Ninja Gaiden Black Essence FAQ by Yebyosh ( yebyosh_at_hotmail_._com ) Version 1.1 ( 23 March 2006 ) 1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789 ( Please view with courier fonts ) History ------- v1.0 18 Mar 2006 Created this document v1.1 23 Mar 2006 Reorganised Essence Spawn, added in Eternal Legend, added new findings on combos v1.2 29 Mar 2006 Added in more findings. v1.3 06 Jun 2006 Reorganised list, added more findings and corrections. Contents -------- 1. List of Essence Spawn a. Animals b. Ninjas c. Samurais d. Special Assault Team ( SAT ) e. Mechanised Special Assault Team ( MSAT ) f. Vigoorian Infantry g. Mechanised Vigoorian Infantry h. Humanoid Fiends i. Undead Fiends j. Insectoid Fiends k. Reptillian Fiends l. Fish Fiends m. Worms n. Fiend Ryus o. Eternal Legend Bosses 2. Combo Multiplier 3. Q&A 4. Credits 5. Need to Do's 1. List of Essence Spawn ------------------------ First figure is without Armlet of Benediction, second figure is with Armlet of Benediction. An ET ( 1 charge ) kill multiplies the base essence by 3.0. An UT kill ( 2 charges ) kill multiplies it by 7.0. a. Animals Bat Normal Kill 5 / 6 ET Kill 15 / 18 UT Kill 35 / 42 Bat ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 20 / 24 ET Kill 60 / 72 UT Kill 140 / 169 Explosive Bat Normal Kill 20 / 24 ET Kill 60 / 72 UT Kill 140 / 169 Horse Normal Kill 100 / 120 b. Ninjas Brown Ninja ( Lesser ) Normal Kill 50 / 60 ET Kill 150 / 181 UT Kill 350 / 423 White Ninja ( Greater/shadow ) Normal Kill 50 / 60 ET Kill 150 / 181 UT Kill 350 / 423 White Ninja ( Greater/shadow, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Black Ninja ( Spider ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Black Ninja ( Spider, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Purple Ninja ( Vigoorian ) Normal Kill 70 / 84 ET Kill 210 / 254 UT Kill 490 / 592 Purple Ninja ( Vigoorian, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Red Ninja ( Flame ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Demonic Ninja ( Mage ) Normal Kill 90 / 108 ET Kill 270 / 326 UT Kill 630 / 762 c. Samurais Samurai Normal Kill 50 / 60 ET Kill 150 / 181 UT Kill 350 / 423 Samurai ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 80 / 96 ET Kill 240 / 290 UT Kill 560 / 677 Silver Samurai ( Mission Mode ) Normal Kill 550 / 665 ET Kill 1650 / 1996 UT Kill 3850 / 4658 Silver Samurai ( Story Mode ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 d. Special Assault Team ( SAT ) White SAT ( foot soldier) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 White SAT ( foot soldier, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Black SAT ( commander ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Black SAT ( commander, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Purple SAT ( grenadier ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Purple SAT ( grenadier, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 e. Mechanised Special Assault Team ( MSAT ) Blue MSAT ( foot soldier ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Black MSAT ( commander ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Black MSAT ( commander, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Gold MSAT ( grenadier ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 f. Vigoorian Infantry Rocket Vigoorian Infantry ( Heavy ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Rocket Vigoorian Infantry ( Heavy, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 300 / 362 ET Kill 900 / 1088 UT Kill 2100 / 2540 Rifle Vigoorian Infantry Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Rifle Vigoorian Infantry ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 g. Mechanised Vigoorian Infantry Mechanised Rocket Vigoorian Infantry ( Heavy ) Normal Kill 250 / 302 ET Kill 750 / 907 UT Kill 1750 / 2117 Mechanised Rocket Vigoorian Infantry ( Heavy, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 300 / 362 ET Kill 900 / 1088 UT Kill 2100 / 2540 Mechanised Rifle Vigoorian Infantry Normal Kill 250 / 302 ET Kill 750 / 907 UT Kill 1750 / 2117 h. Humanoid Fiends Brown Imp ( Lesser ) Normal Kill 50 / 60 ET Kill 150 / 181 UT Kill 350 / 423 Pink Imp ( Greater ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Armored Imp ( Slider/shadow ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Black Imp ( One-eyed/crab, Mission Mode ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Black Imp ( One-eyed/crab, Story Mode ) Normal Kill 300 / 362 ET Kill 900 / 1088 UT Kill 2100 / 2540 Bast Fiend Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Greater Bast Fiend Normal Kill 400 / 483 ET Kill 1200 / 1451 UT Kill 2800 / 3387 Temple Knight ( Monk/scarlet/scythe/reapers ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Temple Knight ( Monk/scarlet/scythe/reapers, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Soldier Fiend ( Fiend SAT ) Normal Kill 150 / 181 ET Kill 450 / 544 UT Kill 1050 / 1270 Soldier Fiend ( Fiend SAT, Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Ogre Normal Kill 500 / 604 ET Kill 1500 / 1814 UT Kill 3500 / 4234 i. Undead Fiends Archer Ghul Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Archer Ghul ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Melee Ghul Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Axe Ghul ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 Mace Ghul ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Soldier Ghul ( Zombie SAT ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 ET Kill 3000 / 3629 UT Kill 7000 / 8469 j. Reptillian Fiends Galla Normal Kill 200 / 241 ET Kill 600 / 725 UT Kill 1400 / 1693 Gobdekk ( Thorn Gallas, PotMN2 & DotF2 only ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 ET Kill 3000 / 3629 UT Kill 7000 / 8469 k. Insectoid Fiends Bee Fly ( Wasp/cyclops wasps ) Normal Kill 50 / 60 ET Kill 150 / 181 UT Kill 350 / 423 Pill Bug Normal Kill 100 / 120 ET Kill 300 / 362 UT Kill 700 / 846 l. Fish Fiends Ghost Fish Normal Kill 80 / 96 ET Kill 240 / 290 UT Kill 560 / 677 Greater Ghost Fish Normal Kill 160 / 193 ET Kill 480 / 580 UT Kill 1120 / 1355 Armored Shagerus ( Armored Moat Fish ) Normal Kill 2000 / 2419 Shagerus ( Moat Fish ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 m. Worms Thunderbolt Worm Normal Kill 500 / 604 ET Kill 1500 / 1814 UT Kill 3500 / 4234 Fire Worm Normal Kill 700 / 846 ET Kill 2100 / 2540 UT Kill 4900 / 5928 n. Fiend Ryus Fiend Ryu ( BotA5 ) Normal Kill 20000 / 24199 ET Kill 60000 / *7061 UT Kill *8928 / 10802 Fiend Ryu ( Story Mode Dragon Sword ) Normal Kill 5000 / 6049 ET Kill 15000 / 18149 UT Kill 35000 / 42348 Fiend Ryu ( Story Mode Dabilahro ) Normal Kill 8000 / 9679 ET Kill 24000 / 29038 UT Kill 56000 / *2221 Fiend Ryu ( Story Mode Kitetsu ) Normal Kill 10000 / 12099 ET Kill 30000 / 36298 UT Kill *4464 / 5401 Fiend Ryu ( Story Mode Vigoorian Flails) Normal Kill 12000 / 14519 ET Kill 36000 / 43558 UT Kill *18464 / 22340 Fiend Ryu ( Story Mode Unlabored Flawlessness ) Normal Kill 20000 / 24199 ET Kill 60000 / *7061 UT Kill *8928 / 10802 o. Eternal Legend Bosses Masakado ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 1500 / 1814 ET Kill 4500 / 5444 UT Kill 10500 / 12704 Dynamo ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 2000 / 2419 ET Kill 6000 / 7259 UT Kill 14000 / 16939 Hydracubus ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1814 Yotunfrau ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 ET Kill 3000 / 3629 UT Kill 7000 / 8469 Doku ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 ET Kill 3000 / 3629 UT Kill 7000 / 8469 Marbus ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 3000 / 3629 ET Kill 9000 / 10889 UT Kill 21000 / 25408 Nicchae ( Eternal Legend ) Normal Kill 1000 / 1209 ET Kill 3000 / 3629 UT Kill 7000 / 8469 * The essence calculation process uses a 16-bit container ( which means a value of 65535 max ). During calculation of the essences, the intermediate floating figure is stored into this container, and truncates the resultant figure down to the 2 least significant bytes. If wearing an Armlet of Benediction, this figure is then multiplied with 1.20995, and suffers the same fate. Note : In some boss encounters, its minions beside it are considered killed when it ( the boss ) is killed. The minions in this case are considered to have been normally killed for purposes of essence spawning. 