Wild ARMs XF
Full FAQ/Walkthrough
by "darklao"
Version 1.2 - 13 June 2008
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Contents
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I. Introduction/About This Guide
II. Quick Access Notes
III. Walkthrough
Prologue - Seed of the Dandelion
Stage 0-1
Act 1 - Path of the Founding Knights
Stage 1-1 (Trader's Road)
Stage 1-2 (Windhalt Gatehouse)
Stage 1-3 (Poliasha)
Stage 1-4 (Creedmore Prison)
Part I - Rescue the Villagers (Creedmore Prison - Detention Area)
Part II - Protect the Villagers (Creedmore Prison - Yard)
Stage 1-5 (Rusty Docks)
Stage 1-6 (Fallen Fowl Swamp)
Stage 1-7 (Guardian Shrine/Path to the Shrine)
Part I (Guardian Shrine)
Part II (Path to the Shrine)
Stage 1-8 (Fort Molasar)
Interlude - Item Scope #2, Jelly Genocide
Stage 1-9 (Hanigar - Zone 4)
Part I - Find Key, Take Lift
Part II - Escape Zone 4
Interlude - About Synthing and Searching, Money Cheat
Stage 1-10 (Rainy Pass)
Stage 1-11 (Starlit Path)
Stage 1-12 (Deserter's Camp)
Stage 1-13 (Dead Plateau)
Stage 1-14 (Richala Rose)
Stage 1-15 (Quarry of Desire)
Stage 1-16 (Richala Rose)
Act 2 - A Tale of Two Princesses
Stage 2-1 (Frightful Abyss)
Stage 2-2 (Wayward Path)
Interlude - CSP Farming
Stage 2-3 (Rasalom Keep)
Interlude - Character Builds and Skill Combinations
Stage 2-4 (Elensia)
Stage 2-5 (Streets of Elensia)
Stage 2-6 (River in Elensia)
Stage 2-7 (Grauswein Plaza)
Stage 2-8 (Grauswein Plaza)
Stage 2-9 (Backstreets of Elensia)
Stage 2-10 (Twilight Valley)
Part I - Enter the Kinship
Part II - Collateral Damage
Stage 2-11 (Twilight Valley)
Stage 2-12 (Circle Valley)
Part I - Delaying Action
Part II - IT'S A TRAP!
Stage 2-13 (Sundome Abbey Ruins)
Stage 2-14 (Sundome Abbey Dungeon)
Stage 2-15 (Sundome Abbey Dungeon)
Stage 2-16 (Sundome Abbey Exterior)
Part I - Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!
Part II - Rescue Rangers
Act 3 - Echoes of Days Past
Stage 3-1 (Lonely Waterside)
Part I - One November
Part II - Spawned a Monster
Stage 3-2 (Crestabelde)
Part I - Pull!
Part II - The Forever War
Stage 3-3 (The Frozen Lands)
Part I - Ma Belle
Part II - Dude Looks Like A Lady
Stage 3-4 (Guardian Temple)
Stage 3-5 (Guardian Temple Interior)
Part I - Bring Us Your Poor...
Part II - This... is a Brain Sucker...
Stage 3-6 (Bandits' Forest)
Stage 3-7 (Path of the Unjust)
Interlude - Emulator Spells, Magic Berry
Stage 3-8 (Elensia)
Stage 3-9 (Elensia)
Stage 3-10 (Secret Base)
Stage 3-11 (Secret Base)
Part I - Hook, Line, Sinker
Part II - Stand and Deliver
Part III - A Perfect Circle
Stage 3-12 (Secret Base)
Part I - I, Robot
Part II - Once More, With Feeling
Stage 3-13 (Secret Base)
Part I - Poor Old Michael Finnegan
Part II - The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrents
Act IV - Searching for the Future
Stage 4-1 (The Quiet Sands)
Stage 4-2 (Boot Hill)
Part I - Cry Me A River
Part II - A River Runs Through It
Stage 4-3 (The Flatwoods)
Part I - Love is a Battlefield
Part II - The Invisible College
Interlude - Ragu O Ragul
Stage 4-4 (Rasalom Keep)
Stage 4-5 (Port Atraige)
Stage 4-6 (Elensia)
Part I - Time Well Wasted
Part II - You Have Caused Confusion and Delay
Part III - Control, Control, You Must Learn Control!
Stage 4-7 (Schnell Ruins)
Part I - Bring Out Your Dead!
Part II - With Friends Like These...
Stage 4-8 (Schnell Ruins)
Part I - Can Love Bloom on the Battlefield?
Part II - Walk Without Rhythm
Stage 4-9 (Schnell Ruins)
Part I - The Clone War
Part II - If You Strike Me Down...
Stage 4-10 (Schnell Ruins)
Part I - Kill It With Kindness
Part II - Just Kill It
Stage 4-11 (Schnell Ruins)
Part I - El Dia De Los Muertos
Part II - Puzzle Break
Part III - Just Deserts
Final Act - When Flowers Once Again Bloom
Stage Final Act 1 (Foothills of No Return)
Stage Final Act 2 (Trail to the Summit)
Interlude - Point of No Return
Stage Final Act 3 (Silver Peaks)
Stage Final Act 4 (Silver Peaks)
IV. Search List
V. Free Battles
VI. Enemy List
VII. FAQ/Tips
VIII. Contact/Copyright/Hosting
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Introduction/About This Guide
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Welcome to yet another darklao guide. :P
About spoilers -
I don't discuss plot details at all. Certain location names (but probably not)
may be spoilers, if you read ahead in the guide. Boss and character names in
strategy descriptions will definitely be spoilers if you read ahead. The quick
access guide in the beginning, if you're wondering "when do I get access to
what?" contains no spoilers, that's why it's in the front, so you can look
without worries.
About skills, levels and equipment -
As I played through specifically for writing this guide, I basically assumed
you will have access to very little. At the most, a class OC and early skills--
things you can get inside of 30 or so CSP. It's well worth your while to open
and use the better, more expensive skills, but I didn't assume you did any of
that. Exception: Emulator skills must be learned via "Download" from an enemy.
This guide assumes that you (and tells you how to get) the four basic elemental
Emulator spells. You can for most purposes replace these with the inferior
Elementalist versions.
I also did very little battling outside of the plot, so you may assume that
whatever your levels are, they are higher than mine. Mostly the enemy levels
are tailored to your own, so this should make little or no difference anyway.
For equipment, I usually had the most up-to-date weapons and armors up-to-date
-1. Because you can learn skills to equip out-of-class weapons and armor, all
you really need to do is keep a weapon and armor up-to-date for the mains'
special class. Certain other class weapons, especially Elementalist books for
increased MAG, are very worth keeping up to date as well. It's incredibly
expensive as you proceed in the game to try to keep everything up-to-date all
the time, so don't. Just keep the main characters and some books up to date,
and build anything you need within one or two +x of your current ability, and
you'll be fine. Equipment is great, but you'll be relying far more on skills
and effects to kick butt, so don't stress about it if you don't want to.
About map/battle strategies -
With the exception of very few maps, I do not detail step-by-step move and
attack descriptions of the combat. For one, there's no need. General ideas of
what will work well against what, and any problems unique to a stage should
work fine. For two, I don't expect you to play this game exactly like I would.
You should work useful options into your play-style as necessary and possible.
For the vast majority of maps, there are many possible solutions, and which
works best for you will depend on you. For three, if you're smart, you'll be
using things like Accelerate (adds random value to accumulated RFX after a
unit's turn)--and plenty of the enemies will too--which makes a move by move
guide impossible, setting aside the usual chances of misses, criticals, status
effects landing or not, etc.
About versions, updates, and whatnot -
This guide should only exist on GameFAQs. GameFAQs will *always* have the most
up-to-date version. What's actually in the guide will *always* be reflected in
the contents section above. The Table of Contents headings will *always* be
exactly the same as the section heading in the walkthrough or list, so just
highlight and Ctrl+C,F,V yourself around. If it's not in the guide yet, but is
planned for a future version, there will usually be a sentence or so at the end
of the contents to reflect that. The walkthrough itself is complete. I don't
submit before that, so you don't have to worry about scrolling down and seeing
some crap about "To be continued..."
Elsewise, I hope you find this guide helpful, and even slightly amusing. I had
a lot of fun playing this game, and I hope you do too. On with the show...
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Quick Access Notes
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Formation Arts - beginning
Shop - after prologue
Class Change - during 1-1
Originals - during 1-1
Extra Skills - after 1-2
Character #3 - after 1-2
D.E.R.s - during 1-3
Free Battles - after 1-3
Item Scope #1 - 1-4 part II stage reward
Hire Generics - after 1-4
Searches - after 1-4
Character #4 - during 1-7, part II
Sacred Slayer - after 1-8
Sentinel - after 1-8
Excavator - after 1-8
Geomancer - after 1-8
Item Scope #2 - after 1-8, use Detect at Promise Hill 12H
Synthing - after 1-9
Combination Arts - during 1-13
Character #5 - during 1-15
Item Scope #3 - 1-16 stage reward
Berserker - after 2-3
Enigmancer - after 2-3
Strider - after 2-3
Grappler - after 2-3
Item Scope #4 - 2-7 stage reward
Item Scope #5 - 2-15 stage reward
Character #6 - after 2-15
Item Scope #6 - 3-4, use Detect at top/side of map.
Nightstalker - after 3-6
Emulator - after 3-6
Extremist - after 3-6
High Cavalier - after 3-6
Item Scope #7 - 3-7 stage reward
Item Scope #8 - 3-13 stage reward
Item Scope #9 - 4-5 stage reward
Item Scope #10 - Treasure Chest, Schnell Ruins (stage 4-7)
Item Scope #11 - 4-11 part II stage reward
Item Scope #12 - Foothills of No Return, detect at 19H snow plain (stage FA1)
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Walkthrough
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Prologue - Seed of the Dandelion
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Stage 0-1
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Success: Defeat all enemies
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Required Characters: 2/2 - Clarissa, Felius
Enemies: Rupert (10), 2*Strider (1), Secutor (1), Elementalist (1)
Notes:
Ignore Rupert. You can hit him with Clarissa, but you can't even come close to
killing him, so use her to pop off shots at the Striders instead as you move
in. After a few turns Rupert will smash the arch and take off anyway. Do the
Secutor last as his Weapon Block skill may have you taking unnecessary damage
otherwise. Whenever possible, put Clarissa and Felius on opposite sides of the
enemy to activate Formation Arts.
It's particularly important to get used to not putting another character in the
way of Clarissa's gunshot, and familiarize yourself with the basic Formation
Art.
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Act 1 - Path of the Founding Knights
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Talk to Gilliam in the Shop, Bartender in the Bar, Heinz in the Outskirts, then
Store-Minder in the Shop to get [Map of Elesius]. Buy 3 Heal Berry, 3 Nectar,
and one each of all equipment you're missing. (Or don't, but you have to do
1-1 and 1-2 before you can access another Shop.) Then enter Trader's Road to
activate Stage 1-1.
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Stage 1-1 (Trader's Road)
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Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Enemies: 2*Fantastica (2), Fantastica (3)
Notes:
The level 3 Fantastica has Secutor equipment, and of the other two, one is a
pure Fantastica, the other has Elementalist OC.
Default classes -
White Dog can outpace Felius and Clarissa, but it's best to keep everybody
together and move Felius and Dog so that Clarissa can hit them every turn with
Encourage until combat is joined--both to get more turns and to make setting up
Formation Arts easier. Also be aware that Felius' Attack Assist can give him an
attack out of turn if Dog or Clarissa is attacking an enemy he's next to. Don't
be afraid to use Clarissa's Sacrifice move on the final enemy for a quicker
finish.
Optional classes -
Run Clarissa as Elementalist, Felius as Fantastica. (Remember to equip and load
items.) First turn move everybody forward, have Felius hit Clarissa with Rush.
Next use Clarissa to move up and OHKO the low HP Fantastica with Crush. Move
Felius up next to the other and attack. Move Clarissa past Felius and hit the
laggard with Vortex. Move Dog opposite Felius for Formation Arts. Have Claire
finish the laggard, then finish the last guy with Dog/Felius FAs.
After battle, proceed to Windhalt Gatehouse to activate Stage 1-2.
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Stage 1-2 (Windhalt Gatehouse)
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Success: Activate the switch./Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
Enemies: Secutor (12), 2*Gadgeteer (3), Fantastica (3), Fantastica (1)
Be aware that if *any* ally dies, it's Game Over, so make sure everybody has
Heal Berries.
The easy way -
Have Clarissa wait and move Dog up next to her. When the Gadg and the Fant move
in, take one of them out with Claire and Dog. As soon as you kill one of them,
Felius and Suspicious Lady will show up to help. Move everybody up toward the
switch in a nice protected group, with Lady tossing Replicas in the Secutor's
path, and have everyone else focus on the Gadg coming down from by the switch.
As soon as possible, Warp the Lady up by the Switch to toss a Lightning at it,
or if you keep using her to distract the Sec, and you have Felius as his base
class, get him up there and use Upper Hand.
The hard way -
Make sure Clarissa is an Elementalist, and have Felius as a Halberdier (though
this is optional). As before, use Clarissa and Dog to make a kill, then kill
the remaining nearby unit when Felius and Lady join. Distract the Secutor to
kill the Gadg, then surround the Sec on three corners (he tends to focus on
Clarissa, so you might as well keep him in place by using her as a corner).
Keep tossing out Replicas with the Lady while Felius shoots for a disarm (or
if he's not base class, just attack with FAs). Have Clarissa use Heal Berries
as necessary, and otherwise cast Freeze. The Secutor does have Healing items,
and isn't afraid to use them, but you can outpace him (especially if Disarm
lands), then just keep hammering him down. When he's out, head over and take
out the remaining Fantastica.
The treasure chest is just a Heal Berry, so you can nab it if you get the shot,
but don't stress over it--you can come back and get this one when the map opens
as a free stage.
After the battle, proceed to Poliasha. Talk to Labyrinthia in the Plaza, then
enter the Inn. Afterward, do any shopping you need to do, then head to the Inn
and talk to the Innkeeper to activate Stage 1-3. I recommend you pick up an
extra Spellbook, at least.
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Stage 1-3 (Poliasha)
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Success: Guide all allies to the target area./Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
Enemies: Fantastica (3), Gadgeteer (2), Fantastica (20), 3*Secutor (20)
The easy way -
Have at least one character in the Fantastica class. Move that character up to
the left side of the left block and knock it into the gap. Send everybody else
left to the walkway, have the (or another) Fantastica bust through the barrels,
then kill the Gadg (or just walk around her) and walk into the target zone.
The hard(?) way -
Felius as Gadg, Clarissa and Labyrinthia and Elementalists, Tony as Dog. >_>
Remember to equip extra skills, equipment, and items (include Nectars). Block
the gap as before, then move the ladies up by the barrier and start pelting the
Secs in order of greatest weakness. Send Felius and Tony west to clear the path
and kill the weaklings (take care not to accidentally step into the target
area). After the Secs are dead, the high level Fant should close to attack.
Take her out from behind the barrier.
After the battle, you can reaccess the shop in Poliasha, and Free Battles can
now be played on accessible maps. Watch the scene on Promise Hill, restock if
need be, and head to Creedmore Prison to activate 1-4.
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Stage 1-4 (Creedmore Prison)
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Part I - Rescue the Villagers (Creedmore Prison - Detention Area)
Success: Rescue all of the villagers.
Failure: A single ally is spotted by the guards.
Make everyone Gadgeteers for the higher RFX. Remember to equip Labyrinthia's
Arcanist OC. You don't need to use items or equip--this is purely a puzzle map.
For the purpose of this solution, place the characters in order on the tactics
screen. Directions are with the camera behind the starting position. Buildings
are labeled thus:
789
456
123
X - starting position
Move Clarissa west to south side of 1 and wait by the door.
Move Felius east to 3 and wait by the door.
Move Laby to the door on the west side of 2.
Move Clarissa into the alley between 1 and 2.
Move Felius into the alley between 2 and 3.
Warp Laby north into the alley between 4 and 5.
Move Clarissa north east to open the door on the south of 5.
Move Felius north to open 6.
Move Clarissa west to the alley between 1 and 4.
Warp Laby north east into the alley between 5 and 8.
Move Felius north east into the alley between 6 and 9.
Clarissa waits.
Laby waits.
Move Felius east of 9.
Move Clarissa west of 4 to open the door.
Laby waits.
Clarissa moves north east into the alley between 4 and 7.
Felius moves north to open 9.
Felius moves south west between 6 and 9.
Everyone waits until the guards move into the corners.
Everyone moves north into the alleys between 7 and 8 and 9, Clarissa opens
door on the east side of 8.
Everyone waits until the guards move.
Move Clarissa to the north door of 7.
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Part II - Protect the Villagers (Creedmore Prison - Yard)
Success: All villagers reach target area./Defeat Nanasato.
Failure: A single villager dies./All allies die.
All directions have the target area as south.
The easy way -
Setup:
Clarissa as Dandelion Shot.
Felius as Fantastica.
Labyrinthia as Elementalist. (Arcanist OC)
Levin as Elementalist. (Martial Mage OC)
Give Levin/Laby elementalist eq for the MAG boost.
Generally, the stage should go like this:
-Levin takes out the close Fant, then moves north toward Nanasato, by hooking
around the rock (avoiding the sand), taking out the second Fant on the way.
-Tony heads north to attack/distract the three eastern enemies at the rear.
-Felius hits Laby with Rush immediately, hits Clarissa with Rush on his second
turn, then hits Nanasato with Slow Down, (moving somewhat south the while),
then heads north to assist Tony.
-Laby heads south, taking the western Excavator out with Vortex first turn, to
drop Replicas near Nanasato, hitting her with Crush as possible.
-Claire heads briefly north to Encourage Felius and Laby every possible turn,
then helps finish Nanasato with Sacrifice.
