+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                      S H I N I N G   T E A R S                       |
|                        for the PlayStation 2                         |
|                  Walkthrough/FAQ, v1.7 02/07/2006                    |
|         by Andy Yu (yuandy), email to yuandy@cs.stanford.edu         |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
Table of Contents
0. Change history
1. Copyright
2. Tips and tricks
2.0   - Frequently asked questions
2.1   - General
2.2   - Card collecting
2.3   - Advanced mode
2.4   - Sample build targets
3. Missions
3.1    - Story Mission: White Lily Search
3.2    - Story Mission: Encounter with a Spy
3.3    - Story Mission: Rescue at Etwarl
3.4    - Story Mission: Pursuit at Dragonfang
3.5    - Story Mission: Raid on the Encampment
3.6    - Story Mission: A Visit to the Dwarves
3.7    - Story Mission: A Visit to the Giants
3.8    - Story Mission: Ambush at Old Town Way
3.8.1     Side Mission: Birdmen's Village Patrol
3.9    - Story Mission: Siege on the City Walls
3.9.1     Side Mission: The Search for Ryuna
3.9.2     Side Mission: Birdmen's Ruse
3.10   - Story Mission: Raid of the Elven Forest
3.10.1    Side Mission: For the Elves' Medicine
3.11   - Story Mission: Desert Reconnaissance
3.12   - Story Mission: The Battle of Eltanian
3.12.1    Side Mission: Operation: Mao
3.12.2    Side Mission: In Rastaban Desert
3.13   - Story Mission: Mobile Fortress Strike
3.13.1    Side Mission: The Tower's Challenge
3.14   - Story Mission: For Liberty!
3.15   - Story Mission: The Battle for Corleonis
3.16   - Story Mission: Comrades in Arms
3.17   - Story Mission: Conflict with the Light
3.18   - Story Mission: Sealing the Behemoth
A. Appendices
A.1   - Item listing
A.2.1 - Bestiary (normal mode)
A.2.2 - Bestiary (advanced mode)
A.3   - Tower of Heaven enemy list
A.4   - Recurring missions
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Section 0 - Change history
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Latest version will always be posted on GameFAQs.
v1.7. 02/07/2006. I'm going to go ahead and put out another minor
update and just say that this version is probably the final version.
Yes, I am still missing a handful of cards from my collection, but I
doubt I'll ever get to updating this FAQ again (I haven't played
Shining Tears in months now). In this update, I've added reworded my
answers to questions about prefix recipes and I've also added section
2.4 with the sample build targets I use.
v1.6. 06/09/2005. Section 2.2 now lists the enemies exclusive to
recurring missions. Appendix A.1 now lists the prefix forging material
for helms and armors. Filled in missing bestiary entries (I'm now only
missing 83, 93, 120, and 274). Updated the 3.12.* branch to say that
you can get both missions (reported by Evelyn).
v1.5. 05/23/2005. Removed Volg's event from the 3.12.* branch. Added
"Frequently Asked Questions" as section 2.0. Fixed some errata. I'm
now playing Ys 6, so I may or may not come back to this faq to put out
a final version.
v1.4. 05/04/2005. Listed "last chances" to get certain enemy cards
with the story missions. Otherwise, this is just small updates. Added
some missing enemy card stats. I managed to get Volg's event at the
3.9.* branch in the story instead of Birdmen's Ruse. I had thought
that Volg's event only occurred at the 3.12.* branch, but now I don't
know what to think.
v1.3. 04/25/2005. Rearranged the sections. Tips section before
missions section. Rewrote the missions section header. Redid missions
whitespace. Renamed "Required" to "Story". Renamed "Optional" to
"Side". Added information on the side missions. Added recurring
mission information to the card collecting section. Added recurring
mission appendix.
v1.2, 04/18/2005. Added bestiary for advanced mode. Handful of updates
to the items section.
v1.1, 04/09/2005. Added table of contents. Numbered the missions.
Corrections to side missions. Added the bestiary and tower of
heaven listing. Handful of updates to the items section.
v1.0, 04/04/2005. Here's my first version. It's got notes on all the
required missions and the one side mission I've played. It's also
got the listing of helm and armor and accessory stats I've built up
from playing.
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Section 1 - Copyright
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The information and formatting contained within this guide may be
reproduced without permission on guides if and only if the guide is
posted on GameFAQs, so long as this guide is cited as the source. For
ALL other reproductions and uses, the standard boilerplate applies:
[Begin boilerplate]
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use
of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display
is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.
Shining Tears is copyright 2004 SEGA of America, Inc. All trademarks
and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.
[End boilerplate]
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Section 2 - Tips and tricks
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***** 2.0 - Frequently asked questions *****
- I did what you said to do in "Trigger", but I can't get to the next
mission. How do I get to the next mission?
Talk to everyone. Start with Heroes' Way. See if that will let you
get to the next mission. Eventually work your way throughout the
entire city. Also try fighting some recurring missions such as
Monster Hunt and Rune Geist Southern Camp. I listed the trigger
that I had to do to get the next mission.
- How do I forge the (fill-in-the-blank) prefix?
I understand that prefixes are chosen (and forged) at RANDOM. If
so, the answer is, there is no recipe to get a specific prefix. If
you forge a prefixable item with its specific material, you will
lose the existing prefix and be assigned a new random prefix.
Update: A few months ago, I saw a thread on the message boards
claiming you can, in fact, forge for specific prefixes. I haven't
verified this claim nor will I. Do NOT send me questions asking me
how to forge for a specific prefix (e.g. Wall). I don't know and I
won't answer.
- How do I buy new weapons?
You don't. Each character retains the starting weapon throughout
the entire game. You "get" a better weapon by forging your
existing weapon.
- How do I forge the (fill-in-the-blank) weapon?
Has Xion reached the minimum level requirement? Some weapons
require level 20. Others require level 40. The highest weapons
require that Xion has reached level 50. It's Xion's level that
matters, not your partner's level.
