Stat Point Manipulation Star Ocean: The Second Story Sony Playstation North America Version Version 1.3 (2/24/2009) E-mail: [email protected] >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Stat Point Manipulation >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This is the Stat Point Manipulation Guide. It may not be reproduced in any way without my written consent. I created this guide for the North American ver- sion of the game. This FAQ currently covers stat point manipulation information, part of a playthrough on Earth, Galaxy and Universe. If you have something to contribute, please e-mail me at [email protected] . -------------- Contents -------------- Version Info Note Introduction Essential Information Embracing Extreme StaP Team Brutal (Universe) Claude Kenni Dias Flac Ashton Anchors Lacour Tournament [Br] Bowman Jean A Level-50 Look [Br] Eluria [Br] Synard [Br] Nede [Br] Fields [Br] Mihne Cavern [Br] Ten Wisemen [Br] Cave of Trials [Br] Finale [Br] Team Machine (Galaxy) Precis Opera Ernest Chisato Lacour Tournament [Ma] Mountain Palace [Ma] Hoffman Ruins [Ma] Eluria [Ma] Synard [Ma] Nede [Ma] Fields [Ma] Mihne Cavern [Ma] Ten Wisemen [Ma] Cave of Trials [Ma] Finale [Ma] Team Perfect (Earth) Rena Celine Leon Noel Lacour Tournament [Pe] Hoffman Ruins [Pe] Eluria [Pe] Synard [Pe] Nede [Pe] Fields [Pe] Mihne Cavern [Pe] Ten Wisemen [Pe] Cave of Trials [Pe] Finale [Pe] Starting StaP StaP Growth StaP Lists Thanks ------------------ Version info ------------------ -Version 1.0 (1/30/2009) There is a lot of information about stat points (StaP): starting StaP for each character, StaP growth for each character, and lists of StaP gains for characters whom I have leveled. I have followed two different StaP-manipulated teams through most of the 1st CD. This includes the text description here and over 20 videos on Youtube. -Version 1.1 (2/7/2009) I reached the 2nd CD with both teams (one Universe, one Earth game) and explained how I got there via text description here and an additional 10+ Youtube videos. -Version 1.2 (2/13/2009) I advanced into the 2nd CD with two teams. I started the third and final team, and advanced it to Lacour Continent. Along with new text, I've added new videos. -Version 1.3 (2/24/2009) All three teams are on the 2nd CD and have acquired the Synard. I've added a lot of text and videos. ---------- Note ---------- This is the second walkthrough I have written for GameFAQs. If you find anything incomplete or missing in this walk- through, please contact me via [email protected]. I�m rather receptive to e-mails with subject lines like �Star Ocean� or �StaP wit me!�. ------------------ Introduction ------------------ You might take interest in this guide if you think Star Ocean: The Second Story is a great game, you enjoy a challenge, you love to absorb information from many sources, you read my Dias Unlimited guide and wished I would create a similar guide for other characters, etc. Keep in mind, this guide is not about how you can level your characters to 255 in the shortest amount of time. It is about creating the best possible team. This guide covers three possible teams: the first team consists of Claude, Ashton, Bowman and Dias; the second team consists of Precis, Opera, Ernest and Chisato: the third team consists of Rena, Celine, Leon and Noel. You can choose your own team combinations by only reading about your favorite characters, but it might take a lot of work. As you can see, this is not a general guide to Star Ocean: The Second Story. There are plenty of those guides available on GameFAQs. This guide is about learning the characters well enough to minimize their weaknesses and maximize their strengths. ----------------------------- Essential Information ----------------------------- ---Embracing Extreme: Now is the time of doom.--- Starting StaP (Str values, Dex values, etc.) for characters are never different no matter how much you load. Starting Skill Points (SP) are never different no matter how much you load. MP gains per level are random (thus manipulatible), but you will always reach 999 sometime before level 255. Any skill a character starts with has no affect on stats. The perfect example is Rena begins with 1 in Kitchen Knife, but she has only 5 Str... Every character has random talents to start with. If you save before you initiate a team-member, then you can load and they will have different talents each time you gain them. Every level you gain random StaP. That means you can load and get different bonuses to different stats. Luc and Agl are not raised by leveling. Keep in mind that when I say �random,� I mean as random as possible for a program. Piety is a skill that gives an increase to a random stat (including Luc and Agl). The increase is based on the stat value. For example, an 800 strength might get a bonus of 22 while a 100 strength might get a bonus of 2. What this means is we can attain the best bonus from Piety by waiting to use it until StaP is extremely high. Since level gaining and Piety give a random stat increase, one can save and load to manipulate a character�s growth. Leveling up with a character does not change the stat bonus possibilities. This differs from how Piety works. Every level you accrue the same range of stat points. For example, whether Claude is level 3 or level 200, he can't gain over 4 Con per level up. ---StaP: Get serious. Is that the best you can do?--- This whole guide involves StaP, so let me give you an example of StaP manipulation. Once, near the beginning, I saved my game and leveled, then I loaded a few times to test Claude's StaP range. I had already decided to focus on his Str, Con and Guts; so those are the three stats I will talk about. The leftmost column of numbers below represents my level 2 Claude�s stats. The middle three columns represent a few options I had. The rightmost column is the set of stat increases I ended up getting this playthrough: fortunately, the max possible gain in those three stats. Str 13 18 16 17 19 Con 9 13 11 13 13 Guts 21 21 22 21 22 As you can see, there is some randomness to Claude's stat increases. Even more than you see above. His StaP gains for those three stats combined falls between 5 and 11 every level. 3 6 2 to 4 0 1 The difference is huge. Over 254 levels of 5 StaP, you lose 762 Str, 508 Con, and a lot of Guts. Not 254 because Claude starts with 20, there are skills to increase Guts, and it maxes at 255. 5 is not the average, so you won't lose that much by letting leveling do its random thing, but you can see why StaP gains are worth manipulating. If you want to gain something from StaP manipulation but don't have in an interest in leveling and loading a lot, you have some options: one, pick one or two stats to look at instead of three or more; two, have a lower requirement for StaP (8 or 9 rather than 10 or 11); three, have no numerical requirements, opting to try only one (maybe two) extra times each level to gain more StaP. See the "StaP Growth" section for the growth rate of every character. I won't mention it throughout the guide because I doubt you need to know about Claude's Int gains. -------------------- Team Brutal -------------------- This is the first "Extreme Team" I will follow through SO2. Why did I name this team "Team Brutal"? Because each character will have a Str requirement per level, along with a requirement for two other stats (which is at least brutal on my mind). Also, the team is all fighters on a Universe game, and it doesn't include Opera. Mass-healing it limited to items like Holy Mist. Cross Continent ---Claude Kenni: You think you can win over the Hero of Light?--- Claude is the first character we get for this team. I used him as an example earlier, so you know how much StaP he can get (at least for Str, Con and Guts combined). I decided to go with a requirement of 10 StaP per level gained, but you can make your own rules. Arlia Play as Rena (for Dias). If you don't have the Dexterity talent, restart the game until you do. Loot Arlia if you want extra Fol or items. Save before you enter Shingo Forest. Your first meeting with Claude in Shingo Forest doesn't allow you to control him or see his StaP. I'm sure you can find the numbers in various FAQs, but I went ahead and started a game with him to find out for sure (see "Starting StaP" section for all characters). Str 10 Con 5 Dex 10 Agi 10 Int 0 Luc 132 Stm 15 Guts 20 I loaded until he got at least 10 StaP from the first fight. He happened to get a perfect level of 11 (with some effort), but I won't go into every level's StaP gains here. You can find those details in the "StaP Lists" section. Return to Arlia and buy gear before Alen kidnaps you. *Pickpocket (PP) items of note* Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife. Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD). Youtube Example Video (YEV): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRNmh 53Rlk8&fmt=18 Salva You'll be about level 5 with Rena by the time you loot the Salva Drift and reach the save point. Though Rena isn't part of this Extreme Team, you need her near the start. Sometime during the Alen fight, let Claude die. Otherwise, he might gain bad StaP. After winning, loot Salva and get the Ring of Happiness (rare) from Alen. Do not buy gear here. *PP items of note* None. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRa3J2wqKFw&fmt=18 Cross Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell her gear. Buy skills, but do not buy gear in Cross. *PP items of note* Orichalcum from dog. Magical Camera from young man at castle. Mars Buy a Flame Blade and a Fame Helm. Loot the village. *PP items of note* Treasure chest from the Old Man by the inn. Herlie On your way to Herlie, level until Claude has 11 SP. Put 8 SP in Perseverance (Per), then 1 SP in each of the three cooking skills: Kitchen Knife (KKnife), Good Eye and Recipe. Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills, buy 20 eggs to get Claude (and/or Rena) Sense of Taste (SoT). Either cook eggs in Herlie until they get the talent, or try cooking with them in between fights and bad StaP loads. Rena will have an easy time gaining SoT; Claude will not. Once you unlock SoT with Claude, max out Per, increase Playfulness (Play) for Fol, and try to put points in stat building skills (KKnife, Patience, etc.). Those stat increases matter a lot at this level, but you must note every change to your stats or your StaP manipulation will be foiled. Trust me. Buy the Bandit Gloves (BG) with your new money (from Play) and buy gear for Claude (Rena too, if you wish). If you just unlocked SoT with Rena, max out Per then put some SP in PP skills: Poker Face and Courage. It is nice if you have at least level 5 PP when you reach Clik. If Rena had SoT at the start of the game but needs SP to build up her PP skill, put a couple of SP in Art. If she needs SP to put in Art, go to the Lasguss Mountains and fight the bubble creatures. She can gain several levels in one or two fights. *PP items of note* BG from Skill Guild Explainer. Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn. Life Insurance from other Newlywed. Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern. Cross Cave Run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings inside, unless you are dying to find all the treasure chests in the cave. Reject Celine when she asks if it truly okay to join you. Lasguss Mountains I do not suggest you do this part if your level is ~13 (might want to wait for Ashton); nevertheless, keep this section in mind. I went to the mountains as Claude, ran to the desert on the other side and tried to fight Sandworms which can drop a couple of rare minerals. I made to sure to get a Damascus before leaving. If you haven't already thought of it, use Discovery Cards during fights with Sandworms. That's if you have them. If not, don't worry about it. Clik Loot the city, buy skills and equipment (if you need to), and buy Magical Clay if you need to unlock Sense of Design (SoD) with someone. The clay is expensive enough that I suggest saving before trying to unlock SoD. Load if you use too much clay. After Rena's PP is 5 or more, do a Private Action (PA). PP from Filia. You will get Mischief. Equip it and explode with joy as you run around. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18 Finish storyline in Clik. *Other PP items of note* Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor. Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship. BG from Ketil. Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain. LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18 Mars (Again) If you haven't PP the old man by the inn, do it. Get the Treasure Chest. I kept using it and loading until I got a Lotus Eater (Ashton) and a Rune Full Moon (Bowman, Rena). Other nice items are Marvel Sword (Dias/Claude) and Scyther (Ashton). Do not worry too much about Claude. He will get the Eternal Sphere soon enough. Begin the Bandits and Children storyline and talk with Dias. ---Dias Flac: Go away. You can't beat me.--- If you want in-depth info about Dias, check my Dias Guide. I called it Dias Unlimited for a reason. Mars I unequipped Claude and got Dias via storyline. He had four talents, but I decided not to reload in hopes of getting fewer. Dias started with the following stats: Str 175 Con 70 Dex 120 Agi 20 Int 0 Luc 96 Stm 45 Guts 50 I knew ahead of time I would require 10 StaP out of Str, Dex and Guts with Dias's maximum being 6,4,1. Yes, just like Claude's numbers except I wanted Dex instead of Con. Claude can't get above 3 Dex per level, and Dias can't get above 3 Con per level. One fighter is precise; the other is resilient. I maxed out Per and Play. I avoided skills that gave stat bonuses because Dias loses skill-based stat bonuses at Front-line. So, don't get stat-boosting skills in Mars or the Lacour Tournament. I spent remaining SP on skills such as Copying, Art, etc. I unlocked SoD using Magical Clay, then put SP into Whistling, Recipe, etc. I leveled until 43, but it isn't necessary. The only stat that keeps its leveling bonus until Frontline is Int, though you do get some extra SP and KM proficiency (prof). Also, you get to keep unlocked KMs despite being forced back to level 35. Again, don't worry about StaP with Dias until Frontline. Also, while questing for the children, you can return to Mars village. Sleep at the inn, buy or sell before engaging the forest's boss. The only thing you cannot do is leave the village. Dias will stop you. Before the forest's boss, I unequipped Dias. The fight isn't too tough. I used a Magic Rock (MRo) and Air Slash. Addendum: There are two chances after the boss battle to unequip Dias. Keep your gear on when battling. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFkrUmNdLlA&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9zh8qDHt8I&fmt=18 ---Ashton Anchors: I'm stronger than you think.--- Herlie After leaving Mars, I headed to Herlie and talked to the old man at the front of the city. He told me about a dragon in Salva. I had tried to do this part earlier, but you must go through the Mars storyline first. Sorry, Ashton fans. Salva Drift I ran through the Salva Drift until I found Ashton. He had three talents, so I didn't bother reloading. His starting stats are: Str 83 Con 32 Dex 50 Agi 5 Int 0 Luc 18 Stm 18 Guts 32 I said his Stm is 18, but I wrote down 26 at first. Also, after checking other guides, I found most people put his starting Stm at 26. What allowed me to see otherwise is my keeping up with StaP. Shortly after gaining him, I noticed his Stm had dropped several points. After some investigation, I realized Ashton came equipped with a Talisman, which increased his Stm by 8 (from 18 to 26). I equipped him with the Lotus Eater, Berserk Ring and Feet Symbol, then went to work. I decided to watch his Str, Dex and Con as he leveled. It took some time, but I found out his max is 6,3,3: 1 less potential Con than Claude, 1 less potential Dex than Dias. Add that to his Luc and Stm issues, and you find Ashton doesn't have great StaP. So, the max StaP for his combined three stats I chose equalled 12. I decided to try for 11. That is, until my brain exploded, and I pushed the requirement down to 10.75. Why? Well, Claude and Dias are required to get 10/11. That's 91%. Ashton's 10.75/12 is 90%. Close enough. How do I get 10.75 StaP? Two levels in a row, I require 11; for the next level, I require 10. That's the pattern. Before I left the Salva Drift, I had leveled Claude and Ashton to 22. Rena remained at 13. I received a Damascus after one of the fights, meaning I could have skipped the desert fights from earlier. Aargh... YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjEFkyZWJxw&fmt=18 Lacour Continent Hilton I bought skills but nothing else, as I wanted to get the Super Specialty "Identify All" first. After that, I went from town to town buying any upgrades I saw (very few). *PP items of note* None. Lacour I bought skills and did a PA to get an RDiamond from an old lady on the west side of town. *PP items of note* Antiseptic Gloves from Bowman (PA) Oriental Blade from fighting Man just inside tavern's entrance. Linga I bought skills, then I bought some items to unlock talents. Claude: Love of Animals (LoA) via Familiar Originality via Metalwork (MW) Ashton: LoA (Familiar) Originality (MW) I wrote a book with Claude, so Rena could gain Musical skills. I tried creating songs over and over and over before deciding one probably has to play songs to unlock Pitch and Sense of Rhythm (SoR). Before leaving the Linga area, I customized Ashton's Lotus Eater into a Scyther. I used Lotus Eater+Orichalcum, but there are various ways. *PP items of note* Magical Drops from a Librarian. Beret from Keith. Promised Ring from Nineh. Hilton I went back here to stay close to Conductor's Batons (CBatons). Ashton: Pitch (playing songs) SoR (playing songs) Writing Ability (WA) by Authoring Rena: Pitch (playing songs) SoR (playing songs) WA (Authoring) Claude: Pitch (playing songs) --Words on Melufa I got Ashton's Customize to level 7 and tried Scyther+Damascus. No use. I leveled up to level 35 with Ashton, always increasing Customize as I went. I even unlocked Writing Ability (WA) for an extra 100 SP. I still couldn't create this freakin' weapon. No doubt Ashton's 18 Luc had something to do with it!! I created Neo Greaves with Blacksmithing, using the Orichalcum I had obtained in the desert. This brought Ashton's Luc up to 28. I created a Purple Mist (had one form Mar's village) with Claude's MWing. Those two put Ashton's Luc up to 48. I continued to try Customizing the Melufa, failing over and over Only one morning, during an extreme bout of "Luc" with StaP and Customization with Claude, did I manage to create Melufa with relatively few attempts. So, you can create Melufa on the first CD with Ashton, but it isn't easy. The last tip I can give you is to PP from Keith in Linga when you get the chance. The Beret might be just the thing you need to create the Melufa. End of Melufa words-- ---Lacour Tournament [Br]: Stay Focused!--- Claude: I returned to Lacour and signed up for the tournament with Claude. I picked the store with the most armor. Most people prefer to go with the store that gives the Long Edge; but my Claude is supposed to be a tank, so I wanted to give the tournament his best defense. I wanted to use my Blue Talismans (BlueTs) in the tournament -those are amazing defense accessories (MW Sapphire with Rena)- but you can't bring any gear to the tournament other than what the shop gives you. I customized the Force Sword at around level 9 Customize, then noticed it took 2 MP per hit (oops, forgot). I customized it into a Sawed, which is better anyway. Once I reached level 10 Customize, I created an Aura Blade. By ~ level 33, I had become invulnerable to every Lacour creature's physical attack. This made it easier to level to 44 before heading to the tournament. Dias: I gained Dias with Rena. When I fought those tavern guys, I used a FMedal on him, so he gained to level 44 (even with Claude plus a little bonus Int and SP). I mandraked Rena in the battle in order to not gain a level. I switched Rena to the bottom of my team slots, put Dias as leader of the battle formation, set him to manual control and mandraked Rena when she returned to full health after the tavern fight. No use. Even with it showing "manual" by his name, I couldn't control him in the tournament. Oh, he stomped Claude. The monkey fighter had done ~175 damage per hit on Claude, but Dias destroyed him in two hits. Claude tried to do energy sword but didn't even get the word "energy" out before he lost. Wow! So much for 300+ prof Shooting Stars and Energy Sword. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs92L6Mw25o&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW1GkDsJh8E&fmt=18 ---Bowman Jean: I don't have time for this!--- After relieving Gamgee of the Sharp Edge, I ran to Linga and talked with Bowman. He wanted an herb. Sanctuary of Linga I ran from every fight and grabbed the Clarisage. One day I might get the Dill Whip, but it's so far away, making it the bane of speed and laziness. Addendum: There is a bug that allows you to avoid every random encounter. While running, open your menu and put the leader's (1st position person, that is) top KM slot to "None" then run a bit. Set it to "None" again, even if it says "None." If done correctly, you will never encounter random enemies. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeoaFkRIQ8&fmt=18 Linga Bowman was delighted by the herb and joined my team. He had three talents to start with, which was fine. Lvl 25 (starting stats) Str 90 Con 50 Dex 62 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 118 Stm 35 Guts 36 First thing I maxed out Per and put a point in almost everything, allowing me to unlock talents. I unlocked Sixth Sense (SiSe), LoA and SoR. The first two were very easy to unlock, so it's nice if Bowman doesn't start with those. I equipped Rune Full Moon to him to test his StaP gains. What I found appalled me. I had decided on Str, Stm and Guts with Bowman. After many, many loads, it became clear his StaP gains ranged from 2 to 7. 2!! Not great. 7 (5,1,1) isn't bad because no one gains more than 1 Stm and Guts per level. The problem became what to choose as acceptable StaP. 6/7 is a lot to expect (with both Stm and Guts having 50% chance to gain 0 per level), but it is only 86%: lower than any other StaP requirement thus far. My requirements changed as I leveled. For example, at one point I decided he had to gain at least 5 per level. If he did only gain 5, it would need to include 1 Stm. If he got 6+, no Stm requirement. Also, 6 didn't give a +1. Only 7 did. Wild, right? Well, if I let Bowman's StaP go random, rather than manipulating it, he could potentially lose 690 Str, 230 Stm and a lot of Guts. So, I ended up requiring an average of 5.75 (three levels at 6, one at 5). Definitely an odd target (also, only 82%), but I had to settle on something...it wasn't easy to decide. I had to rewrite this part several times. Enjoy manipulating StaP with Bowman! YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVtULXzpQuc&fmt=18 Cross Continent Mars I took Bowman and my other party members and headed back to Cross Continent. I stopped at Mars and read the book in the elder's house: the one on exorcism. Cross Castle I requested permission from the king to enter the Mountain Palace. He said yes and gave me Fol. Mountain Palace I ran the Mountain Palace and prepared to solo the boss Nightmare with Ashton. I turned off Practice and Comprehension, deciding to only use them in rare cases (since they weaken you). Ashton was level 35. He had a Melufa, a Berserk Ring, an Atlas Ring but otherwise typical gear. I played the song Judgment before engaging Nightmare. I 3-shotted her, which isn't surprising, but she can be challenging if you fight her at the "right" level with the average gear for that level. Her main strength is her ability to evade attacks. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46cf24OEbl4&fmt=18 Lasguss Mountains I ran to the top to face XINE with Ashton. Ashton was level 36 with the same gear from before. XINE is much stronger than Nightmare. You can defeat him, but MRos are more helpful than they ever would be on Nightmare. Ashton's normal attack isn't bad at hitting XINE in the air. Other than that, you might try Leaf Slash as a starter and Cross Slash (at least one hit connects with air creatures), if you feel lucky. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwXbHwBZulE&fmt=18 Salva Drift We finished the exorcism, causing Ashton and the dragons to join our party. I didn't notice any ill effects, unlike when dealing with Dias and his multiple appearances. Arlia I did a PA here and blew 99k Fol on a helmet for one of the dragons (an accessory for Ashton). The price mainly depends on your Fol, but I was too lazy to spend most of my money before doing the PA. I stepped outside Arlia and customized with Claude until he managed to create a Minus Sword from Mithril + Sharp Edge. I got the Mithril from Radar (load until you get them). I would have made the Eternal Sphere, but his continuous failure annoyed me. Also, I finally stole the RDiamond (see PP notes for Arlia). Ugh! Lacour Continent Lacour Castle We went there, and the king told us to help Leon in the Hoffman Ruins. We headed to Hilton and took off. Hoffman Ruins I used Claude to run from every battle and go straight to the save. I used Claude's MW (rank 7) to create a Reflection Ring and a Resistance Ring from a Crystal then equipped the accessories to Rena. She charged in at level 13, distracted them with an MRo and positioned herself to the left of the bottom pillar (of the two pillars at the top-left of the battlefield). The Harfainx (bosses) could not physically attack her (thanks to the pillar) and couldn't kill her with Thunderstorm (thanks to her accessories). I used four Mind Bombs to deplete them of MP. After that, they ran around and did nothing. I used Killer Poisons until they were both poisoned and started taking over 2,000 damage per tick. In the meantime, I threw a couple of MRos at them. After winning the fight, I gained 14 levels, putting Rena up to level 27. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRTDwdmu6_s&fmt=18 Frontline We dropped Leon off at Lacour then headed to Frontline. Dias wasthere, waiting to join my team. They had put him back to level 35, left his skills alone, given him 200 skill points, reverted all stats to Mars level except Int, kept his KMs the same regardless of whether he could have them or not at level 35 (Gale Stab), etc. Again, if you want more detail, read my Dias Unlimited guide. *PP items of note* Steel Armor from Grover. Linga I unlocked some talents here. Dias: SoT SoR LoA Si Se Pitch Bowman: SoT After unlocking talents, I bought Magical Film and a Magical Camera, so I could start reproducing Forged Medals (FMedals) with Dias. I also had him MW (rank 6) an RDiamond into a DBracelet. -- On Fol Around this point, I began to run low on Fol. One way I made quick $ was to use the Identify All skill to buy (low) and sell (high) Material Kits. I made about ~14k per round of buying and selling. Next I customized some weapons with Ashton. He helped make me a couple of hundred thousand before I made a second Melufa. Get this, the Melufa, when I used Identify All, sold for 1.92 million Fol. So, if you feel like customizing a lot through loads and saves, pick up some Damascus and add them to Scythers you've customized. The outcome might be worth it. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEVOrQaNuOM&fmt=18 End Fol-- With 20 FMedals and a DBracelet in hand, I decided to begin the power-leveling process. The best way to do this is equip the DBracelet, use an FMedal, gain a level, unequip the bracelet, gain a level. Then repeat. For maximum efficiency, if you ever notice you are close to a level without using an FMedal, go ahead and gain that level. Working this way, you can gain 40+ levels rather easily. The main problem will be manipulating StaP. ---A Level-50 Look [Br]: My Strength!--- Bowman I started with him and it went surprisingly well. I created Giant's Fists, then replaced them with Titan's Fists (lvl 8 Customize). Some prefer other weapons, but I decided to stick with the +50 Stm from Titan's Fists until I could get a Weird Slayer. I unlocked Dex and SoD with Machinery (surprisingly easy) then made some Kaiser Knuckles for Rena. Ashton His leveling went fine. I already had Melufa, so I didn't bother trying to create a better weapon. Claude He started this part out at level 45, so he was a breeze to level up. During this period, I created the Eternal Sphere. It took a while and showed up as a dull sword in a bag during the creation process (happens often), so don't assume a bag means a failure. Dias Easy leveling. I customized until I got a Hope of Breeze. I needed an RDiamond to customize the Hope of Breeze into a Hard Cleaver. Unfortunately, I had used both RDiamonds I got (Atlas Ring, DBracelet). I tried to gain one via Survival, but it never worked out. A turbo controller would have helped... Unable to create the Crimson Diablos, I made a Ruin's Fate (lvl 10 customize) to help me. All Stats I'm going to tell you the stats of every character. If you want to compare them to each other or your characters, keep two things in mind: one, since skills are not maxed, there are a lot of variables; two, each character has had his StaP manipulated for a different amount of time (Claude since level 1, Ashton since level 17, etc.) Bowman Ashton Claude Dias Str 457 539 488 531 A Con 111 130 208 121 C Dex 218 231 218 264 D Agl 87 91 88 106 D Int 150 144 150 137 B/C Luc 118 18 132 96 C Stm 86 65 67 86 B/D Guts 67 67 67 74 D --Interesting Because I'm able to manipulate Claude's StaP from the very beginning, is he better than the others when he reaches their starting levels? Let's take a 5/4/1 (10 StaP) Claude and look at him at levels 17, 25, and 35 (no armor or skills included). Lvl 17 Lvl 25 Lvl 35 Str 90 130 180 Con 69 Guts 44 54 Assuming a 5/4/1 Claude, and excluding skills and equipment, he wins in all three cases: as in, he beats the others in the two stats he competes against them in. If we take into account his lost 16 Str because he starts with 1 in Scientific Ability (10 Str) and Functionality (6 Str), he then fails to surpass Ashton and Dias in Str. If he even goes 5/34 levels without getting 1 Guts (like 6/4/0), he will lose to Dias in Guts; nevertheless, you can see how Claude is difficult to surpass in stats if one is manipulating him from the start with high StaP requirements. Oh, and no one is going to touch his Con. Interesting-- I decided to continue leveling, so I hopped over to the desert near the Lasguss Mountains. The creatures give very little experience, but FMedals make that irrelevant. What is important, as you might know, the creatures tend to drop a lot of items. I decided to level each character to 75 before proceeding through the storyline. Most of them had an okay time with it, but I noticed even into the 70s, all of them but Claude could be damaged. That surprised me. I've been to this place at very low level before, yet the creatures can damage level 70s. Dias I tried again to use Survival to gain an RDiamond, but it never worked. I even obtained a turbo control and left it running while I stepped out on multiple occasions. Nothing happened. I made a Survival Kit. Nope. They all had lvl 10 Survival. No use. Darn it! Sometime during my rush to 75, Dias maxed out his Agl-boosting skills. I realized I might as well use Piety since leveling to 255 wouldn't change his Agl. The 1st number is what I started with; the next 10 are my Piety-boosted Agl (rank by rank). 114-117-120-123-126-129-132-135-139-143-147 My Agl went up by 33 or ~29%. It doesn't seem like a lot, but for a skill that doesn't increase by leveling, it's something. It gives more Avd than Marvel Sword, Reflective Armor, Neo Greaves, Tri-emplem and Gold combined. More importantly, it doesn't requirement any equipment. The Agl is yours forever! ---Eluria [Br]: Here's a substitute for a greeting!