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SSSbs_sdSSS SS_sSSS S*S S&S SSSbs YSSP~YSSY Y~YSSY S*S SSS YSSP SP Y =__=TO=____=TO=___=TO=__= === === === === === === == || || == === === === === === === + + + + + + || TABLE OF CONTENTS || + + + + + + === === === === === === == || || == === === === === === === =--=TO=___=TO=____=TO=--= --- 1. About (000A) --- 2. Frequently Asked Questions (000B) --- 3. Hints And Tips (000C) --- 4. Walkthrough (Chapter 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.0 ~ Battle 01 (0000) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 ~ Battle 02 (0001) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 ~ Battle 03 (0002) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.3 ~ Training 01 (0003) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.4 ~ Battle 04 (0004) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.5 ~ Battle 05 (0005) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.6 ~ Training 02 (0006) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.7 ~ Optional Battle 01 (0007) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 ~ Battle 06 (0008) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.9 ~ Training 03 (0009) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.10 ~ Battle 07 (0010) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.11 ~ Battle 08 (0011) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.12 ~ Battle 09 (0012) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.13 ~ Training 04 (0013) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.14 ~ Battle 10 (0014) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.15 ~ Battle 11 (0015) --- 5. Credits (00CR) ============================================================================== 0==================================================================0 | A B O U T (000A) | 0==================================================================0 Since there aren't any detailed battle-walkthroughs for Tactics Ogre, I decided to give it a shot. There won't be any story spoilers, and I'll only tell you how to answer certain questions/etc that other characters ask you when it's of any importance. Rather than waiting until I've actually finished this guide, or to make regular updates, instead I'll do so in instalments chapter by chapter. Excluding any typos or errors, I won't update again until I've finished Chapter 2 (Chaos) in its entirety. At present, at least this will serve as a guide to getting the most out of Chapter 1; where you'll be quite set to go on by yourself or to proceed with help via the existing walkthroughs. Timeframe? I really only get the time to play (and thusly write out strategies) probably 3-4~ missions each week, which includes Training/random battles, so potentially a few months per chapter. Hence it could literally take me a whole year or more to finish every single one; who knows. As this walkthrough will at first get you a "Perfect" Chapter 1, be sure to keep a permanent copy of your save-file *before* you make the decision at Baramus which leads to either the Lawful or Chaotic route. After that, you'll have a Perfect Chapter 2 (Chaos), which you should also keep separate, and have saved before the events that lead to either Chapter 3 Chaos or Neutral. So to sum up, the order I'll be writing this walkthrough in is as follows: Chapter 1 --> Chapter 2 (Chaos) --> Chapter 3 (Chaos) --> Chapter 4. Then: Chapter 3 (Neutral). And finally: Chapter 2 (Law) --> Chapter 3 (Law). Naturally, Chapter 4 in each case may be slightly harder or easier, depending on how your team differs. I'll make any special relevant notes beyond Chapter 3 of Law/Neutral when the time comes. There's a good chance I'll take a long hiatus after finishing the write-ups for the Chaos route, but we'll see. Further Notes: ~~~ I will frequently reference Luct.TacticsOgre.com in regards to Buried Treasure locations, rather than point out the exact coordinates (with a few exceptions) as that should be easier for the reader as well as I. I apologise if you print this out, but I expect the majority of people to be able to access their computer for this purpose easily enough while gaming. Over the first Chapter, I won't have you collect every last piece of treasure for a good reason; we'll come back for what we missed when we have characters with higher/lower LUK at a later date. ~~~ I don't bother pointing out enemy unit-types per battle, but see the above site's (Summarised) Walkthrough to compliment this one if that's important to you. ============================================================================== 0==================================================================0 | F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S (000B) | 0==================================================================0 +--+ Does it matter if I use different Classes than you? +--+ Generally, no; not when you know what you're doing. It's fun to experiment, so I'd encourage you to do so. Just don't complain if you fail a mission as a result; I've never run into a single problem, nor has any character of mine ever died; including undead units, where it doesn't really matter (excluding Exorcism). If you're new to the game, you should follow my advice to the letter. If you are a veteran Strategy RPGer like myself, it's safe; but you should still find at least a few of my notes of value in this guide. +--+ Could you start with the Law path first? +--+ Nope, sorry. Every other author seems to have done that, so I might as well be different, eh? +--+ Will you ever finish your Wild ARMs XF Walkthrough? +--+ One day... I haven't touched the game since my last update, and it's not on my priority list. It is an awesome TRPG, so I'm bound to resume it eventually. I figured that it served as the ultimate guide for mastering the majority of the game, from which point a person would be able to ace any battle without help; or they could peruse another walkthrough from that stage. +--+ Can other questions be submitted for this section? +--+ As long as they are only in relation to whatever Chapter(s) that I have completed a walkthrough for. I've finished the game before, naturally; but my memory is far from impressive. In any case, as always you'd get a quicker response at the Tactics Ogre Forum at Gamefaqs, as there is an impressive rate of reply there at present. If you'd like to contribute some Q&As of your own though, I'd appreciate it and give you the credit. ============================================================================== 0==================================================================0 | H I N T S A N D T I P S (000C) | 0==================================================================0 1.] The easiest way to use the save-abuse method to get desired treasure/Stat Card drops from a defeated enemy is when a Archer/Wizard/etc is in range where they can deliver the deathblow first and then move over the treasure/etc right away (saving beforehand). Of course, such can usually only be safely accomplished when there are few foes left or they are scattered; since one doesn't tend to have their weaker characters in the thick of battle thusly. Failing this, if you can time it so that you can kill the desired foe one turn and someone else from your team is up next right away, you can minimize annoyance and not have to wait for a few other enemies to have their turn before you can check if the treasure is what you want. 2.] Save your game often, naturally; but especially right before entering battle, so you can alter your lineup of troops if required, as the 'front row' is not always the best place for your fighters to be. Often, directly to the left or right might be closest to the enemy. 