===================================================================== Secret of Mana Boss Guide Version 1.0 (Last updated 19 May 2002) by Chris Brennan ===================================================================== ------------ 0. Contents: ------------ 1. The boring but necessary stuff... 1.1 E-Mail info 1.2 Copyright stuff 1.3 Version history 1.31 Future plans 1.4 A little about the game... 1.5 A little about this boss guide... 2. Bosses 3. Strategy notes 4. Credits 5. Copyright and random info again ------------------------------------ 1. The boring but necessary stuff... ------------------------------------ ----------- 1.1 E-Mail: ----------- christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk is my e-mail address for everything to do with my FAQs. I usually check my e-mail every other day at least, unless I'm overly busy. During holidays though (Easter, Xmas, Summer) I don't always have Net access, so don't be surprised if you don't get a reply for a while at these times. Any recommendations, praise, (constructive) criticism, and corrections to this boss guide are welcome. -------------------- 1.2 Copyright stuff: -------------------- This work is Copyright 2001/2002 Chris Brennan (christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk). It is for personal use only, and may not be reproduced without the author's permission (if for some warped reason you do want to put this on your site, e-mail me with details). And kiddies, plagiarism is baaaaad, so don't do it... ;) -------------------- 1.3 Version history: -------------------- 1.0 (19 May 2002) - Originally intended as a full FAQ/Walkthrough, this has now become a more detailed boss guide. Added boss info to boss strategies, which were already in place. Added some more detail to soime bosss strategies. ------------------ 1.31 Future plans: ------------------ By the next update (v1.0) I should have... - Haven't got a clue what I'm going to add/change if anything. Any suggestions are welcome... :) ------------------------------ 1.4 A little about the game... ------------------------------ Ahhh, old school SNES RPGs... aren't they great? And Secret of Mana (henceforth SoM) was, and indeed still is one of the best. An action-orientated RPG along the same lines as the equally wonderful Zelda games, SoM is one of those games that I can keep playing through without getting bored. My play through the game while writing this walkthrough was about my 8th time through the game (albeit spread out over 5 years or so...), so I can vouch for its replay value. The plot is good, if a little unoriginal, and it has a great multiplayer option, a rarity in SNES RPGs. Whether you’re playing SoM for the first time (where have you been?), or the tenth, this guide is here to make sure you don’t run into trouble. ------------------------------------- 1.5 A little about this boss guide... ------------------------------------- The guide will obviously contain spoilers, so read ahead at your peril! I'd advise you only to use it if you're having big troubles with a certain boss, that way you can be sure nothing is being spoiled. I'll assume you're playing single-player, although nothing really changes in multi-player except you will have a (hopefully) more intelligent ally than the computer, who seems to like trying to get killed. ---------- 2. Bosses: ---------- ---------------- Boss: Mantis Ant ---------------- Location: Underneath Potos HP: 150 MP: 10 Weak against: None Yawn... he's really easy. If you levelled up to level 3 or 4 and equipped the bandanna you'll be able to block most of his attacks. Just hit him a few times with your level 1 sword attack and he'll die, simple. Even if you do somehow manage to die yourself you'll be revived anyway, so there's no need to panic. For defeating the Ant you'll receive a Sword's Orb, which can be used to improve your sword later on. ----------------- Boss: Tropicallo: ----------------- Location: Dwarf Village HP: 315 MP: 0 Weak against: None Easy. He pops up in one of three places, just hit him when he does and he'll disappear again, only to pop up in one of the three places again for more punishment. Ignore the two Bramblers, they can revive if you kill them, and concentrate on Tropicallo. Use the time while he is buried to charge up your level 1 sword/spear attack, then let him have it when he reappears. The pumpkin bombs he fires out do little damage, so don't worry too much about them. He should bite the dust after a couple of minutes. Your reward for defeating it is a Spear's Orb. ------------------- Boss: Spikey Tiger: ------------------- Location: Elinee's Castle HP: 520 MP: 21 Weak against: None He can be surprisingly difficult for a boss at this early stage in the game. Be careful and keep your distance whenever