-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
XYTHAR & SPLIT INFINITY PRESENT
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
My YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/SplitInfinity
Come! Subscribe to my videos for better games' experience!
My personal site  : kolardamir.com
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Name of game:   Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter (for formats: NTSC-U/C, PAL)
Type of guide:  Full Walkthrough / FAQ
Platform:       Playstation 2
Version:        Hortensia, released on 16th February 2008
Author/s:       Damir Kolar (Split Infinity)
Xythar
Copyrighted to: (c) Damir Kolar - All rights reserved
(c) Xythar - All rights reserved
Made in:        MS Word, Courier New, Font Size 10, Chrs/Line 79
Best viewed:    MS Word, Courier New, Font Size 10, Chrs/Line 79
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MAKE SURE to check out mailing policy at the bottom of the document!
MAKE SURE to read LEGAL INFORMATION SECTION just below this line!
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
01.)                       LEGAL INFORMATION - G0100
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
This document is written by Damir Kolar (alias Split Infinity) and Xythar.
This document is copyrighted to us. It is intended for *PRIVATE* use only. It
cannot be used in ANY form of printed or electronic media involved in a
commercial business, in part or in whole, in any way, shape, or form. It
cannot be given away freely, as bonus or prize, it can't be given away with
the game and so on. It cannot be used for profitable or promotional purposes,
regardless of the situation. Breaking any of these rules is in direct
violation of copyright law.
This document is protected by copyright law and international treaties.
Unauthorized reproduction and distribution of this document, or any portion
of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be
prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. Any characters,
names, places, or miscellaneous objects are copyright of their respective
companies.
If you are a webmaster of the site that wishes to post this document, you may
do so under one condition - you must e-mail us first for permission. If
permission is granted, you cannot change a single character of this document,
and you must leave it in txt format. Permission will *not be granted* to fan
based websites.
*ONLY* following sites can host this guide:
- http://www.gamefaqs.com
- http://www.neoseeker.com
- http://faqs.ign.com
- http://www.supercheats.com
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
02.)                       TABLE OF CONTENTS - G0200
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
If you need to find something quickly, press and hold CTRL (Control), then
press F button. This will bring up 'Find and Replace' box. In it type the
word you're looking for and you should be taken to it immediately. This is
much faster than scrolling thru entire guide.
For your convenience I've inserted special search codes near every section to
help you easily hop on to that section by using search code provided. Each
search code will appear only twice in whole guide - thus getting stray hits
will be impossible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SECTION NUMBER & NAME     | CODE   | WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
01.) Legal information    | G0100  | Copyright protection and legal info.
02.) Table of Contents    | G0200  | Sections of this guide.
03.) Latest Updates       | G0300  | Read what was added in last update.
04.) Introduction         | G0400  | Just some small rambling from us...
05.) Abbreviations        | G0500  | What do abbreviated words stand for...?
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06.) Party Members        | G0600  | Short character bios of party members.
07.) Control Basics       | G0700  | All the buttons, all the actions!
08.) SOL System           | G0800  | What's SOL and its effective use.
09.) Main Menu            | G0900  | Explaining main menu and its features.
10.) PETS System          | G1000  | What's PETS and how to master it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.) Battle System        | G1100  | In preparation (battle system).
12.) Character's Status   | G1200  | In preparation (chr's status).
13.) Walkthrough          | G1300  | SpoilerFREE guide from start to finish.
14.) Weapons              | G1400  | Ryu's swords, Lin's guns, Nina's staves.
15.) Armors & Shields     | G1500  | Info on protective equipment.
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16.) Kokon Horay          | G1600  | Hooray for completing bonus dungeon.
17.) Bestiary             | G1700  | Good to know stuff about enemies.
18.) Past Revisions       | G1800  | History of this guide resides here...
19.) Credits              | G1900  | All who contributed... Thank you.
20.) Contact Info         | G2000  | Find out how to reach us.
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03.)                        LATEST UPDATES - G0300
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
- Version Hortensia (16th February 2008)
# Any user submitted contributions will no longer be added to this guide.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
04.)                         INTRODUCTION - G0400
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
Hello and welcome to our Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter guide. Document that
you're about to read will be a joined effort of both Xythar and Split. Why
have we decided to do it like this, you ask? Well, a few reasons...
