___________________________________________________________________________
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| =~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~= |
| Author: Brian Lundin E-mail:
[email protected] |
| First Version's Date: 10/18/03 Present Version's Date: 6/23/07 |
| ~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~ |
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===============================================================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SOLO STRAIGHT CHARACTER CHALLENGE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
===============================================================================
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
` `
` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ `
` Table of Contents `
` ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ `
` `
` Section #1- Version History `
` Section #2- Introduction to the SSCC `
` Section #3- Rules of the Challenge `
` Section #4- Some Helpful Tips `
` Section #5- The Characters `
` Section #6- Character Rankings `
` Section #7- Walkthrough `
` Section #8- "Secondary" SSCCs `
` Section #9- Stall Points `
` Section #10- Faerie Village `
` Section #11- The Fish `
` Section #12- The Lavaman Trick `
` Section #13- Archmage & Berserker `
` Section #14- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) `
` Section #15- Legal Information `
` Section #16- Credits `
` `
``````````````````````````````````````````````````
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #1- Version History
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Version 1.0- Added original 9 sections, all of which are "completed" (as in
first version) except the sections on "The Characters"; "Mini-Walkthrough";
"Faerie Village"; all of Ryu SCC is complete. 10/18/03 32KB
Personal Notes: This is the first version of this guide. I'm not sure how
this guide will turn out, but I believe this guide has an auspicious future.
Version 1.5- Added more information on Ryu; added Nina's basic information and
started Nina SCC (start through XXIX); fixed some editing errors; modified the
format of the guide. 11/28/03 47KB
Personal Notes: I had to make a few changes. The first version had a few
errors in it. I started Nina too. It's... not easy >_<.
Version 3.3- Overhauled the guide to fit the entirely new format; added the
new "Section #3- My Contributors"; added/changed the rules and advice;
finished Nina SCC; added Teepo SCC; added Jamerington's Rei SCC and
[beginnings of] his Garr SCC; any empty spots in strategies will be filled in
the next update. 12/27/03 103KB
Personal Notes: Yeah, more formatting changes. Well, at least I've got my
first contributor now! I hope there will be more of you in the future! I've
started a new section to recognize contributor work.
Version 4.0- Added some ASCII art ^_^; redid formatting... again... and so
soon; started Momo SCC (start through XXI) added remainder of Jamerington's
Garr SCC. 1/7/04 125KB
Personal Notes: These should be the last formatting changes in the guide for
a while >_> <_<... I hope. Anyway, there's nothing particularly different
about this update otherwise. Just more information.
Version 5.0- Increased the bulk of the information in the mini-walkthrough;
added new sections: "Section #8- The Lavaman Trick" and "Section #9- Archmage
& Berserker". 2/18/04 157KB
Personal Notes: I know, I know. There's little to no actual new data here.
This update primarily consists of data I simply hadn't typed out before.
Also, I thought the mini-walkthrough needed more to it than just boss info,
so I added in a few notes outside the bosses. Hopefully, there will be more
of that later on too. Also, I had to include something on Lavaman, Archmage,
and Berserker, so I started sections which discuss strategies concerning
them; they're not very big right now though...
Version 5.6- Separated my work from my contributors' work in Section #6
"Contributors' Work"; completed my Momo SCC; removed my symbol; added Peco
Master's review of Peco; added new Section #7 ""Secondary" SCCs"; more
formatting; added a couple FAQs. 4/13/04 176KB
Personal Notes: Ah! Finally! Lots of new material, new sections, and an
explanation on how to go about playing and writing those "Secondary" SCCs.
I'm thinking of adding something like general strategies towards handling
enemies in each area. It's a big project, so I'll leave at this for now.
Expect to see it in the next update though!
Version 6.6- Reorganized some of the sections; reformatting; added some more
bulk to the introduction and the FAQs; added Peco Master's Peco boss
strategies; added new Section #12 "The Fish"; clarified/added some rules. >_>
7/12/04 208KB
Personal Notes: Yay. Another update. Unfortunately, those general enemy
strategies are still in the workings >_>, so you won't be seeing them for a
bit. However, I'll be devoting most of my time tomorrow to working on them,
so they... might be done by then. I've learned an important lesson from all
this: That I should definitely plan out what I'm going to include in my
challenge guides before I start them. Because I'd never gathered a
considerable amount of enemy data in SCCs, most of the new material will be
based off of what I know/recall and enemy capabilities. >_< So, I thought it
would be good to stop midway into this project and look at what I might want
to add before I stick myself with an even bigger job. O_o So, I've asked my
resident board, the GameFAQs BoFIII board, for advice on any possible
improvements (More people -> More ideas, right?), so there might be even more
to come. ^_^ As for Peco, I've already made quite a bit of progress but have
yet to type out any of the data I've collected. I'll try to squeeze that in
too. If all goes well, this somewhat... odd version of the guide will look
quite different sometime later this week.
Version 7.5- Put in my entire Peco SCC; finished the "where and when" to get
stuff that's incorporated into the walkthrough; finished general enemy
strategies. 8/15/04 234KB
Personal Notes: Finally, I've got those enemy strategies up. OK, the wait
was a little longer than a week, >_> but they're here, so that's all that
counts, right? Oh, and I've got another SCC up for you all. I'll be moving
on to Rei next. As for that "where and when to get stuff" bit, I thought
that would be useful in highliting the most important things for you to get.
Obviously, you should still try to get everything for completion purposes,
but the prioritization concept seemed appealing to me to include. Oh, and
the GameFAQs BoFIII Message Board didn't yield many ideas... er... any ideas
really, other than a single spelling correction and some well-needed
optimism. I don't know whether to take the lack of ideas as a compliment or
an insult. <_<
Version 8.1- Added my entire Rei SCC; tweaked character profiles; threw in a
tip. 8/25/04 258KB
Personal Notes: HAHAHA! I pulled a quickie on you! Didn't think I'd be
back so soon, huh? Well, when summer first started, I had always planned on
at the very least finishing up this project before the summer's end, so I'm
switching gears to hyper-speed in the last two weeks of summer I have left
until my HS Senior year begins. I finished the Rei SCC in less than a week
(and I was taking many, many breaks along the way); hopefully, I'll be able
to do the same with Garr. Expect just about everything I've left to give
(spell reviews, character comparisons, a prettier format, a load of fixes,
the orders for the defeats of the Samples, some new challenges for you the
readers, new anti-Fusion strategies (>_>), and of course Garr's SCC.) in one
of (if not) the final installments of this guide (at least... er... with
information from me... >_> you never know who might contribute what... <_<)!
Expect it all next time on BoFIII SCC Z! *voice echoes and fades away*
Version 10.2- Added my entire Garr SCC; tacked on spell descriptions and
effectiveness to accompany the ratings; made format much prettier; removed all
quotations stating "[explanation], but I can't tell for sure until I've
finished all the SCCs."; took out a word used *way* too often ("Recommended");
transferred many of the rules over into the FAQ section; changed game-made
abbreviations to full length; removed "My Contributors" and "Contributors'
Work" sections; added orders in which I defeated the Samples; added data on
other characters' combat with Archmage; changed mailing address from
[email protected] to
[email protected]. 3/1/05 266KB
-Ok, I'm expecting four responses to the new format, "KB Hog! *smacks*,"
"That wasn't necessary at all! *smacks*," "CONTENT OVER FORMAT! *smacks*,"
and, preferably, "Wow, that looks really nice. Good job." Yeah, I'm pretty
confident most people won't take too it well. But it still looked better than
what I had before, SO GET OFF MY CASE! *calms down* Ahem... >_> <_< moving
onto something more related to the actual guide, the spell descriptions are a
nice touch. Granted, some of it is probably a bit unnecessary, but the
detailed comments on the individual uses of spells help much more than the
simple "star-grading" format which leaves figuring out much of the spells up
to you. Let's see... what else... *looks through his list of "things to talk
about"* Right! A few other minor notes: Including the order of the Samples'
defeat seemed like another semi-helpful inclusion. It at least explained how
my characters were at seemingly changing levels when fighting them (heh, I
just didn't fight them in numerical order :P). I removed the "My Contributors"
section as it seemed a bit... well... ostentatious and out of order. Also,
as all mystrategies are completed, rather than have redundant strategies,
only one copy of a strategy will be left up (mine) unless a contributor's
strategy is superior or equal to mine, in which case it will be put directly
below mine along with credit. With the completion of the last Primary
character, I've now officially ranked all six characters and made a section
for it (yay). Finally, the numerical data for all the other characters'
attempts against Archmage is a nice supplemental to this guide, now complete.
I may return one day with additional information, but don't expect anything.
*tries to figure out how to conclude it all* Fare thee well. *whisks off
with his cape following, Alucard-style*
Version 11.0- Added my entire Tiamat SSCC, revised old Ryu strategies, filled
in the holes in the Hall of Fire strategies for all non-Ryu characters,
spliced in item lists, and changed the guide's name from "Single Character
Challenge" ("SCC") to "Solo Straight Character Challenge" ("SSCC").
291KB 10/8/05
-Alright, I guess I have allot of explaining to do. How to order this... >_>
*thinks* Guess I'll just go in the order listed above. The whole Tiamat SSCC
was to offer an example of how to do dragon SSCCs. At the same time, I used
the opportunity to fill in the sadly blank spots in Nina's, Momo's, and
Peco's Hall of Fire strategies. I fixed up the uber-old Ryu strategies, as
they were first written when I knew little about the game. Item lists, items
lists... *thinks some more* Well, those are for convenience. Rather than
listen to me say, "Find all the items," while only emphasizing a few, the
lists save you the trouble of checking another guide to find the info you
need. Finally, the name change: The name of the guide had been bugging me for
a while, because SCC was simply insufficient in describing the challenge.
However, "Solo Straight" works quite well. The idea for the name I drew from
FFT's SSCC. "Solo" is obvious, but by "Straight" I don't mean to imply
anything >_> other than that the character will follow the "Straight",
"Pure", or "Natural" path in statistical development. Why not call it a SPCC
or SNCC then? Um... >_> <_< the name doesn't sound as snappy. The double Ss
and Cs look very aesthetically pleasing while simultaneously describing the
challenge perfectly. Ergo, that's the way it's gonna be, so... meh!
Version 11.3- Revised language in a number of sections, updated strategies to
conform with current game knowledge. 294KB 6/23/07
-By "revised language", I'm mainly talking about much of the bias which
comes across too strongly. It's simply unprofessional. Unfortunately, this
FAQ is one of my oldest (when I was least experienced and most newbish) and
largest, meaning a total rehaul is a *major* job, one I might never really
get around to. As for the updated strategies, some major discoveries have
been made in the recent months which have direct, significant ramifications
to the SSCC, so I've made changes accordingly.
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u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #2- Introduction to the SSCC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many people have said to me, "BoFIII is so easy, Paltheos. It's a joke." So I
thought to myself, "How easy is it?" After pondering on the issue for a
while, I came up with a brief list of why this game is so easy. There are the
Masters and stat boosting items, which give you complete control of the stats
of your characters. Then there are the skills granted via Examine and Masters
that allow you to make whatever you want out of a character. Not to mention
the sheer over-poweredness of Ryu.
I wondered, "How would the characters fare if they fought alone and in their
original, purest form? What if I were to take away these things that make
the game so easy (except for the Ryu SSCC obviously which requires him)?" So,
I decided to make this, the Solo Straight Character Challenge, or "SSCC", as
it is commonly abbreviated: You may have seen an SSCC for other games. There
are 2 purposes behind an SSCC:
1) By playing through BoFIII with one character in his/her purest form, the
player gets a firm understanding of a character's natural strengths and
weaknesses. After all, experience is the best teacher, right? Ryu, as I've
mentioned before, is an excellent character in just about every category. If
you play through his SSCC, you'll learn why he's *that* over-powered. On the
other hand, Nina is a horrible character, arguably the worst in the game, and
if you play through her SSCC, you'll learn why Nina is that bad... the hard
way.
2) I know this is fairly obvious, but I'm saying it anyway. The second goal is
to provide a challenge for the player... duh. </painfully obvious observation>
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u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #3- Rules of the Challenge
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yay, here are the rules. After this, you don't have to listen to me any more
(just don't come crying to me because you didn't). Bear in mind as you read
through all the stipulations that not only have I included rules that are
intrinsic to the challenge, but I've also added in parts to avoid cheapness
in any and all possible forms. Most of them are fairly self-explanatory and
understandable, but I'm still elaborating anyway for those who might not
follow immediately.
One Character
-------------
This is one rule I shouldn't even need to state, but I am anyway. You are
allowed to use one and only one character, bar a few exceptions which I will
note. These include "stall points" (periods in the game in which a character
is unusable), impossible to win battles with one character, and any other
occasions of which I will make special note in the guide.
"Purest" Form
-------------
I mentioned this before but will now define it. "Purest" form means an
unmodified character. This includes the following: no masters (for their
skills and stat changes at level up), no examining monsters (for their
skills), no items to increase a character's base stats, and no inoculations.
Battle Formations
-----------------
Challengers are limited to only the starting battle formations (Normal,
Defense, Attack). One could argue that formations should be limited only to
Normal or perhaps to all of them. To the former, Defense and Attack are
allowed because I look at them as a sort of front and back rows, which is in
plenty of RPGs and is certainly fine to use. To the latter, recall that those
formations are learned from masters.
Faerie Village
--------------
There are some limitations on the use of faerie village. The copy shop may
not be used to copy items that would seriously decrease the difficulty of the
SSCC. Most notably, Hourglasses. Don't copy Hourglasses. Ever. They're
seriously overpowered, and there's no need to have more than the game gives
you.
Soul Gems
---------
I have to put a limitation on the number of Soul Gems you can use. Seriously,
how fair would it be to be able to die 99 times against Myria? So, unless I
change my mind on the issue, the maximum number of Soul Gems allowed in any
battle is 2. Any exceptions to this will be made at my discernment. These Soul
Gems do not have to be equipped at the beginning of the battle though. They
may be equipped during any time at that battle, but only 2 of them may be
consumed, used, etc.
Manly Clothes
-------------
Manly Clothes function like Soul Gems in that they revive you to full health
after death. Just like Soul Gems, they too have a limitation. The sum of Soul
Gems/Manly Clothes expended in any given battle may not exceed 2 unless
otherwise noted by me. For simplicity's sake, I will only refer to Soul Gems
when discussing full revival equipment.
Level Limit
-----------
At the very highest, you may level up your character to 60. However, in most
cases, the usual limit is 50. The only primary SSCC that may possibly need to
break the 50 limit is Nina's.
Stall Points
------------
If your SSCC character is at a stall point, you're of course allowed to use
other characters, boost their stats, give them masters, etc. However, you are
not allowed to transfer any skills over to your SSCC character. See the full
explanation in the FAQ section.
Killing your Characters
-----------------------
Characters are revived automatically after every battle, so you must kill them
each battle immediately (killing them can become a little tedious, but what
are ya gonna do *shrugs*). Once you kill those characters, they may not be
revived in that battle again.
Running from Battles
--------------------
I want to make note of this. When running from a battle, you *do not* have to
kill your other party members.
Attacking Items
---------------
This I clearly condemn. You may under no condition use these unless it is
absolutely necessary. e.g. Molotov against Hugeslug.
Equipping Other Characters
--------------------------
You may not equip your non-SSCC party members with equipment. They're not even
supposed to be there, so this rule naturally follows from that.
No Gameshark or Other Cheats
----------------------------
Obviously... but I just thought I'd say it for those who might actually try it
just because I hadn't said it. >_>
No Emulation Tricks
-------------------
Meh, a bit similar to above, but I don't want any tricks on emulators that you
can't do in normal PSX gameplay, especially spamming save state usage.
Concerning saving on an emulator, saving is limited to on the world map and at
designated save points of the PSX version. In other words, save only in rooms
with diaries.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #4- Some Helpful Tips
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Of course, don't try this challenge unless you've already played through
the game before.
Another thing: Do not choose to do an SSCC on a character simply because the
character is popular or has one cool move. That by no means implies that the
character performs as well in an SSCC. If you choose to ignore this warning,
you may find yourself in a very tough situation as you try something that may
not be feasible with your level of knowledge and skill of the game.
The Golden Piece of Advice for the challenge: If you can't beat an enemy,
run away! And, if you need experience, find an easy to kill enemy which gives
plenty of it. As for *avoiding* enemies, there are two minor changes to travel
you can make to reduce random encounters: 1) Hug the wall; 2) Walk rather than
run on open expanses with no walls.
If you're looking for the easiest SSCC to start with, choose Ryu. His
is ridiculously easy. In many ways, his SSCC is almost easier than an ordinary
game! O_o
Read the strategies for a boss before you fight it. Get any equipment or
items that you don't have yet for that battle and make sure you are at the
recommended level (a character's stats have a set standard for level up; they
only change when the character is given a master).
When you get characters that you're not going to use, steal any useful
equipment they might have (e.g. Nina's "Soul Gem" or Garr's "Titan's Belt")
even if you get the characters in the middle of a battle.
Here's an obvious tip: save often. You don't want to die after hours of
work just because you had "one more little thing to take care of". God knows
how many times I've had to swallow those words.
Stock yourself to the brim in items. When you find a useful item, get as
many of them as possible. For magicians, this means Black Porgies and Wisdom
Fruits. For everyone without healing magic (or even those with healing magic),
this means Healing Herbs, Vitamin(s), and MultiVitamins.
All praise the deity that is the Ivory Charm! This is without a doubt one
of the greatest pieces of equipment in the game. It halves elemental damage,
raises resistance to status effects, raises resistance to Death, doubles the
effects of healing spells, and restores HP in battle and on the field. Even
better, if you equip two at once, you gain 100% resistance to all elemental
and status attacks! That's quite the repertoire of abilities for one piece of
equipment! Be sure to get a pair ASAP via the Distant Fairy Expeditions. If
you get this wondrous accessory sooner than in the strategies (I could have
put into the boss strategies the instant you could theoretically get it, but I
assumed you wouldn't spend countless hours trying to get it and therefore
implemented them into the strategies at a more reasonable time), PUT THEM ON.
Once you can buy Soul Gems, don't go anywhere without them, especially in
dangerous areas.
Fishing... what a wonderful thing. You get so many of the things you need for
success from fishing. Whether it's the fish themselves, especially as the
mighty Black Porgy, or it's the items you get through the Manillo shops,
such as the Royal Sword and Life Armor, fishing truly does save you quite a
few times.
Don't always choose your equipment solely based off of Power/Defense and
Weight. Though usually optimum figures for these are preferable, also consider
additional or hidden attributes to the equipment. For example, Slicer is
"better" than PiercingEdge because Slicer is not only lighter than
PiercingEdge, but also because Slicer considerably increases critical rates,
despite the slight loss of Power. As for hidden attributes, >_> you just have
to know about those (e.g. Mist Armor -> Doubles Holy Elemental's Effects ->
Doubles Healing).
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #5- The Characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, the Spells sections for each character has a # of stars (1-5) next to
each spell to show each spell's overall usefulness:
* - No conventional use: It never has a good use... ever.
** - Rarely if ever useful: It can be utilized, but it's really not
worthwhile as survival doesn't lean on it at all; it can easily become
outdated.
*** - Fairly useful: It's still fairly unimportant in the grand scheme of
things, but it has its uses; it will likely become outdated at some
point.
**** - Extremely useful: Frequently cast and a very useful tool; likely not
to become *completely* outdated.
***** - Indispensable: Used so much that it has come in some way to define the
character and proceeding without it would be radically more difficult;
never loses value and is incessantly used from when it is first gained
to the very end.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
Every Healing Spell (Though Many of Them are Useless)
Good Assist Spells, All of Which are Protection-Based
Perfect Average of All Stats
Excellent Equipment Set
ACCESSION
Dragon Forms Operate on a Separate HP Bar from Base Ryu's
Dragon Forms Retain the Element/Status of Ryu's Weapon (Pro?)
Cons
----
No Attack Magic Outside of Dragon Forms
Dragon Forms Lose All Elemental/Status Protection of Ryu's Base Form
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"When out of herbs, use a spell.": Whether it's HP or status healing, Ryu's
got it covered. The time spans for the usefulness of each individual
healing spell is listed under each spell respectively in Spell Reviews. And,
on a side note, you should never really run out of healing items. Always
have a huge batch on you.
"From all damage to no (or at least not much) damage.": Defense magic, another
one of Ryu's specialties, is particularly helpful when you can't transform,
when you're low on AP (so that you can't transform, but can still cast
Defense spells), etc. This generally applies to early on, especially for
Protect. Perhaps it may not be all that important... ok, it isn't important,
but at least Protect and Barrier will help a few times. Spell Reviews for
more.
"The perfect sphere": If you view character statistics as three dimensional
polyhedra, then Ryu is a perfect sphere, the perfect balance of all stats.
Geometry aside, Ryu has the power to smash all, the defense to endure all, the
speed to outrun enemies, the intelligence to cast spells effectively, and high
HP and AP counts. So... yeah, he's good at everything. What more could you
ask for?
"Nice digs.": Ryu can definitely equip some of the game's better pieces of
equipment. I mean, just look at his final equipment configuration (He would
have even better final equipment, but SSCC rules prevent Rei from stealing and
Ryu learning Steal).
"Limitless forms and powers.": Accession makes this too easy; you have
an almost limitless number of attack styles to choose from (all bow to the
mighty dragon gene system), you can control him (except for berserk Kaiser,
but who counts him anyways >_>), and, most importantly, the dragon forms have
a separate HP gauge so that if the form is defeated, you simply revert back to
the form Ryu had before.
"He has a flaw... er... flaws?!": It's true, Ryu has a couple flaws. The first
would be his lack of any attack magic in base form. You could count
Bonebreak, but Ryu can only use that at "fixed intervals", so it doesn't
really count. I don't mean to say Ryu has no attack magic. He has plenty of
attack magic... in a dragon form. Accession has its issues too, but I'll
discuss those under its Spell Review.
If you're looking for difficulty here, either move on or add an additional
stipulation to this SSCC.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Heal-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal light wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 1
Commentary: Ryu's initial spell. It's not bad persay, but Healing
Herbs are cheap and preferred. Besides, and this applies to most of
Ryu's other spells, using Ryu's AP for dragon forms is simply a better
idea over maintaining his weak (relatively) and less flexible base
form.
-Purify-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Cures poison
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 4
Commentary: I suppose this could have a use really early, when zenny is hard
to come by, but, after that, if you're too cheap to spend 12 zenny for an
Antidote...
-Protect-
Rating: ***
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's DEF
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 6
Commentary: Protect deserves some credit. Obviously, dragon forms have
priority, but it's definitely useful against early bosses before Accession
is available, Gaist (once you're forced to revert but have enough AP left
for protection), Elder (obvious), and a few randoms which don't deserve dragon
forms but do deserve some buffs.
-Rejuvenate-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal medium wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 10
Commentary: Same deal here as with Heal, though this may see a bit more usage
as it arrives before Vitamin(s) can be store-bought. Of course, Ryu still
needs a high enough maxHP count to even merit using Rejuvenate...
-Shield-
Rating: *
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise all targets' DEF
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 16
Commentary: Yay, the first one-star spell. No uses at all here. It's less
effective than Protect and costs more AP to boot. Basically, a waste.
-Raise Dead-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Chance of restoring dead member
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 19
Commentary: Another spell for which I say, "No allies, no use." It might help
if undead enemies in this game were killed by revival spells, but,
unfortunately, that's not the case *shakes fist at Dragon Zombie*
-Remedy-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Cures all status changes
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 20
Commentary: Cheap Panaceas are better here. No reason to waste AP.
-Vitalize-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal medium wounds on all targets
AP Consumed: 20
Level Learned: 23
Commentary: You might be wondering why Vitalize isn't classified as completely
useless. Well, you probably aren't, since the answer's fairly obvious:
Vitalize on undead -> Death to undead.
-Barrier-
Rating: ***
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's magic defense
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 26
Commentary: Same deal here as for Protect, minus the early bosses and Gaist
comments (whose magic attacks are completely absorbable).
-Restore-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal heavy wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 12
Level Learned: 29
Commentary: Yet again, same as with Heal and Rejuvenate, only now I'm
referring to the availability of MultiVitamins.
-Resurrect-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Restore dead member
AP Consumed: 20
Level Learned: 31
Commentary: Substitute for Resurrect in the Raise Dead commentary for an
explanation. *shakes fist at Dragon Zombie again*
-Vigor-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal heavy wounds on all targets
AP Consumed: 50
Level Learned: 34
Commentary: Vitalize gets two stars, Vigor one; no, I didn't make a mistake.
Vigor's a big waste of AP, as Vitalize gets the job done of killing most
undead, so Vigor's just overkill.
-Bonebreak-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Attack; usable at fixed intervals
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: 36
Commentary: Sure, I'm being hard on Bonebreak, but I have good reason.
Honestly, even if it yields incredible damage, what does that matter when the
**** thing can only be used once every three hours?!
-Accession-
Rating: *****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Change into dragon form
AP Consumed: Varies
Level Learned: Event
Commentary: Finally, the mighty backbone of Ryu's arsenal, that which makes
Ryu3 the overpowered god that he is, Accession. From beginning to end,
Accession thoroughly owns any and all opposition swiftly and efficiently. It
is what makes Ryu Ryu, and, without it, his SSCC would be much, much harder
(relatively).
Ok, I've already mentioned in passing little about the effects of Accession,
but let me state all of the ramifications of transforming into dragon form.
First off, in many ways, the dragon is Ryu yet isn't Ryu. The dragon's
HP bar is independent of Ryu's such that death of the dragon results in a
reversion to Ryu's base form (an incredible asset). The dragon's stats are
calculated off of Ryu's base stats plus his equipment but only the numbers
are kept. All side effects of the equipment are discarded. However, there is
one very big exception to this rule. The effect of the equipped weapon is
kept completely. Say you transformed into a Warrior with a Royal Sword
equipped; even without the Thunder gene spliced, the Warrior's base attack
would be Thunder-elemental. I'll leave you to ponder on all the applications
of that.
Now onto the uglier side of transforming: All the defensive aspects of a
dragon (other than its raw DEF value, which we know to be determined
separately) are unique to each dragon form. Well, what I'm really hinting at
is the elemental and status implications of this. In some cases, such as
Tiamat or IRT Kaiser, which have 100% status and death immunity, this is a
good thing. In other cases, such as the ever-popular Warrior, this can be a
very bad thing, as all elemental and status protection of the base form is
lost. You may be wondering what the danger is. After all, Ryu's HP bar is
independent of those of his dragon forms, so, if the dragon form croaks, Ryu
will still be fine. One problem though: *points to Evil Eye and Thunder
Strike* Yeah, Game Over via paralysis stinks. Or you could just get smacked
by Death. Mechanically, the game is very efficient in wiping out all
non-numerical influence of the base form, even erasing the effects of
stat-boosting spells when transforming.
So, that's Accession- the good, the bad, the whatever.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Ridiculously Easy:
Putting "difficult", "SSCC", and "Ryu" in the same sentence is just wrong.
There is a little difficulty before he gets his dragon forms, and a couple
battles afterwards, but, otherwise, it's smooth sailing.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
Statistically Superior to Ryu in Every Way
Identical Equipment Set to Ryu
Effective Attack Magic (for that point in the game)
Cons
----
No Healing Magic (I had to put something under Cons)
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"I [Teepo] can do anything, you [Ryu] can do better; I can do anything
better than you": Teepo excels in all stats just like Ryu. In fact, Teepo goes
even further: Teepo can equip everything that Ryu can.
"BOOM!": Teepo has some nice attack magic. It's too bad he's not around long
enough to fully develop it, especially Iceblast and Fireblast.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Flare-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 1
Commentary: Flare definitely tides you over until Simoon. Good damage,
cheap cost. No problems.
-Frost-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 4
Commentary: Meh, Flare's slightly superior to Frost, and there aren't any
enemies Teepo faces that are weak to Frost elemental.
-Simoon-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame&wind attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 7
Commentary: Teepo's "de facto" ultimate magic attack. Only problem is that
Silver Knife deals similar damage, so Simoon probably won't see much action,
especially against all the McNeil ghost incarnations.
-Iceblast-
Rating: *
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 13
Commentary: As stated above, a great spell that Teepo will never get to take
advantage of. I called Simoon Teepo's "de facto" ultimate spell because Teepo
will never really level up enough to get Iceblast.
