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VAGRANT STORY
COMPLETE WALKTHROUGH AND PLAYING GUIDE
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Version 1.25 June 2nd, 2000
Author: Zy Nicholson
E-mail: spangenhelm@hotmail.com
All text copyright Zy Nicholson, 2000
LEGAL NOTICE: This guide is for private and personal use only. It is not to be
used or reproduced, in part or whole, for profitable or promotional purposes.
This encompasses paper-based and electronic reproduction, whether as part of a
magazine, book, website, CD / DVD format or any other medium. Permission has
been granted for www.psxcodez.com to reproduce the full text, and I welcome
requests from other sites wishing to be granted the same, especially fan sites.
All content was created by Zy Nicholson and is owned by me. I also acknowledge
any trademarks and copyrights that are not specifically mentioned in the text.
On a final note, you should also appreciate that I'm a professional journalist
with the means, the resources, the know-how, the moral obligation and the
dogged perseverance to pursue any legal action, no matter how large or small,
should you attempt any infraction of these terms in the false belief that you
are safe from international copyright law. You are not. You have been warned.
Vagrant Story is (c) 2000 Square.
============================================== Contents
==============================================
1. Revision History 2. Introduction 3. Level Guide 4. Second Play Secrets 5.
Playing Tips 6. Weapons 7. RISK 8. Break Arts 9. Chain Abilities 10. Defence
Abilities 11. Magic 12. The Workshop 13. Combining, Forging and Reforging 14.
Combination Tables 15. Items 16. The Bestiary 17. Training Dummies 18. Secrets and
Extras 19. Credits
============================================== 1. REVISION HISTORY
==============================================
May 21 2000 - Version 1.0 created I've still got notes to write up, but figured
that maybe some of you would like what's already been written sooner, rather
than later.
May 26 2000 - Version 1.1 Despite a hideous workload and a personal tax return
to contend with, your enthusiastic mails have been the Spur of Guilt to my Rump
of Inaction. - began revision of entire level guide, Weapons, RISK, Second Play
Secrets section - added content to Break Arts, Magic, Combination and
Combination Tables - added new sections Chain Abilities, Defence Abilities,
Secrets and Extras
May 28-June 1st 2000 - Version 1.2 - revisions to every section bar Bestiary -
added new sections in Playing Tips and Items - wedged heavy wooden chock under
wheel of social life
June 2nd 2000 - Version 1.25 - *proper* revisions added to some sections
============================================== 2. INTRODUCTION
==============================================
Vagrant Story isn't easily definable. Sure, it's an RPG -- and an action game,
and a platformer, and a wargame, and a cinematic adventure.
The design team features staff from the Japanese development company Quest,
responsible for the Ogre Battle series, including director Yasumi 'Yazz'
Matsuno and artist Akihiko Yoshida: these two last worked together on Final
Fantasy Tactics. To quote Matsuno from the game's website at
www.vagrantstory.com:
"The design of this game came from the design sense and ideas of our staff and
was not the result of conventional product planning. This may seem very
natural, but this is something that recently has begun to disappear from the
gaming industry. We believe that it is important to return to our origins in
natural, even spontaneous, game design."
In an industry that seems increasingly concerned with mass-market satisfaction,
it's refreshing to see a title created in the knowledge that it won't appeal to
everyone. Not because of any lack of quality, but through a respect for
individuality, diversity and the importance of experimenting with original,
untested ideas.
Yoshida's characters have finally been granted the dramatic stage of a
'realistic' 3D environment in which to act out their roles, and his strong
sense of design has impressed a unique and indelible style upon Vagrant Story's
engine-driven cut-scenes. By comparison, the sheer personality of these living,
breathing individuals shows up Metal Gear Solid's cast list as a bunch of
cartoon heroes and villains with black-&-white values. Credit is also due to
Hiroshi 'Nigoro' Minagawa, who I believe has succeeded in his ambition to turn
every single room, view and perspective into a work of art.
I've worked in game scripting and design myself, so it pains me to neglect a
few names at this stage, but I congratulate a talented team on coming up with a
fascinating and addictive piece of original work that eschews the weary
formulae and conventions of the modern, commercial RPG product.
One final point: once you've clicked through the intro, there's no more FMV in
the game. Vagrant Story uses engine-driven cut-scenes to deliver its dramatic
impact. Not only does this result in a fluid, seamless incorporation of non-
interactive scenes within an interactive medium, but it also allows for those
scenes to reflect the state of play. The character delivering lines is standing
in the same position, holding the same items, as they were just moments ago
when you were controlling them. There's no pause and flick to a pre-rendered
interpretation of the moment: when the scene ends then you can go take a look
at something you just noticed, like a closed chest, and it's still ready to be
opened in the playing environment. This is, I'm convinced, the future model for
all videogames with a narrative to convey.
============================================== 3. LEVEL GUIDE
==============================================
This isn't a strict walkthrough in the sense of a 'go left, open box' set of
instructions. You'll have a better time if you play the game for yourself, and
take advice only when you're stuck. For this reason, the structure strives for
completism and lists every room in the game, by name. If you're stumped at any
point or you'd like more information then a simple search for the room name
should take you straight to a description of where you are and what you need to
do.
On a second point, there's little mention of the cut-scene placement. The
game's plot will be dealt with in a later version, as the twists involved would
be better placed in a spoiler section than being thrown at you against your
will.
With regard to room contents, I haven't attempted to nail down the exact
numbers of inhabitants (Bats x 2, Silver Wolf x 1 etc.) because, frankly, it's
misleading. There is no fixed number. Over time, in response to your own
increase in power, every room will start to boast more creatures, or harder
creatures, or both. So for greater precision I've simply listed the kind of
creatures you're likely to find there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INTRODUCTORY PROLOGUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you first load the game, let it run on after the FMV has played. There are
two engine cut-scenes that provide some background to the story, set in the VKP
headquarters and the grounds of the Bardorba Manor respectively. There's also a
version of the game's trailer based on a cut of the introductory sequence.
Duke Bardorba's Manor, Graylands 2:32 AM Although you're free to skip straight
through it, the game's introductory sequence includes two playable battles that
serve as tutorial for the weapon-targeting system. Just advance the speech with
your CIRCLE button and avoid pressing START (as this will end the intro).
The Manor Courtyard Hardin issues instructions to kill the hostages, but his
Mullenkamp cultists are interrupted by a noise and go to investigate (honestly,
you were nowhere near the box...). "Here we go..."
Mullenkamp Soldiers HP 60 / MP 20 Human Special Attacks: none This shouldn't
present any problem at all, as each will fall after a couple of hits.
Concentrate on one before turning your attention to the other. Also, take a
moment to try out the marvellous first-person pause on the START button and
have a look at both your opponents and your surroundings, as you won't be
seeing this place again. When both cultists are killed, this playable scene
ends.
(NB: if you're replaying this from a Game Clear Data, you'll be equipped with
the last weapon and shield you were holding and not, in all probability,
Fandango. Also, on a plot point, note that the bodies stay put where they fall:
Lea Monde's power holds no sway here...).
The Manor Chapel Wyvern HP 83 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attacks: Fire Breath The bristle
of spears still lodged in its body should be a sufficient clue that this Wyvern
has already encountered either the Duke's retainers, or Guildenstern's Crimson
Blades, or both. Consequently it's very weak, and can't take much more
punishment. A few blows to the head will be sufficient to finish the job. Don't
expect the next Wyvern you meet to be such a pushover.
When this is done then let the game run on, including the lengthy quote, and
you'll get a proper explanation of your new mission in another cut-scene.
Inquisitor Callo Merlose fills you in on the known details of your quarry.
You've pursued Sydney Losstarot to Lea Monde, but first you need to get
inside...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wine Cellar ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your overriding aim is to reach the city of Lea Monde via the cellars and
catacombs running under the sea. But a magically sealed door blocks the way, so
your first objective will be to find the Chamomile Sigil that unlocks it. Win
the Sigil from the first boss, unlock the door and defeat the second boss to
leave the Wine Cellar.
Entrance To Darkness You begin the game with a few basic items. Your sword,
Fandango, is an Edged weapon with a Scimitar blade and a Short Hilt grip that
will serve you adequately for now. This room is empty at first, but will house
more enemies if you return later in the game. Practise jumping around, climbing
on the wine crates and getting in and out of Battle Mode. When you have a
weapon equipped then you can still jump, but your hands need to be free to grab
ledges or scramble up steep steps. It's worth learning that lesson right now.
If you pressed START at any time to skip the intro sequences then this is where
you'll find yourself - it may not be clear to the impatient player.
Worker's Breakroom Magic Circle Chest (unlocked): 'Tovarisch' (B) Hand Axe plus
Wooden Grip, Leather Glove (L), Buckler (W), Vera Bulb x 5, Cure Bulb x 5 Return
here much later in the game and you'll also find a Training Dummy (Human,
Crimson Blade effigy).
The Magic Circle is the first Save Point in the game, and standing on one of
these will make available the Save options within the Data section of the Main
Menu. If you've just played out the lengthy intro in full then you'll probably
feel like using it at once.
Already, you have a choice of weapons. Examine them, by all means, but don't
attempt to mess about with the Disassemble options at this time. Until you get
to the first Workshop, you won't be able to put them back together. Equip the
wooden shield and leather glove before moving on.
Hall of Struggle Bat HP 45 / MP 0 Beast Special Attacks: none The first aggressor of
the game will swoop down to attack, so you'll need to have your weapon ready
and target it when it comes within range of your weapon. Fortunately, it's
about as threatening as you'd expect of a mouse with wings.
When that's dispatched, you can try picking up carry crates with the X button:
just as you found with jumping, you need your hands free of weaponry to do
this.
Smokebarrel Stair An overheard conversation between two Crimson Blades reveals
that the lower door is locked with a Chamomile Sigil. There's a secret floor
trap in that gap between the outer wall and upper staircase, but this one is a
beneficial Heal Panel. Besides restoring health, it also reduces RISK. If you
need to use it more than once, simply jumping up and down will reactivate it
(it's worth remembering that the same goes for more harmful traps - walk off,
rather than trying to jump clear).
Wine Guild Hall Magic Circle & Container The Crimson Blades are the Cardinal's
elite guard, under the command of Guildenstern, and for political reasons they
don't want Riskbreakers sniffing around. You might have thought these stout,
God-fearing fellows would be your allies, but they have their orders... Goodwin
HP 160 / MP 10, Human Sackheim HP 145 / MP 15, Human Special Attacks: none The
Container is where you'll store excess items to free up your inventory for more
spoils, and using it will also save your game position. There's nothing in it
at first (in case you were hoping for a Resi-style stash of extras) so you can
ignore it for now. On your first trip through the Wine Cellar, the items you
win from enemies by defeating them will be scripted and predetermined.
Use the Cloudstone to cross the gap to the exit - it gives a reassuring wobble
when you're fully standing on it. It's an odd state of affairs, perhaps, but
Vagrant Story certainly makes every effort to justify the mad things that
gamers would ordinarily take for granted.
Wine Magnate's Chambers Bat, Silver Wolf As you take the final path to the door,
stick to the wall so as to avoid a hidden Gust Trap that's two floor tiles in
front of the exit.
Fine Vintage Vault Crimson Blade x 2 (thereafter Bats, Wolves) After the first
swordsman has been dispatched, climb up onto the three crates and jump across
to the central span. There's a crossbowman waiting for you on the other side:
he'll try to back off and use his weapon's superior range, so you'll want to
rush him.
Chamber of Fear Silver Wolf, Bats An earthquake will rearrange the room when you
try to cross it. Climb onto the low ledge and jump from there to reach the
higher one: the wolf guards the entrance to a treasure room.
The Reckoning Room Silver Wolf, Bat Silver Wolf HP 90 / MP 0, Beast Special
Attacks: none Chest (unlocked): 'Seventh Heaven' (B) Gastraph Bow plus Simple
Bolt, Reinforced Glove (L), Vera Root, Cure Root The door locks behind you:
there are many of these trap rooms in the game, with the idea being that you
have to defeat all of the inhabitants before the doors will open again.
Labourer's Thirst Silver Wolf, Bat To reach that exit door, pick up a carry crate
while standing on the middle span and walk over to the jutting platform. Drop
the crate in front of it and stand on top, jumping up to grab the ledge above.
The Rich Drown In Wine Silver Wolf, Bat A high lever opens the exit door and, as
in the previous room, you need to use a crate step to reach its platform.
However, the stack of crates is too tall for you to pick one off the top. So
draw your weapons, target one of the crates and destroy it. This is a trick
you'll need to repeat in future puzzles. Then again, if you were nervous about
jumping into the wolf-pit then one of the animals below may have already
destroyed the crate when leaping at your shins.
There's a two-second time limit for jumping down from the lever and running
through the door. Mostly, it's just a tutorial device to introduce the idea of
timed challenges being suddenly thrust upon you.
Room of Rotten Grapes Silver Wolf, Bat More crate-carrying antics will get you up
the high wall at the end of the room. I won't insult your intelligence with
further description.
Blackmarket of Wines Magic Circle Chest (unlocked): Cure Potion, Cure Bulb x 5
You're about to meet a boss, so feel free to save. Upon your return, this room
will contain a Training Dummy - don't panic, it's just an effigy - on which you
can practise your newfound battle abilities. It looks like a Crimson Blade,
and, sure enough, counts as a Human target, so it will affect your weapon
bonuses if you spend too long hammering it. Try not to wear out your weapons
too much until you reach a Workshop that can restore their DP.
The Gallows Boss: Minotaur HP 275 / MP 5, Beast Special Attacks: Giga Rush Prize:
Chamomile Sigil, Grimoire Guerir (Shaman spell, Heal), Grimoire Debile
(Sorcerer Spell, Degenerate) Chest (unlocked): Pelta Shield (W), Vera Bulb x
3,Yggdrasil's Tears x 15
Use the weapon that you've been building up on Bats and Wolves, as Minotaur
occupies the same creature class of Beast. His huge club can happily reach your
high, prominent entry point, so don't imagine you're safe there. Indeed, he'll
very likely get the first hit in before you can draw, so dive into the arena
and rush in to put him within the range of your own weapon.
However, his stature means that you'll be struggling to hit anything above the
knee, and his legs are the best-protected location on his body, especially
against Edged weapons. Take advantage of anything else that comes into range,
going for the best damage-versus-probability gamble you can afford. If you take
too much damage, use a Cure item: holding down the L2 button will bring up a
faster shortcut menu when your control is restored. He's not so hard unless
you're unlucky enough to take a Giga Rush, so a few solid hits will finish him
off.
Events in this room will also cause Ashley to remember his basic Battle
Abilities: in other words, Vagrant Story's *real* combat system. Assign all of
the abilities to buttons and go practice a few chain timings on that Dummy
outside.
When you're ready, you may make your way back to Smokebarrel Stair and open the
magically sealed door. As you do so, try out the Grimoire items you've
acquired. Using one of these will destroy the Grimoire in the process, but
you'll also memorise the spell permanently for future use regardless of whether
it succeeds or fails. Unlike most RPG scrolls, just reading the Grimoire will
drain your mana points and so you won't be able to use one unless you have
sufficient MP for the casting.
Room Of Cheap Red Wine Upon entering, you'll be treated to an explanation of
what is later referred to as "an incomplete death". When the living die in Lea
Monde, the Dark claims both body and soul for its own ends.
Mandel HP 145 / MP 15 Undead Special Attacks: none Prize: Rapier (B) It's worth
pointing out an old FF-styled trick here: if you cast Heal on an Undead
opponent, it actually attacks them as a single-target spell and does damage.
You probably won't need it here, though.
Room Of Cheap White Wine You enter this room from an advantageous point, and you
could try casting Heal or aiming for the heads of creatures below before you
jump down to floor level. Zombie HP 120 HP / MP 10 Zombie Fighter HP 140 / MP 15
Ghoul HP 120 / MP 10 Undead Special Attacks: none Prize: Cure Roots x 2 per head
The Greedy One's Den Silver Wolves
The Hero's Winehall Boss: Dullahan HP 180 / MP 30, Evil Special Attacks: casts
Degenerate Prize: Elixir of Queens, Elixir of Mages, Grimoire Lux (Warlock
spell, Spirit Surge) Chest (unlocked): 'Rusty Nail' (B) Spear + Spiculum Pole,
Braveheart gem, Cure Bulb This animated suit of armour has a supposed weak spot
in its abdomen, but that rather depends on what you're packing. If you employ a
Piercing weapon then the extra damage is significant, but it's a tricky spot to
hit. If all else fails, go for the breastplate. Abandon any combo if the first
hit doesn't do decent damage, as high RISK will multiply the damage of
Dullahan's vicious sword-swipes (RISK-reducing Vera items can help here). You
should also try to get the timing down for the Impact Guard defence ability to
halve the damage you take. Cast your Shaman magic to Heal yourself whenever you
get down to near half your health.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Catacombs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that you've escaped the Wine Cellar, you'll have to do the same to pass
through the Catacombs. As the name declares, this was once an old burial
chamber. The double doors at the Withered Spring will only open to the Lily
Sigil, which you'll find by defeating the minor bosses in this area.
Hall of Sworn Revenge Magic Circle & Container You'll find a hidden Cure Panel
trap on the left raised step, opposite that of the Save Point. This will cure
any status ailments you have, but it's not likely to see much use. There's also
a Heal Panel next to it, which will restore HP and reduce RISK.
Much later in the game, this room will also house a Dummy of a Skeleton Knight
for training against Undead targets.
The Last Blessing Hellhound HP 110 / MP 0 Beast Affinity: Fire Special Attacks:
Fire Breath If it seems only slight harder than the Silver Wolf, the Hellhound's
Breath is a low-level multiple-target attack: this means that if the flame
envelops your entire body, every hit location will take damage. When you add
all of that up, it can make the Hellhound unexpectedly deadly at this stage.
Prioritise the Hellhound as a target and chain a couple of attacks together to
take it out in one combo. It's weak against Water, Light and Piercing blades,
so you could try out your new Spirit Surge.
There's a simple challenge here: you must get through both corridors to the
Persecution Hall before the timer expires and the door at the end shuts tight.
Instead of dashing and dodging straight through, make the effort to take out
enemies while on the run. It's actually faster to kill them first than let them
have their attacks as you pass.
The Weeping Corridor Skeleton HP 120 / MP 20 Undead Special Attacks: none Skeletons
are able to camouflage themselves in the Catacombs by appearing as inanimate
piles of bones, but this one should be easier to spot.
Finally, there's a Freeze Trap two tiles in front of the exit that's designed
to catch you off-guard. Approach the door from the side.
Persecution Hall Skeleton, Hellhound If you examine this room on your map, you'll
see a white dot indicating an exit that you may not have noticed. Look up to
the left of the entrance and you'll see a dark passageway high in the wall -
too high to reach by jumping, in fact. Fortunately, there are some crates in
the opposite corner.
Smash one of the crates in the stack so that you can pick off the top one.
Carry this over to the raised floor under the doorway. There's a step nearby
that's only half the height of the raised floor, so place the crate on that.
Now climb up onto the step yourself, pick up the crate, turn and place it on
the raised floor. This is how you move crates up steps, lifting them one tile
height at a time. Climb up again and put the crate under the doorway. Now you
can jump up.
Rodent-Ridden Chamber Skeleton Chest (unlocked): 'Pink Squirrel' (I), Goblin Club
plus Wooden Grip, Cross Guard grip, Cuirass, Long Boots, Iocus gem, Mana Root x
3, Cure Bulb x 3 Again, the surrounding floor is slightly too high to lift a
crate onto it. So use a step - in this case, the other crate - by placing one
crate on another, climb up onto the outer floor and pick up the top crate from
there.
Shrine To The Martyrs Skeleton, Hellhound "This would need an earthquake to open
it." One scripted earthquake, coming up. Take the open door for now.
The Lamenting Mother In another Time Trial, you're given just 30 seconds to
defeat a new enemy. There's no penalty if you don't - it'll just disappear, in
fact - but you'll miss out on the booty.
Ghost HP 70 / MP 130 Phantom Special Attacks: Mind Blast Because the Ghost's
affinity is Light, the same as your Spirit Surge, your Warlock magic is useless
here. Stick to physical attacks.
The Ghost will usually cast Degenerate to weaken your attack before using its
specials. It has the ability to teleport, and will use this in an attempt to
'hit and run' before you can get close. The trick to beating it is that it
likes to appear at fixed locations, only moving between a few key spots, so if
you can identify these regular warp points and stick by one then you can ambush
the Ghost as it pops up. If it starts to materialise beyond your weapon range
but just within its own spell range, then run away and get yourself to another
regular warp point: you can often force it to teleport again, right where you
want it.
Prize: Cure Bulbs x 3, Elixir of Kings Chest (unlocked): Shandy Gaff (B) Broad
Sword, Knuckles (B), Elixir of Queens
You can rattle the handle of the door by the chest but it, too, is rusted shut.
When you return to the previous room, though, an earthquake will strike. This
will shake the rust off the hinges of both doors. It also knocks the floor out
of The Lamenting Mother, so only the first rusted door will be accessible.
Hall Of Dying Hope Zombie Knight HP 160 / MP 40 Undead Special Attacks: none Scale
the sheer wall first at this T-Junction, as the left door leads to a single
treasure room. First, you'll be introduced to the push crate: just shove it
forward and then left, all the way to the wall, placing the carry crate on top
of it for a higher jumping point.
Bandits' Hideout Ghost, Bat, Hellhound Chest (unlocked): Soul Kiss (S) Scramasax
plus Short Hilt, Targe (B), Knuckle (B), Bear Mask (L), Haeralis gem, Spirit
Orison x 3, Eye of Argon x 3 To reach the chest's platform, you need to move out
that rolling cube from the near corner. So break the push crate beside it with
a weapon, step into the space that's left and roll the cube into place. The
last push crate will slide under the chest's niche, allowing you to kneel and
open it from the correct height.
The Bloody Hallway The puzzle here is how to get the wooden crates over that
central span, and to solve it you'll need to build yourself a step like the one
you used in Persecution Hall.
Climb over the span and roll the lower of the two cubes along the wall until
it's underneath the higher one. Stand on it and you can push the higher cube
towards the other side. Climb up onto the span and keep rolling the high cube
until it drops down on the other side, next to the other crates. Now you have a
two-tile step and two spare carry crates. Lift the two carry crates onto the
central span via the step, then stack them under the exit.
Faith Overcame Fear Skeleton, Zombie Knight
The Withered Spring Ghost, Skeleton Mummy 90 HP / 5 MP Undead Special Attacks: none
Magic Circle The huge double doors are magically locked with a Lily Sigil, which
is found by exploring the rooms beyond the door to the right as you enter.
First, though, check out the door to the left as it opens onto the game's first
Workshop.
Also, look up with first-person pause and take a psychological deep breath.
WORKSHOP: Work of Art Magic Circle & Container Tools for Wood, Leather, Bronze Now
you can start experimenting with the real potential of your equipment. Try
combining that Reinforced Glove with a bronze Knuckle, for instance, or
disassemble a weapon and reassemble its blade with a better grip. You should
also have three gems - Iocus, Haeralis and Braveheart - to decorate and enhance
either weapons or shields.
Repent O Ye Sinners Bat, Ghoul
The Reaper's Victims Bat, Zombie Knight Although this is a locking trap room,
there's no treasure chest to be had. You might find some decent items on the
creatures themselves, though.
The Last Stab Of Hope Skeletons If you forgot to open that chest containing
Shandy Gaff, or the earthquake cut you off from it, just take the side exit
here. It's the second rust-hinged door that you previously tried to open from
the other side, in The Lamenting Mother. The earthquake has shaken it loose.
Beside the chest, though, and an irate Ghost, it leads to nothing.
Hallway of Heroes Here you'll find either a Zombie Knight with a hammer or a
Skeleton with a spear, in alternation.
The Beasts' Domain Yes, this is the place to win the Lily Sigil. It looks empty
at first, because your opponents won't appear until you explore the raised area
in the far left corner.
Lizardman HP 240 / MP 25 Prize: Glaive (B), Knuckles (I), Grimoire Antidote
(Shaman spell, Antidote), Elixir of Queens Lizardman HP 240 / MP 25 Prize: Spear
(I), Cuirass (L), Lily Sigil Dragon Special Attacks: none
With the Lily Sigil in your possession, return to the Withered Spring and open
the grand double doors to advance to the Sanctum.
NB If you revisit this room at a later date, don't expect to find more
Lizardman. The new inhabitants are rather less savoury:
Slime HP 60 / MP 0 Beast Affinity: Water Special Attacks: Acid Sneeze
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sanctum ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Defeating the Golem boss on this level will activate a Cloudstone to carry you
over the river.
Prisoner's Niche Take a weapon to the rightmost push crate: with the space
you've made, you can slide its neighbour next to the others and thus make a
solid base of three adjacent crates. Now lift the two carry crates onto this
base. Step up there with them, standing in the gap that remains, pick up the
nearest carry crate and stack it on top of the other. From this three-crate
column you can climb over the barricade.
Corridor Of the Clerics Skeletons
For now, just take the door straight ahead.
Priests' Confinement Bats, bats, bats Prize: Eye of Argon (won from the bat in
the far left corner) There's a Heal Panel trap on the raised slab just in front
of you as you enter. If you can't find it, you can use the Eye of Argon to
reveal it.
Look to the right, down this long room, and you'll see a dark passage entrance
high in the far wall. Though it may not seem likely, it is possible to jump to
it from this room, unaided. There's a heavy piece of furniture under the
entrance and slightly to the right. From the top of this tall cabinet, you need
to jump slightly left and then up so that you turn in mid-air to face the wall.
It may take a few goes, but if you get it right then you'll be able to grab the
ledge and clamber up. If you're using the Dual Shock then try facing the wall,
jumping and adding a brief left flick while still pushing forward into the
wall.
The Alchemist's Laboratory Skeleton Knights, Poison Slime Chest (unlocked):
'Bosom Cleaver' (B) Langdebeve, Dragonite gem, Grimoire Halte (Sorcerer spell,
Fixate)
The chest is located on the far side of the room, and is fairly easy to reach
by jumping from bookcase to bookcase. To leave this room, take the exit at
ground level so that you unlatch its door for future access.
Skeleton Knight HP 160 / MP 30 Undead Special Attack: none These skeletons are
drawn from the city guard rather than the ancient burial chambers of the
Catacombs, so they're in better shape and their gear is slightly more
sophisticated.
Poison Slime HP 75 / MP 0 Beast Special Attack: Poison Sneeze Prize: Faerie
Chortle You probably won't have much beyond Piercing weapons to burst this
creature right now, but in future you should know that it's also weak versus
Air and Fire attacks. To counteract its poison, you can either cast an Antidote
spell or administer a Faerie Chortle (an item which, predictably enough, can be
won from the slaying of Poison Slimes). They're not tough, exactly, but the
Poison Sneeze can create a few menu-trawling chores for you...
The Academia Corridor Skeletons
Theology Classroom Ghost, Skeleton A locking trap room, and another one that
offers little beyond the Cure and Vera items you might win as prizes from its
denizens. It looks as if there ought to be more to do in here, with all its
nooks and crates, but I've found nothing else of value.
An observation: locking trap rooms often have a 'normal' set of occupants that
differs from the group you must beat to unlock the door. If you re-enter
immediately upon leaving, you may find a different set of creatures has
instantly respawned.
Shrine Of The Martyrs Hellhound, Skeleton Knight
Hallowed Hope Poison Slime, Bat
Hall Of Sacrilege Boss: Golem HP 240 / MP 15 Evil Affinity: Earth Special Attacks:
Granite Punch
Prize: Cure Bulb x 2, Elixir of Dragoons, Grimoire Ameliorer (Sorcerer spell,
Prostasia)
What you could do here is lure him over to the steps on the near right by
standing in the corner, then move down a step or two towards him: this will
give you a better selection of body locations to target. If that's a bit fancy,
just run in and whack his arms and legs with something Blunt until he cracks.
Defeating Golem will activate a Cloudstone in Passage Of the Refugees, allowing
you to cross the torrent, so head back to the start of Sanctum and take the
remaining exit from Corridor of the Clerics.
Advent Ground (South Bank) Bat, Lizardman A wide, fast-flowing river blocks the
way here. There's no point jumping but if you should fall in then you'll simply
restart at the door by which you entered, less 20 HP.
Passage of the Refugees Bat, Poison Slime, Lizardman
There's a carry crate buried at the centre of those push crates, so just hack
away the top one to reach it. You only need one crate to scale the wall. Then
jump aboard the Cloudstone and arm yourself in readiness for the Lizardman (you
can also try out your Fixate spell here).
Advent Ground (North Bank) Magic Circle and Container Might be a good idea to
save, here...
The Cleansing Chantry Boss: Dragon HP 480 / MP 0 Dragon (...) Special Attacks:
Thermal Breath, Tail Attack
Prize: Cure Bulb x 3, Elixir of Sages, Grimoire Analyse (Sorcerer spell,
Analyze)
Despite the flames, this Dragon has no particular affinity to fire or weakness
to water. Treat it as a heavy physical opponent. Dragons have weapon-type
weaknesses in their heads and in their tails - Piercing and Edged respectively,
here -- though it takes a bit of running around with a long-hafted weapon to
get so much as a glimpse of tail because the dragon will try to stay facing
you. You're unlikely destroy it with one chain, so use single hits or no more
than 2-3 hit combos to keep your RISK down.
Also, try to get down the Impact Guard timing for that Tail Attack: once you
suss out that you should press, not on the first sweep over your head, but when
it whips back at you, then you'll be able to halve some pretty immense damage.
It's a defence ability timing that will benefit you for the rest of the game.
Start using the Analyze spell a lot, too - it'll give you more precise
information on specific foes than I'm able to provide here. See the Magic
section for details on using it.
Stairway to the Light Bong! You've made it under the razor corals and deadly
whirlpools, slain a dragon and arrived in Lea Monde. Not bad for a morning's
work. Now for the City itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Town Centre West (north bank)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crimson Blades have secured this area, so your goal here is to wrest a
Crimson Key from Father Duane and his cohorts. This will grant access to the
passages running through the City Walls. A Cloudstone spans the river that
divides the region, but it will only become operational when you return from
the Abandoned Mines B1. When it does, you'll also find that many of the
previously empty locations have acquired Crimson Blade patrols.
Rue Vermillion Magic Circle The heavy door here leads to City Walls West but is
locked with the Crimson Key, so remember to return here when you obtain it. For
now, take the north-eastern exit.
The Rene Coastroad The reason for coming here first? Well, 'Number 1, Rene
Coastroad' happens to be the postal address of the game's second Workshop.
There's also a Heal Panel trap on the grassy overhang in the far eastern corner
that overlooks both the sea and a tall facing building. This is as useful for
instantaneously reducing RISK as it is for improving health after a few lengthy
battles.
WORKSHOP: The Magic Hammer Magic Circle and Container Tools for Bronze and Iron
The Magic Hammer offers a much-needed chance to repair your weapons and perform
any necessary metalwork, but it's purely a smithy. Bear in mind that if you
upgrade any equipment to Hagane by combining Bronze and Iron, this Workshop
will no longer have the tools to rework the material.
Rue Mal Fallde You'll get a cut-scene on your first visit, and the resting
Blades will force you to find another route. So double back to Rue Vermillion
and head south this time.
Tircolas Flow Boss: Father Duane, Sarjik and Bejart, Crimson Blades Human Special
Attacks: Poison Mist (Duane)
Father Duane, Crimson Blade cleric lieutenant HP 250 / MP 100 Prize: 'Magnolia
Frau' (S) Wizard Staff, Wizard Robe, Crimson Key, Grimoire Demolir (Warlock
spell, Explosion), Grimoire Clef (Sorcerer spell, Unlock)
Sarjik, Crimson Blade swordsman HP 180 / MP 70 Prize: Rapier (I), Mana Root x 3
Bejart, Crimson Blade halberdier HP 190 / MP 55 Prize: Guisarme (B), Cure Root x
3
The enemy's tactic here is for Sarjik and Bejart to run in, attack once and
retreat. Duane will keep his distance in the rearguard and use spells,
attacking with his staff only when you've been poisoned. If you keep using
Antidote to null the effect of Poison Mist then he'll just keep casting it, so
you could either use this to stop him physically attacking; or else ignore the
infection and try to finish him off before the poison has too much effect.
When the battle is won, you'll have that Crimson Key for Rue Vermillion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ City Walls West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's not much to do here right now except follow the passageway to the
Abandoned Mines B1.
Students of Death
The Gabled Hall Zombie Knights This is a locking trap room.
Where The Master Fell This Staircase leads down to the Abandoned Mines B1.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abandoned Mines B1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sydney has barred your passage through this mine with the Hyacinth and Fern
Sigils, which you'll acquire within the Mine itself from a boss and a chest
respectively. That means some fairly thorough investigation of the entire Mine.
Dreamer's Entrance Stirge HP 90 / MP 0 Beast Special Attack: Bloodsuck This vampire
is a much tougher form of bat, and can be formidable enough in numbers (three,
here) to throw you off guard. If your RISK is very high, the damage done by its
Bloodsuck rises dramatically.
The Crossing Magic Circle A Hellhound often dogs this save point (sorry). Head
west first to tackle the treasure room.
Miner's Resting Hall Goblins, Mimic Chest (magic lock): 'Stinger' (B) Guisarme
plus Sand Face grip, Quad Shield (B), Ring Mail (B), Ring Leggings (B), White
Queen gem, Grimoire Visible (Sorcerer spell, Eureka), Cure Bulb x 5
Goblin HP 220 / MP 25 Human Special Attacks: none You may find some interesting
bits of kit when attacking these chimp-like troglodytes. Collect it and save it
all up for some future business in the Workshop.
Mimic HP 120 / MP 0 Beast Special Attack: Numbing Needle This old D&D stalwart
gives itself away a bit too soon, perhaps. We all know that you should never
trust a room with more than one chest.
To open the chest, you'll need to use that Unlock spell. If it doesn't work
first time, just keep trying. As your reward, you'll get the Eureka spell and
never have to use another Eye of Argon.
The Suicide King Goblin, Stirge A simple locking trap room to give you
Yggdrasil's Tears from the corpses of the fallen. You'll be needing plenty of
them in the Mines.
