This is non-profit only. You don't have to e-mail me to ask for permission
but I'd appreciate you dropping a note if you found the guide to be at all
useful. If anything it'll at least encourage me to write more and better.
^_^
******
Notes and Rants :
1. Although Steven Bruck's FAQ undoubtedly covers more of the game, and I'm
sure some enterprising soul will write a damn complete one for the English
version, read mine anyway. Why? Because it's got useful info - lots of it. It
might only be a hundred or so KB, but I've spent considerable time and effort
on the Hints and Tips section, as well as the explanations of sections, magic
and move evaluations, transformable item lists...good stuff, at least IMHO. I'm
not saying that my FAQ is BETTER than anyone else's, but since people tend to
go for the larger ones, I thought this worth a mention.
---
2. All right, it seems I've opened up a whole can of worms with my Valkyrie
Profile English Translation rant. I never knew so many people had things to
say. ^_^ I've gotten various mails on this subject, most polite and willing to
discuss it rationally, but unfortunately (I'm not naming any names) some not.
In the light of these, let me clear up some stuff here...
a) This is my opinion. No more, no less. I can back up my opinion (which I will
do below) but that's it. It's my opinion. Not gospel, not Holy Word, not
anything besides just one person's stance. I do think I have things to say, and
a standpoint on which to say them, and a RIGHT to say them, but what it all
boils down to is - it's my opinion.
Now, this goes for you as well. Before you think of mailing me, remember that
people can agree to disagree. Your opinion is just as valid as mine (less, if
you can't back it up. ^_^) Everyone has a right to an opinion (especially in
America, I would think) so, I'm exercising mine and you can exercise
yours...which brings me to my next point.
b) Please be polite. If you WANT, you can certainly insult me and reveal to the
world that you are a jackass. I would have hoped that more people had some
civility...the last time I received these many flames was went I reviewed NXE
harshly during my brief EFRS stint. (Long story, don't ask.) Remember,
opinions. I'm more than willing to discuss anything, but if you're going to be
calling me names while we do it, count me out, and count yourself an idiot.
Sorry, but this rankles me quite a bit.
c) When I say I think the English version is "UTTER CRAP" it's not totally
true. In the course of answering mail (polite or not) I've rethunk my stance
somewhat...it's more like I hate because the original was so good, not because
the translation and voice-acting are really that bad. They're not. They're
average, or around there. Hell, I think some of the translations are actually
pretty decent. However, the Japanese version is pure magnificence...the game is
literally so good I actually scream out Ougi names along with the characters.
^_^ I mean, how would you like it if a classic, like let's say, War and Peace
for example, was translated into an inferior version, handed out, and lots of
people liked it? You'd be at least a little pissed, right? And if you're like
me (rather emotional and an pretty good (by other's admission, not mine alone)
amateur translator) you might go around trying to convince people that the
original was far better...which, IMHO, it is. At least, that's what I did.
d) How about "I have no right to write this here, because it's a walkthrough,
not a discussion board?" Well, plenty of FAQs go off topic and talk about
various things, and I can quote at least 5 that go into rants of some sort at
some point. However, the important point here is - you don't need to read it.
If you want, just skip to the actual FAQ. It's my FAQ, so I consider this issue
important enough to keep it at the top and write about it, but you don't need
to. So, do as you will - I can't sue. ^_^
Okay, now let's go on to the reasons WHY I think the translation is lousy, or
at the very best, average :
1. You might or might not know this, but in Japan, there are various people
called seiyuu. These people are professional voice actors - they make a living
not by acting, but by lending their vocal talents to commercials, TV shows
(anime) and games. Let me repeat (because it bears repeating ^_^) the two
phrases - "professional" and "makes a living". In contrast, what the English
version has are budding actors, lower-quality screen talent and such...not
professional actors. I mean, some might be, but they don't TOTALLY do voice
work, and IMHO, even if they did, it wouldn't be of high quality. Most seiyuu
are remarkably skilled, able to do a variety of roles with the same acting
quality in all of them. Also take into account that fact that games are a big
thing in Japan - they're not hiring just anyone to do the voices. Some seiyuu
can also become pretty damn famous; they are asked for their autograph, they go
to fan events, people attend their weddings etc. So basically, what I'm saying
is that Japanese voice actors are far more skilled than their American
counterparts, and this is why.
2. Now, some people have said people "don't care" about the voice acting. Not
true. The average gamer might not, but some (especially anime fans, who have
greater exposure to seiyuu and their talents) actually do. I think I represent
this small but important majority when I say "your voice talent ain't very
good" Remember, (again) opinions. If you think the English version is better or
that it doesn't matter, well and good, but chances are you don't know Japanese
and/or haven't played the original - you'd probably change your mind then.
3. Most of the Japanese used in the original tended to be of the archaic and
medieval quality...trust me, this is VERY HARD to translate. I know. I've
tried. What I resent was that most times, the translator took short-cuts -
partially excuseable because of work constraints (I wouldn't have liked to be
the one working on this game with a deadline) but still, the fellow was
professional. He/she did it for money - should have done a better job. The
reason why most people think the translation is still good is because it reads
well - NOT because it's accurate. It's difficult to give a example here (I
could, but it would require a page or two of text with examples in Japanese -
if you want, mail me) so you're going to have to trust me on this one. No, I'm
not making this up to make my argument stronger - the original had really good
sounding, Shakespearean quality dialogue.
4. There are more reasons, but they escape my mind now. ^_^ I'll put them up as
I think of them.
Finally, why am I doing all this? Initially I had supposed that it was a
catharsis of some sort - I needed to tell about the inferior English version.
However, I think there is a better purpose to it now; I can inform people that
what they are getting IS an inferior version, so they can do something about
it. This message probably will not reach the majority of gamers, but to the
ones that it does, or the ones who have read the above and think "well, maybe
this guy's right" - it doesn't need to be that way. You can change it. As long
as there are people who want better voice-acting and translation, the market
will respond - the more people, the better. You all deserve better games that
what you're getting; there is no reason that simply because the game is in
English it needs to be worse. Change it! Bring the world to revolution with
your power! (^_^, sorry, needless Utena reference. I thought I needed some
humor here.)
Anyway, I've said all I need to. Thanks for listening.
I'm keeping the original rant here because I am loathe to erase anything I've
written and so people can get a look at my original expression of pure rage.
^_^ No, seriously, so people can see why I bothered to write all this.
---
RANT BEGINS. SEE ABOVE SECTION FOR LOGICAL EXPLANATION.
Unfortunately, this latest note is not an update. It's more of a rant and it
starts like this. THE ENGLISH VERSION OF VALKYRIE PROFILE IS UTTER CRAP.
Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but honestly, what were those people thinking?
As if Star
Ocean : The Second Story didn't show them that you DON'T DUB great Japanese
games into English!
Gone are the awesome voice talents of Touma Yumi (voice of Valkyrie, Yui in
Fushigi Yuugi, Urd in OMG and Deedlit in Lodoss Wars) Inoue Kikuko (voice of
Riseria, Belldandy in OMG and a whole lot of other roles) and Sho Hayami (voice
of Rezard Valis and too many other roles to list) Not only that, they saw fit
to change everyone's name and totally mess up the translation as well - as if
having horrible dub voices wasn't bad enough.
(sigh) To see a great game ruined like this is downright painful...Valkyrie
Profile was one of
the best games I've ever played in my life. Hell, I even wrote this 129K FAQ
which no one read
about it. ^_^ I feel sorry for all the American RPG players who will never
experience te
beauty of the original, just a spoiled, watered-down version. Such is life, I
suppose. (Andthe stupidity of dumb translators
------
Anyway, I'd love to continue updating this guide, but since 1) no one reads it
2) it's not a
very popular game and 3) it doesn't work properly on my Playstation, you
probably won't see
much being added...I might do a couple of last revisions and then again, I
might not. Well,
that's all I wanted to say, I gue.
On with the show... BTW, for best viewing, use WordPad and wrap to window,
which is how I wrote this. If you're using a Mac or other systems, then sorry
(I hate Bill Gates too) but I've not much experience with other text viewers.)
******
Contents :
1. Game Explanations
a) Fighting System
b) Chapters and Periods
c) Controlling Valkyrie
d) Other Stuff
2. Tips and Hints
a) Endings
3. Notes on Norse Mythology
4. Walkthrough
5. Character Section (includes moves, quote translations and evaluations)
6. Item, Spell, Skill and all and sundry Charts\Lists
7. Credits
******
1. Game Explanations
Here is where, I well, explain the game to all you non-Japanese speaking
gamers out there. Actually, even if you know Japanese you'd do well to read
this stuff since it's chock-full of hints, strategies and Vitamins A and B.
Anyway, just scroll down already.
---
Fighting, Combos, Finishers and generally doing in the Enemy.
Yes, there is ANOTHER FAQ dealing with this but I'll give it a shot anyway -
after all, I spent about half an hour reading up on the fairy's explanation
of battle, so...
Let's get one thing straight about combat in Valkyrie Profile first - COMBOS
ARE THE KEY. To virtually everything - that's why they're in caps, folks.
Exactly why they're so important will become evident as I continue the
explanations, but do keep this in mind; it'll help.
You begin fighting by...attacking the enemies! Okay, that was a no-brainer.
Actually, attacking in sequence is more like it. Each character can attack
a set number of times (only once at the beginning of the game) and the button
displayed at the top of the screen corresponds to each fighter. The sequence in
which you press them determines the order of attack. (note that you can press
buttons simultaneously) Later on, as you gain more attacks, you can stagger
this sequence any way you wish.
Sounds simple? Far from it. Just like in fighting games, timing is REALLY
important here. And when you throw in Combo Guard and Guard Crushes...well,
I'm getting ahead of myself. Timing first.
All characters and attacks move at different speeds; Rofar with a spear and
Valkyrie with a sword are in no way the same. So, you've got to coordinate
your fighters well to succeed in battle. You'll have to experiment to gain a
better feel of the system, but most attacks work pretty much the way you'd
expect them to - for instance, bows take time to string but arrows move fast,
sword strikes are quick while spears need to be aimed.
Got that, then? Now to talk about combos. Why combo? Here are plenty of
reasons :
1. You get the stones, man, the stones. These come in two types - Magical
and Violet Flame. When enemies are hit while in the air, Magical Stones are
produced, while on the ground you get Violet Flame ones.
What's so good about these rocks, you ask? Magical ones net you a 5% experience
point bonus per stone, and each Violet Flame one restores a CT point (more on
that later) essential for both Finishers and spells.
2. Like in fighting games, once the first hit connects, so does the rest of
it, which makes fighting bosses a whole lot easier. (Watch for time delay,
though - different enemies have varying periods of hit-stun after which they
can recover.)
3. You need to score consecutive hits in order to drive the green Hit gauge
up high enough for you to enact Finishers, which do mucho damage to the
enemy.
Comboing itself is quite a difficult proposition, though, because you've got
to watch out for Combo Guards. This is when a wall, magical barrier or some
sort of defense appears in the front of your target, shielding it from your
assault. It's basically blocking but for combos instead - as you might
expect, strong foes do this more often. I'm still researching this, but there
are ways around a Guard :
1) Guard Crush it. More on this below.
2) Fake out your opponent. By this, I mean leading with a low slash and then
striking with a higher one immediately after; at least, that's one example.
I haven't been able to find many concrete examples of this but it should
work more often than not.
3) Use magic. It's very difficult to block and since only the first hit counts
in a combo, all the better. It also has the added advantage of knocking down
quite frequently.
4) Hit either fast or hard. I've found that if you slip in really quickly your
enemy has no chance to block your shot; conversely, you can also hit with such
force that blocking is useless. This *seems* to work...more research needed.
5) Use Wait Reaction. Yes, that little flying bird or bat all magic users have
actually cannot miss and cannot be blocked either - nevermind that it does
pitiful damage, it's excellent for beginning combos.
You can also Guard Crush, which involves hitting with so many strikes at a
single time that your target's guard is well....crushed. (Hopefully, so is
he\she.) The number of strikes seems to be more of a determinant than their
relative power or speed in Crushing, so take note. Guard Crushing also has one
BIG advantage over all the other methods listed above - a Guard Crushed foe is
instantly put into dizzy status for the next round.
The most important thing to remember in Combos is that the first hit counts.
Once that hits you can continue with the rest of the sequence without fear
of reprisal. (At least until enemies get the advanced skills...but then by
that time you should have too.)
Just like in fighting games, talking about combos and executing them are two
whole different things - the section below address the latter. It is also
under HEAVY research (even more than most of the material above) so I'd
gladly appreciate any help or assistance.
Alright, here we go. (If you're just reading for an overview of the combat
system I suggest you skip this for the time being - it can get technical at
times.)
For better combos, try to link together your attacks so that they all hit at
more or less the same time; no more than a second of lag. This requires some
fancy fingerwork at times since you've got to be pretty precise with the
button presses...
Some things which I've noticed that could be of help are :
a) If possible, start your magic-users up first and then follow with your
fighters, both of them acting in concert. By this, I mean having 2 mages and
then 2 fighters attacking, not one at a time.
But on a quick note, it's not always a good idea to start with the mage; as
noted, if there is too long a lag between the character's attack and the end of
the combo, he or she won't be able to rack up the hits with Finishers. Later
on, if you want all or most of the hits from the fighter characters to connect
properly, it must be noted that most spells lack the duration to allow the mage
to throw a Finisher at the end of it all if the spell is the first attack to
hit.
b) Know the relative speeds and properties of your attacks. For example,
Aluze will pause slightly before swinging, Belinas has a triple-hit (but
slow) rush forwards that can hit in the air etc. It can be very tedious indeed
mastering this field of knowledge, but it's invaluable if you're serious about
comboing. Use the move details I've provided in the Character Section to assist
you.
c) Get Splash. This skill allows you to emulate the glow of energy around
fighting-game characters fists and feet (and in fact, looks a lot like the
mirror-images all weapons in Soul Calibur have) adding lots of potential
hits, especially to attacks which are mulit-hitting to begin with. Throw is
also very useful, but I generally only give one character that skill since
too much will cause extended periods of air time which can throw (no pun
intended) your combos off.
d) Arrows don't combo very well - actually, they do, but tend to add very
little Energy to your Hit gauge. Something to consider.
Now that we've dealt with combo tactics, let's move on to combo patterns.
Here are some I consider quite useful :
1. The Steamroller. The theory behind this is simple enough - hit hard and
fast enough to push the enemy back to the end of the screen and unload heavy
multi-hitting attacks there. For this one, you've got to have one juggling
attack and enough power to knock back the enemy; and of course the
aforementioned multi-hitting strikes.
2. Precision. For this one, you get a character who has really powerful
multi-hitters (Lucio and Bram come to mind) give them accessories which cause
more items to appear when hitting the enemy, and set up the blows with your
other characters. Requires some thought as to whom and what you're going to
use, though.
