===============================================================================
| Phantasy Star II Rolf Solo Guide |
| Version 1.12 |
| by Necrolesian |
===============================================================================
------------------
Table of Contents|
------------------
I. Introduction
II. Notes
III. Walkthrough
IV. Stat Gains on Level Up
V. Equipment
VI. Techniques
VII. Copyright
VIII. Contact Information
IX. Version History
X. Credits
----------------
I. Introduction|
----------------
This guide will walk you through the process of completing Phantasy Star II
with just Rolf. If you're looking for a thorough guide to the game in general,
this guide will not meet your needs. You should already be at least somewhat
familiar with the game.
If you need maps, I recommend the Phantasy Star Pages:
http://www.phantasy-star.net/psii/psii.html
Warning: This guide contains a few spoilers. I'm assuming you've already beaten
the game at least once.
----------
II. Notes|
----------
This is a single character challenge. This means that you cannot use any other
characters. Rolf is the only character that you can use throughout the game,
with three small exceptions (see below).
Note that you cannot remove Nei from the party until she dies (permanently) at
the hands of Neifirst. You'll have to let her get killed in the first battle,
and then never revive her (at least until you're ready to fight Neifirst;
details below). You cannot use Nei's inventory space to store items. You can
acquire the other characters by stopping by Rolf's house, and you can sell or
use their initial equipment if you wish, but you cannot use them, nor can you
store items in their inventory.
However, there are three specific points in the game where you are allowed to
use another character for something:
1. You can use Shir to steal the Visiphone from the Baggage Room in the Central
Tower in Paseo. This is not strictly speaking required to beat the game, but in
a solo game having the Visiphone is a practical necessity; without it, you
would have to battle your way through each dungeon, with Rolf only, without the
ability to save, and your closest save point to Dark Force would be the town of
Aukba. You'll have to work Shir up to level 10 for her to steal the Visiphone.
2. Nei must be alive when you speak to Neifirst. This is absolutely necessary
in order to proceed with the game. You'll have to revive her before speaking
with Neifirst.
3. You can pawn the Prism off on one of the other characters at the end of the
game, once you're done with the "hidden" dungeons on Dezo. For some reason, the
game will not allow you to put the Prism in the Baggage Room in Paseo, and once
it's no longer needed it just uselessly takes up a spot in your inventory
that's needed for a Trimate.
Several ports of Phantasy Star II have been released. You could be playing this
game as part of Phantasy Star Collection for Game Boy Advance, as part of Sega
Genesis Collection for Playstation 2, or several other ways. For the purposes
of this guide I'm assuming you're playing the Genesis version.
-----------------
III. Walkthrough|
-----------------
-----
Paseo
-----
The first thing you should do is change your order so that Nei is in front.
Unequip all of her equipment, and sell all of it except the Ribbon (you want
her to have an item in her inventory for the first battle). Go buy another
Knife for Rolf, as well as a Headgear. Then save and wander around outside
Paseo until you get into a battle.
In this battle, you will kill off Nei. Have Nei use her Ribbon (which will do
nothing). You want her to have a useless item to use because if she doesn't
she'll have to use the Defend command, which will make her harder for the
enemies to kill. After she uses the Ribbon she'll automatically switch to
Defend, so you'll have to manually order her to use the Ribbon each round until
she dies. Have Rolf attack until you're only one round away from killing all
the enemies, then have him Defend until Nei is dead. Once Nei's dead, use Rolf
to kill the enemies and reap the experience. If you accidentally kill all of
the enemies before Nei dies, you'll have to reset and try again, as you don't
want Nei gaining any experience.
After this battle, change your order again so that Rolf is in front, and go
sell Nei's Ribbon. Obviously, don't revive Nei. Heal at the hospital for 8
meseta if needed. Now it's just a matter of walking around outside Paseo,
acquiring EXP and meseta, and healing at the hospital as needed. Beware
Poisoners, which can Paralyze you. (You'd think that, given their name, their
special attack would cause Poison rather than Paralysis.)
Fight until you have enough money to buy a Fibercoat. You should already have
two Knives and a Headgear. Don't bother with the other weapons for sale in
Paseo. The Bow Gun (a two-handed weapon) does less damage than a single Knife,
much less two. Sonic Guns, despite having such a much higher attack value, do
no more damage than the Knives, and they cost 640 meseta each. The only
advantage of the Sonic Guns is that they do consistent damage even against
enemies with high defense, but you won't be encountering such enemies at this
point in the game anyway. Stick with the Knives.
Grind to level 8. You learn Res at level 8, which will be very useful. Buy 2-4
Dimates for emergency healing in battle. Don't waste a round on Res in battle.
Whenever you've taken 20 or more points of damage, use Res out of battle. If
you desparately need healing in battle, use a Dimate.
I also suggest that you buy 1-2 Antidotes in case you're poisoned. Rolf never
lears Anti, so the only ways to heal Poison are by using an Antidote or going
to a hospital in a town. If you find yourself poisoned in a dungeon with no way
to heal it, you'll have to go all the way back to town.
If you're willing to sacrifice the inventory spots, you can also buy an
Escapipe and a Telepipe in case you get yourself into deep trouble. I strongly
recommend always saving 12 TP for Hinas and Ryuka, so you can always get back
to town quickly if you run into trouble, but you may want to have a backup.
Once you're at least level 8, and have a Headgear, Fibercoat, two Knives, 2-4
Dimates, 1-2 Antidotes, and possibly an Escapipe and a Telepipe, head towards
Arima.
-----
Arima
-----
Arima has a weapon shop, a hospital and a teleport station, but no item shop or
Data Memory building, so if you want to sell items or save you have to go back
to Paseo. When you do go back to Paseo, Rudo will be at Rolf's house. Take
Rudo's Boots from him; they're an upgrade over Rolf's Shoes.
Buy a Sword as soon as you can afford it. It's much better than the Knives. Now
it's time to earn even more EXP and meseta. Cross the bridge to the east to
fight some tougher monsters. You can cross the next bridge, towards Nido, for
even tougher battles.
There are three monsters you should be particularly wary of. First, Armorants
can paralyze you, and do a good amount of damage per hit. With the Sword each
will take two hits to kill. Second, Waspys do 3-4 damage per hit, and sometimes
come in groups of 4. It takes 1-2 hits to kill one. Third, Froggys can do 10
points of damage in a single attack, though their regular attack does much
less. Use Dimates in battle if you need them. Generally you'll want to save
your TP for healing, but you may want to use Gifoi or Zan against Armorants,
due to their ability to paralyze you. You're also likely to take enough damage
against a group of four Waspys that using Zan to kill most or all of them right
off the bat is more efficient in terms of TP than having to cast Res twice
after battle. Once you hit level 10, you can use Gra in battles that have both
Armorants and Waspys.
Once you have 5,600 meseta, buy two Ceramic Knives. Each knife does more damage
than the Sword, and with two of them you can kill Armorants and Waspys much
more quickly without using techs. Waspys should go down with a single hit now
(and you can kill two of them per round), but Armorants will still take two
hits to kill.
Now you can either go to Nido and fight the monsters in the entrance room, or
you can stay outside and keep fighting the monsters you've been fighting. The
average EXP in Nido is a little better, but not by much. If you do fight in
Nido, be especially wary of Spitkills. If they put you to sleep, it's game
over. They take two hits to kill. Always kill them first. If you fight in Nido,
you may want to Ryuka to Paseo and save more often than you need to. Once
you've reached level 12, you should be strong enough for Shure.
-----
Shure
-----
My stats:
Level: 12 HP: 88 TP: 55
Your stats may vary, since stat gains at level up are somewhat random. See
Section IV for details. My stats here are actually below average for level 12.
At level 12, there are no serious threats in Shure, even on the top level. The
only monsters you need to watch out for are the Armorants and Amoebas, both of
which can paralyze you. The only items you need from Shure are the Small Key
and Letter (both on the top floor), and both Dynamites. If you need to, use
Hinas/Ryuka (or your Escapipe and Telepipe) after you've gotten the Small Key
and Letter, and go back for the Dynamites. If you're in good shape, though,
just walk it for the EXP.
Don't forget to free up a spot in your inventory by putting the Small Key in
the baggage room in Paseo when you're done. Now head to Nido, which will be
more of a challenge.
----
Nido
----
The only thing you really need here is Teim, although you might want to pick up
the Trimate too. Be afraid when you see Spitkills; take them out first. Aside
from the ever-present possibility of random death from Spitkills, you shouldn't
have any problems until you reach the top floor.
Be very careful here. You may run into monsters called Blasters. These
creatures are very dangerous. They come in groups of two, do over 20 points of
damage each in a single attack, and each takes *three* hits to kill. If you
want to kill them with physical attacks, you'll probably have to use a Dimate
in the battle. Gifoi and Zan are inadequate against them. If you have the TP, I
recommend using Githu to knock off one of them, then killing the other with
physical attacks. If you don't have the TP for that, you may want to just run.
