Azure Dreams (for Playstation)
Game mechanics guide v1.0
6/24/2017
by Skrybe (
[email protected])
This guide may be reproduced freely, without permission.
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At the time I am writing this, Azure Dreams is just short of twenty years old.
So why write a guide for a game from nearly two decades ago, that already has
a small handful of solid, comprehensive FAQs and guides? Because, despite
its age, there is still a lot about Azure Dreams that isn't known. No
English language sources have really dug into the workings of the game, and
the game itself can be very opaque about many of its mechanics, like the
hidden "Luck" stat. This guide will probably raise new questions for every
old one it answers, but hopefully this will serve as at least a start towards
clearing up some aspects of the game.
The bulk of the info here was translated from the Japan-only "Other Life
Azure Dreams Konami Official Guide." Some additional material was found or
confirmed by fans on the Azure Dreams message board on GameFAQs.
Note that the Konami guide doesn't discuss any post-endgame material, so
there's nothing on Hikewne, the Seraphim sword, or any confirmation of the
existence of Guy's ghost.
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Contents
1.0 Base Luck stats
2.0 Hidden Agility stat
3.0 Damage stats for direct attack magic
4.0 Learning spells from magic balls
5.0 Special familiar diets
6.0 Familiar abilities
7.0 Egg rarity
8.0 Monster rarity by floor
9.0 Equipment abilities
10.0 Rarest items
11.0 Acknowledgements
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1.0 Base Luck stats
Luck is a hidden stat that most players know from the Tovar Seed, which
states that it increases the user's Luck by 1. What the stat does isn't
clear; not even the Konami guide says explicitly what it is for. However,
each monster does have a distinct Luck stat, listed below.
Luck doesn't change at level up, with one exception: the Barong. Luck *can*
change when a familiar evolves. The Pulunpa has the lowest Luck in the
game, at 50. The Barong is the highest at 90, plus the Barong apparently
slowly gains Luck as it levels up. A level 20 Barong, the level at which it
is encountered in the tower, has a Luck of 93.
Arachne: 70 Kraken: 80
Ashra: 70 Mandara: 80
Balloon: 80 Manoeva: 60
Barong: 90 Maximum: 80
Battnel: 70 Metal: 70
Block: 70 Naplass: 60
Blume: 70 Noise: 65
Clown: 70 Nyuel: 80
Cyclone: 60 Picket: 85
Death: 70 Pulunpa: 50
Dragon: 75 Saber: 70
Dreamin: 60 Snowman: 75
Flame: 80 Stealth: 60
Garuda: 60 Troll: 60
Glacier: 85 Tyrant: 65
Golem: 70 U-Boat: 60
Griffon: 80 Unicorn: 70
Grineut: 70 Univern: 70
Ifrit: 70 Viper: 70
Kewne: 60 Volcano: 70
Kid: 75 Weadog: 70
Killer: 80 Zu: 80
---
2.0 Hidden Agility stat
In addition to Luck, all monsters have a hidden Agility stat. Once again,
the Konami guide doesn't specify what this stat is for, though I assume,
based on the name, that it is connected in some way to attack evasion.
Unlike Luck, Agility does increase at level up. Unfortunately, the Konami
guide only lists monster stats at level 1 and at the level they are
encountered in the tower, which varies from monster to monster. This makes a
comprehensive comparison of stats impossible. Level 1 stats are too similar
to be of much use, and comparing, for example, a level 3 Flame to a level 30
Maximum doesn't tell us much.
The monster with the highest Agility, as encountered in the tower, is,
surprisingly, the Killer, with an Agility of 45 at level 28. The Univern
has an Agility of 44 immediately after evolution at level 20, so it likely
can surpass the Killer.
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3.0 Damage stats for direct attack magic
While the base power of spells can be approximated by observing damage dealt,
the exact values are never stated. Note that LoGrave, the only direct damage
spell that isn't naturally fire-elemental, is also the most damaging spell in
the game. LoGrave is also cheaper to cast than the weaker Rise spell. For
all direct attack spells, base power remains the same if the element changes.
Breath: 16
Brid: 10
LoGrave: 24
Rise: 19
Sled: 8
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4.0 Learning spells from magic balls
A familiar can be taught the spell contained in a magic ball if the ball is
given to the familiar when it has at least 10 charges. Balls don't generate
with that many charges, so you have to build one up using white sand. This
works with any ball, except the Acid Rain ball.
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5.0 Special familiar diets
Most familiars recover 50 MP when eating a Pita Fruit or an egg, and 3 MP
when eating most plants (herbs, seeds, and fruit) The following monsters
have unique diets:
Kid/Dragon:
Pita - 3 MP
Eggs - 50 MP
Plants - 3 MP
Metal (e.g. coins, swords) - 100 MP
Other - 3 MP
Nyuel/Battnel:
Pita - 50 MP
Eggs - 50 MP
Plants - 50 MP
Picket:
Anything - 50 MP
Viper:
Pita - 50 MP
Eggs - 100 MP
Plants- 3 MP
---
6.0 Familiar abilities
Some familiars have hidden, inherent abilities that don't transfer to other
monsters during fusion:
Flame/Ifrit: Immunity to the Zu's roar. The player also becomes immune.