Split - So far I've always been going solo when writing guides. But recently I
laid hands on BOF: DQ - a very kickass game, I think. So I thought about making
a guide for it. But at the time being still remaining busy with some other
guides I've decided to perhaps try co-write. So Xythar came to mind - I asked
him if he wanted to write a guide with me and he agreed.
Xythar - While I've written some guides before, I haven't yet tackled the
tricky (and somewhat scary :P) project of writing for an RPG. I do like
Dragon Quarter a lot, but I hadn't given serious thought to writing an FAQ
for it until Split approached me with the proposal. And then I thought... why
not? I need some experience with RPG writing anyway, and Dragon Quarter is a
good one to start with because it's relatively short and in this case I can
also concentrate on what I'm best at, the walkthrough (as opposed to the
lists). I'm honoured to be working with Split on this project.
Now that you know our reasoning behind joined effort, let us tell you a bit
what will you be able to find in this document in the long run. Document will
be divided in rougly three main sections:
- Basics
This section will include information on controls, battle system, trap
system, SOL system, character's condition and more. In short, it will cover
information that player must know to play the game efficiently.
- Walkthrough
The lifeline of this document. First and most important aspect of the
walkthrough is that it will be written without ANY spoilers. Think it's
impossible? Absolutely not, for there are many ways to mask spoilers and
present them somehow else. Have you come to our guide to seek help on
beating the game? Or to be spoiled about story? Which of the two you pick?
- Appendices
This will include all the stuff that doesn't belong in Walkthrough part. To
name few issues covered here: Equipment, Items, Bestiary, Kokon Horay,
Secrets and so on.
Our first priority is to complete Basics and Walkthru main sections.
Appendices section is second priority issue. Xythar will write the
Walkthrough and some Basics subsections, while Split will take care of
Appendices and Basics, as well as formatting.
===============================================================================
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05.)                         ABBREVIATIONS - G0500
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===============================================================================
There will be a lot of abbreviations. They're as follows...
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ACCU - accuracy property
AOE - Area of effect
AP - Active Point/s
ARM - armor
ATK - Attack statistic
CATT - counterattack
chr - character
chrs - multiple characters
CRIT - critical property
DEF - Defense statistic
DR - item that can be dropped
EATT - electric based MATK
EATTP - electric based PATK
ELE - electric
ele mgd - electric based mgd
ele phd - electric based phd
FATT - fire based MATK
FATTP - fire based PATK
FIR - fire
fire mgd - fire based mgd
fire phd - fire based phd
HP - Health Point/s
IATT - ice based MATK
IATTP - ice based PATK
ICE - ice
ice mgd - ice based mgd
ice phd - ice based phd
LOS - line of sight
LV - level
MAG - Magic statistic
MATK - magical attack
mgd - magical type damage
MOV - Movement statistic
na - not applicable
NATT - non-elemental MATK
PATK - physical attack
phd - physical type damage
POV - point of view
PXP - Party XP
SHI - shield
SHSK - shield skill
SPD - Speed statistic
ST - item that can be stolen
std - special type damage
UNIV - universal damage
univ dmg - universal damage
VS - versus
WPN - weapon
WPSK - weapon skill
XP - experience points
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===============================================================================
06.)                        PARTY MEMBERS - G0600
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
Main issues addressed in this section are:
===============================================================================
Ryu's background and personal action information ------------------------ G0601
Bosch' background and personal action information ----------------------- G0602
Nina's background and personal action information ----------------------- G0603
Lin's background and personal action information ------------------------ G0604
===============================================================================
Yello. In this short section we'll list down some of background information
regarding four people you will be able to control during your adventure.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RYU - G0601    | AGE: 16  | JOINS: He's present from the beginning
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND     | Ranger and member of the working class section of Sheldar.
With his D-ratio of 1/8192 he's just a basic grunt, with every day being the
same as previous day - in other words, boring. His usual assignments are to
patrol a designated area or to guard something of great importance. His life
is about to change drastically as he undertakes latest mission: he and Bosch
must escort one of BioCorps transports safely to target location...
