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Trophy Guide

by Thundaka

                          KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.5 REMIX
                                PS3 TROPHY GUIDE
                        By Thundaka ([email protected])

Copyright 2015 Thundaka.

This guide is solely for private use.  If you wish to host this guide on your
website, contact me for permission before doing so.  Any profitable use is
strictly prohibited.


=============================================================================
                                VERSION HISTORY
=============================================================================

v1.00: Initial version.  Feel free to email me with any questions or 
corrections.

=============================================================================
                                TABLE OF CONTENTS
=============================================================================

I. Introduction

II. Trophy Guide: Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix
a. Automatic
b. Basic
c. Combat
d. Journal
e. Gummi

III. Trophy Guide: Birth by Sleep Final Mix
a. Automatic
b. Basic
c. Combat
d. Reports

IV. Trophy Guide: Re:Coded

V. Acknowledgments


=============================================================================
                                  INTRODUCTION
=============================================================================

Much like the 1.5 collection which came before it, the 2.5 HD ReMIX 
Collection brings together two great Kingdom Hearts games into a beautiful, 
polished package.  The Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by 
Sleep have been brought to the West for the first time, adding new gameplay 
options and many hours of new content to two already-superb games.  Also like 
the 1.5 collection, the DS-exclusive Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded has been 
retooled as a cutscene movie, with two brand-new scenes hinting at future 
installments.

The purpose of this guide is to help the ambitious players who wish to earn 
all 102 Trophies in this collection, including the Platinums for Kingdom 
Hearts II Final Mix and Birth by Sleep Final Mix.  Fortunately, Squaresoft 
has learned from the 1.5 collection and greatly streamlined their Trophies.  
All Trophies can now be earned in a single playthrough of each story, and 
hardly any require the monotonous grinding that made Re:Chain of Memories�s 
Level 99 Trophies such a bore.  They are no less challenging this time 
around--the Mushroom XIII and Mysterious Figure rival anything in the 1.5 
collection for raw difficulty, and you can still expect to devote well over 
100 hours to this collection--but every new Trophy earned feels like a real 
accomplishment.

It should go without saying, but by their nature many of these Trophies will 
involve plot spoilers.  THERE ARE UNMARKED SPOILERS AHEAD, so if you haven�t 
played these games before I strongly advise you to wait until after your 
first playthrough to consult this guide.
--CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.--

***Trophy Format***

To improve navigation over the fairly random default order, the Trophies 
within each game are grouped into a few wider categories.  Trophies based 
around sections of Jiminy�s Journal form one category, for example, while 
those involving the Gummi missions are another category.  Since they 
automatically unlock once you have received every other Trophy, the two 
Platinum Trophies (Kingdom Hearts II Master and Birth by Sleep Master) and 
Re:Coded�s Gold-ranked Re:Coded Master will not be listed.

The name, Grade, and official description of each Trophy will be included in 
its writeup, along with a Difficulty ranking to reflect the skill and/or luck 
required to earn it.  (Trophies in the Automatic category are unavoidable, so 
no Difficulty is assigned to them.)  When a Trophy requires a lot of 
relatively easy but monotonous grinding to complete, I will also assign a 
Tedium Factor reflecting how much additional work it demands from you.
 

=============================================================================
                     TROPHY GUIDE: KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX
=============================================================================

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix is the selling point of the collection, as it is 
arguably the greatest game in the franchise.  The main story plays very 
similarly to the original, though with many new options added to your 
arsenal.  There are several new Abilities to power up Sora�s arsenal, an 
entirely new Drive Form that allows for a completely new playstyle in most 
battles, over a dozen new keyblades, armors, and accessories to increase 
Sora�s capabilities, and even an entirely new difficulty mode.  Where the 
game truly shines, though, is in the new optional content.  There is a new 
optional dungeon filled with tough platforming and tougher enemies, 20 new 
boss battles, expanded synthesis options, and two original sidequests in the 
puzzle pieces and the Mushroom XIII.  With all these options at your 
disposal, earning the Platinum will be no small task.

*****************************************************************************
---AUTOMATIC---
These Trophies are automatically earned by completing the main story.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summer�s End
-Description: Complete Roxas� episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Timeless World
-Description: Complete the Timeless River episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Budding Romance
-Description: Complete the Beast�s Castle episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: All of the episode completion Trophies below are earned by revisiting 
and completing the second episode in each world, after the 1000 Heartless 
battle in the middle of the game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Above Honor
-Description: Complete the Land of Dragons episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lifting the Curse
-Description: Complete the Port Royal episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

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What Friends Are For
-Description: Complete the Agrabah episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

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The Gift of Love
-Description: Complete the Halloween Town episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

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A Taste of the Past
-Description: Complete the Twilight Town episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

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Reunion
-Description: Reunite with Riku and Kairi
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ambitious Adventurer
-Description: Clear the game and watch the ending sequence
-Grade: Silver
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Searcher
-Description: Collect all Ansem Reports in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: Every Ansem Report is tied to a mandatory storyline fight or event.  
When you defeat Xemnas for the first time and gain access to the final save 
point, this Trophy will unlock as well.


*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
---BASIC---
While not automatic, the miscellaneous Trophies below can be earned during a 
normal playthrough without much additional work.

Note that the game�s two secret endings (�Gathering� from the original 
Kingdom Hearts II, and the new �Birth by Sleep� ending) are not tied to a 
specific Trophy.  The first is unlocked by completing all story episodes, 
including Space Paranoids, the 100 Acre Wood, and Atlantica, regardless of 
difficulty.

The second is more difficult, and is harder to unlock the lower your 
difficulty is.  On Critical this ending only requires the Gold Crown, earned 
by obtaining the three Proof items from three of the toughest sidequests in 
the game (see Lingering Will, To Rule Them All, and Mushroom Master).  Proud 
Mode requires 100% Journal completion, on Standard you must complete the 
Journal AND earn 100% of all Gummi ship prizes--something not even the 
Platinum requires--and on Beginner it cannot be obtained at all.  For this 
reason I strongly suggest doing your 100% completion run on Critical, or at 
the very least on Proud. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proud Player
-Description: Clear game on Proud
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Earning Critical Competitor will also unlock this Trophy at the same 
time.  You will have to endure more damage on Critical, but it offers so 
many advantages--an extra 50 AP, several powerful Abilities at the start of 
the game, 25% higher base damage, AND easier access to the secret endings--
that in many ways it�s easier than Proud Mode.  For combat advice, see 
Critical Competitor.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Critical Competitor
-Description: Clear game on Critical
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: Critical Mode Sora is what you�d call a �glass cannon.�  If you�re 
careless he will die easily, but if you�re skilled he will cut through your 
enemies� HP like a chainsaw through butter.  Succeeding on Critical is all 
about avoiding damage, which can be done in several ways: you can disable 
enemies with Magnet and similar attacks, block attacks with Guard, evade 
them with Dodge Roll and other Growth Abilities, ignore them with Reflect or 
Limit abuse, or abuse enemy AI to prevent their strongest attacks altogether.

That said, there are some easy ways to keep Sora alive even when he is hit.  
To begin with, ALWAYS choose the Shield on Critical.  Once More and Second 
Chance are crucial to your survival, especially when facing the optional 
bosses in the endgame, and they come much earlier with the Shield than with 
any other choice.  Equipment is also very important, moreso than anywhere 
else in the series.  A few extra points of Defense can make a huge 
difference, to the point that equipping the best armor available can cut 
enemy damage in half for most of the game, and stacking a few +2 Strength or 
Magic accessories will nearly double your damage output.  Synthesize early 
and often: you can get your first +3 Defense armor before Disney Castle, 
your first Buster Band before Space Paranoids, and your first Ribbon before 
The World That Never Was, and by stacking these powerful armors Sora is 
amazingly hard to kill.

Finally, make sure to level up your Drive Forms and Summons early on.  These 
are some of your most powerful techniques, and the Drive Forms in particular 
provide superb support Abilities that make combat so much easier. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hail the Hero
-Description: Complete the Olympus Coliseum episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: The optional second episode unlocks after you revisit Beast�s Castle 
and the Land of Dragons.  The combat is pretty easy and completion earns you 
the powerful Magnet Burst finisher, one of the strongest crowd-control moves 
in the game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Return of the King
-Description: Complete the Pride Lands episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Unlocked after you revisit Agrabah and Halloween Town.  It ends with 
a challenging boss fight, and awards you the Thundaga spell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Electric Spark
-Description: Complete the Space Paranoids episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This episode only becomes available after you have completed both 
Olympus and the Pride Lands for the second time.  The combat is pretty 
challenging, due in no small part to the relentless Devastator Heartless, but 
you are richly rewarded for it: you earn the powerful Explosion finisher and 
Reflega spell, and unlock the Sephiroth fight (see One-Winged Angel).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Always Together
-Description: Complete the 100 Acre Wood episode
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: As in the first Kingdom Hearts, to complete the 100 Acre Wood you 
must collect all five Torn Pages and complete the minigames unlocked by 
each.  The Torn Pages are in the following locations:

1) Disney Castle: Library.
2) Pride Lands: Oasis.
3) Hollow Bastion: Crystal Fissure.
4) Land of Dragons: Throne Room.
5) Agrabah: Ruins, by the save point inside the tower.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kindred Spirits
-Description: Complete the Atlantica episodes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: You can first reach Atlantica after completing Timeless River.  Each 
chapter in the story involves some sort of musical challenge, and everyone 
one after the first requires you to earn certain powers by progressing to a 
specific point in the story.  The final chapter unlocks after completing the 
second Pride Lands episode and earning the Thundaga spell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Hero
-Description: Get rescued by the King
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: In a handful of story battles, King Mickey will appear to rescue Sora 
when he is killed.  Just select �I won�t give up� when the screen turns 
white, and Mickey will arrive to fight in his place for a while.  Your first 
opportunity to do this is against the Thresholders in Beast�s Castle or 
Shan-Yu in the Land of Dragons, though you can always earn this at the end of 
the game by dying in the first match against the armored Xemnas.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corroded by Darkness
-Description: Activate Antiform 13 times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Antiform is the shadowy Heartless-like �form� that Sora will 
sometimes take on when you active a Drive Form in battle.  For most of the 
game, Antiform appears randomly: it becomes more likely the more times you 
activate a Drive Form, but it is always a matter of chance.  However, after 
reaching The World That Never Was and defeating Roxas you earn the Two 
Become One keyblade.  Its unique Light&Dark Ability guarantees that any Form 
activation will turn Sora into Antiform, so long as he is in battle and both 
allies are alive.  Since Antiform consumes the entire Drive Gauge, it�s best 
to do this next to a �Sora-only� screen--an area where Donald and Goofy walk 
around like NPCs--as entering one with a Drive Form active will restore your 
Drive Gauge to full.  The Brink of Despair is an excellent place to do this, 
as is the final save point at the Altar of Naught.

Note that this is an excellent way to earn Final Form, which you will badly 
need for much of the endgame content.  So long as you have at least 5 points 
of Drive left, there is a good chance that Two Become One will give you Final 
(typically after the third Antiform).  Continue to activate Antiform 
afterwards via a choice other than Final, and you�ll have this Trophy in 
short order.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Struggle Champion
-Description: Win by obtaining all of the opponent�s orbs
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: This one can be earned before you finish Roxas� prologue, and is 
required to complete Seifer�s mission entry in the journal.  With even one 
Draw this is a trivial task, so long as you avoid getting hit while landing 
your own attacks.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pro Skater
-Description: Obtain 5000 points with skateboarding tricks
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: This one is easiest to complete in Scrooge�s high score challenge at 
the Hollow Bastion marketplace, as it is the only skateboard minigame without 
a time or attempt limit.  The basic idea is to travel in a continuous 
counterclockwise loop along the top of the two stairwell walls.  You will 
continuously gain points by grinding along the top, and by leaping, 
performing a midair trick, and landing with Triangle before you reach the 
end you will continue to earn points without breaking the chain.  I prefer 
Method Grab (Square) for the midair trick, as it lasts longest and gives you 
just as much maneuverability, but repeated 360 Spins (X) also work.  It will 
take a few error-free minutes, and probably more than a few attempts, but 
once you understand the trick it�s not difficult to continue abusing it all 
the way to 5000 points.


*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
---COMBAT---
Every Trophy concerned with defeating specific enemies, or the benefits of 
doing so, belongs here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Master
-Description: Get Sora to level 99
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 2/10 [Tedium Factor: 2/10]
-Notes: Surprisingly, reaching Level 99 is not much of an obstacle this time 
around.  The key to this Trophy is the Experience Boost Ability, which is 
available both as an early learned Ability for Sora and as an innate Ability 
from the Gullwing keyblade (earned by talking to Yuna, Rikku, and Paine in 
Hollow Bastion�s Postern).  With both Abilities equipped, Sora will earn 
triple experience as long as his HP is below 50% of maximum.  It�s a good 
idea to finish your synthesis and Drive Form training before you go for this 
Trophy, as doing so will carry you to level 75+ on its own and speed up the 
process.  Make sure you unequip your allies� healing Abilities and Item 
Boosts, and carry plenty of Potions; if reduced to 1 HP, a non-boosted 
Potion will bring you back to safety without deactivating Experience Boost.

