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Legend of Dragoon Character Guide
By Meh1
Version 1.1
Version 1.1(11/24): I made corrections regarding each character's strengths
and weaknesses, and re-evaluated them a bit. It seems that I missed some stuff.
Also, added more details about each character's stats and equipments. There's
also another section filled with miscellanious stuffs.
Introduction: This FAQ's basically analyzes the characters in the game. Their
strengths, weaknesses, and overall ability, in my opinion of course. Since
I've played through this game with numerous parties, I think I have a good
idea of what I'm talking about. Hopefully, this guide will help you out
with how to use different party members. As always, suggestions and questions
are welcome.
Table of Contents
1. Character Stats
2. Additions
3. Dart
4. Lavitz/Albert
5. Shana
6. Rose
7. Haschel
8. Meru
9. Kongol
10. Party Combinations
11. General Stuffs
*******************
* Character Stats *
*******************
Here I'll discuss the different stats in the game and what they mean.
AT: Your character's attack power. This stat affect how powerful your
Additions is in both human and dragoon form. This stat is affected by which
weapon you use and some accesories.
DF: Your charcter's physical defense. This stat affects how much damage you
take from a physical attack. This stat is affected most by which armor you
wear, although some helmets, shoes and accessories also boosts this stat.
MAT: Your character's magic attack power. This stat affects how much damage
you can deal with Dragoon magics and Magic attack items like Gushing Magma.
Most Helmets boosts this stat.
MDF: Your character's magic defense power. This determines how much damage
one takes from a magical attack. This stat is less important in random
encounters, where enemies rarely use magic unless their HP is in yellow or
red. However, it is invaluable in boss battles, where big spells can easily
take off a big chunck of HP to characters with low magic defense.
Speed: In my opinion, the most important stat in the game. Speed affects how
much time there is in between a character's turns. A character with high
speed would get more turns during battles. Unlike other stats, your characters'
speeds does NOT increase with levels. Only 5 items in the game can boost
this stat, and they tend to be quite rare.
A-HIT: Another stat that doesn't increase with levels. This affects your hit
rate. Like Final Fantasy games, for those who play them, you can hit most
enemies all the time despite no boost in this category. However, there are rare
encounters where a higher number here would help. For the most part, just
ignore it.
M-HIT: Pretty much the same as A-HIT, except with magic. Again, fairly useless.
A-AV: Your evasion against physical attacks. This is a pretty useful stat.
However, for the first half of the game, only accessories increases it. But
your accessory slot should be used for other things. Once you get shoes that
raise this, get them.
M-AV: Again, same as A-AV except with magic this time. Not worth an accesory
slot.
*************
* Additions *
*************
Additions are the key to the game. If you understand additions, it will make
the game much easier. So make sure you read the instruction manual and the
in-game tutorial on it. I won't cover the basics here. Also, there are two
types of Additions. One in human form and one in Dragoon form.
[Human Additions]
I'll discuss the one in human form first, as it is more important. Each
character starts off with one addition. They'll gain more as their level
rises. Once you have multiple additions, you can choose which one you use.
Your choice of additions affects two things.
One is the damage modifier(listed as DAM% in the menu). This tells you how
much extra damage you can do with each attack. For example, let's use Dart's
Volcano and his Madness Hero. At level 5, Volcano has a damage modifier of
250%. Madness Hero has 100%. This means that Volcano will deal 2.5 times the
damage as Madness Hero.
Note: The damage modifier is accurate only if you 'completed' an addition.
You'll know when you've completed on because the character will yell the name
out in battle. If you don't complete an Addition, the damage dealt is based on
how many times you nailed it. For example, Dart's Volcano adds 3 hits to the
initial attack, bringing the total to 4. If you only managed to add 2
hits(missing the last one), you'll deal 3/4 of the damage that you'd deal had
you completed all 3 additions.
The other is how much SP you gain. This stat is pointless before your
character get his/her Dragoon Spirit. Once a character gains a Dragoon Spirit,
s/he will obtain SP from using Additions as well as deal damage. SP does two
things. One is to build up your Dragoon level gauge, so you can transform into
Dragoons. Also, as you accumulate SPs, your dragoon level will rise, giving you
more Dragoon Magics, more MP, and allows you to stay in Dragoon form more
often.
