STAR OCEAN: TILL THE END OF TIME OPTIONAL BOSS FAQ VERSION 1.10 by Angelo Pineda(rpger77@yahoo.ca) VERSION HISTORY 15-9-2004(1.10) - Added more tips, Universe and 4D strategy. 1-9-2004(1.00) - finished all sections. Will add more tips soon. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. TIPS 3. BOSSES -Gabriel Celesta -Fayt + ??? -Lenneth -Ethereal Queen -Freya 4. BATTLE TROPHY HELP 5. THE "UBER-FATE" STRATEGY 6. MULTIPLE BATTLE TROPHY CHALLENGES 7. CREDITS 1. INTRODUCTION This will cover how to beat optional bosses and how to obtain their Battle Trophies and special Battle Trophy challenges. I highly recommend fighting the bosses first before resorting to these strategies. Enjoy! 2. TIPS -Make sure you are prepared with healing items. They will come in handy in the battles. -Prepare your characters with sufficient equipment and don't forget to do the same on the Battle Skill menu. -Use strategy. These are battles that simply CANNOT be won by brute force. -Make use of MP damage attacks as they can finish these battles quicker than it would HP-wise. -When in doubt, use the "Uber-Fate" strategy.(see 5 on the table of contents) -Items such as Roe Tablets and Shielding Devices allow characters to survive attacks such as the Nibelung Valesti. Make sure you have some as they will help in the battles to come. -Bombs, especially those that stun, are your best friend. Be sure to have some of each type. -Raising DEF helps greatly on all modes except 4D. This reduces the damage of extremely powerful attacks, which can be a lifesaver. 3. BOSSES (W) indicates a weak type attack (S) indicates a strong type attack AAA indicates use of Anti-Attack Aura Gabriel Celesta - located in Maze of Tribulations, Floor 8 HP: 1,000,000 MP: 200,000 Level: 114 ATK: 1400 DEF: 220 AGL: 260 HIT: 980 INT: 800 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.3 HP, x 2.8 MP EXP: 200,000 Fol: 156,000 Drops: Spirit of Lilith(100%) Special Attacks: Lightning Feather(W), Dragons(S), True Judgment(W) AAA: Standard All Elements are halved in damage. STRATEGY Those who are familiar with past Star Ocean or Valyrie Profile games should remember Gabriel Celesta. As with the aformentioned games, he is a deadly foe. Though in Star Ocean 2 and Valkyrie Profile, he is the weaker version of Iseria Queen, Ethereal Queen in Star Ocean 3. However, he is harder than his superior in this Star Ocean. After defeating the 4 bosses in floor 8, heal and prepare to fight Gabriel. Gabriel moves fast and is unpredictable so be careful when fighting him. True Judgment can deal a considerable amount of damage, but since it is a weak type attack, it can be Guarded/AAAed. His basic attacks are capable of paralyzing characters, so equip Amulet of Freedom and have some Basil if some characters don't have it. The biggest threat comes from Gabriel's 2 special attacks. Lightning Feather and Dragons both cover almost the entire field, making it difficult to evade. Lightning Feather though is based on Gabriel's position in the field. If he is on one end of the field, the opposite end will not be affected. Also, Lightning Feather is a weak type attack so it can be Guarded/AAAed. Be prepared to revive fallen characters anytime, but after the attack is done. His other special attack, Dragons starts always in the centre. To dodge the attack, try to have each character close to the edges of the map. Dragons is a strong type attack, so it cannot be countered. Gabriel uses Dragons when almost out of HP/MP. Universe - Gabriel is still the same except stronger and a slight improvement for his AI. Take care and victory is yours. 4D - Gabriel is much tougher as his stats and AI are improved even more. He tends to use Lightning Feather and the occasional True Judgment while moving right next to your characters. While both are weak attacks, you might not be able to defend against those if you are on the move. Still, Gabriel is not as difficult as the other secret bosses. HP Kill method - The preferred way of disposing the celestial being. Use characters like Cliff and Mirage, who are capable of dealing great amounts of HP dmg with their attacks. Mirage's Aerial Assault and Nel's Divine Wrath are decent techniques in eating Gabriel's HP. MP Kill method -This will take longer to do, but it is doable. Fayt's Divine Blade, Nel's Flying Guillotine, and Maria's Energy Burst all deal good MP dmg and Increase MP Damage or Critical Hit MP on helps do the job. Preferred characters: Cliff/Mirage are good for HP Kill and Fayt/Nel/Maria for MP Kill. I don't recommend spellcasters as healing items are better for this battle, but it's all up to you. 2 melees and a spellcaster/long-range fighter are decent enough to help you win. Fayt - located in Urssa Cave Temple VERSION 1(before completing Maze of Tribulations) HP: 700,000 MP: 70,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2500 DEF: 120 