~B
Saga Frontier Help Sheet - Ver 0.3 (Now not working on it anymore)
From : Kain (Zhou Tai An) kain@pacific.net.sg
Now that the English version of the game is out, chances are you'll not be
needing this guide. ^_^ However, Im just keeping this for basic reference - hope
it's still useful for you.
Author's Note : A lot of things in SaGa Frontier (hereby referred to as SF, or
at least when I remember to call it that ^_^) are related to each other, i.e.
Kowloon's sewers are part of both Blue and Coon's quests, the powerup's are not
only integral to Blue's quest but are important in their own way etc. So to
avoid complications, everything will be listed in a separate section. Of
course...that also means you'll probably be confused by some of the references,
so just skip to the pertinent section and read from there.
BTW, knowing hiragana and katakana will help tremendously in this game.
Section A : General Stuff
A : The start screen.
The options here are self-explanatory; either start a new game or load an old
one. There's also a Quick Start option that will restart your last game. Rumor
has it that, upon completion of all 7 characters, Rogue (Blue's brother) and the
Joker (Murderer of Emilia's husband) will become playable...
A special ending is accessible once all characters have been completed in a
single save. Also, many characters have multiple endings.
1) The Characters
Red : A young boy with the power to transform into another form, a hero for
justice.
Blue : A powerful magician from the Magic Kingdom, fated to kill his brother.
Asellus : A young girl transformed into a half-human Mystic after being crushed
under the wheels of a demon chariot.
Coon : A monster on a quest to save his dying homeland.
T260G : A robot who goes on a journey to fulfill his last duty.
Emilia : A ex-top model who hunts her husband's murderer.
Lute : A wandering, carefree bard.
IMHO, Blue's quest is the easiest and the best for beginners.
B : Menus
The options on menu are as follows : (top down)
Status*
Items
Combined Attacks
Party Rearrange*
Weapon Equip
Skills Equip
Controls
Save
* = you may access both Skill and Weapon Equip options from here. Just push the
button again.
Now, an explanation of the options :
1) Status : You should be pretty familiar with this option, but here's a run
down on exactly what the different characteristics mean.
HP : When this reaches 0, the character is then unable to fight. Any further
hits will reduce LP by one.
LP : When this reaches 0, the character is then considered dead. I have no idea
whether this is reversible.
WP : Is expended when Mecha Programs and both Monster and Human Skills are used.
JP : Is expended when Magic is used.
STR : Determines the Damage done by Swords and Body.
QUI : Determines turns and Evade Rates.
INT : Determines Magic learning rates and effectiveness of Mecha items.
WIL : Determines effectiveness of Magic and Hit Rate of Swords and Guns.
PSY : Determines Evade and recover Rates of status affecting attacks.
VIT : Determines ability of withstand Damage (with DEF) and Evade Rate of sleep
attacks.
CHA : Determines Evade and Hit Rates of charm attacks.
DEF : Determines Damage taken.
2)Items : Again, a familiar option. You should take note that Saga Frontier
differentiates between items that can be used in combat and out of; also, a
character may only carry up to 4 items into combat. (That's what the top 4
spaces in the Status option mean.)
3)Combined Attacks : No space to fully elaborate this option, but the top three
slots are reversed for the most often used attacks; in other words, attacks
placed there will be activated more often and also will not be displaced by
newer skills.
4) Party Rearrange : Just like it says! ^_^
5) Weapon Equip : Self-explanatory
6) Skill Equip : Same here. (More on this in the Skill section...see below)
7) Controls : Changes window color, button configuration...etc.
8) Save : Well...^_^
Okay, here's the place the disclaimer was before. News Update!
I have decided to continue the guide without prompting! (Cheers are heard, and
there was much rejoicing. Thanks to James Obenshain for the encouragement,
though. ^_^) However, I will begin by getting down the bare bones first...the
good stuff can wait.
Yeah, this was an old notice. ^_^ Actually, I don't have the time to continue
this thing, (I haven't even played the
English version yet!) with my XG translations and possible PE ones.
