_____ __ _ _ ______
/ ___/ / /_ (_)____ (_)____ ____ _ / ____/____ _____ _____ ___
\__ \ / __ \ / // __ \ / // __ \ / __ `/ / /_ / __ \ / ___// ___// _ \
___/ // / / // // / / // // / / // /_/ / / __/ / /_/ // / / /__ / __/
/____//_/ /_//_//_/ /_//_//_/ /_/ \__, / /_/ \____//_/ \___/ \___/
/____/
RESURRECTION OF THE DARK DRAGON
Mechanics Guide
version 1.1
John Orapello
[email protected]
In order to find something, simply do a Find (CTRL+F) for the section number or
letter. In other words, if you wished to find out about character Promotions,
you would do a CTRL+F search for 3b.
///////////////////////
///TABLE OF CONTENTS///
///////////////////////
A.) CRAP
1a.) COPYRIGHT INFO
2a.) UPDATES
3a.) INTRODUCTION
4a.) TERMINOLOGY / BASICS
B.) THE GOOD STUFF
1b.) THE BIG FORMULAE
2b.) EXPERIENCE
3b.) LEVEL UPS
4b.) PROMOTION
5b.) NEW GAME + / HARD MODE
6b.) GAMEFLOW
C.) APPENDICES
1c.) SPELL INFORMATION
2c.) MISC. FORMULAE
3c.) CARD EFFECTS
4c.) CHARACTER STATS/GROWTH (incomplete)
5c.) GLITCHES/EXPLOITS
D.) MORE CRAP
1d.) CONTACT INFO
2d.) HOW YOU CAN HELP
3d.) MUSINGS
4d.) CREDITS
____________________
[------------------]
[ SECTION A - CRAP ]
[------------------]
1a.)
////////////////////
///COPYRIGHT INFO///
////////////////////
Basically, I own this document. I am an extraordinarily go-with-the-flow kind
of guy, so if you ask me if you could do just about anything with this
document, I will probably say yes. (Hey, when you are going to go to college in
Hawaii, you have to be go with the flow. :) But still, I would like to be
asked at least. You can find my contact information at the bottom of this
document. (Section 1c.) So far, this document only has permission to be shown
at GameFAQs.com.
This document is Copyright 2004 John Orapello.
2a.)
/////////////
///UPDATES///
/////////////
08/21/04 - v 1.12 - New Game + errors in HP and MP increase. An error
introduced by the new format of the equations, and due to my own mistake.
Blech. Miscellaneous reformatting, clarification, and typo correction.
08/16/04 - v 1.11 - Added a bit to the New Game + section. Just clarification.
Added a bit of clarification to Promotions. Slight formatting changes.
08/14/04 - v 1.1 - Added the ASCII title. Added disheartening (IMO) info to the
promotion section. Added more critical hit info. Added more experience info.
Added to the How You Can Help section. Added Musings section.
08/07/04 - v 1.0 - Ah, a whole number. _I_ am finished with Appendix 3c, even
though it is not fully complete. Added the How To Help section-- see that if
you want to help me finish it wholly. :P Various little fixes, I believe.
08/06/04 - v.99 - More appendices added. Stuff added. Etc. etc. Not done with
Appendix 3c. Fixed stupid mistakes.
08/06/04 - v.95 - Added appendices. Simplified some formulae; my enjoyment of
lots of variables caused me to overcomplicate them. :P Various superficial
corrections and additions. Version 1 will be out once I finish appendix 3c.
Which may be a while, since I do not feel like taking Mawlock into battle over
and over just to find out what cards do what. :P
08/05/04 - v.90 - Added a lot of stuff! Credits, tidied up the entire
guide. . .etc. etc. Basically, the first major update of the guide.
A while ago - v.01 - Started the guide. Basically just a jumble of data.
3a.)
//////////////////
///INTRODUCTION///
//////////////////
Shining Force and Shining Force 2 were games that I grew up with, games that
hold a particularly dear place in my heart. I have loved these games-- indeed,
they caused me to take my Internet pseudonym of johnthehero, from the HERO
promoted class of the main characters in both games. That is one of the reasons
why I am writing this guide-- it is a labor of total love.
Another reason I have decided to do this guide is out of admiration of the
people at the Final Fantasy Tactics board, which I am a traditional lurker on
since 2002. Aerostar, the author of the most brilliant FAQ ever written-- the
FFT Battle Mechanics Guide-- and all of the contributors to said guide should
proud of themselves, and I hope to make this guide a fraction of how brilliant
the FFTBMG is.
Having a mathematical/scientific mindset also causes me to want to look deeply
into the simplest things, which is what the FFTBMG, this guide, and strategy
games on the whole are all about. :)
I hope you enjoy the guide as much as I enjoy writing it.
4a.)
//////////////////////////
///TERMINOLOGY / BASICS///
//////////////////////////
Much of this is blatantly taken from Aerostar's Final Fantasy Tactics Battle
Mechanics Guide. Apologies. :)
An unspecific character or enemy on the battlefield would be referred to as a
UNIT. A Unit can be anything from a Dark Dragon head to a level 1 Lowe.
