Stat Point Manipulation
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Sony Playstation
North America Version
Version 1.3 (2/24/2009)
E-mail:
[email protected]
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Stat Point Manipulation
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This is the Stat Point Manipulation Guide. It may
not be reproduced in any way without my written
consent.
I created this guide for the North American ver-
sion of the game.
This FAQ currently covers stat point manipulation
information, part of a playthrough on Earth, Galaxy
and Universe. If you have something to contribute,
please e-mail me at
[email protected] .
--------------
Contents
--------------
Version Info
Note
Introduction
Essential Information
Embracing Extreme
StaP
Team Brutal (Universe)
Claude Kenni
Dias Flac
Ashton Anchors
Lacour Tournament [Br]
Bowman Jean
A Level-50 Look [Br]
Eluria [Br]
Synard [Br]
Nede [Br]
Fields [Br]
Mihne Cavern [Br]
Ten Wisemen [Br]
Cave of Trials [Br]
Finale [Br]
Team Machine (Galaxy)
Precis
Opera
Ernest
Chisato
Lacour Tournament [Ma]
Mountain Palace [Ma]
Hoffman Ruins [Ma]
Eluria [Ma]
Synard [Ma]
Nede [Ma]
Fields [Ma]
Mihne Cavern [Ma]
Ten Wisemen [Ma]
Cave of Trials [Ma]
Finale [Ma]
Team Perfect (Earth)
Rena
Celine
Leon
Noel
Lacour Tournament [Pe]
Hoffman Ruins [Pe]
Eluria [Pe]
Synard [Pe]
Nede [Pe]
Fields [Pe]
Mihne Cavern [Pe]
Ten Wisemen [Pe]
Cave of Trials [Pe]
Finale [Pe]
Starting StaP
StaP Growth
StaP Lists
Thanks
------------------
Version info
------------------
-Version 1.0 (1/30/2009)
There is a lot of information about stat points (StaP):
starting StaP for each character, StaP growth for each
character, and lists of StaP gains for characters whom
I have leveled.
I have followed two different StaP-manipulated teams
through most of the 1st CD. This includes the text
description here and over 20 videos on Youtube.
-Version 1.1 (2/7/2009)
I reached the 2nd CD with both teams (one Universe,
one Earth game) and explained how I got there via text
description here and an additional 10+ Youtube videos.
-Version 1.2 (2/13/2009)
I advanced into the 2nd CD with two teams. I started
the third and final team, and advanced it to Lacour
Continent. Along with new text, I've added new videos.
-Version 1.3 (2/24/2009)
All three teams are on the 2nd CD and have acquired the
Synard. I've added a lot of text and videos.
----------
Note
----------
This is the second walkthrough I have written for GameFAQs.
If you find anything incomplete or missing in this walk-
through, please contact me via
[email protected].
I’m rather receptive to e-mails with subject lines like “Star
Ocean” or “StaP wit me!”.
------------------
Introduction
------------------
You might take interest in this guide if you think Star
Ocean: The Second Story is a great game, you enjoy a challenge,
you love to absorb information from many sources, you read my
Dias Unlimited guide and wished I would create a similar guide
for other characters, etc.
Keep in mind, this guide is not about how you can level your
characters to 255 in the shortest amount of time. It is about
creating the best possible team.
This guide covers three possible teams: the first team consists
of Claude, Ashton, Bowman and Dias; the second team consists
of Precis, Opera, Ernest and Chisato: the third team consists
of Rena, Celine, Leon and Noel.
You can choose your own team combinations by only reading about
your favorite characters, but it might take a lot of work.
As you can see, this is not a general guide to Star Ocean: The
Second Story. There are plenty of those guides available on
GameFAQs. This guide is about learning the characters well
enough to minimize their weaknesses and maximize their strengths.
-----------------------------
Essential Information
-----------------------------
---Embracing Extreme: Now is the time of doom.---
Starting StaP (Str values, Dex values, etc.) for characters are
never different no matter how much you load.
Starting Skill Points (SP) are never different no matter
how much you load.
MP gains per level are random (thus manipulatible), but you
will always reach 999 sometime before level 255.
Any skill a character starts with has no affect on stats.
The perfect example is Rena begins with 1 in Kitchen Knife,
but she has only 5 Str...
Every character has random talents to start with. If you
save before you initiate a team-member, then you can load
and they will have different talents each time you gain
them.
Every level you gain random StaP. That means you can load
and get different bonuses to different stats. Luc and Agl
are not raised by leveling. Keep in mind that when I
say “random,” I mean as random as possible for a program.
Piety is a skill that gives an increase to a random stat
(including Luc and Agl). The increase is based on the stat
value. For example, an 800 strength might get a bonus of
22 while a 100 strength might get a bonus of 2. What this
means is we can attain the best bonus from Piety
by waiting to use it until StaP is extremely high.
Since level gaining and Piety give a random stat increase,
one can save and load to manipulate a character’s growth.
Leveling up with a character does not change the stat bonus
possibilities. This differs from how Piety works. Every
level you accrue the same range of stat points. For example,
whether Claude is level 3 or level 200, he can't gain over
4 Con per level up.
---StaP: Get serious. Is that the best you can do?---
This whole guide involves StaP, so let me give you an example
of StaP manipulation.
Once, near the beginning, I saved my game and leveled, then I
loaded a few times to test Claude's StaP range. I had already
decided to focus on his Str, Con and Guts; so those are the
three stats I will talk about.
The leftmost column of numbers below represents my level 2
Claude’s stats. The middle three columns represent a few
options I had. The rightmost column is the set of stat
increases I ended up getting this playthrough: fortunately,
the max possible gain in those three stats.
Str 13 18 16 17 19
Con 9 13 11 13 13
Guts 21 21 22 21 22
As you can see, there is some randomness to Claude's stat
increases. Even more than you see above. His StaP gains for
those three stats combined falls between 5 and 11 every level.
3 6
2 to 4
0 1
The difference is huge. Over 254 levels of 5 StaP, you lose 762
Str, 508 Con, and a lot of Guts. Not 254 because Claude starts
with 20, there are skills to increase Guts, and it maxes at 255.
5 is not the average, so you won't lose that much by letting
leveling do its random thing, but you can see why StaP gains
are worth manipulating.
If you want to gain something from StaP manipulation but don't
have in an interest in leveling and loading a lot, you have
some options: one, pick one or two stats to look at instead
of three or more; two, have a lower requirement for StaP (8
or 9 rather than 10 or 11); three, have no numerical
requirements, opting to try only one (maybe two) extra times
each level to gain more StaP.
See the "StaP Growth" section for the growth rate of every
character. I won't mention it throughout the guide because
I doubt you need to know about Claude's Int gains.
--------------------
Team Brutal
--------------------
This is the first "Extreme Team" I will follow through SO2.
Why did I name this team "Team Brutal"? Because each character
will have a Str requirement per level, along with a requirement
for two other stats (which is at least brutal on my mind).
Also, the team is all fighters on a Universe game, and it
doesn't include Opera. Mass-healing it limited to items like
Holy Mist.
Cross Continent
---Claude Kenni: You think you can win over the Hero of Light?---
Claude is the first character we get for this team. I used him
as an example earlier, so you know how much StaP he can get (at
least for Str, Con and Guts combined). I decided to go with a
requirement of 10 StaP per level gained, but you can make
your own rules.
Arlia
Play as Rena (for Dias). If you don't have the Dexterity talent,
restart the game until you do. Loot Arlia if you want extra Fol
or items. Save before you enter Shingo Forest.
Your first meeting with Claude in Shingo Forest doesn't allow
you to control him or see his StaP. I'm sure you can find the
numbers in various FAQs, but I went ahead and started a game with
him to find out for sure (see "Starting StaP" section for all
characters).
Str 10
Con 5
Dex 10
Agi 10
Int 0
Luc 132
Stm 15
Guts 20
I loaded until he got at least 10 StaP from the first fight.
He happened to get a perfect level of 11 (with some effort),
but I won't go into every level's StaP gains here. You can find
those details in the "StaP Lists" section.
Return to Arlia and buy gear before Alen kidnaps you.
*Pickpocket (PP) items of note*
Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife.
Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD).
Youtube Example Video (YEV):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRNmh
53Rlk8&fmt=18
Salva
You'll be about level 5 with Rena by the time you loot the Salva
Drift and reach the save point. Though Rena isn't part of this
Extreme Team, you need her near the start.
Sometime during the Alen fight, let Claude die. Otherwise, he
might gain bad StaP.
After winning, loot Salva and get the Ring of Happiness (rare)
from Alen. Do not buy gear here.
*PP items of note*
None.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRa3J2wqKFw&fmt=18
Cross
Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell
her gear. Buy skills, but do not buy gear in Cross.
*PP items of note*
Orichalcum from dog.
Magical Camera from young man at castle.
Mars
Buy a Flame Blade and a Fame Helm. Loot the village.
*PP items of note*
Treasure chest from the Old Man by the inn.
Herlie
On your way to Herlie, level until Claude has 11 SP. Put
8 SP in Perseverance (Per), then 1 SP in each of the
three cooking skills: Kitchen Knife (KKnife), Good Eye
and Recipe.
Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills, buy 20 eggs
to get Claude (and/or Rena) Sense of Taste (SoT).
Either cook eggs in Herlie until they get the talent, or
try cooking with them in between fights and bad StaP loads.
Rena will have an easy time gaining SoT; Claude will not.
Once you unlock SoT with Claude, max out Per, increase
Playfulness (Play) for Fol, and try to put points in stat
building skills (KKnife, Patience, etc.).
Those stat increases matter a lot at this level, but you must
note every change to your stats or your StaP manipulation
will be foiled. Trust me.
Buy the Bandit Gloves (BG) with your new money (from Play)
and buy gear for Claude (Rena too, if you wish).
If you just unlocked SoT with Rena, max out Per then
put some SP in PP skills: Poker Face and Courage. It is nice
if you have at least level 5 PP when you reach Clik.
If Rena had SoT at the start of the game but needs SP to
build up her PP skill, put a couple of SP in Art. If she
needs SP to put in Art, go to the Lasguss Mountains and fight
the bubble creatures. She can gain several levels in one or
two fights.
*PP items of note*
BG from Skill Guild Explainer.
Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn.
Life Insurance from other Newlywed.
Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern.
Cross Cave
Run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings inside, unless
you are dying to find all the treasure chests in the cave.
Reject Celine when she asks if it truly okay to join you.
Lasguss Mountains
I do not suggest you do this part if your level is ~13 (might
want to wait for Ashton); nevertheless, keep this section in
mind.