-Fireblast-
Rating: *
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 14
Commentary: *insert Iceblast commentary here for explanation*
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Trial:
Think of Teepo's SSCC as a trial: a very easy, yet effective trial. It gives
you an opportunity to become associated with an SSCC, and the best part: if
you like the experience, you can continue in that game with another character,
providing that character is Nina, Momo, Peco, or Garr. If you want to play as
Ryu or Rei, you'll have to start over.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
ENORMOUS Agility - Tends to EX Turn Nearly Everyone
High Evasion and High Accuracy
Thunder-Elemental Spells Hit for Decent Damage
Excellent Equipment Set
Only Character Able to Steal (Pilfer)
Speed Assures EX Turns Against Nearly All Bosses
Weretiger = 0 AP AND Dead Randoms
Weretiger Actually Keeps All the Elemental/Status Protection of Rei's Base
Form!
Cons
----
Sub-par to Par in All Stats Other Than Agility
Weretiger is Uncontrollable and Irrerversible
Weretiger Uses Base Rei's HP Bar (Not a New, Separate Bar)
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Round 1: Rei goes, enemies go, Rei goes. Round 2: Rei goes, enemies go, Rei
goes. Round...": You get the point. Rei has a habit of not only outrunning
enemies (which he can; Rei can outrun every enemy in the game), but usually
getting EX turns against them. As for Speed, that assures EX turns against
every boss in the game (bar Myria).
"A good shot and good at dodging shots": Rei has the highest accuracy of all
the characters (well, he's tied with Nina, but who cares about Nina's
physical?). Not only that, but his evade rate is also the highest. When
targeted with multi-striking physicals, don't be surprised if Rei dodges more
than one of the hits.
"*presses one button; all enemies on the screen are killed in seconds*": Rei
is the perfect character for you minimalists. In random encounters, Weretiger
dispatches of all enemies better than any other character can, and you barely
have to lift a finger. Best of all, with no allies, Weretiger has nothing to
do but maul the enemy.
"He can steal, what'd you expect?!": What I'm getting at is Rei's incredible
equipment set. Ok, maybe giving Pilfer that much credit is overdoing it,
seeing that only two of his final six pieces of equipment are stolen, but
still... I mean, look at his final equipment!
"A notch below 'The God'": As I've mentioned before, all of Rei's stats are
sub-par. In fact, every one of his stats are lower than Ryu's. The only
exception to that is his AGL, which, as you already know, is part of what
makes Rei so mighty.
"ZAP!": Bah, *couldn't think of anything else better to say* Rei comes with
a full assortment of Thunder-elemental spells. In most scenarios, Rei won't
be using them, as Weretiger takes care of almost all randoms, and his early
Thunder-elemental spells are... well... weak. Specifics below in Spell
Reviews.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Pilfer-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Steals item from enemy
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Rei is the only character capable of stealing from opponents.
While this has limited use, as many of the items that can be stolen are
outlawed, Rei can steal some incredible equipment, especially near end-game.
Top examples include Aries Gloves from Berserkers and Burglar Garb from
Vampires.
-Jolt-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: 9
Commentary: Jolt doesn't give very good multi-target damage, nor is
it even around long enough to be of any use at all. The only time Rei should
ever cast it is on McNeil's roof.
-Slow-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Lower one target's AGL
AP Consumed: 1
Level Learned: 12
Commentary: This spell should be good in theory... but it's not. It has a
horrible accuracy and, when you really need it, those enemies have immunities
against it. It just doesn't work.
-Silence-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Stop magic use by all targets
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 13
Commentary: Aside from accuracy and immunity issues, should you really even
be focusing on stopping the opposition from casting magic when you can just
kill them much quicker via Weretiger? >_> Silence is just a waste of Rei's
time.
-Speed-
Rating: *****
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's AGL
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 16
Commentary: And then there was Speed. We all know Rei's a lightning bolt
in terms of AGL, but Speed assures that Rei will outrun every enemy in the
game and EX turn almost all of them (the only unbeatable speed demons
that come to mind are Archmage and Myria). Speed is spectacular for
Rei and a real life saver at times.
-Lightning-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 19
Commentary: *shrugs* Lightning's ok. I mean, it's Rei's best source
of multi-target damage, but Rei's mediocre INT and the mid-tierishness of
the spell itself makes the damage so-so at best. Even so, Lightning still
has its uses, foremost against highly evasive targets (e.g. Bat-types and
Bot-types) but most memorably against the Ammonite duo.
-Death-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Destroy one target
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 29
Commentary: Another ability that should be great in theory... but... isn't.
The only problem with Death is that its accuracy borders 10% and, as usual,
many foes are immune.
-Myollnir-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 38
Commentary: Despite Rei's discouraging INT, Myollnir is still a good asset.
Other than casting it on Thunder-weak enemies, it's very effective against
enemies whom you don't feel comfortable Weretigering against chiefly because
it results in equal damage to a Weretiger's attack. Of course, Rei's low AP
forces limited usage, but it's still worthwhile. Also, Myollnir's a great way
to burn off Rei's surplus AP in boss battles after he's casted all the Speeds
he needs. Heck, Myollnir usually deals more damage than his physical anyway,
even with a Holy Avenger equipped.
-Weretiger-
Rating: *****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Raises PWR: slowly become berserk
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: Event
Commentary: I love when a game makes my life so incredibly easy. Weretiger
allows me to almost no work in dispatching all my opponents. Of course, proper
preparation is a must, but the fruits of a little preparation in exchange
for much less work is sweet indeed.
Now, to comment on the effects of Weretiger. First off, NEVER, EVER assume
that simply because Weretiger and Accession are both transformation skills,
that they both operate on the same principles. Weretiger couldn't be any
different from Accession. That ultimately ends up being both good and bad. On
the good side, Weretiger retains all the elemental/status protection of Rei's
base form. Why? The game interprets Weretiger as a Berserked Rei (without the</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
whole death in three turns part) and lets ALL his equipment continue their
usual functions. Now, for the bad stuff: Weretiger cannot be reversed until
the battle ends... one way or the other. That's why it's crucial that you
always check your equipment before transforming. -_- I almost lost to a lone
Tricker simply because I forgot to put on Anti-Blind equipment before
transforming. As you might have guessed, the above also implies that Weretiger
shares the same HP bar as Rei, meaning that if Weretiger dies, Rei dies, and
the battle is over lest he was wearing Manly Clothes/Soul Gem... but Rei still
revives as a Weretiger. <_< On a final note, at least Weretiger costs 0 AP;
it only makes killing the randoms even easier.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Very Easy:
Wow... Rei's got so many pluses. He's the undisputed king of dispatching
randoms thanks to Weretiger. Also, he's great on knocking off bosses as well,
as he runs circles around... well... everybody! Yeah... slaughtering anything
that moves seems to come naturally to Rei.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
Extremely High AP and Intelligence
Moderately High AGL
Wind Resistance +1 (As if Most Enemies Ever Use Wind-Elemental -_-)
Huge Repertoire of Great Attack Spells (Single-Target and Multi-Target)
Can Dispatch Most Randoms Quickly
Cons
----
Low HP, Power, and Defense
Usually, Not Fast Enough for the EX Turn
Overly Dependent on AP Usage
(from Cons 1 and 3) [Therefore] Requires Large # of Healing Items (HP, AP,
status)
Mediocre Equipment Set
Boss Battles Gradually Become More Difficult
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Wow! She's just like a Black Mage! That's good... right?": Indeed, that is
true. She has the high AP, intelligence, and spells that a Black Mage would
have. Unfortunately, she also has the measly HP, power, and defense
capabilities of a Black Mage. Just try beating any game with only a Black
Mage. It's probably not the easiest thing you've ever tried.
"Crap... that element doesn't work. Okay then, how about this one?": Nina has
a huge variety of elemental magic. In a way, it makes her quite versatile, but
she's still far too dependent on her magic.
"Faster than a sprinter but slower than a tiger.": Nina can outrun most of the
enemies in the game and can even get the drop on many boss level enemies, and
this partially makes up for her many other flaws. However, it's still not very
valuable an asset in the end because she usually can't get the EX turn when
she *really* needs it (like other characters who can such as Rei). However,
there is a catch. Indeed, Nina can outrun many enemies. The problem of course
is her puny defense. Because she can't take a hit, she needs to be placed in
Defense Formation which negates any AGL advantage, if there had been one in
the first place.
"Ordinary enemies, bow down before me; bosses... *Nina runs away*": Nina
can really toast random encounter enemies, but again she falls short where it
really counts: she has an almost insurmountable amount of trouble when dealing
with bosses. This usually results in the little Wyndian princess getting
pounded to a pulp if you're not prepared... heck, she sometimes gets pounded
even when you are prepared!
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Cyclone-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Wind attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Meh, technically, Cyclone is better than Frost (ergo, it deserves
more credit), but with only two short levels to the toasty Simoon, does
anybody even remember Cyclone after that?
-Frost-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: See Cyclone.
-Jolt-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Jolt merits some attention. Sure, it's a tier 1 multi-target spell
with horrible damage in most cases, but it's still multi-target damage, and
Jolt's big brother isn't exactly right around the corner.
-Simoon-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame&wind attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 7
Commentary: Honestly, Simoon's okay, but Iceblast is an obvious preference.
Still, it keeps Nina going until level 12 and shines here and there in the
game (most notably against Huge Slug).
-Blunt-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Lower one target's PWR
AP Consumed: 1
Level Learned: 9
Commentary: Blunt, along with Weaken and Slow, really don't get much respect
from me. I mean, if their accuracy were good and most bosses weren't immune,
I wouldn't hesitate to give them more credit, but both don't happen, so these
theoretically good spells are junk.
-Weaken-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Lower one target's DEF
AP Consumed: 1
Level Learned: 10
Commentary: See Blunt.
-Iceblast-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 12
Commentary: Learn to love Iceblast. With good damage yield and a fairly cheap
cost (for Nina), it will become your best friend in single-target damage for
well around half the game and especially against the most annoying bosses
*shivers at memories of Charybdis and Scylla*.
-Slow-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Lower one target's AGL
AP Consumed: 1
Level Learned: 13
Commentary: See Blunt.
-Typhoon-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Wind attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 15
Commentary: Finally, a replacement for Jolt, but, alas, Typhoon's moments in
the sun are all but too brief, for next level comes the superior Lightning.
"But they're both the same tier in damage, Palth," is what you're thinking.
True, but consider this: How many enemies are weak against Wind-elemental and
how many are weak to Thunder-elemental?
-Lightning-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 16
Commentary: See Typhoon. Also, I may have given Jolt a mite too little credit.
Against the Bot-type of enemies of Tower, it's actually very useful in
confusing them, but Jolt still needs several casts to wipe them all out, and,
if all your opponents aren't Bot-types, than they're liable to beat
mercilessly on our poor heroine. But then Lightning comes to the rescue! I
found that Lightning usually wiped out Bot-groups in an instant, enabling Nina
to switch to single-target magic to eliminate the remaining foes (Simoon *or*
Iceblast - it matters in Tower).
-Drain-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Steal one target's HP
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: 18
Commentary: Yay, Nina gets more spells that absolutely ****. I'm guessing
these spells (Drain and Leech Power) were meant to work in theory (-_- This
sounds familiar.), but just don't. In fact, in my entire history of playing
BoFIII, neither Drain nor Leech Power has EVER hit. I'm guessing somebody
really messed up on this one. *boots the developers at Capcom*
-Leech Power-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Steal one target's AP
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: 23
Commentary: See Drain.
-Blizzard-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 28
Commentary: It's 12 levels, 12 long levels since Nina last got any ability
that was remotely useful, and Blizzard is a happy welcome. Max tier Frost
damage is nice, but its fate is fairly similar to Typhoon's, except that
Sirocco is outright better.
-Sirocco-
Rating: *****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame&wind attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 12
Level Learned: 33
Commentary: Sirocco is Nina's ultimate multi-target attack, yielding even
more damage than Blizzard. Put simply, as soon as you get it (Underground
Lab probably), you use it against every random encounter (unless there
are enemies strong vs. Flame or Wind or it's a single target (and you don't
have Myollnir yet)). Meh, >_> those were allot of stipulations, but don't
let them fool you; Nina really will be using Sirocco almost all the time.
-Myollnir-
Rating: *****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Electric attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 37
Commentary: I know I already complained about this, but forcing you to wait
25 levels(!) for another single-target spell is a huge con for Nina. What
you're forced to do for much of the game is use multi-target magic stronger
than Iceblast but not at all worth all the AP spent. Once you get Myollnir,
it's both relaxing that you have that much more AP to fiddle around with and
also surprising exactly how much damage it does.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Hard:
Nina's SSCC is initially only slightly difficult. However, as you continue,
it becomes harder and harder. This *is* the hardest SSCC and not for the faint
of heart.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
High Power, AP, and Intellgence
Highest Willpower
Useful Statistic Boosting Spells
Useful Healing Magic
Powerful Attack Magic
"Sleep Chain"
Cons
----
Low Accuracy (Artemis' Cap for Compensation)
No Critical Hits OR Reprisals
Powerful Attack Magic Learned Late in the Game
Mediocre HP, Defense, and Agility
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Absolute Power! Too bad she can't hit the broad side of a barn...": Momo's
weapons give her an obscenely high PWR value which you would think is good.
Unfortunately, Momo's accuracy is too low to take advantage of that...
"... so good thing for the Artemis' Cap!": Fortunately, this somewhat makes
up for Momo's accuracy deficiency, at the cost of an accessory slot. It might
seem like a bad deal at first, but you could also look at it from a different
perspective. Imagine a character with really good accuracy but somewhat low
power. You could stick a Titan Belt on for more power, but that's not quite
gonna cut it for physical attacks. What Momo is is the opposite. Lots of
power, more than you could ever get from some Titan Belts, but low accuracy.
But fortunately, Artemis' Cap is there to save the day. Granted, it doesn't
give Momo perfect accuracy, but it's still a good deal considering how much
PWR you're getting.
"POW! Hahaha! I hit you for more damage than I would normally... what? I
didn't? I can't?... crap. What?! I can't counter your attacks either! This is
****.": Momo can't make critical hits... or counter enemy attacks. These I
find particularly enraging. It's no big deal considering her high attack
power, but it would still be nice.
"Stat Booster Heaven!": Momo has all of the statistic boosting magic she
needs, except for Barrier. Protect, Speed, and Might can really make the
difference in a battle between being killed and annihilating your opponent.
These spells can compensate for Momo's somewhat average stats in the Defense
and Agility categories.
"Less useless and all useful healing magic!": Like Ryu, Momo has a large
stock of healing magic. Unlike Ryu though, she doesn't have quite as much
healing magic. Fortunately, all the healing magic she doesn't have that
Ryu does is magic that would be useless to the SSCC anyway. She still keeps
Heal, Purify, Rejuvenate, Remedy, and Restore, all she could possibly need
for her SSCC. Their practical uses are a bit restricted though; see Spell
Reviews for more.
"Looooooooooooooooooong battles": Momo's low accuracy will sometimes lead
to exceedingly long battles. She'll be fine; it's really more irritating than
anything else.
"Status effects on enemies... heh heh": I don't know how useful you may find
Momo's status attacks to be, as their accuracy isn't very dependable. There
are situations where they are useful, but it's usually much simpler to just
kill off the enemies in a slugfest than try to win in a battle of attrition.
Particulars are noted on in Spell Reviews.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Heal-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal light wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Obviously, I'm giving Momo's HEAL-class spells a little
higher a rating than Ryu's because Momo has nothing but her base form to
work with, as well as a surplus in AP and high INT to boot. Aside from Heal
being the first spell on the list and the obvious starting point anyway,
where better a spot to start from >_> <_<? Heal will usually be better than
a Healing Herb, but it still loses light in face of the ubiquitous Vitamin(s)
at the time of Momo's arrival, so, yeah, thus the low rating.
-Purify-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Cures poison
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Like Ryu, this spell is a fairly big waste. I mean, you can use
it if you want, but I'd keep the AP for Momo's other spells. *shrugs*
-Identify-
Rating: *
Type: ASSIST
Description: Displays enemies' data
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Well, at least the spell was intended to be good, >_> right?
Problem with Identify is it doesn't tell you anything about an enemy that
you haven't already discovered for yourself. To simplify, it's a downgraded
version of "Scan"/"Sense". Not that any of that matters anyway since it's
a waste of a turn most of the time anyway.
-Foretell-
Rating: *
Type: ASSIST
Description: Determine the outcome of combat
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: While this spell is intended to provide clues as to enemy
weaknesses, all these weaknesses can be looked up and, even if they couldn't,
due to SSCC rules, Momo has no way to exploit these weaknesses.
-Protect-
Rating: *****
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's DEF
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: The first of "The Big Three" of Momo's stat-boosting spells
comes along initially with the young scholar. Through spamming, Momo becomes
impregnable, easily surpassing the DEF values of even Peco and Garr.
-Silence-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Stop magic use by all targets
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: Accuracy and immunity issues really hamper Silence's scope. Yeah,
I don't see you getting much use out of it, except maybe against magic-heavy
enemies, but none are coming to mind at the moment.
-Sleep-
Rating: ***
Type: ASSIST
Description: Induce sleep in all targets
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: 12
Commentary: Surprisingly, Sleep has a good application. An interesting side
effect of the sleep status in BoFIII is that all physical attacks on a
sleeping target have a 100% chance of success. So, when Sleep Shells are
equipped, there is a fairly good chance that the sleep status will carry over
into the next turn. However, the effects of this "Sleep Chain" is limited
entirely to biological opponents (no mechanical enemies), so... yeah...
don't get too dependent on it or anything.
-Quake-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Earthquake (attack vs. all targets)
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 13
Commentary: "Feel the earth's fury!": Sorry for a cheesy Grandia battle
quote, but this is called for here. Quake's actually an excellent
source of multi-target damage for Momo (and the only one until Lv.29)...
the only problem is that it has 0 effect on all the flying enemies in the
game, which can be more than a nuisance.
-Confuse-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Induce confusion in one target
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 14
Commentary: If Confuse was multi-target and more accurate, then I may have
liked it more because then I could whack the other side with Quakes or
Ragnarok easily slaying them, but it's not. Confuse simply has too few
applications, and it's really just not worth your time.
-Speed-
Rating: *****
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's AGL
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: 17
Commentary: The second of "The Big Three" of Momo's stat boosting spells is
gained fairly early. Speed for Momo isn't used as much for gaining EX turns as
it is for simply acting before the opponent (as Momo's AGL is somewhat
mediocre). You'd be surprised how much it can ease the tension.
-Rejuvenate-
Rating: ***
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal medium wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 19
Commentary: Better stuff may come along soon after, but Rejuvenate retains
a surprising amount of its usefulness, and, near the very end, with a shiny
Mist Armor doubling the effects of healing spells, Rejuvenate comes back
strong to consume Momo's excess AP.
-Might-
Rating: *****
Type: ASSIST
Description: Raise one target's PWR
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 20
Commentary: The third and final of "The Big Three" of Momo's stat boosters
makes its arrival not long after the second's but proves just as important.
Well, honestly, I've always had the impression that Might was only important
because it sped up the battle. So, in some ways, it's less critical than the
other two are, but I like its contributions anyway, so... >_> THE FIVE STARS
STAY!
-Remedy-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Cures all status changes
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 24
Commentary: Cheap Panaceas are better here. No reason to waste AP.
-Raise Dead-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Chance of restoring dead member
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 27
Commentary: Another spell for which I say, "No allies, no use." It might help
if undead enemies in this game were killed by revival spells, but,
unfortunately, that's not the case. (Interrupting side note: Oh, and I know
some of the copied/pasted commentaries from Ryu's spell reviews may be
annoyingly repetitive, but the exact same principle lies behind both, and I'm
too lazy to think up new commentaries when I don't have to) And, just for the
sake of consistency: *shakes fist at Dragon Zombie regardless of the fact that
Momo never actually meets Dragon Zombie*
-Ragnarok-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Comet (attack vs. all targets)
AP Consumed: 12
Level Learned: 29
Commentary: Momo's ultimate multi-target attack is... very odd. Sadly, I don't
know exactly how the final damage calculations are made for this attack, so I
can't explain its... very erratic behavior. Against some enemies, it will deal
incredible damage; against seemingly similar others, it will deal dirt crap
damage (and, in both cases, consistently). Nevertheless, it's more often than
not a great spell, clearing away most enemies effortlessly.
-Vitalize-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal medium wounds on all targets
AP Consumed: 20
Level Learned: 33
Commentary: To be fair, Momo actually does battle some undead which Vitalize
can toast, so thus the two stars. Other than that, this spell's got zilch.
-Restore-
Rating: ***
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal heavy wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 12
Level Learned: 36
Commentary: Restore's useful for quite some time, up to near the very end
really. Then Momo gets Mist Armor, and Restore must give way to Rejuvenate.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Very Easy:
Through the utter abuse of Momo's stat boosting spells, any difficulty that
had or might have existed in this challenge no longer does. It's really that
easy, barring her low accuracy which tends to make a Momo SSCC long.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
ENORMOUS HP
Moderately High Power and Defense
Status and Death Resistances +1
Auto-Regen
50% Reprisal and Critical Rates
Powerful Elemental Breath Attacks
Cons
----
Low Agility and Intelligence
Average Accuracy
Most of his Spells are Useless
Surplus in AP
No Good Multi-Target Damage until near Endgame
Horrible Equipment Set
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Wow, who would have thought that one stat could have that much
significance?!": Peco's HP total seems never-ending in its growth. Its effects
are not limited to mere battle endurance though. They supplement Peco's high
defense and increase the HP restored by Auto-Regen.
"An eye for an eye!": Peco has the highest reprisal rate of any character in
the game: 50%! That increases the ranges of strategies from fighting complete
battles of attritions (practical ones anyway) to... well the regular SSCC
combat strategies... >_> Well, there are still more battle options than in
other SSCCs. Also, I'm aware the original intent of that quote was to limit
punishment and was aware of it when I first wrote this paragraph. Figure the
rest out. =)
"Our lovable little onion... well, lovable, uber-pumped onion": Peco has
astoundingly quick growth in the physical stats. He's really just built for
raw combat, and that 50% reprisal rate of course only helps. I do recall
killing six targets in one turn, five Reprisals and the actual action for that
turn. That's a rare scenario, but it does demonstrate what Peco is capable of.
"And thus even the little guy got his own shotgun... too bad the war's almost
over": My point: Peco gets two excellent elemental multi-target attacks,
effective against quite a few enemies. The problem: Peco gets them so close
to the end of the game that their greatness cannot be truly appreciated.
"The little Auto-Regen that went a long way": You're probably wondering how
useful 1/20 maxHP restore per turn can be (Well, to be more accurate:
maxHP/20 rounded to the nearest whole number). Admittedly, initially, not
that much. However, by the end of the game, the gain is hardly anything to
scoff off. I can't recall in how many instances my life has been saved by
Peco's "meager" Auto-Regen.
"Now, under the gold plate... >_>": Peco's got several amazing stats, but
then there are his flaws, foremost among them being a lack of agility and
intelligence. Being slow isn't that bad for Peco though: his endurance gives
him more than enough time to heal. The intelligence problem can become a bit
more serious though, especially if you're not careful with your dealings with
magic-spamming enemies. Peco sports the lowest intelligence of any character
in the game and accordingly gets smacked around by virtually all magic attacks
thrown at him.
"I don't want to see any more, and fortunately there isn't any more to see":
Yeah, most of Peco's skills are pretty bad... or at least bad for him. Low
intelligence (for Rejuvenate) and low accuracy (of Dream Breath and Venom
Breath) are the primary reason though for the spells that you'll see I've
somewhat marked as not very useful for Peco *points down to "Spells"*. To top
that off, Peco has an over-abundance of AP. That's fine if you can use either
of his breath attacks, but for most of the game the onion just has too much,
even after he gets the breath attacks. Not necessarily "bad" persay, in a
regular playthrough, that's part of what makes Peco great, but with the
prohibition of unnatural skills and all, the surplus AP sorta just lies there
unused. *pokes the surplus*
"A king given rags (Metaphorically speaking, of course)": Peco has great
stats in power and defense; however, his equipment options are so limited
that those phenomenal pros are occasionally reduced to near-mediocrity. For
goodness sake, his best defensive equipment includes a Spiked Gauntlets,
Tiger's Cap, and an AMBER BREASTPLATE! Much of that equipment, especially his
armor, is just antiquated by the end of the game. His armors as well as
weapons generally follow this pattern of being extremely weak for a long time
and infrequently receiving boosts... at least drastic boosts anyway. >_>
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Dream Breath-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Induce Sleep in all targets
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: 10
Commentary: Dream Breath could have its uses. >_> Hm... the only good use
I could come up with is a scenario in which Peco's outnumbered and outclassed.
Now the problem is actually remembering an example. In truth, I know it
happened to me at least a few times but not enough for me to be thankful
to the spell.
-Venom Breath-
Rating: **
Type: ASSIST
Description: Poison all targets
AP Consumed: 3
Level Learned: 17
Commentary: Two stars is very generous. I don't see any purpose at all
behind poisoning your adversaries when the only opponents that can be hit
by it have such small HP counts that knocking them off with physicals makes
a **** of allot more sense. However, I'm willing to admit that I've probably
overlooked some obscure scenario that exists in which Venom Breath could
actually be useful, so I'm giving it two stars.
-Rejuvenate-
Rating: *
Type: HEAL
Description: Heal medium wounds on one target
AP Consumed: 7
Level Learned: 20
Commentary: Rejuvenate is completely worthless on Peco. I really shouldn't
need to say more than that. Peco's INT is so pitifully low that his
Rejuvenate's healing abilities experiences trouble keeping up with the
"prowess" of a HEALING HERB! Putting in mind Peco's insanely high HP count,
why would you ever waste your time with his Rejuvenate? Frankly, there's
no reason to do so.
-Purify-
Rating: **
Type: HEAL
Description: Cures poison
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 21
Commentary: I'm a little more lenient on Purify, but still not so much
because: 1) Peco has natural status resistance; 2) By the time you get
the thing, complete status immunity equipment setups are already available
(at the very least, for Peco). You shouldn't really be poisoned if you know
which enemies can poison you and you protect against it. It's as simple as
that.
-Firebreath-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame; damage altered by HP
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 30
Commentary: Finally, Peco receives some form of multi-target damage... near
the end of the game >_>. Well, at least damage is determined by Peco's best
stat... which is constantly changing depending on the situation. Nevertheless,
the damage yield from Firebreath and Icebreath, and the two obliterate
countless enemies who fall prey to their convenient elemental weaknesses. Once
you get them, they save you again and again.
-Icebreath-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Frost; damage altered by HP
AP Consumed: 4
Level Learned: 31
Commentary: See Firebreath.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Easy:
On the surface, Peco doesn't seem to be much. However, his odd attributes
actually prove to be extremely useful. Even without all the skills he can
learn in a regular game (which have made him quite famous), Peco still kicks
some serious ***.
``````````````````````````````
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
High HP, Power, and Defense
Good Equipment Set
Flame Resistance +2
Pyrokinesis
Cons
----
Low AP, Agility, and Intelligence
Average Accuracy
Most of his Spells are Useless
No Good Multi-Target Damage... EVER!
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Pyrotechnics is fun... when you're capable.": Put simply, Garr has a huge
affinity to Flame elemental. Most of his abilities are Flame-elemental, and
he has a huge Flame Resistance (-50% damage). The only issue here is that
Garr's INT is so bad that taking advantage of all his Flame-elemental spells
is but a dream, and, even if his INT were good, his AP is still crap.
"Me Garr! Me smash! Me do nothing else!": And that's the truth. All Garr can
do EVER is hit stuff with his spear. He never gains any GOOD form of multi-
targeting damage, and literally all he can do for decent damage is attack.
Sure, he's got Pyrokinesis, but ultimately that still is just a plain
physical. All his other abilities are used so infrequently and
circumstantially that they might as well not exist most of the time. Well,
at least Garr's good at what he does; his HP, PWR, and DEF stats are through
the roof, and those are enough for Garr to scrape by with. Still, he has allot
of issues with accuracy, and you'll be tempted to leave an Artemis' Cap on
him frequently.
"The big, fat, ugly knight in shining armor... >_>": Generally, Garr's
equipment set is very agreeable, making him physically impenetrable and
a physical powerhouse.
"The double-bladed... spear?": The one exception to Garr's great equipment
set: Beast Spear. To be honest, you need the sheer brute force of Beast Spear
to beat Garr's SSCC but the HP drain from it is incredibly dangerous. Often
times, you'll find yourself switching it on and off depending on the situation.
It's quite hard to describe when to and when not to do it; it's so
situational that you'll have to learn it yourself along the way.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Pyrokinesis-
Rating: ****
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 1
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: I seriously must commend Pyrokinesis for accomplishing much more
than I thought it would. It's essentially a cheaper Flame Strike (extremely
cheap in cost). Merely by smacking random enemies with it, I learned
exactly how many enemies in this game take more damage from Flame-elemental;
certainly enough to merit four stars for itself. In a suplemental note,
the Flame-elemental effect stacks should Garr be wearing a Flame-elemental
weapon; try it out on Hugeslug >_>.