In general, the character/enemy who performs an action is called the CASTER.
Any of the Caster's stats used in the formula for said action is usually
denoted by a C_ in front of the stat. In other words, if the Caster's Attack is
used in the formula, it would be labelled C_ATK.
A character such as Luke is a Caster when he attacks an enemy, or when he uses
an Evil Ring, or when he uses a Medical Herb on a friendly character.
The target of the action is referred to as the TARGET. Their stats would be
denoted by a T_, for example, T_ATK.
The stats are as follows:
ATK - Attack
DEF - Defend
AGI - Agility/Speed
MOV - Movement
HP - Hit Points
MP - Magic Points
EXP - Experience Points
RES - Magic Resistance %
RNG - Attack Range
EVD - Evade %
Since people may be unfamiliar with some symbols, here are the ones used in
this guide for mathematical operations:
() parentheses (do operations inside these first!)
+ addition
- subtraction
* multiplication
/ division
[] truncation
About truncation: Calculations in most video games are truncated, which means
that decimal places are dropped, not rounded. This is a typical mathematical
function and makes it easier for the computer to handle such formulae.
Truncation in mathematics is denoted with square brackets, [].
I apologize if any of this seems pedantic. :)
_________________________________
[-------------------------------]
[ SECTION B - THE GOOD STUFF :) ]
[-------------------------------]
1b.)
//////////////////////
///THE BIG FORMULAE///
//////////////////////
These are tentative: the exact effects of some variables are yet to be
determined. Any contributions or testing of the formulae would be welcome.
It should be stressed that these formulae tend to have a random element. You
may do 26 damage one turn and then under the same circumstances do 25 or 27.
Generally, the random element is just that-- a difference of 1-- but that can
be enough to screw you over against Darksol . . .
Physical attacks:
[(C_ATK - T_DEF) * (1 - T_TER_AFCT)] = Damage
-C_ATK is the caster's Attack rating.
-T_DEF is the target's Defense rating.
-T_TER_AFCT is the value of the Terrain Effect for the target. This is the
absolute value of the number shown in the "STAT" window on the upper left
corner of the screen when your cursor is on a unit, expressed as a decimal.
-There is some element of randomness involved in this as an attack under the
same circumstances may vary in damage by a point or two-- most likely a random
+1 possibility.
-Damage, if less than 1, becomes 1.
-Critical hits are undetermined: I do not believe it is merely a multiplier of
2 like is commonly suggested, but perhaps a doubling of the attacker's ATK,
or--and this math fits what just happened in my game-- a damage multiplier of
1.75. Narsha was projected to do 11 damage based on the above equation, and did
19 damage. [11 * 1.75] = 19. Stakk theorizes that the critical hit bonus is a
separate multiplier for each character. Additional data would be appreciated.
-For the best results in attacking exchanges, you want to ATTACK from high
terrain effect, to low terrain effect, and BE ATTACKED the other way around.
Magical attacks:
[(SPELL_DAM * BOOST) * (1 - T_RES)] = Damage
-SPELL_DAM is the spell's base damage. This varies depending on the spell, and
I will be researching the base damage for each spell in the future, and
recording them in Appendix 2c.
-T_RES is the target's magical resistance expressed as a decimal.
-BOOST is the percentage by which the spell has been boosted expressed as a
decimal: this would be 1 for an unboosted caster, 1.2 for a caster with Boost
Level 1, 1.5 for a caster with Boost Level 2, and 1.8 for a caster with Boost
Level 3.
-Some enemies (and some characters like Bleu) appear to have extra innate
resistances and immunities-- Freeze magic, for example, is ineffective against
Skeletons. (T_RES = 1)
-Some magical attacks such as Chimerae's Breath attacks ignore T_RES.
(T_RES = 0)
-This also works for magical healing. T_RES, in that case, is set to 0.
2b.)
////////////////
///EXPERIENCE///
////////////////
So far little progress has been made in figuring out exact equations for EXP
gain in battle. However, it basically goes by this:
Kills give you good EXP, depending on the difference of level between you and
the target. The bigger a difference in the target's favor means more EXP for
you, up to 48 EXP.
Doing damage gives you more EXP as you do more damage and as the target's level
increases compared to yours. Theoretically, the max is probably 48 EXP.
Multitarget offensive spells (Blaze 2, Bolt, etc.) gives you more EXP depending
on how many targets you hit and how many you kill, up to a total of 48 EXP.
Multitarget buffing spells (Attack 2, etc.) give you more EXP depending on how
many targets you hit. 5 = 48 EXP, 4 = 40, and I have never really hit less than
4. . but I would assume (and will test) 3 = 30, 2 = 20, 1 = 10 EXP.
Heal spells give you 10 EXP always, and then add EXP depending on how much you
heal a character for, and if the target has a higher level than the caster. I
have seen a max of 22 EXP to my recollection.
Aura spells are still in testing. Apparently, the lowest EXP possible is 20.
The more targets healed for more HP = more EXP.