I went to the mountains as Claude, ran to the desert on the
other side and tried to fight Sandworms which can drop a
couple of rare minerals. I made to sure to get a Damascus
before leaving.
If you haven't already thought of it, use Discovery Cards
during fights with Sandworms. That's if you have them. If not,
don't worry about it.
Clik
Loot the city, buy skills and equipment (if you need to),
and buy Magical Clay if you need to unlock Sense of Design
(SoD) with someone. The clay is expensive enough that I
suggest saving before trying to unlock SoD. Load if you use
too much clay.
After Rena's PP is 5 or more, do a Private Action (PA).
PP from Filia. You will get Mischief. Equip it and explode
with joy as you run around.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18
Finish storyline in Clik.
*Other PP items of note*
Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor.
Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship.
BG from Ketil.
Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain.
LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18
Mars (Again)
If you haven't PP the old man by the inn, do it. Get the
Treasure Chest. I kept using it and loading until I got a
Lotus Eater (Ashton) and a Rune Full Moon (Bowman, Rena).
Other nice items are Marvel Sword (Dias/Claude) and Scyther
(Ashton). Do not worry too much about Claude. He will get
the Eternal Sphere soon enough.
Begin the Bandits and Children storyline and talk with Dias.
---Dias Flac: Go away. You can't beat me.---
If you want in-depth info about Dias, check my Dias Guide.
I called it Dias Unlimited for a reason.
Mars
I unequipped Claude and got Dias via storyline. He had four
talents, but I decided not to reload in hopes of getting
fewer.
Dias started with the following stats:
Str 175
Con 70
Dex 120
Agi 20
Int 0
Luc 96
Stm 45
Guts 50
I knew ahead of time I would require 10 StaP out of Str,
Dex and Guts with Dias's maximum being 6,4,1. Yes, just
like Claude's numbers except I wanted Dex instead of Con.
Claude can't get above 3 Dex per level, and Dias can't
get above 3 Con per level. One fighter is precise;
the other is resilient.
I maxed out Per and Play. I avoided skills that gave
stat bonuses because Dias loses skill-based stat bonuses
at Front-line. So, don't get stat-boosting skills in Mars
or the Lacour Tournament.
I spent remaining SP on skills such as Copying, Art, etc.
I unlocked SoD using Magical Clay, then put SP into Whistling,
Recipe, etc.
I leveled until 43, but it isn't necessary. The only stat that
keeps its leveling bonus until Frontline is Int, though you do
get some extra SP and KM proficiency (prof). Also, you get to
keep unlocked KMs despite being forced back to level 35.
Again, don't worry about StaP with Dias until Frontline. Also,
while questing for the children, you can return to Mars village.
Sleep at the inn, buy or sell before engaging the forest's
boss. The only thing you cannot do is leave the village. Dias
will stop you.
Before the forest's boss, I unequipped Dias. The fight isn't too
tough. I used a Magic Rock (MRo) and Air Slash.
Addendum: There are two chances after the boss battle to
unequip Dias. Keep your gear on when battling.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkrUmNdLlA&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9zh8qDHt8I&fmt=18
---Ashton Anchors: I'm stronger than you think.---
Herlie
After leaving Mars, I headed to Herlie and talked to the
old man at the front of the city. He told me about a dragon
in Salva. I had tried to do this part earlier, but you must
go through the Mars storyline first. Sorry, Ashton fans.
Salva Drift
I ran through the Salva Drift until I found Ashton. He had
three talents, so I didn't bother reloading. His starting
stats are:
Str 83
Con 32
Dex 50
Agi 5
Int 0
Luc 18
Stm 18
Guts 32
I said his Stm is 18, but I wrote down 26 at first. Also,
after checking other guides, I found most people put his
starting Stm at 26.
What allowed me to see otherwise is my keeping up with StaP.
Shortly after gaining him, I noticed his Stm had dropped
several points. After some investigation, I realized
Ashton came equipped with a Talisman, which increased
his Stm by 8 (from 18 to 26).
I equipped him with the Lotus Eater, Berserk Ring and Feet
Symbol, then went to work. I decided to watch his Str, Dex
and Con as he leveled.
It took some time, but I found out his max is 6,3,3: 1 less
potential Con than Claude, 1 less potential Dex than Dias.
Add that to his Luc and Stm issues, and you find Ashton
doesn't have great StaP.
So, the max StaP for his combined three stats I chose equalled
12. I decided to try for 11. That is, until my brain exploded,
and I pushed the requirement down to 10.75. Why?
Well, Claude and Dias are required to get 10/11. That's 91%.
Ashton's 10.75/12 is 90%. Close enough.
How do I get 10.75 StaP? Two levels in a row, I require 11; for
the next level, I require 10. That's the pattern.
Before I left the Salva Drift, I had leveled Claude and Ashton
to 22. Rena remained at 13.
I received a Damascus after one of the fights, meaning I could
have skipped the desert fights from earlier. Aargh...
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEFkyZWJxw&fmt=18
Lacour Continent
Hilton
I bought skills but nothing else, as I wanted to get the Super
Specialty "Identify All" first. After that, I went from town
to town buying any upgrades I saw (very few).
*PP items of note*
None.
Lacour
I bought skills and did a PA to get an RDiamond from an old
lady on the west side of town.
*PP items of note*
Antiseptic Gloves from Bowman (PA)
Oriental Blade from fighting Man just inside tavern's entrance.
Linga
I bought skills, then I bought some items to unlock talents.
Claude:
Love of Animals (LoA) via Familiar
Originality via Metalwork (MW)
Ashton:
LoA (Familiar)
Originality (MW)
I wrote a book with Claude, so Rena could gain Musical skills. I
tried creating songs over and over and over before deciding
one probably has to play songs to unlock Pitch and Sense of
Rhythm (SoR).
Before leaving the Linga area, I customized Ashton's Lotus
Eater into a Scyther. I used Lotus Eater+Orichalcum, but
there are various ways.
*PP items of note*
Magical Drops from a Librarian.
Beret from Keith.
Promised Ring from Nineh.
Hilton
I went back here to stay close to Conductor's Batons (CBatons).
Ashton:
Pitch (playing songs)
SoR (playing songs)
Writing Ability (WA) by Authoring
Rena:
Pitch (playing songs)
SoR (playing songs)
WA (Authoring)
Claude:
Pitch (playing songs)
--Words on Melufa
I got Ashton's Customize to level 7 and tried Scyther+Damascus.
No use. I leveled up to level 35 with Ashton, always
increasing Customize as I went. I even unlocked Writing
Ability (WA) for an extra 100 SP. I still couldn't create
this freakin' weapon.
No doubt Ashton's 18 Luc had something to do with it!!
I created Neo Greaves with Blacksmithing, using the Orichalcum
I had obtained in the desert. This brought Ashton's Luc up to
28. I created a Purple Mist (had one form Mar's village) with
Claude's MWing. Those two put Ashton's Luc up to 48.
I continued to try Customizing the Melufa, failing over and
over Only one morning, during an extreme bout of "Luc" with
StaP and Customization with Claude, did I manage to create
Melufa with relatively few attempts.
So, you can create Melufa on the first CD with Ashton, but it
isn't easy. The last tip I can give you is to PP from Keith in
Linga when you get the chance. The Beret might be just the
thing you need to create the Melufa.
End of Melufa words--
---Lacour Tournament [Br]: Stay Focused!---
Claude:
I returned to Lacour and signed up for the tournament with
Claude. I picked the store with the most armor. Most people
prefer to go with the store that gives the Long Edge; but
my Claude is supposed to be a tank, so I wanted to give
the tournament his best defense.
I wanted to use my Blue Talismans (BlueTs) in the
tournament -those are amazing defense accessories (MW
Sapphire with Rena)- but you can't bring any gear to
the tournament other than what the shop gives you.
I customized the Force Sword at around level 9 Customize,
then noticed it took 2 MP per hit (oops, forgot). I
customized it into a Sawed, which is better anyway.
Once I reached level 10 Customize, I created an Aura Blade.
By ~ level 33, I had become invulnerable to every Lacour
creature's physical attack. This made it easier to level
to 44 before heading to the tournament.
Dias:
I gained Dias with Rena. When I fought those tavern guys,
I used a FMedal on him, so he gained to level 44 (even with
Claude plus a little bonus Int and SP). I mandraked Rena
in the battle in order to not gain a level.
I switched Rena to the bottom of my team slots, put Dias as
leader of the battle formation, set him to manual control
and mandraked Rena when she returned to full health after the
tavern fight. No use. Even with it showing "manual" by his
name, I couldn't control him in the tournament.
Oh, he stomped Claude. The monkey fighter had done ~175
damage per hit on Claude, but Dias destroyed him in two
hits. Claude tried to do energy sword but didn't even get
the word "energy" out before he lost. Wow!
So much for 300+ prof Shooting Stars and Energy Sword.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs92L6Mw25o&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW1GkDsJh8E&fmt=18
---Bowman Jean: I don't have time for this!---
After relieving Gamgee of the Sharp Edge, I ran to Linga
and talked with Bowman. He wanted an herb.
Sanctuary of Linga
I ran from every fight and grabbed the Clarisage. One day
I might get the Dill Whip, but it's so far away, making
it the bane of speed and laziness.
Addendum: There is a bug that allows you to avoid every
random encounter. While running, open your menu and put the
leader's (1st position person, that is) top KM slot to
"None" then run a bit. Set it to "None" again, even if it
says "None." If done correctly, you will never encounter
random enemies.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeoaFkRIQ8&fmt=18
Linga
Bowman was delighted by the herb and joined my team. He had
three talents to start with, which was fine.
Lvl 25 (starting stats)
Str 90
Con 50
Dex 62
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 118
Stm 35
Guts 36
First thing I maxed out Per and put a point in almost
everything, allowing me to unlock talents.
I unlocked Sixth Sense (SiSe), LoA and SoR. The first
two were very easy to unlock, so it's nice if Bowman
doesn't start with those.
I equipped Rune Full Moon to him to test his StaP gains.
What I found appalled me.
I had decided on Str, Stm and Guts with Bowman. After
many, many loads, it became clear his StaP gains ranged
from 2 to 7. 2!! Not great.
7 (5,1,1) isn't bad because no one gains more than 1
Stm and Guts per level. The problem became what to
choose as acceptable StaP. 6/7 is a lot to expect
(with both Stm and Guts having 50% chance to gain
0 per level), but it is only 86%: lower than any
other StaP requirement thus far.
My requirements changed as I leveled. For example,
at one point I decided he had to gain at least 5 per
level. If he did only gain 5, it would need to include
1 Stm. If he got 6+, no Stm requirement. Also, 6 didn't
give a +1. Only 7 did.