That's right, no Gadgeteers. Healing is a waste of turns you could spend making
sure no villagers are taking hits. You should always have a Replica out before
Laby bothers to use Crush. Don't use Clarissa's second Sacrifice until you can
get a kill with it. Nanasato will move to attack whatever has the lowest HP, so
drop Replicas in such a way as to lead her into Sand (so she gets no RFX boost
from hex). Similarly, keep the team on Floor hexes for the RFX boost whenever
possible.
It may seem odd to move Levin around the sand, but with terrain RFX boosts and
killing the Fants before they can hit him with Slow Down, he can actually get
into the mix faster and do more good by going the long way.
The hard way -
Do everything the same, except don't kill Nanasato. Just keep distracting her
until the villagers run into the zone... this way isn't so much hard, as, just
pointless. You can also flood your team with gadgeteers and spam Heal Berry if
you're not into thinking...
The treasure chest is a Heal Berry. Pick it up in the free stage.
Head back to Poliasha. Enter the Inn. You can now hire Generics...
About generics... during the course of the game, you'll have occasion to use
three or four to fill gaps. You should hire at least six as early as possible,
so that you can do full six man searches (and the earlier you hire them, the
more spillover XP they'll be getting, just by hanging around). Six is probably
all you'll ever really want, though you can hire as many as 41. >_> No srsly.
As far as stats, my personal opinion is that only two things matter: RFX and
keeping the elemental weaknesses fairly low. All of their other stats are
going to be boostable as needed by armor and weapons. So, high 80s is good, and
if they also have a high MAG or ATK (>70), bonus. Six of these will give you a
nice range of elements and MAG/ATK options, on characters quick enough to play
a meaningful role in battle.
What class you hire them as makes no difference, though you might as well mix
it up so that you have the extra starter equipment lying around.
As soon as you hire someone and exit the Inn, you can do Searches.
When you're ready, head to Rusty Docks to activate Stage 1-5.
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Stage 1-5 (Rusty Docks)
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Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This stage is fairly straightforward. Light the torches to scare the Jellies
out of the water, kill the Gremalkins with physical attacks, the Jellies with
magic.
Party: Clarissa, Laby, Felius, 3*Generics.
It doesn't really matter who is what, or in what combination, though it helps
to have Fantasticas for physical attacks from range (the Gremalkin have a HP
theft counterattack) and to Rush the spellcasters. It's also much quicker to
Warp Laby out in the center of the lake to fire the torches and have everybody
else wait on the shore/take out the Gremalkins than have anybody else drag ass
out there and back. If the Jellies are hit with a physical attack that crits,
they may spawn a copy. The Jellies are also pretty much immune to damage >1,
even by magic, while they're in the water.
After the battle, return to Poliasha for plot, then leave town to open some
new and old areas. When it suits you, proceed to Fallen Fowl Swamp to activate
Stage 1-6.
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Stage 1-6 (Fallen Fowl Swamp)
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Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Suggested Party:
Clarissa - Dandelion Shot, Elementalist OC (Dand EQ)
Felius - Halberdier, Fantastica OC (Halb EQ)
Labyrinthia - Elementalist, Arcanist OC (Elem EQ)
3*Generic - Fantastica, Elementalist OC
Everybody - 3*Heal Berry, Nectar
The two major factors in this map are environmental. The swamp and the cliff at
the back of the stage. The swamp has a path through that can be passed as long
as the units have at least 3 Climb, otherwise you have to slog through the
swamp itself, acquiring poison status. Unfortunately the one best class for
taking out unreachable enemies on the cliff--Elementalists--only has two Climb.
So you either drag along antidotes and nectars and/or a Gadg--waste of time and
effort, IMO, or you load up a bunch of Fants (who can also mutually Rush each
other for running and gunning), and ignore the swamp entirely. Except for the
magical warping wonder, Laby (whose capability is legendary (in her own mind)),
who can manage with Warp and can use the extra MAG boost from the Elem EQ.
Party starts in southwest corner.
Clarissa's job is to Encourage anybody lagging behind the group, stop on the
height 4 hex on the west side of the map to pop the treasure chest from range,
and either Sacrifice or toss spells at the cliff-dwellers at the other end of
the map.
Felius' job is to Rush as necessary, then hug the cliff and Upper Hand anybody
he can hit, otherwise make himself useful with Rush and Slow Down.
Laby needs to forge ahead
Generics are generic. Rush and toss spells.
Expect Samille (the Geo mid-map) to toss some Shut Outs. Just kill him as fast
as possible with spells and forge ahead. His major effect is to slow the party
down in the middle of the map.
Remember to keep everybody Rushed as you approach the cliff so you don't have
to wait a turn in range of enemy fire before firing back.
Treasure Chest is a Revive Fruit.
After the battle, head to Guardian Shrine to activate Stage 1-7.
***WARNING***
Now is a good time to have a discussion about save files. You need to be
keeping two. One current, and one backup for the last time you had access to
towns and free stages. Not that it really really matters, but still. For
instance, as soon as you enter the Guardian Shrine, you see a bunch of plot and
are prompted to save *before* you enter the actual fight. Meaning you'll have
to pass the stage as you are (and the stage after, actually)--items, equips,
levels, CSP, and all. If this twists your panties, keep an extra save.
I will try to warn you any time this is about to happen. So. Yeah. >_>
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Stage 1-7 (Guardian Shrine/Path to the Shrine)
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Part I (Guardian Shrine)
Success: Guide all allies to the target area./Defeat all enemies.
Failure: 99 turns pass from the start of the quest./A single ally falls in
battle.
Notes:
Another stage where if even one character dies, it's Game Over, so be paranoid.
Particularly of note is the Sentinel in the center's Heavy Strike skill, which
can knock back a lighter character (at this point, all of them)--which if you
stand between him and a hole (like anywhere near him), he can knock you into
auto-death and Game Over.
Further, you must complete this stage, meaning either all enemies dead or all
units to the gate on the other side of the room, before turn 99 is over.
There are three viable strategies:
1) Up the middle. This has the advantage of directness, but the disadvantage of
having to take out the high-level Sentinel without dying while all of the other
enemies are still burning turns. Doable, but. Load yourself out as in 1-6 with
Rushing Spellcasters (preferably units with 4 move). Laby can Warp, and
Clarissa should Encourage constantly, to help stack the turn list in your
favor. Watch for the enemy Spellcasters heading over to the edge to try to hit
you with spells. Sentinel is weak to water, but don't expect amazing things.
2) One way or the other. This has the advantage of killing almost half the
enemies in the turn list, and should be about as speedy as going up the middle
when you consider how long it takes to kill the Sentinel. If you head for the
spellcasters, emphasize physical attacks, again with fast movers (generic
Secs/Gadgs, Felius as Halb, etc.) Laby can warp, so. Even Tony with his 5 move
is not a poor choice. Remember to take full advantage of Formation Arts.
If you head toward the Secutors, do the opposite. Emphasize quick casters as in
1-6 or #1 above.
3) Split the party. Send physical attackers at the Elementalists and casters at
the Secutors. This is my favorite just because after the melee, you've got only
one enemy eating the available turns.
This is probably the first actual combat stage where I'd recommend Gadgeteers,
to take out the Elementalists, for the high RFX and built-in Decelerate. FAs
should more than make up for less ATK. Add to that their armor's special boost
to RFX after item-use if you do need to heal.
If you opt for #2 or #3 don't forget to use Clarissa's gun to pop the chest
before you head around.
So for my money, it's:
Clarissa as Fant, Dandy OC, Dandy EQ
Laby as Elem, Arcanist OC, Elem EQ
Generic Fant, Elementalist OC, Elem EQ (if possible)
-
Felius as Gadg, Fantastica OC, Fant EQ (for FA boost)
2*Generic Gadg.
Everybody Heal Berry to capacity.
Gang up and kill quickly. Better to take somebody off the turn list than shoot
for most efficient application of damage. Also, be aware of the environment.
IMO it's better to cut yourself short a hex to land on a 20% RFX than stand on
a 10% or non-bonus hex. Finally, if you're close on moves toward the end and
have some stragglers, get everybody else the hell off the board.
Treasure Chest is Katzbalger.
After the battle, there's nothing really to do but head to Path to the Shrine.
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Part II (Path to the Shrine)
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: Levin falls in battle.
Suggested Party:
Clarissa as Dandy.
Felius as Halb.
Laby as Elem, Arcanist OC, Elem EQ.
Levin as Elem, Martial Mage OC/EQ, Spellbook/Coat.
2*Generic Elem, Fantastica OC, Elem EQ.
Everybody loaded with Heal Berries.
Have Clarissa block the path north and Encourage the Elems, use Heal Berry, or
take pot shots down the bottleneck, as prudent. Watch her HP as she'll be
on the front line.
Generic elems back her up with spells. Work those elemental weaknesses.
Felius takes out the lone Secutor (start with Disarms), then returns to assist
Clarissa and the generics.
Laby assists with the Sec, then Warps across (or fires from behind the barrier
if enemies are in range).
Levin as Elem (for the MAG) *slowly* advances to deal with enemies. Be insanely
paranoid about his HP, as a crit from the beefy Sec can easily 75% him.
If anyone dies, use Laby to revive them on the other side of the barrier (as is
prudent). This isn't really a tough fight so long as Levin doesn't go rushing
into the swarm... in fact a solid first move is to drop him back and west to
hit the Excav with a spell on the next turn so that the rest go hang around
the barrier.
After the battle, you can reaccess shops and free battles. Stop by West Wind
Guidepost for some plot, the when ready continue on to Fort Molasar for Stage
1-8.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-8 (Fort Molasar)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Magnus
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Magnus is the Sec at the back. His sword does additional damage based on how
much VP his target is missing. The easy answer is to drag along a Gadg to
Mystic some Nectars onto the party at the last minute. You can also just kill
him from range, though he has +20% vs. all elements, so Blast/Lightning will
be the way to go.
This battle, more than any other, is about turn *efficiency* more than speed,
so Levin should be back in his Martial Mage class, even though this will cut
his effectiveness as a caster. Clarissa, also, should be out of class, as her
3 Move just isn't going to cut it. Clarissa's a good one to pop into Gadg to
use for support and endstage mass Nectaring.
Suggested party:
Clarissa - Gadgeteer, Dandy OC
Felius - Halberdier
Laby - Elementalist, Arcanist OC, Elementalist EQ
Levin - Martial Mage
2*Generic Fantastica - Elementalist OC, Elementalist EQ
Nectars for Clarissa, Felius, Levin, and Heal Berries to fill.
Send everybody but Laby up the near shortcut. Be sure to Rush Laby before you
send all the Fants up. Move/Warp Laby east up the stairs then back across to
the party. She should be able to one-shot both enemies, then Warp to rejoin.
Everybody else takes out the Sentinel (use magic, Invoked Felius to Disarm).
Continue north through the next shortcut and take out both enemy Gadg before
getting on the stairs up to Magnus and co.
Pile everybody together for Clarissa's Mystic Nectar to refill VP, then lure
Magnus down onto the stairs with a Replica. Send Levin up to nab the chest
[Gella Card], then have him Cancel Strike Magnus. Use the Fants to keep Felius
Invoked for Disarms on Magnus. Burn any of their remaining MP taking out the
enemy Fants, then hitting Magnus for whatever they can. Nestle Labyrinthia on
the RFX +20 tiles just below the stairs, and have Clarissa constantly
Encourage her so that she can pound Magnus often with Lightning.
NB: Don't put Felius next to the Replica if you have him wearing his class
armor unless you want him taking hits for Laby's sock monkey. >_>
Once you get rid of his sword, he's a tank, but nothing unusually dangerous,
attack-wise. Just wear him down. Clarissa's Sacrifice makes a good finisher.
After the battle, you'll open some new classes. Proceed to Hanigar, talk to
the Forger in Synth Shop, talk to Jeune in The Elder's, Workman in Synth Shop,
Jeune again in The Elder's, Ore Miner in The Bar, then Jeune a third time in
The Elder's when you're ready to hit the next battle...
but before that, I recommend you purchase upgraded EQ for the mains, at least,
and a couple sets of Elem +MAG/RES EQ... and:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - Item Scope #2, Jelly Genocide
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you've opened Excavators, you can nab Item Scope #2 by entering a free
battle at Promise Hill and using the Excav Detect skill at the high point.
You can also exploit Excavator's Gella Bonus to repeat kill an endless series
of Jellies at Rusty Docks and farm up tons of Gella, CSP, and EXP. Just take in
an Excavator with Elementalist OC, kill all but one Jelly, then pop the last
with weak strikes until you crit, whereupon the Jelly will Floop out a copy,
which you kill with spells, rinse, repeat. When the Jelly gets low on HP or VP,
just kill it after it spawns, and start on the copy.
At this point in the game, you don't have the skills to make this really
easily exploitable, but:
2+ Excavator, Sacred Slayer OC/Elementalist OC.
- When your MP start to run low, Heal to restore your HP, and have somebody
Switch you for full MP.
You can run this with as few as two characters, or a full roster. Everybody's
VP (and then HP) will run low, but the Jellies are far more concerned with
fleeing than anything else.
Later on you can access skills to restore your MP as you go, so you can run it
with a single character. It also becomes more profitable later on as the enemy
levels (and Gella, EXP) rise. It will also nab you 1 CSP per Jelly, so you can
get whatever skills you have the patience for (though at this point you
shouldn't go crazy because there's a more exploitable CSP factory coming up
before too long).
Its real advantage is that it's a reasonably quick and somewhat mindless
alternative to doing a krajillion random battles normally with Gella Bonus, and
late game it's an easy alternative to grinding for EXP. Not that you need
levels, but whatever trips your trigger. >_>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-9 (Hanigar - Zone 4)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Find Key, Take Lift
Success: Guide all allies to the target area.
Failure: A single ally is spotted by the enemy.
This is purely a puzzle map, so just put Clarissa and Levin in the Excavator
class. They don't need other skills or equips or anything.
Just head over to the building by the Secutor and use Detect to reveal the key
in front of the door, nab it while he's around back, and head over to the lift
to enter the cliff, which is the target area. Make sure to have two moves to
cross or enter vision zones before the enemy gets a turn.
Stuff strewn around:
Heal Berry - steps near the start point, height 4.
Revive Fruit - middle of the path on the way to the key door.
Antidote - behind the building near the Fantastica.
Lift Key - in front of the door to the building by the Secutor.
Quickshot - middle of courtyard before mine/lift.
Iron Ore - right in front of the lift.
Pinwheel - by the lower lift switch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Escape Zone 4
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
The first group is cake. Kill them and move on. The sacred slayers are the real
problem. Step to the bottom of the first flight of stairs to activate the first
SS, let him come up, drain his MP with Clarissa and Felius while Levin keeps
everybody healed, the hit him with Fragile (Levin), surround him, and use FAs
for a quick kill. Step down to the next level (just one spot) to activate the
second, retreat, drain his MP, let him come up, surround him, FA to kill.
At this point you may be starting to run low on VP, so pop some Nectar as you
drop down to engage the final, toughest Slayer. At this point, you're probably
also running low on MP. Luckily this guy is fast and just loooves to Fragile
and Sanctify. Burn his MP as much as you can with Clarissa and Felius, and
when he's out, Fragile/Cancel Strike with Levin and FA with Felius. Clarissa
won't be able to do much (because of this guy's "Hard" armor), but if she has a
turn right before Felius, go ahead and attack anyway for the Chain bonus.
Suggested Party:
Clarissa - Fantastica, Elementalist OC, Elementalist EQ
Felius - Halberdier, Fantastica OC, Fantastica EQ (Halberd/Fant Armor - to be
able to damage the Hard guy, and for the FA bonus)
Levin - Sacred Slayer, Martial Mage OC
Everyone should have Nectar, 3*Heal Berry
After the battle, talk to Clerk in the Shop, Forger in the Synth Shop (to open
Synthing), Funk in the bar, Jeune at The Elder's, and Toco at The Elder's to
obtain a Dragon Fossil. Then leave town to open the next stage at Rainy Pass.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - About Synthing and Searching, Money Cheat
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping your EQ up to date is actually a better way to stay on par with enemies
than level grinding. That (less now than later) requires Synthing, which
requires money and ingredients, which you get from searching, which requires
money.
A perfectly good way to get money is to take your people into battle either as
Excavators or with Gella Bonus (if they've learned it) and just kill stuff.
The Harpies are especially good targets, as they have high Gella drops. The
next stage (Rainy Pass), is pretty good money, once you open it as a free
stage. It is usually either all Harpies or a special encounter with a Not Have,
a 1 HP enemy that essentially runs away and resets the stage if you can't kill
him in time (with level*100 Gella--double that for a kill with Gella Bonus).
You can also take advantage of the infinite flooping Jellies to make gobs of
cash.
If you're not of a mind to do anything legitimate, you can equip Laby with an
item you have only one of, spawn a Replica, get the Harpies to steal that item,
have Laby use the original item (be sure to make sure she *can* use it), and
since you will have lost two of an item you only had one of to begin with,
through the magic of programming loopholes unclosed, you can go sell 254 of
your now 255 of them, and repeat until the cows come home, you get bored, etc.
So for instance at this stage of the game you can mass dup a Gella Card and
make 381K Gella in about five minutes. Never used this, myself, except to check
that it works, so... as always with this sort of thing, caveat emptor. The
glitch may or may not make some of your items disappear (they're still there,
just can't be sold or equipped). Save and reload after selling the overloaded
Gella Cards (or whatever) to fix whatever got glitched.
Either way, it's a good idea to keep your equips up to date. "Up to date" as
defined by how many Item Scopes you have. Every time you get a new Item Scope,
check back at the Synth Shop to see what you can build.
Synthable weapons and armors come in three types: ATK/DEF boosters, which
require metals, AIM/EVA boosters, which require plants, and MAG/RES boosters,
which require animal parts.
