Game: Luminous Arc 2 FAQ: Tips and Secrets Guide Author: cuc Version: Final Last Updated: Aug 31, 2010 Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Rare and Secret Item Guide 2.1 MVP 2.2 Main Story 2.3 Guild Quest 2.4 Spa Quest 2.5 Wi-Fi Game III. New Game+ and Other Questions 3.1 New Game+ 3.2 Important Bugs 3.3 Bonus Content 3.4 Completion Rate 3.5 Endings 3.6 Requirements for 100% Completion 3.7 Intermission 3.8 Spa Conversation 3.9 Tips and Advice for a New Player 3.10 "Gather Info" Dialog Updates 3.11 Side Quest 3.12 Intermission Chart 3.13 Explaining the FP and Intermission System 3.14 Determining the MVP IV. Endgame Item List 4.1 Weapon 4.2 Helm 4.3 Armor 4.4 Useable Item 4.5 Lapis Arts V. Links and Misc. 5.1 Links 5.2 History 5.3 Credit I. Introduction This guide is intended to be a quick reference for secrets, harder to get items, 100% completion and endgame equipments, in other words, odds and ends other FAQs haven't perfectly covered. It can be used as a supplement to other guides. The guide has three main parts. The "rare and secret item guide" is intended for all LA2 players. It provides information on secret items throughout the game. The "new game+ and other questions" explains a few things about bugs, intermissions, game endings, multiple playthroughs, getting 100% completion, and related issues. The "endgame item list" is intended for people who are getting into LA2's endgame. It's a quick lookup of LA2's most powerful items. This guide includes a section specially for people who don't want to spent too much time on LA2 yet would like to see as much of LA2 as possible. Search for "advice" (without the quotation marks) to view it. II. Rare and Secret Item Guide Basic concept: Fortune Beast Fortune Beasts are special enemies that carry treasures. They often have twice the HP of an ordinary enemy of the same level. In main story battles, they only appear when special conditions are met; in some quests they are already on the battlefield. A Fortune Beast always has a different color scheme from other enemies on battlefield. In the Japanese version, a Fortune Beast's enemy type is usually marked with an F at the beginning (i.e. "F Gryphon", "F Goblin"). In the English version, it's sometimes an X at the end (i.e. "GryphonX"), other times a fanciful name (i.e. "Ghobblyn"). 2.1 MVP The full MVP Lapis table can be found here: http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=943145&topic=50700014 Among those, some good Lapis are hard to get, or easy to miss: Name: Buoyant Effect: Waterwalk MVP Drop: Roland Ch8-15 & Ch24-30, Luna Ch8-15 Name: Bound Gem Effect: JUMP increases by 2 MVP Drop: Pop Ch8-15, Therese Ch8-15 Name: Skanda Garment Effect: AO increases by 2 MVP Drop: Pip Ch16-23, Josie Ch16-23, Ayano Ch16-30 Name: Tiger's Eye Effect: Critical rate up 50% MVP Drop: Ayano Ch24-30 Name: Frost Orb Effect: May Freeze enemy MVP Drop: Josie Ch16-23, Fatima Ch16-23 * Because of the time Josie and Fatima join the party, Frost Orb is unlikely to be obtained during the first playthrough. Freezing is the most useful status ailment in single player game. A Frozen unit is one-hit KO'd by ANYONE using the standard "Attack" command, regardless of levels and stats. The chance of Orbs taking effect isn't 100% though, and you're still going to rely on Fatima's spells to Freeze your enemies. 2.2 Main Story Format: Item: item name Dropped by: enemy type Trigger: condition for the Fortune Beast to appear Duration: the duration in which the trigger takes effect Starting enemy: number of initial enemies Reinforcement: number of the 1st wave of reinforcements Trigger: condition for the 1st wave Reinforcement: number of the 2nd wave of reinforcements Trigger: condition for the 2nd wave In main story battles, most hidden items come from Fortune Beasts, and all FB triggers are tied to two variables: the number of enemies on battlefield, and Roland's turns. That's why the guide includes enemy numbers as reference. In most cases (except for Ch22), even if the regular reinforcements have been triggered before the FB, as long as enough enemies are eliminated in time so the FB condition can be fulfilled, the FB would still appear. Prologue ~Carnava, The Grand Kingdom~ Item: Squib Dropped by: Rasche A hidden item in the tutorial battle! The trick is, the battle ends once Rasche's HP is low (crounching). So you have to first attack him from the front, reducing his HP to about 57, then move to his side or back, and deal the final blow (perhaps with Gale Slice). Also, even in New Game+, you're still using a Lv 1 Roland in this battle. Chapter 1 ~A Sky Full of Star Flowers~ Item: VitaMint Dropped by: Josie If Steiner steals the final blow, you won't get this item. Chapter 4 ~Race for the Cure~ Item: Squib Dropped by: Beetle Trigger: Unknown The condition is not clear, but this Beetle is very easy to trigger. Consider it a tutorial to the Fortune Beast concept. Chapter 8 ~An End to Enigmas~ 2nd Battle Item: MagiSoda Dropped by: Crab Trigger: Unknown Still