Editor's Note:
Well, I've finally managed to get my hands on the U.S release of SaGa =>
Enjoy the update!
New Stuff
- Names of characters and locations have been modified accordingly to
the U.S version, a few corrections made here and there, plus rewrites
to a few sections. Nothing major though.
BASIC STUFF
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CONTROLS: (On the field)
D-pad: Used to roam about and highlight choices
Circle: Confirm
X: Cancel. Press together with the d-pad to sprint
Square: Brings up the menu screen
Start: Pauses the game
R2 + Triangle: Quick save
Start + Select + L1 + R1: Quick Reset
(Menu screen)
D-pad: Highlight choices
Square: Closes the menu screen
Triangle: Hides the menu bar
L1/L2 or R1/R2: Changes the display panel for your characters
Select: Reorganizes the items in your inventory while in the item menu; changes
the display panel for your members
Circle and X: Used to confirm and cancel choices respectively
(Battle)
Before the fight:
D-pad: Left-right switches the current party while up-down highlights the
characters in your party
Circle: Starts the battle
Triangle: Edits the highlighted character's position in battle
During the fight:
D-pad: Left-right switches between your arsenal of attacking options; up-down
lets you highlight the particular form of ability
Circle and X: Used to confirm and cancel choices respectively
Triangle: Displays the status screen for your current fighting party
L1: Confirm
L2 or R2: Pans the camera to the left or right respectively
R1: Defend
Start: Displays battle speed menu
GETTING STARTED: (For first-timers)
Select NEW GAME. Choose the character you want, or as in our case, Riki.
He's the green furball with the brownish tail clinging to the roof.
For some characters, you will be able to edit their names. Hit start to pro
-ceed after naming them.
You will be presented with the following options when you first start up:
Where is the system data for Saga Frontier?
In Slot 1
In Slot 2
Create new system data in Slot 1
Create new system data in Slot 2
I DON'T NEED SYSTEM DATA! (^_^)
Select the 3rd/4th option. The game then will ask you for your name, horoscope
and blood-type. You can give the computer stupid answers if you want to; it
just won't display the data in the file description.
SAVING:
The very last option in the menu screen lets you save. Choose the slot you
want with the circle button, then press up and confirm. Loading the game from
the title screen works the same way too. Just select LOAD GAME. BTW, SaGa
Frontier offers you the option to QUICK START after the GAME OVER screen. This
immediately returns you to the place where you last saved. Note that this op
-tion also appears when you enter the quick reset command.
SHOPPING AND REPLENISHING:
Stores in SaGa work pretty much the same as in any other RPG - just note that
few shops allow you to sell your excess items.
To buy, select the item of your choice, then hit up to increase its quantity;
hit down to decrease.
Unlike the previous installments, sleeping at an inn also replenishes your LP.
TIPS:
Don't level up too much in one location. The game regulates the enemies ac
-cording to your strength, so you may end up getting your butt whipped due to
poor defense or low HP. The same applies to bosses, only to a lesser extent.
Try not to go sprinting head-first into an enemy. This usually messes up your
party formation and you end up being scattered around. Some items when used
on a party member far away may also miss.
In the case of multi-hits with gun weapons, the first enemy in the line of
fire takes the most damage, and strangely enough, sometimes more than what
you would come to expect. Try linking a Double Slash on the enemy behind it
if they come in pairs.
Generally, SaGa Frontier carries on the weapon tradition from the previous
games, most notably the Romancing SaGa series. Fists work well against brittle
enemies i.e. skeletons and plants/beasts are extremely susceptible to sword
attacks. Guns can be used on almost any enemy with the exception of slimes and
plants, although I would like to think that they should have made robots weak
against some form of attack apart from magical ones. E-mail me if you have any
suggestions or additional info on this.
Looking at his dying homeland from his perch on top of a cliff, Riki recalled
hearing from his grandma that Margmel was once a beautiful place. So why was it
degenerating into this barren waste-land for no reason whatsoever?