His weapon of choices are swords.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVALUATION     | Ryu's got the strength, HP and DEF. But he lacks somewhat in
MOV and MAG range. Still, this can be remedied by equipping him properly. His
SPD is also not the greatest, but he doesn't really need it. What he does
excel at are his skills, esp Crimson Raid, which is the only other way of
restoring HP (not counting items).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL | Sword Slash - when on field screen, press X to have Ryu slash his
ACTION/S |               sword; use it to destroy boxes or to gain extra turn
ON FIELD |               when attacking a genic
SCREEN   | D-Dash - when on field screen, press and hold R2 for Ryu to become
|          invulnerable; as long as R2 is pressed, Ryu can move
|          faster and will knock aside any genic that gets in his
|          way; beware, this action causes D-Counter to rise
|          rapidly; do not exaggerate using this ability; this
|          ability is not available straight away, it is obtained
|          later in the game
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BOSCH - G0602  | AGE: 16  | JOINS: He's present from the beginning
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND     | A friend of Ryu and member of same working class section. But
with D-Ratio of 1/64 you gotta ask yourself just what the heck is he still
doing down here? Does he have any hidden agendas Ryu is unaware of?
His weapon of choice are rapiers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVALUATION     | A simple look at Bosch' stats at start of game should tell
you an obvious clue. That not helping? How about I also tell you that you
can't equip Bosch with other equipment, nor change his skills? I hope you
realize what I'm getting at. Anyway, for the time being Bosch will be
immensely helpful. He's got so much HP more than Ryu it's not funny, and he's
quite strong as well. His other stats are roughly in same category as Ryu's.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL | Kick - when on field screen, press X to have Bosch perform a kick;
ACTION/S |        with it you can destroy boxes or gain extra turn when
ON FIELD |        attacking a genic
SCREEN   |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NINA - G0603   | AGE: 12  | JOINS: She joins after first boss battle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND     | First of two characters we cannot leak much info about, as it
contains heavy spoilers. She will be in typical damsel-in-distress situation,
when she's saved by Ryu. Why exactly is Nina so important for BioCorps? Could
it have something to do with the wings on her back?
Her weapon of choice are staves.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVALUATION     | Nina's MAG is far superior than Lin's and Ryu's. She's also
the fastest of the trio with a long MOV range. Unfortunately her HP and DEF
aren't that great, making her easy pray for genics wielding powerful PATK. But
against genics that have element weaknesses, she's their nightmare. Once you
also obtain some of her more potent Lv2 and Lv3 skills, you're almost
invincible.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL | Staff Smash - when on field screen, press X to have Nina perform a
ACTION/S |               staff smash; with it you can destroy boxes or gain
ON FIELD |               extra turn when attacking a genic
SCREEN   | Item Vacuum - when on field screen, press and hold R2 for Nina to
|               lift her staff; doing so will allow Nina to suck up
|               any and all items laying around on field screen
|               close to her position, thus allowing you to collect
|               items with ease.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIN - G0604    | AGE: 21  | JOINS: She joins a bit before second boss battle
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND     | Second character we'll have to keep a secret from you. We
can't tell much anyway, since Lin's role is tied heavily to Nina's background
and revolves around Nina's wings. Why is Lin so determined on rescuing Nina
from clutches of government?
Her weapon of choice are guns.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVALUATION     | Lin's stats fall somewhere in the middle. She has average HP,
STR, DEF... just about everything. Her main advantage are long range attacks
she can easily pull off with her weapons. Her skills, if chained together
properly, can produce a variety of effects. Use them in conjunction with
Nina's trap skills for a battle to be ended rather quickly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PERSONAL | Gun Shot - when on field screen, press X to have Lin perform a gun
ACTION/S |            shot; with it you can destroy boxes or gain extra turn
ON FIELD |            when attacking a genic
SCREEN   | Lock On - when on field screen, press R2; if there's a solid
|           target (box, genic) in Lin's LOS, a crosshairs will
|           appear around that target; this is very useful for some
|           Goo genics, which are invisible
| Charge Shot - when on field screen, press and hold X; Lin will
|               take a stance and begin charging her gun; when you
|               have the feeling it's enough, release R2 and Lin
|               will fire charged shot at locked on target (if it's
|               a box, it'll be destroyed; if it's a genic, it will
|               knock it back several steps)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
07.)                        CONTROL BASICS - G0700
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
Main issues addressed in this section are:
===============================================================================
Basic control explanations ---------------------------------------------- G0701
Battle screen controls -------------------------------------------------- G0702
Field screen controls --------------------------------------------------- G0703
Menu screen controls ---------------------------------------------------- G0704
Shop screen controls ---------------------------------------------------- G0705
===============================================================================
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
------------------- A - BASIC CONTROL EXPLANATIONS - G0701 --------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
We'll get you started by explaining what are the controls you'll be using when
playing the game. There are four distinctive control modes you'll have to get
used to. These are battle screen controls (inside any battle/s), field screen
controls (when walking about), main menu screen controls (when inside many
menus, accessible with Start button) and shop controls. May be hard for a
start, but you'll get a grasp of it in ten minutes.
