========================================================================= ********** PHANTASY STAR ONLINE EPISODES I & II: FAQ/WALKTHRU *********** ========================================================================= Gamecube Online RPG; released 2003 UK FAQ/WALKTHRU (Version 1.0) 25/07/2003 Author - falsehead (Sophie Cheshire). Contact me at falsehead@aol.com Copyright stuff; this is (c) Sophie Cheshire. If you wish to use this FAQ on your website, feel free to do so under the following conditions. a) You email me first and let me know where it will be appearing and b) you do not alter the content in anyway (if you need to change the formatting slightly for display purposes that's OK). This guide may NOT be used as part of a restricted Pay-to-Enter website or in print unless you are prepared to pay me for its inclusion. If I find out that any part of this FAQ has been lifted and used without credit to me, especially if you use it to earn money, then I will be annoyed. I didn't type all this up for the good of my health you know. ======================================================================== ********************************* CONTENTS ***************************** ======================================================================== 1) INTRODUCTION/REVISION HISTORY 2) THE BASICS a) Creating a Character b) Character Types c) Section ID/Section ID calculator d) Game Basics 3) GAME WALKTHRU - EPISODE ONE a) FOREST i) Hunters Guild Quests ii) Defeating the Dragon/Sil Dragon b) CAVES i) Hunters Guild Quests ii) Defeating Del Rol Le c) MINES i) Hunters Guild Quests ii) Defeating Vol Opt d) RUINS i) Hunters Guild Quests ii) Defeating Dark Falz 4) GAME WALKTHRU - EPISODE TWO a) VR TEMPLE i) General Strategy ii) Defeating Barba Ray b) VR SPACESHIP i) General Strategy ii) Defeating Gol Dragon c) CENTRAL CONTROL AREA i) Beach ii) Jungle iii) Mountain iv) Defeating Gal Gryphon d) SEABED i) Upper Level and Lower Levels ii) Seabed Boss - Olga Flow 5) BATTLE MODE a) The Rules b) Basic Info c) Strategy - Hunter - Ranger - Force 6) CHALLENGE MODE a) Stages b) Strategy c) Rankings and Prizes 7) MAGS a) Normal Mag Types b) Raising Mags/Photon Blasts c) Special Mags and Mag Cells d) Mag Abilities Chart 8) WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT a) Weapons b) Shields c) Armour d) Armour Slot Items e) Weapons Side Quests f) Amplifiers, Barriers and Merges g) Photon Drops 9) TECHNIQUES a) Simple b) Normal c) Hard d) Healing e) Support 10) ENEMY LIST a) Forest b) Caves c) Mines d) Ruins e) VR Temple f) VR Spaceship g) Central Control Area h) Seabed i) Rare Creatures 11) ULTIMATE MODE STRATEGIES a) General Strategies b) Force c) Ranger d) Hunter 12) FAQ a) General FAQ b) Dreamcast Veterans FAQ 13) THE STORY OF PHANTASY STAR ONLINE a) Episode 1 - Messages from Rico b) Episode 2 - Conversations with Elly ========================================================================= *************************** 1) INTRODUCTION ***************************** ========================================================================= INTRODUCTION - Well after spending much of 2002 playing and writing up a FAQ on PSO ver. 2 for the DC, it was inevitable that I would turn my attention to PSO Ep I & II when it finally arrived in the UK. And so I now present my FAQ/Walkthrough for the latest incarnation of Segas online masterpiece. Some of this guide may seem familiar; basically I have taken the relevant information from my DC guide, rewritten it where necessary and used that as a basis for the Episode One walkthrough and my guides to Challenge and Battle Mode. The Weapons and Enemy listings have also been taken from that guide, but obviously I have added lots of new information and all the new Episode 2 enemies and of course a full guide to Episode 2. Regarding items and weapons etc. There are literally hundreds of weapons, items and armourments in PSO Ep I and II. All the items available in the DC version are present and many more new ones added. I would welcome submissions from readers of any rares you come across that I have not listed. If you can send in the stats, description, your section ID and where you found it, I will list it in the FAQ along with your name if you so wish! I want to try and make this guide as comprehensive as possible, so I also welcome any strategies for any character types in Battle/Challenge, against Bosses and in Ultimate Mode. Especially for Episode 2. Contributions to the usual address and please mark them PSO related or they will be overlooked. Enjoy the FAQ! *********************************************************************** Credits: in writing this massive guide several sources have proved invaluable for checking my findings against. If you don't find answers here check out either of these two fantastic PSO sites. www.pso-world.com www.mamak.com And also props to www.camineet.com for allowing the use of their script from PSO Ep I at the end of this guide. *********************************************************************** REVISIONS - (25/07/2003) Version One. This guide covers all of the offline adventure for both Episode I & II. It also covers all character types in detail with strategy for Battle, Challenge and Ultimate Mode. There is a fairly comprehensive item/armour/weapon listing contained here, but all genuine submissions of new finds are more than welcome for future addition. Future updates will hopefully contain guides to download quests if Sega ever gets around to offering them to online players and more detailed walkthroughs for online only quests. Currently I am not available for online play, but as soon as I am, I will post it in an update along with my character names and times most likely to be online. Before that though, it's not worth emailing me about it, I'll only forget =) ========================================================================= ***************************** 2) THE BASICS ***************************** ========================================================================= The first thing you need to do upon beginning the game is create a character based on one of twelve different classes. You use the colour pallets and proportion tweaker to create a unique online identity. For those new to the game here is a guide to the relative strengths and weaknesses of each type. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) CREATING A CHARACTER ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The most important part of any game of this type is creating a character that you will feel comfortable playing as for long periods of time. PSO offers three "races" and three job types, which combine to offer twelve character types to choose from. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses and like me you'll probably start off trying several before settling with one or two characters you really want to build up. You can save up to four characters to your Gamecube memory card. The races are as follows: HUMAN - These are the basic "good all-round" characters. They can use magic (techniques) and have well-rounded stat growth. They also come in all three job flavours. NEWMAN - These are more magic orientated characters. They tend to lack physical power but have excellent mental faculties and good defence and can use techniques to devastating effect. Newmans can regenerate TP if they stand still. ANDROIDS - These can't use any magic techniques at all, but compensate with the ability to spot and set traps. They are also immune to poison and paralysis (though can suffer "shock paralysis" from Zonde techs). They have high attack power and HP and will regenerate lost HP while standing still. The jobs are as follows: HUNTER - Excel in close range combat. Experts in hand-to-hand combat, they can also use pistols and techniques to add long range attacks. This is a good class to start out in if you are new to the game. All four are physically strong and powerful and you can make headway quickly early on in the game. Later on though things become more challenging. The two android classes lack of techs means they have to get up close and personal with some very powerful enemies and can't take them down in crowds easily. HUmars can keep themselves healed, but can be disadvantaged by the low level they max out techs at. HUnewearls have it easier at higher levels as they can cast defence and attack raising magic and use attack techs to a high level. RANGERS - The most accurate fighters in the game. Rangers provide support with a range of high-powered rifles and pistols. Rangers excellent accuracy means you'll rarely miss an enemy at lower levels and the long range ability coupled with a lot of power makes the android Rangers effective. Unlike the android Hunters in higher difficulties they can clear rooms from a distance with powerful Shotguns. The human rangers also benefit from having attack techniques with the RAmarl having more tech power than a RAmar, but less strength and defence. Rangers stay pretty effective at all levels of play. FORCE - masters of techniques, Force characters can learn magic up to the highest levels. Can heal, cast support magic and powerful offensive spells. Forces are a good choice for a more experienced player. They can be tricky to keep healthy at lower levels especially when you are playing on your own. But as they level up the awesome power of their tech abilities become apparent. All Forces can learn all techs to their maximum level. Each Force is more efficient with a few types of tech than others. Eg. FOmars will do about a third as much damage again with Gifoie, but be less effective with say Rabarta. FOmars and FOnewms have the most physical defence and attack power, so can hold their own if need be with melee weapons. FOmars and FOnewearls compensate for low attack, health and defence with superior casting speeds and higher mental strength. The twelve character types that result are listed below, along with the approximant maximum stats each type can achieve. There is no real "best" type; each one suits a certain style of play. For example playing as an Android means you don't have to watch your step checking for traps, but in the harder modes offline the inability to cast offence/defence raising magic can slow you down a lot. Playing as a Force means you have access to tremendous magic power, but the lack of Hit Points can be unnerving when monsters can lay you out in one blow. If you like to play it safe rather than getting stuck in up close then you may prefer a Ranger, being able to blow things away from a great distance. Whatever you choose, remember the dynamic of your character can change a great deal from online to offline. Whereas offline your android may struggle from lack of heal and stat raising magic, online with a Human or Newman in tow you can get stuck in! For them having you get up close and personal means they can stay out of physical danger and concentrate on using magic without having to keep running away! That's an oversimplification, but it's worth bearing in mind if you feel you are getting nowhere with the game offline. I know I found the whole PSO experience falling into place when I finally got online and became part of a team. When you create character, it doesn't matter how large or small they are, they will still do the same damage etc. Creating an itty bitty Hunewearl and seeing her wield a gigantic sword is always good comedy! It also pains me to say this, but no matter what sex you are in real life, if you create a female character, you WILL get chatted up in the online lobbies. Especially if you have a Hunewearl character. It can be quite funny, but also annoying as well, so be warned. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ b) CHARACTER TYPES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ a) HUcast - Hunter + Android + Male My own personal favourite type, they look cool and kickass! Hucast's have the highest attacking power of all the characters. They can use no techniques, but can use a variety of different weapons. They excel with close combat ones though. Pure brawler, a HUcast is for those of us who can't be bothered with techs or tactics, I raised my DC HUcast (falsehead) to stupidly high levels, and have recreated him for this Cube adventure. It's nice not to have to worry about spotting traps or worrying about poison and paralysis, an advantage all four androids share. With a HUcast you need to get yourself in the thick of a fight straight away and not be afraid to take a few hits, you're the toughest, you can take it! Approx Max Stats HP: 2012 TP: 0 ATP: 1611 DFP: 601 MST: 0 ATA: 191 EVP: 818 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Sword, Partisan, Dagger, Mechgun, Handgun, Slicer, Claws Traps: One new Damage trap every 11 levels One new Freeze Trap every 7 levels One new Confuse Trap every 7 levels -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) HUcaseal - Hunter + Android + Female A female version of the HUcast. She hasn't quite the power of a HUcast, but has amazing speed and a high evasion rate to compensate. She also has the highest accuracy of all the Hunters. Fit this speed demon out with a pair of daggers or a claw and you have a whirlwind of close combat viciousness that can't be matched by any other character! Approx Max Stats HP: 1700 TP: 0 ATP: 1350 DFP: 550 MST: 0 ATA: 231 EVP: 870 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Sword, Partisan, Dagger, Mechgun, Handgun, Slicer, Claws Traps: One new Damage trap every 9 levels One new Freeze Trap every 10 levels One new Confuse Trap every 10 levels -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) HUmar - Hunter + Human + Male The HUmar is probably the best character for beginners to use. They can use close combat weapons, pistols and can learn techniques. I had a rather nifty HUmar called Bradley whom I grew fond of in the DC version and used him a lot. I tended to rely less on offensive techs, concentrating more on healing and melee fighting. At the highest levels though they can suffer from being "jack-of-all-trades, master of none", so skill is needed to get the best from them at all points of their development. Approx Max Stats HP: 1670 TP: 912 ATP: 1404 DFP: 506 MST: 713 ATA: 161 EVP: 702 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Sword, Partisan, Dagger, Mechgun, Handgun, Slicer, Fists Techniques: All Foie, Barta and Zonde based techs to level 15 Jellen and Zalure techs to level 15 Resta to level 15 Anti to level 3 CANNOT LEARN - Deband, Shifta, Grants, Megid and Reverser -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) HUnewearl - Hunter + Newman + Female Higher technique points and good offensive technique skills, low on HP though. I have never used a Hunewearl character in my PSO gaming history, but I know from bitter experience that they are great favourites in Battle Mode. Back in the DC era, many of the top battlers used Hunewearls as their combination of superior offensive techniques, speed and physical strength gave them a big advantage over practically every other character type at higher levels. You need to put the hours in to make a Hunewarl a formidable fighter though so they are less popular for challenge mode. Approx Max Stats HP: 1558 TP: 1185 ATP: 1350 DFP: 433 MST: 986 ATA: 164 EVP: 799 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Sword, Partisan, Dagger, Mechgun, Handgun, Slicer, Fists Techniques: All Foie, Barta and Zonde based techs to level 20 Deband, Shifta, Jellen and Zalure techs to level 20 Resta to level 20 Anti to level 5 CANNOT LEARN - Grants, Megid and Reverser -------------------------------------------------------------------------- e) RAmar - Ranger + Human + Male Another balanced character type. Can use all guns and a variety of attack and defensive orientated techniques. Like the HUmar you are probably best off using your tech abilities for healing and support and relying on your bloody big guns to cause damage! Unlike HUmars, RAmars can use Deband/Shifta, but they can't learn Jellen/Zalure. They don't learn techs to as high a level as a RAmarl though, maxing them out at level 15. Approx Max Stats HP: 1770 TP: 955 ATP: 1137 DFP: 531 MST: 756 ATA: 210 EVP: 737 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Partisan, Slicer, Handgun, Mechgun, Rifle, Shotgun Techniques: All Foie, Barta and Zonde based techs to level 15 Deband, Shifta techs to level 15 Resta to level 15 Anti to level 3 CANNOT LEARN - Jellen, Zalure, Grants, Megid and Reverser -------------------------------------------------------------------------- f) RAmarl Ranger + Human + Female A female RAmar, she lacks physical strength but her tech abilities are far superior. I am actually impressed with this class, more than I thought I would be. My RAmarl (susan) kicks serious ass, proficient with both really big guns and techniques as long as she stays out of slashing range she can totally dominate a room! The key is to keep her out of serious physical danger as she lacks defence and HP so a few swipes can see her dead frighteningly quickly. However she can use all techs bar Grants, Megid and Reverser up to level 20 and Anti up to level 5 making her formidable at higher levels when you have some decent armour to keep protected. And I find the daft costume (mmm, pedal pushers and pixie boots!) to be the icing on the cake =P Approx Max Stats HP: 1450 TP: 1300 ATP: 1037 DFP: 501 MST: 1000 ATA: 241 EVP: 850 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Partisan, Slicer, Handgun, Mechgun, Rifle, Shotgun Techniques: All Foie, Barta and Zonde based techs to level 20 Deband, Shifta, Jellen and Zalure techs to level 20 Resta to level 20 Anti to level 5 CANNOT LEARN - Grants, Megid and Reverser -------------------------------------------------------------------------- g) RAcast - Ranger + Android + Male Excellent attack accuracy and power. Can use all guns but no techniques. Once again the accuracy of the Ranger class makes them a great choice from the off and the RAcast benefits from the best ATP of the ranger class. I actually like playing my RAcast (Marvin) like a reverse Hunter, often using melee weapons to back up my firepower. Some people get sniffy about Rangers getting into melee combat, but like the RAmar, the RAcast has the power to pull it off to some extent as he can soak up damage reasonably well, unlike the RAmarl and inflict more damage than the RAcasceal. Approx Max Stats HP: 2214 TP: 0 ATP: 1267 DFP: 606 MST: 0 ATA: 222 EVP: 751 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Partisan, Slicer, Handgun, Mechgun, Rifle, Shotgun Traps: One new Damage trap every 7 levels One new Freeze Trap every 9 levels One new Confuse Trap every 11 levels -------------------------------------------------------------------------- h) RAcaseal - Ranger + Android + Female Has the best defence of the Rangers and although attack power is lower than the RAcast, she has higher evasion. Another class I haven't personally used much, but one that has some hard-core fans, of all the Rangers, she has the best defence and evasion. Although some pass her over as being less powerful than the RAcast and less accurate than the RAmar she is still a worthy choice as she can take the knocks best and still pump out the bullets with extreme accuracy. Approx Max Stats HP: 2140 TP: 0 ATP: 1214 DFP: 558 MST: 0 ATA: 230 EVP: 830 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Partisan, Slicer, Handgun, Mechgun, Rifle, Shotgun Traps: One new Damage trap every 7 levels One new Freeze Trap every 11 levels One new Confuse Trap every 9 levels -------------------------------------------------------------------------- i) FOmarl - Force + Human + Female The most balanced of the Forces. Has the most HP and good defence. Like most of the Human type chars with a FOmarl you are getting a character that has a good balance of offence and defence without excelling in one area to the detriment of others. I haven't much experience with Fomarls, but most FOmarl players I have met online tend to play them fairly defensively, using techs to protect the team rather than attack. The extra ranges effects for resta, deband and anti means they can pretty much reach everyone in the room fairly early on. Approx Max Stats HP: 1469 TP: 2209 ATP: 865 DFP: 480 MST: 1274 ATA: 158 EVP: 616 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Handgun, Mechgun, Slicer, Wand, Cane, Rod Techniques: All techniques to maximum levels. Grants hits for half as much damage again Deband, Resta and Anti have 2x range -------------------------------------------------------------------------- j) FOmar - Force + Human + Female A challenging character type. Very low in health and defence, but has phenomenal casting speed and this speed allows for good melee combat skills. But you have to be VERY good to survive with this character class going toe-to-toe with a Hunter. Male characters tech casting speed is considerably improved if they are unarmed, so if you are using your Fomar for magic, best to dequip your weapon. Approx Max Stats HP: 1195 TP: 2100 ATP: 810 DFP: 400 MST: 1340 ATA: 160 EVP: 640 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Handgun, Mechgun, Slicer, Wand, Cane, Rod Techniques: All techniques to maximum levels. Grants, Gifoie, Gizonde and Gibarta all hit for an extra third Shifta and Deband have a 2x range -------------------------------------------------------------------------- k) FOnewm - Force + Human Has the best defence of all the Forces. Fonewms back an offensive punch with their offensive techniques, all the Gi and Ra techs doing extra damage. With the best defence of the forces he can take a few hits in combat and like the FOmar his casting speed will be increased if he is bare-handed. Approx Max Stats HP: 1431 TP: 2430 ATP: 735 DFP: 490 MST: 1421 ATA: 141 EVP: 637 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Handgun, Mechgun, Slicer Wand, Cane, Rod Techniques: All techniques to maximum levels. Gifoie/Barta/Zonde and Rafoie/Barta/Zonde hit for an extra third -------------------------------------------------------------------------- l) FOnewearl - Force + Newman Physically the weakest character in the game but counters that with having the most powerful level of mental strength. These little ladies are pure, naked tech power. As soon as you can find frames with at least two slots in, pump up that pitiful defence and HP with plug-ins. Her MST rises so dramatically you don't really need to boost it even at lower levels, however if you have a four slot frame and manage to find a God/Mind that's about the only MST booster worth sacrificing a defensive slot item for. I really only equip Canes etc if they give a good MST boost, it's rare I have her strike out physically. If you can keep her away from up close physical danger, you have a formidable fighter who can lay out whole rooms with techniques even at low levels. This is another class I enjoy playing with a lot as it is almost completely opposite to my fave class the HUcast and that helps keep the game fresh =) Approx Max Stats HP: 1398 TP: 2709 ATP: 579 DFP: 401 MST: 1607 ATA: 148 EVP: 688 LUCK: 100 Weapons: Sabre, Handgun, Mechgun, Wand, Cane, Rod Techniques: All techniques to maximum levels. Foie, Zonde and Barta hit for an extra third damage Resta and Anti have a 2x range -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) SECTION ID and SECTION ID CALCULATOR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you have named your character you will be assigned one of ten section ID's. These ID's dictate several things in the game. First of all the layouts of the levels can be sightly different across each section ID, mags will evolve differently and most importantly the ID dictates which Special Weapons and Rare items you will come across. Each ID tends to have a bias for finding certain general weapon types, and there are some weapons that will not be available at all on your section ID. This is to encourage trading amongst characters. The sections IDs can also be split into Type A and Type B, this is more relevant to mag evolutions and is covered in more detail in that section. Type A VIRIDIA, SKYLY, PURPLENUM, REDRIA, YELLOWBOZE Type B GREENILL, BLUEFULL, PINKAL, ORAN, WHITILL Very basically this is a list of what weapons are most common on each ID. VIRIDIA - Shotguns and Partisans SKYLY - Swords and Rifles PURPLENUM - Mechguns REDRIA - A good chance of all types and good for armour as well. YELLOWBOZE - Similar to Redria, with meseta being more plentiful rather than Armour GREENNILL - Rifles and Daggers BLUEFULL - Partisans and Rods PINKAL - All Force weapons and Technique discs ORAN - Daggers and Wands WHITHILL - Slicers and Mechguns Don't get too hung up on this though. For example my HUcast is a PINKAL, he find plenty of canes he can't use sure, but he has also found more Twin Blades than any of my other characters as well. In the same vein, my PURPLNUM RAmarl is always tripping over H&25 Justice's etc, but also gets some nice rare plug-in's and Tech Discs. The best strategy is to go with the name you like and run a few characters across different IDS. Then if you are offline only you can still have fun trading items amongst yourself! The section ID is calculated using the letters in the characters name, upper and lower case letters, as well as blank spaces can affect the outcome. For example I named my RAmarl Susan with a capital S and got the SKYLY ID. I then scrapped her and renamed her susan with a lowercase s and she became PURPLENUM. There are section ID calculators available at pso-world.com. But if you want to do it your self here is how to do it. Each letter and character has a number assigned to it. By adding up the numbers that make your name you will get a two digit number. The second number is the one that gives you your section ID. A=5 K=5 U=5 d=0 n=0 x=0 7=4 $=6 <=0 _=5 B=6 L=6 V=6 e=1 o=1 y=1 8=5 %=7 >=2 ^=4 C=7 M=7 W=7 f=2 p=2 z=2 9=6 ^=8 :=8 |=5 D=8 N=8 X=8 g=3 q=3 0=7 '=9 ;=9 ~=6 E=9 O=9 Y=9 h=4 r=4 1=8 (=0 +=3 ?=3 F=0 P=0 Z=0 i=5 s=5 2=9 )=1 ==1 @=4 Any spaces have a value of 2 G=1 Q=1 j=6 t=6 3=0 *=2 -=5 [=1 H=2 R=2 a=7 k=7 u=7 4=1 !=3 ,=4 ]=3 I=3 S=3 b=8 l=8 v=8 5=2 "=4 .=6 {=3 J=4 T=4 c=9 m=9 w=9 6=3 #=5 /=7 }=4 So to give you an example take my HUcast falsehead f + a + l + s + e + h + e + a + d 2 + 7 + 8 + 5 + 1 + 4 + 1 + 7 + 0 = 35 The final digit is 5 which gives you your section ID. VIRIDIA = 0 GREENILL = 1 SKYLY = 2 BLUEFULL = 3 PURPLENUM = 4 PINKAL = 5 REDRIA = 6 ORAN = 7 YELLOWBOZE = 8 WHITILL = 9 So that makes my falsehead HUcast a PINKAL. This is more of a Force ID, so if I wanted to change the ID without changing the name I could try capitalising the F or adding spaces to the end which have a value of 2 each. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) GAME BASICS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When writing the following walkthrough, you should bear in mind that I have mostly played as Hunter characters in the past. Currently playing through with a RAmarl (susan), HUcast (falsehead), FOnewearl (Shirley) and a RAcast (Marvin). This plus my previous observations of other players online in the DC era have hopefully provided a balanced guide to playing, whatever character you choose to play as. The first thing you need to think about is which Episode to begin with. For those new to the game I recommend you play Episode One first, it will make events in Episode 2 make more sense and it also eases you into the action gently. If you have played PSO before on the DC the temptation is to skip over to Episode 2 straight away. However, I would recommend spending time revisiting Episode 1 to level up in as the difficulty curve of Version 2 is much steeper. There is no penalty for switching between the two Episodes, so you can keep things fresh if you are a more experienced DC era player. When you begin a game of PSO you will have quests available to complete at the Hunters Guild in PSO Episode 1. Completing certain missions will unlock new ones. You don't actually have to do any of the missions, but it is highly recommended that you do so as they help you gain valuable experience, and break up the monotony of replaying the four areas until you have levelled up enough to progress. With this in mind I have laid out this guide with quest walkthroughs for each area, the final part of each section guide is advice on killing that Boss character so you can unlock the next area, this include Boss tactics per difficulty mode. I have noticed a certain "randomisation" in map layouts as well, which is why the guides are not detailed room-by-room walkthroughs (I got very lost following one in a DC PSO version 1 FAQ, when I realised I had actually started in a different position to the author). In fact most quests are very simple, you must progress to a point decreed by your Employer. On the way you must unlock rooms by either clearing them of all enemies or activating buttons or switches in nearby rooms. The Area map is your best friend; use it to return to doors and rooms with switches you may have missed if you find your progression is halted. Protecting NPC's in the Episode I missions is very important. If you die you both go back to the medical bay, but if they die, it's mission failed. Most NPCs can only heal themselves a limited amount of time, so if you are an android you'll need Star Atomizers on hand to heal them. If you are out of them warp back to the medical bay and as long as you are not at full health, you will noth be healed. You also need to fight some NPC's in a few missions. The common mistake is to cast Resta on yourself while battling them. DON'T do this; you will cure your opponent as well. When in combat with an NPC, always cure yourself with mates, or the fight will never end! The joy of PSO is in exploring and finding new weapons and items. You can also use the items you collect to sell on to raise meseta to fund purchases of things like recovery items. Most weapons and armour you should pick up as you adventure. I never bought stuff from the weapon or armour shop. But as a keen Mag raiser (see MAG section) I spent a fortune on items to feed them with. Make sure you have plenty of telepipes especially when exploring large areas like the caves and ruins, as you will want to telepipe back to sell up and stock up many times. ========================================================================= ******************** 3) GAME WALKTHRU - EPISODE ONE ********************* ========================================================================= As you explore the first three areas, you'll come across a strange pillar in each one. To access the fourth and final area of Episode One you need to have activated all three, so to save time later do it as you explore early on. The columns will not appear during the Quests however, only during normal exploration. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) FOREST ------------------------------------------------------------------------- As your first area to explore the Forest is straightforward. There are two sections, with the second half of Forest 2 being accessible only via a warp pad. ********************** a) HUNTERS GUILD QUESTS ************************* 1) BATTLE TRAINING You are hired to find a data disk and a young hunter called Ash. You should first talk to Kireek the HUcast by the door, then return and talk to Zid. Now you both warp down. The purpose of this quest is mainly to give you instructions in how to battle. Kireek will explain how to perform combo hits and also how to use the target colours to decide on the most effective attacks. As you progress, check your area map and Ash will show up as an arrow. Make your way over and talk to him, then walk towards the glowing object. Collect the disk and fight off the wolves then return to Ash. Talk to Kireek and then use the pipe to return to the ship. Talk to Ash and Zid then claim your reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) CLAIMING A STAKE You are hired to find a man called Racton who has gone down to Ragol. Warp down to Forest 1 and as you get close by you'll see an arrow appear on you map. This is Racton. Talk to him and he will only come if you can find three capsules he has left lying about. Head up and right to acquire the first capsule, which is, a glittery object lying on the ground. Go back to the area with Racton in it and go past him and to the left into the next area. Work you way round until you find the next capsule. Finally the last capsule is located by the teleport to Pioneer 2, collect it and return to Racton. Talk to him, then uses the telepipe to return to the ship. Talk to his son and claim your reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) A MAGNITUDE OF METAL This quest is designed to introduce you to the concept of Mags and to introduce a couple of PSO NPC's. First you'll talk to Garon who will tell you that he has lost a valuable commodity down on Ragol. Warp down and explore Forest 1 until you come across a pink RAsceal called Eleanor. Talk to her and answer "I was looking for it". She will now join you and as you explore she will tell you more about mags (see Mag section for more details on Mags). Return to the Pioneer teleport area and you'll see a glittery object on the ground nearby. Walk up to it and you'll have found the missing Mag. Talk to Eleanor again, then return to Pioneer 2 and talk to Garon. Visit the Guild counter to complete the quest. After completing this mission further ones will open up. Now you can play "Journalistic Pursuit", "Fake in Yellow", "Native Research" and "Gran Squall". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) VALUE OF MONEY This is a quick quest. Basically you must go and persuade a reluctant man not to spend all his cash on weapons. Go and find him pacing in the shop area. Answer "I don't understand" and "Because you're a fool". Now return to the wife talk to her, then return and talk to him. Finally return to the wife and you can then collect the reward. (This quest won't appear until you have accessed the Caves) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) JOURNALISTIC PURSUIT Your mission is to squire about a young journalist called Nol around the Forest areas without letting her get killed. She is pretty good at keeping her self healed as long as you don't let her get overwhelmed by monsters. First make your way through Forest 1, as you go Nol will halt and make observations. Soon you'll reach a red transporter, which will take you to a new area, Forest 2. Use it and carry on exploring. You'll pass an area with a "weather station" in it, Nol will point it out to you. You can't get across yet as the bridge is out. In the next area a switch (a red glowing post) can be activated to bring the bridge up. Return to the weather station and examine it. Walk away from it and Nol will decide its time to return to Pioneer 2. So use the pipe back and collect the reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) THE FAKE IN YELLOW This is another easy quest. The only enemies you have to face are Rag Rappies. Warp down and take out all the Rappies, you'll keep coming across one you can talk to. Each time though he will disappear. Work your way around taking out the Rappies as you go until finally you will be able to talk to the last rappy and he won't disappear. Keep talking to him until he reveals himself to be the Professor you were sent to find. Now use the pipe but before you claim your reward, pipe back again and you will see three Rappies staring at a wall. Talk to them and then approach the wall. A tiny Chao will appear and reward you for finding her by registering the mini-game "Tiny Chao Garden" to your character. Now when you return to the Hunters Guild to collect your reward a GBA link up machine will have appeared and if you can link your GBA up to your cube you can download and play a Chao mini-game! Finally talk to the lab assistant then collect your meseta reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) NATIVE RESEARCH Alicia the scientist has hired you to collect data on the five types of creature that roam the forest area. For this you must visit Forest 1 and 2 and kill enough of each type within 20 minutes. Basically it works out at about 10 Boomas 9of any type), 8 Savage Wolves, 5 Rag Rappies, 2 Monests and 1 Hildebear. In Forest 1 you can find the Rag Rappies and Booma's easily. But don't miss the Monest that appears in a dead end section with a blue force field. When you get to Forest 2 you can find the second Monest in one of the small areas off the big "lakeside" section. Kill everything in the main body of that section to gain access to the lakeside and you'll meet a Hildebear. Kill that and its mission complete and handily there is a transporter back to Pioneer 2 nearby. Talk to Alicia then collect your Reward. You can now access the new mission "Forest of Sorrow" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8) FOREST OF SORROW Now Alica wants you to take her down to Ragol. Again you should protect her, but she can heal you if things get bad and keep herself healthy as well. First take her to Forest 2. Once there lead her to the area with the bridge and weather station. Go into the next area to activate the bridge and also go into the small area leading off it where you will find an injured baby Hildebear (doh, cute!). "Talk" to it and it will disappear. Now return to the weather station and examine it. Alicia will make some comments about the animals. Now make your way to the large lakeside area and make for the area off to the left that usually contains the warp up to the upper section of Forest 2. You'll be attacked by about six Hildebears, after you have fought them off, head down to the far end and you'll find the baby Hildebear again. Alicia will ask you if she should take it back to the ship. It doesn't matter what you answer, she won't do it. Now return to Pioneer 2, and collect the reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) GRAN SQUALL This is a fairly straightforward quest. You are contracted to find survivors of a ship the "Gran Squall". As you progress you will find all is not what it seems. First make your way through Forest 2 until you find a RAmar called Bernie. He is found usually in one of the dead end areas. Talk to him and say you believe the story. He will join you. You need him anyway as soon you will come to a jammed door and only Bernie can open it. Warp to Forest 2 and make your way to the warp pad that takes you up to the raised area. You will face a heavy wave of enemies, but Bernie is pretty tough and in the early difficulties, quite powerful. Once you have cleared the area make you way to where the dragon teleport usually is. You'll see a girl lying unconscious. Bernie says he will take care of it, so use the pipe back to Pioneer 2 and claim your reward... you'll meet Bernie again. Once you complete all the Forest Quests and defeat the Dragon, new quest "Letter from Lionel" becomes available. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10) LETTER FROM LIONEL This is a fairly straightforward quest. Poor old Lionel the android has been pulled to pieces. It's your job to find all his bits! After you take the quest, read the clue to where his first bit is in the Quest Board. His first two bits are actually in two one of the side areas to the large area in Forest 2. The third is in Forest 1, but only findable after you find his head, the next part is in the Caves and the final bit is found on Pioneer 2! You'll notice when you arrive there that one area stays locked. You need to go and talk to the RAmar in the area that usually contains a warp up to the raised area. Now warp up and then down, and you will see a sparkly object. Its Lionels Head and one arm! You can talk to it now in the Quest board. His other parts are found in the following places: 1) Talk to Lionel's head and he will say he is in a monsters stomach. Return to the previously locked room in Forest 2 and kill the Hildebear/Hidelt that appears. This will give you one of Lionel's arms. 2) Talk to the arm (cos the face ain't listening.. ahem), and then go and find the Legs in the River in Forest 1. 3) Return to Forest 2 and go to where the Dragon Warp usually is, this time you'll warp to Caves 1. Make your way through into Caves 2, Lionel's other leg is about three rooms in. Talk to Lionel's Leg BEFORE returning to Pioneer 2. 4) Return to Pioneer 2 and find the RAmar up there. Talk to him to get Lionel's torso. If he is not by the Hunters Guild, go back down to the surface and talk to Lionel's Bits then return and he should be there. Now go to the Hunters Guild and talk to the restored Lionel before claiming your reward! **************** b) DEFEATING THE DRAGON/SIL DRAGON ******************** Before taking on any boss, drop a telepipe just before the Boss Warp. This will save time returning to battle if you get killed. Keep dropping one each time you have to go in and confront it. DRAGON (Normal/Hard/V.Hard) - This first boss is fairly straightforward and I was around level 5 (Hunter) when I took him out. Its attack pattern is slow and predictable. It will land and walk towards the middle of the arena, if you run around the side of it you will avoid being blasted by its fire breath. It will then sit itself down so make sure you aren't underneath it or you will get squashed. The dragon has targets across its body, but you will find its legs the easiest to attack. (Although its head is the weakest). Get in close and hack away with your most powerful weapons/techniques (Barta seems to be the best tech to use). After a minute or so it will rise up and fly into the air, if you are packing a long-range weapon you can keep hitting it as it rises. It will dive down under the ground and burrow out from the middle at high speed; you can track its progress on your radar. Just keep moving and you should avoid taking a hit. Once it reappears, just repeat the steps above. You should make sure you stay to the right of the dragon as when it dies it will topple over to the left and can squish you. Once it is dead walk around the outside of the area and collect the items from the boxes then use the teleport to return to Pioneer 2. Once back you MUST go and talk to the principal, this is the only way to gain access to the next area, the Caves. SIL DRAGON (Ultimate) - Although this dragon looks pretty impressive in the new snowbound arena, its actually virtually identical in tactics to the Dragon. It moves faster and is tougher obviously but it shouldn't cause you too much grief. However just watch out for it when it dives under ground. As well as burrowing out it a straight line, it will also spiral inwards under ground as well. Also it now has ice breath and can freeze you if you don't avoid its frontal attacks. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) CAVES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Caves are the largest area in the game. Three large maps to navigate Around and not as many shortcuts across unlike the Ruins. Plenty of telepipes are recommended as you get deeper inside. You will also face traps here for the first time. These take the form of floating mines that can explode in your face or poison you. Androids can see and target them. Everyone else won't see them until they are right up close, so Trap Vision is a must. Make sure you search Caves 2 thoroughly and activate the column, this will save you time later in the game. There is one thing to be aware of; on your first time through the Caves it is likely you will do the Quests in order. However the Ruins quest "Soul of Steel" has two different endings. To get the "good" ending, you need to leave two of the caves quests (Waterfall Tears/Black Paper) until after you have done two Mines Quests (Doc Osto's Research + Unsealed Door). But you can choose to do this on another difficulty setting if you wish. The same goes for the quest for the Soul Eater weapon don't do Waterfall Tears until you have done Doc Osto's Research and Unsealed Door. These also require these quest to be undertaken in this order. You also can't acquire the Soul Eater, or see the good ending to Soul of Steel in the same difficulty mode. (see "Special Weapons Quests" in the Weapons Section) The key event is whether or not you tell Sue your name in the quest "Doc Osto's Research". Tell her and you can see the true end of "Soul of Steel", don't tell her and you can get Soul Eater weapon. Please refer to the weapons side quests section in the Equipment listings and/or the Soul of Steel quest guide in the Mines section for full step-by-step details. ********************** a) HUNTERS GUILD QUESTS ************************* 1) ADDICTING FOOD This is a simple quest, but a long one. You have to make your way through the caves, into Caves 3. Once in caves 3 you need to hunt down the Cake Sisters. They are found in one of the large (one exit bottom, two exits top) rooms located on the right side of the map. This can be a challenging quest as it throws about three times the normal amount of enemies at you, so its great for leveling up in. However if you are new to the Caves you may want to play "The Graves Butler" first which is a bit gentler on a new player. When you get to Caves three you'll walk into one of the larger rooms and there are two exits, if you go through one exit it will say "a sweet smell", this means that is the fastest way to the Cake sisters. You can take the other way if you like, Caves 3 is more of a "square" shape, with most of the rooms interlocking via shortcuts. Once you find them, buy a cake off them and return via a pipe. Talk to the girl and get your reward at the counter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) THE LOST BRIDE This is another simple quest, but can become tricky in higher difficulty modes. You have to chaperone a fat woman called Cicil down into one of Caves 2 waterfall caves. She says she has got fat using recovery items so would like to get down there without using any. So you have to keep Cicil out of trouble. She can actually use magic and heal herself, but if you let her die then its mission failed. Try and let her sustain as little amount of damage as possible as she may declare the mission over if she has to heal up too many times. The easiest way is to stay close to doorways, so she will be out of harms way. It may result in slow progress, but her health drops alarmingly when surrounded vicious Pal Sharks or the Lilies on Ultimate difficulties that like to Megid you. If you are a Hunter, I recommend you get a good long distance weapon. You'll need it! Once you reach the right cave Cicil will let you know. Just use the pipe to return and talk to the newly slim Cicil to end the mission and then claim your reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) SECRET DELIVERY This is a bit more complex than the missions thus far. You are instructed to find an android who has stopped transmitting or something and input YN-0117. You have 45 minutes in which to do it. You want to get yourself down to Caves 2 as quickly as possible. In caves 1 you'll meet Bernie again who'll mutter about another code. To get access to the warp down to caves 2 you need to find a room with a green arrow in it (an android in an alcove). You can talk to the androids you find, YN-0117 will have no effect and using the code Bernie gave you - EM-05, will make them attack. Best leave them alone. However past this first android you'll find the warp down to Caves 2. You will spot the missing android in Caves 2 fairly quickly, she is lying slumped across the water in one of the waterfall rooms and the door that would appear to lead around to her is locked off by two forcefields. But to get to her you must access a warp point. If you travel across the Southwest corner of the map you'll find a maze of small rooms with androids in and switch rooms off to the sides. Switch all the switches then return to the room across from where you saw the stricken android. Go through the door and you'll be able to warp over and get to her. Input YN-0117 and you'll wake the android up. It's Eleanor! She'll thank you, then disappear. Use a Pipe to return to Pioneer 2, talk to the scientist and then claim your meseta! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) THE GRAVES BUTLER This is a very straightforward Quest and you will have Matha for help (can cast Foie and Anti). Simply follow the Butlers messages (the lights on the ground) down into Caves 2. The final message is located in the small circular waterfall cave. Once its read open the next door and walk into the corridor. Your companion will decide to finish the mission, so return and claim your reward. Once you complete all the initial Cave's Quests, new quest "Soul of a Blacksmith" will open up -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) SOUL OF A BLACKSMITH Basically the blacksmith wants you to bring him three items to make a weapon. The items are Miwonite, dragons fang and a mineral. Warp down to Forest 1, you'll find the Miwonite by the river. Carry onto the Dragon Boss. You'll gain the Dragons Fang when you kill it. Finally go to the caves. You will find Red mineral in caves 1, Green mineral in caves 2 and Blue mineral in caves 3. Return to the Blacksmith when you have the mineral you want and he will make a weapon for you. The further you travelled for the mineral, the better the weapon. Getting the Blue mineral is a bit of a chore, but can be worth it. Basically the blue mineral is located in caves 3 in one of those small circular rooms that run off from the large greeny oblong rooms. You'll see these rooms are covered in blue crystals, but to get them to sparkle so you can collect it, it appears (I am not 100% sure about this) that you need to kill EVERY SINGLE enemy in the forest, but not the caves. Once done, search both of the small crystal rooms and one should have sparkly mineral in it. When you return with the Blue Mineral the Blacksmith will comment that you found a very rare mineral. So instead of the low-level weapons you get from the other two you'll get something a bit better. On Normal mode he made a very nice pair of 4 star Havoc Mechguns with good % on them! Once you have your weapon, collect your meseta from the guild counter to end the quest. In Ultimate Mode finding the Blue Mineral will give you the choice of a rare weapon, choosing Sword will get you a GODHAND, gun will give you SUPPRESSED GUN and Wand will get you a BLAH. However you can only get one per character, replaying the quest will only get you a normal weapon once you have one of those three. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) WATERFALL TEARS Your mission now is to locate Kroes twin sister a hunter who has gone missing in the caves. When you beam down two people will attack you. They are weak and a few hits will take down the first and both will disappear. The next room is FULL of traps, so make sure you have trap vision. In fact as your quarry Anna is a trap setter, be prepared for a high number on this quest. Make your way to caves 2, and check your Area Map. You will see three arrows on the map. Make you way to the Yellow Arrow and you will find Anna. She will attack you, so defeat her, talk to her, then take the pipe back for a reward. Now you can access the quest "Black Paper" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) BLACK PAPER Kroe has a message for you. She is down in the caves, so read the instructions on the quest board. She is in the caves room "where I can see a big hall that looks outside". So make your way down to caves 2. When you reach the small room with rocks and four exits in it, take the east one. You'll wind up going north to a small waterfall room. You'll see Kroe, Black Paper and a Hunter. Krow and Black Paper will run off, so defeat the Hunter then carry onto caves 3. Check your map and you will see some arrows right ahead. When you reach the room though they will rush off again. Check your map to see they have moved eastwards. Work your way around until you reach that room. Here you'll find Kroe who has defeated Black Paper. Talk to her, then pipe back for the reward. (If you are having trouble beating the NPCs it's worth remembering that any beneficial magic you cast on yourself will affect them as well! So DON'T use Resta etc, you'll heal them as well! Heal using mates or you'll never defeat them, this goes for Kireek as well in the SOUL EATER side-quest). ************************** b) DEFEATING DE ROL LE ********************* DE ROL LE (Normal/Hard/Very Hard) De Rol Le drove me completely mad when I first played the game. Fighting him often involves standing around dodging stuff, until you get a chance to hit him, it's basically a war of attrition. You will be on a small raft running at speed. De Rol Le takes the form of a big beetley-snake thing. He will race at speed behind, in front and to the sides of you. If you have long-range magic and weapons you can target him and hit him then. When he is front and behind he will put spiky things onto the raft, which you must destroy before they blow up. As he passes down the sides he will fire purple gas at you which you should dodge. After this attack pattern he will beach his head on the raft, so time to take out your most powerful close range weapon (this is about the only time Hunters can really be effective against him). Hack away at his head but try and dodge the antennae he will thrust into you. At higher levels if you are a Hunter, a good slicer weapon such as one of the DISKA's or a RAPPY's FAN can be effective targeting him during his run's alongside the raft. In the earlier difficulties though your low accuracy probably makes attacking with one pointless. Rangers can use Rifles and Shots, Forces should use Foie attacks if they have the range. Then the lights will go out and he will float above you pummelling you with rocks, if you stand at one of the very corners of the raft you have a good chance of avoiding them. After that he will fire the spiky things onto the raft first a group of five, of which you only need to destroy the nearest and then a group of three that will follow you and need to be destroyed before they explode. Finally he will rear up behind the raft and fire a purple beam at you about three/four times, so you need to keep moving to be fast enough to dodge it. After the second beam attack the lights will come back on. Rangers probably have the easiest time here, powerful rifles mean they can target him at most points of his attack run. Forces tend to suffer most from De Rols powerful physical attacks, so cast Deband. Foie and Rafoie tend to work well at a distance, when he beaches you should keep using your techs but try and time the casting so you don't eat tentacle! You'll know you are making progress when his skull head or back armour starts to break off. DAL RE LIE - (Ultimate) Well phooey, after the impressive changes made to the look of the Dragon, I expected better than this. Basically he looks like DE ROL LE but without his skull head from the start. Obviously tougher, with more HP, he has no new attacks; just his old ones ramped up to super destructive levels. I hate this Boss, so take plenty of Scape Dolls and hopefully you have a mag by now that can invince you otherwise you may have problems. Once again, go to the Principle after you defeat him, or you won't be able to get into the next area, the MINES. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) MINES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now you must face the mines, there are many traps here and androids should beware, they can be afflicted by Shock Paralysis here. For some reason there seems to be more grinders here than in other areas and you are more likely to find new mags as well. ********************** a) HUNTERS GUILD QUESTS ************************* 1) KNOWING ONES HEART This mission is a straightforward one. Elly has got messages from a person called Calus and wants to find out what has happened to him. She accompanies you on the mission. You will start at once side of Mines 2 and you must work your way across the map to the far end. There are four pressure pads located on four areas surrounding a square area with some boxes. Stand on any of these areas and you'll see the others across the gaps. You must work you way around to activate them all. Once those are all depressed they will open a small room with a switch that opens the room furthest right on the map. This has a computer in it. Once it and Elly have talked its mission over and back to Pioneer 2 for a reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) DR. OSTO'S RESEARCH Now you have to find Dr. Ostos research contained on a computer in Mines 2. You first need to find Sue who will show up as an arrow on the map. You will need her help to open a jammed door a bit further on (in one of the large square rooms). Make your way through Mines 2. I remove the purple barriers blocking access to the computer room (its at the end of the room full of tubes), use the switch found in a small room off the top of the large room that connects to the tube room. Once you have collected the data, Sue will ask you your name. If you don't tell her, you can access the extra quest for the "Soul Eater" weapon. If you do tell her your name then you can find out more about her and Bernie in the same quests as the soul eater ones, but instead you will be able to see the true ending to the "Soul of Steel" download quest. You can do one path in one difficulty mode and one in another though. Now pipe back up to claim your reward. Now you can access the quest - "Unsealed Door". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) UNSEALED DOOR Now you have to return to the computer again, this time with Dr. Mome in tow. He is a total pain. He likes to wander in front of enemies, has a lame little gun and is terrible at healing himself. If you are an android its time to break out the Star Atomizers to keep him healthy. First quickly make your way back to the computer you and Sue visited. You'll find both Bernie and Sue here depending on what path of that story you are following. Once Mome has examined the computer you are to head up to Mines 1. There is a warp in the small room a couple of rooms back. Take it and your in Mines 1. Now you must work your way though Mines 1 until you reach a warp marked "Underground Passage". This will send you into battle against De Rol Le so make sure you are ready for a fight. Thank goodness though that Mome decides to act sensibly and falls to the floor playing dead, now you can concentrate on Del Rol Le without needing to worry about our wannabe Ranger. You are stronger now so our most unfavourite worm should be easier to beat. Once he is defeated, collect the items and then go back to the Hunters Guild and talk to Mome and the other scientist before collecting your reward. [In the DC version, Mome needed to be kept alive in the fight against De Rol Le. With one tentacle hit almost killing him, you can imagine what fun it was to work your way to the end of the quest only to have Mr. Deathwish snuff it in the final battle.. argh!!!] *********************** b) DEFEATING VOL OPT ************************** VOL OPT (Normal/Hard/Very hard) Vol Opt is an easy boss to beat. He will circle you via the screens; shoot the red screens until he disappears. Also shoot down the thing on the ceiling as well. When pillars rise up, shoot the red one. When they lower shoot the central structure again. Vol Opt will reappear on the screens, so repeat until all the screens blow out. Any spread weapons are great for this, as is Razonde which will hit the screens for multiple damage. You will need some Sol Atomiser on hand to heal the shock paralysis as it can be hard to avoid taking a few hits. If you are a Hunter you'll need to be quick, switching between a good gun to take down the ceiling zapper and then to a sword or partisan to attack the screens in close. Once enough damage has been done to the screens there will be a huge explosion. Now a big mechanical creature will appear. He will fire three missiles at you, which will miss if you keep running. Next he will target you with a laser beam, keep running and three legs will stomp down one after the other. Stay moving and they will miss. He will do this twice. Now run up and shoot him or smack him up with Razonde or a powerful melee weapon. When the centre section powers up, run away from the energy ball it fires at you. If it hits you, you'll get stuck in a cage and be unable to attack. Now repeat the process, attacking when you can. When his sides fall off, you are near to the end of the fight. Once Vol Opt is dead, warp to the next area. If you activated all the columns in the previous areas the entrance to the Ruins will be open. If you didn't then you'll have to go back and switch them on and fight Vol Opt again to gain access to the Ruins Entrance. VOL OPT ver 2 (Ultimate). Well phooey again, Vol Opt 2 is more or less identical to Vol Opt 1. Tougher and faster, but his attacks and attack patterns are still all the same. He looks a bit knobblier in his final form, but its not big difference. If you activated all the Columns then you can warp from Vol Opts lair to a place where you can access the Ruins. If the door is still blocked then you need to go back and find the ones you missed. So long as you don't end your gaming session or undertake a quest you can return here to access the Ruins and not have to fight Vol Opt again. You can get a clue of which one you missed from the lights on the door, I am pretty sure the top light is Forest, bottom light is Cave and left light is Mines. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) RUINS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just to recap: To access the Ruins find the column in each of the three areas. They have some randomisation but always turn up in Area 2. So look in Forest 2, Caves 2, Mines 2. The forest one tends to be either by the lake, in a small room off the main lake area or near where the warp up to the second level is. The caves one is often found in one of the waterfall caves or one of the small rooms towards the exit to caves 3. The Mines one can be a bit harder to find, but search thoroughly. Once you have activated the last column (they vibrate and light up), fight Vol Opt. Once he is dead, warp to the passage and walk into the newly opened entrance to the ruins. Once you are in they will be added to the destination list on the main Pioneer 2 Transporter. The Ruins contain some ferocious enemies and traps that fall from the ceiling which need a friend to get you out of with out damage, at the end of the ruins is the final Boss Dark Falz. Luckily the ruins also have lots of great items, especially on higher difficulties! ********************** a) HUNTERS GUILD QUESTS ************************* 1) THE RETIRED HUNTER This is a simple Quest. You are hired by Donoph a hunter who wants you to help him defeat 99 enemies. He says he has 30 minutes to live, so you must defeat all the enemies in that time. Answer "!!" to his question. Follow him down to Ruins 3 and methodically clear all the rooms of enemies. The final room requires you disable three force fields that have switches dotted about the level. There is plenty of time so you should have no trouble if you have to do a bit of back tracking. One area in the Ruins is locked off. There aren't really any things for you to look out for, he is strong and can heal you and cure status ailments, just be careful if you are an android and he gets paralysed, you'll have to cure him at the Hospital on Pioneer 2. You shouldn't have too much trouble with the time limit, but be aware the final section which has about 30 enemies in it is blocked off by three force fields. To switch them off you have to run all over Ruins 3 so be aware you'll be doing a lot of running about and backtracking as well as fighting. Once you have killed the 99 enemies you will cut back to the warp to Pioneer 2. Donoph will collapse, and you should return and collect your meseta. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) DOC'S SECRET PLAN Big hatted Doc. Montague has a job for you. He wants you and Elenor to warp down to Ruins 1 and kill lots of monsters in three designated test areas. Make sure you are up to taking on masses of powerful monsters as you will get everything thrown at you here! Basically proceed through the Ruins and when Elenor declares a test area is reached, destroy everything that comes at you. Elenor is tough and strong but is reluctant to leave a battle once started. So keep plenty of Star Atomizers to hand if you're a droid and watch both your health levels. There are only three test areas, although they do throw everything the Ruins has to offer in multiples! Fairly soon you should have all the info Doc. Needs and its time to telepipe back for your reward. After you complete this quest, you will unlock the quest "Soul of Steel" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) SOUL OF STEEL Now before you play this quest if you wish to see the true ending you need to have played through the SUE storyline and finished all quests. This is what you need to have done to see the full ending (and in the same difficulty level) 1) When doing the quest, "Dr. Osto's Research", tell SUE your name, (this means you can't now get the Soul Eater in this difficulty). Then complete the quest. 2) In the quest "Unsealed Door" first talk to Bernie, then find SUE, and talk to her. Then go back to the beginning of Mine 2 and talk to Bernie again. Choose to tell him what SUE told you. Complete the quest. 3) Now do "WaterFall Tear", first speak to Sue on Pioneer 2 and ask her about Black Paper. Now in the caves you will have to find Bernie. Talk to him, and complete the quest. 4) Go and do "Black Paper". First talk to Sue on Pioneer 2, it doesn't seem to matter what you ask her. Then go to the caves and Bernie should be in the middle of nowhere, waiting for you. Talk with him, and finish the quest. 5) Do the Quest "Docs Secret Plan". As well as all that, while playing Soul of Steel you must also get the MAG you are given to "move" three times as you go through the Mines, after all this you can get the extra, proper ending. Once you choose to do the Soul of Steel Quest, you will find yourself reunited with Doc. Montague and Eleanor. Your task is to rescue Elenors twin sister Ult. AS you leave to go down to the Mines you will be confronted by a Soldier from WORKS who will warn you off. Then Elenor will give you a MAG CELL. Now you all warp down to the Mines. The first room is small and throws everything at you, Gilchics, Canadines, Sinows and Garanz. Luckily Doc. Montague and Eleanor are both strong and powerful. The Doc will heal you and Elenor and even cure paralysis. But keep an eye on them and have healing to hand as if either die it's mission over. Once that's been cleared, head into the next large area and talk to the soldier. Whatever you answer, he won't let you pass. Go find the Doc, who has gone into a side room. Talk to him and he will create a diversion. You should all go up to the opposite corner and wait for the soldier to leave. Once he has done, all sneak down through the barrier and into the next area. Examine the computer, and Doc will tell you some stuff. Then the Mag will move for the first time. Now you should walk forwards to the end of the room. When the screen fades to black briefly and there is a rumble you should check your map to see doc and Elenor have moved. Go to where they are and a cut scene will occur. Doc will tell her more about her special mag. Then the mag you are carrying should move for the second time. You can go talk to them or carry on looking for Ult. You'll encounter Ult. Now. Your task is to follow her. She walks slowly so this task is not hard. Once you have followed her far enough press the red light switch to open the door and she will be on the other side. Now Doc and Elenor will arrive. She will disappear again. Unlock the purple gate and carry on alone through the next few rooms. You have to make like Solid Snake and sneak past three sets of patrolling androids. Watch their patrol patterns on the map and make sure you don't get in their line of sight. Once they have been avoided, you'll be in an open area where you must battle a WORKS soldier and two androids. There are also a few Gilchics to take out. Once they are dealt with carry on to find Doc and Elenor. If you did the Sue stuff and got the mag to move twice, then a short cut scene will occur. Sue will talk to Doc and Elenor, then warp down to the mines. The Mag you are carrying will move again and a glow will follow you briefly. WORKS have now activated the self-destruct and its up to you to disable it. You Elenor and Doc all warp to the Ruins. Here you need to find the room that is a hollow square with the raised area with a computer on it. Now destroy all the rocks blocking one pathway. Carry on that path way and you'll find a room with a red force field blocking the way. You need to disable this using a timer switch in another location. Return to the square room and find a side room with a warp point in it. This takes you to a small room. Leave this one and battle through the next one. You'll end up in a room with a red switch gate. Before you press it, use the touch lamp switches to open the exit to the room. Now press the timer switch and run as fats as you can to the room with the red force field. You may need a couple of goes, but you have plenty of time. Once through the force field, you can warp up to the PC and Doc will disable the self-destruct. Now you must catch Ult. She is shown as a blue arrow. Use the warp points to catch her on the long, thin section. Talk to her. Now at this point two things can happen. If you did not complete the "Sue" events in the game, you will get the short ending. There will be a big explosion and you will wake up in the infirmary. All you can do now is read the letter from Doc. Montague and collect your meseta reward. If you did do the "Sue" events CORRECTLY then you will get some extra stuff. Now all hell will start breaking loose. When you are offered choices. Choose "Rescue Eleanor" and "No" x 3. You can't really do anything but watch events unfold. Soon you'll end up in the medical centre. Talk to the nurse walking about then leave. As you do a cut-scene occurs in the Hunters Guild. Now go to the desk and claim your meseta. - SOUL OF STEEL - CODA You can get an extra bit of ending. As long as you said "No" to Doc. Montague three times. Choose to do the "Soul of Steel" Quest again and this time you'll be greeted by a woman who says you have been asked for via the BEE system. Warp down to Forest 1 and meet Eleanor in the place she was in "Magnitude of Metal". Talk to her about everything. Then she will leave. Pipe back up after her and enjoy the groovy music playing as you collect your meseta reward. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) SEEK MY MASTER Time to team up with another sexy female android, Shino. Shino has lost her master down on Ragol and needs you to accompany her down there. You'll warp down to Ruins 1, and pretty soon Shino will say he is not on this level. So seek out the warp to Ruins 2. Shino is quite weak and also has a tendency to stay put in a big fight. The best option is to try and keep her safe in a doorway, while you destroy the enemies. If she dies, its mission over. At some point during the Mission, pipe back to Pioneer 2 and talk to the Tekker standing by the shops. He will tell you about the legendary swords. Now when you reach Zoke, you should get his third blade (see Weapons Side Quests - Agito). Once you make it to Ruins 2 keep exploring. The rooms will shake as you get closer and soon Shino will find his missing Swords. Zoke is lying injured is a huge room, just before that room is another injured Ranger (Bernie?). Get ready for a big fight. The enemies won't appear until you get close to Zoke. Try edging forward the running back as they appear to keep Shino out of harms way as she can die quite easily, especially if you can't boost her defences with Deband/Shifta. Once you have taken out the last lot of dark gunners you can talk to Zoke. After that its time to pipe up and claim your meseta. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) FROM THE DEPTHS This quest sees you penetrating the depths of the Ruins in search of a missing research team. You should make your way through Ruins 2, on the way you'll meet strange possessed humans (is it me, or does the Fomarl who attacks you in the large room Matha from the Graves Butler?). Carry on through Ruins 2 to Ruins 3. You'll meet up with an old friend - Ash! Remember him? You and Kireek rescued him waaay back in the Battle Training Quest. He is stronger now, armed with a Twin Blade and a worthy companion. With him in tow make you way to the room with a raised area in the centre. This has a computer on it you need to access. Look for switches nearby to open the door leading to the warp you need to use to warp up there. Once up there, use the computer and then talk to Ash. With that your mission is over and time to pipe back up to claim your reward! Now you will find that if you have completed all the quests, they will all become available to replay as much as you like. This is useful for getting Akikos Frying Pan! ********************** b) DEFEATING DARK FALZ ************************* DARK FALZ - (Normal) Dark Falz on normal mode is pretty easy to beat. As a rough guide I took him out at around level 28 as RAmarl armed with a Sniper and around level 25 HUcast with a Brand. First spinning spikey things will surround you. Destroy the pink ones to avoid damage. When they are gone, Dark Falz will appear. He has three heads on his lower body so concentrate your strongest attacks on the right hand head. This head throws out mines so you can quickly destroy them. When the head is killed he will take a second form. A huge fan will grow out of his back. He will begin to move round the perimeter of the area. Chase after him and attack the bulbous base when he stops. He will attack with his arms and with a purple light field. They are tricky to avoid, and can hit for about 150HP each time. Keep close to him or the firebomb attack will strike twice and kill you! He will also fire out a Barta based attack at you that has a high chance of freezing you immobile. You can track the fire bomb on the radar as well. Keep at it and soon Dark Falz will fall. Collect the goodies and step into the Warp. There is no proper ending, damn! After the credits roll save and you can start again in the next difficulty level! DARK FALZ - (Hard/V.hard/Ultimate) Dark Falz first two forms behave in the same way as in Normal mode, so the same tactics apply. However once you kill the second form a new and far nastier third form will appear! He will rise up into the air, a sort of blue thing with big arms. He will be in the middle of a hoop of light, which is what you will be standing on. His attacks take this pattern. He will float down at your level for a few seconds where you can attack him with melee weapons. He will swipe at you with his huge bladed hands. He will then rise up and fire energy balls at you, which can be dodged. He will also zap you with a powerful Grants attack, which seems to be undodgeable. As the fight progresses he will also do a nasty attack where he drags your "soul" out of your body. When this happens no-one should attack him as this will result in death! Wait until your spirit returns then attack him. He will also go all shiny and this is when he is invulnerable to physical attacks. You can still hurt him with techs, Foie being his weakness. So you can only attack him with weapons when he is dark blue, when he goes all shimmery, forget it. This can be a nasty fight, especially if you are on your own. Scape Dolls and a high level mag that can cast invincibility and revive you are good items to have especially when taking him on it V.Hard and Ultimate. I would recommend Level 80 as a good guide for taking him on in V.Hard. I managed to beat him at level 63 (thank you Soniti mag), but found myself totally outclassed in Ultimate mode by everything... even the Mothverts! ========================================================================= ******************** 4) GAME WALKTHRU - EPISODE TWO ********************* ========================================================================= Episode II is a brand new "sequel" to the original Dreamcast PSO ver. 2. You can play either episode from the start, but I recommend that you spend some time playing the Forest missions in Episode I to gain a few levels as Episode 2 has a higher difficulty curve and can be a bit overwhelming in single player for a newbie. There are no Hunters Guild missions (although I assume downloadable ones will be made available as there is a guild counter), it's just a case of clearing the areas and fighting the Bosses to progress. You'll be introduced to a new lot of shifty Pioneer 2 scientists who are trying to track down the cause of a breakdown in a research complex on the island of Gal Ral. You'll meet Elly Person from the Episode I mission "Knowing One's Heart" and find out more about the mysterious genetic experiments that Red Ring Rico had begun to uncover and Sue and Doc Motague refer to in "Soul of Steel". Before you can beam down to explore however you have to pass your Hunters exam. This takes the form of the two Battle Arena's, Temple and Spaceship with a mixture of Episode I enemies and a couple of remixed Bosses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) VR TEMPLE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) GENERAL STRATEGY First of all be aware that you will be facing a selection of enemies of all different types, so you will need to make sure you have weapons with photon efficiencies for NATIVE, A.BEAST and DARK. If you are very familiar with these enemies from Episode I be aware that many of the enemies now have different tech weaknesses and also some have more HP than you would expect at that difficulty level and others have less. There are two layers to the Temple and many of the doors need to be opened using concealed switches. Some are hidden behind rocks that you need to break up and others on balconies that do not register on the maps. So if you have reached what looks like a dead end, check the outward sides of the rooms for balconies and paths to new rooms. Enemies can also attack you in corridors and there are a lot of cramped spaces to fight in with those crushing ceiling traps from the Ep. I caves to make life more difficult. As you progress always make sure to speak to the floating pods, Elly will fill you in on background details and you can read assessments of the enemies as you defeat them. Basically you need to hack and slash your way though the Temple Maze until you reach the Boss transporter which will take you to Barba Ray. 2) DEFEATING BARBA RAY Barba Ray looks familiar... hmm its Del Rol Le, again! Actually he is nowhere as cheap and annoying as his Episode 1 counterpart and can be defeated without too much stress. He will attack you with lots of mini-rays that glide across the raft in two waves and can be easily avoided. When he dives under the raft look out for a golden twinkling near your feet, he will shoot up tentacles through the bottom of the raft which will damage you and cause poison on non-androids. Also in V.Hard and higher, one of the mini-rays in an attack wave will be coloured gold; this one can cause confusion if it hits you. He will also rear up and fire a beam at you and fire gold energy balls out of his side, both of which can be avoided with some skilful dodging. He is weakest against Zonde techs so blast away at him with whatever strength of tech you have. Rangers should be able to pummel him with rifle shots for most of his attack runs, melee fighters need to wait until he beaches on the raft, then you can attack his head. He won't attack you while beached. His type is A.BEAST so make sure you have decent photon percentages on your weapon. Once he is defeated talk to the communications pod, then warp up and talk to the Natasha and the guy on the left. Now return to the simulator and access the next area, the Spaceship. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) VR SPACESHIP -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) GENERAL STRATEGY Similar to the VR Temple really, only here you will face enemies across all four "photon" types who are again different from their Episode I selves in the matter of tech weakness and HP etc. Like the temple there are paths that don't show up on the map and lots of traps to be avoided. One nasty room towards the end fills up with purple poison gas that drains your health so you need to switch it off or suffer severe health depletion. Like the Temple there is no real challenge except to fight your way though the two layers until to reach the Boss Transporter, which will take you to the Spaceship Boss, Gol Dragon. 2) DEFEATING GOL DRAGON The Gol Dragon can be a frustrating opponent at first, not so much due to his power, which isn't great, more to do with the angle you view the fight from. With all the monitors and rotating floors and the fact the Dragon can shift and split into two separate dragons means you will have to spend a while working out how to run in the right direction! Once you have got your bearings, this dragon should be approached more or less like the Episode 1 dragon. His feet and legs are his weak point for melee fighters who must get close to him, Rangers have an easier time using Rifles and shots and Forces should pump up their defences before attacking him with Barta based techs. His photon alignment is NATIVE. The Gol Dragon tends to mix up the following attacks: he will move to the centre and breathe out lightening, fire and ice, so try to run around beside him to avoid getting frozen or shock paralyzed. He will jump in the air and land back down hard, causing all the floor tiles around him to rise up and knock you down. He will fly in the air and spin round rapidly firing out lightening, fire and ice bolts that you will have trouble dodging as they fly in most directions. And finally he will split in two and try and trap you between himself and his double and breathe fire/ice/lightening breath at you. If you can effectively attack from distance then its best to keep to the edge of the arena and keep pumping bullets into him. He can sort of "shift" towards you quite quickly so keep moving and firing to stay away from his front. If you are going for him with a bladed weapon you should avoid his breath attacks by staying round his feet but as soon as he rises in the air, run a short distance away or you will be badly hurt by the shockwave when he hits the ground again. You will know when the battle is close to ending when his doppelganger disappears. You may die a few times to begin with but once you have got the hang of the annoying shifting angles in the arena, you should have no trouble. Once he is dead, talk to Elly via the floating green pod, and then return to the lab and talk to Natasha and then Elly herself at the right-hand desk. Once they have clued you in you can take the other door down to Central Control and start Episode II proper! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) CENTRAL CONTROL AREA -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You main objective is to search each area for computer terminals whose logs you must search for message fragments. You need to collect them all to assemble four messages from Heathcliffe. You also need to deactivate the security terminals at the end of each section (in the case of the Jungle its at the end of the second section), and defeat a mini-boss. You first beam down to a misty room with a locked gateway and one teleporter up to the lab and another to the three main area of the island. First check the computer terminal and search the logs. Now talk to the green pod to be told by Elly that you need to turn off the security mode in each area. You can also use the green pods to check how many messages you have found and read them. Now step into the red transporter and choose a location. I recommend the Beach first if you are new to the game, but you can do them in any order you like. 1) BEACH The beach is stunning, water laps up on the shore and to start with only a few annoying flying enemies will attack you. Pick off the Gee's and you'll get your first taste of how Episode II enemies are faster and harder to hit. They will fire stings at you that cause slowness. Depending on your ID you may get Merilla's or Gibbons as well, once you have finished them off you'll see the next area open up. Unlike the previous areas, this is a more sprawling design and "doorways" take the form of overhung tunnels. The beach area is not large, make sure you log on and download message logs in any computer terminals you come across. Soon you'll reach an area with lots of Gees in it as well as brown poisonous lumps on the ground. Here you'll fight a mini-boss Gi-Gue. Gi-Gue takes the form of a large insect who will fire out energy ball type attacks at you. Basically all you need to watch out for is when it spreads out a sort of shield from the base of its body. If you attack it then it will retaliate with a very powerful yellow energy attack that might be Foie based. Otherwise your main problem will be the Gees that will slow you down with their stings, so keep taking them out when you can't attack Gi-Gue. When Gi-Gue is dead, move into the last area and turn off the computer near the transporter. This will get the Beach out of Security Mode. Now you will teleport back to the first room and you can move onto the Jungle or Mountain. 2) JUNGLE The Jungle is split into two areas. In places it is not clear where to go next but there are places with water you can cross and thin logs you can walk along to access new "rooms". There are mostly only Merillas and Mertitas to worry about here, they move slowly and are pretty weak but the Meritas can poison you. As before download any logs you find from terminals. When you reach the end of the second Jubgle area there is another mini-boss to fight. A giant plant like creature called Mericol. This isn't to challenging it will physically whip at you and try and poison you, but beware of its charging attack. It will rush at you down the hillside and has on occasions killed my character dead on collision. So be wary of that attack, otherwise its not any particular challenge. Again once it is dead, move to the final area, power down the security system and transport back. 3) MOUNTAIN The mountain can be the trickiest of the three areas simply due to the fact the most prevalent enemies here are the Zol and Ul Gibbons. These will use Foie and Barta breath on you and you have a high chance of being frozen. They are also very fast, have erratic attack patterns and will beat the ground to cast Deband/Shifta on themselves. So you may find yourself getting overwhelmed quickly if you are alone. Work your way around slowly and don't get cocky and try to take on too many at once; there is a healing ring near the end of the level. When you reach the mini-transporter make sure you are fully healed and tooled up as this will take you into the toughest sub-boss fight yet. You'll have to face.. GIBBLES! OK I know it doesn't sound scary, but he is a mean S.O.B. He will jump into the area like a Hildebear and its advisable to move fast or he will land on top of you. He is an incredibly physically strong ape/bear thing that will punch your lights out. He likes to jump on top on you and smash you into the ground and he is very fast. You best bet is to take him out as fast as you can as the Gibbons in the area will start to attack as well and if you get frozen that's you dead! Luckily his HP is not too high and if you dodge just as he starts his punch combo you can safely attack him while he flails at thin air. When Gibbles is dead, move on and once again make sure you have deactivated the Security system and downloaded all the logs then teleport back out. Talk to the Calus pod by the security door and choose to read back the logs, which contain four messages from Heathcliffe Flowen. If you have retrieved them all Elly should tell you the main door is open and you can go through. The ext area is very small and you have to kill off a few Sinow monsters, just beware the one that disarms you with a successful hit. Make your way down the long walkway, try to avoid setting off the traps. Heal up and drop a pipe before stepping on the Boss Transporter. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) DEFEATING GAL GRYPHON -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gal Gryphon is a truly spectacular Boss and my favourite in the whole game. He just looks incredible and he isn't too cheap either so although you might die first time, he is pretty easy to figure out and defeat. He has several attacks and unlike the Episode 1 Bosses he will mix them up a bit so I shall list them with what to look out for. Gallop - Gal Gryphon gallops around in a series of small circles. If he manages to trample you underfoot you will take huge physical damage. It's a good idea to back off and use long distance attacks. If you are melee fighting, DON'T. Wait until he stops, going in close will just get you killed. Stomp - Gal Gryphon will stand still for a while which gives melee fighters a chance to come in close and whack his legs. But keep watching his head, he will begin to rear back, this is your cue to run away fast as he will stomp back down on the ground sending out a shockwave that will kill you most likely if you are still by his feet. Lightning - Gal Gryphon will stand still and fire lightning out of his horns. It's easy to avoid, just don't be in front of him! In very hard and ultimate the beam will issue from around his front body as well, so keep attacking round his back legs to avoid damage. Flight - Gal will take off and fly around. It's almost impossible to target him with anything other that a top of the range rifle/handgun. As he comes in to land you should watch where you are standing. If he lands on you, you'll get hurt. If you stand some distance away he might catch you with his wing, but it doesn't do much damage. In V.Hard/Ultimate when he lands he will rain down lightning bolts, which you need to dodge to avoid some hefty damage. Tornadoes - While flying Gal Gryphon will fire down mini tornadoes that you can also track on the map. Keep moving and they will subside after a short time. Gal Gryphons most weak against Foie techs, so Forces should blast away with those. His photon alignment is A.BEAST so weapons users should pack melee and long-range weapons with the appropriate efficiencies. There are no real tactics to speak off, it's probably a good idea to carry a couple of scape dolls just in case you get caught by the stomp attack. Gal Gryphon is faster than he looks, but if you know what to expect most of his attacks are easily avoidable and he isn't difficult to score damaging combos on. Once he is dead, talk to the pod then return to the lab and talk to Natasha and Elly. Then its time to go to the final area of the game, the seabed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) SEABED -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) SEABED UPPER AND LOWER LEVELS OK this is getting tough. In any difficulty this places is a challenge, and can remain scary even for level 150+ characters in Ultimate mode. Never get cocky, make sure you drop telepipes every now and then to save a lot of backtracking. The actual layout of both seabed levels are quite complex. There are a lot of thin interconnecting tunnels with plenty of two-level rooms. A lot of the time you can only get to the bottom half of a room by taking a detour down through a passage that does not show up on the map. With so many rooms and tunnels cramped and confined you can easily get overwhelmed. Tunnels are no safe havens here, you can be attacked while walking between rooms. On the first level you'll meet strange squidlike creatures called Dolmolm and Dolmarls. Although they are not tough or strong they attack at amazing speed making it hard to get even one hit in let alone a combo, so you need to either keep backing off or equip those fast daggers. Next up are Recons and Recoboxes. Recoboxes fire out teddy-bear like heads at you which explode. Though not very damaging, the Recoboxes themselves have a lot of HP and they do need to be destroyed like any other enemy. There are two new Sinow robots, Zoa and Zele, these are as annoying as Central Controls Berril and Spigells. They can cloak, cast GiBarta and disarm you. Once again hit them hard and fast and learn to re-equip your weapon quickly. Finally as you reach the end of the level you'll be attacked by a black doglike monster called Delbiter. This can do heinous amounts of damage to you, but is rather similar to the Ep I Ruins monster Chaos Bringer in that if its charge misses, you have some time when it is confused to attack it. Keep talking to Elly via the Calus Pods and downloading messages from the terminals as you go. Although the map makes it look like you have been doubling back on yourself, you will know when you are nearing the end of the upper level as their will be more wrecked walkways and smashed up computer terminals. Once you warp down to the Lower Level, be prepared for all the monsters listed for the Upper level plus some REALLY nasty ones. However they are all still mostly DARK so you don't need weapons covering all photon efficiencies. Deldepths are odd spinning black creatures, when they stop still they grow into humanoids and attack, before spinning off. Like the Death Gunners in Ep I you can only physically harm them when they are still. They may also be the creatures that can keep you trapped in a blue forcefield for a few seconds (but I am not sure if that's them or one of the Sinows). Most tiresome of all (if you are a melee fighter) are the Morfos. These resemble floating "X's". You can only hurt them when they turn around. Something they are not inclined to do if you get close to them. You know you are nearing the end when the messages from the terminals and from Elly become just "..........." Also the flooding gets more severe as you progress until you are wading around up to your knees. When you reach the Boss transporter make sure you drop a pipe and have some scape dolls on you. Its unlikely you'll make it through the next fight without being killed at least once. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) DEFEATING OLGA FLOW -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is it, the meanest toughest, baddest looking Boss yet. Shame it's actually hard to see what he looks like for most of the fight! Olga Flow takes on two forms, both of which have an unknown Photon alignment. You should have a good gun on hand even if you are a melee fighter, he is tricky to reach for most of his first forms attack run. Now you'll begin plunging downwards on a circular platform. Olga Flow will descend with you, floating above you and attacking from the sides as well. In his first form he will do the following: Green Energy Balls - Olga Flow fires out green balls similar to Del Rol Lee's. Just run around and try and avoid them (like duh). They aren't too damaging. Green Energy Wave - If you get a look at Olga Flow and see him hefting his crossbow be prepared for a green energy attack that is quite hard to avoid. If you get to the edge of the platform you may be able to "chase" the beam around in a circular motion until it runs out, but it can be a nasty one. Light Wave - he unleashes a white energy wave that travels round the platform like a clockhand. You can sometimes avoid it entirely by standing right on the edge of the platform. Otherwise keeping running in front of it before it can catch up. Sword Attack - Olga Flow will hover in front of you rather than above, giving melee fighters their best chance to attack him. It's hard to predict and avoid, so if you need to attack I close, you may just have to be prepared to take a hit. Your attack strategy should be to keep pumping bullets into him as he floats around and above you and target him with Foie and Barta based techs when you can. If you fight best up close, you can only get him when he hovers at the platform edge and he doesn't do it for long so pack in the best and most damaging combos you can. Keep plugging away and healing, he is very fast, but has no REALLY deadly attacks. Don't waste to many mates if you are an android, you'll need all the healing you have for the next form he takes. Once the first form is defeated you'll both crash down to the base of the hole you were plunging down. Olga Flow is lying in a crumpled heap. Heal up and then when you are ready walk towards him. He'll ride up in his new, even huger form and this is the final battle with him. He attacks in the following way: Stomp - He walks around pretty much constantly in circles, if you are in close attacking his feet you run the risk of being trodden on and hurt badly so try and attack his feet from the back and sides rather than the front. Snakes - weird turdlike snakes will appear round his feet and start dropping bombs that can paralyse you. They don't do so much damage in themselves, but it is advisable to kill them off fast as they can unleash the following attack on you: Shockwave - Basically the snakes unleash an earthquake wave that affects one half of the arena. If you are not in that half you will be OK, if you are in that half you will die. It's as simple as that. Energy Rain - Similar to that pulled by Dark Falz, Olga Flow will pause then energy will "fall" down on you in a small circular radius. If you watch for his pause and keeping weaving around it should miss you, although its generally not fatal if you are fully healed up. Soul Steal - Again similar to Dark Falz move, your soul will be dragged into Olga Flow's body and any damage done to him during that time will affect you. Just stay out of his way until he returns it back to you. You can attack him pretty much constantly. Unlike other Bosses he seems to have no periods of invulnerability and he stays pretty much central in the arena. Of course he has huge amounts of HP and can kill you in a couple of hits, but you don't have to spend ages waiting for a chance to get a few hits in on him. As usual melee fighters will be in most danger from his stomping feet, Rangers and Forces can back off and keep pumping bullets into him. As regards techs, he is pretty tough against all techs but he has a weakness against Grants so make sure you have plenty of fluids in your inventory! After a hard fight he will die. As per Episode I there will be lots of boxes to open and a tiny chance of getting a rare weapon after his death. Once you have got all you need, step in the Boss transporter and the end credits will play out. After that its time to take it on in the next difficulty, good luck! ======================================================================== *************************** 5) BATTLE MODE ***************************** ======================================================================== Now I haven't had a lot of experience in Battle Mode, but I plan to add more strategy in the future. For now this is your basic Battle Mode information. First of all to set up a Battle Mode game you must create a team. When it asks you to select Play Mode, select it to bring down a list of options and choose Battle. Once inside the game you can set rules to play by, listed below. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) THE RULES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RULE ONE - There are no changes to the player's levels and there are enemies on the map. You get points for killing your opponents, but lose them for being killed. RULE TWO - All start at level one with no items. No enemies on the map. Can find weapons/items on map. Will lose points if killed gain them for killing. Dying will see your level jump by five RULE THREE - Warp battle. You can only change rooms via the warps. You start at level 1 and have no items. There are enemies on the map and you can gain and lose points for killing/being killed by them. Dying will see your level jump by five RULE FOUR - Meseta Battle - Basically, kill people and take their meseta. Person with the most meseta at the end wins. Dying will see your level jump by five. RULE FIVE - Meseta Team Battle - This time you keep your level, but can't use your mag. When you die you will not be automatically revived, a teammate must revive you. The team with the most Meseta wins. RULE SIX - Players start at level 20 and must use the weapons they find. RULE SEVEN - Meseta Race - Another Meseta Battle, but this time it only shows up at the back of the map so you must race to get to it. RUKE EIGHT - Most kills wins, but the map is very heavily mined. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) BASIC INFO -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Who ever is in the lead will have glowing purple lines radiate out of them. In some battles when you are killed you will jump up a few levels. Androids tend to be at a disadvantage in pure one-on-one battles due to lack of stat raising and healing techniques. If you are playing Rule 1 any items you lose will be returned to you at the end of the game. You may decide to create your own rules, if playing with people you know. For example, no spread needles, no casting deband/shifta and Jellen/zalure. Or sticking to Force vs. Force, Hunter vs. Hunter, even Android vs. Android -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) BATTLE MODE STRATEGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - HUNTERS Hunters tend to be far and away the favourites for playing Battle mode with. Hunewearls in particular with their ability to use Deband/Shifta. The combination of access to Techs and both ranged and melee weapons make them forces to be reckoned with. Hucasts are popular in the battles that see you start at Level one as the range of magics are limited for other Hunters at low levels and brute strength more important. If you like to play a brutal game, then Hunters are the best choice. If you can catch the Forces or Rangers their low defence and HP will crumble against your strength, which is the Hunters great advantage at low levels. If you are playing rule one, things even out a tad for the non-androids. If you are a HUcast playing Rule 1, all your badass power counts for nothing if a Force minces up and hits you with Jellen/Zalure and a face full of Megid. So sneakier tactics are required for androids in a Rule 1 fight if you are allowing stat raising magic to be used. My way of punishing magic users is to find a handy Del Sabre and let him whack my HP down to almost nothing, this activates the invincibility on my Mag and of course allows me to then take out as many opponents as I can before it wears of, mwahahah! Also ALWAYS keep Sol Atomizers on tap as they can negate the effect of Jellen/Zalure on you. - RANGERS Rangers seem to be the least popular choice of character to play in Battle Mode. Mainly because you have two android classes who don't really start to get the benefits of powerful rifles until higher levels, making them poor relations to Hucasts in Level 1 Rules and victims of lack of Techs in the Rule 1 battles. The RAMar and RAmarl has more of an advantage, being able to use techs in Rule 1 fights and also they can use their powerful rifles to pick off Hunters at long range on some of the more open maps such as the Temple. The higher accuracy of the Ranger class means they will hit more often with the basic pistols in Level 1 battles, but the lack of auto-targeting often makes life just as difficult for them as for other classes. In general, Rangers are just rather dull to use as they are most effective from long range, which may suit a sneakier type. But isn't so great for the rest of the battlers. - FORCES Forces seem to do best in Force on Force battles. I have seen some of these in action using Rule 1 and it can be ferocious with so much naked tech power flying around! With Forces in full battle mode using rule 1, its time to make sure you have equipped all your best elemental defence armour especially if you are a Hunter or Ranger caught in the crossfire. With Forces able to learn Techs to double the power of other magic users many battles become all out Level 30 Megid/Grants bloodbaths, or rooms fill with swirling Fire/Ice/Lighting. If you are not a Force you need to be pretty good at dodging to be able to run in and hit them very hard with your best weapons as they still lack HP and defence even at high levels. Forces in level 1 battles are at much more of a disadvantage, only by being killed a few times will they level up enough to access better spells, and low power and accuracy means its hard to target opponents and kill them before they get a sabre or sword in the face. ======================================================================== ************************ 7) CHALLENGE MODE **************************** ======================================================================== Challenge mode can be played Online as normal or offline in multi-mode, using split screen. Challenge Mode is the ultimate test of teamwork and skill. Your task is to play through the game starting at Level 1. Your character will begin with a level 5 mag, and basic equipment. The challenge is divided into nine sections and you can only tackle the next ones after you complete the ones before. If several of you get together and are all at different stages you will begin at the lowest stage reached. To make matters worse, you cannot pipe back to Pioneer 2. If anyone in the team dies and has no Scape Doll, the challenge is failed. However, unlike Normal mode offline there are a lot of Grinders, scape dolls and stat raising materials available from the word go. Basically to stand any kind of chance you need to be in a team of four and you need to play and share items wisely. There is no use hogging the fluids and mates if it results in another team member's death. Tactics need to be thought out as you decide who should raise what photon blasts for their mags. If you have Force characters, you'll need to keep them protected until they can learn the powerful magic that will benefit you all later in the game. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) CHALLENGE MODE STAGES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- C1 is forest1 to forest2, with the Dragon at the end C2 is caves 1 C3 is caves 2 C4 is caves 3, with Del Rol Le at the end C5 is mines 1 C6 is mines 2, with Vol Opt at the end C7 is ruins 1 C8 is ruins 2 C9 is ruins 3, with Dark Falz at the end -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) STRATEGY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Succeeding in Challenge Mode is pure Teamwork. No one should hog items, everything should be shared equally and the strong MUST protect the weak. The various stat-raising materials you find should be shared out thusly for best results: HP/TP/Mind - Forces (To get the best Techs as soon as possible) DEX/EVP/DFP- Hunters (they are on the frontline, need more protection) POW - Rangers (To make those long range attacks really hurt) Always check how close you are to getting to a next level. If a HUmar is only a point or two off getting the MST needed to learn a new tech and nowhere near levelling up then of course give them a MST raiser. Keep talking to your comrades so no Stat boosters are wasted and you all get to the next levels as soon as possible without one or two of you drawing ahead. If you are about to level up, and need healing don't waste a Mate or Fluid. Levelling up refills both bars. You need to Level your Mags up as well. AT level 10 each type will get a Photon Blast, Mylla&Youlla on the Force mag, Pilla on the Hunter mag and Golla on the Ranger one If time is of the essence (i.e. you are going for under seven hours) then make sure you have spent time in the lobby planning tactics. Create chat shortcuts for things like "I need mates/fluids/healing" etc. When you are clearing a room in earlier levels, let the Force stay out of immediate danger and concentrate on healing, support and collecting items. Then the Force can share out the goodies once danger is passed from that room. When picking a team it is vital to have a Force, Hunter and Ranger when you start off. At least one should be an android, as androids are not affected by poison and can see traps making progress a lot faster. All character classes have their pros and cons. All Hunters tend to be a fave due to high ATA and ATP, the Hunewearls lower ATA balanced out by better Tech usage. Racasts and Racasceals are preferred over Ramars due to better ATA and balanced stat growth. Forces become very useful in later stages with their support, healing and offensive magic. The FOnewearl is probably least recommended as she is the hardest to raise to a HP level of over 141 (Dark Falz big attack will do a set 140 damage in Challenge Mode). Later on many people will use more specialist teams. Indeed many prefer to go with a team of four Hunters, relying on brute strength and basic magic support from Hunewearls and Humars. However this does seem to be missing the point of Challenge Mode somewhat and it is a much better experience with all three character classes represented. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) RANK REQUIREMENTS AND PRIZES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Completing Challenge Mode in a certain time, gives you an end rank. If they are good enough you will get a reward. You don't have to do all the levels in one go either! But if you take on a new team member, you can't jump them ahead if they have not finished the same number of levels as you. Say for example you had gone as far as C5 and wished to tackle C6 next, if the new team member had only got as far as finishing C4 then they couldn't join you in C6. Which is why it tends to be better sticking to the same team throughout. Different prizes are available depending on whether you finished C-Mode offline or online. Offline Requirements and Prizes are: B Rank - 13 Hours or more, GOD's SHIELD GENBU A Rank - Less than 13 hours, more than 7 hours - GOD's SHIELD SEIRYU S - Rank - Less than 7 Hours - One of the weapons listed below TOY HAMMER CRAZY TUNE SAMBA MARACA's CHAMELEON SCYTHE FLOWER CANE AKIKIO's WOK HARISEN BATTLE FAN BROOM Online Requirements and Prizes are: B Rank - 13 Hours or more, GOD's SHIELD BYAKKO A Rank - Less than 13 hours, more than 7 hours - GOD's SHIELD SUZAKU S - Rank - Less than 7 Hours - One of the weapons listed below: WEAPON REQUIREMENT STAT BOOSTS USABLE BY Sabre ATP 800 ATP 150, ATA 50 Hunters Sword ATP 800 ATP 200, ATA 35 Hunters Blade ATP 800 ATP 10, ATA 35 Hunters Partisan ATP 800 ATP 38, ATA 40 Hunters Twin ATP 800 ATP 50, ATA 40 All except FOnewearl Claw ATP 800 ATP 80, ATA 55 All except FOnewearl Slicer ATP 800 ATP 10, ATA 35 All except FOnewearl Handgun ATA 180 ATP 10, ATA 45 All except FOmar and FOmarl Mechgun ATA 180 ATP 10, ATA 20 All except FOmar and FOmarl Rifle ATA 180 ATP 10, ATA 60 Rangers Shot ATA 180 ATP 10,ATA 40 Rangers Cane MST 800 ATP 10, ATA 40, EVA 5 Forces Wand MST 800 ATP 10, ATA 40, MST 45 Forces Rod MST 800 ATP 10, ATA 50 Forces ======================================================================== ****************************** 8) MAGS ********************************* ======================================================================== "A monomate a day, keeps the Doctor away" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ a) NORMAL MAGS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ When you begin the game you'll notice a small floating thing behind you. This is your Mag. You mag functions as a stats boost. Depending on what healing items you feed your mag, it will develop and level up various stats. How you choose to build you mag is up to you. For example you may choose to build a mag that helps smooth out some weaknesses, ie. More power for a Force character, more accuracy in a Hunter. Or you may decide to build the mag up to complement you strengths, expending most of your mags 200 points on one attribute. As you raise your mag, it will evolve and learn photon blasts. As you hit enemies or get hit by them your mags photon gauge will charge. Once it reaches 100 you can launch powerful attacks or cast some status magic (see section b). Here you should watch the development of your mag carefully. What it will evolve into next and ensure it won't be a type that learns a photon blast the mag already knows. Android characters don't require mental strength so you can ignore the Mind stat if you like, but it may be worth spending a few points on raising it so the mag can learn the Photon blast Mylla and Youlla, which casts Deband and Shifta. These can be invaluable to an android in offline games. Mags evolve at levels 10, 35 and 50. With each evolution they change shape. Level 50 is their last evolution, but they can be raised to level 200. If the stats ratio changes after level 50, they will change shape/type every five levels, but won't learn any new photon blasts until level 100 and then only if you have previously only learned two. As well as their level, they have two other stats, Synchro and IQ. The higher these are, the faster your photon gauge will fill and the more likely that your mag will cast useful magic on you in dangerous situations. Below is a chart of which mags evolve into what. > means greater than. So for example Varuna would evolve into Rudra if it's Power stat is greater than Mind and Dexterity. Your section ID also determines a Mags appearance on its final evolution. CLARIFICATION: For the early mags if it says POW > MIND + DEX, that means power needs to be a higher than mind and higher than dexterity, but not higher than the sum of Mind and Dexterity (hope that's clear..uhhh). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Type A VIRIDIA, SKYLY, PURPLENUM, REDRIA, YELLOWBOZE Type B GREENILL, BLUEFULL, PINKAL, ORAN, WHITILL -------------------------------------------------------------------------- HUNTER MAGS Level | Section ID | MAG Name | ALIGNMENT ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 10 | BOTH | Varuna | N/A ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Rudra | POW > MIND + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Marutah | DEX > POW + MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Vayu | MIND > POW + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Varaha | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Bhirava | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Ila | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Nandin | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Kabanda | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Ushasu | MIND > DEX > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Kama | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Apsaras | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Garuda | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Yaksa | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Bana | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Soma | MIND > DEX > POW ********************************************************** RANGER MAGS Level | Section ID | MAG Name | ALIGNMENT ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 10 | BOTH | Kalki | N/A ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Surya | POW > MIND + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Mitra | DEX > POW + MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Tapas | MIND > POW + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Kama | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Bhirava | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Bhirava | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Kama | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Varaha | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Apsaras | MIND > DEX > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Madu | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Kaidabha | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Kaitabha | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Varaha | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Kabanda | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Durga | MIND > DEX > POW ********************************************************** FORCE MAGS Level | Section ID | MAG Name | ALIGNMENT ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 10 | BOTH | Vritra | N/A ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Sumba | POW > MIND + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Ashvinau | DEX > POW + MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 35 | BOTH | Namuci | MIND > POW + DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Naraka | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Ravana | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Ribhava | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Sita | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Naga | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | A | Kabanda | MIND > DEX > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Marica | POW > DEX > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Naga | POW > MIND > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Garuda | DEX > POW > MIND ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Bhirava | DEX > MIND > POW ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Kumara | MIND > POW > DEX ------------+------------+--------------+-------------- Level 50 | B | Ila | MIND > DEX > POW -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) RAISING MAGS/PHOTON BLASTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Raising mags can be a long and expensive process. Mags love recovery items and the more effective the item the better they like it. Although I have seen huge charts dedicated on exactly what does what for which mag, I go by a few basic rules. Fluids Raise Mind, Mates raise Power, Antidotes and Anti-paralysis raise Dexterity and high level mates and fluid add defence as well. Sol Atomisers raise Power/Defence, Moon Atomisers raise Dexterity/Mind or vice verse and Star Atomisers raise a bit of everything. When you start to raise a Mags Synchro, note that getting killed will drop your synchro by 5%. The higher the mag evolves the less effect each item will have. The exception is with the special Mags listed in the next section. These often become faster to raise once evolved as higher level healing items add big boosts. The photon blasts each mag learns are listed below, use this and the charts above to ensure your mag learns three different blasts. 1) MYLLA and YOULLA Description: A pair of cute looking Chao things appear and cast Deband and Shifta. This is a great Photon Blast for Androids to have access to. Learned by: Ila, Vayu, Kabanda, Tapas, Naga, Namuci, Madhu, Kaitabha 2) PILLA Description: A big Pillar thing swirls out and hits all enemies in the vicinity. Learned by: Garuda, Mitra, Marutah, Ashvinu, Kama, Sita, Bhirava, Marica 3) LEILLA Description: A weird angel thing appears and cast Resta, pretty lame actually. Learned by: Vritia 4) FARLA Description: A big snake wins around you, hitting everything nearby. Learned by: Varuna, Ravana, Ribhava 5) ESTLLA Description: A big fish will charge anything in front of you. Learned by: Apsaras, Bana, Nandin, Durga, Soma, Andhaka, Kalki 6) GOLLA Description: A big ole' moose appears and will charge anything enemy in front of you. Learned by: Rudra, Surya, Yaksa, Naraka, Varaha, Sumba, Ushasu, Kumara Raising Mags is a lot of fun; you can pick up new mags in the Mines in any difficulty mode. These start out at level 5, like the one you started with. Its fun to experiment with new mags and how they make your character look. For example a Garuda mag takes the form of a pair of wings, whereas a Kama mag looks like two bazookas floating over your shoulders! Raise mags, a high level mag is your best friend. At level 200 with full sync and IQ my mag was always casting invincibility on me in boss fights and resurrecting me when killed. It's a long job raising a level 200 mag, but worth it. All standard mags raised to a high level will cast helpful magic like deband/shifta, invincibility and have a good chance of resurrecting you if you get killed. Some standard mags stand out though, the Apsaras and Varaha mags both have excellent rates of invincing and resurrecting. You may want to bear in mind that if you change one of these into a special mag you may lose some of these abilities. For example, I evolved my Varaha mag into a Rukmin mag (see next section) and found it now no longer invinced at full PB Gauge or in Boss fights, it only cast Deband/Shifta. Boo! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) SPECIAL MAGS and MAG CELLS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- You may also want to take a step into the world of the Special mag. There are several special mags that can be raised and evolved at level 100 or higher and special mags that are normal mags converted uses mag cells. To get one of the special evolution mags you need raise up the stats in a certain way so the sum total of two stats are identical to the sum total of the other two stats. The easiest way to do this is to raise a mag with stats of 25/25/25/25, at level 100 it will evolve into a special mag. However each section ID has different criteria if you want to raise some stats higher than others and still have them balance at level 100. VIRIDIA, BLUEFULL, REDRIA WHITILL - DEF + DEX = POW + MIND SKYLY, PINKAL, YELLOWBOZE - DEF + POW = DEX + MIND GREENNILL, ORAN, PURPLENUM - DEF + MIND = POW + DEX So if you are on the PINKAL ID you could reach level 100 with you mag whose stats are 10 DEF + 40 MIND = 35 POW + 15 DEX and it will evolve. Now the type of mag you get is dictated by your Section ID, class and gender. Here is the list of who gets what. VIRIDIA, BLUFULL, REDRIA and WHITILL Male Hunter - DEVA Female Hunter - SAVITRI Male Ranger - PUSHAN Female Ranger - RUKMIN Male Force - NIDRA Female Fore - SATO SKYLY, PINKAL, YELLOWBOZE Male Hunter - RATI Female Hunter - SAVITRI Male Ranger - PUSHAN Female Ranger - DIWARI Male Force - NIDRA Female Force - BHIMA GREENNILL, ORAN, PURPLENUM Male Hunter - RATI Female Hunter - SAVITRI Male Ranger - PUSHAN Female Ranger - RUKMIN Male Force - NIDRA Female Force - BHIMA The other way to get a rare mag is to find a mag cell or mag kit. These are rare drops that are only found online from special seasonal Rappies in the Temple area. MAG Name | MAG Item | Section ID ------------+--------------------+------------- Soniti | Cell of MAG 502 | A ------------+--------------------+------------- Churel | Cell of MAG 213 | A ------------+--------------------+------------- Preta | Cell of MAG 213 | B ------------+--------------------+------------- Pitri | Cell of MAG 502 | B ------------+--------------------+------------- Pian | Pian's Heart* | BOTH ------------+--------------------+------------- Opa Opa | Opa Opa Heart* | BOTH ------------+--------------------+------------- Chao | Heart of Chao* | BOTH ------------+--------------------+------------- RoboChao | Parts of Robo Chao*| BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Kapu Kapu | Heart of Kapu Kapu*| BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Chu Chu | Heart of Chu Chu* | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Devil Wings | Heart of Devil* | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Angel Wings | Heart of Angel* | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Panther Tail| Panthers Spirit* | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Hamburger | Kit of Hamburger | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Mark 3 | Kit of Mark 3** | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- MasterSystem| Kit of MasterSystem| BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Genesis | Kit of Genesis** | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Saturn | Kit of Saturn** | BOTH -------------+--------------------+------------- Dreamcast | Kit of Dreamcast** | BOTH * SPECIAL STAT REQUIREMENTS The mag you use the Pian Heart must have maximum IQ and Synchro The mag you use the Opa Opa Heart on must have a MIND stat of over 100 The mag you use the Heart of Chao on must have all stats above 35 The mag you use the Parts of Robo Chao on musr have two stats over 70 each The Hearts/Kits of Kapu, Chu Chu, Angel/Devil Wings, Hamburger and Panther Tail need to be used on a plus level 50, non rare mag. ** Sega System Mags At the moment I do not know what the requirements are to evolve Sega system mags. Personally my all time favourite mag was my trusty Soniti Mag that saw me through some tough times on DC PSO. I would be very happy if one day I could have that little metal rabbit head floating behind me again one day.. sigh. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) MAG ABILITIES CHART -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All mags, even a lowly level 10 one can cast invincibility or heal you or other things even if only for a few seconds. When a mag reaches its level 50+ evolutions though it has a much higher chance of performing a useful function when you are in danger and that likelihood increases as the mag levels up and gets more intelligent. The charts below includes all level 10, 35 and level 50 "final" evolutions (remember after level 50 you can change your mag every 5 levels if the stat relationships change). The next section covers all the level 100 special evolutions. I have raised one each of every normal mag to level 50 so have used my data from that, I have also managed to raise one of each of the special evolution mags to level 100 and beyond. I have also started a chart covering the mags evolved from mag kits. In the DC game I had most of these so have pulled data from those experiences. I have none of the special converted mags (Soniti, Chu Chu, Angel Wing etc) yet in Cube PSO, email me if my chart is incorrect on any of these matters. Before we begin, here is another falsehead tip-top tip! If you have a spare space on your memory card you can use this to get a special level 100 evolution. Simply use your higher level characters to raise a mag with either 25/25/25/25 stats or stats matching the mag requirements for the character type it is linked to. Now when the mag reaches level 99 create a new level character whose mag type you would like (ie, you are a female Hunter who wants a male rangers PUSHAN mag), now start up a multiplayer game and have your character give the mag to the level 1 character. Have the new character feed the mag up to level 100 and it will evolve into the mag type you wanted. Remember it will be the colour of the character costume of the level 1 character! Now give it back to your main character, voila, your Hunter now has the fat butterfly PUSHAN! ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ - LEVEL 10+ MAGS ABILITY CHART MAG | FULL PB GAUGE | BOSS FIGHT | 1/10 HP | DEATH ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KALKI | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Nothing | Nothing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VRITRA | Invincibility | Resta | Nothing | Nothing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VARUNA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Nothing | Nothing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ - LEVEL 35+ MAG ABILITY CHART MAG | FULL PB GAUGE | BOSS FIGHT | 1/10 HP | DEATH ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ASHVINU | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MARUTAH | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- MITRA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- NAMUCI | Invincibility | Resta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- RUDRA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMBA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SURYA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TAPAS | Invincibility | Resta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VAYU | Invincibility | Resta | Resta | Nothing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ - LEVEL 50 MAGS ABILITY CHART MAG | FULL PB GAUGE | BOSS FIGHT | 1/10 HP | DEATH ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ANDHAKA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- APSARAS | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BANA | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BHIRAVA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DURGA | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- GARUDA | Resta | Resta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ILA | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KABANDA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KAITABAH | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KAMA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KUMARA | Resta | Resta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MADHU | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MARICA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NAGA | Invincibility | Resta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NANDIN | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NARAKA | Resta | Resta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- RAVANA | Resta | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- RIBHAVA | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SITA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SOMA | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USASHU | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- VARAHA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- YAKSA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ - SPECIAL MAGS ABILITY CHART MAG | FULL PB GAUGE | BOSS FIGHT | 1/10 HP | DEATH ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BHIMA | Deband/Shifta | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEVA | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DIWARI | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NIDRA | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PUSHAN | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SATO | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SAVITRI | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- RATI | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- RUKMIN | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Nothing* * I could be doing RUKMIN a disservice here, but my RAmarl has a level 200 Rukmin mag with 200 IQ and full synchro and has been revived precisely once in 100+ hours of gaming with that character. Stupid brown thing... heh. I have listed it as not reviving you as that's a pretty pathetic resurrection rate and I don't want to get peoples hopes up. Funnily enough although Rukmin is a crappy mag, I kind of like having him bobbing about behind my character now. But I do switch him for a maxed out Bhima or Sato in Boss fights. I'll stop rambling now. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ - RARE MAGS ABILITIES CHART (covers Mags made using kits and cells) MAG | FULL PB GAUGE | BOSS FIGHT | 1/10 HP | DEATH ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SONITI | Invincibility | Invincibility | Invincibility | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PITRI | Resta | Resta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- CHUREL | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRETRA | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Deband/Shifta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- OPA OPA | Invincibility | Deband/Shifta | Resta | Revives ----------------------------------------------------------------------- At the moment I do not know what abilities the Chu Chu, Kapu etc mags possess. I will add them to the chart in a later update. ========================================================================= *********************** 7) WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT ************************ ========================================================================= Your section ID basically dictates what items will be available to you and how common they will be. Check the comments sections to see if section ID makes a weapon/item unavailable. Trade online with other IDs to get more weapons. Also if you play a standard game online, the items available are dictated by the section ID of whoever created the game. So bear that in mind when you organise an online session. When you find a weapon whose name is in green that means it has some extra attributes in the form of extra attack power signified by a plus photon efficiency percentages. These percentages are often overlooked but are important. Say you have two sabres, but one has a 30% photon efficiency in the Forest area. That weapon will do more damage than the first. It may even do more damage than a weapon with more attack power but 0% photon efficiency in the Forest. Using Mono/Di/Trigrinders can increase each weapons attack power. These will add 2/4/6 points of attack power when used on an EQUIPPED weapon. All weapons have a maximum grind limit. Any other weapons ground past that point that you may receive online have been "made". Not necessarily a bad thing, a +99 Spread Needle can make levelling up much less of a chore, but do check with other players first if you are using altered weapons online. It's the polite thing to do. When you acquire a weapon with "???" you need to take it to the TEKKER in the shop area. He will give your weapon an attribute. These will get more powerful as you progress through the difficulty levels. You can keep getting the same weapon Tekked if you have the cash. You may get a more powerful one than he first presents you with. Here are the categories from weakest to strongest: 1) Heat - Fire - Flame - Burning Special Attack does Fire Damage 2) Shock - Thunder - Storm - Tempest Special Attack does Lightening Damage 3) Ice - Frost - Freeze - Blizzard Special Attack may freeze enemies 4) Bind - Hold - Seize - Arrest Special Attack may paralyse enemies 5) Panic - Riot - Havoc - Chaos Special Attack may confuse enemies 6) Dim - Shadow - Dark - Hell Special Attack has a chance of killing an enemy outright. 7) Draw - Drain - Fill - Gush Special Attack drains 5%/9%/13%/17% of enemy HP and gives it to you. 8) Heart - Mind - Soul - Geist Special Attack will refill 3%/4%/5%/6% of you Max TP 9) Master - Lord - King Special Attack steals 8%/10%/12% of enemies EXP 10) Charge - Spirit - Berserk Special Attack drains Meseta/TP/HP to perform a powerful attack 11) Devils - Demons Special Attack reduces enemies HP to a half/quarter You will also find weapons whose names are in yellow and in capitals; these are special weapons and are among the most powerful in their group outside of the super rarities (who's names are in glowing Orange). They have their own specialties and you won't find them as types listed above. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) WEAPONS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a long list so I suggest you use the CONTROL + F search function to find quickly any weapon you want to know more about. More new weapons come to light every week or so, so expect regular updates and corrections to this list. Also you may noticed some weapons listed with incomplete information, basically that means I am aware that this particular rare exists (eg. Monkey King Bar), but have been unable to satisfactorily confirm certain aspects about it (usually its Section ID/Difficulty availability). Also, I transferred a lot of this list from the DC version. I have endeavoured to check ever one and change its stats if they have changed. But if you notice errors please let me know and I will fix them as soon as I can. Also some weapons have "?" for things like Max. Grind, Special etc. This is mainly due to me not having characters who can equip them, yet. Again as I level up I will update the missing info. MISCELLENEOUS RARES contains any rares that I can't fit into any of the type categories easily and also those who can be used by characters types they normally can't be used by eg: The SOUL EATER, a partisan type that can also be used by Forces. So if you don't find it in the other categories, its been shoved in there =) The comment section for each weapon contains details on who can equip the weapon and also Section IDs it has been confirmed on. If your ID is not there is may still be available on that ID, its just I haven't been able to confirm it yet. ************************************************************************** a) SABRES ************************************************************************** Sabres are excellent melee weapons that can be equipped by all character classes. Combining good accuracy with great power, high level and special sabres are invaluable. Although they only hit one enemy at a time, a combo comes out very quickly and you can skewer though most enemies without them being able to interrupt your combo. - Sabre Attributes: ATP +55, ATA +30 Description: "A sword with a Photon Blade" - Brand Attributes: ATP +100, ATA +33 Description: "A sword with good accuracy and power" - Buster Attributes: ATP +160, ATA +36 Description: "An extremely high performance sword" - Pallasch ATP +220, ATA +39 Attributes: "A superior sword, usable only by masters." Description: - Gladius Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +42 Description: "An exceptional sword. Has amazing power." - DB's SABRE Attributes: ATP +350, ATA +43 Special: Drains TP for extra powerful attack Description: "Replica of a sabre once used by the military. An extremely common replica" Requirement: ATP 320 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: fairly common rare, usually found in the Hard, V.Hard forest - KALADGOLG Attributes: ATP +310, ATA +55 Special: Ice Description: "A legendary sword long sought after by warriors. Its special attack freezes enemies." Requirement: ATP +295 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Found in Ult Ruins - DURANDALS SABRE Attributes: ATP +353, ATA +49, MST +15 Special: Steals EXP Description: "A legendary sword known as "The Knight's Blade." Its special attack steals experience points." Requirement: ATP 310 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Found in Ult. ruins - ANCIENT SABRE Attributes: ATP +680, ATA +68 Special: EXP steal Description: "Legendary sword found in the ancient ruins. It absorbs enemy experience" Requirement: ATP 620 Stars: 10 Max grind: 45 Comments: Actually found in Ultimate Forest. - LAVIS CANNON Attributes: ATP +422, ATA +72 Special: Hits in a sequence Description: "Few facts or even rumours are known about this ultimate sword. Its abilities are a mystery." Requirement: ATP 500 Stars: 12 Max grind: 15 Comments: Usable by Hunters only - RED SABRE Attributes: ATP +600, ATA +155 Special: Steals HP Description: "This red sabre is a prototype, so it's finish is incomplete. Letters, which say 'He', are carved on the hilt". Requirement: ATP 620 Stars: 10 Max grind: 90 Comments: Found in Ult. Forest ************************************************************************** b) SWORDS ************************************************************************** Swords are unique to the HUNTER class. These mighty blades can hit around 5-6 enemies all at once, so although they do less damage per individual hit than a sabre they do cumulatively much more. They are however quite slow and reduce your evasion; also your combos can be interrupted easily by some of the faster enemies. That said, a good powerful sword is a must for an effective hunter as you can take down rooms of enemies quickly. - Sword Attributes: ATP +60, ATA +25, EVP -5 Description: "A large weapon with a Photon Blade." - Gigush Attributes: ATP +100, ATA +27, EVP -5 Description: "A large sword with good accuracy and power." - Breaker Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +50, EVP -10 Description: "A large, extremely high performance sword." - Claymore Attributes: ATP +200. ATA +32, EVP -10 Description: "A large superior sword usable only by masters." - Calibur Attributes: ATP +250, ATA +35, EVP -10 Description: "AN exceptional large sword. Has amazing power." - FLOWENS SWORD Attributes: ATP +240, ATP+34, LCK +5 Special: Description: "Bears the serial number 52-0003" Requirement: ATP 385 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Common in Ultimate difficulty. - LAST SURVIVOR Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +25, EVP -15, HP +20 Special: HP drain Description: "A sword said to protect its bearer in any battle. Its special attack steals HP." Requirement: ATP 470 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Found in Ult. Ruins - DRAGON SLAYER Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +40, EVP -15 Special: Fire Description: "A legendary sword borne by one who defeated a dragon. Adds an explosive fire attack" Requirement: ATP 480 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Sometimes found after killing the Dragon Boss in Hard/V.Hard mode - RED SWORD Attributes: ATP +660, ATA +98 Special: Paralyse Description: "This red sword is a prototype, so it's finish is incomplete. Letters, which say 'a', are carved on the hilt". Requirement: ATP 746 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ult. Caves - SEALED J-SWORD Attributes: ATP + 400, ATA +35 Special: Halves enemy HP Description: "Ancient sword with its power sealed by an unknown stamp. The seal opens when all techniques are used." Requirement: ATP 710 Stars: 12 Max grind: ? Comments: This may still be banned. - CHAIN SAWRD Attributes: ATP +525, ATA +36, EVP -15 Special: Absorbs enemy HP Description: "A large Sword with small spinning photon blades. Its special attack steals enemy HP." Requirement: ATP 700 Stars: 10 Max grind: 15 Comments: Seems to be very rare, find in Ultimate Caves or Spaceship so far. - TSUMIKIRI J-SWORD Attributes: ATP +750, ATA +40 Special: ? Description: "Owned by Orochi Agito, the blade was made along the same lines as Agito, with a carved seal on the blade." Requirement: ATP 910 Stars: 12 Max grind: 50 Comments: Possibly still banned? ************************************************************************** c) DAGGERS ************************************************************************** Another powerful melee weapon unique to the Hunter class. A dagger combo will hit one enemy up to five times, so although individual hits are weaker, a combination will total a large amount. Even at low levels they have good accuracy and especially suit the HUsceal and HUnewearl classes as their superior speed makes them extra lethal. - Dagger Attributes: ATP +40, ATA +20 Description: "A short photon sword. Attacks enemies twice." - Knife Attributes: ATP +70, ATA +22 Description: "A short sword with good accuracy and power." - Blade Attributes: ATP +100, ATA +24 Description: "An extremely high performance short sword." - Edge Attributes: ATP +130, ATA +26 Description: "A superior short sword, usable only by masters." - Ripper Attributes: ATP +160, ATA +28 Description: "An exceptional short sword. Has amazing power." - BLADE DANCE Attributes: ATP +170, ATA +27, DFP +10 Special: Paralyse Description: "A short sword named for its dance-like attack. Its special attack paralyses enemies." Requirement: ATP 385 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Common in Ultimate mode. Can be bought in shop after level 100 on some section IDs - BLOODY ART Attributes: ATP +155, ATA +40, MST +10 Special: Halves HP Description: "A legendary short sword named for all the blood that it spilled. Its special attack halves enemy HP." Requirement: ATP 412 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Found Ult. Ruins. - CROSS SCAR Attributes: ATP +190, ATA +32 Special: Lightning Description: "A legendary short sword that leaves cross-shaped scars on its victims. Adds lightning damage." Requirement: ATP 463 