3. Air Time. Another simple approach. Get lots of people with upwards-hitting
attacks and Throw (maybe one archer for sniping) and then hit, wait, hit, wait
and hit again. Good for netting Magical Stones for experience, but watch your
timing.
4. Masher. The reverse of the above; a straightforwards rush with plenty of
ground-pounding attacks. You might want an air attack or two to ensure that
your target is in full stun animation before launching the brunt of your
assault, though. Great for recovering CT, but watch that your hits don't push
the enemy out of range.
Lastly, we've got Finishers. See the green Hit gauge that appears whenever
you strike an enemy? If that fills to 100 or above during an attack, you get
the chance to rip out a Finisher, an attack that does simply massive damage.
Of course, the only way you're going to get that gauge is by scoring lots of
hits, which is why you need to combo (see above)
Let's assume for the sake of argument that you've gotten the 100 points (since
the methods of obtaining them is another topic altogether) A screen (with some
riduculously bad English) will appear displaying what Finishers are available -
the ones that aren't will be greyed out. You won't have time to read it 'cause
the timer's ticking, though. Press the respective button\s to execute your
Finisher and marvel at the eye candy.
But wait! You can actually continue mercilessly hammering at your opponent
if the Finisher pushes the gauge up to a 100 again! Because of this,
multi-hit Finishers tend to be more useful. There's also a very strong second
factor in their favor - at above 50 Hits, Finishers will start doing double
damage. It's even possible to chain 4 Finishers together for truly massive
damage...since there's a lot more to be said on this topic, see the Tips and
Hints section for more info. Also note that unless a character has
participated in the actual attack, he\she will not get a chance to execute a
Finisher at all.
Final notes : Character weapons and power levels DO influence the effects of
a Finisher, and magic-users get lots of different ones since each spell they
have has a Finisher version.
(looks up) Done? No, we're far from done. Still got CT and magic to go. Hang
in there. And stop groaning.
CT first. There are the little red blinking dots that appear below each
character's life total (DME). You don't like them, because having CT means
no executing Finishers (for fighters) or using any magic at all. (for mages)
But how do you get it in the first place? Either by using Finishers or
casting spells (see the relation here?) Having CT is a lot worse for mages
than for fighters, though, since the former can't do anything whereas the
latter can still attack. (Just no Finishers.)
By obtaining Violet Flame Stones (see why I told you combos were important?)
you can decrease your CT gauge, but each Stone will only net you a point of
recovery and you can't control who gets the Stone\s; the computer does. Also,
you automatically lose one CT point at the end of each turn, but that's a slow
process. To speed this, either get Fairy items, which decrease the amount of CT
needed to perform moves (with a Fairy Earring equipped, Amy and Jun can uses
nigh-unlimited Dragon Dreads and Senkoujins respectively)
or use a Charge Break potion, which decreases DME to get rid of all CT - very
worthwhile later on, especially for magic users.
Whew, I think that's it.
---
Chapters, Periods and Ascendance :
Valkyrie Profile uses a somewhat strange system here. Unlike other RPGs, you
can't run around gaining experience indefinitely. ^_^ You see, each chapter
is divided into a set number of Periods, which are used up as you enter
towns, dungeons or complete events. There's no real great rush for time, but
you need to maximize your effectiveness more than in other RPGs.
Especially since you've got to get some heroes ready for Odin. Each chapter,
Frei will give you a list of what she needs in a hero. You can, of course,
send up characters who don't meet these requirements; you'll simply get less
of a reward each time round. You see, depending on the number of quality of
souls sent up, you'll receive varying amounts of Materialize Points and even
Artifacts. You'll also influence the ongoing war in the Higher Realms to
some degree, although I have yet to discover what effect this has on the
game yet.
You've also probably figured out that since you can't gain Materialize Points
normally (the only other way is by getting treasure chests from enemies and
selling back their items - see why comboing is important?) this is quite an
important phase of the game. While we're on that note, it's also important not
to waste all your MP during a Chapter since getting some before the Sacred
Phase is quite tough.
There's also the Seal Rating. This is viewable only through the Status screen
and measures how much Valkyrie is under Odin's control - the lower the better.
An understanding of this is vital to getting the good ending...
---
Other Stuff :
1. Artifacts are special items for which two choices apply - send them back
up to Odin and gain a point of Worth or keep them and lose 5. Decisions,
decisions...Well, my advice is to keep them good stuff and send the crap
back up to the big guy up there, especially since the point values stay the
same exactly the same no matter what the Artifact is question is. Depending
on your preference, it might actually be an idea to keep a lot more than you
send back since having character Ascend will also improve your Worth - be
careful not to let it get too low, though, or it'll affect your ending.
2. Weapons can and do break often. Be sure to save when using the really
powerful ones, and note that Element Scepters, which allow use of Super
Magics, tend to break often. A strategy I use is to equip my characters with
completely unbreakable weapons when levelling-up or travelling normally and
only use the good ones on bosses. Works for me.
3. There is a Practice option in the menu screen which is very like Training
Modes in console fighters - you get a monster to beat up, it can't damage
you and has unlimited life. Basically it's for combo practice and quote
getting.
4. I guess I should explain the Human Charisteristics section for each human
character, right? Well, they're basically good and bad points about each
character which reflect their Heroic Capability (and personality, for that
matter) such as Loudmouth, Resolute, Filial, Hates Men, etc. My advice - just
level all of them up 'cause there's no great difference between one and the
other. 'Sides, the higher a score you have the more rewards you'll receive when
the character finally makes his\her way up to Valhalla.
5. All spells have an Ultimate version which can be accessed by equipped the
chosen mage with either an Element\Ether Scepter or a Sacred Staff : Unicorn's
Horn and being able to use a Finisher. (i.e, 100 Energy on the Hit gauge) These
typically hit all foes and do massive damage, but add a whole lot to your CT
bar. They're generally worth the sacrifice, though, since they usually wipe out
the entire enemy force at one go.
6. If Valkyrie dies in battle, so will the rest of your characters if she is
not revived within 3 rounds. She is also the only character to auto-recover
from death - after battle, if she was killed, she'll be back with one HP.
---
Controlling Valkyrie :
1. Make controlling Valkyrie a fine art. This is a very action-game based RPG
(in fact, the Easy setting's description is "for those who find action games
difficult, pick this") and good control of your main character will be
essential to obtaining a lot of chests\items later on. By no means necessary
but it'll make your game a lot easier.
Warning - the below will get very technical at times. I'm an old-school
platform gamer, so expect some tendencies to show. ^_^
a) It is possible to dash off ladders and catch them in mid-air as well, but
you must have superb timing. For both, make sure to press only the desired
direction (Left or Right for the former and Down for the latter) with NO
other buttons interfering. And no, you may NOT hold the button down. A quick
press does the trick - nothing else.
b) The magical energy fired when the Square button is pressed does nothing
unless it connects with a surface of some kind.
When an already-formed Crystal is hit with another blast, a slightly larger
one is made; the increased size is very useful in the right circumstances.
Also, when hit a third time, the crystal will then break, catapulating Valkyrie
back a horizontal distance farther than her dash - again, effective if you know
where and how to activate this. Note that this only works for the crystals
formed with the Down button.
However, the ones detonated on a wall will form a platform of sparkling blue
energy (a bit hard to see) which will slowly float down. Yet another way for
our heroine to get around. And furthermore, the crystals can also prop
objects up as well as be picked up and thrown! (Only the broken shards can
be thrown, though - complete ones are too heavy.)
Slashing already formed crystals creates crystal shards, and so does jumping
or staying too long on ones formed on walls. You then can pick up the shards
and throw\drop them wherever you wish; handy for that extra bit of height at
times.
You can also freeze enemies to use as stepping stones, and even push them
when they're frozen, but no slashing allowed. Furthermore, you can't freeze big
monsters, such as the Dragon Zombie and Manticore.
Last note - you can only have three full crystals at any given time. Creating a
fourth will result in the first shrinking into nothing.
c) Valkyrie has VERY little control in the air. She can't turn well and has
is not able to adjust her direction much at all. Keep in mind when jumping
from\to high heights and tricky positions.
d) For pin-point dashes, turn the Auto-Dash on since EVERY movement will be
at dash speed, allowing you much finer control.
e) Now, on to jumping. Valkyrie has two jumps, one dashing and one
stationary. The former covers a lot more distance but is harder to control,
and you'll be using the latter mainly for precision leaps. Learn the
differences and exploit them. Just like in action games, holding Down and
pressing jump will make Valkyrie drop down one level.
f) Pushing and pulling is achieved with the sword slash button and something
to push and\or pull. The rest should be simple. (I'm only mentioning this
here since most action games don't allow you to pull.)
g) Slashes slow Valkyrie for a split second - it's not very noticeable nor
important, but there you are. They also make her pause in the air a bit.
She can also slash upwards while on the ground, and downwards while in the
air.
i) After a long fall, Valkyrie takes a split second to recover.
Thus ends the basic game info. And there was much rejoicing.
******
Tips and Hints :
1. MAKE SURE you hit enemies with a sword slash instead of running into them.
If not, they get either a free round OR you start the battle with each
character having one CT point, both Very Bad Things, especially later on when
monsters can wreak havoc on your party. (Not that they couldn't
before - it just makes things easier for them.)
2. You can't slash or use crystals on ladders. Be warned. You can, however, if
dextrous enough, jump off the ladder, slash and then get back on, but this
requires lightning reflexes.
3. You will not be able to get the best ending (A) if you play on Easy or
Normal. Hard Mode, while much harder (like duh!) does net you extra scenes,
story info and characters.
4. Boxes break if dropped from a height or if thrown. This should be obvious
enough, but I thought it worth a cursory mention at least. And yes - the items
inside do break if you drop them, so don't.
5. Watch the terrain around you carefully, 'cause you might miss things.
Also, pay attention to the flashing arrows that help you move around - they're
easy to ignore if you're rushing around too fast. That's the problem with rich,
textured, backgrounds - hard to see stuff. (As long as it's not like FF8's
Where the Hell is the Exit syndrome I'm not complaining, though.)
6. It's generally not worth spending time Resting while on the World Map
unless you have serious status ailment or Dead characters who need assistance
because you will use up Periods doing so. Simply get into a fight and use
healing magic while in there. Feel free to rest if you need to waste time,
though, especially at the end of a Chapter, since you don't get yourself cured
by Frei. (Though I'd much rather use the time to gain a few levels myself.)
7. Get AWAY from trapped chests before they explode, unless you like taking
unecessary damage. However, in tight spaces it might be better to take the
hit rather than jump away and not be able to return. Keep in mind that the
explosion does throw you back a bit, which can be tricky on ledges.
More on traps, though, which come in four not-so tasty varieties :
a) Gases are released quickly and can only be avoided by ducking.
b) Explosions give you plenty of time to jump away or otherwise dodge them,
so no problems here.
c) Arrows are damn fast and you need to jump over them.
d) And the unavoidable trap - the Monster in the Box. Nothing you can do about
this, and they start with a free turn too. Oh well.
8. You recover fully after a level-up. Small details like this have saved
many an ass.
9. You CAN buy items in a dungeon; find a Save Point, stand on it and
access the menu.
10. Angel Curios, despite having a 30% Breakage Rate, seem to be extremely
resilient for some reason. They also auto-ressurect a dead character in
battle. Do the math. Conversely, some powerful weapons which have low
Breakage Rates shatter the very first fight you use them, so save often...
11. When you obtain the Blue-Grey Scarf, watch your levelling-up very
carefully since it gives a whopping 100 CP to whomever it is equipped on
upon level-up. I suggest you use your Event Experience to manually level-up
your characters slowly, (switching the Scarf as needed) as they near their
required experience for the next level. The Life Bracelet, which adds 300
DME, is also a worthwhile item.
12. As promised, here are more Finisher strategies :
There are four things to consider when using Finishers - damage inflicted,
Hit gauge energy added, number of hits and CT cost. The first and last should
be simple enough to understand, but the other two need a little elaboration.
You see, each successive Finisher executed will begin at a lower Hit gauge
rate than the previous one; i.e, the first Finisher will always hit, but the
second one starts at about 60-80 Hit energy, then next at 40-50 and so on.
(I don't have exact numbers just yet.) Therefore, you need to consider how
much Hit gauge energy each Finisher will add to the bar if you want to link
all four. I divide Finishers into roughly three types in this respect -
Short (Void Extreme, adds 30), Medium (Eternal Raid, adds 56) and Long.
(Finality Blast, adds a friggin' 80 points. You can basically chain anything
after this) Quick mention - Ultimate Magic adds a LOT. A sample Finisher
sequence might go as follows :
Begin with Void Extreme, which will hit. You're down to about 60 Energy.
Follow with a magic-based Finisher, say Shadow Servant, which adds about 42.
Now at 40-50 - use Finality Blast, which allows you to end with your final
attack regardless of what it is.
Now, that wasn't too hard, was it? The number of hits each Finisher scores
becomes important when you realize that Finisher damage doubles after 50
Hits. Put all the above info together and you should be well on your way to
trashing your enemies.
13. This is not really a tip (more like a tidbit) but you can press the L1
button to have all the text already read displayed on the screen again. Of
course, this is useless unless you can read Japanese.
14. All characters in the game have a special item they can obtain, usually
by going back to the same spot you recruited them from. These range from the
near-useless (Rourry's War Goddess Pendant, for instance) to the powerful.
(Aluze's Dragon Slayer) I'm including a list of the ones I've been able to
find in the complete Character Section.
15. A good levelling-up strategy early is to get a bunch of multi-hitters
character and one mage (for healing) to go fight a Dragon Zombie. Then, just
beat up on it and try to accumulate as many Magical Stones as possible,
healing when need be. When you're done, simply use a Holy Crystal and\or Dragon
Slayer and kill it. This works very well if you can get super multi-hitters
like Shining Bolt, or even if you can't, lesser attacks like Spinning Edge and
Triple Blast. The max amount of Magical Stones you can get per battle is about
40 (i.e, 4 large crystals or 200% more experience) though, so don't push it.
Another strategy that works later in the game is finding some big bad guy with
tons of experience (like a Dullahan Lord) equipping unbreakable low-level
weapons which all hit three times (for maximum combo opportunities) and then
using a mage to heal. When you're done, spend a round equipping your normal
weapons and kill the bugger.
16. Avoid using multiple enemy attacking magics or high CT ones as your base
magic in battle, because the game will use the full cost of the spell and
only give you two hits (or so) on one enemy.
17. Unless you haven't already figured this out, you can change the order in
which characters use their attacks via the Tokugi (Special Skill) option in the
menu screen. Simply press the Circle button. Choosing which attack becomes your
counterattacking move can also be done.
18. Just like in fighting games (I'm going to have to cut it with the
comparisons soon...) once a dizzy enemy is hit with ANY attack, it won't be any
more. Frozen enemies also tend to take less damage (due to the ice covering, I
suppose - nice touch) and stoned ones even less.
19. Teleporting monsters can still be hit when they form their warp space
around them. Just step up and whack. The downside is, those monsters also tend
to teleport *into* you, and that counts as a surprise attack, so be careful and
use the Timer Ring to make things easier.