Start off by speaking with your friends. Riki will get into a fight with the 2
sisters, and following that Riki will know that he's wanted by the Elder. The
latter can be found in the upper-left cave. He will inform Riki of his plan to
save Margmel and give him a Guardian Ring. The Elder tells Riki to seek out the
remaining 8 rings if Margmel is to be restored. With that, Riki transforms into
his human form and leaps into the portal that opens.
Enter the bar and converse with the locals. Riki will be informed of the
existence of one of the rings here in Scrap. Recruit Lute (the blue-haired
bard), T260 (the robot) and Mei-ling, the purple-haired lady. When Riki exits
the bar, Gen (the drunk) will choose to accompany you.
Make your way to the Caballero Office, located just above the cross-road. Mei
-ling will ask Caballero for the ring. Caballero agrees, but on condition that
Mei-ling 'accompanies' him to get it. Left without any other option, Mei-ling
decides to take the risk. They leave for the Factory.
Back at the bar, Riki worries for Mei-ling's safety and the party eventually
decides to rescue her. Talk to Gen and select the first option when you're
ready.
At the Factory, Gen and T260 create a diversion, leaving Riki and Lute free to
slip into the complex un-noticed. After rescuing Mei-ling, the party is reunited.
Check out the smaller buildings around the Factory for a few nifty items.
For the next part, I suggest taking out the snipers before tackling Caballero.
Of course, you can also skip the next bit and go directly to the man himself.
Enter the Factory and hit the very first switch (it's on the right) you see.
Head off to the right and ascend the stairs. When you reach the upper platform,
again press the first switch you see. Keep moving left and you'll see 2 levers.
Pull the bottom one. Return to the first level and throw the switch in the lower
-left portion to get rid of another gunner. You need to time the clamp and press
the circle button when it's directly above the sniper. Miss, and you'll have to
fight an enemy. Take the path leading upwards and elevate the box using the
switch you'll see. Return to the 2nd floor and trigger the upper lever to the
left to dispose of the last gunner. You can confront Caballero now. He'll summon
4 robots and you'll have to destroy them.
BOSS: Vulcan 2 and three D-Tractors / HP: 399 and 85 respectively
Put the Guardian Ring's powers to good use by having Riki cast it at the start
of the battle. Take out the D-Tractors first and have T260 blast the Vulcan 2
with the Junk Bazooka to finish it off. Pretty easy, and following that, Mei-ling
will help Riki get an awfully good discount for the Merchant Ring.
Check out the Junk shop in the lower-right portion of town before you leave
for Koorong. The shop-keeper will allow you to go through his goods and keep
any 3 of them (they're in the upper-left corner) in exchange for 300 C.
Accept his offer and browse. The supplies are divided into 6 sections, with the
upper-left corner for swords, upper-middle for bullet guns, upper-right for
shields and armlets, lower-left for armours and armour suits, lower-middle
for ray guns (they're in that cardboard box) and finally, the barrel to the
right of the ray guns contains helmets and shoes. You might find recuperative
items, accessories, as well as a few mis-placed items along the way. Now here's
the catch: there's a method to getting infinite chances here.
Simply pick your usual allowance of 3 items, then speak with the shop-keeper.
Choose to sell something (it's the second option). Go to the last grayed-out
item (the Hyperion Bazooka) in the list and hit circle once.
Exit the conversation, then return to the store-room. 7 more items to keep!
Keep doing this, and you'll build up you entire team's average defensive
rating to around 28 for only 300 C. Be sure to come back often as they do
upgrade their stock; unfortunately, the initial price also gets higher :(
Also, selling Repair Kits upgrades the items. Credit goes to Aeon for this.
(BTW, I got this trick from a HK gaming magazine.)
When you reach Koorong, explore the area and level up a bit. Don't try to buy
any supplies at this moment because: 1. They cost a bomb. and 2. The recuperative
items and armour you gathered from the Junk shop in Scrap should be enough
to last you for a while. But if you have a cheating device, that's an entirely
different story :) Take note of the hidden weapon shop, it's near the stall
which sells armour parts on the second level. Go down the partially hidden man
-hole and purchase your weapons from the 2 robots.
