CM0                                    PM6
MM5                                        MMC
SMS                                           ;MM
tM#t                                              #MM
P00                                                 8tM
Kj8 t:                                                B M0
M 6 P                                                   2 Mh
M .MM:             5MSS50KM;                              M M#
Mt M M              M .t.. MCKM           MMEMMM;          6M Mt
:# K jM              M :P M Et M            M vv             v  M
M    h0 hC55C        M. B E Mt M            M M:              M 6M
M  0 vM jM vhBE v#ME M. B M M0 M;8M  .6MMj  M M.      #MMP  0MM ;M
M  j0. M  M ;v5tM 8M M   B M  M 0K M KhCjtM  M M:    Mvvj K M PB t;5
M  M P M  M jCBt:; M ;   E M  M M. M M K 5Sv M M.  vCP.v6 SE #  Pj M
KM6  #   jM M tP M h;P    Mv M .M M  M M MCh M M E8  MS Bt8 5E M  M  BM6
2P  M M  M M :# M 8 M     K M  M M  M M K:tvt M M   M# E M 5M M; M  0v
80  M M  M M tE tCC M2M   M M  M M  M M M B;  M M  #C8 P 8 8M M  Mt P2
2h  M  S 6j#  M  M M;t.  t; M  M M  M B 5C.M  M M;P M M M6 M . MSCv Bv
h  ;M #  vC  ;S  t     :6  8vCv h  .v.:     C2  C  h :. j.jj hj  t M
E M ;MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMK CS M
M Mhv                                                         0MM  M
M M                                                             E KS
t M   PM2;  j  ;    t    P0v  ;   j 2K6t .      8        50C 82 E M
#M    M #6th 8M ;vM2 MM vE 68 MjMS  M h2MKM   M MM 5M;#M M Bv  B M
MM    M MEMM BM6KPjM MM.CM tMt05M   M K M M  SS Mt 2MS M M M   MS
.h;                                                            M#
M#                                                           vE
2M                                                           Mt
Mv                                                         vM
***************************************************************************
Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The Spirits - FAQ/Walkthrough.
Written By: Kain Stryder.
E-Mail Address: ssj4kain@aol.com.
Walkthrough Version: 0.50.
Last Updated: 11/25/03.
System(s): PlayStation 2.
***************************************************************************
IGN EXCLUSIVE ONLY. NOT TO BE ON ANY OTHER SITE. (Now on GameFAQs.)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=                            Table Of Contents                            =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
| [ I. Introduction ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ INTR1 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ II. Current Updates ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CURUP2 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ III. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions.) ] . . . . . . . . . . [ FAQ3 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ IV. Tips And Suggestions ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ TIASU4 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ V. How To Play ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ HOTOP5 ] |
|    A. Controls And Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ COAME5.1 ] |
|    B. Moving Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ MOVAR5.2 ]|
|    C. Battle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ BASYS5.3 ]|
|    D. Status Ailments/Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SAAICO5.4 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ VI. The Playable Characters Of The Story ] . . . . . . . . [ TPCOTS6 ]|
|    A. Kharg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ KHAR6.1 ] |
|    B. Paulette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ PAULE6.2 ] |
|    C. Maru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ MARU6.3 ]|
|    D. Ganz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ GANZ6.4 ]|
|    E. Tatjana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ TATJA6.5 ]|
|    F. Samson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SAMS6.6 ]|
|    G. Diekbeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DIEKB6.7 ] |
|    H. Darc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DARC6.8 ]|
|    I. Delma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DELMA6.9 ]|
|    J. Densimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DENSI6.10 ] |
|    K. Volk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ VOLK6.11 ] |
|    L. Camellia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CAMEL6.12 ]|
|    M. Bebedora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ BEBED6.13 ]|
|    N. Choco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CHOCO6.14 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ VII. The Walkthrough ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ THEWAL7 ]|
|    A. The Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ THEBE7.1 ]|
|    B. Chapter 1 - Kharg: The First Battle . . . . . . . . [ CH1KTF7.2 ] |
|    C. Chapter 1 - Darc: Awakening . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CH1DA7.3 ]|
|    D. Chapter 2 - Kharg: Setting Out . . . . . . . . . . . [ CH2KSO7.4 ]|
|    E. Chapter 2 - Darc: Ambition . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CH2DA7.5 ] |
|    F. Chapter 3 - Kharg: Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CH3KC7.6 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ VIII. The Arenas ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ THARE8 ] |
|    A. Cathena Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CATAR8.1 ]|
|    B. Lamda Training Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ LATRTE8.2 ] |
|    C. Orcoth Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ORCAR8.3 ] |
|    D. Rueloon Arena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ RUEAR8.4 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ IX. Enemies/Bosses ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ENEBO9 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ X. Skills/Magic ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SKIMAG10 ]|
|    A. Kharg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ KHA10.1 ] |
|    B. Paulette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ PAU10.2 ]|
|    C. Maru . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ MAR10.3 ]|
|    D. Ganz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ GAN10.4 ]|
|    E. Tatjana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ TAT10.5 ] |