possible. It may be a wise idea to equip yourself with a ranged weapon here to make things easier. His rolling attack (whether it be the ground or air attack) can knock you unconscious, so beware. When he jumps up, just run towards the furthest corner of the area. Hit him, then move away, as he counters almost always after being hit. If the girl and/or Sprite die (which is quite likely) don't bother reviving them unless you really feel the need to. When he jumps up to one of the higher areas, either equip the bow and continue hitting him (it's the only weapon that you can attack him with while he's up there) or use the time to charge your sword/spear attacks up (you should have at least one of them at level 2 by now). Spikey can cast Fire Bouquet and use Fire Breath (which is nasty) while he's up there. Be sure to heal once you get reduced to 40 HP or so. He shouldn't take long to kill, and the quicker the better as far as you're concerned. Once done, a Boomerang's Orb is your reward. ---------------------------- Boss: Tonpole/Biting Lizard: ---------------------------- Location: Undine's Cave HP: Tonpole 600, Biting Lizard 770, 1370 combined MP: Tonpole 0, Biting Lizard 6 Weak against: Fire (Salamando) The Tonpole is easy - imagine a Rabite but with a lot more HP. Just keep attacking and soon the Tonpole will morph into a Biting Lizard. He doesn't look all that tough, and, well he isn't really. The key here is to attack him from a diagonal position so he can't eat you. What I mean is, get yourself into a position where he is diagonal to you, then move in, attack, and move out again. Using the whip or boomerang might make this fight a little easier too. If you are unfortunate enough to get eaten, switch characters (press Select) and hit him quickly to limit the damage done. Once you've dealt enough damage, he'll start casting Cure Water on himself - don't panic, just keep pummelling him and he'll give up the ghost eventually. If the girl or sprite die there's no real need to revive them - you can win the battle on your own easily enough. A Glove's Orb is your reward for disposing of the Lizard. ----------------- Boss: Fire Gigas: ----------------- Location: Underground Palace HP: 850 MP: 66 Weak against: Ice (Undine) His weakness, unsurprisingly is Ice. Have the girl cast Ice Saber on the hero, and keep the sprite busy casting Freeze. When he morphs into a lot of small fireball-like things, that's the time to charge up your sword attack and heal if necessary (you can't target him with melee or magic when he is in this form). When he resumes his initial form, continue to attack him. He casts Exploder on all party members which is nothing to fear (~30 HP of damage each). You should be able to kill him fairly quickly, and you get an Axe's Orb for doing so. ---------------- Boss: Evil Wall: ---------------- Location: Pandora Ruins HP: "Face" 300, "Eyes" 300 each, 900 combined MP: "Face" 99, "Eyes" 0 Weak against: Earth (Gnome) This boss can be annoying if you don't keep a relentless attack going. Go for the eyes first, the "face" keeps casting Cure Water on itself anyway. Keep hitting them with level 2 sword attacks, and try and conserve your magic for now. When the eyes "die", they can be revived, but with very few HP and so a couple of level 2 sword attacks should be enough to see them off again. The face mainly attacks with Freeze and the eyes use beam attacks which are quite easy to dodge. Once both eyes are gone, the wall will start to move. Errr, better kill it quickly then, don't you think? Those spikes suddenly look a little bit threatening... This is why you've (hopefully) been conserving your magic thus far. Cast Stone Saber on the hero, and keep pummelling it with Gem Missile and level 1/2 sword attacks. You should kill him with plenty of time to spare. A Bow's Orb is your reward. ------------- Boss: Kilroy: ------------- Location: Underneath Dwarf Village HP: 900 MP: 18 Weak against: None He is easy. Hit him with level 2 sword attacks and have the Sprite keep casting either Gem Missile or Freeze, depending on which is at the higher level. If they're both at the same level, Freeze works a little better. Let the girl cast Ice or Stone Saber on you if you want, but it's not necessary - the fight's easy enough without it. After a while he'll start moving a little faster courtesy of a wheel that just seems to appear below him. Just keep attacking him in the same way and he'll soon become scrap metal. His hammers can turn you into Moogles (kupo!) and he can cast Lunar Boost on himself (attack up, defense down). You get a Javelin's Orb for killing him. ------------------ Boss: Jabberwocky: ------------------ Location: Water Palace HP: 950 MP: 90 Weak against: Earth (Gnome) Keep moving when you're not attacking - that way it's heads can't get at you as easily. The Sprite should be busy casting Gem Missile and/or Earth Slide, and have the girl cast Stone Saber on the hero and heal when necessary. The hero should be using level 3 sword attacks (charge them while the Sprite is casting magic, then release them a few seconds after the spell hits). The boss' melee attacks can knock you unconscious, he can use poison gas (no great threat) and he can cast Acid Storm on your party (~55 damage each and defense down, nasty). When one of it's heads disappears you know he's close to death, so keep up the pressure. A Bow's Orb is your reward for killing him. ------------------ Boss: Spring Beak: ------------------ Location: Upper Land HP: 950 MP: 90 Weak against: Earth (Gnome) Quite easy. He is hard to hit with physical attacks and very mobile, so don't bother trying to hit him with your weapon. He can easily damage you if you get too close too, so keep away as best as you can. Magic is your sole damage dealer here. Have the Sprite continually casting Gem Missile, and the boss will fall shortly. 5 castings of level 2 Gem Missile will kill him. He can cast Thunderbolt (~50 damage each), but he shouldn't get the chance to. You'll receive a Boomerang's Orb upon its defeat. ------------------ Boss: Great Viper: ------------------ Location: Cave near Matango HP: 1330 MP: 8 Weak against: Air (Sylphid) Use either Air Blast or Thunderbolt continually. Attack quickly with your sword when he stays still, using Thunder Saber, but be wary that he can pygmise you if you get too close (shrink you, meaning you do practically no damage and take more damage when hit. Use Remedy or Med Herbs to restore normal status if this happens). When he disappears, use the time to heal if necessary. If you have Sylphid at level 2 this should be an easy battle. You get a Sword's Orb, and an exit opens up to the north, so go through it. ------------------ Boss: Boreal Face: ------------------ Location: Ice Country HP: 1100 MP: 12 Weak against: Immune to magic Remember Tropicallo? This guy is basically a souped-up version of him. Magic is ineffective here, so just use charge-up attacks on him (charge up when he disappears, hit him when he fully re-emerges). He'll emerge in one of the 4 corners of the area when he burrows underground, so just wait for him. His attacks are pretty weak and shouldn't cause you too much bother. He can cast burst however, which is quite nasty (you'll know its coming when he dances about for a few seconds instead of spitting the pumpkin bomb he normally does). As soon as he's cast it on you, get the girl to cast Cure Water on all of you to recover. He takes a while to kill, but should pose no great threat to your health. If the girl and/or Sprite die (it's easily possible if you aren't careful), don't bother reviving them - you can win the battle on your own. You get a Bow's Orb for killing Tropicallo Version 2... --------------------------------- Boss: Tonpole/Biting Lizard (x3): --------------------------------- Location: Ice Palace HP: Tonpoles; 600 each, Biting Lizards; 770 each. MP: Tonpoles; 0, Biting Lizards; 6 each. Weak against: Fire (Salamando) Very, very easy, depsite their deceptively high HP. Just focus standard attacks on one at a time and when the Tonpole you're focusing on morphs into a Biting Lizard, hit it with a couple of Fireballs and keep up your melee attacks, but take care not to be swallowed (approach the Biting Lizard from a diagonal direction). If any of your party are swallowed, switch character quickly if necessary and hit the Lizard to release your character. They can cast Cure Water, but you'll be damaging them at a far faster rate than the rate at which they're healing themselves, and they have very little MP anyway. Once one of them is dead, repeat this whole process for the other two, and you'll be victorious very shortly. ------------------ Boss: Frost Gigas: ------------------ Location: Ice Palace HP: 1140 MP: 99 Weak against: Fire (Slalmando) Easy. Hit him with your charge-up sword attack, and have the Sprite cast Exploder or Fireball on him continually. If he casts Ice Saber on you, counter with Flame Saber, and keep attacking and curing when/if necessary. When he morphs into lots of little pieces, that's the best time to cure if you need to and charge up your sword attack. He casts Acid Rain a lot, which does surprisingly little damage as well as his standard melee attack and his Freeze Breath, which is his one annoying attack (it freezes you and does decent damage, use Remedy or a Medical Herb to restore condition). He should fall quite quickly though if you have level 1-2 Salamando for the Sprite. You'll receive a Boomerang's Orb for defeating him. ----------------- Boss: Mech Rider: ----------------- Location: Near the Sandship HP: 980 MP: 18 Weak against: None He looks pretty cool, but that's about as good as it gets as far as he's concerned. Use your highest level attacking magic on him (almost certainly Gnome or Undine) as well as charge up sword attacks when you get the chance. He'll cast Speed Up on himself, which has very little noticeable effect, and fire missiles at you, as well as speeding into you. His attacks are weak though, and you should get through the fight without having to heal - it really is that easy. After you've done enough damage, he'll run off, leaving you with a Whip's Orb as a little pressie (how kind of him!). --------------- Boss: Minotaur: --------------- Location: Fire Palace HP: 1200 MP: 99 Weak against: Air (Sylphid) His weakness is Sylphid, so cast Air Blast and/or Thunderbolt and he'll die quickly. He's easy to beat, although he casts Earth Slide on you for quite a lot of damage, so be ready to cure quickly if he does. He'll turn a reddish colour and speed up a little when he's near death. You get a Javelin's Orb for beating him. ------------------ Boss: Doom's Wall: ------------------ Location: Northtown Ruins HP: 1180 MP: 99 Weak against: Light (Lumina) He looks just like Evil Wall (the boss you fought in the Ruins by Pandora), but he attacks quite differently. Your strategy however should be exactly the same as it was before. Attack the eyes first with charge-up attacks, and maybe a little magic if you're struggling then use your highest-level magic on the "Face" (probably Freeze or Gem Missile). The Face can revive the eyes, but they'll have little HP and be easy to re-kill The Wall's attacks are generally nothing to concern you, although it can cast mid-level Thunderbolt and Energy Absorb for decent damage. The Face also uses a move called Cave-In which is somewhat annoying - be ready to heal. Unlike Evil Wall, Doom's Wall doesn't move once the eyes are dead, so there's not much of a rush to kill it. A Whip's Orb is your reward for destroying the Wall. -------------- Boss: Vampire: -------------- Location: Northtown Ruins HP: 2250 MP: 99 Weak against: Light (Lumina) He'll jump around a lot - be sure to chip in with attacks when he's on the ground, and keep on the move while he's airborne. Just keep casting any high-level magic on him (his weakness is Lumina, and you don't have Lumina yet..) and he'll soon die. If he sends the hero to sleep, just switch characters and keep casting. He'll use some mid-level magic, mainly Undine, but it shouldn't be anything to worry about. You get a Boomerang's Orb for killing him. ------------------- Boss: Metal Mantis: ------------------- Location: Northtown Castle HP: 1220 MP: 40 Weak against: None, but he's still a wuss ;) Oh dear. He is pathetically easy - don't waste your magic, just hit him with level 1-2 charge up attacks and he'll die quickly. His one relatively damaging attack, Fire Beam, is perhaps the easiest attack to dodge in the game. If it does hit you and you get engulfed, just use Remedy to restore status. If you must use magic, just cast a few higher-level spells (he has no spell weaknesses or strengths) and he'll be toast soon enough. You get a Glove's Orb for defeating him. -------------------- Boss: Mech Rider II: -------------------- Location: Northtown Castle HP: 1258 MP: 30 Weak against: None He's quite quick and you're in a very small area, so attack quickly. Just have the Sprite reel off a few Gem Missiles or Freezes at a time, and hit him with your sword (don't bother charging past level 1) if you get the chance. He'll attack you with his charging attack (which can knock you unconscious) as well as missiles, but you should kill him quickly enough so that you don't have to heal more than once or twice at most. Once you've dealt enough damage he'll run off again, leaving a Javelin's Orb behind. ----------------- Boss: Lime Slime: ----------------- Location: Palace of Darkness HP: 5000 MP: 99 Weak against: Dark (Shade) A lot of people seem to make a lot of fuss about how hard this guy is, but I really don't think he's that difficult. The main difficulty lies in the fact that you have very little room for maneuver, and some of his attacks are annoying. Just be ready to heal at a moment's notice and if anyone dies, revive them immediately. Magic isn't all that useful, as the boss has no magical weaknesses (except Shade, which you don't have yet..), so you'll be relying heavily on charge-up attacks. You can try casting a few Gem Missiles/ Freezes at a time for moderate damage if you want, but the battle is possible (and probably quicker) to win without magic. Having your allies set agressively (top-left) on the action grid with charge-up attacks set to level 4 or so will help too, as will having Speed Up cast on all