C : The World
The world of SaGa Frontier is broken up into :
Races : Exact rundowns on the Skills, Magic, and Program capability of these
will be elaborated on in the Skill section.
1. Humans. Versatile creatures who can use Swords, Guns and Magic. Humans are
the only race that can learn additional fighting skills; during a battle, a
lightbulb will flash above their head and the character will activate the new
skill. Generally, humans level up the slowest, but do not have the restrictions
of the other classes. See below.
2. Mystics. Related to both Humans and Monsters, Mystics can level up in only
HP, WP, CHA and JP, but may use their own special attacks (Mystics' Sword,
Gloves and Leggings) to absorb enemy Monsters, increasing attributes and gaining
new abilities. This can cause a Mystic to jump up in "level".
3. Monsters. The stock creatures of every RPG, Monsters become more powerful by
absorbing their fallen foes. Doing so has to be done with caution though; once
again, see the Skill section. Certain other factors determine a Monster's
progress, but that section still awaits translation. ^_^
4. Mecha. Increasing their ability through equipping Human arms, as well as
obtaining Programs from other destroyed foes, Mecha are a force to be reckoned
with given time, luck and a lot of cash.
Now for the places one can visit : (in order from the airport menu) If you
haven't already noticed, you can only get to the second menu of choices by
selecting the last option from the Kowloon airport. The information here is
pretty general...look at the character walkthroughs for more help.
1. Kowloon. Lots of shops of here, you can buy almost anything. The Armor and
Weapon shops are pretty close to each other; don't miss the latter as it's in a
manhole. The sewers here are an excellent place to level-up weak characters.
2. Manhattan. Not much here. A few shops.
3. Shrike. Home to the tomb of Seioh, the Factory (important place if you're
using Mecha), the BioLab(good place to level-up powerful characters) and one of
the places you can sleep for free in the game! (it's a shop in the Street, the
crossroads at the top part of the map).
4. Luminous. You can buy both Lunar and Nova magic here, as well as get their
powerups.
5. Magical Kingdom. Get Ghost Magic here, and some items.
6. Kyo (Capital). The place to go for Yin magic and powerup. Otherwise, not very
important.
7. Yorkland. A swamp is here, good for leveling-up, you guessed it, middle power
characters! ^_^
6. Duvan. Same here, but for Tarot and Rune spells. Both of those powerups are
kinda difficult to get (they entail trekking all over the world). The gateway to
getting both Space and Time spells is here as well; go up the hill and talk to
Rei Hime. (Only for some characters at some times)
7. IRPO. Absolutely nothing to do here unless you're Blue.
8. Mosperiburg. Gateway to Fascinateur (home of the Mystics), and also the place
to get the Time powerup.
9. Scrap. Good place to get characters. Also, good stuff can be bought from the
Junk Shop here. The airport here requires 100C to use, so make sure you
accomplish everything you set out to do.
10. Owmi. Second place to sleep for free, and you get to see the funny guy on
the bridge.
11. Nelson. Get here from Owmi...sells cheap gold bars (cheaper than Kowloon)
and has a decent weapon shop.
12. Baccarat. No way to actually play the games...but most characters eventually
come here for some reason or another.
13. Shingrou. Another character event point.
14. Wakatsu. Same as above. You can also get the Meteor Blade here.
Departing from Kowloon sometimes leads you, through a space-time warp, to
Tanzer, a plant-like region. Feion, a Chinese martial artist, will lead you out
after you get the Rune of Life.
Section B : Characters, Leveling up, Combat, Magic and all related stuff. ^_^
This section, however, does not include character walkthroughs. Those will be
added when I finish translating the entirety of the guide and actually play the
game through.
Humans :
As stated above, humans have 12 attributes. Of these, 10 of them (with the
exception of LP and DEF) maybe increasing through combat. It has been confirmed
that Square uses a "hidden" system of leveling-up (i.e., the points aren't shown
to the player), but I have deduced that apparently fighting more powerful foes
increases the chance of gaining an attribute. Also, not more than 1 point in
each attribute (other than HP) may be gained in each combat.
