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Battle Mechanics/Sub Events FAQ
Version 1.34
by Lanyn (talesofhope@gmail.com)
My Tales of Rebirth project on Youtube for the curious and the bored:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=lanyn
If you are new to the world of Rebirth and you don't read anything else,
I urge you to check out the Battle Basics under the Gameplay Mechanics
section. It'll save you a lot of heartache later, trust me.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Copyright 2008 (Esther J. Choi)
Okay, I'm just going to start with the standard one: all trademarks and
copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark
and copyright holders. At present, this written FAQ should only be found at
the following websites, so I would appreciate it if you happen to notice it
floating around on the internet where it shouldn't be:
www.gamefaqs.com (most recent and legible version will likely be here)
www.neoseeker.com
www.supercheats.com
If you want to post this FAQ on your site for whatever reason, just shoot me
an email and we'll go from there. This FAQ and any video links contained
within represent my own work unless otherwise stated. So don't plagiarize
this, attempt to make a profit off of it, or turn it in as one of your term
papers; if you do, bad things will happen to you (especially with that last
one).
UPDATE HISTORY:
Version 1.34 (5-1-2008) Added a couple more differences between the PS2 and
PSP versions, finalized the Earning Grade section (I think, anyway), added
Skills and Ougis for Eugene (woohoo, finally finished another section! ^^),
made some small but important changes to Sub Events 3 and 15 (figured out what
was going on with Part 2 of the Moving Library SE), added two new subsections
to the Enhance/Inherit section and filled them in
Version 1.33 (4-4-2008) Deleted the Skits section since these are going to be
included in my other guide from now on, made an important correction to Annie's
Skill Rise Elixir, updated the Frequently Asked Questions section a bit,
updated the About The Game section, Added the Differences between the PS2 and
PSP versions section, Updated the How to use this guide section, updated the
Word Puzzles section to reflect the absence of the third puzzle in the PSP
port, made some small changes here and there to include the PSP release, added
Skills and Ougis for Hilda
Version 1.32 (3-19-2008) Updated details for Sub Events #4 and #11 since I've
actually completed them myself now, updated FAQ section, changed the formatting
for the names of the Skills/Ougis slightly, updated the credits, filled in
Skills & Ougis for Veigue, Mao, and Annie, redefined Steel Body in the Skills &
Ougis section (I think I got it right this time), updated FAQ section about the
PSP release, corrected the name of one of Veigue's talismans (went with the
incorrect Kanji reading, apparently), changed the wording about RG slightly,
added link to the solution for the fourth and final word puzzle (VICTORY AT
LAST!!!), put down the layout for Hilda's Skills (the little kids were poking
me at the hospital, so I didn't get to finish...but I managed to update on
release day, right? Right!?)
===============================================================================
Table of Contents
===============================================================================
1) About the game [ABO000]
2) How to use this guide [HOW000]
3) Frequently Asked Questions (currently up-to-date) [FAQ000]
4) ~Differences between the PS2 and PSP versions [DIF000]
5) Gameplay Mechanics [GAM000]
a) Battle--The Basics [GAMa00]
i) Movement During Battle [GAMa01]
ii) Force Gauge [GAMa02]
iii) Rush Gauge [GAMa03]
iv) HP Recovery [GAMa04]
b) Battle--Advanced Techniques [GAMb00]
i) Technical Smashes [GAMb01]
ii) ~Earning Grade [GAMb02]
iii) Hi-Ougis [GAMb03]
c) ~Enhancement & Inheritance [GAMc00]
i) Weapon LAs [GAMc01]
ii) Armor LAs [GAMc02]
~iii) Kanji for Normal Inheritance [GAMc03]
~iv) Kanji for Special Inheritance [GAMc04]
d) Tactics & Formation [GAMd00]
e) Cooking [GAMe00]
6) Translations [TRA000]
a) Recipe Translations [TRAa00]
b) Hi-Ougi Translations [TRAb00]
7) Word Puzzle Solutions [WOR000]
8) Game Phases (you're going to need these for Parts 9b-10) [PHA000] SPOILERS!!
9) Character Specific Info [CHA000]
a) Skills & Ougis [CHAa00]
i) Veigue [CHAa01]
ii) Mao [CHAa02]
iii) ~Eugene [CHAa03]
iv) Annie [CHAa04]
v) Tytree [CHAa05]
vi) Hilda [CHAa06]
b) ~*Titles [CHAb00]  SPOILERS!!
i) Veigue [CHAb01]
ii) Mao [CHAb02]
iii) Eugene [CHAb03]
iv) Annie [CHAb04]
v) Tytree [CHAb05]
vi) Hilda [CHAb06]
vii) Claire [CHAb07]
viii) Agarte [CHAb08]
10) Sub Events [SUB000] SPOILERS!!
a) Sub Event Summary [SUBa00]
b) ~**Sub Event Details [SUBb00]
11) Credits (currently up-to-date) [CRE000]
And some older update histories at the end.
*This represents stuff that is mostly done, but needs a bit of tweaking in
the future.
**This stuff needs a lot of work or it's going to take me a while to
complete the section. Worry not, I will get through them in time. And I know
that it's SO obvious, but I actually do have a reason for skipping around
like that. *cough* Right.
~This is stuff that's been modified/added to/corrected since the last update.
