Sousouden Treasures Guide
by Distant_Rainbow
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0. Table of Contents
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I. Introduction
II. Version History
III. Item Locations
IV. Brief Guide to Filling the List
V. All Done... Now What?
VI. Miscellaneous
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I. Introduction
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When people nowadays hear about video games based on the lore of Romance of the
Three Kingdoms, they will automatically think of the Dynasty Warriors games
made by Koei. However, Koei has existed long before the first Dynasty Warriors
game was released, and Rot3K is one of its specialties; various games about the
story have been released by Koei over the years in all sorts of genres.
One of those is the series called Eiketsuden, a turn-based strategy take on the
story, a la Fire Emblem. It was massively popular in Japan and its surrounding
Asian countries, and it went on to produce many sequels with differing main
characters, and even showing feudal Japan in some of them instead of the usual
Rot3K setting.
In 1999, the fifth and last installment so far of Eiketsuden was released;
Sousouden. Based on the story of Cao Cao, the regularly demonized powerful
warlord of Rot3K, it was a smash hit with greatly improved visuals and battle
mechanics compared to its predecessors. Of special note was its route system
with differing storylines and endings depending on the decisions you make
within the game.
One of the new features Sousouden introduced was the Treasure system. Treasures
are special inventory items for characters, in that they are unique(or at
least, very few of them exist within the game), cannot be bought or sold to
vendors, possess unique special effects, and in case of weapons/armor, have a
level cap of 9 instead of the usual 3. Treasures are either given at the end of
a battle as a prize(in many cases requiring fulfilling some special
stipulation as well), or taken from enemies that hold them when that enemy is
defeated in his final appearance in-game(including killing him).
There's a special bonus for finding all these treasures, though finding them
all is another matter; a casual player may only find around half of them even
when playing through the whole game, and there are route exclusives and special
stipulations to be considered as well.
This is where this guide comes in. In this document, I will list every single
instance of every Treasure item that exists within Sousouden, as well as the
awesome special bonus that occurs when the list is completed in-game. I hope
this will be helpful to all you readers. (A complete guide for the whole game
is planned by myself; hopefully it will be written soon.)
(Disclaimer: As Sousouden was never officially released in English by Koei,
terms such as item names, chapter/battle names, class names, etc. found in this
guide are translations of the original terms by myself with some consulting of
Fire Emblem class names. As such they may not match translations/descriptions
found in other Sousouden English guides, though I ensure that no confusion will
be had from this. Keep this possible discrepancy in mind.)
Enjoy!
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II. Version History
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Ver 0.7 Apr 29th 2014
After lamenting for a long time about the lack of decent Sousouden guides on
GameFAQs, the thought occurred to me that I'll go ahead and write some guides
for it myself. As a comparatively easy subject, the Treasure guide is the first
one to start being written. Most of the facts are written down, but there might
be a few facts and collection info that might have been omitted; currently
skimming through the game and checking up on any omissions at my leisure.
Ver 1.0 Aug 29th 2014
Info checks complete, facts polished and written up in guide form as per
GameFAQs standards. First version submitted to, and accepted by GameFAQs.
Ver 1.05 Sep 9th 2014
My brother pointed out a few errors regarding information in this guide; edited
them to show proper facts. Changed a bit of in-game terminology in the guide to
make the translation more accurate. Added Neoseeker.com to the list of sites
authorized to use this guide.
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III. Item Locations
===============================================================================
Welcome to the main part of the guide.
As warned earlier, names of the items and the chapter titles are translations
by myself. Thankfully, every item is represented with a Treasure Number as well
within the game, which I have listed too, so the former won't be a problem. As
for the latter, the Map number is shown in front of the title, so problems will
be minimized there as well.
Some treasures are obtainable multiple times. These separate instances will be
denoted with numbers in parentheses.
Some instances of the items are route-exclusive. These will be clarified with
[Historic Route](also known as 'Villain Route' and 'Real Route' elsewhere)
and [Fantasy Route](also known as 'Hero Route'). Each route has its own
differing chapters and thus differing treasures to be collected, so don't get
confused! The route split takes effect once you beat Map 3-6(Ma Chao's Fury),
depending on your Historic(red)/Fantasy(blue) meter on the top of the game
screen. If the Fantasy meter is more than two-thirds length of the entire
meter, you will progress to the Fantasy Route, otherwise you will go to the
Historic Route.
Treasures will be listed in order of their Treasure Number, from #1 to #50.