an easy one. Chapter 11 ~The Gathering Darkness~ 1st Battle Item: Grenade Dropped by: Golemite Trigger: Enemy number is 4 or less Duration: Roland's 4th turn ends ~ Roland's 5th turn begins Starting enemy: 6 Reinforcement: 4 Trigger: Enemy number is 2 or less Chapter 12 ~Requiem~ Item: Elixir Dropped by: GryphonX Trigger: Enemy number is 5 or less Duration: Roland's 4th turn ends ~ Roland's 5th turn begins Starting enemy: 8 Chapter 15 ~Master of the Demon Blade~ 1st Battle Item: HolyWing Dropped by: Unicorn Trigger: Enemy number is 8 or less Duration: Roland's 2nd turn ends ~ Roland's 3rd turn begins Starting enemy: 9 Chapter 17 ~Promises~ Item: Dynamite Dropped by: Fiend Trigger: Enemy number is 4 or less Duration: Roland's 5th turn ends ~ Roland's 6th turn begins Starting enemy: 7 Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 2 or less Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 1 or less Chapter 19 ~Conclusions at the Gate~ 2nd Battle Item: Drive-Max Dropped by: D Beetle Trigger: Enemy number is 8 or less Duration: Roland's 2nd turn ends ~ Roland's 3rd turn begins Starting enemy: 10 Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 5 or less *** From this point on, secret items are important equipments. *** Chapter 22 ~The Bonds of Injustice~ Item: Argentum Dropped by: Sorcerer Trigger: Enemy number is 1 or less Duration: Roland's 3rd turn ends ~ Roland's 4th turn begins Starting enemy: 7 Reinforcement: 7 Trigger: Enemy number is 2 or less First of all, while the condition is written this way, it's virtually impossible to fulfill it at Roland's 3rd turn. In reality, you are aiming to eliminate the enemies BEFORE Roland's 4th turn begins. The situation is: -You start at one end of a long corridor. -There are 4 unarmored knights guarding the hall, and at the other end are 3 armored knights. What you need to do, is to push forward with your Witches with higher MOVE values, and eliminate the unarmored enemies as quickly as possible. By the time the armored knights' 3rd turn comes, you should have one unit standing in the direction they are facing, causing all 3 to move forward. You can then use area attack to defeat them in one or two moves. Once you succeed, along with the regular reinforcement, a sorcerer would appear at your starting point. Maybe 2 unarmored knights aren't in a X-shaped area when you need them to. Maybe the armored knight in the middle do not move forward as your unit isn't in the right area (and thus can't be covered with a X-shaped area magic). Since the condition is "1 enemy or less", there is a little room for errors like these. This may be hard to do on your first playthrough. Sadie's great speed and area magic is essential, and high-level Althea definitely makes it easy. Also, be careful with the sorcerer's magic. It has a very long range. *** After the battle of Chapter 23, the hot spring quest opens up at Hemill Ruin. *** Chapter 25 ~A True Knight~ 1st Battle Item: Illusion Dropped by: Ghobblyn Trigger: Enemy number is 6 or less Duration: Roland's 4th turn ends ~ Roland's 5th turn begins Starting enemy: 9 Chapter 26 ~A Time for Truth~ Item: Rev Robe Dropped by: Beetle X Trigger: Enemy number is 6 or less Duration: Roland's 3rd turn ends ~ Roland's 4th turn begins Starting enemy: 8 Chapter 27 ~To Stave off the Darkness...~ Item: Uber Coat Dropped by: Toad X Trigger: Enemy number is 4 or less Duration: Roland's 6th turn ends ~ Roland's 7th turn begins Starting enemy: 8 Side Quest ~Master's Trial~ Item: True Demon Blade After Ch27's battle: Tottori Region > Tottori Desert > Talk to Josie Tottori Region > Stiles Ruins > Talk to Josie Roland vs. Mattias. You only need to do a certain amount of damage to win. After the battle, dialogue choices: "The dead cannot return." > "Because I'm a Knight!" > "I'm still worried." Chapter 28a ~Shattered Dreams~ Item: Firebird Wand Dropped by: BlazBomb Trigger: Enemy number is 5 or less Duration: Roland's 4th turn ends ~ Roland's 5th turn begins Starting enemy: 9 Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 6 or less Chapter 28b ~Extinguishing Flame~ Item: Hades Whip Dropped by: Crab Trigger: Enemy number is 4 or less Duration: Roland's 4th turn ends ~ Roland's 5th turn begins Starting enemy: 5 Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: 16 total unit turns have passed Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 3 or less Chapter 29 ~Inherited Duty~ 1st Battle Item: Philoctetes Dropped by: Fiend X Trigger: Enemy number is 5 or less Duration: Roland's 6th turn ends ~ Roland's 7th turn begins Starting enemy: 9 Reinforcement: 3 Trigger: Enemy number is 3 or less 2nd Battle Item: Tepoztopilli Dropped by: Golemite Trigger: Only Bharva remains Duration: Roland's 12th turn ends ~ Roland's 13th turn ends? Starting enemy: 6 Reinforcement: 2 Trigger: 24 total unit turns have passed Reinforcement: 2 Trigger: 42 total unit turns have passed *** In Chapter 30, when Dia asks the question about whether you are prepared for the final battle, choose "No" to