===============================================================================
1) About the game                                                    [ABO000]
===============================================================================
Tales of Rebirth (PS2) was released in Japan on December 16, 2004 as the
sixth installment of the main "Tales of" series by Namco Bandai (or Bamco,
as I like to call them). While the game contains many features which are
staple for the series (e.g. cooking, skits, Grade), Rebirth also has its
own share of quirks (e.g. Enhancement, the Force Cube, super-obsessive
male protagonists). The game carries a heavy theme of racism so if you're
one of those sensitive people, think happy thoughts and don't chuck
anything at me or the TV.
A PRP port with some smallish extras was released in Japan on March 19th, 2008,
but no word on an English localization thus far. There is more information
about the PSP release in the fourth section of this FAQ and in the Frequently
Asked Questions Section. In the meantime (or in the worst case scenario), you
have two options in terms of a translation. There's Spekio's FAQ located here
on GameFAQs, which I would highly recommend reading unless you have a fear of
very large text files (it's a couple hundred pages I think).
The other option is me...or rather, my work; I am currently subbing the main
storyline of Rebirth (including the skits) and putting them up on Youtube. The
translation that I'm using for my videos is a mix between Spekio's FAQ and my
own interpretation of the text, so some of the terminology and such will
obviously differ. Anyway, if you want to take a look, the link to my Youtube
channel is at the top of the FAQ. I'm also in the process of typing up the
script that I used for my videos (what I've completed of the script is up on
GameFAQs right now, BTW...it's listed under the ToR PSP guides), but it's
gonna take me a while to catch up to where I am with the videos, so bear with
me here. As for the change of heart about typing up the script...it actually
had more to do with the fact that I got some new software which sped up the
process significantly. Anyway, because I'm evil, I'll be referencing my videos
quite a bit in this FAQ but more on that in a second.
===============================================================================
2) How to use this guide                                             [HOW000]
===============================================================================
To start things off, I guess I should mention that this is my first written
FAQ ev...wait, come back! Yeesh, let me finish already, will ya? *ahem* Yep,
this would be my first one, so I apologize if it looks like I have
absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Comforting thought, huh?
Anyway, this guide is intended to be used as a supplement to the other
Rebirth FAQs. Essentially, I'm trying to cover material that hasn't been
covered in other guides; also, if there is an option on the main menu that
isn't self-explanatory for most RPG players out there (e.g. Skills, Enhance,
etc.), then it will likely have a section in this FAQ. For the stuff that has
been sufficiently covered elsewhere, I'll make things really simple: I'm
either going to tell you to read someone else's FAQ and/or direct you to one
of my tutorial videos. Why? Because I'm lazy like that. And sometimes it's
easier for me to show you something rather than to explain it with words,
especially with the battle system.
In light of the recent PSP release, I have tried to make this guide as
applicable for both versions of the game as possible; ToR PSP is a port, not
a remake, so many of the same concepts that drive the battle system will apply
to both versions of the game. I will make note of any differences when
necessary though.
Also, I'll try to make this guide as accessible as possible for those
of you who don't speak a lick of Japanese, but in general I would recommend
that you at least know Katakana just in terms of being able to play the
game. Knowledge of Hiragana and basic recognition of Kanji are even better.
And if you happen to be fluent...wait, why the heck are you reading this
anyway?
Finally, feel free to send me any questions/corrections/suggestions that
you have about this guide; the email addy is at the top of the FAQ. Please
please please do not ask me to translate a whole bunch of crap for you...I'm
not an online dictionary and thus should not be used as such. If you ask me
a question and it's already been addressed here or elsewhere, don't be too
offended when I redirect you. And do type in "standard" English...that way,
the spam filter is less likely to catch it and I'll be able to give you a
better response. By the way, that isn't my regular email address, so don't
bite my head off if I don't respond within literally 10 minutes of receiving
your message (believe it or not, this has happened on several occasions).
===============================================================================
3) Frequently Asked Questions                                        [FAQ000]
===============================================================================
Some of these I've actually been asked, but the rest of them are the result of
my paranoia. Be glad that the list is as short as it is.
Q: Will you be adding a ______ section to this guide?
A: Honestly, it depends on a couple of things. If it's something that I feel
has been covered sufficiently in another FAQ and I don't have anything to add
to it, then the chances are pretty much next to nil. Because, well, it would
be pointless, right? Also, I like to feel like I'm actually getting something
accomplished, so I probably won't add any more sections until I make some
decent progress on the ones that I have yet to complete (e.g. the Sub Events
section). I've thought about adding a section for the mini-games and Cyglorg's
Chambers (the optional dungeon that looks like a ransacked Toys 'R' Us). But
don't be shy and free feel to send me suggestions, although I make no
guarantees or anything. I'm usually nice...except for when I'm not, of course.
Q: How often are you going to update this thing anyway?
A: I, uh, was aiming for at least once a week, but looks like I already messed
that one up. Anyway, I try to make the updates worthwhile, so I'm not going to
submit a revision just for the sake of having one. If it's been more than a
month though, it probably means that a soccer mom driving a full-size SUV
ran me over while she was trying to use her cell phone, spank her kids in the
back seat, and drink her Starbucks at the same time. Truth or sarcasm? You
decide.
Q: Does the Grade that you spend at the Grade Shop get refunded during your
next playthrough like it does in Tales of Symphonia?
A: I've been seeing this one quite a bit lately, so here's the answer: no, it
doesn't. However, the Grade that you don't spend DOES carry over. To be
honest, if you purchase the option that doubles your Grade and you play
halfway decently, you should be able to buy everything worth getting when you
finish your second playthrough anyway.