|    F. Samson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SAM10.6 ]|
|    G. Diekbeck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DIEK10.7 ] |
|    H. Darc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DAR10.8 ]|
|    I. Delma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DEL10.9 ] |
|    J. Densimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ DEN10.10 ]|
|    K. Volk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ VOL10.11 ] |
|    L. Camellia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CAME10.12 ]|
|    M. Bebedora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ BEB10.13 ] |
|    N. Choco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CHO10.14 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ XI. Item List ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ITELI11 ] |
|    A. Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ITE11.1 ] |
|    B. Story Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ STOIT11.2 ] |
|    C. Big Owl Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ BIOWE11.3 ] |
|    D. Pyron Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ PYFO11.4 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ XII. Weapon Parts ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ WEAPA12 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ XIII. Accessories ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ACCES13 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ XIV. Shop Guide ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SHOGUI14 ]|
|    A. Yewbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ YEWB14.1 ]|
|    B. Orcoth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ ORC14.2 ]|
|    C. The Republic Of Cathena . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ TRFC14.3 ]|
|    D. Rueloon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ RUEL14.4 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ XV. Secrets ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ SECR15 ]|
|                                                                         |
| [ XVI. Credits ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CRED16 ] |
|                                                                         |
| [ XVII. My Words ] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ MYWO17 ] |
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
=                            Table Of Contents                            =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
NOTE: I've added a Search Engine into all my FAQs now. To use this, if
there's something you wish to find instantly in my FAQ, in the above
table, on the left is the name of a section or sub-section. To the right
is a weird code, like GOK5.1. Basically, if you wish to go to the section
where I tell you about Goku under The Playable Characters Of The Story, on
your Keyboard, hold Ctrl and then hit F and a window will open. Type in
GOK5.1 and hit Find Next. It'll bring you to that section instantly. The
code to reach the Table Of Contents is just that: Table Of Contents. I
hope this makes browsing my FAQs easier for you. Enjoy!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ INTR1 ] =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Hello and welcome to my FAQ/Walkthrough for Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The
Spirits. This is my first IGN Exclusive FAQ and it's meant to ONLY be on
IGN.com and NO OTHER PLACE. I have agreed to their terms, so before you go
about asking me to put this on your site, the answer is a firm and solid
no. Sorry. This FAQ won't be at GameFAQs, so don't count on that, as
stated above. Anyway, since this is my first FAQ for IGN, let's see if I
can do a good job, shall we? Heh. Anyway, I've written many
FAQ/Walkthroughs before this one, so you can rest easy about my ability to
get people through games. So, for now, just sit back, relax, turn your PS2
on and enjoy the game and use my FAQ/Walkthrough if you need help. Enjoy!
Note: This walkthrough is now available at GameFAQs.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= II. Current Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ CURUP2 ]=
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
11/25/03 - I added the new layout to this walkthrough. How's it look?
10/14/03 - Completed The Walkthrough up to Chapter 3 with Kharg and have
added more info to other sections, but they are incomplete at the moment.
I will continue to update this walkthrough, but in the meantime, enjoy.
8/7/03 - The first version of the walkthrough is completed. Everything is
almost about done, but the walkthrough has been rushed after Chapter 3,
but it will be redone in due time in EXTREME detail, so please bear with
me. For now, it'll get you through the game, for the most part. Some
other things that are still not 100% completed are the Item List, Weapon
Parts List, Accessories List, Enemies/Dropped Items, etc. They will be
completed VERY soon, so just sit tight. Until then, enjoy everything for
now.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= III. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions.) . . . . . . . . . . . . [ FAQ3 ] =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
There are none...yet. If I get any, I'll add some up, so start E-Mailing
me so I can add to this area!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= IV. Tips And Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ TIASU4 ] =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
- ALWAYS carry a good supply of Spirit Stones. It never hurts to have 999
of them in stock and you never know when you'll run into a bind where you
need every single one of them.
- Don't bother training in this game. It's not necessary at all. The only
time you'll ever need to gain Levels is during the Areana/Colloseaum
challenges, which when you do those you'll gain TONS of Levels, so don't
worry. That and you'll need to train before the final Boss. Other than
that, just head through the story and you'll be fine.
- Make sure you always have the newest and best Weapon Parts/Accessories
for each new area you come into and make sure to save your Gold, since you
never want to waste it on things you don't need.
- Save often. You never know what lurks around the next corner. It'd suck
if you didn't save and lost 6 hours of gameplay and had to do something
over again, eh?
- Sell any useless Equipment you no longer need for Gold. Gold is always
scarce in this game and you'll never have enough.
