-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
This Walkthrough is for the *NORTH AMERICAN VERSION* of the game, and is
meant to be used in conjunction with my North American Appendix.  If you are
playing the Japanese version of the game, please refer to my other
FAQ/Walkthrough.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/===========================================================================/
|                Dragon Quest VIII-Journey of the Cursed King               |
|                                                                           |
|                              FAQ/Walkthrough                              |
|                            Final Version 01/27/06                         |
|                By: Red Scarlet (akaiscarlet_at_hotmail.com)               |
/===========================================================================/
There are multiple pages to the Zoom spell list.  Seven locations show up per
page.  Hit left or right on the d-pad or analog to get to other pages.
You can change your equipment in battle if you have other weapons/armor in a
character's personal inventory.  Just go to 'Item', then what you want to
equip, then choose to equip it.  You do not use a turn changing your
equipment.
Pressing the Start button out of battle allows you to converse with your
party.  The other party members quite often have something to say.
The Argonia bazaar *never* goes away.  If Argonia has castle music playing
again and it looks like the bazaar is gone, it has simply moved into the
building between the church and the castle door on the left side of town.
If you beat a visible monster on the overworld map, it will return after you
have walked away a little bit from where it spawned.  Some visible monsters
have multiple locations they can appear, and some appear only during the day
or night.  You need to beat a certain 'Rank' at the Monster Arena in order
for some monsters to appear.
The only use for Monster Coins is to sell for money.  They do nothing else
in the game.  So sell, sell, sell!
With version 1.00, I've finished the conversion.  I truly hope that
my walkthrough and appendix are helpful to you and worth the wait.  Thank
you.
This FAQ is for personal use only. It cannot be altered without
the consent of the FAQ's owner (me), nor published in any magazines or any
reproduced form. This FAQ is not meant for sale and is copyright 2004, 2005,
2006, Red Scarlet. If you want to use this FAQ on your Website or page,
please email me for permission (akaiscarlet_at_hotmail.com, or
mockballqueen_at_hotmail.com).
This guide was written for a big game.  Sorry to all the 56k'ers using
this guide.
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
If you want to find a specific section in this guide, simply combine
the roman numeral, letter, and number of a section from the Table of Contents
while in the 'find' window of your browser to zip right to whatever section
you want.
For example: If you've just received the ship, and want to skip ahead
directly to that section, find which part of the guide has it (part II), then
which letter (G) and number (1), and hit 'find' at the top of your window or
hit Control+F.
Enter the combination II - G 1 (without spaces) and you will jump
straight to the part of the guide after getting the ship.
My search codes method is nowhere near as precise as some others, but I
prefer this method over having a code for every single thing in the game, due
to that method bringing up way too many results that you are most likely not
looking for, and having to spend 20 minutes digging through to find what you
are trying to.  Hopefully these make navigating the guide simpler and faster
for all.
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
--------------------------SEARCH CODES/ENGINE ADDED--------------------------
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
Please note that the 'My level' before each section is only a
reference, my levels and equipment I use (as well as what I mix and how
I build up skill points for each character) are not canon in order to
play this game.  Go at your own pace, with levels higher or lower, and
use whatever skillset you feel like.  I am by no means trying to force
people to play the game how I play only.  I will try my best at keeping the
other weapon types in mind when it comes to buying items and making new ones
in the Alchemy Pot.
This guide is for the North America/PAL version of the game.  One last
note: I don't consider myself a great writer.  My walkthrough is pretty dry
to me; do not expect a doctoral English paper here.  I'm writing this for
free and because I enjoy this game.  If you are looking for tons of eloquent
ways for me to say "open the door and take the stairs", you are going to be
disappointed.  This guide is way, way too big to begin with, and lofty
language does not help.
I tried my best to find out everything I could about the game, but I am
pretty sure that I am missing a couple of tidbits.  There is a limit to what
a person can do.  With over 10 playthroughs of this game since November,
2004, I'd like to take a break.  The info provided here is enough.
Due to the amount of time it took to convert this, and the date I
finished, I will probably not be making an update.  This is the best I could
do.  With that out of the way, let's begin.
