Guide information:
Last updated: 30 July 2001
FAQ version: Final                                 ___
Created by Twilight, 12 May 2001                  / _ \
Email: [email protected]                      / / \ \
ICQ: 118986797                                   \ \_/ /
This FAQ is © Copyright 2001 Twilight            / \ /
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                       Seiken Densetsu III
                    Twilight's Guide to Duran
Guide information:
Last updated: 30 July 2001
FAQ version: Final
Created by Twilight, 12 May 2001
Email: [email protected]
ICQ: 118986797

This FAQ is © Copyright 2001 Twilight.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is © Copyright 1995 Squaresoft
This FAQ may not be distributed in any form without my permission.  This FAQ
may only be found at:

http://www.gamefaqs.com

and other sites that have obtained by permission (or that have received the FAQ
from me posting it there).

Other users may post this FAQ after obtaining my permission.  You can obtain my
permission via email or ICQ.  Users who post this FAQ take the responsibility
of getting the newer updates.  If, for some reason, you cannot get the updates,
don't bother posting this FAQ in the first place.  Print this out for yourself,
and no part of this FAQ is to be sold.

The most recent version of this FAQ can be found at GameFAQs
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

Version History:
v1.0  -12/05/01
      Hey people, created my first FAQ!  There's 4 sections to the FAQ.  I'll
      add more next time.
v1.1  -14/05/01
      Added the Negative Attitude section, and had to rearrange some sections
      to fit it in.  I have a horrible feeling I'll be doing that a lot.
      Added the Strengths and Weaknesses section and Group Suggestions
      section.  I'll hopefully get some more when this gets posted on the net.
v1.2  -15/05/01
      Tidied up everything and made everything look neater.  Plus I made an
      ASCII title!!!  Oh yeah!  And it doesn't even look half bad.
v1.3  -17/05/01
      Added a bunch of stuff.  Decided on having 15 sections.  5 of them are
      done.
v1.4  -18/05/01
      Added a guide to beating a thing called the Black Rabite.  He's quite
      tough, so go there for some info on him.
v2.0  -19/05/01
      Added a rather useless section that tells you how to get special scenes
      involving Duran.  Useless because if you play his quest thoroughly,
      you'll find most of them.  Oh well.  Started a Techs section.  I have
      all of them except for the Paladin's and the Lord's.
v2.1  -20/05/01
      Got the two other techs, started a Tips section.
v2.2  -21/05/01
      Added more to that tips section. :)
v2.3  -23/05/01
      Started a Shields! section, but I need some confirmed info.  All I have
      is questions, and reading other FAQs, all the shield info they have in
      them is, The Sacred Shield is the best, and that really doesn't help me.
      So check out that shield section and send in your info.
v3.0  -26/05/01
      Biggest update yet.  Added all the other sections, cleaned the FAQ up.
      Done everything that needed to be done.  I also added the Voting Poll.
      Go to section 14 for more info.  Now, lets see if I can post this on the
      net. :P When I get enough email (I hope I do), I'll add more to each
      section!  Submitting time...
v4.0  -24/06/01
      Sorry this is late.  I'm working on a new Tales of Destiny FAQ, and am
      getting quite addicted to it.  Anyway, I have finished the Shields!
      section thanks to two legends called GoodLuckDie and Lord Zero.  They
      gave me most of that information.  Plus I saw the Adamant Shield today
      with my own eyes.  It does have an Evade of 25 and is for the Lord.  I
      also added a bit to each section, and other stuff.  Plus this FAQ got
      posted on GameFAQs, so thanks CJayC.  I'll see everyone next update.
v5.0  -26/07/01
      Late again, but its my trademark, and I'll know you'll forgive me. :)
      Yes my friends, this is the Final version, and sadly this is where my big
      updates end.  Its been a blast, and the Guide to Duran will always be
      special to me; it was my first FAQ ever.  Alright, I added the Final
      Chapter section and added more to pretty much everything.  And hey, I
      even got some Class Opinions.  This is (probably) the biggest and last
      update.  If something huge happens involving Seiken Densetsu 3, I'll let
      you know.  Farewell, Duran fans, stick up for Duran when others put him
      down because of his long recovery...and this is Twilight, signing off...
Final  -30/07/01
      Argh.  So much happened since I posted what I thought would be the Final
      version.  The translation isn't going ahead, I've found much more typos
      than expected, other stuff has happened and more.  Anyway, I can
      honestly, truly say that this is the Final version.  FINAL!  That's it,
      closed book.  If you want to see what I've changed do a search for
      NEW TO VERSION 6.0:  Well, look out for other FAQs by me, ok?  Farewell,
      Twilight...

=======================================================================
X  C O N T E N T S                                                    X
=======================================================================
1.  Introduction - How to contribute
2.  The negative attitude
3.  An overview of Duran
4.  Duran's strengths and weaknesses
5.  Group suggestions
6.  Shields! (Thank you GoodLuckDie and Lord Zero for this section!)
7.  Techs
8.  Spells
9.  Classes
10. Tips and advice from fellow gamers
11. Cool Duran stuff - Spoiler Alert!!!
12. The Black Rabite
13. FAQs
14. The Voting Poll
15. Credits - Finishing up
16. The Final Chapter

=======================================================================
X  1. I N T R O D U C T I O N - H O W  T O  C O N T R I B U T E       X
=======================================================================
Welcome.  This is my first FAQ, and if you're reading this it means it actually
got put up on the net.  I've tried to make heaps of FAQs but I always get bored
with the games (!!!).  I decided that I wouldn't make a general FAQ because
that's just a bit too much work, so I decided to write one on Seiken Densetsu 3.
Seiken Densetsu 3 is a game created by Square, a game company that has produced
the greatest RPGs of all time IMHO.  Seiken Densetsu 3 or Secret of Mana 2, is
a game about a source of magic/power called Mana.  Anyway, the game was
released in Japan and ALOT of copies were sold.  For some reason however,
Square never released it in the US!  This outraged many people who had waited
yonks for the game and found out that they weren't going to get it.  (Or would,
but it wouldn't be in English.) Some time after, a group of very dedicated
gamers translated the huge game 100%, and released the patch free over the
internet.  So after importing a game from Japan, gamers all over the world
could play the translated ROM in English for free, legally.  Anyways, the game
has six characters in it, and you have to pick three for your party.  I have
made my first FAQ for the character Duran, who (IMHO) is one of the best
fighters in the game.
This guide is intended to show the average SD3 player that Duran doesn't suck
as much as people make him sound.

Feel free to send in anything remotely related to Duran, and I'll stick it
where it should go.  (Like if you send in Black Rabite info, I'll put it in the
Black Rabite section.)  Put Seiken Densetsu 3 or something in the subject box
so I know what it's about.  Try to keep it readable people, cause I won't be
changing it, except to rearrange your lines to fit in the FAQ.
My email is [email protected], so send your tips, advice, information and
questions there.  You can also send questions to my ICQ, which is 118986797.
Questions only to that ICQ number, please.  When I get enough emails, I'll add
a FAQs section, and put your question and the answer there.  I'll also email
the answer back to you, BUT ONLY IF IT CANNOT BE ANSWERED BY READING THE FAQ!
I won't email you back if you can answer the question by reading the FAQ, but
I'll still put the question in the FAQs section.  Make sure the questions are
related to Duran, because I won't answer any that aren't.
So, send in all those Duran related tips, info, questions etc and don't
hesitate to email me and tell me about any mistakes in the FAQ.

Also, section 15 is the Voting Poll, and that section contains a question about
Duran or Seiken Densetsu 3.
Example:  What is your favorite God-beast?
A: Danguard
B: Xan Bie
C: Fiegmund
D: Land Umber
E: Dolan
F: Mispolm
G: Lightgazer
H: Zable-Fahr
So in your email, could you vote please?  All you have to do is say something
like: Voting Poll: E Dolan.  I will announce the results in the next update, so
you have a bit of time to vote.  I will also change the question when I post
results, so there will always be something to vote for. :)
Note: The above question is only an example.  The actual question is in section
15, so go look there for it.

=======================================================================
X  2. T H E  N E G A T I V E  A T T I T U D E                         X
=======================================================================
There seems to be a fairly big negative attitude about Duran, stemming from the
fact that he only attacks once unlike Kevin and Hawk who attack twice.  People
say that it takes forever for Duran to recover from his swing, but this is the
same as any other characters recovery time (Its meant to be, anyway).

X        X = Enemies
XD        D = Duran
X

Above is a basic, simple diagram showing a place where Duran should never be.
Because Duran can only attack once before needing to recover, he could only
kill or knock away a single enemy before the other two would converge on him.
Hawk and Kevin would be able to knock enough enemies away to escape without too
much damage, because they attack twice.  This is the reason that most people
call Duran too slow, because they thrust him into the middle of a fight, and he
can only attack a few times before he is smothered.

XD       X = Enemies
X         D = Duran.
X

Above is a example of a good place for Duran.  Here he can attack an enemy,
retreat, recover, and then attack again, systematically slaughtering all the
enemies on screen.

Another thing I noticed is that sometimes, when an enemy attacks Duran, they
seem to make him have to recover!  That's not too good.  I don't know if this
happens to the other characters, or how it is determined but it does happen.

So, in conclusion, Duran's fighting abilities will shine if you (the player)
control him.  They will also shine if you don't let the enemies smother him.
If you let the CPU control him, set his Battle Behaviour to Assist, and have
him Assist your healer/magic user or another fighter.  Hopefully, he won't kill
himself as much.  Joking. :)

From Lord Zero:
When you´re explaining Duran Speed, you put this:
 X
XD
 X
If you put it this way, there´s a chance he will hit ALL the enemies.  He has a
long arc swing that can hit all the enemies in surrounding him.  Lise and I
think Angela have the same attack, and Kevin has his kicks.

My note: Thanks for pointing this out.  Yes people, he is very right, just be
careful if you play this way.  Another tip for this strategy is to select
another character to use Throwing Items to knock monsters away from Duran if
you see him getting smothered.

=======================================================================
X  3. A N  O V E R V I E W  O F  D U R A N                            X
=======================================================================
Duran.  The ultimate Saber-swordsman.  A hard hitter and lots of HP.  Has the
highest attack power in the game.  All the Sabers learnt in his classes are all
the different Sabers in the game.  Can wear shields, adding to his Evade.
All the good things about Duran...  Everything has a downside however.  This
section will take an indepth look at Duran's abilities or lack thereof.

Strength: Duran is not a magic user.  He is a fighter, and his Strength can be
raised correspondingly high.  Generally, Duran is the best fighter in the game,
but Kevin's Wolf-Devil form _is_ stronger than Duran.  This is only at night
however.  All his classes have acceptable Strength levels, and this should be
the main thing your raising.