- Don't bother exploring towns or areas looking for Treasure Chests or
hidden Items. They are none. If there's ANYTHING to get in some area, I
will mention it and tell you how to get it. If I miss something, feel free
to let me know and I'll give you credit on it, as well as adding it to my
walkthrough to help others.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
= V. How To Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ HOTOP5 ] =
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- A. Controls And Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ COAME5.1 ]-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alrighty, well, this is really simple, so let's get it done and out of the
way, shall we?
D-Pad/Left Analog Stick - While in Battle, use it to move around and to
highlight options on the Battle Menu. While in the Menu, use it to
highlight Menu Options. When on the World Map/Globe, it allows you to use
the cursor to move around and to highlight destinations. Use it to move in
any direction while in a Dungeon/Town/Field, etc. (Move the Left Analog
Stick a little to walk and all the way to run.)
Right Analog Stick - Does nothing.
Select - Does nothing.
Start - Does nothing.
Square Button - In Battle, allows you to move a cursor around to analyze
enemies and to check out objects. While in the Menu, it does nothing. On
the World Map/Globe or in a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, it does nothing.
Triangle Button - In Battle, it allows you to finish selecting your
characters and to bring up the Menu to begin the Battle and it also opens
the Battle Menu while in Battle. While in the Menu, it does nothing. On
the World Map/Globe or in a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, it opens the Menu.
X Button - In Battle, confirms your character to use their regular attack
on a enemy, picks up a Item if they're near it and confirms options on the
Battle Menu. While in the Menu, it confirms an option. While on the World
Map/Globe, it confirms an option/location. Talk to a person, examine
something or confirm an option while in a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc.
Circle Button - In Battle, it cancels an option and/or backtracks a
screen. While in the Menu, it cancels an option or selection and also
backtracks a screen. On the World Map/Globe, it does nothing. While in a
Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, when held with the D-Pad, allows you to walk
instead of running.
R1 Button - In Battle, hold it down to bring up the character's Attack
Circle, then use the D-Pad/Left Analog Stick to move the Aiming Circle to
aim your attack on the enemy. Also, while using the Square Button to
analyze enemies, use this to quickly shuffle through each enemy/object in
the Battle. While in the Menu, it lets you shuffle through your
characters, either it being in their Skills, Items, Status, etc. (It
shuffles to the right.) On the World Map/Globe, it does nothing. While in
a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, it does nothing.
R2 Button - Does nothing.
L1 Button - In Battle, when using the Square Button to analyze enemies,
use this to quickly shuffle through each enemy/object in the Battle. While
in the Menu, it lets you shuffle through your characters, either it being
in their Skills, Items, Status, etc. (It shuffles to the left.) On the
World Map/Globe, it does nothing. While in a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, it
does nothing.
L2 Button - Does nothing.
Now, as you load up your game, you'll come to the first screen of the
game, which is the Main Menu. Here are the choices you'll see when you
first start the game:
New Game - If you've never played this game before, you'll have to start
here to begin your game. If you're returning to play this game, select
this option to start from the very beginning.
Continue - Allows you to continue your game, only if you've saved it on a
Memory Card. One save file for Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The Spirits costs
166 KB, so make sure you have enough room for it. Once you select this
option, select which Memory Card Slot your Memory Card is in with the data
on it and then find it and load it, use the X Button.
Options - Lets you change some various options for the main game. They
are:
Sound - Select either Stereo or Mono, depending on which you have.
Vibration - Turn the vibration on your Analog Controller either on or off.
Message Speed - Lets you change the Message Speed from either Slow, Normal
or Fast.
Battle Voices - Turn the Battle Voices either on or off.
Now, next up is the Menu screen, where information on your characters, as
well as all your possesions, current status, Levels, etc are held. Here's
the run down on what's there:
List - At the very top of the screen, you'll see List, which shows you the
current party members in your party at the moment.
Party Items - Split up into five different parts, this is the area where
all your Items are stored, that your party members aren't carrying on them
at the moment. They are:
Items - Your regular Items. Healing Items, Stat Increasing Items, Battle
Items, etc. While here, by using the X Button, you can select an item and
do one of two things: Use the Item or Give the Item to a Party Member. Do
whichever you want, as it's up to you.
Spirit Stones - Your over all supply of Spirit Stones. You can hold 999 of
them and this is where you go when you wish to resupply your party members
with Spirit Stones.
Weapon Parts - Your supply of various Weapon Parts. Lets you see your
current Weapon Parts that you own.
Accessories - Your supply of various Accessories. Lets you see your
current Accessories that you own.
Story - The important Items that are used for the Story of the game. More
or less the important/rare things you'll find throughout your travels.
Airship - The Big Owl. Once your party acquires this, you can select this
option, which lets you do the following:
Charge - Use Spirit Stones to resupply the Big Owl with power for its Beam
Cannon attack.