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
-------------------------------IMPORTANT NOTES-------------------------------
/======================================================/
|------------------Table of Contents-------------------|
/======================================================/
|                Part I-Getting Started                |
/======================================================/
| A-Adventure Files                                    |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| B-Control Scheme                                     |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| C-Menu Screen, Status, Strategy Translations         |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| D-Battle Commands                                    |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| E-General Game Information                           |
|   1-Characters                                       |
|   2-Skills                                           |
|   3-Churches / Saving the Game                       |
|   4-Day / Night                                      |
|   5-Storing Money                                    |
|   6-Casino                                           |
|   7-Tension                                          |
|   8-Status Ailments                                  |
/======================================================/
|                 Part II-Walkthrough                  |
/======================================================/
| A-The Journey Begins                                 |
|   1-Farebury                                         |
|   2-Preparing for the Waterfall Cave                 |
|   3-The Waterfall Cave                               |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| B-The Plight of the Sexy Redhead                     |
|   1-Alexandria                                       |
|   2-Tower of Alexandra                               |
|   3-Port Prospect                                    |
|   4-The Alchemy Pot                                  |
|   5-Peregrin Quay                                    |
|   6-Using the Thief's Key                            |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| C-The Templar Knight that Looks like Trunks          |
|   1-Maella Abbey                                     |
|   2-Simpleton                                        |
|   3-Ruined Abbey                                     |
|   4-A World Map for a Party of Four                  |
|   5-More Treasure Hunting, My Skills Order           |
|   6-Riverside Chapel                                 |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| D-A Castle Draped in Black and a Matching Door       |
|   1-Ascantha                                         |
|   2-Wisher's Peak                                    |
|   3-On the way to Pickham                            |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| E-The Case of the Mysteriously Vanishing Horse       |
|   1-Pickham                                          |
|   2-The Pickham Casino                               |
|   3-A Tear for a Horse                               |
|   4-Swordsman's Labyrinth                            |
|   5-The Informant and a New Destination              |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| F-Revisiting the Past for a Ship                     |
|   1-Hilltop Hut                                      |
|   2-West Trodain Church                              |
|   3-Trodain                                          |
|   4-Item/Recruitable Monster Cleanup                 |
|   5-Monster Arena                                    |
|   6-Mole Hole                                        |
|   7-Trading a Moonshadow Harp for a Ship             |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| G-Set Sail for the High Seas                         |
|   1-Princess Minnie's Castle                         |
|   2-Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 1) |
|   3-Neos                                             |
|   4-Around the World in Some Amount of Time (Part 2) |
|   5-Desert Chapel                                    |
|   6-Savella Cathedral                                |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| H-The Western Continent                              |
|   1-Seaview Church                                   |
|   2-Baccarat                                         |
|   3-Desperately Seeking Baumren                      |
|   4-Argonia                                          |
|   5-Royal Hunting Ground                             |
|   6-Argonia Bazaar; the Great Selloff                |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| I-The Sun Mirror and Dhoulmagus                      |
|   1-The Strange Man and a Mystical Spring            |
|   2-Powering up the Sun Mirror                       |
|   3-Dark Ruins                                       |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| J-Jessica Takes a Vacation                           |
|   1-Arcadia                                          |
|   2-Beating the Monster Arena                        |
|   3-Rydon's Tower                                    |
|   4-Jessica Comes Back for Work                      |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| K-Follow that Dog!                                   |
|   1-Chapel of Autumn                                 |
|   2-Orkutsk                                          |
|   3-Herb Grotto                                      |
|   4-Item Cleanup, Part Two                           |
|   5-Sibling Rivalry and the Dragon Graveyard         |
|   6-The Baccarat Casino                              |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| L-From the Seas to the Skies                         |
|   1-Pirate's Cove                                    |
|   2-'X' Marks the Spot?                              |
|   3-Empycchu                                         |
|   4-Godbird's Eyrie                                  |
|   5-Item Cleanup, Part 3                             |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| M-From Black Paws to Cruel Hands                     |
|   1-Tryan Gully                                      |
|   2-Showdown at the Lord High Priest's House         |
|   3-The Lord of Darkness Returns                     |
|   4-Trolls' Maze                                     |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| N-Encounter with the Lord of Darkness                |
|   1-Black Citadel                                    |
|   2-Seven Orbs of a Different Color                  |
|   3-The Final Battle                                 |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| O-Beyond the Lord of Darkness                        |
|   1-More Monster Hunting                             |
|   2-Dragovian Path                                   |
|   3-Dragovian Sanctuary                              |
|   4-Heavenly Dais                                    |
|   5-The True Ending                                  |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| P-The Dragovian Trials                               |
|   1-Vermillion Dragon                                |
|   2-Emerald Dragon                                   |
|   3-Silver Dragon                                    |
|   4-Golden Dragon                                    |
|   5-Intermission of Metal                            |
|   6-Darksteel Dragon                                 |
|   7-Divine Dragon                                    |
|   8-Ultimate Dragon                                  |
/------------------------------------------------------/
| Q-Credits/Thanks/Version History                     |
/======================================================/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/========================/
| Part I-Getting Started |
/========================/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/=======================/
| (I-A) Adventure Files |
/=======================/
As you turn the game on, you will be greeted with 3 options, here is
what they are and what they mean.