Wild, right? Well, if I let Bowman's StaP go random,
rather than manipulating it, he could potentially
lose 690 Str, 230 Stm and a lot of Guts.
So, I ended up requiring an average of 5.75 (three
levels at 6, one at 5). Definitely an odd target
(also, only 82%), but I had to settle on something...it
wasn't easy to decide. I had to rewrite this part
several times.
Enjoy manipulating StaP with Bowman!
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVtULXzpQuc&fmt=18
Cross Continent
Mars
I took Bowman and my other party members and headed
back to Cross Continent. I stopped at Mars and read
the book in the elder's house: the one on exorcism.
Cross Castle
I requested permission from the king to enter the
Mountain Palace. He said yes and gave me Fol.
Mountain Palace
I ran the Mountain Palace and prepared to solo the boss
Nightmare with Ashton. I turned off Practice and
Comprehension, deciding to only use them in rare
cases (since they weaken you).
Ashton was level 35. He had a Melufa, a Berserk Ring,
an Atlas Ring but otherwise typical gear.
I played the song Judgment before engaging Nightmare.
I 3-shotted her, which isn't surprising, but she
can be challenging if you fight her at the "right"
level with the average gear for that level. Her main
strength is her ability to evade attacks.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46cf24OEbl4&fmt=18
Lasguss Mountains
I ran to the top to face XINE with Ashton. Ashton was
level 36 with the same gear from before.
XINE is much stronger than Nightmare. You can defeat
him, but MRos are more helpful than they ever would
be on Nightmare.
Ashton's normal attack isn't bad at hitting XINE in
the air. Other than that, you might try Leaf Slash
as a starter and Cross Slash (at least one hit connects
with air creatures), if you feel lucky.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwXbHwBZulE&fmt=18
Salva Drift
We finished the exorcism, causing Ashton and the dragons
to join our party. I didn't notice any ill effects,
unlike when dealing with Dias and his multiple
appearances.
Arlia
I did a PA here and blew 99k Fol on a helmet for one
of the dragons (an accessory for Ashton). The price
mainly depends on your Fol, but I was too lazy to
spend most of my money before doing the PA.
I stepped outside Arlia and customized with Claude
until he managed to create a Minus Sword from
Mithril + Sharp Edge. I got the Mithril from Radar
(load until you get them). I would have made the
Eternal Sphere, but his continuous failure annoyed
me.
Also, I finally stole the RDiamond (see PP notes for Arlia). Ugh!
Lacour Continent
Lacour Castle
We went there, and the king told us to help Leon in
the Hoffman Ruins. We headed to Hilton and took off.
Hoffman Ruins
I used Claude to run from every battle and go straight
to the save. I used Claude's MW (rank 7) to create a
Reflection Ring and a Resistance Ring from a Crystal
then equipped the accessories to Rena.
She charged in at level 13, distracted them with an
MRo and positioned herself to the left of the bottom
pillar (of the two pillars at the top-left of the
battlefield).
The Harfainx (bosses) could not physically attack
her (thanks to the pillar) and couldn't kill her
with Thunderstorm (thanks to her accessories).
I used four Mind Bombs to deplete them of MP. After
that, they ran around and did nothing.
I used Killer Poisons until they were both poisoned
and started taking over 2,000 damage per tick. In
the meantime, I threw a couple of MRos at them.
After winning the fight, I gained 14 levels, putting
Rena up to level 27.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRTDwdmu6_s&fmt=18
Frontline
We dropped Leon off at Lacour then headed to Frontline.
Dias wasthere, waiting to join my team.
They had put him back to level 35, left his skills alone,
given him 200 skill points, reverted all stats to Mars
level except Int, kept his KMs the same regardless of
whether he could have them or not at level 35 (Gale Stab),
etc.
Again, if you want more detail, read my Dias Unlimited
guide.
*PP items of note*
Steel Armor from Grover.
Linga
I unlocked some talents here.
Dias:
SoT
SoR
LoA
Si Se
Pitch
Bowman:
SoT
After unlocking talents, I bought Magical Film and a
Magical Camera, so I could start reproducing Forged
Medals (FMedals) with Dias. I also had him MW (rank 6)
an RDiamond into a DBracelet.
-- On Fol
Around this point, I began to run low on Fol. One
way I made quick $ was to use the Identify All skill
to buy (low) and sell (high) Material Kits. I made
about ~14k per round of buying and selling.
Next I customized some weapons with Ashton. He helped
make me a couple of hundred thousand before I made a
second Melufa. Get this, the Melufa, when I used
Identify All, sold for 1.92 million Fol.
So, if you feel like customizing a lot through loads
and saves, pick up some Damascus and add them to
Scythers you've customized. The outcome might be
worth it.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEVOrQaNuOM&fmt=18
End Fol--
With 20 FMedals and a DBracelet in hand, I decided to
begin the power-leveling process.
The best way to do this is equip the DBracelet, use
an FMedal, gain a level, unequip the bracelet, gain
a level. Then repeat. For maximum efficiency, if you
ever notice you are close to a level without using
an FMedal, go ahead and gain that level.
Working this way, you can gain 40+ levels rather
easily. The main problem will be manipulating StaP.
---A Level-50 Look [Br]: My Strength!---
Bowman
I started with him and it went surprisingly
well. I created Giant's Fists, then replaced
them with Titan's Fists (lvl 8 Customize).
Some prefer other weapons, but I decided to
stick with the +50 Stm from Titan's Fists
until I could get a Weird Slayer.
I unlocked Dex and SoD with Machinery
(surprisingly easy) then made some Kaiser
Knuckles for Rena.
Ashton
His leveling went fine. I already had Melufa,
so I didn't bother trying to create a better
weapon.
Claude
He started this part out at level 45, so he
was a breeze to level up. During this period,
I created the Eternal Sphere. It took a while
and showed up as a dull sword in a bag during
the creation process (happens often), so don't
assume a bag means a failure.
Dias
Easy leveling. I customized until I got a Hope of
Breeze. I needed an RDiamond to customize the Hope
of Breeze into a Hard Cleaver. Unfortunately, I had
used both RDiamonds I got (Atlas Ring, DBracelet).
I tried to gain one via Survival, but it never
worked out. A turbo controller would have helped...
Unable to create the Crimson Diablos, I made a
Ruin's Fate (lvl 10 customize) to help me.
All Stats
I'm going to tell you the stats of every
character. If you want to compare them to each
other or your characters, keep two things in
mind: one, since skills are not maxed, there
are a lot of variables; two, each character
has had his StaP manipulated for a different
amount of time (Claude since level 1, Ashton
since level 17, etc.)
Bowman Ashton Claude Dias
Str 457 539 488 531 A
Con 111 130 208 121 C
Dex 218 231 218 264 D
Agl 87 91 88 106 D
Int 150 144 150 137 B/C
Luc 118 18 132 96 C
Stm 86 65 67 86 B/D
Guts 67 67 67 74 D
--Interesting
Because I'm able to manipulate Claude's
StaP from the very beginning, is he better
than the others when he reaches their starting
levels?
Let's take a 5/4/1 (10 StaP) Claude and look at
him at levels 17, 25, and 35 (no armor or skills
included).
Lvl 17 Lvl 25 Lvl 35
Str 90 130 180
Con 69
Guts 44 54
Assuming a 5/4/1 Claude, and excluding skills and
equipment, he wins in all three cases: as in, he
beats the others in the two stats he competes
against them in.
If we take into account his lost 16 Str because
he starts with 1 in Scientific Ability (10 Str)
and Functionality (6 Str), he then fails to surpass
Ashton and Dias in Str.
If he even goes 5/34 levels without getting 1 Guts
(like 6/4/0), he will lose to Dias in Guts;
nevertheless, you can see how Claude is difficult
to surpass in stats if one is manipulating him from
the start with high StaP requirements.
Oh, and no one is going to touch his Con.
Interesting--
I decided to continue leveling, so I hopped
over to the desert near the Lasguss Mountains.
The creatures give very little experience, but
FMedals make that irrelevant.
What is important, as you might know, the creatures
tend to drop a lot of items.
I decided to level each character to 75 before
proceeding through the storyline.
Most of them had an okay time with it, but I
noticed even into the 70s, all of them but
Claude could be damaged. That surprised me.
I've been to this place at very low level
before, yet the creatures can damage level 70s.
Dias
I tried again to use Survival to gain an
RDiamond, but it never worked. I even obtained
a turbo control and left it running while I
stepped out on multiple occasions. Nothing
happened. I made a Survival Kit. Nope.
They all had lvl 10 Survival. No use. Darn it!
Sometime during my rush to 75, Dias maxed out
his Agl-boosting skills. I realized I might as
well use Piety since leveling to 255 wouldn't
change his Agl.
The 1st number is what I started with; the next
10 are my Piety-boosted Agl (rank by rank).
114-117-120-123-126-129-132-135-139-143-147
My Agl went up by 33 or ~29%.
It doesn't seem like a lot, but for a skill that
doesn't increase by leveling, it's something.
It gives more Avd than Marvel Sword, Reflective
Armor, Neo Greaves, Tri-emplem and Gold combined.
More importantly, it doesn't requirement any
equipment. The Agl is yours forever!
---Eluria [Br]: Here's a substitute for a greeting!---
Frontline
We came back and had to fight Shin. He's invincible,
so it's a running game. If you need death voices,
now is your chance. Plenty of death to go around
when you have a powerful, invincible foe to face.
Your true task is to stay alive for about 1 minute.
After that, you hang out, rest, walk around then
monsters attack again. This time Leon shows up
and saves the day. You'll get asked to go fight
monsters at El, but you don't have a choice.
Fortunately the jump from Frontline to El is
rather painless AKA little walking on your part.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83W12JcepHk&fmt=18
El Continent
We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles.
We stomped them into the ground. No big deal.
Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might
as well build up KMs or death voices for the Voice
Collection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU5R98JB2tE&fmt=18
Eluria Colony
Not a lot going on here. Breeze through the storyline.
*PP items of note*
Star Ruby from Leader.
Holy Mist from Youth.
Peep Half from Man.
Eluria Tower
Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks
impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three
chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he
is.
I equipped Trickster, ran outside, jumped on my bunny,
hopped on top of the tower and initiated X on turbo
control. A bit later I came back and discovered I had a
RDiamond.
I had Dias combine it with his Hope of Breeze to create
a Hard Cleaver. I combined that with a Damascus to create
the Crimson Diablos.
There's other handy items in the tower besides Trickster,
but I can't think of any other essential/irreplacable
ones.
The password for the priest statue is "APOCA."
Shin
He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can
kill him this time. He has two weak Gargoyle companions.