-Flare-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. one target
AP Consumed: 2
Level Learned: Start
Commentary: I've already knocked Garr's pitiful AP and INT count, so, as for
this spell and Garr's other Flame-elemental spells, I think I'll only comment
on their few, sporadic uses. I only remember using Flare to activate Vulcans.
That's it. >_>
-Fireblast-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 14
Commentary: Hm... Bolt-types are the only things you'd even consider smacking
with Garr's Fireblast. Even then, you usually need a second casting to finish
the job. Considering Bolt-types have around 10 HP... that's truly sad (To be
just, Bolt-types have slightly higher than usual Magic Defense, but still...).
-Gambit-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Critical damage if enemy is hit
AP Consumed: 0
Level Learned: 21
Commentary: Believe it or not, Gambit *actually* has a real application. I can
only think of one, but it's a good one *tries to persuade you to his thinking
concerning Gambit*. When fighting Bombseeds in the Tidal Caves, because they
Sacrifice on top of you once they're HP drops below a certain mark, you hit
him once regularly, and then keep attempting Gambit until you connect and
finish it. After all, they don't do anything but defend until their HP lowers
to that mark, so there's not even a need to worry about lost HP (unless...
*pokes Beast Spear*)
-Kyrie-
Rating: ***
Type: ATTACK
Description: Destroy undead
AP Consumed: 5
Level Learned: 26
Commentary: Yes, there are uses for Kyrie outside of smacking Zombie-types
in the Dauna Mine and the Dragon Zombie (BTW, instant-kill on Dragon Zombie
makes Garr life so much easier). There happen to be quite a few enemies
in Myria's Station susceptible to Kyrie. I only wish that Kyrie had 100%
accuracy...
-Inferno-
Rating: **
Type: ATTACK
Description: Flame attack vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 10
Level Learned: 30
Commentary: Er... quicker kills against Bolt-types? >_> <_<
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for Character- Average:
Alright, the best way to put this is: Think Peco, and then think worse... not
much worse, but worse enough so that a gap is distinctly noticable. Some
might say "different", which is true, but Peco and Garr still function in the
same manner, and Peco's outright better at it.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #6- Character Rankings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1.) Ryu- Difficulty: Ridiculously Easy
I bet everyone was really surprised here. Come on, he's the legendary
uber-over-powered Ryu3.
First, he's got an incredibly well-balanced equipment set. His well-rounded
stats only compliment it.
More importantly, he has undoubtedly the greatest ability in the game:
Accession, the ability to transform into a dragon. Essentially, he has the
power to alter his already well-balanced yet strong stats in virtually any
conceivable way, the power to get an entirely new skill set, and an
independent HP bar, all in exchange for a set amount of AP per turn and all
the elemental/status defense previously put up. Best part is: offensive
elements carry over. This definitely has some interesting applications in
PWR-heavy forms.
The only serious drawback to Ryu is the complete lack of multi-target attacks
outside of dragon forms (meh, the lost elemental/status protection can be a
problem too, though only to the unknowledgable of Ryu's forms). Ryu's other
abilities aren't that useful either. Much of his healing magic is sorta
useless, and his protection spells won't have many opportunities to unveil
themselves.
Overall though, the ability to do nearly everything really well would
practically qualify Ryu for godhood.
2.) Rei- Difficulty: Very Easy
I'm a bit surprised myself that Rei grabbed the #2 spot. I mean, I knew he
would be good when I started him, but I didn't know he'd be good to the
degree that he'd challenge the greatness Momo had already established for
herself. For the record, Rei grabbed this position by quite a narrow margin.
Most of the categories for ranking Rei and Momo were really close calls, but
Rei had one extra plus that Momo didn't have: Rei is the undisputed king of
killing randoms in SSCCs.
Now, at first glance, Rei's not that much to look at: sub-par equipment sets
and stats (by Ryu's standards anyway and in almost every category). However,
that one stat in which Rei wins comprises a good deal of his greatness, AGL.
Rei is the speed demon of this game, running circles around 99% of enemies and
EX turning them as well (though Speeds are usually required for the "99%"
figure for the latter).
Then there's one more thing that supplements Rei's incredible AGL, a little
transformation called Weretiger in which Rei's PWR stat skyrockets (with 0 AP
cost to boot). However, the mechanics of Weretiger are most comparable to that
of a Berserked Rei: Rei keeps the same HP bar as the base of the
transformation (a HUGE negative), is Berserked (without death after 3 turns
though), and maintains all the effects of his equipment(!). One of the best
aspects is Weretiger's inability to attack anything but enemies because your
allies are already dead! The only risk in using Weretiger is whether or not
your equipment is properly set because there is absolutely no way to revert
back to normal Rei until the end of the battle (one way or another). The
combination of Rei's AGL and Weretiger's PWR essentially makes dispatching
randoms a triviality. As for anything that Weretiger can't kill (usually
because of high evasion rate issues), *points to Lightning and Myollnir*.
Unfortunately, you usually can't use Weretiger in boss battles, but you
almost always beat them in a 2:1 action ratio. It's pitifully easy.
If that's not all, Rei is the only character with the ability to steal.
Admittedly, Pilfer's good uses are fairly limited, but what you can steal is
really, really good *points to Aries Gloves*.
3.) Momo- Difficulty: Very Easy
Sure, those fancy, transforming characters may have it all, but the
non-transforming ones sure hold their own too! Momo here is a great example,
barely falling short of the #2 spot.
She's got lots of pluses, the best of which lie in her stat boosting spells.
She can boost her PWR, DEF, and AGL (yeah, that's allot). Also, her AP and
PWR are fairly high, and her INT is the highest in the game. Her equipment set
isn't bad either, a fair mix between a mage's and an attacker's. She even has
some elemental/status weapons (Flame Chrysm, Ice Chrysm, Flash Shells, Sleep
Shells, etc.), >.> though both Ryu and Rei beat Momo out in variety and PWR of
elemental weapons *hugs Holy Avenger and Royal Sword*.
Other those stat pluses, her large repertoire of healing and status spells
can be useful though the latter is limited by mediocre accuracy (The whole
"Sleep Chain" concept gave some spotlight to Sleep though... if for an
extremely limited time.). Her multi-target attacks are pretty good. Too bad
Quake can't hit flying targets (for obvious reasons, but it still ticks me
off). Ragnarok is incredible, but it is gained rather late. >_>
Anyway, onto Momo's flaws. First off, she can't hit criticals and she can't
Reprisal. Next, her accuracy is horrible, so wearing an Artemis' Cap most of
the time is a must, but the lost accessory slot is really a shame. Also, her
HP and DEF are pretty mediocre (though far better than Nina's by comparison),
and putting up Protects every battle would just be tedious (though doable).
At least her good equipment set to some extent compensates for the DEF.
After listing all these flaws, you're probably wondering why I have so much
respect for Momo and why she was such a contender for the #2 spot? My
response: 4 Mights + 4 Protects + 1-4 Speeds -> Absolutely PWNED bosses. For
goodness' sake, look at Momo's Dragon Lord strategy. The mighty Dragon Lord,
the scourge of most characters, barely scratched Momo! It wasn't even a
competition. However, Rei just beat her out in being able to counter,
critical, and annihilate randoms quickly and efficiently.
*looks at everything he just said*... In retrospect, by spamming stat boosting
spells, Momo's not that far off in relation to transforming characters... >_>
<_< Er... *moves onto #4*
4.) Peco- Difficulty: Easy
Then came everyone's favorite onion. Considering that Garr beats Peco in most
of the categories for defining tankiness, you're probably wondering why
Peco's #4. The answer: Lots and lots of random and weird yet cool and useful
attributes.
First off, Auto-Regen ("MaxHP/20 -> to the nearest whole number" recovered per
turn) = Good. Peco's freakishly high Reprisal rate doesn't hurt either.
No other character even comes close to Peco's 50%(!) Reprisal rate. The
applications of these alone offer so many possibilities. As for Peco's
"surge" stat growth at level-up, it has... interesting applications,
especially if I, for one reason or another, needed a big boost for a tough
boss.
Moving onto some normal pros, Peco has the highest HP value of all the
characters (though Garr comes close... sorta... ~70-~80 points behind IIRC)
and above-average PWR and DEF. Peco's Breath attacks (Fire and Ice. Rather,
Firebreath and Icebreath. *didn't want anyone to think he was referring to
Disgaea there*) are incredible multi-target attacks as they rely on his HP
rather than INT. It's a shame Peco only learns them in the last third of the
game or so.
However, you can't say the same about Peco's other skills. Dream Breath and
Venom Breath have potential, but their accuracy is too undependable. And
Rejuvenate? Don't make me laugh. With Peco's INT, Rejuvenate is a joke. I
suppose Purify isn't that bad though, as it does provide a use for Peco's
very large surplus of AP. -_- Though you'd have to be pretty cheap not to not
want to cough up 12 Zenny.
Did I mention Peco's horrible equipment set? *rereads* Nope. Peco has less
than half (probably less than a third or a quarter or even less -_-) of the
equipment upgrades than everybody else has. If you know when, where, and how
to get certain upgrades, the... "less sporadic upgrade" thing isn't really
that big a bother. *trades for early Crepe Cape and holds onto it for half
the game* Oh, a few final notes, Peco's AGL and INT are pretty bad and his
accuracy is only average. *is done but feels unsatisfied due to
anti-climactic conclusion* V_V *moves onto #5*
As for Momo>Peco (which was what I was supposed to be talking about >_>),
granted, Peco has many odd attributes that more than lean to his advantage,
but Peco just can't blow holes in bosses (with nary a scratch) or kill
randoms as easily as Momo.
5.) Garr- Difficulty: Average
*smacks anyone who thought Nina would get the #5 spot* I doubt anyone
actually thought that though, as Garr's fairly close to Peco and just missed
the Easy cut. *shrugs*
Sure, Garr's a tank and all, but he's just got so many flaws as a tank,
at least when compared to the tank that is Peco. His Reprisal rate is much
lower, his ultimate weapon drains HP(!) ironically using the same formula as
Peco's Auto-Regen... except negative >_> <_<, his higher DEF advantage is
compromised by his lower HP, etc. OK, to be fair to Peco, I'll refine what I
said before: Garr beats Peco in an area of tankiness: Raw PWR, by some great
degree.
Other reasons why Peco>Garr: Garr has no good way to attack multiple
targets... ever, unless you count Fireblast and Inferno at which point I'd
give you a blank stare and then would immediately follow up by booting you.
Garr does have some resistances... Flame elemental +2 resistance. Too bad he
already has way too much anti-Flame equipment to begin with. *much prefers
Peco's +1 Status/Death Resistance and almost prefers Nina's +1 Wind
Resistance... almost*
Onto what Garr can do: Um... he can attack, though his damage is less than a
Weretiger, he's usually outbeaten in AGL by enemies, and can die if he gets
in a sticky situation with the Beast Spear on. Tough part is, he needs his
Beast Spear to finish off enemies in one blow. That's... just about all he
has.
Well, Pyrokinesis and Kyrie do help out a bit (even Gambit has a use, though
extremely infrequent and circumstantial). The ability to add Flame-elemental
to weapon without losing any PWR is an incredible one that can absolutely maul
the hoards of Flame-weak enemies in BoFIII. As for Kyrie, well, there aren't
that many undead in the game, but for when it does work, Kyrie saves you
quite allot of time and energy *coughDragonZombiecough*. Otherwise... yeah,
that's about it. Garr doesn't do much else other than attack. Well, at least
it works... -_- *stares down at #6*
6.) Nina- Difficulty: Hard
And in last place is Nina, and with good reason. As you might have been able
to gather by this point, I'm not a big fan, and here's why:
Let's take a look at her flaws: Horrible HP, PWR, and DEF. Her AGL isn't that
bad though, but it's not enough for an EX turn and her DEF is already
horrible, so Defense Formation is a must, though unfortunately it destroys
much of (if any) speed advantage that may have existed. Then there's her
outright sad equipment set and the gradually increasing difficulty that
begins at, "This isn't that bad," to something around, "You stupid *****,
just beat that ******* and stop dying! You've already died
*insert some one/two/three (three for the truly unlucky)-digit number here*
times!" Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the amount of frustration
certainly borders that.
Her enormous excess of AP is disturbing too; though many people argue that
her massive AP is an incredible asset, I can't quite understand that
methodology of thinking. From my research, here's my response: Almost never
did Nina ever actually need such an absurdly large amount of AP in her SSCC.
The large surplus just sits there most of the time. The points for that AP
would have functioned so much better had they been assigned to other stats.
Oh well, at least she has both INT and AP for her spells. She can hit quite a
range of enemies with her Flame/Wind, Frost, Thunder, and Wind elemental
single-target and multi-target spells. This is however a diamond in the rough
of the Nina Desert. Nina is fairly talented at finishing off randoms
quickly... assuming they aren't magic-resistant to the point where Nina can't
kill them very, very quickly (Keep in mind that Melee-based skills are
superior to Magic-based skills in this game *shrugs*). Because, if she can't,
well, the enemies have a habit of beating her into the ground once they get
to act. >_> (Side Note: Her other spells: the enemy stat-reducers and the
"healing" ones are just about useless. The former has horrible accuracy and
too many enemies which are immune to them, and the latter has never, ever
worked for me. -_-)
This gradually increasing difficulty I keep referring to chiefly refers to
boss battles. While against randoms you can just pray Nina kills off your
opponents in the first turn, you don't get that kind of luxury in boss
battles.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #7- Walkthrough
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Originally, I had planned this guide to cover only the boss strategies and
mention a few other things on the side. However, I am now expanding the guide
to much more than that starting in the version following version 4.0.
Notes:
a) Under "Attacks", attack will not be mentioned because
just about every enemy has one.
b) The few exceptions to the SSCC Rules will be
marked as EXCEPTION.
c) Vitamins is the party healing item, but Vitamin(s) is
my way of signifying multiples of the classic single character healing item
that can be bought in almost any shop.
d) If a comment of mine has the same name as a spell, then my comment will be
in lower case and the spell name in upper case.
e) The bosses will be listed, of course, in chronological order.
f) These symbols will show character availability in an area:
(#): The "number" symbol means that a character can be in the party out of
choice at some time while you're in this area..
(!): The "exclamation point" signifies that a character must be in the
party at some time while you're in this area. Obviously, Ryu will have
an (!) at all times.
(X): The "X" signifies that a character is still in your group but cannot be
in your party at some time while you're in this area.
(+): The "plus" sign means that a character is gained at some time when
you're in that area.
(-): The "minus" sign means that a character is lost at some time when
you're in that area.
The latter 2 symbols will also signify stall points for some characters.
Also, these symbols are meant to tell you who you can have in your party. You
still need to keep your SSCC character in the party at all times whenever
possible.
g) I don't expect people to read my boring comments saying, "Proceed with the
story," or something like that. Usually, you'll just see a one-liner under an
area if it does that. If there's more than that, then I suggest you read it. I
just say that when I don't really have much to say about that area in relation
to the SSCC. When I do have something relevant to the SSCC, I probably won't
make any comments pertaining to the plot at all. I only put something
related to the plot under a title because... >_> <_< I don't really have
much to say about that area pertaining to the SSCC.
h) Places with a "?" for a name will be given a suitable, yet recognizable
name. Why this note? I don't want some idiot e-mailing me saying, "Well, I
don't remember any place like that on the map."
i) I won't comment about every item along the way, only the important [and
usually vital] ones. I STILL ADVISE YOU TO ACQUIRE EVERY ITEM IN A LEVEL!
j) Comments such as "buy equipment for him" or "do this with her" apply only
to the SSCC unless otherwise noted by me.
k) This walkthrough will only cover the "Primary" SSCCs. Contributor work on
"Secondary" SSCCs are in the section "Secondary" SSCCs.
------------------------------
----------
Dauna Mine
----------
Items: Melted Blade
!+Ryu+!
Not much to do here. Just fry the workers with Whelp Breath as you go. You
can pick up the Melted Blade if you like, but it's really not necessary.
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: Worm, Skill Ink, Ammonia, Green Apple (2), Vitamin (2)
!Ryu!
Just head to town. There aren't any particularly important items to pick up
at the moment.
-----------
McNeil/Farm
-----------
Items: Healing Herb, Antidote, Molotov
!Ryu!
!+Teepo+!
!+Rei+!
You know the deal. You get Teepo and Rei, and then you go to Yraall Road.
-----------
Yraall Road
-----------
Items: 40 zenny
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!Rei!
You finally enter your first combat situation here. As Ryu and Teepo are at</pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
only Lv.1, combat will be difficult for them for a little while (esp. for
Ryu). You might want to stick with Defense formation for them.
Ryu and Teepo players, put Rei's equipment on Ryu/Teepo until you get
better stuff. Rei should do just fine at Lv.5. All the other enemies here can
be defeated by attacking.
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: Beef Jerky
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!-Rei-!
Again, nothing out of the ordinary. You just lose Rei until the fight with
the Nue.
----------------
Road to Mt.Glaus
----------------
Items: Weather Vane, Vitamin, 120 zenny, Coin, 80 zenny
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
There's one particular item here whose importance I cannot emphasize enough:
the Coin. Get the Coin. It should definitely help out most of you allot.
Be careful when tangling with the Man Traps. Flare them with Teepo and run
with Ryu. Attack everything else.
--------
Mt.Glaus
--------
Items: Antidote, Heavy Caro, Cloth Shield, Vitamins, Bent Sword, Molotov,
200 zenny, Ballock Knife, Talisman
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!+Rei+!
Before you go fight the Nue, go fetch McNeil's best equipment ASAP (except the
Cloth Shield) in McNeil. Return to Mt.Glaus and pick up the Cloth Shield and
Heavy Caro along the way.
Regularly attack all the enemies on the mountain, but beware of large packs.
Chlorine tends to be a nuisance as well, considering the complete lack of
status defense you have. Just stay well stocked on Antidotes.
``````````````````````````````
********************
*I. Nue (1st fight)*
* *
*HP~140 *
*Attacks: Nue Stomp*
********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 7
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cloth Shield, Brass Helmet, Leather Armor
Strategy: Hack away (~25-~35) after casting a Protect to reduce Nue's damage
to 5ish. Nue Stomp is her peak damage at 8, and, as usual, Chlorine is a mere
nuisance.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 7
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cloth Shield, Brass Helmet, Leather Armor
Strategy: Physically attack the Nue until she flees.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 6
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cloth Shield, Brass Helmet, Leather Armor
Strategy: Smack the Nue around until she runs for the caves.
``````````````````````````````
Just pursue the Nue into the caves.
As for the Talisman, *shrugs* you can put it on, but there's no particular
purpose for it at the moment as no enemies as of yet know instant death
attacks.
Deal with the enemies inside the cave in the same manner as you did with the
ones outside the cave. Though those stinkin' Bats have a high evade rate.
``````````````````````````````
****************************************************
*II. Nue *
* *
*HP~280 *
*Attacks: Nue Stomp, Jolt, (moderate counter rate) *
****************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cloth Shield, Brass Helmet, Leather Armor, Talisman
Strategy: Cast Protect the first round to limit the damage from her physical
blows and Nue Stomp. Just attack and use Heal or Healing Herbs. Keep your HP
at least at 20 before deciding to attack because her one-use Jolt takes off
12. After that, she runs of AP and wastes most of his turns unsuccessfully
trying to cast another Jolt.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cloth Shield, Brass Helmet, Leather Armor, Talisman
Strategy: Simoon the beast to defeat.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Bronze Sword, Cltoh Shield, Brass Helmet, Talisman
Strategy: Alright, this equipment setup should grant to Rei the speed
advantage. With that in mind, you shouldn't have any trouble dueling the Nue
Chimera. Just be sure your HP is fairly high after he becomes angry so that
you survive his single Jolt.
``````````````````````````````
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!Rei!
Head to McNeil.
-----------
McNeil/Farm
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!Rei!
More story sequences. There are a couple things you might want to do before
heading off to McNeil's. First, build up a high zenny supply (Mt.Glaus being
the best place where you can do that). Next, buy the basic fishing supplies in
McNeil. Then, go fishing for battle and trading purposes. If you have any
shopping you want to, now would be the time to do it. This will be your last
opportunity to shop for a while, so take advantage of it. Finally, trade for a
Silver Knife, Iron Helmet, and Waistcloth at the Manillo shop. Then stock up
on healing items and anything else you think you'll need for the next stage
and speak to Loki in the shack to head off to McNeil Manor.
------------
McNeil Manor
------------
Items: Vitamin, 50 zenny, Firecracker
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!-Rei-!
Take care of the guards' problems and what not until you finally have to deal
with that guard dog...
``````````````````````````````
***************
*III. Pooch *
* *
*HP~250 *
*Attacks: Snap*
***************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Cast Protect because his physical attacks are strong (~8 after
Protects). Other than that, attack him and use Healing Herbs when needed. Put
Protect up again if his Snap lowers your defense.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Simoons, of course. Be careful after Snaps. >_>
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Keep Rei's HP above 20 and otherwise attack. The Agility advantage
will at least allow you to attack first, so Snap's threat is considerably
lessened.
``````````````````````````````
Just continue dealing with the guards until you reach a certain chicken...
``````````````````````````````
*********************
*IV. Rocky *
* *
*HP~270 *
*Attacks: Ovum, Jump*
*********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Errrr... *shakes fist* Due to the evil randomness of Jump, Attack
Form seemed the most direct approach. While you hit ~35-~40, his most desired
attack hits for ~10 -_-. Ovum of course is pure evil, turning you into a
weak-*** egg (assuring certain doom) or missing (with much relief to you, and
Jump ranges from a very tame ~5 to a "Holy ****!" ~40.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 8
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Burn in ****, Ovum. Simoons are your best way to go here. Don't
worry about the AP; this is where you'll need it the most. 5 Simoons should be
enough to take him down.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Pretty much identical to the Ryu strategy, minus Rei's speed.
``````````````````````````````
Continue with the story to reach the mansion.
--------------
McNeil Mansion
--------------
Items: 120 zenny, Magic Shard, Eye Drops, Taser, Gems, Vitamin (2), Panacea,
MultiVitamin, Healing Herb, 600 zenny, Swallow Eye, Broad Sword
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!+Rei+!
Again, for those of you who chose Rei, be careful around here until you get
him back. As for you Ryu and Teepo SCCers, you should be fine.
Nothing too virulent in here except maybe for Jump from a Roach. For much
of here on in though, *turns on Ghostbuster music*, it's ghostbusting time!
The enemies inside aren't too bad. Watch out for the randomness of the
Roaches' Jump and consider running from groups of Guards *shakes fist at their
Healing Herbs*.
``````````````````````````````
****************
*V. Torast *
* *
*HP~120 *
*Attacks: Sleep*
****************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: This can be annoying. He always uses Sleep or attacks, both of
which are dangerous. Keep trying to cast Protect until you can finally get
one in. Then attack and Heal when necessary.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: A pair of ordinary attacks should cut down the fifth McNeil.
``````````````````````````````
*****************************
*VI. Kassen *
* *
*HP~55 *
*Attacks: Drain, Leech Power*
*****************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Kill him quickly with regular attacks because he uses Leech Power.
Don't bother casting Protect; his attacks cause negligible damage.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Again, a pair of attacks defeats the third McNeil.
``````````````````````````````
******************************
*VII. Galtel *
* *
*HP~150 *
*Attacks: Blunt, Weaken, Slow*
******************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: He just uses status decreasing spells and regular attacks. Finish
him quickly because Blunt and Weaken could lengthen the battle a bit.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: *sigh* This becoming repetitive. You guessed it: 2 attacks to defeat
the 12th McNeil.
``````````````````````````````
************************************
*VIII. Doksen *
* *
*HP~140 *
*Attacks: Heal, (high counter rate)*
************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: OK, now I'm convinced these ghosts are just trying to die!... er...
lose! The eighth McNeil even casts Heal on you while you pummel him to
oblivion (thanks to the Holy Property of the Silver Knife).
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 9
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Same as Ryu.
``````````````````````````````
Use the rest point before you go onto the roof to meet Rei. Then, prepare to
bust the biggest, baddest ghost of them all (Don't worry; that's the last of
my cheesy Ghostbuster jokes).
``````````````````````````````
*******************************************
*IX. Amalgam *
* *
*HP~550 *
*Attacks: Astral Warp, Flare, Frost, Sleep*
*******************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 10
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Flare, Frost, and his regular attacks all do around 10-20 damage,
and Astral Warp can nearly do 30. Not to mention that he loves using Sleep.
Put up at least 2 or 3 Protects to guard versus Astral Warp and pray for Ryu
to counter. Cast Rejuvenate or use Healing Herbs when Ryu falls below half
his max HP. Whenever you're in good shape, attack.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Level: 10
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: The absolutely safest way to win this battle is to use a Healing
Herb when your HP is below three-fourths and attack every other opportunity
you get.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 10
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Silver Knife, Cloth Shield, Iron Helmet, Waistcloth, Talisman
Strategy: Hm... fairly simple: You beat him in Agility, Silver Knife hits for
double damage, and his attacks are pitiful (Astral Warp doesn't even break
20). I believe I've said all that needs to be said.
``````````````````````````````
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!Rei!
Head into town.
-----------
McNeil/Farm
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Teepo!
!Rei!
Heck, the shops are already closed to you.
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!-Teepo-!
!-Rei-!
Remove all of Teepo's and Rei's equipment and replace their weapons with
Daggers all before you reach the area with your house in it.
``````````````````````````````
*********************************
*X. Balio and Sunder (1st fight)*
* *
*HP=Infinite *
*Attacks: Lightning *
*********************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
(I am not even going to bother)
Strategy?: Prepare to be annihilated.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
Strategy?: Congratulations for finishing the Teepo SSCC. It ends here. If you
wish to continue on another SSCC (probably Nina's, Momo's, Peco's, or Garr's,
disequip Teepo's equipment prior to the battle.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
(I have nothing to say)
Strategy?: Bye for an inordinately long amount of time, Rei!
``````````````````````````````
If you were doing a Teepo or Rei SSCC, your Ryu is probably very weak right
now. You might want to power him up a little bit to survive Mt.Myrneg or run
from all the randoms... that works too... >_>
---------
Mt.Myrneg
---------
Items: Icicle, Protein, Bat Amulet, 200 zenny
!Ryu!
The enemies can be quite difficult, even deadly. You probably won't be able
to damage the Tar Men, and the Bolt-type enemies have a huge evade rate. The
Rippers are probably the only enemies you can defeat, at least as soon as
you find the Bat Amulet on the mountain *shakes fist at Blind*.
---------------
Wyndian Dungeon
---------------
Items: Skill Ink
!Ryu!
!+Nina+!
First, you've got to "save" Nina.
``````````````````````````````
**********************************
*XI. Balio and Sunder (2nd fight)*
* *
*HP=??? *
*Attacks: Lightning *
**********************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
(I am not even going to bother)
Strategy?: There is supposedly a way to defeat them, but that method requires
an insane amount of powering up which might deprive you of the challenges in
the rest of the game. If you really want to beat them, then go ahead, but
I'm probably not going to post anything on it unless demand is ENORMOUS.
``````````````````````````````
YAY! You got Nina! If you don't plan on playing as Nina, take off all her
equipment, especially that Soul Gem. If you do plan on using her... take off
the Soul Gem anyway and welcome to heck as the torturing trial that is the
Nina SSCC begins.
-----------------
Wyndian Catacombs
-----------------
Items: Glass Domino, Panacea, Light Bangle, Wisdom Fruit
!Ryu!
!Nina!
Acquire and equip the Light Bangle by solving the "number" puzzle and the
Glass Domino as well.
The Volt and Thunder combination can be quite deadly in combat. If you
encounter them together, my advice is: RUN LIKE MAD! The other enemies are
simple enough: have Nina Jolt groups (except Thunders and Volts of course)
and Cyclone individuals, and have Ryu attack.
------
Wyndia
------
Items: Healing Herb, Ammonia, Moxa, Bread (4)
!Ryu!
!Nina!
After you find the children in the hide-and-seek game, stop by some of the
shops to stock up on stuff (You finally can again ^_^). For Ryu, prioritize
purchasing the Broad Sword (unless you have enough money for the Scramasax
in Genmel, or a Claymore right now) but also try to get the Cuirass. For Nina,
buy the Mage's Robes and Mace (again, unless you have enough money for the
Magician's Rod in Genmel).
------------
Eygnock Road
------------
Items: Clothing
!Ryu!
!Nina!
Now you're captured by Balio and Sunder and sent to Genmel.
------
Genmel
------
Items: 80 zenny, Flier
!Ryu!
!Nina!
Depending on your purchases in Wyndia which was based off of your financial
situation, you may need to buy either the Scramasax for Ryu or the Magician's
Rod for Nina. If Peco is your character, pick up a Rippers instead.