Continue your adventure. (Load a game)
Create a new adventure log.  (Begin a new game)
Delete an adventure log. (Erase a save file)
After choosing Continue your adventure, you are given a choice of which
Memory Card Slot to load from.  Select Slot 1 or Slot 2, then the file.
After choosing Create a new adventure log, you are asked what you want
to name the Hero.  No other characters can be renamed.  You are given 8
spaces to input the Hero's name.
Once you choose End, you are asked if you want to save to a Memory
Card.  Choose either yes and then the Memory Card Slot, or no.
After choosing Delete an adventure log, you are given a choice of which
Memory Card Slot to load from.  Select Slot 1 or Slot 2, then the file.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/======================/
| (I-B) Control Scheme |
/======================/
Directional Pad: Walk,Move cursor
Left Analog Stick: Run, Move cursor
Right Analog Stick: Change camera angle
L1 Button: Rotate view left
L2 Button: Shift camera behind player character
L3 Button: Confirm, Perform action
R1 Button: Rotate view right
R2 Button: Toggle first-person view
R3 Button: Toggle first-person view
Circle Button: Open menu
X Button: Confirm, Perform action
Triangle Button: Cancel
Square Button: View map (if you have one)
Select Button: Opens up the Battle Log menu
Start Button: Converse with your party
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/==================================================/
| (I-C) Menu Screen, Status, Strategy Translations |
/==================================================/
Note-a ** means there are more options that open when you select that
command.
Items / Magic / Attributes / **Misc.
---------------------------------------
Items screen
When you choose the Item command, you will see what items (up to 12)
are in each character's inventory.  Underneath them all is the Item Bag.
Each character can hold 12 items, and can put extra items into the bag,
which is very helpful.  Note that like in the remake of Dragon Quest 5, you
can hold more than 99 of an item in the bag.
Choose a character, then hit the Circle or X button on the item in
question, and another menu pops up.  What you can do with the items is:
Use item
Transfer item to another spot in that character's inventory, or give to
another party member
Equip or Remove (unequip) the item if you can
Discard the item away; once its tossed, its gone!
Do Nothing
The Item Bag has its own options.  Place the cursor over the Item Bag,
then press circle or X.  You should see three options:
**View Bag's Contents
Organise Items
**Sort Bag's Contents
Choosing View Bag's Contents then pressing circle or X will give you
these options:
Use: Use an item (if it can be)
Transfer: Move an item from the bag to a character's inventory.  If you
choose to move the item from the bag into the bag, the item will
be the first item in the list.
Discard: Throws the item away for good.
Nothing: Cancel
Choosing Organise Items lets you put all unequipped items from any or
all character's inventories into the Item Bag.
Choosing Sort Bag's Contents lets you sort the items By Type (Items,
Weapons, Armour, Accessories) or Alphabetically.
---------------------------------------
Magic screen
Look through each character's learned spells and cast them if you can out
of battle.
---------------------------------------
Attributes screen
View the stats of each character, their equipment, and learned skills/spells
---------------------------------------
**Misc.
When you open this menu, several options pop up.  Not every option is
selectable at the start of the game.