return to world map. This way you can still buy items and do quests. *** 2.3 Guild Quest This part lists Lapis Arts or important items gained in Quests. If an item's dropper is not listed, it means you're guaranteed to get it after the battle. Some notes not wholly related to items: Five quests contain story elements: Mage Thugs?, Give a Hoot, The Experiment, Sand & Spooks, Rainbow Road. Rainbow Road is a must-do quest for the first playthrough. It rewards you with two party members. Training 3 and Test o' Might are two extremely useful quests that take a short time to do, have great reward, and can be repeated. Some quests can only be done once. This means not only are they removed from the guild after completion, but also they won't appear in subsequent New Game+ playthroughs. -Beetle Man Duration: Ch5 Area: Castle Gate Reward: DP+5 Item: EXP+15% Dropped by: D Beetle Monster capture mission. The mission ends when the Death Beetle's HP is lower than 1/4. When its HP is near 1/4, use a powerful attack to reduce its HP to 0 in order to get EXP+15%. -Ribbit Up Duration: Ch8-9 Area: Hemill Ruin Reward: Brook Crystal Item: Parch Charm -Ghost Trap Duration: Ch11-12 Area: Azul Cave Reward: Hauberk Item: Rico+50% Dropped by: Phantom Monster capture mission. The method is the same as above. -A Collector Duration: Ch11 Area: Ozark Plains Reward: Leap Gem Item: DEF+15 Dropped by: Lizardo Monster capture mission. The method is the same as above. This is the first quest that actually has some difficulty, as the enemies can be much tougher than you on your first playthrough. -Monk Mischief Duration: Ch12 Area: Castle Gate Reward: Pep Item: Wolf's Eye Dropped by: MstrMonk Bringing a party member adjacent to the gatekeeper Hans ends the mission. At AO 60, ATK/DEF/RES 180+, Master Monk is absurdly strong. Fight the other enemies first, then use FD on Master Monk. Don't forget the bombs (items that do a fixed amount of damage) in your inventory. -Traitors Duration: Ch13-15 Area: Azul Forest Reward: Galea Item: Leech -Delivery 4 Duration: Ch13 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Azul Cave Reward: Focus Item: ATK+20 Dropped by: Terror Delivery mission, moving to the EXIT tile ends the mission. Terror has 1800 HP. Make good use of the geography and Buoyant. -Mistia 911 Duration: Ch14 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Mistia Reward: Impact Item: SPD+15 -Succubuster Duration: Ch16 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Calcus Highway Reward: Leech Item: HP/MP+15% -Tour Guide Duration: Ch17 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Granend Front Reward: Vim Item: DP+10 Dropped by: Geist Delivery mission, moving to the EXIT tile ends the mission. -Training 3 *Highly recommended* Duration: Ch18-19 Area: Castle Gate Reward: Sage Robe Item: HP+30% Dropped by: Knight Item: MP+30% Dropped by: HiPriest The mission ends when Hans the Knight OR Amanda the High Priest is defeated. Hans drops HP+30%, and Amanda drops MP+30%. Both are of great help. Now that you should already be able to use Ignis Blaze, try to defeat them both in one shot. If you feel like powerleveling, this is one of the best places in the whole game. -Dog Days Duration: Ch18 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Mt. Redhelm Reward: Stone Wall Item: Impact Item: Bound Gem Dropped by: Basilisk AND GryphonX Defeat both Basilisk and GryphonX to get Bound Gem. *** Once the Chapter 19 story battle concludes, the guild can no longer be accessed until Chapter 25. Do quests before the battle. *** -Predicament Duration: Ch19 Area: Ozark Plains Reward: Magi-Max x5 Item: SPD+20 Dropped by: Basilisk, Minotaur The mission ends when 2 of the 4 enemies are defeated. Both the Lv 32 Basilisk and the Lv 31 Minotaur drop SPD+20. Target them to get two SPD+20. Actually it should not be difficult to eliminate all 4 at this stage. Selling the 5 Magi-Max will get you 4000R, which can be useful at the moment. -Snake Scares Duration: Ch19 Area: Mialsa Mabriton Reward: Tiger's Eye Item: VitaTea Dropped by: Viper X Item: MagiTea Dropped by: Viper X The mission ends when 2 of the 3 Viper X are defeated. The two Lv 32 Viper X drop potions, while the Lv 33 Viper X drops nothing. *** The guild reopens at Chapter 25. *** -Club Trouble Duration: Ch25 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Pearl Park Reward: Juturnus Fan Item: EXP+30% -Snow Wars Duration: Ch26-28 Area: Ice Hermitage Reward: Bluefin Staff Item: Wizard Heart -It's Magic! Duration: Ch26 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Lago Springs Reward: Distant Sun Item: Void Crystal This is one of the harder quests. Be careful of enemy mages' range. Make use of Sadie and Buoyant. -Rainbow Road **Essential** Duration: Ch27-30 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Ice Hermitage Reward: Ginseimaru Item: Dynamite Rainbow Road's greatest reward are two party members, Alice and Therese. Therese is one of the game's best melee fighters. -Training X Duration: Ch27 