The Battle's Beginning Boss: Wyvern HP 340 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attack: Fire
Breath Prize: Hyacinth Sigil, Cure Tonic, Grimoire Ignifuge (Enchanter spell,
Pyro Guard)
Nobody's had a crack at this one with a pointy stick beforehand, so it's all
down to you this time. Unlike ordinary reptiles, this Dragon-class creature is
strongest against Piercing weapons and weak against Blunt ones (you may find a
spear does more damage against its body when successful). If you can get behind
or to the side of it, the tail is susceptible to Edged weapons.
In case you're wondering - and I know you weren't - the heraldic definition of
the difference between a Wyvern and a Dragon is that the Wyvern stands erect on
two legs, while the Dragon walks on four (as in the Welsh national flag).
There, that should save you any future embarrassment at dinner parties when you
find yourself sitting next to a questing Knight Errant and the discussion moves
to the profit margins involved in professional dracicide.
What Lies Ahead? Goblin, Goblin Leader HP 260 / MP 60 Human Special Attack: casts
Stun Cloud, Degenerate Stun Cloud's effect is Paralysis, which prevents you
attacking physically for a short period. That's quite a serious status ailment
when you're in a room full of Goblins, all things considered, so assign the
Defence Ability 'Ward' to one button and attempt to counter the Stun Cloud. If
that fails, use Yggdrasil's Tears or retreat. When you're a more accomplished
mage, this won't matter so much.
The Fruits of Friendship If you use this route to reach The Earthquake's Mark,
just cross with the Cloudstone and move the top push crate out and to the wall
to reach the latched door.
Conflict And Accord Goblin, Hellhound
The End of the Line Goblin, Stirge Another locking trap room to stock up on
Yggdrasil's Tears. It's not so easy to get the timing right for Ward, is it?
The Earthquake's Mark Stirge Two of these doors are locked - one on a Latch, the
other needing a Hyacinth Sigil -- but the third, to the left, is open. Just be
sure to avoid the Eruption trap with Eye of Argon or Eureka.
Coal Mine Storage Goblin, Goblin Leader
Chest (unlocked): Ring Sleeve (B), Chain Coif (B), Undine Jasper, Fern Sigil
Make a cursory check with Eureka before you head to the chest. Right in front
of it is a seemingly unavoidable Poison Trap, but on the ledge behind it is
another floor pad called 'Trap Clear'. Stepping on this deactivates all traps
in the room, and you'll see it crop up again in future (while there's no way of
discerning beforehand, Trap Clears are almost always placed where you wouldn't
normally go, while dangerous Traps are precisely where they expect you to
tread).
The Passion Of Lovers Another time challenge grants you just 15 seconds to make
it to the Dark Tunnel through the Hall of Hope.
Hall of Hope Goblin, Goblin Leader
The Dark Tunnel Magic Circle From here, take the east route first for a treasure
room cul-de-sac. The north route requires the Silver Key, which you won't find
for some time.
If you return later in the game, this room will house a Dummy in the form of an
Ogre for training against Beast-class opponents.
Rust In Peace Goblin Leader, Goblin, Mimic Chest (magic lock): Chain Sleeve (B),
Salamander Ring, Manabreaker, Elixir of Sages, Grimoire Undine (Enchanter
spell, Frost Fusion)
Everwant Passage Goblin, Mimic This exit is sealed off with the Silver Key.
Ignore it for now.
The Smeltry Boss: Fire Elemental HP 320 / MP 140 Phantom Special Attack: Fireball
Prize: Grimoire Flamme (Warlock spell, Flame Sphere), Elixir of Queens, Mana
Tonic
Equipping the Salamander Ring raises your overall Fire affinity and thus makes
you more resistant to fireballs. Decorating your weapon with an Undine Jasper
raises its Water affinity, causing more damage to Fire-aligned creatures.
Finally, when you're facing your foe and have your weapons drawn, open with
Frost Fusion to increase your weapon's Water affinity even further. Changing
weapons mid-battle will cancel an Enchanter spell.
Clash of Hyaenas Using Fixate when it's closest will ease the task of jumping to
the Cloudstone. Then hack away three of the crates before sliding the last one
to the wall.
Greed Knows No Bounds Goblin Leader, Goblin
Live Long And Prosper The door here is locked with the Fern Sigil, which you
should have picked up from the chest in Coal Mine Storage.
Pray To The Mineral Gods Stirges
Traitor's Parting Boss: Ogre HP 540 HP / MP 35 Beast Special Attacks: casts
Degenerate
Prize: Cure Bulb x 3, Elixir of Kings, Grimoire Rempart (Enchanter spell, Terra
Guard)
Despite the humanoid appearance, you'll want your best Beast-hunting weapon for
the Ogre. Casting Prostasia beforehand is also recommended here. Ogres move in
and out of range with enviable speed, but to slow one to Movement 50% you'd
have to hamstring both legs (by which time he'd be dead anyway, so it's not as
clever a tactic as you might imagine). Instead, go for the head or the arms.
Ogres are left-handed, if you're thinking of reducing his hitting damage by
targeting the weapon arm.
On a final note, Ogres are incredibly resistant to combos. If you try to chain
more than a couple of attacks, you'll find you just start clocking up misses.
Escapeway The stairs lead up, and a well-earned rest is in sight...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Town Centre West (south bank)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This place is busier on your return, but the Cloudstone over the river is now
functional and making regular ferry trips. Now that you're back, call in at the
Magic Hammer and get to work on upgrades and repairs. If you've been having a
rough journey so far, you might want to spend some time here and start picking
fights with Crimson Blades in order to steal some neat armour and learn a few
more abilities and Break Arts.
When you're ready to move on, you need to locate the entrance to Undercity
West. That's your next destination.
Rue Bouquet Magic Circle
Tircolas Flow (south side) Crimson Blades Note that your human enemies are not
only intelligent enough to cast spells, but will casually use the Cloudstone to
reach you. Try to attack them singly and finish them off before picking another
target, as many possess cure spells and items.
Glacialdra Kirk Ruins You'll find an intriguing gate-barred staircase here
marked with the Rood Inverse. Hate to disappoint you, but this simply isn't
accessible on your first game. You need to beat Vagrant Story at least once to
be able to open it, so don't expect to get a 100% rating straight off.
Instead, clamber over some fallen masonry to find a slightly concealed entrance
to the south. Then pass straight through Rue Sant D'alsa to Villeport Way.
Villeport Way A cut-scene shows you where you need to go, but when it concludes
you'll find that the gate is locked and the only other door is latched from the
other side. Return to Rue Sant d'Alsa for Dinas Walk to take you inside.
Rue Sant d'Alsa On your first visit, you'll pass straight on to Villeport Way.
You'll be coming back, soon enough. Crimson Blades Ambushed! But pay attention
and you'll see that one of the Blades jumps down from a balcony terrace above
you. Use the first-person and distant views to get a look at it. By standing
on the raised grassy hillocks to the right, you can get enough height on your
jump to climb up onto it. There's a door here that enters a derelict building.
Dinas Walk This is little more than a corridor with some broken floor to leap
and an exit at the far end that places you on the other side of Rue Sant
D'alsa's locked gate.
When you emerge, drop down to the post that the Crimson Blade is guarding and
dispose of him before opening the inner gate to Undercity West.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The skyless streets and boulevards of the Undercity offer a refuge from the sun
for Lea Monde's walking dead and damned. In game terms, that means you should
pack your bags with weapons for despatching Undead, Evil, Phantoms and Beasts.
On this first trip your aim is to reach the Snowfly Forest, but later on you
will return here with the Iron Key to open up closed avenues, claim the
Clematis Sigil and eventually enter the Limestone Quarry.
The Bread Peddlar's Way One of the more suspenseful tunes of the game, that.
Way of the Mother Lode Zombie Knight, Ghast HP 120 / MP 0 Undead Special Attacks:
none The Ghast is familiar Undead fare, but sometimes packs a decent weapon on a
fairly strong hitting-arm.
Sewer Of Ravenous Rats Skeleton, Zombie Mage HP 135 / MP 80 Undead Special
Attacks: casts spells, including Lightning Bolt When he's facing the other way,
you can often creep up on a Zombie Mage and stab him in the back before he can
utter so much as a magic syllable.
This passage joins up to another part of Undercity West, but for now the door
is sealed with the Silver Key.
Underdark Fishmarket Boss: Giant Crab HP 420 HP / MP 0 Beast Affinity: Water
Special Attack: Aqua Bubble
Prize: Cure Bulb x 3, Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Sylphe (Enchanter spell, Luft
Fusion)
Switch that Undine Jasper to your shield, if you're packing one. The
Undercity's guardian has a weakness to Fire but it's probably not worth
bothering with a level 1 Flame Sphere, as you won't be able to target more than
one or two hit locations on such a huge crustacean. It's also weak against Air,
and you'll find that Fire, Air and Lightning Break Arts or spells will inflict
immense damage. Blunt hammers serve well for crushing its shell armour but if
you're using a Piercing attack then you might aim for the mouth.
For the record, not one of the crabs in the game seemed to pose any kind of
threat. If you're getting stuffed, check that you haven't still got a
Salamander Ring attached - this would amplify its Aqua Bubble damage.
The Sunless Way Magic Circle
Hall of Poverty Zombie Knight, Ghast
The Washing-Woman's Way Zombie Knight, Zombie Mage
Remembering Days of Yore Zombie Knight, Ghast, Zombie Mage Come back here when
you have the Iron Key: you'll be able to access Larder for a Lean Winter and
claim the Clematis Sigil. For now, though, take the steps up to Snowfly Forest.
Where The Hunter Climbed These steps will take you to the Snowfly Forest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Snowfly Forest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finding your way through this place is actually quite confusing. Not only is
the layout designed to befuddle, but the canopy of trees can also hinder your
ability to see pathways and creatures (I'm none too keen on that aspect). Many
exits in the Snowfly Forest do not lead to where you expect. Instead, they warp
you to a distant area or return to you a place already explored. The effect is
deliberately disorientating, but it can be mapped (I'll try as much on an
update).
When Rosencrantz tells you to follow the Snowflies, that's not to be taken
literally: there's no clue to be discerned by trying to see which way they fly
across the screen. Instead, it refers to the fact that your path through the
Forest is blocked by a swarm of Snowflies at the Yellow Wood, and that's where
you need to get through to proceed, so you'll have to defeat the local boss
first to shift them. This boss will also give a Bronze Key for later use.
A neat hidden trick is that if you click on a lone tree with the X action
button, Ashley will sometimes be able to tell compass direction by the side of
the bark on which the moss grows (you get an option to readjust the direction
you're facing). Amusing, but it's better to keep checking your map screen from
place to place.
The Faerie Circle Magic Circle Your starting point. Go south from here to reach
The Hunt Begins A straight path. Keep going south to
Which Way Home Basilisk HP 120 HP / MP 0 Beast Special Attack: Acid Breath The
Basilisk is smaller and less petrifying than you might have been expecting. Its
affinity is Earth, so Air spells and attacks will hurt it more. You can
occasionally win valuable Snowfly Draughts from Basilisks but it's the more
common Faerie Wings that you want to collect, as these will be vital later on.
From here, go south again to
The Birds and The Bees Ichthious HP 100 / MP 0 Beast Special Attack: Spiral Shell
The Ichthious has an Air affinity, as opposed to the Basilisk, so Earth spells
and attacks will hurt it most. The Ichthious sometimes surrenders Snowfly
Draughts but it's the Faerie Wing that you should stock up.
Go south to
Traces of the Beast If you go east from here, you'll enter the Yellow Wood and
discover the Snowfly swarm blocking a south exit. So for now, to reach the
boss, go west to Fluttering Hope.
Fluttering Hope Take a south again from here to enter Return to the Land.
Return to the Land Boss: Earth Dragon HP 510 HP / MP 0 Dragon Special Attack: Acid
Breath, Tail Attack
Prize: Bronze Key, Grimoire Parebrise (Enchanter spell, Aero Guard), Vera
Potion
This creature's armoured scales make it pretty tough to hit with almost
anything, even Air and Lightning assaults, despite its declared Earth affinity.
Once again, though, its head is weaker against Piercing weapons while its tail
is weaker against Edged blades. Earth Dragon's breath is significantly stronger
than the Basilisk's, but it's ultimately your choice whether to play safe with
the defence of Terra Guard, or take the offence of Luft Fusion and try to kill
it quickly. Cast one of those Enchanter spells, in any case, and use the Terra
Ward defence ability to halve damage from Acid Breath.
Destroying the Earth Dragon causes the wind to change direction and removes a
swarm of Snowflies that were blocking an exit of The Yellow Wood. Both exits
from this boss area take you to the same place, so you'll need to retrace that
path to the Yellow Wood.
Yellow Wood The southern exit is blocked by Snowflies until you defeat the Earth
Dragon. When that's accomplished, head through it to
Where Soft Rains Fell Fire Elemental You probably weren't expecting one of these.
Head south again, obviously.
The Forest River Basilisk, Zombie Knight Magic Circle & Container
Chest (unlocked): Knuckle Guard grip, Circle Shield (H), Chain Mail (I),
Sylphid Ring, Nightkiller gem, Acolyte's Nostrum x 3, Grimoire Agilite
(Sorcerer spell, Invigorate)
There are three exits from the Forest River. The one just left of where you've
entered is a warp shortcut back to the Faerie Circle. To carry on through the
forest, you want to take the exit over the river. Use the Container to dump
some of your booty if you're over-encumbered.
Don't jump with weapons readied or you won't be able to catch ledges if you
slip. Once you've lined yourself up to face the tall columns of rock, rotating
with L1 & R1 for a side-on 'platformer' view of the leap you need to make is
probably the easiest way to judge it.
If the Zombie Knights seem a little bit lost out here in the Forest, just think
back a couple of cut-scenes. Hmm, now what fate might have befallen Faemdos and
Lamkin, Grissom's Crimson Blade escort?
From the exit on the Zombie side, go north
Lamenting to the Moon Go north
Running with the Wolves Go east
You are the Prey Go north
The Secret Path Go north
Hewn From Nature Sydney isn't your enemy in this battle, so just concentrate on
destroying both Grissom and his summoned guardian.
Boss: Father Grissom, Crimson Blade cleric commander, HP 350 HP / MP 100 Human
Special Attacks: spellcaster
Prize: 'Shillelagh' (H) Wizard Staff, Swan Song accessory, Grimoire Annuler
(Sorcerer spell, Magic Ward), Grimoire Gnome (Enchanter spell, Soil Fusion)
If you can, sap Grissom's mana points with chains or beat him senseless about
the head to shut him up. His spells are good but his physical staff-swipes are
very weak.
Boss: Dark Crusader HP 380 / MP 80 Evil Special Attacks: Prostasia, Degenerate,
Tarnish
Prize: 'Angel Wing' (H) Katana, Grimoire Deteriorer (Sorcerer spell, Tarnish),
Elixir of Queens
The Crusader will cautiously cast Prostasia on itself and Grissom before
closing to attack with its huge sword (a two-handed Katana it can wield with
one hand). Air affinity magic and Break Arts have some of the best chances of
denting this armour in the chest or arm, while a Piercing blow to the abdominal
region can be the most damaging but risky physical attack.
Partner (!): Sydney Losstarot HP ??? / MP ??? Sydney fights on your side for
this battle, and proves reasonably useful by casting Prostasia on you to begin
and then dividing the attention of your enemies if you stay near him. You can
even dodge behind him physically to use him as a shield against Katana blows,
if you wish. It is genuinely possible to defeat Sydney in this battle, albeit
briefly, but ultimately rather pointless as he's nigh-immortal. He'll utter a
message about it not being his time, then vanish in a blue column, but he'll be
right back again in corporeal form for the closing cut-scene. The fight ends
only when you defeat both Grissom and his Crusader.
Chest (unlocked): 'Corpse Reviver' (I) Firangi, Circle Shield (H), Demonia gem,
Vera Tonic x 3, Cure Bulb x 3
Incidentally, you now have the spell Magic Ward - one of the most powerful
protection spells in the game. Be sure to test it out as soon as possible, as
you'll need to learn its advantages and drawbacks alike. Finally, leave by the
north exit (the path near the chest) to enter
The Wood Gate Magic Circle The door here takes you back into the City Walls, but
at the South side. A small warning: this place looks very similar to the Faerie
Circle, but importantly has a heavy wooden doorway rather than a descending
flight of steps. Don't be tempted to think you've come full circle and rush
back into the Forest, impatiently.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ City Walls South
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This corridor carries you straight into the Keep if you stick to it, so head
there first and Save before exploring. You should also unlatch the doors as you
go to increase your freedom of access in future.
The Weeping Boy Lizardman
Swords For The Land Lizardman, Blood Lizard HP 250 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attacks:
none Another time challenge demands that you clear this room completely in the
20 seconds allowed, otherwise you'll have to start again with all enemies
restored.
In Wait of the Foe The latched door here opens onto Villeport Way.
Where Weary Riders Rest Lizardman
The Boy's Training Room Just keep heading forward and the corridor will become
part of the Keep rather than City Walls.
Later in the game, this room will contain a Dummy in the likeness of a
Lizardman for training against Dragon-class creatures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Keep ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Sigil doors here are for time trial bonuses only, and not essential to
completion. You may also reach the Iron Maiden B1 from here. Regard the Keep as
your base of operations for now.
The Soldier's Bedding The south door leads to Iron Maiden B1, and you'll be
coming back here shortly to use it. The north door is locked with a Gold Key:
like the Rood Inverse gates, you won't be able to open this on first play. Just
head east for now.
A Storm of Arrows Minotaur (Kalmia Sigil), Dragon (Columbine Sigil)
Urge The Boy On Earth Dragon (Anemone Sigil), Snow Dragon (Verbena Sigil)
A Taste Of The Spoils Damascus Golem (Schirra Sigil), Damascus Crab (Marigold
Sigil)
Wiping Blood From Blades Death and Ogre Zombie (Azalea Sigil), Asura (Tigertail
Sigil)
These eight doors lead to time trial rooms for the game's Record Time scores.
It's not essential that you hunt down the Sigils that grant access in order to
complete the game, and only two (Minotaur and Dragon) are actually accessible
on first play. The challenges themselves don't even have rooms on the map
proper, for % completion purposes. Instead you'll be warped to a previously
visited boss room for the battle, and automatically returned to the corridor
afterwards. See Second Play Secrets for obtaining the other six Sigils.
The Warrior's Rest Magic Circle
Chest (needs Chest Key): 'Sweet Sorrow' (I) Francisca plus Gendarme, Tower
Shield (I) plus Death Queen gem, Sallet (H), Sorcerer's Reagent x 3
You'll need the Chest Key from the Iron Maiden B1 to open the Chest. This area
is perfectly safe until you try to open the door to Town Centre South, in the
north wall. Knowing that you're near, and hiding, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
are ready.
Mini-boss: Jan Rosencrantz, ex-Riskbreaker HP 400 / MP 100 Human Special Attacks:
Sword Break Arts (Vile Scar, Cherry Ronde) Most special chain effects and magic
spells simply won't work on Rosencrantz, so don't bother trying anything too
clever. This is a Riskbreaker duel, pure and simple, so pick your best weapon
and just let him have it with Break Arts and short, damage-orientated combos.
Rosencrantz will only yield and plead for surrender when you inflict enough
harm, and he can also cast Heal or use items to undo those wounds. His use of
Break Arts doesn't affect the amount of HP damage that you need to score
against him before you're declared the winner.
If you Analyse Rosencrantz then the spell will inevitably miss, but you will at
least discover that he packs a sword called Pussyfoot (looks like a Nepalese
Kora, by the shape). There's no prize for this battle, and Rosencrantz slinks
away quietly at the end.
WORKSHOP - Keane's Crafts Tools for Bronze, Iron, Hagane You can now reforge or
upgrade your Hagane armour and weapons with the advanced furnaces here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Iron Maiden B1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can actually get away with visiting no more than the first two rooms of
this level, as this is enough to win you the items you'll need to complete the
game. The remainder of the Iron Maiden is essentially one big dungeon bash, a
bonus area that offers plenty of tough monsters and puzzles to overcome in
exchange for treasure: levels B2 and B3 won't even become accessible until
you've beaten the game at least once. In any case, you won't be able to reach
most of B1 until you've claimed the Tearose Sigil from the Abandoned Mines B2,
but consider coming back later. The useful Chest Key is located in the Iron
Maiden B1, in the possession of a boss.
There are no save points in the Iron Maiden, quite deliberately, so you'll
simply have to retrace your steps.
Here you'll find the Kalmia and Columbine Sigils for the time trials (the rest
are in B2 and B3). The Steel and Platinum Keys are only available on replay.
The Cage Steps leading down...
The Cauldron This is a locking trap room. You'll need the Tearose Sigil to pass
through it, but the only items vital to game completion are right here.
Wraith HP 120 / MP 140 Phantom Affinity: Dark Special Attacks: Mind Blast,
Poltergeist, Reaper Scythe
Prize: Mandrake Sigil, Grimoire Exsorcer (Warlock spell, Exorcism)
The Wraith's tactic is to cast Silence on you first, then pile in with its
specials (NB these count as physical rather than magical attacks, so they won't
cancel your Silent state and Magic Ward won't save you). Like the Ghost, the
Wraith has the ability to teleport.
Light-affinity Break Arts and spells like Spirit Surge will have an
advantageous effect against this Dark spirit, but physical damage is still a
good way to deal with Wraiths.
Gargoyle HP 120 / MP 0 Evil Affinity: weakest versus Air Special Attacks: Numbing
Hook
Prize: Spirit Orison x 3, Vera Bulb x 3
When you're Numbed, your walking speed drops by 50% and you lose the use of all
battle abilities. Cancel this by administering a Spirit Orison, or avoid it in
the first place through timely application of the Ward defence ability.
One point about flying creatures: to reduce their movement to 50%, you should
target their wings rather than their legs. Also, this high concentration of
body locations in a small area can make them prone to multiple-target spells.
It's worth packing a crossbow or a two-hand weapon to reach these fliers more
easily with your physical attacks.
The Wooden Horse This is simple enough when you're going into Maiden - just drop
down. When you want to get out then you'll need to return this way, so push the
lowest movable rolling cube next to the stuck one so that you can push the
upper rolling cube towards the crate. Stand on the cube and pick up the crate,
placing it one ledge higher. Use the crate to jump higher.
Starvation Another locking trap room. Wraith Prize: Kalmia Sigil, Grimoire Venin
(Poison Mist) Mummy Prize: Shamshir (H), Vera Bulb x 3 Mummy Prize: Chamkaq (H),
Vera Bulb x 3
The Breast Ripper You've reached a crossroads. To maximise your treasure
retrieval, try east, then west, then head south.
The Wheel Dark Skeleton, Shadow HP 170 / MP 260 Evil Affinity: Light and Dark
Special Attacks: casts single-target elemental attack spells Oddly strong in
both Light and Dark affinities but weaker in others, this flimsy psychedelic
spirit is physically weak enough to be polished off from a distance with a
decent crossbow. The four examples in the game will each stick to casting one
of the following, in order: Vulcan Lance, Fireball, Lightning Bolt or Aqua
Blast.
Chest (magic lock): 'Bull Shot' (H) Griever plus Bhuj Type, Baselard (H), Djinn
Amber Gem, Valens wine
The Branks Dark Skeleton, Shadow
Chest (needs Chest Key): 'Balalaika' (H) Balbriggan, Bec de Corbin (H) blade,
Dao Moonstone gem, Volare Wine
The Pear To cross to the west side using the Cloudstone, you need to add its
momentum to yours in order to propel yourself to the other side. That means
making your leap at the very last moment, just before it stops moving.
To make the return journey, jumping that same distance to the Cloudstone, you
need to gain some height first. Destroy the two crates in the corner to make a
space; slide the free push crate right in front of the doorway; then climb into
the space of the exit passage itself (being careful not to leave the room
altogether) and push the crate out to the very lip of the chasm. A Faerie Wing
or Invigorate spell can also help your jumping here.
To climb to the upper level, remove the two 1-point rolling cubes from play by
pushing them anywhere once, then roll the 3-pointer to the wall and left one
tile. Jump up and left to grab the wooden catwalk. It's tricky but possible,
and Invigorate can help again. Alternatively, roll the 3-pointer left two tiles
only - some players find this jump easier, as it's straighter.
The Judas Cradle Dark Skeleton, Shadow
Chest (magic lock): 'Sonora' (H) Bastard Sword plus Power Palm, Bullova (H)
blade, Ifrit Carnelian gem, Prudens Wine
By now, it should be sinking in that practically every room in the Maiden
sounds like a really naff death-metal B-side.
The Whirligig Dark Skeletons
Spanish Tickler Boss: Wyvern Knight, HP 520 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attacks: Flame
Breath
Prize: Elixir of Dragoons, Elixir of Queens, Chest Key
This creature has a remarkably high INT (150), despite the lack of magical
power, and the result of this is a greater resistance to spells. Given that the
Wyvern Knight has no real elemental weaknesses to exploit either, melee combat
is a much better route to take. To that end, you'd be wise to turn Blunt
weapons against its head and Edged weapons against the Neck and Body. If you're
packing something like a spear, run around to the side of the Wyvern Knight and
you'll find a weakness to Piercing weapons in its Tail.
Here's the correct location of the Chest Key. I've tried to mark all chests in
the game with the correct method of unlocking them so a text search for Chest
Key should, in theory, turn up everywhere you need to use it.
Heretic's Fork Dark Skeleton Be sure to use Eureka to pick out those Freeze and
Gust Traps before your rush your enemy.
The Chair of Spikes Dark Skeleton, Wraith Another locking trap room, just for the
hell of it.
Blooding Dark Skeleton Again, the presence of only one enemy should alert you
into casting Eureka. This room has the deadlier Eruption and Death Vapour
traps.
Bootikens Getting down here is simple enough - keep falling. But how do you get
back up? Like this.
The highest ledge to which you can climb still leaves you one cube-height short
of grabbing the top. So you need to get a blue magnetic cube onto that ledge,
to stand on.
There's only blue magnetic cube you can pick up to start: stand in the space by
the wall, lift the cube from its ledge under the push crate and place it over
the blue cube to your left side. Now step up, grab the other blue cube and
place it to hover in the space where you stood to move the first cube. By
stepping up onto this you can grab the first cube. Carrying it, step down onto
the ledge it came from and put it down just below the push crate. Now take the
floating blue cube behind you. Putting one cube on the other, you can climb up
and grab the hovering cube.
Burial Boss: Iron Golem HP 420 / MP 0 Evil Special Attack: Granite Punch
Prize: Columbine Sigil, Elixir of Dragoons
This incarnation is tougher in body only, and hasn't learnt any new tricks over
its stone predecessor. Blunt weapons and Air-aligned attacks will still have
the advantage. You shouldn't have too much trouble.
Burning Bit of a red herring, that pile of crates. You only need one push crate
ever, either to jump up to the door or to jump over to the Cloudstone when it's
at the nadir of its cycle. Nevertheless, there's a rather nasty Terra Thrust
trap in roughly the spot that you'd cross upon landing safely and dashing for
the exit.
Cleansing The Soul
The Ducking Stool Dark Skeleton, Shadow
Chest (unlocked): 'Red Viking' (H) Kora plus Power Palm, Pole Axe (H) blade,
Marid Aquamarine, Virtus wine
The Garotte
Hanging Dark Skeleton, Wraith Not only is this door sealed with a Steel Key, but
there's a Platinum Key door just inside so it's pointless venturing any further
until you've got that too. In fact, you may find yourself hopelessly trapped.
These are available on replay only, I'm afraid. See Second Play Secrets if
you're ready to pursue it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Town Centre South
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have a choice of paths to take from here. Now that you have the Bronze Key,
you'll find a door in the Rue Morgue that you can unlock to reach the Abandoned
Mines B2. This is the general direction to take to proceed to the next stage of
the game. However, if you've obtained the Mandrake Sigil from the first rooms
of Iron Maiden B1 then you may also begin to explore further accessible regions
of Undercity West via City Walls East. You'll have to do both at some point,
and as the creatures introduced in the Undercity are much weaker than those of
Mines B2, there's an implicit suggestion by the game itself that you should
tackle the Undercity a little way first. You only need to explore far enough to
grab some key items, including a Cattleya Sigil.
Forcas Rise Crimson Blades When you've finished exploring the Valdiman Gate and
Rue Aliano to either side, climb the eastern steps of the inner courtyard and
clamber up onto this building's low, flat roof. Make a leap across the rooftops
to the north-eastern corner. There's a high exit here to Rue Faltes. If your
agility is too low to make the jump, cast Invigorate or use a Faerie Wing from
the Snowfly Forest. And make sure you're not still holding weapons in Battle
Mode, of course.
Valdiman Gate Magic Circle A latched doorway here will later offer access to City
Walls South.
Rue Aliano Crimson Blades The door to The House Khazabas is locked with a
Mandrake Sigil, obtainable from the beginning of Iron Maiden B1.
The House Khazabas Chest (magic lock): Eye of Argon x 10, Grimoire Muet
(Sorcerer spell, Silence)
Zebel Walk
Rue Volnac One door is latched, but on first visit you can pass through City
Walls East to Undercity West. The latched door simply adjoins City Walls East
at a different point.
Rue Faltes That portcullis isn't opening. Take the archway.
Rue Morgue Crimson Blades When ready, use your Bronze Key on the gate and descend
to the Abandoned Mines B2.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ City Walls East
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Train and Grow Strong This room boasts another door locked with the Rood
Inverse, available on replay only.
The Squire's Gathering Zombie Mage, Dark Skeleton HP 150 / MP 25 Undead Special
Attacks: none
The Invaders Are Found Dark Skeleton Unlatch the door here for that secondary
access to Rue Volnac.
The Dream Weavers Zombie Mage, Dark Skeleton
The Cornered Savage Gargoyle Three gargoyles, no less. The staircase leads down
to Undercity West.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fear of the Fall Boss: Dark Elemental HP 380 / MP 160 Phantom Special Attacks:
Dark Chant
Prize: Cattleya Sigil, Grimoire Meteore (Warlock spell, Meteor)
Spirit Surge and other Light-affinity attacks or Break Arts will be your best
weapons against the Dark Elemental, unless you're confident enough of your
physical prowess to stick to bashing away with a Phantom-slaying weapon. Dark-
aligned and Piercing attacks will have less effect.
Sinner's Corner Magic Circle Dark Skeleton Dark Eye HP 100 / MP 90 Phantom Special
Attacks: Dark Chant, spells
The Children's Hideout Dark Eye, Gargoyle
Chest (unlocked): 'Sweet Death' (S) Shamshir plus Knuckle Guard, Footman's Mace
(H) blade, Steel Bolt grip, Spiked Shield plus White Queen gem, Sallet, Undine
Bracelet, Speedster gem, Grimoire Dissiper (Sorcerer spell, Dispel)
Nameless Dark Oblivion Dark Eye, Dark Skeleton This passage connects this area to
the rest of Undercity West, but is sealed with the Silver Key at one end. The
Washing-Woman's Way is on the other side.
Corner of Prayers One door is sealed with the Gold Key. It leads to Hope
Obstructed, which in turn leads to the Abandoned Mines B2. If you haven't been
able to get a 100% rating, you may have left this route unexplored.
Hope Obstructed This staircase leads downs to Work, then Die in Abandoned Mines
B2. Follow it to the end and you'll enter Bandits' Hollow via the final,
unexplored one-way door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Abandoned Mines B2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a large and testing level, with more than half of it devoted to a major
time challenge. Follow it to the very end, though, and you'll reach Town Centre
East. Beating the final boss will also give you a Tearose Sigil that will
enable you to explore more of the Iron Maiden at your leisure.
Corridor of Shade Enter here from the Rue Morgue, Town Centre South.
Revelation Shaft As you enter, push the crate over the edge and use a weapon to
destroy the top carry crate. Drop down onto the push crate and pick up the
remaining carry crate on the stack. Take it to the chasm's edge and line it up
with the high Cloudstone, then place the nearby carry crate on top on top. From
this high vantage you should be able to jump across and grab the Cloudstone,
but use Invigorate to aid you if in you're having trouble.
Gambler's Passage Orc HP 240 / MP 25 Human Special Attacks: none Besides a weakness
to Blunt weapons and a strength versus Piercing ones, this demi-human hog-beast
is also slightly more susceptible to Water affinity attacks.
The Miner's End Boss: Air Elemental HP 380 / MP 160 Phantom Special Attack:
Lightning Bolt
Prize: Grimoire Foudre (Warlock spell, Thunderburst), Mana Bulb
Soil Fusion will enhance your weapon attacks against this creature. If you've
acquired anything else, Gnome items on weaponry and Sylph items on armour and
accessories will help. If you're suffering too greatly from his Lightning
Bolts, try timing the Windbreak defence ability to halve damage.
The Treaty Room Magic Circle Poison Slime, Slime Damned slime! Use that Magic
Circle, as you're about to undertake a time challenge.
Way Of Lost Children Orcs, Orc Leader HP 280 / MP 110 Human Special Attacks: casts
Herakles, Prostasia Unlike his minions, the shamanic orc leader possesses great
defence against Blunt weapons and is weaker against Edged blades.
Here's the time challenge: twenty rooms, numerous dead ends, and just two
minutes to find the right path through to the Bandits' Hollow. Don't worry if
you get lost or foul up: the worse that can happen is for you to be teleported
back to the Treaty Room. It's not a locking door challenge either, so you're
free to return to the Treaty Room of your own volition before the two minutes
expires, if you wish.
I haven't spotted any bonus for doing this perfectly on first attempt, and
correspondents have reported same, though I still need to know if there's a
time reward. The fastest route through from the Treaty Room is south (to Way of
Lost Children), east (to Desire's Passage), east (to Senses Lost), north (to
Crossing of Blood), east (to Fool's Gold, Fool's Loss), north (to Tomb of the
Reborn), north (to The Lunatic Veins), and finally, unavoidably, east (to
Bandits' Hollow). Calling up the Main Menu pauses the timer as well as the
game, so you've got a chance to get your compass bearings.
If you want simpler directions from rushing through then that's forward through
the door of The Treaty Room, left, forward, left, right, left, then keep going
to the end. If you choose to explore a little first, there are three treasure
rooms where you'll find chests and traps: these are Hidden Resources (requires
Chest Key), Acolyte's Burial Vault and Suicidal Desires.
One last tip: if you've become reasonably strong, it's often faster to stop and
kill the creatures in your path before they get a chance to slow you down with
their own attacks. Otherwise, gulp down a Faerie Wing and watch that
Riskbreaker move!