Note-a ** means there are more options that open when you select that
command.
Heal All: Heals the party to full HP with magic
**Tactics: Changes the AI setting for the character selected
Line-up: Change party's field/battle order
Equipment: Equip weapons and armour
**Settings: Change some game settings
Help: Get some general hints and a reminder of the controls
**Battle Records: View the party's "score" in battles, etc.
Alchemy Pot: Look at the Alchemy Pot and retrieve items from it
**Monster Team: Look at your monster teams and reorganize them
---------------------------------------
Tactics subscreen
This is the menu used to change the AI tactics of the other characters
aside from the hero.
The screen displays each characters name in the current battle party on
the left, and their current tactic to the right of their name.  If you want
everyone to have the same tactic, choose the All option underneath the names.
When you choose either an individual character, or the All Change
option, these six strategies will appear:
Show No Mercy
Fight Wisely
Focus on Healing
Don't Use Magic
Get Psyched Up
Follow Orders
Show No Mercy: When this strategy is used, the other party members go
all-out in offense.  They will use their most powerful
spells, and healing is a low priority.
Fight Wisely: When this strategy is used, the party members balance offense
with defense.
Focus on Healing: Defensive strategy.  Healing and increasing Defence is a
high priority.  Useful in fights against strong monsters.
Don't Use Magic: As the name says, no magic will be cast with this strategy.
Get Psyched Up: With this strategy, the party member will build Tension to do
more damage/use spells when they are stronger.
Follow Orders: Manual control for the character.
---------------------------------------
Settings subscreen
In this option, you can change the screen size, sound settings, etc.
Screen Settings: Choose between Normal (4:3) and Wide (16:9)
Selecting the Wide (16:9) option on smaller TV's squishes the screen
horizontally.
Selecting Sound allows you to adjust the volume of voices from 0 (off) to 5
(loud), sound effects from 0 (low) to 5 (high), the BGM (Background Music)
from 0 (low) to 5 (high), and whether to have Stereo or Monaural sound.
Selecting Camera lets you adjust the up/down and left/right controls from
standard to inverted.
---------------------------------------
Battle Records
This menu opens up game and battle information.  The selectable options
(not all are available at the start of the game) are:
Defeated Monster List
Collected Item List
Alchemy Recipe Book
For an in-depth explanation of the Defeated Monster List's options,
please refer to that section of the guide.
Choosing Collected Item List will let you go through information for
all of the various equipment and items you have found in your playthrough.
They are organized as follows:
All
Weapons
Armour
Shields
Helmets
Accessories
Items
Important Items
Choosing Alchemy Recipe Book will let you go through the hints and
successful recipes for mixing items in the Alchemy Pot of your current
playthrough.  They are organized as follows:
All Recipes
Incomplete Recipes
Weapons
Armour
Shields
Helmets
Accessories
Items
The other listings describe various battle information:
Time Spent Adventuring: How long you've been playing the game, in hours and
minutes.
Distance Travelled: How far you have travelled in the game, in miles.
Battles: Number of encounters you have had up to your current point
Monsters Defeated: Number of monsters you have killed
Monsters Intimidated: Number of monsters that have fled from scaring them off
Victories: Battles won
Times Fled: How many times the party has ran away
Times Wiped Out: How many times the party has been killed
Total Gold Obtained: Gold obtained from battles up to this point
Highest amount of damage done in 1 turn.
---------------------------------------
Alchemy Pot subscreen
For an in-depth explanation of the Alchemy Pot's options, please refer to
that section of the guide.
---------------------------------------
Monster Team subscreen
Choosing this option allows you to modify your monsters you have let
join up.  First up are these 3 options at the top (not all are available at
the start of the game):
Team 1 / Team 2 / Reserves
Once you have monsters in a team, press the circle or X button over any
of the above options, then press circle or x again when the cursor is over
the monster you want to do something with.  You'll see three options (two if
you select a monster from Reserves):
Switch members: Swap the monster with one of the monsters in Reserves.
Place in reserves: Put the monster in Reserves without replacing it.