Perhaps they are called "Stone Statues," but we aren't
fooled.
The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos
if you must. I came in at lvl 75 with awesome weapons,
which allowed me to blow him away.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrUY7U4eN8&fmt=18
Berle
Survive for a while. He does an annoying move named
Meta-guard, but it isn't a big deal. Run from him or just hit
him over and over with MRos.
You only need to be careful if you have Comprehension turned
on. It will slow you enough for him to get in hits unless you
are quite skilled at dodging.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASgrQ6YbrBM&fmt=18
2nd CD
---Synard [Br]: Don't get hurt!---
Central City
We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get
a Synard from North City.
*PP items of note*
Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild.
North City
Bought all instruments and composed songs until Orchestra
became available.
Used Orchestra + Alchemy to make Meteorite. Orchestra +
Blacksmithing Meteorite to make a couple of Star Guards.
I didn't make much else because I wanted to wait for
the Magical Rasp.
*PP items of note*
Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman.
Violin from Mrs. Heath.
Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop.
The Fight
I talked with the researchers. Soon after, they screwed
up everything and made a Synard flip out on my team.
I fought with Bowman and Ashton only. It wasn't too tough,
for Ashton had nearly 300 Avd. He blocked a lot of the
breath damage, causing his Star Guard to retaliate
against the Synard quite often.
If you have any trouble, use MRos and Dias's Air Slash.
That should do it.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhNhBu3N2OM&fmt=18
Red Crystal Cave
I ran in here and bypassed every chest/escaped every
battle. There are a couple of okay items, but none of
it interested me. Also, I skipped the Chisato scene
as I didn't need to recruit her.
At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses,
to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability,
attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack.
As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Keep
your distance when possible and make sure you are doing
well in levels/gear.
I had all teammembers at level 75, though I only used
Claude and Dias. Much like Ashton in the Synard fight,
Dias had a Starguard and nearly 300 Avd.
My fight didn't go too smoothly because Claude started
in front of the crystal that sits in the middle of the
battlefield. He continously tried to use Headsplitter
and kept running into the crystal. Eventually he freed
himself after Dias had already defeated one Arcmene.
After winning, you gain the Synard. Noel asks to come
along, but I decided against it. He was my last chance
to recruit someone else. Oh well.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBmq6o1LtI&fmt=18
Fake Gallery
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18
--------------------
Team Machine
--------------------
Team Machine will consist of Precis, Opera, Ernest
and Chisato. I call them Team Machine because two of
them are skilled machinists and three of them are
from advanced civilizations. I intend to
manipulate two StaP gains for each of them.
Cross Continent
Arlia
For this team, you can play as Rena or Claude. I won't go into
as much detail about what I do with either character because
they aren't necessary for this team.
In case you're wondering, I chose Rena for a few insignificant
reasons.
If she doesn't have the Dexterity talent, restart the game until
she does. Loot Arlia if you want extra Fol or items. Enter the
forest and meet Claude. Return to Arlia and buy gear before
Alen kidnaps you.
*Pickpocket (PP) items of note*
Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife.
Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD).
Salva
Run through the drift and face Alen. He's easy if you
overwhelm him with physical attacks.
After winning, loot Salva and get the Ring of Happiness (rare)
from Alen.
*PP items of note*
None.
Youtube Example Video (YEV):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq2O
GrYtkTY&fmt=18
Cross
Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell her
accessories (at least) to fund your skills training.
Do the Ernest PA.
*PP items of note*
Orichalcum from dog.
Magical Camera from young man at castle.
Lasguss Mountains
I stopped there to gain some quick levels. I got in one
fight with some bubbles (and my mom got mad...). Claude
gained 4 levels, Rena gained 5 levels and Celine gained
2 levels. It really helped in the SP department.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af97ob_6fS8&fmt=18
Herlie
Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills, buy 20 eggs
to get Claude (and/or Rena) Sense of Taste (SoT). Your
other major option is to buy Magical Clay in order to
unlock Sense of Design (SoD).
The purpose of unlocking talents here is to get Rena
enough skill points to max out Perseverance (Per) and
increase Pickpocketing (PP) to ~5.
Also, one or two characters should increase Playfulness
(Play) after maxing Per. It will give you enough Fol to buy
Bandit's Gloves (BG) at the shop.
*PP items of note*
BG from Skill Guild Explainer.
Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn.
Life Insurance from other Newlywed.
Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern.'
Hassaku Tea (Ernest's Fav) from sailor near boat.
Cross Cave
Run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings inside, unless
you are dying to find all the treasure chests in the cave.
I usually avoid the Gargoyle chest, but I decided to fight
them: for the sake of elderly times. If you went to Lasguss
Mountains like me, you should be fine. If you
didn't, these guys might be tough for you.
After defeating them, head out. Accept or reject Celine when
she asks if it truly okay to join you. It doesn't matter,
but I accepted.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrhZJrcJm3w&fmt=18
Clik
Loot Clik, buy skills and equipment (if you need to), and buy
Magical Clay if you want to unlock SoD with anyone or
everyone.
After Rena's PP is ~5, do a PA. PP from Filia. You will get
Mischief. Equip it and explode with joy as you run around.
Finish storyline in Clik.
*Other PP items of note*
Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor.
Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship.
BG from Ketil.
Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain.
LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18
Mars
I PP the Old Man by the inn for Treasure Chest. I saved, then
used the Treasure Chest until it gave me an Atomic Punch and
an Attack Earring.
Bandits have kidnapped the children. Grab Dias then rush to
the forest. You can reenter town anytime.
The boss of the forest deals 0 damage to Dias regardless of
armor or level. His minions can hurt Dias, so you'll want to
avoid them during the fight.
If you use Rena during this battle, keep her away from the
enemies. If Dias is taking damage at level 35, you can guess
she'll take damage too.
After winning this battle and exiting Mars, head to Herlie
and sail to Lacour Continent.
*Other PP items of note*
Treasure chest from the old man by the inn.
Battle Suit from Ernest (PA).
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcArA4SXrsI&fmt=18
Lacour Continent
Hilton
I bought skills and various items, then I noticed all my
Fol had disappeared.
I unlocked Originality and Dexterity with Celine's Metal-
work (MW), then spent the SP on Per and Play. Big Fol!
*PP items of note*
None.
Lacour
I bought skills and did a PA to get an RDiamond from an
old lady on the west side of town.
Unlocked SoT with Claude. Put SP in Per and Play. Just
assume I'm continuing in this fashion for temp/insig-
nificant characters for the rest of the game.
*PP items of note*
Frog from Ernest (PA)
Linga
---Precis Neumann: Catch me, if you can.---
I saw Precis, then bought skills and items.
I left Linga but reentered via PA. Precis's dad
invited me into her house, which led to us
recruiting her.
Equipped Atomic Punch, Berserk Ring and Mind Ring.
Unlocked SoD and Dexterity (Machinery).
Lvl 15
Str 42
Con 31
Dex 40
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 153
Stm 18
Guts 32
I decided to require 6 StaP from Con and Dex each level
out of the 7 possible. That's 86%.
I never had much of a hard time getting Precis's
required StaP. In fact, I once gained three levels at
a time and surpassed my requirement...
Easy peasy!
*PP items of note*
Magical Drops from a Librarian.
Beret from Keith.
Promised Ring from Nineh.
Chocolate Crepes (her fav) from Precis (PA).
Battle Suit from Ernest (PA).
---Lacour Tournament [Ma]: Wow! He looks strong.---
I went to Lacour and signed up for the tournament. I
picked the middle store. Claude was level 9 or so. Since
he wouldn't end up on my final team, I didn't care whether
or not he gained the Eternal Sphere.
He beat the ape and gained a couple of levels. If you
guessed he would lose to Dias, you guessed correctly.
We grabbed the Sharp Edge and hopped to Hilton.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-EVQpXxaPA&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejAQstQ0IRE&fmt=18
Hilton
We met Opera in the tavern and told her we saw Ernest at
Cross. She left.
I made a video then lost it, so I had to make a replacement
of sorts...
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96lmSVNNyIg&fmt=18
Cross Continent
Cross
We talked the king about Opera. He said she went
to the Mountain Palace. He gave us permission to
go there. Also, he gave us 10k Fol.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8gafIcXJ6k
&fmt=18
Mountain Palace
We went inside and stuck to the path that led us
the most up and right. Opera showed and we recruited
her.
---Opera Vectra: Let me enjoy this a bit more.---
Lvl 21
Str 60
Con 31
Dex 50
Agl 30
Int 0
Luc 142
Stm 21
Guts 40
I decided to require 6 StaP from Str and Dex each
level out of the 7 possible. That's 86%.
Unlocked SoD with her.
Unlocked Originality with Precis.
Ran into the Flarelizards and wiped them out with
Opera at level 25 and Precis at level 27. They
gave us 2 Reflection Rings.
Besides fighting well, put a lot of SP in StaP-boosting
skills. You can quickly triple Opera's strength.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRdEXUOs4hU
&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXeLmDKjkMw
&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1CxNNEu39Q
&fmt=18
Arlia
PA'd until Opera talked about her ship, then I took
the team to Shingo Forest. This is necessary for
Ernest to appear at the Hoffman Ruins later.
I PP RDiamond from Newly Wed Wife.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fueuyJQvvPg
&fmt=18
Lacour Continent
Hilton/Linga
Unlocked SoR and Pitch for a lot of characters
by playing songs, then I headed to Linga and
had Bowman tell me to go get him an herb.
Unlocked Dexterity with Opera (MW).
Crafted Atlas Ring from an RDiamond with Opera.
Sanctuary of Linga
I ran straight to the Dill Whip, using my newly
discovered bug of escape. I hadn't found the
Dill Whip in many moons since the Clarisage
is so much easier to obtain.
I also went out of my way to fight the Visseyers.
They can poison and swallow you, but I had little
trouble.
Lvl 31 Precis and Lvl 31 Opera both had one
accessory that doubles atk power (Berserk Ring,
Atlas Ring). Precis used Atomic Punch; Opera
used Seventh Ray.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeoaFkRIQ8
&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bQXQD57NQ
&fmt=18
Linga/Lacour
Bowman loved the Dill Whip and helped us out
before we went to Lacour and acquired Leon.
We Blacksmithed some items: Neo Greaves (Orichalcum),
Chaos Mail (Damascus) and Plate gear (Iron).
Hoffman Ruins
With Opera at lvl 6 Customize, I eventually made
an Alpha Box. It came from an X box I had
previously made.
I won't tell you all of the details because the
weapons aren't her best, and there are several
guides out there. Just be warned, the guides
have flaws. For example, one of the guides
I just looked at didn't show Customizing
Alpha Box as an option...
