Phantasy Star III Solo-Cyborg Challenge FAQ
Written by Bryan Stewart, aka SkieFyre, aka Ragn_Charran
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Spoiler Warning
2. Legal
3. Version History
4. Purpose
5. Rules of the Solo-Cyborg Quest
6. Hints and Tips
7. Detailed Walkthrough
Mieu:
Generation 1 - Rhys
Generation 2 - Ayn
Generation 2 - Nial
Generation 3 - Sean
Generation 3 - Adan
Wren:
Generation 1 - Rhys
Generation 2 - Ayn
Generation 2 - Nial
Generation 3 - Sean
Generation 3 - Adan
8. What the hell is the "Pron Glitch"?
9. Credits
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1. SPOILER WARNING
As this is a challenge quest FAQ, I assume that any reader will already be
intimately familiar with the game. As well, properly detailing the strategies
required to play through will require listing names and locations of important
people and places. Therefore, this FAQ contains numerous spoilers. Players who
have not completed all four endings should not read this FAQ.
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2. LEGAL
This entire document is (C) 2007 Bryan Stewart. All trademarks are property of
their respective owners. No section of this guide can be used without my
permission. This includes, but is not limited to posting on your website,
making links to my guide, including parts of my guide in your own, or making
reference to any material contained within.
All the sites mentioned below have permission to do the above. Please email me
at
[email protected] to enquire about gaining permission to use this
document.
www.GameFAQs.com
http://ps3.huguesjohnson.com/
- Thanks to Michael Sarich for this Copyright -
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3. VERSION HISTORY
v1.01 - October 28, 2007
- Minor typos corrected, Pron Glitch info updated.
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4. PURPOSE
The idea of the solo quest in RPGs has been around for a long time. The appeal
is very strong - it makes the game challenging, often requiring mastery of the
finest points to succeed; it completely changes the play of the game, and makes
for a great "one hero against the forces of evil" spin on the story.
As the two cyborgs are the only characters useable throughout most of the game,
they are the closest one can come to doing a true solo in Phantasy Star III.
As well, Phantasy Star III has some unique elements, both story and gameplay,
that make a solo quest very different from other RPGs.
- You have a total of four routes to attempt, giving more choice to the player
as to how to attempt the quest.
- Mieu and Wren, the two characters you can choose, are vastly different from
one another, again providing the player more choice in how to attempt the
quest. Mieu is fast, has two attacks, and can heal and buff herself, while
Wren has high hit points, high defense, consistent damage, variable attack
patterns with shots and techniques, and is not hindered by the front row/back
row system.
- Some of the best equipment in the game is available at the end of Generation
1, with serious overleveling you could buy the equipment and be very well
equipped for later generations.
- Running is notoriously unreliable, removing the "run from everything and
reach the boss at full strength" strategy prevalent in the solo quests for
many games.
- There are no misses or critical hits in this game, which brings a lot of
stability to mathematical calculations.
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5. RULES OF THE SOLO-CYBORG QUEST
When playing a challenge quest, you make your own rules about the limits you
place on yourself, setting the challenge level. For the purposes of this FAQ I
have placed fairly stringent rules on gameplay, specifically on the use of your
companions (since this is a solo quest, after all!). This way, if you choose to
ignore or loosen these rules, the FAQ will still be relevant, whereas if I had
loose rules the FAQ would not be as valuable on a harder challenge.
A. When acquiring the cyborg and upon gaining a new party member, you must
immediately kill the other character(s) off. If your cyborg is at full HP
you may do this for characters with order techniques by casting Nasak,
otherwise you must enter a battle and have the hero and the new member
defend the cyborg and let the enemies attack until the new member is dead.
You must also kill everyone again in Generation 1 when they all revive after
Rhys defeats Lyle.
B. With the exception of gemstones, the Laya Pendant, Laya's Bow, and Lune's
Slicer, you may not use the equipment new characters come with in any way.
It may not be sold, it must be discarded. (Note: Yes, this means you cannot
have Rhys or Mieu pack a Shot in for Wren! He must start unarmed!)
C. Meseta earned prior to beginning the solo may not be used. You may choose to
consider the 300 meseta Rhys starts with exempt, but for the purpose of
this FAQ I am not. Buy items and discard them to eliminate excess meseta.
However, see rule D below!
D. The one exception to the above rules is leveling Rhys enough that he can
defeat Lyle if he is not already at sufficient level prior to beginning the
solo (guaranteed for Mieu, likely for Wren). However, your solo character
cannot benefit from this in any way - they must be dead while Rhys levels so
that they gain no XP, and all meseta Rhys earns must be used only to buy his
own equipment. You may use proceeds from selling Rhys, Mieu, Wren, or Lyle's
equipment to purchase equipment for Rhys, as well as money earned prior to
the solo (keep the meseta but don't spend it).
E. You may not use the healing techniques of your companions, with two
exceptions:
- As detailed above, if the cyborg is already at full HP, a character
with order techniques may use Nasak to kill herself.
- During a battle in which you are killing off a character, they may
use a healing technique or item to keep the cyborg at or below the HP
level and poison status at which the battle was started. The cyborg
can take significant damage in the time required to kill off a strong
character (Rhys, Lyle, Sari, and the Sean/Crys version of Kara), this
exception allows you to not be punished by having to take the time to
kill a character you are forced to take.
You may not, under any circumstances, have dead companions cast healing
techniques in the menu screen (which, in this game, they can do).
F. You may not have the other characters carry items for you. Any key items
they come with must be immediately transferred to the cyborg. There are
three exceptions - first, key items that the game does not allow you to
discard but are never needed again may be transferred to another character
to simulate discarding. Specifically, these are:
- Monitor immediately
- Sapphire once Rhys has reached Aquatica
- Moon Stone and Moon Tear once the satellite system has been repaired
- Dragon Tear once Divisia has been reached with Sari in party
- Power Topaz once Azura has been reached
- Twins Ruby once Aridia has been reached with sub parts in inventory
- Mystery Star once Frigidia has been reached
- All gems once Laya Pendant has been retrieved
- Sub Parts once Orakio's Sword and Laya's Bow have been acquired
- Aqua Parts once you have learned the word of power and returned from
Sage Isle
- Nei weapons once attained. Note this includes the Nei weapon of the
cyborg, but if you choose to do so you may never use it again (since
we are simulating discarding it, you can't just transfer it back).
Note also that this does not mean you can transfer the legendary
weapons before transformation - they are required to receive the word
of power, which is required to trigger the transformation in
Frigidia, which is required to make Rulakir reveal his true nature,
so you must hold on to them until they are renamed as Nei weapons.
The key items required at the end of the game are the Laya Pendant and Aero
Parts. These can be discarded once Terminus and Lashute have been reached
if you have no intention of returning.
The second exception to this rule is that you may pass items to other party
members and then immediately pass back in order to arrange items in your
cyborg's item list.
The third exception is you may (in fact you SHOULD) transfer items to all
party members when transforming the legendary weapons into Nei weapons to
avoid the Pron Glitch (see section 8 for a detailed explanation of the Pron
Glitch).
G. If you have a full inventory and find a chest, you may not open it. You must
use or discard one of the cyborg's items before opening the chest. The only
exception is the "last" chest in Lashute, since it does not contain an
inventory item. You know which one I'm talking about.
H. No using a cheat device, emulator save-states, or other helpful tools that
are not a part of the original game. What's the point of a challenge quest
if you're going to cheat to bypass the challenge?
The key purpose of these rules is to simulate the cyborg not waiting for Rhys
to act; simply getting key items from characters and having them leave, rather
than join you; and being able to discard key items that are no longer needed.
That said, you may want to loosen these rules if you find the challenge too
difficult. Set your own achievement level! The most significant but acceptable
change would be keeping the characters dead but allowing them to carry items
and use heal techniques. This would simulate them travelling with you but not
participating in battles.
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6. HINTS AND TIPS
For those just looking for a bit of advice before starting out, but not
wanting to be lead by the hand, I offer these tips.
General Tips:
- Think about the strengths and weaknesses of each cyborg. One route (Ayn vs.
Nial) is much easier than the other for each cyborg.
- Run only when desperate. Running is horribly unreliable, so plan on having to
fight your way through dungeons. You need the XP anyways.
- Escape pipes are remarkably useless for most of the game.
- Maintain your technique distributions.
- Monomate restores 30 HP, dimate restores 60 HP, trimate fills you to max, and
Res (if you have it) restores 5 HP per power point you distribute to it. Keep
this in mind when choosing your healing method to get the best use out of
each.
- Experiment to find items that duplicate techniques you are unable to cast.
Specific Hints:
- With the exception of Dark Force, Wren is easier than Mieu (at least in my
opinion).
- With Mieu, Nial's route is easiest; with Wren, Ayn's is easiest.
- The most useful techniques are Res, Fanbi, Ner, and Zan. Keep their
distribution maxed.
- The items you will need to use are the Force Helm (Res, 25 HP), Force Shield
(Res, 50 HP), Royal Bandanna (Ner, only Mieu needs this) and Royal Bow
(Fanbi, only Wren needs this).
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7. DETAILED WALKTHROUGHS
For those who want a more detailed strategic layout, I provide below. I assume
anyone attempting a challenge quest is intimately familiar with the game, so
I will not lay out directions on how to reach places or when to use items,
instead I will focus on recommended levels, equipment selection (and meseta
required to purchase them), and technique use.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
MIEU - "Wait forever for Rhys and end up like Miun? Screw that!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 1 - "Did I just see a dragon-riding Layan chick fly by?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Landen - (Recommended Level: 1)
------
Obviously, you start as Rhys. This is actually somewhat advantageous, as it
gives you an opportunity to prepare him (somewhat) for the Lyle fight. While I
don't suggest overdoing it, spending the time to equip Rhys in two Hunting
Knives, Hunting Armour, and Hunting Helm will make it easier for him to level
around Rysel when preparing for this annoying plot point. Rhys should be on
level 6 or 7 by the time this is done.
Once you're done - and if you're careful, you can have no meseta left over,
eliminating the need to track Rhys' - head up to the lake and get Mieu. Try to
have Rhys fairly weak before you talk to her, so he's easier to kill off in the
first fight.
First priority is, obviously, a second Claw, which will require 80 meseta. (I
recommend not attempting to fight Moos until you have the second claw.) Next is
a technique redistribution to maximize Res (since Gires and Rever will be
useless to you and antidotes are a much more reliable substitute for Anti),
then to fill your inventory with five antidotes and 6 monomates.
Once that's done, save at the inn at Yaata and get ready hunt down Lyle.
[NOTE: The Force Emel, which is available in Ilan, casts a level 5 Res when
used in or out of battle. However, it is not worth saving up 7900 meseta for!]
-----------
Lyle's Cave (Recommended Level: 7)
-----------
Since poisoning enemies infest the cave, try to keep yourself close to full HP
if you are not currently poisoned - once you're down 25 HP, pop a monomate out
of battle. Once poisoned you have a choice - most enemies only do two damage,
but you have to watch out for Foi from the Moos you may run into. Try to stay
above 18 HP, and you should be OK.
The chest just past the wall left of the entrance holds an escape pipe, by the
time you get to it you can probably use a monomate to free up space for it.
Take it for insurance in case you get into trouble, but you most likely won't
need it. The next chest over is a shield, which you can grab for cash if you
feel like it, since you'll probably use another monomate before reaching it.
The two chests that are actually on your route hold a dimate and an antidote,
so be sure to grab them!
Make sure you have an inventory space free to receive the Sapphire from Lyle,
then walk back out if you can - use that escape pipe if you can't.
----------------------
Landen - Aquatica Cave (Recommended Level: 10)
----------------------
Head to Ilan and trade in all of your items - including your escape pipe, if
you have one - for 4 antidotes and 4 monomates (keeping the dimate, of course),
then save. Assuming you fought your way through Lyle's Cave, you should have
gained at least two levels there, so you should be ready to head to Aquatica.
There are no useful chests en route to Aquatica, so just run the cave. Beware
of Lobowings - they'll do around 11 damage per hit! Expect to have to use a Res
or Monomate in these fights, so keep antidotes handy. A Lobowing will take 3 or
4 hits to kill.
Once through, Buzzgulls do 4 damage and take two hits each.
-----
Rysel (Recommended Level: 11)
-----
Once you reach Rysel, it's time for an equipment upgrade. Hunting Claws will
set you back 480 meseta (280 meseta each, less 40 each for your Claws), while
a Hunting Vest will cost 136 (179, less 43 for your Vest). You should have just
enough cash, but level to get it if needed. Note that though Mieu can equip
Force Boots, they aren't worth either the money or giving up an item space.
Since you never again need to pass through the Landen - Aquatica cave, pass the
Sapphire to Rhys, and use the space for a fifth monomate (since you hopefully
still have the dimate you found in Lyle's cave). Once stocked up, check to make
sure your Res is still maxed, then move on to Aridia.
----------------------
Aquatica - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 11)
----------------------
The benefits of your new claws will be visible immediately, as you will now be
able to one hit kill Buzzgulls and Nayls, and two hit kill Lobowings. Just like
the last cave, don't bother making detours for chests. The two that fall right
on the fastest path contain a dimate and an antidote.
Once out of the cave, watch out for Giants - they'll take three hits to go
down, and hit harder than a Lobowing.
-----------
Wren's Cave (Recommended level: 12)
-----------
As there are no upgrades for Mieu in Hazatak, just head for the cave where Wren
awaits. Two enemies here stand out. Gilatoads take three hits and do up to nine
damage; Grinders only do three or four damage but take six hits to go down. Run
in, grab the escape pipe on the way, then get Wren. Don't try to kill him off
in the cave - instead, use the escape pipe from the chest, then kill Wren off
in your first fight returning to town. Try to save at least two Res or monomate
and one antidote (after being at full HP) for the walk back to Hazatak.
-------------
Weather Tower (Recommended level: 13)
-------------
For the weather tower, you need to buy a replacement escape pipe, bring
yourself to three antidotes, and fill up with monomate.
If you thought Wren's cave was brutal...Hoplizes are as deadly as Gilatoads,
but can come two to a side. Clumps also hit hard, though fortunately only take
one hit. Run from any battle with Hoplizes on both sides of the screen, and
be very careful against only one or two.
When you reach Lyle, take his Moon Tear and unequip (but not discard) his
equipment. Now, you have a choice - if you feel like gambling, walk to the
weather equipment and hope you don't die killing Lyle off in the first fight,
or use your escape pipe, kill Lyle outside, and restock at Mystoke to take a
fresh run.
