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BREATH OF FIRE
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BREATH OF FIRE
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Dragon
Handbook
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That's all the ANSI graphics you get. Sorry.
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Latest version: December 21st, 2000
Version 1.0, 7/27/0: First release!
Version 1.1, 8/2/0: Added information on elemental + Thorn having absorption
properties; changed DragonBreath and Whelp Breath to reflect damage
reduction for enemies with high Defense; added Eldritch + elemental
effects under the appropriate elemental gene (as well as under
Eldritch); Changed description of Focus (only seems to affect the next
attack made). Still looking for Super-Tiamat and Super-Pygmy forms :)
Version 1.2, 8/4/0: Didn't even send in version 1.1 before finding these. Made
some alterations to the Warrior section, noted that Miracle + Reverse
produces a high-speed Behemoth, and added some combinations involving
the Defender gene to the hit points section.
Version 1.2.5, 8/16/0: A minor change: After re-testing, Myrmidon + Miracle
does *not* have more HP than normal. Plus made some minor format and
content changes here and there, but nothing to get excited about -
mostly shuffling old information and making sure all lines were 80
characters or fewer.
Version 1.3, 8/24/0: Well, I got bored at work, so I added in an entirely new
(well, really, just the same old information from a different point of
view) section: "In Order Of Appearance". Also, I switched sections A
and B of part iii so the Quick Reference Guide wouldn't be *right*
after the new section.
Version 1.3.5, 9/5/0: No, you didn't miss a version; I never uploaded the
changes I made on 8/24. A small update to confirm that Bonebreak is,
indeed, one of Kaiser's moves whether or not Ryuu already knows it.
Version 1.3.7, 9/15/0: No, you didn't miss the *last* version, either. I'm
getting lazy in my old age, I guess. Just a few minor revisions this
time. Nothing even worth noting specifically. :)
Version 1.4, 11/25/0: Well, I finally actually *looked* at my FAQ on
gamefaqs.com, and saw quite a few formatting errors, as well as a few
typos (including the wrong AP cost for Tiamat's Venom Breath).
Version 1.41, 12/21/0: Tiny, tiny, minor changes to formatting, phrasing,
and similar things. Fixed one small error in the In Order Of
Appearance section, but other than that, no new content here.
Version 1.42, 1/27/5: Updated my e-mail address, and fixed the formatting
somewhat. That's pretty much it. :)
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This information guide is copyright 2000 DarkStorm, currently raiu (at)
geocities (dot) com. Do not publish this commercially without my
permission (and I *will* want to be paid for it :). Do not put this FAQ on
your website without contacting me first. Basically, read it all you want,
save it to your hard drive, and enjoy it forever, but don't publish it or
post it to another web page without e-mailing me and asking my permission
(and I can't think of a reason I wouldn't give my permission). Simple,
neh?
Do make sure, however, that you are looking at the most recent version of this
guide, which should always be on my web stie and www.gamefaqs.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i. Dragon Forms
A. Whelp Form
B. Dragon Form
C. Warrior Form
D. Behemoth Form
E. Hybrid Forms
F. Pygmy Form
G. Tiamat Form
H. Golden Forms (Wildfire, Trygon, Myrmidon, Mammoth)
I. Kaiser Form
ii. Gene-specific abilities
A. Flame
B. Frost
C. Thunder
D. Shadow
E. Radiance
F. Force
G. Eldritch
H. Defender
iii. In Order Of Appearance
iv. Miscelleny
A. Dragon hit points
B. Quick-Reference Gene List
C. Quick-reference Dragon Breath List
D. Dragon Skills
E. Quick-reference Hybrid List
F. Unanswered Questions
G. Tyrant Gene
-------
I'm writing this because the Dragon Gene System is what sets Breath of Fire
3 apart from most RPGs. I've seen a few FAQs on where to find the genes and
what certain gene combinations form, but herein I hope to provide a definitive
guide to all the dragons and their uses. And, make no mistake, there are no
"useless" dragon forms in this game, and every gene has subtleties that can
completely alter the powers of other genes. (Sadly, the Dragon System in BoF4
is going to be simplified, something more akin to BoF1's list of dragon forms)
The number in parenthesis is the number of AP needed to use that ability or
spell. This number can be reduced by equipping the Shaman's or Spirit Rings
prior to transformation, but such rings have no effect on the AP cost for the
transformation itself, or the per-round maintance cost. Note also that items
equipped to prevent elemental damage are ineffective while in dragon form.
However, status-guarding items still work, and if Ryuu's weapon had an
elemental effect (like, say, the Flare Sword, or the Barbarosa), that effect
will be carried over to the dragon's normal attacks.
Breath damage percentages are approximate, and depends on the opponent's magic
defense to some extent. All of them were tested in the Yrall region, on Eye
Goos and Goblins. Damage is somewhat lower against enemies in the last area,
for example. Damage for Whelp and Dragon Breath are dependant on the
opponents' *physical* defense, rather than magical defense.
Throughout I use "dragon" for any dragon form, and "Dragon" (capital D)
specifically for the forms the game calls Dragon. I'm excluding "Restore Form"
from all these lists, for brevity's sake. Hopefully, this is a
spoiler-free guide, except for minor things (like gene locations).
-------
i. Dragon Forms
These are the powers of the forms, independant of the ability genes spliced
with them, which will be dealt with in a separate section. (So a Whelp
created with the Frost gene will have the general Whelp powers and the
general Frost powers: Blind, Frost Claw, Whelp Breath, Frost Breath)
A. Whelp Form
The most basic and weakest of the dragons. Created by any single gene alone
(exceptions: Force, Miracle, Fusion, Kaiser), or by combinations with only
one 'ability' gene (Flame, Frost, Thunder, Shadow, Radiance, Defender,
Eldritch) and another non-ability gene other than Thorn (Reverse, Mutant,
???, Trance). Reverse + Thorn + an ability gene will also generally form a
Whelp. Anything but Kaiser spliced with Failure also results in a Whelp,
as does using Fusion with Garr. Its abilities are slightly higher overall
than Ryuu's (with the exception of Failure and combinations involving
Failure, which provide no boost to hit points at all), but it's much better
than nothing. Even the weakest of the Whelps has approximately twice
Ryuu's power for normal attacks. On second look, Failure Whelps appear to
have no better attack power than Ryuu's normal form. The same probably holds
true for all the Failure Whelp's stats.