I mostly used the bug to avoid battles, but I
fought some. During those fights I realized both
Precis and Opera would use normal attacks on
grounded creatures if they didn't like the KMs
I equipped them with. Quite annoying.
Harfainx
I kept them occupied with MRos most of the fight while
Precis and Opera wailed on them. Lvl 34 Opera had Alpha
Box, Reflection Ring and Berserk Ring. Lvl 34 Precis had
Atomic Punch, Atlas Ring and Reflection Ring.
Celine and Rena stayed on manual to absorb exp. They each
had a Reverse Doll and Crystal equipped.
Precis and Opera both gained 1 level, but it went without
issue.
I headed outside.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCT4GPZN37o&fmt=18
---Ernest Raviede: You primitive creature.---
Opera sees something and runs over to it. We fight a
ghost who had possessed Ernest. He went down super easy
compared to Harfainx, then we recruited Ernest.
Level 25
Str 100
Con 37
Dex 60
Agl 50
Int 0
Luc 121
Stm 23
Guts 45
I decided to go with 6.5/8 for Str and Dex combined.
It's only 82%, but it should be okay. His main
strength is Agl anyway. He starts with 10x more than
some characters, and he has Cloud Dust to increase
his evasion.
After testing his StaP growth a bit while leveling,
I stole Battle Suits from him in Mars and Linga (PAs).
Very useful at this point in the game.
Then when he reached lvl 5 Customize, I mixed some
stuff together and made a Rose Whip (most likely a
random creation).
Unlocked SoD (Machinery) and Pitch (playing songs).
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW3ENgVougY&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHkRnKhJVho&fmt=18
---Eluria [Ma]: Well, let's have it.---
Lacour/Frontline
I dropped off Leon then headed to Frontline. We picked
up Dias just because I wanted to. Shin jumped our team
and we ran around in circles until the fight ended due
to the time limit. I used Resurrection Bottles
(RBottles) to help gain voices, and used KMs
to build up prof.
Leon showed up with the Lacour Hope. His parents asked
us to all go to El.
*PP items of note*
Steel Armor from Grover.
El Continent
We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles. They
are weak.
Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might
as well stand still. Or, like I sometimes do, you can
let people die a bunch in hopes of gaining new voices
for the Voice Collection. Building up KMs is another
possibility.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roOtFokTV5w&fmt=18
Eluria Colony
You show up and wonder where Claude is. He shows up
and Rena nearly makes out with him. The leader of the
group allows you to get free weapons from storage. Then
a guy gives you a keycard to Eluria Tower.
*PP items of note*
Star Ruby from Leader.
Holy Mist from Youth.
Peep Half from Man.
Eluria Tower
There are some nice items in the tower. Even if you skip
most of them, get Trickster.
Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks
impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three
chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he
is.
The bug will help you avoid fights, and the Battle Suits
will resist most physical damage if you have to run from
a fight.
The password for the priest statue is "APOCA."
Shin
He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can kill him
this time. He has two weak Gargoyle companions. Perhaps
they are called "Stone Statues," but we aren't fooled.
The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos, if you
wish. I didn't, and he went down easy. Ernest, Precis and
Opera were at level 36. Each had at least one accessory that
doubled attack power (Berserk Ring, Atlas Ring and Atlas
Ring). Weapons were Rose Whip, Atomic Punch, Alpha Box.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSiu_SdsSPI&fmt=18
Berle
Survive for a while. He does an annoying move named
Meta-guard, but it isn't a big deal. Run from him or just hit
him over and over with MRos.
You only need to be careful if you have Comprehension turned
on. It will slow you enough for him to get in hits unless you
are quite skilled at dodging.
This time he killed Precis and Opera, but I ran around with
Ernest. It said Ernest after it said "Time Up" or what-
ever. Fortunately the game had mercy on me and didn't give
a Game OVer.
2nd CD
---Synard [Br]: Don't get hurt!---
Central City
We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get
a Synard from North City.
I made sure to see the Chisato scene before leaving the
city.
*PP items of note*
Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild.
North City
North City
Bought all instruments and began composing. I created Hail
the Goddess on Violin before I had enough songs for
Orchestra. I played it then composed until I had created
the remaining songs.
Began using Orchestra:
1. Created a Gamma Box through random Customization (lvl 7)
with Opera. Added Orichalcum to get PUlse Box.
2. Random Customization (lvl 7) with Ernest to make
Invisible Whip.
3. Used Celine and Alchemy to make some minerals. You don't
need to use her, but it was convenient for me. I made some
RDiamonds to equip in case I needed skill boosts.
4. Random Customization (lvl 7) with Precis to make SD
Punch. Added Damascus to get UGA Punch. Added Meteorite to
get SDUGA Punch. Because UGA Punch has more Hit than SDUGA
Punch, I made one of those to keep.
4. Blacksmithed three Star Guards (Meteorite).
5. Unlocked WA, Originality (MW), LoA with Ernest; SoT with
Opera; SoT, WA, Pitch with Precis; various talents with my
noncombatants.
*PP items of note*
Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman.
Violin from Mrs. Heath.
Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop.
The Fight
I talked with the researchers. Soon after, they screwed
up everything and made a Synard flip out on my team.
Ernest had ~275 Avd, so he blocked most attacks. Precis
had ~750 Def (with Blue Talisman included), making it
impossible for the Synard to damage her.
If you have any trouble, use MRos. They should turn the
battle in your favour.
Each of my teammembers gained 2 levels.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQEBniaCEA&fm=18
Red Crystal Cave
I ran in here and bypassed most chests/bugged out of
battles. There are a couple of okay items, but none of
them interested me.
On the way you will come to a point where you have to go
under a ledge to reach a chest. Whether you want the
item or not, take the steps down and go toward it. A
necessary scene with Chisato will occur. She drops her
ID card. Pick it up.
At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses,
to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability,
attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack.
As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Keep
your distance when possible and make sure you are doing
well in levels and/or gear.
After winning, we gained the Synard. Noel asked to come
along, but I only had one spot left.
I went back to Central City and found Chisato in the
Nede Chronicle. We talked a bit then I recruited her.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwG8X7s5MXs&fmt=18
---Chisato Madison: Sorry, I'm not interested in you.---
She's the last character you can possibly get, but she
has quite high Agl and Dex. Also, she has no stat-
boosting skills to start with, meaning she loses nothing
for that reason.
Level 40
Str 164
Con 60
Dex 150
Agl 50
Int 0
Luc 119
Stm 32
Guts 42
I decided to go with 7.5/9 for Str and Dex combined. It's
83%, but she also has super Agl like Ernest. I think they
will be okay.
After testing his StaP growth a bit while leveling, I stole
Battle Suits from him in Mars and Linga (PAs). Very useful at
this point in the game.
Unlocked SoD (Machinery), Originality (MW), Pitch, LoA,
and Si Se.
When she reached lvl 4 Customize, I bought a Lightning Gun
at Armlock and mixed it with a Mithril to make an Electron.
The truth is I hear Electron is almost like her default
weapon when using Orchestra, so there is probably no need
to do anything fancy.
I made the mistake of listening to a guide that has proven
false on multiple occasions. Yes, just mixed a Stun Gun
with Moonite=Electron. Ugh.
MWed a Gold Earring (Chisato) and Blacksmithed a Mithril
Dress. Chisato's Avd went up to 375+.
Then I maxed out her agl-boosting skills and followed up
with 5 ranks in Piety (couldn't afford more before the
level 50 test).
Agl: 144 (rank 0), 148, 152, 156, 160, 164
I also tested the secret battlefield for kicks.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0dRPhsarI&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0xwLd-sEDU&fmt=18
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcNs1meIYIg&fmt=18
---A Level-50 Look [Ma]: ---
I mainly used a combination of FMedals, DBracelets and
Enter the Hero to reach level 50.
All Stats
I'm going to tell you the stats (unequipped) of every
character. If you want to compare them to each other or
your characters, keep two things in mind: one, since
skills are not maxed, there are a lot of variables;
two, each character has had his StaP manipulated for a
different amount of time (Precis since level 15, Ernest
since level 25, etc.).
Precis Opera Ernest Chisato
Str 469 497 447 393 O
Con 135 87 76 87 P
Dex 235 200 208 263 C
Agl 71 105 144 164 C
Int 133 154 126 115 O
Luc 153 142 121 119 P
Stm 48 48 53 56 C
Guts 68 70 77 63 E
--Interesting
If I manipulated Precis's StaP to be perfect every level,
would her StaP surpass the the base Stap of anyone she met
along the way? I made a little "table" below to see.
Lvl 21 Lvl 25 Lvl 40
Str 60 72 117
Con 49 61 106
Dex 64 80 140
A perfect Precis ties a perfect Opera in Str and defeats her
in Con and Dex.
A perfect Precis loses to a perfect Ernest in Str but defeats
him in Con and Dex.
A perfect Precis loses to a perfect Chisato in Str and Dex
but defeats her in Con.
Getting Precis early does matter, but not as much as one
might expect. Even with perfect gains, and excluding her
StaP loss due to starting with 3 ranks in Functionality,
she barely wins over half of the time when compared to the
base StaP of her teammates.
Interesting--
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_nLRpZlcw&fmt=18
Fake Gallery
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18
--------------------
Team Perfect
--------------------
Why did I name this team "Team Perfect"? Each character will
have one StaP requirement per level, and it must always be
a perfect gain.
By the way, they're all casters.
Cross Continent
---Rena Lanford: Now's your chance to run away.---
Rena is the first character we get for this team. I hope you
read the StaP section. Even though it was all about Claude, it
should help you understand the concept.
Since Rena seemed like a typical fighter-mage pick, I decided
against it and chose Con as her main stat. It will help her
survive as she heals the other teammembers.
She gets a max of 2 Con per level (remember to see the "Stap
Growth" section for all characters).
Arlia
Play as Claude (for Leon). If you don't have the Dexterity
talent, restart the game until you do. Your first meeting
with Rena in Shingo Forest doesn't allow you to control
her or see her stats; but she won't level for a while yet.
Loot Arlia then pick up Rena. Her stats (see "Starting StaP"
section for all characters):
Str 5
Con 2
Dex 10
Agl 8
Int 0
Luc 130
Stm 10
Guts 30
Shop before leaving to Salva. Gotta have those Sandals.
*Pickpocket (PP) items of note*
Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife.
Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD).
Youtube Example Video (YEV):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=XgoEL8iqCRM&fmt=18
Salva
Go to Alen's house. Leave. Return to Arlia. Hear about
Alen. Go back to his house.