AGL: 260 HIT: 980 INT: 700 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.15 HP/MP EXP: 100,000 Fol: 350,000 Drops: None Special Attacks: Air Raid(S), Ethereal Blast(S), Lightning Strike(S), Laser Beams(S), Side Kick(W), Blade of Fury(W) AAA: Star Guard Wind and Fire are halved in damage. VERSION 2(after completing Maze of Tribulations) HP: 1,000,000 MP: 100,000 Level: 170 ATK: 3000 DEF: 220 AGL: 260 HIT: 1600 INT: 1600 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.3 HP/MP EXP: 160,000 Fol: 340,000 Drops: None Special Attacks: Air Raid(S), Ethereal Blast(S), Lightning Strike(S), Laser Beams(S), Side Kick(W), Blade of Fury(W) AAA: Star Guard Wind and Fire are halved in damage. Partners (based on who Fayt pairs up with or if he is alone) Adray HP: 800,000 MP: 200,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2900 DEF: 155 AGL: 150 HIT: 1100 INT: 2400 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.2 HP, x 2.8 MP EXP: 80,000 Fol: 450,000 Drops: Rabit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Laser Beams(S), Deep Freeze(S), Sirocco(S), Titan Fist(S), Chaos Tide(W), Sea Gate(W) AAA: Wide Homing Albel HP: 940,000 MP: 80,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2600 DEF: 170 AGL: 300 HIT: 1200 INT: 2000 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.27 HP, x 2.2 MP EXP: 70,000 Fol: 220,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Air Slash(S), Hand of Doom(S), Dragon Roar(S), Explosion(S), Double Slash(W), Charge(W) AAA: 2-Way Fire is halved in damage. Cliff HP: 1,200,000 MP: 36,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2800 DEF: 200 AGL: 260 HIT: 1300 INT: 950 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.4 HP, x 1.98 MP EXP: 80,000 Fol: 300,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Max Shockwave(S), Fists of Fury(S), Electric Fists(W), Fiery Tackle(W) AAA: Standard Fire is halved in damage. Luther(appears if ending shows Fayt alone) HP: 1,100,000 MP: 800,000 Level: 180 ATK: 3000 DEF: 150 AGL: 260 HIT: 980 INT: 1000 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.35 HP, x 3.0 MP EXP: 120,000 Fol: 500,000 Drops: Tri-Emblem(100%) Special Attacks: Insanity Prelude(S), Perfect Symmetry(S), Laser Beams(S), Expansion Force(W), Flaming Divide(W) AAA: Wide Homing All elements are halved in damage. Maria HP: 700,000 MP: 180,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2600 DEF: 180 AGL: 250 HIT: 1500 INT: 1540 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.15 HP, x 2.7 MP EXP: 70,000 Fol: 480,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Gravity Bullet(S), Triple Kick(S), Deep Freeze(S), Explosion(S), Laser Blast(W), Scatter Beam(W) AAA: Wide Homing Wind is halved in damage. Mirage HP: 900,000 MP: 100,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2500 DEF: 190 AGL: 280 HIT: 1200 INT: 1500 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.25 HP, x 2.3 MP EXP: 80,000 Fol: 420,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Avenger Charge(S), Blazing Cannon(S), Sphere of Might(W), Crescent Locus(W) AAA: Standard Fire and Wind are halved in damage. Nel HP: 800,000 MP: 144,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2500 DEF: 170 AGL: 350 HIT: 1360 INT: 2000 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.2 HP, x 2.52 MP EXP: 80,000 Fol: 280,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attack: Flying Guillotine(S), Divine Wrath(S), Laser Beams(S), Stone Rain(S), Shadow Wave(W), Lightning Chain(W) AAA: Homing Wind is halved in damage. Peppita HP: 760,000 MP: 140,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2500 DEF: 180 AGL: 340 HIT: 1370 INT: 1920 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.18 HP, x 2.5 MP EXP: 70,000 Fol: 340,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Faerie Friend(S), Dream Hammer(S), Dark Sphere(S), Southern Cross(S), Kaboom(W), Instanto Beam(W) AAA: Regeneration Wind is halved in damage. Roger HP: 1,020,000 MP: 60,000 Level: 160 ATK: 3100 DEF: 190 AGL: 260 HIT: 1300 INT: 1600 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.31 HP, x 2.1 MP EXP: 70,000 Fol: 160,000 Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) Special Attacks: Star Fall(S), Fiery Fury(S), Thunder Flare(S), Fire Bolt(S), Raging Helmet(W), Shield & Cannon(W) AAA: Ring Wave Fire is halved in damage. Sophia HP: 560,000 MP: 400,000 Level: 160 ATK: 2200 DEF: 150 AGL: 200 HIT: 800 INT: 2700 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 2.08 HP, x 3.0 MP EXP: 90,000 Fol: 315,000 Special Attacks: Blood Scylla(S), Deep Freeze(S), Lightning Strike(S), Laser Beams(W), Gremlins(W), Efreet(W), Meteor Swarm(W), Lightning Blast(W) Drops: Rabbit's Foot(100%) AAA: Regeneration STRATEGY The difficulty of this fight varies based on the ending received. These characters are basically stronger, better versions of your own so you should