ngNow I'm not gonna do one of those fancy banners at the top of my
walkthrough. Mostly because I don't know how. If anyone wants to make
a banner and would like me to use it, send it to me through e-mail and
I'll credit it to you. Just be sure to tell me what name you want me
to credit it to, or I'll default to the e-mail address from which I
receive it.


SWORD ART ONLINE:
LOST SONG
Copyright 2016, Kratos109876

******************
* Table of Contents *
******************
1. Foreword [001]
2.      Controls [002]
3.      General tips [003]
4.      Story Mode walkthrough [004]
5.      Weapons List [005]
1.      1-Handed swords [005a]
2.      Rapiers [005b]
3.      Daggers [005c]
4.      2-handed swords [005d]
5.      Knuckles [005e]
6.      Katana [005f]
7.      Axe [005g]
8.      Mace [005h]
9.      Spear [005i]
10.     Bow [005j]
11.     Shield [005k]
6.      Sword skills[006]
1.      Dual-Wield [006a]
2.      Rapiers [006b]
3.      Axe [006c]
4.      Katana [006d]
5.      Dagger [006e]
6.      Knuckles [006f]
7.      Spear [006g]
8.      Bow [006h]
9.      Mace [006i]
10.     2-hand sword [006j]
11.     1-hand sword[006k]
7.      Spells[007]
8.      Accessories[008]
9.      Monster drops by location[009]
10.     Boss enemy list[010]
11.     Frequently asked questions[011]
12.     Credits[012]
**********
*  Foreword * [001]
**********
This is my first time ever writing up a walkthrough for anything, so
my apologies if I have missed anything important. If you have see
anything I have gotten wrong that needs to be corrected, or have
anything you would like to see added, send me an e-mail at
[email protected]. This guide is free for anyone to use, and may be
posted to any website, so long as I am credited as its author. All
trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.


*********
* Controls * [002]
***********
Square = Basic attack
Triangle = Strong attack(Consumes stamina)
Circle = Dodge(while moving. Uses Stamina. Can dodge in air if
Double Jump has not been used)
X = Jump(Uses stamina. Can double jump)
L1(short hold) = Lock on
L1(long hold) = Remove Lock on
R1(tap) = Toggle between swords drawn(sword skills) and swords
sheathed(Magic)
R1(hold) = Sword skills/Magic display
R1(hold while moving) = Run(Uses Stamina)
R1(hold) + Circle = Guard
Circle(while guarding) = Guard Attack(Uses Stamina)
R1(hold) + X, Triangle, Up, Down, Left, Right = Assigned Sword
Skill/Spell
Left control stick = Movement
Right Control stick = Rotate camera OR switch lock on targets
when locked on
R2 = Activate Union Rumble when Union gauge is full
L2 = Emotes/Multiplayer in-game messaging.
Options/Start button = Pause Menu
Center/Select button = Items/Commands
Triangle + Circle(while in active Union Rumble) = Switch(press
Square for AI partner 1 to switch in, or Triangle for AI partner
2 when playing Single player)

When outside
Up = Flight mode
Left/Right = Hover mode
Down = Wings off(free fall)
X(hold while in hover mode) = Ascend
X (double tap, hold on second while in hover mode) = Descend
R1(while in Flight mode, uses stamina) = Faster flying
R1 + X(while in Flight Mode, uses stamina quickly) = Flying
Dash(Homing Dash when Locked on)
X(double tap, while in Flight mode) = 180 turn(turn towards
target when Locked on)
Square/Triangle(while performing Flying/Homing Dash) = Flying
Dash Attack(powerful)
Circle(while performing Flying/Homing Dash) = Barrel Roll

***********
* General tips* [003]
*************

Equip your skills and spells. This applies not only for the character
you are controlling, but your AI allies as well. An AI ally will not
use any spell or skill they do not have set. This can have uses both
ways. If you want an ally to train proficiency with a certain weapon,
remove all their spells and sword skills. This will force them to use
only regular attacks. Otherwise, be sure to have the spells and skills
equipped that you want.

Don't spam sword skills. Not only does it eat through your mana supply
quickly, but using sword skills will not grow your weapon proficiency.
This is to say, if you wish to level Kirito's Dual-Wielding, you can
use his Final Revolution skill until you are blue in the face. His
dual-wielding will not level. You have to use regular attacks with
square and triangle for this.

Always keep a generous supply of Healing Items. This one kind of
goes without saying, but I can't tell you how many times I wind up in
a boss battle I wasn't predicting, and I find myself all out of Dew
of Yggdrasil and I'm the last one standing, using a character who can't
learn the Resurrection spell. Always double check your healing items
before you set out for a new dungeon. You never know when you'll need
them most

Examine all glowing spots. In the open field and in all dungeons,
you'll will see a number of unmistakable glowing spots. These will
produce yuld, materials used for upgrading weapons, or in the case of
the Search extra quests, healing items. It's usually worth it to take
the time for these.

Train Kirito. This may seem like a no-brainer, but when you're in a
game this open ended, allowing you to customize your party any way you
like, some people may not want to use Kirito. However, Kirito is forced
into a few Duels throughout the storyline, and if he's underprepared,
you'll find yourself in a tight spot. Additionally, almost every
character event that occurs in town, signified by blue dots with red
arrows on the map involve Kirito, and will not appear unless he is the
member you are actively controlling.

Stronger enemies give more experience. This may seem like another
no-brainer, but it applies for more than just your general level as
you gain EXP. For instance, if you are attempting to level up Kirito's
Dual-Wielding proficiency, 10 attacks on a level 500 mid-boss will
yield more experience for his Dual-Wielding than 50 attacks on a level
100 normal enemy. This experience is gained regardless of whether or
not an enemy falls, so if you're trying to learn more sword skills,
seek out the strongest enemies you can find. This goes along with my
next tip.

Don't be afraid to die! This isn't the SAO from the anime. Dying isn't
going to kill you, and the death penalty isn't that steep. Any quests
that you've made progress on will revert to the way they were when you
entered the area. For example, if you had a quest to kill 30 slimes,
and when you enter Woglinde, you've already killed 6. You go and kill
enough to finish the quest, but you weren't paying attention and Fafnir
swoops down and takes out your whole team. You'll get warped back to
the teleport gate, and your quest will be set back to 6/30 slimes killed.
However, any levels you may have gained, be they character levels,
weapon proficiency levels, sword skill levels, or spell levels, will
be retained. Experience cannot be lost in anyway, short of forgetting
to save.

Save Often! This one needs no explanation.

Appraise your weapons and accessories. All equipment when gained,
unless bought directly from Agil or given specially as a quest reward,
will be in a state where it must be appraised by Lisbeth before it can
be identified or used. Not only do appraised weapons have the chance
to be stronger than their purchased counterparts for raw damage, they
very often have special enchantments on them. One might have a chance
to cause poison, while another might make critical hits more likely.
To better understand what each enchantment does, select a weapon, any
weapon, and press Triangle to bring up the information screen. One of
the options then is to press Square, which will bring up the key showing
what each enchantment symbol means. It's good to familiarize yourself
with this to know what your weapons and shields will do.

Know your status conditions. It's all well and good to have a weapon
with an enchantment to cause a status condition, but you have to know
what they do. This will also help you know what to do if you should
suffer that status condition. Obvious ones include poison, stat
reductions, and reducing an enemies resistance to an element. Fatigue
will cause your MP to reduce much like poison does to HP. Seal will
prevent you from using any spells or sword skills. Curse will cause
you to take extra damage, while reducing the effect of healing spells
on you, though healing items will still restore the percentage
displayed in their description. Confuse, sleep, paralysis, and bind
are all immobilizing conditions that prevent you from taking further
action. Each of these will automatically end upon receiving a hit, or
after a certain amount of time. Despite the fact that the programmers
did include an item specifically designed to cure paralysis, you cannot
use it while paralyzed, essentially rendering it worthless. Paralysis
and Bind are fantastic conditions to inflict upon enemies, robbing them
of movement the same way they do to you. Paralysis tends to last longer
than bind, and when inflicted on an enemy, they will end after a certain
duration, not when the enemy takes a hit. Sleep, however, will end when
the enemy takes a hit, rendering sleep a virtually useless condition
to inflict on enemies.

Practice guarding! I cannot stress this one enough. With the
exception of a small handful of attacks, guarding against attacks will
grant you total immunity to the damage and status conditions they
inflict. However, if you let your guard get crashed, you'll take full
damage from the attack. You have to spend time out of guarding stance
to let your guard meter regenerate. In addition, there is a mechanic
built in that I have dubbed Perfect Guard. If you receive an attack
while guarding before the meter is fully displayed on the screen, you
will guard the attack and your guard meter will remain unchanged. Just
remember that you can't guard attack that hit you from behind.

Use that Super armor! Super armor is a condition in which your
character will not stagger or be knocked out of an animation except
by things such as Paralysis. Most Sword Skills will put you into a super
armored state during their animation. This can be very useful if under
attack by one relentless enemy or a group that is otherwise overpowering
you, and can prove useful in turning the tides. Do recall that super
armor does not prevent damage, so you can still get KO'd mid-super armor
animation.

Tactical retreat. This especially applies to outside battle when your
wing can be used. If you're starting to take a lot of damage, or your
party members have been knocked out, don't hesitate to fly or run away
to get the opportunity to heal yourself or them. Remember that the Dew
of Yggdrasil and Yggdrasil Droplet items will work no matter what
distance you are from your fallen comrades, despite the fact that AI
partners will only use them while right next to your remain light. A
strategy to use in an outdoor battle is to fly as high as you can and
lure the enemy with you, then cut your wings and use the fall time to
activate the item or spell. Remember than when falling, a spell will
make you hover on the spot as you cast it, but while using an item,
you will continue to fall.

That's all the general tips I can think of for now. If I think of more
later, or more are suggested to me, I'll add them in.

********************************
*STORY MODE WALKTHROUGH* [004]
********************************
Well, when you first start, you'll get a little animated scene with
Kirito waking up back in ALO. Eager as ever, it seems he went ahead
of everyone else and gets scolded by Leafa for it. Anyhow, after a short
tutorial on how to fly and fight, you'll be taught how to follow the
markers on the map, and be led to the teleport gate to head to town.
Not much to see when you first enter, so make your way over to where
Asuna is standing. This building is the Inn. Make note of it well. This
is where you will go to save, change your party line up, and move items
between your inventory and warehouse. Enjoy the animated scene that
follows meeting Asuna, and the cutscenes after. You will now gain three
party members in addition to Kirito: Asuna, Leafa, and Sinon. In my
opinion, it's always worth having Asuna in your party because she seems
to focus heavily on healing, and tends to pull better healing items
from her bottomless inventory, such as Pure Healing Crystals and Pure
Mana Crystals, but it's your game. Build your team how you like. It's
meant to be fun, after all.

As you head back out of the inn, you'll see 4 orange markers have
appeared. It's entirely optional to visit these, and the two on the
west end of the map point to areas you won't even use through most of
the game. 2 on the east, however, point to the tavern, which while it
is accessible now, has nothing to offer. The second points to what will
become the weapons/accessories shop and smithy. You'll have to make
some story progress before that happens, though. Once you are ready
to proceed, step into the teleport gate to return to Woglinde, the Land
of Meadows. Now your open adventure begins. Any golden glowing spots
you see, fly or walk close to them and press Circle. They will yield
either a decent amount of Yuld, or resources. The resources from the
glowing points of Woglinde's exterior areas are Iron Sand and Sharp
Claws.

There are a number of enemies around Woglinde you can fight. All the
enemies tend to drop Iron Sand and Sharp Claws as you fight them, which
are used for enhancing weapons early on. They also drop single digits
of Yuld. The enemies by and large you will face are:

Kobolds: These hammer-wielding lizards are one of the easiest enemies
to take on. Their only true attack it to leap at you and swing their
hammer down at you. This can be easily blocked or dodged. If you are
fighting among Kobolds in the northeast on lowest altitude level,
EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION. Among the group of nearly harmless level 100
kobolds is a large one with a red cloud about him who is level 500.
Approach him carelessly, and he will wipe the floor with your team in
one or two swings.

Quasits, or as my little cousin likes to call them, bat-balls:
These little spheres with wings are as common and easy to fight as
Kobolds, so long as your have access to your wings. Their main attacks
are to stop in place, charge for a moment, and release a burst of light
that can knocked you straight to the grounds. The second is a charging
headbutt. There is little to fear with these guys, though they can be
annoying by jumping back out of your reach. If you're having trouble,
just lock-on and do a flying dash attack to take them out

Slimes: As basic as it gets. Slimes attack by jumping on you. Didn't
anyone tell them they aren't Mario? Anyhow, they can become a bit of
a problem in numbers, so focus on weeding them out one by one.

Evil Glancers: These guys can be a bit of a pain. Their main method
of attack is to charge at you with a headbutt, but they can also stop
in place and start into a flurry of slashes with their tiny arms. During
this, they are animation locked and cannot move. Get behind them and
unleash hell.

Alp: Green Evil Glancers who can poison you. Other than that, they are
exactly the same.

Lizardmen: Just like Kobolds, except they wield swords. This gives them
a larger hitbox when they attempt to attack you. Other than that, no
difference.

Wyverns: Primary methods of attack include charging directly at you
or swooping around to hit you from behind. If you've locked onto one,
when it attempts to catch you from behind, just keep your guard up and
hold Up on the control stick so your block is facing the direction it
will attack from.

Griffins: Located near the center of the island around a stone slab
on the ground, these characters are rare on Woglinde. They attack by
charging at you, and that's pretty much it. They're quite likely to
keep on the run from you, so chasing them down is a pain in the butt.
Still, they aren't as irritating as the next two enemies on this list.

Basilisks: These not-so-little green bugs can be a real pain. They tend
to play a kiting strategy, keeping their distance to wear down your
stamina chasing them, then they attack with fire breath. Yeah, bugs
breathing fire. It happens in Svart Alfheim. Best bet is to try a flying
dash attack.

Silky: OMG, GET THE INSECTICIDE! These guys are the most
pain-in-the-butt normal enemies you can fight. They look sort of like
a brown bug with scythes for arms, located  around the dungeon in the
north west, not far from Basilisks. They play the same kiting method
as Basilisks, too, but instead of fire breath, they unleash a cloud
of poison that will paralyze you. You may wish to consider using Magic
or a bow to take these guys out without entering their paralysis cloud.
Otherwise, just lay into them with your strongest sword skills and don't
give them time to breath.

Platinum Quasit: If you get lucky enough that one of these appears,
chase it down and put it down fast and hard. This rare Quasit gives
a significant amount of experience and is quite evasive as you attempt
to fight it. This is not the biggest threat about it, though. Most often,
a Platinum Quasit will have NPC players chasing after it. They will
become hostile and attack you If you attempt to take out the Platinum
Quasit, meaning you'll have extra enemies on your hands.

Honey Slime: I've only heard rumor of people encountering this enemy
in Woglinde, but it's the same situation as the Platinum Quasit.

Anyhow, back on track. You'll see an orange marker that when you follow
it, will point to a closed stone door. Approaching it will trigger a
cutscene (No Sinon, you can't just blast the door open) and take you
to a farm slightly northwest. You'll get trapped into an invisible
barrier with about 10 Quasits. These guys are pushovers, but a good
way to warm up your sword arm(or Sword Art). You'll be tasked to check
out the little farmhouse now. Once you get the door open, you'll receive
a key item, and a hint about where to go next. When you follow the marker
to the small floating island, you'll have a 'boss' battle against a
wyvern and 2 mushus(the Wyvern's little brothers, same fighting style).
Now that you have both pieces of the key in hand, return to the locked
stone door, where you'll see two players getting knocked on their butts
by a Deep One, the Lizardman's big brother. He fights the same way as
a lizard man, but his sword is laced in Poison. He poses no serious
threat. Once you take him down, it's time to enter your first dungeon.

Make note that when in dungeons, you don't have access to your wings,
so flying enemies instantly become much more annoying. This dungeon,
Hymir's Cavern, is rather straight forward. Follow the map on your pause
menu to examine the areas, find the key, and open the door. Most dungeons
will follow this layout, of either finding keys, activating devices,
or taking out enemies to open doors. It's always a good idea to search
every area of the dungeon for treasure chests(feel free to use Kirito's
Searcher spell to make them easier to find) and glowing points. A thing
to note, White chests contain keys and key items. Black chests contain
treasure. In some later dungeons, both varieties can turn into Mimics
when you attempt to open them. Mimics drop a large amount of Yuld when
killed, and have the potential to drop some accessories and gear, too.
The only new enemy you face in this dungeon are the Jellies, which are
just recolored Slimes. They aren't any stronger, and they don't drop
anything new. The boss of this dungeon is nothing more than a
larger-than-usual Deep One with his little Lizardman brothers helping
him. The Lizardmen will vanish if you finish off the Deep One, as most
lackies will when their boss is defeated in other dungeons, but it's
a good idea to take them out for the EXP, Yuld, and possible materials
or unappraised items. When the Deep One falls, he will drop 100 Yuld
and an Ancient Fruit. This is the game's Elixir, restoring one
character's HP and MP to full when used. Like Elixir in most games,
you won't ever be able to outright buy these, so best to save it for
later. When you're ready, return to town and speak to the big man, Agil.
After the cutscene, you'll have a few new members added to your team.
Lisbeth, Silica, Strea, and Philia. Lisbeth can be particularly useful
as she learns the “Enhance” spells to turn your attacks into certain
elements. Strea is often called upon for DPS, and Philia is useful for
treasure hunting as the only other named Spriggan character. Silica
is good to have along. Early on, she doesn't have many useful spells,
but down the line, she will gain high level healing spells such as
Resurrection to save party members and Revive to pull herself back from
Death's Door. Again, like before, build your party as you want, though
do bare in mind that you will have a forced battle using just Asuna
soon, and near the end of the main story, you will have a few forced
battles with just Kirito, so you should put some time and training into
them.

Upon entering the Inn, you will see an arrow pointing to the gallery
if you haven't examined it before this, and one pointing to the couch.
Examining the couch will lead to a battle with Kirito and Asuna versus
a horde of Slimes, ranging from tiny to massive. Strategically, it's
wise to take out the small ones first so there are less bodies attacking
you. Just note that since it is an outdoor fight, if you start to take
too much damage, take to the air and fly up to get out of their attack
range and heal yourself. Even Kirito starts with a First Aid spell to
restore his HP. At the end of this battle, Asuna will get an “Original
Outfit” she can switch to.

Once your team is built to your liking, proceed to the quest marker
in the west for a cutscene, then head to the tavern. You have a small
side quest to do. The objective? Kill slimes. When you return to
Woglinde, there will be a quest marker pointing to the windmills north
and slightly west of the teleport gate. This is one area where slimes
will appear in great number. Just off 30 of them and return to the tavern
to claim your reward. You'll be directed to the area in front of the
inn, and following the cutscene that ensues, the weapon shop and smithy
are open for business. And guess what? That happens to be your next
destination according to the quest marker. By this point, it's unlikely
you'll have a lot of Yuld, so you won't be able to buy most of the things
on sale. Agil's inventory at this point is just the rank 1 weapons,
so it is okay if you want to have someone switch to another style of
weapon or give someone a shield who doesn't have one. Seriously, Asuna,
having a shield might have thrown off your rapier work in SAO, but here,
not having a shield just makes you more fragile. Oh, and Agil will join
your party here. His weapon choices are slow, but with lots of power.
He also tends to have very high HP growth. There are two blue quest
marker points in here, both of which are talk scenes. One will give
Leafa her Original Outfit. The other will give Lisbeth and Silica their
original outfits. Upon leaving the shop, you'll get a short scene with
Argo before she joins your team. People be joining like crazy, eh?

As you approach the Teleport Gate, you'll be stopped by two players
who ask you to help their friend. Obviously you have to play the Good
Samaritan here and say you'll help him out. Before you step into the
teleport gate, though, head to the inn for a short scene regarding
Original Sword Skills, or OSSs. Before you get all excited, no, you
can't craft your own OSS in this game, and Kirito doesn't unlock one.
Back to woglinde, to Hymir's Cavern(the first dungeon you entered).
Treasure chests haven't respawned, though the glowing collection
points have, as they always will when you exit and re-enter an area.
Feel free to collect them if you wish. If not, run straight to the boss
room, where you'll have to face a number of Quasits. When they fall,
you'll fight a number of Vouivres(Someone please tell me how to
pronounce that) who are just different colored Quasits. They fight the
same way. After they fall, you'll face some Empusas, again, recolored
Quasits. After the little guys drop, you'll have to face a giant and
higher leveled version of each one at the same time. This is actually
easier than the little guys since you have bigger targets to hit. With
the poor big guy's bacon saved, return to town and talk to his friends
for a reward. There won't be a quest marker for where to go next, but
as you head back to the Teleport Gate, you'll get a cutscene with other
people raving about a songwriting idol named Seven. Each one wears that
feather behind their ear. It will play a plot point later on. Anyway,
head back to the west to the blue quest point, where you'll get a scene
with Recon. Why can't I have Leafa use that flying kick on enemies?

Back to Woglinde! You'll be directed to the center of the island, where
there's a stone slab with a blue symbol on it. A cutscene will ensue
where you'll get a look a Mr. Attitude, then be redirected to another
ruin, the ruins of Magni. If you came here before, you found the door
was locked. Guess what? It still is, but when you examine it, Klein
swoops in to open the door, then vanishes into the night. Navigate your
way through this dungeon, and soon you'll reach the boss room. The only
thing notable about this boss is that you've not yet encountered Orcs,
the smaller ones, or Uruks, the bigger pink one. These guys can be
somewhat annoying because they have an infinite supply of axes to throw
at you. This makes it tough to cast spells or use healing items. Luckily
most sword skills grant you Super Armor, so use those and you don't
have to worry about getting staggered. When you beat him, he'll drop
a weapon that needs to be appraised and 120 yuld. The white chest in
the room behind him will give you a book and a key, both of which are
key items.