Level as much or as little as you wish. This is Earth, and Alen
will be a pushover. Loot Salva and the Drift if you want to
collect some items.
Sometime during the Alen fight, let Rena die. Otherwise, she
might gain bad StaP.
After winning, get the Ring of Happiness (rare) from Alen.
Do not buy gear here. Switch Claude's gear to Rena.
*PP items of note*
None.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzaBsjFUDrA&fmt=18
Cross
---Celine Jules: You can't win over us.---
Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell her
accessories. Buy skills, but do not buy gear in Cross.
Str 15
Con 8
Dex 12
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 154
Stm 14
Guts 40
I bought 20 Eggs here, so I could unlock Sense of Taste (SoT)
with people later. I usually go to Herlie, but I had already
stopped at the food area in Cross.
I spent 5 SP with Claude and Celine to gain cooking. Neither
could have afforded Perseverance (Per) anyway, so no loss.
I moved outside, then I realized my least likely choice for
a fighter-mage would be Celine. Intrigued, I decided to gain
2 Str per level with her.
*PP items of note*
Orichalcum from dog.
Magical Camera from young man at castle.
Cinderella Glass from Celine during a Private Action (PA).
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tazjj8VY2E&fmt=18
Mars
Loot the village and buy gear for your casters if you
have plenty to spare. Save at least (at least) 1600 Fol
for Herlie.
*PP items of note*
Treasure chest from the old man by the inn.
Cinderella Glass from Celine (PA).
Ruby Wand from Young Man by Heraldry Forest.
Herlie
Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills (make sure
to get Perseverance), buy 20 eggs if you still need them.
Either cook eggs in Herlie until you get the talent, or
try cooking between fights and bad StaP loads. Rena
is more likely to unlock SoT than either Celine or Claude.
You can get Art and try to unlock Sense of Design (SoD),
but Magical Clay is costly; however, do it when you get
the chance. 100 SP is very handy.
Once you unlock SoT and/or SoD, max out Per, increase
Playfulness (Play) for Fol, and try to put points in stat
building skills (KKnife, Patience, etc.) for Rena and Celine.
Those stat increases matter a lot at this level, but you must
note every change to your stats or your StaP manipulation
will be foiled. Trust me.
Buy the Bandit Gloves (BG) with your new money (from Play)
and buy gear for your team.
If you just unlocked SoT or SoD with Claude, max out Per
then put some SP in PP skills: Poker Face and Courage.
It is nice if you have at least level 5 PP when you reach Clik.
If Claude needs SP for any reason, and you can't afford to
buy skills to unlock talents, go to the Lasguss Mountains
and fight the bubble creatures. He can gain several levels
in one or two fights.
*PP items of note*
BG from Skill Guild Explainer.
Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn.
Life Insurance from other Newlywed.
Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern.
Mars/Cross Cave
I unlocked SoD using Art with Claude, then I left Herlie.
I went and bought gear at Mars then PP the old man. I saved,
then used the Treasure Chest until it gave me Rune Full Moon.
I really wanted something for Celine, but I never saw anything.
In Cross Cave, run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings
inside, unless you are dying to find all the treasure chests
in the cave.
I unlocked Dexterity with Celine by Metalworking (MWing) 1
Iron and 1 Green Beryl. If you try it, stick next to a save. It
may not always come in two uses.
I used Art to unlock SoD with Celine. When finished in the
cave, I headed out and let Celine join my team.
Clik
On your way to Clik, stop by the Mountain Palace and loot the
front area.
Go loot Clik, buy skills and equipment (if you need to),
and buy Magical Clay if you haven't yet. Unlock SoD with everyone.
After Claude's PP is 5 or more, do a PA. PP from Filia. You
will get Mischief. Equip it and explode with joy as you run
around.
Finish storyline in Clik.
*Other PP items of note*
Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor.
Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship.
BG from Ketil.
Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain.
Cinderella Glass from Celine (PA).
LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18
Mars (Again)
Bandits have kidnapped the children. Gear up, buy items, then
rush to the forest!
Except you can reenter town anytime...
Soloing as Celine was quite difficult. You should level past 10
before entering the forest. I hadn't been there in ~10 years
without Dias, so it took me by surprise.
I stuck to regular attack, Windblade, Thunderbolt, Firebolt
and items. Not easy. Without items, your best chance is a spell
followed by a physical attack. I could one-shot a lot of them,
if I could get a hit in. I had stolen the Berserk Ring and
Feet Symbol from Clik.
At level 17 (223 Str), I fought Varmillion. I used the same
tactics as usual (spell diversion+Ruby Wand) but threw in
some Peep-Peep Bombs (PeepBs). It worked well, and he died.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVZcWt1bg8Q&f&fmt=18
Lacour Continent
Hilton
I bought skills but nothing else, as I wanted to get the Super
Specialty "Identify All" first. After that, I went from town
to town buying any upgrades I saw.
*PP items of note*
Pyre Tear from Celine (PA).
Lacour
I bought skills.
*PP items of note*
Fairy Tear from Boyfriend on way to castle.
Linga
I bought skills to help unlock talents, but everyone had
0 SP. I stole some books with Claude until he learned
Familiar.
I unlocked Love of Animals (LoA) via Familiar, then put
points into Authoring, musical skills, etc. I wrote
some books for Celine and Rena.
*PP items of note*
Magical Drops from a Librarian.
Beret from Keith.
Promised Ring from Nineh.
Hilton/Linga
These two towns have all the items you need to unlock
talents.
Claude:
Sense of Rhythm (SoR) by playing songs
Originality (MW)
Rena:
Pitch (playing songs)
SoR
Dexterity (MW)
Originality (MW)
Celine:
SoR
Writing Ability (WA)
Sixth Sense (Si Se)
--Words on Dragon's Tusk
Celine lvl 5 Customize:
Used Radar to get Mithril. Combined with Rod to make
Silver Rod.
Celine lvl 6 Customize:
Used Lvl 5 Alchemy to get Star Ruby. Combined with
Silver Rod to make Ruby Rod.
Combined Orichalcum (got some in Heraldry Forest)
with Ruby Rod to make a Holy Rod.
Celine lvl 8 Customize:
Used Lvl 5 Alchemy to get Star Ruby. Combined with
Holy Rod to make...a bent rod over and over. Eventually
I decided to wait until the 2nd CD because I felt rushed
to get the guide out, but I'm sure Dragon's Tusk can be
created on the 1st CD.
End of Dragon's Tusk words--
---Lacour Tournament [Pe]: Anybody hurt?---
I returned to Lacour and entered the castle. Then I got
confused and exited. I saw a scene I hadn't seen in a long
time, maybe ever. I usually jump in and register for the
tournament. Just a heads up for you fans of seeing
everything.
I randomly picked a store. Claude was level 4, and I didn't
care to win the Eternal Sphere. All casters, remember?
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXvuVFDEog0&fmt=18
Lasguss Mountains
I went here at level 30 or so with Celine. I wanted to help
Rena level while gaining Damascus while leveling a bit with
Celine in order to get SP for Customization, considering my
constant failure.
It wasn't easy. No fun at all. I left not long after going but
managed to pick up one Damascus and some levels for Rena.
Sanctuary of Linga
I ran from every fight and grabbed the Clarisage. I had
intended to get the Dill Whip, but I messed up. Ah well.
Lacour
I hopped to Lacour and recruited Leon.
---Leon Geeste: My principle is not to waste time.---
Level 30
Str 40
Con 30
Dex 35
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 120
Stm 23
Guts 10
Leon, like many characters, has some issues. First, he starts
with 0 Int. This happens to everyone, but the further in the
game it occurs, the worse it is. By level 30, Rena could
easily have 70 or 80 Int.
Another problem is the game likes to make Leon seem smart.
I'm all for role-playing, but they messed up and gave him
two skills that give him bonus Int. So, he loses 10 Int
there. He also loses 40 Str, which might make it more
difficult to use him as a fighter-mage.
To me, he makes up for this flaws with style...but as they say,
style doesn't pay the bills.
Although he starts with Int deficiences, I like his spells; so
I decided to make him the attack mage (3 int per level).
He'll be the one dishing out the damage with major spells.
He starts with 0 SP, so I had Claude write him some books.
Leon:
Pitch
SoR
Originality (MW)
Dexterity (MW)
SoD (Machinery)
Level 6 Customize:
Customized until I got Mental Revolution. Combined it with a
Damascus and got Book of Darkness.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGJ4WyQIBII&fmt=18
Hoffman Ruins
I ran all the way through with a team of just Celine and Leon
(since escape speed is based on the level of partymembers),
then I saved before the Harfainx (bosses).
I created a Reflection Ring by MWing a Crystal with Claude. I
would have made another or a Resistance Ring, but I forgot to
buy more Crystals. I just threw on a Recoil Bracelet for the
heck of it.
I switched to Assault Shift in order to be closer to the
Harfainx at the beginning of the fight.
At the start, I hit them with a Magic Rock (MRo) and ran to
the left side of the lower pillar in the upper-left side of
the screen. Confused?
Once on the left side of the pillar, they could not attack me
physically. Two Mind Bombs later, and they couldn't cast
spells.
I kept using Killer Poison (KillP) until they became poisoned.
I watched as they died.
Level 4 Claude gained 29 levels and 552 SP. I did have rank 5
Practice on and some rank Comprehension.
Woo hoo!
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgJs0Tk0XDw&fmt=18
---Eluria [Pe]: Stay right there!---
Frontline
I came here and saw Dias, then cried about not being able to
recruit him. Shortly afterward, my team had to fight against
Shin. You can't win the fight, so I ran around and used
MRos + Resurrection Bottles (RBottles) until the fight ended
due to time limitations.
Leon showed up with the Lacour Hope. His parents asked us
to all go to El.
*PP items of note*
None.
El Continent
We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles. I used an
MRo and beat them up. No big deal.
Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might as well
stand still. Or, like I sometimes do, you can let people die
a bunch in hopes of gaining new voices for the Voice
Collection. Building up KMs is another possibility.
Eluria Colony
Recruit Leon permanently. There are no negative affects to
getting him on your team twice. That appears to be a problem
for Dias alone.
*PP items of note*
Star Ruby from Leader.
Holy Mist from Youth.
Peep Half from Man.
Eluria Tower
Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks
impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three
chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he
is.
Around this time, I realized I had way underleveled. Rena
kept gaining multiple levels, making it very difficult to
get the right StaP; I had a hard time running from battles;
and I knew Shin would give me too much xp.
I spent hours screwing around with item creation, random
battles, etc. My turbo controller came in handy. Put Barney
on a hill then hit turbo x. He'll keep picking up items from
Mischief and Trickster.