Agility: Agility allows you to dodge enemies attacks.  Duran's Agility is
average, a few points below his Vitality and Strength.  His final Dark classes
have a higher max agility than his final Light classes, but this doesn't matter
because Light classes can wear shields, raising their Evade real high anyway!

Vitality: Duran's Vitality is quite important, because he _will_ take a few
hits now and then.  Fear not, however, because his Vitality is second only to
Kevin, and he gets strong armor in the course of the game.

Intelligence: Intelligence really isn't that important to Duran, because none
of the spells he learns are attack ones.  It is still quite good to juice some
points into, though, because it also raises your magic Evade and magic defense.
His Intelligence levels are really high, however.

Spirit:  More important to Duran than Intelligence, because raising Spirit will
allow Duran to learn his Sabers, and boost the amount of HP his Heal Light will
heal!

Luck: Duran's Luck is average, not quite as Hawk or Carlie's, and a few points
under Lise's as well. :) Oh well.  Duran's Light classes have a higher Luck
level than his classes, if it really matters to you that much...

Summing up, Duran is quite high in attack-related stats, but falls short in the
magic department.  His Dark classes learn more Sabers than his Light ones, and
his Light classes get a shield and Heal Light.  A good fighter, who fights with
magic swords. :)

=======================================================================
X  4. D U R A N ' S  S T R E N G T H S  A N D  W E A K N E S S E S    X
=======================================================================
Durans main advantages lie in fighting, as most people know.  There are,
however, a number of things people overlook because of Duran's recovery time.
He is not perfect, but then who in the game is?

Strengths: He hits hard.  The Duelist is the hardest hitter in the game, second
only to Kevin's Wolf Devil form.  Duran can attack at a distance, retreat, and
re-attack.  His Vitality is right up there too, and he can wear the best armor
in the game.  His weapons are usually the strongest there are, and he can whup
monster-butt easily.  Duran's techs are usually the strongest in the group, and
all of his classes bar 2 (3 if counting the Fighter class) have Full-Screen
Techs (FST's).  In the sub-screen, it says that the Duelist learns the
strongest tech in the game, the Eruption Sword.  I don't know if it is _the_
strongest tech in the game, because I know of a few others that are rather
powerful too (Split-Image Slice, Seiryuu Death Fist and a couple more).  Duran
can learn any Saber in the game, and allows him to cause more damage to the
baddies.  IMHO, Saint Saber is the most useful, but it may not actually be the
best.  His Light classes can wear shields, highly raising his Evade!!!

Weaknesses: Duran's biggest weakness is his recovery time.  When he's catching
his breath, he's sitting duck.  Duran doesn't have any offense magic spells,
only his trusty Sabers.  His Intelligence isn't anything special, either.  When
Duran goes to the Light classes, his Spirit is raised higher than his
Intelligence (Except the Lord, where it's equal), and when he goes to the Dark
classes, his Intelligence is higher than his Spirit.  Duran's Luck isn't
too good either.

=======================================================================
X  5. G R O U P  S U G G E S T I O N S                                X
=======================================================================
Even though Duran is a good fighter, he won't be able to make it through the
game alone.  If you're reading this, feel free to send in your own suggestions
to [email protected]  Here are some recommended group suggestions.

Kevin and Duran:  The ultimate power combo.  Because Kevin can heal, and is
quite close to Duran in attacking power, these two are a good combo.  The
Swordsmaster and Warrior Monk is a good combo, but my favorite is the Duelist
and Death Hand combo.  Extreme power, IMHO, but TOTALLY unbalanced. :)

Stick him with support:  Duran needs good support characters on hand, like
Lise or whoever you like.  I find that Carlie is a good support character.

Duran + Ninja Master = Good Stuff:  When Hawk goes Ninja Master, he learns to
multitarget his Jutsu moves.  I personally hate re-casting magic spells, so
this class appeals to me.  Anyways, use Thunder Jutsu to lower enemy defence,
then let loose with Duran's Lvl 3 techs.  Lord won't work for this, because
he's only got a single enemy tech.  Duelist may be the best for this strategy,
but I think the Paladin balances out the Ninja Master better, and the Flasing
Sword tech rules as well.

From Lord Zero:
- DURAN (Swordmaster)
- CARLIE (Bishop)
- LISE (Starlancer or Fenrir Knight, whichever you prefer. It´s basically the
same, but I honestly prefer Starlance, cause of MARDUKE)
You know what that means? ALL THE SABERS, ´cept Dark Saber, but who needs dark
saber? Only against Lightgazer and still.  (Oh, well, there´s that mean Heath)
Add: Duran´s Power, Carlie´s Heal, and Lise´s Spells, and you´ve got one hell
of an army. The start will be pretty tough, but later becomes great.

From Me (Twilight):
Duran  - Duelist
Angela - Archmage
Kevin  - Warrior Monk
Duran is the center point in this party, with the Duelist's extreme power he
should be going up against the stronger enemies and helping Angela out if she
is getting hurt.  Angela can pull out a multitarget level 2 spell or Rainbow
and Kevin can Leaf Saber her if she gets low on MP.  Kevin is the healer, and
can help Duran out if he isn't healing with his multitarget Heal Light.

From Me (Twilight):
Duran  - Swordmaster
Hawk   - Nightblade
Kevin  - Warrior Monk
All males (and no I'm not being sexist).  This was the first team I bet the
game with, and it worked like a charm.  Swordmaster was the best choice here,
because Multitarget Sabers are very good on 3 strong attackers.  I threw in the
Nightblade because normal fights weren't too hard, and the Nightblade has some
great abilities for boss fights plus Black Rain for normal enemies.  Warrior
Monk is in there for the healing, plus Kevin's power.

From Me (Twilight):
Duran  - Paladin
Kevin  - God Hand
Lise   - Fenrir Knight
You have two Singletarget Heal Light's, 2 FSTs, Saint Saber, Aura Wave,
Multitarget Stat Downs, Lamia Naga and 3 strong attackers.  Not too shabby.
Kevin uses Aura Wave on Duran, Lise casts Protect Down Multitarget and Duran
lets go with Flashing Sword.  Ouch.  A fun team to use.

From Me (Twilight):
Duran  - Paladin
Carlie - Bishop
Kevin  - Warrior Monk
You just can't die here.  You have 2 Multitarget Heal Lights, Singletarget Heal
Light, Leaf Saber for Carlie, all of her other spells, and most importantly
TWO SAINT SABERS.  This is the team to use if you want to go up against the
Black Rabite for the first time.  Cast Leaf Saber on Carlie at the start; she
won't do much damage but she'll get MP back and she doesn't cause much damage
anyway.

From Me (Twilight):
Duran  - Duelist
Hawk   - Nightblade
Kevin  - Death Hand
This team reeks of power.  You have Sabers, Jutsus and Energy Ball.  This
doesn't compare in the least to the raw power you have at your control, and you
have (arguably) the three strongest FSTs in the game.  I don't recommend this
for newbies however.  This is one of the classic "Suicide Teams", which has no
healing and one mistake will cost you your life.

BTW, this is the my personal team that I use most of the time.  Just buy lots
of Poto Oils.

=======================================================================
X  6. S H I E L D S !                                                 X
=======================================================================
From GoodLuckDie:
When Duran was a Knight, you could buy a number of elemental shields in
Forcena's armor shop, as you know.  Now, if you equip one of those shields, say
the Waterdragon Shield, it will block 1/3 of the damage of any Ice/Water-based
attack.  The same goes for the other 3 shields and their corresponding element.
What makes the Sacred Shield so special is that it will block 1/3 of the damage
of all elementals(!), making Duran pretty resilient against just about any form
of magic.  It's also said that the Sacred Shield blocks 1/3 of non-elemental
magic like Ancient as well, but that's something I can't confirm by experience
cause I rarely choose the Paladin (usually Duelist).

One other thing.  You sounded like you've never found the Adamant Shield.
Trust me, it's there - you probably had a bad break while trying to get it from
the seeds.  The Oath Shield is the ultimate shield for the Knight, and since
you can equip it on the Lord you can probably get it for the Paladin too.

My note: I'm not too sure about the Oath Shield being the ultimate shield for
the Knight, but everything else is great!

From Lord Zero:
Also, if the Adamant shield _does_ exist, that means we all are missing the
standard shield for the Paladin. Maybe it was removed...

My note: Lord Zero also send me heaps more information, and a shield chart.
Thanks man.  The Adamant Shield does exist, I have seen it with my own eyes!

Alright, here is the complete shield chart (Thanks to those guys on the Seiken
Densetsu 3 messageboards that sent in a bit of info on shields, and MAJOR
thanks to GoodLuckDie and Lord Zero!  This section is up thanks to these two
legends.

Name:                 Class:      Evade:      Special attributes:
Gold Shield           Knight      20          *
WaterDragon Shield    Knight      20          Blocks 1/3 Water magic damage
Thunder God Shield    Knight      20          Blocks 1/3 Wind magic damage
Red-heat Shield       Knight      20          Blocks 1/3 Fire magic damage
Earth Shield          Knight      20          Blocks 1/3 Earth magic damage
Dragon Shield         Knight      20          Blocks 1/3 Dragon damage**
Oath Shield           Lord        20          Renders Duran immune to all
                                             negative status changes bar
                                             Siience and Snowman
Adamant Shield        Lord        25          None, although it gives the best
                                             Evade ***
Sacred Shield         Paladin     20          Blocks 1/3 damage of _all_
                                             elemental damage.  Plus it _may_
                                             block 1/3 of non-elemental magic
                                             like Ancient ****

* I haven't received any information on this shield, but what I think it does
is block 1/3 of non-elemental magic damage.  I don't know if this is what it
does, but it may.  I might try it later and post the results in the next
update.

** I haven't received any solid information on what this shield does, but I
think it does block 1/3 of Dragon damage (that is when a Dragon harms you in
anyway).  I'm not too sure about this one, though.

*** It does exist!  You can get in when from Weapon/armor seeds when you are a
Lord!  It does exist!  GoodLuckDie told me, and today I saw it with my own
eyes.

**** When I say it _may_ block 1/3 of non-elemental magic, I mean _may_.  I do
not know if it does, and neither does Lord Zero or GoodLuckDie.

Where you can get each shield from:

Name:                   Where to get it:                              Price:
Gold Shield             The Snow City Elrand or the Sand City Sultan  3380
Water Dragon Shield     Forcena's armor shop when Duran is a Knight   4000
Thunder God Shield      Forcena's armor shop when Duran is a Knight   4000
Red Heat Shield         Forcena's armor shop when Duran is a Knight   4000
Earth Shield            Forcena's armor shop when Duran is a Knight   4000
Dragon Shield           Weapon/armor seed when Duran is a Knight      N/A
Oath Shield             Weapon/armor seed when Duran is a Lord        N/A
Adamant Shield          Weapon/armor seed when Duran is a Lord        N/A
Sacred Shield           Weapon/armor seed when Duran is a Paladin     N/A

From GoodLuckDie:
Hey there again pal.