Back to town again. That's going to happen a lot. You'll have a quest
marker pointing to Klein by the inn. Upon talking to him, you can add
him to your party, and in fact, you must in order to proceed to the
next dungeon. His katana skills are quite nice, especially later on.
Return to Woglinde. Yeah, that was a short trip into town. Head to the
flashing quest marker on your map. This new dungeon, Thrivaldi's cavern,
is another that was locked if you came here before. Klein will have
the key in hand to open this door. You'll see a new, yet familiar face
here. Remember the orcs you fought along side the last boss? They're
back, and they respawn in this dungeon. Unlike the normal enemies you've
faced so far, they don't drop materials. They drop weapons that need
to be appraised.
The boss in this dungeon is nothing special. A small squad of Evil
Glancers paired with a powered up, giant Alp. Take note that the Alp
can poison you. When the Alp falls, he'll drop 180 yuld and that's all.
The chest behind him contains a key item called Tonttu's Flower, which
has no use or significance. What a let down. Anyhow, you'll get
automatically taken back to town. Talk to a few people around town with
quest markers on them, to find they have no useful info to give you,
then head to the inn. You'll get a couple new party members, Sakuya
and Alicia rue. Sakuya's katana skills, combined with her Sylph healing
abilities make her quite useful. Alicia can be fun. Again, it's however
you choose to build your team.

After the cutscene, you'll be pushed into a duel using Asuna to fight
Yuuki. This is why I recommended leveling Asuna up earlier. For those
of you who have seen the anime, don't be alarmed. Yuuki doesn't have
access to Mother's Rosario yet. She's no pushover, though. Anyhow, the
battle will end when you take out 2 of Yuuki's 4 bars of health. When
it does, she'll give you a key item and a few healing items, and she'll
join your party. Yuuki can hit hard and she can hit fast, and later
in the game she gains access to Mother's Rosario through completing
Asuna's side quests. However, I feel it important to note that in my
experience at least, Yuuki is the very definition of a glass cannon.
She gets taken out very easily, so best to give her a high level shield
to go with her one-handed sword, as well as accessories to boost her
defense. Her spells to reduce enemies' stats are quite useful though,
and can spread over an army.
Return to the smithy for a scene in which Lisbeth will fix up the old
key you found before. This will give you access to the last two dungeons
you can reach on Woglinde.

While here, head into the one door with a quest marker for a rather
cute scene. Poor Silica and Sinon. The downside of being a Cait Sith.
Everyone wants to rub your ears. After that's settled, a talk scene
with Agil at the second quest marker will bring Klein in. When you're
ready, speak to him and you'll be in a dungeon with your party set as
just Klein and Kirito. Does this map look familiar? It should. The Ruins
of Magni, the second dungeon you visited. All the puzzles will already
be complete, so just run straight through to the boss room. When you
arrive, you'll be faced with 2 wyverns and 4 Mushus. Man, more flying
enemies, and we can't use our wings. Still, the Mushus are pretty
fragile, so take them out first, then the wyverns. You'll get your key
and open that locked chest. Don't get yourself in trouble with the ALO
admins, Kirito. Anyway, after that, you'll obtain Kirito's Original
Outfit. I tend to enjoy this outfit myself. Anyhow, back to Woglinde.

There are two dungeons left to visit. One at the northwest of the map
on ground level, the other at the east. For the sake of this guide,
I'm visiting the northwest one first, Geirrod's Cavern. One thing to
note, the door on the east side of the dungeon will remain locked until
you have beaten the boss. Slimes, Jellies, Quasits, Evil Glancers, and
Lizardmen. Nothing you aren't familiar with. At least not until you
reach the boss room. Finally an enemy that actually qualifies as a boss.

Ratatoskr Lvl 135
Elemental weaknesses: Earth and Wind
Elemental Resistances: Holy and Dark
Armored places: Legs
Unarmored places: Head and Belly
Breakable places: Wings and Tail

What makes this boss so annoying is twofold. First off, because his
legs are armored and he's always turning around to attack you, you'll
have a tough time getting at his tail and wings to break him for bonus
items, and you'll often end up hitting his legs and doing minimal damage.
Second, every time he does a jumping attack, your character will be
thrown off balance for a few seconds unless they're in the air.
Effectively, this works like a short duration paralysis, and Agil
doesn't yet sell Balance Collars to help you mitigate it. Given the
boss's elemental weaknesses, it's good to bring along Sakuya, Leafa(if
you've trainer her enough that she knows Enhance Aero) Strea, Agil(if
one of them knows Enhance Soil) or Lisbeth(be sure that she only has
Enhance Aero and enhance Soil set for her Enhance spells). Klein makes
a good third because of a Salamander's resistance to fire. To open,
it's a good idea to set your Commands to Scatter. This will usually
cause Ratatosk to target another party member, leaving his tail exposed
for you to wail on. Just hit him with the best things you've got. If
he fights you head on, when he stands to use his fire breath, just give
his belly a big old hug, with swords. Staying in close against his belly
will keep you from being burned and provide you the perfect opportunity
to hit him. Make full use of your union rumble when it's ready, and
be sure to use your switch. The damage is good, but the few seconds
in which he's stunned are very valuable. When he falls, he'll cough
up 1000 yuld and a weapon to be appraised.

To reach the next dungeon, you have to fly to the large floating island
on the east side. You actually have to land on it where the elevation
is lower and run up the slope, which will put you above the altitude
limit and disable your wings. This will be the first dungeon where
you'll have more than one floor, Hyrrokkin's cavern.

Slimes, orcs, lizardmen. You're familiar with them. You'll also get
a few basilisks appear, which you may or may not have fought outside.
These speedy little bugs are a real pain to fight without your wings,
but they shouldn't be too tough. Gargoyles you'll find to be a new enemy
that haven't appeared yet. Even so, they aren't very strong. They can
be a little dodgy with their wings, but not too difficult to take down.
When you reach the boss room, you'll actually get a look at him through
the door before you fight him.

Jormungandr:
Elemental weaknesses: Water and Wind
Resistances: None
Armored spots: All three heads, including the necks from in front
Unarmored spots: Back where the heads come together.
Breakable spots: Tail

This guy is a bit annoying. His most common attack is to charge directly
at you through means of slithering. If you're directly in front of him,
he'll try to bite with all three heads in rapid succession. If you're
right against him, though, this bite will almost always miss. Do be
warned that if he hits with it, it can cause poison. If he coils his
tail, he's about to do a 360 spin to smack you with it, usually in
response to being hit in the tail. At time, he may just lift his tail
and slam it down on the would-be attacker. The worst is when he uses
his fire breath. Most often, he will use his fire breath in combination
with his charge attack and home right in on someone. The breath attack
is almost guaranteed to break your guard and difficult to slip away
from as he homes in on you. Best bet when he starts spitting fire is
to keep your distance. At times, he will use his fire breath while
stationary, the streams shooting in front of him, and to each side from
his multiple mouths. This is fairly easy to dodge.
To combat this guy, Scatter formation is good again. Wail on his tail
with all you've got, and if you have Asuna, Leafa, Sakuya, or Lisbeth
along, make sure they have only Enhance Aero or enhance Aqua set to
take advantage of the boss's elemental weakness. Once defeated, he'll
drop 1000 yuld and a weapon, just like Ratatosk.

Now that you have the two key items in hand, it's time to head for the
stone slab. Be warned that when you activate it, you'll face a rather
powerful Mid-boss. 2 wyverns, 2 mushus. All giant, all on steriods.
You will have a few NPCs to help you, but they won't be able to do much.
If you're lucky, they may pull the attention of one or two of the dragons
off you. For this battle, you'll want the Close Ranks order to keep
your party focused on taking down one enemy at a time. Don't be hasty
to strike. Sometimes, guarding and waiting for an opening is the better
strategy. Once you finish them off, the wind tunnel is open for business,
and you can use it to launch yourself to the island in the center above
the altitude limit. Go prepared. The big boss of Woglinde is waiting
for you at the end of The Ruins of Thrud

This is the first time you'll have silkies appear inside a dungeon.
These guys are annoying as all get out, with their constant fleeing
and evading, and attacking with clouds of paralyzing poison. I choose
to avoid them whenever possible until later when Agil sells accessories
that prevent paralysis. Other than that, basilisks, orcs, gargoyles,
kobolds, and you've surely seen too many Quasits by now. Once you open
the door to the boss's chamber, you'll find yourself swept away to the
outside of Woglinde, where you'll face this area's big boss.

Fafnir Lvl 150
Elemental Weaknesses: Dark
Elemental Resistances: None
Armored points: All four legs
Unarmored points: Head, back
Breakable points: Both wings and tail

Boy, am I glad we're back outside. You'd never stand a chance against
this guy without your wings. His attacks are quite predictable and easy
to dodge or block, actually. If a large magic circle appears behind
him, it will spawn a number of fireballs that will home in on one
character. Their degree of homing is low and it can be easily dodged
by floating to the side or getting behind him. If he leans forward as
if watching you, in a few seconds, a tornado will erupt under you and
each of your party members. This can be easily blocked, and once you
block the initial hit, as long as you don't enter another tornado, you
can freely start to attack him. If he curls his wings, legs, and tail
in, he's about to unleash a blast of wind in a large sphere around him.
Simply get your distance to dodge if your guard meter is low, or block
it at point blank. After the block, resume attacking. He's vulnerable
for a few seconds. If he gets on all fours when you have some distance
between you and him, he's about to shoot out a long range dark cannon
blast. This is easily dodged by moving to the side or behind him. If
he targets one of your AI partners with this, count yourself lucky.
He's wide open when he uses this. If he lets out a short roar, he's
about to charge straight at you. Easily blocked, not so easily dodged
if you are point blank. If he's in rage mode, he'll execute three charges
in a row. While fighting him close range, he may lift his front leg
to swipe at you. This could be a swipe on its own, a double swipe with
the other leg, or a swipe of the leg, followed by a whip of the tail.
Simply float down or turn off your wings for a moment to fall below
his range of attack. If he pulled his head back a little, he may do
a short headbutt.

The easiest and safest way to fight him is to stick to his back like
glue. His back doesn't have armor, and it's easier to hit his wings
from there. Being behind him, you'll automatically be out of the way
of his fireball storm, his dark cannon, and his claw swipe, but be ready
to guard if the tail comes around. You'll only need to watch for the
tornado, the wind sphere, which are both broadcast easily, the charge,
which takes a little practice, and the headbutt if he quickly turns
around at you. When he charges(or if in rage mode, as his third charge
runs) take after him with your flying dash and drill him right in the
back when you get close to him. It's also relatively safe to fly low
and attack his tail. Just keep an eye on him in case the wind sphere
comes into play. Fafnir will drop 5000 yuld and a weapon, and the next
island, Wellgunde, the Valley of Sand, will be open, as well as a second
teleport gate at the north end of Woglinde.

A word of warning. Once you set foot in Wellgunde, there well be a mid
boss flying around each island, including Woglinde. In Woglinde, this
is Fafnir, but he's not the level 150 you just put down. He's been
boosted to level 500. He can be beaten, but it will be very difficult
at this level. Not to mention, you'll have other enemies swarming you
in the process. In Wellgunde, it's a long eastern-style dragon named
Huginn, level 600. His fighting style is similar to a wyvern, except
that when at a distance, he may send a blade of air at you with a whip
of his tail.  This can be easily dodged by moving left or right. These
enemies when defeated yield no yuld, nor any sort of weapon or material
drops. This does not mean there is no point in fighting them, however.
With their levels being so high, you'll level your sword skills and
weapon proficiency must more quickly while fighting them, and if you
have the skill and patience to fell them, they are worth even more
experience than the Platinum Quasits that may appear on Woglinde.
Strategies for fighting this monsters will be discussed in their own
section, but if you want to fight him now, you can lure Fafnir below
the altitude limit. He fights just like before, only his health and
attack power have increase exponentially. If you choose to fight them,
and you find out you bit off more than you can chew, the death penalty
is not so harsh. Any side quests you may have been taking on, such as
seeking out and taking down a certain number of wyverns, will be reset
to the state they were when you first entered the island for that visit.
Any levels you gained to your sword skills, spells, and weapon
proficiency are kept even on death, and any items you consumed while
battling, such as Healing Potions and Dew of Yggdrasil, are returned
to you. I do not believe items you have gained since the fight began
are lost, but I have not tested this enough to confirm it. If anyone
knows the answer to this, please do let me know that I may correct it
here.

Back to the story walkthrough. When you arrive in Wellgunde, you will
be prompted to visit all the orange dungeon marks on the map. This is
entirely optional. The story will move forward when you return to town.
At this point, you have also unlocked the ability to use custom
characters. Each one starts at level 145 when you craft him or her.
When you approach the orange quest marker in the center of town, you'll
get a short cutscene. There are a few side quests to take care of at
this point if you wish. Next to the orange quest marker, you'll see
a marker on Argo. Speak to her for a rather funny seen and 1,000 yuld
for Kirito to keep his mouth shut. Talk about easy money. Speak to Sakuya
near the gate at the west end of the town for a talk scene with her
getting a bit uncomfortably close. Speak to Yui for a short
hide-and-seek talk event, ending with a worried Kirito stumbling upon
an adorable moment. Speaking to Strea will case a short talk scene in
which she and Philia will gain their Original Outfits.
Speaking to Leafa on the park bench will set your party to Kirito and
Leafa, and teleport you to Thrivaldi's Cavern, a Woglinde dungeon that
you've already cleared. Run through to the boss room, where you'll see
a somewhat imposing creature. This luckily is not your opponent. You'll
be amushed by 4 Unknown Players in a PVP style battle. These guys are
only level 100 and not too difficult. The archer is a bit annoying,
as true to the style of an archer, he'll use a run and gun strategy.
Still, they should have know better than to mess with Kirito, the famed
Black Swordsman of SAO. Upon defeating them, you'll be returned to town,
and Argo will be standing beside the teleport gate. Speaking to her
will teleport your Kirito/Leafa party to Geirrod's Cavern, where we
formerly fought Ratatosk. Make your way to the boss room. Along the
way, you'll be stopped in a forced battle against a small army of Kobolds.
They should be nothing you can't handle. When you reach the boss room,
you'll be teleported to an alternate dimension where your wings are
enabled. You may recognize this bad boy if you flew around Wellgunde
a bit. That's right. It's Huginn, but luckily, this is his level 130
counterpart, not his big bad level 600 self.

Huginn Lvl 130
Elemental Weaknesses: Dark
Elemental Resistances: Wind and Non-elemental.
Armored points: Legs and Wings
Non-Armored points: Head, back
Breakable points: Tail and Wings

You read that right. From what I noticed, he takes less damage from
attacks that have no element, so it's going to be an uphill battle if
Kirito has not yet learned Enhance Dark. Also, that is not a typo. When
you hit his wings, they make the “clank” sound of hitting an armored
spot, but at the same time, with enough force, they can be broken like
any other boss's break points.
His primary attacks are a lunging bite, which tends to miss when you're
fighting at close range, a flying charge, which you must block, a
spinning tail swipe, a diving attack, from which he'll fly up under
or behind you, and if you're at a distance, a swipe of his tail that
sends a blade of wind at you. This guy is actually very easy to read.
When he stops flapping his wings, he's about to attack, so guard. If
he does his flying charge, he'll end up a good distance away behind
you. Chase him down with a flying charge attack. If he dives, Just block
and keep hitting Up on the control stick. If he gets behind you, your
character should pivot around to block him.

Really the strategy is simple. Just wail on his head, putting your
priority on blocking, until he goes down. If you have stronger sword
skills that are better suited for Breaking, target his wings and tail
as much as you can. When the version fought during Leafa's side quest
goes down, he drops 3000 yuld and a material. For me, this was Pyrite.
It may be a random drop.

Following this, you'll have Leafa standing beside the item shop back
in town. Speak to her twice for two different events. After the second
one, you'll receive a trophy if you haven't already, and Leafa's side
quests are done.

At this point, in the weapon shop there should be an NPC with a quest
marker. Speaking to him causes a number of the ladies of the group to
show up in the shop. Talk to each one and take them to the festival.
Not much to be gained other than seeing the ladies in yukatas. Still,
you want to take them all to the festival one by one. This leads to
a trophy down the road. There will also be a short talk scene event
with Strea at the inn.

Once all the little distractions are done, it's back to Wellgunde

The enemies of Wellgunde's exterior:
Vouivre(Still don't know how to pronounce that): Quasits with a
different color. That's it. Nothing special. Take care of you journey
to the northeast-most end of the island. There is a large one there
with a red cloud around it, bearing a level of 600.
Deep One: Lizardmen painted yellow.
Wyvern: You've fought a few of these so far. There's nothing new here.
Golem: These large ground-bound rockmen are armored all over. There
is no section where you can hit them where you won't hear the armor
“clank”. They are vulnerable to magic, particularly wind, and their
attacks are rather slow and easy to block.
Griffin: You may have fought a couple back on Woglinde. Just lock onto
them and keep on them. They like to zip around and confound you.
Serket: These fire scorpions are ground bound and heavily armored. Like
golems, they are weak to magic, but beware of their poisonous stingers.
Apophis: Faster, dodgier Basilisks.
Charadrios: Ah, the silky's even more annoying big brother. They fight
the same way, kiting you at every turn, but this time their poison hits
you with sleep, which is just as debilitating as Paralysis. I hate these
things!
**HUGINN** If you're flying about Wellgunde and you hear a roar, RUN.
This means the island's mid-boss, Huginn has caught sight of you. He
is level 600 and relentless. He will chase you down no matter how far
you go unless you manage to get out of his sight for long enough or
get to a teleport gate. Advice for how to fight Huginn can be found
further below in the Boss section.

Of the quest markers on your map, one is actually exterior. We'll be
going after that one first. As you approach it, you'll see a large
tornado whipping up from the ground, much like the jet stream generator
on Woglinde. When you get close, a small cutscene will trigger and a
new marker will appear on a smal island slightly north. Investigate
the little altar here and you'll have a small fight against a few
Basilisks and one Apophis. Take down the Apophis, the rest will fall.
Your quest marker will fade after this, so you have to find your way
back without. Where the wind was, you'll find a white chest on the ground
level. Inside is a key, needed to enter one of the other dungeons around
here. For now, we'll head north to Rossweisse's Cavern. Vouivres,
Serkets, and Deep Ones. Nothing threatening here. If you want a new
flavor, let's look to the boss. A new enemy known as a Spartoi, and
a bunch of his little brothers, Skeletons. These guys can be fairly
annoying because of the reach of their spears and the fact that the
don't stagger so easily. That and their spears inflict Curse, which
makes you take extra damage and makes healing magic less effective.
Their attacks are predictable. If they raise their spear from afar,
they're going to do a lunging strike. If they pull it to their left
side at close range, they're going to do a 1-2 swing. Take down the
big guy and the others will fall instantly. He drops 200 yuld.

Next to tackle is Helmwige's Cavern, the next one you'll come across
going south. Vouivres and Deep Ones. Even the boss is just a powered
up Deep One with some Lizardman lackies. Not a lot going on here. He
drops 230 yuld and a piece of gear. For me, it was a shield.

Last but not least is the southern most dungeon, the Ruins of Rangrid.
This dungeon is locked by the key we found earlier when we turned off
the Jet Stream Generator. Vouivres and Serkets. Not much to see until
the boss. You get a few serkets and their big green brother, Girtablulu.
This guy's poison causes Paralysis. He'll give you 280 yuld. If this
is your third dungeon here, you'll automatically get returned to town,
and your party will be set to Kirito, Leafa, and Asuna, and temporarily
locked that way. Return to Wellgunde and you'll meet a character in
distress. You've seen her a few times before throughout cutscenes of
the game. She's fallen under attack by a band of harpies and their big
sister, a cockatrice. Their primary attack is to float at a distance
and shoot small energy balls that have no degree of homing. From the
cockatrice, this carries a small chance of paralysis. They're quite
easy to attack and take down. One thing you may notice in this scene
is that our red-haired damsel in distress is dual-wielding. Yeah,
Kirito's not the only one anymore.

Now that we're back in town, a number of blue quest markers have appeared.
One by the fountain on the west leads to a small short scene with Strea. </pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Next to the item shop is Philia, and next to the weapon shop is Alicia
Rue, ready to make someone jealous. It should also be Festival time
again in the weapon shop. If you went with everyone you could the first
time, there are new selections this time around. After exiting taking
everyone I could to the festival and exiting the weapon shop, there
was an event with Philia waiting at the park bench.

When you return to Wellgunde, we're heading to the northern most of
the two dungeons that have markers, Waltraute's Cavern. That key we
assembled will pop this lock right open. Vouivres, Deep Ones, Serkets,
and Skeletons. Pretty ho-hum. The boss can prove a bit challenging.
A giant skeleton and a giant Golem, and both must fall. Neither one
staggers easily, but since it has lower defense, the skeleton is your
best bet. Once you beat them, leave the dungeon. You'll head to the
last marked one now. Siegrune's cavern. Go as deep as you can for now,
make sure the cutscene happens, and speak with the NPC. That's right.
This place is a dead end for now. Return to town for now. As it happens,
there's an NPC there who will mention some digger in the desert. When
you return to Wellgunde, you'll see an orange quest marker in the
southwest. When you approach, you'll see an NPC in golden armor on the
ground. Speak with him and he'll ask for a certain item, which it just
so happens we already got. Back to Siegrune's Cavern we go. When you
reach the back room, the NPC is waiting there for you, and he'll activate
a teleporter that takes you into the rest of the dungeon. You already
saw in the first area that we have yet more Vouivres. Anyone else sick
of them yet? As you proceed deeper, in the next room you'll be attacked
by a group of  Charadrios. I suggest running past them. It's not
mandatory to fight them, and their sleep powder is enough to aggravate
anyone. Skeletons will bar your path in the next few rooms, and in high
numbers. Make your way through to the boss room, where you'll be met
by a new face.

Bergrisi Lvl 205
Elemental weaknesses: Wind
Resistances: None
Armored points: Front legs, face, shoulder spikes.
Unarmored points: Back Legs
Breakable points: Back, Belly

This guy can be a bit annoying, but easy to dodge at the same time.
His main attacks are charging at you with those stone spires he calls
arms, stomping the ground to shoot up rock pillars in widening
circles(standing too close to him will throw you off balance) and a
belly flop. The belly flop will cause rock pillars right in front of
him if he's in rage mode. He may also lift one front leg as if aiming,
and slam it down to send out rock pillars in a straight line in front
of him. Additionally, you may see a magic circle appear on the ground,
from which a rock spire will erupt. His last attack, he may lift his
shoulders for a moment, then lift them again. On the second time, he'll
send out a dome of sand around him that hits everyone in range. This
attack barely puts a dent in your guard meter, so just bock him. To
dodge his charge, belly flop, and the straight line rock pillars, run
to the side. To dodge the stomping circles of rock pillars, your best
bet is to get on his back. When you're on his back or attacking him
from behind, he may jump backwards, which will cause his head to hit
you and knock you down, or he may sit down and let himself fall over
backwards. If he jumps back, just guard. If he falls over backwards,
move. He's shattered my guard quite frequently with this. If you have
a counter sword skill, such as the Dual-wielding Specula Cross or the
Knuckles Rising Uppercut, it's an excellent way to defend when he's
falling over backwards.