Are you at the right blacksmith? The promenade and upper-level
blacksmiths upgrade your weapons. The dwarven blacksmith changes
your weapons.
- How many floors in the Tower of Heaven?
60. See appendix A.3.
- How do I get the enemy card for bosses?
Bosses drop cards with the same frequency that other leaders do.
My best guess is that leaders drop cards at a 5% rate (or 25% with
the Medal of the Heavens). The Medal of the Heavens bonus applies
to the wearer but not the partner.
- What's the maximum experience level?
We don't know. At the time of this writing, someone on the message
board got to level 97.
It's rather impractical to raise your level much beyond level 80
or so unless you want to spend a lot of time in the Tower of
Heaven.
***** 2.1 - General *****
Battle tips:
- Weapons with fire/ice/lit attributes may sound cool, but almost all
enemies have at least 30% resistance to a particular element, so
you'll do that much less damage. You can remove fire/ice/lit
attribute by equipping a Crystal Bracelet.
- Most magic spells are charge skills and can be interrupted. So, if
you see an enemy charging up, hit it to interrupt the spell. Most
magic spells travel in a straight line in the direction the
spellcaster is facing at the start of the charge. Your best defense
is usually to be a moving target.
- Resistance is capped at 95%. The maximum "All resist" bonus you can
get from items is 65%. Star helm +15%, Star armor +15%, weapon with
all resist +15%, Diamond Charm +20%. Not all characters get resist
bonuses on their weapons.
- Don't get pushed around, use your lock! Enemies can move you around
by pushing you. Even if you force your enemies through a narrow
passage, they can push their way through and surround you. The only
way to prevent being pushed is to be locked. To protect your
ranged-attack partner, learn to use the lock-charge-release pattern.
- If you get surrounded in a battle away from the starting point,
consider retreating. When you come back, all enemies are fully
healed and (this is the important part) have returned to an
inattentive state. This is useful in the later half of the game
where you have to take on multiple groups of enemies simultaneously.
This is vitally important for surviving the tower's 55F in which,
and no one knows why, you start with the attention of all 50+ Dark
Pastes on the screen. When you retreat immediately and come back,
all pastes (as long as they're far enough away) return to an
inattentive state.
Relationships:
- Starting right before "Ambush at Old Town Way", to find out who you
have the best relationship with, talk to the minstrel in Wildcat
Lane on the right side.
- To increase your relationship with a character, clear missions with
that character as Xion's partner. We (as in, we on the game board)
suspect that you can improve relationships in the mirror world too.
Leaving a battle (retreating or clearing) when Xion's partner has
been defeated will decrease your relationship with a character.
- If you get someone's bird, you cannot have a best relationship with
that partner again.
- Relationships get reset for advanced mode. Therefore, it's possible
to get birds twice, once in normal and then again in advanced.
Open question: For advanced mode, do relationships get reset to be
zero or good?
Blacksmiths:
- You don't buy new weapons. Each character retains his or her weapon
throughout the game. You can however upgrade OR change the weapon
type.
- The upper-level smith and the promenade smith can upgrade your
weapon type. The lower-level smith and the promenade smith can
upgrade an armor type. The dwarven smith can change your weapon
type.
- The dwarven smith opens up after the "Siege on the City Walls"
mission.
- IMHO, prefixes are assigned randomly and there is no recipe for
getting a specific prefix. This was the prevailing belief in the
first few months after this game was released in the US.
NOTE: It has never been proven whether such recipes exist or not.
There was talk on the message boards that someone had found recipes
involving specific combinations of a weapon and some materials that
could reliably produce a specific prefix (e.g. Wall) and that the
recipe was different for each item (e.g. Beret). If you really want
to spend hours experimenting, be my guest. Personally, I have my
doubts.
- Each prefixable item has a specific material that will generate a
new prefix for it. For example, if you forge an Open Helm with
Ceramic (and any other two materials), it will be assigned a new
RANDOM prefix (as far as I can tell). If you forge an Open Helm
without Ceramic, there is no prefix change.
- When forging for + points, the first-forge will give a decent bonus
(approx +3). All subsequent forges add +1. If you first-forge with
Orih or Dark, you'll get a bigger bonus (approx +5). If you
first-forge with Orih AND Dark, you'll get a bigger bonus (approx +7).
Late in the game, save your Orih and Dark materials for
first-forging expensive items (e.g. Sure-Kill Bow).
- Don't be so quick to throw away Frail and Heavy items, particularly
something like Frail Full Helm. Frail and Heavy modifiers also
affect the forge fee! So, you can forge +15 onto the item at a
fraction of the normal forging cost. With Full Helms, Breastplates,
and other high defense prefixable armors, I usually forge +8 onto
the item and then start forging for prefixes (all the high-level
prefixable helms and armors, except for Hachigane and Magic Armor,
use Ceramic).
Other:
- Equip a fast armor (like Kung Fu Jacket) for running around town.
Don't forget to change back into your battle armor later. The
fastest armor Xion can equip early in the game is a Fleet Shoulder
Guard (+30%) or a Fleet Vest (+30%). The fastest armor Xion can
equip in the entire game is a Fleet Silk Robe (+40%).
- The elven village's appraiser opens up, at the earliest, after "Raid
of the Elven Forest". Once, I've had it wait until much later in the
story to open up. Not sure what the difference was.
***** 2.2 - Card collecting *****
To find out, during battle, if there are onscreen enemies that you
don't have cards for, go to Start -> System -> War Info. It'll
identify each on-screen enemy type. If you have a card for that enemy
type in Pios' collection, then it'll also give you the 1-2 sentence
description. If you don't, then the description window will be blank.
If you're into card collecting, be sure to do the recurring missions.