Either way, once you have the weather fixed, pop the escape pipe and run back
to Hazatak. The trip from there to Agoe should be no problem now, but don't
forget antidotes!
--------------
Agoe/Shushoran (Recommended Level: 15)
--------------
Time for some serious upgrades. First order is Steel Claws, available in
Shushoran for 820 meseta (550 each, less 140 per Hunting Claw). Next to Agoe
for a Steel Vest at a cost of 255 meseta (344, less 89 for your Hunting Vest),
and finally back to Sushoran for a Hunting Ribbon for 113 meseta (130, less
17 for your Ribbon). Once that is complete, refill to four antidotes and six
monomates/dimates. Be sure your Res is maxed as well.
Now for Rhys...to be able to defeat Lyle, he'll need some equipment upgrades.
You can sell Wren's escape pipe and Lyle's equipment to partially fund this,
but you'll need to farm some mesetas as well. Since additional levels will also
make the fight go smoother, I suggest reviving Rhys, then killing off Mieu
(fortunately Nasak makes this easy) and earning Rhys' cash with him alone.
You'll have to head back to Rysel and fight Buzzgulls, as Irisas are too much
for Rhys to handle.
Once Rhys is around level 12 and you have the 800 meseta needed to trade your
Hunting Knives in for a Steel Sword, plus another 50 to revive Mieu and another
20 for an inn stay, revive Mieu, rekill Rhys, and get ready to dive into the
fountain.
---------
Shushoran (Recommended Level: 15)
---------
This dungeon is short and nasty. Running out of healing should not be a
problem, assuming you can survive the battles - any battle with more than one
Fearmoos (who take two or three hits to kill and do around 9 with an attack or
22 with a Foi) should be avoided. Things are a little easier on the surface,
but Glops can Foi for 8 and Lobowings sometimes still take two attacks to kill.
Bring four antidotes, as you'll be focusing on the tough enemies long enough
for Eindons and Tsveidons to poison you regularly. Leave all of the treasure
chests for now.
Hopefully Rhys will defeat Lyle - it's pretty frustrating to have Mieu claw her
way through the dungeon only to lose because Rhys falls on his face!
Once Lyle is down, stay at the inn, then re-kill your party and get ready for
the return to Aridia. If you used monomates, it's time to start filling those
empty item spaces with dimate.
-----------------
Satellite Control (Recommended Level: 16)
-----------------
Before saving in Hazatak, make sure you have three antidotes, then fill up on
dimate. You're then ready to return to the weather tower.
The first floor enemies should give you little trouble. Try to minimize your
time on the second floor though, as Clusters, like the Fearmoos they escort,
take two attacks and can hit hard. Forget about the chests on the top floor
except for the trimate. If you need another antidote, there is one in the chest
left of the weather control machine.
Once the satellites are moved, pass the Moon Tear and Moon Stone to Rhys, then
head back to Hazatak.
Don't fully restock for the trip back to Aquatica, as long as you have an
antidote you should be fine. As you pass through Shushoran, stop to grab the
three trimates available in the now monster-free dungeon.
-----
Cille (Recommended Level: 21)
-----
[Note: You have some a big opportunity here to ease the next two generations -
the Royal Vest is for sale in the armour shop for 23,000 meseta, and Planar
Claws cost 35,800 each in the weapon shop. That is, if your patience is
exponentially higher than your desire for challenge! I'm going to assume you
not buy the super items and instead approach Cille with minimal leveling.
Trust me, you won't need it!]
[Tip: This is a great place to save your game if you plan to attempt both Ayn
and Nial's routes. Particularly if you choose to abuse the above opportunity!]
Though it is possible to tackle the dungeon right away, you will find things
much easier if you sell off your trimates and battle Irisas around Shushoran to
save up the 3928 meseta you'll need to upgrade to a Force Vest. Once you have
it, refill your healing items (10 dimates and a single antidote), then save
at the inn.
As expected, damage gets even worse for this run - be sure to bring only one
antidote, and be sure Res is maxed. Blotters are death here, so run whenever
you encounter one - on their own they wouldn't be bad, taking only three
claws to kill, but having to kill the Glops in front of them, while the Blotter
slams you for over 16 damage per round, wears out your HP much too quickly.
Lobobats are not much better, being protected by Flayls, but are manageable if
the other half of the screen is weak.
Once on the surface, Clops are as deadly as Blotters but fortunately rarely
have protection and usually can be attacked immediately. Sylphs go down in one
hit, but do 4 damage per attack, which can add up very quickly, making them far
more dangerous than you are likely used to seeing them as!
Because of this, take out all six sylphs before trying to kill Cille himself -
even though you could leave the three on the left, the extra damage they would
do while you attacked the king is too dangerous to properly manage. Cille will
do up to 25 damage with a Zan, so you'll need some luck in the first few rounds
and to heal every other round once you have him alone. Fortunately he has only
400 hit points, so your healing should be sufficient.
Generation One complete!
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Generation 2 - "Cyborgs attacking? That's not blood, my clothes are just red!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Cille (Recommended Level: 22)
-----
[Note: The same equipment options as listed for generation one still apply, and
in fact the saving takes less time, as the enemies you find here are worth much
more meseta. But just like in generation one, you really don't need it!]
Start off by discarding Ayn's gear, loading up on dimate - nothing is poisonous
right now, so don't carry antidote, and you don't need the full healing of
trimate - then head outside and kill Ayn and Wren off.
-------------------------------------
Shushoran/Rysel/Shushoran/Cille/Rysel (Recommended Level: 22)
-------------------------------------
Things will start off very easy. Blinks only do 2 damage and die from one claw,
Arachnes do 4 and occasionally go down in one hit but usually take two. You'll
also level fairly fast. The only real danger are Dogbots around Rysel, who can
do over 10 damage and take two attacks to finish. Just make the required runs
and save at Rysel. You may be tempted to buy Force Boots now, but I suggest you
do not.
----------------------
Aquatica - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 24)
----------------------
As mentioned Dogbots around Rysel can hit hard, as can Agribots in the cave.
Fortunately they go down with only two claw hits, so be sure to target them
first. Seekers take three claws and only do one point more than Arachnes, so
leave them for last.
Once through the cave, Styx are as strong as Dogbots and Lazrbots are like
Arachnes with a mean Foi that can do over 14 damage. Head straight for
Hazatak.
-----------
Wren's Cave (Recommended Level: 26)
-----------
You likely still have full dimate, but refill if you need to. There's nothing
new on this trip, so run in, get the Dragon Tear (remember to use a dimate
first), and return.
----------------------
Aridia - Dragonia Cave (Recommended Level: 29)
----------------------
Time to change your items a little - nothing in the cave is poisonous, but
Doomflies in Dragonia are, so be sure to bring a single antidote, then all
the dimate you can carry.
Warblbots and Stix dwell in this cave, but hopefully you won't run into too
many of them! Warblbots can do 14 damage with a Foi and Stix are as strong as
ever, and both take two claws to go down. If you see two Stix, run! One thing
that will help is the Force Ribbon in the top right chest, which casts a Zan
when used as an item in battle - though it is weak, it counts as a second hit
to kill front row enemies, making it useful on groups of three or more.
Since you need to walk right past the staircase back to Aridia to go from the
Force Ribbon to the Dragonia exit, I recommend leaving and heading back to
Hazatak to save.
Once you return, be sure to grab the Laser Shot on your way for the 1250 meseta
trade-in value and the Ceramic Helm just off the path in the bottom of the wide
centre portion, which is worth 500.
Once through the cave, run straight to Lensol. Beware of Doomflies - they hit
for a whopping 20 damage and take three claws to drop, though luckily they
rarely come with any front-row guardians.
--------------------
Lensol/Endora/Lensol (Recommended Level: 31)
--------------------
Stop and heal in Lensol, and sell off the Laser Shot and Ceramic Helm. There is
no useable equipment here, unless you happen to still be wearing a Steel Vest,
so just make sure you have an antidote. There's no dimate available here
either, but you'll have enough TP to reach Endora where it is.
[NOTE: The Force Emel, which is available here, casts a level 5 Res when used
in or out of battle. However, it is not worth the cost of 7900 meseta.]
Once in Endora, you have a bit of shopping to do. Head for the weapon shop
and spend 3930 meseta on two Laser Claws (4480, less 550 for your Steel Claws).
Then load up with dimate, keeping the one antidote for the trip back.
Remember to talk to the man in top left of Endora to get the gate to Lensol
Castle opened before heading back! You will be able to one-hit kill everything
on your return trip, even Doomflies and Dogbots. (Yes, the Laser Claws are that
good!) Be sure to save your dimates.
------
Lensol (Recommended Level: 32)
------
Once again you're entering an area with no poisonous enemies, so if you had to
use your antidote, don't worry - you'll find one shortly.
Just run straight for Thea. The enemies are the same as those in the Aridia -
Dragonia cave - Lazrbots, Warblbots, Chirpbots, and Stix. Don't be afraid to
use dimates here, because you'll need to buy Trimates for the trip to Landen.
Once you reach Thea take the Twins Ruby, toss the rest of her equipment, and
kill her off. Then run for the exit. Oddly, the first underground section is
now free of cyborgs on your walk back, so clear out the chests on your way out.
----------------------
Aridia - Dragonia Cave (Recommended Level: 34)
----------------------
Sell off all of your dimates to buy three antidotes and six trimates before
leaving - it's your last chance to buy it before your eventual return. Head
straight through to Hazatak, using Res healing only.
--------------------
Aridia - Landen Cave (Recommended Level: 34)
--------------------
There is only one new threat here, but it's a real pain - Commsats. Though they
go down in one hit, they hit hard (around six damage, which adds up with a
large pack) and can poison you.
Fortunately it's a short cave. Don't grab the Force Sword (first chest) or
Knife (top left chest) unless you've already used the antidotes to make room -
you can grab them on the way back - but be sure to grab the Force Claw. Equip
it in Mieu's right hand, this will make it her second attack - this will be
important later on.
Once you reach Landen, sell your old Laser Claw (and the Force Sword or Knife
if you grabbed them), refill your antidotes, and save before assaulting the
castle.
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 40)
------
Landen Castle is an interesting paradox. The dungeon itself is pathetic - odds
are, you'll use Res twice getting to Sari, including the one you use to fill
up before fighting her. Sari, on the other hand...you'll need to gain a few
levels before you're ready to take her on. Fortunately the XP is really good
in the dungeon - Minimechs are worth 198 each - so it won't take too long.
Then run down to Yaata to maximize Res, and you're ready to go.
Despite the extra levels you're still going to need some luck for this one.
Commsats will hit you for 6, Zarachnes for 8 (or a Zan for 11) and take two
attacks to drop, while Sari, safely hidden, nails you for 30! So what to do?
First priority is the Commsats - you'll don't have time to both antidote and
then heal, so poison will be death. Heal on round 2 (hopefully a couple of
enemies will go before you heal, so you can start the next round with a lot of
HP, otherwise, you may need to try healing again). Once you start with more
than 60 HP, take out the other commsat and get your first hit on a Zarachne.
Keep healing, hope you act first when you need it, and slowly get the
Zarachnes out. Once you can reach her, Sari herself only takes two attacks, so
once you get down to the last Zarachne you should be OK.
Once the fight is over, take the Power Topaz from Sari, toss her equipment,
and kill her off in your first fight, either in the dungeon or en route to
Techna. Make your way there as quickly as you can. Because Mieu will need the
Twins Ruby in third generation you can't discard it once you return to Aridia,
but you can pass the Dragon Tear to Ayn once you reach Dragonia. On the way
through the caves, make the detours to grab the Force Knife and Sword in the
caves for spending money (if you haven't already).
------
Techna (Recommended Level: 41)
------
First order of business - armour shop. Though Mieu has no new armour here
(unless you didn't buy a Force Vest in Cille, in which case you can get it
here) you can spend 3900 meseta on Force Shield, which casts a level 10 Res
when used as an item, both in and out of battle, to heal 50 HP! Then it's the
weapon shop, where 14550 meseta lets you upgrade to Laconia Claws (17920, less
3370 for your Laser and Force Claws). Thirdly you'll want to go to the item
shop, restocking five antidotes (it's a long way to Siren, with a lot of
poisoning enemies!) and then filling up with three trimate. Finally, stop by
the technique shop and make sure Res and Fanbi are maxed out.
[Note: It is possible - though difficult - to beat Siren without a Force
Shield. However, it is your last chance to buy one for a while, despite the
Force Emel being available in Ilan, which heals at half the power (25 HP). I
leave it to you to decide how hard you want to make this!]
The castle and its basement should present no difficulty. None of the new
back-row enemies are stronger than a Doomfly, and any that can do significant
damage all go down in one claw. Your antidotes must last, so focus on any
poisoning enemies (flies and sats) first, and try to go a battle or two
poisoned before using an antidote. Head straight for the shuttle.
Things change on the surface of the Azura. Though Mechs do no more damage than
their grey cousins, they take two hits to die. Polebots hit as hard as
Doomflies, and Stickbots are even worse doing 28 damage with a Foi and taking
two claws to die!
Things get easier in the Azura underground, except the rate at which you'll
encounter poisonous enemies will increase. Feralbots are only as bad as a Stix,
and Fatales hit as hard as a Doomfly. The two chests are useless, so head
straight to Siren.
Siren is a much more predictable fight than Sari, thanks to his front-row
enemies being very weak (the most damage they can do to you in one round is
60), so as long as you're careful and have a few TP you'll have no difficulty.
On the first round take out two Flashes, then on following rounds (when not
needing to heal) cast Fanbi two or three times. This will allow you to take out
Mechs in one hit and will make Siren go down faster. You should have plenty of
TP and trimate but even if you run out the Force Shield is enough to let you
slowly regain HP during the fight (as Siren should do no more than 35 damage
per round). Siren should drop after nine or ten rounds of attacking, depending
on how many Fanbis you used.
Generation Two complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 2 (Nial Route) - "Oh good, I just sharpened by monster processors!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 22)
------
Start by raiding Landen castle's basement for an antidote, a monomate, two
dimates, and a trimate. Sell the monomate, buy two more antidotes and fill up
on dimate. Don't forget to kill off Nial and Wren!
[NOTE: The Force Emel, which is available in Ilan, casts a level 5 Res when
used in or out of battle. However, it is not worth saving up 7900 meseta for!]
