BSBBB, B B BB B7 B BBXBXBB B B2BBB BB BB B B B B B B B2B B B B B BB iB BB BBBBB B,ZB B SB Bi B 8B B B B B 2BBB B B B B BBBBBB B rBB B rBBBBBB B B B B B B 22 82 B B B B B BBBBr B BBBBB BBBBBBB B BBBBB B B B B B B iBBBBL B B B BBBBBB B B BBBBB B B BBBBBB B B B B B BBBBB BB B B BB BB B BB8BBB B B B B B B BX B B B BB B B B :B B B BX B Br B BB BB BB BB B BB B BZ B BBB BB 8BB B B BBBBB 8B B 87 SBBBBB Phantasy Star Online FAQ/Walkthrough Episode I&II Gamecube Version ASCII Title provided by ASCII Generator =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_= Terekane of Darkness (Version 1.2) June 13, 2005 =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_= #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_VERSION CHANGES_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= Finally though a strange twist of fate, Plus edition was released and I was able to make walkthroughs for the four added quests. Sorry about the LONG wait for these quest walkthroughs. You see, my character got erased so it took some time to get him back. Thanks for your patients! IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have bought Episode I and II Plus but still have characters from the original, your old characters ARE FULLY compatible with the plus edition. Thus if you wanted to grab plus for yourself but didn't know if you'd get compatibility problems then don't worry. #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_VERSION HISTORY_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= V_1.2 Added four new quests from Plus edition. Also did a tiny bit of general maintenance V_1.1 Just added a few comments from e-mail-ers V_1.0 Alright! Now it's done FINALLY! I've finished the basic Episode II stuff! Yahoo! V_0.75 I Started Episode II and there's a bunch more Episode I quests to do but they'll be done in no time. (I hope) V_0.50 All right! Educational stuff is done, and so is half of Episode I. I'll try to post this once Episode I quests are done... V_0.25 I have begun the actual writing. I should get just want to get done the educational stuff for now. The actual Walkthrough is commin' I tell ya! #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_TABLE OF CONTENTS_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= SECTION A: BASICS Author's Preface and Introduction Characters and Classes and Section ID's Game Modes Fighting Basics Items, Techs and Equipables MAGs Team/Multiplayer Strategy PSO Plus, What's the difference? SECTION B: WALKTHROUGH Walkthrough Episode I Forest 1-2 Caves 1-3 Mines 1-2 Ruins 1-3 Episode I Quests Battle Training Claiming a Stake Magnitude of Metal Value of Money Journalistic Pursuit The Fake in Yellow Native Research Forest of Sorrow Gran Squall Addicting Food The Lost Bride Waterfall Tears Black Paper Secret Delivery Letter From Lionel Soul of a Blacksmith The Grave's Butler Knowing One's Heart The Retired Hunter Dr. Osto's Research Unsealed Door Soul of Steel Doc's Secret Plan Seek My Master From the Depths Central Dome Fire Swirl* Walkthrough Episode II Temple Alpha, Beta Spaceship Alpha, Beta Central Control Area Seabed Upper and Lower Levels Episode II Quests Control Tower* Seat of the Heart* West Tower* East Tower* (*): These quests are only accessible online or in PSO Episode I and II Plus edition. SECTION C: EXTRA INFO FAQs Unconfirmed Rumors/Strange Things Credits! Legal Jazz Contact Info ~There is a quick navigate function in this guide too. If you don't know how, simply hold Ctrl+F and type the code that you are looking for #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_SECTION A: BASICS_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= ----------Author's Preface and Introduction--------------------------------- Hello one and all! Welcome to the wild and wonderful world of Phantasy Star Online otherwise known as PSO! This is my first guide (For GameFAQs) ever so if it goes over well, I will continue to make them! PSO is a unique style of RPG game that runs in real time like never before. Those of you who have played the Final Fantasy Series, which includes most everybody then you will be very familiar with the style of gaming. The only big difference is there are absolutely no battle screens. Instead, the game is composed of levels that you will revisit many times to increase you levels. All your battling is done in a 3rd person style where you use guns spells and a huge array of other weapons to vanquish your foes. It is important that since the game lacks the turn based battle system and resembles something like an adventure game like Quake or Doom, the game can happen very fast. Also, this game doesn't have too much of a plot (not like the FF series) and most of the fun comes from pure fighting and finding new rare weapons and armour to increase you efficiency at blasting enemies to bits. The game may seem very complex at first but it is nothing you can't handle. While this game does have online capabilities, it is just as exciting offline. I have never played the online game and I still think it is a blast. This guide was meant to teach you strategies on how to become a more deadly fighter and guide you through the levels. I also make comments here and there about the running plot and I will give due warning before the terror of spoilers. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact me with. Without further ado, let's get started! ----------Character Classes and Section IDs--------------------------------- A popular new aspect of RPGs today is the ability to build your own character. PSO lets you do just that and offers many character classes that you can select and define to your personal likes. There are three basic classes and three types of characters. Picking a character is very important because it will influence your fighting style, what you can and cannot do and your overall outlook on PSO. Before choosing, it is important to know what you are getting yourself into. Make sure you know what you want because once you have created a character, all you can do is make minor changes to their wardrobe. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! NOTE: All characters are generally called "hunters." They include all the classes whether or not your character is of the Hunter class ~HUNTERS~ Hunters are your power people. They have high attack power and are pretty balanced in all the other stats. They are great for beginners for that reason as they are probably the least specialized of the classes. You might consider these guys to be the Jedi knights that bravely march up to enemies and dismember them with a massive sword. I dunno, if you want power, here is where you stand. HUmar (M-Human) Probably the most common and most balanced of all the characters the HUmar has good power, magic, and defence. You could put this guy in any situation and they would be able to fight themselves out. While they do lack the magic power of force, they make up for it with their good attack power. HUneweral (F-Newman) She lacks a bit in hp and strength but she makes up for it with great tech power. Slightly less able than the HUmar in physical attacks but they make a great magic hunter and they can even function as the team's "force" if none are present. HUcast (M-Android) Oh man. This guy kicks some serious backside. The HUcast is an android that puts and end to all androids and came to define the words "attack power" They have the highest attack in the game plus an awesome amount of defence. The downside to all androids is they have zip mental strength meaning no techniques (or magic) for them. They can however, lay traps. HUcaseal (F-Android) She's right up they're in attack power and she has good accuracy to boot! The HUcaseal doesn't have the ATP that a HUcast has but with all that accuracy and good defence plus traps, they can be just as deadly. ~RANGERS~ The word RANGErs should tell you what they will be like. That's right. Rangers are the sneaky ones with monstrous guns, half the size of them that can stand way back and dish out the pain from a safe distance. They typically have amazing attack accuracy meaning the word "miss" is something you'll rarely see with this class. They also have really good defences making them excellent front-liners to guard the rest. They start out the strongest and in my opinion, are the easiest to use because of their great range. The only things is, they don't take much of a liking to techniques (or techs) so don't expect much out of them in the magic department. RAmar (M-Human) I wouldn't be off by saying this is the most common ranger. They are very balanced and have a decent knowledge of techs for a ranger. They are pretty balanced and have good accuracy and have a wide assortment of gun weapons to choose from. RAmarl (F-Human) While she doesn't have the same raw power that the RAmar has but she is the best in techs for the Ranger class. This doesn't give you any amazing casting abilities but if you don't want to be a force or there is none on your team, she can double as a fighter and the designated healer. RAcast (M-Android) This thing is an absolute tank! That is about as clear a picture I can paint you. Unlike the Hunter androids, this things is a massive pile of raw power, accuracy and defence. They cannot cast techs of course but with that size and awesome defence, they make excellent body shields. Strap on a good strong ranged gun and you can pretty much let this guy do most of the work for you. RAcaseal (F-Android) The RAcaseal doesn't really have any advantage over the RAcast. They have slightly more HP and defence but that's about it. They can serve as excellent body shields as well as great back row fighters. I personally like this class because they make less noise when they walk. :) ~FORCES~ Last but by no means least are Forces. They are my personal favourite class and I have three of them! Forces, just like the name suggests like to use lots of magic and they have the advantage in that department in every way. Forces can learn techs up to level 30, which is double of other classes. They also have access to three Force-exclusive techs that are super helpful (save one). Forces usually end up being "healers" which is probably they best they can offer at low levels but when that tech power starts to strengthen, look out! They do have one huge drawback: their physical stats. Their attack power, accuracy and defence tend to suck big time but in their later development, you don't need defence. I don't recommend a Force until you are an expert at the game.(You can really tell that I'm biased.) FOmar (M-Human) My personal favourite Force is the FOmar and this is why: they have great battle skills. Despite being a Force, they have excellent attack power (obviously not like a Hunter) meaning you'll want to conserve a bit of magic and beat up the opposition with a good powerful weapon. On the other hand, they have low health and are difficult to start out as because the use of a gun is a long way off. FOmarl (F-Human) The Ranger of the Forces, FOmarls have the highest attack accuracy of the Forces, which isn't saying much. They don't posses the same attack power of a FOmar but they can still brawl with some interesting results. FOnewm (M-Newman) The only male Newman is the FOnewm. They have awesome amounts of magic with great skills and speed. They lack attack power but you could brawl with them if you level up high enough. Typically, you're going to start off using just techs and later, you can worry about weapons. FOnewearl (F-Newman) All I can say about her is she is the best tech caster there is! I have one and she is awesome! They have the highest MST and TP of them all meaning that weapons really have no use to her. The only drawback is she is probably the weakest character in terms of physical stats and if any monster gets past the flurry of techs you are casting, she can pretty much kiss her life goodbye. These are the major classes but each character also falls into a type as well: ~Androids~ Androids cannot cast any techs. That you must remember. Zippo magic. They are also the only type of character that can lay traps and they can also see traps without the aid of a "Trap Vision." They usually have the highest physical stats as well. No team is complete without an android. ~Newmans~ Opposite from the androids in every way, Newmans have very high TP and mental strength. They are the most powerful with techs and their TP restores automatically (after a very long time). They also generally suck in physical stats and have low power and defence. ~Humans~ These guys are the "balanced" ones. They posses average skill in all aspects in terms of their stats. Yu can count on them in all departments. They are excellent for beginners and experts alike. SECTION IDs Once you create a character, you will be assigned a Section ID. What this actually does I'm not too sure but after looking at the in-depth by Atax, they are used to calculate how often you find a particular weapon and how skilled with it you are. Your ID is completely decided by the name you enter, not by your class but certain IDs would be useless for certain classes. For example, the BLUEFULL ID, which finds many partisans would not be useful to a Force who can't use them. This doesn't mean that will be all you will find, but it just means you find slightly more of one type of item than others. For more information on SECTION IDs, check out the in-depth guide. ----------Game Modes-------------------------------------------------------- ~Single Mode~ This is where you will play most often. You pick whatever character you want and you play through the game and you get the storyline on the way. There are 4 levels: The Forest, Caves, Mines and finally, the Ruins. Once you clear the stages for that level, you must fight a boss. Once you defeat the boss, you must go back to "The Principle" which is where you start. (You know, through the big, obvious warp). To open the next level you MUST talk to him. Once you do, the next level opens and you can continue. You can replay the same level infinite times to build up your character's level. There are also quest you can do that involve doing things in the regular levels. They can be found next to the level warp in the "Hunter's Guild." In order to open levels in Multi-Mode, you must have completed them in Single mode. Also, there are 4 difficultly levels: Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Ultimate. You must clear the final boss to open up the next difficult level and continue in the game. ~Multi-Mode~ Probably the mode with the most fun is Multi-Mode. You and up to three friends can play simultaneously in a co-operative attempt to complete or "run-through" the levels. All status in Multi-Mode is saved with your character and you can do everything in Multi-Mode as in Single Mode except complete quests (which sucks). Also, you can open up new levels in Multi Mode but they do NOT carry over. Say you play for the first time and you beat the forest. You can then advance to Caves but if you turn the power off, the next time you play, you have to start at Forest again. The only way to save your progress is complete the levels in single Mode. The level selection is always the current progress of Player 1. NOTE: In order to enter higher difficultly levels in Multi-mode, you must all be at a certain level. For hard, everyone must be at least Lv 20. For VHard, at least 40 and for Ultimate, at least Lv 80. This does not apply to Single Mode but you probably won't survive without at least these levels anyway. ~Challenge Mode~ This is a strange mode and you must play it in Multi-Mode. You and up to 3 friends are set back to Level 1 in the Normal Forest. You then progressively clear the levels and difficultly levels like in Single Mode but if any member dies, you fail and must start again. Note, any levelling, weapons or items are NOT saved. Your progress will be saved however. Say you completed up to the second level of Caves. When you go back next time, you can start here again. However, you can only start at the progress of the lowest member of your party. Say you and two friends got to the mines and you bring in somebody who only got to the Caves. You have to restart at Caves again to continue. This is actually a good idea so you can increase your levels and get new more powerful weapons and spells. If you clear the entire of Challenge Mode you get a "free" (not after all that work!) of your choice. (There is a list you have to choose from) Challenge more is the ultimate show of teamwork. Item hogs will only lead the team to fail. **I will be putting in a guide to challenge mode here as soon as I beat it myself so check back here at a later time** ~Battle Mode~ This should ring instantly in your head that it is going to be a Multi-Mode option. Battle mode allows you to go through the regular levels the same way, but you can also attack your friends. If they piss you off, you can now wail away on them. This provides no real advancement but it is amusing to do. However, Battle Mode really takes place by entering battles through the Hunter's Guild. You can select one of many rules to fight and you duke it out on the Episode II Spaceship. Usually, if you die in battle mode, you are levelled up 5 time. This levelling does NOT carry over after you finish the battle. Also, if you die, you will drop the weapon you had equipped. Your foe can then steal this weapon or you can go find it where you died. You can also steal it back. Remember, battle is purely for fun and nothing is carried over to any other modes. NOTE: There is something to worry about here aside from your opposition and that is there tends to be a Delsaber hanging around the battle arena. If you find it, RUN! You will NOT be able to kill it but it will kill you in one hit (usually). I suppose they're helpful if your MAG casts invincibility when you're low on HP but otherwise, stay away from him! An additional note is this guy no longer obeys the rules and will follow you through doors, halls, rooms, anywhere you happen to be going so unless you're miles ahead of it, it'll just keep coming. (Kind of like the Master Tonberry in FF7). ----------Fighting Basics--------------------------------------------------- So you want to know how to fight huh? Well that's a good thing as almost all of PSO is fighting. If you can't fight, you don't play PSO. It is as simple as that. Well, fighting starts very complicated but once you understand all the menu basics, you can pretty much do the rest. However, there are many tips to remember so I strongly suggest reading this section before you attempt any of the levels. There is a lot to it and depending on your character, your strategy will change. But, let's first get on with the basics. ~The Menus~ In single mode, your menu is very big and takes up a large portion of the screen. In Multi Mode, it is smaller but the same commands are there. One thing you must know is that you CANNOT PAUSE THE GAME AT ALL! NO! Opening your menu does NO pause the game! You must either quit the game, go back to Pioneer II (Which is like home base) or find and empty room and stay there. Anyway, with that out of the way here are the menus: Item Pack Equip - Here is the place that you can equip weapons, armour, Mags and units. Items - This is a list of all the items you currently have Mag - Here you can feed your Mag and check it's stats (see {A6}). Customize This is very important. When you start playing, there will be a small section on the bottom-right corner of your screen. Here is where you place actions the will happen when you press the action buttons. There are six possible actions to place here, which are basic attacks, techs, traps and items. Whatever you set for the buttons will happen when you press the corresponding button on your controller. It looks like this: __________ / ___ | / / X \ | / ___\___/ | / / A \ / / ___\___/ / | / B \ / | \___/ / |__________/ The top one happens when you press the X button. The middle one is A and the bottom one is B. Also, when you hold R, it will shift and you can put three more. Therefore R+A, R+B and R+X give you three more commands. Whatever you put on the customize must be necessary for quick use like healing items, quick spells and of course attacks. You can put whatever you want here though but be careful, you should customize for useful actions for the situation you're in. (i.e. Fire spells on the customize would be a good idea against foes that use ice.) Techniques Only Humans and Newmans will see this under their menu and it displays a list of all your usable techs. While in a level, you can come here to use a technique that is not on your customize pad but the existence of the Quick Launch Window (see below) makes this menu option useless. For what it's worth, your spells are divided up into categories. (See more on techs in {A5}) Chat This menu has absolutely no use whatsoever if you are not online. Here you can modify many forms of communication that will appear on your screen from little symbols to shortcut keys to say simple phrases. This really has no bearing of the actual fighting of PSO. Status In single mode, as soon as you open the menu, you can use L&R to scroll through the basic status of your character that includes their level, stats (duh!) and things like that. In Multi-Mode, you cannot see the status window unless you select this option. You typically come here to see how much more EXP you need to level up. Options Map Direction - Indicates if either the map moves according to you or your marker moves according to the map. Key Config - Lets you make simple changes to the control of the game Cursor Position - Whether or not the cursor will appear in the same position the last time you opened a menu. Message Speed - Speed at which messages are displayed (Never thought of that...) Rumble - Switches rumble feature on or off (obviously doesn't work for Wavebirds) Auto Disconnect - Time after which you will automatically disconnect from the network. Quit Game In order to end your game and SAVE YOUR PROGRESS you MUST select the quit game option. Every time you quit game, your stats are saved (except Hp and TP which are refilled) for the next time you play. Don't forget to quit otherwise you get to cry over all time you wasted by not saving your progress. NOTE: I can't stress this enough: don't be a dummy and turn off the game while it is saving! It happened to me (don't worry, I kick myself for weeks...) and you really don't want to start all over again do you? Then again, if lightening strikes your house and/or power-lines while it is saving and you file gets erased, well, you were never meant to play PSO. ~The Quick Launch Window~ I don't care what it is really called but there is a super-handy little window you can open by holding R and pressing Y. The first menu you see lets you equip weapons and check their stats by pressing X. Press R with this window open to view your items and use them if necessary. In the heat of battle, if you don't have a healing item on the customize you are urged to use this handy window to use said item lest you find yourself dead a I will just laugh at you. Finally with one more push of R, you can see your useable spells or traps where applicable. NEVER forget about this window because it makes everything so much easier and faster in mid combat! ~Stats~ Like all RPGs PSO has stats for your character. Most will increase once you level up but there are many ways to increase your overall strength. Here's what all those three-letter words are: HP: Health Power -> This should be obvious to anybody who has played a video game before (yes that's you) If this runs out, you're dead! What happens when you die? The screen goes all red and you fall down with a small ball of light above your body. If you are by yourself, you need an item called a Scape doll to revive you or perhaps your MAG will do it. Recovering HP is done through the use of Mate type items, the spell Resta or any hp stealing class of weapon. HP Max will increase at every level. You can also increase it with an item called HP Material or by wearing a HP boosting Unit (Section {A5}). TP: Technique Power -> This is your magical energy. Every time you cast a spell, you use up some TP. If it runs out, then no more spells for you! To replenish TP, use a Fluid type item or use a weapon with TP stealing capabilities. You increase you max TP as your MST increases which usually happens at every level. (Obviously androids always have 0 TP) You can also use TP Material or a TP boosting Unit. NOTE: I'm rather hoping this is obvious but just in case, I'll spell it out: You CANNOT use spells if you don't have ALL the TP needed for the spell in question. If you have 7 TP left, you can't cast oh say, Grants. No, you must have all the 45+ TP required for usage. Unlike health, where an attack can use up more that all the HP you have left (which you should probably expect to happen when you die) you MUST have the TP requirement! If you don't you can't use that spell. It's that simple. Lv: Level -> Every time your character gains a certain amount of EXP (experience) they will increase a level and all of the basic stats will increase according to your character and class. Levelling is the absolute most important way to boost stats efficiently because not only do most (not always do all yours stats increase. The amount is dependent on your character and class) of your stats increase, you increase by a decent amount and are PERMANENT! You can gain extra EXP through the use of an EXP draining weapon and killing things, duh. NOTE: Everybody who hits an enemy gets EXP from it when it dies. However, you get slightly more EXP if you delivered the final blow. That goes for bosses too. ATP: Attack Power -> While in Bio class ATP is Adenosine Triphosphate (I'm actually more than 100% sure I spelled that wrong but I really don't care), ATP in PSO is your raw power. This will increase with every level and determines how much damage you will dish out. All sabre/sword/slicer type weapons have a requirement of ATP that you must meet in order to wield the weapon. If at any time you don't meet your weapon's requirements, you cannot use the weapon. ATP has two parts the base and the actual. The number in brackets is the base and it is how much power you do without a weapon equipped or the spell Shifta. All weapons will increase your actual attack power. You can also do so with Power Materials, and by wearing __/Power Units. DFP: Defensive Power -> Defence's purpose is to decrease the amount of damage you receive from enemies. It will increase with levelling, by equipping armour or shields or by finding DEF materials or wearing ___/Body Units. You can also increase you DFP by casting the spell Deband. MST: Mental Strength -> MST acts in many ways. First, the more MST you have, the more TP you get. It also is a requirement of all Cane/Rod/Wand type weapons. also you need a certain amount of MST to learn new spells. MST also dictates how much damage you will inflict with your spells. MST increases at every level (except for androids) and you can increase it by using Mind Materials, equipping ___/Mind Units and cane/rod/wand weapons. ATA: Attack Accuracy -> When you fight, there is always the chance that your attacks will "Miss." When this happens, you do no damage. How frequently you miss is dependent on how much ATA you have. Guns have a requirement for ATA the you have to meet to use them. (I think that is really stupid as the reason you use a gun is for accuracy...) ATA increases every level or so and you can increase it by equipping ___/Arm Units. EVP: Evasion Power -> Also know as speed, your evasion dictates how often an enemy's attack will be blocked by your shield/barrier and do no damage. When this happens (especially if you are almost dead) it can be a blessing and a half so make sure to keep this stat up. It usually is pretty high for all classes and will increase with levelling. Also, all armours and shields typically increase evasion as do some weapons (for some unknown reason.) You can also raise this stat by using Evade Material or by equipping ___/Legs Units. LCK: Luck -> Is Lady Luck on you side? Well, only if you find Luck Materials because that, and equipping ___/Luck is the only way to increase this stat. All its exact functions are a mystery to me but I know for a fact that every now and again while you attack, you will hear a different sound and two white rings fly out of your enemy producing a 1.5x damaging attack often called a "critical hit". Luck supposedly increases the chances of that happening. It may also decrease the chance of it happening to you but I do not know for sure. I'll leave it up to you to make up a pile of mysteries behind this stat. *Elemental Resistances* Found on the third page of your status screen all elemental resistances act as extra magic defence against a particular type of attack. They never increase through levelling (or at least in my experience if they do please e-mail me and tell me differently) and the only way to get resistances is to strap on armour and shields that have resistances. There are no materials but there are plenty of Resist___ around so you can strap those on too if you're up against a Force or a particularly magical foe. I normally find those Units to be a waste of space but in certain levels they can be of help. All resistances are the same for their category: EFR - Fire Resistance EIC - Ice Resistance ETH - Lightening Resistance EDK - Dark Magic Resistance ELT - Light Magic Resistance If you are going in a level like Ultimate Caves where you face many Dark attacks, it might be a good idea to put on a resist dark but otherwise, it's up to you and if you have a slot to spare. ~Status Defects~ All RPGs have 'em and you hate 'em right? Well PSO is no exception. While it doesn't have the variety of defects like FF7, you are going to see them more often. When your character has a status defect, it would be in your best interests to cure said defect. Usually, you can cure them mid battle but if it is only a minor one like poison, wait until after the melee or exit the room, cure it and renter. Here are the defects: POISON: Your character will emit green bubbles and your HP decreases very slowly until this condition is cured or you die. To cure poison, use an Antidote or cast Anti Lv1. SHOCK: Your character will fizzle like in some cheesy movies when somebody sticks their finger in a light socket. For a limited time, you cannot attack or cast techs. You can still pick up items and use items. You need somebody to cast Anti Lv2 on you to cure it or you can just wait until it wears off. PARALYSIS: This is the absolute worst thing that can happen to you! Paralysis looks much like Shock in that your character will buzz with orange sparks but the bad thing is that this one NEVER wears off. You have to either use Antiparalysis or get someone to cast Anti Lv3 on you. CONFUSE: Possibly the most annoying status defect is confusion. Unlike other RPGs this would cause you to attack random things but in PSO, walking properly is impossible. It is like you took lethal amounts of rum in five seconds. (So that's why the rum's gone!) You can still attack and cast techs but they will shoot of in random directions. Cure this right away with Anti Lv4 or you will get pissed off in a hurry. SLOW: Not quite as annoying as confusion, slow does just that. Everything you do is now slowed down by about half the speed. What makes this one such a pain is that it will happen to you a lot and by the time you Anti Lv5 yourself, it will have warn off. I suppose that's a good thing but this one is a real pain... JELLEN/ZALURE: Only a few enemies cast it but it reduces your attack and defensive abilities significantly. You won't see this much but it sucks when it happens. They usually last for unwieldy amounts of time. You can cure this with either Shifta/Deband (if it is strong enough to overpower it) or with Anti Lv6. SHIFTA/DEBAND: Opposite of Jellen and Zalure, this increases you attack and defence. Sadly, you're going to have to cast it on yourself if you want the boost. Deband can screw up you attack patterns a bit because with the added defence, you may not fall down anymore. Be careful of that. The only way to "cure" this is to stop over at the Medi Centre on Pioneer II but if you really want to cure these, kick yourself really hard. FROZEN: The strange status defect that keeps showing up is freeze. For some reason, being exposed to extreme cold has the ability to completely encase you in ice. This could be considered the worst status defect because you are completely immobile and your evasion hits zero instantly (meaning enemies can really pile on the damage) but this defect wears off so fast it's not even much of a worry. To increase the speed, mash the control stick back and forth as fast as you can and you'll be free almost instantly. You could get someone to cast Anti Lv7 on you but that would just be wasting their TP. NOTE: You can cure all status defects with a Sol Atomizer with the exception of freeze quite possibly because you are completely immobilized. Also, higher levels of Anti still cure the preceding levels. Like Lv7 Anti still cures poison. ~Attacking~ That was sure a lot of stuff to get through before actually attacking! Attacks are only generated from the three red actions on your customize. You cannot attack unless one of the three attack icons are on the customize! The quick launch doesn't help you there! There are three types of attacks and how much damage they do is directly tied to your stats, the enemy's stats and of course, the weapon you have equipped. If you have no weapon equipped, your character will perform a very limited "bare handed" attack. Typically you want some kind of weapon and later, you will carry multiple for different situations. It is important to remember that swords generally have the best ATP but the worst range (maybe next to Force weapons). Guns have the best range and as an added bonus, your character doesn't move when they attack. Force weapons in my opinion suck but their main purpose is to boost said Force's stats. Anyway in order to attack, you must be in range of your opponent. A cursor will appear that is colour coded with the attack icon on the customize. That is if you have an attack on the B customize space, the cursor will be red if it is in range. Sometimes, even if your target is in range your attack will "miss." When this happens you deal no damage. Try to use your attacks in a way to increase you chance of hitting. Normal Attack: This is you standard, most common attack. It is the most accurate meaning you will be the least likely to miss with this one. However, it has the least power. If you are far away or you are starting off a combo, use this one. Heavy Attack: Twice as powerful your heavy attack should be on you customize right next to your normal attack to string together an effective combo. It is a great finisher but since it has a lowered accuracy, it will miss more often. Be careful when you use your Heavy Attack because missing could cost you your life. Also, your character has to "charge up" longer than the normal attack before they let loose so enemies can hit you during this time. However, the other good thing is a heavy attack will usually push an enemy back a short distance. Extra Attack: This applies only if your weapon has a special power. For example, a Fire Handgun will have an extra attack. The extra attack has the longest charge up time and will usually do half the damage of a regular attack but with the added effect (sounds like FF7) of your weapon's special power. With the Fire Handgun, your attack will damage the opponent physically and add magical fire damage as well. Don't expect anything amazing in the damage department out of this attack. You only use it if your weapon has a worthwhile power. ~Combos~ It is possible to string together three attacks consecutively. They can be all one type or a combination of all three. Remember that all attacks have a charge up and wind down time during which you are vulnerable to attack. Combos string together attacks and cut down on this time. They also look really cool and happen faster than three regular attacks. When you make a combo, the first hit has only normal accuracy. The second hit will have a slightly increased accuracy and the final blow will almost always connect. This is why you usually want a combo like weak + weak + strong. The two weak attacks ensure a hit with the lower accuracy and the final attack is strong to take advantage of the chance of hitting. You can also substitute your extra attack here if you like. When you need serious power you can try a weak + strong + strong or even a strong + strong + strong. Remember of course there is a higher chance of missing but it does deliver extra damage if you have the ATA to support it. Also remember the wind down time does not disappear. At the end of the third combo, there is a time when you are vulnerable before you can start a new combo. A combo of two generally has a shorter wind down time but not by much. To make a combo, attack, then right after your character stops for their usual wind down time, hit another attack button and they will perform the second set in the combo. Swords combos can be a pain to master but once you do, it's easy. ~Do's and Don'ts READ THIS!~ If you are really far away from an enemy and they are pretty evasive, I would recommend using a weak + weak + weak or weak + weak + strong to get the benefit of the extra accuracy. If an enemy is closing in or there are multiple enemies, you may want a weak + strong + strong or a triple strong because the closer the enemies are to you the greater chance you have of hitting them. Besides, if they are that close, you want to push them back with the strong attack so they can't sneak in an attack before you can start a new salvo. Later on, you will be up against some very powerful opponents whom will be very fast. You may need to combo, then run away, turn around and combo again to keep from being injured. I know it seems stupid but DON'T GET SURROUNDED! If you do, when two enemies attack at the exact same time, the damage is multiplied by however many hit you and you could be dead fast. The same is true if there are numerous enemies coming toward you. If you are running out of room to run away, try and lead the fight in a different direction. Also, enemies are dumb and sometimes if one enemy can't get past another especially if they are all crowded together, some turn around to get another vantage point. This is your cue to attack either them or the ones still coming. This little minor miracle doesn't happen often so take advantage of it. Another thing is, some of your extra attack can cause status defects to enemies. If you freeze, paralyse, or shock an enemy, the obvious thing to do would be to attack it but DON'T! Go after the things still coming after you. You can usually kill of two or three of them while the other one is immobilized and when the effect wears off, you can have already cleared most of their friends away. The only time you should attack an immobilized enemy is if you need to steal TP or HP with an extra attack. Immobilized enemies have almost zero evasion giving you a much better chance to steal HP or TP. Otherwise, just attack everyone else. Another thing that will happen is when you take mondo damage in one blast; you typically fall down. This can mess up your battle plans a bit but there is a silver lining to this one. While you are on the ground and getting up, you are completely invincible. You can't do anything but the second you stand up; you are free for a second to cast a spell or attack. There is a real trick to fighting and you must discover your style for yourself. It depends on the weapon you use and how you add traps and techs into the mix. It's up to you but YOU have to learn how to fight not me! ~Door Fighting~ A really helpful hint is fighting near a doorway. Doors act like impossible divides in rooms. If you exit a room mid-battle, all the enemies you were fighting instantly stop trod off to their starting point. You can then re-enter the room and use the time as they trudge up to you again to eliminate more of them. Then, when they get close once more, head out and wait again. Repeat until everything is dead. Remember, you cannot shoot through a door but some techs can. Please note that sometimes the enemies' start position is right next to the door, which take away from the effectiveness of door fighting. You'll then have to either cast an area tech or go find another door in the same room. NOTE: Any experienced PSO player will tell you that sometimes enemies CAN break through door divides. This usually happens with jumping enemies like Sinows or Delsabers. This very rarely happens but do be wary of it. One other thing is that Megid does NOT obey this rule and will keep going through doors until it dissipates. In Ultimate Temple and Caves where you fight Ob Lilies, remember that because their Megid could still kill you even when you leave so run and keep running! ~Death~ Nobody wants to go there but it will happen a lot to beginners and to experts who overestimate themselves. It happens obviously when your health runs dry. Typically that will happen because you screwed up and instead of healing, you attacked or cast a tech. Then an enemy swept down and nailed the last bit of HP you had left away right? Well that happens sometimes too. So what happens when you die? No, it's not game over but you will be completely immobile and the screen goes red and you fall on the ground and stay there. If you are playing by yourself, if you have a Scape Doll, you will be revived. Also you Mag might revive you but what happens if you can't revive yourself? Well, you will be sent back to Pioneer II. You will the wake up in the Medi Centre fully healed. The downside? While the doctors were nursing you back to health, they couldn't contain themselves and picked your pockets. Any money you had on you will be gone. Also, the weapon you had will be unequipped (not lost). That's not much of a big deal but when you forget to bank your money and you loose it all; that can really suck. One final thing is whether or not you were revived in the level or in the Medi Centre, you Mag will loose 5% Synchro. That's really it. So if you died broke, you really didn't loose anything except your pride and you earned a nice long walk back to where you died. This is why I urge you to periodically place Telepipes in case you do die. Now, if you are playing Multi-Mode, you can be healed the same way or you teammates may (it depends on how nice you were to them doesn't it?) use a Moon Atomizer on you, which will revive you and replace half your health. Also note that ALL status defects will be gone (including Shifta and Deband). Also, if you are traveling with a Force, they can use Reverser on you for the exact same effect. ~Using Techs and Traps~ This section is very simple. You can work your magic or traps into fights depending on this situation. Realize that all techs and traps have charge up and wind down times during which you are vulnerable. To cast a tech or use a trap, either press your customize button or use the Quick Launch Window. Typically you'll use attack techs and traps when you are surrounded or if you are in trouble. Many techs have the capabilities to hit numerous enemies and so do traps. If you're in trouble, bust out a powerful tech or a trap so you can regain your positioning. This also goes for techs and traps that cause immobilization like freeze or shock. ~General Tips~ 1. Don't overestimate yourself. If you are only Lv20, don't going waltzing into Hard Ruins. You will die very quickly and very often. If fact, you'll spend more time dead and healing than actually fighting! That goes for minor overestimations. If you are forced to heal five and six time in a room or enemies are draining half you health in one smack, you are in over your head. Buy some better armour or weapons, level up or cast Shifta/Deband on yourself or Jellen/Zalure on everything if you must. Once you can at least survive in a room without door fighting, stay there to get the experience. Otherwise, you're MAG's synchro will hit 0% exceedingly quickly. 2. Don't underestimate yourself. Be realistic, if you are murdering your enemies with one tech or a single combo, go to the next level. You're not going to be levelling up in a hurry it you always stay in the forest. Also, bosses give you a nice chunk of EXP as does running through the level. You should be levelling up at least once per every 3-4 run through-s. If not, forward march! 3. This is obvious: DON'T CARRY MONEY ON YOU! If you die, it's gone. That simple. 4. Make lots of Telepipes. If you have Ryuker, you can make them for free so put them everywhere. If you die, you won't have so far to walk. If not, carry a Scape Doll at all times. 5. Take trips to the Medi Centre. If you took a beating, you have run out of healing items or your inventory is full of junk, go back to Pioneer 2, sell your crap, buy items and heal up at the Medi Centre for the measly 10 bucks. If you don't have 10 bucks, then sell this game right now. 6. Cast Shifta and Deband. If you can, do it! It is always helpful. Also, if you are against a boss, Jellen and Zalure it. These spells last a long time and just make your life easier. (I can't stress their effectiveness enough!) 7. Carry necessary equipment. If you've played a few times through a level you know what to expect. Otherwise check my recommended weapons section on the Enemy Breakdown. You should ALWAYS carry a gun of some kind for de-trapping and long- ranged combat. You should also carry a Mechgun or Sword/Sabre type weapon for dishing out big damage to the stage's difficult enemies. 8. CUSTOMIZE FOR THE LEVEL! If you know you'll be fighting lots of machines (like say, in the Mines?) then place your best Zonde techs on the customize. That also counts for weapons that have elemental specials and properly equipping resistances too. 9. Read ahead. Know where you're going and what you're going to face. You may need to change your customize and gear up to fit a certain crowd of enemies. 10. Carry 10 Sol Atomizers on you at all times! If you get a status defect, it's no big deal but if you're out, or you don't have a powerful Anti, things can go downhill for you. Even if you do have Anti, you can't cure some of defects like shock yourself. Better to be safe than sorry. 11. DROP A TELEPIPE BEFORE YOU GO INTO A BOSS ROOM!!!! If you die, you will have a very long distance to walk back! ~The End!~ Well, from here on, you have to learn by experience. After a few fights, you'll get the hang of it. ----------Items, Techs and Equipables--------------------------------------- As you play, you're going to come across an infinity of items. They all come in boxes and you can find them in boxes in levels and sometimes, enemies drop them. Green boxes are items like recovery items and Materials. Orange boxes house weapons and blue boxes have armour, shields and units in them. All rares come in Red boxes so if you see one, GO GET IT! NOW! ~Items - The Green Boxes~ Mono/Di/Trimates - Androids will make a friend in these. Mates give you back health. Monomates give you the least, Dimates slightly more and Trimates refill all you health. If you don't have Resta on the customize, mates MUST be on there somewhere. You'll find plenty of them and you'll usually be fully stocked. If not, buy 'em from the store. They're not that expensive. Mono/Di/Trifluid - Forces will use this stuff plenty. Fluids refill your TP. That's a good thing. They are just like mates in that mono does crap all, Di gives you a nice little boost and Trifluid (which is mondo expensive) refills all your TP. If you're gonna bust out a Trifluid, do yourself a favour and use up the rest of your TP. Antidote/Antiparalysis - They cure status defects! I'm not lying! Antidote cures poison (duh!) and I bet you can't guess what Antiparalysis does... I urge you to carry a few of them on you at all times. Sol Atomizers - PSO's equivalent of Cure-all type items. Sol Atomizers cure every status defect on you except Freeze, Shifta and Deband. You MUST have some of these handy or ELSE! Moon Atomizers - Only helpful in Multi-Mode, they revive a fallen party member and give he/she back half of their health. Non-Force characters are urged to keep some of these on them all the time also. You wouldn't want to have to go back to Pioneer 2 right in the middle of battle would you? Star Atomizers - These are pretty rare and they act like a Trimate with Resta capabilities. Star Atomizers fully heal you and make a pile of sparks shoot out and heal teammates nearby. Androids, you'll need a few for quests. Trap Vision - If you are not an Android, then you normally can't see the hidden traps in rooms. With this item, all traps in your current range of vision are revealed permanently. Obviously, Androids can see traps so these are no use to them. Disk Lv_ - All techs need to be learned and you will find the "disks" to learn them scattered about. Also, techs have a level, which indicates their power. So if you have Foie Lv3 and you find Foie Lv5, you can use it. You don't need to find Foie Lv4 first. In order to use disks, you have to have the required MST. If you stop meeting the requirement, it doesn't matter, you only need the requirement for the moment you use it. Mono/Di/Trigrinders - All weapons (to my current knowledge) can be "ground" and made more powerful by using grinders on them. Grinders are pretty rare so don't go selling them. Every time you use a grinder, you gain a "+" point by either 1,2 or 3 respectively. All weapons also have a limit that you can grind them. This limit changes from weapon to weapon. For every + point, your weapon gains 2 extra ATP. ___Amplifier - You find these occasionally and you use them like grinders but they must be used on special barriers. Amplifiers boost the power of whatever techs apply to them. In order to make an amplifier work for you, you must find a BLUE, YELLOW, RED, SUPPORT or RECOVERY BARRIER and use the applicable amplifier on it to create a merge. If you equip the merge, your techs will be stronger. Materials - Power, Def, HP, TP, Evade, Mind and Luck Materials boost two points of the applicable stat permanently. If you every played FF7, these are like Sources. ~Weapons - Orange Boxes~ There are many basic weapons that you will find. Most can be used by anybody but some can only be used by a certain class. Sabre Type = Everybody Slicer Type = Everybody Sword Type = Hunters Partisan Type = Hunters/Rangers Handgun Type = Everybody Mechgun Type = Everybody Shot Type = Rangers Rifle Type = Rangers Cane Type = Forces Rod Type = Forces Wand Type = Forces All weapons have a different grinder limit and they boost different stats accordingly. Weapons have different charge up and wind down times as well as different ranges. There are also many upgrades for the basic weapons. For example, the Sabre type has many different forms in increasing power -> Sabre, Brand, Buster, Palasach, Gladius. You can tell you're weapon's level by the colour. They colours always go Green, Blue, Purple, Red and finally Yellow. Also, higher level weapons have higher requirements. That is, if you can user a Sabre, you may not be able to use a Brand yet. All swords have an ATP requirement, Guns have an ATA requirement and canes have an MST requirement. Weapons also have percentages on the their page of their stats. These percentages are called Photon Efficiencies. There is a percentage for the four types of enemies. The higher the percentage, the higher the damage it will do to that class. There is also a "hit" percentage on some weapons, which obviously increases accuracy. Weapon percentages should influence your decision of weapon to use. If a weapon has percentages, the name will be green. Some weapons also have special attacks. When you first find them, it will say ???? whatever. In order to use the special power, you must bring it back and take it to the purple booth in the store called the Tekker. He/she will identify the special power and you can then use it. Here are the classes: Fire - Adds fire damage Lightening - Adds lightening damage and may shock enemy Ice - Adds ice damage and may freeze enemy Dark - Can kill enemy in one hit (Small Chance) HP Absorb - Steals health from enemies and replaces your own TP Absorb - Steals magic from enemies and replaces your own HP Sacrifice - Drains HP and does extra damage TP Sacrifice - Drains TP and does extra damage Confuse - May confuse the enemy Paralysis - May paralyse the enemy EXP Absorb - Steals experience from enemies Charge - Drains money for extra damage Devil/Demon - Cuts your enemy's HP in half or in a quarter (For FF7s, Demi 2/3) Tech - Fires the designated tech These special powers also have levels of effect. Personally I would only bother to use the TP Absorb and Tech class but there are times when others are helpful. ~Armour - Blue Boxes~ In PSO, there are two types of armour you can wear: actual armour and shields. Both will increase you defence and evasion as well as your elemental resistances. All armour and shields have a required Level to use them (because a required defence would be stupid). There are two types of armour: Frames and Armour. Forces can only use Frames. Frames tend to suck more than armour for this reason. Also there are both Shields and Barriers. They are just like Armour and Forces can only use Barriers, which suck more than shields. Aside from their actual defensive ability and resistances. You can also equip Units to Armour and Frames. To do so, you need the armour to have slots. You can find this on the second page of their stats. Armour can have up to four slots to equip units. Units are like Materials but they are better and worse. First of all, they provide big bonuses in all kinds of stats and there are many different units you can equip. The down side is they don't do anything unless you equip them so make sure you fill your slots with the best stuff you have. Also, never leave a slot open! The nice thing about units is they have no requirements. (If they did, what would be the point?) Both armour and units are necessary to be an efficient fighter and they are uber-helpful to you so make sure to keep and eye out for them. Also, armour tends to fetch a pretty penny when sold so if you are grabbing stuff to sell, get lots of armour. ~Meseta - Your Cash!