20. After using an Eye of Heaven (you only need one; do whatever you want with
the spares) you can then press L2 in any dungeon to look at the map. Holding
Square and a directional button then lets you rotate it.
21. Be very careful about countering - sometimes, enemies will use longer, more
complex strings of attacks where countering will result in you taking more
damage instead of dealing it as you rush right into a second hit. Exercise some
caution and have a judicious eye.
22. Not that you'll be doing this very often, but if you absolutely HAVE to get
past\to a certain area and a powerful, non-freezable enemy is blocking you, you
do have a solution - running. Enter battle and right after - you'll be back on
the main screen and - tada - no enemy. Useful when you've lost your Dragon
Slayer and can't get past those nasty Dragon Zombies...
23. It's generally better to use spells which affect your own charisteristics
(Might and Guard Reinforce, for instance) than your enemies', because those are
dependent on your own power (which can only go up) than on your enemy's ability
to resist (which can vary, sometimes not in your favor) Of course, there are
exceptions, but it's a good rule of thumb to remember.
Now for some highly useful information compiled by Wilfred How - very
worthwhile reading if you're shooting for the good ending :
---
Modifiers for Estimated Worth:
Send artifact: +1
Keep artifact: -5
Send no one : -20 to -25 (unsure)
Enter Sacred Phase without Nibelungen Ring on: -2 (not sure if applies
beyond the first time)
Satisfy all/most conditions : +30 to +40 (unsure)
Modifiers for Sealed Value:
Recruit character: -2
Meet Bram (and don't fight him): -10 (I think)
Send up character: +12 (this applies even to Lucio)
Recruit Meltina: -15 (!!)
Recruit Lucio: -20 (!!)
Meet Lucio/Claire: -10 (?.. I really forgot this one..)
Enter Sacred Phase without Nibelungen Ring on: -2
Enter Suzuran Meadow: ??
Meet Bram and fight him: ??
Recruit Liseria: ??
(might be others)
The items you get from Odin are not dependent upon who you send up that
chapter, but how all the people you've sent up are helping the war. i.e.,
after sending up about 3 people, you can rest back on your laurels and still
enjoy reasonable rewards for a chapter or two. The Materialize Points,
however, *do* seem to be dependent upon who you send up that chapter.
The Golden Chicken is like some kind of weird investment. The Golden Eggs it
produces can (a) be used for a possible random stat increase, (b) be
exchanged for 4000MP and (c) be transformed into Life Bracelets, which you
can actually send up to Odin for a +1 in Estimated Worth.
The Dryad Bark artifact can be turned into a Dimension Slip with the
Transfomation Jewel. Fun. ^_^
In Hard mode, training in the Abandoned City Dyban becomes veeerrry
profitable. Simply because a lot of the harpy enemies have been replaced
with Evil Eyes that drop Orichalcum (*not* Orihalcon) and Headless Dolls,
and most importantly give about 18000 exp. each. With either Lucio or
Badrac, you should be able to reap enough Magical Stones before they die off...
and if you meet two at once, it's even easier, because they also have the Sosei
ability. ^_^
******
Endings :
(there are spoilers here, most obviously, so DON'T read if you want to find all
this out for yourself)
There are three endings to this game, nicely titled A, B and C. A is the one
you're shooting for, but requires that you satisfy a whole list of conditions.
(detailed below) B simply is the "normal" ending, attainable easily, and C only
comes about if you have less than 30 Estimated Worth at the end of the game and
no chance at ending A.
If you want that, though, here's the list :
- Take off Nibelungun Ring.
- Go back to Suzuran field in Chapter 3.
- Go to Jerabelune in Chapter 4 to see the Lucio event.
- Visit Bram's Castle but do NOT fight him. (same chapter)
- Fight Rezard Valis.
- Recruit Meltina.
- Send Lucio up before the end of Chapter 5.
- Revisit Suzuran field in Chapter 7.
*finally, you must have a Seal Rating of less than 30!*
******
Notes about Norse Mythology :
If you've haven't already noticed (impossible since it's staring you straight
in the face) Valkyrie Profile is based on Norse mythology. A lot of it.
However, since not all the references are immediately obvious, I'll provide
some explanations and definitions.
Nothing here a direct bearing on gameplay; it's just to enhance your enjoyment
of the game. Also, there will be SPOILERS here, so watch out!
In case you didn't hear me the first time :
***SPOILER ALERT***
***SPOILER ALERT***
***SPOILER ALERT***
With that done...
Let's start with the Valkyries. The game's intrepretation is not too far from
the truth; in reality, Odin did send the Valkyries down to Midgard in order to
collect souls, but they only brought brave warrior souls deserving of place in
Valhalla back, not just anyone.
Odin was indeed the Creator God, but he also had only one eye from throwing the
other one into the Well of Ymir to gain the All-Knowledge. He was also most
assuredly not a half-elf, but did wield the Holy Spear Gungnir. Furthermore, he
had a much grimmer aspect about him and certainly didn't lounge about
indolently on a throne like he does in the game. Also, his wife was Frigga, and
NOT Frey.
Frey was supposed to have been the MALE, much lesser powerful god of the elves,
and Sif Thor's wife. (not only that, Freya wasn't the younger sister of Frey in
any case and was actually OLDER than Frey, I think) Freya apparently also slept
with Dwarves to acquire the necklace Brishingi which Frey owns in the game.
The gods's race was that of the Aegis, not Arks, and their enemies the giants
of Jotunheim. (Got that last part right, but I don't know where the Van name
came from.)
Surtur did indeed oppose Odin and wield the element of fire, and there's an
item in the game related to Ymir, Lord of the Frost Giants. Loki has more or
less the same story
(rest of section pending further play)
******
Here we begin the actual walkthrough; but before that, some notes :
1. So sue me, I like the game so much I actually broke my word and started
doing full-scale maps. Sigh. If only Square made stuff like this, I'd play
their games again. ^_^ Keep in mind that like the actual walkthrough, these are
very sketchy since it took me a while to figure out a suitable mapping scheme
and I only started half-way through the game. Will be improved in the next few
updates.
Here's my mapping key. (This is long, but you'll have to read it to understand
the maps; sorry, but that's the way things work around here, matey.)
/ = Screen break; door to next screen, any screen shift.
| = Routes leading from one area to another.
|
|
[] = Solid walls, the kind you can't pass through.
1. 2. 3. etc = Room numbers, the details of which will be below the
corresponding maps.
(Area A, B etc) = New areas. Because of space requirements, I'll by making use
of these a lot. Hopefully the maps will still be navigatable.
SP = Save Point. For when you desperately need to save and can't be bothered
reading through the room descriptions.
* = Enemies present. For easy levelling-up, you can just run through the
dungeon and bash enemies. I'm not including chests since I assume the first
time you're going through the dungeon, you'll want to get everything and
therefore will be reading the room details I slaved for hours to create.
Now, an important note - the maps do NOT reflect the actual size and shape of
the rooms. I'm sure you can see why; I'd have to be an ASCII wizard with
absolutely no semblance of a social life to come up with those. So you're going
to be dealing with a lot of "imaginary space", or in simple terms :
|
|
/ / ]
and
|
|
/ / ]
being entirely the same. Because I need space to write stuff, like so :
Teleport A
|
/ SP, * / ]
and in this case I need to space it out, so I can't condense it all into a neat
little box. Also, you'll have :
(to Area A)
|
/ SP /
where Area A is another whole mess of maps which would otherwise spill over and
interfere with the map already being displayed. I'm sure you can see the
difficulties involved...
Capisce? Nevermind, it'll all become clear in practice.
2. Since it'd take too much time to do full-script translations, I'm sticking
to the format that worked so well for me while I was translating Xenogears - a
basic narrative style but with added details. I'll also provide the general
speech patterns for all the characters in the Character Section found after the
walkthrough so you can get a better grasp of their personality.
Prologue
After the credits roll, we see a young girl fetching water at the stream,
anxious not to get back late. As she makes her way back to the village, she
bumps into some men and flustered, asks them whether their clothes have been
splattered by the water. They ignore her and her mother comes up and slaps
her, saying not to offend "the guests" and ordering her back into their
cottage to tidy up.
Platina (the girl) receives a surprise visit in the night from her beloved,
Lucio (well, they're definitely close, but I'm not sure whether they're
attached per se) who tells her to quickly run away. Platina is surprised at
this and doesn't know what to do until the arrival of her mother forces her
into a premature decision - she follows Lucio out the window.
(Some background information first. The village from which Platina hails
doesn't like female children as they present a hassle due to their dowry
payments, whereas male children are able to work. Platina is also not her
"mother's" real daughter, but found and adopted, which explains how is she
treated. Now, on with the story.)
Justifiably distressed at being dragged out of bed at an ungodly hour of the
night, Platina questions Lucio, who appears very agitated indeed. After some
confusion, the truth is revealed - Platina is about to be sold off to the
black-suited men who were at her house earlier. When asked how he knows this.
Lucio replies that the very same men came to his house before...and next day,
his younger sister was gone. So he's escaped with Platina. Once that has been
cleared up, Platina hugs Lucio, telling him no matter how far they go, she's
happy as long as she's with him. (Awww...)
The two journey for some time, with Platina wondering what will happen to
them. Finally, they reach a field of flowers, which Platina promptly runs
into, saying how pretty they are. The joy is cut short-lived when Lucio
discovers that the entire field is full of Suzuran blossoms, whose poison will
kill them in short order if they don't get away. However, Platina shocks him
(and me, for that matter) by expressing a desire to stay. "If I sleep here,
will I die peacefully?" Not exactly the most romantic of dialogues, but she has
her reasons - she's tired of all the suffering she's endured, trying to be nice
to parents who hated her. Though the times spent with Lucio were happy ones,
she has had enough and wants to rest in peace with him here, sharing this
moment forever.
Despite Lucio's efforts, the poison and her unwillingness to resist have
gotten to Platina and she collapses. Lucio then slumps forwards, giving out
an auguished cry that echoes through the night...
Walkthrough
Now the game begins proper. You're not going to be able to save for QUITE some
time, so make sure you have no pressing appointments, kettles on the boil or
angry Archdemons at your door before beginning.
The camera opens on something who looks like Valkyrie in church a in wedding
dress -- CG, fades to her against blank screen, then wedding dress fades and
background fades back into Valkyrie standing amidst a field of flowers
reminiscent of those in the Prologue. "How nostalgic..." The female warrior
then walks to a castle (Valhalla, actually) where she is greeted by none other
than Freya, younger sister of the goddess Frei - somehow, I'd expected her to
be a little less...bouncy for a goddess. ^_^ Valkyrie remarks that Freya still
seems to address everyone like they were guests, upon which Freya jumps into
her arms and gives her a heartfelt hug saying how great it is to see Renas
again... Renas then mentions that she should enter.
Upon entering the the castle, Valkyrie finds herself in the presence of Odin
and Frei - after exchanging polite greetings with the latter, the two women
embrace, saying how long it's been since they've seen each other. Their
reunion is cut short by more pressing matters, though - Odin appoints Valkyrie,
as the one of the three Goddesses that control fate with the highest divine
potential, to descend to the Lower Realm, Midgard to gather strong souls to
aid with Ragnarok. The Divine Race of Van has also begun to move against them,
which complicates matters.
Using his godly might, Odin will then bestow upon Valkyrie (her full name is
Renas Valkuria, actually) a new costume. (Being a god must have it's perks.)
Frei tells her she's going as well, so they're off; to a rocky cliff
somewhere, to be precise.
After some conversation, Frei tells Valkyrie to use her powers of sensing.
She does so (Valkyrie has a unique ability to feel the desires, pain and
anger of the dead and dying) and after a short movie, heads off, but not
after mentioning the need to understand the 'heart' of the people that are to
be recruited, leading to a musing about the need for a heart.
Scene shift to a bunch of soldiers fighting a Lesser Harpy, (one of them
mentions that it's strong; not that it seems such when you're fighting it) but
not for the Guy with the Big Sword (a mandatory character in RPGs since Cloud)
who gets rid of it in a hurry along with another soldier named Rofar. The Harpy
should pose no problem at all, even if you're not used to the battle system
yet.
The man (whose name is now revealed as Aluze) now returns home and has a
chat with his younger brother, Roy, whose paintings he says are worthless
since they can't even be sold for money. Roy defends himself by saying that
this is what he does since his leg is busted and hesitantly counters by
telling Aluze not to fight or kill anymore, which the latter says is
impossible since they won't have any money for food. A brief flashback about
food (for the two) occurs and Aluze goes off to bed. Roy mentions that he
paints because having no freedom of movement, he seeks other kinds of things.
Immediately after the flashback, Roy apologises for questioning his elder
brother but Aluze shrugs it off and proceeds to place the money he's earned and
a Gold Statue on the table. Upon being asked what the significance of the
statue is, Aluze laughs and remarks sardonically that it's supposed to bring
good fortune - he got it "a big-shot" for killing a bunch of strong people.
A clinking sound is heard...which turns out to be of a royal scepter falling to
the ground. The scepter belongs to the princess Jerad who has having a royal
(pardon the pun) argument with her prime minister, Ronbert over her temperament
and duties. It ends with Jerad shouting for silence and going off to see the
troops, having decided that her minister is a pompous ass. (More or less.) It
ends with Jerad flinging scepter again...sigh...
A flashback of an earlier scene follows. After some military propanganda, the
King calls their strongest warrior (Aluze, of course - you've got to be strong
to carry that sword around) to receive his due rewards; the money and statue.
Aluze, after making a brief speech, suddenly has an attack of philosophical
blues (hmm, must be the sword - he's contracted Cloud Syndrome!) and smashes
the statue, denouncing the king as faking him and being generally pathetic.
Despite the fact that his words are probably true, the princess screams at him
that he will die ten thousand times for insulting her father and sics the other
mercenaries on him...well, she would have if they'd dared to attack, that is.
Aluze then saunters out.
Back in her room, Jerad is wondering how she can humble Aluze and avenge her
father's honor when she comes up with...a plan! Sheesh, someone tell her
that princesses NEVER come up with good plans...anyway, you're now back with
Aluze, so bring him to the door where he will have a short talk with
"Shera", no, "Sara", no, "Angela" who offers him a job. When she leaves, Roy
asks him whether he's really going to take up the offer - Aluze considers
this.
The next day, the two meet at a foreign restaurant, where "Angela" proceeds
to order half the menu, much to Aluze's amazement. However, there is a
considerable disagreement about the food (mainly arising from Jerad's
inability to recognize foreign food as different) and after tellng the cook
that he will die ten thousand times, the princess passes out on the floor
from the wine.