---------------------
Landen - Divisia Cave (Recommended Level: 22)
---------------------
You'll find that most new enemies do exactly four damage to Mieu, and Eindons
and Tsveidons do nothing - but can, of course, still poison you. Some, like
Oozes, will go down in one claw (which is fortunate, as they can do 14 damage
with a Foi), others will take two. Unless poisoned (in which case try to
conserve your antidotes) use a dimate or Res as soon as you are down 40 or more
HP.
Oddly, walking to the cave is far more dangerous than the cave itself! You
should be able to grab the chests, the Ceramic Ribbon is a minor defense boost
and the others can be sold for meseta (65 meseta for your old Hunting Ribbon,
500 for the Ceramic Shield, and 1250 for the Laser Shot).
--------------
Divisia Castle (Recommended Level: 25)
--------------
Now that you can buy trimate...don't! Bump up to four antidotes, and fill the
other item slots with dimate. Start Divisia with a little diversion down the
far right staircase to grab a trimate - you don't really need it, but it's a
primer for the dungeon, plus it gives a bit of XP. Once you've finished this
little section, head back to restock and rest up. Now it's time to rescue
Alair!
The real threats are Smashers, who do up to 7 damage and take five claws to
die. The only chest, which is out of the way, is an antidote, so it most likely
isn't worth it unless you've had really bad luck with the poisoning!
Once you reach Southern Divisia, you can finally upgrade your weapons to
Ceramic Claws for 1750 meseta (2300, less 550 for your Steel Claws). If you
are wearing the Force Vest there is no armour upgrade here, though the Ceramic
Vest is here if you're still wearing steel. Then refill your four antidotes and
remaining spaces with dimate and save at the inn.
-------------
Rebel Hideout (Recommended Level: 27)
-------------
Surprisingly, most of the strong back-row enemies en route to the cave -
Biclops and Catwomen - die in a single claw, so target them first. Don't worry
too much about saving your dimates or antidotes, as nothing inside the cave
poisons and healing is about to get much easier...
Once in the cave, watch out for Primus - as well as doing 12 damage with a Zan,
they take two claws to kill. Fortunately, Fearmoos and Clusters now drop in one
hit, but their techs still pack a massive punch. Be sure to grab the Force Helm
in the top left chest, as it casts a level 5 Res when used as an item in
battle, healing Mieu 25 HP. You can now use this to heal up at the end of any
battle where you can leave one or two weak enemies alive, reducing your
reliance on Res and dimate. Virtually eliminating it, in fact - from now on,
this generation is going to be a joke!
Skip the Ceramic Headgear on the far right, instead grabbing the Force Bandanna
on the way to Ryan. After seeing the cinema scene, pass the Twins Ruby to Mieu,
discard Ryan's equipment, and grab all three chests in Ryan's room - you'll
want the cash from the Laser Sword, and the Laser Claw will allow you to kill
Clopses and the occasional Primus in one hit. Throw away dimates, and then
antidotes, to make room. Get greedy!
Don't forget to kill Ryan off!
----------------
Return to Landen (Recommended Level: 31)
----------------
Though Northern Divisia is your last chance to buy trimate before reaching
Mystoke...don't. Seriously, just carry five antidotes and a few dimate. With
the Force Helm you should have no difficulty in making it to Mystoke, and you
can toss dimates to make room to clear out later chests you can sell for cash.
Just walk through the Landen - Divisia cave and save at the inn in Yaata. Make
sure your Res is maxed as well.
[Tip: To eliminate the problem of having to leave only one or two enemies
to heal, you could spend 6025 meseta (7900, less 1875 trade-in) to swap the
Force Helm for a Force Emel. The Emel heals the same amount but can be used
both in and out of battle. This is not really necessary though, especially
considering you have some major purchases to save up for.]
--------------------
Landen - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 31)
--------------------
Once inside the cave, pass the Twins Ruby to Nial, since you never need to come
through this cave again. The enemies here are identical to the Rebel Hideout,
so you won't need healing beyond what the Force Helm provides. The Force Claw
in the first chest is a nice little bonus, and the Force Sword and Knife sell
for some impressive cash (3925 and 1570 meseta respectively, and don't forget
the 575 for your old Ceramic Claw).
Once through, watch for Slashers, who can do more damage in an attack than the
Force Helm can heal, be sure to take them out first. Stop in Hazatak to sell
your goodies, then go recruit Laya. Take her Mystery Star and Laya's Bow, kill
her off, and save before running off to Frigidia.
----------------------
Aridia - Frigidia Cave (Recommended Level: 32)
----------------------
A few enemies here can cause problems. You'll have to watch for Slashers
going to the cave, and once inside rows of Fires drain your HP very quick with
their high Foi rate. For the most part things should go smoothly, so clear out
the chests - all of the goodies are worth 8135 meseta on sale, and you're
saving for some big purchases! To make room, pass the Mystery Star to Nial once
in the cave.
-------
Mystoke (Recommended Level: 34)
-------
Finally, your first armour upgrade since Cille, and it's a good one - spend
20950 meseta on a Royal Vest, and you'll never buy armour again (23000, less
2050 for you Force Vest) Sadly, there's no weapon upgrade here.
The castle is barely more difficult than the last two caves, but is infested
with poisoners so increase your antidote count to five, with just three dimates
(or trimates if you've saved them) for emergencies. Most enemies will die from
a single claw, and the one that doesn't (Flutters) has weak attacks. The only
out of the way chest to grab is an antidote, so don't bother unless desperate.
Do snag that trimate, though - one less you need to buy before facing Lune.
Once you have the Laya Pendant, head to Aerone.
------
Aerone (Recommended Level: 37)
------
Your first stop is the armour shop, where you can trade in your Force Helm for
a Force Shield, which can be used both in and out of battle and heals twice as
many HP. This will cost 2025 meseta (3900, less 1875 for the Force Helm). Next
the weapon shop, where you can equip Laconia Claws for 14550 meseta (17920,
less 3370 for your Laser and Force Claws). Next stop is the item shop to load
up on trimate, then finally to the technique shop to max out Res.
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 37)
------
For starters, ignore all the chests - the one just before the shuttle only has
a monomate, and the two just before Lune can be collected in third generation
where you don't have to toss a trimate to grab it. Just head straight for Lune.
For Lune himself, you should have no trouble past the first rounds. One claw
kills both the Murafires and Cliques, but they can use a powerful Foi in
return. Attack the Murafires on round one (they have a higher Foi use rate),
then Res on round two. Keep using Res until you start a round with more than 70
HP, then take out the last Murafire and first Clique. If you manage to use Res
in the next round, consider the battle won. Finish off the front row, then face
off with Lune. The most damage he can do is 26 with a Tsu, so settle into an
attack - Force Shield - attack - Force Shield pattern, and eventually he will
go down.
Generation Two complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 3 (Sean Route) - "I'll rip Siren a new one for blowing Azura up!!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Note: The only difference between Sean and Crys' routes is starting point.
Sean has to make his way to Landen, Crys starts there. For the sake of brevity
I am not going to detail both, for Crys' route simply skip the first two
sections.]
------
Aridia (Recommended Level: 43)
------
You'll land just northwest of Hazatak, so head there immediately after
discarding all of Sean's gear (you may need to take the Twins Ruby from him,
as Mieu's may disappear). If you're still carrying the Power Topaz, pass that
to Sean (who will now have two!). Hope you do not meet up with a Gnasher on
the way - they one-hit kill, meaning killing off other characters with them is
a very risky proposition!
Once in town, refill to five antidotes. Don't bother with dimate, as they are
barely better than the Force Shield anyways! If the Siren fight went smoothly
you should have a trimate or two left as well, though that isn't critical.
Save at the inn, then go outside to try and kill off your companions. Save
again before heading for Landen.
--------------------
Aridia - Landen Cave (Recommended Level: 43)
--------------------
On the way to the cave there is nothing to fear except Gnashers - who
fortunately go down in one hit - and inside it the only threat are Mortes, who
do up to 24 damage and sometimes take a second hit to die. Don't forget that
even though they are a first generation enemy, Lashgulls can do up to 18 damage
with a Tsu!
Once through, focus on Killsats and Slashers when making your way to Yaata to
save.
---------------------
Landen - Divisia Cave (Recommended Level: 45)
---------------------
The enemies get stronger once you cross the bridge, so be prepared - Tertius,
Killsats, and Grizrds all hit fairly hard in large packs. The cave, on the
other hand, has the same enemies as the Landen - Aridia cave, so it will be
easy enough that you can grab the chests on the way through. None of it is
useful, but altogether it sells for 2100 meseta, and the extra fights along the
detours mean more meseta and XP. Remember to toss antidotes before opening the
chests to make room!
Once through, head straight for Divisia and sell off your cave treasures. Don't
bother refilling your antidotes or trimates.
-------------
Rebel Hideout (Recommended Level: 47)
-------------
The walk to the cave is remarkably easy, there are no particularly deadly
enemies. Not so for the cave! Fazrbots can be deceptive, hitting for only 6
damage on an attack but 30 with a Foi, and Robomen hit for up to 22 damage and
can take three claws to go down.
Still, the cave should be nothing you can't handle, so clean out all the
chests - it's worth 6320 meseta, and you have a couple of big purchases coming
up! Throw antidotes to make room, as nothing in the cave or en route (except
right beside the city) is poisonous.
----------------
Return to Aridia (Recommended Level: 50)
----------------
Before leaving, restock to three antidotes - you're returning to areas with
poisonous creatures. With all the leveling in the Rebel Hideout you should
have no problem reaching Yaata, then Hazatak, on Force Shield alone.
Once you return to Aridia you can finally discard the Twins Ruby by passing it
to Sean. Go through the tunnel to find Laya, and take her Mystery Star and
Laya's Bow (toss a trimate if you have to). Save at the inn before trying to
kill off Laya (remember the Gnashers!), and save again once you have done so.
If you had to use any items en route, restock before you leave for Frigidia.
You're also likely in need of a Res maximization, so stop at the technique
shop.
----------------------
Aridia - Frigidia Cave (Recommended Level: 51)
----------------------
You probably went up a couple of levels getting to Aridia, so this cave will be
a snap. Don't bother grabbing any chests unless you have the free item spaces
(one of which you can make by passing the Mystery Star off to Sean). Enemies of
note on this trip are Samurai, who can take three claws to drop and can do up
to 30 damage with an attack, and once through the cave Squakbots can do the
same with a Foi. Amazons, while only doing 12 damage, will take two hits to
die, and large packs of Fires can also be dangerous if they get the drop on
you.
-------
Mystoke (Recommended Level: 52)
-------
Finally - your first armour upgrade since Cille! A Royal Vest will set you back
20950 meseta (23000, less 2050 for your Force Vest), but you can easily afford
it. Don't bother restocking your antidotes yet, as nothing in Mystoke is
poisonous, and don't fill up on trimate either - remember there's one in a
chest en route, and you need to save the free space from the Mystery Star for
the Laya Pendant.
Droidmen are as strong as Samurai (and Mechmen come close), so focus on them
first. Once you get underground the enemies are the same as the Rebel Hideout,
so just watch out for Fazrbots and their 30 damage Foi and you'll do fine.
Once back outside, restock your antidotes (but not your trimates) and head for
Aerone.
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 54)
------
There's nothing worth buying in the weapon or armour shop in Aerone, so just
trade in all your trimate for antidotes and head for the shuttle.
Cakewalk is not a strong enough word for the ease of this dungeon. The only
real note is that Glops, through first generation enemies, are Zan resistant,
so don't try kill them with your Force Ribbon! The XP is pathetic, and you
should already have all the meseta you need, so just run in and grab the Aero
Parts, then, if you feel like it, grab the other chests on the way out, tossing
antidotes to make room if necessary. Don't talk to Kara until you are on your
way out, since you have to take Lune's Slicer from her before killing her off.
--------
Skyhaven (Recommended Level: 55)
--------
Ah, Planar Claws. Aren't they wonderful? And a mere 62640 meseta (71600, less
8960 for your Laconia Claws). You may want to fill up on trimate as well - your
TP should be sufficient for emergency in-battle healing, but nothing in
Skyhaven is poisonous so you don't need antidotes.
The key enemy to watch here are Demonesses. They're fast, they hit hard, and
they can take three hits to kill - never try to take on more than two, and be
prepared to heal in-battle if need be. Spheres and Orbs are also dangerous, as
their techs - when they use them, which is fortunately rare - can do over 50
damage. Run in, grab the Aqua Parts near the top of the dungeon and the
Laconia Ribbon in the bottom chest, then run back out. The other chests contain
goods you can sell, but since you already have your best equipment there's no
real need to gain cash anymore.
-----------------
Path to Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 56)
-----------------
The trip to Aquatica is very easy - just cruise through to Landen (via Divisia)
to get Orakio's Sword (be sure to have a free item space before turning into
the water skimmer), then to Aridia for Miun's Claw (I tend to equip Miun's Claw
on Mieu's right hand, so it is her second attack, useful for when a sole enemy
that can be killed by the weaker Planar Claw is on the right, protecting a back
row enemy that the more powerful claw then hits).
Then just make your way to the inn at Agoe, selling your extra Planar Claw
while you're there. Don't refill your antidotes, nothing in the cave is
poisonous.
Remember that once you have Orakio's Sword, you never again need the Sub Parts,
so pass them to Sean.
---------
Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 56)</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
---------
The only real threat here is Wyrms, who can do 45 damage with a Foi; otherwise
this cave is no sweat. Just run through, grab Siren's Shot, and talk to the
old men. If you ditch some trimate you'll have room to pick up the Royal Emel,
Royal Sword, and Vulcan on Siren's side of the cave as well, which you can
sell for 50400 meseta - though you really don't need money anymore, it's kind
of fun to see all those mesetas!
Once you're back in Agoe after talking to the old men, pass the Aqua Parts to
Sean, then do a little shopping - first cross the ocean to Rysel and finally
buy those Force Boots, then head to Dragonia to buy a Royal Bandanna in
Endora - you will need the Ner it casts soon - on your way to Mystoke. Be sure
to save at Endora if you plan to go through Aridia - I've been ambushed by
Gnashers more than once on this trip, so I cut through Terminus instead! Bring
a couple of antidotes along as well.
Talk to the old men in Skyhaven to gain the Nei weapons. Be sure to first pass
one of the discarded gemstones to each person in your party to avoid the Pron
Glitch (for more information, see section 8). Equip the Nei Claw (again in
Mieu's right hand), then pass the four you can't use to Sean.