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard, Ult. Mines - RED DAGGER Attributes: ATP +613, ATA +162 Special: Steals TP Description: "This red blade is a prototype, so its finish is incomplete. Letters, which say 't', are carved on the hilt." Requirement: ATP 710 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ult. Caves. - LAVIS BLADE Attributes: ATP +450, ATA +40 Special: Drains your Hp to increase attack power Description: "A mysterious blade for use with both hands. It's very powerful, and if you use a certain item, it will become..." Requirement: ATP 850 Stars: 12 Max grind: 10 Comments: Find in Ultimate Ruins. ************************************************************************** d) SLICERS ************************************************************************** These are throwing knives that can be equipped by any class. Often an overlooked weapon due to the fact early slicers are extremely poor weapons. However later slicers like the RAPPY's FAN and the DISKA's are superb long distance weapons for Hunters, allowing them to strike multiple targets. - Slicer Attributes: ATP +15, ATA +13 Description: "A throwing blade that hits multiple enemies." - Spinner Attributes: +30 ATP, ATA +16 Description: "A throwing Blade with good accuracy and power." - Cutter Attributes: ATP +50, ATA +19 Description: "An extremely high performance throwing blade." - Sawcer Attributes: ATP +80, ATA +22 Description: "A superb throwing blade, used only by masters." - Diska Attributes: ATP +145, ATA +25 Description: "An exceptional throwing blade. Has amazing power." - SLICER OF ASSASSIN Attributes: ATP +110, ATA +27, DFP +10 Special: Instant kill Description: "A legendary throwing blade used by elite assassins. Its special attack can kill instantly." Requirement: ATP 480 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ult ruins - DISKA OF LIBERATOR Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +31 Special: Confusion Description: "A legendary throwing blade used by a hunter called 'The Liberator." Requirement: ATP 480 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Ruins - DISKA OF BRAVEMAN Attributes: ATP +170, ATA +30 Special: HP sacrifice Description: "A legendary throwing blade for the brave. Sacrifices HP for a powerful special attack." Requirement: ATP 495 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Buy in weapon shop on certain section IDs. - RED SLICER Attributes: ATP +695, ATA +144 Special: Fire Description: "This red slicer is a prototype, so it's finish is incomplete. Letters, which say 'Cl,' are carved on the hilt." Requirement: ATP 970 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ultimate Ruins - FLIGHT FAN Attributes: ATP +680, ATA +185 Special: EXP steal Description: "When thrown, this fan can kill several enemies at once. It's special attack steals 12% of the enemies experience". Requirement: ATP 880 Stars: 11 Max grind: 15 Comments: ************************************************************************** e) PARTISANS ************************************************************************** Partisans are an odd class of weapon. Hunters can equip all partisans, rangers can equip only the non special weapon partisans (ie, Partisan to Gungnir). They hit multiple times and unlike swords they don't cut your evasion. However they aren't as powerful as swords and the combos are even more readily interrupted. - Partisan Attributes: ATP +40, ATA +32 Description: "A long sword with a photon blade. Hits multiple enemies." - Halbert Attributes: ATP +75, ATA +37 Description: "A long sword with good accuracy and power." - Glaive Attributes: ATP +110, ATA +41 Description: "An extremely high performance long sword." - Berdys Attributes: ATP +145, ATA +45 Description: "A superior long sword, usable only by masters." - Gungnir Attributes: ATP +180, ATA +49 Description: "An exceptional long sword. Has amazing power." - BRIONAC Attributes: ATP +182, ATA +33 Special: TP steal Description: "A legendary long sword made of pure photons. Its special attack drains enemy TP." Requirement: ATP 475 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: Find in Hard mode onwards, usually in the Caves. - VJAYA Attributes: ATP +200, ATA +55 Special: Use meseta to increase attack power Description: "A legendary long sword for the wealthy. Can launch a powerful attack at the cost of Meseta." Requirement: ATP 412 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in ultimate Forest - GAE BOLG Attributes: ATP +220, ATA +40, LCK +5 Special: Ice Description: "A legendary long sword that is said to become sharper with every blow. Its special attack freezes enemies." Requirement: ATP 463 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.hard Ruins - RED PARTISAN Attributes: ATP +600, ATA +202 Special: Ice Description: "This red partisan is a prototype, so its finish is incomplete. Letters, which say "h," are carved on the grip." Requirement: ATP 860 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ultimate Mines. - SOUL BANISH Attributes: ATP +350, ATA +45 Special: Drains your HP for a more powerful attack Description: "A cursed, but powerful sickle that drains HP. Its special attack drains HP for a powerful strike." Requirement: 850 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Central Control and Seabed. - BERDYSH Attributes: ATP +270, ATA +40 Special: Drains PB bar to make attack more powerful. Description: "A very powerful sword. Only Android Hunters can use it due to it's stringent requirements." Requirement: ATP 710 Stars: 9 Max grind: 25 Comments: Usable by HUcast and HUcaseal only. Find in Ultimate Temple, Spaceship and Central Control. - IMPERIAL PICK Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +41 Special: Halves enemy HP Description: "The blades can kill an enemy in one hit. Its special attack can take away half of an enemy's health." Requirement: ATP 785 Stars: 10 Max grind: 20 Comments: Usable by Hunters only, most likely to turn up in the Ultimate Forest and Ultimate Seabed. - CHAMELEON SYCTHE Attributes: ATP +600, ATA +215 Special: Steals TP Description: "This scythe is considered a work of art because of its intricate design. It's special attack confuses enemies." Requirement: ATP 670 Stars: 11 Max grind: 80 Comments: Prize in offline challenge mode ************************************************************************** f) HANDGUNS ************************************************************************** Handguns can be equipped by all classes and like sabres combine good power and accuracy with speedy attacks. Early on, every character should pack a handgun, even if its just to take out those pesky floating mines. Rangers will soon substitute Rifles and Shots, but for Hunters and most Forces a powerful handgun like the RED HANDGUN is a must at higher levels. - Handgun Attributes: ATP +30, ATA +26 Description: "A small gun that fires Photon bullets." - Autogun Attributes: ATP +65, ATA +29 Description: "A small gun with good accuracy and power." - Lockgun Attributes: ATP +110, ATA +26 Description: "An extremely high performance small gun." - Railgun Attributes: ATP +145, ATA +32 Description: "A superior small gun, usable only by masters." - Raygun Attributes: ATP +180, ATA +38 Description: "An exceptional small gun. Has amazing power - VARISTA Attributes: ATP +210, ATA +38, EVP +10 Special: Paralysis Description: "A legendary High performance pistol. Its special causes paralysis." Requirement: ATA 110 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: V.Hard Ruins, Ultimate mode all areas. Can buy from shop after level 100. - CUSTOM RAY VER.OO Attributes: ATP +195, ATA +45 Special: Fire Description: "A pistol used by military mechanic group "Team00." Proves the bearer to be a member of the team" Requirement: ATA 105 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate mode, and V.hard ruins - BRAVACE Attributes: ATP +250, ATA +45 Special: Lightning Description: "A legendary pistol reserved for high-ranking officers aboard Pioneer 1. Adds lightning damage." Requirement: ATA 118 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in various places in V.Hard and Ult. - RED HANDGUN Attributes: ATP +530, ATA +85 Special: Lightning Description: "This red gun is a prototype, so it's finish is incomplete. Letters, which say 'i', are carved on the barrel." Requirement: ATP 140 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ultimate Forest. ************************************************************************** g) MECHGUNS ************************************************************************** Mechguns like Handguns can be equipped by all classes. They fire multiple times at the same target. Early Mechguns tend to be less useful than Handguns as the accuracy boosts are poor and result in a lot of missed shots. However higher levels guns like the TWIN PSYCHOGUNS are extremely popular, I think mainly because they look cool =P - Mechgun Attributes: +4 ATP Description: "A machine gun that fires a hail of Photon bullets." - Assault Attributes: ATP +8, ATA +3 Description: "A machine gun with good power and accuracy." - Repeater Attributes: ATP +12, ATA +6 Description: "An extremely high performance machine gun." - Gatling Attributes: ATP +16, ATA +9 Description: "A superior machine gun, usable only by masters." - Vulcan Attributes: ATP +20, ATA +12 Description: "An exceptional machine gun. Has amazing power." - M&A60 VISE Attributes: ATP +25, ATA +15, LCK +5 Special: uses own HP for extra power attacks Description: "A legendary machine gun from the Vise Corp. Sacrifices HP for a powerful special attack." Requirement: ATA 120 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Hard Mode onwards - H&S25 JUSTICE Attributes: ATP +30, ATA +18 Special: Ice Description: "A legendary machine gun from the Justice Corp. Its special attack freezes enemies." Requirement: ATA 122 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Hard Mode onwards. - L&K15 COMBAT Attributes: ATP +35, ATA +19 Special: Paralysis Description: "A legendary machine gun from the Combat Corp. It's special attack paralyses enemies". Requirement: ATA 124 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard, Ultimate mode - RED MECHGUN Attributes: ATP +513. ATA +90 Special: Confusion Description: "This red mechgun is a prototype, so its finish is incomplete. Letters, which say "ff," are carved on the grip." Requirement: ATA 175 Stars: 9 Max grind: 90 Comments: Find in Ultimate Mode. ************************************************************************** h) RIFLES ************************************************************************** A ranger only class of weapon and one that all rangers should equip as soon as they can (they often turn up in the shop before you start finding them on the ground). Excellent power and accuracy combined with good speed in chaining a combo make this a lethal weapon early on. Rifles also have the longest range of any weapon in the game. - Rifle Attributes: ATP +20, ATA +9 Description: "A long range gun that fires Photon bullets." - Sniper Attributes: ATP +90, ATA +18 Description: "A rifle with good accuracy and power." - Blaster Attributes: ATP +160, ATA +27 Description: "An extremely high performance rifle" - Beam Attributes: ATP +210, ATA +36 Description: "A superior rifle, usable only by masters." - Laser Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +45 Description: "An exceptional rifle. Has amazing power." - VISK'235W Attributes: +260 ATP, +50 ATA, EVP +5 Special: Paralyse Description: "legendary rifle crafted by Visk, one of the three masters. It's special attack paralyses enemies." Requirement: ATA 118 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in the Ult. forest - WALS'MK2 Attributes: ATP +290, ATA +54 Special: Confusion Description: "Legendary rifle crafted by Wals, one of the three masters. It's special attack confuses enemies." Requirement: 120 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Mode - JUSTY'23ST Attributes: ATP +270, ATA +54, DFP +10 Special: Halves enemy HP Description: "Legendary rifle crafted by Justy, one of the three masters. It's special attack halves enemy HP." Requirement: 125 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Mode - EGG BLASTER Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +40 Special: Fire damage Description: "A special gun made by a mysterious scientist out to conquer the world. Does fire damage." Requirement: ATA 140 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Is this made by Dr. Robotnik (Eggman) from Sonic the Hedgehog perchance? - YASMINKOV 7000V Attributes: ATP +695, ATA +180 Special: None Description: "An antique model that's popular among certain hardcore fans. The power is as strong as the new model." Requirement: ATA 190 Stars: 10 Max grind: 10 Comments: - YASMINKOV 3000R Attributes: ATP +622, ATA +122 Special: none Description: "An antique model that's popular among certain hardcore fans. The power is as strong as the new model." Requirement: ATA 160 Stars: 10 Max grind: 10 Comments: - ANO RIFLE Attributes: ATP +350, ATA +64 Special: Paralysis Description: "This rifle was used as the military Android's primary weapon in a certain country." Requirement: ATA 174 Stars: 10 Max grind: 15 Comments: Male Rangers only. Find in Ultimate Central Control and Seabed - ANTI ANDROID RIFLE Attributes: ATP +350, ATA +60 Special: Lightning Description: "A government certified scientist created this high-performance rifle based on the A-35 rifle function." Requirement: ATA 175 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Ep II all areas. - FROZEN SHOOTER Attributes: ATP +250, ATA +60 Special: Freeze enemies Description: "The latest freeze gun uses latent heat energy to fire a freeze bomb. Its power to freeze is excellent." Requirement: ATA 162 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Ultimate Forest, dropped by Hildetorr. ************************************************************************** i) SHOTGUNS ************************************************************************** Shotguns are similar to the Sword in that they have major pros and cons. The pro is they shoot out a spread of bullets and hit multiple targets. The cons are they are VERY slow, probably the slowest weapon in the game. So you may find yourself eating enemy attack before you can recover from a shot. That said, they are a useful tool for clearing rooms and the SPREAD NEEDLE is definitely the best one to get as it fires off shots much, much more quickly. - Shot Attributes: ATP +25, ATA +27, EVP -10 Description: "A shotgun that fires a spread of Photon Bullets." - Spread Attributes: ATP +50, ATA +30, EVP -10 Description: "A shotgun with good accuracy and power." - Cannon Attributes: ATP +80, ATA +35 Description: "An extremely high performance rifle." - Launcher Attributes: ATP +110, ATA +41 Description: "A superior shotgun usable only by masters." - Arms Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +47 Description: "An exceptional shotgun. Has amazing powers." - CRUSH BULLET Attributes: ATP +133, ATA +37, EVP -30 Special: HP thief Description: "A legendary shotgun made with pure photons. Its special attack steals enemy HP." Requirement: ATA 122 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Ruins and Ultimate mode. - FINAL IMPACT Attributes: ATP +188, ATA +40, LUCK +10 Special: EXP steal Description: "A legendary shotgun with tremendous power. Its special attack steals enemies' experience points." Requirement: ATA 125 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Mines/Ruins. - METEOR SMASH Attributes: ATP +160, ATA +43, EVP -30 Special: TP steal Description: "A legendary shotgun with power that rivals a meteor strike. It's special attack steals enemy TP." Requirement: ATA 125 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Ruin. - SPREAD NEEDLE Attributes: ATP + 245, ATA +40, EVP -30 Special: Paralysis Description: "A custom shotgun that shoots countless needles. Its special attack paralyses enemies." Requirement: ATA 135 Stars: 9 Max grind: 40 Comments: Most likely to be found in the Ult. Ruins - FLAME VISIT Attributes: ATP +450, ATA +40 Special: Confusion Description: "A flamethrower that incinerates enemies with huge fireballs. It's special attack confuses enemies." Requirement: ATA 164 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ult Ruins and Temple. - PANZER FAUST Attributes: ATP +500, ATA +42 Special: Confusion Description: "It fires a very powerful rocket bomb. Its special attack can confuse enemies." Requirement: ATA 181 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Usable by RAcast and RAcaseal only. Dropped by Baranz in the Ultimate Spaceship. - MASER BEAM Attributes: ATP +230, ATA +37 Special: Zonde/Paralysis Description: "A special gun that shoots lighting. Its accuracy is top class." Requirement: ATA 160 Stars: 10 Max grind: 20 Comments: Dropped by Gol Dragon in the Ult. Spaceship. ************************************************************************** j) CANES ************************************************************************** Canes are force only weapons that have average power and accuracy. Lower level canes are pretty useless and you would do well to sub them for a wand or rod as soon as you can. Special Canes are pretty much interchangeable with Special Rods and Wands and which one you equip depends on your playing style. With force weapons, many people tend to equip based on special attacks rather than ATP or ATA boosts as few Forces tend to want to engage in hand-to-hand combat. - Cane Attributes: ATP +30, ATA +40 Description: "A cane usable by Forces. Has low attack power." - Stick Attributes: ATP +60, ATA +45 Description: "A high quality cane with average attack power." - Mace Attributes: ATP +90, ATA +50 Description: "A superior cane, usable only by masters." - Club Attributes: ATP +120, ATA +55 Description: "An exceptional cane. Has amazing powers." - CLUB OF LACONIUM Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +60, Luck +10 Special: Fire Description: "A legendary cane made of Laconium metal. It's special attack causes fire damage." Requirement: MST 430 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: PINKAL: common drop in all area and difficulties - MACE OF ADAMAN Attributes: ATP +180, ATP +55 Special: Lightning Description: "A legendary cane made of the magic stone Adaman. Its special attack adds lightning damage." Requirement: MST 440 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ult. Mines/Ruins - CLUB OF ZUMIURAN Attributes: ATP +220, ATA +60, MST +10 Special: Death Description: "A legendary cane made of the magic stone Zumiuran. Its special attack can cause instant death." Requirement: MST 450 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: - SUMMIT MOON Attributes: ATP +566, ATA +140, MST +55 Special: Lightning Description: "The stone on this cane increases your mental strength. Its special attack is lightning." Requirement: MST 800 Stars: 11 Max grind: 45 Comments: Force only. Find in Ult. Ruins - STING TIP Attributes: ATP +170, ATA +40, MST +30, DFP +40 Special: TP drain from enemy Description: "A special battle cane with needles on its tip. Its special attack steals TP." Requirement: MST 450 Stars: 10 Max grind: 30 Comments: Find in various modes from Hard onwards, but only in Ep II. - DEMONIC FORK Attributes: ATP +345, ATA +45, MST +35 Special: EXP thief Description: "This evil fork brings bad luck to the person who equips it. Its special attack steals enemy experience." Requirement: MST 720 Stars: 10 Max grind: Comments: Find in Ultimate Central Control ************************************************************************** k) RODS ************************************************************************** Rods are weapons for Forces only who want to engage in hand-to-hand combat. It's likely that as a Force you'll be able to equip a powerful Rod before you have the ATP to equip a similarly powerful Sabre. Most Special Rods have powers that reduce or drain enemy HP rather than fire off magical attacks. - Rod Attributes: ATP +42, ATA +45 Description: "A battle cane made only for Forces." - Pole Attributes: ATP +80, ATA +50 Description: "A battle cane with good power and accuracy." - Pillar Attributes: ATP +115, ATA +55 Description: "A superior battle cane, useable only by masters." - Striker Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +60 Description: An exceptional Battle cane. Has amazing power." - BATTLE VERGE Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +60 Special: HP halve Description: "A legendary cane made so Forces can hold their own in a fight. Halves enemy HP." Requirement: MST 460 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Ruins - BRAVE HAMMER Attributes: ATP +220, ATA +65 Special: TP attack Description: "A legendary battle cane for brave Forces. Its special attack uses TP to launch a powerful strike." Requirement: MST 470 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Very Hard Caves - ALIVE AQHU Attributes: ATP +260, ATA +65 Special: HP steal Description: "A legendary battle cane made for a Force for intense fights. Its special attack steals enemies' HP." Requirement: MST 480 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Ruins - BROOM Attributes: ATP +230, ATA +35, MST +45 Special: None Description: "This is a cleaning tool that was found in the ancient ruins. Something is carved on it. It increases mental strength." Requirement: MST 348 Stars: 10 Max grind: 0 Comments: Prize in Offline Challenge mode - BRANCH OF PAKU PAKU Attributes: ATP +267, ATA +45, DFP +25 Special: Description: "A branch that gives off a fragrance that puts Chao into a trance." Requirement: MST 600 Stars: 11 Max grind: ? Comments: Findable in Hard, V.Hard, Ultimate Forest and Caves. - CADUCEUS Attributes: ATP +360, ATA +54, DFP +40 Special: Fire Description: "A special cane based on a legandary holy cane. Casts Foie as a special attack." Requirement: MST 720 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Find in V.hard Ruins and Ultimate Caves (Pouilly Slime) - FATSIA Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +45, MST +20 Special: ? Description: "A huge leaf. Weapon becomes more powerful once in contact with water." Requirement: MST 590 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Usable by all non-androids. Find in Vhard and Ultimate Central Control and Seabed. ************************************************************************** l) WANDS ************************************************************************** Wands are Force only weapons designed for the player who wants to pump up their MST as much as possible. Weak physically, they soon provide significant boosts to your mental strength that increases the power of your techs. - Wand Attributes: ATP +30, ATA +30, MST +10 Description: "A magic cane with good power and attributes." - Staff Attributes: ATP +40, ATA +35, MST +10 Description: "An extremely high performance magic cane." - Baton Attributes: ATP +50, ATA +40, MST +10 Description: "A superior cane, usable only by masters." - Sceptre Attributes: ATP +75, ATA +45, MST +10 Description: "An exceptional magic cane. Has amazing power - FIRE SCEPTRE: AGNI Attributes: ATP +100, ATA +50, MST +20 Special: Fire Description: "A legendary magic cane containing the power of fire. Its special attack adds fire damage. Requirement: MST 470 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: - ICE STAFF: DAGON Attributes: ATP +125, ATA +50, MST +20 Special: Ice/Freeze Description: "Legendary magic cane with the power of ice. Has the ability to freeze enemies." Requirement: MST 485 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard and Ult modes. - STORM WAND:INDRA Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +50, MST +20 Special: Lightning Description: "Legendary magic cane containing the power of lightning. Adds lightning damage." Requirement: MST 490 Stars: 9 Max grind: 9 Comments: - TECHNICAL CROZIER Attributes: ATP +130, ATA +36 Special: Barta Description: "A special magical cane for forces, made by an adept in science and magic. Casts Barta." Requirement: MST 285 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Get the BLUE MINERAL in the "Soul of a Blacksmith" Quest in Ultimate Mode and choose to make a Cane. - THE SIGH OF A GOD Attributes: ATP +180, ATA +40, MST +40 Special: Gizonde Description: "This magic cane holds electric energy. Its special attack is Gizonde." Requirement: MST 653 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Love Rappy drop in Ult. Temple, also find in Ult Seabed and Central Control. - MAGICAL PIECE Attributes: ATP +240, ATA +42, MST +30 Special: Zonde Description: "Magical Heart-Key cane. Boosts mid level attack techniques. Its special attack adds lighting damages." Requirement: MST 800 Stars: 11 Max grind: ? Comments: Find in Ult ruins. - RABBIT WAND Attributes: ATP +210, ATA +48, MST +45 Special: Confusion Description: "The rabbit's head on the tip of this cane looks very cute. People often use this cane as an accessory." Requirement: MST 348 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Female Forces only. Hildetorr and Love Rappy drop in Ult. Temple. - TWINKLE STAR Attributes: ATP +488, ATA +168, MST +55 Special: Lighting Description: "The star-shaped design increases mental strength. Its special attack causes a large shock." Requirement: MST 850 Stars: 11 Max grind: 9 Comments: Force only, find in Ult. Ruins ************************************************************************** m) CLAWS/FISTS ************************************************************************** Claws and Fists are mostly Hunter weapons, although some types can be equipped by Rangers as well. However they are best left in the hands of a Hunter and, like with daggers your going to be very up close and personal when you attack. Combos come out at insane speeds and the excellent ATA boosts adds to their devastation. The best Claws are actually the Enemy part, GIGA/GO/BOOMA claws. - PHOTON CLAW Attributes: ATP +215, ATA +38 Special: HP steal Description: "Claws with photon blades for quick attacks with the right hand. Its special attack steals enemies' HP." Requirement: ATP 215 Stars: 9 Max grind: 20 Comments: Find in V.Hard Mines/Ruins and Ult. Forest - SILENCE CLAW Attributes: ATP +285, ATA +39 Special: Instant death Description: "Legendary claws that kill silently. It's special attack can fell enemies with a single blow." Requirement: ATP 336 Stars: 10 Max grind: 15 Comments: Find in Ultimate Forest - NEI'S CLAW Attributes: ATP +380, ATA +60 Special: HP steal Description: "Legendary claws equippable only by female Hunters or Rangers. Its special attack steals enemy HP." Requirement: ATP 336 Stars: 9 Max grind: 25 Comments: Exchange for Photon drops ONLINE ONLY difficulty. Usable by females Hunters and rangers only. - ANGRY FIST Attributes: ATP +460, ATA +62 Special: Ice Description: "Gear that boosts attack power for unarmed combat. Its special attack freezes enemies." Requirement: ATP 610 Stars: 10 Max grind: 30 Comments: Find various places in V.Hard and Ultimate. Usable by all except FOnewearl. - GOD HAND Attributes: ATP +705, ATA +70, DEF, EVP, MST +5 Special: EXP thief Description: "The ultimate gear for unarmed combat. Its special attack steals experience points." Requirement: Stars: 10 Max grind: 30 Comments: get the Blue Mineral in "Soul of the Blacksmith", ULTIMATE mode only and choose to make sword. Hunters and Rangers only. - HEART OF POUWN Attributes: ATP +700, ATA +56, MST +15, DFP +15, EVP +15, LCK +15 Special: Confusion Description: "A Laconiatask tempered with the Eclipse Torch's flame. Also known as Alis' Claw." Requirement: ATP 850 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Usable by HUnewearls only. Love Rappy drop in Ult temple. - RIKA's CLAW Attributes: ATP +670, ATA +54, MST/DFP/EVP/LCK +10 Special: Boosts GiFoie/Zonde/Barta power Description: "A mysterious mechanical claw created by a legendary Newman. It boosts mid level attack techniques." Requirement: ATP 890 Stars: 10 Max grind: 35 Comments: Usable by all Hunters and Rangers. Found in Ult. Central Control and Seabed. - PANTHER CLAW Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +38 Special: Confusion Description: "This is only available for female users. It's a very popular accessory, though it's not useful as a weapon." Requirement: ATP 412 Stars: 9 Max grind: ? Comments: Holiday Rappy drop, Online only. Can be used by all female chars. - MORNING GLORY Attributes: ATP +500, ATA +52 Special: ? Description: "Claw forged from the metal, Morningium, which is said to show its true strength under the light of the morning sun." Requirement: ATP 700 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Usable by all except FOnewearl. Find in Ultimate Ruins. ************************************************************************** n) TWIN BLADES ************************************************************************** Twin blades fall into to two sub-groups. Twin Sabres which can be equipped by Hunters and some other classes depending on the weapon and Twin Swords, which are only useable by Hunters. Twin Sabres are pole-like weapons which hit five times in a combo. Twin Swords are two separate blades that also hit for five times in a combo. Twin sabres are weaker, but hit a lot faster. Twin Swords are stronger, but the combo's can be easily interrupted. - DOUBLE SABRE Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +28 Special: TP drain Description: "A double-bladed photon sword. Its special attack steals enemies' TP." Requirement: 235 Stars: 9 Max grind: 35 Comments: PINKAL: dropped by Nar Lily in Normal Caves - STAG CUTLERY Attributes: ATP +235, ATA +23 Special: confusion Description: "A legendary double-bladed sword useable only by male Hunters and Rangers. Causes Confusion." Requirement: ATP 343 Stars: 10 Max grind: 15 Comments: Find in Ultimate Forest. - TWIN BRAND Attributes: ATP +225, ATA +32 Special: halves HP Description: "The ultimate double-bladed sword, only for masters. Its special attack halves enemy HP." Requirement: ATP 270 Stars: 11 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in V.Hard Ruins. Hunters only. - METEOR CUDGEL Attributes: ATP +640, ATA =180 Special: Ice Description: "The crystals on both sides of the staff can inflict a lot of damage. Its special attack freezes enemies." Requirement: ATP 950 Stars: 10 Max grind: 30 Comments: Find in Ultimate ruins. Hunters only. - TWIN BLAZE Attributes: ATP +590, ATA +150, MST +40 Special: Fire Description: "Flames from both ends of this magic cane will burn enemies. Its special flame attack is very powerful." Requirement: ATP 800 Stars: 12 Max grind: 9 Comments: Find in Ultimate Caves. - MONKEY KING BAR Attributes: Special: Description: Requirement: Stars: Max grind: Comments: This is apparently still banned... - YAMATO Attributes: ATP +390, ATA +40 Special: Freeze Description: "A pair of swords bonded with low temperature photons" It's special attack freezes people." Requirement: ATP 470 Stars: 10 Max grind: Comments: Usable by Hunters only this is a very nice twin to pick up for later difficulties as it's freeze special has a high success rate if you combo it. - MUSASHI Attributes: ATP +380, ATA +40 Special: ? Description: "A pair of swords bearing the name of a double wielding master." Requirement: ATP 470 Stars: 9 Max grind: 60 Comments: Drop from DRAGON boss in Hard mode and Delbiters in Hard Seabed. - SANGE AND YASHA Attributes: ATP +650, ATA +50 Special: Drains enemy TP Description: "A pair of Katanas that work perfectly in concert with one another." Requirement: ATP 800 Stars: 12 Max grind: 30 Comments: I think you can have this made if you find the two katanas SANGE and YASHA. Not sure where or how. Any clarification most appreciated. - ASUKA Attributes: ATP +650, ATA +50 Special: Powerful Foie attack Description: "A pair of swords bonded with ultra high temperature Photons." Requirement: ATP 650 Stars: 10 Max grind: 30 Comments: Find in Ultimate Caves, Temple and Central Control. ************************************************************************** o) PHOTON LAUNCHERS ************************************************************************** Photon Launchers are a new type of weapon (not found in the DC versions). They are ranger only weapons that fire out a cannonball like glob of photonic energy that's passes through enemies damaging all in the line of fire. They are rather slow and similar to shots in their effect, but they can do a lot of damage if enemies are tightly packed in front of you, they tend to be less effective in Episode 2 where the enemies run about more. They are good heavy weapons for any Ranger though and you have a good chance of finding the first in the group the plain ole PHOTON LAUNCHER if you beat up on Hard mode Vol Opt enough times. - PHOTON LAUNCHER Attributes: ATP +225, ATA +45, EVP +5 Special: Paralysis Description: "A launcher that fires Photons that pierce though enemies. Its special attack paralyses enemies." Requirement: ATA 118 Stars: 9 Max Grind: 9 Comments: Dropped by Vol Opt in the Hard Mines, all section IDs. - GUILTY LIGHT Attributes: ATP + 250, ATA + 38 Special: Freeze Description: "A legendary photon launcher said to have been created by an Outlaw." Requirement: ATA 120 Stars: 10 Max grind: 18 Comments: Available on all section Ids in V.Hard and Ultimate. Most likely to be found in the V.Hard Mines, Spaceship or Central Control. Ultimate Caves and Seabed. - RED SCORPIO Attributes: ATP +300, ATA + 42 Special: Explosion Description: "This was a highly regarded Photon launcher of a certain society." Requirement: ATP 150 Stars: 10 Max grind: 50 Comments: Find in Ultimate Caves, Ruins and Central Control - NUG-2000 BAZOOKA Attributes: ATP +600, ATA +30 Special: Large Photon blast Description: "A bazooka said to have been favoured on the battlefield by a brave warrior of ancient times." Requirement: ATA 200 Stars: 11 Max grind: 32 Comments: Find in the Ultimate Mines. ************************************************************************** p) KATANA'S ************************************************************************** There were two Katana's in the DC version, the Agito's and the Orotiagito. To this have been added new Katanas named after the blades you can collect in the "Seek My Master" quest. Note though that the katanas are not actually available in that quest (unless you get them as a random drop). - AGITO (1975 Dousetsu - real) Attributes: ATP +450, ATA +45 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 1975 Model." Requirement: ATP 500 Stars: 10 Max grind: 0 Comments: Hunter only. Tek this into Orogiagito in the "Seek My mster" Quest. Find in Ultimate Mode. - AGITO (1977 Jou'un) Attributes: ATP +450, ATA +48 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 1977 Model." Requirement: ATP 510 Stars: 10 Max grind: 50 Comments: Usable by all. Find in Ultimate Spaceship and Temple. - AGITO (1980 Tengai) Attributes: ATP +425, ATA +51 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 1980 Model." Requirement: ATP 500 Stars: 10 Max grind: 40 Comments: Usable by all. Find in Ultimate Temple and Spaceship. - AGITO (1983 Dousetsu) Attributes: ATP +500, ATA +47 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 1983 Model." Requirement: ATP 500 Stars: 10 Max grind: 45 Comments: Usable by all. Find in Ultimate Central Control. - AGITO (1991 Kikoku) Attributes: ATP +400, ATA +40 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 1991 Model." Requirement: ATP 350 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Usable by all. Find in V.Hard and Ultimate Seabed - AGITO (2001 Kikoku) Attributes: ATP +425, ATA +40 Special: Instant Kill Description: "AUW 2001 Model." Requirement: ATP 356 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Usable by all. Find in V.Hard Mines and Ruins. - OROTIAGITO Attributes: ATP +750, ATA +55 Special: Cuts enemy HP in half Description: "AUW 1975 model Made by Dousetsu. Its special attack halves enemy HP." Requirement: ATP 850 Stars: 12 Max grind: 9 Comments: Tek this from the 1975 Agito in the "Seek My Master" Quest. Hunter only. - YAMIGARUSU Attributes: ATP +650, ATA +53 Special: Instant Kill but drains HP Description: "This cursed sword sucks HP from the person who wields it. Its special attack can kill an enemy with 1 hit." Requirement: ATP 680 Stars: 10 Max grind: 0 Comments: Not usable by Forces. Find in ultimate seabed. - KAMUI Attributes: ATP +650, ATA +55 Special: One hit kill Description: "AUW 1977 model. Made by Tengai." Requirement: ATP 700 Stars: 10 Max grind: 0 Comments: Hunter only, Ultimate Temple and Spaceship - SANGE Attributes: ATP +550, ATA +50 Special: Drains enemy HP Description: "AUW 1963 model. Made by Jou'un." Requirement: ATP 650 Stars: 10 Max grind: ? Comments: Hunter only. Ultimate Caves. - YASHA Attributes: ATP +550, ATA +50 Special: Drains enemy HP Description: "AUW 2018 Model. Made by Kikoku." Requirement: ATP 650 Stars: 11 Max grind: ? Comments: Hunter only. Find in Ultimate caves and Temple. ************************************************************************** q) MISCELLANEOUS RARES ************************************************************************** - AKIKO'S FRYING PAN Attributes: ATP +230, ATA +40, MST +20 Special: TP absorb Description: "The ultimate weapon?