(The funny bit is still where she tosses back the wine without knowing it's
wine -- then she passes out immediately after she threatens with 'ten thousand
deaths'. Aluze then raises his head (where he's been hiding his face from
embarrassment all this time) and goes "Wha...that was sake...right before the
waitress asks him to settle the bill. ^_^)
Always the gentleman (NOT!) Aluze brings "Angela" back to his house, where
she promptly rolls over and her glasses slip off as he is talking with his
brother revealing her as the princess, which shocks Aluze a bit. Another short
chat with Roy follows, then Jerad starts talking in her sleep about how Aluze
will - you guessed it - die ten thousand times. The realization dawns upon
Aluze as he listens to her mumbling in her sleep, that Jerad is not really
doing this because she's out to get him; because what child would want to stand
and see a parent ridiculed? The princess then awakens and realizes that night
has fallen while she's been unconscious; she rushes off in a hurry, but not
before asking Aluze if it will be fine for her to tell him the details of the
job tomorrow, to which he replies in the affirmative.
Now we're in a bar. A man named Badrak is talking to an Agent about a job he's
been offered. After some haggling, Badrak decides to accept the additional
hassle of a partner in exchange for more money - after all, he reasons, it's
the cash that's important.
You now FINALLY get control of Aluze. But can you do anything? Can you even
save the game? Nooooooooo. Anyway, just exit the house, walk around a bit and
go right back in. Roy will tell Aluze there's someone come to talk about the
job, and Aluze tells him he took it. Badrak turns up soon after and after
somemore chatting they set off with their cargo.
Badrak, being a talkative guy, tries to make Aluze loosen up but to no avail.
One important thing comes out of his efforts, though - we learn that Badrak
only took the mission because of the money and the prime minister Ronbert's
urging. Aluze expresses some interest in this and they talk for a while unless
there conversation is interrupted by Altorian soldiers who inspect the cargo,
which prompts the two to run off, but not before Aluze recognizes the girl as
the princess.
As night falls, the two have a conversation in which Ronbelt is revealed as a
Vilnoiran spy and that he manipulated both Aluze and Badrak into doing his
dirty work for him - transporting the princess to Vilnorie so he could start a
war. Aluze is thinking about how he can do the traitor in when he seems to hear
Jerad asking him for help in his mind.
Things are not so simple when the next day begins with the sounds of battle -
Aluze rushes in to see two knights dead and a mysterious brown beast about.
Stooping down to catch the dying words of one of the knights, Aluze discovers
that Ronbert gave 'medicine' to the knights, to give to the princess.. only
that the 'medicine' is actually, as Badrak identifies, an infusion of Ghoul
Powder, a substance that turns humans into monsters; commonly used by
necromancers -- Ronbert's "plan B" for getting rid of the princess and making
sure he's not discovered. Badrak, ever the opportunist, declares that this is
Altoria's problem, not his, and flees.
So now it's Aluze versus the Brown-Skinned Beast! Round One...fig- showing
total disregard for audience participation, Valkyrie and Frei appear to
dispatch the two ghosts while Aluze can't believe his eyes at seeing a goddess.
He initially tells them not to kill the Ghoul, but Valkyrie, with a few simple
words, more or less tells him that there is no choice. Despite the winged
maiden telling them that he's too weak for such a monster, Aluze joins the fray
and kills the beast. (Easy battle. Just attack and that's it.)
You're now in your first dungeon. After Valkyrie says that she feels the
presence of the living dead here, you can (finally!) go save and proceed deeper
into the mountain when you feel like it. During your time here, Frei will
appear and give you instructions regarding different aspects of play, but since
I've already explained most of them in the previous parts of this walkthrough I
do not feel compelled to translate any one of them. ^_^
(A few of the Ghasts here are labeled as Gibbons and vice versa, because I, in
my overweening perispacity, didn't notice that both Ghast and Gibbons start
with the letter G! Doh.)
(to Area B; must have key) [ 2. (*) ]
| |
entrance / 1. (*) / (to Area A)
1. (Shadow, LV)
2. (Shadow, 2 LV) Bag - Eye of Heaven
(Area A)
[ 2. ]
|
[ 1. (*) ]
|
(to main)
1. (Shadow, Ghast)
2. Bag - Iron Ore. Once you have this, head back to the door in the main area
to proceed.
1. (Shadow, 2 Ghast) (Shadow, G) (Shadow, 2 G) Chest (Bomb) - Plant Seeds,
Chest - Immortal Writings
2. (Shadow, 3 LV) Chest - Plant Seeds, Chest (Bomb) - Plant Seeds, Chest -
Treasure Search. You can only enter the second half of the room once the pillar
has been broken in 3. below.
3. (Shadow, 3 G) Destroy the pillar here for 500 Event Exp.
4. (Shadow, 2 G) (Shadow, 3 G)
5. (Shadow, LV, 2 Gh) Chest (Bomb) - Element Scepter. Be careful not to fall
off the boat now, children.
6. (Shadow, 3 Gh)
7. (Shadow, 2 LV) Chest - Foxglove, Chest - Fire Lance. I suggest you use the
Fire Lance on Jerad immediately.
(Area C)
[ 1. (*) ]
|
(back to Area B)
1. (Shadow, LV) (Shadow, G, Gh) Chest - Belladonna, Chest - Cris Stone, Chest -
Savory, Chest (Bomb) - Angel Curio. (This is the green one.) You're going to
have to do some serious crystal jumping here for the chests...
Monsters :
Ghast (Leather Armor, Long Sword)
The only real thing to look out for here is the Treasure Search item, which is
found by climbing the wall (with crystals, obviously) of one of the rooms.
Alternatively, you can save yourself a lot of fingerwork by transmuting a Lapis
Crystal into one. Also find and use an Eye of Heaven to get an on-screen map.
Journey on until you find a Save Point and then move one more screen to the
right to face...
Your first boss. Of course, NOW is the time Frei decides that you have to prove
yourself and show your power etc etc etc...she does loan you a Reitel Pallasch
for the battle, though. Valkyrie tells the Elder Vampire that he has no
business messing with the souls of humans and proves it by trouncing him
roundly. Grab both Artifacts and leave the place.
(Do remember to strip Frei of all her equipment before she leaves - also, you
might want to blow all her CP on learning Identify so you can save on a few
Spectacles since she won't be back. Actually, you can't equip her stuff on
anyone else since it's all personalized equipment, but it's just the principle
of the thing.)
Frei then leaves to return to Odin after explaning the Chapter\Period system
and leaving behing a fairy who will give you more details about the combat
system. Now that Valkyrie's on her own, she has to begin her mission of finding
strong souls to send back to Valhalla. She does that by pressing the Start
button to use her Soul Sense - and it's off to
A man and his female companion are walking down a flower-lined street
There is a partially-hidden passageway that is easy to miss in this
installment of the Forgotten Caves. Above the cave section with the Mithril
Ore, you can climb the wall up to the right - form a large crystal at the
cliff edge and one on the wall itself and ascend. Be careful, though, since
the other side doesn't give you much space to jump and there's an enemy on
the ledge below.
You will find a chest behind a curtain. Now, after you open the chest, pick
it up and throw it away to reveal ANOTHER chest - timer's ticking, so be
fast. While we're on this topic, a lot of chests later on in the game tend
to be hidden behind each other, so keep your eyes peeled.
Mind that you must examine the body of the dead magician to obtain the tool
with which to close the water gate. If you don't, Valkyrie will just stand
around near the pentagram and look dumb.
1. (Knight, 2 RF) (Knight, RF, LB) Chest (MitB) - Predator Claw
2. Chest (MitB) - Reduce Power
3. Chest - Stun Magic
4. (Mage, 2 N) Chest (MitB) - Ranseur
5. (Blob, 2 LB, RF) (Blob LB Chest - Ether Scepter, Chest (MitB) - Reduce Guard
6. Chest - Dark
7. (Knight, 3 RF) Chest (MitB) - Belladonna (Note, room has multiple exits)
8. (Blob, LB) Chest (MitB) - Eye of Heaven, Chest (MitB) - Resist Magic
9. (Mage, 4 N) (Mage, 2 N)
10. Save Point
11. Chest - Stun Check
12. (Knight, 2 RF) The jump here is tricky. Form ice crystals at the bottom of
the left ledge and use the floating crystal trip to make it easier.
13. (Mage, 2 LB, N) (Mage, 2 RF, N) (Mage, 2 RF, N), Chest - Lapis Stone, Chest
- Resist Damage, Chest - Ether Scepter. (This room has two parts, the bottom
half is accessible through the door at the lower end of Room 14.)
14. (Knight, 2 RF, LB) Chest (MitB) - Plant Seeds, Chest (MitB) - Estoc, Chest
- Darkness Arrow
15. (Blob, 3 LB) (Knight, 2 RF, 2 N) Chest (MitB) - Reduce Power, Chest -
Savory, Chest (MitB) - Cris Stone. You'll need to defeat all the enemies in the
room to get it open again and earn 10000 Event Experience. Also, you can come
in here to fight as many times as you want, but you'll have to kill everything
again.
16. (Mage, 2 LB, N) X 2, Chest (MitB) - Reduce Guard, Chest (Gas) - Beast
Slayer.
Be careful of the many ladders and ledges in this place which make it
difficult to strike enemies with your sword. Re-read the section on
controlling Valkyrie if you're having trouble.
Rip Forager : Standard soldier type enemy. Easy enough. (Estoc, Footman's Axe.)
Lettuce - Bolt Sake : Irritating 'cause they like to retract their eye and
can't be hit while doing that, plus they're small and can avoid high
attacks. Magic and precision strikes will resolve both problems - their low
HP is their weak point. Watch out for their Equipment Break attack.
Necrophilia : Despite the somewhat...misleading name, these are just normal
mage enemies, a bit weaker because they cast Dark Saber and Icicle Edge instead
of more powerful attacking spells. Be sure to kill them fast because they CAN
do damage if given time, though, and then to concentrate their
attacks on a single target. (Cross Aerade, Lightning Bolt)
Now, head to Valnova and we'll meet up with our old friend Badrak, who, as he
says, has gotten himself into some serious trouble. Someone has evidently been
stalking him and thought our intrepid agent-for-hire knows this, he is too late
to prevent a dagger blow being dealt him.
We shift to an obvious flashback where a woman named Gina is scolding him for
always being asleep - do your work, she says. A sleepy Badrak asks her if she
knows what work he does and to let me go back to bed. Gina continues talking
until a pajama-clad Badrak (not a pretty sight, let me tell you) walks into the
street, saying that he didn't think the war would be like this. Gina then talks
about the flowers growing outside his house - Badrak isn't very interested
until she mentions that they're like cacti; blooming only during the night, and
that if you make a wish during then it will be fulfilled. Badrak
considered...then proclaims that he's wasting his time rearing such boring
flowers. (Obviously not the budding (to excuse the pun) horticulturalist, our
Badrak...) Gina angrily replies that they're not boring and that everyone is
wishing for the war to end - Badrak goes back to bed.
We then see Badrak walk into a bar, which after some conversation with the Man
Cowled in Black is revealed to be the Valnovan Thief's Guild. Badrak is told
that there's no work now and that he should come back tomorrow. Outside, Badrak
expresses his frustration at having no money by venting a few choice words.
We switch now back to a dying Badrak (you knew this was coming) who's mumbling
uncontrollably about how he's going to die. Moments before death, he calls for
someone to help him - the screen goes black and there is a replay of his words,
then he finds himself face to face with Valkyrie - and promptly decides to
dance a jig and he's going to be taken to Valhalla! Valkyrie coldly informs him
that no, he's not going to Valhalla, and after some confusion (and panic on
Badrak's part) that he's being sent to Hades since Odin has no need of one such
as him. Badrak is understandably a bit shaken by that announcement and offers
to show Valkyrie in his memories that he was a worthwhile guy after all.
Valkyrie says to go ahead - after all, SHE isn't the god of death.
Badrak starts off by telling her that he killed an old man - reason to go to
hell, according to Valkyrie. Badrak then says - no, no, you've got the wrong
idea - he was a spy! A kidnapper! A handler of stolen goods! Buyer and seller
of women! Valkyrie gets a little bored and prepares to leave, telling him not
to waste her time.
Image of the flower from before, accompanies by very nice CG of it blooming and
Gina's words. Badrak then says that he's got something, and proceeds to recount
events of 3 to 4 years ago, when he was working in Valnova, protecting someone
- [protecting slaver -- slaver boh lui, so he took the girl with him when he
left] a girl bought by a slaver. Basically, what he did was end up freeing the
girl at a church (telling her it was his house) to spite the slaver, whom he
found irritating. After a bit more conversation, Valkyrie agrees to take him.
After that, it's off to ANOTHER Forgotten Caves section. Boy, people here must
have bad memories...anyway,
[ 2. (*) / 1. (*) / - entrance
\
\
3. / 4. ]
1. (Skull, 2 MGF) (Shadow, 2 LD)
2. (Shadow, 2 LD, GM) (Shadow, 2 GM, LD) (Skull, 2 CF, B) X 2
3. (Orb, 2 MGF) (Shadow, 2 I, GM)
4. (Shadow, I, 2 GM)
Depending on whether or not you sent Lucio up during Chapter 5, there will be a
story scene. Should you send him up, you ask? Well, Lucio is one of the
strongest characters in the game (thanks to Shining Bolt and good overall
stats) but you'll only get the normal ending if you do so. Anyway, here is the
scene - it contains spoilers, so you might want to skip it first.
It begins with Valkyrie and Lucio (surprise) on a cliff - in fact, if you pay
attention, you'll realize it's the cliff Frei and Valkyrie were seen atop at
the beginning of the game. Valkyrie is telling our bright-eyed, brown-haired
boy that his heart is in chaos; if he ascends like this he will be courting
death. Lucio replies by asking her whether or not they can visit the village
again - upon further questioning, he reveals the story of him and Platina,
requesting that Valkyrie accompany him as he makes a trip back to his
birthplace. She acceeds and the scene shifts to Lucio walking about the
village, pointing out a few choice spots from his childhood memories until then
end up at Platina's house, where you discover Lucio blames himself for not
speaking out in protest against Platina's parents' cruel treatement of his
beloved childhood friend.
Continuing the tour, Lucio even brings Valkyrie to the forest they ran through
"like this, we ran" - he says, taking her hand and re-enacting events of time
past as he continues with his story. Finally, they're back where it all began -
the field of Suzuran blossoms, looking as beautiful but as deadly as ever.
Lucio once again blames himself for taking Platina here - if she hadn't, she
would be alive now. Suddenly, he asks Valkyrie to take off her helmet, a
request to which she complies - yes, it's true, whispers Lucio. "You look just
like her."
At Chapter 6, they're only two more Chapters to go! A note at this point to
players who like to level-up like crazy - it's not really worth it until you
get to the Dragon Halls or Jotunheim Castle, because the enemies hence won't be
that strong. Anyway, use your Soul Sense as per normal and you'll be directed
to the Lost City, [Diban].