of you. He can cast Dispel Magic, which is little to worry about as the Sprite's magic isn't needed and curing can be done with items if necessary. He attacks mainly with blobs of slime that he fires at you, but also has a few spells, albeit weak ones at his disposal. He just attacks very relentlessly and can freeze/engulf you when he turns blue/green, so keep an eye on your HP and use Cure Water/Remedy as needed. He gets smaller as you damage him, so this is a good indicator of how damaged he is (it saves you using Analyzer, anyway... :P). ----------------- Boss: Blue Spike: ----------------- Location: Gold Tower HP: 1980 MP: 99 Weak against: None Remember Spikey Tiger? This guy's just a more powerful version of him, but he's actually easier to beat than Spikey because now you have magic and the area you're in is less enclosed here. Just have the Sprite fire away with any high-level magic (Freeze seems to work best for me..) and hit him with low-level charge attacks, simple. When he goes up onto one of the ledges, just equip the bow and keep attacking. He'll use a few different attacks but none of them are very life-threatening, just keep one eye on your HP and be ready to heal if the need arises. The first time you "kill" him he'll come back to life, but with few HP, and should be easy to finish off for good. You'll receive a Boomerang's Orb for killing him. ------------------ Boss: Gorgon Bull: ------------------ Location: Gold Tower HP: 2470 MP: 99 Weak against: Air (Sylphid) Incredibly easy. Cast Thunder Saber on the boy, then have the Sprite cast Thunderbolt continually, steling a hit with your sword every now and then if you want. He has fairly damaging spells and a nasty charge attack, but if you act quickly you need never see them. You get a Bow's Orb for killing it. ---------------------------- Pathetic Boss: Dark Stalker: ---------------------------- Location: Tasnica HP: 510 MP: 60 Weak against: Light (Lumina) Just hit him a few times and he's dead. I didn't put the word pathetic there for no reason, you know... :) -------------------------------------- Boss: Shadow X1, Shadow X2, Shadow X3: -------------------------------------- Location: Cave on top of the Lofty Mountains HP: X1; 999, X2 and X3; 800 each MP: 0 Weak against: None As long as you're level 42 or so, this is pretty easy. Don't bother with any offensive magic, as it is ineffective here. Instead, use Moon Enrgy on the boy, and hit them with charge-up attacks (normal attacks seem to be ineffective). You may want to use Lucid Barrier too for extra protection. Concentrate your attacks on one of them at a time (use the Targeting menu), and they should be gone before long. They don't use magic, only physical attacks, but if you get trapped you will probably die, so keep moving at all times. Heal if/when necessary. ------------------- Boss: Aegagropilon: ------------------- Location: Mana Palace HP: 3016 MP: 99 Weak against: None Don't be fooled by that cute name - this guy is quite nasty. He'll use Dryad's magic often (Wall, Sleep Flower, Burst) and his physical attacks pack a punch too. I'd suggest not using offensive magic, as if he casts Wall at the wrong moment it can *really* screw you over. Also, don't let him trap you in a corner, as if you do you may as well just reset. The best strategy to use is to cast Moon Saber on everyone, then Moon Energy on the hero, and melee away - use standard attacks, charge-ups leave you too vulnerable here. Keep recasting them as necessary, and healing too. If he uses Sleep Flower, counter immediately with Remedy or a Medical Herb - he has a nasty habit of double-casting Burst on sleeping characters, and a sleeping character hinders your mobility too - which is really important here. If the character you're controlling is sent to sleep, press select to switch character, then cure. Heal if any character's HP drops under 100 (it shouldn't though if you're using Moon Saber..). He doesn't seem to have that many HP, so you should be able to dismiss of him quite quickly. You gat a Spear's Orb as your reward. ------------ Boss: Hydra: ------------ Location: Mana Palace HP: 3382 MP: 99 Weak against: Fire (Salamando) Pretty easy, especially if you have the Sprite's Salamando at level 3 or above. Cast Flame Saber on the boy, and keep casting Fireball on the Hydra while using charge-up attacks in-between castings. His attacks are generally weak, he mainly uses Undine but has a nasty mone called Fire Breath which can engulf you in flames (stopping movement and spell-casting). Just use Remedy or a medical herb to counter if this happens. You only need to heal if your HP drops into double figures. One of the Hydra's heads keeps disappearing and reappearing as you damage it, just ignore that (just because the head reappears