3.] When Training, have everyone damage each other as close to near-death as possible while you are waiting around (to kill a higher-level character, one by one with your party until everyone is the same level), so they will be easy kills. You wouldn't want to be left with a higher-level Berzerker with full health and a Cleric; it'd take a very long time to get the job done. 4.] When you've started a new game and are in battle, press Circle and go to System --> Options --> '11. L1 Button Shortcut' (Turn it On), and do the same for '12. R1 Button Shortcut'. Holding either of those buttons during battle will bring up a menu of sorts with some interesting options. Namely, holding L1 + Circle will scroll through the Attack Order at the present time. Very handy if you don't like manually checking everyone's weight to see who has a turn soon. It's still a little unorthodox for a TRPG where 'speed' determines the order, however. Have some worthy 'Hints And Tips' to contribute? Feel free to send them into me via email and should I use them, you'll receive the credit. Note that there are plenty in the other Tactics Ogre guides at GameFAQs, so I didn't bother repeating the basics. ============================================================================== 0==================================================================0 | W A L K T H R O U G H: C H A P T E R O N E | | | | Are You Telling Me To Stain My Hands? | 0==================================================================0 |----------------------------------| | Battle 01 - Griate City - (0000) | |----------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: You are thrust into battle without any preparation (or any such need.) STRATEGY: You will only be controlling the Hero in this battle (from this point on known as Denim). Check out his stats to see what you ended up with, and hopefully they will be somewhat balanced if you followed my advice further above. All you can do is to move Denim up as high as he can go (8H elevation) and target Warren with an indirect attack/stone, who will have his back toward you. Don't worry about being out of range, as due to your height and the direction your foe is facing, you cannot miss. You'll get betweem 12-18 EXP, which is better than nothing. The rest of the battle will then play out its course. ============================================================================== |---------------------------------------| | Battle 02 - Amorika Entrance - (0001) | |---------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Bring up the menu, and check out the Warren Report option. Read everything in here (unless you are new to the game, you can ignore the "Hints" area). It's a good habit to check for new entries after each story battle, as eventually certain pieces will lead to special sidequests and whatnot. Individual character profiles are also constantly updated. Also, you can make events in the next two battles favour Denim slightly more be removing Vice's 'Short' (Sword). This way, he'll use his 'Tower' (Shield) when attacking enemy units (excluding counter-attacks) to do hardly any damage; meaning there is more of a chance Denim can get in a kill or have more time to get a certain Stat card. Unfortunately, you cannot rob the Zenobians of their great equipment. STRATEGY: ~ Position Denim right behind Lans to discover Buried Treasure. With your current Luck statistic, the 'rarest' item you can get is the magic spell 'Heal' or 'Clear'. If you're fussy, you may wish to save your game prior to moving Denim. Every time you select your character to move somewhere/etc and cancel, what you might get is reset. A 'Cure+' item is most common, but I got a Clear spell. After you have got your item, throw a stone at Lans (93% chance for me) to get 12-18 EXP. ~ Lans killed an enemy unit in my game who yielded a Strength Card, so I had Denim move there (raising his Strength from 23 to 26). I then threw a stone at Mildain (which had the highest success rate, 72%; still easy to miss) and received 18 EXP. If you're lucky, Denim should have almost 50 experience points by now. ~ Kachua then healed a nearly-dead Denim, and then Lans healed him as well. ~ If Bapalu is still alive and Denim can finish him off (or any other near- dead foe) do so, but if there's a Stat Card nearby go get it instead and throw a stone at whoever has the best success rate (usually one of your allied Guests who has their back to you). ~ Due to the fact that Vice did hardly any damage to the Boss unit, and that Mildain missed hitting him *twice*, Bapalu was left only with 1 HP. I simply had Denim face his back from a greater height, and threw a stone to kill him with a 100% success rate (his direct attack does the same damage). It's highly unlikely that you'll be this lucky, but don't fret; if you've been throwing stones, you'll probably reach level 2 after the next battle. Do note that a Boss kill in this mission or the next will instantly push you to level 2 and other EXP you've gained won't carry over. I.e. if you have 75 EXP and get 100 EXP from a higher-level foe, you'll lose the excess and still have to start from 0 EXP to get to the next level. Makes all the stone-throwing seem a waste, but keep in mind it can be difficult to kill either boss. ~ I received 1,700 Goth for completing this battle, and do note that all bags of treasure from defeated enemies are collected automatically after you are victorious; but Stat Cards are not, hence it's better to give them priority. The downside to not picking up the treasure manually, is an enemy (or Guest) may step on it to attack a nearby character; which means you won't get it. If you know the foe has as special piece of equipment, then it's worth getting the treasure as soon as possible just to be safe. I'll generally point out such instances, in any case. ============================================================================== |-------------------------------------| | Battle 03 - Amorika Castle - (0002) | |-------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: You begin this battle right away, although you are able to edit your units. Any damage done to your team cannot be healed out of battle, either. Vice should still have his sword unequipped, to keep a certain enemy alive just a bit longer. STRATEGY: ~ Denim was still wounded in my game (44 HP) so Lans had to waste a turn using Heal on him (which works to your favour to prolong the battle slightly). If you are even worse off, Kachua will heal him as well. ~ I moved Denim straight ahead as far as possible for his first turn, and you should also try to throw a stone at one of your allied Guests (enemies are out of reach, so go for whoever has the highest success rate or their back to you). Mildain was actually defeated after a constant onslaught, but he used his Escape Stone to survive and fight another day. ~ At this point there will most likely be a Stat Card or two lying around from defeated enemies, so move Denim on top of the one you need the most. For me there was a Strength Card and a Life Card (HP), but as I'd already leveled-up, Denim now had 31 Strength so I went for the Life Card which gave me 5 HP. Note that this amount fluctuates, so you might even like to save your game prior to picking up the Card. Such an act will get *very* tedious and annoying, but it may be worth doing early on in the game. I think a general rule is to accept anything between a stat increase of 2-3 for non-HP/MP stats (and 4-5 in those cases). ~ After collecting a Stat Card, I threw a stone at Agres since he had his back to Denim. When the Boss unit had his next turn, he attacked Denim, which you'll probably counter. Even if you don't kill him, with all of your stone- throwing and whatnot, Denim should probably advance to level 2; but it's not the end of the world if he doesn't, especially if you've snared a few good Stat Cards already. ~ Once you finish this battle, you'll be able to name your 'Battalion'. The default name will be whatever the month of birth you chose for Denim (such as 'Fire' for mine). You'll get more satisfaction if you choose your own name, but you're limited to only 8 characters for the title. I chose 'Fedaykin', who were the elite Fremen death commandos under Muad'Dib, if you are familiar with Frank Herbert's Dune novels/etc. ============================================================================== |-----------------------------------------| | Training 01 - Amorika Entrance - (0003) | |-----------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Every now and then I will suggest good times to train your Troops, but don't fret; it won't take all that long and you shouldn't have to do it often if you follow my advice and maximize EXP in story battles. I unequipped the worst three generic characters that Duke Ronway provided you with (judging by their statistics; although it's mostly irrelevant), gave Vice his Short Sword back, and equipped Denim with one of the spare Tower Shields to replace his 'Cure' item. You'll be replacing most of your generic units with special characters and whatnot as you proceed through