The scene opens on something right out of an opera - the fallen king,
Barbarossa (now we get a Suikoden reference) bemoaning the death and
devastation that has befallen his beloved town and people. For even his trusted
advisors, Gain, and Voluce have deserted him...his speech is cut short by the
arrival of Valkyrie and he switches to insults instead, calling her
This is where things get a little complicated. First, you have to go outside
the castle to
Once you've activated the switch on the bookself, you'll find that Valkyrie has
enteed a hidden room of sorts. Sensing someone, she calls out, saying that she
isn't with the others and that whoever's here has no need to fear her. A woman
named Malbeth will appear, who's eventually revealed to be Barbarossa's wife.
She will tell Valkyrie she thinks this destruction was visited upon the kingdom
because the three mages tried to overstep the bounds of humanity to become
gods. Taking out a crown, she will entrust it to Valkyrie - even though she
doesn't know anything about her, something tells her that since they're both
females she won't refuse this; after all, her husband would have wished to be a
king even to the end.
With Duvan behind you, your next Soul Sense leads to Firan again. Here, you see
a young girl apologizing for her power not being enough. The woman next to her
says that it's not a matter of her power being enough - do you know how many
people have been driven mad by your songs, she asks.
The screen goes black and a voice is heard telling Shiho that it is the glory
of a soldier to die in battle bravely - forgot the old woman's words.
Opposing side soldiers talking about Singing Princess
Shiho's past - she has taken what she's been given by god, but she wants what
others have; sight. Now that she has also given up her music, Suou asks her
what she wants..."death." (What IS it with this game and suicidal females with
long hair?) Suou, unable to deal the killing blow, instead opts to bring Shiho
back with him to his camp, telling his commanding officer that he's captured
the enemy singer...whereupon the moustached man remarks that she's quite
beautiful - "but..." - slashes her the very next second.
- entrance / 1. (*)
1. (Shadow, ZD) (Skull, 3 MGF)
Monstrous Glow Fly - Ordinary Shape
The Save Point here is tricky. Form an ice crystal, then shatter it directly
under the tip of the left ledge and jump from the ladder to it.
Another difficult jumping point. Make a crystal near the entrance to the room,
then make another one, shatter it and place the broken shards on top of the
first. From there, you should be able to jump to the chest.
Lesser Demon - Lamellar
Holy Chalice
Barbarossa - (no item -- or at least you can't get it)
Life Stealer - Something CLaw, Trikabut
Victrai - Flamberk, Full Plate
Harpuria - Prismic Missile, Poison Blow
Wise Sorsaria (2) - Dark Saber, Shield Critical
Voluce - Fairy Ring
appears to be someone denoucing Suou adn telling that his armor which hides his
true self is fit
Back to present times, a samurai talking to Suou notes that he's
Screen goes black, and Suou asks Shiho what he should do.
Forest of Spirits
(to Area A) [ 8. / 9.(*) / ]
| | | |
| | (to Area B) |
| | |
[ 7.(*) / / 6.(*) ][ ]
| | |
[ 5. (*) / Boss / ]
| | |
Elf Village / 3. (*) / 2. (*) / 1. - entrance
| |
Spring / / 4. (*) ]
|
(to Area C)
4. The second chest is high up in the branches, and the third on the branch to
the far right of the screen - jump from the uppermost one branch to get it.
6. Invisible chest, again near the far right. You must be facing left to get
this one, though.
You'll need some fancy foot (and crystal work) to get to the boss...well, maybe
not THAT fancy. Simply make enough crystals for you to ascend the branches and
get to that purple ape at the top.
(Area A)
[ 1.(*) ]
| |
[ 2. (SP) / Boss ] (to main)
1. (Wasp, 3 CB) X 3 (Wasp, 2 CB) X 3
2. (Wasp, 2 CB) (Wasp, 4 CB) X 2, Chest - Reduce Power, Chest - Golden Egg
(Boss is the Cockatrice.)
(Area B)
(to main)
|
[ 1. (*) / Boss ]
1. (Plant, M X 3) (Plant, M X 2), Chest - Golden Egg, Chest - Lapis Stone,
Chest - Evoke Feather
Last Chest is located the same place the one with the Golden Egg is - search
carefully.
Boss is the Venom Spider
(Area C)
(to main)
|
[ 3. / 2. (*) / 1. ]
1. Chest - Cross Aerade. Again, this is pretty much invisible. It's located in
the grass at the right.
2. (Blob, 3 CV) X 3 (Blob, 4 CV)
3. Chest - Cure Plumes, Chest (Arrow) - Sacred Garb : Sylph Red. The Sylph
Red's in the tree to the left, and it's VERY hard to see indeed. You also can't
get up without using ice crystals.
The scene opens on a girl (Jale) who wishes to join a group of knights by
doesn't want her true gender or identity revealed. After some pleading, Farn,
the Knight Leader agrees and takes her on, but only after she reveals her real
name to him. The screen goes black and shifts to another time when Jale is
practicing swordplay and is told by Farn that she's improved tremendously...a
whole lot better than that useless bunch of young men over there, in fact. Jale
reminds him that 1) he's not supposed to reveal anything about her and that 2)
she's commanding under him and he should speak to her more formally - which his
reply of "got it, got it" shows he doesn't. The scene ends with both laughing
at Farn's reply.
We now switch to more serious times, which has Jale angry at being unable to
move against a man named Magnus, who she wants to kill for something. She is
also trying to thank Farn for all he's done but he brushes it off as nothing.
Jale has a sudden attack of conscience and thinks that all she's done is
manipulate Farn into helping her (by training and letting her join the
knight's) so she can kill Magnus. As Farn attempts to console her, Magnus's men
arrive and they have to leave.
Now we meet the mysterious Magnus, who is protected first by an unseen wall and
then a purple-haired spellcaster who dispatches Jale's team, Farn and all, with
one spell, a charming that leaves all but Jale under his control. He then
proceeds to taunt her for a while, laughing at her futile efforts to confront
him and her "use" of Farn to do so. As Jale vehemently denies his claims,
swearing to kill him as she does so, the mysterious stranger speaks - turns out
her name is J.D Wallace and she's the one in control of Magnus. She then taunts
Jale much like Magnus does, but with considerably more style and flair. Just
then, Valkyrie makes her appearance (you were wondering just when she'd show
up, right?)
******
Now we're at Chapter 8, and the end is near. But first, you have a few more
events to clear, the first being the Dragon Halls. Proceed straight down to the
picture of the Tower at the end and examine it twice - the second time should
yield the Full Moon Stone, which you should then bring to the first exit up and
place inside the statue.
Continue along as normal (note that the Dullahan Lord you can fight gives you
TONS of experience - in the 100000 range. Make SURE you kill him slow and get
lots of Magical Stones, because he's not that powerful.)
I believe the order of numbers differs from game to game.
Gleishi Bone (Damask Sword, Lucerne Hammer) - Not half as tough as the Dragon
Tooth Warrior when you first fought him. Just do the usual and this guy will go
down fast.
Dullahan Lord (Broken Bow, Broken Spear) - Experience Heaven! You can even get
Broken Spears for transformable cash if need be. Weak attacks make him ideal
for levelling characters up.
Mage High Lord (Might Reinforce, Prevent Sorcery) - Above average mages. These
will actually post some threat to you depending on exactly what level you are
at, but one Reflect Sorcery and they're as good as dead. Take the opportunity
to try and get some Might Reinforces from them since the spell's hard to find.
Dragonewt (Broken Armor, Broken Spear) - Easy pickings at this point in the
game, especially if you've gotten the powerful weapons and armor available
by now.
Unicellular (Broken Bow, Broken Sword) - Again, standard slime-type enemies,
and again, standard Equipment Break warnings apply. Besides that, nothing out
of the ordinary.
Once that's over, we move on to Jotenheim Castle. It doesn't really matter who
you send up for this Chapter since you'll get the exact same amount of
Materialize Points and all your characters back after all the gods finish
talking. (Which is basically chatter about the upcoming final battle and
congratulating Renas...funny how all the gods don't seem to match their Norse
equivalents. ^_^) Anyway, after that, you'll be in Jotenheim proper. You might
want to keep an outside save because you can't exit the castle.
There's only one kind of enemy here - the warriors of the Divine Race, Van.
(Well, they also tend to come with Wise Sorsarias.) However, you might or might
not have noticed a simple little fact; they're weak against poison. Therefore,
a Glare Sword will kill them outright and Poison Blow does TONS of damage as
well. (Not to mention also killing the irritating Sorsarias.) This, as you
might expect, is an excellent way to gain levels, especially since all enemies
here ressurrect themselves if you leave the screen.
******
Character Section :
---
The format I'm using is like this :
Personality : Self-explanatory. Also includes speech notes for each of the
characters.
History and Background : Very brief so as to avoid spoilers.
Special Item : The item each character can obtain, usually from the same
place you found them.
Evaluation : Relative strengths and weaknesses of the character.
Below all this will a listing of all attacks and descriptions of them. Attack
format is as follows :
Something-Or-Other Slash - 2 Hits / Up, Down / 15 Energy
means that the attack hits twice, once in an upwards direction and then in
the reverse, and adds 15 points to your Hit gauge. All moves will also be
listed in order - that is, Air Slash comes before Shining Bolt since it's
Lucio's first move.
---
VALKYRIE (Renas Valkuria)
Personality : Valkyrie tends to be, as her on-screen potrait might suggest,
cold and unyielding; very much a servant of God and given to proverb-sounding
lines. However, she does have a warmer side, though it doesn't show much. She
speaks with an authority weighted by divine might (especially when talking to
new souls) but this does lessen on occasion. All-in-all NOT your typical RPG
hero\ine...
History\Background : Being the main character of the game, Valkyrie has a long
and involved past, most of which is supposed to be secret, so you'll have to be
content with the little bit at the beginning of the Walkthrough. ^_^
Special Item : None
Evaluation : Valkyrie MUST be in every fight in the game, so you don't get to
choose whether to use her or not. However, her fighting power more than makes
up for it. A very balanced character, not strong like Aluze or multi-hitting
like Badrak, but otherwise quite powerful. She is also the only character in
the game able to use two weapons, either the sword or bow.
Bolt Slash (1 Hit / Forwards / 25 Energy)
Valkyrie runs forwards and delivers a head-to-toe slash.
(Basic sword attack, nothing much to say. Sets up well for most combos.)
Moment Slide (1 Hit / Up / 15 Energy)
Vertical Raid (1 Hit / Up, Up / 24 Energy)
ALUZE
Personality : Extremely uncommuncative, to the extent of often giving only
one-word answers. Most of this silent wolf act stems from his awesome battle
ability and inability to open up, both of which make talking and interaction
difficult. He is fundamentally a decent man, though and has a rarely seen
philosophical side.
History/Background : One of the (if not THE) most feared and powerful warriors
in and around Altoria. Seems to be related to Kashel, Amy, Grey's etc group in
some way. Wanders the land as a mercernary, selling his sword to the highest
bidder.
Evaluation : Aluze is one of those characters who can't be sent up to Valhalla
at all...which means that he's a major character! And all major characters are
powerful! Well, more or less.
We don't know whether it's the hair, the high-fiber diet or just the big sword
(chicks dig the sword) but Aluze is one helluva powerhouse. Add that to the
fact that he's with you from the beginning of the game and you're going to need
a fighter like him...chances are that when you get other characters, you'll
still be using him because he'll be at a much higher level. Good moves and
dammably high HP - his only real weakness is against sorcery, which can be
helped by having him max out Resist Magic.
Moves -
Spinning Back Knuckle
Aluze spins around and lashes out with his fist.
(Fast, combos well, good counter.)
High Wind
Aluze grunts and swings that huge meat cleaver of his forwards.
(A bit slow, but the Energy addition and damage make up for that. Works well in
combos and to finish them.)
Wrenching Swing
Aluze yells and brings his sword over his head and down onto his enemy's - with
a sword that big, that's gotta hurt!
(SLOW, but powerful. It also pushes forwards the enemy by a great deal, even
more with Splash added. Useful if the enemy has already been pushed back and
you need a distance attack to whack it. Takes a bit of getting used to.)
JERAD
Personality : Haughty, proud and insufferably snobbish - she's a princess -
what do you expect? Has a helpful and kind side too, as events show. Oh yes,
and a penchant for calling people impolite and killing them ten thousand times.
^_^
History/Background : The princess of Altoria. What else there is in this
department is revealed during the first part of the game - i.e, story spoilers.
Evaluation : She's going to be your first magic-user, and since her stats
aren't all that bad she does a pretty good job at it. You can switch her for
Yumeru (who has a higher RDM, if you can stand the voice) or Meltina later,
(who's more powerful overall) but depending on how much you've trained her, it
might be a better choice to stick with the princess after all. However, later
on in the game, her lack of real talent will start to show.
ROFAR
Personality : Calm and soft-spoken for the most part, intensely loyal to his
friends and own beliefs. Your typical RPG knight.
History/Background : Rofar is a Knight of Altoria, and his father seems to be
quite high up in the social structure; he's the knight captain. Admires Aluze
and his fighting skills, to the extent of risking his life trying to rescue his
younger brother.
Evaluation : He's a decent spear-user, but seriously outclassed by Amy later
on. Then again, Amy has problems with timing and comboing, so you could pick
him...if all the later fighters you get weren't stronger. All things
considered, he's pretty average.
Smash Axe
Trisect Strike
Rofar lunges forwards with his spear.
(Not as powerful as Spinning Edge, but then again, not as hard to use either.
Stick this on the end of combos for a few extra hits. Be careful as like all
spear moves, there is a slight startup lag and it pushes back quite a bit.)
NANAMI
Personality : A kind and compassionate girl. She still hasn't come to terms
with her sister's sacrifice, though, and that shows though her calm demeanor
sometimes. Though slighty weak-willed, she has an untapped reservoir of inner
strength.
History/Background : One of the shrine maidens of Firan. She fulfills her
duties there well enough...the rest is story info, so I'm not telling.
Evaluation : Another average mage. Use her only if there's no one better in
your party at that time...which really shouldn't be the case, as Jerad does
well early on, and you'll probably be using Meltina in the middle game and
Riseria/Ganossa at the end.
YUMERU
Personality : Sprightly and cheerful, to the point of irritation sometimes.
Yumeru is for the most part carefree and happy-go-lucky, but there are dark
events in her past they leave her pensive on occasion.
History/Background : She's a mermaid who on a fateful day met a human
youth...and the rest is part of her story.
Evaluation : She has slightly higher DME than any of the other magic-users
early on, but her voice and her mediocre magical ability will probabyl dissuade
you from using her for any length of time...send her up when Valhalla asks for
a swimmer.
JUN
Personality : Cold and resolute, in a lot of ways the traditional samurai. Is
willing to sacrifice for others, though he himself is plagued with self-doubt
at times. In battle, fights with an icy determination which is a bit unnerving.
History/Background : A samurai from Firan, which seems to be the Mandatory
Oriental Locale in this game.
Evaluation : A surprisingly decent fighter. Like most samurai, he uses some
element of iaijitsu (sword techniques where the emphasis is on drawing the
weapon so fast that the opponent cannot retaliate) in his fighting, so he's got
very good speed. (Though bad lag during execution.) Doesn't really have the
power of Aluze or any of the heavy-hitters, but his Finisher and well-balanced
nature stand out - basically, if you want a fighting character, you could do
worse than Jun.