Q: So what's this Dramatic Peach Pie DVD thing I keep hearing about?
A: It's the pre-order bonus that was supposed to come with the PSP port of
Rebirth that Play-asia decided not to give to me. No, I'm not bitter or
ANYTHING. *ahem* Anyway, it contains a cute little scene with Veigue, Eugene,
Mao, Tytree, Milhaust, and even a cameo-ish appearance by Saleh. There's also
a new trailer for Tales of Vesperia, a recipe for how to make a peach pie, and
some other stuff I'm forgetting about at the moment. Thorough is my middle
name, I tell ya. Anyway, more details pending once I get my grubby hands on a
copy. As for where you can find a subbed version of the Peach Pie DVD...ptilol
and I are currently working something out. ^^
Q: Do you know where ______ is on the World Map? I can't find it!
A: Fear not, zer83, our resident ToR Map Man, has an answer for you all!
Thanks again for letting me steal your find, zer83! ^^ Note that zer83 nor
I am responsible for the creation of the map, but zer83 did type up all the
locations and such for us.
http://www.matukin.com/image/tor_world_map_basic.jpg
Red Numbers:
1: Sulz
2. Great Larulen Bridge
3. Keketto Hostel
4. Etoray Bridge
5. Minal
6. Petnadjanka
7. Toyohose Hostel
8. Sannytown
9. Tel Alla Hostel
10. Anikamal
11. Babilograd
12. Babilograd Harbor
13. Balka Harbor
14. Balka
15. Razilda Harbor
16. Razilda
17. Pipista
18. Great Pokunan Bridge
19. Kyogen
20. Kyogen Hostel
21. Nolzen
22. Nereg Hostel
23. Belsas Harbor
24. Belsas
25. Mocrado Village
26. Katz Village
27. Len Pao Sky Garden
Blue Numbers:
1. Alvan Mountains
2. Forest Labyrinth
3. Karez
4. Oasis
5. Climbers' Cavern
6. Mesechina Cavern
7. Balka Prison
8. Shrine of Eephon
9. Flamer-Holders
10. Shrine of Fenia
11. Tower of Nereg
12. Shrine of Wontiga
13. Shrine of Gillione
14. Mount Sovereign
15. Yuris' Realm
16. Cyglorgs' Chambers
Q: You're too slow! Where can I go if I need answers now?
A: First off, I would check out the other Tales of Rebirth FAQs here on
GameFAQs (or wherever). Most of them are very helpful and I purposely try not
to have too much overlap with them, so chances are you'll see something that
you won't find in this guide.
If you've done that already and you want a "personal" answer, a good place to
start (and probably the best place to ask) is the Tales of Rebirth PSP
Message Board on GameFAQs. Note that you can also ask on the ToR PS2 board, but
it appears that most of the traffic has migrated to the PSP board ever since
the PSP port was released.
You can also try asking the question in the ToR PS2/PSP Discussion/Speculation
Thread over on the Namco Tales Forums. DO READ THE FORUM RULES first though;
while we all have to start somewhere, it is quite annoying to see a bunch of
newbies creating threads with headers like "OMG! I dunt no waht FG and RG
r!!!11111" and you might get a rather hostile welcome that way. Keep in mind
that there are a significant number of people who post in the ToR thread who
have never played the game, so don't feel offended if someone doesn't know the
answer or whatever.
Lastly, you can try emailing the authors of the FAQs, although I've had
lukewarm success with this personally. Rebirth did originally come out in 2004,
so many of the FAQ writers have surely moved on to bigger and better things.
Except for me since I'm in denial but that's a whole different story.
Q: Did you really pull off all of those Duel the Sun extensions by yourself?
A: Yes, I did. I lost a couple clumps of hair, but that's okay because there
are probably a couple of other people who share my baldness...you know who
you are.  =P
Q: Any other bits of wisdom that you'd like to share with the world?
A: Ooh, I get to talk about random stuff? ^^ Okay, brace yourselves then!
-If you die and you auto-cook at the end of battle (i.e. that green bar pops
up), you'll be brought back to life for free. Normally you stay dead after the
fight, so you have to use a Life Bottle or sleep at the inn in order to revive
them.
-MAKE SURE TO LEAVE SOME SPACE IN YOUR INVENTORY before major boss fights and
while you're doing Sub Events! You can lose some very nice accessories such as
the Distortion Orb and Veigue's talismans this way. Whatever it is, just be
certain that you have enough room to carry it because for some silly reason,
the game doesn't warn you that you're out of space (this mostly is a problem
with the jewels and your accessories). Valuable items have their own little
alloted space though, so you don't have to worry about them at least.
-You know how enemies sometimes make Circles that are similar to Annie's? Well,
they work in the same way except that they usually lower your status instead of
boosting the status of the enemies. Some of them can also inflict status
ailments, so you may want to be careful before you just charge into one.
-Ever notice how some save points are white and some are sort of a reddish
color? You can actually rest at the reddish color ones, so take advantage of
them when they're around.
===============================================================================
4) Differences between the PS2 and PSP versions                       [DIF000]
===============================================================================
I'm going to attempt to compile most of the major differences between the two
versions of Rebirth here. Some of this is going to be personal observation, but
a lot of it will be taken from stuff that I'm reading from the boards and info
that was mentioned prior to the game's release. I'll do my best to verify what
I can, but keep in mind that I am currently subbing the PS2 version and that
takes priority for me.