the game, so you can save yourself some time and annoyance by not training a full team from the get-go. Having three of your generics be made into 'fodder'/'healers-via- items' will help to this affect. I went to the Shop and bought 6 Cures, which left me with about 22,000 Goth. I made sure my three fodder generics had 3 Cures each, along with a Short Bow (we don't want them to do much damage, but they can still help nip away at the enemy's HP without stealing much EXP). It's doubtful you'll need that much Cures, but don't be stingy with them should you need to use them in a story battle. STRATEGY: To give yourself an edge, use Training until all but your three generics (Guests cannot participate) are level 3. Divide into a team of four with Denim, and a team of five with the remaining generics. The first step is to get Denim to level 3, which is made easier by having each team whittle away at their own HP as they advance toward the other team, and make sure no one but Denim does any killing. Be careful how much damage you do and be wary of counter-attacks that might kill someone unintentionally. Using Short Bows and throwing stones can help avoid this problem. Just take note of how much damage an attack is going to do. It'll only take one Training session to get Denim to level 3 if he gets all the kills (in my case one of the generics got themselves killed via a counterattack, and it still didn't matter). Training Battle 1: Denim --> Level 3 Training Battle 2: Repeat, favouring a non-generic, and once they have 25~ EXP, kill Denim, which will give them 75-80~ EXP, advancing them to level 3 right away. In the meantime you should still be whittling away everyone else's HP to near-death, which should get them to around 25 EXP as well (don't worry so much about your 3 'fodder' generics, remember), at which point you can kill your first level 3 generic. Repeat this process until all your important generics have reached level 3. If any of your fodder troops are still around, feel free to give them the final blow as well; but don't bother doing a third Training battle. So, from two simple Training Battles, everyone in my party (not counting Guests) including the 3 fodder units were level 3. You'll be facing foes in the next story battle who are only level 2 (boss is level 4), which is good because it means you won't have to be concerned too much with designating kills, and can go for the Stat Cards instead. Minimal Training is the key, as opposed to too much or none at all; which also minimizes annoyance or growing bored with too much 'grinding'. NOTE: Re-check your generic units' statistics, just to make sure none of your designated fodder/healer troops ended up with something substantially better. It won't make all that much of a difference in the long run, but it works to your favour. ============================================================================== |----------------------------------| | Battle 04 - Tanmas Hill - (0004) | |----------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Purchase a spare 'Cedar' (Staff) and give it to Kachua so she has two, replacing her '+1' armour. This will make her Healing slightly more useful. At this point all of your characters should be level 3 (excluding Guests). Here's how my current lineup were equipped: - Denim: Default + a Tower Shield replacing his 'Cure' item. - Male Soldier 1: Short Sword/Tower/Leather Armour/Leather Hat - Male Soldier 2 + 3: Short Bow + 3 Cures (each) - Male Soldier 4: Same as Soldier 1 - Female Amazon 1: Sword/Tower/Leather Armor/Leather Hat - Female Amazon 2: Same as Amazon 1 - Female Amazon 3: Short Bow + 3 Cures - Female Amazon 4: Sword/Bow/Leather Armor/Leather Hat Note that the numbers are irrelevant, that's just how my 3 'fodder' generics fit into the picture. As you can see, I'll have five front-line characters that will deal the most damage and have the best protection, while those in the rear can all attack from a distance, and heal other units as required. All of the sword-wielders (except for the one with a Sword + Bow which I put in the back) had 48-49 Physical Resistance, except for one Amazon who had 46; compared to those I intended to keep to the rear of combat, since they had only 40~. You'll be pretty safe with the above setup, especially with everyone at level 3. STRATEGY: As you have a few makeshift 'healers' (don't be stingy with their Cures; the cost is inconsequential) to compliment Kachua, along with front-line Soldiers with acceptable defences, you can charge everyone straight ahead as far as they can go for your first turn. Note that your weaker back-row units will get to move before everyone else since their weight is so low, but they'll survive. Feel free to only move them four spaces ahead if you want to play it safe; this way you'll still lure the enemy in, but they'll have to come just a bit closer, which will set them up nicely for your front-row attackers. You don't want to sit back too much though, as Vice and Canopus certainly won't; although wasted EXP isn't too big of a deal since you engaged in Training beforehand. Be sure to pick up any Stat Cards, but don't worry about giving them all to Denim if he's too far away. A certain character or two will usually get ganged up on, so in the early stages it's safer to heal anyone whose HP drops to 50; as such a unit would not survive two successful direct attacks and an arrow. You will learn when healing is necessary in this regard, depending on how many enemies are nearby. Sometimes it'll be safe to wait until you have less HP; other times it may result in death. It doesn't really matter at this time, but I'm a Fire Emblem gamer and let no one die, since it's not all that hard and doesn't require too much luck if you plan things out. Kachua is pretty useless since she only heals about 15 HP tops, but it's better than nothing. Once you have wiped out a few foes, it's safer to ease back on healing so soon, but don't worry about the cost of a few measly Cures; eventually you'll have little need for them anyway. I tend to send Denim and a couple of other units (one of your fodder-healers included) toward the enemy that Canopus severely injures, and take care of that side of the battle. The bulk of my other units I sent through the middle and other side of the map, where the more dangerous group of enemies tends to congregate. Concentrate each group on one enemy at a time, and when no one is in need of 'healing' be sure to constantly fire arrows from those who only have bows; and still throw stones when your sword-fighters are out of range. Every little bit of damage helps. Vice should score a kill in this battle, which is no problem as it'll push him to level 3 to join the rest of your team. Just make sure neither Canopus or Vice get the death-blow on the wizard/boss. One of the enemy Amazons and the wizard will eventually retreat as you advance on them, which makes things slightly annoying when Canopus tends to head straight for the boss. Luckily, he'll often miss, which should give you plenty of time to wipe out all remaining enemies, collecting Stat Cards when they appear, and have Denim or whomever has around 20-25~ EXP to finish the boss off which will bring them to level 4 or very close. END RESULT: I received 1,800 Goth and some equipment, including the FireBurn spell. As for my makeshift 'healers', I only had to use two Cures anyway. Canopus will join your team now, thankfully. I didn't have much luck with the Stat Cards, but here's what I got and who I designated them to: - Mentality Card (3 points) - Male Soldier - Life Card (4 points) - Different Male Soldier NOTE: It's semi-rare, but it is possible to face a lineup of enemy troops in this mission that is slightly different to the rest. With luck, one of the Amazons will be equipped with a Spear *and* Battle Boots. Both are decent additions this early on in the game, so you should try and Persuade her to get both pieces of equipment; rather than just killing her and hoping you get the Spear rather than the Battle Boots or a Stat Card. In any case, save before trying to Persuade her to join you. I reloaded this battle about a dozen times, and only once did I come across an Amazon who had a Spear, so it's really not worth doing. Going through the motion of choosing your troops and waiting to start the battle so many times kills the fun very quickly. RANDOM BATTLE NOTES: Possible Encounters: ~ 1X Amazon + 3X Lizard Man ~ 4X Lizard Man ~ 1X Amazon +1X Soldier + 2X Lizard Man ~ 1X Soldier + 3X Lizard Man No 'special' equipment in any of the lineups, here. ============================================================================== |----------------------------------| | Battle 05 - Krizar City - (0005) | |----------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Canopus has great Physical Resistance (Defence) as it is, so there's no need to slow him down with a Shield and Sword in place of his Spear. I gave him the 'Blessing' you got from mission 3, which will revive him automatically should he get killed. It would make more sense to give this to Denim, but I never let him die anyway and his defence rating was still lower than Canopus even with a shield. Training would seem a good idea since one of your characters should be level 4 or very close (whomever killed the wizard at Tanmas Hill), but a slight boost is unnecessary for this easy battle. A training battle hosted after this one will be easier and very short; and you'll discover another reason soon enough. If you're new to Tactics Ogre, feel free to get all your characters to level 4 now though so you have a slight edge. STRATEGY: I had everyone move forward as far as possible (those on the right I had come down the middle though), with my Bow-wielders shooting at the Skeleton down below (along with throwing stones from those without bows), and you'll easily defeat it on your first turn. Even though it'll revive again soon, it'll give you some extra time. Presance didn't get put to sleep by the enemy Ghost until its second turn. Be sure to take note of the Spear-wielding Soldier, and save right before killing him to ensure he drops his weapon rather than a Stat Card (or a different piece of equipment) and that an enemy doesn't step on the treasure. There's no guarantee that even if treasure is dropped it'll be his Spear, so an easier method is to try and Persuade the foe; depends on how lucky you are and how much reloading you can take. Focus on wiping out the Soldiers first, since you can't rely on Presance Exorcising the undead too quickly. His priority will normally be to heal people first. Once the Soldiers are out of the way, the pesky undead coming back to life won't be much of an issue. They hit hard, but Presance will eventually get rid of most of them. As you advance, the Ghost and Witch will retreat to the rear of the map. Be careful of a Skeleton reviving and going after Kachua or Presence; keep a fodder-healer and a fighter present at all times, and Vice will stick around to lend a hand too. One of the Soldiers dropped a Life Card (5 HP) which I gave to Denim. Kachua also made it to level 3 during this mission (mostly because a Skeleton took a swipe at her whom she countered). I picked up Buried Treasure in this mission that was 'Heal', which is located at coordinates 17,10 (starting from the top-left of the map), which is a square of water surrounded by soil and you need an Amazon to be able to get it. I also Persuaded the Ghost to join my team in this battle, who will then be the prime target for the Witch who won't hurt it, but constantly cast Stun (and most often miss) which is a great distraction for them both. I healed the boss with a few Cures to allow more time for a few non-training level-ups and such; and my new Ghost even reached level 4 from constantly casting 'Incubus' on her. A few of my troops were very close to reaching level 4 as well, so when the battle was nearly won I had them target the Witch (or level 4 allies with lots of HP) with stones/etc. We'll get everyone else to this stage in our next training mission. As long as they all have 25~ EXP, you're set for instant level-ups. I only received 1,300 Goth for this victory. AFTERWARD: To save yourself some slight annoyance, swap the position of Presance's Exorcism and Heal spells around; since you'll be using the latter much more frequently. ============================================================================== |------------------------------------| | Training 02 - Krizar City - (0006) | |------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: WARNING: Do *not* try and return to Amorika Castle, as you'll lose the chance to do the first optional story battle at Fort Kadoriga. You should probably have at least 2-3~ folk who are level 4 now, so we'll do another training mission to bring the others up to speed. We'll be replacing a few of those fodder-generics, but it's worth leveling them up this last time just to make sure you keep the best-of-the-best, Stat-wise. You'll only be keeping four of your best generics, which is exactly half of them (unless you purchased more for some reason). When you divide into two teams, make sure one of them has your new level 5 Archer (Sara) and put your level 5 Knight (Voltel) in the other; as this way you'll save yourself some time as you won't have to march toward each other unless you make a mistake. STRATEGY: I made sure one of my teams had the benefit of my new Ghost so it could put people to sleep when required to avoid lethal counterattacks, while the other team had Presance who could heal anyone who took too much damage but you wanted to keep around a while longer. In both cases, level them both up last, especially in the case of the Ghost as even at level 5, it won't give much EXP since it is 'undead' and can't actually be killed traditionally. Weaken your level 5 characters with anyone who is still level 3, and make sure you only kill them with a level 4 character who has 25~ EXP for a guaranteed level-up. As you gradually level everyone up, you'll have plenty of time to get everyone to this stage. You need only throw stones when you're trying to get to 25 EXP, but a few Bow shots will help speed up the process when required. If you do this properly and keep an eye on everyone's EXP, like myself you'll only need to do one easy training mission. It doesn't take all that long, as once everyone is level 4 with 25 EXP, each one who kills a level 5 character will level up instantly, and you can repeat the process until everyone is at the same level. Just remember to not wipe out *all* the members of either team, as that will end the Training battle. Your Ghost is useful all this time putting the higher-level character to sleep, and it does decent damage to a high-defence individual where other generics might only be doing like 10~ HP of damage even with a sword. You might want to save every now and then in case you make a mistake, to save yourself needing to do a second quick training battle. AFTERWARD: Strip your generics of all their equipment, so you can get an accurate look at who has the highest attack/defence (Physical Resistance) rating, alongside their Stats (which is more important for Clerics/Wizards). Hopefully you have an idea as to what Classes you will want them to be, but keep in mind you'll only be needing four of them, and you have eight. You'll therefore generally want your two best Soldiers and two best Amazons. Here's how my current team looks and what I have planned: (All of them are level 5) Unit 1: Denim - Soldier (Same equipment as before, future Berzerker). Unit 2: Soldier - High Attack/Defence levels (Future Berzerker or Beast Tamer). Unit 3: Soldier - High INT/MEN/MP(Future Wizard) - I gave him the Spear I acquired on the last mission, along with Leather Armour/Hat, and I took Canopus' 'Blessing' for this unit to have since Canopus can take care of himself easier. This Soldier will still be a great fighter for now. Unit 4: Amazon - Higher INT/MEN/MP (Future Cleric)- For now I armed her with a Short Bow/Tower/Leather Armour/Leather Hat; we don't want her in the fray or getting many kills. She'll have decent Physical Resistance should she take a hit though. Unit 5: Amazon (Future Archer or Witch, and then future Valkyrie or Dragon Tamer, otherwise Siren). Unit 6: Canopus - Eagle Man. Unit 7: Ghost - 2 Cedar Staffs/Leather Armour/Hat (106/108 Def/Mag Def respectively). Since it has very high Physical Resistance as it is, you can also slot in two Cure items and use this Ghost who has excellent movement to heal others. You should also buy it a magic attack that matches its element to add to its spare slot alongside Incubus. Unit 8: Sara - Archer. Unit 9: Voltel - Knight (temporary character, your general tank for now; although you could make him a Ninja/Beast Tamer if you