At 1 Item Scopes, you can Synth specialized equipment.
At 2 Item Scopes, you can Synth +1 specialized equipment and:
Potion Berry
Antidote +1
Medicine +1
At 3 Item Scopes, you can Synth +2 specialized equipment and:
Exploder Gem
Large Moon
Elemental Gems +1 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Exploder Gem +1 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Nectar +1
Breath Mint +1
At 4 Item Scopes, you can Synth +3 specialized equipment and:
Mega Berry (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Flying Saucer
Antidote +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Medicine +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Peppy Acorn +1
Pinwheel +1
Pygmalion +1
At 5 Item Scopes, you can Synth +4 specialized equipment and:
Holy Root (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Imprisoner (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Money Pit (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Dark Nebula
Nectar +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Breath Mint +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Holy Root +1 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
At 6 Item Scopes, you can Synth +5 specialized equipment and:
Full Revive (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Smart Bomb (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Unholy Berry (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Exploder (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Circle Zapper
Peppy Acorn +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Pinwheel +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Pygmalion +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Magic Berry
At 7 Item Scopes, you can Synth +6 specialized equipment and:
Holy Berry (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Angel Halo
Holy Root +2 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
At 8 Item Scopes, you can Synth named specialized equipment (+7) and:
Buzzsaw
At 9 Item Scopes, you can Synth named equipment (+8)
At 11 Item Scopes, you can Synth ultimate equipment (+9) and:
Great Apple (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Ambrosia (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
Magic Berry +1 (High class--mastered Gadgeteer only)
If you stay in a particular "path" (say ATK boosting halberds), it takes fewer
materials to upgrade each stage of the equipment. You can covert any type n
to any type n+1, and it will have higher values in all three categories than
any of the type n equipment, so if you have no concern for the cost, it's
always better to upgrade to a different type (lacking the parts for the type
you prefer) than work with a lower level weapon or armor.
Better armors are almost always heavier, also, so bear that in mind as you
upgrade. The extra power will take a heavier toll on your VP. But what can you
do?
Check the Search List at the end of the guide for a detailed list of where to
search for needed materials.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-10 (Rainy Pass)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat half (4) of the enemies.
Failure: Clarissa falls in battle.
Notice the treasure chest on the far opposite side of the battlefield, around
the bottom of the cliff. You'll want to send someone to get it. I usually send
Clarissa because she's the failure condition. Be sure to keep from killing a
fourth enemy until she (or whoever) has nabbed it.
This is probably the first of many stages where it just doesn't really matter
what your setup is. Excavators and Geomancers will have an easier time moving
around this map than anyone else, but anybody else can get the job done just
fine. As long as you have at least one unit that can tear things up magically
to take out the beefy Sentinel (with the huge Wind weakness), like, I don't
know, Laby, you'll be fine pretty much no matter what you do. If you kill as
you go, you won't even need to come close to Rupert. (Though Laby can hit him
from below with her Lightning, if you really want to kill him.)
If you bring along a Geo as one of your fillers, you can Shut Out the Sentinel
while you kill him.
So, for instance:
Clarissa - Excavator, Excavator EQ (for the RFX, MOV, and flexible ranged
attack to nab that chest faster)
Labyrinthia - Elementalist, Arcanist OC, Elementalist EQ
Generics to fill, maybe one magic user and three attackers.
Typical item load: 2*Heal Berry, Revive Fruit, Nectar
Not really a difficult stage.
Treasure Chest contains a Flail.
After the battle, Starlit Path opens. Proceed there to activate 1-11.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-11 (Starlit Path)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Until the final part of this stage, it's all puzzle maps, so:
Suggested Party:
Felius/Levin - Excavator, Excavator EQ
Part I:
Walk one of them onto the step switch and have the other hit the attack switch.
Part II:
Have Levin step right (toward center) and fire at the attack switch to unstone
Felius' similar switch.
Felius steps left and attacks switch.
Levin pops over the wall and attacks the near switch to drop the blocks in
Felius' way.
Felius moves past the blocks and to the outside to hit the corner box.
Levin moves forward to hit his corner box.
Felius moves to hit the attack switch.
Levin hits the attack switch.
Both move to the warp point.
Part III:
Levin moves straight ahead all the way to the beam, attacks switch.
Felius moves onto the step switch and attacks the attack switch.
Levin moves forward out of the pit.
Felius walks over the raised block.
Both warp out.
Part IV:
Levin walks to warp point, attacks either of the two blocks on the 4hex area
just ahead.
Felius does the same.
Levin walks to warp point and attacks the more beamward (southern, behindward,
etc.) of the two boxes to the right.
Felius walks to warp point and attacks the box to the left.
Levin walks to box and attacks it.
Felius walks to warp point and attacks the rightmost crate.
Levin walks to warp point and attacks any of the forward crates.
Both move toward warp point, firing each turn, then warp out.
Part V:
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
Notice that both units have to be fairly self-sufficient, as neither can die or
it's Game Over.
Suggested Party:
Both as Sacred Slayers with their special OC, best equips you've got.
Items: 3*Heal Berry, Nectar
Move both forward onto the raised stone 9H stone hexes directly in front. From
this point, both will be protected from the stupid AI and even be able to reach
across the gap with Sanctify. Felius will be doing crap damage, but it doesn't
really matter--it'll give time for Levin to pop over and open the chest, which
has a Curaiss.
You can actually run them as whatever you want, really, just be sure to watch
their HPs.
Ignore the switches. They do nothing.
After the battle, enter Rhino River for some plot, then proceed to Deserter's
Camp for Stage 1-12.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-12 (Deserter's Camp)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
The Paigoels always have one strong elemental weakness and one strong elemental
defense. When they're on a ley point that matches their strength, they get a
stat boost. If you put them onto a ley point that corresponds to their weak
element, they take 9999 damage. Even "Active" on their good ley point, they can
still be damaged effectively by using their weakness against them. They can
also be knocked off with the Sentinal original, Replaced off with the Geomancer
original, etc.
This stage can be completed any number of ways. Probably the easiest answer is
to have elemental casters to kill the two nearby earth types before they get to
the near ley point, and have one or more Geos with healing (via items or SS OC)
translate across and replace the rest of the Paigoels onto a ley point that
will automatically kill them. You can also go through with meatheads and push
them off ley points and Shut Out or otherwise block them from their ley point,
then kill them. Or you can just kill them with elemental attacks against their
weakness.
So your line-up will depend on which strategy you like. If you choose one of
the slower strategies, remember to pack a Nectar for everybody. For the auto-
kills with Geomancers, pack healing items and take advantage of their armor's
innate elemental damage reduction (reduces all elemental damage by 1/3).
My preference is Clarissa/Felius with Fant OC to Rush (in class or out), Levin
and Laby as Elementalists, and a couple generic Sacred Slayers with Elem OC
and EQ. Rush keeps everybody active, the SS keep everybody healed and toss on
extra damage (with +1 range from widespread), and Levin and Laby bring the
pain. You don't even need to bring a Geo to see the ley points. On or off, hit
their weakness (just look it up), and you can reach everything from this side
of the river, so.
The treasure chest can be ignored/gotten in Free Battle.
After the fight, proceed to Dead Plateau to activate stage 1-13.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-13 (Dead Plateau)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You will now have access to Combination Arts (finally >_>)... instead of
choosing to follow through with an attack, you can Lock-on, and the next attack
you follow through with (before the target gets a turn) will activate the MAG
based Combination Arts. This is a good way to damage a lot of Hard-type enemies
like the Rhinos. Just lock-on and attack. You can pull off a combo with up to
all six characters, for increasing damage.
This battle is fairly straight-forward. Use CAs or spells on the Rhinos (and
enemy name), use physical attackers for the Gremalkins. Watch out for the Rhino
Petrify attack. It's got a big range and they like to use it. A petrified unit
can be OHKO'd with a physical attack. You can either drag a Gadg along to cure
any stoned units with Pygmalions, or just protect them and wait out the Petrify
(takes a few turns).
Despite the diversity of enemies and double reinforcements, this battle is very
straightforward. Excavators and Geomancers can be useful for getting around
quickly, but they are by no means necessary.
The Tarasque is just another Hard enemy, so use spells and CAs. It has a long
range Poison attack and a fairly powerful short range attack, but it really
isn't that tough to kill.
Chest near the ruins contains Antidote.
After the battle and plot, head to Richala Rose. Talk to Bamburgh in the Shop,
Mist at the Synth Shop, Daniel at the Inn, Ragnar at the Quarry, ***SAVE***,
then when you're ready for the next fight, talk to Mist again in the Synth
Shop.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-14 (Richala Rose)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single enemy reaches the target area./All allies fall in battle.
Suggested Party:
2*Generic Sacred Slayer with Geomancer OC. (pos 1, 6)
Laby/Levin as Elementalist. (pos 3, 4)
Clarissa/Felius as Gadgeteer w/useful OC like Dandy/Fant and if possible
Excavator OC for In & Out item reloads. (pos 2, 5)
Everybody should be stuffed with heal berries, except Clarissa and Felius, who
should pack a Nectar, a Heal Berry, and as many elemental gems as you've
got.
Position your Sacred Slayers on the outside of the barriers just in front of
the party. From this position both slayer should be able to widespread Shut Out
the gaps to the side, locking off the entire final side gaps. That is pretty
much their whole job in this fight. They funnel all the enemies through the
middle gap. Vitally important.
Levin and Laby should nestle in the middle nook back of each barrier, for
maximum center coverage with their elementalist spells. Clarissa and Felius are
support and added damage. As gadgeteers, with their armor, any time they pop an
item, they get an RFX boost, so target enemy elemental weaknesses if possible,
but their main job is to support whoever needs it.
Of the first set of enemies, the Excavs will get there first. Just pound their
weakest element. As soon as you kill both Excavs, a group (2 Berserkers, and a
Geomancer with insane move) will reinforce back left of the stage. As soon as
you take out two of the starting Berserkers, a similar group will reinforce
back right. Of all the enemies in the stage, those Geomancers must be killed
ASAP. The Berserkers' straight line movement tends to have them floundering
around most of the time, but those Geos will go for the target area at any
cost.
The treasure chest to the left is Safety Boots. You can either send somebody
over there when you get down to one enemy, or pop it from range when Clarissa
has a free turn.
This combat can be as hard or easy as you make it. If you lock out the sides
and take out the geos and excavs fast, it's cake. If you don't lock out those
sides, it can still be done, but pack elementalists and keep them spread. Don't
make the mistake of rushing in. Just stick to your line.
After the battle, talk to Daniel in the Bar, then leave town to open Quarry of
Desire. Proceed there for Stage 1-15.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-15 (Quarry of Desire)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: Ragnar falls in battle.
This battle is fairly straightforward, besides being a bunch of undead (and a
huge reinforcement, midway through). Since Ragnar is a failure condition, don't
rush in with him. I usually switch him to Excavator and send him up for the
chest on the peak after the enemies are clear.
You need at least 3 Climb to get up on the plateau, but sacred slayers can
reach up there just fine with Sanctify, so just don't send anybody up there who
isn't going for the chest. Chest contains Heal Berry... no srsly. >_>
As for your exact party, 2-3 Sacred Slayers is fine, or 6 is good, or whatever.
The enemies have a smallish chance to respawn if killed by anything but
Sanctify, but if you want to just blast through that, you can. (but... why?)
Movement is going to be slow, especially with SS in the party, so speed things
up with some Fantastica OC on whoever's got access to it, and pack a Nectar for
everybody, just in case.
The reinforcement will happen when you've taken out all but one of the enemy.
Just take it slow and take full advantage of widespread. For an extra MAG
boost, equip your SS with Elementalist weapons.
After the battle, return to Richala Rose, talk to Nostalgic Man at Quarry,
leave town and enter Dead Plateau, then return to Richala Rose to activate
Stage 1-16.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1-16 (Richala Rose)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single villager dies in battle./All allies fall in battle.
Don't forget to re-equip Ragnar.
The party from the last map will do fine. Sacred Slayers for Santcify and Heal,
Additional members to Rush so the SS can run and gun. Watch the turn list, and
don't attack if a villager needs a heal. You really need to be moving everybody
into the fray. Until the villagers get some range, expect to be healing more
than anything else.
The tide of battle turns quickly in your favor as the villagers scatter and you
take out one or two enemies. Just take care in the beginning and it'll be fine.
Item Scope #3 is a post-battle reward.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Act 2 - A Tale of Two Princesses
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With what should be your third item scope, you will have access to another
level of Synthable equipment and new items.
When you're ready, head to Frightful Abyss to activate stage 2-1.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-1 (Frightful Abyss)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all Martial Guards.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
The Vodianoi only attacks if somebody (enemy or ally) is in the water, and hits
with an attack that will damage everybody in the water. Otherwise, he'll just
hang out over there and watch--unless you act on him, attack him, etc.
The easiest way to avoid the water is to use Geomancer OC to Translate across
from the ley point just ahead of the party. The drawback is that you'll be
pretty much smack in the range of enemy attacks, and you'll have ended
everybody's turn. If you're superhardcore, go for it. Otherwise, it's a good
idea to take a more measured crossing, suck up the damage (bring heals), and
not have to deal with everything at once.
No matter which way you go, you're going to be dealing with enemies in numbers.
Sacred Slayers are good for healing and widespread, but bad for movement and
long term VP. Geomancers are great for getting around, but otherwise fairly
ineffective (although for a laugh, instead of taking the last move onto land,
Replace an enemy into the water--then Shut Out the hex for bonus giggles).
My best advice is to pack a Nectar for everyone, turtle up and creep in a group
toward the enemy. A set of four units will reinforce once you kill four guards,
so be prepared, and play defensively. The map is built to try to make you rush
in, but the Vod's damage is not that bad, so take your time (and bring heals or
a healer).
Be especially careful of the Grapplers, who have Red Zone (enables an immediate
turn when an ally goes into Crisis), and Accelerate (the cheating move to end
all cheating moves) which adds a random value to accumulated RFX after every
turn... they can and will end up getting double turns now and then.
Treasure Chest contains Shield +1.
After the battle, proceed to Wayward Path to enter Stage 2-2.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-2 (Wayward Path)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
The step switch lowers the first set of elevator blocks, the two "weight"
switches lower the second set of blocks. Actually they don't have anything to
do with weight. They trigger on Sentinel armor. If a character is wearing it,
the switch will drop. They can have any non-Sentinel weapon equipped, and be
any weight.
But forget all that. Bothering with that elevator is stupid.
Suggested Party:
Clarissa as whatever, Dandy OC--her job is support, mostly to Encourage Felius.
Excav and Gadg are good for the RFX.
Felius as Sentinel (for the ATK bonus), Halberdier equip/OC.
Labyrinthia as whatever. I like Sacred Slayer with Arcanist OC (required for
treasure chest), and Elementalist EQ.
Levin as Sacred Slayer, Elementalist OC, Elementalist EQ.
Ragnar -- Excavator if he doesn't yet know Attack High/Low, otherwise Secutor,
with Stormrider EQ and whatever.
Generic -- your choice. I'd go with another SS/Elementalist OC/EQ.
Have somebody step on the button before Laby's turn. Warp Laby onto the lowered
elevator, then have the button guy move off and pop Laby up. She can now Warp
through to the upper level. Her whole job in this fight is to stay alive,
making herself useful as possible, use Replica to lure enemies toward the edge,
etc. Then have her pop the chest. Treasure Chest contains Play Apron +1. You
can also get the chest in a Free Battle. (In that case use Laby like another
SS to elemental spell or Lightning from below).
Clarissa's whole job is to Encourage, mostly Felius.
Levin's job is to stand on the button/raised platform and throw spells up onto
the ledge. Felius' job is to Upper Hand everything to death. Ragnar should
throw boomerangs up there until the edge is clear. Generic should help out.
Behold the carnage. >_>
After you've killed 5 enemies, another 5 will reinforce at the back. Just let
them come join the fun until everybody upstairs is dead. Remember to give Laby
time to get the chest if you sent her after it.
After the battle, Stage 2-3 opens at Rasalom Keep.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - CSP Farming
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Flatwoods has, among its possible battles, an encounter with 1 or 3 of an
enemy called "Creeping Chaos." You may remember them from previous Wild ARMs
titles. In this game, they reward you with CSP = overkill damage/2 (on the
first playthrough).
Though they have a dangerous set of attacks, if you toss out a Replica with
Labyrinthia, they will repeatedly attempt to use their skill Dangerous Matter
(cuts HP in half) on it--for 0 damage. This will give you plenty of time to
reduce their HP as low as possible without killing them (Sentinel has a skill
in its OC just for this purpose), then buff up and debuff the enemy to deal the
most powerful finishing blow possible.
Be careful not to let their MP get too low before killing them, or they won't
be able to use Dangerous Matter and will start using their more lethal 0 MP
skills.
Even early in the game, it's fairly easy to generate as much or more than 100
CSP per battle--making this the ultimate short-cut to gaining class skills.
It is very worth your while to go ahead and learn whatever you have the
patience to learn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-3 (Rasalom Keep)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Everybody but Felius (who isn't there to start), will be affected by Misery
status, blocking use of Originals.
Use whatever party you want, but pop a couple of elemental gems on everybody,
emphasizing the enemy weaknesses. I like Clarissa as a Gadgeteer, too, because
I really only use her for support (so switching is convenient). Just make sure
Felius has Halberdier OC equipped, if he's not in class, for his Status Absorb
skill. For the rest of the items, some Nectar and Revives are a good idea.
Especially for Clarissa, so she can mass-Nectar later on (if you use her as a
Gadg).
Move the party as quickly as possible to the first landing. As soon as you step
on the stairs up from there, Felius will arrive above. You should get somebody
up there ASAP, but generally keep the group together on the first landing, and
avoid killing anything (first kill triggers the reinforcements below) until
your laggards are away from the start point. Move Felius down toward the party
and the party up toward Felius. Be sure to wait with Felius' Status Absorb
until he can hit *everybody* with it (he can't do it twice because he'll be
miserable after the first shot).