----------
Mt.Boumore
----------
Items: Panacea, 400z, Buckler, Bent Sword, Life Shard
!Ryu!
!Nina!
It is absolutely imperative that you pick up the Buckler while you're here.
The sheer amount of help it will provide you with cannot be emphasized enough.
Hit the Tar Men with Frost, and everything else with Simoon for Nina. Ryu, on
the other hand, will have trouble fighting these enemies outside of his only
present dragon form, the Flame Whelp.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forest by the side of Mt.Boumore in Eastern Wyndia (wordiest title ever)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Nina!
Remember to pick up the Reverse gene for Ryu here.
Before you proceed to the Tower, stop by the fishing spot. Trade for a Crepe
Cape for Nina, Momo, or Peco, and catch lots and lots of Black Porgy.
-----
Tower
-----
Items: MultiVitamin, Wisdom Fruit, Ring of Ice, Silver Knife, Skill Ink, Flame
Chrysm, Ice Chrysm, 800z, Moon Tears, Breastplate, Ivory Dice, Bamboo Rod,
40 zenny, Panacea
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!+Momo+!
There's a main room attached to a another room with a bed and a save point.
Put simply, Momo is pretty bad when you first acquire her. She can't hit
the broad side of a barn, and she has no attack spells. My suggestion would be
that if you're doing a Momo SSCC, until you either get Quake or an Artemis'
Cap, run from combat.
There's a bunch of great stuff to pick up here too. Rather than list it all
though, I'll just say this: GET EVERYTHING! Trust me; you'll regret it if you
don't.
This is a fairly good spot to power up. The Ice Toads, Orcs, and
assortment of bots are pretty good for experience at this point in the game.
Come back if you need to power up harder SSCC characters. The Ice Toads and
Orcs have some powerful attacks (e.g. Ice Breath), so save frequently. The
ability to recover and save very quickly really helps. Ryu will dominate
here as a Flame Dragon, and Nina can Lightning the groups (always on the
Bot-types though) and Iceblast the individuals (Simoon on Ice Toads). Momo
shouldn't power up here until she receives the Artemis' Cap in the Dump, and
Peco can come here after a bit of powering in Meryleep's Forest. Both of them
will just physical the enemies.
-----------------
Rocket Crash Site
-----------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
Pick up the Thorn Gene while you're here for Ryu.
-----------
Coffee Shop
-----------
Items: Vitamin
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
After conversing with Palet, go to the plant.
-----
Plant
-----
Items: Ginseng, Healing Herb
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
Talk with Palet some more and then go to the Dump.
----
Dump
----
Items: 1200 zenny, High Boots, Artemis' Cap, Magic Shard
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
#+Peco+#
For Momo, you really must pick up the Artemis' Cap or condemn her to eternally
missing. Really, that accessory is her only hope...
You may want to avoid encounters in here. Many of the enemies are just pains,
especially the Bombers and Fireslugs.
``````````````````````````````
*************************************
*XII. Mutant *
* *
*HP~550 *
*Attacks: Dream Breath, Venom Breath*
*************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 15
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Glass Domino, Chain Cap, Light Bangle, Life
Sandals
Strategy: Given your status invulnerability, your first task is pumping
yourself up with a quartet of Protects, dropping his damage from ~30 to ~5.
And then... play the waiting game. *nods his head with confidence* As soon as
his regeneration wears off, pummel him with sword swipes of ~80 damage until
his timely demise.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Light
Bangle
Strategy: The level may seem a bit high, but believe me when I say you need
it; it gets you oriented with "Nina boss warfare". The motto: "spend more
time powering up than there are hours in the day." Anyway, Nina's first
boss is relatively easy. You can withstand 3 direct attacks before death
via the 4th. If any status attacks get by the Light Bangle, for sleep
wait to be hit or wake up automatically and for poison use an Antidote.
Use Healing Herbs/Vitamin(s) when your HP drops to critical. Finally, for
offense, use the trusty Simoon (he is a plant, so it would make sense that
he's weak against fire).
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Flame Chrysm, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap,
Light Bangle
Strategy: Put up a few Protects, followed by a couple Speeds (for the EX
turn). Cast Heal when needed, but otherwise annihilate him with your attack.
``````````````````````````````
-----
Plant
-----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
Make sure you're done with all you want to do before you go to Genmel, esp.
powering up because the enemies around Genmel don't provide the amount of exp.
you'd probably need. For most characters, this involves immediately returning
to the Tower to power up. However, for Peco, gain several levels in Meryleep's
Forest first as he won't survive the Tower at Lv.1.
YEA! You've got Peco! He doesn't start out with much at all, and powering up
at the beginning is going to be time-consuming for you Peco players, but
you'll be fine once you get further in... I think... >_> <_<
------
Genmel
------
Items: Coin, Bandana, 40 zenny
!Ryu!
!Nina!
#Momo#
#Peco#
For Ryu, pick up a Claymore, Knight's Helmet, and, if you have enough money,
left over, a Scale Mail all at the shops.
If you're low on zenny, head over to the thieves' hut with Peco, get the
Flower Jewel, and then sell it (it's not as if you need it for Meryleep
anyway). Don't forget the Wisdom Fruit there either.
``````````````````````````````
*****************************
*XIII. Claw *
* *
*HP~250 *
*Attacks: Blind, Double Blow*
*****************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 18
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Bat Amulet, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Put up a Protect and hammer away at him physically.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, High
Boots
Strategy: Double Blow hits for ~12 per hit (as does his physical), and Blind's
damage is minuscule. EX turns seal the deal as the damage from your Iceblasts
mean ~60 x 2.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: A pair of Speeds yields EX turns, and Protects cut Claw's damage
down to ribbons. Ammo = ~75 per hit.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 12
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, High Boots
Strategy: Strategy: Flurry of punches = ~30 damage. Claw's damage amounts to
~10 a hit (same applies to Double Blow, of course). Not much else to say here.
``````````````````````````````
**********************************************
*XIV. Cawer *
* *
*HP~250 *
*Attacks: Speed, Might, Protect, Flare, Frost*
**********************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 18
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Ring of Ice, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Another easy boss. He uses stat boosting spells, weak magic attacks,
and weak physical attacks. Attack him regularly, and he'll be toasted in a
couple of turns.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, High
Boots
Strategy: He'll never have an opportunity to attack, >_> as EX turns combined
with Iceblast (~60) finishes him before he completes his stat-boosting phase.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: 2 more Speeds for EX turns, from which you start blowing ~50 holes
into him. Rejuvenate (70) and Protect are a pain (not to mention Cyclone's
~25), but EX turns conquer all!
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 12
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, High Boots
Strategy: Now Cawer'll just plain **** you off. The only consolation is that
you can take two consecutive Cyclones head-on without being compelled to heal
(Cyclone's max is 39; you'd survive a third but would likely die from Cawer's
next attack. After all, he is faster than our little onion, if the abysmal 3
AGL doesn't make that obvious.). Either way, a hurrah for the greatness of
Peco and auto-regen, which otherwise would make this fight even longer than it
already is. The big problems are Heal (35) and Rejuvenate (70), which just
abolishes all the work you put into damaging him with your measly ~20 damage.
The only choice is to wait him out until he eats up his AP supply. A very
irritating, albeit relatively simple, process. >_>
``````````````````````````````
*************************************
*XV. Patrio *
* *
*HP~300 *
*Attacks: Frost Strike, Lucky Strike*
*************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 18
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Ring of Ice, Light
Bangle
Strategy: All this guy can do is attack and have a high critical hit rate.
Instead of worrying about your HP, just transform into a Flame Defender
Dragon. A few attacks from your dragon should annihilate him.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, High
Boots
Strategy: His regular physical scratches you at ~10, Lucky Strike inflicts a
suprisingly low ~30 damage, Frost Strike obviously isn't a problem, and
Iceblasts (yeah, yeah, with EX turns again) finishes off the leader of the
Patrio team in no time.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: 1 final Speed to EX the leader of the team. He takes the most damage
from Ammo (~80) and in exchange gives you nothing but mediocre damage. ~10
from his regular strike, ~25 from Lucky Strike, and Frost Strike *smacks you*
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 12
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Ice, High Boots
Strategy: Much better. Peco's damage climbs to ~40, and Patrio's damage is
sad (~10 physical, ~25 Lucky Strike).
``````````````````````````````
*********************************************
*XVI. Dodai *
* *
*HP~2100 *
*Attacks: (none, not even a standard attack)*
*********************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 18
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, High Boots, Light
Bangle
Strategy: This is an alternate strategy you can take should you choose not to
fight Claw, Cawer, and Patrio. Transform into a Frost Whelp (via Flame +
Reverse) and use Frost Claw on it until it collapses into the lava.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Claw will attack your Dodai, you will Iceblast his Dodai, and he
won't even do half the damage to your Dodai as you will to his via continuous
Iceblasts. Game, set, and match (literally).
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Ice Chrysm, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, Artemis'
Cap
Strategy: Put up a couple Protects around your own Dodai and pound away at the
Patrio team's. Use a MultiVitamin on your own Dodai if it starts to sink.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 12
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, Artemis'
Cap
Strategy: As with the others, you takedown the Dodai. Simply attack Claw's
Dodai as he attacks yours, and MultiVitamin your own Dodai when it
starts to sink. Claw runs out of AP by around the second MultiVitamin,
and his Dodai starts to sink at around that same time. Then finish it off.
``````````````````````````````
Rest and Save after the first round of the tournament.
``````````````````````````````
*****************************************************
*XVII. Emitai + 2 Golems *
* *
*Emitai: HP~600 *
* Attacks: (none, not even a standard attack)*
*Golem: HP~750 *
* Attacks: Spirit Blast *
*****************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 18
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Artemis' Cap, High
Boots
Strategy #1: Golems Go First: This is incredibly hard. You don't stand a
chance as ordinary Ryu. A few Spirit Blasts from the Golems would kill him
pretty quickly. At least Emitai does nothing. Transform into a Defender
Flame Dragon and focus your attacks on one of the Golems. Once the dragon
dies, use a Wisdom Fruit and transform again. Once the first Golem dies,
the fight should ease up a bit. Eventually, the second Golem will fall. If
your form is broken again, use a couple Protects and battle the final Golem
normally. Then just finish the defending Emitai to win!
Strategy #2: Emitai Goes First: If you can eliminate Emitai first, then the
Golems will attack each other. As a Defender Flame Dragon, your attacks
will do more damage, but he's still defending, you're inflicting less
damage, and the Golems are pounding on Ryu. If you can get Emitai out of
the battle, the remainder is pie.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 22
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Bracers, Bandana, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Soul Gem
Strategy: Let me try to put this subtly. You must fulfill the minimum
requirements to win this fight. If you do, you can win; if you don't, you will
lose. By sacrificing a small amount of defense for agility, you get the EX
turn which you must have to win this fight. Otherwise, you'd have to heal
every turn to live. The strategy is simple: alternate between attack Emitai
and use Vitamin. Once Emitai falls, the Golems will attack each other.
Finally, one of the Golems will die from the other's attacks, and you need
only to finish off the near-dead remaining one.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 19
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, High Boots
Strategy: Your first target is Emitai cowering in the back. Alternate between
attacking him and healing via Vitamin(s) (maybe 2 attacks then Vitamin if
you have enough remaining HP to survive another round with the killer
Golems). If you are plan on using a Vitamin, you should have about +30 HP
left. If you are going to attack, you should have about +60 HP remaining.
Why? The Golems inflict at most around 35 HP in damage a turn (26 maximum
from Spirit Blast and around 10 maximum from an ordinary attack). When you
try to use a Vitamin, you will act after one of the Golems acts. Once
Emitai falls, wait while Pantson and Fire battle each other. As soon as
one Golem is defeated, slay the victor.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 15
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Artemis'
Cap
Strategy: Rather than the usual "target Emitai" strategy, you'll be attacking
the Golems this time (probably the only time you'll hear me suggest this). As
both the Golems' attacks are melees, Peco can and likely will counter them.
Anyway, fight one Golem at a time until it's defeated, then the other
remembering to use a Vitamin if your HP falls to 40. Finally, defeat the
helpless Emitai and win.
``````````````````````````````
Again, rest and save, though it won't matter for the next battle.
``````````````````````````````
*******************************************
*XVIII. Garr *
* *
*HP=Infinite *
*Attacks: Pyrokinesis, Flare, Lucky Strike*
*******************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Strategy?: Give it your all; you still lose though.
``````````````````````````````
-------------
Maekyss Gorge
-------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!+Garr+!
Be sure you're stocked up on Vitamin(s) for the next few battles.
``````````````````````````````
********************************
*XIX. Bully 1, Bully 2, Bully 3*
* *
*Bully 1: HP~200 *
* Attacks: (none) *
*Bully 2: HP~200 *
* Attacks: Flare *
*Bully 3: HP~200 *
* Attacks: Blind *
********************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 19
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Bat Amulet, High
Boots
Strategy: A couple Protects lowers all the bullies' physical damage to a
maximum of 5. Flare is still quite the vexation with its MDP at 20, but Bully
2 is the first to fall. At ~100 on average, the bullies will drop from two
hits each.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 22
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Soul
Gem
Strategy: These guys are a bunch o' weaklings. Mash them with Typhoon and
Lightning for several rounds to end this fight.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Quake them a few times and shoot any survivor(s).
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 15
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Rippers, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Bat Amulet, Artemis'
Cap
Strategy: Defeat either Bully 1 or Bully 3 first, then the others. Only a few
hits are needed to defeat each (and the Reprisals only speed up the process).
Finally, take out Bully 2.
``````````````````````````````
Now you get Garr, I'd advise robbing him of his worthwhile equipment in the
battle, namely the Scale Mail and Titan Belt.
***********************************************
*XX. Stallion *
* *
*HP~1500 *
*Attacks: Barrier, Resist, Jolt, Utmost Attack*
***********************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 19
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Talisman, Light
Bangle
Strategy: After swiping Garr's Titan Belt (and replacing the Bat Amulet with
it of course), put up a net of four Protects to reduce Stallion's judo chop to
less than 10 damage. Utmost Attack was, is, and always will be a serious pain
in the ****, although in Defense Formation, its MDP is only ~30, so it's
somewhat manageable (unlike the difficult manageability of ~40, its MDP in
Attack Formation). Your damage to Stallion generally will fall between 60 and
70 damage.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 22
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Soul
Gem
Strategy: Yes, that's right, Attack Formation. I would say Defense Formation,
but he casts Barrier first turn and makes Nina's magic damage weaker than her
physical damage. Emphasize her physical power even further by stealing
Garr's Titan Belt and equipping it on Nina to replace the Soul Gem. Nina
will do 60 to mid-80s in damage! Attack him every turn with this exception:
*always* heal when Nina's HP at 52 or 53 or below because Stallion's
physical attack could kill you. Don't worry about his other attacks: Jolt
(I laugh at its negligible damage), Utmost Attack (decent damage but
nothing to worry about), and Resist (this is funny: Nina is faster than
Stallion and always moves first, but Resist only works during the turn it's
used; otherwise, he just wasted a turn; he might as well have used Bad
Back!). He's really not as hard as you think.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, High Boots
Strategy: The depleted AP from the last battle shouldn't concern you. Momo has
more than enough left in her to wipe the floor with the unmighty steed. First,
steal Garr's Titan Belt and equip it in place of the High Boots. Fill back
the lost HP. Then a few Protects, a pair of Speeds, and a few Mights should
give you the EX turn, a durable Momo, and a potential +300 damage per
attack! Need I say more?
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 16
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Rippers, Bucker, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Titan Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: First off, take Garr's Titan Belt and equip it over the Bat Amulet.
This battle's easy, just slow. Keep your HP above 60 and just attack Stallion.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 13
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Spear, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Titan Belt,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: To be more accurate, half of that equipment is stuff stolen from
Ryu and the equipment inventory, but that should have already been obvious.
<_< Anyway, Attack Formation is also quite doable, but healing is mandatory
any time you take damage as Stallion's physical maxes out at ~45. So stick
with the method that cuts Garr's damage by half to ~50 per attack but his
more (relatively). Utmost Attack was still annoying though, as its maximum
damage potential was ~30 and Garr loses to 99% of everybody in speed, so
you're forced to Vitamin whenever HP falls below 60. None of his other attacks
were that noteworthy (Physical max = ~20, Jolt max = ~15); well, at least
Barrier didn't get in the way, though Garr's slowness made Resist irritating.
Overall, a heck of allot easier than another certain battle in which a
character is gained "in media res".
``````````````````````````````
Pick up the Frost Gene for Ryu before you leave.
------
Wyndia
------
Items: none
!-Ryu-!
!Nina!
#-Momo-#
#-Peco-#
#-Garr-#
Head straight for the castle.
----------------------
Wyndia Castle/Basement
----------------------
Items: 120 zenny, Gems (2), Panacea (2), Healing Herb (2), Coin, Cheese
!+Ryu+!
!Nina!
#+Momo+#
#+Peco+#
#+Garr+#
Just proceed with the plot and escape the castle.
------------------
Eastern Checkpoint
------------------
Items: 200 zenny, Antidote
!Ryu!
!Nina!
XMomoX
XPecoX
!Garr!
Now you can pass through the Checkpoint.
----------------
Hut by the shore
----------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Pick up the Thunder Gene for Ryu.
-------------
Rhapala/Wharf
-------------
Items: Molotov, Panacea
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
XPecoX
XGarrX
Stop by the shops as soon as you can get for stocking up on items and buy
Spiked Claws for Peco or a Long Spear for Garr. Also buy new lures if you
don't have any of the ones sold here from Manillo trading.
Continue with the plot until you reach the Beyd training sequence. Sorry,
but you'll have to train with only your SSCC character. It will certainly take
longer, but it's not much more difficult.
If you want a Flare Sword later on (good for Ryu and Rei), give Beyd a
Claymore for his fight.
``````````````````````````````
*****************
*XXI. Zig *
* *
*HP=irrelevant *
*Attacks: (none)*
*****************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: irrelevant
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Titan Belt, Light
Bangle
Strategy: This is really Beyd's battle, so you shouldn't really need to jump
in if you trained him well. If you have to, cast Protect or Rejuvenate on Beyd
when you can.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: irrelevant
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Titan
Belt
Strategy: Again, this is Beyd's fight, but throw him a Vitamin if he needs it.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: irrelevant
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Scale Mail, Artemis'Cap, Titan Belt
Strategy: Beyd's battle... but Protect or Rejuvenate him if he needs them.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: irrelevant
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Spiked Claws, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Titan Belt,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Give Beyd a Vitamin should he need it.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: irrelevant
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Long Spear, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Light Bangle,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Same story here as for the other characters.
``````````````````````````````
----------
Lighthouse
----------
Items: Coin, Mithril Shield, Swallow Eye, Skill Ink, Dream Ring, Flame Chrysm
(3), Faerie Tiara
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Pick up the Mithril Shield for Ryu or Garr.
Be wary of the Spectres here if your SSCC character is AP dependant. AP
draining is just plain annoying. The Blood Bats are similarly annoying. After
attacking one turn, they immediately run. In large groups they're really
annoying. Only Nina will be able to take them all out, while everyone else
will have to rely on their physicals. Most of the other enemies are older,
tolerable opponents. You shouldn't have much trouble here.
Oh, and, acquire the Eldritch Gene at the top of the lighthouse. And, yes,
you can get it before you battle Gazer, only if you don't set up all the
lighthouse's equipment before climbing the staircase.
``````````````````````````````
******************************
*XXII. Gazer *
* *
*HP~1200 *
*Attacks: Eye Beam, Hypnotize*
******************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Titan Belt, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Flame + Thorn is the way to go here and Flame Claw the cracka
(~300-~400) while Gazer at best scratches you (~17 max) and Hypnotize just
assured lower damage (~150-~200).
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 23
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots,
Light Bangle
Strategy: Start the battle by casting Blunt to reduce his attack power. Then
cast Simoon on him every turn you can. His Eye Beam can take off over one-half
your HP, so always keep it above 50. If he Hypnotizes you, he could
potentially kill you. If you're worried about this, switch out the High
Boots for you Soul Gem (but you might want to save it for later...).
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 21
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, Light Bangle
Strategy: Gazer's not so tough... >_> <_< except for that whole Eye Beam
attack that nearly does half of Momo's HP in damage. Seriously though, all you
need is a few Mights, a couple Protects, and a Speed, and you'll be fine. Just
Rejuvenate when your HP drops below half and otherwise blow him away.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 17
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Spiked Claws, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Light Bangle,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Even at these low levels (relative to the other characters anyway),
Peco continues smacking everybody else around. Suddenly Gazer's super Eye Beam
isn't so mighty thanks to Peco's insanely high HP (a measly 40-50 damage).
As you'd guess, since Eye Beam is Gazer's strongest attack, his others are
almost completely useless *hugs Auto-Regen*. Just attack and use Vitamin(s)
at one-third HP.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: : 17
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Long Spear, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Light Bangle,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Yay! Garr's first boss level enemy weak to Flame-elemental. There's
only one thing to do here: *spams Pyrokinesis* Yeah, 100+ damage fells him
fairly quickly. Most of his attacks are fairly wimpy. Eye Beam wins out in raw
strength though (maxing at ~40?) and Hypnotize wins the annoying award.
``````````````````````````````
-------------
Rhapala/Wharf
-------------
Items: variable
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Take the equipment in the chests after talking to Beyd and leave town.
--------------
Faerie Village
--------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Momo!
XPecoX
XGarrX
Talk with the Faeries to discover the problem: the Dolphin.
``````````````````````````````
*******************************
*XXIII. Dolphin *
* *
*HP~1200 *
*Attacks: Tsunami, Intimidate *
*******************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 21
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Titan Belt, High
Boots
Strategy: Normally, Thunder + Eldritch -> Myollnirs would nuke our fi... er...
mammal friend, but that's only max damage in Defense Form. Attack Formation
works much better here, and a Defensive Thunder Dragon's Thunder Claw
(~280-~400) can yield up to 100 more damage more per Thunder Claw than per the
Magical Thunder Dragon's Myollnir (~260-~330). So... yeah. Anyway, Tsunami is
the usual irritant, and Dolphin's physical hits for around 30 damage. That's
pretty much it, other than Intimidate wasting away your AP.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 24
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Soul
Gem
Strategy: He's big, he's mean, he's powerful, and he's really fast. Even at
level 24, Nina splits "who goes first" with the Dolphin about 50/50. His
ordinary attacks can do more than one-third of Nina's HP gauge as well.
Fortunately, he frequently gets nothing out of his turn when he casts the
inaccurate Tsunami or Intimidate which also misses often or hits after Nina
has gone (thus demonstrating the attack's lack of value). The battle is
definitely still not in the bag though. In fact, due to its unpredictability,
I recommend the long, safe path. Alternate between Lightning and Healing
Herb/Vitamin every turn (only heal if you have sustained serious damage the
previous turn) for an assured victory.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 22
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, Light Bangle
Strategy: *sigh* Dolphin is just too easy. After a Speed and quartets of
Mights and Protects, obliterating this fish... er... mammal with your gun
should be a walk through the tulips. The only thing you possibly need to be
concerned about is recovering HP should it near 1/4.
``````````````````````````````
--------
Mt.Zublo
--------
Items: Protein, Asbestos Armor, 800 zenny, Ring of Fire, Flame Talons, Wisdom
Fruit, Life Shard
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
The Flame Talons for Peco, the Ring of Fire, Asbestos Armor, and Wisdom
Fruit should all be acquired.
Pick up the Miracle Gene for Ryu.
I hope you're ready. This next boss isn't a pushover. Be sure your item
supply is sufficient for the upcoming battle.
This is a great to place to power up, particularly against Vulcans. Use
any fire attack/spell you have on them to make them "active" and then defeat
them to get a truck load of experience (relatively to this point of the game
anyway). As for combat against other Flame-elemental enemies, stick to all
availabe Frost-elemental attacks: Frost dragon forms, Iceblast, Ice Chrysm.
Peco and Garr will have no choice but to use ordinary physicals. The Lizardman
can only be dealt with by physicals (except for Nina, who will have to use
Iceblast).
``````````````````````````````
********************************************
*XXIV. Gisshan, Charybdis, Scylla *
* *
*Gisshan: HP~800 *
* Attacks: Vitalize, Confuse, Sleep*
*Charybdis: HP~1000 *
* Attacks: Snap, Wall of Fire *
*Scylla: HP~1000 *</pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
* Attacks: Snap, Wall of Fire *
********************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 23
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Claymore, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Ring of Fire, Light
Bangle
Strategy: There are times in life when we overthink strategies. Out of fear of
the daunting opposition we face, we extrapolate extremely complex strategies
involving several very delicate factors. Sometimes, it's justified; other
times, it's not. This is one of the latter. Many would believe that this trio
would, oh, beat your poor single character into the ground without some sort
of trump card. ****, even with Ryu, I once thought that. I believed that some
sort of elemental (namely, Frost) was required to topple them. I was wrong. I
tried a different approach and simply transformed into a base Behemoth. From
there, I Blitzed and I Blitzed and I... dominated, much to my surprise.
Charybdis' and Scylla's damage amounted to little indeed (less than 10 from
physicals and less than 30 from Walls of Fire), while my Blizes (~150-~200 per
hit, 3 hits per target) quickly knocked them down. My response to this
unexpected turn of events: "Wow, that was simple." </narration strategy>
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 25
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Ring of Fire,
Light Bangle/Soul Gem
Strategy: Wow. This is probably the hardest fight yet. Whether or not you win
this battle is primarily luck. You must kill Charyb and Scylla quickly. If
Snap lowers your defense too much, you don't stand a chance against the two
lava beasts' physical attacks. Just hope they use Wall of Fire to heal you as
much as possible. Not to mention Gisshan; pray he defends most of the
battle rather than use his repertoire of annoying spells. Focus your
Iceblasts on one of the fiery monsters at a time, don't let your HP drop
below one-half without healing, and, if necessary, sacrifice your Soul Gem
if your defense gets too butchered by Snap. That way, you recover the
lost defense.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 24
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ice Chrysm, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Artemis' Cap, Ring
of Fire
Strategy: Your initial concern should be to get a few Protects for safety.
Follow with a pair of Speeds for an EX turn. Before attacking though, add the
usual few Mights. With your bariers installed (or even while you're installing
them; this battle's still easy unless you're very unlucky), you can take out
those lava snakes. With their weakness to Frost elemental attacks and those
Mights, you should easily infict 300+ damage per hit. After you send Charybdis
and Scylla to that by big volcano in the sky, switch Ice Chrysm and Ring of
Fire for Ammo and Titan Belt. Knock off the old man and claim victory!
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 25
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Spiked Claws, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Light Bangle, Ring
of Fire
Strategy: Yeah, I know: there's allot of leveling for this fight. And, as
usual, these bosses will be pains. There are though two ways to approach the
battle: patiently and long or blindly and quickly. I prefer the former method
as the latter is too dependent on Charybdis and Scylla casting Wall of Fire...
all the time. Though the battle will start out with you fighting every turn.
>_> Just focus your physicals on either Charybdis or Scylla until Snap
sucessfully lowers defense. Then immediately switch to this strategy: use a
Vitamin every turn except if your HP is above 180, in which case you fight.
Once the the first of the two falls (which may take a while, considering how
Gisshan keeps meddling with Confuse, Sleep, and especially Vitalize), destroy
the other magma monster except now with a lower HP minimum (100 seems safe).
Finally, replace the Ring of Fire with a Titan Belt and kill Gisshan.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 25
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Long Spear, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Scale Mail, Light Bangle,
Ring of Fire
Strategy: It's quite difficult to reword my experience into a strategy, so
I'll just tell my tale to you in its rawest form and let you derive
what you need from it for yourself; this is based off a post I made on
GameFAQs.com's Breath of Fire 3 board on 8/26/04: "*breathes heavily* I...
hate... them. The battle started off easy enough. Charybdis' and Scylla's
physicals initially maxed around ~20. I started hacking away at Scylla for
usually ~70 per hit, if I hit. Sure, everything was tough, but it was doable.
Finally, Scylla approached death; I was a hit or two away... then Gisshan
stopped spamming status spells and for every turn for the remainder of the
battle (with only one exception near the very end) tried casting Vitalize
every turn and our magma beasts desisted their Walls of Fire. The Snap fest
began and their the power of their physicals skyrocketed, from a measly ~20 to
a deadly ~50. Put simply, as my HP was much lower than 200, there was no way I
could attack without a possibility existing of my demise the next turn.
Observing my impossible scenario and watching Gisshan do nothing but heal,
I lopped on my Soul Gem over that Light Bangle and began an almost relentless
assault on Scylla that was healed immediately afterwards. I knew how close I
was, but I kept losing ground on Scylla as I kept missing and had to
frequently stop to heal. Then... I died, only to be revived by my one and only
Soul Gem. Immediately, I switched to an all-out last ditch effort to kill the
bloated beast. Gisshan ran out of AP! I kept pounding away, throwing in a
Vitamin here and there, narrowly avoiding deaths by chance Walls of Fire.