want). Unit 10: Presance - Exorcist - 2 Cedar Staffs/Magic Ring/Battle Boots. NOTE: Since you have a magic-user in the form of a Ghost now, you are finally able to get all the Buried Treasure you missed in previous stages that require you to 'burn' the grass first. However, at the moment such isn't really necessary, and I advise against it. You have ample opportunity to pick up a 'Heal' magic if you don't have it already, and you wouldn't have anyone with 57 or higher Luck yet; meaning you'd miss out on the better treasure available. ============================================================================== |---------------------------------------------| | Optional Battle 01 - Fort Kadoriga - (0007) | |---------------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Note that it is worth Persuading a second Ghost in this mission, simply to take its Incubus Spell which you can later give to your future Wizard. Its range is one Hex higher than the other elemental Spells (for now), and you'd be surprised how often you may be just out of reach by that much; so you'll at least be able to do some minor damage and possibly put a foe to sleep. STRATEGY: Kachua and Vice both reached level 4 during this battle for me. Considering your two healers have rather weak...healing skills, make sure you constantly put them to work, rather than in typical RPGs where it is safe and generally better to wait until your allies have lost at *least* half of their HP. At this point in the game, 25~ is probably the strongest they can manage; and considering how MP for such a weak ability is essentially unlimited, it's not a waste to heal someone who has only lost 10~ HP. If you followed my advice above with the Training battle your characters will be at a perfect level (5), so you won't need to try and 'designate kills' to your lower-EXP/level party members nor worry about an NPC 'stealing' the death-blow (try and time it so Vice gets a few kills or let him kill the boss before Leonard does; where the EXP is useless to him as he is level 6). As usual I moved everyone straight ahead as far as they could go. Ghosts will slow you down somewhat annoyingly by putting a few of your characters to Sleep via Incubus; but said individuals wake up pretty fast, and though the Ghosts tend to retreat, you'll catch up to them or back them into a corner fast enough to either defeat them temporarily (difficult, due to their surprisingly high Defense) or with Presance's Exorcism. Try to focus on the Ghosts first rather than the silly Skeleton, which Leonard can nearly eliminate in one blow (and thusly provides a good distraction for him). Your own Ghost, should you have one, will be Public Enemy Number 1, which is actually a good thing, as it will generally force the other Ghosts to target it, hopefully failing to put it to sleep for a few turns; thusly making it easier for your other characters to move closer. Nybass has powerful magic that can hit up to *five* people; yet he'd prioritize your lone Ghost over five enemy party members clumped together every single time. This isn't Shining Force, people! Note that another tactic is that you can try and damage Leonard with Bows (direct attacks are much too dangerous, since his counter will do 50+ damage) so that Kachua will focus on healing him, so she gets more EXP (12-18 compared to 6-10) if she's close to her next level. In the end it simply makes her slightly better at recovering lost health for your party, and every little bit counts. If you're feeling particularly brave, you can even kill Leonard for an extra instant level-up. It'll take some time, since Kachua will heal him and he's very good at blocking most attacks, but since you don't need his help at all it's worth considering once all enemies but Nybass are defeated. There is Buried Treasure you can acquire with an Amazon right away, which you can see here: http://luct.tacticsogre.com/walsta.html . You can't pick it up with a Ghost, since they 'float' above the water which doesn't count. I got a second 'Heal' here, so hopefully you'll have at least one by now. I only received 1,250 Goth for this battle, but it was complimented by a further 500 which was dropped by a felled enemy. As there were only two 'human' units you could kill excluding the boss, you might not get a Stat Card. I didn't, but Leonard is to blame for that since he finished off both Soldiers and has higher Luck than your own characters. Something to watch out for. Make sure not to take Nybass' HP below 20~ to ensure you can kill him in one hit and get good EXP; rather than the battle ending automatically when you get him even more dangerously close to defeat, where you get nothing. I let Vice finish him off, who was already level 4 because I surrounded the boss and let him damage the Necromancer for a while. Thusly he'd easily reach level 5 in the next story battle; as would Kachua, hopefully. NOTE: I wasn't able to encounter any random battles at Fort Kadoriga, even after retrying at least a dozen times, advancing the 'calendar' by several weeks and so on; so I'm guessing at this point in time (perhaps always) you can't run into any random encounters here. Perhaps they didn't bother since this was an optional battleground? ============================================================================== |--------------------------------------| | Battle 06 - Gruborza Plains - (0008) | |--------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: You have a good opportunity to Persuade an enemy Cleric or Wizard here, who will likely have better Stats than your own future healer or magic-user. Their loyalty to their leader seems to be quite high though, and I didn't bother as I'd rather use my own people and not run the risk of ever losing them due to disloyalty. Don't let their much-higher MP sway you; such will be irrelevant when you have access to new Classes once you reach level 6 (most assuredly) and you'll gain more than enough MP from there; not that you need it for the basic spells which replenish MP instantly anyway. You're well-prepared from the last battle to go straight into this one. STRATEGY: Position Denim to his far-right as opposed to his usual centre position, so he'll be closer to the enemy Wizard; who you can try to Persuade to rob him of his equipment, or save beforehand to ensure the treasure you receive is his Magic Ring. Note that the Soldier you meet along the way also has Chain Armour, which is twice as good as Leather, so you can try to go for that as well; but it's easier to get some in the next mission so I didn't bother. The Cleric in this battle also has a Magic Ring, and I received both of them via reloading twice to make sure. As a result, I only got one Stat Card from a felled enemy, which was another Life Card which I gave to Denim. It's best to only give them to characters you know will be with you throughout the entire game or the grand duration. It's okay to give them to Generics when you know they are lacking in a particular Stat or so to gain access to a new Class. Vice and Leonard will charge toward the enemies on your side of the river and will defeat them with ease, so keep that in mind should you plan to go after their equipment or to Persuade them. Your other characters should march straight ahead as far as they can go, not worrying about crossing the river until the other enemies are nearby. The boss tends to stay on the other side the whole time, even if he has a good opening. The Cleric can be annoying, since she will heal her allies and then retreat as far away from you as possible; corner her and put her out of her misery as quickly as possible. If Leonard starts heading toward the Berzerker, surround the boss with your own people should you need more time to wipe out remaining foes. Just keep in mind that this leader can do 50~ damage or more to your people; but Kachua and Presence will be able to handle the healing. Again, when there are few enemies left, if Kachua is close to reaching her next level, fire away at Leonard with Bows/Magic/etc so that she gains more EXP faster (and kill him for lots of EXP or an instant level-up, too). Vice reached level 5 in this mission in my game. Be careful how much you weaken a certain enemy if Leonard is nearby, since you don't want him to steal kills where it'd be more beneficial for Vice to finish the job since he's not as far ahead level-wise. Leonard also has the highest