--- Frontline We came back and had to fight Shin. He's invincible, so it's a running game. If you need death voices, now is your chance. Plenty of death to go around when you have a powerful, invincible foe to face. Your true task is to stay alive for about 1 minute. After that, you hang out, rest, walk around then monsters attack again. This time Leon shows up and saves the day. You'll get asked to go fight monsters at El, but you don't have a choice. Fortunately the jump from Frontline to El is rather painless AKA little walking on your part. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83W12JcepHk&fmt=18 El Continent We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles. We stomped them into the ground. No big deal. Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might as well build up KMs or death voices for the Voice Collection. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU5R98JB2tE&fmt=18 Eluria Colony Not a lot going on here. Breeze through the storyline. *PP items of note* Star Ruby from Leader. Holy Mist from Youth. Peep Half from Man. Eluria Tower Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he is. I equipped Trickster, ran outside, jumped on my bunny, hopped on top of the tower and initiated X on turbo control. A bit later I came back and discovered I had a RDiamond. I had Dias combine it with his Hope of Breeze to create a Hard Cleaver. I combined that with a Damascus to create the Crimson Diablos. There's other handy items in the tower besides Trickster, but I can't think of any other essential/irreplacable ones. The password for the priest statue is "APOCA." Shin He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can kill him this time. He has two weak Gargoyle companions. Perhaps they are called "Stone Statues," but we aren't fooled. The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos if you must. I came in at lvl 75 with awesome weapons, which allowed me to blow him away. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdrUY7U4eN8&fmt=18 Berle Survive for a while. He does an annoying move named Meta-guard, but it isn't a big deal. Run from him or just hit him over and over with MRos. You only need to be careful if you have Comprehension turned on. It will slow you enough for him to get in hits unless you are quite skilled at dodging. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASgrQ6YbrBM&fmt=18 2nd CD ---Synard [Br]: Don't get hurt!--- Central City We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get a Synard from North City. *PP items of note* Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild. North City Bought all instruments and composed songs until Orchestra became available. Used Orchestra + Alchemy to make Meteorite. Orchestra + Blacksmithing Meteorite to make a couple of Star Guards. I didn't make much else because I wanted to wait for the Magical Rasp. *PP items of note* Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman. Violin from Mrs. Heath. Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop. The Fight I talked with the researchers. Soon after, they screwed up everything and made a Synard flip out on my team. I fought with Bowman and Ashton only. It wasn't too tough, for Ashton had nearly 300 Avd. He blocked a lot of the breath damage, causing his Star Guard to retaliate against the Synard quite often. If you have any trouble, use MRos and Dias's Air Slash. That should do it. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhNhBu3N2OM&fmt=18 Red Crystal Cave I ran in here and bypassed every chest/escaped every battle. There are a couple of okay items, but none of it interested me. Also, I skipped the Chisato scene as I didn't need to recruit her. At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses, to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability, attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack. As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Keep your distance when possible and make sure you are doing well in levels/gear. I had all teammembers at level 75, though I only used Claude and Dias. Much like Ashton in the Synard fight, Dias had a Starguard and nearly 300 Avd. My fight didn't go too smoothly because Claude started in front of the crystal that sits in the middle of the battlefield. He continously tried to use Headsplitter and kept running into the crystal. Eventually he freed himself after Dias had already defeated one Arcmene. After winning, you gain the Synard. Noel asks to come along, but I decided against it. He was my last chance to recruit someone else. Oh well. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvBmq6o1LtI&fmt=18 Fake Gallery YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18 -------------------- Team Machine -------------------- Team Machine will consist of Precis, Opera, Ernest and Chisato. I call them Team Machine because two of them are skilled machinists and three of them are from advanced civilizations. I intend to manipulate two StaP gains for each of them. Cross Continent Arlia For this team, you can play as Rena or Claude. I won't go into as much detail about what I do with either character because they aren't necessary for this team. In case you're wondering, I chose Rena for a few insignificant reasons. If she doesn't have the Dexterity talent, restart the game until she does. Loot Arlia if you want extra Fol or items. Enter the forest and meet Claude. Return to Arlia and buy gear before Alen kidnaps you. *Pickpocket (PP) items of note* Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife. Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD). Salva Run through the drift and face Alen. He's easy if you overwhelm him with physical attacks. After winning, loot Salva and get the Ring of Happiness (rare) from Alen. *PP items of note* None. Youtube Example Video (YEV): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq2O GrYtkTY&fmt=18 Cross Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell her accessories (at least) to fund your skills training. Do the Ernest PA. *PP items of note* Orichalcum from dog. Magical Camera from young man at castle. Lasguss Mountains I stopped there to gain some quick levels. I got in one fight with some bubbles (and my mom got mad...). Claude gained 4 levels, Rena gained 5 levels and Celine gained 2 levels. It really helped in the SP department. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af97ob_6fS8&fmt=18 Herlie Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills, buy 20 eggs to get Claude (and/or Rena) Sense of Taste (SoT). Your other major option is to buy Magical Clay in order to unlock Sense of Design (SoD). The purpose of unlocking talents here is to get Rena enough skill points to max out Perseverance (Per) and increase Pickpocketing (PP) to ~5. Also, one or two characters should increase Playfulness (Play) after maxing Per. It will give you enough Fol to buy Bandit's Gloves (BG) at the shop. *PP items of note* BG from Skill Guild Explainer. Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn. Life Insurance from other Newlywed. Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern.' Hassaku Tea (Ernest's Fav) from sailor near boat. Cross Cave Run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings inside, unless you are dying to find all the treasure chests in the cave. I usually avoid the Gargoyle chest, but I decided to fight them: for the sake of elderly times. If you went to Lasguss Mountains like me, you should be fine. If you didn't, these guys might be tough for you. After defeating them, head out. Accept or reject Celine when she asks if it truly okay to join you. It doesn't matter, but I accepted. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrhZJrcJm3w&fmt=18 Clik Loot Clik, buy skills and equipment (if you need to), and buy Magical Clay if you want to unlock SoD with anyone or everyone. After Rena's PP is ~5, do a PA. PP from Filia. You will get Mischief. Equip it and explode with joy as you run around. Finish storyline in Clik. *Other PP items of note* Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor. Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship. BG from Ketil. Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain. LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18 Mars I PP the Old Man by the inn for Treasure Chest. I saved, then used the Treasure Chest until it gave me an Atomic Punch and an Attack Earring. Bandits have kidnapped the children. Grab Dias then rush to the forest. You can reenter town anytime. The boss of the forest deals 0 damage to Dias regardless of armor or level. His minions can hurt Dias, so you'll want to avoid them during the fight. If you use Rena during this battle, keep her away from the enemies. If Dias is taking damage at level 35, you can guess she'll take damage too. After winning this battle and exiting Mars, head to Herlie and sail to Lacour Continent. *Other PP items of note* Treasure chest from the old man by the inn. Battle Suit from Ernest (PA). YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcArA4SXrsI&fmt=18 Lacour Continent Hilton I bought skills and various items, then I noticed all my Fol had disappeared. I unlocked Originality and Dexterity with Celine's Metal- work (MW), then spent the SP on Per and Play. Big Fol! *PP items of note* None. Lacour I bought skills and did a PA to get an RDiamond from an old lady on the west side of town. Unlocked SoT with Claude. Put SP in Per and Play. Just assume I'm continuing in this fashion for temp/insig- nificant characters for the rest of the game. *PP items of note* Frog from Ernest (PA) Linga ---Precis Neumann: Catch me, if you can.--- I saw Precis, then bought skills and items. I left Linga but reentered via PA. Precis's dad invited me into her house, which led to us recruiting her. Equipped Atomic Punch, Berserk Ring and Mind Ring. Unlocked SoD and Dexterity (Machinery). Lvl 15 Str 42 Con 31 Dex 40 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 153 Stm 18 Guts 32 I decided to require 6 StaP from Con and Dex each level out of the 7 possible. That's 86%. I never had much of a hard time getting Precis's required StaP. In fact, I once gained three levels at a time and surpassed my requirement... Easy peasy! *PP items of note* Magical Drops from a Librarian. Beret from Keith. Promised Ring from Nineh. Chocolate Crepes (her fav) from Precis (PA). Battle Suit from Ernest (PA). ---Lacour Tournament [Ma]: Wow! He looks strong.