Use Energy - The current amount of Energy the Big Owl is supplied with,
from the Equipment it
has.
Weapon Energy - The current amount of Weapon Energy the Big Owl has,
through how many Spirit Stones it has.
Equip - The Big Owl can Equip four different pieces of Equipment. Three of
them are Lense Items, which boost the energy of the Big Owl, while the
final slot is for certain add ons, which increase the Attack and Power of
the Big Owl over all.
Pyron - The rare Pyron. Once your party acquires this, you can select this
option, which lets you do the following:
Energy - The current amount of Energy the Pyron is supplied with, from how
many Spirit Stones it has.
Feed - Give your Pyron various Pyron Foods, which are bought in stores and
let you increase it's Condition (It's current mood, really.) and it's
Inspiration. When it is fed food and if it's Inspiration goes to full,
it'll learn a new skill, based on the food it was fed and the color of its
Inspiration. There's three different foods it can have to learn attacks
and four different kinds of grasses it can have to help it's Condition and
Inspiration. They are:
Green, Blue And Red Foods - Feed them this to get it's Energy the color
you want it to be.
Droopy Grass - Decreases Condition by 3 Levels.
Soft Grass - Increases Condition by 3 Levels.
Tumble Grass - Decreases Inspiration.
Shiny Grass - Increases Inspiration.
Now, the kind of attacks the Pyron can learn from the foods it eats, based
on the color of it's Energy when the Inspiration level is full, are the
following:
Aqua Ball - Learned when Inspiration is blue.
Blast Ball - Learned when Inspiration is red.
Cyclone Ball - Learned when Inspiration is green.
Demon Ball - Learned when Inspiration is grey.
Quake Ball - Learned when Inspiration is yellow.
Sleep Ball - Learned when Inspiration is teal.
Venom Ball - Learned when Inspiration is purple.
To explain next how the color is changed for the Energy Level, look at the
following list of examples: (Note: The first color is the current color of
the Energy meter and the + color is the color of the food you feed it and
the = color is the outcome afterwards.)
Blue + Red = Purple.
Blue + Green = Teal.
Blue + Blue = Blue.
Green + Red = Yellow.
Green + Green = Green.
Green + Blue = Teal.
Grey + Red = Red.
Grey + Green = Green.
Grey + Blue = Blue.
Purple + Red = Red.
Purple + Green = Grey.
Purple + Blue = Blue.
Red + Red = Red.
Red + Green = Yellow.
Red + Blue = Purple.
Teal + Red = Grey.
Teal + Green = Green.
Teal + Blue = Blue.
Yellow + Red = Red.
Yellow + Green = Green.
Yellow + Blue = Grey.
As for it's Condition or Mood, it can go from anywhere from VERY angry to
VERY happy, depending on what foods you give it. Now, depending on it's
Condition, various things can happen, which can play to your
advantage/disadvantage. The following are the Levels you can obtain and
the color of the faces that you'll see, helping to tell you what Level
you're currently at, as well as  how much Energy it'll cost you for each
attack. So if you're at Level 7, you'll be using 100 Energy every attack.
If you want to use 15 Energy, feed it some food and knock it's Condition
back down to Level 1. Anyway, here's the list of the Conditions. They are:
Level 1 - Grey.
Energy Cost - 15.
Level 2 - Purple.
Energy Cost - 25.
Level 3 - Blue.
Energy Cost - 35.
Level 4 - Teal.
Energy Cost - 50.
Level 5 - Green.
Energy Cost - 65.
Level 6 - Yellow.
Energy Cost - 85.
Level 7 - Red.
Energy Cost - 100.
Recover - Use Spirit Stones to resupply your Pyron with energy for
attacking.
View Skills - Lets you view your Pyron's current Skills. It can only have
three at a time and if it learns a new one, one of the old ones will get
bumped. For example, if you have:
Quake Ball
Aqua Ball
Cyclone Ball
And you learn Blast Ball, your new list will look like this:
Aqua Ball
Cyclone Ball
Blast Ball
Simple, huh?
Options - No need to explain this one, as it's the same thing from the
Main menu when you start the game. If you need to ever change something
throughout the game, you can do it here, instead of going to the Main Menu
to do it.
Now, these are the basics of the Menu. Once you it the X Button, another
part of the Menu will pop up. The options under this Menu are:
Skills - Let's you view a character's Skills, either learned or unlearned.
The amount of Skills a character has are determined by their Class, seen
at the top of the screen. The Classes can go from 1 to 8 Stars and are
gained by acquiring a cerrtain amount of SP or Spell Casting Points. When
a character gains enough of them from Battles, they'll raise in rank of
their Class and learn new Skills. Though, they don't fully learn them. You
will need to use the SP you win from Battles to buy the Skills. If a Skill
is marked in red, you don't have enough SP for it. But if it's in green,
you can acquire it. Your total amount of SP you have at the time is shown
below the Class area, as well as your current amount of remaining Spirit
Stones and your maximum amount of Spirit Stones. (Think of this as Magic
Points, really.)