Speaking of which, let me mention stuff that DIDN'T change. As far as I've
heard and can tell, no changes were made to the actual battle system (except
for the reconfiguration of some of the buttons, obviously). The storyline, for
better or worse, made it through intact as well. I've been told that a very
small portion of dialogue was added towards the end of the game, but otherwise
the original script seems to have been left untouched. In other words, the
script for the PSP version is practically the same as the one used for the PS2
version. Most of the bugs seem to have carried over as well (the cooking bug,
the Ougis bug, etc) aside from cap on the Battle Encounter (although I doubt
that qualifies as a bug, even though everyone likes to treat it like one). The
Duel the Sun Extensions for the PSP port are the same except for the fact
that you press the L button instead of the L2 button for the Blue Earth
Extension (and yes, you still have to press all 5 buttons 11 times). For the
curious, apparently Hilda performs all of the extensions by herself in ToR PSP.
You can now purchase Apple Gels, and there's a new God difficulty rank that is
presumably available on your third playthrough.
Let's see, good changes found in the PSP version...an arena was added (can be
found in the Minal gym, but it's only accessible after the completion of all of
the trials; there is apparently no cameo battle, BTW), there are some new
weapons (e.g. the Jewel of Gardios) and titles, and the game is now widescreen
(which makes sense). There are also some new Hi-Ougi cut-ins for friend and foe
alike, an Illustration Book (found in the basement of Claire's house at the
beginning of the game), and there is now a LOAD option on the Main Menu (don't
mistake this for the SAVE option!). They also changed how the saved data
appears on your memory card, so the picture looks different depending on where
you are in the storyline. There are now some new options in the Grade shop
(thanks to RPGmonkey for posting the list for the Tales board! ^^): All Damage
Halved (10 Grade), Experience Halved (100 Grade), Item Capacity 20
(1000 Grade), Item Capacity 30 (2000 Grade), and Reset Battle Encounter Number
(10 Grade). Oh, they also increased the limit on the Battle Encounter since it
can now go over 10,000...I have no idea what the new limit is, although I guess
it really doesn't matter since they put in the new Grade Shop option there. x32
DAMAGE weapons FTW!!! In addition, the third word puzzle (the one by the flower
cart that had to do with the seasons) was removed for the PSP version.
Hmm, the not-so-good additions to the PSP version...the load times and the
music. Not that I wasn't expecting this, but there are now some slight but
noticeable load times at the start and finish of each battle. The slowdown
doesn't happen every time you get in a fight, so I don't know if there's
something specific that causes it but I have yet to figure out what's
triggering it. The most jarring of the delays is probably revolves around the
victory quotes; sometimes it takes the game several seconds to load the voices.
As for the music, only two songs in particular seem to have suffered from the
transfer: Battle Organization (the random encounter battle music for the first
portion of the game) and Fanfare A (the one that plays when you don't earn any
Grade). They're not bad persay, but it sounds like there are some instruments
missing or something. I noticed that the in-game sound effects are a bit weak
too, but that's just a nitpick.
So which version is better, you may ask? To be honest, they're essentially the
same game, but the PSP version probably has the slight advantage for most
people due to the extras and the lack of region locking for the system. Most of
the complaints I noted are minor and people playing the game for the first time
on the PSP may not even be aware that those are issues that didn't exist in the
PS2 version. My personal preference is for the PS2 version at this point, but
that's more because small, expensive electronic devices and I don't get along
too well. Anyway, your call.
===============================================================================
5) Gameplay Mechanics                                                [GAM000]
===============================================================================
Ah, the fun part. I'm just going to lay this out flat for everyone: if you're
one of those people who thinks that Dragon Quest games has mind-blowing
gameplay, then Rebirth is probably not the best game for you to try. And I'm
not saying this just because the game is in Japanese (although that greatly
complicates matters for us importers); Rebirth happens to utilize one of the
most complex, integrated battle systems known to geekdom. BUT if you're like
me and you have a thing for the new, the innovative, the quirky, and the KUREA
scream, then Rebirth will consume your soul (or whatever's left of it, since
video games are inherently evil and everything *cough*). If that sounds good,
then keep reading.
*******************************************************************************
PART A: THE BASICS                                                   [GAMa00]
First and foremost, check out this tutorial that I slapped together. People
have told me that it was very helpful (you guys wouldn't lie to me, now
would you?) and it's only 5 minutes long, so just watch it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88mSwkpszzA
In case you're one of those people who don't read the video info, this is
based on the PS2 version of the game (i.e. some of the button configs differ
for the PSP port) and you will have to use the pause button. A lot. Just bear
with it, okay? General explanations for the following appear in the video:
Basic Controls, FG, RG, defense, HP Recovery, Ougis, and just a smidgen on
Force Cube Effects.
I'm going to elaborate a bit more here, but that should have answered most
of the questions you may have about the Rebirth's battle system. The full
list of Force Cube Effects for each character can be found in Spekio's FAQ,
so I'm not going to repeat that here.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MOVEMENT DURING BATTLE                                               [GAMa01]
As you saw in the video, Rebirth utilizes a Three-Line Linear Motion battle
system, which is sort of a compromise between the Linear Motion Battle
System found in Tales of Phantasia (and most 2D fighters) and the Multi-Line
Linear Motion Battle System seen in Tales of Symphonia. It is really, really
easy to die during a random battle if you manage to get sandwiched so learn
how to effectively move between the lines in order to avoid attacks and
combo your enemies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORCE GAUGE (FG)                                                     [GAMa02]
The Force Gauge (FG) is unique to Rebirth and replaces the traditional TP
found in other Tales games. Your FG will recover throughout the battle at a
rate that is determined by which Skill (JUTSUWAZA) is assigned to each FG.