Hidden Resources Mimic, Imp HP 150 / MP 70 Evil Special Attacks: casts Poison Mist
and Stun Cloud These can be quite tough against a crossbow that is Piercing
rather than Blunt, but you're in such a small space that a hand-weapon can be
as effective. That would mean letting them near enough to cast spells, but the
Restoration spell becomes available in this room.
Chest (requires Chest Key): 'Eviscerator' (S) Kudi, Tower Shield (I),
Breastplate (I), Fusskampf (H), Trinity gem, Saint's Nostrum x 3, Grimoire
Mollesse (Shaman spell, Restoration)
Desire's Passage Slimes There's a Cure Panel trap just before the door, if you're
suffering from any status ailments.
Senses Lost Orc Leader, Orc Cast a preparatory Eureka for two Traps before
attempting to dash through this dog-leg.
Crossing of Blood Orcs Diabolos and Holy Light traps guard two exits. Very often
you'll find this beneficial, as one Orc regularly stumbles into a trap upon
spotting you.
The Abandoned Catspaw Slimes
Hall of Contemplation Orcs, Orc Leader
Hall of the Empty Sconce Orc, Orc Leader
Acolyte's Burial Vault Mimic, Imps
Chest (unlocked): 'Affinity' (H) Corcesca, Framea Pole, Circle Shield (H),
Gauntlet (H), Hellraiser gem, Grimoire Vie (Shaman spell, Surging Balm)
The Fallen Bricklayer Not a pub I'd recommend, by the sound of it.
Cry of the Beast Orcs Staircase down to...
The Ore of Legend Orcs, Orc Leader
Suicidal Desires Mimic, Imps
Chest (unlocked): 'Dog's Nose' (H) Footman's Mace plus Sarissa Grip, Target Bow
(I) blade, Barbut (S), Gnome Bracelet, Elixir of Queens, Vera Bulb x 3
Hit that Eye of Argon or Eureka before you take a single step, because this is
the second-deadliest trap room in the whole of Vagrant Story. Predictably
enough, there's a Trap Clear panel to deactivate the lot, and you'll find that
it's the lone tile high to your right.
Lambs to the Slaughter Slime, Poison Slime There's a Heal Panel trap on the south
wall that's worth bumping into purely for its RISK reduction.
A Wager of Noble Gold Orc, Orc Leader
Kilroy Was Here Orc Leaders
Fool's Gold, Fool's Loss If you approach from the west then you can drop
straight down to the left via that wooden catwalk. Those coming from the south
will have to wait around for the Cloudstone to ferry them across.
Tomb of the Reborn Boss: Earth Elemental HP 380 HP / HP 160 Phantom Special
Attack: Vulcan Lance
Prize: Grimoire Gaea (Warlock spell, Gaea Strike)
Equip the Gnome Bracelet for better defence. If choosing between the Earth
armour of Terra Guard and the Air weapon enchantment of Luft Fusion, bear in
mind that the latter would probably bring about the end of the battle in a
shorter time. Also, this is an opportunity to try out your level 1 Thunderburst
spell and also throw in any Air Break Arts you have before chaining a single
combo.
If you're watching the clock move into the last few seconds then also keep in
mind that the time challenge doesn't end with this boss. Oh, no. You still have
to negotiate two more doors before it's all over, so be ready to get cracking
as soon as you're done turning this chap to sediment.
The Lunatic Veins Slimes Almost there... The exit you're about to take is a one-
way door rather than a Latch, so you won't be able to return after passing
through. If you haven't grabbed all of the treasure, now's the time to consider
letting yourself be teleported back the Treaty Room for another exploratory
foray.
Bandits' Hollow Magic Circle Blood Lizard, Imps Cast Eureka to see both a Trap
Clear (which is the panel beside the lower rolling cube) and a Heal Panel. You
must avoid stepping on the Trap Clear if you want to use the Heal Panel.
If the thing is still there when you try to climb up, you may need to shoot out
or spear the push crate that's wedged into a corner of the top ledge.
Destroying it makes a lower wall edge that's one cube closer for you to grab
when you jump. Often, as with the Wolves back in Wine Cellar, the Imps will
attack and destroy it beforehand if they consider it to be in their way. Also
on this tile, under the crate, is the Heal Panel - assuming you haven't removed
it with Trap Clear.
The second one-way door won't be opened on your first play, and there's also an
Iron Key door that's inaccessible right now. That leaves only one wooden door
you can take, but save, save, save first.
Dining in Darkness Boss: Sky Dragon HP 675 / MP 0 Dragon-class Special Attacks:
Tail Attack, Thunder Breath Remove that Gnome Bracelet! You want the Sylphid
Ring instead. You may have acquired a Gaea Strike in the past few minutes, but
the area of effect is too pitiful at level 1 to reach many hit locations. So
equip a Piercing weapon for the head or an Edged weapon for its tail, decorate
your grip with Dragonite and cast Soil Fusion to get the job done quickly.
Windbreak its breath attack if you can and keep your RISK low or you may be
surprised by the power of this boss. Mind you, doesn't it have the loveliest
translucent wings? Ahem.
Prize: Tearose Sigil, Grimoire Demance (Warlock spell, Drain Mind), Elixir of
Queens
While the Tearose Sigil will let you have a crack at the goodies held in the
Iron Maiden (recommended), the Drain Mind spell starts you on the road to self-
sufficiency and should be tried out as soon as you find yourself short of mana.
Subtellurian Horrors There's a bit of work to do before you're free. Jump to the
Cloudstone, using Fixate to aid you if necessary. The other side of the abyss
is blocked by a wall of crates, but the rightmost stack is only two cubes high
rather than three and leaves a vital gap. You can reach that gap by jumping and
grabbing when the Cloudstone is lined up against the right-hand wall. If your
agility is low then use Invigorate or Faerie Wings to aid you.
If you happen to have a crossbow on you then you can make the second jump even
easier by shooting out some of the crates beforehand.
Ignore the frictionless cube here, as it's only useful when you're coming back
from the other side and want to get back up to the door.
To return to the surface, you'll take a very short detour through two new rooms
of Undercity West.
** NB Additional Room for 100% Completion Work, then Die This staircase isn't
accessible on your first play, as it's on the opposite side of the other one-
way door that leads into Bandits' Hollow. To get to it, you need to come down
from Hope Obstructed in Undercity West (requires the Gold Key). Follow it to
the end and you'll enter Bandits' Hollow via the final, unexplored one-way
door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Crumbling Market Magic Circle Dullahan Unlatch the door in the Crumbling
Market as you pass through (it leads to the Hall of Poverty), but don't take it
yet - head east instead. And if you fancy a laugh, try Eureka too. You won't be
going *there* on first play, oh no.
Tears From Empty Sockets Dark Skeleton ... The title might lead us to believe
that this is one unhappy Lea Mondean, but don't fall for it. He'll still have
your guts on the cobbles as soon as look at you, so be the cause of those tears
and head on up to the fresh air of Town Centre East with a light conscience.
The only other exit is a Gold Key door that you'll ignore for now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Town Centre East
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have the Cattleya Sigil then this will likely become your new base of
operations for the rest of the game. Your next port of call is Undercity East,
where you'll retrieve items and powers to open up more of the map. For now,
explore both the Town Centre East and the City Walls North to get the lay of
the land.
Rue Lejour Magic Circle
There's a side door here to the City Walls North. The more obvious path leads
to Town.
Kesch Bridge Magic Circle Crimson Blades The other end of City Walls North can be
reached through the wooden door here (some spatial dilation/contraction,
surely?). You're now entering a region with the toughest Crimson Blades in the
game, but that's also a euphemism for 'Crimson Blades with the most desirable
kit'. I spent hours robbing and looting these fellows, and I think it paid off
on the whole.
Point o' fun: if you can kill a Crimson Blade in mid-air while he's jumping
over the water, he'll fall with a resounding splash. Hurrah!
Rue Crimnade Crimson Blades Previously you met a defensive-type Crimson Blade
magic-user: this area and the next contains offensive-types. Don't get carried
away on the old RISK.
A regular trick with these areas is that each Crimson Blade is weak to a
different weapon. If you enter an area with three Blades then regardless of
what you're packing - Blunt, Edged or Piercing - you'll find that one takes
lots of regular damage, one takes half that damage and one takes almost nothing
at all. Getting rid of the easiest first and leaving the toughest till last for
a one-on-one means that you don't have to worry so much about escalating RISK.
WORKSHOP Junction Point Tools for Wood, Leather, Bronze, Iron, Hagane This
workshop is sealed with the Cattleya Sigil, won from the Dark Elemental in Fear
of the Fall. Read back over Town Centre South if you haven't got it yet.
Rue Fisserano Crimson Blade (magic-user) Look up: the street continues, but above
head height. There's another useful workshop here too.
WORKSHOP Metal Works Tools for Silver, Damascus Finally, an opportunity to
combine and upgrade your Silver weapons. Even if you can't enter Junction
Point, you can still repair all of your equipment here.
Shasras Hill Park Crimson Blades Follow the path to the end and you'll find a
small outhouse with a gate and staircase leading down. You can use your Bronze
Key here to unlock it for Undercity East.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity East
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your foray into the eastern Undercity has the overall goal of acquiring the
Iron Key, not to mention the Stock, Eulalia and Melissa Sigils that will open
up areas here and elsewhere.
Hall To A New World Quicksilver HP 120 HP / MP 70 Evil Special Attack: casts
Silence
See, you don't need to be tough to be impressive: 'disturbing' is a far more
threatening characteristic. Though by far the most dangerous thing about these
creepy girl-doll puppets is that they work in tandem with other creatures,
rushing in with Silence spells just as you're about to protect yourself. Magic
Ward is well worth the mana cost in areas like this.
They might be nimble, but a competently anti-Evil crossbow delivering a bolt to
the Quicksilver's Piercing-sensitive head can tangle their strings long before
they enter spell-casting range.
Place of Free Words Mini-boss: Harpy HP 210 / MP 160 Beast Affinity: Dark Special
Attacks: Blasphemous Howl, Banish, Devitalise
Prize: Grimoire Intensite (Enchanter spell, Herakles), Angelic Paean x 5, Cure
Tonic
Now, that's the kind of superb reinterpretation of a Western mythical cliche
that only the Japanese have the correct measure of understanding and distance
to pull off...
The Undercity's two-faced Emu of Doom is actually quite docile and lethargic,
and it's possible to run through a room of them without disturbing them. Ruffle
their feathers, though, and you'll quickly invite a Howl that places a Curse on
you. The Curse reduces all of your attributes on an indefinite basis, and the
only way to undo it is to cast Blessing - a Shamanic spell only found towards
the end of the game - or to use an Angelic Paean. Appropriately, Angelic Paeans
can be won by killing more Harpies.
The Encyclopedia isn't kidding about that "spell of death", either. Although it
uses it with thankful rarity, the Harpy also possesses Banish, an instant death
spell of Dark affinity. If either your RISK or your Light affinity is high then
it's almost guaranteed to work, too - phut! Game over. There may also be a rule
that the Harpy only uses its Banish as a last resort - if you let it get an
attack in when it's almost dead - but I've yet to establish this. Leave them or
finish them in one is still a good rule to observe.
Upon winning Herakles, you have a STR-booster spell that will not just cancel
Degenerate but actually reverse it.
Bazaar of the Bizarre Boss: Lich HP 130 / MP 110 Evil Special Attacks:
accomplished magic-user
Prize: Summoner Baton (I), Agales' Chain accessory, Eulelia Sigil, Mana Tonic,
Elixir of Mages
Prize ability: Teleport
Liches traditionally open with Silence and then bring out the heavy guns of
multiple-target magic. They also possess immunity to many spells. Furthermore,
they can teleport (see the Ghost entry for dealing with that). All of this puts
them among the deadliest opponents in Vagrant Story, and if you regularly let
your RISK run high then you'll fall to one of these sorcerers more often than
not.
Their only elemental weakness is Physical, so Talos Feldspar and Titan
Malachite gems will improve your weapon damage. As the armour on the arms and
head tends to be simple INT-raising wizard gear, target your weapons here. If
you can maintain a Magic Ward while wielding a weapon with range enough to
catch them before they disappear, you stand a better chance of killing them
first.
When the Lich is defeated, he'll pass on his secret of Teleportation. In game
terms, this lets you warp between Magic Circles and so cut out too much
trekking back and forth. Access this new ability through the Magic sub-screen
of the main menu. If your mana point maximum is still relatively low, you may
have to make several jumps to reach your destination.
Noble Gold and Silk Quicksilvers An Iron Key is required to open the eastern
door, so you'd best go and get it...
Weapons Not Allowed Lich, Quicksilvers
Chest (unlocked): 'Mojito' (B) Falchion, Stone Bullet grip, Titan's Ring
accessory, Grimoire Nuageux (Sorcerer spell, Psychodrain), Iron Key
Now that you have the Iron Key, many previously inaccessible areas will open
up. You'll need to revisit Undercity West for the Clematis Sigil, but there's
also treasure to be had if you warp to Bandits' Hollow.
A Knight Sells His Sword Harpy, Quicksilver Using your new Iron Key, you can
reach the City Walls North from this room's north exit. You'll pass through
Traces of Invasion Past before reaching From Squire To Knight. Finish exploring
the available rooms of Undercity East first, though, as you need the Melissa
Sigil from here.
Gemsword Blackmarket Boss: Nightstalker HP 260 / MP 110 Evil-class Special
Attacks: Solid Shock, Sorcery spells
Prize: Melissa Sigil, Grimoire Eclairer (Sorcerer spell, Enlighten), Angelic
Paean
This is an overgrown Dullahan, by any account, but one with sufficiently good
armour to prevent it being a total pushover. It also has a very deadly special
in the Solid Shock spell (Magic Ward will nullify it - once). Keep using
Herakles and Prostasia to counter its spells and you may keep it so busy with
magic that it neglects its sword attack. If you can cast Degenerate and Tarnish
on it, then your chance of landing more hurtful blows in the chest or abdomen
will greatly increase. However, Nightstalker has a supply of Snowfly Draughts
to dispel magical effects even when Silenced.
The Pirate's Son Harpy, Quicksilver Eureka will reveal a simple Gust trap.
Sale Of The Sword Lich, Quicksilver Chest (unlocked): Ahlspies grip, Pushpaka
accessory, Grimoire Tardif (Sorcerer spell, Leadbones), Stock Sigil
The Stock Sigil is for a treasure bonus. When you get a free moment to
investigate, teleport to the Blackmarket of Wines in Wine Cellar and re-enter
the Minotaur's arena.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ City Walls North
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you're done in the Undercity East (i.e. you have at least the Iron Key,
the Melissa & Eulalia Sigils), take the Iron Key exit from a Knight Sells His
Sword and follow City Walls North right to the end to get back to town. This
way you'll come across the door locked with Clematis Sigil, which is what you
need to find next. Rest up in town, repair your weapons and get ready to go
look for it.
This is also a great place to hone your Dragon-slaying weapon, as just popping
between town and city walls respawns the enemies in each area.
Traces of Invasion Past This staircase is locked with the Iron Key and connects
City Walls North with Undercity East.
From Squire to Knight Blood Lizards If you come straight here from Rue Lejour,
you'll find one exit leading to Traces of Invasion Past (locked with the Iron
Key) and another heading north.
Be For Battle Prepared Blood Lizards
Destruction and Rebirth Dark Elemental This time challenge asks you to beat the
guardian in 20 seconds or try again. There's no special prize.
From Boy To Hero Blood Lizards For now, the wooden door leads out onto the steps
of Kesch Bridge, Town Centre East. The end door is locked with the Clematis
Sigil on your first visit, but you'll be coming back here soon enough to reach
a different part of Undercity East that can't be accessed from the Shasras Hill
Park ingress.
Later in the game, this room will house a Dummy in the shape of a Ghost for
training against Phantom-class foes. Given the relative rarity of Phantoms,
it's one of the more useful dummies.
A Welcome Invasion Dark Elemental By using the Clematis Sigil to open the door in
From Boy To Hero, this last staircase of City Walls North grants access to a
new part of Undercity East.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ USING THE IRON KEY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You now have the Iron Key, plus Teleportation ability. You can take advantage
of both to acquire the next item you'll need, plus some bonus treasure.
Finding the Clematis Sigil Teleport to The Sunless Way in Undercity West and
head west to Remembering Days of Yore. There you'll find a door that opens with
the Iron Key.
Larder for a Lean Winter Lich, Dark Skeletons
Chest (unlocked): 'Balin's Revenge' (H) Tabar plus Heavy Grip, Vambrace (H),
Elixir of Sages, Alchemist's Reagent x 5, Clematis Sigil
Bonus Treasure Teleport to the Bandits' Hollow in Abandoned Mines B2 and take
the Iron Key door right next to the Magic Circle.
Delusions of Happiness Blood Lizards
Chest (unlocked): 'Pirate's Mate' (H) Sabre Halberd plus Sarissa Grip, Kris (D)
blade, Heater Shield (I) plus Orion gem, Swan Song accessory, Vera Potion x 3,
Grimoire Salamandre (Enchanter spell, Spark Fusion).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity East from City Walls North)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Greengrocer's Stair An innocuous staircase at the moment, but we'll come
back to this...
Where Black Waters Ran Lich, Quicksilvers
Arms Against Invaders Harpy
Catspaw Blackmarket Lich, Quicksilvers Use Eureka to uncover traps. There's one
placed directly in front of the chest, but a Trap Clear tile on the right can
be activated to remove it.
Chest (unlocked): Round Shield (H) plus Dark Queen gem, Grimoire Paralysis
(Sorcerer spell, Stun Cloud), Aster Sigil
You'll find that the Aster Sigil opens up a door in Undercity West. More on
that after this intermission...
The Greengrocer's Stair revisited When you next enter this room in order to
leave this cul-de-sac of Undercity East, you're immediately confronted by two
of Guildernstern's top-ranking commanders. Father Grissom's corpse is also
present, and they (not unfairly) blame you for his death. The fight itself
actually takes place in the previous room, Where Black Waters Ran...
Lady Neesa & Sir Tieger HP: unknown / MP unknown (800 HP total) Human Affinity:
Fire (Neesa wears a Salamander Ring), Water (Tieger wears an Undine Bracelet).
Special Attacks: Break Arts, recovery spells
This is a little bit unusual, as the overall aim seems to be to inflict an
undisclosed total of damage rather than taking out one, or the other, or both.
Neither can be defeated outright, and both will submit when just one falls. 800
HPs seems to be the ballpark figure for how much damage you need to inflict.
A prior Magic Ward is advised, as both have decent spells (initial attacks can
be healed with your now-plentiful items). Because of their accomplished
fighting skills, a few Break Arts of your own will invite less danger than a
chain that takes your RISK over 25. Start with Break Arts and spells first.
If you can then succeed with chains that sap mana points or cause Silence, you
may attempt to tackle them physically. Paralysing effects are also potentially
successful against these warriors if you prefer to use magic. Even a missed
Analyse tells you enough to know that they have slight elemental affinities, so
use that to your advantage. There's no real victory here, as both will beat a
hasty retreat on yielding and victory carries no prize beyond escaping this
section. When you attempt to leave by the Greengrocer's Stair one more time,
you'll be greeted by a final cut-scene before being allowed to continue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Undercity West
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that you have both the Iron Key and the Aster Sigil, you're ready to embark
on a trek through the Limestone Quarry. This journey will take you all the way
to the ancient Temple of Kiltia.
To begin, you should return to The Sunless Way again (you can teleport straight
to its Magic Circle, for ease of travel). There you'll find a door locked with
the Iron Key. Proceed to the Limestone Quarry.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Limestone Quarry
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This isn't a straightforward journey, as this subterrain has a couple of
alternative paths, but follow it to the end and you'll reach the Temple of
Kiltia.
Dark Abhors Light A simple staircase.
Dream Of The Holy Land Boss: Water Elemental 380 HP / 160 MP Phantom Special
Attacks: Aqua Blast
Prize: Grimoire Avalanche (Warlock spell, Avalanche), Elixir of Sages,
Acolyte's Nostrum
Equip the Undine Bracelet and place Undine Jaspers on your shield. Decorate
your Phantom weapon with Salamander Rubies, and cast Spark Fusion if you have
it. Aqua Blast attacks are single-target spells, so even at high RISK you
should be able to halve the damage with an Aqua Ward defence ability. If you
take your time positioning the area of effect grid, even a level 1 Flame Sphere
can be placed so as to encompass many hit locations on a Water Elemental's
body.
You've done the Elemental thing many times by now, so this battle shouldn't
even require pause for thought.
It's possible to take on the Water Elemental as soon as you acquire the Iron
Key, of course, but the door behind the Water Elemental is sealed with the
Aster Sigil. If you haven't got it yet, you should obtain it from Undercity
East as accessed from the City Walls North.
The Ore Road Magic Circle Here you get a choice of east and west routes. Both
lead the same way, meeting at the Dreamer's Climb, but you'll want to see both
if you're looking for percentage completion on a replay. The east route also
boasts a treasure room.
Atone for Eternity (west route) Gremlin HP 190 / MP 90 Evil Special Attacks: casts
Silence, Herakles, Prostasia If you were hoping to get by with just a crossbow
against Evil creatures, this Hieronymus-Bosch-inspired demon will show up your
folly. It's pretty tough against everything of magical origin, even Light, so
strong physical attacks are often your best chance of knocking them out of the
air. Some of these flying fiends are packing Damascus armaments, so it's not
even safe to assume you're now hard enough to withstand repeated attacks.
Regard this as a chance to build up a good one- or two-handed melee weapon
against the powers of utter Evil.
By the way, cast Eureka to reveal a trap here too. No point embarrassing
yourself as well by looking like a complete novice.
Stair To Sanctuary Wraith
The Fallen Hall Ogres The first time you enter here, this locking trap room will
present a time challenge with two Ogres to defeat. On the second visit you'll
meet two Dullahans.
The Rotten Core Gremlins This room feeds into the Dreamer's Climb, the meeting
point of both routes.
The Air Stirs (east route) Gremlins Head east again for the treasure room.
Bonds of Friendship Air Elemental
Chest (unlocked): 'Matador' (H) Shiavona plus Counter Guard, Cranequin (H)
blade, Side Ring grip, Brigandine (H), Rondanche (H), Lionhead accessory,
Snowfly Draught x 5, Grimoire Benir (Shaman spell, Blessing)
Bacchus is Cheap Wraith
Screams of the Wounded The first time you enter here, this locking trap room
will present a time challenge with two Dullahans to defeat. On the second visit
you'll meet two Ogres.
The Ore-Bearers Gremlin Again, the suspicious presence of just one Gremlin should
have you sticking to the spot until you've cast Eureka.
The Dreamer's Climb In a reversal of this room's normal format, you'll be coming
from the lower levels in order to reach the high exit. The idea is to jump to
the central island and stack one blue magnetic cube on another, thus creating a
hovering edifice of three cubes in height. From the top, you can reach the
wooden catwalk. If you find yourself coming from the side with the long jump,
it's possible to make the leap to the island by moving the available crate two
tiles nearer for a diagonal jump. Faerie Wings and Invigorate will help as
usual.
Sinner's Sustenance Wraith
The Timely Dew of Sleep Gremlins There's a Gold Key door here that, yet again,
you'll have to ignore on first play.
The Auction Room Magic Circle A most welcome save point.
The Labourer's Bonfire You need the Melissa Sigil to leave this room by its high
exit. You should have picked that up from Gemsword Blackmarket in Undercity
East.
The obstacle course itself requires another leap to a central island. If you're
coming from the side of magnetic cubes then stack them for a jumping point to
the island. There's a Paralysis trap next to the cubes, but should you be stung
then the effect will probably have worn off by the time you leave.
Use a weapon to destroy just enough of the island's crate stack to allow you to
jump up. If you're already on the island then you'll need a spear or crossbow
to pick them off, aiming high. If you then climb up onto the stack to find
yourself short, the obvious trick is to enter and leave through the nearby door
of Stone and Sulphurous Fire to restore the crates (you'll definitely want to
enter it once on your way through Labourer's Bonfire anyway, as it's a treasure
room).
Stone and Sulphurous Fire Earth Elemental
Chest (unlocked): 'White Lady' (H) Morning Star plus Runkasyle, Balbriggan (H)
blade, Power Palm grip, Talos Feldspar gem, Acolyte's Nostrum x 3, Grimoire
Egout (Warlock spell, Drain Heart)
If you haven't tried a Thunderburst spell yet, now's your chance.
Torture Without End Boss: Ogre Lord HP 560 / MP 110 Beast Special Attacks:
Tornado, also casts Degenerate, Surging Balm
Prize: Shiavona (I) plus Power Palm, Braveheart gem, Morlock Jet gem, Agales'
Chain, Elixir of Queens, Mana Tonic x 3, Cure Potion
The Tornado is pretty rare, and mostly he's content to cast Degenerate and run
away. Counter it with Herakles. If he tries to use Surging Balm then casting
*any* spell on him will negate it (If you haven't got Drain Mind then Antidote,
of all things, is cheapest on MP, but feel free to try more ambitious spells).
His sword does pack a punch, but if you keep him busy enough by undoing his
magic then you can effectively waste his time while getting in Break Arts of
your own. Like all Ogres, he's not only a left-hander but he also possesses a
natural combo-breaking ability: if you persist with a chain, you'll often score
nothing but misses.
Way Down Magic Circle Take the east door before heading south.
Excavated Hollow Water Elemental
Chest (unlocked): 'Angel Face' (H) Balbriggan plus Heavy Grip, Elephant grip,
Casserole Shield (H), Beaded Anklet, Missaglia (I), Grimoire Flamme (Warlock
Spell, Flame Sphere)
Must be a promotion on Balbriggans this week.... Otherwise, this represents a
major treasure stash. Beaded Anklet is one of the finest stat-booster
accessories you can equip on first play; the Elephant grip is the best Edged
haft for Axes; and using the Grimoire Flamme item will take your Flame Sphere
up by one level, increasing its damage, range and area of effect.
Parting Regrets Wraith I recently discovered that if you run down one of these
staircases with the right timing, the Wraith is so busy teleporting to the
wrong spot that you can get all the way through without being touched. Nyar,
nyar!
Corridor of Tales Gremlin, Ogre Despite the name, there aren't many interesting
anecdotes about this place at all.
Dust Shall Eat The Days The idea here is to use the Cloudstone's forward
momentum to help you jump to the other side. The problem you'll encounter is
that the other side is hedged in by two stacks of crates, so you've also got to
aim for the narrow gap between the two (a Dual Shock can help you here).
Check the Cloudstone's path from all sides and you'll see how it moves down-
forward and up-back, as well as left-right. You've got to use this down-forward
part of the motion to jump from. If you try to jump from the Cloudstone while
it's moving left-right, you'll be thrown sideways yourself when you leap.
Also, if you're packing a Crossbow (you'll need the range of a Windlass or
higher) then you can pick off the crates as you slide back and forth and clear
a space on the other side. This will make your final jump much easier.
If you're coming back the other way, get rid of the top cube and roll the lower
one two tiles towards the wall. It's just possible to jump and grab the edge.
Hall of the Wage Paying Boss: Snow Dragon HP 720 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attacks:
Tail Attack, Frost Breath
Prize: Grimoire Barrer (Enchanter spell, Aqua Guard), Panacea, Elixir of Queens
Trying to catch you out, the Snow Dragon has a Piercing weakness in the Tail
and an Edged weakness in the head. That doesn't make too much difference at
this stage, though. It's still too huge for a level 2 Flame Sphere to frighten
it, so stick to Fire-affinity weapons and Break Arts with as much Water-aligned
defence as you can muster. If you've a grip that you can plaster in Dragonite
then you might even stand a better chance on pure physical terms.
Tunnel of the Heartless This isn't immediately obvious, so have good look around
first. But prepare to be disappointed.
There's a high exit door in the far wall, and a tall pier of rock extending
from the front of that exit, that you need to jump to. Except that, ordinarily,
you can't. It's too steep to reach from below, and if you try to leap across
you'll discover a cube-shaped gap that just stops you getting the height you
need. But if the gap were filled, you'd have sufficient height to make it
across. So what you need to do is move the push crate all the way around to
fill that gap.
As you enter, slide the lower frictionless cube forward to the central wall.
Climb up and push the higher frictionless cube on top of it to make a stack.
Now walk to the other crates and push the leftmost rolling cube to the right,
off the top of push crate, so that it fills the gap below the second rolling
cube. Push that second rolling cube twice so that it rolls onto the first one
and then onto the floor.
You can now edge the push crate out and then onto the central wall with spaces
around it that allow you to push it right, along the edge of the wall. When it
gets to being lined up with the blue frictionless cubes, you can stand on them
to push it inwards. From there it's just a matter of getting the push crate
into the gap.
Alternatively - and this is the killer - just eat a Faerie Wing and jump from
where the push crate should go. It works, and I got my finest ever rating of
Little Green Man (7 seconds) by solving it in this cheapster fashion. Tcha!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Temple Of Kiltia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's plenty of plot going down here, but your tangible goal is to prise the
Silver Key from the Minotaur Lord and then use it to reach the final boss of
the Temple. You'll eventually surface at the doors of the Great Cathedral,
where the final chapter of Vagrant Story takes place.
The Dark Coast A tile-wide ledge running along the left side of the room is your
only means of crossing the chasm: jump from the very edge of the floor before
it dips a tile and you can just make it up onto the narrow platform. If you
cast Eureka then you'll see the Trap Clear panel next to the wall that's very
easy to drop onto, but avoid it if you can. It actually removes a Heal Panel on
the other of the chasm.
Hall Of Prayer Mini-boss: Last Crusader HP 480 / MP 240 Evil Special Attacks:
Sorcery spells
Prize: Agria's Balm accessory, Grimoire Purifier (Shaman spell, Clearance),
Alchemist's Reagent x 3
This final incarnation of the Dullahan wields a huge Damascus Rhomphaia in one
hand, so you have to keep your RISK down - with Vera items if necessary - or a
single blow will gouge away half your health or more. If you're hoping to
Reflect Damage or use Impact Guard, note that he's got two different attacks; a
slow swing and a faster thrust.
Despite his spellcasting ability, this isn't the most intelligent suit of
armour in the world. That means your own Sorcery spells will stand a good
chance of affecting it. One clever technique you might try is to cast
Degenerate and / or Tarnish on the Crusader, then Silence him before he can
undo them (he doesn't have Magic Cancel items). This buys you time and keeps
his damage low. He'll necessarily get physical with you, but if you Herakles
and Prostasia yourself then you'll have a much better chance of scoring damage
against him. Or you can just keep using Sorcery spells on him and let him waste
his efforts on undoing them while you're hitting him. Most chains will fail
after a couple of hits, so it isn't always easy to hurt him if you're packing
the wrong weapon: this particular enemy is weakest against Edged blades, though
I also recommend a Piercing Gale Break Art if you're packing a sword.
If you pass through this room on later occasions, you'll be faced with a Water
Elemental and a Nightstalker instead.
If you haven't got the Silver Key yet, take the right-hand door.
Those Who Drink The Dark To jump over the chasm, use the high column. If you're
coming back from the other way, push a crate to the edge for the same effect.
There's a Silver Key side-door here, but ignore it for now: it actually leaves
the temple and enters Ants Prepare For Winter in the Limestone Quarry.
So, the side door isn't an option. The only way to get up that high wall at the
north end is to move that highest push crate straight towards it and use the
extra height to jump up. One problem: when you make the first push, it drops
straight down and you can't get behind it to push it any nearer.
To solve this, you need to make a small side-platform at floor level out of two
adjoining crates.
Push the topmost of the stack of two to the west by one tile, so that it fills
the hole in front of the two crates wedged next to the west wall. Now destroy
the innermost (northern) of those wedged crates so that you can push the
remaining one out (south) over the filled gap. If you keep pushing (south) by 5
tiles, you'll find enough space by the chasm at the entrance to get around it
and move it (east) two tiles into the centre of the corridor, with a space on
each side.
Now smash the crate that you used to fill the gap and move the remaining floor
crate to the east by one tile. You'll see that this crate left on the floor has
enough space on each side to move it in and out (east and west) of where it is.
This slider movement will be instrumental. See, if you then push one of the
other crates onto this slider, and then again (north) onto the floor, you can
move the slider sideways to make a space behind the one that's just hit the
floor. This enables you to push the floored crate towards the high wall
(north).
So, using the slider, move those two remaining southern crates (north) onto the
floor and towards the high wall, one at a time. That means moving the nearest
one east by one tile and then north by eight tiles (pausing to move the slider
west by one tile to give you that space). Now restore the slider (east one
tile) and move the second crate north by nine tiles. You've still got that
highest crate in place, but you've now made a two-tile ledge at floor level.
More precisely, when you've pushed the high crate north by one tile towards the
high wall, and it's dropped down, you then want to be able to push it out east
one tile, onto a wooden crate on the floor, then north one tile by sliding it
onto the other crate; then back in to the west one tile, onto the raised stone,
so that there's a single gap behind it that will let you push it all the way to
the wall.
There. Simple. You'll be wanting diagrams, I suppose.
The Chapel of Meschaunce Mini-boss: Minotaur Lord HP 540 / MP 0 Beast Special
Attacks: Giga Rush Intimidating as he looks, this particular Minotaur is rather
more than 50% bull. Go in ready for a straight physical fight, no tricks, and
the whole thing should be over in seconds. His attacks are unexpectedly weak
and he doesn't have too much in the way of armour if your Beast weapon is
Edged. You may even find you now have a Break Art that knocks whole slices of
steak off him, finishing the job without need for a normal attack.
Prize: Titan's Ring, Elixir of Queens, Alchemist's Reagent x 3
Chest (unlocked): 'Frost Maiden' (H) Mjolnir plus Runkasyle, Sonic Bullet grip,
Ghost Hound accessory, Cure Potion x 2, Mana Potion x 2, Silver Key
Just like the Iron Key, the Silver Key opens up a few bonus treasures to hunt
down in a moment of diversion. For now, head back to the Hall of Prayer and
take that opposite door.
The Resentful Ones There are two puzzles here, and it's quite a trek to reset
the room if you foul up on the second.
Puzzle 1: the rolling cubes here have only a limited number of moves, and the
idea is to use them as stoppers for the frictionless cube so that you can slide
it into position. The idea here is to get the frictionless cube right next to
the push crates, just between stack and high wall, so that you can push the top
crate onto the frictionless cube, one tile closer to the high wall.
To do this, start with the rolling cube that's furthest from the blue cube and
push it north two tiles, then west one tile. Now push the other rolling cube
north one tile, east one tile, south one tile. With this set-up, just three
pushes on the frictionless cube to east, north and east again will set it up
ready to take a push crate on top.