This form comes with the following moves.
Whelp Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 30% of current HP as physical damage.
Damage is reduced by enemies' defense score)
Blind (0 AP; A half-strength attack that has a chance of blinding the target).
B. Dragon Form
Obtained by combining any two ability genes with each other, or any of the
above with Thorn. Single-elemental dragons (Flame + Thorn, Flame +
Defender, etc) match the color of their element, while mixed-elementals
(Flame + Thunder, Flame + Shadow) are always dark greyish-green in color
(horn color seems to vary depending on the combination), no matter what the
elemental mix (except in the cases where the elements cancel out, leaving the
normal-colored green dragon - Flame + Frost and Shadow + Radiance).
Dragons have the following powers:
DragonBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 42.5% of current HP as physical
damage. Damage is reduced by enemies' defense score)
Snap (0 AP; A half-strength attack that has a chance of lowering the
opponent's defense).
C. Warrior Form
Obtained by using the Force Gene. Exceptions to this are splicing in
Miracle (forms a Behemoth with Focus), Trance (forms Myrmidon), Failure
(forms a Whelp), Fusion (forms a Hybrid), and Infinity (forms Kaiser).This
form has slightly more HP than a whelp, amazing power, okay defense, and great
speed, but no all-enemy-affecting 'breath' attacks (unless an elemental gene
is spliced in... and since breath-weapons are HP-dependant, you're better off
going with an elemental + Thorn for the HP boost). Splicing in Reverse actually
boosts the Warrior's HP, moreso than adding Gross. His best ability is Aura,
but that 20 AP cost per use means you won't get in many of them before running
out of AP and reverting. This form is best for taking on single enemies with
lots of HP, especially undead.
A few oddities about this form are that Reverse boosts his hit points,
and Thorn *reduces* his hit points.
Update: While I suggested (and still suggest) not splicing an elemental gene
with Force to use breath weapons (because of his relatively low HP in this
form), using the elemental claw attacks with the Warrior's great strength is
extremely effective, so splicing in elementals for *that* purpose is
suggested.
And, because I've seen this written in a few different places, I'll mention
it here: Adding an elemental gene to Warrior does *not* add the appropriate
elemental Strike (e.g., using Thunder + Force still produces a Warrior with
Thunder Claw, not ThundrStrike). The only form that has the Strikes is
Myrmidon.
Warriors have the following abilities:
Focus (0 AP; Raises attack power by 50% of original. Two uses brings Ryuu
up to double attack power. Subsequent uses have no effect. Only affects
the next physical attack made - on re-examining this move, it may affect
several attacks, though the effect is not permanent like War Shout or
Might)
Aura (20 AP; Holy damage, always critical hits)
Gambit (0 AP; Causes a critical hit, but has a low hit rate)
D. Behemoth Form
Obtained by using the Miracle Gene. Exceptions: Miracle + ??? forms
Mammoth, Miracle + Failure forms a Whelp, Miracle + Fusion forms a Hybrid,
Miracle + Shadow + Trance forms Tiamat, Miracle + Force + Trance forms
Myrmidon, Miracle + Infinity forms Berzerk Kaiser, and Miracle + Thorn +
Reverse forms Wildfire. Miracle + Reverse forms a Behemoth with fewer HP than
normal but with high speed, and Miracle + Gross + Reverse almost guarantees EX
Attacks on a lot of enemies. Miracle + Force forms a Behemoth with the
Warrior's Focus ability.
This form is big, has plenty of hit points (more than any other form except
Mammoth), has good attack and defense power, and pretty low speed. It
"absorbs" the other party members, leaving only Behemoth on your side.
(This can be an advantage against enemies that can cause confusion, since
a confused character never attacks himself, and Behemoth has no allies to
attack, so the opponent gets the brunt of his 350+ damage normal attack).
The Behemoth comes with the following abilities:
MeteorStrike (0 AP; The closest thing Behemoth has to a Breath attack.
Causes approximately 50% HP damage)
Blitz (0 AP; Makes multiple half-strength attacks against all opponents,
but Behemoth loses half his current HP afterwards)
Charge (0 AP; Does damage based on Behemoth's defense score - and Behemoth
has a good defense)
E. Hybrid Forms
This isn't as straightforward as the previous sections, since there are
*eight* forms called Hybrid: Four normal, four enhanced. I'll just lift the
format directly from my own Super Hybrid FAQ (which, apparently, is not yet
up on gamefaqs.com), and go over the movelists for the normal and enhanced
forms of each of the four hybrids, with explanations following. The names are
mine (hopefully I'm not using someone else's name for them), as the game calls
them all simply "Hybrid".
Moves marked with a * are those added or altered by the new gene. All of
these are formed simply by using the Fusion gene, and (for the super forms)
another gene as specified.
Avian Dragon + Eldritch Gene = Eldritch Avian
Typhoon (7) Typhoon (7)
Lightning (7) Lightning (7)
Inferno (10) Inferno (10)
Blizzard (10) Blizzard (10)
Temptation (0) *Sirocco (12)
*Myollnir (10)
Temptation (0)
Temptation confuses all enemies and lowers their attack, defense, and
speed, but causes no direct damage. The other abilities are identical to
Nina's spells of the same name. This form has high speed and magic
abilities, with average (for the dragon forms) attack, and low defense and HP.
It's formed by pairing Nina with either Garr or Peco.