You should also note that there's a level for every Addition in the game. This
is because Additions become better as you use them. For every 20 times you
_complete_ an addition, it will rise in power. Either you get more SP with each
use, or deal more damage, or both. They achieve maximum power at level 5, or 80
completions.
All characters also have a Final Addition. This addition will only become
avaliable when you have reached level 5(used 80+ times) for all your other
additions. The final additions are VERY powerful, so you should try to get
them as soon as possible. This means that you'll be spending a lot of time
using Additions which are weaker than others. However, you'll be well
rewarded at the end.
Due to the Final Additon and the Dragoon level, your characters should
almost always be in human form for regular battles. They should only go into
dragoon form during boss battles, where the extra defense and Dragoon Magics
make the battles much easier.
[Dragoon Additions]
When you're in Dragoon Mode, there are only two choices. One is to attack
using Dragoon Additions and the other is to use Dragoon Magic. Dragoon
Additions does not level up as you use them, nor do they contribute SP. Hence,
their only point is to deal damage.
If you want to see the damage modifier for your Dragoon Additions, look under
the Status or Armed meus. You'll see many percentages under the word 'Dragoon'.
The percentage in the AT section corresponds to the Dragoon Addition. This
number, however, is kind of deceptive. The actual damage modifier for every
character except Shana is _twice_ the number listed. So if you see that Dart
has 150% listed by his AT, you actually deal 300% the normal damage. For Shana,
the percentage listed is indeed accurate.
Dragoon Additions become more powerful as your Dragoon Level rises. For Shana,
it rises 5% for every Dragoon Level. For everyone else, it's 10%. This makes
Dragoon Additions very powerful early in the game, when most of your human
additions deal much less damage(the lone exception being a high level Gust of
Wind Dance). However, towards the end of the game, your final additions will
overshadow your Dragoon Additions.
***********************
* Dart - Fire Element *
***********************
Main character of the game. Since you're forced to have him in your party
the whole game, it's kind of pointless to judge him. Overall, pretty
average. However, if you like to rotate your other party members, he'll
likely be your most powerful character due to his higher levels.
[Stat Rating]
Dart has very balance stats in all areas. The only problem is his speed(50),
which is on the low side. Kind of disappointing for a main character,
though. Usually you expect the main guy to be really powerful. It's not a
bad idea to give him a Legendary Casque(+50 MAT, +127 MDF, + 50% M-AV) when
you can afford one. Unfortunately, this can take a while, as it costs 10,000
gold. You can buy it at Lohan.
[Additions]
Dart has the most additions in the game, which is a pain because it takes
forever to get his final addition. However, you have a bit more choices
regarding which to use in which situation.
1. Double Slash(initial): Standard first addition. Easy to use.
2. Volcano(lv2): Gives little SP but adds quite a bit of damage. You should
save this for boss fights early in the game.
3. Burning Rush(lv8): You should switch to this addition immediately after
you get it. The damage modifier is pathetic(150% at all levels). But the SP
you gain is the best for this stage of the game. By gaining a lot of SP, you
can level up your dragoon levels faster. This is because you gain dragoon
levels based on how many SPs you gain. Switch to Volcano for all boss
fights, when damage becomes more important then SP.
4. Crush Dance(lv15): Now this is a great addition. Good damage and good SP.
I suggest you reach lv5 for all previous additions before starting with
this one, because the game is easier early on.
5. Madness Hero(lv22): This addition is like Burning Rush, except the damage
is worse and SP is better. Definitely should not be used during boss fights,
but very nice for random battles for the same reason as Burning Rush. Might
be hard to pull off. If so, you could considering getting a Ultimate Wargod.
6. Moon Strike(lv29): Excellent damage, terrible SP. But you shouldn't need
SP that much now if you've leveled up Madness Hero.
7. Blazing Dynamo(all other Additions at lv5): Dart's final addition. His
best addition, obviously. Excellent damage. Excellent SP. Fairly easy to
complete for a final addition.