Note: All actions described here pertain to default settings.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
--------------------- B - BATTLE SCREEN CONTROLS - G0702 ----------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Directional b.     - move cursor inside Item and Equip submenus in battle
Left analog stick  - move chr around, move cursor in different submenus
Right analog stick - change battle's POV
X button           - confirm selection, perform LV2 skill, skips order, uses
traps on battlefield (only if near the trap) [L2 menu],
gives access to Equip submenu [R2 menu], confirms
Penalty retreat, allows Ryu to use Hurricane (special
form) or D-Charge (special R2 submenu)
Circle button      - confirm selection, perform LV1 skill, ends current move
picks up items on battlefield [L2 menu], gives access to
Item submenu [R2 menu], allows Ryu to use Vortex
(special form) or D-Breath (special R2 submenu)
Triangle button    - gives access to End turn submenu, cancels selection
Square button      - perform LV3 skill, resets AP to last action performed,
allows party to escape if near the door [L2 menu],
allows Ryu to use D-Dive [L2 menu], allows Lin to use
Profile [L2 menu], allows Nina to use Erase Magic [L2
menu], allows Ryu to use Twister (special form) or
Cooldown (special R2 submenu)
L1 button          - hides any and all menus on battle screen
L2 button          - gives access to L2 submenu
R1 button          - Skip order shortcut
R2 button          - gives access to L2 submenu
Start button       - pauses the game, gives access to Penalty Retreat
Select button      - allows you to manually change orders of active chrs
(Triangle moves them ahead, X moves them back), then
displays entire field along with names of all genics
involved in current battle
R2 + Triangle      - ends chr's current turn
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
---------------------- C - FIELD SCREEN CONTROLS - G0703 ----------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Direct. buttons    - not used
Left analog stick  - moves character about
Right analog stick - rotates camera
X button           - performs one of chr's personal actions
Circle button      - shows the minimap of current subsector, then the entire
map you've uncovered so far
Triangle button    - cancels selection
Square button      - sets traps
L1 button          - swaps between available traps
L2 button          - swaps between available traps
R1 button          - changes chr in the lead
R2 button          - performs chr's special action
Start button       - enters main menu
Select button      - not used
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
---------------------- D - MENU SCREEN CONTROLS - G0704 -----------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Direct. buttons    - moves cursor, moves between backpack pages
Left analog stick  - moves cursor, moves between backpack pages
Right analog stick - rotates chr around when in Equip submenu
X button           - confirms selection, advances to next selection
Circle button      - displays inserted skills into equipment when in Equip
submenu
Triangle button    - cancels selection
Square button      - not used
L1 button          - switch characters, moves between backpack pages
L2 button          - switch characters, moves between backpack pages
R1 button          - zooms character out when in Equip submenu
R2 button          - zooms character in when in Equip submenu
Start button       - not used
Select button      - not used
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
---------------------- E - SHOP SCREEN CONTROLS - G0705 -----------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Direct. buttons    - move cursor*
Left analog stick  - move cursor*
Right analog stick - not used
X button           - confirm selection, advance to next selection
Circle button      - displays skills already threaded into the weapon/shield
Triangle button    - cancel selection, return to previous selection
Square button      - not used
L1 button          - switch between backpack pages
L2 button          - not used
R1 button          - switch between backpack pages
R2 button          - not used
Start button       - not used
Select button      - not used
* When buying or moving (when inside Item Linker menu) desired item, pressing
right increases amount of item bought by up to 9 units, while pressing up
increases the amount by 1 unit. Likewise, pressing left decreases the amount
by up to 9 units, and down by 1 units. This is a fast way of buying items in
lots of quantities. Note that this doesn't apply to equipment.