The Eldritch Avian has blue chest feathers and blue wing, head, and (bird)
tail highlights, where the normal Avian has orange.
Knight Dragon + ??? Gene = Golden Knight
Speed (2) Speed (2)
Protect (2) Protect (2)
Might (4) Might (4)
Restore (12) Restore (12)
Remedy (12) Remedy (12)
Combustion (0) *Vitalize (20)
*Ragnarok (12)
Combustion (0)
Combustion drops a bomb on all opponents for major wind/air damage (not
HP-related. I usually get about 600-700 damage average). The other
abilities are identical to Momo's spells of the same name. This form has
high attack and defense, average speed and magic abilities, and better HP
than the Avian (but not as much as Dragon form). This Hybrid can be
created when Momo is paired with Nina or Peco.
As its name suggests, the Golden Knight is gold-colored, instead of the
usual silver.
Winged Tiger + Force Gene = Flame Tiger
Shadowwalk (8) Shadowwalk (8)
DragonBreath (0) DragonBreath (0)
Tempest (0) *Hurricane (0)
Tempest blasts all foes with multiple 'arrows' of wind. The damage is
about 3/8 (37.5%) of Ryuu's current HP. Hurricane is identical, but the
'arrows' are golden, and the damage is raised to about 50%. Shadowwalk
warps Ryuu to the selected target, and inflicts insane damage in a single
hit. This form is the absolute fastest dragon in the game - you'll be
getting EX attacks against just about everyone - with great attack, okay
defense, and HP identical to the Knight Hybrid. This Hybid emerges when
Rei is in the party with either Momo or Nina.
The Flame Tiger appears as the Winged Tiger with reddish-orange
fur/skin/scales/whatever and golden wings. Its name comes from its
coloration, not because it has any actual Flame attacks.
This is also one of my favorite forms. I've beaten Myria with this form
alone (boosted by a few Might spells from Momo).
Spiked Onion + Shadow Gene = Shadow Onion
Dream Breath (3) Dream Breath (3)
Venom Breath (3) Venom Breath (3)
DragonBreath (0) DragonBreath (0)
Geo Breath (0) *Gaea'sBreath (0)
Geo Breath causes damage by having Ryuu plant his tail in the ground and
cause an earthquake (damage is about 3/8 or 37.5%, of Ryuu's HP).
Gaea'sBreath is identical, except the spiral growth that rises out of the
ground is golden colored (and damage is 50%). As a bonus, the Shadow Onion
regenerates HP like Peco does (5% of maximum HP per round, starting on the
round of transformation), unlike the regular version. The other attacks
are the same as Peco's. This form has high attack and defense, lots of HP
(making the breath attacks particularly effective), and low speed. It's
formed with Peco and either Garr or Rei.
The Shadow Onion is simply a gold version of the normal Onion (but 'Golden
Onion' sounds like a food item).
Be forwarned that combining Garr with either Rei or Momo will result in a
Whelp. (This Whelp is, aside from the gene used to form it, otherwise
normal. You can add elementals or other effects to it and get the expected
results).
F. Pygmy Form
This is a unique form, created by splicing the ??? and Mutant genes. Other
genes can be added, but none have any effect (other than Miracle, Fusion,
Failure, and Infinity, which form Mammoth, Hybrid, Whelp, and Kaiser
respectively). It has incredible speed (second only to the Winged Tiger
Hybrid, I believe) and dodging ability, and pitifully low attack, defense, and
hit points (which reduces the effectiveness of its otherwise powerful breath
weapon). An additional bonus to this form: more squeaking noises than Peco
ever made. Add the adorable "tail-wag" attack animation and this form is
the last word on the adage "cute can be deadly".
This form has only the following abilities:
Magma Breath (0 AP; Fire attack that causes 50% of Pygmy's HP as damage)
Snap (0 AP; A half-strength attack that has a chance of lowering the
opponent's defense - since the Pygmy's attack is so low anyway, this is
nearly useless)
DragonBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 42.5% of current HP as
defendable physical damage)
G. Tiamat Form
Another unique form, formed with the Shadow and Trance genes. No other
genes have any effect on this combination, other than the usual Fusion,
Failure, and Infinity (which form a Hybrid, a Whelp, and a berserk Kaiser).
This form has very high stats all around, and appears to be immune to
status changes (blindness, poisoning, confusion, instant-death spells, etc)
- at least, I've never seen a status-changing ability work on Tiamat
(Status ailments that were in effect before the transformation are still
there). This form, like Behemoth/Mammoth, combines the entire party.
Cheap AP cost to transform and maintain (only 13 AP, 7 AP per round). This
is one of my favorite forms. It lacks the 'punch' to take on bosses (though
Tiamat's normal attack hits hard), but it's a great general-purpose enemy
killer.
Doom Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 50% of current HP as non-elemental
damage. And considering that Tiamat has two and a half times Ryuu's normal
HP, this is usually a significant attack, often dishing out 200-300
damage)
Venom Breath (3 AP; Attempts to poison all targets. Same as Peco's breath
attack)
ShadowBreath (0 AP; Attempts to simply kill all targets. Useless on
undead, usually useless on machines)
H. Golden Forms
These are special, enhanced forms of the basic four forms (Whelp, Dragon,
Warrior, Behemoth). They are golden-colored (yellow-orange with orange
horns) versions of their counterparts.
Wildfire, the Golden Whelp, is Miracle + Thorn + Reverse. This form has a
ludicrously small amount of HP, making breath attacks all but useless, but
above-average everything else, including a nearly 100% Reprisal rate. It
also costs a lot of AP (27, which is a lot when the form is first made
available). Its attacks are:
Whelp Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 30% of current HP as physical damage.
