Skies of Arcadia Legends
Character Guide
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I. Copyrights and such
II. Purpose
III. The Characters
i. Vyse
ii. Aika
iii. Fina
iv. Drachma
v. Enrique
vi. Gilder
IV. Closing
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I. Copyrights and such
Skies of Arcadia and all related stuff is copyright Overworks and Sega.
Gamecube is copyright Nintendo.
This guide is copyright me, Alex Jacobs, AKA The_Ziddy, 2008.
http://www.gamefaqs.com is the ONLY website authorized (at present) to post
this guide. I really don't have any intention of posting it anywhere else,
sorry. It's not as though it's a really life-altering document or anything...
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II. Purpose
Hello everyone! This is my first guide, so hopefully you, the reader, will
find this helpful. The purpose of this guide is to explain the playable
characters of Skies of Arcadia: Legends, their strengths, drawbacks, and so
forth. This information will be as spoiler-free as I can POSSIBLY make it.
Also, in making this guide I assumed some previous knowledge of at least
the basics of the game (Spirit Points, Moonberries, etc.) if you want to know
what those are, fetch a manual or something. This guide isn't about that.
However, if you don't want to be "spoiled" with such things as the names of
Super Moves, perhaps GameFAQs isn't exactly the place for you. With no further
ado, on to the meat of the guide!
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III. The Characters-
key: rated 1-5 stars- 5 being optimal- 1 being terrible
Note: A dash "-" denotes a half star.
HP: Duh. More hit points means more damage that can be absorbed safely.
POWER: What you'd expect, the stat that powers regular attacks.
VIGOR: Though the name may be unfamiliar, this is just a physical defense.
WILL: Like power, but for magic.
M. DEF.: Like Vigor, but for magic.
QUICK: The higher this stat is, generally the quicker a character will act,
although sometimes things go a little weird.
AGILE: This affects chance to dodge attacks.
SPIRIT: The more spirit a character has, the more he/she charges the shared
Spirit Point bar.
i.Vyse
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HP: ****_
POWER: ****-
VIGOR: ****_
WILL: **___
M. DEF.:**-__
QUICK: ***-_
AGILE: ***__
SPIRIT: *****
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As one might guess from his stats, Vyse is your average swashbuckling hero.
He excells at physical attacks, while his magic stats leave something to be
desired. His attack stat is not exactly the highest, but his weapons are
frequently quite powerful. His spirit is the best you'll find in the game,
though you'll want him to be attacking rather than charging in most instances.
SUPER MOVES FOR VYSE: (in order unlocked):
CUTLASS FURY- *automatically unlocked*- 7 SP
A basic attack, this is just a more powerful normal attack.
MY RATING: ***-_
Due to its low cost, I find myself returning to it time and again, as
it doles out nice, cheap damage.
COUNTERSTRIKE- 1 Moonberry- 1 SP
Vyse will defend, and automatically counterattack any physical attacks dealt
to him. This move always happens at the top of the round.
MY RATING: *____
Useful in a few fights... Maybe.
RAIN OF SWORDS: 2 Moonberries- 14 SP
Vyse leaps into the sky and calls down lightning on all enemies. Physical.
This can easily take out most random battle enemies.
MY RATING: *****
This is basically an attack-everyone Cutlass Fury. Thus, I like it!
SKULL SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 5 SP
Vyse protects the whole party from attacks. If anyone gets attacked, they
take NO damage and will automatically counterattack. This move always happens
at the start of the round.
MY RATING: ****_
In my opinion, Vyse is needed for offense, but this combined with Aika's Delta
Shield makes for a nigh-invincible turtling technique.
PIRATE'S WRATH- 4 Moonberries- 21 SP
Vyse slams an enemy with extreme damage.
MY RATING: *****
There's no way around it. This is the most damaging attack there is. The
spirit cost is so, so worth it. Trust me on this one.
FINAL CHARATER RATING-OUT OF 10 STARS: **********
The best character. Hands down.
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ii. Aika
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HP: ***__
POWER: **___
VIGOR: **-__
WILL: ****_
M. DEF.:****_
QUICK: *****
AGILE: ****_
SPIRIT: **___
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Aika is just about Vyse's opposite. Preferring to stick to magic, Aika is a
powerful ally when faced when many enemies at once. However, since in my
opinion magic is not all that powerful in Skies of Arcadia: Legends, she is
relegated to support. Also very quick, she'll usually be the first hero to
act. A note on Aika's Super Moves: all of them are considered to be magic, so
no, you can't use them to knock down those pesky Loopers.