Fighting differently also influences how and in which area your characters
improve. (Affects Mystics as well) Here's the list :
Key :
* = 80% or more
^_^ = 50% to 79%
X = 1% to 49%
O = 0% (no improvement)
Sword Body Gun Magic
HP ^_^ * ^_^ ^_^
WP ^_^ ^_^ X O
JP O O O *
STR X ^_^ O O
QUI X X ^_^ X
INT O O X X
WIL X X ^_^ X
PSY O O X X
VIT X X X O
CHA X O X X
There is also a "learning curve" of sorts; that is, if you train a certain
character in let's say, Magic, then have him\her switch to Guns, he\she will not
be as adept and will pick up the affected attributes slower.
Some characters are also naturally predisposed towards certain areas, and will
be better at them than others. This also applies to the full Skill section;
sometimes characters will learn new skills one after another in quick
succession. This information still under research by me. ^_^
Skills :
Both Sword and Body skills are mastered in the same way; when in combat, upon
attacking, a lightbulb will flash above your character's head and a new skill
will be learnt. The light bulb may also flash when your character is attacked
(in the case of learning countering skills) and also when he\she learns Mikiri
(Sight Cut; enemy skills).Of course, better skills are learnt later.
After much experimentation, I am pleased to impart to you the secret of learning
skills! ^_^ It is simply this; attack with your base attack. When using Swords,
attack only with the sword, when using Body, attack with Punch. This will get
you skills faster than attacking with already learnt skills. Note that this
process is sped up somewhat by fighting stronger foes. It is possible to learn
skills through skills (in fact, some can only be learnt this way) but generally,
the base attack will increase your chances.
When at least 6 skills are equipped (in the Skill Equip option discussed
earlier) in a particular field (either Sword, Gun and Body or Magic), your
character will become a Master and have a crown displayed in the red\blue field
above his\her status. All skills will now cost 1 point less. However, take note
than when 8 or more skills are learnt, you will not get any more in combat.
Both Gun and Magic skills are gained after combat instead. The higher level Gun
skills (not many as they are only 10 total) unlike Sword and Body ones, are
gained by using advanced techniques, and so are the higher level Magic spells.
More on that in the Magic section later.
Full Skill list terminated as someone's done one. I will, however, be posting a
combination guide to Gamefaqs.
Magic :
There are 10 types on Magic in the world of SF. You may not normally learn each
magic type's opposite. (The later part of Blue's quest is an exception) The
number next to each category is the maximum number of spells you may learn.
Tarot - Runes (8)
Time - Space (6)
Yin - Yang (5, 4)
Ghost - Demon (5)
Nova - Lunar (5, 6)
Zozma is the only character that may use Yang Magic, and Rei Hime the only one
to use Phantom Magic, a not-listed type identical to Ghost and Demon.
Now to explain Stars and Magic levels. Normal spells manifest without any
circles surrounding your user (other than the grey-whitish ones); those are
level 1 spells. In order to get level 2 spells (which have 1 circle), one must
first obtain the powerup for the spell type. When this is done, a star will
appear next to the spell type in the Status screen, signifying the ability to
now obtain all the spells in the category (only level 1 spells may be learnt
without the star). With the star, using the more powerful level 2 magics will
earn you all the spells within that type.
Certain magics will also "level-up" and become stronger. Examples of this
include the Ghost magic "Energy Chain (first spell)", the Nova "Light Saber" and
the Demon "Fascination.". In the case of Energy Chain, the chain will, upon
leveling-up, encircle the enemy and may cause "Stop" status.
Powerup List :
Tarot - Find the 4 Cards :
Sword - Wakatsu (must have Gen in party)
Shield - IRPO office; you'll be sent to a snowy region. Don't miss Suzaku, one
of powerful characters, here.
Cup - Through the swamp at Yorkland after talking to people there.
Coins - Gnomes at Baccarat caves; bring gold bars.