Golem: Uses MP at double the normal rate.
Griffon/Grineut: Makes the player immune to the Picket's steal ability.
Kid/Dragon: Immunity to the Garuda's abduct ability.
Killer: Gets a bonus to physical damage. This is unrelated to its
Atrocious ability.
Maximum: Uses MP at double the normal rate.
The following transferable traits are discussed in other FAQs, but I mention
them here since has been a lot of speculation and confusion as to how they
work:
Atrocious (Killer): Increases critical hit rate.
Growth Promoted (Barong): Gives a bonus to earned XP, but only if the monster
with this trait is the one delivering the final blow.
The Konami guide also says that the Arachne/Ashra gives the player an attack
boost, though from my testing this doesn't appear to be true.
---
7.0 Egg rarity
When an egg is found in the tower, the game determines what monster it
contains by picking from a weighted list, based on what floor you are on.
This list changes every 5 floors (i.e., when the music changes.) In most
cases, an egg for a given monster can be found over the span of 10
consecutive floors, with higher chances on the upper 5 floors of that range.
F1-5: F6-10:
Noise (19%) Blume (19%)
Flame (16%) Balloon (16%)
Pulunpa (16%) Cyclone (16%)
Troll (13%) Manoeva (13%)
Balloon (12%) Clown (9%)
Blume (9%) Dreamin (9%)
Cyclone (9%) U-Boat (9%)
Manoeva (6%) Volcano (9%)
F11-15: F16-20:
Clown (16%) Garuda (16%)
Dreamin (16%) Griffon (16%)
U-Boat (16%) Kraken (16%)
Volcano (16%) Nyuel (16%)
Garuda (9%) Arachne (9%)
Griffon (9%) Picket (9%)
Kraken (9%) Weadog (9%)
Nyuel (9%) Troll (6%)
Barong (3%)
F21-25: F26-30:
Arachne (16%) Block (16%)
Picket (16%) Stealth (16%)
Weadog (16%) Unicorn (16%)
Block (9%) Viper (16%)
Stealth (9%) Mandara (9%)
Unicorn (9%) Naplass (9%)
Viper (9%) Snowman (9%)
Manoeva (6%) Zu (9%)
Troll (6%)
Barong (3%)
F31-35: F36-39:
Mandara (16%) Killer (22%)
Naplass (16%) Glacier (19%)
Snowman (16%) Tyrant (19%)
Zu (16%) Golem (16%)
Glacier (9%) Kid (16%)
Kid (9%) Maximum (9%)
Killer (9%)
Tyrant (9%)
Here is the same information, sorted by monster:
Arachne: F16-20 (9%), F21-25 (16%)
Balloon: F1-5 (12%), F6-10 (16%)
Barong: F16-25 (3%)
Block: F21-25 (9%), F26-30 (16%)
Blume: F1-5 (9%), F6-10 (19%)
Clown: F6-10 (9%), F11-15 (16%)
Cyclone: F1-5 (9%), F6-10 (16%)
Dreamin: F6-10 (9%), F11-15 (16%)
Flame: F1-5 (16%)
Garuda: F11-15 (9%), F16-20 (16%)
Glacier: F31-35 (9%), F36-39 (19%)
Golem: F36-39 (16%)
Griffon: F11-15 (9%), F16-20 (16%)
Kid: F31-35 (9%), F36-39 (16%)
Killer: F31-35 (9%), F36-39 (22%)
Kraken: F11-15 (9%), F16-20 (16%)
Mandara: F26-30 (9%), F31-35 (16%)
Manoeva: F1-5 (6%), F6-10 (13%), F21-25 (6%)
Maximum: F36-39 (9%)
Naplass: F26-30 (9%), F31-35 (16%)
Noise: F1-5 (19%)
Nyuel: F11-15 (9%), F16-20 (16%)
Picket: F16-20 (9%), F21-25 (16%)
Pulunpa: F1-5 (16%)
Snowman: F26-30 (9%), F31-35 (16%)
Stealth: F21-25 (9%), F26-30 (16%)
Troll: F1-5 (13%) F16-25 (6%)
Tyrant: F31-35 (9%), F36-39 (19%)
U-Boat: F6-10 (9%), F11-15 (16%)
Unicorn: F21-25 (9%), F26-30 (16%)
Viper: F21-25 (9%), F26-30 (16%)
Volcano: F6-10 (9%), F11-15 (16%)
Weadog: F16-20 (9%), F21-25 (16%)
Zu: F26-30 (9%), F31-35 (16%)
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8.0 Monster rarity by floor
Any given floor can generate at most 4 unique types of monsters, excluding
variants like Trolls with different weapons. The following lists which
monsters appear on each floor, and at what rates. Percentages are rounded,
so some floors may not sum up to exactly 100%. The sums for floors 16, 27,
and 31 are noticeably far from 100%; I assume these were typos in the Konami
guide.
Note that the "Dark Pulunpa" is the name given by the Konami guide to the
Pulunpa that can steal your collar.