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Flame Shot - Not terribly useful. Flame Shot tends to deal the
same(or less) as his dragoon addition. However, if you meet a water enemy
early on, this is not bad, since you will deal extra damage. Obviously, do
not use it on any fire enemy.
level 2: Explosion - Not good. Dragoon form is much more useful during boss
fights, where the extra defense is handy. Yet there are almost no boss fights
where mass-hitting spell is useful.
level 3: Final Burst - Now this is a great spell. Even against enemies neutral
against fire, it will deal better damage than Dart's Dragoon Addition. Since
the game put in a disproportionate amount of water bosses in the game, this
magic will be very helpful.
level 5: Red Eyed Dragon - Not too useful. Tt's usually better to use Final
Burst 3 times than Red Eyed Dragon once and Dragoon additions twice. The 175%
damage modifier is seriously off. As it doesn't really do much more than Final
Burst.
[Final Analysis]
Not much to say here, since he's in your party no matter what. Try using his
Additions as much as possible, because he needs to level up more of them than
anyone else in the game. This is especially annoying because he has below
average speed. Unless you're using Kongol or Lavitz, he's the best candidate
for any speed boosting equipment you get.
********************************
* Lavitz/Albert - Wind Element *
********************************
I'll just use Albert in this guide for simplicity sake. If this is your
first game, don't ask why I have two characters as the same one.
Albert is one of the better characters in the game. He has arguably the
most useful Dragoon magic in the game along with some great Additions.
What sets Albert apart from most of the other characters is that he's
strong throught the game. However, his usefulness declines towards the end,
when characters like Haschel and Meru surpasses him. Another note about
Albert is that his Additions are hard to use. If you have trouble with
them, choose another character.
[Stat Rating]
Albert is a heavy duty fighter character. He has the 2nd highest AT, DF, and
HP in the game. On the flip side, his MAT, MDF, and Speed(40) are the 2nd
worst. This makes him a good candidate for equiping Bandit Ring and/or Bandit
Shoes. It's also a good idea for you to buy him a Legendary Casque before you
give one to Dart, since Albert definitely needs it more.
[Additions]
Albert's additions have some of the craziest timings in the game.
It will definitely take a while to nail his last two Additions, Gust of
the Wind Dance and Flower Storm. However, he gets all of his quicker than
anyone else in the game. If you're the patient type, you can get his final
addition on disk 1 fairly easily.
1. Harpoon(initial): Standard first addition. decent at everything, but not
great.
2. Spinning Cane(lv5): The damage bonus is a bit better than Harpoon, but
you get less SP.
3. Rod Typoon(lv7): This is Albert's best addition in terms of SP. Raise
this to lv5 before any other Addition.
4. Gust of Wind Dance(lv11): Ouch. Now this is a hard Addition to get right.
Keep trying, though. The damage is VERY good. Therefore, you should always
use this in boss battles if you can nail it with consistency.
5. Flower Storm(All other Additions at lv5): As with all final additions,
Flower Storm gives you good SP and good damage. Unfortunately, the timing
for this addition is also quite brutal. Also, it's kind of a disappointment
since the damage isn't all that better than Gust of Wind Dance(405 vs. 350).
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Wing Blaster - Pointless. If Albert's in Dragoon form, he should be
using additions, not magic. This spell will do pretty crappy damage even
against enemies weak to wind, as Albert's Magic is very bad.
level 2: Rose Storm - Now this is more like it. Rose Storm halves all damage
done to you for three of Albert's turns. VERY, VERY, VERY useful in boss
fights.
level 3: Gaspless - Fairly pointless, for the same reason as Wing Blaster.
It's possible that this is good against enemies weak against wind. But you
should save your MP for Rose Storm.
level 5: Jade Dragon - You should not cast this and instead save your MP for
Rose Storm.
[Final Analysis]
Albert is a great character. His Rose Storm is powerful and all of his
Additions have great damage modifier. However, skip him if you have trouble
with tough additions. He's useless if you can't use Gust of Wind Dance and
Flower Storm with regularity. Also skip him if you don't like slow characters.
*************************
* Shana - Light Element *
*************************
Definitely not one of my favorite characters, battle-wise or story-wise.
Shana is a White Mage type character for those who play Final Fantasy games.