I had Claude make three Dream Bracelets (DBracelet) and
some other nice stuff. Celine and Leon equipped one then ran
inside.
During my run to Shin, I found a trick. If you start a battle
with a dead companion, use an RBottle on him or her, then
quickly select "Escape" from that character's menu (who is
still lying down). When done right, the person should
escape faster than if you used a Skanda (regardless of level).
The password for the priest statue is "APOCA."
Once aboard Calnus, pickpocket a guy next to where you
first come in (right side). He should have a Battle Suit. If
you fail, load your game.
Shin
He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can kill him
this time.
The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos. While
Shin is busy getting hurled across the screen, you can blast
him with spells like Deep Freeze, or you can try cornering
him with rapid physical attacks.
I had to remove Rena from the team (she would have gained a
level or two) and add Claude to the team (only as an XP
absorber; he didn't fight).
Here is the gear I had when defeating him:
Celine: Leon:
Holy Rod Book of Darkness
Mithril Dress Silver Robe
Rune Buckler
Magical Hat Rune Cap
Pin Heels Leather Boots
Berserk Ring Silver Charm
DBracelet DBracelet
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duYN91XnK6M&fmt=18
Berle
Just survive for a while. He does an annoying move named
Meta-guard, but MRos bypass it. Yes, I'm prescribing another
dose of MRos. Do it!
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkrUFj6md1s&fmt=18
2nd CD
---Synard [Pe]: There's the enemy.---
Central City
We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get
a Synard from North City.
*PP items of note*
Holy Rod from Celine (PA).
Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild.
Treatise from left blue-haired Nede Publishing editor.
Shortcake (Rena's fav) from a Woman in Central Square.
Baby Rabbit Risotto (Celine's fav) from a restaurant
proprietor.
North City
Bought all instruments and composed songs until Orchestra
was available.
Began using Orchestra:
1. Book of Darkness + Damascus = Book of Chaos
2. Holy Rod + Star Ruby = Dragon's Tusk
3. Next I wanted to make Empresia with Rena, so I crafted
Kaiser Knuckles (random make, keep trying) by equipping
an RDiamond (Customize + 1) and playing Orchestra.
I needed a Moonite, but Celine (lvl 6 Alchemy) couldn't
make one, so I equipped two RDiamonds to boost her
Alchemy to 8. Also, I had bought the Lezard Flask in North City.
We made a Moonite then combined it with Kaiser Knuckles to
make Empresia. I made a bunch of RDiamonds to help Item
Creation.
4. Blacksmithed a lot of gear: Star Guard (Meteorite), Star
Cloak, Rune Shoes (Rune Metal), etc.
5. Unlocked Si Se with Leon, SoD with Rena and various
talents with my noncombatants/noncasters.
6. MWed caster items: Fairy Ring (Claude and Green Beryl),
Mental Ring and Wisdom Ring (Celine and Sage's Stone).
*PP items of note*
Mithril Dress from Celine (PA)
Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman.
Violin from Mrs. Heath.
Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop.
Luna Tablet from woman in main area.
Prime Toro Tuna from Noel (PA). His fav food.
Enter the Hero
I equipped a DBracelet on Rena, used an FMedal, unequipped
the DBracelet, played Enter the Hero, won fight to gain two
levels. I did that from level 17 to 40.
The Fight
I ran to North City and talked with the researchers. Soon
after, they screwed up everything and made a Synard flip
out on my team.
Rena, Celine and Leon=level 40. I had to equip DBracelets
on them to make sure they wouldn't gain a level and screw
up my StaP gains. Claude stood in place during the fight
to soak up experience.
The most important part for my team in this fight had to be
Celine's Avd. I never knew how important it could be until
recently. She had over 300 Avd: Mithril Dress (120), Rune
Buckler (60), Hermit's Helm (20), Rune Shoes (20) and
a lot of Agl from skills.
The Synard started out by doing his breath weapon. Normally
it can be quite devastating, but Celine blocked most hits
most of the time. In fact, he just kept pushing her back
until I had to use an MRo.
I switched to Leon and let the computer control Celine on
full attack. I would use Leon's regular attack to hit the
Synard until it turned and hit him. Then I stood back and
cast Black Saber most of the time.
Rena tried to cast Tractor Beam until I turned her to
"Recover Friends Only." If you didn't know, Tractor Beam is
useless on flying enemies.
The fight went rather smoothly as Celine and her Berserk
Ring gathered a lot of attention that her Avd could deal
with.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQtF0HATas&fmt=18
---Noel Chandler: Why don't we become friends?...
I guess not.---
We defeated the Synard at North City, so a man told us to
go to a wildlife preserve, essentially. We met Noel, and
he decided to help us find a Synard.
Noel: Level 40
Str 61
Con 55
Dex 50
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 87
Stm 30
Guts 28
I decided to get perfect Dex with him. My reasoning is
possibly weak, but I'll explain! Rena had Con, Celine
had Str and Leon had Int. I figured a nice remaining stat
was Dex, plus it might help Noel back up Celine in a close
fight.
I made a Tiger's Fangs via random customization (Lvl 7 +
Orchestra), then I combined it with a Mithril to create
Platinum Nails.
After that, I used Orchestra to unlock SoD (Art), Dexterity
(Machinery), Originality (MW), SoT, WA and SoR.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCTZleqlgRY&fmt=18
---A Level-50 Look [Pe]: Trust me!---
All Stats
I'm going to tell you the stats (unequipped) of every
character. If you want to compare them to each other or
your characters, keep two things in mind: one, since
skills are not maxed, there are a lot of variables;
two, each character has had his StaP manipulated for a
different amount of time (Rena since level 1, Celine since
level 8, etc.).
Rena Celine Leon Noel
Str 277 439 214 262 C
Con 120 65 68 81 R
Dex 134 160 138 138 C
Agl 54 85 84 74 C
Int 161 173 140 97 C
Luc 130 154 120 87 C
Stm 40 41 53 57 N
Guts 45 55 25 46 C
--Interesting
If I manipulated Rena's StaP to be perfect every level,
would her StaP surpass the the Stap of anyone she met
along the way? I made a little "table" below to see.
Lvl 8 Lvl 30 Lvl 40
Str 19 63 83
Con 16 60 80
Dex 24 68 88
Int 21 87 117
A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Celine in every way,
unless you take into account her lost 20 Str via starting
with 1 rank in the Kitchen Knife skill.
A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Leon in every way.
A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Noel in every way.
Yes, getting a teammember early does matter, but this
is only concerning a perfect Rena. Had I said average
Rena, she would have fared much worse.
Example: An average Rena would lose to an average Noel
in every way except Int.
Interesting--
Red Crystal Cave
Reproduced 3 Rune Bucklers after getting tired of attempting
to Blacksmith them.
I ran in the cave and bypassed most chests/escaped battles.
There are a couple of okay items, but none of them interested
me.
At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses,
to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability,
attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack.
As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Celine
had over 300 Avd, making it nigh impossible to defeat her.
Noel had 600-650 def, so the Arcmenes did little damage.
Other than that, I let Leon cast some spells.
After winning, we gained the Synard. Noel asked to come
along, and I accepted.
I recruited Chisato as well but not to use on my main team.
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOO_3JBVrWY&fmt=18
Fake Gallery
YEV:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18
--------------------
Starting StaP
--------------------
---Team One: Claude, Ashton, Bowman, Dias---
Claude: Level 1
Str 10
Con 5
Dex 10
Agl 10
Int 0
Luc 132
Stm 15
Guts 20
Ashton: Level 17
Str 83
Con 32
Dex 50
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 18
Stm 18
Guts 32
Bowman: Level 25
Str 90
Con 50
Dex 62
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 118
Stm 35
Guts 36
Dias: Level 35
Str 175
Con 70
Dex 120
Agl 20
Int 0 (generally)
Luc 96
Stm 45
Guts 50
---Team Two: Precis, Opera, Ernest, Chisato---
Precis: Level 15
Str 42
Con 31
Dex 40
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 153
Stm 18
Guts 32
Opera: Level 21
Str 60
Con 31
Dex 52
Agl 30
Int 0
Luc 142
Stm 21
Guts 40
Ernest: Level 25
Str 100
Con 37
Dex 60
Agl 50
Int 0
Luc 121
Stm 23
Guts 45
Chisato: Level 40
Str 164
Con 60
Dex 150
Agl 50
Int 0
Luc 119
Stm 32
Guts 42
---Team Three: Rena, Celine, Leon, Noel---
Rena: Level 1
Str 5
Con 2
Dex 10
Agl 8
Int 0
Luc 130
Stm 10
Guts 30
Celine: Level 8
Str 15
Con 8
Dex 12
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 154
Stm 14
Guts 40
Leon: Level 30
Str 40
Con 30
Dex 35
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 120
Stm 23
Guts 10
Noel: Level 40
Str 61
Con 55
Dex 50
Agl 5
Int 0
Luc 87
Stm 30
Guts 28
--------------------
StaP Growth
--------------------
The first stat beside a character's name will indicate his
or her greatest strength on that particular team; the
second number will indicate his or greatest weakness on
that particular team. Ties excluded.
---Team One: Claude, Ashton, Bowman, Dias---
Claude: Con, Int
Str 3-6
Con 2-4
Dex 2-3
Agl 0
Int 0-2
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 7-17
Ashton: None, None
Str 3-6
Con 1-3
Dex 2-3
Agl 0
Int 1-2
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 7-16
Bowman: None, Str
Str 2-5
Con 1-3
Dex 2-3
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 6-16
Dias: Dex, None
Str 3-6
Con 1-3
Dex 3-4
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 8-18
---Team Two: Precis, Opera, Ernest, Chisato---
Precis: Con, Str
Str 2-3
Con 1-3
Dex 3-4
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 7-15
Opera: None, None
Str 1-4
Con 1-2
Dex 2-3
Agl 0
Int 2-3
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 7-14
Ernest: None, Stm
Str 2-5
Con 1-2
Dex 2-3
Agl 0
Int 2-3
Luc 0
Stm 0-0
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 7-14
Chisato: None, Con/Int
Str 2-5
Con 0-2
Dex 3-4
Agl 0
Int 0-2
Luc 0
Stm 0-1
Guts 0-1
Min-Max StaP: 5-15
---Team Three: Rena, Celine, Leon, Noel---
Rena: None, None
Str 1-2
Con 0-2
Dex 1-2
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0
Guts 0
Min-Max StaP: 3-9
Celine: None, None
Str 1-2
Con 0-2
Dex 1-2
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0
Guts 0
Min-Max StaP: 3-9
Leon: None, None
Str 1-2
Con 0-2
Dex 1-2
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0
Guts 0
Max StaP: 3-9
Noel: None, None
Str 1-2
Con 0-2
Dex 1-2
Agl 0
Int 1-3
Luc 0
Stm 0
Guts 0
Min-Max StaP: 3-9
--------------------
StaP Lists
--------------------
If you're wondering if it is possible to stick with StaP
requirements, here's the "proof."