#1 Twin Swords of Fate
TYPE: Weapon - Sword
EFFECT: Enables counterattacking against an enemy counterattack(you attack,
enemy counterattacks, then you attack again).
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Dropped by Liu Bei when you defeat him in
Map 4-3(Defending the Supply Camp).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained during a plot event after clearing
Map 3-7(Battle of Mt. Dingjun II).
#2 Rainbow Sword
TYPE: Weapon - Sword
EFFECT: Deals extra damage against mounted enemies.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
In Map 3-2(Battle of Changban), defeat Zhao Yun before he manages to cross the
little bridge to the south. You will be given a choice regarding Liu Bei's son
that Zhao Yun is carrying; choose to spare the baby to get the item.
#3 Heaven Sword
TYPE: Weapon - Sword
EFFECT: Gives a bonus to the bearer's evasion stat and cuts down damage dealt
to him.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
You start with this(it is already equipped to Cao Cao).
#4 Ancestral Sword
TYPE: Weapon - Sword
EFFECT: Gives a +10 bonus to Agility.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Obtained if Sun Jian(ally unit) survives Map 1-1(Battle of Sishui Gate).
#5 Green Dragon Blade
TYPE: Weapon - Spear
EFFECT: Negates enemy counterattacks.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
[Fantasy Route] Obtained when you automatically recruit Guan Yu after
Map 3-8(Battle of Mai Fortress); he comes equipped with it.
#6 Viper Lance
TYPE: Weapon - Spear
EFFECT: When attacking, also deals damage to the enemy unit behind initial
target of attack. Also works when counterattacking.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Dropped by Zhang Fei when you defeat him in
Map 4-3(Defending the Supply Camp).
(2) [Fantasy Route] In Map 3-8(Battle of Mai Fortress), when the game gives
you a choice at the beginning of the battle, select your first priority as
defending Mai Fortress, then clear the map by routing the enemy. You will
receive this item after clearing the map.
#7 Sky Halberd
TYPE: Weapon - Spear
EFFECT: When the wielder defeats an enemy unit, afterwards he randomly attacks
another enemy within his current attack range in the same turn. Does not work
when counterattacking.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Lu Bu when you capture him at Map 1-14(Lu Bu's Last Stand).
#8 Paralysis Bow (Lu Bu's Bow)
TYPE: Weapon - Bow
EFFECT: Inflicts Paralysis status upon damaging the enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) Clear Map 1-8(Battle of Puyang Castle III) by routing the enemy, after the
city's merchants betray Lu Bu and close the gates. You will be given a choice
after the battle; select Xu Chu's suggestion of forgiving the merchants to
receive this. Alternately, rout the enemy before the city's merchants close the
gates on Lu Bu to receive this.
(2) [Historic Route] If you collected the Silence Bow by #9-(1), the Wu general
Chen Wu will be equipping this weapon. He will drop it if you kill him in
Map 3-9(Battle of Ruxukou).
#9 Silence Bow
TYPE: Weapon - Bow
EFFECT: Inflicts Silence status upon damaging the enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) Clear Map 1-6(Battle of Puyang Castle I) by routing the enemy, thus
skipping Map 1-7(Battle of Puyang Castle II) and
Map 1-8(Battle of Puyang Castle III).
(2) [Historic Route] If you did not collect the Silence Bow by #9-(1), the Wu
general Chen Wu will be equipping this weapon. He will drop it if you kill him
in Map 3-9(Battle of Ruxukou).
#10 Shooting Star
TYPE: Weapon - Club
EFFECT: Inflicts Confusion status upon damaging the enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
[Historic Route] In Map 4-4(Battle of Fan Fortress), have Pang De move next to
Zhou Cang to initiate a duel. Pang De will be killed in the duel and you will
not be able to use him for the rest of the game. If this happens, you will
receive this as compensation after clearing the map.
#11 Twin Clubs
TYPE: Weapon - Club
EFFECT: Enables counterattacking against an enemy counterattack(you attack,
enemy counterattacks, then you attack again).
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Clear Map 3-3(The Great Battle of Chibi) by routing the enemy, thus skipping
Map 3-4(Escaping Chibi).
#12 Mercury Catapult
TYPE: Weapon - Catapult
EFFECT: Inflicts Poison status upon damaging the enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Automatically obtained when you clear Map 2-4(The Great Battle of Guandu).
