tiles. Look up and you'll see a hole in the ceiling. Now walk onto the tile that intersects the two statues. You'll get launched to the ceiling. You should have an idea on what to do. Move the left/right statue three tiles to the left and the forward/backward statue three tiles ahead, then stand on the intersecting tile. Level 1-Heal the party before opening the chest, because the chest itself is the.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /===========================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks-can make a desperate attack, | | casts Snooze, casts Fuddle, casts Crackle | /===========================================================/ This boss isn't too bad, but it can be annoying with status-changing attacks. The Trap Box can cast the Snooze spell and tries to confuse party members with the Fuddle spell. Also it can cast the Crackle spell to hurt party members for about 30 damage each. If she has it, have Jessica cast Magic Barrier to reduce the damage from the Crackle spell. If a party member (or members) get put to sleep, have Angelo cast his Tingle spell. It works on the entire party, so as long as he is awake, he can wake everyone else up in one move. If a party member is confused, there isn't much you can do..hope either the party member gets out of it naturally, gets put to sleep by the Trap Box, or is attacked by the boss and snaps out of it. Start the battle by having anyone with a Rune Staff use it the first round and have Angelo cast the Kabuff spell. If Yangus doesn't have a Rune Staff, build his Tension up to 50, then use Helm Splitter. For the other party members, have Jessica and the Hero build Tension to 50, then use Twin Dragon Lash for Jessica, and equip your spear onto the Hero and have him use Multithrust. Keep Angelo as the healer (watch out for desperate attacks by the boss) and to wake up anyone asleep. Remember that if you get put to sleep, any Tension gained is lost. One helpful tip for boss fights is to note that after 8 actions, any Defence gained or lost is returned to normal. So if you used the Rune Staff 5 times and gained +100 Defence, after 8 turns you would be back to normal and would have to use the Rune Staff 5 times again. This can be avoided! Simply use the Rune Staff (or cast the Kabuff spell) once again before the bonus wears off, and you are given another 8 actions to keep your Defence bonus. Even if you are maxed out at +200, use the Rune Staff or Kabuff spell..the game says nothing happened, but you will restart the count again, using less actions to keep your Defence. This also works the opposite way; if you reduce a monster's Defence, after 8 actions their Defence will return to normal. Use a Defence-lowering attack (like Yangus's Helm Splitter) or spell (Sap or Kasap), and the enemy's Defence won't recover. Note that I said actions, not rounds. If an enemy has 2 turns, the Defence will return sooner. This 'trick' can also be used with the Oomph, Insulatle, and Magic Barrier spells; simply cast them again before they wear off so you don't have to worry about getting plastered by a powerful attack and having worn-off protection. After the initial three 50 Tension attacks, just repeat the attacks with no Tension, or build up 20 then use the attack again. The Trap Box has about 1,100 HP (I beat him at 1,117, doing 40 on the last hit). Beating the Trap Box nets you 1,020 experience points, 660 gold, and Venus' Tear. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Have Jessica or the Hero cast Evac, then walk to Red's house. Back at Red's, talk to her and she will see that you have Venus' Tear. Red will then decide that she wants to keep your horse anyway, until Yangus gets on his knees and begs to get Medea and the wagon back. Shocked at his desperation, Red gives in and trades you as she originally dealed to do. Leave her house and Trode will be reunited with his wagon and Medea. More importantly, you have the Alchemy Pot back. Make the Iron Axe if you haven't yet. If you have, then make a White Shield for Jessica then Angelo. Make a White Shield by throwing an Iron Shield and a Silver Platter into the Alchemy Pot. Afterward, resume the Strong Medicines. Walk or warp back to Pickham. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==============================================/ | (II-E5) The Informant and a New Destination | | My level: 19 | /==============================================/ Back in Pickham, make your way to the informant's house in the southeast area of town. Make a pit stop at the bar on the eastern side of town first. Talk to the bartender and go through the door to the masked man, Dodgy Dave. Now that you have the Alchemy Pot back, he wants to trade you some mixed items for things he has. Let's see what he wants. Tell Dodgy Dave you have the Alchemy Pot again by answering him with Yes. He will then start with his list of items to trade. The full list is as follows: #1: Special Medicine for 500 gold #2: Reinforced Boomerang for 1,200 gold #3: Ring of Immunity for a Bandit Axe #4: Robe of Serenity for 6,000 gold #5: Sandstorm Spear for a Happy Hat #6: Crimson Robe for a Big Boss Shield Then his list repeats, for money: #7: Special Medicine for 400 gold #8: Reinforced Boomerang for 1,000 gold #9: Ring of Immunity for 3,500 gold #10: Robe of Serenity for 4,000 gold #11: Sandstorm Spear for 6,000 gold #12: Crimson Robe for 12,000 gold You already have a Special Medicine, but wait just a minute. If you don't have one, just throw in two Strong Medicines into the Alchemy Pot. Once you talk to him again and take his offer to trade 500 gold for it, he will immediately go to his next item, a Reinforced Boomerang, which the Hero has equipped (in my game, anyway). *Only* talk to him if you are willing to trade both items at once (or if you don't have a Reinforced Boomerang). If you talk to him and he sees you have an item, and you tell him you won't trade, he will move onto the next listed item and you will miss your chance for whatever he has (in this case, 1,200 gold) until you cycle through to that item again very late in the game. I tested this with the Crimson Robe, passing on the trade the first time. When it was reached again the second time, Dodgy Dave still wanted to give me the Big Boss Shield. If you are willing to, you can trade him and then buy a Edged Boomerang at Ascantha, but it has 5 less Attack and costs 1,360 gold to buy, so you will lose money. Just wait until an enemy drops an Iron Nail, then make another Reinforced Boomerang by putting an Iron Nail and a regular Boomerang (you should still have a free one, but if not, buy another at Farebury) and talk to him then to make the first two trades. If you do have two and trade him, check the Hero's equipment and equip the Reinforced Boomerang from the Item Bag if he takes the one the Hero had in his inventory. His third item, the Ring of Immunity, is a little bit later into the game, so don't worry about it for now. Leave the bar, climb up the stairs next to it, then go to Brains's house via the rooftop stairs by the chimney/skinny guy in green. Talk to Brains the informant and he will say that Dhoulmagus has gone west, across the ocean. That may be a problem. But no worries, Brains has also heard that there is a boat between Trodain and Port Prospect. Time to find a boat! Exit Brains's house, then warp to Port Prospect. If you need help finding something, try coming back and talking to Brains (although I'd hope you do not get stuck reading this). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================================================/ | (II-F) Revisiting the Past for a Ship | /----------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Warp back to Port Prospect then head north to | | the Hilltop Hut. | | 2-Find the ship stuck on land. | | 3-Travel to Trodain, get the Magic Key, enter the | | the Trodain library, and learn of Ishmahri's | | predicament. | | 4-Find the last two monsters for Morrie, make a | | party of monsters, and use the Magic Key on | | locked chests. | | 5-Enter the Mole Hole and get the Moonshadow Harp. | | 6-Bring the Moonshadow Harp to Ishmahri to get the | | ship. | /====================================================/ After returning to Port Prospect, stay at the inn in town. Trode should be working on the Alchemy Pot again. After resting, leave Port Prospect then head northwest into a mountain valley. Follow the road that soon appears to a hut. Before entering the hut, go down the well next to it. What weird-looking water in here! See that big purple and green crown? Stand next to it and press X or L3. You'll try to take it, but you will be interrupted by something talking. Two eyes will appear from the 'water'. This is a King Slime, stuck in the well! It can't do anything in this form down here, so help it out by agreeing to remove the crown. Doing so will revert the King Slime into a bunch of normal Slimes. As gratitude, the Slimes give you the Slime Crown. Equip this to Yangus for now, but whatever you do, *DO NOT SELL OR THROW AWAY THE SLIME CROWN*. Some of the strongest item mixes in the game require a Slime Crown, and this (along with the extra one that was added to the North American version) is by far the easiest one you can get. Getting a third one is extreme luck, so hold onto this one. Leave the well and enter the hut. I don't even make any of the items that use a Slime Crown anymore, so unless you absolutely know that you aren't going to either, don't sell it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================================/ | (II-F1) Hilltop Hut | | My level: 19 | /----------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $3 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 1 | /==========================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #002 Candy Cat #014 Bodkin Archer #016 Drackmage #061 Mud Mannequin #071 Rockbomb #073 Muddy Hand #074 Terror Tabby #076 Buffalo Wing #083 Pink Pongo Do not leave the Rockbomb for last. They can cast the Kamikazee spell, wiping your party out. If you get lucky and a Rockbomb drops a Rockbomb Shard, you can make a Magma Staff if you throw the Rockbomb Shard and a Wizard's Staff into the Alchemy Pot. When used as an item in battle, the Magma Staff casts the Bang spell, hitting all enemies. Stay here for a cheap inn and a quick saving spot. Later in the game, I warp here to do both quickly. If you do stay (and slept at Port Prospect), you will again see that Trode is working on the Alchemy Pot (or you can stay here and another inn, and he should be finished after the 2nd time. Break the pot by the entrance to find Mini Medal #024. Finish up whatever mix is in the Alchemy Pot by walking against a wall. After the mix is finished (should be a White Shield), stay at the inn here. Once again, Trode will be adjusting the Alchemy Pot, except this time he will turn around and smile. Go to the Alchemy Pot subscreen and it will have upgraded! Now you can put three items into the pot. Once the second White Shield is done mixing, you can make more things. Sell off all of your Strong Medicines that you made with the Alchemy Pot at a shop. You probably won't get a lot of gold (I only made 10, aside from 2 in each party member's inventory), but it's easy money. Since you can throw in 3 items, you can mix better things to make money now. Try to have about 25 Medicinal Herbs and 40 Antidotal Herbs in your bag. First you should make a Mercury's Bandana by tossing in one Agility Ring and a Bandana. If you sold your Bandana, you can buy another one at the Peregrin Quay item shop (the man). After the Mercury's Bandana is done, make a Silver Cuirass for Yangus by putting in his current armour, the Iron Cuirass, and two Silver Platters. You should still have Chain Mail for him to wear in the meantime. When the Silver Cuirass is finished, make a Long Spear for the Hero by putting in two Cypress Sticks (if you do not have 2, you can buy them at the Farebury weapon shop) and the Iron Lance into the Alchemy Pot. When the Long Spear is finished, throw that in along with the Gold Rosary dropped by the boss you fought just before getting Angelo as a party member, the Tortured Soul. A Holy Lance will be the result. Leave the Hilltop Hut, follow the road a little bit, then when it is near the end, go northwest into the dry, mountainous area. Once you reach the first large, open area, run along the southwest stretch (view your map, this place is somewhat of a maze). Stay on the high ground, and when you reach another open area, look at your map. Just to the northwest, there is something that looks almost like a smiley face. You want to go just north of that, onto a hill. Look to your right while going up the hill and you will see the ship as well as a treasure chest. Open this Thief's Key-locked chest to find a Sledgehammer. If you are using hammers for Yangus, then equip it. Otherwise keep it in the bag to sell later. From the chest, you just need to go west a little bit, then down a hill going east, then northwest to reach the ship. Doing so will activate a cutscene of the party finding the ship, but it isn't quite sailable in its current state being on dry land. Trode then bugs the party leader to show him the world map. He will note that you are pretty close to Trodain, and that maybe you can find something there to help with the ship's problem. Exit this area by going up the first hill then going west, north, then west onto grassland. When you reach the grass, look at your map. You can either go west or north then northeast to a cave. Go to the cave first; you'll go west pretty soon. Enter the tunnel and after exiting the other side, head west to the church (look at your map). When the second White Shield finishes mixing (if it hasn't), start with your next mix (Mercury's Bandana for me). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-F2) West Trodain Church | | My level: 20 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $15 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 0 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (man sitting at the table) | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Leather Cape $1,100 | | Fur Hood $1,400 | /========================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #001 Slime #004 Dracky #013 Dancing Devil #017 Beetleboy #021 Healslime #072 Dieablo #074 Terror Tabby #075 Devilmoth #076 Buffalo Wing #077 Mumboh-Jumboe #078 Mum #079 Boh #080 Jum #081 Boe #083 Pink Pongo #087 Garuda #105 Hawk Man Rest, sell off your Strong Medicines (and whatever other items you have that aren't mixable), then save. Leave the church and head directly for Trodain by going east past the tunnel, then northeast while on a hill. Follow the path all the way to Trodain, then enter the place that the 'root' of all the party's problems began. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=================/ | (II-F3) Trodain | | My level: 20 | /=================/ Monsters found in this dungeon: #066 Cureslime #071 Rockbomb #082 Hunter Mech #084 Liquid Metal Slime #086 Wailin' Weed #087 Garuda #088 Infernal Armour #089 Dragonthorn Although this is considered a dungeon, Trodain is also a town; in the sense that you can fetch out items from the Alchemy Pot. Keep that in mind while exploring this forsaken castle. Also be aware that some of the monsters in here are pretty strong and have matching attacks. Keep healed up so you don't get clobbered. Walk up to the door and try to open it. Trode will ask Jessica if her magic can get the thorns out of the way. Access granted. Don't expect a warm homecoming returning to where it all started. Thorns are everywhere, all the townspeople are half human, half plant (even the cat was cursed), and monsters now call this place home. Trode will have a flashback scene of what happened. Medea, in human form (as well as Trode) take a walk. Notice how conveniently something is covering their faces for most of the flashback.. The king and his daughter find a fallen guard; someone has snuck into the room where a great sealed item is. Trode rushes in and finds more guards taken out. Atop the stairs is Dhoulmagus and the easily recognizable staff (er..sceptre) he's been using to kill people with. Dhoulmagus bluntly states he's going to steal the legendary magical sceptre, and does so. He then uses the sceptre on Trode, but his daughter Medea comes between her father and the blast. Afterward, Medea and Trode are in the form we're used to, horse and green..guy. Dhoulmagus then walks to the balcony of the castle and uses the sceptre's power to decimate the entire castle. Thorns go everywhere and all townspeople are turned into plants. The barrier around the sceptre protects Trode and Medea, and the Hero wakes up unscathed. Strange..and that's the story of what happened here and why Trode, Medea, and the Hero left the castle. Trode then points out the library to the left of the entrance. Of course you can't get there quickly, so let's explore the castle and find a way into the library. Outside Area-Walk straight ahead to the fountain. On the ground in front of the fountain should be a scrap of paper, the Imp Knife Recipe. If it is not there, come back later in the game and it will show up. Remember, you *do not* have to pay the weapon shop guy in Farebury to get the recipes to appear. Now go up the left set of stairs going to the second floor balcony. On the balcony is a chest with the map. Go back downstairs, then to a door to the east past the set of stairs. 1F-Inside the castle, face left and break the barrel in the corner to find Mini Medal #025. The other barrel is empty, so ignore it and the door in front of you for now. Take the first stairway to your right instead and break the pots in front of you. In the middle pot is 46 gold. Turn around and go up the stairs to reach 2F. 2F-There are four chests in this room, but you cannot unlock the prison door yet. Use the door in front of you instead. In this new section of the second floor, turn left, go around the corner, then enter the first door on the left. In the throne room area, walk across to the door on the opposite side of the room. You should be where the shops are now. Go through the first door on your left here; there are some goodies in the storeroom. Open the two chests ahead of you and to the left. The left one contains the Magic Key. Now you can unlock those pesky chests that the Thief's Key could not! Open the right chest and equip the Templar's Sword found inside to Angelo if you are using swords for him. Now go back towards the door and you should see some barrels, pots, and bags to sift through. In the barrels you'll find Magic Beast Hide and Mini Medal #026. The bag away from the door has a Gold Bracer to snag. Leave the room and head back the way you came, through the throne room again. Back at the area just east of the throne room, take a left then right turn soon after. Go up the stairs to 3F. 3F-On the third floor, head south then west, then take the third door on your right. In the room with the piano, just go straight into the next room ahead. In (hopefully) Medea's bedroom, check the dressers on the northern wall. The far left dresser has a Garter. Surely Trode won't mind you taking it. Not an amazing piece of equipment by itself, but you can put the Garter into the Alchemy Pot along with a Hunter's Bow to make a new bow for Angelo, Eros' Bow. Even if you are not using bows for him, make Eros' Bow anyway; it can be mixed to make more powerful bows, the next one being a helpful item in battle, Cheiron's Bow, or just sold for money. Leave the bedroom and the room with the piano, then turn left and enter the large door ahead and to the left if you want to see Trode reminisce about the sceptre being taken, then/or take the next door on your left. Nothing in this room, so go through the door straight ahead, then enter Trode's bedroom via the large door in front of you. In Trode's room, check the dresser next to the bookcase to find Mini Medal #027. Afterward, leave his bedroom, take a right, then follow the hallway to a door leading back to the outside area. Before going through the large door that takes you outside, break open the barrels on the eastern wall. 29 gold is inside the barrel under the picture. Then go outside via the large door. When the Mercury's Bandana finishes mixing, make a suit of Silver Cuirass for Yangus. If you don't remember the mix for it, put these items into the Alchemy Pot: Iron Cuirass + Silver Platter + Silver Platter The Silver Cuirass is 19 Defence stronger than the Iron, so it is worth the time to mix. Equip a spare suit of Chain Mail that you hopefully still have in the meantime. Outside Area-Go west then north to a door leading back into the castle. 3F-Take the stairs going down to 2F. 2F-Turn left and go down to 1F. 1F-Take the first door on your right and break the pot away from the corner to find some Rock Salt. When you aren't mixing anything important, an easy monetary mix is: Fresh Milk + Rennet Powder + Rock Salt = Soft Cheese Soft Cheese sucks, but it is an easy mixture to make and the result can be sold for 600 gold. Make some whenever you have the ingredients and nothing highly important to make in the Alchemy Pot for some quick and easy cash. After getting the Rock Salt from the pot, go back through the door and enter the back of the throne room via the door to your right. Talk to the man sitting on the throne if you want; Trode will get angry that the chancellor is sitting in his chair..then open the door in the southwest corner of the throne room. From here, go through the door on your right to the dining hall. The last 3 items you can get for now are in here. Turn right and break the pot in the corner for some Waterweed Mould. The barrels on the same wall as the corner pot have 150 gold and Mini Medal #028 inside them. All that is left to do now is to go to the library, so exit the room from the door you entered by, then open the door ahead in the bottom-left corner of the map. Library-look for a door on the left and press X or L3 to unlock it. Now you can enter the library from the entrance of the castle. Walk into the part of the library with tables, and Trode will ask you to start searching for a book that will help. In the southeast corner of the room right next to the 'thorn doorway' is a bookcase kind of by itself. Walk up to it and press X or L3. Trode will then appreciate what you've found, and as the party reads the book, a familiar doorway's shadow will creep onto the wall. Re-enter the Moonshadow Land and talk to Ishmahri. Ishmahri says he can help you with your boat problem, but as he plays his harp, it breaks! He'll need a new one in order to help you. Leave the Moonshadow Land and walk out of Trodain. Before looking for the Moonshadow Harp, let's use that Magic Key and get a monster party. After walking out of Trodain, walk straight ahead and you should see a visible Slime hopping around to your left. Walk up to it, beat it, and send Smiles (the monster on Morrie's Memo #1), to Morrie. If you haven't fought Lonely Joe after getting the Memos from Morrie, cast Zoom, warp to Maella Abbey, walk south through it, then head east to bump into Lonely Joe. Fight and beat him, then send him to Morrie. Afterward, cast Zoom and warp to Morrie's Place. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================/ | (II-F4) Item/Recruitable Monster Cleanup | | My level: 21 | /==========================================/ Anyone familiar with Metroid speed runs should recognize the term 'Item Cleanup'... anyway, once you reach Morrie's Place, walk around the south end of the building (on the ground) to find a previously locked chest. Open it to get Mini Medal #029, then go up the stairs and talk to Morrie. He'll see that you have found all three monsters, then jump down to the entrance of his place. Either walk down and talk to him or one-up him and cast Zoom and warp to Morrie Place to reach him in style. Smiling, Morrie will open the door to his place and let you in. A pink bunny girl by the name of Mirrie will talk to him. He'll laugh, embarrass Mirrie, then walk on and go downstairs. Follow him down then speak to him again. After his poses, he will introduce you to MORRIE'S MONSTROUS PIT!! Marrie will tell him that name was their secret, so he poses again and calls it the MONSTER ARENA! Marrie then claps and Morrie tells you what his MONSTER ARENA is all about. More or less, this is a fight arena for monsters, namely the kind you can visibly see on the overworld map. Teams of three monsters fight through 7 Ranks of stronger monsters for the championship. Morrie will then ask if you want to have a team..say Yes! He will then say it costs 200,000 gold to register, then ask for you to pay. Whichever way you answer, you won't have to pay. He'll then ask if you wish to participate in the Monster Arena and CAN YOU CONQUER HIS MONSTROUS PIT!?, so reply with Yes. He'll then pose again at the creation of a new Monster Team Owner, you. Well, whoever is leading the party..for me he says 'bimba' a lot since Jessica leads. You will now be a monster team owner, and Morrie will ask if you have a name for the team. Answer with Yes, then name your team whatever you like. Confirm the name, then he will state you have a team right now with the three monsters you sent him. If you select no name, Morrie will cycle through some names for your team. Choose the bottom option to name the team yourself. Morrie then gives you the Monster Arena Key, which lets you into the arena. Don't fight with these monsters, you'll get massacred almost right away. Time to find some better monsters along with some chests that are unlocked with the Magic Key! Right now at your Rank, you can only have 3 monsters in your team, so don't start recruiting every monster you see. You can save the game at the Monster Arena by talking to the priest upstairs. On your Zoom list, Morrie's Place will now be replaced by Monster Arena. You now also have the Monster Team command under Alchemy Pot in the Misc. part of the command menu. How it works is: Choosing this option allows you to modify your monsters you have let join up. First up are these 3 options at the top (not all are available at the start of the game): Team 1 / Team 2 / Reserves Once you have monsters in a team, press the circle or X button over any of the above options, then press circle or x again when the cursor is over the monster you want to do something with. You'll see three options (two if you select a monster from Reserves): Switch members: Swap the monster with one of the monsters in Reserves. Place in reserves: Put the monster in Reserves without replacing it. Set free: Release the monster to the world. It will return to where it can be found on the overworld to get again later if you choose to. The easiest way to find and battle each monster (you want to, due to the Monster Coins they drop, which are easy money) is by going in order from the beginning, fighting monsters as you go along and opening new chests. Warp back to Farebury and go to the inn. You probably need a rest after going through Trodain. On the second floor of the inn, talk to the woman sitting down. The Lady's Ring belongs to her. If you show it to her, she says that it is too small for her finger. Before heading into the church, look for a short guy walking around in a red outfit to the side of the church. Speak to him and the man will talk about his wife's ring, the Lady's Ring. Somehow you can get a Seed of Wisdom from the man, but he just asks if he should tell his wife that he threw it away. As it is only for a Seed of Wisdom, *shrug*. Leave Farebury via the door by the inn, then go north. You should see a visible enemy that at the start of the game would have demolished you, a green dinosaur called a Hackasaurus. Fight him now. None of the monsters that are visible should pose a problem to the party for awhile, so just attack or use whatever you feel like to beat them. Either fight the normal monsters, use the Intimidate command to scare them off, oo cast the Holy Protection spell if you have it or use Holy Water to keep them away. Beat Hackzilla (in the Japanese version, his name was Dorango, the same name for the Battle Rex in Dragon Quest 6 that joins you) and recruit him. Hackzilla is much better than your current roster and one of the better monsters to recruit at this point in the game for the Monster Arena. Remove either of the monsters in your current team; you're going to want to get rid of the starting three anyway. To add a monster to a full team roster, you must answer Yes to add the new monster, then select the monster to remove, and confirm the choice again by selecting Yes once more. After getting Hackzilla, walk south until you reach the road west of Farebury and follow it towards the broken bridge at the western coast. If you stayed at the Farebury inn, it is morning/daytime. The monster around here can only be seen during the day. At the forest clearing, you should see a visible Bodkin Archer ahead. Fight and beat Fletch, but don't recruit him. Once the Silver Cuirass finishes mixing, make the Long Spear by putting the Iron Spear and two Cypress Sticks into the Alchemy Pot. From here, travel east and follow the road back to the big red tree southeast of Farebury. When you reach the red tree, go north and you should see a visible Mecha-Mynah. Fight and beat Mechabubo but don't recruit him. Walk back to Farebury, then follow the road south back to the Waterfall Cave. If you started making the Long Spear, it should be finishing soon. When it does, put it into the Alchemy Pot along with a Gold Rosary to make a Holy Lance. If you aren't using spears for the Hero, start making Eros' Bow by putting a Hunter's Bow and the Garter into the Alchemy Pot. Just before you reach the entrance to the Waterfall Cave, face west, and you should see a Slime Knight hopping around ahead of you. Fight and beat Slimehopper, but don't recruit him. Like Dorango, in the Japanese version of this game, the recruitable Slime Knight has the same name as a recruitable Slime Knight in Dragon Quest 5 named Pierre. Localization rocks! It should be dusk or nearing it. Walk to the forest south of/behind the Waterfall Cave, and slightly east. You should see a visible Dracky flying around if you wait until night. Fight and beat Sippy but don't recruit him. Warp to Alexandria next and head east from the village. Stock up on Holy Water in town if you don't want to bump into the wimpy badguys for awhile. I usually try to have around 40. On your left in a field, you should see a visible Bullfinch. Beat Cowboy but don't recruit him. The monsters you want have better stats than even this monster. Next up is Healer. Run to the beach south of Alexandria, and on the western end of it you'll see a visible Healslime. Too bad it isn't the one from Slime Bingo, but go ahead and think it is and destroy it for being annoying. Beat Healer but don't recruit him. Now warp to Peregrin Quay for the next monsters. If you are using swords for Angelo, see how many Bandanas you have. If you have two or more and/or are not using swords for him anyway, disregard this paragraph. If you have one or zero, enter Peregrin Quay and buy two Bandanas from the item shop (man in green), then leave. Upon arriving at Peregrin Quay, go southeast until you can just go east. You'll see a Brownie. Beat McHammer but don't recruit him. Keep going east. After passing the small ruins area where McHammer was, go straight up past the first hill and climb the second hill on your right. Walk west, then go through the stone archway to reach the next monster you want to recruit. Beat the visible Golem, Brickman, and recruit him into your party. This guy is another victim of localization; the Japanese name for the monster is Golemuth, the name of the first recruitable Golem you can get in Dragon Quest 5. Warp to Maella Abbey next. As soon as you arrive, face west and walk straight ahead. You'll reach a chest you couldn't unlock until now. Inside it is Mini Medal #030. When the Holy Lance finishes, put a Garter and Hunter's Bow into the Alchemy Pot to make an Eros' Bow. Even if Angelo isn't using bows, this can be sold for a nice amount of money (5,800 gold). After getting Mini Medal #030, warp to Simpleton. From Simpleton, take the road going east and continue east at the fork. When you reach a forest area, take a look at your map. Southeast of you should be a decent-sized forest, and a bigger one to the east of it. In the northern part of the bigger forest is a visible Treeface. Fight and beat Twiggy but don't recruit him. Warp to the Riverside Chapel next. Go across the bridge to the old couple's house and look for that valley on your right that had a chest with a suit of Chain Mail for Yangus, and enter it. Keep on the right side of the valley and go up the hill to a chest that you can now unlock. Give the Steel Broadsword to the Hero if you are using swords for him or if he is going to learn some sword attacks (I give it to him because I have him learn Metal Slash), then either walk back to the Riverside Chapel or warp there again. Travel straight north from the church. You should spot a treasure chest under a tree to your left before reaching the coast. Open it and take Mini Medal #031. When Eros' Bow finishes, make another Mercury's Bandana if you plan on using swords for Angelo. Put an Agility Ring and a Bandana into the Alchemy Pot to make these. If you don't have an extra Agility Ring, you're about to get one in a minute. From the tree, head east to the northeast corner of the area, then go around a hill. Another chest is there, with an Agility Ring waiting to be taken. Then go back to that chest that was under the tree (Mini Medal #031) and glance at your map. See the little forest valley to the southwest? The next recruitable monster is hanging out there. Find the visible Bodkin Bowyer and beat him. But don't recruit Archer. Warp to Ascantha next. Get to the beach south-southeast of Ascantha, and you'll see a visible Yabby. Fight and beat Robster but don't recruit him. Warp to the Monster Arena, but don't enter yet. Head north along the road. Just after the road ends, keep going along the hills on your left. A chest with a Seed of Defence will be found soon after. Now warp to Pickham. Buy a Hunter's Bow to mix into another Eros' Bow later. If it is getting close to nighttime, sleep at the Pickham inn until the next morning. When the Mercury's Bandana finishes, make another one if you have a spare Agility Ring. If not, then start making Special Antidotes as your new selling item. There are two ways to make this item for some reason, one is to put a Medicinal Herb and two Antidotal Herbs into the Alchemy Pot, and the other is by throwing a pair of Strong Antidotes into it. The first combination is much faster to make, so just use that. From Pickham, just run along the ridge on the right side, going around and back towards Pickham. You should see a visible Redtail Hipster. Fight and beat Salsa but don't recruit him. Make your way towards Red's house, then go over to the small desert just to the west of it. A visible Scorpion should be there (it has to be daytime). Fight and beat Scorpius but don't recruit him. He has good Defence, but his HP won't get you through as far as the three monsters I do take along can. While you're down here, keep going south. At the southwestern edge of this side of the mountains is another chest. In this chest is a Seed of Skill. These very nice (and rare) items increase the user's skill points by 5. You cannot use these to bypass the level limit for skill points, though. Use it (and the others) on whomever you wish. I use them mostly on Angelo and one on the Hero though, due to their higher amount of skill points needed for the skills I give them. From here, head north along the mountains and follow them west. By the coast is a treasure chest containing a Gold Ring. This item can be used for many mixes. I personally keep this one to make the Ring of Immunity that Dodgy Dave wants. If you want to make something else, you can throw in a Seed of Magic and the Gold Ring into the Alchemy Pot to make a Prayer Ring. The Prayer Ring can then be thrown in with other items to make the following: Full Plate Armour + Ruby of Protection + Prayer Ring = Magic Armour Steel Shield + Ruby of Protection + Prayer Ring = Magic Shield Seed of Strength + Prayer Ring = Strength Ring Seed of Agility + Prayer Ring = Agility Ring Seed of Defence + Prayer Ring = Ruby of Protection Seed of Life + Prayer Ring = Recovery Ring You can buy some of those or find them already made, so I don't make any of these at this time. The Strength Ring is used for some mixes later, such as Cheiron's Bow, so if Angelo is using bows in your game, you may want to make a Strength Ring out of the Gold Ring. If you are patient, you can skip the Gold Ring -> Prayer Ring mix if you like. As I don't use bows with Angelo when I play, I save the Gold Ring to make a Ring of Immunity later. The Recovery Ring isn't bad for Jessica (heals HP as you walk), but I wait on it and the Life Bracer for later. If Angelo is using bows, you can make Cheiron's Bow's a little sooner if you make a Prayer Ring, then a Magic Shield, then mix it with the Strength Ring you will get in a little bit. If you plan on making Cheiron's Bow as soon as you possibly can, save a Seed of Defence along with a Seed of Strength. It's up to you. Anyway, after getting the Gold Ring, head north-northeast until you can reach the swamp southwest of the Swordsman's Labyrinth. Then go into the swamp and you'll spot a visible Walking Corpse walking around. Fight and beat Hork but don't recruit him. Warp to the Hilltop Hut. Leave the proximity of the Hilltop Hut, then enter the wasteland area (north, then northwest). When you reach the open area, head southwest until the path turns westward. Face south and you should see a treasure chest in front of you. Fall down to it and open the chest. Inside is a Seed of Defence. Remember to be mixing Special Antidotes for money as you are going along. From here, make your way through the wasteland to the grassy field west of it (go west, then north, then west up a hill and past the ship, then northwest, then west, then north, and finally west again), by the cave leading to Trodain. Arriving at the grasslands, glance at your map. See the long stretch of land going west that you are at? Go all the way west there. Near the far coastline you should see a visible Jargon. Fight, beat, and recruit Potbelly as your third monster team member. You should now have Potbelly, Hackzilla, and Brickman as your monster team (in that order). To change the order, just put the monster in the reserves then back into the party. This team can get you through half of the entire Monster Arena with little problem (except Rank C). I choose these monsters as my team because: Potbelly has really high HP, has all right attack, and can spew Flame-Breath at all enemies. Hackzilla can also spew Flame-Breath, has good Attack, and can do a double slash attack. Brickman has pretty good Attack, decent HP and Defence, and can sometimes pull off a desperate attack. After getting Potbelly, keep going westward until you see a chest at the coastline. Inside is a Seed of Magic. Warp to Trodain then walk southwest along the path. Just as you are about to reach the grassland, turn northward and you should see a small valley heading back to the northeast. Enter the small valley, and you'll spot a visible Cannibox bouncing around along with a regular treasure chest. Before going to them, check out the left side of the valley and you will find another treasure chest just west of the valley's entrance. Inside the chest is 630 gold. Now go up to the Cannibox. Fight and beat Snap Case but don't recruit him. Open the chest next to him if you like; it also is a Cannibox. Warp to Trodain again, but go southeast this time. In this grassy area, go to the broken bridge found on the eastern edge. Slightly north of it is one more treasure chest with a Lesser Panacea. These items cure Poisoned, Envenomated, and Paralysis along with healing all HP to the person it is used on. They also sell for 550 gold. Decide what is better when the big sell-off occurs (if you are going along with my guide) during the Argonia bazaar. The last monster you can find right now is in the area, a visible Puppeteer just south of the broken bridge. Fight and beat Moppet but don't recruit him (her?). Walk south of the bridge for a bit, then turn around and look for him (her?). You are done with the item/recruitable monster cleanup for the time being. You should have 18 Copper Monster Coins and 3 Silver Monster Coins if you've fought all of the recruitable monsters up to this point. Warp to the Monster Arena, save your game at the priest, then go downstairs to the arena. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-F5) Monster Arena | | My level: 22 | /=======================/ Right underneath the stairs that take you down to the arena is a man with a creepy mustache wearing red. He'll ask if you want to use your team for the Monster Arena, say Yes. The list of Ranks, and the cost to fight in them will appear: Rank A 1,000G Rank B 700G Rank C 500G Rank D 400G Rank E 300G Rank F 200G Rank G 100G All you can do at first is Rank G. As you beat a Rank, the next one will become available. So choose Rank G, tell the man you will pay the 100 gold entrance fee, and Rank G will start. Every rank is composed of three fights. In order to win a Rank, your monster team must win all three battles in a row. You cannot change your team. You cannot control your team. If your team loses, it does not count count as a 'Times Wiped Out' in the Battle Records in this version of the game. The HP of your monsters carries over to the next fight; they are not healed/revived between each battle. Status ailments/benefits do carry over. ------------------------- Rank G First Team: The Slimeys She-Slime / Slime Knight / She-Slime This team is pretty simple. If you are using my team, you should win in the first or second round without a problem. Second Team: Team Face Off Frogface / Treeface / Frogface This team also should not pose a problem. The Treeface may use a Medicinal Herb, but that won't matter. This should be a two-round battle, tops. Champion Team: The Bully Brothers Hammerhood / Gorerilla / Bullfinch This may be the Championship Team, but it's the lowest Rank. Just fight and get done with Rank G. Sometimes the Bullfinch starts the battle asleep, making it that much more laughable. ------------------------- Beat Rank G, and you will receive a Strength Ring as your prize. Keep this item for some mixes later. Morrie will applaud your victory, and will allow you to have your Monster Team of three, as well as three more monsters in your reserves. Now you can have 6 monsters total (but only 3 to a team). Save your game, then talk to the man at the counter and go for Rank F. ------------------------- Rank F First Team: The Fisher Kings Khalamari Kid / King Kelp / Khalamari Kid This team is a joke. The Khalamari Kids are wimps and the King Kelp rarely attacks. Choose Fight and move on. Second Team: Hell's Bells Dingaling / Jargon / Dingaling The only monster that is 'tough' is the Jargon, and that's only because of its HP. Two or three rounds should finish this fight and take you to the championship match. Champion Team: The Red Barons Dancing Devil / Wailin' Weed / Redtail Hipster This team shouldn't pose a problem, either. The Wailin' Weed may revive one of its teammates, but damage-wise, only the Redtail Hipster will hurt you. It won't be enough to worry about winning Rank F. ------------------------- Beat Rank F, and you will receive a Bunny Suit as your prize. This armour is stronger than the Dancer's Costume, and you can give Jessica a new look when it and two other items are equipped; the Fishnet Stockings and Bunny Ears. Morrie will applaud your victory, and will allow you to fight your Monster Team at the arena with your party members. To do so, talk to the man behind the counter and choose the second option, 'Compete against own team'. Save your game then talk to the man at the counter and go for Rank E. ------------------------- Rank E First Team: The Prison Pussycats Jailcat / Terror Tabby / Jailcat Don't be afraid of this team. The worst they can do is cast Crack, put a team member to sleep, or hit a team member for about 30 damage. Sometimes the opposing team members will do nothing that affects your team at all. Second Team: The Fiend Family Hipster / Minidemon / Witch Cute team name, but nothing to fear. If they all focus attacks and spells to one party member it can be some trouble, but not nearly enough to stop you from going on to the championship. Even if the Hipster kills one of your team members with the Whack spell, the other two monsters can win the next round without much trouble. Champion Team: The Dirty Dancers Magic Marionette / Tap Devil / Volpone As the name states, this team consists of monsters that can do dances. The Magic Marionette takes away MP with Weird Dance, which doesn't matter for my team. The Tap Devil can prolong the fight with some of his dances, or revive a fallen teammate (but he will die in the process). The Volpone is the worst of the bunch, due to the ability to cast Boom and if it uses Hustle Dance to heal about 70HP to all teammates. Hopefully your team will take out the Volpone first, then the rest of the fight should be smooth sailing. Beat Rank E, and you will receive a Ring of Clarity as your prize. When equipped, the Ring of Clarity protects the wearer from being confused. Not that great, but whatever. Morrie will applaud your victory, and will teach the Hero the 'Call Team' ability. Use this in a fight to bring out your Monster Team to fight monsters. You might have noticed that Brickman is starting to lag behind; it will only be worse in Rank D, but not enough that you should get beaten. Save your game then talk to the man at the counter and go for Rank D. ------------------------- Rank D First Team: Team Nightmare Night Fox / Night Emperor / Night Sneaker The Night Fox may get in a few quick first attacks, but that's about it. The Night Emperor may put your party to sleep. That can be trouble due to the increasing damage the opposing teams start doing. The Night Sneaker's most dangerous attribute is its high evade chances. This battle shouldn't be too bad, but you won't get by it unscathed with Potbelly/Hackzilla/Brickman. Second Team: The Deadheads Skeleton / Walking Corpse / Mummy Totally undead, this team can cause a lot of damage to the initial team. The Skeleton can also cast Kasap to lower your team's Defence, allowing them to do more damage to your team. The Walking Corpse can do desperate attacks, always a bad thing. The Mummy can curse a team member and hits hard. This fight can make the championship match not so bad, or a nightmare to go in to. Hopefully your team will fight smart, be attacked in proportion to their HP, and you'll make it through. Brickman might not make it to the last round due to this fight. Champion Team: The Psyche-os Brownie / Hood / Brownie Thankfully, this match is usually easier than the previous one. If luck is not on your side though, the Brownies will go up to Super High Tension (100) and destroy you. The Hood will help you out if he just throws rocks at your team, doing about 15 damage to everyone. If the Brownies don't get an instant Super High Tension, then you should win this battle. ------------------------- Beat Rank D, and you will receive a Mighty Armlet as your prize. This gives a +15 Attack bonus to whoever has it equipped, so put it on Jessica and put the Titan Belt in the item bag. Morrie will applaud your victory, and will allow you to have your Monster Team of three, as well as three more monsters in your reserves. Now you can have 9 monsters total (but only 3 to a team). Save your game. This is as far as Potbelly/Hackzilla/Brickman can go. Brickman has a high mortality rate, followed by Hackzilla. Potbelly can possibly be the only monster you have left in the championship round. If you are getting frustrated, there are some new monsters that you can recruit now that you are a higher rank. Here's where to find them: Warp wherever there is an inn and make it nighttime. Then warp to the Riverside Chapel, cross the bridge to the old couple's house and go down behind it (as if you were making your way to Wisher's Peak). Along the way you should see a visible Phantom Fencer. Fight and beat Capers. Recruit him into your team, replacing Brickman. You can also get Hazel the Witch if you want (I just fight her for the coin) by warping to the Swordsman's Labyrinth, then by going west-southwest of the swamp you found Hork at. You should see a cow on a hill. Go past the cow into the low valley, and you will see Hazel just before entering the forest area. Warp to Alexandria, then travel west along the road until you reach the gate that was destroyed by Dhoulmagus early in the game. On the hill where the treasure chest is, you may see a visible Metal Slime. He is very fast, so it may be slightly annoying. Fight and beat Metaly and take him along if you wish. If he isn't here, he can also appear in these three other locations: North of 'Cowboy' (by a treasure chest) Just south of Alexandra Tower (before you reach the beach) Grassland southwest of 'Healer' (northeast of Port Prospect) Try Rank C with Capers instead of Brickman and you should have a slightly better chance. You can also try with Metaly, but I've never gotten that to be effective. ------------------------- Rank C First Team: The Beach Babes See Urchin / Siren / See Urchin The See Urchins aren't too bad, although they can dodge attacks and raise the team's agility. If your team wastes a lot of turns trying to hit them it can be trouble. The Siren is the most dangerous member of the group, but she doesn't do that much damage for the most part. However, if she builds up 50 Tension and hits the same member of your team, it shouldn't be that bad (she built up 50 Tension, and attacked Hackzilla...for 19 damage). The Siren can go up to 100/Super High Tension, though. If she does and casts Sizzle, your fate is pretty much already sealed. Hope that your team doesn't miss too much and you stand a decent chance at the next round. Second Team: Bad Science Mecha-Mynah / Hunter Mech / Clockwork Cuckoo The Mecha-Mynah and Clockwork Cuckoo can do some damage, but the Hunter Mech is the deadliest of the three. It can do about 80 damage per attack. Hopefully the Clockwork Cuckoo does its blade attack, doing only about 15 damage to the group. If the Hunter Mech stays around for awhile, you probably don't stand a good chance in the championship. Champion Team: Battle Royals Fencing Fox / Bone Baron / Phantom Fencer The Fencing Fox is the least harmful of the group. The other two can do tremendous damage to your already weakened team (think two Hunter Mechs). If your team has enough HP and doesn't act stupid (Potbelly using sand over and over), you can outlast this group with some luck. Potbelly's sand attack can actually be beneficial, as it can affect both the Fencing Fox and the Phantom Fencer. You may have to reset and try again a couple of times to win. As I said, if it just isn't going your way, reset and try again, or just move on and come back after getting the ship and a couple new monsters. Beat Rank C, and you will receive Saint's Ashes as your prize. Morrie will applaud your victory, and tell you to beat Rank B for the next present. Thanks! Save your game. After beating Rank C (or moving on), warp to Ascantha then enter the castle and visit King Pavan on 4F and speak to him. Happy to see you again, he'll listen to your problem and tell you that the Moonshadow Harp is an Ascanthan treasure. Pavan takes you to the treasury where the harp is, but there is a problem..all of the chests are empty! And there's a big hole in the wall. The king freaks out, leaving you to assemble the guards. Go through the hole in the wall and you will enter a small cave. No items are in here, so just find the exit. Go south, then take the right fork. When the cave branches into three paths, go straight across to reach the exit. Once outside, head north toward a cave. In the middle of this area you'll find a chest with a Seed of Life inside. Just south of the entrance of the cave you should see a visible Mad Mole. Fight and beat Doug and take him along if you want. To the right of the cave's entrance is another chest. Inside it is Mini Medal #032. Enter the cave. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===================/ | (II-F6) Mole Hole | | My level: 22 | /===================/ Monsters found in this cave: #010 Mischievous Mole #063 Goodybag #071 Rockbomb #073 Muddy Hand #085 Mad Mole #090 Mars Rover #091 Peeper Boss: #265 Don Mole Boss: #266 Soul Mole This is not a large dungeon, but it is pretty maze-like. Level 1-Walk straight ahead. When the path splits off, turn right and fall into the water. Walk around to the right, and beside another pool of water is a treasure chest with the map inside. Follow the southern wall and enter the passageway ahead with two braziers marking the main tunnel. Turn left at the intersection and you will be at Level 2. Level 2-When the cave reaches an open area, take the path on the left (right side when looking at the map). Before passing the braziers, look for two pots on the right side. The one on the left has a Seed of Defence. The one on the right has Mini Medal #033. Then enter the tunnel the braziers are around. Upon reaching an open area, you should spot a treasure chest straight ahead. Make your way to the chest and take the Stone Hardhat inside. Walk back around and to the left a little to reach the passage leading to the bottom floor. Level 3-Turn right at the intersection. When you reach the large open area, take a left and go to the end of that pathway to get to the boss. Heal up, equip the Ring of Clarity onto Angelo if you want to be a little safer, then hear the beautiful harp playing. Talk to the big mole and say No to his question about him playing the harp for you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=============================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, tries to confuse all party members | | and Soul Moles with his performance, | | summons Soul Mole, | | shakes the ground with fury to hurt all | | party members | /=============================================================/ /=========================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, builds Tension | /=========================================/ Don Mole usually starts the battle with his performance, which can confuse all party members and Soul Moles. While it's nice when no party members get confused and a couple Soul Moles do, sometimes it doesn't turn out that way. If a party member gets confused, there isn't much to do at this point. You can use that Lesser Panacea you found on someone if it is in a character's inventory, but that only works once. Putting the Ring of Clarity on a character (I'd put it on my healer, Angelo) is useful but not necessary. Just wait out the confusion and use multi-enemy hitting attacks. Using the Rune Staff or casting Kabuff is a good idea, but don't use it too much. If your defence is too high and party members get confused, it'll be hard for him or her to get attacked and possibly out of confusion status. Building up Tension with the Hero then having him use Power Throw can get rid of the Soul Moles. Building up Jessica's Tension to 50, then casting Oomph, then attacking the Don Mole with a Twin Dragon Lash can nearly kill him outright (it did 692 damage for me). At higher levels than 21, it probably will. With little extra Defence, Don Mole's earth stomp attack will do around 45 damage to all party members, so heal if a party member falls below 60HP. Just use your strongest attacks (with or without Tension) until you knock him down and finish off all of the Soul Moles onscreen. Don Mole has about 1,275 HP (I beat him at 1,282, doing 27 on the last hit). Beating the Don Mole nets the party 1,160 experience points and 360 gold. For each Soul Mole killed, the party receives 68 experience and 16 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Once you beat up the mole thieves, the little moles will carry the Don Mole away. The remaining mole will give the Moonshadow Harp to the party! Cast Evac and warp to Trodain if it is nighttime. If not, warp to somewhere with an inn and stay until nightfall, then warp to Trodain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==============================================/ | (II-F7) Trading a Moonshadow Harp for a Ship | | My level: 23 | /==============================================/ Back at Trodain (again, *MAKE SURE IT IS NIGHTTIME*), use the quick door directly to the library just to the left of the entrance. Do not enter the door until it is nighttime. The door to the Moonshadow Land will not appear during the day, and time *DOES NOT* pass while you are inside the library, even though you can see the sky. It is considered to be inside a building, where time does not pass. I repeat, enter at night, and the door to the Moonshadow Land will be right there for you to enter. In the Moonshadow Land, just enter Ishmahri's room, and a cutscene will start. He'll notice that you have the Moonshadow Harp, take it to try it out, then send the party to where the ship is. He can tell that a horse is not the true form of Medea, then his music and her singing makes magical water that lifts the boat out of the wasteland and into the ocean. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=================================================/ | (II-G) Set Sail for the High Seas | /-------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Meet Minnie the Medal Princess at her castle. | | 2-Sail to various locales near Farebury, Maella | | Abbey, and visit Argonia. | | 3-Visit Neos. | | 4-Sail to various locales near Red's house and | | a hidden island in the southwestern corner of | | the world. | | 5-Explore the areas around the Desert Chapel. | | 6-Visit Savella Cathedral. | | 7-Go to the Dark Ruins then sail to the | | western continent. | /=================================================/ Now you have a boat! As in the other games in the series, whenever you cast the Zoom spell or use a Chimaera Wing, the ship will follow you and warp near the locale you warped to. Just check the map for the blue ship icon. In order to disembark from the ship, either sail up and against land until a text popup appears asking if you wish to disembark, then answer Yes. Or push up against land and press the X or L3 button to get the text popup to appear. In case you are wondering, Alchemy Pot mixes do count sailing for advancing a mix. Sail straight ahead and you'll see a small island with a castle. Disembark and follow the walkway to the entrance of Princess Minnie's Castle. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | (II-G1) Princess Minnie's Castle | | My level: 23 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: None / Church: No / Gold Bank / Items to find: 5 | /----------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Red Mould $30 | | Waterweed Mould $35 | /======================================================================/ Monsters found on this island: #066 Cureslime #097 Bodkin Fletcher #106 Tap Devil #112 Iron Scorpion #119 Frogman Five items can be found here, but you can only get 1 right now. The nearly hidden man on the right is the Gold Bank. You can store money here in increments of 1,000, keeping it safe if you happen to get wiped out in a battle. On the left side of the first floor is an item shop, run by a Healslime. Speak to him and he reveals that his brother works at the Pickham Casino!! Unfortunately, you cannot tell him that his brother sucks. Enter the doorway next to the item shop. There are two pots on the right. The one in the corner has Mini Medal #034 inside. Take it, then go upstairs and through either door. Walk up to the people inside and you'll see what is going on. The Medal King is ill. His daughter notices the party, then asks if you have Mini Medals. Reply with yes or no, and she will take over her father's duties of taking your collected Mini Medals then go downstairs to the throne room. Follow her downstairs and speak to her (she will remain on the throne for the rest of the game). The Medal Princess will tell you what she does (collects Mini Medals; when you find some, talk to her and she will take them and give you a prize once you have given her a certain number). She should say that she now has 34 Medals and give you the first prize (for 28 Mini Medals), the Fishnet Stockings. When you receive a prize, it goes into the first empty slot, so check the party leader's inventory first. At 36 Mini Medals she will give you an Posh Waistcoat. The list of Mini Medal Prizes, and amount of Mini Medals needed, are: 28 Medals: Fishnet Stockings 36 Medals: Posh Waistcoat 45 Medals: Staff of Divine Wrath 52 Medals: Gold Nugget 60 Medals: Meteorite Bracer 68 Medals: Miracle Sword 75 Medals: Sacred Armour 83 Medals: Orichalcum 90 Medals: Metal King Helm 99 Medals: Dangerous Bustier 110 Medals: Flail of Destruction Now that you have the Fishnet Stockings, you can change Jessica's appearance to a bunny girl if you like. If you want to do this, you must equip these items to Jessica: Bunny Suit (armour) + Fishnet Stockings (accessory) + Bunny Ears (helmet) The Bunny Suit offers better protection than the Dancer's Costume, you probably still have the Bunny Ears equipped, and the Fishnet Stockings give a +8 Defence bonus. You have to unequip whatever Accessory she has (for me, that would be the Mighty Armlet, which gives +15 Attack). Decide if that is worth the trade (I do it anyway..why not), then equip her accordingly. Leave Princess Minnie's Castle, then go around it and to the northern part of the island. Just north of the castle by a cow, should be a treasure chest with Mini Medal #035 inside. Warp to Farebury, buy a Boomerang for however many Iron Nails you have (and buy a couple extra), stay at the inn, then save your game. Leave town via the front door, then walk to the man's house on top of the Waterfall Cave. Speak to the man again and he will ask if you have been to his house before. Answer with Yes and he will give you some free cheeses. You should receive 4 Mild Cheese, 2 Cured Cheese, and 2 Angel Cheese. I don't use cheeses, so I just sell these off for 7,400 gold. However, if Angelo is using bows, keep one of those Cured Cheeses; it is an ingredient for Cheiron's Bow. Leave the house, then warp to Princess Minnie's Castle, then head back to the ship and get on board for some rough water (and land). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================================/ | (II-G2) Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 1) | | My level: 23 | /==========================================================/ This segment of the walkthrough is by my choice, and it can be tough to survive. Keep healed up, rest at an inn and save as you need to. Don't forget that the Hero can call up the Monster Team to help you out if you need assistance. If you are having trouble making it through, skip this segment and go to 'The Western Continent' for now instead. Come back to this part after the Argonia bazaar. If you'd like a moderate challenge (only certain areas really), then keep reading. The plus side of going through here first is that you can get some better equipment and items to cast spells for free earlier. On the minus side are some tougher enemies to fight and less time to mix a lot of stuff after the Argonia bazaar opens. On the sea, not many of the monsters are too dangerous, save the King Squid and Tentacular. King Squids have pretty high HP, attack twice, and have decent Defence. They can do damage to party members pretty well at this stage of the game. If you bump into Tentaculars (the orange King Squids), you may have to run away. Or pray. Or be brave and use the Rune Staff/Kabuff spell a ton, and do your best. Tentaculars are very strong compared to your party right now. Watch out. After getting in the boat, sail east while staying close to the coastline of Farebury/Alexandria (to the north). Shortly after passing the Tower of Alexandra (the red dot on the right side of the islands), look for a strait between the islands going westward and sail through. Less than halfway through, you will sail under the bridge going to Alexandria. While under the bridge, turn north and sail into the cave. This is the Pirate's Cove. You can't do much in here right now, so it has its own section later. Coming here now adds it to your Zoom list. Be careful of monsters in here. You can get wiped out by some enemies. There are 12 items found inside, but you can only get three now. Go towards the barrels that are ahead and on the right. Inside the barrel closest to the prison door is 790 gold. Go to the wooden door west of where you currently are and go through. Four pots are in front of you. Break the one closest to the door to find a Seed of Magic. The top-left one has Mini Medal #036 inside. Cast Evac then warp back to Princess Minnie's Castle for your prize. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 36 Mini Medals, she will give you the Posh Waistcoat. At 45 Medals you will receive the Staff of Divine Wrath. Equip the Posh Waistcoat to Angelo. It has 26 more Defence than the Leather Cape; 35 more than the Templar's Uniform if he still has that equipped. Then board your ship and sail northwest. Follow the coastline around Trodain, passing Farebury. Northeast of Farebury (north of the mountains on the map) is a small island. Disembark and be prepared to get attacked by a recruitable monster. You should see a visible Riptide. Fight and beat Seasaw. Recruit him into your team (replace Hackzilla with him). During the fight, Seasaw can instantly kill party members with the Whack spell or just hit everyone for about 50 damage each, so look out. There are no treasures on this island, so warp to Princess Minnie's Castle and re-board the ship. Sail west, then south along the coastline. You should see a small island just west of Maella Abbey. Disembark from your ship at that island. Monsters found on this island: #066 Cureslime #097 Bodkin Fletcher #106 Tap Devil #112 Iron Scorpion #119 Frogman On this island are two treasure chests and a recruitable monster. Walk to the other side of the 'mountain' and you'll see a treasure chest. Inside is a suit of Iron Armour. Give this to the Hero to equip (he still has Bronze Armour in my game). Turn around and you will see a visible Goodybag hopping about. Fight and beat Jewelbag. Recruit him if you want. Open the chest nearby for a Bronze Knife. Board your ship, then sail directly westward and south slightly. Look at your map. Where you want to go is a small inlet of the large continent west of Maella Abbey. You should be directly north of the 'x' spot on the map and north/northeast of a beach area. If you are, then sail into the inlet until you can disembark. Get off the boat on the right side of the inlet. Monsters found in this region: #066 Cureslime #106 Tap Devil #112 Iron Scorpion #117 Skullrider #121 Magic Dumbbell #122 Gargoyle #124 Notso Macho #127 Bulldozer #131 King Cureslime After getting off the ship, don't move. Turn to the right, and a treasure chest will nearly smack you in the face. Open it and equip the Iron Helmet to Angelo. Be very careful in this area. The monsters are really strong. Usage of the Rune Staff/Kabuff spell should be done in most fights for now. Walk westward and a visible Notso Macho will appear. Fight and beat Dumbking. Put him into your Monster Team, replacing either Potbelly or Capers. Keep heading west until you can go north. Once you can, take a look at your map. You should see a castle to the northwest. Reach the road then go toward the castle. Trode should ask to look at the map and realize that the party is at Argonia. Before entering the castle, walk around the western wall (cross the bridge) to find a treasure chest tucked in a corner with Mini Medal #037. Now enter Argonia. Since you are not supposed to be here yet, Argonia has its own proper section later on. But since you are here, you can get some items and buy equipment. You very likely need to stay at the inn, so have a good rest. While still inside the inn, snoop around. Go upstairs, turn left at the top, then enter the room. Inside the dresser away from the corner are Wayfarer's Clothes. Go back downstairs and pull a u-turn to a door next to the stairs. In the corner are some barrels and a pot. The center barrel has a Strong Medicine; inside the pot is 38 gold. Follow the wall to a cupboard. Inside is Mini Medal #038. Leave the inn and walk forward to some stairs going up. Climb the stairs and enter the house ahead of you. Turn left and you'll see three barrels. Inside the barrel next to the door is some Plain Cheese. Now pass the door and open the smaller door you'll see. Turn right and go upstairs. The dresser in the corner has some Magic Water to grab. Go back downstairs, through the door, then turn right and exit via the large double-doors. Turn right, then follow the road going back down and enter the house on your left. Turn right and break open the pot at the end of the kitchen, next to the sink. Inside the pot is some Rennet Powder. Leave the house, turn left, and walk around the bushes to find a pot. In this pot is 80 gold. Now go towards the next house beside this one, which is the weapon/armour shop. Next to the counter are two cupboards; the one away from the corner hides an Iron Axe. Now go outside of the shop and talk to the weapon/armour shop merchant. His list of wares are: Battle-Axe $4,300 Partisan $4,400 Silver Mail $4,300 Magic Vestment $4,400 Light Shield $2,250 Silver Tiara $1,450 Depending on how you are playing, some of the equipment sold here can be useful for mixes. Since I use axes for Yangus, I buy a Battle-Axe. But I don't equip it, because I can make a better axe right now. Throw in the Battle-Axe and the Thief's Key to make the Bandit Axe, which has 10 more Attack than the Battle-Axe. If you are using spears for the Hero, buy a Partisan. It can be mixed with a Saint's Ashes for a stronger spear later, the Sandstorm Spear, which happens to be a mix that Dodgy Dave will want for a useful helmet, the Happy Hat. You can replace the Holy Lance with the Partisan for now though, because it will be awhile until you make the Sandstorm Spear. If you already have won Rank C, save the Saint's Ashes; you can make some good armour for the Hero with it, then you will get some more Saint's Ashes on the way to Dhoulmagus to make the Sandstorm Spear for the trade with Dodgy Dave. Buy some Silver Mail for Angelo. You can make slightly stronger armour (defensively) if you put the Silver Mail and a Dancer's Costume into the Alchemy Pot to create Dancer's Mail for Angelo. It has 9 Defence more than the Posh Waistcoat, but the Silver Mail offers protection against spells. Decide if that is worth the price or not. The Magic Vestment isn't worth buying; you'll get a free one later to mix with if you wish. If the bunny outfit isn't to your liking, a Silver Tiara would be a good buy for Jessica. Make the purchases you deem worthy, then turn right and head towards the next house. Look between the weapon/armour shop and the next 'house' to find a barrel with a Feathered Cap inside. Then skip the next 'house' (which is the inn) and cross the bridge on your right (the bottom-most one). Behind the long hedgebush is a singular barrel, all alone. Put it out of its misery and nab Mini Medal #039. Enter the first house on the left side of town. Turn left at the door and go into the dining room. The pot to the right of the sink has some refreshing Cool Cheese inside. Go towards the entrance and around the corner, passing the old man sitting down (if it's daytime) and up the stairs. Inside the cupboard there is a Turban. Leave this house and enter the next house on your left. Turn right and break the barrels to the left of the stove. The barrel next to the stove has a Strong Antidote. I guess the woman's cooking isn't too great. Go back into the entrance room and go upstairs. Inside the dresser away from the corner is a Hairband. Now leave this house, save at the church if you need to, then enter the door between the church and the actual castle. Inside, go forward and to the right, then through the door. On your right are two cupboards. Inside the one near the far corner is a Leather Cape. If you have it, have Yangus cast Nose for Treasure. There should be 17 items left to get. You can't get any of the rest until later, so warp back to Princess Minnie's Castle then sail back towards the small island west of Maella Abbey, then sail directly south onto the northeastern coast of the island just to the right of the 'x' and disembark there. Monsters found on this island: #100 Night Emperor #104 Skeleton Soldier #106 Tap Devil #107 Mushroom Mage #108 Redtail Hipster #110 Gold Golem #113 Toxic Zombie #115 Volpone #118 Hades Condor You should be north or northeast of the town near the center of the island. There are two chests to find first though. You can also fight Gold Golem monsters here during the day, which give 726 gold a pop. Go east until you reach the northeastern part of the island. On the ground near the large, central, circular hill is a treasure chest with Magic Water inside. When the Bandit Axe finishes, equip it to Yangus and start making whatever is next on your regimen. Look at your map, and you should see a large, square-shaped mound to the south. Walk to the western side of the mound, then face northwest. You'll see the other treasure chest, which has an Agility Ring inside. If you're using swords for Angelo and this Agility Ring is the only one you have, and you haven't made two spare Mercury's Bandanas yet, make one after your next mix is finished. If it's still daytime, you should see a visible Gold Golem on the ground below. After opening the chest, go down to him (by going south a bit, then back north). Fight and beat Goldman. Take him with you if you want. Then enter Neos to the northwest. If it isn't daytime, just enter Neos, warp to a town with an inn, then warp back and fight him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-G3) Neos | | My level: 24 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $50 per person / Church: no / Items to find: 10 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Edged Boomerang $1,360 | | Chain Whip $2,200 | | Steel Scythe $3,700 | | Dream Blade $4,700 | | Holy Silver Rapier $6,600 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Full Plate Armour $2,300 | | Silver Cuirass $3,200 | | Light Shield $2,250 | | Steel Shield $2,500 | | Iron Mask $3,500 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop 1 | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Gold Rosary $500 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop 2 (behind the inn, not there until late in the game) | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | | Holy Water $20 | | Dream Blade $4,700 | | Turtle Shell $2,300 | | Cloak of Evasion $3,000 | /========================================================================/ Rest at the inn first, you'll want to be at full power for a fight that is coming up after you leave town. On the right side of the inn are two barrels. The barrel closest to the exit of the inn has a Seed of Magic for you. Then leave the inn and enter the stone house behind it, past the hammocks. Inside are some pots on the left and barrels on the right. The barrel next to the drawer on the ground has Holy Water, the center pot has 16 gold, and the pot behind it has a Chimaera Wing. Now go behind the curtain by the pots and barrels, then up the small stairs and climb the ladder. A hanging bag by the bookshelf has Scholar's Specs. Take them, then leave the stone house via the front door on the ground floor. Enter the small red building behind this house, take a left, then go downstairs. Take either hallway to a double door in the back. Turn to the right and you'll see two cupboards on opposite sides of some bookcases. The cupboard on the right side has a Gold Rosary to take. Go back upstairs and out of the small red building via the front door. Try to enter the large building at the northern end of the town and a cutscene will start with the guards not letting you in. Marcello will be following High Priest Rolo. Rolo doesn't notice you while he shuts down Marcello's ambitions. Marcello will notice Angelo, insult him, then leave. Head down the stairs and check out the eastern side of town. Enter the small red building on that side. On the left wall is a hanging bag, a barrel, and a pot. In the bag is 80 gold. There is nothing else in this room, so go back outside using the door you entered with. In here are 3 barrels, 3 pots, 2 hanging bags, and a treasure chest. In the hanging bag next to the chest is some Spicy Cheese. The chest has a Seed of Skill. Use it on whoever needs skill points (for me, the Hero and Angelo). Inside the front pot is the last item to be found here, a Moonwort Bulb. Leave the house and find the weapon shop at the opposite end of the building. Buy a Chain Whip for Jessica if she is using whips, but hold on to her Snakeskin Whip for a later mix. Buy a Holy Silver Rapier for Angelo if you are using swords with him. You can make one for free in a little while if you so choose, but if you are using knives with Jessica then it is cheaper to make a Falcon Knife and just buy a Holy Silver Rapier. If you are using boomerangs with the Hero and swords with Angelo, and have at least two Wings of Bat, buy a Steel Scythe. Actually, use this chart for what I'm trying to say here (I don't buy a Steel Scythe for Yangus, if that helps). /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Boomerangs For Hero? | Swords for Angelo? | 1 BW? | 2+ BW? | Buy Scythe? | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | No | No | No | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | No | Yes | No | No | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ | No | No | Y/N | Y/N | No | /----------------------/--------------------/-------/--------/-------------/ Hopefully that makes sense. Trying to say that in word form was making my head spin. The whole reasoning behind it is that you can make a new boomerang for the Hero, the Razor Wing Boomerang, by putting these into the Alchemy Pot: Edged Boomerang + Wing of Bat + Steel Scythe Figure out if you should buy the Steel Scythe (if you need an Edged Boomerang for the Razor Wing Boomerang, you can buy one at this weapon shop). If you don't have the money to buy the items suggested or what you want, sell off your Monster Coins. I have 22 Copper, 4 Silver, and 3 Gold at this point, which sell for 9,400 gold. Don't bother with the armour shop here. Warp to an area with a church (there isn't one here), then warp back to Neos and walk south. A visible Living Statue should appear on the screen. Run up to it (it won't move to you, it's a statue!) and get ready for a tough fight with Talos. This guy hits *hard*, easily doing over 110 damage per hit without extra Defence. Even with maxed-out extra Defence (+200), he still hits hard. Talos's Defence is extremely high (about 242), so either cast Sap or have Yangus use Helm Splitter after maxing out your extra Defence. This is where having a Rune Staff for the Hero and Jessica (and even Yangus) is helpful. Start the round with everyone that has a method to increase the party's Defence do so, then have Jessica cast Acceleratle if she has it. Angelo will probably need to heal whoever Talos attacks for the fight (Talos was doing about 90 damage with 200 extra Defence. After your Defence is up, lower his. Then you can either call your Monster Team for some free damage. You should be able to achieve 100 Tension (Super High Tension), and then attack. Once you have the extra 200 Defence, the fight will be a bit easier to win. Don't forget that you can use the Rune Staff or the Kabuff spell before they wear off to keep the +200 Defence. I built up Jessica to Super High Tension, then cast the Oomph spell on herself, then used Twin Dragon Lash on the 0 Defence Talos. Jessica did a nice 1,000+ damage to him at level 22. Beat Talos, recruit him, and put him into your Monster Team! Now you can laugh at Rank C of the Monster Arena if you were unable to beat it before. You should have Talos, Seasaw, and Dumbking in your Monster Team. If you haven't beaten Rank C at the Monster Arena, do so now with ease. Don't try Rank B though, you'll need a little bit of help still in order to win. Once the Mercury's Bandana finishes, make your next item (Razor Wing Boomerang for me). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================================/ | (II-G4) Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 2) | | My level: 24 | /==========================================================/ If you have already beaten Rank C (or when you do), warp back to Neos then board your ship. Sail southeast to the southwestern edge of the continent with Pickham and Red's house, the Cape West of Pickham. Monsters found in this region: #116 Bomboulder #121 Magic Dumbbell #132 Hoodlum #136 Jabberwockee-united by Jab #137 Jab #138 Ber #139 Kee #140 Woc #142 Robo-Robin #143 Puppet Master Get off the boat there and look at the map. Near the western coast of this area is a large, round mountain. To the east of it is a chest between 3 trees. Inside the chest is a Seed of Life. A tad southeast of the chest is a visible Mohawker. Fight and beat Spike. Take him along if you wish. Face east and you may see a treasure chest far off into the distance, on top of the cliffs. If you don't see it, then just go east to the top of the hill and look for a chest along the mountains. Inside this chest is an Iron Mask. Equip it on Yangus. Nearby the chest is a visible Jailcat. Fight and beat Fat Cat. Take him along if you wish, then return to your ship and sail west to the small island south of Neos. Monsters found on this island: #102 Battle Beetle #104 Skeleton Soldier #107 Mushroom Mage #109 Jumping Jackal #111 King Slime #113 Toxic Zombie #115 Volpone #117 Skullrider On this island is one treasure chest, found at the southern half of the island along the mountains. Inside is 950 gold. At night, you can find a visible Night Emperor flying around. Fight and beat Nightwing. Take him along if you want, then board your ship and sail to the small island to the west of the bigger island to the west of you. When the Razor Wing Boomerang finishes mixing, start your next mix (or resume making Strong Antidotes, Cheeses, or Reinforced Boomerangs to sell). Monsters found on this island: #098 Venom Wasp #102 Battle Beetle #111 King Slime #113 Toxic Zombie #115 Volpone There aren't any treasure chests on the island, but there is a recruitable monster for you to beat up. Walk down and around the island, and you should find a visible See Angel. Fight and beat Clio, then return to the ship. The next destination is an island in the southwestern corner that does not show on the map. From the island with Clio, sail southwest for a little bit and the island will come into view. In the sea around this island is the only place I have fought one monster, the Abyss Diver. If you are trying to complete the Defeated Monster List, bump into an Abyss Diver before landing your ship. Pigmalions and Poison Eveels also seem to appear in the ocean here than other places. Disembark when you reach the island. Monsters found on this island: #001 Slime #062 Cannibox #084 Liquid Metal Slime #120 Mimic You can fight Liquid Metal Slimes here, and they are a bit more common than they were at Trodain. Use Metal Slash, Thunder Thrust, or Lightning Thrust with the Hero if you have those abilities, Hatchet Man or Executioner for Yangus, have Jessica cast Acceleratle, and have Angelo use Metal Slash as well, and you should be able to kill a handful of Liquid Metal Slimes. If not, then you'll still be fine. Go directly westward over to the western coast of the island. A treasure chest is under a tree, with a Platinum Sword inside. Equip it if you skipped on buying a Holy Silver Rapier. Keep the Platinum Sword if you plan on making the Holy Silver Rapier into the Fallen Angel Rapier. If you are going to create a Holy Silver Rapier, keep the Templar's Sword with you. At the very top of the island is a visible Jumping Jackal. Fight and beat Bladewolf. Take him along if you want. He's not bad, but not spectacular, either. To the west of him, hidden in a small cranny is a chest. Open the chest if you want to fight the Mimic that it really is. Board the ship then sail north-northeast along the southwestern coast of the large continent with Argonia. The target landing spot is at the same level on the map as the 'x'. You should see some trees and grass between the mountains. Land there. Right in front of you should be a treasure chest. Open it and give the Lightning Staff to Jessica if she has not yet learned the Boom spell (she learns it at level 23). If she does have the spell, put it in Angelo's inventory to use in battle. Once Jessica does learn Boom, have her use that against large groups of enemies for awhile; her whips tend to lag behind in this part of the game. When the Lightning Staff is used as an item in battle, lightning comes down upon a group of enemies for about 35 damage. This will help Angelo conserve MP and have a stronger group-hitting attack/spell than Swoosh. Or you can give it to Yangus to use instead, so he can have a group-hitting attack that doesn't weaken with each enemy down the line. Your choice. Take a look at your map and you should see a 'house' over the mountains. That's where you want to go. On the way there, you'll see a visible Bag o' Laughs. Fight and beat Trick Bag. Take him along if you want, then continue on your way to the Desert Chapel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-G5) Desert Chapel | | My level: 26 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $15 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 0 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Amor Seco Essence $120 | | Dream Blade $4,700 | /========================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #073 Muddy Hand #112 Iron Scorpion #130 Lethal Armour #134 Demonrider #144 Death Scorpion #147 Dancing Flame Nothing great at the item shop, so just rest at the inn, save the game, then leave. Jessica's Bunny Suit outfit takes a strange yellow/green tone in the desert..pretty unfashionable. Walk up the hill, then stay near the northern mountains while walking east. There are a couple of wells in the desert. Climb down one, enter the whirlwind inside, and you will warp to a different well. Go into the first well just a little bit east of the Desert Chapel and you should be at the center of the desert when you exit the well after warping. You can't get into this dungeon yet, but you should see a visible Dancing Flame slightly to the northwest. Fight and beat Flameman. Take him along if you want, then go southeast of your present location until you hit the 'wall'. You should see a visible Skullrider. Fight and beat Jockey, and take him along if you want. He's actually not too bad; he can attack twice, make an enemy lose a turn, and has pretty decent HP and Defence. After beating him, just follow the 'wall' westward and you should see a well. Before going into the well, open the chest nearby. Inside is a Dragon Scale. Dragon Scales are used for a couple of mixes, but in order to create anything decent, you need two Dragon Scales. Keep this one in the bag, then enter the well by the treasure chest and warp via the whirlwind. You should be in the northeast portion of the desert. A chest should be in front of you a little bit. Open this chest and take the Dragon Dung. Warp back to the Desert Chapel then leave the desert. Once whatever is mixing in the Alchemy Pot is finished, toss in the Strength Ring (won from the Monster Arena) and a Titan Belt (bought from the Pickham casino) to make a second Mighty Armlet. This will be useful if you want to make probably Yangus's strongest armour in the game in a little while. If Angelo is using bows and you want to make Cheiron's Bow, you can make another Strength Ring in a little bit. Hopefully you still have that spare Seed of Strength in the bag. If not, then you'll just have to wait until you get another one. Instead of going west to your ship, go northeast from the sign outside of the desert for a bit, then turn left at the open area when you can go west between mountains and those brown hills on the map. Walk all the way westward, then northwest, then west some more. Eventually you'll start to see a road when you are directly south of the 'house' on the map above you. Follow the road and the next one, then turn left at the top of the hill. In the distance under a tree is a treasure chest. Inside is an Prayer Ring. If you are planning on making a Cheiron's Bow and also want to make Gigant Armour for Yangus, and you still have a spare Seed of Strength, then put the Prayer Ring and Seed of Strength into the Alchemy Pot after your current mix is finished. If you aren't going to make Cheiron's Bow or made a Strength Ring from the Gold Ring you got by Red's house, then just keep the Prayer Ring as-is. If you are going to make Cheiron's Bow and already made a Strength Ring, you can make a Magic Shield when you get one last item. I don't make Cheiron's Bow, so I keep the Prayer ring as-is. Warp to Farebury and buy more Boomerangs if you picked up some more Iron Nails recently. Leave via the door by the inn, board your ship, then sail to the island west of your present location. If you can see a diagonal 'line' of stairs as you are approaching, that's the island. Dock the boat at the southwestern part of the island. Take a look at your map and you'll see how to reach the town. Before you go there, follow the road all the way north to the northwestern part of the island. By the tip is a treasure chest with Magic Water. You can find a little blue bird walking around this chest that gives you a Seed of Life if you speak to it. When the Mighty Armlet finishes, make a Strength Ring if you have the proper ingredients and are going the bow route with Angelo. Otherwise, revert back to making Special Antidotes, Reinforced Boomerangs, or cheeses. Now make your way to the town on the island and enter Savella Cathedral. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-G6) Savella Cathedral | | My level: 26 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $50 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 2 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Steel Scythe $3,700 | | Eagle Dagger $3,900 | | Partisan $4,400 | | Holy Silver Rapier $6,600 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Full Plate Armour $2,300 | | Silver Mail $4,300 | | Magic Vestment $4,400 | | Steel Shield $2,500 | | Iron Mask $3,500 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | | Gold Rosary $500 | /========================================================================/ Monsters found on this island: #121 Magic Dumbbell #127 Bulldozer #129 Shade #132 Hoodlum #134 Demonrider #135 Killer Moth #141 Silenus #142 Robo-Robin You likely need to rest at the inn, so make your way there. Both of the items found here are in the chests at the armour shop, so open them on your way to the inn. Inside the chests are Mini Medal #040 and a Seed of Wisdom. Buy a Steel Shield for the Hero and Yangus. Buy an Eagle Dagger for Jessica if you are using knives/swords for her. If you need to save the game, enter the humongous church at the end of town and talk to the priest in blue. If you go behind the humongous church, there is a room with an elevator. You can watch a cutscene here if you want. Enter the door to the elevator, and Marcello will be stepping off. Marcello insults Angelo again, then leaves. When you leave, the elevator guards talk about Marcello behind his back. Later in the game, you can find a Dragon Slayer Recipe behind the elevator if you walk around the building enclosing the elevator. Behind it you will see a scrap of paper with the recipe. Remember, you *do not* have to pay the weapon shop guy in Farebury to get the recipes to appear. Cast Zoom and warp right back to Savella Cathedral. Head towards your ship, but walk past it. In the far corner right before the 'stairs', is a chest with a Seed of Defence. Warp back to Savella Cathedral, then walk back down by where you originally parked the ship. A little blue bird walking on the ground along the way has a Seed of Magic if you speak to it. Warp back to Savella Cathedral then board your ship. Where you want to go now is south of Savella Cathedral, and along the eastern coast of the island west of Savella Cathedral. In between that island and the one with Argonia is a strait you can sail through. Go through the strait, and if you want to make a better whip for Jessica, sail to the part of the strait that is nearby the stone bridge (under those mushroom-looking things that are supposed to be houses). An enemy called the Sea Dragon can be fought there (day or night). The normal drop from them is a Dragon Scale. If have two Dragon Scales, you can put them both into the Alchemy Pot along with Jessica's Snakeskin Whip to make a Dragontail Whip. The Dragontail Whip has 15 more Attack than the Chain Whip, so if you find that worth your time, fight some Sea Dragons. If you'd rather not fight around for a Dragon Scale, you will get another one in a little while. You can also make such things as Dragon Mail and the Dragon Shield. I choose not to make either of these, because Platinum Mail is stronger armour, and you will get a free Dragon Shield later on. If you decide that you want to make Dragon Mail, put Silver Mail and two Dragon Scales into the Alchemy Pot. Place a Steel Shield and two Dragon Scales into the Alchemy Pot if you want to go ahead and make a Dragon Shield. Choose what is more helpful for you. The Sea Dragon is a pretty weak monster with not a lot of HP (about 100-110). But what it does that is annoying is it uses an attack called the uses Gigaflash. Gigaflash hits all party members and causes Dazzle to everyone almost all the time. To beat them a little easier, you can equip a spear to the Hero and have him use Mercurial Thrust. Mercurial Thrust costs 0MP, and he will attack first with it, so you can at least get one hit in before everyone is blinded. Use that along with the Lightning Staff and the Frizzle spell, and you should beat Sea Dragons in two rounds (or at most three). Even if he is blinded, Angelo should use Falcon Slash if he has it to try and hit/kill him with two hits instead of one. You can also cast the Bounce spell if Jessica or Angelo have it to not have her/him blinded and damage the Sea Dragon some. Usually it doesn't take long to get a Sea Dragon to drop a Dragon Scale, but sometimes it will give you the rare drop, Scholar's Specs. Although not what you are looking for, you will want to buy another pair of these later, so look on the bright side. But remember, if you aren't getting a Dragon Scale, you will get one in a little while after you reach Argonia in the storyline. The choice is yours. One reason for me bringing this up (aside from a better whip for Jessica) is that in the storyline you will have to fight a Sea Dragon later. It is a bit easier when you know where they are. Whether or not you want to go for a Dragon Scale, sail through the strait and to that smaller island in the northwestern corner of the map. Anchor the ship at the southern end of the island, then start going northeast. If you were able to make a Strength Ring, resume the Special Antidote mixing after it has finished (or make the Dragontail Whip if you got an extra Dragon Scale). Monsters found in this region: #103 Lump Shaman #104 Skeleton Soldier #107 Mushroom Mage #113 Toxic Zombie #114 Lesser Demon Walk through the large, circle-shaped cul-de-sac. A chest and a visible Bone Baron should appear. Fight and beat Deadnoble. Take him along with you if you want, and open the treasure chest. Inside is a suit of Zombie Mail. Not a great suit of armour, but if you still have the Saint's Ashes from winning Rank C at the Monster Arena, you can make some good armour for the Hero. Put the Saint's Ashes and the Zombie Mail in there and you will create Platinum Mail, which has +72 Defence and magic attacks against the wearer are reduced by 15 points. This is likely much better than what the Hero has currently equipped (for me, he has Iron Armour, which has +32 Defence, so it is quite a jump in protection). If you already used the Saint's Ashes (probably for the Sandstorm Spear), then you can still make Platinum Mail before fighting Dhoulmagus, albeit right before fighting him. After getting the Zombie Mail, take a look at the map. See the purple cloud? You should go there next, but before reaching it, go down that small valley veering off to the left (beside the large, open area on the left side) first. Near the end of the valley, you'll see a visible Skeleton and a treasure chest. Fight and beat Bones. Take him along if you want, then open the chest to find Mini Medal #041. Now head to the purple cloud and enter the Dark Ruins. You can't do much here yet and the place won't be added to your Zoom list yet, but you can get an item. Head northeast into a small room off to the side and break the barrel closest to the door to find Mini Medal #042. That's it for now, so return to your boat and sail southeast, parking the boat at the northern end of the western continent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /============================================/ | (II-H) The Western Continent | /--------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Visit the Seaview Church. | | 2-Enter Baccarat and hear about the casino | | owner's death. | | 3-Visit the Dark Ruins and hear about the | | Magic Mirror. | | 4-Answer Tom's questions and meet Felix. | | 5-Use the Sand of Serenity on Baumren to | | get your own Great Sabrecat. | | 6-Meet Clavius and Charmles at Argonia. | | 7-Conquer the Royal Hunting Ground. | | 8-Shop at the bazaar in Argonia. | /============================================/ Once you land, you should see a church on the map in the area. At the very northeastern tip of the continent is a chest with 1,200 gold inside. Grab that first, then go towards the church. You should spot a treasure chest against the northern wall of the church. Inside is a Tough Guy Tattoo. You can save this item for later, or use it for some mixes. If you are using swords for the Hero, put the Tough Guy Tattoo in the Alchemy Pot along with some Holy Water and a Gold Rosary. This will make a Holy Talisman, which can be mixed along with a Zombiesbane bought in a little while for the slightly stronger Zombie Slayer if you'd like. If you passed on buying a Holy Silver Rapier for Angelo, you can make one for free if you want to. Create a Holy Talisman, then put it along with the Templar's Sword into the Alchemy Pot to make the Holy Silver Rapier. Even though I don't use knives/swords for Jessica, if you want to, you can use this Tough Guy Tattoo to make a Falcon Knife, which hits twice when you attack with it. To make this, put the Tough Guy Tattoo, an Agility Ring, and Slime Earrings into the Alchemy Pot. The Platinum Mail (if you are making it) should be just about finished mixing. If you choose to make something else and want a Falcon Knife later, you can simply buy one at the Argonia bazaar. Anyway, enter the church now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================================================/ | (II-H1) Seaview Church | | My level: 27 | /-----------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $0 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 1 | /=====================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #001 Slime #092 Cockateer #093 Great Sabrecat #096 Spitnik #098 Venom Wasp #099 Orc #116 Bomboulder To stay at the inn here, just talk to the nun sitting in her room. While you're in here, check the dresser in the corner for Mini Medal #043. Save the game, then leave the church and go west while panning the camera to the south. On the edge of a hill is a visible Silenus. Fight and beat Faunus. Take him along if you want, then just get onto the road and follow it southwest all the way to a town. On a bridge before the town is a visible Fowlfighter. Fight and beat Foul Fowl. Take him along if you like, then continue onward and enter Baccarat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-H2) Baccarat | | My level: 27 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $4 per person / Church: yes / Gold Bank / Casino / Items to find:22| /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon/Armour Shop | | | | Poison Needle $1,900 | | Steel Scythe $3,700 | | Dancer's Costume $1,300 | | Iron Armour $1,800 | | Light Shield $2,250 | | Coral Hairpin $950 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | | Amor Seco Essence $120 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Casino (use tokens bought/won at the casino to buy casino items) | | | | Prayer Ring 1,000 tokens | | Spangled Dress 3,000 tokens | | Saint's Ashes 5,000 tokens | | Falcon Blade 10,000 tokens | | Liquid Metal Armour 50,000 tokens | | Gringham Whip 200,000 tokens | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ Monsters found in this region: #049 Treeface #094 Metal Slime Knight #095 Puppet Player #097 Bodkin Fletcher #098 Venom Wasp #099 Orc #109 Jumping Jackal #116 Bomboulder Welcome to Baccarat. Before you get too excited at that huge CASINO sign outside, you won't be able to play at the casino for a long time. Start the item search by taking a right. Across the church are two pots. The one away from the corner has a Seed of Defence inside. Enter the house that the pots are next to. To the right of the kitchen are some barrels and a dresser. The barrel away from the corner has a Strong Medicine inside. The dresser has Mini Medal #044. Leave the house and continue on to the next building on your right, a restaurant. Behind the counter in the kitchen are some barrels. The barrel in the corner has some Cool Cheese. Now leave the restaurant and go through the alley after the statue on the left. Enter the building on your left, which is the inn and Gold Bank. Play thief and go around into the Gold Bank's vault where the maid is. Open the chest and take the Ruby of Protection. Nice security here! I don't think I'm going to leave any money here. If Angelo is using bows, you now have the final ingredient needed to make Cheiron's Bow at this time. The full mix to create Cheiron's Bow is: Eros' Bow + Power Shield = Cheiron's Bow You should already have an Eros' Bow, so all that is left is a Power Shield. To make a Power Shield, you have to mix these: Magic Shield + Strength Ring + Cured Cheese = Power Shield If you bought an extra Steel Shield at Savella Cathedral, you can make a Magic Shield by mixing the Steel Shield, a Prayer Ring, and the Ruby of Protection. You should still have a Strength Ring won from the Monster Arena. The man living on top of the Waterfall Cave gives you two Cured Cheeses, so you should be set to go once you've made a Magic Shield. If you used up the Prayer Ring and still have the Gold Ring found near Red's house, you can make another Prayer Ring by mixing the Gold Ring and a Seed of Magic. If you don't have that either, you will get another Prayer Ring pretty soon. I do not make Cheiron's Bow, but if you are using bows, go ahead and make it when your current mix finishes if you have all the ingredients. Turn around and go through the vault door. There should be a cupboard in the corner ahead of you. In here is Mini Medal #045. Stay at the inn if you need to, then take the stairs going down. Against the wall by the bar are two barrels. In the left one is some Amor Seco Essence. Behind the bar's counter is another barrel; in it is Mini Medal #046. Go behind the stage and you'll see two pots along the left wall and three dressers. Check the middle dresser to find a Bunny Tail. In the right dresser is another Garter to make an Eros' Bow in a little bit for some money. Now leave the downstairs area and go upstairs again at the inn/Gold Bank (but not to the roof). Turn left and approach the stairs. You'll overhear a bartender and dealer talking about a man named Golding being murdered, then people named Cash and Carrie. If you try to enter the casino, the doors are locked. Open the door at the end of the hall (not the locked one) and open the cupboard to get a replacement Dancer's Costume (if you made Dancer's Mail), then leave the inn/Gold Bank. Go to the right. Between the first house and the weapon/armour shop are two barrels. The right barrel has 72 gold. Then enter the house to the left of the barrels. There should be two barrels in front of you and a room with a cupboard off to the right. Check the cupboard to find a Seed of Strength. If you are going to use the Strength Ring (or already have) to make Cheiron's Bow and haven't made a second Mighty Armlet, make another Strength Ring (Seed of Strength + Prayer Ring) now. I made a second Mighty Armlet and am not making Cheiron's Bow, so I just keep the Seed of Strength as-is. Stop at the weapon/armour shop and buy a Poison Needle. When you get the chance, put this and the Gold Ring into the Alchemy Pot to make a Ring of Immunity to trade with Dodgy Dave for another Bandit Axe in Pickham. If Jessica is using knives, you can mix a Poison Needle and an Eagle Knife (bought at Savella Cathedral) to make an Assassin's Dagger. The Assassin's Dagger is 2 Attack weaker than the Eagle Knife, but it can instantly kill an enemy sometimes. After making your purchases, continue to the right and go down the stairs to where the item shop is. Walk past the item shop to a house. On the left side of the house are two barrels. Break the barrel in the back for Mini Medal #047, then enter the house. There are two barrels on the other side of the table. The barrel next to the weapons rack has Mini Medal #048. That's all the items you can get here for now (there should be 7 remaining). Now that you have 45 Mini Medals, warp to Princess Minnie's Castle to claim your next prize. Put the Staff of Divine Wrath in Yangus's inventory to use on groups of monsters in fights. It casts the Swoosh spell when used as an item in battle for free. At 52 Mini Medals, Minnie will give you a Gold Nugget. Now warp to the Seaview Church and board the ship. Sail back to the island to the northwest. As you land, there should be another boat here with you. Talk to the people if you want, then head up to the purple cloud on the island. After you enter the Dark Ruins, you'll see Dhoulmagus walk into the black cloud. Follow him in and walk around until he laughs and sends you out. Now talk to the man in red in the center. He will mention the Magic Mirror at Argonia might help get rid of the black cloud. It is very important that you do this, because you can't get into the castle at Argonia until you see Dhoulmagus enter, try to enter yourself, then talk to this man. The Dark Ruins will be added to your Zoom list now. Warp back to Baccarat and cut across the road south to the house south of Baccarat. Enter Chateau Felix. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================================/ | (II-H3) Desperately Seeking Baumren | | My level: 26 | /=====================================/ Speak to the man guarding the door. He will say only those acceptable can see Felix and ask if you want to see him. Answer Yes, and the man (Tom) will proceed to ask you three questions that you have to answer correctly to pass. Tom asks the questions in the same order, but the three possible answers to each question are shuffled around. You need to answer in the best way towards cats to get past him. Answer his questions by choosing these as your answer: Question 1: Take it home and ask your family to let it stay. Question 2: Free the tiger from the trap and let it go. Question 3: Let the great sabrecat join you on your travels. Answer Tom's questions correctly and he will let you through to talk to Felix himself. Enter the house and talk to the short man behind the desk. After a bit of writing, Felix will notice you and ask if you can do a favor for him. Answer Yes and Felix will tell you about a Great Sabrecat found under a large tree at dawn, in the middle of four Great Sabrecat statues. In order to find the Great Sabrecat, you need to use the Sand of Serenity Felix gives you on the Great Sabrecat. Now you can speak to Tom and borrow a Great Sabrecat to ride. Before heading out on the Great Sabrecat, warp to an inn and sleep until nightfall then talk to Tom and ride your loaned Great Sabrecat. Eat your heart out, Chocobos! You still get fought while riding a Great Sabrecat though, so Chocobos still win out on convenience factor. Look at your map as you leave Chateau Felix. Right across the lake/river from your current location should be a horseshoe-shaped area surrounded by forests. In the center of that horseshoe-shaped field is the tree where Baumren appears. You can ride your Great Sabrecat there or walk. Riding the Great Sabrecat gets you there early, so you'll have to wait for a bit until the wee hours of the morning for Baumren to appear. Leave Chateau Felix and follow the road going around to the horseshoe area. Southwest of Chateau Felix (just a little off the road) is a visible Gorerilla. Fight and beat Klub Kong. Take him along if you want, then continue following the road. After beating Klub Kong and crossing the bridge going east, go off the road and along the southern coast. Tucked away in a corner next to the mountains is a treasure chest containing Mini Medal #049. From this chest, just go due north across a bridge that has a Great Sabrecat statue facing west. Right after crossing the bridge, hang a left and walk around to the horseshoe-shaped valley and wait by the circle of stones until early morning. Run around the stones if you want to finish your next mix (Ring of Immunity for me). At early morning, the big tree will appear, as well as a blue Great Sabrecat. Use the Sand of Serenity while standing next to Baumren. His wandering soul can finally be put to rest. After using the Sand of Serenity on Baumren, he walks up into the sky to Great Sabrecat heaven, I guess. Before going back to Chateau Felix, there are three treasure chests to grab as well as another recruitable monster to get first. Before going anywhere, walk straight ahead. You should see a big green leaf on the ground. Stand over it and press X or L3 to find a free Yggdrasil Leaf. Yggdrasil Leaves will always revive a dead party member to full health. Due to how buying these works, I mix this Yggdrasil Leaf with some Magic Water to make Yggdrasil Dew, then put the Yggdrasil Dew back into the pot along with another Magic Water to make an Elfin Elixir. It saves me some mixing time later. Yggdrasil Dew fully heals all living party members and can also be used in mixes. In just a little while I make about three Yggdrasil Dew, so making one early now helps out a little bit. Do what you want with it, but take note that if you are going to be mixing a lot of Yggdrasil Leaves, you may as well mix this one before you can start buying them. If you're totally strapped for cash, you can use this Yggdrasil Leaf to make a Staff of Resurrection, which sells for 22,500 gold at a shop. To make a Staff of Resurrection, the ingredients are: Rune Staff + Yggdrasil Leaf + Life Bracer = Staff of Resurrection Rune Staves are buyable at the Pickham casino. To make a Life Bracer, mix a Recovery Ring (Prayer Ring + Seed of Life), then put the Recovery Ring back into the Alchemy Pot along with a Gold Bracer. You should still have the Gold Bracer you got from Khalamari when you beat him long ago. Many other enemies drop them, as well. Check the Appendix to see which ones drop the item. If the Yggdrasil Leaf is not there (probably if you currently have one), put the (hopefully) one you do have into the Alchemy Pot and the one here may pop up. Go back the way you came and head north at the bridge with the westward-facing Great Sabrecat statue, then go northeast along the ridge. Go north again when you see a road. When the Ring of Immunity is finished mixing, make whatever you are going to make with the Yggdrasil Leaf, whatever is next on your list, or resume the Special Antidotes/Cheeses/Reinforced Boomerangs. At the very northern end of this peninsula you should see the Seaview Church across a river with a treasure chest and a visible Orc King. Fight and beat Orcus and take him along (he can revive other monsters), then open the chest with 800 gold inside. Another chest is to the southeast of this chest and the Seaview Church, across another river (by the mountains). Walk east, south, (you should see the chest if you are walking alongside the river) then cross the bridge going east. Before going north to the chest you just saw, follow the river south. Near the corner behind a tree is yet another chest. Open this one for a Seed of Agility, then head back north along the river to reach the last chest in the area. Inside is a Seed of Defence. If you made Yggdrasil Dew and are also going to make an Elfin Elixir, do so once the Yggdrasil Dew finishes mixing. After opening the Seed of Defence chest, warp back to Pickham and trade the Ring of Immunity for a second Bandit Axe. Keep it. The next item Dodgy Dave wants you to make for him is a Robe of Serenity, which he will give you 6,000 gold for. The best thing about this trade is that you can make one of these for free in a little while. Warp back to Chateau Felix after trading him the Ring of Immunity or after the Seed of Defence chest if you didn't make one. Speak to Felix and he will give you Baumren's Bell. Use this while on the overworld map to call a Great Sabrecat for a ride. Since you've already been to Argonia, you can warp there if you want, then head west to another chest, or walk/ride a Great Sabrecat there from Chateau Felix. An important note about Great Sabrecats is that you run faster, thus taking less time to walk around to places. I was thinking that this affects mixing time for the Alchemy Pot, but it seems to be fine. In a test, I walked in place to make a Strong Medicine. After about 1:57, the ding went off. With a Great Sabrecat, the mix only took about 1:26. So this (to me) confirms that it isn't time that determines a mix, but a certain distance walked. You can ride a Great Sabrecat all you want and mixes will still take the same distance walked. If you are going to take the scenic route from Chateau Felix, just follow the road south of his house going east. Eventually you will see a signpost and a southern branch of road. Take the south branch, watching your left side while following the road. When you can take a left turn to go east through a forest, do so. Stay up around the mountains and shortly after passing through the forest there will be a hill. On this hill is a treasure chest. Open it and take the Prayer Ring. If you keep going, there is another chest but it is across the river. Next to the waterfall is a strange, purple door that you can't unlock yet. If you warp to Argonia, follow the road west, then take a right turn by the mountains when you can, then pass through the forest to the chest with the Prayer Ring. If you have a spare Seed of Life, you can make a Recovery Ring by putting a Seed of Life and the Prayer Ring you just got into the Alchemy Pot. The Recovery Ring gives a +15 Defence bonus and heals HP as you walk. You can keep this or put the Recovery Ring and a Gold Bracer into the Alchemy Pot to make a Life Bracer. The Life Bracer only gives +5 Defence, but also increases the wearer's max HP by 30. This can be useful for Jessica, and can also be used to mix a powerful staff shortly, the Staff of Resurrection. If you are using staves with either Jessica or Angelo, the Staff of Resurrection is one of the strongest in the game (only 2 Attack weaker than the strongest). It has an Attack value of +77 and can be used by anyone as an item in battle to attempt to revive dead party members (it casts Zing). If you really need some cash at the bazaar, you could make this staff and just sell it for 22,500 gold as well. I used to make a Recovery Ring and equip it to Jessica, then make a Life Bracer (out of the earlier Prayer Ring) and make a Staff of Resurrection for Yangus to keep, but in all honesty I maybe used it to revive a party member about three times in the game. What you want to do with the Prayer Ring is totally up to you. For now, I leave it as a Prayer Ring. If you want to make the Revive Staff, start the preparations now, as it takes awhile for each mixing step to complete. You can go to the small house west of Argonia if you want (called the Campsite West of Argonia throughout the guide), but nothing you can buy there is worth the money. Speak to the blonde man in green (day only) if you want to see what he has: Medicinal Herb $8 Moonwort Bulb $30 Holy Water $20 Dream Blade $4,700 Turtle Shell $2,300 Cloak of Evasion $3,000 Walk/ride back to Argonia if you are mixing the Prayer Ring for anything or if you have not made a second Eros' Bow yet (Hunter's Bow + Garter). If you haven't been to Argonia yet, walk around the left wall of the castle to find a treasure chest with a Mini Medal inside. The items in the castle gotten earlier are in an earlier section. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-H4) Argonia | | My level: 27 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $20 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 33 + 1 + 2 later | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon/Armour Shop | | | | Battle-Axe $4,300 | | Partisan $4,400 | | Silver Mail $4,300 | | Magic Vestment $4,400 | | Light Shield $2,250 | | Silver Tiara $1,450 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | /========================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #066 Cureslime #106 Tap Devil #112 Iron Scorpion #117 Skullrider #121 Magic Dumbbell #122 Gargoyle #124 Notso Macho #127 Bulldozer #131 King Cureslime If you've already been here and gotten some items, there should be 17 left to get, all in the castle (but some not until later after certain points in the game). Head there via the side door from the top right corner of town. If you haven't been here before, the first batch of items are in the section labeled 'Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 1)'. Also if you haven't been here before, you cannot enter the castle until you hear about Golding's murder in Baccarat, visit the island in the northwest corner of the world, enter the Dark Ruins (the purple cloud area), see Dhoulmagus enter, try to enter yourself, then speak to the tall man in red in the center. After doing these, return to Argonia and you can get in the castle (enter the castle from the smaller door on the right side of town). When you finally do enter the castle, turn left. The cupboard on the right has Mini Medal #050. Go through the door and open the door to your right in the large room. Pass through the dining room into a kitchen. Next to the door to the kitchen is a barrel with some Rock Salt inside. Leave the kitchen via the doorway on the other side and you'll be in the main hall, next to a fountain. Go up the big set of stairs on your right. At the top, if you turn to the left you'll see a large portrait of a young, thin prince. Turning right, you'll see a large portrait of an older man. Go right first to meet with the King of Argonia, Clavius. Clavius will stand in shock at the sight of the Hero then sit back down. Walk up to Clavius and talk to him. He will hear of your story about needing the Magic Mirror, but will refuse to give it to you, saying it is a royal treasure of the country. He does note your strength to get here, then Clavius decides on a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" deal. He orders the Prince to be summoned, but he has locked himself in his room. This is the first of many annoyances by Charmles. Now you must find a way to bring Charmles out of his room. Head back towards the large double-doors, but turn left before reaching them. Go through the curtains and up the stairs. You should now be on 3F if you look at your map. Enter the room behind the stairs you just came up and open the cupboard to find Mini Medal #051. Leave the room and go past the stairs to 4F. Enter the room there and open the dresser in the corner to find 30 gold. Now go up to the 4th floor. A silver-colored door to a round room is where the Magic Mirror is, but you can't get it yet. Go up to 5F. On the fifth floor, enter the room off to the side. The dresser in the corner has an Elfin Elixir inside. Elfin Elixir is pretty nice, it restores all MP to the person you use it on. Now go out the double doors to the balcony and walk across to a door leading to another part of the castle. In the tower you can go left to some upward stairs or right to go down. There isn't anything on the roof, so go down to 4F. On 4F, don't go down the stairs to 3F. Enter the room south of the stairs, then enter the small, circular room. In here is a treasure chest and two pots. In the chest is a Cloak of Evasion. When your current mix finishes, put the Cloak of Evasion and some Boxer Shorts into the Alchemy Pot to make the next item that Dodgy Dave wants, a Robe of Serenity. He'll give you 6,000 gold for making this free mix for him. Break the pots to uncover a mouse hole. Press X or L3 while standing next to it. Let Munchie out to cause some mischief. Using Munchie, go down the stairs and you'll see a hole in the floor and a lizard. If you look down the hole, you'll see Charmles directly under it. He seems to not like lizards...so talk to the lizard as Munchie and get it to fall down the hole onto Charmles' head. He will freak out and run out of his room. Poor lizard.. Walk back up the stairs and out of the mouse hole to resume control of the party. Now the Charmles problem is solved, but there are a few more items to pick up first before meeting him face-to-face. Exit the room and go down the stairs to 3F. On 3F, turn around and go through the wooden door. Turn left and you will see a pair of dressers. The dresser closest to the fireplace has Mini Medal #052 inside. Exit the room and go straight ahead into another. Straight ahead are two pots. In the right pot is 50 gold. Rennet Powder is inside the left pot. Leave this room via the wooden door behind you and off a ways. In here (this is the room Charmles was in, you can see the hole in the ceiling), turn left and you will spot two cupboards. Inside the one on the left is a Seed of Strength. There should be 7 items left, but this is all you can get for now. Head back to the stairs and go down to 2F. Now you've gone all around the castle, you should be nearby Charmles's (outdated) portrait. Run across to the throne room to meet the annoying Prince Charmles. King Clavius will introduce his son to the party. He will state that it is time to test Charmles in the region to the east. He refuses to go until Clavius mentions Princess Medea being 'va! va! vooom!'. Now Charmles will go..or maybe not! Clavius says he heard a yes from his son, so Charmles will go with the party protecting him. Clavius begins setting up the preparations for the amusing trip as Charmles gets dragged off. Leave the castle and town, and a cutscene will begin with Charmles jumping out from inside the wagon. Yangus's response to Charmles's comment is pretty funny. Charmles give the Hero the Lizard Humour, an item that needs to be used before entering the destination of the test, the Royal Hunting Ground. Re-enter Argonia and stay at the inn until nighttime. Before going east to the Royal Hunting Ground, follow the road west. At the T-intersection is a visible Hoodlum. Fight and beat Hoodwink. Take him along, he's pretty useful right now. Remember to put a Cloak of Evasion and some Boxer Shorts into the Alchemy Pot to make a Robe of Serenity for Dodgy Dave in Pickham once your current mix finishes. Now either walk/ride a Great Sabrecat back to Argonia or warp there, then follow the road east. When you are on the right side of the lake east of Argonia, check the coastline for a treasure chest with a Light Shield inside. The chest is just a little bit north of the signpost that reads 'Ahead lies the royal hunting ground'. Keep the Light Shield for a mix later. After you get the Light Shield, get back onto the road and follow it all the way to the Royal Hunting Ground at the very end of the road. If you want to fight around for a bit, the semi-large forest west of the Royal Hunting Ground is a good spot to bump into multiple Metal Slimes for experience. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==============================/ | (II-H5) Royal Hunting Ground | | My level: 27 | /==============================/ Monsters found in this region: #133 Hocus Chimaera #135 Killer Moth #145 Jackal Ripper #150 Hackasaurus #153 Orc King Miniboss: #267 Argon Lizard Boss: #268 Great Argon Lizard Enter the building first. If you need to rest, speak to the old woman in the burgundy-colored dress. Inside the pot by the dinner table is 41 gold. In the barrel by the front door is Mini Medal #053. Now enter the Royal Hunting Ground behind the house. If you haven't, Charmles will remind you to use the Lizard Humour before entering. As you enter, you'll see one of the three Argon Lizard monsters you need to beat. If you run up to it, the Argon Lizard will run off to another part of the mountain. Walk up to it from behind instead and you can fight it. These guys are easy to beat. Just use strong attacks such as Twin Dragon Lash with Jessica, Multithrust or Falcon Slash with the Hero, Helm Splitter with Yangus, and Falcon Slash or Multishot with Angelo a couple of times to beat them. Charmles will try to attack the first round (either 1 damage or a miss), then run off at the second round. A great fighter Charmles is not. If you press the Start button, your party will talk to Charmles and ask him about various things (like why does he hate lizards so much). You can also talk to him like a regular townsperson. Each time you beat an Argon Lizard, you'll receive 650 experience points, 102 gold, and a small Argon Heart. These small stones don't impress Charmles. Jessica comments on his running abilities, then you are free to search for the next Argon Lizard. Before moving on to the next Argon Lizard, turn around. You should see the entrance straight ahead and two paths going left. Go down the path on your left closest to the entrance and you'll see a treasure chest with a Dragon Scale inside. If you didn't get an extra Dragon Scale from a Sea Dragon, you can make the Dragontail Whip for Jessica if you are using whips now. Put the Snakeskin Whip and two Dragon Scales into the Alchemy Pot to make it. You do have the wagon while you are in here, so you can fetch out Alchemy Pot items and make new ones. Down the other left path bag hanging from a tree. Inside the bag is Mini Medal #054. After getting these two items, wander back to the main area and go across from the entrance until you see the next Argon Lizard. The second one is on an island separated from you. Walk up to it as close as you can (by the waterfall). If you watched the little kids at the house outside, they said that Argon Lizards are attracted to the scent of salamangoes, those things that look similar to pumpkins. Cross the log bridge over to the salamangoes and pick one up. Charmles will say Argon Lizards like them, then you can walk around while carrying one. Cross the log bridge again and get as close as you can to the Argon Lizard, then let loose with the fruit. The Argon Lizard will come to you so you can fight it. Again you'll receive a small Argon Heart. One more to go. Stay close to the waterfall to move further into the area. Keep going straight across until you get close to a stone bridge. Pass underneath the bridge, then walk up and on top of it. The third Argon Lizard should pop up out of nowhere, then jump into a little cave and fall asleep. Time to find another salamango! Just cross the bridge and you'll see some more to your left. Take one and try to throw it onto the ground by the sleeping Argon Lizard. It should wake up and go to it, then fall asleep on the ground. You can either fall off the bridge and sneak up on it, or you can walk back down then sneak up. Either way, fight it and win another small Argon Heart. After the third Argon Lizard, Charmles will be distraught at the small size Argon Hearts he's received. Whatever will he do? As it's getting late, the party decides to camp. You wake up to lots of neighing..Charmles has decided to ride a horse, and there's only one horse around here..this can't be good. Medea doesn't want a rider, but Charmles starts hitting her with his little jockey stick, to Trode's great disapproval. Eventually Medea bucks Charmles off and he gets pissed. Instead of taking it out on Medea, Trode bends over to receive a whoopin'. Just before the beating starts, Yangus runs up to the party and says there is a huge Argon Lizard running around. Run back to the bridge and fall down. You should see the big Argon Lizard. Run up to it and it's time again for a.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, leaping attack, | | mows down the party | /==========================================/ It's been awhile since the last boss fight. This one is a pushover though. All it uses are physical attacks, so spamming either a Rune Staff or the Kabuff spell will make him extremely easy. Sometimes the boss will attack Charmles the first round, always good and funny. If you want to beat him in style, have Jessica build up Tension to 100 while the Hero uses a Rune Staff, Yangus reduces the Great Argon Lizard's Defence with Helm Splitter, and Angelo casts Kabuff. After reaching Super High Tension (100 Tension), have Jessica cast Oomph on herself, then use Twin Dragon Lash. The fight will be over already in most cases. Jessica did 1,836 damage at level 25 in this battle for me. If the battle isn't over, have Angelo heal anyone that needs it (not likely) and have everyone else just use strong attacks without Tension to win. The Great Argon Lizard has about 1,385 HP (I beat him at 1,392, doing 12 on the last hit). Beating the Great Argon Lizard nets the party 2,830 experience points, 520 gold, and a dropped Great Big Argon Heart. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Ecstatic at the size of the Great Big Argon Heart, Charmles says it's time to head back to Argonia. If you are mixing anything at all, walk back until the mix finishes, then warp to Pickham if you made a Robe of Serenity for Dodgy Dave. Trade him the Robe of Serenity for 6,000 gold (you will probably need it in a minute). Afterward (or if you have not made a Robe of Serenity yet), warp to Argonia. You're about to go on a small shopping spree with a bunch of new mixes to prepare. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================================================================/ | (II-H6) Argonia Bazaar; the Great Selloff | | My level: 28 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop (man in orange turban) | | | | Chain Whip $2,200 | | Razor Wing Boomerang $3,800 | | Zombiesbane $6,300 | | War Hammer $6,700 | | Falcon Knife $7,700 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop (short man in the red hat) | | | | Heavy Armour $5,000 | | Silk Bustier $5,500 | | Magic Armour $6,100 | | Magic Shield $5,000 | | Magical Hat $2,700 | | Iron Mask $3,500 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Little girl next to Item Shop | | | | Yggdrasil Leaf $1,000 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (woman in green dress + red bonnet) | | | | Bunny Tail $50 | | Gold Bracer $350 | | Gold Ring $2,000 | | Tough Guy Tattoo $2,400 | | Scholar's Specs $2,700 | | Ruby of Protection $3,100 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (masked man) | | | | Rennet Powder $10 | | Fresh Milk $30 | | Red Mould $30 | | Waterweed Mould $35 | /------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (bald man in a grey shirt) | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Prayer Ring $9,000 | /========================================================================/ As you enter Argonia, the castle music has changed to the village song. The bazaar has opened and there are many new shops here with a lot of new items to buy. Before buying anything, follow Charmles up the stairs by the inn. Before reaching the castle you should see him. If you look toward the balcony of the castle before talking to Charmles, you'll see Clavius there. Charmles will show the party the even bigger Argon Heart he just bought. Off in the distance, Clavius sees his son's actions. If you talk to the man in the grey shirt, he can sell items. The only new item he sells are Prayer Rings, but he charges 9,000 gold for them. Now enter the castle and go up to the throne room. Charmles will present the giant Argon Heart to his father. The crowd is amazed. Clavius is not. Nor is he pleased with his son lying to him about where he got the stone. When you have control, turn to the right and speak to Clavius. He will tell you he saw what Charmles did and let you explain. He is disappointed in his son, but not the party. He lets you have the Magic Mirror as promised, and takes the real Great Big Argon Heart for safekeeping. To get to the Magic Mirror, go up the stairs in the hallway past the curtains to 3F, then up to 4F. On 4F, turn around and enter the silver and gold-laden door. Take the Magic Mirror from its stand, then open the 4 treasure chests. You'll find these items in the chests: Devil's Tail Mini Medal #055 Battle Fork Magical Hat All of these are helpful items in one way or another. The Battle Fork is almost as strong as the Partisan and if you aren't using swords for Angelo, you can make an even stronger spear right now, the Demon Spear. To make the Demon Spear, put the Battle Fork, a Devil's Tail, and a Poison Needle into the Alchemy Pot. If you're using swords for Angelo and have a spare Wing of Bat, you can finally make the Fallen Angel Rapier by throwing the Devil's Tail, a Wing of Bat, and the Holy Silver Rapier into the Alchemy Pot. Once it is finished, the Fallen Angel Rapier can be instantly upgraded to Mercury's Rapier by placing the Fallen Angel Rapier and two Mercury's Bandanas into the Alchemy Pot. There are many more mixes to make however, so wait for a minute until you know what you are going to buy at the bazaar, then decide what should come first. Leave the castle and get ready to shop! As you leave the room with the Magic Mirror, a scholar asks to take a look at it. The 'magic' in the mirror seems to be gone. Reply to the man's question with Yes, and he'll say a man in the forest to the west can help you out. Refer to the shopping list for where to buy each item from. Here's what I buy and why (hopefully this is not confusing): Weapon Shop: One Razor Wing Boomerang for 3,800 If you are using boomerangs for the Hero and weren't able to make one of these earlier, you can now simply buy one. An important thing to remember with the Razor Wing Boomerang is that you can make the strongest boomerang in the game much later by mixing this one. ------------------------- Armour Shop: Two Magic Shields for 5,000 gold each One Magical Hat for 2,700 gold One Heavy Armour for 5,000 gold I buy a Magic Shield for the Hero and Angelo to equip. If Angelo had a White Shield equipped previously (like in my game), do not sell it. Keep it for a mix later in the game. You just got one Magical Hat for free, but I buy another one and use the free Scholar's Specs found in Neos to make another Scholar's Cap. One to be mixed later to make a Thinking Cap for Jessica, the other to make a Sage's Robe into a Crimson Robe to trade with Dodgy Dave. As for the Heavy Armour, you can make probably Yangus's strongest armour in the game from the bazaar. Make Bandit Mail first by putting these into the Alchemy Pot: Heavy Armour + Bandit Axe + Bandit's Grass Skirt Heavy Armour is bought here and you should have two Bandit Axes (one from a mix, the other from a trade Dodgy Dave in Pickham), and you should have a couple of Bandit's Grass Skirts. If you don't, you can buy them at the Farebury armour shop. After making Bandit Mail, you can then make Gigant Armour, which has +95 Defence *and* reduces fire, ice, and magic damage by 30 points. One of the best suits of armour for Yangus in the game! Personally, this is the last armour I give to Yangus. To make Gigant Armour, put these into the Alchemy Pot: Bandit Mail + Mighty Armlet + Mighty Armlet To make Bandit Mail, check the above paragraph. You should have one Mighty Armlet from winning Rank D the Monster Arena. The second one I made a little earlier in the game (mix a Strength Ring and a Titan Belt). ------------------------- Item Shop: One Scholar's Specs for 2,700 gold Used to make another Scholar's Cap for further mixing. Put a Magical Hat and Scholar's Specs into the Alchemy Pot to make a Scholar's Cap. ------------------------- Little girl's Leaf Shop: Five Yggdrasil Leaves for 1,000 gold each You can only buy an Yggdrasil Leaf from this shop if you currently have 0 in your personal inventory and in the bag. You can trick the girl into letting you buy two from the little girl if you start a mix with an Yggdrasil Leaf, then talk to her again to buy the second one, then cancelling the mix. Yggdrasil Leaves can be mixed into many things, along with being helpful items on their own. If you are going to make a Staff of Resurrection that I mentioned earlier, an Yggdrasil Leaf is the last ingredient you need for one. Put these into the Alchemy Pot to make a Staff of Resurrection: Rune Staff + Yggdrasil Leaf + Life Bracer Another mixture using Yggdrasil Leaves is the Yggdrasil Dew. The Yggdrasil Dew fully heals all living party member's HP when it is used; it can really save you in a pinch. I tend to make 3 of these, one for an Elfin Elixir, two to keep as Yggdrasil Dew. You can make Elfin Elixir from Yggdrasil Dew. I tend to make one of these. One of the most useful items in the game, the Sage's Stone, can be mixed later on with an Yggdrasil Dew as one of its ingredients. ------------------------- As a recap, here's what I buy along with the cost of each: 1 Razor Wing Boomerang (3,800 gold) if you did not make one 2 Magic Shields (5,000 gold each) 1 Magical Hat (2,700 gold) 1 Heavy Armour (5,000 gold) 1 Scholar's Specs (2,700 gold) 5 Yggdrasil Leaves (5,000 gold) Total: 25,400 gold. Again, if you have a Razor Wing Boomerang already or aren't using Boomerangs, don't buy one. You can also make many other types of items and equipment from things bought here (Spiked Armour or a Zombie Slayer, for example), but for how I play, these work out the best for the most improvement to my characters. That's what I buy, and this is the order I begin mixing when I play: 1-Three Yggdrasil Dew (Yggdrasil Leaf + Magic Water) 2-Bandit Mail (Heavy Armour + Bandit Axe + Bandit's Grass Skirt) 3-Gigant Armour (Bandit Mail + Mighty Armlet + Mighty Armlet) 4-Fallen Angel Rapier if you have the proper ingredients and are using swords for Angelo (Holy Silver Rapier + Devil's Tail + Wing of Bat) 5-Mercury's Rapier if you are using swords for Angelo and can make the Fallen Angel Rapier (Fallen Angel Rapier + Mercury's Bandana + Mercury's Bandana) 6-One Elfin Elixir (Yggdrasil Dew + Magic Water) 7-Two Scholar's Caps (Magical Hat + Scholar's Specs) Buy whatever you want, mix whatever you want. Check the Alchemy Pot Mixes List to see what you might want to make if your style of play differs. I try to get all of the Yggdrasil Leaf mixes out of the way first so I don't get one from a chest or a monster drop and have to use it for a mix instead of the two I can buy from the little girl. I know I don't have as much gold as everything costs, but that's what a bunch of items in the bag are for. I sell off all of my herbs and medicines bought or found earlier, all of the Monster Coins gathered from the last sell (12 Copper, 3 Silver, and 1 Gold for me), and various weapons and armour. Remember that if you made a Robe of Serenity and are up to date with Dodgy Dave, you can go and trade it for 6,000 gold. Before you sell any equipment, make sure that it is not used for an important mix later. The weapons I keep that are in the bag are as follows: Battle Fork <-Need a spear after trade Bandit Axe <-Used for Gigant Armour mix Wizard's Staff <-Used for a mix later Eros' Bow <-Used to make Cheiron's Bow or to sell The armour I keep that is in the bag is as follows: Jessica's Outfit <-Sentimental value Bandit's Grass Skirt <-Keep one Boxer Shorts <-Keep for mixing Dancer's Costume <-Sentimental value Robe of Serenity <-Dodgy Dave trade Light Shield <-Keep for mixing Slime Crown <-DO NOT SELL Mercury's Bandana <-Keep for mixing Magical Hat <-Keep for mixing Don't sell off any of the Accessories. You don't have to sell off everything else in your bag, I just like a tidy bag and more money. Sell off just enough to buy what you want here if you like. Unlike the Japanese version, you can't highlight an item and amount and move on to another piece of equipment instead of selling things off one-by-one. Doh. For all the stuff I sold, I got 35,966 gold for it. So instead of 13,336, I have 49,302 to buy everything I choose at the bazaar and still have more money than when I arrived. If you still need money (you shouldn't!), go warp to Neos and abuse the more than tripled amount of gold that Gold Golems give you than they did in the Japanese version (726 versus 210). In an hour you should have about 40,000 gold from them (you should be able to use Intimidate on everything else around Neos). Once you have bought what you need, start mixing. Before heading off into the forest, let's use up some walking time getting some chests around the area first! If you made the Dragontail Whip from the Dragon Scale at the Royal Hunting Ground, it should be done mixing very soon. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================================================================/ | (II-I) The Sun Mirror and Dhoulmagus | /----------------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Visit the old man's house west of Argonia. | | 2-Witness Medea change into her normal form, then revert. | | 3-Show the Magic Mirror to the old man. | | 4-Find a Sea Dragon and have it power up the Magic Mirror into | | the Sun Mirror. | | 5-Use the Sun Mirror at the Dark Ruins. | | 6-Fight Dhoulmagus in the Dark Ruins. | /================================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================================/ | (II-I1) The Strange Man and a Mystical Spring | | My level: 28 | /===============================================/ Before going directly to the house in the far west, there are some scattered treasure chests to find (which also helps with the large number of mixes to be made). Start out by leaving Argonia and follow the road going east. When you can go north or east, travel north. A little bit after the two wooden bridges, you may run into a visible King Slime here during the day. If you do, fight and beat Hori. Take him along if you like. When the road starts going north (directly above Argonia on the map), go off the road to the west. Near the waterfall at the north end of the side area is a treasure chest with a Seed of Wisdom inside. Walk/ride a Great Sabrecat back to Argonia. If your second mix using a Yggdrasil Leaf hasn't finished (first from the bazaar), walk around inside town until it does, then start your next one and buy another Yggdrasil Leaf before heading out again. Follow the road going west from the castle for a little bit, then turn left in between the mountains and the brown hills on the map. On one of the hills on the left side under a tree is a treasure chest containing an Eagle Dagger. If you are using knives for Jessica, you can put this into the Alchemy Pot along with a Poison Needle to make an Assassin's Dagger. If Jessica is using knives, you may have already made one. If you aren't, just sell the Eagle Dagger at a shop. Now take a look at your map. See the large lake to the left? There are two chests around there. The first is at the south end of the lake, the other one is northwest of the lake along the mountains. The eastern side of the lake is another area that Hor can appear if you did not see him earlier. You should see the first chest come into view as you are heading south on the right side of the lake. Inside it is a Steel Shield. Just sell this at a shop. Continue around the lake until you are on the left side of it, then follow the brown hills on the map by going north. Before you can see the campsite west of Argonia, you'll find the chest on a hill on the left side. Inside is a Seed of Agility. If you are following my mixes, the next Yggdrasil Dew should just about be done. Walk/ride back to Argonia after getting this chest to buy another Yggdrasil Leaf, then follow the road going west from Argonia. As you arrive at the T-intersection, keep going west along the road. When you pass the campsite, go off the road to the west some more until you see a new road to follow. Go down this road all the way and you'll reach a house deep in the forest. Enter the house once you reach it. Inside the house you'll see a friendly Slime, Mud Mannequin, and a Dracky. The old man isn't home right now, but he has some goodies to borrow. Open the door on your left and break the pot in the corner of the library to find Mini Medal #056. In the cupboard upstairs is another Seed of Skill. Now leave the house and go south. Just over a small bump is a treasure chest with 1,500 gold inside. Take a look at your map, then follow the road going northwest from the old man's house to reach the Mystical Spring. At the Mystical Spring you'll find the old man. He can tell that Medea is not really a horse, at Trode's amazement. After telling him the story of your travels, he suggests that Medea drink from the spring to cure the curse on her. Medea takes a gulp..and changes back! She and her father hug, then as Trode begins drinking, she.. changes back again! The old man says that the curse is too strong for the water to keep her in human form for a decent length of time. Beating Dhoulmagus may do the trick. Afterward, he leaves the spring to go home. Before you can leave, Trode asks if you can have Medea drink from the spring again so she can talk to the Hero. Talk to Medea then have her drink again. She changes back and talks to the Hero in private, thanking him for what he has done in the journey so far. If you come back here, you can recover your HP and MP by drinking from the spring. You can also have Medea drink to blabber some more, too. Lucky him, now from time to time she will invade the Hero's dreams after resting at an inn and she won't shut up. If you are a fan of backstory, stay at an inn after major events happen to hear some more stuff from Medea. Answer Trode's question with Yes to make him happy. After leaving, walk into the small forest area north of the Mystical Spring. You should see a visible Dracky flying around. Fight and beat Slurpy. Take him along with you if you want. Then head back to the old man's house in the forest. If your 4th Yggdrasil Leaf finishes, don't make anything else just yet. Enter the library downstairs and talk to the old man. He'll ask you to show him the Magic Mirror. He says it is out of power but a monster can recharge it to become the Sun Mirror again for you. A sea monster's spell..a Sea Dragon. If you've fought a Sea Dragon before, you should know where to go. If you don't know where to go, look at the world map when you go outside. See the blue dot way up north for the Seaview Church? And the red dot for the Royal Hunting Ground? The strait bordering them is where you can bump into a Sea Dragon. For now, put the Magic Mirror into the character with the most Agility's inventory then warp back to Argonia. Put the remaining Yggdrasil Leaf into the Alchemy Pot along with some Magic Water then buy another Yggdrasil Leaf. Now cancel the mix and you will have 2 Yggdrasil Leaves. Make whatever is next on your list. I make Bandit Mail (Heavy Armour + Bandit Axe + Bandit's Grass Skirt) at this time. When you are ready, leave Argonia and board the ship that is parked to the east where the Iron Helmet and Dumbking were. Check your map if you need to. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================================/ | (II-I2) Powering up the Sun Mirror | | My level: 28 | /====================================/ When you get to the boat, look at the map. All you need to do is sail north then west into the strait. Sail in circles or have Yangus use Whistle when you are under the bridge and you will run into an Sea Dragon. Have the person that has the Magic Mirror in his or inventory use it as an item in the battle. When the Sea Dragon uses its Gigaflash attack the same round, you will have the Sun Mirror. Kill the Sea Dragon then sail to and enter the Dark Ruins to the northwest. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================/ | (II-I3) Dark Ruins | | My level: 28 | /====================/ Monsters found in this dungeon: #044 Mummy Boy #065 Mummy #120 Mimic #148 Blood Mummy #149 Phantom Swordsman #151 Bone Baron #154 Soulspawn #157 Fallen Priest #164 Troll Boss: #269 Dhoulmagus Boss: #270 Dhoulmagus Upon entering the Dark Ruins, have your current mix finish then start the next one. You can't check the Alchemy Pot while inside, so get the most out of your footsteps. Even if you just started a new mix before entering, finish it. Having Cheiron's Bow for the Dhoulmagus fight makes him and the next part a little easier but it isn't required. Mixing counts at the outside area and you don't get attacked. When you are ready, walk up to the monolith and use the Sun Mirror. It will break through the barrier of darkness. Don't worry about conserving MP in here. Right before the end of the dungeon is a pool of water that restores your HP and MP. My mix that finishes is Bandit Mail. I put it right back into the Alchemy Pot along with the two Mighty Armlets that I have so I can make Gigant Armour for Yangus. Here's a quick overview of my characters at this point: Jessica Lv26 154HP/148MP Skill Points: 0/50/47/0/0 Equipped: Dragontail Whip, Bunny Suit, White Shield, Bunny Ears, Fishnet Stockings Inventory: Magic Water, Magic Water Hero Lv28 278HP/96MP Skill Points: 30/25/50/0/16 Equipped: Razor Wing Boomerang, Platinum Mail, Magic Shield, Mercury's Bandana, Agility Ring Inventory: Yggdrasil Dew, Yggdrasil Leaf, Rune Staff, Steel Broadsword, Partisan Yangus Lv28 281HP/46MP Skill Points: 81/0/0/0/36 Equipped: Bandit Axe, Silver Cuirass, Steel Shield, Iron Mask, Agility Ring Inventory: Staff of Divine Wrath, Yggdrasil Dew, Yggdrasil Leaf, Rune Staff Angelo Lv27 187HP/149MP Skill Points: 47/0/0/0/13 Equipped: Holy Silver Rapier, Silver Mail, Magic Shield, Iron Helmet, Agility Ring Inventory: Lightning Staff, Elfin Elixir Level 1-Upon entering the Dark Ruins, the stairs straight ahead are down. You can go either left or right first. Go right to find the map. Open the door, cross the bridge to another door and to a staircase. Level 2-Open the door, turn right and grab the map. Head back down to Level 1. Level 1-Return to the entranceway and go through the door on the other side of the room. Make your way across the bridges to another staircase. Level 2-Open the door and go through. Turn right and pull the lever at the end. Go back down to Level 1. Level 1-Climb the stairs in the middle of the entrance room and go through the door to a hallway going down to B1. B1-If you look at the map, this floor looks pretty complicated. But it really isn't. The encounter rate is also toned down (but not gone) on this floor, too. To start, go down the stairs and up the stairs to your left to a lever. Pull the lever then go back to the stairs. Walk past the metal wall that came down and take a right after it. Follow the path past a second lowered metal wall then stop and use the lever after it. Walk forward and turn left, then go up the stairs on your left and walk across the second metal wall you just raised. Then go down the stairs at the bottom-right corner. Walk along and use the next lever you see to make a bridge to the two chests on the floor. Since you blocked your way, go back up the stairs at the bottom-right corner. Walk across the second metal wall again and go down the stairs after them. Go straight ahead then left to a staircase and follow the top path to the treasure chests. Inside the chest on the left is a Dragon Scale. The chest on the right has Mini Medal #057 inside. Now you need to go all the way back to the 3rd lever. Return to the stairs at the bottom-right corner, then walk until you see the raised metal wall and lower it. Skip the first staircase you run across; go straight ahead to the next one instead. Climb up and use the lever. Go back to the staircase you just skipped, and walk across the raised metal wall to the fifth lever. Walk back across the metal wall to the fourth lever (turn around and go straight ahead and up the stairs). Use the fourth lever one more time and the room is solved. Climb down the stairs then take a left after the bridge to go on. B2-Ignore the first stairs you see; go left then down the next staircase instead. There's only one staircase on this part, so go down and one more time down the stairs ahead of you and off to the right a little. At the end of the walkway is a Mimic. Go back up the first set of stairs then over to the next one on your right, against the wall. Take the next staircase down then go left first to reach the last chest here, with Saint's Ashes inside. Now you can make the Sandstorm Spear by throwing the Saint's Ashes and the Partisan into the Alchemy Pot, then trade the Sandstorm Spear for a Happy Hat from Dodgy Dave! But you might want to wait on it. The stairs to B3 are directly across from the Saint's Ashes chest, so go up the stairs then across the floor to reach B3. B3-There's a huge stone mural on the wall here. Later in the game, everything shown on it should make perfect sense. For now, what you need to do is get the two statues' eyebeams onto one of the bird's wings each. Walk up the spiral stairs of the left statue (of a Buffalogre). Stand on the blue button until its eyebeam is on the bird's wing on the left side (would be the actual right wing of the bird). Now go to the other statue (Mohawker) and stand on the blue button until its eyebeam shoots at the bird's wing on the right side. A short cutscene will begin, revealing the stairs going down to Dhoulmagus. You can stand on either button for either statue. Walk halfway down the stairs, then veer off into the small cavern to the right. This is the healing spring that restores all your HP and MP. Stand in the water and press X or L3 to recover. Go down the stairs to see Dhoulmagus and fight. I personally exit the Dark Ruins at this time, then finish whatever is mixing. You don't have to, though. I do because my current mix is Gigant Armour, which can help Yangus out quite a bit due to the reduction of magic attacks by 30 points. Once it is done mixing, I make the Sandstorm Spear (Partisan + Saint's Ashes). I just swap the Partisan for the Battle Fork found in a chest by the Magic Mirror. If Angelo is about to reach level 30, you may want to level him up until he is so he learns the Multiheal spell. It heals everyone by about 90HP at once and can be Tensioned to heal even more. It will make the Dhoulmagus fight undoubtedly easier. But if you want a challenge, go right in if you aren't at level 30 for Angelo. If you do leave, make sure you have 2 Yggdrasil Leaves and give at least one of them to Yangus. He should have the most survivability compared to the other party members and doesn't have a revive spell like the Hero and Angelo probably already do. The B1 lever puzzle (and all the others in the dungeon) will stay solved as well, so you can hurry back down to Dhoulmagus's lair pretty quickly. You may want to give an Elfin Elixir to Angelo in case he runs low on MP during the battle. Give one to the Hero (even Jessica) if you have spares. If you need to make more mixes to be safe, go right ahead and just run in circles or against something in a town to create what you may need. When you are ready, go down the stairs after the healing spring to B4 and enter the door to reach Dhoulmagus. After opening the door, you will see Dhoulmagus in an almost FF7-ish flashback; he is sleeping inside of a floating bubble of goo. After the other three characters make their snide quips towards him, run into the light purple part of the floor. Dhoulmagus will awaken and see that he has company. After making snide quips back at the party, he will come out of his bubble. Time for the.