2. Combo multiplier ------------------- If your combo counter is at the number of hits as below when you killed someone, a combo multiplier is added in as follows. The modifier is capped at +5.0 which means any combo above 50 hits is practically for show. Number of Hits / Additional Multiplier 20 - 24 / +2.0 25 - 29 / +2.5 30 - 34 / +3.0 35 - 39 / +3.5 40 - 34 / +4.0 45 - 39 / +4.5 >= 50 / +5.0 This multiplier affects the essence from an essence technique kill as well. For example, assuming we kill a temple knight with different techniques and various combos. The non benedicted essences collected would be like the table below. Number of Hits Type of Kill 16 | 33 | 50 Normal x ( 1 + 0 ) = 100 | x ( 1 + 3 ) = 400 | x ( 1 + 5 ) = 600 ET x ( 3 + 0 ) = 300 | x ( 3 + 3 ) = 600 | x ( 3 + 5 ) = 800 UT x ( 7 + 0 ) = 700 | x ( 7 + 3 ) = 1000 | x ( 7 + 5 ) = 1200 3. Q & A -------- Q. How much karma is essence worth in Mission Mode? A. The essence you have at the end on mission completion is multiplied by 2, then multiplied by the mission difficulty. In other words, - Normal : x2 x1.0 = x2 - Hard : x2 x1.5 = x3 - V.Hard : x2 x2.0 = x4 - M.Ninja : x2 x2.5 = x5 Q. Is it worth doing 999 hit combos in Mission Mode to exploit essence and combo score? A. With Fatman67's confirmation of the maximum combo essence modifier, it becomes pointless to execute combos for the aim of score. You can also get better essences through UTs. Furthermore you get higher bonuses from UTs per second than combos. Overall, unless you are going for flair, combos are near worthless in the game. Q. How does the Armlet of Benediction work? A. The Armlet of Benediction increases the essence taken in by 20.995%. This is calculated only when the essence has been taken into Ryu's body. So kill the fiends, put on the Armlet to increase the essence as they come in, then replace it with other Armlets and go back to kill. Note that if you actively absorb yellow essences for UTs ( by holding Y ), the absorbed essences are calculated at 1/5 of their spawned values. The effect of the Armlet is ignored for this method of absorbtion. Q. How is the end of chapter essence score in Story Mode calculated? A. For every chapter's completion ( except chapter 16 ), the essence you have at the beginning of the chapter ( Essence_start_chp ) is subtracted from the essence you have at the end of the chapter ( Essence_end_chp ). This results in the essence for that chapter ( Essence_chp ). i.e. Essence_chp = Essence_end_chp - Essence_start_chp Essence_chp is then simply multiplied by 5 to derive your end of chapter essence bonus. It is capped at 10,000, meaning all you need to get the full full bonus is to get a surplus of 2,000 essence. What this also means is that if you start off a chapter with 98,000 essence or more, you will never receive the full bonus for that chapter. For chapter 16, the calculation is simply based on how much essence you have at the end of game. Again the points for it is capped at 10,000. 4. Credits ---------- - Thank you, Team Ninja for creating the best action game I have played so far. - Thank you, IberianWarrior for hosting many great videos of many great players, as well as the forum for discussion ( http://iberiansninjagaiden.com ). - Thank you, Edge AoM and Captain Tuttle for the karma spawned by Story Mode Fiend Ryus. - Thank you, GameFAQs for hosting this FAQ. - Thank you, Fatman67 for confirming the modifiers for the combos. If you find any mistakes or wish to clarify some data, please contact me over email. Thank you.