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Azul Forest Reward: Mahogany Mallet Item: Healing Touch -Demon King Duration: Ch28 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Farham Reward: Fujin Trumpet Item: HP/MP+20% -Cow Dare You Duration: Ch29-30 Area: Bullhelm Volcano Reward: Mana Material Item: Dynamite Repeating this quest is the only way in game to get more Mana Material other than multiple playthroughs. -It's no Bull Duration: Ch29 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Tottori Desert Reward: Hades Whip Item: Vim Dropped by: Ghobblyn Item: Meditate Dropped by: Taurus The mission ends when Ownyqi the Goblin OR Valine the Minotaur is defeated, similar to Training 3. Try freezing Ownyqi with Fatima. Be warned, unlike other minotaurs, Valine can cast spells. *** In Chapter 30, when Dia asks the question about whether you are prepared for the final battle, choose "No" to return to world map. This way you can still buy items and do quests. *** -Test o' Might *Highly recommended* Duration: Ch30 Area: Training Area Reward: 20000R Item: Aigis Kabuto, Green Beret, Chiron Hood, Goddess Tiara A party of adventurers who pretend to be world-saving heroes. The priest can't heal, the archer has low ATK, the mage has low MAG, only the "Hero" seems strong. Ignore the priest and the archer, and concentrate on eliminating the mage, then turn to the "Hero". This quest is repeatable. If you are strong enough, you can keep doing it and then sell the helms to earn money. -Hot Spirits Duration: Ch30 (one-time mission, can't be repeated) Area: Bullhelm Volcano Reward: Firebird Wand Item: Blaze Crystal, Lucia's Present After defeating 2 of the 3 enemies, 6 BlazBomb will appear. They're very dangerous if not handled carefully. Freeze them with Fatima. 2.4 Spa Quest Winning the battle of Chapter 23 opens up the hot spring quest, also referred to as the spa quest. Completing the entire quest earns you the following Lapis Arts: Paragon Spirit, Mage Qn. Spirit, Vigor, Nirvana and Vampyr. Note that this is the only way in the whole game to obtain Mage Qn. Spirit, Vigor and Nirvana. Check out other guides for info on beating the hot springs. 2.5 Wi-Fi Game The Wi-Fi game function is enabled after you reach Chapter 13 for your first time. Winners of Wi-Fi games are rewarded with rare items. This is determined by the average level of your party. Lower than 40: common items. Around 40-50: 4 best helms, 4 best armors, Cursed Knife, Adversity Soul. Higher than 50: Jewels, Paragon Spirit. Note that the only way to obtain Cursed Knife, Adversity Soul is to play the Wi-Fi game with a party around Lv 40-50; the only way to obtain Jewels is to play with a Lv 50+ party. III. New Game+ and Other Questions 3.1 What do you keep in a New Game+ save? All party members can be used in any mission. Their levels, FP and equipments are kept. All items and money are kept. All one-time guild quests you have completed are no longer available. 3.2 Is there anything to keep in mind about New Game+? -In the Japanese version, if you do "Rainbow Road" in your New Game+ playthrough, Alice and Therese are unable to learn their FD Lv 2&3. The bug seems to be absent from the English version, but it's still a good idea to do "Rainbow Road" in the first playthrough. 3.3 What bonus contents are unlocked by beating the game? -Gallery and Sound Test are unlocked. -Scene Replay is unlocked. Unfortunately, it only replays spa conversations. -Character Profile is unlocked after you've completed both endings. -Kopin Theater is unlocked if Completion Rate is above 80%. -Three additional Kopin Theater stories are unlocked at even higher levels of completion, with the last one requiring 100%. -Swimsuits version of the party members can be viewed in Profile, if Completion Rate is 100%. 3.4 What counts toward Completion Rate? -All main story content, including both routes at Chapter 22-23, and both endings. -All intermissions. -All guild quests. -Five side quests. -All spa conversations. 3.5 What determines the ending? The dialogue choices in main story battles decide the ending. Suppose there is a variable V. At the beginning, V=0. The choices changes its value: Ch3 "You should cooperate." +1 Ch8 "Ask about Fatima's plan" +1 Ch11 "Why use the Demon Blade?" -> "Murder isn't peace." +1 -> "We should work together." +2 Ch13 "Ask about Farham" +1 Ch15 "Revenge for my father!" +1 Ch18 "To protect the people." -> "Master Mattias is wrong." +1 -> "There's no true justice." +2 Ch21 "We have to cooperate!" -> "I want to help you." +1 -> "This is Master's will." -> "You're our friend." +3 -> "We have the same goal." +2 After Chapter 21's choice, if V<9, Chapter 28 will be "Shattered Dreams", and Althea's ending will happen. If V>=9, Chapter 28 will be "Extinguishing Flames", and Fatima's ending will happen. 3.6 How many playthroughs are required for 100%? 