Reason I'm contacting you again is cause I found an interesting something about
the Lord.  It's a bit on the sideline, but I thought it might interest you
anyway.

I recently brought Duran to level 57, to get the Lord's stats up to their
maximum.  Eventually, I reached an agility of 18 with it, with the result that
all standard shields gave him an evade rate of 58, which is pretty damn
impressive on its own.  I first noticed it with the Oath Shield equiped, so
naturally, with the Adamant Shield giving a +5 evade rate over all other
shields, I expected to get an evade rate of 63.  Curious thing was that I got
60.  Looks like an evade rate of 60 is the absolute maximum the game allows,
meaning that if you tech Duran's agility as a Lord up to its max, the Adamant
Shield will only give a +2 evade rate, as it already pushes the evade to its
most extreme limit with those extra 2 points.

Then again, an evade rate of 60 combined with a vitality of 21...
God I love this Class.

My note: I see...  This is VERY good info to know, GoodLuckDie.  I haven't tried
this yet, but you can trust his info as good as mine anyday.
I actually wouldn't have expected there to be a max for Agility, but I guess you
learn new things everyday.  I'm pretty sure this is the only FAQ with this
information, so thanks for it pal.

Thanks once again to GoodLuckDie and Lord Zero for the help in compiling the
above charts.  They deserve major credit for the Shields! section!

=======================================================================
X  7. T E C H S                                                       X
=======================================================================
This section of my guide is to give you the rundown on Duran's techs.  Duran
normally has the strongest techs in the party, and they are all visually
awesome.  The first part is what it looks like, the second is what I think of
it.  Here they are:

Fighter tech: Cross Slash -Single Enemy
Duran glows white, does a front flip, and his sword whips out.  Then he slashes
across for damage.

Your usual Level 1 tech.  It doesn't freeze the action, and doesn't really
shine in anything.  One particular annoyance I find is that by the time he
finishes flipping, the enemy is gone before he can hit them.  Also, Hawk and
Kevin's Level 1 techs hit more than once, Duran's does not.

Knight tech: Three-Step Cut -Single Enemy
Duran lunges through his enemy, turns, slashes upwards towards head-height,
turns again and slashes downwards, all the while with a yellow aura following
his blade.  He then jumps back to his starting position.  He does it in three
steps, hence the name Three-Step cut.

I like this tech.  Sure, the Gladiator's tech is full-screen, but I think
single enemy techs are better for bosses.  Anyway, its crisp, fast, fun to
watch and does some good damage.  Very nice Level 2 tech.

Paladin tech: Flashing Sword -Full Screen
Duran jumps into the center of the screen, spins his sword in a circle and
holds it high in the air.  The point sparkles and the blade turns white as a
gold circle expands under Duran's feet and fills the screen.  Explosions rage
across the battlefield, damaging all enemies on screen.

The Flashing Sword tech is brilliant.  It does good damage, and looks sweet.
Very cool.  I like the jump part, looks cool.  Very heavy damage, on par with
Vacuum Sword.  I heard in another FAQ that it causes heavier damage to
Undead/Evil enemies but it doesn't.  My second favorite Level 3 tech of
Duran's.

From Lord Zero:
Flashing Sword damages everyone the same way.  Carmillas aren´t undead, and
take the same damage than a Ghost (Try it on Kevin/carlie final stage: yes, the
incredible long, hard and weird last stage.)

My note: He's right.  Thanks once again.

Lord tech: Magic Circle -Single Enemy
Duran holds his sword with both hands into the air and runs with shadows
trailing a few feet away.  Shadows still trailing, he leaps high into the air
as a blue magical circle appears across his target.  He slashes on his enemy
with full power, his blade glowing yellow and the magic circle fades away.

Hmmm...  The Magic Circle tech is Duran's only Level 3 tech that is _not_ full
screen.  Still, it causes acceptable damage and has nice animation.  Looks
alright too.  A good tech, but not the best.  Still, if you have Duran as a
Lord, you are sacrificing power for his multitarget Heal Light and Tinkle Rain
but the Magic Circle tech is still quite acceptable - just.

Gladiator tech: Whirlwind Sword -Full Screen
Duran dashes to the middle of the screen and starts to spin, going in an
anti-clockwise circle.  His sword starts to give off a blue wind aura as he
damages all enemies on screen.

Damage wise, this tech is good.  Great even.  However, I just don't like it.
Yeah it's full-screen, yeah it's powerful, but it seems like it takes forever
to finish and it isn't that nice looking IMHO.  Probably more useful than the
Knight's tech, but I still think the Knight's tech is better for bosses.

Duelist tech: Eruption Sword -Full Screen
Duran stops where he is and spins his sword up into the air just like in the
Flashing Sword tech.  His sword turns white as yellow spheres fly into the
blade.  He jumps into the air with his sword held above his head and plunges it
into the ground.  A orange and red dome expands under Duran as lava erupts,
coming up from the ground and damaging all enemies.

My favorite tech of Duran's plus his strongest tech out of them all.  Insanely
powerful, it could very well be the strongest tech in the game.  In the
sub-screen, it even says that the Duelist learns the strongest tech in the
game.  Powerful, nice to watch, the lava looks cool, an all-round excellent
tech.

Swordmaster: Vacuum Sword -Full Screen
Duran runs into the center of the screen, and does the same pose that he does
whenever he is healed.  A white circle fills the screen, and centers in on
Duran. He spins his sword above his head creating a damaging vacuum effect as
serrated blue discs fly at all enemies.

Well, it is a very damaging tech, on par with Flashing Sword, but well, I don't
like the way that the animation is carried out.  Duran looks like a complete
idiot during the animation and, IMHO, the whole tech looks budget.  Good
damage, but lame animation.

=======================================================================
X  8. S P E L L S                                                     X
=======================================================================
Duran isn't the greatest Magic user in the game.  He does get some nifty spells
though, and here they are.  Add +1 to the rating if you have a Duran class that
can multitarget the spell.  Example: Heal Light's rating is 7, but if you have
a Lord in your party who can multitarget it, it's rating is 8.  All of Duran's
spells are learnt with his Spirit stat.  Whenever a character is Sabered, when
they attack their hits will look different.  *'s signal that class can
multitarget the selected spell.

Warning!!!: If you have a Saber that is the same Element as an enemy you are
attacking, you will heal it.  Like if your weapon is Flame Sabered and you
attack Xan Bie (the fire God-beast) you will heal him.  Be careful when using
Sabers.

Note: If you cast a Saber that is strong against an enemy you are attacking, it
will give the best results.  Instead of attacking Xan Bie (the fire God-beast)
with a Flame Saber, use Ice Saber against him for the best results.

Dark Class Spells:

Diamond Saber: The first of the Elemental Sabers.  Useful against Wind bosses
or enemies, and good against Danguard.  Use it against Flying enemies, Wind
enemies and Wind bosses whenever you can if it's mulitarget, but save it for
bosses only if it's not.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 6
Stat level to learn: PIE 7
Spirit needed: Gnome
Classes who can learn it: Gladiator, Duelist, Swordmaster*

Thunder Saber: The second of the Elemental Sabers and my favorite out of all
the Elemental Sabers.  Will do extra damage against Earth enemies/bosses.  Good
against Land Umber and his little monsters.  Use against Ground enemies/bosses
whenever you can if it's multitarget, but save it for bosses only if it isn't.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 6
Stat level to learn: PIE 8
Spirit needed: Jinn
Classes who can learn it: Gladiator, Duelist, Swordmaster*

Flame Saber: The third of the Elemental Sabers.  Good for Water enemies, and
there are a _lot_ of them.  Basically the same as all the other Elemental
Sabers, use it against Water bosses/enemies if it's multitarget and don't waste
your time casting it in normal fights if it isn't.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 6
Stat level to learn: PIE 9
Spirit needed: Salamando
Classes who can learn it: Gladiator, Duelist, Swordmaster*

Ice Saber: The fourth and final of the Elemental Sabers.  You guessed it,
useful for Fire type enemies/bosses etc.  Use it whenever you can against Fire
enemies if it is multitarget, but save it for bosses if it isn't.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 6
Stat level to learn: PIE 9
Spirit needed: Undine
Classes who can learn it: Gladiator, Duelist, Swordmaster*

Dark Saber: Well, this Saber enchants a weapon with the Dark Element.  It looks
nice being cast, except there aren't that many Holy enemies (which this Saber
does the best damage against).  Pity too, because it would be a great Saber if
there were.  Use it against the enemies in the Ancient Ruins of Light and
against the Light God-beast, Lightgazer.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 5
Stat level: PIE 13
Spirit needed: Shade
Classes who can learn it: Duelist

Moon Saber: When a weapon has been Moon Sabered, it steals HP from the enemy
with every attack and gives it to you!  Nifty, but the amount of HP stolen is
quite small unless the attacker is very strong.  Works the best against Leaf
enemies/bosses.  Cast Moon Saber on a strong attacker in your group at boss
fights.  Nice if you have mainly physical attackers in your group.  Cast it on
your physical attackers in a boss fight.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 6 and a half
Stat level: PIE 10
Spirit needed: Luna
Classes who can learn it: Swordmaster

Leaf Saber: A Leaf Sabered weapon steals MP _with every attack and gives it to
you!  Much more useful than Moon Saber if you have magic users in your group
because you don't need as much MP as HP, and HP normally goes down much faster
than MP.  A very nice spell.  Always cast it on your magic users in a boss
fight.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 7
Stat level: PIE 10
Spirit needed: Dryad
Classes who can learn it: Swordmaster

Light Class Spells

Saint Saber: This is _the_ Saber!  Blesses a weapon with the power of Wisp, it
deals excellent damage against Evil/Dark/Undead enemies/bosses, of which there
are tons!  Arguably one of the most useful spells in the game.
MP Cost: 4
Rating: 8
Stat level: PIE 6
Spirit needed: Wisp
Classes who can learn it: Paladin

Tinkle Rain: IMO, a waste of MP because for 5 Luc a pop you can buy Puipui
Grass, which does the exact same thing except that it doesn't take time to cast
and doesn't cost MP.  Arguably one of the worst spells in the game.
MP Cost: 2
Rating: 2
Stat level: PIE 7
Spirit needed: Wisp
Classes who can learn it: Lord

Heal Light: This spell heals.  Pretty simple eh?  Anyway, this is one of the
most useful spells in the game, because you don't have to rely solely on
healing items if you have it.  Very effective!  Raise your Spirit higher and
it will heal even more!
MP Cost: 3
Rating: 8
Stat level to learn: PIE 6
Classes who can learn it: Knight, Paladin, Lord*

* These classes can multitarget the selected spell.