The best enemies for this trick are Nobodies, as their base experience is 
high and they never drop HP orbs.  My personal favorite spot is the Transport 
to Remembrance, the final hallway in the Cavern of Remembrance, for two 
reasons: the Nobodies are packed tightly, so you can easily destroy them with 
a few Reflega spells (and keep your MP full with the orbs they drop), and 
they will instantly respawn as soon as you leave and reenter the room.  Their 
damage is a bit high, but even on Critical you will survive with HP to spare 
if you have at least 55 Defense.  With 600 experience from each Dusk and 
Creeper, and 1800 from the stronger Nobodies, you will be earning at least 
one level per trip even at level 90+.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rookie
-Description: Win the Pain and Panic Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: The Pain and Panic Cup becomes available after completing the 
Timeless River episode.  Although you cannot use Drive Forms or Summons, it 
is still an easy tournament thanks to your cheap access to Limits.  Just 
abuse Donald�s Comet to stun enemy mobs and pile on the damage to Leon and 
Yuffie, and it will be a cakewalk.
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Novice Hero
-Description: Win the Cerberus Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This tournament appears after completing the first Pride Lands 
mission.  You can activate Drive Forms solo, but have to complete your 
battles within a tight time limit.  It�s pretty easy later in the game, when 
you can abuse Master or Final Form�s Thundaga for absurd damage, but if 
attempted early in the story it can be very difficult to eliminate Cerberus 
in time.  At that point, your best offense will come from Limit Form.  The 
Infinity Limit does absolutely devastating damage to Cerberus if you can 
consistently hit Giga Impact (the third of four reaction commands), and Limit 
Form plus Magnet will tear through the Heartless waves pretty quickly.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artisan Hero
-Description: Win the Titan Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: The Titan Cup unlocks after completing the final Olympus mission.  
This time Sora can access Summons alone and regains full Drive at the start 
of every round, but automatically loses after he takes a certain amount of 
damage.  Thus, you need to use your Summons to avoid taking damage.  One of 
the easiest ways to do this is by summoning Stitch, as he constantly restores 
your MP and allows effective unlimited Magnet and Reflect abuse.  Hercules 
can be dangerous, as one punch can take away a lot of points (or even kill 
you outright on Critical), so keep your distance.  Genie�s Wisdom Limit is 
a great way to wear down his HP without getting too close, so abuse it until 
you run out of Drive and then cast Thundara to wear him down at long range.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
True Hero
-Description: Win the Goddess of Fate Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: To unlock the Goddess of Fate Cup, you must reach the final save 
point at the Altar of Naught and win the previous three cups.  This 
tournament�s rules change from round to round: most enemies can be fought 
normally with the full party, though a few rounds take on a time limit or a 
damage-point restriction.  Fortunately, a smart combination of Magnet spells, 
Limits (especially for the timed segments), and Reflect should carry you 
through this tournament pretty easily.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coliseum Competitor
-Description: Win the Pain and Panic Paradox Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The Paradox Cups are upgraded versions of the original tournaments, 
and are unlocked by talking to Hades in his throne room.  The Pain and Panic 
Paradox Cup merely requires that you complete the Goddess of Fate Cup first.  
Your opponents now do much more damage and have greatly increased HP, but 
with decent levels and equipment it should not be much different from the 
original.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coliseum Star
-Description: Win the Cerberus Paradox Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: In addition to completing the Goddess of Fate Cup, all of Sora�s 
Drive Forms (including Final Form) must be upgraded to Level 5.  You�ll need 
them too, because Cerberus� HP is so high that it will take high Magic and a 
concentrated barrage of Thundagas or Giga Impacts to take him out.  
Otherwise, the rest of the Cup is much the same as before. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hero of the Coliseum
-Description: Win the Titan Paradox Cup
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: You need to complete the Goddess of Fate Cup, plus upgrade all 
summons to Level 5.  The main danger is the enemies� increased damage, which 
makes it even easier to lose points quickly.  Even more than before, focus on 
avoiding damage as much as possible.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coliseum Champion
-Description: Win the Hades Paradox Cup
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: Unlike the other Paradox tournaments, the Hades Paradox Cup is a 
completely new challenge.  It is only unlocked after you have won the other 
three Paradox cups, raised all Drive Forms and Summons to their maximum 
level, and completed the final Space Paranoids mission.

Much like the Hades Cup in the first Kingdom Hearts, it consists of 50 rounds 
divided into five tiers.  Each tier operates according to different rules: 
rounds 1-10 play normally, rounds 11-20 operate by Titan Cup rules, rounds 
21-30 work like the Pain and Panic Cup, rounds 31-40 are similar to the 
Cerberus Cup, and in the final ten rounds Sora fights solo with no extra 
powers.  Your progress is saved, thankfully, so if Sora dies he only has to 
restart from the beginning of the current tier.

The Heartless are stronger than ever now, so high levels and good equipment 
are recommended.  A few words of advice on the tougher battles:

-Rounds 11-20: These rounds are pretty easy to cheese by either abusing 
Magnega with Stitch or by abusing Peter Pan�s Limits to wear down the mobs 
while staying invincible.  If your timing is good, you can pretty much shut 
down Pete�s offense by juggling him with Thundaga as soon as he leaves the 
bubble.

-Rounds 21-30: Make sure you have full MP going into round 28, as you�ll need 
to hit the Shamans relentlessly to keep their fire spells from obliterating 
you.  Otherwise, straightforward Limit abuse makes these matches easy.

-Rounds 31-40: These battles follow a simple pattern: destroy your enemies 
with Magnega+Thundaga or Magnega+Trinity Limit (the latter will quickly kill 
the Sorcerors), briefly enter Final Form to restore your HP and MP, then 
revert back to continue the assault.  Note that your Form transformation 
will cause any Berserkers to release their hammers immediately, which can 
often end the round in 2-3 cycles.  The major exception is the swarm of 
Rapid Thrusters, who can be quickly eliminated by combining Master Form�s 
Magnega with its Disaster finisher.  Equipping Master with the Fenrir is a 
good idea.

-Rounds 41-50: For the common Heartless, Magnega is the way to go.  You can 
cast it three times and still finish with a Trinity Limit before your MP 
runs out, giving you plenty of opportunity to finish them while they are 
immobilized.  This is especially important against the Living Bones and the 
Morning Star+Crescendo wave, as their spin attacks will quickly overwhelm 
you otherwise.  The toughest wave is Round 49, when you face all four Final 
Fantasy characters at once.  Do not try to physically attack, or you will get 
destroyed in seconds.  Instead, lock on to Leon and wear him down with 
Thundaga spells, then focus on taking out Cloud with Reflega and Trinity 
Limit.  Cloud�s Omnislash is pretty scary, so be ready to dodge it: after 
rocketing around three times he will home in to slash at you, requiring a 
quick High Jump+Aerial Dodge maneuver or a Reflega combo, then repeat twice 
more.  Once Leon and Cloud are dead, the girls can be quickly destroyed with 
Reflega.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One-Winged Angel
-Description: Defeat Sephiroth
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: He�s a bit easier than he was in the first Kingdom Hearts, since you 
can reliably hit him and dodge his attacks this time, but Sephiroth is still 
a scary boss.  Make sure that High Jump, Quick Run, Aerial Dodge, and Glide 
are all at level 3, and that you have plenty of Elixirs and your strongest 
armors equipped.

The first phase is easy with Counterguard: hit him with a combo, block his 
slash combo, interrupt him with Counterguard, and repeat.  In the second 
phase you should cast Reflega to get rid of the dark orbs, Quick Run away 
from his fire pillars, and use a quick High Jump+Aerial Dodge+Glide maneuver 
to knock him out of the air before he can cast Heartless Angel.  If you can�t 
interrupt Heartless Angel in time, toss an Elixir to heal before his next 
attack.  When knocked into the air by his uppercut, you can use Retaliating 
Slash to stop his air combos and start one of your own.  The best openings 
for your attacks are when he leaps toward you, uses the screen-darkening 
Flash attack, or uses one of his midair moves.  During the third phase I 
would keep my distance and wait until he uses Flash or Heartless Angel.  His 
arena-covering slash attack is best avoided with High Jump+Aerial Dodge, 
while his new Meteor attack can be easily dodged with a combination of 
Aerial Dodge and Glide.

After the battle, make sure to talk to Cloud in the Marketplace.  You can 
return for an extra cutscene, after which you will receive the devastating 
Fenrir keyblade.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lingering Will
-Description: Defeat the Lingering Will
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: The Lingering Will appears through a portal in Disney Castle�s Hall 
of the Cornerstone, after completing all episodes and beating the game to see 
the �Gathering� secret ending.  He may well be the toughest boss in the game, 
though by taking advantage of his AI he can still be defeated without too 
much difficulty.  There are two reliable ways to defeat Lingering Will, one 
cheap and one legitimate.  The cheap way is to equip the Fenrir keyblade and 
Sora�s learned Negative Combo, and perform the following loop: basic air 
finisher, jump, finisher, jump, repeat ad nauseum.  He will never be able to 
counterattack or break free if you keep up the offensive.

The legitimate way requires quick reflexes and an attentive eye, but works 
consistently time after time.  Make sure you have Combo Boost, both Combo 
Pluses, and Explosion equipped, in addition to a high-level Dodge Roll, 
Aerial Dodge, and Glide, and that you remove Guard Break.  It should go 
without saying, but Second Chance, Once More, and Leaf Bracer are critical 
here.  For most of the battle the Lingering Will will stick to one of three 
�phases�: the seal phase (where he seals your Attack command with a leap 
attack and uses his flying slash and keywhip a lot), the crossbow phase 
(where he attempts to shoot you with a bolt that replaces your menu with a 
cycling series of commands that will either kill or release you), and the 
glider phase (where his keyblade transforms into a glider and he releases a 
cluster of lights that follow you around and shoot lasers at you).  He 
randomly enters one phase at the start of battle, then transitions to another 
phase after losing about 5 bars of health.  As soon as you are able to 
attack, hit him with a combo ending with one Explosion.  Repeat this three 
times, and you will trigger his counterattack.  He always starts by slashing 
at you three times, then either performs his keywhip attack or another three 
slashes.  Use another three Explosion combos when he lands, and you can 
ensure he uses nothing but his predictable counterattacks for the majority of 
the battle.  Note that he will automatically counterattack at the two phase 
transitions, around 5 bars lost and 6-1/2 bars remaining, even if you are in 
mid-combo at the time.  The Comet and Knocksmash Limits are an excellent way 
to shave off the last few HP without risking damage, should the need arise.

Unfortunately this loop doesn�t work during the glider phase, since (a) he 
often teleports away before counterattacking, and (b) he will summon the 
lights to shoot lasers at you, immobilizing you even if you managed to block 
them.  The only viable strategy at that point is to abuse the pseudo-
invulnerability of Limit Form�s Limits, particularly Ars Arcanum, and that is 
by no means a reliable way to survive.  The good news is that the glider 
phase is pretty uncommon, so it�s entire possible you won�t see those attacks 
at all.

The final phase works similarly, though instead of counterattacks you want to 
constantly trigger his desperation attack.  The reason is that after he 
counterattacks he will teleport away and use a random normal attack, and 
toward the end his normal attacks are absurdly dangerous.  To trigger it, use 
two Explosion combos and stop just shy of your third Explosion finisher.  The 
attack itself is divided into three parts.  The first part can be easily 
blocked with three Guards, after which you should fly away with Aerial Dodge+
Glide to escape the unblockable second half.  The third bit is tricky: though 
it is blockable, he can sometimes screw you up by teleporting in from behind.
To prevent this, fly toward the edge of the arena overlooking a cliff, place 
your back against the cliff, and turn the camera toward him.  Guard three 
times, Dodge Roll to avoid his final surge, and you will be in perfect 
position to attack.

Victory earns you the Proof of Connection, one of the required key items for 
the Birth by Sleep ending.  If you like you may challenge him again at any 
time, and every victory after the first grants you a rare Manifest Illusion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To Rule Them All
-Description: Defeat all Organization XIII Replica Data
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: The Organization XIII Data battles are found in the Garden of 
Assemblage, the very last room in the Cavern of Remembrance.  (For advice on 
traversing the Cavern and defeating the Nobodies along the way, see 
Navigator.)  To unlock the five Organization members from Chain of Memories, 
you must first win their Absent Silhouette battles.  To unlock the remaining 
story bosses, you need to beat the game first.  Each Data battle is a highly 
upgraded versions of the original: all do double damage and have vastly 
increased HP, and most have gained deadly new attacks or huge increases in 
attack speed as well.

When defeated, each Data boss grants you either a Lost Illusion (for the CoM 
bosses) or a stat boost item.  A brief strategy for each is listed below:

-Roxas (Magic Boost): By hitting him with a one-finisher Guard Break combo, 
then sliding in for one more hit, you can goad Roxas into either (a) 
performing a long physical combo, or (b) charging for a clear-cutting area 
attack.  By triggering and Guarding these moves, you can prevent him from 
using his desperation attack or many of his other deadly attacks.

-Larxene (Lost Illusion): Well-timed Reflega chains will block Larxene�s 
spells and combos and deal a ton of damage to her clones.  Stay in the clone 
phase as much as possible, and summon Stitch to keep the MP coming.

-Marluxia (Lost Illusion): Make sure to Dodge Roll when he teleports away and 
counterattacks, or you will lose a ton of hits to his midair attacks.  The 
flower pools can be prevented by casting Firaga when he teleports to the 
center, while his �Angel of Death� desperation attack is easy to outrun with 
a high-level Glide.

-Luxord (AP Boost): His minigames are far more difficult now, but are still 
manageable if you pause the game rhythmically to slow them down.  I suggest 
winning as many minigames as possible early on, so you have multiple 
opportunities to win the very difficult desperation attack at the end.

-Demyx (AP Boost): He starts and ends the battle with four huge waves of 
clones, who must be eliminated with nonstop Firaga spells.  You will need 
Wisdom or Final Form to kill them fast enough, especially the wave of 99 
at the end.

-Axel (Magic Boost): Your HP rapidly drains while the floor is on fire, so 
knock him out with two finishers and use Clear Light to extinguish the 
flames.  Limit Form is an excellent way to keep your HP up and pile on the 
damage while fighting him.

-Saix (Defense Boost): You want to launch him with Finishing Leap and deal 
lots of damage with Horizontal Slash, as this will minimize the time he 
spends in Berserk Mode.  He now has a refilling Berserk gauge and performs 
the desperation attack every time it refills, so make a point of moving 
close after the attack so you can goad him into throwing the hammer.

-Zexion (Lost Illusion): Every time he enters the book phase, he will either 
trap you with a devastating page-tearing attack or seal your battle menu.  
Both are deadly, so block them with Reflega.  Hit him with single Firaga 
spells to pile on the damage outside the book, and at low HP make sure you 
enter the light on the 13th move to dodge his desperation attack.

-Lexaeus (Lost Illusion): Set your allies to Sora Attack, make a point of 
Guarding his uppercut early, and he will not get the chance to power up 
at all.

-Vexen (Lost Illusion): The Data Gauge fills very fast, so make a point to 
stay out of the circle to prevent the terrifying Anti-Sora from spawning.  
He cannot be staggered while the shield is up, but once it breaks you can 
deal an amazing amount of damage with Final Form�s basic Firaga hits.