Items such as Medical Herbs give EXP when used.. Items tend to act very similar
to spells. Medical Herbs basically act like slightly weaker Heal 1s, and the
EXP goes along with it.
cosmicat offers a theory that leads into this equation, roughly:
kill_exp = [(T_LVL - (C_LVL + 1)) * 12]
Thus a kill at equal levels nets you 12 EXP. This obviously does not work as a
simple equation when enemies are at a lower level than you, but does seem to
be generally roughly accurate for the given scenario as a minimal EXP.
Most likely the kill_exp is added to the EXP gained by the damage you do
(dam_exp) to give you your total EXP bonus.
3b.)
///////////////
///LEVEL UPS///
///////////////
The maximum amount of stat gain is up for debate. I have seen claims of up to a
gain of 13 ATK in one level, but have only experienced +7 in any one stat
myself.
Level ups are random to the extent that you will not always gain the same
amount of stat in every level of every game. However, it is obvious upon some
observation that they are not completely random.
My theory is that characters simply have a tendency to grow in certain stats
with each level up. Magic casters are much more likely to have any MP growth
than fighter characters, while they are much less likely to have ATK growth
than fighter characters.
I shall elaborate more in a further update, hopefully with concrete
information.
There is a way to always get good level ups, or at the very least mediocre
ones, that can be found in the Glitch/Exploit Compendium (Appendix 5c.)
4b.)
////////////////
///PROMOTIONS///
////////////////
Characters who are promoted suffer a degradation in stats (roughly a 12-15%
loss, give or take-- quite a bit actually) immediately after promotion. Many
people become frustrated at this because formerly unstoppable characters are
in need of quite a bit of babying after promotion. I would say this is most
noticable amongst bare-handed fighters such as Zylo or Zuika due to the fact
that they have no weapon (the attack bonus of which is unaffected by the stat
drop) to balance out their loss of attack. Armed fighters tend to get better
weapons immediately after being promoted, balancing out their lost ATK. . .
bare-handed fighters do not have such a luxury.
Promoted characters also tend to gain frustratingly little stats immediately
after promotion, sometimes nothing, sometimes 1 HP, or the dreaded 1 AGI.
However, upon advancing to level 4-8, the stat gains tend to pick up and
surpass that of pre-promotion level ups.
The maximum level for a character who can be promoted, prior to promotion, is
20. After that they will still gain experience on the Status screen, but it
will not say so in the in-battle text. Once promoted, a character drops to
level 1.
Due to the apparently random stat gain, common opinion is that it really does
not matter when you promote. As someone who almost always promotes at level 20,
fighting battles once or twice on my fifth playthrough so that my highest level
character was about level 27 upon defeating Dark Dragon (Musashi), I can offer
some persuasion to the contrary, though new experience from Sonsaru shows the
contrary:
The only levels which give relevant status gains are 1-20, both promoted and
otherwise. At/after level 20, the best stats you can hope for are usually +1
ATK, DEF, or HP-- often times you get nothing. In order to have a more powerful
team, it is important to get the most out of these stat gains. While stat gains
do tend to taper off in the latter stages of unpromoted levelling, they are
still more stats than would be gained past level 20 post-promotion.
Additionally, since a promoted character is treated like an entirely new level
1 character while gaining experience, if you promote at level 20 when the
enemies hit roughly 20-25, your newly promoted character will shoot up through
the levels, hitting those drool-worthy level 7+ stat gains fast, with the
additional bonus of having that extra 10 or so levels of pre-promotion
training.
It is not necessary to level all the way up to 20 prior to promotion for
strong characters-- but every level past 10 is basically a level of free stat
gain. Zuika, for example, almost always gets nothing for me on his 20th level
pre-promotion, and Zylo tends to gain +1 AGI. But it is still prudent to level
a bit past 10 before promotion.
As a rule of thumb, I would say promote once you find weapons that you need to
be promoted to use. I tend to be about level 15 at that time, if memory
serves-- while I feel the need to fight through those last few levels with
weaker weapons, you may not.
Anecdotal experience from Sonsaru leads him to believe that it really does not
matter when you promote, and better stat gain is had upon promotion at level
10, so that ultimately it will all balance out. Make of this what you will. A
proof, or even a statistical tendency, would require trial upon trial, and
frankly I do not have the patience for it. :P If you would like to attempt to
help collect data on promotions, see Section 4d.
5b.)
////////////////////////////
///NEW GAME + / HARD MODE///
////////////////////////////
In each New Game enemy stats increase by a certain amount.
The equation is as follows
E_HP = [HP_BASE + (HP_BASE * (.2 * PLAY_NUM))] (20% increase)
E_MP = [MP_BASE + (MP_BASE * (.2 * PLAY_NUM))] (20% increase)
E_ATK = [ATK_BASE + (ATK_BASE * (.1 * PLAY_NUM))] (10% increase)
E_DEF = [DEF_BASE + (ATK_BASE * (.1 * PLAY_NUM))] (10% increase)
E_AGI = [AGI_BASE + (AGI_BASE * (.1 * PLAY_NUM))] (10% increase)
E_MOV = [MOV_BASE + (MOV_BASE * (.1 * PLAY_NUM))] (10% increase)
E_RES = [RES_BASE + (RES_BASE * (.1 * PLAY_NUM))] (10% increase)
-E_HP, E_ATK etc. are the enemy HP, ATK, and other stats. These are base stats;
modifiers could be added based on enemy weapons, rings, or spells.