Leechers can also do 20+ damage with their special attack, though their regular
attack does much less. They come in groups of three, but each will die in a
single hit.
The Trimate is useful, but getting it is dangerous, because you have to make an
extra trip to the top floor to do so, where there are definite hazards. If you
get the Trimate, you may want to cast Hinas and go save before coming back for
Teim.
-----
Oputa
-----
Once you have Teim, cross the North Tunnel and head towards Oputa. The only
equipment upgrade available in Oputa is the Fibergear. You might as well learn
Musik too while you're here.
Now head towards the Biosystems Lab and spend some more time leveling up. In
the area encompassing Oputa and the Biosystems Lab (which are separated by
obstacles) you will encounter monsters you've already fought. There's nothing
particularly dangerous here, but the Vortex can do an appreciable amount of
damage. You'll also run into very weak monsters that will do nothing but waste
your time. In the area to the west of the Lab, in addition to the weak enemies,
you'll also encounter new monsters: Locustas, Stingers and Kitedrgns (this last
enemy is supposed to be labeled Fire-Eye, but is called Kitedrgn in the Genesis
version of the game due to a bug). These monsters do a good amount of damage
per attack, and Stingers and Kitedrgns take a few hits to kill. You could use
techs against them, but I prefer to save the TP for healing.
In the entranceway to the Biosystems Lab you can face even tougher battles.
When fighting two Vortexes and a Spitkill, take out the Spitkill first (due to
its ability to kill you instantly by putting you to sleep). There's only one
Spitkill per encounter, and you should get your turn before it does, so you
shouldn't have a problem with them unless you're ambushed. You'll also
encounter Blasters and Jellys. There's only one Blaster per encounter, so
they're not as much of a threat as they were in Nido, but Jellys are
potentially lethal. Their regular attack only does a few points of damage, but
occasionally they'll put you to sleep, which will kill you. Two castings of Zan
will sometimes kill them all, but it's safer to just run from them. They can
still ambush you though, and running isn't always successful.
Leveling in the Biosystems Lab is dangerous, because of the presence of Jellys
and Spitkills. However, the average EXP here is considerably higher than
outside, because outside you'll still sometimes run into very weak monsters.
Wherever you choose to grind, fight until you reach level 16, at which point
you will learn Gires. Use it instead of Res from now on, as it is more
efficient. Feel free to use Gires in battle too if needed, since it does just
as much healing as a Dimate. Since you have plenty of money, you can actually
start using your Dimates first for healing, freeing up some TP for offensive
techs against the more dangerous monsters, but don't overdo it.
Load up on Dimates; it's time to tackle the Biosystems Lab.
--------------
Biosystems Lab
--------------
My stats:
Level: 16 HP: 113 TP: 68
You should be able to make it through the Lab without too many problems, unless
you get caught in an unlucky ambush. You still might want to run from the
Jellys. Gizan won't kill them in one casting, which means you'll have to cast
it twice, costing 14 TP and taking three chances of insta-death. Don't get
caught with low HP either, with Blasters and Mushrooms around. Be sure to grab
the Star Mist on the second floor. In a solo game, Star Mists are no better
than Trimates, but you might as well pick it up. The Trimate in the basement is
also practically right in your path.
In the basement, you'll run into groups of two Blasters, which can still be
dangerous at this point, and Insectas, which won't be a problem. Once you have
the Recorder, get out of there, head to Paseo to talk to the governor, and then
it's off to Zema.
----
Zema
----
When you reach Zema, buy a Titanium Helmet and two Laser Knives. You should
have several times more meseta than necessary at this point. There are also
Boots for sale if you didn't take Rudo's earlier. The Ceramic Sword actually
has a slightly higher attack value than two Laser Knives, but it does a lot
less damage. Now head to Kueri. You may encounter Fanbites on the way, which
can kill you instantly with their special attack if you're unlucky.
-----
Kueri
-----
Buy a Titanium Chest in Kueri, sell any Dimates you may have left, and stock up
on Trimates. Use a Trimate when you really need healing in battle, and Gires
out of battle for routine healing. Teleport back to Zema and walk to Roron.
Hang around in the entrance area to build up some more. The most significant
new monster here is the Slugmess (you can also encounter them outside Roron).
These monsters are very dangerous, able to do 10-15 points of damage per attack
each. They can also reproduce, making a copy of themselves in an adjacent empty
monster slot. Each copy has the same remaining HP as the original. There can be
as many as five of them at any one time. You *will* be using Trimates in
battles with the Slugmess. I strongly suggest using Gizan on them (use Trimates
to heal instead of Gires; save your TP for Gizan), but even then you'll use one
or two Trimates before you defeat them. After three rounds of Gizan (21 TP,
which means you'll only be able to do this about three times per trip) you
should be able to use physical attacks to kill them.
Why fight the Slugmess? You get a *lot* of EXP for killing them. For each
Slugmess you kill, you get 232 EXP. Three Slugmess and two Mushrooms will give
you 896 EXP, and five Slugmess will earn you 1,160. What's more, while it's
dangerous, you can intentionally prolong these battles, and generate more and
more Slugmess to kill, by always leaving at least one Slugmess alive. After
three rounds of Gizan (or not), when you're using physical attacks, whenever
you think you would kill all remaining Slugmess in the next round, use the
Defend command until they reproduce. You can prolong this EXP-generating battle
until you run out of Trimates, or even further, until you run out of TP with
which to cast Gires. You can earn well over 10,000 EXP in a single battle this
way. The most EXP I've gotten in one battle from the Slugmess is 35,315.
It shouldn't take too long to get to level 20.
-----
Roron
-----
My stats:
Level: 20 HP: 145 TP: 82
Once you're reached at least level 20, you're ready for Roron. You don't need
either of the items here; all you need is the Jet Scooter. You shouldn't have
much problem getting to the bottom floor, though you may run into groups of
Jellies. Also look out for Squat, which can poison you. The only way to cure
poison is with an Antidote or by going back to town.
-----
Piata
-----
Once you have the Jet Scooter, head to Piata. Buy a Ceramic Chest for Rolf.
Despite the fact that the Laser Sword has a significantly higher attack value
than the two Laser Knives, the knives *still* do more damage. The sword does
have a higher defense value, and it only takes up one slot in your inventory,
freeing a slot for a Trimate, but I recommend keeping the knives.
Teleport to Paseo, and make Shir appear at Rolf's house. You need to use Shir
to steal the Visiphone from the Baggage Room in the Central Tower. The
Visiphone is a necessity in a solo game. You'll have to work Shir up to level
10 first. To enhance her survivability during this process, you may want to buy
her some good equipment: a Silver Crown and Ceramic Cape in Piata, Boots in
Zema, and two Mirror Emels in Kueri. Outside Piata is a fast place to level
her. Just have Rolf use strong techs while Shir defends, keep Shir healed and
save every few battles. Once you have the Visiphone, put Shir back up at Rolf's
house; you're done with her. You should save with the Visiphone frequently from
now on. No more having to re-do an entire dungeon due to a random insta-kill.
Now head to Uzo.
---
Uzo
---
You should be able to get the Maruera Leaf and get out of here without spending
any more time leveling. The monsters here are more dangerous than those you've
faced previously, though, so expect to use several Trimates. Watch out for
Fanbites, which rarely can cause instant death with their special attack.
When you have the Leaf, get out of here, head back to Kueri to get the Maruera
Gum, then go to Climatrol.
---------
Climatrol
---------
Climatrol is tough. In the basement, you will face Slugmess. The other monsters
in the basement can be semi-dangerous, but the Slugmess can be a real pain if
you encounter them repeatedly. You can also find Slugmess in floors 1-4, and
there are Fanbites here to look out for as well. You don't need any of the
items here.
On the fifth floor of Climatrol you'll encounter monsters called Blastoids (you
can actually find them in floors 1-4 as well, but they're much more common on
the fifth floor). They come in groups of three. These creatures can reproduce
in the same way that the Slugmess can, but they do a lot less damage. Don't
bother with techs against them; just use physical attacks. Each Blastoid you
kill is worth 371 EXP. By constantly keeping at least one of them alive (like
you did with the Slugmess earlier) and killing them off as they reproduce, you
can earn a large amount of EXP in a short period of time. You won't have to use
Trimates nearly as often, so you can really rack up the EXP.
Apparently, the maximum amount of EXP a single character can earn per battle is
65,535. If you earn more than that, the EXP count resets back to zero and
starts over again (meseta does not have this limitation). Therefore, the
maximum number of Blastoids you should kill in a single battle is 176. This
will earn you 65,297 EXP. I recommend ending the battle after 125-150 kills,
just to be cautious.