Skills with a smaller "FG" parameter (you can see the parameters of each
Skill by pressing the SQUARE button on the screen with the Force Cube on it)
will recover FG more quickly (i.e. they consume less FG, in a sense). For
example, the Skill Zehhyoujin has an FG value of 100 while the Skill Mueishou
has an FG value of 300. Therefore, an FG with Zehhyoujin assigned to it
would fill up 3 times faster than an FG with Mueishou on it. Also, you will
get a sudden boost in FG Recovery right after you or one of your allies
defeats an enemy. Other ways to increase your FG Recovery include using
Annie's Skill Charge Wind, equipping jewels, Enhancing the FG Recovery Stat
on your weapons, having FG Recovery Latent Abilities (LAs) on your weapons,
taking advantage of certain Force Cube Effects (e.g. Mental), and fiddling
with your battle formation. There are also recipes which will recover FG.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUSH GAUGE (RG)                                                      [GAMa03]
The Rush Gauge (RG) acts kind of like an Overlimit Gauge in Rebirth, but it
does more than just regulate your Skills/Ougis. As you saw, RG is intimately
related to your HP Recovery, defense, and Ougi usage. When you're in the Cool
Charge state (RG=0), you will experience the following effects:
-Give and take less damage (x1.0)
-Increased HP Recovery (x2.0)
-Your attacks won't have any effect on the enemies' RG level
-Reduced preparation/casting time for Skills and Ougis (x1.0)
-You'll recover from negative status ailments faster (x0.5)
-You cannot block any successive attacks (that was the guard break that I
showed you)
When your RG is at 50, you will experience the following effects:
-Give and take "average" damage (x1.1)
-Normal HP Recovery (x1.0)
-Your attacks will slightly increase the enemies' RG level (x1.0)
-"Average" preparation/casting time for Skills and Ougis (x1.15)
-You'll recover from negative status ailments at an "average" rate (x1.0)
-You can block an "average" number of successive attacks
When you're in the Rush Charge state (RG=100), the effects are as follows:
-Give and take more damage (x1.2)
-No HP Recovery
-Your attacks will greatly increase the enemies' RG level (x2.0)
-Prolonged preparation/casting time for Skills and Ougis (x1.3)
-You'll recover from negative status ailments at a slower rate (x2.0)
-You can block many successive attacks
You can manipulate your RG directly or indirectly during battle (both shown
in the video). Other factors that influence your RG include recipes,
particular LAs, the enemies' defensive properties, and the environment (e.g.
your RG tends to be much higher in warmer climates like the desert and much
lower in cooler areas such as the mountains or inside of caverns).
Under certain conditions, your RG will sometimes change to a predetermined
level.
-Rush Burst (aka Rush Charge, RG=100): After being in this state for about 7
seconds --> RG will become 50.
-Cool Down (aka Cool Charge, RG=0): If you take any damage --> RG will
become 50.
-Poison: While poisoned, your RG will continue to rise. Even if cured, your
RG level will remain high.
-Frozen: The instant that you are freed (e.g. take damage) --> RG will
become 14.
-Panic/Stun: When you recover from being stunned --> RG will become 50.
-Burst Bottle: Right after you use one --> RG will become 100 (i.e. Rush
Burst/Rush Charge).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HP RECOVERY                                                          [GAMa04]
You can increase your HP Recovery by using Annie's Skill Life Materia,
lowering your RG, equipping jewels, Enhancing the HP Recovery Stat on your
armors, having HP Recovery LAs (e.g. HP Heal Up) on your armors, using a
Lime Gummi, and fiddling with your battle formation. Ways to directly
recover HP include cooking, taking advantage of certain Force Cube Effects
(e.g. Heal), using HP Restoring Gummies (e.g. Apple, Peach, Grape), and
having HP Restoring LAs on your armors (e.g. HP +6%).
*******************************************************************************
PART B: ADVANCED BATTLE TECHNIQUES                                   [GAMb00]
Finally put a video together for this. You can either read this first or
watch the video. This has more details in it, but the video has some visual
and auditory cues that I can't exactly describe here, so it's your call.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS9KxtbV6EI
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TECHNICAL SMASH                                                      [GAMb01]
A Technical Smash (TS) is another way for the game to evaluate your fighting
performance. Like Grade, certain criteria must be met before you are awarded
a TS. Here they are in order from least to most difficult:
-Burst: Defeat an enemy while your RG=100. TS % Boost=2
-# Chains: Defeat an enemy with a combo attack. For example, if you kill an
enemy after doing a normal 3 chain combo attack + a Skill --> 4 Chains.
If you kill an enemy after doing a normal 3 chain combo attack + a Skill +
an Ougi --> 5 Chains. If you kill an enemy after doing a 4 chain combo attack
(say you activated the SF for Risotto) + a Skill + an Ougi --> 6 Chains.
TS % Boost= [2x(number of combo attacks)] divided by 8 (Notice that # has to
be greater than or equal to 4 before you are given a TS Boost). By the way,
the game does round up any time there's a decimal (so 5 Chains gives you +3%).