For the second stage, move the rolling cube to act as a stopper for both
frictionless cubes so that they line up with the crate stack. Close up the gap
between the two blue cubes. Then push the top crate over the two sliders. From
this nearer two-cube stack, you can jump diagonally for the exit platform.
To do this, push the rolling cube north one tile and then west three tiles.
Slide the first of the blue cubes west so that it stops next to the push
crates. Now push the rolling cube north two tiles and repeat with other blue
cube. Close the gap by push the northern blue cube south and then move the top
push crate north by two tiles.
(Time-puzzlers will realise that you can use the rolling cube itself to fill in
for the second frictionless cube, by pushing it north and east instead after
the first frictionless cube is in place).
Those Who Fear The Light Air Elemental, Gremlins
Chamber Of Reason A superb cut-scene is followed by...
Kali HP 500 / MP 500 Human Special Attacks: Raven Eye (poison), Caesar's Thrust
(paralysis) By spreading individual weaknesses across her body - and only slight
ones, at that - Kali is tough against magic, and almost impossible to hurt with
a multiple-target spell. However, this also means that there will be body
locations that you'll have a chance of hurting, regardless of weapon type. Your
best bet here is to stick with whatever you've been sharpening on the Crimson
Blades, bolstered with a Haeralis gem and backed up by a Titan's Ring or Rusted
Nails accessory for maximum damage against Human-class opponents. Her legs and
head have no particular weapon strengths, otherwise.
Her major weakness to Sorcery is the Leadbones spell, and you can really annoy
her with this. If she kicks off with Degenerate, don't forget that you can
reverse it with Herakles. This actually keeps her very busy, undoing either
spells on her or spells on you. As long as you keep your health up whenever it
drops then even her big hitters shouldn't knock you for six.
Exit To The City Centre Just step onto the rising podium to activate it. There's
a Magic Circle coming right up, so don't rush back to the Dark Coast. When you
arrive at Plateia Lumitar, it's a good idea to teleport back to Junction Point
and get yourself organised for the Great Cathedral. You'll also find a few old
doors on your explored maps that are now unlockable with your new Silver Key.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Town Centre East
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plateia Lumitar Magic Circle The double doors are unlocked, and will take you
into the Great Cathedral itself. If you jump over the water to the small
doorway and follow the path, you'll get back to the latched door near Junction
Point.
Gharmes Walk Besides the treasure, there's already a Dummy here in the shape of
Gremlin that you can use for training against Evil-class creatures.
Chest (requires Chest Key): 'Klondike' (S) Falchion plus Power Palm, Round
Shield (S), Angel Pearl, Sorcerer's Reagent
The House Gilgitte Chest (unlocked): 'Ribsplitter' (H) Khukuri plus Power Palm,
Dragonhead accessory, Faerie Wing x 5, Audentia wine
This is the house that had its door rattled in an earlier scene with Merlose
and Hardin. That very door is also the one you've seen latched in Rue Crimnade,
just above Junction Point, so now you can unlatch it and open up the whole of
Town Centre East. That's that solved, then.
You don't really need it, but if you want to go back to Plateia Lumitar via
this path then there's a block puzzle to solve. Facing south, climb up and push
the highest cube onto the floor so that it falls in front of the treasure
chest. There are two wooden crates in the formation of four, and if you smash
the upper one then you can push the free blue cube left and forward to the
wall. Now break the lower wooden crate and use the gap to move the other blue
cube on the floor right and forward to the wall, mirroring the other one. The
very first cube you dropped into place will act as the stopper for doing this.
All but one of the cubes is now wedged in place. Stand on the right
frictionless cube and push that last free cube towards the high left wall.
It'll drop to form a two-high stack, from the very edge of which you can *just*
jump 'n' grab. Honest. Invigorate if necessary.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using The Silver Key
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On first play through the game, the Silver Key opens up a number of locked
doors in previously explored areas. Only two will lead to extra treasures.
(1) Teleport to the Dark Tunnel in Abandoned Mines B1 and go north to Everwant
Passage. Here you'll find a locked Silver Key door to Mining Regrets.
Mining Regrets Cast Eureka to spot a Death Vapour in advance. Chest (unlocked):
'White Cargo' (D) Voulge plus Winged Pole, Mana Potion x 3, Polaris Gem
(2) Teleport to The Auction Block in the Limestone Quarry. Take the Silver Key
door to Ascension.
Ascension Wraith Stairs leading down...
Where The Serpent Hunts Gremlins The east exit from this T-Junction leads to a
treasure room, the west to a corridor leaving the Limestone Quarry.
Drowned In Fleeting Joy Dark Elemental Chest (unlocked): Falarica Bolt, Plate
Glove (H), Elixir of Mages, Mana Potion x 5
Ants Prepare For Winter This corridor leads to Those Who Drink The Dark in the
Temple of Kiltia.
(3) For completeness, you might want to unlock the Silver Key doors in
Undercity West: one door joins Nameless Dark Oblivion to The Washing-Woman's
Way, while the other in Sewer of Ravenous Rats leads to Beggars of the
Mouthharp and Corner of the Wretched. The latter is ultimately a dead end,
though, sealed with the Rood Inverse and inaccessible on first play.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using The Stock Sigil
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BlackMarket Use Teleportation to warp back to Blackmarket, in the Wine Cellar.
The Stock Sigil will unseal the door that once led you to the game's first
proper boss.
Minotaur Zombie HP 720 / MP 0 Undead Special Attacks: Giga Rush Don't reach for
your Beast-smacking blade: this is the very same boss you slew before, but it's
been reanimated by the power of the Dark. Draw the weapon you reserve for
Undead foes instead. If that's a short weapon, you might like to take the fight
to the steps in the far corner or run around the side of the Zombie to reach
its upper body locations more easily. In all other respects, this should be a
familiar fight with the only real difference being the enemy's increased HP.
Prize: Rune Earrings, Cure Bulb x 3, Elixir of Queens
Chest (requires Chest Key): Circle Shield (D) plus Titan Malachite gem, Cure
Potion x 3, Vera Potion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Great Cathedral
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick check - on first play, does your progress show roughly 75% of the map
complete before you enter here from Plateia Lumitar? If it does, you've pretty
much found everything there is to see before this final temple.
There aren't many normal enemies here, just bosses, so pack for Phantoms,
Dragons, Evil and Undead (pretty much in that order of importance). Because the
Cathedral sends you up and down between levels continuously, this section
describes the order of rooms in more of a walkthrough style than previous
areas, as a floor-by-floor description would be hopelessly confusing.
Into Holy War, L1 The Cloudstone lift is inoperative when you first arrive, so
you'll have to take the stairs down to Struggle for the Soul, B1. You'll need
to defeat the Iron Crab to activate the lift, which leads to the Convent Room,
L2.
Struggle For the Soul, B1 There's a Heal Panel Trap here that will also reduce
your RISK. Just jump up and down for repeated use...
There are exits on either side of the canal. You can either go straight ahead
to meet Ifrit, or jump over the water for Marid. My advice is to take Marid
first and explore as far as the Poisoned Chapel, then return and tackle the
rooms with Ifrit and the Iron Crab before taking the lift up from The Victor's
Laurels.
Order & Chaos, B1 Marid HP 500 / MP 180 Phantom Special Attacks: Avalanche lvl 3,
Aqua Blast
Prize: Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Avalanche
Marid is essentially a king Water Elemental, so use your previous Fire-offence
and Water-defence tactics and upgrade where possible with better Flame Spheres,
gems and Enchanter spells. If your resistance to Water is naturally good or
your weapon isn't capable of damaging him (Marid is stronger versus Edged) then
a Spark Fusion is going to speed things up.
Defeating Marid also activates the Cloudstone elevator to L2 in The Victor's
Laurels on this level. The other door in this room leads to An Offering of
Souls.
An Offering of Souls Stairs leading up to Sin and Punishment, L1
Sin and Punishment, L1 Magic Circle and Container Watch for two oddly-placed
traps here, Curse and Eruption. You don't even know they're there until, one
day, when you're heading urgently for the save point...
The southern door is broken (as in closed-off broken), while the north one
leads to the Poisoned Chapel.
The Poisoned Chapel, L1 The far door is locked with the Laurel Sigil, and before
you can even get across you'll need to activate this Cloudstone by defeating
the Djinn in the Flayed Confessional L1. For now, go back to Truth and Lies, B1
and tackle Ifrit (or explore B1 further if you haven't).
Truth and Lies, B1 Boss: Ifrit HP 500 / MP 180 Phantom Special Attacks: Fireball,
Fire Storm
Like Marid to Water, Ifrit is the big cheese of Fire Elementals and the same
tactics apply. He's also strong versus Edged weapons, but you should now have a
level 2 Avalanche for some multiple-target spellcasting fun. Again, if your
armour is strong versus fire or you're having trouble doing damage then go for
Frost Fusion. Otherwise, Pyro Guard against the deadlier attacks like Fire
Storm and set your defence abilities to include Fireproof.
Prize: Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Flamme And if you look closely, you'll see
that the huge crack casts a Rood symbol in twilight on the opposite wall...
From this room you can reach two others - Sanity and Madness, and the Victor's
Laurels.
Sanity and Madness, B1 Boss: Iron Crab HP 375 / MP 0 Beast Special Attacks: Aqua
Bubble, Tidal Rush
With a good Spark Fusion on your Beast weapon, aim for the mouth with Edged and
Piercing weapons, or the shell with Blunt types. Unless you're accidentally
wearing Salamander gear, there's very little reason to fear this one: I found
him unusually pathetic, and even his specials seem underpowered.
Prize: Valens wine, Elixir of Kings
Defeating the Iron Crab also activates the Cloudstone elevator in Into Holy
War, L1. This gives you two ways to advance to L2, but I'd recommend The
Victor's Laurels.
The Victor's Laurels, B1 The Cloudstone elevator rises to Cracked Pleasures, L1.
It can be activated by defeating Marid.
Cracked Pleasures, L1 There's another elevator to Free From Base Desires, but
take a small diversion first by going through the door to Hieratic
Recollections. When you return after slaying the Djinn, go up on the elevator
and out to Abasement From Above.
Hieratic Recollections, L1 Or did they mean 'Heratic Recollections' ? I think
the Heratic is supposed to be you, and the Recollection is one of "Oh hang on,
I've done this bit..." when you accidentally stumble into here later on by
mistake. If this is your first time, just carry on. Nothing to see here.
The Flayed Confessional, L1 Boss: Djinn HP 500 / MP 180 Phantom Special Attacks:
Lightning Bolt, Thunderburst
Prize: Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Foudre (Warlock Spell, Thunderburst)
Getting to the chest is a simple matter of destroying the push crate in the
corner, then pushing the other one out until it falls into place.
Chest (unlocked): Fluted Armour (H), Fluted Glove (H), Vera Potion x 3, Saint's
Nostrum
It's that Elemental thing again. You need Sylph / Air defences to defeat its
Lightning Bolts and Earth-affinity weapons (i.e. Gnome / Dao gems on weapons,
Soil Fusion enchantment) to maximise your effectiveness. By now, you might even
be able to inflict massive damage by taking advantage of Djinn's Phantom-class
status and equipping an anti-Phantom weapon bristling with Trinity gems. Check
out your Gaea Strike, by all means, but if the damage / probability result
looks lousy then those MPs might be better spent.
Defeating the Djinn also activates the Cloudstone bridge in The Poisoned
Chapel. It's not worth going there until you have the Laurel Sigil, though, so
for now you should head back to Cracked Pleasures and take the elevator to
Free From Base Desire, L2 There's another Cloudstone elevator here that leads up
to The Wine-Lecher's Fall, L3. If you pursued that route right now, you'd find
it blocked by the Calla Sigil. So stay on L2 and go through the passage for
Abasement From Above, L2 Your goal is to reach the side door, and that requires
a bit of jumping from either direction. Cast Eureka to see this room's
Paralysis, Curse and Poison traps. You should be able to make the jump quite
easily from this side (use Invigorate if you can't), which is why I've brought
you this way.
It is also possible to get to the side door from the Convent Room side by
jumping along the west wall, but much harder. Not only do you need to run a
gauntlet of unavoidable traps, but to get around one particular column you need
to drop off the edge, curl around in mid-air (some players may find this easier
with the Dual Shock) and grab the column below as you fall past it. Yes, quite.
Get your dragon gear ready and enter
The Hall of Broken Vows L2 Mini-Boss: Flame Dragon HP 750 / MP 0 Dragon Special
Attacks: Searing Breath, Tail Attack.
Prize: Calla Sigil, Sorcerer's Reagent
If you're wielding a Piercing spear, aiming for anywhere but the Head will
exploit a weakness. Its Tail is particularly prone to a cutting from Edged
weapons, if you can run round behind it with a Great Sword or Axe. And, of
course, this is a fire-affinity beast, so you can equip gems accordingly (don't
forget the Dragonhead accessory if you have it too). If you're not wearing a
shield, put Fireproof on your Defence Ability buttons and try to halve the
damage. When armed, cast Pyro Guard or Frost Fusion for defence or offence
respectively. Also, use Impact Guard to half the damage from its lunges and
Tail Attack - this can add up to a lot of health saved over the course of the
fight. Note that this is a mini-boss, so you don't get any chance of a stat
upgrade or new rating.
The Hall itself is locked on the south side by the Acacia Sigil, but two other
doors lead west and north. Go north to Light and Dark Wage War.
Light and Dark Wage War, L2 It looks impossible, but it isn't: you can get
across. Instead of running down the steps, look for the paths to each side of
the entrance that run around the walls. If you follow the left side, there's
one long jump that may still require Invigorate if your AGL is low. If you
follow the right side, you just need to push to the other side as you fall down
into the gap so that you catch the ledge on your way past. From both of these
side platforms you can jump to the door.
There's a lever to the left of the exit, so throw that first before you
proceed. It unlocks the door to Unknown on the upper balcony of the Heretic's
Story, L3.
But first, we're going treasure-hunting.
An Arrow Into Darkness, L2 Chest (unlocked): Fluted Leggings (H), Fluted Glove
(H), Eye of Argon x 5, Cure Potion
Push the northernmost cube west until it stops, then south, and leave it there:
it'll act as a stopper for the other one shortly, leaving a much-needed space.
Turn your attention to the other cube and push it west, west, south, east (it
can be tricky turning around there without stepping onto it), south and west.
You can now step up to the chest.
Finally, take the elevator down to
Where Darkness Spreads, L1 Chest (unlocked): Oval Shield (H), Burgonet (H), Mana
Bulb x 5, Elixir of Queens
To reach the treasure you need to make a bridge of blocks by filling up that
gap in a straight line to the chest. The crucial first move comes in what you
do with the three wooden push crates already in the hole, so jump down into it
and stand on the highest step, facing the chests. Push the top one west, then
go stand on it and push the middle crate east. You can now move both of those
two crates on the steps north by one tile so that they fall into line with the
blue stack.
The rest of the puzzle is more arduous, taking place up on the main floor, and
requires you to use the push crates as stoppers so that you line up the
remaining frictionless cubes with the bridge and slide them on. For example, by
moving the northernmost push crate west and then north, you can slide the blue
cube back near the Cloudstone west, south, west into the hole. Unless anybody
wants more detail, I think the rest is really hard to screw up. When you're
done, use the stopper crates themselves to fill the last holes and then walk
across your bridge to the chest. Huzzah!
The Cloudstone is the only way to leave this room as the doors are broken -
that goes for resetting the puzzle, too - and to get onto it you need to jump
from the blue cube that's placed uselessly close to the wall (so don't move it!
I haven't tried, but I can see you being able to trap yourself in here). This
is a good time to save and visit a container, but when you're done, return to
the Hall of Broken Vows L2 and go west this time to
He Screams For Mercy L2 Eureka first. There are two very nasty jumps to make to
doors going north or coming back from the south, so you'll need Invigorate and
/ or Faerie Wings if your AGL is low. Visit both areas and defeat the Liches to
win the Laurel Sigil and open up a route you'll be needing shortly.
The Acolyte's Weakness L2 Stairs leading down to...
Monk's Leap, L1 Zombie Knights, Lich Prize: Ghost Hound accessory, Laurel Sigil,
Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Demolir (Warlock spell, Explosion)
Maelstrom of Malice L2 Dark Skeletons, Lich Lord HP 290 / MP 320 Evil Special
Attacks: spellcaster The best protection against a Lich Lord is a Magic Ward,
pure and simple. Every time his spells are negated, replace it immediately. As
you'll only have enough MP for roughly three Wards on first play (four if you
cast one before entering and wait a sec), you can either use restorative items
or replace your Mana quickly with a chain combo that includes Gain Magic and
also damages him. The weakness of the Lich Lord is Physical damage (he's
supposedly weaker to Light too, but high INT means that spells like Spirit
Surge tend to bounce off him). His own staff attack is not too strong either,
and he'll only use it rarely, so as long as your Magic Ward is in place then
you can let your RISK rise and concentrate on smacking him up good. You'll
notice that the armour is weaker on his head and arms, as with the Lich, and he
wields his staff in the left hand.
When this Lich Lord is defeated, the Cloudstone that bridges the upper
balconies of the Heretic's Story, L3, will be activated.
Now that you have the Laurel Sigil, head for the Poisoned Chapel via Sin and
Punishment. The Cloudstone will now be taking passengers (assuming you've
disposed of the Djinn in The Flayed Confessional, L1), and you have the means
to unlock the far door.
A Light In The Dark, L1 Mini-Boss: Arch Dragon HP 785 / MP 0 Dragon Special
Attacks: Divine Breath
Prize: Acacia Sigil, Acolyte's Nostrum
You don't meet many Light-affinity monsters in Vagrant Story, and this makes
for a slightly odd battle. Your armour won't have been tested by many Light
attacks either, so you may suddenly find yourself very weak: especially as
there are no Light / Dark Enchanter spells you can use to magically align
yourself. Worse, the Divine Breath can also tear off MPs as well as HP, leaving
you with only your items or your chains to effect an immediate recovery.
So put Shadow Guard on your defence abilities, wear an accessory that boosts
your Light status and try to get the job done quickly. Use Morlock Jets and
Dragonite, sticking Angel Pearls on a shield if you're using one. The good news
is that Dark affinity spells like Drain Heart now have a superior chance of
success, so you can try reclaiming some of your lost health vampirically. Some
of those Dark Break Arts can prove worthy as well.
You now have the Acacia Sigil, which opens a doorway in the Hall of Broken Vows
L2, but it's not worth trying to use that just yet as it leads straight to
another door locked with a Palm Sigil. Instead, return to Free From Base
Desires and use the Cloudstone elevator that takes you up to The Wine-Lecher's
Fall, L3 (you need to jump to the Cloudstone from the tall boxes).
The Wine-Lecher's Fall, L3 A few easy jumps will deliver you to a door onto...
The Heretic's Story, L3 (lower level) There are two levels to this room: from
this entrance on L3 you can only move east-west, while on the balconies
(inaccessible from here) you'll cross the chasm north-south.
You'll need to use the Calla Sigil you acquired from the Flame Dragon to open
the door here. If you haven't yet, and you've come here early, go to the Hall
of Broken Vows L2.
Grr, I really hate the way that you can't get a straight side-on view, whether
zoomed-out or close-up. Oversight or deliberate cheap trick? Regardless, making
a game harder by not letting the player see what's happening would certainly
have knocked points off a 40/40 score in my opinion...
You've got to cross the abyss using the Cloudstones. Okay, so one way to do
this would be to jump like an idiot from Cloudstone to Cloudstone. That's the
stupid way. Another way would be to step from one stone to the next when they
touch, and that works, too. All the stones move in set rhythmic patterns, so
you can count off and predict when you should start to step across. It's easy
to mess up, but it also works. However, the real trick to making this room a
doddle is to remember that you've got a Fixate spell (go back to the Sanctum
and find it if you haven't!). Step onto the first stone and watch closely for
the moment when it touches the next. You've got a shortcut button on L2 that
you can release and hold, release and hold, until you capture the exact
instant. Then cast Fixate and casually walk across. Jump to the next stationary
Cloudstone if you think you can, or wait and repeat Fixate for that. Oh, the
easy life.
Another vital point is that you'll need to use the momentum of the fast, final
Cloudstone to jump the last gap. Leap when it's racing towards the edge, just
before it turns, and it'll practically hurl you through the wooden door. On
your return, Fixating the stone at its nearest point and using a Faerie Wing
before the jump may prove necessary.
Use the Calla Sigil on the door and enter...
Hopes Of The Idealist L3 Boss: Dao HP 500 / MP 180 Phantom Special Attacks: Vulcan
Lance
Prize: Palm Sigil, Elixir of Queens, Grimoire Gaea
The ruler of Earth Elementals is naturally weak versus Air attacks, and you may
find Blunt weapons do much better than Edged ones. Magically, you can enchant
yourself with Terra Guard or Luft Fusion or else read your new Grimoire Foudre
to see a level 2 Thunderburst in action. You may find that the most trouble
you'll have with Dao is that he'll fly away in fear and cower high out of reach
in the far corner, rushing out only when he's ready to Lance you. If so, you
may find you have some Break Arts that offer Air affinity, and a longer range
than the weapon you're using, to spear him out of the skies. If not, play a
version of the old Sheepdog game and try to herd him into a corner without any
crates in it.
With the Acacia and Palm Sigils tucked into your belt, you can return to the
Hall of Broken Vows L2 and open the door there. The Acacia Sigil first grants
access to...
The Melodics of Madness L2 Push the lower of the two blue cubes south and west,
then move the push crate east, so that both line up and fill the holes to for a
bridge. You can now move the higher blue cube all the way south until it stops,
then east and south to get it to the part of the wall where you can use it to
climb up.
Use the Palm Sigil on the next door to enter
What Ails You Kills You L2 Boss: Nightmare HP 500 / MP 180 Phantom Special
Attacks: Meteor level 3, Dark Chant, Curse
Prize: Grimoire Meteore (Warlock Spell, Meteor), Elixir of Dragoons
A master of Dark Elementals, the Nightmare is susceptible to Light affinity
attacks or Break Arts: try Spirit Surge, and weapons decorated with Angel
Pearls. There's no Enchanter spell to help you here but a Morlock Jet on your
shield can help defend against Dark spells.
Defeating Nightmare activates a Cloudstone in this room. You won't be attacked
between now and the next Save Point, so jump aboard to reach
Despair of the Fallen L3 There's nothing here but a door that re-enters the
Heretic's Story L3 on the upper balcony level. Just use the Cloudstone to cross
to the door marked Unknown and enter. If this door is still locked, that means
you haven't yet thrown the lever in Light And Dark Wage War on L2.
Where the Soul Rots Here you'll find an Elevator to the Atrium, L4. There's
nothing else for it...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Atrium, Great Cathedral L4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Magic Circle Save, save, save. Believe it or not, you've made it to the closing
scenes and the final boss, so now is the time to make all your last minute
preparations (using the teleport makes it easy). Another point to bear in mind
is that you should use all of your elixirs and your wines, and read all of your
Grimoires. When you're ready, climb the stairs.
If you're wondering why your save-file only shows 83% or thereabouts, that's
because the other sixth of the game -- those hidden areas behind Gold Keys and
Rood Inverses -- can only be accessed if you replay. And before you can do
that, you've got two small problems to overcome...
The Paling, Great Cathedral's dome Final Boss, part I: Guildernstern HP 500 / MP
??? Evil Special Attacks: Stun Cloud, Poison Mist, Degenerate, Tarnish, Last
Ascension
Edged weapons seem to have an advantage here. Your foe is intelligent enough to
resist harmful spells, so use Sorcery spells and forget about Warlock magic. If
Guildenstern runs out of magic - either you've stolen it, or the battle is
dragging on -- then he'll unveil his Last Ascension, a kind of Break Art
performed with the 'Holy Win' Damascus Rood blade he wields.
Final Boss, part II: Guildenstern, dark angel HP 700 / MP ??? Evil Special
Attacks: Degenerate, Tarnish, Psychodrain, Leadbones, Gravity, Judgment,
Apocalypse, Bloody Sin.
Talk about dropping you right back in it.
For starters, getting close to Guildenstern is hard enough: you need to stand
on the edge of the circle and be ready to squeeze in as much as possible when
he comes within range. It's pointless trying to chase him: the only chance you
will have of attacking him is when he moves in to attack you.
You might also assume that you're supposed to use a crossbow or long two-handed
weapon, but unless you have a low RISK and good protection (from a shield, say)
then the dark angel's major attacks will kill you outright. Once close enough,
you may find that most of your normal attacks start with little or no chance of
success, so this boss is hoping to lure you into using long chains to break
through his defences.
That's a very dangerous thing to do.
Well, there are a several tricks to employ here. The first is to stick to Break
Arts: find a couple that work, use a few before the target flies away and then
heal completely. Many cheaper Break Arts have a much longer range than the
weapons that produce them, so you can still pull off hits with any weapon you
wish to use. Keep your RISK at zero to maximise a Break Art's success and
damage.
If your chance to hit is so low that you really need to use chains, remember
that you probably have some fairly serious Vera items (Tonics, Potions,
Nostrums and Reagents) to kill any RISK immediately when you're done.
Another trick to this battle is to survive lots of hits. Some of Guildenstern's
big attacks seem to carry RISK: he's much easier to hit after a Bloody Sin has
failed to kill you, for instance. If you can keep your own RISK at zero while
his rises, your attacks will have greater success and damage. If you survive
long enough then it's even possible for him to run out of mana points, letting
you beat on him repeatedly when he's finished waiting to gather enough MP for
Degenerate and Tarnish.
THE BLOODY SIN Guildenstern won't use his biggest special attack until you've
reduced him by at least 25-50% damage. You'll get a warning before the Bloody
Sin special, as it involves some extra animation and switching cameras. Keep
your finger held on the L2 shortcut button and you'll notice that control is
briefly returned to you when the camera is overhead. Exploit this free moment
to use items that restore your HP to maximum and your RISK to zero, and for
heaven's sake equip a shield if you aren't using one.
When Guildenstern swoops down over the arena, it's also possible to target him:
you need to be standing on or near his flight path, and you also have to be
especially quick, or very adept at a 'frame-by-frame' advance with a sneaky use
of the L2 button (release and hold, release and hold). If you launch any attack
on him as he passes overhead, no matter how feeble, you'll interrupt his
concentration and cancel the Bloody Sin.
Even if you don't manage this, the Bloody Sin *is* survivable. It can be halved
or even reflected through defence abilities (see Alternative Tactics, below),
and if you're packing a shield then the difference is immense.
Other points to note: Piercing attacks are generally useless. You'll have a
much better time with a Blunt or Edged weapon. That goes for Break Arts as
well. Also, if you cast Herakles and Prostasia on yourself then you may
occasionally provoke Guildenstern into cancelling them with Degenerate or
Tarnish, rather than a more serious attack. Every little helps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternative Boss Tactics
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHANTOM PAIN Now here's a neat one. Fill out your remaining weapons inventory
with long-range weapons (crossbows, etc.) that have had their Phantom Points
maximised to 100+. When you get a shot at the dark angel, open a combo with
Phantom Pain (or keep it up until the Phantom Pain chain connects). Then equip
the next weapon, and repeat. 100+ damage per combo with each weapon through the
amassed damage of Phantom Pain will practically finish the job, no worries.
GUARDING AND REFLECTING HITS It is indeed possible to reflect the worst attacks
that the dark angel form of Guildenstern inflicts, but you need to choose the
right mode. Judgment (Light) and Apocalypse (Dark) are spells, so select
Reflect Magic or Shadowscale / Demonguard. The Bloody Sin is a special attack,
though, so use Reflect Damage or Impact Guard.
As it transpires, The Bloody Sin is actually easier to reflect than
Guildenstern's spells. The animation is long, true, but the timing to look for
follows Guildenstern's wings raining down blue spears of light. There'll be a
rumble on the paling, and the camera will suddenly zoom straight back down and
towards Ashley at high speed. The instant that the camera stops in Riot's face
is the moment to hit Impact Guard or Reflect Damage.
RAGING ACHE If Guildenstern hurts you bad then you're better placed to hurt him
back with a Raging Ache chain. Getting by on low hit points rather than
attempting to heal can, when used correctly, really enhance the damage you
inflict.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Epilogue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not over yet... When you finally deliver the killing blow, you'll be
treated to a real corker of a finishing sequence (engine cut-scene, I tell
ya...). You'll also get a rating, with game scores (the last boss will add 1%
to your completion rating) and some rather attractive concept art to admire
during the credits, too. Then you'll get the chance to save a Game Clear Data,
which allows you to start from scratch with almost all of your kit and your
stats intact, but with the chance of opening up that last sixth of the game.
The only things you'll be missing will be your Miscellaneous Items: all of
these will have gone. That's why it's important to use the elixirs and read the
Grimoires before you tackle Guildenstern.
============================================== 4. SECOND PLAY SECRETS
==============================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using the Rood Inverse
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Rood Inverse isn't a conventional key, so you won't find it on your
inventory. You'll need to follow the later cut-scenes to find out just what it
is.
(a) Town Centre West
From the Glacialdra Kirk Ruins in Town Centre West, you can take the Rood
Inverse gate to a new part of Undercity West. You won't be able to get far
until you possess the Iron Key and Silver Key too, however.
(b) Undercity West Path To The Greengrocer Lich
Crossroads of Rest Lich Lord Check in advance for a Gust Trap by the lamp-post.
This T-junction has exits that require either a Rood Inverse or an Iron Key.
The Iron Key leads to Path of the Children, while the Rood Inverse leads to
Corner of the Wretched Lich, Dark Skeletons Follow this dogleg around to reach
Beggars of the Mouthharp Dullahan The end of the corridor is locked with a Silver
Key. The door adjoins Sewer of Ravenous Rats, which you may remember from your
first play as a dead end.
Path of the Children When you can boast the Iron Key as well as your Rood
Inverse, you may head down to Shelter from the Quake in Escapeway.
(c) Escapeway
Shelter from the Quake Quicksilvers A Gold Key is required to enter Buried Alive,
while the Silver Key grants access to Movement of Fear. For now, take the open
passage to
Fear & Loathing Marid, Dao This is a locking trap room, and these fellows are
exactly as you met them in the Great Cathedral. Prize: Grimoire Avalanche,
Grimoire Flamme
Blood & The Beast Water Elemental You're advised to use Eureka, to search for
traps.
Where Body & Soul Part Quicksilver
Chest (magic lock): 'Bellini' (S) Double Blade plus Runkasyle, Vera Bulb x 5,
Elixir of Mages
Very dark room, this, but just keep targeting and cancelling until something
comes into range. Also, you might try looking around with first-person pause to
suss the location of enemies as they drop down onto you. When you're done here,
return to Shelter from the Quake and use the Silver Key to access
Movement of Fear Air Elemental
Facing Your Illusions Quicksilvers Cast Eureka to spot a Diabolos Trap.
The Darkness Drinks Earth Elemental Interestingly, the exit from here leads back
to a new part of Undercity West...
(d) Undercity West Where Flood Waters Ran If you've seen that inaccessible chest
in the Crumbling Market, I think this is the door you were hoping for...
The Crumbling Market Dullahans, Liches, Lich Lords Check with Eureka first:
you'll see that the Chest is surrounded by trap panels, and there's no Trap
Clear this time. As long as you've killed any enemies in the room who can reach
you, that's not necessarily fatal (see PLAYING TIPS, Traps). Jump across via
that central island, using Invigorate if necessary, and minimise damage by
jumping straight onto the trap in front of the Chest (fortunately, it's just a
Gust Trap).
Chest (unlocked): Agales' Chain, Elixir of Queens, Valens wine, Gold Key
You now have the Gold Key!
(e) In City Walls East, look for the room Train and Grow Strong at the southern
end. This room also has a Rood Inverse door that leads you the Snowfly Forest
East.
(f) Snowfly Forest East
Steady the Boar-Spears A paling blocks your Map for now. Can you hear a noise in
the Forest? Oh well, just carry on...
The Boar's Revenge Yep, definitely heard some kind of rumble... Just walk on
down this long green path.
Nature's Womb Boss: Damascus Crab 500 HP / 0MP Beast Special Attacks: Aqua Bubble,
Tidal Rush Prize: Platinum Key, Cure Tonic x 3
Oh, it's only a crab. And its specials haven't been upgraded either. This
Damascus version is mildly weaker against Fire spells and Blunt weapons, so
enchant your weapon with Spark Fusion and that 500 HP shouldn't take you more
than a few hits.
Chest (unlocked): Knight's Shield, Djinn Amber, Acolyte's Nostrum x 3
Hang on - I can still hear rumbling...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using The Gold Key
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(a) Escapeway Return to Shelter from the Quake and use your Gold Key to enter
Buried Alive Fire Elemental
Chest (unlocked): 'White Rose' (D) Bec de Corbin, Grimoire Grip, Grimoire
Radius (Warlock spell, Radial Surge), Grimoire Meteore (Warlock spell, Meteor)
(b) Limestone Quarry This Gold Key door is easiest reached by teleporting to The
Auction Block and heading east.
Companions in Arms Fire Elemental
Chest (unlocked): 'Death Sentence' (D) Executioner, Side Ring, Balvus & Beowulf
gems, Spiral Pole grip, Casserole Shield (D) plus Orlandu & Ogmius gems, Close
Helm (D), Plate Mail (D), Edgar's Earrings accessory, Grimoire Fleau (Sorcerer
spell, Curse)
(c) Undercity West To reach this Gold Key door, teleport to Sinner's Corner and
head east to Corner of Prayers.
Salvation For The Mother Lich Lord, Lich Cast Eureka to detect a Poison Trap by
the lamp-post.
The Body Fragile Yields Lich Lord There's another Gold Key door here, but it
merely joins up this section with other parts of Undercity West by opening onto
Tears From Empty Sockets. Head back to Salvation for the Mother and take the
other door to
Bite the Master's Wounds Death HP ??? / MP ??? Evil Special Attacks: accomplished
mages You'll find no less than two Deaths here, and you can always try running
through if you can't face them. You should look on these as uber-Lich-Lords,
pretty much, and use the same tactics of maintaining a Magic Ward and going for
physical damage rather than trying to outsmart them on the spellcasting front.
To improve your Physical damage, decorate your weapon grip with gems like Talos
Feldspar and Titan Malachite. Death can surrender some pretty hot Damascus
items.
WORKSHOP: Godhands Tools for Wood, Leather, Bronze, Hagane, Silver, Damascus The
ultimate workshop, empowering you to work with and combine any materials you
choose.