~ Found everywhere, the little yellow crystals are called Meseta. In the beginning of the game you have very little and accumulating it can be a hassle. You will use Meseta to buy stuff from the store, particularly healing items. You may also find a helpful unit or armour at the store but after you get to be pretty strong, money becomes so abundant that it's worthless. Also the store stops to sell useful items around VHard mode so normally, you'll have tons of the stuff to buy healing items. You can get lots of meseta from completing quests at the hunter's guild. ~Rares...~ All I can say is they come in red boxes. You'll find them every now and again in later difficulties. Some rares are overrated but there are thousands of rares available out there. You just gotta go find them! (Real helpful advice huh?) I have a bunch and soon you will too. NOTE: Go to http://www.planetdreamcast.com/psoworld and you can check your section ID. There, you can see the most common place to find a weapon you may want. Every rare I've ever found is consistent with the guides there. Not only that but they have good pics or rares etc. A real excellent site! ~Techniques~ All you Forces, you have unlimited access to techs! Techs are cool because they do a lot of elemental damage and they can really help you out of a tight spot. All techs have to be learned from a disk and they have specific levels. All techs except for Anti have 30 levels and as you learn higher levels, they techs get more powerful. Forces can learn techs up to level 30 but hunters and rangers can only learn up to level 15. Also, only Forces can learn Grants, Megid, and Reverser. The thing about techs that makes them really cool is they NEVER miss. As long as they physically contact the enemy, it's going to strike. Attack Techs: Foie - A very basic attacking tech that deals with fire, which you should have just gone ahead and guessed anyway. Fire techs lack one thing: status defects. Zonde and Barta-type techs all have a possible status defect going for them making them a little more appealing than fire. However, don't feel sad because fire typically does just a little more damage than other techs and what's more is they affect MORE of the population. Very few enemies have a very strong resistance to fire. If you don't know what to throw at an enemy, go ahead and pelt it with Foie. With that said, Foie itself is just a fireball. At low levels, it moves slow and can be easily dodged. The higher the level, the faster it moves and the more damage it does. You can use this one pretty much anywhere for good results. By the way, while you can fire it at anytime, it works best (and usually will only connect) if you target an enemy first. It is possible to hit more than one enemy but unlikely. Zonde - The lightening techs are the Zonde set. Zonde itself will strike an enemy (1 that is and only 1) with lightening. What's cool about this is as long as that enemy is in the range (which is all around you) the bolt will strike. While it is considered a targeted attack, Zonde is an area attack because it will hit even if the enemy is not targeted. For that matter, even if the enemy is BEHIND you, as long as it is close enough in your range, ZAP! Higher levels will improve the range (to an unreal standard) and increase the damage inflicted. While I do consider it to be an area attack it is an oddball because as I said, you can only hit ONE enemy. If you are hitting a Machine enemy, you may even shock them which is excellent! (Some overloaded circuitry...) Therefore, higher levels also improve the odds of short circuit. Barta - Well, would this be the ice set? Naw... Well, Barta as you better have guessed are the ice spells. They are, in my opinion, the best of them all. Ice spells are very limited in range until you level them up and even then, they are a pain but they have an excellent chance of freezing an enemy. This is great news (however strange I find it). Barta itself creates a river of ice that shoots out along the ground in front of the caster. It will damage anything it hits. This attack is best used as a targeted attack but go ahead and let it rip through a line up of baddies as it is an area attack in that respect. It can hit many enemies but it will only hit them ONCE per casting. Higher levels make the river extend further, does more damage and increases the speed of the tech. Gifoie - The step up from Foie, it is much more difficult to use. It holds with the Foie classifications too. The spell causes a fireball (2 at later levels) to emit from the caster and spin in a large spiral around the caster. This tech has a LONG charge up and wind down time so be very careful. It is an area attack meaning you don't target a thing. As long as an enemy walks into the circle where the fire is spinning, it will take damage. Note that the enemy does NOT have to directly contact the fireball but it must be closer to you than the fireball is (that is, in its range as it expands). Be careful, this attack will only hit ONCE no matter how long the enemy stays in the flaming circle. It will hit as many enemies that enter but as I say, only once a piece. Higher levels increase the range, and fireworks involved. Also, it lasts longer thereby hitting enemies as they spawn too. At Lv 30, it takes a freaking eternity for it to wear off which is really cool. Gizonde - Better than Zonde in every way except for one. Gizonde is a little different from Zonde but still much the same. Every enemy that is in range (which must, this time be in you sights. Alas, this is the lone disadvantage) will be struck by lightening, which you seem to throw out of your hands. This spell as I say has a smaller circumference of effect but it is better because imagine 20 enemies packed in a group chasing you (which happens VERY frequently believe it or not). That's right: "smite with lightening!" as a friend of mine would say. Higher levels improve the range (once again to a stunning amount allowing you to effortlessly toast an entire room) as well as damage and the ability to shock Machine attributed enemies. Gibarta - You will replace Barta on your screen once you get this in lieu of one down side (to which there is always one but alas...) Gibarta basically creates a small snowstorm in front of you that comes inexplicably from your hand. It is much larger than Barta and will affect anything it touches with the powerful ability to freeze the unlucky target. This one is a targeted attack, sorta. Expect to see the best results from directly targeting enemies but here's the catch: the flurry is fairly large and can affect a large number of enemies. Mind you, they need to be packed together but that happens all the time. Higher levels dish out more damage and give a better chance of inexplicably encasing the target in solid ice. The only downfall is that it doesn't reach very far unlike Barta, which can sail clear across an entire room. Rafoie - The Ra techs are fun to use. They all have the "take this!" factor to them. Rafoie is a targeted attack and a target is an absolute must for the tech to launch. Once you've found a target, fire will explode into a burning sphere around the target and every for a square mile around it! At higher levels, a ring of fire will sprout out too. This ring will deliver the maximum damage to everything it touches too. This is a great spell to use to dish out maximum damage from a distance and affect everything following you. Levelling this one up will increase the size of the ring, increase damage and give you more fun in nuking whatever pissed you off. It's also a good desperation attack. Some weapons can cast this as can some enemies but all you Forces, you know that Rafoie Lv 30 is going to kick much more rear than freebies and enemy attacks right? Right. Razonde - This tech is simple: it creates a huge ring of lightening around you for a second, which will damage (or shock) anything it touches. Once again, this is purely a desperation attack and you will see its full use when you are surrounded. If things are looking bad, bust out with this one, otherwise, just use Zonde and Gizonde to get the job done. Higher levels will increase range (once again to an incredible standard) and damage. Rabarta - A small let down from Gibarta, Rabarta is just Razonde only using ice. You can copy and paste everything I said up there here too. This one has a puny range and it doesn't get any bigger. However, it does have a near 100% of freezing whatever you attack so if you're in real trouble, unload this. Once again, only use this if you get surrounded otherwise you'll waste about a 270- degree radius of effect that could be concentrated with less TP cost using Barta or Gibarta. Once again, higher levels improve damage and chance of freezing. Have fun. Grants - This tech is for Forces only. That being said, it is also the only spell in the game that uses light. When you use it, one very unlucky target will be subjected to thousands of tiny rays of light that will shoot in from all sides. After this, a HUGE (at high levels...) fiery beam will toast your enemy. Needless to say, this tech does extreme damage but be careful. A lot of enemies have resistance to this tech so take care. However, to anything that does NOT have a resistance to it, expect BIG damage. Mine can dish out almost a thousand damage on my friend's Lv 80 Racast brining him down laughably in a single hit. Use this on anything that pisses you off royally and say bye, bye. Megid - Opposite to Grants, Megid uses the dark element. This would be the tech that would define Terekane but alas, it was not meant to be. Megid is absolutely useless. It will shoot a black cloudy thing at an enemy and works just like Foie in that respect. When it hits, it will do one of two things. One, it can hit and curse your enemy to death with a single blow (regardless of their health) or it will do lots and LOTS of nothing. There are very few enemies in the game that are seriously weak to Megid so most of the time don't bother trying. You can if an Ob Lilly pisses you off royally but otherwise just brag about it to your non- Force friends and tell them "its so good that it'd be like cheating using it all the time" (yeah, right). Higher levels will increase the range and improve the odds of killing your foe. It also increases the amount of TP you throw out the window per casting. Healing Techs: Resta - Probably the most important spell of the works and if you don't have mates on your customize, this should be there all the time! It simply recovers your health and it usually recovers all of it. At level 3+ a pile of sparks will appear around you and any teammates that touch them are healed as well. Higher levels will increase the range of effect and the amount of HP healed. If you have Resta, I recommend using it instead of mates unless of course your TP runs dry. Anti - What this spell does should probably be obvious. It is helpful, but only at the higher levels. There are 7 levels of Anti: one for each status defect. (see {A4} Level 2+ affect other party members. It is an absolute must for certain quests where your teammates can get paralysed. The only downfall of Anti is for most of the defects, you can't cast it on yourself; it only helps others. Reverser - This tech is unfortunately, only for Forces and it works like a reusable Moon Atomizer. Basically, you use it on the targeted friend and it brings them back to life with half their HP filled. There are no levels to this one. Once you have it it's at the highest level. Support Techs: Shifta - Gives you a statistical boost in ATP. (Sadly, it only boosts your actual, not your base stat). Level 3+ will affect teammates and the higher the level, the bigger the boost and the longer it will last. Once you start hitting the Level 15+ of this one, you're never going to want to fight without it. (I have been told that some classes cannot use this one aside from androids; I don't know if that is true yet...) Deband - Like Shifta, Deband gives you a boost in DFP. Level 3+ affects teammates and the higher the level, the bigger the boost and the longer it will last. Be careful, if you are used to hitting the ground from every attack, this spell might stop that. While I think falling down screws one out of their entire attack plan, to some people, hitting the ground might be a blessing. It's up to you. (I also have been told that some classes can't use Deband either. I'll check later if that's true) Jellen - The opposite of Shifta, Jellen will lower that ATP of your enemies significantly. It is possible to hit more than one enemy at once and nailing bosses with this one plus Zalure is a great idea. The higher the level, the greater the range and power down. Use this if you find yourself surrounded by powerful foes. Zalure - Just like Jellen, this lowers DFP of enemies. Also great for hitting bosses with, Zalure's power and range grows with its level. You'll use this on enemies you are having a tough time inflicting physical damage on. ** Note: Shifta and Jellen do NOT affect tech power so casting Jellen on a Force is just a waste of your time.** **Another Note: Deband and Zalure do not affect your magical defence (resistances). In that case, Deband will do nothing when up against a magical foe and again, if you are a Force, casting Zalure will not help you do more damage with your tech. Sorry but TOO BAD.** Ryuker - This very nifty spell creates a telepipe for a cost efficient 10 TP. You can use it as many times as you want but only one telepipe will appear. Once you cast it again, the previous one vanishes. There is but one level to this one so nab it ASAP. **NOTE ON ALL SPELLS: The higher the level, you obviously use more TP. Be careful jumping from a Lv5 Resta to say, a Lv15 Resta. You will drain your TP much faster than before and the extra boost in health may not be necessary. Wait to use high level disks until you have the TP to fully support their use because you can't go down tech levels.** ~Traps~ Alright, now it's time to talk about the Android's kind of magic. You see, they can't perform techs but they do have a title of "master of all traps." Not only can they see them at any time, they can set more, which, like magic, are guaranteed to hit. There are three kinds of traps: Fire Trap: Simply explodes after a while and damages everything nearby Ice Trap: Probably the most useful, ice traps explode and freeze anything nearby Confuse Trap: Not quite as helpful as an Ice Trap but Confuse traps confuse anything they hit. Unlike when a hunter is confused, enemies will start to relentlessly attack each other. (Mwa, ha, ha...) Traps don't have a charge up and wind down time like techs but there is a small time interval before you can place another trap. Also, traps take quite a while to go off so you can speed up the process by shooting them. One final thing is that just like techs, you won't trap your fellow players unless you are in battle mode. But then again, why would you want to? ----------MAGs-------------------------------------------------------------- I know when I first started playing PSO, I wondered what the heck a Mag was. When you first go to a level, you will notice a weird little thing floating beside your head. That is your Mag. It is kind of like a virtual pet but it is way more useful. Mags get their own place on the equipment screen and you can have multiple Mags (you find them in blue boxes). At first, your Mag will do absolutely nothing except exist. What you have to do is give it some of your items and only edible items will do (Mates, fluids, antis, and atomizers). When you give items to your Mag, its stats will increase according to what you gave it. When one of the four bars fills up, your Mag's level will increase. There are a number of benefits to feeding your Mag and it will help you later on. ~Statistical Bonuses~ When you feed your Mag and increase its level, you will also gain stat bonuses from it. Here are your Mag's stats: DEF: Defence - Level this up to receive 2 extra points of DFP per level. POW: Power - Level this up with Mate type items for 2 points of ATP per level. DEX: Dexterity - Level this up with Anti items for 1/2 point of ATA per level. MIND: Duh - Level this up with Fluid type items for 2 points of MST per level. *Note: Atomizers are like odd balls. Depending on the Mag, they will do different things* IQ: How often your Mag will help you out. Max is 200 Synchro: How fast your Photon Blast gauge fills up. Max is 120% *Note: Every time you die, you loose 5 points of Synchro* ~Evolving~ When your Mag reaches level 10, 35 and 50, it will change form and acquire a photon blast. When your Mag evolves, all of what used to give it stats before will change so you must become accustomed to your new Mag as it evolves. What it evolves into depends entirely on how the stats POW, DEX and MIND are in relation to each other. Also, your character class and Section ID will also determine what kind of Mags you can get. When your Mag evolves, it will begin to help you depending on your circumstance. Since there are many different Mags available and what they do at certain circumstances, I'll just list what can happen and when it can happen. Death: 4 Photon Blast Gauge is full: 1,2,3 HP is 10% or less: 1,2,3 Entering a Boss Room: 1,2,3 1: Sometimes your Mag will cast a weak Shifta and Deband on you 2: Sometimes your Mag will cast Resta on you 3: Sometimes your Mag will make you invincible for a while 4: Your Mag may revive you. These little bonus don't always happen. It depends on your Mag's IQ and how long ago you last fed it. ~Photon Blasts~ You'll notice that surrounding your character's colour indicator is a little ring with a number (usually 0) by it. It will gradually fill up to 100. This will only happen once your Mag has reached Lv 10+ and your Mag acquires one of its three possible Photon Blasts. What is a photon blast you say? Well when you get hurt and when you attack, your Mag will charge up energy and fill the PB gauge. When it hits 100 you can do a photon blast, which is like a souped up tech with mondo amounts of power. There are 6 photon blasts but your Mag can only learn 3 and which ones it learns depends on what you evolve it into. Leilla - With lots of fireworks and the appearance of a strange looking thing, you will have the amazing spell called Resta cast on you for absolutely free (well except for all the PB energy you had) Wow... oh happy day. Unfortunately all Forces are stuck with this one. Golla - A moose appears and shoots electricity at ONE enemy for mondo damage. This is particularly effective against LONE targets...like bosses perhaps? Pilla - Possibly the most popular Photon Blast is Pilla where a butterfly looking thing appears and makes a rain of blue beams come crashing down around you hitting everything it hits for mondo damage. Mylla - The amazing Photon Blast call Mylla casts a whole Shifta and Deband on you. Isn't that grand? Isn't it? 0_o Farla - A snake/serpent circles around you and hits everything around for big damage. Estlla - A dolphin that looks like it drank way too much Mountain Dew appears and shoots out in the direction you were looking damaging everything it hits. ~Feeding and Raising Them~ To feed your MAG, in your menu, go to Item Pack and then MAG. Now select the Mag you wish to feed. Select Give Items and then items from the list that you want to give your MAG. You will see the bars rise depending on what you fed it. You can't feed your Mag for at a few minutes after starting up the game. You can only feed it 3 items at a time. After 3, it'll go back to being not hungry again. After another few minutes, you'll be able to feed it again. You MAG will gain a level when any one of the bars hits its max. After level 10, you'll be able to check your MAG's photon blasts. You cannot use them on this menu though. To use a Photon Blast, you hold R. You will see that all of your actions will be replaced by your acquired Blasts. You have to use your Blast in order to remove them from the customize but note, you probably want to save them for the best time possible. READ THIS! NOW! There is a lot more to know about Mags and what I have here is only what I have compiled from my personal experience and that of my friends. For lots of advice on raising Mags, check out noZedive13's amazing Mag Guide in the In-Depth Guides. Also to Mr. noZedive13, I did take a gander at your guide to remind me of the photon blasts so thanks a lot. Also, I would never have figured out how to raise a Mag if not for you so hats off to ya! (See, you can't tell me I don't credit my sources.) ----------Team/ Multiplayer Strategy---------------------------------------- Let's face it. The most fun you can have with PSO is on a team with others. The competing for items, all the different Section IDs, stronger enemies and just surviving together is a lot more fun than just playing by yourself. If you have the online capabilities then you virtually never have to play alone but otherwise, you'll have to gather up some friends for some classic split screen action! When you play multiplayer modes, there are a few changes. First, you'll notice that you'll have access to fewer menu functions like area map, chat, quest board etc. It's only obvious that this all relates to things you cannot do in multi mode. Anyway, the biggest change is going to be your fighting style. It's no longer just blitz the enemy until they die. You're more than likely going to have many character classes and you'll all be at lower levels. Multi mode is a great way to get really weak characters some big EXP. Of course, they have to be at least the level requirement for a particular difficulty but kicking the butt of stronger enemies, even if it's not the killing blow, will yield much more EXP than previous levels. Also, as I mentioned, there's a mixing of Section IDs and that can get you some different rares so playing with others is just overall better. ~Tips For Forming Teams~ You're going to want some of everything. If you have a bunch of friends, then keep in mind what classes they are. Having a team of 4 androids is great but if you were to have just 3 androids and 1 force, things suddenly get a lot better. In a team you generally want: - At LEAST 1 android to clear out traps and act as body shields - At LEAST 1 Force for healing, Shifta and Deband as well as Reverser - 1-2 Humans to protect everyone in every department - Try to have one of each class You don't need all these characters but androids are uber helpful in disabling traps and Forces are great to cast Reverser and powerful Resta. You defiantly want some humans for their balanced traits to help out everyone and make good spell banks as well as raw power. Of course, how you make you're team is completely up to you but variety is king. ~Organization~ If you go running into a level and everybody splits up or goes searching for items, you will have a dead team quickly. You want to stick together unless you're in a level that's too high for you, then you'll just die anyway. Think of PSO as a game of football or rugby. If everybody just runs rampant, you end up loosing quickly, but if you assign roles and you cover each other's weaknesses, you'll kick butt in no time. The same works here. Chances are you won't have a team of all HUmars. If you do, go join another team. With the variety, everybody has strengths that compliment the weaknesses of others. This is useful but it still won't work unless you have some sort of strategy. ~Hunters~ The hunters, both android and not, should do what they do best: use WEAPONS. You can cast spells too of course but still, you want these people at the front lines because of their ATP. Then again, if you have a good gun, don't hesitate to put them back a bit too but generally, these are your pain bringers so let them to the heavy duty attacking. If you are a hunter, try and use a sword or Mechgun type weapon because these lay down lots of pain. Also, don't hog the EXP. If you're going to bust out a doomsday attack, tell you team to get in a hit so they get some experience too. These people are good mostly everywhere. ~Rangers~ Just because rangers have good ATA, it doesn't mean you are limited to guns. Rangers tend to possess unreal amounts of defence and that's good if you have a few particularly weak players. The androids of this class make excellent body shields for the vulnerable forces in the back. Also, they should stay close to the forces to get healed up for more punishment. Don't forget, being a body shield tends to make your photon blast gauge build up uber fast and you can then unleash the storm on your rivals. What I personally like about rangers is their ability to use the shotgun type weapons. They are excellent for impeding the progress of enemies and make good cover fire. As a ranger, it is your responsibly to play defence and to be the annoying pests that make it impossible for monsters to get to you. Typically, you want to form a perimeter to protect the Forces and Hunters when they need to heal up. Remember, you have a big responsibility on your hands! ~Forces~ I hate to hand out the role of the "designated healer" but fellow Forces, let's face the facts. Unless we want our friends to die quick and painful deaths from relying on mates or the pathetic Lv15 Resta, it's going to be our job to provide the second layer of defence. Since forces tend to have low HP, you typically want to be at the centre of your group's formation. Here, you can be protected by enemy hits hitting the rangers and hunters. That is why being the healer is so important. It's like playing doctor dodge ball. Your friends will die. That's a fact. You have to run out and Reverser them without getting killed yourself. You also should keep an eye on everybody's health. If someone's getting low, heal them. You also want to cast Shifta and Deband on everybody to boost their powers of to better protect you. If you are a strong force, keep some big Armageddon techs on you like Razonde, and Rabarta that not only clear out big pile of enemies, they can inflict shock or freeze on them too. You also want to net yourself some EXP so nail everything with a good Rafoie first before taking on the individuals. ~Androids~ You are separate altogether. I need to stress the importance of de-trapping rooms. Just because you can see traps, you're friends can't and if somebody (worst of all, the group's force) runs into say a paralysis trap, that can suck big time. The shot is great for clearing trapped hallways and for hitting traps just about to explode. Upon entering a room, you're first mission should be to remove the traps. You should also SET traps when you're team is in trouble. A good freeze trap can screw the entire opposition out of their offensive and gives you time to pick off a few. ~General Tips~ If you know how to fight, I can't really tell you anything big time different but here are a few things to remember: 1. Don't be an item hog. Guaranteed, you'll have one ore two. Don't be one yourself. Not only does it endanger your team and wreck your strategy, you also look like a big idiot holding up a shiny new rare from a distant box while everyone else is dead. That doesn't mean of course, that if an enemy drops one, go grab it but don't leave the team for boxes. It's just not worth it. 2. Share the EXP. Powerful characters have a big advantage over the weaker characters. If you are a Force with all Armageddon techs, let the weaker guys get a few hits in before you end it. That goes for photon blasts as well. Chances are, you'll kill everything. Let everyone get in a hit before you cast it. 3. Don't leave your friends dead... Not only are they not helping your cause, it is a real bummer to be lying on the floor when a rare appears and since nobody healed you, you have no chance at it. Don't forget of course, just because that person cuts down on your competition, don't expect them to heal you next go round. 4. Share Rares and Materials. There's nothing worse than fighting through thick and thin for your buddies and all the luck comes to them. It will happen when all you find are Monomates and they keep finding grinders and materials. It just makes everybody super happy when you give them the second DEF material you found. Also, if you're, say a strong ranger and you find a Flowen Sword or something. Don't keep it for your "second character," give it to the Hunter. They might give you a Dark Meteor some day. 5. Don't split up. If you're party consists of all Lv200, obviously use your judgement but you fight much better as a team with united strengths. ----------PSO Plus, What's the difference?---------------------------------- In response to the recent release of the newest edition of PSO: Plus Edition, I have had a few questions and comments about what's different and compatibility problems with the old version. This section is for people with questions or comments about Plus edition and it's new additions. If you notice something new in Plus edition that I don't have here, please let me know! Thanks! *Contributed from SuperSigma: Phantasy Star Online Episode 1 and 2 Plus. First off, PSO Plus has 3 of the Episode 2 quests on it: 'Seat of the Heart', 'East Tower' and 'West Tower'. There's also the Ep.2 Challenge Mode for offline play (people who have the original Ep 1 and 2 still have to play it online only). Episode 1 also has some added bonuses. If you complete most of the Ep.1 quests, the quest 'Central Dome Fire Swirl' gets unlocked. (I say most of the quests, because if you go down the list of quests in order, it appears last, but I randomly jumped around the list of quests, and I actually got Fire Swirl to open up while still having three or four more quests to complete yet.). Also, you can activate the Gameboy Advance downloads in the Ep.1 quest 'The Fake in Yellow' offline now. (Those who have the original Ep 1 and 2 can only do this online). >Thanx for the contribution! Sorry it took so long to post!< I do not myself own Plus Edition but a friend of mine does and he informed me of the new quests for Episodes I and II and also the Episode II challenge mode. I've already mentioned the compatibility issue with the Plus edition but I guess I'll say it again just in case... YES! All of your old characters/equipment/mags are FULLY compatible with the Plus edition from the older version of PSO. Don't hesitate to buy Plus if you were teetering because of this reason! It is also important to note that in completing the Seed of the Heart, it is now possible to obtain the 'Ragol Ring' rare as a quest rare. Cool. I'll have more on this as soon as I get a hold of PSO Plus. There are also some new rares, or so I have heard, in Plus edition so that may invite a few of you to try out Plus. Finally, I have heard a rumor that Galon's Rare Shop which was only available online may have worked its way into Plus edition but I will have to confirm this rumor to myself. For those of you out there who don't know, Galon's shop is where you can exchange Photon Drops for rares that you cannot find on your own such as the Photon Booster. Very cool but again, it's just a rumor. I'll update this soon... #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=SECTION B: Walkthrough_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= ~General Stuff!~ Every level is unique and will rearrange every time you play it. Every level has a red and blue teleport. The blue teleport takes you backwards and the red teleport lets you advance. At the end of the last level of each area is a special transport, which takes you to the boss. Always place a telepipe before entering a boss. I cannot stress this enough. Even if you know what to expect, things can go awry and if you die, you have a LOONG walk back. Every time you die, remember to replace the Telepipe you used to return. Most rooms have enemies. The doors in a room will remain locked unless you defeat all the enemies in that room. Sometimes, you'll have to walk around the door or a specific area to make more appear. If a door is flashing red, there's more "killing's" to be done. Some doors won't open unless you track down the switch that opens the door. They sometimes are placed right next to the door but other times, you'll have to backtrack to find them. After the Forest, doors that are locked by switches generally look different and you'll know what to look for. If you found a switch, look at your map to see what door may have opened. Note that there are two types of switches. There are some that are obvious and stand out and others that are pads you must walk on. A lot of switches are fakes. Be careful, fake switches have powerful traps above them. You should use a Trap Vision if you are unsure. Some doors require multiple switches to open. Remember, typically, 2-switch doors are shortcuts back to a previous part of the level placed there in case you die. 4-switch doors usually lead to many boxes and ultimately a dead end. Leave these alone unless you'd love to waste your time...usually. All levels also contain laser barriers. Most simply cover boxes by a few will block the path to the exit. Finding the large laser switch that matches deactivates barriers the colour. If you ever see a switch, make sure to deactivate it. The second level of ever area (eg Forest 2, Caves 2) has a large brown column in it. It is usually not on your way to the exit so you'll have to hunt it down. You MUST activate the column before you leave because unless they are all active, you won't be able to enter the Ruins and you'll have to go back...you know...that sucks. Every "2" level, do yourself a favour and find the column before leaving. Finally, one general tip for playing through the regular levels in Episode 1 is that every now and again you'll come across small little red messenger things. They, as you probably have suspected come from: SPOILER WARNING Red Ring Rico herself. You see; they provide the actual meat of the storyline. However, I'm not going to go and spoil the MAJOR plot of the game for you so you can read 'em yourself or you can just ignore them. Either way, these message things are always on the path to the exit so if you see one, chances are you'll not only get some marginally-helpful info, you'll know you're on your way to the goal. NOTE ON THE WALKTHROUGH: As I said, the level layout is random and is based on your Character's Section ID, class and so on. You will come to recognize your layouts eventually but that also means that I cannot tell you exactly where to go. Usually, though, certain kinds of rooms or enemies will lead you there so I have place the general directions here. By the way, as you progress you will encounter increasing amounts of the above things. If you cannot access a door or you feel lost, whip out your map and see which door you haven't entered yet and backtrack to go through them. You may have missed a switch or another route. Anyway, without further ado, let's go! ---------Forest 1-2-------------------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: *All Enemies in the Forest have the Native Attribute* Booma HP: Low POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Gun/ Long sword Probably the most generic, run-of-the-mill enemy you will encounter here in the forest. The Booma looks like a strange looking bear with claws and is very unwise. It will simply roar upon you entering the room and walk up to you very slowly and swipe at you with its claws. They actually have pretty good power so try an use a gun or a long sword to eliminate them with no threat. They have the tendency to show up in great numbers so you may want something to clear out multiple. If by some miracle you have Gifoie, use it by all means to dispense with them quickly. Gobooma HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Gun/ Long sword Goboomas are just like Boomas but they are yellow in colour and are souped up just a little. They have slightly more power and health and they also have a weakness to lightening spells. They like to mingle with regular Boomas to screw up your techs so make sure you know who your nailing with what. Otherwise, just stay back and shoot them. Gigobooma HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun/ Long Sword The final version of the generic baddy is just like the rest only with more power and HP. They can be a pain to kill and with the addition of a third weakness, tech casting can be a pain. Make sure you stand back and let them come to you as they are very slow. Savage Wolf HP: Low POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything goes If only Koga was here... Anyway, the savage wolf is a joke and a half. It has very little HP and isn't very powerful. That isn't what makes them so easy though, it's their amazing resistance to attack you! They just walk around you slowly and occasionally they will jump at you to attack but that's it! Most of the time if you are really close to them, they won't even attack! Their chance of attacking you increases if there are more of them but they make perfect targets to walk right up to and beat senseless. Barbarous Wolf HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Anything goes I wouldn't call these "wolves" either or even "dangerous" for that matter... The Barbarous wolf is exactly like the savage wolf except they are blue. They act a bit like the leader of the other wolves and if there is one around, they typically attack more. Don't expect too much out of these things either though. They are just as resistant to attack. They have a bit more HP than the savage wolf but you can still just walk up to them and slaughter them. One thing is that once you kill one, all the other wolves will immediately cast Zalure and Jellen on themselves. As if they needed to make themselves any weaker... Monest HP: High POW: None SPECIALS: Produces Moutments WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Sword/ Mechgun Theses strange looking sacks will descend on the battle field and piss you off instantly. They produce these annoying little bugs call mothments. The nest itself can produce an awful lot of them so take them out quickly. You are advised to use a mechgun to lay down serious pain and don't worry: they can't attack you. If you don't have a mechgun, just use anything. Moutment HP: VLow POW: Low SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Handgun/ Sword The little pieces of shit that come from the Mothments Nest fly around you, block your path and poke you constantly with their little mosquito stingers. They are pretty weak so getting rid of them shouldn't be a problem but if you have Gizonde, you can toast their little behinds with due haste. Otherwise just shoot them if they fly away. Rag Rappy HP: Low POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything goes The little too-cute-to-attack-you little yellow duck type creatures tend to appear around the same place as actually dangerous enemies. They have very little power but they can piss you off in a hurry so grab a gun and stand back and pick them off one by one. They aren't much of a threat but they can be annoying. Foie also toasts them efficiently too. Once you "kill" them, they lie down and play dead. Once you're far enough away, they'll get up and run away. If you're feeling mean, you can shoot them to get an item. Hildbear HP: VHigh POW: High SPECIALS: Foie WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Any Gun Hildbears only appear in Forest 2 and are giant gorillas that can shoot Foie and kick you butt efficiently. They have mondo power and HP so things can get tough. I strongly recommend a handgun so you can hit them from a distance and run when they try to use Foie. Barta spells work nicely though too. The only good thing is they usually only travel one at a time so don't expect to see many in one place normally. They are very dangerous and you are advised to stand WAY back. If you want to tango, let it attack AND MISS before you start a combo. Then attack it from the side if you can. @------------------0 |=====Forest 1=====| 0------------------@ Enemies: Booma, Gobooma, Monest, Mothment, Savage Wolf, Barbarous Wolf, Rag Rappy Size: 10% Overall Difficultly: 10% ~Layout~ This level, as you might have guessed is a piece of hot apple pie with ice cream and cinnamon and perhaps a gooey brownie. It just can't get any easier than this. The level layout is absolutely simple. The level is tiny and what's really cool about the forest is that you can easily memorize which rooms are where and where you are in relation to everything else. The whole thing is built in more or less a big squished circle, which means that you should pick a direction from the starting point and keep heading either clockwise or anti-clockwise until you run into the exit. The only real branch from the main path is in the huge room with a crashed speeder and a river. Take care to enter the room in the southwest corner because the exit is often there. ~Traps 'n Threats~ Zip, zero, nada and more nothing. The only possible thing to beware of is that some boxes will cause enemies to appear when you break them but that's it. ~Enemies~ You won't fight too many enemies here. Most of the time, they'll come at you two or three at a time. Don't expect to get surrounded or threatened in any way. Obviously a gun would be helpful if you're not at a very high level but otherwise, just use whatever you have to destroy whatever dares cross your path. @------------------0 |=====Forest 2=====| 0------------------@ Enemies: Booma, Gobooma, Gigobooma Monest, Mothment, Savage Wolf, Barbarous Wolf, Hildbear, Rag Rappy Size: 15% Overall Difficulty: 25% ~Layout~ The layout of Forest 2 is the same as Forest 1 except minus the brownie. Layout wise, use the exact same strategy: go around in a circle. There is a small lake in the middle of the level so you can see most things from the rooms that surround the lake. There is only one deviation from the main path here too and that is in the biggest room with the laser barrier. There are six exits from this room so make sure to explore them all. The warp is typically in the red- doored room at the northwest corner of the aforementioned room. Be careful not to miss it. The boss transport is always in the same place but there is a little green warp somewhere in the level that takes you there. It will move around. once you've found it, expect a big fight and a few Hildbears. When you use the warp, you're only two rooms away from the end. Also, the first big column will appear here as well so make sure to clear the level until you find it. It's position changes too but you'll find it in a hurry. ~Traps 'n Threats~ About the same as Forest 1: nothing: 0. ~Enemies~ Enemy wise, this level is a good bit more difficult than the previous level. There are the big powerful Hildebears here. They typically only travel one at a time but in the last rooms, expect to run into a couple. The rooms here are a bit smaller so fighting gets more cramped. Hit and run doesn't work so well and if you're level is low, you could take a beating. Try to group enemies together and force them to attack you one at a time. This also leaves them vulnerable for a good tech or trap. The enemies themselves have a bit more variety so you'll fight wolves at the same time as Boomas. I still recommend a gun but a powerful sword can prove to be an asset too. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |*=*=*=BOSS: Dragon*=*=*=| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: A GUN! Resistances to fire wouldn't hurt if you have a few. HP: Medium WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta Overall Difficulty: 25% Description: The Dragon is a very large and ominous boss but if you have adequate defence and a GUN, you will be fine. Be careful, this guy can dish out some serious damage. He has several attacks. First, he will just walk around. If he steps on you, you will take a good bit of damage. He will also spew fire all over the place. The best thing to do to avoid this is to be very close to him: just under his neck. The dragon will stop moving when he does this so if you are close to his body, he will miss you completely. He will then start flying. He will fly just overhead and spit fire at you. Keep running around in circles to avoid that. When he lands, if he manages to step on you, be prepared for big damage. Finally, once you hurt him badly enough, (he'll stop to roar to notify you of the second phase) he will begin a different pattern. First he'll walk up to you and spew fire. Then he flies up in the air and burrows underground leaving a fiery hole. Don't touch that or you'll take damage. The Dragon will then start to burrow in a line toward you. In the easy difficulties, he won't move much from the straight line but later, his path will bend to try and get you. The best way to avoid this is to open your Area Map and watch to see where he's starting. Try to run behind him for the best results. Strategy: As I said before, and now you know why, a ranged weapon is crucial. I also recommend a weapon like a sabre to dish out some big damage. The first thing you should do is attack his feet so run right up to him and stand under his neck just in front of his feet. If he spews fire, it will miss you. Now start beating on those feet. After a few good hits, the Dragon will "faint" and put its head on the ground. It might hurt you when he puts his head down so try to attack the feet from an angle. Now is your chance. Run over to his head and bust out with the most powerful stuff you have. Barta spells, and powerful weapons like swords can rack up big damage and with the Dragon immobile, you can wail away without fear of attack. Once he raises his head, repeat the process until he lets out a big roar. This will tell you that he's about to start burrowing so shoot him a couple times if you can and get ready to dodge that burrow attack or else you're gonna get nailed. When he resurfaces, try to attack his face or his feet. Get in as much damage as you can before he flies off again. Eventually you'll bring him down and you'll get your first chunk of EXP. One last thing, if you have Shifta, Deband, Jellen or Zalure, go ahead and cast them. The boss is much easier if it's weaker and you're stronger. ---------Forest(Ultimate)-------------------------------------------------- Enemy Changes: When you enter Ultimate Difficulty, the level is exactly the same except the enemies look and sometimes act different. Most of the enemies simply have been souped up with extra health and power but for some, resistances change. I will note them here. Also note that everything is now ultra-fast so guns will be you're friend. Booma -> Bartle: Same Gobooma -> Barble: Same Gigobooma -> Tolara: Same Monest/Mothment-> ???: Same Savage Wolf -> Guglus: Same Barbarous Wolf -> Gue-Gulgus: ?? Rag Rappy -> El Rappy: ??? Hildbear -> Hildelt -> Light/Grants The Hildelt is uber-powerful and they will give you a rough time. They have unbelievable amounts of power and health. They attack in exactly the same way as Hildbears but now they shoot Gizonde, which almost always shocks you. Another thing is they are no longer weak to Barta. In fact, they are strong to everything except Grants. If you are a Force, then it is your lucky day because Grants is very strong against this thing. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |*=*=*=BOSS: Sil Dragon*=*=*=| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: Any kind of gun. Ice Resistances work nicely too. HP: Med-High WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie Overall Difficulty: 35% Description: Our old friend the Dragon has now learned some new tricks. He is no longer weak to ice and you'll find out why in 2.542 milliseconds. Instead of heading under the dome, the boss transporter will take you somewhere up in the mountains. (It's actually quite beautiful.) The Sil Dragon looks a lot different but attacks in EXACTLY the same way. The only difference is that now, he shoots ice at you, which has a very good chance of freezing you. Resist Blizzard would be a good idea if you have one. If you have a Cure/Freeze, you can end the battle before it even starts because you'll be more or less immune to him. You will be very surprised to find the Sil Dragon is not that much more powerful than the Dragon would be if he was here. Of course, getting frozen does leave you somewhat unable to defend yourself so make sure to mash the control stick. The only other difference is when this guy burrows, the final pass will be a spiral from the outside to the inside of the arena. To dodge this, stand right in front of the path. He will come right if front of you. When he passes by, run forward or you'll be just a bit colder. Strategy: I would approach the Sil Dragon in the same way as the dragon except obviously you're going to be pelting him with fire. You will find though, the Sil Dragon is twice as fast as the normal Dragon and that could screw you up big time because it is difficult to get an attack on the weak head. Of course, you should still go right under the beast but he might not stop walking and if you get stomped on, you're almost guaranteed to get two consecutive hits so make sure you're HP is high. Otherwise, just do what you're used to doing: kick its rear. Oh, by the way, Megid, as you have probably already discovered doesn't work too well on anything, let alone bosses so dark attacks aren't going to get you anywhere in a hurry. ---------Caves 1-3--------------------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: *All Enemies in the Caves have the Altered Beast (A. Beast) Attribute* Evil Shark HP: Low-Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Gun/ Ranged Weapon If you remember the Booma, this is the Caves equivalent. It looks like a green, lizard, shark type thing. It is exactly like the Booma in that it will just meander up to you and attack with its claws. The Sharks are actually a good bit more difficult than the Boomas but you should have levelled up a few times by now so they will be like facing the Boomas all over again. If you have a Foie spell, bean them with it, otherwise just stand back and nail them with a gun. They can be a bit more evasive than a Booma but you'll soon find an auto gun to compensate for that. If you want to use a sword, let them come up to you, Combo and let them attack but move back a couple steps and combo again. The time it takes for them to attack should give you time to start a fresh assault. Also, Sharks move a bit faster than Boomas and they tend to appear more at the same time so you may be fighting crowds of them. Since, you'll encounter these guys the most, if you have Gi or Rafoie, just nuke them and you're guaranteed to kill every one that it hits (in Normal that is). You may want to bust out a fire trap or two as well. Pal Shark HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun/ Ranged Weapon The next step up from the Evil Shark is the Pal Shark. They'll start appearing about half way through Cave 1. They are exactly like the Evil Shark and you can deal with them in the same way. They have a tad more HP and power but if you could deal with the Evil Shark, then you can deal with these guys. The only real difference is that Barta is the key here. Guil Shark HP: Med-High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Gun/ Ranged Weapon. The final generic enemy in the Caves is the Guil Shark. They are rare compared to the other two so don't expect to see lots of them until you get to Caves 3. They are actually quite a bit stronger than the other two so you'll really want a gun to take them out safely. They can also dish out lots of pain so beware using a sword. The game loves to mix them with the other two so you can't just cast Gi/ Rafoie toast them all at once. You're going to have to use lightening on these guys. Then again, freezing them first might not be such a bad idea... Poison Lilly HP: Low POW: VLow SPECIALS: Can Posion/Paralize you WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: A GUN These things are really going to give you a headache. They are these little evil white flowers that cannot move (thankfully) and constantly shoot green crap at you. If you get hit by the green crap, you will be poisoned. That isn't so bad since you can simply Anti after the battle but any time you hit them, they straighten up and cast Paralysis on anything even remotely near. Make sure that if you're not an android, you carry some Antiparalysis on you. To take them out safely, just stand way back and shoot at them or nail them with Zonde or Barta. They are pretty weak so don't worry but they an be a pain in the rear. If you're out of Antiparalysis, then just stand in front of one and let it poison you. For some reason, that instantly cures the Paralysis. You can usually attack these things last but feel free to Grants them if you get annoyed. They can hurt you if you are a real dummy and walk right up to them. One last thing is once you've removed most of their HP, they will start spinning. Don't get close because they spray a pile of blue crap that paralyses you. Grass Assassin HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: Can Paralyse you (Sort of) WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword/ Mechgun I would call these things dangerous but they really aren't. They look like giant grass hoppers and they walk very slowly up to you. They will then spit this weird webbing at you. If you are a real dingbat and stay there, it will stick your feet to the ground. You can still attack if this happens but you can't move. It wears off pretty quick though. They can also smack you with those huge slicers, which yields big damage. Sometimes, they will also scream and charge at you like a nut job. They can nail you for huge damage there too. The only reason that I consider them absolutely harmless is that they are laughably slow. It's incredible how slow they actually move. I recommend leaving them until last so you can remove anything that actually poses a threat. Then just whip out a sword and walk right beside their body and beat the thing to death. You can cast Foie at them if you want but why waste it on them? They take lots of damage so it may take you a while to beat them up but you're not going to get hurt. Nano Dragon HP: Med-High POW: VHigh-Extreme SPECIALS: Can Fly, and Shoot Laser Beams WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Sword/ Gun The Nano Dragon is a very dangerous foe. If you approach them the right way, you'll be OK but if you're not watching it can be game over in a hurry. They are actually pretty dumb enemies and they usually won't attack unless you're pretty close to them. They can only attack via laser beams. The first is like a blue pulse that will hit everything nearby. It is very hard to avoid but you can if you're moving in a constant direction. Once you hit them a few times though, they resort to this flaming blue laser beam that hits you for deadly damage. This beam is pretty easy to dodge though if you're not in the middle of a combo. It always fires in a straight line so when you see it coming, just move a step or two away and it'll miss. The cool thing about Nano Dragons is that if you walk right up to them, they won't attack, they'll just fly away. If you have a Handgun, you can pick them off right then and there. If not, just shoot a Barta spell at them or nail it with a sword. They will usually attack you after a combo so be ready to dodge if you're not going to go right up to them. One last thing that makes me wonder is that they will attack their friends too. If you have a Poison Lilly bothering you, try to make a dragon go by it and it will take it out for you. If it makes the final kill though, it will get stronger by about 0.000000000001 ATP. (Seriously, the game makes you think that it's something to worry about...phhft!) Polifully Slime HP: Med POW: High SPECIALS: Can shoot Fire and weird spikes WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword This enemy gets the Oscar for most annoying thing in the caves. If you thought the Lilies were bad, then you've yet to see this thing. It moves on the floor first as a blobbing blue...blob. It will soon materialize as a spiky blue sea- horse looking thing. They actually aren't that bad but the second you cast any magic on them, they'll divide, and divide up to four times for each one. Note that once you split the original one up into four, those four can no longer divide. What makes them such a pain is that they are completely invincible until they materialize. When they do materialize, you can only hit them ONCE before they go back to being invincible and blobbing along the floor. That means that you're going to want to make every hit count so take out your most powerful sword and nail them with the strong attack. The good news is that physical attack don't usually make them divide, even in Ultimate. They can shoot blue fire at you and these little weird spiky things but they're pretty easy to dodge and you probably will hit them before they attack anyway but if two or three show up at once and they start dividing... you can have 20+ on your hands before you know it. Try to get everything else before going after these things. Pan Arms HP: VHigh POW: Med SPECIALS: Can cast Jellen/Zalure on you WEAKNESS: Everything goes WEAPON: Sword/ Gun The Pan Arms can be a pain but they're not too bad. They usually first appear underground so you're going to have to look at you map to see where they are. The Pan Arms is actually very big and while it's whole, it is nearly invincible to physical attacks. You can Zalure them if you want to land a physical hit but if you have Zalure, that also means that you have other spells. Pan Arms are weak to every spell you can cast so go nuts if you want to kill them right off the bat. While it's whole, it will shoot a red beam at you for moderate damage and a mess of blue beams for the same thing. After both sides gets a shot it, it will divide into two halves with long swords. Now is your chance to hit them with physical attacks. You'll want to take out the purple one first because if it stabs you, it will cast Zalure and Jellen on you, which are unwieldy powerful. The orange side has quite a bit of power but if you used a few spells while it was whole, both sides will be pretty weak. Once you kill both sides you will receive next to no EXP. That sucks! @-----------------0 |=====Caves 1=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: Evil Shark, Pal Shark, Guil Shark, Poison Lilly, Nano Dragon, and Grass Assassin Length: 30% Overall Difficulty: 35% ~Layout~ All the caves are boring levels. They are long, not very colourful and you face the same enemies over, and over, and over again. The only thing you're going to be battling here is the overwhelming desire to snap the disk in half. The caves are quite a jump from the forest and this is more or less where PSO actually starts. You'll be receiving lots more EXP here as well so that's always a good thing. The layout of Caves 1 is much different from the Forest because now you no longer have easily recognizable rooms. They are just the same type of room arranged in many different ways. Of course, as always, the exit is random so I can't just say: go here, then here blah, blah, blah. Mostly, you're going to want to head through those rooms that are more rectangular looking. You will also come across this weird room that is very squarely shaped with a hole in the middle of it. I like to call this place the battle dome because you'll run into many enemies here. It is about halfway through the level. One last thing is there are lots of doors that take four stand-on switches to open. Don't go through them because they always lead to lots of enemies and dead ends. ~Threats 'n Traps~ The Caves now introduces a few new hazards. The first are traps that do not come from Androids. They are the same thing but if you're not an android, you can't see them. There are many different types. Most just explode but there are also lots that cause status defects. There are a couple rooms that are filled with traps. I would take a handgun with you if I were you because they are good to pick off traps. You should also carry a few trap visions if you're weak and you don't have an android handy. Some traps explode the second they let out their little beep but there a few that don't. Be careful, some are powerful enough to kill you outright. The game will also begin its favourite annoyance: trapped hallways. Between rooms, there are often long hallways and some are packed with traps. If you find one, the way to get down it is simple: open you're menu! Then just run down the hall. You're character won't stop by each one anymore and you won't get hit. You will also see these weird hydraulic presses. There is a little pad underneath them. When it turns completely red, the press will come down and flatten whatever happens to be there... like perhaps you? Naw, not if you're dumb enough to just stay there and let it squat you. They usually appear in the hallways but they aren't much of a threat. Finally, you may or may not come across a room where the "Lights" are out. It will be completely black and the only thing you'll be able to see are boxes. In these rooms, there will also be a glowing switch, which activates the lights. ~Enemies~ The caves produces quite a few more enemies than the forest but it'll be the same thing: a pile of them appear to attack you. Whoopie. Anyway, take out the sharks first because they are the fastest. They go after those stupid lilies. A also recommend a gun for this level to stand back and kill everything. @-----------------0 |=====Caves 2=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: Evil Shark, Pal Shark, Guil Shark, Poison Lilly, Nano Dragon, Grass Assassin, Poufilly Slime Length: 35% Overall Difficulty: 37% ~Layout~ The second caves is a lot different from Caves 1 and it looks a lot more... alive. There are lots of very scenic rooms filled with water and lush vegetation, which provides a nice change from the red lava rooms of Caves 1. The rooms also tend to be a lot smaller here so combo and run doesn't work so well. Anyhow, the layout is a lot like the previous caves in that it is a bunch of the same rooms placed over and over. The large skewed rooms filled with water usually have locked doors and the switch is placed on an inaccessible island. To get to said switch, you'll have to either backtrack or head through one of the other doors. These rooms usually point the right direction. You'll know when you're nearing the end when the rooms become smaller and more bare. There is also a room made completely of waterfalls. That is the halfway point. Finally: DON'T FORGET TO HIT THE PILLAR BEFORE EXITING THIS LEVEL OR YOU'LL BE SORRY! ~Threats 'n Traps~ The same threats exist in Caves 2. I have never run across a dark room here however but I'm sure there are plenty on other Section IDs. There are a few more trapped hallways here so if one looks suspicious, open your menu and you know the rest. There may be a few trapped switches as well so if you don't know what one will do, whip out a trap vision or be prepared to take the beating (which is usually intense.) ~Enemies~ Because the rooms are smaller, fighting can be a pain. There will be lots of sharks packed into one room and they often appear in all the different corners so if you don't look behind you, you'll be surrounded very quickly. There are also lots of traps in the various rooms and if you get screwed up, they you can pretty much prepare to die. Multi-enemy hitting weapons work exceedingly well as do techs that do the same thing. Since Foie has a tendency to hurt everything, go ahead and Gi or Rafoie big crowds of enemies. You will also notice that those stupid flowers tend to show up less here than in Caves 1. @-----------------0 |=====Caves 3=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: All of Them! Length: 52% Overall Difficulty: 45% ~Layout~ By this time, you're going to be uber-sick of the Caves but don't lose hope, you're almost there. Caves 3 has a large variety of rooms and I think it is a lot more fun to play than the previous two. The level itself looks a lot more ominous and it almost looks like you are in a huge deep freeze. What could the government be up to? Anyway, there are lots of very small square rooms that have a tendency to house many enemies. There are also lots of rooms with plenty of space. You'll come across thousands of dead ends here so make sure to look at your map to see which doors you haven't gone through already. The large square rooms as well as the 'Y' Shaped rooms tend to lead to the exit so if you find yourself in lots of tiny square rooms, head back to the last Y room and take the other door. About half of the way there, you'll start to see long rectangular rooms. If you see them, you know you're going the right way. Also, there are a lot of 4-switch doors. As always, just avoid them unless you'd like to find a very effective WOT. (Waste Of Time...WOT!) ~Threats 'n Traps~ There are quite a few trapped hallways and trapped rooms here so keep some Sol Atomizers on you as well as Trap Visions. As always, a handgun is good at removing surprise traps. If you find an empty room, you're more than likely going to find lots of traps there. Also, the large square rooms usually have traps in the corners. Remember, traps hit your enemies too so set one off by a baddie if you can. Those hydraulic presses are here too and there a are quite of few of them but you can avoid them easily. Also there are lots of dark rooms so be prepare to find the switch before you go in. ~Enemies~ The large square rooms usually have LOTS of enemies in them so be prepared for a fight. By now, you should be acquainted to the fighting style of the Caves so just do what you were doing to get this far! Also remember that Pan Arms are showing up. Since they don't appear until you march up to them, just save them for last. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: De Rol Le======| \#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: A GUN is crucial and maybe some fire resistance Weakness: Fire/Foie HP: High Overall Difficulty: 60% Description: De Rol Le is the biggest pain in the neck since, ever. De Rol Le is a giant worm that swims in the green sewer and he has mondo amounts of health. This is going to be a LONG battle but you can't turn back now! De Rol Le has many attacks, all of which are very dangerous to lower level characters. First, he will swim by the "raft" you happen to be trapped on and shoot a mess of purple balls at you. There are so many that you might as well just get Resta ready. You can dodge them if you try really hard but you'll just get hit next time anyway. He can also shoot little mines all over your raft. They cause mondo damage so destroy one in the nearest corner and stay as far away from the others as you can. He can also shoot three special ones that follow you around. Try to get rid of one or two, then just open your menu and run around in circles until the last one(s) blow up. Look out for those mines when De Rol Le is in front of the raft and flicks his tail. De Rol Le also can place his head on your raft. While it is there, he will try and prod you with his antennas. Once one has hit, you have a few seconds before the next one does. This really screws up any kind of attacks because you can only hit once or twice before you get nailed by another one. Next, De Rol Le can swim behind the raft and when he sinks into the water, look at the roof. He somehow has climbed onto the roof and is screwing up the lights. When he climbs over the raft, look out for rocks from the roof that fall down. To avoid them, go to the furthest edge of the raft as you can and walk back and forth. This usually works but sometimes it doesn't. Now it will get dark for a while and De Rol Le will unleash his last weapon, which is a purple laser. You'll know it's coming when he stands up and somehow continues to move forward. He will then charge up and let one beam go. Look forward to about 8 of these. Just run back and forth across the raft to avoid them. Strategy: De Rol Le is horribly annoying because of his numerous attacks. There is little time to actually begin an offensive but I would first Zalure and Jellen him if you are able. They won't last the entire fight but you won't have to cast it again for a while. Next, if you can, SHIFTA AND DEBAND YOURSELF! It only makes sense to power yourself up. Now, De Rol Le is pretty much immune to swords because you'll get very little chance to attack him with one. A gun works good, especially a handgun because you can hit him from anywhere. While De Rol Le is beside your boat, use a constant stream of Gizonde. This spell will multiply by the number of segments it hits and expect to hit lots of them. While De Rol Le himself is weak to fire, lightening works fine too. Gizonde is great because it can really rack up the damage. Gifoie also works extremely well if it is at a high enough level. Be careful though, those purple beams hurt and they mess up your Gizonding. If you are using Gizonde, make sure to watch the arrows to see how many segments you are potentially hitting. When De Rol Le is anywhere else, bust out your handgun and shoot him constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY. You can hit him before he lets out those mines, when he's behind the boat and you can even squeeze in a couple hits between blasts from the purple lasers. However, if there was ever a time to attack, it is when Dear Old Lee puts his head on the raft. You will have time for two good combos and a tech before the first antennae comes down. After you combo, run around in circles until the antennae hits the combo again and use techs until you see the first antennae raise up again. Now run around in circles until the next one comes down. Repeat this until De Rol Le removes his head. This fight will be long so don't undertake him until you have lots of time to spend. Basically, you want to make very shot count so use the weak attack the most, otherwise you'll get lots of 'misses.' ---------Caves (Ultimate)-------------------------------------------------- Enemy Changes: Evil Shark -> Vulmer -> Same Pal Shark -> Govulmer -> Same Guil Shark -> Milsqueek -> Same Pan Arms -> Same Nano Dragon -> Same Pofully Slime -> Light *(They split up more often! Yes, horrid!) Grass Assassin -> Crimson Assassin -> Same The Crimson Assassin is basically a red Grass Assassin. They attack the same way except for one difference: the webbing will now freeze you. They do this constantly so be sure to take them out first if they are crowding around the other enemies otherwise you'll be frozen in the middle of a circle of Vulmers and you know what that means... Poison Lilly -> Ob Lilly -> ?? These are the most deadly things in the caves. Now, the lilies you hated so much can shoot, Megid. That's the Force's dark/death spell. If it hits you, you will usually die but it may miss. DON'T TEMPT FATE! Stand WAY back and kill everything else FIRST. Then either using Zonde or a handgun, pick off the lilies. They can still paralyse you but that's not what should concern you. You can also get very close to them. If you are close enough, they will cough at you in an attempt to cause physical damage. Don't worry, if they're coughing, they can't cast Megid. They are still pretty weak so one good combo should finish them off. If there are a lot, strap on a few Resist/Devils or just door fight, killing them first. Remember, even though Megid didn't work for you, it will probably work on you! /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: Dal Ral Lie======| \#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: Handgun and a Sabre/Mechgun with a Geist attribute Weakness: Light/Grants HP: VHigh Overall Difficulty: 75% Description: Man, I HATE this thing! Dear Old Lee has learned some new tricks from his transformation into Ultimate mode. You'll recognize the thing immediately because Dal Ral La looks almost exactly like its prior incarnation. His attacks are exactly the same but they have a few modifications. First, expect the battle to have a much faster pace as Dal Ral La tends to rush through his attacks, which is a pain in the rear. Most of the attacks are pretty much the same: the mines, the mess of blue lasers, etc. The only few that are significantly different are firstly, his antennae pokes. When his head is on your raft, expect to get poked very often. The second one leaves, the next one will hit. This is a real annoyance because this is your only real chance to hit him properly. Also, expect to spend more time "Standing in the Dark, this could be your last mistake..." Yeah, I like that song too. Anyway, yeah, the rocks that fall also give less notice as gravity seems to have increased recently and the shadows will not last long before the rock hits. You can usually dodge this in the same way though. One last one that is the major annoyance is his laser beam. ARGH! It will fire off around the same number of times but without that nice break in between shots to return fire. No, now they happen one after the other: bang, bang, bang! Expect to get hit at least one or two times unless you have higher evasion than Al Capone when he was in serious trouble. The best way to avoid multiple shots is to stand in the top left corner and get ready your mates and Resta. Otherwise, he is the same as before but with a bloody pile of HP! Strategy: There's good news and very bad news here! First the bad news: Dal Ral La is very strong to Gizonde meaning that unless you have Lv 397 Gizonde, you're not going to be doing that much damage. That sucks because it was likely your best method of attack before but now you can't use it anymore! Damn, it! The small ray of hope is that Dal Ral La is very weak to Grants. Forces, it's your lucky day but to the rest of you, you're going to be stuck hitting him with a gun. All I can say is to use a HANDGUN! It has the best accuracy and you can hit him from anywhere. Also, keep lots of fluids on you for Resta and a couple of Scape Dolls. Then, between every attack, keep a steady stream of fire on Dal Ral Lie's head. If you have a Shot-type weapon, things could be a little easier but this thing has lots of D as well so unless you have a good strong Arms or higher, stick with a Handgun. Forces, you'll have the easiest time by using a powerful handgun like the Suppressed Gun or Custom Ray vr. 00 if you have one. A raygun works too but you should have a rare handgun by now and this is the perfect battle to bust it out on. Also, don't forget about Jellen and Zalure! They can half our buddy's attack and defence if you have lots of MST and a good strong level. Don't forget to Shifta and Deband yourself if you can. Finally IF YOU HAVE GRANTS, USE IT! It should do in the neighbourhood of 420+ damage depending on the level. You also want lots of Trifluid and a Geist attribute weapon to fill up from all that Grants-ing. The final word would be to have lots of time before you undertake him because this will be a LOOOOONG battle. ---------Mines 1-2--------------------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: *All Enemies in the Mines have the Machine Attribute* Gilchic HP: Med POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can shoot lasers WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Gun/Anything Goes The most common enemy in the mines are Gilchics. That's actually a good thing more or less because they are pretty easy to kill. Gilchics have quite a bit of HP and power but they move very slowly: about half as slow as a Booma. That doesn't mean they can't hurt you though, it just means that it takes longer for you to get surrounded. Moving around Gilchics is pretty easy and when they finally get to you, they will try and punch you. This causes a fair amount of damage but nothing out of the ball park. What will really piss you off is that every single time one punches you, there is a very good chance of you getting slowed and if you didn't find a Cure/Slow right off the bat like I did, things are going to be a pain, especially for androids. If you have a powerful enough anti, you may consider putting it on the customize but I wouldn't. Gilchics can also shoot a laser beam at you for big damage. If you see one charging up, nail it with Zonde or a gun. One final thing is that every time you hit a Gilchic, it will fall down. This makes it difficult for them to attack you but it also makes it difficult to land a successful combo. Also, you're advised to have Gi or Razonde on your customize because you will be facing unwieldy amounts of them. Then again, a freeze trap works fine as well. Dubchic HP: Unlimited POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can shoot lasers WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Gun/Anything Goes Dubchics can be a blessing and a curse. They are exactly like Gilchics in that they look like a robot but these guys are slightly greyer. They also move slower. They attack in the same way as a Gilchic but they cannot be killed. Once you kill one, it will put itself back together and start attacking again. To get rid of them permanently, you have to find the control mine which hides on the ceiling. It will come down after you "kill" one Dubchic. Then just trash the mine and all the dubchics in the room will die. If you want any EXP, you have to attack each one first. The best spell to use here is Gizonde because not only does it hit everyone, you're going to hit the mine as well. Try to get them first unless you want to be destroyed by never ending possessed robots. Canadine HP: Low-Med POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: Can shoot Zonde WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun/ Ranged Weapon The second Oscar of the night goes to the Canadine for most annoying thing in the mines! Canadines are these U shaped robot things that fly around at incredible speeds. They are such a pain! They usually will zip to a new position, stop for a moment, and then zip again until they get to you. Once they do, the will shock you with this taser like attack a few times and fly off again. They are ridiculously fast and are relentlessly persistent. Also, they may fly way overhead and shoot a targeting laser at you for about 3-4 seconds before they nail you with Zonde, which almost always shocks you. They switch back and forth between these two modes and since they usually appear in great numbers and with OTHER ENEMIES, there are always a few to zip around and shock you while a few more will Zonde you from above. To kill them, try and use a freeze trap or a Barta spell. Since they move so fast, you're gonna want a gun for sure. Be sure to keep Grants on you if you are a Force so you can beam them to death for pissing you off. You want to get them before the dubchics and Gilchics. ~Canadine Circles~ Sometimes you will encounter a circle of about 9 Canadines with one a red one in the middle. If you see a circle, walk right up to them and shoot at the red one from an angle between two other Canadines. If you manage to kill the red one, the rest in the circle will then let out a siren and come spinning at you. Now Gizonde them and run away. They will all explode and give you the EXP. Wonderful huh? However, if you ever get caught in the centre of all of them, either keep Razonde-ing or use a freeze trap. Otherwise, you can kiss your carcass good-bye. Sinow Beat HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: Can divide itself WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword The Sinow Beat is a Pan-Arms looking robot that is actually pretty deadly. What makes them so hard is they are incredibly fast! They always start out on the ceiling so if you see one from a distance or a suspicious shadow, then get ready for them. They don't fall down when you hit them and hard attacks barely push them back at all. They attack by slashing you a few times and you're likely to receive generous amounts of damage from them so make sure you're prepared before you go attacking one. Their big faux-pas is that after about three combos, they will leap backwards and start coming after you again.... What's up with that? The other weird thing about these guys is they can self-replicate, giving Sephiroth a run for his money. If this ever happens, don't be afraid because they are all just fakes. If you remember the purple ghost from Zelda Ocarina of Time (Meg I think was her name.) when you shot the fake ones, they just disappear. Same thing here. The big difference is that Link as much as we all love him, does not have access to Razonde or traps so just bust out with one if you get surrounded by expensive WOTs (Waste Of Time...WOT). Otherwise, just whip out a Mechgun which you should have by now or your most powerful techs or weapons. If you freeze them, you can parts-ify them expediently. Sinow Gold HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: Can cast Resta WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword These things are exactly like Sinow Beats except that they are gold. (No...really?) They attack in the exact same way except they cannot self- replicate (or at least not in my experience.) They can cast Resta on their crappy robot friends so you want to take this guy out first and foremost. Don't expect much healing out of them anyway but you can only expect that from a bucket of rusty scrap iron. Otherwise just go to town and let fly whatever fire spells you have. Garnaz HP: VHigh POW: Extreme-Instant Death SPECIALS: Shoots missiles WEAKNESS: Very strong to techs but Ice/Barta WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword Okay daddy, I wanna go home now! The Garnaz is uber-powerful and you could find yourself dead very quickly. They posses a very strong resistance to techs (except maybe Grants but yeah... figures) and they are ultra ranged enemies. It really doesn't matter where you are. Unless you are at the opposite end of the room, the gazillion missiles they shoot at you are just going to hunt you down. (Yes, they are homing missiles so go home and cry.) As for what they look like: they are these HUGE green robot turrets that cannot move without making really annoying sounds. They don't move much but they really don't have to. Usually, you're going to encounter them alone so the best strategy for weak and cowardly characters is to run circles around these tanks. Since their missiles will try to take the shortest path, they will ram right into the Garnaz. After you knock off all its plating, it will shoot double the missiles and poop out these little land mines. If you step on a mine, you're all done. (Hope you've got a Scape Doll) My favourite strategy is to stand right in front of them and blast them to heck with a Mechgun. If you do decide to do this, make sure that you Resta or otherwise heal after every hit. You also get more EXP this way. @-----------------0 |=====Mines 1=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: Gilchics, Canadines, Sinow Beats, Sinow Golds Size: 45% Overall Difficulty: 50% ~Layout~ The mines are just plain fun! Don't be surprised if you find yourself coming back here numerous times to build levels and just trash machines. When my computer screws up this here guide, I love to play the mines and decimate the worthless robots. It's just so fun how they dismember and fizzle before they explode. (Wow, I have a violent mind...) Not only that but the mines just looks cool! It's like you've just jumped about 5000 years or so ahead in time. Anyway, as for the actual level, the mine isn't too difficult mainly because you'll be facing nothing but those stupid robots that fall over. The layout is similar to the caves in that there are just the same type of room rearranged over the whole level. You're going to run into a lot of locked doors here and thousands of dead ends so don't be surprised if you have to pull out your map. When you find the large "C" shaped room, you're going the right way. You will also come across a weird orange room that always starts off with a Sinow Beat. That marks the halfway point. Try to keep heading through those large square rooms as the exit is usually adjacent to them. ~Threats 'n Traps~ You're also going to run into many rooms with the lights out. They are usually the long rectangular ones and the switch is always in a little cranny at the other side. There are also quite a few trapped hallways so if you suspect one, open your menu and run down it. ~Enemies~ For the fighting, expect to get surrounded often. If you get shocked, make sure to Sol Atomize or just leave the room. I strongly recommend Gizonde because it affects just about everything in here. Don't be surprised if you shock a Gilchic or two. Also, I recommend a HANDGUN for this level because it has a short reload time and you can keep all those Gilchics on the floor with it giving them little chance to attack. When you seem to be fighting infinite amounts of them in a single room, you are at the end. @-----------------0 |=====Mines 2=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: All of them! Size: 50% Overall Difficulty: 60% ~Layout~ Mines 2 is tricky. Layout-wise, it's just the same thing as you've already been doing: lots of the same room over and over again. There are long rectangular rooms here too as well as huge square rooms. Once again, the square rooms seem to point to the end more or less. You will also encounter endless amounts of tiny little rooms that have a few enemies here and there. There are also lots and LOTS of dead ends, especially leading from the square rooms. If you are finding lots of small rooms, you're probably heading the wrong way. Once again, four switch doors (there aren't that many here) are just a waste of your time. Remember that red room from Mines 1? Well there's one here too but it's kind of run down like the rest of the level. You will recognize it though because it's between two long hallways. There is also an 'S' shaped room here that tells you that you're on the right track. This room usually has dubchics in it so be careful. (C and now S? Crappy Stuff? I dunno...) Finally, Garnazs are a step in the right direction. One last thing: Don't forget to activate the pillar for the mines. It's usually not on the same path as the exit so you might have to clear the level out; you'll find it eventually. ~Threats 'n Traps~ The same threats exist here as they did in Mines 1. There are a LOT of traps around so androids will be blessed as will trap visions. There are also lots of fake switches with the most powerful damage traps in the place above them. If you're out of Trap Visions, at least Deband yourself and prepare for a big can of whup-ass. There are also lots of dark rooms here and they are also in the long rooms. The switch is usually at the end too. ~Enemies~ There are a lot of enemies around here. What sucks is how efficient they are. In large rooms you can pretty much expect a melee. There will be lots of Gilchics AND Canadines and they like to team up on you effectively kicking your butt with a diamond tipped boot. If you see dubchics, get rid of them immediately. The switch is usually close by and it will ease the dose of Advil a little bit. Be careful, don't kill ALL the Canadines first. Always leave one because the second you kill the last one, the next set will spawn and if you can kill all the Gilchics first, it will help out. Sinow Beats and Golds will appear with other enemies a lot around here so go after them first because they can bring home the agony. Finally, the last room here is complete chaos. There will be many gilchics and Canadines first to soften you up. Next will be a bunch of Sinows and finally, here it comes: 2 Garnazs. It happens all the time and this room is coined the infamous Double Garnaz Room. Make sure you are Shifta and Debanded and for heaven's sake, put down a Telepipe! You wouldn't want to die now would you? /=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Vol Opt======| \#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: You're most comfortable weapon plus some lightening resistances SOL ATOMIZERS!!!!! Weakness: Ice/Barta HP: Med Overall Difficulty: 45% ~STAGE 1~ Description: Vol Opt starts off as a room. Yes, a room. There are computer monitors all around the walls in banks of 4, there are a number of holes in the floor and a strange looking thing hanging from the roof. First off, Vol Opt, has only one attack in this stage but it is annoying. You MUST have Sol Atomizers or a Cure/Shock on you because you'll be taking lots of lightening damage, especially if you're a little weak. Vol Opt will begin by cycling through the screens. When he enters one, the bank will turn red. This is the only time you can hit them so get ready to attack. He'll cycle around about 3-4 screens before stopping, staring at you then disappearing. Then, these strange red columns with blue faces will come out of those holes. One of them has a red face. If you don't destroy it quickly, lightning will hit you and usually shock you. If it does, Sol Atomize. He willthen repeat the process. This part is actually pretty easy so don't worry. Strategy: The first thing you should do is turn around! Vol Opt will appear in the bank directly behind you first. I like a mechgun for this part because it lays down lots of punishment. Make sure to target the biggest monitor in the centre because if you take it out, you'll get all of them for that bank. You should be able to destroy the bank easy enough. If not, run to the next one and shoot it. Remember, you can only inflict pain if the screen is red. When he stops, get ready for those columns. As I said, one of them has a red face. Get to it in any WSOF! Then BLOW THE STUPID THING UP! If you're using a mechgun your steady stream of bullets should keep the thing at bay long enough so it won't be able to charge up and let the lightning fly. If it does shock you, it will let another one fly before the columns retract and the process starts again. Beware, if you get shocked, you can easily die at this point. You can however, reduce the amount of damage by shooting the weird thing in the middle of the room. If it falls on the floor, when the columns shocks you, it will only be able to get one off. Be careful though, after the first one, the thing will regenerate on the roof again. If you absolutely cannot get to the red column, shoot a blue one and prepare for the whup-ass. After you destroy all the columns and screens or if you inflict enough pain, the whole room will explode. While the fire is going everywhere, heal yourself and Shifta and Deband if you can. Now it's time for stage 2! ~STAGE 2~ Description: Okay! Now we see the true form of Vol Opt. At this point, you are fighting a huge red, bug like robot type, thing. It has four sides and each side has a surprise. You should recognize the room, it's the same one you were fighting in only now, the whole thing is toast (courtesy of you of course) and Vol Opt is occupying the middle of the room. This thing has a lot of defence so a mechgun may not be the best choice unless you already have a rare one or lots of ATP. Typically, you'll want a sabre or sword but you should use whatever you are the most comfortable with at this point. This first thing Vol Opt will do is shoot missiles out of that huge spiky thing facing you. These can hurt but chances are that they will knock you down so only 1 or 2 will actually hit you. Now, Vol Opt will probably use his most annoying weapon. A red targeter beam will shoot out of his next side. You will have time for 2-3 good combos before you have to run. When should you run? When the thing that you were shooting opens up! Run in circles around Vol Opt and 2-3 red presses will come crashing down and if they hit you, expect big damage. He will do this twice before moving to his next side. It is on the opposite end of him right now and it will heal him a tiny bit. If you can, race over and blast the healing side or you could do the smart thing and just stay where you are and nail him with your sword. I wouldn't recommend tech because they do little to no damage. The healing will heal him around 12-100HP (wow...). Now, he will unleash his most devastating weapon. The front side will now face you and he will shoot a blue beam from that plate on the front. It will form a little ball and come barrelling after you. Run around Vol Opt AT ALL COSTS! Don't let it hit you because if it does, you will be trapped and Vol Opt will charge up and blast you with so much damage, you can expect death. If you are playing with friends, get the weakest character to get hit by the ball and you can then free him/her by shooting the trap. Now he starts all over again! Joy! Strategy: This guy isn't too hard if you play the right way. First, lay down the pain on that missile launcher! It will hit you if you run anyway so the best idea is to just take the hit and lay down some damage. After a few go rounds, you may be able to destroy this side and if you do, you won't have to worry about missiles anymore! Next, when the beam is shooting you, ignore it and continue to blast this stupid computer. When the side opens, RUN! You should easily be able to avoid all three crushers. Now do it again! This is actually a great time to lay down pain and laugh at the poor beast as it takes hits and shoots a laser at you in vain. Stupid computer... Anyway, next is the healing. If you want, you can destroy this section too but it is really just a waste of your time because the healing is so pathetic, it would make an android laugh. While the healing is happening, head over to that trap side and shoot the blue plate with everything you've got! When it charges up though, heal and RUN! If you get hit, you get to restart the battle! Fun! If you have full health, are Debanded or if you are in a difficulty far too low, you may survive, but to not tempt fate. If you lay down lots of damage, you can destroy the trap side too and if you do, you'll be in the spades. Now, just keep going! Yes! He will die soon! You should be out of here in no time! ---------Mines 1-2 (Ultimate)---------------------------------------------- Enemy Changes: Gilchics -> Gillchich -> Fire The upgraded Gilchics are pretty much the same except that now, they won't fall over as often. It is now a complete result of chance and it doesn't matter how hard you hit them. They still move very slowly but hard attacks do not push them back much if at all. Also, their weakness has shifted to fire so get ready to bust out with a flurry of Foie spells. I would still consider a Handgun for these guys because they can shoot lasers very quickly but the Mechgun clbutt gives you more hits and therefore, a higher chance of knocking them down. Dubchic -> Dubchich -> Fire (See Gillchich) Canadine -> Canabin -> Fire Sinow Beat -> Sinow Blue -> Same The Sinow Blue is very much like the Sinow Beat but there are a few differences. First, after every three hits, expect them to jump back. Here they will do one of two things: they will either do that self-replication thing or they will make themselves invisible. If this happens, it's not much of a worry unless you're fighting them along with other enemies. You can still target them and kill them in this state but it is a pain in the butt because you can get pummelled and not know what's going on. Sinow Gold -> Sinow Red -> Same The Sinow Gold has been upgraded like everything else around here. It attacks in EXACTLY the same way as the Sinow Gold did but the Sinow Red can do one extra thing. When they leap back, if you let them heal themselves and their friends, they will also Shifta and Deband them as well. This is a pain but the Shifta and Debanding is very strong but as I said before, there is only a certain amount of magical prowess you can expect from a walking washing machine. Still, if the power-up threatens you, you could always use Jellen and Zalure... just a thought. Garnaz -> Branza -> ?? /=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Vol Opt vr. 2======| \#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: Preferably a gun and sword combo & 10 Sol Atomizers is a must! Weakness: ??? HP: Med-High Overall Difficulty: 60% ~STAGE 1~ Description: Our old buddy in stage 1 should look familiar. You are fighting in the exact same room with the same set-up minus one thing: that weird thing on the ceiling. Everything else is the same: the columns, the screens, etc. You will also recognize the way the fight plays out but there is a curve ball here. Remember how those columns shot only lightening before? Well now, they can shoot lightening, fire, and ice. This is actually good news because it means you'll be shocked less but also, the columns are now much stronger so it will be harder to kill them. If you see one charging up, you will probably be hit by it so Sol Atomize if you get shocked. If it shoots fire or ice, you're lucky. Remember, Freeze is easily removed and fire inflicts no status defects. (though it does do noticeably more damage) Anyway, you can't tell what he'll use next so keep those atomizers handy. Strategy: Use the same strategy as before. Shoot the red monitors and the columns when they appear. However, usually, once you shoot a column (except for the red one) it will retract. This makes it harder to land a good combo on two or more columns in one fell swoop. Always focus on the red column and after the attack it will probably retract. The others will stay up for a while so use this time to nail them with a tech or just blast them with your mechgun. Otherwise, this part is pretty much the same and it's still pretty easy. ~STAGE 2~ Description: Vol Opt now looks even more like a bug than before. At first he looks radically different until you realize that this is just more or less Vol Opt with a paint job. Vol Opt has the same attacks but there are a few curve balls here too. First, the missile launcher is the exact same so you know how to deal with it. The laser side has undergone some modifications. It now has two modes. First, there is the standard mode that you remember so well and then it will shoot about five lasers for the same length of time all around the room. They will circle too and after the time runs out, wherever the lasers are, the columns which have now been replaced with these spiky, stalactite-like type things. The columns can drop anywhere in the room so this is a hard one to dodge. Look forward to three drops before the lasers start up again. The healing side is the same too but it has been souped up and can now heal for 500+ HP. This isn't really that much by this point in the game so don't worry. Finally, the trap side is the exact same too but now, the trap beam is faster than you so you can pretty much forget about outrunning it. Make sure you are at full health because it is still insanely powerful. When you are fighting him, he no longer goes in any kind of order so be ready for anything because it is completely random. Strategy: Vol Opt vr. 2 isn't that much more difficult. This is largely because it is the same thing you have been fighting since normal mode. The only difference is you have to be prepared for the randomness this battle possess. Always be ready for the trap side so heal after every hit. When the missile launcher is facing you, it is still possible to tear it off so do so if you can. The healing side is now worth going after since the healing can happen several times in a row and even though this does leave a good window of attack opportunity, the healing can really be a setback unless you have uber-high amounts of ATP or you waited until you were level 150 to fight him. Anyway, the laser side attacks with its random attack most of the time and this is good news because while the lasers are going around, Vol Opt will stay still. This leaves time for you to meander over to the trap side and beat it senseless. If you can tear off the trap side, thank your lucky stars because the battle will more or less end at that point. That's really it. All I can tell you is to keep you HP up and to concentrate as much power on the trap side as you can because as I said, it can lead to your ultimate downfall. ---------Ruins 1-3--------------------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: *All Enemies in the Ruins Have the Dark Attribute* Dimenian HP: Med-High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword The Booma of the Ruins is the almighty Dimenian. Yeah, it's pretty strong. They can deal a good bit of pain and they're fast. It doesn't take long for them to get to you so if you're weak, you may need to door fight. What will be the most annoying is that they show up in huge groups! You will fight rooms full of these things and that can suck big time because they have lots of HP for a generic enemy. What else you say? Foie! Use fire to cook these stupid shark looking flashy things. Mechguns also work good to lay down pain. If you get crowded (which you probably will) use Gi/Rafoie or a go old fashioned freeze trap. Rafoie is particularly helpful here because you can run into the room, Rafoie, then run like a girl. Once you get strong enough, bring a multi-enemy hitting weapon to clear them out. If all else fails, just Jellen them so they won't hurt you so much. Stay away from corners when fighting these things because they are fast enough to reach you and trap you there. You will be doing lots of hit-and- run when they start to grow thicker but don't forget, they have the intelligence of a cockroach and you can use whatever clever tricks on them as you did to the Booma. La Dimenian HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword The purple freaks that are weak to Barta are the La Dimenians. They have lots of health but they don't deal much more damage than a regular Dimenian. They tend to tango with their other friends so expect to see them tangled with Dimenians. The best thing to do is to treat them the same way you did the Dimenian. If some crowd you, bust out with Gibarta (use Barta if they all line up which they probably won't). If you get surrounded, use Rabarta because it has an awesome chance of freezing and you can nail everything. Be careful though, you could synchronize their attacks. So Dimenian HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword You know what to do: Zonde these freaks. You are best to use Gizonde because at this level, any damage you can deal to anything is beneficial and Gizonde will give you that extra ounce of power. You don't see them very much until Ruins 3 where they like to hang out with the rest effectively screwing up your spell casting. Delsaber HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: It can block your attacks! WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun type or just spells These are perhaps the smartest things in the game which really isn't saying that much. Don't underestimate these things though. Delsabers are deadly. They will attack with a combo of three with that sword which can rack up the damage quickly. They can also smack you in the face with that claw of theirs. This hurts more than when you fart on a date with that little blonde girl down the street. Also, don't get too far away from them because if you remember the Sinow Beat, they can jump too and the sword hurts that much more when wedged into your arm at high velocity. If they are going to jump, it will probably be when you enter the room because these annoyances are fast enough to keep up with you. (Cauze you'll probably run.) Finally, they can BLOCK ATTACK! They will do this a lot and it can really screw up your salvo. Don't attack with a sabre because they will block every attack you throw out and retaliate. Use a gun and get a good distance away so they will screw up when they try and block leaving them stunned for a moment. The best way to attack them is to get close enough for them to try a combo but move at the last minute and blast them with a mechgun. spells also work good because they cannot block them. Don't be afraid to Rabarta especially if there are a bunch of La Dimenians around. If they are single, use Gibarta instead then follow up with whatever pain you can inflict. Remember, they're fast so a Jellen or Zalure can at least soften the blow and can really give you the advantage in the power department. Claw HP: Low POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything Goes The weakest and most pathetic enemy in the Ruins is the Claw. They look like small flat snake type things. They are really not that harmful and they don't have much HP either. Expect to see lots of them but don't worry about them at all. You can carve away at them with any weapon as they move pretty slowly or you can just cast Gi/Rafoie to clear them all out. There really isn't any strategy needed here. There is only one thing and that is they tend to get in the way of your attacks so try and get rid of them or they will sacrifice their own pathetic lives to save their Delsaber buddy or something. Bulclaw HP: Low-Med POW: VLow SPECIALS: Can split into 4 Claws + Bulk WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything Goes Probably the strangest and most disturbing thing you've come upon so far is the Bulclaw. They look like four Claws hanging from a moving clothes umbrella. While they are whole, they have little to no attack power and will simply hover up to and try and bite you. This usually does lots of nothing. After two bites though, the Bulclaw will break off into four regular Claws and a strange, big mouthed creature called the Bulk. They Bulk itself is ultra weak and you will take it down in no time but when it does spit, you tend to get surrounded by the four succeeding Claws. Try and take them down before they have a chance to split but otherwise, don't even worry about them. They too, though tend to get in your way so you may have to put them out of their misery sooner than you hoped. Dark Belra HP: VHigh-Extreme POW: VHigh SPECIALS: Can paralyse you and shoot rockets WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde (Light/Grants) WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword The Dark Belra is very intimidating and for good reason. This thing has unwieldy amounts of HP so taking them down is going to take an eternity of Grants and Zonde! They are these huge golden statue-like things that move slower than anything you've witnessed thus far but their slow speed is not much of an advantage to you because they have the ability to shoot their massive arms off like rockets at you at virtually any position in the room. They don't do this unless you are pretty far away but if you get hit, IT HURTS! You can dodge them in the same way as you did the Nano Dragon's laser but it is harder to see them coming. Once you get close enough, these stupid statues decide it's time you look more like Swiss cheese and give you a good poke with both of those heavily- clawed arms! This