=============================================================================== ___ ---._| '. |.' |_.' '. -._ .' ''. --. ---...--' \ ''''.._ Legend of the Enemployed Ninja \ .' | | ___.--._ | .-------_______/ | \ __ .' . . ._ __ _ | | '--..-- .' | | __ \ | . . | | .' | | |\ | | \ .' | | .' -|---| | '. | | \_ '. ..' | | .' .--------|---'--| --'.| _|____----''.. | .' '' ________------________------'' | | .'------ | \_.' \ | \| ' =============================================================================== IZUNA - THE LEGEND OF THE UNEMPLOYED NINJA - NINTENDO DS Version 1.0 (3/21/2007) Version History: 1.0: Basic Guide Complete - (3/21/2007) .:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:..:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:. Legality: This Guide is Copyright, 2006, Matthew McIntyre This guide may not be used on a website or in any public forum where it is protected by copyright without the consent of the author. To contact me: entropiclobo(at)yahoo(dot)ca or chaos(dot)wolf(at)gmail(dot)com Websites with permission to use this Guide: www.GameFAQS.com www.neoseeker.com faqs.IGN.com www.1up.com www.honestgamer.com Game by Success/Atlus. ****************************************************************************** * Table of Contents * ****************************************************************************** *To jump to a section, hold the Control Key and press F, then type in the section number as it appears (ie type IZU1) IZU1: Intro IZU2: Basics IZ2.1: Control IZ2.2: Status Effects IZU3: Strategy IZU4: Using the Orbs IZU5: Dungeons IZU5.1: Snake Hole IZU5.2: Wind Corridor IZU5.3: Shakugan Cavern IZU5.4: Tokofugu Cave IZU5.5: Zekuu Path IZU5.6: Maze of Gods IZU5.7: Singularity IZU5.8: Path of Trials IZU6: Traps IZU7: Equipment IZU7.1: Blades IZU7.2: Claws IZU7.3: Arms IZU7.4: Sticking Talismans IZU7.5: Weapon Fragility IZU8: Expendable Items IZU9: Talismans IZU10: Secrets IZU11: Credits Izuna is rated "F" for "Flirtaceous." It contains scenes of dungeon crawling and well-endowed ninjas. Player discretion is advised. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU1: Intro | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you've already read about Izuna, you've likely heard a number of terms thrown around. Dungeon RPG, Dungeon Crawler, Roguelike. These terms all in some way tell you what you should expect from the game. Its unassuming boxart and characters belie a difficult experience. If you're accustomed to Roguelikes, it can still overwhelm you but the learning curve is much smaller. If you bought this game just because Izuna is cute, well you're probably climbing a much steeper curve. But don't give up or get too frustrated. The game is difficult, true, but once you are over the learning curve it actually progresses quite smoothly. There are ways to overcome both the outclassing of your gear and the fact that you lose all items on you when you die. Once you protect the one or two weapons you will want to keep, you can power them up with talismans and after only a little work you'll have one serious piece of hardware. It's impressive though that the game makes fun of the obvious charms of Izuna. She's flirtaceous and vacuous, greedy and dishonest. Of course, deep down she's a good person and not quite as miserable as she seems ;). I appreciate this game for what it is, a difficult experience in a time of easy games. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU2: Basics | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Izuna is a Roguelike game, as such it does play out in a specific manner. Every action you take is considered a turn, in other words every item you use, move you make, or attack you attempt. When you make your move, everything else capable of making a move will do so as well. So as you are exploring a dungeon floor, enemies are at the same time stalking you. Each dungeon floor is random, in terms of layout, items, traps (when they are present in a dungeon), and to a degree enemies. Enemies are a little more predictable as you will encounter stronger enemies more often as you descend into deeper floors of the dungeon. At the end of the dungeon is a boss character to fight. Defeat this character to progress the story on to the next dungeon. If you die in a dungeon, the game will save and you lose all of your gear UNLESS you stuck a Kikan Talisman on your weapons and have access to the storehouse. You can also use Kikan to escape dungeons. If you find a weapon you like and keep using it, you can outfit it with talismans for improved potency and you will have to keep them repaired. For more info on this, take a look at the equipment section. SP powers talismans and your attack power. Keep your SP so you can use talsimans when needed and so that your attack does not drop significantly. *IZU2.1: Control* --------------- Izuna uses most of the face and shoulder buttons of the DS, not all of them are necessary but they make life much smoother. Control Pad: Move Izuna Hold R+Control Pad: Position Izuna diagonally, hold R and move to move diagonally. You don't need to do this, but it helps for accuracy in fights and such. Hold Y+Control Pad: Face Izuna up, down, left, or right. Hold R+Y+Control Pad: No risk of movement while picking diagonal direction. Hold B+Control Pad: Move with rapid turn usage. You do not actually run, turns are simply passed more quickly. You will slow down near active traps, items, stairs, and enemies. A (Outside dungeons): Talk to people. A (Inside dungeons): Attack X: Bring up menu. Y (on item screen): Sort items. Hold L+R: Skip a turn, Izuna stays put. Hold to rapidly skip turns and heal, note that this slows down near active enemies (but not eggs or rolled up). Hold L+A: Throw a Shuriken. Hold L+X: Throw some kunai. Hold L+Y: Drop some caltrops in your space. Hold L+B: Set a fuse on a bomb. *IZU2.2: Status Effects* ---------------------- There are a number of status effects Izuna will be subject to throughout the game. These are primarily from traps, but you will also get hit by enemy special attacks. Of course, many of these can be used through talismans or weapons to effect your enemies. Panacea cures most status effects, including beneficials. *Anchor: Izuna is stuck to the ground for a short time and cannot move. She can attack, however. *Awakened: Izuna has enhanced accuracy and evasion. Highly useful. *Blind: You have no range of vision. This subsides over time. Blind enemies have trouble finding you. *Charm: Enemy will fight for you. Please note, if an enemy kills your friend it will change form unless at its final level. This is extremely dangerous early on for this reason. *Confuse: Directionality is messed up, you will not attack or walk in the desired direction. If you must fight, face away and swing... This will be cured in a few turns. *Curse: Your experience gains are cut. This lasts until the next floor if not healed. *Excite: Izuna does double damage. Stops when you head down the stairs. *Fear: SP drains over time. Heal it with a likeness of pochi/mother or head down a staircase. Feared enemies will run from Izuna. *Float: Izuna floats above the ground for a short time. She cannot set off traps nor can she pick up items. *Forgetful: Izuna sometimes drops an item of her's on the ground. Will subside over time. *Paralysis: Izuna loses a few turns. *Poison: Detrimental, but too short-lived to make any difference. *Seal: Izuna cannot use talismans. *Shoulder-Ache: Cannot throw items/weapons or lift up healing orbs. Will subside over time. *Sleep: Izuna falls asleep for a few rounds or until hit. *Sweat: Izuna feels sweaty and refuses to equip any gear. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU3: Strategy | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Here's some general schemes to keep in mind when you're deep in enemy territory and looking for a way out. *Avoid Mobs: ---------- When you are mobbed, multiple enemies will be attacking you at once. You need to take into consideration that this can happen and that you should know how to avoid this. A powerful attack or utility talisman helps when you are mobbed. If enemies surround you, running becomes a tenuous situation. They will still swing at you as you try running. The best way to avoid mobs is to use the corridors to fight, the best way to fight in a mob is to prioritize... *Using Corridors: --------------- +--+--+--+--+ Corridors let you parse enemies off into one at a time. That is |##|##|##|##| only one can attack you in here due to space restrictions. Of +--+--+--+--+ course, one may be on their way from the other direction, but | |En|En|Iz| it is still better than getting ganged by 3 or 4 at once. +--+--+--+--+ |##|##|##|##| Stay away from the opening of the corridor, as some enemies +--+--+--+--+ can still get you with their special attacks this way. *Splitters: --------- Enemies that split are a real problem, always use corridors when fighting them because you can go from fighting two, to fighting 5. They're usually not the most powerful monster but they are certainly among the most dangerous. Yami-Uchi will kill one directly, meaning no clones. *Prioritize: ---------- When you're attacked by a group of enemies, and there's say a Ghost, an Artisan and a Bunnia. The Ghost or Artisan take priority because the Ghost can drain your SP and the Artisan can create more monsters. It's important that, if you cannot escape a mob that you take out these bigger threats first. The group becomes so much more manageable that way. *Talismans: --------- The other way to escape a mob is with an incapacitating, damaging, or the teleportation of Ten'i will help you escape or quell the mob... It's good to keep a few Talismans on hand for this explicit purpose. As far as sticking Talsimans is concerned, you don't normally find a weapon with a good CAP, but if you do go for it. *Kikan: ----- One of the most useful talismans, and you can find them in the first dungeon. It could be worth it to collect a few Kikans, and take a few trips into and out of your current dungeon collecting gear and high-end items. Once you've gained levels and money/items doing this, try for the boss or deeper floors along with your choice of weapon from your delving. Kikans, by the way, only cost 10000 at Ippitsu's. So if you're at a high level dungeon, you can make this money no problem so you can buy a new Kikan every trip out. *Keeping Rare Talismans: ---------------------- Rare talismans seem to be on the receiving end of a fire trap far too often. What do you do? Grab a Claw or Arm you don't plan on using and stick them on here to protect them. Not only does it protect them, it also allows more room for functional talsimans or items. Stick a Kikan on the claw/arm as well if you are really concerned. The most valuable Talismans are the weapon spirits, you'll value this method if you find a few of them! *Keep Your SP Up: --------------- Your SP determines how effective your attacks are just as much as your level and weapons do. If you have no SP, your attacks are miserable. An Enma arm is excellent in this instance, because enemy hits don't decrease your SP. Alternatively, keep 2-3 Likenesses on you at all time and every one you find look at (unless it's better than what you already have, of course). If there's a Likeness around, maybe clear the floor then look at it before heading down. *Skip Healing: ------------ Watch your map when you use skip to heal, and the rate at which your hp is increasing. When red appears on the map or your rate slows down, there's a threat nearby. This is actually useful in dark corridors, because it's an early warning that an enemy is on its way. Throw a shuriken down the hall and if you don't hear a *clink* then it's likely on its way. *Walk Healing: ------------ Against an enemy with normal speed, and at least one space between the two of you, use the corridors for health if you need. They will never catch you in the corridor until you hit another enemy or take some other action. While there are risks involved here, there's also the chance that if multiple enemies were following you some will break off from the main group and you can deal with them later on. You will never escape from enemies with 2x speed. *Shurikens/Kunai: --------------- Indiscriminate use of either item is not advised. They are best used against enemies that are weak against them, very powerful enemies before they reach you or when you are weak and trying to recover. Kunai can hit multiple targets but it is much more difficult to aim than Shuriken. Well, its more difficult to hit enemies with the diagonals. *Caltrops: Mass Scatter: ---------------------- If you are desperate and want to block off all land-borne enemies with caltrops fling the whole bag. They will scatter everywhere and enemies will have a large dragnet to wade through. The other advantage here is that it serves as an indication of enemy proximity. Bosses have their own grunt or pain sound that makes laying out a huge array of caltrops most useful. *Save Bombs for the Boss: ----------------------- Bombs are hard to predict with respect to their fuse and the best use for them honestly is just chucking the whole bag. They are always useful to throw at bosses and will always do heavy damage do to their percentage based damage... In that same light, bombs do much less damage to normal enemies! *Pictures of Hell and Heavy Pills: -------------------------------- The effect is small, but permanent so there's no real reason _not_ to use these items. Yes, Hell makes you feared. But you can just go down the stairs and be fine. Every little bit helps, after all! *Don't be stingy...: ------------------ Your HP and SP are going to be fully restored before fighting a boss, so if you are on the last floor and are worried about using a talisman - use it. If you want to heal - save it unless the enemies here look like they're going to rip you a new one altogether. Honestly, the first time you fight bosses you don't need much healing. A few Blessings or Divinities and your big attack options will do most of them in quickly. *Searching for Traps: ------------------- You can find traps by using Reppu on your weapon. Swing the weapon and if a trap is in front of you, it will appear. This is mighty tedious but if you want to avoid traps its your best bet. The only word of caution here is that if your main weapon is a claw, use a claw for searching and if it's a blade... well do the same. The reason? Enemies are bound to arrive and switching from claw to blade/arm wastes time. You want to switch asap. *Experience Hotspots: ------------------- You gain so many levels just playing through the game, but if you want to increase your yield grab an Asura Blade and activate Demon Traps for extra enemies to fight or fight splitting enemies (even try and coax them into splitting by using weaker attacks such as shurikens) and kill the clones. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU4: Using the Orbs | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, you get the orbs in this game from defeating the bosses. Using the orbs will heal curses placed on villagers. Generally, when you beat a dungeon use the new orb on everyone, and use every orb on any new people. ***After getting the Orb of Earth, use it on: ----------------------------------------- Hinagiku: Little girl running around by the shrine. Katsutake: He's out by the mines. He offers his service as a blacksmith now. Mitsumoto: This will heal his delirium. He's runnign around to the right of the Inn. Tsubakai: She's in front of the storehouse. This lets you use the storehouse, and Kikan stuck gear can come back here. ***After getting the Orb of Wind, use it on: ---------------------------------------- Gen-An: Cures his childish curse, necessary for story progression. Shino: Cures her attitude curse, necessary for story progression. Takechiyo: In the lower part of town, this will stop his coughing. Tokosuke: Near the mines, after healing him you can hear about various game mechanics from him. Ume: The innkeeper, you'll no longer be charged 300x the going rate ;). ***After getting the Orb of Fire, use it on: ---------------------------------------- Azuki: Clears her skin up, she runs the pill/item shop. Gen-An: Cures his sickness and progresses the story. Ippitsu: Found above where Mitsumoto is, heal him and his Talisman shop opens. Moe: Old lady near the shrine. After healing her, she'll tell you a story that is actually an explanation of Bomb mechanics. Nagasada: In the lower right of the caves area, the Burn/Peel shop is open now. Tatsutoshi: You cure his athlete's foot, he's the kid running around near the Shrine. ***After getting the Orb of Water, use it on: ----------------------------------------- Hiyoshimaru: Found in the southeast corner of town. Ichika: Near the entrance to the mines, she will change her criteria for finding a man. Kazunari: Near entrance to town. Will no longer worry about going bald. Kichou: Ex-Geisha near the shrine, she will say your meeting is fated. Tagosaku: Near the dakon patch, he will stop fretting over his radishes. -=-Additionaly, use the Orb of Wind on Soubei, a new visitor to the town. He is mildly perverted, but will begin to think of his wife again. ***After getting the Orb of Air, use it on: --------------------------------------- Ina: She's found up high in the shrine grounds. Kakuji: He will find iron ore, and his depression will lift. Found at mine. Mitsumoto: Asks you to heal him, and then makes his move ;). Sakichi: Will actively search for his love rather than sit around waiting. Seitaro: The yojimbo in the southeast of town with the scarred face. He will realize that justice is from the heart. Tojiro: Regains confidence in his pottery. Found at mine. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU5: Dungeons | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The dungeon floors in Izuna are randomly generated. This means I can only give you a basic rundown of the dungeon in terms of _traversing_ it. Any perculiarities related to the dungeon I can describe, and I'll give you a break down of the enemies within and the boss. The general layout for this section is a brief description of the area, the enemies, and then the boss. If you're wondering where to use the elemental orbs, please refer to section IZU4 for details. Generally, you need to find out what the curse on the townsfolk/your clan is at the time and then talk to Takechiyo to discover where the dungeon is. If you try entering a dungeon before you disover this information, you will be unable. So basically, find out which god you have to see, then find out where to find the next dungeon. *IZU5.1: Snake Hole* ------------------ 6 Floors deep (5 + Boss). The Snake Hole is the first dungeon in the game, and as such it is an ideal area to learn the strategies that will lead to your ultimate victory. That's not to say you should take it lightly, however, as getting ganged up on when you're fresh into the game will prove fatal. What you need to look out for in this dungeon are the Frogguns. As a Froggun, they are not difficult. However, they expel eggs when killed, which hatch into Tadduns when disturbed. Tadduns are brutal at this level, and should be avoided in most instances. Collect Ten'i, Kikan, Fire Pills and Bombs. The latter two will help against the boss at this time. Ten'i will let you teleport away from your current position and Kikan lets you leave a dungeon with all your gear. Light of Healing is also good around now, as you'll get most if not all of your hp back when you use it (500 hp). *Enemies: *Bean Bunnia* ----------- Money: 75 Exp: 50 Bean Bunnia are literally the weakest enemy in the game. However, they will still work you over if you get mobbed. Dealing 50 hp of damage, with your low 300 hp, they are still considerable when you're level 1. However, you'll quickly overcome this enemy and it's threat level falls off. *Bore* ---- Money: 150 Exp: 300 These hulking brutes are powerful attackers that have the ability to knock you back a space. If they knock you back, retaliate with a shuriken. You may want to throw a couple before they reach you, too. *Fresh Heads* ----------- Money: 155 Exp: 310 Fresh-Heads float, so you'll not catch them in any caltrops. Besides this, they are simply powerful attackers. As long as you aren't mobbed they aren't that bad. *Froggun* ------- Money: 115 Exp: 200 An easy enemy to kill for 200 experience, but the real threat is in their offspring. +--+--+ When the Froggun dies, it expels an egg. This egg is expelled |Eg|Fr| behind the Froggun one space. If attacked, this egg becomes a +--+--+ Taddun, the most vicious enemy in Snake Hole. Do NOT let an egg block a vital passage (ie the way to the room with the staircase down) if you do not have an alternate passage/ten'i (and even that is not reliable enough to get you past the egg!) to reach the stairs. Otherwise you will have to fight the Taddun. *Hikari* ------ Money: 65 Exp: 130 Hikari are the only enemy to wield weapons in this dungeon, both in melee and ranged combat. Hikari throw shurikens at a distance. These aren't terribly powerful, but they can be painful at a low level. You CAN put another enemy between you and Hikari and his shurikens will hit the other enemy, however. *Jabadillo* --------- Money: 125 Exp: 200 Jabadillos have a decent level of attack, and they roll into a ball when they've taken considerable damage (it seems to be 2/3). As a ball, they have much higher defense and will take either 1 or 0 damage. Of course, this causes wear on your weapon. If they are hit for 1 damage, they will uncurl and attack you. If they are against a wall when they uncurl, the attack is instantaneous. If they are not, they must move towards you. You hit them back one space when you attack them and they are rolled up, so don't hit them against a wall if you want to avoid the stab. The ball will not uncurl until damage is done, so you can leave Jabadillos until you finish with the other enemies OR use them to block pathways while you heal (ie using skip while blcoking enemies with the curled Jabadillo). *Marumon* ------- Money: 100 Exp: 100 Marumon are those round green-blue enemies with the tails. Like Bean Bunnia, they are purely physical enemies. They are only slightly more threatening, but again they can be bad in mobs. *Nurikabe* -------- Money: 160 Exp: 320 Nurikabe are the large rock wall monsters. They have a high attack rating and a high defense rating. Take them on only if they're the only monsteraround. Nurikabe are indifferent to you, or so I find. They walk around until they reach a hallway and then they get stuck. Once they are in the entrance of a hall, they cannot move. You may want to pump a few shurikens into them before approaching them. They will always attack you before you attack them in melee combat, so remember that when you go in for the kill. *Rock-Head* --------- Money: 140 Exp: 280 Rock-Heads are fairly powerful and have high defense. In other words, your weapons will wear out faster trying to overcome their defense. At this point your shurikens probably only do 30 damage or so to a Rock-Head so your best bet is still to take them on head-on. *Taddun* ------ Money: 850 Exp: 1700 If you manage to kill a Taddun, the rewards are great. However, killing the Taddun is a whole other task in itself. Tadduns are about as strong as creatures froma few dungeons from now. They can kill you very quickly. The only time you should attempt fighting a Taddun is if their egg blocks your path and you have no other option. I'd suggest pounding it with shurikens from max distance and leaving caltrops for it to squirm over. Heck, throw a bomb or fire pill if you want to (though they are best saved for Shuuchi). Of course, prevention is the best course of action and if you kill Frogguns out in the open, their eggs shouldn't be in the way. -Shuuchi- ------- Shuuchi is not a terribly hard boss. Bombs, fire pills, and Ten'i will help you out the first time through the cave. He is a powerful attacker but not so brutal that you have to level up to fight him. One thing to note is that you are on a floor with other enemies. Please consider killing these off before fighting Shuuchi. Shuuchi does have a special attak, Iai Slash. This slash goes through you and can be used at a distance. This is preventable if you have your back to a wall. Example: +--+--+--+--+ | | | |Sh| Where Iz = Izuna and Sh = Shuuchi. He cannot Iai Slash you +--+--+--+--+ because there is a wall in the way. While you are tossing things | | | | | at Shuuchi, keep a wall to your back in relation to your position +--+--+--+--+ compared to Shuuchi. | |Iz| | | +--+--+--+--+ |##|##|##|##| +--+--+--+--+ This can be exploited in another way, actually. You can force Shuuchi to travel through a corridor filled with caltrops (even throw them to cover part of the corridor if you must). Throw bombs and sleep/fire pills at Shuuchi if you need to, and Ten'i away if he overwhelms you. *IZU5.2: Wind Corridor* -------------------- 6 floors (5+ Boss) The Wind Corridor is not actually that different from the Snake Hole. It's the next step up, and most of the enemies have special abilities. You won't require that many more levels here. You're going to want to pick up at least two Panacea, two Ten'i, and two Kaishin for the boss. Bombs of course apply again. Fuuka can inflict a confuse status on you, so these items are very important. Get used to the enemies and how their special attributes apply. Especially get used to how some enemies split - create a copy when you hit them. *Chibi Marimo* ------------ Money: 125 Exp: 250 Chibi Marimo are not the greatest attackers but they split, and split easily. They are weak against blades and shurikens, but do NOT use shurikens on a Marimo. You'll increase the the chance of it splitting multiple times by using weaker attacks on it! Stay in a corridor and take them on one at a time. You will want to destroy them in two hits max. Talismans don't seem to split them, by the way. I mean those like Rekka. A real bummer is when a chibi Marimo kills a friend and becomes a Super Marimo. They are much more powerful and you'll likely want to escape in this instance. *Chirp-a-Doodle* -------------- Money: 215 Exp: 430 These chicken enemies are just plain strong physical monsters. They can do a fair deal of damage, but otherwise they're justa decent source of experience. Unfortunately, in a mob there's likely more potent enemies in terms of abilities so they _can_ do a fair deal of damage to you based on this virtue alone. *Cold Wind* --------- Money: 260 Exp: 520 A floating enemy with decent potency. The special quality however is that if you hit it, there's a very good chance you will switch places with it. This could put you in a pincer between enemies, so continue to focus on the Cold Wind. Hey, it might even allow you to put the cold wind between you and some approachinge enemies. Consider your options well! *Daigoro* ------- Money: 500 Exp: 1000 A fairly rare monster in the wind corridor, and also powerful. First apprearing as a little vehicle type device with a jabber on the end, it will transform into a robot with powerful blades once a certain amount of HP (it seems to be 2/3) has been expended. If you meet a Daigoro, it won't put up so much of a fight that you'll need to run, but be ready to heal because its damage increases considerably once it transforms. *Departed Soul* ------------- Money: 200 Exp: 400 Departed souls are floating ghosts, caltrops won't effect them but the Exorcism claw most certainly will. Departed Souls have a "BOO!" attack which saps a bit of SP and causes the Fear status. This makes them a priority enemy. They may drop a likeness item, but don't count on it. I highly recommend using shurikens on souls as they approach. Curing fear status could get expensive (or you could use a staircase instead of an item but your SP will drain by the time you get there). Having no SP is a bad position to be in! *Drowsy Shroom* ------------- Money: 175 Exp: 350 Drowsy Shrooms can put you to sleep, allowing the enemies a free hit on you. This is a special powder attack. They can also split when you hit them, producing another shroom for you to fight. They are not powerful but VERY dangerous in the open because they can gang up on you with clones alone, and if you're put to sleep you'll be worked over good by their free hits. Fight them in a corridor. You could always use a reppu or rekka talisman I guess. *Ittan Momen* ----------- Money: 195 Exp: 390 Ittan Momen floats towards you and is a priority enemy if you do not have an Izanami Arm. They cause the status effect Seal, which means you will not be able to use your talismans until you use a panacea or go down a floor. Ittan Momen is weak against shurikens, blades, and is considered a ghost. You can take at least half of its life out with shurikens before it reaches you and kill it with a blade once it does. *Talisbeast* ---------- Money: 200 Exp: 400 Floating enemies that are decently strong attackers, they're weak against shurikens but not so deadly that you need to expend them. Higher order talisman monsters throw parts of their body at you, I haven't -seen- a Talisbeast do this however. *Tentaball* --------- Money: 170 Exp: 340 Tentaballs are orbs with tentacles. Tentacle enemies can anchor you to the ground. Tentaballs, and all of their cousins however are weak against both blades and shurikens. You can cut these suckers apart but fast. *Gale Puncher* ------------ Money: 160 Exp: 320 Kangaroos with boxing gloves, Gale Punchers are fairly strong attackers. They can jump over you. This wastes their opportunity to attack, you can turn around and get in a relatively free hit. However, this DOES give an extra space one side of Izuna for an enemy to move. Even in a corridor you can get ganged up on in this way. Usually, you should just finish off the Puncher when this happens, but use your best judgement. -Fuuka- ----- Fuuka is much more difficult than Shuuchi, but still not terribly hard. She is probably the first time you will be exposed to the "Confused" status, her Senpu kick causes this and is fairly strong in addition. Throw your bag of caltrops as she is approaching, then any bombs or pills. Start with the shurikens until she gets right up next to you. If she still stands at this point, she might do the Senpu kick. Don't even bother trying to attack at this point. Heal if you need to (I find she often follows up a heal with another Senpu kick) and use Talismans. Hopefully you have enough SP to use three ~50 SP Talismans. You want to use Kaishin, Kaishin, and then attack if you're not confused. If you are confused, use Ten'i. If using a second Kaishin will put you below the SP to use a Ten'i then do NOT. Ten'i away instead and use a Likeness of Pochi/Mother and get ready. IF you encounter an Ittan Momen on this floor, kill it ASAP. This is also why you brought the panacea, moreso than the Senpu Kick. Talismans are very useful against Fuuka, you don't want to be sealed. You can still use shurikens properly while confused, but Talismans work better. *IZU5.3: Shakugan Cavern* ----------------------- 11 Floors (10+ Boss) This is the first area that you will encounter traps, dangerous tiles hidden on the ground. There is a section devoted to traps, but I will warn you about the Demon, Abbacus, and Fire Traps first and foremost. Demon Traps create a Mob around Izuna, potentially deadly. In this event, use a Gouka to kill them all or Ten'i to teleport away. If you try running and are far from a corridor, you'll take a lot of hits on the way. Abbacus traps fling you across the room and deal half your current HP in damage (so if you had 1000 left, 500, if 100 left, 50 and so on). Fire Traps can burn your talismans, so you may want to put Kikans on gear you're taking back if you don't want to outright lose it. I'd suggest Ten'i and Kaishin as before. Gouka is good for mobs, but it will not effect the boss, I don't believe. Fire Pills will work, though their effectiveness is lessening. *Bang* ---- Money: 650 Exp: 1300 There's a high experience reward from Bang if you bother fighting it, but it comes at a risk. Bangs are essentially floating bombs. They have a ranged cannonball type attack and can split like Marimos/Shrooms before them. You can set them off just by attacking them, and they will deal heavy damage. I think the damage is maybe 1/3 your HP because Bang did 2500 to me when I had 7500+... this would have decimated me back when I first came into this cave. Bangs also have a chain effect. If they've split, and surround you, and one explodes, they all will. This will cut your hp something fierce. If you don't care about the experience, throw a shuriken at a Bang from a distance. This will set them off instantly, unless you miss of course. And at a distance, their explosion won't reach you. It will destroy items, however! *Entangleball* ------------ Money: 410 Exp: 620 Entangleballs will anchor you more often than Tentaballs. Try to fight them alone or in a corridor so they don't set up a mob situation. They are weak against both blades and shurikens. Knock some hp out of them before you are in melee combat with them, then slice through them with a blade. *Fire Puncher* ------------ Money: 500 Exp: 1000 Fire Puncher is a direct upgrade to Gale Puncher, it can also jump over you. In the same way as Gale, this leaves a space open for another monster move in. Unless a Bang is approaching, focus on the Fire Puncher. *Fireworks Artisan* ----------------- Money: 600 Exp: 1200 A valuable kill for sure, and a priority one at that. The special ability of the Fireworks Artisan is to create a Bang. Bangs are very dangerous enemies, so yopu will want to take care of the Artisan right away. He will fail the creation if he doesn't have room to make the monster - ie if he tries to create one on a wall in a corridor. You may want to use this to your advantage. *Homura Spider* ------------- Money: 700 Exp: 1400 A deadly enemy with slightly high defense and a penchant for critcal hits. Make damn sure you fight a Homura Spider on its own, because it will quickly overwhelm you in a group. *Honome* ------ Money: 445 Exp: 690 She's the basic attacking monster of this dungeon. She's lower priority than the others, in other words. *Ittan Kenpu* ----------- Money: 500 Exp: 950 An upgrade to Ittan Momen, Ittan Kenpu can also seal you. This is dangerous in light of the new traps in the dungeons, so take advantage to their weakness to blades and shurikens. They also seem to be weak against certain claws. Dragon and Exorcism claws seem to do more damage. *Red Lantern* ----------- Money: 365 Exp: 730 Red lanterns are a floating enemy that can spit fire. This fire attack can burn a Likeness or Talisman to ashes. A Kagutsuci arm seems to ward off their fire attack, but they are a priority target. *Shiranui-kun* ------------ Money: 400 Exp: 800 A fireball enemy that floats. These do not actually have a fire-spray attack like Red Lantern but they are a little stronger. *Stabadillo* ---------- Money: 350 Exp: 700 Fairly powerful upgrade to Jabadillo, and it rolls into a ball at about the same percentage of HP left. Remember that Stabadillos which have curled into a ball can be used to block passages and can be left as a ball while you kill the other enemies. Also remember that they get a free move once they uncurl, and if you uncurl them without knocking them back (ie against a wall) they will get a free hit on you. *Steel Bore* ---------- Money: 525 Exp: 1050 Steel Bore is an upgraded Bore and behaves just the same. It's quite powerful, and its attacks knock you back. Throw some shurikens at it while it approaches and fire one off when it knocks you back. -Kagen- ----- Kagen is the hardest god fight up until this point, and I would personally consider him the most potent boss in close combat. He's also aggravating at a range. Of course, there are other enemies around. But it seems most of them are Feared when you are approaching Kagen. Kagen can instill the fear quality into you, this makes him a formidable foe since your SP will rapidly drop - meaning your damage will as well. He can cause you fear up close with his rapid slashing attack. This also cuts your SP down... from a distance, he can cause your SP to drop. It's best to fight him in an open room, because between corridors you may find your SP drained before you reach him. Fire Pills will work on Kagen your first time through, but I don't think Gouka will. Or, at least, it did nothing when I used it. Instead, Kaishin is the way to go. If you have access to a Houshin Blade (you often do by now) you can put a serious hurt on him with a critical. If you anticipate his arrival, scatter caltrops (or throw the bag before he arrives) and throw bombs, and then shurikens at him. Up close, let loose a Kaishin or two and then resort to normal attacking. If he gets the upperhand, Ten'i away and use Likeness of Mother, then Light of Blessing. *IZU5.4: Tokofugu Cave* --------------------- 11 Floors (10+ Boss) Tokofugu Cave adds darkness to corridors, that is, you can only see 1 space in either direction. +--+--+--+ Your range of view is limited to 9 squares total. Even the big, | | | | illuminated rooms cannot be seen fully from within a corridor. +--+--+--+ | |Iz| | +--+--+--+ Does this present a problem? Yes, you do not know what is coming | | | | after you. Nor, can you see IF something is coming after you. +--+--+--+ While you are using skip, it slows down if enemies are near. So, if you're in a corridor to skip, then you will be able to tell if something is coming based on the speed of health regen. There are a number of new items in Tokofugu, one of them is the Haja Blade. Avoid these if you value Izuna's life. The enemy first of all takes damage from your Haja Blade, then they -might- be charmed. They will attack other enemies for you like this, but if the other enemies kill them, they level up! They will also attack Dynamite Taddun eggs, and that Taddun will probably kill them and transform into a Jet Taddun. Lovely ;). A better item is the Enma arm, which prevents SP from draining when you take a hit. Excellent Arm. There are also rare talismans Tsukumo and Hayate. Hayate is best applied to a weapon, in threes. This makes your weapon extremely fragile if you go over the Cap... Tsukumo is useful only when burning in (but keep a few for sure). *Dynamite Froggun* ---------------- Money: 750 Exp: 1500 Again, like Froggun, they're not terribly ard. Again like Froggun, fight them out in the open so their eggs don't block your path. They actually expell three eggs now... +--+--+--+ Because they now expel eggs in three directions, you can't just | |Eg| | take them out in the open, stick towards the dead centre of a room +--+--+--+ and YES, eggs WILL cover items. |Eg|Fr|Iz| +--+--+--+ | |Eg| | +--+--+--+ The eggs become Dynamite Tadduns. They are weak agaunst shurikens BUT you want to control where the eggs go so do not kill it at a distance. *Anemic Apple* ------------ Money: 1000 Exp: 2000 An apple in a hat, this sort of enemy is a vampire. They will siphon your HP with every bite. don't worry, you do far more damage than they could ever recover. They're weak against Blades, so end the annoyance quickly. *Drowsy Shroom* ------------- Money: 175 Exp: 350 Drowsy Shrooms pop up again and the only threat they hold is putting you to sleep while a stronger monster gets a hit. You should be able to kill them instantly without them splitting by now. *Desperate Fish* -------------- Money: 1050 Exp: 1900 Desperate fish is a very strong attacker, but it takes damage when it attacks you. This is not enough to kill it if you leave it. In a mob with other physical attackers you might give it priority. *Dynamite Taddun* --------------- Money: 5100 Exp: 9300 I would not recommend using an area of effect talisman on a Dynamite Taddun because if you wake its brethern up you're in for a touch of trouble. However, while these Tadduns are a bit out of your league Traps are the key to winning. If you land on an Excite Trap, take one of these suckers on. Range it with shurikens and then let loose on it once it's up to you. It's still hard, only less so. *Hidden Clam* ----------- Money: 900 Exp: 1800 Hidden clams do moderate damage, but their advantage lies in that they will always get the first attack in an exchange between it and Izuna. They lurk in the dark corridors and pop out to attack her. This surprise lets them get the first move. Once they are free, they _can_ follow you, so you're best to destroy them. The only way I know to detect these clams is with a controlled monster... but that is an _exceptionally_ dangerous move. *Kappa* ----- Money: 900 Exp: 1800 Kappa are dangerous in groups because of their special ability. They will spit on Izuna making her sweat. Of course, she can't equip weapons like this. They have a reasonable attack, and go down relatively quickly otherwise. Still, fight them alone or in a corridor. They are weak against shurikens if you want to soften them up from a distance first. *Karakasa Boy* ------------ Money: 1100 Exp: 2200 Karakasa boy is a moderate attacker, but its special ability can make life a pain in that it spits water at your equipment, removing Talismans. Make sure you restick any that fall off. *Super Marimo* ------------ Money: 700 Exp: 1400 Aggravating. Make sure you fight