Senkouzan
Jun strikes with his katana twice in a cross motion.
Jun pauses, then blurs *through* his enemy, slashing as he goes.
Senenbu
Jun does a step/half-turn and lashes out with his sword, using his lower body
for more momentum.
(Slow, but the real thing you have to watch out for is Jun stepping past his
opponent and slashing nothing.
Senkoujin (Thousand Light - Bladelight)
Jun disappears and strikes once, then teleports behind his enemy and strikes
again, and then front to hit again, and then again, and again, and again and
againandgainandagainandagainandagainandagain in a whole mass of sword blows,
finishing with an uppercut.
(This move really rocks once you equip him with a Combo Jewel, which allows
each hit of a Finisher to add two more Energy - which in Jun's case is a lot
since Senkoujin does a whopping 15 Hits. It's also pretty light on CT and is
quite quite damaging as well.)
AMY
Personality : Hot-tempered and fiery, quite befitting a Dragonkin. Speaks with
a masculine tone and won't back down to anyone, as her death scene shows. She
has shown herself to get along with her comrades and has had a few mellow
moments, though.
History/Background : She is one of the members of Kashel's group...not much
info beyond that other than the fact that she's a good soldier and a Dragonkin.
Evaluation : Is very powerful, but her moves are difficult to use and combo
with without some degree of skill\practice. Other that than, an excellent
choice as a fighting character, since her Finisher only takes 2 CT to use and
she has above-average stats.
Round Kick (2 Hit / Forwards, Up / 6 Energy)
Amy kicks forwards in a slow arc and then brings her spear to bear on the
enemy.
(Slow startup, best used at the start of a combo. Funky timing.)
Sonic Edge
Amy pauses, then hurls her spear forwards.
(Please tell me how she follows up with Spinning Edge if she's already throw
the spear. Anyway, I hate this move because it's so bloody slow it throws my
entire combo timing off. Besides, Amy can't follow this up at ALL - she needs
someone to set up for her. If you can get around this major restriction by all
means use it. Since she does throw the spear, the move covers the entire
screen.)
Spinning Edge (3 Hits / Forwards / 24 Energy)
Amy readies herself then rushes forwards, spear first.
(Excellent if you can get it to hit - it has considerable lag (though not as
bad as Sonic Edge) and weird timing. Makes up for it by doing 3 hits and great
damage, though. Try to get a weapon which allows Amy to use Round Kick and then
Spinning Edge; you'll find it a lot easier.)
Dragon Dread (1 Hit / 45 Energy / 2 CT)
Amy either summons a dragon or transforms into one and launches a massive blast
of energy.
(Good Energy gain and damage for a 2 CT move, but it only hits once. One of the
factors that makes Amy worth picking.)
GREY
Personality : Stone-cold, though not to Aluze's degree. A man of few words and
actions, but with a sense of honor that gives him considerable personal
integrity.
Background/History : Again, one of Kashel's group. He was killed somehow and
revived as an animated suit of armor, upon which he joins Valkyrie's quest.
Evaluation : One of the few Heavy Warriors in the game. He's actually pretty
good...suffers from a weakness to magic, (like most swordsmen) but he's a
premier choice as a fighter - ties along with Jun, Amy and the rest. It depends
what you're looking for in your party, really.
Moves :
Laser Edge
Grey does a straightforwards downwards slash.
(Yet another standard sword move. Grey has very slight lag at the beginning of
this, although the actual slash is fast.)
Plastic Cannon
Grey pauses for a second, then rushes forwards, trailing after-images and sword
drawn, as a pillar of blue ice erupts behind him. As he is rushing, two icicles
fly out of his sword to auto-track and later hit his target.
(Despite the incredibly-stupid sounding name, this is actually one of the best
sword moves in the game, owing both to the speed of the rush and the twin
icicles. Why? Because the rush knocks the enemy high enough, and the icicles
keep him there, for powerful moves like Shining Bolt, or (in more mundane
circumstances) the rest of your attacks to hit. It's also not too slack in the
Energy and damage departments. Make sure the weapon Grey equips allows him to
use this.
JALE
Personality : A focussed and resolute warrior who will let nothing get in her
way. Her determined attitude comes off as brusqueness more often than not, but
when she can forget her vendetta, she does have a soft side.
History/Background : A young girl who masquerades as a man in order to join the
army and get revenge on an evil sorcerer...how things turn out for her will be
revealed in the game.
Evaluation : Another more-or-less good fighter. Her moves come out quick but
don't exactly combo well; statwise, she's about average. Eternal Raid ain't
that bad, as Finishers go...it's up to you whether you want to include her in
your party, but she measures up well when compared to the other fighting types.
Personality : Though somewhat shy and reserved, Lucio is a strong, upright
young man...before his untimely death, he did many good deeds, including
resucing Platina and protecting an orphanage. He can get rather depressed at
times, but soon revives, especially when in the company of Valkyrie/Platina. At
heart still innocent, he nevertheless will not hesitate to fight for a good
cause.
History/Background : Lucio is Platina's childhood sweetheart and the boy who
attempted to save her from a lifetime of slavery...unfortunately, things didn't
quite work out for him. Later on, he's seen leading a resistance group of some
sort but is killed by an arrow in the back from a dying archer - that's not the
end of things for him, but you'll need to play the game to discover what
happens.
Evaluation : Lucio is the MAN. Two words - Shining Bolt. Even if it wasn't one
of the (if not THE) most powerful move in the game, I'd still pick him for his
special relationship with Valkyrie. (I'm a sucker for romance...) His stats are
pretty okay and his other moves aren't too shabby either. The only real problem
with Lucio is that your fighting strategy might become too Shining Bolt-reliant
and of course, there's the fact that you lose his services for most of the game
if you're gunning for the good ending.
Moves :
Air Slash
Lucio brings his sword from his feet over his head in a powerful lifting
motion. Knocks the enemy quite high and is a perfect setup for Shining Bolt.
Shining Bolt
Lucio shouts "Kurae!" and thrusts an outstretched palm forwards, from which a
bolt of lightning shoots out from.
Here you go : Shining Bolt. The item-getter, the combo move, the boss-killer
and the reason why Lucio kicks so much ass. Despite it's deceptively simple
appearance, this baby can deal up to 12-15 hits if it connects; that's a LOT of
damage. You'll want to think up combos to exploit the power and item-dropping
ability (it knocks out lots of Mystic and Violet Flame Stones too, you know) of
this move...if you play your cards right, you can knock loose so many Violet
Flame Stones than you can use all your Finishers practically every turn.
There are negative aspects to this wonder, though - firstly, it's small hit
area and long lag time makes it difficult to connect with if not set up
properly. Secondly, as I've said above, there is a tendency to make Shining
Bolt the be-all and end-all of the fight; always be sure you have some backup.
Also, it's damage begins to be toned down somewhat as you progress to more
difficult sections of the game. Besides that, though, it's a damn good move, so
abuse it!
RISERIA
Personality :
History/Background :
Evaluation : Riseria is the second-best mage in the normal game (the best is,
of course, Rezard Valis himself, but he's only usable in one battle and
Seraphic Gate) next to Ganossa in ability. However, due to when you get Ganossa
and the fact that he's a bastard, I'd prefer to put Riseria in my
party...alternatively, if your Meltina is at a high enough level, you can
continue using her instead. In any case, no matter what you decide (even if
it's using the wizened old fool) Riseria remains a force to be reckoned with -
her DME isn't too high, but her magical power is.
SHIHO
SUOU
GANOSSA
KASHEL
BADRAK
JAKE LINNAS
ROURRY
BELINAS
******
Translations :
---
Before we begin, another note. (Yes, I'm a note person. Live with it.) A lot
of battle quotes (most specifically the ones used by gods and samurai) tend to
have weird-sounding translations more often that not. That's because I'd prefer
to do the line literally and get more meaning out of it than try to convert to
totally into English and risk the essence getting lost...however, for most of
them where this is not intergral to the understanding of the line/s, I will
abandon the original sense of the quote instead and give you a nicer English
translation. Here are examples :
1. "Sono mi ni kizare!" could also be rendered as "I will obliterate you!" but
I've chosen my version since it keeps the original wording, which I feel
important in this case.
2. However, for something like "Mada yaru ki ka?" translates literally to
"Still got the inclination to do it?" while "Up for more, eh?" is shorter, more
succint and gets the meaning across better. At least I happen to think so.
Anyway, I hope you get what I'm trying to say here. ^_^
Seriously, though, most Finishers tend to have a Biblical
eligious feel about
them, which accounts for how the lines sound. Try to appreciate them for what
they are and maybe you won't be scratching your head that much and wondering
"NOW what is ths guy talking about?"
And before I forget - no, I'm not doing all the quotes. I'll note down all the
ones I have, and submissions will be gladly accepted (as will be corrections)
but I'm NOT going quote hunting in a Tri-Ace game. I've heard that terrorists
use that as a method of torture worldwide.
---
Key :
*indicates nature of quote - fighting, winning etc*
(defines quote; against strong opponent, during Finisher. Kinda like a
sub-category)
"quote"
("translation")
? I missed a word or two.
??? Either I don't have all of the quote or I'm not too sure of my
translation or both.
I'm not doing any quote which is a sound ("Arrgggh, Hyaa! and Oof!" come to
mind) but I will indicate how many attack\evade ones there are. All quotes will
be listed from the left to right in the order they appear in the voice
collection screen.
Also, if you didn't know, netting all the quotes for a single character will
let you view a full-screen picture of him\her by pressing the Square button.
---
Mini-Glossary :
Shingi - Literally, "Divine Technique". Special war skills used only by the
gods.
Ougi - Literally, "Secret Skill". Denotes either a powerful (often hidden)
skill of a particular fighting style\school (or one self-created) or the
"sucession technique" of said school - a move which, when learnt, proves that
the person using it has mastered his\her fighting style completely. Most Ougi
in this game take the first definition, though.
Hissatsu - Literally, "Sure-Kill Technique." It more or less means "Special
Move" but to clear things up I've included this definition.
Kami - God, god, gods or spirit. I've rendered it as "God" most times, but you
should know there are various interpretations. Hope I haven't offended
anyone...
---
VALKYRIE :
*begin fight*
??? "Shi wo, saki wo yuku mono-tachi yo!" ("Come to me, those who have embraced
the arms of death!")
(against strong opponent)
??? "Ware to tomo ni ikiru reigen-naru yusha...ide yo!" ("Ye brave ones who
journey by my side...come forth!")
? "Tamashii wo botoku tsumi wa omoi...sou wa sho no moto ni messei yo!"
*note - this is 2 blocks*
*Finisher*
"Sono mi ni kizare...Shingi! Nibelung Valesti!" ("I annihilate thy form...
Divine Technique! Nibelung Valesti!")
(after)
"Owatta no ka... ("It's over...")
"Kimi ni tsukui michi nado nai." ("There is no way to save one such as you.")
"Aruki-beki basho ni kaere!" ("Return from whence you came!")
"Kore ga unmei." ("This is fate.")
(not dead)
"Mada iki ga aru no ka?" ("Still breathing?")
"Kore ijou wa muimi da to wakaranai no ka?" ("Don't you know it's useless past
this point?")
"Kurushimu dake da to iu no ni." ("To say that this is but pain...")
"Naruhodo...kono gurai de wa shinenai no ka." ("I see...looks like you won't
die from this.")
*winning*
??? "Reiki wa nakimono wa tada messuru no mi!" ("The fate of the soulless ones
shall be nothing more than an eternal death!")
"Teme no kao wo miekita ze...Ougi! Finality Blast!" ("I've seen enough of your
face...Secret Skill! Finality Blast!")
(after)
"Igai to tanoshikatta ze." ("Was more fun that I thought.")
"Damatte kiero!" ("Shut up and die!")
"Maa, konna mon darou." ("So that's it.")
"Hontou ni shinjimau ka yo." ("So you're really dead.")
(not dead)
"Hou, omoshiree ja nee ka." ("Hmm, interesting.")
"Mada yaru ki ka." ("Up for more, eh?")
(winning)
"Wareware amaku mitara kou naru mono da!" ("It's gonna be like this if you
underestimate us.")
"Aite ga warukatta da." ("That was bad, man.")
"Abaretai nai. Sasatto tsugi ni ikou ze." (There's no need to get
violent...let's get right to the next guy.")
"Nametan ja nee. Ore ga dare da to omotteru kai?" ("Don't play around. You
know just who I am?")
JERAD
(a short note - Jerad's stock phrase is "burei mono" which literally means
"impolite one" This is understandably difficult to translate in certain
instances, hence this note.)
*begin fight*
"Kore wa kyoteki dewa nai no ka." ("These aren't that strong.")
??? "Burei mono ga, banshi ni atai suru zo!" ("Impolite morons...you merit ten
thousand deaths!)
"Shinbatsu wo kurabashite kureru wa!" ("Receive the wrath of Heaven!")
(winning)
"Shikashi, taoshite mo taoshite mo kiri ga nai no!" ("But they just keep
coming, don't they?")
Special Item : Raven Slayer (found in his house in Clairmonferan)
*begin fight*
"Aite wo shite arou ka." ("So, you wish to be my opponent.")
"Aite ni totte fusoku wa nai."
"Graaagggh!"
"Sonna bakana..."
KASHEL
"Kore wa yabasou ka." ("This looks bad.")
"Kore de ore wa kimeru!" ("I'll finish it with this!")
YUMERU
"Otousan...okaasan!" ("Mother...Father!")
JUN
*during Finisher*
"Mugen no kensen...kisama ni mieru ka?" ("The limitless blade...can you see
it?")
(Note : "Kensen" actually refers to the flash of a sword in motion.")
*after Finisher*
"Mirai wo ubawareta kibun wa dou da?" ("How does it feel to have your future
stolen away?")
"Muda na agaki yo..." ("Utterly useless...")
*begin fight*
(against strong opponent)
*Finisher*
(after)
(not dead)
*winning*
*being hit*
*attacking*
*evading*
*upon death*
*begin fight*
(against strong opponent)
*Finisher*
(after)
(not dead)
*winning*
*being hit*
*attacking*
*upon death*
*begin fight*
(against strong opponent)
*Finisher*
(after)
(not dead)
*winning*
*being hit*
*evading*
*attacking*
*upon death*
*******
Lists Section
---
Magic List :
Magic is what all the non-fighting characters in the game use to deal damage.
(Well, they also use these little critters that fly, but nevermind...) And
because it sometimes gets quite complicating, you're going to have to listen to
my explanations. So there. They're only a few things to remember anyway :
All magic has Cast, Base, Finisher, and Ultimate versions. Cast is when you
manually cast the spell from the Select menu during battle - depending on
spell, this may or not hit all enemies, but ONLY if Cast will it have this
ability. (I will include which do and don't in the list.) Base is when it's
cast using the mage's corresponding attack button, it which case it tends to be
weaker than if you cast it normally but can combo and become it's Finisher
version, which is usually just multiple castings of the same spell. (So I'm not
including separate descriptions for these.) The Ultimate version is another
matter entirety and has a whole different visual effect, always hits all
enemies, does lots more damage and costs 2 CT more. That's about it...now for
the spells.