Luck compared to any of your party, hence you'll most likely get often useless treasure rather than a Stat Card. Kill the Berzerker with a character who has 25+ EXP so they reach level 6. This mission is very easy since your team is quite powerful for this part of the game if you've followed all my advice. You'll receive 1,650 Goth if you manage to kill all your enemies here. RANDOM BATTLE NOTES: Possible Encounters: ~ 1X Hawkman + 3X Lizard Man - Two of the Lizards had Phlanka Axes, which are slightly more powerful than Short Swords (+1...), which you can grab at least another one (you got one from the last boss) should you desire this very slight boost. The other Lizard had a Spear and Battle Boots, where such a combo would be worth Persuading the foe to ensure nabbing both pieces of equipment. Keep in mind that a Spear is slightly weaker than a Short Sword (- 3) but you can either hit two enemies at once (one of which is a weaker attack, since the first unit takes the brunt of it) or attack from a distance and hence free of counters (unless they have a Spear/Whip themselves). In any case, this is the first random battle worth fighting just to nab some new weapons/etc. ~ 4X Lizard Man ~ 1X Wizard + 3X Lizard Man ~ 3X Hawk Man + 1 Lizard Man ~ 1X Wizard + 1X Hawk Man + 1X Lizard Man + 1X Amazon ~ 1X Wizard + 1X Lizard Man + 2X Hawk Man * You'll find similar equipment regardless of the lineup of foes. ============================================================================== |------------------------------------------------------------| | Training 03 (Via Random Battle) - Gruborza Plains - (0009) | |------------------------------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Note that to Denim's right is really the 'frontline' as those positions are closest to your enemies. STRATEGY: This will be more fun than actual 'Training', since you face proper enemies who will actually be stronger than you since one of your characters (whether it was Denim or not) would have leveled up to 6 after killing the boss in the last mission; and hence all the random battle foes will also be level 6. If you play this right your whole team will get to that level as well, which almost assures that everyone who can will be able to change Classes. Most of your characters should have 50+ EXP already give or take, and over the course of the battle some of them will level-up just from attacking your foes; and your four most EXP-lacking members can simply deal the final blow to level up instantly. A good trick if you need more time is to wait until only one foe is left, surround it on all sides, and throw stones/etc while you have Presance heal the enemy continuously (getting him to level 6 in the process). I received an extra Spear and Phlanka for my efforts, which is a nice bonus. If you are facing Lizard Men, you'll notice that their Physical Resistance (Defence) is quite high compared to yours. Worry not, as by focusing all your attacks on them one at a time (where applicable) will wear them down slowly but surely, and I was never in any risk of someone dying. If your Ghost has two Cures equipped, you'll have a backup 'healer' just in case. If you're not confident as to how much a certain person can handle, just save your game before you meet up with your foes at the river's centre. Keep in mind that one or two of them will likely have a Spear, so be wary as to how you position your party. Where receiving equipment from an enemy is concerned, it seems that you have a much higher chance of getting money or a Stat Card in random battles; but it's probably just a coincidence. It might take a few save-and- reloads to get what you're after. Once you've killed a couple of your opponents, the rest of the battle will be a cakewalk. Just remember to give the EXP-rich kills to your characters who have the least EXP to save yourself some time. Once there is only one enemy left, you can just have your level 6 people wait around and do nothing. Congratulations, it's now time to upgrade to a few better Classes for your generics and Denim. Class Changes: 1. Denim: Berzerker - I gave him the Phlanka you received from the last boss. 2. Soldier 1: His Vitality was a tad too low, so I couldn't make this unit a Berzerker/Beast Tamer just yet. If you run into a similar problem with one of your characters, you can either fight another random battle (which I did) and aim for a particular Stat Card by saving your game first, or do the same in the next story battle. You could also make this unit a Ninja, if you're confident. 3. Soldier 2: *Wizard - Cedar Staff X2, Magic Ring, Battle Boots. 4. Amazon 1: Cleric - Cedar Staff X2, Magic Ring, Blessing. (Leather Armour/Hat had such a low defence boost at +1). 5. Amazon 2: Archer - Short Bow, Tower Shield, Leather Armour/Hat. * For this Wizard, you have 3 Spell slots. Give him a Spell of his Element (such as Fire or Water, Earth or Wind) and FireBurn if said Element isn't Fire. Hopefully you Persuaded a second Ghost at Fort Kadoriga, so remove its Incubus Spell and give it to your Wizard, who will now be very balanced. If you want more diversity, you could also make Sara a Spear-wielding Valkyrie. ============================================================================== |--------------------------------| | Battle 07 - Rime City - (0010) | |--------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Do a mock Training Battle at Gruborza Plains, where you only need your Wizard with FireBurn on Team 1 and just Denim/etc on Team 2. Right near where your Wizard starts, on the left is a small plateau so to speak (4H elevation), which contains Buried Treasure (look below for a small 'map', where X marks the spot). The spell Vitalize in particular, which you should save your game beforehand to get a hold of. It only took me three attempts. Keep in mind that we will clear out the rest of the Buried Treasure at previous locations at a later date; your Luck will be too low to get the best-of-the-best at the moment, or even the 'worst-of-the-worst'; which on some occasions isn't actually the case. [o][o][o] [x][o] * Below I mention one Buried Treasure location to aim for, but you may as well get the other two (see http://luct.tacticsogre.com/gargastan.html) as you won't have access to this location again. STRATEGY: For your lineup, note that those to Denim's left will be the closest to combat, so consider those on the right to be the true 'back' row. As you go into the battle, choose to help the woman; as you'll have no choice in any case. Note that the enemy Soldiers and Amazons all have Chain Armour, which is twice as good as Leather; so it's worth Persuading at least one of them, or save your game before killing them to ensure you get the desired equipment as treasure. I didn't have the patience for such a practice, but you might be lucky. The Witch also has a Magic Ring; but you can buy them prior to the next battle. As usual, charge everyone forward. Since you know the best formation ahead of time, your weaker characters will all be safely at the back. You'll lay waste to that Dragon in no time at all. There is Buried Treasure to your left (needs to be burned) on the single-Hex 'island' in the water. If you still don't have Vitalize, get it now with your Cleric or Presance (via saving first). Or you could aim for a Harp/Blowhorn instead. This mission is easy, as all your foes excluding the Witch and Knight are only level 5 and you have your new Classes. The only hard part is if your luck goes a bit sour and the enemy rains all blows successfully on Sisteena; you should save your game in case you make a mistake or she doesn't block at least 1-2 attacks. Watch out for Guests or enemies stepping on treasure or Stat Cards, since they are always moving around and you fight in a relatively small area. Try to coordinate your attacks so that a Guest won't deal the final blow, if only to know when to save your game should you be aiming for certain equipment drops. Thankfully, with your new Cleric, you now have three healers on your team (with Kachua as a Guest) and your Ghost as a backup with his Cures should he be needed in a pinch. Later on in the battle, I was able to put Leonard to sleep, thankfully. Stops him from getting in the way or stealing kills for a little while. Sadly I didn't have any luck with scoring some Chain Armour, but I did receive a Vitality Card (+3) which I gave to my Cleric