4 playthroughs are required, since each playthrough only allows you to see 3 final intermissions, and there are 12 of them. 3.7 Is there anything to keep in mind about intermissions? In LA2, party members' relationship values (FP meter, FP stands for "Philia Point") do not affect anything other than their final intermissions. After the battle of Chapter 27, Roland can speak to 3 characters whose FP meters are at least half-filled. This is the final intermission. If you are serious about getting 100% completion, you may try to concentrate on getting 3 characters' all intermissions for each playthrough. It's not the only way to get 100%, but it saves a lot of trouble. To that end, there is only one method. Concentrate on these characters during the playthroughs (the order doesn't matter): -Rina, Luna, Fatima (Choose "Find escape route" in Chapter 22) -Rasche, Sadie, Karen (Choose "Save Fatima" in Chapter 22) -Althea, Kaph, Pop (Choose "Find escape route" in Chapter 22) -Dia, Pip, Josie (Choose "Save Fatima" in Chapter 22) For the purpose of Completion Rate, seeing an intermission once is enough, you don't need to see all three different outcomes. There is a bug with Karen's Ch22 intermission: the dialogue is the same between the two Ch22-23 story routes, yet the outcome of the choice differs. -"Save Fatima": "Sure, whatever" -> "Comfort her" -> Best Break -"Find escape route": "Sure, whatever" -> "Cheer her up" -> Best Break (According to LA2 Ultimate Book, "Cheer her up" should be the correct choice for Best Break.) The two Ch22-23 routes have different intermissions in Chapter 23. Althea has two different final intermissions for each ending, but seeing both is not necessary for 100% completion. The main story dialogue choices also affects the FP of Althea and Fatima. 3.8 Is there anything to keep in mind about spa conversations? There are 5 hot springs. For each spring, the process is: Two consecutive battles -> conversation -> two consecutive battles -> conversation -> boss battle -> conversation You can only view spa conversation with characters you brought into the battle. Each of the 15 party members has 3 spa conversations. There's no spa conversation for Alice and Therese. During each playthrough, you have to watch a character's all 3 spa conversations in order for it to be registered, so that it adds to Completion Rate and appears in Scene Replay. If you don't see all 3 in one playthrough, it won't be registered. In short, it's best to just speak to one character in each spring. 3.9 Any advice for people who don't want to get 100% or play the endgame? -Don't bother leveling up all characters, it's impractical. Choose your favorite units, and stick to them. Be sure to use Althea and Fatima, who has the best abilities. -Do all five side quests. -Five guild quests contain story elements: Mage Thugs?, Give a Hoot, The Experiment, Sand & Spooks, Rainbow Road. At the very least, do "Rainbow Road" to get all party members. -You have to do quests to get enough experience for beating the game. Not all quests are fun, but some are harder than main story battles, or had extra-powerful enemies, thus are more interesting. -If you want to unlock the character profiles, you still need to beat the game twice, one ending each time. -If you only want to see all of the story, you may choose all Fatima-oriented story choices until you enter Chapter 21, and keep a save there. From this save, you can choose "Okay, it's your moment." to enter Althea's ending, and "We have to cooperate!" to enter Fatima's ending. -In Chapter 22, choose "Find escape route" if you are on Althea's route, and "Save Fatima" if you are on Fatima's route. This isn't necessary at all, but makes for smoother storytelling. -If you've played and liked LA1, there are some cameos to see in the spa quest. You only have to beat the first hot spring. -You've not seen all unit types of LA2, until you've entered the second hot spring and fought Lost Kopin ("? Kopin") in the spring's first battle, and Water Kopin in the second battle. -If you don't plan to beat the game 4 times, you may save before ending each story battle to view all intermissions, starting with Chapter 3. (Too bad the game doesn't have soft reset function.) Obviously, you don't have to do so if you feel it isn't worth the effort. Spa conversations are (even) fluffier, and not necessarily must-see (except for seeing the party in swimsuits). -Sadie has the best intermissions; Althea, Fatima, Rina and Rasche's final intermissions are the most relevant to the story. So if you are not going to beat the game more than twice, consider viewing these intermissions over others. 