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Full Walkthrough

by sophialeigh

===============================================================================
                              Shadow Hearts: Covenant
===============================================================================

Platform: Playstation 2                                  Author: Georgi Samaras
Developer: Midway, Aruze, Nautilus (2004)         E-mail: [email protected]
Genre: Turn-based RPG, Historical Fantasy                         Version: 1.22
Rating: T (Language, Partial Nudity,                Last Updated: July 10, 2010
           Suggestive Themes, Violence)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Table of Contents
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   1. Introduction .................................................... [int]
   2. Controls ........................................................ [con]
   3. Battle Basics
      - Character Stats ............................................... [chs]
      - The Action Menu ............................................... [act]
      - The Judgment Ring ............................................. [jud]
      - Crest Magic ................................................... [cre]
      - The Class System .............................................. [cla]
      - Combos and Affinity ........................................... [com]
      - Ailments ...................................................... [ail]
      - Forming a Party ............................................... [for]
   4. Walkthrough
      - Disc One
        - Apoina Tower ................................................ [ea1]
        - Domremy ..................................................... [edo]
        - Ardennes Forest ............................................. [eaf]
        - Paris ....................................................... [epa]
        - Le Havre .................................................... [elh]
        - Wine Cellar ................................................. [ewc]
        - Port of Southampton ......................................... [eps]
        - Rhondda Mine ................................................ [erm]
        - Wales ....................................................... [ewa]
        - Florence .................................................... [efl]
        - Manmariana Island ........................................... [emi]
        - SG Italian Branch HQ ........................................ [esg]
        - Neam Ruins .................................................. [enr]
        - Cannes ...................................................... [eca]
        - St. Marguerite Island ....................................... [esm]
        - Petrograd ................................................... [ep1]
        - Goreme Valley ............................................... [egv]
        - Mirror Castle ............................................... [emc]
        - Petrograd ................................................... [ep2]
        - Idar Flamme ................................................. [eif]
        - Finishing Europe ............................................ [efe]
        - Apoina Tower ................................................ [ea2]
      - Disc Two
        - Brick Warehouse ............................................. [jbw]
        - Yokohama Streets ............................................ [jys]
        - Battleship Mikasa ........................................... [jbm]
        - Hojo Research Lab ........................................... [jh1]
        - Foreigner's Cemetery ........................................ [jfc]
        - Nihonbashi .................................................. [jni]
        - Hojo Research Lab ........................................... [jh2]
        - Forest of Wind .............................................. [jfw]
        - Inugami Village ............................................. [jiv]
        - Immortal Mountain ........................................... [jim]
        - Azabu Kamiyashiki ........................................... [jak]
        - Finishing Japan, Back to Europe ............................. [jfj]
        - Queen's Garden .............................................. [eqg]
        - Asuka Stone Platform ........................................ [jap]
   5. Sidequests
      - Deeper into the Neam Ruins .................................... [snr]
      - Tiffauges Castle .............................................. [stc]
      - Chasing Lenny ................................................. [scl]
      - The Dark Seraphim ............................................. [sds]
      - The Doll House ................................................ [sdh]
      - The Wolf Bout ................................................. [swb]
      - The Fort of Regrets ........................................... [sfr]
      - The Man Festival .............................................. [smf]
      - Item Trading .................................................. [sit]
      - The Black Forest .............................................. [sbf]
      - The Dog Shrine ................................................ [sdf]
      - King Solomon's Key/Trials ..................................... [sks]
      - Quizzes ....................................................... [sqz]
   6. Recaps
      - Ring Soul Locations ........................................... [rrs]
      - Ultimate Weapons/Armor/Unique Accessories ..................... [rwa]
      - Lottery Members ............................................... [rlm]
      - Important Items ............................................... [rii]
      - Maps .......................................................... [rmp]
   7. Miscellaneous
      - Credit/Thanks ................................................. [mct]
      - Author's Notes/Version History/Hosts/Legal Info ............... [mal]

   I've done my best to implement an in-document search system.  For best
   results, copy and paste the letters and numbers (complete with brackets)
   into the browser's Find feature under Edit.  Be warned that this
   walkthrough is spoilery because I just can't shut up when it comes to
   commentary.  Boss battles are indented and item and enemy lists are
   provided at the beginning of each section, so if you want the bare
   essentials in terms of aid, then pay no attention to all the text in
   between the beginning of a section and boss strategy scattered throughout.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Introduction                                                         [int]

    After the end of the first Shadow Hearts, Yuri Hyuga and Alice Elliot were
    on a train bound for Zurich.  Unfortunately, due to Malice poisoning after
    saving Yuri's soul, Alice would never leave the train alive.  With tears in
    his eyes, Yuri pledges not to squander the life for which she died.  Months
    later, World War I breaks out.  A troop of German soldiers looking to take
    the city of Domremy in France are decimated by a demon residing in the
    local church, a demon that seems to be able to take human form, a demon
    that seems to emanate sadness...

 ----

    For those of you who've played the original Shadow Hearts, get ready for a
    wonderful surprise.  For those of you who haven't, you're still in for a
    treat.  Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a monster of an RPG and one of my
    absolute favorites, so I decided to try my hand at writing a guide for it.
    Playing the first game is partly recommended since Covenant references it,
    but you shouldn't be left out plot-wise and you definitely don't need to
    play the first one to appreciate this game's humor and awesome battle
    system.

    Please note that this walkthrough is for the NTSC version of Shadow Hearts:
    Covenant.  I do not have access to the PAL version or the Director's Cut,
    sadly, so I am missing out on some cool extras.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Controls                                                             [con]

    left analog stick/directional buttons: move character/navigate menus

    triangle: open Command Menu, display specific information on items, skip
              cutscenes (when paused)

    circle: run (when using directional buttons to move), cancel

    X: confirm, talk, examine

    square: sort items in menus, change camera angle in battle

    L1/R1: cycle through different menus/pages

    L2/R2: scroll through pages in menus

    R3: close current menu

    start: pause, list all entries in library

    select: toggle subtitles during cutscenes/navigation map out of battle

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Battle Basics
   (mostly for those without an instruction manual or who would rather not
    look at the game's help file)

   Character Stats                                                      [chs]

    First off, you need to know what each of your character stats are and what
    they mean.  Basic stuff, yes, but important to know since you can boost a
    character's base stats with Seal items, and you need to know your mages
    from your fighters when you're forming a party and equipping stat boosting
    accessories and whatnot.

      Hit Points (HP): how much damage a character can sustain
      Mana Points (MP): capacity for using special attacks
      Sanity Points (SP): how long they can stay in battle without going crazy
      Dominance Capacity Points (DCP): crests they can hold according to level
      Strength (Str): physical attack power
      Intelligence (Int): special attack power
      Vitality (Vit): physical defense power
      Power (Pow): special defense power
      Agility (Agl): affects evasion rate and how many turns they get in battle
      Luck (Lck): affects how often critical blows are dealt

    Below are the stats that are affected when you equip accessories, as
    opposed to the base stats above that only change when a character levels
    up.

      P-Atk: physical attack strength    S-Atk: special attack strength
      P-Def: physical defense            S-Def: special defense

    It goes without saying that the higher the numbers, the better, but be wary
    when equipping items.  Sometimes it's better to sacrifice an increase in
    stats for, say, an accessory with a healing effect.  This will become more
    apparent as you gain more in the way of equipment.

 ----

   The Action Menu                                                      [act]

    Whenever you find yourself in a fight (which will be often) you will have
    to navigate the Action Menu.  Most selections will require a spin on the
    Judgment Ring, a disc representing motive, action, and outcome that appears
    on the screen when an action is chosen and has a rotating needle.  The
    object here is to hit certain areas of the ring when the needle sweeps over
    them.  Below are the different actions you can take and a description of
    each.

    Attack:
      This is the standard way to show your enemies who's boss.  This prompts
      a ring with orange hit areas and red strike areas.  Pressing X over the
      orange will let you execute an attack.  If you hit the red areas, your
      attack will cause more damage.  Missing the first orange area means your
      attack fails completely.  Hitting the first but missing any others means
      you'll execute a number of attacks equal to the number of areas you hit.
      There are different ways to attack (Standard, Hard Hit, High Angle, and
      Knock Down) but these are used for combos more than anything.  Normally,
      the indicator only sweeps around the ring once, but items called Keys
      allow 3, 5, 7, and even an unlimited amount of sweeps of the needle when
      used.

    Special Abilities:
      Every character has a special ability that sets them apart from the rest.
      For example, Yuri's is the ancient art of fusion.  All abilities differ
      in strength, property, and element so get friendly with the notes on the
      bottom of the battle screen to know which does what.  It's way too much
      to summarize here.

    Crest Magic:
      Crest magic is new to Shadow Hearts and is basically magic that everyone
      can use (see the Crest Magic section for more details).  Special
      abilities and crest magic share the same kind of Judgment Ring.  Magic
      hit areas are blue but still have a red strike area to make the move more
      potent.  The hit areas of some magic attacks have what are called
      modulate areas, ranging from white to blue in color.  Hitting in the
      white will execute a weak attack while aiming for the blue will make the
      attack stronger.  Most magic has green areas called step areas that must
      be hit in order to perform the spell at all.

    Items:
      This option allows you to use an item from your inventory in battle.
      This also requires a Judgment Ring with hit and strike areas.  The strike
      area will make the item more effective (for example, if it were a healing
      item, it would restore more HP than normal).  Missing the hit area means
      the item will not be used, and it will still be in your inventory, so you
      haven't wasted it.

    Defend:
      One of the few actions that does not require the Judgment Ring, defending
      makes a character sacrifice a turn to reduce damage from an attack.
      There are two types: Block simply reduces damage and Resist sacrifices SP
      to let you stand your ground (used mostly for combos).

    Combo:
      Another new addition to Shadow Hearts is the awesome and sometimes
      frustrating combo system.  There's a lot to discuss here, so refer to
      the Combo and Affinity section below to learn how it works.