who was quite lacking in that stat. I also got a Luck Card, which I gave to Denim (+2). Keep in mind that this one can give either -1/-2, or +1/+2; we'll focus on getting Denim's Luck high enough to get the best Buried Treasure, and a fodder character's Luck low enough to get the 'worst' (which includes some stat- increasing items). When the boss (Knight) is hurt badly, he will use his Cure item to recover 50 HP and retreat further away. Kachua reached level 5 in this battle for me, since she gets decent EXP for healing characters two levels higher than herself (upwards of 17~ EXP). Vice reached level 6, as his EXP was 25~ when I let him deal the final blow to the leader. Your Guests are now a lot more useful; although not annoyingly so as in Leonard's case. AFTERWARD: Shortly, you'll be prompted with an important choice. Answer 'For true peace'. You'll probably be forced to fight a random battle on your way back to Amorika Castle, but you'll make quick work of wiping out the four foes you come across; and score some good Stat Cards (keep in mind you'll be able to buy Spears/Battle Boots before the next battle). After returning to Amorika, you can now buy the stuff I just mentioned, along with Magic Rings; not to mention new 'supplemental' magic spells (by now you won't have to waste 2,000 Goth on Heal and Incubus thanks to Buried Treasure and Ghosts). Note that Battle Boots are actually better than Leather Armour by +1 in their defensive capabilities, and they also increase a character's AGI by +4. ============================================================================== |-------------------------------------| | Battle 08 - Bordo Lakeside - (0011) | |-------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: I'll give you a quick list as to how my team is equipped, but factor in Chain Armour over Leather for whoever needs the defence boost the most. 1. Denim: Blue (Necklace), Phlanka, Tower, Battle Boots. 2. Berzerker: Phlanka, Tower, Leather Armour, Battle Boots. 3. Wizard: Cedar X2, Magic Ring, Battle Boots. 4. Archer: Short Bow, Tower, Leather Armour, Battle Boots. 5. Cleric: Cedar X2, Magic Ring, Battle Boots. 6. Canopus: Spear, Leather Armour/Hat, Battle Boots. 7. Ghost: Cedar X2, Leather Armour, Battle Boots (can swap Armour for Magic Ring if you prefer). 8. Presance: Cedar X2, Magic Ring, Battle Boots. 9. Sara (Archer): Short Bow, Tower, Leather Armour, Battle Boots. 10. Voltel (Knight): Short Sword, Tower, Leather Armour, Battle Boots. Position healers/magic-users to Denim's left and fighters to his right. STRATEGY: You'll have four chances at nabbing some Chain Armour in this mission; and the Soldier who tried to run away before the battle begun can be Persuaded pretty easily even with lots of HP (it'll still hardly ever work unless you can get behind him though). Hopefully you can get at least two pieces of Chain. The Amazon near the enemy Wizard has the 'Matou' Claw (+24 Strength) along with her own Chain Armour; and hence your priority Persuasion choice, or you can try and save-and-reload in the hopes that she drops it as treasure but it's very difficult. Move all your troops straight ahead towards your enemies, but do check the movement range of others so you don't get a healer/magic-user in the way of a fighter. You are aiming to meet your foes around that dry land in the middle near that 'Tochi' Tree. The opposition are all level 6 except for the boss (level 7). Watch out for Vice killing the Amazon with the Matou Claw, should you block his direct path to other enemies. It took several reloads, but I eventually got the weapon when I killed her. Persuasion is a much better idea (since you'll get her Chain Armour as well) although it's still somewhat hard with all the other enemies and Guests around. Even at 1 HP, Persuading her from a distance is next to impossible. Do whatever it takes, though. If you need to bide your time to collect treasure/Stat Cards/etc, surround the enemy Knight with four of your characters; it doesn't matter if they are weak or strong, since your three healers will easily keep them alive. You'll also get Kachua some more EXP in the meantime. Don't forget to heal the boss if his HP gets too low, however. If no one is injured, use a magic attack or arrows on a character who isn't next to the leader so Kachua has someone to heal. I also got a second Vitalize in this stage, which I gave to Kachua so she and my Cleric both had it. The location is right near that tree where you start. To its left, burn one Hex down (toward the edge of the map rather than the enemies); it'll line up diagonally with said tree. While you are surrounding the boss, check if any characters of yours are close to reaching level 7 (80+ EXP). If so, it's well worth it and easy to throw stones/etc at the Knight while you keep him healed to level up. There's no need to be excessive about it, but if it only takes you a hit or two to get there, do so. Be sure to deal the final blow to this leader with a character who has the least EXP (25~) to minimize wastage. Denim, my Cleric and Voltel reached level 7 in my case. It's doubtful you'll get Kachua to level 6, but I stuck around and wounded my own level 7 characters (Denim and the Cleric, at that point) to ensure she got close to 17 EXP each time she healed. Piece of cake, and you should get 2,150 Goth. RANDOM BATTLE NOTES: Possible Encounters: ~ 4X Lizard Man ~ 1X Wizard + 1X Amazon + 2X Lizard Man ~ 1X Wizard + 3X Lizard Man No decent equipment worth mentioning by this point. ============================================================================== |---------------------------------| | Battle 09 - Zodo Marsh - (0012) | |---------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: I gave our new Matou Claw to my generic Berzerker, as Denim was already much stronger. Voltel had decent Strength as well, so I went with attack balance here, rather than Weight. I had two pieces of Chain Armour, so I gave one to my weakest Archer, and the other to my Ghost as he is Public Enemy #1 and you have three good healers now anyway. Note that this battle ends instantly should you get the boss or his two Gryphons down to 20~ percent HP; but we'll still be able to defeat Ganb and get good EXP if we injure him close to that mark but not completely, so he can be finished off in one hit. Thusly, to maximise EXP/treasure/Stat Card gains, our priority for this battle will be to wipe out the other human foes and Lizard Men, while healing Ganb and his Gryphons if required. * You may wish to remove Vice's weapon, to lessen the damage he can dish out to the Gryphons. LINEUP: Consider Denim's right to be the front row. STRATEGY: Looking at the battleground, you'll see water blocking your way and a clearer path on either side. You'll want to head toward the route Vice is closest to, as your enemies will come at you from that way. Don't worry about the single Lizard Man; he'll make his way toward you soon enough. Try and block off Vice's easy access to a Gryphon, as he can deliver quite a punch. There is only one piece of equipment worth aiming for in this battle; Chain Armour, which one of the Lizard Men should have. Unfortunately we can't steal Ganb's awesome whip. Your human foes are all level 7, while all others are a level below. The terrain will slow your people down (except Canopus and your Ghost) but once you're past the starting position, your enemies will be closer and you can begin to mow them down as quickly as possible. Don't worry about finishing off a level 7 enemy with a level 7 character of your own if you get the chance; we'll bring the rest of your level 6 people up to speed via Training before the next mission if required. You don't want to waste any turns aside from picking up Stat Cards. The Witch in this level has a much higher success rate than the one you faced at Krizar City, but Kachua will help you out there since you gave her Vitalize as well. Your Archers and magic-users will be a great help from a distance, while your fighters draw closer to direct combat (throwing stones when you can do nothing else). Don't forget to heal the Gryphons when none of your own people are injured worse than 20+ HP. They are no threat to you attack-wise, but do watch out for lethal counters when they attack a stronger member of your team which will end the mission instantly if they get hurt bad enough. Ganb hits hard, at 40+ HP to a strong Berzerker even. Don't worry if you aren't able to kill all the other foes before one of the Gryphon's gets killed or close and the battle ends; in the worst case you'll only miss out on a Stat Card or two which is no big deal. At least half of your party should be level 7 by now, so we can do a quick Training battle after this to catch everyone else up; as it'll be your last chance until the next Chapter... 