Damage is reduced by enemies' defense score. As just stated,
Wildfire's HP is pathetic, so this attack will do 10-15 points of
damage at most - assuming you're at level 50 or above and fighting
enemies with no defense whatsoever)
Charge (0 AP; Does damage based on Wildfire's defense score - Wildfire's
defense is higher than one might expect, so this attack does
a surprisingly large amout of damage)
Trygon, the Golden Dragon, is formed by splicing Flame + Frost + Thunder.
This form is above average in all stats and abilities, and appears to be
completely immune to fire, ice, and lightning attacks. It has nothing but
breath attacks and Snap:
Flame Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3%, or 1/3, of current HP as
fire damage)
Frost Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3%, or 1/3, of current HP as
ice damage)
ThundrBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3%, or 1/3, of current HP as
lightning damage)
DragonBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 42.5% of current HP as physical
damage. Damage is reduced by enemies' defense score)
Snap (0 AP; A half-strength attack that has a chance of lowering the
opponent's defense)
Myrmidon, the Golden Warrior, is the combination of the Force and Trance
genes. Incredible speed and power, good defense, decent HP (equal to a
normal Dragon), a whole lot of different elemental strikes (making for good
versatility), and it has a 0 AP breath attack to clear the screen quickly.
At 16 AP, it's relatively cheap, too (though all of his Strikes use AP, not
to mention the 20 AP Aura).
Gambit (0 AP; Causes a critical hit, but has a low hit rate)
Aura (20 AP; Holy damage, always critical hits)
Flame Strike (1 AP; Fire and physical damage)
ThundrStrike (4 AP; Electric and physical damage, plus has a chance to
paralyze the target)
Frost Strike (4 AP; Ice and physical damage, plus has a chance to put the
target to sleep)
Wind Strike (1 AP; Wind and physical damage)
Holy Strike (2 AP; Holy and physical damage)
Aura Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 50% of current HP as holy damage)
Mammoth, the Golden Behemoth, is just that - mammoth. Splice the Miracle
and ??? genes together. High attack and defense, incredible HP (more than
any other form, making its "breath" attack extremely effective), but it's
still slow. It actually has fewer attacks than the Behemoth, but is HP
makes the ones it has extremely powerful:
MeteorStrike (0 AP; Causes approximately 50% HP non-elemental damage. When
you take into account the amount of HP that Mammoth has, this attack can
easily do over 1000 damage every time)
Giant Growth (0 AP; Performs a half-strength physical attack on all opponents)
I. Kaiser Form
This is the one you've been waiting for, haven't you? Kaiser, I find,
isn't all that useful, because of the insane AP cost to transform and
maintain it. For the 21 (or 27) AP cost per round, you're better off going
with the Warrior and using Aura over and over (the total AP cost per round is
slightly higher, but the damage is greater). Kaiser is normally berzerk,
and will do nothing but attack random opponents (or party members!) unless
spliced with the Failure Gene or with Trance and Radience. The Infinity +
Failure (41 AP, 21 AP per round) has notably lower stats than the Infinity
+ Trance + Radiance (53 AP, 27 AP per round) combination - especially hit
points, drastically affecting Kaiser Breath. Either version of Kaiser is
immune to status changes.
This form (both Failure and True versions) has the following attacks:
KaiserBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 100% of current HP as
non-elemental damage. The dragon that appears to deliver the damage is
also clearly Ryuu's G.Drgn from BoF2 - it's green for Failure Kaiser,
gold for True Kaiser)
Bonebreak (0 AP; Causes a critical hit)
Howling (0 AP; Causes confusion, but no direct damage, to all opponents)
Thanks to Billy Lee (
[email protected]) for confirming that Bonebreak *is*
a Kaiser-specific attack, and for noting that the Kaiser is immune to status
changes.
Ryuu can also still use all of his other spells and Skills in Kaiser form -
press left or right on the Attack menu, as usual. (Note that the list of
dragon-specific powers is labeled 'Attack', as opposed to 'Dragon')
It's been suggested to me that there is also a Dark Kaiser (the grey Kaiser
dragon shown at the point just before Ryuu becomes an adult), but I've yet to
find any other gene combination that produces a controllable Kaiser, let alone
a grey one. If anyone has any suggestions (preferably ones that don't involve
beating every enemy in the game or something equally absurd), let me know.
-------
ii. Gene-specific abilities
These are abilities that can be added to the four basic forms (Whelp,
Dragon, Warrior, and Behemoth), dependant on the added gene. With the
exception of two of the Hybrids, these genes have no effect on any of the
unique or golden forms. Colors were taken from the Dragon forms - Whelps,
Warriors, and Behemoths are slightly different.
A. Flame
Creates a red dragon with dark green horns, with immunity to fire attacks,
but a weakness to ice attacks, taking about 50% more damage from them.
Adding Reverse provides Frost abilities instead. Using Flame and Thorn
makes Ryuu be healed by fire attacks. Using Flame and Frost together
cancels out both of them, leaving only Dragon-specific abilities
(exception: using Flame, Frost, and Thunder together produces the Trygon
form). Adds the following powers:
Flame Claw (0 AP; Normal physical attack with fire properties)
Flame Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3% of current HP as fire damage)
As a "bonus", using Shadow and Flame together (but not with Frost or
Radiance) provides an extra ability:
Ebonfire (5 AP; Non-elemental attack based on Int)
Using Flame with Eldritch adds the following spell to the mix:
Inferno (10 AP; most powerful fire spell on all opponents)
B. Frost
Creates a pale blue dragon with dark blue horns, with immunity to ice
attacks, but a weakness to fire attacks. Adding Reverse provides Flame
abilities instead. Using Frost and Thorn makes Ryuu be healed by ice attacks.
Using Flame and Frost together cancels out both of them, leaving only
Dragon-specific abilities (exception: using Flame, Frost, and Thunder together
produces the Trygon form). Adds the following powers:
Frost Claw (0 AP; Normal physical attack with ice properties)
Frost Breath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3% of current HP as ice damage)
Splicing in Eldritch adds the following power:
Blizzard (10 AP; most powerful ice spell on all opponents)
As a completely useless comment, the Frost + Force combination produces a
really cool-looking blue-haired Warrior.