-------
Lashute (Recommended Level: 58)
-------
Before heading out, stop by the technique shop and make sure Res and Fanbi are
maxed. Then go to the item shop and trade all but one of your antidotes for
trimate. Nothing is poisonous in Lashute, if you get poisoned en route just
reset, and if you get poisoned coming back you have this one for backup.
Unfortunately, you're only going here to level - you're not quite ready for
Rulakir yet. With the exception of Malifics, none of the back-row enemies can
be killed in one shot (well, Fatimas and Zafiras sometimes can with the Nei
Claw, but don't count on it), Guardians and Defenders (and occasionally
Watchers) take three claws, and all of them hit hard. Only Malifics and
Torturers do less than 40 damage with a technique, and Watchers can do over 70!
Attack enemies in this priority: Watcher, Punisher, Torturer, Guardian,
Defender, Azufire/Zafira, Fires/Fatima, and save Malifics for last. Punishers
and Torturers ahead of Defenders and Guardians may seem foolish, but they are
guaranteed one-round kills, eliminating the risk of going last in the second
round and taking two more attacks from both. Also, since Defenders and
Guardians each take three claws, if they are faired with Fatima/Fires or
Zafirah/Azufire, use your first Planar Claw attack to kill one of the front-row
enemies and your Nei Claw attack on the floating head, then on the second round
focus both attacks on the head. This kills the head just as quickly, but saves
you from a Foi or two from the little flame you take out.
You will occasionally need to heal in-battle, but you should have enough TP
and trimate to last at least a couple of levels. I recommend leveling to 65,
plus a few extra fights so you hit 66 before fighting Rulakir. I also suggest
returning to Mystoke to save every two levels - an ambush, or even a bit of bad
luck, can end your trip very quickly.
-------
Rulakir (Recommended Level: 66)
-------
[Note: If you are a few fights past 65 when you start Lashute, you should be at
level 66 by the time you reach Rulakir.]
Rulakir requires a bit of luck. Hopefully, your first attacks will kill two
Azufires before they can act (focus on them first, as they do more damage than
a Murafire). Now look at your hit points, because you need to gamble a bit. If
you have 100 or more, take out the last Azufire and one of the Murafires; if
not, heal until you start a round with 100 or more (and hope you don't get
killed by going last in a round doing so). Once you take out the last Azufire
and one of the Murafires, you'll likely be near death (or possibly dead, let's
hope not), so you really need to act first in the next round. If you manage to
do so, you should be okay for the rest of the fight. Once again, if you start
a round with 100 or more hit points, take out the last two Murafires, otherwise
heal, then settle into a heal - attack - heal - attack pattern. You'll do
around 100 damage per attack, and Rulakir has 1500 hit points, so this will
take a while. A few Fanbis will help speed up the process (each one will add
around 23 damage to your combined attack, so three or four will shorten the
total length of the fight) but are not essential.
Then - very carefully - creep back to Mystoke! Sadly, an escape pipe will not
help you here. The closer you get to the exit, the less careful you need to
be about saving healing, so don't gamble!
----------
Dark Force (Recommended Level: 68)
----------
[Note: By the time you return to Mystoke after defeating Rulakir, you should be
at level 67, by the time you return and reach Dark Force you'll be at 68.]
Before returning to Lashute, make sure Res and Fanbi are maxed out, and fill
up on trimate. Final equipment should be Nei Claw, Planar Claw, Royal Vest,
Force Boots, Laconia Ribbon, Royal Bandanna, Force Shield, Laya Pendant, Aero
Parts, and six trimates.
Getting to the dungeon should be no problem - the annoying people who get in
the way are gone, and you will now regularly one hit kill Zafiras and Fatimas
(with the Nei Claw, of course) and Guardians and Defenders often go down in
one round. The dungeon, aside from Khalidas, is actually easier - Executioners
are no worse than Torturers, and the magician enemies can have powerful Fois
but have weak front-row enemies and sometimes drop from the Nei claw alone.
Khalidas, however, will shred you! They often take two hits, do over 100 damage
in an attack, and are protected by a Murafire. If the enemies are positioned in
such a way that you can kill the Murafire and have the Nei Claw hit the
Khalida, try it, but if not, or there are two, you need to run. Focus on
Khalidas, followed by Executioners, Wizards, Conjurers, the above-dungeon
enemies, and lastly Sorcerers, as they only use Gra.
Ignore the chests - the only thing of potential value is the Star Mist in the
top right, but you really don't need the healing.
Now for Dark Force. You're facing enemies with 8000 (body), 1200 (right hand),
300 (left hand) HP. Both hands have very high defense, limiting your attack
damage, and the left hand will almost always cast Gires, healing all parts 198
HP. Meanwhile, the right hand will attack for 13 - 15 damage or Foi for 32 -
45, and the body will attack for 35 - 42 damage or Tsu for 50 - 70. So where to
start?
First thing is to use the Royal Bandanna, the Ner from which will greatly
improve your chances of acting first each round - critical when you're low on
hit points. Next order of business is to cast Fanbi on Mieu at least 8 times,
but you'll need to heal often - any round where you start with less than 120
hit points, use Res. This will be at least every other round, and depending on
whether Dark Force uses attacks or techniques you will sometimes have to heal
multiple rounds in a row.
Once you have your eight Fanbis, you should be able to kill the Left Hand in
one round. Not only does this stop the healing, it also removes the barrier to
attacking the body. Remembering the "heal if lower than 120 HP" rule, begin
to rip the body apart - it has very low defense, so you should do over 1800
damage per attack round! At that rate it only takes five attack rounds to
kill it, and once the body dies the Right Hand goes with it.
Congratulations! You've completed your solo-Mieu challenge!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 3 (Adan Route) - "Why is Landen always having disasters hit???"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Note: The only difference between Adan and Aron's routes is starting point and
which fourth member you have. Adan has to make his way to Dahlia and starts
with Gwyn, Aron starts there and comes with Kara. For the sake of brevity
I am not going to detail both, for Aron's route simply skip the first section
and grab Laya when picking up Muin's Claw. In fact, since you have Laya's Bow
from the last generation, you can skip her altogether!]
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 37)
------
First off, the Laya's Bow Gwyn has is a duplicate, so just leave it with her.
However, Mieu's Laya Pendant is gone, so you'll need to take that from her.
Toss her and Aron's other equipment, then stop at the item shop to buy a couple
of antidotes. Then kill of Adan, Gwyn, and Mieu, and make your way to Aerone
and Dahlia.
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 40)
------
There's nothing worth buying in the weapon or armour shop in Aerone, so just
trade in all your trimate for antidotes and head for the shuttle.
Cakewalk is not a strong enough word for the ease of this dungeon. The XP is
pathetic, but the chests hold equipment worth so money, which you will need
shortly. Don't grab them until your way out though, since you need to toss
antidotes to make room and you may need them on your way back. Don't talk to
Kara until you are on your way out, since you have to take Lune's Slicer from
her before killing her off.
--------
Skyhaven (Recommended Level: 44)
--------
Before heading to Mystoke, make a quick detour back to Landen to buy an escape
pipe in Ilan - Skyhaven is HELL, and you'll want a quick way out! Then go to
New Mota and buy a Planar Claw for 31320 meseta (35800, less 4480 for your
Laconia Claw). If you can afford to buy a second one, do so, but this is
rather unlikely. Then fill up on trimate, as nothing in Skyhaven is poisonous,
and get ready for a rough ride.
The key enemy to watch here are Demonesses. They're fast, they hit hard, and
they can take three hits to kill - never try to take on more than one, and be
prepared to heal in-battle if need be. Spheres and Orbs are also dangerous, as
their techs - when they use them, which is fortunately rare - can do over 50
damage. Run in, grab the Aqua Parts, and use the escape pipe to warp out. A
chest in the bottom left holds a Laconia Ribbon, but it's too dangerous to get
it now. Then return to Mystoke, and make sure you have a couple of antidotes
for the upcoming trip. You may have enough money to buy a second Planar Claw,
but since you are only 15 minutes from getting Miun's Claw you don't need to
bother.
-----------------
Path to Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 45)
-----------------
The trip to Aquatica is very easy - just cruise through to Landen (via Divisia)
to get Orakio's Sword (be sure to have a free item space before turning into
the water skimmer), then to Aridia for Miun's Claw (I tend to equip Miun's Claw
on Mieu's right hand, so it is her second attack, useful for when a sole enemy
that can be killed by the weaker Planar Claw is on the right, protecting a back
row enemy that the more powerful claw then hits). If you're playing Aron's
route and want to grab Laya, now is the time.
Then just make your way to the inn at Agoe, selling your old Laconia Claw
first. Don't refill your antidotes, as nothing in the cave is poisonous.
Remember that once you have Orakio's Sword (and, as noted, found Laya if you
want her in Aron's route), you never again need the Sub Parts, so pass them to
Adan.
---------
Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 46)
---------
The only real threat here is Wyrms, who can do 45 damage with a Foi; otherwise
this cave is no sweat. Just run through, grab Siren's Shot, and talk to the old
men. If you ditch some trimate you'll have room to pick up the Royal Emel,
Royal Sword, and Vulcan on Siren's side of the cave as well, which you can sell
for 50400 meseta - though you really don't need money anymore, it's kind of fun
to see all those mesetas!
Once you're back in Agoe after talking to the old men, pass the Aqua Parts to
Sean, then do a little shopping - first cross the ocean to Rysel and finally
buy those Force Boots, then head to Dragonia to buy a Royal Bandanna in
Endora - you will need the Ner it casts soon - on your way to Mystoke. Be sure
to save at Endora - I've been ambushed by Gnashers more than once cutting
through Aridia, and Terminus at this level isn't easy. Bring a couple of
antidotes along as well.
--------
Skyhaven (Recommended Level: 51)
--------
Talk to the old men in Skyhaven to gain the Nei weapons. Be sure to first pass
one of the discarded gemstones to each person in your party to avoid the Pron
Glitch (for more information, see section 8). Equip the Nei Claw (again in
Mieu's right hand), then pass the four you can't use to Sean.
Now's the time to retrieve the Laconia Ribbon you left behind earlier. Even
with the Nei Claw and 7 more levels, Skyhaven is still dangerous, so be sure
to save at Mystoke first.
-------
Lashute (Recommended Level: 53)
-------
Before heading out, stop by the technique shop and make sure Res and Fanbi are
maxed. Then go to the item shop and trade all but one of your antidotes for
trimate. Nothing is poisonous in Lashute, if you get poisoned en route just
reset, and if you get poisoned coming back you have this one for backup.
Unfortunately, you're only going here to level - you're not quite ready for
Rulakir yet. With the exception of Malifics, none of the back-row enemies can
be killed in one shot (well, Fatimas and Zafiras sometimes can with the Nei
Claw, but don't count on it), Guardians, Defenders, and Watchers take three
claws, and all of them hit hard. Only Malifics and Torturers do less than 40
damage with a technique, and Watchers can do over 70!
Attack enemies in this priority: Watcher, Punisher, Torturer, Guardian,
Defender, Azufire/Zafira, Fires/Fatima, and save Malifics for last. Punishers
and Torturers ahead of Defenders and Guardians may seem foolish, but they are
guaranteed one-round kills, eliminating the risk of going last in the second
round and taking two more attacks from both. Also, since Watchers, Defenders
and Guardians each take three claws, if they are faired with Fatima/Fires or
Zafirah/Azufire, use your first Planar Claw attack to kill one of the front-row
enemies and your Nei Claw attack on the floating head, then on the second round
focus both attacks on the head. This kills the head just as quickly, but saves
you from a Foi or two from the little flame you take out.
You will occasionally need to heal in-battle, but you should have enough TP
and trimate to last at least a couple of levels. I recommend leveling to 65,
plus a few extra fights so you hit 66 before fighting Rulakir. I also suggest
returning to Mystoke to save every two levels - an ambush, or even a bit of bad
luck, can end your trip very quickly.
-------
Rulakir (Recommended Level: 66)
-------
[Note: If you are a few fights past 65 when you start Lashute, you should be at
level 66 by the time you reach Rulakir.]
Rulakir requires a bit of luck. Hopefully, your first attacks will kill two
Azufires before they can act (focus on them first, as they do more damage than
a Murafire). Now look at your hit points, because you need to gamble a bit. If
you have 100 or more, take out the last Azufire and one of the Murafires; if
not, heal until you start a round with 100 or more (and hope you don't get
killed by going last in a round doing so). Once you take out the last Azufire
and one of the Murafires, you'll likely be near death (or possibly dead, let's
hope not), so you really need to act first in the next round. If you manage to
do so, you should be okay for the rest of the fight. Once again, if you start
a round with 100 or more hit points, take out the last two Murafires, otherwise
heal, then settle into a heal - attack - heal - attack pattern. You'll do
around 100 damage per attack, and Rulakir has 1500 hit points, so this will
take a while. A few Fanbis will help speed up the process (each one will add
around 23 damage to your combined attack, so three or four will shorten the
total length of the fight) but are not essential.
Then - very carefully - creep back to Mystoke! Sadly, an escape pipe will not
help you here. The closer you get to the exit, the less careful you need to
be about saving healing, so don't gamble!
----------
Dark Force (Recommended Level: 68)
----------
[Note: By the time you return to Mystoke after defeating Rulakir, you should be
at level 67, by the time you return and reach Dark Force you'll be at 68.]
Before returning to Lashute, make sure Res and Fanbi are maxed out, and fill
up on trimate. Final equipment should be Nei Claw, Planar Claw, Royal Vest,
Force Boots, Laconia Ribbon, Royal Bandanna, Force Shield, Laya Pendant, Aero
Parts, and six trimates.
Getting to the dungeon should be no problem - the annoying people who get in
the way are gone, and you will now regularly one hit kill Zafiras and Fatimas
(with the Nei Claw, of course) and Guardians and Defenders often go down in
one round. The dungeon, aside from Khalidas, is actually easier - Executioners
are no worse than Torturers, and the magician enemies can have powerful Fois
but have weak front-row enemies and sometimes drop from the Nei claw alone.
Khalidas, however, will shred you! They often take two hits, do over 100 damage
in an attack, and are protected by a Murafire. If the enemies are positioned in
such a way that you can kill the Murafire and have the Nei Claw hit the
Khalida, try it, but if not, or there are two, you need to run. Focus on
Khalidas, followed by Executioners, Wizards, Conjurers, the above-dungeon
enemies, and lastly Sorcerers, as they only use Gra.