be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses. The following is how to beat them. Adray - Since magic ignores DEF, it's important to have some elemental protection such as tri-Emblems or refined Aegis Pendants. HP Kill or MP Kill are both good for the job so choose either one. Albel - The combo king is quite dangerous up close, but his weakpoint is his low MP at 80,000. Again, MP Kill is preferred method. Cliff - With only a measly 36,000 MP, it is highly recommended to MP Kill him. If not, expect plenty of HP damage and be prepared to heal and revive. Fayt - Take Fayt, give him a massive boost(including movement speed) and you have a very deadly opponent. Fayt has access to most of his strongest Battle Skills, including Ethereal Blast and Air Raid. Avoiding him is very difficult as his movement speed is the best of all secret bosses. MP Kill is highly recommended as Fayt can shred characters VERY QUICKLY. Luther - Unlike the other 2 fights, Luther is quite deadly alongside Fayt. He has all of his previous attacks, but with improved speed and power. Due to his high MP, HP Kill is the better choice. Maria - Quite dangerous and it shows. Maria can prevent characters from acting while softening them for Fayt's attacks. HP Kill or MP Kill are both good so again choose either method. Mirage - Basically Cliff except more MP and less HP: MP Kill. Nel - Another dangerous partner. Keeping her busy with AI characters is preferred while you attack her from behind. HP/MP Kill both work. Peppita - Nel except slightly weaker. HP Kill is preferred. Roger - 60,000 MP by this point is considered low so MP Kill is the way to go. HP Kill is not recommended though Roger really lacks a truly dangerous technique. Sophia - same as Adray but be careful of the powerful Meteor Swarm. Go for an HP Kill. Universe - Basically the same as Galaxy except more difficult and longer. Not much else to add, except characters like Cliff are still easy to MP Kill and ones like Maria are not. 4D - You are in for a very difficult fight. Everyone becomes more nastier and it shows. Especially Fayt and Luther; their teamwork skills are even better and both aren't afraid to use their Battle Skills when necessary. All tend to spam most of their Battle Skills, can dodge better, and are downright hard. It is vital to quickly eliminate Fayt as he moves lightning fast across the field, allowing him to quickly dispose of each character. As on Galaxy and the harder Universe, he can be dizzied but be cautious as Fayt recovers much faster than usual. Speaking of his speed, Fayt can dodge almost every attack and spell with ease. Fayt can even dodge Lightning Strike, which almost never misses its target. Be warned if you intend to fight alone: this is the hardest fight due to having not 1 but 2 enemies swarming around the lone character. Preferred characters: Depends on who the partner is. Generally, it's a good idea to have a long-range attacker(Maria) coupled with someone that has great defensive abilities(Fayt). Lenneth - located in Sphere 211, floor 210 HP: 7,000,000 MP: 700,000 Level: 194 ATK: 3500 DEF: 100 AGL: 460 HIT: 2100 INT: 1000 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 3.0 HP/MP EXP: 250,000 Fol: 625,000 Drops: Valkyrie Garb(100%) Special Attacks: Nibelung Valesti(S), Lightning Strike(S), Stone Rain(S) AAA: Star Guard All elements are halved in damage. STRATEGY Anyone here play Valkyrie Profile? I have, and I really enjoyed using Lenneth and her deadly Nibelung Valesti. Lenneth makes a cameo in Star Ocean 3... as a boss! Instead of watching Nibelung Valesti pound enemies, the vicious attack pounds you instead! Those familiar with VP should be familiar with how she inflicts pain. Those who are not, read on. Lenneth attacks with her spear, which can deal Fury damage, Stun, and Confuse party members. These attacks deal a great amount of HP and MP dmg so it's important to make use of AAA and healing items. Her symbology spells are strong so try to avoid them. Stone Rain has a great area of effect but is easier to dodge. Lightning Strike though is very difficult to dodge as it almost never misses. Earth and Wind protection can take care of her magic though. Lenneth tends to move a lot and can do so quickly. If you're wondering about Nibelung Valesti's potential strength, you should be. Those familiar with VP, take the full version of Nibelung Valesti and add the ability to target the entire field. Quite scary don't you think? NV deals both HP and MP dmg and each hit is very painful. It's not uncommon to see a character getting hit for 20,000 HP dmg around 10-20 times. Best advice is to interrupt the attack or if not, hope that you lured her far from the center as the attack is like Lightning Feather: based on Lenneth's position. If not, use a Shielding Device or Roe Tablet to keep at least one person alive. Fury-revive is helpful if you have an Orichalcum on one of your characters. NV is virtually impossible to dodge if done at the centre so avoid this at all costs! Universe - Same as last time, except it's not possible to completely nullify Lenneth's attacks. 