Rather easy. Try to keep behind him or on his back and wail on him.
Enhance Aero is quite useful to exploit his weakness, so try setting
Sylph to fight from afar. If a Sylph is your first slot party member,
use Formation 2. If they are second slot, use formation 1. This will
encourage them to use their Enhance Aero and Wind Cutter spells. From
there, just wail on him until he goes down. He's not complicated. When
he falls, he'll drop 5000 yuld and a weapon to be appraised. With the
switch you just flipped, you've turned off the wind tunnel that
prevented access to the final dungeon of the island, so make your way
back to Wellgunde and head to the last dungeon, The Ruins of Gondul!
In the first room, you'll see yet more Vouivres, paired with Charadrios.
Annoying little bugs as always. Luckily you don't have to fight them
again. In the next room you start getting some new faces, the Guardian
Archers. True to how an archer would fight, they'll try to keep their
distance and peg you with arrows from afar. A thing to note, their arrows
do not cause you to stagger, so it makes spell casting easier. Despite
how they look, they are not armored. Serkets, Golems, and Skeletons
are nothing new, but once you reach the last room before the stairs,
you'll fight some new enemies. The Guardians. Flying swordsmen. Yeah.
Nothing special, though their flying dash attack is annoying. Just beat
them down to open the door and move forward. Proceed through the doors
on the next floor up, and you will soon reach the boss fight. Once you
open that door, you'll be force transported to the exterior, just like
with Fafnir, for a fight in the sky against

Hildisvini Lvl 225
Elemental Weaknesses: Dark
Elemental Resistances: Earth and Holy
Armored spots: Entirety of head, excluding the jewel.
Unarmored spots: Floating jewels, arms, jewels above floating base
below him
Breakable spots: Forehead jewel, base

This guy can be annoying. His main attacks are a spin with outstretched
arms that usually follows a target, a jump back and clap of his hands
on whomever is unfortunate enough to be in front of him, a sandstorm
from his mouth, signaled by crossing his arms in front of his face,
a pair of downward punches in front of him, moving forward or back to
keep his target centered, and a magic circle appearing above each
character to drop a rock on them. If you stay at a distance, he may
send his fists shooting at you like a rocket punch. They do not have
an unlimited range, though, and can be dodged by flying up after they
start shooting forward. Note that when in rage mode, his downward
punches go from 2 to about 10, and his magic circle rocks will drop
three in a row, a new magic circle appearing above you each time. To
dodge the spin and the clap, turn off your wings and let yourself fall.
Don't try to guard through the clap. It shreds off about 90% of your
guard meter and will do an obscene amount of damage on a direct or guard
broken hit. When he uses his sand breath, you simply don't want to be
in front of him. The most common attack you'll face is the rocks summoned
from the magic circles. For about a second before it drops, you'll see
the rock in the magic circle. At this point, the magic circle can no
longer move to pursue you, so simply side step or block.

I've found the best way to fight this behemoth is to stay below him
and attack the base. If you've locked onto him, your character will
automatically fly towards his face when you fly at him, so you must
use a combination of turning your wings on and off to get underneath
him. This requires practice, but in this position, most of his attacks
are incapable of hitting you, except for the magic circle stones. If
you've trained enough that someone knows Enhance Dark, by all means,
use it. Just stick to his base and wail on it. He has a lot of health,
so it will take a while to bring him down, but look on the bright side.
With each hit, you get more experience to your weapon proficiency. It's
a good idea to have a healer on orders to keep their distance. He can
tear your AI partners apart, and Dew of Yggdrasil is pretty expensive
this early on. Once defeated, he'll drop 8,000 yuld and some materials.
For me it was 10 Baking Mud. The next island is also opened. Flosshilde,
the Ring of Ice.

The first thing you'll notice about Flosshilde is that the altitude
limit it ridiculously low, so you'll be quite limited in where you can
go and what you can fight. The enemies of Flosshilde are

Empusa: You've seen a few of these already. Quasits of a different color.
Nothing special.

Dopplegangers: Oh look, Kobolds did some workouts, but they still
aren't a threat.

Automata: Ice golems. Kill em with fire. Be warn, near the northeastern
most dungeon, there is a large Automata who sports a wicked level 700.
He's ground bound like the others, so this is a perfect enemy to have
your archers train on.

Telchines: The silkies are back again. These guys cause Fatigue, which
is basically Mana poison. It'll have your mana plummeting, which means
no spells or sword skills. They've at least lost the debilitating poison
and paralysis, but they are still annoying enough.

Harpies: You fought a few of these while saving Rain. These ones are
no different.

Gremlins: Pumped up Evil Glancers. Not a threat. Beware their poison.

**MUNINN** High in the sky around the center dungeon is a silver dragon
who looks like Huginn's brother. He's equally as dangerous, too, at
level 700. Strategies for fighting Muninn can be found in the Bosses
section of the guide.

Once you're done looking around, head back to town. You'll be treated
to a cutscene, then as you go towards the Teleport Gate, Agil will prompt
you to go to his shop. At this point, there are some Side Quests that
open up. Two talk scenes outside, one with Strea, one with Sinon, the
latter of which unlocks Sinon's Original Outfit. Head over to the
weapon's shop, and after the cutscene, it's festival time once again.
When ready, return to Flosshilde. An NPC will direct you to the dungeon
in the west, your next destination that will be highlighted on the map
with a marker.

Atrior's Cavern is your next stop. Empusas, Dopplegangers, and
Telchines. Once you get asked by a small group of NPCs to help them
fight a 'boss'. This is a new normal enemy, but you might recognize
it. Spartoi, powered up Skeletons. After you take out the first Spartoi,
a few more will join, along with a huge skeleton. Once you put the smack
down on them, the NPCs will give you 1000 yuld and you're ready to move
on. When you reach the boss room, you'll see no new faces here. Just
more skeletons and Spartois. The giant one can shoot the Dark Sphere
spell at you. You have to take them all down this time. The lackies
won't fall when their boss does. Open the chest to find a crafting
material. Looks like someone else beat you to this chest. Anyway, after
you get it, shoot your way back to town and head to the weapon shop.
After the cutscene, leave and enter either the tavern or the inn. When
you emerge, the Weapon shop will show as a quest marker again. Keep
repeating this pattern until the weapon shop no longer shows as a quest
marker. Head up to the teleport gate and an NPC will stop you and give
you a key. This unlocked the northeastern most dungeon, the Ruins of
Norna-Gest. Empusas, Gremlins, Telchines, Dopplegangers. Nothing new.
Even the boss. Just a giant Doppleganger, some smaller ones, and some
beefed up Kobolds. The chest contains....Materials! Yup. You got beat
again. Anyhow, head back to town. Lucky, Lucky! You just got a new party
member, the Dual-wielding leprechaun Rain!
Rain is not a character to be underestimated. Not only is she a
dual-wielder, as a leprechaun, she gets access to some fairly good
support magic, including all the elemental Enhance spells. She also
starts with Sharpness and Protection to raise the team's Attack and
Defense, respectively. To top it off, she starts at level 280, which
is likely considerably higher than most of your party members unless
you've done a lot of grind training. She is often my choice for DPS.

Anyhow, once the cutscenes end, you'll be back in the Weapon shop.
Silica is here with a talk scene side-quest where she succeeds at
embarrassing herself, Kirito, and Asuna. There's also a side-quest in
the park. Once you've finished those up, talk to the NPC beside the
item vendor. This'll lead you another one, and the back to the tavern.
You'll have to take on the side-quest “Here, Horsey”, which tasks you
to defeat 15 Hippogriffs. These enemies appear on the east side of
Flosshilde and have a quest marker to show you the way. They are powered
up Griffins, and a bit of a pain in the butt, especially with the low
altitude limit. Once you beat them, go turn in the quest at the tavern
to receive the Brionac's Augite. With this, return to Flosshilde, and
follow the quest marker. You may have tried to go through this pass
before and been met with this enemy, and if you fought him, you found
he just kept coming back. Well, now that you have Brionac's Augite,
you have the key to stopping him from respawning.

Lindwurm Lvl 265
Elemental Weaknesses: Water, Earth, and Dark.
Resistances: Non-elemental
Armored, Unarmored, and Break points are the same as Ratatosk

Yeah, you read right. In my testing, he took less damage when there
was no element on the weapon, but there was a very clear weakness to
Dark. His attacks don't differ much from Ratatosk. The only one I've
seen is that he can fly up into the air to breath fire from there.

Luckily, the altitude limit is enough to let you fly a bit while you
fight him. It makes him so much easier, because you can get at his wings
now. Once you beat him down, proceed along the path to the dungeon,

Herteit's Cavern. Spartois and Dopplegangers. Empusas, Telchines.
These are nothing new. There is a new enemy, called a Drolem. It's an
upgraded Gargoyle. There is also one spot where if you open the chest,
you will encounter your first mimic. The mimics by and large are not
too threatening if you have only one to deal with, but they can release
various clouds of different poisons, signified by them burrowing to
look like a regular chest again, then erupting. Once you reach the boss
room, you'll encounter a new, but familiar face.

Nidhoggr Lvl 310
Elemental Weaknesses: Wind and Holy
Resistances: Non-elemental and fire.
Armored, Break, and Unarmored points are the same as Jormungandr.

Not too much different that Jormungandr. He does have three new attacks.
He may start swinging his tail back and forth like a whip, he may cause
magic circles on the floor from which rock spires shoot up, and
sometimes he'll jump in the air in a flying press. This can sometimes
cause your character to lose their balance. Same strategy as
Jormungandr. Stay behind him and wail the tail. When he falls, he gives
4800 yuld and a Material. Exit the dungeon and proceed to the quest
marker where you'll find a frozen waterfall. Get close enough and the
next dungeon will open up. The Ruins of Frode!

The first chest you see when you enter is a mimic. Attack it if you
wish. From there, Empusas, Gremlins, Telchines. These are nothing new.
There will be a new development. As you approach the last door, you'll
be stopped and thrown into a duel as Kirito against Sumeragi. If' you've
gotten Kirito's Dual Blade proficiency up to 300 and learned Star Burst
Stream, this battle is already over. Seriously, land a couple of normal
attacks, or bait Sumeragi into using his own skill, then attack with
Star Burst Stream. He'll be caught in it and it'll shred off two of
his four health bars, at which point the duel will end. At this point,
you'll automatically be thrown from the dungeon and end up in the weapon
shop. Shake off the disappointment and head back to the dungeon.
Sumeragi won't bar your path this time, and you're free to go fight
the boss. Here's a familiar face.

Lindwurm lvl 340.
Same as Lindwurm before, just a different level. Weaknesses and
strategies stay the same, except that you can't fly this time. Have
I mentioned how annoying I find this guy with all his jumping around?
When he falls, for me he dropped 2900 yuld, and a second drop of 3000
yuld. Head outside to the stone slab in the dead center of the island.
Once you approach, prepare for a boss battle.

Grendel Lvl 345
Elemental Weaknesses: Fire(Big surprise, huh?)
Resistances: None
Armored, Break, and Unarmored points are the same as Bergrisi

Yay! A ground bound enemy fought outside, but oh no! We're above the
altitude limit and our wings aren't usable. Treat this like the fight
against Bergrisi that you fought indoors. He brings nothing new to the
table. Just replace the rocks and sand with ice and snow. Just power
through it. He'll drop 12,000 yuld and a weapon. Once you beat this
boss, it's time to kiss the altitude limit goodbye. And that's not just
on Flosshilde. That's on Woglinde and Wellgunde, too. With the altitude
limit disabled, there are now two additional dungeons you can reach
on each island. Be warned that the field enemies at higher altitudes
will be stronger than any enemies you've faced so far. You will need
to visit these 6 dungeons and beat the enemies within to gain 6 key
items to gain access to the final dungeon on Flosshilde. The order in
which you do them is 100% up to you, but for the sake of the guide,
I'm going to hit Woglinde, Wellgunde, then Flosshilde. Heading to
Woglinde, of the two dungeons, we're going to the one further south,
the Ruins of Ur.

Most of the enemies here you'll recognize, but their levels have been
boosted significantly. Their battle styles haven't changed in the
slightest. Once you get to the last hallway, you will encounter a new
enemy, the Rune Knights. These guys are spellblades. They can fight
close range with their swords, or get some distance and use the Fireball
spell on you. They aren't overly threatening, though with their armor,
they do have decent amounts of health. When you enter the boss room,
you'll be faced with Nidhoggr and Homonculus. The latter are just
slightly upgraded Rune Knights. Not much of a threat. Just fight
Nidhoggr the same as you always would. The big guy will drop 10 grand
and a weapon.

From here, fly north to the other dungeon, the Ruins of Modi. Quasits,
Rune Knights, and a Serket or two. When you open the boss door, you'll
be whisked away outside to fight

Vidofnir
Elemental Weaknesses: Earth
Resistances: None.

In all the times I've fought this guy, I've never seen any difference
between him and Fafnir except for his paint job. On very rare occasion,
he may do a triple charge outside of rage mode. Like the last boss,
he drops 10 grand and a weapon. On to Wellgunde now. Two dungeons here,
one in the east, one in the west. Let's start in the east the Ruins
of Hervor. Pretty quickly, you'll run into a new enemy, the Guardian
Snipers. Not much different from the Guardian Archers, other than
stronger. Make your way to the boss room for a pair of powered up golems
and a stronger Ratatosk. Always throwing the heavy armor at us, eh?
10,000 yuld and a weapon from beating the dragon. Seriously, why did
someone turn Mario into a heavily armored dragon?

Now to the west. This dungeon is where Huginn tends to hang out, so
best to make a beeline for the door. He can't follow you inside The
Ruins of Freki! Vouivres, griffins, guardians, guardian snipers. When
you reach the boss door, you'll be whisked outside again to fight

Gullinbursti Lvl 385
Elemental Weaknesses: Water
Resistances: Earth and Dark.

He's the same as Hildisvini with a paint job. He has one new attack.
When your in front of him, he may try to smash you with his forehead.
If you stick to attacking his base like before, you won't have to worry
about this attack. Topple him for another 10 grand and a weapon. Now
last but not least, enjoy the fact that Flosshildes's crippling
altitude limit is gone as we make for the last two dungeons in this
place. 2 dungeons in the south east.

We're going to the northern of the two, Skillfing's Cavern. Empusas,
Alps, Automata, Spartoi. Just make your way through, and at the end,
you'll fight Bergrisi. He doesn't even have any lackies with him.10,000
and some materials. Wow, it's actually a little different this time.

Off to the other dungeon, the Ruins of Skirnir. Nothing here you haven't
already seen. Lindwurm's your boss this time. Man, I'm tired of these
jumping dragons. 10 grand and an Ancient Fruit, so that's a pretty nice
prize. If you return to town at this point, you'll have a couple of
blue quest markers, one pointing to Asuna for a talk scene, one pointing
to Sinon for a short dungeon delve with a party of Kirito and her. When
you reach the end of the dungeon, you'll have a choice to make, to Save
Loki or not. The choice you make will affect the next event you get
with Sinon, but that will be a way off still.

At last, it's time to proceed to the final dungeon of Flosshilde. Take
caution. This is Muninn's hang out, so get inside fast. The Ruins of
Sigmund. There's a new enemy here. An upgraded version of Mimics call
Avarice. They hide as white chests, which you may recall normally
contain keys needed in the dungeon. Once you make it to the end, you'll
be pulled outside again, this time to fight

Heidrun Lvl 420
Elemental Weaknesses: Fire
Resistances: Water and Holy
Armored points: Petals around head
Breakable points: Tentacle base, Head.
Unarmored points: Tentacles(attack with caution)

What's really a good description for this bosses appearance? It looks
like someone planted a seed, and the giant flower bloomed a person while
the roots turns into tentacles. It's pretty gnarly looking, and quite
annoying. The armored petals may close around the head to lead into
a charging attack, or a slower charge while shooting a stream of ice
from between the tentacles. Quite often, it'll swing its staff and send
out a row of 5 ice spikes. It is not recommended to attempt a flying
dash attack, as it will often block that by shooting a beam of ice
directly at you. Sometimes, it will close the petals around its head,
spinning around. When the petals open, there will be a snow dome shower,
much like you experienced with Grendel. The ice attacks have a nasty
habit of lowering your speed, but that's not the most annoying thing
this boss can do. At times, it will fly backwards with its tentacles
whipping at you. A hit from these tentacles will put you to sleep, even
through your guard, and sadly, Agil doesn't sell Anti-Hypnosis collars
yet to help you. Oh, bother. The basic strategy is to keep above the
boss's petals, easier said that done, and wail on the head. Not only
is it breakable, but enough force to the head can cause it to enter
a knock down state where it's totally vulnerable. Once you manage to
bring it down, you'll receive 15,000 yuld, a material, which for me
was a Frozen Tree Rock, and you can now access the last island, Nibelheim,
the Rocky Wasteland, a.k.a. The dark world.

If you return to town, you'll see Sinon has a blue quest marker on her
now. It's time to face the consequences for your actions regarding Loki.
Saved Loki:
If you sided with the trickster god, you'll be sent off to a new dungeon,
the Ruins of Jorg, which is a Dungeon on Nibelheim that you may or may
not have chosen to clear yet. As soon as you arrive, you're thrown into
battle against a small group of Guardians. They've got quite a bit of
HP, so be careful. Enemies here include Lemures, , Uruks, and Uuns.
When you reach the second to last room, you'll be faced down with a
group of Guardian Archers and Heavy Guardians. Cutting their defense
with Kirito's Weakness spell is highly recommended. After this battle,
heal up and head to the next room. Time to take down big man Odin.




Odin Lvl 480
Weaknesses: Darkness
Resistances: Holy
Armored points: Lower Body
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points: Upper body, head, wings

Lot of spear work coming from him. It's quite common for him to pull
his spear back and lunge forward at you. In rage mode, this will usually
be a combo of three lunges back to back. He will also often cause the
spear to spin in a small arc around him. He may do a small thrust forward,
which will be followed by a downward swing. In rage mode, he'll add
a spinning strike and an extra thrust to the end of this. This combo
will be signalled with a short charge up stance. Easiest way to fight
Odin is to hug and attack his left arm with the shield on it. The shield
does not provide armored protection, and from his left arm, you can
easily see most of his attacks being started in time to dodge them.
If you're attacking the right arm, you have less time to react. When
he falls, Odin will drop 10,000 and a weapon. As a reward for finishing
the quest, you'll receive a Crest of Valkyrja, which prevents you from
having Attack, Defense, Speed, or Magic lowered by enemy attacks.

Didn't Save Loki:
If you chose not to help out the trickster god, you'll be sent to a
new dungeon, the Ruins of Jorg, which is a Dungeon on Nibelheim that
you may or may not have chosen to clear yet. Enemies here include Lemures,
powers up Quasits, Uruks, powered up Orcs, and Uuns. Uuns are a new
enemy, and extremely annoying. Once you reach one of the two final rooms,
you'll meet up with Loki and his daughter Hel. Loki will make his escape
and leave you to fight

Hel lvl 450
Weaknesses: None
Resistances: Wind
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Legs on Abdomen and Wings.
Unarmored points: Upper body.

Thank goodness you're pulled into an alternate dimension where you can
use your wings. Hel can be quite annoying as many of her attacks cause
different status conditions. It's difficult to pick one accessory to
pin down. Her attacks include flying towards a character while spewing
a poisonous dark breath in a stream that can cause Curse, a quick lunge
forward with her stinger that will cause poison and can lower your
defense, three stationary stabs with her stinger that will rotate to
target a player which can cause Paralysis, a slap from her wing if you're
in her face that can lower your attack, a backhand slap that can send
you flying a significant distance, a quick spin where she'll swipe with
her stinger, and a ball of dark energy in a large sphere around her.
In rage mode, she'll be able to shoot a couple small bullets of dark
energy at you, and may proceed into a long duration spinning attack
at which point any contact with her will cause you damage. The best
way to approach is to remain around her head and use your highest power
attacks to take away her chances to poison you. Once you beat her, she'll
drop 10,000 yuld and a weapon. Heal up from that, and get ready. You
still have Loki to deal with in the next room.

Loki Lvl 480
Weakness: Water
Resistance: Fire
Armored points: Lower body.
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points: Upper body, head, tentacles coming from shoulders

Yay, we can fly for this fight, too! Loki's most common attacks are
to spin in place, which will surround him with spheres of darkness that
he'll launch off in all directions shortly after. Next, and even more
common, is to create a small black circle beneath your characters,
through which his tentacles will shoot up to attack you, and in rage
mode, the tentacles will make several attacks. He may hold both hands
in front of him and shoot a ball of dark energy directly at you. This
can cause Seal, stopping your sword skills and spells, and in range
mode, he can use this in rapid fire in a strafing motion. If you attack
him from directly in front, he'll try to hug you with his tentacles.
It would be a sweet gesture, if it didn't Bind you. In rage mode, he
may raise one arm, then he'll spin 4 times, whipping you with his
outstretched tentacles. Honestly, I found Loki to be a welcome break
after Hel. He's far less aggressive than she is, and his attacks are
by and large easier to dodge/block. He'll drop 10,000 yuld and a weapon,
and for completing the quest, you'll receive a Medallion of Njordr.
This necklace increases your defense by an amount comparable if not
exceeding a rank 10 shield, but drops your elemental resistances
significantly.

There is another event ready to go with Asuna on the park bench. Once
you start this quest, your team will be set to Kirito, Asuna, and Yuuki,
and you'll be transported to the Ruins of Norna-Gest. Make your way
through to the boss room. Before reaching it, you'll be stopped and
thrown into a battle against 5 NPCs PVP style. I found them fairly easy
to destroy with Kirito's Star Burst Stream. After you fight them, you'll
be transported to an alternate realm where you'll fight:

Skadi Lvl 480
Weaknesses: None
Resistances: Dark
Armored points: None
Break points: Arms
Unarmored points: Main body.