-# Group: Defeat a group of enemies at the same time with a single attack.
If you defeat 2 enemies at once --> 2 Group. TS % Boost= [2x(number of
enemies killed at the same time)] minus 1.
-No Damage: Defeat an enemy without taking any damage from that particular
enemy. TS % Boost=1
-High Speed: Defeat an enemy within 5 seconds of the start of the battle.
TS % Boost=1
-Triangle: Attack an enemy with an attack chain consisting of 3 different
strikes (i.e. push the directional pad in 3 different directions when
pressing the CIRCLE button), and defeat the enemy on the third strike. For
example, CIRCLE, CIRCLE + Up, CIRCLE + Back ---> kills the enemy. TS %
Boost=2
-Cool: Defeat an enemy while your RG=0. TS % Boost=4
-Finality: Defeat an enemy with a Hi-Ougi. TS % Boost=7
So what do all these TS % Boosts do anyway? Well, there's a guy in Minal who
gives you items for completing your Battle Book data, which includes item
drops from enemies (See Sub Event #2 for details). Among those items that he
gives you are some talismans for Veigue which give him access to Skills that
he normally can't use (e.g. Demon Fang). You also earn a title for finishing
150 entries. The main purpose of those TS % Boosts is to increase your item
drop rate (TS also slightly increases the amount of Smash Points that you
gain from using a Skill, but it's nothing to write home about). So say that
my normal item acquisition rate was 10% and I managed to get 5 Chains, No
Damage, and Triangle for one of the enemies. My TS % Boost was 1+1+2=4%, so
my new item drop rate for that particular enemy would have been 14%. This can
be important for completing the data for some of those more rare encounters
(*coughCyglorg'sChamberscough*) if you don't like to use the LAs Robber Item
and Dacoity Item.
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GRADE                                                                [GAMb02]
There are 8 different criteria for earning Grade, and each of them are worth
a certain amount of base Grade depending on the difficulty of the conditions.
Here's the format that I'm going to use to list the criteria:
[Type of Grade Bonus (Base Grade Earned): Description of Criteria]
10 HITS OVER! (1.20): You must execute a combo consisting of at least 11 hits.
25 HITS OVER! (5.00): You must execute a combo consisting of at least 26 hits.
5 CHAIN FINISH! (2.00): Defeat an enemy with a 5+ Chain Combo (usually normal
3 Chain Attack + Skill + Ougi)...see the section on
Technical Smashes above if this doesn't make sense.
FULLHP FINISH! (1.40): Everyone in the party must have full life at the end
of the battle.
NO DAMAGE FINISH! (1.60): You must defeat all of the enemies without taking a
single point of damage (i.e. you cannot block any
attacks either since you still take damage...I'm
assuming that you aren't using the Silver Gauntlet
here).
10 SECONDS FINISH! (2.30): Finish the battle within 10 seconds or less.
30 SECONDS FINISH! (1.00): Finish the battle within 30 seconds or less.
NO GUARDED FINISH! (1.20): Defeat all of the enemies without letting any of
them guard against your attacks.
The amount of Grade that you earn also depends on your Battle Rank. The
higher the Rank, the more Grade you will earn. These are the various
multipliers for each level of difficulty:
Easy= 0.8
Normal= 1.0
Hard= 1.2
Mania= 1.4
Unknown= 1.6
To calculate the maximum amount of Grade that you could earn, you simply
multiply the Base Grade Earned by the multiplier for your Battle Rank. So for
instance, a 10 SECONDS FINISH! could give you 1.84 Grade on Easy, 2.30 Grade
on Normal, 2.76 Grade on Hard, 3.22 Grade on Mania, and 3.68 Grade on
Unknown. Notice how I said it was the max Grade possible; despite popular
belief, you can lose Grade in Rebirth; the game docks off Grade points for
certain actions such as using items. However, the total amount of Grade that
you receive for the battle will never go below zero. So no negative Grade for
you; instead, you get the sad Fanfare A at the end of the battle. *sniff*
Also, the amount of Grade that you receive for boss/event battles is
multiplied by 10, so the same criteria that would give you 5.0 Grade in a
normal battle would give you a whopping 50 Grade during a boss fight.
I have some theories about how the Grade deductions are calculated, but I
didn't get this information from the official guide or any other reliable
source. So, uh, don't fillet me if my calculations are a bit off or if I'm
just plain wrong. All of my speculation is the stuff is sort of sectioned
off so you know what to igno...er, take with a grain of salt.
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Using an item: -0.08 Grade per item used (-0.80 for boss battles)
Dying: Apparently, there is no Grade deduction.
After playing around with my PSP playthrough, I think I've finally figured the
Grade deductions out. Oddly enough, there's no deduction for dying, so it looks
like the game only docks you if you use an item. Wasting items is a bigger
offense than wasting your life, it seems. *shrugs*
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Okay, back to the kosher stuff. For you Grade farmers out there, you
cannot earn a buttload of Grade in Rebirth by picking on the weakest enemies
in the game for hours on end (and don't any of you try to deny it either!).