-Xaldin (Defense Boost): You need to rely on Jump for damage, so equip the 
Guardian Soul keyblade.  To deal with the teleport attack, Aerial Dodge over 
him and cast Magnega as he stops; this will eventually goad him into 
repeating the Dive barrage and letting you collect more Jumps.

-Xigbar (Defense Boost): His reflected shots will stun him after two salvos, 
so block them with Guard or Reflega and quickly move in while he is stunned.  
You will need long Reflega chains some for some attacks, especially when he 
releases the missile, so carry lots of Ethers or Elixirs so you can keep 
casting.

-Xemnas (Power Boost): You must win both phases in a row to win the battle.  
The first phase is a simple matter of blocking and Counterguarding, and is 
made even easier with Limit Form.  In the second phase you should rely on 
Riku�s Session to escape �We shall go together,� and otherwise Reversal 
toward him to start a combo whenever you can.  �Can you spare a heart?� is 
avoidable and absurdly deadly now, so ALWAYS escape it with Reflega or Dodge 
Roll.

After winning all 13 battles and earning the Trophy, open the chest that 
appears in the center of the room for the Proof of Nonexistence.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mushroom Master
-Description: Satisfy every member of Mushroom XIII
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 10/10
-Notes: The Mushroom XIII are a group of special Heartless who appear in 
various worlds after completing the story episodes.  Several can be found 
early in the story, though the last only spawns after completing the game.  
Each Mushroom challenges you to a unique minigame battle, which vary from 
somewhat tough to hair-rippingly frustrating.  Almost all require a very 
specific equipment setup, and some can only be passed with high Strength or 
Magic.

-Mushroom I (The World That Never Was, Memory�s Skyscraper): Hit it at least 
70 times before time runs out.  In order to succeed, you must take advantage 
of the Quick Slide reaction command.  It appears slightly after Reversal and 
comes with a larger Triangle icon, though it only lasts for a fraction of a 
second.  Quick Slide will confuse the Mushroom long enough to get in up to 
9 hits: use Wisdom Form and Fenrir (plus Negative Combo if you have it) to 
attack quickly.

-Mushroom II (Halloween Town, Christmas Tree Plaza): Deflect at least 80 
projectiles.  This may well be the easiest of the Mushrooms, since Reflect 
allows you to easily block every projectile regardless of direction or 
speed.  Summon Stitch to ensure your MP never runs out.

-Mushroom III (Beast�s Castle, Bridge): Collect at least 450 orbs before 
they disappear.  The Draw Ability is essential for collecting distant orbs, 
and can stack for truly impressive range.  Sora can easily get up to four 
Draws--one from leveling up, one from leveling Limit Form, one from the 
Follow the Wind keyblade, and one from the 100 Acre Wood�s Draw Ring--plus 
a fifth one if you are on Critical, which should be more than enough to 
succeed.  (You can fill up to three more slots by synthesizing Draw Rings, 
though you should only do this as a last resort.)  I try to stay in the air 
at all times and Glide after the Mushroom, as it makes it easier to collect 
the orbs before they hit the ground, though Quick Run is also a viable 
strategy.

-Mushroom IV (Land of Dragons, Palace Gate): Defeat at least 85 clones.  
This one is surprisingly simple: activate Wisdom Form, and just continuously 
shoot at the enemies while strafing in a wide circle.  Berserk Charge is 
useful, but not necessary to complete the challenge.

-Mushroom V (Agrabah, Cave of Wonders: Treasure Room): Take out his HP in 
less than 10 seconds.  With a Bond of Flame-wielding Final Form, Fire Boost, 
one or two Finishing Pluses, and lots of Magic-boosting equipment you can do 
this with Firaga spamming at a surprisingly low level.

-Mushroom VI (Olympus Coliseum, Underworld Caverns: Atrium): Defeat all the 
Mushrooms with magic within 45 seconds.  This time is easiest to achieve 
with Final Form, thanks to its wide-range spells, but it is not too bad with 
normal spells and Stitch (which is the only way you�ll get through without 
using an Ether).  Hit the initial cluster with Firaga, wipe out the line 
that follows with Blizzaga, and use rapid Thundaga combos to take out the 
rest.

-Mushroom VII (Twilight Town, Tunnelway): Take out his HP in less than 
10 seconds.  Like Mushroom V, he is easy with the right equipment setup: 
Equip Finishing Plus and the strongest Magic-boosting equipment available, 
activate Final Form, and chain together a full Reflega combo ending with two 
finishers.  If you can handle Mushroom V, you can handle him just as easily.

-Mushroom VIII (Twilight Town, The Tower): Land 85 hits before he touches the 
ground.  The Mushroom does everything in his power to screw up your combos: 
sometimes he pops high into the air, sometimes he is magnetically drawn to 
the ground, and at around 70 hits he shoots far sideways to escape your 
reach.  The Fatal Crest�s Berserk Charge ability will mostly deal with his 
up-and-down movement, as it allows you to infinitely string together 
Horizontal Slashes while your MP is recharging, but when he shoots sideways 
you cannot catch him through combos alone.
      The easiest strategy I have found involves a combination of Donald�s 
Comet and careful MP management.  (You could simply unequip all MP Hastes 
and wait until your MP is about 1/2 to 2/3 recharged, if you think this 
method is too much trouble, but the setup below ensures precision.)  You 
need the equivalent of seven MP Haste Abilities, so that your MP recharges at 
2.75x normal speed.  On Critical you can equip Sora�s innate MP Hastera, the 
MP Haste learned from Wisdom Form, and four Full Bloom+ accessories.  (If 
Sora has learned Berserk Charge from leveling up, you can replace the Fatal 
Crest with the Ultima Weapon and equip just one Full Bloom+.)  Cast Curaga 
directly before you pull him out of the ground, then hit him with nonstop 
Horizontal Slash and use Aerial Spiral to connect when he pops into the air.  
Your MP will regenerate just as he shoots to the side, at which point you can 
activate Donald�s Comet to juggle him long enough to start using Horizontal 
Slash again.  Keep up the offensive, and it shouldn�t be too hard to take him 
all the way to 85 hits.

-Mushroom IX (Hollow Bastion, Castle Gate): Land 75 hits before he stops 
spinning.  With the Fatal Crest, this is surprisingly easy.  Just remove your 
MP Haste abilities, cast Curaga, then lock on and continuously abuse 
Horizontal Slash until the end.  He won�t stop spinning unless there is a 
pause in your attack, so if you�re aggressive enough you can easily take him 
all the way to 99 hits.

-Mushroom X (Port Royal, Isla De Muerta: Moonlit Nook): Defeat the Mushroom 
within 55 seconds.  Much like the Black Ballade from the 1.5 collection, 
this is a shell game: the real Mushroom will identify itself, then rapidly 
zigzag across the screen to make you lose sight of it before settling in a 
new spot.  Rapidly pausing the game is a good way to keep from losing track 
of her, though you still need a keen eye.  You will likely not succeed if 
you miss more than twice, so precision is key.  Equip the Fenrir and 
Finishing Plus and unequip Aerial Finish, as basic air finishers deal the 
fastest damage.

-Mushroom XI (Timeless River, Waterway): Reduce the counter to 0 within 19 
seconds.  Wisdom Form�s finishers are by far the most effective offense, so 
equip as many Finishing Pluses as you can get (plus Negative Combo, if Sora 
has learned it).  The main challenge is maintaining the proper distance: you 
want to be far enough that Wisdom Shot can curve to hit him, but not so far 
that you lose the lock-on and can�t hit him at all.

-Mushroom XII (Twilight Town, The Old Mansion): Defeat at least 40 clones.  
For me this was the most difficult minigame in the entire collection, as 
there aren�t many ways to make it easier via equipment as you can with other 
Mushrooms.  My one suggestion is to equip the Fatal Crest, remove all 
MP Haste abilities, and stay in MP charge as long as you can; Wisdom�s 
finisher delays you a lot, and in this minigame every fraction of a second 
is precious.  Drive into Wisdom and heal before you start, and otherwise do 
your best to rapidly lock on to and shoot every clone as soon as you see it.  
Very often the pillars will block your shots, so get used to making small 
adjustments so you can quickly kill each clone and then continue.  Towards 
the end clones will start appearing over the high pillars, so back away from 
the door to let you hit them.

-Mushroom XIII (Hollow Bastion, The Great Maw): This one only appears after 
you have satisfied the first 12 Mushrooms.  See below.

Each Mushroom drops Tranquility items for synthesis, as well as unique 
weapons for Donald (if odd-numbered) or Goofy (if even-numbered).  After 
passing the minigames of the first 12, return to The Great Maw to meet number 
XIII and receive the Proof of Peace, as well as this Trophy.

Note that Donald�s and Goofy�s best weapons come from winning a Mushroom 
minigame with an S rank, earned by achieving a literally perfect score or 
finishing with an absurdly low time.  If you want to collect them, I suggest 
earning the Premium Mushroom (+9 Magic and MP Hastega) from Mushroom IX and 
the Ultimate Mushroom (+9 Strength and 40% damage reduction) from Mushroom 
II, who drop them after 99 hits and 99 projectiles respectively.


*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
---JOURNAL---
These Trophies are obtained by completing Jiminy�s Journal, the in-game 
record of everything Sora does in his travels.  Note that unlike the 1.5 
collection there is no Trophy for total journal completion, just for the 
individual sections.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor
-Description: Collect all Character entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: Most entries will unlock automatically after completing every episode 
and defeating every optional boss.  The major exception is Setzer, whom you 
will not encounter during normal play.  To unlock his entry Sora must face 
him in a Struggle battle, which becomes available after defeating Hayner 10 
times.  You also need to collect the Ukelele Charm and Feather Charm from 
chests, as Stitch�s and Peter Pan�s entries only appear when you collect 
their summons.  Most of the difficulty comes from the optional bosses, 
particularly the Lingering Will.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heartless Highbrow
-Description: Collect all Heartless entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The majority of your entries will be filled out during the story 
episodes, either through story battles or as bosses (Groundshaker in the 
Pride Lands being the final Heartless boss).  The Bulky Vendor is rare in 
normal combat, but is a guaranteed encounter in the Hades Paradox Cup (see 
Coliseum Champion).  The main difficulty comes from the new Cavern of 
Remembrance Heartless and the Mushroom XIII.  The last CoR Heartless you 
must defeat is the Reckless, who only spawns on the upper level of the Engine 
Room.  You need High Jump, Aerial Dodge, and a high-level Glide in order to 
reach it.  As for the Mushroom XIII, the last of them spawns after beating 
the game.  Just complete each of their minigames once, regardless of score, 
and they will be added to the Journal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nobody Know-It-All
-Description: Collect all Nobody entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Since every other Nobody must be defeated in a story battle, all you 
need to do is defeat a Sorceror upon reaching the Castle That Never Was.  
Vanquish one, and you get the Trophy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Treasure Hunter
-Description: Collect all Treasures in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: The majority of these can be collected on the way as you complete the 
story episodes.  (Note that this includes the 100 Acre Wood.)  The only 
difficult treasures are in the Cavern of Remembrance.  You need High Jump, 
Aerial Dodge, and a maxed-out Glide to get all the way to the end, so much 
Drive Form training is required.  A complete list of Treasure chests and 
their locations can be found in noz3ro�s 2.5 ReMix walkthrough at 
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/70271.

By far the most difficult treasure is the final one in the Garden of 
Assemblage, the Proof of Nonexistence.  It only appears after winning all 
of the Organization XIII Data battles, who rank among the toughest enemies 
in the game.  For strategy notes, see To Rule Them All.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Puzzler
-Description: Complete all Puzzles in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: To complete the Puzzles section of the Journal, you must collect all 
Puzzle Pieces and put them together to earn the prizes.  This requires 
maxed-out High Jump, Aerial Dodge, and Glide Abilities, as well as completing 
nearly the entire story and most of the Cavern of Remembrance.  For more 
information, please consult my Puzzle Piece guide at

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/55322.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Navigator
-Description: Collect all Maps in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Most of the maps are in large, conveniently located treasure chests, 
with a few being automatically handed to you.  The only remotely difficult 
one is located in the Garden of Assemblage, the final room of the Cavern of 
Remembrance in Hollow Bastion.

The Cavern features three barriers at various levels, preventing you from 
going any higher until you have the required movement Abilities.  Glide 
Level 3 and a well-timed Aerial Dodge will get you past the first two 
barriers, which will be immediately followed by two forced battles against 
the Cavern�s Heartless.  A combination of Magnega and Reflega abuse will 
clear them out in short order.  The final barrier is trickier, but if you 
stick to the right side and jump carefully you can Glide through the first 
gate and Aerial Dodge over the second.  (Or you could simplify the process by 
transforming into Final Form for its Glide LvMAX.)  The final hallway 
features three tough battles against powered-up Nobodies.  Stitch is 
fantastic for all three battles: Magnega+Thundaga will devastate every enemy 
besides the Sorceror, and a combination of Reflega spamming and the Dragoon�s 
Jump command will take care of him.  Once they are cleared you can walk into 
the Garden of Assemblage for the map, then check the monitor to unlock the 
Data battles and the Cavern exit.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conqueror
-Description: Collect all Mission entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 10/10 [Tedium Factor: 4/10]
-Notes: The Missions are basically just minigames with required high scores, 
many of which were created specifically for this purpose.  The good news is 
that the Mushroom XIII account for most of the difficulty.  The only other 
really difficult Missions are the 100 Acre Wood high scores, which earn 
perhaps a 7/10.  Most of the Missions are fairly easy, once you learn the 
trick and have the right equipment.  sweet_peach�s Quest Guide is a fantastic 
source of advice on completing each Mission, and I highly suggest checking it 
out if you get stuck:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/41021

Finally, some advice on the Olympus Cups:
      *Cerberus Cup (regular and Paradox): Magnega is the best, and possibly 
only, way to run up the score in this cup.  Master Form�s Magnega especially 
will cause your enemies to hemorraghe orbs.  You can use the same trick in 
the Pain and Panic Cup, but its score requirement is so low that you will 
probably get it the first time.
      *Titan Cup/Goddess of Fate Cup/Titan Paradox Cup: In all four 
tournaments, Summon abuse is by far the easiest way to meet the score 
requirement.  There are two ways to do so.  The simpler way is to summon 
Peter Pan and abuse his Neverland Limit, releasing plenty of orbs with 
every hit while allowing you to destroy the enemies from a position of 
invincibility.  Unfortunately this method becomes less effective as your 
stats increase, since your enemies will die too quickly.  In that case, 
you should allow them to reduce you to critical HP and then summon Stitch.  
At critical HP he will use the ukelele attack constantly, milking every 
enemy for orbs without inflicting damage.
      *Hades Paradox Cup: You can easily use the Summon tricks above to reach 
the score quota in the first 20 rounds.  The real trick is surviving all 50 
rounds in a row, as the final tier can be quite dangerous.  Make sure you 
have a reliable strategy for every round, especially for the Living Bones, 
Morning Stars, and Final Fantasy bosses in the last 10 rounds.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minigame Maniac
-Description: Collect all Minigame entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: Just attempt every minigame under the Mission list once, and this 
Trophy will be yours.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limit Master
-Description: Collect all Limit entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: You can easily earn this during the story, as long as you use every 
available Limit at least once.  In addition to the Ability-based ones, this 
includes the Summon Limits.  Note that you must unlock Final Form first (see 
Corroded by Darkness), as Genie�s fourth and final Limit only appears after 
you do.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craftsman
-Description: Collect all Synthesis Note entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 6/10 [Tedium Factor: 4/10]
-Notes: The synthesis sidequest has been greatly streamlined since the first 
Kingdom Hearts, though it will still take many hours of hunting before you 
have the materials to complete the list.  Two of the four sections are easy: 
you need every material just to forge the Ultima Weapon, and by the time you 
finish the Creations you are guaranteed to reach Moogle Level 9.  It is 
completing the Creations, and to a lesser extent finishing the lists, that 
is the main objective.