Skadi is a danger from afar, as you can probably tell from the arrows
sticking out of the bows she calls arms. Her attacks reflect her archer
nature. She will often move into a strafing mode, firing three arrows
at a time at you until all four arms are empty. If she fires both upper
arms directly up, a few moments later a shower of arrows will rain down
around her, harming those who are in close range. She can also clock
you with her lower left arm at close range, and if done in rage mode,
this attack becomes far more forceful, and is signaled by a Ding sound.
If she lifts her right upper arm, but does not fire, she will come
charging at whomever she is targeting. If she points both upper arms
straight out horizontally, she'll fire 6 arrows at once that will arch
in a similar fashion. If she aims her lower right arm, she'll fire 3
beams of light that act like the Bow's Strike Nova sword skill. If she
aims both lower arms forward and fires, but no arrows are seen flying,
a moment later, the area in front of her will have arrows shooting
everywhere like a swarm of angry hornets.
I've found the easiest way to beat her is to press the assault from
her right side. This will allow you the best opportunity to avoid her
uppercut. When beaten, she'll drop 10,000 and a weapon.

Once you return to town, head for the park bench again for another scene
with Asuna. After some cutscenes, Asuna will be pitted in a duel against
Yuuki. Time to finish what got interrupted so long ago on Woglinde.
This time, you have to take out all four of her health bars. In all
the time I fought her, she never once was able to block a flying charge
attack, and at no point did she use Mother's Rosario. However, when
this battle ends, both Yuuki and Asuna will be able to use Mother's
Rosario. Just remember that they must be equipped with a 1-handed sword
and rapier respectively.

Head over to the weapon shop and you'll see Silica. When you talk to
her, you'll be pulled into a boss battle against a lvl 430 version of
Muninn using Kirito and Silica. Tips for Muninn can be found in the
boss section further down. This one is no different, except for his
level. You only need to get him down to his last health bar turning
yellow, then the battle will end in a cutscene with the boss dropping
16,800 Yuld and a weapon, and Pina getting an unknown status condition
on her. Well, for more info on this, we turn to Argo, who is now standing
next to the teleport gate. Sounds like things are pretty grim for the
little feather dragon unless they hurry. You'll be pulled to the Ruins
of Thrud, with just Kirito and Silica. When you reach the boss room,
you'll have to face

Thiazi Lvl 435
Weaknesses: Holy
Resistances: Dark
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points: Body

This guy can be easy, or he can be quite annoying. One of his favorite
attacks is to surround a character with 6 spheres of dark energy, then
have them all close in at once. The real pain with this attack is the
fact that it causes Bind, and since it hits from behind as well, it's
near impossible to block. Another common attack you'll see at close
range is for him to take a swing with his scythe three times. I've almost
never had him hit me, even when right up against him, but when he hits,
he has a chance to cause paralysis. He may also do a charging attack,
spinning his scythe, and it has a second version where his scythe
becomes a ring of dark energy. The later tends to go further and hit
more often. One attack I rarely see, he'll lift his scythe high and
a dark cloud will appear in front of each party member. When he brings
his scythe down, an energy scythe will come crashing down on top of
them. For as easy as this attack is to avoid, it leaves him so wide
open. An attack you may see in close quarters, particularly in rage
mode, is a scream that send out a very short range shock wave of
red-black energy

There's really little to say in the way of strategy here except avoid
his dark spheres and be ready to guard. Once finished off, he'll drop
4,000 yuld and a low level material. Well, he was kind of easy to beat.
Enter the room on the north end of the map to find the hostage, then
you'll be back outside. Seems like you're in the clear until

Thiazi 2.0 Lvl 440
Weaknesses: Fire and Water
Resistances: Non-elemental
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Tail and Wings
Unarmored: Head and talons.

What can I really say about this boss's appearance? It looks like
someone took a Noivern and mounted speakers in its wings. He loves to
kite you, shooting spheres of dark energy 2 at a time that home in on
you. He also likes to stop and shoot 7 at you at once, three from each
wing and one from his mouth. If he has his wings spread and a sonic
wave shoots out, get out of his way, because he's about to come barreling
through in a heavy charge attack. If you dodge it, it leaves him pretty
wide open, but if you get hit by it, it'll Seal you. If you're fighting
him a close range and he curls his wings in, a burst of energy will
erupt below him, hitting a bit below the visible point of energy and
a good deal above his head. It doesn't hurt a guard meter much, so it's
easy to block. If he flaps his wings with a small amount of visible
sonic waves on it, he'll bring his wings in to surround whomever is
in front of him. This will hit them with a weak dark attack, but the
sphere he forms will explode only moments after, so don't rush into
it or drop your guard. Sometimes he's deceptive with this move, and
the signal will instead be followed by the previously mentioned burst
of energy below him. He may also do a short flap of his right wing that
will cause the same dark sphere to appear, but without the explosion.
This attack is difficult to predict and block, but does very little
damage. It will however Fatigue you. The last attack he has, and the
most annoying, if he flips upside down, he'll send out a series of short
range sonic waves. This rapid hit will devastate your guard meter, and
even worse, it'll put you to sleep.

Your best bet fighting him is to stay in his face. Don't give him the
opportunity to kite you, because he will be relentless with you. Once
you take him down, you'll get 6000 yuld, a weapon, and  perhaps more
importantly, Pina is saved. Hooray! After this, head to the park bench
for one more scene with Silica, which I believe nets you a trophy. I
already had it when doing the scene during the writing of this guide,
so I may be misremembering.

Head back to the weapon shop. Lisbeth has a side quest for you, too.
When you start, you'll be thrown into Surg's Cavern, with a party of
just Kirito and Lisbeth. This is another Nibelheim dungeon that you
may or may not have finished yet. If yes, just run right through. If
not, well you've seen enough dungeons to know how to navigate them by
now. When you reach the boss room, prepare for another annoying enemy.
It's Lindwurm again! The usual strategy to take him down. He'll drop
8530 yuld and a few materials. For me it was 3 Black Yggdrasil Rocks.
Anyhow, Lisbeth's quest isn't over just yet. Head back into the shop
and talk to her again. This time, you'll be pulled straight into a battle
against Bergrisi with Kirito and Liz. At least they picked a boss who
isn't Mario in dragon form this time. He'l drop 15,000 yuld and a
material, which for me was Mithril Ore. Head into the smithy and
automatically, a scene will ensue. At the end of it, you'll receive
the Light Crystal Ring, which increases max MP and elemental attack
for all elements. This is a perfect accessory for a spellcaster, and
there is only one, so don't sell it or it's gone.

With this, all the side quests have been finished for now, so if you
haven't already, it's time to head to Nibelheim, the Dark World. A look
at the map will reveal 8 dungeon markers. 3 of them are dungeons you
may have explored in the above mentioned side quests, but are not
essential to story completion. 4 of them have quest markers on them,
and when you proceed to each of the quest markers, you find a tower
with a glowing portal in front of it. The northern-most quest marker
leads you into a ruin with a locked door that shows no sign of how to
open it. Don't waste your time here yet. This door ain't opening yet.
You may visit the towers in any order you like, and in reality, you
do not have to clear them all. You must clear at least one, however.
First, though, a list of enemies you'll find around Nibelheim's outside
world.

Lemures – The Quasits of the dark world.

Uruks – Orcs with a paint job and more health.

Jellies – Slimes that I think come in Strawberry flavor.

Uuns – These guys are new, and man are they irritating.  Their most
common attack is to fly towards you while swinging their blades like
a jogger swinging their arms. The first hit is likely to knock you down,
and any attempt to get back up will be met with another blade hit and
knock down. They may also start to spin with blades outstretched. To
beat these guys, use magic from afar, or press the assault with high
knockdown moves like Sygnus Onslaught. They stagger rather easily, so
one is not a significant threat, but when you get a group of them coming
at you, you have cause for trouble. Choose skills that provide super
armor to punch through them

Hippogriffs – You fought these before to get the Brionac's Augite.
Nothing has changed.

Mushus – You fought a few of these alongside Wyverns in a few Woglinde
missions. Nothing has changed

Ladon – Evil Glancers, trying to take the name of a dragon.

**Vidofnir** This big guy won't be around your first time visiting.
He'll appear down the road after you beat the boss who is connected
to the 4 towers around the area. He sports a whopping level 800 and
hangs out around the tower in the center of the map.

Unlike previous areas where there was one of the normal enemies around
who had been super charged, like the Kobold in Woglinde, the Vouivre
in Wellgunde, and the Automata in Flosshilde, I have not come across
any creature matching that description in Nibelheim. Anyhow, as
previously stated,  the towers are our goals. As a note, the towers
contain some pretty darn good treasures, a lot of which are recovery
items. I actually suggest taking only a minimal amount of recovery items
with you for each or you may not be able to get them all. I also recommend
controlling a character with the Searcher spell. For the sake of the
guide, I'm starting at the Northwestern tower and working clockwise
around the map. Let's enter the first one: Fimbul's Labyrinth

This place is where things get interesting. Rather than just a straight
forward dungeon like most, you have a bunch of teleporters you have
to work around one by one. You start on the east side of the map. Of
the three teleporters on this side, the southern most one will take
you to the northern middle room. This is where you will encounter a
new enemy, called a Mi-go. Sadly, this guy is not your amigo. He's the
strongest version of a Silky. This time they use straight up poison
to directly drain your HP. The middle of the eastern teleporters takes
you to the southern middle room, where you'll face a few Heavy Guardians
and find a couple nice treasure chests.The northern teleporter takes
you to the long room on the far west of the map. When you enter the
boss room, you'll have a small army to fight. 2 Guardians, 2 Guardian
Archers, 2 Mushus, and a powered up Golem. Be warned, this golem can
shoot fireballs without a need to charge the spell. Just as you examine
the switch to pull it, some Shamrock lackies show up to stop you. Those
jerks, leeching off your hard work. On your way out, there's a portal
in the boss room. When I jumped through it, I was in a small room with
5, yes FIVE Platinum quasits, and with each one being level 500, that's
a bank vault of EXP right there. Once you're back outside, you'll see
the light on the tower has gone out, and on closer inspection, so has
the light of the same color on the tower in the middle of the island.
You'll automatically be returned to town and get to enjoy an animated
concert from Seven. You gotta wonder how much those special effects
would cost in the virtual world. Anyhow, back in town, you'll have 2
orange quest markers, one at the inn, one at Agil's shop. Both just
trigger short talk scenes. When you return to Nibelheim, you'll learn
of the nature of this floor boss from a pair of NPCs. For each tower
you clear, the boss will get weaker. If you're confident in your skills,
you can go fight him right now, but be warned that he will be much
stronger than any enemy you have faced so far. When fought with 3 towers
still lit, the boss is powerful enough to almost always one hit KO you,
even from full health. To top it off, his own health regenerates so
fast, it's very difficult to bring him down. I managed to do it once
by getting lucky enough to have Kirito's Eclipse skill knock him down,
during which time his health regeneration stopped, and had enough mana
left to fire a second one immediately. For all my efforts I was awarded
a second weapon, which when appraised turned out to be Excalibur. Not
bad to get a rank 10 weapon for it, but in my opinion, not worth the
hassle. It's your choice if you wish to fight him now, but I can't really
post a strategy guide for 3 tower form, other than to say bring your
three strongest DPS characters and have everyone equipped with an
anti-hypnosis collar. If he puts you to sleep, he's pretty much going
to regenerate all his health before you can start attacking him again.
It all boiled down to luck for me. Do not feel obligated to take him
down or lose Excalibur. You can get Excalibur later from other enemies.
For the sake of this guide, I am going to assume you intend to continue
on with clearing the towers, and will resume from the northeast tower,
Gyor's Labyrinth. You should be familiar enough with dungeons by now
that even with the teleporters, I don't need to go in depth on how to
navigate this one. There is one new enemy that appears, named Hronn.
It's basically just a red Uun, so there's nothing really to tell there.
Time for the boss. 2 Heavy Guardians, 2 Guardian Snipers, 2 Cockatrice,
and a beefed up Automata. The Automata can sling Ice Bullet with one
swing of his arm. When he falls and you throw the switch, another portal
will appear. For me, this contained 5 Honey Slimes, each at level 500
for a wonderful pay day of EXP.

On now to the next dungeon, the south east tower. Thrizi's Labyrinth
Nothing new here. The boss of this tower is 2 guardians, 2 guardian
snipers, 2 Lemures, and another beefed up Automata. This one can shoot
Wind spells. Another portal awaits you after you pull the lever, and
what's on the other side? Spartois. Yeah, they decided to stop with
the rare enemies and throw this suckers at you. For the record if you
want to avoid it, these little hidden rooms are 100% optional. Feel
like fighting the boss yet? If so, go right ahead. If not, head to the
south west tower. Just one more of these to go.

Gensler's Labyrinth. By this point, I'm sure you've navigated enough
dungeons that the only thing you need of this guide is some info on
the boss. Well, simple enough. 2 Heavy Guardians, 2 Guardian Archers,
2 Hippogriffs, and a beefed up Golem who slings earth spells from his
fists. The portal this time contains 5 honey slimes. Not bad after all
this fighting.

With all of the towers extinguished, it's time at last for our assault
on the boss outside the center tower. If you did Silica's side quests,
this guy looks quite familiar.

Hraesvelgr lvl 500
Weaknesses: None
Resistance: None
Armored Points: None
Breakable points: Wings, Tail
Unarmored points: Head, Talons

Now that all the towers have been dealt with, this guy's pretty easy
to take down. His stats have taken a nose dive and his health no longer
regenerates. He fights exactly like Thiazi in his Noivern form from
Silica's side-quest, but in case you didn't do that yet, I'll repost
his attack patterns here.  He loves to kite you, shooting spheres of
dark energy 2 at a time that home in on you. He also likes to stop and
shoot 7 at you at once, three from each wing and one from his mouth.
If he has his wings spread and a sonic wave shoots out, get out of his
way, because he's about to come barreling through in a heavy charge
attack. If you dodge it, it leaves him pretty wide open, but if you
get hit by it, it'll Seal you. If you're fighting him a close range
and he curls his wings in, a burst of energy will erupt below him,
hitting a bit below the visible point of energy and a good deal above
his head. It doesn't hurt a guard meter much, so it's easy to block.
If he flaps his wings with a small amount of visible sonic waves on
it, he'll bring his wings in to surround whomever is in front of him.
This will hit them with a weak dark attack, but the sphere he forms
will explode only moments after, so don't rush into it or drop your
guard. Sometimes he's deceptive with this move, and the signal will
instead be followed by the previously mentioned burst of energy below
him. He may also do a short flap of his right wing that will cause the
same dark sphere to appear, but without the explosion. This attack is
difficult to predict and block, but does very little damage. It will
however Fatigue you. The last attack he has, and the most annoying,
if he flips upside down, he'll send out a series of short range sonic
waves. This rapid hit will devastate your guard meter, and even worse,
it'll put you to sleep.

Your best bet fighting him is to stay in his face. Don't give him the
opportunity to kite you, because he will be relentless with you. When
this boss falls, you'll receive 20,000 yuld and a weapon. Now, behind
the boss, you will see another portal pop up. This is the last dungeon,
Dark Yggdrasil! As you navigate through, when you reach the first room
that the party calls a boss room, you'll see that while there may have
been a boss there, he's already been beaten, but he left behind a wake
of destruction. Just past there, though, you'll see our good old
annoying friend, Lindwurm. And he's got some Lemures lackies this time.
Once he goes down, you can examine the door behind him, but you'll find
it to be completely impassable for the time being. Instead, do as Seven
suggested and go back to Agil's shop. Settle in. This talk scene is
a long one. Once it's done, you'll see you have a blue marker over Sinon
for one final talk scene with her before being awarded a trophy. Now
it's time to return to Nibelheim and hit Dark Yggdrasil again.

You will run into a new enemy here, known as Bara. It's just another
Uun. As you enter the room on the upper east side on the second floor,
you'll see a familiar face you hate. Nidhoggr appearing as a normal
enemy instead of a boss. The good thing is you don't have to fight him.
You can just run right past him to hit the switch. As you approach the
boss door, you'll be face with a nice little sight. A PVP style duel
between Kirito and Sumeragi. His stats have improved since last time.
Once he reaches half health, the battle will be interrupted by a
cutscene, where Sumeragi will explain the nature of his OSS to you.
His health will restore to full as the battle continues. Be warned that
he can now use his OSS. When he starts it, his left arm will be surrounded
by a blue aura. When you see it, you have about a half second to get
your guard up before he does a wide radius 360 swing. If you block,
he'll be wide open. If you've been training Kirito enough to have his
Eclipse sword skill, use that and this duel is over. Luckily for you,
even thought he battle happened outside, you automatically get warped
back to the room where Sumeragi was waiting for you to continue on.
The third floor of Dark Yggdrasil is a labyrinth. Navigate your way
through to hit all three switches and reach the southern door. As you
approach the boss door, prepare for a new boss battle.

Siegfried lvl 570
Weaknesses: Holy
Resistances: None
Armored points: None
Breakable points: All four arms.
Unarmored points: The rest of him.

This guy can really be a bug. If you attack him from close range, he's
likely to do a cross horizontal slash with his bottom arms, then bring
the top arms down together for a downward slash. He may extend his left
upper sword in front of him with runes swirling about it. He'll charge
forward with his sword in this position, and when he stops, he'll slash
it downward into the ground. Another simple yet annoying attack is a
quick pirouette with his swords outstretched high and low. He'll do
this three times in a row if in rage mode. He may create a ring of fire
around him that has a fairly long duration. If you're outside this,
you can't attack him at this point. If you're right up against him,
you'll be trapped inside, untouched, and free to wail on him. Just be
careful. If you're at a distance, you are not safe. He may extend his </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
lower swords out to the sides and bring them together, sending out a
blade of air. He may also bring all four swords together, charging up
a powerful beam of darkness. It may stay stationary or rotate
counter-clockwise about 90 degrees.

For a boss near the end of the game, he's not that difficult. Stick
to him in close range and try your best to hit his arms for the
possibility of breaking them.

Head straight south to the final door. On the other side, you'll meet
up with Seven. The time has finally come to put her in her place. You'll
start out fighting her PVP style with your full party. For how high
her level is, she's a joke. Not at all worthy to be a final boss. Just
smack her down to zero health. Sadly, this isn't over. All those OSS
skills she basically stole from her followers have caused her to
transform.

Seven lvl 600
Weakness: None
Resistance: None
Armored points: None
Break points: Wings, Legs
Unarmored points: Body

Now THIS is worthy to be a final boss. A culmination of almost all the
bosses you've faced thus far. She can materialize a spear out of nowhere
for a one-two strike similar to Odin, or use the same spear for a
charging thrusts, also like Odin. If a field of digital coding surrounds
her in a sphere, she's about to use the same Wind Sphere that Fafnir
used at close range. If she opens her wings quickly, she'll do a quick
burst of energy from them directly in front of her. If her wings open
slowly, then when open, she'll shoot down a blast of energy similar
to Fafnir's tornadoes directly around her. In rage mode, she has a
longer charge up, but strikes each character with a separate blast of
energies. She may hold her hands in front of her and shoot a beam of
energy. Can you say, “Kamehameha”? She may also create a bow in her
hand to shoot at her target. At the same time, she'll have a small sphere
of energy around her that harms those at point blank range.

Make no mistake, even though her wings make that armored “Clank” sound,
they are still very breakable. There's really no one cut strategy to
take her down. Watch her moves carefully and press the assault when
you have the opportunity. It's not at all a bad idea to keep your
distance to let your mana restore and strike with your strongest attacks
when you're full up. Once she goes down, watch the credits roll, and
you're back in Agil's shop. A quest marker on the west will let you
talk to Sumeragi. Head back to Agil's shop after that for another scene.
Once over, you'll be back in the inn. Make your way to Woglinde and
seek out the quest marker to find Rain. This is the moment you've been
waiting for. A duel between Dual-wielders. Just beware, she's got her
OSS now. She create multiple swords above her that will then fly forward
at the target, which happens to be you. However, during the build up
for this attack, she does not have super armor. You should be able to
knock her out of it with a sword skill such as Cygnus Onslaught, or
if you have enough mana and a high enough skill level, slam her with
the Eclipse. She's actually a decent PVP enemy. Once you defeat her,
you get access to her OSS, and it is definitely worth using. It's perhaps
stronger than The Eclipse when used right.


Now you're in the post game, and there are a lot of blue quest markers
around here. Avoid talking to Strea for now. Talk to Philia for a fairly
long cutscene. Head over to the park bench for a scene with Asuna, and
a trophy as well. Talk to Rain sittign on the edge of the fountain for
a little scene that will reward you with a Seven Fan Amulet. This thing
is absolute trash. It has absolutely no affect whatsoever, but luckily
it can be sold for a sweet 50,000. Examine the door to start an event
where you'll have Kirito and Rain as your party. You'll be sent to the
desert to hunt down an enemy with no quest marker to show the way. Fly
directly forward towards the large bones sticking out of the ground.
After the short scene, fly north and you should see a blue dot on your
map. As you approach, you'll face a creepy old lady who will summon
a powerful golem to stop you. By this point in the game, this guy's
a wimp. Once your done, head to Agil's shop and talk to Rain there.
You'll be taken to a dungeon. Run through to the boss room where you'll
end up facing down 3 golems. Again, they aren't that strong at this
point. Afterwards, you will face down Thokk. A level 400 Hildisvini.
After your battle against Seven, this guy is a push over. You shouldn't
need specs on him. Just beat him down. You'll be faced with an annoying
face afterwards, who luckily will not fight you. However, for
completing this quest, you just obtained one of the best accessories
in the game, the Crest of Yggdrasil. This handy little accessory makes
it much easier to train. EXP for overall leveling, weapon proficiency,
skill level and spell level. It makes all of them faster. This item
is not one of a kind, but getting more is not simple.

Head back into Agil's shop and talk to Lisbeth for a quick scene and
a trophy. Examine the door for a fun little fashion show. Talk to the
NPC for the final entry of Festival Time and a trophy! Leave the shop
and re-enter to make Seven reappear for a silly scene. Leave and enter
to make her appear once more. You'll be whisked away to a battle against
three Homonculi(plural of Homonculus) and three Lemures. Beat them down
and proceed along the path before you and up the southern stairs.
Proceed into this room to be pulled into a PVP fight with a handful
of NPCs. Careful not to let them get you backed into a corner. They
can overwhelm you with numbers, especially since you have to fight alone.
One Eclipse if you have it can decimate the whole party if they're all
right close together. Go a little further to see the NPCs get their
heads handed to them by a few tiny sprites. Pathetic. Kirito won't try
to take them on like a man. Rather he'll retreat to town, and you'll
have to head back into Agil's shop and talk to Seven again. You'll go
through a cutscene at the end of which you will receive the Necklace
of Skald. While this accessory can be equipped by anyone, it affects
a Pooka's Song magic, so it's only usable by Seven or a custom avatar
Pooka. Honestly, I don't use Song magic, but if you wish to, go right
ahead. With all the craziness said and done, go back to Woglinde. You'll
see a blue quest marker on the map. Go to it and you'll see Sumeragi
standing there. After a short conversation, you'll have him as a party
member. Chances are good that unless you've been power leveling like
a maniac, Sumeragi is much stronger than any other member of your party.
He joins at level 600, which means he will know every spell he can learn.
He also has 600 proficiency in the katana, giving him access to all
the katana skills, to include his OSS, One-handed Tyr. Now, head to
the inn and save. It's time at last to talk with Strea. When you do,
she'll start to glitch out, and you'll be pulled into a battle as Kirito
alone. Your opponent is.