NB: Anybody who gets revived won't be miserable, so it's not the worst idea in
the world to let a healer get slaughtered, then assist after revive until you
hook up with Felius.
After that, the stage is purely a matter of killing the rest of the guards. No
big trouble, there. Don't forget to send somebody after the treasure chest up
top for a Cup Badge +1.
After the battle, you will open 4 new classes, and Stage 2-4 will be open at
Elensia. I would also urge you to do any equipment synthing and CSP farming
that you intend to do. Stage 2-4 through 2-10 are chained, allowing you no
access to Free Battles, Shops or Synthing. Even afterward, for quite some time
you will not have access to The Flatwoods, so use it now if you're going to.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - Character Builds and Skill Combinations
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's about this point in the game that you can (and should) start thinking
about some more advanced character builds. For your uniques, this means taking
a look at their unique skills and deciding what other skills and OCs will best
suit them to exploit their natural abilities and make up for their innate
weaknesses. For generics, this means deciding what kind of builds will best
suit their natural stats and the roles they play in your party, as suits your
play style.
I'm not going to belabor this, as thinking and planning your characters to suit
the maps and your play style is probably the most fun thing about SRPGs, but
let's take a look at Labyrinthia as an example.
Labyrinthia is a strong mage, but her low RFX and low MOV/CLM in the casting
classes is probably already becoming obvious. So an interesting build, taking
advantage of her Arcanist skills Attack & AIM down and Critical Extra turn, and
helping to rid her of her crappy move, is to use her as a Strider, so she has a
decent move and awesome Climb, a nice ranged attack, and the boosted crit% to
give her turn after turn while she disables enemy AIM. Pile in Decelerate (from
Gadg) and Accelerate (from Grappler) for even more effectiveness--and even
Grappler OC, so she can climb up, toss enemies down to other units, and still
add damage from on high. Add in IFF (from Enigmancer) and she can toss your own
units around the field without hurting them... you get the point.
There are some fantastic combinations of skills and Originals, and it's a good
time to start thinking of your units as having distinct combat roles.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-4 (Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Guide all allies to the target area.
Defeat all enemies after the gate opens.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
Defeat an enemy before the gate opens.
Take special note of the failure conditions: If any ally dies, or any enemy
dies before the gate is up, it's Game Over. You have to be very careful about
putting enemy units in Crisis because they stay active--they'll walk right up
and attack, then get killed by your counter.
The battle comes in two parts: First, you have to get three enemies into Crisis
without dying or killing in order to get them to open the gates. Then, you have
90 turns (including enemy moves) to either kill everything (including the extra
reinforcements that arrive when the gate opens) or get everybody into the
target zone behind the gate.
The best way to accomplish this is to get everybody smack up against the gate,
and THEN put three enemies in critical, so that when the gate opens, you can
just pop back into it and/or start killing indiscriminately, whichever you
prefer. The hardest thing about this level is not-killing before the gate, and
not dying after the gate opens.
You'll need healers to keep everybody safe, and units with variable damage
options (elemental spells work well for this, as you can somewhat tailor the
damage you'll be doing). Levin's Martial Mage Original Graviton is also good
for adding that last light touch of damage.
Despite what Laby says in the D.E.R., you don't want units with high MOV. You
need to keep a tight group, and there's no reason not to take the first half
slowly and carefully. Especially considering that you'll need to navigate
around the Sentinels (with their ZOC effect limiting your MOV) anyway, so
having high MOV units won't matter anyway.
My best advice for getting everybody safely near the gate is to pop everybody
up on the bridge sides. You'll still have some problems with Sentinels blocking
and limiting, but less than if you go up the middle. Then weaken the mages and
another enemy, and when the reinforcements arrive, escape. Be paranoid about
healing.
The other option is to head up the middle and put the first three enemies you
meet in Crisis, then slaughter your way forward. You still need to keep a tight
group and be paranoid about healing. If you're doing it this way, it helps to
deal as much damage to the enemies as you can before you put three in Crisis,
so that you can kill them the faster when the gate rises.
Don't forget to get the Treasure Chest on the right side of the gate, which
contains a Corseca +1.
Stage 2-4 leads directly to Stage 2-5.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-5 (Streets of Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
The object on this map is (conveniently) a Gravity Device that doubles every-
body's weight, and increases the damage dealt by weight-based attacks, such as
the ones in the Grappler OC. Grapplers also have incredibly light equipment...
and high VP... and there are a ton of enemy Sentinels... coincidence? >_> No.
By far the easiest way to manage this battle is to make everybody a Grappler,
or (if you've learned it) give them the Grappler OC so they can toss enemies
around. You should have at least three sets of +1 Grappler weapons and armor,
just from plot rewards. Another coincidence? >_> No.
Be sure to leave Ragnar with his Boomerang weapon, so you have somebody to send
forward and hit the object (turning it on) from range. You can also trigger it
with spells or other attacks.
You'll want to pack Nectars, since double the weight means double the VP loss.
In fact, you should be at a point where you can just dress them as Grapplers
and leave them otherwise alone by just adding their usual healing/damage OCs
and normal EQ. Packing Nectars is a small price to pay for using the usual EQ.
With the gravity device active, all the Sentinels should be nearly a one shot
kill with Heavy Throw. Just remember to bring healers and such, and file this
one under "stupid easy."
Also, when you've done most or all of the Sentinels, turn the machine off. No
point leaving it on to drain you when it's not going to do you any good.
If you're allergic to using new anything, a bunch of magic users will tear
through everything here just fine, without you having to bother with the
gravity ball.
Remember to send somebody off around the back to get the treasure chest for a
Mage Staff +1.
Stage 2-5 leads directly to Stage 2-6.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-6 (River in Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Asgard.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This battle should be epic... but it isn't... kind of sad, really.
Asgard has three moves, a basic point blank attack, a "you can't touch me"
defensive move, and a badass AoE that he can't use after moving...
Things to use:
Arcanist OC - For Lightning.
Sacred Slayer OC - For Fragile, Turn Shift.
Fantastica OC - For Feeble Mind.
*Somebody in Berserker class.
Nectars
Just leave your front line in place, then move your back line up behind them.
Wait until Asgard approaches. As soon as he's close, send your Berserker up the
stairs and across the bridge to get the chest (if you do it early, Asgard will
focus on that unit--pointlessly). Treasure chest contains Comp. Bow +1.
With your main party, wait until he drops his shield and have everybody trash
his MP with Feeble Mind (and have somebody Slow him). When he's below the point
where he can raise his Shield, have somebody cast Fragile and everybody Turn
Shifts to Laby, who pounds him with Lightning.
What? Laby said something about FAs and CAs? Ignore her. She's a goof.
2-6 leads directly to 2-7.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-7 (Grauswein Plaza)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Stop Charlton from summoning Grauswein. (Destroy the 6 generators.)
Defeat all enemies.
Failure: 60 turns pass from the start of the quest.
All allies fall in battle.
Your goal is to take out the six generators. They are one shot kills, so all
you really need is MOV and ranged weapons. Claire with Dandy EQ (for Strahl's
range), Ragnar with his Boomerang, and Levin with Martial Mage OC (Blast) are
all good for Berserkers. Make Laby a Strider with Arcanist OC (Warp), Felius an
Excavator, and add a generic whatever. Excav is fine, unless you've got one
that has learned Excav or Strider EQ, then make them a Berserker with a ranged
weapon.
Pile in some Fant and SS OC to Rush Laby for move + Warp and to Turn Shift
whenever possible.
Don't forget to send somebody back left to get the chest (I like Ragnar with
Attack high/low, Berserker's innate Penetrator). It contains Power Glove +1.
Be sure to get it before you take out the 6th generator.
60 turns should be about double what you need for this. Just ignore the enemies
and concentrate on the generators.
Item Scope #4 is a mission reward. You now have the ability to Synth +3 EQ.
(Not that it'll do you any good for a while. >_>)
2-7 leads directly to 2-8.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-8 (Grauswein Plaza)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Stop Charlton from summoning Grauswein.
Defeat all enemies.
Failure: 40 turns pass from the start of the quest.
All allies fall in battle.
Just don't die. :P
If you're reading this to find out if anything happens differently if you
actually spoiler the spoiler, the answer is no. You can't actually spoiler the
spoiler.
If you're reading this because you failed to keep everybody from dying, I weep
for humanity.
"Stage" 2-8 leads directly to Stage 2-9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-9 (Backstreets of Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Guide all allies to the target area.
Defeat all enemies.
Failure: 99 turns pass from the start of the quest.
A single ally falls in battle.
You need, again, MOV, range, and RFX for this battle. You can certainly try to
escape into the target zone, but since the enemies are in the way, and the
enemies are eating turns you need to move, you ought to be killing them. At the
end, it's a judgement call.
Berserkers are the obvious choice, though Laby can really keep up reasonably
well with Warp, especially if you keep her Rushed. You'll be needing to clear
some boxes from the path, so once again Berserkers with ranged attacks (as
above in 2-7) are a good call.
For the Sentinels at the end, magic is good, Grappler OC is also good--either
to kill or just toss them behind you on your way to the target zone. Again, a
judgement call.
Generally, you want to keep everybody together and healed, so nobody gets
ganged up on and dies, since any ally's death is a failure condition. You
should really have plenty of time for this, so play it carefully.
After this battle, you'll be on the World Map, and Labyrinthia will have left
the party. Stage 2-10 is (the only thing) open at Twilight Valley.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-10 (Twilight Valley)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Enter the Kinship
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Treasure Chest contains Type: DEF +2.
This battle is fairly straightforward, and of a type that you'll want to be
getting used to. Monsters with various weaknesses and strengths, paired with a
"trainer" that acts as a support character--to raise RFX, heal damage, etc.
For the Tarasques you'll want to use Magic and Combination Arts, for the
Gremalkins magic will do, but physical attacks are better, and they have their
usual draining counter. For the "Dark Summoners," anything is fine. Given the
chance, kill them first as they'll focus on healing things.
As for this stage particularly, Grapplers are excellent for throwing things off
the high cliffs and down to casters who'll finish them. If you can install the
Grap OC on an Excav or Strider who can just bounce straight up the cliffs, it
will go faster, but it's not really necessary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Collateral Damage
Success: Defeat King Tarasque III.
Activate all of the switches.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
A single enemy crosses the bridge.
Shift everybody into Excavator class, outfit them with Elementalist OC/EQ or
Fantastica/Sacred Slayer OC and their best EQ.
Items: Heal Berries, Antidotes for Felius/others (+1 if you've made them).
The easiest way to do this is to just head up the cliff and kill the Tarasque.
A fairly even distribution of Fantastica (for Slow Down, Rush), Sacred Slayer
(Heal, Fragile), and Elementalist (Vortex) OCs will set you up right.
If you end a turn in a hex next to the Tarasque, you'll be poisoned--something
to be aware of, but not necessarily worry about.
Put your three best casters on the steps just below the top of the cliff. Use
them to Vortex the Tarasque. Your other units should focus on healing the
casters, popping up to slow the Tarasque/Woman, and heading up to generally
keep the Woman distracted from the casters.
All the other enemies will just stand in place and ignore you while you work.
Watch the HP of the casters carefully--this is another Game Over if anybody
dies, so watch Poison, and be aware the Tarasque can hit the casters with his
Megaton Punch from the cliff top.
After the battle, enter Lefas Corner, enter The Shrine, talk to Levin, enter
the Inn, talk to Ragnar, enter the Shop, talk to Upset Young Man, talk to
Returning Farmer, leave the Shop, enter the Pub, talk to Levin to open Stage
2-11 at Twilight Valley.
You should do any Synthing you intend to do (with the limited metals available
from Twilight Valley) before you trigger 2-11, as it converts Twilight Valley
into an unsearchable red (!). You can reaccess it right after 2-11, so it's not
a huge deal. Just saying.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-11 (Twilight Valley)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Convert your usual spellcasters into Enigmancers (with Elementalist books for
the MAG), and everyone else should be Grappler or their usual whatever, focus
on support. Add Elementalist OC and SS OC to the Enigmancers if possible.
Enigmancers may seem like an odd choice, but with IFF and Devastate, they're
ideal for close quarters combat--especially against fairies. As you're able,
shift them near the stairs and just spam Devastate. Use your other units to
toss units into the killzone, finish weak units, or heal the casters.
This battle is going to look a mess no matter what you do, but if you keep up
the Devestates, it will go quickly and painlessly.
After the battle, Stage 2-12 opens at Circle Valley.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-12 (Circle Valley)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Delaying Action
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This is a completely straightforward beatdown. Pick your favorite set-up. The
enemies are diverse enough that nothing in particular is of any great benefit
or detriment.
Treasure Chest contains Talisman +2. Even with a Strider, you'll have to track
all the way to the end and back to nab it. You can also pick it up in the free
stage if you'd like (or Part II).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - IT'S A TRAP!
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You'll need at least one Strider to be able to see where the traps are, but if
you don't want to use one, there are traps basically everywhere except behind
the back two party members and on any of the raised tiles at the bottom of the
cliff. A strider can also disarm and remove a trap just by ending a turn on the
trapped hex.
You also need to watch out for the Pigs' ranged Slumber Fog attack. Either plan
on just waiting this out or bring along a Gadg with Breath Mints so you can
cure it (remember, sleeping units can't cure themselves, so equipping them on
non-Gadgeteers is pointless). Felius can also remove it with his status drain
move, but then he'll be asleep himself, so.
The Pigs are also probably about 10 levels higher than the party (unless you've
been doing a lot of side-leveling), so their basic attacks will mess you up.
They have a slight weakness to fire, but carry a chance to respond to Fire
elemental attacks with a counter spell. Levin's Blast does decent damage, as do
Grappler Throws. Generally, you should treat these guys like bosses--Slow,
Fragile, and wear them down one by one. If you edge in slowly enough, you
should be able to avoid activating more than two at once. Labyrinthia's Replica
makes a good distraction, as always.
After you've done the Pigs, there are still the 6 Kinship to handle, but their
levels are on par with the party and they're no great shakes (indeed the first
three only have HP ~60).
After the battle, Stage 2-13 opens at Sundome Abbey Ruins, a free Stage opens
at White Devil Plains. This is also a good time to go ahead and catch up on
your EQ Synthing, since the three searchable areas have all three component
types. Also, stage 2-13 through 2-16 are chained, so there will be no access to
shops or free battles between.
I also recommend you stock up at least 4 of each basic elemental gem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-13 (Sundome Abbey Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Treasure Chest (across from start point) contains Convent Belt +2. Clarissa can
pop this with Strahl on her first turn.
Sacred Slayer OC is good for Sanctify, as undead enemies have a small chance to
respawn (weakened) if killed by weapons. Undead have a long range attack, Stink
Cloud, that can cause Disease (unit cannot heal).
This combat is very straightforward. Creep ahead and pound with Sanctify. Use
Felius to remove disease with his Halberdier OC (pack some Medicines), or just
ignore it.
Stage 2-13 leads directly to 2-14.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-14 (Sundome Abbey Dungeon)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You'll be facing Paigoels and Undead, so Elemental and Sacred Slayer OCs will
be useful. It's also helpful to have at least one Geomancer to enable you to
see the ley points--but not necessary, as a Paigoel on the right ley point
shows status "Active."
The first two Paigoels you meet are fire-types, and the ley point directly in
front of them starts as fire type. By hitting the switches, you can rotate the
ley points through the elements. In theory, you could make this battle a puzzle
fest of hitting switches and tossing or pushing or replacing Paigoels onto ley
points. In practice, there's no reason to do anything but wade in with spells.
The undead still have their Stink Cloud move to cause Disease, so use Felius as
necessary to cure other units (and have him pack Medicine). Three undead will
spawn near each switch when an enemy or ally steps on the ley point. Odds are
slim that you can take out the two fire Paigoels in time to prevent that spawn,
but if you don't mess with the second switch, you can probably kill the rest of
the Paigoels before the other undead spawn.
The lava only deals about 11 damage whenever you end a turn on it. You can slip
into Enigmancer (or equip the Levitation skill) to avoid it... but it's not
really worth it, honestly.
Slipping your casters into Excavator or another speedy high MOV class (while
still equipping Elementalist EQ for MAG bonus) will speed up this battle
immensely. As always, Fantastica's Rush will help your casters run and gun.
Stage 2-14 leads directly to 2-15.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-15 (Sundome Abbey Dungeon)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Activate all the switches.
Failure: 17 turns pass from the start of battle.
All allies fall in battle.
Make sure Clarissa has Strahl Gewehr equipped and her Dandelion Shot OC.
The door = south.
1. Move to the Warp Point and attack the switch.
2. Face the Treasure chest, move back two hex, and attack the chest. Chest
contains Rapier +3.
3. Attack the southern switch.
4. Attack the northern switch.
5. Move into warp zone. (Not the one you came from--the more northern one.)
6. Move 1 SE and fire at southern switch.
7. Move into warp zone. (Not the one you came from--the more northern one.)
8. Move 1 S and fire at SW switch.
9. Move 1 SE and wait.
10. Fire Howling Shot south.
11. Move into warp zone. (Not the one you came from--the more southern one.)
12. Move 2 SW and attack the southern blue switch.
13. Fire Howling Shot south.
14. Move into warp zone. (Not the one you came from--the more southern one.)
15. Fire at north switch.
Item Scope #5 is a stage reward.
Stage 2-15 leads directly to 2-16.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2-16 (Sundome Abbey Exterior)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Wonder Twin Powers, Activate!
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Treasure Chest contains Secret Sign +3.
Change Alexia to any other class and equip her Royal Fencer skills. Use
Clarissa as whatever you'd like. Be sure that between the two of them, they
have the ability to do some healing.