C. Thunder
Creates a blue dragon with pale green horns, with immunity to lightning
attacks. Adding Reverse negates all Thunder abilities. Adding Thorn causes
the dragon to be healed by electric attacks. Splice with Frost and Flame
to form Trygon. Adds the following powers:
Thunder Claw (0 AP; Normal physical attack with electric properties)
ThundrBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3% of current HP as lightning
damage)
Adding Eldritch provides an additional ability:
Myollnir (10 AP; most powerful lightning spell on one opponent)
D. Shadow
Creates a purplish dragon with red horns, with immunity to shadow, poison,
and instant-death attacks, but a weakness to holy attacks. Adding Reverse
provides Radiance abilities instead. Adding Thorn causes Ryuu to be healed by
shadow or poison attacks. Using Shadow and Radiance together cancels out
both of them, leaving only Dragon-specific abilities. Adds the following
powers:
Chlorine (0 AP; magic-based attack with poison properties, and a chance
to poison the target)
ShadowBreath (0 AP; attempts to kill all targets. Useless on undead,
usually useless on machines)
As a "bonus", using Shadow and Flame together (but not with Frost or
Radiance) provides an extra ability:
Ebonfire (5 AP; Non-elemental attack based on Int)
With Eldritch, he also gains the following ability:
Death (5 AP; attempts to kill a single opponent, a better chance than
ShadowBreath)
The Shadow Gene is also used to form Tiamat (splice with Trance), and the
Shadow Onion Hybrid (splice with Fusion with Peco in the party).
E. Radiance
Creates a pinkish dragon with red horns, with immunity to holy attacks. but
a vulnerability to shadow attacks. Adding Reverse provides Shadow abilities
instead. The dragon will be healed by holy attacks if the Thorn gene is added.
Using Shadow and Radiance together cancels out both of them, leaving only
Dragon-specific abilities. Adds the following powers:
Shining Claw (0 AP; Normal physical attack with holy properties)
DivineBreath (0 AP; Causes approximately 33.3% of current HP as holy damage)
The Eldritch gene adds the following ability:
Resurrect (20 AP; Revives a dead party member back to full hit points)
The Radiance gene is also used in combination with Trance and Infinity to form
"True" Kaiser.
F. Force
Used alone, and in most combinations, this creates a Warrior class
dragon... but it bears mentioning that it also adds one ability to the
Behemoth form (making this a gene-related ability, rather than a
form-related ability):
Focus (0 AP; Raises attack power by 50% of original. Two uses brings Ryuu
up to double attack power. Subsequent uses have no effect. Only
affects the next couple of attacks)
This is also a gene-related ability because of the order in which the
abilities appear when you splice in an elemental gene - because the abilities
are listed in the following order: Form-based abilities, then gene-based
abilities. Multiple genes are listed in the same order that they are on the
gene selection screen (e.g.., Flame abilities are always listed before
Thunder) And because Focus is listed *after* any elemental abilities that are
spliced in, that suggests it's gene-based, rather than form-based. (Whew! What
an explanation :)
Of course, the Force gene is also used to create Warrior and Myrmidon (with
Trance) dragons, and upgrades the Tiger Dragon to the Flame Tiger (with
Fusion). Oddly, Myrmidon doesn't have Focus.
G. Defender
Generally increases the Defense and HP of the combination, while lowering
speed drastically and attack slightly. The dragons formed with this gene
(and no elemental genes) are normal colored (green, with blue horns). The
gene itself adds one ability:
Counter (0 AP; automatically counter-attacks any physical or
pseudo-physical attack - elemental strikes, for example - directed at
the user)
Note that Counter is useless if Ryuu is slower than the opponent; all the
attacks will hit before Counter goes into effect. And note again that the
Defender gene tends to produce a slow dragon.
H. Eldritch
This gene has several effects. It gives the dragon-form higher
Intelligence, improving Ryuu's resistance against magical attacks, adds
some spells of its own (all healing spells), and brings out an 'extra'
spell for each of the five elemental genes. Despite all that, I don't use
this gene much; there are better ways to spend the AP (though Myollnir has
its uses).
Alone, it provides:
Remedy (7 AP; Cures status changes)
Restore (12 AP; Fully heals one party member)
Vitalize (20 AP; Partially heals all party members)
With other genes:
Inferno (10 AP; most powerful fire spell on all opponents; Flame gene)
Blizzard (10 AP; most powerful ice spell on all opponents; Frost gene)
Myollnir (10 AP; most powerful lightning spell on one opponent; Thunder gene)
Death (5 AP; attempts to kill a single opponent, a better chance than
ShadowBreath; Shadow gene)
Resurrect (20 AP; Revives a dead party member back to full hit points;
Radiance gene)
------
iii. In Order Of Appearance....
As the name suggests, these are the Genes, listed in the order you get
them, along with any new forms and/or powers that are granted specifically
from the addition of the new gene to your inventory. Use this to see where in
the game certain forms become available.
Child Ryuu
FLAME (5 AP)
Gotten
Obtained automatically, just before the Escape From Wyndia scenario.
New Forms
Whelp
New Powers
Whelp Breath (Whelp form)
Blind (Whelp form)
Flame Breath (Flame gene)
Flame Claw (Flame gene)
DEFENDER (8 AP)
Gotten
Obtained automatically, after Nina and Ryuu escape across Mt. Boumore.
New Forms
Dragon
New Powers
Dragon Breath (Dragon form)
Snap (Dragon form)
Counter (Defender gene)
REVERSE (3 AP)
Gotten
Immediately after leaving Mt. Boumore with the Defender gene, head to a ?
area south of it.