(d) The Keep Yes, there's a Gold Key door here too. It leads to Stair to the
Sinners in the Forgotten Pathway.
(e) Forgotten Pathway
Stair to the Sinners As it says.
Slaughter of the Innocent Damascus Golem 560 HP / 0 MP Evil Special Attacks:
Granite Punch
Prize: Cure Tonic x 3
Again, this fellow is weak versus Air and Blunt weapons. He really hasn't
learnt anything over his predecessors, so you won't have any problem here.
Lightning Bolt works well if you now have it, or use relevant Break Arts, but
mostly you're just toying with him. Then again, the prize is lousy.
The Oracle Sins No More Blood Lizards Cast Eureka to check for two traps. From
here you can go both east and west for two treasure rooms.
Awaiting Retribution Blood Lizard, Imps Chest (unlocked): Diadra's Earring
accessory, Ogmius gem, Elixir of Queens
The Fallen Knight Blood Lizard, Imps
Chest (unlocked): Kadesh Ring accessory, Orlandu gem, Elixir of Queens, Steel
Key
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Using the Steel Key and Platinum Key
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now that you have both the Steel Key and the Platinum Key, make your way
through the entirety of Iron Maiden B1 to the very bottom to use them. In
Hanging, you'll find a Steel Key door. Use this to enter Impalement.
You're also advised to check out the Secrets and Extras section to get an
insight into the ultimate rewards of the Iron Maiden B2. Last Crusaders with
Damascus weapons, no less...
Impalement Just drop down - although I'm not convinced there's a way up if you
do. The bottom door is locked with the Platinum Key, and once you enter here
then expect the Iron maiden's rule of no Magic Circles to persist until you
come out the other side. For that reason, make your inventory as empty as
possible before venturing inside.
Knotting Mini-boss: Wyvern Queen HP 700 / MP 0 Dragon Special Attack: Fire breath
Prize: Anemone Sigil, Elixir of Sages
On the surface, the Wyvern Queen appears to be strong versus everything. But
take a closer look at her stats and, as you'll suddenly appreciate, she's so
STUPID (an INT of 13!) that spells are super-effective. Just Warlock her up
until you've got her near death, then try out your weapons purely for the
potential bonuses. Direct Blunt weapons to her head, and Edged weapons to her
body and tail. Piercing weapons are at a general disadvantage.
When you're done, pass on through to...
Iron Maiden B2 There's some magical jamming going on that prevents you looking
at your map in this section. It'll all be clear when you surface.
The Eunic's Lot Shrieker HP 160 / MP 150 Evil, Special Attacks: Silence,
Psychodrain Much like her Quicksilver predecessor, the Shrieker moves fast and
attempts to use Sorcery spells on you before hitting you. She's weaker versus
Light, Fire and Air, but you really ought to be nailing her in the head with a
crossbow bolt or great sword before that becomes important. This is a locking
trap room, so there's no retreating once you're in.
Ordeal By Fire Dark Dragon HP 850 HP / MP 0 Dragon Special Attack: Poison Breath
Prize: Verbena Sigil, Elixir of Kings
The lack of Enchanter spells of relevance comes up again, but that doesn't mean
you can't cast Spirit Surge and fit your weapon with Angel Pearls. With the
Dragon weapon you must have by now, you could win this battle on physical
damage alone.
The Oven at Neisse This is where the warping tricks start again. Take either
side passage as you enter and you'll simply re-enter the same room from the
other side - there's wraparound, basically - so just head straight forward
(you're facing south as you enter).
Pressing Ravana HP 750 HP / MP 750 Human Special Attack: Heaven's Tear Prize:
Schirra Sigil This is a mechanical version of Kali, with a very fast weapon
strike special added to the ability list.
The Mind Burns Shriekers Again, this crossroads has sideways wraparound. Go
straight forward, but check for a Gust trap first.
The Rack Ogre More side-passage wraparound, so go straight forward to exit once
more.
The Saw Dragon Zombie HP 500 / MP 0 Undead Special Attack: Rot Breath, 'untitled'
(turns and swipes with tail - fart attack?) Prize: Marigold Sigil There's
something very odd going on with that 'untitled' special attack, but otherwise
this is a breeze. By now, you'll have a weapon versus Undead that will take
apart anything that moves without a pulse.
The Cold's Bridle Ogre There are no less than three traps to Eureka for in this
room, and the wraparound means that you should head forward once more.
The Shin Vice Ogre Zombie HP 620 / MP 120 Undead Special Attacks: Prize: Azalea
Sigil This once-ogre is still strong vs Blunt weapons, and can resist chain
combos after the first hit or two. Single hits, then, and am I glad I made Soul
Kiss into a silver Crescent axe before coming here...
Death HP ??? / MP ??? Evil Special Attacks: Thunderbolt, Gravity, Fire Storm THIS
IS IMPORTANT. Before you start running around, try to keep a grip on where you
came in. As there's no map, there's no red dot indicator either. When you're
done, you want to head out the way you haven't been yet. Even if you've met
Death, this room puts you at a disadvantage. While you're running around trying
to finish off the Ogre Zombie first, as is sensible, Death is teleporting all
over the shop and appearing just out of range of your weapon to cast spells
before you can react. As his spells are so powerful, my technique was the Magic
Ward one of maintaining anti-spell protection while using chains of Raging Ache
and Gain Magic to recoup that essential mana. I survived first time, so maybe
there's something in that.
The Spider Shriekers This time, you don't want to go straight forward. Each of
the two side rooms - Lead Sprinkler to the left and Squassation to the right -
is a treasure room with decent gear, so clear them out before taking the
straight-on route to The Strappado.
Lead Sprinkler Lich, Shriekers Chest (unlocked): Hoplite Helm (H), Mana Potion x
3
Squassation Lich, Shriekers Chest (unlocked): Hoplite Shield (H), Cure Potion x 3
The Strappado Lich Lord Let's establish a small format here. By entering from The
Spider, you come from the north entrance and are facing south. To take in all
of the rooms in Iron Maiden B2 so that you don't have to come here again, take
the last direction listed in every subsequent room description. East: Tablillas
South: Tongue Slicer West: Thumbscrews
Thumbscrews Lich Lord Coming from Strappado, you enter from the east. South:
Pendulum North: Brank West: Pendulum
Pendulum Lich Lord Check for one trap. Coming from Thumbscrews, you'll enter from
the east or the north. Bear that in mind before you leave Thumbscrews, to keep
your bearings. West: Brank North: Dragging
Dragging Check for one trap. Coming from Pendulum, you'll enter from the north
facing south. South: The Rack (don't go this way, or you'll start again) West:
Ordeal by Water East: Strangulation
Strangulation Lich Lord Coming from Dragging, you'll enter from the west facing
east. East: Tongue Slicer South: Ordeal by Water North: Tablillas
Tablillas Coming from Strangulation, you'll enter from the south facing north.
East: Tormentum Insomnia (this is the route to take if you want out NOW - skip
down to the entry) West: The Strappado (don't want to go there again) North:
Ordeal by Water
Ordeal by Water Coming from Tablillas, you'll enter from the south facing north.
North: Strangulation East: Dragging West: Tongue Slicer
Tongue Slicer Shriekers Check for one trap. Coming from Ordeal by Water, you'll
enter from the east facing west. West: Strangulation North: The Strappado South:
Brank
Brank Coming from Tongue Slicer, you'll enter from the north facing south. South:
Thumbscrews East: Pendulum West: Tormentum Insomniae
Tormentum Insomniae Ogre, Ogre Lord Coming from Brank, you'll enter from the east
facing west. West: Tablillas South: the Rack (Again, you don't' want to restart
from here) North: exit to Iron Maiden B3
Iron Maiden B3 The Iron Maiden Boss: Asura HP ??? / MP ??? Human Special Attacks:
Raven Eye, Caesar's Thrust, Heaven's Tear Prize: Tigertail Sigil, Cure Potion
I've got a really good tip for beating Asura, and that's the Sorcerer spell
Leadbones. Not only does this reduce her agility, it also dispels her Surging
Balm. And as she's so eager to keep restoring her Surging Balm, she'll waste
her time on that while you're getting in small hits. If you go for her legs and
try to wound them for a Movement 50% injury, she'll be so slow that you'll have
time to do whatever you want -- Break Arts and Heal, long chains and Vera -- in
order to finish her off.
Judgment You've entered this crossroads from the south. Instead of going
straight forward this time - which will take you back to the Keep, and to a
Magic Circle save point - check out the left and right side doors first for
treasure rooms.
St. Elmo's Belt Lich Lord Chest (unlocked): Hoplite Leggings (H), Hoplite Glove
(H), Elixir of Kings, Elixir of Queens
Dunking The Witch Lich Lord Chest (unlocked): Hoplite Armour (H), Hoplite Glove
(H), Elixir of Kings, Elixir of Queens
When you've seen both, go to the Keep and save first at the Warrior's Rest -
you don't want to waste all of that time and effort. Then you can go try out
all of the new Sigils you've acquired. Basically, they grant access to a number
of Time Trial boss battles in the various rooms that lead off from the Keep's
main corridor. On your first play, you could only get to see the Minotaur and
Dragon at best. Now you've got the lot.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Getting 100% Completion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Gazette feature under the Score Option will tell you how much of the game
you've explored, as a percentage. You can use the map menu here to consult just
how far you've explored in any area, and the obvious trick is to look for the
white spots of doors that don't lead onto new rooms. Those spots may also be
locked Gates or Doors marked with an ????.
Look, especially, for any minor unlockable areas that join different maps.
Using the Gold Key in Corner of Prayers in Undercity West, for instance, opens
up just two new staircases, but one is in Undercity West and the other is in
Abandoned Mines B2. Both areas are incomplete until you join them.
If that's all done, and you can't find any doors or passages you haven't taken,
then the chances are that you've missed a location or more in one of the areas
with warps: namely, Snowfly Forest and Iron Maiden B2. To be complete, your
maps for these areas need to show 26 areas and 22 rooms, respectively.
(ralf@ikari.dhs.org) has posted a very neat ASCII map of the Snowfly Forest's
warps on the GameFAQs Vagrant Story page. Nice one.
The last boss counts as the last 1%, so if you're already on 99% then the
chances are that you're not missing anything at all. When you've beaten him
after visiting every location in the game, you'll find the 04 'Wanderer in
Darkness' Title for 100% completion waiting for you on the Game Clear Data when
you next play.
Chasing down missing chests is more arduous: perhaps you didn't have the
inventory space to take any more gear, or you were missing a Chest Key at the
time, or maybe you reverted to an old save file and forgot to revisit a chest
you'd just opened. I've done all of these things in my time, so I've tried to
list the location, lock types and contents for all the chests in the game. The
Gazette feature under Score will let you know how near you are to finding all
the chests, and checking 100% of them grants you the (03) 'Treasure Hunter'
Title.
============================================== 5. PLAYING TIPS
==============================================
In response to some incredibly clueless pleas for help, this section includes
both basic and advanced playing tips and explanations of the game system. Have
a read anyway as - you never know - there might be something in here you
haven’t spotted yet.
----------------------------- (a) Attributes -----------------------------
STR (Strength) determines the amount of damage you inflict when attacking with
a melee weapon. It also influences how resistant you are to an enemy’s weapon
attacks, with higher STR reducing the amount of damage you take. STR can be
raised temporarily with the Herakles spell to increase damage, or reduced
temporarily with the Degenerate spell to decrease damage.
INT (Intelligence) determines the amount of damage you cause with magic.
Increasing your brainpower with Enlighten will temporarily raise the amount of
damage that your spells inflict, while Psychodrain will reduce your spell
damage.
AGL (Agility) is used to determine your speed and your jumping potential in the
platform elements of Vagrant Story, but also determines your chance to hit an
opponent in the menu-driven combat sections. (Yes, it’s one of those
Agility=Dexterity=Perception shortcuts that many RPGS, both paper-&-dice and
computer, often resort to for simplicity). If you increase your AGL with
Invigorate, your chance to hit an opponent with both melee weapons AND Warlock
spells will improve while making you more difficult to hit.
Besides the Sorcery spell enhancements, the items you choose to equip will
affect your attributes. Every weapon has its own STR that is added to yours for
the purposes of resolving attack damage, while a heavy suit of armour might
have a large minus value on its AGL that will slow you down slightly.
There are no ‘experience levels’ in Vagrant Story, but consuming certain items
(elixirs, wines) will raise your stats permanently by a few points, as will the
bonuses acquired after defeating a boss. These points will start to make a
considerable difference as they add up over the course of the game. Otherwise,
the way to improve your effectiveness rests in improving your equipment through
use.
----------------------------- (b) Weapon Types -----------------------------
This is the single biggest cause of new players feeling that the game’s too
hard, and they don’t have a clue about how to get around it. If you’re having
trouble hurting enemies then this is very likely the reason.
Not all weapons are the same, and there are three different types in Vagrant
Story. Some are Blunt, meaning that they have a flat face for smashing the
enemy; some are Edged, meaning that they have a sharp cutting edge for slicing
up the enemy; and some are Piercing, meaning that they stab the enemy with a
sharp point. All weapons fall into one of these three categories.
Your enemies will have varying resistances to these weapon types. Imagine
fighting a Skeleton: if you stabbed at it with a rapier, the point of your
blade would be likely to slip harmlessly through the gaps in its ribs. But if
you were to take a large club to its pelvis, the chances are that you’d shatter
its brittle bones. So, as expected, the Skeleton has a resistance to Piercing
weapons but is weak against Blunt weapons. And that, in a nutshell, is the
secret of the weapon Type Ratings. You need to find the right weapon for the
job.
So if you’ve been attacking enemies and finding that your chance of damage is
given as zero, the chances are that you need to try a different weapon type.
When starting out, therefore, you should try to carry a Blunt weapon, an Edged
weapon and a Piercing weapon so that you can try one if another isn’t having
much success.
Not all weaknesses are obvious. For instance, an enemy might be wearing chain
mail that you can’t actually see on their in-game representation. Chain mail is
very good at deflecting Edged blades, but a Piercing attack could find a hole
in the links through which to penetrate. That’s not something you’d guess when
trying to slice up an enemy with your sword. For this reason, you should learn
to use the Analyze spell so that you can read the enemy’s strengths and
weaknesses versus different weapon types directly. Until you get the Analyze
spell, trial and error is your best bet.
Weapon Type is the most important factor in resolving basic combat, and all of
the various creature-class and elemental affinity bonuses are just that:
bonuses, applied afterwards. That’s not to say you couldn’t eventually craft a
Skeleton-slaying rapier by magically enhancing it or improving it through use,
but if you’re starting out then these bonuses play a lesser role.
Of course, if everything you have is still unable to cause an iota of damage
then, especially early in the game, you may need to resort to attritional
combos and use some pretty desperate chain abilities to wear down your
opponent. See the Chain Abilities section for help with that. The support
spells of Sorcery are also incredibly useful for swinging the balance in your
favour.
----------------------------- (b) Elemental Affinities ---------------------------
--
There are seven ‘elements’ at work in Vagrant Story. To make sense of its
elemental modifier system, you need to look at it as a matter of attack versus
defence. The basic rule here is that every elemental attack is weak against
defence of the same type, strong versus defence of an opposite type and average
versus all else. The elements are:
Physical - a neutral attack Air - opposite of Earth Earth -
opposite of Air Fire - opposite of Water Water - opposite of
Fire Light - opposite of Dark Dark - opposite of Light
So if you come up against a Fire Elemental, a Water-based attack is the best
way to hurt him and douse his flames. When that Elemental strikes back, you
want a defence with the same elemental affinity as his attack (perhaps a shield
with a Fire-affinity gem attached to it, or the Enchanter spell ‘Pyro Guard’
active) to weaken the effectiveness of his assault.
Your equipped items will gradually accumulate elemental bonuses as you use
them, and these bonuses will improve the items with respect to the creatures
they’ve encountered most often. In effect, your items gain ‘experience’. So if
you repeatedly fought Fire Elementals with the same equipment then your weapon
would gradually acquire Water bonuses after successful attacks, but your armour
would pick up Fire bonuses from successfully deflecting fireballs.
----------------------------- (c) Enemy Thought Bubbles --------------------------
---
Even though they seem to sense your presence by casting Sorcery spells on your
arrival, not all enemies will spot you as soon as you enter a new area. With
some of the slower creatures (Zombie Mages, Skeletons resting as bone-piles)
it’s even possible to sneak up or charge them and attack before they see you.
You’ll know if a creature has spotted you and is planning to attack, as at this
point it will start to display the ellipsis ‘...’ thought-bubble cycle over its
head. When this thought-bubble turns to an exclamatory ‘!’ then it is ready to
attack and will do so as soon as you are in range. Your enemy will not be able
to attack again until it has cycled through its dot-dot-dot bubble to another
‘!’.
If you drop down into an area where a creature is already waiting below with a
‘!’ showing, and you happen to land within range of its attack, that creature
will automatically land the first blow.
(NB: while enemies will normally wait for Ashley to touch down before they
strike, Ashley can happily hit opponents as they sail through the air or drop
down from crates. It’s one of the built-in advantages of the game, and worth
exploiting if you haven’t already. Ashley needs to be on solid ground himself
before he can attack or cast spells or change weapons, so stay on terra firma
and let the enemy do all the leaping. You can go exploring later, and if Ashley
is struck while hanging from a ledge then he’ll be forced to let go).
You can actually lose an enemy by moving out its range of perception, and if
its route-finding fails to lead it to you within a few moves, the creature will
show a small ‘?’ over its head and stop for a moment. If you don’t turn up then
it may begin looking for you by following its own pattern of movement.
Along with the game’s engine-cut-scenes, the thought-bubble feature was
undoubtedly one of the reasons for those grossly inaccurate comparisons to
Konami’s Metal Gear Solid made by early previews. I fell for it, so I should
know.
----------------------------- (d) Line of Sight -----------------------------
Vagrant Story makes good use of its 3D environment, and you can occasionally
use this to your advantage.
If you take cover behind a wall or corner just as the enemy is about to strike
then an attack may be unable to reach you. Weapons will clang hopelessly
against stone, resulting in a MISS; Vulcan Lance spells will explode amid a
stack of boxes, fizzling out harmlessly. Multiple-Target spells will still
frazzle the entire area around you, though, so you’re not safe from every kind
of attack. And if you’re standing behind a wall but on a slope then it may not
be clear if the enemy’s attack can reach you or not.
A far more rewarding exploitation of this trick is to dodge behind an enemy and
use them as a living shield just as another enemy is about to attack. If you
get your position right, the attacker will strike and damage their colleague
with the attack intended for you.
The injured party will show a ‘\|/’ thought-bubble when this occurs, and it
indicates an undocumented status of Confusion. Confused enemies react normally
with regard to themselves (casting Heal or Sorcery spells as usual) but if they
attack then they become less discerning in their choice of target. They’ll
still aim for you if you’re within range, but if not then they will happily
attack their allies instead. Judicious use of this trick can lead to some
amusing in-fighting, as you stand back and watch Lea Monde’s finest gouging
holes in each other...
This system works both ways, so if you’re in a tight situation and there are
two enemies in a line in front of you then you may not be able to hit the rear
enemy, even though their body locations are given as viable targets. If one
enemy is obscuring your line-of-sight on the next then they will take the hit
intended for their ally in the rearguard.
----------------------------- (e) Status Ailments -----------------------------
Enemies will try to react intelligently to status ailments, either on you or on
them, but there are a few loopholes in their AI that you can learn to exploit.
For instance, creatures that use Silence will abandon spellcasting after
Silencing you, as they know this will cancel your Silent status. Spellcasters
are the most powerful enemies in the game, so they will view the maintaining of
your Silent status as a priority. All you need to do, then, is Paralyse them
physically with the Paralysis Pulse chain. This denies them their only
alternative course of action, and effectively befuddles them into doing
nothing. You’ll see them stumbling backwards, ‘!’ thought-bubble at the ready
as they wait for the Paralysis to wear off but don’t know what to do in the
meantime.
Likewise, if you’re Poisoned, Paralysed or Numbed by an enemy that’s desperate
to see its major attack take effect then they may keep trying the same attack
after you counter it. So restore yourself and squeeze in an extra attack every
time they try it on.
Creatures with Sorcery spells often like to keep the odds in their favour. So
if, for instance, you hit them with Degenerate or Tarnish, then often they’ll
keep trying to counter it with repeat castings of Herakles or Prostasia on
themselves. This wastes their time and their MP, and stops them turning their
attention to hitting you. Even when this technique fails then, at worst, you’ll
be hit by an enemy whose equipment or attributes have been reduced in power.
----------------------------- (f) The Spoils of War -----------------------------
Enemies often have lots of great kit that you can steal by killing them. But if
you’re after a specific item that they’re carrying, the surest way to obtain it
is to repeatedly target the body location to which that equipment is attached.
Perhaps you’d like the weapon that they’re carrying? Then try to kill them by
attacking the arm in which they’re holding that weapon. The basic probabilities
for item acquisition rest on attacking the following locations with deadly
force:
Right Arm - equipped weapon, right arm armour Left Arm - equipped shield,
left arm armour (equipped weapon for left-handed enemies) Head - head
armour, accessory Chest / Body - body armour, items from all adjacent locations
Legs - leg armour
This isn’t a guaranteed system, and you can often win unexpected items that
were nowhere near the location you targeted. All it does is positively
influence the probability of you getting the item you wanted, rather than
determine it. Bear in mind that there’s also a probability of you winning a
rare item associated with that creature, rather than anything you can see on
them. Getting the item you really want may take many, many fights, so there’s a
lot of luck involved too.
In some areas, the items you win will be predetermined. In the first three
levels of the game, for example, all of your wins are pre-scripted by the level
designers.
If the enemy only has one or two pieces of equipment attached, you might as
well hit them anywhere you please. The limited choice of booty you can win
greatly increases the chance of the prize being exactly what you were after, by
default, so you might as well get the job done quickly and keep fighting them
until it turns up.
----------------------------- (g) Traps -----------------------------
TRAPS CANNOT KILL YOU. At worst you will be reduced to 1 HP, although that can
be enough to introduce the risk of death in a room with at least one enemy left
alive.
Being killed by a bat you hadn't noticed would be bad enough. It would be more
embarrassing still if, in an empty room, you were reduced to 1 HP and then fell
into a river / hole / abyss for the loss of 20 HP... Traps can also be
reactivated by jumping up and down on them, so for both of these reasons it's
safer to walk off a trap rather than jump to be sure of getting clear.
To spot traps in advance, spend an Eye of Argon item or cast the Sorcery spell,
Eureka. Using either of these methods will reveal the room's traps to all
occupants, though, so note that some traps can snare enemies too.
Traps attack with an elemental affinity, so your armour bonuses will be taken
into account for the final damage total. That includes any Enchanter spells you
might have active at that time.
TRAP EFFECT Gust Air affinity attack Inferno Fire
affinity attack Terra Thrust Earth affinity attack Freeze Water
affinity attack Death Vapour Light affinity attack Diabolos Dark
affinity attack Eruption Physical affinity attack
Poison Trap Causes "Poison" status Paralysis Trap Causes "Paralysis" status
Curse Trap Causes "Curse" status
Heal Panel Restores HP, reduces RISK to zero Cure Panel Cancels
Poison, Numbness and Paralysis status Trap Clear De-activates all trap
panels in the room
----------------------------- (h) Interface Options -----------------------------
THE STATUS SCREEN The options available under this sub-menu are woefully
undocumented, and you may have been playing the game at a disadvantage by not
understanding just how much helpful data it can provide.
When you first call up the screen, you'll see Ashley and his basic stats
displayed. You can use the D-pad to move the arrow cursor from entry to entry
for extra information on what each particular stat means.
As shown, pressing the SQUARE button calls up some status info on creature-
class and elemental affinities. You can keep pressing the SQUARE button to
cycle through the available lists.
But if you press the CIRCLE button instead, you'll get a list of Ashley's
equipped items. Select any one of these with the arrow cursor and you can cycle
through the individual status screens with the SQUARE button. Aside from the
useful Creature / Element / Type details, do you see those + and - signs at the
end of each entry? These figures tell you all of the bonuses acquired since you
last saved or swapped items, with overall pluses shown in blue and losses shown
in orange. If you really want to keep track of the progress of your items, this
is where to check.
You can use the X button to backtrack out of both of these modes.
But here's the piece de resistance. Whenever you enter a new room, call up the
Status screen and use L1 & R1 to cycle. All of the monsters in that room are
instantly revealed and displayed. If you wish, you can immediately check the
items they're carrying by using the CIRCLE button. Successfully using the
Analyze spell merely fills in the ??? entries with firm details, enabling you
to check creature status info on elemental / type rating defences with the
SQUARE button, or individual equipment info with the CIRCLE button followed by
status info cycling.
For extra fun, you can hold the L2 collar button and use the directional pad to
manipulate the 3D representation of the creature shown, whether that's Ashley
or his enemies. It works just as it does in the Encyclopedia.
THE SHORTCUT MENU Access by holding L2, this is one of the finest and most
intuitive pad shortcut menus I've seen since Secret of Mana's 'torus' GUI. The
full menu will fill in as you acquire new options, and after a while your hands
will learn to find the desired sub-menu without
With judicious use of the L2 button, you can also achieve a pseudo-'frame-by-
frame' advance in the heat of battle. Hold L2 while an enemy's attack
----------------------------- (i) Miscellaneous -----------------------------
STAT ROULETTE When you beat a major boss, you’ll be given the chance to increase
your stats with a little lottery wheel of possible upgrades. Simple HP bonuses
are most common, with high STR, INT and AGL modifiers being rarest. As soon as
you can read it when the wheel starts to turn, look at the second prize to roll
down through the window. If it’s something you wouldn’t mind having, start
jamming on the button immediately for all you’re worth and you’ll get it.
Likewise, if it’s completely undesirable, you should let the wheel roll on a
little before you press. It would seem that the bonus highlighted in the window
when you press really is the one you get, but being able to pick out a good one
at such high speed is no better than sheer luck.
DISC TROUBLE Vagrant Story has an enormous disc index to contend with, so if
your PlayStation is extremely old and has seen some bruisingly lengthy sessions
in that time then you may encounter occasional hitches as the head searches and
searches again for the precise track that it needs. Those tiny orbiting sparks
you see when you initiate a Break Art or spell are an effect to cover the disc
access times, and it's here that you're most likely to see the game pause for
an extra second or two while the read head has another go. It's NOT a bug or
code glitch, but a direct result of your hardware seeing *way* too much use
over the years, so give it a chance to catch up and it will. If you've taken to
standing your PS on its side occasionally to see games run more smoothly*
(which may mean that the rack-&-pinion needs some lithium grease) then this
applies to you. Hey, it's better than having to swap discs just to teleport to
old areas...
*(For the record, my original Japanese SCPH-1000 series Serial A is still in
good working order: but I wasn't entirely surprised by PS2's supposedly
innovative vertical / horizontal dual mode, as I've been doing that for
years...)
============================================== 6. WEAPONS
==============================================
Getting to know your weapons intimately is the mark of a successful
Riskbreaker, and this 'technical' side of gameplay carries more tactical weight
in Vagrant Story than in most of Square's recent RPGs.
--------------------- (a) BLADE ATTRIBUTES ---------------------
WEAPON STR When you arm yourself with a weapon, its STR, INT and AGL values are
added to your own for the purpose of resolving combat. So the relative
powerfulness of a weapon is determined by its attributes -- the higher they
are, the better.
STR determines your base damage for melee combat, so the stronger the weapon,
the more damage it will cause. As you progress, you'll discover that 'better'
weapons are those that start with a higher STR value.
WEAPON INT Your capacity for magical damage rests on your INT, and some weapons
have better INT ratings that will improve your spellcasting potential. The
staff, especially, is designed to be used by budding wizards.
WEAPON AGL Your AGL determines your attack speed (among other things) so you'll
find that heavier weapons have a lower AGL - which may even be negative for
very slow, cumbersome hammers and the like - while faster, lighter daggers can
actually improve your combat AGL.
WEAPON RISK As weapon designs improve to deliver greater STR or longer range,
the pay-off is always a higher RISK rating for the blade. Every time you strike
with a weapon, the amount added to your RISK bar will correlate directly to the
RISK of the weapon you're using.
Keeping a low RISK is key to surviving the tougher battles by making sure the
odds don't work against you. Even on replay, when you might seem nigh-
invulnerable to weaker foes, a RISK of 100 will amplify enemy damage and turn
ordinary attacks into unexpected killers. Later in the game you'll have a
better grasp of how to control your RISK, but if you like to use chains at an
early stage then it's safer to stick with a low-calibre weapon than to double
or triple the RISK for the sake of a few extra points of STR.
-------------------------- (b) WEAPON TYPE --------------------------
As for the kinds of weapon you designate, the Type rating is far more important
than you may initially realise. All creatures and armoured foes will have a set
resistance to various types of weapon. At the start of the game, when your
weapons have no exceptional bonuses, Type carries even more importance in
dealing damage than creature-class and elemental affinities put together.
There are three Type ratings for weapons: Blunt, Edged, and Piercing. Blunt
weapons rely on bludgeoning foes for damage; Edged weapons cut through the
enemy; and Piercing weapons rely on the focus of energy on a sharp point to
deliver a puncturing attack.
In short: if you draw a weapon against a foe and suddenly discover a prospect
of zero damage or 0% chance of hitting, the chances are that you're using the
wrong Type of weapon. Try swapping to a different weapon type, even if you've
dedicated that weapon to fighting a different class of creature, and see if
it's suddenly better against that creature. Eventually, you may discover that
you need to nurture a different Type of weapon against the class of creature
you're fighting. The workshop can help here, letting you turn a rapier with
Phantom bonuses into a hammer, and so on.
---------------------------- (c) EXPERIENCE FOR WEAPONS --------------------------
--
While Ashley Riot doesn't gain experience in any conventional RPG sense, his
equipment does. The more you use a particular item, the better it gets at its
job.
The most important rule in Vagrant Story is that you should never discard
anything you've used successfully. Instead, upgrade it and reforge it when the
opportunity presents itself. The central principle of the game's system is that
everything you equip will improve with use, so an old bronze helmet that's been
through the wars will offer more head protection than a brand new iron one
you've just discovered. This is where the Workshops come in: by combining that
old bronze helmet with the iron one, you'll create a brand new helm in superior
hagane alloy that will boast the strengths of the iron and the accumulated
experience of the bronze.
The way that the experience system works is very simple. If your bronze helm is
frazzled by a fireball, its resistance to fire stands a chance of increasing.
This would equate to an increase of +1 in its Fire statistic, but may also lead
to a decrease in a different statistic. When such changes occur, they are
displayed in the lower left corner: a blue message indicates a stat increase,
while an orange message reports a stat drop. You can disable this Weapon Status
display in the Options menu.
BASIC WEAPON DEDICATION The simple version of this tactic is to choose a weapon
that you'll use solely and exclusively against a particular class of creature,
then stick with it. In other words, reserve a weapon that's solely for use
against Humans; carry a different weapon that's solely for use against Beasts;
and so on. Perhaps you'll decide, early on, that the Rapier makes a great
zombie-bursting tool: in which case, stop to equip the Rapier whenever you
fight zombies or any other form of Undead creature. By doing so, you put that
weapon on the fast track to becoming a zombie-slayer, accumulating bonuses
against all creatures in the Undead class and improving its performance
dramatically. This can mean a lot of fiddling with your inventory in areas with
mixed class foes - personally, I'm not averse to swiping the odd zombie with a
dragon-spear for the sake of an easy life - but if you're reasonably diligent
then you'll soon establish an arsenal of powerful and dedicated weaponry.
The other bonuses you'll start to clock up are those of elemental affinity. In
the Wine Cellar, for instance, you'll be hitting both Silver Wolves and Bats.
Bats have an Air affinity, being weak versus Earth, while Silver Wolves are
Dark-aligned with a weakness to Light. So while both will give up Beast
bonuses, you'll also get Earth+1 / Air-1 and Light+1 / Dark-1 bonuses attaching
themselves to your weapon too.
Such bonuses for weapons are only possible on the first hit of an attack, and
subsequently chained moves will not accumulate any further bonuses. So if you
want to advance a weapon quickly, stick with single hits instead of combos.
ADVANCED WEAPON DEDICATION It's also possible to 'double up' quite efficiently,
so that you can get a weapon to be effective against more than one class of
creature, and the way to do that efficiently is to consult the Quick Manual on
the relatively 'safe' gaps between class affinities. Essentially, the best
combinations are Human and Phantom, Beast and Dragon, Undead and Evil. Instead
of having six different weapons, you could try to get by with three. If this is
hurting your head then that's all you need to know, and you can move on now.
Although this is explained in the Quick Manual, it doesn't really tell you how
to exploit it. I've got more space available to me than the poor manual writer,
though, so here goes.
When you win a bonus of +1 on your equipment through use, there's also a chance
of a -1 being applied to another of the equipment's attributes. With the
elemental modifiers, that's easy to guess. If you get a Fire +1, then a Water -
1 is most likely to balance it out. But with creature classes, there's a more
complex system of priorities. It looks like this, and you're welcome to pull
faces of anguish at this stage.
EVIL-> HUMAN-> BEAST-> UNDEAD-> PHANTOM-> DRAGON-> EVIL-> HUMAN->...
Say you've got a Dragon-slaying weapon. That means for every time you get a +1
against Dragons, any -1 modifiers are mostly likely to come from the next
immediate classes in the list, in that order of priority. Here, Evil follows
the Dragon so that means Evil is the class most likely to get a -1 for every
Dragon +1. Human is next most likely to see a -1, and so on. (This list
actually wraps around, too, so Beast, Undead and Phantom would follow after
Human). Go check against your weapons now and see how it's already worked on
your gear.
To take advantage of this, you could actually use one weapon against two
creature classes. Now, if you used your Dragon-slayer to kill Dragons then your
weapon's Phantom affinity would hardly ever be affected. But every time you
then killed a Phantom, you'd almost always be losing Dragon points. So you need
to balance out the probabilities to find the classes that least interfere with
each other.
In this instance, the Dragon-slayer could happily deal with Beasts too and only
occasionally would you lose some of your hard-fought points. An Evil weapon
could be doubled to fight Undead, and a Phantom weapon could be doubled for
Humans.