these things in a corridor because they do seem to split more often than Chibi Marimo. They aren't terribly strong, but the clones can wear you down fast. What wears you down even faster is if they kill a friend and become a Rainbow Marimo. Rainbow Marimos are found in the final dungeon, they will brutalize you at this point and they can split as well. I'd suggest a hasty retreat. *Taddun* ------ Money: 850 Exp: 1700 Tadduns are back, they are often found in corridors - always in the egg first. You can take these on pretty deftly now, so go for it. Their eggs are always solitary, Dynamite Tadduns need to be expelled from Dynamite Frogguns. *Tako Sashimi* ------------ Money: 750 Exp: 1500 Tako Sashimi are octopi with shells. They are weak against shurikens and moderately potent up close. Their special ability is to spit ink and blind Izuna temporarily. If they blind you, you will likely want to sit still. No use tromping on traps and the sorts. Well, I mean sit still after you killed them ;). *Usarahi* ------- Money: 1050 Exp: 2100 They're purely phsyical kimono girls again, but they aren't completely weak. Still, you should be able to put them down without too much issue. Enemies with debilitating attacks take priority of course. -Suiren- ------ Suiren is not nearly as difficult as Kagen, but don't underestimate her. The key is to bring her down before she ever reaches you. Suiren has one major weakness you can exploit - bombs do red damage. Throwing a bomb at Suiren is a great choice. She does have a ranged attack, but it's not so bad. She will mark the end of fire pill usage, instead an Awakening Pill does much better - swallow it if you have to melee her. As always, a mix of ranged attacks and mass scattered caltrops works wonders. Suiren can be effected by Gouka. Since her bubbles aren't much of a problem, you might consider using a Gouka to cut her down to size. A Houshin Blade with Hayates or using a Kaishin when she gets near you will also work her over very nicely. As always, keep a Ten'i on hand incase she gets the upperhand. Using a Talisman like Gouka is a major SP drain, so pack a few Likenesses of Mother. *IZU5.5: Zekuu Path* ------------------ 16 Floors (15+ Boss) Zekuu path is laid out similarly to the previous dungeon, but with 5 more floors and a new type of dunegon floor might start appearing - the large, one room floors. These easily incite mobs, so a talisman to teleport yourself, hit everything, or hold the monsters. Honestly, this is the most dangerous type of floor in the game. Otherwise, it's much the same except there is a huge variety of enemies. By now you should be using fire pills on regular enemie, if that. Your shurikens will soon be doing more damage anyways. Pick up an Awakening Pill or two, use one in any large one-room floor or against Utsuho. Some of the claws on the floor are enemies in disguise - Weapon Breakers. *Akamaru* ------- Money: 1600 Exp: 3200 An upgrade on the Mimimaru line, Akamaru is a middle of the road physical attacker. As always, dangerous in a mob but not so much elsewhere. *Akaname* ------- Money: 1850 Exp: 3700 The threat level of Akaname is not really that high, but they are annoying because they eat the LUV of your equipment. You probably don't have your boss killer weapon equipped, but it's still an aggravation. Kill them with priority. They can still eat your weapon's LUV ona diagonal past a wall. So lure them around corners, stick them with a shuriken and crush it when it gets near. You'll probably get your weapon eaten more than once in direct frontal conflict. *Burning Wind* ------------ Money: 1450 Exp: 2900 Burning Wind is fast, you will not outrun it. It moves two spaces at a time, and you trade places with it if you hit it. The advantage here is that it moves so fast it should arrive before other enemies, and by the time they get to Izuna, the Burning Wind is dead. It's not particularly powerful, but its extreme speed means it will reach you with ease meaning skip or escaping it are seriously compromised. *Cluck-a-Doodle* -------------- Money: 1650 Exp: 3300 Cluck-a-Doodles are powerful, physical attackers. Avoid fighting them in a group of enemies and back into a corridor. They are strong, but others with debilitating abilities take priority. *Cursed Mirror* ------------- Money: 1200 Exp: 2400 The mirrors are floating, and haunted. An exorcism claw is effective here. They are really just middle of the road attackers. *Evil Spirit* ----------- Money: 1950 Exp: 3900 Like the Departed Soul, this ghost can drain SP and cause fear. While it often drops a Likeness, you can't rely on this. It is a priority target, kill it before it drops your SP to the floor. Exorcism claw is of course effective. *Harmful Shroom* -------------- Money: 1350 Exp: 2700 Harmful shrooms have poison powder, but really what's harmful about them is that, yes, they split. This means that you're going to have to combat them in the tunnels. They're weak against blades, so try to kill them in one or two hits if possible. *Joke Scarecrow* -------------- Money: 2000 Exp: 4000 Stay away from Joke Scarecrows until every other enemy has been killed, unless you have an Izanagi Arm. They can curse you, and so to get the full experience benefits of the floor, they need to be last. They are stationary, meaning you have to go up close to them. They will get the first attack if you do this (you could use shurikens I suppose). When you hit them, they move back one space, forcing you to get up close to them once again. *Kamikaze Fish* ------------- Money: 1850 Exp: 4200 Again, a powerful attacker which is weak to the Cat Claw. Kamaikaze fish injure themselves when attacking you. While the damage they do to themselves won't help you tremendously, they hit you very hard in return. Watch out for these guys, and make sure to either shuriken them from afar or move into a corridor. *Koppa Tengu* ----------- Money: 2400 Exp: 4800 Koppa Tengu are a flying enemy, with a decent attack. They're not actually a huge a threat, their special ability is to blow you to a different part of the map. This can be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on what you land by. *Language Barrier* ---------------- Money: 1750 Exp: 3300 Another rock wall. It is again, indifferent to you until you go after it. It will get stuck in corridors, where if you go near it, it will get the first attack. It's best to soften it up with a few shurikens first. *Puppet Artisan* -------------- Money: 1950 Exp: 3900 Puppet Artisans are decent attackers but their true ability is in creating Taros to fight for them. They're a priority target, and remember - they cannot create a Taro on a wall so you can handle them best in a corridor. *Red-Eye Soldier* --------------- Money: 1600 Exp: 3200 A new floating enemy, Red-Eye soldiers are powerful attackers. Take them out at a distance with shurikens, they're rough in a mob. I'm not sure if these ones can put you to sleep like higher-end ones. I've been bitten many times and it has not occured, but be prepared for it. *Shadow Clam* ----------- Money: 1250 Exp: 2500 Shadow Clams are just like Hidden Clams, except faster. Remember that they lurk in tunnels OR near tunnels. They'll always get to attack first, and they follow you so destroy them when you reach them. Since you have to be right next to them anyways, they'll be gnawing at your heels if you try to run. *Taro* ---- Money: 1900 Exp: 3800 Actually a far more common enemy than Daigoro proved to be, Taro is a similar type of creature. Once it transforms, it will do severe damage. If you are ever in a mob with one, leave it be OR kill it immediately. Don't switch targets after it has transformed. Luckily, they go down fast. Unfortunately, Puppet Artisans can make them ;). *Vampire Apple* ------------- Money: 1400 Exp: 2800 Like Anemic Apple, this enemy recovers HP by attacking you. It is more powerful and the drain seems to be more potent but again, you will kill this thing far before the restoration becomes an issue. It's weak against blades, you'll down it in no time. *Weapon Breaker* -------------- Money: 1600 Exp: 3200 Weapon Breaker is named after the claw and looks like a claw until you get close to it. It will then jump up, surprise and attack you. They _can_ follow you once they've revealed themselves. I'm not sure if they actually do additional damage to your weapons, they don't do red damage to you or anything. They aren't weak attackers though. -Utsuho- ------ Utsuho is only a threat up close, you can always take him on at a range as we always have, sans fire pills because they're starting to fall off in usefulness very quickly. You might want Panacea for this battle, but I don't think it will be necessary. Utsuho can breathe a strange mist which will inflict you with certain conditions such as sweat and poison. Well, sweat's a bad one to get and poison doesn't really make a difference. You will want to throw your bombs and swallow an Awakening Pill befor ehe gets to you. As always, throw a bag of caltrops if you can predict him coming. Up close, Houshin Blade in hand, hit him with a Kaishin or two and then just lay into him. If things get bad, use Ten'i, then a Light of Divinity and Likeness of Mother. Utsuho isn't that hard if you can get the damage done before he spits on you. *IZU5.6: Maze of Gods* -------------------- 21 Floors (20+ Boss) The Maze of Gods is a difficult descent but the boss is not overly difficult. At this point you should avoid fire pills (unless you want to throw them at enemies) and hang onto a Awakening Pill. There's a decent variety of enemies in this dungeon so there's a lot of effects that can take place... This might be the first place you can encounter an Asura Blade. While all Blades you'll find down here have the chance to be very strong, Asura Blade allows you to gain more experience from enemies, accelerating your ability to beat the dungeon. If you use everything you've learned up to this point, you should be good to go. Make sure to keep a Gouka on hand for large, one-room floors. They won't clear the room but they will destroy the inevitable mob. *Bonfire Lantern* --------------- Money: 3600 Exp: 7200 As with the Red Lantern, it can burn your talismans. It can attempt this around the corner, so force it into a straight line. Kagutsuchi Arm probably isn't your priority at this time, but it might not be bad as a temp. *Boom* ---- Money: 3150 Exp: 6300 Boom are like Bang, except have more powerful shots. It's best, if you don't want to fight them, to throw a shuriken at them. when you hit them they have a chance to split or explode. They aren't a pleasant enemy. Exploding one will not grant experience, but saves the hassle. Your choice. *Boulder-Head* ------------ Money: 2850 Exp: 5700 High defense monster, so you'll be wearing your weapons thin on it. Other than that, there's nothing exceptional. *Chaos Mirror* ------------ Money: 2950 Exp: 5900 Chaos Mirrors are the same as Cursed Mirrors in execution. They float, and are considered Ghosts. They're decent physical attackers, but not a core threat. *Cursed Scarecrow* ---------------- Money: 2450 Exp: 5900 Cursed Scarecrow functions the same as Joke Scarecrow. Taking that into account you should save them for the last enemies on the floor unless you have an Izanagi Arm, because they can curse you. Again, if you want to melee them, you have to walk up to them and let them get a free attack or curse. *Demon Claw* ---------- Money: 3750 Exp: 6800 Just like the Weapon Breaker, when you try to pick it up it will surprise and attack you. This is a demon claw though, so its attacking causes damage to itself. It's fairly strong, so destroy it quickly. *Foreman Mole* ------------ Money: 2500 Exp: 5000 Foreman Mole plants traps as he walks towards you. If he's right next to you and you're fighting a group, he isn't priority and you can certainly see where he's putting those traps. But if he's on his way to you, seek him out and kill him, while extrapolating based on his direction which way he came. Once you know this, and have had messages about him planting traps, you will know where to take care. He can lay pretty much any trap I believe. Including Demon Traps. *Grade-A Shroom* -------------- Money: 3100 Exp: 6200 This enemy is a beast. It will poison+confuse you with its powder, split when hit sometimes, and packs a wallop. It's best to either kill it in two hits without getting hit by powder or employ a talisman if you do. You CAN use shurikens while confused without the change of directions but that just means there's a better chance they'll split. *Gwappa* ------ Money: 4000 Exp: 8000 Like Kappa, it can spit at you and cause Sweat. If you'll be advised to take them out with shurikens before they reach you, but if they make it there just attack normally. Their attack is fairly standard. *Ittan Nylon* ----------- Money: 4150 Exp: 6300 Ittan Nylon is again an enemy that can seal your talismans. Gouka is a valuable talisman to use on mobs in this dungeon, and Ten'i is just as important. You want your talismans available to use in this dungeon... It's weak against shurikens and blades/exorcism. Kill it with priority. *Kakka-San* --------- Money: 2550 Exp: 5100 Kakka-San are in the fireball group, and are again just physical attackers. It's not priority in a mob. *Karakasa Man* ------------ Money: 2600 Exp: 5200 Karakasa Man can also wash talismans off of your equipment. In retrospect, it might not be a bad way to remove Suitais. Besides this, they're standard physical attackers. *Karasu Tengu* ------------ Money: 3900 Exp: 7800 Karasu Tengu floats and can blow you away. Again, watch out where they blow you because they could spit you next to some undesireable enemies. They can hit hard, but you're usually blown away before too many exchanges. *Kodama* ------ Money: 