really brings in the pain and it also has a good chance of paralysing you! You can understand why, if it isn't from the fear of looking at these goliaths, then it is the overwhelming damage they inflict! They do have a small Achilles' Heel, which is if you walk behind them, they will try and turn to face you. Keep moving out of their sight and the thing will spin around enough to make itself dizzy. This is your cue: blast it with whatever you have: Grants and Zonde work well as do Mechguns. If you are an Android, FREEZE THE DAMN THING! You can do one cool thing with these things though, those arm rockets also hurt their friends... fun! If you're willing to loose some HP, get a group of Dimenians in front of it and let it blast them to bits! Dark Gunner HP: Med-High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Are mostly invincible and can shoot lasers WEAKNESS: ?????? WEAPON: Sword/ Weapon that shoots techs (Eg. Elysion) The final Oscar of Episode I goes to the Dark Gunner! ARGH! I hate these things more than I did De Rol Le! Dark Gunners don't start to appear until mid Ruins 2 but when they do, it sucks. The Dark Gunner looks like a glowing spider with a gem jammed in its back. (Why does Inuyasha come to mind...) They move a bit like Canadines in that they will stay on the floor them zip to a new position. The entire time, they are completely invincible except to techs so if you have a tech shooting weapon like the Elysion, you'll be in the spades. Otherwise, just lay down the magic. Zonde works well but so do all techs so just go to town. then they stop, they will attack. The invincibility shield comes down and that little gem comes up. They will charge for a second then shoot at you. This does moderate damage but noting that will be killing you. They ALWAYS appear in groups and among them is one with a red gem called the Death Gunner. If you can attack this one before they all shoot, not only will the red on not attack but all the other Gunners will be stunned. Now is the time to slay them with the most powerful physical attacks you can muster. They don't have huge amounts of HP so if you are casting lots of Gi/Ra techs and always nailing the Death Gunner, you'll take them down in no time. However, they usually appear with other enemies and while this sounds like a pain, those lasers hurt their friends too! That means that if you're surrounded, the Dimeanins will be taking the damage, not you! Dark Bringer HP: Med POW: VHigh-Extreme SPECIALS: Can shoot lasers and drain magic WEAKNESS: Light/Grants WEAPON: Mechgun These things are very annoying and very powerful. They have uber high amounts of ATP but they don't have as much health as the Dark Belra. They are also pretty rare and you'll only ever see one at a time. They are your first priority here. They have several attacks. First, they can give you a Grass Assassin-style charge if you're far away so if you see one doing the old fashioned bull- stampede manoeuvre, MOVE NOW unless you'd really like to be road kill. If they hit you, you could be confused and that will be your end right there. They will also just stand there and bash you relentlessly with its prong-like arms. This hurts but not as badly as you might think. Be careful though, when they turn red, it means it's time for them to unleash their worst attack. First, a big mess of stuff appears all over the floor. Anybody who touches this will have a healthy amount of TP stolen from them. This stolen TP then fuels a blast from that pronged arm which will be causing you Vol Opt's trap beam style death. You may survive but your best bet is to keep moving so it will miss you. To kill them, you pretty much have to stand there and take the beating in between combos. Hard attacks don't push them back so you'll be taking lots of damage. Just pour on the pain with your mechgun and they'll die pretty quick but make sure you're healing often. Chaos Sorcerers HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: Shoots Rafoie, Gibarta and uses Resta WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun/ Sword All you Forces out there, this should be your priority to kill. This wannabe sorcerer is trying to act like a badass but it's time to teach them the true meaning of the word 'tech'. The Chaos Sorceress do just that: they bring Chaos. They have two gems on either side of them and once they appear, they will charge up and let fly a tech. If the gem turns red, it will be Rafoie, which hurts a lot on Normal but begins to suck as the difficulties go by. If it is blue, it will shoot, duh, Gibarta that doesn't do much damage but it can freeze you. Perhaps that didn't stand out enough, THEY CAN FREEZE YOU! Can you imagine being frozen in a circle of 8 Dimenians? Death? Hell yes! You MUST avoid this one at ALL costs! If you get frozen, worry about surgically repairing your control stick later; get yourself free, NOW! Finally, our buddy can do a nice pathetic Resta. This is a pain though as it can ruin the enemies you were pounding away on for the last five minutes. Try to get these things first. They will periodically appear, cast a tech then vanish (wow,) then reappear elsewhere. They won't attack you between spells or while they are charging so feel free to waltz right up to them, and kiss their rears good bye for them. Put on your hardest boot and kick their butt right into last year with whatever you can. They don't have that much HP so once you got one targeted, it's all done. @-----------------0 |=====Ruins 1=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: La-So Dimenians, Delsaber, Dark Belra, Chaos Sorcerer, Claw, Bulclaw Size: 70% Overall Difficulty: 70% ~Layout~ Oh, what can I say about the layout that you don't already know? Well the layout of the Ruins is the same as what we've been facing for the last while now. This level, though, is built more like a maze. There are lots of dead ends and they are usually fairly long paths. There are a few large rooms here but things are getting smaller. There are lots of fairly large rooms with room for lots of fighting but the few large rooms are usually filled with baddies. There is also a room that is huge and has a waterfall in it. First, there is a bunch of boxes behind that waterfall so go on back there before you leave but more importantly, it tells you that you're going the right way. You will also run into a room that resembles a tic-tac-toe board. Once you reach it, you're almost there. As always, the room before the exit is usually absolute madness. Also, 4 switch doors are as much of a WOT as usual ~Threats 'n Traps~ The Ruins has surprisingly few traps but you will run into some. Most rooms have status defect traps in their corners so be careful for them. There is also a new kind of trap here which, is a huge dome of...crap from the roof that will fall on you. If you get trapped, first scream ARGH! You will be completely immobilized and will have to wait until the trap explodes before you can escape. Obviously this will cause damage to you so be careful. You cannot detect them but you can usually sense where there will be one. Before doors, lone boxes etc, tend to have these above them. Finally, you'll run into dark rooms here too but there really aren't that many. There is one trick with these though, a lot of dark rooms here have switches that are flat on the ground like the ones that open 4 switch doors. If you cannot see the switch, then it probably is a flat one so walk around the corners of the room IF THERE IS NOBODY FOLLOWING YOU! There is one other thing here though which I suppose is worth mentioning. You will occasionally come across these rather disturbing blob-like things that erupt like a bad science project gone wrong. They usually hang out like pimples in hallways just blocking the entrance and often on flat switches. If you are a moron and just waltz up to one and kiss it, expect that crap it erupts to poison you. Other than that, just decide on the most pleasing trap/tech/weapon to pop them with and that's that. Moving on? ~Enemies~ As I already said, you'll be fighting lots of enemies so a multi-enemy hitting weapon is a must. Shots work well as do Gi-techs. Delsabers tend to appear with La Dimenians so let them taste the chill of Rabarta. Keep Ra-techs and traps on your customize because you will face lots of enemies. Jellen-ing them works wonders because it can make an entire group two and a half jokes. One last things is do NOT under ANY circumstances use Pilla, traps or Ra techs if you get completely surrounded unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure it will kill most or ALL of them. Unless you're sure you can wipe them all off the face of Ragol, don't use these because it will hit them all at once and their attacks will be synchronized. That means those same 8 Dimenians that were causing moderate damage that now stand in a complete circle around you will now be doing 8 times the damage and you WILL die! It's that simple. Do NOT use Pilla or Farla for that matter unless you have an escape route. I know you'll try it so don't come crying to me when you get the crap beaten out of you. @-----------------0 |=====Ruins 2=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 80% Overall Difficulty: 75% ~Layout~ Ruins 2 looks a lot like the engine room of, something. There are lots of gears and moving decorations on the walls. The whole level has a very metallic feel to it, (gee...I bet you wouldn't have suspected that...). It is also, in my opinion, a very lonely level: lost between the first and last Ruins and completely under appreciated. Well, that's because this level sucks. I think it is boring and rather dull but anyway, that's just me. The level is a good bit longer than Ruins 1 but it tends to have fewer dead ends. The rooms here are smaller than in Ruins 1 so get ready for some compacted fighting. There are lots of small square rooms with many exits. There are also quite a few two switch doors, which usually act as shortcuts in case you die. You will run into a huge room here with two big red lights on the opposite wall. This marks about the halfway point. Be careful, this room is LOADED with enemies including the Chaos Bringer and plenty of those annoying Dark Gunners. Also, there are these strange, upside down T looking rooms. They always point toward the exit and you'll probably run into a couple. What's more is that enemies usually appear on the walkway in the middle and you can stand off to the side and pick them off one by one! I always hum the Zelda, game room music in these rooms because there should be a sign that says "Shooting Gallery Ahead" just before them! Anyway, this level is pretty long but don't lose hope, you're getting there! ~Threats 'n Traps~ The same traps exist here as they did in Ruins 1. There are lots of status defect traps that tend to confuse you, which will screw your entire attack pattern up if you aren't careful so take care to actually USE Trap Visions if you aren't an android. Otherwise, there are a couple of those weird blobs on top of some switches, which will poison you if you touch them so shoot them from a distance. Also, there are a couple trapped hallways and dark rooms but you know how to deal with them. ~Enemies~ Well, all I can say is melee! There will be lots of Dimenians and So Dimenians will appear more often now. Also, expect to see the more difficult enemies teaming up. You may have to door fight if a Delsaber and Chaos Sorcerer team up but typically, you want to go after the Delsabers, Sorcerers and Chaos Bringers first, then leave Gunners and Belras until last. You will get surrounded often here, especially by Claws so keep Gi-techs on you at all times. Freeze traps are a blessing here because it can freeze those stupid Dark Gunners while they are attacking giving you the time to end the battle before it starts. @-----------------0 |=====Ruins 3=====| 0-----------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 75% Overall Difficulty: 80% ~Layout~ Alright! The last hurrah before Dark Falz! Well, this is it. Are you ready? You've arrived! By now, you have graduated to PSO champ and you may as well enjoy the scenery because you've reached the end! Well anyway, Ruins 3 is more exciting because you're almost there! You'll love and hate this level. You'll hate it for all the enemies but you'll love it that you're just about at the end and almost ready to unlock the next difficulty! Remember: you can do it! Anyway, Ruins 3 looks more...alive. Not alive like Caves 2 did but more, evil. It's almost as if you're inside something alive. The whole place is red and there are lots of strange pulsing things on the walls that can be just the slightest bit disturbing. Anyway, Ruins 3 greatly resembles Ruins 1. The level is a bit smaller than Ruins 2. There are a few small rooms here and a few large square ones too. Most of the level is built around one of those tic-tac-toe boards. Once you find it, one of the doors is the right one which will lead to the exit. You know you're at the end when you find a small room with a crystal that is bare of enemies. The following room will be total chaos. It's HUGE and PACKED with enemies. Once you clear everybody else out, you'll be finished. Oh, one thing is that those laser beams that you've been neglecting to shut off tend to get in your way here so if you see a switch, for the love of Lucy, TURN IT OFF! ~Threats 'n Traps~ I really cannot say anything more than SEE RUINS 2. Everything is the same as you've been facing: dark rooms, traps from the roof. Trapped hallways etc. However, there is some crap you can destroy so shoot the rubbish and if you hear a sound like you're blasting a box, keep shooting `cauze you can destroy that piece! ~Enemies~ Obviously, since this is the final push, there's going to be a TON of enemies. You'll find a lot more La and So Dimenians here than regular ones and most rooms will have one of the stronger enemies. Delsabers will appear 4 at a time and Chaos Bringers will be thrown into the mix in generous amounts. Now's the time to pull out all the stops. For androids, use whatever traps you can and telepipe back to refill. The same is true for Forces. Don't be afraid to bust out with Grants here because most things are weak to it. Also, drop Telepipes often because you'll die often too. Remember, you're almost there! /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: Dark Falz======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ Recommended Equipment: A gun is a must and LOTS of healing items. (Bring a Force!) Scape Dolls are great! Weakness: Fire/Foie and Light/Grants HP: VHigh Overall Difficulty: 80% ~STAGE 1~ Description: Well this is it, you've arrived and now it's time to dance with death. The battlefield starts off as a happy, grassy plane. Walk up to the huge pillar for Falz to appear. The first thing that will happen is you'll be surrounded by thousands of spinning blenders. They can hurt quite a bit when they touch you and there are LOTS! Most are invincible but a few have flaming purple cores. Shoot these to kill them. Once you've killed enough, the true Dark Falz will appear. ~STAGE 2~ Description: Alright! Here he is in all his...glory? Well, Dark Falz looks cool but this stage is pretty easy. Falz is a huge, strange, thing mounted atop three dragon-headed worms. Well, that's almost disturbing... Anyway, Falz has some powerful attacks so be careful. First, he can cast Rabarta like nobody's business, which tends to freeze you. Get free fast otherwise you'll be taking the full damage of whatever comes next. Falz can also shoot lots of Rafoie around the arena so that can be a pain but at least it won't freeze you. Also note that those dragon heads will constantly spit more of those blender blade things. You can pick `em off if you feel the need to but they're really more or less a big WOT. If you get crowded though, bust out with Rabarta/Zonde but you'll want to keep your eyes on the big boy. Finally, Falz has the capabilities of casting Pilla! Don't bother trying to dodge it. You'd have to be miles away and it's really not worth it. You know when he's about to do it because you'll see him stick those prongs/arms into the air and shoot some electricity. MAKE SURE YOU HEAL UP BECAUSE THIS REALLY HURTS! If you're skilled enough, if you heal at the right time, you'll be invincible when the tech falls. Strategy: Um, shoot him? Seriously, now's not the time to get cheap. If you have Grants or high-level techs, use them! Traps are useless here but you can rip off the damage by using HP sacrificing weapons (Be careful not to kill yourself!) if you're an Android. Mechguns work well as do swords. Don't be afraid to get up close and personal because most of Falz's attacks are long range so you won't do any good hiding like a kitten. Get out there and fight! Aim at those Dragon- Worm-Things. They are closest to the ground and give you the opportunity to bring in the whup-ass by nailing him with swords. Also note that guns are more accurate at close range. If you have your Photon Blast charged, then unleash hell on Falz. Otherwise, just keep your health up and wail away with whatever you have! Be careful for one thing especially: Falz can move and you can easily get trapped against the edge of the battlefield and his scaly hide. Try to keep the fight in the middle of the arena to the best of your abilities. ~STAGE 3~ Description: Well, you knew that the first round couldn't be it. Come on, that was too easy! Now Falz be known! Actually, this stage has a ton of HP but otherwise, you'll have due warning when he's about to pull off an Armageddon tech. He looks now like a strange, bird like messed up piece of crap just waiting to be flushed down the toilet. He will float around the outside of the arena. See that bulging pile of crap he's sitting on? That's his weak point. His attacks aren't radically different. He can still shoot Rabarta and Rafoie so be careful if you get frozen but they aren't much stronger than before. He has Pilla too and you'll know when he's about to use it because he'll slam the ground creating a little ripple. When this touches you, you'll simply be slowed. Then, Pilla will hit. MAKE SURE TO HEAL RIGHT AFTER THE SLOW! That's really it. He'll just float around the outside trying to annoy you but you can bring the fight to him! Strategy: Really, you're strategy shouldn't be much different either. Obviously, only that little pulsing sack of meat (which looks suspiciously like a heart...) is the only part you can hit for damage. Since he moves so much, it can be a pain to catch up with him. Cut across the arena and block him off. Then unload whatever you want. Grants works fine but so do most other techs. Mechguns work good here because they're fast and the damage. If he's going to Pilla, heal quickly so you can endure the blast. Then just bust out whatever hell you can bring to him. If you get frozen, get free as quick as you can. Also, keep an eye on how much damage he is doing. If you know you can survive another hit, go for it but beware of Pilla. Keep wailing at him and you'll soon have him down. If you're in Normal Mode, this will be it so Congratulations! You beat Episode I! ~STAGE 4~ (Hard Mode +) Description: Okay, enough with the kiddie stuff. Here's Falz, one last time. This time, the arena changes. You'll be way up in the sky and the entire centre section will be inaccessible because guess who's there! Falz looks just too weird to describe now. He will float in the centre of the arena and attack. He has a plethora of new attacks now. First, he will just nail you with Terminator reflexes. You really cannot dodge this and it does MONDO damage so make sure to always have full HP. Falz will also be mainly invincible at this time. When, he has a weird glow around him, he's invincible. Techs still hurt him and fire is your best bet here so unload a flurry of Foie. He can also fly up in the air and shoot 20 or so odd homing blue spheres at you. They will follow you but as long as you're moving, you should be able to dodge them all. If they hit, it's not too bad. You'll now be hit with a quick Megid-ing. Don't worry too much, it probably won't kill you but its best not to tempt fate and keep running to avoid it. I hope you brought some Scape Dolls JIC. (Just In Case...hey stop thinking about pipefittings!). After this, expect a Grants-ing. You can avoid it but if you have spells, try to heal at the exact moment the spell take effect. Otherwise, just sacrifice the HP. Forces should know by now how Grants works so keep Resta handy and you can escape without a scratch. Now, it's time to repeat the process! One last thing that really makes you want to call a penalty for cheating on Falz is once his HP is down, he'll do this weird thing that puts a copy of you (presumably your soul) in his mouth. If you look at the map, you'll see a flashing connection to him from you. While this is happening, whatever damage is done to him is also done to you. This means don't go laying down the powerhouse now or you'll end up dead! Remember, you have to worry about his attacks too! No...it's not fair but that's the way it is with final bosses. If you know you can handle him, fine, hit him but be careful when your HP drops low. Heal frequently. Oh, if you're playing Multi-Mode, whoever has this happen to them is automatically 100% in charge of the fight. Whatever they say goes because if everyone starts to blast the fool at this time, guess what'll happen. Oh, and what happens if Falz should die at that point? That's right, so take heed. If they say stop, STOP! Falz has quite a bit of health here too but if you're pelting him with Foie/Grants and whatever else you've got, you'll have him down soon. Strategy: I'm pretty sure most of the strategy was covered in the above section but JIC: I'll outline it again. Attack with Foie or Rafoie only for spells. Gifoie is too risky. It can be done but you're better off with just regular Foie. Grants works but not as well as you might think against a creature of darkness and let me remind you, you have NO holy spells like in FF7 so boo hoo. Mechguns are great as are Handguns for their accuracy. When he flies up, just keep running! When he comes down attack some more! Once you've killed him, you're done! Yeah! You get some EXP, a new difficulty, life is good! Oh, there's the credits and hopefully, a rare... Good Job! ---------Ruins 1-3 (Ultimate)---------------------------------------------- Enemy Changes: Dimenians -> Alran -> Same La Dimenians -> Merlan -> Same So Dimenians -> Del D -> Same Delsabers -> Same Dark Belra -> Indi Belra -> Same (Expect rapid fire from that gun, sheesh!) Chaos Sorcerers -> Gran Sorcerers These guys are tough and deadly. Their attacks have changed. They will use Grants (White) and Megid (Yellow). Beware of Megid because it will kill you often. It's that simple. Run out of the room when he's casting it if you must! Their healing is now, HOLY CRAP too and is similar to Resta Lv30. Take 'em out in the same way though, walk up, take the hit (Grants only) and blast them &#*%! with whatever you have. You MUST go after them first because they can really bring home the pain and extend an already difficult fight! Dark Bringers -> Chaos Bringer -> Ice These guys are pretty much the same as before but those attacks hurt like a right royal spanking. Might I warn you though that now, that annoying magic- sucking blaster attack now launches three times? Deadly? Heck, yes. Dark Gunners -> Same Claw -> Claw -> Same (crap these things are STRONG!) Bulclaw -> Bulclaw -> Same /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: Dark Falz======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ *I intend to update this ASAP! Thanks for your patients! #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_EPISODE I: Quests_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= Quests are fun to do but don't expect much out of them. Normally, all you get is Meseta. You do quests by talking to that woman in the Hunter's Guild. During quests, if you ever die you simply have to start where you died again so that's not a big deal but in some, you have teammates and if they die, you can't just heal them. No, you loose at that point and have to do the whole thing again! CPUs are pretty good as they draw off some enemies and they never take boxes or complain (except for Kirrek). The only bad think is instead of being AI, it stands for Artificial Idiocy. Seriously, don't expect an android to do something helpful like clear out traps or set more. No, they just fight and heal themselves or wait to be healed. Forces aren't bad as the second you get any strange status, they go into Anti overdrive, which is good. They are also good at healing themselves (but not you!). The one thing that sucks about Forces is they usually stick to one type of tech and that's all they shoot. So if you have a Force that shoots nothing but Barta, sometimes there're not much of a help. Oh, the absolute worst thing that can happen to a team-mate besides die is to get paralysed. If you can't heal them with Anti, then that's it for them. They'll just follow you around but that's about it. Keep this in mind. Anyway, once you finish quests, more will unlock. Have fun fattening your pocketbook! ---------Battle Training------------------------------------------------- ___________ ________________ ____________ ______________ |Reward: 500|__|Levels: Forest 1|__|Team: HUcast|__|Difficulty: 0%| =================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Locate HUmar "Ash" > Recover data disk This one's a piece of cake. You start out by talking to your team-mate Kirrek. He's a Hucast and is likely at a much higher level than you. Talk to your client once more than head out. You'll only be able to go to Forest 1. Basically, you simply have to clear the level to the branch in the large room with the river. On the way, you'll get obnoxious tips from your friend (which is hilarious if you're already a higher level than him.) With him there, you can't die. Every hit he makes is lethal so just be glad he isn't attacking you. Once you get to the aforementioned door, bust up everybody inside. In the next room, you'll see a fallen twit hunter named Ash. Talk to him quickly then run to the end of the room. You'll see a glowing, thing. That is the disk and you should know that all quest-related items look like this. Once you grab it, a few wolves will appear. Bust them up and go talk to Ash. He'll be alright and will complain about being treated like a kid. Personally, I don't think they're treating him ENOUGH like a kid. Oh well, talk to Kirrek and he gives you one last snide remark that makes you want to take that partisan of his and *%@!*$. A telepipe will magically appear and you can head back and claim your prize. Good job on your first quest! ---------Claiming A Stake------------------------------------------------ ___________ ________________ __________ ______________ |Reward: 700|__|Levels: Forest 1|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 5%| ================================================================= ~Objectives~ > Locate and rescue Racton > Recover Racton's 3 capsules This quest is simple except now, you're on your own. It really isn't that difficult either. First, you have to locate that no-good father Racton. He is the large room with the crashed speeder, river and branch. He'll be cowering behind the speeder so take care not to miss him. He seems no worse for the wear but he is now thoroughly convinced that Ragol is dangerous. (No...you think?) Well, he'll leave but being the greedy $*%#! that he is, you'll have to go and find his three "capsules" he used to stake out the land. The will now magically appear around the level. The first one is in the room we found Ash in. The second one is back at the starting point. (Go figure.) The last one is in the room just before Racton. Hang back and swipe it. Now go talk to the greedy landlord and he'll cry for his mommy! A telepipe will appear and that's it! ---------Magnitude of Metal---------------------------------------------- ___________ ________________ ______________ ______________ |Reward: 500|__|Levels: Forest 1|__|Team: RAcaseal|__|Difficulty: 3%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Rendezvous with Elenor > Recover missing MAG You'll start this quest in the room Ash was in. Head out and once you enter the large room with the river, look forward. You'll see a ledge above that is another room. Elenor is there. You simply have to head right and go around to meet here. This part is probably the hardest, which is kind of like saying the tag is the hardest part of a silk pillow. Once you meet her (she's right a the edge of the room so don't miss her) head right back the way you came to the starting point. The MAG is there. Geez! How the heck did it end up there! We just came from that room?! Anyway, you can go back the quick way which you came our you can hit the switch in this room and go around. Note that if you go the long way, in addition to getting some extra EXP, you'll also get tips from Elenor about raising MAGs, which may also be in the realm of helpful. However, she is also a heck of a lot more humble than Kirrek was so you may even like her at the end. (You know... if you're into heavy metal). If you go the quick way, you don't get many tips so if you're already a pro, first, click the 'X' at the top right-hand corner of your screen and go the other way. Oh, at the end, she'll say that even if you can't hear your Mag's voice, just know it understands you. Awww... isn't that cute? Oh, this Mag supposedly belongs to Elenor now and our client won't be too happy about his "valuable commodity" being lost but whatever, you still get your pay. ---------Value of Money-------------------------------------------------- ___________ _________________ __________ _________________ |Reward: 300|__|Level: Pioneer II|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: -100%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Yell at a wasteful husband > Laugh loudly > Get paid Alright, this is stupid. Some wife thinks her husband is "hey big spender!" so you've got to go and show off your macho power and convince the guy not to buy weapons anymore. o_0. Well, whatever. Head over to the store and talk to that guy that always seems to hang out there. He claims that buying new weapons every 10 milliseconds is an efficient way to spend one's hard earned money. Well, tell him first "No, I don't understand" and then, wait for it, "Because you're a fool." Hmm... That's a bigger understatement than 'The universe is a pretty big place.' Anyway, mosey over to the Hunter's Guild again and talk to the wife. She says NO MORE SHOPPING! Deliver this message and he'll understand. As you walk back, notice the other two people that look exactly like said husband. I guess cloning isn't illegal anymore. Oh, there's even one of the wife! Anyway, if you screw up the conversation, you'll have to walk back and talk to the wife again and go back to him. Once you're done, complete the last two objectives. Oh, if you feel the overwhelming desire to buy weapons right after you yell at the husband you can do so but don't expect any kind of response. ---------Journalistic Pursuit-------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________ _______________ ______________ |Reward: 1200|__|Levels: Forest 1-2|__|Team: HUneweral|__|Difficulty: 8%| ========================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Escort Nol to Forest 2 > Communicate with Pioneer I records This is the first quest that involves more than one level but it's still a slam- dunk. First, you'll start out in Forest 1. Simply beat it and head to Forest 2. On your way, you'll run into a door that won't open even if you kill all the enemies. Well, there's a switch in this room, dummy. That's the only trouble you should run into. The exit is in the room where we found Ash (Henceforth known as the Ash room). Once in Forest 2, notice that there is a green healing ring in this level. Make a quick stop and head out past the laser barrier. You must go left from here because the other door is locked. Go all the way to the end of the room and you end up in a room with the computer you need to locate. However, the bridge is out. Proceed 2 rooms further (one door is locked so you have to use the one past the long hall) and you'll find a platform over the lake with the switch on it. Now, you can go back the way you came or hit the other switch and open the other door. Beware because if you do, there will be a cornucopian of baddies to fight including a Hildebear. Now head back over to the computer and check it. Figures, it doesn't work. Well, Nol checks some other data and finds out that all the logs end at the same time. Combine this with the fact that apparently the Central Dome was supposed to be a residential complex and all that's there is a Dragon and this supposed explosion that conveniently left no marks and no survivors and you have a creepy situation. Nol is rightfully scared and decides it's time to call it quits. Before you can say "Holy crap! What the %@#!@ is going on here?" a Telepipe appears and you're done your mission! Now you are free to ponder just how disturbing the information you just received is... ---------The Fake in Yellow---------------------------------------------- ___________ _______________ __________ ______________ |Reward: 800|__|Level: Forest 1|__|Team: None|__|Difficutly: 8%| ================================================================= ~Objectives~ > Locate the missing scientist > Toast lots 'o birdies! Well, this one is...strange, to say the least. I hope you like Rag Rappies cauze that's all you'll be fighting here. Anyways, you start in the Ash room with a Rag Rappy in front of you but you can't seem to kill it? What... Well, talk to it! Yes, this thing is the scientist. Well I hope that's not too much of a spoiler but you should have figured as much from the title of this quest. Anyway, don't expect much out of him yet because all the squeaking seems to have depleted his brain cells but then again you can't cook him either. Just as you're wondering the most effective trap/tech/weapon to use to peel that suit off, he's gone! Head out into the level and you'll fight nothing but Rag Rappies. By the way, they may be weak but when there's 200 of them, they tend to find power in numbers. All I'll say is kick their backsides 27 times into last year. You'll need multi-enemy hitting weapons for sure. Ra/Gifoie works well as do spreads and partisans. Oh, firetraps are effective too so go ahead and unload a couple. You have to go through the whole level heading clockwise and you'll battle around 500 rappies in total so be ready to see feathers flying. You'll come across our possessed bird again. Nothing! Come to think of it, why don't we just snatch the thing up and haul him back kicking and scream... uh... squawking back to Pioneer II feathers and all. Oooh! Then we could expose his stupidity and ridicule him to the whole scientific community! Or even better, let's toss him Under the Dome and let him make friends with the Dragon. Then the Dragon and I can sit down in Forest 2 and have a lovely picnic of chicken sandwiches (From Quiznos because toasted tastes better!) But, I digress, keep ploughing through the rappies and you'll meet him once more. Talk to him and he reveals himself. Well it was pretty obvious that since you are totally incapable of attacking mercilessly that you are not a real Rappy so we figured as much. Well, head back and he says he'll be along in a minute. When your reach the Guild, he'll be there, undressed and ready. Holy crap that was fast! Oh well, get your Meseta and get far away from that screwball. ---------Native Research------------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________ __________ _________________ |Reward: 2500|__|Levels: Forest 1-2|__|Team: None|__|Time Limit: 20:00| ======================================================================= _______________ |Difficulty: 15%| ================= ~Objectives~ > Retrieve information about 5 animals on Ragol -Boomas -Wolves -Rag Rappies -Mothmonts -Hildebears This one is tough if you're at a low level. The time limit means you can't screw around with the boxes this time. You've got 20 minutes to kill 5 hordes of different enemies. You must retrieve information on the five enemies listed above. You should find the Boomas, Wolves and Mothmonts in Forest 1 leaving only the rappies and Hildebears for Forest 2. First, you'll start in a room with 2 doors. Take the door on the right and head forward. You won't fight any enemies for the first few rooms but you'll soon come to a room with a river. Here, you will fight the wolves. There will be quite a few so be prepared. Once you kill them all off, you'll get the first data. Now, head forward. You'll see the exit in the room Racton was in. Pass the exit for now and in the next room, you'll fight the Boomas. Once again, be prepared for a big brawl. You'll get another data from then. Now, head forward through the laser barrier and you'll come to a dead end. In this room, you'll fight 3 Monests and their spawned Mothmonts. You'll only fight one at a time and you have to run around quite a bit to get the next one to drop so don't freak out if they aren't appearing straight away. You should have more than enough time. Once you kill all three, you'll get yet the third Bio Data. Now, head back to the Racton Room and take the transport to Forest 2. Here, you'll start up on that familiar cliff. Head forward into the next room. There will be wolves here in case you missed them from Forest 1. Now go right into the next room. Boomas will be here but you should already have their data. The next door is already open so walk right past the furry fiends unless you feel you want a WOT. Beyond this room is a rather large room filled with Rappies. Kill them for the fourth data. Now you have to backtrack because the other door in this room is locked. Go back all the way to the wolf room. Now take the other door into the enormous room. There will be Boomas here too but you needn't fight them. Go through the laser barrier door in this room and head right. You'll confront a lone Hildebear. Kill him and you'll get the final Bio Data. The timer will stop now and you can mosey back to the Guild for your Meseta. Good Job! ---------Forest of Sorrow------------------------------------------------ ____________ __________________ ____________ _______________ |Reward: 1500|__|Levels: Forest 1-2|__|Team: FOmarl|__|Difficulty: 10%| ======================================================================= ~Objectives~ > Escort Alicia to Forest 2 > Obtain additional Bio Data on Hildebears This quest will not be available until you beat Native Research. By now you'll remember that Alicia was your client from last time. Well, that data you brought back was screwy. In fact, she's disturbed by how weird it is so she wants you to bring her to where you got it. Well, this level has no time limit and since Alicia is a Force, she does have the abilities of techs but don't expect much out of her. She'll cast nothing but Barta and the occasionally Gibarta and maybe pathetically whack an enemy with her wand but that's about it. You'll have to protect her most of the time. The set-up of Forest 1 is the same as it was in Native Research so quickly head back to the teleporter and head off to Forest 2. You shouldn't run into any difficulty of any sort as the teleporter is in the same place. You may consider laughing at how pathetically she fights but it is important to mention that if at any point she dies, the quest is over so you may have to break down and bust out the Resta or Star Atomizers but otherwise just boldly take the hits for her. Anyway, in Forest 2, prepare your customize with plenty of ice spells or ice traps because you'll be fighting thousands of those Hildebears. I'm warning you now that you'll fight around 20 in this quest so be prepared to heal yourself and Alicia if she's running low. With that said, move out. When you get to the room where the first set of Boomas were, you'll notice the door is locked but there isn't an enemy in sight! Go behind the wall, to your right, and go back to where you start sometimes and you'll see a baby Hildebear. Awww, isn't he cute? Well, talk to it and it will disappear. Head back and the door will have opened. In the next room, expect a big fight with a Hildebear. Now you'll enter the huge room. Here you'll have a huge melee so be good and prepared. You'll fight 4 Hildebears here. Now head in the room with the red symbol on the door. Be prepared, there are 7 Hildebears here. Once you kill them all, go to the back of the room and you'll see the poor baby again! Aww, it's hurt and hungry. You can tell Alicia whatever you want but whatever you say will result in the quest ending and you leaving the baby there. Oh well, poor thing... Come to think about it, the Lab must be pretty crooked if the only way to get test samples is to first kill the subject in question. That should make all the little kids out there scream the next time they need a blood test. ---------Gran Squall----------------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________ ___________ ______________ |Reward: 1000|__|Levels: Forest 1-2|__|Team: RAmar|__|Difficulty: 8%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Locate information about Gran Squall > Rendezvous with Bernie > Locate and rescue survivors Well, this one is a little weird. You're looking for a pleasure boat that crashed on Ragol and you are to locate any survivors. Well, if it doesn't strike you as odd that there was a pleasure ship after all the government's hush, hush secrets about Ragol and the fact that there was supposedly an explosion and an endless stream of rabid animals well, I don't know what will. Anyway, this is your job, let's not ask questions... Well, ship off to Forest 1. You start in the Ash room. You need to head right from here. When you get to the room with the laser barrier, head inside and you'll find Bernie. Well, you have to answer "yes" to get him to join you. He's cocky but he's a good fighter. Personally, somebody named Bernie really has no right to insult anybody else. That kind of name could get you shot around here but then again my character's name is Terekane so what can I say? Well, once you've got Bernie in tow, head out and continue around the level clockwise. You'll come to a door that's weird. Well, you can't open it but apparently Bernie can. For some reason the game blacks out at this point. You can make up your own disgusting thoughts about this one, I'm not even going to bother. Keep going and you'll come upon the exit to Forest 2. Once there, you have to head to the enormous room. There will be a few good fights on the way but nothing out of the ballpark. Once you get here though, expect a run for your money. Don't worry, Bernie is a good fighter while his techs leave much to be desired. Now head into the room with the red symbol. You'll see the green warp. Take it and you'll have yet another big fight with some Hildebears. By this time you should be well accustomed to them. Head in the next door for the last fight. There's a Hildebear here too so be careful. Once you've cleared everybody out, you'll find the only survivor. No, you can't just cast Reverser or Resta on her so and Bernie says she'll be alright. Head back now and get your money. Oh, by the way, notice that now you know that this is not a tourist company and that fact is only more obvious when your client says "Excellent, I didn't expect any survivors...oh." Hmm. Remind me never to join the Pioneer II military. At any rate, you can grab your Meseta. C'est tout! ---------Addicting Food-------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ __________ _______________ |Reward: 1500|__|Levels: Caves 1-3|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 20%| ==================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Obtain Cake Before you go, BRING A TELEPIPE! There will be a long walk if you fail to do this so yeah... (Mind you, you could always just die... just a thought) This has to be the most pointless quest we've done since The Value of Money! You are to go and get some sweets (which happens to be a cake, furthermore, which happens to be on Ragol) for this bratty little girl. This is a long quest too. Well, I really can't tell you where to go because this one just necessitates you to go through Caves 1-3. See section {B1C} for strategies on how to beat these levels. Oh, by the way, it's not your imagination. You ARE fighting double the enemies than you're used to. It's better to leave this quest for levelling purposes or when you have a high enough level. Don't be surprised to find yourself in the same room after fighting 10 room's worth of baddies. Once you get to Cave 3, keep an eye out. Once you go a little ways, you get a message that says "A faint sweet smell..." Well, the end is only a few rooms from here so if you end up going past 5 rooms and nothing, well, you went the wrong way. You'll eventually find a cake stand!? That gives new meaning to the phrase "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" Well, baking cakes apparently! If that's not strange enough, wait until the thought of how these weak little girls got here without a scratch crosses your mind. My theory is that they just bribed everything with cake. Anyway, talk to the girls and snag yourself a treat (They have a very wide selection so be sure to select a cake because you'll only get one try... o_0). Once you have one, head back (I hope you brought a Telepipe...) and give the cake to the bratty girl. Now you can get your highly deserved reward. ;) ---------The Lost Bride-------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ ____________ _______________ |Reward: 2500|__|Levels: Caves 1-2|__|Team: FOmarl|__|Difficulty: 15%| ====================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Escort Cicil to Caves 2 > Protect Cicil This quest is pretty simple but there's a twist and then a twist in the other direction. You are to escort the FOmarl Cicil to the "Waterfal Room" in Caves 2 which for all of you who have read section {B1C} you'll know is halfway. Once again, this is another quest where the aforementioned section will be the most helpful. You simply have to beat Caves 1 and go through half of Caves 2. No sweat, right? Well, there's a catch. That is that Cicil is apparently on a diet. You have to protect her so she doesn't get a chance to use any healing items. Note that I have gotten away with 2 before but don't push your luck. Well, I didn't know that Monomates had a fat content! Well, that certainly throws into question all the FF series and many other RPGs... Anyway, Cicil will NOT use recovery items in mid combat so the best time to heal her is just before you kill the last monster. Oh, the other twist is that in case you are a twit, Cicil is a Force meaning she'll use Resta some of the time. If she gets pounded, sometimes she'll bust out with Resta, which is a blessing. Otherwise, all you can do is boldly dash in front of her as if you have a mastered Cover materia attached to your armour. If you have a good strong Resta, you can remove at least 14.9 of the 15% difficulty rating otherwise, you'll have to rely on Star Atomizers and exceptional suicide techniques. Once you get to the waterfall room, pipe back. You'll see that if you did it properly, Cicil will be a toothpick and a quarter. Whoa! If exercise worked that good I'd sure as hell would not be writing this guide! Anyway, wish her happy wedding and later divorce and swipe your Meseta. You're done! ---------Waterfall Tears------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ __________ _______________ |Reward: 1800|__|Levels: Caves 1-2|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 15%| ==================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Locate Anna > Escort her back to Pioneer II This quest is a little different as you will be fighting fellow hunters. There are a few things you should know first: when fighting other hunters, NEVER use Resta unless you are far enough away. The radius of the spell will also heal them...yeah, stupid but true. The same is true for Shifta and Deband. Typically, you just want to place mates on your customize instead. Oh, also for some reason, all your techs seem to be much more effective except Megid which will do absolutely nothing. (I bet you were real surprised by that news...) One note is that once you strike them, just like you, the have a recovery time, which is actually quite long, so wait a good while before nailing them with the same tech again. Now, head off to Caves 1. The first room you will enter will involve a fight with Anna and a friend of hers. You can kill him pretty easily but you'd be wise to concentrate your firepower on the little girl. If you are a Force, you can end the fight before it starts by pelting the brat with Grants. That spell is uber-powerful against her and it will probably kill her in a single blow. After you scare her off, the room's doors will open. Note that the next room you enter will be completely filled with traps from Anna. If you have a Trap Vision, great if not, just keep a Handgun handy. (hmmm...) Now, just beat Caves 1. There will be a few more trapped rooms but that's it. By now, you should know what to expect. Once you get to Caves 2 you only need to get to the waterfall room. Before you go in, make sure that you prepare adequately as the doors will lock the second you start to fight her. Once you go in the brat boldly proclaims that she will become the owner of all your items. o_0. Well, I don't think so. She's actually very weak at this time from the last beating you gave her an most techs will wipe her out completely. Once you've shut her down, she'll apologize and bawl for her sister... ha, ha. Well, too bad missy, it was Kroe that sent us to go upside your head. At this point a Telepipe will appear and that's it! She will make a snide remark about her traps but before you can Grants her again, you're outta there! ---------Black Paper----------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ __________ _______________ |Reward: 2000|__|Levels: Caves 1-3|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 18%| ==================================================================== ~Objectives~ > Apprehend Black Paper and his followers Well, this quest has a very dumb name and the fact that this is apparently the name of some mastermind is just plain creepy! This one is more or less just a run through of Caves 1-3 so be prepared. Bring a few Trap Visions for all you non-androids because there are a few of those trapped rooms. You'll first be given a letter. You may consider reading it on the quest board but the Reader's Digest is Black Paper is a jerk and you've gotta go and kick his rear into next week. Alright! That's what I'm talking `bout! Ship off to Caves 1 and you'll be treated to nothing special. Just beat the level! The set up is the same as the previous quest so you should be duly prepared. There are a few trapped rooms and hallways but that's it. Head to Caves 2 and in the waterfall room you'll do battle with some crying robot. Well, he's a hunter so the same rules apply but don't worry, all he uses to attack is a partisan so if you stay back and use a gun/techs you can have him down without a speck of damage. Once he states that 'it's over' laugh madly then continue. Oh, Grants will do 500+ odd damage to him if it's even a decent level so yeah, go right ahead if you feel like it. Now head to Caves 3 as that's about all you'll see in Caves 2. Once there, you'll run into a few Y rooms. At the first one, DON'T TAKE THE LOCKED DOOR! It leads to a very long dead end. After a few rooms, you'll come across somebody else who wants to die. Check your map to she where he is so you'll be prepared for the fight. This guy can dish out a laughable Barta but it is long range so you may consider kicking his butt faster than the previous guy. He may give you a challenge but it's unlikely. He's still pretty weak. After him, the next room will contain the seemingly dead/asleep Black Paper. Kroe is here too so speak with her. She'll say you're done (gee, you helped out SOOOO much...) and a Telepipe will appear. Head back to the guild and speak with her again. She states that she and Anna are twins (no, really?) and she fooled ol' Paper good. (That just sounds weird doesn't it?) Anyway, grab your Meseta and you're finished! Yeah! ---------Secret Delivery------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ __________ _________________ |Reward: 4500|__|Levels: Caves 1-2|__|Team: None|__|Time Limit: 45:00| ====================================================================== _______________ |Difficulty: 20%| ================= ~Objectives~ > Deliver data to YN-0117 NOTE: TAKE A TELEPIPE IF YOU DO NOT HAVE RYUKER AND SOME TRAP VISIONS!!! Alright. It's time to make some more moola right? This quest, which you probably already figured out will be taking place in the Caves. It is actually pretty hard if you don't know where you're going. I suppose this is a spoiler so cover your eyes if need be: YN-0117 is none other than Elenor from Magnitude of Metal quest. Well, apparently YII-12 needs whatever happens to be in that box he hands you. I don't know about you but this is strangely reminiscent of that old Pandora's Box legend. There's a problem though, your character won't break the blood vow he/she apparently gave to this client and will not crack open the box to see what it is. Damn it! That would be the first think on my "to do" list! Anyways, take the "secret box of doom" and head into Caves 1. There are a couple things you should know. First is you will eventually come across a "T" junction. If you came from the path perpendicular to the main stray, all the doors will be locked. Also note there is a RAmar here but he's no help at all. If you went the wrong way, you'll have to backtrack and find the other entrance. Once you do, all the doors will unlock. Don't worry, you'll still have loads of time if you screw up. There will be a locked door with the lights out. In this room, you will see a strange looking...thing that's glowing with some kind of energy. Upon closer inspection, you'll notice that it is a crappy RAcast! I'm not saying that all RAcasts are crappy, no, by no means but this one is. It is standing in a re- charge type thing. You can speak to it but apparently the builders forgot to give this thing a personality. Well, you can ask it about YN-0117 but basically all you'll get is a well-expected: "I dunno." Be prepared before choosing the other option because the machine will take it upon itself to kill you (or at least shoot at you in a very poor attempt to do so). Note that the Hunter Vs Hunter rules still apply and Resta is a no, no. When you decide to fight him, select the first option and the RAcast will perform an illegal operation and must...kill something. Since you happen to be right there, it decides to shoot you. That must be one big damn error, crap! Anyway, you could use regular attacks but magic works best here. Forces, you'll be happy to note that Grants does way more damage than it should basically giving you the power to end it right away. Otherwise anything goes. (Except for Megid, yeah, I knew you were expecting that...) Remember to wait a while before giving them another shot because it'll do Zippo. His attacks suck and you can laugh as the do noticeably little damage. Once he's dead, he'll open the door and you can continue. Now, just keep on going to Caves 2. Once in Caves 2, just keep going. You'll soon come to a room that is locked and has a purple laser guarding it. Hmm, tight security! Notice that on the small island in this room is a pink android and if you have good eyes and didn't already read what I was going to say, that would be Elenor: the Mag(got) fanatic! Well, she's not moving and she's well guarded to say the least. Now you've gotta go and take down that security! If you missed this room, it is the one just before the waterfall room. Head forward and you will soon come to a room with 3 doors. (You started thinking "door #1, door #2, door #3 didn't you...) Well, that's just what you have. Oh, by the way, all the doors are locked and have two switches. One of which will open said door and the other will provide you with fatal damage from a damage trap. WHIP OUT A TRAP VISION! (If you're not an android.) I warned you. Now, head right and you'll come across another worthless RAcast! Well, teach him a lesson the same way you did before and he'll unlock Door B. There is another door in this room. Be sure to head in and de-activate the barrier switch because you wouldn't want to walk all the way back here would you? Now, exiting this room, head straight across to the next door. (Left from the entrance.) Here you'll fight another RAcast. Kick his butt in style and he'll unlock door C. There is also another room here with the purple barrier switch. De-activate it and now run (if your time is running low) back to that room! The door will be open and the barrier gone. Run inside and you'll find a warp. In the next room, you'll see another door that would be otherwise locked and a green barrier across it but if you followed my instructions, it'll be open. If you went and forgot a switch... I'm not listening! Now, head into the next room and you will see another recharge station only it's empty. Okay... We all know that it belongs to Elenor so head into the next room and give her the YN-0117 command. (The EM-05 does nothing). She'll magically come alive and ask you to plug the package into her back. Sure... Well, she's alive and thanks you heartily. Then, she disappears! Well, there's no Telepipe so if you don't have Ryuker or a Telepipe, then you can lug your sorry carcass all the way back... Otherwise, just claim your hard earned cash! ---------Letter From Lionel---------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________________ __________ _______________ |Reward: ????