You'll need to do this until you reach level 30. That's when Rolf learns Rever,
which is needed to revive Nei before the battle with Neifirst (Nei must be
alive when you speak with Neifirst in order to proceed with the game). Being
level 30 also makes the upcoming boss fight easier. Each of these battles can
take 30 minutes or more, so it may take quite some time to reach level 30. By
the time you're done, you'll have enough meseta to last you the rest of the
game.
My stats:
Level: 30 HP: 213 TP: 115
Once you've reached level 30 (and you've healed and restocked on Trimates),
you're ready for Neifirst. Floors 6-8 of Climatrol are inhabited by tough
monsters, but you'll have no problems at your level. Make sure you save at
least 30 TP on your way to the boss. Revive Nei, using Rever, before speaking
to Neifirst. Nei will obviously die in one hit, making the real battle come
even quicker.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Boss: Neifirst |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|HP: 1,100 Defense: 10 EXP: 1,111 |
|Attack: 178 Agility: 92 Meseta: 1,111 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|At level 30, this is a very easy battle. Cast Nafoi until you run out of TP. |
|You'll do about 130 points of damage per casting. Nathu does only slightly |
|more damage, but costs much more TP. Don't worry about saving TP for healing;|
|you should have plenty of Trimates left. When you run out of TP, switch to |
|physical attacks. Each hit should do about 50 damage, combining for about 100|
|damage per round. |
| |
|Neifirst has two attacks: a "claw" attack that does about 25-30 damage, and a|
|"light saber" attack that does about 45-50. Neither of these is a threat at |
|your level. You should only have to use one or two Trimates during the course|
|of the battle. |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the battle, Nei is gone, and you no longer have to look at her name
during battle and in various Menu screens. Heal at the Hospital, drop off the
Maruera Gum at the Baggage Room, and teleport to Piata.
-------------------
Piata Control Tower
-------------------
If you didn't learn Musik in Oputa, go learn it now. Don't bother restocking on
Trimates unless you're nearly out. There's nothing in here that should give you
any trouble. Just get the cards and get out.
Go back to Paseo and put all the cards in the Baggage Room except for the Red
Card. You'll want to only take the card that you need with you, leaving more
room for Trimates. Restock your Trimates, and head to the Red Dam.
-------
Red Dam
-------
The only item of potential use here is the Sword of Anger. The sword does about
the same damage as two Laser Knives. The advantage of the sword is that it only
takes up one slot in your inventory, freeing a slot for a Trimate. The
disadvantage is that it has no Defense bonus, so your Defense will be 10 less
with the sword than with the knives. It's up to you whether you want to use it
or not, but I personally keep the knives. The higher defense is more valuable
than the extra inventory slot, especially since you'll very soon get the Amber
Robe for healing.
Unfortunately, some of the mechs are very resistant to bladed weapons, and so
they will take several rounds to kill, unless you want to use TP to cast Nafoi
at them. TP is still useful for healing at this point, although it won't be
after the next dungeon. Be especially careful of the Poleziax, which can
paralyze you. A group of four of them can easily kill you if you're unlucky.
You should be saving very frequently from now until the end of the game.
Once you've unlocked the dam, go grab the Yellow Card, heal, restock on
Trimates, and go to the Yellow Dam.
----------
Yellow Dam
----------
There are two items that you'll want to pick up here, including perhaps the
most useful item in the game. Once you have the Amber Robe, it will remain in
your inventory for the rest of the game. It casts Gires on you when used in
battle, healing you by 60 HP. It has unlimited uses, but can only be used in
battle. Keeping this item in your inventory will take away a Trimate slot, but
you won't be using Trimates nearly as often anyway with the Amber Robe.
Whenever your current HP is 60 or more below your max HP, use the Amber Robe.
This should be enough to get you through most battles. If you're in bad shape,
use a Trimate. Since the best healing tech you learn is Gires, and you have an
item which casts Gires for free, TP is no longer useful for healing. Feel free
to use Nafoi on the more damage-resistant mechs, but you should still reserve
12 TP for Hinas and Ryuka.
(Note that there are other items in the game that cast Gires, and you could use
them instead if you like, but I'll be referring to the Amber Robe in this guide
because it's the first Gires item you're likely to come across in the game.
Once you have it there's no need to pick up any more.)
You'll also find a Crystal Chest in the Yellow Dam, which will provide a needed
boost to your Defense stat (especially if you're using the Sword of Anger).
Unlock the Yellow Dam, grab the Blue Card, restock, and head to the Blue Dam.
--------
Blue Dam
--------
There are several useful items in this dungeon. The first is the Storm Gear,
which casts Gizan on *all* enemies (not just all enemies of a particular type)
when used in battle. The second is the Colorscarf, which casts Saner on you.
The third item that you definitely want to pick up here is the Snow Crown. The
Snow Crown is one of the most useful items in the game, along with the Amber
Robe, because it casts Deban (which halves the damage you take). Use the Snow
Crown at the beginning of every battle; this will make these difficult battles
much easier.
The other items here aren't useful. When you're done, head back to Paseo. Keep
the Snow Crown and Storm Gear, and put the Colorscarf in the Baggage Room for
possible later use. The Snow Crown is worth keeping in your inventory to use
against highly damage-resistant mechs, especially when there are two or three
of them. You can sacrifice the Trimate slot at this point, since you're not
having to use many of them anyway.
You might want to get rid of your Antidote(s) as well at this point, if you
still have them. It'll free up a spot or two in your inventory, and you can
always reset if you get poisoned. However, you may decide the inconvenience of
having to reset every time you get poisoned makes it worth keeping one or two
Antidotes in your inventory. I just split the difference, keep one and get rid
of the other.
---------
Green Dam
---------
Get the Green Card, restock on Trimates, and it's on to the last dam. There's
nothing useful here, so you can just go directly to the dam controls. When you
unlock the last dam, you're immediately thrust into battle with the Army Eyes.
They don't do much damage at all, so you'll have no problem keeping yourself
alive for three rounds.
-----
Gaila
-----
Run from any battles (since that's all you can do), and head to the controls.
When you get back to Paseo, restock on Trimates if needed, and take the
spaceship to Skure. You should be level 31 by this point.
-----
Skure
-----
You must get the Mogic Cap before going to any towns. You can also get the
Laconian Chest and Gardaboots if you don't want to buy them in Ryuon, but you
should have well more than enough meseta at this point.
You'll have to make three separate trips through Skure to get to the three
towns on Dezo. You'll also have to make a fourth trip later when going to
Naval. Other than that, you shouldn't have to deal with this dungeon much.
You can teleport from any of the towns directly to the center of Skure, and, if
the last time you've saved has been with the Visiphone on Dezo, you can cast
Ryuka to be teleported directly to Aukba.
A brief note about how Ryuka works. If the last place you've saved is on the
planet other than the one you're currently on, Ryuka will take you to the
"initial location" of the planet you're currently on (on Mota, this is in front
of the Central Tower in Paseo, and on Dezo, it's in the middle of Skure, right
next to the ship). If the last place you've saved is at a Data Memory building
in a town on the same planet you're on, Ryuka will take you to that Data Memory
building. If the last place you've saved is with the Visiphone on the same
planet you're on, Ryuka will take you to the Data Memory building in the "first
town" of the planet you're on (Paseo on Mota, or Aukba on Dezo).
Therefore, as long as you never save on Mota again, you can just cast Ryuka as
soon as you get to Skure to teleport to one of the Dezo towns. Skure is
technically an exterior location, so Ryuka works when you're in it. In fact,
Hinas doesn't even work in Skure, because you're outside. Furthermore, you
don't have to walk all the way to Aukba, even the first time. You can just save
with the Visiphone and then cast Ryuka to be teleported directly there (though
obviously you should pick up the Mogic Cap first). You will have to walk to the
other two towns for your first visit, though.
Go through Skure to each of the three Dezo towns and buy upgraded equipment.
Rabbits can poison you; you should be saving frequently, and if you don't have
any Antidotes, you'll have to reset if you get poisoned, unless you're
absolutely confident you can make it to your destination without healing.
-----
Aukba
-----
There's nothing worth buying here, but you want to come here to make the town
appear on the teleport list. Make sure you remember to re-equip Rolf's regular
helmet after you're done in a town. The Mogic Cap is terrible.
----
Zosa
----
There's nothing to buy here either. Unfortunately, Rolf can't equip the
Laconian Helmet. You're stuck with the Titanium Helmet until you get the
Neimet. The only reason to come to Zosa now is to ensure that it appears in the
teleport list later.
-----
Ryuon
-----
Here you can finally buy a Laconian Sword. Also pick up a Laconian Chest and
Gardaboots if you didn't get them in Skure. Ryuon is the only town on Dezo that
sells Trimates.