Ignore the chests - the only thing of potential value is the Star Mist in the
top right, but you really don't need the healing.
Now for Dark Force. You're facing enemies with 8000 (body), 1200 (right hand),
300 (left hand) HP. Both hands have very high defense, limiting your attack
damage, and the left hand will almost always cast Gires, healing all parts 198
HP. Meanwhile, the right hand will attack for 13 - 15 damage or Foi for 32 -
45, and the body will attack for 35 - 42 damage or Tsu for 50 - 70. So where to
start?
First thing is to use the Royal Bandanna, the Ner from which will greatly
improve your chances of acting first each round - critical when you're low on
hit points. Next order of business is to cast Fanbi on Mieu at least 8 times,
but you'll need to heal often - any round where you start with less than 120
hit points, use Res. This will be at least every other round, and depending on
whether Dark Force uses attacks or techniques you will sometimes have to heal
multiple rounds in a row.
Once you have your eight Fanbis, you should be able to kill the Left Hand in
one round. Not only does this stop the healing, it also removes the barrier to
attacking the body. Remembering the "heal if lower than 120 HP" rule, begin
to rip the body apart - it has very low defense, so you should do over 1800
damage per attack round! At that rate it only takes five attack rounds to
kill it, and once the body dies the Right Hand goes with it.
Congratulations! You've completed your solo-Mieu challenge!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WREN - "I'm sick of this bloody cave - sure wish I'd brought a gun!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 1 - "Off to fix the weather, BRB!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Start the game and make your way to Wren almost as normal. Leave the chests in
the Aquatica - Aridia cave, and try to save up some money that you can use to
give Rhys good equipment from Cille and Agoe for his battle against Lyle! Also,
to make things easier once you start with Wren, try to be as weak as possible
(preferably with only one person alive) before talking to Wren.
Once you have Wren in your party, the solo begins!
------
Aridia (Recommended level: 1)
------
Crap...stuck in a cave with no weapon! Be thankful Wren comes with an escape
pipe, use it immediately. Your only choice of combat is to use techniques,
so you'll need to find something weak to earn some meseta with on your way
to Hazatak. What you want are Tsveidons, either in a pack of six or as a pack
of three with one Nayl or Flayl. Run from anything else (after killing off Rhys
and Mieu, of course). Each Tsveidon is worth 8 meseta and will die with two
Zans, a Nayl is worth 9 meseta and will die with the Tsveidons, and a Flayl
will require a Foi on top of the Zans to finish off but is worth 17 meseta.
This one fight will deplete most or all of your 6 TP, but earn you enough
meseta to stay at the inn (15 meseta) and an antidote if necessary (10 meseta).
Sadly, this is going to be a pattern. Your TP and HP will be so low you will
need to stay at the inn regularly. First priority is to go to the technique
distributor to maximize Zan (you will likely be able to afford this from the
first battle), doubling its strength. Then you need 600 meseta for a Hunting
Shot. Sadly, it's going to take a while. I recommend fighting to the east of
Hazatak, where you won't waste encounters with Chirpers or Eindons. Run from
any fight with a Giant, who will take three Zans, do up to 15 damage per
attack, and are only worth 16 meseta. Save often!
Once you have a shot, saving up for a Protector (370 meseta) and Headgear (75
meseta) will be fairly easy. I still recommend running from Giants, as the
damage/meseta ratio just isn't good enough. Then fill your inventory with 4
antidotes (40 meseta) and eight dimates (320 meseta), spend 10 more meseta to
ensure Zan is maxed out, and with all the XP you earned along the way you're
ready for the Weather Tower.
-------------
Weather Tower (Recommended Level: 12)
-------------
Try to save TP on the walk to the tower - use attacks to kill Tsveidons.
Things in the weather tower will get ugly fast. Hoplizes do 7 damage per attack
and take either three Zans, two shots, or one shot and at least a Zan to die
(sometimes a second Zan will be needed), while Clumps take one shot or two Zans
and do up to five. Run from any battle where Hoplizes and Clumps are on both
sides of the screen (though you may be able to take on four Clumps with only
two Hoplizes). Use a dimate any time you have less than 70 HP after a battle.
Do NOT venture up to the second floor!
Now to deal with Lyle. Unfortunately, he is very strong, and will take some
effort to kill off. Unequip (but do not discard) everything he is carrying and
pass the Moon Tear to Wren, then put Lyle at the front of the party and Wren at
the back. Kill off Lyle in the first battle you encounter - odds are you'll
have to heal Wren during the battle and run away once Lyle has died - then put
Wren back in party lead position. Get to the weather controls and back out as
quickly as you can. You may want to substitute an antidote with an escape pipe
for this purpose.
----------------------
Aquatica - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 13)
----------------------
Understandably, this is a much easier endeavour than the Weather Tower, you
should be able to fight everything en route. Refill on four antidotes and
seven dimates (if you can afford it) before heading out from Hazatak.
Everything will die from one shot or Zan, with the exception of Lobowings, who
take two and can hit for up to 7 damage. Make use of the antidote and dimate
you had Rhys leave in the cave to heal up early in, otherwise wait until you
have more than 60 damage to use a dimate.
Once through the cave, head straight for the boat and save at Shushoran.
Buzzgulls take one attack or two Zans, Lashgulls take two of either.
--------------
Agoe/Shushoran (Recommended Level: 14)
--------------
First priority is to finally get rid of that excess meseta and equipment the
others have been carrying around to outfit Rhys for his required fight. Make
note of how much of your meseta pool is for Wren, then sell off everything
Rhys, Mieu, and Lyle are carrying. Subtract Wren's portion from your new meseta
pool, and this is how much you have to waste on Rhys. Buy items in this
priority - Steel Sword for 980 meseta, Ceramic Armour for 500, one dimate for
40 (all in Shushoran), and if you have any more to waste buy either a Steel
Helm in Agoe for 190 meseta or more dimate. With the first three items, Rhys
should be able to defeat Lyle without any additional leveling. If you need to
you can dip into Wren's pool, but you may want to wait until Wren has bought
what he needs.
For Wren's meseta, your first priority should be obvious - a Ceramic Shot,
which will set you back 1000 meseta (1300, less 300 trade-in for your Hunting
Shot). Fortunately you are now in meseta heaven - large packs of Tsveidons
roaming everywhere! As for Irisas, they do 9 damage per attack and require
two shots or three Zans to go down. You should be able to take on at least
two full screens of enemies between inn stays.
Once you have the Ceramic Shot things take a significant turn for the better.
Row attack makes Zan obsolete and damage increases to the point where anything
goes down in two attacks. In fact, you're now ready for the dungeon without an
armour upgrade.
---------
Shushoran (Recommended Level: 16)
---------
The only real danger here are Fearmoos, who will hit for up to 9 damage or
25 with a Foi. They and Lobowings take two hits to drop, anything else requires
only one, so you shouldn't have too much trouble unless you get ambushed. Keep
your HP above 80 between fights and head straight for Lyle.
Do the required battle with Rhys, then take the Moon Stone from Lena and
discard the rest of her and Rhys' equipment. Though the dungeon is now free
of enemies, don't go in for the trimates you left behind just yet. We want
to save them for later.
Sadly, everyone revives after the Lyle battle, so stop at the inn to save, then
step outside to kill everyone off.
You should now have enough money to upgrade your armour - a Steel Protector
will cost 515 meseta (700, less 185 for your Protector) in Shushoran, and a
Steel Headgear will cost 243 (280, less 37 for your Headgear). Also pick be
sure to have two dimates and antidotes for the trip back to Hazatak. Level a
bit to earn the meseta if you have to.
-----------------
Satellite Control (Recommended Level: 18)
-----------------
Before saving in Hazatak, make sure you have three antidotes, then fill up on
dimate. You're then ready to return to the weather tower.
The first floor enemies should give you little trouble. Clumps now die in one
hit and Hoplizes can only do 4 damage. Try to minimize your time on the second
floor though, as Clusters, like the Fearmoos they escort, take two attacks and
can hit hard. Forget about the chests on the top floor except for the trimate
just right of the second stairs, and you may need to use it to recoup the HP
you lose getting it! Do save it if you can, though. If you need another
antidote, there is one in the chest left of the weather control machine.
Once the satellites are moved, pass the Moon Tear and Moon Stone to Rhys, then
head back to Hazatak.
For the trip back to Aquatica, just bring one dimate and one antidote - you'll
need trimate for Cille, so there's no point in loading up on dimate.
-----
Cille (Recommended Level: 20)
-----
[Note: You have some a big opportunity here to ease the next two generations -
the Royal Protector that is for sale in the armour shop for 47,000 meseta. That
is, if your patience is higher than your desire for challenge. I'm going to
assume you not buy the super armour and instead approach Cille with minimal
leveling. Trust me, you won't need it!]
[Tip: This is a great place to save your game if you plan to attempt both Ayn
and Nial's routes. Particularly if you choose to abuse the above opportunity!]
Before even going to Cille, be sure to raid Shushoran's now monster-free
dungeon for those three free trimates we left behind earlier!
Once you reach Cille, you'll need to first stop by the technique shop and
max out your Ner - this will make the final showdown with the king much easier.
Then stop by the item shop and sell all your antidotes, then fill up with the
best combination of trimate and dimate you can afford.
The dungeon is long, so you'll have to conserve your healing. Be sure to use
up your dimates first! In the dungeon focus on front-row enemies first, since
they go down one attack and Eindons can poison (which, when you have no
antidotes, is as good as death). Watch for Blotters - they do up to 12 damage
and take three hits to go down - never try to take on two of them. Lobowings
aren't much better either. Ignore the chests, except for the trimate you can
see just to the right of the staircase to the surface.
Once on the surface, row priority changes. Clopses are even worse than
Blotters, while Sylphs are mostly harmless and nothing can poison. You'll be
getting low on healing by now, stretch it as far as you can - you'll need two
trimates to defeat the king, one to heal up before the fight and one to use
during.
As for the boss fight, focus on the sylphs first, who should go down in two
rounds. You won't need to heal yet on the third round, so cast a Ner - this
will ensure you always act before the King, which will help conserve healing.
Now it's just time to blast away at each other! Cille can only do up to 25
damage with a Zan, so only heal on rounds you start with less than 28 HP. With
only 400 HP, Cille will go down in seven attacks.
Generation One complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 2 (Ayn Route) - "Hey, my Prototype invited me to his reunion!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
Cille (Recommended Level: 22)
-----
[Note: The same equipment options as listed for generation one still apply, and
in fact the saving takes less time, as the enemies you find here are worth much
more meseta. But just like in generation one, you really don't need it!]
Start off by discarding Ayn's gear, loading up on dimate - nothing is poisonous
right now, so don't carry antidote, and you don't need the full healing of
trimate - then head outside and kill Ayn and Mieu off.
-------------------------------------
Shushoran/Rysel/Shushoran/Cille/Rysel (Recommended Level: 22)
-------------------------------------
Things will start off very easy. Blinks only do 2 damage and die in your first
attack, Arachnes do 4 and die in your second. You'll also level fairly fast.
The only real danger are Dogbots around Rysel, who can do over 10 damage and
take two attacks to finish. Just make the required runs and save at Rysel.
----------------------
Aquatica - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 25)
----------------------
Make sure you are full of dimate before heading out. As mentioned Dogbots
around Rysel can hit hard, as can Agribots in the cave. Fortunately they go
down in one hit, so be sure to target them first unless they are grossly
outnumbered by Arachnes.
Once through the cave, Styx are as strong as Dogbots and Lazrbots are like
Arachnes with a mean Foi that can do over 14 damage. Head straight for
Hazatak.
-----------
Wren's Cave (Recommended Level: 27)
-----------
You still don't need to worry about getting poisoned, so completely refill your
dimate before leaving Hazatak. There's nothing new on this trip, so run in,
get the Dragon Tear (inventory room should not be a problem!), and return.
There should be a dimate and escape pipe in chests as well, if you need them,
as long as you didn't grab them in first generation.
----------------------
Aridia - Dragonia Cave (Recommended Level: 29)
----------------------
Time to change your items a little - nothing in the cave is poisonous, but
Doomflies in Dragonia are, so be sure to bring a single antidote, then all
the dimate you can carry.
Warblbots and Stix dwell in this cave, but hopefully you won't run into too
many of them! Warblbots can do 14 damage with a Foi and Stix are as strong as
ever, and both take two shots to go down. As for chests, grab the Laser Shot on
your way for the 1250 meseta (but don't equip it - you need the row attack for
now, this is just for trade-in value!) and the Ceramic Helm just off the path
in the bottom of the wide centre portion. Don't go on the big detour for the
Force Ribbon in the top right - the Zan it casts is too weak to be useful and
you don't need the cash yet.
Once through the cave, run straight to Lensol.
--------------------
Lensol/Endora/Lensol (Recommended Level: 30)
--------------------
Stop and heal in Lensol, and sell off the Laser Shot and Ceramic Helm. Head to
the armour shop and upgrade your Steel Protector to Ceramic for 1850 meseta
(2200, less 350 for your trade-in). As for items, Lensol only sells antidotes
and trimates. You'll need some to reach Endora, but not a full load - buy
enough trimate that you have four (count any leftover dimate as one half) and
have two antidotes.
[NOTE: The Force Emel, which is available here, casts a level 5 Res when used
in or out of battle. However, it is not worth the cost of 7900 meseta - yet...]
The big enemy to watch for here are Doomflies, who can up to 20 damage with an
attack - be sure to eliminate them first! They take two attacks to go down.
Try to make your trimate last - that stuff is expensive!
Once in Endora, you have a bit of shopping to do. Head for the weapon shop and
spend 9350 meseta on a Cannon (10000, less 650 for your Ceramic Shot). This
is the best weapon Wren will have access to for a while, and if you stop by the
technique shop and max out Zan it should now be more powerful than the Ceramic
Shot. At the armour shop you can also upgrade to Ceramic Headgear for 1360
meseta (1500, less 140 for your Steel Headgear). Then load up with dimate,
selling antidotes to make room, since they can be bought in Lensol.
Remember to talk to the man in top left of Endora to get the gate to Lensol
Castle opened before heading back! You will be able to one-hit kill everything
on your return trip, and front-row enemies will usually succumb to two Zans.