After much anger and rage, Scylla fell. Then I turned my attention to
Charybdis. I set a healing minimum at ~100 HP and kept attacking until its
demise. Finally, I slayed the flailing Gisshan, who had still been attempting
Vitalize, only breaking from his "pattern" once to defend. Victory, mine...
barely." In short, have fun.
``````````````````````````````
----------
Urkan Tapa
----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!Garr!
You may want to upgrade your equipment for Ryu or Garr while you're here.
For Rei, purchase a Mithril Helmet.
Before you head off to Angel Tower, visit Junk Town and purchase a Barbarossa
or a Gigantess for Garr.
-----------
Angel Tower
-----------
Items: Ivory Dice, Wisdom Seed, Diamond Ring, Moon Tears, Mithril Helm, Soul
Gem, Napalm
!Ryu!
#-Nina-#
#-Momo-#
#-Peco-#
!-Garr-!
It is vital you pick up the Soul Gem in here.
As usual, Nina will be Iceblasting/Lightninging her foes, while everyone else
will mostly be sticking to physicals. The Phantoms can be dangerous, and the
Spectres annoying though. Fortunately, many of the enemies here are weak
to Flame-elemental, so Flare Sword, Simoon, Flame Chrysm, and Pyrokinesis
will all come handy.
Remove everyone's equipment before you go down that staircase to the dragons'
graves. For non-Ryu and non-Garr players, it's stall point time.
``````````````````````````````
********************
*XXV. Garr *
* *
*HP~300 *
*Attacks: Fireblast*
********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 24
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Barbarossa, Mithril Shield, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Armor, Titan
Belt, Light Bangle
Strategy: Behemoth -> Blitz -> death
``````````````````````````````
----------
Dauna Mine
----------
Items: Vitamin, Life Shard, Magic Shard, Light Clothing, 200 zenny,
MultiVitamin, Coupons, Feather Sword, Lion's Belt, Protein
!Ryu!
!+Garr+!
Pick up and equip the Light Clothing and Feather Sword before your battle with
the big Dragon Zombie.
Your foes here are pretty pathetic (except possibly for the Giant
Roaches and their Jump), especially because they too are weak to
Flame-elemental. Kill them as you did the Angel Tower enemies, except that
Garr may prefer Kyrie, pending on the situation.
``````````````````````````````
************************************
*XXVI. Dragon Zombie *
* *
*HP~2500 *
*Attacks: Rotten Breath, Bone Dance*
************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 25
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Feathersword, Buckler, Knight's Helmet, Light Clothing, Titan Belt,
Light Bangle
Strategy: This battle is pie. With the extra 14 agility points(!) from
lightening your equipment, you should easily get the EX turn on him. Start by
transforming into an Eldritch Whelp. Simply cast Restore on him to do 494
damage per cast. Don't worry about his attacks. He won't have enough to
physically kill and his other attacks are status attacks, just poisoning
and confusion. 5 Restores in 3 turns, followed by a Whelp bite, should tip him
over.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Gigantess, Mithril Shield, Mithril Helmet, Mithril Armor, Light
Bangle, Life Sandals
Strategy: Kyrie. 'Nuff said.
``````````````````````````````
---------
World Map
---------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Garr!
I'm sure you've been fishing the entire time. This is just a reminder to
stay diligent.
Now is the time to start constructing Faerie Village. Waste no time in
developing it.
Stop by Syn City to get Steel Gauntlets and a Silver Mail for whoever you're
playing as and, for Nina, a Windcutter.
---------
Ogre Road
---------
Items: Hourglass, Horseradish (3)
!Ryu!
!Garr!
Just remember to find that almighty Hourglass while you're passing by.
This isn't really the first place you could have fought Goo Titans, but
probably the first time you're at a high enough level to fight them. As they
are the only enemies that provide a reasonable amount of experience right now,
don't hesitate to fight them. You might want to leave a Ring of Fire on
though. All the other enemies aren't hard to dispatch, though the Vagabonds
may linger for a while. -_-
``````````````````````````````
**********************
*XXVII. Weretiger *
* *
*HP~930 *
*Attacks: Snap, Focus*
**********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, High Boots
Strategy: Just transform into a Behemoth and Blitz him a few times. He runs
soon after.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Gigantess, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Er... not much of a boss... well, technically, Rei's not a boss
*notes the regular battle music*. Whatever. >_> Mandatory battle: close
enough. Whack him a few times with the Gigantess for ~150 while he "injures"
Garr for ~10 damage per hit. Yeah, *really* strong. Rei runs in a few turns.
``````````````````````````````
---------
Mt.Levett
---------
Items: 800 zenny, Gold Hairpin
!Ryu!
!Garr!
Other than crossing, nothing particularly important to do here, except maybe
for getting the Gold Hairpin here.
The enemies here have the same level of difficulty as the ones on Ogre Road.
A few differences, but melee them as you would everybody else.
-----------
Yraall Road
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Garr!
Yeah, it's annoying the road is blocked, but just keep on going with the
plot.
-----------
McNeil/Farm
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Garr!
Agree with the innkeeper to take care of the tiger, and go to Cedar Woods.
-----------
Cedar Woods
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!Garr!
Converse with Rei at your burnt down house and then head to McNeil Manor.
------------
McNeil Manor
------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
!+Nina+!
!Garr!
Well, you got Nina back. For you Nina SCCers, your short reprieve from the
torture is now over. Welcome back to heck.
Head back to Syn City.
--------
Syn City
--------
Items: Old Painting
!Ryu!
!Nina!
!Garr!
Just take care of business here and snag the Old Painting while you're at
it.
-------------------
Northern Checkpoint
-------------------
Items: Healing Herb, 80 zenny, Deluxe Rod
!Ryu!
!+Rei+!
#Nina#
#Garr#
Just be sure you're ready before you fight Mikba. He can be extremely
difficult, so be sure you have enough items to survive, particularly HP and
AP restoratives and (I suppose) Antidotes.
Rei sure had a long stall point. It reminds me of a character from another
game... *coughShadowcough*. It's a shame you couldn't power him up for this
fight. If it's any consolation, Rei comes back with 10000 more EXP than he
had last time you saw him. Also, fetch Rei a Katzbalger from the nearby
Manillo. Hopefully, these'll help... >_> <_<
``````````````````````````````
************************************************************************
*XXVIII. Mikba *
* *
*HP~2500 *
*Attacks: Multistrike, Quake, Resist, Venom Breath, Lucky Strike, (high*
* counter rate) *
************************************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 27
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver
Mail, Titan Belt, High Boots
Strategy: Behemoth -> Blitz (~150-~200) again. Poison is a nuisance, Lucky
Strike really hurts (~50), and Resist just wastes your AP. Fortunately, the
vast surplus you'll have after defeating him (even though you'll probably need
to revert via HP and retransform) proves that Resist only stalled his
inevitable downfall.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 20
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Katzbalger, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Light Bangle
EXCEPTION: You can leave your allies alive until Rei gets back on his feet
AND is controllable. Otherwise, only after you revive him once, heal him (at
which point he'll transform into Weretiger), kill him off again, and then
revive him again, can you finally kill off his allies.
Strategy: Now, onto the actual combat strategy: The hardest aspect of this
battle is overcoming the huge level gap (It's a heck of allot harder than Garr
vs. Stallion anyway). Any Lv. 20 character would have trouble fighting Mikba,
and Rei is certainly no exception. Start off with a Speed to access EX turns
for Rei. When to fight? Well, Mikba's Lucky Strike deals at maximum ~70
damage and Rei's maxHP is 111, so fighting back wrecklessly will get you
killed. Follow these guidelines concerning attacking/healing: Vitamin every
regular turn you're not at maxHP and every EX turn your HP is below 70.
During regular turns on which your presentHP = your maxHP, defend. Therefore,
the only times you can attack are during EX turns when your HP is greater
than 70. The battle will be long, considering you hit for a measly ~50 on
average, but eventually Rei will emerge the victor.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Steel Gauntlets, Gold Hairpin, Crepe Cape, Light
Bangle, Soul Gem
Strategy: *sigh* ...another hard and long battle. Mikba can easily remove
one-half of your HP in a Lucky Strike (highest he did to me was around
four-fifths!), so always heal around two-thirds your maximum. As if that
wasn't enough, though Nina is usually faster than Mikba, Mikba has a habit
of moving before Nina in the critical turns (e.g. healing turns), so,
whenever you heal, switch to a lighter weapon for an agility boost, heal,
and then switch back to the Magician Rod. The most important thing to
remember in this battle is to *never physically attack him*; that provokes
a reprisal Lucky Strike and then his attack for that turn, which will
likely kill you. Your only option then is magic; here it is Iceblast.
Though you'll get your usual intelligence boost from the Magician Rod,
you'll still need to hit Mikba with... oh... about 50 Iceblasts! Yeah, I know,
that's allot, but hopefully you have at least 5 remaining Black Porgy or
equivalent AP restoratives (A Wisdom Fruit could do the job, but they are
still pretty uncommon until you establish a copy shop, so...). The main
problem here is finding an opportunity to hit this guy. Hopefully, he'll
waste most of his turns using Resist (after Nina's already attacked, heh
heh), and Venom Breath (switch Light Bangle for High Boots if Nina becomes
poisoned; don't even bother curing it); usually however he uses Quake,
Multistrike and [the very dangerous] Lucky Strike. The Soul Gem should
help a little and provide some leeway, but this is still a draining fight.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Gigantess, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Light
Bangle, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Wow... this is the second easiest Mikba battle (Ryu>Garr>Rei>Nina).
I'm not surprised really. Garr's a tank. Anyway, down to the nitty gritty:
essentially, this is Brawn vs. Brawn, and Garr wins... quite easily
(100+ consistently on Mikba). Mikba's best damage comes from Lucky Strike's
maximum, ~45. Fortunately, that's pretty rare. His other attacks just don't
deal as much damage (Quake's max = ~30, MultiStrike's max = ~30), Venom Breath
was usually blocked (duh), and Resist... well... he never used it, but it just
would have delayed the inevitable. Anyway, to be prepared for the worst case
scenario (Lucky Strike, Reprisal -> Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike), only attack
above ~135. Overall, the battle seems far too fast, and, when he falls, you
too will likely be surprised Garr finished the "mighty Mikba" so quickly. I
guess Mikba really is over-rated. *shrugs*
``````````````````````````````
Yay! You got Rei. Now you can finally raise his grossly low level. For
dispatching enemies, allow me to direct you to Weretiger, which Rei will be
using to destroy 99% of your randoms and even some boss-level enemies. Also,
unlike the other characters, Rei will be dealing with randoms in Normal
Formation, as he usually gets EX turns that way, making all proceed much
faster. Oh, just assume Weretiger everywhere, unless I say so otherwise.
Pick up the Deluxe Rod before you go. This should certainly be an
improvement from that Bamboo Rod you've been using up until now.
With this whole mess cleaned up, you can finally head to the Plant now.
-----
Plant
-----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#+Momo+#
#Garr#
It's time to pick up Momo and end another stall point.
--------------------------------
(Eastern Wyndia's) Ygdrasil Tree
--------------------------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!Momo!
#+Peco+#
#Garr#
So ends another stall point. Welcome back, Peco! ^_^
-----
Plant
-----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!Momo!
!Peco!
#Garr#
You know the mini-game. Knock the stones through the glass windows with
Peco's headbutt.
Return with Momo and head down into the secret lab beneath the plant.
----------------------
Secret Underground Lab
----------------------
Items: Skill Ink, Ammonia, Silver Mail, Sleep Shells, Wisdom Ring,
Healing Herb, 400 zenny
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!Momo!
#Peco#
#Garr#
The Silver Mail, Sleep Shells, and Wisdom Ring are just a few of the things
you should grab down here.
Receive the Force Gene here.
For many of the characters, you're going to be spending a very long time
powering up down here, esp. Nina. There are 2 reasons for this: 1) The obvious
reason: to become more powerful; 2) To give the Faerie Village more time to
develop so that you can reap its fruits. =)
This is becoming disturbing: more opponents weak to Flame-elemental >_>
(except for Fly Man). Time to burn some more stuff, yay.
``````````````````````````````
**********************************
*XXIX. Hugeslug *
* *
*HP~2500 *
*Attacks: Syphon, Molasses, Quake*
**********************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 28
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, High Boots
Strategy: A Flame Warrior, of course. Within three turns, Flame Claw
(~850-~1000) downs the large, icky one. Syphon's non-lethal damage isn't a
problem, but his physical hits between ~60 and ~90. Fortunately, you'll be
killing him before it can become a problem.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 25
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flare Sword, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Titan Belt
Strategy: What a pitiful display. The slug's strongest attacks yield a wimpy
~30-~50 damage. After a pair of Speeds for an EX turn and then piercing his
barrier with the Flame-elemental Flare Sword, promptly beat near 150 HP holes
in him twice a turn. Yeah, it'll be downhill for him from there. >_>
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 30
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Steel Gauntlets, Gold Hairpin, Crepe Cape, High
Boots, Soul Gem
Strategy: Yet again, there's no mercy for poor Nina. As usual her opponent's
regular attacks can do one-third to more than two-thirds Nina's total HP.
There's a twist to this fight though: using Syphon, he can recover around
one-half the damage Nina averagely inflicts with her best attack/spell while
simultaneously damaging her! Simoon the slug whenever possible and (though
risky for Nina's life and Soul Gem) recover her when her HP falls to
mid-50s. Once Nina has consumed all her AP, switch the Magician Rod for the
Windcutter and Soul Gem for Titan Belt. These extra boosts in power should
cause her attack to inflict more damage to him than his frequent Syphons
can recover. Without the Soul Gem though, you can't risk Nina's life anymore,
so heal her in the mid-60 HP area. Obviously, alternate attacking and
healing (you *did* switch to power equipment after all). You'll be sure
he's near death when he begins casting Quake. Being the easiest part of the
battle, he shouldn't really be an obstacle from this point on (especially
when he runs out of AP and continues to try to unsuccessfully cast Quake).
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flame Chrysm, Steel Gauntlets, Gold Hairpin, Silver Mail, Artemis'
Cap, High Boots
Strategy: His original attack can knock off nearly half your HP, so put up 3
or 4 Protects immediately while healing inbetween. Follow up with 4 Mights.
Next, switch your High Boots for a Titan Belt and then whack him for almost
400 damage. Rejuvenate when required.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flame Talons, Steel Gauntlets, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Titan
Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: This should be a slaughter... an absolute slaughter. The Flame
Talons will obliterate the Flame-weak Hugeslug in under a minute. All Peco has
to do is attack and occasionally use a Vitamin to recover from the slug's
feeble efforts. OK... a minute was a bit of an exaggeration but still...
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 28; Formation: Defense; Equipment: Gigantess, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril
Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Of course, Pyrokinesis -> 250+ damage per hit to him. All his
attacks are fairly weak. His physical maxes out at ~45, and everything else
at ~30. Yeah, this ends over quickly. >_>
``````````````````````````````
************************************************************
*XXX. Shroom *
* *
*HP~3000 *
*Attacks: Head Cracker, Ragnarok, Lavaburst, Blitz, Restore*
************************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 29
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, High Boots
Strategy: All too easy. Behemoth again but no Blitz this time. Headcracker
MDPs at ~60, so Blitz is too risky, considering his maxHP and that you can't
count on him pulling out his own Blitz early. Still, ~400-~500 damage a turn
is quite pretty >_> and effective, and, since everything else Shroom has
doesn't even hit for half of his Blitz's damage (and AP isn't even a
question), you can take your time.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 26
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Katzbalger, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Titan Belt
Strategy: The usual dual Speeds for the dual turns for starters. Then hit him
for 100+ damage per attack. Shroom's capabilities? :P A weak ~60 from his
physical and ~100 from Headcracker (assuming all three strikes hit which
is near impossible with Rei's killer evade rate). Blitz hits for similar
damage, though using it is more dangerous to him than it is to you. Overall,
a nice and simple battle.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 33
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Magician Rod, Steel Gauntlets, Gold Hairpin, Amber Breastplate,
Soul Gem, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: Due to the Amber Breastplate and Wisdom Ring, victory is now
attainable (as opposed to before when a Head Cracker would instantly kill the
Wyndian princess). Again, use the Soul Gem as a net. Your attack pattern is
simple: Iceblast at lowest 80+ HP and heal at below 80 HP. Don't worry about
his relentless Restores because *eventually* he'll run out of AP, won't be
able to cast anything, and will waste nearly one-half of his turns in vain
attempts. Just adhere to the pattern, only deviating from it to recover AP
via Black Porgies. For his finale, he'll try a useless last ditch effort to
stop you with Blitzes.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 27
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Sleep Shells, Steel Gauntlets, Gold Hairpin, Light Clothing,
Artemis' Cap, Soul Gem
Strategy: At the start of this battle, your chief worry should be keeping
Momo's HP above 75 *at all times* and casting 4 Speeds. The former of the two
should actually be a guideline for the entire battle as Headcracker can be
devastating. Next, cast 4 Protects and Mights. Attack him for 200+ damage as
he vainly tries Restoring his waning HP back.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 27
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flame Talons, Steel Gauntlets, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Titan
Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Another fairly easy battle, again thanks to Peco's uber-high HP.
Since Shroom's strongest attack inflicts on average 90 damage and putting into
account Auto-Regen (of course), anywhere between 160-180 seems like a good
place to draw the minimum HP line before using a Vitamin. If you're unsure
whether or not you'll survive, switch the Artemis' Cap for a Soul Gem while
Peco recovers. As usual, just attack.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 28
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Gigantess, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Annoying. Headcracker's max was ~75. Fortunately, that
probably won't occur (The most common damage is below 60). To be reasonable,
heal below ~120 HP. Shroom's other skills' maximums are certainly not
formidable (Ragnarok = 0; Blitz = ~60; physical = some insignificant figure I
can't remember). Just smack him with my Gigantess for 130+ damage. Boring and
slow yet simple and successful.
``````````````````````````````
------
Wyndia
------
Items: none
!-Ryu-!
!Rei!
!Nina!
X-Momo-X
X-Peco-X
X-Garr-X
Head straight to the Castle.
----------------------
Wyndia Castle/Basement
----------------------
Items: Laurel
!+Ryu+!
!Rei!
!Nina!
#+Momo+#
#+Peco+#
#+Garr+#
Pick up the Laurel in the basement.
Just travel through some more scenes until you escape the castle via the
transporter.
------------------
Eastern Checkpoint
------------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Thanks to your new passport, you can now pass into the Rhapala region and
then to Mt.Zublo.
--------
Mt.Zublo
--------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Since the road is now clear of lava, head straight to the Urkan region and
Angel Tower.
-----------
Angel Tower
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!Garr!
After Garr's failed contact with God (Myria) and Deis' message, head to Urkan
Tapa
----------
Urkan Tapa
----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!Garr!
Listen to Sudama's message and then head off to the Tidal Caves.
-----------
Tidal Caves
-----------
Items: Fish-head, Coin, Thunder Ring, Hawk's Ring, Deadly Blade
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Receive the Gross Gene that's right on the path.
The Thunder Ring is the only particularly important thing to grab as you
pass through here and I suppose Ryu's Deadly Blade. <_<
The Spiker's high reprisal rate, high power, and high counter rate make him
dangerous. Likewise, the Bomb Seed's Sacrifice can be deadly (no danger for
Weretiger though :D, or Garr, using the Gambit trick I mentioned earlier.).
Always fight Bomb Seeds last and hit them one by one if they appear in
groups. Sirocco and Ragnarok or good against the groups, and Nina's Myollnir
and physicals are effective against single targets.
-----
Cliff
-----
Items: Beast Spear
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!Garr!
If you haven't been doing a Ryu SSCC, your Ryu is *probably* quite weak right
now. I suggested powering him up to at least level 20 to survive the battle
with Gaist.
``````````````````````````````
************************************************
*XXXI. Gaist + 2 Torches *
* *
*Gaist: HP~2500 *
* Attacks: Corona, Risky Blow, Sanctuary*
*Torch: HP~500 *
* Attacks: Flare, (no regular attack) *
************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 30
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Ring of Fire
Strategy: Eh, no Frost Warrior strat here. The safer (albeit longer) Frost
Behemoth strategy is preferable. After an initial Frost Breath (~500 OHKO on
Torches, ~300 on Gaist), stick to Frost Claws (~500-~700). With your massive
HP, all the Coronas (100+) and Risky Blows (100-) aren't a problem. The only
vexation is Howling, stopping you from Frost Clawing. Sanctuary and his
physical (~15) are inconsequential.
``````````````````````````````
-----------
Angel Tower
-----------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
!Garr!
You can now release Deis and witness the classic, comical scene of Deis
beating up Garr. XD
--------
Mt.Zublo
--------
Items: none
!Ryu!
XReiX
!Nina!
XMomoX
XPecoX
!Garr!
More conversation with Deis in her cave.
-----------------------
Rhapala/Wharf/Junk Town
-----------------------
Items: Green Apple, MultiVitamin, Tea Cup
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Make some trips and do some tasks between these locations until you finally
gain access to the Dock.
Before you visit the Dock, get the ??? Gene in that hut on the peninsula
between the Inner and Outer Seas.
----
Dock
----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!-Momo-!
#Peco#
#Garr#
Momo will agree to fix the ship, and you'll go to Steel Beach for the parts.
-----------
Steel Beach
-----------
Items: Robe of Wind
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Peco#
!Garr!
Receive the Mutant Gene lying on the beach.
The Angler shouldn't pose too much trouble to Momo players. As usual, just
be prepped. Angler's just a really easy boss after all.
``````````````````````````````
************************************************
*XXXII. Angler *
* *
*HP~3000 *
*Attacks: Venom Breath, Thunder Clap, Bone Dart*
************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 30
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Barbarossa, Steel Gauntlets, Knight's Helmet, Silver Mail, Titan
Belt, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Killable all too easily. After Focus x2, your Gross Thunder Warrior
should OHKO Angler via Aura (~3300-~3650 >_>).
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 29
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Katzbalger, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Thunder
Ring, Light Bangle
Strategy: >_> Typical speeds of course. However, to speed up the battle, you
could always Weretiger him, clawing away at him for 400+ damage per turn.
That's what I did anyway. *shrugs* I finished him with maxHP. -_- That's
just... sad.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 33
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Ouroboros, Steel Gauntlets, Laurel, AmberB Plate, Thunder Ring,
Speed Boots
Strategy: This is the easiest boss fight Nina has had in a *long* time; so
easy that she can actually switch out of Defense Formation. Incessantly
attack him during your regular and EX turns except to heal HP/poison. You
needn't even worry about confusion; this battle is a cinch [relatively].
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 29
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flame Talons, Steel Gauntlets, Laurel, Crepe Cape, Thunder Ring,
Light Bangle
Strategy: So, so sad. The Angler again puts up a pathetic attempt at fighting.
Heck, this battle's so easy, that I doubt you'll even have to heal Peco.
Pound him.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 30
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Steel Gauntlets, Mithril Helmet, Silver Mail, Thunder
Ring, Light Bangle
Strategy: Ok, maybe the setup is a bit arrogant of me, but, come on, he's
Angler; nobody respects him. Still though, he deals a decent amount of damage.
His physical maxes at ~70, so you'll usually need to heal after a strong
physical. Fortunately, his constant wasting of turns (Thunder Clap and Venom
Breath) make this yet again too easy. (As for Garr's damage, it averages out
as ~300 per attack).
``````````````````````````````
Grab the Robe of Wind when you're searching for parts in the Freighter.
All the enemies in the Freighter are Bolt-types that can be killed by almost
any multi-target magic spell from just about anyone! Even Inferno from
Garr! O_o
----
Dock
----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!+Momo+!
#Peco#
#Garr#
Momo will fix the ship, you'll unsuccessfully try to cross the Outer Sea,
and then you'll go to Parch.
-----
Parch
-----
Items: Coin, 400 zenny
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Purchase Tiger Claws and an Amber Breastplate (if the Faerie Village has
yet to supply you with one) for Peco or a Platinum Helmet for Rei or Garr.
Then head out to get the items needed to feed the mayor shisu.
I am aware that you can be rewarded with items depending on how you make
your shisu for the mayor, but personally I don't care whether you do or don't
get the "prized" Shaman's Ring.
---------------------------------------------
Rocky Sea and the "Legendary Mariner's" House
---------------------------------------------
Items: Heavy Dagger, Blizzard Mail, Ice Shield
!Ryu!
XReiX
!Nina!
!Momo!
XPecoX
XGarrX
Pick up the Frost-elemental equipment on the way to the mariner's house.
Before you head off to the Black Ship, make sure you've done everything
you've wanted to do before you go. You won't be coming back for a while. You
especially might want to acquire a some Barandy for the Lost Shore Manillo
Shop, at least for Ryu, Garr, and Rei.
----------
Black Ship
----------
Items: Skill Ink (2), Protectors, Ascension, Wisdom Fruit, Light Bangle,
Flash Shells, 2400 zenny, Ammonia, Ivory Dice, Soul Gem
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!Momo!
#Peco#
#Garr#
Among the important items here are the Protectors, Wisdom Fruit, Flash
Shells, and Soul Gem (NOTE: some of these you may have access to thanks to the
Faerie Village).
Solve several puzzles and keep on journeying through the ship until you
reach the Ammonites. Be very careful before you enter battle with them.
The Giant Crabs in the back of the ship know Death, so feel free to run from
them... or at the very least equip a Talisman. There are more Bolt-type
enemies too, so you know what to do. =) The King Toads: fight them in
the same manner as their predecessors, the Ice Toads. And the Sleepies:
they're just annoying, but a Light Bangle should handle any potential crises.
``````````````````````````````
***************************************************
*XXXIII. 2 Ammonites *
* *
*HP~2500 each *
*Attacks: Tsunami, Iceblast, Blizzard, Multistrike*
***************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 31
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Barbarossa, Ice Shield, Platinum Helmet, Blizzard Mail, Titan Belt,
High Boots
Strategy: A regular Behemoth gets the job done *hugs Barbarossa's
Thunder-elemental-ness* with strikes ranging from ~800 to ~1100 damage.
Confuse followed by a physical and Tsunami (in general) are the only annoying
portions of the battle.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 31
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Katzbalger, Protectors, Platinum Helmet, Blizzard Mail, Wisdom
Ring, Light Bangle
Strategy: *hugs Speed* Without that EX turn, defeating the jellyfish pair
would be nary a dream. They have this little tendency to use Multistrike...
allot with a combined maximum damage potential of ~120. Tsunami only adds to
the irritation. -_- Your strategy: Lightning them to death. You may be forced
to use several Black Porgies, but, surprisingly, it's the fastest way to win.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 35
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Protectors, Laurel, Amber Breastplate, Soul Gem, Wisdom
Ring
Strategy: This fight can become a little nerve-racking, especially because
these 2 fish can theoretically kil you in any one given turn (2x 3 hits from
Multistrike). Fortunately, the odds of such a disaster ocurring are quite
low, plus you have 2 Soul Gems should it happen. Lightning is your most
effective attack (They are fish after all!), but you should only Lightning
with at least one-half your maximum HP. The goofs squander many of their
turns casting missing Tsunamis, guarded Confuses, and measly 1 hit
Multistrikes. They can be dangerous on a roll though, so don't hesitate to
heal often and, when you do, temporarily exchange Ouroboros and Wisdom Ring
for the lighter Oaken Staff and Speed Boots to give Nina the initiative move
that round. Continue healing until you find an opportunity to charge, then
switch back your equipment and go at them again!
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 27
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Flash Shells, Protectors, Laurel, Silver Mail, Speed Boots, Light
Bangle
Strategy: The first 4 Protects here are key. Without them, they could
theoretically instantaneously kill Momo at any time with 6 Multistrike hits
(Fortunately, the odds of this happening are very low). Of course, Rejuvenate
inbetween when your HP falls too low. Next, cast a couple Speeds followed by 4
Mights. Replace your Speed Boots with Artemis' Cap and hack away! Also, note
that they are susceptible to both Sleep and Silence, so... you could try it if
you like... but I wouldn't risk toying with them. Blizzard and Iceblast could
kill you if you become careless. Just kill them quickly.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 29
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Tiger Claws, Ice Shield, Laurel, Amber Breastplate, Light Bangle,
Titan Belt
Strategy: Annoying... a battle in which Peco's uber-high HP doesn't save him
*shakes fist at Tsunami*. Your best bet is to attack around or above 200 HP,
Vitamin below that (or MultiVitamin, which I will expect you to have access to
soon), and switch the Titan Belt for a Soul Gem when you do (and then back
when you attack again). Once the first falls, take out the second as its
Frost-elemental attacks do nothing (or from the very beginning), just wait
until the two use all their AP and then strike.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 31
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Ice Shield, Platinum Helmet, Blizzard Mail, Light
Bangle, Soul Gem
Strategy: As usual, these two jellyfish refuse to go down without a fight >_>.