Some enemies ONLY appear in the side or recurring missions. If you
don't catch them in your first playthrough, you'll have to wait for
advanced mode to get their cards, particularly since you don't get the
Medal of the Heavens until after most of the side or recurring
missions are unavailable.
Following are lists of enemies, excluding bosses, that you fight only
once normally but are guaranteed to be able to fight again in the
mirror world.
( 19) Ogre Spider (Adult)  Tower of Heaven, 23F
( 50) Ice Dragon           Sealing the Behemoth, map 12
( 51) Thunder Dragon       Tower of Heaven, 5F
( 52) Mushussu             Tower of Heaven, 29F
( 54) Himmeldrache         Tower of Heaven, 41F
( 56) Dark Dragon          Tower of Heaven, 60F
( 61) Master Mage          A Visit to the Dwarves
(144) Sky Commander        Mobile Fortress Strike, map 3
(207) Metal Golem          Tower of Heaven, 55F
(213) Astarte              Tower of Heaven, 59F
(257) Brover mkII          Sealing the Behemoth, map 4
Here are some other notables that you are guaranteed to be able to
fight again in the mirror world.
( 49) Fire Dragon          Tower of Heaven, 17F (1x)
Sealing the Behemoth, map 10 (1x)
( 53) Tiamat               Tower of Heaven, 35F (2x)
( 55) White Dragon         Tower of Heaven, 53F (3x)
(179) Orc Vice General     Tower of Heaven, 16F (4x)
Here are the enemies that you are NOT guaranteed to be able to fight
again in the mirror world. You must either fight them in an side
mission or a recurring mission. When choosing side missions, I suggest
you do "Birdmen's Village Patrol" (good relationship with Mao),
"Birdmen's Ruse" (poor relationship with Lazarus), and "In Rastaban
Desert" (good relationship with Neige). Remember, each side mission
you unlock becomes playable in the mirror world.
Recurring missions are listed according to the mission they precede.
For example, take a look at Ninken-Firetooth. You'll fight them in
"Wildcat Lane Invasion" right before "Siege on the City Walls".
( 25) Worm
[recurring] Monster Hunt: Ambush, Eltanian.
[recurring] Smithy Invasion: Elven, Desert.
( 28) Snake Worm
[recurring] Monster Hunt: Ambush, Eltanian.
[recurring] Smithy Invasion: Elven, Desert.
( 43) Ninken-Firetooth
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: City Walls, Elven.
( 44) Ninken-Frostbite
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: All.
( 45) Ninken-Shockfang
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: Desert, Eltanian,
Fortress, Liberty.
( 76) Halberd Master
[recurring] Rune Geist Northern Camp: Eltanian.
( 83) Bodyguard (Spear)
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Eltanian.
( 93) Evil Shooter
[recurring] Rune Geist Northern Camp: Desert.
(104) Brass Knight
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Elven, Desert.
(110) Gold Paladin
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Elven, Desert.
(113) Arrow Knight
[recurring] Great Plains Warfare: Ambush, City Walls.
(119) Heavy Bow Knight
[recurring] Great Plains Warfare: Ambush, City Walls.
(120) Burning Bow Knight
[recurring] Rune Geist Northern Camp, Eltanian.
(131) Red Rabbit
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: Desert, Eltanian,
Fortress, Liberty.
(132) Blue Serpent
[side] Birdmen's Village Patrol.
(133) Yellow Tiger
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: City Walls, Elven.
(135) Koga Ninja
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: All.
(136) Fuuma Ninja
[recurring] Wildcat Lane Invasion: All.
(138) Birdman
[side] Birdmen's Ruse.
[recurring] Rune Geist Northern Camp: Desert.
(140) Hawk Soldier
[recurring] Birdmen Invasion: Eltanian, Fortress
(143) Bird Commander
[side] Birdmen's Ruse.
[recurring] Rune Geist Northern Camp: Desert.
(158) Kwanca
[recurring] Smithy Invasion: Elven, Desert.
(167) Orc Private
[side] In Rastaban Desert.
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Fortress.
(171) Orc Superior
[side] In Rastaban Desert.
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Fortress.
(174) Orc Lieutenant
[side] In Rastaban Desert.
[recurring] For the Dwarves: Eltanian, Fortress.
(178) Orc Colonel
[side] In Rastaban Desert.
[recurring] For the Dwarves: Eltanian, Fortress.
(194) Deviling
[side] For the Elves' Medicine.
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Fortress.
[recurring] Great Plains Warfare: Elven.
(198) Imp
[side] For the Elves' Medicine.
[side] In Rastaban Desert.
[recurring] Rune Geist Southern Camp: Fortress.
[recurring] Great Plains Warfare: Elven.
For convenience of lookup, these are the cards that are exclusive to
recurring missions.
( 25) Worm
( 28) Snake Worm
( 43) Ninken-Firetooth
( 44) Ninken-Frostbite
( 45) Ninken-Shockfang
( 76) Halberd Master
( 83) Bodyguard (Spear)
( 93) Evil Shooter
(104) Brass Knight
(110) Gold Paladin
(113) Arrow Knight
(119) Heavy Bow Knight
(120) Burning Bow Knight
(131) Red Rabbit
(133) Yellow Tiger
(135) Koga Ninja
(136) Fuuma Ninja
(140) Hawk Soldier
(158) Kwanca
***** 2.3 - Advanced Mode tips *****
In a lot of ways, Shining Tears reminds me about Diablo 2. In D2, you
have to carefully plan out your build to be viable in Hell difficulty.
Strategy changes drastically between Normal and Nightmare and Hell
difficulty. Same thing happens with Shining Tears between normal and
advanced mode.
The first few missions of advanced mode are pretty straightforward.
Okay, so orcs have a ridiculous amount of hit points. That's nothing
we can't deal with, right? Yea, wait 'til you see what's coming up
next.