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
08.)                          SOL SYSTEM - G0800
===============================================================================
===============================================================================
Main issues addressed in this section are:
===============================================================================
SOL System the short way ------------------------------------------------ G0801
SOL System the long way ------------------------------------------------- G0802
===============================================================================
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
-------------------- A - SOL SYSTEM THE SHORT WAY - G0801 ---------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
One of Dragon Quarter's fairly unique features is the game's Scenario Overlay
(or SOL for short) system. Well, truthfully it isn't *that* unique, it's
basically a "New Game +" with some additional twists thrown in. Thinking of
it that way might help if you get hopelessly confused trying to work out its
quirks. Or, you could continue reading for a full explanation. :)
The SOL system, in general, allows you to return to a prior point in the game,
but allows you to retain certain things from the "future". The *only*
difference between the two options you are given, SOL Restart and SOL Restore,
is where they return you *to*. SOL Restart will, as the name suggests, return
you to the beginning of the game, whereas SOL Restore will return you to the
last hard save (ie, a save made with a token at a telecorder, the only kind of
save you can make if you have the PAL version) that you made. Other than that,
both kinds of SOL will allow you to take some things with you, but not others.
Things that come back with you are:
* Party experience
* Zenny
* Learned skills
* All carried and identified equipment
* The contents of the lockers
* The colony's progress
* Your game timer
Things that are reset to what they were at previously are:
* Character experience and stats
* Key items
* The D-Counter
And the one thing that's a special case is:
* Your carried items, which are always reset to 5 Heal Kits, 1 Tonic and 1/9
Save Token(s) (depending on NTSC/PAL version) - NOT to what they were when
you saved.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
--------------------- B - SOL SYSTEM THE LONG WAY - G0801 ---------------------
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
That's the summary - now, for the more long-winded explanation. Firstly, make
sure you understand the difference between party experience and character
experience. Party experience is the "pool" of unused experience that gets
added to when you find party experience in a dungeon or receive it after
battle. You can share this experience out to your characters, whereupon it
becomes character experience. Character experience is what actually increases
your characters' levels - you receive both it and party experience after
battles.
Character experience does not come back with you. If you save the game at
level 10, level up until you're level 15, and then SOL Restore, you will be
back to level 10. You will, however, retain any party experience you managed
to collect, so it is still possible to "level up" by amassing party
experience. Similarly, every time you SOL Restart you will return to the level
you are at the start of the game - 1. If you plan on leveling your characters
up, it's best to be safe by not spending any party experience until you're
finished.
If you have any skill items, make sure you use them before performing a SOL -
you can't keep your carried items but you can keep your skills. On the other
hand, any stat-boosting items will have to be stored in the locker because
your character stats will return to what they were (most of the time you
simply won't have the locker space, so you'll probably have to waste them).
Unidentified equipment counts as carried items which you'll lose - but if you
identify the equipment, you can then either carry it as one of the 3 weapons,
armours or shields you can have on you (which you'll keep) or you can store it
in the locker (which also means you'll keep it). So, the simple rule is that
you can keep all equipment as long as it's identified.
And now, the special case of carried items. Capcom decided to be as confusing
as possible and make carried items work differently to anything else. When
performing an SOL, even an SOL Restore, your carried items are always reset
to 5 Heal Kits, 1 Tonic and either 1 or 9 Save Tokens. If you're playing the
NTSC (US, Canada, Japan) version, you will get 1 Save Token. If you're playing
the PAL (Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc) version you will get 9. It is
very important to take note of this point, because it's the only way you can
actually screw up a previous save by SOLing to it - you may have been carrying
lots of items when you saved, but SOL Restore that save (which overwrites the
same immediately, I might add) and you'll find they've all disappeared.
Because of this, NEVER PERFORM ANY KIND OF SOL WITHOUT PUTTING ANY AND ALL
ITEMS THAT YOU WANT TO KEEP IN THE ITEM LOCKER. I can't stress that enough.
If you die in a battle, you most likely have *not* put your items in the
locker, and therefore you should NOT do an SOL Restore. Choose The End, load
your save normally, and do it again. (Also, if you SOL after dying, your party
experience and zenny will be halved. I suggest you only ever SOL by choosing
Give Up from the menu - hold L2 and press X.) When we consider the little
quirks of the SOL system, there are two particularly useful tricks that can be
done.
INFINITE SAVE TOKENS, HEAL KITS AND TONICS
If you're groaning at the concept of having a limited number of saves in an
RPG, don't worry! The way your items get reset is a blessing as well as a
curse, because you can use it to get your last Save Token back after you use
it. This is especially useful in the NTSC version where Save Tokens are much
harder to come by. Here's the step-by-step procedure to do this. You can only
do it somewhere where there is both a telecorder and access to the Item Locker
(in other words, Jaju. The Momo-lookalike who identifies things for you and
lets you access the locker) - if there's just a telecorder, this won't work.
