______   _____)) ________|   ___/| __'__
\  _  \    \ \   `--. .--' ,'/  ""`  '__ '-,
| |_)  |   _\ \     | |   / /    . | |  ` , ,
|     /   / /\ \    | |  /  .---'| | |    | |
|  _  \  / /__\ \_) | |  \  .---,| | |    / /
| |_)  || |    \ \  | |\`,\  \   ` | |   | |
/ ____/  \ \   _\_\_\ \/ , `, \ -- |_|_  \ \
((     ((/_/         `--'    `--\|//      \_)
E T E R N A L     W I N G S
____))   _____))   ____))________|     __       ____/|
| |___)   \ \      | |  `--. .--'  ,'/  `,   ,',____/
| |/ /    _\ \     | |     | |    / ,\_\, \ |  __
|   <    / /\ \    | |     | |   | |     | | \___ `,
| |\ \  / /__\ \_) | |     | |   | |  _  | |     `, \
| | \ \/ /    \ \  | |     | |\`, \ '\ \' / |____-' |
_|_|_ \  |     _\_\_|_|_    \ \/ ,  `,__/,'  /_____-'
| \))                 `--'    ((___,-'
((/_/
A N D    T H E    L O S T    O C E A N
Spoiler-Free FAQ/Walkthrough
by Relle (getrelle@yahoo.com)
ASCII art courtesy of Leebo
Table of Contents
1.  Introduction
2.  Updates
3.  Game Basics
3a. Battle System
3b. Combos
3c. Other Mechanics
4.  Walkthrough
4a. Disc 1 - Upon the Wings of New Beginnings
4a-1. Cebelrai, the Farming Hamlet
4a-2. Moonguile Forest
4a-3. Cebelrai Revisited
4a-4. Through the Nunki Valley and to the City Beyond
4a-5. The Lord's Mansion
4b. Disc 1 - The Cloud Island Diadem
4b-1. Nashira, the Fishing Village
4b-2. Over the River and Through the Woods...
4b-3. Nashira Under Occupation and the Road of Clouds
4b-4. To the Palace and Intrigue!
4c. Disc 1 - Anuenue and the Colors of the Rainbow
4c-1. Komo Mai and the Flower Queen
4c-2. Ancient Library of Magic
4c-3. Climbing the Celestial Tree
4c-4. Dropped Off in the Outer Dimension
4d. Disc 1 - Mira and the Great Illusion
4d-1. Parnasse and Detourne
4d-2. Reverence and the Shrine of Spirits
4d-3. Balancoire and the End Magnus
4e. Disc 2 - Assault on the Empire
4e-1. Mintaka, the Imperial Capital
4e-2. Assault on the Goldoba
4e-3. The Final End Magnus
4f. Disc 2 - Darkness Engulfs the World
4f-1. The Adventures of Xelha
4f-2. Through Freezing Winds and Endless Snow
4f-3. The Empire is Struck Back
4f-4. Poisonous Pathways and Laborious Labyrinths
4f-5. Zosma, Tower of Stones
4f-6. Celestial Alps
4g. Before the Final Conflict
4g-1. The Book of Forbidden Magic
4g-2. Up Ghost River With a Magic Paddle in the Sand
4g-3. The Tower's Final Secret
4g-4. Taking Care of Business
4h. For a Bright Blue World...!
5.  Acknowledgements
6.  Copyright Info
===============================================================================
1.  Introduction
===============================================================================
Guess who's back!  Back again!  No, it's not that dick Eminem.  Once again the
RPG lust fuels my passion for FAQ writing, and once again I have a game worthy
of my efforts.  Besides being a card-based RPG, it also contains a fantastic
soundtrack, a key element for an RPG, and a battle system that gives me shivers.
All the flowery and overblown language aside, I'm continuing my quest to provide
a spoiler-free walkthrough for all the RPGs of the world, and Baten Kaitos is
one more stop in a long line of fun and kickass games.  As any veteran to my
guides would know, don't expect much in terms of listwork here.  The point of
this guide is to get you through the game with a minimum of spoilers (none if
possible).  If I've missed anything or if you want to add a tip or suggestion,
feel free to e-mail me.
===============================================================================
2.  Updates
===============================================================================
0.01 - Just started.  What you see now is more or less a skeleton until I make
some progress in the game.  As with all my RPG walkthroughs, I'll likely add
more sections and information as I go along.  Though don't expect any listwork
like card combos, since there's already a FAQ up for those and...well, it'd
be listwork, I hate listwork.
0.05 - Further progress.  If I had any idea how far in the game I am, I'd be
able to give more accurate version numbers...
0.10 - Added some stuff and wrote up the Cloud Passage.  Next stop, the castle.
0.12 - More progress.  Continuing on...
0.15 - Finally finished Diadem.  Next up, Anuenue.
1.17 - Walkthrough, walkthrough.  Finished through the library.  Also fleshed
out and added to the section on the game's mechanics.
0.25 - Lots and lots of progress.  I'm in Mira currently, but I missed some
things in Anuenue, so expect random corrections to sprout in the middle of the
walkthrough.
0.27 - Minor update, just expanded the walkthrough a little.  Happy Holidays!