When you're done, return to the airport and select any destination. No matter
which you choose, the ship will end up being swallowed by a huge sea monster,
Tanzer. Riki will meet Nomad after the party defeats her pirate cronies within
the monster. Fei-on will appear shortly and Nomad, upon seeing him leaves.
Fei-on and Mei-ling were former lovers and the latter is unable to contain her
emotions. Riki runs off after Mei-ling and tries to console her. Fei-on will
then lead the way to his lair; follow him. Converse with the locals and heal
your characters before talking to Fei-on. He offers his assistance in looking
for the ring. Fei-on will lead the way again; follow him and you'll be okay.
Along the way, Nomad will harass you constantly with her pirates; try to evade
them as they'll only sap your energy. Riki and company will soon come across a
long corridor that stretches towards the left; explore the 3 other chambers for
treasure before entering the room at the lower-left corner to fight a sub-boss.
SUB-BOSS: Platyhooks and Razorback / HP: 1800 and 297 respectively (may change)
Cast the Guardian Ring, then get rid of the Razorback first. Try to set up a
combo using Gen's Double Slash (it should cost no WP if he's at Master level)
and T260's Junk Bazooka to finish off Platyhooks.
Try not to exhaust yourself in this battle, and save immediately after the fight.
When you're ready, climb down the hole into another chamber. Go down and make a
U-turn. Make sure you'll well-prepared before entering the tiny opening. Nomad's
in a fix, and you'll have to help her.
BOSS: Tanzer's Heart / HP: 4800
This one's a real pain. Throw all your combos at it, and make sure everyone has
access to healing items (on a side note, only Repair Kits can cure robots).
Be sure to use the Guardian Ring and don't hold back on your WPs or JPs. With
some luck, you'll get in a few decent attacks with your combos before the bas
-tard messes up your party (yes he's that difficult) with his attacks.
Nomad will give you the Thief Ring in exchange for saving her life. Tanzer
begins to collapse and the party escapes. At the exit, Fei-on will turn back
for the other survivors. Wait for a minute or so before heading towards the exit.
Fei-on should appear and leave with you. If he doesn't, try stalling a bit longer.
Revist the Junk shop once you're back in Scrap. They should have some new items
for you. When you're done, return to Koorong.
Destinations presented to you at Koorong airport:
Manhattan IRPO
Shrike Mosperiburg
Luminous Scrap
Magic Kingdom Owmi ---> Nelson
Kyo Baccarat
Yorkland Shingrow
Devin Wakatu
Other Other
Level up a bit here before going off to Shrike. Once there, you might want to
pay a visit to Nakajima Robotics to pick up another robot companion, Engineer
Car. Proceed to the Streets to gather some information. The children at the
play-ground will offer to take you to Sei's Tomb. Choose to accept their kind
offer.
Follow the trail into a small circular room. Ignore this for now and proceed
on through the next opening. Explore the many caves presented to you; you'll
find the pendant in the south-eastern opening. Return to the main room and take
note of 2 glowing plates; take the one to the left, nearest to where you first
entered. Again, follow the path to the bluish convex thingie and inspect it.
You'll fight a mini-boss and receive a sword. With both items in hand, confront
the 2 sleeping skeletons in the upper-right corner of the main room. Defeat
them and you'll gain access to the final artefact. Return to the circular room
and place each item on the 3 energy altars that appear. Enter the new cave that
opens and you'll meet Sei. He mistakes the party for tomb-raiders ^_^ and Riki
steps up to explain. Sei eventually gives you the Fighter Ring and joins Riki.
Note that you can't keep the Magatama, Murakamo Sword nor Mizukagami Shield in
Riki's chapter.
Head off to Yorkland now. Explore around a bit (ignore the path leading to the
swamp) and you'll come across Thunder, Lute's childhood friend in the southern
town. He'll offer to join your party.
Pay a visit to the sick girl here. You'll discover that she's been possessed by
a demon. Riki will have to fight it before it escapes. Mei-ling suggests returning
to Koorong to look for a doctor.
BOSS: Mollasite / HP: 6000
Nothing much really. Simply have your party bash away at him.