4D - Incredibly hard. Lenneth moves all over the battlefield, making it a bit difficult to hit her. Lenneth is so strong that she uses her energy to push back everyone around her, leaving them wide open for a Nibelung Valesti. This happens frequently so try to anticipate it. Make use of AAA as it will help conserve any stun bombs you might have. Lenneth can easily HP/MP Kill in 1 hit so try your best to avoid her attacks, use AAA for her weak ones. HP Kill method - HP Kill takes quite a bit of time with Lenneth but it is effective if you wish to do so. Damaging Battle Skills such as Ethereal Blast and Divine Wrath are the answers to dealing HP dmg. Cancel Bonus will help speed up the process if you are good at using the system. MP Kill method - MP Kill takes less time as HP Kill and it's a better way to take Lenneth down. Divine Blade, Energy Burst, and similar MP dmg techniques should do the trick. As with HP Kill, Cancel Bonus can end this quicker. Preferred characters - If you have been using Item Creation a lot, you will most likely be aware of Boots of Prowess. When refined and synthesized into someone's weapon enough times, it creates a powerful character and one with great defense to survive even the strongest attacks. Since Fayt has the best DEF stat of all characters, he can take down Lenneth without taking damage from her attacks, save AAA and symbology. Albel and Cliff are great if they can keep Lenneth from acting, and as usual Nel and Maria are very useful. Peppita and Roger are decent supports. Fayt and Mirage are good melees and can last longer than most. Spellcasters like Sophia and Adray are not much of a use, though can still be powerful used correctly. The strategy with Fayt ONLY works on Galaxy. Don't forget to protect against Confuse status! Ethereal Queen - located in Sphere 211, floor 211 HP: 10,000,000 MP: 2,000,000 Level: 204 ATK: 4000 DEF: 100 AGL: 460 HIT: 2800 INT: 1200 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 3.0 HP/MP EXP: 600,000 Fol: 650,000 Drops: Spirit of Lilith(100%) Special Attacks: Celestial Star(S), True Judgment(W), Blinding Field(W) AAA: Standard All elements are halved in damage. STRATEGY Ethereal Queen, or Iseria Queen as tri-ace fans know, is the stronger version of Gabriel Celesta. Though in Star Ocean 3, the Queen is rather lacking in the difficulty department. Nonetheless, the Queen is still a formidable foe. The Queen's basic attacks can Paralyze, Confuse, and dealing Fury damage so prepare accordingly. These attacks are linear rather than circular so it's easy to dodge. True Judgment is the same attack Gabriel used and its still a weak attack so let AAA counter it. Blinding Field prevents characters from acting within its area of effect so try to spread your party out. If you do get caught, there's nothing you can do but wait until the effect expires. Celestial Star, like Nibelung Valesti, covers the entire field but it doesn't target the whole field at once. When CS is activated, go immediately to the lower left side with all three characters. After the first wave hits, go to the lower right side with all three. This will allow you to come out of CS unscathed. The fight with the Queen is much easier than Lenneth and is even easier than Gabriel Celesta. Normal boss tactics work fine here. Lastly, be prepared with Petrify protection because each hit from CS can cause Petrify. Universe - Not that much harder, except longer to kill. 4D - Even on this brutal setting, the Queen still tends to make some bad moves. The Queen is pretty dangerous though and uses Blinding Light more than usual. Celestial Star is easy to deal with but revive if a character eats it. AAA and stun bombs are your friends to make this battle shorter. HP Kill method - Albel, Roger, Cliff, Mirage are all good for chomping down on the Queen's high HP count. Since this battle is much easier than Lenneth, you can battle with three of these melee fighters to make things quick. Blazing Cannon, Air Slash of Fury, or Aerial Assault all do great damage. Even better if you can creat Cancel Bonus combos with them. MP Kill method - Nel and Fayt are as usual great MP Killers, and Maria isn't that bad either. Energy Burst, Radiation Bots, Divine Blade, Flying Guillotine are all great, all except Divine Blade can be safely used from afar. Bombs that deal MP damage are more than welcome, especially the Umai-Bo Stun Bomb-R3. Preferred characters - anyone is capable of getting the task done as the Queen poses not much of a threat as long as you keep moving. Just make sure they're properly equipped. Freya - located in Urssa Lava Caves HP: 20,000,000 MP: 3,000,000 Level: 244 ATK: 5000 DEF: 200 AGL: 