2750 Exp: 5500 Kodama is along the Hikari line and very dangerous. They can make two moves per turn, or one attack with shuriken. They may stay one space away from you throwing shurikens because if you move back they will catch you and if you move forward they will hit you. Either way, they try to either keep a distance and toss shurikens or reach you and attack with their blade. Your best bet is to take them on head on, honestly because they can't take too many hits. Like Hikari, their shurikens damage other enemies if you put one between the two of you. *Kurayami Spider* --------------- Money: 4350 Exp: 6700 Powerful enemy which gets critical hits often. Kurayami spiders are purely physical but also a major threat. Make sure you fight them in a corridor because they can overwhelm you in a group. *Over-Easy Heads* --------------- Money: 3000 Exp: 6000 Floating heads like Fresh-Heads, it's low priority compared to others with special abilities. It's considered a ghost. *Red-Eye Colonel* --------------- Money: 3800 Exp: 7600 They float, and they're fairly strong. Like Red-Eye Soldier I've let them gnaw on me for a while but I haven't fallen asleep. This seems to be unique to the highest order of Red-Eye. The Colonel is pretty strong, as always take it on in a corridor. *Tako Wasabi* ----------- Money: 3250 Exp: 6500 These octopi can blind you if they get close, so you may want to soften them up before they reach you. Blindness is not detrimental to combat efforts until you are waiting between fights. Just wait it out rather than stumbling through traps all around the floor. *Talisoul* -------- Money: 3000 Exp: 6000 Talisoul are the upgrade to Talibeast, and much more aggravating because they can hurl part of their body - a Suitai talisman. Suitai drops attack and defense of equipment when stuck to it, so this is compromising. make sure they can't hit your ideal equipment or else you'll be getting talismans peeled off when you leave this dungeon. If Suitai hits an enemy, they will convert to their next lower level form. This enemy also drops Suitai Talismans, which you can throw for this effect. *Wasabbit* -------- Money: 2400 Exp: 5200 They are decent attackers, but still nothing of a threat in the long run. Low priority. -Takushiki- --------- Takushiki is powerful, but he's pretty much the same as what you've fought before. As always, thrown Bombs and a multi-scatter caltrop setup can help immensely. You may want a Panacea incase of an Ittan Nylon, and you should kill these with a vengeance. Takushiki has a ranged attackw ith fair potency, and he's powerful up close. Equip a Hayate Talismans to your weapon for extra hits, and slam him with Kaishin if he nears. As always, Ten'i comes in handy. If your weapon does not fall Takushiki, then get away and get ready for a second go at it. If you do not have a Houshin Blade, then you can find fairly strong ones in the dungeon. Don't waste a fire pill on Takushiki. It will probably do 600-800 damage, absolutely miserable. Use an Awakening Pill on yourself instead. *IZU5.7: Singularity* ------------------- 41 Floors (40+ Boss) Singularity is a 40 floor beast, and the final challenge of the main game. There are many, many enemy types here, one for most of each enemy in the game. Furthermore, they are at their final levels. Haja Blade is better than before because of this, but a Shingan or high Luv Zantetsu/Mousou will serve you so much better as many of them are highly evasive. Take the opportunity to seek out every monster on the floors until you are level 99. Once you reach this level, you can either clear the floors looking for treasures or head straight to the exit each floor. One new feature is Spirit talismans, which you can find at times throughout the dungeon. These let you transfer the base ability of a weapon to another (they are used just like normal talismans to stick). These have more red in them than normal Talismans so snatch them up when you notice them. Have a couple of Goukas on you, for those big rooms. Otherwise, paralyze or sleep the enemies but this is not enough time to kill the whole mob. Just watch out, enemy difficulty increases rapidly as you head down in the dungeon. ****?**** ------- There is one enemy I am unsure of, a Rock-Head in a state of fear. If you know anything about this, let me know. I do know it takes 1 or 0 damage, and doesn't have many hitpoints. It is feared so it will run from you. *Akanamezuri* ----------- Money: 8500 Exp: 17000 The only real threat from these guys is that they decrease the LUV of your weapon. They'll attempt it around corners as well, so back into the corridor a bit. *Agonizing Wind* -------------- Money: 4450 Exp: 8900 You'll know by now that these wind enemies move two spaces at a time and you trade places with them upon hitting. You will want to take them a couple of steps into a corridor if there's other enemies nearby. You don't want to be thrown out where everything else can pummel you. *Asura* ----- Money: 9500 Exp: 19000 Asura will arrive and slap you for moderate damage, but this is about the extent of it. They're not to be taken lightly, but they aren't priority all the same. *Bondage Ball* ------------ Money: 5250 Exp: 10500 I can see the fanarts already... This is the ultimate Tentaball, possessing its trademark ability to anchor poor Izuna to the spot. They are vulnerable to blades and shurikens, so you will likely slice them up but good if you've been working on a blade. If not, make sure to toss a few shurikens their way before they get to you. *Calamity Mirror* --------------- Money: 5750 Exp: 11500 Another physical attacking mirror, it can hit hard when you first encounter it, but there are graver threats down here. Exorcism claw is effective. *Chicken-Z* --------- Money: 15000 Exp: 20000 Despite the cool name, they can only do normal attacks. They serve as the general enemy for the lower floors. *Dynamite Taddun* --------------- Money: 5100 Exp: 9300 Lone eggs will surely be Dynamite Tadduns. But don't get too comfortable, deep down it's Jet Taddun eggs instead. Even so, Dynamite Tadduns should not be an too much of a challenge at this point. They often block vital areas anyways. *Fish May Care* ------------- Money: 5900 Exp: 11800 Fish May Care is another reckless fish, it harms itself in exchange for a large deal of damage to poor Izuna. Be sure not to get ganged when fighting one of these, don't underestimate their potential for damage and the damage they deal themselves won't kill them very quickly if you just leave them. *Gerronpa* -------- Money: 14000 Exp: 28000 Another of the Kappa enemies, they can cause sweaty status. This is potentially deadly in this dungeon. Don't waste a Panacea on sweat because you will take hits re-equipping anyways. But head into a corridor to minimize the damage, and potentially put Gerronpa at the back of the line in a mob. Of course, if you fight him alone hurl shurikens before it reaches you, they are effective. *Gokuraku Spider* --------------- Money: 11750 Exp: 23500 An extreneky dangerous enemy, this spider adds to the brutality of its common criticals a 2-space movement speed. Meaning it WILL catch you if you run. It's best to be ready for it when it comes. There's only a few monsters more powerful in terms of straight up attacking and thankfully its speed honestly does mean you'll get to take care of it before the calvary arrives. *Gonjinka-Sama* ------------- Money: 11000 Exp: 22000 They aren't weak and they move twice as fast as all the other fireball monsters. They aren't as dangerous as Gokuraku Spiders, but they are accurate and powerful. *Green Apple* ----------- Money: 6500 Exp: 13000 The Green Apple gets even more life back from biting you but this is still not enough to really turn the tide. It's weak against blades and shurikens, so peel away his hopes to the core, like so many bad jokes. *Hell Puncher* ------------ Money: 14500 Exp: 29000 Hell Punchers can jump to the other side of Izuna, and sometimes their punches knock her back a space. They could set up a pincer by jumping over you and knocking you into a crowd of enemies, but it's unlikely if you are deep enough in a corridor. They aren't weak by any stretch, but in a two on two, prioritize. They aren't so strong you can't pause to knock the piss out of a creature with a damning ability. If they do knock you back, retaliate with a shuriken if it's one on one. *Hell Scarecrow* -------------- Money: 6000 Exp: 12000 Another stationary scarecrow that can curse you, as always leave them to be the last enemy cleared on a floor. Sometimes you don't knock these ones back, which mixes it up I suppose, giving them an instant counter-attack. Remember, they always get to make the first attack unless you use shurikens, which they are weak against. *Horned Bunnia* ------------- Money: 8000 Exp: 16000 Horned Bunnia is a decent physical attacker, doing around 500 or more damage to a low defense Izuna. There's no other real threat to these little lagomorphs, but they do pack a punch. Their stamina is lacking, however. *Hou'ou Tengu* ------------ Money: 13000 Exp: 28600 When one is near you, make sure to get a few good hits in becuase they will likely blow you away. Once blown away in this dungeon, be ready for anything, it might be best to duck into a corridor and Skip Heal. They aren't weak physical attackers either, and in a mob you can't easily escape, don't focus on the Tengu and maybe he'll blow you to safety. But do not rely on this, it's a dire hope only. *Insupperable Wall* ----------------- Money: 6750 Exp: 13500 Insupperable Walls as always are high defense, high attack, and get stuck in corridors. Leave them until everything else is clear unless you need to get through. Even then you may want to throw a few shurikens first. *Jet Froggun* ----------- Money: 4900 Exp: 9800 As always, it's their eggs and offspring that are the real threat. And a Jet Froggun really imposes the need for her children to feed... +--+--+--+ When the Jet Froggun dies, it releases seven eggs around itself and |Eg|Eg|Eg| Izuna. If you fought the Froggun with your back to the wall, you +--+--+--+ will be trapped. |Eg|Fr|Iz| +--+--+--+ Jet Tadduns aren't super difficult, but try to avoid this situation |Eg|Eg|Eg| if at all possible. +--+--+--+ One thing you can use this spread for is an artificial corridor. Unless a ranged creature is on its way, it works perfectly. Not only that, but creatures approaching from the opposite side of the opening will stay there until they get displaced. They will __not__ go around and in after you. If more creatures arrive, they will take up different spots around the egg barrier, but all of them won't suddenly chase you down or anything. You can use skip to restore HP while in this barrier, albeit slowly. *Jet Taddun* ---------- Money: 14750 Exp: 29500 You're likely going to have to chop through a couple of these suckers to reach the end. Their eggs populate the lower levels of the dungeons and fighting multiple Jet Frogguns increases your chances of getting boxed in. They aren't a huge threat, however. Certainly you don't want to chop every Jet Taddun egg you see when you enter this dungeon, but you don't need to be as concerned about fighting them either. They _are_ powerful, but you'll be gaining levels so rapidly here you'll be ready for them before to long - especially under Excite Trap influence. While they should be largely avoided early in the dungeon, they are likely a necessary obstacle later on. *Kaboom* ------ Money: 12500 Exp: 25000 As always, they split and sometimes explode when you attack them. If you don't want to bother fighting them, hit them with a shuriken at a distance and they will explode if it connects. You don't get money/exp if you do that, however. *Karakasa God* ------------ Money: 5000 Exp: 10000 Karakasa God as always can wash talismans off of your equipment. He will try this around corners so if Talismans are a big part of your strategy, enter a corridor a little bit to lure him in. He's not that much of a threat up close, rip into him but remember to pick up and restick any spilled talismans. *Mimimaru* -------- Money: 4250 Exp: 8500 Mimimaru hasn't learned any new tricks, it's still a physical attacker at the low end of the Singularity pecking order. Only a concern when with company. *Ninja Clam* ---------- Money: 6240 Exp: 12500 Ninja Clams seem to be somewhat rare, but if you want to fight them they will be in corridors or the dark edges near corridor openings. They will always get the first move, and follow you after you activate them. Kill them on the spot. *Nozomi* ------ Money: 9250 Exp: 13000 Just like Kodoma, they move two spaces at a time and can throw shurikens (often at a friend if he's between you and him). He's quick and dangerous, but falls fairly quickly. They like to stay just one space away from you and lob shurikens. You'll probably be forced to go in after them yourself, rather than them coming to you. *Pierceadillo* ------------ Money: 7000 Exp: 14000 Pierceadillos also roll into a ball when they have about 1/3 life left, just like their little bros. But by now, your weapon will probably finish them off while they are still a ball. Still, you can either leave the balls for when you have defeated everything else, or have them block corridors while you Skip Heal. That's always valid. *Power Bore* ---------- Money: 16500 Exp: 33000 Exceptionally powerful, even with decent defenses they should be dealing 1000 damage. They can overwhelm you quickly, but they always have that knock-back effect. If you're knocked back you may want to retreat a bit and return fire. Shurikens as always, save bombs for the boss. Power Bores make mobs extremely brutal, so try and get them into a corridor. *Rainbow Marimo* -------------- Money: 10000 Exp: 20000 Hell. Rainbow Marimos