    Run Away:
      Simple.  Run away like the coward you are (no Judgment Ring required)!
      Note that you cannot escape from every fight, and you get nothing after
      battle no matter what.

    If you do well at fighting, the game actually rewards you.  Say, if you
    hit the strike area for every party member's Judgment Ring or finish off
    all your opponents without taking any damage, you'll get bonus EXP, soul
    energy, cash, or items.

 ----

   The Judgment Ring                                                    [jud]

    Here we go into the Judgment Ring, the thing that governs the characters'
    fates and makes the game interesting.  Actually, the basics of usage were
    pretty much outlined in the above section.  It's a game of timing and
    reflexes.  What this section is really about is how you can customize it.
    Yes, your fate is in your hands for a change!  This feature lets you make
    battles easier or harder for you and is uber important to understand.
    There's an in-game tutorial on this, but the nitty gritty is outlined
    below.  All these options appear under Ring Customization in the Command
    Menu.

    Hit Area Width:
      Having trouble with a certain hit or strike area?  If you have Hit/Strike
      Area Expand items, you can widen certain areas on the Judgment Ring so
      you can hit them easier.

    Add-On Effects:
      Enemies do this, now you can too!  Certain items allow you to add a
      status/parameter ailment to a character's normal attack.  Now you can
      coat Karin's sword with poison or lower an enemy's defenses with a punch
      from Yuri.  They range in strength from 1-4 (ex: Poison 4 has a higher
      probability than Poison 1).

    Hit Area Number:
      Each character starts off with a certain number of hit areas on their
      Attack Judgment Ring.  With Attack Boost items, you can increase this
      number (the max is two).  For example, Yuri's normal combo starts with
      three and can include up to five attacks.

    Ring Types:
      This allows you to shake up your ring.  Normal is the standard model.
      Practice is good for beginners: if you miss a hit area, you still get the
      chance to hit the others so this allows for mistakes.  However, there are
      no strike areas.  Technical rings are for pros: you have to hit all the
      areas or you execute no attack whatsoever.  This ring allows for really
      powerful attacks.  Gamble rings are similar, with only one hit area.  Hit
      it, and it's as if you hit every area on a normal ring.

    Auto Ring:
      This automates your ring, making you almost obsolete.  Not advised if you
      want to get the full experience, you lazy bum.  There may be places where
      letting the game figure out the ring is advantageous, but this
      walkthrough will never go there because it's best not to let a game have
      control over your fate.

 ----

   Crest Magic                                                         [cre]

    A new addition to Shadow Hearts is magic that everyone except Harmonixers
    can use.  Magic spells are stored in demon crests that can be equipped to
    characters with enough DCP.  This allows you to customize your magic users
    to the fullest.  Anyone can wield any type or element of magic, as long as
    you have the crest and they have the DCP.  There is an in-game tutorial on
    how to use crests, but there's really not much to it.  Most characters join
    your party with crests already equipped.  Early on in the game, you'll get
    something called Solomon's Key, which is a puzzle concerning all the crests
    you have, so be sure to pick them all up.  Completing the puzzle makes the
    crests stronger and will ultimately lead to a tough battle and one hell of
    a powerful magic spell, but more on that later.

    Magic comes in five types: Single, Circular, Linear, Piercing, and All.
    Single targets (surprise) one enemy only.  Circular spells can hit multiple
    enemies; a circular hit radius engulfs your target and everyone unfortunate
    enough to stand next to it.  Linear is the same except that it starts from
    the caster's position and hits enemies standing in front of and behind the
    target.  Piercing shots are a combination of the former two: they start in
    a linear motion, hitting and knocking back all enemies in their path, and
    then finish off in a circular blast.  All-type spells are rare but
    powerful.  As you could probably tell, they target all enemies on the
    field, no matter where they are.

    Be careful when using magic during combos.  Spells can be High Angled, Hard
    Hitting, or ones that Knock Down opponents.  There are also some magic
    spells that are Anti-air or Anti-ground.  Anti-air will completely miss any
    opponent that is knocked down low to the ground, and Anti-ground misses any
    enemy in the air during combos.  (Seems backwards to me, but that's how it
    goes.)

 ----

   The Class System                                                     [cla]

    Nearly every character and enemy has a class or an element.  This is
    important to know in battle.  Certain classes are opposed: Water and Fire,
    Earth and Wind, Dark and Light.  This means that Water attacks do more
    damage to Fire types, and Wind attacks will not harm Wind class monsters as
    much as Earth attacks.  It also means that opposing types that are fighting
    each other are equally susceptible to the other's attacks.  As I like to
    put it, it's a twist on the classic rock-paper-scissors set-up: rock and
    paper duking it out while scissors is off fighting a pencil or something.
    It's a good idea to give your characters a variety of classes when
    equipping crests so they can handle any class pitted against them.  There
    are some enemies that have no class (ha ha), in which case the rules here
    do not apply.

 ----


   Combos and Affinity                                                  [com]

    The combo system is a neat feature that allows you to rack up tons of
    damage and perform special magic if done properly.  It also looks cool.  To
    start a combo, use the Combo command from the Action Menu.  Then, choose a
    character you'd like to combo with and how you'd like them to wait (doing
    nothing or preparing to weather an attack).  Keep an eye on the turn
    priority meter at the top of the screen to know when your opponents are
    going to attack so you know how to wait/defend.  The active party member
    will then run over and stand next to their combo partner until one of them
    gets a turn.  You can do this with two, three, or all four party members.
    Sometimes fighters will even be knocked into combo position by enemy
    attacks.

    Once it's one of the combo members' turns, you'll get the option of how you
    want to attack (normally, with magic, with a skill, etc.).  If you were
    successful at the Judgment Ring, it will start to spin and you'll see one
    of the four face buttons on the Playstation controller.  Hit that button
    before the ring stops and you'll have successfully passed the combo baton.
    The first character will attack, immobilizing the enemy and giving the next
    person in line the chance to add insult to injury.  Failing the ring or the
    button-pushing sequence or missing the enemy will end the combo.

    Combos can get interesting.  Using all the different attack options
    (Standard, Hard Hit, High Angle, and Knock Down), one character can flip an
    enemy in the air and the next can bash it into the ground.  This is also
    where combos get annoying.  Depending on an enemy's weight, your timing can
    get screwed up, destroying a combo.  For example, High Angling a lighter
    enemy will mean the person next in line may miss with some of their attacks
    since it will fly higher and so stay airborne longer, and knocking down a
    small enemy is the same as them ducking, evading damage.  You also have to
    pay attention to how your fighters actually attack.  For example, Yuri's
    second move in his normal attack is a low punch, so he's be able to hit an
    enemy low to the ground, no matter their height.  Combos take some practice
    in this sense.

    If you successfully pull off a four-person combo, the last person in line
    will have a new option in the Action Menu: Combo Magic.  This is super
    powerful magic that adds a nice finishing blow.  There's one for each
    element but only certain characters can perform certain spells due to their
    class.  It's also worth noting that Harmonixers can perform combo magic.
    The first time you use it, it will only be labeled ????.  Afterwards, it
    will have a name and an element listed.

    Affinity is important in building combos and is just what it sounds like:
    how attracted certain party members are to each other.  Certain events in
    the story affect affinity, but it's mostly built up by having characters
    perform combos together.  When two characters with high affinity perform
    attacks right after each other, extra bonus damage is dealt.  Affinity may
    also lead characters to protect one another in battle, but I can't prove
    this.  In certain instances, I've seen Yuri yell out and jump to protect
    Karin, but this is rare.  Bottom line: make sure your party members are
    friendly with each other if you're going to be using combos a lot.

    Enemies can combo as well.  Use a Hard Hit to knock them away from each
    other to keep this from happening.  Some opponents can even use combo
    magic, and they will guard against your attacks to stay in place.  Act fast
    before they unleash a combo and possibly end up killing one of your party
    members.  There is an in-game tutorial that explains combos really well and
    even tells you how to semi-automate the process if you like.

 ----

   Ailments                                                             [ail]

    Ailments can make or break a fight, and there are a hefty amount of them
    you need to watch out for.  There are three kinds: status, ring, and
    parameter.

    Status ailments affect your characters' health and how well they can fight.
    The Heal/Arc Heal spells and Soul Benediction item will cure any and all
    ailments.  You can wait for ailments to heal themselves, and they can also
    be prevented by wearing a Crucifix or a certain accessory, outlined below.

      Unconscious:
        When a character runs out of HP, they are rendered unconscious and
        cannot perform any action.  This is especially bad for Harmonixers, as
        they will return to normal if fused.  Bring them back with life-
        restoring magic or a Talisman item.

      Poison/Deadly Poison:
        Poison steadily drains HP.  If a poisoned character is poisoned again,
        their condition escalates to Deadly Poison and drains even more HP.
        Wear Shell or Cosmic Bracelets to prevent this.

      Paralysis:
        Paralyzed characters are useless on the field.  They're immobilized and
        simply skip their turn when it comes.  Wear Bhodi/Zodiac Bracelets as
        protection.  Paralysis is one of the three "game over" ailments; since
        paralyzed characters can't act, it's game over for you if they're the
        last ones standing on the battlefield.

      Seal:
        Magic users beware, Seal is the inability to use magic or special
        skills.  Bell and Cosmic Bracelets prevent this.

      Petrify:
        One of the more horrible ailments, petrifaction is Paralysis and
        Instant Death combined.  Petrified characters cannot perform any action
        and will shatter if the enemy touches them, making them unconscious
        instantly.  Mirror and Zodiac Bracelets will save you here.  Petrify is
        another "game over" ailment.

      Instant Death:
        Does what it says, instantly knocks a party member out.  Cure it the
        same way you would unconsciousness or bring a Leonardo's Bear into
        battle.  Instant Death is the third "game over" ailment.

      Mental Break:
        Poisoning of the mind!  Mental Break drains the afflicted character's
        MP every turn.  Wear Silver/Cosmic Bracelets to protect yourself.