-------
Crevice
-------
Restock on trimates and head to the Crevice. There are no items here, so just
head on through. Be careful though: the Ohx have a special attack that can
eliminate *all* of your TP. You're going to have to walk through this dungeon
at least four times, so learn the route.
-------------
Esper Mansion
-------------
Talk to Lutz and get the Prism (yet another item that you must haul around in
your inventory, taking up space). Now it's time to head to the first of the
"hidden" dungeons, Menobe.
------
Menobe
------
There are eight Nei items in the next four dungeons which you must get. Only
one of them can be equipped. You'll have to go back to Paseo to drop Nei items
off in the Baggage Room between dungeons. You could wait until after the second
or third dungeon to do this, but since it doesn't require any extra walking you
may as well do it after each dungeon.
The Sakoffs can poison you, and Wrestlers can paralyze you, so be careful.
Nazan works pretty well against groups of three Darksides; it'll take about
three rounds of it. Nazan also works against other dangerous enemies, like
Sakoffs, when you face them in groups. Remember to save at least 12 TP for
Hinas and Ryuka, though.
The higher you climb in the dungeon, the tougher the monsters become. Be very
careful on the upper floors. Gloswords do a lot of damage, and Mesomans and
Skytiaras can put you to sleep, resulting in instant game over. The Neimet is a
big upgrade from the Titanium Helmet. You'll also pick up the Neicrown here.
------
Guaron
------
You'll run into many of the same dangerous enemies here, including Darksides,
Skytiaras, Wrestlers, Sakoffs, and Mesomans. You'll also find new enemies on
the upper levels. Keep saving very frequently, and be prepared to reset if
things go badly. I recommend saving after every battle at this point. Don't
forget to use the Snow Crown at the beginning of each battle. You may have
noticed that some of these battles are starting to take a while, and you're
having to use the Amber Robe quite frequently. It's only going to get worse.
When you reach level 35, though, you'll learn Megid, which is useful when
facing an extremely tough battle. Megid will do about 340-460 damage to all
enemies, which is pretty much guaranteed to end a battle immediately. Megid
normally damages all party members except for Rolf by an emount equal to half
their current HP. However, since Rolf is alone, there are no other party
members to damage, so there's no downside. It does cost a whopping 55 TP
though, so you'll probably only be able to use it twice (keep in mind the need
to save 12 TP). You may reach level 35 by the time you're done in Guaron, but
if not, you certanly will in the next dungeon.
You'll find the Neicape and Neiarmor in Guaron. The Neiarmor is on the top
floor, along with some very powerful enemies. Now might be a good time to use
Megid, if you have the TP. Unfortunately, there is no Neichest for Rolf to
equip, so you're stuck with the Laconian Chest.
-----
Ikuto
-----
You'll have to make two trips through this dungeon to get the Neishot and the
Neislasher, so you'll need to save an extra 4 TP for Hinas (unless you want to
make your way to the bottom floor and climb the stairs).
Here the difficulty level picks up a notch. You'll run into the normal enemies
here, which are dangerous enough, but you'll also find new enemies that do even
more damage. Some encounters are particularly problematic, such as three
Gloswords. The Amber Robe can only heal 60 HP per turn, and the Gloswords can
do more than 20 points of damage each per hit. If you find yourself in such a
situation, heal with Trimates instead of the Amber Robe. Don't be afraid to use
Nazan or even Megid if needed; just be mindful of your TP total. If needs be,
run (easier said than done), or just reset if you encounter a battle that you
don't have the resources (Trimates and TP) to handle. You should be saving
obsessively at this point.
-----
Naval
-----
In order to even reach Naval, you must make one more trek through Skure. This
is hopefully the last time you have to spend more than five seconds looking at
the inside of Skure, unless you choose to go without the Mogic Cap later.
In Naval are the last two Nei items that you need to find, the Neishield and
the Neiemel, and getting them will require two trips through the dungeon. As in
previous dungeons, the monsters get stronger the higher you climb. Battles with
two Archdrgns can be problematic, since even after you've used the Snow Crown
they can do 25-30 damage per attack each. Use Trimates to heal, use Megid to
end the battle quickly, or be prepared to spend several rounds using the Amber
Robe for every one round attacking.
Once you've gotten the final Nei items, head back to Paseo.
----
Noah
----
In order to obtain the Neisword and gain access to Noah, you must speak to Lutz
with all eight Nei items in your inventory, *and* an extra empty slot for the
Neisword. This means you're going to have to leave something behind. You need
your four equipped items in your inventory, one of which is the Neimet. You'll
also need the remaining seven Nei items, plus the empty slot for the Neisword,
for a total of 12 slots so far. Three of the remaining four slots will be taken
by the Amber Robe, Snow Crown and Visiphone, leaving you room for one more
item.
You shouldn't be carrying any Escapipes or Telepipes around at this point in
the game, but if you are, leave them behind. If you're still carrying any
Antidotes, you'll need to get rid of them as well at this point. You can always
reset if you get poisoned. You can't sell the Prism, nor can you drop it off in
the Baggage Room (the game won't let you), but you *can* get rid of it. All you
have to do is take another character in your party, pawn the Prism off on that
character, then leave him or her back at the house.
This leaves the Storm Gear and Mogic Cap. Leaving behind the Storm Gear is no
big deal. You won't have it with you in Noah anyway, because you won't need it
and another Trimate will be much more useful. Leaving the Mogic Cap behind is
more annoying. You won't be able to do anything in any of the towns on Dezo
(including teleporting to the center of Skure), therefore, once you get the
Neisword and gain access to Noah, you'll have to teleport to Aukba using Ryuka
and then *walk* all the way to the center of Skure. I recommend leaving the
Storm Gear behind.
Go to the Esper Mansion (through the Crevice), talk with Lutz, and receive your
Neisword. Once you have it, make your way back to Paseo.
Put the Nei items (except the Neimet and Neisword, of course) back in the
Baggage Room. Also, leave behind the Storm Gear if you still have it. You need
your four equipped items, the Amber Robe, the Snow Crown and the Visiphone. You
don't necessarily need the Mogic Cap, but if you don't bring it, you'll have to
walk back to Paseo after the Dark Force battle in order to restock on Trimates.
Whether an extra Trimate is worth it is up to you, but I keep the Mogic Cap.
The only other potentially useful item is the Colorscarf, which you should have
in the Baggage Room. The Colorscarf casts Saner, which increases your agility.
This might help you have your turn before Dark Force's more often. Again,
whether it's worth it is up to you (my recommendation: don't bother). Stock up
on Trimates, head back to the Esper Mansion, and let Lutz send you to Noah.
Whenever you want to leave Noah, you can use the Neisword as an item. This will
teleport you back to the Esper Mansion, where you can heal and go right back.
You're going to use this to your advantage to (relatively) quickly level up to
level 50. Walk around Noah until you get into a battle, then immediately cast
Megid to win it. Don't bother with the Snow Crown; just cast Megid. Repeat
until you don't have enough TP to do it again, then use the Neisword, heal, go
back, and repeat the process until you reach level 50. Despite the fact that
you need a total of 6,927,113 EXP to reach level 50, it won't take as long as
you think. You can get 10,000-20,000 EXP per battle.
Be sure to save once in a while though. You can still be ambushed, and the
monsters can still poison/kill you before you can do anything. Lutz will *not*
cure poison (although interestingly he will still heal your HP and TP), so if
you're poisoned you must reset (unless you want to teleport to Aukba to cure it
then walk all the way back again). Also, Megid might not kill Fiends
immediately, forcing you to end the battle in another way. Of course, don't use
any Trimates.
After several hours of grinding, I finally had the following stats:
Level: 50
Equipment: Neisword, Laconian Chest, Neimet, Gardaboots
HP: 328 Mental: 288 Dexterity: 264
TP: 176 Agility: 211 Attack: 403
Strength: 316 Luck: 258 Defense: 405
(Note: The Attack, Defense, and Agility stats are with weapon and armor
equipped.)
I list these stats for the purpose of comparison. Stat gains on level up are
somewhat random (see section IV) so your stats may vary significantly. If your
stats are higher than mine, the final boss battles may be easier than what I
describe. If your stats are significantly lower, you might have a tougher time
than I did. My stats were actually below average for level 50. Hopefully you
have at least 165 TP so you can cast Megid three times in a row. (If you
actually have 220 TP, and can therefore cast it four times, so much the
better.)
Now that you're as strong as you're going to get, you're as ready as you'll
ever be for Dark Force. Make your way through Noah, avoiding using TP or any
Trimates. You could try running from battles, but there's a good chance of
failure. Your best bet is to fight your way through as normal, using the Snow
Crown at the beginning of every battle, and healing only with the Amber Robe.