#13 Leaf Fan
TYPE: Weapon - Fan
EFFECT: Augments the power of earth spells/tactics.
(NOTE: The in-game description explains that this weapon augments wind
spells/tactics. However, due to a programming error of sorts, it actually
augments earth spells/tactics instead of wind.)
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Automatically obtained when you clear Map 1-11(Battle of Shouchun).
#14 Inferno Fan
TYPE: Weapon - Fan
EFFECT: Augments the power of fire spells/tactics.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Shen Pei when you kill him in Map 2-8(Battle of Ye Castle).
(NOTE: He must not self-immolate if you want to obtain the weapon.)
#15 White Feather Fan
TYPE: Weapon - Fan
EFFECT: Halves the wielder's MP usage for all spells/tactics.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Obtained after clearing
Map 4-6(The Impregnable Gates of Jianjiao) if you defeated Zhuge Liang in the
battle.
(2) [Fantasy Route] Obtained after clearing Map 4-2(Battle of Baidi Castle II)
if you defeated Zhuge Liang in the battle. You have to be quick; Zhuge Liang
leaves the map at the end of the turn he is attacked, so you have to finish
him off in a single turn.
#16 Seven-Star Sword
TYPE: Weapon - Spellblade
EFFECT: Increases the accuracy of all spells/tactics cast by the wielder.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Feng Ji when you kill him in Map 2-7(Battle of Liyang). Even though
he escapes the map, he soon returns with reinforcements, so don't panic.
#17 Saint Spellblade
TYPE: Weapon - Spellblade
EFFECT: Gives a +20 bonus to Max MP.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) In Map 1-9(Rescuing the Emperor), have Cao Cao stand next to the Emperor to
initiate a conversation and be given a choice. If you choose to fight
aggressively and rout the enemy forces, after clearing the map you will be
given this.
(2) [Historic Route] In Map 3-7(Battle of Hanzhong), defeat Pang De when he
arrives as enemy reinforcements, then move Cao Cao next to Zhang Lu. Cao Cao
will persuade Zhang Lu to surrender peacefully, and Zhang Lu will give this as
a present.
(3) [Fantasy Route] Dropped by Zhuge Jin when you kill him in
Map 3-12(The Siege of Jianye II).
#18 Mirror Armor
TYPE: Protection - Armor
EFFECT: Negates all damage done by bows and catapults, even when confused.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Taishi Ci when you kill him in Map 3-5(Battle of Hefei).
#19 Golden Armor
TYPE: Protection - Armor
EFFECT: Negates all damage done by critical attacks, even when confused.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) In Map 1-9(Rescuing the Emperor), have Cao Cao stand next to the Emperor to
initiate a conversation and be given a choice. If you choose to fight
defensively and escort the Emperor to safety, after clearing the map you will
be given this.
(2) Dropped by Yuan Tan when you kill him in Map 2-9(The Siege of Nanpi).
#20 Chainmail Armor
TYPE: Protection - Armor
EFFECT: When attacked consecutively by the enemy, negates the enemy unit's
second attack, even when confused.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) Clear Map 1-7(Battle of Puyang Castle II) by routing the enemy, thus
skipping Map 1-8(Battle of Puyang Castle III).
(2) [Historic Route] Dropped by Dong Xi when you kill him in
Map 3-9(Battle of Ruxukou).
#21 Silver Armor
TYPE: Protection - Armor
EFFECT: Cuts down damage inflicted by spells/tactics.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) Dropped by Tao Qian when you defeat him in Map 1-5(Vengeance).
Alternatively, if you choose to retreat from the battle when Liu Bei's group
appears, Tao Qian will give the armor to you as a gift for sparing his life.
(2) In Map 3-2(Battle of Changban), defeat Zhao Yun before he manages to cross
the little bridge to the south. You will be given a choice regarding Liu Bei's
son that Zhao Yun is carrying; attempt to seize the baby from him(you won't be
successful, by the way) to view a conversation and receive this item.
(3) [Historic Route] Dropped by Zhao Yun when you kill him in
Map 4-7(The Siege of Chengdu).
#22 Dragon Scale Armor
TYPE: Protection - Armor
EFFECT: When physically attacked, MP is damaged instead of HP as long as the
wearer has at least 1 MP.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Han Dang when you kill him in Map 3-3(The Great Battle of Chibi).
#23 Winged Dragon Robe
TYPE: Protection - Robe
EFFECT: Gives a +10 bonus to Agility.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) In Map 1-4(Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou), choose Dian Wei's strategy at the
start of the battle. Upon clearing the map you will receive this.