In the long term, this system is *slightly* slower than creating weapons
dedicated solely to one class, as sometimes you will exchange points between
the two classes. Also, your weapon's elemental affinities will advance more
slowly because of the broader range of creatures you're attacking. Then there's
the issue of gem attachment, that reintroduces the menu-fiddling you might have
been hoping to avoid... Nevertheless it's something to consider, especially if
you're fed up with weapon-swapping or want to free up your inventory for
greater carrying capacity.
---------------------- (d) EQUIPMENT TITLES ----------------------
When looking at the information on weapons or items you possess, you might have
seen some described, variously, as a "Knightly Weapon" or "Prestigious Shield".
To understand this, look at the stats that the item possesses. The rule that
governs an item's calibre or 'title' is determined by the two highest values it
can boast in either creature class or elemental affinity. Both values need to
reach the next plateau to advance: so you might have a weapon that has almost
100 vs Human-class opponents, but perhaps the next-highest value in either
creature-class or elemental attributes is 55. This would still mean you have no
more than a Warlord's Weapon, because the secondary factor is still only in the
50-59 range. It's only when these attributes jointly achieve a certain minimum
attribute level that an item's fame or 'title' is allowed to advance.
Minimum Attributes Title Below 10 Weapon / Shield / Armour
10 to 19 Warrior's Weapon / Shield / Armour 20 to 29
Knightly Weapon / Shield / Armour 30 to 39 Prestigious Weapon /
Shield / Armour 40 to 49 Brave Weapon / Shield / Armour 50 to 59
Warlord's Weapon / Shield / Armour 60 to 69 Champion's Weapon /
Shield / Armour 70 to 79 Glorious Weapon / Shield /Armour 80 to
89 Legendary Weapon / Shield / Armour 90 to 99
Supreme Weapon / Shield / Armour above 99 Divine Weapon / Shield
/ Armour
The two highest values can be drawn from either creature class or elemental
affinity, so a Glorious Weapon could be Dragon 76 / Fire 71, or Dragon 76 /
Beast 71, or Fire 71 / Light 76, and so on.
------------------------ (e) CHOOSING WEAPONS ------------------------
Picking the right weapon for the job is never easy to predict when you first
pick up Vagrant Story. By way of example, a mental association with frilly
duelling shirts and bodkins meant that I made the mistake of reserving a Rapier
for use against Phantoms, and only later did I discover that I was
inadvertently hindering myself. I've compiled the following to help you avoid
my mistakes, but please bear in mind that it inevitably includes a certain
measure of personal taste, too. If you want to use a dagger when I've
recommended a two-handed sword, look at the advantages and disadvantages
entailed. As long as you understand the factors involved, your choice should
hopefully be as informed as it is personal.
HUMAN CLASS WEAPONRY The majority of human-class opponents wear additional
pieces of armour, so Blunt weapons enjoy many advantages here. On the other
hand, you'll be fighting more human-class opponents than anything else, so for
this class it's more important to pick a comfortable weapon that you really
enjoy using. My own attachment to Fandango meant that, bar an upgrade to
Hagane, I stuck with it for the entire game and eventually beat Asura with it.
Recommended Gems: Haeralis, Orlandu Recommended Accessories: Titan's Ring, Lau
Fei's Armlet
BEAST CLASS WEAPONRY The majority of beasts are skin and fur, and the first
creatures you meet will be susceptible to Edged and Piercing weapons. The
armoured shells of Crabs are weak versus Blunt weapons but your most testing
Beast battles will be against Ogres and Ogre Lords, whose leathery hides
possess a natural resistance to Blunt weapons, so that's another reason to
stick with the other types. Recommended Gems: Orion, Ogmius Recommended
Accessories: Swan Song, Pushpaka
UNDEAD CLASS WEAPONRY Piercing weapons deal well with reanimated flesh, but a
Blunt weapon exhibits bone-shattering power against skeletons. You'll also meet
zombie versions of creatures from the other classes on occasion, so there's no
perfect choice. Since the Dead Who Walk tend to do so quite slowly, you can be
sure of getting near enough to use a close-quarter sword or dagger. Silver
weapons come with automatic bonuses against Undead: I used the early find of
the Soul Kiss dagger and honed it on zombies, later reforging it into a more
powerful type of silver blade. Recommended Gems: Iocus, Balvus Recommended
Accessories: Rood Necklace, Edgar's Earrings, Cross Choker
PHANTOM CLASS WEAPONRY Generally speaking, Piercing weapons are the most
ineffectual against Phantoms (some kind of ectoplasmic property, no doubt).
Their ability to materialise in and out of range similarly rules out very short
daggers, unless you want to do a lot of running around. But this class includes
Elementals, whose attacks are magical in nature, so you should still lean
towards one-handed weapons that would allow the simultaneous use of a shield
decorated with protective gems. Consider an intelligence-boosting staff to help
you engage in magical battles: granted, it's a low-STR club, and difficult to
chain for physical attacks, but the INT-boost is a good defensive measure.
Recommended Gems: Trinity, Beowulf Recommended Accessories: Ghost Hound, Rune
Earrings, Beaded Anklet
DRAGON CLASS WEAPONRY If you want to get into the dragon-slaying business on a
professional level, you can't beat a scale-piercing spear or two-handed sword.
Reach is very important if you want to be able to locate weak spots other than
the head, and the dragon will make every effort to stay facing you. Build up
your blade by practising on the copious numbers of Lizardmen, as you'll only
meet dragons in a boss capacity. Since Lizardmen can't use spells or special
attacks, a shield is less important anyway. Recommended Gems: Dragonite
Recommended Accessories: Dragonhead, Faufnir's Tear
EVIL CLASS WEAPONRY The majority of Evil creatures you'll meet will be able to
fly or teleport, so the extreme range of a crossbow can prove useful here. To
take on more fearsome creatures, such as those suits of animated armour from
the Dullahan upwards, a stronger melee weapon and shield combination needs to
be invested in too. Look for a good sword or hammer to complement the crossbow,
or you'll be rendered ineffectual towards the end of the game. Recommended Gems:
Demonia, Angel Pearl (for Dark enemies only) Recommended Accessories: Agales'
Chain, Rune Earrings, Balam Ring
---------------------- (f) WEAPON CATEGORIES ----------------------
DAGGERS The advantages of the dagger reside in its speed, its friendly agility
modifiers and its low RISK. This class of weapons actually encompasses all
forms of short blade, up to short swords: only a few are genuine Piercing
weapons, with heavier blades featuring a curve or hook and thus counting as
Edged weapons. The payoff, as you can guess, is that the range remains
resolutely short, and this can greatly reduce the choice of hit location when
trying to catch up with a fast opponent.
Nevertheless, more advanced designs like the Khukuri and the Baselard also
offer extreme weapon STR and damage potential, even though the base RISK
remains consistently at 1 (even the Stiletto and Jamadhar, the most powerful
daggers, have a base RISK of only 2). This makes them more agreeable for long
chain combos.
SWORDS The stalwart sword is likely to be the weapon of choice for some players,
allowing the simultaneous use of a shield for a balanced measure of offence and
defence. With later grips providing spaces for up to three gems, this set-up
can really benefit the player who enjoys using both magic and fighting skills
in combination.
There's a definite Eastern bent to Vagrant Story's one-handed swords -
literally - as most of them feature the innovation of a curved blade to focus
the force of the cut at the point of contact (historically, many European
designs had straight edges with a tapered point for 'cut and thrust'). The
Rapier appears to be the only form of Piercing sword in the game, but if you
fancy sticking with one for its unique bonuses against certain creatures then
your own increase in strength will gradually overcome the shortfall in the
blade itself.
AXES & MACES The reason for grouping both weapon types in this category is that
they share the same grips, to which you may fit either Blunt or Edged heads. As
with the sword, these one-handed weapons allow the use of a shield for both
offence and defence in equal measure. If you had to choose between sword or
mace and axe, the difference would rest not just on the attributes of the
available blades and grips but also in the usefulness of the various Break Arts
against your intended foes.
STAVES The purpose of the staff is to improve your spell-casting ability by
raising your intelligence rather than your strength. It's your opportunity to
play a proper wizard rather than the warrior-mage that sums up Ashley's normal
disposition.
To act the part, you should also look to equip other items that improve your
intellect. Look for accessories with a high INT rating, and also keep an eye
out for gems like Hellraiser, Polaris, Manabreaker and the myriad high
elemental gems with an INT boost of 6. The bonus of higher intelligence means
that a staff also provides magical *defence* as well as offence, so it can be
worth taking a bit of time to cultivate one. By the time you come to replay,
you'll be hurling stronger fireballs than Ifrit can muster.
The physical strength of a staff is lousy, by way of balance, but you can still
improve its performance dramatically by building it up against enemies. It's
remarkably tricky to combo at first, thanks to some very sudden and unexpected
timings attached to its animations, but in the context you should never perform
more than single hits or short special effect chains anyway (Gain Magic can be
useful when the Drain Magic spell is unavailable or ineffective). RISK is a
real probability-killer, so you want to keep it in single figures to maximise
your potential for offensive Warlock spells. On the other hand, note that
Sorcery and Shaman spells thrive on RISK.
GREAT SWORDS This category of two-handed weapon covers everything from the
Scottish Claymore to the Japanese Nodachi, but straight-edged European designs
are predominant. In exchange for the loss of your shield, you gain the
advantage of superior range and immense damage. That extra reach can mean the
difference between being hit by a killer spell and being able to cut down a
materialising Lich Lord before he can open his gob, so the best tactic for
using this weapon is to adopt a 'first strike' mentality. The slow attack rate
can make it less intuitive to combo for long periods, but the principle here is
that you shouldn't need more than a few hits to slay anything.
GREAT AXES Much the same goes here as for Great Swords. An occasional advantage
is that the Runkasyle, Bhuj Type and Elephant grips have slightly better Edged
or Blunt ratings over the sword's Side Ring and Power Palm hilts. It can be a
less agile weapon than the Great Sword, by way of pay-off.
HEAVY MACES If you thought one-handed maces were fun, wait till you have a swing
on these stars. This class culminates in the deadly Destroyer, which is as much
fun as you can have with a big stick (unless you manage to swipe a Minotaur's
club - consult the Secrets and Extras section for details on how to do this).
Although the game's descriptions portray many of these hammers as being
effective against armour, that's a little misleading: it really depends on the
armour, and whether it's weak or strong versus Blunt attacks, rather than the
blade itself. There are plenty of armour and shield types designed to withstand
Blunt attacks.
POLEARMS Range is the selling point of the polearm. It gives you a full choice
of enemy hit locations from a long distance, and you should be able to polish
off most enemies before they can get near enough to raise their weapons. With
only slightly less reach, the damage is also more respectable than the
crossbow. Fortuitously, there's none of the real-world drawback of wielding
space either (consider a man with a dagger standing one step away from a man
with a polearm - who'd win, do you think?). These melee weapons are also useful
against large bosses, with practically every dragon in the game having a weak
spot versus Piercing that the polearm is best placed to find. It's not exactly
a magical weapon, and pole grips tend to be short on gem slots in comparison
with other classes, leaving you with little beyond the brute force of the
blade. That's often sufficient to get the job done, though sometimes you'll
wish you'd been carrying a shield.
CROSSBOWS This projectile weapon possesses an extreme range that is balanced by
its low damage potential and high base RISK. Crossbows are remarkably easy to
combo, though, and one way to exploit them is to use them for special effect
chains where damage isn't the priority - silencing or paralysing enemies, for
instance - before you move in with a melee weapon. Different models of crossbow
will fire either Piercing bolts or Blunt bullets, so it's important to find a
grip with ammunition that matches the attack type of the 'blade'. If you're
about to upgrade a crossbow through combination, move the cursor up to the
result beforehand to check that you're not about to create something for which
you don't possess an advantageous grip. This reflects the historical difference
between crossbows that were used to hunt game (the 'prodd', or stone-bow,
wouldn't tear huge holes when you wanted the fur) and those that were used to
hunt people (a pointed steel tip could punch through armour).
UNARMED COMBAT This is incredible fun for the accomplished player, rather than a
serious combat option, but still worth investigating when you've mastered your
core arsenal. There's nothing quite like smacking a dragon in the jaw and
seeing it collapse, or humiliating thousands of years of esoteric magical
wisdom by dropping a Lich with a gut-punch, to prove to yourself that you've
beaten the game.
Martial Art attacks rely on bare fists, and you won't gain any class or
affinity bonuses for your hands by using them, so advancement is purely a
matter of scoring kills to earn those Break Arts. The fastest way to do this,
therefore, is to return to the early levels - Wine Cellar, Catacombs etc. - and
to start duffing up bats, wolves and zombies (when starting out, a cheap blast
of Heal magic will soften up Undead opponents for a quick killer punch). The
advantage of your hands remaining 'neutral' is that you won't even need to swap
weapons for this task. Martial Arts moves are just as effective when carried
out with a shield equipped, as your left hand will simply pummel the victim
with the shield's blazon.
SHIELDS Not strictly a weapon, but it enjoys more active use than the rest of
your armour. It's easy to underestimate the value of a shield when you see the
damage attached to those big two-handers, but the difference it can make is
phenomenal. Like weapons, shields improve through use: so if you stick with one
and let it soak up the fractures and fireballs of a hundred battles, perhaps
reworking it or upgrading it occasionally to take advantage of some new item's
positive modifiers, you'll end up with a shield that can deflect the lightning
of the gods themselves.
When you cast a spell on yourself in Battle Mode, the shield's bonuses will
count against you. If you happen to have a Manabreaker equipped, that means
there's a 20% chance of your own spell failing to affect you. Your best bet is
to disarm and cast the spell, but this isn't always possible in the heat of
battle. In such circumstances, using an item with the same effect as the spell
would be the surest course of action.
A point about gems intended for shield use. For one thing, the modifiers for
gems like Manabreaker and Nightkiller don't seem to be cumulative when doubled
or tripled up, as you might expect. A Shield with three Manabreakers still
seems to possess only a 20% chance of a causing a spell to miss (and in
practice, it seems like far more than four in five spells cast by enemies hit
their mark: but when *you* really need a Heal spell to take effect on yourself,
and can't afford to let your shield drop, sure enough...). One way to counter
Manabreaker's -20% is to have a Hellraiser gem (+20% spell success) equipped to
your weapon: I'm not keen on this technique, though, as both Hellraiser and
Manabreaker possess lousy stat increases for the space they take up. When your
shield is powerful enough, do away with Manabreaker and find something better
to put in its place.
============================================== 7. RISK
==============================================
Admittedly, RISK is an odd game concept. The premise is that if you spend a
long time attacking one enemy with chain combos or defence abilities, you'll
have spent your concentration and will have less focus for dealing with further
attacks or defending against other enemies present. But in reality it's more of
an artificial balancing mechanism for the idiosyncratic combat system, to
ensure that you can't afford to just rattle off chains indefinitely. The more
you try to fit into each attack by using battle abilities, the less effective
you become in subsequent attacks.
So the clever fighter learns when to use RISK moves and when not. If you've
found the game incredibly tough without knowing why, the chances are that
you've been letting your RISK run riot by assuming that it's all about chaining
hits. It is not.
Low RISK: chance to hit is greater. Damage done is greater. Enemy chance to hit
is lower. Enemy damage done is lower. This applies to Warlock spells, Special
Attacks and Break Arts for both sides as well as ordinary melee combat. (NB the
chance of success for both Sorcery spells and Shaman spells is *lower*,
however).
High RISK: chance to hit is reduced. Damage inflicted is reduced. Enemy chance
to hit is higher. Enemy damage done is higher. This applies to spells, Special
Attacks and Break Arts for both sides as well as ordinary melee combat. (NB the
chance of success for both Sorcery spells and Shaman spells is *higher*,
however).
The solution is to restrict yourself to single hits and short combos. If you
can't seem to hurt the enemy with normal attacks, check first that you're using
the right weapon type for the job. If you read the Chain Abilities tips then
you'll find a few pointers for causing more damage against tough creatures.
Using long chains is a fighting style rather than a necessity, so don't assume
you can't avoid a high RISK. Use long chains only when your enemies are weak,
or if you think you have a chance of finishing off the main opponent by
persevering with the chain you've initiated. Breaking down your combos is
another technique: RISK starts to accumulate additionally through
'persistence', so two six-hitters will incur less RISK than one 12-hitter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (a) USING AND REDUCING RISK
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
USE YOUR VERA ITEMS I finished my first playthrough with almost a hundred Vera
Roots unused. This made me feel remarkably stupid about all the times I'd spent
waiting for my RISK to fall before entering the next room. When you need these
items, the game seems to provide them in the form of spoils from enemy kills;
so don't be afraid to make use of them when you have them.
RISKBREAK The second Staff Break Art, Riskbreak, has RISK-reducing powers. It
still needs Vera help on occasion, though -- see Break Arts.
HEAL PANELS If you know you're near one, a Heal Panel cancels all RISK
immediately.
THE PASSAGE OF TIME RISK falls naturally over time in any case, but the process
is faster when you don't have your weapons drawn in Battle Mode.
CRITICAL HITS As your RISK rises, so does your chance of scoring a critical hit.
This is identified by a loud explosion of extra sparks when the weapon first
connects, and the result is double damage for that hit. If you chain an attack
onto a critical hit, it becomes a critical chain and each subsequent hit in
that chain will have its damage doubled too. You can only score a critical on
the first hit of any chain.
KEEP YOUR COMBOS SMALL There are occasions when you'll be forced to let your
RISK rise to dangerous levels, and that's when the enemy is seemingly
invulnerable. If your chance of success is 0 damage or 0% success with
everything you've got (try different weapon types first), and you can't
retreat, you'll need to wear them down through repeated attacks in the hope of
penetrating their defences. Combo damage increases slightly with each succesful
chain, so if you chain stubbornly then you can begin to improve on that 0
damage, though very slowly. Read the Chain Abilities section for more
information.
Don't forget that you can also use Sorcerer spells like Tarnish, Prostasia,
Degenerate and Herakles to swing the odds in your favour before embarking on
such combos. Unless the spell has a 0% chance of success, which indicates an
enemy immunity, you'll save yourself a lot of effort through this judicious use
of magic.
SHAMAN SPELLS AND RISK Here's one area where high RISK can really help you out.
High RISK means that enemy spells will hurt you more, but those same modifiers
will also work for you when you try to cast a spell on yourself. A Heal spell
cast when your RISK is at 100 will restore many more points of damage.
SORCERY SPELLS AND RISK This is another area where RISK positively benefits your
chances of success. If you're having trouble getting a Degenerate or Analyze to
work, but the percentage for success is shown as a real possibility (i.e. above
0%), that percentage chance will increase with RISK.
WEAPON RISK The RISK rating attached to Blades is just as important as the
strength. If it means doubling or tripling the base RISK then resist the urge
to combine and upgrade weapons purely for the sake of an extra couple of points
on their STR (early in the game, at least). Your own increase in strength will
soon eclipse that of the weapons you upgrade as you proceed through the game,
and it's possible to beat Vagrant Story with low-calibre weapons that have seen
little more than a reforging from bronze to hagane. If you can't help yourself
rattling off long chains, this is more important. Later in the game, when
you're tougher, you'll have a better grasp of your limitations and will be able
to control a much higher weapon RISK safely.
============================================== 8. BREAK ARTS
==============================================
The Break Arts are class-specific groups of weapon techniques that you'll
master over the course of the game. Each class of weapons has four Break Arts
to learn, and any weapon within that class can be used to perform any of the
four Break Arts. Generally speaking, the really useful Break Arts are those
that have special effects (i.e. paralysing an enemy or tarnishing armour);
those that greatly increase either the range or the strength of the weapon; and
those that change the weapon's attributes for something that might be more
appropriate in context (i.e. getting a Piercing-Type attack from an Edged Great
Sword).
Learning Break Arts is achieved by clocking up kills. Or, more precisely,
killing blows: the kill will be attributed to whatever weapon type delivered
the attack that actually finished off the opponent.
Using a Break Art makes an immediate drain on your Health Points, with the more
powerful versions demanding more of your life:
Break Art Level HP Cost 1st 25 2nd 40 3rd
55 4th 75
Note that the power and effectiveness of a Break Art is always dependent on the
enemy it is used against. In the best conditions, you will find that your
victim is weak versus both the Break Art's affinity and its Type rating. This
means that a 1st level Break Art could be more effective than a 4th level one
in certain circumstances. At other times, you might even fare better by
delivering a single, normal weapon blow than by trying to use a Break Art at
all.
I've seen Break Arts described as finishing moves, but that's highly misleading
(and unlikely to work for certain fighting styles). The success rate of a Break
Art is adversely affected by high RISK, in much the same fashion as normal
attacks, so it's more commonly at its most powerful at the start of battle. You
can improve your chance of hitting by raising your AGL with Invigorate.
Increase the damage by raising your own STR with Herakles and the weapon's STR
with Prostasia.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (a) The Break Art / Heal Trick
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's a really easy trick that actually feels slightly cheap, especially when
you use it to beat a boss who's barely finished making their big entrance
scene.
Find a Break Art that does a reasonable amount of damage to your opponent (i.e.
either its Affinity, or Type, or both, will exploit an enemy weakness). With
your RISK at or near zero, use it once, twice, three times - as much as you
think is safe - and then heal unto you're fully restored. Then repeat the
process. It really works, and because your RISK never rises you're as safe as
you can be against enemy attack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (b) The Break Art List ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------- DAGGER --------------
(1) Whistle Sting Bludgeons foe with focused power from the blade. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Blunt
(2) Shadoweave Paralyses foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: Dark Type: Blunt
(3) Double Fang Repeatedly strikes the same location. Affinity: as Weapon Type:
Piercing
(4) Wyrm Scorn Splits the blade to attack from all directions. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Piercing
-------------- SWORD --------------
(1) Rending Gale Launches a sonic wave to shred foe to pieces. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Piercing This Art has a tremendous range to rival polearms and even
crossbows.
(2) Vile Scar Forms a poisonous cloud to choke the enemy. Affinity: as Weapon
Type: Edged The toxic aspect of this Art works like Poison Mist, and will thus
have no effect on immune creatures such as Undead.
(3) Cherry Ronde Encases both blade and foe in an icy sheath. Affinity: Water
Type: Edged
(4) Papillon Reel Calls heavenly light down into the blade. Affinity: Light Type:
Edged
-------------- GREAT SWORD --------------
(1) Sunder Focused energies cut the life from foe. Affinity: as Weapon Type:
Piercing
(2) Thunderwave Paralyses foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: Air Type: Edged
(3) Swallow Slash A quick flick of the blade deals double damage. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Edged This is one of the most powerful Break Arts available, as it's
effectively a single critical hit on call.
(4) Advent Sign Rippling holy energy shreds foe. Affinity: Light Type: Edged In
exchange for Light affinity, the range of this Art is seriously limited.
-------------- AXE & MACE --------------
(1) Mistral Edge Whips a stunning sheet of air at foe. Affinity: as Weapon Type:
Edged
(2) Glacial Gale Numbs foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: Air Type: Edged
(3) Killer Mantis A blinding rush damages and saps MP from foe. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Edged
(4) Black Nebula Blasts foe with a burst of negative energy. Affinity: Dark Type:
Blunt
-------------- GREAT AXE --------------
(1) Bear Claw Smashes foe with a luminescent downward strike. Affinity: as Weapon
Type: Blunt
(2) Accursed Umbra Curses foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: as Weapon Type:
Blunt Duplicates the effects of the spell, Curse.
(3) Iron Ripper Powerful blow that damages both armour and foe. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Blunt
(4) Emetic Bomb Unleashes a series of slashing blows. Affinity: as Weapon Type:
Edged Great name, that.
-------------- STAFF --------------
(1) Sirocco Searing hot winds and wildfire engulf foe. Affinity: Fire Type: Blunt
Instead of being straightforward attacks, the Staff's Arts tend to play up its
role as a wizard's conjuring zapstick.
(2) Riskbreak Focused blow that deals damage and reduces RISK. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Piercing This is the only type of Break Art - or, indeed, ability --
that reduces RISK, so it's rather special. However, since the hit needs to
connect successfully for the RISK reduction to take place, then it's slightly
limited on its own: if your RISK is 100, then the chances of a Riskbreak
actually working are going to be minimal. Using a cheap Vera Root beforehand is
often enough to get decent odds on cancelling the rest.
(3) Gravis Aether Solidifies aether to crush foe. Affinity: Earth Type: Blunt
(4) Trinity Pulse Crushes foe with a triad of shockwaves. Affinity: as Weapon
Type: Blunt
-------------- HEAVY MACE --------------
(1) Bonecrusher Energy release metes out a bone-crushing blow. Affinity: as
Weapon Type: Blunt
(2) Quickshock Numbs foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: Air Type: Blunt
(3) Ignis Wheel A spreading sheet of flame engulfs foe. Affinity: As Weapon &
Fire Type: Blunt
(4) Hex Flux Fuses powers of Light and Darkness in one. Affinity: Light & Dark
Type: Blunt
-------------- POLEARM --------------
(1) Ruination Lashes out with a focused thrust of energy. Affinity: as Weapon
Type: Piercing
(2) Scythe Wind Inflicts damage and tarnishes arms and armour. Affinity: Air Type:
Piercing
(3) Giga Tempest Energy storm damages both armour and foe. Affinity: as Weapon
Type: Piercing
(4) Spiral Scourge Whips air moisture into a penetrating whirlwind. Affinity:
Water Type: Piercing
-------------- CROSSBOW --------------
(1) Brimstone Hail Unleashes the fury of the Dark to damage foe. Affinity: Fire &
Dark Type: Piercing
(2) Heaven's Scorn The haft becomes a conduit for heaven's light. Affinity: Air &
Light Type: Piercing
(3) Death Wail Fires a bolt of pure demonic energy. Affinity: Earth & Dark Type:
Piercing
(4) Sanctus Flare Channels the powers of the dragons of light. Affinity: Water &
Light Type: Piercing Crossbow Arts reduce in range as they get stronger, and this
one actually has a range more appropriate to melee weapons.
-------------- BARE HANDS --------------
(1) Lotus Palm Focuses spirit into Ashley's fist. Affinity: Physical Type: Blunt
(2) Vertigo Numbs foe with a damaging strike. Affinity: Physical Type: Blunt
(3) Vermillion Aura Strikes the Dark using the power of light. Affinity: Light
Type: Blunt
(4) Retribution Turns the power of the Dark against itself. Affinity: Dark Type:
Blunt
============================================== 9. CHAIN ABILITIES
==============================================
To acquire Chain and Defence Abilities, you simply need to land enough hits on
enemies to reach the next target figure. That includes chains themselves, so a
five-hitter will bring you five steps closer to the next ability.
--------------------------- (a) Chain List ---------------------------
Heavy Shot RISK: 1 Information: Inflicts an amount of additional damage equal to
70% of damage dealt. The RISK of 1 makes this your basic combo ingredient for
normal usage. It possesses no special effect, and actually has a slight
negative modifier on its chance to hit: if your foe is resistant to chains,
Heavy Shot will miss more often than most. However, the damage it causes is
significant enough when successful that it’s a good chain for preceding special
chains like Gain Magic.
Gain Life RISK: 2 Information: Regenerates an amount of Ashley’s HP equal to 30%
of damage dealt. It’s not especially powerful on its own, and if you use it to
follow a low-damage chain then you’ll have a hard time recouping health. To
maximise its power, use it after a heavy hitter or gradually build up the HP it
regains by alternating it in a longer chain.
Mind Assault RISK: 1 Information: Reduces foe’s MP by an amount equal to 30% of
damage dealt. There’s no personal gain for this chain, as it’s purely designed
for ripping MPs from enemies. If you use it early on in a duel then you can
stop some creatures casting their most powerful spells. When it starts turning
up zeroes then you’ve cleaned them out.
Gain Magic RISK: 2 Information: Regenerates an amount of Ashley’s MP equal to 30%
of damage dealt. The amount of MP you gain is directly proportional to the
damage inflicted by the previous hit, so there are two ways to maximise the
effectiveness of this chain. If your enemy is easy to hurt, you should
immediately follow the initial strike with Gain Magic to take advantage of that
massive opening damage. This is often enough to refill your entire Mana Bar in
one stroke, allowing you to concentrate on dealing damage thereafter. If your
opponent is hard to hurt, and you’re dealing damage in pitiful figures, throw
this into a chain like Raging Ache / Heavy Shot and alternate it a few times to
claw back a few single-figure MP gains.
Raging Ache RISK: 1 Information: Inflicts an amount of additional damage equal to
10% of the damage Ashley has sustained. Right, here it is. Raging Ache is the
most important chain in the game. Why? Because of that “10% of the damage
Ashley has sustained”. If you’re below full health, Raging Ache gets better. So
if you’re losing a fight, Raging Ache will help you win. Say you have a max of
250 HP, and you’re down to 80. That means Raging Ache will initially carry an
extra 17 HP damage (10% of 170) on its opening blow, and will just keep growing
from there. Even if the chance to hit and hurt with the first blow said
something like 0 / 0%, and proved correct, Raging Ache would do that base 0 +
17 HP damage when chained successfully - and would climb from there. You see
the potential?
And because it’s so cheap in RISK, you can afford to keep alternating it with
something like Heavy Shot, Instill or even Crimson Pain and do major damage in
a short space. There’s a whole fighting style here based on keeping yourself
weak and not healing every point of damage as soon as you lose it, and Raging
Ache is the key to that technique.
Mind Ache RISK: 1 Information: Reduces foe’s MP by an amount equal to 20% of the
MP Ashley has used. This is the Raging Ache of MPs, though less useful. If you
really want to strip an enemy of Mana, go in after casting several spells and
alternate Mind Ache with Mind Assault. Unless you’re up against a spellcaster
boss, you’ll completely destroy their magic potential within a few hits.
Temper RISK: 2 Information: Inflicts an additional 40% of damage on foe and
repairs a small amount of weapon DP. In practice, Temper isn’t a very effective
weapon-healer because it needs to be used in chains. And every time you land a
first blow on an opponent, you’re damaging your weapon. So the best you can
hope for Temper to achieve is to slow your weapon’s degradation, rather than
restoring all of its DP.
Crimson Pain RISK: 2 Information: Inflicts an additional 100% of damage on foe
and deals 30% of base damage to Ashley. This looks like a stupid idea at first:
“What, I have to take damage to inflict it?” But just you see if it isn’t. If
you’re on full health then alternating Crimson Pain with Raging Ache is one of
the most powerful combos in the game, and matches high damage with a high
success rate as a result of the danger it incurs. If you want to make short
work of a Training Dummy for the item bonuses then this is precisely the combo
to use. The damage inflicted by Crimson Pain starts at the weapon arm and
spreads outwards, so the first sign of overuse will be a yellow / amber / red
arm on the indicator followed by an “Attack 50%” warning. One odd thing to try
with Crimson Pain is to alternate it with Gain Life. You’ll find that the
damage it recoups exactly matches the amount drained by Crimson Pain, so you
can keep doing your heavy damage and then heal on the next chain. The timing
isn't exactly comfortable, though.
Instill RISK: 1 Information: Inflicts additional damage equal to 10% of damage
dealt and adds that amount to PP. Not only is this a great low-RISK chain, with
a superior chance of landing a successful hit, but it also restores a
considerable number of Phantom Points to a weapon. That’s useful when you’ve
just repaired, sure, but use it with Phantom Pain and you have an interesting
little trick you can exploit...
Phantom Pain RISK: 3 Information: Inflicts additional damage equal to the total
accumulated Phantom Points in Ashley’s weapon. You probably haven’t paid much
attention to Phantom Points, bar the fact that a weapon on full PP does more
damage. Well, here’s something else to consider. If you have a weapon with 100
PP, this chain will spend the whole lot in exchange for a hit of base damage +
100. And you won’t actually lose the weapon’s PP until the hit actually
connects, so it’s safe to keep trying it until it works. On its own, a single
strike with this chain inflicts an impressive one-off killer hit. But if you
also use it with Instill and another chain, building up the Phantom Points with
a sequence of Instill + other and spending them again occasionally with Phantom
Pain, that killer hit needn’t be a one-off. This really benefits early weapons
too, as you’ll find the weakest bronze Spatha will often possess more Phantom
Points than a hagane Falchion that’s had its DP and PP compromised through
constant reforging.
Paralysis Pulse RISK: 3 Information: Adds “Paralysis” to attack. A remarkably
useful chain, this, as it carries a high success rate. Paralysed enemies aren’t
stupid, and will retreat from battle just far enough to escape the range of
your weapons (they hope) while still keeping sight of you. Paralysis wears off
after a short time.
Numbing Claw RISK: 3 Information: Adds “Numbness” to attack. The trick to using
this special is that you need to make it the last hit of a chain. Hitting the
enemy again will simply cancel their Numbed status. Numbness prevents the enemy
using their Special Attacks, and also slows their actions and movement by 50%.
Dulling Impact RISK: 3 Information: Adds “Silence” to attack. This is one of the
first chain abilities you should select, as the chance to shut up one of those
darned spellcaster enemies can’t be overlooked. Combine it with Paralysis Pulse
and you can take a short holiday while your enemies skulk off to recuperate.
Snake Venom RISK: 3 Information: Adds “Poison” to attack. As mentioned elsewhere,
Poison works a little too slowly to be effective. If you want to be cruel,
though, try Poisoning and Paralysing an enemy before disarming, letting your
RISK drop as you watch them curl up in a corner and die slowly. Some enemies
will pack spells or Antidote items that will negate the effect. Another way to
exploit this is to use a crossbow or polearm to Poison enemies who can’t reach
you, allowing you to sit back and take a break. It’s interesting, perhaps, but
it’s not the most efficient use of a chain unless you’re locked into a long
battle.
Creatures such as Undead are immune to Poison, so you’re wasting your time by
employing Snake Venom against them.
--------------------------- (b) Chaining Tips ---------------------------
You only need two chains, used in alternation, to get a combo going. So if
you’re having trouble with the timing at first, try a simple Heavy Shot /
Raging Ache combo and just stick to two buttons, getting a rhythm going until
you get used to anticipating when to press. After that, you can be more
adventurous with different abilities and all three chain buttons.
Generally, chains with special effects have less predictable timings. Those
that Drain and Gain tend to have a long, pulling draw-cut motion, while
specials such as Paralysis Pulse demonstrate a rather flash spear-shake or
sword flourish that’s harder to follow with the next button-tap. Different
weapons have different animations for the same Chain Abilities: many people
find the crossbow to be one of the easiest weapons to chain, for instance,
because its animations are slow and simple.