=======================================================================
X  9. C L A S S E S                                                   X
=======================================================================
This may be the longest section of the guide, I really have no idea.  The first
part is all the items/spells/stats etc of the class, the next is the good
points of that class, the next is the bad points, and the last is the
conclusion.  There is also a section for opinions from other gamers, so send
some in!
Anyway, here they are!

Class changing note: When you class change, your stats get buffed up to the
maximum of your last class.  Example:
Here are the Fighter's max stats.
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Vitality: 11
Intelligence: 8
Spirit: 8
Luck: 8
When you class change from a Fighter, your stats get buffed up to these.
The point of this tip?  Don't raise your stats to learn a new spell in your
next class, because that is a waste.  Instead raise stats that will help you
out physically in your current class, because when you change class you'll get
your magic stats up anyway.

Fighter - A mercenary who fights for what he believes in
Tech: Cross Slash -Single
Spells: None
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 12
Agility      - 10
Vitality     - 11
Intelligence -  8
Spirit       -  8
Luck         -  8

The Fighter is Duran's standard class.  It doesn't learn any spells or skills,
all it does is fight.  But it does fight well, having a high Strength rating
for a standard class, and it's Agility and Vitality are high as well.  It's
tech is Cross Slash, which only hits once, but does good damage early in the
game.

There is nothing really wrong with this class, it hits hard, has good Vitality
and Agility.  Paves the way for Duran's powerful later classes.

Knight - Taking up sword and shield to protect the weak and helpless with Light
Tech: Three-Step Cut -Single
Spells: Heal Light
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 17
Agility      - 15
Vitality     - 17
Intelligence - 13
Spirit       - 14
Luck         - 14

As a Knight, Duran will learn Heal Light, a very useful spell to have on hand
early in the game.  He also learns the Three-Step Cut tech, while not being
full-screen, it does do solid damage against single enemies (perfect for the
God-beasts) and looks cool.  The Knight's greatest ability IMHO is equipping
shields.  With Heal Light, high Vitality _and_ a shield, the Knight becomes a
medieval tank.  Solid class that is hard to knock down.  Shields add to Duran's
Evade rate, and some are meant to protect against certain things.  Cool
sub-screen pose.

The bad things about the Knight is that he will never have the explosive attack
power of the Gladiator, nor the Elemental Sabers the Gladiator learns.  The
Three-Step Cut, while being cool, is not full-screen and does count as a
downside.  The Gladiator is stronger than the Knight.

Basically, if you need a healer and have other strong attackers in your party
(like Lise or Kevin) who won't suffer from your lower attack power, the Knight
is for you.

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
If you don't have Kevin or Carlie, light is the way to go. Gets Heal Light
(only ST though) and can get a shield, which helps quite a bit.
Tech looks cool, but it's only ST. Attack power is a bit low compared to
Gladiator. I like Gladiator more, because of a certain Dark class that will be
revealed later...^_^

Paladin - He who will stand against Evil; a Shining Spirit in a sea of Darkness
Tech: Flashing Sword -Full Screen
Spells: Heal Light, Saint Saber
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 21
Agility      - 17
Vitality     - 21
Intelligence - 15
Spirit       - 17
Luck         - 16
Seal item: Paladin's Proof -Cast: Saint Saber multitarget
Final equipment:
Sword     - Brave Blade
Helmet    - Hero's Crown
Armor     - Hero's Armor
Accessory - War King's Crest
Shield    - Sacred Shield

A very nice Light class.  Learns the beautiful spell Saint Saber, which gives a
weapon a Light attribute that does mega damage against Evil/Undead.  The best
part is that there are so many of those sort of monsters.  Anyway, the Paladin
is equipping the Sacred Shield which is generally the best shield in the game.
The Paladin is a good fighter and with the Saint Saber he can cause _very_ good
damage.  If you already have a healer in your party, take this class.  He also
has a very nice full-screen tech.

Bad points?  He still cannot multitarget his Heal Light spell and can't
multitarget Saint Saber.  He also doesn't learn as much Saber magic as the
Dark classes.  The Brave Blade (the Paladin's final sword) is weaker than the
Sigmund (the Lord's final sword) by about 2 attack points too. :) The last bad
thing about the Paladin class is his sub-screen that, IMHO, is his worst.

Good class if you have Kevin as a God Hand but you find you still need more
healing.  Saint Saber is a great spell, and because he's Duran, he can whup
some ass!

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
Almost everyone says this is far superior to Lord. Crap. Paladin gets Durans
lowest attack power, and since he's mainly a physical attacker, this really
matters. Still only ST Heal Light, thus not good for only healer. Paired with
God Hand it can be probably enough. Only other spell he gets is Saint Saber.
Let's see, you need it on....2 fights? Zable-Fahr and Black Rabite. Just get
another 2 of Paladin's Proofs, and that's it. Or get a Bishop. Paladin gets a
good FST, that looks cool and is powrful. I'd still rank him as Duran's worst
class. He does have a cooler sub-screen pose and colors than Lord.

From EternalSpirit:
This is one of the weaker classes of Duran in my opinion. Doesn't heal as fast
with STHL, and Saint Saber isn't really all that great. Again, good attack
power, and a GREAT FST, but that's about all this class has.

From MeepleLard:
IMHO, his worst class, but that does not mean he's bad. He is just bad compared
to his other classes. He has a good FST, and Saint Saber as well as a powerful
Heal Light, but he does do the least damage with his weapons(ok, 2 points is
not much, but I am just pointing out that the Lord is not the weakest) The
Sacred Shield is OK, but for me, it does not do that much. I would use this
class if I am going to fight the Black Rabite, or need a good FST and Healer at
the same time.

From RyuSeiryuu:
A very good class in my opinion. It is able to equip the sacred shield which is
able to reduce the magic attack damage by one third. This class is able to cast
Heal Light which heals characters for decent HP but probably not quite as
useful as the God Hand or Lord. This is also one of the two classes (the other
one is Bishop) that are able to learn Saint Saber. This could be quite useful
on most enemies except for the light ones. Alright, some people prefer to use
Thunder Saber or whatever on different enemies, but I prefer to use Saint
Saber. =) A good overall class for Duran.

From NothingMan:
A great class, IMO. Although it is Duran's weakest class, though only by a
couple points, he makes up for this with a powerful Single Target Heal Light,
Saint Sabre, which is a godsend towards the end of the game, the Sacred Shield,
which cuts magic damage by 1/3, and a very powerful FST. My favorite Light
class.

Lord - A warrior who fights for others, and will protect them with his own life
Tech: Magic Circle -Single
Spells: Heal Light*, Tinkle Rain
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 21
Agility      - 18
Vitality     - 21
Intelligence - 16
Spirit       - 16
Luck         - 17
Seal item: Lord's Proof -Cast: Heal Light multitarget
Final equipment:
Sword     - Sigmund
Helmet    - Protection Helm
Armor     - Protect Armor
Accessory - War King's Crest
Shield    - Oath Shield and the Adamant Shield

The best class for Duran if you don't have a healer and you think you need one.
In this class Duran will learn to multitarget Heal Light and learn the Tinkle
Rain spell which cures status alignments.  While Tinkle Rain is pretty close to
useless, multitarget Heal Light is one of the best spells in the game.  The
Lord is _not_ useless, as he is often described as, but _is_ much different
from say the Swordmaster.  The Lord can equip the Oath Shield, _and_the
Adamant Shield, which has an Evade of 25.  Sigmund (the Lord's final sword) has
2 more attack points than the Brave Blade (the Paladin's final sword).

Where the Paladin has Saint Saber for variety, the Lord doesn't.  Well, he has
Tinkle Rain of course, but wow, it's the same as using Puipui Grass.  Haha.
Another thing that isn't good is that the Lord is the only final class of Duran
that has no full-screen tech.  Single enemy techs may be better for bosses, but
by about the time you reach level 38 the enemies are rather strong, and having
a full-screen tech saves you a lot of HP.  But in the end though, the Lord
isn't as effective as the Warrior Monk for healing, and is no where near as
effective as Carlie.

So, should you find you need a good source of HP and a decent fighter, take the
Lord.  He isn't a Carlie of healing, but he does try his hardest and has a good
enough Vitality to make damn sure you get that Heal Light without fail.  A good
class for newbies because it is hard to die with multitarget Heal Light. :)

From GoodLuckDie:
There is besides the multitargeted Heal Light, Adamant Shield and high vitality
another reason why this Class tends to be one of the most reliable in the
entire game.  Though I'm not completely sure if it is caused by the Lord's
final armor or simply by the Class Change itself, as a Lord Duran will become
almost totally immune to status effects.  With the exception of silence and
snowman, not a single status ailment will be able to affect him anymore.
It's surprisingly helpful in a lot of situations, and it's also unique - no
other Class whatsoever has this ability.

All this has an unexpected side-effect by the way.  Because Duran can't be
Chibikko'd anymore either, the Chibikko Hammer will have the same effect on him
as a Puipui Grass - it will nullify any of the few things that are still
capable of affecting him, while it no longer causes any change in Duran's
condition on its own.  Very useful to know when you're up against Heath for
example.  Also, because Duran can't be poisoned anymore either, the Lord is an
excellent Class to have when you need to fight your way through Dragon Zombies
and Carmilla Queens.

My note: I too have noticed this.  GoodLuckDie has informed me that the Adamant
Shield _is_ in the game, and today I saw it with my own eyes (it looks like the
Sacred Shield, but is silvery gray instead)!  What I have found is that the
Oath Shield makes Duran immune to status effects.  It does not work with the
Adamant Shield, though.

From GoodLuckDie:
Hey there again pal.

Reason I'm contacting you again is cause I found an interesting something about
the Lord.  It's a bit on the sideline, but I thought it might interest you
anyway.

I recently brought Duran to level 57, to get the Lord's stats up to their
maximum.  Eventually, I reached an agility of 18 with it, with the result that
all standard shields gave him an evade rate of 58, which is pretty damn
impressive on its own.  I first noticed it with the Oath Shield equiped, so
naturally, with the Adamant Shield giving a +5 evade rate over all other
shields, I expected to get an evade rate of 63.  Curious thing was that I got
60.  Looks like an evade rate of 60 is the absolute maximum the game allows,
meaning that if you tech Duran's agility as a Lord up to its max, the Adamant
Shield will only give a +2 evade rate, as it already pushes the evade to its
most extreme limit with those extra 2 points.

Then again, an evade rate of 60 combined with a vitality of 21...
God I love this Class.

My note: I see...  This is VERY good info to know, GoodLuckDie.  I haven't tried
this yet, but you can trust his info as good as mine anyday.
I actually wouldn't have expected there to be a max for Agility, but I guess you
learn new things everyday.  I'm pretty sure this is the only FAQ with this
information, so thanks for it pal.