--- I went to Lacour and signed up for the tournament. I picked the middle store. Claude was level 9 or so. Since he wouldn't end up on my final team, I didn't care whether or not he gained the Eternal Sphere. He beat the ape and gained a couple of levels. If you guessed he would lose to Dias, you guessed correctly. We grabbed the Sharp Edge and hopped to Hilton. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-EVQpXxaPA&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejAQstQ0IRE&fmt=18 Hilton We met Opera in the tavern and told her we saw Ernest at Cross. She left. I made a video then lost it, so I had to make a replacement of sorts... YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96lmSVNNyIg&fmt=18 Cross Continent Cross We talked the king about Opera. He said she went to the Mountain Palace. He gave us permission to go there. Also, he gave us 10k Fol. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8gafIcXJ6k &fmt=18 Mountain Palace We went inside and stuck to the path that led us the most up and right. Opera showed and we recruited her. ---Opera Vectra: Let me enjoy this a bit more.--- Lvl 21 Str 60 Con 31 Dex 50 Agl 30 Int 0 Luc 142 Stm 21 Guts 40 I decided to require 6 StaP from Str and Dex each level out of the 7 possible. That's 86%. Unlocked SoD with her. Unlocked Originality with Precis. Ran into the Flarelizards and wiped them out with Opera at level 25 and Precis at level 27. They gave us 2 Reflection Rings. Besides fighting well, put a lot of SP in StaP-boosting skills. You can quickly triple Opera's strength. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRdEXUOs4hU &fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXeLmDKjkMw &fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1CxNNEu39Q &fmt=18 Arlia PA'd until Opera talked about her ship, then I took the team to Shingo Forest. This is necessary for Ernest to appear at the Hoffman Ruins later. I PP RDiamond from Newly Wed Wife. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fueuyJQvvPg &fmt=18 Lacour Continent Hilton/Linga Unlocked SoR and Pitch for a lot of characters by playing songs, then I headed to Linga and had Bowman tell me to go get him an herb. Unlocked Dexterity with Opera (MW). Crafted Atlas Ring from an RDiamond with Opera. Sanctuary of Linga I ran straight to the Dill Whip, using my newly discovered bug of escape. I hadn't found the Dill Whip in many moons since the Clarisage is so much easier to obtain. I also went out of my way to fight the Visseyers. They can poison and swallow you, but I had little trouble. Lvl 31 Precis and Lvl 31 Opera both had one accessory that doubles atk power (Berserk Ring, Atlas Ring). Precis used Atomic Punch; Opera used Seventh Ray. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXeoaFkRIQ8 &fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bQXQD57NQ &fmt=18 Linga/Lacour Bowman loved the Dill Whip and helped us out before we went to Lacour and acquired Leon. We Blacksmithed some items: Neo Greaves (Orichalcum), Chaos Mail (Damascus) and Plate gear (Iron). Hoffman Ruins With Opera at lvl 6 Customize, I eventually made an Alpha Box. It came from an X box I had previously made. I won't tell you all of the details because the weapons aren't her best, and there are several guides out there. Just be warned, the guides have flaws. For example, one of the guides I just looked at didn't show Customizing Alpha Box as an option... I mostly used the bug to avoid battles, but I fought some. During those fights I realized both Precis and Opera would use normal attacks on grounded creatures if they didn't like the KMs I equipped them with. Quite annoying. Harfainx I kept them occupied with MRos most of the fight while Precis and Opera wailed on them. Lvl 34 Opera had Alpha Box, Reflection Ring and Berserk Ring. Lvl 34 Precis had Atomic Punch, Atlas Ring and Reflection Ring. Celine and Rena stayed on manual to absorb exp. They each had a Reverse Doll and Crystal equipped. Precis and Opera both gained 1 level, but it went without issue. I headed outside. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCT4GPZN37o&fmt=18 ---Ernest Raviede: You primitive creature.--- Opera sees something and runs over to it. We fight a ghost who had possessed Ernest. He went down super easy compared to Harfainx, then we recruited Ernest. Level 25 Str 100 Con 37 Dex 60 Agl 50 Int 0 Luc 121 Stm 23 Guts 45 I decided to go with 6.5/8 for Str and Dex combined. It's only 82%, but it should be okay. His main strength is Agl anyway. He starts with 10x more than some characters, and he has Cloud Dust to increase his evasion. After testing his StaP growth a bit while leveling, I stole Battle Suits from him in Mars and Linga (PAs). Very useful at this point in the game. Then when he reached lvl 5 Customize, I mixed some stuff together and made a Rose Whip (most likely a random creation). Unlocked SoD (Machinery) and Pitch (playing songs). YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW3ENgVougY&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHkRnKhJVho&fmt=18 ---Eluria [Ma]: Well, let's have it.--- Lacour/Frontline I dropped off Leon then headed to Frontline. We picked up Dias just because I wanted to. Shin jumped our team and we ran around in circles until the fight ended due to the time limit. I used Resurrection Bottles (RBottles) to help gain voices, and used KMs to build up prof. Leon showed up with the Lacour Hope. His parents asked us to all go to El. *PP items of note* Steel Armor from Grover. El Continent We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles. They are weak. Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might as well stand still. Or, like I sometimes do, you can let people die a bunch in hopes of gaining new voices for the Voice Collection. Building up KMs is another possibility. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roOtFokTV5w&fmt=18 Eluria Colony You show up and wonder where Claude is. He shows up and Rena nearly makes out with him. The leader of the group allows you to get free weapons from storage. Then a guy gives you a keycard to Eluria Tower. *PP items of note* Star Ruby from Leader. Holy Mist from Youth. Peep Half from Man. Eluria Tower There are some nice items in the tower. Even if you skip most of them, get Trickster. Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he is. The bug will help you avoid fights, and the Battle Suits will resist most physical damage if you have to run from a fight. The password for the priest statue is "APOCA." Shin He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can kill him this time. He has two weak Gargoyle companions. Perhaps they are called "Stone Statues," but we aren't fooled. The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos, if you wish. I didn't, and he went down easy. Ernest, Precis and Opera were at level 36. Each had at least one accessory that doubled attack power (Berserk Ring, Atlas Ring and Atlas Ring). Weapons were Rose Whip, Atomic Punch, Alpha Box. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSiu_SdsSPI&fmt=18 Berle Survive for a while. He does an annoying move named Meta-guard, but it isn't a big deal. Run from him or just hit him over and over with MRos. You only need to be careful if you have Comprehension turned on. It will slow you enough for him to get in hits unless you are quite skilled at dodging. This time he killed Precis and Opera, but I ran around with Ernest. It said Ernest after it said "Time Up" or what- ever. Fortunately the game had mercy on me and didn't give a Game OVer. 2nd CD ---Synard [Br]: Don't get hurt!--- Central City We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get a Synard from North City. I made sure to see the Chisato scene before leaving the city. *PP items of note* Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild. North City North City Bought all instruments and began composing. I created Hail the Goddess on Violin before I had enough songs for Orchestra. I played it then composed until I had created the remaining songs. Began using Orchestra: 1. Created a Gamma Box through random Customization (lvl 7) with Opera. Added Orichalcum to get PUlse Box. 2. Random Customization (lvl 7) with Ernest to make Invisible Whip. 3. Used Celine and Alchemy to make some minerals. You don't need to use her, but it was convenient for me. I made some RDiamonds to equip in case I needed skill boosts. 4. Random Customization (lvl 7) with Precis to make SD Punch. Added Damascus to get UGA Punch. Added Meteorite to get SDUGA Punch. Because UGA Punch has more Hit than SDUGA Punch, I made one of those to keep. 4. Blacksmithed three Star Guards (Meteorite). 5. Unlocked WA, Originality (MW), LoA with Ernest; SoT with Opera; SoT, WA, Pitch with Precis; various talents with my noncombatants. *PP items of note* Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman. Violin from Mrs. Heath. Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop. The Fight I talked with the researchers. Soon after, they screwed up everything and made a Synard flip out on my team. Ernest had ~275 Avd, so he blocked most attacks. Precis had ~750 Def (with Blue Talisman included), making it impossible for the Synard to damage her. If you have any trouble, use MRos. They should turn the battle in your favour. Each of my teammembers gained 2 levels. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaQEBniaCEA&fm=18 Red Crystal Cave I ran in here and bypassed most chests/bugged out of battles. There are a couple of okay items, but none of them interested me. On the way you will come to a point where you have to go under a ledge to reach a chest. Whether you want the item or not, take the steps down and go toward it. A necessary scene with Chisato will occur. She drops her ID card. Pick it up. At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses, to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability, attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack. As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Keep your distance when possible and make sure you are doing well in levels and/or gear. After winning, we gained the Synard. Noel asked to come along, but I only had one spot left. I went back to Central City and found Chisato in the Nede Chronicle. We talked a bit then I recruited her. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwG8X7s5MXs&fmt=18 ---Chisato Madison: Sorry, I'm not interested in you.