(2) Dropped by Hu Che Er when you kill him in
Map 1-10(Dian Wei's Valiant Stand).
(3) [Historic Route] Dropped by Gan Ning when you kill him in
Map 3-9(Battle of Ruxukou).
(4) [Fantasy Route] Dropped by Gan Ning when you kill him in
Map 3-12(The Siege of Jianye II).
#24 White Crane Robe
TYPE: Protection - Robe
EFFECT: Gives a +10 bonus to Willpower.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Force Zhuge Liang to retreat by inflicting enough damage to him in
Map 3-1(Battle of Bowang Pass).
#25 Ebony Robe
TYPE: Protection - Robe
EFFECT: Gives a +20 bonus to Max MP.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) In Map 1-4(Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou), choose Xun Yu or Xun You's strategy
at the start of the battle. Upon clearing the map you will receive this.
(2) [Historic Route] Dropped by Yan Pu when you defeat him at
Map 3-7(Battle of Hanzhong).
(3) [Fantasy Route] In Map 3-10(The Second Battle of Chibi II), there will be a
choice given to you at the start of the battle. Choose to charge forward, or
choose to individually defeat the enemy, then rout all enemy troops. If you do
so, you will receive this after the battle.
(NOTE: If you choose to individually defeat the enemy groups, most of the enemy
units will run away once you defeat most of the enemy navy, which disqualifies
you from gaining this item. Therefore, rush the shoreside foes if you decide
to take that choice.)
#26 Phoenix Robe
TYPE: Protection - Robe
EFFECT: The wearer regains some HP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
In Map 1-10(Dian Wei's Valiant Stand), if Dian Wei loses all of his health,
instead of retreating he will die and you will not be able to use him for the
rest of the game. If this happens, you will receive this as compensation after
clearing the map. This also happens if Dian Wei is still alive by the time
Cao Cao escapes to the west, but you choose to abandon him instead of rescuing
him.
#27 Silver Shield
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Raises evasion to spells/tactics, and cuts down damage done by
spells/tactics.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) Dropped by Wen Chou when you kill him in Map 2-3(Battle of Yanjin).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Dropped by Ling Tong when you kill him in
Map 3-12(The Siege of Jianye II).
#28 Wind God's Shield
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Raises evasion and cuts down damage dealt to the wearer, both from
physical attacks and spells/tactics.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Yuan Shao when you defeat him in Map 2-5(Battle of Cangting).
#29 Wind Wheels
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Catapult class)
EFFECT: Gives a +2 bonus to Movement.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Automatically obtained when you clear Map 1-11(Battle of Shouchun).
#30 Yellow Lightning
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Gives a +2 bonus to Movement.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
[Historic Route] In Map 4-1(Battle of Mt. Dingjun), have Xiahou Yuan move next
to Huang Zhong to initiate a duel. Xiahou Yuan will be killed in the duel and
you will not be able to use him for the rest of the game. If this happens, you
will receive this as compensation after clearing the map.
#31 Shadow Runner
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Gives a +1 bonus to Movement.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Clear Map 1-3(Pursuing Dong Zhuo) by defeating Li Ru.
#32 Red Hare
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: When equipped, enables the unit to ignore enemy ZOC(Zone of Control)
when moving on the map. In other words, the equipped unit can freely move
through spaces adjacent to enemy units. The unit still cannot move THROUGH enemy
units, though.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
[Fantasy Route] Obtained when you automatically recruit Guan Yu after
Map 3-8(Battle of Mai Fortress); he comes equipped with it.
#33 Hex Furnace
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Decreases movement costs for all terrain to 1 for equipped unit.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] In Map 4-3(Defending the Supply Camp), when the game gives
you a choice during the battle, choose to keep fighting and not retreat, then
rout the enemy.
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained during a plot event after clearing
Map 3-7(Battle of Mt. Dingjun II).
#34 Steel Helmet
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Soldier class)
EFFECT: Gives a +45 bonus to Max HP.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Obtained when you automatically recruit Pang De after
Map 3-7(Battle of Hanzhong); he comes equipped with it.
(2) [Fantasy Route] Obtained when you automatically recruit Pang De after
Map 3-6(Ma Chao's Fury); he comes equipped with it.
(3) [Fantasy Route] Dropped by Pan Zheng when you kill him in
Map 3-12(The Siege of Jianye II).