You should be able to do this without too much problem at level 50, but save
after every battle.
You'll want to be at full health when you open the treasure chest. You could
get into one more battle at the end against an enemy that can miss you, like
Kinglava, and finish the battle with full HP, but it's easier to just cast
Gires once to top yourself off (hopefully this doesn't bring you under a
multiple of 55 TP, thereby reducing the number of times you can cast Megid).
Regardless, make sure you're at full health and save before you open the
treasure chest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Boss: Dark Force |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|HP: 2,560 Defense: 30 EXP: 2,222 |
|Attack: 320 Agility: 148 Meseta: 0 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Dark Force has two attacks: a regular attack that hits you for about 50 |
|damage (after you've used the Snow Crown), and a hypnosis attack that turns |
|you "evil." The hypnosis attack inflicts one of six unique status ailments |
|upon you, described below: |
| |
|"Turns doubtful": You do less damage and have a greater chance of missing. |
| |
|"Loses confidence": You cannot use any techniques. |
| |
|"Gets lazy": Your agility decreases, making it more likely that Dark Force |
|will have its turn before yours. |
| |
|"Crushed by despair": You can't do anything; you just stand there. |
| |
|"Turns greedy": You try to steal items from your party members, but of course|
|you don't have any. In other words, you just stand there, unable to do |
|anything. |
| |
|"Turns traitor": You try to flee every round, but are unsuccessful. Again, |
|this means that you can't do anything. |
| |
|Obviously, the last three effects are very bad, and may result in a game over|
|screen. When you're afflicted with one of the first three effects, your first|
|turn after being afflicted will be wasted; the game will just tell you which |
|effect you have. In each subsequent round, there is a chance that you will do|
|nothing at all. |
| |
|However, at random (but only when you have been hypnotized with one of these |
|six effects), the Neisword will glow and the hypnosis will be dispelled. |
|There's no way to make this happen; it's just a matter of luck. But if you |
|get hit with one of the three debilitating status effects, you still have a |
|chance. |
| |
|When you are not hypnotized, Dark Force seems to use its regular attack about|
|half the time and its hypnosis attack about half the time. When you're |
|hypnotized, Dark Force will not try to hypnotize you with another effect (you|
|can only be afflicted with one effect at once), and will use its regular |
|attack every round. After the Neisword dispels the hypnosis, Dark Force is |
|free to hypnotize you again, and which effect you get is random. |
| |
|Despite all of that, this is actually a very simple battle. The first thing |
|you should do is to use the Snow Crown. If you have the Colorscarf, you can |
|use it too, but your Agility should be high enough that you don't need it. |
|Then cast Megid until you don't have enough TP to cast it anymore. After |
|that, if you have enough TP, you can use Nafoi or Nathu if you like; |
|otherwise, attack physically. When your HP drops perilously low, use a |
|Trimate. |
| |
|And that's it. This battle is mostly a matter of luck. If you get hit with a |
|bad hypnosis effect, and the Neisword doesn't dispel it in time, you'll get a|
|game over. It shouldn't take too many tries before you win, though. |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You've just won the most difficult battle in the game. Use the Neisword, heal,
and restock on Trimates. If you don't have the Mogic Cap with you, you'll have
to walk from Aukba to Paseo. If you do have it with you, you might as well
leave it behind in Paseo this time; you won't need it anymore.
Make your way from Aukba to the Esper Mansion, walking through the Crevice yet
again (for the final time), and head back to Noah. As you did on the way to
Dark Force, refrain from using TP or Trimates on the way to Mother Brain. Once
again, make sure you save and are at full health before the battle.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|Boss: Mother Brain |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|HP: 2,450 Defense: 120 EXP: 0 |
|Attack: 228 Agility: 198 Meseta: 0 |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Mother Brain is weaker than Dark Force, but she's faster and has a higher |
|Defense stat. Fortunately she can't hypnotize you like Dark Force could, so |
|she's not nearly as much of a threat. She has only two attacks: one does 15- |
|20 points of damage (after you use the Snow Crown), and the other does 40-45.|
| |
|Use the Snow Crown first, then cast Megid until you can't anymore. After |
|that, if you have any TP left, cast Nafoi or Nathu until you're out. Then |
|just attack physically, using Trimates as needed, until she's dead. Again, |
|you can use the Colorscarf if you have it, but it's not needed. My turn came |
|before hers almost every round. You should have more than enough Trimates, |
|but if somehow you run out you can always heal with the Amber Robe. |
| |
|Compared to Dark Force, this battle is a cakewalk. |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the battle, enjoy the much-deserved ending. You've earned it.
---------------------------
IV. Stat Gains on Level Up|
---------------------------
Note: All of this information is stolen from tables created by twilkitri (found
at
http://twilkitri.fewiki.net/PS2/). I have not personally tested this, but it
seems to be accurate.
At each level up, your stats rise by a semi-random amount. For each character,
level, and stat, there is a predetermined "average" amount by which it will
rise. However, there is a certain amount of randomness to the stat gains. The
actual amount of the gain will be anywhere between 50% and 150% (rounded down)
of the predetermined value.
This can be taken advantage of by forcing the game to give you good stat gains
on each level. All you have to do is save before you level, gain the level,
check your stats and compare them to the previous stats. If they're not what
you want, reset.
There are tables for all eight characters at the website mentioned above; I am
reproducing only Rolf's tables here.
This first table simply lists the predetermined "average" values for each stat
gain at each level, along with the total EXP required for that level:
-------------------------------------------------------------
|LVL HP TP STR MEN AGI LUK DEX ATK DEF TOTAL EXP|
-------------------------------------------------------------
| 1 19 15 20 28 15 13 20 12 10 0|
| 2 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 29|
| 3 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 83|
| 4 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 5 170|
| 5 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 289|
| 6 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 504|</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
| 7 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 808|
| 8 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 1260|
| 9 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 1930|
| 10 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 2924|
-------------------------------------------------------------
| 11 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 4375|
| 12 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 6504|
| 13 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 9622|
| 14 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 14164|
| 15 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 20783|
| 16 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 30427|
| 17 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 44475|
| 18 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 64881|
| 19 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 86896|
| 20 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 110999|
-------------------------------------------------------------
| 21 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 138112|
| 22 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 168140|
| 23 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 203229|
| 24 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 243327|
| 25 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 288460|
| 26 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 338688|
| 27 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 393651|
| 28 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 453784|
| 29 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 518785|
| 30 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 588907|
-------------------------------------------------------------
| 31 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 679300|
| 32 9 6 12 10 8 10 10 7 6 767609|
| 33 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 867398|
| 34 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 980160|
| 35 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 1107581|
| 36 9 6 14 10 8 10 10 7 6 1251567|
| 37 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 1414270|
| 38 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 1598125|
| 39 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 1805882|
| 40 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 2040647|
-------------------------------------------------------------
| 41 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 2305931|
| 42 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 2605702|
| 43 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 2944443|
| 44 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 3327221|
| 45 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 3759759|
| 46 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 4248528|
| 47 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 6 5 4800837|
| 48 9 6 13 10 8 10 10 7 6 5424946|
| 49 6 3 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 6130189|
| 50 7 3 5 4 3 4 4 5 4 6927113|
-------------------------------------------------------------
The stats listed for level 1 are simply the predetermined stats that Rolf
begins the game with. There is no variation in Rolf's level 1 stats; they are
the same in every game. The value in the total EXP column is the *cumulative*
EXP total required for that level. The other values are the predetermined
average gains, subject to random variation as described above.
As you can see, Rolf (and all other characters as well) has "power levels,"
levels at which his stat gains are much higher than normal. For Rolf, every
level that is a multiple of four is a power level.