doesn't mean the Hydra is healing..). You'll get a Whip's Orb for beating him. ----------------- Boss: Kettle Kin: ----------------- Location: Mana Palace HP: 1230 MP: 33 Weak against: None Pretty simple. If you feel daring, try casting Moon Energy on the boy, then Lucid Barrier and meleeing him, but otherwise I'd just keep your distance and use any of your high-level magic (Freeze and Gem Missile work well), as his melee attack where he spins around and clobbers you all is pretty nasty and Lucid Barrier won't last long. If he casts LucidBarrier on himself, of course it would make sense to scrap any melee you're attempting and just use magic to finish him off. As before, when he's near death a wheel appears below him and he speeds up, but you should be able to kill him quickly enough from here to make sure that isn't a threat. He has few HP, so the battle will be over quickly, and you'll get a Bow's Orb for killing him. ------------------ Boss: Snap Dragon: ------------------ Location: Grand Palace HP: 1215 MP: 6 Weak against: Fire (Salamando) I don't really know why I classified him as a boss - I guess it nust have been that groovy boss music... Anyway he's easy, just cast Fireball/Exploder a few times in succession and he's as good as dead. I don't really know if he has any other attacksbesides the "eat you" attack, because I didn't even let him get a chance to try. He should die in seconds... literally, and you get a Javelin's Orb for killing him. ------------ Boss: Hexas: ------------ Location: Grand Palace HP: 3465 MP: 69 Weak against: None She has a few attacks which are best described as annoying. Pygmus Glare pygmises (shrinks) one of your characters - use the Midge Mallet immediately if you have it - otherwise cast Remedy or use a Medical Herb. Dispel Magic cancels one of your characters spellcasting abilities for a while. Anyway, to beat her cast Moon Energy straight away on the Boy, and have the Sprite busy casting Salamando (Fireball and/or Exploder), although maybe Gem Missile would be better if you have it at a higher level. Your main source of damage here is the Boy, keep using low-level (I recommend level 3) charge up attacks and with Moon Energy you can do up to 600+ damage per level 3 charge-up hit. Just keep at it, she takes a while to kill, but if you keep using the Midge Mallet, recasting Moon Energy and healing when needed you shouldn't even come close to dying. Like I said, she's more annoying than deadly. You'll get a Whip's Orb for defeating her. ----------------- Boss: Mech Rider: ----------------- Location: Grand Palace HP: 4327 MP: 38 Weak against: None He can and will cast Wall on himself, so it would probably be a good idea to use offensive magic sparingly here, although try and hit him with a few Gem Missiles/Fireballs before he first casts Wall. You should, cast Moon Energy as usual, thenjust attack him with standard attacks - he's too quick to make charge-ups effective. He'll occasionally be stupid and try to cast Speed Up on himself while his Wall is still on, thus giving you a nice little boost. If you notice he is able to cast Speed Up on himself, then fire off a few more spells in his direction, or alternatively you could use a low MP cost spell like Analyzer to test to see if his Wall is still active, but I suggest you don't bother and just keep attacking him with weapons instead. He can knock you unconscious when he speeds across the screen, so be careful and heal quickly. It may take a while, but he should die with little trouble. A Spear's Or is your reward. ------------------ Boss: Dragon Worm: ------------------ Location: Pure Land HP: 3525 MP: 99 Weak against: Air (Sylphid) Have the Girl cast Moon energy and Thunder Saber on the hero, and have the Sprite casting Air Blast or Thunderbolt. He mainly uses Earth spells, Earth Slide being the most damaging, although he can petrify and pygmize you with his attacks, so be ready to cast Remedy or use the Midge Mallet at a moment's notice. When he disappears off the screen, that's the best time to cure and recover status, as well as recasting Moon Energy and Thunder Saber if you wish to or need to. Try to keep your meleeing to a minimum though, and don't use charge-ups, as the DragonWorm can hurt if you let him get too close. Once he is defeated you get an axe's Orb and can exit the area to the north. ------------------ Boss: Snow Dragon: ------------------ Location: Pure Land HP: 2800 MP: 99 Weak against: Fire (Salamando) As usual, you can use Moon Energy if you wish, along with Flame Saber, but you may just find it easier to sit back and have the Sprite continually cast Fireball. He of course uses Ice magic mainly, and has a pretty decent melee tail attack. Just keep your distance and cast away, then when he disappears from