Now, Skills are divided up into two groups. They are:
Special Moves - Regular Skills that the character can use in Battle, with
the help of Spirit Stones.
Magic - Only certain characters have this, but by using Magic, they can
use powerful spells, with the help of Spirit Stones.
Now, some characters can have one of these or both of these. Depends on
the character. Now, in the Skills Menu, you'll see these various things.
They are:
SP - Shows you the amount of SP needed in order to learn a Skill. After
you learn a Skill, the number of SP it requires to learn it will disappear
and Learned will appear in it's place.
Spirit Stone Symbol - Shows you how many Spirit Stones it takes to use
that Skill. If a Skill costs, say, 6 Spirit Stones and the character only
has 80 total Spirit Stones to use, then they'll have 74 afterwards, until
you refill their total amount. If a character uses up all their Spirit
Stones or doesn't have enough Spirit Stones to use a Skill, then they
won't be able to use it.
Class - Shows you at what Class Level you gained this Skill. Pretty
useless, in my opinion, because you only see this when you hit that Class
Level.
Items - Each character has their own personal bag that they hold with
Items inside that only they can use. Each character can only hold a
certain amount of Items; some can hold more or less than some. Depends on
the character, really. Anyway, the Items here are either Items you've
given the characters or the Items they've found in Battles and picked up.
You can do three things here: Use an Item, give someone an Item or return
the Item to the Party Items, incase you wish to give them something else.
Choose wisely to what you want them to have, as you never know when you
may need something.
Spirit Stones - Each character has these. Think of them as Magic Points in
most RPGs. Like with the Items, each character has a certain amount of
Spirit Stones they can carry. Some have more, some have less. The options
you can do here are to either divide the Spirit Stones between your party,
which is you use a character's own Spirit Stones to resupply others or you
can return all of their Spirit Stones to the Party Items, which gives them
nothing left. You only want to do this if you need some serious cash, like
you're in a bind or if you wish to total everything up and give them to
characters that really need them. Anyway, this is your supply and this
total can only ever be increased with certain Accessories and there's no
other way to do so without them.
Equip - Brings up a character's Equipment screen, which has two parts to
it. They are:
Weapon Parts - Lets you Equip the character with three Weapon Parts. Using
this option not only makes your character's stronger in attacking, but
also raises their chances of winning in a Battle.
Accessories - Lets you Equip the character with three Accessories. Using
this option not only makes the character stronger in defense, but also
raises their chances of surviving in a Battle.
Now, on either of these, when you hit the X Button, a Menu will come up,
asking one of two things: Either to replace or remove a piece of
Equipment. Choose your option and outfit your character with whatever you
want. If nothing is there, then you won't see those options and you'll go
straight to outfitting your character.
Status - Ah, the Status area. This shows you a character's status, like a
current read out on them and how strong they are in certain areas. Here's
what you'll see and what each thing means:
LV - Means Level. The higher Level a character is, the stronger they are.
They can reach a maximum of Level 99. When a character gains a Level,
numerous stats will go up.
Spirit Stones - The current remaining total and the total over all amount
of Spirit Stones a character has. (Again, think Magic Points.)
Item Bag - Shows the current amount of Items the character is holding and
the maximum amount of Items that character can hold.
HP - Hit Points. It's a measurement of your character's health and how
much damage they can take before they pass out in Battle. The first number
is their remaining amount of Hit Points and the second number is their
maximum amount. When you gain a Level, this will go up. If a character
reaches 0 Hit Points in a Battle, they'll disappear from the Battle and
will not be able to fight until they are revived by some means, either by
a Item or Skill.
EXP/Next Level - Shows that characters total amount of Experience they've
gained in Battles. The Next Level shows how much Experience that character
needs in order to reach the next Level and when that number hits 0, they
go up 1 Level and then the process repeats again, as they must get another
certain amount of Experience before going up another Level. You gain
Experience by fighting in Battles and performing actions successfully.
Class/Next Class - Shows that character's current Class Level, from 1-8
Stars. The higher the Class Level, the more Skills that character knows
and can possibly learn. The Next Class shows how much SP is needed to
reach the next Class Level and you gain SP from Battles, exactly how you
gain Experience. When you gain Experience, you also gain SP, so don't
worry.
SP - It works in conjunction with the Next Class thing. It shows you how
much SP you need for the next Class. When this amount hits 0, you'll gain
a Class and be given a new amount of SP to gain to get to the next Class.
ATT - Attack. It determines how strong a character's normal attack is. The
higher this number is, the more damage that character will deal to a
enemy.
SPD - Speed. It determines the order in which characters and enemies
attack in Battle. The higher the number, the better chance that character
has of going first in Battle and even how frequently that character's turn
comes up.