The next tables list the minimum, average, and maximum values for each stat at
each level, along with the cumulative EXP total required for each level. These
are the actual stat values, not stat increases.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|LVL HP TP STR MEN AGI LUK |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1 19- 19- 19 15- 15- 15 20- 20- 20 28- 28- 28 15- 15- 15 13- 13- 13|
| 2 22- 25- 27 16- 18- 19 22- 25- 27 30- 32- 33 16- 18- 19 15- 17- 18|
| 3 25- 32- 37 17- 21- 23 24- 30- 34 32- 36- 38 17- 21- 23 17- 21- 23|
| 4 29- 41- 50 20- 27- 31 30- 43- 53 37- 46- 52 21- 29- 34 22- 31- 37|
| 5 32- 47- 58 21- 30- 35 32- 48- 60 39- 50- 57 22- 32- 38 24- 35- 42|
| 6 35- 54- 68 22- 33- 39 34- 53- 67 41- 54- 62 23- 35- 42 26- 39- 47|
| 7 38- 61- 78 23- 36- 43 36- 58- 74 43- 58- 67 24- 38- 46 28- 43- 52|
| 8 42- 70- 91 26- 42- 51 42- 71- 93 48- 68- 81 28- 46- 57 33- 53- 66|
| 9 45- 76- 99 27- 45- 55 44- 76-100 50- 72- 86 29- 49- 61 35- 57- 71|
| 10 48- 83-109 28- 48- 59 46- 81-107 52- 76- 91 30- 52- 65 37- 61- 76|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 11 51- 90-119 29- 51- 63 48- 86-114 54- 80- 96 31- 55- 69 39- 65- 81|
| 12 55- 99-132 32- 57- 71 54- 99-133 59- 90-110 35- 63- 80 44- 75- 95|
| 13 58-105-140 33- 60- 75 56-104-140 61- 94-115 36- 66- 84 46- 79-100|
| 14 61-112-150 34- 63- 79 58-109-147 63- 98-120 37- 69- 88 48- 83-105|
| 15 64-119-160 35- 66- 83 60-114-154 65-102-125 38- 72- 92 50- 87-110|
| 16 68-128-173 38- 72- 91 66-127-173 70-112-139 42- 80-103 55- 97-124|
| 17 71-134-181 39- 75- 95 68-132-180 72-116-144 43- 83-107 57-101-129|
| 18 74-141-191 40- 78- 99 70-137-187 74-120-149 44- 86-111 59-105-134|
| 19 77-148-201 41- 81-103 72-142-194 76-124-154 45- 89-115 61-109-139|
| 20 81-157-214 44- 87-111 78-155-213 81-134-168 49- 97-126 66-119-153|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 21 84-163-222 45- 90-115 80-160-220 83-138-173 50-100-130 68-123-158|
| 22 87-170-232 46- 93-119 82-165-227 85-142-178 51-103-134 70-127-163|
| 23 90-177-242 47- 96-123 84-170-234 87-146-183 52-106-138 72-131-168|
| 24 94-186-255 50-102-131 90-183-253 92-156-197 56-114-149 77-141-182|
| 25 97-192-263 51-105-135 92-188-260 94-160-202 57-117-153 79-145-187|
| 26 100-199-273 52-108-139 94-193-267 96-164-207 58-120-157 81-149-192|
| 27 103-206-283 53-111-143 96-198-274 98-168-212 59-123-161 83-153-197|
| 28 107-215-296 56-117-151 102-211-293 103-178-226 63-131-172 88-163-211|
| 29 110-221-304 57-120-155 104-216-300 105-182-231 64-134-176 90-167-216|
| 30 113-228-314 58-123-159 106-221-307 107-186-236 65-137-180 92-171-221|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 31 116-235-324 59-126-163 108-226-314 109-190-241 66-140-184 94-175-226|
| 32 120-244-337 62-132-171 114-238-331 114-200-255 70-148-195 99-185-240|
| 33 123-250-345 63-135-175 116-243-338 116-204-260 71-151-199 101-189-245|
| 34 126-257-355 64-138-179 118-248-345 118-208-265 72-154-203 103-193-250|
| 35 129-264-365 65-141-183 120-253-352 120-212-270 73-157-207 105-197-255|
| 36 133-273-378 68-147-191 127-267-372 125-222-284 77-165-218 110-207-269|
| 37 136-279-386 69-150-195 129-272-379 127-226-289 78-168-222 112-211-274|
| 38 139-286-396 70-153-199 131-277-386 129-230-294 79-171-226 114-215-279|
| 39 142-293-406 71-156-203 133-282-393 131-234-299 80-174-230 116-219-284|
| 40 146-302-419 74-162-211 139-295-412 136-244-313 84-182-241 121-229-298|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 41 149-308-427 75-165-215 141-300-419 138-248-318 85-185-245 123-233-303|
| 42 152-315-437 76-168-219 143-305-426 140-252-323 86-188-249 125-237-308|
| 43 155-322-447 77-171-223 145-310-433 142-256-328 87-191-253 127-241-313|
| 44 159-331-460 80-177-231 151-323-452 147-266-342 91-199-264 132-251-327|
| 45 162-337-468 81-180-235 153-328-459 149-270-347 92-202-268 134-255-332|
| 46 165-344-478 82-183-239 155-333-466 151-274-352 93-205-272 136-259-337|
| 47 168-351-488 83-186-243 157-338-473 153-278-357 94-208-276 138-263-342|
| 48 172-360-501 86-192-251 163-351-492 158-288-371 98-216-287 143-273-356|
| 49 175-366-509 87-195-255 165-356-499 160-292-376 99-219-291 145-277-361|
| 50 178-373-519 88-198-259 167-361-506 162-296-381 100-222-295 147-281-366|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
|LVL DEX ATK DEF TOTAL EXP|
----------------------------------------------------
| 1 20- 20- 20 12- 12- 12 10- 10- 10 0|
| 2 22- 24- 25 14- 16- 17 11- 13- 14 29|
| 3 24- 28- 30 16- 21- 24 13- 17- 19 83|
| 4 29- 38- 44 19- 28- 34 15- 22- 26 170|
| 5 31- 42- 49 21- 32- 39 16- 25- 30 289|
| 6 33- 46- 54 23- 37- 46 18- 29- 35 504|
| 7 35- 50- 59 26- 43- 54 20- 34- 42 808|
| 8 40- 60- 73 29- 50- 64 23- 40- 50 1260|
| 9 42- 64- 78 31- 54- 69 24- 43- 54 1930|
| 10 44- 68- 83 33- 59- 76 26- 47- 59 2924|
----------------------------------------------------
| 11 46- 72- 88 36- 65- 84 28- 52- 66 4375|
| 12 51- 82-102 39- 72- 94 31- 58- 74 6504|
| 13 53- 86-107 41- 76- 99 32- 61- 78 9622|
| 14 55- 90-112 43- 81-106 34- 65- 83 14164|
| 15 57- 94-117 46- 87-114 36- 70- 90 20783|
| 16 62-104-131 49- 94-124 39- 76- 98 30427|
| 17 64-108-136 51- 98-129 40- 79-102 44475|
| 18 66-112-141 53-103-136 42- 83-107 64881|
| 19 68-116-146 56-109-144 44- 88-114 86896|
| 20 73-126-160 59-116-154 47- 94-122 110999|
----------------------------------------------------
| 21 75-130-165 61-120-159 48- 97-126 138112|
| 22 77-134-170 63-125-166 50-101-131 168140|
| 23 79-138-175 66-131-174 52-106-138 203229|
| 24 84-148-189 69-138-184 55-112-146 243327|
| 25 86-152-194 71-142-189 56-115-150 288460|
| 26 88-156-199 73-147-196 58-119-155 338688|
| 27 90-160-204 76-153-204 60-124-162 393651|
| 28 95-170-218 79-160-214 63-130-170 453784|
| 29 97-174-223 81-164-219 64-133-174 518785|
| 30 99-178-228 83-169-226 66-137-179 588907|
----------------------------------------------------
| 31 101-182-233 86-175-234 68-142-186 679300|
| 32 106-192-247 89-182-244 71-148-194 767609|
| 33 108-196-252 91-186-249 72-151-198 867398|
| 34 110-200-257 93-191-256 74-155-203 980160|
| 35 112-204-262 96-197-264 76-160-210 1107581|
| 36 117-214-276 99-204-274 79-166-218 1251567|
| 37 119-218-281 101-208-279 80-169-222 1414270|
| 38 121-222-286 103-213-286 82-173-227 1598125|
| 39 123-226-291 106-219-294 84-178-234 1805882|
| 40 128-236-305 109-226-304 87-184-242 2040647|
----------------------------------------------------
| 41 130-240-310 111-230-309 88-187-246 2305931|
| 42 132-244-315 113-235-316 90-191-251 2605702|
| 43 134-248-320 116-241-324 92-196-258 2944443|
| 44 139-258-334 119-248-334 95-202-266 3327221|
| 45 141-262-339 121-252-339 96-205-270 3759759|
| 46 143-266-344 123-257-346 98-209-275 4248528|
| 47 145-270-349 126-263-354 100-214-282 4800837|
| 48 150-280-363 129-270-364 103-220-290 5424946|
| 49 152-284-368 131-274-369 104-223-294 6130189|
| 50 154-288-373 133-279-376 106-227-299 6927113|
----------------------------------------------------
For each stat at each level, the first number is the minimum, the second number
is the average, and the third number is the maximum value for that stat at that
level. There's no difference between the minimum and maximum values for each
stat at level 1 because there is no variation in level 1 stats. The Attack,
Defense and Agility stats listed are with no equipment.
As you can see, there is considerable possible variation in level 50 stats. In
my solo game, all nine stats were below the average.