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
Higher attack power than Paladin, MT Heal Light, Tinkle Rain. All are useful,
Pally gets none of them. Only bad thing about Lord are his horrible colors and
a ST tech. But Magic Circle is on of the coolest ST techs in the game, and it's
pretty powerful. This is the way to go with Duran if you dont have another
character who can heal.

From EternalSpirit:
This is, in my opinion, Duran's best class to choose from in a LOT of parties
without Carlie. He gets the amazing Magic Circle tech, decent MTHL, and great
attack power (but don't all his FC's attack great?). The tech is only single
targeted, but that's good in some cases.

From MeepleLard:
This is one Awesome class. He has a powerful MTHL, and tinkle rain, but
the Latter spell is easily replacable. His Magic Circle Tech is so powerful, as
it does 940+ to a boss under right conditions. He also gets 2 ultimate shields,
both are pretty good. It depends on whether you want More Evade or lack of
Status effects, and both are good. The Lord has some nice stats as well, and
sacrifices nothing except the Potential to learn Saint Saber, but MTHL is
better IMHO. A great class to put into consideration.

From RyuSeiryuu:
This is another amazing class for Duran. It is able to equip the Oath shield,
which raises the evade rate very high. When I first played this class, the
shield amazed me. Duran's evade rate with the shield equipped is even higher
than Hawk. Imagine a very powerful sword swinging fighter able to move around
like Hawk. Heal light all is also a good addition to the Lord. I think this
class has much usefulness as the Paladin. If not, then maybe more.

From NothingMan:
My opinion on this class differs from the rest, although that can probably be
attributed to my playing style. I just don't like the Lord all that much. I've
always found Multi Target Heal Light to be an unnecessary commodity, as Poto
Oils, and in extreme circumstances, Single Target Heal Light and Honey Drinks,
get the job done for me just fine. Tinkle Rain is quite useless, IMO, as Mama
Poto Oils easily replace this spell and can be Multitargeted, and since they
are items they can be used if your party gets silenced, whereas you would be
unable to cast Tinkle Rain. The Lord's tech is OK, it's not quite as great as a
lot of people say, IMO, but it's not bad. One good thing the Lord has going for
him are his Shields, the Oath and Adamant Shield. The former grants him
immunties to most status ailments, and the latter gives him a great boost to
his evade rate. However, this is kind of useless, IMO, since most of the more
threatening enemies later in the game use magical attacks over physical,
anyway, making the Paladin's Sacred Shield better overall, IMO. The Lord, isn't
bad, just not the godsend everyone seems to think he is. Again, this is
probably just because my playing style is different, but that's my opinion.

Gladiator - Fights for himself, using perfected swordstrikes and deadly power
Tech: Whirlwind Sword -Full Screen
Spells: Diamond Saber, Thunder Saber, Flame Saber, Ice Saber
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 18
Agility      - 16
Vitality     - 17
Intelligence - 14
Spirit       - 13
Luck         - 13

If you want power, then this is the second class for you.  It has the highest
Strength rating out of all the second classes and the second highest Vitality
rating out of all the second classes (Kevin's second classes have 1 more point
of Vitality).  His Agility is up there too.  A very great asset to this class
is the four basic Elemental Sabers!  Using these Saber spells, you can exploit
any enemy's weakness.  Perfect for the God-beasts!  Also has more attack power
than the Knight.  Last but not least, he has a very powerful Level 2 tech
that's full-screen as well!

In his Dark classes, Duran gains more Strength and loses the ability to equip a
shield.  None of his Dark classes can equip shields.  He cannot multitarget his
Sabers (yet), so get ready to cast them 3 times on boss fights.

Take him along if you need attack power and have low Strength characters like
Angela, who could benefit from it.  If you are confident and find not having
Heal Light to be bearable, go with the Gladiator.

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
If you have a healer, then definetely go dark. Higher attack power is IMO more
valuable than a shield. Gets a lame FST, and elemental sabers. Sabers help a
lot against god-beasts, and only Carlie's Light classes can get them besides
him. Stupid sub-screen pose once again.

Duelist - With inhuman speed and power, he takes up a blade to dance with death
Tech: Eruption Sword -Full Screen
Spells: Diamond Saber, Thunder Saber, Flame Saber, Ice Saber, Dark Saber
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 22
Agility      - 19
Vitality     - 21
Intelligence - 17
Spirit       - 15
Luck         - 15
Seal item: Duelist's Proof -Cast: Dark Saber multitarget
Final equipment:
Sword     - Deathbringer
Helmet    - Skull Head
Armor     - Skeleton Mail
Accessory - Master's Armband
Shield    - N/A

When you went to the Gladiator class, it was either for power or Sabers.  Now,
with the final Dark classes, you have to tossup between the two.  If you decide
on power, go with the Duelist and watch in amazement as he rocks the screen!
The Duelist is the strongest attacking class in the game, and he even recovers
quite fast now!  Sheer power and your beck and call!  Also, he learns the Dark
Saber spell, which will give you an advantage against Lightgazer.  To top off
the whole deal, YOU GET THE ERUPTION SWORD, one of the strongest techs in the
game!  Deathbringer (the Duelist's final sword) has 2 more attack points than
the Ragnarok (the Swordmaster's final sword).  If you have ever daydreamed
about sheer power, take the Duelist...you won't be disappointed.

The greatest downside to the Duelist is that he cannot multitarget any of his
spells.  None of them.  He doesn't get a shield, too.  Finally, the Dark Saber
spell isn't that useful because you never really fight Light/Holy enemies.

The Duelist rules.  Stick him with whoever you want, he has a huge attack power
and a really good full-screen tech.  If you want only fighters on your team,
take the Duelist.
If you find ourself in a party with Angela and Carlie, you will need every
ounce of physical power you can get.  Take the Duelist and you should be safe.
(I can guarantee you Duran will be safe, I mean Angela and Carlie should be.)
:) The Duelist isn't too good in the hands of a newbie, but once you start to
get familiar with the game you should be able to use the Duelist effectively.

From Lord Zero:
Eruption sword does somewhat higher damage than Seiryuu death fist, at least
technically talking. If Duran has 22 strenght and Kevin has 19. Since it´s only
1 hit, Eruption Sword should do more damage.  (Well, kevin can turn into a
wolf, anyway).

My note: Eruption Sword does do more damage than Seiryuu Death Fist during the
day, but when Kevin turns into a Wolf Devil his attack power gets pumped up and
it does equal damage then.

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
Wow. Hail to the King, baby. This is The Best And Most Awesome Class In The
Whole Game. Looks extremely sweet (both in-game and sub-screen (though pics and
color of Duran's dark classes seem to be mixed up...)). Gets highest attack
power of all Duran's classes, and of all classes in the whole game. Kevin can
get more at night, but Duelist gets it all day. IIRC it was 351 with 22 str and
Deathbringer. Add a STR Up (+1/3 to stat), and it goes to 468. Add a Defence
Down to enemies, and a correct saber. Can you say destruction? Especially with
Eruption Sword, the Mot powerful tech in the game, and its even a FST! It also
looks coolest of them all. Gets only Dark Saber over the elemental ones, and
basically the only place to use it is the rematch with Full Metal Hagger. Quite
useless, I'd say. Now, the reasons for not taking Sword Master instead.

1. There is no need to multitarget sabers; theyre only needed on bosses and
  theres enough time to cast it 2 or 3 times.

2. Leaf and Moon sabers are handy, but not needed.

3. Power.

So, if you have a healer already, then go for the Duelist. It's worth it, this
class 0wnz j00.

From EternalSpirit:
This is the most devastating class in the entire game. Highest attack power,
insanely damaging FST, slow, ST sabers, but that's ok. He's mainly here for the
attack power. A great class if you have a team that has crap for attack power.

From MeepleLard:
This Class is too powerful physically. Under the Right Conditions, he can deal
a good 500 points of damage with his Standard attack. His FST, Eruption Sword,
is the Strongest in the game. I once got it to do 993 to Arch Demon, and that's
pretty darn good(fine, VERY GOOD) The one thing I don't like about the Duelist
is that he learns only 1 new spell, the ALmost Useless Dark Saber. And he can't
MT his old ones. But the extra boost in Strength sure comes in handy. A class
that is definatly worth Putting into consideration.

From RyuSeiryuu:
Now this is my favorite dark class. I don't mind casting sabers over a little
duration. I don't even really need the sabers when it comes to this class. The
Duelist is able to attack with severity and the level 3 tech Eruption Sword
deals a lot of damage and I think it is worth seeing. If you equip the
Deathbringer weapon on the Duelist, it would just make him even more powerful.
With a max strength of 22 on this class, Duran is able to wreak havoc on the
enemies.

From NothingMan:
My favorite class for Duran. Obsecenely high attack power and a devastating
FST. He learns only one new spell, the rather useless Dark Saber, but IMO,
Duran is more of a fighter than anything else, and no one does it quite as well
as the Duelist. This class is even more powerful when combined with the
Wandered or God Hand...cast Aura Wave and watch everything on the screen die.
Awesome class, and my personal favorite.

Swordmaster - Seeks extreme swordmagic to combine with his superb swordsmanship
Tech: Vacuum Sword -Full Screen
Spells: Diamond Saber*, Thunder Saber*, Flame Saber*, Ice Saber*, Moon Saber,
Leaf Saber
Maximum stats:
Strength     - 21
Agility      - 18
Vitality     - 21
Intelligence - 16
Spirit       - 16
Luck         - 16
Seal item: Master's Proof -Cast: Diamond Saber multitarget
Final equipment:
Sword     - Ragnarok
Helmet    - Rising Moon Helm
Armor     - Master's Armor
Accessory - Master's Armband
Shield    - N/A

When you went to the Gladiator class, it was either for power or Sabers.  Now,
with the final Dark classes, you have to tossup between the two.  If you decide
on Sabers, go with the Swordmaster and grin like an idiot as he learns every
Saber in the game bar Saint and Dark!  You heard me!  All of them except for
Saint and Dark!  That's the Moon and Leaf Sabers _in the same class_!  Now, to
make you even happier, he gets to _multitarget_ all of his Gladiator's Sabers.
Hows that?  Plus (yes it is possible for it to get better!) he gets a
full-screen tech!  And, damage wise, it's on par with the Flashing Sword!
Probably the best class to balance him out.  VERY COOL!

Well, as a Swordmaster, Duran won't come close to the Duelist in attack power.
Closer than his other final classes maybe, but the Duelist still owns in the
attack rating.  Also, Moon and Leaf Saber can't be multitargeted.  The Ragnarok
(the Swordmaster's final sword) is weaker than Deathbringer (the Duelist's
final sword) by 2 attack points.  Doesn't get a shield, but you knew that
right?  Doesn't excel in anything, because he is balanced.