First, some general notes.  The Lucky Lucky Ability is your greatest asset, 
as just a few will increase your enemies� drop rate several times over and 
cut your time to a fraction of what it would otherwise be.  Sora gets two for 
free in Critical Mode (one of the reasons I suggest doing your 100% 
playthrough on Critical), Donald and Goofy each earn one from certain story 
battles, and you can earn another by leveling up Limit Form.  When stacked 
they will multiple your drop rate by 3.5, vastly speeding up the process.  
And if that�s not good enough for you, after solving the third puzzle you 
have the option to create Lucky Rings to increase the drop rate even more.  
The Lucky Rings do take a long time to forge, mostly because of the Manifest 
Illusions and Serenity Crystals they require, but in the long run they will 
still save you time: 5 of them will fill Donald and Goofy�s slots and 
increase your drop rate to x6, and if you�re willing to sacrifice Sora�s 
accessory slots you can forge another 4 more to push it up to x8.  You will 
be very glad you have them when it comes time to finish the synthesis lists.

Lucky Lucky aside, make sure you use Bright materials whenever possible.  A 
high Moogle Level translates to lots of materials saved on your Creations, 
as well as earlier access to the high-level Free Development recipes.  
Finally, to complete the list you will need to collect the Recipes for the 
following Creations:

      -Ultima Weapon:  Twilight Town, Mansion: Basement Corridor

      -Save the Queen:  Land of Dragons, Throne Room

      -Save the King:  Port Royal, Ship Graveyard: Seadrift Row

      -Petit Ribbon/Ribbon:  100 Acre Wood, Starry Hill

      -Moon Amulet/Star Charm:  Hollow Bastion, Restoration Site

      -Defense Boost/Power Boost:  100 Acre Wood, during the Expotition 
minigame.

      -AP Boost/Magic Boost:  Hollow Bastion, Ansem�s Study

      -Elixir/Megalixir:  Disney Castle, Courtyard

      -Mega-Potion/Mega-Ether:  Beast�s Castle, Beast�s Room

      -Drive Recovery/High Drive Recovery:  Land of Dragons, Mountain Trail

      -Draw Ring/Lucky Ring:  Complete the Duality puzzle (see Puzzler).

      -Full Bloom/Shade Archive/Shock Charm/Frozen Pride/Centurion:  Defeat 
each of the Absent Silhouettes.  You will find Marluxia in Beast�s Castle, 
Zexion in Olympus Coliseum, Larxene in Port Royal, Vexen in Agrabah, and 
Lexaeus in Twilight Town.  See To Rule Them All for strategies.

The synthesis materials can be divided into three categories.  First are the 
�common� materials, dropped by respawning enemies commonly encountered in 
the worlds:

      *Dark Shard: Shadow, Soldier
      *Dark Stone: Assault Rider, Nightwalker
      *Dark Gem: Gargoyle Knight, Gargoyle Warrior
      *Dark Crystal: Air Pirate

      *Lucid Shard: Rabid Dog, Trick Ghost
      *Lucid Stone: Wight Knight, Toy Soldier, Graveyard
      *Lucid Gem: Bookmaster, Magnum Loader
      *Lucid Crystal: Neoshadow

      *Power Shard: Creeper Plant, Large Body
      *Power Stone: Luna Bandit, Silver Rock
      *Power Gem: Aerial Knocker, Shaman
      *Power Crystal: Morning Star

      *Blazing Shard: Hammer Frame, Minute Bomb
      *Blazing Stone: Cannon Gun, Tornado Step
      *Blazing Gem: Fiery Globe, Fat Bandit
      *Blazing Crystal: Crescendo, Crimson Jazz

      *Frost Shard: Hook Bat, Lance Soldier
      *Frost Stone: Aeroplane, Hot Rod
      *Frost Gem: Icy Cube, Fortuneteller
      *Frost Crystal: Living Bone

      *Lightning Shard: Rapid Thruster, Bolt Tower
      *Lightning Stone: Driller Mole, Emerald Blues
      *Lightning Gem: Armored Knight, Surveillance Robot
      *Lightning Crystal: Strafer, Devastator

      *Twilight Shard: Dusk, Gambler
      *Twilight Stone: Dancer
      *Twilight Gem: Assassin
      *Twilight Crystal: Sorceror

      *Dense Shard: Creeper, Dragoon
      *Dense Stone: Sniper
      *Dense Gem: Samurai
      *Dense Crystal: Berserker

      *Rememberance Shard: Befuddler, Camo Cannon, Iron Hammer
      *Remembrance Stone: Magic Phantom, Necromancer, Lance Warrior, 
Air Viking
      *Remembrance Gem: Mad Ride, Spring Metal, Rune Master
      *Remembrance Crystal: Reckless.  [You must have Aerial Dodge and 
Glide to obtain this.]


Next are the �upgrade� materials, which for the most part are collected from 
those same Heartless and Nobodies.  These three types are mostly used to 
improve the synthesis of other recipes, though a few recipes use them 
directly.

      *Bright Shard: Soldier, Hook Bat, Creeper Plant, Rabid Dog, Minute Bomb
      *Bright Stone: Aeroplane, Cannon Gun, Luna Bandit, Silver Rock, Driller 
Mole, Wight Knight, Tornado Step
      *Bright Gem: Aerial Knocker, Surveillance Robot, Magnum Loader
      *Bright Crystal: Neoshadow, Crescendo, Air Pirate, Strafer

      *Energy Shard: Gargoyle Knight, Gargoyle Warrior, Nightwalker, 
Bolt Tower
      *Energy Stone: Lance Soldier, Trick Ghost, Hammer Frame
      *Energy Gem: Fortuneteller, Emerald Blues
      *Energy Crystal: Shaman, Bookmaster

      *Serenity Shard: Large Body, Assault Rider, Hot Rod, Fat Bandit, 
Toy Soldier, Graveyard, Creeper, Bulky Vendor
      *Serenity Stone: Living Bone, Morning Star, Crimson Jazz, Devastator, 
Dusk, Bulky Vendor
      *Serenity Gem: Gambler, Dragoon, Sniper, Dancer, Mad Ride, Runemaster, 
Reckless, Bulky Vendor
      *Serenity Crystal: Only dropped by Bulky Vendors (see below).  Can also 
be synthesized at Moogle Level 8 or 9.


Finally, we have the �rare� materials.  These materials cannot be acquired 
through normal combat at all, but must be acquired through some other means--
be that synthesis, boss fights, or in treasure chests.

      *Mythril Shard/Stone: Synthesized from Twilight and Dense Shards/
Stones, through Free Development.  Mythril Stones require a Serenity Shard.
      *Mythril Gem/Crystal: Synthesized from Twilight and Dense Gems/
Crystals, through advanced Free Development at Moogle Level 8+.  Mythril 
Crystals require a Serenity Stone.  (Since Twilight Crystals are by far the 
rarest of its ingredients, I suggest hunting for Sorcerors in the Cavern of 
Remembrance�s final hallway.  You can kill half a dozen Sorcerors per trip 
through the hallway, and respawn them instantly by exiting and returning 
through the door.)

      *Tranquility Shard/Stone/Gem/Crystal: Dropped by the Mushroom XIII 
after completing their minigames.  Tranquility Crystals are only dropped if 
you meet their journal requirements, but even on relatively poor attempts 
you�ll usually earn a Shard and maybe a Stone.  I prefer to use Mushroom V 
for this, as the strategy for him is easy to execute and 100% reliable with 
high enough stats.

      *Lost Illusion: You are rewarded with one after defeating each of the 
Absent Silhouette bosses, and can obtain more by defeating their Data forms 
in the Cavern of Remembrance (see To Rule Them All).  You will have exactly 
the number you need once all Data bosses are gone, though if you wish to farm 
them for more you should be able to do so pretty easily by defeating Data 
Lexaeus a few times.

      *Manifest Illusion: You must either defeat the Lingering Will at least 
twice (see Lingering Will), or synthesize it from the Serenity Crystal recipe 
at Moogle Level 8+.

      *Orichalcum: Dropped by Bulky Vendor.  This Heartless can be a bit 
difficult: he only appears in a specific room in each world, after which he 
will not reappear for a long while.  When he does appear, you must break the 
scenery, clear out the other Heartless, and then chase after him.  He has 
four distinct phases, and with each phase transformation he gives better 
prizes but also becomes harder to catch.  He always drop a Serenity item when 
caught--a Crystal during the final phase--and the chances of an Orichalcum 
increase closer to the end.  Your best bet to keep up with him is to Dodge 
Roll toward him, though you need to watch him closely and get a little bit 
lucky.  If there are two Bulky Vendors, get rid of the first one early so you 
can focus on the Serenity Crystal and Orichalcum from the second.

      *Orichalcum+: There are exactly seven in the game, and you will need 
them all to create the Ultima Weapon.  Three can be found in chests, at the 
Central Computer Mesa (Space Paranoids), Sunset Terrace (Twilight Town), and 
the Brink of Despair (World That Never Was).  The other four are acquired by 
clearing the 100 Acre Wood and Atlantica episodes (see Always Together and 
Kindred Spirits), winning the Goddess of Fate Cup (see True Hero), and 
acquiring all 60 synthesis materials.  Note that if the synthesis reward was 
your final Orichalcum+, you must exit the synthesis menu and reenter it 
before the Moogle adds it to his inventory.


When you�ve finally made the basic and upgraded version of every Creation 
(other than the Ultima Weapon, which cannot be upgraded), there is only one 
step left: Farm until you have 20-30 of each remaining material on the Lists 
page, so it shows up for sale in the Moogle shop.  Only the Shards, Stones, 
and Gems from the �common� materials appear in the shop this way.  With all 
your Lucky Lucky�s equipped, it shouldn�t take long for you to round off the 
List page and finally earn this well-deserved Trophy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seeker
-Description: Collect all Character Link entries in Jiminy�s Journal
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: The only optional Character Link entry is the Lingering Will.  Defeat 
him to receive this Trophy (see Lingering Will).

 
*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
---GUMMI---

The Gummi Ship minigame has been greatly streamlined since its introduction 
in the original Kingdom Hearts.  Your mobility and offensive options have 
greatly increased, and the repetitive space corridors of the original are 
replaced with a wide variety of environments packed with wave after wave of 
aggressive enemies.  The complexity of the new Gummi Garage can admittedly 
make these Trophies difficult to start, but once you gain a handle on how to 
construct your own ship they are much easier and all-around more fun to earn 
this time around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Veteran Pilot
-Description: Obtain an S rank on a Gummi ship mission
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: The first two missions for each Gummi route become available after 
completing the mandatory story run.  The third unlocks after clearing both of 
the first two missions with a decent rank.  In every route Mission 1 is the 
easiest, since if you�re good at avoiding damage (easy with a well-designed 
donut ship) and collecting Medals you can usually hit the max Medal level 
inside of a minute.  Be aware that each route has different enemies who drop 
different prizes when defeated, some of which may be vital to surviving or 
earning S rank in a later mission, so in many cases you will still want to 
clear all three missions for those prizes.  It should go without saying, but 
make sure your guns are set to Auto-Fire in the pause menu.

Make sure you view the Gummi Ship tutorials, which should make the new Gummi 
Garage a bit less intimidating.  For specific advice on ship design, see 
Ace Pilot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ace Pilot
-Description: Obtain an S rank on a Gummi ship mission for all routes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You only have to S rank one mission on each route.  Clearing each 
Mission 1 is a quick and easy way to earn this Trophy.  (Note that to earn 
Gummi Ship Collector, you must also clear every Mission 2.)  That said, it�s 
important to understand how to design your ship for maximum deadliness, both 
to collect upgrades efficiently and to pass certain difficult EX missions.

The most basic element of a successful Gummi ship is the donut design.  Place 
all your gummi pieces in a thin ring at the borders of the screen, leaving 
the center completely empty.  The vast majority of enemies will aim their 
fire at the dead center of the ship, so by leaving an empty space there you 
are invincible to everything but the occasional explosion/grab/impact-type 
attack.  As for your weapons, I suggest two Gravity-type guns on the left 
and right sides and two Blizzard-type guns on the top and bottom.  (The �ga 
versions are obviously best, though even the basic versions are pretty 
impressive.)  Lasers only activate when you stop firing and give your ship 
a few seconds to lock on, so they are pretty worthless against the mobs you 
will usually face, and the Slash and Impact Gummis aren�t efficient enough 
to justify their Cost.