3.10 When do those "gather info" dialogs change to reflect story progress? Ch12: Training Ground Ch13: Conference Room, Guest Room, City Plaza, Lian Tree Castle Ch15: Lian Tree Castle Ch18: Rev Magic Association (speak to school nurse), Guest Room (B-Witched) Ch27: Research Lab, Training Ground, Castle Gate, Conference Room, Guest Room, Palace Hall, Royal Garden Ch28: Arts Plant (speak to female researcher) 3.11 How to get to the side quests? Side Quest: ~Time Capsule~ Duration: Ch4 - Before Ch10's battle Royal Carnava > Royal Lab > Talk to Rina Cathul Region > Calcus Highway > Dig up box Side Quest: ~Kaph's Scoop~ Duration: After Ch17's battle - Before Ch20's battle Tofolk Region > Rev Academy > Find Kaph Calzard Region > Mistia > Find Kaph Side Quest: ~Crab Feast~ Duration: After Ch17's battle - Before Ch21's battle Elzo Region > Mialsa Mabriton > Visit restaurant Tofolk Region > Azul Forest > Hunt for crabs Side Quest: ~Rosetta Rosso~ Duration: After Ch25's battle Cathul Region > Calcus Highway > Talk to Karen Cathul Region > Pearl Park > Talk to Karen Side Quest: ~Master's Trial~ See the "main story" section. 3.12 Is there an intermission chart? | 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9|10|11|12|13|14|15|17|18|19|20|21|22|23|24|25|26 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rasche | X| X| | | | X| | | | X| | | X| | | X| | X| | | | | Rina | X| X| | X| | | | X| | | | X| | X| | | X| | | | | X| Althea | | | X| | X| | | | | X| | | | | | X| | | |ER| | | Dia | | | X| | X| | | X| | | X| | | | | X| | | |SF| | | X Pip | | | | X| | | X| | X| | | X| X| | | | | X| | | | | Kaph | | | | | | X| | | | | X| | | X| | | | X| | | X| | Luna | | | | | | | X| | X| | | | X| | X| | | | |ER| | | Pop | | | | | | | | | | | | X| | | X| | X| | | | | X| Sadie | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X| | | X| | |SF| X| | Josie | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X| | | X| Karen | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X| | | | X Fatima | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | X| | X SF stands for "Save Fatima" at the Ch22 choice. ER stands for "Find escape route". 3.13 Explaining the FP and Intermission System Here it is, detailed explanation of the FP system, straight from LA2 Ultimate Book, scanned by HellGundam7, and verified by slivers7. Let's hope it may prove useful some day - perhaps when someone wants to write "Let's Play LA2"? The max value of FP is 100. For the FP heart icon: Empty: 0 - 24 1/4 full: 25 - 49 1/2 full: 50 - 74 3/4 full: 75 - 99 Full: 100 You may view a character's final intermission when his FP is 60 or higher. The characters' data: Init. = Initial FP value in a new game Norm = FP increase in Normal Breaks Good = FP increase in Good Breaks Best = FP increase in Best Breaks No. = Total number of intermissions Min. = Minimal Best Breaks needed for FP to reach 60 Name |Ini |Norm |Good |Best |Min/No. --------------------------------------- Rasche | 25 | +2 | +5 | +10 | 4/7 Rina | 20 | +2 | +5 | +10 | 4/8 Althea | 10 | +2 | +5 | +10 | */5 Dia | 25 | +2 | +5 | +10 | 4/7 Pip | 30 | +2 | +5 | +10 | 3/6 --------------------------------------- Kaph | 35 | +3 | +5 | +12 | 3/5 Luna | 35 | +3 | +5 | +12 | 3/5 Pop | 35 | +3 | +5 | +12 | 3/4 --------------------------------------- Sadie | 40 | 0 | +10 | +15 | 2/4 Karen | 45 | 0 | +10 | +15 | 1/2 Josie | 45 | 0 | +10 | +15 | 1/2 Fatima | 45 | 0 | +10 | +15 | */2 The effects of main story dialogue choices on Althea and Fatima's FP: Ch3 "I fight for justice!" Althea +7 "You should cooperate." Fatima +7 Ch8 "Ask about Fatima's plan" Fatima +7 "Back Althea up" Althea +7 Ch11 "Why use Fatima?" 0 "Why use the Demon Blade?" -> "Murder isn't peace!" Althea +5 -> "We should work together." Fatima +7 Ch13 "Agree with Althea" Althea +7 "Ask about Farham." Fatima +7 Ch15 "To save the world!" Althea +7 "Revenge for my father!" Fatima +7 Ch18 "" Althea +7 "To protect the people" -> "Master Mattias is wrong." Althea +5 -> "There's no true justice." Fatima +7 3.14 What determines the MVP in a battle? A point system determines the MVP of a battle. These actions add to MVP points: 3 pts: using healing and buffs on a party member 5 pts: using an item 10 pts: reviving a party member 10 pts: dealing the final blow on an enemy When more than one person have the same highest MVP points, the last person in the order of player selecting units in the pre-battle screen becomes the MVP. IV. Endgame Item List 4.1 Weapon All party members except Karen and Therese have a weapon that are earned as quest reward or loot, and this is their second-best weapon. The best weapons are sold in Hemill Ruin for 10000 Rico after completing the spa quest. Weapon Name |User |ATK |Other |Obtained -------------------------------------------------------------- True Demon Blade |Roland |75 |MAG+40 MP+50 |Ch27 Side Quest Rigor Mortis |Roland |80 |MAG+50 TEC+20 |Hemill 10000 Tepoztopilli |Rasche |70 |TEC+10 |Ch29 Drop* Sky Piercer |Rasche |80 |TEC+10 |Hemill 10000 Philoctetes |Rina |65 |TEC-20 |Ch29 Drop* Artemis |Rina |120 |TEC-40 |Hemill 10000 Firebird Wand |Althea |50 |MAG+50 MP+40 |Ch28a* / Reward Simurgh Wand |Althea |50 |MAG+70 |Hemill 10000 Distant Sun |Dia |45 |MAG+60 |Quest Reward Hyperion Baton |Dia |50 |MAG+73 |Hemill 10000 Pastissier Whisk |Pip |42 |MAG+65 |Quest Reward Gran-Patissier |Pip |80 |MAG+72 |Hemill 10000 Key-gun-tar |Kaph |59 |MAG+20 |Quest Reward Ionokaphter |Kaph |68 |MAG+10 TEC+10 |Hemill 10000 Juturnus Fan |Luna |30 |MAG+65 |Quest Reward Aquarius Fan |Luna |60 |MAG+75 |Hemill 10000 Mahogany Mallet |Pop |70 |MAG+49 |Quest Reward The Arbominator |Pop |80 |MAG+60 |Hemill 10000 Fujin Trumpet |Sadie |30 |MAG+63 MP+20 |Quest Reward Horn of Anemoi |Sadie |90 |MAG+70 MP-10 |Hemill 10000 Bluefin Staff |Josie |49 |MAG+75 |Quest Reward Exercat |Josie |56 |MAG+80 MP+30 |Hemill 10000 Eternal Rosso |Karen |80 |TEC+30 |Hemill 10000 Hades Whip |Fatima |59 |MAG+65 |Ch28b* / Reward Void Whip |Fatima |80 |MAG+80 MP+20 |Hemill 10000 Ginseimaru |Ayano |70 | |Quest Reward ShinGinseimaru |Ayano |85 | |Hemill 10000 Lochaber Axe |Gaston |75 |TEC-20 |Quest Reward "Ko" |Gaston |90 | |Hemill 10000 Glorious Lance |Richter |62 |TEC+20 |Quest Reward Champion's Lance |Richter |70 |TEC+20 MP+20 |Hemill 10000 Lucia's Present |Alice |30 |MAG+65 |Quest Drop** Pollon-Pollon |Alice |0 |MAG+72 MP-10 |Hemill 10000 Kopin-Kopin |Therese |100 |MAG+5 TEC-15 |Hemill 10000 * Can be missed; see the "main story" section for how to obtain them. ** "Hot Spirits", Ch30. 4.2 Helm Helm Users: Roland, Rasche, Gaston, Richter Hat Users: Rina, Kaph, Karen, Ayano, Therese Hood Users: Dia, Pip, Luna, Josie, Fatima Hairdress Users: Althea, Pop, Sadie, Alice Helm Name |Type |RES |Other |Obtained ----------------------------------------------------------------- Massive Helm |Helm |90 |HP+40 ATK+40 |Hemill 6000 Barred Helm |Helm |95 |ATK+10 TEC+30 |Hemill 6000 Rune Helm |Helm |100 |MP+20 |Hemill 6000 Aigis Kabuto |Helm |99 |DEF+30 |Quest Drop / Wi-Fi Homberg |Hat |89 |ATK+30 TEC+5 |Hemill 6000 Top Hat |Hat |95 |ATK+10 TEC+5 |Hemill 6000 Runic Cap |Hat |100 |MP+20 TEC+10 |Hemill 6000 Green Beret |Hat |92 |HP+60 TEC+5 |Quest Drop / Wi-Fi Magical Hood |Hood |90 |MP+30 |Hemill 6000 Angel Hood |Hood |103 |HP+50 DEF+20 |Hemill 6000 Runic Hood |Hood |106 |MP+20 DEF+15 |Hemill 6000 Chiron Hood |Hood |95 |DEF+30 TEC+30 |Quest Drop / Wi-Fi Gold Headband |Hair |101 |DEF+30 |Hemill 6000 Princess Crown |Hair |102 |MP+10 TEC+10 |Hemill 6000 Rune Ribbon |Hair |95 |MP+20 |Hemill 6000 Goddess Tiara |Hair |110 |DEF+20 |Quest Drop / Wi-Fi Aigis Kabuto, Green Beret, Chiron Hood and Goddess Tiara are all obtained through the Ch30 quest "Test o' Might". In fact, completing "Test o' Might", selling the 4 helms and then repeating it is one of the best methods to earn money in game. 4.3 Armor Armor Users: Roland, Rasche, Gaston, Richter Clothes Users: Rina, Kaph, Karen, Ayano, Therese Robe Users: Dia, Pip, Luna, Josie, Fatima Coat Users: Althea, Pop, Sadie, Alice Armor Name |Type |DEF |Other |Obtained ------------------------------------------------------------------ Curieux |Armor |90 |HP+40 MAG+40 |Hemill 7500 Armotron |Armor |103 |MAG+10 SPD+30 |Hemill 7500 Runic Plate |Armor |106 |MP+20 |Hemill 7500 Argentum |Armor |100 |RES+30 Silver*|Ch22 Drop** / Wi-Fi Ley Vest |Clothes |91 |MAG+30 SPD+5 |Hemill 7500 Mirage |Clothes |102 |MAG+12 RES+5 |Hemill 7500 Runic Tunic |Clothes |95 |MP+20 SPD+10 |Hemill 7500 Illusion |Clothes |110 |HP+60 SPD+5 |Ch25 Drop** / Wi-Fi MagiRobe |Robe |90 |MP+30 |Hemill 7500 Pure Robe |Robe |95 |HP+50 RES+20 |Hemill 7500 Rune Robe |Robe |100 |MP+20 RES+15 |Hemill 7500 Rev Robe |Robe |99 |DEF+30 SPD+30 |Ch26 Drop** / Wi-Fi Owl Coat |Coat |89 |RES+30 |Hemill 7500 Quad-Cape |Coat |95 |MP+10 SPD+10 |Hemill 7500 Rune Coat |Coat |100 |MP+20 |Hemill 7500 Uber Coat |Coat |92 |RES+20 |Ch27 Drop** / Wi-Fi * When attacked, an Argentum-wearer counts as Silver (the element of Ayano, Bharva, Elicia and Lost Kopin), slightly reducing the damage. See the formula guide in the "Links" section. ** See the "main story" section for how to obtain them. 4.4 Useable Item Item Name |Effect |Obtained ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vita-Max |Restores all HP |Hemill 1500 / Ch11 15 22 28a Quest Magi-Max |Restores all MP |Hemill 1600 / Ch27 28a Quest/ Reward Elixir |Restores all HP/MP |Hemill 2000 / Ch12* / Reward Panacea |Cures all statuses |Hemill 300 / Ch11 13 28a / Quest Drive-Max |Charges DP to full |Hemill 2000 / Ch16 19* 21 24 26 29 / Rwrd HolyFeat |Revive with some HP |Ch4 10 HolyWing |Revive with 100% HP |Hemill 2500 / Ch15 25 29 Grenade |400 damage to target |Hemill 1400 / Ch11* 19 Dynamite |500 damage to target |Hemill 2000 / Ch17* 23 Quest Mana Material |1000 damage to area |Ch27 30 / Reward ParalyStone |Paralyzes a target** |Ch18 PoizStone |Poisons a target** |Ch15 17 FreezeStone |Freeezes a target** |Ch16 25 28b SilenStone |Silences a target** |Ch13 28b ConfuStone |Confuses a target** |Ch15 19 * See the "main story" section for how to obtain them. ** The success rate is 100%. *** Freezing is the most useful status ailment in single player game. A Frozen unit is one-hit KO'd by ANYONE using the "Attack" command, regardless of levels and stats. -Vita-Max and Magi-Max are dropped in "Sand & Spooks", Ch25. -Panacea is dropped in "Training 4", Ch25-26 and "Monk Beatdown", Ch26-27. -Dynamite is dropped in "Rainbow Road", Ch27-30 and "Cow Dare You", Ch29-30. All quests below are repeatable. -Reward of "Mad Bombs", Ch5-6 and "Bull Rush", Ch8-9 is Elixir. -Reward of "Lizards", Ch19 is Drive-Max. -Reward of "Predicament", Ch19 are 5 Magi-Max. -Reward of "Cow Dare You", Ch29-30 is Mana Material. 