CNT - Counterattack. It determines the chance of a character
counterattacking an enemy who attacks them with a normal attack in Battle.
Though, the enemy MUST be in their range of attack for this to work. If
the enemy attacks from a long range and the character who's hit has a
short range Weapon, they can't counterattack.
MOV - Movement. It determines the radius area to how far the character may
move in a Battle in the Blue Movement Area. The higher this number is, the
farther that character is able to move during their turn. Though, this
radius can become smaller, if the character is blocked by an enemy or
surrounded.
DEF - Defense. It determines how strong a character is to taking physical
damage. The higher this number is, the less damage that character will
take from an enemy's attack.
HIT - Hit Percentage. It determines the chance of your character's
physical attack hitting the enemy without it missing. The higher this
number is, the better chance of your character hitting his target.
GRD - Guard. It determines the chance of a character Guarding an enemy's
physical attack. If a character Guards an attack, they'll take less damage
than normal. So if an enemy deals 45 damage, but that character Guards
from it, they may take something like 8 instead.
TNS - (Quick note: It says TRO in the Status menu, but the Instruction
Manual lists it as TNS. I'm going with TNS, here.) Tension Meter. It
determines how fast your Tension Meter goes up in Battle. When a character
takes damage, their meter fills up. Think Final Fantasy's Limit or
Overdrive functions. When a character goes into the Tension state, where
they look like they're on fire, a character's normal attack becomes
stronger and if an ally is nearby and can hit the same target the
character in Tension can it, both characters will team up fro a Dual
Attack, dealing MASSIVE damage. (Note: The character that helps out the
character in Tension does NOT lose their turn for the next round.)
MNT - Mental. It determines the strength of a character's Special Skills
and/or Magic. The higher this number, the stronger their Special Skills
and/or Magic is.
AVO - Avoidance. It determines how well a character can dodge physical
attacks. The higher this number is, the better that character can dodge
attacks and take no damage.
CRI - Critical Hit Percentage. It determines the chance your character has
of performing a critical hit with your standard physical attack. If you
pull it off, your character will perform a different attack movement,
resulting in higher damage than normal.
Elemental Defenses - There are six of them and the higher the number is
each area, the better that character can protect themselves from that
Element. For example, if a character has high Fire Elemental Defense, then
Fire attacks won't harm them too much. Now, as for what Elemental Defenses
there are, they are the following:
Fire - Represented by a red flame.
Water - Represented by a blue water drop.
Wind - Represented by a green Tornado.
Earth - Represented by a darker green Tree.
Light - Represented by a yellow blast of light.
Dark - Represented by a purple spinning thing. (Looks like a swastika,
only warped.)
Whew, well, that takes care of the Controls and the basic Menus. I hope
that was simple enough.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- B. Moving Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ MOVAR5.2 ] -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Movement and getting from place to place in Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The
Spirits is very, very simple. There are three 3 ways you can travel around
in the game and explore places. They are:
Dungeons/Towns/Fields - Ah, the basic areas to explore in any RPG.
Whenever you're in one of these three things, there's always things to do.
If you're in a Dungeon, exploring it and solving puzzles and gathering
Treasure is your priority and main objective, while exploring Fields is
just you trudging through to get to the next area. Now, the things with
Towns is that you can not only explore them, but you can pick up on the
latest gossip going around, find out information, either helpful or just
for fun, as well as shop around to increase your party's strength and
durability or even continue the story to get to the next area.
You never know what'll happen, really, so always be ready. Also, whenever
you head to the exit of a Dungeon, Town, Field, etc, it'll prompt you and
ask if you wish to go outside. Select yes and you'll be brough to the
World Map. Select no and you'll stay where you are. Now, quick thing. Save
Points in this game are green and are very noticable, so you can't miss
them. Just walk up to them and examine them and you'll be able to save.
Also, Treasure Chests are not small and look like HUGE storage chests, so
if you ever see one, you'll know it's a Treasure Chest.
World Map - Whenever you're on the World Map, certain areas will be open
to you and others won't be. Anything that's open to you will be shown by
means of pathways. Whenever you drag your cursor over an area and it gives
you the name of a location, you can visit that location. Just select it
and your character will rush to the location you have selected. Also, when
you're choosing your path, to make sure you're going to where you want to,
you'll see the path highlighted in white instead of orange. This marks
which path you'll take to your destination.
The game will always try to get you to where you need to go on the fastest
route possible, so if you try any REALLY tricky paths, the game fixes it
for you automatically and decides for you. When you're satisfied, just
confirm it and you'll be on your way. Be warned, though, some areas you
can't enter and they are there for Battles only. Also, at anytime, if you
wish to, when you're on a area where you know is a random Battle,
highlight the area with the cursor and confirm it and you'll automatically
enter a Battle. Helps if you want to fight in one area over and over
again.