Worst part is, as much as I hate the -11 HP per turn, the Beast Spear is
needed here. While Garr could deal consistently 100+ damage per attack, they
could deal, well, more. And, again as usual, Tsunami proves that having
ridiculously high HP can still amount to zilch at times -_-. Multi-strike
isn't overly annoying, only ~45, so heal below ~180. Anyway, long, arduous
battle, etc. *tries to finish this up* Oh, and, of course, after Ammonite #1
falls, all of Ammonite #2's attempts at Frost-elemental attacks are nulled as
Garr hacks away. Yay.
``````````````````````````````
--------
Kombinat
--------
Items: Homing Bomb
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Upgrade your equipment: Spiked Gauntlets for Nina/Peco/Rei/Gar; Sage's Frock
for Nina/Momo; HeatShotel/Piercing Edge for Ryu/Rei; AP Shells for Momo;
Raptor Claws for Peco; Lacquer Helmet for Garr.
--------------------------
(Lost Shore) Ygdrasil Tree
--------------------------
Items: none
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Just receive the Trance Gene here before moving on to the Steel Grave.
-----------
Steel Grave
-----------
Items: UV Glasses, Speed Boots, Spanner
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
You should pick up everything here: the UV Glasses, the Speed Boots, and
the Spanner (via Momo's gun).
The Assassin's Disembowel technique can be deadly here. Proceed with
extreme caution when combating them. More Flame-elemental combat is effective
here BTW. Sirocco, Ragnarok (I know -_-), Firebreath, er... Pyrokinesis,
and attacks with a Flare Sword work out well.
------
Colony
------
Items: Key, Deep Diver, Wisdom Fruit
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
!Momo!
#Peco#
#Garr#
Again, every item here is important: the Key, Wisdom Fruit, and Deep Diver.
Don't forget to pick up the Failure Gene.
The Thrashers' Timed Blow can be dangerous even if you're at high HP. Put
tersely, if they gain the initiative in battle against you, you're probably
already dead. Don't forget the Assassins either (well, mainly don't forget to
run from them). The rest of the enemies are new, but fairly easy. Just be
ready for anything from the Codger; you never know what will come out of
Magic Shuffle. Anyway, physicals and max level magic as usual should be used
here. No easily exploitable elemental weaknesses here.
If you followed my advice and got a fair number of Barandy, with your new Deep
Diver, you can head after Spearfish and Whales so that you can acquire Ryu's
Royal Sword and Ryu's/Rei's/Garr's Life Armor in the Lost Shore Fishing Spot
now.
-------------
Relay Point A
-------------
Items: Hourglass, Lacquer Staff, 4000z, Lacquer Shield, Barbarossa, Skill Ink
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
There's another Hourglass here! That's the only terribly important item, but
there's some Laquer equipment here as well if you didn't get any earlier.
Allot of the enemies here have a Flame weakness, except the Tank Bot, who
has a Thunder weakness. The weaknesses are all easily exploitable, but be
careful when encountering other enemies in addition to Insectors. A
successful Tornado followed by any other attack = your death.
Once you fix the satelite receiver, there are 3 things you should do: 1) Go
to the Container Yard to receive the Radiance Gene; 2) Increase the rate of
your fishing. Now that you have access to the transporters, travel should be
easy. Take this opportunity to get good equipment from Manillo trading,
primarily the equipment you can trade for at the Lost Shore Manillo shop; 3)
Go to Dragnier.
--------
Dragnier
--------
Items: Skill Ink, Ivory Dice
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Proceed with all of the story sequences until you eventually reach Juno.
Purchase the Damascus equipment for Ryu and MultiVitamins for everybody
(especially for Peco).
``````````````````````````````
************************************************************
*XXXIV. Elder *
* *
*HP~5000 *
*Attacks: Bad Back, Inferno, Myollnir, Sirroco, Double Blow*
************************************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 35
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Royal Sword, Lacquer Shield, Lacquer Helmet, Life Armor, Ring of
Fire, Thunder Ring
Strategy: With Inferno and Myollnir absorbed and Sirocco nulled, you can walk
in quite confident in this battle. After a quartet of Protects, his physical
is reduced to ~15 while Double Blow maxes at 46 damage. Slowly blast away at
his HP for ~100-~150 a strike until his demise an eternity and a half later.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 35
Formation: Defense
Equipment: PiercingEdge, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Life Armor, Ring of
Fire, Thunder Ring
Strategy: Another sad display. Maybe it's just Rei's mightiness. Either way:
Elder decimation is sure to follow. Double Blow maxes at ~100 and his regular
physical at ~80. As for his other skills, *points to the equipment setup*.
After your Speeds, you can practically Auto-Charge, maybe even Weretiger, as
Elder does most of the healing for you. Personally, I'd stick with the slow,
~100 damage per hit process; Elder's not as much a pushover as Angler was.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 38
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Sage's Frock, Ring of
Fire, Thunder Ring
Strategy: Considering he wastes a good number of his turns via Bad Back and
that you now absorb one-half of his total number of attacks, this shouldn't
be too hard. Except when he successfully attacks physically (in which case you
heal), just keep zapping him with Myollnir turn after turn and restore AP
through several Black Porgies when you deplete your AP supply.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 34
Formation: Defense
Equipment: AP Shells, Steel Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Sage's Frock, Artemis' Cap,
Speed Boots
Strategy: This battle will be a breeze. A couple Speeds will bring the EX
turn; then use the usual quadruple Protects and Mights and annihilate him. All
you need to do is keep your HP above 100 (Myollnir = death below 100 HP).
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 33
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Raptor Claws, Spiked Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Amber Breastplate, Ring
of Fire, Thunder Ring
Strategy: Fortunately, you now absorb two of his spells (one of which was his
(strongest), and two others are completely ineffective. His only real options
are his physical and Double Blow. The latter can become dangerous, maxing out
at 120 damage. Putting that in mind, using a MultiVitamin at one-half maxHP
or below seems wisest and otherwise utilize the typical attack option.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 33
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Spiked Gauntlets, Lacquer Helmet, Life Armor, Ring of
Fire, Thunder Ring
Strategy: Again, I give Elder 0 respect. You should already know the effects
of this equipment setup here, so I'll move onto what he could actually do to
injure Garr. His physical maxes out at about ~70 and Double Blow at ~80. Yeah,
>_> at this point, Garr's massive HP and Elder's constant switch to
useless/absorbed skills almost never forces you to heal, as he rarely if ever
lowers Garr to that ~160 minimum. Meanwhile, hammer away at a neat 100+
average and sit back to enjoy. Too bad the show ends so early. *shrugs*
``````````````````````````````
-------
Factory
-------
Items: Wisdom Seed, Artemis' Cap, Skill Ink, Ammonia, Rockbreaker, Aries
Spear, Fish-head, Sage's Frock, Homing Bomb, Hourglass
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Hourglass, Sage's Frock, Rockbreaker, there are a bunch of interesting items
here.
The Gold Egg enemies in the Factory pay a hefty sum if you can defeat them.
If you're low on zenny, come back and fry these eggs for some cash.
The Egg Gangs and Gold Eggs are deadly enemies. If they successfully hit
you with Ovum, you're as good as dead. Equip some status protection to
increase your chances of survival, or just run when you encounter them.
However, the Eggs are weak to Earth-elemental, so Rockbreaker and Quake
will definitely help out. When fighting a Hobgoblin accompanied by a
Boss Goblin, target the Hobgoblin alone. The Hobgoblin wastes a turn killing
the Boss Goblin. As for Pipe Bombs, unless you can outrun them, run. They're
extremely powerful foes and can and usually do cancel your action for a turn
via Air Raid. Finally, the Giant Orcs regenerate allot of HP per turn, so
don't bother fighting them if you can't survive the Blitzes and can't inflict
more damage than they regenerate per turn.
-------------------
The Desert of Death
-------------------
Items: variable
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Concerning the DoD, all I have to say is this: Don't do what the piece of
paper says! Follow Horis' directions! I know that's not really relevant to
the SSCC at all; I just felt it was necessary to say that.
Ah, I love the DoD enemies. They're all easily killed. The Magmaites are weak
to Earth-elemental, the Drak doesn't move, and every other enemy is weak
to Frost-elemental. That said, you can really destroy them quite easily,
providing you equip/choose spells for elemental combat.
``````````````````````````````
********************************************</pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
*XXXV. Manmo *
* *
*HP~3000 *
*Attacks: Quake, Focus, (huge counter rate)*
********************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 38
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Lacquer Shield, Lacquer Helmet, Life Armor, Titan
Belt, Titan Belt
Strategy: Transform into a Mammoth and use Meteor Strikes at high HP and
regular attacks at lower HP.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 39
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Piercing Edge, Protectors, Tiger's Cap, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Light Bangle
Strategy: Of course, start off with Speeds. Do be more reserved in attacking
though, as Manmo's the first boss in a while to have more than a decent
Reprisal rate. The damage he inflicts seems to increase from ~60 to ~80 as the
battle moves on. So, safe attacking minimums are ~60 HP at EX turns
(later ~80) and ~120 during the regular turn (later ~160). Um... yeah, that's
just about it. >_>
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 41
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Protectors, UV Glasses, Sage's Frock, Speed Boots,
Wisdom Ring
Strategy: Nothing very lethal here. Very infrequently he acts before you do,
but that's about it. Three comments: heal whenever your HP fallls to or below
100, defend the turn after he Focuses, and Myollnir him every remaining
turn.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 39
Formation: Defense
Equipment: AP Shells, Steel Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Sage's Frock, Artemis' Cap,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Another standard quadra-Protect and quadra-Might boss... except
easier. You effortlessly defeat him. Just defend after he uses Focus.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 38
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Rockbreaker, Spiked Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Amber Breastplate,
Titan Belt, Light Bangle
Strategy: Pretty straightforward: attack above 200 HP, defend after he
Focuses, and MultiVitamin if under the safety limit.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 38
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Spiked Gauntlets, Lacquer Helmet, Life Armor, Light
Bangle, Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Well... at least he's tougher than the last boss: high Reprisal-rate
and high Power. His physical maxes at around ~50 though, and Quake's MDP was
~40. Again, Focus LOWERS his damage output, cheering is always in order when
he uses the mighty Feign Swing (NOTE: Sarcasm, Take 2). Very easy. All you
need to do is keep Garr's HP above ~150 and chop away (meh, ~200 a turn on him
IIRC).
``````````````````````````````
-----
Oasis
-----
Items: 800 zenny
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
This is the final town (with people in it -_-; I know what you're thinking!).
All that remains ahead is the final boss level. It's been a long, hard
journey, and it only gets harder from here.
Now that you have access to everywhere in the world and are at the final
boss level, you should make sure to put the final touches on your faerie
village and, if you have not already, obtain the ultimate equipment for your
character (if you can).
Peco players should re-enter the DoD from the Oasis and head west for seven
nights to find a random battlefield with a treasure chest containing the
Death Claws.
---------
Caer Xhan
---------
Items: Protein, Moon Tears
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
Upgrade your equipment: Sun Mask for Ryu/Rei/Garr; Mind Shield for Momo/Garr.
---------------------
Myria Orbital Station
---------------------
Items: Gas Shells, Wisdom Fruit, 800 zenny, Hourglass, Napalm, 400 zenny, Life
Shard (2), 10000z, Holy Robe, Swallow Eye, Ammonia, Skill Ink, Ivory Dice,
Slicer, HE Shells, Giant Shield, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helm, Demonsbane
!Ryu!
!Rei!
#Nina#
!Momo!
#Peco#
#Garr#
There is so much to get here that I couldn't sum it up. Just get everything
(not that you haven't been doing that anyway; it's just important to do so
here). Most importantly, if you don't have an Ivory Charm by this point, get
one: NOW!
Allot of the enemies here can be quite dangerous, so be careful. Before
fighting Chimera, battle drake-enemies for Peco's ultimate weapon, the
Dragonfang. All the other enemies in the lab are pretty deadly, so hover near
a Health Recovery Station if you plan on powering up against them. As for the
opponents in the Worker's/Main Area, all I can suggest is good old fashioned
combat. There are no real elemental weaknesses to exploit against most of
them, so that's really all you can do.
Once you find the Hourglass here, I advise having Ryu and Rei head off for
the CY now. Have Rei encounter a Berserker, steal Aries Gloves, and then run
like ****. Then have Rei (Ryu too) battle Archmage, though they're levels
may be lower than the ones listed in my strategies. (>.> I defeated them
after Chimera... <_<). The Holy Avenger *really* helps.
``````````````````````````````
*************************************************
*XXXVI. Chimera *
* *
*HP~7500 *
*Attacks: Paralyzer, Myollnir, Blizzard, Restore*
*************************************************
EXCEPTION: Due to Paralyzer which paralyzes your SSCC character, probably has
a 99% chance of being used, has a never-ending effect until remedied,
therefore ending the battle (that is, you lose), and, most importantly,
cannot be blocked, you must keep 2 other party members alive. These are the
conditions: 1)They can Panacea/Remedy the SSCC character; 2)They can do
anything to themselves; 3)To the SSCC character, they cannot do anything else
at all (except Panacea); 4)They can in no way attack Chimera whatsoever;
5)Other than in the forementioned cases, they may in no way directly
influence the battle; 6)If the SSCC character dies, then you have lost, and
the remaining characters are not permitted to interfere. I'm simply trying
to keep this remotely legitimate. Any charcters labeled with "EXCEPTION" for
this boss may follow these guidelines.
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 40
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Mind Shield, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots, Speed
Boots
Strategy: EXCEPTION. Not even Ryu's dragon forms make it by Paralyzer. Choose
a form to transform into (e.g. Warrior, although any strong non-party-consumer
is fine) and go with it.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: EXCEPTION. Let's see... Chimera can't top 50 damage to Rei... at
all, Rei has his allies to save him from Paralyzer, and you run circles around
him (though you do that to everyone as Rei... >_>); I don't need to say much
else other than pound away at him.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Holy Robe, Speed Boots,
Wisdom Ring
Strategy: EXCEPTION. Myollnir him through this battle. Use Black Porgies when
you've consumed all your AP and use a Vitamin if AP is below 110 or
MultiVitamin if HP is in critical. It's another long, hard battle, but the
diverted fire should lower its difficulty a bit.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, UV Glasses, Holy Robe, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: EXCEPTION. 4 Protects, 4 Mights, and a few Speeds as usual followed
by pounding typical 500+ damage holes in him should be enough to topple this
beast. Other than the already handled Paralyzer, your only concern should be
Myollnir and maybe Inferno. Even then, Ivory Charm blocks half the damage
from them.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 45
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate,
Artemis' Cap, Ivory Charm
Strategy: EXCEPTION. Again, this particular exception makes this battle all
too easy. Chimera just doesn't have enough strength to battle Peco. Just
Panacea anybody hit by Paralyzer, keep everyone alive, and attack.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Mind Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: EXCEPTION. Sad performance by Chimera. His strongest attack's
maximum (Myollnir) was ~50, and everything else maxes at or below ~30. On top
of that, the damage Garr hits him for surpasses what Restore could repair...
only by about 10 or 20 points though... >_> otherwise, Garr hits for 200+.
Rate of healing sometimes becomes annoying though, especially when he starts
spamming Myollnir. Meh, it's the price of the Beast Spear.
``````````````````````````````
You'll need Momo and her HE Shells to destroy the plants around a door in
the lab.
You'll then need Rei to unlock the doors past the previously mentioned area.
Pick up the Silver Tiara before you proceed to Eden, though, since you're
picking up everything, I really shouldn't need to mention it. >_>
----
Eden
----
Items: Protein, Magic Shard, Ginseng, Wisdom Fruit, Silver Tiara, Dragon
Spear, Force Armor, Soul Gem
!Ryu!
!-Rei-!
#-Nina-#
#-Momo-#
#-Peco-#
#-Garr-#
If you're not playing a Ryu SSCC, hopefully, he is strong enough to get
through the upcoming stall point for your character.
In the part of Eden proceeding Teepo's "room", all the enemies can be fried by
Flame-elemental. You should know how to handle them by now. =) And, if
possible, do try to acquire a Divine Helmet from the Wraiths for Rei or Garr.
For Nina SSCCers, you're gonna need to level *allot* right now, to 54 to be
precise, to survive Dragon Lord.
-----------
Ryu's Dream
-----------
Items: Shaman's Ring, Hourglass, Gems
!Ryu!
Just get through the dream here. Nothing terribly important here.
The enemies here can all be annihilated by Ryu's physicals. The worst threat
(which all in itself isn't that strong to begin with) is the Mad Gong's
Charge. The dream should be a breeze.
``````````````````````````````
***********************
*XXXVII. Arwan *
* *
*HP~2250 *
*Attacks: Sleep, Chill*
***********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 41
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Two Focuses followed up by an Aura as a Warrior should be enough to
annihilate him. I'd like to note there's a chance here that he'll put you to
Sleep or lower your AGL via Chill. In the case of the former, don't sweat it
and just Focus again as soon as you wake up for your Aura the next turn,
unless you're near-death, in which case you should Aura immediately. If the
latter, Aura immediately and then use regular physicals to finish him off. If
he should lower your AGL *while* you're asleep, then Aura as soon as you wake
up. If he knocks you out of dragon form before you have a chance to Aura,
remember that any stat-changes are negated by dragon transformation and that
you haven't actually lost much AP, so you'll have a fresh start against him
again.
``````````````````````````````
----
Eden
----
Items: none
!Ryu!
#+Rei+#
#+Nina+#
#+Momo+#
#+Peco+#
#+Garr+#
It's time to fight the Dragon Lord. I hope you're strong enough to defeat
him...
``````````````````````````````
***********************************************************
*XXXVIII. Dragon Lord *
* *
*HP~13000 *
*Attacks: Inferno, Blizzard, Sirroco, Howling, Triple Blow*
***********************************************************
Just a note: You might want to have your character throw 3 Ivory Dice at
the Dragon Lord so that you can get 65535 experience from him.
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Titan Belt,
Titan Belt
Strategy: Teepo is incredibly strong. With the greatest of haste, transform
into a Behemoth. Just keep attacking; you should do, at bare minimum, 600+
damage per attack (more likely around 800). Nonetheless, this battle is
surprisingly easy.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 44
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: You'll need three Speeds for an EX turn. This battle can become
difficult though, depending on how much mercy Dragon Lord shows you. Triple
Blow maxes out at ~200 damage and his regular physical at ~120. Fortunately,
as with Shroom and the Ammonites, Rei's incredible evade rate reduces the
chances of taking all the blows from Triple Blow to almost nil. You just have
to chip away at him slowly with ~100 damage strikes.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Before I begin here, I'd just like to thank Mikhail, who's the contributor of
the current standard strategy for this battle. In the past, everyone believed
this battle was unwinnable without breaching some rules, but Mikhail persisted
and discovered an amazing approach to this battle. The description's a bit
lengthy and you need to grind and prepare allot to use this approach, but the
strategy is fullproof and the only known, truly legal way to win.
Level: 54
Formation: Normal
Equipment: MagicianRod, SpikedGntlts, Silver Tiara, Holy Robe, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy:
"What? Normal form, with Nina, against Dragon Lord? That's right. The
Speed Boots might have clued you in on what I'm doing here.
When I was tinkering with this, it became apparent that Nina could not even
come close to surviving Triple Blow. So, I had to figure out a new way to
approach the fight.
This fight is going to be characterized by a long, drawn out period, followed
by a brief, satisfying period in which you pummel a nearly offenseless Dragon
Lord into oblivion.
Before battle, stock up on Vitamins and Multivitamins. Buy as many as you can.
I bought 99 of each, though I only ended up using perhaps 120.
Enter the fight with the above equipment set. The weapon can be anything with
a weight of 1 or 2 - Magician Rod seems best for its intelligence bonus. This
is enough to get an EX turn. On every normal turn, I had Nina defend. Dragon
Lord may use his normal attack, Triple Blow, or a magic attack. The normal
attack is easily survivable, and the magic attacks are no major issue (Nina,
after all). Triple Blow will usually leave you with about 20-40 HP.
During Nina's EX turn, heal her using a Vitamin or Multivitamin (depending on
the amount of healing necessary).
If he uses Howling, you'll be covered by the combined effects of the Silver
Tiara and Holy Robe. Since you won't be damaged, use Myollnir during the EX
turn instead of healing. Obviously, you'll want to Myollnir him if his normal
attack misses, too.
Keep repeating this strategy. Dragon Lord will not use Howling that often, so
there will not be many chances to attack. However, the main objective is to
wear down his AP. He'll probably run out of AP after 50 turns or so - I don't
actually know the exact amount of AP he has. Whenever he tries to cast a
skill, he will fail due to his lack of AP, and will be wide open to attack on
the EX turn.
Once he has taken enough damage, Dragon Lord will enter a second phase, where
he will begin to cast Sirocco, and use magic/techniques much more frequently
than his normal attacks. Assuming that you cast Myollnir after every Howling
and missed attack, he should enter this phase at around the time at which he
runs out of AP. This makes it quick and easy to destroy him - most of his
turns can be easily countered by a Myollnir once he is out of AP.
This will be a long fight. Expect to spend about an hour on it, quite possibly
more. There are a few tactics to speed things up. During an EX turn, you can
switch your speed boots for Wisdom Rings, put on an Ouroboros and Sage's
Frock, and cast Myollnir at much higher intelligence. Just don't forget to
switch them back at the beginning of the normal turn, or you'll miss your EX
turn. I found the extra damage gained not to be worth the risk of forgetting.
Another tactic is to stop defending during normal turns when Teepo runs out of
AP - be warned, however, that simply because Teepo doesn't have enough AP to
cast a spell doesn't mean that he cannot cast Triple Blow. Also, while I was
able to survive his normal attack doing this, I have a sneaking suspicion that
it is possible to be killed by it.
One word about levels - you need 82 AGL to get an EX turn on Dragon Lord. This
becomes theoretically possible at level 49; however, you won't be able to
equip any armor, and this effectively makes it impossible to survive Triple
Blow. Level 54 is the earliest level at which you may face Teepo fully
equipped, without having to worry about Howling, and get an EX turn.
It is possible for Triple Blow to kill you at level 54 (occasionally, it will
do an obscene amount of damage for some reason); however, it is very unlikely.
It was not a problem go through a battle without being struck down by it. Even
the strong Triple blows left me with a little bit of HP remaining, and I was
able to get Teepo's AP down without difficulty. Nonetheless, while I was
trying out an unrelated strategy, a freak Triple Blow killed me after I had
survived plenty of them (probably 30 or 40 the various battles while I was
tinkering) - so it is not impossible. If you're especially concerned, you
might consider going up to level 57 - when I subjected Nina to Triple Blows at
this level, she'd end up having a good amount of HP to spare even for the
strong ones."
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 44
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Soul Gem,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Before you ask about the wherebouts of the Artemis' Cap on that list
of equipment, let me explain the Soul Gem first. Dragon Lord's Triple Blow is
very deadly; even with all your equipment and powering up, it might very well
kill you before you get your Protects up. The Soul Gem will provide you with
insurance that you'll be able to continue with your Protects. That being said,
cast them and now re-equip an Artemis' Cap. (I told you I'd get back to it.).
Follow with a few Speeds and then 4 Mights. The combined work of your
fortification spells and the Ivory Charm reduces most of Dragon Lord's
"deadly attacks" to harmless scratches. All you have to do is attack him for
400+ damage per turn and cast Heal when you're around 1/2 HP.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 45
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Ivory Charm
Strategy: O__O Wow, this is, without a doubt, Peco's most difficult battle in
his SSCC. Because Triple Blow's damage gamut is ~150-~280 (most commonly ~200
damage) Teepo threatens massacring our onion friend any time you choose not to
heal. So, there are two methods to go about fighting. The first involves doing
nothing but healing until Dragon Lord consumes all his AP, removing all
Teepo's spell and Triple Blow threats. A feasible plan, providing you have
a complete collection of healing items and if you're patient enough to sit
around for an hour fighting and then getting all the cash necessary to
restock your healing items. I, however, prefer a second method for those of
you not as well supplied: at full health, attack with the initial equipment,
attack at 280+ but with a Soul Gem in place of one of the Ivory Charms, and
heal at -280 (Vitamin or MultiVitamin, depends on how much HP you have) but
with a Soul Gem in place of that Ivory Charm and Laquer Shield in place of the
Spiked Gauntlets. Either way, once Dragon Lord is out of AP, quite frankly,
you can't lose, unless you play foolishly or are extremely unlucky.
From this point, keep your initial equipment no matter what, except for
the substitution of a Light Bangle over an Ivory Charm, and pound away.
That's all I can say. Good luck!
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 45
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragon Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: It's quite rare that Garr has had to always fear death, especially
considering his tankiness and all. However, Dragon Lord's Triple Blow again
shows that it deserves quite a lot of respect. Maxing out at ~150 (~90-~150
being the entire gamut; ~120 being average), Triple Blow has the power to end
Garr's life at any time (as Garr's HP is less than 300). Seeing the grimness
of this scenario, I've decided to draw the lines based on Triple Blow's
average damage, rather than its maximum. Attack between 240 and maxHP; Vitamin
between 200 and 240 HP; MultiVitamin below 200 HP; temporarily replace the
Ivory Charm with a Soul Gem below 150 HP. Well, an effective system... I
guess. I never died anyway, >_> plus the lack of the Beast Spear means no HP
drain, Dragon Spear dealt 2x damage, and the ~300 damage per turn means the
battle proceeds quickly. Anyway, another quick victory (yay) albeit a risky
one. <.<
``````````````````````````````
-------------------------
Myria Station: Final Area
-------------------------
Items: Swallow Eye, Moon Tears, Cupid's Lyre, Hourglass
!Ryu!
#Rei#
#Nina#
#Momo#
#Peco#
#Garr#
The enemies in this area are [probably] more deadly than anything else
you've fought before. Running would be a good idea if you encounter... almost
anything. Only stay to fight if you need a piece of equipment the enemies
here have. Garr, however, has pretty good odds though, thanks to the
undeadness of many of the targets and Kyrie.
For Nina, it is imperative you get Diana's Dress from the Revenants. It will
probably take a long time, but your survival against Myria depends on it.
If possible, pick up Mist Armor from the Mist Men for Momo, though personally
I was never given one, even after at least 20 or 30 battles with them while
wearing a Midas Stone. *shrugs* I suppose I just wasn't lucky. My strategies
won't include it.
Also, Pilfer the Burglar Garb from the Vampires for Rei.
The following groups of bosses are primarily comprised of bosses you have
defeated in the past.
The quickest path to the final save point is left through door, straight,
right through door, straight through door, straight through door. This
involves fighting only 2 battles. 5 Sample 8s and Samples 10, 11, and 12. For
completion purposes, fight all the samples but prioritize clearing a path to
the rest point first. However, at least reach the final save point first
because there is a rest point there as well. This way you don't need to waste
HP/AP restoring items after battles.
Here are all the strategies, but check the original boss for additional
information on each as I haven't listed it (not that you'll need the stats for
many of them; they're easy enough). They are listed in numerical order, not
order of discovery (for easier reference).
And, to make some sense out of what order to defeat them in, here's
the orders in which each of my own characters clobbered the recycled
bosses:
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
Sample 4
Sample 7
2 Sample 2s
Sample 5
2 Sample 6s
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
Sample 4
Sample 7
2 Sample 2s
2 Sample 6s
Sample 5
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
Sample 7
Sample 4
2 Sample 2s
Sample 5
2 Sample 6s
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Sample 7
Sample 4
2 Sample 2s
Sample 5
2 Sample 6s
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
Sample 4
2 Sample 2s
Sample 5
2 Sample 6s
Sample 7
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
5 Sample 8s
Samples 10, 11, 12
Sample 4
Sample 7
2 Sample 2s
Sample 5
2 Sample 6s
3 Sample 1s
2 Sample 3s
Sample 9
``````````````````````````````
********************
*XXXIX. 3 Sample 1s*
********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 44
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Nothing but 3 Nues. Magma Breath from a Pygmy! :D
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Weretiger -> Dead Nue Chimeras.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: A pair of Siroccos will vanquish the Nue trio.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Don't even bother powering up. You can already kill these Nues in
one blow anyway, or, if that's too long for you, you can just Ragnarok them to
their graves. :)
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Speed
Boots, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Either of Peco's breath skills followed by the ensuing counters
should finish this fight.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Attack (~400) -> Death.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXX. 2 Sample 2s*
*******************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: It's only 2 Hugeslugs. Flame Warrior time. :)
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Heat Shotel, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots, Ivory
Charm
Strategy: Weretiger -> Dead slugs in two hits.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: heh heh. Your present equipment blocks Syphon. This makes this easy
battle even easier. Simply Sirocco those 2 Hugeslugs to their dooms.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Wisdom Ring,
Spirit Ring
Strategy: Fortunately, Syphon is blocked by this equipment. Anyway, all you'll
need here is a couple Protects and a Speed for the EX turn. Now, Ragnarok,
Ragnarok, Ragnarok!