|__|Levels: Forest 1 - Caves 2|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 25%| ============================================================================= ~Objectives~ > Locate and retrieve all missing parts of android Lionel > Confront Black Market trader for android parts This quest is a pain in the rear and a half. It is noticeably long and can be very frustrating. I personally got stuck here so read carefully! Apparently some little pussy android got his rear kicked and then the rest of his body too. It is actually quite amazing. He managed to rip himself apart and generously spread his parts around the above levels. It's almost as if he was making a giant pizza and felt that some iron-related ingredients were missing from his diet. If that wasn't strange enough, he was somehow able to transmit a message to the Hunter's Guild about his condition, which, you'll later find, is coming entirely from a severed android head. That's just downright creepy and leaves you to feel that this thing is better served in many pieces. (No pun intended) Anyways, since this is our quest, we've gotta go collect his parts and stick him back together. (I don't know why but C3P-0 comes to my mind instantly...) Alright, first you'll have to beat Forest 1. Yeah, yeah, I don't need to lead you with a carrot through the level do I? Besides, you'll have lots of power now so be thankful. The first part is the head. You'll have to head up onto the dome in Forest 2. You notice how there are two warps? You've probably taken the second one and found a WOT but you'll have to go there because that's where our buddy's head is. Grab it. As you were going through Forest 2 you probably noticed a door that simply will not open right? Well, if you didn't then get glasses and go to the biggest room in Forest 2. Down at the south end, you'll see those two doors. One of which is locked and simply will not open no mater how much you threaten it. Well, no just whip out that android's head on the Quest Board and talk to it. Yes...talk to it. Eventually when it will tell you where it feels its other limbs. (Whoa, convenient!) Once it shuts up, the door will magically unlock! Head inside and you'll fight a Hildebear. If you read the clue for this one, it said that its arm was in something warm and squishy. Before your sick mind can run away, you'll figure out that it was talking about the stomach of the Hildebear. o_0 Once you kill it, it'll drop the arm. (I can see granny now: "Drop it! Drop it!"). Another limb of Lionel can be found by backtracking to Forest 1. The arm is in the river which you'll know by now runs through only two rooms so head back and snatch up the other limb. If you talk to the head or the severed parts, you'll notice the speech is noticeably bad. He needs a coppertop... Before you leave, if you haven't already, head through the door with the red symbol in the huge room. You will find a RAmar there. Talk to him and he talks about selling something on the black market then disappears! (This is in Forest 2 BTW) The final limb is in Caves 2. Yeah, groan, groan. Just bolt through Caves 1 like it was nothing. (Which it is.) Once you get to Caves 2, on an island in the only room of its kind will rest the final part. Don't worry, it's not very far in. Once you've found it, talk to ALL four parts on the Quest Board. Make sure you do this BEFORE you pipe back. If you haven't already, you'll need to head back to Forest 2 and talk to the RAmar about something. See above for details. Now, pipe back to Pioneer II. Right outside the Hunter's Guild, you'll see our old friend the black RAmar. Chat to him and he'll cough the final part to Lionel. If he isn't there, go to any level and talk to all the Lionel parts and be sure you found him in Forest 2. Now you have all 5 parts! Head into the Hunter's Guild and you'll see a rather ugly Hucast (sorry to all you yellow and black HUcasts out there). That is Lionel. Talk to him and you can get your stinking cash! Yahoo! ---------Soul of a Blacksmith-------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________________ __________ _______________ |Reward: 2500|__|Levels: Forest 1 - Caves 3|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 20%| ============================================================================= ~Objectives~ >Obtain Miwontite >Obtain Dragon's Fang >Obtain Mineral This quest can be a pain but there is an EXTRA reward to this here quest. So you are working for some blacksmith who has an overwhelming desire to create a weapon from stuff on Ragol. Well, you get to keep whatever weapon he makes. He just wants to make one. While that is really strange and the fact that he pays you so that he can work for you is even stranger but meh, I'm not complaining. So you are to find three things that will take you from Forest 1 to Caves 1,2 or 3. It depends on what kind of weapon you want. Anyway, first, lets get the Miwontite. You'll find the Miwontite first. So just beat Forest 1 normally. (Grumble, grumble) On the way, you'll have to stop at your local river for a Miwontite. You can find on at the back of the Ash Room (Betcha didn't remember about the river there huh?) Or you can check out the room BEFORE the huge room with the speeder (remember, the one with Racton?) In the river will be another copy of the mineral. You only need ONE copy so once you have one, just shove off to Forest 2. The Dragon's Fang should be obvious where you'll find it. If you read the memo, you'll get a very stupid message about where you might find said fang. Geeze, what does this guy think we are?! Anyway, you'll have to beat Forest 2 now normally. You'll be able fly through it no problem with no sticky spots at all right? Yessir. If for some reason you didn't figure it out, you're going to have to fight our old dragon buddy (Or the Sil Dragon for that matter). You should know how to beat him by now but if you for some reason get stuck (oh no!) you'd better check out the walkthrough in section B1. So just toast his rear and he'll drop the ever-familiar quest item thingus so be happy and grab your second item. Finally, you'll need to collect a "Mineral" You'll have to head into the Caves for this (No, I thought I'd have to go to the Seabed!). The supposed mineral is actually part of a big rock with mission items sparkling all over it (trust me, you can't miss it), which will have conveniently appeared there now. It depends though which one you want. You see, each Caves level contains a different mineral and each mineral will affect the outcome of your weapon to be. The level set-up is normal so don't expect any curve balls. You'll find a Red Mineral from the rock in Caves 1. It's actually right on the path to the exit so it really isn't possible to miss it. A Green Mineral is available in the Waterfall Room in Caves 2. Finally you can find a Blue Mineral in this very weird geological formation that has appeared in a small circular room in Caves 3. It really depends on what you want on your weapon so be careful choosing the wrong mineral. Red always yields a weapon with a fire attribute, Green gives you an ice attribute and as for blue, check back later when I update this section again. Once you've snagged a mineral of some kind, drop a Telepipe and warp back to see your client. He'll be standing there and once you've given him all the stuff you've collected, he'll create a generic, average, craptity weapon for you. You have a choice of a sword, a rod or a handgun with an attribute that pertains to the mineral you grabbed. You may consider keeping it but it isn't going to stand up to any rares of the day. Well it's the thought that counts right? You could always sell the damn thing but that's up to you. I kept mine for sentimental reasons. Otherwise, grab your extra cash, wash your hands and take a bow. Yeah! NOTE: In ultimate, it is possible to obtain a Rare in this quest. Yeah, you heard me right, an honest-to-goodness rare! You'll need the Blue Mineral from Caves 3 for the rare weapon so make sure to go all the way. The rare you get depends on the kind of weapon you ask for. For full details on this, check out the in-depth guide on "Quest Rares". ---------The Grave's Butler---------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ ____________ _______________ |Reward: 3500|__|Levels: Caves 1-2|__|Team: FOmarl|__|Difficulty: 10%| ====================================================================== ~Objectives~ >Discover what happened to the Butler >Escort Martha to Caves 2 This quest is really a snap. You see there is the family of Forces and they had a butler! The butler is missing and we've gotta find him. That's about it. All right, lets go. You'll have a weak little FOmarl with you and you do have to protect her but she's not like Cicil and you can let her get her butt kicked but remember that if she dies, you fail. Let's go. Pipe down to Cave 1 and basically just beat it. Yes, this is just another one of those quests but I'm sure you can handle it. I mean, that's what you're doing these quests for right? Well anyways, Martha will attack constantly with Foie and the occasional Gifoie. At least these spells will actually injure your foes and that's a good thing. If you get poisoned or paralysed, she'll even Anti you! Awww...how nice. You goal lies in the Waterfall Room in Caves 2 so you'll just have to fight your way there but don't worry; this quest really is a slam-dunk. On your way, though, you'll notice (or maybe you won't) that those little holo- communicators will be scattered in this quest too. Well that's a little strange. It should be strange enough for you to actually check them out. Well, that's what you have to do. That butler dropped them. Basically, you find out that he's lost and he's getting his backside kicked. Martha is worry, understandably, I might add. However, the thing that puzzles me is why everybody though he was smart. If he's getting a beat down, the only thing that he can blame it on is dropping little messages of how the fight is going at point-blank range! I mean come on! He must have failed Common Sense 101! Sigh... Once you get to the Waterfall Room, (with little trouble I hope), you'll see one last little message thing. There is a minor spoiler in the next line so cover your eyes: The butler has been beat up pretty badly and you can pretty much bet that he won't make it. Well, I hate to blame his death on stupidity but that's really all I can do. Martha is crushed and you have to head on with that sense of sadness hovering over you. Now that I think about it, a grown man couldn't make it through here but the little girl could...hmmm... Anyway, head into the next room and Martha will be overcome by emotion and say the quest is done. Pipe back, cry, and get paid. There. I said it was easy right? ---------Knowing One's Heart--------------------------------------------- ____________ ______________ _______________ _______________ |Reward: 3500|__|Levels: Mine 1|__|Team: FOneweral|__|Difficulty: 15%| ====================================================================== ~Objectives~ >Locate and rescue Calus Yet another simple quest is thrown on our plate here. At least this time we're in the Mines, which is infinitely more fun. Basically, you are to escort Elly to find this friend of hers who she has been chatting to online. Damn it Elly! Haven't you been listening all those times when they tell you that meeting someone you met online is bad? I guess not. Anyway, Elly will start by e-mailing Calus to tell him that we're coming. I guess it's not so bad if we're with her but still, geeze! Now, head to Mines 1. It'll start off by Calus (that's kinda a suggestive name huh?) replying to Elly with "do...t co...e h...re" hmm... that's pretty w...ird. Well anyway just keep going. You know you're going the right way when you get message from Calus so follow them. In the hallway before the halfway point you'll get a message saying "oh its all a joke!" ...damn you! You got us excited for nothing! It appears that Calus was aboard Pioneer I and when that ever-famous explosion happened, he hid down here in the mines. Great idea genius: there are only a million machines down here that forgot what happens after "performing and illegal operation." Doesn't anybody have the slightest amount of common sense?! I guess not. Keep going through the mine with little to no difficult and eventually you'll come across a rather large room in which Calus e-mails Elly again. Now he's saying to get lost again. MAKE UP YOU'RE MIND! Anyway, you'll soon come across a small square, dark room. Head forward one more room and guess what you'll find: a computer. Well, the computer's here but where's Calus? Well, SPOILER ALERT: Calus, it seems is a computer! A very messed up one I might add. All this time, Elly has been talking to a rather creepy AI system. HA HA! Elly got burnt! The computer becomes somewhat sentimental...for a machine. It seems that he's being hacked and is loosing his mind and now wants a biological body... Well he's not having mine. If you're an android, I suppose you're safe but then maybe not. Well, Calus says he's going to shut himself down. Elly is slightly crushed and decides to back him up (Danger Will Robinson!) and then the computer crashes...sorta. A Telepipe appears and you're done! Yeah! Now remember, don't talk to strangers because they might be a computer...wait, that sounds wrong somehow...hmmm... ---------The Retired Hunter---------------------------------------------- ___________ _______________ ___________ _________________ |Reward: ???|__|Levels: Ruins 3|__|Team: HUmar|__|Time Limit: 30:00| ==================================================================== _______________ |Difficulty: 30%| ================= ~Objectives~ >Kill 99 enemies >Cry >Make moola Here's a strange quest. You have a hunter named Donoph and he has a lifelong goal of death: to kill 10000 monsters. However, Donoph is about to die. He's just happens to know that it will be 30 minutes after you take this quest. All he's got left is 99 enemies and he'll hit his goal but for some weird reason, he feels that he's too weak to do this murderous act himself and wants to drag you into this here quest with him. I am warning you now, I can guide you but you'll have a far better chance of success if you KNOW RUINS 3! Chances are, this will be the first time you've seen it but don't worry if it is because you'll be able to handle it. Anyways, lets go! BTW, it doesn't matter what you answer Donoph when he asks you that question so yeah... Meet him down in the Ruins and head out into the first room. This guy is noticeably strong. If you are way stronger than him, know that this guy can take care of himself so don't worry too much. That very Cloud-like sword of his does good damage and he can shoot Foie for not bad damage either. He can even Anti you, which is good because there are a gazillion traps around here. The first thing you see is a 2-switch door. Go through it and you'll come to a 4-switch door right after, go through that as well. Then you'll be treated to your first round of claws. Finish them off and you'll find yourself at a fork in the road. It really doesn't matter which way you go because both roads lead to the same room but for the purpose of this guide, go left. You'll soon come to a warp, take that and you'll find yourself in a room that looks like this: _______ __ | | |^^| -> | | | | |_| | | _ | | | | | <-2 | | | |_______| |__| No go through the north exit (^^). You'll come to another fork. There is a 4- switch door here too. Go north first to find all four switches there. Now head back through that 4-switch door. You'll find a dead end but there is a green laser switch there. Hit it and exit. Back at the fork again, take the last door directly across from the 4-switch and you'll come to a room shaped like an L. There is a 4-switch door here but as you will see, only three of the switches are in this room. Turn them on and head all the way back the room in the diagram above. From here, take the door marked 2. You'll run into even more baddies. You should have 20 by the end of this room. Now keep going. You'll soon come to yet another fork. Go through the north door and you'll come to the last switch to the 4- switcher in the "L" room. Don't go back just yet though, you can continue on this path and you'll come to yet another melee. Once you've cleared this room, you should have around 50 baddies killed. In this room, you'll find a hall that leads to a dead end and another door that leads to a long room. If you go to this room, you'll see that the door is guarded by 3 laser barrier (2 now since we already hit the green one.) We can't go any further now so go back to the previous fork in the road (You know, the one we went north through) only this time take the south entrance. You'll come to the blue laser switch. De-activate it. Now it's time to backtrack. You remember where the "L" room is right? Well now the 4-switch door there is open. Use your map if you must to backtrack all the way there. Inside, you'll have a little bit o' fighting to do. Once you kill everybody, you should have 60 or so. Take the exit straight across from the door you came in and you'll come across the final laser switch. Now, as you exit the laser-switch room, take the door to your immediate right. It's a short cut. Remember that hallway that lead to a dead end? This is where it connects and you'll now find yourself right next to the room with the 3 laser barriers. They should be all gone now so run to the end of the room and go through that door. From here it's easy pickin's. You'll come to a LONG hallway. If you've ever played Ruins 3 before, you'll know you're at the end now. You should enter a HUGE room now. If you have at least 5 minutes left and have already killed 65+ enemies, you'll be just fine. Kick the rest of the monster's backsides around here and you'll push your total finally to 99! That's it! You're done! Well it looks like old Donoph was wrong and decides do die right here, right now. You really can't do anything other than race toward him desperately so don't worry. He's happy in death. Head back to the Guild and grab your cash! ---------Dr. Osto's Research--------------------------------------------- ____________ _______________ _______________ _______________ |Reward: 5500|__|Levels: Mines 2|__|Team: Huneweral|__|Difficulty: 15%| ======================================================================= ~Objectives~ >Rendezvous with Sue >Locate and recover Dr. Osto's notes Okay, this quest is where things finally begin to get a little interesting! We are hired by these scientists who seemed to want another scientist's notes. It seems that Dr. Osto was aboard Pioneer I and yeah, you know: the explosion? Right. Well, his notes may have survived and they contain some interesting information for these freaks. Alright, get to work! Mines 2 is where we'll be so let's go! You won't get very far before you'll come across a very familiar, partisan wielding RAcast. Remember him? The one that was working for Black Paper? Well, he sure as hell looks like him. Oh, he hasn't lost that attitude either and apparently was instructed to "kill anybody that came down here" and he even apologizes. Yeah, we'll forgive you but I'm not too sure about my Mahu... needless to say, kick his backside all around the block and don't worry, he's pretty darn helpless. Still, the hunter-to-hunter combat rules apply so keep your finger off the Resta button. After you beat him up, just keep ploughing through Mines 2. There's not really much else to worry about. Anyways, after a little while, in a small, square room, you'll come across Sue. She's doing something to that computer on the wall but we never know what. She says that she's on the same quest as you and wants to work with you. Well, that's horse of a different colour and she isn't taking no for an answer. Don't worry, Sue's very strong and can help you quite a bit but please, don't let her die! Now basicially you have to beat the rest of Mines 2. There is one thing to note though. You'll soon come across a large square room with all the exits locked. If you haven't got Sue, check your map to see where she is. Otherwise, just walk up to the one at the south end of the room. She'll figure that the door isn't locked and concludes that it's broken. She then proceeds to fix it which, by the way, opens it. Then she says something you may remember: "see, I have the knack." Well, you and Bernie would make a lovely couple! (Just don't ask us to help you diet!) Now, beat the rest. There's not that much more to go. You'll eventually come to a dark room that contain a couple rows of eerie- looking pods on either side. At the end of this room is a small room with a computer (which bears a great resemblance to Calus I might add...) Check it out and use that disk you were handed at the beginning to download the data. Now, Sue will copy yours and you can both head home happy! A Telepipe will appear and you're done! NOTE: This comes directly from the Quest Rares guide. Sue will ask your name. Do you remember that cool scythe that Kirrek had in the first mission? If you want one for yourself, DON'T TELL SUE YOUR NAME! If you do, you can't have it. It's that simple. Check out the Quest Rares guide for more info on getting the Soul Eater. ---------Unsealed Door--------------------------------------------------- ____________ __________________________________ ____________ |Reward: 5500|__|Levels: Mine 2-Underground Channel|__|Team: RAcast| ==================================================================== _______________ |Difficulty: 35%| ================= ~Objectives~ >Locate Beta772 This quest carries over from the previous one. That data you brought back, well, it's weird. (Where have we heard that before?) The scientist, Mome, wants to go and find this weird Beta772. Well, you'll get subtle hints as to what this Beta772 is during the quest so see if you can guess. Anyway, lets go! You'll be working backwards here so be warned. You start in Mine 2 with Mome in tow. I'll say this once: beat Mine 2. It's simple, just head right back to the computer where you found the data. The whole level is the same so it should be a snap. Once you get there, check the computer. Mome will do some stuff (being the person dressed up as a creepy android that he is) and get a smidgeon of data out of the computer. Apparently Beta772 (if you haven't already read the Quest Board stuff and listened to Mome's comments) is something of a monster and it escaped into the underground tunnels. Hmm...I wonder what that could be? Anyway, the computer also unlocked a door for you. Open your map right now. You'll see a room that resembles a "T" not far from you. You have to go there again. Head back around the large square room. Once you get there, the junction on your right will now be open. Head inside and you'll see a red warp to Mines 1. o_0 Well that's weird but anyway, that's where you have to go. Mines 1 is simple: beat it. There's nothing at all strange about it except perhaps Mome's offhanded comments here and there. Once you get to the end (there are quite a few baddies here so do watch youself) you'll find yet another backwards teleport. This one, however, will take you to the supposed Underground Channel. You should now (if you didn't already realize the painfully obvious) know that Beta772 is none other than De Rol Le. Before you warp, it would behove you to prepare for this battle. The strategy should already be under your belt but if you forgot, check the Episode I walkthough. (Would that be section {B1C} by any chance? Naw...) The second you enter, you see De Rol Le in a new light...er, dark. Mome simply overcome by his immense size decides to do the dumbest thing of all. He wishes you luck and decides to play dead. What the $#*@!& Mome? We risked our life for your sorry behind and you pass out on us?! Sigh, just beat up on De Rol Le and Mome will spring right back into action. Well it's too late jackass! He exclaims that Beta772 cannot be controlled (which is funny considering we just killed it) and that he's got to go find some other genius to help him. Well whatever, just pipe back, grab your cash, grab a Pina Colada and drink to good health and better money. ---------Soul of Steel--------------------------------------------------- ___________ _________________________ _______________________ |Reward: ???|__|Levels: Mines 2 & Ruins 3|__|Team: FOnewm & Racaseal| ===================================================================== _______________ |Difficulty: 80%| ================= ~Objectives~ >Rescue Ult! Before you start, let me warn you this quest is 1,000,000% different from every other quest you've ever done. There is WAY more storyline as well as many fun/annoyingly cool challenges. The other thing is this quest is LOOOOOOOOOONG! I'm not kidding, it will take you a half an hour to do it if you're fast so have lots of time and patients before attempting this one. Your sole objective is to rescue Dr. Montague's little android named Ult. You'll also find out something cool. Remember Elenor? Well, she's back and apparently she was created by this Montague fellow and also, she has a sister who happens to be Ult. You'll get both of them on your team this time and the are STRONG! They will probably be a much higher level than you and can protect your sorry rear far better than you could theirs (unless you came back again later when you were level 120 like me). This really begs the question that if they are so strong (and later you'll find out that they're smarter than you too...or maybe not...) then why the heck do they need you? Hmm... whatever. Montague will give you a long-winded speech about Ult first. Now head out of the Guild. Before you can take 2 and a half steps, some creepy looking freak comes up to you and begins to gripe about how you look suspicious and for some reason, accuses you of sticking you nose into this "WORKS" corporation's business. (Hmm... reminds me of the ShinRa!) After he whines for a second or two, Montague bluntly accuses him of kid, er, robot- napping Ult. He reacts with the traditional "I...I don't know what you're talking about" yeah right! Anyway, he gives you all one last rant session then quits harassing you. At this point, Elenor takes it upon herself to give you a baby mag! Aww...isn't it cute. Mind you, you really can't do much with it...at all so don't even worry. Now let's get going! You'll meet Montague and Elenor down in Mines 2. Head out into the first block and come face to face with...everything! You'll see a Garnaz, Sinow Beats/Golds, Canadines and TONS of Gilchics. Don't worry though, if you have a few levels at all under your belt, Elenor and Montague will just decimate everything. Androids use traps; spell casters use Ra techs to get EXP from everything. You'll be rid of the baddies quickly and the Doc stops to talk again. Go figure. Crap, he laughs a lot at very inappropriate times! Anyways, head into the next room. At the non-adjacent corner, you'll see a laser barrier guarded by some creep. Go over and attempt to talk to him. He actually reacts very violently, wildly accusing you of trying to screw up WORKS. Hey, it's not like we've anything better to do! Besides, WORKS are a bunch of cocky $#!@ so they could use some disrupting. He'll ask you if you still intend to go through his gate (with perhaps a slight taint of fear I might add). Tell him right where to go and he replies that he can erase our hunter licences and we'd never be allowed back down to Ragol again. Ha, as if anybody in Normal mode could even dream of stopping two Lv55 and one Lv120 hunters! Oh well, you know what time it is right? It's time to show that idiot how wrong he is. Check your map, you'll see Montague's arrow in an adjacent room. Head over there and see what's going on! He's found a WORKS terminal! Convenient how they left it out here huh? No, we're not going to hack WORKS or just wreck this machine at all. It seems that this piece of junk has a "screw-up" button on it and Montague decides to push it. Now, run back to the starting point. (You know, the one with all the enemies?) The computer decides to crash right...about...NOW! Yup, it makes a racket and the idiot guard doesn't suspect and thing and just waltzes over to check it out. Now run through that gate! In fact, he seems to like the computer and will stay there for a long time so don't worry: as long as you don't go visit him. In the next room, you'll see a computer. Doc will check it out and find some very strange information. You see; there are three AI sources to control stuff down here. Guess what their names are: Vol Opt, Calus, and Olga. Hmm, well we know that Vol Opt is garbage ready to be compacted and that Calus is a creepy personality that tries to lure harmless little girls down into the dangers of the mine and as for Olga, if you've already beaten Episode II, then you know who Olga is. Otherwise, all we find out is that all of Olga's logs end at the same time of the explosion. Did Olga maybe cause the explosion, no I don't know. After the chat, you'll be free again. Run to the opposite end of the room and guess what you'll see: two turrets that shoot Foie a la Episode II! Dismantle them and keep going forward. As you proceed, the ground will begin to shake violently but, of course, this does not harm anything in the surrounding area at all and nobody even seems to notice and or care. Anyway, you'll soon come into another long rectangular room with a bunch of empty recharge stations and a big computer (which is of no use I might add). Run to the end of this room and guess who will appear: Ult! Now you'll get you're first mini-mission. Ult warns you not to follow her but I am betting she doesn't really expect you to actually listen. Your mission should you choose to accept it is to follow Ult. It's not hard. She struts so slowly as if she owns the place and you can actually walk right up to her and she doesn't even care. After a few rooms, you'll come to a locked door and Ult decides that hitting the switch takes too much effort so she simply walks through the door. Hit the switch right there and walk through and you'll see Ult again. Congratulations, you've beaten the first mini-mission. Doc and Elenor rush up from behind and Doc starts to tell her off. Ult doesn't seem to care too much and simply vanishes. Yes, Doc, a real interesting phenomenon. Whatever, you'll see another laser barrier blocking your way in this room but the switch is in a room adjacent to this room so you don't have to look far. Hit it and proceed through the guarded door. Oh, before you go, be careful for the Foie turrets here too and also look at the creepy pods on the walls. Artwork right? o_0 Now you'll come across the most annoying challenge. You'll all meet up at the entrance to another rectangular room but this one's guarded. Doc volunteers you to go first and this part is a pain. There are four rooms with two guards each and you have to run through without being seen. If they catch you in either room, you'll be "eliminated" which simply means they'll haul you back to the door and you can try all over again. You'll probably get caught a few times but here is what the rooms look like: __________ | | # = Empty Recharge Post (Obstacle) <-______ | o = Guard | # | | | | | | o | | | # | | |# |#| | o| | | # | | | __| | | | | |____ ^____| For the first room, the two guards will walk in squares without crossing the centre post. The quickest way through is to run to the right and stay back. When the guard has his back to the entrance, stay as far to the right as possible (without hitting the post there) and run straight to the other end of the room. You'll walk right past the guard but he shouldn't notice you. Now head into the next room. __________ / | | o | # = Obstacle | ## o _<- o = Guard | ___| | |____ |____/ V This room is actually pretty easy despite what you might think. One guard circles the re-charge obstacle in the centre of the room with the other walks back and forth past the door. Head out but be careful to wait until the circling guard has his back to you. Now head out and left. Stay back against the wall until the guard by the door walks back away from your. Now RUN through that door! Easy, right? _____V ___ | + | | | + | | o = Guard | + | | + = Laser fence <-____| | | + | | o + o | | + | | | | + | | + | | | |__________| This room can be a pain. There is a long laser barrier dividing the room as shown. The two guards like to circle that barrier in the centre and they actually work co-operatively in this room. Since the exit isn't far, you just have to wait it out. Walk slowly out into the room and the second both guards have their back to you, RUN! You should make it but if not, you'll get it next time. You should watch them for a while and get a feel of how they move. They will eventually both turn their backs to you. When this happens, it's your cue! ____ ^_____ | |__ | | o| | # = Obstacle ## |__<- o = Guard | o | |___________| This is the last room and it isn't too hard. The door you want is to your right from where you came in. The two guards simply circle the obstacle in the centre. All you have to do is become part of their march! A split second after one passes you, run in the room and follow him around until you get to the door. Don't follow too close or he'll catch you. Once again, it's only a short distance so you could always wing it anyway. All right! You made it! Now we're really crusin'! When you run into the next room, guess how you'll see? Ult! Once again, Doc and Elenor come rushing up from behind. Ult yells at Montague for a little bit and then just walks off as though she didn't even notice them. Doc and Elenor decide to follow in the same who-really-cares pace. Then, somebody will run in behind you! It's that WORKS guy! Remember? The creep who harrased you right from the start. He's back and he's got attitude. Let me repeat a line from Inuyasha: "I've heard threats from a number of poor souls who's memory I keep alive by dancing on their graves!" I think that this line fits well in this situation too don't you? Oh, this time he brought back-up: it those two annoying guards you were eluding for the past ten minutes! You know how we can really only take annoyances like them for so long right? Well now it's your chance to blast them into oblivion! Before you actually start though, you'll be treated to another cheesy earthquake. The guy actually makes the connection that perhaps what WORKS is doing just might be screwing everything up down here. However, this really doesn't seem to strike and other thought processes and he decides that you're to blame for everything and then attacks you. Oh, there's a twist though, a pile of Gilchics show up too and they will even try to beat up on them! Rough day, huh guys? Well, your job now is to take out everything. If you're kind of weak, let the Gilchics get their rears beaten and soften up the others in the process. Then just go over and end their lives in style. Once again, don't expect much of a fight: just lots of people hitting the floor with that all-inspiring CLUNK! I love it. Once the weapon you were holding has scolded everybody enough, the creepy WORKS guy decides that he'd like to end his life in style and sets an auto destruct on the whole operation down here! Well he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that's in charge of everything so I can't see how this decision is entirely up to him but it does make your life easier. At this point, a 20:00 timer will appear and your mission now is to go shut off that alarm before the whole place starts erupting whup-ass. Well, the timer counts during EVERYTHING but warping so keep conversations short if you're worried about time. You may also consider keeping some Advil nearby or at least the mute button for when that annoying sound gets to you. Run into the next room and you'll see your team and the exit. Doc and Elenor don't quite seem to understand that shutting that alarm off might be in their best interests. If you're worried, just fly through the conversation and don't worry, all they do is diss WORKS, Ult and everything surrounding them at the moment. Now all pile into the warp and you'll be shipped off to Ruins 3. Yes, Ruins 3. Once again, I hope you know you're way around or that you are at least strong enough to survive down here. It becomes apparent that WORKS must have something to do with all the crap down here too as the timer is still counting down. Shit, lets get moving! Basically, just plough through enemies until you come across this room: | | |VV| ___| |_____| |_____ <-1 X X 2-> +--------------------------+ ___ _____ _____ | VV - Entrance from level | | |o o| | | X - Debris | ___| |_____| |____ | o - Computer Console | 3-> |<- - Important route | ___ _____ ____ +--------------------------+ | | | | | | | | First, you'll see a bunch of debris to your right that is blocking that path. You can destroy this so do so with haste. Next, head into the room beyond that (1) there will be a barrier blocking the door so kill everything there first. Now head back into the (2) room. You'll find a green warp. Take it and you'll end up in a large square room. Kill everybody here and head forward. In the next room, you'll see a laser switch. There will be a bunch of enemies here too. Kill them all to make the door open. Then go through the door. You'll see a 2-switch door right there. Activate the switch then head out into the next room. There will be a few foes here too. Kill them then head back into the previous room. Make sure you're ready! Hit that laser switch and you'll hear a beeping noise. That's a timer and the lasers will only stay deactivate for a short time! Run out into the next room and take a left. You'll then find yourself in the above room again! Quickly run across the path that had the debris on it and go into the (1) room again. The barrier should be off now. Run to the end before the lasers come back on! DON'T GO INTO THE WARP! RUN ALL THE WAY TO THE FAR DOOR! If you didn't make it, you'll have to try again. Otherwise, you'll come to another warp which will bring you to the centre of the # room where the computers are! Doc and Elenor will shut them off and you're safe! YEAH! You'll then be treated to a cut scene that shows Ult talking to that WORKS idiot. Ah ha! So he did capture here! Apparently, Ult has some sort of strange powers and is able to control the abnormal photons around here. WORKS wants to harness that power for themselves and they knew that you'd found out! That's why he set off the alarm: to buy them some time to figure out how to use Ult and meanwhile, Ult is gone and you've been duped! DAMN IT! At least when Ult did all her fireworks, she knocked that stupid WORKS guy off for good. (Or at least it seemed that way!) Well you know what time it is? Well it's time to go and get Ult and get outta here before WORKS blows this place up with their stupid meddling! After the cut scene, Doc and Elenor will split up to go capture Ult. This part is a PAIN if you don't know the secret! Check your map now. You'll see Montague's arrow in a room marked (3) in the # room you happen to be in. Go into that room and you'll see him but he doesn't seem to have his eyes on "open" mode or maybe his brain just shut down because I don't think that searching the same room 50 times is going to make Ult magically appear but then you'll find out how wrong I am. Now, Ult will continually appear in either Elenor or Montague's room. She'll then walk for a bit and vanish again. Here's what you do. From Montague's room, take the bottom door (on your map duh!) and head into the next room. You'll come across a 4-switch door in this room. Head through it and you'll then find yourself on a narrow causeway over bottomless nothingness. STAY HERE IN THIS HALLWAY. Now, wait. Ult will eventually decide to come though his hall. When she gets here. Make sure she comes all the way in and run up to her. She'll vanish and appear right in the middle of the same room you're in. Just run over to her again and Montague and Elenor will run in from either side trapping Ult. That's it! You're done! Now, Doc begins to chastise Ult. Ult tells him that she's feeling weird and that WORKS is screwing around with her powers. This is not good for her as it makes Ult heat up. Montague whines that she wasn't meant for this kind of stress. At this point the abnormal photons get to her and a Telepipe appears. Ult will warp across the hallway and thank you all for everything, apologize and then command that you leave. Apparently Montague and Elenor do but you stand there like the twit you are. Ult then goes bang. It's that simple! The photons have screwed her up big time and she's all done. With a huge explosion, the screen blacks out and that's it for now. In a few seconds, you wake up in the Med Centre (not even healed, tsk, tsk.) Go talk to the wandering nurse to find out what the heck is going on! Apparently you were asleep/in a coma/unconscious/unresponsive for days and Elenor has been to visit you often. Well, you're back now so head over to the Hunter's Guild. To your right is one of those hot women that work there. She says that Montague told her to give you a message that your quest was complete. Go, get paid, cry, wash the oil off your shirt and dance! You're finally done! Cool quest, huh? ---------Doc's Secret Plan----------------------------------------------- ____________ ______________ ______________ _______________ |Reward: 9000|__|Level: Ruins 1|__|Team: RAcaseal|__|Difficulty: 25%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ >Obtain data from test sites This test is somewhat reminiscent of "Native Research" but as you can see, it has a substantially higher potential to fatten your wallet! In fact, this quest has the highest reward of them all but it isn't much harder than most of the quests we've been doing lately. You are being hired by Dr. Montague to test out some new weapon of his. You're also supposed to obtain data from three test sites in the Ruins. Let me put it this way, you're getting paid a crazy amount of Meseta for a simple job that requires kicking some backside. There, let's go! Warp down to Ruins 1 and the first thing you'll see is a 2-switch door. Hit the switches and head through. You'll end up in a rather large square room. This is Test Site #1 so be prepared for a BIG battle with LOTS of enemies. Don't worry though, if you're already at a good strong level, you'll do just fine. Don't forget, Elenor's with you and she's pretty strong too. (Just get a load of that massive launcher she's carrying! Holy crap!) After the fight, you'll grab the first data. From here, you'll see two doors on the far wall. Go through either, it doesn't really matter. You'll pass a hallway and end up either on or near a large L room. If you're on the L itself, hit the three switches you see and backtrack to go through the other door. If you ended up on the smaller piece of land, hit the switch there and you can actually keep going. You'll run into a warp that will lead you right up on the other side of the L room. You could always go back through the other door but you get some extra EXP the other way. Anyways, needless to say, there is a 4-switch door in the L room. However you do it, activate all the switches and head through it. Go south in the next room and you'll find yourself in another large room. This is the next Test Area. The battle isn't too bad but there are quite a few sorcerers so watch out. Once you've cleared the room, you can head east to find a healing ring but ultimately you'll need to go south. You'll quickly come upon the large waterfall room. This is the last Test Area and there are a few Belras here so be very careful. Once you've decimated everything, a Telepipe will open and that's it! ---------Seek My Master-------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ ______________ ______________ |Reward: 6000|__|Levels: Ruins 1-2|__|Team: Hucaseal|__|Difficulty 20%| ======================================================================= ~Objectives~ > Locate and rescue Zoke Whew! We're almost there! Okay, this quest is on par with most others. It's simple. There is this android named Shino and she belongs to some guy named Zoke. Even though androids are considered equals to humans and newmans, this Shino insists that Zoke is her one and only master and she isn't going to do a whole lot without him. Hmm...well it seems that she's an "older model" of some kind. Because of this, Zoke thinks she can't fight worth a crap and told her to stay on Pioneer II while he scoped out fame and fortune in the Ruins. Nice guy huh? Well, he's been gone a while and apparently Shino is worried. Our mission as you might have guessed is to go and find this Zoke and rescue his sorry behind from whatever might be beating it into the ground. Exactly how are we going to find him you ask? Well, he apparently has quite a few swords on him: each with mechanisms in them. Shino can detect them you see. Okay...well then, lets get going shall we? Head on down to Ruins 1. There's not much to worry about here. After a little bit, you come to the entrance of the room with the waterfall. Here, Shino has the flashback of how Zoke told her off, dissed her and ordered her back up to Pioneer II. If it were me, he'd be dead by now but alas, I was not cut out to be somebody's property. Now just beat the rest of Ruins 1. Yeah, yeah, groan. Once you're in Ruins 2, you won't go too far before and earthquake will shake everything. Then Shino goes and tells you that it's not an earthquake. Well, then will you kindly tell me what the heck you think it is? Apparently not as you do not ever talk about this nor care about it anymore. Anyways, the rest of Ruins 2 is a snap. You may end up going the wrong way and find a room filled with warps. You don't have to go here at all but if you get lost, don't take any warps in this room. Go into the next room and you'll see yet another warp. Go figure. Take this warp and it will put you back on track. Anyways, after a while, you'll come across a small square room. Once you've killed everybody, a little glowing thing will appear. This is the sword KAMUI. Shino picks it up. Now continue. You'll soon come across some person lying on the floor. Talk to him and he says something just a little too weird... Now, in the next room you'll find another sword called the YASHA. We must be getting close right? Yup. You'll then come upon that huge room that marks the halfway point. There will a huge battle here so be prepared. Once you've slaughtered everything, you'll see a man lying in the middle of the room. (Feel free to dance on him a little before speaking to him) This is Zoke and he's not doing too good. He says that Shino was a fool to come down here but meh, he doesn't care too much. He says that he's going to die and that Shino is free! (Agent Smith remix) After all of this, he will give you a message to get Pioneer II out of here. Hmm... we could have told everybody that but you know, they just don't listen. Anyhow, talk to Shino once more and she'll give you the SANGE. A Telepipe will appear and you're done! ---------From the Depths------------------------------------------------- ____________ _________________ ___________ _______________ |Reward: 8000|__|Levels: Ruins 2-3|__|Team: HUmar|__|Difficulty: 40%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ >Locate and rescue the research team >Obtain data from monitoring station Alright! The final quest is here! This one is pretty long too but nothing like Soul of Steel. Here's what's happening: there was another enormous earthquake (about the same size as the infamous explosion). A research team was sent to check it out but nobody has returned! It's our job to figure out what happened to them. Before you go, do yourself a favour and bring a TELPIPE! Come on, it's a long way back! Okay, head on down to Ruins 2. Be warned that this quest is creepy and you may be freaked out a couple time but don't worry, all the strange stuff down here doesn't seem to like you too much. (Doh, should have warn deodorant!) Let's go! You'll start off with a lovely earthquake! Before you can even bother to wonder if anybody is going to care or not, you'll be treated to a cut scene that shows two hunters checking around the room. This happens to be our long lost research team. Hmm, they don't look all THAT intelligent but there hasn't been too much of that grey matter upstairs around these days. After the movie, go straight. You won't get too far before you'll be treated to yet another cut scene of the same two hunters who we thought may have left the room to perhaps do something helpful like actually search the ruins for any evidence, not stare at the pretty rocks and debris. Then the creepy crap starts to happen. The human suddenly stops and starts to fizzle as though he just went flying through a thunderstorm in a steel airplane with a ground wire attached to the plane. The android seems to think he's joking when the same thing happens to him! Then the screen black out and switches back to you. Okay... Keep advancing and you'll soon find yourself in that same room and both hunters will be on the ground and seem to be either dead or unconscious. Before you can even get an "are you okay?" out, they disappear in a cloud of steam! ...that was just a little weird... In the next hallway, you'll find another quake! In the very next room, you'll see the same two hunters but they seem to have equipped different weapons and are still completely immobile. If you talk to the android you just get a Reader's Digest version of "Recognizing Psychotic Behaviour 101" Talk to the human and you won't even get a response. Nope, the two simply vanish in a cloud of smoke. Damn it, what the heck is going on around here? You'll get some time to digest just how strange this was as you walk. Keep progressing through the Ruins and wonder how far you'll go before this creepy crap starts happening to you. You'll eventually come upon the halfway point: that huge room. In it is a red FOmarl. She's seems to have taken the above course and passed with flying colours thus starts spouting random crap. In the mean time, she doesn't seem to have a clue who see is and seems to have been injected with De Rol Le's poisonous/venomous "sap" just one too many times and now entertains the voices in her head which you can here too! You'll have to talk to her several times to get her to do anything! Eventually, she'll loose it and start attacking you. At that very moment, the entire room fills with baddies. She will attack only you for some reason even though the monsters seem to have little to no trouble attacking her. Take care of everything and the door will open and she'll disappear. You're probably becoming desensitized to this garbage by now right? Exit this room with due haste and you'll come to a fork in the road. Before you can say "enny, meeny, miney" a pile of steam spouts from one door. Hmmm... take that one. From this point forward, expect earthquakes to be a commonplace thing. At the next fork, go north. From there, you'll come to one last split. Take a left here and you'll be at the exit. Now you're in Ruins 3. In the very first room you see is Ash: you know, that weak little HUmar from the first quest? He's actually a good bit stronger with an awesome weapon. He rushes up to you and a pile of baddies appear. Don't worry he's on your side. Tear them limb from limb and catch up with Ash a bit. Now move out. You need to head to the tic-tac-toe room which isn't far. Once you get here, take a look at this! | | |VV| ___| |_____| |_____ (4)<-- -->(3) ___ _____ _____ | |o o| | ___| |_____| |_____ X -->(1) X___ _____ _____ | | | | | || |XX| v (2) Okay you're going to have to ultimately go through door (4) to get to the centre and get the data from the computer. However, two laser barriers block the warp. Here's what you have to do: 1. Go though door marked (1). Though here you'll come to a dark room with the green switch in it. Hit it and head back to the # room. 2. Now, go through the door marked (2). There will be a warp there that was surrounded by a green barrier but now it's gone. Take the warp and you'll come to another dark room with the red switch in it. Fight your way back to the # room yet again. (You can always use your map too.) 3. Next, go through the door marked (3). You will come upon the blue barrier here. Deactivate it and go back once more to the # room. 4. Now you can go through door (4). You'll come to the now unguarded warp. Use it to get to the centre of the # room. Check one of the two computers. They are currently not working but that doesn't stop you from copping all the data they were unable to get from the monument they are next to because they weren't working. Hmm... I'm not going to even call that strange after what we've seen. Okay, now warp back and head out. Ash will decide to leave you now to try and find survivors in this empty level. Well that's fine. Use your Telepipe that I told you to bring and head back to the guild. Give them the unfortunate news about the strange events, grab your cash and vow never to go back there again! Whew! You're done! NOTE: If you completed all the quests now, you'll be able to re-enter any quest at will. If you have any enemy parts you can now bring them back. (See the FAQ) EXCELLENT WORK ON MANY JOBS WELL DONE!!! ---------Central Dome Fire Swirl----------------------------------------- ___________ _______________ __________ _______________ |Reward: ???