Your most important stat by far is Power, which multiplies the damage of your 
guns and will finish your enemies that much faster.  The cockpit Gummis offer 
a huge Power increase for relatively low Cost, though their bulk can make the 
ship an easier target; make sure you put them on the left and right sides to 
minimize their profiles.  The Neon Orbs and Bars are a more compact 
alternative, though they add Power less efficiently.  While HP is less 
crucial you should add enough material blocks for about 40-50 HP, which will 
be enough to survive almost everything your enemies throw at you.  Note that 
your Speed will be pretty abysmal with this setup: it�s assumed that you will 
be spending most of your time firing from the center of the screen, relying 
on your ship�s inherent defensiveness instead of actively dodging.

As for Abilities, the four most valuable are the two Medal Converters and the 
two Draws.  The former transform a large fraction of the HP orbs you would 
receive into Medals, allowing you to enter Berserk Mode and rack up the 
score, while the latter allow you to automatically collect them without the 
need to maneuver your ship.  I suggest spending your remaining AP on 
Auto-Regen (which provides an easy way to recover from the hits you do take), 
Active Formation, and possibly Formation Change.  The last two require Teeny 
Ships: Active Formation allows each ship to act independently, assisting the 
main ship by homing in on enemies, while Formation Change lets you pull your 
ships inward to guard the main ship and then spread out again into a more 
aggressive position.

Speaking of Teeny Ships, they are an excellent way to rack up additional 
damage.  They do not need HP or Speed, only Power, so you can put two 
cockpits on them to ramp up your damage without any disadvantage.  While your 
Cost is somewhat limited, you can still afford to put a strong Blizzard-type 
gun or multiple Fire-type guns and have some Cost left over for Neon Bars and 
Orbs.  However, be conscious of your available materials.  Your Teeny Ships 
cannot share individual parts with each other or with the main ship: you can 
only carry one total Blizzaga if there is just one in your inventory, 
for example, and attempting to equip Blizzaga on both your main ship and your 
Teenies will prevent you from using that Teeny Ship.  A good way to get 
around this is to make sure that the parts on the Teeny are different from 
the ones on the main ship (if your main ship has Blizzaga, put Blizzara on 
the Teeny instead), and to use no more than half of the copies of a given 
piece in the Teeny�s design.  That way you can carry two of that Teeny Ship 
into battle.

I suggest you start collecting components as early as possible, particularly 
the Upgrade items (which permanently improve your ships� capabilities).  A 
comprehensive list of all available components and their locations (excluding 
the rather minor EX Mission rewards) can be found in Daburke�s Gummi Ship FAQ 
at http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/42268.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Gun
-Description: Obtain an S rank on a Gummi ship EX mission for all routes
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The EX Missions are a feature unique to the Final Mix version, and 
are unlocked by passing the original mission with an S rank.  The score 
requirements for S rank are the same as the original; the difference is that 
to enter the mission, your Gummi Ship must meet certain specific 
requirements.  In many cases these requirements are lenient--your ship must 
have a certain Power stat, or must carry a certain number of Abilities--but 
just as often these requirements can interfere with your ability to score or 
even put your life in danger.

As with Ace Pilot, you only need to unlock and S Rank one EX Mission in each 
route.  Seven out of the nine routes can be easily passed on EX Mission 1, as 
you can simply tweak your donut ship to meet their requirements.  However, 
both Phantom Storm and Floating Island require a pre-made model, so you�ll 
have an easier time on their second EX missions.  To survive with less than 
50 HP in Phantom Storm, make sure that you take out the cannons on the deck 
as quickly as possible; you can recover from most other attacks quickly 
enough with Auto-Regen, but two or three cannon blasts in quick succession 
will end your run.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gummi Ship Collector
-Description: Obtain all blueprints
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 6/10
-Notes: As in the first Kingdom Hearts, a large number of pre-built 
blueprints can be acquired by completing various objectives within the Gummi 
missions.  The three classes of Sample blueprints--Highwind, Invincible, and 
Falcon--are acquired by completing the story missions.  You will earn most 
of the Special blueprints by completing every Mission 2 in addition to 
Assault of the Dreadnought�s Mission 1, an easy task with a well-built 
donut ship.

Once you have completed all relevant missions, you still have two more 
blueprints to collect from enemies.  The Kingdom Model is gained after 
defeating the gold-colored Spider in Asteroid Sweep�s Mission 2, an easy 
enemy who appears after you have taken out several normal Spiders and one 
red Spider.  The Secret Model, on the other hand, must be obtained from 
Hunter-X, the Gummi Missions� one superboss.  He is found at the end of 
Assault of the Dreadnought�s Mission 3, and has an absurdly deadly arsenal of 
attacks.  Like his Hunter brethren he can fire homing lasers at you and 
carpet-bomb the edge of the screen with cannons, albeit in ridiculously 
lethal amounts, as well as grab you, but he also has a unique cross-attack 
where he fires two wide blasts of energy (one + shaped, one X shaped) in a 
row, either of which is an instant kill if they connect.

The basic donut design works surprisingly well here.  His lasers will pass 
straight through the center of your ship, and if you stay toward the center 
of the screen the explosions cannot touch you.  The cross-attack can still 
kill you, though, so be ready to roll out of the way and move back toward 
the center when it has passed.  One particularly effective strategy is to 
equip the Drain weapon and start charging it when the Hunter-X begins to 
fire its lasers.  Your attack will fully charge in a matter of a seconds, 
at which point you can fire it to take a huge chunk out of his HP.


*****************************************************************************


=============================================================================
                      TROPHY GUIDE: BIRTH BY SLEEP FINAL MIX
=============================================================================

Birth by Sleep is a very different beast from its console brethren.  Where 
Kingdom Hearts II focuses on carefully crafted combos and MP management, 
Birth by Sleep centers around the Command Deck.  Your spells and attacks are 
no longer constrained by a finite MP bar, only by their individual recharge 
times, and so you can unleash your most powerful moves basically all the 
time.  Likewise, every damage-enhancing and defensive Ability is acquired 
through command melding, the same mechanic used to forge more powerful spells 
and attack commands, by using the Crystals acquired as you progress through 
the story.  The original PSP controls have been modified for the PS3, 
allowing greater flexibility and control in combat.

Birth by Sleep Final Mix is basically identical to the original during the 
main story.  Its main additions come in the form of side content: There is 
an entirely new Secret Episode that adds an epilogue to the main story, 
several minigame-based Unversed missions that reward you with unique 
commands, a new Command Style from the Sticker Album, and a redesigned Mirage 
Arena featuring three original events and retooled to accommodate its new 
single-player focus.


*****************************************************************************
---AUTOMATIC---

The following are earned automatically by completing the three individual 
stories.  Trophies relating to the Final or Secret Episode are under the 
�Basic� category.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Journey Begins
-Description: Clear the prologue, �The Land of Departure�
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pursuit of Truth
-Description: Clear the Mysterious Tower episode of Terra�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defying Darkness
-Description: Clear the Disney Town episode of Terra�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Entrusting Power
-Description: Clear the Destiny Islands episode of Terra�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Vessel
-Description: Clear Terra�s story mode
-Grade: Silver
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Encounters
-Description: Clear the Badlands episode of Ventus�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Moment of Rest
-Description: Clear the Disney Town episode of Ventus�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Friend in Need
-Description: Clear the Mysterious Tower episode of Ventus�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Dormant
-Description: Clear Ventus�s story mode
-Grade: Silver
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drifting Apart
-Description: Clear the Radiant Garden episode of Aqua�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hopeful Hearts
-Description: Clear the Destiny Island episode of Aqua�s story
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: None

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Seeker
-Description: Clear Aqua�s story mode
-Grade: Silver
-Notes: None

*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
--BASIC--

The Trophies relating to difficulty, completing the final episodes, or other 
miscellaneous achievements belong here.

It is worth noting that the eight �Trophies� and Completion percentage in the 
Trinity Archives are entirely separate from the PS3 Trophies listed here, and 
so some additional effort is required to complete these even after the 
Platinum is earned.  Most of the �Trophies� will be earned along the way, 
fortunately.  �One Down� is automatic, you will earn the �Trinity Trophy� 
while pursuing Critical Competitor, and �Arena Sweeper� is earned 
simultaneously with Darkness�s Will.  �Keyslinger,� �In the Munny,� and 
�Power Walker� can take longer, but by the time you�ve cleared the Reports 
in all three stories you should earn them all naturally.

The two �Trophies� you will probably miss are �Dairy Devotee� and 
�Clockwork.�  The former requires you to learn the Frozen Fortune command 
style from Ice Cream Beat (required for the Report Trophies) and randomly 
activate it with Ice Cream items.  You can speed up the process by entering 
the menu after every other style change, as that will cancel your current 
command style.  This Trophy is cumulative across all three characters, so you 
can use it 10 times per save file rather than doing all 30 at once.  As for 
�Clockwork,� it is as simple as leaving the PS3 running for a while.  If you 
have earned the Platinum and otherwise achieved 100% completion, your three 
characters should have 75+ hours of playtime between them.  Just beat each of 
their final bosses once to create a new Final Episode and then Secret Episode 
save, and you should be within a few hours of that time.

When the Platinum is earned, your Completion percentage should be sitting at 
99%.  At that point the only items you are potentially missing are the 
Victory Line keyblade (from the Castle Circuit race in Disney Town) for two 
characters, and the Giga Attack/Giga Magic Recipes, Secret Gem, and Ticket 
items from the Mirage Arena shop.  This will require quite a bit of Medal 
grinding in Mirage Arena, so expect to face off with Monstro several times 
(see King of the Arena).  Just beat each character�s final boss once you have 
all those items, and you should earn 100% Completion.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Critical Competitor
-Description: Clear game on Critical
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: Critical Mode is a formidable challenge, as it requires both sharp 
reflexes and a deep understanding of Birth by Sleep�s combat mechanics.  
Still, with a little preparation even the toughest story bosses should fall 
pretty easily.

On Critical especially, you will live or die by the command melding system.  
Besides powering up your commands, this is the only way you can learn new 
Abilities.  In particular I suggest you learn Leaf Bracer, Second Chance, 
and Once More as soon as possible, as all three are essential defensive 
tools when facing the later bosses.  Leaf Bracer can be earned as early as 
the first world [via Blizzard+Blizzard or Aero+Aero], while I typically 
learn Second Chance [Cura+Cura] and Once More [Fira+Fira or 
Thundara+Thundara] in Radiant Garden.  Damage Syphon [Blizzara+Blizzara or 
Fira+Fira] is also a fantastic Ability, allowing near-infinite abuse of your 
powerful Shotlocks, though it is a lower priority.  Make sure that you use a 
Crystal every time you meld a command, as there are plenty to go around and 
there is no downside to learning a new Ability.  For more information, check 
out lil_lamb�s comprehensive Synthesis Guide at 
http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/61076.

The Magnet spells will absolutely dominate 95% of the random battles.  They 
immobilize and gather together all nearby Unversed, allowing you to deal lots 
of damage and quickly activate command styles with attacks like Fission 
Firaga and Thundaga, and they deal small continual damage of their own.  
Upgrading to Magnera and Magnega will greatly increase their range, duration, 
and damage, and is recommended ASAP.  (There is one later Unversed who is 
entirely immune to Magnet, however, so you would be wise to invest in Stop 
spells as well.)  And while it takes some planning, by the final two worlds 
each of your characters can gain a powerful screen-clearing attack that can 
wipe out hordes of enemies.  Mega Flare [Fission Firaga+Crawling Fire] 
absolutely dominates for Ven and Aqua, especially with Fire Boost and a 
high-Magic keyblade, while the Strength-focused Terra is strongest with 
Meteor Crash [Fire Strike+Brutal Blast].  It�s a good idea to focus on 
raising damage via Fire/Thunder Boost, Combo F Boost, and Finish Boost 
early on, as by default you do noticeably less damage on Critical.

Note that your options will be limited in the first two worlds, as you have 
few good commands and almost no Abilities.  D-Links are an excellent way to 
get around this.  With one Emblem, each of your party member D-Links gains a 
powerful crowd-control move and more offensive commands.  With two Emblems 
the deck gets even stronger, including a Cure spell for all three, and the 
D-Link�s Finish command is powered up to the point that it can take out the 
first boss in 2-3 uses.  You cannot use them in every battle, of course, but 
especially in Terra�s and Aqua�s first world they are a lifesaver when you 
are taking a beating.  They become less important after you gain access to 
Cure in the second world and Magnet in the third, but D-Links remain a decent 
option throughout the entire game.

Shotlocks are generally the best source of damage in boss battles, and in 
most cases Fire Surge and Thunder Surge are very effective as well.  Both 
moves provide temporary invincibility, especially Shotlocks, and so they are 
an excellent way to power through the bosses� more dangerous attacks.  When 
playing as the more Magic-oriented Aqua, Seeker Mine 
[Mine Square+Mine Shield] and Triple Firaga [Firaga+Fira] are also good ways 
to pile on the damage.  It should be noted that multiple copies of a command 
can be equipped at the same time: you can equip 2 or 3 Curagas at once, for 
example, so that you can instantly recover after being reduced to 1 HP by a 
boss�s assault.

There are two big advantages to playing in Critical Mode, in that (a) the 
Secret Episode and associated movies are easier to unlock than in any other 
mode, and (b) you get two extra command slots at the start, allowing you to 
gain CP and thus learn new Abilities and power up your commands much sooner 
than would otherwise be possible.  Note that this Trophy unlocks at the end 
of the Secret Episode, and so you must complete the entire story on Critical 
to earn it.  For advice on clearing the Final and Secret Episodes, see 
Connected Hearts and The Lost Chapter.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Profiler
-Description: Collect all Secret Reports
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: The 12 Xehanort Reports are required to unlock the Final Episode that 
completes the story, regardless of difficulty.  Eight are acquired by 
clearing specific story events, while three must be acquired from chests.  
Ven can find one at the Launch Deck in Deep Space and a second at the Seat 
of War in the Keyblade Graveyard, while Aqua finds one in Merlin�s House 
while visiting Radiant Garden.

The only difficult one is Report 5, which Terra wins as a prize from the 
Sinister Sentinel event in the Mirage Arena.  The match only becomes 
available at Arena Level 3, so Terra must win two other battles or clear 
some of the Rumble Racing or Command Board milestones before he can enter.  
Iron Imprisoner II can be dangerous, so equip the Thunderbolt or Ragnarok 
Shotlock to interrupt his charge and pile on the damage.