If you have a pretty balanced party and want an edge in fights, take the
Swordmaster.  He'll give you all the Sabers you'll ever need.  Add's good Saber
support to balance Duran out.  I personally prefer the Duelist, but that is
_only_ my opinion.  Take this one if you are new to the game, because the
Duelist requires a more experienced approach.

NEW TO VERSION 5.0:
According to Lord Zero's Lise FAQ (and Norse mythology) Ragnarok was the final
battle between the Gods and the Giants, in which the Gods would lose and the
Earth be scorched by a fire Giant.  Want more info on this?  Go to Lord Zero's
Lise FAQ at GameFAQs.  There is more information on this Character Guide in
section 16.

So hows that for the name of a final weapon, eh?

Opinions from other gamers:
From Veib:
A good class, but I just don't see the point in taking him over the Duelist
(reasons in Duelist's part). Cool colors and sub-screen pose, a lame-looking
yet powerful FST. Gets to multitarget all elemental sabers, and is the only
class in the game who gets _both_ Leaf and Moon saber. They can't be
multitargeted, however. Not my type of class.

From EternalSpirit:
This is the funnest class of Duran's to choose from. MT elemental sabers, plus
moon and leaf saber to mess around with. Moon and leaf can also help heal life
and MP. Good attack power, not too impressive FST (but that's ok, his spells
make up for it), and he looks pretty cool.

From MeepleLard:
My favorite Class of Duran's. Not only is he Strong and has an FST, but has all
the Sabers except Saint Saber(which loses usefullness after a certain point)
and Dark Saber(hardest Saber to find Uses for). And he learns to MT the basic
sabers. He is also good if you want sabers but lack a healer, since Moon Saber
can be a great substitute to use on Bosses if you can't heal. Pairing him with
Angela is a good idea, since he can Cast Leaf saber on Angela making her have
almost Unlimited Death Spells/Rainbow Dusts/2x Spell/Ancients to use at will.
And I love the name of his weapon, Ragnorak.

From RyuSeiryuu:
If you want to have as many learned sabers for your party, then this is the
class to choose. The class is able to learn most sabers (except light and dark)
which can be very efficient in a team of all attackers. The Swordmaster is able
to multitarget the sabers he learns as a Gladiator and also learns Moon and
Leaf Saber. Not a bad class overall but if you want to have more power, then I
would choose the Duelist.

From NothingMan:
If you want Saber's, here's your man. In addition to being able to Multi target
his Gladiator Sabers, he learns Moon and Leaf Saber as well. However, I find
that by the time he learns to Multi target his Sabers, most of the God Beasts
are already dead and I'm moving onto the final areas of the game, where they
aren't quite as useful. Moon Sabre is only useful if you don't have a healer,
otherwise, it's just a novelty spell. Leaf Sabre is decent, but if used against
the wrong enemies, can severely hurt you, as you'll end up losing MP as a
result. The Swordmaster has a powerful FST and good attack power. It is a good
class, but not the best.

=======================================================================
X  10. T I P S  A N D  A D V I C E  F R O M  F E L L O W  G A M E R S X
=======================================================================
Here is where the bulk of email sent to me will be posted.  I'll add some of my
own tips and tactics, but I really would like some sent in by other gamers.
I will only take Duran specific tips, or tips that somehow relate to him.

Heal: Keep healed.  There is a spell in the game called Heal Light.  Duran's
Light classes learn this spell, and the Lord can multitarget it.

Multicasting: If you time it right, you can cast multiple spells one after
another without getting whacked.  Here's how it works:
This example uses Duran, Lise and Angela.  Imagine they are fighting 3 Frost
Dragons.  Start from Duran.
From Duran's magic box I select Lise's magic box.  I select Power Up.
I tap on the X button to get Duran's magic box up.  Then I select Hawk's magic
box and use Thunder Jutsu on all enemies.
Then I smash down on the X button so I can get Duran's magic box up really
fast.  I select Flame Saber multitarget.
Lise casts Power Up, Hawk then casts Thunder Jutsu to lower their defence.
Duran than casts Flame Saber multitarget, and Frost Dragons are weak against
fire.  All the spells are cast immediately after one another.
It works because whenever you are in the item ring/magic ring, a spell is still
being prepared so they get cast immediately one after another.
Make up your own combos!

Keep those class changing items: When you are finished with class changing
items, don't throw them away because when used they cast certain spells.
Here are Duran's:
Paladin's Proof: Casts Saint Saber multitarget
Lord's Proof: Casts Heal Light multitarget
Duelist's Proof: Casts Dark Saber mulitarget
Master's Proof: Casts Diamond Saber multitarget
See?  Now when all of your characters have changed into their final levels, you
will only get the _Dark_ items when you plant ??? Seeds.  Confused?  For
example, Duran is a Knight, and he has 4 Paladin Proof's and 3 Lord Proof's.
He changes into a Paladin, so he now has 3 of each.  Now the other two party
members change.  After all three have changed, they go to plant the rest of
their ??? Seeds, and only receive their Dark items.  (Master's Proof, Duelist's
Proof etc.)
The bad thing is, if you go for the Dark classes, you'll never get Light class
items like the Paladin's Proof.  I think this may be a glitch in the game.

From Lord Zero:
In you tips section, you say that if you go, let´s say, Duelist, you can´t get
light Class items. This is wrong. You will ONLY get light items, after the
class change, that is.

My note: I'm not wrong here, but then again, he probably isn't either.  I think
it depends on your ROM or cartridge somehow.

NEW TO VERSION 6.0:
Alright, I think I've worked it out now (emphasis on think).  If you change to
a Light Light or Light Dark Final Class you'll only get Light Class items.  But
if you change to a Dark Dark or Dark Light Final Class you'll only get Dark
Class items.  This proves why me and Lord Zero have gotten different things.
Of course, there is a very good chance that what I have just said is wrong, and
if it is, feel free to laugh. :)

Sabers: Duran learns alot of Saber type spells in his different classes, so use
these to full advantage.  Saint Saber is rather useful, because it causes extra
damage to Evil/Undead enemies.  Cast Leaf Saber on your spell casters so they
can regain their MP.

Techs: Duran has very powerful techs, so use (or abuse) them whenever you can.
Stick him with the God Hand or Wanderer and have them power him up with Aura
Wave.  Also time your attacks so you hit multiple enemies in one swing.
Duran's sword has a long reach, so take advantage.

Class changing note: When you class change, your stats get buffed up to the
maximum of your last class.  Example:
Here are the Fighter's max stats.
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Vitality: 11
Intelligence: 8
Spirit: 8
Luck: 8
When you class change from a Fighter, your stats get buffed up to these.
The point of this tip?  Don't raise your stats to learn a new spell in your
next class, because that is a waste.  Instead raise stats that will help you
out physically in your current class, because when you change class you'll get
your magic stats up anyway.

Thats all I've got for now, so send your advice in.  Share your own personal
strategies with everyone.  Remember, Duran related tips _only_.

=======================================================================
X  11. C O O L  D U R A N  S T U F F - S P O I L E R  A L E R T ! ! ! X
=======================================================================
This section of the guide is about parts in the game where something cool (or
funny) or even sad, happens involving our favorite hero.  This is pretty
spoiler-heavy so try to find out all these nifty things yourself first.  Sorry
if some of these are a little bit wrong.  I'm typing from memory, you see.
This is probably the most useless section in the whole guide, because if you
play Duran's quest thoroughly, you will discover most of these things here.  Oh
well.  Lets begin.

Got something to hide?
-Many people already know about this one, but some don't so here it is.  If you
have Angela in your group, head to Forcena, and move around to the right side
of the weapon and armor shop.  You will see a door.  It leads to Duran's
house.  Go inside, and then Duran will ask the group to skip the house, because
when he started his quest he decided not to return until he had defeated Koren.
After saying this though, Angela says something like, "Too bad, I really wanted
to see your room, but if you've got something to hide, like your porn
collection, I understand."
Duran looks all funny, and tells Angela to shut up.
Note: I tried coming back here after defeating Koren and he _still_ wouldn't
let my group in -sigh-.

Uhh, I received an email telling me that I should add that Duran does not have
a porn collection.
Duran does not have a porn collection people!  He's not a pervert (unlike the
Forcena librarian, who has XXX books in the library).  :)

DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO SPOIL A MAJOR PART
OF DURAN'S STORY!
Come to the Dark side Luke...oops I mean Duran.
-Ever thought Seiken Densetsu 3 is like Star Wars?  Haven't?  This is quite a
good one then.  For this one Duran must me your main character, because you
have to do his quest.  After defeating Zable-Fahr, wander around a bit (sorry
for the vague instructions here, but this is a guide, after all, and not a
walkthrough), until you find a headless and armless gold statue.  Save (if you
want), then go north, and then all the way to the east.  You will find a dragon
mouth, enter.  Here you will find the Darkshine knight.  He will talk to Duran
and says something like he wouldn't want to hurt Duran because Duran is his
son!  Oh my gosh!  Anyway, he tells Duran that if he comes to the Dark side,
they would be together and they wouldn't have to fight.  (Sorry if I'm getting
some of this wrong, I'm typing from memory.)  Duran becomes peeved because he
knew that the Dragon Emperor had somehow corrupted his father Loki, the Knight
of Gold.  Then you fight him, and after defeating him, Loki's spirit will
appear and say thank you for releasing him, and says that the Dragon
Emperor had brought him back to life to fight for Evil.  See?  Told you this
game could be like Star Wars.  Duran = Luke, Darkshine Knight = Darth Vader.

Note:  I know that you fight the Darkshine knight if Angela is your main
character, but I don't know if he reveals himself as Duran's dad if Angela is
the main character.  Could someone confirm this?

Dad?
-This works if Angela is your main character as well as Duran.  Anyway, once
you get to Pedan, and find out where the Dark mana stone is, go to the guy who
sells armor.  You will find a Knight of Gold with King Richard.  Upon talking
to them, you'll find out that this is _Prince_ Richard, and the Knight is Loki,
Duran's father!  I read in Loopy's Seiken Densetsu 3 FAQ that the whole of
Pedan and the Forest of Illusion is all an illusion, and that what you see in
Pedan happened 12 years ago.  Talk to them, and they will talk a bit, and then
leave for Dragon's Hole to fight the Dragon Emperor.  If Duran is with you,
he'll tell Loki that his name is Duran, and that he is his son and that if they
would go against the Dragon Emperor that Loki would die.  Loki says that his
son, Duran, is only five years old, and is back home.  He then says something
like, "I hope he grows up to be strong like you, though."  Then they leave, and
Duran is left by his father once again...