-hard, yet supple and smooth." Requirement: ATA 250 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: Acquire in a weapons subquest, useable by all classes - INFERNO BAZOOKA Attributes: ATP +410, ATA +41, EVP -20 Special: Halves enemy HP Description: "A powerful bazooka with highly destructive shells. Its special attack halves enemies' HP." Requirement: ATA 142 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: can be equipped by all characters. Most likely to be found in the Very hard Ruins and Ult. Forest - YASMINKOV 2000H Attributes: ATP +340, ATA +10 Special: none Description: "An antique model that's popular among certain hardcore fans. The power is as strong as the new model." Requirement: ATA 164 Stars: 9 Max grind: 10 Comments: Handgun, usable by Rangers only. - YASHMINKOV 9000M Attributes: ATP +80, ATA +27 Special: ATA 168 Description: "An antique model that's popular among certain hardcore fans. The power is as strong as the new model." Requirement: Stars: 10 Max grind: 10 Comments: Mechgun. Usable by Rangers only. Find in Ultimate Mines. - HEAVENS PUNISHER Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +50 Special: Works on the internet "beat time" (every 100 beats) Description: "The ultimate gun, a weapon veiled in mystery. 'Divine Punishment,' its special attack, is based on time.." Requirement: ATA 210 Stars: 12 Max grind: Comments: Handgun. Usable by Rangers only. Find in Ultimate Mode - HANDGUN: MILLA Attributes: ATP +650, ATA +48 Special: Drains enemy HP Description: "A small gun with "Milla" engraved on the right side of its barrel. Its special attack steals HP." Requirement: ATA 168 Stars: 11 Max grind: 9 Comments: Handgun. Usable by female Rangers only. Find in Ultimate Forest. - HANDGUN: GULD Attributes: ATP +400, ATA +38 Special: Drains enemy TP Description: "A small gun with "GULD" engraved on the right side of its barrel. Its special attack steals enemy TP." Requirement: ATA 167 Stars: 11 Max grind: 9 Comments: Handgun. Usable by male rangers only. Find in Ultimate Ruins and Spaceship - RUBY BULLET Attributes: ATP +350, ATA +60, DFP +10 Special: Powerful fire attack Description: "An ancient gun said to have been given to the human race by a divine being around AUW 1980." Requirement: ATA 160 Stars: 10 Max grind: Comments: Handgun. Usable by Rangers only. Ultimate Mines, drop from Vol Opt V2 - TWIN PSYCHOGUN Attributes: ATP +40, ATA +23 Special: Description: "These guns convert thought patterns into a laser beam to destroy enemies." Requirement: ATA 100 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Mechgun. Usable by non-android Hunters and rangers. Find in Hard, V/Hard and Ultimate in Temple, Spaceship and Seabed - HOLY RAY Attributes: ATP +390, ATA +70 Special: Paralysis Description: "A special gun that impales enemies with a giant spear. Its special attack paralyses enemies." Requirement: MST 680 Stars: 10 Max grind: 40 Comments: Handgun. Not equippable by androids. Most likely to be found as a drop from Dal Ral Lie the Ult. Caves Boss - ANGEL HARP Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +60, DFPO +10 Special: Confusion Description: "A wondrous gun whose effects are said to be enhanced by the power of love." Requirement: ATA 120 Stars: 11 Max grind: Comments: Rifle weaon that can be used by female Rangers and Forces. Dropped in Ult. Central Control and Forest - ELYSION Attributes: ATP +368, ATA +52 Special: Fire Description: "The ancient characters on its blade produce magic. Its special attack is the fire bomb." Requirement: MST 680 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Sabre. Usable by all Forces, HUmar, HUnewearl and RAmarl. - PLANTAIN FAN Attributes: ATP +150, ATA +42. MST +55 Special: Pushes enemies back. Description: "When you wave this magic fan once, it produces a strong wind, which blows enemies away." Requirement: MST 630 Stars: 12 Max grind: 40 Comments: Usable by all Forces and HUmar and Hunewearl - FLOWER CANE Attributes: ATP +168, ATA +41, MST +50 Special: none Description: "This magic cane was developed for female users. It's very popular and can be used as an accessory". Requirement: MST 348 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: Can be used by all non androids. Prize in offline challenge mode. - SOUL EATER Attributes: ATP +185, ATP +49 Special: Drains HP Description: "A cursed sickle that drains HP from the user. Its special attack drains HP for a powerful strike." Requirement: ATP 165 Stars: 9 Max grind: 35 Comments: Acquire in offline "Soul Eater" side quest. Slowly reduces your HP while equipped. Usable by all characters. - VICTOR AXE Attributes: ATP +420, ATA +44 Special: Gives you extra EXP Description: "A one-handed axe with a Photon Blade. Its special attack steals EXP" Requirement: ATP 400 Stars: 9 Max grind: 20 Comments: Usable by all characters, found mostly in V.Hard/Ultimate temple and Spaceship - ROCKET PUNCH Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +10 Special: Flame Description: "This weapon fires a punch bomb. It does great damage, but sequence attacks are not possible." Requirement: ATA 100 Stars: 9 Max grind: 50 Comments: Usable by all classes. A drop from an Easter Egg Rappy. Online only, Temple at Easter. - SAMBA MARACAS Attributes: ATP +15, ATA +10 Special: Confusion Description: "Shaking the maracas with a Latin rhythm produces shock waves to damage enemies" Requirement: ATA 135 Stars: 11 Max grind: ? Comments: Prize in offline challenge mode, hits multiple times in a similar manner to a mechgun. Usable by all. - TOY HAMMER Attributes: ATP +400, ATA +1 Special: HP drain Description: "Once a child's toy, it has been refined over the years to become the ultimate toy. Its power is devastating." Requirement: ATP 670 Stars: 9 Max grind: 50 Comments: Prize in offline challenge mode, hits multiple times in a similar manner to a mechgun. Usable by all. - GAMES MAGAZINE Attributes: ATP +300, ATA +132 Special: None Description: "Secret technique. Type URAENDING at the Title with the keyboard" Requirement: None Stars: 11 Max grind: None Comments: This exists in the game, but unlike the DC version there is no quest to find it in. It may be "unlocked" at a later date. Usable by all. - PLANTAIN LEAF Attributes: ATP +280, ATA +45, MST +20 Special: none Description: "A huge leaf. When equipped, it increases your mental strength by 20." Requirement: ATP 590 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: Not usable by Androids. Confirmed for redria, pinkal, bluefull and greenill in Central Control Areas, mainly from the mini bosses in V.Hard/Ultimate. - CRAZY TUNE Attributes: ATP +255, ATA +30 Special: Confusion Description: "AUW 1985 model. Made by Kikoku". Requirement: ATP 412 Stars: 9 Max grind: 10 Comments: Prize in Offline Challenge Mode - SONIC KNUCKLE Attributes: ATP +310, ATA +75, MST +10, DFP +10, EVP +10, LCK +10 Special: EXP thief Description: "Unarmed combat gear that allows attacks at sonic speeds. Its special attack steals experience." Requirement: Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: A drop from an Easter Egg Rappy. Online only, Temple at Easter. - TWIN CHAKRAM Attributes: ATP +245, ATA +32 Special: Possible instant kill Description: "This round sword was built for short-range attack. The attack speed is very fast and it can kill with 1 hit." Requirement: ATP 480 Stars: 9 Max grind: 20 Comments: Rare drop in Ultimate Forest and Seabed. Usable by all. ************************************************************************** r) MONSTER PART WEAPONS ************************************************************************** To create a Monster Part weapon you first need to find a Monster part (good luck!). Then you need Doc. Montague to be unlocked offline. Do this by playing all the Hunters Guild Missions (or all those involving Elenor and Montague). Now when you enter the "Unsealed Door" mission he will make a weapon out of any animal parts you present him with and this can be done in any difficulty mode. - DEL SABRES BUSTER Attributes: ATP +289, ATA +45 Special: Lightning Description: "Delsaber's hand now an enemy weapon. Powers up 100% if used with a Delsaber's shield. Lightning damage." Requirement: ATP +295 Stars: 10 Max grind: 0 Comments: Sabre type weapon. Requires the right arm of Del Sabre. This can be equipped by all. - DEL SABRES SHIELD Attributes: DFP +65, EVP +115/230 Special: N/A Description: "A Barrier made from the left arm of Del Sabre. Evasion is doubled if used with DEL SABRES BUSTER." Stars: 10 Max Grind: N/A Comments: This is actually a barrier that can be equipped by all characters types. Even without the evasion boost the Sabre adds it is still a great shield. Its elemental defences tend to favour high dark and/or light bonuses. - S-BEATS BLADE Attributes: ATP +372, ATA +35 Special: Death Description: "An enemy weapon made from the hands of a Sinow Beat. Its special attack can kill in a single strike" Requirement: ATP 485 Stars: 11 Max grind: 25 Comments: A dagger type weapon. Requires the arm of a Sinow Beat. Hunter and Ranger only. - C-SORCERORS CANE Attributes: ATP +288, ATA +55 Special: Steals TP Description: "A magic cane made from the cane of a Chaos Sorcerer. Reduces TP cost by 10% and steals enemy TP." Requirement: MST 420 Stars: 11 Max grind: 0 Comments: Need monster part, Chaos Sorcerers Cane. Force only. - P-ARMS BLADE Attributes: ATP +298, ATA +45 Special: Paralysis Description: "An enemy weapon made from the hands of a Pan Arms. Its special attack paralyses enemies". Requirement: ATP +300 Stars: 10 Max grind: 25 Comments: Super-fast pair of daggers, for Hunters only. Definitely one of the fastest hitting weapons in the game. - HILDEBEARS CANE Attributes: ATP +480, ATA +80, MST +35 Special: Fire Description: "Hildebear's Cane-Hildebear's skull was used to make this weapon. Its special attack will shoot fire." Requirement: MST 400 Stars: 10 Max grind: 9 Comments: Force only. Requires Hildebear monster part. An absolutely awesome Force Cane, offering bonuses across four areas. It shoots a powerful Foie Blast as its special and looks hilarious. It's basically a stick with a Hildebear head on it. The head moves its mouth constantly and it makes a roaring sound when you use it. The fact it's massive makes its look especially comical if your Force is a teeny-weeny FOnewearl to. - BELRA CANNON Attributes: ATP +657, ATA +175 Special: None Description: "Indi Belra's right hand was remodelled into this enemy weapon. Its special attack is even more powerful... " Requirement: ATA 180 Stars: 12 Max grind: 9 Comments: Requires hand of Belra monster part. Ranger only. - BOOMA'S CLAW Attributes: ATP +315, DFP +48 Special: None Description: "A claw made from the right arm of a booma." Requirement: ATP +300 Stars: 9 Max grind: 0 Comments: Made from claw of Booma. Hunter and Ranger only. - GOBOOMAS CLAW Attributes: ATP +335, ATA +50 Special: Description: "A claw made from the right arm of a Gobooma." Stars: 10 Max Grind: Comments: Made from the Claw of GoBooma. Hunter and Ranger only. - RAPPYS FAN Attributes: ATP + 146, ATA +35 Special: Confusion Description: "Enemy weapon made from the wing of a Rappy." Stars: 10 Max Grind: Comments: Usable by all. This is a Slicer style weapon in the shape of a demure yellow fan. One of the more powerful and effective Slicer weapons, this gives Hunters especially a great long-range weapon that hits multiple targets. A nice effect is the cloud of feathers that erupts from any successful hit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) ARMOUR -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frames and barriers can be used by all classes. Armour and Shields can't be used by Forces. On basic armours, there are some variation in defence stats. Check out new ones and always go for the ones with most armour slots. There is also a rare item you can find in the game called "ADD SLOT" if you use one of these while wearing some armour, it will add an extra slot, though you cannot add more than the maximum of four. Its best to hold onto any Addslots you find until you get some really rare armour. Frame - Level 1, Boosts defence for all classes. Armour - Level 4, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Psy Armour - Level 7, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Giga Frame - Level 10, Boosts defence for all classes Soul Frame - Level 13, Boosts defence for all classes Cross Armour - Level 16, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Solid Frame - Level 19, Boosts defence for all classes Brave Armour - Level 23, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Hyper Frame - Level 27, Boosts defence for all classes Grand Armour - Level 31, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Shock Frame - Level 35, Boosts defence for all classes King's Frame - Level 39, Boosts defence for all classes Dragon Frame - Level 43, Boosts defence for all classes Absorb Armour - Level 47, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Protect Frame - Level 51, Boosts defence for all classes General Armour - Level 55, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Perfect Frame - Level 59, Boosts defence for all classes Valiant Frame - Level 63, Boosts defence for all classes Imperial Armour - Level 67, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Holiness Armour - Level 71, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Guardian Armour - Level 75, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Divinity Armour - Level 78, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers Ultimate Frame - Level 81, Boosts defence for all classes Celestial Armour - Level 85, Boosts defence for Hunters and Rangers HUNTER FIELD - Level 28, Hunters only RANGER FIELD - Level 28, Rangers only FORCE FIELD - Level 28, Force only REVIVAL GARMENT - Level 58. Usable by all, recovers HP over time SPIRIT GARMENT - Level 58. Usable by all, recovers TP over time D-PARTS Ver1.01 - Level 51. Androids only PARASITE WEAR: De Rol - Reduces HP, raises Defence. Not usable by androids PARASITE WEAR: Nelgal - Level 66. Reduces HP, raises Defence. Force/Ranger PARASITE WEAR: Vajulla - Level 89. Reduces HP, raises Defence. Force/Ranger SENSE PLATE - Level 53. makes traps visible. Not usable by Forces GRAVITON PLATE - Level 54, boosts defence, but lowers accuracy. Hunter/Ranger ATTRIBUTE PLATE - Level 54. Boosts all resistance. Hunter/Ranger only FLOWEN'S FRAME - Level 76. Not usable by Forces CUSTOM FRAME Ver.00 - Level 76 DB's ARMOR - Level 76 GUARD WAVE Ver.2 - Level 101, usable by all DF FIELD Ver.2 - Level 141, usable by all LUMINOUS FIELD Ver.2 - Level 121, drains HP but raise defence. CHU CHU FEVER - Level 101. Ranger/Hunter only. LOVE HEART - Level 151. Females only. Boosts evasion and defence FLAME GARMENT - Level 121 BRIGHTNESS CIRCLE - Level 131 AURA FIELD - Level 181. High defence but drains TP over time ELECTRO FRAME - Level 141 SACRED CLOTH - Level 171, extremely high defence/evasion SMOKING PLATE - Level 151, extremely high defence/evasion -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) SHIELDS AND BARRIERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barrier - level 1, Boost Evasion for all classes Shield - level 4, Boost Evasion for Hunters and Rangers Core Shield - level 7, Boost Evasion for Hunters and Rangers Giga Shield - level 10, Boost Evasion for Hunters and Rangers Soul Barrier - level 13 Boost Evasion for all classes Hard Shield - level 17, Boost Evasion for Hunters and Rangers Brave Barrier - level 20 Boost Evasion for all classes Solid Shield - level 23, Boost Evasion for Hunters and Rangers Flame Barrier - level 27 Boost Defence and Fire Resist for all classes Plasma Barrier - level 31 Boost Defence and Lightning Resist for all classes Freeze Barrier - level 35 Boost Defence and Ice Resist for all classes Psychic Barrier - level 39 Boost Defence for all classes General Shield - level 43, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers Protect Barrier - level 47 Boost Defence for all classes Glorious Shield - level 51, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers Imperial Barrier - level 55 Boost Defence for all classes Guardian Shield - level 59, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers Divinity Barrier - level 63 Boost Defence for all classes Ultimate Shield - level 67, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers Spiritual Shield - level 71, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers Celestial Shield - level 75, Boost Defence for Hunters and Rangers SACRED GUARD - Level 17. Usable by all S-PARTS Ver1.16 - Level 17. Androids only S-PARTS Ver2.01 - Level 17. Androids only LIGHT RELIEF - Level 17. Boosts dark resistance SHIELD OF DELSABER - Level 41. Evasion increases if used with DelSabres Buster FORCE WALL - Level 41. Force only HUNTER WALL - Level 41. Hunter only RANGER WALL - Level 41. ranger only ATTRIBUTE WALL - Level 41. Boost resistances for all classes SECRET GEAR - Level 41. Boosts evasion significantly for all classes PROTO REGENE GEAR - Level 66. COMBAT GEAR - Level 66. Boosts attack and not defence. REGENERATE GEAR - Level 66. Restores HP when you block an attack FLOWEN'S SHIELD - Level 66. Not usable by Forces DB'S SHIELD - Level 66 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) ARMOUR SLOT ITEMS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Each slot item that adds a stats bonus can come in various strengths. Below are listed stats for the basic unit. But you can find units with +, ++. -, -- on them. Each plus or minus, adds or subtracts a small amount from the default stat. The amount depends on the level of the add-on. - LIST OF PLUG INS HP Restorate - Restores HP as you walk long distances HP Generate - Restores HP as you walk medium distances HP/Revival - Restores HP as you walk short distances TP Restorate - Restores TP as you walk long distances TP Generate - Restores TP as you walk medium distances TP/Revival- Restores TP as you walk short distances PB Amplifier - Increases PB as you walk long distances PB/Generate - Increases PB as you walk medium distances PB/Create - Increases PB as you walk short distances Digger/HP - HP +10 General/HP - HP +20 Dragon/HP - HP +30 God/HP - HP +40 Warrior/Body - DEF +10 General/Body - DEF +20 Metal/Body - DEF +30 God/Body - DEF +50 Priest/Mind - MST +5 Angel/Mind - MST +15 God/Mind - MST +40 Thief/Legs - EVP +10 General/Legs - EVP +20 Elf/Legs - EVP +30 God/Legs - EVP +40 Master/Ability - EVP, ATP, ATA, MST DEF +10 Hero/Ability - EVP, ATP, ATA, MST DEF +15 God/Ability - EVP, ATP, ATA, MST DEF +20 Marksman/Arm - ATA +3 General/Arms - ATA +7 Elf/Arms - ATA +10 God/Arms - ATA +15 Knight/Power - ATP +5 General/Power - ATP +10 Ogre/Power - ATP +15 God/Power - ATP +20 Angel/Luck - LUCK +10 God/Luck - LUCK +20 Resist/Fire - Fire Resist +5 Resist/Cold - Ice Resist +5 Resist/Shock - Lightning Resist +5 Resist/Light - Light Resist +5 Resist/Dark - Dark Resist +5 Resist/Freeze - Ice Resist +10 Resist/Flame - Fire Resist +10 Resist/Thunder - Lightning Resist +10 Resist/Saint - Light Resist +10 Resist/Evil - Dark Resist +10 Resist/Burning - Fire Resist +15 Resist/Blizzard - Ice Resist +15 Resist/Storm - Lightning Resist +15 Resist/Holy - Light Resist +15 Resist/Devil - Dark Resist +15 All/Resist - Resist Ice, Fire, Lightning, Dark, Light +5 Super/Resist - Resist Ice, Fire, Lightning, Dark, Light +10 Perfect/Resist - Resist Ice, Fire, Lightning, Dark, Light +15 Wizard/Technique - Raises all techniques by 1 level Devil/Technique - Raises all techniques by 2 levels God/Technique - Raises all techniques by 3 levels General/Battle - Increases attack speed by 10% Devil/Battle - Increases attack speed by 20% God/Battle - Increases attack speed by 30% -------------------------------------------------------------------------- e) WEAPONS SIDE QUESTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Only two of the quests result in a guaranteed weapon. The quest for the Orotiagito is basically so you can set-up a character with in that quest to make the weapon when you find the original. Online quests appear to be popping up with weapon/item quests as reward, I will add these as soon as I know more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) QUEST FOR THE SOUL EATER -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As you play the Hunters Guild Quests in the caves, DON'T play Waterfall Tears or Black Paper yet. First you need to have access to the Mines. Begin "Dr. Osto's Research". At the end when Sue asks you your name, don't tell her. If you do tell her, you won't be able to get the Soul Eater in this difficulty mode, but you can see the real ending to the Mines/Ruins quest "Soul of Steel". Now do the Unsealed Door Quest and make sure you find and talk to Sue (she is south of the "s" shaped room), finish the quest. Now you can do the "Waterfall Tears" quest. Beat Anna in the waterfall/rainbow room and carry on up. You should see a NPC arrow appear. It's Kireek (who you met back in your Battle Training Quest). He is Black Hound, so fight him and defeat him. Now start the "Black Paper" Quest. On the way to caves 2 you will run into Kireek near the exit of caves 1. Battle him again. Then complete the Quest. Now do "From the Depths". When Ash leaves you by the crystal causing the Earthquakes. Carry on further into the Ruins and meet Kireek for the last time. Defeat him and you'll get the "Soul Eater". The cursed scythe is a partisan type weapon, but can be equipped by all classes. (If you are having trouble beating Kireek, make sure you only use Mates to heal with as Resta will heal him as well). -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) QUEST FOR AKITO'S FRYING PAN -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you start the Quest "Secret Delivery", make sure you talk to the man walking about outside the medical centre. He'll start going on about WEAPON the secret society. Answer "!!" to his questions and he will give you his approval. He'll tell you that you need four more approvals. The only way to get these now is to complete ALL the Hunters Guild Quests so you can revisit earlier ones. If you didn't talk to him first time through, you can go into Secret Delivery when it's unlocked again, BUT you'll have to play it through. The same goes for the next missions. The next approval can be found in "Claiming a Stake". Talk to the kid pacing outside the medical centre. You must then complete the quest. The next approval can be found in "Value of Money". Talk to the young man walking around near the Bank. Complete the Quest. The next approval can be found in "Gran Squall". Talk to the woman standing by the Bank.. now complete the mission. The next approval can be found in "The Lost Bride". Talk to the Soldier by the bank. Then complete the mission. Actually if you can't face taking Cicil all the way into the caves, let her get killed! If you fail the mission you will still have the approval OK. Now go back into the Secret Delivery Quest. Talk to the man again, then to the woman by the Bank. She'll give you AKIKO'S FRYING PAN! You don't have to do the Secret Delivery quest again by the way! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) QUEST FOR OROTIAGITO -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you do the Quest "Seek My Master", telepipe back to Pioneer 2 at anytime and you'll find a new Tekker lurking about by the item bank. Talk to him and he will tell you about Zoke and some mystical sword stuff. Now when you finish up you can get the SANGE blade from Zoke. To get the Orotiagito you need to find the "real" AGITO (AGITO's usually found as a rare monster drop). You can find the books of katana, but they only give clues to the real Agito. You don't need them to have it tekked into the real deal. When you find the 1975 Agito, take back to the Tekker in the "Seek my Master" Quest and he'll clean it up and give you the very smart Orotiagito (need to be in the mode you were in when you did the quest and got all three blades) - AGITO (1975 Dousetsu - real) - AGITO (1983 Dousetsu) - AGITO (2001 Kikoku) - AGITO (1991 Kikoku) - AGITO (1977 Jou'un) - AGITO (1980 Tengai) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- f) AMPLIFIERS, BARRIERS AND MERGES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to the Gamecube version of PSO are small shields called MERGES that enhance Tech power. To create a Merge you need to find and tech Amplifier and the Barrier type to mix with it. Once you have both you should equip the Barrier and then "Use" the Amplifier to create a Merge. However you can only create a certain merge when you have reached the correct level. Merge's available are: Amplifier of Foie + RED BARRIER = FOIE MERGE (Lv 6) Amplifier of Gifoie + RED BARRIER = GIFOIE MERGE (Lv 12) Amplifier of Rafoie + RED BARRIER = RAFOIE MERGE (Lv 18) Amplifier of Red + RED BARRIER = RED MERGE (Lv 24) Amplifier of Zonde + YELLOW BARRIER = ZONDE MERGE (Lv 8) Amplifier of Gizonde + YELLOW BARRIER = GIZONDE MERGE (Lv 15) Amplifier of Razonde + YELLOW BARRIER = RAZONDE MERGE (Lv 20) Amplifier of Yellow + YELLOW BARRIER = YELLOW MERGE (Lv 26) Amplifier of Barta + BLUE BARRIER = BARTA MERGE (Lv 7) Amplifier of Gibarta + BLUE BARRIER = GIBARTA MERGE (Lv 14) Amplifier of Rabarta + BLUE BARRIER = RABARTA MERGE (Lv 19) Amplifier of Blue + BLUE BARRIER = BLUE MERGE (Lv 25) Amplifier of Deband + ASSIST BARRIER = DEBAND MERGE (Lv 14) Amplifier of Shifta + ASSIST BARRIER = SHIFTA MERGE (Lv 16) Amplifier of Resta + RECOVERY BARRIER = RESTA MERGE (Lv 11) Amplifier of Anti + RECOVERY BARRIER = ANTI MERGE (Lv 13) The RED MERGE increases the power of all Foie techs by 20& The MERGES of Foie/GiFoie/Rafoie increase the power of those techs by 30% The YELLOW MERGE increases the power of all Zonde techs by 20% The MERGES of Zonde/GiZonde/Razonde increase the power of those techs by 30% The BLUE MERGE increase the power of all Barta techs by 20% The MERGES of Barta/GiBarta/Rabarta increase the power of those techs by 30% The MERGEs of Deband, Shifta, Resta and Anti all increase the radius of those techs effectiveness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- g) PHOTON DROPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- During the game you will stumble across items called PHOTON DROPS. The description is "High purity crystal Photon. There is someone who needs this..." Well the person who needs them can be found online only. So if you play offline only and have no plans to ever go online they are worthless to you. If however you can get online you can exchange Photon Drops for items in the Online "Shops" Quest "Gallons Shop". Before you select the Quest make sure you have your Photon Drops in your inventory, rather than in the bank. Once you have entered the quest, find a force standing in the dead end near where you appear when you telepipe up from the surface, talk to him and say "yes" to meet his father. You'll talk to the father who says he collects Photon drops and will exchange them for items. He will then offer you items, you can turn him down or accept. Keep visiting to get him to offer you a particular item. Offering only a few drops will yield items like monomates, Add Slots and Assist and Recovery Barriers for merges. As you raise the number of Photons better items will be added like Red, Blue and Yellow Barriers and Nei's Claw. You can have up to 198 Photon drops, 99 in your inventory and 99 in the Bank. If you cannot get online their only other use is to be sold for 1000 meseta. ========================================================================= *************************** 9) TECHNIQUES ******************************* ========================================================================= Techniques are PSO's equivalent of magic. These are learned by either finding or purchasing Tech discs. To learn a new technique or take an existing one to another level you must have the required MST. You do not need to have learned it to the preceding level to use a disc, i.e. if you have found a Zonde level 8 disc and only know Zonde level 6, you can skip over, so long as your MST is high enough. Non Force's can only learn certain techniques to certain levels, please refer to the character type info at the start of the FAQ for further information on this. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) SIMPLE TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Foie - A fire technique. Ball of fire burns a single enemy. Barta - An ice technique. A penetrating linear ice attack. Zonde - A lightning technique. Strikes a single enemy from above. These are the three basic elemental attacks in PSO. As your level grows you can target enemies from far greater distances. Also Zonde techs have a chance of temporarily paralysing enemies and Barta ones can freeze them immobile. During this time you can still attack them. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) NORMAL TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gifoie - A fire technique. Ring of fire burns any nearby enemies. Gibarta - An ice technique. Freezes enemies with ice projectiles. Gizonde - A lightning technique. Strikes enemies in a chain reaction. These mid level techniques tend not to be used as much when the harder techs become available. For the TP cost they tend to be less accurate and not as damaging and harder to target than the simple techs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) HARD TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rafoie - A fire technique. Large fiery explosion burns all nearby enemies. Rabarta - An ice technique. Launches arrows of ice to freeze nearby enemies. Razonde - A lightning technique. Strikes all surrounding enemies. Grants - A light technique. Strikes one enemy with countless arrows of light. Megid - A dark technique. Strikes an enemy with a curse of death. These are the real power techs, although they consume a lot of TP they hit very hard even at low levels and as their range of influence grows with each level you learn you can take down whole roomfuls of enemies in a couple of blasts. The two hardest techs, Grants and Megid are only available to Forces and tech discs are hard to find until you reach higher difficulty modes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) HEALING TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Resta - HP restoration technique. Helps nearby teammates at higher levels. Anti - Status restoration technique. Helps nearby teammates at higher levels. Reverser - A revival technique. Revives 1 fallen teammate back to life. Resta is your all round super useful healing technique, useful to keep NPCS alive without needing Star Atomizers and of course vital in multi-player for keeping the whole team healthy. Anti maxes out at level 7, it is initially used to cure poison but at higher levels will cure most status ailments. Only Forces can learn Reverser. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) SUPPORT TECHNIQUES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shifta - Attack-enhancing technique. Also helps teammates at higher levels. Deband - A defence boost technique. Helps teammates as well, at higher levels. Jellen - Attack-weakening technique. Can affect enemies near the target. Zalure - Defence-weakening technique. Can affect enemies near the target. Ryuker - Opens a teleport gate to the city until the creator returns through it. Shifta/Deband make Ultimate mode a bit easier especially if you can cast Jellen/Zalure on enemies. HUmars cannot learn Shifta/Deband however. Ryuker is handy if you don't want to clutter your inventory with telepipes and can be learned by all tech users. ========================================================================= *************************** 10) ENEMIES LIST **************************** ========================================================================= In this section you will find four charts for EACH area of the game covering the four difficulty modes. In each chart I have listed the creatures HP, the EXP you get for killing them, any special attacks they have and the techniques they are most vulnerable to. This is for offline mode, for online mode, add about a third as much HP again to get their HP online values. I've also noted which rare creatures are available in each area at the end of the section with tips on how to see them. You should also be aware that some creatures have slightly different tech weaknesses online, so I have noted when any major differences occur. Also just to clarify when a creature is listed as weak against Foie that means ALL Foie based attacks OK? =) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) FOREST -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weakness Special Attacks Booma 5 60 Foie + Zonde GoBooma 6 85 Zonde GigaBooma 7 110 Barta Rag Rappy 4 30 Foie Monest 6 300 All Techs Mothmant 1 8 Zonde Savage Wolf 5 45 Foie Barbarous Wolf 7 65 Foie + Zonde Will only attack from behind Hildebear 10 180 Barta Foie Blasts DRAGON 350 1300 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weakness Special Attacks Booma 42 390 Foie GoBooma 43 420 Zonde GigaBooma 45 440 Barta Rag Rappy 40 350 Foie Monest 43 650 All Techs Mothmant 36 200 All techs Savage Wolf 42 375 Foie Barbarous Wolf 45 390 Zonde Will only attack from behind Hildebear 49 500 Barta Foie blasts DRAGON 2000 2200 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weakness Special Attacks Booma 90 720 Foie GoBooma 92 750 Zonde GigaBooma 94 790 Barta Rag Rappy 88 680 Foie Monest 92 1000 All Techs Mothmant 82 480 All Techs Savage Wolf 90 710 Foie Barbarous Wolf 94 755 Zonde Will only attack from behind Hildebear 100 880 Barta Foie Blasts DRAGON 5000 4500 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weakness Special Attacks Bartle 260 1555 Foie Barble 264 1700 Zonde Tallow 268 1535 Barta El Rappy 256 1970 Barta Mothvist 264 1950 All Techs Mothvert 140 1000 All Techs Can cause poison Gulgus 260 1540 Foie Gulgus-gue 268 1565 Zonde Only attacks from behind Hidelt 280 1900 Grants Zonde Blasts SIL DRAGON 6500 11000 See Boss guide NOTES: In all difficulties in the Forest when the pack leader of a gang of Savage Wolves is killed (usually a Barbarous Wolf) the rest will howl and cast Jellen/Zalure on themselves. Although the Monests and Mothverts are weak against all techs in the offline game they do have some tech resistances in the online game. Online they are most usually weakest against Zonde based techs and Grants. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) CAVES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Evil Shark 10 85 Foie Pal Shark 12 100 Barta Guil Shark 14 130 Zonde Poison Lilly 10 75 Grants + Barta Spits poison and paralyses Grass Assassin 17 140 Foie Breath traps your feet Nano Dragon 15 200 Zonde + Barta Non-elemental beam Pan Arms 6 600 All Techs Impervious to physical attack Hidoom 4 300 Barta Can inflict Jellen Migium 4 300 Foie Can inflict Zalure Pofuilly Slime 10 101 Foie + Zonde DE ROL LE 700 4000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Evil Shark 49 415 Foie Pal Shark 52 430 Barta Guil Shark 55 460 Zonde Poison Lilly 49 400 Grants + Barta Spits poison and paralyses Grass Assassin 60 470 Foie Breath traps your feet Nano Dragon 57 540 Zonde + Barta Non-elemental beam Pan Arms 26 980 All Techs Impervious to physical attack Hidoom 23 490 Barta Can inflict Jellen Migium 23 490 Foie Can inflict Zalure Pofuilly Slime 49 435 Foie + Zonde DE ROL LE 2000 4550 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Evil Shark 100 757 Foie Pal Shark 104 775 Foie Guil Shark 108 810 Zonde Poison Lilly 100 740 Grants + Barta Spits poison and paralyses Grass Assassin 114 830 Foie Breath traps your feet Nano Dragon 110 910 Zonde + Barta Non-elemental beam Pan Arms 52 1400 All Techs Impervious to physical attack Hidoom 48 700 Barta Can inflict Jellen Migium 48 700 Foie Can inflict Zalure Pofuilly Slime 100 770 Foie + Zonde DE ROL LE 6300 10000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weakness Special Attacks Vulmer 280 1690 Foie GoVulmer 288 1800 Barta Melqueek 296 1900 Zonde Ob Lily 280 1000 Foie + Zonde Megid* Nano Dragon 300 2050 Barta + Grants Non-elemental beam Pan-Arms 234 2500 All Techs Impervious to physical attack Migium 176 1000 Barta Can inflict Jellen Hidoom 176 1000 Barta Can inflict Zalure Crimson Assassin 308 1920 Foie Barta** Pofuilly Slime 280 850 Foie + Zonde DAL RA LIE 11000 15000 Foie See Boss Guide * The Ob Lilies Megid attack has a very high chance of killing you outright even of your Dark resistance is good. ** The Crimson Assassins Barta attack has a high chance of freezing you solid if you have little ice resistance. NOTE: If your first attack on a Pofuilly Slime is a HARD attack or Tech there is a chance it will split into two slimes, who will split again if Hard attacked on the first strike. One slime can split into four if you keep Hard attacking first of all. Once it has taken a couple of light/medium attacks it will not split. This seems to happen most often in the ADDICTING FOOD quest. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) MINES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 18 130 Zonde Causes Slow Canadine 17 77 Zonde + Barta Zonde/Paralysis Canane 17 100 Barta Dubchic 3 150 Zonde + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 300 All Techs Sinow Beat 20 225 Zonde + Foie Confusion Sinow Gold 20 190 Foie Can heal self Garanz 22 400 Barta Fires Rockets Vol Opt 1100 6500 Zonde See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 61 460 Zonde + Grants Causes Slow Canadine 58 405 Barta Zonde/Paralysis Canane 60 550 Barta Dubchic 11 490 Zonde + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 600 All Techs Sinow Beat 64 570 Foie Confusion Sinow Gold 64 520 Foie Can heal self Garanz 67 780 Barta Fires Rockets Vol Opt 3000 9500 Zonde See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 116 813 Zonde + Grants Causes Slow Canadine 112 820 Barta Zonde/Paralysis Canane 114 900 Barta Dubchic 30 850 Zonde + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 975 All Techs Sinow Beat 120 1100 Foie Confusion Sinow Gold 120 1000 Foie Can heal self Garanz 124 1500 Barta Fires Rockets Vol Opt 7700 14000 Zonde See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchich 312 2000 Foie Causes Slow DubChich 50 2000 Foie + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 2500 All Techs Canabin 304 1550 Foie Zonde/Paralysis Canane 308 1700 Barta Sinow Blue 320 2300 Foie Confusion Sinow Red 320 2000 Barta Can heal self Garanz 328 2500 Zonde Fires Rockets VOL OPT ver.2 16300 28000 Zonde See Boss Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------- d) RUINS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Dimenian 22 270 Foie La Dimenian 24 300 Barta Sol Dimenian 26 330 Zonde Claw 26 150 Grants + Foie Buclaw 24 200 Grants + Foie Delsabers 25 400 Barta Dark Belra 28 500 Zonde + Grants Paralysis Dark Gunner 16 220 Grants Chaos Bringer 30 450 Foie Confusion Chaos Sorcerer 24 300 Foie All Attack Techs DARK FALZ 1st N/A 2500 Zonde/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ 2nd 2400 3500 Barta/Grants See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Dimenian 67 600 Foie La Dimenian 70 650 Barta So Dimenian 73 680 Zonde Claw 92 490 Foie + Grants Buclaw 70 540 Foie + Grants Delsabers 72 750 Barta Dark Belra 79 850 Zonde + Grants Paralysis Dark Gunner 64 570 Grants Chaos Bringer 79 820 Foie Confusion Chaos Sorcerer 70 650 Foie All attack techs DARK FALZ 1st N/A 5500 Zonde/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ 2nd N/A 6500 Barta/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ final 6000 5000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Dimenian 124 990 Foie La Dimenian 128 1010 Barta So Dimenian 132 1050 Zonde Claw 92 840 Foie + Grants Buclaw 128 900 Foie + Grants Delsabers 130 1200 Barta Dark Belra 136 1280 Zonde + Grants Paralysis Dark Gunner 120 925 Grants Chaos Bringer 140 1200 Foie Confusion Chaos Sorcerer 128 1000 Foie All attack techs DARK FALZ 1st N/A 9000 Zonde/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ 2nd N/A 7500 Barta/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ final 12000 8000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Arlan 328 2100 Foie Merlan 360 2200 Barta DelSabre 340 2500 Barta Del-D 344 2550 Zonde Claw 264 1600 Zonde Bulclaw 336 2000 Grants Indi Belra 354 2900 Zonde Paralysis Dark Bringer 360 2700 Barta Charge de-equips weapon Death Gunner 320 1900 None Gran Sorcerer 336 4000 Grants All attack techs DARK FALZ 1st N/A 10000 Zonde/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ 2nd N/A 9000 Barta/Grants See Boss Guide DARK FALZ final 39000 10000 Foie See Boss Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------- e) VR TEMPLE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Rag Rappy 4 47 Foie + Barta Dimenian 6 62 Foie So Dimenian 8 48 Zonde La Dimenian 7 87 Barta Mothmant 1 8 Barta Monest 6 300 Zonde Poison Lily 10 54 All techs Spits poison Grass Assassin 12 189 Foie + Zonde Hildebear 10 303 Barta Foie blasts Dark Belra 15 400 Zonde Paralysis BARBA RAY 400 2000 Zonde See Boss guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Rag Rappy 42 451 All techs Dimenian 45 475 Zonde So Dimenian 48 539 Foie La Dimenian 47 506 Barta Mothmant 37 200 All techs Monest 45 856 Foie Poison Lily 52 465 Foie + Grants Spits poison Grass Assassin 55 640 Foie Hildebear 52 793 Barta Foie blasts Dark Belra 60 930 Zonde + Grants Paralysis BARBA RAY 2200 3300 Zonde See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Rag Rappy 93 810 Foie + Barta Dimenian 97 840 Zonde So Dimenian 101 907 Foie La Dimenian 99 870 Barta Mothmant 87 450 Barta + Grants Monest 97 1250 Foie Poison Lily 105 830 Barta + Grants Spits poison Grass Assassin 109 1110 Foie + Zonde Hildebear 105 1175 Barta Foie blasts Dark Belra 115 1320 Zonde + Grants Paralysis BARBA RAY 6900 5500 Zonde See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Rag Rappy 270 1620 Foie + Barta Dimenian 280 1650 Zonde So Dimenian 290 1790 Foie La Dimenian 285 1700 Barta Mothmant 147 1000 Barta + Grants Monest 280 2400 Foie + Zonde Poison Lily 300 1600 Barta + Grants Spits poison Grass Assassin 310 1990 Foie + Zonde Hildebear 300 2250 Barta Foie blasts Dark Belra 325 2500 Zonde + Grants Paralysis BARBA RAY 15000 7500 Zonde See Boss Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------- f) VR SPACESHIP -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 11 110 Barta + Grants Dubchic 2 780 Barta + Grants Dubswitch 0 300 All techs Savage Wolf 10 170 Zonde + Foie Barbarous Wolf 12 255 Foie + Grants Pan Arms 3 580 All techs Migium 7 290 Barta + Megid Hidoom 7 290 All techs Garanz 19 650 Barta Fires rockets Del Sabre 15 400 Barta Chaos Sorcerer 17 340 Foie All Techs GOL DRAGON 880 4900 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 53 530 Barta + Grants Dubchic 10 780 Barta + Grants Dubswitch 0 300 All techs Savage Wolf 52 615 Zonde + Foie Barbarous Wolf 55 730 Foie + Grants Pan Arms 40 1200 All techs Migium 48 600 Barta + Megid Hidoom 47 600 All techs Garanz 66 1250 Barta Fires rockets Del Sabre 60 900 Barta Chaos Sorcerer 63 850 Foie All Techs GOL DRAGON 2700 6000 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 107 905 Barta + Grants Causes Slow Dubchic 30 3780 Barta + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 300 All techs Savage Wolf 105 990 Zonde + Foie Barbarous Wolf 109 1100 Foie + Grants Pan Arms 91 1600 All techs Migium 101 800 Barta + Megid Hidoom 99 800 All techs Garanz 123 1700 Barta Fires rockets Del Sabre 115 1300 Barta Chaos Sorcerer 119 1230 Foie All Techs GOL DRAGON 8100 8900 Barta See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gillchic 305 1800 Barta + Grants Causes Slow Dubchic 50 5780 Barta + Grants Causes Slow Dubswitch 0 300 All techs Savage Wolf 300 2000 Zonde + Foie Barbarous Wolf 310 2140 Foie + Grants Pan Arms 265 3000 All techs Migium 290 1500 Barta + Megid Hidoom 285 1500 All techs Garanz 123 3120 Barta Fires rockets Del Sabre 325 2500 Barta Chaos Sorcerer 335 2350 Foie All Techs GOL DRAGON 15900 10000 Barta See Boss Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------- g) CENTRAL CONTROL AREA -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Central Control is split into five areas, Seashore, Mountains, Jungle East and North and the Control area before the boss. You'll find the creatures scattered across all areas, with varying photon weaknesses. There are also three mini bosses, Merical, Gi Gue and Gibbles who are covered in more detail in the walkthrough. NATIVE - Gee, Ul Gibbon, Zol Gibbon, Gi Gue, Gibbles A.BEAST - Merilla, Merita Mericol, Gal Gryphon MACHINE - Sinow Berill, Sinow Spigells ========================================================================== Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gee 10 119 Barta/Grants Slow Ul Gibbon 12 225 Zonde/Megid Barta/Deband/Shifta Zol Gibbon 15 400 Zonde/Megid Foie/Deband/Shifta Merilla 11 170 Foie/Megid Meritas 13 341 Barta/Grants Posion Sinow Berill 19 354 Barta/Grants Gifoie Sinow Spigells 21 470 Foie/Megid Can disarm you Mericol 47 950 Barta/Grants Poison Gi Gue 51 890 Barta/Zonde Foie Gibbles 52 1000 Barta/Grants GAL GRYPHON 1200 7000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gee 52 548 Barta/Grants Slow Ul Gibbon 55 690 Zonde/Megid Barta/Deband/Shifta Zol Gibbon 60 930 Zonde/Megid Foie/Deband/Shifta Merilla 53 625 Foie/Megid Meritas 56 850 Barta/Grants Poison Sinow Berill 66 865 Barta/Grants Gifoie Sinow Spigells 70 1025 Foie/Megid Can disarm you Mericol 113 1650 Barta/Grants Poison Gi Gue 119 1500 Barta/Zonde Foie Gibbles 121 1800 Barta/Grants GAL GRYPHON 3000 9500 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gee 105 920 Barta/Grants Slow Ul Gibbon 109 1070 Zonde/Megid Barta/Deband/Shifta Zol Gibbon 115 1320 Zonde/Grants Foie/Deband/Shifta Merilla 107 990 Zonde/Megid Meritas 111 1230 Barta/Grants Poison Sinow Berill 123 1254 Barta/Grants Gifoie Sinow Spigells 127 1420 Foie/Megid Can disarm you Mericol 179 2050 Barta/Grants Poison Gi Gue 187 2000 Barta/Grants Foie Gibbles 189 2150 Barta/Grants GAL GRYPHON 9900 12000 Foie See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Gee 300 1800 Barta/Grants Slow Ul Gibbon 310 2070 Zonde/Grants Barta/Deband/Shifta Zol Gibbon 325 2500 Foie/Grants Foie/Deband/Shifta Merilla 305 1930 Zonde/Megid Meritas 315 2350 Foie/Grants Poison Sinow Berill 345 2400 Barta/Grants Gifoie Sinow Spigells 355 2700 Foie/Zonde Can disarm you Mericol 485 3825 Barta/Grants Poison Gi Gue 505 3700 Barta/Grants Foie Gibbles 510 4000 Barta/Grants GAL GRYPHON 18000 13600 Foie See Boss Guide The Sinow Berrills tend to lurk in thin passageways and can make themselves invisible to you and the map. Sinow Spigells are only found in the final section of Central Command but can de-equip your weapon with a hit. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- h) SEABED -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Seabed is split into two areas with creatures from the machine and Dark photon alignments roaming about. Detailed Boss strategy is in the walkthrough. MACHINE - Morfos, Recobox, Recon, Sinow Zoa, Sinow Zeles DARK - Delbiter, Deldepth, Doldari, Dolmolm Difficulty: NORMAL EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Recobox 12 630 Foie Fires Recon units Recon 3 75 All except Megid Explode Dolmolm 18 300 Zonde/Grants Doldari 21 340 Foie/Grants Deldepth 24 270 Grants/Zonde Sinow Zoa 32 580 Foie/Grants Sinow Zele 35 660 Grants/Megid Morfos 35 320 Zonde/Grants Delbiter 40 1270 Foie OLGA FLOW 1st 0 5000 Foie/Barta See Boss Guide OLGA FLOW 2nd 2700 6500 Grants See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Recobox 55 1225 Foie Fires Recon units Recon 42 490 All except Megid Explode Dolmolm 65 790 Zonde/Grants Doldari 70 840 Foie/Grants Deldepth 75 750 Grants/Zonde Sinow Zoa 88 1160 Foie/Grants Sinow Zele 93 1270 Grants/Megid Morfos 76 820 Zonde/Grants Delbiter 101 2070 Foie OLGA FLOW 1st 0 6300 Foie/Barta See Boss Guide OLGA FLOW 2nd 5900 8100 Grants See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: VERY HARD EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Recobox 109 1630 Foie Fires Recon units Recon 100 850 All except Megid Explode Dolmolm 121 1170 Zonde/Megid Doldari 127 1220 Foie/Grants Deldepth 133 1130 Grants/Zonde Sinow Zoa 149 1565 Foie/Grants Sinow Zele 155 1680 Grants/Megid Morfos 135 1200 Zonde/Grants Delbiter 185 2500 Foie OLGA FLOW 1st 0 9000 Foie/Barta See Boss Guide OLGA FLOW 2nd 11100 10000 Grants See Boss Guide ========================================================================== Difficulty: ULTIMATE EXP HP Tech Weaknesses Special Attacks Recobox 310 075 Foie Fires Recon units Recon 195 1675 All except Megid Explode Dolmolm 340 2250 Zonde/Megid Doldari 355 2350 Foie/Grants Deldepth 370 2170 Grants/Zonde Sinow Zoa 410 3000 Foie Sinow Zele 425 3170 Grants/Megid Morfos 375 2300 Zonde/Grants Delbiter 450 4660 Foie OLGA FLOW 1st 0 9000 Foie/Barta See Boss Guide OLGA FLOW 2nd 36000 10000 Grants See Boss Guide All the creatures in the Seabed have quite complex attack routines so are all covered in the Seabed section of the game walkthrough. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- i) RARE CREATURES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- There are a few creatures in the game that have rare counterparts. These are distinguished by their colouration. Killing one will give you more EXP than that type normally has and more importantly a very good chance of a rare weapon, armour or item drop. The creatures are as follows. Al Rappy - Blue Rappy found in Forest, Normal - V.Hard Pal Rappy - Greeny Orange Rappy found in Forest, Ultimate Love Rappy - Pink Rappy found in Temple, all difficulties. Hildeblue - Blue Hildebear found in Forest and Temple, Normal - V.Hard Hildetorr - Armoured Hildebear found in Ultimate Forest and Temple, all difficulties Nar Lily - Red Poison Lily found in Caves and Temple, Normal - V.Hard Mil Lily - Multi-coloured Lily found in Ultimate Caves and Temple, all difficulties Pouilly Slime - Red Poufuilly Slime found in Caves, all difficulties The best way to improve your chances of meeting a rare creature is to complete all the Hunters guild missions so you can replay the ones where there are more of the desired creatures. For rare Rappies (not including the seasonal ones) the best mission by far is THE FAKE IN YELLOW, as you only encounter rappies in that mission. FOREST OF SORROW has about ten Hildebears in it, giving you a better chance of meeting a rare one than the normal forest run through. For Lilies and Slimes, the best mission is ADDICTING FOOD as this throws about three times the normal amount of enemies at you. The "telepipe" trick is another way to increase your chance of encountering a rare creature. Basically if you enter a room and a good amount of normal creatures spawn DON'T kill any of them, just telepipe back to Pioneer 2 and back again. The game will respawn the enemies, but each time the game repopulates a room there is a chance that a rare might be respawned, if not, just pipe back and keep trying. This can take a very long time though =( The most important thing to remember is that the quality of the rares dropped by these creatures improves with difficulty levels. For example my PURPLENUM RAmarl was getting nothing but crappy-ass H&S25 JUSTICE's from Pal Rappies and Nar Lilies in Hard mode. First couple of Nar Lilies encountered on V.Hard and a God/Mind and FLOWENS FRAME were mine, huzzah! - SEASONAL RAPPIES These Rappies only appear in the Temple Online only during certain times of the year, they appear in all difficulties. - HALLO RAPPY - Appears at Halloween and will drop: Cell of MAG 213 Cell of MAG 502 Heart of Chu Chu Heart of Opa Opa Heart of Kapu Kapu Heart of Chao Parts of RoboChao Heart of Pian - SAINT RAPPY - Appears at Christmas time and will drop: Panther's Spirit Heart of Devil Kit of Hamburger Kit of Mark 3 Kit of Sega Saturn Heart of Angel Kit of Dreamcast Kit of Genesis Kit of Master System - EGG RAPPY - Appears at Easter time and will drop: Wok of Akiko's Shop Huge Battle Fan Panther's Claw Drill Launcher Rocket Punch Rabbit Wand Amore Rose Marina's Bag Sonic Knuckle The actual drops look different to, unlike the usual boxes the rappies drop Jack O' Lanterns (Halloween), Presents (Christmas) and Easter Eggs (Easter). ========================================================================= ******************** 12) ULTIMATE MODE STRATEGIES *********************** ========================================================================= These Ultimate Mode strategies were contributed by some of the best players of DC PSO ver 2. I have carried them over from my previous DC FAQ as I believe they are still very helpful for the Episode 1 Bosses. Similar guides are more than welcome from the new Bosses, Barba Ray, Gol Dragon, Gal Gyphon and Olga Flow as well as the new areas. You have to remember that Ultimate in the Dreamcast versions was ROCK HARD. Offline the creatures were as powerful and had as much HP as the online Cube versions. So you could be getting you ass kicked well and truly at level 140+ still! Anyway, offline it's a bit better balanced for the solo player but still a big challenge so contributions to the usual email address. Ultimate mode is certainly a huge challenge when you first play it, and can remain so even when you reach level 100 and beyond. As I had little experience playing anything other than a Hunter, I asked people on the PSO2 GameFAQs message board for any advice on beating the bosses as well as any general hints and tips. I hope you find all this advice as useful as I did. I have also included my own Hunter Strategies as well. General Tips for Ultimate though are as follows: a) If you manage to fluke your way past V.Hard Dark Falz and access Ult. Mode at around level 65 you're gonna have trouble hitting anything. Online you can't access Ultimate mode until you reach level 81 and that's a good guideline for offline mode as well. Keep replaying the V.Hard ruins to level up. That way you may also find some powerful rare weapons and armour to help you. b) Once in Ultimate mode Red Weapons are your friends. Get a good selection of Handguns, Swords and Sabres with good photon percentages on them. Red Handguns especially are plentiful in the Ult. Forest. c) A high level mag is invaluable. I really suggest to all androids that you have taught your Mag the Mylla and Youlla Photon Blast. That way you can at least cast Deband and Shifta some of the time. Get it to level 200 and max out it's IQ and Synchro. At high levels many mags will cast invincibility, deband+shifta or revive you when killed. Special Mags can do all three, but are hard to get (eg. Soniti). The Chu Chu and Kapu mags are good mags for invincibility and any mag created with a CELL of MAG is supreme! If you can't get a mag kit, then the standard APSARAS mag is a great and reliable caster of invincibility, also SATO and NIDRA have good chances of Invincing you and resurrecting you in Boss fights. d) If all else fails and frustration is setting in, go online and beg for better weapons. Many high level players are happy to trade weapons, be polite and grateful and when you reach a high level remember their generosity OK? -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) FORCE STRATEGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magic users in Ultimate Mode actually have more of an advantage in Ult. Mode to begin with over the raw power of the androids. Many Monsters need you to cast Jellen/Zalure on them and Deband/Shifta on yourself to start doing any damage at all. When playing as a HUcast I found it hard to damage anything without Deband/Shifta on myself until I was level 105. Tigereye gave these useful general strategies for Force survival in Ult mode, for solo and group play, as well as recommended key pallet assignments. 1) Plantain Huge Fans and Red Handguns are perhaps your best weapons to use in Ult. 2) Abuse Shifta/Deband/Jellen/Zalure 3) This may not work for you but I set-up up the 1st few techs in the quick select as follows: Zalure Shifta Deband Anti Reverser Ryuker Jellen 4) Hotkey Jellen and Zalure when playing in Ult so that they can be cast quickly. If you're party's relatively weak, cast Jellen 1st to reduce damage before casting Zalure. However, when your party's stronger, cast Zalure 1st to enable your party to inflict more damage faster, thus dispatching the enemies more quickly. 5) This is how I set up my buttons for the various parts of the game assuming that I have all techs and playing in Ult: Outside Of Bosses Primary: Hard Attack, Normal Attack, Resta Secondary: Jellen, Zalure, Rabarta Sil Dragon/Dal Ral Lie Primary: Hard Attack, Normal Attack, Resta Secondary: Jellen, Zalure, Rafoie Vol Opt v2 Primary: Hard Attack, Normal Attack, Resta Secondary: Rabarta (for 1st form), Moon Atomizer, Trimate Dark Falz Darvant Phase Primary: Grants, Normal Attack, Resta Secondary: Foie, Moon Atomizer, Trimate Note: Grants is the best way to trash the Darvants here. At level 30 it has obscene range so just find a safe spot before you cast it. All Other Phases Primary: Hard Attack, Normal Attack, Resta Secondary: Foie, Moon Atomizer, Trimate Note: Definitely use a gun with Shifta and Zalure to maximize your damage. Nitecrawler offered me this excellent guide to Boss Strategy for Forces. Which is actually helpful to most other Magic users as well. Bosses have lower defence than regular enemies. Attacking with weapons should be your main priority, not with techs. Techs are important though for certain situations. ULT DRAGON: *Use a state/maintenance or sacred guard. *Zailure/Jellen are applicable. Weak to fire/grants *Practice your footwork mobility to get around dragon *Head has very low defence. Feet has normal defence. Body has very high defence (you'll need about 2100+ATP to do damage) ULT DAL RA LIE: *Zailure/Jellen applicable. Weak against grants. Head weak to lightning. Body weak to lighting *Learn it's probe attack timing, so you develop an efficient attack/evade pattern *About 15,000 HP, but you must get thru armour first. Attack head. If you have multi-hit weapon, attack body segments for more multi-hits. Body armour is much weaker *When it shoots rapid-mouth laser, it does about 500 damage. You need to recover fast in between shots, like with trimates (male characters cast resta very quickly when bare-handed, so take that into consideration) ULT VOL OPT V.2 *Zailure/Jellen not applicable on both forms *Form 1: weak to grants. slightly vulnerable to all techs. I recommend using a FOnewm, and casting as much rabarta bare-handed when knobs show up *Have good ice resistance. Gibarta is a deadly attack *Form 2: 30,000 HP? Only thing to fear is green orb that traps you. Offline: try to outrun, or swerve off w/ a hairpin turn. Online: it's too fast, you're 99% likely to get caught, need scape dolls, invinc mag, or buttload of HP and lightning resistance (I think) ULT DARK FALZ *Zailure applicable. Jellen is waste of time *Darvants: Cast grants if you're a force. Move to open area while attacking. I recommend hugging the edge. *Form 1: 10,000 HP. Use rabarta to kill off swarming darvants. Or stay far away and shoot down w/ rifle/shot type weapon *Form 2: 14,000 HP. Stay away from arm when Falz casts rabarta, or you'll take more damage. Then run around so darvants don't pop up from ground and hit you. If you stay still and try to heal, they'll triple-hit you, doing mass damage. When Falz is near death, it tries to suck your HP. When that happens, KILL FALZ'S ASS ASAP, or you'll get drained. *Form 3: 10,000 HP. Attack with foie/rafoie when Falz is invincible. Foie = range, less damage. Slash attack does 940 damage offline, 1290 online. It's non-elemental, so Jellen don't help. After Falz does a soul-lock, watch for megid. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) RANGER STRATEGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- WC Leader gave some excellent advice for those playing as Rangers. RAmar: Like the forces, use Shifta/Deband constantly. But since they have better physical stats than forces, they can probably get through Forest without needing it so much. Of course, try to find weapons with the proper %. A good set-up on your pallets would be this(IMO): Top-Hard attack, Normal attack, Resta Bottom(No particular order)-Razonde or Rabarta, Anti If you have a State/Maintenance, don't bother with Anti. Recommended weapons: Red Handgun, Red Mechgun, Any Yasminkov, Baranz Launcher, Handgun: Guld (Unlikely though), Anti Android Rifle. RAcast/RAcaseal: Probably the hardest chars to use in ULT, make sure you have a big supply of Mates and Stars. Use traps wisely. Freeze is the most popular. But confuse combined with a damage is effective. If you're lucky, you can actually confuse the Darvants. Recommended pallet set-up: Hard Attack, Normal Attack, Special Attack or Dimate. Bottom would be Sol Atomizer(for slow motion),another mate(Tri is best),and anything else. Recommended weapons: Same as RAmar with the inclusion of Frozen Shooter because of the special. There are better weapons to choose from, but I'm trying to use a realistic point of view. But if you actually do find those weapons, use them. Simple weapon strategy for bosses: Dragon-Mechgun with Native% drops him rather quickly. Worm boy-Shots when he's on the raft, handguns or rifles when he's not. Vol Opt-Shots or mechs work well on both forms, but a decent handgun also works. Dark Falz-Rifles on the Darvants, mechs or handguns on Falz's 1st form, mechs or rifles on the 2nd form, handguns or rifles against his 3rd form. Movement strategy: Sil Dragon-Just run up on his side and shoot, when the head drops, shoot that. When fighting the Sil Dragon though, if you wedge yourself in the cracks on the edge of the stage, you can avoid his 3rd burrow attack without having to time the run when he passes you. Da Ral Lie - Run around the raft and shoot, when he gets on the raft you can pull about 4-5 3-hit combos before he starts attacking, but only about 2 in ULT, after his attack, pull off 2 3-hitters then move about 4 steps and repeat, you need to move quickly though, when he starts dropping rocks, the far corner is the best place to go, 80% of the time you won't get hit, when the lights are out and he uses his laser, run to the back of the raft and wait till he stops, but this won't work in ULT I've heard (never tried it myself in ULT). Vol Opt-Just follow the monitor and go for the red pillar 1st,on the 2nd form, pull 1 combo the run in a tight circle to avoid the missiles, after the 1st 3 pillars drop pull 1-2 combos then run, after the next 3 pillars, attack the part that shoots the orb, don't worry about the healing because it doesn't heal much anyway. Dark Falz - Run and shoot against the Darvants, 1st form, if using a shot just attack the centre head so you can get the Darvants as he shoots them, otherwise just attack whichever is closest, when you see him raise his "arms" start running because DFA is on it's way. 2nd form, just follow his movements and fire when he stops, but in ULT be wary of the Darvants after Rafoie and Rabarta, 3rd form, If you're lucky, avoid the swipe, use Foie when he's "immune". -------------------------------------------------------------------------- c) HUNTER STRATEGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is some more Hunter strategy courtesy of myself. The descriptions of the Bosses attack patterns have been well described above so no need to reiterate them. With no techs available to Hucast it becomes much harder for then to inflict damage on enemies. Levelling up in V.hard mode is highly recommended. Playing online in Ult with tech users is also a good idea as you will have magic support and will be able to find better weapons to help you offline. Look for a good piece of armour with four slots in. Plug ins can help massively. A good set-up is one below: HUNTERS WALL - four slots God Legs God/Metal Body Perfect Resist God Battle HUNTER FIELD and/or SACRED GUARD God Legs increases evasion; God/Metal Body pumps your defence and God Battle raises speed. So you can take a bit more punishment and attack faster. The speed of some enemies in Ult is tremendous. An Ultimate frame or Celestial Armour is a good substitute for a Hunters Wall. The Hunters field raises Attack as well as defence so that is good to have. Hunewearls can use much of the Force strategies magic wise laid out above. With Deband/Shifta and Jellen/Zalure at their disposal life is made a touch easier. Humars can use Jellen/Zalure, but NOT Deband/Shifta. For the poor old androids its time to learn how to hit and run again. Red Swords and Sabres raise your attack power significantly and the tremendously strong Imperial Pick is another great Hunter weapon. When it comes to Boss Fights with a HUcast I am a great believer in packing as much healing as possible on the second pallet menu Trimate/Dimate/Stars. Taking as many scape dolls as possible (they are plentiful in Ult. Mode) and basically hoping the Boss runs out of health before I run out of Revival/healing stuff! Not a very evolved strategy I grant you, but I get sick of running about and wasting good attack time trying to dodge Boss attacks! ========================================================================= ************************* 12) GENERAL FAQ ******************************* ========================================================================= Questions that turn up persistently via email will be added to this section in future updates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) DREAMCAST VETERANS FAQ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick run down of the main differences between this game and the DC versions. - A whole new game is here in the form of Episode 2, unfortunately, before you can get to the real meat of the Episode 2 game you have to wade through two tedious levels based on the online Battle Mode (Spaceship and Temple) as an exam. Once done though the new areas, Jungle, Seashore, Mountains and Seabed are beautiful, with amazing water effects and reflections. The new enemies don't have quite the charm of the Episode 1 gang, however the two main Bosses are awesome and beat out the Episode 1 bosses by a mile. - Three new character classes are available. HUcasceal, RAmarl and FOmar. The HUcasceal is a female HUcast with superb speed and close combat skills. The RAmarl is a female RAmar, with excellent tech abilities. The FOmar is an odd character, a Force with good melee skills and tech abilities but woeful HP and defence. All are worth checking out and add something fresh if you have previously played out all the other types. - Tech abilities have been changed for various non force chars. Only forces can now learn Reverser, Grants and Megid. Ramarls and Hunewearls can learn all other techs to level 20 and Anti to level 5. RAmars can learn all techs to level 15 and Anti to level 3, except for Jellen/Zalure which they CANNOT Learn. Humars can learn everything the RAmar can to level 15 (anti lvl 3), as well as Jellen/Zalure but Humars cannot learn Deband and Shifta anymore. - The game also supports split screen, offline multiplayer play, allowing Challenge Mode and Battle Mode to be played offline. This also allows you to trade items between any characters you are storing on a memory card as well, you can simply set up an offline multiplayer, load in two of your characters and hand items over easily. - Rare monsters now appear more frequently, they are stupidly hard to encounter in the DC version. In the same vein, rare weapons are not so damn hard to find either, which IMO makes the game a lot more satisfying. There are many, MANY more rares to be found as well. - New shields that enhance Tech power can be created from separate items and extra slots can be added to Armour and Frames with the correct item. Weapons can also be upgraded with new special abilities in some online mode quests. - Letter from Lionel, Soul of a Blacksmith, The Retired Hunter and Soul of Steel are now included in the offline quests. There are no online download quests as yet, but new online quests are available, one picking up the Sue, Bernie, Kireek events and introducing a whole new area. - Many weapons, armourments and items have been tweaked and changed. Grind limits have changed on many weapons and some weapons have changed class, for example the twin blade ELYSION is now a Sabre type with a MST requirement and SPREAD NEEDLES can no longer be equipped by Hunters. - Ultimate mode offline is not quite as evil and unfair as the DC version is. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) GENERAL FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Question: Can I play online with X-Box and PC players? Answer: I am afraid not. All versions are incompatible online, in fact Xbox players are restricted to their own countries! Question: If I get this game pre-owned can I still play it online. Answer: So long as you have the serial numbers in the box, you can call Sega and get them to reset the numbers so you can go online. You don't need the serial numbers to play offline though Question: I can't find any rare weapons, help! Answer: Keep playing. The higher your levels, the better weapons etc you will start finding. As a guide about every 10 levels (71, 81, 91, 101 etc) will result in new stuff appearing. Question: Where are the Spread Needles?? Answer: Everyone's favourite leveller-upper, I get lots of emails about where these are. You have to look people! Mostly in the VHard Ruins seems to be their most common place of appearance. But its all a matter of putting in the hours and sheer luck, sorry! And they are ranger only now, sorry hunters! Question: Can I meet Red Ring Rico? Answer: There seem to be persistent rumours that you can meet Rico after defeating Ultimate Dark Falz for the first time. This is of course utter bobbins. You will only ever catch a glimpse of her at the end when Dark Falz is killed and in the end credits of Ultimate mode. Some people may be getting confused with the fact some Red Ring Rico items (Ricos Glasses, Red Ring Shield) occasional appear (VERY rarely) after you kill Falz. Question: I went online and lost my entire inventory. How come? Answer: If your Gamecube resets itself, you fail to save properly or you are "hacked" by cheaters online, you can lose any unequipped items. The rule of thumb is never take something online you can't live without. And certainly don't carry a huge inventory with you. Always bank spare items before quitting a game. Question: What is "FSOD"? Answer: Frozen Screen of Death. Basically your online game freezes, usually due to some stupid activities of online hackers. You are likely to lose any unequipped items and quite possibly lose your character data as well. I have seen character recovery tips posted on message boards, but they don't seem to work, =( Question: How can people cheat like this? Answer: Don't know. Cheaters who Player Kill and hack your characters online are scum sucking little boys who hopefully will live miserable, unfulfilled lives and die alone, their bodies only discovered when neighbours complain about the smell. Question: How do I avoid cheaters? Answer: The Japan and EU servers are generally more friendly places. Be extra careful on the US servers, cheating is rampant on them. Only play locked games. Get to know people before you go questing with them. Beware of level 200 characters, they are usually hacked. Be cautious of anyone who has a name including the words "Majin", "Dark", "Evil", "/_\" or all in CAPITALS. Question: Do you play online?? Where can I find U?? Gimme some stuff!!!! Answer: Go away. Question: Sorry got carried away, but I am still interested in meeting up for game oh wise and beautiful one. Answer: That better, ask politely and I am more amenable. At this point in time I am not available for online play. But watch for future updates and I will announce when I am available. ========================================================================= ************************* 13) PSO STORYLINE ***************************** ========================================================================= Some of the Script of Episode I courtesy of www.camineet.net check it out for more PSO scripts and story! Script for Episode II transcribed by myself! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- a) THE STORY OF EPISODE ONE - MESSAGES FROM RICO -------------------------------------------------------------------------- PROLOGUE The "Pioneer Project" --A plan born of desperation, conceived in response to the imminent destruction of their home worlds. As plans for the evacuation began, unmanned probes were sent into deep space to find a habitable planet. When a potential site was discovered, the first interstellar transport ship, Pioneer 1, was sent to establish a colony. Pioneer 1 confirmed that the Planet Ragol was a suitable location, and the initial colonists started preparing the planet for the main wave of refugees, beginning with the construction of the Central Dome. 7 years later... Pioneer 2 completed its long voyage with the main wave of refugees aboard. But as Pioneer 2 entered orbit and opened a communications link with the Central Dome, an enormous explosion shook the entire planet. All contact with the thousands of men and women of Pioneer 1 was lost... [Theme song Lyrics] Innumerable stars Won't tell us where to go It's a long, long run To the palace in the sun With hopes and dreams Our ship will cross the sea To the whole new world Shining like a Pearl The whole new world - THE PRINCIPALS OFFICE PRINCIPAL TYRELL - Are you [YOUR NAME], the [YOUR CLASS]? I'm Principal Tyrell. We have a bad situation... We need to act quickly. Did you hear about the explosion on Ragol? Very well. Pay attention and listen to me. We've lost contact with Pioneer 1. We have no idea what has happened. We've sent unmanned search units, but communication seems to cut off near the surface. What happened on Ragol? What occurred on Pioneer 1? Are the people on board alive? The council made a decision to send a manned search team. You are a skilled Hunter. We need your help. We have no choice... We need a place to settle on. Uh, could you........ ...No, it's nothing. Take care and good luck. We can't return to our planet. Now we must emigrate to Ragol. If we don't settle on Ragol, then we'd just drift about in space forever... I'm putting my trust in you. IRENE - Well, let me brief you on your mission. Once you're on the surface of Ragol, check the status of the residential area. Checking the status of the Central Dome is a good idea. A transporter was launched earlier. You can go down to Ragol directly from the city. It may be a little risky, so please be careful. That's all. ...... Um, excuse me... Oh, sorry... no, nothing. I wish you the best of luck. This is just between us, OK? The Principal's daughter was on Pioneer 1. After that explosion, he's been constantly worrying about her. He can't even sleep. This is a personal request. If it's possible... Find out what happened to her. He isn't in a position to ask you such a personal favour. Red Ring Rico... A famous hunter and a top scientist on Pioneer 1. Rico's his only daughter. Please, look for her! Red Ring Rico is the principal's daughter. I hope she's safe... SCIENTIST AT DESK - Our planet was tearing itself apart, we couldn't stop it. So we started searching for a new planet, and we found Ragol with unmanned search units. A huge interstellar transport ship was sent to Ragol. That was Pioneer 1. Pioneer 1 confirmed Ragol as a suitable location to settle on. And a second ship departed. That was us... Pioneer 2. Oh, sorry. You already knew that. Pioneer 1 and 2 are identical spaceships. Each Pioneer can travel in space, holding 30,000 people. SCIENTIST BY DESK - When our ship was led by the signal from Pioneer 1 to land on Ragol, we saw... that strange explosion! Pioneer 2 decided to orbit Ragol and collect data before landing on the surface. I was against the immigration! If a planet dies, the people have to die with it. Don't you think so? - MESSAGES FROM RICO - FOREST "Ah, testing, testing... Cough! I'm Rico, Rico Tyrell. I'm a hunter. This capsule is for anyone who has come here looking for me. I hope this helps you. I don't know who you are, but you must know that there's something unusual about Ragol. This is important. Pay attention to everything around you if you want to survive." "Disable the laser fences by using the coloured switches." "What made the animals become so violent all of a sudden? They weren't before. They were very quiet and friendly... There must be some cause. I'll find it. I know I'm a fool. This won't make me any richer. Perhaps that's why I'm exalted by them... Red Ring Rico, ha, ha. But I'm not really the great hunter citizens say I am. They needed a hero. And I just happened to fill that position. "Wow... bodies of dead animals... We hunters sometimes use firearms, but this... They were killed by firearms that are much stronger than ours!" "A disaster occurred. Things were shaking, then something broke through the surface. And then it exploded in the Central Dome! I don't know what to say... For 7 years, we've tried to adjust and improve the environment. What was it? Was it related to the accidents we've had recently?" "I heard that this tall column was built to commemorate the immigration of Pioneer 1. But... it may just be me, but it doesn't look very new. And these patterns... aren't they characters?" "Tactics are important, but strategy is vital. You have to think about how you can put yourself into an advantageous situation. Look, learn, analyse and judge. Think carefully." "Pioneer 1 may have damaged the ecological system of Ragol before we were aware of it. So, the native creatures tried to remove the invaders. That's one supposition. But what about the explosion!? I need more information. I have to go do some research." "No. It won't open. It might be easier to look for another way to get in". [Normal/Hard/Very Hard Message Pods] "Boomas... I don't like their weird faces. Be careful, you don't want to get surrounded by them." "Mothmants will keep appearing, one after another. You have to strike them out at the root." "Don't show your back to a Savage Wolf! It'll attack if it sees this opening." "Rag Rappies are cowards, but they like to attack straight on. When a Rag Rappy falls down, it may still be alive. So be careful". "If you can't hit a Hildebear, try standing in front of it. Of course, I don't miss." [Ultimate Message Pods] "Bartles... I don't like their weird faces. Be careful, you don't want to get surrounded by them. "Every time I get an abnormal status, I wish I were an android. Androids can optimise themselves, so they hit with greater accuracy. More than anything, it's great that they can set traps. Wish I could..." "Mothverts will keep appearing, one after another. You have to strike them out at the root." "Don't turn your back on a Gulgus, otherwise it'll pounce on you. You might get paralysed if you get bitten." "El Rappies are cowards, but they like to attack straight on. When an El Rappy falls down, it may still be alive. So be careful". "Watch out For Hildelt's lightning attack. I prefer NOT to get electrocuted." - PRINCIPALS OFFICE (After Dragon killed) PRINCIPAL - The... The dragon, did it attack you!? You think the native animals on Ragol attacked Pioneer 1 to defend their territory... It's possible... But why did it happen all of a sudden? Continue investigating please. IRENE - I heard that you found messages from Rico. But she's still missing. Please, please find her as soon as you possibly can! Please! SCIENTIST AT DESK - A huge dragon!? No data. Pioneer 1 didn't mention it in their report... We didn't know Ragol was such a dangerous planet! As a scientist, I'm very interested in the ecological system of Ragol... But as a citizen I'm frightened. - MESSAGES FROM RICO - CAVES "Wow... this cave is a treasure trove of discoveries. Creatures that have never been discovered by people. Completely unknown animals. They look like mutant forms of the native animals... Perhaps the government has kept this a secret...? It's possible... but for what purpose?" "The Nano Dragon is a fierce monster. It becomes stronger as it kills others. I suggest you defeat it as quickly as possible." "If you hear an alert, be careful! There must be land mines around you. You can detect them if you use the Trap Vision." "The attack range of the Grass Assassin is wide. Move quickly to enter its blind spot!" "Evil Sharks attack in obvious straight movement patterns. Don't get surrounded." "You may find yourself trapped by a parasite mine in the ground. To free yourself, ask someone to hit you with a technique or a gun". "I know that Pioneer 1 had some strange aspects to it. In the data that I procured, the consumption rate was much higher than the population... Perhaps there were a lot of non-registered citizens onboard. Why? What was their purpose?" "My first question about Ragol was, "Why didn't any sentient life exist here?" But...look at this monument! This is identical to the one I saw in the forest! It's NOT ours though... Was there an ancient civilization on Ragol? But these monuments are the only evidence I see... It'd be strange if there was a civilization, indeed... Can I decipher the characters with my simple tools?" "Pan Arms are a little tricky. They get stronger when they combine. But they're really quick when separated. Don't panic, OK? "I saw it with my own eyes. An animal metamorphosed when it was pierced by a tentacle from that giant worm. Were the monsters I saw in the cave all changed by that giant worm?" "I've got such mixed emotions... I'm scared, but excited, inspired even! Should I act as a scientist now? Or should I act as a hunter who is facing unknown enemies? I feel like someone's herding me somewhere... but where? To the underground... I feel like I'm being invited." - PRINCIPALS OFFICE (After De Rol Le killed) PRINCIPAL - Visit the lab and tell them about the creatures you encountered on Ragol. It seems our initial perception of Ragol is wrong. Based on what you've told us, Ragol isn't the paradise that Pioneer 1 stated it was. The cause of the explosion is still not known. We haven't heard anything from the people on Pioneer 1! [YOUR NAME], please...! Continue investigating! SCIENTIST AT DESK - I'm assuming the monsters you saw in the cave as mutant variations of the native life. And this big crustacean... It has an organ shaped like a needle, to inject its sap into other animals. I'm probably being too hasty, but I think I have a theory... It's very possible that this sap is changing the animals into these mutant monsters. - MESSAGES FROM RICO - MINES "This area... Apparently technology was involved in creating this. Why did they dig so deeply into the ground?" "To defeat Canadines, first disrupt their formation. The red one is the leader. Kill it first. It makes the battle easier." "Don't panic if you see more than one Sinow Beat. Just find the real body." "I'm attacked by robots this time... What are they?! They were customized robots originally for industrial use. ...Who did this? I can understand animals being metamorphosed by a crustacean into mutants, but... These were robots. Somebody modified them. Was it done by someone from Pioneer 1?" "I heard a rumour that the government was building a secret underground factory. Were the robots manufactured in that secret factory? Or, was the factory a decoy? The government was developing another project behind it... Information is always controlled by the government. We don't know the truth at all. We hunters are always used by the government. We're just tools to them." "Here, I found the third one. Will it fit together when all the parts are combined? "Light, darkness, pair, exist, unlimited, rule, seal..." I can make out each word, but I still don't understand the meaning of the whole thing." "A Dubchic will get up when knocked down from an attack. There must be a switch to kill them all simultaneously. Look for it." "To defeat a Garanz, you have to strip it of its hard shell first. Its protection will drop, but its attack power will be enhanced. Be careful!" "I can now say that there was an ancient civilization on this planet. Ruins buried in the ground. This is the evidence. The government was about to secretly conduct an excavation to study the ruins." "No intelligent life was discovered when Pioneer 1 landed here... Something else must have caused the destruction of this ancient civilization. What happened on Ragol in the past?" "The government was decoding the characters as well. Here is their analysis. I'll try to fill in the gaps with my own data... "Light, darkness,... a pair, no, ... exist, no exist... unlimited, seal, ... MUUT DITTS POUMN"...? What's the last line? An incantation? Seal, seal... What is sealed? Where? Is it about this door? Was it sealed with the words, MUTT DITTS POUMN? Maybe each word in the incantation means something? I found three monuments... Are they keys to open the door?" - PRINCIPALS OFFICE (After Vol Opt killed) PRINCIPAL - I am responsible for 30,000 people on Pioneer 2. Should we abandon Ragol and just depart? But we don't have any other planet that we can settle on. We need a home... The underground ruins... Are they the cause of everything? Did people from Pioneer 1 go down into the ruins? [YOUR NAME], Please continue investigating. SCIENTIST AT DESK - Based on our analysis, I discovered that the robots you fought against were restructured mechanisms that were used on Pioneer 1. It is my job to find facts. Reasoning with the collected facts is someone else's job. But... I... I'm scared. Very scared. Ruins found underground... Did sentient life exist on Ragol at one time? But Pioneer 1 didn't find any traces of sentient life on the surface. It's a perplexing question... SCIENTIST BY DESK - By now, you must know that Ragol is a dangerous planet. That is something! Nobody on Pioneer 1 survived. We have to leave here right now. - MESSAGES FROM RICO - RUINS "Why am I here, with monsters lurking everywhere? Did the army even stand a chance against them?" "Frontal attacks against Delsabers are ineffective. So don't try it. Go around to its back." "Do you see the crystals floating around a Chaos Sorcerer? One is used for attack, and the other is for healing." "I can't move... what a horrific trap. I wish I had a friend here..." "Wreckage...! These weapons are from Pioneer 1. They must've already entered the ruins, and from the look of things, fighting went on. It must've been a big battle. Seems our army was hurt badly." "I can see a distant view through this window... The "ruins" are huge. I would never have imagined such a great civilization..." "What is this big hole? It looks like... remnants of some type of energy explosion...Energy...? Was the Central Dome destroyed by this!?" "Dark Belra's are very slow, but they have lots of health. Prepare for a long battle. Those strange characters were found here and there. I think I have enough samples to decipher the meaning of the message on the monument. "Light makes darkness, a pair exists, but it doesn't always exist. Reincarnation goes forever. The rule is here. It should be sealed. MUUT DITTS POUMN"... Does it make sense? I wish I had enough time to study these unknown characters..." "I haven't studied all the characters yet, but I've got some useful information. This is the most important fact that I have found. There was NO ancient civilization on Ragol. We didn't discover ruins. This is a spaceship. A gigantic spaceship." "I'm now inside the ancient spaceship. Well, it's not just a spaceship. It's a... "casket." Something or somebody was sealed in this spaceship to remain buried here. What is IT? Why was something buried in such a manner? Anyway, I know that a monster is sleeping in this cave. We've opened the forbidden door." "Still moving... This ship's still operating!" "Be careful of the Chaos Bringer's charge. Dodge the charge, then attack it from behind." "I want to run away! But I have no place to return to... Perhaps no one will ever find this message and listen to it. Ever... Pioneer 2 will not come down when they discover that this planet is dangerous. Will somebody from Pioneer 2 still come to save us? Who knows? Regardless, I leave this message here. This is evidence of my existence." "This mist is very unusual... Be careful!" "Dark Falz! That's the name. The god of destruction that revives in the millennial cycle. Perhaps this entity encountered a civilization thousands of years ago. They could not defeat it, but managed to seal it in this gigantic spaceship. They abandoned it somewhere far from their planet. It was this place, Ragol. We've come to a terrible place at the worst possible time..." "Dark Falz is a consciousness. This entity has no body." "I miss my father. I wasn't a very good daughter... was I? Is my father OK now?" "Don't let it come in. The dark consciousness looks for the best animal to obtain its temporal host body." "The door is already opened. We opened it. This may be the beginning of the end of the universe. We have to do something... We must do it. We have to defeat it now! Defeat it before that dark "thing" revives with the perfect body....." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- b) THE STORY OF EPISODE TWO - CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLY -------------------------------------------------------------------------- (You are addressed by name a lot in this episode, I wrote this playing as my Racast, Marvin) INTRO - LAB NATASHA - "Ranger Marvin. Thank you for coming. I am Natasha Milarose, General Chief of Pioneer 2 Research facilities. This is your first time in the lab right? This is the centre of all Pioneer 2 Research Facilities. We simply call it the lab. The incident on Ragol. The mysterious underground ruins and the ferocious life forms, I am sure as a Ranger you have experienced them all. Here we conduct research based on data collected by Hunters, then we report our findings to the Administration. What we would like to discuss with you today is not a direct order from the administration. You can think of it as a mission request from the lab to all available Hunters. I will explain briefly. We discovered a new point on Ragol's surface from our own research. It all started with a communication we recently received from a man... This man was a high ranking official from Pioneer 1. But here is something that really bothers me.. Based on the log we received while we were travelling, this man had passed away a few years ago on the surface of Ragol. So we want to find out what happened to him. But this mission involves a high amount of risk, and this mission must remain a secret. In order for us to measure your abilities as a hunter you will have to go though a series of exams. An aide will assist you with further details about the Hunter's exam. I look forward to seeing your great results!" AIDE AT VR ENTRANCE - "Hello. What's behind this gate is the labs latest VR system. The Admin and Military have no knowledge of this. The examination will start from the moment you are transported to the VR field though the teleporter. So be careful!" VR TEMPLE - CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLY "Ahem.. (cough) Hello? Can you hear me? How do you do Marvin? This is the lab. Welcome to the VR field. I'm your support operator Elly Person. Nice to meet you! What's in front of you is our latest portable communication terminal. I call him "Cal". What do you think? Cool huh? The design? Nice lines eh? ... Sexy? ... (cough) Ummm.. you can access the terminals you find around the VR field. You'll get support from us here and receive field information. You should be able to access one if the green light is lit. Oh yeah... This hunter exam will test your ability as a hunter. Don't stress too much though it's just practice training. Oh sorry, yes. Yes I said! I'm sorry I'll be more careful in future.. Who do they think they are? Oh they told me not to open my mouth unless it was necessary. Ha Ha (*sighs*) That's the life of a rookie. Anyway be careful. It's not Ragol you know. Good luck!" "Hi this is Elly. How's it going? Oh I forgot to mention before. Ummm.. you know the creatures in the VR field? We're using creature data from that's been collected by Hunters on Ragol. But it's been adjusted to match the danger level we expect for the research mission at the new point. And.. there's one more big difference! The ecosystem! Hey, this is important. Even creatures that live in totally different areas on Ragol can interact and create whole new ecosystems in the VR field. Uh.. sorry you didn't hear that from me... I hope they didn't hear me. Oh what the heck. Marvin, do you know what this means?" "Hi this is Elly! How's everything going? Maybe you've noticed already but part of the VR field really seems like a maze. I guess it just shows the personality of the architect. Uh.. sorry, I'm telling too much again. Before you get lost in the maze I highly recommend you check your position with the AREA MAP." "Marvin? This I the lab. Hi, it's Elly again! How are you doing? It's starting to get a little tough isn't it? If things get dangerous you can just exit the VR field. Ahh.. this is just between you and me Okay? What matters in the Hunters exam is how many areas you've cleared. So you can keep trying as many times as you want. Marvin, if you pass the Hunters exam, then.. uh oh.. uhhh.. phew. They didn't catch me this time (cough) Anyway, good luck!" "Marvin? Lab here. This is Elly. You dong OK? You're coming upon the final Temple area. According to the setup data. Barba.. what/ I can't seem to read it. That's odd.. What? Anyway.. these creatures will be unlke anyting else you have encountered before. Please be careful." [After Barba Ray is defeated] "VR field Final temple area cleared. Good job Marvin. All VR tests for the Temple have been cleared. Please return to the teleporter. We are about to disconnect the link." VR SPACESHIP - CONVERSATIONS WITH ELLY "Marvin! This is the lab. Elly here. Contacting from Spaceship Area Alpha. You're finally at the second field of the Hunters exam. After you clear this field the Hunters exam will be done! So do your best and good luck!" "Marvin. This is the lab! Hellow this is Elly. How are you doing? This area is totally different from theTemple. You'll fnd many beserk robots in the spaceship area. These malfunctioning robots were once Pioneer 1's automnated workforce. They were supposed to build a colony for us on Ragol. Now they are out of control. They attack anything that moves. They still seem to have some intelligence since they attack as a group. I think the robots look kind of cute though, don't you?" "Mkarvin? This is the lab, Elly speaking. Just a little more to go and you'll finish the Hunter's exam. The lab's information analysis for the new point is proceeding well. We've finally been able to track the co-ordinates that were sent out. And we've found some sort of large-scale installation. I'm worried because it means that things could be more dangerous.. oops. I shouldn't be talking about this. I'll get reprimanded again. Oh well.. anyway. I'm sure you're bored with my chatting. You only have a little more to go, so go for it." "Hi Marvin, It's Elly again. How are you doing? This is the final Spaceship area. You're finally here. Well according to the set data.. What? Come on! Oh sorry. I can't load the database. This is just a guess but.. I think someone in management has been messing with the data. I'll check it later. It's not like I'm breaking any rules! I wish they'd just leave me alone. Anyway Marvin, you'll be just fine. I'll be cheering you from here." [After Gol Dragon is defeated] "VR Field final Spaceship area cleared. Good job Marvin! All VR tests for the spaceship have been completed. Both Temple and Spaceship. This means this is the end of the Hunters guild exam! Marvin, the Chief wishes to speak to you directly in the lab. Please enter the teleporter" BACK IN THE LAB NATASHA - "Ranger Marvin congratulations. You passed the exam, we couldn't have asked for a better result. We decided to assign you to a new point. It's located on a solitary island in the waters south of the central dome. We call it "Gal Da Val". You will go to gal Da Val island to begin your mission. One more thing. We need you to find a man, deputy Commander Heathcliffe Flowen. He's one of the military's most famous heroes. He is the one who sent the message we intercepted. However we need you to find out wether he is alive abd report back. And.. one more thing. The operator you worked with during your hunters exam has been assigned to be your new operator for this mission. I hope it goes well." ELLY - "Marvin, we finally meet face-to-face. I'm Elly. To be honest with you that Hunter's exam also has another purpose. It's used to match a Hunter with a compatible operator. So.. That means I still get to be your operator! Aren't you glad? Look at this. What you see is the real Calus. He's the labs newest AI system. I worked with him during he exam. But I never really got to interface with him. But now, I can't believe they let a rookie like me touch the main terminal!Now I get to talk to him all I want. It's great. Anyway, lets see." The Chief went over the details of the mission. According to the data collected by an auto reconnaissance device, architecture from our civilisation, meaning from Pioneer 1 was discovered on the Gal Da Val island. The structures are very unusual since they are so far away from the Central Dome where most of the residential areas are. None of the data sent from Pioneer 1shows any record of this. Same with the underground mining site on Ragol. There must have been a reason they kept it hidden. Cal will continue on with n on-site scan. When you collect data during your mission on Gal Da Val you may transfer it by accessing Cal on-site. So that's basically the whole mission, right?" -------------------- CENTAL CONTROL AREA -------------------- HEATHCLIFFE MESSAGE ONE - "I am not sure who will be listening to this message, but this message will explain the truth about the planet Ragol. My name is Flown, Heathcilffe Flowen. Deputy Commander of Pioneer 1's military forces. Our mission, the migration to the Planet Ragol was going well. The environment of our homeworld, Coral was deteriorating rapidly. The Pioneer project was launched to search for a new home. We arrived on Ragol. We began investigating its suitability to support life. We then began readying the planet for habitation. But selecting this planet was a mistake. No, that may have been the plan all along. Ragol... we have awoken "IT". "IT" was way beyond what we could handle. "IT" was not meant to be discovered. This cursed inheritance from the past." RESPONSE FROM ELLY - "This is the lab. Elly speaking. Message log transmission has been confirmed. Our analysis is complete to. The voiceprint on the message matches our files. This message was recorded by Mr. Flowen himself. The Time Stamp indicates this happened before Pioneer 2 entered orbit around Ragol. So it means that happened before the explosion. Since this was recorded before the explosion we cannot determine if the survived the explosion or not." HEATHCLIFFE MESSAGE TWO -"The first time I encountered "IT".. that was when we were into the excavation process of the Ancient Spaceship. We were researching the remains of an ancient civilisation on Ragol to find technology that could advance our science. That was our mission. At least I was led to believe that was our mission. While terraforming and construction of the Central Dome proceeded on the surface the excavation project continued in secret. No one could've imagined a huge project going on right underneath them. After long hours of labour the excavation team finally made it into the interior of the ancient spaceship. But the celebrations ended shortly afterwards. We encountered "IT". Everyone on the excavation team died. No one has ever made back from the Ancient Spaceship since then. We were finally able to confirm the existence of a hostile life form. With this knowledge we created an attack plan to remove the creature. I will never forget "IT" crawled up from a vast abyss of darkness. It appeared to be mutating as it moved towards us. It looked like its body was cycling through the stages of life and death. The force under my command was completely demolished. I managed to escape, but.. I was badly injured. My wounds move as if they are somehow alive. I'd almost believe that my wounds were consuming my body to take control." REACTION FROM ELLY - "Hello this is Elly from the Lab. Message log transmission confirmed. Our analysis is finished to. There's one thing that bothers me. In the message it mentions that "IT" appeared in the Ancient Spaceship. I wonder if this is referring to the D-Cellular sub-lifeforms.. Or maybe..." HEATHCLIFFE MESSAGE 3 - "D-Type factor. That's what Osto said when he saw this wound. He could barely contain his glee at finding this unknown lifeform. Then he said to me... "would you consider donating your body to the government for the good of our people?" And I thought if my body could serve to build a better future for our people. So I agreed to accept the request under certain conditions. Osto was overjoyed and he said to me, "Your body will be the subject of an official government experiment". What he meant was, I would have no say in what happened to my body. For all intents and purposes, my life was over. "The government will send a message to your family and friends back home to announce your death." That's what he said. Even after accepting the fate of donating my body I thought about it. The young girl who followed me to explore this unknown world. She always looked up to me as a hero, even though I was just an old man. What will she think about my death when she finds out? Everyone will eventually forget about me. My death was announced to the world and I was transferred here. Maybe that was the beginning of the end. This disaster, this decision I made to donate my body could trigger the chain reaction that will uncover the truth of the planet Ragol." ELLY'S REACTION - "Hello this is Elly from the Lab. Message log transmission confirmed. I wonder if this is true? If this is true then... Now I know why the Chief wants to investigate this is secret. Dr. Osto is a highly respected scientist. If people found out about this, what went on aboard Pioneer 1 there would be a huge uproar." MESSAGE FROM HEATHCLIFFE 4 - "I had no knowledge of the facility until I was brought here. I was transferred to this island far from the Central Dome. Surface and Seabed. The island is one giant laboratory. All of the top scientists from Pioneer 1 were there waiting for me. Dr. Osto, of course and even Dr. Graves, the Photon Engineer. This was all part of their plan. Soon the experiments began on my body. I don't know the details but the research seemed to span many areas. And from the look on Osto's face, the results were fairly positive. But then I heard new of another sub-lifeform breakout from the ancient ship. "IT" was still alive. Now that I think about it the concept of death doesn't apply to "IT". We just didn't understand, that is why the ancients have the sealed "IT" inside that spaceship deep beneath the surface of the planet. Mysterious Photons. An Eternal Lifeform. Now I can see why all the doctors were so excited..." ELLY'S REACTION - "Hello this is Elly from the Lab. Message log transmission confirmed. "The surface and the seabed.. The entire island is one giant lab" Wow! This corroborates our own findings too. And if it matches Cal's analysis. I won't go into details now. But I will inform you as soon as we have more facts. So please be patient." [After killing Gal Gryphon] ELLY - "Marvin? This is the lab. Elly here. I can't believe you killed that huge monster! Good job! I'm impressed! I was so nervous watching you over the screen. Phew.. Anyway.. The Lab will proceed with a data analysis on the creature. Please return through the teleporter." NATASHA - "It's hard to believe such a huge Altered Beast wasn't found before. Hmmm. We need you to continue with the mission. We pulled an unknown set of coordinates from the teleporter you used to get to the cliffs. The last known coordinates from the cliffs teleporter. The coordinates with some highly unusual photon readings and the origins of that transmission. All three coordinates are under the island in the Seabed. There's no doubt there is some sort of facility there. Ranger Marvin, please continue with the mission." ELLY - "have you heard about the facility on the Seabed? I never imagined that such a large research facility would exist in a place like that. According to the reconnaissance, unlike the one on the surface this facility was built only for research and development. It's so large it's almost a factory. I imagine that a lot of researchers were working inside it too. But we haven't seen any signs of life anywhere. But.. being pessimistic won't help. Cal has calculated the exact coordinates. So I've entered them into the teleporter. Good luck!" ------------- SEABED ------------- [This to be added in the next update. Only I lost my notes and didn't want to delay the FAQ any further! Sorry!] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *********************************************************************** ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Feel free to email me about any aspect of this guide, any contributions you would like to make will be fully credited if used and are more than welcome. Please inform me of any errors, typos etc so I can rectify them immediately My email is falsehead@aol.com (Blatant plug: check out my games website at www.kungfuhamster.cjb.net for loads of info on Martial Arts, Beat 'em Ups, Kung Fu Movies and Pokemon!) Big Thanks to CjayC, the cool bloke who runs GameFAQs. You've given me the opportunity to reach more people with my stuff than I ever could have alone! Special thanks go out to: BillyKane, Magus747, Andy787, totalstuff and Pat Uhler for being such a laugh, and giving me the push to actually start contributing my own work back in the good old days of the DC board. Thanks also to my homies in the Review and FAQ boards for continuing support and being all round awesome dudes! Props to Aschultz, Masters, MaxH, Vegita, Asherdeus, Snow Dragon, DJSkittles85, Adrenaline, bananagirl and krustster for all the chats and encouragement. Also please check out this site I contribute reviews to: http://thunderbolt.be Finally, thanks to Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer whose fine comedy shows kept me going through some heavy nights of levelling up. "You wouldn't let it LIE!!" ======================================================================= ***************************** THE END ********************************* =======================================================================