4.5 Lapis Arts Lapis Name |Effect |Obtained -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hero Spirit |ATK DEF SPD TEC +20 |MVP Paragon Spirit |ATK DEF SPD TEC +40 |Spa / Wi-Fi Wizard Heart |MAG RES +20 |MVP / Drop Mage Qn. Heart |MAG RES +40 |Spa Only Tiger's Eye |Critical rate up 50% |MVP / Reward Bound Gem |JUMP increases by 2 |MVP / Drop Skanda Garment |AO increases by 2 |MVP HP+30% |Max HP increases 30% |MVP / Drop MP+30% |Max MP increases 30% |MVP / Drop HP/MP+20% |HP/MP increases 20% |MVP / Drop Blaze Crystal |Fire damage up 20% |MVP / Drop Deluge Crystal |Water damage up 20% |MVP Gaia Crystal |Nature damage up 20% |MVP Storm Crystal |Wind damage up 20% |MVP Star Crystal |Light damage up 20% |MVP Void Crystal |Dark damage up 20% |MVP / Drop Snuff Charm |Immune to Fire damage |MVP Drought Charm |Immune to Water damage |MVP Smog Charm |Immune to Nature damage |MVP Still Charm |Immune to Wind damage |MVP Eclipse Charm |Immune to Light damage |MVP Scintilla Charm |Immune to Dark damage |MVP DP+10 |DP earned +10 |MVP / Drop EXP+30% |EXP increases 30% |MVP / Drop Rico+50%* |Rico increases 50% |MVP / Drop Buoyant |Waterwalk |MVP / Reward Stone Wall |Reduce damage |MVP / Reward Cursed Knife** |All stats up, but... |Wi-Fi Healing Touch* |Effect of healing items increase |MVP / Drop Adversity Soul |ATK increases when HP is low |Wi-Fi Vim |Recovers 10% HP each turn |MVP / Reward / Drop Vigor |Recovers 20% HP each turn |Spa Only Meditate |Recovers 10% MP each turn |MVP / Drop Nirvana |Recovers 15% MP each turn |Spa Only Flame Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Water Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Nature Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Wind Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Light Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Shadow Jewel |**** |Wi-Fi Impact* |Basic attack may knock target back |MVP / Reward / Drop Vampyr*** |20% damage turns into healing |MVP / Spa / Wi-Fi Auto-Medic |Immune to all ailments |MVP / Reward Paralyze Orb |May Paralyze target |MVP Poison Orb |May Poison target |MVP Confuse Orb |May Confuse target |MVP Frost Orb |May Freeze target |MVP Silence Orb |May Silence target |MVP * Those Lapis are not really helpful. -Rico+20% and Rico+50% only affects the money gained from enemies defeated by their wearer, thus are quite useless. -Healing Touch only works for consumable healing items. -Impact is at best a curiosity. ** Cursed Knife: All stats +30, the user can't use FD, the user's AO becomes chaotic. *** Leech and Vampyr can be used against AI, but isn't as effective as regeneration Lapis in Wi-Fi games. **** The in-game text describes the Jewels as "[magic of their Elements] ignores target RES". In actuality, the effect of a Jewel is: "target's MAG or RES is removed from calculation of damage", and it affects its owner's any attack with its Element, from magic to the physical Attack command. See the "Guild Quest" section for how to obtain Lapis Arts marked as "dropped". Reward of "Give a Hoot", Ch10 is Buoyant. Reward of "Delivery 3", Ch14-16 and "Sand & Spooks", Ch25 is Auto-Medic. Reward of "Mistia 911", Ch14 is Impact. Reward of "Tour Guide", Ch17 is Vim. Reward of "Dog Days", Ch18 is Stone Wall. Reward of "Snake Scares", Ch19 is Tiger's Eye. Reward of finishing the entire hot spring quest are Paragon Spirit, Mage Queen Spirit, Vigor, Nirvana and Vampyr. Winners of Wi-Fi games are rewarded with rare items. This is determined by the average level of your party. -The only way to obtain Cursed Knife and Adversity Soul is to play the Wi-Fi game with a party around Lv 40-50. -The only way to obtain Jewels is to play with a Lv 50+ party. V. Links and Misc. 5.1 Links PiperStarfireGilmore's excellent walkthrough http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/file/943145/54876 MVP Lapis Drop http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/943145-luminous-arc-2/50700014 Damage Formula Guide http://freetexthost.com/zr5aoiyh1c Japanese LA2 walkthrough wiki http://la2.gkwiki2.com 5.2 History Oct 26, 2009: First version Oct 27, 2009: Polishing, more tips on intermission Dec 9, 2009: Effects of Freezing, description of bugs changed Dec 10, 2009: The actual trigger conditions discovered Jan 12, 2010: Minor changes Aug 31, 2010: added explanation of FP and MVP systems 5.3 Credit Most of the data are from Luminous Arc 2 Walkthrough Wiki (la2.gkwiki2.com). The FP and MVP data are from Luminous Arc 2 Ultimate Book. HellGundam7 scanned the Ultimate Book. slivers7 verified the data with his tests. Ub3r1337h4xX wrote the Damage Formula Guide. geck222 pointed out how spa conversations work. Thanks to people who helped with this guide: bluecrow54, einsteinecker, Shads, Skellitorman, The Que. Since this is my first FAQ, I used PiperStarfireGilmore's walkthrough as an example, and also as a lookup list for quest names.