Set free: Release the monster to the world.  It will return to where it can
be found on the overworld to get again later if you choose to.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/=======================/
| (I-D) Battle Commands |
/=======================/
When entering a battle, you are greeted with 4 commands.  They are:
**Fight
Flee
Intimidate
**Tactics
Intimidate is a new command for the series.  What is does is a party member
will try to scare the enemies off, avoiding a fight.  If the monsters
are weak enough compared to the character, they will run off.  There is
a chance that any monster that via Intimidation can drop an item.
You have a higher 'chance' of getting dropped items via Intimidate.  I
believe this is so because you can only get 1 item dropped per group of
monster when you fight them, but every monster that gets intimidated has
a chance of dropping an item.
For example: Say you fight 1 Slime + 2 Slimes + 3 Slimes as separate
groups.  If you fight them, each group has a chance of dropping an item.
That's 3 chances.  If you use Intimidate, all 6 Slimes have a chance of
dropping an item if they all run off.  Thus, your 'chance' of getting a
dropped item is increased from 3 to 6, but the 'probability' is likely
the same whether you killed the Slimes or used Intimidate.
If you are trying to stock up on certain items, (successful uses of)
Intimidate should get you an item faster than fighting them due to the
increased number of chances of an item being dropped.
After choosing Fight, these commands show up:
Attack         Ability
Spells         Items
Defend         Psyche Up
Attack: attack an enemy with your equipped weapon.
Spells: cast a spell.
Defend: take 50% damage, but can't do any other action.
Ability: use a skill the character has learned from skill points.
Items: use an item from your personal inventory, or change equipment in
the character's inventory (such as weapons).
Psyche Up: Build Tension to the next level.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/================================/
| (I-E) General Game Information |
/================================/
As the title states, this is general game info that can be helpful
for new players to the game/series on how to do various things that are
useful to know when playing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/===================/
| (I-E1) Characters |
/===================/
Here is what the manual has to say about each character:
Hero: A royal guard who had to leave his kingdom when a curse was placed upon
it.  Through his training as a royal guard, he is proficient with
swords, spears, and boomerangs.
Yangus: A former bandit with a rather strange accent.  An unexpected turn of
events brought you together, and now Yangus treats you as his trusted
"guv".  He is a physically powerful man who favors axes, clubs, and
scythes in combat.
Jessica: The only daughter of an aristocratic family from a small village.
Something of a tomboy, she is constantly arguing with her mother but
is respected by her fellow villagers.  She is a budding sorceress
who is adept not only at casting combat spells, but at wielding
short blades, whips, and staves as well.
Angelo: A Templer knight who has sworn an oath to protect his abbey.  He
seems to be far more dedicated to gambling and beautiful women than
to the church though, so he is somewhat scorned by his fellow
Templars.  Still, he is quite competent with swords, bows, and
staves and is capable of casting a variety of recovery spells.
Trode: Your odd-looking traveling companion.  Despite his outward appearance,
he speaks with a royal tone befitting a king.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/===============/
| (I-E2) Skills |
/===============/
A new method of gaining abilities to the Dragon Quest series, the skill
point system is a debatable improvement to what Dragon Quest 6 and 7 used
(I prefer this method, 6 and 7 were too clunky and user unfriendly).
As each character levels up, he or she will start gaining skill points
that can be allocated to five different skill areas.  Each character has 4
weapon-based areas, and a 5th "general" attribute.  The Hero and Yangus will
not start gaining skill points until they reach level 4.  Jessica and Angelo
will start gaining skill points when they level up after joining the party.
Although it would be nice, you cannot powerlevel a skill and max out
right away.  After a point, you will only be able to add 2 points to a skill
once it becomes a certain amount.  Not until a character reaches level 38
can a skill finally receive 100 points.
In order to use a skill, the character must have that weapon type
equipped (not that big of a hassle with 12 item slots).  Each type of skill
area are as follows:
Hero
Swords
Spears
Boomerangs
Fisticuffs
Courage
Yangus
Axes
Clubs
Scythes
Fisticuffs
Humanity
Jessica
Knives
Whips
Staves
Fisticuffs
Sex Appeal
Angelo
Swords
Bows
Staves
Fisticuffs
Charisma
Please refer to the Skill List section to see what abilities are learned
for each skill, and the number of skill points needed to learn a particular
skill.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/===================================/
| (I-E3) Churches / Saving the Game |
/===================================/
In order to save your game, you must go to a church.  Some other
people act like a church, however.  When you talk to the person, the options
to choose from are as follows:
Confession (Save): Saves the game.  You will be asked which Memory Card you
want to save to, and then if you want to keep playing or
not.