Unfortunately, a white mage is much less useful in this game than in FFs.
[Stat Rating]
Shana's stats and equipments gear towards magic. Her magic and magic defense
are THE BEST in the game by far. Her HP is also quite good, even better than
Rose! Her Speed(65) is second only to Meru. As you probably can see by now,
she suffers in the other departments, AT and DF. This is made worse by the
fact that Shana has no additions. And no, she doesn't get any powerful
weapons that balance this out either. In fact, it's not even a bad idea to
skip buying one or two of her weapons, because the difference is so small.
To use Shana effectively, you must have lots of attack items. Shana will
deal VERY nice damage with them because of her high MAT. She can even take
out bosses weak against magic quickly and efficiently. This is more useful
in the first two disks, but less useful late in the game.
Shana's a good candidate for the 10,000 gold Armor of Legend(+127 DF,
+50% M-AV). Otherwise, her equipment should be geared towards defense and HP.
Of course, equipments that boosts her Speed is always useful.
[Additions]
Shana cannot use Additions. This is, in my opinion, her biggest drawback.
Unless she's throwing attack items, Shana's practically useless for dealing
damage. This makes her terrible in regular battles, but quite decent in boss
fights. Another good thing about Shana is that she gains SP faster than anyone
else in the game. So her Dragoon Level will rise faster than others towards
the end.
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Moon Light - Heals/Revives one person fully. Quite useful
spell, since healing in Dragoon form is fairly hard. And this is the
ONLY way to revive a person in Dragoon form.
level 2: Star Children - Similar to Dart's Explosion except this is light
elemental. Fairly worthless. You should save your MP for other things.
level 3: Heaven's Gate - Now here's great spell. Heals everyone fully. If
someone's knocked out, this spell will revive him to 1/2 of max HP.
level 5: White Silver Dragon - Excellent spell. Deals damage AND heals
everyone. Definitely the most useful dragon in the game. Unforunately,
it cost too much MP for you to keep using it(unless you use MP recovery
items).
[Final Analysis]
If you want a 'mage' in your party, I suggest Meru. However, if you like Shana
or hate Meru, feel free to use her. It will definitely make the game more
tedious, since she's basically a bystander in between boss fights. But if you
think you can handle that, you will be rewarded in boss fights, where her
Dragoon healing and magic really shines.
***********************
* Rose - Dark Element *
***********************
Rose is my favorite story character in the game. She's also one of the best
in battle. For a bonus, she(not Dart) gets the equip the most powerful
weapon in the game. Though you do get it quite late. Still...
[Stat Rating]
Like Dart, Rose has average stats for the most part. Her stats do start off
quite well, though. But tapers off a bit towards the end. Rose's big problem
is her HP, which is the 2nd lowest in the game. Even lower than Shana's! Her
speed is average(55).
Due to her low HP, she's a good candidate for equipments like the Dragon
Helm(+50% HP), Physical Ring(+50% HP), or Therapy Ring(recovers 10% HP each
turn). I've found that the combinations of Dragon Helm and Phantom
Shield(reduces all damages by 1/2) works great on her as a final setup. You
can buy Phantom Shields at Lohan or buy beating Magician Faust. I suggest
the latter.
[Additions]
One great thing about Rose for first-time players are her Additions. They
are very easy to pull off but quite poweful. Even her Final Addition has
very friendly timing. Also, Rose has very few Additions. So her final addition
is easy to get.
1. Whip Smack(initial): Again, the standard first addition. Moderate damage
and SP gain.
2. More & More(lv14): By the time you get this, you should've already reached
lv5 with Whip Smack. If not, finish leveling up this Addition first and go
back to Whip smack.
3. Hard Blade(lv19): Finish leveling up your other Additions before going
with this one.
4. Demon's Dance(Reach lv5 with previous Additions): Yep. That's right. Just
three additions before she reaches her final one. And it's quite good. The
damage modifier for it is tied for 2nd in the game.