0.40 - First update of 2005.  Ran into the first disc a mite sooner than I
expected.
0.43 - Made it through the Goldoba and quite possibly the toughest boss battle
in the game.  Go me.
0.50 - Continued progress.  No idea if this is really the halfway point.
0.52 - Really small update, I know, but I wanted to do something after having
been fully sucked into World of Warcraft.
0.55 - Really, really drawn into World of Warcraft.  I still managed to make
updates, though.  Went through the dimensional rift bosses.  Also revamped the
boss listings.  Thanks to the guys at the FAQ critiques board for their input.
0.57 - Continued progress.  Moving on.
0.59 - Slight progress.  Mintaka part deux is next.
0.60 - Finally finished the Imperial Fortress section!  Whoo!  Also got past a
couple stumbling blocks, namely the two bosses in said section.  So...yeah.
0.65 - Suddenly I am greatly inspired to write.  Woo.  Continued walkthrough
progress.
0.67 - Meh.
0.75 - Taking some time off from World of Warcraft since I'm in the horrible
fifties and I need all the rested XP I can get.  Finished off a major boss
battle, so I figured I'd upload something.
0.77 - Continued progress.  I've made an end-March resolution to play a little
Baten Kaitos before feeding my World of Warcraft addiction, so that'll help get
this thing finished.
0.80 - Hah, continued progress.  I did, in fact, write a little in this guide
every day, but I do reserve the right to forget to update it.
0.90 - Very nearly done!  All that remains is the final dungeon!
1.00 - That's it!  Walkthrough completed!  The long delay was, of course, due
to World of Warcraft, but after several months I'm beginning to lose interest.
In all likelihood I'll be quitting once my subscription's up.  Either way, it
doesn't matter since the walkthrough's finally completed and the only thing
left is minor corrections I can do anytime.  Thanks for putting up with my
ridiculous procrastination, folks.  It's been a pleasure.
===============================================================================
3.  Game Basics
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3a. Battle System
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Because this game's battle system is so unusual, I felt I should dedicate a
section to it.  This game is unlike other RPGs, and even other card RPGs, as it
incorporates real-time combat and card combos into the battle system.  So,
here's a brief and probably highly uninformed overview of the battle system.
First of all, you don't fight by the standard menu selection process of RPGs
past.  Instead, you choose cards to either attack, defend or heal yourself or
others.  These cards can be strung together into combos, resulting in much
higher damage dealt.
When attacking, it's turn-based, so you can take your time selecting your first
card, but once you pick that first one, you're off and running.  Two things to
keep in mind: one, when selecting a healing item, make sure you're not targeting
a monster!  You start any battle targeting monsters by default, so before using
a healing card, use the L and R buttons to select your target.
When defending, everything is done in real-time.  You must select a defense
card before the enemy's attack hits, or it deals full damage to you.  There are
also elemental armor cards that have greater defensive power against an enemy's
elemental attack.  However, you don't have to match your elemental armor to the
enemy's attack.  The total damage done and the defense you raise is calculated
at the end of the enemy's turn, so if you were to use a regular Buckler Magnus
against a flame breath attack, for example, then were to use an Ice Armor
Magnus against a regular claw attack, the elemental defense of the armor would
be calculated, and the fire damage reduced when the time comes to tally up all
the damage dealt.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3b. Combos
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Combos can be difficult to accomplish, because they require certain conditions.
The numbers on each card are how you string together combos.  They can be done
in pairs (two cards with the same number) or straights (cards with sequential
numbers).  Straights can be done backwards and forwards, meaning 1-2-3 and
3-2-1.  Combos only register when your entire attack or defense hand matches
the requirements.
I'll elaborate.  Say you have Xelha draw Light Flare 1 and 2, and Fire Burst
7 and 8.  If you were to select them in this order: 1-2-7-8, you wouldn't get
two 2-card straight bonuses because the entire hand you deliver must be in one
sequence, or be of a proper number for pairs (either 1-2-3-4, or 2-2-2-2 or any
other combination).  You can have more than one set of pairs, meaning 2-2 and
4-4 if you can select them in the proper order (2-2-4-4, or even 2-4-4-2).
Straights, however, must not have a break in between them.
Early on you'll only be able to use two or three cards and this won't matter
much, but later on you'll be throwing out hands of five or six and then you'll
have to make a choice.  Is it better to use up your entire hand, or stop short
to gain the bonus percentage?  Later on, it's often better to do the latter.
The high-damage cards you'll find will get more of a boost from the end-of-round
bonuses than one more attack card.
Later in the game you'll notice new cards will have a number in more than the
upper right corner.  These additional numbers are actually quite helpful in
stringing together larger and larger combos.  Elaboration: if you select a card
with the A button, you'll automatically use the card's number in the upper right
corner.  However, you can use the C-stick during battle to select the numbers
in other corners to create straights or pairs that you couldn't with the default
number in the upper right.
Another example: say you have a Light Flare Lv.3 card with 8 in the top-right
corner and 5 in the lower left, and a Chronos Blow Lv.3 with 5 in the top-right
and 2 in the lower left.  You would use the C-stick to select the Light Flare's
5 in the lower left corner, then select Chronos Blow with the A button to create
a pair.