So if you're heading to a Town and you enter a Battle on the way, more
than likely you've encountered a random Battle, but whenever you're in a
new area with pathways, you will ALWAYS fight a Battle in a new area you
get to, no matter what, so be prepared. Don't expect a walk in the park to
your next destination. Always be ready. This is pretty useful, as you can
never really get lost, since where you have to go is pretty straight
forward and if you become confused on what you have to do, all you need to
do is talk to people and you'll more than likely find out what you need to
do. (Or you could just follow my walkthrough and you'll be fine. ^_^)
Also, remember, whenever you land on an area you can enter, you'll be
asked if you wish to enter it. Select Yes or No to make your choice.
Big Owl/Pyron - The main ways of flying around in this game. Depending on
your party you're controlling and when you gain the means to fly either of
these, you'll be able to fly to any part of the World you wish. When you
either use the Big Owl or Pyron, you can do a few things. When you talk to
the Pyron or if you bring up the Big Owl, you'll see the following
options:
(IF you're on the Pyron. If you're on the Big Owl, you'll only see Move
and Quit, since the Rest option is that door and the Save Point is near
the Control Panel.)
Move - Select this to bring up a list of areas you can travel to, mainly
different continents. Select the continent you wish to go to and confirm
it and you'll fly there and land. Simple, huh?
Rest - Acts like a Inn, but it's free, so it's great. Your party is fully
healed, but this does NOT replenish your Spirit Stones, so remember that.
(For the Big Owl, you have to go through the door near the Control Panel
and for the Pyron, just talk to it and select the option.)
Save - Let's you Save your game, which is always good. (On the Big Owl,
it's very obvious to where it is and for the Pyron, it's another option,
so just select it and Save.)
Quit - Select this option if you wish to not fly around and you wish to
stay where you are for the moment.
And that does it for moving around and the basic grasp of the game.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- C. Battle System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [ BASYS5.3 ] -
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Battles in Arc The Lad: Twilight Of The Spirits are not as complex as they
may look. They're rather easy to grasp, actually. The Battle System is
very, very similar to Parasite Eve's, almost down to the detail. There's a
touch of Final Fantasy Tactics and Ogre Battle mixed into it as well, with
the Conditions Of Battle and such. Any player of any strategy game or RPG
will easy understand this system of fighting.  So, let's delve into what
this Battle System is exactly, shall we?
Every Battle has it's rules and these are the basics of any Battle in any
RPG. The rules are pretty simple. They are:
- Each Battle is turned based. Your party and the enemy party each take
turns fighting each other, with every character's turn based on their
speed.
- An enemy is defeated when they lose all their Hit Points. This is the
only way to dispatch of enemies.
- Each member of your party fights inside a Blue Movement Area to get
closer to the enemy and to attack them or to travel around the area.
- Red Boundry Areas limit the range of both types of attacks, regular and
Skills, so unless an enemy or object is in that field, you won't be able
to target them. The Yellow Boundry Area is the range of the character's
attack to where you wish to aim it, since unless the character is
performing a complete 360 turn every attack, they can't hit everything
around them. Each character has a different range. Some are short, some
are long. Same goes for Skills.
- A Battle is won when the Conditions Of Battle are met. A Battle is over
when the Conditions Of Battle are not completed or all the members of your
party are killed.
Well, those are the basic rules, so if you follow them and learn them,
you'll be fine. Next up, we have the actual Battle itself. When you first
enter a Battle, a screen will come up. This is unique to any RPG I've
seen, as you are given a chance to prepare for the Battle, either by
healing, distributing Items or Spirit Stones to someone or Equiping party
members. Virtually anything you could do on the Menu when not in Battle,
you can do here. So, let's analyze the first Menu that comes up.
First, you are given at the top of the screen a certain amount of slots,
for example, say, 5 slots. If the game presents you with this, you can put
in up to 5 of your party members into Battle. The maximum amount you can
have is 6, but you won't have that number for most of the game, so
everyone in your party will always get to come into Battle. Now, if you
don't wish to have all 5 of your party members in the Battle, select how
many you want and when you're ready, hit the Triangle Button and a Menu
will come up with the following options:
Start - Select this if you're ready to enter the Battle and all
preperations have been made. Select this and then select "Ok" to begin the
Battle.
Sit Out/Participate - Using this lets you put someone out of the Battle
and/or add someone in, incase you changed your mind.
Skills - Brings up the Skills Menu for you to use, just like in the Menu
out of Battle.
Items - Brings up the Items Menu for you to use, just like in the Menu out
of Battle.
Equip - Brings up the Equip Menu for you to use, just like in the Menu out
of Battle.
Status - Brings up the Status Menu for you to see, just like in the Menu
out of Battle.
Those are the things on the Menu that come up. Now, there's three other
things here, which can only be accessed before you choose your members and
they're at the bottom of the screen. They are:
Party Items - Brings up the Party Items Menu for you to use, just like in
the Menu out of Battle.