Step 1: Talk to Jaju and put all your items in the locker. Later on in the
game your inventory space will increase but the locker won't, which
will put you in a bit of trouble. But, by that point you will probably
also have a bit of zenny to spare, so just store the valuable items
that can't be bought (Gold XPs, 7th Senses, etc) and with whatever
space you have left, the most expensive or rare healing items you
have. Cheap healing items can just be bought again after you've done
the trick.
Step 2: Confirm that the only items left in your inventory are items you are
prepared to lose, and your last Save Token (which you can't put in the
locker at all). Only do this trick with your LAST Save Token, or
you'll just be wasting whatever extra ones you have on you.
Step 3: Go to the telecorder and save using the token. Now, open the menu,
hold L2 and press X to choose Give Up, and then SOL Restore. This will
increase your Retry count by one but the Retry count doesn't affect
anything other than your sense of perfectionism.
Step 4: Now load the game you just did an SOL Restore over. You will be back
where you were, but you'll have saved, and you'll have 5 Heal Kits,
1 Tonic, and 1 (or 9, PAL users) Save Token in your inventory. As you
might imagine, PAL users won't have to do this very often, but NTSC
ones will have to do it for most of their saves.
And, as you might have noticed, if you store the Heal Kits and Tonic you got
in the Item Locker and perform the trick again, you'll get another 5 Heal Kits
and 1 Tonic. Low on healing items and money at the start of the game? Just SOL
Restore and start stockpiling! Those Tonics sell for a fair bit then, also :)
Just remember, never go anywhere without at least one save token on you or
you'll be SOL (haha).
LEVEL UP WITH XP LOOPS:
Firstly, if you do this trick anywhere but at the end of the game, for any
other purpose than to collect party XP for another playthrough or the Kokon
Horay, you suck :P Dragon Quarter is very beatable without leveling up at all.
But, this is an FAQ, and the idea is to provide information, so I'm obligated
to explain the method by which one levels up in Dragon Quarter (the
conventional way won't work because the enemies never come back).
The idea is to build up a large amount of party experience, then SOL Restore
so that the enemies come back but you still have your experience. This, by
itself, is not complicated - just MAKE SURE ALL ITEMS YOU WANT TO KEEP ARE IN
THE LOCKER BEFORE SOL RESTORING. However, a more important point is that SOL
Restoring also puts your D-Counter back to where it was when you saved. :)
So, yes. You can greatly speed up the battling process by going nuts on every
genic you see with D-Dive. You'll even get more party XP (which is your goal
here, considering character XP isn't coming back with you) for beating the
battles quickly. I recommend you store everything you want to keep before you
leave town - you're not going to need them in battle if you plan on just
abusing D-Dive. When your D-Counter is close to 100% (don't actually let it
hit 100% or your party XP will get halved, which you don't want) then choose
Give Up from the menu and SOL Restore. There's no need to save after doing
this, SOL Restore saves for you. However, DO NOT USE UP THE PARTY XP WITHOUT
SAVING IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS. You can then go, kill things again, and SOL
Restore to make them reappear and to get your save token back.
There are two parts of the game in particular where you can rack up a lot of
experience quite quickly by using this trick (the "XP Loop") and I'll tell you
when they are in the main walkthrough. One's midway through, the other's right
at the end.
While I'm at it, you should never need to use SOL Restart unless you did
something stupid like saving with your D-Counter at 99%. That's really the
only thing it's useful for.
And, that's it for this section, which by the way ended up a lot longer than
I had originally anticipated, but then I probably should have because
everything I write ends up painfully long-winded. Hope you kept awake through
it all. I'll see you at the walkthrough section.
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09.)                          MAIN MENU - G0900
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Main issues addressed in this section are:
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General info about main menu -------------------------------------------- G0901
Main menu - Item heading ------------------------------------------------ G0902
Main menu - Trap heading ------------------------------------------------ G0903
Main menu - Equip heading ----------------------------------------------- G0904
Main menu - Skill heading ----------------------------------------------- G0905
Main menu - Party heading ----------------------------------------------- G0906
Main menu - Options heading --------------------------------------------- G0907
Main menu - Quit heading ------------------------------------------------ G0908
Main menu - L2 Emergency ------------------------------------------------ G0909
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------------------ A - GENERAL INFO ABOUT MAIN MENU - G0901 -------------------
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1. Access the menu by pressing Start anytime when on Field screen.