#35 Zhuge Liang's Coronet
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Gives a +45 bonus to Max MP.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Clear Map 4-2(Battle of Han River) by routing the enemy
before the automatic retreat at turn 12.
(2) [Fantasy Route] Clear Map 4-1(Zhuge Liang's Stone Maze) by making it
through the maze without retreating.
#36 Stone Boomerang
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Bandit class)
EFFECT: Enables the equipped unit to launch indirect attacks and counterattacks
from a range of 2 spaces, like a tier 1 Archer.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Zang Ba when you kill him in Map 1-13(Rescuing Liu Bei).
#37 Sun Tzu's Art of War
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The equipped unit gains 4 EXP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Zhang Hong when you kill him in Map 3-5(Battle of Hefei).
(NOTE: Zhang Hong retreats from the battle when you defeat Sun Quan. Make sure
this does not happen before you obtain the item.)
#38 Cao Cao's War Manual
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: All EXP gained by the equipped unit is boosted by 1.5x.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Obtained when you automatically recruit Cao Pi after Map 2-7(Battle of Liyang);
he comes equipped with it.
#39 Book of Healing
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer regains some HP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Huang Gai when you kill him in Map 3-3(The Great Battle of Chibi).
#40 Book of Cleansing
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer is healed of any status effects he was suffering from at the
start of every turn. This does not include stat reduction statuses.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Zhang Bao when you kill him in the
Prologue(The Yellow Turban Rebellion).
#41 Book of Magic
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer regains 10 MP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Zhou Yu when you defeat him in Map 3-3(The Great Battle of Chibi).
#42 Book of Transformation
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer has the ability to temporarily copy and cast any
spell/tactic that an adjacent unit knows, regardless of ally or enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
If you do not clear Map 2-10(Attacking Liu Fortress) by having Guo Jia escape
to the southeast corner of the map, Guo Jia will die due to succumbing to his
illness and you will not be able to use him for the rest of the game. If this
happens, you will receive this as compensation after clearing the map.
#43 The Six Secret Teachings
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer gains 3 weapon EXP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Mi Fang when you kill him in Map 3-2(The Battle of Changban).
#44 The Three Strategic Teachings
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: The bearer gains 3 armor EXP at the start of every turn.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Mi Zhu when you kill him in Map 3-2(The Battle of Changban).
#45 Beanbag
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: Whenever the bearer is dealt damage, he automatically uses a Bean of
Healing to recover 30 HP. This actually does use up a Bean of Healing from your
inventory every time the effect happens.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
Dropped by Yan Liang when you kill him in Map 2-2(Battle of Baima).
#46 Imperial Seal
TYPE: Accessory
EFFECT: All attacks done by the bearer are critical attacks.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Clear Map 4-1(Battle of Mt. Dingjun) by routing the
enemy, thus skipping Map 4-2(Battle of Han River) and
Map 4-3(Defending the Supply Camp).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Clear Map 3-7(Battle of Mt. Dingjun II) by routing the
enemy.
(NOTE: This is extremely difficult due to lack of time; the battle
automatically ends in just ten turns.)
#47 Blue Dragon Gem
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Mage Rider class)
EFFECT: Allows the bearer to summon the Blue Dragon God if they know the
spell/tactic, thus randomly dealing damage 5 times to all enemies within 3
spaces of the caster.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-6(The Impregnable Gates of Jianjiao).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-1(Zhuge Liang's Stone Maze).
#48 Red Phoenix Gem
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Attack Mage class)
EFFECT: Allows the bearer to summon the Red Phoenix God if they know the
spell/tactic, thus dealing massive fire damage to a 3x3 square formation for a
total of attacking 9 enemies max.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-7(The Siege of Chengdu).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-2(Battle of Baidi Castle II).
#49 Black Tortoise Gem
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Shaman(Status Mage) class)
EFFECT: Allows the bearer to summon the Black Tortoise God if they know the
spell/tactic, thus inflicting random status ailments and/or stat reductions
to all units on the field, regardless of ally or enemy.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-9(The Second Battle of Chibi).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-3(The Impregnable Gates of Jianjiao II).
#50 White Tiger Gem
TYPE: Accessory(only equippable by the Healer class)
EFFECT: Allows the bearer to summon the White Tiger God if they know the
spell/tactic, thus greatly healing all allies on the map and curing them of any
status effects they may have been suffering.