Nusakan can be found by tranversing the lower region of the town, then entering
a clinic. Note that you'll have to fend off a few flying enemies before this.
Mei-ling will persuade him into joining the party.
Back at Yorkland, Nusakan will advise you on how to tackle the monster; stick
to weak attacks (depleting less than 1000 HP) for the first 2 rounds or simply
defend, then go all out when the fellow destroys the bed.
BOSS: Mollasite / HP: 12000
This guy's a joke. Have your party members employ the same strategy (after he
wrecks the bed, of course), or you can choose to take him out with a bunch of
spectacular combos. Your choice.
Riki'll receive the Healer Ring plus 1000 C (converse with the father twice)
for his heroic efforts. Note that the ring restores the party's HP as well as
fallen companions when used in battle ; an invaluable replacement if you don't
have any cure spells or items left.
Return to Koorong and talk to Mei-ling; she'll mention about the existence of
another ring in Baccarat. You'll find the owner one level below the gambling
floor; check out the first room. When he turns to retrieve his ring, a mouse
will steal it from him. Chase after the thief and you'll eventually end up in
the Ghome Cave. Ignore the enemies here and concentrate on cornering the
critter (best spots for this are located in the southern portions of the cave).
You'll get your Hero Ring soon enough. On a side note, the Trisaurs found wan
-dering around here is an ideal monster for Riki to absorb.
Head off to Manhattan's shopping mall. The lady at the jewelry shop will tell
you that she's sold the ring to the Lord of Owmi. Return to Koorong and take
a flight to Owmi.
When you confront the Lord there, he'll trigger a trap, causing Riki to fall
into his enemy-infested basement. Fight the natives there, grabbing treasure
along the way. You'll soon encounter a giant squid blocking the way; ignore both
it and the treasure (it's a trap) nearby and proceed on into the next room. Recruit
Mesarthim the mermaid. Be sure to equip accessories that give protection against
water attacks before taking on the squid.
BOSS: Devil Squid / HP: 3000
Relatively easy compared to the other major boss battles. Stun Slash works well
here, and as long as you've equipped water-protective accessories, I don't see
it becoming much of a threat.
Follow the trail back to the mansion and ascend the stairs to the 2nd floor.
The Lord of Owmi will give you the Schemer Ring when you find him. Incidentally,
there are a few items in this mansion; explore the place thoroughly before
exiting.
Back in Koorong, Mei-ling will suggest disguising the party as maintenance workers
when Riki asks about entering the Prison of Despair. Liza will overhear their
conversation and tells them to look for Annie in front of the restaurant. The
latter will agree to lead the way if Riki says he trusts her.
The Prison Warden will at first suspect Mei-ling's motives, but gives in after
some thought. Keep on proceeding to the right once inside, following Annie when
she appears. You'll eventually meet the convict who has been sentenced to a
million years of imprisonment; the Prison Warden himself. He'll sympathize with
Riki's cause and give him the Hermit Ring.
Try to level up a bit back in Koorong as well as pay a visit to the Junk Shop
in Scrap; you'll need it for the next part. Purchase some of the weapons and
and armours here in Koorong if you can afford it. Some of them aren't available
elsewhere. You might also do some of the optional quests such as getting the
magical spells. Unfortunately, you can't do the Rune nor Time events if you've
been following my walkthru :( Anyway, these events usually net you some really
good items as well as companions. Check out FreaK's faq for Blue for a detailed
walkthrough. I've listed the address at the bottom.
Mosperiburg holds the last ring, and is the most tedious of dungeons you have
to tranverse in Riki's story. Start off by ascending the steps to the uppermost
storey; Virgil tells Riki that he'll have to pass 8 tests before receiving
the final ring. These are located in 8 different rooms through-out the mansion.
TEST 1: Search the 9 tombs presented to you for a Virgil Key. You can choose
to ignore the enemies if you wish.
TEST 2: This is a mini tournament in which Riki has to win twice in a row.
TEST 3: Don't be fooled by the music here; it can get frustrating. The
announcer will give Riki a name of a certain accessory, and Riki'll
have to tell him whether it's High or Low in terms of pricing. Answer
eight correctly to win this one.