      Panic:
        An important thing to remember in Shadow Hearts is that battles test
        your party's sanity.  Normal characters lose one SP every turn no
        matter what; Harmonixers (when fused) will lose more per turn depending
        on the type on monster into which they have fused.  Panic causes the
        sanity to drain a lot quicker.  Feather and Cosmic Bracelets protect
        from Panic.

      Berserk:
        When the sanity runs out, a character goes Berserk.  The music in the
        background becomes disoriented to let you know, and you lose control of
        the afflicted fighter.  The character's picture in the turn priority
        meter at the top of the screen turns red as well.  Restore sanity with
        Pure items right away because it will go into the negative range.
        Berserked fighters attack and use items indiscriminately.  However,
        they may also just space out in battle with humorous results.  If a
        character is wearing a Blood Jewel, you can restore SP with a
        successful Spin Ring when they go Berserk.  Certain enemies have an
        SP Lowering attack that halves SP in battle, but Will Power accessories
        prevent this.  Berserked characters get no EXP at the end of a fight.

    Judgment Ring abnormalities are a major pain but are easily avoided.
    Phoenix Tail items and Heal/Arc Heal magic cures them, but Pocket Watches
    and Crucifixes nullify them.

      Fast:
        The indicator speed is doubled.

      Tight:
        The size of the hit and strike areas are halved.

      Small:
        The entire ring shrinks.

      Random:
        Each time a new Judgment Ring is prompted, the speed of the indicator
        is different.

      Fickle:
        The indicator speed changes different times on the same ring.

      Blind:
        All the hit and strike areas are invisible.

      Up:
        The speed of the indicator steadily increases as it spins.

      Fake:
        Fake hit areas will appear on the ring to throw you for a loop.

      Reverse:
        The indicator sweeps backwards.

    Parameter ailments affect a character's stats and how well they can attack,
    defend, evade, etc.  They can't be prevented or healed.  The only thing to
    do is to counter them with a magic spell that does the opposite of the
    ailment.  They're all pretty self-explanatory.

      Physical Attack Down, counter with Rage
      Physical Defense Down, counter with Shield
      Special Attack Down, counter with Surge
      Special Defense Down, counter with Barrier
      Evasion Down, counter with Mirage
      Action Speed Down (reduces number of turns), counter with Gale
      Delay (completely puts off character's next turn)

    There is also a special condition that is not an ailment per se but is
    important to know about.  Bind is when a character is immobilized until
    his/her next turn.  When bound, any damage done to that character is
    treated as combo or bonus damage.  Few enemies use this and few of your
    fighters can use it in turn, but it can be devastating either way.  Bind is
    indicated by a blue icon with a circle in it next to the damage display.

    Note that, as explained in the Judgment Ring section, most of the status
    and parameter ailments can be attributed to your normal attack and used
    against your enemies with great results.

 ----

   Forming a Party                                                      [for]

    One of the BEST improvements over the original Shadow Hearts is how you
    can organize and manage your party.  Accessing the Command Menu will let
    you see all your current party members; you can change their equipment,
    crests, view their personal info and so forth at any time.  Your battle
    party can consist of four characters, the top four on the list.  Whenever
    you have more than four people to choose from, you can pre-form up to three
    parties and cycle between them, making it easy to form teams good for
    certain tasks (ex: it is a really good idea to form a party specifically
    tailored for boss battles).  This is all explained in an in-game tutorial.
    After winning a battle, your active party will claim the EXP spoils as
    usual, but your other party members will also get in on the action: they'll
    each get half of what the fighters got, meaning no one is really left out.

    As for fighting, choosing characters you like and are comfortable with is a
    bit of a no-brainer, but it wouldn't hurt to try to keep everyone level
    since you'll be forced to use everyone if you want to do all the extra
    stuff.  Yuri does not have to be in your party all the time anymore, but he
    is really good to have since his fusions make him a really well-rounded
    fighter.  Some party members are more suited for magic, while others are
    pure strength, and all have really unique special skills that make them a
    good asset in a fight.  Keep a nice balanced party with a good supply of
    defensive and offensive crest magic, and you can't go wrong.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Walkthrough

    There's a lot left to be explained in this game but it's much easier to
    go over it when we get to it while playing.  The one thing left to tell
    you now is that the little map in the upper left-hand corner of your
    screen is your best friend.  Most of the directions given in this guide
    are according to that navi-map.
    I also need to mention that this walkthrough was written while playing a
    reloaded save file with all the crests/fusions/etc. so I could note the
    differences and consult the library.  I tried my best to avoid referencing
    something first-time players might not have yet.

    NOTE: If you're still confused about anything, the game actually has a
          built-in Help file accessible through the Command Menu.  If this is
          your first time through, new topics will be highlighted in orange.


===============================================================================
                                    Disc One
===============================================================================

   Ah, Europe.  Where the last game left us and where our new adventure begins.
   The entire first disk will take us all over the European continent.  We've
   got a lot to look forward to after the amazing opening cutscene!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Apoina Tower                          [ea1]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Thera Leaf               Enemies: Revenant
          ___ Talisman of Luck                  Statue
          ___ Mana Leaf                         Gargoyle
          ___ Hit Area Expand
          ___ Attack Boost
          ___ Pure Leaf
          ___ Evasion Down 1
          ___ Tent

After the lovely history lesson, head forward to get into your first fight.
There's a tutorial available on battle basics; I'd recommend watching it if
this is your first time playing.  After the scene, note the blue glowing spot
on the floor; it's your save point.  From there, head left up the nearby
staircase to find a chest with a THERA LEAF.  Then head right and go up the
little spiral staircase here to grab a TALISMAN OF LUCK.  Now go up the large
stairs to the southeast.  Whenever you get into your second fight, you'll get
the option to see a tutorial on combos.  This is important stuff; view it if
you need it.

Follow the path until you get a scene.  Head left to find a chest with a MANA
LEAF.  Go to the right to find a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Continue to the
right to run into the Ring Soul.  He'll give you an ATTACK BOOST.  You can now
customize your Judgment Ring and have the option to see yet another tutorial.
You get an EVASION DOWN 1 whether you view the tutorial or not.  (Don't listen
to Nicolai; using that Attack Boost on him is not wise since he won't be with
us for very long.)  Continue up the stairs.

Before you activate the portal on the floor in this area, look to the right of
it to find a PURE LEAF.  Now step on the portal and hit X to get transported.
You might want to use the save point to your right to heal up and save.  You'll
find a conveniently-placed TENT in the right-hand corner here.  Head north.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Gargoyle       Class: Dark
    HP: 140        MP: 90
    EXP: 50        Cash: 200
    Souls: 0       Drop: Pure Seed

   Nicolai could do this fight all by himself without any problems.
   Since it's Dark class, his Blessed Light attack will be more than
   enough to bring it down.  Karin can attack and support with items
   in case he runs out of MP or needs some curing.  If you're not
   quick, Karin will go Berserk since she has little SP.  Watch
   the turn priority meter and use a Pure Leaf on her before she goes
   nuts.  (Her picture appears red on the turn it happens.)
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Nicolai will get the item he needs, so now we can set out for Domremy.  We
won't be able to go back to Apoina Tower for quite some time.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Domremy                             [edo]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Mana Leaf                Enemies: Ducky Toy
          ___ Thera Lead                        Wooden Lion
          ___ Hit Area Expand
          ___ Talisman of Luck
          ___ Strike Expand
          ___ Tent
          ___ Thera Seed
          ___ Pure Leaf

Take the northwest fork up to a chest with a MANA LEAF.  Go northeast/north to
the next screen.  To the northeast is a THERA LEAF on the ground.  Take the
northwest branch all the way past the soldier to find a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Go
back and head northeast to the little town of Domremy.  The soldier here will
fully heal you if you speak to him.  There is a TALISMAN OF LUCK directly to
the left of him in the shed.  (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.)  There are
trip wires scattered throughout the area but going through them is no big deal.
One is above and to the right of the soldier.  A STRIKE EXPAND lies in the
chest in that little yard.  Head north in the main area and you'll see another
trip wire guarding an area to the right (it's much easier to see on your navi-
map).  There's a TENT back there.

Going north, there's another trip wire to your immediate left on the next
screen.  The chest beside the soldier here contains a THERA SEED.  When the
main path goes northeast, look for a faint area on your map to the southeast.
Back here, there's a PURE LEAF in a chest.  Continue on, past the save point,
to the church.  What follows is a lengthy scene.  Seems Nicolai is pissed about
what happened during the first Shadow Hearts, and he aims to finish what he
never started.  After the flashback and crazy dream sequence, you'll be ready
to set out with a new party.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Ardennes Forest                         [eaf]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Focalor           ___ Tent               Enemies: Death Snail
        ___ Andras            ___ Barbatos                    Skeeter
        ___ Furfur            ___ Thera Leaf                  Zoism
        ___ Mana Leaf         ___ Hit Area Expand             Arachne
        ___ Battery           ___ Soul Benediction
        ___ Pure Leaf         ___ Hit Area Expand
        ___ Soul Benediction  ___ Poison 1
        ___ Leather Cap       ___ Vassago

Talk to Gepetto to get three crests: FOCALOR, ANDRAS, and FURFUR.  Yuri can't
use crests, but Gepetto and Blanca can so equip them ASAP.  Talk to Karin to
get going.  You'll get into a fight soon afterwards.  Now, there are two ways
to get to your final destination in this forest.  For the sake of item hunting,
we'll go through both.  If you'd rather forge your own path with a map of this
area, here's a link:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/ardennesforest.jpg

Head left to the next screen.  Take the northwest branch here for a MANA LEAF.
Now go northeast and head left.  Follow the path along the cliff.  Grab the
BATTERY in the chest on the way.  There's a PURE LEAF in the chest on the next
screen.  Keep going, going, going until you see a wooden fixture.  Examine the
poster here for a SOUL BENEDICTION.  Use your battery on the lift.  It'll take
you down, but that's your final destination and we're not done yet.  (If you'd
rather just go, head out into the open area for a scene and skip to the fight.)
On the lift again, hit the "Power Operation" button and take it to the top
level.  There's a LEATHER CAP in the alcove and a TENT by the wooden fence.  Go
down one level.