way well be the single most aggravating enemy besides the usual suspect of Grade-A Shroom. They aren't weak and they seem to split like no-one's business. Your best bet it to be able to do 4500 or so damage to them in one turn, so that it'll take at least two turns to kill one. Yami-Uchi is also a consideration. They're weak against swords, as usual. Shurikens too, but they don't do enough damage to make them worthwhile (split clones). *Red-Eye General* --------------- Money: 8750 Exp: 17500 Red-Eye Generals are potent attackers but their bite can also put you asleep. In a mob, this could be fatal. The sleep effect doesn't seem to be really common, but watch yourself around them. *Rush Job Mole* ------------- Money: 4500 Exp: 11000 Rush Job Moles lay traps in their wake, so keep note of their position even if you are otherwise occupied. They're moderate fighters up close, but by then you might be mobbed with some more pressing monsters. *Sacred Lantern* -------------- Money: 9000 Exp: 18000 Sacred Lanters, like those before it, can burn Talismans in your possession. Stick a few shurikens in them before they reach you and finish them off as quickly as possible. In a mob, back into a corridor so that they can't line up with you diagonally, then you only have to worry about their turn to fight you. *Scrambled Heads* --------------- Money: 4300 Exp: 8600 Scrambled Heads are vicious physical atackers, but as usual their resume stops there. You can use an exorcism claw for extra damage. *Shisaku* ------- Money: 15500 Exp: 29000 Shisaku is a transforming robot. It doesn't have much stamina, but it packs a serious wallop. It has the two-space movement and very powerful attacks even as a tank. When it transforms it will do 1500 damage or so to Izuna with moderate defense. If you start fighting Shisaku, finish the job. A transformed Shisaku can become a real issue real fast. *Sprite Artisan* -------------- Money: 11000 Exp: 22000 Sprite Artisans can make many of the monsters of the dungeon, such as Red-Eye Generals and Nozumis. Because of the variety of beasts they generate, they quickly become priority before something truly horrible arrives. *Talispectre* ----------- Money: 8250 Exp: 16500 Talispectres hurl Suitais, which will decrease the attack and defense of any equipment they stick on. If you can interpose another enemy between you and Talispectre, the talisman will strike it (if Talispectre decides to hurl a body part) and level it down. They drop Suitais, which you may want to use to level down an enemy when things get dicey. *Vampire Claw* ------------ Money: 11500 Exp: 23000 A hidden claw, it will attack you wen you try to pick it up. Like its namesake, it restores HP when it attacks you. Like the Apple enemy, this isn't enough to turn the tide. Smite it before it does make a difference. *Vengeful Ghost* -------------- -data missing- One of the most dangerous enemy, capable of consuming a great deal of SP (I had it drain over 230, it might be 1/2 your SP?). Priority target. -Gen-An- ------ Gen-An is not terribly difficult, but he could cause problems in a mob. Gen-An is a powerful attacker, probably doing up to 1600 damage per hit to Izuna when she has moderate defense. His special attack is punch which flings Izuna back to the wall and knocks half of her hit points out. This is like a charge pill, but it does not effect Gen-an himself. While this is powerful it gives you plenty of time to heal or pump Grandboss full of shurikens. Make sure there's room behind you when you fight him, you WANT to be fired back because you're taking half damage regardless. Once back there use a Divinity and continue attacking Gen-An at a distance. If he reaches you a second time, try a Kaishin or two, then Ten'i away. Repeat the pattern after this. Of course, other enemies often reach you first. I _do_ recommend mass scatter of caltrops, throw them one direction and you'll know by voice if Gen-An is coming. Throw your bombs at him before he reaches you, of course! *IZU5.8: Path of Trials* ---------------------- The path of trials is the hidden dungeon in Izuna, and the ultimate challenge. The hidden village holds many secrets with respect to accessing this dungeon but if you must know, it's on the Shrine grounds. If you touch the sacred gem without any gear, you will be taken to the Path of Trials - some 100 floors deep and means as hell. You start at level 1, with enemies from Snake Hole. These will get progressively nastier as you descend. Your level outside of the Trials will remain the same. But inside, you must go through the motions to gain enough levels to cope. Some tings to consider: -Gear- -Izanagi Arm will prevent Curse, getting Cursed early on will impair your experience gain. You may want to use a panacea if you get cursed. -Asura Blade is invaluable. The ability to gain more experience in this particular dungeon is excellent. -Haja Blade should be avoided at all costs. There's nothing quite like having a Fire Puncher become a Hell Puncher and splatter poor Izuna all over the floor. -Shingan Blade, Mousou Blade, and Enma Arm are also good gear. -Strategizing- Demon Traps are an excellent source of experience, just activate them in a direction that will be an advantage to Izuna. ESPECIALLY if you find an Excite Trap you should use these. You _must_ search for traps. Losing a good Talisman or getting cursed is not an option here. Get a claw or sword and attach a Reppu. Base it on what your main weapon down here is, so you don't have to change from Sword/Arm to Claw, wasting time if a monster is on its way. Don't destroy Demon or Excite Traps, as they are useful. Kikans take you out of the dungeon with any gear you find, it might be best to pile rare talismans on an arm with a Kikan. Kikan is not the most common talisman down here. Always keep something like a Gouka in the event of a surprise demon trap or a big, one room floor. Keep a few Likenesses with you and look at any you leave behind before you head down a staircase. You NEED to keep your SP up in this place. Fire Pills are most useful for attacking on the first 20 or 30 floors. Don't rely on them later on. Marimos can kill other monsters to increase in level. A chibi marimo becoming Super or a Super becoming Rainbow is a dire, dire situation. Ten'i away from the offender unless you have something like Yami-Uchi to attempt a kill. These high order Marimos will cream you if you're not at the proper level. AND they can of course split. -Treasure- The treasure of the Path of Trials is rare weapons such as Claw of Ouyryu and many Spirit talismans. If you find one of these weapons, immediately stick a Kikan. Fill its other slots with Spirits to later peel off. Weapons usually come damaged so resist the urge to go swinging them around, unless you repaire them significantly. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU6: Traps | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Dungeon 3 introduces traps to the game, and Izuna will be plagued by them from that point on. Traps can seriously turn the tide of battle, so step lightly. Detecting Traps: Detecting traps is tedious. Attach a Reppu to a weapon and swing in front of you as you go. A trap will appear in front of you if you find one. Destroying Traps: Traps can be destroyed with a weapon breaker or with bombs. Trap Types: *Abbacus Trap: ------------ An abbacus trap is like a charge pill, it throws you across the room and deals half your current hitpoints in damage (so if you have 5000 total, but 2200 left it will only do 1100 damage, not 2500). This is an especially aggravating trap if you have full hit points and enemies are on their way to Izuna. The only time it is an advantage is when you're already extremely low on health and you want to move across a room quickly. The trap motion only counts as one turn, not one turn per space moved. I actually saved myself in an abbacus trap once it flung me out of a room and all the way down a hallway. That's not to say this is a wise tactic to try, however, for desperate girls only. It can also dislodge those rock wall monsters I believe? I got hit by an abbacus trap and rammed him and all of a sudden he's out in the main room with me. There wasn't two, either. The icon is a horizontal line of an abbacus. *Blind Trap: ---------- Izuna is blinded, reducing her line of sight to zero. You should usually stay put if this happens, it will subside shortly if you start skipping. Its icon appears to be a small black mask. *Bomb Trap: --------- +--+--+--+ Bombs surround Izuna on every side with a 6 turn fuse. When they |Bo|Bo|Bo| explode, they will also destroy any nearby items or traps. Just +--+--+--+ run and hope they catch an enemy or two. |Bo|Iz|Bo| +--+--+--+ The icon is a little bomb. |Bo|Bo|Bo| +--+--+--+ *Curse: ----- Appears as a baleful grey face/skull, this bestows Izuna with Curse status. IZuna won't gain as much experience like this, so avoid these if you find them or wear an Izanagi Arm if you're really concerned. *Demon Trap: ---------- Demon traps generate enemies for Izuna to fight. +--+--+--+ In an unencumbered trap, five monsters are generated and they | |En|En| will be aggressive. Even indifferent Rock Wall monsters will +--+--+--+ aggress you. | |Iz|En| +--+--+--+ If there is a wall in the way of a full spread, you will get | |En|En| fewer monsters. +--+--+--+ If a Demon Trap remains after calling forth monsters, you can use it again to do the same things once more. Demon traps appear as a green face with a tongue sticking out. *Excite Trap: ----------- This appears as four red right angles pointing in at each other, common "angry" sign in cartoons and comics and such. This causes "Excite" status, increasing Izuna's attack. Useful. *Fire Trap: --------- Fire Traps always deal 200 damage and can burn a Likeness or Talisman from Izuna's inventory. If ANYTHING makes you search for traps, it's the loss of your valueable talismans. Alternatively, pick up a few arms and stick everything to those instead, along with a Kikan. Icon is a flame. *Float Trap: ---------- Causes Izuna to float she won't set off traps or be able to pick up items until she lands. Icon is wings. *Forgetful Trap: -------------- Makes Izune forgetful, meaning she occassionaly drops an item. It's best to wait this out unless you absolutely have to move. Icon appears as a swirl. *Lightning Trap: -------------- This causes Izuna paralysis. She will lose a handful of turns and then be able to move again. The icon is a lightning bolt. *Shoulder-Ache Trap: ------------------ This harms Izuna's shoulders so that she can't lift them. She can still attack, but she can't throw items/shurikens/kunais NOR can she lift up healing items. *Smoke Trap: ---------- Izuna "runs away out of habit," that is she is taken to a different part of the map. This is similar to a Ten'i or being blown away by a Tengu, your situation can drastically change based on where you arrived. Its icon is a few grey orbs. *Tub Trap: -------- A tub hits Izuna in the head for 100 damage, and she forgets the map up to this point. The icon is a tub over some firewood. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU7: Equipment | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= A Ninja's equipment is her best friend, and in this instance the key to a successful journey. Equipment Stats detail AT, Attack or to what degree they help Izuna damage her enemies, DF, Defense, or to what degree she resists damage from her enemies. CAP is the total SP Capacity of the piece of equipment, SP is the number of SP left than can be stuck to the equipment, and TSP is the Total SP that is stuck to the equipment. SP refers to the amount of SP that a talisman uses, this also means that if a talisman has an (xx) next to it, then it will take up (xx) SP on your equipment in question. Much of the gear in Izuna have special qualities that make them desireable for specific situations. You cannot prepare for everything without tremendous work. Think of the qualities you want and work from there. IZU7.1: Blades ------------------ Blades generally have a high base attack but no defense. The other downside to blades is that they only have room for 3 Talismans at any one time. The upside is that, yes they're powerful and can be equipped with an Arm for added effect. There are a number of enemies that are weak to swords in general, and the special qualities of swords make them particularly suited to battle in later dungeons. *Asura Blade: ----------- The Asura is a great weapon, but one you probably shouldn't invest a lot of time in. The special quality of the Asura Blade is that you gain extra EXP from enemies wen you use it to kill them. This is very nice until you max out at level 99 (though you can still gain EXP after this point). This quality makes the Asura Blade particularly desireable in the later dungeons where you want to gain levels quickly to cope with the stark contrast in new enemies to the old. *Haja Blade: ---------- Haja Blade has a permanent Fuuma like effect, it can conscript enemies to your side so that they attack other enemies. Sounds good, right? No, it's an exceptionally dangerous weapon to use without consideration. First of all, conscripted enemies do not discriminate aginst whom they attack. This means that they will release Tadduns from eggs, split Marimos and Mushrooms and the like. But that's not the least of it. They are not exceptional fighters and will likely be killed soon enough. When a monster which is not at its max level kills your conscript, it will become a higher order monster. So yes, that means that not only will they release that Dynamite Taddun, but also allow it to change into a Jet Taddun. It you're at a lower level than you'd normally be facing these creatures, you'd better move! In the final dungeon were everything is