-HP_BASE and other stats are the first playthrough stats for each enemy.
-PLAY_NUM is the number of times you have previously played through the game.
On your first game, it is 0.
-Enemy level does not increase.
-It is unknown if enemy evade increases.
Compare these two stats for Goblins:
First playthrough: Lvl 3 HP 12 Atk 8 Def 6 Agi 5 Mov 5
Fifth playthrough: Lvl 3 HP 21 Atk 9 Def 8 Agi 7 Mov 7
Interesting things to note:
-Many enemies, even if they do not seem to have any normal weapon in their
sprite, are equipped with weapons. (Goblins, for example, have Short Swords.
Short Swords give +5 ATK. So, their base attack in Playthrough 1 is 3.) Due to
this, as seen in the above example, their ATK is not increased as greatly as
you would think. However, this makes unarmed enemies seem even deadlier in
comparison.
-Kane only has a base attack of 3. :)
-One of the scariest things in this, I think, is that movement increases. After
enough playthroughs the enemies will simply be able to walk up to and kill your
healers, or Max. "Waltz up and smash Lowe in the face", as I like to put it.
-After enough playthroughs, the enemy will probably have high enough AGI to
always have their entire force go before any of your characters.
Strategies helpful in a NG+:
-Basically, spellcasters are going to be part of your primary force, even
though the power of spells was greatly reduced in the remake. Since they tend
to do a set amount of damage most of the time, you are going to want to abuse
them. Your strongest physical attackers will only be doing 1 damage to a 99-DEF
enemy, but Blaze 1 will probably do 8 damage to it. (Depending on magic
resistance, of course.) Narsha's Boost spell will let you get through later
playthroughs easier, as well.
-Similarly, since enemies with weapons have their ATK go up slower than their
DEF, even your strongest physical attackers will only be doing 1 or so damage
to them. This is when you should start to shift your Force to contain high
defense physical fighters. The high defense fighters will be able to get
through more playthroughs since they will rely on simply taking hits while
other, probably magical characters do the real damage.
-Abusing Mawlock is key to getting through the latter playthroughs. What is a
good combination of cards? My favorite: Narsha, Colossus, and your two best
character cards. Copy Narsha for Attack Level 1. Effect Colossus for +15 DEF.
Move the other two cards. The Max card is also useful for its effect in order
to save money-- you will want to buy as many rings and the best equipment as
possible.
-Abuse terrain effect. In later playthroughs, when you will be doing 1 damage
to many enemies, get on as high terrain effect ground as possible. That way,
the enemy's attack is reduced by that much. If your physical attackers are
still viable, find the area with the biggest difference between terrain effect
and try to lure the enemy into the low terrain effect area. This will let your
tanks survive as long as possible.
-Buy as many Steel Rings as possible in Chapter One. Use the Teeny Bikini trick
if necessary. Buy as many Silver Rings in Chapter 3 as possible. Buy as many
Prayer Rings in Chapter 8 as possible.
-Desoul, Elude, Sleep, etc. become more and more effective with each
playthrough when enemies are too strong to kill in more than a few hits.
Particularly use the Dark Saber, which is unbreakable and casts Level 1 Desoul.
6b.)
//////////////
///GAMEFLOW///
//////////////
Shining Force: Resurrection of the Dark Dragon has a very simple gameflow.
Basically, the unit with the highest AGI will go first. Following that unit
will be the unit with the second highest AGI, and so forth. How ties are
determined is as of yet unknown. You can always check the AT list (FFT term,
eh? It sounds better than just the "Turn List") in order to determine in what
order the units will move.
After the unit with the least AGI moves, a new turn starts, and the
fastest unit will move, and so on.
Due to this, AGI is sort of a lame duck stat. Sure, it is sometimes nice to go
first, but it is just as often strategically advantageous to move after the
enemies have moved closer. So AGI +1 on a level up is kind of a waste.
__________________________
[------------------------]
[ SECTION C - APPENDICES ]
[------------------------]
1c.)
///////////////////////
///SPELL INFORMATION///
///////////////////////
The basic format for this section is as follows:
Spell Name: Descripton
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 3 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM 8
Character(Level), Character(Level)
Use: Item
-Spell Name and Description are self-explanatory.
-The Lv. 1 and such refer to the level of the spell.
-MP Cost is self explanatory.
-Range refers to how far away a spell can be targeted. 0 = caster only, 1 = any
adjacent square, etc. An I means infinite, able to hit any unit on the field.
-AOE refers to the Area of Effect. Basically, how many squares are effected by
the spell. 1 = 1 square. 5 = Plus formation. An I means infinite, hitting
all units.
-Effect refers to average damage, amount healed, status change, etc. DAM means
damage. HP + means HP restore. Cure Poison. . .etc. This is where you can find
the average damage for spells.
-Characters listed learn the spell, and the number in parentheses is the level
at which they learn it. N/A means they start with it. Levels refer to either
promoted or unpromoted characters.
-USE: Item means that if you use that item, you will cast the spell.