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Astral Drain - This is her best Dragoon magic. It will stay useful
for the entire game. However, it shines the most early on. Another note is
that while the game says it deals 25% damage, the actual damage seems to be
50%. Probably a mistake by Sony. The HP recovery, while not significant, is
more helpful than one might think. This is also the only spell that heal
your characters by a fighter-type character.
level 2: Death Dimension - Useless. Astral Drain is more useful in boss
fights.
level 3: Demon's Gate - Useless. It works on random encounters. But you
should be leveling up your additions during that time.
level 5: Dark Dragon - I use this late in the game. Granted, it's just one
time per fight. But the alternatives aren't attractive. Overall, Rose's
dragoon magics aren't too great.
[Final Analysis]
Rose is a great character for beginners. Also, if you're leaning towards an
all-fighters party for big damage, make sure you have Rose. She's the only
female fighter in the game. Why have a female character? Because this way you
can take advantage of all the speed boosting equipments in the game. Speed
boosting equipments are some of the very best gears in the game.
*****************************
* Haschel - Thunder Element *
*****************************
Haschel is an excellent character. If you factor in his speed, Hashel can
dish out the most damage in the game. However, he does not start out strong,
due to some weak Additions. At the end, though, he becomes a powerhouse.
One note about Haschel is that Thunder doesn't have an opposite element.
This is both a good and a bad thing. It's good because he'll never take
extra damage from a spell. But he'll never dish out extra damage either.
[Stat Rating]
Another Balanced character. Unlike Dart and Rose, though, Haschel has better
speed(60) and very good AT, 3rd best in the game. This is also enhanced by his
weapons, which are quite strong.
Since Haschel doesn't really have any obvious holes, there's no expensive
equipment that really fits him. Legendary Casque is a good option, though.
Equip it and keep him as a human. This way he can pummel bosses with
Omni-Sweep.
[Additions]
Haschel's additions, for the most part, are pretty easy to use. The exception,
unforunately, is his final addition. You certainly need some practice with this
one. Hex Hammer is another annoying addition, because it has a terrible timing
if you get counterattacked.
1. Double Punch(initial): Just like all other initial Additions
2. Flurry of Styx(lv14): Good damage. Terrible SP. Do not use this early
in the game(boss fights excluded) unless you've finished leveling up all
other Additions available.
3. Summon 4 Gods(lv18): Terrible damage. Great SP. You get the idea. Level
this up asap.
4. 5 Ring Shattering(lv22): A more powerful version of Double Punch. Pretty
useful in boss fights.
5. Hex Hammer(lv26): Save this one for last. Terrible SP, but great damage.
You might consider using an Ultimate Wargod if you have one for this addition.
The timing for the counterattack is brutal.
6. Omni-Sweep(All other Additions at lv5): Pretty much just like all other
final additions.
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Atomic Mind - It usually deals around the same damage as his
Dragoon Addition, depending on the situation. Use this on enemies weak
against magic. Otherwise pretty useless.
level 2: Thunder Kid - A bit more powerful than Atmoic Mind.
level 3: Thunder God - A bit more powerful than Thunder Kid. The developers
really should've put some more thoughts into his Dragoon Magics.
level 5: Violet Dragon - I'd use this when I get it. Not too great, but his
MPs are wasted otherwise anyway. Overall, Haschel should stay in human form
towards the end of the game anyway. He's much more powerful that way.
[Final Analysis]
If you want a fast party, Haschel is perfect for you. His high number of
additions are kind of annoying, but once you've leveled up Omni-Sweep, Haschel
will be very powerful.
************************
* Meru - Water Element *
************************
Meru is that cheerful, annoying girl which seem to exist in all RPGs. Some
people love these characters. Others hate them with a passion. I personally
like characters such as her.
[Stat Rating]
If you've just gotten her and checked out her stats, you're likely to come
away very unimpressed. Meru has the worst HP in the game. And along with
Shana, terrible AT and DF. She does have great MAT and MDF, although not as
good as Shana. Her natural 70 Speed is also the highest in the game.
Like Shana, Armor of Legend is good buy for her. But you should spend money
on Legendary Casques for other characters before investing 10,000 gold for
her. Otherwise, anything that helps with HP is definitely good, like with
Rose.
[Addition]
Meru has a lot of additions(considering when she joins your party),
which is suppose to compensate for her incredibly high speed. Most of her
additions are pretty terrible, but her final addition is the best in the
game. At lv5, it has a 600% attack multiplier, when the 2nd highest is 501%.