Backtrack about three or four screens until you're in the woods again.  There
is a hidden path leading to the right just barely visible on your map.  Angle
Yuri to your right as you run to find it.  Go right over the bridge to find the
BARBATOS crest in a chest.  From here, keep going south until you're over the
log bridge and back where you started.  Go north and north again.  At the next
fork, go northwest, then left for a THERA LEAF.  Head right and then right at
the next fork to find yourself near a lake.  When the path curves to the north,
you can find a hidden path leading to the right.  A HIT AREA EXPAND is hidden
back here.  Continue north.  At the next fork, head left for a SOUL BENEDICTION
in a chest.  On the next screen, you'll see a drawbridge.  Examine the panel
and pull the right, middle, then left levers.  Halfway across the bridge,
you'll find a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Heal up and save before continuing on.

Yuri will collapse and find himself in the Graveyard of his soul.  After a
scene, you'll get to pick a fusion, any fusion.  You'll find the Fire, Wind,
and Light classes to the left and the Water, Earth, and Dark classes to the
right.  There's nothing to do to the north.  Pick whichever one suits your
fancy by having Yuri hold his hand up to its altar.  Attempt to leave and the
cinematics will take over.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Arachne          Class: Earth
    HP: 300          MP: 77
    EXP: 70          Cash: 1000
    Souls: 40        Drop: Poison 1
                           Vassago

   There are plenty of different ways to go about this fight depending
   on which fusion you chose for Yuri.  (Be sure to fuse now that you
   have that option!)  If you chose one with higher magic stats, then
   pile on the magic.  If not, have Gepetto or Blanca cast Air Edge on
   Yuri since all his fusions have higher physical strength compared to
   his normal P-Atk.  If you're not sure either way, experiment.  Combo
   if you like and break out all your Wind magic.  You shouldn't have
   any problems since you've got three characters to watch out for each
   other.  This monster can and will try to poison you; if it succeeds,
   use a Soul Benediction to cure it.  The only other threat is its
   Crag attack.  Nothing a Thera Leaf can't cure.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Karin freaks out afterwards, then gets Harmonixer 101 from Gepetto.  All that
Soul Energy that you've been collecting is the key to unlocking the rest of
Yuri's fusions.  When you have enough, go to the Graveyard from a save point or
the world map and power up a fusion by charging its altar with your Soul
Energy.  You can continue to increase a fusion monster's power by feeding it
Soul Energy through Yuri's personal info in the Command Menu.  If you keep
powering up the altar in the Graveyard, you'll eventually upgrade your fusions
to level 2, making them stronger and giving them new spells.  There are plenty
of souls to go around so use them however you want.  You'll want to unlock all
the classes first and then focus on powering up the fusions of your choice.
When ready, head to Paris.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Paris                               [epa]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Nibelung Prelude  ___ Shell Bracelet     Enemies: Clawed Soldier
        ___ Mr. Sommelier     ___ Phoenix Tail                Tetsu
        ___ Mr. Matador       ___ Talisman of Luck            Sting
        ___ Crocell           ___ Pocket Watch                Ekimmu
        ___ Thera Leaf        ___ Attack Boost                Castor
        ___ Hit Area Expand   ___ Sp-Defend Down 1            Pollux
        ___ Stamp Card        ___ Pure Leaf
        ___ Point Card        ___ Amy
        ___ P-Defend Down 1   ___ Soul Benediction
        ___ Thera Leaf        ___ Fuse
        ___ Haures            ___ Sitri
        ___ Tent              ___ Zepar
        ___ Strike Expand

You'll get a couple of scenes when you enter Paris.  (Gepetto sure is a wily
old man.)  Clawed Soldiers will burst through the skylight after a bit; send
'em packing.  After seeing how good Karin is with a sword, Gepetto will give
her the NIBELUNG PRELUDE, and she'll learn a sword technique.  This is her
special ability, and it's powered up and added onto by finding all of Wagner's
scores.  Afterwards, Yuri will automatically pick up MR. SOMMELIER and MR.
MATADOR, two Stud Cards.  (Note: You will only get two cards if you have a save
file from the first Shadow Hearts on your memory card.  Otherwise, you will
only get Mr. Sommelier right now.)  The CROCELL crest is by the save point.
Enter the nearby door and open the chest for a THERA LEAF.  Go outside and head
south, admiring the view.  If you go too far south, you'll get attacked.
Instead, go down the stairs to the right and down the hatch.  Follow the linear
path up and out of the subway.

You're now in Montmartre.  Go all the way up the stairs north of you, as far as
you can.  There's a HIT AREA EXPAND up by the lamppost.  Go back down the
stairs a ways and enter the bar for a scene.  Go back the way you came, and
you'll be stopped by a man named Ernest.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Tetsu              Class: Wind
    HP: c. 90          MP: ---
    EXP: 20            Cash: 100
    Souls: 0           Drop: Coral Lariat

   This is just meant to get Blanca's paws wet.  Physical attacks will
   get you through just fine.  Try and finish him off before Blanca
   goes Berserk, but it's no matter if you sacrifice a turn to heal.
   He'll try to lower your P-Def, but he's no threat.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Ernest will give you the STAMP CARD.  This marks the start of Blanca's major
sidequest, the Wolf Bout, and gives him his special skill.  See the sidequest
section for more info.  Go back to the subway station and take the train to the
Champs-�lys�es.  Oh goody!

Walk forward and Pierre and Gerard Magimel will catch you.  Gerard gives you
the POINT CARD.  He's your item shop.  That card allows you to try for
discounts and mark-ups; the more times you shop, the more points you get, and
the higher the discount/mark-up you can go for.  Discounts and mark-ups are
governed by a Spin Ring, a ring game.  Choose which one you want, nail all the
wedges, and you get it.  Miss, and you must pay the original price.  Upgrade
everyone's weapons while you're here.  Pierre is a tailor and makes dresses for
Cornelia, Gepetto's puppet.  Each dress has a class and powers Gepetto's
special ability: magic spells he and Cornelia can do, one for each class.  When
you have more than one dress, you can change it in Gepetto's personal info in
the Command Menu.  Pierre will only make dresses for you if you have Stud
Cards; you have at least one so go ahead and pick out some nice clothes.

After all is said and done, go behind the stairs you came in on and look for a
P-DEFEND DOWN 1.  Go right down the street.  Examine the light post by the kid
with his mum by the car to find a THERA LEAF.  Continue right.  North of the
little girl by the light post is a hotel.  Inside, the HAURES crest can be
found in a chest behind the check-in desk.  Upstairs, enter the last door on
the right to find Dr. Gautier and a TENT.  Now backtrack to the station and
talk to the foreman guarding the stairs leading down.  If you'd like a map for
the up-coming journey through the tunnels, here's a link:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/subway.jpg.  It's drawn in
relation to how the area looks while walking on the screen, not the navi-map.

Follow the linear path to see that we're being followed once again.  Our escape
route is blocked ahead so follow the open path to see a three-way split.  On
the far right side of this area is a STRIKE EXPAND in a chest, and a SHELL
BRACELET is to the far left, next to the hay in the wood corral.  Take the
middle path first.  Head north, and you'll meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK
BOOST by the car that says Amu-328.  Head left.  South is a partially hidden
chest with a SP-DEFEND DOWN 1 inside.  Go north to the save point.  Flip the
switch you find here.  Backtrack to where you found the Ring Soul and head all
the way south until you're at a two-way junction.  There's a PURE LEAF in the
upper left-hand corner here.  Head left (south on your map), and you're back at
the three-way junction.

Now head up the rightmost path.  You'll come to a two-way split; take the upper
path and snag the POCKET WATCH.  Go back and take the other one now.  There are
two paths leading left farther down, take the first one you see.  Go north,
then left, then north to a chest with a PHOENIX TAIL.  Head back and left yet
again.  Go north for a TALISMAN OF LUCK.  From here, go south, right, south,
right to the engine.  Remember that switch we pulled?  It moved this engine so
we can continue north, but we have to go around.   Go right, north, left, and
then as far north as you can to find the AMY crest.  Head down and go right.
North is a ladder.  Climb it and you'll be in the cathedral district.

Among the boxes around the shop is a SOUL BENEDICTION.  Enter the shop and
talk to the junk dealer to get a FUSE.  You can also stock up on items here.
Go back down to the tunnels and backtrack all the way to the beginning of this
tunnel madness, past the three-way junction and back to our blocked escape
route.  You'll be attacked on the way.  Use the fuse on the engine to your
right.  Be sure to use your new save point and make sure you've equipped
someone with your Pocket Watch.  After giving Lenny the slip, Yuri and co. will
run into Veronica.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Castor       Class: Fire         Pollux       Class: Water
    HP: 275      MP: 100             HP: 275      MP: 100
    EXP: 75      Cash: 550           EXP: 75      Cash: 550
    Souls: 25    Drop: Tent          Souls: 25    Drop: Lottery Ticket
                       Sitri                            Zepar

   These guys are going to combo attack you, so it is vitally
   important to focus all your energy on killing one of them first.
   Hopefully you've unlocked more of Yuri's fusions, so you can pick
   one of the opposing classes and wail on your target.  Your most
   recent crests should have given you the Heat Edge and Red Rave
   spells which will come in handy against Pollux.  It is very
   possible to eliminate one of them with a single four-person combo
   if you've been building affinity and are good at the Judgment
   Ring.  They can cause the Tight Ring ailment and have basic attacks
   and magic spells.  The only real danger is the fact that they
   can combo.  Once one of them is down, it's a pretty easy battle.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Veronica vanishes, and we can now go to Le Havre.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Le Havre                            [elh]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Seal of Force    ___ Hit Area Expand   Enemies: Grand Papillon
        ___ Pure Leaf        ___ Strike Expand              Thug
        ___ Thera Seed       ___ Star Brooch                Fat Thug
        ___ Attack Boost     ___ Lottery Ticket
        ___ Wool Coat        ___ Thera Leaf
        ___ Tent             ___ P-Attack Down 1
        ___ Bathin           ___ Mana Leaf

At the bottom of the stairs, you'll find a SEAL OF FORCE by the light post.
Gerard is here; be sure to upgrade your armor and sell your excess stock and
whatnot.  Head south from here over the bridge.  Up the stairs to Yuri's left
is a PURE LEAF.  Loop around the building here to find a chest with a THERA
SEED.  The Ring Soul is waiting by the tree south of this chest; he'll give you
an ATTACK BOOST.  Go back a screen and continue north.  Talk to the men here to
try to get a ride.  Continue on past the save point to the next screen. At the
end of this alley, you'll find a bum and a WOOL COAT.  There's also a TENT by
the barrel to the left.  (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.)  Now head over
from the save point and a man will accost you.  He's a Lottery Member and
forces you to play his game for a ticket.