460 HIT: 5600 INT: 2000 Universe: x 1.5 HP/MP 4D: x 3.0 HP/MP EXP: 500,000 Fol: 1,500,000 Drops: Sacred Ether(100%) Special Attacks: Ether Strike(S), Lightning Strike(S), Stone Rain(S) AAA: Standard All elements are halved in damage. STRATEGY VP players should have fond memories of Freya. The only character that could surpass Lenneth in terms of strength, Freya's Ether Strike demolished enemies very easily. As with Lenneth, Ether Strike now demolishes you instead! Freya is the strongest secret boss. Do you have what it takes to defeat her? Freya is capable of launching attack after attack in quick succession so be careful. Her basic attacks can take a long of HP and MP, plus can Paralyze, Confuse, and damage Fury so prepare with the right defense. Speaking of special attacks, Freya's own version of Lightning Strike and Stone Rain are much stronger than Lenneth's version. Still, those spells pale in comparison to her trump card, Ether Strike. Ether Strike is similar to NV, but it has less range and overall damage potential than Lenneth's special attack. Aside from that, Freya is quite difficult to interrupt and can survive for a very long time. Take a quick glance at her HP and MP stats and don't tell me it's going to be a quick fight. Universe - Same as Galaxy except even higher stats and more Ether Strike use. 4D - Though Freya is the hardest secret boss, on 4D, she is not as frightening as Fayt + ??? fight. Still very hard though; Freya mixes her weak and strong attacks, plus the occasional spell and Ether Strike. Freya is quite resistant to being interrupted on 4D, so have some Roe Tablets/Shielding Devices to save characters from Ether Strike. Freya moves very fast, but doesn't always move as much as Lenneth and not quite as deadly. As for the duration of the fight, it is VERY long as Freya has 60 million(yes, 60 million) HP and 9 million MP. One of the reasons players lose is because they are unprepared for this war of attrition and don't bring enough healing and support items. HP Kill method - Due to her astronomically high HP, it's a better choice to simply take out her MP. If you still wish to HP Kill her, Aerial Assault, Divine Wrath, Ethereal Blast and other high HP damaging attacks are what should be used. Be sure you can use them effectively in Cancel Bonus combos otherwise you are in for a long fight. MP Kill method - It's a lot easier to MP Kill Freya, but it will take a long time as well. Divine Blade, Dream Hammer, Splitting Sky and other good MP damage attacks are recommended. Increase MP damage and Critical Hit MP are decent as well so equip those if you have enough Capacity Points. Again, Cancel Bonus plays a big role in quickly deal tremendous MP damage. Preferred characters - The ideal team is one melee(Albel, Cliff, Mirage), a spellcaster(Sophia, Adray), and a support attacker(Fayt, Maria). Good luck with Freya! 4. BATTLE TROPHY HELP This section will cover the Battle Trophies that most of the bosses covered. If you want more on BTs, I suggest checking out another FAQ or the official Brady Games guide. Beat x boss - simple enough. All you have to do is beat each boss on any difficulty setting. Beat x boss in x minutes - For this tactic, MP Kill is the preferred way. The focus is non-stop attacking and bomb-using. You cannot let the boss get too many attacks in as that only wastes time. For Freya though, HP Kill is quicker in this case. Beat x boss alone - Hard to do. I suggest using Boots of Prowess to strength a character and have a tri-Emblem to further increase their effectiveness. Since there is no specified difficulty setting, you can simply use Fayt. Just boost his DEF to 5000 synthesizing 8 refined Boots of Prowess and equipping another 2. It's also good to have a 255 lv Fayt to maximize the effect. If done all the above, Fayt can destroy all the bosses unscathed save AAA and symbology on Galaxy. Maria and Nel are also good candidates, though Maria moves quite slow. Beat x boss without damage - This applies ONLY to the character you control. You CANNOT take 1 HP/MP of damage to get the BTs. An easy way to do this is on Galaxy where you can do the aformentioned trick above about Fayt. To make this even easier, refine an Aegis Pendant to absorb all elements. Now only a non-element magic attack or AAA can harm you. Beat x boss in Universe - Same as beat x boss, except the task is harder. Take more precautions when fighting a boss. Beat x Universe boss in x minutes - Same as beat x boss in x minutes, except given more time and the task is more harder. Cancel Bonus plays a big role in getting these BTS. Beat x Universe boss without damage - This one is harder as Fayt's 5000 DEF and refined Aegis Pendant will not work for every boss. You can still try the strategy but you will have to make use of Shielding Devices and Roe Tablets. Beat x boss in 4D - This one is going to be a bit frustrating. 