Black Lotus lvl 1,000
Weaknesses: None
Resistances: None
Armored, Break, and Unarmored points: None, because this is PVP style.

This chick is insanely difficult. I have never managed to beat her in
this one on one battle. The biggest thing to watch for is when her black
butterfly wings appear. She'll come charging at you like a maniac, and
if she goes past you, she may swing around for a second attack from
behind. If you can time it out well, it's good to use Specula Cross
to turn that Light Speed attack on her. Win or lose, however, when you
next go to the inn to build a party, you will be informed that you may
add Black Lotus to your party. This mama is not to be underestimated.
She joins your party at level 600, and she has 600 proficiency in all
three of her weapon styles: 1-handed sword, knuckles, and Dual-Wielding.
Yeah, there's a third one now. As such, she has access to all her skills
in all three weapon styles right off the start, to include her two “OSS”
skills. They aren't officially labeled OSS skills, but they fit the
description, being unique to her. What's more, she can use these two
skills no matter which weapon she is using. If that weren't enough,
in the field and dungeons, her running and flying speed are equal to
that of another character when they're boosted, and her speed can be
boosted on top of that. When boosted, she's a freaking bullet! Her two
OSS skills, Light Speed and Starburst Stream(not to be confused with
the Dual-wielding skill Star Burst Stream, which she can use) are quite
interesting. Light speed send her flying forward on her black butterfly
wings. A hit to an enemy will be much stronger than a hit from Cygnus
Onslaught. I've seen it slam an enemy for 30,000 more than once.
Starburst Stream works much like Rain's Thousand Sword Rain. It's
important to note that, like Thousand Sword Rain, Black Lotus's unique
Starburst Stream does not have super armor. For all this power, Black
Lotus must have some shortcoming, right? Well, she does. Black Lotus
has absolutely no magic. This limits her recovery options to passive
enchantments on her weapons and your item stock.

Now that you have everyone all together, go to the inn and build the
strongest team you can. This will likely include Black Lotus and
Sumeragi. Go to Agil's shop and talk to Seven. You'll get a cutscene
that actually has no voice acting. From here, you'll be teleported to
the last floor of Dark Yggdrasil. As you reach the last door, you'll
be stopped by a cutscene and instantly warped to an alternate dimension
where you will face the game's true final boss.


Lost Song Lvl 1,000.
Weaknesses: None
Resistances: None
Armored, Break, and Non-armored points: None.

This boss is unique from all the other bosses in the game. You must
fight him in stages. From the very beginning, there's an altitude limit
imposed at the lowest altitude on the map. This means your wings are
unusable. In front of you, you'll see numerous Bottom Cores, each level
1,000. At this stage in the fight, if you stand at a distance, one of
the bosses other parts high above you will shoot down a laser at you.
If you stand on line with one of the cores, it will charge up and blast
you with a laser. If you stand next to a core, it may do a partial charge
and release a small discharge right around it. If you stand close to
Lost Song, you will see a large green circle appear on the ground. After
a few second, the circle will vanish, followed by a blast of energy
from the bottom of Lost Song all around it. You must get your distance
and avoid this attack. It is very damaging. As you pick off a few of
the cores, you may get a moment where a magic circle appears on the
ground and follows you. After a few seconds, a pillar of a random element
will erupt beneath you. This can be dodged by practicing the timing
to jump back off the circle just before it erupts. For this part of
the battle, stick to skills that have short animations, such as Cygnus
Onslaught. If you lock yourself into a long animation in close quarters,
the green shockwave attack will decimate you. Work your way around the
bottom, taking out the cores one by one. Black Lotus is very useful
for this with her naturally high running speed, since she can strike
and retreat before the green shockwave smashes her.

Once all the bottom cores have been destroyed, Lost Song will lower
his wings. At this point, his attack patterns change. He no longer has
the green shockwave shooting out at you, and with the cores gone, they
cannot attack. You can still get pegged by the lasers from above, but
they are far less frequent while you are ground level. Frequently while
you are on the ground, he will shoot out a purple shockwave. This attack
causes no damage, but does cause you to go off balance unless you jump
at the right time. You will also frequently see Fafnir's Tornado attack,
until you run up one of the wings and jump onto the platform of the
Wing Core. At this point, you are in range that the parts of the boss
higher up can attack you either with their lasers or orbs of dark energy
that burst on impact and do about 4 or 5 hits before vanishing. The
Wing Cores themselves are not that difficult. They have much more health
than the Bottom Cores, but each only possesses two attacks. If the
energy field around it flashes slowly, it will create several ice spikes
that will shoot out in a circle around it. This attack cannot hit you
if you are right up against the Wing Core, so do not worry. If the field
around it pulses quickly, it's about to use a large electrical field.
Avoid this by jumping back onto the ramp below the Wing Core's platform,
then rush back in after it's done to destroy it. There are 2 Wing Cores
per wing, and when both cores on one wing are destroyed, that wing will
break apart and vanish. Once both wings have been destroyed, the magic
circle creating the Altitude Limit will disappear and you can once again
use your wings to fly as high as you like. Plus the background music
changes to the title sequence.

As your float up, you will see a number of faces named Chorus. These
are the little things that were shooting lasers down on you earlier.
As a note, destroying the Choruses is entirely optional, but doing so
yields some of the game's highest level materials, so it's very much
worth it. So long as you attack each Chorus from the side, its lasers
cannot harm you. This is not to say that you are in the clear to attack
as you please. The boss's main core high above you has one attack that
can hit you from absolutely any elevation. A number of magic circles
will appear one after another, creating a trail to track you as you
move. There will be 6 in total. When the circles begin to shine brightly,
move, because they are about to erupt in a pillar of light. If all 6
circles are in the same place and you get hit by all 6 beams of light
at the same time, you are almost guaranteed to get KO'd.

Once you take out all the Choruses, or if you choose not to fight them,
float up further to find the face of this dark tree. This is the boss's
true face, so to speak, sharing its name of Lost Song. For a final boss,
they have made its attacks fairly easy to dodge, though make no mistake,
each one packs an extreme punch. You were already warned about his magic
circle light pillars. Those are still going on. At nearly anytime you're
fighting close range, he may shift forward and let out a scream. This
is the one attack he has that doesn't do a boatload of damage. It does,
however, send you flying all the way to the barrier if you don't guard.
If you do get sent flying, just shake it off and fly back in. If he
leans forward and opens his mouth slowly, he's about to do a powerful
laser stream. This attack would be much more threatening if he didn't
only move it vertically. Still, if you are careless or locked into a
long skill animation when he uses it, it can absolutely wreck you. Yui
will often warn you of when this attack is coming, and he has a tendency
to move back far enough that you lose your Lock-On. At times, he may
have magic circles appear all around his head in sporadic locations.
From these lasers will fire straight out. The placement of the circles
is static each time, so learn where the blind spot are in it. Once such
spot is right in front of his mouth. Another attack to watch for is
when he starts sending down lasers from the halo above him. If you are
right in his face, as you should be to attack him, the 5th laser can
hit you square on, so be sure to guard after 4 shoot down. While fighting
him, a dark purple energy circle will appear, going from the bottom
of his face up to the top of the altitude meter. While it's dark purple,
it will cause no damage and serves as a warning. After a few seconds,
the circle will turn a lighter purple. During this time, this attack
is live and can harm you. To dodge this, just turn off your wings for
a second to drop below his chin while the circle is dark purple and
wait until it vanishes to fly back up and start attacking, or attack
from a distance with magic or a few select skills, such as Black Lotus's
unique Starburst Stream. The best strategy to fight this guy once you
reach this point is to stay close to the front of his face and keep
on the offense. Always be mindful of the magic circles that will produce
the pillars of light. These can be hard to see sometimes.

When he falls, congrats. You've just beaten the game's true final boss.
This boss can be rebattled anytime from an Extra Quest in the Tavern
called Song of Wills and Ways. Each time that you beat him, he will
drop weapons at random. I've seen him drop as few as 1 or as many as
3. Regardless, these weapons are always rank 10, and in the PS4 version
at least, they glow when equipped.

In addition to his weapons, this first time that you beat him, you will
also receive one more party member: Seven. When she first joins, Seven
will seem pretty underwhelming, having a level of only 200. To call
her worthless, though, would be the furthest thing from the truth.
Seven's claim to fame in this game is that, unlike a custom avatar Pooka,
Seven has the ability to learn all the level 3 attack spells, including
the truly OP Dimensional Abyss. If you have yet to see this spell, it's
basically a giant black hole opened on the enemies in range. Her weapon
choices aren't the best, but with a mace in hand, she can use a shield,
and this is highly recommended. In my experience, Seven does not tend
to perform well as an AI ally, as she seems quite reluctant to use her
high level spells, even if she has no other spells or sword skills set.

At this point, there is one last party member to get. I'm not entirely
sure the significance of it, but for me, when I had Silica as my
character in a Solo party, an Undine appeared in the park. After a
conversation, you head to Viz's cavern in Nibelheim. Fight your way
through, and at the end, you will be joined by a Sylph named Lux.

That's almost it for story mode. There is one more thing you can do,
and it is recommended that you do so. If you return to Nibelheim, fly
to the dungeon furthest north. This is the dungeon that was locked
before without any apparent way to open it. Well, guess what? That
door's unlocked now. Head on inside The Ruins of Fjorm. This dungeon
requires you to battle your way through. In the first large room on
the right, you'll face a level 800 Siegfried. Once you beat him, the
next big room on the right will be a bit of a challenge. Fafnir,
Hildisvini and Heidrun, back to back with no break, all level 900. Be
sure you have plenty of healing items before you enter here. In the
next room, there's going to be a lot of minor enemies, all level 700
and heavily armored. Once you break through them, head for the last
room at the top right. Last but not least, you must face a level 1,000
Seven. She's going to be much stronger this time around, but her attacks
are the same as before. Fight hard, fight careful, and don't give up.
Once she falls, you will gain a sword that when identified will be none
other than Excalibur. At this point, the Ruins of Fjorm are open for
you to fight and train to your heart's content, and many of the enemies
here drop some high level materials.

That's it for story mode, folks. Hope you had fun with it!

*************
*Weapons List* [005]
*************
Given the sheer size of this list and the factor of the RNG playing
with drops, while I have ascertained where to find the Rank 8 and 9
weapons, I have not as of the time of posting this managed to get every
one of them. If you can contribute names for the weapons I may be missing,
please, e-mail me and let me know. You will be credited for your addition
to the list.

For this list, I have listed out the weapons within the game to the
best of my ability. Therefore, this list may be missing a few. If you
find one that is missing and can provide a proven method to find it,
please e-mail me and let me know.
For weapons and shields rank 1-7, these weapons and shields become
available for purchase from Agil over the course of the story line,
and are all available from Agil at the end of the story. As such, I
will not be listing ways to get them. I will, however, list out ways
to obtain weapons of rank 8-10. Do note also that enemies who drop rank
10 weapons may drop an HG version of a lower rank weapon. These weapons
have a rank of 10, and have damage ratings to go along with. Along with
that, they also require the same level of materials that rank 10 weapons
require for upgrading.

I have found that the rank 8-10 weapons tend to drop most commonly from
the bosses in Extra Quest of the corresponding rank. That is to say
rank 8 weapon most commonly come from rank 8 Extra Quests, rank 9 from
rank 9, and rank 10 from rank 10. Do note that from what I have seen,
each boss seems to drop just one type of item. That is to say, in the
mission Rebels and Wind Graves, Vidofnir drops 1-handed swords. You
can fight him 1,000 times over, but you won't get him to drop a mace
for example. You need to spread out and attack other bosses in other
missions. The bosses and normal enemies in the rank 10 quests have a
large chance to drop or break materials needed for enhancing the high
level weapons.

The items needed for enhancement are dependent upon the item's rank,
and are as follows
* = This item is added to the list of needed materials after it reaches
+5

Rank 1:
Iron Sand (Found everywhere)
*Sharp Claw(Found everywhere)

Rank 2:
Iron Sand
*Sharp Claw

Rank 3:
Iron Sand
Sharp Claw
*Pyrite(found in Geirrod's Cavern, Hyrrokkin's Cavern, and the Ruins
of Thrud from enemies)

Rank 4:
Iron Sand
Baking Mud(Found from glowing points around Wellgunde and in Wellgunde
dungeons)
*Dragon Stone(Found from glowing points all around Flosshilde and
dropped by enemies at low
altitude in Flosshilde)

Rank 5:
Iron Sand
Myrkvidr fragment(Dropped by automata in Flosshilde Exterior)
*Frozen Tree Rock(Dropped by enemies in Flosshilde Exterior)
*Mysterious Amber(Found from Glowing Points and enemies in high
altitude dungeons of Woglinde, Wellgunde, and Flosshilde

Rank 6:
Pure Iron(Found in Glowing points and dropped by enemies of high
altitude dungeons)
Flaming Crystal(Found in high altitude Wellgunde dungeons, glowing
points and enemies)
Eternal Ice(Found in high altitude Flosshilde dungeons, glowing points
and enemies)
*Meteoric Ore(Dropped by most enemies exterior in Nibelheim)

Rank 7:
Mithril Ore(Found in glowing points exterior nibelheim, and dropped
by most exterior nibelheim enemies)
Dragon Crystal(Dropped by enemies in the Tower dungeons around
Nibelheim)
Pure Steel(Dropped by enemies in Dark Yggdrasil)
Electrum(Found in glowing points in Nibelheim dungeons, dropped by
enemies in Dark Yggdrasil)
*Black Yggdrasil Rock(Dropped by enemies in Search Extra Mission
Dungeons)

Rank 8:
Gnipahellir Ore(Dropped by Lemures in The Ruins of Fjorm)
Njordium(Dropped by Uruks in The Ruins of Fjorm)
Forsetium(Dropped by Lemures in the Ruins of Fjorm
*Surtrite(Dropped by Uruks in the Ruins of Fjorm)
*Bragilite(Dropped by enemies in Search Mission Extra Quests)

Rank 9:
Odinium(Found from Glowing Points in the Ruins of Fjorm)
White Cloth(Dropped by Mushus in the Ruins of Fjorm)
Unsullied Marrow(Dropped by Uun and Hronn in the Ruins of Fjorm)
Serpent's Tail(Dropped by Hronn in the Ruins of Fjorm and many enemies
in Search Extra Quests)
*White Feather(Found from glowing points in the Ruins of Fjorm, and
dropped by enemies in Search Extra Quests)

Rank 10(These vary largely due to the large number of items involved)
Evil Eye(Dropped by Hronn in Ruins of Fjorm, and found from Glowing
Points in same place)
Vicious Claw(Dropped by Uuns and Hronn in the Ruins of Fjorm)
Bone Spike(Broken from many Rank 9 and 10 Extra Quest bosses, dropped
by many Rank 10 Extra quest mobs)
Alfnium(Dropped by Chorus, part of the Lost Song boss)
Orichalcum(Dropped by Seven in the Extra Quest)
Divine Crystal(Broken from many Rank 9 and 10 Extra Quest bosses,
dropped by many Rank 10 Extra quest mobs)
(The remaining materials that differ based on which sort of weapon it
is are dropped largely by Rank 10 Extra quest bosses, most notably the
Choruses of Lost Song)

1 handed swords: [005a]
Divination (1)
Polished sword (1)
Weizen (2)
Seeker Sword (2)
Crime Rouge (3)
Blodgang (3)
Sword of Hogni (4)
Platinum Edge (4)
Mirage Blade (5)
Hrunting (5)
Macuahuitl (6)
Fabulous Dark (6)
Sweep Saber (6)
The Monolith (7)
Joyeuse (7)
Vox Unitas (7)
Dark Repulser (8, Dropped by Basilisk, Abandoned tunnel 3rd floor)
Dainsleif(8, Dropped by Apophis, Abandoned tunnel 3rd floor)
Conscience (8)
Elucidator (9, Dropped by Empusa and Cockatrice in Abandoned Tunnel
4th floor)
Ka+@e_su%204(A.k.a. Kirito's Photon Sword from GGO) (9, Dropped by
Black Lotus)
Excalibur (10, Dropped by Seven in the Ruins of Fjorm and by bosses
at end of Abandoned Tunnel)
Holy Sword Excalibur (10)
Blazing Sword (10, Glowing)

Rapiers: [005b]
White Stinger (1)
Epee Rapier (2)
Spada della Rosa (3)
Mimung (4)
Volare (5)
Hornet's Stinger (6)
Ray of Grace (7)
Answerer (8)
Arondight (9)
Lambent Light (10)
Glaring Light (10, glowing)

Daggers: [005c]
Dagger (1)
Stinging Dagger (2)
Intruder (3)
Sword Breaker (4)
Brachen Blutgang (5)
Ettertanke (6)
Nagelring (7)
Arma Nero(8)
Scrape(9)
Giardino(10)
Fragarach (10, Glowing)

2 handed swords: [005d]
Two-Handed Sword (1)
Grosserheld (2)
Sword of the Brave (3)
Deadly Thorn (4)
Fragmenter (5)
Juggernaut (6)
Eraser (7)
Dragvandil(8)
Sword of Damocles(9)
Gram(10)
Object Eraser(10)
Durandal (10, glowing)

Knuckles: [005e]
Tearing Claw (1)
Katzenkralle (2)
Dragon's Nail (3)
Hard Knuckles (4)
High-Impact (5)
Cestus Gloves (6)
Ginnungagap (7)
Brutal Fist(8)
Fimbul(9)
Paopei, a.k.a. Cat claw(10)
Iron Fist Oguma (10, glowing)

Katana: [005f]
Katana (1)
Kotetsu (2)
Suiryuken (3)
Dotanuki (4)
Satokotoba (5)
Raikiri (6) (a.k.a. Lightning Blade!)
Usumidori (7)
Ame no Murakumo(8, dropped by Bara in Dark Yggdrasil 3)
(9)
Futsu no Mitama(10)
Demon Sword Muramasa (10, glowing)

Axe: [005g]
Battle Axe (1)
Void Axe (2)
Gore Geyser (3)
Eliminator (4)
Decapitator (5)
Vendetta (6)
Axe of Fear (7)
Soul Remover(8)
Terminator(9)
Nadr(10)
Lang (10, glowing)

Mace: [005h]
Plain Mace (1)
Barbaroi Club (2)
Ardent Smasher (3)
Gem and Spike (4)
Giant Tusk (5)
Lethal Blow (6)
Hammer of Midgard (7)
Gridavol(8)
Staff of Yggdrasil(9)
Mjolnir(10)
Caduceus (10, Glowing)

Spear: [005i]
Target Lance (1)
Halberd (2)
Sinker (3)
Tripika (4)
Gae Bulg (5)
Mistelten (6)
Hairpin (7)
Laevateinn(8)
Gae Dearg (9)
Elder's Trident(10)
Divine Laevateinn(10)
Brave Song (10, glowing)

Bow:[005j]
Rafaga (1)
Bullseye (2)
Mistral (3)
Rebel's Bow (4)
Ydalir (5)
Siam Shekinah (6)
L'arc Qui ne Faut (7)
Resignation(8) (Dropped by enemies in Dark Yggdrasil)
Failnaught(9)
Artemis' Fault(10)
Silvan Bow (10, Glowing)

Shield: [005k]
Round Buckler (1)
Metalsmith Buckler (2)
Subsistence (3)
Survivor's Shield (4)
Fearless (5)
Death Repeller (6)
Svol (7)
Hephaestus(8)
Aegis Shield(9)
(10)


*************
*Sword Skills* [006]
*************
The following section will outline the sword skills available for each
weapon, as well as my personal opinion on each weapon available. Each
skill will be evaluated on its damage, number of hits, and breaking
capability. For skills that have no set number of hits in their
description and hit too rapidly to count, such as Thousand Sword Rain,
the number of hits will be given as an estimate.

Dual-Wield: [006a]
Gale Slicer
Number of hits: 2
Power: Low
Breaking ability: Very low
Opinion: With as low as the power is, you're better off waiting until
you can use Final Revolution or something stronger. Gale Slicer does
have a niche use to get you out of a corner if a boss or group of enemies
has you pinned down.

Final Revolution
Number of hits: 1 (AoE)
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: I still find myself using this endgame to take out weaker
enemies who are surrounding me. It never become totally outclassed,
so it's a good idea to have it at the ready.

Specula Cross
Number of hits: 2
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Counter
Opinion: The timing for this and other counter attacks is quite tight.
However, once you start to learn an enemy's attacking patterns, this
is a useful move to take their most powerful attacks, prevent the damage
from them, and deliver an attack that will usually stun them momentarily.
Because of the nature of a counter move, they are not ideal for breaking
because you cannot aim them.

Cygnus Onslaught
Number of hits: 2
Power: Med-high – High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: This quickly became my most used attack for its raw power.
Its short range demands you be right in your opponent's face, not that
that's a problem.

Star Burst Stream
Number of hits: 16
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med-High
Opinion: Ah, here it is. The first dual-wielding skill we saw in the
anime. It maintains its power well, and personally, I find it best for
taking out groups of flying enemies indoors, thanks to its fair mana
consumption.

The Eclipse
Number of hits: 27(the last two thrusts carry multiple hits)
Power: Very high – Descructive
Breaking ability: Very High
Opinion: Mmm, my word, this attack can be a big hit or a big miss. It
is outstanding for pure DPS against bosses, and the last two thrusts
have such high breaking power that sometimes, 1 Eclipse is all you need
to break a piece. The long animation lock can be a pain if your opponent
flies out of range, though.

Thousand Sword Rain(Rain Only)
Number of hits: ~30
Power: Destructive
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: An awesome skill, but know when to use it. This skill is one
of the few with no super armor, so you can be knocked out of it by one
hit and lose your mana in the process, and it's not cheap.