My preference:
Alexia as Strider. Use Trail on Clarissa ASAP--this will both keep her up with
Clarissa and drain her VP, raising her RFX. It will also let her learn Strider
OC for Swift Shock, a nice fast attack for slow-poke Alexia when she's in her
unique class.
Clarissa as Gadgeteer with elemental gems. Clarissa can OHKO all but one of the
enemies with gems, and she'll get an RFX boost each time she uses an item. Add
Excavator OC for In & Out in case she needs to reload. Elementalist weapon for
the MAG boost, but keep the Gadg armor for the RFX boost.
Take out the Striders first, then back track to take out the two approaching
Elementalists. Send Alexia up the cliff to pop the chest (be sure to not move
Clarissa meanwhile or Alexia will trail her). Then proceed to take out the rest
of the Elementalists. Easy Peasy.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Rescue Rangers
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Party start is southeast.
You have a couple choices w/r/t keeping Clarissa and Alexia alive. You can
slip them into Berserker class and just move them the hell out of there (toward
the Secutor). Alternatively, you can arm them to protect each other and dish
out some damage, shift them more slowly toward the Secutor, and defend from the
4*High Cav until reinforcements arrive.
My preference is to use Clarissa as a spellcaster (Sacred Slayer w/Elementalist
OC/EQ) and Alexia for support (Fantastica with her Fencer OC and Strider OC).
This will let Clarissa deal damage and heal, while Alexia uses Rush on her,
Slows the enemies, and drops a big old Mesmerize on the crowding High Cavs.
(Which won't bother Clarissa when it hits her because she'll be casting, rather
than hitting.)
As for the rest, I'd send Felius and Ragnar west with Grappler OCs to take out
the Sentinels, then move in on the Striders and Gadgeteers in the center of the
map. Send Laby and Levin north as casters to take out the Secutor then assist
Clarissa and Alexia with the High Cavs. Don't forget to pack Ragnar and Felius
with heals (Potion Berries if possible.)
By the time you take out the Sentinels and High Cavs, an enemy group will
reinforce near where the party starts. Leave Felius and Ragnar to finish the
enemies in the center, and take the other group of ladies + Levin back south to
deal with the new arrivals. One of the reinforcing Sentinels will probably tear
off after Felius and Ragnar, but it's so slow it can be ignored while everyone
works. When everything else is dead, join up to finish it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Act 3 - Echoes of Days Past
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-1 opens at Lonely Waterside. You can also Synth up to +4 equipment.
Now is a decent time to go ahead and work on upgrading your equipment. When
you're ready, head to Lonely Waterside to begin Stage 3-1.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-1 (Lonely Waterside)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - One November
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Clarissa can hit the chest with Strahl. Treasure Chest contains Pliers +3.
Physical attacks should work reasonably well on everything but the Tarasque.
Magic will work fine on the Fairies, Zortroa and Tarasque. Be sure to take out
the dog-types with their huge drain counter from range. Blast and Lightning
should damage them fine, the elementalist spells won't do much, though.
This map is probably going to be a slow one, just because of all the snow and
water. You can either take your time and pack a Nectar for everybody, or
include Geomancer's Ignore Move Cost--I'd just pack a Nectar. There's no rush.
When you get up to the Tarasque, take out the Zortroa first. Grappler OC will
also tear up the Tarasque.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Spawned a Monster
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This is where the Zortroa get serious. Think of these guys as merged with a
particular monster. You can tell which monster by looking at their Unit OC or
Emulator OC on the status page:
Kirlian Buster = Gremalkin type
Toxic Breath = Tarasque type
Petrify = Iron Rhino type
Downhearted = Mu type
There are three of each, and in addition to Sacred Slayer and High Cav OCs for
speed and healing, they gain the special attributes of the monster they're
merged with. Meaning that Tarasques and Iron Rhinos will require spells and
Combination Arts to pierce their Hard status, and Mu-types will be tough to
damage with physical attacks.
Of the enemies, the most difficult are going to be the Mu-types in the water.
Both because of the difficulty of damaging them and because of their Unit OC
Downhearted, which will cause Misery (blocking use of originals). Aside from
them, there's the Iron Rhino type with their Petrify.
You should have at least two physical hitters, preferably with Grappler OC to
help damage the Tarasques, and two or more casters, preferably as Strider or
Excavator class (for the CLM).
First send your team up the hill to take out the Gremalkin and Tarasque types.
Then move your casters down the steep face of the hill to the bottom, but not
in the water. From this height, you should be able to drop Elemental spells on
the Mu and Rhino types while being too high for their Downhearted/Petrify to
reach. It's not incredibly fast, but it's the most effective way to take them
down with no drama.
After the battle, enter Crestabelde. Talk to the Hotel Manager in the Pub, then
when you're ready to activate Stage 3-2, talk to the Front Desk Clerk and say
Yes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-2 (Crestabelde)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Pull!
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You're facing 4 sets of a Gremalkin and a Zortroa (the easy kind). You can
really play this any way you want, but you're best off with using ranged
physical attacks. As long as your setup includes some healing and some decent
physical attacks, you'll be fine.
My suggestion:
Make both of them Striders with Grappler OC. Head for the chest in the top
corner. Take shots at anything in range as you move, and if you can get up next
to something while you're going, use Heavy Throw to chuck it down the hill.
Nab the chest for a Rubas Bell +3, then just stand there on the cliff and shoot
or Drop Kick the enemies. As the farther enemies wander in, if one gets up in
range to hit you, step down and chuck it to the bottom.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - The Forever War
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Return Clarissa and Alexia to their usual support setups, outfit Laby and Levin
as elemental casters, Felius and Ragnar as physical attackers. Make sure Felius
has his Halberdier OC equipped, for Status Absorb. Also, pack Nectar. This can
be a long combat.
On the lower level, you have four groups of Zortroa/Shroom. The Shrooms will be
spamming Luminous Moss to confuse whoever they can, so have Felius hang back
and be ready to absorb it, preferably when you've got more than one unit in
Confusion. When/if he is confused (and this applies to any confused unit), try
to make sure an enemy unit is closer to him than any party member. Confused
units usually, but not always, go for the closest target. You may want to put
him in a relatively non-friendly fire class like Excavator. It will reduce his
non-confusion absorbing usefulness, but the casters are your main offense, so.
Otherwise, use Laby and Levin to toss fire at the Shrooms and hit the Zortroa
with whatever their weakness is. Use Clarissa and Alexia to support them (Rush,
Encourage, Royal Cheer, etc.) as much as possible to keep them gunning. Have
Ragnar add damage wherever possible (Orbital Ring for multiple hits). Favor the
Mushrooms as much as possible to prevent Confusions. For now, ignore the
dynamic duo upstairs.
When you finish the first eight enemies, another eight, same style (Zortroa &
Mushroom sets) will appear, mostly right on top of you. Just keep at them,
Mushrooms first.
After you finish the final grunt, Chelle and the Tarasque will go active. Use
your casters to damage the Tarasque, and use Felius/Ragnar to go after Chelle.
The Tarasque is pretty much the same as the last time you fought: Within one
hex causes Poison, Megaton Punch, Toxic Breath. When you fight Chelle, watch
the environment carefully. She has a version of Ragnar's Raving Rage that she
can use after moving.
When Chelle's down, start using Felius/Ragnar to set up Combination Arts with
any stray units (especially casters that've run out of MP).
After the battle, Stage 3-3 is open at The Frozen Lands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-3 (The Frozen Lands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Ma Belle
Success: Defeat Chelle
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
All you need to do for this map is run over and take out Chelle. It seems more
complicated than it is. Make Ragnar a Berserker with his Stormrider EQ and OC.
Make Laby and Levin Fantastica casters, make Felius, Clarissa and Alexia
anything, as long as it has more than 3 CLM, and make sure at least one of them
has Grappler OC equipped. Make sure Ragnar has Berries to heal.
Load the characters in order, or not, but make sure Ragnar is in position 5.
Party starts in southeast.
As soon as battle starts, move everybody east and north toward the cliff. There
is one spot that only requires a 3 CLM to get up. Except Ragnar. Send him north
to the cliff edge and cast Quick Step. Next turn, move him forward enough to
hit the near Zoatroa. Everybody else should be moving up the cliff and hitting
the Zoatroa when possible. Ragnar's third turn, he should move as far back as
he can go and pop the treasure chest for a Travel Vest +3.
Keep the other characters rushing forward. Kill the Zoatroa, but don't bother
hitting the Vod. Just keep healed. As soon as (one of) your Grappler OC unit(s)
can, toss the Vod back off the cliff you just climbed. If it takes two throws,
leave anybody but Levin and Laby back to take care of it. Now nothing will be
able to reach you in time to save Chelle.
Chelle will probably have knocked Ragnar back a space and dealt some damage. If
you need, heal. If not, have him use Raving Revenge. If it hits, great. If not,
no big deal. On his next turn drag him back away to where he was and use Hyper
Attack. As soon as one of the Fant/casters is in range, have them Invoke him so
he can hit Chelle, and have him take her out. He should be doing far more
damage than needed to finish her before anything else interferes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Dude Looks Like A Lady
Success: Defeat Weisheit
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Your favorite setup is fine, as long as you take care to include plenty of
healing, preferably via Sacred Slayer OCs.
Weisheit is actually no big deal here. His favorite move is Divider, which cuts
your HP in half, so just heal whoever he hits, and hit him with your best
attacks, Arts, etc. Slow Down, Fragile, etc. will speed the process (typical
boss tactics.)
After the battle, Stage 3-4 opens at Guardian Temple. Stage 3-4 and 3-5 (with
2 parts) are chained.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-4 (Guardian Temple)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
I recommend two groups:
Laby/Levin as casters, Clarissa as support (Fantastica/Dandy OC)
Felius/Ragnar/Alexia as Striders w/Grappler OC/Excavator OC.
You'll want your Casters to head up the stairs and take the long way around.
Their job is to exploit elemental weaknesses to kill enemies.
Send the Strider group stright up the hill toward the Temple. They should kill
the Fantastica and Strider on the way, and (they'll have to shift right toward
the stairs up to the final level anyway) either kill or toss the Sentinel and
Fantastica down to the casters to finish. When they reach the top, toss the
Sentinel and kill the Strider and the High Cav, then have the one with Detect
to use it on the left side, on the snow, to reveal Item Scope #6. Don't forget
to finish the tossed Sentinel.
The caster group should just advance up the stairs, killing everything they can
reach and everything tossed down to them.
Stage 3-4 leads directly to 3-5.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-5 (Guardian Temple Interior)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Bring Us Your Poor...
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
There's another Gravity Ball at the back of the map. You can send somebody back
as a Berserker with a ranged attack to activate it, but it's not really worth
the bother--spells are fine for taking out Sentinels.
Your preferred setup will be fine for this one, though I suggest a balanced
split into two groups of three: a caster, a physical attacker, and a unit for
support.
I recommend you split them by speed:
Send Clarissa, Ragnar, and Levin right.
Send Felius, Labyrinthia, and Alexia left.
This will allow you to keep tighter groups, and use the faster right group to
do most of the center killing and reach the back faster to nab the chest for a
Fairy Ring +3.
Be careful of the Sentinels, who can knock your units back into the holes for
auto-kills.
An all-over reinforcement will occur after you've taken out the first four
enemies. Divert the fast right group into the center to kill those enemies,
and just proceed toward the back.
There's a lot to kill, here, but nothing is significantly difficult. Bring a
Nectar for everyone, just in case.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - This... is a Brain Sucker...
Success: Reduce Katrina's MP to 0.
Failure: Katrina falls in battle.
All allies fall in battle.
Your regular setup is fine, but make sure at least one (preferably two) people
have Fantastica OC and Excavator OC. If you want, you can just dress your
casters in Fant/Excav jobs (it'll help the stage go faster anyway) with their
usual caster OCs/EQ.
Take your time on the way up. Kill all four Demon Slaves, then when you're
ready to approach Katrina, tease out the other two Demons with ranged attacks,
and kill them. Send somebody to the left to pop the chest for Play Apron +3.
Make sure everybody is Rushed, then walk in and hit Katrina with a Switch then
Feeble Mind, or 6 Feeble Minds.
After the battle and a bunch of plot, you will end up at West Wind Guidepost,
with restored access to many locations, in addition to Shops and Synthing,
which with Item Scope #6 allows you to Synth +5 equipment.
Enter Poliasha to watch some plot and open Stage 3-6 at Bandits' Forest.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-6 (Bandits' Forest)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Let's... have a discussion about Labyrinthia, shall we? She's an idiot. The
idea she dismisses out of hand--dispelling the locked hexes, is actually
interesting. In fact, a Sacred Slayer with Enigmancer OC or an Enigmancer with
Widespread could take out many hexes at once--more than enough to rush through
and kill all those casters. Instead, she wants you to take multiple turns
moving a bunch of big rocks around... in range of enemy spells. >_>
But that's not even the best answer. You could use Grapplers with IFF or
Enigmancers with Grappler OC to toss beefy killers right over the gap. You
could move in Rushed attackers with Geomancer OC to replace themselves across--
not just teleporting themselves into the fray but isolating an enemy on your
side. Laby can just Warp across.
Or you could observe the Golden Rule and do unto them before they do to you:
Magic and ranged attacks while you ignore the blocked hexes entirely. Of all
your options (go ahead and pick your favorite), this is probably the simplest,
and if you're running two casters and Ragnar, you've already got three perfect
killers without switching up your party at all. Add Felius' Halberdier OC for
his ranged Upper Hand, give Alexia and Clarissa *any* ranged attack, and you're
in business. And in fact with Rushed Widespreading casters and ATK-boosted
ranged physical attackers, you'll be doing unto them a hell of a lot more than
they could do to you.
About their only advantage in this fight is that their casters are mastered
Elementalists, meaning Magic Block and Reflect. But you can always heal. They
can't. Because they're idiots.
So, yeah, pound away. When you're down to El Jackson, you can just keep healed
and pepper him with whatever can reach him (or employ one of the many options
to cross the barrier and mess him up directly).
After the battle, head to Hanigar and talk to Melissa in the Shop... twice. >_>
Then leave town to open the final four classes and Stage 3-7 at the Path of the
Unjust.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-7 (Path of the Unjust)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Your usual setup will be fine here. Make sure you have at least one caster and
at least one physical attacker.
For simplicity's sake, make sure Clarissa has Strahl Gewehr to pop the chest in
the other near corner of the stage before you head all the way down to the end.
The key to this stage is in the tactics. Each of the two groups has skills that
tend to augment the abilities of of protect the other unit.
First, send physical attackers and Clarissa (to get the chest) toward the near
Elementalists. The chest contains Badelaire +4. Send the caster(s) north to
take the Secutors. Best not to hit the Elems with magic (Reflect) or the Secs
with close range physical attacks (Retaliation).
Next is the Sentinel/Sacred Slayer duo. The Sentinel has Magic Block, and the
Sacred Slayer has Weapon Block, which is frighteningly... smart. Since the
Sentinel has Defender and the Sacred Slayer has Crisis RFX Up (Ally), you'll
want to kill the Slayer first. If you have any Grappler OC, toss the Sentinel
away to separate them.
The Grappler/Enigmancer will split itself... the grappler will rush out to you
if you get too close. Let her, then take her down. Be careful about keeping
healed (Accelerate can give her double turns). To avoid a pain in the butt,
keep your casters far away from the Enigmancer (Prevent = 50% magic hit rate).
Use your physical attacker(s) instead to go take her out.
Finally, Tweedle-Dee and Dum (plus one). Use magic against the Geo and the
Strider, but NOT the Elementalist (Reflect). Likewise, use (ranged) weapon
attacks on the Elementalist. They like to stand up there on their little hill.
Just let them. Usual boss tactics apply--Fragile, Slow Down, etc.
Item Scope #7 is a stage reward. Enter Elensia and talk to Paperboy in the
Shop, Spectator in the Streets, and City Resident in the Pub. Afterward, talk
to the Innkeeper in the Pub when you're ready to enter Stage 3-8.
But before that...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - Emulator Spells, Magic Berry
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that you've got access to yet another level of equipment, all the classes,
and The Flatwoods, now is a great time to stop and make sure your most used
equipment is up to snuff, and learn a ton of new skills.
For the purposes of this guide, I will only very rarely assume you know any
skill more in-depth than a class OC. This will continue to apply, except in
the case of the Emulator OC. For your casters, you really should (and I will
assume you do) learn via Download all the four basic elemental spells for your
casters at least (and since it's pretty simple to do for everyone, you probably
should do that, too). All four can be sucked out of Paigoels at The Flatwoods,
with very little effort.
They cost more than double the Elementalist versions, but they can be
widespread, have a longer range, and can be used after moving... they make any
caster a death machine on wheels.
Other available Emulator spells:
Kirlian Buster - Gremalkins
Petrify - Iron Rhinos
Toxic Breath - Tarasques
Luminous Moss - Mushrooms
Slumber Fog - Pigs
Asphyxiate - Harpies
Dangerous Matter - Creeping Chaos
Stink Cloud - Damnation
*For enemy availability see Free Battle/Enemy List sections below.
Also, a rare find when searching at Path of the Unjust is a Magic Berry. As
expensive as it is to wait out a search there (1620 Gella for a full party and
the 12 day wait), it is very worthwhile to search yourself up a handful for
your casters to hold just in case in battle. And it's still much cheaper to
search some up than Synth them. You won't want to be popping them like crazy,
but you should have a few around for clutch situations.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-8 (Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You'll be facing three groups of three knights. All are fairly heavy, and will
take high damage from throws. Elemental damage will also work well against
them. Each of the near two groups has a knight with Sacred Slayer OC for
healing, so target them first.
I recommend a group of Geomancers with Grappler OC sent across the water, and
a couple of casters (Sacred Slayer with Emulator OC) sent up the stairs. Both
groups should have no problem killing, and the pacing should be right to
distract the final group toward the Geos, allowing the casters to move in and
kill the two brown knights (with Enigmancer OC) before they get hit by Prevent.