While this may sound like a daunting task, it's easiest if you get used to using
the C-stick in battle as soon as you start running across multi-numbered cards.
Later on when you start stringing together long straights and quadruple-pairs,
the rewards will be quite apparent.
Also, be aware of special combos you can accomplish with your deck.  With
certain sequences of cards, you can actually create brand-new cards to be
selected with the end-of-battle loot.  As I said in multiple parts of this FAQ,
I won't be listing the game's many combos because...well, it's listwork, I hate
listwork.  However, I will tell you one particular combo that can help: use a
Blank Notebook and Magic Pen in battle, and ONLY THOSE TWO CARDS for that turn!
If you use any other card during that turn, either before or after the notebook
and pen combo, it won't work.  This particular combo creates the Prophet's
Notebook, an item that will tell you when and how your Magnus change due to
time.  More on that later.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3c. Other Mechanics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A word on money.  You garner your funds in this game by taking pictures of
monsters through the Camera card.  Early on you can take photos of your
characters for spare cash, but monsters and bosses will soon reap huge monetary
benefits.  However, don't sell right away, as it will take time for each new
photo to fully develop.  Just remember to use your Camera Magnus whenever you
draw one and you'll never be wanting for money.
Also, there is one more very important thing to note.  You don't gain levels
through normal means in this game.  You can fight a million battles, but you
won't raise in level until you visit the church via the blue save flowers.
In order to increase your level, you must earn experience from battles as per
normal, then pray at the church.  To improve your job level, you must first
find a special item that will increase that character's job level and then...
well, pray at the church.  Religious much, Namco?
This has the additional benefit for those of you out there who like a challenge.
You don't have to pray.  You don't have to gain levels.  You can fight as many
battles as you want and never get any stronger if you so choose.  Just avoid
that altar and you'll stay level 1 throughout the game.  Groovy.
One more note.  Time is a very big factor in this game.  Some of your Magnus
will actively change over time.  Bananas will become old and stale.  Milk
changes to Cheese.  Grapes become Wine.  Firey blades will lose their flames.
Other weapons and armor will either lose their powers or gain new ones.  This
mostly affects food items, but can also happen to less obvious Magnus.  Make
sure to check your card supply periodically, as what was there yesterday may
have changed overnight.  The Prophet's Notebook (mentioned above) helps
immensely with this.
This is a rather basic look at the game and battle system, and I'll try to add
to it over time as I delve deeper into the game.  For now, though, I hope it
helps.  One final request, and that is if anyone has the actual HP counts for
the bosses and could send them to me, I'd appreciate it.  There's currently no
card to analyze the bosses, so I've just been adding up all the damage I deal
and estimating the total from that.  Currently I have the 'official' totals for
several bosses, but the ones I'm not sure about have a little tilde (~) by the
HP total.  So...yeah.
===============================================================================
4.  Walkthrough
===============================================================================
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a. Disc 1 - Upon the Wings of New Beginnings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-1. Cebelrai, the Farming Hamlet
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lots of cutscenes to watch when the game begins.  When you regain control, take
a look around.  Speak to the woman to get an understanding of the game mechanics
if you're one of those people (like me) who never read the instruction booklet.
Go outside when you're ready.  Speak to Maynee, the woman in pink, then try to
leave the screen via the west end.  Some idiot will stop you and explain that
the blue flower beside him is this game's version of a save point.  So keep
that in mind.
In the next screen you'll be assaulted by a kid.  Talk to the blonde near him
when you regain control for another cutscene.  Go in the building by the guy
shouting to check out the Magnus store.  There's not much you can do about it
now, seeing as you're pretty much destitute, but it's good to know where it's
at for future reference.  Go north from there and enter the house.  The man
inside will give you a Shish Kabob (Medium) Magnus.  Examine the dresser in the
lower right corner to get a Dark Flare Magnus.  Go out and enter the house in
the northernmost part of the screen.  This is the mayor's house, and there's a
Fire Burst Magnus in the bookshelf.  Talk to the mayor, who will warn you
against going to the forest.  Well, gee, guess where we're heading next?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-2. Moonguile Forest
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right off the bat there will be a couple monsters to fight, and a green sparkly
thing which is a treasure chest containing a Voice Magnus.  I'd recommend you
fight just to get the hang of the battle system.  It can be a little hectic.
My only real tip is to remember that you have to select a defense card before
the enemy attacks, and since the enemy attacks in real-time, you have to be
quick about it.
Now then...go towards the light!  The guy sitting down is another tutorial dude
who will teach you the basics of battle.  Talk to him if you want, but practical
experience is always the best.  There will also be a chest behind a fallen tree,
but because you can't use the Fire Burst Magnus, it'll have to wait.  Instead,
go across the river and snag the Bamboo Shoot from the chest.  Be sure you're
ready before you go north, as you'll trigger a boss battle.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Sabre Dragon
HP   - 230
Weakness - Water (+80%)
Resists  - Fire (-80%)
Magnus   - Blue Storm, Fire Burst Lv.1, Draco
A quick note on the resistances.  Any number with a + signifies a weakness to
that particular element, while a - signifies strength.  So, this particular
boss is strong against fire, and weak against water.  I'll typically list the
weaknesses first, then the strengths.  Just for future reference.