--- She's the last character you can possibly get, but she has quite high Agl and Dex. Also, she has no stat- boosting skills to start with, meaning she loses nothing for that reason. Level 40 Str 164 Con 60 Dex 150 Agl 50 Int 0 Luc 119 Stm 32 Guts 42 I decided to go with 7.5/9 for Str and Dex combined. It's 83%, but she also has super Agl like Ernest. I think they will be okay. After testing his StaP growth a bit while leveling, I stole Battle Suits from him in Mars and Linga (PAs). Very useful at this point in the game. Unlocked SoD (Machinery), Originality (MW), Pitch, LoA, and Si Se. When she reached lvl 4 Customize, I bought a Lightning Gun at Armlock and mixed it with a Mithril to make an Electron. The truth is I hear Electron is almost like her default weapon when using Orchestra, so there is probably no need to do anything fancy. I made the mistake of listening to a guide that has proven false on multiple occasions. Yes, just mixed a Stun Gun with Moonite=Electron. Ugh. MWed a Gold Earring (Chisato) and Blacksmithed a Mithril Dress. Chisato's Avd went up to 375+. Then I maxed out her agl-boosting skills and followed up with 5 ranks in Piety (couldn't afford more before the level 50 test). Agl: 144 (rank 0), 148, 152, 156, 160, 164 I also tested the secret battlefield for kicks. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm0dRPhsarI&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0xwLd-sEDU&fmt=18 YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcNs1meIYIg&fmt=18 ---A Level-50 Look [Ma]: --- I mainly used a combination of FMedals, DBracelets and Enter the Hero to reach level 50. All Stats I'm going to tell you the stats (unequipped) of every character. If you want to compare them to each other or your characters, keep two things in mind: one, since skills are not maxed, there are a lot of variables; two, each character has had his StaP manipulated for a different amount of time (Precis since level 15, Ernest since level 25, etc.). Precis Opera Ernest Chisato Str 469 497 447 393 O Con 135 87 76 87 P Dex 235 200 208 263 C Agl 71 105 144 164 C Int 133 154 126 115 O Luc 153 142 121 119 P Stm 48 48 53 56 C Guts 68 70 77 63 E --Interesting If I manipulated Precis's StaP to be perfect every level, would her StaP surpass the the base Stap of anyone she met along the way? I made a little "table" below to see. Lvl 21 Lvl 25 Lvl 40 Str 60 72 117 Con 49 61 106 Dex 64 80 140 A perfect Precis ties a perfect Opera in Str and defeats her in Con and Dex. A perfect Precis loses to a perfect Ernest in Str but defeats him in Con and Dex. A perfect Precis loses to a perfect Chisato in Str and Dex but defeats her in Con. Getting Precis early does matter, but not as much as one might expect. Even with perfect gains, and excluding her StaP loss due to starting with 3 ranks in Functionality, she barely wins over half of the time when compared to the base StaP of her teammates. Interesting-- YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tV_nLRpZlcw&fmt=18 Fake Gallery YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18 -------------------- Team Perfect -------------------- Why did I name this team "Team Perfect"? Each character will have one StaP requirement per level, and it must always be a perfect gain. By the way, they're all casters. Cross Continent ---Rena Lanford: Now's your chance to run away.--- Rena is the first character we get for this team. I hope you read the StaP section. Even though it was all about Claude, it should help you understand the concept. Since Rena seemed like a typical fighter-mage pick, I decided against it and chose Con as her main stat. It will help her survive as she heals the other teammembers. She gets a max of 2 Con per level (remember to see the "Stap Growth" section for all characters). Arlia Play as Claude (for Leon). If you don't have the Dexterity talent, restart the game until you do. Your first meeting with Rena in Shingo Forest doesn't allow you to control her or see her stats; but she won't level for a while yet. Loot Arlia then pick up Rena. Her stats (see "Starting StaP" section for all characters): Str 5 Con 2 Dex 10 Agl 8 Int 0 Luc 130 Stm 10 Guts 30 Shop before leaving to Salva. Gotta have those Sandals. *Pickpocket (PP) items of note* Rainbow Diamond (RDiamond) from Newlywed Wife. Santa's Boots from her son (2nd CD). Youtube Example Video (YEV): http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=XgoEL8iqCRM&fmt=18 Salva Go to Alen's house. Leave. Return to Arlia. Hear about Alen. Go back to his house. Level as much or as little as you wish. This is Earth, and Alen will be a pushover. Loot Salva and the Drift if you want to collect some items. Sometime during the Alen fight, let Rena die. Otherwise, she might gain bad StaP. After winning, get the Ring of Happiness (rare) from Alen. Do not buy gear here. Switch Claude's gear to Rena. *PP items of note* None. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzaBsjFUDrA&fmt=18 Cross ---Celine Jules: You can't win over us.--- Stay at the inn, loot the city and castle. Get Celine and sell her accessories. Buy skills, but do not buy gear in Cross. Str 15 Con 8 Dex 12 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 154 Stm 14 Guts 40 I bought 20 Eggs here, so I could unlock Sense of Taste (SoT) with people later. I usually go to Herlie, but I had already stopped at the food area in Cross. I spent 5 SP with Claude and Celine to gain cooking. Neither could have afforded Perseverance (Per) anyway, so no loss. I moved outside, then I realized my least likely choice for a fighter-mage would be Celine. Intrigued, I decided to gain 2 Str per level with her. *PP items of note* Orichalcum from dog. Magical Camera from young man at castle. Cinderella Glass from Celine during a Private Action (PA). YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Tazjj8VY2E&fmt=18 Mars Loot the village and buy gear for your casters if you have plenty to spare. Save at least (at least) 1600 Fol for Herlie. *PP items of note* Treasure chest from the old man by the inn. Cinderella Glass from Celine (PA). Ruby Wand from Young Man by Heraldry Forest. Herlie Loot Herlie (nice items/Fol here), buy skills (make sure to get Perseverance), buy 20 eggs if you still need them. Either cook eggs in Herlie until you get the talent, or try cooking between fights and bad StaP loads. Rena is more likely to unlock SoT than either Celine or Claude. You can get Art and try to unlock Sense of Design (SoD), but Magical Clay is costly; however, do it when you get the chance. 100 SP is very handy. Once you unlock SoT and/or SoD, max out Per, increase Playfulness (Play) for Fol, and try to put points in stat building skills (KKnife, Patience, etc.) for Rena and Celine. Those stat increases matter a lot at this level, but you must note every change to your stats or your StaP manipulation will be foiled. Trust me. Buy the Bandit Gloves (BG) with your new money (from Play) and buy gear for your team. If you just unlocked SoT or SoD with Claude, max out Per then put some SP in PP skills: Poker Face and Courage. It is nice if you have at least level 5 PP when you reach Clik. If Claude needs SP for any reason, and you can't afford to buy skills to unlock talents, go to the Lasguss Mountains and fight the bubble creatures. He can gain several levels in one or two fights. *PP items of note* BG from Skill Guild Explainer. Ring of Happiness (RoH) from Newlywed at inn. Life Insurance from other Newlywed. Forged Checks from Zand's Minion (at table) at a tavern. Mars/Cross Cave I unlocked SoD using Art with Claude, then I left Herlie. I went and bought gear at Mars then PP the old man. I saved, then used the Treasure Chest until it gave me Rune Full Moon. I really wanted something for Celine, but I never saw anything. In Cross Cave, run straight to the chest with Ancient Writings inside, unless you are dying to find all the treasure chests in the cave. I unlocked Dexterity with Celine by Metalworking (MWing) 1 Iron and 1 Green Beryl. If you try it, stick next to a save. It may not always come in two uses. I used Art to unlock SoD with Celine. When finished in the cave, I headed out and let Celine join my team. Clik On your way to Clik, stop by the Mountain Palace and loot the front area. Go loot Clik, buy skills and equipment (if you need to), and buy Magical Clay if you haven't yet. Unlock SoD with everyone. After Claude's PP is 5 or more, do a PA. PP from Filia. You will get Mischief. Equip it and explode with joy as you run around. Finish storyline in Clik. *Other PP items of note* Berserk Ring from an Angry Sailor. Feet Symbol from the sailor near the ship. BG from Ketil. Silver Charm from the boyfriend near the fountain. Cinderella Glass from Celine (PA). LIfe Insurance from Old Woman on hill. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Pe8Fcy2Hg&fmt=18 Mars (Again) Bandits have kidnapped the children. Gear up, buy items, then rush to the forest! Except you can reenter town anytime... Soloing as Celine was quite difficult. You should level past 10 before entering the forest. I hadn't been there in ~10 years without Dias, so it took me by surprise. I stuck to regular attack, Windblade, Thunderbolt, Firebolt and items. Not easy. Without items, your best chance is a spell followed by a physical attack. I could one-shot a lot of them, if I could get a hit in. I had stolen the Berserk Ring and Feet Symbol from Clik. At level 17 (223 Str), I fought Varmillion. I used the same tactics as usual (spell diversion+Ruby Wand) but threw in some Peep-Peep Bombs (PeepBs). It worked well, and he died. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVZcWt1bg8Q&f&fmt=18 Lacour Continent Hilton I bought skills but nothing else, as I wanted to get the Super Specialty "Identify All" first. After that, I went from town to town buying any upgrades I saw. *PP items of note* Pyre Tear from Celine (PA). Lacour I bought skills. *PP items of note* Fairy Tear from Boyfriend on way to castle. Linga I bought skills to help unlock talents, but everyone had 0 SP. I stole some books with Claude until he learned Familiar. I unlocked Love of Animals (LoA) via Familiar, then put points into Authoring, musical skills, etc. I wrote some books for Celine and Rena. *PP items of note* Magical Drops from a Librarian. Beret from Keith. Promised Ring from Nineh. Hilton/Linga These two towns have all the items you need to unlock talents. Claude: Sense of Rhythm (SoR) by playing songs Originality (MW) Rena: Pitch (playing songs) SoR Dexterity (MW) Originality (MW) Celine: SoR Writing Ability (WA) Sixth Sense (Si Se) --Words on Dragon's Tusk Celine lvl 5 Customize: Used Radar to get Mithril. Combined with Rod to make Silver Rod. Celine lvl 6 Customize: Used Lvl 5 Alchemy to get Star Ruby. Combined with Silver Rod to make Ruby Rod. Combined Orichalcum (got some in Heraldry Forest) with Ruby Rod to make a Holy Rod. Celine lvl 8 Customize: Used Lvl 5 Alchemy to get Star Ruby. Combined with Holy Rod to make...a bent rod over and over. Eventually I decided to wait until the 2nd CD because I felt rushed to get the guide out, but I'm sure Dragon's Tusk can be created on the 1st CD. End of Dragon's Tusk words-- ---Lacour Tournament [Pe]: Anybody hurt?