STOP THE BOAT!!!
-For this one, Duran _cannot_ be in your team.  He can't.  And Carlie has to
have been your third character.  The reasons for this is that when Carlie is
your third character, you get her in the Cave of Waterfalls.  Anyway, after
fighting the Full Metal Hugger, carry on until Lugar pushes you off the
waterfall.  When you awaken, you'll be in Jad's prison.  There will be another
character in the cell next to you.  Normally, this would be your third
character, but because you already have Carlie, it is someone else.  Yep, in
the cell next to you is Duran.  This is why he can't be in your party, because
if he is, he can't be in the cell next to you.  If he is in your party, and
Carlie is your third character, it would be someone else, obviously.  Anyway,
Duran will get the guard's attention, and then lock him in the cell.  He'll
come and free you then.  After this, he'll tell you that it might be best to
split up, and tells you that he'll distract the beastmen so you can get away to
the port; he heard rumors of a boat leaving soon.  What a legend!  Anyway,
fight your way to the port, and climb on board the boat, 'cause it's free.
One of your characters (main or not, I can't remember) will tell the captain to
wait for Duran.  The captain says sorry, and takes off.  But then Duran comes
running up!  NOOOO!  He tells the captain to wait up, but they have already
left.  Drats!  I know people who would laugh at this, I actually thought it was
sad...
I wonder what happens to Duran after this?  I mean, I hope he made it to
Forcena...

From GoodLuckDie:
You mentioned that you didn't know what happened to Duran after the
ship took of without him, and that you hoped that he made it to Forcena.

Yeah he did make it.  If you would have played if further with that
team you need to see this scene happening, you'll encounter Duran
again at the Demon statue in the Molebear Highlands.  I'm telling this
from memory too here, but he did say something along the lines of:
" I didn't expect to see you guys again.  After you left with the ship,
I fought my way through a group of Beastman in the confusion and flew
one of their giant birds out of there. "

Hehehe... you gotta admit - he's really something.

He also sais he was on a journey to find Koren by himself, but returned
to Forcena when he heard the rumors that Altena was planning an
invasion, and then asks the team if they would mind assisting him cause
they look like fighters themselves.  Then he finishes the converation
by saying " Well, I'm kinda in a hurry, so if you'll excuse me... ",
and he runs off.

My note: Thanks for the cool info GoodLuckDie!  And he really _is_
something, isn't he?

From GoodLuckDie:
- About the "thing" going on between Duran and Angela.
If you play Duran's quest without Angela in your team, you might think that
nothing will happen between them cause Duran and Angela never really get
together.  You're all wrong.  After the defeat of Koren, Duran will find
Angela's mother in Dragon's Hole and takes her back to Altena.  Now that the
Queen is back to normal and Altena is restored to the way it was before Koren's
return, Angela can finally come home again.  And the guy who made this all
possible for her is... you guessed it.  If you talk to Angela after the
conversation between Duran and the Queen, she will say this:

" Duran... thanks to you, I can finally come home!  Thank you...
Duran... you're so great! "  *KISS*

The lucky dog...  ;-)

From Lord Zero:
I only saw that ending the first time I played, and yes, duran was my main
character, but since I´ve never played with Angela again, I don´t know if it
happens without him.

=======================================================================
X  12. T H E  B L A C K  R A B I T E                                  X
=======================================================================
One of the advantages of playing Duran's/Angela's quest is fighting a super-
secret boss called the Black Rabite.  Rabites are those pesky little bunny
things, and come in a variety of colors and flavors.  They are usually really
easy to beat-up.  Anyway, this one isn't.  YOU MUST HAVE BEATEN KOREN!!!  This
is important, because you will not be able to get to the Black Rabite if you
have not defeated Koren.  To get to the little fool, start at the room where
you fought the Darkshine Knight.  Go north, and then north once again.  You
will have to circle around abit on the second north part.  Head east, then east
again.  Go north, heading northwest.  You will come to two exits, one going due
west, the other due north.  Go through the due north one.  From there on, just
follow on, there is only one exit each screen.  If you _really_ need more
specific directions, email me.  It's not that hard to find.  You will
eventually come to a vertical corridor.  Push on the left wall and you will end
up in the Black Rabite's lair.

What you need:
Items:

Poto Oil:
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.  Casts multitarget Heal Light.  You should have a healer
that can cast multitarget Heal Light, but if you don't, oh man.  Stock up on
these.  Find them at Byzel's Black Market.

Honey Drink:
Useful for sticky situations, and the Black Rabite will give you many, many
sticky situations.  Buy them at item shops.

Puipui Grass/Mama Poto Oil/Chibikko Hammer:
All these heal you of status alignments.  Very useful when fighting Blackie.
Use the Chibikko Hammer twice to get rid of status alignments.  Buy Puipui
Grass at item shops, Mama Poto Oil at the Black Market and you should already
have the hammer.

Matango Oil:
Casts Reflect Magic on one person.  Reflects _attack_ magic back at the Black
Rabite.  Hawk's Wanderer class has an ability called Counter Magic which does
the same job as Matango Oil.  I don't think you can reflect Ancient, though.
Find it after beating up some enemy in the Forest of Wonder.  Sorry I forgot
the name.
All right, I found the monster, it's called a Darth Mantango and looks like a
mushroom.

Papa Poto's Claw/Paladin's Proof:
Both these items cast Saint Saber.  The claw is single ally, but the Paladin's
Proof casts it on all three of your characters.  Saint Saber is quite useful
for fighting Blackie, since he is weak to Wisp-based spells.  He likes to cast
Dark Saber on your entire team so you heal him, so you may have to use extra.
Find Papa Poto Claws after smashing up Papa Poto's and find Paladin Proofs
using ??? Seeds.

Carmilla's Claw/Demon Wolf Soul:
Cast Moon Saber.  The Demon Wolf Soul gives Moon Saber to your entire team, the
claw is only single.  I find it more useful to not have any Sabers on, except
for Saint, but it's your call.  Kill a Carmilla for it's claw, and get the
Demon Wolf Soul from a ??? Seed.

Crawler's Claw/Silver Wolf Soul:
Cast Leaf Saber.  Both items cast Leaf Saber to one ally.  Magic isn't too
useful in the fight, but if you have a healer with Heal Light, giving them Leaf
Saber is a good move.  Kill a Crawler for it's claw, and get the Silver Wolf
Soul from a ??? Seed.

Drake's Scale, Bulette's Scale, Sahagin's Scale, Bird's Scale:
Cast stat up spells on one person.  VERY USEFUL for fighting Blackie.
Drake's Scale and Sahagin's Scale are probably the most useful, because Drake
Scales raises attack, increasing damage dealt, and Sahagin's Scale reduces the
damage his spells do to you.  Find them at the Black Market.

Slime's Eye, Bee's Eye, Battum's Eye, Needlelion's eye:
Cast stat down spells on the Black Rabite.  Harder to find than the scales,
because they can't be brought.  Use them once on the Black Rabite and thats all
you have to do.  Hawk's Ninja skills will do the same, and so will Lise's Dark
classes.  Find them after beating the respective monster.

Shadowzero's Eye/Bottle of Ashes:
Casts Black Curse.  Black Curse lowers all four stats at the same time.  Useful
if you can't find some of the above items.  Find Shadowzero Eyes after killing
Shadowzeros (BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THESE MONSTERS, BECAUSE THEY _WILL_ KILL YOU
IF YOU AREN'T!!!).  Find Bottle of Ashes using ??? Seeds (Carlie must be in
your team).

Specter's Eye:
Casts Anti-Magic to remove Blackies Dark attribute.  Laugh as he casts Hell
Cross to heal and knocks the piss out of himself.  Don't use this if you want a
challenge.  Buy them for 40 Luc a pop at the Black Market.  You'll only need
one, however.

Angel's Grail:
Revives your characters.  Useful, to say the least.  Buy them at item shops.

Spells:
Multitarget Heal Light - Substitute: Poto Oil *
Tinkle Rain - Substitute: Mama Poto Oil/Chibikko Hammer/Puipui Grass
Reflect Magic/Counter Magic - Substitute: Matango Oil
Saint Saber - Substitute: Papa Poto's Claw/Paladin's Proof
Moon Saber - Substitute: Carmilla's Claw/Demon Wolf Soul
Leaf Saber - Substitute: Crawler's Claw/Silver Wolf Soul
Power Up, Mind Up, Speed Up, Protect Up - Substitute: Drake's Scale, Sahagin's
Scale, Bird's Scale, Bulette's Scale.
Power Down, Protect Down, Mind Down, Speed Down - Substitute: Slime's Eye,
Bee's Eye, Battum's Eye, Needlelion's Eye.
Black Curse - Substitute: Shadowzero's Eye/Bottle of Ashes
Anti-Magic - Substitute: Specter's Eye
* I guarantee you won't survive without multitarget Heal Light or Poto Oils.

Helpful tips:
Try to get each of your characters final Weapons and Armors and set up your
item ring to include heaps of healing items plus those items mentioned above.
Now it's show time.  Enter into the Black Rabite's lair and get prepared for a
careful fight.

Save during the fight on different slots (if your using an emulator).

People say to make your team use only Level 1 techs, but it's really your call.
I didn't the first time I beat him, so it is still possible to win with Level 2
or 3 techs.  He will retaliate against them, so be careful.

Attack magic isn't too useful, because Elemental spells heal him and mega
spells (Ancient etc) don't do enough damage.

The Black Rabite has an annoying ability called Summon Level 99 Great Demon,
which makes Level 99 Great Demons for you to fight.  They give you no EXP.

Your characters should be around the Level 50 mark, anything higher is a waste
of time.

If he casts Dark Saber on your team, remove it with Moon, Leaf or Saint.  If
you can't, use Stardust Herbs, but you will have to recast all your stat up etc
spells again.  If you don't want to recast all those, use a Specter's Eye on
Blackie to remove his Dark Attribute.  Dark Saber won't heal him anymore.

He also likes to cast 2-4 spells in a row, SO HEAL WHENEVER HE HITS YOU WITH A
SPELL.  All the time too, because he may cast another two spells that will
catch you off guard.

Don't use elemental Sabers in this fight, because they do 1 damage to the Black
Rabite.  Heh, imagine fighting Black Rabite's full-time instead of normal ones.

How to kill him:
He'll hit you with a multitarget Dark Force spell first up, so use Heal Light
or something and use/cast all those items/spells to help you in the fight.
Corner him and try to stand and move to block him off while your other two
party members cane, knock, smash him into the walls.  Sometimes the rabite
glows white, and people think he recovered all his HP.  I really doubt that
though.  As I said, corner him and heal, then when he is low in the HP
department, he'll cast Ancient.  That's why I don't think he heals all his HP
when he glows white, because one time I fought him, he glowed white and then,
after a few more hits, cast Ancient.  Chase him and heal, and you'll get there
in the end.