A very easy fight, though you may have trouble if you didn't pick up on the
battle system with the few fights you've had to prepare you earlier.  Just
remember the battle system is real-time when the enemy attacks, so you'd better
pick your defense and counter-attacks quickly if you want to survive.  This
boss is strong against fire and weak against water, so if Aqua Burst or any of
Kalas' water cards should come up in the shuffle, use them.  Oh yes, make sure
to take a picture of the beast should your camera pop up.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cutscenes follow.  Go north into the lighted tunnel to reach the next screen.
Fight monsters and take the Fire Burst Magnus from the chest.  Go through the
narrow passage and beat up the bird for the Flame Sword.  To reach the save
point you'll have to go through a hidden path in the trees south of the land
bridge above the red flower.  Before you go to the next screen, save, then try
to configure your decks.  Make sure you have a lot of fire Magnus, including
Fire Burst, the new Flame Sword, and take out any water Magnus, as they won't
be of much help.  Make sure you have as many healing Magnus as possible in your
decks.  When your deck is set and you feel you're ready, head up to fight
another boss.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Lord of the Spring
HP   - 300
Weakness - Fire (+80%)
Resists  - Water (-80%)
Magnus   - Scale Buckle, Wild Strawberry
As I said, this monster is weak against fire.  The opposite of the last boss,
as it were.  At this point you should have enough Fire Burst Magnus to make
Xelha a useful entity.  Be careful, though, because when this guy is low on
HP he will use a four-hit combo ending in a powerful water attack called
Thundering Falls.  And unfortunately, he'll start using it every time he
attacks.  Ouch.  Later on he'll use a two-hit combo ending with Dragon Press,
which isn't really that much better.  Make good use of your healing Magnus and
apply Fire Burst cards as needed.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Watch the cutscenes and...well, crap, that can't be good.  Choose the first
option when prompted.  Equip the Scale Buckle when you regain control.  You'll
automatically be dumped to the world map, and there's nowhere to go but back to
Cebelrai.  So...go there.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-3. Cebalrai Revisited
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You'll automatically be taken to the mayor's house and chewed out.  When you
regain control, head over to the Magnus shop.  If you took any pictures of the
monsters in the forest (and you should have) they should be fully or mostly
developed by now (except the two boss pictures) so sell what you have for cash.
Buy the two Shish Kabobs if you haven't already, then go to the doctor's house
where you first woke up in the beginning.  Before you do that, take the blue
save flower to the church and pray at the altar.  You can use the Wild
Strawberry to raise Kalas' job level, and more than likely you've earned enough
XP to boost yourself up a level or two.  Unfortunately, you'll have to listen
to an old man's story before you can return.  He'll give you one of the game's
many sidequests, to find bits of the Star Map.
Anyway, go to Larikush's house when you're ready.  He'll give you four blank
Magnus, which can be used to trap various items into cards for easy storage.
Like you can't just pick it up and carry it...oh well.  The blank Magnus are
reusable, fortunately, since they're used for pretty much every sidequest you
have access to right now.
Those sidequests are pretty simple, and very lucrative.  Talk to Larikush and
ask him how to use the blank Magnus to be given a sidequest to get a Mountain
Apple.  They're right outside his house, the lazy bastard.  Just get one and
give it to him for an Ice Dagger.  Now go and talk to Maynee near the village
entrance to get a quest to find her boyfriend, Aljeema.  Now go in the house
near the Magnus shop and talk to the woman in the red dress.  She wants Pow
Milk.  Well, since Kalas is apparently incapable of carrying anything heavier
than a card, you'll have to trap it in those blank Magnus.  Go to the barn and
snatch the essence of Pow Milk from the vat in the upper right corner.  Return
the milk to the lady to get the Puppis Magnus.  Give it to the old man in the
church if you want.  You'll get a Nixie Garb in return.
Finally, go to the mayor's house and examine his fireplace to trap a Stoaked
Fire into a blank Magnus.  Remember the fallen tree in the forest?  Go back
there and use your stored fire to burn away the tree and get the Ice Dagger.
While you're here, go to the screen where you fought the Lord of the Spring and
get the Escape Magnus from the chest there.  Now then, with all that nonsense
out of the way, revise your deck if you wish, make sure you're leveled up and
all that jazz, and go to the Nunki Valley.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-4. Nunki Valley and the City Beyond
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right off the bat you'll see a whole bunch of monsters.  Fill your deck with
Ice Daggers, as the monsters here are primarily weak to water.  Go up to where
the waterfall crashes into the river and hop across, then go down and snag the
Flame Shield.  Return and make your way across the bridge to the chest, which
contains a Frozen Shield.  Now go up to the next screen.
Use your Explosives to blast the rocks away.  This is actually the long way,
but the battles here are good experience.  Fight your way past all the monsters
and just go to the next screen.  Here you'll see Doomers, which are completely
immune to fire, but incredibly vulnerable to water.  Make sure you have as few
fire cards in your deck as possible (none would be prefereble, obviously) and
take them down.  They drop good loot and give good XP.  Take a picture if you
can manage it.  Check behind the waterfall for a Secret Recipe 1 Magnus.  Go
back to the previous screen and cross the river by leaping across the rocks.