the screen is a good time to heal up if you need to. You'll get a Bow's Orb for defeating the Snow Dragon. --------------- Boss: Axe Beak: --------------- Location: Pure Land HP: 2800 MP: 99 Weak against: Ice (Undine) You could try attacking him with the bow if you want, but I'd recommend you throw melee out of the window altogether in this fight. He is a fire-based boss, so of course you'll be wanting to use Undine against him, Freeze more specifically. Stay clear of him and you'll avoid the worst of his attacks - the fight is rather easy though. When you beat him you'll get a Javelin's Orb. ----------------- Boss: Red Dragon: ----------------- Location: Pure Land HP: 3000 MP: 99 Weak against: Ice (Undine) Basically just look above at the strategy for Axe Beak, as the same applies here, although the Red Dragon has some nastier spells (prepare to be burned, make sure you're ready to cast Cure Water once your HP gets under 200 or so), and you may need to use Remedy too. If you wish you can use melee here - it's a little more effective here than against Axe Beak, just use Moon Energy/Ice Saber on the hero and try low-level charge-up attacks. For defeating him you will receive a Glove's Orb. -------------------- Boss: Thunder Gigas: -------------------- Location: Pure Land HP: 4462 MP: 99 Weak against: Earth (Gnome) He's offensively quite dangerous, so you'll want to kill him quickly. Cast Stone Saber and moon Energy on the hero and use low-level charged attacks when you get the opportunity, and have the Sprite chain together a few Gem Missiles at a time. You may need to cure a few times - the bast time to do so is when he "splits" into small orbs - he can't attack you then. Defeat him and get a Sword's Orb. ------------------ Boss: Blue Dragon: ------------------ Location: Pure Land HP: 3200 MP: 99 Weak against: Earth (Gnome) You need to use essentially the same strategy mentioned above for the Thunder Gigas, although this time melee is less effective, so you may just want to stick to reeling off a few Gem Missiles at a time and curing when necessary, ideally when the dragon flies off screen. He is slightly weaker offensively than the Thunder Gigas, so this fight should be relatively easy. Upon his defeat you will recieve a Boomerang's Orb. ------------ Boss: Buffy: ------------ Location: Mana Fortress HP: 4200 MP: 99 Weak against: Light (Lumina) No, not the vampire slayer, but... err... a vampire, much like the one you faced in the Northtown Ruins. Use Light Saber and Moon Energy on the hero, coupled with low-level charged attacks, and also have the girl cast Lucent Beam for huge damage. He will most likely use Wall at some point or other, in which case you can use Dispel Magic if you have it at a high enough level, you can keep casting a low-MP spell like Analyzer, where it doesn't matter if it reflects to you until the Wall is removed, or (probably best) you can just stick to meleeing him with Light Saber and Moon Energy. Set your allies to offensive on the action grid and use Moon Energy on them too if you wish - it can make this fight a little shorter, if riskier. Once he is defeated, you will receive..... nothing. Damn. Oh well. ------------------ Boss: Dread Slime: ------------------ Location: Mana Fortress HP: 5000 MP: 99 Weak against: Dark (Shade) Okay, this guy is annoying. Very annoying. He will attack very quickly and relentlessly with big blobs of slime, so be quick to cure if needed - try not to let your HPs drop lower than 200 or you may well end up dead before you know it. He has a few nasty spells too - the threat of which can be neutralized by casting Wall on all characters. Melee doesn't work too well here, although a Moon Energy/High-level charged attack combination can work quite well if you're willing to take a risk. The best way to kill him is have the Sprite reel off Dark Force spells - Dread Slime is weak against Shade. If you've raised Shade to level 6 or above you should be okay. One thing to note with Dread Slime is as he takes damage he increases in size, until he fills the whole screen. His size is a decent indicator of how close to death he is (well, it saves you from using Analyzer anyway... :P). ---------------- Boss: Dark Lich: ---------------- Location: Mana Fortress HP: 6666 MP: 99 Weak against: Light (Lumina) This is one of those "Turn the volume up!" moments, the music here is great! Unfortunately, the boss is annoying, and will take quite a while to kill. Don't bother with melee here, even with Moon Energy and Light Saber your weapons do no significant damage to him. Instead, cast Wall on yourselves to protect from some of his spells, then go on the offensive. Lucent Beam and Fireball seem to work best, althoguh you might want to use other Sprite magic if your Salamando is at a