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Titan
Belt, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Firebreath to destroy their "coatings" and then just melee them.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Pyrokinesis (~700-~1000). 'Nuff said.
``````````````````````````````
********************
*XXXXI. 2 Sample 3s*
********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Titan Belt,
Titan Belt
Strategy: Meet 2 Mikbas. A Behemoth should get the job done here.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Ivory Charm, Soul
Gem
Strategy: Weretiger -> 1100+ damage per Mikba.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Ivory Charm
Strategy: This Mikba duo is less fierce than you would think. Lucky Strike
does considerably less damage than before, and his other attacks inflict
negligible damage. The EX turn should make this battle pie as you Myollnir
them. MultiVitamin between if you take too much damage.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: You already have an EX turn, so all you need is your quadra-Protects
and quadra-Mights. Other than Lucky Strike and Reprisal -> Lucky Strike,
there's nothing to worry about. Generally, you'll be fine if your HP is
greater than 1/2.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Speed
Boots, Light Bangle
Strategy: This battle is much easier than you'd think. Now, you're even faster
than the Mikbas (a rarity for Peco to outrun anything). That said, you should
have no trouble wiping the floor with these guys.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Lucky Blow deals decent damage (~50); that is enough to merit
healing in the 250s. After one Mikba died, lower the minimum to ~150. Garr's
damage is decent, ~250.
``````````````````````````````
**************************************
*XXXXII. Sample 4 *
* *
*Attacks: Double Blow, Snap, Evil Eye*
**************************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: I don't think I've seen this boss before... but, anyway, this big,
giant bird can be impossible without the status protection from the Ivory
Charm. He has an annoying repertoire of attacks that can make him a little
difficult. The good news: status protection will block the paralyzing Evil
Eye; the bad news: until he runs out of AP, you'll have to battle him
normally. Cast Protect frequently to counter his Snaps and cast Restore when
your HP is in the yellow. Once he's out of AP, smash him with a Warrior.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: *sighs* -__- I really, really hate this fat dodo. If it weren't for
Snap, I wouldn't mind really. At first, Double Blow inflicts a measly 50
damage per strike. However, as the battle progresses, Double Blow's maximum
damage potential has a tendency to... well... double! Yeah, ~200 damage from
Double Blow stinks. At least he squanders turns with blocked Evil Eyes and his
"weaker" physical (boosted to 100+ after Snaps). All you can do to save your
hide is boost your Agility for the crucial EX turn and keep pounding away
(~100 damage seems eternally slow here).
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: This big bird sure is durable. 28 Myollnirs were needed to knock him
down. Anyway, the hard part about this fight is that his strong physical
attack requires you to stay near maximum health, especially because he
occasionally acts before you can. Be careful when tangling with this dodo.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Put up 4 Protects and a couple Speeds while interspersing
Rejuvenates. With that secured, then cast your Mights and destroy this bird.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Ivory Charm
Strategy: It's simple- dispatch of Sample 4 ASAP; accomplishing it: not so
easy. Usually, dragging the battle out wouldn't be so bad for Peco, but the
dodo is the second boss Peco's encountered who knows Snap, and you know the
disastrous combination of an enemy with a strong physical and Snap. Minimum
HP to attack at? I know it starts out low but only rises as the battle
unfolds. Sorry I can't provide a more precise figure. Oh, and, when
recovering, not only switch an Ivory Charm for a Soul Gem, but also
exchange your Spiked Gauntlets for Protectors *shakes fist at Evil Eye*.
Once he's consumed all his AP (Yay! No more Double Blow/Evil Eye!), trade-in
your accessories for a Titan Belt and an Artemis' Cap and pummel him.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Snap as usual makes combat extremely dangerous, boosting his
physical's max from ~60-~130 and Double Blow's max from ~40-~180! Yeah... Garr
doesn't nearly have 360 HP, more like 300, so two consecutive Double Blows
(not uncommon) basically means death. Therefore, there is only way to handle
this battle: MultiVitamin... every turn until Sample 4 runs out of AP. Then,
switch Garr's Ivory Charms for a Titan Belt and Artemis' Cap and begin
attacking (~150-~220), only stopping to heal at/below ~275 HP. Long? Yes.
Tedious? Yes. The only way to win? As far as I know.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXXIII. Sample 5*
*******************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragon Blade, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed
Boots, Speed Boots
Strategy: It's only an Angler. Defeat him the same way as before.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Thunder Ring,
Soul Gem
Strategy: Weretiger -> ~900 damage to Angler.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Titan Belt
Strategy: Just attack the Angler physically.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: This is just your usual "Speed, Protects, Mights, and then attack"
battle.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Titan
Belt, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Heheh, Angler returns for another beating. You know the routine.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Thunder Ring,
Light Bangle
Strategy: Here's a first- Auto-Charge him. Garr hits for 300+ and
almost all of Angler's attacks have no effect (well, no negative effect,
to be more precise :D).
``````````````````````````````
*********************
*XXXXIV. 2 Sample 6s*
*********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Titan Belt
Strategy: The 2 Ammonites return. More Thunder Claws from Thunder Behemoths!
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Wisdom Ring,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Fry the first Ammonite with five Myollnirs, switch out the Wisdom
Ring for a Soul Gem, and Weretiger the remaining Ammonite. On a side note,
both Weretiger and Myollnir deal ~500 damage. >_>
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: Myollnir BBQs both jellyfish.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: *Yawns* Another "Speeds, Protects, Mights, and then beat the enemy
senseless into the ground" battle. This is getting really repetitive and
boring... fast. -_-
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Just attack the Ammonites. Tsunami's the only real threat, but even
that is a low use and low accuracy skill.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Meh, Tsunami's not that big an annoyance, due to its horrible
accuracy, and Multistrike maxes at ~20 and their physicals at ~10. *slowly
losing respect for non-Sample 4 samples* Oh, and Garr hits for ~350.
``````````````````````````````
*****************
*XXXXV. Sample 7*
*****************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 43
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Titan Belt,
Titan Belt
Strategy: It's only Manmo again. Defeat him using the same method as before.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Fromation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Simple enough- Attack when above ~80 HP for a solid 140+ damage.
That's about it. <_<
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: 8 Myollnirs do the trick against another Manmo.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: 4 Protects to reduce his damage, a few Speeds for the EX turn, and 4
Mights should be enough to give you the power to plow through Manmo's
reincarnation.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Titan
Belt, Ivory Charm
Strategy: Meh, Attack Form is a little risky here, but you'll be fine if you
play wisely. Of course, you'll be attacking him, but just remember to
MultiVitamin at ~100 HP.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: A weak performance by Manmo: Double Blow (~20-~40), physical (~50),
and Quake (~30). As for Garr, he's dealing a much more comfortable ~400
damage, and only has to heal below ~150 HP.
``````````````````````````````
*********************
*XXXXVI. 5 Sample 8s*
*********************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Protectors, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Ivory Charm,
Titan Belt
Strategy: Here are 5 Rockies. More Magma Breath action for the Pygmy! :D
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Protectors, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots, Light
Bangle
Strategy: Weretiger -> Dead chickens.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: A couple Siroccos should finish 5 Rockies.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Wisdom Ring,
Spirit Ring
Strategy: Ragnarok. The end.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Speed Boots
Strategy: Two of Peco's patented breath attacks should wipe them away.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Flying Spear, Protectors, Sun Mask, Light Clothing, Light Bangle,
Wisdom Ring
Strategy: 2 Infernos (Trust me, even Garr's magic can kill off the Rockies)
-> Death.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXXVII. Sample 9*
*******************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 44
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Titan Belt,
Titan Belt
Strategy: Gaist returns for more punishment (no torches this time though).
Just defeat him the same way you did last time.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Soul Gem,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Weretiger -> 1200+ damage to Gaist.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: Simply Myollnir Gaist to his grave... again.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Sanctuary will nullify your stat-up spells, so don't waste your time
trying. You don't need them anyway. Non-boosted attacking will still kill
Gaist in a few turns.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Speed
Boots, Ring of Fire
Strategy: >.> Gaist certainly dies quickly. You only need attack him a few
times before he croaks.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Garr's attack = ~350 damage. Bah, I didn't get numbers on Risky
Blow, precisely because its accuracy stinks so it never hit me, but I doubt
it's deadly. >_>
``````````````````````````````
******************************
*XXXXVIII. Samples 10, 11, 12*
******************************
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 42
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: These are 3 differently colored Stallions. In addition to their old
attacks each one has an attack accompanying its own element. The red (fire)
Stallion has Fireblast, the white (ice) Stallion has Iceblast, and the
black (lightning) Stallion has Jolt(?). Take out the red and white
Stallions as a warrior, but then Restore Form, so you can temporarily
change the Royal Sword to a non-elemental weapon to fight the black
Stallion.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: Kill them in order of 10, 12, 11 and healed at ~100 HP. You might as
well defeat 11 last, as his primary spell *is* nullified.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: Blunt the 3 Stallions each twice. Then, because 3 Barriers were cast
on Sample 10, the ice elemental Stallion, attack with Blizzard. Remember to
heal inbetween when you're at one-half HP, and, when Samples 11 and 12
deviate from the elemental spell casting, start healing at a higher
minimum. Continue the pattern until either Sample 11 or Sample 12 is
defeated. Then Iceblast the remaining one (If at any time during this
process you run out of AP, only use a Black Porgy.). Now, for Sample 10,
cast a few Weakens on him, switch the Wisdom Ring for a Titan Belt, and
eliminate him physically.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Simple enough. Start with Speeds, Protects, and Mights and destroy
them in order of most to least powerful, or Sample 10, Sample 12, and Sample
11. Just watch out for their physicals.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Titan Belt
Strategy: A long, yet easy battle: Attack them individually until their deaths
in ascending numerical order, using MultiVitamins at ~100 HP.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 47
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Artemis' Cap
Strategy: Attack them in order of 10, 12, then 11 (again, 11 being last for
obvious reasons) for usually 200+. Otherwise, MultiVitamin at/below 200 HP.
``````````````````````````````
This is it. Make sure you're well stocked and powerful enough to fight the
final boss.
``````````````````````````````
******************************************************************************
*IL.Myria *
* *
*HP~20000 *
*Attacks: Inferno, Myollnir, Blizzard, Restore, Sirocco, Sanctuary, Evil Eye,*
* Death, Venom, Holocaust *
******************************************************************************
As you may have noticed (if you've viewed this part of the guide in the past),
I've only divided *some* of these strategies into "phases." Why not all of
them? It's actually rather simple; the very battle for the given character
radically changes to the point that the previous strategy is no longer
sufficient. Plus it's just easier for me to make notations on possible worries
or troubleshooting that could plague you, although it's still the same reason:
that problem would only come up for that character at those given moments and
not for the other characters. So, for those of you who had been wondering...
that's why.
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 45
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: I've never advised you to use this form as of yet, but never before
has it so been needed: Quickly transform into the Tiamat. The Tiamat is
absolutely perfect for this battle. It has a huge attack, high HP and defense,
small AP cost, and, best of all, immunity to status attacks (Evil Eye and
Venom) and Death! Myria will waste countless turns trying to cast these three
spells on you while you pound away at her! Once your form is broken by either
Myria or lack of AP, use a couple Wisdom Fruits, and transform into the Tiamat
again. Just keep pounding at her and eventually ultimate victory will be
yours!
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Holy Avenger, Aries Gloves, Sun Mask, Burglar Garb, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: This was it. *anticipation building* Oh, just to give you a better
picture of my experience, I'll cut this down into three phases:
Phase 1: The Wasteful Goddess- Phase 1 will be gentle enough. Her physical
won't be much of a problem (it maxes out at ~120), as Rei dodges many of her
strikes anyway. Most of her skills are pretty wimpy as well, and she
squanders many of her turns via nulled Evil Eyes, Venoms, and elemental magic.
Phase 2: Introduction of Myria's Ultimate Attack... And Some Healing Too-
Phase 2 will be pretty slow. She now freqently casts Restore, and you'll only
be slowed down by the gradually increasing casts of Holocaust.
Phase 3: The Unbridled, Relentless Death-Machine- By this point, Myria just
starts spamming Holocaust, often in chains ranging from two to four times
consecutively. Her "useless" attacks will almost stop, as well as Restore,
and she'll unleash Death (which is fortunately nulled). However, as Rei will
have the Agility advantage, you could always get in one jab before you need to
heal. Continue your assault and finally the long, perilous battle will end;
you, the victor.
WARNING: Wondering why I didn't suggest Life Armor? I tried battling her with
it on. It didn't work out. I wasn't guaranteed to act before she did and thus
could have been killed when I was healing. I wasn't sure of the difference
between our Agility either, so, rather than level, I traded 16 Defense points
for 13 Agility Points via the Burglar Garb. I was guaranteed to outrun her,
and all could proceed undisturbed.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 55+
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Diana's Dress, Ivory
Charm, Wisdom Ring
Strategy: I won't blame you for leveling up to 60. This final battle may seem
almost impossible at 50. Not only is the goddess faster than you, but also her
physical attack is lethal, usually knocking off at least one-half your HP.
Her magic attacks do considerably less damage though (except Holocaust) but
still add to the bon fire. The best opportunitites for the [approximately]
100 Myollnirs you will need to win is after Venom, Evil Eye, or Death, as
they are blocked by this set. However, as the battle progresses, Myria gives
you less opportunities to get in a few hits. To make it even worse, she even
heals away the damage you inflict thanks to her Restore. Good luck and welcome
to heck.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Force Armor, Artemis' Cap,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: This battle took place in 3 phases. I'm going to cut it down phase
by phase; they share the same names as those of Rei's: "Phase 1: The Wasteful
Goddess", "Phase 2: Introduction of Myria's Ultimate Attack... And Some
Healing Too", and "Phase 3: The Unbridled, Relentless Death-Machine".
Phase 1: Myria sticks with Venom, Evil Eye (the 2 worthless as they
are blocked), Blizzard, Inferno, (these 2 are nothing thanks to Ivory Charm)
Sanctuary, and a deadly physical. Since Sanctuary will cancel out any major
status building you try, choose one stat-up spell to cast once. The best
choice is actually Speed. It allows your healing spells to almost always take
effect before Myria has chance to attack, so you can more economically use
your turns since you know exactly when to heal. Even if Myria casts
Sanctuary, if you have 130+ HP, you can cast Speed again, endure a potential
max damage physical, and Rejuvenate back to max HP. The only drawback of
this phase is that you only inflict an average 200 damage... whenever you hit.
Phase 2: This is the most annoying of the phases. Slowly shifting away from
status attacks and stat boost nullification, Myria pulls out Holocaust (which
Ivory Charm does **** for) and the detested Restore (which heals a little</pre><pre id="faqspan-6">
less than 2 of your successful attacks). You rarely ever get a chance to
attack as most of your turns are spent healing or recasting Speed, and, of
course, your accuracy is still ****, so, considering all these factors, it's
needless to say that progress is slow.
Phase 3: At this point, Myria has almost completely shifted towards direct
offense. Somewhere between Phase 2 and 3 she pulls out Myollnir... >_> <_<
Every once of a while she pulls out Venom as well, but Evil Eye and Sanctuary
stop appearing. This is your opportunity to pull out several stacked Protects
and Mights. Your attacks now inflict 500+ damage... at least every time
you hit. Not even Death, the final spell she unleashes, is a problem, yet
again thanks to your Ivory Charm. Now, that you're powered up and prepared
for anything she can do, finish Myria off.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Dragonfang, Protectors, Tiger's Cap, Amber Breastplate, Ivory
Charm, Ivory Charm
Strategy: What a pitiful display on Myria's part -_- ... well, at least it's
only easier for you. This setup gives Peco full status and elemental
protection, but unfortunately Myria's strongest attacks, her physical and
Holocaust, remain. Even those, however, are nothing to Peco as they max out at
~120 damage! Heh, all you have to do is MultiVitamin around and below 220 HP
(Note: 220 HP, an incredibly easy number to work with, is actually for
maximum safety! Though that was probably obvious. >.> I just felt like making
note of it.) and pound away at her while she *utilizes* weak or useless skills
and the ocassional Restore in some vain attempt to actually win. In
conclusion, I reiterate my opening statement *points to beginning of
paragraph*. Congrats.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Beast Spear, Giant Shield, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Ivory Charm,
Ivory Charm
Strategy: *breaks the battle down into three phases*
Phase 1: Typical maximums: Sirocco (0), Blizzard (0), Inferno (0), Venom
(nulled), Evil Eye (nulled), physical (~90). Yeah... with Garr's massive 300+
HP count and ~200 attacks, Phase 1 passes by quickly. You only have to heal at
~190 HP early on... but should raise that bar a little bit in preparation for
Phase 2.
Phase 2: Holocaust arrives with authority (max = ~120) smashing into Garr.
Restore as usual lengthens the battle big time, but she doesn't use it that
much at all (yay).
Phase 3: Death isn't a problem, but the battle is still slow, particlarly due
to her spamming Holocaust. Twenty consecutive Holocausts can really slow down
progress (I should know -_-). Eventually, victory is yours, but beware: this
nut takes a while to crack.
``````````````````````````````
If you've made it to this point, then you've won! Congratulations! Try
another SSCC if you like. Hopefully, it will be more challenging than the
last... *screen fades out*
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #8- "Secondary" SSCCs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, I call these "secondary" because essentially these are SSCCs of the other
characters with additional conditions. As there are a near limitless number of
these, I won't be doing these. However, anyone else who has an idea for one
and would like to do one, feel free. In fact, send me the information about it
in case someone else should like to do it.
Feel like playing through as Ryu without Accession or with only mandatory
genes? Go ahead. Think you can play using only one specific dragon form
for every battle? Try it. Want to play as Momo without any stat boosting
spells? Give it a shot. Whatever you can think of, whatever you'd like
to do, try it and send the results back to me. This section is where it'll
go.
Concerning dragon forms breaking, this is my judgment call on the issue
(thanks to Magus Xenos for the idea, BTW): The dragon form may be broken an
unlimited number of times (via HP or AP), but in his reverted state, the Soul
Gem rule will apply again (2 Soul Gems for base Ryu). However, there's one
catch which completely removes all the cheapness from it: While base Ryu can
heal his AP and status all he wants, under no condition is he to restore his
HP. Considering the haste you'll be making, I doubt you'll do this, but base
Ryu may not take any form of offensive action against the enemy either at this
time of AP restoration. A couple more notes: There are no equipment
limitations for Ryu in this type of challenge, and I advise you choose your
equipment based off of the form you've chosen (though that was probably fairly
obvious).
Check the FAQ section for any questions that are unanswered here.
Without further ado, I proudly present the first dragon SSCC, completed by
none other than myself.
!!!!!!!!
!Tiamat!
!!!!!!!!
------------------------
Summary of Pros and Cons
------------------------
Pros
----
High HP, PWR, and DEF *Without* a Significant Loss in AGL
Good Forms of ST and MT Damage
100% Status and Death Immunity
Total Earth-Elemental Immunity
Instant-Death Capabilities
Low AP Cost
Cons
----
Mediocre INT (-> Magic Defense)
No Forms of Healing
Venom Breath Has Nary a Use
----------
Notes/Tips
----------
"Wussy serpents of old, stand aside for this tank." This coiled,
party-consumer isn't quite as physically-set as its competitor, the Behemoth
class, but Tiamats can still certainly hold their own. Heck, their AGL and AP
expenditure (13 to transform, 7 to maintain per turn) is much better than the
Behemoth-class's to boot, although both their INT (namely Magic Defense)
leaves something to be desired.
"*Strong* versatility in damage = good." In addition to his incredibly strong
physical, Doom Breath's non-elemental MT damage works on a much higher % than
regular breath attacks, making it an excellent skill.
"Be gone, feeble randoms!" Shadow Breath is a very pretty thing. Granted, it
only works on non-immune, biological targets, but it's nevertheless a great
field-clearing ability.
"But vice versa does not necessarily apply..." The beauty of Tiamat, its crown
jewel, if you will, of its greatness: Total status and death immunity,
protecting against anything from stat-downs to negative statuses and instant
death spells. The *only* exception is, yes, you guessed it, the evil incarnate
melee skill, Paralyzer, which overrides the immunity because the melee and
status aspects of the skill are intrinsically attached and the game gave
emphasis to the physical part, meaning paralysis comes along with it by
default. But you've probably heard me rant about Paralyzer before; you'll
see the Tiamat strategy for it later.
"Big-*** Snake: Take flight!" I only recently discovered this little tidbit
(when playing through this SSCC in fact), but Tiamat is a floating target,
apparently (which would make sense considering that he, ya know, is floating
on the field >_>), which grants him complete immunity to Earth-elemental
strikes... even if there aren't even a handful, without any elemental
compromises.
"More a hampering obstacle than an inhibiting one:" Venom Breath- You know it,
and you hate it. Why? It sucks, and I doubt anyone will argue otherwise. And
for those of you who dare to, let me kindly redirect you to my refutation of
Venom Breath's abilities listed under the Peco evaluation. Otherwise, the lack
of any form of healing (no spells and a locked item bag) is the only other
problem, but the rules of dragon SSCCs hardly make it any more than a
nuisance.
-------------
Spell Reviews
-------------
-Doom Breath-
Rating: *****
Type: DRAGON (ATTACK)
Description: Neutral; damage altered by HP
AP Consumed: 0
Commentary: Tiamat's staple ability, which you'll be using in at least 70%
(closer to 80%, methinks) of all random encounters. The cool part is that Doom
Breath's damage is both neutral-elemental and works on a much higher % curve
of his own maxHP (as mentioned before >_>), so you'll get a heck of allot of
damage out of it, usually enough for OHKOs against any and all opposition.
-Shadow Breath-
Rating: ***
Type: DRAGON (ATTACK)
Description: Death vs. all targets
AP Consumed: 0
Commentary: Shadow Breath's not a *bad* skill; it really isn't. It's just that
too many enemy units are either non-biological or immune, not to mention that
Shadow Breath's accuracy seems to also be dependent on the ratio between
currentHP/maxHP of many enemies. As a result, few enemy targets are suitable
targets. The good news: Usually the ones that *can* be hit appear in groups.
-Venom Breath-
Rating: **
Type: DRAGON (ATTACK)
Description: Poisons all targets
AP Consumed: 3
Commentary: Do I really need to go into this? Non-lethal, little actual damage
per turn, so-so accuracy, AP consumption, and only a prolonged maintenance of
the status having an effect ruins the usefulness of Venom Breath, if there
ever was any. As I said with Peco, two stars is *very* generous.
-Restore Form-
Rating: **
Type: DRAGON (Neutral)
Description: N/A (Reverts back to base form)
AP Consumed: 0
Commentary: Given the nature of dragon SSCCs and Tiamat's status immunity,
there's very few good reasons you for you to revert (unless you got hit with an
insurmountable negative status while transforming), other than the Sample 10,
11, and 12 fight, but only to change weapons.
----------------
Final Evaluation
----------------
Difficulty for character- Very Easy
Due to the sheer shortness of his SSCC in addition to his sheer brokenness, the
Tiamat SSCC is a cakewalk.
===========
Walkthrough
===========
Your starting point is the Steel Grave (technically, Lost Shore Yggdrasil Tree
but you know what I mean).
And Tiamat starts out with a "Bang!", OHKOing all the randoms in Steel Grave
with Doom Breath (~200-~270).
Unfortunately, you need to actually think in Colony, as Doom Breath only
OHKOs 90% of randoms *rolls eyes as if 90% weren't satisfactory* Shadow Breath
is preferable against Codgers, while Doom Breath pretty much nukes everything
else, bar the highest HP Toxic Men, who are picked off on the EX turns *hugs
Speed Boots*.
Relay Point A: **** Tankbots, always appearing with enemies who you should
Shadow Breath to death. Shadow Breath doesn't get to see as much time as it
should, so Doom Breath is your staple skill here.
In Dragnier, yeah, Accession's locked for Elder, so on to Factory!
With Speed Boots x2, EX turns are guarantteed against all but the swiftest
of foes, and Doom Breath fachizzeled most in two turns.
As for the DoD, dual Speed Boots again give you EX turns against all (this
time, minus Crab-types, but after level-ups, Tiamat indeed receives EX turns
against everyone). Again, Doom Breath destroys all.
``````````````````````````````
*************
*XXXV. Manmo*
*************
Level: 38
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Lacquer Shield, Lacquer Helmet, Life Armor, Titan
Belt, Titan Belt
Strategy: Given Manmo's all physical (minus Quake, which is useless against a
flying character like Tiamat) and Tiamat's uber-defense, you'll have no
problems as you blow ~580-~730 holes in him.
``````````````````````````````
The worker and lab areas aren't too bad, but you're forced to switch to
Defense Form and stick on a Light Bangle and Ivory Charm before transforming,
as Attack Form w/o said equipment *will* get you annihilated. The only
problems even with the precautions taken are Drake groups, with their breath
attacks hitting Ryu and Tiamat alike for 100+ damage. Speed Boots x2 on when
fighting nothing but Drake groups, always.
``````````````````````````````
****************
*XXXVI. Chimera*
****************
Level: 40
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Mind Shield, Sun Mask, Life Armor, Speed Boots, Titan
Belt
Strategy: EXCEPTION. **** you, Chimera, with your Paralyzer! Not even Tiamat
can get by you unscathed! The good news is, getting hit by Paralyzer does
*not* mean a Game Over for our party-consumer. The bad news is that Tiamat
just sits there until his AP is no more, reverts, and then it's Game Over due
to your dead comrades. Therefore, as usual, allies must be kept alive in this
match. Pretty much identical to the usual "EXCEPTION" instated in this battle-
your other two PCs can only use Panaceas on Ryu and heal/support themselves,
nothing more. As for Ryu himself, once he's unfrozen, continue only giving him
a Black Porgy/Wisdom Seed; he'll get in, at most, two solid attacks as Tiamat
and won't run the risk of wasting nearly 100 AP if he gets hit by Paralyzer.
However, whenever Ryu's in human form and not about to transform, Ivory Charm
and Soul Gem are a must, as Chimera will make Ryu pay badly for keeping those
Speed Boots on. Tiamat smacks Chimera for ~500-~800 damage a hit, but those
elemental spells can vary in damage (usually around 50ish, but then again, I
want him to use those rather than Paralyzer). Most importantly, the two PCs
with Ryu must possess high AGL or some Speed Boots to make up the difference.
At the very least, they've gotta outrun Chimera. PS: Many Black Porgies are a
must, and optimize the other two PC's equipment, lest that ruin their chances
of outrunning Chimera.
``````````````````````````````
Randoms, randoms @_@. Doom Breath yet again annihilates all the enemies in
Eden and Ryu's Dream (physicaled the Foul Weeds). Only run from Thanatos,
since you don't want to be Leech Power'd and have to waste an AP restorative.
Overall, easier than the Laboratory Area randoms.
``````````````````````````````
***************
*XXXVII. Arwan*
***************
Level: 41
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Blizzard and Chill are his worst attacks, hitting for around ~50
while Sleep and his physical you may haughtily laugh at as you slowly crush
him for ~200-~300 a strike.
``````````````````````````````
**********************
*XXXVIII. Dragon Lord*
**********************
Level: 42
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Finally, the Dragon Lord. Surprisingly, there's not much to mention
here. After a quick Wisdom Fruit to regain all the AP you've lost against
Arwan, transform and tear away at Teepo for ~500-~700 a hit. His attacks:
Blizzard ~80, Inferno ~70, Sirocco ~90, physical ~20, Triple Blow ~100 (MDP),
Howling (*chuckles*). You'll probably only revert once (by HP) but immediately
retransform without raising AP and finish him off before that yellow AP bar
goes red.
``````````````````````````````
Myria Station, Final Area randoms: Um, Tiamat physicals pretty much OHKOs all
but the Goo Kings. Doom Breath is actually somewhat inefficient. O_o
``````````````````````````````
*********************
*XXXXVI. 5 Sample 8s*
*********************
Level: 42
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: A Doom Breath during the EX turn followed by a second during the
regular turn finishes these chickens off.