Ashley has both vertical and horizontal weapon swing animations for dealing
with enemies in all directions, and there’s a slight difference in their
timings. If you’re trying to hit an enemy in a room far below, or you’re on the
bottom of a ramp swinging up, your chain might switch to a series of vertical
or overhead combat moves rather than the ones you’d normally see. The crossbow
is the obvious exception, but this weapon still needs line of sight on an enemy
or it will ring a MISS.
When you press the button correctly to use a Chain Ability in a combo, the
effect of that chain will only take place if and when the following hit
connects. So if you attack an enemy and tap Gain Life successfully when the
first strike lands, it will only be on the next hit that you’ll actually stand
a chance of Gaining some Life. If that second strike is a MISS then Gain Life
has failed.
Long chains are not the be-all and end-all of the game. They’re just one way of
fighting, and carry many disadvantages in factors such as RISK. The reason for
using them is that the damage caused by chains rises slowly but surely with
each successful chain: so if you’ve been having trouble causing any kind of
damage to a particularly tough enemy, chaining hit after hit is one way to
start making a dent.
And let’s not forget, they can be a lot of fun too.
But most of the time, you’ll be able to get by on single hits and short chains.
Take the first few rooms: Bats fall after a single blow, but you only need one
successful use of the Heavy Shot chain for a two-hit combo to completely
obliterate the tougher Silver Wolf too.
THE MAGIC 8-CHAIN When a combo slips over 8 chains, you’ll notice that you start
to incur an additional RISK penalty for ‘persistence’. Even with a low-RISK
weapon and chains, you’ll see your RISK follow a sequence something like this:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20, 33, 48, 65, 84...
So if you get carried away then your RISK will start to shoot through the roof,
and just a few more hits will place you in the vicinity of a full 100. Worse,
your accuracy degrades as you persist with a combo, so you may be acquiring
RISK points in exchange for a string of misses. If you like chaining, observe
the Magic 8-Chain limit and you'll prevent your combo / RISK ratio becoming
hideously inefficient.
--------------------------- (c) Combining Chains ---------------------------
I run the risk of repeating some of the individual entry information here, but
it may be worth it. Just a few pointers, then:
Heavy Shot, Raging Ache, Instill These Low-RISK specials are your friends.
Raging Ache and Heavy Shot alone are enough to kill most of the enemies in the
game, while Instill is useful for bringing freshly-repaired weapons up to par
and also has a very generous hit success rate when compared to other chains.
And they’re all RISK 1, so they make cheap, safe, sugar-free combo components.
Raging Ache, Crimson Pain Read the individual entries for more info. If you want
to make short work of a Training Dummy, or any other creature that claims to be
invulnerable to your weapon damage, show them a few chains of this. One feeds
the damage of the other, so its power increases quite dramatically through use.
It’s risky if you don’t watch your health, but against certain enemies this is
one of the quickest means of destruction. If in doubt, have a Heavy Shot or
even Gain Life on the third button so that you’re not forced to use the Crimson
Pain every time. Starting the chain while Ashley is on much less than full
health also makes a big difference to Raging Ache’s initial damage, of course.
Instill, Phantom Pain As described in the individual entries, the idea here is
to build up plenty of Phantom Points in your weapon, spend them all in one
massive hit, then start the cycle again.
Paralysis Pulse, Numbing Claw, Dulling Impact, Snake Venom If you want to see
these in action then you only really need to use them on the first hit and
leave it at that, although they have a slightly lower success rate than other
chains. Throw in a basic Heavy Shot and Raging Ache or similar on the other
buttons, so that you’ve something to alternate in case it requires a few tries
for the special to successfully take effect.
============================================== 10. DEFENCE ABILITIES
==============================================
--------------------------- (a) Defence List ---------------------------
Ward RISK: 1 Information: Prevents Paralysis and Numbness. The Ward ability has a
little secret that makes it easier to use than you might imagine. It’s active,
rather than reactive, and can cancel Paralysis whenever it’s used successfully.
Okay, explanation time. Say a Goblin Leader hits you with Stun Cloud, and you
fail to block it with Ward. You’re now Paralysed but, as long as you’re not
Numbed, you can still use your Defence Abilities. So if a Goblin then runs up
and hits you with a sword, use Ward again to deflect the hit. If successful,
you will cancel the Paralysed state, even though the Goblin’s attack didn’t
possess a Paralysis element. It’s much easier to time a Ward defence against a
crossbow or sword animation, so this is a really neat trick to remember.
Siphon Soul RISK: 6 Information: Adds 50% of MP used in foe’s magical attack to
Ashley’s MP. Effective versus magical attacks. If you used this against a Dark
Chant then you’d win 14 MP for the sake of +6 RISK and a possible heap of
damage. Even a Gain Magic chain is more efficient than that. When you’re able
to withstand a Meteor lvl. 4 then the pay-off is rather better, but it’s still
something of a novelty. Perhaps if that 6 RISK had bought you 80-100% of the MP
then it would have been more useful earlier in the game.
Reflect Magic RISK: 2 Information: Reflects 40% of damage. Does not reduce damage
received. Effective versus magical attacks. I love this for its poseur value,
especially towards the end of the game, but it has some usefulness beyond that.
If your enemy is difficult to hit, a successful Reflect will turn an enemy’s
superior firepower against them. As long as you can stand the damage, the pay-
off is immensely rewarding. It’s especially gratifying if you weren’t even
looking at the enemy at the time: *nobody* screws with a Riskbreaker, even when
your back is turned...
Reflect Damage RISK: 2 Information: Reflects 40% of damage. Does not reduce
damage received. Effective versus non-magical attacks. Ditto Reflect Magic,
except that Reflect Damage is more manageable (no enemy melee attack is as
powerful as the strongest enemy spell, so it’s safer to try) and it’s usually
easier to time against the visible impacts of enemy melee animations than to
remember the hot-spot of a long spell.
Absorb Magic RISK: 4 Information: Reduces damage received by 20%. Effective
versus magical attacks. I’ve never used this seriously, as it’s better to equip
a Guard defence that matches the elemental affinity of the critter you’re
fighting and so earn a 50% damage reduction. Have I been missing something, or
is it as worthless as I suspect?
Absorb Damage RISK: 4 Information: Reduces damage received by 20%. Effective
versus non-magical attacks. As above. Can anyone explain the point of this
defence, when you have an Impact Guard?
Impact Guard RISK: 4 Information: Reduces physical damage by 50%.
Windbreak RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Air affinity damage by 50%.
Fireproof RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Fire affinity damage by 50%.
Terra Guard RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Earth affinity damage by 50%.
Aqua Guard RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Water affinity damage by 50%.
Shadow Guard RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Light affinity damage by 50%.
Demonscale RISK: 4 Information: Reduces Dark affinity damage by 50%.
Phantom Shield RISK: 6 Information: Uses the accumulated Phantom Points in
Ashley’s shield to counter an equal amount of damage.
--------------------------- (b) Defence Tips ---------------------------
You never know what you’re going to come up against next, so use that Shortcut
menu to change your set-up whenever necessary. If you encounter a Snow Dragon,
slip an Aqua Guard onto one of the buttons before you engage in combat and use
it against its icy breath attack.
You still want to make your use of defences become a natural reflex, though, so
try to use the same buttons for the same kinds of guard and establish a habit.
For example, Impact Guard is a vital defence for all combat, so stick it on
your most comfortable button and leave it there. Forever, if possible. Choose
another button that you will always use for the elemental Guards, and make sure
they only ever appear on that button. Over time, your hands will grow
accustomed to finding the right button for the job without the need to remember
what’s where. Anything that makes your reactions faster will improve the
stopping power of your Defence Abilities.
============================================== 11. MAGIC
==============================================
There are four schools of magic, accessible from either the Main Menu's Magic
option, or by holding L2 and then pressing a button on the shortcut menu. Each
menu will only appear when at least one spell from that school has been read
from a Grimoire, of course.
Teleportation is also covered under this topic.
----------------------------- (a) Warlock (Attack spells) ------------------------
-----
The probability of Warlock spells succeeding decreases dramatically with high
RISK.
A word about elemental Multiple Target spells: these have four levels of
increasing power, and each increment offers a longer range, a larger sphere of
effect and increased damage potential. If you already have a level 1 Flame
Sphere, for instance, then reading another Grimoire Flamme will give you a
level 2 Flame Sphere. After the reading, you have the choice of casting the
spell at any level up to that which you possess.
All creature body locations whose centre fits within the sphere of effect will
be targeted, so readjusting the X, Y & Z coordinates carefully to include the
greatest number of targets can maximise damage. Bear in mind, though, that it's
possible for Ashley to target and damage himself if he's standing with his own
spell if he's also standing within the sphere of effect. You CAN blow yourself
up with an Explosion...
Generally, the individual hits of an elemental Multiple Target spell will carry
less power and probability than a Single Target attack of the same kind and
affinity, but the overall total could add up to much more damage. Experiment
and see.
Lightning Bolt MP: 25 Affinity: Air Conjuration Single Target Information: Shoots
out arrows of Lightning.
Fireball MP: 25 Affinity: Fire Conjuration Single Target Information: Pummels
enemies with balls of fire.
Vulcan Lance MP: 25 Affinity: Earth Conjuration Single Target Information: Showers
enemies with volcanic debris.
Aqua Blast MP: 25 Affinity: Water Conjuration Single Target Information: Engulfs
enemies with freezing water blast.
Spirit Surge MP: 28 Affinity: Light Conjuration Single Target Information: Summons a
spirit of light to attack enemies.
Dark Chant MP: 28 Affinity: Dark Conjuration Single Target Information: Afflicts
enemies with crippling pain.
Exorcism MP: 22 Affinity: Light Evocation Multiple Targets Information: Exorcise
Undead foes. When successful, this spell instantaneously delivers exactly the
amount of HP damage required to destroy each and every Undead creature caught
within its small, cylindrical area of effect. If you lure them close enough
then that 22 MP cost can be a very cheap method of eradicating 2 or more
Undead, but you’ll probably find yourself using this purely as a ‘convenience’
spell when you’re not interested in fighting fiddling small enemies, or need to
concentrate on a more serious enemy in the room. Zombie Bosses possess a
predictable immunity to this spell, and you should check the probability of
success for each target or risk wasting your MP.
Banish MP: 25 Affinity: Dark Evocation Multiple Targets Information: Forbidden spell
of instant death. As with Exorcism, this spell instantaneously delivers exactly
the amount of HP damage required to destroy each and every creature caught
within its small, cylindrical area of effect. Check each of the targets for
individual probability of success before casting.
Explosion MP: 36 / 44 / 52 / 60 Affinity: Physical Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: A highly focused, devastating blast. Explosion’s affinity is
Physical, hurting creatures with a blast of shrapnel rather than any incendiary
damage, so it’s just as effective against Fire-based creatures as Water-based
ones. The pay-off for this general base damage is that it never benefits from
the modifiers that apply to elemental opposition, but you will find some
creatures (like the Lich) have a weakness to Physical damage.
Thunderburst MP: 36 / 44 /52 / 60 Affinity: Air Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: Calls down a great bolt from the heavens.
Flame Sphere MP: 36 / 44 / 52 / 60 Affinity: Fire Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: Wreaths target in flames.
Gaea Strike MP: 36 / 44 / 52 / 60 Affinity: Earth Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: Creates crushing gravity warp around target.
Avalanche MP: 36 / 44 / 52 / 60 Affinity: Water Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: Super-freezes air around target.
Radial Surge MP: 38 / 46 / 54 / 62 Affinity: Light Evocation Multiple Targets
Information: Pierces enemies with focused rays of light.
Meteor MP: 38 / 46 / 54 / 62 Affinity: Dark Evocation Multiple Targets Information:
Rains meteors down on the target.
Drain Heart MP: 12 Affinity: Dark Evocation Single Target Information: Steals HP
from enemies. Unlike many other RPG health-draining spells, the result of this
magic isn’t limited by either the creature’s HP max or by your ability to
absorb damage. It will still suck the life from enemies regardless of whether
your health bar is already full; and if you happen to be low on health, but
your INT is relatively high, then you can not only kill a small creature
outright with this spell but also drain hundreds of HP more than the victim
originally possessed.
This spell has no effect on Undead creatures, as Lea Monde’s stumbling corpses
have no independent life-force to drain.
Drain Mind MP: 2 Affinity: Dark Evocation Single Target Information: Steals MP from
enemies. Unlike Drain Heart, this spell will only drain Mana Points from
creatures that possess them, and will transfer as many MP to you as are taken
from the enemy.
----------------------------- (b) Shaman (Recovery spells) -----------------------
------
The probability of Shaman spells succeeding increases with high RISK.
When casting Shaman spells upon yourself, you will have to penetrate all of the
magical defences that you normally present to magic-using enemies. Shields with
Manabreaker spells can actually cause your own spells to fail, in other words
(and I actually dumped the Manabreaker gem on my second play).
Heal MP: 5 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Restores Target's
HP. The amount of HP restored will increase with your RISK, which can be very
handy in a tight spot. If you cast Heal on an Undead opponent, it will attack
them and cause damage as if it were a single-target offensive spell.
Restoration MP: 3 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Cures
“Paralysis”.
Antidote MP: 3 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Cures "Poison". A
Poison status needs time to take effect and causes small amounts of damage at
frequent intervals, so if you cast this fast enough after being poisoned then
the toxins will have no effect at all.
Blessing MP: 17 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Cures "Curse".
Clearance MP: 15 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Cures all
status abnormalities. This spell removes the status abnormalities of Numbness,
Paralysis and Poison but not Silence or Curse.
Surging Balm MP: 20 Affinity: Light Evocation Single Target Information: Recharges
HP over a short period of time. In all honesty, that description should read
‘long period of time’. Surging Balm is ‘Poison-in-reverse’, restoring just a
few hit points at frequent intervals. Any subsequent spell cast upon you will
nullify it, and most enemies are intelligent enough to do so when they see you
using it. And even if they don’t, most battles are over so quickly in game-time
that the cumulative recouping of HP can add up to less than a Heal spell.
Remember, all chains take place in an instant, and most creatures can fit in
three or four attacks in the time it takes the Balm to restore just 22 HP. Just
leaving the area you’re in will also cancel a Surging Balm. I think I used this
effectively just the once, when I left the game running and went to put the
kettle on for a nice cup of tea.
I suppose you might be able to use it by sticking Ashley in a room with a
couple of bats and leaving it running for an hour, in order to get yourself
some rock-hard anti-Beast armour, but I really don’t like tricks like that
myself. I’d rather play the game. Consequently, I find this spell useless. The
HP restored doesn’t even increase with RISK, which could have made it
worthwhile, and it’s just too slow to work in a fight.
--------------------------- (c) Sorcery (Aid spells) ---------------------------
A quick point about Herakles, Degenerate, Enlighten. Psychodrain, Invigorate
and Leadbones: it’s only possible to have one of these enhancements or
handicaps active on any one creature - Ashley included - at any time. So if an
enemy casts Degenerate on you, Invigorate will override it as surely as
Herakles. The same goes for your opponents: it’s actually very easy to scupper
the Sorcery spells used by enemies, even early in the game, so don’t fight on
with a handicap if you can take a moment to reverse it.
Herakles MP: 12 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
increases target's strength. Herakles is one of the major spells of the game,
boosting your STR and thereby increasing your potential for damage with every
hit, while simultaneously reducing the damage that enemies can do to you. In
many other RPGs this kind of stat-booster is often a waste of MP, but here it
really makes a difference. If you’re Degenerated, Herakles will cancel
Degenerate and take its place.
‘Herakles’ is the Greek name for Hercules, incidentally.
Degenerate MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
decreases target's strength. Another vital spell, Degenerate reduces melee
damage against you by sapping the enemy’s STR. The physical damage you can do
against a target is also a result of the comparison between their STR and your
STR, so if you emasculate them with Degenerate and cast Herakles on yourself,
you’ll maximise your potential for damage and minimise theirs.
Enlighten MP: 12 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
increases target's intelligence. Just as STR vs. STR accounts for the extent of
physical damage possible (see above), so your INT versus an enemy’s INT
determines the damage exchanged in magical battles. If you Enlighten yourself
before casting a Warlock spell, that spell will be more effective and more
damaging.
Psychodrain MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
decreases target's intelligence. Psychodrain is the INT equivalent of
Degenerate, and swings a magical battle in your favour by reducing an enemy’s
magical strength and increasing yours by comparison. If you’re Enlightened and
your enemy is Psychodrained, you’ll maximise the HP damage your Warlock spells
inflict against them.
Invigorate MP: 12 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
increases target's agility. Agility or AGL is used to determine your speed and
your jumping potential in the platform elements of Vagrant Story, but it also
determines your chances of hitting the enemy. If you increase your AGL with
Invigorate, your chance to hit an opponent with both melee weapons AND Warlock
spells will improve while making you more difficult to hit.
Leadbones MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
decreases target's agility. This is the ‘Degenerate’ of Agility or AGL, both
slowing an opponent and making them easier to hit (see above). If you
successfully cast Invigorate on yourself and Leadbones on your opponent, you’ll
maximise your chance of landing a hit.
Prostasia MP: 15 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens target's equipment. While Herakles improves Ashley’s personal STR,
Prostasia increases the attributes of his equipped items. If you want to
inflict more damage per hit with your weapon, while making your armour more
resistant to enemy attack, this is right up there with Herakles and Degenerate.
You can also have Prostasia active at the same time as Herakles or any other
stat-booster spell.
Tarnish MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily weakens
target's equipment. The antidote to Prostasia, Tarnish has the effect of
weakening enemy swords and armour. It’s as important as Prostasia in swinging
the odds, and if you use both deftly then you’ll be laughing at those
previously untouchable suits of armour.
Silence MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
prevents target from casting spells. Once you’ve had it used against you, you’ll
appreciate the sheer power of a Silence spell. Its successful use against an
opponent means no more magic spells uttered from that particular orifice, and
that could mean the difference between life and death. To prevent this becoming
a killer spell, therefore, plenty of enemies - especially mages - are immune to
Silence.
Some creatures pack Magic Cancel items, similar to your Snowfly Draught and
requiring no words to activate, so you may find your Silence spell causes
little beyond a distraction. Also bear in mind that Silence will be cancelled
as soon as another spell - any spell - is cast on the victim. You’ll notice
that enemies who use this spell are clever enough to give up on magic and go
for physical attacks after Silencing you.
If you use it yourself, you should also appreciate that Silenced enemies have
no choice but to hit you. Repeatedly. So if your opponent would normally take
time out from physical attack to utter a series of hopeless spells that never
had any chance of denting you, there’s every possibility that you’ve just made
them more dangerous by casting this.
To cancel a Silence spell you can leave the room; use a Snowfly Draught item;
or wait for an enemy to hit with you with a spell. Another sneaky thing you
might be able to try here in the right circumstances relies on the fact that
you can still read a Grimoire while Silenced, because it counts as Using an
Item. So if you have an unread Enchanter, Sorcery, or Shaman Grimoire then you
may still be able to cast a spell on yourself, breaking the Silence.
Magic Ward MP: 21 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Nullifies the
next spell cast on target. Without a doubt, this is THE big magic protection
spell of Vagrant Story. The idea is to cast it in advance, as it lingers
permanently until spent. Magic Ward will then nullify the very next spell cast
upon you.
Essentially, it’s a one-shot magic force-field. As long as you have an active
Magic Ward then any spell cast upon you, whether it’s a Leadbones or a Radial
Surge level 4, will impact upon the Magic Ward and fail. If you consider the
latter example, you can begin to appreciate the true usefulness of this spell.
It kills all incoming magic, dead.
Note that if the spell that attempts to hit you is a MISS then your Magic Ward
will remain intact. As soon as your Magic Ward absorbs a successful incoming
spell, though, it will be consumed and vanish.
There are several tactics to be observed when using a Magic Ward. Once it’s
active then you can’t heal yourself through magic: even your own spells on
yourself will impact upon the Magic Ward. There’s no chance of you casting
Prostasia, or Antidote, or Invigorate etc. either, as all these will simply
destroy the Magic Ward while failing to take effect in the process. If you want
to keep the Magic Ward in place, get around it by using items with the same
effect: this is a mid-battle tactic when you haven’t the time, the MPs or the
desire to cancel and replace the Magic Ward.
Your own Drain spells will also attempt to pass HP or MP through the barrier
established by Magic Ward, so a Drain Heart will suck health from the enemy but
then cancel the Magic Ward when it tries to transfer the HP to you.
When unsure, it’s a good idea to have a Magic Ward in places where the
occupants of the next room may try to Silence you. If you restore a Magic Ward
as soon as the previous one vanishes, then you can maintain an effective anti-
magic defence against spellcasters like the Lich. Assuming you’re still around
the starting 50 MPs, it’s possible to cast one in advance, let your MPs recover
to full, enter battle and still have enough MP for two more Magic Wards during
the fracas. Judicious use of Mana items will also let you keep up this magic
shield in the midst of combat. Once your MPs are exhausted then Mana items,
Drain Magic and the Gain Magic chain will aid you in restoring a Magic Ward
whenever it is cancelled.
Don’t get carried away with its potential, though. Special attacks like dragon
breath are actually physical attacks with an elemental aspect, so Magic Ward
won’t stop them.
Stun Cloud MP: 7 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Casts
"Paralysis" on target. Many creatures will boast at least a resistance, if not
immunity, to this spell, as it’s immensely powerful. The same effect is
available in the chain ability Paralysis Pulse. Paralysis can be cured with an
Yggdrasil’s Tear item or the Shaman spell, Restoration. It will also wear off
after a short period of time.
Poison Mist MP: 11 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Casts "Poison"
on target. Poison is overrated, frankly, as - and we’ve mentioned this before -
most combat situations occupy very little game-time, while Poison takes a long
time to have any effect. If you’re in one of those situations where the enemy
can’t reach you, or you take the effort to Paralyse them simultaneously, then
it’s sometimes a sure-fire way of hurting foes who may otherwise be resilient
to your attacks.
Curse MP: 17 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Casts "Curse" on
target. Reducing all of an enemy’s stats will grant you enormous bonuses in
tackling them, before you even start on your usual barrage of supportive
Sorcery spells. However, the creatures you would most think of using it against
are often those who are immune to its effects.
Fixate MP: 3 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Freezes the room's
Cloudstones in place. Many Cloudstone jumps can be made easier by Fixate if
you’re not a natural platform-gamer. This effect only lasts for a short period,
and the Cloudstones will start flashing from red to green to warn you in
advance.
Dispel MP: 10 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Nullifies any spell
currently affecting target. If you’ve been inundated with Degenerate and Tarnish
or you don’t have the necessary reversal spells then Dispel is a quick way to
cancel them all.
Unlock MP: 3 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Opens treasure
chests locked with magic. If it doesn’t work first time, just keep trying.
Eureka MP: 6 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Reveals all traps in
the room. Note that Eureka reveals traps for all occupants in the room, so that
casting it will help your enemies to avoid them as well.
Analyze MP: 5 Support Magic Evocation Single Target Information: Analyses enemies'
parameters and stats.
A word about using the Analyze. If you haven't worked it out, then this spell
fills in the enemy's details that appear under the Status option of the Main
Menu (see PLAYING TIPS, Interface Options). What you have to do on the Status
screen is hit L1 or R1 to cycle through from Ashley to the creatures' entries.
If the spell succeeds then full stats, HP, MP, RISK etc. will be revealed for
the target creature only. This means that you can press the SQUARE button to
cycle the Affinity and Type ratings for the target's armour in every body
location, or examine the enemy's armour and weapons right down to grips, gems
and even the affinity of unknown accessories through the CIRCLE button. Further
Analyze spells will need to be cast for every individual's details to be
revealed.
-------------------------------- (d) Enchanter (Affinity spells) ----------------
----------------
The Enchanter spells magically alter your elemental affinity for a brief
period, in order to enhance either your offensive or defensive power. You may
only have one Enchanter spell active at any time, and note that equipping or de-
equipping weapons or armour will cancel it immediately. Switching in and out of
Battle Mode will have the same effect, so cast them when your weapons are
already drawn.
Enchanter spells are split into Fusion (attack) and Guard (defence) categories.
If you were fighting a Fire Elemental, for instance, then you could either
improve your weapon’s effectiveness with a Water enchantment (Frost Fusion) or
you could raise your Armour’s resistance to Fire (Pyro Guard). Many players
seem to be missing out on the usefulness of these spells for making many
battles easier, so you should definitely give them a try if you haven’t yet.
Luft Fusion MP: 10 Affinity: Air Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens target's Air affinity.
Spark Fusion MP: 10 Affinity: Fire Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens target's Fire affinity.
Soil Fusion MP: 10 Affinity: Earth Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens target's Earth affinity.
Frost Fusion MP: 10 Affinity: Water Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens target's Water affinity.
Aero Guard MP: 9 Affinity: Air Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens armour's Air affinity.
Pyro Guard MP: 9 Affinity: Fire Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens armour's Fire affinity.
Terra Guard MP: 9 Affinity: Earth Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens armour's Earth affinity.
Aqua Guard MP: 9 Affinity: Water Evocation Single Target Information: Temporarily
strengthens armour's Water affinity.
-------------------- (e) Teleportation --------------------
Teleportation can only be performed when standing on a Magic Circle. Once you
have acquired this ability, call up the Magic option on the Main Menu to see
that an extra entry has been added at the bottom of your existing spell groups.
Ironically, there's no shortcut to the Teleportation menu.
The cost of using the teleport depends on how many Magic Circles you wish to
jump through. The formula is (4 x no. of Circles) + 15 MP, so teleporting from
Advent Ground back to the Worker's Breakroom (6 Circles away) would cost (24 +
15 = ) 39 MP.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Magic Circles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Worker's Breakroom Wine Guild Hall Blackmarket Hall of Revenge The Withered Spring
Work of Art / WS Advent Ground Rue Vermillion Magic Hammer / WS The Crossing The
Dark Tunnel Rue Bouquet The Sunless Way The Faerie Circle Forest River The Wood Gate
Valdiman Gates The Warrior's Rest Keane's / WS Sinner's Corner Crumbling Market
Treaty Room Bandits' Hollow The Ore Road The Auction Block Way Down Rue Lejour Kesch
Bridge Metal Works / WS Junction Pt. / WS The Dark Coast Plateia Lumitar Sin and
Punishment The Atrium Godhands / WS
------------------- (f) Hidden Spells -------------------
That's right - you can win pages of a Grimoire as rare treasures from certain
creatures. Although this is most likely to happen on your second play, when the
probability seems to increase slightly, it is possible to obtain major spells
like Banish on your first play too. Not all of your finds will be useful,
either: getting another Spirit Surge is a waste of good vellum, frankly.
I'm still trying to assess whether the type of creature determines the type of
Grimoire - Ghosts seem to hold an awful lot - but here's the list as it
currently stands.
Grimoire (Banish) - Harpy Grimoire Terre (Vulcan Lance) - Ghost Grimoire Teslae
(Lightning Bolt) - Zombie Mage Grimoire Glace (Aqua Blast) - Dark Eye Grimoire
Incendie (Fireball) - Ghost Grimoire Patire (Dark Chant) - Wraith Grimoire Lux
(Spirit Surge) - Ghost, Wraith Grimoire Zephyr (Solid Shock) - Ghost, Wraith
Grimoire Radius (Radial Surge) - Lich Grimoire Avalanche (Avalanche) - Water
Elemental Grimoire Foudre (Thunderburst) - Air Elemental Grimoire Flamme (Flame
Sphere) - Fire Elemental Grimoire Gaea (Gaea Strike) - Earth Elemental Grimoire
Meteore (Meteore) - Dark Elemental
============================================== 12. THE WORKSHOP
==============================================
(a) WORKSHOP LOCATIONS All Workshops contain a Magic Circle and a Container. You
can use any Workshop to repair all of your equipment through the REPAIR option,
whether or not the tools for shaping the weapon's component materials are
present.
Work of Art Catacombs, accessed from The Withered Spring Tools for Wood, Leather,
Bronze
The Magic Hammer Town Centre West (north side), accessed from The Rene Coastroad
Tools for Bronze, Iron
Keane's Crafts The Keep, accessed from The Warrior's Rest Tools for Bronze, Iron,
Hagane
Junction Point Town Centre East, accessed from Rue Crimnade Tools for Wood,
Leather, Bronze, Iron, Hagane This Workshop must be opened with the Cattleya
Sigil
Metal Works Town Centre East, accessed from Rue Fisserano Tools for Silver,
Damascus
Godhands Undercity West, accessed from Bite The Master's Wounds Tools for Wood,
Leather, Bronze, Hagane, Silver, Damascus This workshop is only available on
second play
(b) ASSEMBLING WEAPONS The secret of happy assembling is to find a grip that
best suits your blade type. Perhaps you've come across an axe blade that you'd
like to try out: an axe is an Edged weapon, so select this option and check the
status of your available grips to find the one with the highest Edged rating.
Assembling this blade and grip will give you the strongest weapon you can make
with your equipment.
Consider, also, the number of gem slots that the grip possesses. It's better to
go with a grip that has more gem slots, on the whole, as any shortcoming in
strength can be overcome by equipping a suitable gem. Grips with gem slots will
also offer more customisation potential in the field, allowing you to (say)
stick a Water-affinity gem to a sword for extra damage against a Fire-affinity
opponent.
(c) ATTACHING GEMS The rule for gems on weapons is to pick those that
elementally oppose the creature you wish to hurt. If you're tackling an Air
Elemental, for instance, then Earth-aligned Gnome Emeralds will enhance your
weapon's killing power.
You don't need to disassemble a weapon to remove its gems. Go to the Attach
Gems option, highlight the gem you want, then click once to highlight it and
once again (either on that line or where it's repeated at the top of the
screen) to remove it.
(d) RENAMING WEAPONRY Please, don't do it. Don't call your sword "Orcrist" or
"Masamune" or "Something's Bane". Force yourself to be creative for a moment,
even if that moment takes minutes, and thereafter you'll find that you never
get your weapons confused. You'll also be able to credit yourself with more
imagination than the majority of script writers working in the games industry.
(e) STORING ITEMS Vagrant Story can get a bit clumsy when it comes to inventory
management, and the fact that you need to access the memory card for your
container can lead to some slow swapping back and forth. Worse, on second play
you'll find yourself having to discard lots of items that you simply haven't
got the space to put aside for later combination. A few tips, then:
(i) Accessories are often given to you more than once, but you only need one of
each kind. So if you find yourself with two Swan Songs, or two Rune Earrings,
then dump one. It's uselessly taking up Armour storage space.
(ii) Accessories are easily superceded by later finds. If you've been using a
Swan Song for tackling Beasts with its +15 advantage, but then find the
Pushpaka with its +30 for Beasts, the chances are that you'll never need the
Swan Song again. Dump it.
(iii) Many items are easily obtained by fighting creatures for their gear, and
could be obtained again if you desired them. So if you find you've got half a
dozen Wizard Hats won from Zombie Mages, you know you can dump them all to make
space for rarer items. If you really want another Wizard Hat, you can always go
fight for some more in the Undercity.
(iv) Whenever you win a weapon from a fight, that weapon will contain a blade
and a grip. But only the blade might be combined into something better, while
the grip remains a single entity. So when the space fills up, be brutal and get
rid of all those Sarissa Grips and Short Hilts that you'll never be using
again.
(v) If you seem to have too many gems, check your shields and see if you
haven't got a lot of useless ones still sticking to weapons or shields. You
should check for attached gems every time you win a new shield from a chest or
enemy.
(vi) Always have spaces in your carried inventory before venturing into a
dungeon. If you open a chest but haven't got space to pick up all the
treasures, those spare items will be lost to you.
============================================== 13. COMBINATION, FORGING AND
REFORGING ==============================================
The workshop ability to reforge equipment is possibly the finest option
available to the core player. This is where you'll really get the chance to
establish your daylight-shunning gamer status, spending hours in a to-and-fro
motion betwixt storage container and the Equipment Set-up option. Because this
guide is eager for you all to get those diurnally-necessary skin vitamins,
however, we're establishing this section for quick and easy referencing of both
techniques and component lists to so that you can check for the best
combinations on a handy table. The original lists are mine by research, and it
is merely a matter of time before I write up my remaining notes, but I'm also
hoping to credit many of you with unforeseen addenda.
There are several reasons for choosing the COMBINE option:
(a) Improving an item's metal There are seven different materials at work in
Vagrant Story; Wood, Leather, Bronze, Iron, Hagane, Silver and Damascus. This
order also represents the increasing strength and resilience of the metals
involved, with some additional factors thrown in. Through use of the workshop,
it's possible to combine various materials to create either stronger items or
items constructed of completely new materials.
The general rule is that lesser materials become absorbed into greater ones. So
if you combine a Hagane shield with an Iron shield, the result will be Hagane
rather than Iron. Rare materials are more difficult to combine, and be warned
that you may even end up with a shield that is less powerful as a result (see
point 3 below). There are some interesting metallurgical results derived from
combination, though, as follows:
(i) Combining Bronze and Iron creates Hagane. This is a useful trick to use
early in the game, as you can take your starting items and improve their
strength while retaining all the bonuses you've accumulated. So that much-loved
Fandango blade needn't be tossed aside: find an Iron Scimitar blade, combine it
with the Bronze Fandango, then reassemble the blade with the best grip you can
find for a brand new Hagane weapon.
(ii) Sometimes, combining Bronze and Hagane items results in a Silver item.
I've yet to suss the exact conditions for this, and would like to hear how it's
resolved. But I can say that if you're looking at an unwanted Silver result
from a combination, try alternating the order of the items being combined. I've
noticed that the Silver result normally occurs when you have a Bronze item in
the first field and a Hagane item in the second. Reversing them so that the
Hagane item is listed first can actually change the result to Hagane rather
than Silver.
(iii) Sometimes, combining Hagane and Silver items results in a Damascus item.
A couple of contributors and myself are on the brink of sussing the rules for
this, but Silver and Damascus aren't pure or unmixable at all. You will be able
to upgrade all of that Hagane equipment to Damascus, in time, and it is
possible to combine the two and retain a Damascus result.
(b) Creating a new item Here's where you'll really get into the whole
combination business through addiction. The game will only surrender so many
weapons and pieces of armour: the rest are to be discovered, and most of those
will only come into being if you make them yourself. In other words, there's a
stack of great kit in the game that will only come into your possession if you
use the workshop to make it by hand. Excited, yet?
There are some perceivable rules to combination that will take your experiments
beyond mere trial and error.