4D enemies not only gain an even greater stat boost, but their AI is more smarter and yours aren't. Shielding Devices and Roe Tablets play a role here in ensuring someone survives to keep the battle going. If you think this is hard... Beat x 4D boss in x minutes - ... this one requires even more preparation and stronger characters. The time added will help but the real difficulty is to stay alive in this setting. Cancel Bonus is crucial in order to get these BTs so make sure you know how to get to 300% Cancel Bonus easily. Still, there are worst... Beat x 4D without taking damage - ... as in battling alone. Shielding Devices and Roe Tablets help, but both do not allow you to attack. You will have to be able to act quickly to deal damage then using one of the two items. Be very careful around using weak type attacks, as you may end up triggering enemy AAA and rendered vulnerable to a quick, HP/MP Kill. Best characters are Fayt (for his excellent defensive skills) and Maria.(for long-range attacks) Taunt x boss x times - Easy enough. Just do this whenever you need a damage magnet to maximize effect. Beat x boss only using weak attacks - Only applies to the character you control, everyone else can do whatever they want. NO Battle Skills. You must use weak attacks at least 50 times to get the BT, so weaken ATK if you end up killing the boss before getting the BT. Beat x boss only using strong attacks - Same as above except this time it's strong attacks. Others can do whatever they want. 50 hits are needed to get the BT. Beat x boss only using AAA - This is different from the other 2. ALL must use AAA and ONLY AAA. To do this, set AI to "Do nothing!" and leave it that way. Since AAA damage is directly related to how much it would have done, de-equip armor to speed up the process. Again, 50 hits are needed so make sure you don't end up killing the boss. Wide Homing does 4 hits, so use that to make the task easier. Beat x boss only using Symbology - Same as the weak/strong only BTs. Except this time you need to use only magic. Sophia, Adray, and Fayt/Nel should be in your battle party to make this easier. Also, Meteor Swarm counts as a symbology spell so consider using this devastating spell to your advantage. In addition, since Meteor Swarm hits so many hits, it will be easy to attain the needed 50 hits for the BT. Beat x boss only using Charge - Same as AAA only BTs. This is tougher than AAA as you can only use Charge. Albel's Charge deals plenty of HP damage, while Fayt's Charge deals good MP damage. Again, 50 hits are necessary so it may be necessary to weaken ATK. Beat x boss only using Battle Skills - EASY. Just attack with Battle Skills. Shouldn't be too hard to get these BTs; 50 hits are needed. Beat x boss with Metal Pipe - This requires using Fayt's weakest weapon, the Meta Pipe ONLY. Synthesize as many Orichalcums to boost ATK and use Fayt's strongest Battle Skills. Beat x boss x times - Self explanatory. Good way accumulate EXP and Fol too. 5. THE "UBER-FATE" STRATEGY Okay, if you still have trouble with some of the BTs, I suggest using the "Uber-Fate" strategy. As the name implies, the strategy relies on using Fayt or Fate in the Jp. version to get the BTs. Now why use Fayt? While he seems to be a balanced character, his true strength lies in his incredible defense. For starters, he is the fastest character, allowing him to easily evade attacks. Also, he has the highest DEF stat at level 255, usually past 800. With those two things in mind, synthesize 8 Boots of Prowess. Make sure these are refined to 30% ATK/DEF beforehand. Next, equip 2 more Boots of Prowess, or 1 and a tri-Emblem. At max level, Fayt should have a DEF stat of around 5000 or very close to it. With this in effect, Fayt will not receive damage from even Freya who has the highest enemy ATK. Only Symbology and Anti-Attack Aura will damage him. Next, give him whatever skill you want, but make sure you have No Guard and Common Support Symbols on, only have Healing on and turn the other spells off. Set his AI to "Act in a well-balanced manner!" and switch to someone else and watch him destroy the boss. This strategy is guaranteed to work on Galaxy, and Universe to some extent. However, this will only work on Luther final form and Gabriel Celesta on 4D; every other secret boss has too high ATK for their attacks to deal 0 damage. Hopefully, this will help some of you players. 