It's obviously impractical to try to get "perfect" levels in order to attain
the maximum stats. However, you could get higher than average gains each level
in certain key stats. Or you can just monitor your important stats, and if any
of them drop too far below the average, you can build them back up. You can go
to as much or as little trouble as you please. However, unless you have truly
abysmal luck and receive very low stat gains most of the time, you should be
able to beat the game with Rolf alone without worrying about stats.
If you do decide to try to manipulate your stat gains at level up, I recommend
focussing on HP, TP, Defense, Agility and Attack, in that order. HP is always
important. If you can get at least 220 TP, you'll be able to cast Megid four
times, making the final battles easier. Defense will help with survivability,
and Agility is important for getting your turn before your enemies. Attack is
also always useful.
-------------
V. Equipment|
-------------
The following is a list of equipment in the game that Rolf can equip. I am
excluding equipment that Rolf cannot use. Weapons are listed in order of
increasing Attack, and other eqiupment is listed in order of increasing
Defense. The selling price is half the buying price. If no price is listed, the
item can neither be bought nor sold. Location is the first or easiest location
to acquire the item. Tech is the technique performed when the item is used as
an item in battle.
-------
Weapons
-------
Note: The Attack and Defense bonuses for one-handed weapons are the total bonus
received when two of that weapon are equipped, because chances are you're
going to have two of them (shields really aren't useful in a Rolf solo
game). The number in parentheses is the Attack or Defense bonus if only
one weapon is equipped. Weapons without a "+<xx> each" listed after the
Attack stat are two-handed weapons. The price listed for one-handed
weapons is the price for two of them, with the price for only one in
parentheses.
Knife
Attack +10 (+5 each)
Location: Initial/Paseo
Price: 200 (100 each)
Notes: This is a good weapon for the beginning of the game. Rolf only starts
with one, though, so buy him another one immediately.
Bow Gun
Attack +16
Location: Paseo
Price: 300
Notes: Don't bother with this. It does less damage than two Knives, and is
more expensive.
Sonic Gun
Attack +34 (+17 each)
Location: Paseo
Price: 1,280 (640 each)
Notes: Don't bother with these either. Despite their high Attack value, they
don't actually do any more damage than Knives (except against enemies
with high defense, which you won't be facing this early in the game),
and they're way too expensive.
Sword
Attack +36
Defense +8
Location: Arima
Price: 1,200
Notes: The Sword isn't as good as the Ceramic Knives (the knives do quite a
bit more damage), but it's much cheaper, so buy this first until you
can afford the knives.
Ceramic Knife
Attack +40 (+20 each)
Defense +6 (+3 each)
Location: Arima
Price: 5,600 (2,800 each)
Notes: These are the ideal weapons from Shure up until after the Biosystems
Lab. They're very expensive, but buy them as soon as you can.
Laser Knife
Attack +56 (+28 each)
Defense +10 (+5 each)
Location: Zema
Price: 8,800 (4,400 each)
Notes: By the time you reach Zema, you should have more than enough for two
of these. They're great weapons, and will last you for a long time:
at least until the dams and possibly until Dezo.
Ceramic Sword
Attack +60
Defense +10
Location: Zema
Price: 3,200
Notes: Despite the slightly higher Attack bonus, the Ceramic Sword does much
less damage than the Laser Knives. Buy the knives instead.
Laser Sword
Attack +100
Defense +18
Location: Piata
Price: 5,400
Notes: Don't bother. The laser knives *still* do more damage, despite the
drastically lower Attack bonus.
Sword of Anger
Attack +116
Location: Red Dam
Price: 280
Notes: The Sword of Anger is a viable alternative to the Laser Knives. It
does about the same damage, and it frees up an inventory slot for a
Trimate. The lack of a Defense bonus is a disadvantage, though.
Laconian Sword
Attack +124
Defense +14
Location: Ryuon
Price: 22,000
Notes: Finally, a good weapon upgrade. Whether you have the Sword of Anger
or you're still using the Laser Knives, get this as soon as you get
to Dezo. Meseta is no object at this point.
Neisword
Attack +150
Defense +48
Location: Esper Mansion
Notes: By far the best weapon in the game. Unfortunately, you don't get it
until just before the final dungeon.
-----
Armor
-----
Prison Clothes
Defense +0
Location: Gaila
Notes: Appears on you automatically in Gaila, and disappears afterwards. Not
available at any other point in the game.
Carbonsuit
Defense +4
Location: Initial
Price: 128
Notes: Rolf starts the game with this. Upgrade to a Fibercoat as soon as
possible.
Fibercoat
Defense +8
Location: Paseo
Price: 300
Notes: You'll want to buy this as soon as possible. It will last you until
Kueri.
Titanium Chest
Defense +21
Location: Kueri
Price: 5,400
Notes: The best armor for Roron.
Ceramic Chest
Defense +46
Location: Piata
Price: 10,000
Notes: Available as soon as you get the Jet Scooter. You should have more
than enough meseta.
Crystal Chest
Defense +60
Tech: Gra
Location: Yellow Dam
Price: 670
Notes: Definitely pick this up. It will last you until Dezo. Gra does less
damage than the Gizan from the Storm Gear, though.
Laconian Chest
Defense +80
Location: Skure or Ryuon
Price: 28,000
Notes: The best armor for Rolf in the game. Too bad there's no Neichest.
-------
Helmets
-------
Magic Cap
Defense +2
Location: Skure
Notes: While wearing the Magic Cap, the cats in Skure will give you useless
information. You can also talk to the Dezolians in the towns on Dezo,
but they'll lie to you and the prices for all services will be
doubled. In other words, it's useless.
Mogic Cap
Defense +2
Location: Skure
Notes: The purpose of the Mogic Cap is to let you talk to the Dezolians. You
can also talk to the cats in Skure while wearing it, but they will be
very upset with you. You'll have to carry it around with you once you
get it. Just be sure to re-equip your regular helmet after you're
done in a town.
Headgear
Defense +3
Location: Paseo
Price: 120
Notes: Rolf starts with no helmet, so you'll want to buy this as soon as you
can.
Fibergear
Defense +8
Location: Oputa
Price: 430
Notes: A good upgrade for the Biosystems Lab, but there's better equipment
in Zema.
Titanium Gear
Defense +14
Location: Zema
Price: 1,400
Notes: Don't bother. Why buy this when a better helmet is available in the
same town?
Titanium Helmet
Defense +16
Location: Zema
Price: 3,700
Notes: Buy it as soon as you get to Zema. Unfortunately, this is the best
helmet until you get the Neimet, so you'll be stuck with it for a
long time.
Neimet
Defense +50
Location: Menobe
Notes: Finally, an upgrade from the Titanium Helmet. Big upgrade, too, and
the best helmet in the game.
--------
Footgear
--------
Shoes
Defense + 3
Agility + 2
Location: Initial
Price: 240
Notes: Rolf starts the game with this.
Boots
Defense +7
Agility +3
Location: From Rudo after reaching Arima, or in Zema
Price: 1,000
Notes: The only upgrade available until Dezo. You can get them from Rudo
when he shows up at Rolf's house instead of waiting until Zema.
Gardaboots
Defense +15
Agility +8
Location: Skure or Ryuon
Price: 12,400
Notes: The best footwear in the game.
-------
Shields
-------
Note: Shields aren't recommended in a Rolf solo game - killing the enemies
quickly is a lot more important than a little extra defense. I am only
including them for completion.
Carbon Shield
Defense +8
Location: Paseo
Price: 540
Fiber Shield
Defense +15
Location: Oputa
Price: 1,200
Mirror Shield
Defense +32
Location: Zema
Price: 4,800
Ceramic Shield
Defense +39
Location: Kueri
Price: 8,300
-----------
Other Items
-----------
Note: Rolf cannot equip these items, but they perform a useful technique when
used in battle. You'll definitely want to pick all of these up.
Amber Robe
Tech: Gires
Location: Yellow Dam
Price: 170
Notes: Perhaps the most useful item in the game. Once you get this, you'll
hardly ever have to use anything else to heal. Still carry Trimates,
though, for emergencies. This item will be in your inventory for the
rest of the game.
Storm Gear
Tech: Gizan
Location: Blue Dam
Price: 630
Notes: This is worth carrying around with you until Noah. Some monsters
(especially some mechs) are very resistant to damage from bladed
weapons. Use the Storm Gear on them instead, especially when there
are more than one of them.
Colorscarf
Tech: Saner
Location: Blue Dam
Price: 130
Notes: I never actually used this, but you might. It speeds you up in
battle, causing your turn to come before that of the enemies. This
might be useful against Dark Force and Mother Brain if you have lower
than average Agility. Put it up in the Baggage Room in Paseo in case
you need it.
Snow Crown
Tech: Deban
Location: Blue Dam
Price: 490
Notes: The Snow Crown is one of the most useful items in the game, along
with the Amber Robe. Use it at the beginning of every battle, and the
damage you take will be halved. You'll keep this in your inventory
until the end of the game. Except for when you use Megid to level up
in Noah, you should use this at the beginning of every battle from
the time you get it until you defeat Mother Brain.