at its max level, it's a little more desireable. But honestly, besides serving as a distraction the monsters are not that huge of a benefit. They will still release Tadduns and attack targets that can split. The final kicker is that if they have no other option they will still attack you! *Houshin Blade: ------------- The Houshin Blade is effective against Divine beings, namely the gods which serve as level bosses. If you can run the Attack rating of the sword up, you will be dealing severe damage to these gods. This is particularly useful on rematching gods, but if you can get some Houshin Blades that are of reasonable potency on your first time through the game, then they can be helpful against the bosses. Unfortunately, the best Houshin Blades are found late in teh game and rarely above 150 base attack. It would be worth creating one of significant power if you hope to fight gods after the initial run through, however. *Mousou Blade: ------------ The Mousou blade is a decent weapon, possessing a very high base attack (in later dungeons it can exceed 300). However, there aren't any other qualities possessed by the blade that would make it a desireable choice. That is not to say it's a bad weapon, far from it, but you'll have to work on this sword for a while to make it desireable if you want to exploit it's more hearty base attack. What I find Mousou Blades useful for, in the last two dungeons, is a temporary weapon so that my core weapon does not sustain damage while heading for the boss. *Shingan Blade: ------------- Excellent, excellent weapon. The Shingan Blade has supreme accuracy. While not as intially powerful as other Blades, usually only 100 some at max base but you can obviously improve this with Talismans. The big advantage to an unerring accuracy is that monsters in higher dungeons often have a decent amount of evasion. You'll be missing them and they will be hammering you. Shingan may not be the best suited for bosses, in terms of damage output, but for the dungeons themselves it is invaluable. If you've been getting frustrated with missing enemies then give the Shingan Blade a shot. *Zantetsu Blade: -------------- Zantetsu blade ignores defense, so it is actually quite desireable. Besides the Houshin Blade, this is ideal for bosses. Besides this, Rock-Heads and Walls are high defense creatures that you might wish to overcome. There's not much more than can be said about Zantetsu's ability. Honestly, it's a great choice. Improve it's attack and provide some nifty qualities and it will serve you well. IZU7.1: Claws ----------------- Claws are a 2-in-1 affair, both attack and defense qualities. The defense is less than an Arm and te attack usually less than a Blade. But this can be rectified through the use of talismans, of course. Claws have interesting qualities, not always terribly useful but they have niche applications. They do have 8 talisman slots, however you'll have to divide its CAP between defense and attack if you want both. *Baku Claw: --------- If you want to use a claw as your general weapon, this would be my recommendation. Its effect is a chance of putting the attacked enemy to sleep. While this is is for sure not common enough to be relied upon, it _is_ an excellent ability and the base stats of Baku aren't usually that bad. Putting an enemy to sleep buys yourself a few rounds, or helps out in a mob. *Cat Claw: -------- The Cat Claw is worth equipping early on if you find one and its attack/defense are high. The special quality of the Cat Claw is added potency against fish. Fish are not terribly common enemies, and as such a permanent Cat Claw probably isn't in your best interest. *Claw of Ouryu: ------------- Rare claw found in the hidden dungeon, this is an advanced Dragon Claw. If you do find one of these and a Kikan, you might consider hanging onto it. It will likely be damaged when you find it, and attack may vary based on floor, but if you wanted to have a good Dragon Claw, Ouryu would be better. *Demon Claw: ---------- Demon Claw is usually high in attack, but its main quality is that it causes you damage when you attack the enemy... The extra damage is not worth this effect. You can surpass the Attack stat of most demon claws by burning Rekkas into your others. *Dragon Claw: ----------- Dragon Claw is interesting, it releases a wave of fire if your hit points are full. This could be used in place of Shurikens/Kunai but if you take any damage it will stop. While the ability is neat for sure, it's not terribly powerful. And again, if you have any less than full hitpoints you won't release the fire wave. With proper talismans, of course it will be more able as a general weapon. The claw is not bad, but its utility is limited. *Exorcism Claw: ------------- In comparison to 'fish,' 'ghosts' are much more common. The special quality of the Exorcism Claw is that it is more potent against ghosts. Ghosts includes the obvious "ghost" enemies, but also scarecrows, mirrors, etc. As such, the Exorcism quality is a decent one. You'll have to really pump this sucker up if you want it for a general weapon. *Falcon Claw: ----------- You'll find the claw or the spirit in the hidden dungeon, its special effect is to swing twice. It's rather powerful as a base weapon in that respect. If you want a claw for all out attacking, go this route. It'll free up Hayate spaces for a Kaishin or Yami-Uchi. *Giant Claw: ---------- The special quality of the Giant Claw is that it does more damage the more HP you have, so as you take damage this weapon will take a hit not only from SP loss but HP loss. Yet, the base attack is usually pretty high, and if you are decent at keeping your HP high, it can be effective. You're not going to find yourself constantly full of hit points, so it's your choice completely. You can always boost its attack and defense outside of the ability. *Quandary Claw: ------------- This is the polar opposite of Giant Claw, it deals more damage when you have less hitpoints. Like the giant claw, if you put some work into into it can be a decent general weapon. It's found late in the game, literally the last dungeon is where I found my first, so you might have to grab one and Kikan out to work on it. The obvious application of this claw is in mobs. While you should avoid fighting mobs wherever possible, this claw will help you end them more quickly. Of course, a strong talisman might save you some trouble, but regardless it helps. The other thing to note is when you're using Skip to heal and enemies keep finding you. If you haven't healed very much this claw could prove useful. *Steel Claw: ---------- Steel claw is a basic claw, there's no special qualities. While you could conceivably outfit it quite nicely with Talismans, a decent base ability is more desireable for a weapon. *Sword Defender: -------------- The Sword Defender is most useful early on against the first boss, it increases your defense against swords. I believe only the enemy Ninjas and transforming robots use this form of attack so this weapon does only have niche applications. I'd look elsewhere for a weapon more suited for general use. *Vampire Claw: ------------ The Vampire claw drains life from the enemy, that is when you damage the enemy with it you restore a minimal amount of HP. I believe this is about 5% of the damage. Honestly, this sounds attractive at first, but the life you restore is too minimal for this to be worthwhile. Of course, it still is a perk and if you have a very powerful Vampire Claw it can be an advantage. Sometimes, even 50HP is the difference between victory and defeat. Even still, as a base ability it could be more effective. *Weapon Breaker: -------------- Weapon breaker is effective against enemies that wield weapons themselves and it has the capacity to destroy traps. Weapon Breaker as a weapon has about the same capacity for use as a Sword Defender for a general weapon. But you might appreciate its ability to remove traps if you're ever boxed in or are really worried about traps. IZU7.1: Arm --------------- Arms are defensive only, there is no Attack stat and even Rekka will not provide them with one. The advantage is that you can wear an arm with a Blade, and none of the Arms are bad. Arms have 8 talisman slots. Even so, you should only focus on defensive talismans when sticking as they cannot take advantage of attack talismans. *Enma Arm: -------- Terrific piece of equipment, the Enma arm should be highly prized. Its special ability is that SP does not reduce when you are hit. This means you will always have your SP on hand to activate Talismans or attack at your full capacity. Talismans still expend SP, as do the ghosts' fear attacks. But you can lose as many as 30+ SP per floor if you bother fighting enemies so you're quickly weakened... Likeness of Pochi/Mother isn't always available to restore your capabilities. *Izanagi Arm: ----------- Extremely useful if you need to gain levels, as Izanagi Arm resists the Curse status 100%. Equip an Izanagi arm with an Asura Blade and you'll be all set. The usefulness of Izanagi is limited when you've reached level 99, so you might want to work on a different arm more readily than this. Still, it's helpful when it applies. *Izanami Arm: ----------- Not to be confused with the Izanagi Arm, Izanami prevents the status effect Seal. Seal occurs when you lose the ability to use talismans. This is less useful than it would seem, Ittan enemies can wrap you up and seal your talismans but they are easily taken out from a distance with shurikens or up close with a blade. Still, if you get sealed you cannot use Kikan or the likes, or attack talismans when you fight a boss. In that sense, if Ittans are on the floor with the boss, you might want to consider equipping this arm. *Kagutsuchi Arm: -------------- The Kagutsuchi Arm resists fire attacks. I'm not completely certain if this provides added defense against fire traps and Lantern spitting, but I was consistently gettin "That's Nothing" even with loose talismans when fighting Lanterns. Fire is the focus of one dungeon in the game, but the last two dungeons have fire based enemies as well. Kagutsuchi isn't the most useful arm, but it does have applications. *Orochi Arm: ---------- Orochi arm resists electricity, water, and paralysis. This might be useful against Karakasa enemies, but they're not terribly potent. Paralysis from ekectricity traps can give enemies a number of fre turns on you, which can be a pain. Of course, Orochi has its best applications in Dungeon 4, which is water-based. It's like the Kagutsuchi arm in this sense, not at all bad but the use is particular. *Susano-o Arm: ------------ The other greatest arm, this one has a chance at preventing any status effect. This is not 100%, so you are still vulnerable, but it extends to confusion, poison, sleep, etc so its use is not so compromised. This one will always have a use, so if you can get one with a good base defense you may want to work on it for a while. IZU7.4: Sticking Talismans ------------------------------ The key to ultimate gear is sticking talismans. Before you stick the Talsimans, consider their effect (see the section on Talismans) and the CAP of your item. CAP is Capacity, or how much SP worth of Talismans the equipment can hold. TSP is Total SP, or how much SP worth of Talismans have been applied. SP is SP left to be consumed. You can increase the cap by using Zoufuku... These Talismans should be burnt in: Rekka - increases attack, only on Blades and Claws. Mikagami - Increases defense, only on Claws and Arms. Outside of these, weapon Spirits allow you a full range of custimization. But be reasonable, you create a weapon spirit with a Tsukomo after it reaches 100 LUV, however this will likely be 88+ SP. So, why would Izuna stick a Spirit of Baku to her weapon if she has a Talisman that does the same thing for 40 less SP (Suimun)? Or why would you stick a couple of Hayate when you could just use one Spirit of Falcon? Desireable qualities, imo, are: Zatetsu: Ignores defense. Shingan: Extremely accurate. Houshin: Effective against Divine. Susano-O: Chance to guard against all. Enma: Do not lose SP when hit. Giant: More damage when HP is high. Quandary: More damage when HP is low. And so on, pick something that you normally CAN'T get from sticking normal Talismans. Spirits take a lot of work to make, or you can get them in the hidden dungeon. Either way, don't be wasteful. Also, the same applies as with Rekka and Mikagami. You cannot attack with an Arm so don't stick a Zentetsu on it and you cannot defend with a blade so you don't stick an Enma on it. For a weapon, desireable talismans (besides Rekka) would be: Yami-Uchi: Chance for a one-hit kill. Not something to rely on but it is helpful. Kaishin: Increased critical hit rate. Hayate: Double hit when three are equipped. Spirit of Falcon: Double hit when one is equipped. For defending, Mikiri isn't bad as it increases evasion rate. Defending gear gets more Mikagami and Spirits than attacking though. Izanami, Susnao-O, and Enma qualities on a Katgutsuchi Arm? It would take a long time, but it could be one serious piece of hardware. If you are dividing talismans up for use on weapons there is one important factor to consider: Kikans. If you've worked so hard on an item you don't want to lose it. Keep a slot and some SP free to stick Kikans to it. If you walk around with Kikans in your held slots they could be burnt (but you should have a loose Kikan as well anyways). Kikan saves you the headache of rebuilding gear. They are not expensive, and if you don't want to buy them just run through the Snake Hole a couple of times until you have a handful. Also, spend money at the Blacksmith to repair your gear, as it will take it back to full. You can try Fukugens but you have to burn them in to fully repair equipment. Money for this isn't hard to come by, so don't slack! ****NOTE! If you try to burn in Talismans that have special effect this effect is lost! If you try to burn in Talismans exceeding the CAP, your weapon will be destroyed! IZU7.5: Weapon Fragility ---------------------------- The last thing you need to consider about your gear is the fragility. Weapons will eventually break if used non-stop. You can tell when this is happening, it will crack, then crack even more, then break. You can use the talisman Fukugen as a temporary repair, but it only repairs the hidden hit points of the item by a certain amount. Obviously, more SP expensive Fukugens have a greater restorative effect. If you continue to use a weapon after it is damaged, it will eventually break. Once a weapon is broken, you have lost it forever. Between dungeons, you might want to pay the blacksmith to fully repair your main weapon. It's not _that_ expensive and it puts it back to full rather than 3 swings above cracked. High defense monsters wear your weapons down faster since they take more hits to defeat. Also, when an armadillo monster curls up, even the 0's you deal to it wear your gear down. Defensive gear, on the other hand gets damaged the more you are hit. So if you keep missing them, your shiny arm will take a pounding. I'm not sure if enemies with weapons deal more damage to your defensive gear, but moles seem to crack my stuff pretty often. the other contributor to breakage is an overload of talismans. If TSP > CAP, then your weapon will break more often. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU8: Expendable Items | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are many items Izuna can make use of in her quest, and they often mean the difference between success and failure. ***Healing*** Blue orbs which have restorative properties. Light of Healing: Lifting this up will restore 500 HP. Light of Blessing: Lifting this up will restore 2000 HP. Light of Divinity: Lifting this up will restore all HP. Panacea: Lifting this will heal any status effect, including beneficial ones like Excite. ***Likenesses*** Likeness of Pochi: Restores 100 SP. Likeness of Mother: Restores all SP. Picture of Hell: Permanently increases your SP but causes Feat status. The increase is only 1 or 2 points, but it's still worth it. Just use this before a staircase and you'll be cured when you go down anyways. ***Pills*** Grey/purple bag that has a pill which grants an effect when swallowed or thrown at an enemy. Awakening Pill: Increases your evasion and accuracy, most valuable pill late in the game. Charge Pill: Causes Izuna to run forward dealing half her HP in damage to herself and the enemy. You can force an enemy to expend half of its current HP this way, but if they face towards you they will hit you. Remember, it's current HP that is halved. Not total. Light Pill: Causes float status. Not bad if you want to skip some traps. Fire Pill: Heavy damage when thrown early in the game, much less effective as time goes on. Don't swallow it. Heavy Pill: Permanently increases your HP by a few points (not many HP). Poison Pill: Posions the target, generally not useful enough to keep a stock. Sleep Pill: Causes sleep. ***Talisman Effecting*** Red orbs which effect equipped weapons with Talismans. Burn-In Flame: Burns talismans into equipped gear. If the Talisman SP exceeds CAP, the weapon is destroyed. Purifying Flame: Destroys talismans on the weapon, you might instead consider peeling off at the shop so you can save them for later use... ***Weapons*** Tools of the ninja, these can be stacked upon each other and will be just as important as you main weapon. Caltrops: Scatter these on the grouns and any enemy that steps on them will take a little damage (unless they are floating). Caltrops aren't best used for pure damage, but instead as a way to tell when enemies are near you in dark corridors or when a boss is approaching (based on their 'hurt voice.' If you throw a bag of Caltrops, they will mass scatter. That is, you will cover many squares as all the caltrops fly out of the bag. This tactic is helpful when bosses are on their way and you don't want to risk putting them down individually in case the boss gets too close to you before you're ready to exchange blows. Bomb: Bombs won't kill, but will knock off a percentage of health. Logically, they are most effetcive against bosses. It can be difficult to predict the fuse on a bomb, you're best off tossing the whole bag at a boss to start off the fight. Kunai: Kunai are thrown in three directions, forward and diagonally forward to either direction. There aren't a whole lot of opportunities to use the kunai as they are meant, so Shurikens are usually a better choice. Shuriken: Simple shuriken is thrown forward. Great way to rack up damage before an enemy reaches you, and many are weak against them to boot. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU9: Talismans | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Talismans play an important role in Izuna's quest, either by helping her equipment or devastating her enemies. *Ashikase: -------- Use: Anchors all enemies on the screen. Stick: May anchor the enemy. A decent Talisman, but enemies can still hit you. Paralysis is still the number one status to hit enemies with in this isntance but anchorage isn't bad at all. No sense sticking it, enemies still hit you anyways. *Fukugen: ------- Use: Repairs equipment. Stick: Burn it in to fully repair equipment. Repairs the hit points of a piece of equipment to a degree related to SP cost. Generally, you should only burn in low cost Fukugens, but don't burn them in and waste SP anyways. The blacksmith is a better choice for full repair, fukugen are just temporary solutions. *Fukusei: ------- Use: Duplicates a talisman. Stick: May duplicate enemy attacked. When you duplicate a Talisman, it has the same SP as the Fukusei used to create it. This is an easy way to get high order Rekkas and Mikagamis. You may consider the stick effect in the bonus dungeon where the extra experience could be of benefit. *Fuuma: ----- Use: Seals an enemy so they fight on your side. Stick: Nothing. Fuuma conscripts an enemy, but it's not worthwhile. If that enemy is killed by a monster that is not in its final form, that monster will grow into its next most powerful form. This can put a damper on Izuna's conscription enthusiasm really quickly... *Gouka: ----- Use: Full-screen fire attack. Stick: Adds fire qualities to weapon. Not that useful for sticking, Gouka is a powerful full-screen fire attack that is invaluable in late-game dungeons. Especially potent in those big rooms with only one room, Gouka is the mob-killer. The only downside is that it is fairly expensive. You might want to follow up with a Likeness of Pochi. *Hayate: ------ Use: Hit enemies around you twice. Stick: Stick a few of them for a double swing... Hayate is weak as an area of effect attack. Enemies can dodge it and its damage is not terribly high. Then, you're down by 90 SP. In that sense, Gouka is much better. You need to stick three of them to a weapon for a double attack. This requires at least 270 spare SP on your gear to support it. I'd only suggest putting Hayate on claws because of the three slots... *Jinrai: ------ Use: Paralyzes all enemies in the room. Stick: May paralyze enemy. Easily the best incapacitator, paralyzed enemies won't come to if you hit them. As always, this doesn't last long so act fast! *Kaishin: ------- Use: Instant critical. Stick: Increase critical rate. Awesome talisman, great against bosses. Kaishin can also be used when you are confused so it's choice against Fuuka. Great talisman to stick, too. *Kikan: ----- Use: Leave the dungeon, keeping all money and gear. Stick: Item goes back to the storehouse if you die. Invaluable. Kikan is a low cost, high value talisman that lets you leave dungeons with your gear or keep valuable gear even if you die (must be stuck). Kikans are used up if the item goes to the storehouse, and you need to gain access to the storehouse before this ability applies. *Kou'un: ------ Use: Enemy becomes an item. Stick: Enemy drop rate increases. This one doesn't seem to have a high success rate. If you want to use it at all just stick it. *Mikagami: -------- Use: Confuses all enemies in the room. Stick: Increases the defense of claw or arm. Mikigami is best used as a sticking Talisman. Confusion doesn't last too long and there's a chance the enemies can still hit you. They seem to just walk back and forth anyways... *Mikiri: ------ Use: Blinds all enemies in the room. Stick: Increases your evasion. Again, a talisman best left stuck, Mikiri blinds enemies but they weill soon recover. As always, there's better ways to bide your time. *Rekka: ----- Use: Fire attack. Stick: Increases attack of claw or blade. +--+--+--+ Rekka hits all enemies within the immediate area of Izuna, the |**|**|**| damage is not severe but it is helpful early on. +--+--+--+ |**|Iz|**| You can get some high powered Rekka, but you'd may as well use +--+--+--+ Gouka. High powered Rekka are for sticking. |**|**|**| +--+--+--+ *Reppu: ----- Use: Wind hits enemies for low damage + chance to blow back. Stick: May knock an enemy backwards. Reppu's best use is honestly finding traps. When stuck you can swing a weapon and if a trap is in front of you, it will show up. The actual reppu attack is not worth it. Enemies are usually still in the room with you and you just blew 50 SP meaning you're much weaker when they come back. *Spirit: ------ Use: Nothing. Stick: Transfer base ability. The Spirit of a Weapon, it will tell you in the description what it is a spirit of. For instance, Breaker Spirit is that of a Weapon Breaker. These are created with Tsukumos or found in the last dunegon and hidden dungeon. They are a reddish talisman easily distinguishable from the rest. They transfer base ability, such as the vampirism of Vampire Claw, or effectiveness against fish of the Cat Claw. Spirits are your key to making a truly custimized weapon that suits the desires of the weilder. Have fun! Just remember that Tsukumo destroys the gear + LUV has to be 100 for the gear being made into a spirit. *Suimun: ------ Use: Puts all enemies on the screen to sleep. Stick: May put an enemy to sleep. Now, this is of course better than a spirit of Baku, though Baku has the benefit of sleep as its base ability. It's better as a sticking item, Paralysis is again better than sleep because enemies will wake up when they're hit. Not bad in a pinch, however. *Suitai: ------ Use: User's level decreases. Stick: Lowers attack/defense. Suitai's true use is to lob them at enemies, converting them to their next lowest form. Talisman enemies usually drop them, and fling them at your equipped gear. *Ten'i: ----- Use: Teleport somewhere else on the map. Stick: May switch places with the enemy. Much better used than stuck, Ten'i is always a nice Talisman to have around. Use it to escape tenuous situations. Of course, there's always the possibility you will wind up somewhere worse, but it's worth the risk. *Tsukumo: ------- Use: Creates a spirit of a weapon with 100 LUV. Stick: Nothing. Tsukumo creates a weapon spirit by destroying a weapon with 100 Luv. This spirit can be used to transfer base abilities, such as Vampirism, onto another piece of equipment. *Yami-Uchi: --------- Use: Instant Kill. Stick: May deliver an instant kill. Yami-Uchi is good only against those enemies which can split. An instant kill will prevent this utterly. You get better mileage by sticking it to gear, the effect is not always going to kick in, but it certainly helps! *Zoufuku: ------- Use: Increases CAP. Stick: Increases CAP. Use these talismans to drive your CAP up, allowing more Talisman combos. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU10: Secrets | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= There are a number of hidden things in Izuna, but you'll have to work for them. *Hidden Village: -------------- After beating the game, return to the Shrine Grounds. There is a sign in the upper right. Follow its directions from in front of the sign and you will find a ninja. Talk to him to be brought to a secret village. This is the mirror image of the main village, except populated with the gods and developers. You will learn about a hidden dungeon and some exposition into the origin of the gods. To access a very small sound test, talk to Kappa (shown as Ippitsu) and then Keron (shown as Mitsumoto, near the zipline). You'll have access to a couple of tunes this way. *Hidden Dungeon: -------------- After beating the game, put all of your items in the storehouse (money too for safety) and touch the sacred gem on the Shrine Grounds. You will be taken to the path of Trials. *Hidden Gear: ----------- The Path of Trials has new gear for you to find, such as Claw of Ouryu. Kikans all of a sudden became much more valuable! *Stronger Bosses: --------------- After beating Takushiki, the gods will become more powerful - increasing in level every time you fight them again. They will not be effected by status talismans nor can pills hit them. Bombs still work, however, and attack Talismans such as Gouka and Kaishin are fine. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= | IZU11: Credits | -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Thanks to Success for the game and to Atlus for bringing Izuna and many other great titles over here. Izuna is a tremendous game and a refreshingly difficult experience. There's depth beneath the initial system, and there's depth yet to be uncovered. Thanks of course to my hosts, withotu whom you would not be reading this guide. Websites with permission to use this Guide: www.GameFAQS.com www.neoseeker.com faqs.IGN.com www.1up.com www.honestgamer.com Game by Success/Atlus.