Skies of Arcadia Legends Character Guide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Copyrights and such II. Purpose III. The Characters i. Vyse ii. Aika iii. Fina iv. Drachma v. Enrique vi. Gilder IV. Closing ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Copyrights and such Skies of Arcadia and all related stuff is copyright Overworks and Sega. Gamecube is copyright Nintendo. This guide is copyright me, Alex Jacobs, AKA The_Ziddy, 2008. http://www.gamefaqs.com is the ONLY website authorized (at present) to post this guide. I really don't have any intention of posting it anywhere else, sorry. It's not as though it's a really life-altering document or anything... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ II. Purpose Hello everyone! This is my first guide, so hopefully you, the reader, will find this helpful. The purpose of this guide is to explain the playable characters of Skies of Arcadia: Legends, their strengths, drawbacks, and so forth. This information will be as spoiler-free as I can POSSIBLY make it. Also, in making this guide I assumed some previous knowledge of at least the basics of the game (Spirit Points, Moonberries, etc.) if you want to know what those are, fetch a manual or something. This guide isn't about that. However, if you don't want to be "spoiled" with such things as the names of Super Moves, perhaps GameFAQs isn't exactly the place for you. With no further ado, on to the meat of the guide! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ III. The Characters- key: rated 1-5 stars- 5 being optimal- 1 being terrible Note: A dash "-" denotes a half star. HP: Duh. More hit points means more damage that can be absorbed safely. POWER: What you'd expect, the stat that powers regular attacks. VIGOR: Though the name may be unfamiliar, this is just a physical defense. WILL: Like power, but for magic. M. DEF.: Like Vigor, but for magic. QUICK: The higher this stat is, generally the quicker a character will act, although sometimes things go a little weird. AGILE: This affects chance to dodge attacks. SPIRIT: The more spirit a character has, the more he/she charges the shared Spirit Point bar. i.Vyse -------------- HP: ****_ POWER: ****- VIGOR: ****_ WILL: **___ M. DEF.:**-__ QUICK: ***-_ AGILE: ***__ SPIRIT: ***** -------------- As one might guess from his stats, Vyse is your average swashbuckling hero. He excells at physical attacks, while his magic stats leave something to be desired. His attack stat is not exactly the highest, but his weapons are frequently quite powerful. His spirit is the best you'll find in the game, though you'll want him to be attacking rather than charging in most instances. SUPER MOVES FOR VYSE: (in order unlocked): CUTLASS FURY- *automatically unlocked*- 7 SP A basic attack, this is just a more powerful normal attack. MY RATING: ***-_ Due to its low cost, I find myself returning to it time and again, as it doles out nice, cheap damage. COUNTERSTRIKE- 1 Moonberry- 1 SP Vyse will defend, and automatically counterattack any physical attacks dealt to him. This move always happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: *____ Useful in a few fights... Maybe. RAIN OF SWORDS: 2 Moonberries- 14 SP Vyse leaps into the sky and calls down lightning on all enemies. Physical. This can easily take out most random battle enemies. MY RATING: ***** This is basically an attack-everyone Cutlass Fury. Thus, I like it! SKULL SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 5 SP Vyse protects the whole party from attacks. If anyone gets attacked, they take NO damage and will automatically counterattack. This move always happens at the start of the round. MY RATING: ****_ In my opinion, Vyse is needed for offense, but this combined with Aika's Delta Shield makes for a nigh-invincible turtling technique. PIRATE'S WRATH- 4 Moonberries- 21 SP Vyse slams an enemy with extreme damage. MY RATING: ***** There's no way around it. This is the most damaging attack there is. The spirit cost is so, so worth it. Trust me on this one. FINAL CHARATER RATING-OUT OF 10 STARS: ********** The best character. Hands down. --------------------------------------------------- ii. Aika -------------- HP: ***__ POWER: **___ VIGOR: **-__ WILL: ****_ M. DEF.:****_ QUICK: ***** AGILE: ****_ SPIRIT: **___ -------------- Aika is just about Vyse's opposite. Preferring to stick to magic, Aika is a powerful ally when faced when many enemies at once. However, since in my opinion magic is not all that powerful in Skies of Arcadia: Legends, she is relegated to support. Also very quick, she'll usually be the first hero to act. A note on Aika's Super Moves: all of them are considered to be magic, so no, you can't use them to knock down those pesky Loopers. SUPER MOVES: Alpha Storm- 1 Moonberry- 4 SP Aika summons a cyclone-thing that attacks things in a straight line. MY RATING: **___ This is very useful in the beginning of the game to wipe out weak monsters quickly, but is quickly abandoned. DELTA SHIELD: 1 Moonberry- 2 SP Aika makes all party members immune to all magic for one round. Please note, this means ALL magic, including healing spells. However, items will work just fine, making this limitation more or less moot. This move always happens at the start of the round. MY RATING: ***** Without this move, I would hate Aika so very much. Nullifying magic is very useful in boss fights where a single casting can instantly kill the entire party. Combine this with Vyse's Skull Shield for a nigh-invincible defense. LAMBDA BURST: 2 Moonberries- 8 SP Aika burns all enemies on the screen for decent damage. MY RATING: ***__ FINALLY. No line of sight limitation. Great for clearing large groups of weaklings. Replaced, eventually. EPSILON SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 10 SP Aika recovers 10 MP. MY RATING: *____ As I've previously stated, magic is not all that useful in SOA, so I never use this move. I'm sure magic junkies love it, though. OMEGA PSYCLONE: (yes, it is spelled like that) 3 Moonberries- 12 SP Aika summons an inferno to blast all enemies for good damage. MY RATING: ****_ Great for random battles, but otherwise, not all that useful. FINAL CHARACTER RATING: *******___ Being fast means a good item user; also Delta Shield will save you many, many times. It's ironic that enemy magic users are quite powerful, whereas your magic capabilities aren't that great in comparison... --------------------------------------------------- iii. Fina -------------- HP: *____ POWER: *____ VIGOR: *-___ WILL: ***** M. DEF.:***** QUICK: ***-_ AGILE: ***** VIGOR: *____ SPIRIT: ***__ -------------- I like to think of Fina as the classic healer- frail, but if protected, incredibly useful when the damage comes heavy and fast. She can get KO'ed so easily it's not even funny- she needs all your +vigor and +HP items. Indulge her. Her weapon, Cupil, can get quite powerful, but since her power stat is an utter joke, it's best to have her just do support. She also has a GODLY chance to dodge, helping with her low vigor. SUPER MOVES: LUNAR BLESSING: 1 Moonberry- 12 SP Fina gives a blessing to all allies, granting them a regenerative effect each round (around 300 HP/turn I think). This lasts for the entire fight. This S. Move always happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: **___ Though it's a tad expensive, this can help out in boss fights where the enemy hits very, very hard. LUNAR GLYPH: 1 Moonberry- 3 SP Fina calls down some kind of moon thing and does minor damage to one enemy and has a small chance of inflicting Stoned status upon them. MY RATING: _____ Hmm... Let's see. Should I spend 3 SP to have Fina do less damage with a Super Move than just about anyone would do with a free of charge, normal attack? LUNAR WINDS: 2 Moonberries- 6 SP Fina does minor damage to all enemies and removes all beneficial effects on them. I believe this move happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: **___ Limited usefulness, but oh man, it feels nice. Not so tough without your Increms and Quikas now are you, weaklings? LUNAR CLEANSING: 2 Moonberries- 6 SP Fina removes all negative status effect from allies. This will not, however, revive anyone. A letdown, I know. This move happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: **___ Again, a little too specific, but it can help in a pinch. LUNAR LIGHT: 4 Moonberries- 16 SP Fina removes all negative effects, revives, and completely heals all allies. In that order. And oh yeah. IT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IN A ROUND! MY RATING: ****- Misses a perfect score only because it's a little pricey. Quite honestly, this move is the cheapest thing in any video game ever. Oh no, only the healer's alive? SHAZAM! NOT ANYMORE! FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ******____ Very frail, but her Super Moves can be your team's salvation when they're on their knees. Curse at her penchant for dying- a lot- all you want, but she is a good character if you can get beyond that. --------------------------------------------------- iv. Drachma -------------- HP: ***** POWER: ***** VIGOR: ***** WILL: *____ M. DEF.:**___ QUICK: *____ AGILE: *____ SPIRIT: ***__ -------------- A glance at his stats is slightly deceptive- his weapons lack the power of Vyse's, so he winds up playing second fiddle in damage. However, no one can match his sheer resilience- he takes hits like a house. SUPER MOVES: TACKLE- 1 Moonberry- 10 SP Drachma charges at an enemy and slams him for good damage. MY RATING: ***-_ Actually, I've decided I like this move- early in the game (when Vyse's weapons still fail) Tackle WILL outdo Cutlass Fury in damage. SPIRIT CHARGE: 2 Moonberries- 0 SP Drachma will defend and do a Focus which will yield DOUBLE the normal SP. This happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: ***** Drachma is pretty untouchable as is, so this makes him great for turtling and charging up for, say, Vyse's Pirates' Wrath. HAND OF FATE- 3 Moonberries- 15 SP Drachma does excellent damage to one enemy, with a chance of an instant kill. MY RATING: ***__ Meh. The instant death doesn't happen all that often, so why bother? FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ********__ A absolute tank who puts most of the others to shame. --------------------------------------------------- v. Enrique -------------- HP: ***-_ POWER: ***__ VIGOR: ***-_ WILL: ***__ M. DEF.:***__ QUICK: ****_ AGILE: **___ VIGOR: ***__ SPIRIT: **___ -------------- I'm going to be honest. I hate Enrique and his middling stats. Proceed with caution. Though he has no glaring weaknesses, he really isn't good for much of anything either. SUPER MOVES: ROYAL BLADE- 1 Moonberry- 8 SP Enrique takes some cheap shots, then does an actual slash at the enemy for medium damage. MY RATING: *____ A less powerful Cutlass Fury that costs more? I'll pass. JUSTICE SHIELD: 2 Moonberries- 4 SP Enrique shields the whole party, cutting in half all damage. This move happens at the top of the round. MY RATING: ***-_ Even I have to admit, this is a good move. This is the only possible reason I can think of to use Enrique, other than giggling at him when he gets rocked by some wimp. THE JUDGEMENT- 4 Moonberries- 16 SP Enrique summons the enemy to the fore of the Valuan people, and calls down a dragon to attack them for good damage. MY RATING: **___ Another inferior Pirates' Wrath knockoff? Get out of my sight. FINAL CHARACTER RATING: **________ Only Justice Shield saves him from total uselessness. Better than having only three people in the team... Barely. --------------------------------------------------- vi. Gilder -------------- HP: ****_ POWER: ***__ VIGOR: ****_ WILL: **___ M. DEF.:***__ QUICK: **-__ AGILE: ****_ SPIRIT: ***__ -------------- With a gun in hand and a smirk on his face, Gilder never fails to amuse. Too bad someone as awesome as him isn't quite as good in combat. Think of him as the prototype of Balthier from Final Fantasy 12. (Though the games weren't made by the same people...) SUPER MOVES: GUNSLINGER- 1 Moonberry- 9 SP Gilder draws a second pistol from... somewhere and shoots all enemies in a wide line. MY RATING: ***-_ A great, cheap way to kill a good number of things pretty quickly. Not as efficient as Aika's moves, but this move will work on things that shrug off magic. AURA OF DENIAL- 2 Moonberries- 3 SP Gilder makes all allies immune to bad status effects for one round. This move will always, always happen at the top of the round. MY RATING: ***__ Sadly, few bosses rely on status ailments enough for this to really be useful. Good when people get Confused left and right, though. ---Second Opinion---- Nightstryke offers: "Gilder's Aura of Denial is useful for the final boss, because instant death attacks are nullified. 4/5" --------------------- THE CLAUDIA- 4 Moonberries- 18 SP In the mother of all improbabilities, Gilder appears in his pirate ship, and fires its cannons at all enemies for excellent damage. MY RATING: ****_ This attack's base damage is even more than Rain of Swords! Its high cost is a bit of a turnoff, though. FINAL CHARACTER RATING: ******____ Gilder is, sadly, not all that special, though I enjoy his dialogue so much that I like keeping him around. That, and he's the only pirate in a game full of them that actually owns a parrot! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV. Closing Well, there you have it. I credit all information to the game itself, my memory, and caffeine. If you have any questions or corrections about this guide, feel free to email me at die_goths@hotmail.com. Be sure to mention GameFAQs or Skies of Arcaida: Legends somewhere in the subject line so I'll notice it. Additionally, if you feel something about the characters (spoiler- free info, of course) should be added, feel free to email it to me. Maybe I didn't know! If it is included, I will credit you by whichever appropriate name you go by. Version 1.00 Guide written. Fatigue incurred. Version 1.50 God, I'm an idiot. There is no Defense stat, that's what Vigor does! BAD ZIDDY! Also corrected a few stat and S. Move ratings to reflect some more reasoned opinions. Corrected a few spelling errors. Version 1.51 Added a Second Opinion from Nightstryke. Thanks for mailing! Version 1.60 Fixed a few minor errors.