---------------
VI. Techniques|
---------------
This section will list all the techniques that Rolf learns, when he learns
them, how much TP they cost, and what they're good for in a solo game.
Techs that target one "group" of enemies target all enemies of the same type.
The damage displayed on screen is the combined damage done to all enemies hit.
Foi
Level: 1
TP: 2
Effect: Attack against one enemy (12-17 damage).
Notes: You might use it at the very beginning of the game when you're first
starting to level up around Paseo, but otherwise it's just too weak
to be useful.
Ryuka
Level: 4
TP: 8
Effect: Teleports you to a safe place. Only works when you're outside.
Notes: If the last place you've saved is on the planet other than the one
you're currently on, Ryuka will take you to the "initial location" of
the planet you're currently on (on Mota, this is in front of the
Central Tower in Paseo, and on Dezo, it's in the middle of Skure,
right next to the ship). If the last place you've saved is at a Data
Memory building in a town on the same planet you're on, Ryuka will
take you to that Data Memory building. If the last place you've saved
is with the Visiphone on the same planet you're on, Ryuka will take
you to the Data Memory building in the "first town" of the planet
you're on (Paseo on Mota, or Aukba on Dezo). This is an essential
tech that you'll use throughout the game. Always save 12 TP for Hinas
and Ryuka when you're dungeon-delving.
Gifoi
Level: 5
TP: 6
Effect: Attack against one enemy (34-46 damage).
Notes: Foi is a little more efficient in terms of TP usage, but Foi is too
weak. Gifoi may be worth using toward the beginning of the game, but
it's generally better to save your TP for healing at this point. By
the time you get the Amber Robe for healing, there will be better
techs to use.
Tsu
Level: 5
TP: 6
Effect: Attack against one enemy (25-33 damage).
Notes: Weaker than Gifoi, but costs the same TP.
Hinas
Level: 7
TP: 4
Effect: Teleports you out of a dungeon. Only works when you're in a dungeon.
Notes: Along with Ryuka, an essential tech throughout the game.
Zan
Level: 7
TP: 4
Effect: Attack against a group of enemies (17-23 damage to each enemy).
Notes: Your first multi-target tech. Good for wiping out large groups (3+)
of weak enemies, and it's not too expensive in terms of TP either,
but its window of usefulness is pretty limited.
Res
Level: 8
TP: 3
Effect: Restores 20 HP.
Notes: Your first healing tech, and a staple until you get Gires. Use it out
of battle whenever your HP is 20 or more below your max HP. Don't
bother using it in battle, though; just use a Dimate when you really
need healing in battle.
Gra
Level: 10
TP: 8
Effect: Attack against all enemies (18-22 damage to each enemy).
Notes: Your first tech targeting all enemies, not just a group of the same
type. It does about the same damage as Zan, but costs twice as much
TP, so you won't get much use out of it. You may find a use for it
shortly after you acquire it in battles with multiple types of very
dangerous enemies.
Githu
Level: 11
TP: 13
Effect: Attack against one enemy (67-90 damage).
Notes: The strongest tech against a single enemy at the time you acquire it,
but it's very expensive. Nafoi, which you get in three more levels,
does more damage and costs less TP. You still may use this though,
before you get Nafoi, against very dangerous enemies like Blasters.
Musik
Level: Varies (as soon as you get to Oputa)
TP: 3
Effect: Opens the door in the Control Tower in Piata.
Notes: You don't learn this tech upon level up; instead, you have to buy it
in Oputa for 2,000 meseta. Its only use is to play the piano in the
Piata Control Tower so you can retrieve the dam cards.
Nafoi
Level: 14
TP: 12
Effect: Attack against one enemy (109-149 damage).
Notes: The most useful single-target offensive tech, though not the
strongest. Nathu, which you won't get for several more levels, does
slightly more damage, but costs much more TP. You'll probably get
some use out of Nafoi against particularly dangerous or damage-
resistant enemies.
Gizan
Level: 16
TP: 7
Effect: Attack against a group of enemies (26-34 damage to each enemy).
Notes: Not a particularly useful tech for the most part when you get it,
since it requires at least two castings to kill the more dangerous
enemies. It's useful when grinding against the Slugmess, though. The
Storm Gear casts Gizan for free, and will be very useful because you
can use it against damage-resistant mechs.
Gires
Level: 16
TP: 7
Effect: Restores 60 HP.
Notes: The best healing tech you'll get; unfortunately, Rolf never learns
Nares. Use this instead of Res, as it's more efficient. Until you can
buy Trimates, you can use Gires in battle, but once you have Trimates
for emergency healing in battle, only use Gires out of battle for
routine healing. After you get the Amber Robe, you'll never need to
cast Gires again, since the Amber Robe gives you Gires for free.
Nathu
Level: 20
TP: 20
Effect: Attack against one enemy (126-162 damage).
Notes: A little more powerful than Nafoi, but much more expensive. Nafoi is
almost always the better choice.
Nazan
Level: 24
TP: 11
Effect: Attack against a group of enemies (88-111 damage to each enemy).
Notes: Great multi-target tech when you have TP to spare. Cheaper than
Nafoi, and does almost as much damage to a whole group of enemies.
Very useful against groups of damage-resistant enemies.
Gigra
Level: 28
TP: 12
Effect: Attack against all enemies (35-46 damage to each enemy).
Notes: More expensive than Nazan but much weaker. It does target all enemies
instead of only one enemy group, but it's just too weak to ever use.
Rever
Level: 30
TP: 30
Effect: Revives a dead character and restores HP to full. If the target is
already alive, it just restores HP to full.
Notes: This is needed to revive Nei before the battle with Neifirst.
Otherwise, it's almost useless in a solo game, but there is actually
a circumstance in which it could be useful. Rolf can use it on
himself to fully restore his HP. This is generally a less efficient
use of TP than Gires, but it's actually more efficient if the amount
of HP being healed is at least 258. So, late in the game, when you've
taken at least 258 points of damage, and you're out of Trimates, and
the enemies are doing more damage than the Amber Robe can heal, you
might just use Rever, although in this rare circumstance you're
probably better off using your TP to kill the enemies instead.
Megid
Level: 35
TP: 55
Effect: Attack against all enemies (342-460 damage to each enemy). Damages
all party members other than Rolf by an amount equal to half their
current HP.
Notes: By far the most powerful attack in the game, and a very useful tech.
Megid is especially useful in a solo game, because Rolf has no allies
for it to damage. It's very expensive, so you'll probably only be
able to use it twice when you get it, and three times at level 50.
Megid is pretty much guaranteed to end almost any non-boss battle in
one action (though Fiends may survive it), and it never misses. Megid
is useful in very tough battles before you get to Noah, essential to
quick level grinding in Noah, and useful against the final bosses.
---------------
VII. Copyright|
---------------
This document is not copyrighted. You can do what you want with it, but I'd
rather you didn't use it to make money.
--------------------------
VIII. Contact Information|
--------------------------
You may email me with contributions or corrections at
[email protected]. Put "Phantasy Star II," or something similar, in the
subject line so I know what the email is about. Please let me know if I got
anything wrong, left anything out, or if you have any additional tips or ideas.
--------------------
IX. Version History|
--------------------
Version 1.12 - 2018-04-03
- Revised copyright and contact information.
Version 1.11 - 2016-01-26
- There was a formatting error in version 1.1 where some lines were indented
too far. It should be fixed now.
Version 1.1 - 2016-01-25
- Played through the challenge again, this time on the Genesis version (the
first time was on the Sega Genesis Collection Playstation 2 version) and
made various updates to the guide accordingly. The strategy in many places
has been expanded or rewritten.
- Added Techniques section, detailing all techs that Rolf learns.
- Rearranged sections and made miscellaneous changes, mostly to clean up the
guide.
Version 1.01 - 2012-08-18
- Updated contact information.
Version 1.0 - 2008-02-29
- Initial release.
-----------
X. Credits|
-----------
Sega, for making this great game.
GameFAQs, for being a great place to find just about anything you want to know
about a game.
Dalez, for his very good general walkthrough.
Voltron also has a good walkthrough.
Twilkitri (
http://twilkitri.fewiki.net/PS2/), for the data on stat gains and
stat maxing. I stole the tables right from his site.
The Phantasy Star Pages (
http://www.phantasy-star.net/), for very useful maps
and lists.
Wolfgang Landgraf (
http://www.wolfgangarchive.com/), for his great site.
The $ Avenger, for the boss stats.
Breakdown777 and Crystalgate, from the GameFAQs message boards, for answering a
couple of questions.
You, of course, for reading this guide.