Each area has a "set" amount of Grade that you can earn, and you can check
what fraction of Grade you have earned for any particular section by looking
at the second choice under the "Battle Book" option on the main menu. Rebirth
does not reward players who tend to repeat their actions either; once you
have earned Grade for a particular set of enemies, you can't earn more Grade
by meeting the same criteria for that set of enemies. For example, say I have
the following sets of enemies:
Set A: 2 birds
Set B: 1 plant and 1 bug
Set C: 3 birds
Suppose I earn the FULLHP FINISH! bonus while fighting Set A. I get my
1.something Grade and everything's dandy. However, even if I met Set A again
and finished the battle with everyone at full life, I wouldn't get a FULLHP
FINISH! because I've already met that criteria for this set of enemies. But I
could still get FULLHP FINISHES! for Sets B and C since I haven't met that
criteria yet. In other words, it is possible to earn all 8 Grade Bonuses for
every unique set of enemies for a particular area, but each Bonus can only
be "redeemed" once per set of enemies; this is why every area has a finite
amount of Grade.
So say that there are 10 unique sets of enemies in a particular area. There are
8 different Grade requirements per enemy set and if we just assume each Grade
requirement to be equal to 1 (for the sake of simplicity), then the total
amount of available Grade for this area would be 10*8=80. This is similar to
how our Grade earnings for a certain section are shown in the Battle Book. To
view this list, go to the Battle Book option on the main menu (the center one
on the bottom row) and scroll down to the second line. You see a whole bunch
of fractions off to the right side, yes? This indicates a ratio of how much
Grade you've earned over the total amount of Grade available for each area of
the game. If you're really masochistic, you can max out your Grade earnings
for each section, but you shouldn't have to unless you're trying to buy
everything in the Grade shop on your first playthrough (which might not even
be possible, but I'm too lazy to sit here and add that many numbers up).
You may be thinking to yourself, well if Grade earnings are dependent on the
enemy set, then how do I know when I've earned all of the Grade for any given
set? Well, this is where the tutorial video comes in handy. There are 3
different battle fanfares that play depending on your Grade earnings for that
set of enemies. Fanfare A will play if you failed to meet any new criteria for
that enemy set, and there are criteria that are still left to be met. For my
sanity, I'm going to refer to the criteria as criterias A-H instead of listing
the full names from here on. So say that I meet enemy set A as listed above
(2 birds) for the first time and I met Criterias A, B, and D for this set(I'm
going to refer to this situation as EXAMPLE A).
If I fight set A again and I meet Criteria B again, then I'll get Fanfare A.
If I were to fight Set A a third time and I failed to meet any of the
requirements for Criterias C, E, F, G, or H, then I would hear Fanfare A too.
Should I bump into Set A yet a fourth round and met Criterias A, B, and D, but
not C, E, F, G, or H, I'd still get Fanfare A. Basically, Fanfare A is telling
me that I suck. Well, not necessarily, but it IS saying that there's at least
one Criteria for Set A that I just haven't met the requirements for yet.
Okay, back to EXAMPLE A. Say I meet Set A and I meet Criterias A and F; I
would then hear Fanfare B. For the most part, Fanfare B indicates that I met
at least one new Criteria for this set of enemies (there is one exception to
this, but I'll talk about that in a little bit). Notice that it doesn't matter
whether I met a Criteria that I had met previously (in this case, Criteria A).
Returning to EXAMPLE A. Pretend like I'm having a stellar playing day and I
meet Criterias C, E, F, G, and H in one battle. I would then hear the elusive
Fanfare C, which only plays once you've met all 8 criteria for a given set of
enemies. Keep in mind that you don't have to meet the criteria all in one
battle...I'm just giving this example because it saves me some typing. Also
note that Fanfare C will only play at the end of the battle where the last of
the criteria is/are met. If you meet Set A again after you've met all 8 Grade
requirements, then Fanfare B will play instead, but NO GRADE WILL BE EARNED.
In other words, no matter how many more times I meet Set A or how many
criteria I may meet again, I won't get squat in terms of Grade. In essence,
you've already earned all of the Grade that Set A had to offer.
And before anyone starts panicking, the available Grade for each area resets
when you begin a new playthrough, so you're not totally screwed if you're good
at earning Grade. That being said though, since Grade is limited, it's best to
play on the most challenging difficulty level that you can if you want to get
the most bang for your buck (particularly for those boss fights) because of
the way the Grade multipliers work. However, if you just can't get a NO DAMAGE
FINISH! on Unknown for a set of enemies no matter how hard you try, you may
want to consider toning down the difficulty to Mania or Hard and see if you
can meet the Robinso...er, criteria that way. After all, some Grade is better
than none, right?
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HI-OUGIS                                                             [GAMb03]
Similar to Technical Smashes and Grade: Hi-Ougis have certain requirements
which must be met before they are "bestowed" upon the player. You won't be
able to manually execute a Hi-Ougi until after a particular point in the
storyline (after your sixth and final member joins your main party). First
off, there's a hidden counter that the game keeps which must reach 100 before
you are able to use a Hi-Ougi. You gain 7 "Hi-Ougi" points every time a Latent
Ability on your equipment awakens, and you receive 3 points when you avoid
taking large amounts of damage during battle.
The second requirement is that there must be only one enemy remaining on the
battlefield. The Hi-Ougis are meant to end the battle (hence the Finality
Charge Break! part), so it won't trigger if you have 3 or 4 little monsters
running around.
The third requirement is that the characters who are capable of performing
a Hi-Ougi must be able to take action. In other words, if your mage is in the
process of chanting or your fighter has been stunned/frozen/negative status
ailmented, you won't be able to pull off a Hi-Ougi. I believe that this also
implies that at least one of your characters who is going to be involved with
the Hi-Ougi must be close to the enemy.