2. In top row chrs' boxes are displayed - single box contains chr's graphic,
chr's current and max HP, and chr's AP.
3. In top right corner three hexagons are found (but only after specific
event in the game occurs. This is called D-Counter - if it reaches 100%,
it is game over for you, so be careful!
4. On middle left you'll find Command menu with seven subheadings, which will
be explained below.
5. Below D-Counter, D-Ratio guage is displayed. During your first play it
will show 1/8192. But as you keep replaying the game, your D-Ratio might
improve. Highest D-Ration is 1/4.
6. In lower left corner L2 Emergency box is displayed. By pressing L2 you'll
be asked if you really wish to restart your game. Press X and again choose
between 'Yes' or 'No'.
7. Lower right corner hides Data box, which contains four pieces of info:
- amount of zenny your party has
- total amount of PXP your party has
- total amount of SOLs you've performed so far
- total time this game has been played
8. On the bottom help line is displayed, telling you what does currently
selected feature do.
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-------------------- B - MAIN MENU - ITEMS HEADING - G0902 --------------------
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Pick this command and contents of your backpack will be displayed. Note that
Command box will now contain four new commands - Use, Drop, Sort, and Key. At
the very beginning of your game your backpack will only be able to carry 10
groups of items, ie two pages. 5 groups of items = 1 page.
You can increase amount of pages in your backpack by finding 'Backpack' items
which are scattered all over dungeons. In the end you will be able to have 10
pages in the backpack, subsequently being able to carry 50 groups of items.
1. USE COMMAND
Allows you to use recovery type items and items that raise attributes, as
well as some special items (Fairy Drops). Items that aren't usable will be
greyed out. Once you select the item you wish to use, you will be prompted
to select party member you wish to use the item on. Press X for the item
to be applied.
2. DROP COMMAND
Allows you to get rid of items you don't need. Once you've decided to ditch
an item, you will be asked if you're sure you want to do that. 'Yes' to
confirm, or 'No' to change your mind.
3. SORT COMMAND
Automatically sorts items in your backpack and groups together similar
items. Note that if you have say unidentified weapons, they will not be
grouped together.
4. KEY COMMAND
Allows you to view all key items you've obtained so far.
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-------------------- C - MAIN MENU - TRAP HEADING - G0903 ---------------------
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This command allows you to change the order traps are used in. Once you select
the command, a list of all 10 possible traps will appear. Each trap is
represented by a simple graphic - also displayed will be the amount of any
trap you currently have in your possession.
Press X once on any trap, and then you'll be asked to select the trap to
switch places with. Follow up with X once again and two traps will change
places.
FRESH MEAT   - Will attract some genics, who will then be distracted by
eating. Strike them while they're feeding.
ROTTEN MEAT  - Will repel some genics, allowing you safe passage.
CONFUSHROOM  - Will attract some genics - the one that eats it will be
confused as battle starts (unless genic is immune to
confusion).
SLEEPYSHROOM - Will attract some genics - the one that eats it will be asleep
as battle starts (unless genic is immune to sleep).
POISONSHROOM - Will attract some genics - the one that eats it will be
poisoned as battle starts (unless genic is immune to poison).
DYNAMITE     - When thrown, explodes on impact and deals fire MATK. Covers
small area.
BOMB         - When thrown, explodes by using Use command when in battle and
deals fire MATK. Area of explosion is much greater than that
of Dynamite.
BIND BOMB    - When thrown, it explodes after a while. All genics caught in
blast area receive bind status (unless genic/s is/are immune
to bind) and fire MATK.
FIREBOMB     - When thrown, it explodes after a while. After initial blast
flame pillar rises and continues to deal damage, which is
classified as fire MATK.
PROX BOMB    - When thrown, it will remain on the floor. As soon as something
gets close enough within its proximity, bomb explodes and deals
fire MATK.
You can't place traps on every field screen. Also, max amount of traps you can
set on single field screen is 3. If you wish to set other traps in same field
screen, you have to go back and pick up traps already placed.
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-------------------- D - MAIN MENU - EQUIP HEADING - G0904 --------------------
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This submenu allows you to equip your party members. Single party member can
carry up to 3 weapons, up to 3 shields and up to three armors.