New Forms
None
New Powers
Frost Breath (Flame + Reverse)
Frost Claw (Flame + Reverse)
THORN (8 AP)
Gotten
At the rocket crash site. Go northeast from the rocket, and there it
is, between the trees.
New Forms
None - but Dragons formed with Thorn are more balanced than ones formed
with Defender
New Powers
None
FROST (5 AP)
Gotten
At the house under the bridge at Meykess Gorge, when you're finally
allowed to cross it after defeating the Stallion.
New Forms
None - but Frost Dragons can now be formed (Flame + Reverse can only
be used to form Whelps)
New Powers
None - but Frost powers now only require one gene.
THUNDER (5 AP)
Gotten
At the ? house north of the town of Rhapala.
New Forms
Trygon (Flame + Frost + Thunder)
New Powers
ThundrBreath (Thunder gene)
Thunder Claw (Thunder gene)
ELDRITCH (8 AP)
Gotten
On the roof of the Lighthouse (go up there immediately upon entering -
the boss won't attack you until you actually get the lighthouse
working again).
New Forms
None
New Powers
Remedy (Eldritch gene)
Restore (Eldritch gene)
Vitalize (Eldritch gene)
Inferno (Flame + Eldritch genes)
Blizzard (Frost + Eldritch genes)
Myollnir (Thunder + Eldritch genes)
MIRACLE (16 AP)
Gotten
In the Volcano, Mt. Zublo. You can't miss seeing it, though you have
to wind your way around to actually get it.
New Forms
Behemoth
Wildfire (Miracle + Thorn + Reverse)
New Powers
MeteorStrike (Behemoth form)
Blitz (Behemoth form)
Charge (Behemoth or Wildfire form)
Teenage ("Adult") Ryuu
SHADOW (5 AP)
Gotten
Obtained automatically, after defeating the Dragon Zombie.
New Forms
None
New Powers
ShadowBreath (Shadow gene)
Chlorine (Shadow gene)
Death (Shadow + Eldritch genes)
Ebonfire (Flame + Shadow genes)
DivineBreath (Shadow + Reverse genes)
Shining Claw (Shadow + Reverse genes)
FUSION (16 AP)
Gotten
Obtained automatically with the Shadow gene (I believe that's meant to
be the ghost of Ryuu's mother giving him the gene - note the BoF2-
style dragon-wings on her back).
New Forms
(Note: These forms cannot be used until you have the appropriate party
members available)
Avian Hybrid
Eldritch Avian Hybrid (Fusion + Eldritch)
Onion Hybrid
Shadow Onion Hybrid (Fusion + Shadow)
Winged Tiger Hybrid
Knight Hybrid
New Powers
Loads. See Hybrid section for details.
FORCE (8 AP)
Gotten
In the vents of the Underground Plant (this one is easy to miss if you
don't know it's around).
New Forms
Warrior
Flame Tiger Hybrid (Fusion + Force)
New Powers
Gambit (Warrior form)
Aura (Warrior form)
Focus (Force gene)
GROSS (8 AP)
Gotten
Exiting the Tidal Caves. You practically trip over it.
New Forms
None
New Powers
None
??? (8 AP)
Gotten
In "Bow's" house west of Steel Beach. Look behind the curtain.
New Forms
Mammoth
Golden Knight Hybrid
New Powers
Giant Growth (Mammoth form)
Several. See Hybrid section for details.
MUTANT (3 AP)
Gotten
On Steel Beach itself, in the northeast corner.
New Forms
Pygmy
New Powers
Magma Breath (Pygmy form)
TRANCE (8 AP)
Gotten
At the Yggdrasil tree on the Lost Shore
New Forms
Tiamat (Shadow + Trance)
Myrmidon (Force + Trance)
New Powers
Doom Breath (Tiamat form)
Venom Breath (Tiamat form)
Flame Strike (Myrmadon form)
ThundrStrike (Myrmadon form)
Frost Strike (Myrmadon form)
Wind Strike (Myrmadon form)
Holy Strike (Myrmadon form)
Aura Breath (Myrmadon form)
FAILURE (1 AP)
Gotten
In the far corner on the left side of the Ruined Colony
New Forms
None
New Powers
None
RADIANCE (5 AP)
Gotten
The Container Yard near Caer Xaen (obtainable as soon as you get Relay
Point A working)
New Forms
None - but Radiance Dragons can now be formed (Shadow + Reverse can only
be used to form Whelps)
New Powers
Resurrect (Radiance + Eldtritch genes)
Radiance powers now only require one gene
INFINITY (40 AP)
Gotten
Obtained *almost* automatically (you have to pick the little sphere up)
after the fight with Jono in Dragnier.
New Forms
Kaiser (Berserk, Failure, and True)
New Powers
Bonebreak (Kaiser form)
Howling (Kaiser form)
KaiserBreath (Kaiser form)
-------
iv. Miscelleny
A. Dragon hit points
Dragon hit points affect all breath weapons (including MeteorStrike), so
you'll probably want to know what you're getting when you transform. Some
forms' HP can be increased by adding the Gross gene to it, but any of the
unique forms - the "golden" forms, Hybrids, Tiamat, and Pygmy - cannot
(note, of course, that Wildfire and Trygon need three genes to create them
anyway, so no other genes can be added). The Failure Gene reduces any
combination (except Kaiser) to a 100% HP Whelp, and the Reverse gene
negates the properties of Thorn or Gross. Percentages are based on Ryuu's
HP in his normal form (e.g., if he has 200 HP normally, after transforming
into a Dragon he'll have 200 x 1.8 = 360 HP, as Trygon he'll have 200 x 2.2
= 440 HP, etc).