General:
- All melee attackers should have AGI of at least 70. Enemies in
advanced mode have increased EVA (especially demons!) and your
attackers may spend most of their time missing without a
sufficiently high ACC. At level 75, my Xion had an AGI of 80 and my
Elwyn had an AGI of 70 (Sure-Kill Bow is ACC +15%).
- Hoard your Ceramic materials. Ceramic is how you prefix almost all
of the best prefixable helms and armors, including: Sallet, Full
Helm, Great Helm, Chain Mail, Breastplate, and Plate Armor. The
two exceptions are Hachigane and Magic Armor.
- Your melee attackers NEED resistance. Items with resistance bonuses
quickly become more important than items with +1 skills. For
example, consider one Brover. It fires four shots for its charge
attack. With no resistance, that one charge attack can do >200
damage in an instant.
- Quickly take out enemies that have "Call Ally". In particular, this
means orc soldier leaders, orc archer leaders, and bats.
Consider Ogre Bat/Slash Bat groups, you'll see them in "Raid of the
Elven Forest". The Slash Bat can call another bat in at a rate of
about one per second, at most. 1 Ogre Bat has 588 HP. Let's say, at
the time, Xion was doing about 50 damage per hit, maybe 5 hits per
second. So, Xion's averaging about 250 damage per second and the
Slash Bat can summon another 588 HP per second. You can do the math.
- Life steal increases your survival rate tremendously. Keiner gets
life steal with his top weapon (Life Eater) and so will anyone who
equips an Armor of Darkness which is forged from Magic Armor (which
is forged from Plate Armor). Rumor has it, Plate Armor can only be
found in the tower. I found my one and only Plate Armor about
halfway up the tower, somewhere around 32F.
From coby: "Vampyric Bracelet: Req. Lv=40. A bracelet with special
powers. Absorbs 8% of damage dealt to restore HP." I've never found
it, but then again, I haven't clocked _that_ many hours. After all,
I've only ever found one Plate Armor. :p
- Once you've forged your best equipment, the main impediment becomes
money. Sure-Kill Bow is expensive to forge! Save up your Orihalcum
and Dark Matter for first-forging the expensive stuff. Using
Orihalcum and Dark Matter for the very first forge can net you as
much as +10. After that, you're stuck getting only +1 per forge.
- Think twice before spending points into your single and link skills.
Skills that get used a lot such as Thousand Thrust and Multishot
become prohibitively expensive in SP at the higher levels. In order
to continue using your skills a lot, you would need to pump your Int
stat to get more SP. For my attackers, I prefer to spend points in
Str or Con rather than Int, so I usually max single and link skills
at 3 or 6.
***** 2.4 - Sample build targets *****
I've put down the build targets I use ONLY as an example. I like to
use Xion + Neige in normal mode, but I prefer to use Xion with
Thousand Thrust + Elwyn with Multishot in advanced mode. So, I
optimizing for Tower of Heaven runs with Xion and Elwyn. Figure out
what playing style you like and that'll dictate your build target.
I think the hardest enemies are the Brovers. We meet Cyborg Skeletons
(card 246) in 36F and Doom Droids (card 259) in 37F. You can look up
their stats in the appendices.
Xion, level 36:
Str 66, Agi 39, Int 44, Con 76
Xion can wear Shakos (Str 66, Int 44).
Xion can also wear Breastplate (Agi 39, Con 76) and under.
Thousand Thrust 3
Defense Up 1
Accuracy Up 1
Evasion Up 1
Resist Thunder 10
Chain Power 10
Synchronize 10
Xion, level 75:
Str 92, Agi 79, Int 51, Con 120
Xion can wear Great Helm (Str 92, Int 51) and under.
Xion can wear any armor except for Silk Robe.
Thousand Thrust 3
Defense Up 1
Accuracy Up 8
Evasion Up 3
Resist Thunder 20
Chain Power 20
Synchronize 20
After level 75, all my spare points went first into Agi (until 90)
then into wherever I wanted and all my spare skills went into
either Accuracy Up or Evasion Up.
Elwyn, level 30:
Str 46, Agi 37, Int 57, Con 67.
Elwyn can wear Holy Bow's Bandana (Str 46, Int 57).
Elwyn can wear Chain Armor (Agi 37, Con 67) and under.
Rapid Fire 3
Dryad's Allure 0 (That's right, don't ever put any points into this!)
Multishot 3
Critical 7
Penetration Up 10
Anti-Aerial 3
Sylph's Protection 4
Elwyn, level 44:
Str 46, Agi 70, Int 57, Con 76.
Elwyn can wear Holy Bow's Bandana (Str 46, Int 57).
Elwyn can wear Breastplate (Agi 39, Con 76) and under.
Elwyn, level 79:
Rapid Fire 3
Dryad's Allure 0 (That's right, don't ever put any points into this!)
Multishot 10
Critical 20
Penetration Up 20
Anti-Aerial 6
Sylph's Protection 20
After level 30, my spare points went first into Agi (until 70) and
then mostly into Str. At level 79, I had something like Str 130,
Agi 76, Int 64, Con 84.
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Section 3 - Missions
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a walkthrough for the story and side missions found in
the game. With each mission you'll find a list of the maps and the
clear conditions for each one.
With each story mission, I've listed some preparation notes for you
card collectors out there. In particular, I'll indicate when your last
chance to get a particular card is in this mode. If you don't have the
card after you complete said story mission, that card is gone until
you move onto advanced mode. If you miss it in advanced mode as well,
I believe it's gone forever.
With each map, you'll also find a list of enemies found therein.
Groups of enemies are listed using the format Minion/Leader. In a few
cases, there are two kinds of minions in a group in which case the
format is Minion/Minion/Leader. I've tried to quote a rough count of
the number of enemies you can expect in a map, but after a while, I
gave up trying. I've listed the HP max of each boss that I have a card
for.
Types of missions:
- Story missions advance the story line. You can always go to the
mirror world to fight through them again.