Burn Storm - (hits all)
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 50
Hits : 2
Description : A explosion of fire occurs under each enemy. Short and simple.
Ultimate version (Efreet Caress - adds 50, 1 Hit) : A fountain of flame forms
below the enemies, reaching out and around the top and sides of the screen to
cascade down in the middle.
Alright at the beginning of the game, especially against undead and for
softening up a bunch of foes, but gets outmoded fast by more powerful magic.
Even with it's Ultimate version this spell isn't much. Ditch it ASAP.
Fire Lance -
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 40
Hits : 2
Spears of flame launch from the mage's hands to strike his/her target.
Ultimate version (Calamity Blast - adds 20, 5 Hits) : A meteor strikes the
ground, breaking into multiple pieces which also hit for damage.
Good attack magic early on, but do consider using something else as the game
progresses. Very average indeed in terms of power (yes, this applies even to
the Ultimate version)...the low cost is a plus, but how much of one? I'd rather
use stronger spells anyday.
Cool Damsel
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 45
Hits : 3
Description : An ice spirit appears next to the enemy and slashes three times.
(More for Cast and Finisher version) All strikes will hit in roughly the same
area, so don't move your target around too much or won't get all the hits.
Ultimate version : (Absolute Zero - adds 64, 4 Hits) Crystals of ice form
around your enemies and basically all over the place, building upon each other
until a massive one has been built at the center of the screen, whereupon it
shatters.
Evaluation : Decent enough power for the CT cost, and Absolute Zero is nice.
I'd again much rather use a more powerful attack spell (like Lightning Bolt)
but this one's good for when you want to conserve CT. It also seems to be one
of the best spells for the purpose of knocking treasure chests and the like out
of opponents.
Icicle Edge (hits all)
CT Cost : 5
Energy Added : 15
Hits : 3
Description : Shards of ice rain down upon the enemy. This spell can cause the
Freeze effect.
Ultimate version (Delta Strike - adds 56, 2 Hits) :
Evaluation : Pretty good. The Cast version will be your main means of attacking
all enemies early on, and it still does enough damage on it's own to be useful.
It, however, seems to have a regrettable tendency to miss completely if the
target is moved too far from its original location, as is the case with spells
such as Ignite Javelin. Ultimate isn't too hot (no pun intended) but overall
it's a nice little intermediate spell.
Lightning Bolt (hits all)
CT Cost : 8
Energy Added : 24
Description : Three bolts of crackling electricity are released from the
spellcaster. Tends to make the enemy Faint as well.
Ultimate version (Brutish Bolt - adds 52, 4 Hits) : A huge dragon of pure white
energy forms in the background and then bursts out into the enemies.
Evaluation : One of the more powerful attack magics, my premier choice when I
really want to do some damage. Despite the sky-high CT cost, the sheer power of
the spell makes it work either as Cast, Base OR Ultimate equally well - can
take out entire enemy groups if your spellcaster is powerful enough. Be careful
when using it in combos, though; it's got very fast execution, which though is
a definite advantage requires good timing.
Dark Saber -
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 15
Hits : 3
Description : Three finely crafted dusky purple-black blades form out of
nothing and spear the target of the spell. These auto-track to make comboing
easier.
Ultimate version : (Final Cherio, 1 hit)
Evaluation : (Ultimate version: sucks.)
Shadow Servant - (hits all)
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 45
Hits : 3
Description : Formless spectral shapes appear below the target\s of this spell,
rising up to deal damage and throw them through the air. Semi auto-track
target.
Ultimate version (Meteor Swarm - adds 50, 7 Hits): The screen swirls to a view
of a large field of stars, before beginning to swirl back down, following the
track of a falling meteor all the way down to your opponents, who then suffer a
large number of such meteors slamming and exploding at their feet.
Evaluation : A good attack spell. Will probably be your premier choice when you
first get it until you switch to Cross Aerade or Lightning Bolt later. The
shadows generated also tend to hit enemies in the air again, which leads to a
Magical Stone or two; nice bonus. Note that Meteor Swarm is probably one of the
best Ultimate magics -- too bad it's only attached to a above-average spell.
Ignite Javelin
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 20
Hits : 4
Description : Four spears of glowing green fire lance down from the heavens to
impale your foe.
Ultimate version (Seraphic Lost Light - adds 31, 3 Hits) : Huge beams of bright
energy rain down upon your enemies.
Evaluation : Not too bad. With good damage and a powerful Ultimate version,
gives even the reigning favorites Cross Aerade and Lightning Bolt a run for
their money. However, it loses out in the long run because it's difficult to
combo with Ignite Javelin properly - there's a substantial lag before the
spears actually strike and when they do, they don't track the opponent, so it's
awfully easy to mess up your combo or totally miss altogether. In addition,
Seraphic Lost Light only hits 3 times, which is a downer. Think before picking
this one.
Cross Aerade - (hits all)
CT Cost : 6
Energy Added : 30
Hits : 3 (4 on large enemies)
Description : Three shining white lights are summoned to crash into an enemy.
Ultimate version (Celestial Star - adds 70, 7 Hits) : Masses of golden-white
feathers form in space before trasmuting themselves into rays of holy light
which then blast down in a blaze of glory. (You can tell I like this spell.
^_^)
Evaluation : Ah, here we are at the good stuff. Cross Aerade, having a good
Base, Cast AND Ultimate, is truly multi-purpose; the only real flaw the spell
has is the somewhat high CT cost and the fact that the lights are a bit slow -
watch your combos. Besides that, great damage, holy elemental properties and an
EXCELLENT Ultimate version (Celestial Star kicks absolute ass) make this an
attack spell to keep.
Stone Touch
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 5
Hits : 1
Description : Grey gas erupts below the target of the spell.
Ultimate version (Carnage Anthem - adds 48, 3 Hits) : A roiling mass of lava
thunders down from the left of the screen to engulf the enemies.
Evaluation : Despite the measly, pitiful 5 points this adds to Energy, it's not
really that bad a spell because of it's added effect. It's not called Stone
Touch for nothing. ^_^ Good in combos because the gas forms fast. It's really
personal preference for this one; the stoning effect occurs often enough to
make it useful, and the low CT cost is handy, but I prefer solid damage myself.
As for Carnage Anthem, it's about average for an Ultimate. Okay damage, bad
hits. You decide.
Poison Blow - (hits all)
CT Cost : 3
Energy Added : 5
Hits : 1
Description : A cloud of purple gas bubbles from the ground to cover the target
of the spell.
Ultimate version (
Evaluation : Like it's close relative Stone Touch, (above) this spell has
limited uses. Me, I cast it with only one purpose in mind - killing mages. But
it's worthwhile to keep in mind that Poison Cloud does more damage, comes out
slightly faster, and hits more reliably than Stone Touch does.
Prismic Missile
CT Cost : 10
Energy Added : 50
Hits : 5
Description : From a spinning circle of power around the mage's hands come five
streaks of multi-colored force which track them slam into the enemy.
Ultimate version (Gravity Press - adds 48, 5 Hits)
Evaluation : Let's make it simple - there's a good point and a bad point about
this one. The good is the damage done by both versions and how easy it is to
combo with it. (All the streaks auto-track, remember?) The bad should be
obvious - prohibitive CT cost. If you use this, prepare to have your mage
sitting out the rest of the fight or using a Charge Break; trust me, the wait
is LONG. Because of this factor alone I prefer - you guessed it - Cross Aerade,
(or Lightning Bolt, which is another power/high CT cost spell) but if you're
sure you're going to kill your opponent or need the extra boost in power go
ahead and use it. It's also worth bearing in mind that Prismic Missile has a
small (emphasis on *small*) chance of causing a variety of status ailments,
ranging from Faint to Curse. (The only spell to add this effect.)
---Support Magic---
All support magic is influenced by two things : your statistics and the enemy's
magic resistance. I'm also not including most of the earlier categories as
they're now redundant. (I can just see Shield Critical giving you Energy...)
Reduce Power
CT Cost : 1
Duration : 5 Turns
Description : Lights flash over your enemies and the message "Power Down" is
displayed.
Evaluation : Don't use this much as I'm a straightforwards "attack and kill"
kinda guy (and face it - 4 Finishers in a row don't usually leave much of the
opposition standing) but it could be useful in prolonged battles or if your
enemy is too strong.
Reduce Guard
CT Cost : 1
Duration : 5 Turns
Description : Lights flash over your enemies and the message "Guard Down" is
displayed.
Evaluation : Excellent spell. On a high-powered mage, really weakens the
enemies' defensive potential - invaluable on tough foes. (like Blood Bane) Also
can be used as a last-ditch measure to defeat Dragon Zombies with no Slayer. Be
sure to cast this when fighting powerful enemies and\or bosses. However, the
effectiveness of this drops tremendously on highly magic resistant enemies or
if you're using a lousy mage, so keep this in mind.
Might Reinforce
CT Cost : 3
Duration : 10 Turns
Description : Lights flash over your party and the message "Power Up" is
displayed.
Evaluation : Because this spell adds to your power and doesn't depend on the
enemies' resistance, it's generally more reliable, but hard to find. I usually
go ahead and use Reduce Guard because of the lower cost anyway (my Meltina has
a 3000+ Magical Power, you see...) but this one does last longer.
Guard Reinforce
CT Cost : 3
Duration : 10 Turns
Description : Lights flash over your party and the message "Guard Up" is
displayed. (Do you sense a trend in spell descriptions here?)
Evaluation : Very useful indeed against bosses that do a lot of physical
damage, but not so good elsewhere. Again, I don't use this much as I focus on
attacking as my main priority.
Spell Reinforce
CT Cost : 3
Duration : 10 Turns
Description : Lights flash...you know the drill by now.
Evaluation : Utterly useless. Why? Well, you're only going to be having one
mage in your party (unless you're suicidal or REALLY bad at comboing) and it's
not worth the extra turns spent casting this when you could be doing other
stuff. Sell or transform this one the moment you get it.
Sealed Critical
CT Cost : 6
Duration : 3 Turns
Description : Large green diamonds appear around your enemies, seemingly
trapping them inside, before they turn translucent and vanish, leaving the
message "Sealed" if the spell is successful.
Evaluation : This spell's usage is definitely limited, and it doesn't always
work, but it can save your butt if does. What Shield Critical does is prevent
enemies from using their special attacks on you - note that prevents, and
therefore allows them to TRY to use special attacks and fail, using up a turn.
As you can see, against enemies with deadly abilities (such as Life Stealers
and Mandragoras) this can be devastating. On the downside, it has a high CT
cost and worse still - doesn't work all the time. A good addition to a mage's
arsenal, but keep Charge Break handy for this one.
Prevent Sorcery
CT Cost : 5
Duration : 5 Turns
Description :
Evaluation :
Reflect Sorcery
CT Cost : 5
Duration : 5
Description : Lights fla - arrghhh!
Evaluation : Much more useful than it's counterpart, Prevent Sorcery, since it
always works. Downsides are, again, the high CT cost and the reflected magic
being weaker in nature. Use this against mage-type enemies for an easy win, but
note that this only stops magic and not special attacks.
Cure Plumes
CT Cost : 5
Description : Feathers slowly drift down around your party members as sparkling
lights heal them.
Evaluation : A must-have. This spell is irreplacable and utterly essential,
mainly because it's the only healing magic in the game.
CT Cost : 5
Duration : 5
Description :
Evaluation :
CT Cost : 5
Duration : 5
Description :
Evaluation :
CT Cost : 5
Duration : 5
Description :
Evaluation :
---
Skill Lists :
---Reaction Skills---
First Aid :
This is a must-have. At Level 8, it restores a quarter of your total HP per
use, which is a whole lot on hulking masses of HP like Aluze - and it activates
often. This is an invaluable skill at any part of the game due to it's
frequency and overall effect (who wouldn't want more HP?) - max it out quick.
Cure Condition :
Decent. It's useful at lower levels and once you max it out, can restore ANY
status affliction. (except Faint) Plus, it ALWAYS activates if any party
members is currently not at normal status. The downside to this skill is that
even if it activates, it doesn't work often and that it gets really
counter-productive at the game progresses - simply use a Prime or Noble Banish
to get back into fighting condition and you won't need to waste a skill slot
with this equipped.
Throw :
Cheap, effective and long-lasting; that's Throw for you. (Gaah, sounds like an
advertisement.) It costs only 25 CP to master and helps with combos till the
end of the game - however, I find that equipping more than one character with
it results in far too much air time for the enemies. A good skill overall.
Adept Illusion :
I don't bother with this since I don't even plan on letting my mages get hit at
ALL (if they are, I'm not doing well and might as well reset the game) but I
suppose it could be useful enough. No comments here.
Dancing Sword :
Same evaluation as above.
Guts : Characters will be automatically revived once they die if activated.
If you're using this, be sure to get it to a high enough level because it's not
too good otherwise. Also, since it requires you to die to activate it, it's not
really one of my favorites either, and it's frequency doesn't exactly make you
immortal. (You also come back at only one HP.) The real use of this skill is
when fighting in the Seraphic Gate, where the bosses will kill you so many
times Angel Curios eventually break.
---Support Skills---
Splash : Causes green waves of energy to fly out of characters' weapons when
they attacking, adding to damage and hits.
Another must have. Despite the high CT cost each level has, this skill is
really worth it in the long run since it more or less doubles the power and
Energy gain of your attacks when it's fully maxed out, not to mention making
combos a lot easier besides. Trust me; this is one of the truly essential
skills. Having both this and Throw equipped is nice...
Combo Counter : Prevents combos from being done on the character.
I don't see why anyone would want to give up the offensive power of Splash for
this since enemies don't use that many combos anyway, but I guess it's low CP
cost is a plus. Perhaps you could use it when you're fighting really
hit-intensive opponents - I don't know. You all try it out.
Slanting Rain : Increases bow damage.
A handy, all-around skill to have for your archers. It has a low cost and
straightforward application. At later levels you might want to consider
switching them to Noise Arrow or Triple Distress for the added effects though.
Noise Arrow : Has a chance of causing "Silence" status on enemy magic-users
when hit.
If you pump this up high enough, the chance of silencing becomes high enough to
make Noise Arrow quite a worthwhile investment...especially if you're firing
after a well-placed spell. Me, I cast Reflect Sorcery and solve ALL my
problems, but your mileage may vary.
Triple Distress : Has a chance of causing "Guard Down"
Even better than Noise Arrow at higher levels due to the variety of ailments
that it can inflict, but the above still has
Stun Magic : Any magic that hits will have a chance of causing "Faint" status.
Another high-coster, but quite useful even if it's success rate is kinda low.