If the blue boss comes down toward the Geos, just have them toss him back up
the stairs into range of the Emulator spells.
After the battle, talk to Girl in Pink Dress in Streets, then everybody in the
Shop. Leave and return, then talk to Melissa to activate Stage 3-9.
Stage 3-9 through 3-13 are chained, and you won't have access to shops and
synthing until 4-1, so do any farming, shopping, or synthing you want to do
before activating 3-9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-9 (Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
A group of Sentinels, a group of Sentinels and a Nightstalker, and a group of
all Nightstalkers. The Sentinels will go down to the usual tactics: Throw and
spells. The Nightstalkers are nasty because they're fast and each has one
Emulator status inflicting spell. Not the one with the Sentinels that has
Petrify, and the two behind the party that have Slumber Fog and Downhearted.
You can leave your casters alone, but put someone in Enigmancer class (I always
use Clarissa for this kind of special need) for Dispel. I recommend you put
these is positions 4 (Clarissa), 5 and 6.
For the other three, your preferred physical attacker setup is fine, but if
you have Grappler OC, consider sliding them into the Nightstalker class for the
RFX boost. Put them in positions 1, 2, 3. Be sure Felius has his Halberdier OC
for status emergencies.
When the battle starts, send everybody after the back Nightstalkers. Hit every-
thing as hard and fast as you can, concentrating on the Nightstalkers with
Downhearted and Slumber Fog. The other Nightstalker will come in from behind,
so kill him too. Save Clarissa for Dispeling status effects, and save Felius to
Absorb from Clarissa if she gets hit with something that will prevent her from
using Dispel (Misery, Sleep, Petrify).
After you've finished the Nightstalkers, the battle is basically won. Send half
the party up and half down, be sure to identify and target the knights with
Sacred Slayer OC first.
Stage 3-9 leads directly to 3-10.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-10 (Secret Base)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
If your casters have Emulator OC (they should), make them Sacred Slayers. Make
everyone else an Emulator (this is optional--but if you go ahead and use them
as Emus in this battle and have them learn Electrigger, it will make this whole
series of battles 100 times easier), but otherwise have their normal eq and
skill builds.
Bring Nectars, as between hanging around to learn spells and Replays firing
off, VP consumption will be high.
Send everybody up toward the Enigmancer/2*Emulator group. Kill the Enigmancer
and the Strider that comes in from upstairs. Take some time to get everybody to
Download Electrigger (and optional: Dangerous Matter).
When you've learned what you need, suck Nectar and continue on up to the next
level and take out the undead. From there, head up toward Asgard, popping off
Electriggers as you get in range. Your goal should be to get all your in-class
Emulators at point blank around Asgard, so that anybody's Electrigger has a
chance to be replayed multiple times. The final four undead will begin to
close, just take them out as you can while you're pounding Asgard.
Asgard has some pretty fearsome attacks, but with constant replays, your
casualties should be light. After Asgard is gone, clean up any remaining
undead.
Stage 3-10 leads directly to 3-11.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-11 (Secret Base)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Hook, Line, Sinker
Success: Guide all allies to the target area.
Defeat all enemies.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
You may do this board with as many or as few units as you'd like. It's actually
easier to just kill everything, since all the Mus can hit you with Misery, and
you need to Anchor Hook, so. It's also easier to field as few units as you feel
comfortable using (two or three is good), since more units will just tend to
get in one another's way. Laby can actually solo it, but it involves a lot of
waiting and teasing things with Replicas.
Most Mus can be either Anchor Hooked to death from afar (just check the angles
and set it up so that when pulled to the character, they end up above a hole)
or killed with Elementalist spells (or other abilities that have a high
vertical range--boomerang with Excav Attack High/Low, Upper Hand, etc.)
The Mu in the center west (hiding behind the big platform) is probably the best
example of a Mu that needs to be worked a bit, but if Laby generates a Replica
from the platform below and east up onto the higher platform with him, he'll
come over into range of elementalist spells.
Be aware that pretty much everybody (except Laby, who can warp) will have to be
in Extremist class (or have the OC equipped) to have any mobility on this map.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Stand and Deliver
Success: Defeat Weisheit.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Trick out Felius however you'd like. This is pretty much a straight-up brawl.
Speed is good, so consider changing Felius to a Nightstalker (with Fantastica
OC to Slow Weisheit). Don't forget to equip him with Heal/Potion Berries.
As a Nightstalker, if you use your first turn to Slow Weisheit, you should be
able to take three plus turns between Weisheit's moves. Add in Accelerate from
Grappler and/or Declerate from Gadgeteer and you can probably kill him before
he can take a second turn.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part III - A Perfect Circle
Success: Defeat Weisheit.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This is a traditional boss fight. Make sure to have at least one unit with:
Extremist OC for Debilitator
Fantastica OC for Slow Down
Sacred Slayer OC for Fragile
Contrary to Laby's D.E.R., you want to close with Weisheit ASAP. He's fast, but
the majority of the time he's going to take a turn to Lock-on to somebody (tell
you who he's going to target with his big nasty attack), then move and fire it.
It's a straight-line ranged attack that will probably OHKO whoever it hits.
This is why you want to get him circled. If he can't move, he can't manuever to
hit more than one unit with it. Not to mention it'll give you the advantage of
Formation Arts.
Also, there's just no point leaving him open as a loose cannon and trying to
dodge in and out to avoid damage. Needless pain in the butt.
As for the OHKO, you have some options. You can either Revive them with Laby or
an item (slow), or you can have somebody with High Cavalier OC hit his target
with Remain as soon as he tells you who he's going to target. They'll revive in
position with one HP, but since he mostly OHKOs anyway, the difference between
1 HP and full is academic.
Speedy units are helpful, but not a must. Your usual build, leaving physical
hitters as hitters and casters as casters, is fine. Make your priority landing
a Slow Down, then add Fragile and Debilitator to speed up your damage. The
Gadgeteer skill Decelerate is also a good choice, so each of your blows slows
him further.
Stage 3-11 leads directly to 3-12
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-12 (Secret Base)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - I, Robot
Success: Defeat Asgard.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Same setup as above is fine: your preferred setup.
Again, ake sure to have at least one unit with:
Extremist OC for Debilitator
Fantastica OC for Slow Down
Sacred Slayer OC for Fragile
Asgard isn't Weisheit, but he can deal some decent damage, and your party
starts split. Make sure each trio is strategically cohesive, include a hitter,
a caster (with Emulator OC for Electrigger, or Laby with Lightning), and some
healing. If you can double up on the Debuff skills listed above, so much the
better--at least double up on Fantastica OC for Slow Down.
At the beginning of combat, Asgard will head toward one group or the other.
Just engage him with the close group, Debuff (start with Slow Down), and start
pounding. He has a lot of HP, but between Electrigger and Formation Arts, you
should have no trouble piling damage on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Once More, With Feeling
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Same setup as above, Emulating casters for Electrigger, your usual party.
This is really no big thing. Your casters should be able to one-hit the weak
units with Electrigger. Each group has two weak units and a strong one. Just
pick a group and head toward it. After you've taken down a few units, the rest
will go active. Just take them out as they come.
Stage 3-12 leads directly to Stage 3-13.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3-13 (Secret Base)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Poor Old Michael Finnegan
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Same same. Add a touch of Sacred Slayer OC for Sanctify/extra healing.
The only thing special/difficult about this map is the Smoky Specimen across
the map. You must kill it before its sixth turn or it will restart the map.
Put Labyrinthia in position 1, and make sure she has Arcanist OC for warp. Her
job is to Warp over there and kill it. Putting her in a fast class will help,
but even in a slow class, she has plenty of time to Warp over there and pop it
with a ranged attack.
Everybody else proceeds normally along the stage, killing as they go. Take care
to keep everyone healed, as the nearby robots can essentially pelt you without
end as you advance.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - The Doctrine of Eternal Recurrents
Success: Defeat Weisheit.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This plays a lot like 3-11 part III, versus solo Weisheit, except with the
addition of golems to distract and add damage.
First priority is to land a Slow Down and Debilitator on Weisheit, but don't
bother damaging him at this point. You can also either use Shut Out (Geo) to
lock him in place and stay out of his range (5 hexes, straight line), or you
can do as above and hit his target with Remain before he lands it (and
meanwhile manuever that unit to a place where in order for Weisheit to hit, he
must also damage the 'bots). Weisheit's total move + attack range is nine, so
just move the first character he targets right toward the tougher bots, but
outside his attack range.
Second, kill the bots as fast as possible. The three on the left should be one-
shottable with a caster's Electrigger (Emu). The three on the right will
require more pounding. Generally speaking, your priority should be watching
and controlling Weisheit, including any healing/revival necessary, then taking
out the bots, focusing on one at a time.
After you've got the 'bots taken out, just encircle Weisheit and take him down
as before. Debuffs and Decelerate, as usual, do great jobs of keeping him in
check while you whittle him down.
Item Scope #8 is a stage reward.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Act IV - Searching for the Future
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proceed to Santanica, talk to Entrepreneur in the Pub, Merchant in Outskirts,
then leave town to open Stage 4-1 at The Quiet Sands.
With your 8th Item Scope, you now have access to synthing the next level of
equipment. When you're ready, head to the Quiet Sands.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-1 (The Quiet Sands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You must take out Lluvia ASAP in this battle. He is the brother with the
special "attack" that allows his brothers to take immediate turns, during which
one boosts MAG and the other launches big nastiness.
Your ordinary setup will be fine, but consider speed/slow skills such as Slow
Down, Debilitator, Decelerate, Accelerate, RFX +25%, etc. Also, elemental
spells are not going to be particularly effective against the brothers, so
it's worthwhile to at least trade out Levin's Emu OC for Martial Mage (Blast),
or you can just get by with Electrigger. Another option is to equip them with
a weapon with decent MAG and AIM (Books suck at AIM) and use them to trigger
off Combination Arts.
They will almost certainly get at least one big attack off before you can do
much, and it will probably kill whoever it hits, so bring along either Revive
Fruit or Laby's Arcanist OC for Revive.
Once you have one of them down, the others will be effectively powerless, as
without their Triple skills, they're just HP with legs (and some fairly weak
one hex spells).
For extra effectiveness, make sure your debuffers have widespread, as the
three stand in range to hit all of them at once with things like Slow Down,
Debilitate, and Fragile.
Treasure Chest contains Tenrai +5. You can have somebody nab it after two are
down or get it later in Free Battle.
After the battle, Stage 4-2 opens at Boot Hill.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-2 (Boot Hill)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Cry Me A River
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Rupert and company are nothing much, here. Once again, you'll be fighting
normal humans, so your Emulator elemental spells are going to be incredibly
effective... though this board can run long, so MP may be a problem. Either
add some Magic Berries onto your casters, or supply them with any of the MP
skills:
Wait & Heal MP - Elementalist (meh)
Crisis Conserve MP - Elementalist (meh)
Move & Heal MP - Berserker (good)
Attack & Heal MP - Extremist (meh)
MP Recovery - Emulator (good)
Conserve MP - Emulator (great)
For Rupert you'll want to include Slow Down (Fantastica OC) and Debilitator
(Extremist OC) to keep his RFX down, as two of his three attacks are RFX-based.
Finally, most of the enemies are pure class, so you'll know what to expect by
looking at them. Watch out for the Emulator on the hill by the chest, across
the map, as it knows Downhearted. She'll probably get at least one attempt off
before you can hit her, but take her down ASAP when she comes in range.
Except for Rupert (use Boss tactics) and the diversity of the enemies, there's
nothing very spectacular here. I recommend you stay on the starting side of the
river and hit whatever comes for you from range before dealing with Rupert, so
as to avoid swarms. Anchor Hook can be fun here--suck them across and let your
physical attackers slaughter them. This is an especially good way to get rid of
the High Cavs flanking Rupert before dealing with him.
Treasure Chest contains Main Gauche +5. Either send somebody over toward the
end, or nab it later...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - A River Runs Through It
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Consider this the advanced tutorial in killing the final four class-types.
Rupert punked out, but you have three each of Nightstalkers, Extremists, High
Cavaliers and Emulators, in three groups. Of the three, you'll want to watch
out for the one south of the party, where the Emulator has Slumber Fog, and the
one across the map, where the Emu has Petrify.
Otherwise, the same tactics as above apply here. Humans are easy to kill by
exploiting elemental weaknesses.
Your starting position is on a hill--anybody with 2 CLM will need to head west,
so arrange your starting positions to suit.
After you take out most of the two groups on this side of the river, the
Nightstalkers will go active. Just let them do the work of coming across the
river and pepper them with spells (some will be deflected by Illusion).
Things to watch for:
- The Extremists will have insane Evade. Debilitate them, Invoke any physical
attackers, or both.
- The Nightstalkers' Six Shooter can hit for partial damage, which if they get
lucky can be high. Try to kill them before they cross the river and close to
range. Debilitator and Slow Down will help. As fast as they are, they can gang
up and take out weaker characters before you have a chance to heal.
After the battle, Stage 4-3 opens at The Flatwoods.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-3 (The Flatwoods)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Love is a Battlefield
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You've got two pair of trainer/beefy Paigoel, and three merged Zortroa (no
special attributes).
Elemental spells are again the obvious answer, as well as the usual debuffs to
speed things up (Debilitator, Fragile). Most of the characters aren't weak to
anything, but watch Alexia carefully because of her weakness to Wind. It's not
a bad idea to make her a Geomancer for their armor's 1/3 reduction of elemental
damage, or a Sacred Slayer for the RES +25% (or just equip one/both).
I recommend you start going all out for the Paigoel northeast of the starting
position. Both Paigoels make a beeline for a ley point, but that one goes for
the one back by the three merged Zortroa, so it's worth your while to cut that
one off so you don't have to deal with it, boosted, at the same time as the
Zortroa.
The other Paigoel will come toward the starting position, so once you've run
over to take out the other, you can just pop back and take the second down.
Speed is good, but not vital. With debuffs you should be able to get decent
damage even on an Active version of these Paigoels.
Treasure Chest (if you haven't already looted it in a Free Battle) contains the
mighty Heal Berry. >_>
The Paigoels are the only thing remotely difficult in this stage. Everything
else falls very quickly to elemental spells/regular attacks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - The Invisible College
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Before you do anything else, cancel out of the ring menu and thumb through the
enemies with the square button. Yeah, look, invisible people.
These guys can't be targetted until you've revealed them using the Excavator
skill Detect. You can still hit them with area effects--but even those you'll
have to target on a visible unit, friend or foe. Add to this an instakill that
can be used after moving (they have 3 MOV), and this isn't a happy situation.
Luckily, they aren't particularly durable. If you're going to reveal them with
Detect, put it on a unit with 5 or more move (Detect range is tied to the
unit's MOV/CLM)--like an *gasp* Excavator. Clarissa makes a good choice for
this if you've learned her Dandy skill Soul Survivor (makes her immune to
instakills). Alternatively, you can take a regular caster with the IFF skill
and Widespread, and have an allied unit get close, then hit both.
Either way, modify your standard set-up to include one of these options, then
just kill away. Once you've taken out the invisibles, start approaching (the
oncoming) Chelle and the trainers. Watch your background with Chelle--she has
her version of Raving Rage (and now a skill to counter with it), so try to keep
your back to a wall, lest she smack you across the field, yea even unto death.
Hit Chelle with the usual debuffs (Debilitator, Slow Down), then focus on
taking out the trainers so they don't assist Chelle. Once they're dead, you can
start pounding Chelle, but again, watch your back, especially when launching
point-blank attacks. Luckily, the map is pretty rugged, so it's usually not too
difficult to find a safe place to stand.
After the battle, Stage 4-4 will be open at Rasalom Keep, and you'll have
access to most of the map for Free Battles and Search/Synthing. But before
that...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - Ragu O Ragul
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head to Richala Rose and talk to Wistful Woman in the Quarry, then leave town
to open Heart of Fire in the far northwest of the map, where waits the
optional boss Ragu O Ragul. You must complete this fight before 4-8 if you
want to gain the optional prize: Sheriff Star (a Fantastica armor--best in the
game).
In preparation for this fight:
Alexia must be level 50*, and have learned High Cavalier, Secutor, and
Excavator OCs. She must also have mastered the Gadgeteer class, and it helps
for her to have learned one of: Conserve MP, Crisis Conserve MP, or MP
Recovery.
Do some searching at Path of the Undead until you have 10 or more Magic Berry,
and search at Secret Base (or synth) until you have 50 or more Freeze Gem +1.
(It might be worth your while to wait until you get the ninth item scope after
Stage 4-5, as this will allow you to find Magic Berry +1 at Path of the Undead
instead of plain Magic Berry.) Depending on your level, you probably won't
need this much, but it's better not to run out after 45 minutes of combat. >_>
Switch Alexia to Gadgeteer and equip:
Leader's Duty
High Cavalier OC
Secutor OC
Excavator OC
Conserve MP
For items, equip a Magic Berry and 6 Freeze Gem +1.
This is how the fight will go:
Intrude repeatedly for turns (until Alexia has turns 00 - 07 on the turn list),
when her MP is about 1/3 of maximum, move closer to Ragu and use Secutor skill
MP Burst. If it succeeds, gain more turns (if necessary), then keep on with the
process. The last thing you do before you start using Gems (always!) is make
sure your MP is full with an MP Burst.
If MP Burst fails, pop a Magic Berry, reload your Magic Berry with In & Out,
then keep Bursting and gaining turns as needed. It is vital that you never
Burst without a Magic Berry, in case of failure, so always reload whenever you
use one.
When you're ready for an attack run, you should have full MP, turns 00 - 06
(you'll have used one to Burst), and a Magic Berry and 6 Gems in inventory.