- Side missions occur at a specific point in the story line and are
unlocked based on your relationships. Once unlocked, you'll need to
complete the side mission before continuing on with the story line,
so it will seem as if it is a story mission. Also, once you beat the
mission (which requires that you unlock it first), it will show up
in the mirror world. If you don't unlock the mission during the
course of the story line, you're only chance of getting it again in
this playthrough is in advanced mode.
So far, it looks like you can only get one of the side missions at
the 3.9.* branch, but you can get both missions at the 3.12.* branch.
- Recurring missions occur over the course of the story line and can
be beaten multiple times. They do NOT show up in the mirror
world. Rumor has it, enemies are generated based on either your
level or your partner's level. Monster Hunt is always open. The
others open/close at different points in the story line.
***** 3.1 - Story Mission: White Lily Search *****
Trigger: Talk to Pios multiple times.
Description: Be careful of wild monsters as you attempt to locate
Pios' medicinal ingredients in the Regulus Hills!
Map: Regulus Hills
Conditions: Defeat all leaders and get the White Lily!
Enemies:
4 Hound leaders
2 Hellhound leaders
1 Hound/Hellhound group
1 Paste/Red Gel group
1 Giant Bat/Evil bat group
Notes:
New character: Elwyn. She's your archer and only ranged physical
attack for most of the game. She can also get a bonus against flying
units.
***** 3.2 - Story Mission: Encounter with a Spy *****
Trigger: Leave the hearth. Return and talk to Pios.
Description: Within the walls of Balboa's Corleonis Castle, a shadowy
figure apperas. Who in the world could it be?
Map: Corleonis Castle
Conditions: Default all leaders.
Enemies:
10 Black Cat leaders
2 Ninken/Black Cat groups
4 Black Cats
Notes:
There are four bushes hiding Black Cats. A hidden Black Cat doesn't
show up as yellow on your minimap until you destroy the bush it's
hiding in by hitting it.
***** 3.3 - Story Mission: Rescue at Etwarl *****
Trigger: Talk to Pios multiple times.
Description: The Temple of Etwarl has been beset upon by unknown
foes. Go to the aid of Ryuna, who has rushed off to fight them on her
own!
Map: Temple of Etwarl - Steps
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
4 Skeleton/Orc General groups
2 Orc - 3rd class/Orc Corporal groups
Notes:
New character: Ryuna. She's your basic priest/cleric type. Healing,
bonuses against the undead, stuff like that.
Introducing the undead. Killing the undead doesn't destroy undead,
unless you've equipped the Holy Bracelet. To destroy the undead once
they've fallen, make use of Ryuna's Turn Undead link skill.
***** 3.4 - Story Mission: Pursuit at Dragonfang *****
Trigger: Automatic.
Description: Chase after the fleeing enemies to retrieve the stolen
necklace!
Map: Dragonfang Mountain
Conditions: Defeat the Orc General!
Enemies:
7 Orc - 3rd class/Orc Corporal groups
4 Giant Bat/Evil Bat groups
1 Orc - 3rd class group/Orc General leader
Notes:
New Character: Lazarus. Melee attacker with extra fire resistance.
Orc Corporals and Evil Bats both have the "Call Ally" ability. When
you see the Orc Corporal give a big roar, it's calling another orc
to appear out of thin air. Same thing with the Evil Bat.
After this mission, you'll see a brief dialogue where Ryuna prays at
the altar of the temple. If you remember the scene in the game's
intro where you see Ryuna praying, well this is it, right here.
***** 3.5 - Story Mission: Raid on the Encampment *****
Trigger: Leave the hearth. Talk to the people in Heroes' Way. Return
and talk to Elwyn. Then, talk to Volg.
Description: The Rune Geist Army has set up their camp. Strike now,
while the iron is hot!
Map: Central Camp
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
5 Grunt (Sword)/Commander groups
4 Rune Knight/Emerald Paladin groups
Notes:
New character: Neige. Attacks with ice magic, usually at range.
***** 3.6 - Story Mission: A Visit to the Dwarves *****
Trigger: Talk to Volg.
Description: The Dwarves are blacksmiths unparalleled. Does evil have
its hands at work in the depths of their caverns?
Map: Dwarven Mines
Conditions: Defeat the Master Mage!
Enemies:
8 Paste/Red Gel groups
10 Golem leaders
1 Paste/Golem/Master Mage group
Notes:
New Character: Volg. Melee attacker with bonus to movement speed,
bonus to critical hit rate, and ability to counterattack.
***** 3.7 - Story Mission: A Visit to the Giants *****
Trigger: Leave the hearth. Talk to the people in Heroes' Way. Return
and talk to Volg.
Description: Venomous foes have come to strike at the Denebola
Plateau, home of the Giants.
Map: Denebola Plateau
Conditions: Defeat the Master Mage within the mountain!
Enemies:
6 Gizmo/Spark Cloud groups
4 Mummy groups/Master Mage groups
1 Mummy/Gizmo/Master Mage group
Notes:
New Character: Mao. Melee attacker with emphasis on evasion.
Introducing wizards. Wizards have only magic attacks. After charging
up for a spell, they launch their magic attack directly in front of
them. The wizard will look like it's gathering energy (as white
light) into itself as its charging. So, when you see them charge up,
just move out from in front of them. All wizards can also be
interrupted while charging, i.e.  by being hit.
Sometimes wizards come with mummy groups (Mummy, ah ah!) and will
use the "Rise Again" ability. Mummies don't have the ability to
revive themselves and rely on the leader to revive them. If you want
the mummies to stay down, just kill the wizard or orc shaman
leader. The "Rise Again" ability looks different from a magic
attack.  Instead of shining white like the magic attack charge, a
Rise Again charge glows violet.
Watch out for the big chunk (you could call it a boulder) of ice
that comes rolling down, at regular intervals, the stairs.
***** 3.8 - Story Mission: Ambush at Old Town Way *****
[Starting with this mission, all missions are accessed via the headquarters.]