The Lottery is just a ring game; a Judgment Ring will appear on the screen with
different color wedges that correspond to different prizes, listed to the left.
The needle will spin until you hit the X button.  If it hits a color, you get
that prize.  Choose your wedge carefully; red wedges are generally considered
the best prizes since you can only win one of each, so they're also the hardest
to hit.  If you fail to hit any color wedge, you get tissues which only have
one use in the entire game during the Fort of Regrets sidequest much later on.

   Lottery Member #16
   Ring: Normal
     Bathin                *The special prize here is the BATHIN crest; try
     Hit Area Expand        your best to win it now.  If you miss, be sure to
     Daphne Fruit           come back when you've got another ticket.
     Pure Leaf
     Tissues

As you'll see, you can only play with Lottery Members when you have a ticket.
There are plenty of them scattered around though.  Be sure to get as many as
you can and play all the lotteries you come across.  Keep going down to the
mayor's house.  Pick up the HIT AREA EXPAND outside the storage room to the
right of the entrance.  Inside, you'll find a STRIKE EXPAND to the left and a
STAR BROOCH in the back.  Now talk to the mayor in the house.  Examine the bear
skin rug for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Go upstairs and examine the mayor's portrait
for a THERA LEAF.  Talk to Cole on the right when ready.

Leave and head out to the docks to get your assignment.  Head south to the shop
by the tree, look around, and leave.  Head for the warehouses next.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Grand Papillon       Class: Earth
    HP: 355              MP: 55
    EXP: 50              Cash: 250
    Souls: 0             Drop: P-Attack Down 1
                               Seal of Vitality

   This guy's got great physical strength, can drain your HP to heal
   his, and can lower your P-Atk.  Other than that, there's not much
   to this fight.  Wind magic and Air Edge are good, and combos will
   just leave him in pain.  Make sure to watch your HP, but if you're
   so close to beating him that you can afford to let it drop, go for
   it.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, he'll turn into a bat and fly away, leaving you with some snide
remarks.  He should seem extremely familiar to those who've played the first
Shadow Hearts.  After you meet with the mayor, go back to the shop.  You'll get
a scene.  There's a MANA LEAF back behind Granny Lot's bar when it's over.
Head back to the mayor's to do the right thing.  No good deed goes unpunished;
fight off the mayor's cronies and head back to the shop.  Joachim will now join
you to defend justice, and you get the option to view a tutorial on forming
parties.  Leave town and go to the Wine Cellar.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Wine Cellar                          [ewc]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Bhodi Bracelet   ___ Sp-Attack Down 1   Enemies: Thug
        ___ Seal of Wisdom   ___ Sallos                      Fat Thug
        ___ Mana Seed        ___ Solomon's Key               Centipede
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Mr. Chef                    Gregor (Samsa!)
        ___ Thera Seed                                       Roach Queen
        ___ Silver Bracelet                                  Veronica
        ___ Raum                                             Mersault
        ___ Pure Seed                                        Kelly

Joachim must be in the party for this section.  If you'd like a map for this
area, feel free to go here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winecellar.jpg.  You'll
get attacked past the save point.  Go all the way north, ignoring the paths to
the right, until you can enter a room to the left.  Climb the stairs up and
over and enter the door. There's a BHODI BRACELET in a chest in this room.
Back in the previous room, go up and over the stairs south of you to nab a SEAL
OF WISDOM.  Leave the room and go back a screen.  Take either of the two paths
going right; go north to the next screen when you get a chance.

Head up and go through the door on the right.  There's a chest with a MANA SEED
over the stairs and under the metal platform on the other side of the room.
Flip the switch by the door.  Go up those stairs and hit the switch.  Go
through the newly-opened door for a LOTTERY TICKET in a chest.  Backtrack to
the main path.  Go south, left, and enter the room on the left side of this
area.  Go to the left and down to find a switch under the metal grating; flip
it.  Go back to the entrance, nab the THERA SEED in the chest, go up the stairs
and through the door for a SILVER BRACELET.  Backtrack once again to the main
path.  Exit to the north.

There's a save point in the next storeroom.  Go up the stairs and flip the
switch.  Go back down and up the stairs on the other side of the room.  Flip
the switch underneath them.  Go back to the other set of stairs and flip the
switch on the other side of the room.  Go up the stairs directly behind you and
through the newly-accessible door.  Flip the switch under the stairs to the
south, go up, and flip the switch there.  Climb the stairs on the north side
of the room and flip that switch.  Go up and over the stairs to the south and
flip the switch under them.  Go through the door to the east for the RAUM crest
in a chest.  Go back to the stairs on the north side of the previous room to
find a chest with a PURE SEED in it.  Backtrack to the room with the save point
and head through the door to the north.  Make sure you've got as many Bhodi
Bracelets equipped as you have.  Approach Veronica.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Veronica           Class: Water
    HP: 220            MP: 90
    EXP: 100           Cash: 250
    Souls: 0           Drop: Sp-Attack Down 1

   Joachim will be in his Grand Papillon form, meaning he's stronger
   than usual.  Physical attacks are the way to go here since she'll
   try to lower your S-Atk.  You can use Drain Touch to heal yourself
   and do damage at the same time, but don't be shy about using a
   Thera item if you really need it since Drain Touch doesn't seem to
   drain much.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, Veronica stops playing around and summons a familiar.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Mersault         Class: Wind
    HP: 666          MP: 170
    EXP: 200         Cash: 1500
    Souls: 55        Drop: Sallos

   If Joachim was hurt badly in the last fight, be sure to heal him.
   Also make sure you take out the two smaller enemies before
   tackling the big guy.  He can paralyze you so make sure you've got
   Soul Benediction items handy and Bhodi Bracelets equipped.  Other
   than that, do the usual: combo, use all the Earth magic you've
   got, and start using your support spells.  If you've got the Fire
   fusion, you'll have access to Rage, which is great for Yuri and
   Joachim.  You've got room to experiment as long as someone has the
   Cure magic handy.  Watch the SP, especially if Karin's fighting.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll be back at the mayor's house.  Go back to Granny Lot's and speak with
her to get SOLOMON'S KEY.  See the sidequest section for more detail on what
it's for.  Yuri and co. can now board the ship to England, but there's more to
do in the Wine Cellar, so head back.

Go north two screens and west to find that a man has set up shop here.  His
game, Lucky Chests, is a memory game.  The first level isn't hard.  Pay the 100
cash and try to win the prize, the MR. CHEF Stud Card.  Now go back to where
you fought Veronica to find a wolf.  Give Blanca a Pocket Watch and speak to
it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Kelly            Class: Fire
    HP: c. 200       MP: ---
    EXP: 66          Cash: 300
    Souls: 0         Drop: Strike Expand
                           Seal of Luck

   His special attack inflicts Fast Ring, but the Pocket Watch you
   [hopefully] equipped will save you.  If not, use a Phoenix Tail
   or just put up with it.  That's all that he's got up his furry
   sleeves, really.  Water magic will deal good damage.  The length
   of this fight depends on what spells you've got and your level.
   Make sure to heal Blanca's SP if you can't finish him quickly.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Blanca's Soul Comet is powered up if you win.  Now go to Le Havre and catch
your ship to Southampton by speaking to the guys near the save point.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Port of Southampton                      [eps]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Hit Area Expand          Enemies: Great Gama
          ___ Mr. Detective
          ___ Strike Expand
          ___ Nibelung Scene 4
          ___ Dried Straw
          ___ Leonardo's Bear
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Slow 1
          ___ Seal of Aura
          ___ Locker

Boy, we really are in England; check out that weather!  Go straight to the inn,
Hope & Anchor, across from the entrance to town.  Inside, we'll meet a familiar
face: Kato from the first Shadow Hearts.  Afterwards, nab the chest by the
stairs for a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Go upstairs.  In the first room on the right is
a chest with MR. DETECTIVE.  Kato's in the second room.  Talk with him to recap
his and Yuri's hardships and see how wasted Gepetto and Karin are.  Yuri will
talk with Jeanne next.