--- I returned to Lacour and entered the castle. Then I got confused and exited. I saw a scene I hadn't seen in a long time, maybe ever. I usually jump in and register for the tournament. Just a heads up for you fans of seeing everything. I randomly picked a store. Claude was level 4, and I didn't care to win the Eternal Sphere. All casters, remember? YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXvuVFDEog0&fmt=18 Lasguss Mountains I went here at level 30 or so with Celine. I wanted to help Rena level while gaining Damascus while leveling a bit with Celine in order to get SP for Customization, considering my constant failure. It wasn't easy. No fun at all. I left not long after going but managed to pick up one Damascus and some levels for Rena. Sanctuary of Linga I ran from every fight and grabbed the Clarisage. I had intended to get the Dill Whip, but I messed up. Ah well. Lacour I hopped to Lacour and recruited Leon. ---Leon Geeste: My principle is not to waste time.--- Level 30 Str 40 Con 30 Dex 35 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 120 Stm 23 Guts 10 Leon, like many characters, has some issues. First, he starts with 0 Int. This happens to everyone, but the further in the game it occurs, the worse it is. By level 30, Rena could easily have 70 or 80 Int. Another problem is the game likes to make Leon seem smart. I'm all for role-playing, but they messed up and gave him two skills that give him bonus Int. So, he loses 10 Int there. He also loses 40 Str, which might make it more difficult to use him as a fighter-mage. To me, he makes up for this flaws with style...but as they say, style doesn't pay the bills. Although he starts with Int deficiences, I like his spells; so I decided to make him the attack mage (3 int per level). He'll be the one dishing out the damage with major spells. He starts with 0 SP, so I had Claude write him some books. Leon: Pitch SoR Originality (MW) Dexterity (MW) SoD (Machinery) Level 6 Customize: Customized until I got Mental Revolution. Combined it with a Damascus and got Book of Darkness. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGJ4WyQIBII&fmt=18 Hoffman Ruins I ran all the way through with a team of just Celine and Leon (since escape speed is based on the level of partymembers), then I saved before the Harfainx (bosses). I created a Reflection Ring by MWing a Crystal with Claude. I would have made another or a Resistance Ring, but I forgot to buy more Crystals. I just threw on a Recoil Bracelet for the heck of it. I switched to Assault Shift in order to be closer to the Harfainx at the beginning of the fight. At the start, I hit them with a Magic Rock (MRo) and ran to the left side of the lower pillar in the upper-left side of the screen. Confused? Once on the left side of the pillar, they could not attack me physically. Two Mind Bombs later, and they couldn't cast spells. I kept using Killer Poison (KillP) until they became poisoned. I watched as they died. Level 4 Claude gained 29 levels and 552 SP. I did have rank 5 Practice on and some rank Comprehension. Woo hoo! YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgJs0Tk0XDw&fmt=18 ---Eluria [Pe]: Stay right there!--- Frontline I came here and saw Dias, then cried about not being able to recruit him. Shortly afterward, my team had to fight against Shin. You can't win the fight, so I ran around and used MRos + Resurrection Bottles (RBottles) until the fight ended due to time limitations. Leon showed up with the Lacour Hope. His parents asked us to all go to El. *PP items of note* None. El Continent We jumped on a boat then had to fight Gargoyles. I used an MRo and beat them up. No big deal. Shin came and killed us. You can't win, so you might as well stand still. Or, like I sometimes do, you can let people die a bunch in hopes of gaining new voices for the Voice Collection. Building up KMs is another possibility. Eluria Colony Recruit Leon permanently. There are no negative affects to getting him on your team twice. That appears to be a problem for Dias alone. *PP items of note* Star Ruby from Leader. Holy Mist from Youth. Peep Half from Man. Eluria Tower Go left up the stairs. Go left in the next room (looks impossible, right?). You'll wind up in a room with three chests. Yay for Trickster! MIschief's older brother, he is. Around this time, I realized I had way underleveled. Rena kept gaining multiple levels, making it very difficult to get the right StaP; I had a hard time running from battles; and I knew Shin would give me too much xp. I spent hours screwing around with item creation, random battles, etc. My turbo controller came in handy. Put Barney on a hill then hit turbo x. He'll keep picking up items from Mischief and Trickster. I had Claude make three Dream Bracelets (DBracelet) and some other nice stuff. Celine and Leon equipped one then ran inside. During my run to Shin, I found a trick. If you start a battle with a dead companion, use an RBottle on him or her, then quickly select "Escape" from that character's menu (who is still lying down). When done right, the person should escape faster than if you used a Skanda (regardless of level). The password for the priest statue is "APOCA." Once aboard Calnus, pickpocket a guy next to where you first come in (right side). He should have a Battle Suit. If you fail, load your game. Shin He fights much like he did on the ship, but you can kill him this time. The battleground is long, so make liberal use of MRos. While Shin is busy getting hurled across the screen, you can blast him with spells like Deep Freeze, or you can try cornering him with rapid physical attacks. I had to remove Rena from the team (she would have gained a level or two) and add Claude to the team (only as an XP absorber; he didn't fight). Here is the gear I had when defeating him: Celine: Leon: Holy Rod Book of Darkness Mithril Dress Silver Robe Rune Buckler Magical Hat Rune Cap Pin Heels Leather Boots Berserk Ring Silver Charm DBracelet DBracelet YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duYN91XnK6M&fmt=18 Berle Just survive for a while. He does an annoying move named Meta-guard, but MRos bypass it. Yes, I'm prescribing another dose of MRos. Do it! YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkrUFj6md1s&fmt=18 2nd CD ---Synard [Pe]: There's the enemy.--- Central City We talked to Narl and bought basic items. He told us to get a Synard from North City. *PP items of note* Holy Rod from Celine (PA). Item creation % boost items from Skill Guild. Treatise from left blue-haired Nede Publishing editor. Shortcake (Rena's fav) from a Woman in Central Square. Baby Rabbit Risotto (Celine's fav) from a restaurant proprietor. North City Bought all instruments and composed songs until Orchestra was available. Began using Orchestra: 1. Book of Darkness + Damascus = Book of Chaos 2. Holy Rod + Star Ruby = Dragon's Tusk 3. Next I wanted to make Empresia with Rena, so I crafted Kaiser Knuckles (random make, keep trying) by equipping an RDiamond (Customize + 1) and playing Orchestra. I needed a Moonite, but Celine (lvl 6 Alchemy) couldn't make one, so I equipped two RDiamonds to boost her Alchemy to 8. Also, I had bought the Lezard Flask in North City. We made a Moonite then combined it with Kaiser Knuckles to make Empresia. I made a bunch of RDiamonds to help Item Creation. 4. Blacksmithed a lot of gear: Star Guard (Meteorite), Star Cloak, Rune Shoes (Rune Metal), etc. 5. Unlocked Si Se with Leon, SoD with Rena and various talents with my noncombatants/noncasters. 6. MWed caster items: Fairy Ring (Claude and Green Beryl), Mental Ring and Wisdom Ring (Celine and Sage's Stone). *PP items of note* Mithril Dress from Celine (PA) Stock Certificate from Smiley's Grocery Old Woman. Violin from Mrs. Heath. Jack-in-the-box from Young Man by weapon's shop. Luna Tablet from woman in main area. Prime Toro Tuna from Noel (PA). His fav food. Enter the Hero I equipped a DBracelet on Rena, used an FMedal, unequipped the DBracelet, played Enter the Hero, won fight to gain two levels. I did that from level 17 to 40. The Fight I ran to North City and talked with the researchers. Soon after, they screwed up everything and made a Synard flip out on my team. Rena, Celine and Leon=level 40. I had to equip DBracelets on them to make sure they wouldn't gain a level and screw up my StaP gains. Claude stood in place during the fight to soak up experience. The most important part for my team in this fight had to be Celine's Avd. I never knew how important it could be until recently. She had over 300 Avd: Mithril Dress (120), Rune Buckler (60), Hermit's Helm (20), Rune Shoes (20) and a lot of Agl from skills. The Synard started out by doing his breath weapon. Normally it can be quite devastating, but Celine blocked most hits most of the time. In fact, he just kept pushing her back until I had to use an MRo. I switched to Leon and let the computer control Celine on full attack. I would use Leon's regular attack to hit the Synard until it turned and hit him. Then I stood back and cast Black Saber most of the time. Rena tried to cast Tractor Beam until I turned her to "Recover Friends Only." If you didn't know, Tractor Beam is useless on flying enemies. The fight went rather smoothly as Celine and her Berserk Ring gathered a lot of attention that her Avd could deal with. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJQtF0HATas&fmt=18 ---Noel Chandler: Why don't we become friends?... I guess not.--- We defeated the Synard at North City, so a man told us to go to a wildlife preserve, essentially. We met Noel, and he decided to help us find a Synard. Noel: Level 40 Str 61 Con 55 Dex 50 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 87 Stm 30 Guts 28 I decided to get perfect Dex with him. My reasoning is possibly weak, but I'll explain! Rena had Con, Celine had Str and Leon had Int. I figured a nice remaining stat was Dex, plus it might help Noel back up Celine in a close fight. I made a Tiger's Fangs via random customization (Lvl 7 + Orchestra), then I combined it with a Mithril to create Platinum Nails. After that, I used Orchestra to unlock SoD (Art), Dexterity (Machinery), Originality (MW), SoT, WA and SoR. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCTZleqlgRY&fmt=18 ---A Level-50 Look [Pe]: Trust me!