SUPER MOVES:
Alpha Storm- 1 Moonberry- 4 SP
Aika summons a cyclone-thing that attacks things in a straight line.
MY RATING: **___
This is very useful in the beginning of the game to wipe out weak monsters
quickly, but is quickly abandoned.
DELTA SHIELD: 1 Moonberry- 2 SP
Aika makes all party members immune to all magic for one round. Please note,
this means ALL magic, including healing spells. However, items will work just
fine, making this limitation more or less moot. This move always happens at
the start of the round.
MY RATING: *****
Without this move, I would hate Aika so very much. Nullifying magic is very
useful in boss fights where a single casting can instantly kill the entire
party. Combine this with Vyse's Skull Shield for a nigh-invincible defense.
LAMBDA BURST: 2 Moonberries- 8 SP
Aika burns all enemies on the screen for decent damage.
MY RATING: ***__
FINALLY. No line of sight limitation. Great for clearing large groups of
weaklings. Replaced, eventually.
EPSILON SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 10 SP
Aika recovers 10 MP.
MY RATING: *____
As I've previously stated, magic is not all that useful in SOA, so I never
use this move. I'm sure magic junkies love it, though.
OMEGA PSYCLONE: (yes, it is spelled like that) 3 Moonberries- 12 SP
Aika summons an inferno to blast all enemies for good damage.
MY RATING: ****_
Great for random battles, but otherwise, not all that useful.
FINAL CHARACTER RATING: *******___
Being fast means a good item user; also Delta Shield will save you many, many
times. It's ironic that enemy magic users are quite powerful, whereas your
magic capabilities aren't that great in comparison...
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iii. Fina
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HP: *____
POWER: *____
VIGOR: *-___
WILL: *****
M. DEF.:*****
QUICK: ***-_
AGILE: *****
VIGOR: *____
SPIRIT: ***__
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I like to think of Fina as the classic healer- frail, but if protected,
incredibly useful when the damage comes heavy and fast. She can get KO'ed
so easily it's not even funny- she needs all your +vigor and +HP items.
Indulge her. Her weapon, Cupil, can get quite powerful, but since her power
stat is an utter joke, it's best to have her just do support. She also has
a GODLY chance to dodge, helping with her low vigor.
SUPER MOVES:
LUNAR BLESSING: 1 Moonberry- 12 SP
Fina gives a blessing to all allies, granting them a regenerative effect each
round (around 300 HP/turn I think). This lasts for the entire fight. This
S. Move always happens at the top of the round.
MY RATING: **___
Though it's a tad expensive, this can help out in boss fights where the enemy
hits very, very hard.
LUNAR GLYPH: 1 Moonberry- 3 SP
Fina calls down some kind of moon thing and does minor damage to one enemy
and has a small chance of inflicting Stoned status upon them.
MY RATING: _____
Hmm... Let's see. Should I spend 3 SP to have Fina do less damage with a Super
Move than just about anyone would do with a free of charge, normal attack?
LUNAR WINDS: 2 Moonberries- 6 SP
Fina does minor damage to all enemies and removes all beneficial effects on
them. I believe this move happens at the top of the round.
MY RATING: **___
Limited usefulness, but oh man, it feels nice. Not so tough without your
Increms and Quikas now are you, weaklings?
LUNAR CLEANSING: 2 Moonberries- 6 SP
Fina removes all negative status effect from allies. This will not, however,
revive anyone. A letdown, I know. This move happens at the top of the
round.
MY RATING: **___
Again, a little too specific, but it can help in a pinch.
LUNAR LIGHT: 4 Moonberries- 16 SP
Fina removes all negative effects, revives, and completely heals all allies.
In that order. And oh yeah. IT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IN A
ROUND!
MY RATING: ****-
Misses a perfect score only because it's a little pricey. Quite honestly, this
move is the cheapest thing in any video game ever. Oh no, only the healer's
alive? SHAZAM! NOT ANYMORE!
FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ******____
Very frail, but her Super Moves can be your team's salvation when they're on
their knees. Curse at her penchant for dying- a lot- all you want, but she is
a good character if you can get beyond that.
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iv. Drachma
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HP: *****
POWER: *****
VIGOR: *****
WILL: *____
M. DEF.:**___
QUICK: *____
AGILE: *____
SPIRIT: ***__
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A glance at his stats is slightly deceptive- his weapons lack the power of
Vyse's, so he winds up playing second fiddle in damage. However, no one can
match his sheer resilience- he takes hits like a house.
SUPER MOVES:
TACKLE- 1 Moonberry- 10 SP
Drachma charges at an enemy and slams him for good damage.