(i) Upgrading items from the same weapon group. If you're looking to improve
your weapons, the key is to stick with items of the same class. Some
commonsense applies: if you combine a high-STR dagger with a low-STR-dagger,
you'll usually end up with a dagger whose STR rests somewhere in between.
Advancement through combination is also possible, and there are a couple of
tricks to try out here when you're looking for the next big thing.
(ii) adding closely-related items. Especially, this is the trick to use when you
wish to bring your familiar starting items up to scratch. Combine a Jambeau leg-
armour with the weaker Poleyn and you'll create the superior Missaglia. Then
combine the Missaglia with another Poleyn and you'll have a Plate Legging.
Keeping to the same class of weapon is important here, so if you want to
upgrade item x in the list of Great Swords, try combining it with Great Sword x
minus 1 (the next Great Sword down) or x minus 2.
(iii) combining identical items If you've reached what seems like the end of the
line with the previous technique, try doubling up for a result. For example, a
Tilt Glove plus a Tilt Glove results in a Freiturner; a Mjolnir plus a Mjolnir
creates a Griever; a Hoplite Shield plus a Hoplite Shield will give a Jazeraint
Shield; and so on.
(iv) creating new items from mixed groups When you combine weapons from
different groups, the results are less predictable. A mace combined with a
polearm might actually lead to a rapier, or a crossbow. Mix legging armour with
sleeve armour and you may find yourself looking at a type of helmet. This is
one good reason for never discarding anything, in case it can be combined to
create more than it seems. The rule here is that the sophistication of the
items will come into play, and items from crossed classes will never be in the
same league as those from which they're produced: combine a basic knife with a
basic axe and the results will be basic, whereas a high-calibre dagger combined
with a high-calibre axe might result in a new, mid-calibre class of weapon.
Furthermore, there seems to be a pegging system for the power of weapons and
armour that you can exploit to create a new item in a different class but of
the same strength. Try combining a glove with an armour, for instance, and if
both are (say) at Fluted level then the result will stay Fluted too.
(c) Strengthening an item Even when you've created exactly the item you want, in
the metal you want, the possibilities of combination remain.
By way of example, let's take a piece of hand armour. Perhaps you've already
combined a Vambrace (I) and a Gauntlet (B) to make your own Plate Glove (H)
that's been serving you very well. Suddenly, you win a Plate Glove (I) that
ought to be less powerful, but when you consult its basic stats you realise
that it's almost as sound as the one you've made in Hagane and improved through
a few hits. The good news is that there's no either/or here: what you can do is
head to the workshop and combine the Iron Plate Glove with your Hagane model,
resulting in a new Hagane Plate Glove that has some of the Iron's bonuses added
to it.
This system works both ways, of course, and you may find that adding a negative
statistic in the combination process has reduced some of your weapon-type or
elemental modifiers. Sometimes the pluses are overwhelmed by the minuses and
would result in an inferior piece of kit, so there's still a lot of status-
checking and weighing-up of odds to consider before you combine items.
In practical terms, this means you should use the SQUARE button to check the
various statistics of the components you're combining with the result before
acknowledging the combination. Keep pressing SQUARE to cycle through all
attribute displays, incidentally.
The technique is further limited by the possibility of accidental upgrade.
Combine a Tilt Glove with a Tilt Glove and you'll actually get a Freiturner,
when you may have wished to retain a Tilt Glove for future combination.
The long and short of it, though, is that you should never discard less
sophisticated items that might be combined with your existing equipment for
potential gain. No matter how simple its design, a Bronze Buckler made of a
thousand used and scavenged shields may offer more protection than a fresh
Damascus Targe that's never seen combat.
============================================== 14. COMBINATION TABLES
==============================================
My notes are still being written up for weapons, but this should set you on the
road to invulnerability. Note that there seem to be some 'key' items that you
can't make from lesser items in the same group, and that aren't available to
you until you reach certain areas. I suppose this is one way of moderating
player defence, and also preventing somebody putting together a suit of Fluted
Mail from piles of Leather Bear Masks and Bandages...
To upgrade your starting items, at first you may need to add them to much more
powerful items of the same kind just to put them on the step of gradual
advancement, as outlined in these tables. For instance, combining the Tovarisch
Hand Axe with a Battle Axe will get you nowhere, but incorporate it into a
Francisca and you're on the upgrade tree.
A quick note on end results. There isn't much difference between the Dread
class and the Jazeraint class, when it comes down to it, as it's more a
question of a single point that goes either towards STR at the expense of INT
(Dread) or towards INT at the expense of STR(Jazeraint). A personal choice, in
other words. Though why anybody would want that ugly great Dread Shield when
you could have a lovely red Jazeraint diamond with a Rood on it...
Also, if you acquire the Holy Wind rood blade or the Hand of Light maces, note
that these work like metal converters and possess some unusual combination
properties. Place the rood blade in the first slot of Combine / Blades and, as
long as the weapon you add to it is sufficiently powerful, you'll produce that
second weapon in Damascus while retaining its design.
The Hand of Light is also a metal converter: place it in the second slot of
Combine / Blades, stick any other item in the first slot and you'll produce
that first item in the same metal as the Hand of Light (Iron or Hagane). In
reverse, some alternative combinations are possible. The two tricks don't work
together to make a Damascus Hand of Light, however.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHEST AND BODY ARMOUR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Banded Mail Cuirass
Ring Mail Ring Mail Banded Mail Chain Mail Chain Mail
Ring Mail Breastplate Breastplate Chain Mail
Segmentata Segmentata Breastplate Scale Armour Scale Armour
Breastplate Brigandine Brigandine Breastplate
Plate Mail Brigandine Scale Armour Plate Mail Platemail
Brigandine Fluted Armour Fluted Mail Platemail
Hoplite Armour Hoplite Armour Hoplite Armour Jazeraint Armour
Jazeraint Armour Jazeraint Armour Dread Armour
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HAND AND SLEEVE ARMOUR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Reinforced Glove Knuckles
Ring Sleeve Knuckles Ring Sleeve Chain Sleeve Ring Sleeve
Chain Sleeve Gauntlet Gauntlet Vambrace
Plate Glove Vambrace Plate Glove Rondanche Rondanche
Plate Glove Tilt Glove Tilt Glove Tilt Glove
Freiturnier Freiturnier Rondanche Fluted Glove Fluted Glove
Freiturnier Hoplite Glove Hoplite Glove Hoplite Glove
Jazeraint Glove Jazeraint Glove Jazeraint Glove Dread Glove
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEG AND SHIN ARMOUR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Fusskampf Poleyn
Jambeau Poleyn Chain Leggings Jambeau Jambeau
Poleyn Missaglia Jambeau Chain Leggings
Missaglia Missaglia Poleyn Plate Leggings Plate
Leggings Missaglia Fluted Leggings Fluted Leggings Plate
Leggings Hoplite Leggings Hoplite Leggings Hoplite Leggings
Jazeraint Leggings Jazeraint Leggings Jazeraint Leggings Dread Leggings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HATS, HELMETS AND HEAD ARMOUR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Chain Coif Bone
Helm Spangenhelm Spangenhelm Chain Coif
Cabasset Cabasset Spangenhelm Sallet Sallet
Barbut Basinet Basinet Barbut Armet
Armet Basinet Close Helm Close Helm
Basinet Burgonet Burgonet Close Helm
Hoplite Helm Hoplite Helm Hoplite Helm Jazeraint Helm Jazeraint
Helm Jazeraint Helm Dread Helm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHIELDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Targe Buckler
Pelta Shield Pelta Shield Targe Quad Shield Quad Shield
Targe Circle Shield Circle Shield Quad Shield
Tower Shield Tower Shield Quad Shield Spiked Shield Spiked
Shield Circle Shield Round Shield Round Shield Tower
Shield Kite Shield Round Shield Spiked Shield Kite
Shield Kite Shield Round Shield Casserole Shield Casserole
Shield Kite Shield Heater Shield Heater Shield Casserole
Shield Oval Shield Oval Shield Heater Shield Knight
Shield Knight Shield Oval Shield Hoplite Shield Hoplite Shield
Hoplite Shield Jazeraint Shield Jazeraint Shield Jazeraint Shield
Dread Shield
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DAGGERS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Dirk
Scramasax Throwing Knife Throwing Knife Scramasax
Kudi Kudi Throwing Knife Cinquedea Cinquedea
Kudi Kris Kris Cinquedea Hatchet
Hatchet Kris Khukuri Khukuri Hatchet
Baselard Baselard Baselard Stiletto Stiletto
Stiletto Jamadhar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SWORDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Rapier Spatha
Short Sword Firangi Short Sword Shamshir Shamshir
Firangi Falchion Falchion Shamshir
Shotel Shotel Falchion Kora Kora Kora
Khopesh Khopesh Khopesh Wakizashi
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AXES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Francisa Battle
Axe Tabarzin Tabarzin Francisca Chamkaq
Chamkaq Tabarzin Tabar Tabar Tabar
Bullova Bullova Bullova Crescent
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MACES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Ball Mace Spiked
Club Footman's Mace (1-H) Footman's Mace (1-H) Ball Mace
Morning Star Morning Star Footman's Mace (1-H) War Hammer War Hammer
War Hammer Bec de Corbin Bec de Corbin Bec de Corbin
War Maul
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREAT SWORDS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Katana Broad
Sword Executioner Executioner Katana
Claymore Claymore Executioner Schiavona Schiavona
Claymore Bastard Sword Bastard Sword Bastard Sword
Nodachi Nodachi Nodachi Rune Blade
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GREAT AXES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Sabre Halberd Large
Crescent Balbriggan Balbriggan Sabre Halberd Double
Blade Double Blade Double Blade Halberd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HEAVY MACES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Footman's Mace (2-H) Sabre
Mace Gloomwing Gloomwing Footman's Mace (2-H) Mjolnir
Mjolnir Mjolnir Griever Griever Griever
Destroyer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STAVES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Summoner's Baton Clergy
Rod Shamanic Staff Shamanic Staff Summoner's Baton
Bishop's Crosier Bishop's Crosier Bishop's Crosier Sage's Cane
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ POLEARMS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Scorpion Glaive
Corcesca Corcesca Scorpion Trident Trident
Corcesca Awl Pike Awl Pike Trident Boar
Spear Boar Spear Trident Fauchard Fauchard
Boar Spear Voulge Voulge Fauchard Pole
Axe Pole Axe Pole Axe Bardysh Bardysh
Bardysh Brandestoc?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CROSSBOWS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PRIMARY COMBINANT SECONDARY COMBINANT RESULT Target Bow Gastraph
Bow Light Crossbow Light Crossbow Target Bow
Windlass Windlass Target Bow Cranequin Cranequin
Windlass Lug Crossbow Lug Crossbow Lug Crossbow
Siege Bow Siege Bow Siege Bow Arbalest
============================================== 15. ITEM LIST
==============================================
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GRIPS LIST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
------------------------------------ Dagger, Sword and Great Sword Grips ---------
---------------------------
GRIP BLT/EGD/PRC GEM SLOTS Short Hilt 0 / 4 / 1
x 0 Swept Hilt 0 / 2 / 4 x 0 Cross Guard 8 / 6 / 2 x
1 Counter Guard 0 / 8 / 7 x 1 Knuckle Guard 0 / 5 / 9 x 2
Side Ring 10 /12 /10 x 2 Power Palm 0 /15 /12 x 3
Spiral Hilt 20 /20 /20 x 3
------------------------------------ Axe, Mace and Staff Grips -------------------
-----------------
GRIP BLT/EGD/PRC GEM SLOTS Wooden Grip 5 / 1 / 0
x 0 Czekan Type 8 / 4 / 0 x 0 Sand Face 3 / 6 / 0 x
1 Sarissa Grip 6 / 9 / 0 x 1 Heavy Grip 6 /15 / 0 x 1
Gendarme 13 / 5 / 0 x 2 Runkasyle 17 / 7 / 0 x 2
Grimoire Grip 21 / 9 / 0 x 2 Bhuj Type 8 /19 / 0 x 3
Elephant 11 /22 / 0 x 3
------------------------------------ Polearm Grips -------------------------------
-----
GRIP BLT/EGD/PRC GEM SLOTS Wooden Pole 11 / 0 / 1
x 0 Winged Pole 2 / 6 /16 x 0 Spiculum Pole 2 /12 / 4 x
1 (2 1 -3) Ahlspies 10 /14 /12 x 1 Framea Pole 16 / 4 /10
x 2 Spiral Pole 15 / 6 /21 x 3
------------------------------------ Crossbow Grips ------------------------------
------
GRIP BLT/EGD/PRC GEM SLOTS Simple Bolt 1 / 0 /10
x 0 Steel Bolt 1 / 0 /13 x 1 Javelin Bolt 17 / 0 / 2 x
1 Falarica Bolt 3 / 0 /20 x 1 Stone Bullet 23 / 0 / 4 x 1
Sonic Bullet 5 / 0 /25 x 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ WEAPON LIST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DAGGERS 01. Battle Knife 02. Scramasax 03. Dirk 04. Throwing Knife 05. Kudi 06.
Cinquedea 07. Kris 08. Hatchet 09. Khukuri 10. Baselard 11. Stiletto 12. Jamadhar
SWORDS 01. Spatha 02. Scimitar 03. Rapier 04. Short Sword 05. Firangi 06. Shamshir 07.
Falchion 08. Shotel 09. Kora 10. Khopesh 11. Wakizashi 12. Rhomphaia
AXES 01. Hand Axe 02. Battle Axe 03. Francisca 04. Tabarzin 05. Chamkaq 06. Tabar 07.
Bullova 08. Crescent
MACES 01. Goblin Club 02. Spiked Club 03. Ball Mace 04. Footman's Mace (1-H)* 05.
Morning Star 06. War Hammer 07. Bec de Corbin 08. War Maul
*Don't get this confused with the Heavy Mace also called Footman's Mace.
GREAT SWORDS 01. Broad Sword 02. Norse Sword 03. Katana 04. Executioner 05. Claymore
06. Schiavona 07. Bastard Sword 08. Nodachi 09. Rune Blade 10. Holy Win
GREAT AXES 01. Guisarme 02. Large Crescent 03. Sabre Halberd 04. Balbriggan 05.
Double Blade 06. Halberd
HEAVY MACES 01. Langdebeve 02. Sabre Mace 03. Footman's Mace (2-H)** 04. Gloomwing
05. Mjolnir 06. Griever 07. Destroyer 08. Hand of Light
**Don't get this confused with the one-handed Mace also called Footman's Mace.
STAVES 01. Wizard Staff 02. Clergy Rod 03. Summoner Baton 04. Shamanic Staff 05.
Bishop's Crosier 06. Sage's Cane
POLEARMS 01. Spear 02. Glaive 03. Scorpion 04. Corcesca 05. Trident 06. Awl Pike 07.
Boar Spear 08. Fauchard 09. Voulge 10. Pole Axe 11. Bardysh 12. Brandestoc
CROSSBOWS 01. Gastraph Bow 02. Target Bow 03. Light Crossbow 04. Windlass 05.
Cranequin 06. Lug Crossbow 07. Siege Bow 08. Arbalest
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ARMOUR LIST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SHIELDS 01. Buckler 02. Targe 03. Pelta Shield 04. Quad Shield 05. Circle Shield 06.
Tower Shield 07. Spiked Shield 08. Round Shield 09. Kite Shield 10. Casserole
Shield 11. Heater Shield 12. Oval Shield 13. Knight Shield 14. Hoplite Shield 15.
Jazeraint Shield 16. Dread Shield
HELMS 01. Bandana 02. Bear Mask 03. Wizard Hat 04. Bone Helm 05. Chain Coif 06.
Spangenhelm 07. Cabasset 08. Sallet 09. Barbut 10. Basinet 11. Armet 12. Close Helm
13. Burgonet 14. Hoplite Helm 15. Jazeraint Helm 16. Dread Helm
BODY ARMOUR 01. Jerkin 02. Hauberk 03. Wizard Robe 04. Cuirass 05. Banded Mail 06.
Ring Mail 07. Chain Mail 08. Breastplate 09. Segmentata 10. Scale Armour 11.
Brigandine 12. Plate Mail 13. Fluted Mail 14. Hoplite Armour 15. Jazeraint Armour
16. Dread Armour
LEG ARMOUR 01. Sandals 02. Boots 03. Long Boots 04. Cuisse 05. Light Greaves 06. Ring
Leggings 07. Chain Leggings 08. Fusskampf 09. Poleyn 10. Jambeau 11. Missaglia 12.
Plate Leggings 13. Fluted Leggings 14. Hoplite Leggings 15. Jazeraint Leggings 16.
Dread Leggings
ARM ARMOUR 01. Bandage 02. Leather Glove 03. Reinforced Glove 04. Knuckles 05. Ring
Sleeve 06. Chain Sleeve 07. Gauntlet 08. Vambrace 09. Plate Glove 10. Rondanche 11.
Tilt Glove 12. Freiturner 13. Fluted Glove 14. Hoplite Glove 15. Jazeraint Glove 16.
Dread Glove
============================================== 16. THE BESTIARY
==============================================
Note that your encyclopaedia doesn't cover all the creatures you'll fight.
Humans are excluded, and there are various modes of undead fighters (archers,
halberdiers, etc.) covered by just one entry.
Monster stats and tactics are detailed in the level guide text, but I'll be
filling this section out properly for quicker reference.
Encylopaedia List
(01) Zombie (02) Mummy (03) Ghoul (04) Ghast (05) Zombie Fighter (06) Zombie Knight
(07) Zombie Mage (08) Skeleton (09) Dark Skeleton (10) Skeleton Knight (11) Ghost
(12) Wraith (13) Goblin (14) Goblin Leader (15) Orc (16) Orc Leader (17) Lizardman
(18) Blood Lizard (19) Lich (20) Lich Lord (21) Death (22) Gargoyle (23) Imp (24)
Gremlin (25) Mimic (26) Shadow (27) Silver Wolf (28) Hellhound (29) Bat (30) Stirge
(31) Slime (32) Poison Slime (33) Dark Eye (34) Basilisk (35) Ichthious (36) Harpy
(37) Quicksilver (38) Shrieker (39) Minotaur (40) Minotaur Lord (41) Minotaur
Zombie (42) Durahan (sometimes written 'Dullahan') (43) Dark Crusader (44)
Nightstalker (45) Last Crusader (46) Golem (47) Iron Golem (48) Damascus Golem (49)
Ogre (50) Ogre Lord (51) Ogre Zombie (52) Giant Crab (53) Iron Crab (54) Damascus
Crab (55) Air Elemental (56) Djinn (57) Fire Elemental (58) Ifrit (59) Earth
Elemental (60) Dao (61) Water Elemental (62) Marid (63) Dark Elemental (64)
Nightmare (65) Wyvern (66) Wyvern Knight (67) Wyvern Queen (68) Dragon (69) Sky
Dragon (70) Flame Dragon (71) Earth Dragon (72) Snow Dragon (73) Arch Dragon (74)
Dark Dragon (75) Dragon Zombie (76) Kali (77) Ravana (78) Asura
============================================== 17. TRAINING DUMMIES
==============================================
If you revisit a room to hear a hollow rattle rather than the noises of its
usual inhabitants, you may have discovered a new Training Dummy. These
inanimate sparring partners are marked with the Rood, and will happily take a
few hits or spells directed against them. You can actually break them by
getting a little bit, shall we say, 'overzealous': and the reward is an item in
the class of potions, tonics and elixirs (not always worth the effort, in other
words). If you want the Dummy to regenerate, you'll need to leave the area
entirely (ie. that level map) and return.
Initially useful for practising combo timings, Dummies also come in different
creature classes so that you can build up a weapon's strengths against a
specific class. The nature of the Dummies means that you'll often win Physical
bonuses too, but this is very often at the expense of your Elemental ones. For
this reason, it's recommended that you only use them briefly to take a novice
weapon to a low level of competency. Even late in the game, there may be good
reasons for doing this: you might wish to nurture another weapon type without
reshaping the blade you already use for that class, so that you have a choice
of both Blunt and Edged, or one-handed and two-handed, or long & short range
weapons, versus a particular class. But because of the negative elemental
drain, on the whole, it's nowhere near as effective - or as fun - as fighting
the real thing.
Hits on training dummies also count towards your acquisition of Battle
Abilities, so after acquiring your new Abilities for the very first time in the
Minotaur's arena then you could easily acquire the next one mere seconds later.
However, you will need to attack a real opponent afterwards for the choice of
new Ability to be granted.
Training Dummies are 'unlocked' gradually according to your position in the
game, but it's not really worth checking back until you have the Teleportation
ability. By design, all of them are placed usefully near to Magic Circles.
HUMAN Blackmarket, Wine Cellar (Crimson Blade) Worker's Restroom, Wine Cellar
(Crimson Blade)
BEAST The Dark Tunnel, Abandoned Mines B1 (Ogre)
UNDEAD Hall of Sworn Revenge, Catacombs (Skeleton Knight)
PHANTOM From Boy To Hero, City Walls North (Ghost)
DRAGON The Boy's Training Room, City Walls South (Lizardman)
EVIL Gharmes Walk, Town Centre East (Gremlin)
The excellent Sam Minh
, another VS FAQ author, has
proposed that getting elixirs from these dummies is a case of beating them with
record chains, either before or, as a method of, the kill. I haven't got this
to work yet, but I'm still eager to learn the rule that decides whether you get
potions or elixirs from them. Anybody?
============================================== 18. SECRETS AND EXTRAS
==============================================
----------------------------- (a) Getting the Rood Blade -------------------------
----
We've already mentioned that the creatures in each room vary depending on your
strength and power. Essentially, this trick relies on keeping yourself weak in
order to find a wholly different, and unexpected, kind of occupant.
The key is to enter the rooms of Iron Maiden B2 on 25% health or less. Instead
of Lich Lords or Ogre Lords, you'll find Last Crusaders waiting to take
advantage of your vulnerability. What's special about these creatures is their
equipment: all of them are packing Damascus weapons, including the 'Dainslaif'
Rhomphaia and - best of all - the 'Excalibur' Holy Win Rood blade that
Guildenstern wields in the last battle! Fight the Crusaders for long enough and
you'll start winning these items, as well as the superior gems and Spiral Hilt
grips attached to them. Even if you don't win a weapon, you might pick up some
useful Elixirs.
My recommended starting technique is to get all the way through to the Judgment
crossroads in Iron Maiden B3 as usual. Reduce your health by fighting the Lich
Lords in the treasure rooms to each side (St. Elmo's Belt and Dunking The
witch) with Break Arts, then go back through The Iron Maiden, B2, and enter
Tormentum Insomniae in low health. Instead of an Ogre & Ogre Lord, you should
find a Last Crusader.
If you want to venture further back into B2 then, by starting at the far B3
end, at least you'll be well-placed to heal and run for The Keep when you've
got what you came for.
The rood blade also possesses some unusual combination properties. Place it in
the first slot of Combine / Blades and, as long as the weapon you add to it is
sufficiently powerful, you'll produce that second weapon in Damascus while
retaining its design.
----------------------------- (b) Enemy Occurrence -----------------------------
As mentioned at the start of the level guide, there's no fixed number or type
of enemies you might encounter when entering a room. On first play you'll find
bats and wolves make up your initial opponents, for example, but by second play
you'll have spotted that zombies and ghouls start cropping up earlier than
before.
Essentially, Vagrant Story offers a reactive difficulty level. There's some
form of points system, tied into your current health and power, that determines
the occupants of any room you enter. If you're incredibly low on health, then
the Wine Cellar might offer little more than a bat to fight. A little stronger,
and you might find more bats, or wolves replacing those bats. Stronger still
and you could face bats, wolves and Undead in the same room.
Even later in the game, you might come back to somewhere like the Crumbling
Market to discover that the expected Dullahan has been replaced by a Lich or
Lich Lord more worthy of your exceptional health and prowess.
The Last Crusader trick is a special case of this rule, offering up more deadly
enemies with incredible kit when you least expect it, but that's not to say you
won't get unusual results on other levels too. Try re-entering Catacombs or
Sanctum on very low health and spot the number of slimes replacing the usual
skeleton enemies.
Admittedly, there are places where the enemies never change. You're unlikely to
find anything but Crimson Blades by stumbling through town on low health. But
it's an interesting tactic to consider, and one that you might exploit for a
Title-winning time of less than 10 hours for completion. If you're weak, your
enemies might not be so daunting. And if you're au fait with Raging Ache,
they'll fall even quicker. Get the idea?
----------------------------- (c) Record Game Times -----------------------------
The previous tricks came courtesy of Vincent Merken, who says he finished the
entire game in 10 hours *on first play* by adopting this technique of staying
weak and moving on, thus inviting weaker opposition, rather than resting up and
getting strong.
Furthermore, Vincent contends that it's possible to get through the entire game
this way and rely on no more than one weapon and a couple of spells. I'm hoping
he'll do a Speed FAQ of his own at some point to inform the rest of us mere
mortals (although I understand his hands are tied in some respects, so he
couldn't give anything away), but within the remit of this FAQ I'm happy to
record any other speed tricks and techniques other players might have found.
Director Yasumi Matsuno himself told the Japanese games press that he thought
it could be finished in 3-4 hours, although a mistranslation of the quote led
some Western game sites to erroneously report that Vagrant Story was *only* 3-4
hours in length. Currently, the suggested record seems to stand at something
around 80 minutes.
Even if you've taken longer, I'd be casually interested to hear how long you
took to finish the game first time, and also how long you've been spending on
it since... (average current time for first play seems to be 25-30 hours).
----------------------------- (d) Getting the Minotaur Club ----------------------
-------
The good news is that you can win this weapon, and pretty soon in the game too.
On the other hand (like me, tch...), you may fight the same battle for hours
and turn up zilch. It's possible to get it on your first fight, according to
some, but it's a very rare prize.
If you don't succeed on first go (and the odds are against it) then there are
several places to try later. The weapon itself is the 'Hand of Light', and
you'll already appreciate both its range and STR potential from being on the
business end of it. There are subtle differences in the weapon assemblage that
you'll win, though, depending on where you win it.
MINOTAUR I've now confirmed that you can win items from creatures in the Time
Challenges. So once you've acquired the Kalmia Sigil for the Keep, stepping
into the Time Challenge repeatedly will provide you with an endless sequence of
battles with the game's first Minotaur. Prize: Hand of Light (I) plus Czekan
Type grip
MINOTAUR ZOMBIE Once you've acquired the Stock Sigil, it's also possible to
fight the Minotaur's Zombie incarnation repeatedly by teleporting out and back
to the Blackmarket. Prize: Hand of Light (H) plus Runkasyle grip
MINOTAUR LORD The Minotaur Lord in the Temple of Kiltia is also a recurring
enemy, and once you have the Silver Key from his room then the easiest way to
keep fighting him is to switch Puzzle Mode to OFF in the options, run back
outside and take the side door to the Limestone Quarry, then step back into the
Temple of Kiltia and climb up to the Temple of Meschaunce. The Minotaur Lord's
Hand of Light has a Titan Malachite attached, and this is one of the most
useful gems for tackling Lich-type opponents. Prize: Hand of Light (H) plus
Runkasyle grip, Titan Malachite gem
Quite apart from its comically huge and unwieldy appearance, the Hand of Light
also has some other bizarre properties. Like the rood blade, it's a metal
converter: place it in the second slot of Combine / Blades, stick any other
item in the first slot and you'll produce that first item in the same metal as
the Hand of Light (Iron or Hagane). In reverse, there are some alternative
combinations possible that result in existing weapon types. It doesn't seem
possible to make a Damascus Hand of Light, incidentally.
----------------------------- (e) Record Combo Chains ----------------------------
-
In all honesty, mine's a mere 22 Chains. This isn't the place for a high score
chart, but I'd be interested to hear from anybody who has bona fide tips on
massive chains. My only advice is that, as far as I can gather, it's not enough
to keep up a rhythm or observe the appearance of the '!': there seem to be
regular waypoints where the timing window moves slightly as Ashley pauses or
rushes, in order to catch you out at the same chain lengths every time.
----------------------------- (f) Evolve Or Die -----------------------------
You'll need to crack of handful of old-fashioned cube puzzles to make your way
through some of Vagrant's Story's rooms and passages. If you then return to a
room where you've already beaten a serious cube puzzle to progress, you'll be
thrown into a time challenge version of the same puzzle called Evolve Or Die.
There's no prize for beating any of the time challenges, and no secret awaits
you for doing them all or trouncing the suggested times. It's just a minor
diversion with a touch of humour, thrown in for good measure.
If you look through the Options via the Main Menu then you'll see a Puzzle Mode
toggle. This is ON by default, and means that you'll enter an Evolve Or Die
time challenge every time you return to a solved puzzle. Switching the puzzles
OFF won't remove any that you haven't yet encountered, but any puzzle you've
beaten will remain solved so that you don't have to do it more than once.
(Sometimes the crates you'll find with Puzzle Mode OFF aren't an exact copy of
the solution, just useful steps to get you out of the room).
YOUR PLACE ON THE FOOD CHAIN I haven't tried for a complete list, but here's a
rough summary of the ranks you can win. As you can see, the extensive range of
loser titles implies that you're supposed to fail often and win rarely, so
don't be put off by that 'average' time being consistently tough to beat.
Little Green Man - Beat the challenge with a superb time. Homo Sapiens -
Win in roughly the given time. Baboon - A couple of seconds late.
French Poodle - Capybara - A kind of guinea pig, apparently. Dodo
Bird - Platypus - Horny Toad - Scallop - Sea
Slug - Amoeba - Amino Acid - Mmm, primordial soup.
Game Designer - Bottom of the evolutionary scale.
----------------------------- (g) The Bird -----------------------------
Silly one, this, but if you look up into the sky in first-person PAUSE while in
an exterior town location then, very occasionally, you might catch sight of a
bird with a long wing-span circling in the skies above. Because of the
excellent ambient background sounds (Lea Monde still has some 'ordinary'
wildlife, then, despite the corruption of Bats and Wolves by the Dark?) I must
admit that I assumed it was a bird, and not something more serious...
----------------------------- (h) Fine Wines -----------------------------
I normally reserve nothing but disdain for those "you can get Gau's Dad as a
secret character!!!" rumours, so here's the deal.
In the second intro scene, Ashley tells Merlose that if he finds any Lea
Mondean fine wines - all of which will have been laid down for at least 25
years, remember - then they're hers.
I stocked up all of my wines to the end of the game, and finished, and saved a
Game Clear Data without using any of them. You get nothing for doing that. It's
an intriguing piece of personable character dialogue, nothing more. Wines are
basically elixirs with interest, so you just miss out on improving your stats
by putting them by. Go on, prove me wrong.
============================================== 19. CREDITS
==============================================
There's no way I could do all of this on my own, of course, and the amount of
really useful material I've had come my way since starting this FAQ is nothing
short of astounding. So here's a list of Rather Superb People: they've all
helped out for no reward beyond the knowledge that their work will be shared
freely and may help other players. I'm indebted to you all.
James Savell Not content with putting me right on the
facts about Damascus, James suggested a theory for combining different items of
a similar pegging (I'm *still* working on it, James!), filled me in on the
status screen and also furnished me with an item list. He's since replaced my
lost notes on fighting the Wyvern Knight too, which meant this FAQ update got
to you an evening earlier. Yowza!
Vic Palileo Vic did ALL the work for me on the Weapon
Titles table, just when I was dreading the possibility that I might have to
research it all myself, and even went away to level up his weapons for a
complete list. Can't thank him enough for that. He also simplified the Light &
Dark Wage War jump better than anyone.
Lawrence Oei Lawrence kicked off the alternative boss
tactics section with his Phantom Pain x 8 trick and, more importantly, came up
with some metallurgy pointers that got me back into the workshop. Greatly
appreciated.
Vincent Merken Vincent's speed playing tips, not to
mention his discovery of Last Crusaders in Iron Maiden B3, have made him one of
this FAQ's most valuable contributors. He's since contributed some equally
valuable chain info, too.
Nelson Murphy Some valuable RISK pointers for improving the
chance of Sorcery spells came from this guy, as well as a reminder of the
Riskbreak Break Art, and I'm just as grateful for his enthusiasm. The Stat
Roulette tip is all his.
Taunted me with his spanking Minotaur's Club, which he'd
already obtained in the Japanese version. Aha, I have several now!
Robert Schmitz I first encountered Robert when he was editor of the sorely-
missed Shining Forth: a fine zine, not just a fanzine. He took time out from
reviewing for workingdesigns.com to send me his Crimson Pain / Raging Ache tips
and observations.
Joe P Shelton Continues to contribute some very helpful
pointers for the hidden Grimoires section, and always before anyone else too.
Thanks!
ZenCrawler@aol.com So, you don't need ranged weapons to take out the crates
blocking your Cloudstone jumps. This fellow showed me how.
Kaworu , Trevor Kaworu noted how to
cancel the Bloody Sin (that'll save a few tears, I'll wager) while Trevor
prompted me to re-try reflecting Guildenstern's attacks.
Cyrus Nunn Suggested a couple of tips, including his version of Training Dummy
regeneration, and was more usefully pedantic about my typos.
Firseal@aol.com Urged me on to explain the potential doubling-up of weapons for
creature classes, which is now in.
D. Bingham Brown Some canny observations mean the Ward
trick is all his.
Ryan Kern A correction-identifier of the first order.
Gun Dream Garrett Beaty NaturalH
The first of many to note it, but these early sharpsters
simultaneously pointed out my gem removal error.
There's no way that v1.2 will be the end of it - I can already see plenty of
amendments to make, and it now needs a hefty edit to make the information
snappier and more accessible - but I've got a busy week booked next week, and
I still haven't dared to look Perfect Dark as yet. My thanks to you all for
bearing with me.
Zy Nicholson
support of The Cardiacs, Statik Sound System, Square's foray into the European
market (at last!), My Bloody Valentine, Lee 'Scratch' Perry, retail ibuprofen
with added codeine, Erik Satie, the Bath JCR News 24-7, Digitiser, The Pixies,
and the Total Annihilation PC disk played as an Audio CD (track 7, pop-pickers)
for making v1.2 a reality. Any attempted inference of the author's real age or
dress sense on the basis of such flimsy evidence will incur the severest of
don't-like-you-any-more penalties.
If you've discovered something that needs correcting or updating, or you've
spotted something that the Vagrant Story-playing world needs to know, then e-
mail
spangenhelm@hotmail.com
and I will see to it that your finest observations are both incorporated and
duly credited to you. Please bear with me, as, by dreadful misfortune, I also
need to fit in working hard for a living...
//FIN.//