Granted, her attack power will still be weaker than your fighters. But she
can still dish out good damage due to her extremely high speed. In fact,
at very high levels, Meru will become a very powerful attacker because the
AT she gains are multiplied by her high damage modier.
1. Double Smack(initial): Same old initial addition
2. Hammer Spin(lv21): More powerful version of Double Smack. Pretty good.
3. Cool Boogie(lv26): Her big SP gainer. Use it immediately. It's not like
she's going to do much damage with ANY Additions at this point in the game.
4. Cat's Cradle(lv30): The last Addition you should level up. Crap SP. Good
for damage. Kind of sucks that you get this at such a high level.
5. Perky Step(All other Additions at lv5): Fairly easy timing for a final
addition, at least in my opinion. The counterattack is kind of annoying.
Level this one up to lv5 and she can be a decent attacker. Level Meru up a
lot and this Addition will make her a great attacker.
[Dragoon Magic]
level 1: Freezing Ring - Definitely better than her normal attack in most
situations. However, you may want to save your MPs for Rainbow Breath. It
depends on the situation. Also note to not use this(or any of her other
attack spells) when facing a water enemy. There are quite a few of them
in this game to make Dart seem more important with his fire spells.
level 2: Rainbow Breath - This is why you should use Meru instead of
Shana. Rainbow Breath, which recovers 1/2 total HP for everyone, is more
than enough for healing most of the time.
level 3: Diamond Dust - I wonder if Square can do anything about Sony
ripping off the trademark attack of Shiva in FF games. :) Anyway, Diamond
Dust is useless, for the same reason as all other spells which hit all
enemies.
level 5: Blue Dragon - While it deals pretty good damage, you might want to
save your MP for Rainbow Breath.
[Final Analysis]
She's a very useful character. Her natural high speed and magic defense makes
her quite nice in boss fights. She is a liability during regular battles for
most of the game, though not as much as Shana. Once Meru gets her final
addition to a decent level, that liability is gone. So like Haschel, very
powerful at the end.
**************************
* Kongol - Earth Element *
**************************
Kongol is my least favorite character. If there is an useless character in
this game, he would be it. It's also not a good thing that Kongol's part
in the story is so limited.
[Stat Rating]
Kongol has by far the highest AT, DF, and HP in the game. Unfortunately, he
suffers greatly in arguably the two most important stats in the game, MDF
and Speed(30). How bad is Kongol's speed? Even with Bandit Ring and Bandit
Shoes, his speed is only tied with Meru's natural speed. If you use him, be
prepared to see bosses do a lot things in between his slow turns.
Equipment-wise, he'd definitely benefit from a Legendary Casque. Also equip
the best Speed items you have to boost his speed. If you do this, then
Kongol's not half bad. But still not as good as the other characters.
[Additions]
Kongol's additions have low damage modifier, which offsets much
of his natural high strength. It is kind of nice that Kongol has very few
Additions, and the ones he has are very easy to pull off. But considering
his low speed, it's not as great as you may think. Also note that his dragoon
addition has 2 less hits than everyone else's.
1. Pursuit(initial): Just like all other initial Additions.
2. Inferno(lv23): Terrible SP. Level this one after you're done with Pursuit.
3. Bone Crush(All other Additions at lv5): Like other final additions,
except there's only five hits. Definitely one of the easiest to do, but
also the lowest damage modifier for all final Additions.
Dragoon Magic:
level 1: Grand Stream - Kongol's Dragoon Additions should hit for much more
than this spell. Useless
level 3: Meteor Strike - See above
level 5: Gold Dragon - In certain fights this could be useful. Most of the
time, just stick to his Additions. Kongol's magic stat is simply too
pitiful unless you have the Legendary Casque.
[Final Analysis]
Kongol is the worst character in the game. Choose Albert if you want a power
guy. Never, Never use both Kongol and Albert. That's just trying to make things
tough on yourself.
**********************
* Party Combinations *
**********************
The most important thing, in my opinion, is to have at least least one
female party member in your party. The speed boosting items in this game
are gender specific. So if you have an all-male party, your Dancer equipments
will be wasted.