OFFENSIVE MAGIC
---------------
BLAZE: Fire offensive magic.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 3 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM 8?
Alef(N/A), Anri(N/A), Arthur(15), Tao(N/A)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: DAM 10?
Alef(N/A), Anri(8), Tao(4)
USE: Atlas, Black Ring, Heat Axe
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM 20?
Tao(12)
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 10 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: DAM ?
Tao(20)
BOLT: Lightning offensive magic.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: DAM 13
Alef(N/A), Anri(19), Arthur(25)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 15 / Range: 3 / AOE: 12/ Effect: DAM 15
Alef(17), Anri(26)
USE: Light Saber
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Alef(22)
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 25 / Range: 3 / AOE: 12/ Effect: DAM 25
Alef(30)
USE: Evil Ring, Miracle Mace
DESOUL: Steals target's soul.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Instant kill
Alef(26), Domingo(17), Hanzou(7)
USE: Dark Saber
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 15 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: Instant kill
Hanzou(25)
DISPEL: Seals target's magic.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 5 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Target can not cast magic
Tao (16)
ELUDE: Envelopes target in fog.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 6 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Target hit rate down
Anri(10), Domingo(7)
FREEZE: Ice offensive magic.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 3 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM 10?
Alef(N/A), Anri(5), Arthur(20), Domingo(N/A)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 9 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: DAM ??
Alef(N/A), Anri(13), Domingo(4)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 10 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Anri(16), Domingo(13)
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 12 / Range: 3 / AOE: 5 / Effect: DAM ??
Anri(23), Domingo(26)
USE: Chaos Breaker
SLEEP: Lulls target to sleep.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 6 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Puts target to sleep
Hanzou(N/A), Tao(8)
SLOW: Slows target down.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 5 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: AGI -10
Khris(8), Lowe(10)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: AGI -10
Lowe(19)
SUPERNOVA: Special magical attack.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 16 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Max(12)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 18 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Max(16)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Max(20)
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 24 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: DAM ??
Max(26)
SUPPORT/HEALING MAGIC
---------------------
ATTACK: Strengthens target.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 10 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: ATK +8
Domingo(20), Hanzou(4), Narsha(N/A), Tao(27)
USE: Power Ring
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 15 / Range: 3 / AOE: 5 / Effect: ATK +5
Narsha(2)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 40 / Range: 3 / AOE: 5 / Effect: ATK +10
Narsha(16)
AURA: Heals multiple targets.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 7 / Range: 3 / AOE: 5 / Effect: HP +15
Gong(30) Khris(20), Torasu(N/A)
USE: White Ring
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 11 / Range: 3 / AOE: 12/ Effect: HP +20
Khris(28), Torasu(20)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 15 / Range: 3 / AOE: 12/ Effect: HP +40
Torasu(24)
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 18 / Range: I / AOE: I / Effect: HP MAX
Torasu(28)
BOOST: Increases target's magical power.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Magic Power +20%
Narsha(4)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: Magic Power +50%
Narsha(10)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 40 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: Magic Power +80%
Narsha(22)
DETOX: Cleanses body of poison.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 3 / Range: 1 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Cures poison
Lowe(4), Torasu(N/A)
EGRESS: Escapes from battle.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: I / AOE: I / Effect: Exits battle
Max(N/A)
USE: Angel Wing, Speed Ring
HEAL: Heals target.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 3 / Range: 1 / AOE: 1 / Effect: HP +15
Gong(N/A), Khris(N/A), Lowe(N/A)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 5 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: HP +20
Gong(8), Khris(5), Lowe(7)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 10 / Range: 3 / AOE: 1 / Effect: HP +30
Gong(16), Khris(16), Lowe(16)
USE: Holy Mace
Lv. 4 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 1 / AOE: 1 / Effect: HP MAX
Gong(24), Khris(21), Lowe(22)
QUICK: Speeds target up.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 5 / Range: 1 / AOE: 1 / Effect: AGI +10
Khris(12), Lowe(13)
USE: Shield Ring
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 16 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: AGI +10
Lowe(25)
SHIELD: Makes target immune to magic.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 5 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: Immunity to Magic Damage
Hanzou(15), Torasu(N/A)
USE: Devil Lance
STEP: Allows target to move further.
Lv. 1 / MP Cost: 8 / Range: 2 / AOE: 1 / Effect: MOV +2
Narsha(7)
Lv. 2 / MP Cost: 20 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: MOV +3
Narsha(12)
Lv. 3 / MP Cost: 40 / Range: 2 / AOE: 5 / Effect: MOV +4
Narsha(18)
2c.)
////////////////////
///MISC. FORMULAE///
////////////////////
This is simply a listing of all the forumlae in the guide, so if you know what
you are basically looking for, and just want an equation, you can find it here.