|__|Level: Forest 2|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty: 15%| ===================================================================== ~Objectives~ >Locate and recover all missing personnel >Extinguish all fires First, before we start, let me just point out that this quest is only available online or on PSO Plus edition. If you have Plus edition, this quest becomes available near the end and will be the very last one on the list of Episode I quests. I'm not sure as to exactly when it becomes available because when I finally got a hold of Plus edition, I already had the quests all beaten so I'll just say that it's gonna be a good way down the road. With that out of the way lets begin shall we? First, I guess I'd better speak to this first because you're all probably lying on the floor in shock after selecting the quest. Yes, that is Japanese disco-y music you're hearing, no you haven't heard it before and no it's not on the BGM Test. Let me also point out that this music rocks. (I don't care what you say! It's awesome) It really is a nice change from the standard "Mother Earth of Dishonesty" so don't whine, GROOVE! Anyhoo, our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to um...go around Forest 2 and rescue people...again. You see, apparently a huge forest fire started down on Ragol and a bunch of useless hunters got caught in the blaze. But, there's a catch. (No, not "The Catch"...*shudders*) There will be NO techniques to be used in the quest. Nope, not a one; not even freaking Barta and Resta spells. Damn it! Do they honestly think ice is going to spread the fire? Idiots I tell you. Well there's no point in whining, just stock up on mates before you go if you're a Force and grab a danged Telepipe in case things get intense down there. NOTE: you can cheat on this no techs thing. If you have a weapon that casts spells with its special (such as the Hildebears' Cane) this special ability will NOT be blocked giving you access to a few spells. Seeing, though, the spell you'll miss the most is the one that isn't on any weapon, this isn't of much help. (Resta that is.) As soon as you get down to Forest 2, you'll notice that fire is in fact everywhere. Also, I forgot to mention that your weapons have all be 'souped up' so that shooting the fire will now kill it. Test this out by annihilating all the fire in this first room and notice the squeaky sort of laugh the fire makes when it dies. Creepy? Yes. Oh, before I forget, the fires WILL hurt you if you are a dumbass and walk right into one. Thus, a gun is a GOOD thing. Okay, in this first room, kill the lot of the fires and you'll see a downed hunter near the lower door. Talk to him and set the coordinates for his rescue. After that, hit the switch and exit the lower door. In this room, again, kill all the fires making sure not to miss the one that is up high. If you miss this one, you won't be able to advance. Once all the fires are done, head around the corner to that little niche on your right. Notice the big column that's there. (Hey, wasn't that from Challenge mode?!) Once all the fires are dead, it'll move and let you through. There is a girl lying on the floor there. Set the coordinates for her to and head back to the first room with the portal in it. Now head up to the top door and head down into the next room. There will be a good fight here so be prepared. If you run into trouble, (especially you Resta- addicted Forces) drop that Telepipe I told you to bring and head back for more mates. (Mates?! ARGH!) Once all the enemies are dead and you've killed all the fires, head over to the side of the room with the yellow door. See that Ruins- like floor switch there? Hit it and head all the way back to the first room again. Notice now that the column here will have moved also and there is a switch behind it. Hit it and head back to the previous room where you just were only now the bridge to that communicator thing will have formed. Head across and check the thing. Suddenly, a guy will creepily appear and whine to be saved. Save his sorry behind and you'll be treated to a message telling you that you can proceed. Bon, non? From the room with the bridge take the left door (the yellow one) and you'll be in the familiar, biggest room in Forest 2. As soon as you go forwards, you'll be treated to a fight. Not insanely difficult but watch you mates. Once you've killed all the enemies and fires, head through the laser-barrier fence. Once here, kill all the fires and save the guy at the far end. Now head back to the big room. Head north and take the right door. In this room, you guessed it, kill all the enemies and fires. Man, that giggling is getting annoying. I kind of hoped the fires would growl or something. You know, at least give you more incentive to...kill them. Meh. Alright, once everything is done here the column-door in this room will move. Save the weak, pathetic guy behind it and head back to the biggest room. However, before you go, you are advised to hit the switch in this room which will allow you a quick path back here later. Once you're back in the biggest room, head all the way to the south end where the too locked doors are. Talk to the second door. Yes, talk to it. Don't worry, I won't call the men in the clean white coats, just do it. Actually, you'll be talking to somebody BEHIND the door but still, it's not like you haven't been talking to yourself by fooling with the text commands while making long walks. Admit it, you talk to yourself in a game! ADMIT IT!!! Okay, just joking. Anyway, the girl there says she won't let you save her until you rescue somebody else first. In retrospect, this is stupid. Not only is she locked in a room where enemies tend to instantly grow from the floor but if we needed help from an onslaught of creatures in trying to save her sorry rear then she's not helping very much by not providing a conceivably excellent place to hide. Well don't worry, we've already saved Private Ryan so no worries. She opens the door and you can save here. (...) Meh, whatever, it's a living. Now head to the north end of the biggest room again. Notice the red door to your left is now open. Head inside. Here you'll have to (surprise, surprise) kill a bunch of enemies and fires. If you can't get the enemies to come out, walk near the laser barrier with the warp. That'll bring them up. Once that's done, go through the barrier to where the FIRES are. Kill them and enter the warp behind it. There you'll find Lionel...on fire! Before he melts/explodes and sends his pieces flying again, kill the fire and save him. Warp back. Now take the other warp behind the OTHER laser fence. Whoo boy! Now's the time for a FIGHT! If you're low on mates, use that Telepipe and stock up again. Just make sure to grab another Telepipe JIC. Now, I'd advise you to kill the fires first but they have to be killed in a certain order. The trick is simple: shoot the two smallest ones. That'll clear the whole room out. Now, slaughter all the baddies. (There's sure lots! Crap!) Notice that there haven't been an Hildbears yet. Hmmm... Once all the enemies are done, go to the last room. Kill the fires and save the girl there. Finally, head through the warp at the far end of this room. You'll be brought to the final locked room. Kill the last fires and save the last guy! You're done! Yai! Drop a Telepipe and head back (if you don't have one you'll have to use the blue warp.) When you get back, talk to the client again and she offers you a continuation as it seems the fires are back. If you want to end it now, refuse and get your cash. Otherwise, accept twice and pipe back down. Be warned that if you have been struggling with this quest, you will die if you continue. However, now TECHS ARE NOW ACCESSABLE! Once you get down there, go to the last room where you found the last guy. You'll see some dude standing there. Talk to him and he disappears. Now check your map, and go to the room where the green arrow is. Before you go it, it is advised that you drop a Telepipe, Shifta and Deband if you can and heal up. Now head in. There are four fires here. Go talk to the guy a few times until he apologizes. Notice now that the camera goes all weird. Walk around the room a bit until about 8 or so Hildebears all drop at once! (Instantly killing the guy.) It seems that he works at the 'Lab' too and if you recall the whole "Forest of Sorrow" quest, they have been messing around with the Hildebears' DNA. Well now they all want to take out their frustrations on you. Fighting them off can be hard if you're at a low level. Freezing is a good choice but not the only one. If you're an android, set a confuse trap and watch them kill each other. Otherwise, nail the bunch with facefulls of Barta (or Grants for Ultimate). Once you've killed the lot, head back to the Hunters Guild again and claim your Meseta (sadly ending the music.) Yeah! Now you've REALLY gotten all the Episode I quests done! Good job again! #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_Section B3: EPISODE 2 Walkthrough=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_= #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= ~General Stuff~ Episode works in much the same way that Episode I did so don't worry. There are still doors and switches etc. However, Episode II features FAR more difficult enemies than Episode I did. You'd be wise to be pretty familiar with the game and have some levelling under your belt before you head here. The levels themselves are a little stranger. You'll start off taking the hunter's exam for the Lab (ha, remember them from Episode I?) Well, now you're working for them. The first two levels are found in the right teleporter. The CCA and Seabed are accessed through the left teleport, which will be closed until you beat the first two. By the way, Episode two conquers the third dimension so expect some more up and down action than before. Anyway, let's beat this game. ---------Temple Alpha-Beta------------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: The enemies of Temple and Spaceship are all exact replicas of the Episode I version. However, the Lab mess up their relative strengths and weaknesses so I have listed the changes here. Their attack patterns are the same even in Ultimate. Monest HP: Med POW: N/A SPECIALS: Produces Mothmonts WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword/Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Native Mothmont HP: Low POW: Low SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun/Ranged Weapon ATTRIBUTE: Native Rag Rappy HP: Med POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword/Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Native Hildebear HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: Can Shoot Foie WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Handgun/Rifle/Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Native Poison Lilly HP: Low-Med POW: VLow SPECIALS: Can Poison or Paralyse you WEAKNESS: Light/Grants WEAPON: Gun/Ranged Weapon ATTRIBUTE: A. Beast Grass Assassin HP: Med-High POW: Med SPECIALS: Can paralyse you (Sorta) WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword ATTRIBUTE: A. Beast Dimenian HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything goes ATTRIBUTE: Dark La Dimenian HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Anything goes ATTRIBUTE: Dark So Dimenian HP: Med-High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Anything goes ATTRIBUTE: Dark Dark Belra HP: VHigh POW: High-VHigh SPECIALS: Can shoot rockets/Paralyse WEAKNESS: Light/Grants WEAPON: Sword/Sabre (Up close weapon) ATTRIBUTE: Dark @-------------------------0 |=====VR Temple ALPHA=====| 0-------------------------@ Enemies: All except Dark Belras Size: 55% Overall Difficulty: 75% ~Layout~ The first of four strange stages here in Episode II are your Hunters Exams! Yeah! I'm really not sure that there's any requirement involved in this test other than the ability to kick #$@!. The Temple is very different from what we're used to. I'm assuming that you've already beaten Episode I and have some levels under your belt. If this is your first time or you've decided to check out what Episode II looks like, I really recommend completing Episode I first. This one is MUCH more difficult. Anyways, this level is a nice change from Episode I's monotony. Under the pretentious boss of the "Lab" you'll simply have to battle your way through this brand new set of stages with old enemies. The level itself is MUCH more difficult that anything in Episode I because it is built like a maze. It is built like a normal level with many recognizable rooms used over and over again but there are lots of very small rooms packed with enemies. Not only that but there are tons of very cramped winding hallways and TONS of dead ends. Your map is your friend here. You will also run into many rooms that are completely square and look like mini labyrinths. These rooms usually contain Poison Lillies and So Dimenians so be careful. It is difficult to make your way through but watch your cursor on the map instead of trying to filter through the impossibly tiny passages. Look for larger rooms with doors at either end as they usually point to the exit. Maze rooms also show the right way somewhat but be careful as lots of them have phoney exits. You will run into a J shaped room and that is a sign that your on the right track. This level is HARD I know! Remember to look in the ROOM not on the map as the destroyable walls do not appear! ~Threats 'n Traps~ You'll see big smashing pillars in this level and there's no timer so watch the motions carefully unless you, like me, enjoy seeing your character get smashed. (I'm very cruel; I admit it.) Otherwise they work the same as in Caves. There are NO dark rooms here at all so don't worry. There are, however, traps and trapped halls. There is also a new kind of threat here: turrets. You will occasionally find a cylindrical thing popping up from the ground, which will shoot a Foie spell at you then retreat back into the ground and repeat. You can destroy them at any time with spells or physical attacks. Your best bet is to simply shoot them with a gun. Get them quickly because they can really pile on the damage if you're not watching. Oh, going back into the ground doesn't make them invincible so you can decimate them anytime. Not really a trap but I alluded to them in the Layout section. There are a few here but not as many as in the second section. You will notice these little walls of stone every now and then. They appear as natural pieces of decoration to obstruct paths but they can be destroyed. It's real hard to describe them so whenever you see a wall of stone blocking a door or passage or if it just seems out of place, go right ahead and shoot it. If you hear a "box being destroyed" sound, they you have found what I'm talking about. Keep shooting it and it will blow up revealing a new passage. ~Enemies~ There are a lot of enemies in this stage for being the first level. All the enemies here are weird and their strengths have been reduced (or upgraded) from Episode I. If you've already played Ruins, don't freak out when you see the Dimenians here. They are MUCH weaker and, like everything else here, has strengths around where they should. Don't play on old stats from Episode I as comparing the creatures really has no effect and yes, a Rag Rappy is just as strong as a Dimenian here. The small square rooms usually have a lot of lilies more than anything so a gun is a must unless you are an android. Rooms have lots of baddies and you won't have much room to melee. If you have techs or traps, bust them out here like never before. You will get surrounded easily and Ra- techs along with traps just makes your life easier. Gizonde is great to soften everything up with before going in full scale and I really recommend a handgun here to safely pick off things and door-fight if necessary. ULTIMATE NOTE: The Ob Lilies here are deadly. Their Megid is very powerful and if you're a Force, you know that Megid, despite my bashing it, is VERY effective against hunters. Always take these things out first and if you have a Resist/Devil (which you should have several of by now) strap them on because they DO make a difference. Remember that if you get close enough to a lily, it will cough and will not shoot Megid. Door-fight until you pick off all but one lily and run over to it. If you stay close enough you'll be safe but this does severely hinder your fighting. It's best to use a handgun to pick them off first as they don't have astronomical HP or anything. I really must stress using Telepipes here because you'll die OFTEN. @------------------------0 |=====VR Temple BETA=====| 0------------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 60% Overall Difficulty: 80% ~Layout~ The second temple level is exactly the same as the first in most ways. There are a few differences though. The level itself is a bit longer and MUCH more complex with many doors heading all over the place. You will really NEED your map here but remember what I said about the previous level: not all the rooms and paths are drawn so you may have to actually rely on your eyes for a change. Now the level isn't that bad once you understand the dynamics. The rooms are the exact same so I hope you enjoyed the maze rooms. Oh, don't forget that almost every square room has at least three exits so yeah, there are LOTS of dead-ends. The right way is also pointed by the larger "two-pronged" rooms. The right path usually stems from the doors at the tips of the prongs. Here, more than ever, you will encounter destroyable walls. On my first trip I had no idea that there were these odd slabs of stone that you could actually break! (No kidding, I walked around the level for a hour looking for the exit.) Here, you will run into a strange room that has a huge hole in the middle. No worries, in a connecting room is a switch that creates a bridge. There are usually LOTS of enemies on BOTH sides of the bridge so it is easy to get surrounded here if you're not ready for it. However, this room shows you that you're on the right track also. You will run into a "J" room here too. When you get to it, you'll probably get stuck. I must stress that that there ARE exits that cannot be found on the map. When you find the J room, you will come to a seemingly dead end in the room after it. Not so, there is an exit in here, which is not on your map. There is a piece of debris in this room, which can be destroyed. Shoot it to open the only way out of this room. Then you'll be on the other side of that divide and you'll be right at the exit. This level is also very annoying but you're almost there so relax and enjoy the scenery! ~Traps 'n Threats~ The stomping pillars are back here too and there are more of them. Sometimes you'll see a switch just underneath one. They usually pound much more frequently giving the game that little edge of danger you though it was missing all along. Otherwise you'll know how to deal with these. The turrets are here too and some shoot Gibarta. That sucks as it can freeze you so they will be your number 1 target (if they weren't already.) For an inanimate object they sure are cocky... (Maybe it's just me.) Otherwise the same is here: traps and lots of them. Be careful again in the corners of rooms and take care to open your menu before dashing through an unknown hallway. ~Enemies~ Hmm, well the enemies haven't changed, at all from the Alpha level. If you were okay with them before you'll know them now too. Be careful over the bridge room as a lot of enemies tend to appear. The J room also houses a lot too but then again you're almost there too. You'll know what to do, just keep healing and some Gi/Ra techs wouldn't hurt either. /=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Barba Ray======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ Recommended Equipment: A GUN weapon really helps as does protection from confusion. Sol Atomizers work nicely for this if you haven't a Cure/Confuse. HP: Med Overall Difficulty: 35% ~Description~ Well, the reincarnated De Rol Le is back with vengeance. If you remember our old friend, you'll know exactly how to take him down so go ahead, try him anyway as I'm sure you won't need the guide. For all you first timers out there, his attacks are as follows. First, he will shoot a mess of bubbles at you, which do a fair amount of damage but noting out of this world. It's hard to avoid to say the least but meh, you can do it if you really try. He can also go underneath the boat you happen to be on and start trying to poke you with his many long antennae. You can tell where it will come from as the ground will sparkle where the next one will emerge. If they hit you, you'll be poisoned but that's about it. Just run in circles to avoid it. Barba Ray can also make these weird little pieces of crap appear on your raft called "Pig Rays". They appear along one side then swim across the raft trying to hit you and then disappear. You could try and kill them but it's better to just run in a line. Because they didn't all appear at once, they won't all attack at once either and you'll be able to dodge them no problem. He does this a lot and it can happen on any side of the raft so be careful. It usually precedes and follows the antennae poke attack. Oh, be careful as sometimes a gold one will appear which causes confusion if it hits. (Hence, the Sol Atomizers) Next, he can stand up, De Rol Le style and shoot lasers at you. They look very menacing but they actually do less damage than De Rol Le's. It would still behove you to avoid them by running back and fourth anyways as it is still a powerful attack. Finally, he will leap up and smash his head on the raft like the idiot he is. If you are around the spot of impact you'll take hefty damage. If you remember De Rol Le, when he did this, he would now try and stab you with those antennae of his but Barba Ray doesn't for some reason! Awesome huh? When this happens you have nothing to fear so let loose. He won't stay long though. ~Strategy~ Hmm... since you've definitely seen this kind of attacking force before you should know what to expect. Basically, fight the Barba Ray the same way as De Rol Le. There are a few differences though. First, as before, you'll want a HANDGUN! Mechgun's work too but the Handgun has the highest accuracy. If you're a Ranger, then dance around because your Riffle is even more accurate and trumps the Handgun in every way. With this, you can hit our friend from anywhere. You also need to be quick on your feet. While Barba Ray is swimming by the raft, fire a few shots at his head then get ready to dodge those bubbles. Gi/Razonde works really well too especially if its at a good strong level as then you can stand at the very back of your raft and dish out the pain. Be careful though, after the side spray attack, expect a round of Pig Rays. If you're lucky, sometimes Barba Ray will wait a while before doing this but if not, then run in a straight line across the raft so the rays will all miss. Also, as I said, be careful for the gold ones! If Barba Ray doesn't surface now, watch the floor and run in circles for the antennae attack. You should be able to dodge this easily. Once he surfaces, expect more Pig Rays and a chance to attack. Pounce but be careful for those bubbles. Now, when he goes behind to shoot the lasers, once more, run back and fourth and if you have a good handgun, you should be able to squeeze some hits in between salvos. Once he lowers back down, it's your cue to attack again. Grants his head if you are a Force because his head'll be right in front of you! Finally, he he's about to jump on the raft, first stand back so you don't get knocked down by the force of the impact. Then run up, Photon Blast, Grants, Mechgun, whatever your strongest stuff is, pelt him with it. He won't poke you with those antennae (thank God!) but he doesn't stay very long at all so make sure you lay in the damage because this is your best opportunity to reach him with high-power weapons. After a few go-rounds, you'll have him down! Yeah! Get your grade and move out! Time for the Spaceship! ---------Temple Alpha-Beta (Ultimate)-------------------------------------- Enemy Changes: If you haven't been paying attention, the enemies here will also follow the same pattern, that is, they will be the exact same enemies from Ultimate mode. I'll list them here but refer to Episode I walkthrough for further details. Monest -> Mothment -> Hildebear -> Hildelt -> Light Rag Rappy -> El Rappy -> ??? Grass Assassin -> Crimson Assassin -> ??? Poison Lilly -> Ob Lilly -> ??? There is a special note here to remember: Ob Lilies shoot Megid. That's very bad and even though you can't kill with it, you certainly be killed by it. ALWAYS CARRY A SCAPE DOLL HERE! You could die at any time. Before entering any rooms, I recommend that you use a Handgun/Riffle and Door-Fight until you've picked off all the Lilies. If there's only one, run right up to it. I will try and cough to hurt you but if you stand the perfect distance away, it won't be able to hit you and it won't shoot Megid either. Be careful though. In the rooms with the bridges, you can easily be trapped between armies of them and get your rear kicked several yards nearer to the moon, hence the Scape Doll. Remember: go after these FIRST! Dimenian -> Alran -> Same La Dimenian -> Merlan -> Same So Dimenian -> Del D -> Same Dark Belra -> Indi Belra -> ??? There's not much difference here but there is one thing to mention and that is the Indi Belra goes absolutely INSANE when firing those arms so do be careful: they are powerful, fast and frequent. You may want to run behind them to make em dizzy first then take everything else out. There aren't many but yeah, them plus Ob Lilies can easily mean DEATH. These guys don't show up until Temple Beta and you'll probably see them in the small rooms amplifying the danger. You may be force to take them out with a handgun. Check the Episode I description for more information. These things are EVIL! /=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Barba Ray======| \#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Unlike Episode I, the bosses in Episode II are almost EXACTLY the same as their non-Ultimate counterparts. The Barba Ray looks identical to what you remember and he attacks in the much the same way. The only real difference is here are those Pig Rays. They form the same way but that gold one that you remember? Well, it can paralyse you now. That doesn't sound so bad but given the number of times that they show up, you'd better have 10 Antiparalysis and 10 Sol Atomizers on you just in case. If you can, kill it but otherwise, just use the same method to avoid them. If you've got another spell caster with you, you'll be fine (as long as you've got Anti!). The only other difference, which really isn't anything at all is that when you get poisoned by those barbs of his, that poison is pretty strong and it can suck your health away pretty fast. You'd be advised to remedy this quickly. Otherwise, refer to the section above on the strategy to beat this thing as it is the same as before! All you androids, you're doing fine because neither Poison nor Paralysis is going to ruin your day. ---------Spaceship Alpha-Beta---------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: Savage Wolf HP: Med-High POW: High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Sword Types/Anything Goes ATTRIBUTE: Native Barbarous Wolf HP: Med-High POW: High SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde (???) WEAPON: Sword Types/Anything Goes ATTRIBUTE: Native Pan Arms HP: High POW: Med SPECIALS: Shoots Lasers/Cast Jellen & Zalure WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun/Sword Types ATTRIBUTE: A. Beast Gilchic HP: Med POW: Med-VHigh SPECIALS: Can Shoot Lasers WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta (Grants works good too) WEAPON: Handgun/Gun Types ATTRIBUTE: Machine Dubchic HP: Unlimited POW: Med-VHigh SPECIALS: Can Shoot Lasers WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Handgun/Gun Types ATTRIBUTE: Machine Garnaz HP: VHigh POW: VHigh-Extreme SPECIALS: Can Shoot Missiles/Land Mines WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Mechgun/Gun Types ATTRIBUTE: Machine Delsaber HP: High POW: VHigh SPECIALS: Can Block Attacks WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun Types ATTRIBUTE: Dark Chaos Sorcerer HP: Med POW: High SPECIALS: Shoots Gibarta and Gizonde WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Close-range Weapons ATTRIBUTE: Dark @----------------------------0 |=====VR Spaceship Alpha=====| 0----------------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 55% Overall Difficulty: 70% ~Layout~ The Spaceship is, in my opinion, 100 times more fun to play. Maybe it's just me and the destroying of machines again but hey, the level is MUCH less complex and resembles something out of Episode I. Of course the level is also has a much higher ascetic value than the Temple with rooms comprised completely out of TV screens. It's pretty cool. Also, when you hang out outside in the hallways, there is a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Anyway, the Spaceship is actually a bit smaller than the Temple so be happy about that. As for where to go, that's a pretty big enigma around here. You'll still be better off sticking to the large rectangular rooms but don't be afraid to head down 2 and 4-switch doors there are quite a few time where they are the correct path which is just a little creepy. You'll run into a good few small rooms too and that's not such a bad thing as before but do be warned, most have boxes stemming from them. If you see any of those giant crushers a la Episode I Caves, you're going the right way. There is no visible half-way point here but if you run into a small square room with lots of dividers and pillars, you're going the right way. Once again, the Garnaz marks the correct path here as well. Don't sweat. It you just persist, you'll find the exit. There are a few rooms where the switches are hidden in other rooms but I'm sure that you'll be able to handle that by now. ~Traps 'n Threats~ There's the same stuff here as you remember from before: floating traps, trapped hallways and those annoying crushing pillars. Do be careful, many of them have VERY short time intervals and you could end up squashed in an instant. There are also some of those turrets around here and be careful, some shoot Gibarta and that's not a good thing. A Handgun is good and taking them out so no worries. Finally, there are LOTS of dark rooms here and be careful as the usually occur once more, in the rectangular rooms. There is a catch though and these rooms don't have the light switch in them directly. No you'll have to fight your way through the room first and go into an adjacent room to hit the switch there. This room might be open initially but you'd best be prepared for a nighttime fight. ~Enemies~ Oh, what can I say for enemies that you don't already know? Well, be careful after killing off the first set because the next set will be on their way. Most enemies like to appear at the corners of the rooms so don't spend too much time in the centre of the rooms when they are appearing. Keep some Ra techs on you and you'll be fine. Be careful in dark rooms as there is usually a Melee here so watch out for that. Otherwise, just do what you've been doing to get this far! @---------------------------0 |=====VR Spaceship Beta=====| 0---------------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 60% Overall Difficulty: 70% ~Layout~ The layout of the Beta level isn't radically different from the Alpha level. The level is built in much the same way though it is a bit bigger. Don't worry too much though as it's the same deal here. You'll want to be heading through the large rectangular rooms here as well but once again, if you see a Garnaz, crushing pillar or turrets, you're going the right way. Also, if you come across rooms with those dividers that make them somewhat of a maze, that's a good sign as well. There will be a room here full of purple mist (see below) which marks about the two-thirds point. That's really it. If you see one of those little transmitters to the lab, you're going the right way too. You'll be outta here in no time so what are you waiting for? ~Threats n' Traps~ For traps and other things, expect to see the same stuff around here as you did in the Alpha level. There are a few more turrets, maze-like rooms and dark rooms but other than that, you'll know what do. Also, guess what's back: those annoying Ruins traps! Yup, they fall from the roof and immobilize you just like before. Joy. You can avoid them if you're moving but it's hard. Just curse them every time you get hit. It's the only way. There is one other rather strange trap here and it's kinda unavoidable. You see, every now and then you'll come across a room filled with this poisonous purple mist. You really can't avoid it and as long as you're in the room, you'll health will drop...FAST! This counts for androids too (must be corrosive stuff.) Not to worry. If you come upon such a room, you'll see a switch around. Hit it and the purple crap will disappear. (Must have something to do with the filter system...) ~Enemies~ The enemies here are a bit more intense but noting too bad. You'll see a LOT more of the Dark attributed enemies. Delsabers show up in twos and threes along with the rest of the stuff around here. If you're a little low on EXP, you may have to take out the Delsabers by either Jellen/Zaluring them, freezing them with Barta or a trap or by just door fighting but a combination techs and attacks can help you avoid the latter. A decent tip is that if you kill off the first section of baddies and are down to only one left, before you murder it, get a good ways closer to the door or at least out of the CENTRE of the room! Once the next set shows up, you'll be surrounded. Ra techs work but I personally find Gi techs to work the best around here. (Don't ask why.) Androids, CONFUSE TRAPS! Yes, the power that some of the stuff around here could be best used to your advantage. Once you've enlisted some soldiers, stand back and clear them out with a gun of some kind. I don't recommend a sword for this place just because of the number of enemies you'll be fighting (namely the gilchics) but if you DO get surrounded, unload a Photon Blast, Ra Tech or just take out that partisan you seem to still have lying around. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Gol Dragon======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Recommended Equipment: A Handgun or Riffle for accuracy as well as some All Resists because there's lots of elemental damage to go round here. Oh, some Sol Atomizers wouldn't hurt because you'll be taking lightening damage. HP: Med Overall Difficulty: 45% Weakness: Ice/Barta ~Description~ The title of the soundtrack "Growl from the technical haze" seems to fit the Gol Dragon well. To tell you the truth, he doesn't really look like a dragon, at all. (Yeah, we though the nano-dragons looked weird...) The Gol Dragon has the structure of a dragon (that is wings, a tail and the ability to breath...stuff) but he looks like Dr. Eggman got his hands on him (heh, heh robot-ified!) Anyway, you'll recognize his attack patterns immediately. The Gol Dragon will start by walking around just like his non-metallic counterpart (heh, heh the Rush Dragon looks way better) and if you happen to be underfoot, you'll be moping the floor with your head. It doesn't hurt quite as badly as you'd think though. He may disappear then reappear again while doing this but really, it's just a fancy way to psych you out. What really sucks is after a few seconds, the Gol Dragon will decide to breath, something. It will be either the good old fashioned fire, lightening, to fit his new look or just to screw you up totally, ice. To be honest with you, if you're going to get hit by one of them, get hit by fire. Lightening as you may have guessed can shock you and a Sol Atomizer is a blessing at this point. However, if you've ever fought the Sil Dragon, you'll know that ice is the WORST thing to get hit by, as it will freeze you. Yeah, what's so bad about that huh? Well now you have the evasion of a paintbrush and every single atom of that ice is going to hurt you and you can watch that health bar shoot down faster than the gas gauge of an SUV with the AC on. If you get frozen, mash the control stick but you can pretty much expect death. ("It just took a few seconds Q...") To avoid ALL of this crap, make like the normal dragon: hide under that neck. Not only will you be sheltered from his breath, but also the dragon's fleshy, er metallic body will be open for attack as well as those feet. Gol, can also fly up (gee, is that what those enormous wings are for?) and spit one of the above elements at you too. The same rules apply here and Barta is deadly. Now, be careful when he lands as all the land around you will be disrupted and shoot up like Lego-Blocks gone wrong. This little quake can hurt a LOT and it has a big range too so beware. Otherwise, that's about all he can dish out except for one other thing. Once you've marked his rear enough with your boot, he'll do the roar thing and fly up and smash through that weird ground. NO, HE'S NOT TUNNELING! But the Gol Dragon will appear again with a friend (two in later difficulties). It is an exact copy of him and it's impossible to tell them apart. Oh, the bad news is that it's NOT like the clone of a Sinow Beat or anything. No, this is a Yaridovich clone, which if you've ever played Super Mario RPG, will attack you for DAMAGE. The clone will attack in synchronicity with the original. Just pick one and attack. If it was fake, after a good few combos, it'll flash and disappear. Otherwise, that's it! Check out the strategy now, ya? ~Strategy~ There's not much to this guy at all. If you've fought the Dragon from Episode I (or even better, the Sil Dragon) you'll know exactly what to expect. A gun works well here as do long sword weapons like partisans and swords. If you're a Ranger, whip out that good old mechgun of yours. If you find it too inaccurate, then use some spells or a rifle works good too. Gol Dragon will spend most of the time on the ground anyway so don't worry too much. Forces, the spell of the day is Barta. Despite what you may have heard elsewhere, Barta works the best ALL THE TIME. I mean, you could always Grants him but why bother? Lightening works so-so and fire's kinda meh. Oh, just stay away from dark magic, which as you probably know by now, will do tons of nothing. Most of the time, you'll want to stand beside the Dragon because his stepping attack is brutal. When he stops though, get under the neck to avoid all the breath attack and keep wailing away. If he flies up, run in circles. You'll still probably be hit but it's a bit more rewarding to have at least tried to dodge instead of sitting there like the moron you are. When he does start to fly though, run way back and shoot at him with your best long-range gun. By the way, YES Barta can STILL hit him now! Just make sure you're far enough away for when he lands. Needless to say, heal up JIC. Now, when the clone appears, you'll probably end up fighting it first. Treat the clone exactly like the original. The clone will always follow the original around so don't worry. It does mean though that you'll be getting hit by two different elements now but nothing to worry about right? You'll kill the fake in no time. Otherwise, just to recap, Barta works best, stay under the neck and kill the fake the same way. That's about it so I think we can move on. Oh, Great job on your exams! ---------Spaceship Alpha-Beta (Ultimate)----------------------------------- Enemy Changes: Savage Wolf -> Gulgus -> Can cause Slow Barbarous Wolf -> Gue-Gulgus -> Can cause Paralysis Pan Arms -> Same (Watch out for Jellen and Zalure!) Gilchic -> Gilchich -> Fire Dubchic -> Dubchich -> Lightening Garnaz -> Branaz -> Same Delsaber -> Same Chaos Sorcerer -> Gran Sorcerer -> Same I'll mention it again here too. The Gran Sorcerer is more or less the same but it now shoots Grants and Megid! Yup, that's right. You'll be wanting to avoid the Megid at all costs so try exiting the room while the gem turns Yellow. Otherwise, just treat them the same way as before /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=\ |======BOSS: Gol Dragon======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#/ Like the Barba Ray, you'd be surprised how similar the Gol Dragon is in Ultimate. Treat him the EXACT same way and you'll be fine. The only possible note here is that the ice and lightening attacks now has an increased chance of freezing/ shocking you respectively. Oh, the one other thing is that now, you'll see two clones at a time. Not a big deal but the double teaming can suck. Try to get them to all gather in the centre so you can hide in the middle of their necks to avoid everything and stick with one. Remember, the fewer there are, the less damage you'll take! ---------Central Control Area---------------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: Merillia HP: Low-Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Partisan/Spread ATTRIBUTE: Altered Beast One of the most common enemies to the Jungle area is the Merillia. They are these strange little flowers that seem to have a death wish. They usually show up in twos and threes but that's the max. The start out invincible while they are planted in the ground but they can't hurt you here or move at all. This means you can't just snipe them from a distance. You have to get close enough to make them come after you. In retrospect, this is stupid because you can carefully make them come upon you one at a time and kick their rears individually. If you hurt one enough, it might squeal and try to run away. This is annoying so if you've a gun, try to hit them because it'll just plant itself again and basically waste your time. The best way, though is to just attack them en masse with a partisan or sword weapon. (Spreads and Cards work well here too.) They really don't have much power so don't worry. In fact, they attack so slowly; you'll probably kill them before they get to you anyway. Don't worry; they're pretty weak. Meriltas HP: Med POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can poison you WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Sword/Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Altered Beast Another biologically altered plant that hangs around these parts. I suppose one could blame it on pollution, if there was any. Nope, this thing is just a freak of nature I suppose you could say. They are actually a heck of a lot stronger than the normal Merillia so do be careful. You can easily recognize them because they're yellow. They actually attack in the exact same way as a Merillia but there's one difference. If you've hurt one a good bit, it may send a wave of purple crap out that looks exactly like when a Poison Lilly does it. However, this hurts big time and it also causes poison. Here, the best way is to use a Mechgun and get that triple strong attack combo going because it'll push them far enough away so that when this happens, it'll miss you entirely. Ul Gibbon HP: Med POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: Shoots Foie WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Sword Types ATTRIBUTE: Native The first of the strange monkey-type creatures that hang out in great numbers in the Mountain Area. The Ul Gibbon is stronger than the Merillia but about on par with the Meriltas. They will hop around you and seem to just as reluctant to attack you as a certain wolf from Episode I. The Ul Gibbon usually will just jump at you and whack you with its claws. (Wait, primates don't have claws...) This is actually pretty weak. What hurts the most is that the Ul Gibbon will eventually jump backwards to use a fire-breathing-dragon manoeuvre and shoot a blast of Foie at you. It's actually pretty strong. If you've any fire resistances, you'd be wise to strap them on as these guys can show up in pretty big numbers. That, however, is not what's disturbing about them. The Gibbons seem to be very proud of its backside and will display it to you with pride in a gross manner. If you're a force, you'll know what I'm about to say. Yup, just unload a Zonde or probably a Gizonde spell as there are usually a good few of them to toast their butts in a timely manner. In fact, a simple Zonde spell will probably leave the Ul Gibbon on death's doorstep if not kill it outright. Otherwise, a sword or sabre works well here, as they usually tend to linger right next to you like the Savage Wolf did. Zol Gibbon HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: Shoots Gibarta WEAKNESS: Lightening/Zonde WEAPON: Sword Types ATTRIBUTE: Native The Zol Gibbon is exactly like the Ul Gibbon except they're blue. They appear more often in the Mountain Area and usually mix with the others of their genus. Zol Gibbons usually attack in much the same way, which is they will jump at you and try to slash at you. That's not much to worry about. However, you'll definitely want some Resist Ice or better yet, a Cure/Freeze if you have one because that Gibarta is powerful enough to freeze you even at higher levels and when you're surrounded by other Gibbons, that sucks. In attacking them, stick to swords as the Zol Gibbon has a lot of evasion. The sabre is the best in my opinion as the Zol Gibbons usually spread out more so than other things you're used to. They move fast too so a light sword is great. Forces, once again, unload Zonde on these guys meaning if they mix, don't worry; Gi/Razonde will toast everything. Do be careful though, every time you kill a Zol Gibbon, the others will cast a very weak Shifta and Deband on themselves. It's not much to worry about but I'd best warn you anyways. Gee HP: Low POW: Low SPECIALS: Can Shoot Stingers which Slow You WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun Types ATTRIBUTE: Native I suppose the next Oscar of annoying creatures would be the Gee. They are these rather large red bug-type things that attack suspiciously like a Canadine. In fact, they attack in the EXACT same way. The Gee has two functions you see. First, it will zip around the area like the annoying housefly it is. Once it gets to you, it'll try and sting you. This doesn't hurt all that much but it does have the possibility of slowing you, which could piss you off if you're off guard. The other thing they tend to do is to fly above your head and shoot these little stingers at you, which may also slow you. Now, if that didn't seem like a Canadine, go back to Mines 1-2. Seriously, treat Gees exactly the same as Canadines. They even have the same weakness for crying out loud! Obviously, since they're fast, I'll recommend a Handgun to keep track of them. The riffle works too as do Spreads because they usually show up in great numbers. Since the Gee isn't all that dangerous, leave it for last but that Slow can be a pain so use your discretion. Otherwise, just unload freeze traps or Barta spells. Don't forget, Barta can hit them even if they're flying. Sinow Berill HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can Use Gifoie/Teleport WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Machine The oddballs of the CCA are the two Sinows that hang out here. The Sinow Berill is actually a fairly rare occurrence until you get to the Central Control Area itself. The Sinow Berill is actually a bit of an upgrade and downgrade from its previous versions. The Berril will attack in much the same way as a normal Sinow Beat: it walks up to you and punches you. It will later jump backwards and then unload a Gifoie spell. That hurts but not TOO badly. What's annoying about them is they are usually invisible. They usually appear in hallways so if you find yourself walking and getting nowhere, you're right in front of a Sinow Berill. They will spend a lot of time invisible actually but you can still see them. Once you start to hurt them, they will start to teleport and MAN, THAT IS ANNOYING! After they teleport it will usually bust out with Gifoie so be prepared. Once you've almost kicked its backside, the Sinow Berill will teleport after every hit you score on it, which is VERY annoying. To kill them, use Mechguns because the Sinow Berill is surprisingly slow. Once it starts to go teleport happy, try to use Barta spells if you can. Don't forget, a well-placed Zonde spell will not only show you where the Berill is, but it may shock it as well. Keep piling on the damage until it explodes. Sinow Spigell HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can Teleport/De-equip your weapon! WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Machine The final enemy that you'll face around these parts is the Sinow Spigell. It is possibly more annoying than anything else in the game thus far. The Sinow Spigell is a lot like a Sinow Gold in that it can heal itself! You'll learn to recognize them pretty fast as they have red highlights on their armour. They will attack in exactly the same way as a Sinow Berill but it will also, as I've already said, heal itself. It doesn't happen very often though so don't worry. The one thing that will piss you off SOOOOO much about these guys is that every time they punch you, your weapon will de-equip. (Not be dropped, just de- equipped) It is very frustrating to then open your menu to re-equip a weapon just to watch it get knocked out of your hands again. This is why, if you are