Head outside and check the left statue next to the town entrance to find a
STRIKE EXPAND.  Head up to the other side of this area.  Talk with the man at
the bottom of the steps to receive the NIBELUNG SCENE 4.  Go up those steps for
a scene and a piece of DRIED STRAW.  Yuri is not kidding when he says this will
be a pain in the butt; this marks the beginning of a new sidequest, and there's
more info on it in the sidequest section (Item Trading).  There's a hidden
chest with a LEONARDO'S BEAR to the right of the stairs before going down.
Downstairs, keep going to the back of this area to find the Magimel brothers,
an old woman, and a lamppost.  Check the posters on the wall next to the post
for a LOTTERY TICKET.  The old woman is a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #15
   Ring: Normal
     Slow 1                *Try to nab the SLOW 1 if you're one who likes
     Hit Area Expand        customizing your Judgment Ring.
     Talismn. of Mercy
     Thera Seed
     Tissues

Do some shopping, equip your new Leonardo's Bear on Joachim, then head left to
find a wrestling arena.  You'll meet Joachim's teacher, the Great Gama.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Great Gama        Class: Light
    HP: 250           MP: 0
    EXP: 100          Cash: 10
    Souls: 0          Drop: Tissues

   If you did not equip a Leonardo's Bear, there is no way you will
   win this fight.  His Grand Slam technique will knock you clear
   out of the ring, which is Instant Death.  If you have Rage magic,
   now would be an excellent time to use it.  You can use Dark magic
   if you like to rack up damage as well, but Rage works much better.
   Use Thera items or Cure to heal rather than Drain Touch since
   Gama packs a punch.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Joachim will learn a new wrestling technique, powering up his special skill.
If you want to see the nuttier side of Shadow Hearts: Covenant, you will
definitely want to keep in touch with the Great Gama.  There's a SEAL OF AURA
in a chest on the left side of the arena.  Examine the LOCKER in the lower
left-hand corner and Joachim will take it with him as his new weapon after
admiring its beauty.  This is the cool thing about Joachim: you never have to
buy weapons for him.  Just look for weird objects lying around, and he'll take
care of it himself while Yuri makes fun of him.  Just remember to equip it.
(Before leaving, note that one of the kids on the north side of the ring is
named Tyson, the Dreamer!)  Leave town and enter Rhondda Mine.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Rhondda Mine                          [erm]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Lottery Ticket  ___ Pure Seed          Enemies: Barghest
        ___ Mana Seed       ___ Studded Belt                Propolis
        ___ Thera Seed      ___ Pure Seed                   Tammuz
        ___ Thera Seed      ___ Murmur                      Lambton Worm
        ___ Whetstone       ___ Seal of Strength            Grimlock
        ___ Lottery Ticket
        ___ Attack Boost
        ___ Lantern
        ___ Seal of Speed
        ___ Fine Rapier

If you want a map of the mines, here you go:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/rhonddamines.jpg.  It
might be a little cramped due to all the lifts.  Go forward and left all the
way to a LOTTERY TICKET in the corner.  Go north, then southwest to a chest
with a MANA SEED.  Backtrack to where you came in and go up to the save point.
Go north on the next screen to loop around and find a THERA SEED.  Now go back
and go west.  Follow the path around to the next screen.  Hidden in the corner
ahead is a chest with a THERA SEED.  Go east at the next junction and east
again for a WHETSTONE.  Go north and continue to go left to come to a lift.
Examine the poster for a LOTTERY TICKET and go down.

Straight south, the Ring Soul waits in the corner with an ATTACK BOOST.  Ignore
the north fork; it's too dark to continue.  It's the same if you go too far
left on the next screen.  Instead, go south to a lift.  There's a LANTERN in
the little shack here.  Go back up and go to the north junction that was too
dark before.  Yuri will light the lantern and you can see a shack ahead.
Inside is a SEAL OF SPEED.  Go back and go all the way to the left now that we
can see.  Go north, then south to a chest with a FINE RAPIER.  Go back to where
you originally turned north and head south.  Keep going south to loop around to
a dead end with a PURE SEED on the ground.  Go back and head west.  Go
northeast when you get a chance, then east.  At the end of this path is a lone
man, a Lottery Member.

  Lottery Member #14
  Ring: Invisible
    Third Key              *Don't sweat that his Ring is invisible.  You'll
    Hit Area Expand         get a glimpse of the wedges and they're pretty
    Daphne Fruit            large.
    Mana Seed
    Tissues

Go back and go north and then west at the next junction.  At this four-way
intersection, left is a STUDDED BELT, north is Gerard, and south is a lift.
Take it, go south, and check the alcove on your left for a PURE SEED.  Get
ready for a fight in the next area.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Grimlock          Class: Dark
    HP: 780           MP: 215
    EXP: 425          Cash: 1600
    Souls: 65         Drop: Murmur

   This monster will cast Gale on itself, giving it more turns in
   battle, and its special attack causes Slow, giving you less.  You
   should have Gale in your arsenal; use it to counter Slow.  Being
   Dark class, of course, use all the Light magic you have or go the
   physical route using Rage, Holy Edge, and combos.  Oddly enough,
   it knows Heaven (a Light-based attack) so watch out if it casts
   it on Yuri a lot unless you've fused him to a class other than
   Dark or he's not in your party.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Directly behind you is a chest with a SEAL OF STRENGTH.  Exit the mines and
head to Wales.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Wales                             [ewa]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Items: ___ Seal of Life              Enemies: Clawed Commander
         ___ Hit Area Expand                    Lenny
         ___ Attack Boost
         ___ Bearclaw
         ___ Lottery Ticket
         ___ Forneus
         ___ Paralysis 1

Yuri will give you some back story (with his own illustrations!) in the shadow
of Nemeton Monastery.  The chest to your right has a SEAL OF LIFE inside.
Head down and to the right to find a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Approach
Roger's house, as strange as it ever was.  On the right side, the Ring Soul
awaits with another ATTACK BOOST.  To the far left of the entrance is a chest
with the BEARCLAW.  Go inside.  The table south of the entrance has a LOTTERY
TICKET on it, and there's a chest to the northeast with the FORNEUS crest.
Roger's nowhere to be found, and the vending machine in the back is busted so
you can't go shopping.  Equip all the Bhodi Bracelets you have and head
outside.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Lenny             Class: Earth
    HP: 570           MP: 0
    EXP: 666          Cash: 300
    Souls: 70         Drop: Paralysis 1

   Get rid of the Clawed Commanders before tackling Lenny or else
   they'll try to pull off some combo attacks.  Lenny's vulnerable
   to S-Def Down so if someone has that on their ring, have them
   physically attack, hope it takes effect, and then go in with your
   Wind magic.  It's a good idea to have someone casting support
   magic and using healing items in the background since Lenny is no
   novice when it comes to fighting, and you don't want your party
   paralyzed in the middle of a crisis.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll meet a new face after the fight, Thomas.  He's got some gruesome info
on Sapientes Gladio for everyone.  He also urges you to go to Florence to meet
someone named Carla.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    Florence                            [efl]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Strike Expand            Enemies: Jerome
          ___ Thera Seed
          ___ Vepar
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Underground Film
          ___ Seal 1
          ___ Bat's Gold
          ___ Nibelung Scene 7
          ___ Pedometer

You get a scene upon arriving wherein Yuri lusts after the newest pretty face
to cross his path.  Afterwards, search the statue on the left on the north side
of the room to get a STRIKE EXPAND.  Go south to enter town.  To your left is a
THERA SEED in a chest.  To the right, examine the fountain to get the VEPAR
crest.  (Christoph has pointed out in an e-mail that if you did not get Mr.
Matador in Paris, you will be able to get this Stud Card from a woman south of
the fountain.)  Farther to the right, along the north wall, is a LOTTERY TICKET
by a lamppost.  South of there is a man involved in the trading sidequest;
he'll give you an UNDERGROUND FILM for your straw.  There's also a Wolf Bout
opponent nearby.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Jerome            Class: Water
    HP: c. 250        MP: ---
    EXP: 110          Cash: 350
    Souls: 0          Drop: Seal 1

   If you're leveled high enough, this guy is an absolute pushover.
   He'll try to inflict Seal, but physical attacks are more than
   enough to bring him down.  (What does that say about schooling,
   eh?)  If you'd like to use magic before he Seals you, stick with
   Fire attacks.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet will be powered up afterwards.  South of here is a chest with BAT'S
GOLD.  Go across to the fountain again and talk to the man (the one who was
none too happy about Lucia's reading) on the south side to get the NIBELUNG
SCENE 7.  Try to exit town to the southeast to be interrupted by Rooney, the
head of the World Fitness Walking Society.  Yuri experiences d�j� vu as he's
handed a PEDOMETER.  Equip this on someone; it'll count your steps in monster-
infested areas, and you'll get prizes depending on how far you've gone.  Leave
town for a scene.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Manmariana Island                        [emi]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Hit Area Expand   ___ Gemini Tile        Enemies: Fortune Stick
        ___ Virgo Tile        ___ Cancer Tile                 Domovoi
        ___ Aquarius Tile     ___ Sagittarius Tile            Katherine
        ___ Taurus Tile       ___ Pisces Tile                 Andre
        ___ Pure Seed         ___ Scorpio Tile
        ___ Seal of the Soul  ___ Fifth Key
        ___ Libra Tile        ___ Thera Seed
        ___ Aries Tile        ___ Feather Bracelet
        ___ Capricorn Tile    ___ Beleth
        ___ Attack Boost      ___ Purson
        ___ Lottery Ticket    ___ Ocean Oil
        ___ Star Key          ___ Misty Oil
        ___ Petrify 1         ___ Mana Seed
        ___ Leo Tile

Head into the mansion for a scene and a fight.  To your left is a HIT AREA
EXPAND.  Ignore the stairs for now and head north to the next room.  Open the
chest for three tiles: VIRGO, AQUARIUS, TAURUS.  Head back and go up the stairs
to your right.  To the right of the door to the north is a PURE SEED.  Check
the third lamp on the left for a SEAL OF THE SOUL.  Go right when you get the
chance to grab the LIBRA, ARIES, and CAPRICORN tiles.  The Ring Soul is hiding
behind the table with an ATTACK BOOST.  Before you leave, look south of the
exit for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Go north in the corridor to the next room to get
the STAR KEY.  Backtrack to the entrance hall and go up the stairs to the left
now.

On the table in this room are some fortune cookies.  Eat some if you want, but
beware that not all fortunes are good.  They'll either drain or replenish your
HP or MP.  Exit north and go as far north as you can to the next room.  The
puzzle here could be complicated but is explained really well by Karin.  All
you have to do test everyone's blood type with Karin and Lucia.  If the same
person lights the lamp above the door with both of them, his blood type is AB.
You can try it out or *SPOILER* take my word for it that Gepetto's blood is AB.
Inside is PETRIFY 1 (the treasure that would have disappeared had you failed
the puzzle) and the LEO, GEMINI, and CANCER tiles.  Go back and head west when
you get a chance.  In this room are the SAGITTARIUS, PISCES, and SCORPIO tiles.
Go back to the room where we first learned of the zodiac puzzle.  Try another
cookie on your way back; maybe your luck's changed!