1. On left of the screen you'll see three boxes: Weapons on top, Shields in
middle and Armors on bottom. Each of the boxes will display names of
weapons, shields and armors character currently holds. Piece of equipment
with letter E in front of it means that this piece of equipment is
equipped.
Note: You can have no armor and no shield equipped, but you cannot remove
your weapon.
2. By equipping weapons following statistics may change: ATK, MAG and SPD.
3. By equipping shields following statistics may change: DEF, SPD and AP. AP
statistic is usually reduced when you equip a shield with threaded shield
skill. You can tell by how much your AP was reduced by checking description
of said shield skill.
4. By equipping armors following statistics may change: DEF and MOV.
5. Stats that will grow after eq. piece is equipped wll be displayed by blue
arrow pointing up, while stats that will decrease are showed by red arrow
pointing down. In both cases a number telling by how much stat increased or
decreased will be displayed.
6. Pressing and holding circle will allow you to view skills threaded into
currently selected eq. piece.
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-------------------- E - MAIN MENU - SKILL HEADING - G0905 --------------------
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Select this and you'll be taken into skill equipping process. Press left/right,
or L1/R1 to switch between characters.
1. You can only thread skills to weapons (weapon skills) and shields (shield
skills). You cannot thread skills to armors.
2. First select one of three weapons chr is equipped and cursor will jump to
the right, where three boxes labeled as Lv1, Lv2 and Lv3 are. Each box
contains three skill slots, represented by Circle, X and Square (denoting
to which buttons they will be assigned during battle). This means that a
single weapon can have up to nine weapon skills threaded.
3. Place the cursor over the free slot in say Lv1 box, and press X. Cursor now
goes over to the left, where all the lv1 WPSK your chr has learned so far
are shown. Choose one and press X to equip the WPSK.
4. Reapply as necessary for Lv2 and Lv3 WPSK.
5. You cannot thread Lv2 WPSK in Lv1 box, and vice versa. Lv2 WPSK can only be
threaded into Lv2 box - likewise applies for Lv1 and Lv3.
6. When you're done threading WPSK, go back and choose one of shields your chr
carries and press X. List will be immediately replaced by all SHSK chr has
learned. A single shield can have only one SHSK threaded. There are some
SHSK which cannot be used by Nina.
7. Special attention must be paid to two specific skill slots:
- if there's a lock over the button, followed by 'UNAVAILABLE', this means
that you cannot thread any skills to that skill slot (for example Lv3
Square skill slot of Violet Blade)
- if there's a lock over the button, followed by skill name, this means
that you cannot remove said skill from skill slot, but instead you'll be
able to use it in battle (for example Lv3 Circle Violet Death WPSK of
Violet Blade)
8. Selecting LIST entry under Shields will take you to the list of WPSK and
SHSK currently selected chr has learned. Switch between pages with
left/right or L1/R1.
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-------------------- F - MAIN MENU - PARTY HEADING - G0906 --------------------
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Use this to view your chrs' status and distribute PXP. Two commands are
available here:
1. STATUS
Displays chrs' status and parameters. In upper left corner chr's graphic,
HP and AP are shown. On the left of the screen you can view chr's status
(contains current LV and statistics info). Below this box you can view
currently equipped stuff. Right of the screen is reserved for telling you
what are WPSK and SHSK you have threaded into currently equipped stuff.
2. ADD XP
Use this command to distribute PXP you've accumulated from battles among
your chrs.
3. Here's a short description of how to interpret various statistics.
LV  - Stands for level. Once chr gains predetermined amount of XP, both
chr and his stats advance a level. Max LV is 99.
HP  - Stands for health points. If it's reduced to zero (0), chr is KO-ed
and cannot perform any actions. If KO-ed at end of battle, chr is
revived with 1 HP. Max value is 999.
AP  - Stands for action points. You need AP for just about anything you
perform in battle. No AP means no action is possible. Different
actions require different amount of AP. Max value is 500.
ATK - Stands for attack. The higher this stat, the more damage you deal to
target genic with your PATK.
DEF - Stands for defense. The higher this stat, less damage you take from
genics' PATK.
MAG - Stands for magic. The higher this stas, the more damage you do to
target genics with your MATK and less damage you take from genics'
MATK.
SPD - Stands for speed. The higher this stat, the sooner you can act in