NOTE: The first series of choices Riki gets when he talks to the
man asks him whether he understands the whole event. Choose
the first option to start the game. The second series is the
actual game itself. Also, guessing wrongly here results in a
battle with your party changed into adorable little Rockys...
just make sure your core party here comprises of people with
decent strength status for a quick fight ^_^
TEST 4: Inspect every individual barrel; Riki wins when he finds the mouse.
TEST 5: Collect all the money bags in the maze, then open the treasure chest
that falls. You can choose to ignore the enemies here.
TEST 6: Press the 3 switches on the floor to knock away the enemies wandering
about. A guide-book I own mentioned that Riki can also choose to defeat
the enemies himself.
TEST 7: Watch the lady carefully, then follow the path she takes. Mess up and
you'll have to fight a monster.
TEST 8: Walk onto the round platform to trigger off a fight with 25 to 30 flaming
slimes.
BOSS: Magma Slimes / HP: ????
Their attacks deplete your LP directly, so you might want to concentrate on using
powerful linked attacks (2 Gale Slash works well) that give damage to every
monster and putting people with high LP (normally robots) in your team. If you're
good, you can afford to take out all 5 slimes in a single round and get the job
done within 5 to 6 rounds. LP restoration items are also a must here.
When you're done, replenish and save your game. You can now return to Virgil
and engage her in combat.
BOSS: Virgil / HP: ????
She can only be defeated with the use of linked attacks under a certain amount
of time. Riki needs to hit 10 points to win this fight. I suggest that you
complete all the spell events before tackling her, as you'll find that you have
a wider variety of attacks to link up due to the addition of magical spells.
Also, note that the repeated use of the same linked attacks does not add to
the total.
POINT-SCORING SYSTEM:
Level 2 Combo = 0 points
Level 3 Combo = 2 points
Level 4 Combo = 3 points
Level 5 Combo = 5 points (it's possible, but you'll have to find Riki a
compatible monster to absorb)
If you're really having trouble here, check out Chocobo's SaGa Frontier Page
at www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Stadium/5172 and look under Skills/Combos.
You'll find a wide assortment of combos to try out there.
Riki returns to his homeland amidst celebrations among his friends. They urge
him to report to the Elder, and following that Riki will be treated to a spec
-tacular view of his flourishing home.
When Riki finally re-visits his friends, he discovers to his horror that they're
disappearing one by one. He then realizes that the rings are actually drawing
upon the power of his tribe to sustain Margmel. At this point, Mei-ling gets
possessed by her Black Ring and morphs into a huge monster; Riki will have to
take on his former ally in a fight to the finish.
FINAL BOSS: Master Ring / HP: ????
Mei-ling will be assisted by the 9 rings in this final battle. If Riki destroys
all of them, she'll retaliate with an attack that whallops real bad, so just
take out 8 and leave the last one. The Guardian Ring and any other protective
spells such as Glass Shield and Psychic Prison are a must here. Also, make sure
you get Mei-ling out of the main party so that you don't get stuck with only 4
members when fighting her. Finally, blow all your hard-earned money on fitting
your characters with the best arsenal and recuperative items.
Mei-ling will revert back to normal after the battle. And Riki, not wanting a
repeat of this event, decides to return the rings.
Well, that's all for now. I'll probably follow up with version 2.1 shortly
after my exams ^_^
Credits:
FreaK ed (silverdude21@hotmail.com) for help on translations. He's also written
a FAQ for Blue at www.gamefaqs.com.
GamePlayers Magazine which was my main source of info for this walkthrough.
I recommend that you buy this mag if you can read Chinese as they offer some
of the most detailed walkthroughs for the newest games.
BradyGames' Official Strategy Guide for SaGa Frontier which was the main
source of info for enemy data contained within this walkthru as well as my
reference guide for the U.S version.
Aeon for corrections on the infinite items trick in the Junk Shop.
You are free to use this guide in any way as long as you give me credit for it.
Comments, criticism, questions and any corrections are welcome. E-mail me at
cephiroth@yahoo.com.