The door on the far left deals with an archer, children, and a wild beast so
look for the Leo tile and place it in the far right slot since the lion is the
only man eater in your lot, and where else would a beast hide but in the
bushes? The middle tile is Sagittarius because he's an archer, and the
children, Gemini, are behind him since the archer is supposed to protect them.
Go through this door to get a FIFTH KEY.

The left-hand side of the middle door deals with livestock.  Wool is the least
valuable, so put Aries the sheep on the bottom of the pyramid.  Cheese is
better.  What makes cheese?  Goats (even fish-tailed ones) so Capricorn is
above Aries.  Meat is best, so Taurus the bull is up top.  For the right-hand
side, follow the arrow.  First is fish, so put Pisces in the bottom slot.  Next
it grew legs, which is a perfect fit for a crab, Cancer.  Next it developed
poison which sounds like a scorpion, so Scorpio is last.  Enter and pick up the
THERA SEED.  You can proceed if you like.

The rightmost door is probably the toughest.  It's not hard to figure what
tiles to use, just where to put them.  Virgo should go on the upper of the two
scales since it's her weight you're trying to match.  Aquarius looks like he's
pouring water into something so put him on the lower scale.  The Libra tile
simply goes in the leftover bottom slot.  This door and the middle one both
lead to the same area.

There's a FEATHER BRACELET in the lower left corner.  Heal, equip Pocket
Watches, save, and go down the stairs.  Lucia tries to pull a fast one and
fails.  Silly Lucia, cats never follow orders.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Andre             Class: Fire
    HP: 830           MP: 260
    EXP: 1200         Cash: 1900
    Souls: 75         Drop: Beleth

   By far, the most obnoxious thing about this boss besides its look
   is its Cash Steal attack.  Instead of inflicting damage, it just
   steals your hard-earned money.  Andre will also try to inflict
   Fake Ring, which is the most annoying Judgment Ring ailment ever.
   Get those Phoenix Tails ready.  He's susceptible to P-Def Down
   so inflict it if you can, then pile on the combos.  Water magic
   is effective as well.  He's only really tough if you let Fake Ring
   get the best of you.  His Blaze attack is easily countered with
   a healing item/spell.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll automatically be taken back to Florence, and Carla gives you the PURSON
crest.  She'll then give you her story, and Lucia the ditz will join your
party.  You'll get a primer on her special skill using Tarot cards, and Carla
will give her OCEAN OIL and MISTY OIL to mix for her other skill, Aromatherapy,
which is actually quite useful.  You won't know what the oils do until you mix
them, so experiment.  Leave town and go back to Manmariana Island to where you
fought Andre.  There's a chest with a MANA SEED to the far left.  Now head to
the world map and select the SG Italian Branch HQ.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              SG Italian Branch HQ                      [esg]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Delay 1          ___ Seal of the Urn    Enemies: Gremlin
        ___ Uvall            ___ Strongoids                  Langsuir
        ___ Thera Root       ___ Talsmn. of Mercy            Clawed Commander
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Justice                     Janus
        ___ Hit Area Expand  ___ Sp-Attack Down 2            Henri
        ___ Toggle Switch

In the northeast corner of the first room inside is a chest with DELAY 1 behind
a pillar.  In the next room, there are books scattered all around.  Up by the
piano, you'll find the very useful UVALL crest in a chest and a black book for
you to read.  There's a red book on the table to the south.  A blue book sits
in the southeast corner.  North of there is a yellow book on a shelf.  Examine
the clock in the northeast corner.  The books scattered around all mention
specific times that can be put into the clock in the corner.  The only book you
needed to read to proceed was the blue one, so if you want to go ahead, set the
time to nine.  You might get a kick out of checking out the others times too.

In this corridor, go all the way to the right and examine the painting to gain
access to a secret room.  Flip the switch on the left control panel.  The
machine to the north is missing a part.  Go back and head north through the
new passage.  Go south to grab a THERA ROOT.  Go up past the ladder to find the
password in the middle of the bookshelves.  Go back to the entrance and go east
to the other side of the room for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Go back to the room with
all the machinery and use the password on the console to the left.  Now go
south through the newly-opened passage.

There's a switch in the northeast corner of this room and a HIT AREA EXPAND in
a chest to the northwest.  Open the chest downstairs for a TOGGLE SWITCH.  To
the left is a SEAL OF THE URN in a barrel.  South, you'll find STRONGOIDS in a
chest.  Go back to the machinery room and use the switch on the machine to the
north.  Go to the clock and ride it to the third floor.  On the south side of
this room, the second vase on the left hides a TALSMN. OF MERCY.  Heal and save
in the next room.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Janus             Class: Light
    HP: 880           MP: 69
    EXP: 2000         Cash: 2300
    Souls: 85         Drop: Justice
                            Sp-Attack Down 2

   Janus can lower your S-Atk so it's probably best to go with a
   physical approach.  Rage magic and Dark Edge are good spells to
   cast.  Watch out if Yuri or Lucia are in the party since it will
   cast Light-based magic, and they are susceptible to extra damage.
   Its normal combo is also quite powerful, which is why a dedicated
   healer is always an asset.  The Uvall crest you picked up has the
   Arc Cure spell, so if you equipped it on someone, they'll do fine
   healing your party.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, head to Florence.  Yuri gives us more backstory concerning the
Vatican's forbidden books that caused such a ruckus in the first game.  Talk to
Carla to replenish your party's health.  Go back to the SG Italian HQ to where
you fought Janus to find a wolf waiting in the rubble.  Equip a Pocket Watch
before speaking to it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Henri              Class: Earth
    HP: c. 300         MP: ---
    EXP: 166           Cash: 450
    Souls: 0           Drop: Mana Extract

   Poor old Henri can inflict Reverse Ring, which isn't too bad.
   He also knows Thorn.  Blanca's Wind class so that could be bad,
   but your level should be high enough that it won't cause a
   problem.  Use Thera items to cure your ills.  Soul Comet, being
   Wind-type magic, is really good for damage.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up yet again.  Now head to Wales.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Neam Ruins                           [enr]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Red Mailbox       ___ Leonardo's Bear   Enemies: Calamity Orb
        ___ Rope Ladder       ___ Phenex                     Ofnir
        ___ Face Guard        ___ Getitup!                   Otheon
        ___ Mana Seed         ___ Berith                     Star Gazer
        ___ Talisman of Luck  ___ Attack Boost               Grail Gazer
        ___ Hit Area Expand   ___ Mana Extract
        ___ Thera Seed        ___ Instant Death 1
        ___ Seal of Vitality  ___ Ose
        ___ Lottery Ticket

You should see a RED MAILBOX, an English classic, next to Roger's house.
Examine it and Joachim will claim it.  Inside, you'll find a chest with a ROPE
LADDER up by the save point.  The vending machine is now working; do some
shopping while you can.  Now go out and head north to the fissure.  Use your
ladder to climb down.

Grab the FACE GUARD near the save point.  Get ready for a puzzle on every level
of these godforsaken ruins.  Step forward and ride the block.  Follow the path
and ride the next one.  Ride the one to the north (according to your map) and
get the MANA SEED.  Ride that block back, step on it again, and go left this
time to ride the block there.  Ride the nearest block to go south.  Ride the
northern block here to a chest with a TALISMAN OF LUCK.  Step on the red block
to go to the next level.

Push the triangle button to your right to manipulate the color of the blocks.
You can only ride blocks here if their color corresponds to that of the
"receiving" block, a dock if you will.  Ride the gold one over.  Ride the other
gold one on this platform to a chest with a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Push the button
and ride your new blue block over.  Ride the gold block across from you to nab
a THERA SEED.  Ride the other gold block back to the central platform.  Ride
the blue block across from you to a platform with two gold blocks.  Ride the
left one, push the button, ride it back, and ride the right blue block to the
red panel.

Cross the blue light bridge and push the button you see above you.  Get the
SEAL OF VITALITY in the chest as you go north.  Cross the pink light bridge,
push the button three times, and follow the path to a LOTTERY TICKET.  Now
go back to that pink button and press it two more times to get to the red
panel.

There's a save point here if you need it.  Ride the block.  Then ride the one
next to it down, hit the yellow button, then ride it back up.  Cross the yellow
block and ride the blue one down.  Go to the northwest corner of this area to
find a yellow button.  Press it and go south and east through the new opening.
Ignore the blue block here for now.  Go north to a chest with a LEONARDO'S
BEAR.  Now go back and ride that block up.  Take the one directly north of you
up to a chest with the PHENEX crest.  Back down, go as far north as you can
and press the yellow button.  Go back south and look for a little path to the
left hidden by the rock formation.  Take this block down and flip the yellow
switch (you've been down here before so it should look familiar).  Take that
block back up and hit the yellow button to the north again.  Now go all the
way south and cross the yellow block to get a chest with a GETITUP!.  Push the
yellow button to the north again and ride the leftmost block up to another blue
block that will take you to the exit.

You'll get a scene here.  Continue on to yet another fun puzzle.  Step on the
green, then the blue twice to make the stairs climbable.  There are two of
these puzzles in the next room.  (Ugh.)  Ignore the first one you come to by
stepping on it and hitting "None".  Go the left and tackle this puzzle first.
Step on the colors in the following order: blue, yellow, yellow, blue, blue,
red, red.  Up these steps is the BERITH crest.  Now go solve the other puzzle
by selecting these colors: green, green, yellow.

As soon as you enter this area, head straight to the right to meet the Ring
Soul in the corner for an ATTACK BOOST.  The brothers have set up shop in the
opposite corner next to a save point.  (Why did they have to reset all the
puzzles they'd already solved?  What a big help they are.)  If you like to play
it safe, buy enough Leonardo's Bears for your entire party or make sure you
have at least one and some Talisman items.  Head north to a red panel.