Pop 6 Gems in a row on Ragu (unless he Throw Blocks, you'll get chain bonuses),
then start the process again by Intruding for turns, reloading gems, etc.
When your next attack will bring him below 3000 MP, be absolutely certain you
have enough MP to Intrude. (You should be full before any attack chain
anyway.) When he enters Crisis, he will automatically get the next turn (after
your current), so the next thing you do will be to create a new turn chain and
rebuild to where you can start another attack chain.
*This is actually possible at lower than 50, but without the extra slot for
Conserve MP, the margins for error are razor thin. It will be easier, faster,
and take fewer items the higher your level and the more supplemental skills you
can add in.
After you've done Ragu, Heart of Fire will be open for Free Battles containing
Gella and Grow Apples, which return 100*overkill damage Gella and 10*overkill
damage EXP, respectively.
You get your Sheriff Star later on, after 4-6, by entering Crestablede and
talking to Skilled Hunter in Main St.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-4 (Rasalom Keep)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Each of the brothers has three very weak (~10 HP) clones, and DEF/RES in the
900s. Whenever you kill any of the copies, they'll respawn next to the "real"
brother. When the real version is defeated, the copies of that brother
disappear as well.
With Debilitator + Fragile you can drop their RES/DEF into the 300s. Sufficient
to damage them decently with ordinary attacks and non-elemental spells. You can
also employ Nightstalker's Innocent Blow to hit them decently anyway, Sacrifice
(Clarissa's Dandy OC) will also hit through their RES/DEF.
Aside from the slowness of moving around, this stage isn't difficult. The
enemies don't actually do that much damage, and killing any of the doppleganger
before their turn comes up will effectively cancel it. Even the brothers don't
do much in the way of damage.
Just hit them with Debilitator and Fragile, then take them out with the usual
stuff.
After the battle, Stage 4-5 opens at Port Atraige.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-5 (Port Atraige)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Rupert.
Failure: All allies die in battle.
Your standard set-up is fine. Elemental spells work well on humans, as usual,
and Rupert is effectively stymied by the same tactics as before (and on other
boss-types): Slow Down and Debilitator to reduce his RFX, Fragile to speed up
damage.
You can also toss Rupert up on the ledge and take him out with spells and
skills that have a high vertical range, but to my mind this just drags the
battle out unnecessarily.
Another useful addition would be a Strider and someone with Excavator OC, so
that you can switch the crystal by the wall to a block and have someone pop up
to nab the chest. Or toss your own unit up there. Or walk around. Chest holds
Serpentine +5.
All enemies are active, so there's no point splitting the party. Start north
across the bridge and take out the first group while you wait for Rupert and
the rest to meet you. If you've got people with Anchor Hook, watch for chances
to kill humans from across the stage by dropping them in the drink.
As Rupert's HP get low, his Maximum Risk skill will become insane (dealing in
excess of 1000 damage). You can get rid of his ability to pull this (and all
other non-basic attacks) off by draining his MP with Feeble Mind. 5 hits will
drain him--with any MP he uses meanwhile, it'll probably take fewer.
Item Scope #9 is a stage reward.
Stage 4-6 opens at Elensia.
You now have the ability to synth another level of equipment.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-6 (Elensia)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Time Well Wasted
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Work a balanced team. Casters will be effective against most enemies, for
physical attackers, weapons that ignore Hard will be good for the Tarasque.
Start by taking out the four Zortroa trainers (without monsters) across from
the party on the lower level. From there, head up the stairs and take out the
Mu with magic ASAP in order to avoid its Downhearted.
I recommend you take out the King Tarasque next, as killing either of the
remaining trainer/monster groups will trigger reinforcements. After the King is
dead, roll either right or left and kill the trainer/Jelly pair to trigger
three merged Zortroa on the side. Of them, one is a Tarasque type (Hard), so
you'll want to use magic, Combination Arts, and weapons that strike through
Hard, as usual.
When you kill the first of three, there will be another reinforcement of three
merged Zortroa, this time on the opposite side back of the stage.
This stage can run long, so bring Nectar for your heavier/lower VP units, and
a Magic Berry for your casters.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - You Have Caused Confusion and Delay
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Once again, a balanced party is best. You start spread out in the midst of the
enemy, who are all confused. Just tighten up in the center and focus on the
enemy as they approach. It helps to make sure all your units have some kind of
ranged attack, then just surround Clarissa and have her Encourage constantly.
As always, elemental attacks are particularly effective against the humans.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part III - Control, Control, You Must Learn Control!
Success: Reduce all enemies' HP to 20% or below.
Failure: A single enemy falls in battle.
All allies fall in battle.
This map is all about damage control. Elemental casters are good because you
can tailor your damage based on the target's defenses. For physical types, it's
good to add OCs (Strider, Secutor, etc.) that give different types of attack,
so you have some different damaging options.
It is also vital that you unequip all skills such as Critical Up, Extra
Critical, Command Critical, Counter Up, etc.--any skill that acts to increase
your critical or counter rate or damage.
Other useful skills are Slow Down, Debilitator, Shut Out--anything that will
keep enemies from moving and acting, so you have fewer chances to counter, and
more time to exercise care.
Emulator spell Dangerous Matter is especially useful, as it hits everybody in
the stage at 100% accuracy.
Once enemies are in critical, just ignore them as they'll stand there and do
nothing.
After the battle, leave town, be sure to pick up the Sheriff Star from the
Skilled Hunter in Crestabelde is you've done Ragu. Head to Lefas Corner, talk
to Upset Young Man in the Pub, then leave town to open Stage 4-7 at Schnell
Ruins.
Be aware that 4-7 through 4-11 (each with multiple parts) are chained, so do
any shopping, etc. beforehand, and of course save in a different file.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-7 (Schnell Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Bring Out Your Dead!
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You're facing a bunch of undead and Charlton. For the undead, their Disease
attack can be annoying because you'll be unable to heal. Charlton has an attack
that can inflict Misery. So you'll want Sacred Slayer OC for slaughtering the
undead, and you should have at least one unit with Enigmancer OC to cure the
ailments of others, along with some Peppy Acorns in case that unit itself is
hit with Misery.
Charlton also has weapon block, so spells are the preferred way to hit him,
especially Lightning/Electrigger/Blast.
Since you have to kill everything, I recommend you head down to the bottom
group (and nab the chest), then up to the group across the stage, and finally
up to Charlton. The usual boss tactics (Debilitator, Slow Down, Fragile) work
well on Charlton.
Chest contains Item Scope #10.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - With Friends Like These...
Success: Reduce all enemies' HP to 20% or below.
Failure: A single enemy falls in battle.
All allies fall in battle.
Once again, this is all about control, so get rid of your counter/critical
skills, and diversify your damage options.
Once again, Dangerous Matter has 100% hit rate. Once again, units stop moving
as soon as they're in critical.
This pretty much plays just like 4-6 part III, carefully focus on the knights,
then debuff Eisen and whittle him down.
Stage 4-7 leads directly to 4-8.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-8 (Schnell Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Can Love Bloom on the Battlefield?
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Include Excavator OC for Detect. There are fully eight invisible people on the
field, all with their autokill attack. They're also considerably beefier than
the previous versions (~285 HP), so don't mess around with these guys. Reveal
them and kill them ASAP. There are a pair that start immediately on the steps
on either side of the party start position.
Treasure Chest contains Dream Wand +6. Be sure to catch it on the way up to the
next level.
When you've taken out the invisible enemies, advance up to Chelle and the
merged Zortroa. One of the merged is a pig-type, with Slumber Fog skill and
Hard status, the other is a Mu-type with Downhearted and Soft. Magic is the
best option for killing both. Combination Arts will also work. It's best to
focus on these first, before Chelle, to avoid their Status attacks.
Chelle is the most powerful version yet, with her own Raving Rage (and the
ability to counter with it), and an Intrude-like skill that she will use every
turn to give herself two turns in a row. As always, watch your background to
avoid her Raving Rage-style attack, and be aware she's going to get two turns,
so she can really pile the damage on. Your best bet with her is to use normal
boss debuffers (Debilitator, Slow Down, Fragile) and whenever possible, hit
from range to avoid her nasty counter.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Walk Without Rhythm
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
You're facing 4 merged Zortroa and the Worm. Of the Zortroa, the one in the
northeast has Downhearted, and the one in the southeast (just right of the
party) has Petrify. Send Laby/Levin east to take care of the Petrifyer, have
someone with Anchor Hook suck the northeast Downhearted guy all the way across
and slaughter him (he's Soft, so use CA/spells). The northwestern (Kirlian
Buster) Zortroa can also be pulled toward the party and killed in advance.
By the time you take out those two/three, the worm will be in range. Just hit
him with all the debuffs and start in on him. FYI: Dangerous Matter has a 25%
chance of hitting him--low, but worth it if it lands early on for a couple
thousand damage. The worm is also slow enough that if you Debilitate and Slow,
a single unit attacking with Decelerate should be able to keep it from acting
at all.
At some point during this process, the final Zortroa(s) will go active. Just
ignore them and finish the worm. When it's dead, take care of the final Zort(s)
and don't forget to send somebody over to nab the chest for a Sniper Bow +6.
Stage 4-8 leads directly to 4-9.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-9 (Schnell Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - The Clone War
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
This is a replay of past Triad battles, with clones and the Triad's triple
skills. Your first priority is Lluvia, to the left of the party. Debilitate,
Slow Down, and attack with Decelerate, as usual, then take him out. The clones
can largely be ignored, though you can avoid some damage by killing them from
range if their turn is coming up.
You'll want to keep the party as tight as possible for mass healing. The enemy
does a good job of singling out one unit, so having multiple characters with
Sacred Slayer OC for healing is good.
After you've taken out Lluvia, just head for the closest real brother and
repeat: Debilitate, Slow, Fragile, kill.
The difficulty of this battle is all in the beginning. After you've taken out
one of the brothers, the momentum will shift heavily toward you. Watch the turn
list and break up any enemy turns that stack, and keep your HP up, and this
should be no problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - If You Strike Me Down...
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies die in battle.
Before combat, view the map and take a look at the enemy stats. One of them is
fairly weak, another stronger, the last has insane stats. These will not be the
enemies' starting stats. These stats reflect what happens as you take out one
brother after the other. First kill boosts the remaining two to the stats of
the middle unit, killing the second boosts the final brother to the insane
stats.
The same boss strategy as before applies here. Debilitate, Slow, Fragile. It's
fine to kill one brother first, but you should avoid killing a second brother
until you've whittled the third down as well. Best to whittle them all down in
advance.
If you face the last brother, full strength, you will find it almost impossible
to damage and fast as hell. Play smart. The brothers don't have any of their
nasty triple attacks this go, so it doesn't matter in what order you take them
down.
When you're ready to take out the final two, make sure you have units in range
to hit, preferably Invoked (if physical attackers), and generally prepared, in
advance, to hit as hard and fast as possible. Even Debilitated, your damage
against the final brother will be low.
Stage 4-9 leads directly to 4-10
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-10 (Schnell Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - Kill It With Kindness
Success: Reduce Katrina's MP to 0.
Failure: Katrina falls in battle.
All allies fall in battle.
This plays exactly like the previous Katrina battle, except with more beefed
lackeys. Excavator Switch is good, Fantastica's Feeble Mind is essential.
Just plow your way forward, killing cronies as you go, then hit Katrina with
Slow Down and Debilitator (to keep her from casting at you), and suck out her
MP.
Most if not all of the cronies can be auto-killed by Anchor Hooking them into
holes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Just Kill It
Success: Defeat Fear Guardian?.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
As above, kill/Anchor Hook the cronies on your way toward the bird. Debuff the
bird, and beat it down.
Stage 4-10 leads directly to 4-11.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4-11 (Schnell Ruins)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part I - El Dia De Los Muertos
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Treasure Chest contains Lapis Lazuli +6.
You're facing three groups of undead, plus Charlton. Charlton has his Misery
attack again, so assign somebody Enigmancer OC and/or stock Peppy Acorns.
The undead have a chance to respawn if killed with anything but Sanctify, so
come prepared either to repeat kill them or hit them with (Rushed) Sanctify.
Widespread is also fairly indispensible on this map, both because the undead
group up and because Charlton has a counterattack that spawns an undead unit
in one of the spaces next to him every time he's attacked.
Split however you'd like to kill the undead, then come together to take down
Charlton. As always, Debilitate, Slow, and Fragile. Surround him as much as
possible to reduce his ability to summon undead (indeed, it's probably best to
avoid hitting him at the start to encircle him completely).
Charlton's energy drain attack gets more powerful the lower his HP, so keep him
Slow and Debilitated, and attack with Decelerate as much as you can. Once he's
down, clean up any remaining undead left on the field.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part II - Puzzle Break
Success: Activate all of the switches.
Failure: A single ally falls in battle.
Make sure Laby has Arcanist OC, Emulator or Elementalist OC and Widespread.
(If she can't equip widespread, just shift her into Sacred Slayer class.)
Have two units (not Laby) hit the switches, then have three others use the
teleporter to go across to the next platform and stand on those three floor
switches.
Meanwhile, warp Laby across, and set the pot on the left on fire, then move her
right toward the next teleporter. When you've got the three switches active,
move her into the teleporter to the next platform. From now on, everybody but
Laby waits.
Move Laby up the center steps and cast a water spell to the pot on the right to
put it out. Warp Laby left next to the chest and attack for a Study Belt +6.
Finally, use Lightning on the attack switch behind the barrels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part III - Just Deserts
Success: Defeat Charlton.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
The cowardly way -
Make sure at least one unit has Sacred Slayer OC. Move everybody back into the
central nook, and wait wait wait. Charlton will spam his giant area attack,
killing the undead, which will respawn with a stat boost. As they get stronger
and stronger, they'll deal more and more damage to him, while you hang back and
watch. Kill any undead that start to get in range of physical attacks with
Sanctify. (Only maybe a couple should get to you before Charlton bites it.)
The non-cowardly way -
Extremist OC is a must. Advance Anchor Hooking units toward the pits and Hook
undead into them. Once you've killed most of them, Charlton should stop using
his mega attack. Advance on Charlton and use the same tactics as before,
Debuff, surround, etc. to take him out. You will need healers, dispellers, etc.
to survive the beginning of the battle, so stock up on Sacred Slayer and
Enigmancer OC.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Act - When Flowers Once Again Bloom
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leave town to open Final Stage 1 at Foothills of No Return. With 11 Item
Scopes, you can now synth all ultimate weapons and armor (except special item
Sheriff Star).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Final Act 1 (Foothills of No Return)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Weisheit.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Useful OCs:
Excavator - for Detect on 19H snow plain.
Grappler - for throwing enemies around.
Emulator/Electrigger - for damaging golems.
Proceed left up the hill from the party start, taking out the three golems as
you go. Once you've got your entire party past the 12H plateau with the tree--
notice you have to either go around up the stairs or have CLM 5 to get out of
it--use Grappler OC to throw Asgard II down onto that plateau. He won't be able
to get out of it, and can't hit anything from there.
Weisheit is similar to past versions: He will spend most of his time targeting
and trying to pull of his range 5 straight-line mega attack. On the snow,
however, he doesn't really have the move to get around well enough to use it
effectively. Debilitate and Slow him ASAP, then you should have gobs of time to
check his move and all possible spots he can hit, and move the targetted unit
out of range (or into one of the blind spots). Use your other units as meat
walls to restrict his movement even further.
From there, back him into a corner (throw him there) and block him with units.
Once he is Slowed and Debilitated, and wasting half or all his turns doing
nothing, just beat him down.
On the way up the hill, be sure to take a side trip to the snow field at height
19, and use Detect to find Item Scope #12. You can also do this on this map as
a free stage.
After the battle, Stage Final Act 2 will be open at Trail to the Summit. With
12 Item Scopes, you can now synth everything, including the Sheriff Star.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Final Act 2 (Trail to the Summit)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat all enemies.
Failure: All allies die in battle.
You face eight souped up Harpies. They have all the usual Harpy nastiness--
skills to inflict misery, confusion, steal items, health, and cause death--
plus each is equipped with a unique set of blue support skills. All also have
+70% vs. all elements (but not non-elemental skills like Blast/Electrigger).
As rough as it might sound, this map is really straightforward. Set yourself
up with a couple of units with Enigmancer OC to cure status ailments, and pack
plenty of Revive Fruits (and/or Laby's Arcanist OC) in case anybody eats it.
Then just pick a target and go.
Ranged attacks (physical/spells) will give you better flexibility against the
enemies on the jagged, snowy terrain. Otherwise, there's no special trick here.
After the battle, Stage Final Act 3 opens at Silver Peaks.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Interlude - Point of No Return
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you save here, this will be your last free save before game's end. The game
does prompt you to save in the middle of the final battle sequence, so if you
intend to do any extra synthing, leveling, etc. before you move on to a new
game loaded from Clear Data, do not save over this file.
Clear Data (you will be prompted to save after the end/credits) can only be
used to start a new game with all items and gella, and a bonus to EXP/CSP/Gella
(double rewards the first time).
So if you want to finalize some weapons or hammer out some new/other equips to
use in new game+, do it now or at least maintain a save here to come back to
after the end.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Final Act 3 (Silver Peaks)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Fear Clysmian.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
In the final sequence of battles, the cronies around the boss(es) become
more and more irrelevant. Surround the Clysmian and use Formation Arts to
pummel it. Let your casters hit the cronies with fire when they aren't healing
or doing other support tasks. Especially as you wear the Clysmian down, they'll
burn turns healing for piddling amounts.
Standard boss tactics, as always, apply to the bird. Debilitate, Slow, Fragile,
attack with Decelerate.
Stage Final Act 3 leads directly to Stage Final Act 4. Remember to save in a
different file when prompted.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Final Act 4 (Silver Peaks)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Success: Defeat Katrina.
Failure: All allies fall in battle.