--- All Stats I'm going to tell you the stats (unequipped) of every character. If you want to compare them to each other or your characters, keep two things in mind: one, since skills are not maxed, there are a lot of variables; two, each character has had his StaP manipulated for a different amount of time (Rena since level 1, Celine since level 8, etc.). Rena Celine Leon Noel Str 277 439 214 262 C Con 120 65 68 81 R Dex 134 160 138 138 C Agl 54 85 84 74 C Int 161 173 140 97 C Luc 130 154 120 87 C Stm 40 41 53 57 N Guts 45 55 25 46 C --Interesting If I manipulated Rena's StaP to be perfect every level, would her StaP surpass the the Stap of anyone she met along the way? I made a little "table" below to see. Lvl 8 Lvl 30 Lvl 40 Str 19 63 83 Con 16 60 80 Dex 24 68 88 Int 21 87 117 A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Celine in every way, unless you take into account her lost 20 Str via starting with 1 rank in the Kitchen Knife skill. A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Leon in every way. A perfect Rena defeats a perfect Noel in every way. Yes, getting a teammember early does matter, but this is only concerning a perfect Rena. Had I said average Rena, she would have fared much worse. Example: An average Rena would lose to an average Noel in every way except Int. Interesting-- Red Crystal Cave Reproduced 3 Rune Bucklers after getting tired of attempting to Blacksmith them. I ran in the cave and bypassed most chests/escaped battles. There are a couple of okay items, but none of them interested me. At the end, you have to face Arcmenes. Two nasty bosses, to be sure. They move quickly, have a teleport ability, attack rapidly up close and can use a ranged attack. As always, MRos would help, but they aren't needed. Celine had over 300 Avd, making it nigh impossible to defeat her. Noel had 600-650 def, so the Arcmenes did little damage. Other than that, I let Leon cast some spells. After winning, we gained the Synard. Noel asked to come along, and I accepted. I recruited Chisato as well but not to use on my main team. YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOO_3JBVrWY&fmt=18 Fake Gallery YEV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz4MiOmFMEk&fmt=18 -------------------- Starting StaP -------------------- ---Team One: Claude, Ashton, Bowman, Dias--- Claude: Level 1 Str 10 Con 5 Dex 10 Agl 10 Int 0 Luc 132 Stm 15 Guts 20 Ashton: Level 17 Str 83 Con 32 Dex 50 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 18 Stm 18 Guts 32 Bowman: Level 25 Str 90 Con 50 Dex 62 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 118 Stm 35 Guts 36 Dias: Level 35 Str 175 Con 70 Dex 120 Agl 20 Int 0 (generally) Luc 96 Stm 45 Guts 50 ---Team Two: Precis, Opera, Ernest, Chisato--- Precis: Level 15 Str 42 Con 31 Dex 40 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 153 Stm 18 Guts 32 Opera: Level 21 Str 60 Con 31 Dex 52 Agl 30 Int 0 Luc 142 Stm 21 Guts 40 Ernest: Level 25 Str 100 Con 37 Dex 60 Agl 50 Int 0 Luc 121 Stm 23 Guts 45 Chisato: Level 40 Str 164 Con 60 Dex 150 Agl 50 Int 0 Luc 119 Stm 32 Guts 42 ---Team Three: Rena, Celine, Leon, Noel--- Rena: Level 1 Str 5 Con 2 Dex 10 Agl 8 Int 0 Luc 130 Stm 10 Guts 30 Celine: Level 8 Str 15 Con 8 Dex 12 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 154 Stm 14 Guts 40 Leon: Level 30 Str 40 Con 30 Dex 35 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 120 Stm 23 Guts 10 Noel: Level 40 Str 61 Con 55 Dex 50 Agl 5 Int 0 Luc 87 Stm 30 Guts 28 -------------------- StaP Growth -------------------- The first stat beside a character's name will indicate his or her greatest strength on that particular team; the second number will indicate his or greatest weakness on that particular team. Ties excluded. ---Team One: Claude, Ashton, Bowman, Dias--- Claude: Con, Int Str 3-6 Con 2-4 Dex 2-3 Agl 0 Int 0-2 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 7-17 Ashton: None, None Str 3-6 Con 1-3 Dex 2-3 Agl 0 Int 1-2 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 7-16 Bowman: None, Str Str 2-5 Con 1-3 Dex 2-3 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 6-16 Dias: Dex, None Str 3-6 Con 1-3 Dex 3-4 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 8-18 ---Team Two: Precis, Opera, Ernest, Chisato--- Precis: Con, Str Str 2-3 Con 1-3 Dex 3-4 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 7-15 Opera: None, None Str 1-4 Con 1-2 Dex 2-3 Agl 0 Int 2-3 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 7-14 Ernest: None, Stm Str 2-5 Con 1-2 Dex 2-3 Agl 0 Int 2-3 Luc 0 Stm 0-0 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 7-14 Chisato: None, Con/Int Str 2-5 Con 0-2 Dex 3-4 Agl 0 Int 0-2 Luc 0 Stm 0-1 Guts 0-1 Min-Max StaP: 5-15 ---Team Three: Rena, Celine, Leon, Noel--- Rena: None, None Str 1-2 Con 0-2 Dex 1-2 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0 Guts 0 Min-Max StaP: 3-9 Celine: None, None Str 1-2 Con 0-2 Dex 1-2 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0 Guts 0 Min-Max StaP: 3-9 Leon: None, None Str 1-2 Con 0-2 Dex 1-2 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0 Guts 0 Max StaP: 3-9 Noel: None, None Str 1-2 Con 0-2 Dex 1-2 Agl 0 Int 1-3 Luc 0 Stm 0 Guts 0 Min-Max StaP: 3-9 -------------------- StaP Lists -------------------- If you're wondering if it is possible to stick with StaP requirements, here's the "proof." You might wonder what the numbers are in the parentheses. Let's say I gain 11 StaP for a level with Claude. Well, I'm only requiring 10 StaP with Claude, so I get a +1 in the parentheses. What this means is I can later accept a 9-StaP level yet stay true to my 10-StaP rule. It may not seem important, but it helps relieve stress and maintain sanity. ---Claude: Advance forward!--- I required an average of 10+/11 for Str, Con, Guts (6/4/0, 6/3/1, etc.) 1) NA 2) 11 (+1) 3) 10 (+1) 4) 9 (0) 5) 10 (0) 6) 11 (+1) 7) 10 (+1) 8) 10 (+1) 9) 10 (+1) 10) 11 (+2) 11) 10 (+2) 12) 10 (+2) 13) 9 (+1) 14) 10 (+1) 15) 11 (+2) 16) 10 (+2) 17) 9 (+1) 18) 10 (+1) 19) 9 (0) 20) 10 (0) 21) 10 (0) 22) 10 (0) 23) 11 (+1) 24) 9 (0) 25) 10 (0) 26) 10 (0) 27) 10 (0) 28) 11 (+1) 29) 9 (0) 30) 10 (0) 31) 9 (-1) 32) 11 (0) 33) 10 (0) 34) 11 (+1) 35) 11 (+2) 36) 10 (+2) 37) 9 (0) 38) 9 (0) 39) 10 (0) 40) 10 (0) 41) 10 (0) 42) 10 (0) 43) 10 (0) 44) 10 (0) 45) 9 (-1) 46) 10 (-1) 47) 10 (-1) 48) 11 (0) 49) 10 (0) 50) 11 (+1) 51) 11 (+2) 52) 9 (+1) 53) 9 (0) 54) 10 (0) 55) 11 (+1) 56) 10 (+1) 57) 10 (+1) 58) 11 (+2) 59) 10 (+2) 60) 10 (+2) 61) 9 (+1) 62) 10 (+1) 63) 10 (+1) 64) 9 (0) 65) 10 (0) 66) 9 (-1) 67) 10 (-1) 68) 10 (-1) 69) 10 (-1) 70) 9 (-2) 71) 10 (-2) 72) 10 (-2) 73) 10 (-2) 74) 10 (-2) 75) 10 (-2) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99) 100) ---Ashton: I'm so happy!--- I required an average of 10.5+/12 StaP for Str, Con, Dex (level pattern: 11, 10). 1-17) NA 18) 11 (0) 19) 11 (+1) 20) 12 (+2) 21) 11 (+3) 22) 11 (+3) 23) 10 (+3) 24) 11 (+3) 25) 11 (+4) 26) 11 (+4) 27) 12 (+6) 28) 10 (+5) 29) 11 (+6) 30) 11 (+6) 31) 11 (+7) 32/33) 10 (+6) 34) 11 (+6) 35) 10 (+6) 36) 10 (+5) 37) 10 (+5) 38) 10 (+4) 39) 9 (+3) 40) 11 (+3) 41) 10 (+3) 42) 11 (+3) 43) 11 (+4) 44) 10 (+3) 45) 12 (+5) 46) 10 (+4) 47) 11 (+5) 48) 11 (+5) 49) 10 (+5) 50) 11 (+5) 51) 10 (+5) 52) 11 (+5) 53) 10 (+5) 54) 11 (+5) 55) 10 (+5) 56) 11 (+5) 57) 11 (+6) 58) 10 (+5) 59) 10 (+5) 60) 12 (+6) 61) 10 (+6) 62) 12 (+7) 63) 10 (+7) 64) 10 (+6) 65) 10 (+6) 66) 10 (+5) 67) 10 (+5) 68) 11 (+5) 69) 10 (+5) 70) 10 (+4) 71) 11 (+5) 72) 10 (+4) 73) 11 (+5) 74) 10 (+4) 75) 12 (+6) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99) 100) ---Bowman: We did it!--- I required an average of 5.75+/7 StaP for Str, Stm, Guts (level pattern: 6, 6, 6, 5). 1-25) NA 26) 7 (+1) 27) 5 (0) 28) 5 (-1) 29) 5 (-1) 30) 6 (-1) 31) 6 (-1) 32) 6 (-1) 33) 5 (-1) 34) 6 (-1) 35) 5 (-2) 36) 5 (-3) 37) 6 (-2) 38) 7 (-1) 39) 5 (-2) 40) 7 (-1) 41) 5 (-1) 42) 6 (-1) 43) 6 (-1) 44) 6 (-1) 45) 6 (0) 46) 6 (0) 47) 6 (0) 48) 5 (-1) 49) 7 (+1) 50) 5 (0) 51) 6 (+1) 52) 5 (0) 53) 7 (+1) 54) 5 (0) 55) 7 (+2) 56) 7 (+3) 57) 6 (+3) 58) 6 (+3) 59) 7 (+5) 60) 6 (+5) 61) 6 (+5) 62) 6 (+5) 63) 4 (+4) 64) 6 (+4) 65) 6 (+4) 66) 5 (+3) 67) 5 (+3) 68) 6 (+3) 69) 6 (+3) 70) 6 (+3) 71) 6 (+4) 72) 6 (+4) 73) 5 (+3) 74) 5 (+2) 75) 5 (+2) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99) 100) ---Dias: It's Absurd.--- I required an average of 10+/11 of StaP for Str, Dex, Guts (5/4/1, 6/4/0, etc). 1-35) NA 36) 10 (0) 37) 9 (-1) 38) 11 (0) 39) 9 (-1) 40) 10 (-1) 41) 10 (-1) 42) 11 (0) 43) 11 (+1) 44) 9 (0) 45) 9 (-1) 46) 10 (-1) 47) 11 (0) 48) 10 (0) 49) 10 (0) 50) 10 (0) 51) 10 (0) 52) 11 (+1) 53) 10 (+1) 54) 10 (+1) 55) 9 (0) 56) 10 (0) 57) 10 (0) 58) 9 (-1) 59) 9 (-2) 60) 10 (-2) 61) 10 (-2) 62) 10 (-2) 63) 11 (-1) 64) 11 (0) 65) 10 (0) 66) 11 (+1) 67) 9 (0) 68) 10 (0) 69) 10 (0) 70) 9 (-1) 71) 10 (-1) 72) 11 (0) 73) 9 (-1) 74) 10 (-1) 75) 11 (0) 76) 77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85) 86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99) 100) ---Precis: Lucky!--- I required an average of 6+/7 StaP for Con and Dex. 1-15) NA 16/17) 5/6 (-1) 18/19) 5/6 (-2) 20) 6 (-2) 21/22) 6/6 (-2) 23/24/25) 6/6/7 (-1) 26) 7 (0) 27) 6 (0) 28) 6 (0) 29) 6 (0) 30) 6 (0) 31) 5 (-1) 32) 7 (0) 33) 7 (+1) 34) 6 (0) 35/36) 7/7 (+2) 37) 5 (+1) 38) 6 (+1) 39/40) 5/6 (0) 41) 7 (+1) 42) 4 (-1) 43) 7 (0) 44) 7 (+1) 45) 6 (+1) 46) 7 (+2) 47) 5 (+1) 48) 6 (+1) 49) 7 (+2) 50) 7 (+3) ---Opera: Hee hee hee.--- I required an average of 6+/7 StaP for Str and Dex combined. 1-21) NA 22) 6 (0) 23) 6 (0) 24) 6 (0) 25) 6 (0) 26) 6 (0) 27) 7 (+1) 28) 6 (+1) 29) 6 (+1) 30) 6 (+1) 31) 5 (0) 32) 5 (-1) 33) 7 (0) 34) 7 (+1) 35/36) 5/6 (0) 37) 7 (+1) 38) 6 (+1) 39/40) 4/5 (-2) 41) 7 (-1) 42) 4 (-3) 43) 7 (-2) 44) 6 (-2) 45) 6 (-2) 46) 6 (-2) 47) 7 (-1) 48) 6 (-1) 49) 6 (-1) 50) 6 (-1) ---Ernest: Pleasure.--- I required an average of 6.5+/8 StaP for Str and Dex combined (level pattern: 6, 7). That's 81%. 1-25) NA 26/27) 6/6 (-1) 28) 7 (0) 29) 6 (-1) 30) 6 (-1) 31) 7 (-1) 32) 6 (-1) 33) 8 (0) 34) 7 (+1) 35/36) 7/7 (+2) 37) 6 (+2) 38) 8 (+3) 39/40) 6/6 (+2) 41) 5 (+1) 42) 6 (0) 43) 8 (+2) 44) 6 (+1) 45) 7 (+2) 46) 5 (0) 47) 8 (+2) 48/49) 7/8 (+4) 50) 8 (+5) ---Chisato: Not yet!--- I required an average of 7.5/9 StaP for Str and Dex combined (level pattern: 7, 8). That's 83%. 1-40) NA 41) 7 (0) 42) 8 (0) 43) 9 (+2) 44) 7 (+1) 45) 8 (+2) 46) 6 (0) 47) 8 (+1) 48) 8 (+1) 49) 6 (0) 50) 8 (0) ---Rena: Oh, good!--- She always gains 2 Con per level. ---Celine: This is no big deal.--- She always gains 2 Str per level. ---Leon: Ha ha!--- He always gains 3 Int per level. ---Noel: Gee whiz.--- He always gains 2 Dex per level. --------- Thanks --------- *Thanks to the Star Ocean fanatics on the GameFAQs site. Your posts on the board have enlightened me, while your FAQs have provided a solid base for me to work from. *Thanks to my wife for letting me play like a madman! *Thanks to Tri-ace, Links and Enix for creating Star Ocean: The Second Story. May you live forever.