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Splits into 3 (can have 2 turns per round), attacks, | | throws debris to hit 2 random targets, | | uses Wind Sickles, | | hits all party members with thousands of whips | | extending from his sceptre, | | casts Multiheal, laughs loudly, | | eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, | | launches a Thin Air attack, | | removes all positive status changes when | | enveloped in a wave of ice | /======================================================================/ Dhoulmagus has a lot of attacks; some deadly, others annoying, and one that is helpful to your team. He splits into three of himself at the start of the battle. All three can do the same actions. Start the battle by having anyone with a Rune Staff or the Kabuff spell use it for the first round. When he throws debris and normally attacks, they will do little to no damage with a high Defence bonus. If Angelo does not have the Multiheal spell, then both he and the Hero will have to be on HP watch. Heal anyone that falls under 100HP until you have a strong defense going, then heal when someone falls below 75HP. The Acceleratle spell can be helpful to get your hits in first, but Dhoulmagus can cancel any bonuses your party has (extra Agility, more Defence, more Attack, spell/breath protection, or Tension) if he is 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. This brings your party back to default values of the above bonuses. The Dhoulmagus in the center is the real one; the two on the sides are the clones. The clones have less HP, so kill them first. You can kill a clone with Jessica and Angelo if they build up 50 Tension, then use Twin Dragon Lash and Falcon Slash on the same clone. If that doesn't kill a clone, hurry and attack it regularly before one of the other Dhoulmagusi heal it with the Multiheal spell. The Oomph spell is an alternative option to building up Tension, if you so choose. Defence-lowering spells and attacks do not seem to work on him very well at all, so you'll have to rough it out unless you get lucky and get one to work. If Dhoulmagus puts a party member to sleep, cast Tingle to cure it as soon as possible. If you are in dire need, don't hesitate to use an Yggdrasil Dew to heal all living party member's HP. The clones should have about 600HP each. I was at 556, then hit him for 45 (601 total) and killed it. Once you get rid of a clone, the fight will get easier. The clones can't be revived, so you won't have to worry about that. Just remember to boost your Defence if 'enveloped in a wave of ice' gets used on the party. Also remember the 'refresh trick' to keep your Defence up before it wears off and to call out your Monster Team for some free damage. Kill the clones, then the real Dhoulmagus will be much easier to beat when it is four on one. Keep your Defence and HP up, and whittle him down. Eventually he will fall. The real Dhoulmagus has either 1,850 or 1,900 HP (the hit before I killed him, I had done 1,845 damage, and hit him for 90). Do not finish the battle with low HP, though. Beating Dhoulmagus nets the party 4,300 experience points (if you killed both of the clones and the real one) and 0 gold. The Defeated Monster List says that he gives only 3,400 experience, so you can maybe win the fight by just beating the real Dhoulmagus and not the clones (too risky for me to test when I don't have Cheiron's Bow nor the Multiheal spell, though). ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Why did I say not to end the fight with low HP? When you beat Dhoulmagus, he uses the sceptre on the party to envelop everyone in thorns. A strange shield emits from the Hero's body as the party gets engulfed by thorns. The thorns wither away, to Dhoulmagus's dissapointment. He realizes that the sceptre won't be enough, so he changes forms, sprouting wings and looking somewhat similar to a wolf..time for another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /====================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), | | hits all party members with | | sharp feathers that fly like arrows, | | belches Blazing Fire at the party, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, | | ultra high-speed combo attack on one party member, | | lets out an intimidating scream, | | casts Kacrackle, casts Kasizzle | /====================================================================/ If Angelo does not have the Multiheal spell and you haven't made Cheiron's Bow, this fight can be pretty hard, but not impossible (I used one of my Yggdrasil Leaves, though). If your HP are low at the start of the fight, heal immediately. If Jessica dies, it can be very hard to bring her back and stay alive due to the Zing spell only giving the party member half of his or her max HP back if it works. This Dhoulmagus uses different attacks but can still remove positive status changes when he is 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. He also uses a breath attack and can cast the Kacrackle and Kasizzle spells, so you should have Jessica cast both Magic Barrier and Insulatle as soon as you can. Try to cast them again before they wear off (after 7 turns), or if Dhoulmagus removes them with being 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. His 'sharp feathers that fly like arrows' attack is very strong and can do around 80 damage to all party members. This can be reduced with boosted Defence. His 'intimidating scream' is very annoying when it trips up a character before he or she is about to cast or do something important. You can reduce his Defence a lot easier this time and he can't heal himself in this form, either. He makes up for it by giving no freebies; no laughs that waste his turns here. If you need to, have Jessica cast Acceleratle at the start of the fight so you have a better chance of hitting him before he has his turn. This version of Dhoulmagus seems to be 'enveloped in a wave of ice' more often, so building up a lot of Tension might wind up being a waste of turns that you could have just cast Oomph with Jessica and attacked for damage. If Yangus has Executioner, you can give that a whirl and hope for a critical to help out. Don't forget that he can also use Helm Splitter to reduce Dhoulmagus's Defence and keep it down if you use it once every 3 rounds. Keeping Dhoulmagus's Defence down makes him a lot easier. Typically, I have Jessica cast Acceleratle, then Magic Barrier, then Insulatle, then attack with Twin Dragon Lash. The Hero uses the Rune Staff a couple of times then starts using Multithrust if he can. Yangus also uses the Rune Staff, then starts (or stays) with Helm Splitter, then Executioner. Angelo pretty much stays the healer throughout the fight. This is all when the battle is going smoothly and Dhoulmagus does not become 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. The strategy begins anew if he does. Try to keep your HP and Defence high and do not be afraid to use an Yggdrasil Leaf or Yggdrasil Dew if you need to. You can always buy and make more after the fight. Also remember that this is a new battle, so you can call your Monster Team again to hit Dhoulmagus for you. This Dhoulmagus has about 2,650HP or so. The hit before I killed him, I had done 2,575 damage, and hit him for 76, for 2,651 total. Beating Dhoulmagus for the second time nets the party 12,000 experience points and 0 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- If you get to the 2nd form and die, he will still be in his 2nd form if you return. You do not have to re-beat the first. I thought that this was possibly changed in the North American version to make it a little easier/less annoying, but it happens in the Japanese version as well. When you beat Dhoulmagus for the second time, he's done for. He turns to stone then explodes into a pile of sand. Trode randomly runs in (how'd he get past all of the monsters on his own?), but is still cursed. Jessica picks up the sceptre, and everyone decides to go to Argonia to celebrate. Jessica follows, holding the sceptre in hand. After waking up, Yangus barges into the room with some news. Jessica has disappeared! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=============================================/ | (II-J) Jessica Takes a Vacation | /---------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Enter Arcadia and get the Stone Sword. | | 2-Recruit Curer and beat Rank B at the | | Monster Arena to unlock new monsters. | | 3-Beat Rank A and Rank S at the Monster | | Arena. | | 4-Reach the top of Rydon's Tower. | | 5-Learn of the location of the Kran Spinels | | and retrieve it for Dominico. | | 6-Get Jessica back into the party. | /=============================================/ Exit the inn and save. If you used any of your Yggdrasil Dew or Leaves, run in town for whatever you are mixing to finish, then restock on Yggdrasil Dew and buy 2 Yggdrasil Leaves again before exiting. If you used an Elfin Elixir you had during the fight, you may want to make another one before leaving as well. If you are following my mixing order, the next item to make is a Fallen Angel Rapier. Before you start mixing that though, if you are up-to-date for trades with Dodgy Dave you should probably make the Sandstorm Spear first (which is what just finished for me). Warp to Pickham and trade the Sandstorm Spear for the Happy Hat. The final item that Dodgy Dave wants you to make for him is a Crimson Robe for the Big Boss Shield. If you are making the Fallen Angel Rapier now (I am), equip Angelo with the Platinum Sword for the time being. If you sold it, you can buy a Rapier at Simpleton for an inexpensive temporary replacement. Without Jessica, fights will likely take longer and Angelo will be healing a lot in the upcoming areas. If you trade the Sandstorm Spear with Dodgy Dave in Pickham, he will give you the Happy Hat. Have Angelo equip it. The Happy Hat as a helmet isn't too bad, but it restores MP as you walk. This will make things a bit easier. Afterward, start making a Fallen Angel Rapier then. Once you are ready to go, warp to Argonia, then exit and look at the map. Past the mountains north of Argonia is a road going north to a new town. That's the next place you will want to go. Just follow the road east then north from Argonia all the way, and you will arrive at Arcadia. Things are going awry as you reach town. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-J1) Arcadia | | My level: 29 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $20 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 39 +1 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Sword Breaker $5,500 | | Swallowtail $6,800 | | Bastard Sword $8,800 | | Hell Scythe $9,500 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Cloak of Evasion $3,000 | | Magic Armour $6,100 | | Magic Bikini $13,800 | | Magic Shield $5,000 | | Magical Hat $2,700 | | Iron Mask $3,500 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Moonwort Bulb $30 | | Rockbomb Shard $450 | /=========================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #032 Drackyma #125 Lump Wizard #128 Ghoul #129 Shade #130 Lethal Armour #132 Hoodlum #133 Hocus Chimaera #142 Robo-Robin #143 Puppet Master #145 Jackal Ripper #146 Iron Rhino #150 Hackasaurus #152 Swingin' Hipster #153 Orc King #155 Gryphon #156 Golem There are some new weapons buyable here, but the armour shop is lacking. The only new armour is the Magic Bikini. Since you do not have Jessica in the party, wait on buying it. You may not want to buy it at all. Something is happening in town; everyone seems afraid and you cannot enter any houses. Walk straight ahead and take a right at the bunny girl. Go up the stairs and turn left. The house with the iron bars in front of you is all you can enter for now. Inside, go left past the stairs on the ground floor. Break open the pot to the right of the bookcase for some Magic Water. The pot below it has a Lesser Panacea to keep or sell later. Walk around to the door on the ground floor by the small room with pots and go through the next door in the dining room to reach the kitchen. You will find Mini Medal #058 inside the cupboard. Now head upstairs and go to the door. A cutscene will start, with a man protecting another person..from Jessica! Seems like she went moonbathing and got a bad tan. But she seems happy about it! The man in the back, Dominico, pushes David out of the way to confront the strange-acting Jessica. He invokes a magic barrier, but she just dissolves it using the sceptre's power. A second barrier is created, but Jessica just starts walking through it. Just in time, the Hero arrives. Jessica seems to recognize you, but then returns her attention to the two men, one of whom has to die. She then disappears. Dominico tells David to get off him and tend to Sir Leopold. Speak to Dominico and he will introduce himself to the party. After hearing about who you are and Jessica is, Dominico thinks he knows of a way to bring Jessica back to her cheery ways. Say that you will help him by answering Yes. Dominico will then tell you to stop by the house of a man by the name of Kranbartle in town. He should know the location of the Kran Spinels, a magical ingredient for a concoction that will make a stronger shield for Dominico. Kranbartle's house is underneath Dominico's fountain in town. Before leaving the house, enter the room to the left of the big cauldron. Inside the dresser with red boots next to it is a Wizard's Staff. Leave Dominico's house and talk to David before going through the iron gate. David will introduce you to Dominico's dog, Leopold. Seems Leopold isn't a big fan of David. Answer his question either way. Go through the iron gate and back to the entrance of town. There are a lot of items here, and many doors to get to them. From the front entrance of town, enter the house you see on the left. Inside, turn left and you will see a pot and two barrels. The barrel in the corner has a bottle of Fresh Milk. In the barrel next to it is some Rennet Powder. Walk past the fighter sitting next to an incomplete statue and you will find more things to smash. Inside a barrel between the dresser and a bookcase is some Dragon Dung. Better wash your hands soon! Inside the dresser is a Gold Bracer. Leave the house, turn left, then take another left at the bar. Go around the corner and you'll see two doors. Enter the one on the left side. Turn left and there are some pots in between the statues. Between the first and second statue is a Seed of Life in the pot. Between the third statue and the wall is a pot with Mini Medal #059. Stay upstairs and go over by the sink, then go into the room with the goddess and soldier statues. Inside the pot between the two soldier statues is 230 gold. Go down the stairs. In here are some barrels and cupboards. In the cupboard on the right is another Dragon Scale. Turn around and walk behind the old woman and blocks. There should be a treasure chest on the floor with a Giant Mallet. Now go back upstairs and out of the house. Turn left and go into the door. Enter the room to the left and break the pot next to the sink for 27 gold. Inside the dresser is a free Strength Ring. Nothing else is in here, so leave and walk straight ahead and to the right a tad and enter the next house. This is Kranbartle's house. He should be sitting down at the dinner table. Talk to him and he will tell you his father went north and is building a tower. To enter the tower, you will receive the Stone Sword from Kranbartle. Before you leave, snoop around the house. Inside the dresser on the right behind Kranbartle is a Leather Dress. Leave his house then enter the bar to your left. Turn right and you'll see a pair of barrels. Inside the first one is Amor Seco Essence. Turn around, and you'll see four more barrels. In them you will get 350 gold and Magic Water. Leave the bar, turn left, go past the stairs, and turn right. Go through the door on the right. Stay upstairs by going through the room on your right, and run straight through the room with the two artists. In here, there's a barrel, a pot, and a cupboard. The barrel has Cowpat and Mini Medal #060 is inside the pot. Go back to the entrance of the house, then go downstairs. Enter the second room on the right and open the cupboard at the end to find a Bunny Tail. When the Fallen Angel Rapier finishes, put it back into the Alchemy Pot along with two Mercury's Bandanas (depending on if you had to buy replacement Yggdrasil Leaves/Dew or Elfin Elixirs) to make Mercury's Rapier. Leave this house, turn right, and enter the next one. Go downstairs, then behind the staircase. The cupboard near the corner has a Poison Moth Knife inside. On the other side of the room behind the stairs is a pot beside the sink with Rennet Powder inside. Leave the house and walk straight ahead into the next one. Turn right and walk past the woman sitting down next to a statue and break the barrel to receive some more Rock Salt. Go back to the entrance and leave the house, then turn right and go up the stairs to the church and Dominico's house. Pass the church and Howard's house, and enter the item shop behind the church. There are three chests you can get later, but one item that you can get now. Turn right and break the barrel in the corner for 26 gold. Talk to the merchant and buy a Rockbomb Shard for however many Wizard's Staves you have, plus one more. If you have the usual two Wizard's Staves, buy 3 Rockbomb Shards. If you have 3 Wizard's Staves, buy 4 Rockbomb Shards. You can make some money off a simple mix with these items later. If you haven't sold off some excess items like Lesser Panacea, cheeses, Monster Coins, and weapons/armour that you know you aren't going to use or mix later like hammers or knives, do so now. Be careful not to sell whatever Jessica had equipped when you beat Dhoulmagus. She has nothing equipped right now. All of her inventory, equipped or not, is placed into your item bag. Leave the item shop, turn left and go up the stairs, then enter the inn. Behind the innkeeper you can find Mini Medal #061 in a barrel by the sink and a Seed of Strength in the dresser by the bookcase. Rest at the inn until nightfall, then leave and go back towards the church's front door. Before going down the stairs to the church and Dominico's house, turn right and enter the door in the alley. Only at night does the shopkeeper in here appear. Talk to him and buy his secret item for 2,000 gold. You can only buy a Seed of Skill from him once, unfortunately. Before leaving, check the pots. Inside the pot on the left is a Mystifying Mixture to keep (it confuses a monster) or sell. Go back to the inn and sleep until morning. Turn right and go up the stairs to the weapon and armour shops. Behind the counters are some items. You can find Rock Salt in a barrel behind the weapon shop. Behind the armour shop's counter is a Cloak of Evasion in a dresser. Mini Medal #062 is in a barrel. Sell the Cloak of Evasion, or keep it for mixing into another Robe of Serenity to sell. At the weapon shop, buy a Swallowtail for the Hero if he is using boomerangs, but do not let go of the Razor Wing Boomerang if you want to make the strongest boomerang later. If you're using swords for the Hero, you may want to pass on the Bastard Sword for something better in a bit. Pass on the Hell Scythe if you are using scythes for Yangus, as you are going to get a stronger scythe for free pretty soon. At the armour shop, there is nothing great for your current party. You may want to buy a Magic Bikini later, but it is pretty expensive. Leave the shops for now through either door, then go past the armour shop and up the stairs to a house above the shops. In here is a pot with Mini Medal #063. You should have 6 items left to find according to Nose for Treasure. Leave Arcadia from the exit just north of the weapon and armour shops. You will be able to see a visible Bodkin Fletcher as soon as you leave town. Fight and beat Sagittari. Take him along if you want, and continue going north into the forest along the mountains. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===================================/ | (II-J2) Beating the Monster Arena | | My level: 29 | /===================================/ Tucked away in the northwest corner of the forest is a visible Cureslime. Fight and beat Curer, then recruit him. With this decent healer, you can beat Rank B at the Monster Arena now. If you are having trouble killing Curer due to his healing abilities, build up Tension, then let him have it. If Curer is not showing up in the area, another spot that he can be at is behind the Chapel of Autumn to the northeast of Arcadia. While you are still in the area, run southeast just a little bit to a treasure chest on top of a hill in the forest. Inside is a Titan Belt. When you get Curer, put him in the third position of your Monster Team. Have Talos in the lead and Dumbking in the middle. I've beaten Rank B with this team three times, but it was based on luck. If you can't seem to win, come back to this part after getting Roborg and Cybot near Orkutsk. If you want to try, warp to the Monster Arena and make sure you save your game, then take on Rank B. Winning largely depends on Curer's use of Fullheal at the right times, and Dumbking casting Oomph on either himself and/or on Talos. ------------------------- Rank B First Team: The Drag Queens Dragurn / Tyrantosaurus / Snapdragon This first team is usually the deciding factor on whether or not you will win Rank B. All three monsters have a lot of HP and pretty good Defence. Both Dragurn and the Tyrantosaurus can belch Blazing Fire at the party, and the Tyrantosaurus can make a desperate attack. The Snapdragon can stun a teammate for a round, but it is worse when it casts Kafrizzle. Only a few castings of this can destroy your chances at getting through Rank B. On top of that, it often gets two turns a round; double Kafrizzle on the same member of your team is trouble. If the opposing team concentrates with just attacks on Talos, you have a much better chance coming out of the set on top. If you can't get through this fight with a couple castings of Fullheal left, you are pretty much out of the running. Second Team: The Tough Nuts Stone Guardian / Boss Troll / Golem This team has never seemed as bad as the first for survivability. The Stone Guardian is actually pretty weak and easy to beat. The other two monsters are what should determine the outcome of this match. The Boss Troll and Golem can both perform desperate attacks, but the Boss Troll can fall on his butt a lot too; wasting his turn with no damage to you. Hopefully this happens often. If it does, and you can kill the Golem while it is busy building up Tension, you should be able to finish this match without as much HP/MP loss as the initial round. Champion Team: The Rock 'n' Rollers Rockbomb / Stone Golem / Living Statue For a final team so high up in Rank, this one isn't too hard. Unless you have painfully low HP and no way to heal, you should win. The Rockbomb shouldn't be anything to worry about; your team usually goes for it first. The Stone Golem can perform desperate attacks, has pretty good stats overall, and is usually the last opponent remaining. If he starts building Tension, be glad that he isn't hitting you with criticals. The Living Statue seems stronger compared to the Stone Guardian from the last round, but not by much. If you have enough HP and are still doing twice the damage from Dumbking's Oomph spell, you should wind up on top. If not, try again. ------------------------- Beat Rank B, and you will receive the Bardiche of Binding as your prize. This is the second strongest scythe in the game. Even though I don't use scythes, I keep it anyway. Morrie will applaud your victory, and give you a second Monster Team. This also gives you 3 more monsters to carry around, for a total of 12. Name your team, save the game, and let's get the monsters that can beat Rank A..and Rank S right now! Warp to Princess Minnie's Castle and get your two next prizes. Since you (should) have over 60 Mini Medals, you will receive both the 52 Medal prize, a Gold Nugget, and a Meteorite Bracer. Keep the Gold Nugget (which looks a lot more like a couple of Gold Bars rather than nuggets..) for mixing a Sage's Stone later, and equip the Meteorite Bracer on whomever you think will benefit most from an Agility +50 bonus. I give it to Yangus so he can keep up with the rest of the party. At 68 Mini Medals, Minnie will give you the Miracle Sword. Now leave her castle and walk west onto the beach. You should see a large, green giant. This is a Gigantes, one of my favorite monsters to have in a team. Be sure to increase your Defence while fighting him, as he can do a lot of damage with his attacks. He can also make desperate attacks. Fight and beat Steropes. Take him along with you, and put him in either of your Monster Teams. Warp to Argonia for the next monster to beat Rank A and S. From Argonia, board your ship and sail to the beach just south of the castle. Monsters found in this region: #095 Puppet Player #100 Night Emperor #106 Tap Devil #117 Skullrider #119 Frogman #122 Gargoyle #123 Magic Marionette #125 Lump Wizard #242 Anchorman #244 Squid Kid #245 Crayzee #247 Merman #249 Octavian Sentry #256 Seasaur Some of the Aquatic-family monsters fought here are only findable on this beach. If you are going for a complete 'Defeated Monster List', make sure you bump into them while you are here. Also make sure you have two Yggdrasil Leaves in your inventory. Depending on where you park the ship, you may be attacked by a visible Octavian Sentry right away. If you aren't, and you don't see on the southeastern shoreline of the beach, beat Rank B and come back here once you do. Fight and beat Octurion, and put him on your main Monster Team. Octurion is annoying like Curer; he heals all his HP from time to time. Use the same strategy you used against Curer. On the lower grounds on the northeastern side of the beach is a treasure chest. Open it for another Yggdrasil Leaf. Stay on the lower elevation of the beach and head to the western side. A little more than halfway across the beach, by some palm trees, is a visible King Kelp. Fight and beat Big Al. Take him along if you wish. Continue onward to the southwestern corner of the beach to find another treasure chest, tucked away on the middle elevation behind the cliff. Inside is a Seed of Strength. You have monsters that can beat Rank A and Rank S, but there is an alternate one that you can get if you like right now as well. Mercury's Rapier finishes mixing for me while on the beach. Equip it to Angelo, then start with your next mix (an Elfin Elixir for me). Warp to the Dark Ruins and make your way to the large western area. On the small part sticking out to the left, you should see a visible Hell Gladiator. Fight and beat Skeledoid. Take him along, he is a really helpful teammate. Put Talos, Steropes, and Octurion into a Monster Team, then warp to the Monster Arena. Save your game, and give Rank A a shot. Alternately, you could use a combination of Talos/Steropes/Skeledoid and Octurion if you so choose. I use Talos, Steropes, and Octurion for Rank S though, due to Steropes being able to perform desperate attacks. ------------------------- Rank A First Team: The Big Boys Frou-Frou / Cyclops / Troll That must be a powerful maid to have made this team..anyway, the Frou-Frou isn't too bad of an opponent; his mow down technique does less damage to individual team members than his normal attack. The Troll is just like the Boss Troll; it's nice when it falls down and wastes a turn. If it does a make a desperate attack, that stinks. The Cyclops is the most dangerous opponent of the group with its powerful attacks and ability to make a desperate attack. You should be able to beat this first team without a lot of trouble. Second Team: The Wild Cats Jumping Jackal / Great Sabrecat / Jumping Jackal Because his three questions weren't enough, Tom returns to annoy you with his Monster Team. None of them have extraordinary attacks, but all three have high HP (especially the Great Sabrecat) and will take awhile to beat. The Great Sabrecat does the most damage out of the three (about 100). If your team spreads out attacks or Octurion doesn't heal, it can be trouble. If they concentrate on each monster individually, you will be well off against the final team of Rank A. Champion Team: Fear Factor Zombie Gladiator / Treevil / Bomboulder This team can either be pretty easy or super tough. The Zombie Gladiator can have two turns each round, uses multiple elemental-based slash attacks that hit for about 100 damage, and can cast Kasap to lower your team's Defence to do more damage. The Treevil plays its role by reviving teammates. If you are unlucky enough to leave the Bomboulder for last, be prepared to fight the other two monsters again. In order to win, your team will usually take out the Bomboulder first, then it needs to hurry and kill the Treevil before it revives the Bomboulder. If that happens quickly, you should be able to outlast the Zombie Gladiator and its powerful attacks to win Rank A. ------------------------- Beat Rank A, and you will receive the Hero Spear as your prize. This is the second-strongest spear in the game, and it heals you when you do a normal attack (or Mercurial Thrust). Give it to the Hero if he is using spears. Morrie will applaud your victory, and reveal the final rank, Rank S. He will also reveal that his team is the Champion Team of that rank. Save your game, then return and hope for the best in Rank S! ------------------------- Rank S First Team: Taloon's Treasures Goodybag / Mimic King / Mimic If you've played the fourth game in the Dragon Quest series (Famicom/NES/PS1), you should recognize the owner, "Torneko Taloon". In the Japanese version, the monster team was named after his wife, Nene. His Monster Team isn't really impressive. The Goodybag's most dangerous action is lowering your team's Defence with the Kasap spell. The regular Mimic shouldn't do much physically, but is annoying if it puts you to sleep or takes away some of Octurion's MP with the Weird Dance. If the Mimic kills one of your team members with Whack, Octurion should be able to revive him with his Zing spell. The Mimic King can make desperate attacks and hits for around 90-120 damage normally. Sometimes the Mimic King casts Multiheal, which is more beneficial to your team than an attack. Show Torneko Taloon that money isn't the most important thing in the world and move on to the next round. Second Team: Healie's Heelies Dullahan / Healslime / Gigantes If you've played Dragon Quest 4, you should recognize both the team owner, Ryan/Ragnar as well as the little guy in the center, Hoimin/Healie. This team can do a lot of damage to yours. The Dullahan can build Tension as well as cast the Oomph spell. If Oomph is cast on the Dullahan or the Gigantes, it can be trouble. The Healslime has a ton of HP for its monster type, so hopefully your team will take out the physically stronger Gigantes or Dullahan first. The Gigantes can make desperate attacks and hit extremely hard if Oomph is cast on him. Hopefully the Dullahan will cast Oomph on the Healslime and no one else. If any of your team members are almost dead at the end of this battle (especially if it is Octurion or Steropes), you probably won't win the final fight. Champion Team: Morrie's Glories Liquid Metal Slime / Hell Gladiator / Cureslime Here it is, the final match. Morrie versus you. His team can either be somewhat tough, or hopelessly hard depending on your team's HP and actions. What you want to happen is Steropes makes a desperate attack as soon as possible on the Liquid Metal Slime, removing it from the fight. If your team wastes multiple rounds with regular attacks only to have Morrie's Cureslime bring the Liquid Metal Slime's HP back to max, your team is going to struggle. The Cureslime shouldn't matter once the Liquid Metal Slime is out of the way and die next. The Hell Gladiator hits extremely hard, often goes twice each round, can put a team member to sleep with normal attacks, or just try to paralyze the entire team with Burning Breath. Burning Breath doesn't work too often on your team, so that is actually the most beneficial action the Hell Gladiator can use in the match for your team. If Octurion isn't stupid by not healing and you manage to kill the Liquid Metal Slime relatively quickly, you should be on your way to conquering the Monster Arena. But it will likely be a close victory with this team. ------------------------- Beat Rank S, and you will receive the Dragon Robe as your prize. This is some of the strongest armour in the game for both Jessica and Angelo. It has a +103 Defence bonus and reduces fire breath, ice breath, and magic damage by 40 points. There are maybe two pieces of armour that are stronger than this for Jessica and Angelo, and only by a point or two in Defence. Since you don't have Jessica right now, equip the Dragon Robe onto Angelo. Morrie will applaud your victory and name you the new champion. He will then say farewell. You won't win anything more if you give him his rematch, though. Morrie will then have a statue of the Hero erected at the top of the outside of the Monster Arena, where you first met him. If you talk to him again, Morrie will tell you he is looking for some revenge. Now that you've completed the Monster Arena, most of the recruitable monsters in the game are available to bump into. When your current mix finishes, start the next one (two Scholar's Caps for me) on your list. After they finish (or if you are done with your mixing) start preparing some Magma Staves to sell by putting a Wizard's Staff and one Rockbomb Shard into the Alchemy Pot. Each Magma Staff you make sells for 2,500 gold, so you are making 1,600 gold off each one. The next monster can be found in four different areas; 3 of which are reachable at this time, and at different times of day. Try each spot at the right time and if you don't see a visible Liquid Metal Slime, try at the next location. The three spots are: Island to the west of Maella Abbey (daytime only) Look on the side of the island near the chests and the monastery. -- Small Nameless Island south of Neos (daytime and nighttime) Look on the southern coastline of the island. -- Small Nameless Island in southwest corner of the world (daytime only) Look near the treasure chest in the southwestern part of the island. While looking, you may actually catch up and finish all of your mixes. If so, great! Either give the Alchemy Pot a rest, or you can make another Mighty Armlet from the Titan Belt and Strength Ring you got earlier. You will find another Mighty Armlet in a treasure chest later on though. Afterward, buy a Boomerang at Farebury's weapon shop for each Iron Nail you have in your inventory and mix those to sell some Reinforced Boomerangs. Keep one to trade again with Dodgy Dave for money later. Or you could just buy more Wizard Staves at Simpleton and some more Rockbomb Shards at Arcadia and make more Magma Staves to sell. When you do find her, fight and beat Metabble. I went back and forth between the 3 areas repeatedly, then it showed up instantly after recruiting Nightwing. Take it along if you want, then warp back to Arcadia and exit the northern end of town. Just follow the road until it starts curving at a small mountain range. Go north to the left side of the very small clump of mountains and you will see a treasure chest next to them. Inside is a Silver Tiara. Walk south until you see a small strip of forest between the main formation of mountains and the larger of the two separate ones. Pass through and head east along the main formation to the south to find another treasure chest with an Elfin Elixir inside. Enter the tower to the northeast. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-J3) Rydon's Tower | | My level: 30 | /=======================/ Monsters found in this tower: #131 King Cureslime #133 Hocus Chimaera #136 Jabberwockee-united by Jab #137 Jab #138 Ber #139 Kee #140 Woc #146 Iron Rhino #154 Soulspawn #155 Gryphon #156 Golem #159 Living Statue Level 1-Welcome to Rydon's Tower. This is the tallest dungeon in the game, with 11 floors. Thankfully, the floors aren't really big. Nor is the encounter rate very high. Stand in front of the front door and use the Stone Sword to gain entrance. Just ahead and to the left is a chest with the map inside. After getting the map, walk up the stairs and enter the door. Level 2-Walk straight ahead onto the large see-saw. If there are no statues on either end, your weight will cause the see-saw to drop down on your side. When you cross the halfway point, it will go down to the opposite side. You will often go up or down a floor while running across the see-saws. Stand on the see-saw and run across it to the other side. You'll now be on Level 1 when you step off. Level 1-Turn right and go up the stairs to the other side of Level 2. Level 2-Walk towards the see-saw, but push the statue nearby onto the grey square that is part of the see-saw. This will cause the see-saw to go down, but stay down due to the weight of the statue. Turn left and walk back down to Level 1. Level 1-Walk across the see-saw to go up to Level 3. Level 3-Turn right and take the stairs to Level 4. Level 4-Go straight up to Level 5. Level 5-Step onto the see-saw to your right, going back down to Level 4. Level 4-Stay on the see-saw and cross it to the other side. Step off the see-saw and go up the stairs to Level 5 on your right. Level 5-Push the statue onto the grey square next to the see-saw, then go back down to Level 4. Level 4-Walk across the see-saw to reach Level 6. Level 6-Turn right and go down the stairs to Level 5. Level 5-Go straight down to Level 4. Level 4-You'll see a statue right in front of you. You need to push/pull this statue in front of the square hole in the floor behind you and to the right. Push/pull it so the statue is against the square hole, and on the side closest to the outer wall. Then go back up the stairs you just took up to Level 5 again. Level 5-Step onto the grey square next to the red see-saw to drop it down to Level 4. Level 4-While still standing on the grey square, pull the statue right next to you onto the grey square to keep the see-saw from moving. Then walk across the see-saw to reach Level 6 again. Level 6-Turn right and climb the ladder to Level 7. Level 7-As you reach Level 7, you will hear a voice and see Rydon a few floors above you. He will then climb up to the top of the tower. Look at the map for a second. You should see two upward staircases up and to your left. Walk to the staircase all the way up and to the left and climb the stairs to Level 8. Level 8-Turn right and push the statue onto the grey square next to the see-saw, then go back down the stairs to Level 7 if you didn't get taken down to Level 7 along with the statue. Level 7-Walk across the see-saw to Level 9. Level 9-Turn left and open the chest with a Recovery Ring inside. Later, you can keep this or mix it with a Gold Bracer to create a Life Bracer to keep or mix in a little while. I usually make the Life Bracer after I leave Rydon's Tower if I am caught up with mixes. Go back down the see-saw to Level 7. Level 7-Climb up the stairs right in front of you to Level 8. Level 8-On this see-saw, there is a statue on each side of it. Pull the statue off the see-saw without crossing it. This will raise the see-saw to reach the ninth floor. Turn left and go down the stairs to Level 7. Level 7-Turn right and walk ahead to the red see-saw. Run across the see-saw to get to Level 9. Level 9-Run up the red staircase to the right of you to reach Level 10. Level 10-Turn right and you should see the ladder going up to Level 11 between the two pillars. Climb up to Level 11. Level 11-Walk around to the opposite end of the floor to find a treasure chest containing a Cheiron's Bow. Put it into Angelo's inventory if you want. Turn around and you should see Rydon standing near the large center pillar. Speak to him. Rydon will be impressed that you reached the top of the tower, but he does not have the Kran Spinels. He will tell you that the present location of the Kran Spinels is a female statue in a village tower, named Alexandra. Cast Evac, then warp to Alexandria and stay at the inn until morning. Remember to check the Alchemy Pot. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================================/ | (II-J4) Jessica Comes Back for Work | | My level: 31 | /=====================================/ From Alexandria, walk east to the tower and enter. If you unlocked one of the doors on your first trip through, you can reach the top of this tower quickly. Walk straight ahead, open the door, and go up the stairs. If you unlocked it earlier, turn right and open the small door. Inside, turn left and climb the ladder going up. Turn right, then open the door leading back outside. Turn right and open the small door ahead of you. Don't fall off! Again inside, stand in front of either face on the wall and press X or L3 to activate the rotating wall. Go up the stairs to Level 4. On Level 4, turn right and use the rotating wall, then use the next one after that. Take the stairs to Level 5. On Level 5, either use the rotating wall or just walk around the wall to the Level 6 stairs. Walk around to the Level 7 stairs to reach the top of the tower. At the tower's top, you will see the statue. Walk up to it and press X or L3. Start to walk away, and the statue will talk to you. The statue itself is Alexandra, and her soul/spirit/whatever will tell you about the Kranbartle and Albert bloodlines, then mention the Kran Spinels. The eyes of the statue will fall out. Pick up the eyes, which are the Kran Spinels. Cast Evac, then warp to Arcadia and show Dominico what you have found. If you can't find him, he's at his front yard. Either Dominico's a prick, or I just don't know. David tries to feed Leopold his food, but he just will not eat it. Dominico makes David put the food dish down on the ground and start eating the food. Maybe Leopold had heard about what happened to a dog in Dragon Quest 6 and 7 and needs a food taster. David starts eating the dog food, then Leopold sees that it's ok and eats. Dominico will finally notice the party, then walk into his house. Follow him to the room on the second floor and talk to him. Give the Kran Spinels to Dominico when he asks, and he can start creating the spell to make his stronger shield against the 'wand-waving bimbo'. When he asks if you will be a guard, tell him Yes, and he will open a secret door in the room. Go down the stairs and you'll see three chests. From left to right, their contents are: Mini Medal #064, a Magic Vestment, and 650 gold. Don't sell the Magic Vestment. Turn around and investigate the bookcases. In one of them is what Dominico is looking for, The Big Book of Barriers. You won't find it until you read the two 'History of the Diakonos Family' books first. Bring the book to Dominico, and as you are coming back upstairs something starts happening outside. Dominico will run up to you and see that you have found the book. Give him the book by answering Yes. Dominico will start mixing the spell and heal the party. Leave Dominico's house, turn right and walk forward. You'll see what is causing a fuss outside...Jessica! David says he won't let her get to Dominico, but she says she has come to kill David, not Dominico. As she steps towards him, Jessica notices you again. After walking in front of David, it's time for another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=========================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), | | summons three Shadows, casts Kacrackle, | | casts Kasnooze, casts Kafrizzle, | | casts Kasizzle | /=========================================================/ /=============================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, exhales a Cool Breath at the party | /=============================================================/ This boss fight should be pretty easy, especially if you have Gigant Armour on Yangus and the Dragon Robe on Angelo. The breath attacks by the Shadows won't even affect either character. The battle starts against just Evil Jessica, but she can summon Shadows (three at a time on either side of her). If you want to prevent her from calling out more, just leave one alive on each side of her. A single attack with no Tension should take a Shadow out. They don't have many HP. Jessica's spells are pretty strong, especially Kafrizzle, but it only hits one party member. If Angelo has the Multiheal spell, that should be all the healing you need, if you even reach low HP status. Angelo still doesn't have the spell for me currently (he's level 29). Raise your Defence with a Rune Staff and you won't have to worry about her attack. If she puts a party member to sleep, have the Hero or Angelo cast Tingle. Aside from her spells, this should be an easy battle. Build up Tension if you need to, then use your strongest attacks to knock some sense into Jessica. Helm Splitter is very nice to have, as it is pretty much the only way you can reduce her Defence. Evil Jessica has a little less than 2,000 HP (maybe 1,950 or 1,970). If you lose this battle in a regular game, you need to have a serious look at your equipment. Beating Evil Jessica nets the party 7,800 experience points and 0 gold. For each Shadow killed, the party receives 216 experience and 14 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you beat her, Evil Jessica will start casting a spell from the sceptre to blast everyone away. Dominico runs up and saves the day by casting the barrier spell. The sceptre is released from her grip and falls near Leopold. When Jessica falls to the ground, Dominico says now is the time to finish her off. If you say Yes, Trode will yell and explain to Dominico who she is. If you say No, Trode will explain to Dominico who she is anyway. Dominico will ask David to help him find Leopold as the party goes to Jessica. Waking up in bed, Jessica recalls what drove her to try killing David. Like Dhoulmagus before her, the wielder of the sceptre is under the control of the Lord of Darkness, Rhapthorne. Seven sages sealed Rhapthorne away with the sceptre. In order to break the seal, all seven of the sages' descendants must be killed, ending their bloodline. Jessica's brother Alistair was one of the descendants, along with Master Rylus, Abbot Francisco, and the Baccarat casino's owner. She will then ask where the sceptre is; it can fall into the wrong hands or David's life could be in danger. Leave the inn and walk to Dominico's house. Speak to Dominico in the kitchen on the first floor. As you leave, a woman will scream, mentioning David. Little does Jessica know that the sceptre has already fallen, not into the wrong hands, but the wrong paws. Run out of Dominico's house. A woman will say that Leopold has stabbed David..with a sceptre. The sceptre powers up, and a voice says the seal will be broken soon. Leopold jumps away onto the rooftops. Talk to David. The dying David talks about Leopold and Dominico, then dies. Dominico comes out and realizes who David was, then slumps to the ground in his failure in protecting the descendant of the great sage Kupas. Oops! Back inside, Dominico will apologize and mourn David some more, then ask if you can do one last favor for him. Say Yes, and he will request that you kill Sir Leopold and avenge the sages. Dominico will then release some of Jessica's dormant powers. Jessica will learn the Kasizzle and Kacrackle spells. Dominico will then say that Leopold was seen fleeing to the north. Now that you have Jessica back in the party, re-equip her. You can buy the Magic Bikini at the Arcadia armour shop if you want; it should offer better protection than what she had before leaving. You can also give her the Dragon Robe if you wish. Here's what she has in her inventory for me when I leave town: (Equipped) Dragontail Whip (Equipped) Magic Bikini (Equipped) White Shield (Equipped) Scholar's Cap (Equipped) Titan Belt (Mighty Armlet instead if you have one) Yggrasil Leaf When you leave Dominico's house, Jessica will say that she does not feel like she has avenged her brother's death yet. She won't stop until Rhapthorne is sealed away again. She asks if what she said sounded strange. If you tell her that she sounded weird, Jessica will say that you look strange. If you are caught up with mixing (or when you do catch up), put the Magic Vestment and one Scholar's Cap into the Alchemy Pot to make a Sage's Robe. The Sage's Robe is alright armour, but nowhere near as good as the Dragon Robe. However, the Sage's Robe is one of the ingredients for making the Crimson Robe that Dodgy Dave wants. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================================================/ | (II-K) Follow that Dog! | /---------------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Visit the Chapel of Autumn, then go west to the snowfields. | | 2-Meet Marta. | | 3-Enter Orkutsk to buy new equipment, then leave. | | 4-Explore around Orkutsk. | | 5-Find Marek in the Herb Grotto. | | 6-Get the Ultimate Key from Marta. | | 7-Use the Ultimate Key on earlier locked doors. | | 8-Explore the Dragon Graveyard to re-open Baccarat's Casino. | /===============================================================/ Warp to Rydon's Tower and follow the road north. When you reach a T-intersection, run northwest off the road. On a hill by a tree, you should see a visible Slime. Fight and beat Slime Shady. Take him along if you want. Then head east to the Chapel of Autumn and enter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==================================================================/ | (II-K1) Chapel of Autumn | | My level: 31 | /------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $15 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 0 | /==================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #133 Hocus Chimaera #142 Robo-Robin #143 Puppet Master #146 Iron Rhino #151 Bone Baron #152 Swingin' Hipster #153 Orc King #155 Gryphon #156 Golem #164 Troll There isn't really anything to do here, but stay at the inn or save if you need to, then leave and follow the road west. When you see a small valley with some large rocks and a small yellow one, drop down into the valley. Against the wall by the road is a treasure chest with an Assassin's Dagger. You can mix this with a Devil's Tail to make the Imp Knife. Since I don't use knives, and the Imp Knife only sells for 1,000 more gold than the Assassin's Dagger, I just sell the Assassin's Dagger. Continue along the road and pass through the tunnel to the snowfields. At the end of the tunnel, Trode will complain about the cold (it is kind of funny that you can buy a Magic Bikini right before getting to a snowfield). Keep going. Shortly after arriving in the snowfield, a cutscene will begin. Trode will talk to himself about Dhoulmagus and Leopold. Yangus will complain about Trode. Trode will yell at him. You shouldn't yell, Trode. Thanks for causing an avalanche! The Hero is awakened by a big Saint Bernard (that even closes the door after it leaves, how polite!). Leave the room, then go down the hall to the room on the right before going upstairs. Turn right and you will see three pots. Break the pot in the corner to receive a Special Medicine. Break the pot near the door for a Special Antidote. Open the cupboard ahead of you on the right to find Mini Medal #065. Now go upstairs. If you prepared a Life Bracer as soon as you left Rydon's Tower, it should be just about done mixing. If you want to make a Crimson Robe for Dodgy Dave to trade, go ahead and put the free Magic Vestment you got along with a Scholar's Cap into the Alchemy Pot to get the next step out of the way. I equip the Life Bracer onto Jessica; 30 more HP helps her out. Speak to Yangus, Trode, Jessica, Angelo, the dog, then the old woman at the stove. If you answer Angelo's question about the dog with a Yes, Trode will get angry. Since it was his big mouth that caused the avalanche, I make him mad. After Marta introduces herself, start walking away and a cutscene will start. Marta will serve everyone a hot drink, then talk to the party. Trode will thank Marta for helping out. Marta will mention that if you are going to the town to the north of her house, Orkutsk, maybe you can find out about the big, black dog. After resting, Marta asks you to give a bag to a man named Marek in Orkutsk. Marta's Bag will be put in your item bag. Marta then sees you off. As soon as you leave, re-enter Marta's Cottage. Enter the horse stall to your left and break the barrels along the left wall. Mini Medal #066 is in the first barrel. Both of the Mini Medals found in Marta's house are missable, aka "lost forever" later in the game. Leave Marta's Cottage again, then just follow the 'road' west and north to reach Orkutsk. As you approach, Trode will state the obvious. Enter the town. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-K2) Orkutsk | | My level: 31 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $25 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 13 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop (only open during nighttime) | | | | Swallowtail $6,800 | | Falcon Knife $7,700 | | Spiked Steel Whip $8,300 | | Dragonsbane $11,000 | | King Axe $17,000 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop (only open during the day) | | | | Velvet Cape $9,400 | | Dragon Mail $12,000 | | Dragon Shield $6,900 | | Ice Shield $8,500 | | Iron Headgear $5,500 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Medicinal Herb $8 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Chimaera Wing $25 | | Amor Seco Essence $120 | /=========================================================================/ Monsters found in this region: #158 Dead Ringer #160 Freeze Fly #162 Frostburn #163 Hellhound #165 Ice Queen #166 Abominape #168 Killing Machine #172 Frost Wyvine A quick note: you are supposed to find Marek while you are here. But he is not here. You are supposed to talk to certain people in town to find his present location. Changed from the Japanese version, it appears that you have to talk to most or all people in this town in order to have Marek show up. I tried with a couple of people that mention him, and that mention where he should be, but he wouldn't show. I even tried with most townspeople and he still didn't show up. So I am just guessing that you may as well talk to everyone in town, including shopkeepers from behind the counter. Nine or so tries with no positive result was enough to say screw it. It should be daytime, so talk to the armour shop merchant. The only main thing to buy here is the Iron Headgear. The Velvet Cape is not as strong as Angelo's Dragon Robe, Dragon Mail is not as strong as the Hero's and Yangus's armour, you will get a free Dragon Shield for the Hero soon, and the Ice Shield is pretty expensive for the marginal Defence bonus. Buy one Iron Headgear, but don't equip it. Throw it into the Alchemy Pot along with the Scholar's Cap Jessica should have equipped (if not, make her one). The result, a Thinking Cap, is a little stronger in Defence (+5) and gives a bit larger of an Wisdom bonus (+15) over the Scholar's Cap's +10. If you are low on cash, try selling weapons and armour (and Monster Coins) that you won't be mixing later, such as the Assassin's Dagger from earlier, Dancer's Mail, and the like. Leave the armour shop and walk down the next hall to reach the bar. Next to the door in the bar are two barrels. The barrel to the right of the door (item shop side) has some Amor Seco Essence. Walk to the item shop and you will see a pair of pots. In the pot away from the crates is Mini Medal #067. Talk to the man at the inn, then head back to the bar and open the door going outside. Enter the large house in the center of town. Turn right and you will see pots along the wall. Break the middle pot to find Mini Medal #068. Climb up the stairs and open the dresser to find some oddly-placed Chilly Cheese. Return downstairs and go downstairs again to your right. Now you are under the main town. As soon as you enter, there are two barrels next to you. Break the one closest to the stairs for a Seed of Defence. Leave the kitchen you are in, then enter the room you should see when you turn right slightly. In the guy with glasses' apartment, there is a cupboard in a corner. In the cupboard is Mini Medal #069. Leave his apartment, turn left, and go around the right corner to a door on the left. There are two barrels in the small storage room. In the barrel away from the wall is a Rockbomb Shard. Now you can mix that last Magma Staff when you have some free mixing time. Leave the storage room, turn left, then take the left fork to a door at the end of the hallway. Now you are in the living quarters of the item shop merchant. Go up the stairs. Speak to the item shop merchant from back here. Just "browse" by smashing the pots along the wall. In the pot next to the shelves is a Chimaera Wing. The pot next to the counter has a Ruby of Protection. Go back down the stairs and through the door again. Back in the lower area, walk forward then take a left at the fork. When you reach the next fork, go right and you will reach the last room down here. This is Marek's apartment, but he isn't home. Break the pots along the wall and you will find some Magic Water in the first pot and a Wing of Bat in the second. If you are using swords for Angelo and this is the first Wing of Bat you've gotten, now you can finally upgrade his sword. When your next mix finishes, put the Holy Silver Rapier in the Alchemy Pot along with the Wing of Bat and the Devil's Tail you found in Argonia. When the mix is finished, you will have the Fallen Angel Rapier. Don't stop there, because if you made those two extra Mercury's Bandanas earlier, you can put those in the Alchemy Pot along with the Fallen Angel Rapier to make the even stronger Mercury's Rapier. After getting the items in Marek's apartment, leave and take a right at the fork to a door. Now you are underneath the weapon/armour shops. Before going upstairs, break the barrels to your right. Inside the one next to the torch lamp is Mini Medal #070. Go upstairs and open the chest at the top. Inside is a Edged Boomerang for you to sell later. That should be all of the items found in town. To reach the large house in the center of town again, go back downstairs, take a right at the first fork, left at the next, then go left midway through the hall and open the door at the end of the short hallway. Go back outside, then into the door going to the bar. Stay at the inn until nightfall if you want to check out the weapon shop. At the weapon shop, you can make some interesting purchases. The Hero should already have a Swallowtail if he is using boomerangs. You can buy a stronger whip for Jessica, the Spiked Steel Whip. You can get a Spiked Steel Whip for free very soon, though, so you might want to wait and save the money. If you are using swords for the Hero, you can buy the Dragonsbane. If you mix it with a Mighty Armlet, you can make the stronger Dragon Slayer. The Dragon Slayer has a +83 Attack bonus and is strong against dragons. However, if you have 68 Mini Medals (which you should), the next item given to you by the Medal Princess is the Miracle Sword. The Miracle Sword has a +80 Attack bonus and heals some HP when you attack with it. If you mix it with a Life Bracer, you will make the Uber Miracle Sword. This weapon has a +95 Attack bonus and heals some HP when you attack with it. You can easily make a Life Bracer for free, so the choice is yours on which one you think is better. If you aren't even using swords, then the point is moot for both swords. You can also buy the King Axe here, and it is a bit stronger than the Bandit Axe. However, it is a pretty pricey weapon and you can get a slightly weaker (than the King Axe) axe for free very soon. If your money is burning a hole in your pocket, pick it up if you have a ton of money (say, over 50,000). I just stick with the Bandit Axe for a bit longer, though. Long story short, I don't buy anything from the weapon shop. Leave town and warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 68 Mini Medals, she will give you the Miracle Sword. At 75 Medals, you will receive the Sacred Armour. Give this to the Hero if he is using swords at all. Keep it as his sword weapon if you aren't using that weapon type normally, or equip it/mix the Uber Miracle Sword now if you want. Leave then warp back to Orkutsk. Go to the small area south of town. There are three chests down here, as well as a recruitable monster. Stay along the western mountains while going south, and you will spot a treasure chest under a tree. Inside the chest is a Holy Silver Rapier. If you already have a stronger sword than this or aren't using swords for Angelo, just sell it at a shop later. Walk directly east of the chest, and you will see another chest behind the trees. In this chest is an Yggdrasil Leaf. Head south again, but on the low ground. You should spot a visible Killing Machine. Fight and beat Roborg. Take it along. Continue south, and under the tree straight ahead is a chest containing an Agility Ring. If it is daytime, walk north then west when you reach Orkutsk. If it is nighttime, warp to Orkutsk and stay at the inn until daylight. Then walk west from Orkutsk. All that is over here is another visible Killing Machine, only during daytime. Find it on a hill. Fight and beat Cybot. Take it along with you. If you were unable to beat Rank B at the Monster Arena, you should be able to now. Make your team include Talos, Cybot, and Dumbking. You should win Rank B with that team without too much difficulty. Please check earlier in the guide for where some new monsters are to beat Rank A and Rank S at this time. After getting Cybot, head to the small area east of Orkutsk. You should see a visible Frostburn. Fight and beat Blizag Jr., and take it along with you if you want. If another Frostburn pops up into view behind where Blizag Jr. was, fight it. It is a different recruitable Frostburn. Fight and beat Jack Frost. Take it along if you wish. If you don't see another Frostburn, then you will be at the other area where it can show up shortly. When the Sage's Robe finishes, start making the Thinking Cap (Iron Headgear + Scholar's Cap) or whatever is next on your list. Keep the Sage's Robe to mix later on. Travel west past Orkutsk a little bit, then head north. If you are mixing a Fallen Angel Rapier then Mercury's Rapier, the first mix should be finishing soon. On the hill just to the left of the entrance to a cave is the other spot that can appear. At the end of the hill just to the right of the cave's entrance is a chest with Mini Medal #071. Enter the Herb Grotto. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=====================/ | (II-K3) Herb Grotto | | My level: 32 | /=====================/ Monsters found in this cave: #160 Freeze Fly #162 Frostburn #163 Hellhound #168 Killing Machine #169 Icikiller #172 Frost Wyvine The monsters fought inside this cave are the same as what you have fought around the area. If you can handle yourself outside, you will fine inside. In some parts of the cave, when you stand where there is water dripping down onto the ground, a large icicle will fall behind you. On later floors you will have to use some icicles to make bridges. When the ground is composed of ice, you will slide if you run. Walking prevents you from sliding (and falling down in some cases). Level 1-Walk down the slope and enter the first small room to your left. You will find a chest with the map inside. Exit the small room and take the next hallway on your left while looking for a small passage on the right. On the left side of this room are four pots. Break them to find Mini Medal #072 and some Rose-Wort. Go back to the main hallway and turn right. You will be in a large, open room. Go forward and left to a slope on the left side of the room. The way up has a pair of torches before the path. The upper section of the floor consists mainly of ice bridges. Walk across (or run if you really want to) until you reach a fork, then turn right and you will see a treasure chest at the end of the bridge. Inside is a whopping 100 gold. Return to the ice bridges and turn right to get to the Level 2 stairs. Level 2-Go forward and left a little into a small icy room. Behind the icicles is a treasure chest containing an Elfin Elixir. Leave the icy room, turn left, then right at the next intersection, and right again to stairs leading down to Level 3. Don't worry about the icicles that fall on the way. Level 3-On the left side of this part of B3, there are a pair of chests. The one on the left has a Devil's Tail, and a much nicer 2,100 gold is inside the right chest. Return to Level 2. Level 2-Turn left and follow the wall on the right. Enter the icy hallway and there will be a small room off to the right. In here are four pots. You should find Mini Medal #073 and a Rose-Root. Leave this room and take a right in the icy hallway. Lots of plants/herbs are in the large room along with a pot in the center of the room. Break the pot to get another Seed of Life. Ignore the pot at the end of the room and go down to Level 3 via the nearby stairs. Level 3-After walking down the hallway, you will see a pair of pots along the right wall. Break the pot next to the boxes to receive Mini Medal #074. Continue onward until you reach a T-intersection. Take a left or right. Near the Level 4 stairs you'll see a fallen icicle. There are two more icicles that need to crash down to make a bridge. Walk underneath the dripping water and both icicles should fall down. Now you just need to climb up a hill to reach the bridge and cross over to the Level 4 stairs. You will likely need to walk back around to the T-intersection, but that is no big deal. Walk across the icicle bridge and take the stairs going down. Level 4-Follow the left wall until you hit a T-intersection. Take a right and make another 3-icicle bridge. Go back around and up to where the icicle bridge is. Before crossing, open the chest west of the bridge. Inside is an Icicle Dirk. As a knife, the Icicle Dirk is decently powerful. You can also put it into the Alchemy Pot along with a Bastard Sword and some Cold Cheese to make a Blizzard Blade. I tend to just keep this as a knife, because it casts the Crackle spell for free when used as an item. Give the Icicle Dirk to Yangus for a stronger group-hitting attack over the Staff of Divine Wrath, but keep the Staff of Divine Wrath for this dungeon. The Blizzard Blade is buyable later in the game at a shop. Level 4-The Icicle Dirk should be the final item in the cave. Cross the icicle bridge, then go left and down the stairs to the far left side of the dungeon. When the path splits, go right to the three icicles on the ground. Walk up to the icicles and you should see a man on the ground. Reply to his question with Yes, and tell the game you will use Munchie (answer Yes again). With Munchie, walk past the man, across the ice and down the hill. You should see some water dripping down. Walk through and past the dripping spot to make an icicle fall, then return to the party. Now the party can cross over to the freezing man. If you go over to the icicles and a scene does not start with a freezing man, you didn't talk to all of the people in Orkutsk that you have to. When you resume control of the party, walk around to the western side of the room, then cross the newly-made bridge to reach the freezing man. Talk to him and he will say that he is Marek. Marek will notice that you have a bag from Marta and ask if you will give him the bag. Say that you will, then use Marta's Bag. He will eat the Nook Grass inside and recover from freezing pretty quickly. Marek will then ask if you will escort him to Orkutsk. Tell him that you will, then cast Evac. As you leave, some Hellhounds will welcome you. Eight Hellhounds is hardly a boss fight. Kill them with group/all-enemy attacks. After the fight, Marek will be surrounded by Hellhounds. As one starts to lunge, a voice tells them to wait. He is one of the sage's descendants, but not the one that needs to die. The Hellhounds depart, leaving Marek puzzled. Warp to Orkutsk. As you enter, Marek will ask you to take him to his apartment. Walk to the bar and use the door to reach the house in the middle of town, then go down into the area under town. If you are going along with my mixes, the Thinking Cap should be just about done, or already done. Have Jessica equip it and swap the Staff of Divine Wrath for the Icicle Dirk in Yangus's inventory. I start making Magma Staves now. Down here, leave the kitchen, then turn right. Go right again, then one more time at the fork. Turn right one more time, then open the door at the end to reach Marek's apartment. Marek will tell you that Marta is his mother, and some other stuff. Either way, he wants to see her again. Tell him you will go with him to Marta's Cottage (if you say no, Trode gets angry again). The bully that was blocking the stairs at the entrance of town will come in with a guard. Marek has to stay and prepare some medicine for the sick man, so you have to go to Marta's Cottage first. Remember to take out what was mixing (and likely finished) while you were going through the Herb Grotto! Leave Marek's apartment, take a left at the next two intersections, then walk all the way down the hall to a staircase going up. Now that the bully is out of the way, you can get out of town quickly this way. Warp to Marta's Cottage. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /================================/ | (II-K4) Item Cleanup, Part Two | | My level: 32 | /================================/ Make sure there are no items left to be found here. If you do not get whatever is left (including the two Mini Medals found here) right now, you will not be able to get what you don't have very shortly. Back at Marta's Cottage, you can see something awry in her house, or just go behind her house to begin with. If you go into her house, you will see that a lot of Hellhounds have taken over. Look around and fight if you want, then/or just use the path going to the cave behind her house. At the very back of the cave, you should see Marta. As you approach, a trio of Hellhounds will start to chase you. Marta's protection field will stop them. Talk to Marta and the St. Bernard, then try to leave. Talk to Marta one more time, and she will ask you if you met Marek. Answer Yes, then you can leave the room. Something catches fire outside, so go investigate. Her house is ablaze, and Marek is here..being held down by the possessed Leopold. Leopold will 'say' that the heir of the sage needs to come out and accept her fate. If the heir does not come out, her son will die. Marek realizes that he means that his mother, Marta, is who Leopold is after. Marta walks out to confront Leopold. She doesn't seem to be impressed. Marta will then give you the Ultimate Key. As its name implies, this is the last key you will get in the game. It can unlock doors that the Magic Key could not. Marta then walks forward to confront her assassin, tossing one of her bags of Nook Grass at Leopold. The heat almost makes him release the sceptre, but not quite. During the stun of Leopold, Marta tells Boris (the St. Bernard) to get Marek. Leopold uses this time to strike. Marta is impaled and dies. Six down, only one descendant remains. Leopold sprouts wings, commands the Hellhounds to attack, then flies away after you beat them. Marek crawls to his mother's body, but she is already gone. After her short funeral, Marek says that the black dog flew east, maybe to where the Lord High Priest lives. But he lives in a secluded mansion in the sky. How can you get there? Marek then recalls Empyrea, the Godbird. Using Empyrea, you can get to the Lord High Priest's house. Now it's time to go back and open some old locked doors for new items. Warp to Pickham. Remember that locked door with four chests in a room? If not, enter the door across from the item shop/well. Turn right, then go down to where a pot is sitting in the corner. Open the barred door since you have the Ultimate Key and open the chests. The contents of the chests are: 2 3 1 4 1-Power Shield 2-Mini Medal #075 3-Mimic 4-Rune Staff Give the Power Shield to Yangus to equip, give the Rune Staff to Jessica, then buy another Hunter's Bow at the weapon shop in town for mixing. If you were unable to find the Eros' Bow Recipe earlier, it probably will be here now for you to get. Go to the ladder at the southwestern corner of town. Walk up the stairs where a ladder is going way up. Behind the ladder on the wooden podium is the Eros' Bow Recipe. Go to Red's house. Enter her house, and you will see that neither she nor her guard are home. Time to steal from the 'great thief'! Go downstairs and open the barred door. The contents of the chests from left to right are: a Seed of Agility, a Garter, Mini Medal #076, and that free Spiked Steel Whip I mentioned earlier. If Jessica is using whips, equip the Spiked Steel Whip. When all of your important (ie: not just for money) mixes are done, be sure to put the Garter and a Hunter's Bow into the Alchemy Pot to sell another Eros' Bow. Warp to Trodain. If you were unable to find the Imp Knife Recipe earlier, it will probably be here now. Walk straight ahead to the fountain. On the ground in front of the fountain should be a scrap of paper, the Imp Knife Recipe. Enter the door on the right side of the outer area (the same door you entered when you were going through the castle). Inside the castle, go up the stairs on your right and up the next staircase too. Behind the staircase on 2F are four chests behind a previously locked door. The contents of the chests are: 4 3 1 2 1-Seed of Magic 2-Yggdrasil Dew 3-Rusty Old Sword 4-Mini Medal #077 Keep the Rusty Old Sword in your bag. Don't sell it. A bit later in the game, you can make the Liquid Metal Sword from the Rusty Old Sword if you want. Warp to Argonia and enter the castle via the door by the church. Walk straight up the stairs in front of you, then take a left to get to Charmles's side of the castle. On 3F, walk past the stairs going up to the fourth floor and enter the doorway on the right side. Walk through the kitchen, then go through the door in the next room. Outside, just turn left and follow the skinny pathway to a staircase going down to 2F. Go down a few flights of stairs and you'll reach a door blocking some chests that you can open now with the Ultimate Key. From left to right, the contents are: a Skull Ring, a Moon Axe, and Mini Medal #078. If you did not buy a King Axe for Yangus in Orkutsk, equip the Moon Axe. It only has 5 Attack more than the Bandit Axe, but it was free. Sell the Bandit Axe at a shop. You can mix the Skull Ring to make an item that sells for over 7,000 gold (Sorcerer's Ring), but I tend not to waste my time with that particular mix (need 2 Saint's Ashes). Leave Argonia and look at your map. In the upper-left part of the map, you should see a river. Go back there (left side of the river, so go west from Argonia, then north before you get to the campsite) and all the way to the end of the river, by a waterfall. There is a purple door in the mountain at the end. Open the door and enter Le Club Puff Puff. Go to the right and enter the room with the bunny girl. If you talk to her, she will ask if you would like a Puff-Puff. Say no, and she'll get all uppity at you not being in the mood. Say yes, and your lead character will go through a Puff-Puff (yes, even Jessica). Puff-Puffs are not new to the series, they were also in parts 3 and 7 (maybe 6 too). The woman doesn't even give a real Puff-Puff, she uses Slimes. After receiving a Puff-Puff (or just ignoring the bunny girl), go through the door in the corner of the room. Search the two dressers on the right and you will find a Silver Platter and Mini Medal #079. Leave and warp to Arcadia. At Arcadia, enter the item shop, then open the door behind it. From left to right, inside the three chests are: a Seed of Magic, a Titan Belt, and Mini Medal #080. Sell off some of your items that you aren't going to use or mix to sell, then warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 75 Mini Medals, she will give you the Sacred Armour. At 83 Medals, you will receive Orichalcum, an ingredient for some of the best mixes in the game. Before leaving, open the barred door to the right of the Medal Princess. From left to right, the four chests here contain: the Double-Edged Sword, a Seed of Strength, Mini Medal #081, and a Seed of Life. Equip the Sacred Armour onto the Hero, or keep it in your bag for later. The Double-Edged Sword is not as strong as the Miracle Sword, and is cursed. You can uncurse it later with two Saint's Ashes if you choose. Warp to Baccarat and stay at the inn if it isn't daytime already. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==================================================/ | (II-K5) Sibling Rivalry and the Dragon Graveyard | | My level: 32 | /==================================================/ You can now enter the large house away from town. Use the gate by the fountain behind the inn. Enter the house. Turn left and go straight across to a door leading outside. Smash the lone barrel for some Magic Water. Re-enter the house and enter the door straight ahead on the left. As you enter, a girl named Carrie will be arguing with her brother Cash. They are the adopted children of the casino owner, Golding. After a little arguing, Carrie and Cash will notice you. Don't talk to them yet, grab the items in their house first like any polite guest would. Enter the kitchen via the door behind Cash and Carrie. Inside a barrel you will find Rennet Powder. The pot in the kitchen has a bottle of Fresh Milk. Leave the kitchen and go upstairs. Turn left and enter Golding's room. Inside the pot next to the fireplace is a Seed of Wisdom. Check the dresser by the wall to find a Gold Ring. Leave Golding's room and enter the next door on your left. In this room, turn left and open the dresser to receive Mini Medal #082. Leave the room and enter the last one, to your left. Check the dresser in the corner to find a Spangled Dress. When the Alchemy Pot isn't busy, you can put the Spangled Dress, a Ruby of Protection, and a Gold Bracer into it to make a Shimmering Dress. The Shimmering Dress by itself isn't very good armour (I despise it), but you can make some armour for Jessica later that is almost as good as the Dragon Robe. You can also make a really strong sword for Angelo if you so choose. After the Spangled Dress, you should have Baccarat cleaned out. Return downstairs and talk to Cash or Carrie. Answer whoever you speak to with a Yes. The party will sit down, as Carrie and Cash tell you of their dilemma. Golding (their adoptive father) died, and more or less did not name a successor. Cash and Carrie have to go to a cave to see who Golding has selected. Whoever goes through first and comes back to town first is the winner of the Golding family fortune. Choose who you want to help by talking to Carrie or Cash. It doesn't matter who you pick. Reply with Yes to confirm you want to go with him or her. A maid will be called in to get your room ready for tomorrow. Whichever sibling you picked will give the Hero and rest of the party a rude awakening. After yelling at the Hero to get out of bed while everyone else sleeps, Cash or Carrie wakes everyone up. While the party is half asleep, the sibling will insult the other one and tell the party to get a move on. Leave the house and warp to the Desert Chapel. Save your game and rest, then head east. If you never went to the Desert Chapel, it is south of the Mystical Spring (look for a big desert on the map). You can sail the ship to a grassy area just west of the Desert Chapel, then walk there. Pass the well and you should see a visible Dancing Flame in a pit-like area. Fight and beat Torchman, and take him along with you if you like. If he isn't there, another spot he can appear at is directly south of the Desert Chapel. Walk to the cave in the middle of the desert by going into the well just east of the Desert Chapel (or walk there to progress your mix). The sibling you chose to go along with will be at the entrance. After getting scolded by whoever you picked, enter the Dragon Graveyard. Monsters found in this cave: #167 Beelzebuzz #168 Killing Machine #171 Metal King Slime #174 Dragurn #175 Smacker #182 Tyrantosaurus Boss: #273 Red Horn Boss: #274 Blue Fang As this dungeon mostly occurs on one floor only (Level 1), using the floors as dividing points is not that useful. Some of the enemies here use strong breath attacks; do not be afraid to have Jessica cast the Insulatle spell. Don't forget the Kacrackle spell hits all enemies. The elusive Metal King Slime can be fought here, so if you feel you need to fight around now or later in the game, this cave is one of the good spots to do so. Walk straight ahead to the chest you should see onscreen. Open it to get the handy map for this dungeon. Look at the map. The distance between areas is not as long as the map wants you to think. See the arrow in the top right of the map? That's where you want to go first. Turn around, facing north on the compass and go forward. Walk across the bridge of bones going to the right on the map, then turn left when you get off the bridge. Walk around the large ribcage, then around it on the other side. Make a left turn, then walk into the next ribcage to a treasure chest. Inside this chest is Mini Medal #083. Cast Evac, then warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 83 Mini Medals, she will give you Orichalcum. At 90 Medals, you will receive the Metal King Helm. Orichalcum can be mixed to make many wonderful items. The list of mixes that use it are as follows. Gold Nugget + Orichalcum + Yggdrasil Dew = Sage's Stone Rusty Old Sword + Orichalcum + Slime Crown = Liquid Metal Sword Uber War Hammer + Conquerer's Axe + Orichalcum = Megaton Hammer Liquid Metal Armour + Slime Crown + Orichalcum = Metal King Armour Ruinous Shield + Saint's Ashes + Orichalcum = Metal King Shield Agility Ring + Agility Ring + Orichalcum = Meteorite Bracer Recovery Ring + Orichalcum = Goddess Ring As you can see, many nice items can be made by Orichalcum. You don't have the ingredients for some mixes yet, and it will be a bit later on until you get another Orichalcum. Your first mix with it can make the game a bit easier, or no different at all. I personally make a Sage's Stone with this one. You don't get the regular Sage's Stone until later, and having two will make later fights much easier. If you absolutely love swords and have to make a Liquid Metal Sword, go ahead. I don't make one until later or not at all, myself. Finish whatever mix you are currently doing (Shimmering Dress for me), then put the Gold Nugget, the Orichalcum you just received, and an Yggdrasil Dew into the Alchemy Pot. Warp back to the Desert Chapel and re-enter the Dragon Graveyard. The sibling you picked to go with will be waiting and chew you out. Now you want to go to the arrow in the bottom-right corner of the map (which is hidden by the obtrusive RETURN/HIDE ICONS thing). Just follow the right wall until near the end, then cross the bone bridge. This time, keep going straight ahead after crossing to reach a new part of Level 1 on the map. There's only one arrow in this section, but there is an item here, too. Walk straight ahead when you get to this new part of the map. Cross the bone bridge, then walk around the ribs ahead of you to a hanging bag on the wall. Reach into the bag to find..Dragon Dung. Oh yeah!!! From here, cross the bone bridge again, then turn right and cross another bone bridge. Keep going straight ahead by crossing the bone bridge with a skull. Turn left after you get across, and cross yet another bone bridge. Turn right and walk through the ribcage to reach another new area of Level 1 on the map. Walk ahead in between some rib cages, then around another and into a skull's mouth. Go forward and to the right to reach a treasure chest with that free Dragon Shield I mentioned earlier. Equip it onto the Hero, then follow the pathway out of the small cavern area. Turn left, then follow the wall on the right to another open mouth to walk into. Cross the last bone bridge and you are finally at the end of the dungeon. Heal up, then go through the doorway. Whichever sibling you did not pick will be against the wall, with two monsters ready to strike. The sibling you went with will look worried, then say that the other is fine. When whoever you took sees that his or her sibling is in trouble, he/she will run to the other, but get knocked back against the wall. Walk up to either monster to initiate another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks-can make a desperate attack, builds Tension, | | teams up with Blue Fang to hit a party member 4 times | /=======================================================================/ /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks, casts Kabuff, | | teams up with Red Horn to hit a party member 4 times, | | casts Kasap, casts Multiheal, | | lets out an intimidating scream | /=======================================================================/ These two guys aren't too tough, unless they constantly gang up on one or two party members. The Red Horn is more dangerous than the Blue Fang, so take him out first after building up some extra Defence. If the Red Horn criticals Jessica, she will likely be dead. If the Blue Fang lowers your Defence, bring it back up. Angelo can use Sarcastic Snigger to remove the Red Horn's Tension, but sometimes it will be right back to where it was the next time it builds some up. Once the Red Horn is dead, the Blue Fang should go down quickly. No more instant deaths from the Red Horn's critical hits, no more combo attack. Build up Tension if you like, and/or cast Oomph on your fighters. This fight should not be too hard. Jessica can kill the Blue Fang (and probably the Red Horn) outright with 100 Tension and Oomph, then using Twin Dragon Lash. The Red Horn has about 3,100 HP. The Blue Fang has about 2,630 HP. Beating the Red Horn and Blue Fang nets the party 8,190 experience points and 2,700 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After the boss fight, the sibling you did not pick will think the other is dead, then the one you did pick recovers (Carrie punches Cash in the face if you picked her). Walk ahead to the door that the siblings are at. Cash or Carrie will try to open the door, then pull his/her hand away at the hot doorknob. The siblings will realize that in order to open the door, two people must do it. Working together, Cash and Carrie open the door. Walk up to the crystal ball-looking thing and press X or L3. An image of a Golding ancestor will babble about completing the trials and the Golding bloodline. Back in Baccarat, the siblings will be met by townspeople as they enter. A man asks who the new casino owner is, and the twins show their hands and proclaim they are both the owners. The town celebrates the reopening of the casino. After you wake up, go downstairs. Cash will say good morning and ask you a question. Reply either way you want, and you will receive an amazing 600 casino tokens! Leave the house and save the game, then enter the casino. Carrie and Cash will reconcile, seeing that their bickering was pointless. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=============================/ | (II-K6) The Baccarat Casino | | My level: 33 | /=============================/ This casino has new prizes to buy over Pickham's. You can also bet up to 300 tokens on bingo, play 1, 10, and 100 coin slots, and play roulette to rake in the tokens. Do you have that extra 9,400 or more from the first casino? If you do not, play bingo (bet 300) until you have 10,000 tokens or more. Save your game, then come back. The items for sale at this casino are as follows: Prayer Ring 1,000 tokens Spangled Dress 3,000 tokens Saint's Ashes 5,000 tokens Falcon Blade 10,000 tokens Liquid Metal Armour 50,000 tokens Gringham Whip 200,000 tokens I usually buy 1 Saint's Ashes, a Falcon Blade for the Hero and Angelo, and a Gringham Whip for Jessica. If it weren't for the Gringham Whip, getting the 25,000 tokens for the other stuff wouldn't take long at all (as opposed to 225,000). I go through for the Gringham Whip because it is by far the strongest whip in the game at +127 Attack, and it hits every enemy. The next-strongest whip in the game, the Scourge Whip, has +99 Attack and still only hits a group of monsters. Later on in the game, the ability to hit everything in my opinion makes the purchase worth the time. If you do not or are not using whips anyway, then you shouldn't be at the casino very long. I only buy one Saint's Ashes due to what I mix and the timing of getting more Saint's Ashes regularly in the game. If you are mixing something I normally do not (such as the to make the Scourge Whip or Uber Double-Edge), you may want to pick up a few more. The Falcon Blade is used by the Hero when I fight Metal-family monsters. You do two hits with the Falcon Blade, and it still does two hits when you do attacks such as Metal Slash. If you use Falcon Slash while having the Falcon Blade equipped, you will do four hits. It seems that the four hits do more damage than a Falcon Slash with Angelo's strongest weapon (Shamshir of Light), so I just stick with the Mercury's Rapier. If you like Angelo's current sword better, just keep the Falcon Blade for when you bump into some metal monsters. If you have Mercury's Rapier, keep that handy though, because later it may be his best weapon (due to the Agility bonus). A lot of people purchase Liquid Metal Armour. I don't. Yangus and Angelo already have satisfactory or better armour already, I prefer the Divine Bustier to it for Jessica, and I can survive fine with either the Platinum Mail or Sacred Armour until a free suit of Liquid Metal Armour shows up later in the game. You can upgrade Liquid Metal Armour into Metal King Armour if you put the Liquid Metal Armour into the Alchemy Pot along with a Slime Crown and a piece of Orichalcum. That's an unnecessary use of rare resources, to me. You don't *need* the absolute-strongest stuff in order to beat the game, etc. If you are going to make a Divine Bustier and Shamshir of Light, buy another Spangled Dress at the casino. I also buy a 4th Rune Staff at the Pickham casino so everyone in the party has one. When you have decided what you want to buy (and have 10,000 or more tokens), walk up to the roulette wheel that nobody is playing at and press X or L3. Roulette is the fastest way to accumulate tokens in my experiences. A number of people swear by slots, but the most I have ever won from it is 20,000. A lot of people complain about roulette taking too long due to "resetting the game so often". It's not as slow as playing slots for 500 tokens a pop until you lose 10,000 then pressing reset anyway. Really, once you have accumulated about 15,000 tokens, it does not take very long to get a lot via roulette. There are many ways people play the game on Dragon Quest 8. If you find a better method for getting tokens, stick with it until you have enough tokens for what you want. When you can start playing more than once, I usually reset after losing the second time in a row. If you have between 10,000 and less than 17,499 tokens, what I tend to do is just bet 500 tokens across a row. Also bet on the triangle on the right side of the board to bet on your row. Bet in between the numbers, too. It should cost you exactly 10,000 tokens if you bet across the center row. To bet faster than just holding the circle button down, hold the circle button and press the square button one time quickly after going to a new square. This should make the tokens being bet instantly go up to 500, saving some time. You can do it for the opposite, too, to remove tokens from a space you do not want to bet on. When you are done with your bets, press the X button, then say Yes. Play until you have 17,500 tokens or more. Save the game if you win and have more tokens than before the bet. Reset if you lose your tokens. After reaching 17,500 tokens, I change to make an "H" shape for my betting, which costs 17,500. Some people wager on 3 x 3 squares, rows, colors, lots of combinations. Go with what works best for you. How I bet is like this (X represents where I bet 500 tokens): XX 6 9 2 5 8 1 4 X < XX X XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X XX X XX 4 7 0 3 6 9 2 X < XX X ^^ ^^ ^^ EVEN RED BLUE ODD Hopefully that makes sense; I bet across the middle row, then from 25 to 27 straight up, and from 1 to 3 straight up along with 0 and all of the combinations for 0 + 1, 2, and/or 3. If you bet like that, the winnings for the 17,500 bet is as follows: Ball lands on 25 or 27 = 25,000 tokens (7,500 profit) Ball lands on 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, or 23 = 29,500 tokens (12,000 profit) Ball lands on 1 or 3 = 39,500 tokens (22,000 profit) Ball lands on 26 = 40,500 tokens (23,000 profit) Ball lands on 0 = 46,500 tokens (29,000 profit) Ball lands on 2 = 59,000 tokens (41,500 profit) If you have a better way of making a profit, by all means use it. With my method, if you win, you will be ahead as long as you haven't lost yet. If the ball lands on any number lit up, it is a positive winner, not a 1,500 coin win. Betting on a 3 x 3 square (such as 1-9, 10-18, or 19-27) yields a better bet amount:profit ratio than my H-method. I stupidly forgot to write down the person that first devised the method. It wasn't me. It should cost you 15,500 tokens. I'll use 1-9 as the example. I don't bet on 0; it costs 3,500 more tokens each time to play, and that's just one square on the board. And just as I typed this, the ball landed on 0. Go with it if you want, but your bet:profit ratio will be lower for the other numbers. The center number is the one you want the ball to land on (5, 14, or 23) for the biggest win. Ball lands on 1, 3, 7, or 9 = 39,500 tokens (24,000 profit) Ball lands on 2 or 8 = 50,000 tokens (34,500 profit) Ball lands on 4 or 6 = 52,500 tokens (37,000 profit) Ball lands on 5 = 66,500 tokens (51,000 profit) Save when you are ahead, reset if you lose a couple of times or can't play again. Get as many tokens as you need plus however much extra your preferred method costs so you can play again if you wind up needing more tokens. For me, this means I have to get 238,000-245,500 tokens. As a recap, here's what I buy: 1 Gringham Whip (200,000 tokens) 2 Falcon Blades (10,000 tokens each) 1 Saint's Ashes (5,000 tokens) 1 Rune Staff at Pickham's casino (3,000 tokens) 10,000-17,500 extra Total: 238,000-245,500 tokens You may get lucky and get a good streak going, other times you may not win for awhile. The 3 x 3 method gives you a better profit ratio, but my H-method gives you a higher chance of winning (9 out of 28 versus 14 out of 28; ~33% versus 50%). Money is more or less no object if you win enough tokens. If you are going to buy something to sell for money, Prayer Rings at this casino are the best item to buy in bulk to sell for cash for a token cost:money gained ratio. Your current mix may finish from the walking back and forth from the church to the casino. For me, that is the Sage's Stone. I give the Sage's Stone to Yangus, then resume monetary mixing afterward for the time being (Magma Staves/an Eros' Bow/Cheeses). After you have accumulated the tokens you need for whatever it is that you want to buy, leave the casino, save one more time, then warp to the Pirate's Cove. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===================================/ | (II-L) From the Seas to the Skies | /-----------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Get the Illuminated Sea Chart | | at the Pirate's Cove. | | 2-Sail to Empycchu. | | 3-Follow Empyrea's shadow to the | | Dark World. | | 4-Fight Empyrea and Gemon. | | 5-Get the Godbird's Soulstone and | | find new treasures. | /===================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-L1) Pirate's Cove | | My level: 33 | /=======================/ Monsters found in this cave: #120 Mimic #175 Smacker #176 Zombie Gladiator #183 Demon Thunderer #238 Man o' War #240 King Kelp #245 Crayzee #255 Merking #257 Octavian Pirate #258 Riptide Boss: #272 Captain Crow Level 1-When you are ready, open the prison door on the right. A cutscene should start, with Red making an appearance. She is here for the treasure of Captain Crow, and says she will find it before you. Whatever. Walk down the stairs going to Level 2. Level 2-Turn left and enter the door on your right side. Behind the open door are three barrels. Destroy the barrel closest to you to find some Magic Water. Inside the barrel in the corner is Mini Medal #084. Open the nearby door and open the chest containing the map. Return to the main hallway and walk straight across through the hole in the wall. Follow the passageway and break open the pot at the end. Inside is Mini Medal #085. Go back to the hole in the wall, turn left, then open the door at the end. Our master thief Red is walking in circles, unable to find a way to get further. Walk up to the wheel at the northern end of the room and press the X or L3 button to activate a secret door. Red will comment, then go on. Follow her down to Level 3. Level 3-Turn right and look for a door on the left wall. Go through the door, then break the pots along the right wall. In the center pot is some Rock Salt. Continue onward through another door and to some stairs going down to Level 4. Level 4-Ignore the door along the right wall; keep going straight. Red will open the door and be stuck again. She doesn't seem too smart. Walk around the wall in the center of the room. After the bridge, you will see a crank. Use the crank and the floodgate will open. Red will come back and figure out what cranks with handles are used for when connected to a floodgate. Cross the bridge and enter the hole in the wall ahead. At the end of the passage is a treasure chest containing Mini Medal #086. Now go back to the stairs going up to Level 3. Level 3-Back on Level 3, go through the first two rooms, then take a left. Enter the door between some torches on your right. Inside the chest on the left is a Hades' Helm. The chest on the right contains a Bone Shield. The Hades' Helm is cursed, but you can uncurse it if you throw it and Saint's Ashes into the Alchemy Pot to make a Mythril Helm. I usually just sell the Hades' Helm as is. Equip the Bone Shield onto Yangus if you want, or sell it (it is weaker than the Power Shield he has currently). Leave the room, take a right, then follow the passage to a ladder going down. Level 4-Open the two doors in the straight passage and keep going straight ahead. Open the door in the cave-looking area, then heal. Enter the room and you should hear the 'boss floor' song kick in. Red has gotten to the chest first. While she's bragging, the ghost of Captain Crow appears. Red decides that her teeny knife is good enough, and engages him. She tries her best, but Captain Crow knocks her away. Talk to him to initiate another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), builds Tension, | | launches a Thin Air attack, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice | /=======================================================================/ This guy can be a pain. Sometimes he is not too bad, others he wipes out half your party right away. Captain Crow has two turns per round and he spends most of that time building Tension. He can go up to 100. If he does, keep everyone over 150HP. Captain Crow usually uses Thin Air after reaching 100 Tension on my game. Angelo can try to slow him down with Sarcastic Snigger, but it doesn't always work too well (he gets his Tension reduced to 0, then gets 100 in one or two charges quite often). Sometimes he will still do full damage after having his Super High Tension taken away. Jessica's Puff-Puff sometimes works on him, but that only makes him have one turn instead of two if it works. Not very helpful. Building up your Defence can help, but that is only if he attacks you physically. You may want to use a Rune Staff or the Kabuff spell once or twice, but maxing out at +200 will not do much for you. Captain Crow can become 'enveloped in a wave of ice', which brings you back to default (just like Dhoulmagus). He does not use breath or magic spells, so all that being 'enveloped in a wave of ice' should affect is extra Defence, Tension, or the Oomph spell on party members. His Defence can be reduced, so have Yangus hit Captain Crow with Helm Splitter or cast the Sap spell with Jessica. Since he takes two turns, you will need to use either of the above mentioned skill/spell about every 3 rounds to keep Captain Crow's Defence down. If you have the Sage's Stone, remember that you have it. Use it in conjunction with Angelo's Multiheal spell to keep the party healthy after a big attack from Captain Crow. Due to his use of being 'enveloped in a wave of ice', I don't really bother with building up Tension. Casting Oomph and using powerful attacks such as Twin Dragon Lash, Multithrust, and Falcon Slash work fine. Captain Crow has about 3,675 HP (I beat him at 3,693 damage, doing 30 for the last hit). Beating Captain Crow nets the party 9,750 experience points, 2,675 gold, and a dropped Pirate's Hat. Rock on! ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Captain Crow will fade away after you beat him, asking you to fulfil his dream that he was never able to do.. Open the chest and you'll receive the Illuminated Sea Chart. Red will come to, then see what you've found. She scoffs at the 'treasure', saying the 10,000 gold coins she found is fine. With a lack of interest, Red leaves you and the Illuminated Sea Chart. Cast Evac and warp to Neos. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=============================/ | (II-L2) 'X' Marks the Spot? | | My level: 34 | /=============================/ Outside of Neos, use the Illuminated Sea Chart as an item. You will automatically combine it with the World Map. Just west of town is an 'x' on the map, with a bright line connected to it. Get in your boat and sail to the center of the reef that makes the 'x' on the map. Upon reaching the center, a cutscene will start with a huge light beam emanating from the reef. A line of light will go from the reef into the mountainside of a large island. Follow the line with your boat all the way into the island. If you stray away from the path, nothing will happen at the end of the line. If this happens, start at the beginning of the line from the reefs and try again. If you sailed along the line well enough, a cutscene will start with the party freaking out at the ship crashing into the mountainside. Instead of that happening, the boat will sail through a hidden wall. Does this lead to the batcave?! No, but as you disembark the ship a giant birdlike shadow will appear. The party looks up, but there is nothing in the sky. Monsters found in this region: #001 Slime #004 Dracky #164 Troll #173 Elysium Bird #174 Dragurn #175 Smacker #176 Zombie Gladiator #177 Stone Golem #179 Mucho Macho #182 Tyrantosaurus #183 Demon Thunderer #186 Grim Rider #188 War Gryphon #190 Heligator You cannot ride a Great Sabrecat on this island. As the island is surrounded by mountains, they have no way to get here. You'll have to hoof it. Take a look at your map. See the swamp to the southwest? Walk into it and you will see a treasure chest in the swamp. In order to get there, you will have to go east first and up a narrow pathway up. Once you've done that, just go west to the swamp. Right next to the swamp, you should see a visible Gigantes. Fight and beat Brontes. Take him along if you want. I take him, but that's because I really like this type of monster. Open the chest in the swamp to receive a Magical Mace. You can make some new armour for Jessica if you put the Magical Mace in the Alchemy Pot along with a Magical Hat and a Bandit's Grass Skirt. The end result is a Magical Skirt. The Magical Skirt has 5 more Defence than the Magic Bikini and reduces magic damage by 2/3 compared to 15 points. If you find that to be worth the mixing time, make a Magical Skirt. I usually just sell the Magical Mace at the next shop I get to, though. Look at the map again. See that lake to the southeast of your current location? Walk to the western side of the lake, by the coast. You should see a treasure chest there at the mouth. Inside the chest is a Lesser Panacea. A third recruitable Slime is in the area. He can appear south of the lake on the other side of where the chest with the Lesser Panacea was. The other spot he can be found is northeast of the town on the island. Fight and beat Tori, and take him along if you want. Once again, look at your map. See that really small 'circle' of land east of the lake? A treasure chest is there, on the eastern side of the small hill represented by that circle. Inside the chest is a Mighty Armlet. View the map one more time. See that hill southeast of the town icon? A chest is there, on top of the hill. Make your way to the chest on the hill southeast of town. Inside is Mini Medal #087. Walk south-southeast from the chest and you should see a visible Buffalogre in the area. Fight and beat Orrid. Take him along if you want. Head north into the desert area east of town. A visible Puppet Master is there. Fight and beat Dolldrums. Take him along if you want. One more chest to find, then time to go to the town. Walk northeast to the top-right corner of the area and you should see a treasure chest. Inside is an Elfin Elixir. From here, go west and enter the town. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-L3) Empycchu | | My level: 34 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $0 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 13 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Holy Water $20 | | Magical Mace $9,000 | | Mercury's Rapier $10,500 | | Bandit Mail $13,000 | | Flame Shield $7,100 | | Mythril Helm $13,300 | /=========================================================================/ As you enter the town, you will see that the design is circular. Also take a look at the stone arches in the center of town. From the entrance, turn right and you will see two pots alongside a house. A Seed of Strength is in the pot at the corner. Enter the house that the pots were next to. Turn right, and you will see two bags hanging on the wall and two pots behind a woman. Search the first bag to find Mini Medal #088. Some Red Mould and Waterweed Mould are in the pots behind the woman. Leave the house, turn right, and enter the next house. Across from the entrance are two pots. The pot on the right has Mini Medal #089. Leave this house, turn right, and continue on. By a woman hanging out some laundry is another pot. Bust the pot for a Seed of Skill. Skip the next house (the one at the top) for now and enter the item shop. Inside the treasure chest is a Special Medicine. Speak to the item shop merchant. Sell off what you do not need (I sell my Monster Coins, Steel Broadsword, the free Holy Silver Rapier, Double-Edged Sword, Edged Boomerang, Bandit Axe, Dragontail Whip, Spiked Steel Whip, a Magma Staff, an Eros' Bow, Hades' Helm, Bone Shield, Pirate's Hat, Magical Mace, and some herbs for an extra 60,921 gold). Make sure you keep one Eros' Bow if you are using bows for Angelo. I don't know how much gold you have, but currently I have 114,136. Before going on a shopping spree, though, I only buy a Flame Shield for Jessica to equip. If you have a lot of money (80,000 or more) and are not mixing anything, you can buy another Flame Shield if you want to make a boomerang for the Hero. Putting the Swallowtail and a Flame Shield into the Alchemy Pot will make a Flametang Boomerang. The Flametang Boomerang has 10 more Attack than the Swallowtail. You can get a free Flametang Boomerang after you finish the next dungeon. If money is tight and/or you are still mixing other things, you might as well wait for the free one. Also remember that if you are planning to make the strongest boomerang in the game, do not sell the Razor Wing Boomerang. Exit the item shop. Alongside the next house are some pots. In the pot at the corner of the house is a Chimaera Wing. Enter the house. By the man sitting down is a pot with some Rock Salt. The pot next to it contains Rennet Powder. Leave this house and head towards the last house at the northern end of the village. In front of the house are three pots. Destroy the left-most pot to find Mini Medal #090. Enter the house. On the right side of the house, the woman standing around is the free inn. Talk to her if you need to rest. Behind her is a pot hiding a bottle of Fresh Milk. Check the dresser by the priest on the other side of the house to find the last item, a Fur Poncho. Speak to the old man with a big mustache sitting down (the village chief). He will tell the party what he knows about the Godbird, Empyrea. More or less, Empyrea is stuck in another world, a World of Darkness. In order to free Empyrea, you need to go to the giant arches southwest of town and follow her shadow to the World of Darkness. Save your game and before you go shadow hunting, warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 90 Mini Medals, she will give you the Metal King Helm. At 99 Medals, you will receive the Dangerous Bustier. I equip the Metal King Helm to Jessica, but if you'd rather have it on someone else, go right ahead. Warp back to Empycchu, then go southwest. After you pass the hill on your right (or when you reach the yellow area), go due west to the large stone archway. You should see it in the distance with no problem. You should see a large birdlike shadow flying around the arches. Walk under the arches, then follow the shadow. Don't let it get too far away, or it will disappear and you will have to go back to the arches and start again. Run right behind the shadow, going where it goes. At one point while going down a hill, it may look like the shadow has disappeared, but just keep going and it should show up again. After the swamp, the shadow will go to a hilltop, then if you followed it correctly, the shadow will almost fly into you, and the portal to the dark world will appear. Go through the portal. Monsters found in this region: #161 Dark Slime #170 Shadow #178 Dark Condor #180 Dark Skeleton #181 Dark Macarbour #187 Dark Sea-Diva #194 Darkodile Welcome to the dark world. There is very little color here aside from your party, bodies of water, and treasure chests. Most everything else is black and white. You cannot warp to towns in the dark world except for the one you can reach. If you need to go to a town in the light world, you will have to walk back to the portal and go through first. Turn left. See the trees on the ground? Behind them is a chest. Open the chest and take Mini Medal #091. There are two chests in the dark world way, way back at the bottom of the ravine your ship was parked in the light world. Neither of the chests contain must-have items, but if you want them, make your way east from the portal, then follow the ledge until you get to the windy hills going down to where the ship was in the light world. Before the very bottom of the ravine, keep an eye out for the right side (north on the compass) of the screen for the first chest. Inside is a Devil's Tail. At the far end of the beach is a chest with Iron Headgear inside. Equip the Iron Headgear to Yangus, then make your way out of the ravine and go towards the town. Just south of the town, along the same 'mountain' as the town is a chest with a Seed of Agility. Enter the village of Dark Empycchu. Dark Empycchu has the same item shop as the light world's Empycchu. The inn is still free, and there is a priest in the same place as well. There are 13 different items to be found here. As you enter, the citizens start to freak out, probably because of the party being in color. The chief will walk up and ask if you are from the light world. If you try to lie (badly) by saying you aren't, he will just ask you again. So tell him yes. He will babble on, then tell you to talk to him in his house. Before doing so, get the items in this version of the village. Enter the first house on your right. Turn right and sift through the hanging bags. Inside the second one is Mini Medal #092. In the pots nearby, break open the one away from the corner to find a Seed of Magic. Leave this house and enter the next one on your right. Check the pot on the left to find some Rock Salt. Exit this house and break the pot by the woman after the bridge. Inside is Mini Medal #093. Skip the elder's house and go in the item shop. Open the chest, which has a Special Antidote. To the right of the 'door' is a pot containing 180 gold. Leave and check the pots by the horse on the ground ahead. You will find some Cowpat in the pot away from the corner. Enter the house that the pots were next to. Break the pot in the corner past the man sitting down on the right. Mini Medal #094 is there. The pot on the other side of the house has Cold Cheese. Go to the elder's house now. Don't forget to break the pots in front of his house first. The pot on the far left has some Premium Mould. In the pot behind the woman on the right (the 'inn lady') is some more Fresh Milk. The pot away from the dresser in the corner has a Dragon Scale. Investigate the dresser to receive Mini Medal #095. Speak to the chief. He will talk about Empyrea, then ask if you can find out why she is attacking the village. Say Yes to both of his questions. Save the game, then leave the village and go to the arches south-southwest of Dark Empycchu to finally catch up with her. When you get near the arches, Empyrea will fly towards you. Time for yet another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /====================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), | | grabs a party member's head with her claws, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, | | casts Zap, casts Midheal, | | attempts to inflict Dazzle on the party with | | blinding light | /====================================================================/ This fight can actually be pretty tough if your levels are low. Empyrea hits hard (almost 200 damage with no extra Defence with her regular attacks, which can either bring a party member to critical or kill him/her outright if Empyrea attacks the same character consecutively. If you have a Sage's Stone, the character with it may want to use it frequently. Try to build up extra Defence with a Rune Staff or the Kabuff spell like always, but since Empyrea can become 'enveloped in a wave of ice', don't spend too much time constantly bringing your Defence up. One or two Kabuffs should be all right. Defence-lowering spells/skills do not seem to work on Empyrea at all. Try casting Oomph on your fighters (Jessica and the Hero for me) and don't bother building up Tension. Magic works on her better than attacking if you don't have Oomph cast (Frizzle did 50 to her, while Angelo's Falcon Slash did a whopping 35). If she has it, have Jessica bust out with the Kafrizzle spell. If Yangus has the chance, using Executioner is pretty much his best attack to use, damage-wise. A few successful uses of the attack will end the fight much sooner. Also bring out your Monster Team(s), especially if you have some strong attackers or that can do criticals (like Gigantes). They can whoop her if you have the right monsters. If you get blinded, use spells, multi-hitting attacks, or Executioner and the like until the blindness wears off. The two best things that Empyrea can do is cast Zap on the party or heal herself with Midheal. Zap is easily countered with a use of the Sage's Stone or the Multiheal spell without casting Magic Barrier on your party. You should only have to worry about Midheal if she casts it constantly and you are not getting attacks in each round. Empyrea has about 1,775 HP (I beat her at 1,814, doing 48 on the last hit). Beating Empyrea nets the party 10,150 experience points, 0 gold, and a dropped Seed of Magic. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After proving your strength to Empyrea, she asks for your help. Her egg has been taken by Rhapthorne and is being guarded by one of his henchmen, Gemon. Empyrea will ask if you want to be flown to where the egg is. If you say no, Trode will get angry. If you say no again, you can leave and save if you want. Walk up to the arches again and tell Empyrea that you are ready to go to the egg if you do decide to save first. Empyrea will grab the wagon and fly you to the next destination. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================================================/ | (II-L4) Godbird's Eyrie | | My level: 35 | /====================================================/ Monsters found in this cave: #161 Dark Slime #170 Shadow #178 Dark Condor #180 Dark Skeleton #184 Dark Star #185 Dark Minister #187 Dark Sea-Diva #189 Dark Turkey #191 Dark Dullahan #194 Darkodile Boss: #276 Gemon Make sure you have every item that you want to get before beating Gemon. You cannot return to this dungeon after you take the Godbird's Soulstone. Level 1-As soon as you enter, you should see a chest ahead and to the left. Turn left, then climb up the hill and go to the chest. Inside is the map. There are no more chests on Level 1, so walk back down the hill, turn left, then walk ahead. When you can go left or right, turn right and follow the path to the outside. Outside Area-Just go the way you have to. Level 2-Look at the map when you enter. There are two arrows, one just to the right of where you are, one in the lower-right area. Go to the one nearby first. Follow the passage until you can take a left, then go left. Level 3-Walk straight ahead to a treasure chest. Inside is a Ring of Truth. Return to Level 2. Level 2-Now head to the arrow at the bottom-right. Follow the path, take a left, then go around. Skip the first right turn, but take the second. Go right one more time to a small peninsula with a treasure chest on it. Inside the chest is now a Gold Nugget, instead of Dragon Dung in the Japanese version. Now *that's* good alchemy. From the chest, just go straight, then turn left, then right to the outside area. Outside Area-Kind of hard to get lost. At least I hope. Maybe you can hit Empyrea with a rock from here.. Level 3-The floorplan looks pretty big, but it is not. There is only one way to go, so head to the arrow on the right side of the map. Level 4-Look at the map when you enter. There is an arrow on the far left under 'Eyrie' and one to the right of that arrow. You want to get to the upper-left arrow first. Go straight ahead through the small tunnel, then follow the right wall. Climb up the small hill and follow the left ledge to a hill going down and outside. Outside Area-Turn right and go forward. Open the chest at the end. Inside the chest is the Demon Whip. The Demon Whip is cursed. You can uncurse it if you put the Demon Whip and Saint's Ashes into the Alchemy Pot to make the Scourge Whip. If you are using a Gringham Whip, just sell the Demon Whip at a shop. Go back the way you came to Level 4. Level 4-Climb up the small hill and follow the left ledge/wall to get outside. Outside Area-Follow the path. Not too difficult. Level 5-Look at the map when you enter. The arrow straight down from you at the lower-right is where you want to go first. Walk past the small spiral hill then follow the left wall and you will reach the lower-right arrow on the map. From here, just walk along the path to a treasure chest at the end. Inside are Saint's Ashes. Go back down, cross over the first spiral hill, then take the next spiral hill on the left and follow the path. After the arrow, you will be on the 6th floor. Level 6-Follow the spiral to the top and heal. Then go outside and talk to the monster. Once again, it's time for a.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /===========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), | | casts Bounce, grabs a party member's head with its claws, | | belches Blazing Fire at the party, | | summons Dark Condor and Dark Turkey | /===========================================================================/ Gemon isn't too tough. He hits hard, but you can max out your Defence and keep it up, since he does not become 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. I have read people say that he can, but he has never done it before in all my playthroughs. If he does use it, then just re-cast spells. Cast Insulatle to lessen the damage from his breath, and you can lower his Defence with the appropriate spells/skills. If he makes a desperate attack, Jessica or Angelo may die, but the Hero and Yangus should survive if they were near full HP. A Dark Turkey and Dark Condor accompany him but they are nothing to worry about. Just kill the Dark Condor before bringing out your Monster Team(s), because they can cast the Blasto spell, which sends Monster Teams away. Gemon can summon more Dark Turkeys and Dark Condors, but they should not pose a problem. If you want, you can cheese him with Jessica or the Hero by building 100 Tension, casting Oomph, then using Twin Dragon Lash with Jessica or Multithrust with the Hero. If you lower his Defence first, you will likely kill him with one such charged-up attack. Gemon has about 3,975 HP (I beat him at 3,992). Beating Gemon nets the party 8,600 experience points, 0 gold, and a dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Gemon won't believe he's been defeated. In a final act of desperation, he blows up, destroying the egg along with himself! Empyrea flies up and sees the shattered remains. Jessica apologizes, but it does not matter! Empyrea kills the party! Well, not really. Empyrea starts to weep for her child, then a voice says "mother! wait!". The soul of her child remains. He can still help and wants to go with the party. Empyrea asks if her child can help you. Say Yes, then walk up to the gold orb over the egg and press X or L3. Now you have the Godbird's Soulstone. Empyrea will fly you back to the light world, by the portal. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==============================/ | (II-L5) Item Cleanup, Part 3 | | My level: 36 | /==============================/ With the Godbird's Soulstone, you can fly around the world. You will not get fought while in the sky. Alchemy Pot mixes will not advance while in the air. The song that plays should sound familiar to anyone that has played through Dragon Quest 3. After using the Godbird's Soulstone, you control flight with the d-pad and/or left analog stick. Press and hold the X button to fly faster. Land with the triangle button. You can only land if the bird icon has a white outline around it. There are a few places you can get to only while flying. They are rather easy to find though, as there will be a thick cloud cover at most of those areas. First off, use the Godbird's Soulstone and fly southeast to the light world's version of the Godbird's Eyrie. There will be a thick cloud cover east of the Godbird's Eyrie. Land when you are over it. There is an important treasure chest in the area. You may bump into Metabble here during the day. At night, you can sometimes find the third Dracky here, Sugi, at the far western part of this small area. Walk all the way east, then south to a treasure chest. Inside is a Skull Helm. The Skull Helm on it's own is nothing spectacular. However, if you put it and Saint's Ashes into the Alchemy Pot, you will make the Sun Crown. I don't equip the Sun Crown, though. I put it right back into the Alchemy Pot along with a Magic Beast Hide and a Tough Guy Tattoo to make the very helpful Timbrel of Tension, one of the best (and unbalanced) items in the game. What the Timbrel of Tension does is increases all party member's Tension to the next level with each of its infinite uses. This item makes later parts of the game a lot easier. If you want a harder game, don't create this item. I make it, though. You should have some Magic Beast Hide; many monsters drop it. If you don't have a Tough Guy Tattoo, you can buy them from the woman in a green dress at the Argonia bazaar. Buy two Tough Guy Tattoos while you are here. For now, put the Skull Helm and one Saint's Ashes into the Alchemy Pot, then use the Godbird's Soulstone again. Land right next to the cave, then enter the light world's version of the Godbird's Eyrie. Monsters found in this cave: #004 Dracky #084 Liquid Metal Slime #173 Elysium Bird #174 Dragurn #175 Smacker #176 Zombie Gladiator #177 Stone Golem #179 Mucho Macho #182 Tyrantosaurus #183 Demon Thunderer #186 Grim Rider #192 Killer Croaker #193 High Roller #196 Bloody Hand The layout of the cave is the exact same as it was in the dark world. Because of this, the directions are just copied from the earlier section, with the contents of chests changed to what items are in them here. If you got the map in the dark world version of the cave, it works in here as well. Level 1-As soon as you enter, you should see a chest ahead and to the left. Turn left, then climb up the hill and go to the chest. Inside is Mini Medal #096. There are no more chests on Level 1, so walk back down the hill, turn left, then walk ahead. When you can go left or right, turn right and follow the path to the outside. Outside Area-Just go the way you have to. Level 2-Look at the map when you enter. There are two arrows; one just to the right of where you are, one in the lower-right area. Go to the one nearby first. Follow the passage until you can take a left, then go left and to the arrow on the map. Level 3-Walk straight ahead to a treasure chest. Inside is Mini Medal #097. Return to Level 2. Level 2-Now head to the arrow at the bottom-right. Follow the path, then take a left and go around. Skip the first right turn, but take the second. Go right one more time to a small peninsula with a treasure chest on it. Inside the chest is a Gold Nugget. You can make another Sage's Stone pretty soon if you really want to, but I normally don't. It really is not necessary. I usually don't even make anything from this Gold Nugget (nor the added one), or I make a Golden Tiara to sell for 26,000 gold later if I really need the money. From the chest, just go straight, then turn left, then right to the outside area. Outside Area-Follow the path to Level 3. Level 3-The floorplan looks pretty big, but it is not. There is only one way to go, so head to the arrow on the right side of the map. Level 4-Look at the map when you enter. There is an arrow on the far left under the 'Eyrie', and one to the right of that arrow. You want to get to the upper-left arrow first. Go straight ahead through the small tunnel, then follow the right wall. Climb up the small hill and follow the left ledge to a hill going down and outside. Outside Area-Turn right and go forward. Open the chest at the end. Inside the chest is some Dragon Dung, because you can never have enough. Go back the way you came to Level 4. Level 4-Climb up the small hill and follow the left ledge/wall to get outside. Outside Area-Follow the path. Not too difficult. Level 5-Look at the map when you enter. The arrow straight down from you at the lower-right is where you want to go. Walk past the small spiral hill then follow the left wall and you will reach the lower-right arrow on the map. From here, just walk along the path to a treasure chest at the end. Inside is a piece of Orichalcum. I usually save this to make the Metal King Shield later on, but if you want to mix something different, go right ahead after your current mix (or after the Timbrel of Tension) finishes. That is all of the items here, so go ahead and cast Evac, then use the Godbird's Soulstone again. This time, you want to fly northwest to the southern area of the desert where the Dragon Graveyard is. You should see the cloud cover pointing out where to land. When you do land, spin the screen around to reveal a treasure chest behind you. Inside the chest is Mini Medal #098. Don't leave just yet, there is another treasure chest here and sometimes a third recruitable Killing Machine at night. If you see it here, fight and beat Nohi. This is the strongest of the three Killing Machines, so take it along. If you don't see it here, there is another spot to find it. If it is nighttime, it may show up at the topmost hill here (by the Ogre Shield chest). Walk east from the chest and up the hill. Go south, then up another hill. You should see the other chest if you start walking east. In this chest is an Ogre Shield. Equip it to Yangus, as it is a little stronger than the Power Shield that he has (in my game anyway), and offers some protection against fire and breath attacks. Sell the Power Shield at a shop. Warp to the Desert Chapel if you need to rest or save, then use the Godbird's Soulstone again (or use it after getting the Ogre Shield if you do not need to rest/save). Where you want to go now is east of the Mystical Spring. From the Desert Chapel, just fly north and slightly east until you see two thick cloud covers. Land over the first one. All that is here is a treasure chest with that free Flametang Boomerang mentioned earlier. Climb up to the top of the hills, then look for the chest in the northwest section. If you already have a Flametang Boomerang or are not using boomerangs, just sell it at a shop. Use the Godbird's Soulstone again. If you want, go back to the old man's house by the Mystical Spring and speak to the friendly Mud Mannequin. He counts down from 10 to 1 each time you talk to him. What happens at 0? Go see. Now fly north to the Dark Ruins. On the southwestern portion of the island is a cloud cover to land over. When you land, go forward (south) to the visible Boss Troll. Fight and beat Pa Troll. Take him along if you want. Walk back down to where you landed, near the graveyard. Eventually, you should see a visible Dracky fluttering about. Fight and beat Sugi. Take him along if you want. If he is not appearing, then you may have to beat Pa Troll first. There is also another spot to find Sugi, so he may just be there instead. Walk around the high hill that Pa Troll was on by going northwest from the graveyard. At the back of the hill, you should see a visible Stone Golem. Fight and beat Stoneman. Take him along if you want. He is pretty strong; I usually recruit him. Before leaving, open the chest just south of him. Inside is the Ruinous Shield. The Ruinous Shield is cursed, but you can put it into the Alchemy Pot along with Saint's Ashes and Orichalcum to make the Metal King Shield. I usually make the Metal King Shield after the Timbrel of Tension or Divine Bustier. Warp to Orkutsk and enter town. Go back to Marek's apartment and see if he's home. To reach his house quickly, take the stairs down in front of you, then walk around the hallway to his apartment on the right side. If he's there, talk to him. If you lie and tell him you killed the black dog, he will give the party four pieces of Nook Grass. If he is not here for some reason, he would be at his mother's house still. When you have time, now you can make the last item that Dodgy Dave wants. Later on, put the Sage's Robe, Magic Water, and one Nook Grass into the Alchemy Pot to make a Crimson Robe. Bring this to Dodgy Dave in Pickham to receive the Big Boss Shield. Leave town and use the Godbird's Soulstone. Southeast of Orkutsk (and just north of Rydon's Tower) is another thick cloud cover area to land. This area is called Howlwind Hill. On this plateau, you will encounter only Slime-family monsters (and now Dark Sabrecats for some reason later). Any and all members of the family can be fought here. This includes Metal Slimes, Liquid Metal Slimes, and Metal King Slimes. This area is a pretty good spot for fighting around if you feel that you need to. For now, I just make my way to the treasure chest in the area. Turn around and go through the tunnel to a lower level of the area. Turn left, go across the bridge, then through another tunnel to a lower level. Turn right as you leave the tunnel, but watch for another tunnel to the west. After this tunnel, turn right and go through a cave on the far northern side, then through one more tunnel to a chest. Inside the chest is the Conquerer's Axe. This is the strongest axe in the game. You can make the strongest hammer in the game if you put a Uber War Hammer, the Conquerer's Axe, and an Orichalcum into the Alchemy Pot. The result will be the Megaton Hammer. As I do not equip hammers for Yangus, he equips the Conquerer's Axe. Sell the Moon Axe at a shop. Use the Godbird's Soulstone once more. Fly east of Farebury and you will see a high plateau to land on near the big red tree from early in the game. As soon as you land, break the pot on the left for an Yggdrasil Leaf. Break the pot on the right for Mini Medal #099. Do not leave just yet. Go east and cross the bridge. After crossing, look below and to the left. You should see some water and a pier. To the right of that should be a visible Elysium Bird and a visible Hell Hornet. Walk up to the Elysium Bird (neither monster attack nor are recruitable). From the bird, your view should look like this: || | P| || || | i| || || | e| || || | r| || || |__| || || water || ||--------|| | sand X | --------|- grass | | B i r d Yes, I am a horrible artist. From the bird, walk directly south until you reach the brown dirt/sand in front of and to the right (west on the compass) of the pier. Mash the X button in the general area of the 'X' to find a very well hidden Mini Medal #100. It *is* there. I have found it in that area 3 of 3 times, but the most recent time the medal was a little more to the right (by the corner of the water) than the first two times. The Sun Crown may be almost done mixing, so check your inventory and see if you have a Tough Guy Tattoo. If you do not, warp to Argonia and buy one at the bazaar shop by the regular weapon/armour shop. When the Sun Crown does finish, put it back into the Alchemy Pot along with a Tough Guy Tattoo and a Magic Beast Hide. The Timbrel of Tension takes a long time to mix, probably the longest out of any mix in the game. Once you have found the three items here, warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 99 Mini Medals, she will give you the Dangerous Bustier. At 110 Medals, you will receive the Flail of Destruction. As armour, the Dangerous Bustier is worthless. Its Defence bonus is a whole +1. If you equip it, this is more or less an S&M outfit. You can (and should) make some better armour with this. After the Timbrel of Tension finishes mixing, put the Dangerous Bustier into the Alchemy Pot along with that Shimmering Dress you hopefully made earlier. Doing so will create Jessica's final appearance-changing outfit, the Divine Bustier. If you must have a complete set of her appearance-changing outfits, don't worry, you can find another Dangerous Bustier. I equip the Dangerous Bustier until the Timbrel of Tension finishes mixing and keep her in the lead for some fun fights. The Divine Bustier is the third-strongest armour in the game, if you go by Defence bonus. It has no magic/breath protection (but Jessica evades attacks more often) though, so you will want to equip Jessica with some good supplemental equipment if you do equip the Divine Bustier (which I do). The Divine Bustier looks pretty similar to a Sailor Moon outfit when it is equipped. Leave Princess Minnie's Castle, warp to Ascantha, then use the Godbird's Soulstone one more time. As soon as you take off, you should see a thick cloud cover to the south and slightly east, over an island in the middle of the lake to land on. Southeast of where you land, you should see a visible Berserker. Fight and beat Bush-W. If you did not find Nohi (the third Killing Machine), it can show up on this island at night. Just west of Bush-W. is a treasure chest containing some Yggdrasil Dew. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================/ | (II-M) From Black Paws to Cruel Hands | /------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Visit Tryan Gully and get the | | Darktree Leaf. | | 2-Follow Evil Sir Leopold to the Lord | | High Priest's house and fight him. | | 3-Escape from Purgatory Island. | | 4-Fight the new wielder of the sceptre | | at Neos. | | 5-Get the Flail of Fury from Red and | | rescue the family in the Trolls' Maze. | /==========================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warp to Neos then use the Godbird's Soulstone again. Due east of you is an island, closed off from the rest of that continent. Fly east and past a small village, landing at the forest east of the village. Monsters found in this region: #171 Metal King Slime #192 Killer Croaker #193 High Roller #195 Cyclops #196 Bloody Hand #197 Snapdragon #198 Buffalogre #199 Mohawker Before you can do much (if you landed in the right spot), you will be attacked by a visible Cyclops. Fight and beat Arges. Take him along if you want. Northwest of where you hopefully landed is a treasure chest. Inside is Mini Medal #101. If you did not land right by Arges, the chest with the medal is northeast of the town, right across the mountain. To get there you have to traverse all the way around from the town or fly behind the town. If you want, you can fly right in front of the town and enter, but if you have a lot of things to mix, you may want to walk there instead. To reach the town from the chest, just go around. In the middle of the bridge south-southwest of town should be a visible Archdemon. Fight and beat Archfiend. Take him along if you want. He's not too bad to have in a Monster Team. While still on the bridge, look to the right and up. You should see a chest on a high ledge. To reach it, cross the bridge to the side near the town and follow the wall on your right. After a little bit, you can climb up on top of the wall. Go back to the chest and open it. Inside this chest (the last chest on the overworld map) is some Super Spicy Cheese. From here, make your way eastward to the town and enter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | (II-M1) Tryan Gully | | My level: 37 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $5 per person / Church: yes / Gold Bank / Items to find: 9 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Weapon Shop | | | | Dragonsbane $11,000 | | King Axe $17,000 | | Blizzard Blade $21,000 | | Great Bow $28,000 | | Heavy Hatchet $29,000 | | Staff of Resurrection $45,000 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Armour Shop | | | | Gigant Armour $18,000 | | Mirror Armour $21,000 | | Mirror Shield $15,000 | | Power Shield $18,000 | | Thinking Cap $13,000 | | Great Helm $16,000 | /-------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop | | | | Flowing Dress $14,800 | | Antidotal Herb $10 | | Holy Water $20 | | Amor Seco Essence $120 | | Magic Water $300 | | Rockbomb Shard $450 | /=========================================================================/ Walk up to the Berserker and it will stop hopping. He will see that you are human, then welcome you to Tryan Gully (Triangle Valley). Why Berserkers and Headhunters no longer have black faces, who knows. Trode will run in and see that the town comprises of monsters. He gets angry at the friendly monster, but the Berserker corrects him. Humans, monsters, and even an elf live here. Why would he run at the sight of humans? Trode realizes that he can go through town without any trouble. He ecstatically leads the party while you are in town. Run across the bridge, then turn right. Pass the church and cross another bridge that leads to a temple. Speak to Raya, the elf. Raya talks about David, then asks if you met him. Reply with Yes. She will then blab about Rhapthorne and ask if you will try to prevent him from coming back. She will thank you and have Drang the Dracky tell the guards to let you into the treasury. Gigantes guys are really tall..leave the shrine, cross the bridge, then enter the purple curtain on your right. If you talk to the Lips, it asks if you want a kiss. To the right of..her? are four barrels. The second barrel from the right has Mini Medal #102. The far left barrel has an Elfin Elixir. The barrel behind the bartender no longer has some Chunky Cheese, but another Slime Crown inside. Enjoy this added, easily obtainable Slime Crown. If you talk to the bartender, you can buy a 'Dry Gigantini' for 9 gold. Trode will be surprised at the amazing flavor. The bartender will tell Trode of the village's origin. The sage Kupas found Raya and the Gigantes injured and helped them recover. Due to his kind act, Kupas, Raya, and the Gigantes became friends and formed the town after Kupas's death. Turn right and go downstairs. Talk to the She-Slime if you need to use the Gold Bank's facilities. Down the next staircase, talk to the woman if you need to rest at the inn. A Lump Mage runs the item shop, an Orc runs the weapon shop, and a Winky runs the armour shop. You can buy Magic Water at the item shop for 300 gold if you want. At the weapon shop, you can buy some powerful (alternate) equipment. If you are using swords for the Hero, then you may already have, or are about to make the Liquid Metal Sword. You probably do not need to buy a Dragonsbane or Blizzard Blade if that is the case. If Angelo is using bows, buy a Great Bow. You can make the strongest bow in the game if you put the Great Bow, an Eros' Bow, and Cheiron's Bow into the Alchemy Pot to make Odin's Bow. As I don't use bows really, I pass on buying the Great Bow. If Yangus is using scythes, the Heavy Hatchet is the strongest one in the game. The Staff of Resurrection is an all right staff, but was probably mixed in the game much earlier if you are using staves with Jessica or Angelo. You can revive party members for free with this staff, but the price is probably too high to make the cost worth it. At the armour shop, you can buy Gigant Armour for Yangus if you never got around to mixing it. You can mix Mirror Armour and Mirror Shields to make upgraded armour and shields. What I usually buy is one Mirror Shield, then put it into the Alchemy Pot along with some Holy Water and a White Shield to make the Saintess Shield for Jessica. Buy a Great Helm for Yangus while you are here. Keep the Iron Headgear he has equipped to make an item later for Angelo. You should have enough money without selling anything. If not, sell off your Monster Coins and old equipment you won't be using for upgrades. Exit the shopping area via the curtain by the armour shop. Follow the walkway down to the treasury. Speak to the Orc and he will let you pass. To the left of the torch are two barrels and four pots. The barrel in the back has some Premium Mould. Inside the pots you will find Mini Medal #103 and some Yggdrasil Dew. Break the barrel by the two chests to find a Seed of Defence. The front chest holds a Staff of Antimagic. Sell this if you need some cash. The chest behind the Rockbomb has the Darktree Leaf. Leave the treasury and exit the shopping area from the purple curtain up top. Turn left and enter the church. If the Timbrel of Tension has not finished mixing, run around in circles or against a wall until it does. I give the Timbrel of Tension to Angelo. Save the game from the village "priest", the Imp (changed from Baby Satan in the English version, like I thought). Start your next mix (for me, the Divine Bustier is next), then use the Darktree Leaf outside of the church. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==================================================/ | (II-M2) Showdown at the Lord High Priest's House | | My level: 37 | /==================================================/ Somewhere on the world map, you should see a purple leaf. Warp to a town close to that spot (for me it is just west of Argonia), then use the Godbird's Soulstone and take a look at the map again. Fly to wherever the purple leaf icon is, and you should see Leopold flying around. Follow him, and he will eventually fly to the Lord High Priest's house, northeast of Savella Cathedral. Land after you see him fly there. Leopold should appear instantly and crash through the window into the Lord High Priest's house. Follow him into the house (use the door, though). Rolo will run in and tell you the obvious, with an added bonus of Rolo trying to use you for brownie points with the Lord High Priest. Before going upstairs, go forward, then take a right before the front door and enter the room. Go around the left side of the curtain to a pair of dressers. Inside the dresser away from the corner is a Sage's Robe. You can sell this as-is, or make another Crimson Robe later to equip/sell. Behind the door you opened are two pots. The pot in the corner has Mini Medal #104. Open the door by the pots and break the barrel on the left to find a Seed of Life. Now exit these rooms and go up either staircase by the back door. Go through the door at the top and you will see Leopold right in front of you. Go around him to a door on the left. Search the dresser in the small room to find Mini Medal #105. Heal up, talk to the Lord High Priest if you want, then talk to Leopold. From Leopold, a voice notices that you have joined up with Empyrea's power. Not all dogs go to heaven..time for another ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=====================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round | | and make a desperate attack), | | exhales a Cold Breath at the party, | | lets out an intimidating scream | /=====================================================/ Finally, you get to fight Leopold. His attacks are relatively powerful. Stay above 100HP. Evil Sir Leopold can make a desperate attack, but it does not happen very often. If he does, expect to receive over 200+ damage. Build up extra Defence and you should be fine. He doesn't become 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. Have Jessica cast Insulatle to reduce the damage done by Evil Sir Leopold's Cold Breath attack. Cast Oomph on fighters. If you finished mixing the Timbrel of Tension, you can get up to 100 Tension in two rounds if you are lucky. Doing so can make this fight end very quickly. Watch out for Evil Sir Leopold's scream though, because if a character gets knocked back by it, any build up Tension will be lost. You should be able to lower Evil Sir Leopold's Defence without much trouble. Keep your Defence and breath defense up, and you should get through this fight without much trouble. Evil Sir Leopold has about 4,275 HP (I beat him at 4,314). Beating Evil Sir Leopold nets the party 10,200 experience points and 0 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Beat Evil Sir Leopold, and his grip on the sceptre is finally released. The Lord High Priest falls down randomly, then Leopold reverts to his normal form and dies. Rolo rushes to the Lord High Priest. Marcello does nothing, then laughs and blames Rolo and the party with attacking the Lord High Priest. Go, go Marcello! Everyone gets arrested. Marcello notices the sceptre (but for some reason doesn't recognize it as what killed Abbot Francisco) and picks it up. A loud noise pierces his mind.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================================/ | (II-M3) The Lord of Darkness Returns | | My level: 37 | /======================================/ Down to the bottom of Purgatory Island you go. Rolo mopes about Marcello and the Lord High Priest. Marcello starts to have illusions of grandeur, then the sceptre starts pulsating. He tries to let go, but thorns grow around his arm to keep hold. The voice in his head drives Marcello to stab his own arm. He starts to throw the sceptre, then keeps it. Go, go Marcello again! After you can move about, talk to everyone in the prison (including getting the guards to yell at you). A cutscene with Rolo should start, with him moping about. The next morning, get up and talk to the purple priest lying down. After the guards change shifts, talk to Rolo on the yellow mat. Speak to the purple priest again and your party members. Rolo should get angry at the guards (you may need to talk to more people if the event is not happening). The next morning, the guards should talk to each other. They discuss the Lord High Priest dying a month ago. Talk to Rolo and he will tell you that you need to somehow escape. Marcello needs to be stopped. He will devise a plan to get out. It's time for the trusty old 'sick prisoner' act. Rolo falls down, begging for help. Yangus dances. Jessica insists that the old man is dying. The guards don't care until Rolo mentions a gold rosary. At the mention of this, the guards eventually get the prison door open. Waiting on the sides are the Hero and Yangus. After the guards get up to Rolo and ask about the gold rosary, the trap is sprung. The party takes the guards out, and escapes. Everyone climbs into the transport cage, but nothing happens. Jessica points out that the lever outside was being pulled. Since the guards obviously would not pull it, Yangus volunteers to stay while the others get out. Rolo refuses and says he will stay. The guards get up, and advance toward Rolo. He just turns around and looks up at the giant gold rosary on the wall. As the party reaches the top, one of the two chains for the device breaks. Yangus and the Hero get out, then ever the gentleman Angelo helps Jessica out. The other chain breaks, and the transport device falls to the bottom. Hopefully Rolo was not still there. Trode runs out of the ship to meet the party. Back on the ship, save the game somewhere if you need to, then warp to Neos. It's time to teach Marcello some manners. Behind the inn is a new item shop, but it doesn't sell anything new. Make your way to the large building at the end of town. Inside, Marcello making a riveting speech. He says the Lord High Priest died a natural death, and that Marcello does not intend to become the next Lord High Priest. He begins an anti-nobility argument. The place is packed with supporters..well almost. Two people try to leave, but they aren't going anywhere. Marcello is pretty dramatic, slamming his fist down on the table and attacking innocent candles with the sceptre. Out of the corner of his eye, Marcello sees the Hero and sneers. The guards advance and cut off the escape route. The Godbird's Soulstone says to use his power. The party gets dropped off by Marcello, and it is time for another.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), | | casts Kafrizzle, prays to open a portal to the heavens, | | uses Wind Sickles, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, casts Midheal | /=========================================================================/ It has been a long time since the last boss fight, hopefully you have gained enough levels since the last one to survive. Marcello uses more magical/non-physical attacks, so cast Magic Barrier to keep Kafrizzle's damage capacity lower. Use a Rune Staff or cast the Kabuff spell to reduce the damage done to you if he does attack. Marcello can become 'enveloped in a wave of ice', so you will probably want to increase your Defence and re-cast Magic Barrier if he uses it. His 'prays to open a portal to the heavens' does the most damage, up to 100 or more to each party member. If you're quick/lucky, this fight can end very fast if you build Tension or use the Timbrel of Tension and cast Oomph on your fighters before Marcello becomes 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. You should be able to lower his Defence without much trouble. Stay above 150-200HP and you should be set. Marcello has about 3,150 HP (I beat him at 3,218), unless I added/subtracted wrong due to healing (he had around 3,000 in the Japanese version). Beating Marcello nets the party 11,020 experience points and 0 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After the battle, the sceptre will glow and Marcello becomes possessed. The evil voice now has a way to speak. It even knows your name! Rhapthorne finally is released from the seal by the death of the seven sages' descendants. The possessed Marcello flies up and throws the sceptre through the goddess statue's throat, causing it to break and half the island floats up into the sky, almost reminiscent of Final Fantasy 6. All over the world, the dark red sky is seen and Rhapthorne's presence can be felt. Farebury citizens run, Kalderasha senses trouble. The old man at the spring sees the sky and the friendly slime and dracky cower. Raya looks worried as the Gigantes looks on. The Black Citadel emerges. Back at Neos, Marcello is holding on to a ledge, about to fall. Angelo catches him just in time. Ashamed of being under control, Marcello knocks his hand away to fall to his death. Angelo catches his other hand and tells him that he won't let him die. Marcello gets pulled up, with a disgusted look on his face. Angelo tells him that 10 years ago, Marcello was the first person he met at the abbey and for just a brief moment, was kind to Angelo. Marcello begins to walk away, then throws Angelo his Templar Captain's Ring. Marcello says the ring means nothing to him now. He leaves and walks off, never to be seen again. Before barging headfirst into the floating city, there are a couple of things you can do on the side. Fly to and land at the man's house on top of the Waterfall Cave. He'll be surprised at your revisit, but will give the party three Highly-Strung Cheese (thanks to Charles Martin for the pointer). Highly-Strung Cheese works just like the Timbrel of Tension, but remember that only the Hero can use cheeses in battle. Warp to the Swordsman's Labyrinth and ride a Great Sabrecat to Red's house. Enter her house and talk to Red. She will stand up and give Yangus a weapon to help the fight against the Lord of Darkness, the Flail of Fury. Yangus must be alive when you talk to her. This weapon is not classified as any of Yangus's weapon types for using skills. It is the only group-hitting weapon in the game that he gets. I equip it, but keep the Conquerer's Axe in his inventory to use the axe skills when needed. Warp to Baccarat. Make your way to the item shop and you should see some commotion. A King Squid is in town, causing trouble to some poor Dragon Quest 3-looking characters. The item shop merchant is too afraid to sell anything. Get next to the martial artist (guy in green with a ponytail) and press X or L3. The game will ask if you want to engage the King Squid. Reply with Yes if you want to. This King Squid is stronger than regular ones, but should not be hard to beat. The martial artist will thank you, then he, the soldier, and the fortune teller-looking woman decide that you must be shut up. The woman then offers you 200 casino tokens. If you say yes, you will get 200 casino tokens. Say no, and she will up the reward to 400 tokens. Take the 400 (not like either amount really helps). The item shop in town will open once again. Warp to Marta's Cottage, then go into the cave behind her house and Marek should be at her grave. Marek will give you another 4 bunches of Nook Grass for your troubles. Warp to Argonia. You may notice that the castle song plays here again. The bazaar is gone! Well, not really. Take a look at the map. In the building next to the left entrance to the castle is where the bazaar has moved. Enter, then turn right. Break the first barrel in the corner to find Mini Medal #106. Cross over to the other side of the building and smash the barrel between the little girl's Yggdrasil Leaf shop and the item shop to find a Seed of Magic. Leave and rest at the inn until nightfall. After the Medea harassment, save your game at the church, then walk around the inn until your current Alchemy Pot mix finishes (for me, it is the Divine Bustier, which I equip). Start your next mix (mine is the Metal King Shield), then enter the large house on the hill by climbing the stairs next to the inn. When you enter, the music stops playing. Go straight ahead through the kitchen and open the door in front of you. Turn right and head up the stairs. The mirror by the dresser should have a blue glow. Walk up to the mirror and press the X or L3 button. You will be warped to.. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /======================/ | (II-M4) Trolls' Maze | | My level: 37 | /======================/ Monsters found in this dungeon: #131 King Cureslime #164 Troll #195 Cyclops #197 Snapdragon #204 Boss Troll #232 Great Troll The Trolls' Maze is only one floor, but it is a small maze. All of the monsters fought here are big. Retreat if you become overwhelmed (4 Cyclops guys can be pretty ugly if they get a lot of criticals off). The Great Troll's rare drop is a Seed of Skill, but the monster is pretty rare here. You can put the Sage's Stone, Timbrel of Tension, and Flail of Fury to good use here. Go forward, then turn left. Skip the right turn and follow the walkway the entire way to a treasure chest at the end. Inside the chest is a Hell Sabre. Despite the name, it is not cursed. The Hell Sabre has 21 more Attack than Mercury's Rapier, but you will lose the +20 Agility bonus from Mercury's Rapier if you equip it. Equip whichever you find more useful, then walk back to that turn you skipped near the entrance of the dungeon. Take the now left turn, and travel along the path. Take the first left turn you see and skip the next turn. Open the chest at the end of the path to receive Mini Medal #107. Turn around, then take the first right. You should see some Boss Trolls in a giant kitchen. Get close to the one stirring a cauldron, and you will hear pleas for help from the Argonian chancellor. He, his wife, and even the maid are in a cage. The Boss Troll at the cauldron is too busy cooking to pay attention to you, so talk to the other one that is sharpening a big butcher knife. This one asks if you are here to stop them from eating the chancellor. If you reply with Yes, the Boss Troll gets angry but sees that you are look tough. The Boss Troll will restore your HP and MP. Talk to the same Boss Troll one more time and answer Yes. Now they will attack you. Although not really a boss, these Boss Trolls do have higher stats than normal ones. Beat them and one of the Boss Trolls gives you a thumbs-up, then dies. The captives are released, and as a thank-you gift the chancellor gives you two Seeds of Strength and three Seeds of Life. Cast Evac to return to the chancellor's house. You can re-enter the mirror (only at night) to return to the Trolls' Maze if you feel like it. Leave the house, stay at the inn, let your current mix finish, then begin your next mix (for me, the Metal King Shield finishes, which I equip onto the Hero), which in my case is the Saintess Shield. Save the game, then leave the church and use the Godbird's Soulstone. Fly east to the purple leaf's location on the map, the island floating in the sky. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================================================/ | (II-N) Encounter with the Lord of Darkness | /----------------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Enter the Black Citadel, fight Rhapthorne, and escape. | | 2-Receive the Echo Flute from Empyrea. | | 3-Find the seven orbs, then get the Godbird Sceptre. | | 4-Defeat the Lord of Darkness, Rhapthorne. | /==========================================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-N1) Black Citadel | | My level: 37 | /=======================/ Monsters found in this dungeon: #131 King Cureslime #147 Dancing Flame #171 Metal King Slime #200 Archdemon #201 Bobonga #202 Caped Caperer #203 Claws #204 Boss Troll #205 Mimic King #206 Fowlfighter #207 Dullahan #208 Gigantes #209 Frou-Frou #210 Stone Guardian #211 Wight Priest #212 Hell Gladiator Boss: #279 Servant of Darkness Boss: #280 Statue of (Hero) Boss: #281 Statue of Yangus Boss: #282 Statue of Jessica Boss: #283 Statue of Angelo Boss: #284 Megalodon Boss: #285 Ruin Boss: #286 Rhapthorne For all intents and purposes, this is the final dungeon/last place in the regular game. If you've played a recent Dragon Quest game, you know what I mean. If you haven't, just read and don't skip ahead. This dungeon is kind of complex from the map, so I'll do my best to explain going through. If you want to leave, you have to cast the Zoom spell or use a Chimaera Wing while at the outside area. You might have to cast Evac first. Outside Area-Walk straight ahead. Oh boy, more levers to make staircases usable! At the lowered staircase, turn left and go forward. When you reach a doorway on the left and on the right, enter the one on the left. Go straight through this room to a balcony and a chest with the map. Return to the first doorway you went through (left side of the lowered staircase), turn right, then go past the lowered staircase to a pair of doors to the right of it on the ground floor. Pass both doors and climb up the stairs after them. When you see some stairs going up to a doorway on the left side, skip it for the time being. At the end of the walkway is a tower with a staircase going up on the back side. And up. And up some more. Almost reminiscent of a part in Metal Gear Solid. At the very top is a treasure chest containing Orichalcum. I use this to make a Meteorite Bracer for Angelo later. Go back down the tower, turn right, go forward, then up the stairs you will see ahead of you and through the door. As you enter the room, you'll see a whole lot of barrels. Mapping them out into ascii would take a long time, and isn't really necessary. Break all of the barrels and you should find all of these items before leaving this room: 500 gold Prayer Ring Seed of Defence 1,200 gold Saint's Ashes Yggdrasil Leaf Hard Cheese Orichalcum Icicle Dirk (originally Dragon Dung; why do they hate it so?) Seed of Life Cured Cheese Rock Salt Outside Area-Climb up the stairs after breaking the barrels, then take a left down some stairs at the wolf statue. Ahead of you is another lowered staircase. Take the stairs to the left and use the lever to raise the first lowered staircase. Turn around, then go through the passage between the staircases going up. At the fountain, turn left and go up the stairs into a room. Inside, turn right, then take the first left and go through the doorway ahead. Keep going until you see a door on your left. Enter the small room and check the dresser to find a Dark Robe to mix into a Phantom Mask later. Exit the room, turn left, and keep going ahead. Cross the bridge near the end and enter another room. Smash the pots after the doorway to find some Premium Mould. Walk down the stairs and turn right. Ignore the cupboard and go down the stairs at the small graveyard. Open the chest on the right side and equip the Silver Shield found inside to Angelo. Go back upstairs, turn left, then walk straight through to a room/staircase. Level 1-Turn left and follow the right wall to another room/staircase at the left end. Outside Area-Turn right and go up the small staircase. Push/pull the statue ahead of you to reveal a doorway. Skip the stairs; go through the doorway left of them instead. Turn left and open the chest. Inside is a Sage's Stone. This is my second one. Angelo with a Sage's Stone works out really well for boss fights while using the Timbrel of Tension; he can use the Sage's Stone to heal, and if the party needs an emergency big heal, the Multiheal spell is stronger with Tension (heals about 200HP with 5 Tension, with 20 Tension it should heal the party nearly, if not completely). The Sage's Stone should be the last item you pick up here. If you are missing some items, go back and find them. Once you beat this dungeon, you cannot revisit. According to Adam G. (HugDaddy), if you miss an item here, you can get them all at Neos afterward. But you shouldn't miss any of the items anyway. Across from the chest the Sage's Stone was in is a doorway. Walk straight ahead in the next room, then turn right and climb up two staircases. Turn right and you should see the lever that will raise the second lowered staircase. Use the lever. Now that you can easily get back to this point, I usually warp to Argonia, rest at the inn, let the current mix finish, then save. For me, it is the Saintess Shield, which I have Jessica equip. I just sell her Flame Shield afterward. The mix on my list after this is two Agility Rings and one Orichalcum to make a Meteorite Bracer for Angelo. If you have something else in mind (such as the Liquid Metal Sword), mix whatever matches how you are playing. After saving and starting the next mix, fly back to the Black Citadel. Outside Area-Walk straight ahead and climb up the now raised staircase. Turn left or right and go up the next staircase. Take the stairs on the left side, turn right, then follow the path to a door to go through at the end. Level 5-Go down either staircase. Level 4-Walk ahead then turn left/right and take the stairs going down. Level 3-Turn right and skip the first downward stairs. Follow the path and take the second staircase going down. Level 2-Turn around and follow the path to another staircase going down. Level 1-Turn left or right, then take another staircase going down at the other end of the floor. Circular City-You can go left or right. Whichever way you take, keep going. After one time around, the entrance will be replaced with statues of each party member. The Hero's head is missing, though. Across from the statues is a monolith with a pink jewel. Press X or L3 while standing next to the jewel to restore the party's HP and MP. Continue on in the direction you were heading before. Pretty soon, the city will have a run-down appearance. The doors and windows are boarded up, and parts of the road have been replaced by swamps. Keep going. The next time you reach the area where the entrance was, it has been blocked off. All four statues should be missing their heads. Continue onward. The boarded-up city will be replaced by prison cells this time around. At the northern end is a statue resembling a Zombie Gladiator/Hell Gladiator. Keep going around. When you reach the statues again, all that is there are the lower legs. Go across from the statues to a downward staircase. Hallway-Heal the party completely. On the other side of the door is the Lord of Darkness. Here's a quick overview of my characters at this point (skill points are with 0 Seeds of Skill used on anyone): Jessica Lv36 301HP/249MP Skill Points: 0/68/97/0/4 Equipped: Gringham Whip, Divine Bustier, Saintess Shield, Metal King Helm, Life Bracer Inventory: Rune Staff, Yggdrasil Leaf, Elfin Elixir Hero Lv38 388HP/184MP Skill Points: 30/25/52/0/66 Equipped: Hero Spear, Platinum Mail/Sacred Armour, Metal King Shield, Mercury's Bandana, Agility Ring Inventory: Flametang Boomerang, Falcon Blade, Yggdrasil Dew, Rune Staff, Yggdrasil Leaf Yangus Lv37 419HP/64MP Skill Points: 82/0/0/33/68 Equipped: Conquerer's Axe, Gigant Armour, Ogre Shield, Great Helm, Meteorite Bracer Inventory: Sage's Stone, Flail of Fury, Yggdrasil Leaf, Yggdrasil Dew, Rune Staff Angelo Lv37 326HP/182MP Skill Points: 52/0/69/0/3 Equipped: Mercury's Rapier, Dragon Robe, Silver Shield, Happy Hat, Agility Ring Inventory: Sage's Stone, Elfin Elixir, Rune Staff, Timbrel of Tension, Falcon Blade Open the door when you are ready, then run up the stairs. The Lord of Darkness introduces himself, then floats in the air. He talks about humans, the light and dark worlds, and a new ruler..that new ruler's name is Rhapthorne! ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), casts Kafrizzle, casts Kaboom, | | exhales a Cold Breath at the party from his staff, | | attempts to inflict Dazzle on all party members | | when his entire body flashes brightly, | | puts a party member to sleep, | | removes all positive status changes when | | enveloped in a wave of ice | /==========================================================================/ This guy sure doesn't look as imposing as he would seem. Don't let his size fool you. Rhapthorne hits very hard with his attacks, especially if he does a desperate attack (up to and over 300 damage). Boost your Defence up by using a Rune Staff once or twice if you want. When he doesn't critical, Rhapthorne does about 100 damage or less with one Defence boost. Make sure Jessica casts Insulatle and Magic Barrier and they both stay on at all times. I cast Magic Barrier first, because Rhapthorne has two spells and one breath attack. Both are very damaging. If most of your team is blinded, cast spells, do multi-hitting attacks, or wait it out. Wake up any party members that fall asleep with the Tingle spell before you lose control of anyone else. Casting the Acceleratle spell is also useful so you heal first (hopefully), if your party seems to lag behind each round in turn order. You may want to use it before the Insulatle spell or after. Use your Monster Teams to their fullest extent; if a monster or two dies, let it be. Whenever Rhapthorne becomes 'enveloped in a wave of ice' (and he will), re-cast Magic Barrier and Insulatle while using a Rune Staff with some other characters. Have Yangus use the Sage's Stone throughout the fight. Since I have the Timbrel of Tension on Angelo, I have him use it constantly. Keep his built-up Tension in reserve to use a powered-up Multiheal to get the party out of danger. Heal anyone that has less that 150HP. If Angelo has no Tension, have him use the other Sage's Stone (if you have it) to conserve his MP. Jessica may have a spare round to cast Oomph on the Hero or herself, my only real attackers for the fight. If Angelo reaches Super High Tension and the party is near maximum HP, then fire away with a Falcon Slash if you want. If Yangus reaches Super High Tension, have him use Helm Splitter and have Angelo heal that round with the Sage's Stone or the Multiheal spell. Defence-lowering skills work on Rhapthorne, so use them when you can. Rhapthorne has about 4,800 HP (I beat him at 4,854, doing 80 on the last hit. In the Japanese version, he had about 4,500 HP), unless he heals some HP each round. Beating Rhapthorne nets the party 0 experience points and 0 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Beating Rhapthorne doesn't seem like it was the best idea. The glowing yellow shell (his curse) falls off and splatters like a cracked egg. This isn't a good thing. The party is healed, now you need to make your way out of this place. Head back to the door. Halfway there, the place starts falling apart! Circular City-Go back around either way. At the northern side, the Zombie Gladiator/Hell Gladiator statue comes alive, and is really a Servant of Darkness. Kill it and the two accompanying Dancing Flame guys. They shouldn't pose a challenge. Keep going around, and the prison bars will be replaced by boarded-up doors and windows. Walk past the statues that are now only missing their heads, and keep going. The next time you see the statues, they will be complete (except for the Hero's head), and a staircase is between them. Across from the statues is the pink jewel if you need to restore your HP/MP again. Go past the statues and run another lap in the same direction you were going. Back at the regular-looking buildings area, run towards the statues. They will come to life and charge at you. The statues are pretty simple. They have high Defence, so use spells like Kaboom or multi-hitting attacks paired with usage of the Timbrel of Tension for a quick win. If you've beaten Rhapthorne, none of the other "bosses" here should pose any kind of threat. Beat the statues and go up the stairs. Level 1-Go either way to the stairs going up on the opposite end of the floor. Level 2-Follow the path to stairs going up. Level 3-Turn left and go all the way around the room to a staircase going up to Level 4. Heal your party if you need to before going up the Level 4 stairs. Level 4-As you reach Level 4, the waterfall erupts, and a pair of Megalodons attack. These guys aren't too bad, but they can make a desperate attack and lower your Defence with the Kasap spell. Attack with three characters (use strong/multi-hit attacks) and have the one with the Timbrel of Tension use it. You can finish off both Megalodons on the second round if you hit hard enough. One of them will drop some Yggdrasil Dew. Heal the party after the fight, then go left or right to either staircase going up. Level 5-Go out the doorway in the center of the southern wall. As you walk out, the gate behind you slams down. Eerie red light shines on a pile of rocks, then you are introduced to the next.. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=========================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks | /=========================/ All this boss does is attack, but he can hit quite hard. Remedy that by beefing up your Defence, then let loose with attacks. At the start of the battle, you will want to have someone with a Sage's Stone on healing duty. Sometimes, the Ruin's arm falls off when trying to attack you, resulting in a miss. After building your Defence up, you should be able to go a couple of rounds before having to heal again. You can finish this fight very quickly with high tension attacks. Defence-lowering skills work on the Ruin, so you can end the fight that much faster. The Ruin has about 3,800 HP (I beat him at 3,816). Beating the Ruin nets the party 2,480 experience points, 0 gold, and a dropped Orichalcum. If only more were dropped as easily. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- You are free to walk around, but there isn't a lot of area to go to. Use the Godbird's Soulstone to leave this place. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================================/ | (II-N2) Seven Orbs of a Different Color | | My level: 38 | /=========================================/ As the party flies away, Rhapthorne emerges, now at full power (and size). Not a pretty sight. Using his staff, he calls forth an army of Gemons from two black orbs. The Gemons are too fast for the baby Godbird, and they knock him around until he disappears. From the black orb on Rhaphtorn's left, Empyrea breaks free and catches the party. Rhapthorne then creates a barrier around himself, and Empyrea drops you off at the archway west of Empycchu in the light world. Empyrea tells the party that the seal on Rhapthorne is broken, and he must be defeated. The key to doing this lies with the seven fallen sages. Empyrea gives you the Echo Flute, which will echo if played in an area that one of the seven orbs are. Two blue-haired girls that that say the same thing also appear, which may seem familiar. To find the seven orbs, go to each place that a sage's descendant was killed. Warp to Farebury. Remember the burned-down house by the inn? Walk to the remains of the house and you should see a purple sparkle. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Purple Orb. Warp to Alexandria next. Walk to the tower east of the village (yet again). You may bump into some enemies on the way, even if you have cast the Holy Protection spell or used some Holy Water. The release of Rhapthorne's minions has caused new monsters to spread all over the world. New/stronger monsters can be fought all over the world. Sometimes for me, I can be at level 40 and am confronted by regular Slimes that I cannot scare away. Sometimes (when I was a really high level and ran away from hundreds of fights) you can still keep monsters away and/or scare them off. I don't know what causes it, nor if it is only a level thing. On the way to the tower, my current mix (Meteorite Bracer for Angelo) finished, so I started making a Crimson Robe. To make this, put the following ingredients into the Alchemy Pot: Sage's Robe + Magic Water + Nook Grass Once inside the tower, you have to climb up to the top for a third time. Holy Protection/Holy Water still works in dungeons fine for me. Walk straight ahead, open the door, then go up the stairs. If you unlocked it earlier, turn right and open the small door. Inside, turn left and climb the ladder going up. Turn right, then open the door leading back outside. Turn right and open the small door ahead of you. Don't fall off! Again inside, stand in front of the faces on the wall and press X or L3 to activate the rotating wall. Go up the stairs to Level 4. On level 4, turn right and use the rotating wall, then use the next one after that. Take the stairs to Level 5. On Level 5, either use the rotating wall or just walk around the wall to the Level 6 stairs. Walk around to the Level 7 stairs to reach the top of the tower. At the tower's top, you will see a blue sparkle between you and the statue of Alexandra. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Blue Orb. Cast Evac, then warp to Maella Abbey. Save the game at the entrance if you have not saved since going through the Black Citadel. Enter the abbey. Take either door on the backside of the room. It's party time at the abbey; the guards think that a worldwide celebration is taking place for Marcello becoming the next Lord High Priest. There are barrels/wine glasses all over the place. Also there is a bunny girl and some girl that is having a fun time spinning around. Go to the door at the other end of the room. In the hallway, walk straight ahead to another door. Cross the somewhat rebuilt bridge to Abbot Francisco's house and enter. Inside, turn right and go upstairs. You should see a golden sparkle near the top of the stairs. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Gold Orb. Leave Abbot Francisco's house and warp to Savella Cathedral. At Savella Cathedral, make your way to the very back of the town to the elevator going to the Lord High Priest's house. On the small island that the building with the elevator is at, you should be able to find the Dragon Slayer Recipe on the ground behind the building. Use the Godbird's Soulstone and land at the Lord High Priest's house behind the town. Enter the Lord High Priest's house and go up to the room on the second floor. You should see a silver sparkle on the carpet. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Silver Orb. Sometimes the guy in grey is annoying and you talk to him instead. Leave the Lord High Priest's house and warp to Baccarat. Stay at the inn if it is nighttime, then enter Cash and Carrie's house. Go left, then open the door on your right. Walk past Carrie and go up the stairs on the left side of the room. Upstairs, open the door to your left and go in. Behind the couch you should see a yellow sparkle on the floor. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Yellow Orb. Leave the house and warp to Arcadia. In Dominico's front yard by the dog pen you should see a green sparkle. Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Green Orb. Warp to Marta's Cottage. Walk around the ruined house and before the cave entrance you should see a red sparkle . Press X or L3 while standing over the sparkle to receive the Red Orb. Now you should have all seven orbs. Warp to Empycchu, finish your Alchemy Pot mix if you are going to use/equip what is being made, then save your game. Make sure that all four party members have at least one open slot in their inventory each. You cannot fight Rhapthorne if the Hero, Yangus, Jessica, and Angelo do not all have at least one slot open in their personal inventories. Use the Godbird's Soulstone, then land at the arches west of Empycchu. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================/ | (II-N3) The Final Battle | | My level: 38 | /==========================/ Walk under the arches behind the twins. Empyrea will ask if you have found all of the orbs. Reply with Yes. Empyrea will then bring out the sceptre, which is really called the Godbird Sceptre. The power of the seven sages is in the Godbird Sceptre, and that is what can remove Rhapthorne's barrier. All four party members must pray to the Godbird Sceptre at the same time for a sage's power to come out. After all seven sages are present, they can void the barrier. Empyrea asks if you understand what to do. Reply with Yes. When she asks if you want to go to Rhapthorne now, reply with Yes one more time. Empyrea heals the party, then flies you to Rhapthorne on her back. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), | | bursts out in defiant laughter, | | hits 2 random targets when he flings the ball from the | | top of his staff, | | casts Kaboom, casts Kafrizzle, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, meditates to heal 500HP, | | eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, | | smashes the party with his arm, | | belches Blazing Fire at the party, | | damages all party members when he raises his weapon and | | calls forth the anger of the gods, | | hits 4 random targets when he raises his weapon and | | calls forth the anger of the gods, | | damages all party members when he chants ominously and | | meteors shower from the sky, | | releases all magic power at once to damage the party, | | rapidly recovers all magic power, | | exhales a Cold Breath at the party | /=========================================================================/ While the barrier is around him, Rhapthorne cannot be damaged. You need to use the Godbird Sceptre with each character in the same round seven times to remove it. This sounds formidable, but it isn't that bad. What I do is try to have everyone use the Godbird Sceptre for two rounds, then spend a round having Jessica cast Magic Barrier, the Hero uses a Rune Staff, both Yangus and Angelo use their Sage's Stone to heal the party back up. After this, I use the Godbird Sceptre two more times, then have Jessica cast Insulatle if Rhapthorne has not been 'enveloped in a wave of ice', and the other three characters repeat what they did in the previous off-turn. If your HP are high enough, you can then try a mad dash at using the Godbird Sceptre three times in a row to complete the seven uses. The party is healed after using the Godbird Sceptre seven times, so don't worry about having low HP afterward. If the game isn't cooperating, you can take it slower and use the Godbird Sceptre with everyone once, then spend a round healing and building your defenses, then repeat until the seventh use. Note that all four characters must pray to the Godbird Sceptre for a sage's soul to appear. If only three characters use it, and the fourth does something else or if someone dies before his or her prayer, it will not count towards bringing out another sage. After the party prays to the Godbird Sceptre the seventh time, all of the sages will be present to remove Rhapthorne's barrier. The sages will encircle the barrier and dispel it and all of the Gemons hanging around. The party's HP and MP will be restored, then the souls fly off. Rhapthorne isn't too happy, but now he is vulnerable. Rhapthorne uses the same attacks that he did while you were praying to the Godbird Sceptre, so you should have an idea what to watch out for. This fight is considered a new battle, so you will have to build your defenses up again. Have Jessica cast Magic Barrier then Insulatle, increase your Defence with the Rune Staff, and have someone on Sage's Stone duty. If any party member is put to sleep, cast Tingle the next round. Make sure you need to first; some of Rhapthorne's attacks will wake up a sleeping party member. Angelo should use the Timbrel of Tension every round. You can boost your Defence a little faster if he uses the Timbrel of Tension and Yangus casts Kabuff after, since it gains power with Tension. Keep Angelo's built up Tension stored for a quick Multiheal that should heal the party back to full HP with 20 or more Tension. Have the Hero attack with his strongest attack; for me it is the spear's Multithrust skill. If Insulatle and Magic Barrier are still active, Jessica can help out with Twin Dragon Lash. With the Timbrel of Tension going, casting the Oomph spell is helpful, but not a priority. Rhapthorne's most dangerous attacks are unguarded breath/spells, if the ball from his staff hits the same character repeatedly (over 100 each hit), and if his 'calls forth the anger of the gods' meteor shower hits the same character. Rhapthorne's attack that uses all of his magic power is strong (about 200 damage to all), but if you stay healthy, it shouldn't be too deadly. If Angelo has even 5 Tension, he can cast Multiheal to heal 200HP back to each party member. Keep your HP up and hit him hard when you have the chance to. Defence -lowering skills work on him, as well. Rhapthorne is not as hard as some other bosses in the Dragon Quest games if you are prepared. Bring out your Monster Team(s) for some free damage. Rhapthorne has about 5,630 HP (I beat him at 5,642 with a 36 damage hit, so between 5,606 and 5,642). If the party gets wiped out after Rhapthorne's barrier is removed, the fight will start after the barrier is gone when you come back to him. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Light flies out of Rhapthorne and he explodes. As the party flies away, everyone rejoices. Yangus cheers, Jessica mentions Bangerz, Mash, and her brother. Angelo stays calm, cool, and collected. Yangus wonders if the curse on Medea and Trode has faded, and Empyrea thanks the party for what it has done, dropping you off at Trodain. Trode and Medea are already there, still in their cursed forms. After some chatter, Empyrea takes off and Trode asks why is she leaving. Empyrea says the curse of the Lord of Darkness is fading and will disappear. Empyrea then says that she is not a god, and she has another name given to her in the land of her birth. That name is Ramia. If you've played Dragon Quest 3 before, you probably have already guessed that, though. Ramia and the soul of her child fly away. Trode waves goodbye, then starts to glow. He is uncursed! Trode is amazed to see his human hands and face. Yangus chuckles that Trode's monster form wasn't much different from his human form. Trode and Yangus stare each other down, until Trode wonders if Medea has changed back too. He goes to look for her, but she's already changed back. Trode and his daughter run up to each other and hug, happy that the curse is gone. Jessica sees something ahead and says "Hey! Look!". The thorns around the castle vanish, and townspeople start to run out of the castle. Not only have Trode and Medea been uncursed, so has the entire castle and all of the residents. Overjoyed, Trode declares a celebration. Later, Yangus stops in to talk to the Hero about him going into the export business, and about the Hero's promotion. He will help the new head of the palace guard with escorting Medea to Savella Cathedral for her upcoming wedding with Charmles. Through the course of the adventure, Medea really was not too impressed with the prince of Argonia. When you can move around, go forward and open the door on your left. Walk up to Angelo and his company. Angelo talks about escorting the princess, then wonders if the Hero is ok with the wedding. The two girls will run up and brag about Angelo's work at the abbey. Angelo will confirm, then all three will say bye and walk away together. At least Angelo has finally changed his priorities.. Go up the stairs on your left and through the large door. Then turn left. After going around the corner, keep walking ahead until you can turn right and go up some stairs. Walk straight ahead and you will bump into Jessica. She asks why has the Hero not visited her at home. Jessica then talks about Yangus and Red's partnership. Turn the corner ahead and go through the third door on your right (the one past the guard). Medea wonders if Argonia has a piano, then asks if it is time to leave. If you say no, you will walk away. Talk to her again and say yes (or say yes to begin with), and Medea will get up to walk with you. The Hero and Medea will walk out over the throne room, where Medea takes a longing look down at the two thrones..then follows the Hero. Out on the balcony, she looks at the Hero, then walks towards the carriage that will take her to the wedding she does not really want to have. At Savella Cathedral, Charmles walks up and sees Medea for the first time as a human. He formally introduces himself and says he is the luckiest man in the world to have her as his wife. Yangus makes a snide comment, and Charmles retorts with calling the party servants/commoners. The look on Medea's face is great. You can just imagine her "oh, God, noooo" train of thought. Afterward, Angelo slams his hand down in anger about Charmles. Does *anybody* in the game like him? Angelo suggests to the Hero that it is also his duty to protect the happiness of the Princess. The Hero has a concerned look about him. Wedding day! After getting out of bed, leave the inn. Walk towards the large cathedral and you will see Angelo and Jessica waiting for the Hero. Angelo says that you could probably sneak in. Go up the stairs to the cathedral. Talk to the man in the flashy purple outfit if you want. Jessica's now ex-fianc‚ Lorenzo says it is a surprise to see you here, and that the new Lord High Priest, Rolo, will perform the ceremony. Good to know he somehow got out of the prison. Walk up to the crowd gathering by the door. People will yell their congratulations to Charmles and Medea. The little boy in grey can't see, but that's the least of his problems when Yangus elbows him in the head and knocks him to the ground. Yangus runs up to the Hero and forces their way to the front. A lone guard blocks entrance inside the cathedral. Run up to the guard and answer his question with yes that you were invited. He calls you a liar and suggests forcing your way inside. Since he brought up the option, say yes. The guard starts to draw his sword but is interrupted by a jab to the stomach from Yangus. Upon entering the cathedral, Charmles is stomping his foot impatiently at his late bride, then turns around. Medea hasn't entered, the Hero has. Charmles is not amused at you entering while not being invited. He orders the guards to arrest you, but another guard runs in and says he must speak to Clavius. The guard whispers into the king's ear, and Clavius rises to say that the bride Medea has disappeared. Charmles doesn't believe it and thinks the Hero is in a kidnapping plot. As the guards approach, the Hero escapes from the cathedral. Back outside, Yangus and Jessica catch up to the Hero. Yangus asks what the problem is. Before you can answer, Angelo yells for the Hero to run to him. Medea and Trode are below, surrounded by soldiers. Yangus, Jessica, and Angelo hold back the guards that emerged from the cathedral so the Hero can help Trode and Medea. You can run back to Yangus and watch him knock a guard out. Run up to Jessica and she will cast some spells at guards and say that they've got things handled. Run down the stairs and Trode will fend a guard off with a twig. He orders you to escape with Medea. He doesn't want Medea to marry Charmles. Talk to Medea, and she holds her hand out asking if you will run away with her. Say no, and Trode gets mad (do it at least once for laughs). Talk to her again and agree to run away with her (because thou must!). The Hero and Medea hold hands and run away. Trode knocks the guard back, Angelo, Yangus, and Jessica take care of the guards, then Charmles runs out of the cathedral. He yells at the guards for failing and to get up. Clavius appears and suggests that Charmles go after the ruffians himself. Clavius talks down to his son, saying money and power aren't the solution to every problem. Charmles brings up the Argon Heart, which infuriates his father. Clavius displays the real Great Big Argon Heart, which humbles Charmles. The Hero and Medea enter the wedding carriage, with Trode steering. He tells the couple to get in. Learning from Angelo, the Hero helps her in. Yangus starts to shout at the Hero, but is stopped by Jessica, then he waves goodbye. THE END ...or is it? After the credits, the Hero, Medea, and Trode return to Trodain where the residents run out to see the new couple. After THE END is written on the screen, the game asks if you want to save your progress. Answer with Yes to save your post-ending data. This is important if you want to play the bonus dungeons. Reset your PS2, and the file should have a star before the Hero's name. My screen looks like this: 6: Loto *Lv. 38 Argonia 119:02 After saving, this version of the game gives you a freebie at showing that the game is not totally over. Originally, in order to see the scene that follows saving, you had to sleep at the inn at Southern Beak Castle/Argonia. Play off the file with the star. You should be at Argonia. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==============================================/ | (II-O) Beyond the Lord of Darkness | /----------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Recruit newly available monsters. | | 2-Fly southwest of Argonia to the area shown | | after the ending. | | 3-Explore the Dragovian Path. | | 4-Talk to the residents of the Dragovian | | Sanctuary and agree to take on the Lord of | | the Dragovians. | | 5-Defeat the Lord of the Dragovians to learn | | of the Hero's true identity. | | 6-Beat the game again for the 'true' ending. | /==============================================/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=============================/ | (II-O1-More Monster Hunting | | My level: 38 | /=============================/ Press select, and you will have a separate Battle Record for when you beat the game if you push right on the d-pad or left analog. Trode will give you a rank, and I have no idea how many there are. There are some new recruitable monsters that appear after you have beaten the game. Whether or not you want to recruit them is up to you. Stay at the inn at Argonia and rest until evening. Warp to Simpleton, but don't enter. In an invisible straight line to the east of your current location is a decent-sized forest compared to the little ones shown on the map. Ride a Great Sabrecat into that forest straight east, and you should see a visible Wight Priest. Fight and beat Bishop. Take him along if you want. He can also appear south of this location, across the road and up onto the hill. Warp to Marta's Cottage and use the Godbird's Soulstone. Land at the southern entrance of the cave that connects the snowfield to the grassy area by Rydon's Tower/Chapel of Autumn (pretty much as soon as you start flying). On the road you should see a visible Dullahan. Fight and beat Mornstar. Take him along if you want. I usually replace Stoneman with Mornstar. Warp to the Seaview Church and stay at the inn (you might have the dream showing the same scene after the credits), then leave and use the Godbird's Soulstone. Fly south-southwest until you are over a bridge east of where you found the blue spirit of Baumren (the horseshoe-shaped area surrounded by forests), and land there. Ride a Great Sabrecat south across the bridge, then follow the eastern hill. Shortly after turning the corner you should see a visible Great Sabrecat. Fight and beat Spot. Take him along if you want. After beating Spot, use the Godbird's Soulstone. Fly south to the thick cloud cover southwest of the campsite west of Argonia (where you found a Flametang Boomerang in a chest) and land there again. Walk straight ahead up to the top of the first hill, then go east to the top of another hill. Rotate the camera around and you should see a visible War Gryphon by a tree. Fight and beat Gryphus. Take him along if you want. Now warp to Tryan Gully. Ride a Great Sabrecat west from Tryan Gully, staying close to the northern edge. Soon a visible Frou-Frou will come into view. Fight and beat Frillsaur, and take him along if you want. If you have something to mix after your current one finishes, let it begin before leaving. I make a Phantom Mask for Angelo to equip later next. To make a Phantom Mask, put Iron Headgear (you may still have it from when you found some in the dark world, if not, you can go buy it at the armour shop in Orkutsk) and the Dark Robe you found in the Black Citadel into the Alchemy Pot. Since I am going to trade the Crimson Robe with Dodgy Dave, I let it finish, then go and complete the first cycle of trading. Warp to Pickham, then talk to Dodgy Dave. He will trade your Crimson Robe for his Big Boss Shield. The Big Boss Shield casts the Kasap spell when used as an item in battle. The Timbrel of Tension kind of makes the free casting of Kasap not too great, but it can be helpful later for Angelo or the Hero to have a way to reduce the Defence of badguys. Right away, Dodgy Dave will start the cycle of trades again. You may already have a Special Medicine, so trade him one for 400 gold. You may also already have a Reinforced Boomerang. If you do, trade him for 1,000 gold. His mixes are the same six as before, but now he gives you money for the trades (unless you passed on trading an item the first time through the cycle). Warp to the Seaview Church again, rest at the inn, then save your game. Use the Godbird's Soulstone and fly due south. Right ahead of you is a thick cloud cover and the area the Hero saw in a dream. Land there, walk up to the dragon head/stone slab and press X or L3. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================/ | (II-O2) Dragovian Path | | My level: 38 | /========================/ Monsters found in this cave: #084 Liquid Metal Slime #171 Metal King Slime #216 Hell Hopper #217 Dark Devildog #218 Heavy Hood #219 Hellstalker #220 Silhouette #226 Pandora's Box #227 Wight King #228 Invisible Swordsman #230 Belial Almost every monster here is dangerous. Usage of the Timbrel of Tension and Sage's Stone/Multiheal spell will be common, if not highly recommended. Don't be afraid of spending the first round building your Defence. Many of the enemies here can do over 100 damage per hit, and if you are fighting 6 or more of them, that can be trouble quickly. Heavy Hoods can summon more of its kind and do over 300 damage with their desperate attacks. If a Hellstalker blinds the party, call out your Monster Team(s). The breath attack from Silhouettes can wipe the party out if you are surprised by a large number of them. Cast the Insulatle spell when you fight any of these the first time through this cave. Pandora's Boxes are also deadly. A single one can kill the party. Be careful and prepared while you explore this cave that has no map. B1-Go north. At the large room with the weird water, follow the left wall to an opening to go through. When you can go left or right, go left first. B2-Turn left and follow the passage all the way to a treasure chest. Inside is a suit of Liquid Metal Armour. Equip the Hero with it. Now you can either walk back to B1 and turn left at the intersection, or warp out of the dungeon, re-enter, then take the right turn. The choice is yours. B1-Go north, then turn right if you warped out. If you didn't, just follow the passage and turn left at the intersection. Just follow the path to stairs going down. B2-Turn left and go through the tunnel. At the large room, you can go left or straight ahead. Go left first, to a treasure chest a little ways off. Inside is a Seed of Skill. Turn around and take the left turn at the large room's entrance and follow the path until you get to another intersection. Go right first this time. In the room with many wall paintings, follow the right wall and continue onward to a treasure chest. Inside this chest is Thanatos' Shield. This shield is cursed, but you can make a very good shield for Jessica if you put Thanatos' Shield and one Saint's Ashes into the Alchemy Pot. The result is the Goddess Shield, which reduces fire, ice, and magic attacks on her by half. Turn around and head straight across the next intersection to some stairs. B3-No more torch. Go straight ahead. In the large, swampy room is a chest. Open it if you want, as it is really a Pandora's Box. Go southwest to leave the swampy room. When you can go left or keep going straight across, go either way. They both go to the same exit, which is to the left. If you began mixing a Phantom Mask the same time I did, it should be just about finished. At the next intersection, go left to a treasure chest. Inside is an Elfin Elixir. Turn around and turn left at the intersection, then go up the hill. Turn right at the intersection to the last treasure chest here. Inside is the Metal King Spear. This is the strongest spear in the game, but it only has +20 Attack more than the Hero Spear (and no healing bonus when you attack). You can make the strongest boomerang in the game with this, the Metal Wing Boomerang is +27 Attack stronger than the Flametang Boomerang (it only had +70 in the Japanese version of the game; it has +90 in this version). If you want to make the Metal Wing Boomerang, put the Metal King Spear and a Razor Wing Boomerang into the Alchemy Pot. I usually end up making the Metal Wing Boomerang anyway, as I don't use spears for very long against bosses anymore. Turn around and take a right at the intersection. At the end of the cave, there is a circular symbol on the ground. Stand on it to warp to the next floor. B4-Walk straight ahead. Along the way, you'll see a gravestone. If you look at it, a man named Eltrio is buried there. Keep following the path. After a bit, you'll run into an intersection. Keep going straight forward; the right turn is an empty dead-end. After you leave, some village music plays. Open the door ahead of you. You can't? No worries, Munchie drops down and the door opens for him. Walk ahead a little, and an old man will appear and introduce himself as Chen Mui. He says it has been a long time since humans have been here. Walk around the large rock and into the town ahead. Chen Mui will follow you in and wonder what happened to the town. Looks fine to me, but whatever. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===========================================================================/ | (II-O3) Dragovian Sanctuary | | My level: 39 | /---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Inn: $0 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 16 + 1 | /---------------------------------------------------------------------------/ | Item Shop (opens after you agree to fight the Lord of the Dragovians) | | | | Dragon Dung $100 | | Devil's Tail $200 | | Magic Water $300 | | Saint's Ashes $12,000 | | Premium Mould $500 | /===========================================================================/ In the village, go left to a pair of pots next to the first building on the left. Inside the pot on the right is Mini Medal #108. Enter the house. Turn right and you will see two more pots. Both pots have some Fresh Milk inside. Turn left and go into the next room. Search the first hanging bag for some Premium Mould, then search the second hanging bag for some Saint's Ashes. On the other side of the room are two pots. Break the pot away from the corner to find Mini Medal #109. Leave the house. Turn left and enter the next house. Turn right and you will see another two pots. Inside the pot next to the fireplace is some Rock Salt. Turn left and search the hanging bag away from the corner to find Mini Medal #110. Inside the hanging bag near the corner is some Nook Grass. Go upstairs and speak to the woman if you want to save the game. Leave the house. Turn left and go around the side of the house. By some hanging laundry are two more pots. Break the back pot to find some Yggdrasil Dew. Turn around and go forward then left. Climb up the ramp to the next house and talk to the guard outside. The man will welcome Chen Mui back and let the party in. As you enter, the elders sitting at the table will welcome Chen Mui back to the village. After the elders talk to each other about the Lord of the Dragovians. The Lord of the Dragovians is causing problems, and none of the residents can bring him back to his senses in their weakened state. Chen Mui suggests that the humans that fought Rhapthorne could maybe help with the problem. Speak to each elder. The old woman in yellow and blue will mistake whoever is leading the party as the Hero. Jessica's response is pretty funny. After you talk to the 4 elders, Chen Mui will bring up Empyrea. He will ask the party if you will go to the Lord of the Dragovians. Reply Yes, and Chen Mui will leap off the stool, then invite you to his house. He wants some tasty cheese. Leave the house, turn left, then cross the bridge to the house nearby. This is the item shop in town. You can buy many mixing ingredients here if you need to. Saint's Ashes only cost 300 gold in the Japanese version, but cost a whopping 12,000 gold in the North American version. Yeesh! Walk into the room behind the counter, then search the lone hanging bag to find Mini Medal #111. Sift through the two bags behind the shopkeeper and you will find some Chunky Cheese inside the back bag. Leave the item shop. Walk down the ramp ahead of you and follow the right wall. Under the bridge you will see Chen Mui's house to enter. After being greeted by the man in Chen Mui's house, the party will rest after the cheese banquet. When you can move around, search the dresser in the room to find Mini Medal #112. The chest in the room is locked, so don't worry about it for now. Break the center pot out in the hall to find some Angel Cheese, then go downstairs. Take a left at the bottom of the stairs, then another left. Turn right in the dining room and break the pots behind the woman in the kitchen. In the first pot is some Highly-Strung Cheese. The pot behind it has Mini Medal #113. Leave the kitchen and dining room, then go into the room with the fireplace and speak to Chen Mui. Chen Mui will avoid the party's question, so go back to the guest room upstairs. At the prompt, say Yes to sleep. When you wake up, answer Chen Mui whichever way you want, then leave his house. You should have over 110 Mini Medals at this point, so before you go to the next place, warp to Princess Minnie's Castle. Speak to Minnie, and upon seeing that you have 110 Mini Medals, she will give you the last prize, the Flail of Destruction. Like the Flail of Fury, this weapon is not classified as any of Yangus's weapon types for using skills. This is stronger than the Flail of Fury and it hits every enemy like boomerangs. Minnie will thank you for finding the Mini Medals of the world. If you leave and come back, the King of Medals will finally be over his sickness and be seated on the throne next to his daughter. Warp back to the Dragovian Sanctuary, save your game, then enter the house with all the old people. Turn left or right, then go down the stairs. At the midway point, there is a turn. Talk to the guard at the door and he will let you pass. Open the door to reach the final area of the game. Chen Mui stays behind. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-O4) Heavenly Dais | | My level: 39 | /=======================/ Monsters found in this dungeon: #171 Metal King Slime #221 Democrobot #222 Head of State #223 Body Politic #224 Right Wing #225 Left Wing #228 Invisible Swordsman #229 Hellspawn #230 Belial #231 Solaris #232 Great Troll #233 Unholy Bishop #234 Hell's Gatekeeper #235 Crocodog #279 Servant of Darkness Boss: # -Not numbered- Lord of the Dragovians As you walk ahead, Munchie runs up and into the Hero's pocket. Level 1-Three ways to go..put the way in behind you, then you can go either left, left and forward, or right. Go right or left; they lead to the same place. Inside a small cave is a grave for a woman named Xia, someone the man in Chen Mui's house mentioned. From the grave (you don't have to go to it), head out of the cave to the next small 'island' with a large stalagmite popping out of the ground. Take the road going south-southwest if you took the far left path at the start, or skip the right turn to the island with the stalagmite if you went right at the start. At the end of the path is a treasure chest with a spare Dangerous Bustier to complete Jessica's collection of changeable appearance outfits. Walk back to the start of the dungeon, or cast Evac and walk back in. Take the left and forward (aka center) path now. When you reach a cave with some spiraling stairs, watch for a treasure chest at the bottom to your left. Inside is Mini Medal #114. Walk out of the tunnel downstairs. Take the right fork to the Level 2 staircase. Level 2-Go up the stairs, then face northwest. There should be a path to your left, one straight ahead, and another to the right. Take the path on the left (west-southwest) first. Climb up the stairs to a floating island, then cross the small step-bridge to a treasure chest. Inside is the last Mini Medal in the game, #115. Go back down to the top of the stairs going down to Level 1, then climb up the next staircase on the left (the straight ahead one from the start). Turn left and reach the next island, then go straight across to another set of stairs to another chest. Inside is some Orichalcum. Climb down the island, turn left, then climb up the next stairs on the left. To the left of the dragon's skull is another treasure chest, with a Skull Helm inside. You can make a second Timbrel of Tension, highly recommended if you wish to fully complete the Defeated Monster List easier. You can warp out of the dungeon if you want to save and mix things around then come back, or just take the stairs to the right of the dragon skull, then go up to a door leading to Level 3. I keep going, so I can mix the final items quicker. Before opening the door, heal your party and restore MP if you need to. If you completed mixing a Phantom Mask, equip Angelo with it. It has 17 more Defence than the Happy Hat and supposedly allows him to evade physical attacks easier. The MP regeneration from the Happy Hat doesn't work while in a battle anyway, so the added Defence bonus helps, regardless. Level 3-Walk straight up to the giant red dragon when you are ready. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=========================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and | | make a desperate attack), | | lets out an intimidating scream, | | belches Scorching Flames at the party | /=========================================================/ This boss mainly attacks, so build up +200 Defence right away, then have Jessica cast Insulatle to lessen the damage from Scorching Flames. With no added protection, it will do about 100 damage to everyone. Cast Acceleratle early on if you want to attack him before he can take a turn. Acceleratle never wears off during a battle, unless 'enveloped in a wave of ice' is used (which this boss does not use) or the character is killed. So just recast it after reviving it you want an easier time when it comes to healing as soon as you can. If the Lord of the Dragovians makes a desperate attack and it connects, that character will likely be dead at similar levels that I am at (below 40). Afterward, plug at him with attacks. The Hero's Dragon Slash finally has some use, and will in the future as well. You can stick to using Multithrust during this fight, though. Keep your Defence up; without any extra, the Lord of the Dragovians will probably inflict around 200 damage per attack. Heal whenever a character falls below 200HP (I just keep having Yangus use a Sage's Stone for the fight). If Angelo keeps up with using the Timbrel of Tension, Jessica and the Hero can take him out pretty well. Be aware that if the intimidating scream works on a character, any built-up Tension stored is lost, so you may want to just attack with +50 instead of waiting to reach +100. Defence-lowering spells/skills will work on this guy. The Lord of the Dragovians has about 8,250 HP (I beat him at 8,313). It may be less, if this boss heals a certain amount of HP after each round (about 7,700 in the Japanese version). Beating the Lord of the Dragovians nets the party 12,680 experience points, 0 gold, and a dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Beating the Lord of the Dragovians reverts him to his humanoid form. He seems as though he was having a nightmare..and is surprised that humans awoke him from it. He recognizes the Hero, and calls him out by name. He says that the Hero has saved the Dragovian race. Yangus asks the Lord of the Dragovians how he knows the Hero, and is responded by the suggestion to ask his grandfather that question. Munchie crawls out of the Hero's pocket and transforms..into Chen Mui! Chen Mui says that he is the Hero's grandfather, and took the form of a mouse to stay with and protect the Hero. He then says he will explain everything back at his house in town. The Lord of the Dragovians warps everyone back to the Dragovian Sanctuary. At the balcony of Chen Mui's house, he tells the Hero to follow him in. Chen Mui will unlock the chest that you couldn't open, and give a ring to the Hero. The ring belonged to his mother, Xia, which was given to her by the Hero's father, Eltrio. Remember those two graves in this area? That's them. The ring is made of Argon. Twenty years ago, Eltrio was the Prince of Argonia. Chen Mui then pulls out some pictures to discuss the story of the Hero's parents. Xia, a resident of the Dragovian Sanctuary, met the human Prince of Argonia, Eltrio. Their union was objected by Chen Mui, so Xia was taken back to the Dragovian Sanctuary. Eltrio died at the Dragovian Path, trying to get to the Dragovian Sanctuary himself. Xia was already pregnant with the Hero at this time, and died during the childbirth of the Hero. The elders were conflicted on what to do with the Hero. Born of mixed parents, they voted to seal away his memory and kick the baby out. Chen Mui furiously disagreed, but it was to no avail. Refusing to leave his defenseless grandchild alone in the world, Chen Mui asked the Lord of the Dragovians to change him into the mousey Munchie to watch over the Hero in the human world. Chen Mui will then put the pictures away and give the Argon Ring to the Hero. He then asks if you want him to tell the story again. Answer Yes if you want him to, or respond with No if you do not need him to retell. If you walk up to the chest, Chen Mui will again ask if you want him to tell you the story of the Hero's parents. I equip the Argon Ring onto the Hero. It increases both Attack and Agility by 20 points. With a recap, the Hero's father was a Prince at Argonia. This makes Eltrio the brother of Clavius, and the Hero Clavius's nephew. This also means that Charmles is the Hero's cousin! Ack! That is why Clavius had a double-take the first time he sees the Hero; he looks like his father. This also makes the Hero a Prince of Argonia. Medea is scheduled to marry the Prince of Argonia. Hmmm.. If you go back to Eltrio's grave, Chen Mui will say that both he and the Hero's mother are buried at that grave; the one for Xia at the Heavenly Dais is empty. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================/ | (II-O5) The True Ending | | My level: 39 | /=========================/ If you want to see the true ending to the game, save, then fly to the archway west of Empycchu to fight Rhapthorne and beat him again. Use the same strategies that were used the first time. The ending starts the same, up until after Charmles shows up. Angelo says you have the Argon Ring and should show it to King Clavius. The Hero will pull out the Argon Ring with a determined look. You should be in the Lord High Priest's house. Go into the room where you fought Evil Sir Leopold, and Clavius will be standing on the balcony. Go out to the balcony and speak to the Hero's uncle. Clavius will be glad to see you, then the game asks if you want to show the Argon Ring to him. Respond with Yes. Clavius will ask how you got the ring, and the Hero will tell Clavius the story. He will understand, but says that a new heir to the throne would cause turmoil right now. Clavius will not recognize your claim to the throne. Leave the balcony and the Lord High Priest's house. The next morning, make your way into the cathedral again. Instead of a guard having to tell Clavius that the princess has ran away, Clavius gets up and tells the guards to wait. He says the Hero has a right to be at the ceremony and that he is the rightful groom. Charmles runs up to his father, demanding an explanation. Clavius pulls out the Argon Ring, telling his son that it belonged to Charmles's deceased uncle, the Hero's father. Charmles takes the news rather well. Clavius then states to the audience that the Hero and Medea are to be married. Charmles starts stomping his feet, angry that she is supposed to marry him. The chancellor of Argonia (whom is rescued from the Trolls' Maze either way) stands up and says that the bride is about to arrive. Clavius holds Charmles back, now having temper tantrum. Medea walks down the aisle with her father, and is shocked to see the Hero waiting at the altar instead. Yangus, Jessica, and Angelo wait outside with a worried look. The cathedral door opens, and to the surprise of the crowd, the Hero walks out with Medea. The three other party members are ecstatic, and the crowd starts to cheer as the Hero and Medea smooch. The newlyweds run to the carriage, once again steered by Trode. Yangus then tries to yell to the hero, but is stopped by Jessica. He runs forward to wave goodbye. After the credits, the Hero, Medea, and Trode return to Trodain where the residents run out to see the new couple. THE END You can turn the game off now, or if you want to complete the Defeated Monster List or try to fight the true optional boss after the game, press reset and load your save file. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /====================================================/ | (II-P) The Dragovian Trials | /----------------------------------------------------/ | Quick Summary: | | | | 1-Defeat the Lord of the Dragovians in all of his | | forms. | | 2-Turn off the game. | /====================================================/ This section is completely optional, and more or less for completionists or those who want to test their mettle against the hardest boss of the game. If you are stuck at a form, please read the section titled 'Intermission of Metal'. You may much have to level up quite a bit; the average recommended level for the final enemy is around 65. If you are up to the challenge, read on. Getting up to such a high level is for wimps, though. I tend to give Angelo's Sage's Stone to Jessica, that way everyone in the party will have some way to heal. You could also make another Sage's Stone if you want to, which can be helpful but is not necessary. If Jessica and/or Angelo have learned the Staves ability that lets them regenerate some MP while equipped with a Staff (70 skill points in Staff for Jessica, 100 skill points in Staff for Angelo), try to have a staff equipped (I'd go with the Rune Staff) to keep their MP high so you don't have to rely too much on Elfin Elixir. The Lord of the Dragovians has eight forms. If you beat them all, you can get new items, rewards, and bragging rights (or something). Some forms aren't too tough, others may require higher levels/stats and smart fighting. A little luck doesn't hurt, either. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===========================/ | (II-P1) Vermillion Dragon | | My level: 39 | /===========================/ You should be able to beat a few forms of the Lord of the Dragovians right off. You can beat all of them without fighting around, as I have done a few times at level 41. But if you want an easier time, level up some if you get stuck. Warp to the Dragovian Sanctuary and enter the Heavenly Dais. Reach the Lord of the Dragovians by taking the up+left path on Level 1, following it all the way to Level 2. Use whatever you want on the way; he will restore your HP and MP before you fight him. On Level 2, face northwest, then climb up the stairs straight ahead. Turn left and go up the stairs, then take the first staircase on your right. Just follow the path the rest of the way to the Lord of the Dragovians, and speak to him. Still in his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will ask you if you wish to challenge him. Reply with Yes, and he will restore the party's HP and MP. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================================================/ | | | Battle Actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), builds Tension, | | tries to paralyze all party members (only affects the | | hero) with Dragovian Seal, | | crouching thrust attack on a party member, | | launches a Thin Air attack, | | damages all party members when he calls forth bolts from | | the blue, meditates to heal 500HP, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice | /==========================================================================/ The humanoid form of the Lord of the Dragovians can be tough at low levels, but you will become very familiar with it if you are trying to beat each of his forms. During the first round, he will almost always use his Dragovian Seal attack. It should not affect anyone but the Hero, and almost always works on him (what with him being half human-half dragon..person). One way that you can still get a hit in with the Hero is to equip a spear and have him use Mercurial Thrust. It won't do that much damage, but it is damage nonetheless and favorable over no damage at all. You can also bring in a Monster Team instead, but that may give him time to power his attacks up when the party comes back. Tingle will not cure the paralysis; you have to wait for it to wear off. Build up your Defence and don't worry about casting Insulatle or Magic Barrier during the fight. Cast Acceleratle instead to have a better chance of going before he does. Re-cast it after the Lord of the Dragovians becomes 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. Watch out for his Hellish Thunder, it can do over 200 damage to every party member. Cast Multiheal with Tension if you can when in a pinch. If the Lord of the Dragovians builds up 20 or 50 Tension, you may want to have Angelo use Sarcastic Snigger if you have it/want to. I still only have one Timbrel of Tension, so an easy way to try to beat him fast is to build up Tension with Jessica and the Hero, have Yangus use the Sage's Stone, and keep Angelo beating on that Timbrel of Tension. If Jessica and the Hero hit the Lord of the Dragovians with a few +50 or +100 Tension attacks, he should be defeated. At higher levels you can beat him in 3 rounds. Because he can be 'enveloped in a wave of ice', the fight may drag on for a bit. Just rebuild your Defence and whittle him down. Defence-lowering spells/skills do work on this guy, and can be pretty helpful. An alternate method of HP preservation is to call in a Monster Team when he is almost defeated. Allowing a Monster Team to finish him off will let the party have full HP for the next form. The Lord of the Dragovians has about 3,000 HP (I beat him at 3,091). Beating the Lord of the Dragovians nets the party 0 experience points and 0 gold. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- Don't relax yet, because the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), belches Scorching Flames at the party, | | lets out an intimidating scream, | | uses Gigaflash to damage all party members and try to | | inflict Dazzle | /==========================================================================/ The first of his many transformations, the Vermillion Dragon is pretty similar to the form you fought the first time. Use the same strategies against it. One new attack from this form is the always wonderful Gigaflash attack that Sea Dragons used. If (more of when) the party gets blinded by this, spells such as Kafrizzle will work as a replacement for Jessica. If Jessica or Angelo casts Bounce, Gigaflash can miss them and actually blind the boss! Thanks to Madrox for this tip. The Hero's Multithrust or Dragon Slash abilities or Jessica's Twin Dragon Lash is probably the way to go physically, but you can also cast the Zap spell (or Kazap if he has it) if the Hero has it when he is blinded. Jessica's Kafrizzle spell is a good attack if she is blinded. Another option is to bring in your Monster Team(s). Remember that if Jessica is level 38 or higher and has 100 points in Staves, she gets the Kazing spell. Defence-lowering spells/skills do work on this guy. The Vermillion Dragon has about 5,000 HP (I beat him at 5,036). Beating the Vermillion Dragon nets the party 13,500 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Vermillion Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you a list of six prizes/wishes. Here is what they are and do: Strengthen the Alchemy Pot. Choosing this changes the Alchemy Pot into the Super Alchemy Pot. Mixes will finish instantly, allowing you to quickly refine any items. ------------------------- Receive a Legendary Team Monster. Choosing this will reveal the last recruitable monster in the game. South of Trodain by the lake, a visible Metal King Slime by the name of Hev can be recruited. ------------------------- Receive a Dragovian Sword. Choosing this will give give the party the Dragovian Sword, one of the strongest swords in the game. You can put this into the Alchemy Pot along with a Liquid Metal Sword to create the strongest sword in the game, the Dragovian King Sword. Only the Hero can equip the Dragovian Sword and the Dragovian King Sword. ------------------------- Receive some Dragovian Armour. Choosing this will give the party the Dragovian Armour, one of the strongest suits of armour in the game for the Hero. The Hero's appearance will change if the Dragovian Armour and Dragovian Helmet are equipped at the same time. ------------------------- Receive a Dragovian Shield. Choosing this will give the party the Dragovian Shield, the strongest shield in the game for the Hero. ------------------------- Receive a Dragovian Helm. Choosing this will give the party the Dragovian Helm, the strongest helmet in the game for the Hero. The Hero's appearance will change if the Dragovian Armour and Dragovian Helm are equipped at the same time. ------------------------- You can only choose one wish at a time. In order to choose another, you have to come back and defeat the Lord of the Dragovians' humanoid form and a different dragon form. I usually choose to upgrade the Alchemy Pot first, so I can upgrade items in a snap (such as a second Timbrel of Tension). If you want to wait on that, the Dragovian Armour is a good choice, or the Dragovian Shield. If/when you choose to get the Dragovian Shield, I would recommend giving the Metal King Shield to Yangus. After you select what you want, the Lord of the Dragovians will ask you to confirm your choice, then warp you back to the Dragovian Sanctuary and await your return. Since I chose to upgrade the Alchemy Pot, I quickly create the following mixes: Razor Wing Boomerang + Metal King Spear = Metal Wing Boomerang Replaces the Flametang Boomerang. Skull Helm + Saint's Ashes = Sun Crown Sun Crown + Magic Beast Hide + Tough Guy Tattoo = Timbrel of Tension Put this in Yangus's inventory. If you didn't make a Phantom Mask earlier, the mix for it is: Iron Headgear + Dark Robe = Phantom Mask Stronger helmet for Angelo to equip during fights with the Lord of the Dragovians. Helps him evade attacks more often as well. Thanatos' Shield + Saint's Ashes = Goddess Shield Saintess Shield or Goddess Shield? I believe that this is a better shield for Jessica than the Saintess Shield. People tend to rely on what the in-game description says, which in-battle seems to say otherwise. For the Saintess Shield, the game says 'A holy shield that reduces the damage from fire- and ice-based attacks by 2/3'. For the Goddess Shield, the game says 'A holy shield that reduces damage from fire- and ice-based spells by up to half'. A 2/3 reduction sounds better than "up to half", but through having both shields equipped, here is what I found: Type of attack | Saintess Shield equipped | Goddess Shield equipped -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Belial's Blazing Fire | 50 damage | 33 damage (no Insulatle) | | -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Belial's Kaboom spell | | with 5 Tension | 133 damage | 73 damage (no Magic Barrier) | | -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Invisible Swordsman | 92 damage | 48 damage 'anger of the gods' | | -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Solaris's meteors | 69 damage | 64 damage -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Democrobot's Kazap spell | 166 damage | 162 damage (no Magic Barrier) | | -------------------------|--------------------------|------------------------ Silhouette's Cold Breath | 93 damage | 62 damage (no Insulatle) | | Some damage was similar, but breath and other attacks are quite a bit lower with the Goddess Shield than the Saintess Shield. I go with the Goddess Shield. The next form of the Lord of the Dragovians, the Emerald Dragon, uses some annoying breath attacks. It can Envenomate the party with a Venomous Mist. It can put party members to sleep with Sweet Breath. It can try to paralyze the party with Burning Breath. If you chose to upgrade the Alchemy Pot, you can quickly make some items to counter these, but you can only choose between protection against poisoned, or protection against being put to sleep and paralysis. If you want protection against being poisoned, you can mix a Ring of Immunity by putting a Gold Ring and a Poison Needle inside the Alchemy Pot. You can buy Gold Rings at the moved Argonia bazaar. Poison Needles are sold at Baccarat's weapon shop. If you want protection against being paralyzed and put to sleep instead, you can mix a Catholicon Ring by putting a Full Moon Ring, a Ring of Immunity, and a Ring of Truth into the Alchemy Pot. Without the Super Alchemy Pot, the Catholicon Ring will take awhile to make if you choose that. To make a Full Moon Ring, put a Gold Ring and a Poison Moth Knife into the Alchemy Pot. Gold Rings can be purchased at the moved Argonia bazaar, and you can buy a Poison Moth Knife at Pickham's weapon shop. To make a Ring of Immunity, put a Gold Ring and a Poison Needle into the Alchemy Pot. Gold Rings are bought at the moved Argonia bazaar. Poison Needles can be purchased at Baccarat's weapon shop. To make a Ring of Truth, put a Gold Ring and a Sandstorm Spear into the Alchemy Pot. Gold Rings are buyable at the moved Argonia bazaar. To make a Sandstorm Spear, buy a Partisan at Argonia's regular weapon shop. Buy Saint's Ashes at the Dragovian Sanctuary's item shop, then put them into the Alchemy Pot. You may still have the Ring of Truth you found at the Godbird's Eyrie in the Dark World. As you can see, without the Super Alchemy Pot, the Catholicon Ring will take quite awhile to finish, and that's for one of the four you should make. I personally find Envenomated to be more detrimental (have to cure the poison, then heal) than Asleep and Paralysis (neither seem to work that well against me, and both can be cured with the same spell, Tingle). Make whichever ring you would rather have, then put them into the bag, stay at an inn, save your game, and go back to the Lord of the Dragovians at the Heavenly Dais. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /========================/ | (II-P2) Emerald Dragon | | My level: 40 | /========================/ Back at the Lord of the Dragovians, remember to equip whatever ring you made (or if you didn't make any, then you can't really equip them), then speak to him again. You will have to fight his human form again (and every time). You should know what to do on him (if not, look back to the previous section). After you beat his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /===========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), tries to paralyze the party with Burning Breath, | | spews Sweet Breath to try to put party members to sleep, | | tries to make all party members lose their turn and | | damages them when he roars ferociously, | | tries to Envenomate the party with a Venomous Mist | /===========================================================================/ As always, build up your Defence. Casting Acceleratle is also recommended. Don't waste your time casting Insulatle or Magic Barrier. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for over 500 damage when it makes a desperate attack. If anyone gets put to sleep or paralyzed, have the Hero or Angelo cast Tingle immediately. If anyone in the party gets Envenomated, cure that immediately as well. A new attack used by this dragon is 'ferocious roar'. Not only does it perform the usual annoyance of making party members lose their turn, it also hits them for about 150 damage each. Increased Defence does not lower the damage. If you made the second Timbrel of Tension, you can quickly build Tension to him very hard. Use them both the same round with discretion, or if the Hero has learned the Omniheal spell, have him cast that as a backup (he *just* learned it for me). Use strong physical attacks such as Twin Dragon Lash for Jessica and either Multithrust or Dragon Slash for the Hero. Defence-lowering spells/skills work on this guy, but he has low base Defence to start with. The Emerald Dragon has about 8,675-8,800 HP (I beat him at 8,836, doing 163 on the last hit). In the Japanese version of the game, it had about, it had about 8,250-8,450 HP. Beating the Emerald Dragon nets the party 14,800 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Emerald Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you the list of the five remaining prizes/wishes. I usually choose 'Receive a Dragovian Shield' at this time. Equip it onto the Hero and give the Metal King Shield to Yangus. Re-equip whatever accessory you had equipped to each character, stay at an inn, save your game, and go back to the Lord of the Dragovians at the Heavenly Dais. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-P3) Silver Dragon | | My level: 40 | /=======================/ Back at the Lord of the Dragovians, speak to him again. You will have to fight his human form again (and every time). You should know what to do on him by now. A nice way to beat him fast without using up a lot of MP, round by round would be: Round 1: Jessica casts Oomph on herself or builds Tension, Hero uses Mercurial Thrust, Yangus and Angelo use the Timbrel of Tension. Round 2: Jessica uses Twin Dragon Lash, Yangus uses Helm Splitter, Angelo use the Timbrel of Tension. Round 3: Jessica builds Tension, Yangus and Angelo use the Timbrel of Tension (Angelo can cast Multiheal if HP are low). Round 4: Jessica uses Twin Dragon Lash, Yangus uses the Timbrel of Tension, Angelo casts Multiheal (if cast on round 3, use Timbrel of Tension). If things work out, Jessica should hit the Lord of the Dragovians twice with +50 Tension and do about 1200-1500 damage each time. Yangus should do about 450 damage with a +50 Tension Helm Splitter, beating him after Angelo restores everyone's HP with a +50 Tension casting of the Multiheal spell. After you beat his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. You can summon a Monster Team the first round to avoid the Dragovian Seal, but you may wind up giving the Lord of the Dragovians a chance to really power up via Tension or his 'calls forth bolts from the blue' attack. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), | | eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, | | body shakes as he spews a F-f-frightfully C-c-cold | | Breath, casts Fizzle, meditates to heal 500HP, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice | /==========================================================================/ As always, build up your Defence. Casting Acceleratle is also recommended. Don't waste your time casting Magic Barrier, but keep Insulatle cast at all times. This dragon's ice breath attack is very, very damaging. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for over 500 damage when it makes a desperate attack. For an added Defence boost, if Angelo uses the Timbrel of Tension before Yangus's turn, Yangus can cast the Kabuff spell instead of using a Rune Staff. Cast Tingle immediately if a party member is put to sleep. Fizzle will wear off eventually, and this can be pretty deadly if Jessica or Angelo are silenced and cast their spells. If the Silver Dragon is 'enveloped in a wave of ice', have Jessica re-cast Insulatle then Acceleratle while the other party members build up Defence again while healing. This dragon does the meditation technique to restore 500HP, so you will want to try to damage him at a quick pace. Defence-lowering spells/skills can work on this guy. It may take a few tries, but one use of Helm Splitter took away 209 Defence. If you keep this form's Defence low, you will rip through it quickly. The Silver Dragon has about 5,050 HP (I beat him at 5,087, doing 82 on the last hit). In the Japanese version of the game, it had about 4,700 HP. Beating the Silver Dragon nets the party 15,900 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Silver Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you the list of the four remaining prizes/wishes. I usually choose 'Receive some Dragovian Armour' at this time. Equip it onto the Hero, and put whatever armour he had (Liquid Metal Armour for me) into the bag. If you really want to, you can mix the Liquid Metal Armour into some Metal King Armour (Liquid Metal Armour + Orichalcum + Slime Crown) for Yangus, but Gigant Armour gets me through the Dragovian Trials anyway, so it isn't necessary. Stay at an inn, save your game, and go back to the Lord of the Dragovians at the Heavenly Dais. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-P4) Golden Dragon | | My level: 41 | /=======================/ From this point on, you may want to put Yangus at the front of the party. I usually go with Yangus/Hero/Jessica/Angelo. Yangus has a few more HP than Jessica, so any time a character can survive a hit is better than a death. Back at the Lord of the Dragovians, speak to him again. You will have to fight his human form again (and every time). You should know what to do on him by now. After you beat his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have up to 3 turns per round), | | casts Kaboom, casts Kasizzle, | | emits a strange glow that makes party members more | | vulnerable to spells, builds Tension (sometimes | | instantly gets to Super High Tension), | | uses Gigaflash to damage all party members and try to | | inflict Dazzle | /=======================================================================/ As always, build up your Defence. Casting Acceleratle is also recommended. Don't waste your time casting Insulatle, but at the start of the fight you will probably want to cast Magic Barrier. Defence-lowering spells/skills have trouble working on this guy, or don't work at all. Which is a shame, because it has a lot of Defence. Because of this, casting spells is preferable to attacks. For comparison, the Hero used Dragon Slash for 190 damage at +50 Tension while Jessica cast Kafrizzle for 401 damage at +50 Tension. Get Jessica to +50 or +100 Tension as fast as you can to make the fight shorter. Having the Hero cast Zap or Kazap if you have it (I do not yet have the spell; probably at the next level up) are also good ideas. The Golden Dragon uses Gigaflash, so spells will pretty much be the way to go. You can also try to get him to use Gigaflash when Bounce is cast on either Jessica or Angelo. At first, this boss seems really easy when it just casts spells over and over. Then it starts to build Tension. And more. Spells shouldn't be too bad with higher Tension (make sure you have Magic Barrier still on), but an attack with built-up Tension is bad. Angelo can try to use Sarcastic Snigger, but as always, it does not always work how it should. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for over 500 damage when it makes a desperate attack. For an added Defence boost, if Angelo uses the Timbrel of Tension before Yangus's turn, Yangus can cast the Kabuff spell instead of using a Rune Staff. Cast Tingle immediately if a party member is put to sleep or paralyzed. Remember that the Hero can cast Fullheal or Omniheal and those spells do not use Tension. The Golden Dragon does not become 'enveloped in a wave of ice', so as long as the party stays alive, managing the fight will be easier. The Golden Dragon has about 5,500 HP (I beat him at 5,577, doing 160 on the last hit. In the Japanese version of the game, it had about, it had about 5,000 HP. Beating the Golden Dragon nets the party 16,350 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Golden Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you the list of the three remaining prizes/wishes. I usually choose 'Receive a Dragovian Helm' at this time. Equip it onto the Hero and put whatever helmet he had (Mercury's Bandana for me) into the bag. With the Dragovian Armour and Dragovian Helm equipped, the Hero's appearance will change. His red suit of armour and helmet look somewhat similar to a samurai outfit (think of the red samurai in Final Fantasy Tactics), but a bit different. That's the best way I can describe it, other than it looks much cooler than the Hero's usual garb. Stay at an inn, save your game, and prepare to level up a little if the next form gives you serious trouble. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /===============================/ | (II-P5) Intermission of Metal | | My level: 41 | /===============================/ The next form the Lord of the Dragovians takes is the Darksteel Dragon. I didn't know about the Super High Tension strategy until after I reached level 45 and tried fighting, and I totally forgot about using Executioner, so you can beat the Darksteel Dragon without going around to level up. If you can't get past this form, now is a good time to fight around and work on the Defeated Monster List if you are trying to complete it. Afterward, you should level up a bit for a couple levels. The best way to level up is by fighting Liquid Metal Slimes and Metal King Slimes. There are a couple of places you can go to fight them. The best places pretty much are: Dragon Graveyard B1-Metal King Slimes only Howlwind Hill day/night-Metal King Slimes and Liquid Metal Slimes Dragovian Path B4-Metal King Slimes only Heavenly Dais Level 2-Metal King Slimes only I choose to go to Howlwind Hill (the flying spot north of Rydon's Tower), because the fights that aren't Metal King Slimes/Liquid Metal Slimes are easy to win and escape from. Plus, you can fight Metal Slimes there as well, and they are easy experience to break the monotony of fighting the stronger metals over and over. Nighttime seems to be better than during the day to bump into metals here, but that may just be my game. Please note that Liquid Metal Slime and Metal King Slimes will *not* appear at Howlwind Hill unless you have fought at least one of each. Killing one does not matter. The last time I played the game, I never fought a Liquid Metal Slime, and they would not appear at Howlwind Hill. This seems to be confirmed by a poster at gamefaqs that ran into the same problem. There are several strategies that people use while fighting Metal King Slimes/Liquid Metal Slimes. Most of them seem to depend on two attacks, and only those two, specifically the Hero's Lightning Thrust for spears and Yangus's Executioner. Jessica casts Acceleratle the first round, then does nothing more. Angelo doesn't seem to matter at all, twiddling his thumbs during the battle. While this strategy is nice, I'm not a real fan of depending on the all-or-nothing feeling from just using Lightning Thrust and Executioner over and over. The attacks may work and you can reap in the experience, or you may miss constantly and the enemies run away and you have nothing to show for it. Lightning Thrust seems to have a much lower success rate than Executioner in my game, so I don't learn it. I use a more team-oriented strategy, which works against the two Metal King Slimes fight as well as one Metal King Slime and six Liquid Metal Slimes. With this strategy, I have a very high chance of killing at least one Metal King Slime on the second round if there are two present. In the Metal King Slime + 6 Liquid Metal Slimes scenario, the Metal King Slime is killed on the second round, or if it runs away, at least two Liquid Metal Slimes are killed on the second round instead. Go with whichever strategy works better for you. I go with my team-oriented one instead. Go to the area you prefer to fight around at, then use either strategy. The full explanation for my strategy is as follows: Equip the Falcon Blade onto the Hero and the Argon Ring Equip the Conquerer's Axe onto Yangus and equip him with an Agility Ring Equip Yangus's Meteorite Bracer onto Jessica and give her Yangus's Timbrel of Tension Equip the Falcon Blade onto Angelo, and make sure he has a Meteorite Bracer equipped and a Timbrel of Tension The battle roles are pretty simple, and they give me nice results. One/Two Metal King Slimes Round 1: Hero builds Tension, Yangus uses Executioner, Jessica casts Acceleratle, Angelo uses the Timbrel of Tension If Executioner kills one Metal King Slime, then great. If not, have him target a different Metal King Slime than the Hero and Angelo target the next round if there are still two Metal King Slimes present. Round 2: Hero uses Metal Slash, Yangus uses Executioner on the other Metal King Slime (if applicable), Jessica uses the Timbrel of Tension, Angelo uses Metal Slash. Hopefully the way it works out is that Angelo uses his Timbrel of Tension before Jessica casts Acceleratle (so more speed is gained). On round 2, Jessica (hopefully) uses the Timbrel of Tension first, so the Hero attacks with +50 Tension, and Angelo attacks with +20. The combination of the Hero and Angelo's attacks will kill a Metal King Slime almost every time. Two +20 Tension attacks may, but not always. ------------------------- One Metal King Slime + Six Liquid Metal Slimes The strategy is the same, except if the Metal King Slime was not killed by Yangus on the first round, have the Hero, Yangus, and Angelo focus their attacks on it the second round. If it runs away or is killed by Yangus, then the Hero and Angelo should both kill a Liquid Metal Slime each with their +50 and +20 Tension Metal Slash attacks. Each round afterward, have the Hero and Angelo use Metal Slash on the same Liquid Metal Slime while Yangus uses Executioner on a different one and Jessica uses the Timbrel of Tension each round. I have killed the Metal King Slime and 5 of the 6 Liquid Metal Slimes in 3 rounds this way. ------------------------- 2-7 Liquid Metal Slimes Use the same strategy as above. A +50 Tension Metal Slash when using a Falcon Blade can kill them outright, or a combination of +20 and +5 can kill one. Metal Slimes can be easily killed by the Hero and Angelo using Metal Slash while equipped with a Falcon Blade. Have Jessica use the Timbrel of Tension so the two Metal Slashers can kill a Metal Slime each. After you reach about level 45 for the Hero, give the Lord of the Dragovians another try if you can't seem to do it at lower levels. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /==========================/ | (II-P6) Darksteel Dragon | | My level: 42 | /==========================/ From this point on, you may want to put Yangus at the front of the party. I usually go with Yangus/Hero/Jessica/Angelo. Yangus has a few more HP than Jessica, so any time a character can survive a hit is better than a death. You may want to have some Elfin Elixir and Yggdrasil Dew in some personal inventories and an Yggdrasil Leaf or two in the Hero's and Yangus's inventory. You also may want to give Angelo's Sage's Stone to Jessica to use, if you haven't been doing so already. If you are planning on having Yangus use Executioner, give his Timbrel of Tension to Jessica for this battle. Back at the Lord of the Dragovians, speak to him again. You will have to fight his human form again (and every time). You should know what to do on him by now. After you beat his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 3 turns per round), casts Kasizzle, | | attempts to inflict Dazzle on all party members | | when his entire body flashes brightly, | | eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, | | chants ominously and meteors shower from the sky | /=======================================================================/ As always, build up your Defence. Casting Acceleratle is also recommended. Don't waste your time casting neither Insulatle nor Magic Barrier. This form rarely casts the Kasizzle spell, and can only cast it a few times before running out of MP (but still can sometimes use up a turn trying to cast it). The Darksteel Dragon is deadly because it mainly only attacks over and over. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for about 200 damage for normal hits after you have +200 Defence. Keeping HP high is very important. If you can reach (and stay) at Super High Tension for a couple of characters (such as Jessica or Angelo), damage received will be reduced from the bonus of being in Super High Tension. Damage to Yangus from the dragon's attacks went from about 190 to 125. Thankfully, this form doesn't perform desperate attacks. Remember that the Hero can cast Fullheal or Omniheal and those spells do not use Tension. For an added Defence boost at the start of the fight, if Angelo uses the Timbrel of Tension before Yangus's turn, Yangus can cast the Kabuff spell instead of using a Rune Staff. Cast Tingle immediately if a party member is put to sleep. Defence -lowering spells/skills have trouble working on this form, or don't work at all. If Yangus has Executioner or the Hero has Lightning Thrust, this is a prime battle to use them in if you can. Filling up your Monster Teams with monsters that can do desperate attacks is also highly recommended. If he does not have Lightning Thrust, have the Hero use Dragon Slash for this battle. +50 Tension is fine; +100 may actually sometimes do less damage. Cast Oomph on him. Most physical attacks don't work very well unless you are at a higher level, and spells miss him. Use the Hero to heal party members while Yangus and Angelo use the Timbrel of Tension. If Yangus, Jessica, and Angelo stay at Super High Tension, it will be much easier to stay alive. You can use the two Sage's Stones by then to conserve some MP. Have Jessica use the Rune Staff in between recasts of Oomph. The Darksteel Dragon thankfully can not be 'enveloped in a wave of ice', so as long as the party stays alive, managing the fight will be easier. The Darksteel Dragon has about 1,850HP (I beat him at 1,925, doing 37 on the last hit). In the Japanese version of the game, it had about 1,850 HP. Beating the Darksteel Dragon nets the party 18,010 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Darksteel Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you the list of the two remaining prizes/wishes. I usually choose 'Receive a Dragovian Sword' at this time. You can now make the strongest sword in the game if you want to. Putting the Dragovian Sword and the Liquid Metal Sword together into the Alchemy Pot will create the Dragovian King Sword. The Dragovian Sword has +107 Attack, the Liquid Metal Sword has +118 Attack, and the Dragovian King Sword has +137 Attack. I don't even make the Liquid Metal Sword, so I stick with the Dragovian Sword. But if you are a swords freak with the Hero, make it if you wish. Stay at an inn, save your game, then go back to the Lord of the Dragovians. The next form is actually easier than the one you just beat. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================/ | (II-P7) Divine Dragon | | My level: 42 | /=======================/ Back at the Lord of the Dragovians, speak to him again. You will have to fight his human form again (and every time). You should know what to do on him by now. After you beat his humanoid form, the Lord of the Dragovians will immediately change form and attack you. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /==========================================================================/ | | | Battle actions: Attacks (can have 3 turns per round and make a desperate | | attack), | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, | | body shakes as he spews a F-f-frightfully C-c-cold | | Breath, builds Tension, | | violently grabs a party member's head with its claw | /==========================================================================/ As always, build up your Defence. Casting Acceleratle is also recommended. Make *sure* you cast Insulatle, and that it stays on. Breath attacks do more damage with Tension, and the Divine Dragon can wipe the party out with a high-Tension breath. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for about 180 damage for normal hits after you have +200 Defence, and over 500 damage if it does a desperate attack. The head-grabbing attack is stronger than its normal attack. Keeping HP high is very important. You can't use the Super High Tension strategy here, thanks to the Divine Dragon being able to be 'enveloped in a wave of ice'. You can try for the Super High Tension strategy, but this form may not agree with letting you use it. Defence-lowering spells/skills may work on this guy, but I was not able to get them to work. It shouldn't matter too much, though. Remember that the Hero can cast Fullheal or Omniheal and those spells do not use Tension. For an added Defence boost at the start of the fight, if Angelo uses the Timbrel of Tension before Yangus's turn, Yangus can cast the Kabuff spell instead of using a Rune Staff. This form does not put party members to sleep, so that's one less thing to worry about. Have the Hero use Dragon Slash for this battle. Cast Oomph on him. Other characters can also fight; the Divine Dragon does not have an insane amount of Defence. Use the Hero to heal party members while Yangus and Angelo use the Timbrel of Tension, then have the Hero and Jessica attack. The Divine Dragon has about 9,400 HP (I beat him at 9,492, doing 128 on the last hit). In the Japanese version of the game, it had about 8,250 HP. Beating the Divine Dragon nets the party 19,040 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Divine Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will show you the list of the one remaining prize/wish. The final one for me is Receive a Legendary Team Monster. Choosing this will reveal the last recruitable monster in the game. South of Trodain by the lake, you should see a visible Metal King Slime. Fight and beat Hev. Take him along if you want. Stay at an inn, save your game, then go back to the Lord of the Dragovians. There's only one more dragon to go, but it will be a rough trip to confront it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=========================/ | (II-P8) Ultimate Dragon | | My level: 42 | /=========================/ When you are ready, put Yangus in the lead of the party again (or the Hero) and give everyone at least one Elfin Elixir, maybe more. To even reach the final form, you have to fight through the previous seven all in a row, with no break. If it is too tough, then level up to 50 or higher if you need to. The actions of these versions of each dragon are more or less the same. After the name of each form is my guess of the second version's HP, with the actual amount of damage I did when they were beaten. Also included is what they can do this time around. Make sure that you try to end each fight with as close to max HP you can. Lord of the Dragovians (3,000 HP) Battle Actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round), builds Tension, tries to paralyze all party members (only affects the hero) with Dragovian Seal, crouching thrust attack on a party member, launches a Thin Air attack, damages all party members when he calls forth bolts from the blue, meditates to heal 500HP, removes all positive status changes when enveloped in a wave of ice ------------------------- Vermillion Dragon ~2,600 HP (2,616) Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate attack), belches Scorching Flames at the party, lets out an intimidating scream, uses Gigaflash to damage all party members and try to inflict Dazzle ------------------------- Emerald Dragon ~4,700HP (4,704) Battle actions: Attacks (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate attack), tries to paralyze the party with Burning Breath, spews Sweet Breath to try to put party members to sleep, tries to make all party members lose their turn and damages them when he roars ferociously, tries to Envenomate the party with a Venomous Mist ------------------------- Silver Dragon ~2,550HP (2,560) Battle actions: (can have 2 turns per round and make a desperate attack), eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, body shakes as he spews a F-f-frightfully C-c-cold Breath, casts Fizzle, meditates to heal 500HP, removes all positive status changes when enveloped in a wave of ice ------------------------- Golden Dragon ~2,800 HP (2,852) Battle actions: Attacks (can have up to 3 turns per round), casts Kaboom, casts Kasizzle, emits a strange glow that makes party members more vulnerable to spells, builds Tension (sometimes instantly gets to Super High Tension), uses Gigaflash to damage all party members and try to inflict Dazzle ------------------------- Darksteel Dragon ~950 HP (963) Battle actions: Attacks (can have 3 turns per round), casts Kasizzle, attempts to inflict Dazzle on all party members when his entire body flashes brightly, eyes gleam eerily and puts a party member to sleep, chants ominously and meteors shower from the sky ------------------------- Divine Dragon ~4,750 HP (4,783) Battle actions: Attacks (can have 3 turns per round and make a desperate attack), builds Tension, removes all positive status changes when enveloped in a wave of ice, body shakes as he spews a F-f-frightfully C-c-cold Breath, violently grabs a party member's head with its claw ------------------------- After beating the first seven forms again, you can finally fight the giant, pink dragon of death (that looks very much like the Dragon King/Lord from the original Dragon Quest game when he does his 'built Tension' pose)! ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- /=======================================================================/ | | | Battle Actions: Attacks (can have up to 3 turns per round), | | builds Tension, exhales a Cold Breath at the party, | | removes all positive status changes when enveloped | | in a wave of ice, | | releases all magic power at once to damage the party, | | rapidly recovers all magic power, | | lets out an intimidating scream, | | belches Scorching Flames at the party | /=======================================================================/ Don't bother building up Defence in this fight. It seems to be a waste of time at lower levels. Casting Acceleratle is very important. Make *sure* you cast Insulatle, and that it stays on. Breath attacks do more damage with Tension, and the Ultimate Dragon can wipe the party out with a high-Tension breath, even at semi-high levels. Even with Insulatle on, a 50 Tension breath attack can do 250 damage to the party. The game can be pretty mean with this; building up Tension, then starting the next round being 'enveloped in a wave of ice', followed by blasting the party with breath. This version of the Lord of the Dragovians can hit for over 200 damage with normal hits after you have +200 Defence, and over 500 damage if it does a desperate attack. You can't rely on the Super High Tension strategy here, thanks to the Ultimate Dragon being able to be 'enveloped in a wave of ice', which it can do often. Defence-lowering skills like Helm Splitter work on him from time to time, but spells such as Sap do not seem to work on this form. Remember that the Hero can cast Fullheal or Omniheal and those spells do not use Tension. Make sure you keep an eye on his MP so you don't run out at a bad time. This form does not put party members to sleep, so that's one less thing to worry about. Have the Hero use Dragon Slash for this battle. Cast Oomph on him. Other characters can also fight, if everyone is healthy enough. If you have the rare opportunity in that everyone is healthy and has 20 or 50 Tension, have the Hero, Yangus, and Jessica use their strongest attacks. Try to whittle him down if you have to. Sacrifice a Monster Team if the Ultimate Dragon has high Tension and you don't have Insulatle cast. The Ultimate Dragon has about 7,300-7,350 HP (I beat him at 7,350 doing 52 on the last hit). In the Japanese version of the game, it had about 6,100 HP. Beating the Ultimate Dragon nets the party 0 experience points, 0 gold, and a possibly dropped Seed of Skill. ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- ---------------------------------BOSS FIGHT---------------------------------- After you defeat the Ultimate Dragon, the Lord of the Dragovians will congratulate you for defeating all of his forms. You are mightier than he. He will remain here if you want to challenge him again. You get no prize directly from beating his final form, but the Ultimate Dragon is the final monster on the Defeated Monster List. If you have *all* 295 monsters listed (which you can only do if you beat each form of the Lord of the Dragovians), press select. On the Battle Record screen, Trode will note that you have all monsters on the list. Go to the Defeated Monster List, and the casino fanfare music will play, due to the Monster List being complete. You will then receive the Gospel Ring. The Gospel Ring gives a Defence +5 bonus, but the real value of it is that when a party member equips it, there are no random encounters at all. Explore around, or do whatever you want with it. Now you are pretty much done with the game. Fight around, level up, fight the Lord of the Dragovians again, or you could try replaying in various ways for a new challenge. Some examples would be: No Alchemy Pot game: Never use the Alchemy Pot to mix any items. Hero Solo game: Keep the other three characters dead and get through as far as you can. You may be able to beat the game with some careful planning and use of items against Rhapthorne. No Skills game: Equip a certain group of weapons (like Swords for the Hero), while giving skill points to the other weapon skills. Default Equipment game: Never upgrade your equipment. Low-level game: Beat the game under level 35; probably lower to even under 30. Bare-Fists game: This is the hardest of the skillsets to beat the game with, but completely doable. You can also mix and match the above or make up something different for a new challenge. Or..you can turn the game off and move onto something else. That wraps it up for my walkthrough; any updates will more than likely have blanks (rare monster drops) filled in or names I am missing for some things. I hope my guide has helped you play through the game, or get some more enjoyment out of it. If one person buys/plays through the game or has more fun while playing, then this guide's goal has been met. Thanks for reading, have fun in whatever you do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /=======================================/ | (II-Q) Credits/Thanks/Version History | /=======================================/ I did not make this guide alone, several people have given me a hand with various aspects of the game, and without them this guide would not have turned out as good as it could be. Many thanks to: Yuji Horii/Armor Project, Koichi Sugiyama, Akira Toriyama/Bird Studio, Level 5, and Square-Enix staff for making such a wondrous game to play. Whoever it is that runs 'Dragon Quest 8 Crystal Complete' (http://naoretta.s9.xrea.com/dq8.html) for the original Alchemy Pot list, and a couple of place names that I could not find. Whoever it is that runs http://gamekouryaku.com. Some new, quirky, alternate mixes for some items were there, as well as a name for the 'Troll Maze'. Kennethe Lee for providing info/locations on some scoutable monsters I did not know about. Storm Lord for his input and the link to http://gamekouryaku.com, which finally led me to figure out where the last Mini Medal (#100) was. Madrox for the tip about Gigaflash. Whoever it was at Gamefaqs that made a post talking about the 'Troll Maze' months ago. I wish I had kept that post when I saw it to ask and thank the person who supplied that information. Charles Martin for the tip about getting Highly-Strung Cheese from the guy living above the Waterfall Cave. Adam G. (HugDaddy) for info about the Lady's Ring/Seed of Wisdom, some of the items that the woman at the wharf in Port Prospect can sell, and about missing items from the Black Citadel showing up at Neos afterward. The user 'mint' at Gaming-Age Forums for moral support, urging me on to finish up writing my "retarded FAQ for a retarded game". ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- /------------------------------Version History------------------------------/ | | | Final Version 01/27/06-Finished to the best of my ability. | | | /------------------------------Version History------------------------------/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- That's it for now, unless I get enough emails about anything else or any additions/changes. Thank you for reading my FAQ and email with any questions (akaiscarlet_at_hotmail.com, or mockballqueen_at_hotmail.com) or if you just want to talk to someone about any of the Dragon Quest games, or any other games I have written FAQ's for. Copyright 2004, 2005, 2006 Red Scarlet.