Add Geomancer OC to one or more units, along with your usual set-up. During
this battle, watch Katrina carefully and do not attack her unless you've hit
her with Shut-Out. Aside from this, everything about this battle is standard.
Debuff, surround, beat with Decelerate, kill cronies only as necessary.
If you start doing 0 damage, she has raised her shield. Use Combination Arts
until it is destroyed. (You'll be told.)
Be sure to check whether she's Shut Out before every attack. You really don't
want to be tracking around the map to resurround and setup.
Not really a difficult battle so long as you keep her Shut Out.
Watch credits. Save Clear File if desired.
===============================================================================
Search List
===============================================================================
Locations are roughly in order of access. "Focus" is if the search returns
significantly more of one type of item and what it is--though this varies
somewhat over the course of the game. (e.g. Rasalom will give Tarasque Tusks
earlier in the game--before the point you'd need Sol Niger Spikes for
synthing.) "Rare" is the uncommon item(s) that may or may not be awarded in
addition to synth items. For plant locations and metal locations listed with
"throwable," you will get more advanced versions the more item scopes you have.
Location Days Type Focus Rare
Trader's Road 2 Plant Tabanga Branch Antidote
Windhalt Gatehouse 2 Animal Kalivos Claw Lucky Card, Potential Egg
Bandits' Forest 2 Plant Mantrap Vine Heal Berry
Promise Hill 2 Metal Iron Ore Cyclone Gem, Break Gem
Creedmore Prison 2 Animal Taztelwurm Horn Lucky Card, Gella Card
Rusty Docks 2 Metal Elesium Fire Gem, Freeze Gem
Fallen Fowl Swamp 2 Plant Alraune Pollen Revive Fruit
Path to the Shrine 2 Metal Spirit Crystal Exploder Gem, Throwable
West Wind Guidepost 2 Animal Gigamantis Claw Gella Card, Potential Egg
Fort Molasar 2 Animal Yurung Fang Lucky Card, Gella Card
Rainy Pass 2 Metal Median Metal Fire Gem, Freeze Gem
Starlit Path 2 Animal A Bao A Qu Drop Lucky Card, Potential Egg
Rhino River 2 Animal Belleclaire Horn Gella Card, Potential Egg
Deserters' Camp 2 Plant Tryphid Fruit Nectar
Dead Plateau 2 Metal Gulcyte Iron Exploder Gem, Throwable
Quarry of Desire 4 Metal Mystic Silver Exploder Gem, Throwable
Frightful Abyss 4 Plant Dendrobium Petal Medicine
Wayward Path 4 Metal Dragon Fossil Break Gem +1
The Flatwoods 4 Animal Tarasque Tusk Gella Card, Lucky Card
Rasalom Keep 4 Animal Sol Niger Spike Lucky Card, Potential Egg
Twilight Valley 4 Metal None Cyclone Gem +1
Circle Valley 4 Animal None Gella Card
White Devil Plains 4 Plant Dendrobium Petal Breath Mint
Sundome Abbey Ruins 4 Animal None Lucky Card
Lonely Waterside 6 Plant Ent Leaf Pinwheel
The Frozen Lands 4 Plant Black Fern Seed Pygmalion
Guardian Temple 6 Plant None Peppy Acorn
Guardian Shrine* 2 Metal Meteoric Iron Cyclone Gem, Break Gem
Path of the Unjust 12 Plant None Magic Berry
Secret Base 6 Metal None Freeze Gem +1
Desert Ocean 8 Animal None Gella Card
The Quiet Sands 8 Plant None Holy Root
Boot Hill 8 Plant None Great Apple
Schnell Ruins 14 Metal None Fire Gem +1
Foothills of No Return 8 Metal None Exploder Gem +1
Trail to the Summit 8 Animal None Potential Egg
*Guardian Shrine is only accessible as a search location between 3-6 and 3-8.
===============================================================================
Free Battles
===============================================================================
This list is in order of access. This list may or may not be entirely complete.
Some rare monsters may be available that are not listed here. Guardian Shrine
is only accessible as a free battle between 3-6 and 3-8. Some enemies (such as
Mu in Rusty Docks, and Apples in most places) are extremely rare.
Trader's Road - Gremalkin, Marchosias
Windhalt Gatehouse - Gremalkin, Ascomoid, Moss Fungus
Rusty Docks - Jelly Blob, Mu
Bandits' Forest - Harpy, Gremalkin, Marchosias
Promise Hill - Ascomoid
Creedmore Prison - Harpy, Ascomoid
Fallen Fowl Swamp - Harpy, Grow Apple
Path to the Shrine - Harpy, Gremalkin, Ascomoid
West Wind Guidepost - Orc
Fort Molasar - Ascomoid, Orc, Gremalkin
Rainy Pass - Harpy, Not-Have, Jelly Blob
Starlit Path - Fairylight, Ignus Fatuus
Rhino River - Rhinocerous
Deserters' Camp - Paigoel
Dead Plateau - Tarasque, Rhinocerous, Gremalkin
Quarry of Desire - Rhinocerous, Tarasque
Frightful Abyss - Vodianoi, Harpy, Jelly Blob
Wayward Path - Fairylight, Jelly Blob, Ignus Fatuus
The Flatwoods - Fairylight, Paigoel, Clymenus, Creeping Chaos
Rasalom Keep - Harpy, Orc, Doppelganger
Twilight Valley - Fairylight, Ignus Fatuus, Gella Apple
Circle Valley - Orc, Ascomoid, Gremalkin
White Devil Plains - Gremalkin, Marchosias, Rhinocerous, Tarasque
Sundome Abbey Ruins - Damnation
Lonely Waterside - Fairylight, Orc, Gremalkin
The Frozen Lands - Vodianoi, Stealth Stalker
Guardian Shrine - Troll, Hyperion, Gella Apple, Grow Apple
Path of the Unjust - Gremalkin, Jelly Blob
Secret Base - Mu, Jelly Blob
Desert Ocean - Troll, Hyperion
The Quiet Sands - Troll, Hyperion, Vacuumon, Doppelganger
Boot Hill - Troll, Ascomoid, Moss Fungus, John Doe, Gorgon
Grow Apple, Mu, Marchiosas, Fairylight
Heart of Fire - Grow Apple, Gella Apple
Schnell Ruins - John Doe, Damnation
Foothills of No Return - Doppleganger
Trail to the Summit - Not-Have, Gella Apple, Grow Apple, Harpy (Gate Victim)
Tarasque (Gate Victim)
===============================================================================
Enemy List
===============================================================================
Listed money, exp, and csp apply only to the first game. Each new game+ adds
the value again to the actual monsters. So during your second game, all enemies
yield double the values (including special monsters), the third time triple,
etc. Location list may not be entirely complete. Rare monsters may be hard to
find in the listed locations.
Ascomoid - Mutant Shroom
Money: lvl*25 Items: Pinwheel, Heal Berry, Freeze Gem
EXP: lvl*2.5 CSP: 1
Emulator: Luminous Moss
Location: Windhalt Gatehouse, Promise Hill, Creedmore Prison,
Path to the Shrine, Fort Molasar, Circle Valley, Boot Hill
Clymenus - Ghastly Ghoul
Money: lvl*30 Items: Elemental Gems, Elemental Gems +1
EXP: lvl*8 CSP: 1
Emulator: Buried Alive, Hydro Pressure, Crimson Cremation, Storm Blade
Location: The Flatwoods
Creeping Chaos - Unwanted Visitor
Money: lvl*100 Items: Antidote +1, Pinwheel +1, Pygmalion +1, Magic Berry +1
EXP: lvl*3.3 CSP: Special*
Emulator: Dangerous Matter
Location: The Flatwoods
*CSP = Overkill damage
Damnation - Living Dead
Money: lvl*40 Items: Heal Berry, Potion Berry, Medicine +1
EXP: lvl*4 CSP: 1
Emulator: Stink Cloud
Location: Sundome Abbey Ruins, Schnell Ruins
Special* - Doppelganger
Money: lvl*30 Items: Special**
EXP: lvl*3 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Rasalom Keep, The Quiet Sands, Foothills of No Return
*Unit name = Main Character names
**Items = Basic, Specialized versions of the copied character's armor.
Fairylight - Wicked Spirit
Money: lvl*20 Items: Heal Berry, Elemental Gems
EXP: lvl*2 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Starlit Path, Wayward Path, Twilight Valley, Lonely Waterside,
Boot Hill
Gella Apple - Devil Tree Fruit
Money: Special* Items: Gella Card, Money Pit
EXP: lvl*1 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Twilight Valley, Guardian Shrine, Heart of Fire, Trail to the Summit
*Money = Overkill damage*100
Gorgon - Stone Eater
Money: lvl*60 Items: Median Metal
EXP: lvl*6 CSP: 1
Emulator: Petrify
Location: Boot Hill
Gremalkin - Dubious Leopard
Money: lvl*20 Items: Heal Berry, Medicine, Potion Berry
EXP: lvl*2 CSP: 1
Emulator: Kirlian Buster
Location: Trader's Road, Wildhalt Gatehouse, Bandits' Forest,
Path to the Shrine, Fort Molasar, Dead Plateau, Circle Valley,
White Devil Plains, Lonely Waterside, Path of the Unjust
Grow Apple - Evil Tree Fruit
Money: lvl*20 Items: Lucky Card, Great Apple
EXP: Special* CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Fallen Fowl Swamp, Guardian Shrine, Boot Hill, Heart of Fire,
Trail to the Summit
*EXP = Overkill damage*10
Harpy - Avian Bandit
Money: lvl*60 Items: Heal Berry, Antidote, Medicine, Pygmalion
EXP: lvl*2 CSP: 1
Emulator: Asphyxiate
Location: Bandits' Forest, Creedmore Prison, Fallen Fowl Swamp,
Path to the Shrine, Frightful Abyss, Rasalom Keep
Harpy - Gate Victim
Money: lvl*20 Items: Lucky Card
EXP: lvl*1 CSP: 1
Emulator: Asphyxiate
Location: Trail to the Summit
Hyperion - Bellowing Monk
Money: lvl*80 Items: Gigamantis Cw, Yurung Fg, Bao A Qu Drp, Belleclaire Hn
EXP: lvl*15 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Guardian Shrine, Desert Ocean, The Quiet Sands
Ignus Fatuus - Phantom Soul
Money: lvl*70 Items: Exploder Gem, Exploder Gem +1
EXP: lvl*5 CSP: 1
Emulator: Electrigger
Location: Starlit Path, Wayward Path, Twilight Valley
Jelly Blob - Shapeless Mass
Money: lvl*25 Items: Antidote, Heal Berry, Medicine
EXP: lvl*2.5 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Rusty Docks, Rainy Pass, Frightful Abyss, Wayward Path,
Path of the Unjust, Secret Base
John Doe - Nameless Corpse
Money: lvl*70 Items: Heal Berry, Potion Berry, Potential Egg, Ambrosia
EXP: lvl*7 CSP: 1
Emulator: Stink Cloud
Location: Boot Hill, Schnell Ruins
Marchosias - Vicious Canine
Money: lvl*50 Items: Iron Ore
EXP: lvl*5 CSP: 1
Emulator: Kirlian Buster
Location: Bandits' Forest, White Devil Plains, Boot Hill
Moss Fungus - Nocturnal Shroom
Money: lvl*60 Items: Pinwheel, Ambrosia, Pinwheel +1
EXP: lvl*6 CSP: 1
Emulator: Luminous Moss
Location: Windhalt Gatehouse, Boot Hill
Mu - Dissolving Cell
Money: lvl*55 Items: Heal Berry, Medicine +1
EXP: lvl*5.5 CSP: 1
Emulator: Downhearted
Location: Rusty Docks, Secret Base, Boot Hill
Not-Have - Smoky Specimen
Money: lvl*100 Items: Pygmalion, Potion Berry
EXP: lvl*1 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Rainy Pass, Trail to the Summit
Orc - Brutal Swine
Money: lvl*30 Items: Breath Mint, Lucky Card, Fire Gem
EXP: lvl*3 CSP: 1
Emulator: Slumber Fog
Location: West Wind Guidepost, Fort Molasar, Rasalom Keep, Circle Valley,
Lonely Waterside
Paigoel - Ghostly Goblin
Money: lvl*30 Items: Elemental Gems
EXP: lvl*3 CSP: 1
Emulator: Buried Alive, Hydro Pressure, Crimson Cremation, Storm Blade
Location: Deserters' Camp
Rhinocerous - One-Eyed Beast
Money: lvl*30 Items: Pygmalion, Breath Mint
EXP: lvl*3 CSP: 1
Emulator: Petrify
Location: Rhino River, Dead Plateau, Quarry of Desire, White Devil Plains
Stealth Stalker - Hidden Wanderer
Money: lvl*10 Items: Revive Fruit, Full Revive
EXP: lvl*9 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: The Frozen Lands
Tarasque - Shelled Lizard
Money: lvl*20 Items: Antidote, Antidote +1
EXP: lvl*6 CSP: 1
Emulator: Toxic Breath
Location: Dead Plateau, Quarry of Desire, White Devil Plains,
Path of the Unjust
Tarasque - Gate Victim
Money: lvl*20 Items: Great Apple
EXP: lvl*6 CSP: 1
Emulator: Toxic Breath
Location: Trail to the Summit
Troll - Beastly Brute
Money: lvl*50 Items: Tatzelwurm Hrn, Kalivos Clw, Gigamantis Clw, Yurung Fng
EXP: lvl*10 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: Guardian Shrine, Desert Ocean, Boot Hill
Vacuumon - Misty Mortal
Money: lvl*30 Items: Median Metal, Regulus Sap, A Bao A Qu Drop
EXP: lvl*3 CSP: 1
Emulator: none
Location: The Quiet Sands
Vodianoi - Mystic Kappa
Money: lvl*140 Items: Nectar +1, Great Apple, Magic Berry, Ambrosia
EXP: lvl*14 CSP: 15
Emulator: none
Location: Frightful Abyss, The Frozen Lands
===============================================================================
FAQ/Tips
===============================================================================
-Any missables?
Yes. The reward for killing the optional boss can be missed. You must access
his stage and kill him before entering stage 4-7. Certain treasure chests and
item availabilities in shops are missable, but all of these items and equips
can be built or found elsewhere.
-CSP/EXP/Money farming?
It's not really worth your while to do much CSP farming until 2-4, when you can
access a very easy method. See "Interlude - CSP Farming" in the walkthrough
above. Levels don't matter much, so there's no need to grind. The easiest
legitimate way to get money is to kill harpies with (mastered) Excavators. See
"Free Battles" or "Enemy List" above for locations. You can also use the item
duplication cheat to make gobs of money.
-Equipment?
It's good to keep your weapons as up to date as possible, and your armors close
to up to date. You don't need every weapon for every class. Felius' Halberd and
Ragnar's Boomerang are worth keeping current, keep a couple of Elementalist
books for Levin and Laby, and a Secutor sword/axe or two. This will vary
depending on your play style, of course, but all classes have a skill that lets
you equip their stuff out-of-class, so you can just keep your six favorite
weapons and armors going, and you won't have to spend much effort upgrading.
You will also want to keep a maximally updated MAG-wrench if you plan to kill
Ragu at lowish levels (~50).
-How do I kill Gella/Grow Apples?
Honestly, it's not worth it. For Gella Apples, in the time it takes you to kill
them, you can earn as much money just quickly killing Harpies and/or Not-Haves.
For Grow Apples, you can earn EXP slightly faster, but it's still so close as
makes no difference, in my opinion.
If you feel you must grind on them, Heart of Fire always loads a mix of six
apples (after Ragu is gone), and you can repeatedly kill them fairly quickly
using Alexia, Intrude chains (similar to Ragu), and Exploder Gems +1 with an
Elementalist book equipped. This is about the simplest and quickest solution.
The real difference between the apples and creeping chaos is that they're a
hell of a lot faster, can't be meaningfully distracted with a Replica, and will
OHKO a character on any turn they're in range of their exceedingly long range
attack. There are convulated methods out there for getting huge overkill
damage on them, but IMO it's a pain in the butt for relatively little reward.
You might as well just wait for other playthroughs, when EXP/CSP are boosted.
You don't keep levels for New Game+ anyway, and the levels you hit naturally in
the course of the game are more than sufficient to kill everything, including
Ragu.
===============================================================================
Contact/Copyright/Hosting
===============================================================================
Contacting Me:
If you have any corrections or additions to this guide, please do let me know.
Send a note to
[email protected] for inclusion in the next revision. Please
include the phrase "Wild ARMs XF FAQ" in the subject line or your mail will be
deleted unread.
Of course any meaningful contributions to this guide will be credited in an
obscure bit at the end of the guide that nobody will read anyway. Like right
here. --->
If you have other questions about the game, please feel free to ask them on the
board at:
http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/gentopic.php?board=935425
You stand a much better chance of getting help there than by mailing me. Don't
feel slighted if I don't respond to your e-mail asking for help. I rarely do.
Copyright Notice:
This document is Copyright 2008 Matthew "darklao" Pattison. It may be not be
reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not
be placed on any web site outside of GameFAQs. It may not be distributed
electronically outside of the GameFAQs web site, and it may not be distributed
otherwise at all. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any
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NO, YOU CANNOT USE THIS GUIDE ON YOUR NON-GAMEFAQS/GAMEFAQS AFFILIATED SITE. IF
I WANT YOU TO HOST IT, I WILL SEND IT TO YOU. PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ THIS AND
SEND ME MAIL RE: "I HAVE THIS AWESOME SITE CAN I HOST YOUR GUIDE WAGH" WILL BE
CURSED WITH VARIOUS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISORDERS, FROM AFAR, BY THE FANTASTIC
POWER OF MY HATE.
I am, for reasons none of your business, extremely loyal to GameFAQs.
Your heart will go on.
darklao would like to thank his wife and son and tiny microbun currently ovened
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Be kind to everybody. Peace.
-EOF-