------
Lensol (Recommended Level: 31)
------
Once again you're entering an area with no poisonous enemies, so don't worry
about restocking your antidotes just yet. Fill up on as much trimate as you can
afford.
Just run straight for Thea. The enemies are the same as those in the Aridia -
Dragonia cave - Lazrbots, Warblbots, Chirpbots, and Stix. Because their Foi can
do up to 14 damage, focus on Lazrbots and Warblbots first, then Stix. Use Zan
to clear large front row groups, but try to conserve it for groups of five or
more, since you may run out of TP. If there are two Stix with full compliments
of front row enemies, run!
Once you reach Thea take the Twins Ruby, toss the rest of her equipment, and
kill her off. Then run for the exit. Oddly, the first underground section is
now free of cyborgs on your walk back, so clear out the chests - even the
monomate, you may need it! - on your way out.
----------------------
Aridia - Dragonia Cave (Recommended Level: 33)
----------------------
Fill up on trimate before leaving - it's your last chance to buy it before
your eventual return. Head straight through to Hazatak, and try to preserve
your trimate as well as you can!
BE SURE TO KEEP AT LEAST ONE TRIMATE FOR THE BATTLE AGAINST SARI!
--------------------
Aridia - Landen Cave (Recommended Level: 34)
--------------------
When in Hazatak, stop at the item shop and replace the trimate you've used with
antidotes - Commsats in the cave will poison you. And you will learn to hate
them - it will take three Zans to kill them, or a shot and a Zan, so run from
large packs. Unfortunately, this means you will be running from many battles;
fortunately, it's a short cave.
You should have room as Commsats will wear you down and force you to use
trimate, so grab the two chests on the way through the cave - the Force Sword
and Claw sell for 6175 meseta.
Once through, head first for Ilan. Be advised that Polebots take two Shots to
die, are resistant to Zan, and can Foi for over 20 damage. Once you arrive,
trade in your cave spoils and you should have the 7900 meseta needed to buy a
Force Emel at the item shop. This item heals Wren 25 HP when used in or out of
battle, helping to conserve trimate. Stop by the technique shop to ensure Zan
is maxed as well.
Once you reach Landen, fill up to three antidotes, as much dimate as you have
room for, and rest before your assault on the castle.
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 34)
------
The chests in the castle are useless, so just head straight for Sari. Minimechs
are tough and Zan resistant but do little damage, so getting to her using only
Force Emel healing should be no problem. The battle, however, is going to be
interesting...
There are two keys to winning this battle - attacking before Sari in round 2,
and not getting poisoned by the Commsats in the first few rounds. The Commsats
and Zarachnes will do 7 damage each, and Sari will do up to 30, so expect to
lose HP fast. Fortunately, Sari goes down in only two Cannon hits, so if you
are lucky and sneak in before her on round two you'll only be down to about
50 HP. Use a trimate on round three, then Zan for the next three, and the fight
is over. However, if Sari gets a second attack in or you get poisoned before
you can slip in that trimate, you're done for.
Once the fight is over, take the Power Topaz from Sari, toss her equipment,
and find a fight to kill her off (it will take a while, so be glad you have the
Force Emel).
Make your way to Techna as quickly as you can. Because Wren will need the
Twins Ruby in third generation you can't discard it once you return to Aridia,
but you can pass the Dragon Tear to Ayn once you reach Dragonia. On the way
through the caves, make the detours to grab the Force Knife and Ribbon in the
caves - the knife is worth 1540 meseta, the ribbon 1400. Now that you have the
Force Emel for healing, you need less healing items and can take on Commsat
packs, so pack five antidotes for the trip.
------
Techna (Recommended Level: 37)
------
First order of business - armour shop. Though Wren has no new armour here,
you can trade your Force Emel in for a Force Shield, which has double the
healing power and will actually gain you 50 meseta! Then it's the weapon shop,
where a Pulse Cannon will cost you 14700 meseta (19700, less 5000 for your
Cannon). Thirdly you'll want to go to the item shop, restock four antidotes
and then fill up with five trimate. Finally, stop by the technique shop and
make sure Zan and Ner are maxed out.
The castle and its basement should present no difficulty. None of the new
back-row enemies are stronger than a Doomfly, and they all go down in one shot.
Your antidotes must last, so focus on any poisoning enemies (flies and sats)
first, try to go a battle or two poisoned before using an antidote, and run
from large groups of sats. Head straight for the shuttle.
Things change on the surface of the Azura. Though Mechs do no more damage than
their grey cousins, they now take three hits to die. Polebots hit as hard as
Doomflies and take two hits, Stickbots are even worse doing 28 damage with a
Foi!
Things get easier in the Azura underground, except the rate at which you'll
encounter poisonous enemies will increase. Feralbots are only as bad as a Stix,
and Fatales hit as hard as a Doomfly. The two chests are useless, so head
straight to Siren.
Siren is a much more predictable fight than Sari, thanks to his front-row
enemies being very weak, so as long as you saved your trimate you'll have no
difficulty. On the first round cast Ner for insurance, then take out Flashes
(they each go down in one hit) so they can't heal Siren. Once the Flashes are
done, ignore the Mechs and aim straight for your ancestral prototype. The most
damage they can do to you in one round is 45 (an attack from Siren for 33
damage, plus 12 damage if all three Mechs use Zan), and you'll normally go
first, so don't use a trimate until you have less than 70 HP. You shouldn't run
out, but even if you do the Force Shield is enough to let you slowly regain HP
during the fight. Siren should drop after nine or ten attacks, then just clean
up on the pitiful little Mechs.
Generation Two complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 2 (Nial Route) - "Monster hordes? Time for target practice!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 22)
------
Start by raiding Landen castle's basement for an antidote, a monomate, two
dimates, and a trimate. Sell the monomate, buy two more antidotes and fill up
on dimate. Stop by the technique shop in Yaata to max out your Foi as well,
since it does more damage now than the Ceramic Shot and you don't need Zan.
Don't forget to kill off Nial and Mieu!
[NOTE: The Force Emel, which is available in Ilan, casts a level 5 Res when
used in or out of battle. However, it is not worth saving up 7900 meseta for!]
---------------------
Landen - Divisia Cave (Recommended Level: 22)
---------------------
You'll find that most new enemies do exactly four damage to Wren, and Eindons
and Tsveidons do nothing - but can, of course, still poison you. Some, like
Oozes, will go down in one hit (which is fortunate, as they can do 14 damage
with a Foi), others will take two. Unless poisoned (in which case try to
conserve your antidotes) use a dimate as soon as you are down 60 or more HP.
Oddly, walking to the cave is far more dangerous than the cave itself! You
should be able to grab the chests, none of it is useful (the slightly higher
damage of the Laser Shot is not worth giving up row attack), but they sell for
some quick cash (350 meseta for the Ceramic Ribbon, 500 for the Ceramic Shield,
and 1250 for the Laser Shot).
--------------
Divisia Castle (Recommended Level: 25)
--------------
Now that you can buy trimate...don't! Bump up to four antidotes, and fill the
other item slots with dimate. Start Divisia with a little diversion down the
far right staircase to grab a trimate - you don't really need it, but it's a
primer for the dungeon, plus it gives a bit of XP. Once you've finished this
little section, head back to restock and rest up. Now it's time to rescue
Alair! There are no big threats, even Smashers, though doing up to 7 damage, go
down in only two hits, so use the same strategy as the last cave. The only
chest, which is out of the way, is an antidote, so it most likely isn't worth
it unless you've had really bad luck with the poisoning!
Once you reach Southern Divisia, you can finally upgrade your armour to a
Ceramic Protector for 1850 meseta (2200, less 350 for your Steel Protector).
Like the Laser Shot, the increased damage from the Laconia Shot does not make
up for the loss of row attack, so don't buy it. Restock your antidotes, fill
back up on dimate, and you're ready to go.
-------------
Rebel Hideout (Recommended Level: 27)
-------------
Surprisingly, most of the strong back-row enemies en route to the cave -
Biclops and Catwomen - die in a single shot, so target them first. Don't worry
too much about saving your dimates or antidotes, as nothing inside the cave
poisons and healing is about to get much easier...
Once in the cave, watch out for Primus - as well as doing 12 damage with a Zan,
they can take three hits to kill. Be sure to grab the Force Helm in the top
left chest, as it casts a level 5 Res when used as an item in battle, healing
Wren 25 HP. You can now use this to heal up at the end of any battle where you
can leave one or two weak enemies alive (use Foi to kill a single enemy if
necessary), reducing your reliance on dimate. Virtually eliminating it, in
fact - from now on, this generation is going to be a joke! The only enemy group
that should cause you any trouble for this is four Fearmoos with four Clusters,
since you can't leave one enemy behind without using three Fois, so unless you
are low on healing items just blast them with your shot and heal up after.
Next, run straight for the Ceramic Headgear on the far right, grabbing the
Force Bandana on the way. Next head to Ryan, and after seeing the cinema scene
pass the Twins Ruby to Wren, discard Ryan's equipment, and grab all three
chests in Ryan's room - you'll want the cash from the Laser Sword and Claw.
Throw away dimates, and then antidotes, to make room. Get greedy! All this
equipment, plus your old Steel Headgear, is worth 3835 meseta.
Don't forget to kill Ryan off!
----------------
Return to Landen (Recommended Level: 31)
----------------
Though Northern Divisia is your last chance to buy trimate before reaching
Mystoke...don't. Seriously, just carry five antidotes and a few dimate. With
the Force Helm you should have no difficulty in making it to Mystoke, and you
can toss dimates to make room to clear out later chests you can sell for cash.
Just walk through the Landen - Divisia cave and save at the inn in Ilan. Make
sure your Foi is maxed as well.
[Tip: To eliminate the problem of having to leave only one or two enemies
to heal, you could spend 6025 meseta (7900, less 1875 trade-in) to swap the
Force Helm for a Force Emel. The Emel heals the same amount but can be used
both in and out of battle. This is not really necessary though, especially
considering you have some major purchases to save up for.]
--------------------
Landen - Aridia Cave (Recommended Level: 32)
--------------------
Once inside the cave, pass the Twins Ruby to Nial, since you never need to come
through this cave again. The enemies here are identical to the Rebel Hideout,
so you won't need healing beyond what the Force Helm provides, and there are
three chests holding a Force Sword, Knife, and Claw, which you may as well pick
up too! The Force Sword casts a decent Foi when used as an item in battle, so
you can use it to get down to a single enemy without wasting TP.
Once through, watch for Slashers, who can do more damage in an attack than the
Force Helm can heal, be sure to take them out first. Stop in Hazatak to sell
your goodies and go recruit Laya. Take her Mystery Star and Laya's Bow, kill
her off, and save before running off to Frigidia.
----------------------
Aridia - Frigidia Cave (Recommended Level: 32)
----------------------
A few enemies here can cause problems. You'll have to watch for Slashers
going to the cave, and once inside rows of Fires create difficulty in leaving
one enemy behind to heal off of, so you'll have to use dimates after those
fights. For the most part things should go smoothly, so clear out the chests -
all of the goodies are worth 8135 meseta on sale, and you're saving for some
big purchases! To make room, pass the Mystery Star to Nial once in the cave.
-------
Mystoke (Recommended Level: 33)
-------
The Royal Protector is available here for 45900 meseta (47000, less 1100 for
your Ceramic Protector), but even if you have the meseta, don't purchase this
just yet. Instead, upgrade your weapon - since your Zan, once maxed, should now
be as powerful as the Ceramic Shot, trade it in for a Cannon at the cost of
9350 meseta (10000, less 650 for the Ceramic Shot) and head for the technique
shop.
The castle is barely more difficult than the last two caves, especially since
you can always leave one enemy behind to heal off of, but is infested with
poisoners so increase your antidote count to seven, with just two dimates (or
trimates if you've saved them) for emergencies. Most enemies will die from a
single Cannon blast, and those that don't - Rosas, Blotters, and Flutters -
have weak attacks. The only out of the way chest to grab is an antidote, so
don't bother unless desperate. Do snag that trimate, though - one less you
need to buy before facing Lune.
Once you have the Laya Pendant, head to Aerone.
------
Aerone (Recommended Level: 37)
------
Your first stop is the armour shop, where you can trade in your Force Helm for
a Force Shield, which can be used both in and out of battle and heals twice as
many HP. This will cost 2025 meseta (3900, less 1875 for the Force Helm). Next
head to the item shop to buy a couple of trimates, then to the technique shop
to fill out Zan. Finally, hit the weapon shop to trade in your Cannon for a
Pulse Cannon for 14700 meseta (19700 less 5000 for your Cannon).
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 37)
------
For starters, ignore the chest just before the shuttle - it only has a
monomate. Just head straight for Lune. Grab the chest just right of the stairs
of the Aero Parts dungeon, as it contains a Force Gear. This can be used to
cast Zan, but much weaker than Wren's own, so just equip it. Remember to toss
your Ceramic Gear to make room first. Leave the other chest (the Force Crown)
as you would have to toss a trimate to make room and you can pick it up when
you come back in the third generation.
For Lune himself, you should have no trouble past the first rounds. Two Zans
will take out most of the Murafires and Cliques, then on round three use a
Trimate. If you survive this round, you've basically won - a third Zan will
finish the front row, and it's down to you and Lune. He can only do up to 26
damage per round, so simply settle into an attack - Force Shield - attack -
Force Shield pattern. He has 1950 HP, so it should only take 17 or 18 attacks
to drop him. Save your Trimate unless you somehow find yourself in an
emergency.
Generation Two complete!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 3 (Sean Route) - "You broke the moon! I'm billing you for that!!!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Note: The only difference between Sean and Crys' routes is starting point.</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
Sean has to make his way to Landen, Crys starts there. For the sake of brevity
I am not going to detail both, for Crys' route simply skip the first two
sections.]
------
Aridia (Recommended Level: 40)
------
You'll land just northwest of Hazatak, so head there immediately after
discarding all of Sean's gear (you may need to take the Twins Ruby from him,
as Wren's may disappear). If you're still carrying the Power Topaz, pass that
to Sean (who will now have two!). Hope you do not meet up with a Gnasher on
the way - they one-hit kill, meaning killing off other characters with them is
a very risky proposition!
Once in town, fill up on antidotes. Don't bother with dimate, as they are
barely better than the Force Shield anyways! If the Siren fight went smoothly
you should have a trimate or two left as well, though that isn't critical.
Save at the inn, then go outside to try and kill off your companions. Save
again before heading for Landen.