1,575 Goth this time. ============================================================================== |-----------------------------------| | Training 04 - Zodo Marsh - (0013) | |-----------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: Equip your new Chain Armour if you got one during the last battle. It's better to get the rest of your characters up to level 7 via a random battle (especially since you'll get some Stat Cards) either here or at Bordo Lakeside, but you can do a safer traditional Training session if you'd prefer. Just put your 10 usual characters on one team, and one of the blank generics on the other. STRATEGY: If you're fighting a random battle (recommended for the Stat Card rewards) just march toward your foes as quickly as possible, wounding them primarily with your level 6 characters who are closest to leveling up, and finally killing them with those who have the least EXP. As long as everyone is level 7 by the time you're finished, no worries. It'll be very good if you can get a Luck Card (+2) for Denim, as well. If instead you're just doing a simple Training battle, if you set up your teams like I mentioned above, you can ignore team B completely; just hack away at your level 7 characters, killing them when required, so that you get the rest of your party to the same level. Done and done. ============================================================================== |---------------------------------------| | Battle 10 - Baramus City (1) - (0014) | |---------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: All of your characters should be level 7 now. Below I'll list the best lineup to go with your current troops, which will put your Archers in prime position to snipe from a great distance, while your fighters will have direct and quick access on foot. You'll quickly realise why the below layout works the best. Denim will be in his default position as usual, so I'll start with the back row: Presance -- Wizard -- Ghost -- Canopus -- Cleric Voltel -- Berzerker -- Denim -- Sara -- Archer STRATEGY: Canopus (via throwing a stone) and your Archers can easily kill one of the Soldiers who is facing sideward before he even has a chance to act (move said Archers in front of Kachua and Vice respectively). If you'd prefer, you can keep all your troops where they are, raining stones and arrows down upon your enemy until they finally get to you; but you're more than capable of mopping these foes up post-haste. If you'd like to play aggressively like myself, very shortly your fighters will meet head-on with the enemy Soldiers and the carnage will ensue. They may miss often if you're unlucky, but your Archers/magic-users will more than compensate. Keep your Archers stationed on rooftops the whole time, while your magic-users are safe enough to bring behind your fighters. Be sure to time your death- blows so you can collect Stat Cards promptly. You might lose a couple early on due to the abundance of enemies, but it's no big deal. You'll begin taking some damage, but it's really just a joke considering you have three decent healers at present. Vice also reached level 7 for me before this battle met its end. In Kachua's case, she would easily get to that stage in the next battle. If you're keen, you can stick around and injure your own troops so she gains enough EXP; but she's already more leveled-up than most people tend to have her. Once only one Soldier is left, quickly surround it so Vice can't finish him off. Heal the foe if necessary (counter-attacks), so you have time to pick up any leftover Stat Cards and Buried Treasure. Make sure everyone on your team is at full health, though. Speaking of treasure, you can get yourself an elemental Orb and an extra Cure+/Magi+/Clear/Heal. You can't access this battleground again excluding the second part of this mission, so this is the safest time to do so. Check the map at the L.U.C.T site (http://luct.tacticsogre.com/walsta.html#baramus) but do note that the location of where you can get the Orb is slightly off; it's actually right in the corner, and needs to be burned first (as does the other location). ============================================================================== |---------------------------------------| | Battle 11 - Baramus City (2) - (0015) | |---------------------------------------| PRE-MISSION ADVICE: If you followed my advice, all of your characters will have full HP for this mission. I'll note that I'm going the Chaos route, though the battle is pretty much the same. You'll have no reason to edit your characters, but review them if you wish. Vice's equipment will end up in your inventory, including his Escape Gem, in case you were wondering. Position-wise, to Denim's right is the 'front'. I stuck Canopus and my Ghost right at the 'back' (so to speak) as they can catch up the quickest due to their lack of terrain restraints. V= Voltel, S= Sara, W= Wizard, C= Cleric, G= Ghost. V--S--W--C--G B--D--A--P--Canopus B= Berzerker, D= Denim, A= Archer, P= Presance. STRATEGY: All of your enemies except for one of the Knights/Berzerkers (Law) have a decent weapon which they will always drop when killed; no Stat Cards or need to save first. Just be very careful when you time your death-blows and such, so no enemies/Kachua positions themselves on the treasure and it disappears. Collect the treasure manually whenever you get the chance just to be safe; but still take priority on taking out your opponents when you feel confident it won't matter. Some folk may prefer to have Canopus closer to that side path near where you start so he can fly up there promptly to act as a decoy, but I've never had any need to; it simply makes your weaker foes keep their distance which we don't desire. Move Canopus up to the high ground above though, as he'll still be too far away to draw anyone in. The Chaos path battle is a bit easier in my mind, since you don't have an annoying Cleric to deal with. The Witch is of no concern due to how often her spells miss you; and you have two healers with Vitalize if you've been following this walkthrough properly. The Wizard will heal himself with his staff when he gets hurt, but your team can dish out far more damage than 50 HP. On your second turn, have Canopus fly to that house just above him (18H hex just above the broken barrel). This will draw one of the Archers much closer to him where you can move directly behind her on your next turn if you want (I prefer to focus on the enemy Wizard first though) when the Knights have moved elsewhere. Fortunately, the enemy A.I won't have their Archers attack when greatly out of range diagonally; even though it's possible to get a shot in. Move your Ghost behind Canopus and that barrel, so the Knights won't come after it; hence it's better to take out that Wizard before an Archer. The enemy's Archers are really only a threat if you get your healers too close to them. Canopus should easily wipe one of them out in quick order anyway, and can then get to the other one while your other characters are advancing on her. The Knights/etc fall quickly to your grouped-together party, especially if you get in some nice counters to their attacks. Despite the terrain advantage the enemy has on you, I didn't consider this mission to be all that hard. Just the same old case of my poor Ghost taking in a lot of damage; although I've always managed to keep it undead-alive, not that it really matters. You'll get 2,100 Goth for your victory, and the abundance of special weapons will aid you nicely in the coming chapter. ============================================================================== TO BE CONTINUED 0==================================================================0 | C R E D I T S (00CR) | 0==================================================================0 ~~~ Luct.TacticsOgre.com: Awesome Buried Treasure 'maps'. ~~~ ASCII Generator: Tactics Ogre 'header'. ============================================================================== Copyright �2010 @ Troy de Haan (Traz).