6. MULTIPLE BATTLE TROPHY CHALLENGES This is only for those who truly want a challenge. Be warned: the challenge may be too much for you to handle! Here are some examples of players doing some of the hardest multi-BT challenges in the game. You may create your own, just remember to e-mail once the challenge has been created and/or finished. Beat Freya, on 4D, without damage, alone, in 60 minutes - contributed by Niu Setup! Maria S.Weak - L.Weak - Magnetic Field(5) S.Strong - L.Strong - Energy Burst(8) Support - Critical Hit MP(2) Tactical - Berserk Anti-Attack Aura - Standard Maria should have around 9000 ATK, 2000 AGL, and a refined Aegis Pendant with all elemental protection and 1% chance of breaking. Now this is how the battle goes. Open the battle immediately with Magnetic Field/Energy Burst combo. Afterward you stand still and let Freya come near you. Don't worry, Fury will fill in time, and she'll almost use Critical Flare every time if you stand waiting at long range. Critical Flare will trigger AAA and get Freya dizzied. Now pull away again and throw the Magnetic Field/Energy Burst combo at her again, then repeat. Stun bomb her when she's charging Thunder Sword and Ether Strike, Maria, no matter how hard you tweak her speed, can run away in time. And conserve bombs here, since this includes Battle Skill only, meaning you can only use bombs that do not do damage. When she's chanting magic, run away from her as far as possible, as sometimes she leaves her spell stance early and pounds you when you are stuck in the spell. (I died a few times this way). But that is also a good time to recharge your HP when she is casting spell as long as you are far away enough. Freya usually throws multiple spells consecutively, so don't try to counter attack too fast. But once she stops, unleash the combo again, no movement trick binds her too even it is a magic attack. The combo will automatically pull you into the range where Freya will want to use Critical Flare. And there is the reason not to use Max Fury, it recharges your Fury too fast that Freya would choose to use Thunder Sword more then Critical Flare, and you so need the Critical Flare to trigger the AAA to stun her. Beat Fayt, on 4D, alone, without damage - contributed by Niu Set up! Maria S.Weak - L.Weak - Magnetic Field(5) S.Strong - L.Strong - Energy Burst(8) Support - Critical Hit MP(2) Tactical - Berserk Anti-Attack Aura - Standard Maria should have around 9000 ATK, 2000 AGL, and Berserker's Pendant. Now here comes the strategy. First prepare yourself with Duck-Duck Bombs, you are going to need a lot of them. Secondly, get a lot of Roe Tablets and Shielding Device, you know those item that allows you to be invincible for 30 seconds but forbids you to attack. The item is very, very crucial, the challenge is almost impossible without it. Since you have two enemy in this fight, you can stun them both with the bombs at same time, so instead you yourself are temporarily invincible to avoid their attacks. And battle begins, first thing to do is to stun Fayt immediately and pull your distance apart with the enemy to use Energy Burst (do not combo with other skill). And find your timing to use the Roe Tablets and Shielding Device. And what to do with the 30 second invincibility is very important, that is when you recharge Fury and heal. Crucial, only recharge Fury under the invincible frame, don't ever stop moving in normal times, as even no movement tricks can only lock one person, but as long as you don't begin an attack and only running around, you still can lock both enemy down, just one of them will break free once you attack. Another use of that 30 second is adjusting the position of Fayt and Luther. When the item wears off, stun them with bombs individually to have one of them to move at time, and adjust their position in to having Luther standing behind around 5 person space behind Fayt. And enough distance between you and Fayt for you pull a long range attack. The reason of this set up is that since one character will break free in attack, and it is always the one who you are not targeted to attack, and Luther's attack animation and speed is much slower than Fayt. So you keep Luther at back and targets Fayt, this let you get a lot more hits then attacking Luther, and Fayt is much easier to MP Kill. Use Energy Burst, don't hit too much, 5 hits only, hitting too long only makes the enemy catch up to you, and make sure Fayt is not stance broken by the attack, as that frees him from the no movement trick. If after the attack, both Fayt and Luther is close together and is before you, use ranged stun bomb on Fayt and must be Fayt, that will have Fayt stunned and cut Luther out of his attack. Don't stun Luther though, as Fayt recovers from the cut a lot faster and can immediately attack again, while Luther is slow to react. If you run into a situation that is the reverse of the above, which is Luther in the front of Fayt and you can adjust it otherwise, you have two options. Use the items again and re-adjust, or attack away on Luther, but don't make Burst Emission deal over two hits, that way you have a chance to dodge Fayt's attack and also make Fayt run in front of you, reversing the position. And repeat the above pattern until Fayt dies. When Luther is alone, he shouldn't be too hard, as no movement trick gets him easy now. And