As soon as you have collected the final Report and saved, you will 
immediately be given the option to create a Final Episode save.  Note that 
the Final Episode data is based on your most recent cleared save file from 
each character.  If you wish to update the Final Episode after that--so that 
Aqua can fight with a stronger keyblade or more powerful commands, for 
example--you will need to win each character�s final battles one more time 
and create a new Final Episode save.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connected Hearts
-Description: Complete the final episode
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: The Final Episode is a short playable chapter that provides a 
conclusion to all three stories.  You play as Aqua, and must win a difficult 
two-stage battle against a vicious boss in Radiant Garden.  This boss will 
constantly block or dodge your long-range attacks, while dishing out both 
barrages of dark projectiles and some ruthlessly aggressive combo attacks, 
and only gets more aggressive as his health drops.

Because he continuously dodges your long-range attacks and blocks your 
Surges, the best offense is a rush-style Shotlock like Absolute Zero or 
Lightning Ray.  You can sometimes hit him with Fission Firaga or Triple 
Firaga while he is in the middle of an attack, but more often than not he 
will dodge and strike you back before you get the chance.  Much of the battle 
will consist of you dodging his relentless combos, then waiting for a quiet 
moment to charge up for a maxed-out Shotlock.  Equip Renewal Barrier 
[Barrier+Esuna] and multiple Curagas, as they should give you a lot more 
breathing room and reduce the risk of getting killed by an unfortunately 
timed attack.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lost Chapter
-Description: Complete the secret episode
-Grade: Gold
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: The Secret Episode becomes available after you have cleared the Final 
Episode, though its exact prerequisites vary depending on difficulty.  On 
Critical it unlocks automatically.  Proud Mode requires you to complete all 
three characters� Sticker Albums, while Standard also requires a total of 
9999 Unversed defeated.  Finally, on Beginner it only unlocks after 
completely clearing all three character Reports.  Since you can only get 
Critical Competitor by playing through it on Critical, I suggest sticking 
with the highest difficulty to save time.

You once again play as Aqua, this time exploring the Realm of Darkness.  You 
no longer have access to Moogle Shops, meaning that if you want to equip a 
specific command you�ll need to take care of it in the Final Episode or 
earlier.  These areas feature a lot of platforming, so you will get a lot of 
use out of Doubleflight and Air Slide.  Your battles will mostly be against 
the fledgling Heartless, who are difficult to stagger and hit very hard.  
Fortunately they are all vulnerable to Magnega, and they are still highly 
vulnerable to powerful spells like Thundaga and Mega Flare.  They are only 
really deadly in the final mob before the last save point, as they come in 
such huge numbers that they may prevent you from getting off a Magnega 
spell.  Renewal Barrier is extremely valuable there, as it gives you a safe 
and easy way to heal and allows you to keep inflicting damage via 
Counter Blast and your Finish attacks.

The most difficult part is the absolute final boss, a giant Heartless who 
likes to leap around the arena and hit you with vicious charging combos.  
Fire Screen and Dark Screen are both very good investments, though to stay 
on the safe side you should still keep multiple Curagas in your deck.  Seeker 
Mine and Ignite both do great damage, though you do need to wait for a 
relatively quiet moment so he doesn�t hit you while casting it.  The boss 
goes crazy with multi-hitting attacks in the final phase, so focus on dodging 
him and casting spells when you can until you can finally wipe him out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Musclehead
-Description: Unleash Break Time with Terra
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: The Break Time command is located in a hidden chest in Disney Town.  
Just getting to the room requires a bit of exploration.  First you must enter 
the underground via the manhole in the Main Plaza, where you will have to 
activate the generator that powers the room�s machinery.  Just hit it with 
Thunder-based attacks for a while, and all the lifts will start moving.  Use 
the lifts together with Air Slide to reach the upper exit, which will take 
you to Pete�s Rec Room.  Break Time is sealed behind a barrier in the pinball 
area, at the center of the three rotating bumpers.  To open the seal hit each 
of the four Crown bumpers at least once.  With a maxed-out Air Slide, Terra 
should have an easy time maneuvering around.

Slip into the alcove to open the chest, then add Break Time to your deck.  
After performing the attack once, regardless of accuracy, you will earn the 
Trophy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-Boy
-Description: Unleash Break Time with Ventus
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: As with Terra, go to Pete�s Rec Room to collect the command.  While 
you can wait until you get Air Slide from Olympus, it is even easier if you 
collect Superglide from the rooftops.  Go out through the upper exit, and you 
will be on a rooftop overlooking the raceway.  Clear out the Unversed that 
appear here, then equip two maxed-out Sliding Dash or Fire Dash commands.  
By leaping high in the air and using both back-to-back, they will carry you 
to the opposite rooftop that holds the phenomenal Superglide command.  Equip 
it after taking care of the Unversed, glide back the way you came, and you 
will be able to maneuver your way around the bumpers with ease.

Be aware that to complete his Reports, Ven must sacrifice Break Time to 
create the Faith command.  Break Time is never sold in shops and can only 
rarely be created through melding, so make sure to activate it at least once 
before you meld it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Majorette
-Description: Unleash Break Time with Aqua
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10
-Notes: Once again, you will find Break Time in Pete�s Rec Room.  It is 
difficult to obtain before she earns Air Slide in Deep Space, though not 
impossible: the Surge and Dash commands are good tools to help her maneuver 
in midair.


*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
--COMBAT--
If it�s earned by fighting Unversed or bosses, it belongs here.  There is no 
need to reach Level 99 with any character, thankfully, so you don�t have to 
worry about the extreme grinding that would entail.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Warrior: Terra
-Description: Learn all of Terra�s Finish Commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10 [Tedium Factor: 3/10]
-Notes: Earning all of the character Finish commands is a very slow process, 
since they level up in a number of different ways and you can generally only 
work on one Finisher at a time.  For Terra especially, the step-based ones 
tend to be the most tedious: you can definitely get them out of the way if 
you�re willing to run in circles for 20+ minutes, but it�s not the most fun 
way to go about it.  A better approach is to train the step-based Finish 
commands while you clear the Mirage Arena, and especially while facing the 
optional bosses, as there are fast ways to earn all of the other Finish 
commands.

You can earn a ton of CP by killing Unversed in Neverland, especially with 
a maxed-out Experiment 626 D-Link (which carries the Double CP ability).  
The munny-based ones are a bit slower, but by entering the Risky Riches or 
Treasure Tussle events over and over in the Mirage Arena you can train your 
Limits and earn Arena Medals at the same time.  Treasure Tussle is better for 
both munny and Medals, though it is a bit slower due to the two-level setup.  
(To reach the upper enemies quickly, lock on to them and activate Chaos Blade 
to teleport him up.)  I also recommend those matches for your kill-based 
Finish attacks, as they are the only Arena matches which don�t slow you down 
with a long boss fight.

By far the easiest to learn are the Finishers based on elemental command 
styles.  There are two ways to learn them: you can either attack strikable 
scenery with Fire Surge/Thunder Surge to quickly activate the style (Disney 
Town is a great place for this), or you can use lots of ice cream items to 
activate them.  If you plan to earn �Dairy Devotee� in the Trinity Archives, 
the second method is a great way to kill two birds with one stone.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Warrior: Ventus
-Description: Learn all of Ventus�s Finish Commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10 [Tedium Factor: 3/10]
-Notes: See above.  Ventus� strategy is much the same, though he does have 
quite a few more munny-based Finishers than Terra does.  If farming for munny 
in the Treasure Tussle event, use Time Splicer to quickly reach the top.

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The Warrior: Aqua
-Description: Learn all of Aqua�s Finish Commands
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 2/10 [Tedium Factor: 2/10]
-Notes: See above.  Aqua�s Trophy is quite a bit quicker overall, as her side 
Finishers tend to focus more on elemental command styles and thus can be 
quickly earned via ice cream.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perfect Shot
-Description: Use Shotlock 50 times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 1/10
-Notes: This Trophy should come very early as you fight through the story.  
Shotlocks provide arguably the best damage in the game when leveled up, and 
so you should be using them often.

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Justice & Dark
-Description: Use the Pete D-Link 10 times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: To earn the Pete D-Link you must play a Command Board game outside 
the Mirage Arena, after clearing Disney Town.  Every time you or the AI 
players land on a Special Panel, there is a chance that the world-specific 
bonus will be replaced with either Captain Justice (who showers the target 
with GP every turn) or Captain Dark (who steals GP from the target every 
turn).  Note that passing the targeted player will cause Captain Dark/Justice 
to transfer, providing you an easy way to steal your rival�s Captain Justice 
or saddle them with Captain Dark.  So long as you finish the match after he 
appears, you will earn the Pete D-Link at the match�s end.  You should 
definitely have this by the time you have Command Board Conqueror.

Once that is done, all that is left is to activate the D-Link 10 times.  If 
you make good use of his attacks and Finishers, this should be more than 
enough time to earn both Emblems and see both of his Finishers in action.  
At that point you can simply activate the D-Link, dismiss it a second later, 
use it again as soon as you pick up a D-Link prize from an enemy, and repeat 
until the Trophy pops up.

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D.J.
-Description: Use the Rhythm Mixer Command Style 20 times
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Rhythm Mixer is obtained by collecting every sticker in your 
character�s story (see Collector), then placing every sticker for the maximum 
140 points.  Each sticker will give you 7 points if in the proper position 
(the game is pretty generous about this), but only 5 points otherwise.  Move 
each sticker around until you find the sweet spot; if done right, your new 
score will be a multiple of 7.  Note that if you lose track of which stickers 
are properly placed, you can remove them by hitting X twice and start from 
scratch.

Once earned, Rhythm Mixer will activate fairly often in any battle where you 
use Thunder Surge or Mine spells.  Since these tend to be the best offense 
for most boss battles, particularly Monstro (see King of the Arena), this 
Trophy should come naturally as you fight your way through the Mirage Arena.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pawn of the Arena
-Description: Complete all one-star missions in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: First obtainable at Arena Level 8, when Risky Riches unlocks.  These 
first three missions should be fairly easy (though I still recommend Once 
More and Leaf Bracer to deal with the Iron Imprisoner�s charge), and can be 
made even easier with strong keyblades and commands.  Magnega, Mega Flare, 
Meteor Crash (for Terra), and a strong Shotlock like Ragnarok are all solid 
choices.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Knight of the Arena
-Description: Complete all two-star missions in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: The last is Dead Ringer, available as early as Level 5.  Do your best 
to defeat the Mimic Master before he can summon the clones--Shotlocks work 
well for this--as they can quickly overwhelm you and tend to drag out the 
battle.  The Sinister Sentinel event grants Terra his final Xehanort Report 
(see Profiler) and Ventus the Sky Climber command style.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Queen of the Arena
-Description: Complete all three-star missions in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: Available at Arena Level 15, when Treasure Tussle becomes available.  
Aqua gains the Sky Climber command style after clearing the Combined Threat 
event.

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King of the Arena
-Description: Complete all four-star missions in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: Available at Arena Level 17 with Copycat Crisis.  The Magnega-immune 
Wild Bruisers start showing up in these missions, so it�s a good idea for 
Ventus and Aqua to equip Time Splicer to deal with them.

While the missions up to this point can be unlocked simply by clearing all 
the currently available ones, the last few missions wil require you to 
complete the rest of the Arena Level milestones as well.  You can acquire 
four Levels pretty easily by winning a total of 7 Command Board games in 
the Arena (see Command Board Conqueror), and you gain another four by 
clearing each of the Rumble Racing courses below the target time listed in 
your Reports.  Multiple games on the same board still count, and you don�t 
have to win the race to meet the time goal for Rumble Racing.  Note that to 
unlock the Castle Circuit, you must win the first three courses in Disney 
Town.  For advice on winning these minigames, see Command Board Conqueror 
and Rapid Racer.

With that out of the way, all that is left are the Medal goals.  These are 
based on total Medals earned, not your current total, so don�t be afraid to 
upgrade your arsenal at the Medal Shop as you go.  The easiest source of 
Medals is the Monster of the Deep mission, which grants you 675 Medals if 
you finish within its very generous time limit.  For the greatest speed you 
should equip Mega Flare and as many max-level Mine spells as you can carry, 
plus a high-Magic keyblade like the Pixie Petal or Ultima Weapon.  Mega Flare 
will instantly finish the Unversed in Monstro�s belly, and the Mine spells 
will take off multiple HP bars every time he gets near.  If you are quick it 
is possible to stun him right away by launching the nearby barrel, at which 
point you can Air Slide or Superglide over to him and take off most of his 
health with Mine abuse.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keepers of the Arena
-Description: Win the Keepers of the Arena battle in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: This mission unlocks at Level 20.  While there are several rounds of 
Unversed, including plenty of Wild Bruisers, the real danger comes from Iron 
Imprisoner III and especially IV.  Their slam combos and charge attacks can 
take you down to 1 HP in no time, and so Second Chance, Once More, Leaf 
Bracer, and maybe Fire Screen are all recommended.  Their one major weakness 
is that impact-type attacks will cause them to stagger, interrupting them and 
creating an easy opening for you to attack.  The Ragnarok shotlock is ideal, 
though Thunderbolt and the Firaga/Triple Firaga spells will have the same 
effect.  Make sure that you equip them, along with at least 2 Curaga spells.  
Winning this battle earns you each character�s ultimate Shotlock: Ultima 
Cannon for Terra, Multivortex for Ventus, and Lightbloom for Aqua.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Villain�s Vendetta
-Description: Win the Villain�s Vendetta battle in the Mirage Arena
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: This mission unlocks at Level 25, and consists entirely of tough boss 
battles.  Iron Imprisoner III and IV are still the toughest, so set up your 
command deck with them in mind.  The Ultima Weapon is your reward for victory.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light�s Will
-Description: Defeat Armor of Eraqus
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: The Armor of Eraqus is found in the Light�s Lessons event, which 
unlocks at Level 28.  The key to surviving this battle is to stay out of 
range of his seal attack: it allows him to unleash several very deadly new 
attacks, including a midair combo that will bypass Once More to kill you 
dead.  Thus, long-range Shotlocks like Ragnarok and Meteor Shower are the 
best offense.  However, you need to time your attacks carefully lest he 
automatically block and counter them.  The best openings are when he charges 
for the light orb assault or the spinning pillars of light, as he cannot 
guard during those attacks.