Light Speed(Black Lotus only)
Number of hits: 1(AoE)
Power: Extremely Destructive
Breaking ability: Very low
Opinion: It would be better if it was more like it is when she uses
it against you. Still, this attack has often hit between 20,000 and
60,000 for me, depending on the level and type of enemy. It doesn't
travel far, not much farther than Gale Slicer, but the sheer damage
output is astonishing.

Starburst Stream(Black Lotus only)
Number of hits: ~20-30
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: For an attack that basically mimics Thousand Sword Rain, it
doesn't have the sheer firepower that TSR has. Still, it is by no means
a bad skill. Just note that it does not have super armor, so you can
get knocked out of it with one hit and lose the mana in the process.

Rapier Skills: [006b]
Stinger
Number of hits: 1
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: It's fairly useful for a rank 1 skill. It's easy to hit with,
being fairly accurate.

Quadruple Pain
Number of hits: 4
Power: Low - medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: It's a basic combo, but its average damage output is only about
as high as Stinger. For the higher mana cost and chance of hits missing,
I would rather just use Stinger.

Piercing Territory
Number of hits: ~4 (AoE)
Power: Medium - Med-high
Breaking ability: Low-med
Opinion: This attack can be quite useful, especially when you end up
surrounded. It's essentially a shockwave all around you, and I've found
it very useful to take out groups of normal enemies.

Sonic Impulse
Number of hits: 1 (Projectile)
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: A rather useful attack, especially against enemies who are
a danger from close range. Don't give in to the desire to spam it. It's
a fun attack

Shooting Star
Number of hits: 4
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med-high
Opinion: It's essentially Stinger combined with Quadruple Pain in one
thrust. It's fairly useful.

Star Splash
Number of hits: 8
Power: High - very high
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: It's what one would expect of a rank 6 skill. The combo can
cause quite a lot of damage. Just be sure not to use it on a retreating
or charging opponent.

Mother's Rosario (Asuna only)
Number of hits: 11
Power: High – Destructive
Breaking ability: High – Very High
Opinion: As powerful as you would hope from an OSS of its caliber. Each
hit is very strong, and the final thrust is about 3-4 times as strong
as the other hits of the combo. Just remember that after your initial
thrust forward at the start, you can rotate yourself, but not move any
other way.

Axe: [006c]
Whirlwind
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: It's a basic axe swing with super armor and increased damage
output. There's not much to say.

Lumberjack
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Counter
Opinion: It's not much stronger than Whirlwind. Like all counter
attacks, it's good if you can learn the timing.

Triple Slash
Number of hits: 3
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Med-low
Opinion: It's essentially 3 whirlwinds linked together. It's useful
for a low mana cost

Violent Spike:
Number of hits: 2
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: The forward lunge before the swing can be useful to close the
gap for an otherwise slow speed weapon.

Catapult Tomahawk
Number of hits: 1
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med-high
Opinion: Now this is an attack with the power I would expect of a heavy
slow weapon. The long range throw is useful, and the damage output went
up nicely.

Gravitational Impact
Number of hits: ~3-5
Power: High
Breaking ability: high
Opinion: I think they were trying to chop down Yggdrasil with this move.
The initial hit is about as powerful as Violent spike, and the exploding
shockwave can really add up, as well as making it a limited AoE. The
last hit of the shockwave seems to have higher breaking and stunning
power than the rest.

Katana: [006d]
Tsujikaze
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: Your basic level 1 skill, featuring essentially a normal
attack with increased power and super armor.

Hiougi
Number of hits: 3
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Med-low
Opinion: Quite useful for its power and low mana cost. The combo is
a decent speed to prevent enemies from escaping.

Oborotsukuyo
Number of hits: 4
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: It's useful for small groups because it seems that the sword's
range is extended for this attack.

Qiong-Ji
Number of hits: 6
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: Round, and round, and round, and rou- Okay I'm dizzy now. Jokes
aside, this attack is pretty good. It's easy to aim and keep the enemy
on the end of it. The rising attack at the end tends to be stronger
and have higher breaking ability.

Zangetsu
Number of hits: 1 (projectile)
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med-low
Opinion: For an attack that shares the name of Ichigo's sword, this
attack lives up to the expectation. A quick powerful burst of energy
from the blade hits the enemy rather hard. It's easy to use. Just don't
spam it and burn out your mana.

Rashomon
Number of hits: ~13
Power: Very High
Breaking ability: Med-high
Opinion: This attack really goes to town with the damage. Gotta watch
with animation locks that the opponent doesn't get out of range.

One-Handed Tyr(Sumeragi only)
Number of hits: 1 (large AoE)
Power: Destructive
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: A good OSS. The super armor on it and the size of the 360 AoE
could make it essentially an upgraded version of Final Revolution. It's
a shame it's only available on an Undine, but his high mana pool means
he can afford the cost of this attack rather well.

Dagger: [006e]
Fading Edge
Number of hits: 4
Power: Med-Low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: First off, I've been knocked out of this attack, so it seems
this lacks super armor. That automatically reduces its usefulness. It's
got good power for a rank 1 skill, though.

Quick Throw
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Very low
Opinion: It's fast, it has a decent range, and it's as powerful as the
4 hits of Fading Edge without the opportunity to be knocked out of it
due to lack of Super Armor, given how fast it executes.

Rapid Bite
Number of hits: 1
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: It can be useful, but if you space it wrong, you'll hit only
the air. Practice with this one. Particularly useful against larger
enemies.

Mirage Fang:
Number of hits: 6
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Med
Opinion: A swift combo that doesn't leave you wide open and gives out
plenty of damage.

Swift Assault
Number of hits: 8
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med
Opinion: Nice quick combo with good power on each hit. Each one has
a good amount of force to assist with breaking.

Lightning Ripper
Number of hits: ~10
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med
Opinion: This attack is better suited for groups, given the amount that
the user moves while using it. It's quite the impressive move for a
little blade like that.

Knuckles [006f]
Rising Uppercut:
Number of hits: 1
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Counter
Opinion: Wasn't expecting to have a counter attack as a rank 1 skill.
Still, it's like all other counters.

Smashing Knuckles:
Number of hits: 1
Power: Low-med
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: Ho-hum. Your standard basic attack powered up with super armor.
Nuff said.

Surging Terror Fist:
Number of hits: 9-12
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Med-low
Opinion: Woo-hoo! This is my favorite knuckles skill. It sends out three
spheres of energy, that on contact burst for 3-4 hits on the target.
It's low mana cost makes it almost spammable. The distance is good,
and the power adds up.

Leopold Blitz:
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Med
Opinion: Dynamic Entry!! It's essentially a lunging attack with pretty
good power.

Turbulence Rush:
Number of hits: 7
Power: High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: For the mana cost, this is a pretty good combo attack. The
damage output is good, and the super armor is always useful.

Deadly Flow:
Number of hits: 5-7
Power: High
Breaking ability: Med-high
Opinion: Falcon PAWNCH!! Nah, let's get serious. This punch packs a
lot of power. It's good for stunning and knock downs with a serious
amount of damage behind it.

Spear: [006g]
Triple Thrust
Number of hits: 3
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: A simple quick combo of three. It's decent, and better than
your normal attacks

Spinning Slash
Number of hits: 2
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: The twirl hits with a bit of power, then the downward strike
causes the real damage. The twirl can hit multiple enemies if at point
blank.

Wild Twister
Number of hits: ~7
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: Useful in a group to really push them back.

Spiral Gate
Number of hits: 2
Power: Med-High
Breaking ability: counter
Opinion: Your standard counter attack with a decent range since it's
a spear.

Blast Spear:
Number of hits: 1(projectile)
Power: Med-High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: Hey, this is Odin's move. In all seriousness, it's good to
see the spear gain a throwing move.

Fatal Thrust:
Number of hits: 6-7
Power: High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: One thrust, 7 hits, lots of power.

Bow:[006h]
As a note, I've noticed the bow is almost incapable of causing breaks,
with the exception of the rank 6 skill, Strike Nova

Wide Shot
Number of shots: 5
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Nil
Opinion: You won't be hitting 1 enemy with all 5 shots unless they are
a very large enemy and you are point blank, which sort of defeats the
purpose of a bow.

Hail of Arrows
Number of shots: 3
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Nil
Opinion: For the low mana cost, this is a good move. 3 homing arrows,
right in on one enemy with a good range.

Stardust Exa
Number of hits: ~10
Power: Med
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: I rather like this move. It seems to be good for knock downs
against flying enemies, and it does have a decent chance to break their
wings. On other enemies, though, breaks are rare from this, hence the
low rating.

Sparkle Shot
Number of hits: 1-4
Power: Med
Breaking ability: Nil
Opinion: This one is a special technique in that you can lock onto up
to 4 enemies or sections of a boss. You use mana based on the number
of targets you lock onto.

Multiple Chaser
Number of hits: 12
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: Hail of Arrows times 4. That's all it is.

Strike Nova:
Number of hits: 4
Power: High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: If used for breaking, this skill has the unique advantage of
being able to lock onto a specific part of the boss, given that it's
shot from a bow. Just take aim, press the button, and unleash your final
smash, Zelda/Shiek.

Mace: [006i]
Raging Blow
Number of hits: 3
Power: Med-Low
Breaking ability: Med-Low
Opinion: A simple twirling 3 hit combo with Super Armor. Useful for
its low mana cost.

Power Strike
Number of hits: 1(very small AoE)
Power: Med-Low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinon: It's a quick strike that can be useful if surrounded.

Divine Assault
Number of hits: 1
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: A lunge forward for a strong strike makes this a fairly good
move, if a little basic.

Spirit Bomber
Number of hits: 2
Power: Med-high
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: No, Goku! Don't throw the Spirit Bomb down here! Oh
wait....that's Spirit BombER. The charge up has strong super armor,
and the strike is quite powerful. Direct hits to a break point can
significantly help with scoring those sweet bonuses.

Riot Smash
Number of hits: 6
Power: High
Breaking ability: Medium
Opinion: A quick combo I had not expected from such a heavy weapon.
It's definitely not to be underestimated.

Adamantium Breaker
Number of hits: 4-6
Power: High
Breaking ability: Medium-High
Opinion: It reminds me much of the rank 6 skill for the axe. The initial
hit, followed by the exploding hits to follow. It's a powerful attack
that can devastate groups of small enemies.

2-Hand sword: [006j]

Avalanche
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-Low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: On the ground, this can push an enemy back and really punish
them. In the air, I find it difficult to aim it right, especially with
a fast opponent.

Cyclone
Number of hits: 1(AoE)
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Med-low
Opinion: Final Revolution with a 2-hander.

Hollow Silhouette
Number of hits: 1
Power: High
Breaking ability: Counter
Opinion: A powerful counter strike, given the strength of the weapon.

Eruption
Number of hits: 2
Power: High
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: A quick powerful combo of two hits that hits pretty dang hard.

Furious Destroyer
Number of hits: 5
Power: Very High
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: Woof, this is high power. This is when a 2-hander really starts
to show its strength.

Ray Brandish
Number of hits: 5-7
Power: Destructive
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: This is a volcano of power. The first hit is strong. The
shockwaves can cause even the strongest enemies to stagger, and are
very good for breaking.

1-Hand Sword: [006k]

Sharp Nail
Number of hits: 3
Power: Medium
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: A basic and useful 3 hit combo with super armor and a fair
boost of power with Super Armor.

Rage Spike
Number of hits: 1
Power: Med-low
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: A basic attack with increased power and super armor.

Horizontal Square
Number of hits: 5
Power: Medium – Med-high
Breaking ability: Low
Opinion: This attack is good for groups and large bosses, but the
hopping around makes it a little difficult to really aim.

Radiant Arc
Number of hits: 3
Power: Med-High
Breaking Ability: Med-High
Opinion: I like this move. It's got a really good power with a rising
strike. The strength to mana used is very good.

Vorpal Strike
Number of hits: 1
Power: High
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: Rage Spike on steroids. In all seriousness, this attack hits
very hard.

Nova Ascension
Number of hits: 10
Power: High
Breaking ability: High
Opinion: First, let me clear up confusion. The description suggests
this is a counter attack. In my testing, it did not work as such, so
I believe the description to be misleading. Anyway, it is a very
powerful combo of attacks.

Mother's Rosario(Yuuki only)
See the description for Mother's Rosario in the Rapier section. It's
no different here.


*******
*Spells* [007]
*******
As a note with magic, I have found that the level 1 and 2 attack spells
are useful early on when you acquire them, but they do not grow enough
to be worth using once the level 3 attack spells become available. As
such, elemental attack spells will be listed together, and the
description provided will be an assessment of the level 3 spell.

Fireball/Flame Blast/Meteor Explosion: The meteor itself does a
sizable amount of damage if it hits, and the AoE to follow is fairly
sizable. Best used on enemies with weakness to fire.

Ice Bullet/Freeze Lance/Absolute Zero: Personally I call this one Aqua
Laser, but that's just because I play Tales Of games a lot. Still,
Absolute Zero is a truly destructive spell. In Asuna's hands with the
right accessories and battle skills, it has shown higher damage output
than anything else I have seen in the game.

Wind Cutter/Tornado Cannon/Tyrant Hurricane: Powerful, multi hitting,
and an AoE that covers a fairly large section the Altitude Meter. This
cyclone is quite useful

Sling Stone/Rock Blast/Deathrock Cluster: The downside with this
attack is that after the casting animation, the AoE is locked in, and
a mobile enemy can easily avoid the attack entirely.

Lightning Arrow/Holy Lance/Divine Ray: While powerful, this attack has
the same downside as Deathrock Cluster. It's good for close quarters.

Dark Sphere/Void Distortion/Dimensional Abyss: This spell is the best
attacking spell in the game, bar none. It's a shame only Seven and Yuuki
can use it, but Seven really puts it to good use. The large AoE and
heavy damage output, the only drawback for this spell is that when used
outside, it doesn't hit very high vertically. Used indoors, however,
it will decimate your opponents easily.

Enhance Flare/Aqua/Aero/Soil/Holy/Dark: As the name implies, this
makes your physical attacks change to the corresponding element.
Leprechauns get access to all 6, making them very useful for exploiting
elemental weaknesses.

Resist Flare/Aqua/Aero/Soil/Holy/Dark: Less useful than their Enhance
counterparts, these can have their uses against bosses with fire breath
or who use magic. Like the Enhance spells, Leprechauns get access to
all 6.

Familiar skills:
Those little dragons have some variable breath. They have one attack
for each element, which can make them useful for exploiting weaknesses,
and healing breath can be useful, allowing you to get back into guarding
stance after a very short animation. The catch with Healing Breath is
that the dragon will target the spot you were in when you used it, so
if you move, you'll miss out.

Song of Battle, Protection, Healing, and Divine Prayer: Song Magic is
useful in the sense that it can stack with stat increases of other spells.
For example, you can use Sharpness to increase attack, then Song of
Battle to increase it further. However, the range of effect is very
short, and the duration even shorter. On top of that, AI pookas are
all but completely useless. Seriously, I've never seen AI Seven use
a song magic once. Really, I find song magic to be worthless, but that's
my opinion.

Healing spells:
First Aid: Basic healing for the caster alone. Quick casting time, low
amount of recovery, but the only one available to most races.

Heal: Basic healing for the whole party. Fairly fast casting time, and
useful to help the whole team. With a high enough level on this spell,
I've seen it heal 50% of a health bar.

Refresh: The ultimate healing spell for the party. Long casting time.
With a high enough level, I've seen 100% healing from this. Worth it
if you can get the distance to use it.

Resurrection: If you have an AI party member who knows this attack and
doesn't have it equipped, slap yourself. The name says it all.

Revive: The description on this one is a little misleading. Anyone
familiar with Final Fantasy knows the Auto-Life status. Those who are
not, while the status is in place after using this, if the user is KO'd
when they hit the ground, they'll stand back up with about 10% of their
health and the Revive status is gone. This spell has a very long casting
time, but is very much worth using. Do note that the Revive status is
long-lived, but NOT permanent.

Cure: Heals status conditions. Would be more useful if it hit the party
instead of just the user. Would allow the caster to spring their allies
from Paralysis, Sleep, Bind, Seal, and Stun. Still, it can be useful
in the face of Poison, Fatigue, and Curse.

Stamina Boost: Reduces your stamina consumption rate. Somewhat useful
if you use a lot of strong attacks, but I never use it.

Regenerate: Slowly restore the user's HP over time. Extremely useful. </pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
Everyone who can use this should have it equipped.

Regenerate Mana: Very useful. This increases the amount of natural mana
recovery, and has a fairly good duration. Every character on your team
who can use this should have this equipped.

Special spells:
Venom Shot and Thunderbolt: These two spells carry a small chance of
causing Poison and Paralysis, respectively. The chance is not very high,
and I do not recommend using these spells.

Bind: Unlike its brothers, Venom Shot and Thunderbolt, this spell is
specifically set to bind an enemy. A fast enough enemy can escape the
effect area before being caught. Still, if you have a slot to put It
after the rest of your spells have been set.

Magia: Very useful for attack mages and healers to bump up their power.

Sharpness, protection, Quick: These abilities have a very fast casting
time, and affect the whole party. Definitely worth having on a
healer/support mage

Exhaust, Weakness, Slow: These abilities are very useful, especially
against large groups with the wide range they hit. If using someone
like a Spriggan or Imp, these will be your bread and butter spells,
due to their limited access to healing spells, and attack magic.

Hiding/Hollow Body: Very limited usage. Maybe useful to escape from
a tight spot, but even holding R1 to run breaks the invisibility of
Hollow Body, and Hiding is far less effective.

Searcher: As quick as it is to cast, almost instant, it's worth having
as you adventure. Just remember, an AI ally will not use it, so be sure
to remove it from their sets.

Battle Shout: Good for a character with high HP and Defense.

*************
*Accessories* [008] *In progress*
*************
Update: 6/8/2016 I do not know exactly who left the feedback, but thank
you. I don't know how I forgot an accessories list. This one may be
a little delayed due to recent changes in my work schedule.
Contributions would be very welcome.

Many of the game's accessories can be purchased from Agil's shop by
the end of the game. For those that can, there will be a price listed
by the name. Most other accessories are dropped by enemies in the Search
extra quests. Usually they drop commonly enough that I cannot tell which
enemies drop which accessories exactly.

Glittering Ring – 5,000:
HP up 250

Brilliant ring – 12,000:
HP up 750

Echo Ring – 5,000:
MP up 100

Harmonia's Ring – 12,000
MP up 300

Ring of Dvergr – 20,000
HP up 250, MP up 100

Ring of Fjalar – 80,000
HP up 250, Attack up 50

Ring of Galar – 80,000
MP Up 300, Defense up 50

Ring of Veigar – 50,000
HP up 250, shortens duration of poison debuff.

Ring of Gandalf – 50,000:
HP up 250, Shortens Fatigue debuff

Ring of Dvalinn – 50,000
HP up 250, shorted Paralysis

Ring of Durinn – 50,000
HP up 250, shortens Sleep

Ring of Thror – 50,000
HP up 250, shortens Seal

Ring of Loni – 50,000
HP up 250, Shortens Curse

Ring of Thrainn – 50,000
Defense up 20, strengthens Guard meter

Ring of Iari – 50,000:
HP up 1,600, MP down 200

Ring of Vitr – 30,000:
HP down 600, MP up 600

Ring of Mimir:
HP down 6,000, MP up 2,000

Ring of Origins:
MP up 200, Elemental defenses for Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth up ~20%

Ring of Vithar:
HP up 5,000, MP down 3,000

Ring of the Berserker:
HP up 2,000, Weak guard meter

Light Crystal Ring (one per playthrough):
Increases MP by 600, raises all elemental attacks by ~20%. Ideal for
spell casters, and useful for leprechauns with their numerous Enhance
Element spells.

Shell Ring – 50,000:
MP up 100, Defense ip 20

Elemental Ring – 50,000
MP up 100, Fire, Water, Wing, and Earth defense up ~10%

Contrast Ring – 50,000
MP up 100, Holy and Dark defense up ~20%

Defender ring – 5,000
Strengthens guard meter

Aegis Ring – 50,000
Strengthens guard meter greatly

Venom Ring – 20,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to Poison

Paralysis Ring – 20,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to Paralyze

Hypnosis Ring – 20,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to induce Sleep

Strength Void Ring – 30,000
Small Chance on each weapon hit to reduce strength

Defense Void Ring – 30,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to reduce Defense

Spell Void Ring – 30,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to reduce Magic

Kinetic Void Ring – 30,000
Small chance on each weapon hit to reduce Speed.