Physical attacks:
[(C_ATK - T_DEF) * (1 - T_TER_AFCT)] = Damage
Magical attacks:
[(SPELL_DAM * BOOST) * (1 - T_RES)] = Damage
New Game + stuff, alternative formula:
E_HP = [HP_BASE * 1 + (.2 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_MP = [MP_BASE * 1 + (.2 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_ATK = [ATK_BASE * 1 + (.1 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_DEF = [DEF_BASE * 1 + (.1 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_AGI = [AGI_BASE * 1 + (.1 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_MOV = [MOV_BASE * 1 + (.1 * PLAY_NUM)]
E_RES = [RES_BASE * 1 + (.1 * PLAY_NUM)]
Zuika Berserk Mode:
Z_ATK = [(BASE_ATK * 1.5)]
Z_MOV = (BASE_MOV * 2)
Z_RNG = (BASE_RNG + 1)
3c.)
//////////////////
///CARD EFFECTS///
//////////////////
(incomplete)
A listing of the effects of each card, in exact terms that people can actually
find useful as opposed to "Attacks some enemies!"
An (untested) means that the effect is untested, but assumed. . .many cards
have similar effects.
An asterik/set of asteriks means that the ability is useful in my opinion. If
there are any duplicates of the ability without the asteriks, they are either
untested or meant to be there and I was just lazy. Some of these are untested
but heavily inferred and I do not feel like testing each and every one.
MP : xx means that the ability costs that much MP.
MAX:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes SUPERNOVA LV. 1 with RANGE: 1
EFFECT: ** EGRESS LV. 1, revives all party members. MP : 20 **
MAE, PELLE, KEN, VANKAR, EARNEST, ARTHUR:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
(You will see this a lot.)
EFFECT: Mawlock performs a physical attack with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 3
GORT:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: ATK +8, RANGE: 3, AOE: 1, MP : 11
LUKE:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: DEF +15, RANGE: 3, AOE: 1, MP : 7
GUNTZ:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Reduces next amount of damage done to target to 1. (Untested)
ANRI:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes FREEZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: FREEZE LV. 2 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 30
ALEF:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BOLT LV. 1 with RANGE: 1. (untested)
EFFECT: BOLT LV. 2 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 15
TAO:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BLAZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: BLAZE LV. 1 with RANGE: Infinite. MP: 6
DOMINGO:
COPY: Mawlock's' Attack becomes FREEZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1
EFFECT: FREEZE LV. 2 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 30
LOWE:
COPY: ** Mawlock's Attack becomes HEAL LV. 2 with RANGE: 1. **
EFFECT: HEAL LV. 2 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 10
KHRIS:
COPY: ** Mawlock's Attack becomes HEAL LV. 2 with RANGE: 1. **
EFFECT: +10 HP, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 25
TORASU:
COPY: ** Mawlock's Attack becomes HEAL LV. 2 with RANGE: 1. **
EFFECT: ** SHIELD LV. 1, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 25 **
GONG:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Skips target's turn. (untested)
DIANE:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: +2 RNG, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 24
HANS:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: +1 RNG, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP: 12
LYLE:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: +2 RNG, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 18
AMON:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: +3 MOV, RANGE: 2, AOE: 1, MP : 10
BALBAROY:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Target's movement type becomes "Flying". (Unhindered movement, no
terrain effect)
KOKICHI:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Target's movement type becomes "Flying". (Unhindered movement, no
terrain effect)
BLEU:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Bleu-esque Attack with RANGE: Infinite, AOE: 5, MP : 30
ADAM:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: When the target ATTACKs, C_ATK = T_ATK. RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP: 15
(Untested)
ZYLO:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: Target's movement type becomes "Beast". (Move unhindered by most
terrain)
MUSASHI:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the characters.
EFFECT: Target's next attack is a critical hit.
HANZOU:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: AGI +15, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 8
YOGURT:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: ATK = 1, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 1
NARSHA:
COPY: ** Mawlock's Attack becomes ATTACK LV. 1 with RANGE: 1. **
EFFECT: +20 MP, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 30
ZUIKA:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's.
EFFECT: DESOUL LV. 1. MP : 25
MAWLOCK:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the character's. Har har.
EFFECT: Returns any used cards to an unused state.
RUNE KNIGHT:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Mawlock performs a physical attack with RANGE: Infinite.
SKELETON:
COPY: +3 HP per turn. (Untested)
EFFECT: Put 1 enemy to sleep. (Untested)
MARIONETTE:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BLAZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: BLAZE LV. 1 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 2
GHOUL:
COPY: +3 HP per turn.
EFFECT: Poison 1 enemy. (Untested)
GOBGOVITCH:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Random, crap damage. RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 20
PEGASUS KNIGHT:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Mawlock performs a physical attack with RANGE: Infinite.
LASER EYE:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BOLT LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: BOLT LV. 4 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 30
SILVER KNIGHT:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Mawlock performs a physical attack with RANGE: Infinite.