Trigger: Enter the headquarters. Do a few missions (I fought Monster
Hunt and Rune Geist Southern Camp). Leave the hearth.
Preparation: If you want Mao's 1st side mission, then take her into
some recurring battles to raise Xion's relationship with her. If
you're collecting cards, you NEED to unlock her 1st side mission
because it's the only place to meet Blue Serpents.
Description: Lie in wait to strike from surprise as Rune Geist's main
attack force passes through Old Town Way!
Map 1: Old Town Way - Entr.
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
3 Grunt (Sword)/Commander groups
2 Goblin/Hobgoblin groups
2 Grunt (Spear)/Commander groups
Map 2: Waterfall's Edge
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
6 Copper Knight/Ruby Paladin groups
10 Grunt (Sword)/Commander groups
Map 3: Old Town Way - Exit
Conditions: Make it to the exit!
Enemies:
9 Officer (Sword)/Cool Commander groups
4 Death Archer/Hell Sniper groups
Mysterious Youth (HP 864 norm, 4968 adv)
Notes:
The youth has two attacks. Usually, he'll use a charge up to a lunge
attack. He'll lunge forward and then jump back to where he started.
When you see him charge up, move out of the way and hit him when he
jumps back.
There is a simple (but cheap) way to beat the youth. Bring Elwyn and
keep the youth's attention on Xion. Have Xion stay just out of melee
range and dodge the youth's lunges. Elwyn will eventually take the
youth down.
Don't be too disappointed about not getting a 100% kill rate at the
end of the mission. The group at the very end run away. Cowards.
Tip from multiple people (CLL and Skynight were the first): it is
possible to defeat the last group and get a 100% kill rate. The
trick is to somehow get their attention and lure them away from that
little clearing at the end. As long as you don't enter the clearing,
the event where the youth appears won't trigger.
***** 3.8.1 - Side Mission: Birdmen's Village Patrol *****
Requires: Good relationship with Mao.
Trigger: Automatic.
Description: A black, shadowy figure is watching after Mao... Is she
in danger?!
Map: Birdmen's Village
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
Black Cat leaders
Ninken/Black Cat groups
1 Blue Serpent/Koga Ninja group
Notes:
Birdmen, Galahad, and devilings all have the ability to levitate
higher where they cannot be attacked. To attack, you'll have to wait
for them to come back down.
***** 3.9 - Story Mission: Siege on the City Walls *****
Trigger: Enter the headquarters.
Preparation: If you're collecting cards, now's your last chance to get
cards for Heavy Bow Knight and Burning Bow Knight (Great Plains
Warfare) is right before this mission. Now's also a good chance to
pick up cards for Ninken-Firetooth and Yellow Tiger (Wildcat Lane
Invasion).
Description: The Advance Forces, headed by General Dresden, assault
the city walls themselves! Can you close the trap in time?
Map 1: Third Wall of Shildia
Conditions: Defeat all leaders
Enemies:
4 Officer (Sword)/Cool Commander groups
5 Goblin Butcher/Prince Goblin groups
Map 2: Second Wall of Shildia
Conditions: Defeat all leaders
Enemies:
10 Officer (Spear)/Cool Commander groups
3 Death Archer/Cool Commander groups
Map 3: First Wall of Shildia
Conditions: Defeat General Dresden!
Enemies:
10 Grunt (Halberd)/Heat Commander groups
4 Bloody Archer/Dark Sniper groups
1 Officer (Sword)/Heat Commander groups
General Dresden (HP 1501 norm, 8408 adv)
Notes:
In the battle against Dresden, the pack of sword officers at the top
won't bother you unless you get close enough. Beating them isn't
very useful since Dresden can just call in new officers to replace
them. So, if you stay in the bottom half of the map, you won't attract
their attention and can focus exclusively on Dresden.
***** 3.9.1 - Side Mission: The Search for Ryuna *****
[There is a three-way side branch here, based on your relationship
with Lazarus and Volg. You will get exactly one of: Lazarus' mission,
Volg's event, or Birdmen's Ruse.]
Requires: Good relationship with Lazarus.
Trigger: Leave the hearth. Return.
Description: Panicked, Ryuna has rushed off to Etwarl, along with
Lazarus. Catch up with them, and fight with Lazarus to protect her!
Map: Verdant Prairie
Conditions: Defeat over 10 leaders!
Enemies:
Officer (Spear)/Heat Commander groups
Goblin Butcher/Heat Commander groups
***** 3.9.2 - Side Mission: Birdmen's Ruse *****
Requires: You'll get this mission if you didn't get the other one.
Trigger: Talk to Pios, he'll ask you to gather information. Talk to
the everyone in the Birdmen's Village and Promenade. Return and talk
to Pios.
Description: Foil the plot to destroy Shildia's bonds of racial
solidarity!
Map: Wildcat Lane
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
6 Birdman/Bird Commander groups
Notes:
Birdmen, Galahad, and devilings all have the ability to levitate
higher where they cannot be attacked. To attack, you'll have to wait
for them to come back down.
***** 3.10 - Story Mission: Raid of the Elven Forest *****
Trigger: Enter the headquarters.
Preparation: If you're collecting cards, now's your last chance to
pick up cards for Ninken-Firetooth and Yellow Tiger (Wildcat Lane
Invasion).
Description: Stop the enemy forces before they succeed in their plan
to set the Forest of Spirits ablaze!
Map 1: Forest of Spirits - Entrance
Conditions: Defeat the Orc Major!
Enemies:
Orc - 2nd Class/Orc Sergeant groups
Ogre Bat/Slash Bat groups
1 Orc Warrant/Orc Sergeant group
1 Orc Warrant/Orc Major group
Map 2: Inner Forest
Conditions: Defeat the Orc Major!