a FOmar like me, you'd be smart to just pelt them with constant Foie spells to rip them up without worry of your weapon. Otherwise, use a Mechgun again. If you're fast enough, you should be able to keep them busy long enough to dismantle them with a triple strong attack. Don't forget, the Spigell can cloak themselves as well as teleport so be VERY careful. One again, Zonde is very useful in locating them and making their "adaptive camouflage" screw up. ("Adaptive camouflage: Tiny cameras on all sides project the image they see onto a light-emitting polymer skin on the opposite side. You see, to the casual eye, it's as good as invisible.") @------------------------------------0 |=====Jungle Area (North & East)=====| 0------------------------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 25% Overall Difficulty: 25% ~Layout~ NORTH: The central control centre is strange. You see, there is a big door in the main area but it's locked by three computers in the respective levels. Each level is pretty small but all together, I'd say it amounts to the size of about the Mines or so. With that out of the way, let's get going! The Jungle area is the biggest of all three..er four levels but once again, that's like saying the head is the largest part of a flea. The level is built kind of like a spider web and is made from many branching sections. I don't expect you to get stuck here at all but to be warned, despite its size, this level has a LOT of set-ups so you can get disorientated. Here are a few things to keep in mind. First, you'll come across a large C-shaped room with a canyon in the middle. There is usually a switch on the other side that will open the correct path. You'll also come across a "hallway" that is the root of a tree. It's very small and hard to see so check your map as it is easy to miss this path. One other thing is that the exit is usually not through the hollowed out log tunnel. Otherwise, this level is so small, there's not much to be worried about at all. Do take note of how spectacular the scenery is around here. The lush trees, pools of water etc. It's a real change from Episode I huh? EAST: Once you've found the teleport to the second half of the Jungle area, you're really almost there. You'll emerge into a rather small level here. There area a couple pools of water and some neat steps that lead up onto a plateau that overlooks the ocean. Take a break here and gasp at the magnificent view and marvel at what a good job the programmers did here. In this room, there's a river that runs between the two banks. You'll then be able to go back down the other side into another watery room. There is also a small underground cavern here that leads from the river. Don't go there as it's a dead end. You MAY have to hit a switch in there but normally, it's just a waste of your time. Remember, this level is also built in a circle...sorta. You can still pick a direction and go around. You'll eventually come across a room with a large, terraced hill in it that is basically swimming in water. This is always the mini-boss room. See below for details. Once you've beaten the mini-boss, you can toy with the remaining enemies or head out into the next room. You'll come to a teleport and you'll see a computer there. Activate the computer (the blue one that looks like a tv screen) and head back to the CCA. ~Traps n' Threats~ Hmm...there's not much here, at all. You may run into the scattered normal trap but that's it really except: There's one new trap around these parts and they are ANNOYING! You remember those weird things that fell from the roof in the Ruins? Well there is an equivalent here. Sometimes as you're walking, this electrical-thing will spring up around you and hold you in place. You can break it...from the outside but if you're all by your lonesome, this thing will trap you for a bit then explode, damaging you and THEN, it will probably shock you! DARN IT! Sometimes you can see poorly hidden ones but most of the time they're invisible. Tough luck, unless you've got a buddy, you'll just have to endure them. ~Enemies~ Merillias and Meriltas' make up the majority of the enemy population you'll face here. There are quite a few gibbons too but nothing to worry about. In fact, the enemies here are a piece of cake! The Merillias are slow and you'll be able to pick them off before they get to you. (Mechguns work well here.) If a gibbon gets in your way, blast everything with Gizonde. Most things around here are weak to it. Gees appear here but they're pretty sparse. Anyhoo, just whip out that Mechgun and watch everything die. *+---+---+---+---+---+-* | Mini Boss: Mericarol | *+---+---+---+---+---+-* Weakness: Ice/Barta Recommended Equipment: Mechgun The first little weasel you'll have to deal with is the Mericarol. You'll find him...er it at the top of the steps in the room mentioned in the Layout. This guy isn't the most difficult thing in the world to fight but there are a few curve balls. The Mericarol has a few attacks you see: first it will shoot these strange orbs at you. They hurt but not very much at all. What's really annoying about them is they confuse you almost EVERY time! Anti is helpful here...real helpful. Otherwise Sol Atomizers will suffice. It can also release this purple mist around itself, which I like to call "Megid-Pollen" because, yup, it kills you...every time. You'll know when this is about to happen, as the Mericarol will raise its head and make a strange clicking sound. Stand back (if you're not already) and use a gun weapon. Spells work so-so too (Ice here!). Finally, on a rare occurrence, the Mericarol will come barrelling after you completely fooling you up because you though that it couldn't move! If it hits, it damages a little but nothing out of this world. Like I said, stick with a mechgun here as it gets the job done from a safe distance. If some of those Merillias get in your way, you may consider blasting them but I recommend you keep all your firepower on the big boy. Once it's dead you may get a rare but not likely. @-----------------------0 |=====Mountain Area=====| 0-----------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 20% Overall Difficulty: 35% ~Layout~ While this one is pretty small, it can be a PAIN. The level is easy enough to navigate. It is basically just one big hill. There are quite a few ridges that divide the path and make "rooms" but most everything is just the same hill. It can be a pain to figure out where the heck you're going. One thing to remember is that the despite all of the paths that lead all over the place about halfway to the top, you'll have to go through the door guarded usually guarded by a laser-barrier. The switch for said barrier is usually at the bottom of the hill. If not, you may have to go to the top of the hill to hit it. (It's usually opposite of the place you started) Once you hit the switch, go to about midway up the hill and you'll see the door I alluded to earlier. It can be tricky to find it so check your map to see ALL the doors around that area. There is one other thing here too. You'll see a path leading up to a metal platform. If you're stuck at the bottom of the hill, this may be the way you have to go. Otherwise, it is a shortcut from the top of the hill to the bottom though there is usually a Sinow Berill there. Before you leave through the laser-guarded door though, look out off the plateau at the ocean at sunset. WOW! It's pretty darn awesome looking I think. I always stop here to pause before heading off again! Okay, once you've gone through the door, you'll eventually come into a large, empty room with a green warp. This leads to the mini-boss room so beware. Once you've had fun with Gibbles, you'll be at the end. Hit the switch and head back. NOTE: Sometimes, you'll notice that the computer is conveniently NOT in the room of the exit! Head back out into the mini-boss room. The switch may be in a room adjacent to this room. It won't be far from Gibbles so do wander too far away. Don't worry, you'll find it. See your map for where you haven't been. ~Threats 'n Traps~ Like the Jungle area, there's not much to worry about here except those bloody shock traps. Otherwise, just whip out a Trap Vision here and there. There are a couple of those annoying turrets around too but they're a rare occurrence. ~Enemies~ I hope you like those Gibbons because they make up almost all of what you'll be fighting here! Seriously, there will be LOTS of them. Since they're fast and evasive, using a handgun works well but if you can cast Gizonde, by all means, do so! You can toast everything with it and it even keeps those Zol Gibbons from using their annoying Gibarta attack. I suppose that deserves to be pointed out as well. If you get frozen here, things can go downhill fast. Attack Zol Gibbons first and foremost. If you see one trying to cast Gibarta, let loose with a Gi/Razonde to stop it. You may get surrounded here but since the Gibbons move so much, don't expect to STAY surrounded. Keep moving around as it will throw off their aim and ruin any of their formations. There are a LOT of them but don't worry, this level is pretty short. *---+---+---+---+---+* | Mini Boss: Gibbles | *---+---+---+---+---+* Weakness: Light/Grants Recommended Equipment: Mechgun Despite have the most hilarious name in the entire game, the Gibbles is deadly. It really only has two attacks. One, it will just rear back and punch your right in the kisser. This HURTS BIG TIME! Expect to heal frequently during this here fight. He can also jump into the air and come slamming down on top of your head. This hurts about the same as a good old backhander so be careful. You'll probably get knocked down with every hit so take your recovery time as a bonus. Once you've healed, you can let fly whatever you want: ice to freeze him or traps for that matter, as well as Grants. A point on that is if you want to nail him with his big weakness, be careful with your aim as those stupid Gibbons will dance around you and gladly take the hit for their buddy. You may be forced to Razonde a bit to clear them out first. Once you've got Gibby in range, Jellen/Zalure him if you can. This helps big time. If he jumps, watch his shadow to see where he'll land. One other thing is that he has a tendency to block your attacks so if you find him making like a Delsaber, let fly some barta spells or Grants if you have it to fool him up. Once you've beaten his face it, you can head back again. Don't worry, that Mechgun will do good damage and he doesn't have all that much health. (Despite eating so many bananas!) @-----------------------0 |=====Sea Side Area=====| 0-----------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 25% Overall Difficulty: 30% ~Layout~ If you've ever watched the CG movie sequence at the beginning of the game, you'll recognize this area immediately. Possibly the most fantastic-looking place in the entire game, the Sea Side is just that: a large sandy beach with a very LONG sandbar for you to walk out on. Layout wise, this level is a lot simpler than the other two and consists mainly of two ENORMOUS rooms by the ocean. It's a great place to look out over the water if you like that kind of graphics. Connected to the two large rooms are a few other alcoves and tangled passages but this place is built pretty straight forward. Sometimes you'll have to look at your map to see where the next door is but if you could handle the previous two (err...three sorta) areas, this is the same thing really. You'll probably start in a room adjacent to the large ocean rooms. Once you've fought through those, it's just a couple passages and a few rooms to the boss room and the final switch. Don't worry, it's a cinch. The boss room is in a large square room away from the ocean with TONS of purple blobs. NOTE: Like the Mountain Area, the switch tends to move around. Although, once again, it's going to be near the room with the Gi Gue in it. If the switch is not in the room with the transporter, go back to the mini-boss room. The computer may be there so check in all the dark corners. It may also be covered in rocks. If that's the case, you get to destroy all 50 or so Gees that keep spawning in the room to break the rocks on the computer. Fun. If not, it'll be in a cave adjacent to this room so look carefully. ~Traps 'n Treats~ What really sucks about the Sea Side area are the surprising amount of traps there are! All you will run into are average, everyday, run-of-the-mill traps but when you come to the largest room by the ocean, you may find yourself reaching for a Trap Vision or two as this room is absolutely covered with them! There are also some around the other rooms but not that many otherwise. Just worry about the two ocean rooms, that's it. There are some purple blobby things here but you'd never go and touch them would you? Naw, didn't think so. NOTE TO ANDROIDS AND PEOPLE THAT ACTUALLY CARRY TRAP VISIONS: If you'd like to see something cool, head to the smaller of the two ocean rooms and go out into the water. There are a small stash of boxes out there. Once you get there, use a trap vision or just look if you are the former. You'll see a very large, strange and actually, freaky trap! Not to worry, under closer inspection, it's just three regular traps plied on top of each other. Cool huh? ~Enemies~ ARGH! There are almost nothing but Gees around these parts! Once you are in the largest room by the ocean, expect around 50-100 of them depending on your section ID. I'm not kidding, you'll be fighting for hours! For that reason alone, I recommend taking a gun-type weapon of some kind (Actually slicers work pretty good too.) Though, I recommend a handgun, riffles and spreads work nicely as well to clear them out. You'll see a Merillia or two too but don't get excited, you'll mostly be fighting Gees. Then again, Rabarta couldn't hurt either. *---+---+---+---+---* | Mini Boss: Gi Gue | *---+---+---+---+---* Weakness: ??? Recommended Equipment: Sword types Don't get me wrong, the Gi Gue isn't simple but he's just not up to say Gibbles or anything. The Gi Gue is pretty easy but he can be a pain too. It looks like a giant, well, bug that hovers around the field. It can shoot all kinds of those beams you may remember from the Mericarol that confuse you but that's not too damaging. What really sucks is after a little while the Gi Gue will put up an invincibility shield. If you attack it at this time, it will immediately drop down and shoot Rafoie at you. Not good. It's better to wait for it to wear off unless you have high fire resistance. That's really about all you can expect from it and it's pretty weak so you can pretty much just attack it like crazy. If you have Grants, use it but be careful as well. That goes for ALL attacks of any sort. Why? Well, you'll notice that there is a veritable ton of purple blobs and normal Gees around here. The normal Gees will also attack you in tandem with the Gi Gue, that and the purple blobs also tend to take the aim preference of your spells and attacks. If you have a sword, you should be okay at close range attacking but be careful, once you kill off one set of Gees, the next will spawn so always leave one JIC. @------------------------------0 |=====Central Control Area=====| 0------------------------------@ Enemies: All Size: 15% Overall Difficulty: 35% ~Layout~ Once you've activated all three switches from the other levels, the door in here will be open! Run up to it and it'll drop down giving you access to the heart of the CCA. Layout-wise, this level is absolutely simple. It's just a straight line of about five rooms with some enemies to fight in each. The traps and enemies that hang out here make it a challenge but you're not going to get lost, at all. If you do, you must really suck at this game because it should be too difficult to understand "just go forward" should it? You'll fight through a few rooms and come to a rather long hallway filled with rotating traps. That's the end. At the end of the hall is the boss transporter to the Gal Griffon. There, simple right? NOTE: This place is like a normal level and you have to activate the switches in ONE GO. That means if for example, you activate two, turn the game off and come back to do the last one, the door won't open. You have to do ALL THREE AT ONCE every time you do this level. ~Traps 'n Threats~ This is what makes the CCA a pain. You may have seen them already and even if you haven't it should be common sense again to stay away from the rotating laser barriers. Yes, there are these strange laser barriers that swing back and forth around a pole. You'll see their radius so you should be able to judge how far away to stay. It is a pain though as there tend to be a lot of them and you're bound to run into one while fighting. So what happens when you do? Nothing much, the light on the pole will flash and make and annoying beeping sound and then a few turrets will appear and shoot at you. If you don't want to deal with the turrets, don't touch the alarm. If it doesn't matter, waltz right through. There are also a few floating traps but honestly, by now you should both have expected them and know how to deal with them. ~Enemies~ Ah, the reason this level has a 35% difficulty. You will fight tons of those evil Sinow Berills and you'll start seeing Sinow Spigells here too. (Then again, considering the possible weight of these things, the word "tons" probably doesn't get the point across.) There are usually 5 or so per room. That and there are the odd Gibbon/plant/Gee. The main threat here are the Sinows and the Zol Gibbons because they can freeze you. Take out the Zol's first and then go after the Spigells. Remember, they can de-equip your weapon so you'd be wise to place your weapon of choice high on the quick-launch window. If you're a Force, going barehanded with some choice techs might be the best way to go. Gi/Ra Barta and Foie are decent for clearing them out especially Rabarta because of its freezing capabilities. Don't worry, if you die, you haven't far to go. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: Gal Griffon======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ Recommended Equipment: You'll want a gun for sure as Griffons tend to fly. Also a sword or Mechgun is good for close range-combat. Sol Atomizers are useful on later difficulties, as you may get shocked. HP: Med Overall Difficulty: 45% Weakness: Ice/Barta Description: Alright then! After those three pain-in-the-neck yet piece of cake areas you're expecting a cinch for a boss right? Well, sorry but the Gal Griffon is a regular boss like any other one and he is a pain too. On Normal and Hard he is EASSSY but on Very Hard, sheesh! Now, as I said before, griffons are FLYING animals and yes, a gun is going to help you. Now, let's go then, shall we? You see the Griffon doesn't have stages, per se, but he attacks differently while flying or on land so let's break that up. ~Flying~ When griffy is up in the air he has a few evil attacks to get you. First and most often, he will hover just beyond the big pillar you happen to be on. He then will spit three little beams at the ground. Chances are they won't hit you but that's not the problem. When they hit, little tornados will spawn and start wandering around the arena (actually they come after you!). If one hits you, it doesn't hurt very much but they can be SOOOO annoying since not only are there three and you can expect to get hit several times by them, they also block your vision! ARGH! While they are not difficult to out run, that does interfere with YOUR attack so the best thing to do is stand it out and shoot at the big bird unless you're seriously low on healing items. Next, he may also come screaming down and screech right across the arena damaging whatever he hits! This hurts moderately but not nearly as much as it would if this was real life! Don't worry about dodging it. If you're moving, Gal has such bad aim that he will more than likely miss you anyway! Finally, on later difficulties, the Gal Griffon can fly up in the air and call down a rain of lightening bolts that, yup, you guessed it, can shock you. Dodging them is hard as they hit randomly so just get ready to Sol Atomize and run in circles if that helps. ~On Ground~ The Griffon is WAY more dangerous on the ground than he is in mid air. He also has several new attacks. First, he will just walk, nay, strut around the arena, dragon-style. That's easy to dodge unless you like the way his foot feels on your face. Every now and then, he will also break into a run and use those horse hoofs to squat you. That actually hurts pretty badly so be careful. Run in a zigzag for best results to avoid that. Next, sometimes our buddy will put his head down and shoot a big, scary beam of lightening out in front of him. On later difficulties, it will also make little sparks arc out all over the place too. On Normal and such, as long as you aren't a moron and don't stand in front of him, you'll be okay but once you see him do this on Vhard, run behind him and attack his sides/rear so you don't have to worry about the electricity. Finally, the worst thing that he can do to you is, and you'll probably be killed by it the first time, stand up on two legs and slam the ground. This creates a little quake around him a short distance causing EXTREME damage! Since it happens so fast the only way to avoid it is not to be standing near by. If the Griffon is NOT shooting lightening and is just walking slowly around the arena, BACK OFF as that is when it will happen and if you're far enough away, you can still hit him and avoid the big attack. Then he starts again. Fun huh? Strategy: This guy, even though he SOUNDS hard is not. If you are pretty fast, you won't get hit at all. Keep your handgun/riffle on you at ALL times when he's flying and send a constant flurry of attacks at him. When the tornadoes come around, you might want to move to get a better vantage point but since they are so weak, just stay them out and keep attacking. Otherwise, all you can do while he's flying is shoot at him and cast Zonde (which isn't all THAT effective by no means). Once he lands, that's your cue. If he's walking around, STAY BACK to avoid that quake. Now's the time to whip out that Mechgun! Stand back and fire away. If you have barta, use it now. Gibarta is risky and Rabarta is out of the question. Stick to good old barta to get him with ease. If he starts shooting lightening, run behind him and attack there instead. Finally when he's running, you may consider Grants-ing him or trying to go for Rabarta but you'd best just stick to Zonde or your mechgun. All in all, it won't take too long as this guy has surprisingly little HP. Once you've hammered at him long enough he'll crash into the ocean with a pleasing SPALSH! That's it! You done! YAY! ---------Central Control Area (Ultimate)----------------------------------- *I don't venture here often so I'll update this later. Thanks for your patients! ---------Seabed Upper-Lower Levels---------------------------------------- Enemy Breakdown: Dolmolm HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: None WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Dark Probably the most common enemy round these here parts. The Dolmolm resembles a squid after consuming seven cups of coffee in a record-breaking 3.542 seconds. Seriously! These things are crazy! It's main method of attacking is it will walk/slither/blob/*insert strange movement here* up to you and whip its tentacles around at a surprising 200 km/h effectively smacking you senseless. Don't get me wrong, these things aren't super dangerous or anything but there tends to be a lot of them and when those tentacles are whipping around like mad striking you fifty times a second, your character will spend more time blocking than breathing! To make a long story even longer, just use plain old common sense: stand back and use a gun. While their arms may have a caffeine buzz, the rest of their body is very slow and it will take a while for them to reach you. Otherwise just keep comob-ing and keeping your distance. If there are at least two or more with a rather dangerous enemy, either kill them first or incapcitate them (ie freezing/confusing). Otherwise you'll make sushi out of the calamari in no time. Dolmdari HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: Can render you immobile WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Dark ARGH! I HATE these things. While the Dolmdaris aren't much more dangerous than the plain old Dolmolm, they have this nasty ability to make a purple beam surround you rendering you unable to move. You can still attack but it's like the Grass Assassin's webbing only worse because there are obviously more of them and the effect lasts longer. Yup, that sucks. However, they are strikingly similar to the Dolmolm in their normal attacks and since their attack power isn't all THAT high, as long as you keep your distance, you'll be fine. Just remember, if one appears while you are fighting a big melee, kill it first. Recobox HP: VHigh POW: N/A SPECIALS: Creates Recons WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Mechgun ATTRIBUTE: Machine Things just keep getting stranger and stranger here in the Seabed. The Recobox is very reminiscent of the Mothment Nests from the Forest but they are MUCH stronger. You see, they look just like the sound: like boxes. They will periodically (upon defeating the previous ones) launch a Recon after you. There's really nothing to worry about for the boxes themselves but they do keep the doors in the room from opening. They also have a nasty habit of appearing on walls and on the roof. (Clever yes?) This can be annoying, yes, but once you have them targeted, just ignore the Recons and focus the fire on it until the box short circuits. All of the Recons that box created will self-destruct at that point, which is nice. The only thing that is annoying is often the Recons will get in the way and you'll end up kill fifty of them just to score a hit on the box! Gizonde works nicely to clear out Recons and get a hit on the box so try that if you're cornered. Otherwise, get rid of other stuff first because they have a LOT of health. Recon HP: Low POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: Drops bombs WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Gun types ATTRIBUTE: Machine I hate these things. Yup, I hate em. Recons are exactly like the mosquitoes from the Forest but they are stronger. They look inexplicably like flying teddy bear heads with glowing yellow eyes. They attack by two methods. First, they typically fly over to you and drop a bomb. Don't worry though; it won't detonate for a long time so you'll have plenty of time to avoid it. Second, they open up and a big photon circular blade will come out and they will fly into you trying to slice you into pepperoni for their pizza. However, despite what it looks like, this attack is very weak. What is really annoying about them is that there are usually four or five of them and the second you kill one the box will generate another! ARGH! Killing individual Recons is not difficult, no. They are really weak and all it really takes is a good blast or Gizonding to clear them out but don't bother. Leave them until later and go after their boxes. Otherwise, the only other thing that is annoying about them is they are somewhat suicidal and they tend to fly into your range of attack preventing you from destroying something that is actually capable of hurting you. Sinow Zoa HP: Mod-High POW: High SPECIALS: Can shoot Gibarta/telepot/cloak WEAKNESS: Fire/Foie WEAPON: Anything Goes ATTRIBUTE: Machine The best buddy of the Sinow Berril, the Sinow Zoa has gone in for upgrades. They are pretty much the exact same as a Berril except, as the colour and possibly the name suggests, they shoot ice. Gibarta to be exact. They are, however, stronger than a Sinow Berril and can dish out more punishment as well as take more. How novel. Still, if you haven't realized that I've been holding back, let me make it clear. THESE THINGS ARE SOOOOOOOOO ANNOYING! Why you ask? Well because the game isn't going to be nice to you around now and you know, throw one or possibly two into the mix ever few rooms or so. No, you'll be fighting this festering crap-piles in practically every room and not just one either. There are usually two and sometimes even more! Combine that with a little emphasis on the GIBARTA part and you have one pain in the ass. These things also like to cloak themselves but thank goodness that there is a way of dealing with that. If you suspect a Sinow Zoa at all, cast a simple Zonde spell. Not only will this re-orientate you to face the Zoa but it will also drop its disguise! Once you've got the blighter in sight, let loose with anything. Mechguns work as usual (I guess I should have been a Ranger!) but also, don't be afraid to send a good helping of Gi/Rabarta back their way to try and freeze the darn thing (Ice traps work a charm here as well). Otherwise, just rip them up with foie/fire traps or go for a constant stream of Zonde/Gizonde to keep them visible and possibly shock it. Sinow Zele HP: Mod-High POW: High SPECIALS: Can shoot Gibarta/teleport/cloak WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Gun types ATTRIBUTE: Machine If you thought it couldn't get more annoying than the Sinow Zoa, think again. This piece of crap is the absolute strongest, baddest and most annoying hunk of rusty tin cans around. Sure they seem pretty much the same as the good old Sinow Zoa and they are except for their red color. However, they have more health, more power and that break-your-Gamecube annoying ability to de-equip your weapon. Yup you heard it right. Say hello to the Seabed equivalent to the Sinow Spigell. Basically, just Ctrl+C Ctrl+V everything I said about the Spigell and Zoa and stick it here. This means, you're going to need a new form of attack. I have not tested this hypothesis yet, but you may want to try a glove weapon like the Angry Fist, if you have one. If that doesn't work, then, spells my friend, spells. Throw Grants, Zonde, whatever you want at the thing. There's not much else to say. Anyhow, remember the Zonde-orientation trick here as well. The only salvation here is that they only appear in the Lower Levels and they're pretty darn rare. (Thank goodness!) Morfos HP: Med POW: High SPECIALS: Can shoot lasers WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Gun types ATTRIBUTE: Dark Um...what the crap? A purple butterfly? Now I've seen everything. Okay, the Morfos looks...stupid, to say the least but they are pretty powerful and are equally annoying. Basically, you have, like I said, a giant purple butterfly. It is pretty much stationary but that's not the problem. The damn thing shoots laser beams faster than a Mechgun. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration but still, this thing can really dish out the blasts! Crap! Other than that though, this dirty-great moth is pretty much helpless. They won't blast you until you look their way so try and sneak up from behind. Otherwise, you can stand right there and riddle them silly with spells and gunfire. Not too bad right? Just get them before they begin to square dance with everything else... Deldepth HP: Med POW: Med SPECIALS: Can shoot barta WEAKNESS: Dark/Megid WEAPON: Riffles/handguns ATTRIBUTE: Dark This is certainly an interesting character. You won't be fighting craploads of them but expect a few in the larger rooms. I honestly can't describe them very effectively. They look like an old man after a plutonium bath normally and they can revert to a flat blender-blade mode. While they are in their blender-blade mode, you CANNOT hurt them and they are FAST! While their attacks in this stage are passable at best, they are still annoying because they are rapid and frequent forcing you to block. While they are standing up they can shoot barta at you but that's it. It can freeze you but that's about the limit of their power. What's really going to piss you off about them is they have insane amounts of EVP so you NEED a rifle or handgun to even score a hit. Bad? Yes. Attacking-wise, wait until they stand up and get as close to them as you can. It's risky, I know but you need every ounce of accuracy you can get (hurray for rangers). Also, unless you are at way too high a level, only use the weak attack. It will take a while but they don't have amazing amounts of HP or anything. For Forces, prepare to be shocked so much that you will likely fall backwards. Use Megid. Yes, Megid. As far as I can tell, it seems to be the most effective spell against them and if you're level is high enough, a four or five shots and they'll be gone. Otherwise, stick to Grants if possible or Foie failing that. Otherwise, you could probably let these things exist while you kill off deadly things like Sinows and Delbiters. Delbiter HP: High POW: VHigh SPECIALS: Can shoot lightening WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Whatever you're most comfortable with ATTRIBUTE: Dark This is the Chaos Bringer of the Seabed. They act a lot like one but they actually look like a cross between a lion and a tiger and a nuclear reactor core. Don't underestimate these things though; they are STRONG! They have many ways of attacking. First, they can charge after you like a rhino. This hurts pretty badly but they only do this when you're far away. Other wise, they like to just wind up and punch you in the face. This hurts. Yup, big time. Be VERY careful for this but beware, it's fast. (Pretty cheap huh?) Next, they can...um, contort and electrify for a moment and then blast you to death with the energy. And when I say to death, I mean DEATH! It's usually pretty easy to dodge this if you don't stand still like a moron and watch the doggy blast you off your feet. As for killing the thing, whatever weapon you're comfortable with works the best. I like the Mechgun again because it can dish out lots of pain from a distance. Then again spells work nicely, especially Grants but whatever you've got is fine. I wouldn't recommend swords...at all because of the frequent punching attacks. This is a real tough guy but relax, there aren't too many of them. (Until you get to the lower levels...) @-----------------------------0 |=====Seabed Upper Levels=====| 0-----------------------------@ Enemies: All except Morfos and Sinow Zele Size: 85% Overall Difficulty: 80% ~Layout~ Well this is it. We're here in seabed and it's going to be a TOUGH trek. The Seabed is TERRIBLE layout-wise. The place mainly consists of long narrow hallways with tight corners and intersections. What's more is that most of the rooms are ALSO small and very cramped. A very common room features two levels in is a fairly small and square room. This type of room has many variations. First, expect to fight a nice few enemies here but nothing out of this world. The main annoyance is that while the ramp to the bottom floor is usually open, there are times when it is blocked by a box and I'm sorry but you're not getting rid of it. However, often in this sort of setup, you'll notice an opening in one of the walls. This will lead to a small and narrow hall to the other level. Be careful though because these hallways are prime spots for enemy encounters especially Morfos in the Lower Levels. The rest of the level is like a very annoying, very cramped and very complicated maze. You'll never know if you're going the right way for certain so just pick a route and go. If you run across long rectangular rooms often, you're probably on the right track. You are going the right way if you find a large funnily shaped room with many enemies and a view of the ocean. Keep cracking, you'll soon find the exit. ~Traps 'n Threats~ Naturally, these being the final levels, there are going to be traps coming out of the woodwork. The main trap you'll see here are these spinning laser posts which you may have seen in the CCA and probably in the Temple areas. If you walk into them a nearby turret will pop up and shoot Foie at you or worst case, Gibarta. If you can help it, try not to step into one but if you do it's not a huge deal. Some of the long rectangular rooms here also feature that wonderful poison gas that quickly drains your health. These are a PAIN because the switch is usually on a ledge that is only accessible by backtracking to find the other route. If you're a mage character, you should be okay in these rooms. Just stay on the top of the stairs and attack everything with Zonde healing when necessary. Androids will have a hard time so be prepared to either spend some Mates or head over to the switch. There are also, of course a TON of your typical floating traps. If you have an android character or are playing multi mode with one then thank them with your best Resta spells. Other than that you may encounter the occasional dark room, spell turret or trapped switch but nothing you haven't either seen before or cannot handle. ~Enemies~ You are probably wondering where that 80% rating came from right? Well it's here. Just imagine all those tiny hallways. Got them pictured? Well now fill the scene with loads of enemies. That's right. In all of these itsy bitsy rooms and even some of those narrow hallways you'll see TONS of enemies. The squids actually are not that common in comparison to other areas like Mines where Gillchics were EVERYWHERE. No, here you'll see a great mix of everything. That means that you'll have to be quick with that customize button or Tech/Trap window. Your first priority will be Sinows. They can freeze you, de-equip your weapon and just become nasty with their teleporting and cloaking abilities. After that, purple squids are a must because they can paralyze you, sorta. Otherwise, please DON'T GET CORNERED. This is especially true for Hunters because you'll have a hard time trying to get those sword weapons to work against the relentless attacks of the enemies around here. @-----------------------------0 |=====Seabed Lower Levels=====| 0-----------------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 100% Overall Difficulty: 100% ~Layout~ Basically you can pretty much look at the Upper Levels because the layout is more or less the exact same: long halls and maze like construction. You will notice that some rectangular rooms have broken bridges but you can still use them. The square, two-level rooms are going to be more common now and most will have a blocked stairway and sometimes the only way to get down/up is all the way around the level. Thus some of these rooms are now dead ends. You will end up going through their small connecting highways often and yup, they'll be enemy laden so yeah. Also this level is LONG so please make sure you have time to go all the way before attempting this one! ~Traps 'n Threats~ The same as in the Upper levels only now you'll see more laser fences in enemy laden halls as well as ones with floating traps. Basically a trapper's heaven or an adventurer's hell. Trap Visions are very useful but not so much a common sense. If a hall is empty, open your menu to run down it because it's probably trapped. Just take the advice that both Mad Eye Moody and the Inquisitor agree on "Constant Vigilance!" ~Enemies~ Hell. Yup, hell. They are EVERYWHERE! Hallways will be crowded by Recoboxes and Sinows. Rooms are bursting with Morfos and calamari. Fast firing guns like Mechguns and Handguns are good here. Swords are a no, no because they make you move and their attacks are easily interrupted. Forces keep your best spells on the customize. Be careful with Ra techs though, they're expensive and kind of weak. Gi techs work very nicely as do your standard set. Also keep Grants available to nuke anything that pissed you off. Rangers, as I said handguns and mechguns are nice numbers to que up in busy rooms. Basically, keep quick and powerful weapons open to you at all times. If you're strong enough, a King's Spread type weapon might be an option for quick leveling. Hunters, NO SWORDS! Partisans are not bad but by now you've probably got some nice guns to whip out so play Ranger/Force and use your ranged attacks. You DON'T want to be cornered here. Remember, keep your sanity and press on: you're almost there! /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |======BOSS: Olga Flow======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ Recommended Equipment: Powerful ranged weapons and tons of healing items. Forces keep your Trifluids for now! Weakness: Light/Grants HP: VHigh Overall Difficulty: 95% STAGE 1: ~Description~ Alright! The battle with the big boy is here. This guy only has two stages but they are a pain in the ass. Our friend's first stage is basically you on either and elevator or a falling plate of steel eternally falling into whatever is at the end of those 'bottomless pit battles.' Olga Flow is really a link impersonator with a kick ass sword. He will be falling at the same speed as the elevator you're on and hovers outside the ring like Dark Falz stage 2. This guy has some powerful attacks but actually it's not too bad. First you'll see this plenty, is a spray of green crap. This is pretty hard to avoid but isn't as deadly as the other things in his arsenal. Next, sometimes he'll just smack you with his sword. It's fast, it's cheap and it hurts. The only thing you can do is KEEP MOVING! Sometimes, Olga will cover most of the playing field in a green wave of energy. This is basically impossible to dodge. I was lucky at the time and My PB was filled and was invincible. My only suggestion to avoid it is to be by the outside of the arena but no guarantees. Next, this is kind of weird, you'll be exposed to a sort of light wake attack. Olga will fly under the elevator and send a wave of energy reeling from the centre. Dodging this is hard but again, try and stay near the edge like I told you to earlier. Finally he may just blast the crap out of you with a beam of light. This is so fast you might as well call it Grants. In other words, if you have any light resistance, go ahead and use 'em but other wise you'll just have to watch that HP of yours! ~Strategy~ With all the attacks Olga Flow has in his stock, it will be difficult to string together long chains of attacks. It goes without saying that your best slotted armor will do wonders here especially if it offers a nice resistance to light attacks. As I mentioned earlier in the description, the safest place of the battle field is the outside of the arena. Don't worry, you're not playing a platform game and you won't fall off. The outside of the platform is doubly important because not only does it provide a shelter from most of Olga's attacks, it is the best place to attack from to score accurate hits on him. Rapid firing weapons are not as important as you might think in this battle though. Your priority here is high damage weapons. Hunters, feel free to equip rare swords and Gladius because even though Olga looks out of range of swords, he's not so rip up with your best weapons. However, there are not that many times when Olga is in range of a sword so keep a Handgun or Mechgun on you if you can. The Custom Ray Vr.00 is a nice addition to your arsenal as are L&K Combats if you've been lucky enough to find one. Otherwise stick to what you know best. Rangers, obviously your guns are going to be a blessing here. Again, if you have a rare Mechgun, by all means use it and Photon Launchers are good too. Remember you want POWER over speed because you'll end up hitting the floor while reloading anyhow. Don't bother too much with spells except for Resta because I'm sorry but Lv 15 techs just don't cut it. Forces, you may be tempted to Grants the living crap out of this thing but it is very important to conserve your TP for Resta/Shifta/Deband. Jellen and Zalure aren't much good here because Olga moves so fast it's hard to hit him. If you're a FOmar, bring a good gun or sword with you. If you're a Newman, bring some guns anyway but don't be afraid to pack a nice MST boosting wand to use when you bust out your Lv 30 techs. When attacking Olga, again do so from a safe distance. This is why using techs/guns works so well. If you do plan to use a sword, use only strong-strong- strong combos and stay as near Olga's face as you can. If you remember De Rol Le, you'll have to attack on the run as well. A Raygun is an excellent weapon to switch to when Olga busts out with a string of powerful attacks. It reloads fast and even though I said speed isn't an issue, it helps to have an accurate ranged gun to squeeze in damage between his salvos. Keep you HP high and Shifta/Deband cast if can and soon Olga Flow will fall. STAGE 2: ~Description~ Alas, one could never expect an opening battle to wrap up PSO Episode II right? Seeing such titles as FF7, Paper Mario and Baten Kaitos, one boss is never enough. Anyhow, Olga Flow seems to be dead at first but there is a light floating around the room. Now's your chance to refill your health, equip your weapons and fill your TP for the final push. When you're ready, touch the light sphere to start the last fight. Olga Flow is now the pinnacle of annoying enemies, the climax of penultimate evil (nothing can top Emerald Weapon. *shudders*). Anyhow, Olga not surprisingly has some now attacks to show off but not as diversified as his last form. First, he can just walk around and just as the Dragon Trio has taught you, getting stepped on by a seven story monster hurts. That's bad news for sword attackers. Next, Olga will inexplicably produce two floating snakes. These are truly annoying as they can paralyze you but in reality you can easily kill them. In fact it is a very good idea to kill the snake creatures because otherwise you may run out of Antiparalysis: bad. Olga can also do your favorite attack: Pilla and just like Dark Falz it's pretty darn hard to avoid. Since being close to Olga is dangerous anyway, stay a good distance away from him to avoid being hit and move around. Next, he can do the super, super, super cheap attack where he slams the floor. The arena will then be subjected to a quake effect and I'm sorry if it hits you you're dead. Yup, not only is it very difficult to avoid, it kills on the spot. (This strategy from DarkNightwing) The trick to avoid this one is to hide behind the rubble that's all over the place. If you're behind one, you'll be okay. Finally, Olga takes a leaf out of Falz book and does that crap where he removes your soul and put it in his mouth. If you attack him while he's shining orange, you'll receive the same damage AND have to heal from the damage he does to you on to of it! ARGH!! As I said about the Falz fight, whoever this happens to is now in control of the fight as it's their life on the line. ~Strategy~ Olga is a very dangerous enemy with a LOT of health and attack power. Since being anywhere close to him is a serious health risk it would be in your best interest to attack from a distance. (IE Pilla and getting stepped on) The absolute best place to attack from is behind the pieces of rubble. Not only does it provide cover from the quake attack, if you can stay far enough back, Pilla won't even be a problem. The only real worry then is getting paralyzed by his snake pals. That means, take them out first. They will come back but the snakes are SOOO weak compared to him that it's really an investment in your future. Hunters, you'll have the hardest time if you go trying to be Luke Skywalker. For crying out lout put your sword away! If you get stepped on you might as well kiss you butt goodbye. This means that if you're a living Hunter (not a CAST), bring out your big guns for real and also whip out some elemental attacks. You don't have Grants but a dose of Foie can't hurt. (Wait, I mean it WILL hurt.) Still, remember to keep some for Resta. If you're an android, save your Mates until you're really hurting and use all that ATP to your advantage. Rangers will have the easiest time. Since you have good accuracy, again, strap on a launcher or Mechgun and sneak out from behind the rock you're hiding behind to snipe Olga with powerful combos. If you're missing a lot consider using a Handgun or Riffle. If you have spells, only use Resta because you don't have Force amounts of TP to waste. You may want to also consider Shifta/Deband but only if you're attacks are sucking. Keep your HP up and look out for Pilla. Forces, you guessed it, use a gun. Since Mage weapons suck like crap and there aren't that many amazing swords for use anyway, stick to your good old techs and guns. Since Forces have wimpy HP it'll be crucial for you to stay far away from his feet and if you can, Pilla. Don't rely too much on spells either. I know you probably have more TP than you can shake a stick at but believe me, when you're healing 7 times a second, your magic tends to go quickly. If you do attack stick to quick spells like Foie/Zonde/Barta. Gi techs are risky and Ra techs waste too much TP. Grants is a nice addition to your attacks but again, watch your magic stock. However, do NOT hesitate to heal. If you're health is at all low, go ahead and Resta. Also, keep Shifta/Deband cast at ALL times and stay out of direct fire if you can. After you wail away on his backside for a half hour or so, Olga will eventually drop his sword (which curiously was not used in this battle) and die. Now you can run around happily Leveling Up! Then grab yourself a cola and any items he may have dropped and sit back and watch the credits. Congrats, you did it! **NOTE: Thank you very much to DarkNightwing for help with this boss. I didn't have my copy of PSO and forgot all of Olga's attacks so I used some info from his guide. Also, some of the attacks I didn't know could be dodged so they were also incorporated into the strategy. Thank you VERY much! ---------Seabed Upper-Lower Levels (Ultimate)---------------------------- *I intend to update this at a later date but its safe to say that Ultimate Olga isn't THAT much different from the original. #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= _=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_EPISODE II: Quests_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_ #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= Okay! With the release of Plus edition of PSO, I am FINALLY able to tackle the three quests of Episode II. Please note that these quests are ONLY available in PSO Plus edition or online. These quests are structured much like the Episode I quests but there is an entirely new level here called "Control Tower." I have outlined its enemies in the next section. Please note also that these quests are MUCH harder than their Episode I counterparts so if you're a little weak, consider leveling up before tackling these bad boys. Also, please note that there may be more Episode II quests online than those included in the Plus edition. If that is so, then I'm afraid you won't find them here until Sega releases PSO++ or something. Well without further ado, let's see what Control Tower has to offer. ---------Control Tower--------------------------------------------------- ~Foreword~ Before I begin, let me just let you all know that the Control Tower is ONLY accessible in Plus edition and it ONLY becomes accessible in the quests. You CANNOT enter Control Tower in Multi-Mode so don't bother. Ya? Ya. ~Enemy Breakdown~ Recoboxes/Recons (respectively) HP: High/low POW: None/low SPECIALS: Makes Recons/throws bombs WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Mechguns + Swords/Guns and Slicers ATTRIBUTE: Machine If you've been to the Seabed yet then you know exactly what to do about these things. If not, basically what you have here is a machine version of the Mothments from Forest. The boxes can't do anything but make more Recons when you kill the existing ones. The Recons are pretty helpless are dang annoying! They will boldly hover around you and drop bombs and bump into you with a photon saw. While both of these attacks are laughably weak, they do get in the way of attacking other enemies. For best results, either use a slicer to clear our a room or go after the box to kill all existing Recons that it made. Delbiters HP: High POW: High SPECIALS: Can shoot lightening WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Whatever you're most comfortable with ATTRIBUTE: Dark Again if you've been to Seabed, you'll know all about these guys too. (Kind of mean for Sega to throw in the most powerful enemy from Seabed here where you have to deal with those horrible mini bosses too, huh?) Again, if you haven't already been to Seabed, the Delbiter looks like a radioactive tiger. They are VERY powerful and can smack you for tons of damage and shoot dangerous beams of lightening at you! Don't take these guys lightly! (At least there aren't too many of them anyway) Gi Gue HP: High POW: Med-High SPECIALS: Can shoot Rafoie WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Gun-types Yup, you heard me right: Gi Gue. That annoying little mini-boss is back and he's brought LOTS of cousins. Seriously, in the Control Tower, there are loads of these guys and they are practically the normal enemies. The strategy for them is the same but there are more of them, lots more. This is why I said this level is so hard! Gibbles HP: High POW: VHigh SPECIALS: Can block attacks/jump very high WEAKNESS: Light/Grants WEAPON: Anything Goes Gibbles are also generic enemies around here so yeah, be careful! Again, attacks are the same and so is the strategy but make sure to go after these guys over Mericoles or Gi Gues. Mericarol/Merilkle/Mericus HP: Med POW: Low-Med SPECIALS: Causes status defects/can kill instantly WEAKNESS: Ice/Barta WEAPON: Gun Types If you remember the "boss" of the Jungle Area from CCA, you'll remember the Mericarol instantly. Yup, it's the exact same as before so remember to keep your distance. The only problem here