SOUL EATER:
COPY: +3 HP every turn. (Untested)
EFFECT: Target gets +3 HP for 5 turns, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 30
ELLIOT, HELLHOUND:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Mawlock performs a physical attack with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 3
BALBAZAK:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: +5 ATK, +15 DEF, +15 AGI, RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP: 40
MASTER MAGE:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BLAZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: BLAZE LV. 2 with RANGE: Infinite. MP : 20
DULLAHAN:
COPY: +3 HP per turn. (Untested)
EFFECT: DESOUL LV. 1. (Untested)
KANE:
COPY: ** Mawlock's Attack becomes DESOUL LV. 1 with RANGE: 1. **
EFFECT: EGRESS LV. 1. MP : 8
MISHAELA:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BOLT LV. 1 with RANGE: 1. (Untested)
EFFECT: BOLT LV. 1, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 40
DEMONMASTER:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes FREEZE LV. 1 with RANGE: 1. (Untested)
EFFECT: FREEZE LV. 4, RANGE: Infinite. MP : 25
CHAOS:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: When the target attacks, C_ATK = T_ATK. RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP: 15
RAMLADU:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Target does not take its next turn. RANGE: 1, AOE: 1, MP : 20
COLOSSUS:
COPY: Mawlock's Attack becomes BOLT LV. 1 with RANGE: 1.
EFFECT: ** +15 DEF, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 30 **
DARKSOL:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's.
EFFECT: Demon Breath?, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 50 (Untested)
DARK DRAGON:
COPY: Makes Mawlock's stats similar to the enemy's. Including MOV.
EFFECT: Demon Breath?, RANGE: Infinite, AOE: Infinite, MP : 50 (Untested)
4c.)
Coming soon.
5c.)
///////////////////////
///GLITCHES/EXPLOITS///
///////////////////////
Ah, the last resort of the powergamer. It is not technically "cheating", is it?
:)
Here is a compendium of known glitches, exploits, and just weird things in the
game. These have been collected in my mind and the knowledge of who discovered
them first is lost to me. If anyone wishes to claim discovery and would like to
be listed in the credits, I would be glad to do so.
REPAIRING CURSED ITEMS:
In general, you are not supposed to be able to repair cursed items. The
merchant that you propose this to has a rather humorous message if you attempt
to do so. However, there is a glitch that will let you repair any cursed item.
Let us say you use the Evil Ring too much, and tiny cracks appear in it. This
means the item is "broken"-- one more use and it disappears.
Equip the Evil Ring on someone, then fill up their item inventory.
Go to a priest and have that person uncursed. It costs 20 gold.
Now normally, an uncursed item would go into your item inventory, and still be
broken. However, since your item inventory is full, the item goes straight to
the Item Box. The Item Box was not designed to have broken items in it-- try
putting a broken item straight from your inventory/equipment to the item box.
Due to this, all items in the Item Box are always "not-broken". . .so your
cursed item is now repaired. For a measly 20 or so gold, too.
MISSING DEALS:
There is a sort of of "glitch" with the fusion of the old Shining Force deals
system and the new features, particularly the new bonus rare items one receives
for winning battles efficiently. The original game rarely had you selling off
multiple rare items, and-- though this may only be in 2-- had multiple page
listings when more than one row of items was necessary.
Unfortunately with the onset of multiple, basically useless after one battle
(IMO) rare items, the Deals section gets crowded.
Presumably, the newest items-- since those would be the most useful in general,
who wants a Demibuster in Chapter 8?-- are the ones shown. I believe the
problem is simply that when you sell an item, that is the newest item to the
merchant, and so it is displayed first.
There is some degree of randomness to it as well (as I recall occasionally
getting the Holy Ring instantly once I got to Runefaust, sometimes never
having it show up) but the basic operating principal is as I outlined above, I
believe.
Reloading the game probably resets the item list, shuffling items to random
spots on the "New" list or, as I would think, simply removing the items you
sold from the shop altogether.
GOOD LEVEL UPS / BEAT THE RNG:
Here is a nice method in order to "beat" the RNG at its own game and get only
level ups that even Volcanon would envy:
When you see that a character will level up with his or her next action in a
battle, wait until their turn comes up, remove your cursor from that character,
and press a button on an empty space. Select "Quit".
Quitting saves your game at the exact spot you are in battle. Load up your save
game. Perform the action that will level you up.
Now, here is where the road diverges. Let us say you are doing this to Arthur,
because lord knows he needs it at the beginning. If you are satisfied with the
level up he gets-- for example, 2 DEF 2 HP-- you can stay with that. But what
if he gets crap, like 1 AGI? No one wants that.
If that turns out to be the case, shut off your GBA and reload your save. If
you perform the same action, you will get the same level up. However, you can
simply go into Arthur's item menu, and select the option to drop his weapon (or
any other item he has.) When prompted if you really wish to drop the item, say
no. This will reset the random number generator.
Exit out of the menu and then perform the action. You should get a different
level up-- possibly better, possibly worse. Perhaps you get 3 DEF 1 HP. Is
this good enough for you? If so, continue your battle as normal. If not, simply
perform the above again, only pretend to drop the item twice. This will reset
the RNG twice-- once to its value in your second load, and then to a new value,
so you should get a new level up. Repeat this until you get a value you like.
You can always go back to a level you were satisfied with by pretending to drop
the item as many times as you needed to get to that level.
Interestingly, though this is untested, you _should_ be able to mess with the
RNG enough to get critical hits or misses whenever you wish.
TEENY BIKINI EXPLOIT:
The Teeny Bikini is the "special item for a certain character" as detailed in
the manual for ROTDD, even though it is for two characters. When the game gives
you a new card on a New Game +, it checks for two things:
1.) whether or not you have all the cards;
2.) whether or not you have a Teeny Bikini already.