The fourth and final requirement is that if you're fighting a Boss, he/she/it
must have less than 10% of its total life remaining before the Hi-Ougi will
be available (assuming that you still meet the first 3 requirements when that
happens).
There are 3 things that can cause your Hi-Ougi counter to reset (i.e. become
zero). In other words, you will lose your Hi-Ougi if you do any of the
following:
1) If you wait more than 1 minute to press the X button after the Finality
Charge Break! message appears on the screen.
2) *If you use an item.
3) If one of the characters that was going to be a part of the Hi-Ougi dies
during the battle.
*I'm not so sure about this one based on personal experience since I've had
Hi-Ougis trigger shortly after using an item. Maybe it depends on who
actually uses the item?
On the flip side, you can trigger Hi-Ougis more easily by doing as such:
1) Use equipment that have Latent Abilities with high Awakening Rates.
2) Directly control the character that you want to do the Hi-Ougi with.
3) Stay within close proximity of the character who will be your partner
for the Hi-Ougi.
One more random note: an enemy glows red when it has less than 25% of its
total HP remaining (it looks different from a Rush Charge though). This is
an indication that the enemy is almost dead and thus helps you predict when
a Hi-Ougi may pop up.
*******************************************************************************
PART C: ENHANCEMENT AND INHERITANCE                                  [GAMc00]
For this, I'm going to refer you to Gyser's FAQ and this video, which is
pretty much a shorter, moving version of the written FAQ:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjcinmXrCnM
Stuff that you'll see in the video are as follows: How to acquire EP and Bonus
EP, Enhance Basics and Latent Abilities, Inherit Basics, Normal vs Special
Inheritance, Special Inherit Effects, and Irregular Equipment. There is one
error that I noticed recently...in the video, I mistakenly wrote that the
Normal Inheritance for your Latent Ability (LA) will increase the Awakening
Rate for that particular LA (i.e. you would have to get the same LA again in
order to get any benefit from the Inheritance). What I SHOULD have said is
that the Normal Inheritance will boost the Awakening Rate of whatever LA is on
the piece of equipment that is created from or enhanced by the Inheritance.
So for example, say that piece of equipment A has the LA x2 Damage and that it
would normally start with an Awakening Rate of 5.23%. If you Inherited piece B
that had 5 Enhancements on the Awakening Rate of its LA (let's just say it's
FG Heal, but it could be anything) into piece A and a Normal Inheritance
occurred, then the Awakening Rate for the LA x2 Damage on piece A would now be
something like 6.45% when it comes out.
I received a request to list the Kanji for the Latent Abilities so that it
would be easier to identify them in-game. Gyser has already written a thorough
guide on the subject, so this is intended to be used just as a quick
reference; if you want more details, go check out his ToR Enhance-Inherit FAQ.
Gyser gave me permission to borrow portions of his FAQ, so the English
translations for the LAs are based on his guide for the most part. The format
for this is self-explanatory, so here goes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEAPON LATENT ABILITIES                                              [GAMc01]
1. �_����W�Q�{(x2 DAMAGE): Normal attacks and Skills will deal 2x the damage
2. �����̂q�f-�Q�O(RG -20): Lowers your own RG by 20
3. �G�̂����莞�ԁ{�O.�T�b(HOLD +0.5): Extends the period an enemy is immobile
after being hit by 0.5 seconds
4. �_����W�ɔ�Ⴕ���g�o��(HEAL HP): Recover HP equal to half of the damage
dealt to the enemy
5. �A�C�e���𓐂�(ROBBER ITEM): Steals item from the enemy; limit is one item
per enemy
6. �G�̂q�f-�R�O(RG -30): Lowers the enemy's RG by 30
7. �G�̍U���͂�����������(MINUS ATK): Lowers the enemy's Slash & Thrust Attack
Power for 15 seconds
8. �M�ł̒lj�����(POISON): Inflicts the enemy with Poison for 12 seconds
9. �_����W�R�{(x3 DAMAGE): Normal attacks and Skills will deal 3x the damage
10. �����̂e�f�̂P�‚����ʉ�(FG HEAL): The FG that is least full will recover
100 Force Units; if less than 100 FG is
missing, then no recovery will occur
11. ���Q�̒lj�����(PANIC): Inflicts the enemy with Panic for 15 seconds
12. �G�̏p�U���͂�����������(MINUS MIND): Lowers the enemy's Skill Attack Power
for 15 seconds
13. �G�̖h��͂�����������(MINUS DEF): Lowers the enemy's Slash & Thrust
Defense Power for 15 seconds
14. �C�₳����(PIYO): Inflicts the enemy with Piyo/Stun, enemy cannot take
action while in this state
15. ����̒lj�����(WEAK): Inflicts the enemy with Weak for 20 seconds
16. �}�q�̒lj�����(PARALYZE): Inflicts the enemy with Paralyze for 12 seconds
17. �_����W�S�{(x4 DAMAGE): Normal attacks and Skills will deal 4x the damage
18. �G�̏p�h��͂�����������(MINUS REGIST): Lowers the enemy's Skill Defense
Power for 15 seconds
19. �����̒lj�����(FREEZE): Inflicts the enemy with Freeze for 4 seconds
20. �ʏ�U���A�g���{�P(ATKCHAIN +1): Increases your Normal Attack Chain by 1
21. �����̂e�f�̂P�‚����(FG CURE): The FG that is least full will recover
200 Force Units; if less than 200 FG is
missing, then no recovery will occur