Enemies:
Orc Warrant leaders
G Spider (Young)/G Spider (Adult) groups
1 Orc Warrant/Orc Major group
Notes:
Spiders hit with poison. When you kill an adult spider, it'll melt
into this purple ooze which is poisonous to stand in or walk
through.
The Orc Major is in the center of the map. There's an obstacle
between you and him, so you'll need to work your way around either
the left or right side to get to him. Exit is at the top.
Map 3: Deep Forest
Conditions: Defeat the Orc Major!
Enemies:
Orc Warrant leaders
G Spider (Young)/G Spider (Adult) groups
1 Orc Warrant/Orc Major group
Notes:
The Orc Major is a little above the center of the map. You can take
a direct route to get to him. Exit is at the top. You'll have to go
around one of the sides to get to the exit.
Map 4: Deepest Forest
Conditions: Defeat the Orc Marshal
Enemies:
Ogre Bat/Slash Bat groups
1 Ghoul/Orc Marshal group
Notes:
The left and top routes are both blocked. Go up, then diagonally
up-right, up, then diagonally down-left to reach the center where
the Orc Marshal is. The exit is at the top, reachable only through
the left side. To get to the exit from the center, go diagonally
down-left, then up, then diagonally up-right.
Map 5:
Conditions:
Enemies:
Orc - 2nd Class/Orc Marshal groups
Orc Brigadier/Orc Marshal groups
Prince Galahad (HP 1137 norm, 6115 adv)
Notes:
Galahad goes through three phases. In the first phase, he stays out
of melee range and occasionally throws bombs at you. After a little
while, he'll fly higher (where he'll be invulnerable) and go into a
bomb throwing frenzy. Start charging up your Thousand Thrust because
when he's done throwing bombs, he'll come back down and completely
still and vulnerable for several seconds. That's your chance to do
damage to him. After this third phase, he'll go back to the first
phase and repeat.
Tip from Michael Chang: If you position yourself correctly,
Galahad's single shot bombs will bounce off the "boundary" of where
you are allowed to walk, leaving you safe if you stand behind it,
such as standing behinda corner, a rock, or a tree branch that's
near the bottom part of the forest of spirits.
***** 3.10.1 - Side Mission: For the Elves' Medicine *****
Requires: ???
Trigger: Automatic.
Description: It's off to the Forest of Spirits to find an antitoxin
for Shildia's water supply... but danger draws in upon the Elves!
Map: Forest of Spirits
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
Lizard Man/Alligator Man groups
Deviling/Imp groups
***** 3.11 - Story Mission: Desert Reconnaissance *****
Trigger: Enter the headquarters.
Preparation: If you're collecting cards, now's your last chance to
pick up cards for Kwanca (Smithy Invasion) and Brass Knight and Gold
Paladin and Evil Shooter (Rune Geist Southern Camp). If you didn't get
the Birdmen's Ruse mission, then now's also your last chance to get
cards for Birdman and Bird Commander (Rune Geist Northern Camp).
Description: Find out just what Rune Geist is up to in the Rastaban
Desert, a place devoid of anything but venomous creatures and death...
Notes:
In preparation for this map, you should be sure to stock up on
antidotes and the other status cure usables. There's a lot that can
poison you in this mission. I'd recommend using Ryuna for this
mission for healing and purification. Purification is nice because
it lets you save your antidotes for the heavy poisons.
Map 1: Tainted Wasteland
Conditions: Destroy all Generators.
Feather Commander leaders
Wind Mage/Lightning Master groups
4 Poison Paste/Purple Gel generators
Notes:
There are two kinds of stationary cacti on these maps. One type
breaths purple gas that does 6 poison damage (20 in advanced). To
kill it, wait just outside of its range for it to breath its gas and
then run up and destroy it. Retreat and repeat. The other type spits
thorns at you which do a significant amount of damage. The thorns
are slow enough that you should be able to dodge them as long as you
don't have to deal with enemies at the same time. If there are enemy
units next to the cacti, lure them away from the cacti, defeat them,
and then return to deal with the cacti. Poison Pastes only do 2
poison damage (7 in advanced), so save your antidotes for the cacti
poison.
Map 2: Poison Valley
Conditions: Destroy all Generators.
4 Poison Worm/Viper Worm generators.
Lizard Man/Alligator Man groups
Notes:
Poison valley does 12 poison damage (30 in advanced). Poison Worms
only do 3 poison damage (8 in advanced), so save your antidotes for
the poison valley and poison cacti.
Map 3: Miasma Crater
Conditions: Defeat Asclei.
1 Venom Gizmo/Spark Cloud generator
1 Venom Gizmo/Freeze Gas generator
1 Venom Gizmo/Blaze Fog generator
Asclei (HP 1404 norm, 7425 adv)
Notes:
Asclei attacks only with magic, so put on your resistance boosting
items. You'll need it here. You'll be able to tell which of his
three spells he casts by what color he glows. Red means fire, blue
means ice, yellow means lightning. The lightning spell sends out
four bolts based on the facing direction: front, left, back, and
right. The ice spell sends a chunk of ice as a guided missile.  The
fire spell sends a fireball in each direction, starting with the
facing direction and going clockwise.
The most dangerous spell is the fireball spell because if you're up
close, you'll get hit with three to four fireballs which may be
enough to kill you. The lightning spell isn't a problem,
particularly in advanced where Xion's XLt should be >75 with a
Diamond Charm. Otherwise, just keep hammering away at him. I ignored
both the ice and lightning spells and ran away for the fire spell.
Watch out for the purple patches of poison. It does poison damage
(30 on advanced). There are three generators on this map, but as
long as you stick to the middle and bottom of the map, you don't
need to worry about them. Asclei's spells all have a maximum range
which is about 2/3 of the map's height. So, if he ever runs towards
one of the generators, back away and let him come back towards you.
***** 3.12 - Story Mission: The Battle of Eltanian *****
Trigger: Talk to Pios. He'll ask you to gather information. Talk to
the people in Wildcat Lane. Return and talk to Pios. He should tell
you that it's time. If that fails, try talking to everyone in the city.