You need to have all the cards, and not have a Teeny Bikini if you want a Teeny
Bikini.
The trick here is to sell the Teeny Bikini whenever you get one, for 100 gold.
Rinse and repeat, basically. You can get a free couple of hundred gold with
this. It may not sound like much-- and really, it is not-- but I find it useful
in later playthroughs to get as many Steel Rings as I can.
This also allows you to get two Teeny Bikinis-- you can either sell one, find a
second, and buy the first one back, or win one in a Narsha battle (by having
Narsha kill Gobgovitch, or Zuika kill Soul Eater) to get one for both Tao and
Narsha.
________________________
[----------------------]
[ SECTION D - MORE CRAP]
[----------------------]
1d.)
//////////////////
///CONTACT INFO///
//////////////////
My name is John Orapello. I am contactable via email at [email protected]. I
already get tons of spam, so you might want to title your email something about
Shining Force so it stands out. I welcome questions that are NOT about main
gameplay-- in other words, do not ask me how to find Hanzou or Musashi, do not
ask me how to get all the cards, do not ask me how to defeat Dark Dragon with
Mawlock. I am interested in idiosyncracies of later playthrough gameplay,
however, so if you are on about playthrough 5 or above and have a unique
problem, I would like to hear about it.
You can also contact me at the above address or on the GameFAQs Shining Force:
Resurrection of the Dark Dragon message board if you have anything to add to
this guide (I generally have a few topics I look at and post in on the message
board.)
If you want to use this guide on your website, email me and I will most likely
say yes-- however, if I decide not to let you, please abide by my wishes.
Any contributions to the guide would be gladly examined and, if placed in it,
credited.
2d.)
/////////////////
///HOW TO HELP///
/////////////////
I am typing this up as I play the game, going through the arduous process of
testing out most of the cards. If you see any card effects/copies with
"(Untested)", feel free to try them out and send me the results.
Extra data is always appreciated, as long as you have a big set-- I am hoping
for at least 20 trials in each set. For example, if you tested out EXP, record
what EXP you get for what character from what action at what levels and any
extra data that may be relevant. . .and make sure you have at least 20 of those
before emailing it to me (with a proper subject) or posting it on a RELEVANT
topic on the message board.
What is needed at this moment:
-Promotion data. Stats of characters at Level 20 Promoted, after having been
promoted at Levels 10, 15, and 20.
-Experience data. How much experience is received from attacks/kills. What
attack, how much damage is done, enemy max HP, and levels are all required for
this.
-Card effects. Simply peruse the format I have used in my card section and
describe what cards do what.
-Critical hit information. I will take 1 or 2 trials for this. Simply give me
enemy data (HP, defense, etc.-- preferably all of it, could not hurt) and
attacker data (the same).
Please do not bombard me with hundreds of emails or posts that have 1
trial each.
Anything that you think should be included in here, or any inaccuracies you
find in the guide, submit via email or post on the message board.
Credit will be gladly given where due.
3d.)
/////////////
///MUSINGS///
/////////////
Just a place to put random thoughts and speculation on the game.
It seems to me that all the "special" characters-- that is, characters with
some kind of oddity or unusual bonus-- tend to be the most powerful. The two
which immediately come to mind are Zuika (Berserk Mode) and Mawlock (Cards).
Zuika's Berserk Mode is undisputably powerful and easily makes him into the
first person to be able to reach 99 ATK.
Mawlock's cards make him, if you simply Move with 4 cards, roughly 4 times as
efficient as a normal character.
Other, less convincing examples would be Arthur (magic = magic resistance
growth, and evidence of big stat gains later in his "career"), Hanzou/Musashi
(hidden, incredibly powerful), Domingo (same), and Lyle (archer/knight, and
usually a staple of my force-- probably the best archer either way).
Considering your magic users are generally not in need of having their cards
Moved, or really any other bonus, you can stick to powering up your fighters
with Mawlock. Zuika in particular benefits much from many of Mawlock's bonuses
due to his incredible Berserk mode.
4d.)
/////////////
///CREDITS///
/////////////
Well, getting the preliminaries out of the way, I would like to thank:
-GameFAQs and CJayC for maintaining such a good site.
-Atlus, Camelot, Sega, et al for making Shining Force.
-Aerostar and the entire FFT Board for doing such a damn fine job on a damn
fine guide for a damn fine game.
And here, in the order in which I find their usernames on the message board,
are people contributing to the guide in some way, shape, or form, and whose
help is greatly appreciated:
-Sonsaru (promotion, new game +)
-HawkMasterD (experience)
-Faris Sherwind (providing Kane's first playthrough stats, new game +)
-MephistoXD (Dark Saber attack power)
-Skye7707 (goblin stats from his FAQ)
-cosmicat (experience)
-Stakk (critical hits, general crap)
-http://www.network-science.de/ascii/ for the cool ASCII title.
And anyone else I forgot. :)
Here is a fantastic SFROTDD fansite, that I am putting here so I never lose it
again:
http://rpg-home.lunar-net.com/sf_gba/index.html
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