F1: Pulunpa (50%), Noise (25%), Troll (Hammer) (25%)
F2: Noise (38%), Troll (Hammer) (31%), Pulunpa (25%), Flame (6%)
F3: Troll (Hammer) (38%), Cyclone (31%), Pulunpa (19%), Flame (13%)
F4: Troll (Hammer) (31%), Cyclone (31%), Flame (31%), Balloon (6%)
F5: Flame (25%), Cyclone (25%), Balloon (25%), Manoeva (Lv5) (25%)
F6: Balloon (31%), Manoeva (Lv5) (31%), Blume (25%), Cyclone (13%)
F7: Blume (38%), Manoeva (Lv5) (25%), U-Boat (25%), Balloon (13%)
F8: Blume (31%), U-Boat (25%), Clown (25%), Manoeva (Lv5) (19%)
F9: Clown (31%), U-Boat (31%), Blume (19%), Dreamin (19%)
F10: Troll (Bow) (38%), Clown (25%), Volcano (19%), Dreamin (19%)
F11: Troll (Bow) (31%), Dreamin (25%), Volcano (25%), Griffon (19%)
F12: Dreamin (31%), Volcano (25%), Griffon (25%), Kraken (19%)
F13: Griffon (38%), Kraken (25%), Volcano (19%), Nyuel (19%)
F14: Nyuel (31%), Troll (Sword) (25%), Kraken (25%), Garuda (19%)
F15: Garuda (38%), Nyuel (31%), Troll (Sword) (25%), Kraken (6%)
F16: Troll (Sword) (31%), Manoeva (Lv15) (25%), Garuda (25%), Barong (6%)
F17: Troll (Hammer) (13%), Troll (Bow) (19%), Troll (Sword) (13%),
Picket (31%), Manoeva (Lv15) (19%), Garuda (6%)
F18: Picket (44%), Arachne (38%), Manoeva (Lv15) (19%)
F19: Arachne (38%), Weadog (25%), Picket (25%), Manoeva (Lv15) (13%)
F20: Weadog (25%), Unicorn (25%), Arachne (25%), Viper (25%)
F21: Unicorn (31%), Viper (25%), Weadog (25%), Pulunpa (13%), Dark Pulunpa (6%)
F22: Pulunpa (25%), Viper (31%), Unicorn (25%), Block (13%), Dark Pulunpa (6%)
F23: Viper (38%), Unicorn (31%), Block (25%), Stealth (6%)
F24: Block (44%), Viper (38%), Zu (19%), Stealth (6%)
F25: Stealth (38%), Zu (38%), Block (19%), Picket (just 1)
F26: Zu (38%), Snowman (31%), Mandara (25%), Barong (6%)
F27: Snowman (31%), Mandara (25%), Manoeva (Lv25) (25%), Zu (25%)
F28: Manoeva (Lv25) (31%), Mandara (25%), Snowman (25%), Naplass (19%)
F29: Manoeva (Lv25) (31%), Naplass (31%), Snowman (31%), Killer (9%)
F30: Killer (44%), Tyrant (25%), Naplass (19%), Manoeva (Lv25) (13%)
F31: Tyrant (38%), Killer (31%), Dragon (31%)*, Naplass (6%)
*I suspect Dragon should be 25% here.
F32: Dragon (25%), Tyrant (25%), Killer (25%), Glacier (25%)
F33: Glacier (38%), Dragon (31%), Tyrant (19%), Golem (13%)
F34: Golem (31%), Glacier (31%), Dragon (25%), Tyrant (13%)
F35: Golem (38%), Glacier (31%), Dragon (25%), Maximum (6%)
F36: Golem (31%), Glacier (31%), Maximum (31%), Barong (6%)
F37: Maximum (38%), Golem (25%), Glacier (25%), Dragon (13%)
F38: Maximum (38%), Golem (25%), Glacier (25%), Dragon (13%)
F39: Maximum (38%), Golem (25%), Glacier (25%), Dragon (13%)
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9.0 Equipment abilities
The game can be somewhat opaque when it comes to equipment details. Many
equipment abilities are at least somewhat intuitive (wands increase mix magic
damage, the mirror shield reflects magic, etc.) However, two pieces of
equipment have abilities that are not obvious at all: the Dark Sword, which
lowers your hit rate, and the Leather Shield, which raises your evasion rate.
It's possible that there are other hidden abilities; even the Konami guide is
vague on some items, like the Holy Sword.
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10.0 Rarest items
The following items are the rarest in the game; all have an appearance rate
of about 1 in 5000. These are the only items that the Konami guide gives
specific appearance rates for:
Bow Gun
Dark Sword
Holy Sword
Roche Fruit
Trained Wand
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11.0 Acknowledgements
Much of the information in this guide was translated from the Other Life
Azure Dreams Konami Official Guide.
I also want to thank the dedicated fans at the Azure Dreams GameFAQs board,
who provided a lot of research and speculation into the workings of this
game. I specifically want to mention Kain__Dragoon, who did extensive
research into familiar stats and abilities, and turned up some things even
the Konami guide doesn't mention, like the Killer's innate attack bonus.