Attack Necklace – 5,000
Attack up 20

Predator Necklace – 50,000
Attack up 50

Aggressor Necklace:
Attack up 100

Guardian Necklace – 5,000
Defense up 20

Protective Necklace – 50,000
Defense up 50

Palladium Necklace:
Defense up 100

Medallion of Muspell – 30,000
Attack up 20, fire attack up 50%

Medallion of Jotun – 30,000
Attack up 20, water attack up 50%

Medallion of Vidnarfr – 30,000
Attack up 20, Wind attack up 50%

Medallion of Jord – 30,000
Attack up 20, Earth Attack up 50%

Medallion of Frigg – 30,000
Attack up 20, Holy attack up 50%

Medallion of Hel – 30,000
Attack up 20, Dark attack up 50%

Muspell Emblem – 30,000
Defense up 20, fire defense up ~10%

Medallion of Njordr:
Defense up 300, but elemental defenses down ~15%

Jotun Emblem – 30,000
Defense up 20, Water defense up ~10%

Vindarfr Emblem – 30,000
Defense up 20, Wind defense up ~10%

Jord Emblem – 30,000
Defense up 20, Earth defense up ~10%

Frigg Emblem – 30,000
Defense up 20, Holy defense up ~10%

Hel Emblem -30,000
Defense up 20, dark defense up ~10%

Fire Necklace -10,000
Fire attack up 20%

Flame Necklace – 50,000
Fire attack up 100%

Aqua Necklace – 10,000
Water attack up 20%

Frost Necklace – 50,000
Water attack up 100%

Wind Necklace – 10,000
Wind attack up 20%

Gale Necklace – 50,000
Wind attack up 100%

Soil Necklace – 10,000
Earth attack up 20%

Earth Necklace – 50,000
Earth attack up 100%

Holy Necklace – 10,000
Holy attack up 20%

Sacred Necklace – 50,000
Holy attack up 100%

Gloom Necklace – 10,000
Dark elemental attack up 20%

Dark Necklace – 50,000
Dark elemental attack up 100%

Medallion of Tyr – 50,000
Defense down 100, attack up 200


Fire Talisman – 10,000
Fire defense up ~10%

Flame Talisman – 50,000
Fire defense up ~30%

Aqua Talisman – 10,000
Water defense up ~10%

Frost Talisman – 50,000
Water defense up ~30%

Wind Talisman – 10,000
Wind defense up ~10%

Gale Talisman – 50,000
Wind defense up ~30%

Soil Talisman – 10,000
Earth Defense up ~10%

Earth Talisman – 50,000
Earth Defense up ~30%

Holy Talisman – 10,000
Holy Defense up ~10%

Sacred Talisman – 50,000
Holy defense up ~30%

Gloom Talisman – 10,000
Dark Defense up ~10%

Darkness Talisman – 50,000
Dark Defense up ~30%

Viking Talisman – 50,000
All elemental defense up ~10%

Anti-Poison Collar – 60,000
Cannot be poisoned

Mind Collar – 60,000
Cannot be Fatigued

Anti-Paralysis Collar – 60,000
Canot be Paralyzed(Very useful)

Anti-Hypnosis Collar – 60,000
Cannot be put to sleep (Useful against some bosses)

Balance Collar – 60,000
Cannot be off-balanced(Ratatosk's Bane)

Liberty Collar – 60,000
Cannot be Bound

Liberating Collar – 60,000
Cannot be Sealed

Anti-Curse Collar – 60,000
Cannot be Cursed

Strength Collar – 60,000
Cannot have Strength reduced

Defense Collar – 60,000
Cannot have Defense reduced

Spell Collar – 60,000
Cannot have Magic Reduced

Kinetic Collar – 60,000
Cannot have Speed reduced

Crest of Gunner
Cannot be Paralyzed or Sealed

Crest of Rota
Cannot be Bound or Cursed

Crest of Hladgudr
Cannot be poisoned or Off-balanced

Crest of Gondul
Cannot be Fatigued or put to sleep

Symbol of Odin
Wind defense up ~50%, earth defense down ~50%

Symbol of Baldur
Holy Defense up ~50%, Dark Defense down ~50%

Symbol of Nerthus
Earth Defense up ~50%, Wind defense down ~50%

Symbol of Fenrir
Dark Defense up ~50%, Holy defense down ~50%

Symbol of Aegir
Water defense up ~50%, Fire Defense down ~50%

Symbol of Logi
Fire Defense up ~50%, Water defense down ~50%

Einherjar Emblem
All elemental defense up ~20%

Seven Fan Amulet:
This item is obtained as part of Seven's character quest line. It
provides no bonuses whatsoever and only has a use in selling for 50,000.

Crest of Yggdrasil:
This handy accessory increases the rate at which all your levels
increase. General Levels for the character, weapon proficiency, sword
skill level, spell level. It increases all of them. One is obtained
as part of Rain's character quests, and others can be obtained from
the Mimic and Avarice enemies found in the Defiled Shrine Extra Quest.


*************************
*Monster drops by location* [009]
*************************
The information in the following section was gathered through defeating
enemies in each dungeon and overworld location. This will also include
items to be found from each of the glowing collection points. Note that
all glowing points and enemies give Yuld when they fall, except for
a few choice enemies throughout story mode. As such Yuld will be omitted
from the drop list entirely. During this collection period, no
characters in the party had any form of the Rare Drop battle skill
equipped. This guide can also be used as a great way to find out what
monsters appear in which dungeons, for the sake of completing the Side
Quests offered in the tavern. The dungeons will be listed in the same
order they were visited during the making of story mode walkthrough
section of this guide. For enemies who drop unappraised weapons, at
least 10 samples were collected from each to gauge the ranks of weapons
they appraise into.




Woglinde Exterior:
Glowing Points(low altitude): Iron Sand, Sharp Claws.
Kobold/Quasit/Evil Glancer/Alp/Slime/Silky/Basilisk/Wyvern: Iron
Sand, Sharp Claw
Lizardman: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Unappraised weapons (rank 1)
(High Altitude)
Glowing points: Dragon Stone, sharp claw, pure iron
Silky/Alp/Quasit/Griffin/Wyvern/Slime/Basilisk: Mysterious Amber,
Pure Iron,

Hymir's Cavern:
Glowing points: Iron Sand, Sharp Claws
Quasits/Slimes/Jellies: Iron Sand, Sharp Claws

The Ruins of Magni:
Glowing points: Iron sand, Sharp Claw
Quasits/Slimes: Sharp Claw, Iron Sand
Orc: Unappraised weapons (Rank 1, Rank 2 very rarely)

Thrivaldi's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw
Slimes/Quasit: Sharp Claws, Iron Sand
Evil Glancer(Only appears after boss fight): Iron Sand, Sharp Claw,
Unappraised Daggers (Rank 2)
Orc: Unappraised weapons at random (Rank 1)

Geirrod's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Iron Sand, Sharp claw
Quasit/slime/jelly: sharp claw, iron sand
Lizardman: Unappraised weapons (rank 1-3)
Evil Glancer: Pyrite

Hyrrokkin's Cavern:
Glowing points: sharp claw, iron sand,
Slimes: Sharp Claw
Orc: Unappraised weapons (Rank 2-3)
Basilisk: Pyrite, sharp claw
Lizardman: Unappraised weapons (Rank 3) and shields (rank 2)
Gargoyle: Pyrite
Jormungandr(Boss, respawns): Unappraised weapons (Rank 3)

The Ruins of Thrud:
Glowing point: Iron sand, sharp claws.
Basilisk: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, pyrite
Quasit: Sharp Claw, Pyrite,
Orc: Unappraised weapons (Rank 2-3)
Gargoyle: Pyrite
Kobold: Unappraised weapons(Rank 2-3)




The Ruins of Ur:
Glowing Points: Pure Iron, Mysterious Amber
Quasit/Serket: Mysterious Amber, Pure Iron
Homonculus(Rare appearance among Rune Knights): Flaming Crystal, pure
Iron,
Rune Knight: Unappraised weapons(Rank 5-6)
Nidhoggr(Boss, respawns): Meteoric Ore(break), Unappraised
weapons(Rank 5-6)

The Ruins of Modi:
Glowing Points: Pure Iron, Mysterious Amber.
Quasit/Serket: Mysterious Amber, Pure Iron
Rune Knight: unappraised weapons(Rank 5-6)


Wellgunde Exterior:
Glowing Points: Iron Sand, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Deep One: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Unappraised weapons(Rank 3)
Apophis/Charadrios/Vouivre/Serket/wyvern/Golem/Griffin: Iron Sand,
Sharp claw
(High Altitude)
Wyvern/Serket/Griffon: Flaming Crystal/Pure Iron

Rossweisse's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Sharp Claw, Iron Sand, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Vouivres: Sharp Claw, Iron Sand, Pyrite
Skeleton(only after boss is beaten): Unappraised weapons(Rank 2-3)
Serket: Sharp Claw, Pyrite

Helmwige's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Vouivres: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite
Deep One: Unappraised weapons(rank 2) and shields (rank 3)

The Ruins of Rangrid:
Glowing Points: Iron sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Vouivres/Serket: Pyrite, Sharp Claw, Iron Sand.

Waltraute's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Serket/Vouivre: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite
Deep One: Unappraised weapons(rank 3-4)
Skeleton: Unappraised weapons (rank 3-4)

Siegrune's Cavern:
Glowing points: Iron Sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Vouivre: Pyrite, Sharp Claw
Charadrios: Pyrite, Sharp Claw, Baking Mud
Skeletons: Unappraised weapons (rank 2-4)



The Ruins of Gondul:
Glowing Points: Iron sand, Sharp Claw, Pyrite, Baking Mud
Charadrios/Vouivre/Serket/Golem: Dragon stone, Baking mud
Guardian Archer: Unappraised weapons(Rank 3-4)
Guardian: Unappraised weapons(Rank 3-4) and shields(Rank 3-4)

The Ruins of Hervor:
Glowing Points: Flaming Crystal, Pure Iron, mysterious amber
Vouivre: Flaming Crystal, Pure Iron
Guardian Sniper: Unappraised weapons(Rank 5-6) and shields(Rank 5)
Ratatosk: Unappraised weapon(Rank 6)

The Ruins of Freki:
Glowing Points: Flaming Crystal, Pure Iron, mysterious amber
Vouivre/Griffin: Pure Iron, Flaming Crystal
Guardian/Guardian Sniper: Unappraised weapons (rank 5-6)
Golem: Flaming Crystal, Meteoric Ore


Flosshilde Exterior:
Glowing Points: Myrkvidr Fragment, Iron Sand, Dragon Stone, pyrite,
Doppleganger: Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon Stone, Unappraised weapons
(Rank 4)
Empusa/Automata/Harpy/Telchines/Gremlin/Spartoi/Hippogriff:
Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock.
(High Altitude)
Empusa/Gremlin/Drolem/Automata: Eternal Ice, Meteoric ore,
Doppleganger/Spartoi: Eternal Ice, Meteoric Ore, Unappraised
weapons(Rank 6) and Shield (Rank 6)

Atrior's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Pyrite, Dragon Stone, Myrkvidr Fragment
Doppleganger/Spartoi: Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr
Fragment, Unappraised weapons (Rank 4)
Empusa/Telchines: Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment.

The Ruins of Norna-Gest:
Glowing Points:  Pyrite, Dragon Stone, Myrkvidr Fragment
Empusa/Gremlin/Telchines: Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon
Stone
Dopplegangers:  Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon Stone,
Unappraised weapons(Rank 4)

Harr's Cavern:
Glowing Points: Pyrite, Dragon Stone, Myrkvidr fragment, Iron Sand
Empusa/Telchines: Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment.
Spartoi/Doppleganger: Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon
Stone, Unappraised weapons(Rank 4)


Herteit's Cavern:
Glowing Points:  Pyrite, Dragon Stone, Myrkvidr fragment, Iron Sand
Spartoi/Doppleganger: Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr Fragment, Dragon
Stone, Unappraised weapons(Rank 4)
Empusa/Telchines/Drolem/Automata: Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock,
Myrkvidr Fragment.

The Ruins of Frode:
Glowing points:
Empusa/Gremlin/Telchines: Dragon Stone, Frozen Tree Rock, Myrkvidr
Fragment.

Skillfing's Cavern:
Glowing points: Pure Iron, Mysterious Amber, Eternal Ice
Empusa/Gremlin/Automata: Meteoric Ore, Eternal Ice
Spartoi: Unappraised Weapon (Rank 5-6)
Homunculus: Unappraised weapon (Rank 5-6)

The Ruins of Skirnir:
Glowing points: Pure Iron, Mysterious Amber, Eternal Ice
Empusa/Automata: Meteoric Ore, Eternal Ice
Spartoi/Homunculus: Unappraised weapon(rank 5-6)
Lindwurm(Boss, respawns): Ancient Fruit(Wing Break) Pure Iron,
Mysterious Amber, Eternal Ice, Meteoric Ore

The Ruins of Sigmund:
Glowing points: Pure Iron, Eternal Ice
Guardian Sniper/Spartoi: Unappraise weapons (Rank 6) and shields(Rank
6)
Empusa/Drolem/Automata/Telchines: Meteoric Ore, Eternal Ice.


Nibelheim exterior:
Glowing Points: Meteoric Ore, Mithril Ore, Dragon Crystal, Pure Iron
Lemures/Jellies/Mushu/Uun/Ladon/Mi-go/Hippogriff: Mithril Ore,
Meteoric Ore,
Uruk:Mithril ore, Meteoric Ore, Unappraised weapons (Rank 7)

Surg's Cavern, The Ruins of Jorg, Viz's Cavern:
After several trips in, even using 3 characters that all had Rare Drop
and Rare Drop HG active, I did not receive one drop that was not Yuld.
I have concluded that either the enemies and glowing points in these
locations drop nothing, or the drop rate is so low that this is not
a viable collection method.

Gensler's Labyrinth/Thrizi's Labyrinth/Gyor's Labyrinth/Fimbul's
Labyrinth:
Glowing points: Mithril ore, Electrum
Lemures/Mi-go/Cockatrice/Hippogriff/Ladon/Gargoyle:Dragon crystal,
Mithril ore
Uruks/Uun/Hronn/Heavy Guardian/Rune knight: Unappraised weapons(rank
6-7), Mithril Ore





Dark Yggdrasil:
Glowing points: Dragon Crystal, Gnipahellir Ore, pure steel, electrum,
Forsetium
Lemures/Automata/Mi-Go: Pure Steel, Dragon crystal, Electrum
Heavy Guardian/Spartoi/Bara/Kolga: Unappraised Weapons(Rank 7-8)


The Ruins of Fjorm:
Glowing Spots: Divine Crystal, Evil Eye, White Cloth, White Feather*,
Bone Spike*, Odinium, Vicious Claw, Unsullied Marrow, Serpent's Tail
Lemures: Gnipahellir Ore, Forsetium, Merlin's Wisdom
Uruk: Hermes Wisdom, Surtrite, Njordium, Asclepius' Wisdom, Merlin's
Wisdom, Heracles' Wisdom
Uun: Divine Crystal**, Vicious Claw, Unsullied Marrow
Mushu: White cloth, Unsullied marrow, Heracles' Wisdom
Hronn: Vicious Claw, Evil Eye**, Serpent's Tail, Hermes' Wisdom,
Asclepius' Wisdom, Aegis' Wisdom

*- I have only seen these materials appear from the glowing point at
the furthest room in, where you originally fought the lvl 1000 version
of Seven.
** - While I have observed these items drop from these enemies, the
drop rate is so extremely low that even when allowing my AI partners
to fight over night with all three party members having Rare Drop and
Rare Drop HG active, I was lucky to have gained 20 of them. This is
not a viable method for securing these materials in large numbers, and
they are both needed in very high numbers to upgrade Rank 10 gear

Note: I have omitted the materials and items found in the “Search”
Extra missions because of their low drop rates. However, for notable
equipment drops, refer to the Weapons section where they will be listed
out. The materials needed for rank 10 items are dropped in large numbers
by the enemies and bosses of rank 10 extra quests.

****************
*Boss Enemy List* [010]
****************

Before getting into this section of the guide, there are some things
to note. First off, the list of resistances and weaknesses was compiled
through extensive testing on each boss enemy. The tests were conducted
with Rain, using her Enhance Element spells. Her battle skills were
set up to have no sort of Increase Element Damage skills, and her
accessories and weapons bore no increases to any element to keep it
all even and fair. Even so, if you find any of them that are incorrect,
please e-mail me to let me know what needs to be fix.
Secondly, you will see for each boss a list of Armored Points, Unarmored
points, and Breakable points. Armored points are areas on each boss
where upon taking a hit from a weapon other than a bow, an audible
“clank” sounds will be heard, and regardless of weapon, damage will
be reduced.
Unarmored points are just that. Areas that take normal damage.
Breakable points are areas on a boss's body that with enough damage
and force will create an audible shattering sound. Sometimes, this will
be no more than the sound, but in most cases, this will yield an item,
an unappraised piece of gear, or most commonly, a quantity of materials.
Once an area has been broken, it cannot be broken again during the same
battle, but other breakable areas can. For instance, if you are fighting
Fafnir and  break his left wing, his right wing can still be broken
in the same battle.
Due to the nature of how many bosses are battled repeatedly and at
different levels with different drops, a drop list will not be included
in this section, but you may refer to the material farming section and
the weapons section to find where to locate what you are looking for.
Lastly, due to many of the bosses being recolored versions of previous
bosses, when these cases arise, I will list the bosses' names together,
since they will share the same Armored, Unarmored, and Breakable points,
and largely the same strategy. I will differentiate between which ones
have which weaknesses and resistances, and if there are attacks between
the two that differ, I will tell what attacks are new for which ones
and how to avoid those new attacks.

Ratatoskr/Lindwurm
Weaknesses: Wind(R) Earth(R,L) Water(L) Dark(L)
Resistances: Holy(R) Dark(R) Non-elemental(L)
Armored points: legs
Breakable points: Wings and tail
Unarmored points: Head and belly
Attacks and Strategy: What makes this so annoying is twofold. First
off, because his legs are armored and he's always turning around to
attack you, you'll have a tough time getting at his tail and wings to
break him for bonus items, and you'll often end up hitting his legs
and doing minimal damage. Second, every time he does a jumping attack,
your character will be thrown off balance for a few seconds unless
they're in the air. Effectively, this works like a short duration
paralysis. To open, it's a good idea to set your Commands to Scatter.
This will usually cause Ratatosk to target another party member,
leaving his tail exposed for you to wail on. Just hit him with the best
things you've got. If he fights you head on, when he stands to use his
fire breath, just give his belly a big old hug, with swords. Staying
in close against his belly will keep you from being burned and provide
you the perfect opportunity to hit him. Make full use of your union
rumble when it's ready, and be sure to use your switch. The damage is
good, but the few seconds in which he's stunned are very valuable.
Against Lindwurm, you will also see him fly up into the air, as if about
to jump forward, and instead breath down fire breath on you.

Jormungandr/Nidhoggr
Weaknesses: Water(J) Wind(J,N) Holy(N)
Resistances: none(J) Non-elemental(N) Fire(N)
Armored points: Heads(to include necks from front)
Breakable parts: Tail
Unarmored parts: Back(Just behind where heads split off.)
Attacks and Strategy: This guy is a bit annoying. His most common attack
is to charge directly at you through means of slithering. If you're
directly in front of him, he'll try to bite with all three heads in
rapid succession. If you're right against him, though, this bite will
almost always miss. Do be warned that if he hits with it, it can cause
poison. If he coils his tail, he's about to do a 360 spin to smack you
with it, usually in response to being hit in the tail. At time, he may
just lift his tail and slam it down on the would-be attacker. The worst
is when he uses his fire breath. Most often, he will use his fire breath
in combination with his charge attack and home right in on someone.
The breath attack is almost guaranteed to break your guard and difficult
to slip away from as he homes in on you. Best bet when he starts spitting
fire is to keep your distance. At times, he will use his fire breath
while stationary, the streams shooting in front of him, and to each
side from his multiple mouths. This is fairly easy to dodge. When up
against Nidhoggr, he will often counter attacks to the tail by swinging
his tail like a whip. He will do this three times in rage mode. Nidhoggr
will also jump, slamming the ground with an off-balancing hit much like
Ratatosk. Take note that in outside battles against this guy, if you
try to fly out of his range, he will form three fireballs above his
wings and send them right at you.
To combat this guy, Scatter formation is good again. Wail on his tail
with all you've got. His tail is the safest place to stand since it
lets you avoid his bite and fire. He may leap back to get away from
you, or whip around quickly.



Fafnir/Vidofnir:
Weaknesses: Dark(F) Earth(V)
Resistances: none(F,V)
Breakable points: Wings, Tail
Armored points: Legs
Unarmored points: Head
Attacks and Strategy:
His attacks are quite predictable and easy to dodge or block, actually.
If a large magic circle appears behind him, it will spawn a number of
fireballs that will home in on one character. Their degree of homing
is low and it can be easily dodged by floating to the side or getting
behind him. If he leans forward as if watching you, in a few seconds,
a tornado will erupt under you and each of your party members. This
can be easily blocked, and once you block the initial hit, as long as
you don't enter another tornado, you can freely start to attack him.
If he curls his wings, legs, and tail in, he's about to unleash a blast
of wind in a large sphere around him. Simply get your distance to dodge
if your guard meter is low, or block it at point blank. After the block,
resume attacking. He's vulnerable for a few seconds. If he gets on all
fours when you have some distance between you and him, he's about to
shoot out a long range dark cannon blast. This is easily dodged by moving
to the side or behind him. If  he targets one of your AI partners with
this, count yourself lucky. He's wide open when he uses this. If he
lets out a short roar, he's about to charge straight at you. Easily
blocked, not so easily dodged if you are point blank. If he's in rage
mode, he'll execute three charges in a row. While fighting him close
range, he may lift his front leg to swipe at you. This could be a swipe
on its own, a double swipe with the other leg, or a swipe of the leg,
followed by a whip of the tail. Simply float down or turn off your wings
for a moment to fall below his range of attack. If he pulled his head
back a little, he may do a short headbutt.

The easiest and safest way to fight him is to stick to his back like
glue. His back doesn't have armor, and it's easier to hit his wings
from there. Being behind him, you'll automatically be out of the way
of his fireball storm, his dark cannon, and his claw swipe, but be ready
to guard if the tail comes around. You'll only need to watch for the
tornado, the wind sphere, which are both broadcast easily, the charge,
which takes a little practice, and the headbutt if he quickly turns
around at you. When he charges(or if in rage mode, as his third charge
runs) take after him with your flying dash and drill him right in the
back when you get close to him. It's also relatively safe to fly low
and attack his tail. Just keep an eye on him in case the wind sphere
comes into play. Vidofnir's attacks do not differ from Fafnir's, except
that he may use the double swipe attack more frequently.

Bergrisi/Grendel:
Weakness: Wind(B) Fire(G)
Resistance: None(B,G)
Armored points: Front legs, face
Breakable points: Back, belly
Unarmored points: Back legs
Attacks and Strategy: This guy can be a bit annoying, but easy to dodge
at the same time. His main attacks are charging at you with those stone
spires he calls arms, stomping the ground to shoot up rock pillars in
widening circles(standing too close to him will throw you off balance)
and a belly flop. The belly flop will cause rock pillars right in front
of him if he's in rage mode. He may also lift one front leg as if aiming,
and slam it down to send out rock pillars in a straight line in front
of him. Additionally, you may see a magic circle appear on the ground,
from which a rock spire will erupt. His last attack, he may lift his
shoulders for a moment, then lift them again. On the second time, he'll
send out a dome of sand around him that hits everyone in range. This
attack barely puts a dent in your guard meter, so just bock him. To
dodge his charge, belly flop, and the straight line rock pillars, run
to the side. To dodge the stomping circles of rock pillars, your best
bet is to get on his back. When you're on his back or attacking him
from behind, he may jump backwards, which will cause his head to hit
you and knock you down, or he may sit down and let himself fall over
backwards. If he jumps back, just guard. If he falls over backwards,
move. He's shattered my guard quite frequently with this. If you have
a counter sword skill, such as the Dual-wielding Specula Cross or the
Knuckles Rising Uppercut, it's an excellent way to defend when he's
falling over backwards.

Rather easy. Try to keep behind him or on his back and wail on him.
Grendel's attacks don't differ from Bergrisi. Just swap the stone and
sand for ice and snow.