Runes - Find the 4 Runes
Victory - Tomb at Shrike
Life - Slimes at Tanzer
Protection - Underground at Kowloon
Release - Boulder at Despair
Time - Defeat Tokinokimi at the Region of Time
Space - Defeat Kirin at the Region of Space
Yin - Buy all the Yin spells at the shop in Kyo, and talk to the lady once more
to fight a battle. After that the powerup is yours.
Yang - Only Zozma can use this, and he starts with the star.
Ghost - Blue and Rouge start with this powerup; it is otherwise non-obtainable.
Demon - All Mystics start with this powerup; it is otherwise non-obtainable
Nova - Enter the Light Palace at Luminous and make your way through it.
Lunar - Pass through Ombre, the Region of Shadows at Luminous (you can get
Silence here).
Now for detailed character studies (with no relation at all to Literature
classes worldwide ^_^)
Humans :
As stated before, Humans level up slowly. Remember, only a one point increase in
a stat every battle, with no guarantee that there will actually BE an increase.
Not to mention the fact that they only increase the stats they're training. And
the fact that only some start with JP, so you only get a few Magic users.
However, this works in your favor; sometimes, it's good to have a slow, steady
character that isn't subject to the whims of luck like the other classes. Humans
usually get at least at stat or two up every fight (on average, 3 to 4 if you're
fighting moderate enemies, and 5-6 with powerful ones). Also, Humans get skills
at an okay rate (especially the weaker ones) and can link attacks with relative
ease (see the Combination Attack section).
Mystics :
Well, these guys look cooler, for one. Mystics can level up only in 4 stats, but
their absorbing powers make up for that. Here's how it works :
1. Find a nice enemy to absorb that will give you susbtantial attribute gains
(list provided below).
2. Beat enemy down to within 200 HP of death (more or less depending on
Mystics's attack power; generally, the Sword and Legging attacks are stronger
than the Gloves.) Your attack's damage has to exceed the enemy's remaining life.
3. Whack with chosen weapon. If the enemy dies by turning into a thin white line
that dissipates over the Mystic, you've absorbed it.
Some things to remember. Some classes of enemies (Mecha, other Mystics, and
Humans) can't be absorbed. Also, the Mystic attacks may miss or even cause
instant death sometimes (though if the enemy is low on life and is attacked, if
it isn't a miss, you will defintely get an absorb), the latter effect which is
useful on combat (the instant death, however, will not give you an absorb).
Absorption also gives you one of the absorbed monster's attacks, a different one
per attack used. (I.e, Sword gives you one, Leggings another, etc). And yes,
before you ask, it is possible to absorb the same monster multiple times.
Good Monster Absorbing List :
Insects : The two ones with bladed appendages (forgot names). STR, QUI and VIT
up 22 to 25.
Beasts : Unicorn (OUI, INT, WIL, and CHA up 18), and Monkey Raider (guy on a
bike, everything except CHA up 10)
Birds : Phoenix (if you're lucky enough to get one, all stats besides CHA up
20!)
Water Creatures : Kamo King (the duck-like creature. All except CHA up 15)
Plants : Stone Tree (Palm tree that uses lots of stone attacks. STR, WIL, PSY
and VIT up 22)
Huge Creatures : Giant and Snow Giant (both bosses). STR, QUI and PSY up 30 and
INT, WIL and PSY up 30 respectively.
Boneless Ones : Snow Spirit (Faceless thing carrying flowers. INT, PSY and VIT
up 30)
Magical Creatures : Not many good ones. The other categories have far better.
Undead : Durahan (guy on horse. All except CHA and WIL up 20)
Dragons : Black Dragon (STR, WIL and VIT up 30).
All Mystics also start with a star in the Demon category of spells.
Monsters :
They eat other Monsters. Yes...well, okay, absorbing is the term the game uses
but that's a euphemism. ^_^ (BTW, this system was used in FF Legend as well,
remember?)
Author's Note :
Okay, my first really big FAQ. ^_^ This is still kinda skimpy (hey, SF's a BIG
game), but it should work you through the basics.
Thanks goes to shadowx, author of the Blue FAQ, for helping with the magic
section and some gameplay help!