Otherwise all you need to worry about is his desperation attack, which 
changes depending on the character you are fighting with.  Terra�s version is 
a single heavy hit, which you can easily survive with Second Chance even if 
you don�t break free in time.  Ventus� consists of three tornados which will 
constantly home in on him for massive combo damage.  So long as you have Once 
More and Leaf Bracer, you should be able to recover just fine.  Aqua�s 
consists of several waves of energy bursts, each of which inflicts a status 
effect.  They aren�t hard to dodge, but she must do so consistently: one of 
the possible status effects is Freeze, and if she is frozen early on she will 
be unable to move and will likely get killed by the next few bursts.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Darkness�s Will
-Description: Defeat No Heart
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 7/10
-Notes: Peering Into Darkness is the final Mirage Arena event, unlocking at 
Level 30 after you have achieved every Arena Level bonus.  No Heart opens by 
creating a barrier centered on his emblem, which you must destroy to begin 
the battle proper.  Thankfully the emblem attacks slowly, and at a high 
enough level it can easily be taken out with a few strong Shotlocks.  
No Heart himself is an extremely aggressive foe: He will constantly zip 
around you using Sonic Impact- and Reversal-style maneuvers, will grapple and 
use keyblades combos on you, and attack from a distance with dark projectiles 
(which are blockable) and phantasmal keyblades (which are not).

However, for all his aggression there are still two relatively easy and safe 
ways to take him out.  My preferred approach is to gain some distance, then 
hit him with a full Shotlock.  His first maneuver will typically be to shoot 
some keyblades or dark projectiles at you, which should give you just enough 
time to charge it without taking damage, and if successful you will take out 
a crapload of health in one shot.  The alternative is to constantly guard 
his attacks, then abuse your counterattack as often as you can.  It is much 
slower than the Shotlock method, but it does consistent damage with fairly 
little skill required.

Never try to attack him while he is flying, though.  Aside from attacking 
more aggressively, his two deadliest attacks are only used while in midair.  
The former is a single heavy attack which will leave you stunned at 1 HP if 
it hits, and will most likely cost you the battle.  The latter is a massive 
explosion which blasts the entire arena and utterly devastates you: it 
reduces your HP to 1, empties your Focus gauge, and forces all your commands 
to recharge.  (At that point, your only option is to either toss a Potion or 
just avoid taking damage until Curaga can recharge.)  The good news is that 
both moves have a conspicuous charge animation, and are thus pretty easy to 
dodge.

Victory earns you Royal Radiance, the strongest keyblade in the game by far 
(with the possible exception of Terra�s Chaos Ripper), as well as a massive 
2000 Medals if you win in less than 20 minutes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Mere Shell
-Description: Defeat the Vanitas Remnant
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 8/10 (9/10 for Terra)
-Notes: The Vanitas Remnant appears in the Badlands area of the Keyblade 
Graveyard, an area that first becomes accessible after the Final Episode is 
cleared.  This guy is a nightmare for several reasons: he is absurdly fast, 
uses a variety of very deadly attacks, can screw up the controls with Blind 
or Confusion, has very high Defense and high resistance to almost every 
attack, teleports away constantly, and will fully heal himself if you ever 
use a Cure spell.  Your only healing will come from Potions, and without Leaf 
Bracer for protection you may need to dodge for a while until you find a 
quiet moment to toss one.  (His shotlock attack and the screen-darkening 
energy blast are both good opportunities.)

Ventus has the easiest time, as he can take the Remnant out with two uses of 
Tornado.  Set down a Mine Shield, and if he is knocked into the air lock onto 
him and immediately press Triangle.  The Remnant has a chance of breaking 
free when you start the attack, in which case you will definitely die, but 
you only have to get lucky twice to win the battle.  When facing him as Aqua 
and Terra, Mine spells (especially Seeker Mine) are the way to go: they do 
decent non-elemental damage, and you have time to dodge out of the way when 
he counterattacks.  The Zero EXP Ability will significantly increase the 
damage of your attacks, so definitely equip it if you�re playing on Critical.

For the most part, Ven and Aqua can almost completely avoid taking damage by 
continuously Dodge Rolling during his attacks.  Terra has a tougher time, 
since he is vulnerable in the brief pauses between Slides.  Most of his 
attacks can be consistently dodged if you�re paying attention, though I 
suggest using a Shotlock to bypass his clone barrage every time he hides 
inside the dark sphere.

Note that if you don�t care about a legitimate victory, there is an easy way 
to abuse his AI.  If you can hide behind a pillar and get the Remnant to 
chase after you, you can slowly chip away at his HP by striking him through 
the rock with Strike Raid.  Not exactly a glorious victory, but it�s an 
option if you just want him out of the way for the Platinum.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time�s Teller
-Description: Defeat the Unknown
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 9/10 [10/10 for Terra]
-Notes: Don�t try this one unless you�re prepared to see the Continue screen 
many, many times.  The Unknown, a.k.a. the Mysterious Figure, appears in the 
Land of Departure after you have defeated the Vanitas Remnant.  While he 
doesn�t mimic your healing like the Remnant did, the Mysterious Figure has 
his own arsenal of nasty tricks that are specifically designed to break your 
player character.  His deadliest attacks include a Sonic Blade-style aerial 
rush (which will often bypass Once More and kill you if you are hit by the 
first two passes), an uppercutting lunge (which can do the same thing if you 
are at the arena�s edge), a Tornado attack that scatters your commands across 
the arena, dozens of laser orbs that will blast you down to 1 HP several 
times, and a clone-summoning move which will keep you perpetually immobilized 
with combo attacks.  And that�s just the first half of the battle, before he 
gets really nasty.  He also can heal with Renewal Barrier if you attack too 
aggressively, and under certain circumstances he can even rewind time a few 
seconds to undo the damage from your combos.  He is an extremely cheap boss 
with no real loops or easy bypasses to speak of, who will take you down to 
1 HP (or instantly kill you) with every hit, so your reflexes and strategy 
must be flawless if you are to have any hope of beating him and earning the 
Platinum.

I suggest equipping 4 Thunder Surges and 4 Curagas.  Thunder Surge is by far 
the best offense, as it is a quick attack which does great damage and renders 
you briefly invincible during the animation.  The best opening is during the 
basic X-attack, though there are also good opportunities at the start and end 
of Raging Storm (dodge three times between uses, or he may guard and catch 
you in the flames) and at the very end of his extended physical combo (right 
as he performs the twirling sword flourish).  ALWAYS eliminate the clones 
with Thunder Surge, even if you are at 1 HP, because getting caught in their 
chain combos nearly always leads to a Game Over.  Never try to attack while 
he is casting Tornado; he will counter by casting it again, which will kill 
you more often than not.  For the most part, Ven and Aqua can avoid all his 
other attacks if you mash Dodge Roll quickly and consistently enough.

Things get exponentially nastier when he is below half health.  While he 
loses his clone attack, he gains the power to turn invisible along with three 
new spells.  Meteor and Mega Flare will blast the entire arena, though 
thankfully they only last for an instant.  The real killer is Doom, which is 
Game Over after three uses: the timer shortens from 5 to 4 to 3 seconds, at 
which point it is physically impossible to mash X quickly enough.  (Hit Pause 
the instant you are trapped, as you will probably need a second to move your 
fingers so you can properly perform the button-mashing).  While Ven and Aqua 
can avoid damage via continuous dodge rolling, and should still do so for his 
extended attacks, you are more likely to survive if you abuse Thunder Surge 
in between dodge rolls.  Aim toward him if he slows down for the X-attack or 
pendulum grab, of course, but even if he doesn�t you should still Surge 
randomly.  You need to inflict damage to end the battle, which won�t happen 
if you do nothing but evade him, and you would be surprised how much random 
damage you will deal as he pursues you around the arena.

Because he cannot continuously dodge like his friends, an aggressive offense 
is even more important to Terra.  During the first half he can mostly Slide 
out of range in time, though the aerial rush and laser orbs are a huge 
problem.  He can avoid most of the rush and prevent it from bypassing Once 
More with Slide+Thunder Surge (though he will likely still get hit), but he 
cannot reliably dodge the lasers: you have no choice but to heal and rely on 
Leaf Bracer, which will require all 4 of your Curagas.  Once the Mysterious 
Figure turns invisible all hell breaks loose, and Terra should do nothing 
but Slide+Thunder Surge all the time.  This extends his invulnerability 
frames, and thus minimizes his exposure between slides, as he wears down the 
boss.  His one great asset is the Chaos Ripper, which greatly increases Surge 
damage and is key to ending the battle before he can destroy you.


*****************************************************************************

*****************************************************************************
--REPORTS--

The character Reports are the Birth by Sleep equivalents to Jiminy�s Journal, 
documenting each character�s adventures and sidequests.  Trophies relating to 
those sidequests belong here.  Every Trophy besides Collector will unlock 
after completing the task in one character�s story, though to earn 100% 
completion you need to at least partially complete each Trophy�s requirements 
in all three stories.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adventurer: Terra
-Description: Complete Reports with Terra
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 10/10 [Tedium Factor: 5/10 for all three characters]
-Notes: Completing the Reports is an all-encompassing task that requires you 
to complete basically everything that the game has to offer.  Each character 
must complete the requirements for Profiler, Collector, Patissier, and 
Fantasista, and must at least partially satisfy every other Trophy listed 
below.  (See the individual entries for details.)  You must also earn every 
Finish command, a process detailed under �The Warrior� Trophies.  Finally, 
you must defeat every optional boss for their Character entries, which for 
Terra especially will be the most difficult part by a wide margin.  (See 
Darkness�s Will and Time�s Teller.)

Assuming those are finished, the only sections left to be filled are 
Treasures, Game Records (the Mini-game and Hit Count sections), and Command 
Collection.  The missing treasure chests are easy enough to locate with a 
good FAQ; I recommend noz3ro�s once again.  The urn-breaking contest in 
Olympus will be the final minigame entry, and will also give you Sonic Blade 
for the command collection.

To complete Hit Counts, you need to use every D-Link Finish command and every 
Shotlock at least once.  The only optional D-Link is Pete, whom you earn via 
the Command Board (see Justice & Dark).  Note that in addition to fully 
upgrading every D-Link for the second Finish attack, you must also use the 
basic Finish attack once.  If you forget to do so before the D-Link is maxed 
out, you will need to switch Finish attacks via the menu.  As for Shotlocks, 
all of the ones you are missing can either be bought as panels on the Command 
Board or purchased for Medals in the Mirage Arena: Ragnarok is on the 
keyblade board, Meteor Shower on the Royal Board, Lightning Ray on the 
Spaceship Board, Bio Barrage in the Arena Shop, and Photon Charge can be 
gained from the Skull Board OR purchased in the Arena.  You will gain the 
Shotlock even if you lose the game, so long as you finish it with the command 
in your possession.  (Make sure to pick up Focus Block/Focus Barrier while 
you play for Meteor Shower, as it is also unique to that command board.)

Finally, you have to complete the Command Collection.  While many of the 
basic commands can be bought from the Moogle Shop, most of the strongest can 
only be obtained by melding.  Use noz3ro�s FAQ to identify which commands you 
are missing, and lil_lamb�s Synthesis Guide to help you create them.  Make 
sure that while you are melding, you create every Ability for their entries 
as well.  You�re only required to create each Ability once, though since they 
are so easy to learn it would be prudent to max them all out while you finish 
the collection.  Once your melding is done, the only commands left will be 
Aerial Recovery (the final Reprisal command) and the Friendship commands from 
the Medal Shop in the Mirage Arena.  Don�t bother buying Confetti, Fireworks, 
or Voltage Stack, as you can get them for free from the mailbox in Disney 
Town�s Main Plaza, the Sticker Album, and the Unversed Missions respectively.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adventurer: Ventus
-Description: Complete Reports with Ventus
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Notes: Ventus� Reports are much the same as Terra�s, and so the same advice 
applies.  Once again, make sure you have opened every treasure chest and 
completed all required mini-games before you worry about finishing the 
Command Collection.  The optional bosses are once again the most difficult 
part, though Ventus� superior dodge rolling makes them a bit easier.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Adventurer: Aqua
-Description: Complete Reports with Aqua
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 9/10
-Notes: See above.  Aside from the Fireworks command (which Aqua can only 
obtain through the Arena shop), all of the previous advice applies here.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Slayer
-Description: Complete all Unversed battle missions with the highest rank
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 5/10
-Notes: The Unversed Missions appear as emblems in various worlds, which 
become available after completing that world�s story episode.  Each mission 
is a minigame that requires you to complete certain conditions, and rates you 
based on your performance.  A three-star ranking earns you a rare command, 
including a handful which cannot be acquired anywhere else.  Most of these 
are trivial to three-star with the right command setup, with only two or 
three posing a real challenge.


-Flaming Box (Enchanted Dominion, Waterside): Take out 30 meteors without 
letting any touch the ground.  With two Magnegas in your deck, you can 
automatically take out every meteor he shoots at you.  Gives you Firaga.

-Lost Runner (Castle of Dreams, Ballroom/Wardrobe Room): Defeat 30 Lost 
Runners before time runs out.  Extremely easy with two Mega Flares (or Mega 
Flare and Meteor for Terra).  While waiting for Mega Flare to recharge, use 
long-distance attacks like Triple Firaga and Sonic Blade to home in on them.  
Gives you Illusion-L.

-Vitality Vial (Dwarf Woodlands, Underground Waterway/The Mine): Survive for 
two minutes or longer.  While striking the Vial definitely helps, all you 
really need is the Leaf Bracer Ability and a deck with multiple Cure spells.  
With maximum Magic Hastes, three Curagas will keep you alive indefinitely.  
Gives you Illusion-V.

-Belly Balloon (Radiant Garden, Outer Gardens/Central Plaza): Empty the gas 
gauge in one minute or less.  You must hit the Balloon in the back to do 
this, as hitting it in front will cause it to refill and eventually explode.  
Fortunately, once its back is turned you can empty the gauge very quickly by 
hitting it with Thunder Surge.  Gives you Illusion-B.