Hildisvini/Gullinbursti:
Weaknesses: Dark(H) Water(G)
Resistance: Earth(HG) Holy(H) Dark(G)
Armored points: Entirety of head
Breakable points: Base(the floating part at the bottom), arms, jewel
on forehead
Unarmored points: Hands, Crystal directly above base, crystals
floating around head
Attacks and Strategy: This guy can be annoying. His main attacks are
a spin with outstretched arms that usually follows a target, a jump
back and clap of his hands on whomever is unfortunate enough to be in
front of him, a sandstorm from his mouth, signaled by crossing his arms
in front of his face, a pair of downward punches in front of him, moving
forward or back to keep his target centered, and a magic circle
appearing above each character to drop a rock on them. If you stay at
a distance, he may send his fists shooting at you like a rocket punch.
They do not have an unlimited range, though, and can be dodged by flying
up after they start shooting forward. Note that when in rage mode, his
downward punches go from 2 to about 10, and his magic circle rocks will
drop three in a row, a new magic circle appearing above you each time.
To dodge the spin and the clap, turn off your wings and let yourself
fall. Don't try to guard through the clap. It shreds off about 90% of
your guard meter and will do an obscene amount of damage on a direct
or guard broken hit. When he uses his sand breath, you simply don't
want to be in front of him. The most common attack you'll face is the
rocks summoned from the magic circles. For about a second before it
drops, you'll see the rock in the magic circle. At this point, the magic
circle can no longer move to pursue you, so simply side step or block.
Gullinbursti has 1 additional attack, which is a quick forward slam
of his face.

I've found the best way to fight this behemoth is to stay below him
and attack the base. If you've locked onto him, your character will
automatically fly towards his face when you fly at him, so you must
use a combination of turning your wings on and off to get underneath
him. This requires practice, but in this position, most of his attacks
are incapable of hitting you, except for the magic circle stones. Just
stick to his base and wail on it. He has a lot of health, so it will
take a while to bring him down, but look on the bright side. With each
hit, you get more experience to your weapon proficiency. It's a good
idea to have a healer on orders to keep their distance. He can tear
your AI partners apart.

Heidrun, Angrboda:
Weaknesses: Fire(H) None(A)
Resistances: Water(H), Holy(H) None(A)
Armored points: Petals around head
Breakable points: Tentacle base(where the tentacles meet) head
Unarmored points: Tentacles(Attack with caution.)
Attacks and Strategy: The armored petals may close around the head to
lead into a charging attack, or a slower charge while shooting a stream
of ice from between the tentacles. Quite often, it'll swing its staff
and send out a row of 5 ice spikes. It is not recommended to attempt
a flying dash attack, as it will often block that by shooting a beam
of ice directly at you. Sometimes, it will close the petals around its
head, spinning around. When the petals open, there will be a snow dome
shower, much like you experienced with Grendel. The ice attacks have
a nasty habit of lowering your speed, but that's not the most annoying
thing this boss can do. At times, it will fly backwards with its
tentacles whipping at you. A hit from these tentacles will put you to
sleep, even through your guard. Oh, bother. If you can buy em, get
anti-hypnosis collars. The basic strategy is to keep above the boss's
petals, easier said that done, and wail on the head. Not only is it
breakable, but enough force to the head can cause it to enter a knock
down state where it's totally vulnerable. I've seen no difference in
Angrboda's attacks.

Hraesvelgr, Thiazi(second form):
Weaknesses: None(H) Fire, Water(T)
Resistance: None(H) Non-elemental(T)
Armored Points: None
Breakable points: Wings, Tail
Unarmored points: Head, Talons
Attacks and Strategy:
He loves to kite you, shooting spheres of dark energy 2 at a time that
home in on you. He also likes to stop and shoot 7 at you at once, three
from each wing and one from his mouth. If he has his wings spread and
a sonic wave shoots out, get out of his way, because he's about to come
barreling through in a heavy charge attack. If you dodge it, it leaves
him pretty wide open, but if you get hit by it, it'll Seal you. If you're
fighting him a close range and he curls his wings in, a burst of energy
will erupt below him, hitting a bit below the visible point of energy
and a good deal above his head. It doesn't hurt a guard meter much,
so it's easy to block. If he flaps his wings with a small amount of
visible sonic waves on it, he'll bring his wings in to surround whomever
is in front of him. This will hit them with a weak dark attack, but
the sphere he forms will explode only moments after, so don't rush into
it or drop your guard. Sometimes he's deceptive with this move, and
the signal will instead be followed by the previously mentioned burst
of energy below him. He may also do a short flap of his right wing that
will cause the same dark sphere to appear, but without the explosion.
This attack is difficult to predict and block, but does very little
damage. It will however Fatigue you. The last attack he has, and the
most annoying, if he flips upside down, he'll send out a series of short
range sonic waves. This rapid hit will devastate your guard meter, and
even worse, it'll put you to sleep.

Your best bet fighting him is to stay in his face. Don't give him the
opportunity to kite you, because he will be relentless with you. Note
that if fighting Hraesvelgr in Nibelheim and you haven't taken out all
the Tower bosses, he will have very heavy health regeneration. If you
wish to fight this version of him, you will be rewarded with a weapon,
that for me appraised into Excalibur. Be sure to bring Anti-Hypnosis
collars. If he puts you to sleep, he will recover all his health before
you can move again. For me, it came down to luck to beat him. I managed
to knock him down with The Eclipse, which stopped his health
regeneration temporarily, and I had enough mana to use a second Eclipse.

Siegfried:
Weakness: Holy
Resistance: None
Armored points: None
Break points: Arms(all four)
Unarmored points: Body and head
Attacks and strategy: This guy can really be a bug. If you attack him
from close range, he's likely to do a cross horizontal slash with his
bottom arms, then bring the top arms down together for a downward slash.
He may extend his left upper sword in front of him with runes swirling
about it. He'll charge forward with his sword in this position, and
when he stops, he'll slash it downward into the ground. Another simple
yet annoying attack is a quick pirouette with his swords outstretched
high and low. He'll do this three times in a row if in rage mode. He
may create a ring of fire around him that has a fairly long duration.
If you're outside this, you can't attack him at this point. If you're
right up against him, you'll be trapped inside, untouched, and free
to wail on him. Just be careful. If you're at a distance, you are not
safe. He may extend his lower swords out to the sides and bring them
together, sending out a blade of air. He may also bring all four swords
together, charging up a powerful beam of darkness. It may stay
stationary or rotate counter-clockwise about 90 degrees.

For a boss near the end of the game, he's not that difficult. Stick
to him in close range and try your best to hit his arms for the
possibility of breaking them. Siegfried stands alone. There is no
alternate version of him.

Seven
Weakness: None
Resistance: None
Armored points: None
Break points: Wings, Legs
Unarmored points: Body
Attacks and Strategy: She can materialize a spear out of nowhere for
a one-two strike similar to Odin, or use the same spear for a charging
thrusts, also like Odin. If a field of digital coding surrounds her
in a sphere, she's about to use the same Wind Sphere that Fafnir used
at close range. If she opens her wings quickly, she'll do a quick burst
of energy from them directly in front of her. If her wings open slowly,
then when open, she'll shoot down a blast of energy similar to Fafnir's
tornadoes directly around her. In rage mode, she has a longer charge
up, but strikes each character with a separate blast of energies. She
may hold her hands in front of her and shoot a beam of energy. Can you
say, “Kamehameha”? She may also create a bow in her hand to shoot at
her target. At the same time, she'll have a small sphere of energy around
her that harms those at point blank range.

Make no mistake, even though her wings make that armored “Clank” sound,
they are still very breakable. There's really no one cut strategy to
take her down. Watch her moves carefully and press the assault when
you have the opportunity. It's not at all a bad idea to keep your
distance to let your mana restore and strike with your strongest attacks
when you're full up. Take note, this is not an option when you fight
the Extra Quest version of her. She has a number of (G)Uuns backing
her up who respawn endlessly, and her health regenerates quickly. You
must be fast and merciless to take her out.

Lost Song:
Weakness: None
Resistance: None
Break Points: Chorus(each has its own health bar and killing each one
gives a material item, optional targets)
Unarmored points: Bottom cores and wing cores(Must be destroyed to lift
Altitude Limit)
Attacka and Strategies: This boss is unique from all the other bosses
in the game. You must fight him in stages. From the very beginning,
there's an altitude limit imposed at the lowest altitude on the map.
This means your wings are unusable. In front of you, you'll see numerous
Bottom Cores, each level 1,000. At this stage in the fight, if you stand
at a distance, one of the bosses other parts high above you will shoot
down a laser at you. If you stand on line with one of the cores, it
will charge up and blast you with a laser. If you stand next to a core,
it may do a partial charge and release a small discharge right around
it. If you stand close to Lost Song, you will see a large green circle
appear on the ground. After a few second, the circle will vanish,
followed by a blast of energy from the bottom of Lost Song all around
it. You must get your distance and avoid this attack. It is very damaging.
As you pick off a few of the cores, you may get a moment where a magic
circle appears on the ground and follows you. After a few seconds, a
pillar of a random element will erupt beneath you. This can be dodged
by practicing the timing to jump back off the circle just before it
erupts. For this part of the battle, stick to skills that have short
animations, such as Cygnus Onslaught. If you lock yourself into a long
animation in close quarters, the green shockwave attack will decimate
you. Work your way around the bottom, taking out the cores one by one.
Black Lotus is very useful for this with her naturally high running
speed, since she can strike and retreat before the green shockwave
smashes her.

Once all the bottom cores have been destroyed, Lost Song will lower
his wings. At this point, his attack patterns change. He no longer has
the green shockwave shooting out at you, and with the cores gone, they
cannot attack. You can still get pegged by the lasers from above, but
they are far less frequent while you are ground level. Frequently while
you are on the ground, he will shoot out a purple shockwave. This attack
causes no damage, but does cause you to go off balance unless you jump
at the right time. You will also frequently see Fafnir's Tornado attack,
until you run up one of the wings and jump onto the platform of the
Wing Core. At this point, you are in range that the parts of the boss
higher up can attack you either with their lasers or orbs of dark energy
that burst on impact and do about 4 or 5 hits before vanishing. The
Wing Cores themselves are not that difficult. They have much more health
than the Bottom Cores, but each only possesses two attacks. If the
energy field around it flashes slowly, it will create several ice spikes
that will shoot out in a circle around it. This attack cannot hit you
if you are right up against the Wing Core, so do not worry. If the field
around it pulses quickly, it's about to use a large electrical field.
Avoid this by jumping back onto the ramp below the Wing Core's platform,
then rush back in after it's done to destroy it. There are 2 Wing Cores
per wing, and when both cores on one wing are destroyed, that wing will
break apart and vanish. Once both wings have been destroyed, the magic
circle creating the Altitude Limit will disappear and you can once again
use your wings to fly as high as you like. Plus the background music
changes to the title sequence.

As your float up, you will see a number of faces named Chorus. These
are the little things that were shooting lasers down on you earlier.
As a note, destroying the Choruses is entirely optional, but doing so
yields some of the game's highest level materials, so it's very much
worth it. So long as you attack each Chorus from the side, its lasers
cannot harm you. This is not to say that you are in the clear to attack
as you please. The boss's main core high above you has one attack that
can hit you from absolutely any elevation. A number of magic circles
will appear one after another, creating a trail to track you as you
move. There will be 6 in total. When the circles begin to shine brightly,
move, because they are about to erupt in a pillar of light. If all 6
circles are in the same place and you get hit by all 6 beams of light
at the same time, you are almost guaranteed to get KO'd.

Once you take out all the Choruses, or if you choose not to fight them,
float up further to find the face of this dark tree. This is the boss's
true face, so to speak, sharing its name of Lost Song. For a final boss,
they have made its attacks fairly easy to dodge, though make no mistake,
each one packs an extreme punch. You were already warned about his magic
circle light pillars. Those are still going on. At nearly anytime you're
fighting close range, he may shift forward and let out a scream. This
is the one attack he has that doesn't do a boatload of damage. It does,
however, send you flying all the way to the barrier if you don't guard.
If you do get sent flying, just shake it off and fly back in. If he
leans forward and opens his mouth slowly, he's about to do a powerful
laser stream. This attack would be much more threatening if he didn't
only move it vertically. Still, if you are careless or locked into a
long skill animation when he uses it, it can absolutely wreck you. Yui
will often warn you of when this attack is coming, and he has a tendency
to move back far enough that you lose your Lock-On. At times, he may
have magic circles appear all around his head in sporadic locations.
From these lasers will fire straight out. The placement of the circles
is static each time, so learn where the blind spot are in it. Once such
spot is right in front of his mouth. Another attack to watch for is
when he starts sending down lasers from the halo above him. If you are
right in his face, as you should be to attack him, the 5th laser can
hit you square on, so be sure to guard after 4 shoot down. While fighting
him, a dark purple energy circle will appear, going from the bottom
of his face up to the top of the altitude meter. While it's dark purple,
it will cause no damage and serves as a warning. After a few seconds,
the circle will turn a lighter purple. During this time, this attack
is live and can harm you. To dodge this, just turn off your wings for
a second to drop below his chin while the circle is dark purple and
wait until it vanishes to fly back up and start attacking, or attack
from a distance with magic or a few select skills, such as Black Lotus's
unique Starburst Stream. The best strategy to fight this guy once you
reach this point is to stay close to the front of his face and keep
on the offense. Always be mindful of the magic circles that will produce
the pillars of light. These can be hard to see sometimes.

Thiazi(First form)
Weakness: Holy
Resistance: Dark
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Arms(also take added damage)
Unarmored points: Body
Attacks and Strategy: This guy can be easy, or he can be quite annoying.
One of his favorite attacks is to surround a character with 6 spheres
of dark energy, then have them all close in at once. The real pain with
this attack is the fact that it causes Bind, and since it hits from
behind as well, it's near impossible to block. Another common attack
you'll see at close range is for him to take a swing with his scythe
three times. I've almost never had him hit me, even when right up against
him, but when he hits, he has a chance to cause paralysis. He may also
do a charging attack, spinning his scythe, and it has a second version
where his scythe becomes a ring of dark energy. The later tends to go
further and hit more often. One attack I rarely see, he'll lift his
scythe high and a dark cloud will appear in front of each party member.
When he brings his scythe down, an energy scythe will come crashing
down on top of them. For as easy as this attack is to avoid, it leaves
him so wide open. An attack you may see in close quarters, particularly
in rage mode, is a scream that send out a very short range shock wave
of red-black energy

There's really little to say in the way of strategy here except avoid
his dark spheres and be ready to guard.

Hel:
Weakness: None
Resistance: Wind
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Abdomen(three places) and wings
Unarmored points: Upper body
Attacks and Strategy: Hel can be quite annoying as many of her attacks
cause different status conditions. It's difficult to pick one accessory
to pin down. Her attacks include flying towards a character while
spewing a poisonous dark breath in a stream that can cause Curse, a
quick lunge forward with her stinger that will cause poison and can
lower your defense, three stationary stabs with her stinger that will
rotate to target a player which can cause Paralysis, a slap from her
wing if you're in her face that can lower your attack, a backhand slap
that can send you flying a significant distance, a quick spin where
she'll swipe with her stinger, and a ball of dark energy in a large
sphere around her. In rage mode, she'll be able to shoot a couple small
bullets of dark energy at you, and may proceed into a long duration
spinning attack at which point any contact with her will cause you
damage. The best way to approach is to remain around her head and use
your highest power attacks to take away her chances to poison you.

Loki/Hrungnir:
Weakness: Water(L) None(H)
Resistance: Fire(L) None(H)
Armored Points: Lower body
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points:Upper body, tentacles coming from his shoulders
Attacks and Strategy: Loki's most common attacks are to spin in place,
which will surround him with spheres of darkness that he'll launch off
in all directions shortly after. Next, and even more common, is to
create a small black circle beneath your characters, through which his
tentacles will shoot up to attack you, and in rage mode, the tentacles
will make several attacks. He may hold both hands in front of him and
shoot a ball of dark energy directly at you. This can cause Seal,
stopping your sword skills and spells, and in range mode, he can use
this in rapid fire in a strafing motion. If you attack him from directly
in front, he'll try to hug you with his tentacles. It would be a sweet
gesture, if it didn't Bind you. In rage mode, he may raise one arm,
then he'll spin 4 times, whipping you with his outstretched tentacles.
Honestly, I found Loki to be a welcome break after Hel. He's far less
aggressive than she is, and his attacks are by and large easier to
dodge/block. Hrungnir showed no differences in how he fought.

Odin/Baldr:
Weakness: Darkness(O) None(B)
Resistance: Holy(O) None(B)
Armored points: Lower Body
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points: Head, wings
Attacks and Strategy: Lot of spear work coming from him. It's quite
common for him to pull his spear back and lunge forward at you. In rage
mode, this will usually be a combo of three lunges back to back. He
will also often cause the spear to spin in a small arc around him. He
may do a small thrust forward, which will be followed by a downward
swing. In rage mode, he'll add a spinning strike and an extra thrust
to the end of this. This combo will be signalled with a short charge
up stance. Easiest way to fight Odin is to hug and attack his left arm
with the shield on it. The shield does not provide armored protection,
and from his left arm, you can easily see most of his attacks being </pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
started in time to dodge them. If you're attacking the right arm, you
have less time to react.

Skadi/Jarnsaxa:
Weakness: None(S,J)
Resistance: Dark(S) None(J)
Armored points: None
Breakable points: Arms
Unarmored points: Body
Attacks and Strategy: Skadi is a danger from afar, as you can probably
tell from the arrows sticking out of the bows she calls arms. Her attacks
reflect her archer nature. She will often move into a strafing mode,
firing three arrows at a time at you until all four arms are empty.
If she fires both upper arms directly up, a few moments later a shower
of arrows will rain down around her, harming those who are in close
range. She can also clock you with her lower left arm at close range,
and if done in rage mode, this attack becomes far more forceful, and
is signaled by a Ding sound. If she lifts her right upper arm, but does
not fire, she will come charging at whomever she is targeting. If she
points both upper arms straight out horizontally, she'll fire 6 arrows
at once that will arch in a similar fashion. If she aims her lower right
arm, she'll fire 3 beams of light that act like the Bow's Strike Nova
sword skill. If she aims both lower arms forward and fires, but no arrows
are seen flying, a moment later, the area in front of her will have
arrows shooting everywhere like a swarm of angry hornets.
I've found the easiest way to beat her is to press the assault from
her right side. This will allow you the best opportunity to avoid her
uppercut.

Huginn/Munnin:
Weakness: Dark(HM) Holy(M)
Resistance: Non-elemental(HM) Wind(H) Fire(M) Earth(M)
Armored points: Legs
Break points: Tail, Wings
Unarmored: Head, belly
Attacks and Strategy: His primary attacks are a lunging bite, which
tends to miss when you're fighting at close range, a flying charge,
which you must block, a spinning tail swipe, a diving attack, from which
he'll fly up under or behind you, and if you're at a distance, a swipe
of his tail that sends a blade of wind at you. This guy is actually
very easy to read. When he stops flapping his wings, he's about to attack,
so guard. If he does his flying charge, he'll end up a good distance
away behind you. Chase him down with a flying charge attack. If he dives,
Just block and keep hitting Up on the control stick. If he gets behind
you, your character should pivot around to block him. Munnin has an
extra move, which is essentially a mid-air corkscrew with his wings
outstretched.

Really the strategy is simple. Just wail on his head, putting your
priority on blocking, until he goes down. Enough hits to the head and/or
wings tends to put him in a knock down state, where he is completely
vulnerable. If you have stronger sword skills that are better suited
for Breaking, target his wings and tail as much as you can.


***************************
*Frequently Asked Questions  * [011]
***************************
Q: Where do I find the Elucidator? What about the Dark Repulsor for
that matter?
A: There are a number of places to find these in extra quests, but the
best way I have found is in the Search mission Abandoned Tunnel. On
floor three, after you beat the boss, stick around before using the
teleporter and take out the green Basilisks. When they drop a sword,
it is almost guaranteed to be the Dark Repulsor. On floor four, after
beating the boss, but before stepping on any switches afterwards, make
your way throughout the floor to take out Empusas. That will give you
the Elucidator.

Q: If this one takes place in ALO, but Kirito has his GGO Avatar, does
his Photon Sword exist in the game?
A: Yes it does. This one is a bit different. It appears in the game
as a sword dropped by Black Lotus in her Extra Quest. However, It appears
with a name that makes it appear to be a glitch. It's still fully usable
and will not harm your game.

Q: Where do I get more Crest of Yggdrasil? Do I have to start a New
Game Plus?
A: No you don't. Near the end of the Defiled Shrine search quest, you
will be attacked by many many mimics and avarice. These guys have a
low drop rate, but the Charms they drop are almost guaranteed to be
Crest of Yggdrasil. Bring Mental Collars to prevent Fatigue against
the Mimics.

Q: Are the Rare Drop and Rare Drop HG skills worth using?
A: What I've noticed with these skills is that they tend to increase
the drop rate of equipment, and for items and materials, they tend to
increase the amounts dropped as well. They are definitely worth using,
and if you are farming materials in high numbers, it's actually a good
idea to build a team of Kirito, Philia, and a custom Spriggan, as they
are the three who can get both Rare drop and Rare Drop HG.

Q: What's a good way to Break bosses?
A: Take a look at the Sword Skills section of the guide. I've listed
out which skills are ideal for breaking. Additionally, have battle
skills set that increase your chance of critical hits. It seems
criticals tend to break more frequently.

Q: Is it worth it to upgrade weapons?
A: Ultimately, it's up to you. The highest damage increase I've seen
on a rank 10 weapon is about 200-300. I suppose that's pretty good,
but in my opinion, it doesn't justify all the grinding needed to get
the materials for them. For lower level weapons where the materials
are common, certainly. Go for it.

Q: I don't like such and such about your guide.
A: Well, sorry if you feel that way. I wrote the guide in a way I hoped
everyone would be able to easily understand. Oh, and did I mention I
did it for free? Yeah.

Q: I found something wrong or missing.
A: Then please e-mail me and let me know. I'll fix it right up.


********
*Credits* [012]
********
Bandai Namco and Artdink for making the game.

Sony for making the playstation

The fine folks at Aniplex and A-1 Pictures for making Sword Art Online.

Havian, the youtube personality, for his videos showing where and how
to get the Dark Repulsor, the Elucidator, Holy Sword Excalibur, and
the glowing weapons dropped by Lost Song.

You guys, the players. If there were no one playing the game, there'd
be no point writing the guide, right?