Divination: Find out how many experience points each character needs in
order to reach the next level.
Resurrection: Bring a fallen party member back to life.  The cost relates
to the current level of the character.
Purification: Unpoisons a character with Poisoned or Envenomated statuses.
Benediction: Unequips a cursed item from a party member.  Does not destroy
the item.
Nothing: Cancel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/====================/
| (I-E4) Day / Night |
/====================/
As in Dragon Quest 3-5, time passes in this game.  Unlike the earlier
games, time passes while outdoors on the overworld and while outdoors in
towns.  Time also now passes while standing still.  Some places are open
only during day, some at night.  Some people say different things at day than
night as well.
There is neither a Day/Night spell nor Darkness Lamp in this game to
change times.  However, you can change time at inns.
During daytime, you can select Stay overnight to sleep until the
next morning, Rest until evening, or Cancel.
During nighttime, you can only choose Stay overnight to sleep until
morning or Cancel.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/======================/
| (I-E5) Storing Money |
/======================/
In a handful of places, you can deposit your money at the Gold Bank, in
1,000 increments.  The point of the Gold Banks are that if your party is
defeated in battle, you lose half of the Gold you have.  Money stored in
Gold Banks is not affected.
Speak to the person at the bank, and you can choose to:
Deposit
Withdrawal
Leave
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/===============/
| (I-E6) Casino |
/===============/
A staple of many Dragon Quest games, there are two casinos in Dragon
Quest 8.  Out of the two casinos are three games you can play: Slot Machines,
Bingo, and Roulette.
Casinos run on tokens.  In order to get tokens (generally), you have to
buy them with gold.  The only prizes to all three games are tokens, but you
can trade in tokens for items in the casinos.  Many lucrative prizes can be
received from the counter at casinos.  Roulette is the fastest way to rake
tokens in, but it is not available until much later in the game than Slots
and Bingo are.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/================/
| (I-E7) Tension |
/================/
A new command in battle, the Tension system can change a battle
dramatically if used correctly.  In a battle, select Psyche Up to build
Tension.
The first time Tension is built, you gain +5 (to some stat/s) that makes
attacks and many skills and spells more effective, in damage/healing/amount.
You can keep building Tension.  The first buildup is +5, then +20,
then +50, and finally +100.
+5 through +50 will not fail.  +100 has a chance of failing.  Just keep
trying when it is available, and you will eventually reach it.
When +100 is reached, the character's body will glow pink from reaching
Super High Tension.  +50 is the maximum Tension level at the start of the
game.
As to when you can get up to Super High Tension, I am not sure.  When I
initially wrote this, I would stop at +50 until after I got the ship.  The
time after (during my solo Hero game attempt), Jessica went up to +100 as
soon as I got her, at level 9.  Yangus was dead, though.  The Hero was able
to go up to +100 as well.
You can lose any built up Tension in various ways.  Such ways are:
winning a battle (it does not carry over to the next), and being hit by
the status ailments of Asleep, Paralysed, Cursed, Dead, being knocked off
your feet (usually from a Warcry or leg sweep from an enemy), or when an
enemy is 'enveloped in a wave of ice'.
Although you may think it due to the sound effect, you *do not* land
a critical hit when at +50 or +100.  Building up to +50 and then attacking a
Metal-family monster can still miss like any regular attack.