--------------------
Aridia - Landen Cave (Recommended Level: 40)
--------------------
On the way to the cave there is nothing to fear except Gnashers - who
fortunately go down in one hit - and inside it the only threat are Mortes, who
do up to 22 damage and sometimes take a second hit to die. Against more than
two, attempt to use Zan, with luck most will die after two.
Don't forget that even though they are a first generation enemy, Lashgulls can
do up to 18 damage with a Tsu!
Once through, you'll be surprised to find that Killsats, though doing twice as
much damage as Commsats, have less HP and will die in a single attack!
Wolfbots will take two, however, things here are much easier than the cave.
Make your way to Yaata and save.
---------------------
Landen - Divisia Cave (Recommended Level: 42)
---------------------
The enemies get stronger once you cross the bridge, so be prepared - Tertius,
Killsats, and Grizrds all hit fairly hard in large packs. The cave, on the
other hand, has the same enemies as the Landen - Aridia cave, so it will be
easy enough that you can grab the chests on the way through. None of it is
useful, but altogether it sells for 2100 meseta, and the extra fights along the
detours mean more meseta and XP. Remember to toss antidotes before opening the
chests to make room!
Once through, head straight for Divisia and sell off your cave treasures. The
dungeon is free of enemies, so grab the trimate in the basement of the left
staircase and then make your way through to Southern Divisia. Don't bother
refilling your antidotes, but do buy three more trimates - you shouldn't need
them, but it's nice to have backup!
-------------
Rebel Hideout (Recommended Level: 44)
-------------
The walk to the cave is remarkably easy, there are no particularly deadly
enemies. Not so for the cave! Fazrbots can be deceptive, hitting for only 6
damage on an attack but 30 with a Foi, and Robomen hit for up to 22 damage and
take two hits to go down.
Still, the cave should be nothing you can't handle, so clean out all the
chests - it's worth 6320 meseta, and you have a couple of big purchases coming
up! Throw antidotes to make room, as nothing in the cave or en route (except
right beside the city) is poisonous.
----------------
Return to Aridia (Recommended Level: 47)
----------------
Before leaving, restock to four antidotes and fill up on trimate - you're
returning to areas with poisonous creatures, and you won't get another chance
to buy trimate until you reach Mystoke. Not that you'll need it right away -
with all the leveling in the Rebel Hideout you should have no problem reaching
Yaata, then Hazatak, on Force Shield alone.
Once you return to Aridia you can finally discard the Twins Ruby by passing it
to Sean. Go through the tunnel to find Laya, and take her Mystery Star and
Laya's Bow (toss a trimate if you have to). Save at the inn before trying to
kill off Laya (remember the Gnashers!), and save again once you have done so.
If you had to use any items en route, restock before you leave for Frigidia.
Now is also a good time to check that Zan is maxed.
----------------------
Aridia - Frigidia Cave (Recommended Level: 49)
----------------------
You probably went up a couple of levels getting to Aridia, so this cave will be
a snap. Don't bother grabbing any chests unless you have the free item spaces
(one of which you can make by passing the Mystery Star off to Sean). Enemies of
note on this trip are Samurai, who take three shots to drop and can do up to 30
damage with an attack, and once through the cave Squakbots can do the same with
a Foi. Amazons, while only doing 12 damage, will take three hits to die, and
large packs of Fires can also be dangerous, but one or two Zans should
eliminate the entire batch.
-------
Mystoke (Recommended Level: 51)
-------
Finally - your first armour upgrade since Endora! A Royal Protector will set
you back 45900 meseta (47000, less 1100 for your Ceramic Protector), but you
can easily afford it. Don't bother restocking your antidotes yet, as nothing in
Mystoke is poisonous, but don't fill up on trimate either - remember there's
one in a chest en route, and you need to save the free space from the Mystery
Star for the Laya Pendant.
Droidmen are as strong as Samurai (and Mechmen come close), so focus on them
first. Once you get underground the enemies are the same as the Rebel Hideout,
so just watch out for Fazrbots and their 30 damage Foi and you'll do fine.
Once back outside, restock your antidotes (but not your trimates) and head for
Aerone.
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 53)
------
There's nothing worth buying in Aerone, so just head for the shuttle.
Cakewalk is not a strong enough word for the ease of this dungeon. The only
real note is that Glops, through first generation enemies, are Zan resistant,
so don't try kill them that way! The XP is pathetic, and you should already
have all the meseta you need, so just run in and grab the Aero Parts. Oddly,
there are two armour upgrades here - a Force Headgear just right of the stairs,
and then a Laconia Headgear farther in (toss trimates, then antidotes to make
room). Don't talk to Kara until you are on your way out, since you have to take
Lune's Slicer from her before killing her off.
--------
Skyhaven (Recommended Level: 54)
--------
Say it with me...PULSE VULCAN!!! The weapon you're been waiting for all game
is now in your reach. Before heading in for the Aqua Parts, stop off at New
Mota and buy it for 55150 meseta (65000, less 9850 for your Pulse Cannon), and
you now have full attack on everything on the screen - well worth a drop from
140 damage down to 100. Don't worry about restocking your antidotes, since
nothing in the dungeon is poisonous. Also don't bother with trimate, since
you'll need the free item spaces soon to carry legendary weapons.
There's not much strategy now - just blast away until everything's dead, which
will only take three rounds, which Wren should always survive - and heal up
in between. The only threats are Spheres, who do over 50 damage with a Foi, and
Demonesses, who regularly hit first for 25 damage - three or four can be a real
pain! You may as well grab the Hunting Bow that is just below the Aqua Parts
and the Royal Crown just above. They are worth 1400 and 11500 meseta
respectively - not that you need it. Then just grab the Aqua Parts and get out
as quickly as you can.
-----------------
Path to Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 55)
-----------------
The trip to Aquatica is very easy - just cruise through to Landen (via Divisia)
to get Orakio's Sword (be sure to have a free item space before turning into
the water skimmer), then to Aridia for Miun's Claw (but watch for Gnashers!).
Then just make your way to the inn at Agoe. Don't refill your antidotes,
nothing in the cave is poisonous.
Remember that once you have Orakio's Sword, you never again need the Sub Parts,
so pass them to Sean.
---------
Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 56)
---------
The only real threat here is Wyrms, who can do 45 damage with a Foi; otherwise
this cave is no sweat. Just run through, grab Siren's Shot (but keep using
the Pulse Vulcan), and talk to the old men. If you ditch some trimate you'll
have room to pick up the Royal Emel, Royal Sword, and Vulcan on Siren's side
of the cave as well, which you can sell for 50400 meseta - though you really
don't need money anymore, it's kind of fun to see all those mesetas!
Once you're back in Agoe after talking to the old men, pass the Aqua Parts to
Sean and head to Mystoke. Be sure to save at Agoe if you plan to go through
Aridia - I've been ambushed by Gnashers more than once on this trip! Bring a
couple of antidotes along as well.
Talk to the old men in Skyhaven to gain the Nei weapons. Be sure to first pass
one of the discarded gemstones to each person in your party to avoid the Pron
Glitch (for more information, see section 8). Equip the Nei Shot, then pass
the four you can't use to Sean - though you lose full screen attack, you need
the more powerful single attack for the high HP enemies you are about to face.
-------
Lashute (Recommended Level: 57)
-------
Before heading out, stop by the technique shop and make sure Zan and Ner are
maxed. Then go to the item shop and trade all your antidotes and the Pulse
Vulcan in for Trimate. Nothing is poisonous in Lashute, if you get poisoned en
route just reset, and if you get poisoned coming back you should still make it
back to Mystoke alive.
Now, I'll admit that up to now you've been wondering why this is a challenge
quest - things have been fairly easy, aside from saving up for your first Shot
and maybe the Aridia - Landen cave in generation two.
Welcome to Lashute. The challenge starts now!
With the exception of Malifics, none of the back-row enemies can be killed in
one shot (well, Fatimas and Zafiras sometimes can, but don't count on it) and
all of them hit hard. Only Malifics and Torturers do less than 40 damage with a
technique, and Watchers can do over 70! Attack enemies in this priority:
Watcher, Guardian, Defender, Punisher, Zafira, Fatima, Torturer, Malifics,
Azufire, and leave Fires for last. You will often need to heal in-battle using
the Force Shield - once you are down to the last back-row enemy, do not start
attacking it unless you have more than 120 HP at the start of the round (and up
this to 140 if you're facing a Watcher). Remember to use Zan where necessary -
against full front rows of Fires and Azufires (two will be required unless you
get lucky against Fires), and for Fatimas, Zafiras, Torturers, and Punishers
a Zan counts as the second hit to kill them.
Try to save your trimates, but if you get ambushed you may need to use one,
the Force Shield is not enough if you have two enemies remaining.
-------
Rulakir (Recommended Level: 60)
-------
[Note: This recommended level does not require any extra leveling - if you
start Lashute at level 57 and fight everything, you should be at 60 by the time
you reach Rulakir!]
The key to defeating Rulakir is striking before the front-row enemies in the
second round and before Rulakir on the third. Use Zan in the first two rounds
and the front row will disappear, but if too many get a Foi off before dying
Rulakir will finish you off. If you survive the second round, you will
desperately need a trimate, so hope you act first!
If you are still alive, you pretty much have the battle won. Cast a Ner on
round four for insurance, and then start wailing on Rulakir. He will do 50 - 60
damage per round, so use a trimate on any round where you start with less than
120 HP (despite the Ner, he will still get the occasional first strike). Don't
worry about running out, as you should start the battle with at least seven and
it will only take 7 or 8 blasts to drop him.
Then - very carefully - creep back to Mystoke! Sadly, an escape pipe will not
help you here. The closer you get to the exit, the less careful you need to
be about saving trimates, so don't gamble!
----------
Dark Force (Recommended Level: 72)
----------
By the time you return to Mystoke after defeating Rulakir, you should be at
level 62. Unfortunately, this is not quite enough to handle the dungeon, and
definitely not Dark Force. Return to Lashute to gain 10 levels (I recommend
saving every two, since you can still die here). Be sure to carry an antidote
in case you get poisoned coming or going.
Once you've leveled, your preparations are nearly complete. Now make a small
equipment shift - sell your Laconia Headgear (you'll find a replacement later,
when you have more inventory room) and pick up a Royal Bow in New Mota
(the 64000 meseta price tag should be no problem). This little beauty casts
Fanbi when used as an item, and it tips the scales in the Dark Force fight a
little in your favour - and you'll need all the help you can muster! If you
still have the antidote, sell it, and load up on trimate. Final equipment
should be Nei Shot, Royal Protector, Force Shield, Royal Bow, Laya Pendant,
Aero Parts, and nine trimate. Max sure Zan and Ner are maxed as well.
Getting to the dungeon should be no problem - the annoying people who get in
the way are gone, and since your biggest threat is enemy techniques the loss of
your headgear doesn't make much difference. The dungeon, aside from Khalidas,
is actually easier - you can one-hit kill all of the other new enemies except
Executioners, who are really no different from Torturers, and the new magician
type enemies do no more damage than Rulakir's heads. Khalidas, however, will
shred you! They take two hits (or one hit and a Zan) and can do over to 100
damage! Run if there are two or you are surprised, and be very careful against
one. Focus on Khalidas, followed by Wizards, Conjurers, Executioners, the
above-dungeon enemies, and lastly Sorcerers and their new front row enemies.
There are two chests to grab - the one in the top right is a star mist, and
the one in the bottom right is a Royal Headgear. Since this is a one way trip,
you can pass the Laya Pendant and Aero Parts to Sean to make room.
Now for Dark Force. You're facing enemies with 8000 (body), 1200 (right hand),
300 (left hand) HP. The left hand will almost always cast Gires, healing all
parts 198 HP, the right hand will attack for 13 - 15 damage or Foi for 32 - 45,
and the body will attack for 32 - 40 damage or Tsu for 50 - 70. So where to
start?
First thing is to use Ner, which will virtually guarantee Wren first action
every round, which is critical for making your ten healing items last. Next,
it's time to use the Royal Bow 9 times. This will consistently push Wren's
damage to over 300/round, allowing a one-hit kill on the healing hand and
a four-hit kill on the right. Now, while doing all this you're going to get
pounded on, and since the combined damage of the body and right hand is up
to 110 be sure to heal up at the start of any round where you have less than
this. With luck, you'll only need nine trimate or star mist to get your attack
power up and finish both hands, leaving you one for emergency use.
Now that you're one-on-one with the body, settle in for a long fight, because
you're down to Force Shield healing. Dark Force will do an average of 47 damage
per round, meaning that you'll net 3 HP per Force Shield use. And since Dark
Force can use Tsu multiple times in a row, be sure you're near full HP at all
times (I suggest not attacking unless you have 200 or more hit points at the
start of a round), and eventually you will fit in the 26 or so attacks needed
to drop the body. (For reference, my battle took 395 rounds!)
Congratulations! You've completed your solo-Wren challenge!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generation 3 (Adan Route) - "Plate system out? It's OK, I'm from Tech Support!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Note: The only difference between Adan and Aron's routes is starting point and
which fourth member you have. Adan has to make his way to Dahlia and starts
with Gwyn, Aron starts there and comes with Kara. For the sake of brevity
I am not going to detail both, for Aron's route simply skip the first section
and grab Laya when picking up Muin's Claw. In fact, since you have Laya's Bow
from the last generation, you can skip her altogether!]
------
Landen (Recommended Level: 37)
------
First off, the Laya's Bow Gwyn has is a duplicate, so just leave it with her.
However, Wren's Laya Pendant is gone, so you'll need to take that from her.
Toss her and Aron's other equipment, then stop at the item shop to sell off
Wren's old Ceramic Gear and, if you need them, buy a couple of antidotes. Then
kill of Adan, Gwyn, and Mieu, and make your way to Aerone and Dahlia.
------
Dahlia (Recommended Level: 40)
------
Make sure you have plenty of antidotes, save at the Inn, then head for the
shuttle.
Cakewalk is not a strong enough word for the ease of this dungeon. The only
real note is that Glops, through first generation enemies, are Zan resistant,
so don't try kill them that way! Ignore the chests on the way in, then grab the
Aero Parts and get the chests on the way out (so you don't toss all your
antidotes on the way in and get poisoned). Of course, you'll want to equip the
Laconia Gear when you find it.
Don't talk to Kara until you are leaving, since you have to take Lune's Slicer
from her before killing her off.