``````````````````````````````
******************************
*XXXXVIII. Samples 10, 11, 12*
******************************
Level: 42
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Doom Breath (~230 on all) near maxHP inflicts around as much damage
as a physical on one (~550-~800), so take them down one-by-one. Sample 10 goes
first because Iceblast hurts the most (~50). Next to die is Sample 11, even
though Fireblast hurts the least (~20). You'll have to revert due to HP once,
but immediately retransform and finish the Flame Stallion. Afterwards, Restore
Form and switch out the Royal Sword for the Dragon Blade and take down the
Lightninging (~30) Sample 12 with a somewhat weaker physical (~450). Utmost
Attack- ~30, physical (~15)
``````````````````````````````
******************
*XXXXII. Sample 4*
******************
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Bwhaha. The legendary Sample 4 reduced to a mere laughing stock.
Evil Eye is of course ineffective and his physicals amount to nothing more
than at most ~15 a hit. My physical- ~500-~700 a hit. *derides the dodo*
``````````````````````````````
*****************
*XXXXV. Sample 7*
*****************
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: At its core, a carbon copy of the last battle, except that this
skirmish is much shorter.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXX. 2 Sample 2s*
*******************
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragon Blade, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed
Boots, Speed Boots
Strategy: Thanks to the Flame-elemental Dragon Blade, you'll finish these
slugs in no time. THKOs (~1000 a hit) are the way to go.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXXIII. Sample 5*
*******************
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragon Blade, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed
Boots, Speed Boots
Strategy: Thunder Clap is the only thing that hurt (~60). Otherwise, Dragon
Blade *shakes fist at Angler's Thunder-elemental-ness* hits Angler for, you
guessed it, ~500-~700 damage.
``````````````````````````````
*********************
*XXXXIV. 2 Sample 6s*
*********************
Level: 43
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Nothing really hurt here. Heck, you'll kill them before they can get
into any of their better attack phases, not that it would have made a
difference *Rei shrug*. Thanks now to the Thunder-elemental Royal Sword,
~1200-~1400 strikes kill the Ammonites quickly.
``````````````````````````````
********************
*XXXIX. 3 Sample 1s*
********************
Level: 44
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Doom Breath -> OHKO on Nues (~350 on all)
``````````````````````````````
********************
*XXXXI. 2 Sample 3s*
********************
Level: 44
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Mikba's physical (~15) isn't a problem, but Lucky Strike (~60-~70)
can really hurt, especially considering his Reprisal rate. Fortunately, the
facts that you have EX turns on them (and can use them with my ~400-~600
attacks) and that Venom Breath, Quake, and Resist all do *literally* nothing
for them makes the whole Lucky Strike point almost moot.
``````````````````````````````
*******************
*XXXXVII. Sample 9*
*******************
Level: 44
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: A physical (~400) followed by a critical (~1100) vaporizes him in a
flash. ... Eh, *shrugs* his attacks don't matter; not like any of them would
even come close to fatal.
``````````````````````````````
***********
*IL. Myria*
***********
Level: 45
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Speed Boots,
Speed Boots
Strategy: Sorry to make the conclusion of the Tiamat SSCC so anti-climactic,
but... um... >_> *points to the strategy for a regular Ryu SSCC*
``````````````````````````````
Congratulations on completing the Tiamat SSCC!
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #9- Stall Points
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whenever "only" is used, it means that the character is lost for that battle
and regained immediately afterwards.
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Beginning to end. Clean and cut.
!!!!!!!
!Teepo!
!!!!!!!
First Gained- Child Ryu's arrival in McNeil.
Lost Permanently- After Balio & Sunder battle in Cedar Woods.
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
First Gained- Child Ryu's arrival in McNeil.
Lost- After group's capture by Bunyan.
Gained- Battle #1 with Nue.
Lost- Entrance into McNeil's House.
Gained- McNeil's house's roof.
Lost- After Balio & Sunder battle in Cedar Woods.
Gained- Adult Ryu's battle with Mikba.
Lost only for battle against Gaist and 2 Torches.
Lost- Adult Ryu's dream sequence.
Gained- Battle with Dragon Lord.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
First gained- After Balio & Sunder battle in the basement of Wyndia Castle.
Lost only for battle against Garr in Contest of Champions.
Lost- Battle with Garr at Angel Tower.
Gained- Arrival of adult Ryu at McNeil Manor.
Lost only for battle against Gaist and 2 Torches.
Lost- Adult Ryu's dream sequence.
Gained- Battle with Dragon Lord.
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
First Gained- Child Ryu in higher levels of her Tower.
Lost only for battle against Garr in Contest of Champions.
Lost- Battle with Garr at Angel Tower.
Gained- Arrival of adult Ryu at Plant.
Lost only for battle against Gaist and 2 Torches.
Lost- Arrival at Dock by Junk Town.
Gained- After fixing the Porter's Guild's ship.
Lost- Adult Ryu's dream sequence.
Gained- Battle with Dragon Lord.
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
First Gained- After defeat of Mutant.
Lost only for battle against Garr in Contest of Champions.
Lost only for battle with Dolphin.
Lost- Battle with Garr at Angel Tower.
Gained- Arrival of adult Ryu at Ygdrasil tree by Plant after gaining Momo.
Lost only for battle against Gaist and 2 Torches.
Lost- Adult Ryu's dream sequence.
Gained- Battle with Dragon Lord.
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
First Gained- After Tournament of Champions in Genmel.
Lost only for battle with Dolphin.
Lost only for battle against Gaist and 2 Torches.
Lost- Adult Ryu's dream sequence.
Gained- Battle with Dragon Lord.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #10- Faerie Village
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Faerie Village is another saving grace in the SSCCs.
Of course, your first priority should be the development of the village, but
these are your next important priorities.
A Distant Expedition post with 3 Faeries: the sacred and mighty Ivory Charm.
This is the easiest method to get your hands on it. It is imperative that
you get an Ivory Charm as soon as possible. Other items of note include Momo's
Ghostbuster and Wisdom Fruits.
Next, establish 3 merchants' shops each with 3 faeries. Set up a "Speed"
Item Shop, an "Ability" Handyman Shop", and an "Ability" Weapon Shop. Through
these shops, you gain access to Nina's Ouroboros, an endless supply of Soul
Gems, AmberB Plate, an early supply of MultiVitamins, etc.
Here is where you make your own decision. You can choose between a couple
full Gift Shops and a full Copy Shop, or 3 full Gift Shops (or maybe just
switch between them). Why? For more Wisdom Fruits, at least for the characters
who need Wisdom fruits anyway... The Gift Shop is more dependable but slower
than the Copy Shop. Believe it or not, the Spirit Ring won't be a reason for
establishing the Gift Shop. Many of you may prefer the Copy Shop though as
you can [obviously] accumulate needed items other than Wisdom Fruits.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #11- The Fish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alright, this is simple enough. This brief section explains the usefullness of
each fish. I'll use the same star and review system as I did with characters'
spells. I'll cut each fish down into "Field/Battle" use, which discusses the
fish's use as a usable item, and "Other", which obviously mentions the fish's
other uses.
1) Jellyfish - Restores 1 HP - Single Target
Field/Battle: *
This item is totally and completely useless. The end.
Other: *
This thing doesn't even sell well.
2) Pirana - Restores 20 HP - Single Target
Field/Battle: **
Minor HP restoration. At the time you're fishing for one, it's still not
useful though due to its financial contributions.
Other: **
It sells much better. You can buy better healing items with the money. Trade
it for an early higher level lure.
3) Puffer - Flame Attack - Single Target
Field/Battle: *
You can't use it anyway due to the fact that it's an attack item.
Other: **
Sell it for cash. Also, you can trade for an early higher level lure.
4) Trout - Restores 40 HP - Single Target
Field/Battle: **
An OK healing item.
Other: ***
You can buy several Healing Herbs with a sold trout. A much better deal.
Not to mention it's used in a trade for an early Silver Knife with Manillo.
5) Rainbow Trout - Restores 5 AP - Single Target
Field/Battle: ***
AP restoratives are always welcome, especially such an early one.
Other: ***
It's worth quite a bit in shops... early on anyway, and it's also involved
in the trade for an early Silver Knife.
6) Red Catfish - Earthquake - All Targets
Field/Battle: *
An attack item. -_-
Other: ***
It's part of a trade for a Katzbalger. That's the only important use.
7) Bass - Restores 80 HP - Single Target
Field/Battle: **
A decent HP restorative.
Other: **
It sells pretty well. You can buy superior Vitamin(s). Plus the trade for a
Laurel.
8) Martian Squid - Induces Blindness - Single Target
Field/Battle: *
Another attack item. Sorry.
Other: ***
It's part of the trade for the maximum level lures.
9) Black Bass - Restores 80 HP - All Targets
Field/Battle: **
As this heals the whole party, you're probably not going to use this, but,
if you want, go ahead.
Other: ***
Part of the trade for the almighty Speed Boots, a Katzbalger, and Laurel.
10) Barandy - Restores 240 HP - All Targets
Field/Battle: ***
A rather strong healing item, though I'd prefer a MultiVitamin.
Other: ****
Katzbalger, Laurel, Speed Boots, Royal Sword, and Life Armor, this is
involved in many of the greatest trades.
11) Man O' War - Restores 1 HP - Single Target
Battle/Field: *
See Jellyfish.
Other: *
See Jellyfish.
12) Flying Fish - Restores 20 HP - Single Target
Battle/Field: **
Mediocre healing item.
Other: ***
Part of the trade for the critical Crepe Cape. Also used in trade for
higher level lures. Or just sell it for cash.
13) Blowfish - Cures Poison - Single Target
Battle/Field: **
This is OK. Though it's ultimately more expensive than an Antidote.
Other: ***
Sold for cash or traded for higher level lures.
14) Sea Bream - Restores 5 AP - Single Target
Field/Battle: **
An AP restorative, but very obsolete by the time you can first catch it.
Other: ***
Traded for an early Wisdom Ring or higher level lures.
15) Sea Bass - Restores 80 HP - Single Target
Field/Battle: **
An OK healing item. Preferable is a Vitamin.
Other: **
The best you can do with this fish is sell it.
16) Black Porgy - Restores 20 AP - Single Target
Field/Battle: *****
This is truly a spectacular item. For AP dependent characters, this fish's
usefullness cannot possibly be understated.
Other: ***
Involved in the trade for the Crepe Cape and the Wisdom Ring.
17) Octopus - Induces Blindness - All Targets
Field/Battle: *
Attack item. -_-
Other: ***
Used in trades for higher level lures and, later on, maximum level lures.
18) Angler - Earthquake - All Targets
Field/Battle: *
Another attack item. -_-
Other: ***
Other than the Wisdom Ring trade, nothing really...
19) Devilfish - Electric Attack - Single Attack
Field/Battle: *
Another... attack... item. V_V
Other: ***
Used in trades for maximum level lures and Speed Boots.
20) Spearfish - Restores 240 HP - All Targets
Field/Battle: ***
A rather strong healing item, though I'd prefer a MultiVitamin.
Other: ***
Used in trades for a Royal Sword and Life Armor.
21) Whale - Restores All HP/Status - All Targets
Field/Battle: ****
It also heals status on top of restoring all HP. Though it's intended for a
whole party, it works wonders on a single character too.
Other: ***
Used in trades for a Royal Sword and Life Armor.
22) Mackerel - Used To Make Shisu - (No Field/Battle Use)
Field/Battle: 0
..
Other: **
Other than the shisu-making quest, that's its only real use.
23) Manillo - Trader - (No Field/Battle Use)
Field/Battle: 0
..
Other: *****
Of course, without Manillo, all the important, above-mentioned trades
would have been impossible.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #12- The Lavaman Trick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, I've done some research on this subject and concluded that it's not really
worth the trouble. Let's take the example of Ryu:
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Defense
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life Armor, Ivory
Charm, Soul Gem
Strategy: I started off by transforming into a Behemoth with
Miracle+Flame+Thorn. I then successfully attacked the Lavaman with Flame Claw
8 times before I ran out of AP and reverted form. At this point, the Lavaman
would randomly switch between casting Inferno and attacking (the latter would
kill me in 1 hit). I then used Bonebreak to defeat him and received
approximately 4000 experience from him.
Note that after 8 flame elemental attacks on the Lavaman, he could kill
Ryu in one hit. *I doubt* the other characters would fare as well against him.
The Behemoth took at least 200 damage per attack from the Lavaman. The other
characters would need to be extraordinarily lucky to survive long enough to
get the potential 65535 experience out of him (remember that you're limited
to 2 Soul Gems).
In addition to this, the level of strength recquired to survive is likely
above the level limit anyway. It's really not worth the trouble involved to
get the 65535 experience, at least for most of the characters. I'll consider
looking into a little more, but I think this will be my final mention of the
matter.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #13- Archmage & Berserker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know what you're thinking: "WTF are you talking about, Palth? Archmage &
Berserker in an SSCC?! You've got to be kidding?! They'd pound me into the
ground!" Well... maybe they will, maybe they won't. I know not all 12
scenarios are possible, but I know with 100% certainty that some of them are
(5ish). Keep in mind that, if a scenario is possible for a certain character
and you're playing the SSCC for that character, then to get true 100%
completion of the SSCC you are obligated to fight that battle.
Here's all the info I've acquired:
--------
Archmage: 3000 HP; Attacks: Blizzard, Myollnir, Mind Sword
--------
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Attack
Party: Rei, (irrelevant)
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life
Armor, Ivory Charm, Soul Gem
Strategy: Tell Rei to use Jolt to kill off the other party members, tell Ryu
to use an Hourglass, and tell [someone] to attack him/herself. Hopefully,
Archmage will kill off either Rei or [someone] rather than Ryu. If all goes
well, this should be how the remainder of the battle should commence:
Turn 1: Hourglass
Turn 2: Switch Ivory Charm and Soul Gem for 2 Titan Belts; Attack
Turn 3: Attack
Turn 4: Hourglass
Turn 5: Attack
Turn 6: Attack
Turn 7: Hourglass
Turn 8: Attack
Turn 9: Attack
Turn 10: Hourglass
Turn 11: Accession into IRT Kaiser
Turn 12: Kaiser Breath
Turn 13: (if he's not already dead) Kaiser Breath
Before anybody asks, I'll answer the question: "Why didn't you use an IRT
Kaiser's Bonebreak?" I didn't use it the last turn because it wasn't
necessary for the kill. In fact, it would have just been overkill.
I didn't use it earlier because... well... I don't really have a reason
for that. I didn't use it to start the battle because it wouldn't have
been enough for the kill. I've used IRT Kaiser's Bonebreak on Archmage
before under the exact same conditions, and it inflicted a little less than
1/2 his total HP, otherwise a little less than 1500 HP (I think about 1300
or 1400 damage to be precise). Not enough for the kill.
Anyway, it should be pretty obvious that this battle was incredibly easy
(and cheap >_> <_<).
!!!!!
!Rei!
!!!!!
Level: 44
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Slicer, Speed Boots, Soul Gem
Strategy: The equipment set here is intentionally light. Your goal is
basically to outrun Archmage in the first turn on which you use an
Hourglass. Then you change your equipment set to gear completely for PWR. As
for the rest, well, you'll see.
Turn 1: Hourglass
Turn 2: Change equipment to: Slicer, Aries Gloves, Tiger's Cap, Life Armor,
Titan Belt, Titan Belt; Attack -> ~200
Turn 3: Attack -> ~200
Turn 4: Hourglass
Turn 5: Attack -> ~200
Turn 6: Attack -> ~200
Turn 7: Hourglass
Turn 8: Attack -> ~200
Turn 9: Attack -> ~200
Turn 10: Hourglass
Turn 11: Weretiger
Turn 12: Attack -> ~850
Turn 13: Attack -> ~850
If you know any simple math, you see that those figures total up to ~2900,
not the ~3000 needed to kill Archmage. You'll also noticed that I've chosen
the "weaker" Slicer over the Piercing Edge. Why? I severely doubt that a few
points of PWR can make the difference needed to overcome Archmage. Rather, I
chose Slicer for its huge boost to Rei's critical rate. All that's needed to
win this battle is one critical anywhere. If any of those eight attacks,
hit as a critical, you're assured victory (unless Weretiger attacks your
allies, though I don't believe that's possible during an Hourglass... >_>)
Concerning the timing of all this, this setup is designed to beat Archmage
before you fight Chimera. There are four available Hourglasses before
Chimera, and the next Hourglass (or two >.>) only come after Dragon Lord,
and the Holy Avenger is needed before your battle against Teepo, so...
One final note: When I first fought "Rei vs. Archmage", I fought the battle
with three Hourglasses and got the critical as Weretiger (~1850!), so this
battle is still winnable with less than four Hourglasses.
I've finally gotten around to testing the other characters' chances against
Archmage, and, according to my calculations, other than Nina, all the
characters can theoretically defeat Archmage. Basically, you employ the
same strategy used for Ryu and Rei, minus transformations. I'll just list
the characters and damages they deal.
!!!!!!
!Nina!
!!!!!!
Level: 50
Formation: Normal
Equipment: Ouroboros, Spiked Gauntlets, Silver Tiara, Holy Robe, Wisdom Ring,
Soul Gem
Damage: ~150 (Myollnir) X 11 < 3000
!!!!!!
!Momo!
!!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Atomic Bomb, Mind Shield, Silver Tiara, Holy Robe, Artemis' Cap,
Soul Gem (later switched to a Titan Belt after the first Hourglass)
Damage: ~350 (Attack) X 11 > 3000
!!!!!!
!Peco!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Dragonfang, Spiked Gauntlets, UV Glasses, Amber Breastplate,
Artemis' Cap, Soul Gem (later switched to a Titan Belt after the first
Hourglass)
Damage: ~200 (Attack) X (11 - y) + ~400 (Critical hits) X (y) > 3000 (if
y > or = 4)
!!!!!!
!Garr!
!!!!!!
Level: 48
Formation: Attack
Equipment: Beast Spear, Spiked Gauntlets, Sun Mask, Gideon's Garb, Artemis'
Cap, Soul Gem (later switched to a Titan Belt after the first Hourglass)
Damage: ~350 (Attack) X 11 > 3000 (meh, no reason to consider criticals)
---------
Berserker: 15000 HP; Attacks: Fire Whip, Berserk
---------
!!!!!
!Ryu!
!!!!!
Level: 49
Formation: Attack
Party: Rei, (irrelevant)
Equipment: Royal Sword, Dragon Shield, Dragon Helmet, Life
Armor, Ivory Charm, Soul Gem
Strategy: The Berserker is the real problem for Ryu. Put succinctly, he
annihilated Ryu. It wasn't even close. Fortunately, I absorbed Fire Whip,
but his regular attack is what posed the real threat. Even on IRT Kaiser, it
inflicted over 200 damage, and most other dragon forms were killed from
just one hit. I even exceeded the Soul Gem limit, just to see how far I
would have to go using my method to defeat him. It actually went... ok...
until that is he used Berserk. After that, I never got another chance to
attack.
At one point, I had decided to stick with standard Kaiser (only Infinity;
both IRT and standard caused around 500 damage per attack) since I'll I'd
be doing is attacking anyway. As I mentioned, most other forms were killed
soon after transformation. That wasn't an effective method either.
The 4 Hourglasses weren't too big a help either. I've calculated that even
if I were to use them to their maximum damage potential, I probably
wouldn't even take out 1/3 of his 15000 HP. And then I'd be left with no
AP, and I'd be torn to shreds.
I've thought about switching to Defense Formation to considerably lessen the
damage, but that would also prolong the battle and during that time he
would assuredly eventually use Berserk. This means that I'd also be screwed
in Defense Formation.
I've also been considering using some form of a Behemoth (probably
involving the Flame gene, though for AP purposes, I might leave out
Thorn). I don't know how that will work out though.
I'm having this much trouble only with Ryu. I can just imagine how the
other characters will deal with this.
Anyway, I'm trying to figure out how to deal with Berserker (for now,
with Ryu anyway) and somehow stay within the boundaries of my own rules.
If anybody has any suggestions or if I've looked over anything, please feel
free to tell me. If nobody has any ideas, then I'll have to...
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #14- FAQs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Do you have a question this guide hasen't answered? Just ask me, I'll give
you your answer and post your question(s) here for anyone else who has a
similar question. Of course, your privacy will be protected. Unless you say so
otherwise, I will not display your name/e-mail address to public eyes.
-----------------------
Qs about Gameplay Rules
-----------------------
Q: Um... What's the deal with the formations? Shouldn't you only allow Normal
Formation since if your other characters weren't there like they're supposed
to be, that would be the only option for formation?
A: OK, you got me there. Putting into account the fact that you would only
have Normal Formation if you could have a 1 person party at all times,
allowing Attack and Defense Formations is also technically against the rules.
I bet now you're asking, "So why allow it?" Well, here's the blunt truth:
Without them, most of the SSCCs would be impossible. This especially applies
to Defense. The 50% Defense boost provided by that formation is critical for
success on several occasions. e.g. Almost all of Nina's battles. I try to look
at this way: Think of Attack and Defense Formations as Front and Back Row...
or as simply an aspect of the game since you have to have a three-person party
if you have three or more members in your group. It depends on how you look at
it really. You can call it cheap; I call it: making the impossible possible.
Only use Normal Formation if this bothers you. It doesn't make a difference to
me.
Q: What's with the hatred of attack items?
A: Do I really need to explain this? It's pretty simple. Many cheapos would
hoard attack items and use them to easily pass through an area. It's not
really sticking with the character's potential and the player's skill, is it?
Q: Exactly, what may I do and what may I not do during a stall point?
A: Obviously, your chosen character won't be present, so you can basically
play the game normally (masters, skills, stat boosters, etc. allowed for your
characters) until the character's return. Just bear in mind that some rules
will still remain in effect during the character's absence, but these are only
the ones meant to limit cheapness.
Let's take, for example, the copying of Hourglasses. Normally, that act would
not be allowed because it's entirely cheap. However, during a stall point,
you can create as many Hourglasses as you like, but you can't use any extra
created during the character's absence.
I think you get the point. Just don't be a cheap, loop-hole seeker, and you'll
be fine.
Q: Does the whole "Kill your other characters at the start of every battle"
thing apply when you're running away?
A: No, it does not. You can run without your other characters being dead.
Q: How exactly did you come to the number "2" as the maximum limit for Soul
Gems and Manly Clothes?
A: Admittedly, this number was chosen... er... almost completely arbitrarily.
Well, that's an exaggeration. There was some thought put behind deciding on
the number. Noting the number of accessory slots, estimating the number of
times a player would die (leaning more towards deaths beyond the player's
control), and pondering long and deep on the subject, I concluded that "2"
simply seemed to be the best choice, at least for this challenge.
To be quite honest though, it's quite difficult to clearly explain the choice,
especially considering that the actual function of automatic revival equipment
is in a constant state of flux: one moment it's there for seemingly no reason,
the next it's a safety net for mounting any attack, and another it's the only
thing keeping your sorry *** alive. It's... just hard to say...
------------------------
Qs about Gameplay Itself
------------------------
Q: Where can I power up Peco when I get him? He's at level 1, and all the
enemies in Eastern Wyndia are too strong for him.
A: Yeah, that is a bit of a problem, especially since you have to go straight
to the Tournament afterwards. The best place to power up before you go is
probably Meryleep's Forest. There are a few strong enemies there, but it
generally has the weakest enemies. You only encounter goo enemies there. Just
pray you don't encounter a Goo Titan... or, even worse, a Goo King, as they
both do very rarely do appear there. I've made note of it in the
Walkthrough.
----------------------
Qs about Contributions
----------------------
Q: I want to contribute to the guide. >_> What exactly are the specifications?
A: Not much really. The format as it is now is likely to be final, so follow
that. However, unless you're doing a Secondary SSCC, I won't be posting your
entire guide, primarily because there's more than a chance of redundancy.
Generally, simply record nearly everything you do of any consequence and send
me the data in a format so that I'll have to do as little work as possible.
Also, I'm taking this opportunity to note that I'm not really in a desperate
search for character reviews at all (again, unless Secondary), so don't send
me enitre character reviews, only points that I may have missed, and credit
will of course be given.
Q: Hey Palth, how does <insert idea here> SSCC sound?
A: Alright, now I'm going to make a brief list of what is and what is
not acceptable for an SSCC.
Ordinary character SSCCs with additional limitations are perfectly fine,
providing that they follow all the original rules as well.
Now, transformation only SSCCs, or using one transformation constantly for
every battle, are a different story.
First off, don't bother trying a Weretiger or Berserk Kaiser SSCCs. Have you
ever tried an Umaro SSCC or a Berserker SSCC. They're something like that. The
only part of "battling" that involves you is healing after battles, and for
the Berserk Kaiser this would involve a trendemous of AP restoration.
Concerning dragon forms breaking, this is my judgment call on the issue
(thanks to Magus Xenos for the idea, BTW): The dragon form may be broken an
unlimited number of times (via HP or AP), but in his reverted state, the Soul
Gem rule will apply again (2 Soul Gems for base Ryu). However, there's one
catch which completely removes all the cheapness from it: While base Ryu can
heal his AP and status all he wants, under no condition is he to restore his
HP. Considering the haste you'll be making, I doubt you'll do this, but base
Ryu may not take any form of offensive action against the enemy either at this
time of AP restoration. A couple more notes: There are no equipment
limitations for Ryu in this type of challenge, and I advise you choose your
equipment based off of the form you've chosen (though that was probably fairly
obvious). </copy and paste from Secondary SSCC section>
If you choose to write a Secondary SSCC, just follow the same format as with
the Primary SSCCs: Character Review, General Area/Enemy Strategies, Important
Tasks, and Boss Strategies.
Q: hay palth u dint put mine gide up? whats teh deel/
A: OK, that *points to question* is the deal. Try to read that "sentence" back
to me. For purposes of comparison, I've accepted a walkthrough which has good
information in it but has a horrible lack of grammar. I've posted the
original version of a review and my modified version by the same author. Use
that as an example of what not to follow in your grammatical format. Even
after I asked him to improve the grammar, he did not.
This is the last time I will accept anything of poor grammar. A few errors are
acceptable but many are not. Proofread and correct what you give me before you
give it to me. I don't have the time to be correcting what you should have
done yourself; that's your job. If you don't know how to make your material
look good grammatically, ask someone who can to proofread and correct it for
you.
Don't worry about the formatting. The format of this guide has been frequently
changing; I'll take care of that. Just worry about the content and the
grammar.
Understand that, if I do receive anything like the above question, I will
laugh... many, many times because you ignored my warning and swiftly toss your
contribution to the side.
Oh yeah, before anybody asks, please submit material to me as a txt file. It's
allot easier for me. Thanks.
-------------------------------------------
Qs on Miscellaneous yet Semi-Related Topics</pre><pre id="faqspan-7">
-------------------------------------------
Q: What other challenges are there for this game?
A: Glad you asked. Among others (to avoid seeming far too overly redudant,
I've removed the words "challenge" and "game" from the end of these):
Initial Equipment
No Equipment (First Victor - Best of the Worst)
No Masters
No Skills
Boss EXP. Only (First Victor - Mikhail)
Low Level (Check out my LLG guide, if you haven't already ;P)
Lowest Level (Mikhail's Current Project)
No Items
Only Items (First Victor - DavidK5)
Speed (Known Records: 11:31(!); 13:50 - DavidK5; 14:24- SharpPaper)
No Physicals
No Abilities
Only Physicals
Only Abilities
Only Skills
No Fishing
No Faerie Village
Natural Character
No Accession
No Weretiger
Single/Solo Character
(combinations of the above and other stuff that's not coming to mind >_>)
etc. (Yeah, I could probably keep going, but I'm too lazy)
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((()) ((())
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #15- Copyright Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This section is just some legal information.
This may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.
All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
This may be exhibited only within www.GameFAQs.com, www.neoseeker.com, and
www.dragon-tear.net.
( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( (
(u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u) (u)
(()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (()) (())
u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u)) u))
(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))(((u))
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Section #16- Credits
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to Capcom for making this game.
Thanks to GameFAQs and Neoseeker for featuring this BoF3 SSCC Guide.
Again, thanks to DavidK5. His FAQ has been critical in the completion of this
guide, and his comments are always helpful.
A tremendous thanks to Kusanagi. Our AIM chats really offered me with a great
number of possibilities for tackling scenarios. I got allot out of them.
Thanks, man.
Huge kudos to Jamerington for all his contributions.
Thanks to Magus Xenos for his alternate plan for dealing with dragon SSCCs.
You increased their endurance while maintaining the level of challengingness!
:D
Er... thanks, sorta, to Meeplelard, whose quotation style of notes and tips
for character I outright stole... >_> <_<
And here's a shout-out to Mikhail for the Nina vs. Dragon Lord strategy. I
know you put allot of work and testing into that strategy and it shows. Great
job.
Finally, if anyone has any questions, contributions, or comments about this
guide, please e-mail me at
[email protected]
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Until next time, this has been Paltheos, wishing you good luck and happy
gaming.
--------------------------------------
Copyright 2003-2005, 2007 Brian Lundin