For the complete list of what spells and skills are affected by Tension,
please refer to those lists in the guide.  All skills and spells with an
asterisk (*) before its name means that it becomes stronger with built-up
Tension.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/========================/
| (I-E8) Status Ailments |
/========================/
The bane of probably every RPG, status ailments, are of course present
in this game.  Here is the list of them, what they do, and what you can
cure them with (note that some Accessories can prevent some status ailments):
/===========================================================================/
| Asleep: Incapacitates a party member, no action can be done.  Removes any |
|         stored Tension.  Eventually wears off during a battle.            |
| Cures: Wears off after a battle, Greater Panacea, Tingle spell.           |
/===========================================================================/
/==========================================================================/
| Confused: Character becomes uncontrollable, not knowing friend from foe. |
|           Can attack party members.  Eventually can wear off during a    |
|           battle, or can lead to other status ailments, such as          |
|           Paralysed.                                                     |
| Cures: Wears off after a battle, physically attacked in battle,          |
|        Greater Panacea.                                                  |
/==========================================================================/
/==========================================================================/
| Paralysed: Character is unable to act, no action can be done.  Removes   |
|            any stored Tension.  If all living party members are          |
|            paralyzed, you will *not* get an instant game over, like in   |
|            previous games.  Eventually wears off during battle.          |
| Cures: Wears off after a battle, Moonwort Bulb, Rose-Wort, Moon's Mercy, |
|        Lesser Panacea, Greater Panacea.                                  |
/==========================================================================/
/=========================================================================/
| Dazzle: Character is temporarily blinded, and has a hard time hitting a |
|         target with attacks.  Eventually wears off during battle.       |
| Cures: Wears off after a battle,  Greater Panacea.                      |
/=========================================================================/
/==========================================================================/
| Fizzle: Character has been silenced, and cannot cast spells.  Eventually |
|         wears off during battle.                                         |
| Cures: Wears off after a battle, Greater Panacea.                        |
/==========================================================================/
/===========================================================================/
| Poisoned: Character receives damage while walking around outside of       |
|           battle.  Does not wear off.                                     |
| Cures: Antidotal Herb, Strong Antidote, Special Antidote, Lesser Panacea, |
|        Greater Panacea, Squelch spell, Purification from a church.        |
/===========================================================================/
/===========================================================================/
| Envenomated: Character receives damage while walking around outside of    |
|              battle, and receives damage after each round in battle.      |
|              Very dangerous. Does not wear off.                           |
| Cures: Antidotal Herb, Strong Antidote, Special Antidote, Lesser Panacea, |
|        Greater Panacea, Squelch spell, Purification from a church.        |
/===========================================================================/
/==============================================================/
| Cursed: Character loses a turn.  Removes any stored Tension. |
| Cures: Wears off after a lost turn, Greater Panacea.         |
/==============================================================/
Note: there is a different "Cursed" ailment, which is received from equipping
certain equipment.  The only way to remove it is by going to a church and
paying for Benediction.  The Hero cannot be cursed in this way.
/========================================================================/
| Dead: Character has 0HP, and is "dead".  Cannot do anything in battle. |
|       Does not wear off.                                               |
| Cures: Yggdrasil Leaf, Angel Cheese, Zing spell (50% chance),          |
|        Kazing spell (100% chance), use of the Staff of Resurrection,   |
|        Kerplunk spell, Resurrection from a church.                     |
/========================================================================/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/=====================/
| Part II-Walkthrough |
/=====================/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/================================================================/
| (II-A)                The Journey Begins                       |
/----------------------------------------------------------------/
| Quick Summary                                                  |
|                                                                |
| 1-Fight Slimes while taking a break, then head to Farebury and |
|   meet Kalderasha and his daughter Valentina to learn of your  |
|   next destination.                                            |
| 2-Explore around the Farebury area for some helpful items.     |
| 3-Enter the Waterfall Cave and beat the boss.                  |
| 4-Return to Farebury and head off for the next destination.    |
/================================================================/
After naming the Hero and watching the new intro added to the game, the
game will start with the current party: you, Yangus, and Trode are taking a
rest, and your pet mouse, Munchie, is seen running through the grass and
back to your pocket.  Yangus calls out to you, so get up.  You can pick up
the barrels near you with the X or L3 button, then throw them with another
press.  Nothing is in these barrels, but remember that you can break them
when you get to town.
Talk to Yangus (either get up to him and hit the X or L3 button).
After Yangus and Trode have a 'friendly' conversation, Trode asks if you
have seen the princess, and you are attacked!  Let's fight.
If you don't know what the commands are, please refer to the 'Battle
Commands' portion of Section I.
First off, Yangus is set to manual control by default in this version.