--------
Skyhaven (Recommended Level: 43)
--------
Say it with me...PULSE VULCAN!!! The weapon you're been waiting for all game,
and saving up for since the middle of last generation, is now in your reach.
Before heading in for the Aqua Parts, stop off at New Mota and buy it for 55150
meseta (65000, less 5000 for your Cannon), and you now have full attack on
everything on the screen - well worth a drop from 140 damage down to 100. You
should have enough cash for this, but level to get it if you are short. Don't
worry about restocking your antidotes, since nothing in the dungeon is
poisonous. Also don't bother with trimate, since you'll need the free item
spaces soon to carry legendary weapons.
There's not much strategy now - just blast away until everything's dead, which
will only take three rounds, which Wren will normally survive - and heal up
in between. The key threats are Spheres, who do over 50 damage with a Foi, and
Demonesses, who regularly hit first for up to 32 damage - run from any battle
with more than one Demoness. Don't bother getting far out of the way chests,
but since you need to save up for a Royal Protector grab the Hunting Bow that
is just below the Aqua Parts and the Royal Crown just above. They are worth
1400 and 11500 meseta respectively. Then just grab the Aqua Parts and get out
as quickly as you can.
-----------------
Path to Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 45)
-----------------
You likely still don't have the 45900 meseta needed to trade in your Ceramic
Protector for a Royal (47000, less 1100), but don't sweat it, you'll be fine.
Just make sure you have a couple of antidotes and you're good to go.
The trip to Aquatica is very easy - just cruise through to Landen (via Divisia)
to get Orakio's Sword (be sure to have a free item space before turning into
the water skimmer), then to Aridia for Miun's Claw, (and if taking Aron's
route, to get Laya, take her bow, and kill her off - if you feel like it).
Watch for Gnashers, who will one-hit kill Wren! Then just make your way to the
inn at Agoe. Don't refill your antidotes, nothing in the cave is poisonous.
Remember that once you have Orakio's Sword (and, if Aron, retrieved Laya), you
never again need the Sub Parts, so pass them to Adan.
---------
Sage Isle (Recommended Level: 47)
---------
The only real threat here is Wyrms, who can do 45 damage with a Foi; otherwise
this cave is no sweat. Just run through, grab Siren's Shot (but keep using
the Pulse Vulcan), and talk to the old men. If you ditch any trimates or
antidotes you're carrying, you'll have room to pick up the Royal Emel, Royal
Sword, and Vulcan on Siren's side of the cave as well, which you can sell for
50400 meseta - though you really don't need that much money anymore, it's kind
of fun to see all those mesetas!
Once you're back in Agoe after talking to the old men, pass the Aqua Parts to
Sean and head to Mystoke. Be sure to save at Agoe if you plan to go through
Aridia - I've been ambushed by Gnashers more than once on this trip! Bring a
couple of antidotes along as well.
Talk to the old men in Skyhaven to gain the Nei weapons. Be sure to first pass
one of the discarded gemstones to each person in your party to avoid the Pron
Glitch (for more information, see section 8). Equip the Nei Shot, then pass
the four you can't use to Sean - though you lose full screen attack, you need
the more powerful single attack for the high HP enemies you are about to face.
-------
Lashute (Recommended Level: 52)
-------
Stop off at Mystoke to prepare. First, you can finally afford the 45900 meseta
you need to trade your Ceramic Protector (yes, you're still wearing Ceramic!)
for Royal (47000, less 1100). Next, stop by the technique shop and make sure
Zan and Ner are maxed. Then go to the item shop and trade all your antidotes
and the Pulse Vulcan in for Trimate. Nothing is poisonous in Lashute, if you
get poisoned en route just reset, and if you get poisoned coming back you
should still make it back to Mystoke alive.
Now, I'll admit that up to now you've been wondering why this is a challenge
quest - things have been fairly easy, aside from saving up for your first Shot
and maybe the dungeon of Skyhaven.
Welcome to Lashute. The challenge starts now!
With the exception of Malifics, none of the back-row enemies can be killed in
one shot (well, Fatimas and Zafiras sometimes can, but don't count on it) and
all of them hit hard. Only Malifics and Torturers do less than 40 damage with a
technique, and Watchers can do over 70! Attack enemies in this priority:
Watcher, Guardian, Defender, Punisher, Zafira, Fatima, Torturer, Malifics,
Azufire, and leave Fires for last. You will often need to heal in-battle using
the Force Shield - once you are down to the last back-row enemy, do not start
attacking it unless you have more than 120 HP at the start of the round (and up
this to 140 if you're facing a Watcher). Remember to use Zan where necessary -
against full front rows of Fires and Azufires (two will be required unless you
get lucky against Fires), and for Fatimas, Zafiras, Torturers, and Punishers
a Zan counts as the second hit to kill them.
Try to save your trimates, but if you get ambushed you may need to use one,
the Force Shield is not enough if you have two enemies remaining. I suggest you
return to Mystoke every other level up to save and recharge. Once you hit 58,
go back to prepare for Rulakir, making sure to re-maximize Zan and Ner.
-------
Rulakir (Recommended Level: 60)
-------
[Note: If you start Lashute at level 58 and fight everything, you should be at
60 by the time you reach Rulakir!]
The key to defeating Rulakir is striking before the front-row enemies in the
second round and before Rulakir on the third. Use Zan in the first two rounds
and the front row will disappear, but if too many get a Foi off before dying
Rulakir will finish you off. If you survive the second round, you will
desperately need a trimate, so hope you act first!
If you are still alive, you pretty much have the battle won. Cast a Ner on
round four for insurance, and then start wailing on Rulakir. He will do 50 - 60
damage per round, so use a trimate on any round where you start with less than
120 HP (despite the Ner, he will still get the occasional first strike). Don't
worry about running out, as you should start the battle with at least seven and
it will only take 7 or 8 blasts to drop him.
Then - very carefully - creep back to Mystoke! Sadly, an escape pipe will not
help you here. The closer you get to the exit, the less careful you need to
be about saving trimates, so don't gamble!
----------
Dark Force (Recommended Level: 72)
----------
By the time you return to Mystoke after defeating Rulakir, you should be at
level 62. Unfortunately, this is not quite enough to handle to dungeon, and
definitely not Dark Force. Return to Lashute to gain 10 levels (I recommend
saving every two, since you can still die here). Be sure to carry an antidote
in case you get poisoned coming or going.
Once you've leveled, your preparations are nearly complete. Now make a small
equipment shift - sell your Laconia Headgear (you'll find a replacement later,
when you have more inventory room) and pick up a Royal Bow in New Mota
(the 64000 meseta price tag should be no problem). This little beauty casts
Fanbi when used as an item, and it tips the scales in the Dark Force fight a
little in your favour - and you'll need all the help you can muster! If you
still have the antidote, sell it, and load up on trimate. Final equipment
should be Nei Shot, Royal Protector, Force Shield, Royal Bow, Laya Pendant,
Aero Parts, and nine trimate. Max sure Zan and Ner are maxed as well.
Getting to the dungeon should be no problem - the annoying people who get in
the way are gone, and since your biggest threat is enemy techniques the loss of
your headgear doesn't make much difference. The dungeon, aside from Khalidas,
is actually easier - you can one-hit kill all of the other new enemies except
Executioners, who are really no different from Torturers, and the new magician
type enemies do no more damage than Rulakir's heads. Khalidas, however, will
shred you! They take two hits (or one hit and a Zan) and can do over to 100
damage! Run if there are two or you are surprised, and be very careful against
one. Focus on Khalidas, followed by Wizards, Conjurers, Executioners, the
above-dungeon enemies, and lastly Sorcerers and the new front row enemies.
There are two chests to grab - the one in the top right is a star mist, and
the one in the bottom right is a Royal Headgear. Since this is a one way trip,
you can pass the Laya Pendant and Aero Parts to Sean to make room.
Now for Dark Force. You're facing enemies with 8000 (body), 1200 (right hand),
300 (left hand) HP. The left hand will almost always cast Gires, healing all
parts 198 HP, the right hand will attack for 13 - 15 damage or Foi for 32 - 45,
and the body will attack for 32 - 40 damage or Tsu for 50 - 70. So where to
start?
First thing is to use Ner, which will virtually guarantee Wren first action
every round, which is critical for making your ten healing items last. Next,
it's time to use the Royal Bow 9 times. This will consistently push Wren's
damage to over 300/round, allowing a one-hit kill on the healing hand and
a four-hit kill on the right. Now, while doing all this you're going to get
pounded on, and since the combined damage of the body and right hand is up
to 110 be sure to heal up at the start of any round where you have less than
this. With luck, you'll only need nine trimates or star mist to get your attack
power up and finish both hands, leaving you one for emergency use.
Now that you're one-on-one with the body, settle in for a long fight, because
you're down to Force Shield healing. Dark Force will do an average of 47 damage
per round, meaning that you'll net 3 HP per Force Shield use. And since Dark
Force can use Tsu multiple times in a row, be sure you're near full HP at all
times (I suggest not attacking unless you have 200 or more hit points at the
start of a round), and eventually you will fit in the 26 or so attacks needed
to drop the body. (For reference, my battle took 395 rounds!)
Congratulations! You've completed your solo-Wren challenge!
*******************************************************************************
8. What the hell is the Pron Glitch?
The "Pron Glitch" is a strange error I found when playing through my solos.
Every time I transformed the Legendary weapons into Nei weapons, strange things
would occur. At first it seemed purely cosmetic, but eventually I noticed
something...odd...in the stats screens. So I did some testing, found the
trigger, and logged the results. Mr2 did some testing as well, here are our
results.
While transforming the Legendary weapons to Nei weapons, you can exploit a
glitch in the game code to drastically increase the speed and defense
statistics of members in your party!
To activate the glitch, remove all items from any party member whose stats you
want affected by the main effect. Unequipping is not enough, the item list for
that person must be empty. Then speak to the old man who says "Nei is the word
of ultimate power", triggering the weapon transformation.
THE RESULTS OF THE GLITCH CAN BE UNPREDICTABLE AND NEGATIVE, SO BE SURE TO SAVE
BEFORE ATTEMPTING THE GLITCH AND CHECK THE RESULTS IN ACTUAL BATTLE BEFORE
SAVING AGAIN. I ALSO RECOMMEND KEEPING A BACKUP OF THE PRE-GLITCH FILE ON THE
SECOND SAVE SLOT.
MAIN EFFECT
The speed, damage, and defense statistics of affected members will change.
1. Speed: Depending on the character, speed will change:
Adan/Aron/Crys/Sean -> Speed drops significantly
Mieu, Wren -> Speed drops by 14
Gwyn/Laya, Kara -> Speed increases into the 180 - 220 range
This has real effects in battle, therefore Gwyn/Laya and Kara will almost
always strike first in battle if affected while your hero will almost always
go last.
2. Damage: This effect is variable, but will normally place the statistic into
the 60000 - 64000 range. Unfortunately, it does not have any effect on the
damage you actually do in battle.
3. Defense: For everyone but Kara, this effect is a reduction of the defense
statistic by exactly 140 points. Kara's effect is in this range but
variable. The important thing is if this reduction drives the statistic
below zero, it will wrap back to somewhere in the 65400 range! This carries
forward into battle, so affected persons will take no damage from any
physical attack (though techniques will still damage the character
normally). The only exception is Gnashers - the formerly one-hit kill
masters will continue to do damage. In my testing this is a "whopping" 4 HP.
However, in his testing Mr2 found that only the first person in line
benefited from the defense:
"i had laya and kara get the insane defense boost. laya would take 0 damage
from physical attacks, while kara would get killed in 1 hit by Demonesses
(+110 damage). a low level wren would take 60-74 damage from them.
i then re-did it with only kara not having any items and she then took no
damage. so it seems the glitch will make the first girl has insane defense,
while the second girl has no defense."
Therefore, it appears that on a normal playthrough, this glitch is best
used on Gwyn/Laya OR Kara only.
SECONDARY EFFECT
(Thanks to Mr2 for figuring this effect out.)
Any characters who had their legendary weapon equipped will have the speed,
damage, and defense boost of that weapon permanently fused to their base
statistics.
Just like the main effect, the damage bonus does not carry forward into actual
damage dealt in battle, but the defense and speed changes do. This is
particularly useful for your hero, who gets a 90 point defense boost from
Orakio's Sword.
SIDE EFFECTS
The following effects will occur regardless of who has an empty item list as
long as at least one does. They do not have any effect on gameplay. Do not be
alarmed when they occur!
1. Colors become negative (Temporary): this will be reversed simply by
accessing your menu screen, something you need to do anyways to check your
statistics.
2. The last person in your party will be moved out of line (Temporary):
normally this will be exactly one "square" to the right, though sometimes it
is a partial square and/or in another direction, or fails to happen at all.
It will not prevent you from moving freely, the person will walk through
obstacles. This will be reversed when you leave Skyhaven.
3. Characters become blocky (Temporary): Any black parts of characters
(everyone's shadow, parts of Wren and Aron) will have white vertical stripes
appear, making them look blocky. This will be reversed when you save and
reset.
4. Characters will be renamed (Permanent). Many characters will have letters in
their name changed, normally having a P replace the first letter. Even
people with items in their item list will be renamed.
Specifically, these are:
Adan -> A3pn
Aron -> Pron
Crys -> Prys
Gwyn -> Pwyn
Kara -> Para
Laya -> Paya
Mieu -> Pieu
Sean and Wren will not be renamed. Note that not only is this side effect
permanent, it even carries over into your save/load screen (ie; your save
file will change from "Adan LVXX" to "A3pn LVXX")
And yes, Aron being renamed to Pron, which is in turn very similar to Pr0n,
is why we called this the Pron glitch. Yes, we know we need to grow up :-P
*******************************************************************************
9. CREDITS
- Sega for publishing this game and creating the Phantasy Star franchise.
- GameFAQs for hosting this.
- Mr2 (real name unknown) for further testing on the Pron glitch, doing hacked
max-level character tests against Dark Force, and - most importantly -
discovering that healing equipment can be used outside of battle.
- Eric Starbird's enemy list for boss HP (except Dark Force's Right Hand, which
he erroneously lists as 800).
- Defaultuser's (real name unknown) strategy guide for information regarding
Fanbi being stackable.
- Saincai, ArmorVil001, Duke Darkwood, Mr2, silentwing26, TheKomrade, and
Adrastia for following my progress logs on the GameFAQS Phantasy Star III
message board, offering advice and encouragement.