Whelp (Failure, Failure + any gene or genes but Infinity, Defender +
Reverse): 100%
Whelp (normal): 120%
Whelp (Gross, elemental + Gross, Defender): 150%
Whelp (Gross + Thorn, Gross + Defender): 180%
Wildfire (Miracle + Thorn + Reverse): 10% (that's not a typo! If Ryuu had
200 HP to start with, he'll only have 20 as a Wildfire)
Dragon (normal): 180%
Dragon (Defender gene added): 210%
Dragon (Gross gene added, Defender + Thorn, Defender + Gross added): 240%
Trygon (Flame + Frost + Thunder): 220%
Warrior (Force + Thorn): 100% (this has to be a bug of some kind)
Warrior (Force, Force + elemental): 130%
Warrior (Force + Gross, Force + Thorn + Gross, Force + Defender): 150%
Warrior (Force + Reverse): 180% (this is also probably a bug)
Myrmidon (Force + Trance): 180%
Behemoth (Miracle + Defender + Reverse): 250%
Behemoth (Miracle + Reverse): 280%
Behemoth (Miracle): 330%
Behemoth (Miracle + Gross, Miracle + Defender): 360%
Mammoth (Miracle + ???): 1000% (again, *not* a typo. 200 HP becomes 2000 HP).
Pygmy (Mutant + ???): 100%
Tiamat (Shadow + Trance): 250%
Avian Hybrid (Fusion or Fusion + Eldritch): 120%
Tiger Hybrid (Fusion or Fusion + Force): 150%
Knight Hybrid (Fusion or Fusion + ???): 150%
Onion Hybrid (Fusion or Fusion + Shadow): 250%
Failure Kaiser (Infinity + Failure): 120%
True Kaiser (Infinity + Trance + Radiance): 300% (quite a difference, huh?)
Berserk Kaiser (Infinity + anything else): 300% (dangerous because you
can't control him, and he tends to attack the party before the enemy)
B. Quick-reference Gene List
There are plenty of FAQs if you want in-depth directions on how to find
these genes, and I covered the use of them above, so this will just list
where to find them and the AP cost to use them. (Note that you receive the
Flame, Defender, Shadow, Fusion, and Infinity genes as part of the story -
you can't 'miss' them - and most of the other genes are in very obvious
locations).
Flame (5 AP): Obtained automatically, just before the Escape From Wyndia
scenario. Your first Gene.
Frost (5 AP): The house under the bridge at the east end of Meykess Gorge.
Thunder (5 AP): The ? house in north Rhapala Region.
Shadow (5 AP): Obtained automatically, after defeating the Dragon Zombie as
an adult.
Radiance (5 AP): The Container Yard near Caer Xaen (obtainable as soon as
you get Relay Point A working).
Force (8 AP): In the vents of the Underground Plant (this one is easy to
miss if you don't know it's around).
Defender (8 AP): Obtained automatically, after Nina and Ryuu escape across
Mt. Boumore. Your *second* gene.
Eldritch (8 AP): On the roof of the Lighthouse (go up there immediately
upon entering - the boss won't attack you until you actually get the
lighthouse working again).
Miracle (16 AP): In the Volcano, Mt. Zublo. You can't miss seeing it.
Gross (8 AP): Along the exit path to the Tidal Caves. Again, you can't
really miss it.
Thorn (8 AP): At the rocket crash site. Go northeast from the rocket, and
there it is, between the trees
Reverse (3 AP): Immediately after leaving Mt. Boumore with the Defender
gene, head to a ? area south of it.
Mutant (3 AP): Steel Beach, in the northeast corner.
??? (8 AP): In the house west of Steel Beach.
Trance (8 AP): At the Yggdrasil tree on the Lost Shore.
Failure (1 AP): In the far corner on the left side of the Ruined Colony
Fusion (16 AP): Obtained automatically after the fight with the Dragon
Zombie.
Infinity (40 AP): Obtained automatically after the fight with Jono in
Dragnier.
C. Quick-reference Dragon Breath List
In case you don't want to dig through the form/gene sections to find out
what a particular breath attack does. All breath attacks use 0 AP unless
otherwise indicated. Percentages are related to Ryuu's HP in dragon form
(e.g., Aura Breath by a Myrmidon with 200 HP will cause about 80-120 damage
to every opponent, average of 100, minus the targets' magic resistance, if
any). Note that Whelp Breath and DragonBreath are affected by the targets'
physical defence, not magic resistance (tested against Deathbots - one with
two Barriers up took as much damage from DragonBreath as the unshielded one).
Aura Breath: 50% holy damage; Myrmidion
Divine Breath: 33.3% holy damage; Radiance gene, Shadow + Reverse genes
Doom Breath: 50% neutral damage; Tiamat
DragonBreath: 42.5% physical damage (i.e., reduced by opponent's defense);
Dragon, Trygon, Pygmy, (Shadow) Onion Hybrid, (Flame) Tiger Hybrid
Dream Breath: Puts opponents to sleep (3 AP cost). (Shadow) Onion Hybrid
Flame Breath: 33.3% fire damage; Flame gene, Frost + Reverse genes, Trygon
Frost Breath: 33.3% ice damage; Frost gene, Flame + Reverse genes, Trygon
Gaea'sBreath: 50% earth damage; Shadow Onion Hybrid
Geo Breath: 37.5% earth damage; Onion Hybrid
Hurricane: 50% wind damage; Flame Tiger Hybrid
KaiserBreath: 100% neutral damage; Kaiser
Magma Breath: 50% fire damage; Pygmy
MeteorStrike: 50% neutral damage; Behemoth, Mammoth
ShadowBreath: Kills all opponents. Shadow gene, Radiance + Reverse genes,
Tiamat
Tempest: 37.5% wind damage; Tiger Hybrid
ThundrBreath: 33.3% lightning damage; Thunder gene, Trygon
Venom Breath: Poisons all opponents (3 AP cost). Tiamat, (Shadow) Onion Hybrid
Whelp Breath: 30% physical damage (i.e., reduced by opponent's defense);
Whelp, Wildfire
And, for completeness's sake, Peco's breath attacks:
Firebreath: 33.3% fire damage. 4 AP
Icebreath: 33.3% ice damage. 4 AP
D. Dragon Skills
A good number of the dragon-form abilities, aside from the breath attacks,
can be learned from either Masters or Examining enemies. (sadly, you can't
Examine your own party members, or this would be a great way to learn
them). This is a hopefully-complete list of those abilities. For Skills
learned from enemies, I'll just list the ones that appear earliest in the
game (there are more-comprehensive how-to-find-them lists elsewhere). Also
not included here are spells gained with the Eldritch Gene, the Avian and
Eldritch Avian Hybrids, and the Knight and Golden Knight Hybrids.