you can now combo Energy Burst with Magnetic Field as now Luther is easily locked. But don't let it hit over 6 or 7 hit, as that'll stance break Luther. And enemy breaks free from the trick once stance broken like I said previously. (It doesn't happen to Freya as Freya lacks ranged attack to resume attack immediately, and unless enemy resumes attack immediately, Energy Burst can catch them on spot. Luther has the privilege of ranged attack unlike Freya.) Oh a side note, the trick on adjusting the position: Once you enter the invincible frame, first thing is run in between Fayt and Luther, making the comes close (best at corner). Then lock them in no movement trick and run to other corner. And now, the two can break off the trick about in 15 seconds, so be sure to stun them, and stun Fayt like I said, as Luther is too slow to react and usually gets caught in no movement trick again. And once you find the invincible frame is about to run out, take a stun bomb and stun Luther, yes Luther, as that frees up Fayt making him run toward you without having Luther coming together with him, and with Fayt coming your way you now will get the position of Luther in the back and Fayt at front. Of course, dodging Fayt's coming attack can be dangerous at time, especially when he uses Side Kick or Air Raid, so your HIT is very important here to help you dodge it, but it is best that your are skilled enough to dodge manually. Beat Fayt, on 4D, alone, without damage - contributed by LegaiaRules(myself) Setup! Fayt S.Weak - L.Weak - S.Strong - Increase MP Damage(4) L.Strong - Divine Blade(8) Support - Max Fury(2) Tactical - Berserk Anti-Attack Aura - Standard Fayt should have around 8000 ATK, 2000 AGL, and plenty of stun bombs. *This method does not use Shielding Device* At the start of the fight, try to quickly AAA one of them. Chances are it will be Fayt since he tends to rush you more often. Once you AAA him, put some distance between you and Fayt. Then, activate Divine Blade. If Luther is close to you, AAA him too. Once you're done, use DB. Now start pounding Fayt and try to deal as much MP damage on him but stop once Fury reaches around 20-30% and move back. Let Fayt come to you and hopefully your Fury should be at 100%, if not, hope Max Fury kicks in. Pay attention to Fayt; if you see purple aura, you should use a stun bomb. If not, let him activate your AAA which renders him temporarily stunned. Luther should be up and running by now. Activate DB again unless Luther's about to attack, then do what I said above or throw a stun bomb at him. Don't be afraid to use stun bombs when either one starts moving again. If you're good, you should by now have taken off around 80K MP from Fayt. Keep this up twice more and take another 70-100K MP from AF. Now w/ Fayt low on MP, they change their strategy. Fayt starts to go Air Raid/Ethereal Blast spamming and Luther will go Insanity Prelude/Perfect Symmetry spamming, both will try to alternate their attacks. Air Raid is quick and has range so quickly stun Fayt. Luther's Perfect Symmetry should be easy enough to dodge, but gets difficult if you let him do it repeatedly. Just make sure you have enough room between you and Fayt. When Fayt does EB, Luther tends to use PM; same when Luther does IP, Fayt will do AR. Ethereal Blast is rather easy to dodge so don't bother interrupting that. Insanity Prelude though is worth a stun bomb or two. Keep moving because these two will spam their favorite attacks a LOT; I've seen them spam their best moves as much as 21 times in a row. And be prepared to AAA or stun bomb when you are too close. Max Fury is your friend here. At some point, expect Ethereal Blast and Insanity Prelude being done at the SAME TIME. If and when this happens, stun Luther and outrun Fayt. While it is possible to dodge the 2 altogether, it's hard to avoid the big blue beam and bloody pillars that cover the whole field. Try to pull off a DB and deal as much MP damage to take down Fayt; it might require a second DB though. It's more beneficial to use some Umai-Bo Stun Bomb-R3s on AF when stunning him to MP Kill him quicker. Once Fayt's out of the way, Luther will fall fairly easily. Insanity Prelude will cause problems if you can't act quick enough, but the remainder of the fight is MUCH easier w/ the speedy, crazy Fayt dead. For their attacks, let AAA take care of their weak ones and stun bomb their strong ones. Side Kick can catch you off-guard so watch out. When attacking, keep a close eye on the one you're not attacking. I've died a lot of times because I forgot that Fayt or Luther sneaked up behind Fayt. 7. CREDITS Thanks to: -GameFAQs obviously -Square Enix and tri-ace for this wonderful game. This FAQ copyright 2004 to Angelo Pineda. Redistrubition in any form, including reprinting in electronic or print media, without express permission of the author is strictly forbidden.