Head to the next screen and get some Pristine Water essence from the waterfall,
then beat up the Doomers in your way, and exit the valley.
Anyway, go back to Cebalrai and see if you can level up at the church.  While
you're there, get a Mountain Apple in one of your blank Magnus.  Now leave and
enter Pherkad, the new city.  Talk to the crying kid, who apparently wants a
Mountain Apple.  How conveeee-nient.  She gives you the essence of a pebble.
Might as well take it.  Talk to the girls drawing on the ground to get another
constellation Magnus.  Now examine the flowers near the lit doorway on the
right and use your Pristine Water to help them along.  Examine the flowers again
to trap their essence.  The side street leading right will have a blue save
flower if you want to visit the church.  The lit doorway to the north is the
Magnus shop.  Sell off your photos and buy what you want.  I'd recommend getting
as many Shish Kabobs as you can afford, and the Bananas.  They're better healing
than Bamboo Shoots.
Return to the main street and head up (that is, away from your TV screen).
Enter the next glowing doorway and examine the pine tree along the south wall
to get a Magnus.  Check the dresser to find out how much that portrait on the
wall cost.  There's no point to it, but good god, that's a lot for an ugly
painting!  Go outside and head up to the next screen.  Enter the non-glowing
doorway on the right and talk to the old man inside.  Agree to help him.  Talk
to him again when you regain control, since apparently he wasn't finished the
first time.  Your task?  Bring all his family members to his pre-funeral.  This
is like the star map quest in that you don't have to (and can't) finish it
right away.  Speak to his wife first to get a good start on completing the tree.
The first two members of the tree are in the same screen as the blue save
flower.  They just happen to be the girl sitting on the fence and her morose
father nearby.  The girl won't do anything till you give her a special flower,
which we'll get right now.  Leave the city and return to Moonguile Forest.
Make your way to the screen one short of where you fought the Lord of the
Spring (or one past where you fought the Sabre Dragon).  There will be a man
near the bottom of the screen, slightly obscured by brush.  Speak with him
(notice he has a bracelet?) and agree to help.  Go toward where you fought the
Lord of the Spring, but notice how the Bluebirds fly away when you pass through
the secret path in the trees?  What you need to do is come at them from the
other side, at a diagonal angle.  That'll send the birds toward the proper spot.
Go back and trap the dead Bluebird essense (ewww!) and show the man the Family
Tree to have him sign it.  Leave.
By this time your Nameless Flower should have magically changed into a Pressed
Flower.  Go back to Pherkad and speak to the girl by the flower stand.  Give
her the Pressed Flower to get the essence of...the Popular Pick-up Line?  HAH!
Might as well take it.
Go back to the girl sitting on the fence and give her the dead Bluebird
(creepy...) then show her the family tree to have her sign it.  Talk to her
father next to her and have him sign it as well.  Now talk to the kid running
around near the airship.  He's part of the family as well, so agree to his
request to have him sign the family tree.  Leave the city again and go back to
Cebalrai.  Get a couple Pow Milk essences and speak to the woman leaning on
the fence to have her sign the family tree.  That's it for now.  Go back to
Pherkad.
Just go up two screens to find the lord's mansion.  Approach for a cutscene.
Go back to the entrance of Pherkad to see the kid wander into a nearby house.
Follow for a cutscene.  When you're given a choice, choose the first one.  I
know, it's not exactly kosher for an RPG main character, but go with it.  Once
you regain control, check your deck.  Put whatever Flame Swords you have in it,
swapping out the Ice Daggers.  Go to the Magnus shop if need be to buy new ones.
This rainbow spiderweb you need is protected, and this is the preparation you
need.  Also replace any water armor with fire, and you'll be good to go.  Now,
leave Pherkad.
The rainbow spiderweb is in the Nunki Valley, so enter from the south side.
Go up to the next screen on the left side of the river, and from there it's an
easy walk to the very big and visible spider.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Nunkirantula
HP   - 350
Weakness - Fire (+50%), Wind (+30%)
Resists  - Water (-50%), Chrono (-30%)
Magnus   - Duel Sword, Light Flare Lv.2
I hope you put a lot of fire weapons and armor in your deck.  The lack of
resistance to wind should be exploited with Blue Storm.  One thing I caution,
though, is if you manage to pull off a two-card straight with your Flame Swords,
resulting in Sacred Spring being drawn, be careful about using it.  It'll do
damage, but will also hamper the power of your fire cards.  This boss also uses
Hardening Wax, a skill that basically lets it automatically defend against all
your attacks.  It's very annoying, trust me.