Aura: From Master Ladon
Blind: From Trickers (Cedar Woods)
Blitz: From HyperBot (Momo's tower)
Charge: From Gongheads (Cedar Woods); also from Master Fahl.
Counter: From Master Fahl
Ebonfire: From Codgers (Ruined Colony - keep examining them as they do
their MagicShuffle)
Flame Strike: From Flyman (Underground Plant). Garr's Pyrokinesis attack is
also nearly identical to this.
Frost Strike: From Bolt (on the Freighter at Steel Beach)
Gambit: Not a Skill; Attack ability learned by Garr at level 21. Bunyan's
Risky Blow is very similar, however.
Holy Strike: From Master Ladon
Shadowwalk: From Master Meryleep.
Focus: From Master Bunyan
Snap: From Pooch (MacNeill Manor)
ThundrStrike: From Mist Man (near the end of the game)
Venom Breath: Not a Skill; Assist ability learned by Peco at level 17
Wind Strike: From the Lizard Men (Rhapala area)
E. Quick-reference Hybrid List
Tiger: Rei + Momo or Nina (add Force for Flame Tiger)
Onion: Peco + Garr or Rei (add Shadow for Shadow Onion)
Knight: Momo + Nina or Peco (add ??? for Golden Knight)
Avian: Nina + Garr or Peco (add Eldritch for Eldritch Avian)
Whelp: Garr + Momo or Rei (add whatever you like: this is a generic Whelp)
F. Unanswered Questions
Are there other undocumented Super forms? With the Hybrids accounted for,
the only two left without known golden forms would be Tiamat and Pygmy.
(Whelp has Wildfire, Dragon has Trygon, Warrior has Myrmidon, Behemoth has
Mammoth, Ryuu's normal form has Kaiser, and there's the green Infinity +
Failure KaiserBreath vs. the golden Infinity + Trance + Radiance
KaiserBreath). Of course, I've tried every possible combination of genes
in conjunction with the ones required to create the Tiamat and Pygmy
dragons, and nothing upgrades them... so if they exist at all (which looks
doubtful at this point - I'm sure someone would have discovered them by
now), it's an entirely different combination of genes altogether...
Given, though, that there are 987 different gene combinations (18 with one
gene, 153 with two, 816 with three), even eliminating the 'known' forms,
that leaves a lot of combinations. (Eliminating Infinity and Failure from
the equation still leaves nearly 700 combinations).
G. Tyrant Gene!!!
Made you look. Actually, I've been watching these Tyrant Gene rumors pop up
on the GameFAQs message boards, so I'll put my two cents in. My biggest
argument against it is that it waited until *now* to pop up. If there were
a Tyrant gene, we could have heard about it long before Breath of Fire 4
came out. I bring up BoF4 because Tyrant is Fou-Lu's most powerful dragon
form, corresponding to Ryuu's Kaiser.
That, I believe, is ultimately the source of the Tyrant gene rumor -
someone taking a dragon form from BoF4, and building a BoF3 rumor around
it. (It's sort of silly.. Tyrant is the name of the *dragon*... There's no
actual Tyrant gene, just as there's no Kaiser gene).
Though, the Dragon Lord you fight near the end of the game sure looks like
my idea of the Tyrant dragon - the Dark Dragon version of Kaiser... except
it looks better than Kaiser. (I'll also add I think it's one of the best-
looking dragons in the entire game; the Dark Dragons always did have better
dragon forms).
Since writing the above, I've seen a picture of the BoF4 Tyrant dragon, and it
looks nothing like the Dragon Lord. (Then again, the BoF4 Kaiser Dragon looks
little like the BoF 2 or 3 Kaiser). The Dragon Lord still looks better. :)
And as of *this* update, BoF4 has been out for quite a few years, and the
Tyrant Gene rumors seem to have died down.
-------
Special Thanks to:
Capcom, for making this game. May the Breath of Fire series last as long
as there are consoles to play them on. (Of course, with the number of
centuries between each game in the story, BoF5 or 6 is going to need to be
set in the future aboard the Starship Enterprise) :) For the record, faithful
readers, I do plan to write a Dragon Guide for BoF4, though it will probably
not be as detailed as this one.
Sony, for making this system. I've been a Nintendo player since the
mid-eighties, but for this series, for all the RPG series that started on
the NES or SNES but migrated to the PSX, I'll switch. Still want a Gamecube,
though...
Long-Lost Cousin Wish, for proofreading this mass of text and suggesting a
few things here and there (like section III-E).
http://www.homestead.com/breathoffire/ - this site's otherwise bare-bones
Gene listing mentions in passing that adding the ??? Gene to the
Momo-hybrid provides extra powers (it also erroneously mentions an Onion +
??? combination), thus starting me on my Super-Hybrid quest.
Fritz Fraundorf's (
[email protected]) incredibly useful BoF3 FAQ, for
jogging my memory to assemble my Dragon Gene Location list (I couldn't
remember where some of them were), and for the term "ability gene". This
is the FAQ I used mostly to make sure I didn't miss any Genes or Skills
along the way :) I tried not to use his Hybrid names, I really did. I
also consulted his list when I couldn't remember a particular dragon form's
abilities (I mean, really, how often do you use Wildfire?), since my
console isn't close enough to the computer to write and check things at the
same time.