is that now there are also two new varieties! Aside from the familiar red Mericarols which confuse you, you'll also run into blue Merilkles which can freeze you (surprise, surprise) and finally greenish- yellow Mericus' that can shock you. These status defects, remember, are all caused by the orbs they shoot. Also bear in mind that I have not tested the "Megid Pollen" for the other two types but there is a good chance that they can do it so attack from a distance. Zonde spells work well because of the great range but because of the cramped quarters; don't rely on it for multiple targets. Del Lilly HP: Med POW: None SPECIALS: Shoots Megid/paralyzes WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Guns or spells ATTRIBUTE: Dark For the first new enemy of the hour, we have the Del Lilly. I honestly can't describe these retards to you because they look so screwed up. Let's just go with the fact that they are lilies. Anyway, these little pieces of shit aren't al that bad in comparison to say, the Il Gil but still, make sure to take these little pieces of crap pretty soon. They attack like an Ob Lilly: they shoot Megid. And yes, my friend, it kills...often. They can also do that really annoying paralysis thing and when they're about to die, the shoot crap all over the place that paralyzes you as well. Not good. However, they are relatively weak targets and the fact that they are stationary makes them ideal for picking off with guns/Zonde. Just take your favorite thing to shut them up with and end the fights with them quickly because you're not going to want to get a pelted with Megid while you're fighting other enemies. Ill Gill HP: High POW: VHigh SPECIALS: Too numerous to mention here WEAKNESS: ??? WEAPON: Ranged weapons ATTRIBUTE: Dark For the final Oscar of the night, the Ill Gil wins the most annoying enemy in the Control Tower. Man! These things are SOOOOOOO annoyingly strong! The Ill Gil looks like a creepy guy dressed in black armor wielding a huge, glowing photon scythe. In other words, they achieve an unheard of 11.35 on the creepy scale and are still rising. Now for their attacks: the Ill Gil can do all kinds of weird crap. Firstly, they can come rocketing at you at top speed and smack you senseless. This does lots of damage but isn't the worst thing you've ever seen. Second, they can shoot this black crap at you feet which instantly renders you immobile (like the Grass Assassin's webbing). This will wear off but it takes a little while. Finally, and you guessed it, they can slash you with their scythe of Hell. This attack can have any attribute except for light meaning you can receive uber-powerful fire, ice or lightening attacks from this deadly swing. The worst thing though, is if the scythe has the dark attribute because it's like getting hit with Megid Lv 30 and will more than likely kill you. If you have any Resist Devils, for goodness sakes, strap them on! These guys are also fast so a quick gun like the Mechgun can stop them in their tracks. They also act a bit like a Delsaber and a blast from a tech will fool them up for a minute. The bottom line here is killing these buggers before they get a foothold or you'll be seeing a world of hurt. @-----------------------0 |======Floors 1-10======| 0-----------------------@ Enemies: All of them Size: 20% Difficulty: 100% ~Layout~ The layout of the Control Tower is almost simpler than Forest I. The Control Tower is just that, a tower consisting of 10, semicircle levels. Each level has a bunch of the above enemies on it which must be destroyed before you can advance. There isn't much to worry about layout-wise except for a few obstacles and cutouts from the main path. ~Traps 'n Threats~ One of the biggest pains in the ass about this area is the numerous traps. First of all, you have the ever-familiar floating traps. These wouldn't be so bad if there weren't TONS of them! Because of the shear number of them, you would be wise to bring along at least nine Trap Visions (one for each floor) and clear out the traps first. If you're an android, dance. Next, you have those stupid circling laser barriers. Remember, from CCA, those barriers that when you walk through them, turrets appear and blast you with techs? Well that's what you'll find here too...EVERYWHERE! ARGH! Not just that but there are lots of turrets for when you set off an alarm including ones that also shoot Gifoie! Fighting around these can be tricky but they do have a limited radius (thankfully). Next you'll see some of the familiar floor traps from the CCA. However, these traps are so blatantly obvious here that they don't pose a threat whatsoever. Just don't be an idiot and waltz right into the button that sets them off. Finally, you'll see a weird sort of 'trap'. At first, they look like those laser barriers but once you approach, you'll actually see chain-saws sticking out of the walls and whipping back and forth. Okay, I'm exaggerating; they don't 'whip' per se but if you get hit by one, expect damage and a trip to the floor. ~Enemies~ The absolute worst part of this level is the enemies. Not only are there lots of them, they are really strong too! Make sure to kill things like the Ill Gils and the Del Lilies first so that there won't be anything to Megid you. Then go after the lesser mini-bosses from CCA. I sincerely doubt that a low-level character will do well here because of the enemies so do yourself a favor and level up first. Also, getting cornered could mean death so take care around the boxes so you don't leave yourself open. On the other hand, boxes and the bottomless pits make excellent barriers to hide behind when things get intense. If need be, hide to cast Resta/Shifta/Deband before heading out again. Also, don't be afraid to abuse Jellen and Zalure here because it makes things MUCH easier. Androids, this is the PRIME time to use Confuse Traps because with all that power around, expect to see some good results. You can then freeze the stragglers and finish them off safely. /#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#\ |=======BOSS: Epsilon=======| \=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=/ Recommended Equipment: Close combat weapons work well and bring along any resistances you may have. Also BRING A SCAPE DOLL! HP: Med Overall Difficulty: 65% Weakness: Light/Grants ~Description~ The Epsilon is probably one of the strangest looking machines you've ever seen. It somehow resembles Vol Opt but looks more like a squashed red insect. This guy, however, is very strong and even though no boss music plays, treats him like a boss. (Don't suck up to him like you do to your boss at work though...) Anyhow, the Epsilon begins the battle folded up and simply will hover slowly after you and fire a targeting laser at you similar to Vol Opt. After about five seconds, the Epsilon with fire a shot of Rafoie at you. The power isn't amazing but it will give a newbie a run for their money. Thus, a few fire resistances wouldn't kill you. After about four shots of Rafoie, the battle will actually begin. Now the Epsilon will come apart into five pieces. Four of the pieces call Epsilguards will hang a good distance away from the main body and proceed to spin around the Epsilon. While in this stage, the body is completely vulnerable but the Epsilguards are invincible. After a moment or two, the Epsilguards will begin to charge up energy. This is actually quite strange. If you are within the range of the charging Epsilguards, you'll be hit with an attack corresponding to their color at the time. This attack is very strong but the weird thing is, sometimes nothing happens even if you walk right up to one! Still, it's important to be careful. After a minute or so, the Epsilguards will fold up again and the Epsilon fires the targeting laser after you beginning the process anew. Note, though that as the Epsilon folds up again, it changes color. For the record, red Epsilguards hit with fire attacks, blue for ice, yellow for lightening and purple for instant-kill. Please note that instant kill really is INSTANT KILL. I am still killed by this attack in normal mode with my Lv 126 character who has like 45 EDK so be very careful when the Epsilon changes to purple. It is best to just wait for it to fold up again before you attack. ~Strategy~ The Epsilon doesn't appear to be a boss but it is. It has amazing amounts of health and huge attacks. While the Epsilon is folded up, you can't do anything to it so just run around it in circles to avoid the Rafoie attack. After it opens up, you can try one of two things. First, if you're character is weaker you're going to want to stay back from the Epsilguards and shoot at the Epsilon from a distance. Note that while this is a safer way to go, it will take much longer because the rotating Epsilguards just love to take the hit of all your attacks. Slicers, spreads and techs work well here because the almost always guarantee you a hit from a distance. Also, Barta works well because it's fast and it's linear. The other strategy involves just running past the Epsilguards and beating the living daylights out of the Epsilon while it's vulnerable. Remember, you do have lots of room to move around inside the circling Epsilguards but this also leaves you open for attack. If the Epsilguards are in 'Death' mode, back off. Otherwise, just stay right by the body and either attack or Grants it to a quick and painful death. *NOTE* The Control Tower will be looked at in greater depth in the respective quests. This is because some go-through's are different. ---------Seat of the Heart----------------------------------------------- ___________ ____________ ___________________ ______________ |Reward: ???|__|Levels: Many|__|Team: HU/FOnewearal|__|Difficulty 90%| ======================================================================= ~Objectives~ >Accompany Eli through virtual fields >Defeat the Gol Dragon >Infiltrate Control Tower >Rendezvous with CAL Ah, now time for a very interesting quest that somehow resembles the Soul of Steel quest. You recall how different it was from normal quests right? Well Seat of the Heart is even more so but this time, you're in Episode II and it has nothing to do with Elenor, Montesque or Ult (thank heavens!) Anyway, a few things should be noted before you begin. First of all, this is a VERY LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG quest and is also VERY difficult. Not only is there hunter- to-hunter action here, there is a complicated story, lots of cool special effects and the introduction to the Control Tower. However, it is important to note that about halfway through the quest, you will be asked if you wish to save your game in the quest. This way, if you die or decide to come back later, you can restart from this point. This, however, is the only quest that does this so don't expect to be able to save in Soul of Steel just because you can here. With that out of the way, let's begin shall we? The quest starts, rather mysteriously in that completely unused room in the Hunter's Guild. The first thing you'll notice is that you'll be talking to somebody very familiar (no not Elenor...) Elly! If you don't remember who Elly is, she's the 'operator' for the VR Fields when you first did your test. Anyway, she tells you that some friend of hers has to take a similar exam and is in desperate need of a party member who won't abandon her. Naturally, you'll be said party member (answering "You can count on me!" to the question...duh). After this, Elly will join your party per se. Now run to the Lab for further instructions. Before you go however, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED! Once you head down to the first Temple level, you will not have a chance to return to Pioneer II for a long time. Be warned! As soon as you arrive in the Lab, you'll be treated to a long explanation of the exam from that know-it-all lady who started you off in Episode II to begin with. It seems that Pioneer II's government has finally decided that exploring the island of Gal Da Val might be a good idea. I have no idea how long this decision took to make but it's a fair bet to estimate about five to ten years or something (you know, to keep the timeline consistant o_0). Anyway, they need expendable lemmings, oops, I mean hunters to send down to Gal Da Val to gather data and what have you. These hunters must first pass this exam however. Hmm...ever notice how you begin with something simple and end up trying to save the world? That's videogames for you. Oh, did you notice how redundant her speech is? She actually says that to pass the exam, you have to defeat the virtual dragon and then in the next sentence she says the objective is to defeat the virtual dragon. Hmm, some government. Makes you want to run and hide huh? Anyhoo, after the chat, head to the transporter to the VR Field. It's at this point that you find out that Elly is actually the person who needs the help, not this alleged friend. Meh, deception is a common occurrence on Pioneer II. Well, before you can protest, you'll find yourself down in Temple Alpha with Elly. You'll then receive some more hopelessly redundant instructions from the lab while gaining the opportunity to inspect the quite impressive enemy arsenal. After this, you finally get to do something! Go figure. ~VR Temple~ After you clear the first few rooms and clear the one with the bridge, you'll be treated to a cinema of a couple of guys about to team up on some ridiculous looking freak with a bazooka and a 'fro. Though he looks laughably weak, he will proceed to kick the backsides of both attackers. Hmm... Anyway, after that keep trekking through the Temple. Be warned that in the next room you'll meet quite a few of those falling 'Ruins traps.' Be careful about that. Soon you'll come to a computer and a laser barrier that Elly will deactivate. As soon as she does though, you'll see another cut scene of a RAmar and a RAmarl arguing. They are about to kill each other when...I'll let you find out. Heh, heh, heh... After the scene, head past the barrier and you'll be happy to hear it reset behind you so that there's no escape. At least it beats the slamming shut of a door in one of those cheesy horror movies huh? Before you can go five steps however, you'll be treated to yet ANOTHER cut scene. Here you'll see a pair of characters who apparently were about to beat the level when a strange looking Force in white and purple clothes comes up to them. The Lab will try to identify him but eerily, they have no idea who this character is... Though he too looks laughably weak remember what happened with the guy with the bazooka. That's right. Only this time, before the attackers can do much, the Force disappears in a flash of light and the entire room explodes! HOLY CRAP! Was that Girafoie or something? Man, I want that spell! Anyhoo, after the scene zips back to you, you'll find yourself right outside the aforementioned room. As you approach the downed hunters, notice how they fizzle and then eerily explode. Naturally, you'll be wanting to exit this room shortly but don't worry, that won't happen to you...yet... The next strange thing you'll come upon is one of those maze rooms only it's filled with red smoke. No it doesn't hurt you but it does obscure your vision and make it harder to find your way out. Keep proceeding and you'll come to a 'J' shaped room with two other hunters walking through it. The android will then stop and declare the room as being fishy. Well, normally I'd make up some kind of joke about the robot's circuits having spent too much time in a deep-fryer but considering the weird crap that's been happening around here, it's not such a stretch. The other hunter, however, doesn't seem to agree and waltzes right into the room. Then, ZAP! He's hit by lightening and the android is too shortly after. HA HA! They clearly didn't remember the Lab's advice on avoiding traps. Anyway, with them gone, head through the room yourself and make sure to watch out for said lightening. You can tell where it's going to strike by watching the floor. A ring of sparks will surround an area where the lightening will hit. It's not all THAT damaging but it might shock you which is a pain in the rear. The next room appears to be a dead end on the map but its one of those labyrinth rooms. Look at the crappy drawing below and you can heal at a healing ring before you exit the unmarked door. ________ _____ | <- Exit __|__|__ | |__ __| | | __ -> |_O| <- Healing ring |________| Once you exit the north corridor, you'll find yourself on a rather nice-looking balcony with lots of those pistons. Be careful for them and also remember that the lightening hasn't stopped so don't stay in one place too long. The next room you'll enter is the other side of the 'J' room. Head down the corridor with the computer terminal and guess what you'll get. No, not a million dollars and no not the end of the level. Another cut scene, yes another one. This time however, you'll see the white Force again and he'll totally pwn a pair of cocky hunters. However, at this point, all hell breaks loose as his last spell (which looks exponentially cooler than the last one) starts to screw with the VR system itself. At this point, the klaxons start to blare and the Lab sends you an urgent message to leave the VR field because everything is going haywire. Indeed, the place starts to spontaneously combust and looks like a bad Armageddon movie. Shirking common sense as always though, we will boldly proceed! The next room you come to will feature an annoying wave of light energy which will rocket out of the centre of the room from time to time. This is easy to dodge but it does big damage if it hits so dexterity is recommended. (ie please don't follow the other players' example and stare at the pretty light in awe.) Don't worry though, you're almost there. Following a rather complicated maze room (head to the furthest point east in this room to get past the centre barrier) and a few more rooms, you'll find the exit to...the spaceship. Aww, man! Before you go though, Elly will mention that she wishes she could have seen 'him' before walking off. Then, you'll see the white Force standing right behind here! Dun, dun dun! But before anything can happen, you teleport. Phht! ~VR Spaceship~ Now prepare for the plot to thicken like gravy gone bad. The Lab will now inform you that in order to proceed, you need to get the other two remaining team's IDs. Well this is very strange considering two things. First, they said that you didn't HAVE to fight each other and just a minute ago they were telling us to get out of there before the place spontaneously destructs. Petty details right? Anyways, head out into the first room. The first thing that happens is you'll see a computer explode! Yay! Well that's the good news. The bad news is that every so often in this level, the floor around you will catch on fire and explode doing big damage. THIS IS SO AGRIVATING! ARGH! Honestly, every few seconds, fire will follow you around the room and explode under your feet! This attack is dodge-able but it requires you to completely drop your battle strategy and focus on dodging. Thus the better idea is to just attack your foes because by the time you find out that you can't run away, you'll be pwned by the baddies anyway. Also, you'll see lightening arcing around the room. Though these don't move don't be a dumbass and walk into one unless you'd like to be shocked. After beating the first room, you and Elly will be separated. Your character then will turn around and see two hunters standing there. They proceed to brag about their superior intellect, numbers, power, strategy etc and prepare to kill you. After the cut scene is over however, you may want to invest the few spare seconds you get before they attack to switch out Resta for mates should this apply to you. Now, these guys are wimps but please don't go and heal them with Resta. The best spell to use here is Gizonde because it should effectively toast them both in one fell zap. After killing them, you get their ideas. Fun. At this point, the door separating you and Elly opens and she rushes back to you. However, that strange white Force shows up again and proceeds to tell you to retreat. Elly seems to think this is her long lost friend and calls him CAL. CAL, or whatever, doesn't react to Elly at all and simply tells them that your existence is dangerous to 'us' and shoots a light flare at you and then disappears. Well! With Gollum out of the way, you can head into the next room. Now, the fun really begins. You'll come upon a piston which is locked down. Elly walks up to the computer in front of it and says that she can't make the damn thing move. However, Elly is just now doing this right. It seems that this computer only reacts to physical violence and the only way to proceed is to trash this piece of crap! That's right, attack the darn thing and watch it explode! Wasn't that fun? With the column out of the way, kill the remaining enemies in this room and continue. In the next room, you'll see some creepy guy who apparently wants to die. He runs up to his buddy and whines that 'rivals' are here. The other hunter, in pure arrogant style, says to follow the 'plan'. Let's just hope that these losers' plan is better than the previous one. Anyway, after the cut scene, the room goes dark and enemies appear. Elly makes the brilliant suggestion to get some lights back on so head to the back of the room where the lights are. Be careful though. It seems that the same demonic gasoline that was spilled on the previous floor has been invested in here. That's right, expect the floor to explode, pretty much from here on out. The game designers have surely spared no expense. Before you enter the next room however, be prepared to take on a fellow hunter. Remember to keep your thumb from it's favorite place where the Resta is customized and Shifta/Deband is a no-no. Head into the room where our idiotic hunter awaits for you to kick his ass in a timely fashion. There is now a twist though. The other hunter decides to show up and take Elly hostage. Now, we all know that Elly can shoot and cast spells but does she decide to attack this pansy? No! She just sits there and apologizes to you. You are now asked to hand over the IDs twice. Say no both times ("..." also means no by the way) and you'll be treated to a battle with that moron! Again, this is an easy battle but remember that this hunter can cast Zonde so be careful and heal if you get shocked. As soon as you pile on the beats and he dies, he says "you deserve to pass the exam...I hope it's not too late..." Well that's certainly nice of him but it's kind of a pity he didn't have this sudden realization of truth until now. Oh well. Now to get Elly back. Proceed into the next room where you'll have to fight so many wolves you might think you're watching Underworld! With them dead, you can check out the computer where you're supposed to put the IDs if you want but basically, this is just an effective waste of your time. Now, you'll see another cut scene with the ranger standing over Elly's unconscious body and apparently insulting her. Before our idiot can do anything else, guess who shows up? That's right: CAL and he's hella pissed. He proceeds to shout at the ranger and then blow him up (further screwing up the system I might add.) Now head over into that room and you'll just see CAL disappear. Head over to the fallen Elly and she'll get up and happily proclaim that you have the 3 IDs. Wow, you're so helpful Elly. I don't know what we'd have done without out. I mean, come on! I thought SHE was supposed to pass this exam, not us! Anyway, just head through the 4-switch door and you'll find yourself near the room with the ID computer. Take a left in this room and you'll be there. Insert the IDs and head on through. After a few more rooms, you'll come to the boss transporter leading to the Gol Dragon. At this point, it might be a good idea to prepare for battle. The exact strategy to beating this foe can be found in the walkthrough above. With the Gol Dragon dead, the Lab is about to extract you and proclaim you victorious when more klaxons blare and two CALs show up! What the crap? Did he get a discount at the cloning office or something! Actually, on closer inspection, you'll notice that one of them was the evil, red-eyed one that tried to kill you and the other was the one who rescued Elly. Well, this is a complicated little triangle don't you think but that's besides the point. CAL, CAL and Elly decide to have a nice little chat about how he remembers her she's a danger to him and must be terminated and a navigation system must be boosted. Then, if your head wasn't spinning enough at this garbage, the whole place starts to explode as though somebody had bought a Golden-eye plastique and set it off. And then, you escape. Yup, a glorious end to the...first half of the quest. That's right, we're only half way there! ~Pioneer II~ Once you've safely return from the hell zone that the VR Field has become I'd advise you to stock up on healing items, sell your crap and heal up for the next half. Then head to the Lab and have a chat with Ms. Know-It-All again. She congratulates you and expresses just how thankful she is that you survived. Well, she didn't do too much to try and help us but whatev, those are the breaks. Anyway, you've now been assigned to check out Gal Va Dal (finally). Apparently there is supposed to be a second research team but that will take time to organize because you know, another team might actually help you and the government can't have any of that. But I digress. Now, you will be prompted by the very hot Hunter's Guild lady if you'd like to save your quest status at this point. Here's the way this works. If you save now, should you fail the quest or quit your game, you can restart the quest again from this point. Though you can decide not to save and I have no idea what bizarre gas is leaking into your house to force such a decision, be advised that failing the mission in the second half is an extremely probable so you're advised to save. With that out of the way, head to the other teleport and ship off to the CCA! ~CCA~ Once you're here, you'll get a message from CAL who apparently though that you might not have come. Well considering that this CAL person has almost gotten us killed at least five or so times over, I think that our arrival should have been well expected. And if it hasn't struck you yet that CAL might have some connection to a certain creepy AI from Episode I, CAL or should I say, Calus will reveal this to you quite clearly in the series of messages that follows. Then again, this 'Calus' has been changed drastically and is apparently just leftover data from a previous runtime. Calus might not even be the same Calus that remember at all for that matter and that would indeed make the most sense. But this of course is immaterial. You will now have to beat the CCA. No, you don't have to go through the three sub areas, the gate is already open. Just head on through and battle your way through the rooms. As you go, look out for turrets, enemies and traps. Also, every time you clear a room, CAL/Calus decides to tell you a little more about him. From what you gleam, Calus is actually more than a computer AI with attitude, he's actually the nearest mechanical thing to flesh. We learn that he originated in a place called the Control Tower and apparently, this is where we are to go. Once there, CAL tells us that apparently he might be able to evolve himself into a human form. If you recall Calus from Episode I, he did mention desiring a biological body before he died. Then again he was fighting off hackers and viruses so who knows what freakish code could have triggered this bizarre desire. Once you get to the last room before the long hallway to where you'd normally teleport to the Gal Griffon, you'll be treated to a very long cinematic sequence. At this point, the transporter is set to give access to the Control Tower rather than the cliffs of Gal Da Val. However, before you can run sprinting to the teleport like a little girl, the door locks and the computer casts Rabarta on Elly! WTC? At this point, the two CALs appear and it is quite evident by the looks in their eyes that one is good and the other...more dependent on self-preservation. And that's about the nicest way I can put it considering all he does is destroy your hopes and try to kill you. Now I think I've been pretty good a revealing spoilers but I'm not about to explain the entire conversation that follows between CAL, CAL, Elly and yourself. First, I don't understand it all and I don't want to ruin EVERYTHING for you. Just what we gleam is that CAL was indeed a collection of fragmented data that somehow included a memory of Elly. After the discussion however, CAL and his counterpart enter the Control System of the CCA/Control Tower and leave you with a nice locked door. That's just great. You are now given the option to either cheer Elly up or scold her and the only option that will make any headway is to scold her so do so. Of course she doesn't say anything like "you're not my mother/father, get the @#*!% out of my face!" she simply understands and apologizes. Still, the question of the locked door remains. Elly then discovers that there is an auxiliary terminal but its far below on a ledge never explored before. You are now prompted with the funniest choices imaginable: think or jump. Well I like the saying "Look before you leap" but not here. Thinking gets you nowhere (a suggestive theme I think) so you might as well jump the five story drop to the ledge. Of course you're all right though, not a scratch actually. Anyway, you'll now have to complete a few rooms to get to the switch. Take care though as there are Gibbles in these rooms and they can lay down the beats in a hurry. Once you've hit the switch, hurry back to the teleport that opens up and you'll magically be at the top again. Now it's just a short trek down the opened hallway to the teleport while listening to rather triumphant music. ~Control Tower~ Though I fully described the Control Tower above, your first run through the area is a little different. Once inside this brand, spanking new area you'll notice there are three computers before you. Elly explains that one of these is the real deal while the other two will set off security systems. Now before we continue the last little romp before the end of this massive quest, let me point out a few things. 1) ACTIVATING the real computer will open the door on the opposite end of the floor thus allowing you to continue. Also, activating the real computer will generate NO enemy encounters except for the easy enemies that may already exist on the floor. 2) Activating/destroying a fake computer will cause an enemy to appear. It will either be a Mericarol, a Gibbles, a Gi Gue or two Ill Gils (worst case scenario). 3) DESTROYING the real computer will cause the door to open but also causes an enemy encounter. 4) Any activation of the alarm system (shooting a computer or activation of a fake) will cause more traps to appear. These are in the form of lightening arcs that shock you, blue lightening that freezes you and red smoke everywhere making it harder to see. Keep in mind that if you activate the security system either by not being careful and accidentally shooting a computer, the quest will get exponentially harder. Also remember that the appearance of enemies, especially Ill Gils could kill Elly causing you to fail the quest. For this reason DON'T USE A MECHGUN! I know that I'm an advocate of them but if you miss, you're almost guaranteed to destroy a computer and wreak havoc. Now, there are five floors to go through and I have the location of the real computers marked on the maps below. (Yes I know the map is actually rounded!) Sorry about the rather poor quality. _____________________________________ <- \ | | +----------------------+ | | |======MAP LEGEND======| | | +----------------------+ |__________________________ | | ^^ Entrance | \ | | <- Exit | | | | X Fake Computer | | O | | O Real Computer | | X X | | # Boxes | 1F | | +----------------------+ | | | | | | |_^^___ | |___| _______________ _______________ <- | | X \ | |____| | | ____ | | O X| | | |_______________________| |X | _| | | | | | | | 2F | | | | | | | | |_^^___ | |___| _____________________________________ <- # \ | ## O | | ## | | X | |__________________________ | \ | Just to help clarify where this computer | X| is, it's right in a niche of boxes | | | | 3F | | | | |X | | | |_^^___ | |___| _______________ ______________ <- | |X \ | |____| | | ____ | | X| | | |_______________________| | | _| | Directly right of the starting point | | look for a hidden niche behind some | | boxes | | 4F | | | | | | | ## | |_^^___ ##| |_O_| ________________ ______________ <- | | \ | |____|X | | X____ | | | | X| |________________X_____O| | | _| | | | | | | X| 5F | | | | | | | | |_^^___ | |_X_| Once you've cleared all 5 floors (hopefully with little difficulty) you may now face a possible "mini-boss" fight depending on how many computers you set off. If you followed the maps correctly and hit no fakes, you'll skip this. Otherwise, you'll have to ward off three Ill Gils before you can finish the quest. If you do have to do this, be VERY careful not to get Elly killed. Stand in the way of their Megid if you must because you'll probably have much higher EDK than she does. After that quick fight you'll be treated to the ending sequence. And no I'm NOT going to spoil this for you so TOO BAD. You'll ust have to find out what happens yourself. Enjoy the ending! ~Seaside Area~ No, it's not quite over but you might as well call it finished. Now you'll find yourself coming to in Seaside Area only you'll notice that it's nighttime. Cool! Anyways, head out to the largest area to find Elly one last time. Again, this little conversation will remain a secret so you'll just have to wait and see. It's nothing much but perhaps a little too sentimental. Afterwards, a Telepipe appears and Elly walks off on the beach. You can follow her if you'd like but before you go, take a nice long look at the scenery. You won't be back here for a while. If you follow her you'll simply end up receiving a nice little thank- you from Sonic Team. Now just head to the Guild, pick up your cash and you're done! Hurrah! ---------East Tower------------------------------------------------------ ___________ _________________________ __________ ______________ |Reward: ???|__|Levels: CCA/Control Tower|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty 80%| ========================================================================= ~Objectives~ >Locate entrance to the East Tower >Irradiate enemies within Tower >Defeat Epsilon Do you remember the Control Tower from Seat of the Heat? Well that's where we're heading once more! I hope your ready for it because this quest can be HARD if you're not at a high enough level. Both this quest and its West counterpart are extremely easy to describe but hey, I'll go through them just to make sure. Anyway, you'll start out by being informed by Mme Important in the Lab that the location to a Control Tower in the east and west of Gal Da Val have been located. However, teams have tried to enter and got their assess kicked by the baddies inside. Our job is to locate the entrance to the East Tower in the CCA and empty the place. There's just one problem: the enemies themselves. I know you're probably thinking that the guards who got themselves sent into next week were weak, frail little wimps who really had no place on Pioneer II to start with. Well, just wait till you get to the tower. The enemies are INSANE! You'll be facing all the mini-bosses from the CCA mass produced as well as some extremely dangerous renditions of seabed enemies and some new people altogether. Anyway, enough scare tactic now, let's go. Well your first task is pretty much to beat the CCA. Again, you do NOT have to go through the three sub-levels, the door is already open. You'll just have to deal with tons of those painfully annoying monkeys and a few Sinows. Once you've got to the last room where you'd normally go to the boss, you'll see that red lasers have blocked the hallway. However, there is a teleport to the left of it. Hop in and you'll find yourself on the lower ledge that we explored in the previous quest. Again, nothing new here so just plow through the remaining rooms and grab the red teleport at the end of this hallway to warp to the Control Tower. Unlike the Seat of the Heat quest though, you'll now have to fight your way through 10 floors but there's none of that computer nonsense so don't worry. Now, I've fully outlined the Control Tower area in the section {B4-CT} so I won't bother going over it again here. Refer to that section for strategies on how to take on the enemies and the Epsilon. Once you've completed the level, you are able to exit the tower via the strange warp that appears. Then head over to the Guild to collect your pay. ---------West Tower------------------------------------------------------ ___________ ____________________________ __________ ______________ |Reward: ???|__|Levels: Seabed/Control Tower|__|Team: None|__|Difficulty 85%| ============================================================================= ~Objectives~ >Locate the entrance to the West Tower >Eliminate all monsters within the Tower >Neutralize Epsilon Well! This quest is pretty much the equivalent of the programmers highlighting the East Tower quest, pressing Ctrl+C and then Ctrl+V. Honestly, you've pretty much got the same set up here as in the East Tower. The only thing that is different here is that the entrance to the tower is in the Seabed (Upper Levels). This, of course, is slightly more of a challenge but if you could take on the Control Tower, the Seabed is pretty much gravy to you. The Seabed, if you actually haven't been there before, is quite complicated and this quest is no exception. The only thing to note here is that there are a few laser barriers around that must be shut off before you can enter the Tower (or so I think.) The switch you'll find pretty fast and after that, backtrack to the laser fence to proceed. Unlike the East Tower, however, the entrance to the West Tower is deep inside the Seabed and pretty much requires you to beat the first level so please equip appropriately. Strategies for the Seabed and its inhabitance may be found in the Episode II walkthrough so you might want to check it out for a few pointers. Otherwise, you'll find the Control Tower entrance eventually. Again, once you entered the Control Tower, you'll be treated to the exact same idea. Section {B4-CT} has the info on this place and its boss so look there for assistance. Once the Epsilon is defeated (again) you'll get paid (again) and this time for the last time. CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE NOW BEATEN ALL OF THE EPISODE II QUESTS!! GREAT JOB!! #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= =_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=Section C: Extra Info_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_=_= #=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#=#= ---------Frequently Asked Questions----------------------------------------- **NOTE: Most of the questions here are ones that I anticipate would be asked and questions I myself had while playing PSO. Also, if you have more information than I have written here about a question or you have a question you would like answered, just e-mail me. (See {C4}** >Question: Do I need to be connected to the network to play PSO? >Answer: NO! I am not connected to the internet and I don't ever plan to (at least not in the near future maybe someday...) You can play PSO completely offline and except for the online quests and experience itself, you can achieve the same thing by rounding up some friends and playing offline. Otherwise, I hear that everything you can do online can be done offline. >Question: What's this thing floating behind my shoulders? >Answer: That is your MAG. You obviously didn't read section {A6} carefully enough! Shame, shame... >Question: I've found a weapon with a blue name that has ???? before it. What does that mean? >Answer: Your weapon has special capabilities. Go to the purple booth in the store called the Tekker and pay him/her 100 bucks to find out what that capability is. It will be your weapon's special attack, which is the third action in the Action List under the Customize window. >Question: I found a ____Amplifier. What does that do? >Answer: First of all, say you found for example an Amplifier of Foie. Just because you have that item doesn't mean that it does anything for you! In fact, it does squat all. You must find a special Barrier that will support that amplifier to create a merge. RED BARRIERS for foie-amplifiers, YELLOW BARRIERS for Zonde-amplifiers and BLUE BARRIERS for Barta-amplifiers. Oh, there's also RECOVERY BARRIERS for Anti and Resta-amplifiers and SUPPORT BARRIERS for supporting-Amplifiers There is an in-depth FAQ on this subject so I suggest you check it out. Otherwise, just bank it for now. >Question: I found a ?SPECIAL WEAPON...what's dat? >Answer: You are stupid. That is a rare. Go get it Tekked and brag to all your friends about your brand new find. (I envy you by the way...) NOTE: Here's WOT of a trick: if you can't use your SPECIAL WEAPON and don't want to tek it, put it in your bank. It will be placed right where everything else of the same kind is even though it's not tekked! This way, you don't have to waste 100 bucks on a rare you already suspect you have. For example, I have found millions of Broiacs (I probably misspelled that...) If I find a rare sword that I can't use, I put it in my bank. If it lines up with the other Broiacs, that's what it is. >Question: I found a , what do I do with it? >Answer: Good question. You, my friend, will soon be the proud owner of a severed enemy body part that can be changed into a very good weapon. You must first have completed all the quests so that they are open to re-enter. Now, enter the quest: "Unsealed Door". You must have completed all the quests for this to work, just thought I'd state that again. Now, you remember that crazy Montague fellow that kept laughing all the time? Well to the immediate right of the transporter to the Principle, you'll see him hanging around. Go talk to him. You must have your enemy part with you at this time. He will sense that you've got piece of rotting/rusting flesh/scrap iron that is probably drenched in blood/oil thus covering you in said blood/oil. He will then ask you for it and then through some ultra-secret process, will change it into something that kicks behind. Thank you, have a nice day. >Question (From PapaSmurfGamer): I was playing a mission some guy gave me an emblem of some sort for an organization called WEAPONS. I would like to know where the other people that I have to find are (the boss and four other people). >Answer: The WEAPONS emblem is an "item" which you use to obtain the rare item 'Akiko's Frying Pan.' I do not know where the other people are but if you check out the "Quest Rares" guide at GameFAQs, there are specific instructions there on how to get said rare. >Question: (From Sergio): If I have an old character on the first version of PSO Ep I and II, will this character work on the Plus edition or will I have to start all over again? >Answer: Your character WILL work on Plus edition. As far as I know, all weapons, mags, shields, units, costumes and chars are fully compatible with Plus edition. >Question: (From LiquidMotion06): I read your comment about Megid and think differently. For my Lv 136 FOneweral, Megid works VERY good...etc. >Answer: I know this wasn't really a question but I figure it needed attention anyway. Megid WILL work differently for different characters. FOnewerals have MUCH higher MST than FOmars and thus, they will have better luck with Megid. At level 30 with a ton of MST to back it up, Megid does become a nice little trump card to whip out and may be very effective. However, my comment was based on MY average usage of the spell and the overwhelming attacks against Megid/dark weapons that I see on the message boards. If Megid works for you great but for the rest of you out there who are at a low level, don't bother with Megid yet. It's like that killing spell from Harry Potter: you need lots of power to make it work properly. That isn't to say that you won't get lucky with it but on average low MST/level of Megid will provide crap for results considering TP cost. *Thank you to all who wrote me for help! Please feel free to ask me whatever comes to your mind about PSO!* ---------Unconfirmed Rumors/Strange Things---------------------------------- While playing PSO, you may stumble upon some of the numerous rumors about the extremely rare weaponry. Here is a short section compiled between me and my partner in crime (known as RDUDE) about some strange things we've found and rumors we've heard. Enjoy. 1. Parasitic Gene "Flow" While it is not a rumor that Parasitic Gene "Flow" actually exists, there ARE several rumors attributed to finding it. Before we go into these rumors, just a quick note: Parasitic Gene "Flow" is used, in theory, to make special "Dark" weapons (Dark Bridge, Dark Flow, Dark Meteor). You can find more information about these weapons at www.planetdreamcast.com/psoworld. >First, it is rumored that if you or your teammates possess 'dark' attributed (for example, a shadow handgun) there will be an increased chance of finding the Gene from Olga Flow on Ultimate. >Another rumor surrounds the mysterious 'Red Weapons'. It is said, that if you possess Red Weapons (Not like a railgun, they are actually called things like "Red Sword" and such) there will be a good chance of finding the Gene. It is agreed among most people that the Gene can ONLY be found from Ultimate Olga Flow so you'll probably want to level up a good bit before trying. 2. The 'Red Weapons' Again, these weapons are NOT rumors (actually we posses one already). However, there are a few mysteries surrounding them as well. First of all is the rumor above which state that you can find a Parasitic Gene Flow from Olga on Ultimate. The other strange thing about these weapons is their description. If you look, you'll notice that each of them has one or two letters 'inscribed' on them. Using PSO World, RDUDE has figure out that they actually spell "Heathcliff". If you remember your plot mongering, Hethcliff is the first name of Flowen who supposedly disappeared in Episode II. Also, consider how Olga Flow shares a striking similarity with FLOWen's name. I really don't know the point of this rumor but it appears to have to do something with the Parasitic Gene rumor and possibly other rumors stemming from the Dark Weapons. 3. The Sealed 'J' Sword Ah, this is an enigma of PSO for sure. The Sealed J Sword has spun a web of mysteries more complex than the Parasitic Gene Flow itself. Under its description the Sealed J Sword says "it will be unsealed when all techniques are used". Here is where the rumors begin. There are thousands of supposed ways to unseal the J sword and all of them agree that once the sword is unsealed, you are unstoppable. >One of the most common methods claimed to work is that if you killed 7200 enemies with the Sealed J Sword, it will unseal. In retrospect, this doesn't seem to make any sense whatsoever but since I don't have a Sealed J Sword and haven't tried this I can't fully disprove this method. >Another method involves giving the Sword to a force will all Lv 30 Techs and getting them to cast all of them as quickly as possible. Again, this doesn't really seem to work since the Force cannot actually equip the J Sword but then again, it follows the prophecy more closely. >Finally, and we may be just making this one up ourselves, if you read the description of the Game Magazine Rare *NOTE THIS WAS TAKEN FROM PSO World.com* "Secret Technique type 'URAENDING' at the title with the keyboard". Now I have absolutely no idea what this means but the 'Technique' part might have something to do with Unsealing the J Sword. Hmm... That sounds like Clue! Secret Tech with the keyboard in the title... *Thank you to RDUDE and PSO World for all the information in this section. If you have any comments or other rumors which you'd like to start, please e-mail me. ---------Credits!----------------------------------------------------------- First, I'd like to thank the Sega Team and Nintendo for creating a game that kicks $%*#. So without the game there would be no guide. Right? Right. That being said, I also used some information directly out of the PSO manual which includes status defects and basically, just character info. Thanks too to RDUDE made some interesting finds in the 'Rumors' category. (You know who you are.) Okay, for my MAG section, I took a gander at your guide noZedive13. I didn't take any of your actual information but you did teach me how the heck to make a MAG work and make it grow into the greatest MAG of all time! I did have to look at some of your photon blast information (Namely Mylla). So thank-you! :) LordKarasuman: the Quest Rares Guide master! You helped me to three shiny new rares! In the walkthrough of the Episode I quests, I placed notes for things that must be done to obtain the Quest Rares such as not telling Sue your name etc. This information was taken directly from your guide so THANK YOU! Those rares are great! The only reason I put those notes in is so that people didn't screw up the process while beating the missions. Finally, the big credit is to DarkNightwing. This being my first guide for GameFAQs, I had to take a quick look at the format for such a guide. You'll notice that the structure for the walkthrough is very similar to yours. I simply felt that it was the absolute best and most efficient way to convey information so great guide and thanks for all your help! Also, I had currently lent my copy of PSO to a friend and can't rent it so I forgot all about Olga Flow's attacks. I looked at your guide for what attacks Olga uses in both forms and I had no idea that you could block that quake attack so I used that in my strategy. Thank you for the information! To PSO World: you have awesome pictures and your finding lists are INCREDIBLE! DON'T YOU EVER CLOSE DOWN! I used some information about rare weapons here to help with the 'Rumors' section. Thanks so much! The awesome title effect at the top of the guide was created using ASCII Generator. Isn't it great?! To all of you who wrote it to me with questions and comments. Thank you for the feedback! Finally, to YOU, the people reading! Yes, that's all of you out there! I can't believe you read this far! I hope I assisted you any way that I could. ---------Legal Jazz--------------------------------------------------------- I think I'm pretty relaxed with the use of my guide. Print it off, give it to your friend, do whatever it is that you do. If you used some information from my guide, you MUST give me credit though you need not e-mail me but it would be appreciated. You may NOT take this guide in part or as a whole for your own credit. You may not sell information from this guide in part or whole unless I have given you specific written consent. If you want to post it on a different site, you may by all means but you MUST e-mail me first and the guide itself must be unchanged. (You know, so I can brag to my friends about it and all that good stuff!) If you would like some part to be changed, I can re-format a different version for you. Otherwise, that's it. Just remember that Copy+Paste=Bad. Ya? Ya. Oh, if you have any questions obviously don't hesitate to e-mail me. So far, these site can post my guide: www.gamefaqs.com (duh) www.gamespot.com www.neoseeker.com If you'd like to be here too, as I just said (correct me if I'm wrong) just e- mail me first and yeah, we can discuss format details. ---------Contact Info------------------------------------------------------- If you have a question or comment, if you found a mistake on my guide or would like to register a comment or complaint, feel free to e-mail me. If you have some extra information about something or you found the way I explained something confusion, once again, don't hesitate to ask me. That goes for my FAQ as well. If you haven't noticed, it's pretty limited. I'll try to make as many updates as I can to the FAQ. If you are going to e-mail me please follow the simple guidelines: *PLEASE NOTE: This guide is for the GAMECUBE VERSION ONLY! I don't know anything about the Dreamcast version so please don't ask me about it. Thank you.* 1. Put "PSO GUIDE" or something of the tune as the subject. I get tons of e-mail all the time and if your subject doesn't stand out, I'll junk it by accident. 2. Do be sure that the info you're looking for is not already in the guide. I mean if it was confusion, do tell but please, if you ask me how to feed a MAG, I won't be replying anytime soon. 3. Make sure I can understand it. I can read ENGLISH. I cannot read German or Polish etc so if you e-mail me in another language, chances are I won't know what you're talking about. Oh, by the way "And but he around upside-down in corner paving stone" does not count as English either. Neither does "Bbbuxt hereeead saaaided sssstdfaftfff" Do all that and I reply as soon as I can but expect at least a few days cause I don't check my e-mail all the time. Alright: you can reach me at the following address: reldmar@hotmail.com Thank-you for your interest! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you once more for using my guide! I intend to update further so any advice/questions for the FAQ or any information is appreciated! Thanks again for reading, I'm out. -Terekane Lenjarail