HOW TO OBTAIN:
(1) [Historic Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-8(The Battle of Baidi Castle).
(2) [Fantasy Route] Automatically obtained when you clear
Map 4-4(The Battle of Yangping Gate II).
===============================================================================
IV. Brief Guide to Filling the List
===============================================================================
Now, that's a lot of treasures. And to get them all, we're going to need two
playthroughs at minimum due to the route differences. Most of them are
straightforward; do as I've written above, and you get the treasure. Simple as
that.
However, there are a few treasures where the obtaining conditions contradict
each other. Well, this wouldn't be a proper guide if it doesn't help you out
with such a dilemma, now would it?
Let's take a look at the more problematic treasures and how to cope with them.
Sacrificial Treasures:
======================
There are four items(#10 Shooting Star, #26 Phoenix Robe, #30 Yellow Lightning,
and #42 Book of Transformation) that can only be gotten when one of your
characters permananently bites the dust(Pang De, Dian Wei, Xiahou Yuan and Guo
Jia, respectively). Sadly, these four also happen to be the best characters in
their class(or, in case of Dian Wei, the ONLY character of his class). You
might want to keep a backup save, sacrifice the character and reload the
chapter in case the character that is killed off happens to be an integral part
of your fighting force. (The game keeps track of all treasures obtained
throughout all playthroughs, so even if you reload and not kill off your
character, said Treasure will still be listed as collected as long as the item
collection prompt has happened; you just won't be able to use it.) Keep in mind
that Pang De and Xiahou Yuan's sacrifices are only possible in the Historic
Route.
Route Exclusives:
=================
Historic Route: #10 Shooting Star, #30 Yellow Lightning, (#8 Paralysis Bow,
#9 Silence Bow and #20 Chainmail Armor; can only obtain one of them in Fantasy
Route), #46 Imperial Seal(somewhat)
Fantasy Route: #5 Green Dragon Blade, #32 Red Hare
The two Fantasy Route exclusives are obtained via recruiting Guan Yu, which is
automatic, so no problems there.
#10 Shooting Star and #30 Yellow Lightning are 'sacrificial treasures'; refer
to the section above this one for info on obtaining it during the Historic
Route.
The remaining treasures merit a subsection to themselves as they concern
skipping chapters, many of which hold treasures themselves.
Puyang Castle and Treasures #8, #9 and #20
==========================================
Depending on when you finish the Puyang Castle maps, the treasure you get
afterwards differs; #9 for the first battle, #20 for the second and #8 for the
third. The others are all obtainable later on in the Historic Route, so leave
the list completion to that route and go obtain #8 Paralysis Bow from Puyang on
either route, as it's the most useful one to have out of the three.
Just make sure to properly clear Map 3-9(Battle of Ruxukou) on the Historic
Route by destroying all foes without retreating prematurely if you want to get
the other treasures.
The Imperial Seal Problem
=========================
Treasure #46, Imperial Seal, is only obtainable by defeating all enemies on the
Mt. Dingjun map(Historic 4-1 or Fantasy 3-7). Both versions of the map are
near-identical, and quite infamous among Sousouden players due to the enormous
amount of enemy units starting on the field plus their vast reinforcements, as
opposed to the small number of scattered units you have at your disposal.
Complicating this matter is the fact that once you do beat this map by routing
the enemy on the Historic Route, you will skip the next two maps, which hold
valuable treasures themselves(#1 Twin Swords of Fate, #6 Viper Lance, #33 Hex
Furnace, #35 Zhuge Liang's Coronet). On the other hand, routing the enemy on
the Fantasy Route is easier said than done, as you are still outnumbered like
no other, and there's a 10-turn time limit to finish everybody off; once the 10
turns are up, the enemy suddenly calls a full retreat and you automatically
fail the requirement for the Imperial Seal.
In short, there are three ways to get the Imperial Seal while only beating the
game twice:
(1) Keep an additional save file at Mt. Dingjun for your Historic Route
playthrough. Beat Mt. Dingjun by rout once, get the Seal, then reload and beat
it again, this time by retreat, leading to the additional maps and the other
useful treasure.
(2) Just rout the enemy on the Historic Route and keep going.
(3) Attempt to rout the enemy on the Fantasy Route.
(1) lets you record the Imperial Seal on the list and still net you all the
other nice treasures for later use. I would recommend this choice, personally.
(2) is the same as (1) except you are stuck with the Seal instead of the other
items, which you now have to make sure to collect on the Fantasy Route later.