low level (it shouldn't be though..). His beam attacks are easily avoidable, and his spells will be reflected by Wall, leaving him with little in the way of offense, so just keep whittling away at him with spells of your own. Eventually, he will bite the dust. ----------------------- FINAL Boss: Mana Beast: ----------------------- Location: Outside the Mana Fortress HP: 9999 MP: 99 Weak against: Light (Lumina) He has 2 main attacks - he will swirl around in a pretty spiral shape and crash into you or he will just forget about the fancy stuff and charge straight at you. At regular intervals, he will fly slowly past you, this is when you have the girl and Sprite *both* cast Mana Magic on the Hero, and smack the Beast into oblivion. Don't bother with any offensive spells, they do no damage at all - even at level 8, just concentrate on hitting him with the Mana Sword when you get the chance. Also, when he charges at you, if you cast Cure Water or a similar spell (defensive, affecting whole party) a few seconds before impact, you can avoid taking any damage at all! This takes some practice to time though, and it's a little cheesy, so try not to use it... ;) Once the Beast dies, you can sit back, relax, and watch the groovy ending. Congratulations! You've just beaten one of the best RPGs of all time! ------------------ 3. Strategy Notes: ------------------ - The Action Grid and weapon selection. If you're playing single-player, put your non-player characters in the lower-left corner of the action grid and equip him/her with a ranged weapon (bow, boomerang, javelin, whip). This provides generally the best balance between offense and defense. I normally use the following weapon setup... Hero - Specialise in Sword and Spear Girl - Specialise in Whip and Javelin Sprite - Specialise in Bow and Boomerang If you're playing with friends, then that setup is definitely changeable, but I think it makes the best usage of your 2 computer allies in single-player games. Finally, feel free to experiment with the level of charge-up attack your computer allies use (select it on the action grid screen). - Continuous casting. With many offensive spells it is possible to continually cast them at enemies (bosses) while not giving the enemy a chance to respond. Cast the spell, then as soon as the spirit (Gnome, Undine or whoever) disappears, cast the spell again. If you've done it right, the two spells should hit one after the other, and you can repeat the process to pull off many casts in a row. Damage done by continuous casts can never exceed 999 though (the damage of continuous casts is registered only after the spells have stopped hitting, so they're damage is added up), so don't keep casting for too long! This trick loses effectiveness later in the game, where spells damage on their own gets close to 999 anyway... - Levelling. If you find you're having trouble with a boss or in a certain area and even this great guide isn't helping you, go back to a previous area and try and gain a couple of levels. It's amazing how much easier being a couple of levels higher can make an area (I found this to be especially true with the Pure Land). - You can escape taking damage from a spell cast on you by simply exiting the area you are in before the spell hits you. Of course, this doesn't work against bosses though... :( ----------- 4. Credits: ----------- Thanks go out to (in no particular order...) - Square - For making this and many other great games, of course! - Dallas Scott and AstroBlue - For their great FAQ writing guide. Go see it at www.dallasmac.com/faqwarp/ - it's a must for any prospective FAQ writers who want to know how to get started. - CJayC (www.gamefaqs.com webmaster) - For making probably the best game resource site out there and hopefully putting this guide up. - Entity (www,neoseeker.com webmaster) - For putting this guide up too. - Dave J - I still remember our 30-hour SoM marathon all those years ago.. :) ------------------------------------ 5. Copyright and random info again: ------------------------------------ This work is Copyright © 2001/2002 Chris Brennan (christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk). It is for personal use only, and may not be reproduced without the author's permission, and if for some warped reason you do want to put this on your site, you must e-mail me first and get my permission! And everyone, plagiarism is baaaaad, so don't do it or nasty things will happen... The following sites have permission to use this FAQ: www.gamefaqs.com www.neoseeker.com The latest version of this guide can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com. Contact me via e-mail (christojb2001@yahoo.co.uk) or AIM (Darksyde XVIII) if you have any questions/suggestions/comments. _,.~'End of Document'~.,_