Heal when necessary and hope your fire weapons come up often.  Combo your
defense cards when you can, and while it may not be possible at this stage in
the game, try out certain basic combos like straights and pairs.  If possible,
unload a powerful attack early on in the battle, before this thing casts
Hardening Wax and reduces all your attacks to almost nothing.  It will be a
long battle once Hardening Wax is tossed out, so be patient and you'll win.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
With the spiderweb in hand, leave Nunki Valley and go back to Pherkad.  Check
and see if you can level up at the church.  Odds are after that battle you'll
have enough experience.  Now then, talk to the little girl standing in front
of the second alley on the first screen (the one farthest from your TV screen)
and she'll let you in.  Talk to the self-proclaimed Master of Shadows to learn
of the secret passage.  Heal/save if you need to, then talk to him again to
enter the well.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4a-5. The Lord's Mansion
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When presented with a choice, just choose the first one.  The second gets you a
rather nasty response.  Remember, the choices you make aren't just a convenient
romantic factor, but intended to build trust with Kalas and his guardian spirit.
Now then, go up to the next screen.  Dodge the soldiers and enter the first
room on the left.  Get the Shadow Wings Magnus from the chest and put it in
your deck.  It's a finishing move for Kalas, and obviously very powerful.
Speak to the woman here to learn of Xelha's location...sort of.  Leave and fight
whatever soldiers are in the hallway.  They won't respawn, so feel free to
gather up experience and loot.  The first room to the right of the stairs
contains a moaning woman (Xelha) and the room to the right of that one just has
a pair of soldiers, so head all the way left and up the stairs.
Fight the two soldiers and grab what's in the chest, then enter the room they
were guarding.  Snag the chest in the corner, then get the key on the table for
a cutscene.  When you need to make a choice, choose the first one again.  Yeah,
this is not your ordinary lovesick RPG hero.  Leave the room and go back
downstairs.  Check the first door you see to unlock it and go in.  Inside
you'll find...Aljeema!  Give him Maynee's pendant and you'll get a Voice 2
Magnus in return.  Now go to the room where Xelha's locked up and get her out.
Revenge or not, Kalas needs to learn a little something about women.  Watch the
cutscene, then snag the two Magnus from the chest.
Leave the room and take the stairs to the right.  Hey, a blue save flower!  A
boss battle must be coming.  Go to the church and see if either Kalas or Xelha
can level up.  Now rework your decks so that your weapons and armor are of
either water or light element (or both).  Fire weapons/armor should be removed.
Just a little preparation.
But first, check your quest Magnus.  If you got the Pow Milk like I told you,
by now it should have turned to Yogurt.  Go into the north room and speak to
the woman in a green dress.  Give her the Yogurt to get a Magnus in return.
The woman by the island has a bracelet (yes, a relative for the family tree)
but she wants cheese.  Your second Yogurt won't turn to cheese for quite a
while, so just leave for now.  Remember to come back and give her the cheese,
though.  She's an easily missed member of the family due to the sensitivity of
the milk Magnus.  Examine the statues in the hall to clear the way to the roof.
Before you go up, make absolutely sure you're ready.  When you do head up, it's
a cutscene and a boss battle!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Giacomo
HP   - 750
Weakness - Water, Light, Wind (+30%)
Resists  - Fire, Darkness, Chrono (-30%)
Magnus   - Sparkle of Life, Chronos Blow Lv.1
Is it my imagination, or is there a rapper in the background?  Oh well, it's a
great song.  Water and Light elements are your friends here.  This guy is very
strong, so hopefully you loaded up on armor Magnus.  If not, be prepared to be
hurt, a lot, and often.  He has a four-hit combo with End Slasher as a finisher
that'll do 90 damage or more, so either guard or make sure to heal soon after.
If you can combo your armor, he won't do very much damage, so just hope you
have the luck of the draw.  While his HP is much higher than any boss you've
thus faced, it's also a lot easier since now you're fighting two on one like
any respectable RPG boss battle.  Just make sure to keep your HP high, or
you'll be in trouble when he unleashes his End Slasher.  This is especially
true when you've taken off a good chunk of his HP (600+) as he'll start using
it every round.  Make as many combos as possible and exploit his elemental
weaknesses when you can.  Also remember to take his picture, should it come up.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After dealing about 800 damage, Giacomo will stop the fight and leave.  Wimp.
At least you get loot.  Watch the cutscene and...whoo, guitar rock!  Anyway,
it seems you end up in the opposite direction you were running, so...strange.
Watch the cutscene, and choose whatever choice you want when prompted.  I got
sick of agreeing with that self-centered Kalas.  Either way, you'll join up
with Xelha again.  Leave Pherkad for now.  Go back to Cebalrai and speak to
Maynee to get a Shampoo Magnus.  Weird.  Head to the Magnus shop and buy/sell
and rest your wings, then head into the Pow barn and talk to the woman milking
the Pow.  Tell her you liked Pherkad to get a new equip Magnus for Xelha.
Okay, quick collecting spree before heading to Diadem.  First, get a Mountain
Apple, then go back to Moonguile Forest and get another dead Bluebird (ick),
and finally, if your Popular Pick-up Line has become old and stale, toss it and
get a new one from the flower girl in Pherkad.  You'll have to get yourself a
new Pressed Flower to do so, though.  Either way, go to the Diadem Express
Liner near the blue save flower and get on.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b. Disc 1 - The Cloud Island Diadem
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-1. Nashira, the Fishing Village
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch the cutscene and leave the dock.  Talk to the woman with the pointy green
hat to find another relative to add to the family tree.  Go downstairs and
inspect the water tanks to find a Fire Yell Magnus.  You can get the essence of
Salt nearby, but don't bother.  Exit south.