Preparation: If you're collecting cards, now's your only chance to get
cards for Halberd Master and Burning Bow Knight (Rune Geist Northern
Camp) and Bodyguard (Spear) (Rune Geist Southern Camp). I believe
now's also your last chance to get cards for Worm and Snake Worm. I
got mine in Monster Hunt with Neige.
Description: Will the heavens really be on your side as you go up
against the Holy Knights, headed by the Centaurs' great hero, General
Cheiron?
Map 1: Verdant Prairie
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
9 Bronze Knight/Sapphire Paladin groups
7 Flame Arrow Knight/Sapphire Paladin groups
Notes:
The archers do fire damage, so if you're having trouble with them,
pack some extra fire resistance.
Map 2: Tempest Steppe
Conditions: Defealt all leaders!
Enemies:
16 Bronze Knight/Sapphire Paladin groups
5 Flame Arrow Knight/Sapphire Paladin groups
Notes:
Remember the scene at the end of the game's intro where everyone's
grubby with mud and it's raining? This is it.
Map 3: Cheiron's HQ
Conditions: Defeat Holy Knight Cheiron!
Enemies:
2 Silver Knight/Platinum Paladin groups
Cheiron (HP 2073 norm, 10810 adv)
Notes:
Cheiron has two attacks, one rushing attack and one wind attack.
At range, he'll use his rushing attack. At melee, you can see him
charging up to use his wind attack. The trick is to notice when
he charges up his wind attack and then run around him to hit him
while he's busy releasing his attack.
Oh, and you'll want to know that Cheiron can summon a group of
Silver Arrow Knights when you demolish enough of his minions.
***** 3.12.1 - Side Mission: Operation: Mao *****
[There is a side branch here with two side missions. You will get
Mao's mission if you have a good relationship with her. You will also
get Neige's mission if you have a good relationship with her.
From Evelyn: I had really good relationships with both of them and I
ended up getting mao's mission right before The Battle of
Eltanian... and right afterwards, when I talked to Neige, I got her
mission too.]
Requires: Good relationship with Mao.
Trigger: Automatic.
Description: Feeling guilt for her treachery, Mao has gone off to face
the enemy alone. Can you rescue her from the horde of soldiers?
Map: Temple Archway
Conditions: Defeat the Lightning Master and save Mao!
Enemies:
Minotaur/Sapphire Paladin groups
Bronze Knights/Sapphire Paladin groups
1 Minotaur/Lightning Master group
***** 3.12.2 - Side Mission: In Rastaban Desert *****
Requires: Good relationship with Neige.
Trigger: Talk to Neige, say yes.
Description: Neige thinks that Keiner might be on the enemy forces'
trail... It's off to the desert once more in search of him!
Map 1: Tainted Wasteland
Conditions: Defeat over 10 leaders!
Enemies:
Orc Private/Orc Superior groups
Poison Worm/Viper Worm groups
Map 2: Poison Valley
Conditions: Defeat over 10 leaders!
Enemies:
Orc Lieutenant/Orc Colonel groups
Imp leaders
Map 3: Miasma Crater
Conditions: Defeat Prince Galahad!
Enemies:
Poison Worm/Viper Worm groups
Prince Galahad
***** 3.13 - Story Mission: Mobile Fortress Strike *****
Trigger: Do a few missions (I fought Monster Hunt and Rune Geist
Northern Camp). Enter the headquarters.
Preparation: If you're collecting cards, now's your last chance to get
cards for Hawk Soldier (Birdmen Invasion).  If you didn't get the "For
the Elves' Medicine", then now's your last chance to get cards for
Deviling and Imp (Great Plains Warfare).  Rastaban Desert" mission,
then now's also your last chance to get cards for Orc Private and Orc
Superior (Rune Geist Southern Camp) and Orc Lieutenant and Orc Colonel
(For the Dwarves).
Description: The only way to stop the encroaching mobile fortress is
to find a way to destroy it from the inside!
Map 1: Landing Deck
Conditions: Defeat Prince Galahad
Enemies:
4 Minotaur/Silver Commander groups
Prince Galahad
Notes:
Use the same strategy as you did when you fought Galahad before. He
uses all the same attacks. Don't go down the stairs until you've
defeated Galahad, even if he runs away. You'll attract the attention
of the Minotaur groups. He'll always eventually come back.
There is one trick you can exploit here. Try to get Galahad onto the
left side of the map. There's a tiny area that has an obstacle on
three sides, open on the upper-right side. You and your partner can
stand below that little trap and both Galahad and his bombs are
stuck there and can't get to you. You can retreat during his bomb
frenzy and rush in to attack him otherwise.
Tip from Michael Change: For a very simple fight, bring Elwyn and
let her hit him from range.
Map 2: Command Bridge
Conditions: Defeat all leaders!
Enemies:
5 Bodyguard (Halberd)/Silver Commander groups
2 Bodyguard (Sword)/Silver Commander groups
Map 3: Landing Deck
Conditions: Defeat the Sky Commander!
Enemies:
1 Birdra/Sky Commander group
Notes:
Just because I say there's only one group, don't think this is easy.
We're talking a lot of birdmen, all at the same time.
Map 4: Weapons Storage
Conditions: Defeat 10 leaders
Enemies:
9 Lizard Warrior/Crocodile Man groups
7 Demon Hunter/Shadow Sniper groups
Notes:
The real problem is the staircase at the top of which is a pack of
lizardmen and 3 groups of archers! Elwyn's Sylph's Protection skill
doesn't make much of a difference here, there's just too many
archers.  Clear out everything below the stairs first. Then, get the
attention of the lizardmen at the top of the stair and lure them far
enough out of archer range. Deal with them. Now go tackle the
archers. We're still talking a lot of archers so keep your healing