MY RATING: ***-_
Actually, I've decided I like this move- early in the game (when Vyse's
weapons still fail) Tackle WILL outdo Cutlass Fury in damage.
SPIRIT CHARGE: 2 Moonberries- 0 SP
Drachma will defend and do a Focus which will yield DOUBLE the normal SP.
This happens at the top of the round.
MY RATING: *****
Drachma is pretty untouchable as is, so this makes him great for turtling
and charging up for, say, Vyse's Pirates' Wrath.
HAND OF FATE- 3 Moonberries- 15 SP
Drachma does excellent damage to one enemy, with a chance of an instant kill.
MY RATING: ***__
Meh. The instant death doesn't happen all that often, so why bother?
FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ********__
A absolute tank who puts most of the others to shame.
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v. Enrique
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HP: ***-_
POWER: ***__
VIGOR: ***-_
WILL: ***__
M. DEF.:***__
QUICK: ****_
AGILE: **___
VIGOR: ***__
SPIRIT: **___
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I'm going to be honest. I hate Enrique and his middling stats. Proceed with
caution. Though he has no glaring weaknesses, he really isn't good for
much of anything either.
SUPER MOVES:
ROYAL BLADE- 1 Moonberry- 8 SP
Enrique takes some cheap shots, then does an actual slash at the enemy for
medium damage.
MY RATING: *____
A less powerful Cutlass Fury that costs more? I'll pass.
JUSTICE SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 4 SP
Enrique shields the whole party, cutting in half all damage. This move
happens at the top of the round.
MY RATING: ***-_
Even I have to admit, this is a good move. This is the only possible reason
I can think of to use Enrique, other than giggling at him when he gets rocked
by some wimp.
THE JUDGEMENT- 4 Moonberries- 16 SP
Enrique summons the enemy to the fore of the Valuan people, and calls down
a dragon to attack them for good damage.
MY RATING: **___
Another inferior Pirates' Wrath knockoff? Get out of my sight.
FINAL CHARACTER RATING: **________
Only Justice Shield saves him from total uselessness. Better than having
only three people in the team... Barely.
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vi. Gilder
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HP: ****_
POWER: ***__
VIGOR: ****_
WILL: **___
M. DEF.:***__
QUICK: **-__
AGILE: ****_
SPIRIT: ***__
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With a gun in hand and a smirk on his face, Gilder never fails to amuse.
Too bad someone as awesome as him isn't quite as good in combat. Think
of him as the prototype of Balthier from Final Fantasy 12. (Though the
games weren't made by the same people...)
SUPER MOVES:
GUNSLINGER- 1 Moonberry- 9 SP
Gilder draws a second pistol from... somewhere and shoots all enemies in a
wide line.
MY RATING: ***-_
A great, cheap way to kill a good number of things pretty quickly. Not as
efficient as Aika's moves, but this move will work on things that shrug off
magic.
AURA OF DENIAL- 2 Moonberries- 3 SP
Gilder makes all allies immune to bad status effects for one round. This move
will always, always happen at the top of the round.
MY RATING: ***__
Sadly, few bosses rely on status ailments enough for this to really be useful.
Good when people get Confused left and right, though.
---Second Opinion----
Nightstryke offers: "Gilder's Aura of Denial is useful for the final boss,
because instant death attacks are nullified. 4/5"
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THE CLAUDIA- 4 Moonberries- 18 SP
In the mother of all improbabilities, Gilder appears in his pirate ship, and
fires its cannons at all enemies for excellent damage.
MY RATING: ****_
This attack's base damage is even more than Rain of Swords! Its high cost
is a bit of a turnoff, though.
FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ******____
Gilder is, sadly, not all that special, though I enjoy his dialogue so much
that I like keeping him around. That, and he's the only pirate in a game full
of them that actually owns a parrot!
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IV. Closing
Well, there you have it. I credit all information to the game itself, my
memory, and caffeine. If you have any questions or corrections about this
guide, feel free to email me at
[email protected]. Be sure to mention
GameFAQs or Skies of Arcaida: Legends somewhere in the subject line so I'll
notice it. Additionally, if you feel something about the characters (spoiler-
free info, of course) should be added, feel free to email it to me. Maybe I
didn't know! If it is included, I will credit you by whichever appropriate
name you go by.
Version 1.00
Guide written. Fatigue incurred.
Version 1.50
God, I'm an idiot. There is no Defense stat, that's what Vigor does! BAD
ZIDDY! Also corrected a few stat and S. Move ratings to reflect some more
reasoned opinions. Corrected a few spelling errors.
Version 1.51
Added a Second Opinion from Nightstryke. Thanks for mailing!
Version 1.60
Fixed a few minor errors.