Now this is the actual city...town...village...whatever.  After the cutscene,
head right and enter the rightmost glowing doorway.  Speak to the bartender,
Anna.  Hmm, a portrait.  Must be an important person.  After you finish, leave
the bar and head south a bit.  Examine the odd lantern-looking thing for a
Fire Burst Lv.2 Magnus.  Okay, explore around a bit.  Along the north end of
the screen you should see four doorways, the leftmost one being the one you
came in from.  Enter the one to the right of it and speak to the old woman to
hear the legend of the old ocean.  Leave and enter the next doorway for the
Magnus shop.  Buy/sell or whatever.  This shop has a new equip Magnus for Kalas,
but it's pretty expensive.  If you took a picture of Giacomo, try to refrain
from selling it until it's fully developed.  It's worth a fortune when it
finally does.  Anyway, enter the rightmost door and climb up the ladder to the
bunkbed to get a Feathered Hat.
With all that out of the way, talk to Lyude at the dock.  After you're done
there, go back to the bar and speak to Anna.  After all the cutscenes (when
prompted, just choose the first choice twice) Gibari the Wakka look-alike will
join your party!  Woot, full boat!  If you have the Popular Pickup Line you can
give it to the moping guy by the bar for a reward.  Otherwise, head out, save
up, and go to the boat to the right of Lyude's.  That's Gibari's boat, and it'll
take you down to the Lesser Celestial River.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-2. Over the River and Through the Woods...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obviously the monsters here are of the water type, so fill your decks with
fire weapons and armor.  Snag the Chaos Edge Magnus from the chest right where
you start out.  The treasure chest to the left is blocked by rapids washing
over the stepping stone, so ignore it for now.  Instead, go up and cross the
river where it's safe.  You'll be ambushed by monsters on the way over, though.
Focus on attacking one at a time, because they're all very strong and if you
don't block their attacks properly, they'll do some serious damage.  If you
can manage to take a picture of them, I highly recommend it.
Once you're safely across, beat up both monsters for the chests they protect,
namely the all-important Mana Stone (Kalas' class upgrade Magnus!) and a
Stream Blade, which is useless in this area.  Now leap across the river to the
right and go to the next screen.
Immediately go left to snag a chest with a Camera Magnus, which should be put
in one of your other character's decks.  More pictures means more money.  At
this point you'll have two routes to take: left and up.  Up leads to a battle
with Cancerites and a chest.  The chest contains a Fire Burst Lv.2, so make
your own decision on whether it's worth the trouble.  Left leads to an ambush
by the same Cancerites as before.  Past those is a timing puzzle.  You have to
run past the waterfalls without getting hit, or you'll be sent to the right
bank and have to make your way over again (and yes, you'll have to fight the
Cancerites every time, too).  Wait till the waterfall closest to you stops
falling, then run to the edge of the farthest fall.  As soon as that one stops,
run like hell to reach the other side safely.
Well, what's this?  A save point and a chest?  Inside the chest is a Century
Veil, a defensive Magnus for Xelha.  Obviously a save point means a boss battle
is incoming, so prepare your decks.  Fire cards all around.  Take out whatever
light-element Magnus you may have, too.  This boss is strong against such cards.
It's doubtful you have many Darkness cards, but if you do, make sure to use
them.  Anyway, heal up, save, and press on.  As I said, the next screen brings
a boss battle.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Thunderfish
HP   - 1000
Weakness - Fire, Darkness (+50%)
Resists  - Water, Light (-50%)
Magnus   - Energy Wave Lv.3, Silver Anklet, Pisces
Whoa, that's a big fish.  As I said, fire and dark Magnus will be the most
effective here.  Wind and Chrono have no real weakness or stength, so use them
at your leisure.  This boss can also poison one of your characters, which isn't
so bad right away, but can be a real pain later on.  Cure it when you can.
Because you have three party members, this won't be that hard, as long as you
keep your HP high.  It does have a four-hit combo ending with Thundercloud that
will deal over 100 damage easily unless you defend against it.  Fortunately,
it doesn't use its finishing move that often.  It can still damage you for
quite a bit, though.  Oh yes, remember to take its picture.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Woo, good loot for beating that thing.  Equip the Silver Anklet on Xelha and
give Kalas the Energy Wave.  Go back to where you fought the Thunderfish and
cross the river in the shallows along the north edge of the screen.  Get the
Hemp Creel from the chest, a new equip Magnus for Gibari, then go left.
You'll be in the lower area of the Cloud Passage.  The monsters here can be
tough, so be careful.  Save the drowning kid to the left and have him sign the
family tree, then keep going left and circle downward.  Leap across the rocks
and go left to find the second kid.  Have him sign the family tree as well,
then go back to the Celestial River.  Don't forget to snag the Stream Blade
from the hidden chest to the right of the second kid.  It's behind some clouds,
so just tap A until you find it.