Wait Reaction : The mage with this equipped gains a familiar (bat, bird or
dragon) which hovers around him\her and attacks while the CT bar is still full.
You MUST have this skill. Unless, of course, you LIKE seeing your mages sitting
around doing nothing for most of the battle. Even if it wasn't the only skill
that magic-users could fight with, it'd still be excellent for two reasons -
the familiar flies fast and is both easy to combo with AND unblockable, and
secondly, it tends to cause Faint as well. Yes, I know it costs a bomb (all the
good skills do, right?) but you'll see that it's well worth it to max this out
ASAP.
Concentration : This skill uses some of the mage's DME to enable Ultimate magic
to be cast without the extra CT cost.
If you're going to be using this, make SURE you max it out, because the DME
cost at lower levels is prohibitive. Actually, I don't really see the use of
this since Ultimate Magic tends to blow all the enemies to pieces anyway -
besides, you can simply use a Charge Break to restore ALL your CT for a lower
DME cost overall, so why bother?
Mental Reaction : Uses some of the mage's DME to reduce his\her CT bar to zero.
Basically an automatic Charge Break. Like Concentration, max this out to
prevent the DME cost from being counter-productive. I prefer Charge Breaks
normally so I can use the skill slot from something else, but this skill saves
you the extra turn needed to use it.
---Stats Skills---
These can be roughly divided into three categories - 1) Important ones you'll
want all your characters to have (Resist Damage, Magic Power etc) 2) ones that
are good to have anyway (Trick, Fight etc) but that you should pass on in favor
of 1) above if you're strapped for CP and 3) seemingly useless ones that I have
no idea as to what the heck they're for. (All the Intelligence skills.)
Also, no explanations for most of these since it should be obvious what they
are.
Tactics : Good for a late INT boost, also one of the skills highly in demand
for Einferias who Ascend.
Hear Noise : Agility boost only. Power this up if you've nothing else to do.
Resist Damage : Get this powered up FAST, especially for magic-users.
Resist Magic : Essential for Heavy Fighters like Aluze and Kashel because their
high HP has a tradeoff; horrible magical defense. Useful on everyone else as
well, even mages.
Hit :
Avoid :
---
Transformation Lists :
---
Spells :
(all spellbooks can be sold for 200 MP)
Name Price Transform Gem HCGem
Prismic Missile Lightning Bolt Stone Touch
Shadow Servant Dark Saber Cross Aerade
Evoke Feather Shield Critical
Fire Lance Burn Storm Icicle Edge
Burn Storm Fire Lance Cool Damsel
Cool Damsel Icicle Edge Burn Storm
Cure Plumes Ordinary Shape
Prevent Sorcery Reduce Power
Reduce Power Reduce Guard
Poison Blow Stone Touch Lightning Bolt
Ordinary Shape Cure Plumes
Reduce Guard Prevent Sorcery
Icicle Edge Cool Damsel Fire Lance
Reflect Sorcery Prevent Sorcery
Stone Touch Poison Blow Prismic Missile
Cross Earide Ignite Javelin Shadow Servant
Lightning Bolt Prismic Missile Poison Blow
Dark Saber Shadow Servant Ignite Javelin
Guard Reinforce Spell Reinforce
Ignite Javelin Dark Saber
Broken Bow Long Bow Rapid Bow Cranequin
Crossbow
Broken Sword Long Sword Bastard Sword Glare Guard
Broken Spear Glaive War Hammer Sensou :
Crimson Edge
Broken Armor Chain Mail Breast Plate Glare Sword
Element Scepter Book of Gold " " " "
Refining
Ether Scepter Book of Gold " " " "
Refining
(All Swords till Sinclair Saber will become Flare Gems, and from then on Flare
Crystals.)
(All Katana till Jisento will become Ice Gems, and from then on Ice Crystals.)
(All Two-Handers till Striking Sword...you know the drill. Thunder.)
(Spears till Halberd - Poison.)
(Bows till Fire Crossbow - Holy.)
(Staffs till Alchemy Wand - Shadow.)
Artifacts :
Text of Damascus Refining Fairy Earring
Star Reflection Mirror Dalis Insence
Dalis Insence Star Reflection Mirror
Holy Chalice Life Bracelet
Captivating Statue Life Bracelet
Fairy Jar (?) Orihalcon
Skills :
Throw Splash
Splash Throw
Trick Step Noise Arrow
Auto Item Cure Condition
Cure Condition Auto Item
Dancing Sword Adept Illusion
Triple Distress Last Trial
Golden Egg Life Bracelet
Predator Claws Poison Crystal " "
Ghoul Powder Ice Crystal " "
Lapis Stone Enemy Search Last Trial
Life Medicine Cris Stone Icicle Guard
Cris Stone Malice Search Scarlet Edge
Trikabut Flare Crystal " "
Teachings of Asa Lapis Stone
Black Pearl Dust Skill Potion " " Material Potion
Bolt Sake Shadow Crystal " "
Belladonna Combo Potion " " " "
Headless Doll Scout Orb Haste Ring Pearl of Life
Immortal Writings Lapis Stone Icicle Sword
Item Descriptions :
------
Swords
------
These, courtesy of Steven Bruck, should help you with the lists above.
Name: AP: Hits: 1 2 3 AT: HIT Notes
------- ----- ------ - - - --- --- -----
Viking Sword 70 1 O X X 30 32
(ƒ”ƒB[ƒLƒ“ƒOƒ\[ƒh)
Long Sword 98 1 O X X 35 31 5% Chance.
(ƒƒ“ƒOEƒ\[ƒh)
Antler Sword 100 1 X X O 7 27
(ƒAƒ“ƒgƒ‰[ƒ\[ƒh)
Houken Grim Gaudy 100 1 X X O 1 30 Kills Thunder.
(•óŒ•ƒOƒŠƒ€ƒKƒEƒfƒB)
Broad Sword 130 1 X X O 20 26 6% Chance.
(ƒuƒ[ƒhEƒ\[ƒh)
Bastard Sword 290 1 O X X 50 48 6% Chance.
(ƒoƒXƒ^[ƒhEƒ\[ƒh)
Worn Sword 300 1 O X X 12 40
(ƒƒ‹[ƒ“ƒ\[ƒh)
Naken:Flare Baselard 300 1 X X O 60 52 Fire Damage+50%.
(-¼Œ•ƒtƒŒƒAEƒoƒ[ƒ‰[ƒh) 5% Chance.
Falchion 350 1 O X X 37 20 5% Chance.
(ƒtƒ@ƒ‹ƒVƒIƒ“)
Sinclair Saber 600 1 O X X 20 65
(ƒVƒ“ƒNƒŒƒA[EƒT[ƒxƒ‹)
Lightning Edge 70 2 O O X 62 40 Lit Damage+90%.
(ƒ‰ƒCƒgƒjƒ“ƒOEƒGƒbƒW)
Grishmeld 150 2 O O X 21 45
(ƒNƒŠƒVƒ…ƒ}ƒ‹ƒh)
Naken:Moon Phalax 200 2 O X O 20 37 Holy Damage+50%.
(-¼Œ•ƒ€[ƒ“¥ƒtƒ@ƒ‹ƒNƒX) 5% Chance.
Seiken:Lost Seraphic 200 2 O X O 45 74 See [1].
(¹Œ•ƒƒXƒgEƒZƒ‰ƒtƒB)
Naken:Ruin's Fate 400 2 O O X 27 60 Dark Damage+50%.
(–¼Œ•ƒ‹ƒCƒ“ƒYEƒtƒFƒCƒg) 5% Chance.
Estoc 570 2 X O O 45 62 8% Chance.
(ƒGƒXƒgƒbƒN)
Silvaicia Sword 620 2 O X O 40 70
(ƒVƒ…ƒ”ƒ@ƒCƒcƒ@[ƒ\[ƒh)
Damascus Sword 700 2 O X O 5 82 3% Chance.
(ƒ_ƒ}ƒXƒNƒXEƒ\[ƒh)
Flamburg 700 2 O X O 35 53 4% Chance.
(ƒtƒ‰ƒ€Eƒxƒ‹ƒN)
Wassail Rapier 1120 2 O X O 65 65 7% Chance.
(ƒƒW[ƒ‹EƒŒƒCƒsƒA)
Glare Sword 1200 2 O X O 1 85 Kills Dark,
(ƒOƒŒƒA[Eƒ\[ƒh) Chance to Stone
Icicle Sword 1200 2 O X O 1 85 Kills Ice,
(ƒAƒCƒVƒNƒ‹Eƒ\[ƒh) Chance to Freeze
Youken:"Chrome Ray" 1800 2 O X O 49 77 See [2].
(—dŒ•ƒNƒƒ€ƒŒƒA)
Naken:Flame Fein 60 3 O O O 1 25
(-¼Œ•ƒtƒFƒCƒ€EƒtƒFƒCƒ“)
Radiance Sword 170 3 O O O 64 64 Holy Damage+90%.
(ƒŒƒfƒBƒAƒ“ƒXEƒ\[ƒh)
Pallasch 200 3 O O O 26 65
(ƒoƒ‰ƒbƒVƒ…)
Dragon Slayer 200 3 O O O 100 175 Kills Dragons.
(ƒhƒ‰ƒSƒ“ƒXƒŒƒCƒ„[) 5% Chance.
Demon Slayer 200 3 O O O 100 175 Kills Demons.
(ƒf[ƒ‚ƒ“ƒXƒŒƒCƒ„[) 5% Chance.
Beast Slayer 200 3 O O O 100 175 Kills Beasts.
(ƒr[ƒXƒg¥ƒXƒŒƒCƒ„[) 5% Chance.
Scarlet Forge 230 3 O O O 62 67 Fire Damage+50%.
(ƒXƒJ[ƒŒƒbƒgƒtƒH[ƒW)
Retsutou:Farwell 320 3 O O O 47 62 See [3].
(—ô“ƒtƒ@[ƒEƒFƒ‹)
Reiter Pallasch 400 3 O O O 16 82
(ƒŒƒCƒeƒ‹ƒoƒ‰ƒbƒVƒ…)
Ice Coffin 550 3 O O O 64 92 Ice Damage+50%.
(ƒAƒCƒXƒRƒtƒBƒ“)
Sentou:"Silvance" 800 3 O O O 30 75 Holy Damage+50%
(‘M“ƒVƒ‹ƒ”ƒ@ƒ“ƒX) Undead Damage+10%
Valkyrie Favor 1600 3 O O O 29 102
(ƒ”ƒ@ƒ‹ƒLƒŠ[ƒtƒFƒCƒo[)
Maken:"Gram" 2000 3 O O O 44 92 Kills Dark.
(–‚Œ•ƒOƒ‰ƒ€)
Maken:"Levaithan" 2200 3 O O O 40 90 Decreases Enemy
(–‚Œ•ƒŒƒ”ƒ@ƒ“ƒeƒCƒ“) Defense.
Shinken:Gran Reviver 6000 3 O O O 75 95 See [4].
(_Œ•ƒOƒ‰ƒ“ƒXEƒŠƒ”ƒ@ƒCƒo[)
Maken:"Dyne Slave" 8000 3 O O O 35 100 Kills Dark.
(–‚Œ•ƒ_ƒCƒ“ƒXƒŒƒCƒ”)
Heretic Sword 20000 3 O O O 1 215 See [5].
(™él‚ÌŒ• "_‚ðŽaŠl‚¹‚µŽÒ")
Notes:
------
[1]-Holy Damage+90%, Gives a 10% Increase in the Appearence of Mystic Gems.
[2]-Dark Damage+50%, Normal Attacks+70%, Finishers+50%.
[3]-Every Attack increases this weapons power by 5%(to a Max of 200%).
[4]-Kills Dark, Every attack takes 8% of the enemies HP.
[5]-Strongest Weapon in the Game. Full Name is Sword of the Heretic : "That
which cuts down the gods (i.e, God Slayer)". You can get this by compeleting
Seraphic Gate ten times.
--------------
Accessory List
--------------
Name: Effect:
------- ---------
Active Gem Increases appearence of Violet Flame Stones by 50%+3.
(Šˆ«‚ÌŽì)
Angel Curio Will auto-ressurect a dead party member. 30% Chance.
(ƒGƒ“ƒWƒFƒ‹EƒLƒ…ƒŠƒI)
Angel Lips Teaches how to have the upper hand in negotiating.
(“VŽg‚ÌO)
Blue Gray Scarf When you gain a Level, you get a CP Bonus of 100.
(ŠDF‚ÌŽñü‚è)
Bracelet of the Decreases Poison Damage by 90%.
Basilisk
(ƒoƒVƒŠƒXƒN‚̘r—Ö)
Bracelet of Life When you gain a Level, you will get a 300 DME Bonus.
(¶–½‚̘r—Ö)
Coin of Happiness Increase your EXP by 50%.
(K‚¹‚̃RƒCƒ“)
Combo Jewel Adds two more Energy per hit, Finishers included.
(ƒRƒ“ƒ{EƒWƒ…ƒGƒ‹)
Creation Gem Increases apperance of Magical Stones by 50%+3.
(¶¬‚ÌŽì)
Curse Check Prevents you from being Charmed. Holy Damage-50%.
(ƒJ[ƒXEƒ`ƒFƒbƒN)
Dimension Slip Allows Valkyrie to avoid all enemies. Valkyrie Only.
(ƒBƒƒ“ƒWƒ‡ƒ“EƒXƒŠƒbƒv)
Demon Sketch Book A Book that conatins pictures of demons.
(ˆ«–‚ŠG‘)
Enemy Search This will cause a red orb to circle arround Valkyrie
(ƒGƒlƒ~[EƒT[ƒ`) whenever there are enemies near. Valkyrie Only.
Energy Ring Raises your Combo Gauge+2.
(ƒGƒiƒW[EƒŠƒ“ƒO)
Fairy Earring Reduces your CT by 1.
(ƒtƒFƒAƒŠƒBEƒsƒAƒX)
Fairy Ring Reduces your CT by 2.
(ƒtƒFƒAƒŠƒBEƒŠƒ“ƒO)
Fire Bandana Will cause courage to gush forth.
(‰Š‚̃oƒ“ƒ_ƒi)
Freeze Check Prevents you from being Frozen. Ice Damage-50%.
(ƒtƒŠ[ƒYEƒ`ƒFƒbƒN)
Haste Ring Will lower you CT Gauge by 1.
(ƒwƒCƒXƒgEƒŠƒ“ƒO)
Heal Earring Every turn you will recover 10% of your DME.
(ƒq[ƒ‹EƒsƒAƒX) Females Only.
Heal Ring Every turn you will recover 5% of your DME.
(ƒq[ƒ‹EƒŠƒ“ƒO)
High-Level Allows you to make the highest level items. Valkyrie
Transformation Gem Only.
(ãˆÊ”z—ñ•ÏŠ·‚Ì•óŽì)
Letzter Speicherpunkt mit allen Charakteren auf Level 99, maximalen Statistiken, allen Fähigkeiten, Waffen, Rüstungen, Gegenständen und jede Menge Geld.