You might wonder what the numbers are in the parentheses.
Let's say I gain 11 StaP for a level with Claude. Well, I'm
only requiring 10 StaP with Claude, so I get a +1 in the
parentheses. What this means is I can later accept a 9-StaP
level yet stay true to my 10-StaP rule. It may not seem
important, but it helps relieve stress and maintain sanity.
---Claude: Advance forward!---
I required an average of 10+/11 for Str, Con, Guts (6/4/0,
6/3/1, etc.)
1) NA
2) 11 (+1)
3) 10 (+1)
4) 9 (0)
5) 10 (0)
6) 11 (+1)
7) 10 (+1)
8) 10 (+1)
9) 10 (+1)
10) 11 (+2)
11) 10 (+2)
12) 10 (+2)
13) 9 (+1)
14) 10 (+1)
15) 11 (+2)
16) 10 (+2)
17) 9 (+1)
18) 10 (+1)
19) 9 (0)
20) 10 (0)
21) 10 (0)
22) 10 (0)
23) 11 (+1)
24) 9 (0)
25) 10 (0)
26) 10 (0)
27) 10 (0)
28) 11 (+1)
29) 9 (0)
30) 10 (0)
31) 9 (-1)
32) 11 (0)
33) 10 (0)
34) 11 (+1)
35) 11 (+2)
36) 10 (+2)
37) 9 (0)
38) 9 (0)
39) 10 (0)
40) 10 (0)
41) 10 (0)
42) 10 (0)
43) 10 (0)
44) 10 (0)
45) 9 (-1)
46) 10 (-1)
47) 10 (-1)
48) 11 (0)
49) 10 (0)
50) 11 (+1)
51) 11 (+2)
52) 9 (+1)
53) 9 (0)
54) 10 (0)
55) 11 (+1)
56) 10 (+1)
57) 10 (+1)
58) 11 (+2)
59) 10 (+2)
60) 10 (+2)
61) 9 (+1)
62) 10 (+1)
63) 10 (+1)
64) 9 (0)
65) 10 (0)
66) 9 (-1)
67) 10 (-1)
68) 10 (-1)
69) 10 (-1)
70) 9 (-2)
71) 10 (-2)
72) 10 (-2)
73) 10 (-2)
74) 10 (-2)
75) 10 (-2)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
81)
82)
83)
84)
85)
86)
87)
88)
89)
90)
91)
92)
93)
94)
95)
96)
97)
98)
99)
100)
---Ashton: I'm so happy!---
I required an average of 10.5+/12 StaP for Str, Con, Dex (level
pattern: 11, 10).
1-17) NA
18) 11 (0)
19) 11 (+1)
20) 12 (+2)
21) 11 (+3)
22) 11 (+3)
23) 10 (+3)
24) 11 (+3)
25) 11 (+4)
26) 11 (+4)
27) 12 (+6)
28) 10 (+5)
29) 11 (+6)
30) 11 (+6)
31) 11 (+7)
32/33) 10 (+6)
34) 11 (+6)
35) 10 (+6)
36) 10 (+5)
37) 10 (+5)
38) 10 (+4)
39) 9 (+3)
40) 11 (+3)
41) 10 (+3)
42) 11 (+3)
43) 11 (+4)
44) 10 (+3)
45) 12 (+5)
46) 10 (+4)
47) 11 (+5)
48) 11 (+5)
49) 10 (+5)
50) 11 (+5)
51) 10 (+5)
52) 11 (+5)
53) 10 (+5)
54) 11 (+5)
55) 10 (+5)
56) 11 (+5)
57) 11 (+6)
58) 10 (+5)
59) 10 (+5)
60) 12 (+6)
61) 10 (+6)
62) 12 (+7)
63) 10 (+7)
64) 10 (+6)
65) 10 (+6)
66) 10 (+5)
67) 10 (+5)
68) 11 (+5)
69) 10 (+5)
70) 10 (+4)
71) 11 (+5)
72) 10 (+4)
73) 11 (+5)
74) 10 (+4)
75) 12 (+6)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
81)
82)
83)
84)
85)
86)
87)
88)
89)
90)
91)
92)
93)
94)
95)
96)
97)
98)
99)
100)
---Bowman: We did it!---
I required an average of 5.75+/7 StaP for Str, Stm, Guts (level
pattern: 6, 6, 6, 5).
1-25) NA
26) 7 (+1)
27) 5 (0)
28) 5 (-1)
29) 5 (-1)
30) 6 (-1)
31) 6 (-1)
32) 6 (-1)
33) 5 (-1)
34) 6 (-1)
35) 5 (-2)
36) 5 (-3)
37) 6 (-2)
38) 7 (-1)
39) 5 (-2)
40) 7 (-1)
41) 5 (-1)
42) 6 (-1)
43) 6 (-1)
44) 6 (-1)
45) 6 (0)
46) 6 (0)
47) 6 (0)
48) 5 (-1)
49) 7 (+1)
50) 5 (0)
51) 6 (+1)
52) 5 (0)
53) 7 (+1)
54) 5 (0)
55) 7 (+2)
56) 7 (+3)
57) 6 (+3)
58) 6 (+3)
59) 7 (+5)
60) 6 (+5)
61) 6 (+5)
62) 6 (+5)
63) 4 (+4)
64) 6 (+4)
65) 6 (+4)
66) 5 (+3)
67) 5 (+3)
68) 6 (+3)
69) 6 (+3)
70) 6 (+3)
71) 6 (+4)
72) 6 (+4)
73) 5 (+3)
74) 5 (+2)
75) 5 (+2)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
81)
82)
83)
84)
85)
86)
87)
88)
89)
90)
91)
92)
93)
94)
95)
96)
97)
98)
99)
100)
---Dias: It's Absurd.---
I required an average of 10+/11 of StaP for Str, Dex, Guts
(5/4/1, 6/4/0, etc).
1-35) NA
36) 10 (0)
37) 9 (-1)
38) 11 (0)
39) 9 (-1)
40) 10 (-1)
41) 10 (-1)
42) 11 (0)
43) 11 (+1)
44) 9 (0)
45) 9 (-1)
46) 10 (-1)
47) 11 (0)
48) 10 (0)
49) 10 (0)
50) 10 (0)
51) 10 (0)
52) 11 (+1)
53) 10 (+1)
54) 10 (+1)
55) 9 (0)
56) 10 (0)
57) 10 (0)
58) 9 (-1)
59) 9 (-2)
60) 10 (-2)
61) 10 (-2)
62) 10 (-2)
63) 11 (-1)
64) 11 (0)
65) 10 (0)
66) 11 (+1)
67) 9 (0)
68) 10 (0)
69) 10 (0)
70) 9 (-1)
71) 10 (-1)
72) 11 (0)
73) 9 (-1)
74) 10 (-1)
75) 11 (0)
76)
77)
78)
79)
80)
81)
82)
83)
84)
85)
86)
87)
88)
89)
90)
91)
92)
93)
94)
95)
96)
97)
98)
99)
100)
---Precis: Lucky!---
I required an average of 6+/7 StaP for Con and Dex.
1-15) NA
16/17) 5/6 (-1)
18/19) 5/6 (-2)
20) 6 (-2)
21/22) 6/6 (-2)
23/24/25) 6/6/7 (-1)
26) 7 (0)
27) 6 (0)
28) 6 (0)
29) 6 (0)
30) 6 (0)
31) 5 (-1)
32) 7 (0)
33) 7 (+1)
34) 6 (0)
35/36) 7/7 (+2)
37) 5 (+1)
38) 6 (+1)
39/40) 5/6 (0)
41) 7 (+1)
42) 4 (-1)
43) 7 (0)
44) 7 (+1)
45) 6 (+1)
46) 7 (+2)
47) 5 (+1)
48) 6 (+1)
49) 7 (+2)
50) 7 (+3)
---Opera: Hee hee hee.---
I required an average of 6+/7 StaP for Str and Dex
combined.
1-21) NA
22) 6 (0)
23) 6 (0)
24) 6 (0)
25) 6 (0)
26) 6 (0)
27) 7 (+1)
28) 6 (+1)
29) 6 (+1)
30) 6 (+1)
31) 5 (0)
32) 5 (-1)
33) 7 (0)
34) 7 (+1)
35/36) 5/6 (0)
37) 7 (+1)
38) 6 (+1)
39/40) 4/5 (-2)
41) 7 (-1)
42) 4 (-3)
43) 7 (-2)
44) 6 (-2)
45) 6 (-2)
46) 6 (-2)
47) 7 (-1)
48) 6 (-1)
49) 6 (-1)
50) 6 (-1)
---Ernest: Pleasure.---
I required an average of 6.5+/8 StaP for Str and Dex combined
(level pattern: 6, 7). That's 81%.
1-25) NA
26/27) 6/6 (-1)
28) 7 (0)
29) 6 (-1)
30) 6 (-1)
31) 7 (-1)
32) 6 (-1)
33) 8 (0)
34) 7 (+1)
35/36) 7/7 (+2)
37) 6 (+2)
38) 8 (+3)
39/40) 6/6 (+2)
41) 5 (+1)
42) 6 (0)
43) 8 (+2)
44) 6 (+1)
45) 7 (+2)
46) 5 (0)
47) 8 (+2)
48/49) 7/8 (+4)
50) 8 (+5)
---Chisato: Not yet!---
I required an average of 7.5/9 StaP for Str and Dex combined
(level pattern: 7, 8). That's 83%.
1-40) NA
41) 7 (0)
42) 8 (0)
43) 9 (+2)
44) 7 (+1)
45) 8 (+2)
46) 6 (0)
47) 8 (+1)
48) 8 (+1)
49) 6 (0)
50) 8 (0)
---Rena: Oh, good!---
She always gains 2 Con per level.
---Celine: This is no big deal.---
She always gains 2 Str per level.
---Leon: Ha ha!---
He always gains 3 Int per level.
---Noel: Gee whiz.---
He always gains 2 Dex per level.
---------
Thanks
---------
*Thanks to the Star Ocean fanatics on the GameFAQs
site. Your posts on the board have enlightened me,
while your FAQs have provided a solid base for me
to work from.
*Thanks to my wife for letting me play like a
madman!
*Thanks to Tri-ace, Links and Enix for creating
Star Ocean: The Second Story.
May you live forever.