At this point you'll have to return to your boat on foot.  While the insane
waterflow has been stopped, this also means you're guarenteed a battle with
the Cancerites on the way back.  Also on the way back is the corpse of the
Thunderfish.  Examine it and let it drift farther out.  On the next screen,
examine it again and keep it moving.  It will free the path to that stray
chest near your boat.  Snag the Heron Statue (Xelha's class raising Magnus!)
then trap the essence of the Thunderfish in a blank Magnus.  Head on back to
Nashira.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-3. Nashira Under Occupation and the Road of Clouds
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, this isn't good.  Seems the Empire has taken over.  Fortunately, they
won't kill you on sight.  Take the opportunity to hit the Magnus shop, sell
whatever pictures you took, buy whatever new cards you want/need, and rest your
wings.  Then head to the save flower and go to church.  Level up if you want,
and give the old man his Pisces Magnus to further complete the constellation
map.  He'll hand over the Secret Recipe No. 2.  With all that over with, head
back to Nashira.
Go to the bar and talk to Reblys, which will lead you to Anna in the fish
warehouse.  Return to the bar and talk to Anna to leave the village.  Head over
to the Cloud Passage on the world map.
The enemies here are not-quite-obviously strong against wind Magnus and weak
against Chrono, so if you happened to pick up such Magnus in town, stack your
deck with them.  Be sure to remove Gibari's Mosquitos, as they're wind-element.
Just follow the path for starters and go to the next screen.  Once there, take
the left path at the intersection to find a man with a bracelet.  The drowning
boys in the lower Cloud Passage are his sons, so if you rescued them earlier,
you can get him to sign the family tree.  If not, you can do it later.  Those
kids will drown forever.  Make sure to fight the winged monsters here, as they
will drop the Triangulum constellation Magnus.
Anyway, take the right path to reach the next screen.  There, go right at the
intersection and turn on the cloud machine.  Now trap the essence of the clouds
and go back.  You can use the essence to create a cloud bridge to the other
side.  After doing that, go back and get another essence.  Now return and cross
your cloud bridge, then head up the left path to the next screen.  Use the cloud
essence to create a bridge here to two chests containing a Cygnus and an Aqua
Burst Lv.2, not to mention a save point!  Use it, because if you head across
the bridge you'll fight a boss.  Fill your decks with water and light Magnus
before heading in.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Boss - Iron Beetle I
HP   - 1500
Weakness - Water, Light (+30%)
Resists  - Fire, Darkness (-30%)
Magnus   - Soul Flash, Shark Tooth
At the beginning it'll use Nitro Boost to improve its attacking power, which is
bad.  Very bad.  It has a five (yes, five) hit combo ending in Voldocannon that
can and will take off over 200 HP!  Very, very bad.  Defend to the death (which
will come sooner than you think) and heal as soon as possible after a
Voldocannon!  Once again your strength in numbers helps immensely, and the fact
that the Beetle won't have very many turns compared to all your wailing on it.
Just remember to heal as often as you can.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Anyway, with that thing knocked out, go across the bridge.  You'll be dumped
back to the world map.  The Cloud Passage now acts like the Nunki Valley, as
you can safely cross it on the world map.  You can even go back to Nashira and
rest/buy stuff/visit the church.  You can also return to the Lesser Celestial
River if you missed anything.  I would recommend going back to Nashira, since
you can probably level up at this point, not to mention level up Gibari's class.
Giving the Cygnus Magnus to the astronomer for a simple Shish Kabob, but at
least it's something.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4b-4. To the Palace and Intrigue!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On the world map, head to Sheliak.  Once inside, go to the large house that
looks like it's on fire to peep in on a conversation.  After the cutscenes,
go in the lit doorway to find the Magnus shop.  Buy what you want and head out.
Head up the stairs to the right, then enter the second doorway from the left.
Examine the desk to find a Red and Blue Pencil.  Stand on the left side of the
large bookcase and shove it aside to find a doorway to the next house.  Get the
Magnus from the two chests and leave the house.  Now go in the doorway on the
far right and examine the vases to get a Voice II Magnus.  Also get the Fading
Notebook Magnus from the lower left corner of the room, then go.
Use the blue save flower, then leave the screen to the right.  Select the first
option when prompte.  After the cutscene, go back to the dock.  While your
characters claim you have to steal a boat with no one looking, you can just walk
right up and take it.  Do so, and go to the far left after the cutscene for an
Infinity Mask.  Head down to the next screen, then go left to get a Dark Sword
from the chest.  Speak to the man nearby to learn of how to progress through
the castle, then get the Diadem crest from the little nook in the wall.  Now
talk to the knight in front of the stairs to get a blank Magnus with the crest
and four knights to add to your regiment.  Use them straight off by taking out
the two Imperials beating up on the one knight.  Something to keep in mind,
and that is any knight you dispatch won't be returned to you, regardless if
they win or lose against the Imperials.  So, don't be so quick to send out
your best stuff right away.
Anyway, go left, then keep going left to the next room.  Dispatch an apprentice
knight, then go around the back of the room to get a Magical Anklet for Xelha.
Go back and head downstairs, then left to fight a pair of Imperials.  Head into
the room they were blocking.  This is more or less a stockpile of spare knights.
You can only command four at once, so talk to the two on the beds and show them