Here's my score(out of 10) of the characters, just for fun.
Dart - 7
Lavitz/Albert - 8
Shana - 5
Rose - 8
Haschel - 8
Meru - 8
Kongol - 4
My party suggestions.
Rose/Albert - I really like this party, especially for first time players.
Everyone in your party can dish out good damage. The combination of Astral
Drain and Rose Storm provides makes it easy to survive boss fights in
Dragoon form for most of the game.
Meru/Haschel - This is a FAST party. You should be running circles around
your enemies. The biggest advantage with this party is flexibility, because
you have so many turns. The problem is that you don't deal as much damage for
about the first 2 1/2 disks of the game. This is somewhat problematic in
random encounters, because enemies use more powerful moves when their HP is
low.
Actually, most party combinations are fine. However, I would stay away
from combinations like Kongol/Albert(way too slow), or Meru/Shana(can't
deal damage and makes the game too long).
******************
* General Stuffs *
******************
Ok. Here's a list of things that don't really belong in any particular
category, but pretty important.
1. Specials
Once all your characters' Dragoon gauge has been filled, a special command
with a Yin/Yang symbol appears. This does a few things. First, it immediately
turns everyone into a dragoon. Also, it allows the person who used the command
to successfully complete all his dragoon additions until he turns back to a
human. There's also an effect on magics. The element of the person who use this
command will now be 1.5 times as powerful. For example, if Rose uses the
Special, her Astral Drain will now deal 1.5 times as much damage as if she
used it by simply use the Dragoon command. On the other hand, the opposite
element will now deal half the damage. In the above example, suppose Shana is
also in your party. If she uses Star Children, it will deal 0.5 the damage as
if she used the dragoon command herself. All other elements are unaffected.
This can be quite useful. For example, if you see a water enemy, then have Dart
use the Special. If you see a Dark enemy, let Shana do it. Also don't use the
magic of the opposite element. You need to especially watch out with Meru,
since she and Dart are of the opposite elemnt
2. Speed.
Ok. I've wrote a lot about Speed in my character analysis. There's a good
reason for that, because it's important. Speed gives you more options. If you
have a slow guy like Kongol, you're almost forced to attack with him, because
otherwise his turn is 'wasted'. Now on the flip side is someone like Meru. You
can do anything you want during her turn. You can use attack items, support
items, healing items, or attack. And you won't mind her doing any of those
things because she'll have another turn quickly. Hence you have more
flexibility.
There are very few speed boosting equipments in the game. The first one you can
get is from Drake. He's a boss in mid-disk 1. Occasionally, he'll drop a Bandit
Ring when you win. In my opinion, this item is so useful(especially for this
part of the game) that you should reset if he doesn't drop it. You'll get your
2nd Bandit Ring at the Home of the Gigantos on disk 2. On disk 3, you can get
Dancer's shoes at Kandassa. In the same place, an enemy will VERY rarely drop
Dancer's Ring. In my many playthroughs, I've only seen this dropped once. The
next place is at the beginning of disk 4 in the desert. You can get Bandit
shoes there. It's pretty hard to find, so I suggest you use a walkthrough. Once
you reach the first town on disk 4, you can buy magical grieves, which raise
your speed by 10(not 20 like the other items). Still quite useful since there's
only one Dancer's Shoes and one Bandit Shoes in the game. So give it to your
3rd character. Later in disk 4, you have a chance to drop down some slopes.
Time your jumps right for a Dancer's Ring. Again, use a walkthrough if you have
trouble. Finally, you can get a Dancer's Ring after beating Faust. That's it,
as far as I know. If anyone knows of any other place where I can get these
items, feel free to e-mail me.
3.... I can't think of it right now, but I know there's something else I wanted to
share. Oh well. There will be something here on my next update. :)
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Ok. That's all, folks. Hope you found it helpful. If you have something you
wish I can add, feel free to e-mail me.
Credits: Credit goes to the Walkthroughs on Gamefaqs, which helped me
get all the items and with the side quests of the game.
Copyright 2002 by Meh1.
You can e-mail me at
[email protected]