You do not have to, but in every Dragon Quest game I have played since AI
was introduced, it has annoyed me.  Even in games after Dragon Quest 4,
where the AI is supposedly "good", it still pisses me off.  Manual all the
way for me.
The Hero is always controlled manually, but the other characters are
selectable in their control.  If you want to switch another character's
tactics, choose Tactics and then either option (you are choosing between
'Yangus' and 'all' with those options.
Afterward, fight and kill the lovable Slimes.  One should drop a chest,
containing a Medicinal Herb.  A white horse will walk by, Princess Medea,
and Trode is relieved and hugs her.  Before thinking bad thoughts, just go
with it for now.  The title sequence will start as the party walks to
Farebury.  Trode smiles at townspeople as he walks by, but does not get one
returned.
/======================================================================/
| (II-A1)                       Farebury                               |
|                             My level: 1                              |
/----------------------------------------------------------------------/
| Inn: $3 per person / Church: yes / Items to find: 28 + 1             |
/----------------------------------------------------------------------/
| Weapon Shop                                                          |
|                                                                      |
| Cypress Stick                                                   $10  |
| Oaken Club                                                      $110 |
| Giant Mallet                                                    $240 |
| Copper Sword                                                    $270 |
| Boomerang                                                       $420 |
/----------------------------------------------------------------------/
| Armour Shop                                                          |
|                                                                      |
| Bandit's Grass Skirt                                            $35  |
| Wayfarer's Clothes                                              $70  |
| Leather Armour                                                  $180 |
| Leather Shield                                                  $70  |
| Leather Hat                                                     $65  |
/----------------------------------------------------------------------/
| Item Shop (guy in orange turban)                                     |
|                                                                      |
| Medicinal Herb                                                  $8   |
| Antidotal Herb                                                  $10  |
| Chimaera Wing                                                   $25  |
| Plain Clothes                                                   $30  |
/======================================================================/
Upon entering Farebury, Trode wants to find a man by the name of
Master Rylus about breaking the curse on him and Medea, who was preparing to
marry the Prince of Argonia, until Dhoulmagus appeared and cursed them.
Trode will then ask if you will go and find Master Rylus.  It doesn't matter
how you answer.  Now you can move about town, and Yangus goes with you.
Let's snoop around town and see what free stuff there is to find first!
Walk over to the side of the item shops on the ground floor.  You should see
two pots.  Walk over to them and press the X or L3 button to pick one up,
then press X or L3 again to smash it.  Nothing is in these pots, but now that
smashing pots is easy, let's actually find some items.
Still on the ground floor, walk past Trode and to the building that
recently burned down.  Next to the inn are two barrels.  Break the one at
the corner and you will find 4 gold inside!  The other one has nothing.
Enter the inn.
Ignore the pots in the corner, and go upstairs.  Once upstairs, you
should find some goodies.  Open the cupboard in the corner (press X or L3
when up to it), and you will find Holy Water.  Open the next one to score
Plain Clothes.  Inside the chest is a handy Chimaera Wing.  In the cupboard
to the left of the chest should be a Cypress Stick.  Search the bags on the
side of the room opposite the chest, and you should snag an Antidotal Herb
and a Medicinal Herb.  Now exit the inn.
Across from the inn is the armour shop, but don't buy anything there
yet.  Instead, follow the walls of the inn to find another door to enter it.
Behind the counter, sift through the bag on the wall to find 3 gold.
Exit the inn again and enter the house to the left of the armour shop.
In here, open the dresser in the corner to find another Antidotal Herb, then
break the barrel in the corner for 5 gold.  Now leave the house, turn right,
and climb the stairs to the second floor of town past the lady in the red
dress.
On the second floor, go straight ahead first and around the corner of
the building.  Break the pot to find another Medicinal Herb.  Now go back to
the stairs and take a left until you see three barrels against a wall.
Break the first one to receive 2 gold, and the second one for yet another
Medicinal Herb.  Now turn around, and go around the corner of the building
and enter the door.
Inside the house, go straight across to the bedroom and open the
dressers on the left wall.  The first one should have 20 gold (nice)!  No
more items in here, so leave the house and turn right, then go left between