When he dies, he may leave a chest.  Reload until you get it
(you'll want what's in that chest).  If you didn't get it, make sure to kill
him last, and take out any Demon's first.  In the chest is the Moogle Badge,
which mooglelises and un-mooglelises your team.  It's mainly for novelty value
though, because it's pretty worthless. :)
Congratulations, you bet the Black Rabite!
Feel free to submit your own tips on defeating him!!!

=======================================================================
X  13. F A Q S                                                        X
=======================================================================
Frequently asked questions.  Look through here before emailing me with
problems, because you might find your answer here.

Send in your questions, and I'll post the questions and answers here (plus
email you back the answer, if it can't be found in the FAQ).  Send all
questions to [email protected] or my ICQ 118986797.
DURAN RELATED QUESTIONS ONLY!

=======================================================================
X  14. T H E  V O T I N G  P O L L                                    X
=======================================================================
I am closing the voting poll.  I don't get enough emails (but I get very good
ones) and the poll relies on email.  I may reopen it in a future version of the
FAQ but I doubt it.  Thanks to everyone who voted.

The winner was the Duelist, BTW.

=======================================================================
X  15. C R E D I T S - F I N I S H I N G  U P                         X
=======================================================================
Wow, I actually done it!  Didn't think I would.  Anyway, this section of the
guide is dedicated to whoever helped me make it and stuff.
Anyway, thanks to these people:

Squaresoft - C'mon, you gotta admire them.  They have given us such great games
over the years.  But they have also made mistakes.  No one's perfect, so I can
sorta forgive them for not releasing Seiken Densetsu 3 out of Japan.

Neill Corlett, Lina'chan, Nuku-nuku, and SoM2Freak - Legends.  All four of you.
Thanks to these people, all of us English speakers can play Seiken Densetsu 3
in full English.  Thanks for the 100% translation guys.  It's not much, but
Thank you anyway!  Earned my respect very quickly.  Here's their Seiken
Densetsu 3 translation homepage:  http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nscorlet/sd3/  Go have
a look there.

Lord Zero - He sent me some very good information, and heaps of it.  Thank you
for your input and contribution.  Lord Zero has a FAQ/Walkthrough for Seiken
Densetsu 3 too.  It is in Spanish, and you can find it at GameFAQs.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

NEW TO VERSION 5.0:
Lord Zero has also created a Lise FAQ, similiar to my Duran FAQ.  For more info
on this, check out section 16.

GoodLuckDie - GoodLuckDie also sent me heaps of information, and is another
loyal Duran fan.  Thanks for your information, and the cool shield info man.
GoodLuckDie is the author of the Class and Class Combinations Guide.  His Guide
is one of the cooler ones, because it doesn't give the usual "Duran sucks"
feeling.  You can find his Guide at GameFAQs.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

NEW TO VERSION 5.0:
GoodLuckDie has updated his FAQ again, adding in information that he and I
found out and discussed via email.  READ HIS FAQ FOR CORRECT INFORMATION!  Some
of the Seiken Densetsu 3 FAQs are so chocked-full of false info it's not funny.
Luckily for you and I GoodLuckDie's FAQ isn't one of them.  Not to mention his
emails were funny.  Thanks for everything and keep updating the Class and
Class Combinations Guide.  Adios, pal.

MeepleLard - One of my pals from the Seiken Densetsu 3 Messageboard at
GameFAQs, Meeple is great to rant against, or just to talk to.  He (also) has
created a character guide; a Hawk FAQ.  For more info on this, check out
section 16.  Gave me some handy Class Opinions, too.

DC - Thanks to this guy here for completing the most thorough FAQ/Walkthrough
on Seiken Densetsu 3.  It helped me a lot when I first went through the game.
I never talked to you and you have never once said a word to me, but you have
earned my respect.  Keep up the good work!  Find his FAQ at GameFAQs.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

Nightblade - This guy also made a FAQ/Walkthrough for Seiken Densetsu 3.  His
isn't as long or big as DC's, but I was once stuck off the net for 3 months one
time, and his Walkthrough was the only one I had with me.  It got the job done,
but I don't think he's updating it anymore. :(  Find his FAQ at GameFAQs.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

Loopy - Another Seiken Densetsu 3 FAQ author.  I just thought I'd mention him
because of his interesting viewpoint on what happens to Loki and Prince Richard
in Pedan.  Plus his FAQ is awesome, and it has a blue dot (meaning FAQ
completion).  As usual, find his FAQ at GameFAQs.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com).

Veib - This guy sent in the first Class Opinions, and saved me from looking
like a loser without any.  :) Thanks buddy, say hi on the messageboards, ok?

EternalSpirit - Another cool person to talk to on the Seiken Densetsu 3
messageboard.  Also gave me some nice Class Opinions.  I owe you one. :)

RyuSeiryuu - The Guru of the Seiken Densetsu 3 messageboards, Ryu is known for
his knowledge of the game and just for being a friendly and decent guy to talk
to.  If you don't know, Ryu has also done a FAQ for the game, available at
GameFAQs.  Thanks for the Class Opinions, pal.

NothingMan - You guessed it, Class Opinions!  Some of his are different to mine
and other's, but having different viewpoints and insights are great in my book
anyday.

Matthew, Tim, Belsham, Ryan, Liam and Eric - For being the best friends ever.
All of you.  (Yes, even you Liam... :P).  Thanks a bunch guys.

CJayC - The head honcho behind GameFAQs.  I'd just mention him for his kick ass
site and thank him for accepting this FAQ.
(http://www.gamefaqs.com) is his site, and a very good one at that.

Bahamut - Who's Bahamut?  The person that is translating the Guide to Duran
into German.  Look at section 16 for more info.

NEW TO VERSION 6.0:
The translation isn't going ahead, now.  As I said, for more info look at
section 16.

The Messageboard guys and gals - Great people to talk to.  Mainly, thanks to
ThundaSnake, MeepleLard, RyuSeiryuu, and Paul Wolfstien.  There were other ones
too, but I forgot. ^_^

You, the readers - For taking the time to read my FAQ, and listen to my rants.
You know who you are.

Those are the only people that have helped me.  If you want to get your name
posted above, send me tips, etc.  Read below for more information.

Wish List:
These all must include Duran in some way.  Here they are, not in any specific
order.  X's designate I no longer need that information

NEW TO VERSION 5.0:
I don't need any of these anymore.  You can send them in, but I can't guarantee
I'll update this FAQ from now on.

Shield information!  X
More Group Suggestions from the public X
Opinions about any of Duran's classes etc. X
Tips X
Black Rabite info X

Can you help me with any of the above?  I'll be utterly grateful and (if you
post enough) I'll even add your name on the Credits list. :)

=======================================================================
X  16. T H E  F I N A L  C H A P T E R                                X
=======================================================================
This is just the section where I'll put a few odds and ends, and tie everything
up.

Up with the Character Guides!:
Yes, there are two other Character Guides on GameFAQs.  One is a Lise FAQ,
created by Lord Zero.  While talking to him via email, he stated something
about not going through the game again to find information, unless he started
a Lise FAQ.  I retorted with, "Write that Lise Guide!", or something.  I later
found out that he had meant his comment as being half-a-joke, but he went ahead
and created it!

Yeah, his FAQ covers Lise pretty much the way mine covers Duran.  He also has
some pretty cool information on how Lise relates to Norse Mythology.  So...
check it out!  It's very cool, and he has actually solved the mystery of
Jormungand vs Lamia Naga (the bit on what does more damage).  Hell, he even
made a GIF to prove it!  Thanks again, buddy.

There's another, by MeepleLard, one of the people I know from the Seiken
Densetsu Messageboard.  His is a Hawk FAQ, and like the Lise or Duran FAQ,
covers pretty much everything relating to Hawk.  Extremely cool.  Actually, I'm
going to have to print it out for my cousin, cause he's a Hawk fanatic.  Keep
up the good work.

NEW TO VERSION 6.0:
Man, there's even ANOTHER one going up.  It's an Angela FAQ, by ThundaSnake.
Congrats to you bro.  Hey, that's four of the six characters down!  Who's gonna
finish them off with a Carlie or Kevin FAQ?  Anyway, congrats Thunda.

Yes, it's getting translated:
Into German, by a guy (or gal, I dunno) by the name of Bahamut.  Don't worry,
he only has permission to translate my info.  So keep an eye out for this one,
and I hope the translation is completed and helps out those people who don't
understand English.

NEW TO VERSION 6.0:
No, acutally it's not:
Well not anymore, anyway.  Due to my lack of experience of FAQ writing and a
lot of complications that I don't know how to handle yet, the translation isn't
going ahead.  So yeah, no translation.  Sorry to everyone who wanted it, and
sorry to Bahamut as well.

You ain't finish with this game?  Say what?!:
Yes, that's right.  I'm working on a "secret project" at the moment that should
interest a few people when it's posted.  Keep an eye on the Seiken Densetsu 3
FAQ page at GameFAQs for it.

NEW TO VERSION 6.0:
Yeah, it's still going too.  If you want more information, email me, and I
might just tell you.  Or you could go look at the Seiken Densetsu 3
messageboard at GameFAQs.

On a finishing note:
Remember, feel free to send in anything remotely related to Duran, and I'll
stick it where it should go.  (Like if you send in Black Rabite info, I'll put
it in the Black Rabite section.)  Put Seiken Densetsu 3 or something in the
subject box so I know what it's about.  Try to keep it readable people, cause
I won't be changing it, except to rearrange your lines to fit in the FAQ.
My email is tw1l1ght@hotmail, so send your tips, advice, information and
questions there.  You can also send questions to my ICQ, which is 118986797.
Questions only to that ICQ number, please.

So, send in all those Duran related tips, info, questions etc and don't
hesitate to email me and tell me about any mistakes in the FAQ.

And most importantly, don't flame Duran without trying him out for yourself
first.  He deserves a fair chance, so give him one!

Of course, now that this is the Final version, I can't guarantee I'll update
this FAQ to add more info.

Well, thats it for now (and probably ever).  And no, I probably won't see you
next update (cause there probably won't ever be one).  Although you may see me
on the Seiken Densetsu 3 Messageboard at GameFAQs under the name Tw1light.
(Twilight was already taken as a username, damn!)  Also, as I mentioned above I
will be busy working on a "secret project" so keep an eye out for that, ok?

Try Duran out sometime, you may be suprised at what you find.  It's been a
blast completing this FAQ, and I can whole-heartedly recommend you to try your
hand at writing a FAQ yourself.  It's a lot of fun.

Farewell my friends,
T W I L I G H T

Quote of the century:
"THERE'S NO JUSTICE.  THERE'S JUST ME." - Death, from the Discworld Novel Mort.

This FAQ is © Copyright 2001 Twilight

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