The Seal isn't greatly helpful to your battle efforts either, so ultimately
you'll be settling for inferior loot and less EXP(the latter of which you might
actually prefer depending on your playing style...). Still, doesn't make the
remaining parts of the run too difficult, so if you dislike reloading saves and
replaying maps then maybe this one would suit you.
(3) is objectively the best... if you can actually pull it off, that is.
Routing the enemy is going to take a long, long time, just because of the size
difference in the armies, the gigantic map, and the fact that some enemy
generals, like Meng Da, keep well away from the battlefield, holed up in a safe
place where they can heal themselves at leisure. Since overpowering the enemy
with higher levels is impossible in this game due to the mechanics of enemy
level calculation(the higher your levels are, the higher enemies' levels become
as well), your only choice is to set up a good strategy, that is, attack
aggressively yet still defend well enough to block off crucial points of the
map which trigger enemy reinforcements when taken. This is extremely difficult
and time/turn-consuming, and I will not list a guide for that feat as I haven't
devised a failproof method for doing so myself. If you're really going to
attempt this, I'll just have to wish you good luck. You'll need it. A lot.
===============================================================================
V. All Done... Now What?
===============================================================================
So, what was the point of this lengthy playing through the whole game a minimum
of two times? Was it just a long treasure hunt just for completion's sake, and
bragging rights?
Hardly. In fact, the fun begins once you actually do complete the Treasure
List, then start up a new game from the beginning. Progress normally in this
new file until Cao Cao and his buddies arrive in the Prologue.
Remember Xu Zijiang? You know, the old coot that sets fire to the whole
battlefield, that rambles on to Cao Cao in the form of a tutorial? Originally,
if you keep patient and listen to all his long, long babbling and do what he
says instead of telling him to shove it and get lost, at the end of it all he
either bumps your level up by 2, or presents you with 4,000 gold as thanks for
listening to his inane rambling.
Well, if the Treasure List is complete, a new set of choices opens up to you
here. Once you listen to everything he has to say and make your choice between
the extra levels and gold, Xu Zijiang will then express his surprise that you
actually managed to collect all 50 treasures, then offers... to give you a copy
of every single one of the 50 treasures right away. He does present you with
30,000 gold should you decline the offer. However, given that gold is very
plentiful throughout the game and you'll very rarely run into money shortages,
there's no reason to say no, right?
After the prologue, these 50 treasures will be found in your inventory all
ready to be equipped and used(weapons/armor will be at Lv 3) as you want. Ever
wanted to know what steamrolling over enemies with broken equipment felt like?
Well now you can! Legally, without the use of save editors!
===============================================================================
VI. Miscellaneous
===============================================================================
[Copyright]
Sousouden and the characterizations/terms found within are all property of
Koei. I own nothing, except this document itself.
[Concerning Distribution]
As long as A) this document remains as a whole, unchanged and unedited, B) you
give me credit for writing this, and C) the document is provided for free and
not used as any monetary means, you are free to redistribute this guide in any
way you like. One exception is posting it on other websites, or printing it on
a media like a magazine(though I highly doubt the latter is likely); I want you
to ask my permission before doing so(there are nearly no reasons for me to
refuse, but posting it without asking me, THEN asking for permission seems like
a good enough reason).
As of now, websites that are allowed to post this guide:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
http://www.neoseeker.com/
[Contact]
Contact me at esk2978 (a) hanmail (dot) net. Replies may be slow in coming, so
please be patient. Oh, and make sure to include the word 'Sousouden' in the
mail title if you are about to inquire about this guide, or else they may be
classified as spam and deleted without me noticing anything. Any mail that is
offensive, hard to read(l337, for example), has nothing to do with the guide,
etc. will be deleted without any responses whatsoever. Any constructive
comments, corrections, suggestions and such will be welcomed.
[Thanks to]
+ GameFAQs, for giving me such wonderful gaming experiences as in pulling me
out of tight spots. And of course, posting this FAQ.
+ CJayC, the original admin, for creating GameFAQs.
+ SBAllen, the current admin, for maintaining GameFAQs.
+ Koei, for giving me much enjoyment out of its Romance of the Three Kingdoms
series and Eiketsuden series of video games, the latter of which Sousouden is a
part of.
+ My brother David, for much inspiration regarding this game and finding out a
few facts/secrets about it himself.
+ And you for reading this!
Copyright 2014 Eugene Kim