Pyron - Brings up the Pyron Menu for you to use, just like in the Menu out
of Battle.
Options - Brings up the Options Menu for you to use, just like in the Menu
out of Battle.
Now, since this is all covered now, we'll start the real thing. Once you
have familiarized yourself with the Menu here and the options, made any
preperations you may have needed, select Start and the Battle will begin.
Now, let's take a look at the Battle itself and how it works. As the
Battle begins, the first thing you'll see is something called Victory
Conditions. These are the terms to which you must obey by to beat the
Battle. If for example you must defeat all the enemies, then it's simple:
Defeat all the enemies and you win. Now, next up is the Battle itself.
First, either the enemy(s) will attack or one of your characters, whoever
has the highest speed, will be able to attack. You'll know when you're
able to attack, when a Status bar at the bottom of the screen appears for
that character.
When you see this, whoever's Status bar that is means it's their turn.
Now, there's some options you have, but they're the same for ever
character. First off, if you hit the Square Button, a small circle cursor
will appear and allow you to move around and when you put it on a
character or object, you'll get the read out of that character or object
and learn it's name, Level and Hit Points. Though, some characters can't
be read and all you'll get is their name, same with the objects. If you
wish to cycle through everything, incase you missed something in the area,
use the R1 and L1 Buttons while the small circle cursor is out and you'll
shuffle through everything easily.
Now, for the Status bar at the bottom, you'll see familiar things, such as
with what you saw in the Menu out of Battle, so I shouldn't need to
explain that stuff again. Just take notice that your Hit Points are both
represented by a bar and by numbers and that your TNS or Tension Meter is
also here, so if you're familiar with Final Fantasy, you'll yet again know
what this is. Also the EXP bar there is your count of Experience. Once
that fills up, you'll gain a Level. When you gain a Level, you'll gain it
in Battle, allowing you to continue gaining Experience and it may even
save you, because with a extra small boost of power, you never know when
it'll save your hide. Next, since you're in control of one character right
now, another thing to do is to look at the Battle Menu. Hit the Triangle
Button and it'll pop up. Here's the following things that you'll see on
there:
Note: Anything that's faded out and not highlighted means you can't
perform the action. Either you're not at a spot where you can do this
action or for some reason, it's disabled.
Attack - Once you're near an enemy and the word "Target" appears over
their head, that means you're able to attack them. If you select this
option, you can just quickly attack instead of aiming strategically. If
this option is faded out, it means you aren't lined up to the hit the
target and you must do so before you can attack.
Pick Up - Whenever there's an Item on the Battlefield, if you select this
option, you'll pick up that Item. Though, you must be near the Item, so
that "Item" appears on the screen. Only then can you pick it up.
Otherwise, this option will be faded out.
Special Moves - This option allows you to use a character's Special Moves
that they've learned. As long as they have enough Spirit Stones, you can
use any Special Move they have. Each Special Move has it's own radius,
which is shown with the Red Boundry Area around the character. Make sure
whatever you're targeting is in that area, or else you won't be able to
pull the Special Move off. To know if your Special Move is targeting an
enemy or ally, make sure they're in the Red Boundry Area, then, if you're
allowed to, move the small circle cursor over to an enemy to see the
"blast range" for the attack, as you may be able to target multiple
enemies at once. If you don't get the option with the small circle cursor
and instead you just automatically get Targets, then if you're satisfied
with the selection, confirm it.
Magic - This option allows you to use a character's Magic that they've
learned. As long as they have enough Spirit Stones, you can use any
Special Move they have. Each Magic spell has it's own radius, which is
shown with the Red Boundry Area around the character. Make sure whatever
you're targeting is in that area, or else you won't be able to pull the
Magic spell off. To know if your Magic spell is targeting an enemy or
ally, make sure they're in the Red Boundry Area, then, if you're allowed
to, move the small circle cursor over to an enemy to see the "blast range"
for the attack, as you may be able to target multiple enemies at once. If
you don't get the option with the small circle cursor and instead you just
automatically get Targets, then if you're satisfied with the selection,
confirm it.
Note: For both Kharg and Darc, when they get the Big Owl/Pyron, the option
to use them will appear in the Magic area. To select it, head to the
bottom of the list and select the option and you'll be able to use it.
Just note, though, you may not be able to use it all the time.
Items - This brings up the character you're currently using's Item List.
This is NOT the Party List, but the character's own personal Items they
are carrying, so make sure whenever you go into Battle, you're happy with
what everyone has on them, as you never know when you made to heal or use
something.
End - If you wish to do nothing, such as not have your character attack or
you picked up an Item and can't attack an enemy or object, just select
this to end the character's turn. Simple as that.
Now, if you hit the Left or Right Direction Button, another Menu will