-Ringer (Disney Town, Raceway): Defeat at least 40 Unversed before time runs 
out.  This is the toughest of the bunch, and takes keen perception to get 
right.  Every time you approach it, the Ringer will summon a group of clones 
and attempt to hide among them.  Hit the original, and you take them all out 
at once; hit a clone, and you take a costly time penalty in addition to 
delaying the next wave.  He spawns more and more clones with each wave, 
making it harder to spot the original.  Rapid pausing is a good way to keep 
track of the original and keep him from getting lost in the crowd, though in 
the later stages moving in to lock on to the right one can be a challenge.  
Gives you Illusion-R.

-Jellyshade (Olympus Coliseum, Town Near Thebes): Defeat all 300 Unversed in 
31 seconds or less.  This one is trivial with Magnega, which instantly 
annihilates them at an amazing rate.  Gives you Stopga.

-Gluttonous Goo (Deep Space, Launch Deck): Finish with 90+ orbs in your 
possession.  This can be tricky, because when struck the Goo will sometimes 
counter by sticking its spikes out and knocking away several dozens orbs.  
The most consistent approach I have found is to rely on a combination of 
counterattack commands and Finish attacks, and use Treasure Magnet to pick up 
the orbs he scatters.  Once you meet the quota, do your best to stay out of 
his reach until time expires.  Gives Stun Block to Terra and Ventus, and Stop 
Barrier to Aqua.

-Element Cluster (Neverland, Indian Camp): Hit him with the indicated 
elemental attack 70+ times.  Throughout the battle the Cluster will switch 
to a different elemental phase, as indicated by the color of his middle 
section, and you will need to hit it with attacks corresponding to that 
element: Fire when red, Blizzard when blue, and Thunder when yellow.  The 
easiest approach is to equip a deck with 4 Fire Surge and 4 Thunder Surge 
commands, along with the maxed-out Absolute Zero shotlock.  You can deal 2-3 
hits per Surge, but your best offense comes from the Shotlock: hit him with a 
full Shotlock, press the wrong button to end the attack, and then use a full 
Shotlock again to inflict 24 hits in a single phase.  Gives you Voltage Stack.

-Floating Flora (Keyblade Graveyard, Seat of War): Collect 350+ orbs by 
striking the Flora in the air.  Thunder Surge will quickly launch them, at 
which point you can jump and abuse it some more to release lots of orbs.  
Gives you Illusion-F.


On your second and third playthroughs you are only required to three-star the 
Missions which grant the Illusion commands, though since the remaining ones 
are relatively easy there is no reason not to complete them all.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Collector
-Description: Collect all stickers
-Grade: Silver
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This one becomes available after reaching the Keyblade Graveyard with 
all three characters.  While most stickers can be acquired during the story, 
a few require backtracking, either because they require advanced movement 
commands (Sonic Impact for Terra, Glide for Ventus, Doubleflight for Aqua, 
High Jump for all three) or because they are in areas that can only be 
reached when the mission is complete.  See noz3ro�s FAQ for the complete 
list of stickers and their locations.

While not required for this Trophy, you must earn the maximum 140 points to 
unlock Rhythm Mixer and complete your Reports.  See D.J. for details.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Command Board Conqueror
-Description: Win each playable Command Board
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: You can earn this Trophy by winning a regular game, winning in the 
Mirage Arena, or some combination of the two.  You will end up doing plenty 
of both for the Reports: a few unique Shotlocks, Focus Block/Barrier, and the 
Pete D-Link can only be acquired in a regular game, while you must win 7 
games in the Mirage Arena to reach Arena Level 30.  The fact that you can 
limit yourself to one opponent makes the Mirage Arena an attractive choice 
for the more difficult boards, particularly the Skull Board.

The Command Board is a pretty easy minigame if you have a good grasp of its 
mechanics.  Your main advantage over the AI players is that almost none use 
Hands (aside from the occasional Joker�s Fortune).  By constantly spending 
your magic cards on the Two Dice hand, you will be able to lap them around 
the board while refilling your cards twice as fast.  Most of the time Two 
Dice is the only Hand you want to use: your attack and miscellaneous commands 
are more effective when placed on the board, as the Panel Bonus they provide 
really adds up after a few laps.  The major exception to this is if one of 
you gains Captain Dark or Captain Justice from a Special Panel.  Those two 
effects can easily win or lose the battle for their recipient, and are 
transferred when one player passes the other.  Thus, making sure that you 
steal their Captain Justice or pass off your Captain Dark is a high priority, 
as is avoiding them in the reverse situation, and Stun (one attack card) is a 
good way to control their movements.  I would also suggest burning through 
the most powerful Hand available just before you start a new lap, to take 
advantage of the full refill when you pass the Start Panel.

The Secret Board only unlocks after you have won every other board, including 
the Hunny Pot Board (unlocked by reading Merlin�s book in Radiant Garden).  
Since you need it to complete the Mini-games section of the Reports, in 
practice you will be earning this Trophy three times over. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maestro
-Description: Obtain a Fantastic rating for each song in Ice Cream Beat 
Master Mode
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 8/10
-Notes: Ice Cream Beat�s Master Mode is easily the most difficult minigame in 
Birth by Sleep.  The best advice that I can give is to keep the sound on, tap 
in time with the rhythm, and PRACTICE.  Your success depends heavily on 
memorization, particularly of the direction for each note, and so it�s not 
unusual to take a dozen attempts to pass an especially difficult song.

On your second and third playthroughs you are only required to get Fantastic 
on Dessert Paradise�s Master Mode, which grants you Frozen Fortune and its 
Finish command.  You must pass the first four Master Mode songs and Hand in 
Hand�s Beginner Mode, so you can attempt its Master Mode and fill out all 
your mini-game scores, but you can do so by earning a much more attainable 
Cool ranking. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patissier
-Description: Create all flavors of ice cream
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 3/10
-Notes: This Trophy is earned after one character completes their Ice Cream 
Guide, though to complete the Reports you need to do so with all three.  I 
suggest you complete Ven�s and especially Aqua�s Ice Cream Guide at the 
earliest opportunity.  Doing so awards you the Sweetstack, a mighty keyblade 
with huge Strength, a 100% critical hit rate, and good Magic on top of it.  
Until you get the Ultima Weapon, the Sweetstack is the strongest keyblade 
either of them has access to.

To create new ice cream flavors you must first gather ingredients from the 
various Prize Pot Unversed that appear throughout the worlds.  They always 
appear in specific locations within each world, though they won�t necessarily 
appear 100% of the time.  To earn as many ingredients as possible per 
encounter, use Magnega mercilessly: it will pull them together and cause they 
to hemorraghe items, and you can strike them while they are gathered for even 
more items.  To encounter them all you must reach Neverland in the story, as 
well as reach Arena Level 15 in the Mirage Arena.  After you have collected 
enough ingredients, give them to Huey to receive lots of the corresponding 
Ice Cream item and put that item up for sale in his shop.

Listed below are all available ice cream flavors, along with required 
ingredients and the worlds that contain them.  For details on exactly where 
each Prize Pot appears and how to tell whether they will spawn, see nunuu�s 
Ice Cream Guide at 

http://www.gamefaqs.com/ps3/735143-kingdom-hearts-hd-25-remix/faqs/59033.

      -Bueno Volcano [everyone]: Prickle Pepper, Toonbasco (Disney Town)

      -Snow Bear [everyone]: Soy Milk (Radiant Garden), Open Sesame (Mirage 
Arena � Risky Riches or Treasure Tussle)

      -Spark Lemon [everyone]: Thundercracker (Olympus), Rocket Soda (Radiant 
Garden), Dancin� Lemon (Neverland)

      -Daisy Sorbet [everyone]: Starry Sky Drop (Mirage Arena � Treasure 
Tussle), Luxury Marshmallow (Castle of Dreams), Humming Mint (Dwarf 
Woodlands), Melody Grape (Disney Town)

      -Royalberry [Terra and Aqua]: Gaspberry (Dwarf Woodlands), Nebula 
Nector (Radiant Garden), Birthday Cake (Castle of Dreams), Rose Honey 
(Enchanted Dominion)

      -Milky Way [Ventus and Aqua]: Cream Fluff (Deep Space), Rainbow Syrup 
(Neverland), Cotton Cloudcandy (Olympus)

      -Vanilla Glitz [Terra]: Golden Jam (Neverland), Bijou Bean (Enchanted 
Dominion), Crystal Sugar (Castle of Dreams)

      -Rockin� Crunch [Terra]: Galactic Caramel (Deep Space), Nutty Nut 
(Dwarf Woodlands)

      -Big Bad Pete [Terra]: Bizzaro Bean (Deep Space), Whipped Dream 
(Neverland)

      -Honeybunny [Ventus]: Honeybunch (Neverland), Apple Pie (Dwarf 
Woodlands)

      -Goofy Parfait [Ventus]: Moogle Coffee (Radiant Garden), Jumbo Almond 
(Enchanted Dominion), Chocolate Valentine (Castle of Dreams), Forest Muffin 
(Enchanted Dominion)

      -Double Crunch [Ventus]: Cherryberry (Enchanted Dominion), Merry Dairy 
(Dwarf Woodlands), Wedding Cake (Castle of Dreams), Star Syrup (Deep Space)

      -Fabracadabra [Aqua]: Balloon Melon (Deep Space), Heroic Orange 
(Olympus), Peach Fantasy (Dwarf Woodlands)

      -Donald Fizz [Aqua]: Crystal Soda (Castle of Dreams), Mermaid Salt 
(Neverland), Fizzy Tizzy (Deep Space), Sky Blue Mousse (Enchanted Dominion)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rapid Racer
-Description: Finish first in all Rumble Racing courses
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: To win at Rumble Racing, you have to be intimately familiar with each 
course.  Every course has at least one hidden shortcut which you can reach 
via ramp, which you can use to build a lead over the other racers.  Be aware 
that for the first four laps, the AI will constantly be overtaking you or be 
one step behind; only in the final lap do you have the chance to build a 
sizeable lead.  Your Circle attack is a great way to slow down your 
competitors and give yourself a small burst of speed, so I recommend using it 
anytime you�re not approaching a time-critical ramp.


-Country Chase: On this short course, taking the ramp at the second bend 
every time should be enough to guarantee victory.  To maintain your lead, try 
to hug the right wall at the first turn and when dodging the tornados.  Note 
that you can gain a burst of speed by pressing and holding X as the race 
starts, rocketing you into the lead.

-Disney Drive: There is one ramp in the same spot as Country Chase, and a 
second after the first tornado in the town (which requires a little braking 
and a hard right turn).  The speed-boosting gates become a lot more common, 
so try to pass through them whenever you can.

-Grand Spree: Do not miss the first ramp (after three right turns when you 
reach the town), as it holds a defensive shield that will allow you to speed 
through the next three ramps without worrying about the tornado.  The second 
ramp is right in front of the exit to the second tunnel.

-Castle Circuit: In order to reliably win this race, you need to turn left at 
the first fork in the road.  The ramp on the left side leads to a shortcut to 
the underground, but you will miss it if you barrel through at full speed.  
Ease off on the throttle when you land, so that you can line up with the ramp 
and then accelerate to clear the barrier.  Just as importantly, DO NOT fall 
down to the lower level; you will lose a lot of time navigating the longer 
route, which will cost you the race every time.


Every character must win the first three courses and attempt the fourth in 
Disney Town, both for their minigame entries and to unlock the four time 
trial goals in the Mirage Arena.  Winning all four grants you the Victory 
Line keyblade.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fantasista
-Description: Beat all opponents in Fruitball
-Grade: Bronze
-Difficulty: 4/10
-Notes: Since the final round gives you the Chaos Snake shotlock, every 
character must complete this.  The first two rounds are pretty easy, as you 
can run up the score pretty quickly by tossing the fruit in the air and 
shooting it at the goal.  The only difficult opponent is Pete, who is 
absurdly good at blocking your shots and can sometimes stun you with his 
serves.  If Pete is currently toward the front, you can usually score by 
quickly shooting with Triangle+X before he can move back.  Otherwise, try to 
overwhelm him by throwing lots of fruit back to his side as quickly as you 
can.  The curving trick shots (Triangle+Square) help, but they�re far from 
reliable.  When the goals rise into the air scoring becomes difficult, so 
focus on blocking his shots until it comes back down.


*****************************************************************************


=============================================================================
                               TROPHY GUIDE: RE:CODED
=============================================================================

Like 358/2 Days before it, Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded has been rendered as an HD 
movie for this collection.  In most ways it�s a considerable improvement over 
the Days movie: there are multiple action scenes to represent the big fights, 
there is a great variety of locations, and there are even two brand-new 
cutscenes exclusive to this collection.  That said, Re:Coded doesn�t have the 
strongest story or dialogue in the series (it was basically a filler game), 
and the sheer amount of talking can wear on you after a while.  Still, if you 
can�t afford to play this on the DS it�s a fun bit of story that provides a 
nice link to Kingdom Hearts 3D.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
40% Debugged
-Description: Complete up to and including Olympus Coliseum
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: If you don�t feel like sitting through the entire 3-hour movie, you 
can do this quickly using the Chapters menu.  Select the first chapter, and 
when the scene starts pause it to select �Go to next chapter.�  Keep on 
skipping scenes this way, and you will get all the way to the first secret 
ending within 4 minutes. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
80% Debugged
-Description: Complete up to and including Hollow Bastion II
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: See above.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
100% Debugged
-Description: Complete all chapters
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: To earn this Trophy, you must unlock the Destiny secret ending by 
viewing all previous chapters.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professor
-Description: View all Character entries
-Grade: Bronze
-Notes: The Character entries unlock after watching every scene besides the 
second secret ending.  Simply select the first entry, scroll through them 
quickly by tapping R1, and you will have this Trophy inside of a minute.


=============================================================================
                                 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
=============================================================================

-noz3ro, lil_lamb, sweet_peach: Their FAQs were essentially to my successful 
Platinum runs, and are great resources all-around.

-starkk and Hotel Security: For their valuable advice on Gummi Ship design.

-Bizkit047: For demonstrating the easy way to earn Pro Skater in his YouTube 
videos.

-Square Enix: For bringing two superb collections to America, and (we hope) 
delivering an equally fantastic Kingdom Hearts III in the near future.