Yuri will automatically demonstrate what you need to do to progress in the next
area.  Step on the yellow blocks to get a glimpse of the path, then follow that
path to make it appear permanently.  Once you step on the path, you can't fall
off the edge.  However, I recommend deviating from the path and falling over at
least once since it's pretty amusing.  On the third path, head to Yuri's right
to fill out a walkway that leads to a chest with a MANA EXTRACT and a shortcut
if you fall.  Head back and fill out the rest of that last path to a red panel.
Heal and save and make sure you've got Leonardo's Bears equipped.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Grail Gazer   Class: Water              Star Gazer    Class: Water
    HP: 1240      MP: 409                   HP: 320       MP: 0
    EXP: 2900     Cash: 2500                EXP: 200      Cash: 200
    Souls: 90     Drop: Instant Death 1     Souls: 2      Drop: ---
                        Ose

   The two Star Gazers' special attack inflicts Instant Death, and
   they will combo with the Grail Gazer so you want to take them out
   as soon as possible.  Hit hard and fast; combos with Heat Edge or
   Fire Magic work well if you've been building that affinity.  The
   Grail Gazer has circular magic so watch out when performing combos
   around it.  Again, anything Fire based is good for offense.  It
   is susceptible to both P-Atk and S-Atk Down, the latter of which
   might come in handy since it likes to use Hail Breeze a lot and
   can rack up nice damage against Fire class fighters.  Your dedicated
   healer should have Arc Cure available; that spell is nice to have
   here since Hail Breeze can and will hit multiple party members.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Yuri will black out afterwards and find himself in the Graveyard.  Looks like
his soul is trying to give him ideas.  Now it's off to Cannes to deliver the
book and save Roger.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Cannes                             [eca]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Seal of Force
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Grass Oil
          ___ Treasure: Dawn
          ___ Waterway Key
          ___ Mr. Samurai
          ___ Marchosias
          ___ Limestone Block
          ___ Western Belt

Head down the stairs.  Check the second flower box above you for a SEAL OF
FORCE.  Go east.  Before going down the next set of stairs, check the lamppost
above Yuri for a LOTTERY TICKET.  You'll find GRASS OIL in the fountain at the
base of the stairs.  To the left is Loud Croft, who'll challenge Yuri to find
some treasure he's hidden.  Your first clue is TREASURE: DAWN.  Be sure to read
it in your inventory and keep it in the back of your mind.  Enter the bar next
to him.  At the back is Nelson, the man who'll get you to St. Marguerite.  He
lets you use his boat and gives you the WATERWAY KEY in exchange for keeping
him out of it.  The other man in the bar will give you the MR. SAMURAI Stud
Card for buying him a drink for 500 cash.  Talk to him again to learn that he's
had enough.  Back outside and farther to the left is a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #13
   Ring: Small
     Marchosias            *You'll definitely want the MARCHOSIAS crest; the
     Face Guard             red wedge is at about 7:00 and isn't too hard to
     Hit Area Expand        hit.
     Pure Seed
     Tissues

There's also a kid walking along this stretch of walkway that will take your
underground film and give you a LIMESTONE BLOCK.

Pierre and Gerard are on the next screen.  South of here is the dock.  There's
nothing interesting on the beach so head all the way down to a chest with a
WESTERN BELT by Nelson's boat.  Set sail to St. Marguerite.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             St. Marguerite Island                      [esm]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Camio             ___ Fountain Pen       Enemies: Stray Wolf
        ___ Lottery Ticket    ___ Adhesive                    Paladin
        ___ Face Guard        ___ Bifrons                     Clawed Admiral
        ___ Slow 2            ___ Bent Wire                   Philippe
        ___ Ring of Keys      ___ Handmade Key                Oscar
        ___ Temperance        ___ Nibelung Scene 2            Kheperer
        ___ Poison 2          ___ Daphne Fruit                Gatorback
        ___ Wheel of Fortune  ___ Seal of Strength            Godhand
        ___ Strike Expand     ___ Earthen Pipe
        ___ Sp-Defend Down 2  ___ Pure Root
        ___ Attack Boost      ___ Lottery Ticket
        ___ Tent              ___ Seal of Luck
        ___ Thera Extract     ___ Treasure: Love

I have a map for this area; I don't know how easy it is to read, but if you
would like it, it's here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/stmisland.jpg.  Right off
the bat, Yuri will get the key stolen by a wolf.  You'll now be in control of
Blanca.  Through the hole, there's a save point and a saleswolf to the north if
you need anything.  Past him, you'll find the CAMIO crest on the ground.  To
the northeast is the thief.  Beat him down!  You'll automatically be taken
back, so you can head inside.  In the room with the card table, check the
corner for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Past here, the north gate is locked and the
warehouse is useless now, so head right.  Your exit is locked in the next room,
and you need to talk to the cellmates to learn the code.  At the end of the
southernmost row of cells, you'll find a FACE GUARD in a chest.  Talk to the
guy closest to you to learn there's an 8 in the code.  The next guy hints that
the numbers are in descending order and are all 4 or higher.  The cells in the
next row up house a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #12
   Ring: Fickle
     Slow 2                *The needle is fickle but it starts so slow that if
     Western Belt           you hit the wedge on the first rotation, you won't
     Talsmn. of Mercy       notice and can easily get the SLOW 2 if you want.
     Thera Seed
     Tissues

The guy next door says all the numbers are even.  Putting all your clues
together, you will get the code 864.  Input it and move on.

You'll get a couple scenes down the stairs.  What follows is a staple of the
Shadow Hearts series.  First off, Veronica is going to choose someone to play
with.  It's hard to tell who she's looking at when cycling through the options,
but you can make an educated guess as to who it is, and guessing is half the
fun.  Pick someone and she'll take them away.  Now, there's a prize for getting
through her torture.  If you get through without getting shocked, you'll get
the best prize: a new weapon for the victim.  Choose the first option every
time to ensure you don't get shocked and survive Veronica's game.  There are
lesser prizes to win based on the second and third options as well.  Really,
getting a prize isn't that big of a deal.  I say just play through this for the
entertainment value since some of the things your party members can say to
Veronica are downright hilarious.

We're switched over to Blanca again to save the day.  Head through the hole,
equip a Silver Bracelet, and go to the northeast to encounter a Wolf Bout
opponent.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Philippe            Class: Dark
    HP: c. 360          MP: ---
    EXP: 240            Cash: 600
    Souls: 0            Drop: Pure Extract
                              Shell Bracelet

   Philippe's special attack causes Mental Break, so use your magic
   while you can before your MP is totally depleted (unless you
   equipped a Silver Bracelet).  Attack however you want as long as
   you make sure to take a turn or two to heal your HP.  Don't worry
   about replenishing MP since this fight shouldn't last long and
   physical attacks and Thera items will pull you through.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Blanca will learn Full Moon for winning.  Back inside, you'll run into guards
(red triangles on your map) that will attack if they see you.  Honestly, it's
not a big deal if they do.  You get EXP if you fight, and it gets harder to
avoid them later on; it's just so much easier to fight than flee.

Run past the first one, *walk* over the branches to the north, and go south.
Enter the door to the right while the two guards here are looking away (don't
worry about that chest, we can get it later).  Use the pillars to hide from the
guard in this hall.  In the office room, search around until you get the RING
OF KEYS.  Head back out and exit to the right.  The guard here is extra alert
so be careful when making your way north.  More guards await down the stairs.
Your destination is the northern door.  To draw the guards out in the next
room, walk right up behind the gate to get their attention.  This will make
them patrol around this little room so you can play hide-and-go-seek with them
via the pillars.  Go through the north door.  Make sure you have a Shell
Bracelet equipped before you step forward!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Oscar             Class: Wind
    HP: 400           MP: 0
    EXP: 600          Cash: 2000
    Souls: 0          Drop: Temperance
                            Poison 2

   Oscar's deadliest attack is his ability to poison you.  If he
   poisons you once and gets you again, he'll give you Deadly Poison.
   He also knows a spell called Remove, which will cancel out all
   support magic you cast, so don't bother.  Since you're fighting
   alone, always heal first and attack second.  His magic attacks are
   Wind class so Blanca can weather them.  If you have either P-Atk
   or S-Atk Down on Blanca's ring, you can lower the amount of damage
   Oscar inflicts and start piling on your own.  P-Atk Down is
   definitely the preferred of the two.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Remember your treasure clue?  Mash the X button near the end of the chain to
find the WHEEL OF FORTUNE card.  The chest on the upper right side of the room
has a STRIKE EXPAND.  Head down the stairs to find your party.  The chest to
the left has your prize for the torture scene, and SP-DEFEND DOWN 2 is hidden
in the boxes nearby.  Make use of your new save point as well.  Go south past
where you fought Oscar, exit south, then head straight right in the next room
to meet the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST.  Exit to the south.

Up the stairs, a man will stop you and offer to make a key for Roger's cell if
you can get him the supplies.  To the south in this hall is a chest with a
TENT.  Exit to the west.  Go upstairs to find a chest with a THERA EXTRACT;
examine the desk for a FOUNTAIN PEN.  Before going downstairs, go to the left
and go through the metal gate in this hall.  Go in the warehouse to the left to
get some ADHESIVE.  Back through the gate, exit left.  Go straight left to get
that chest we saw earlier; it has the BIFRONS crest.  Go to the southwest
corner of this area to the hole where Blanca came in.  The wolf outside will
give you a BENT WIRE.  Head all the way back to the locksmith in the cell.
(Exit east as far as you can, and he'll be to the north.)  You'll get the
HANDMADE KEY and the NIBELUNG SCENE 2.

Exit west and go downstairs now to a chest with a DAPHNE FRUIT.  The next room
is Veronica's and should look familiar.  There's a SEAL OF STRENGTH by the
machine.  Exit to the right, and you'll see an EARTHEN PIPE on the ground.
Examine it and it's yours.  The chest up top contains a PURE ROOT.  Hidden up
on the other side of the room is a LOTTERY TICKET.  Up the stairs and through
the door puts you with the prisoners that helped you with the code lock.  Exit
west, north through the gate, and west.  You want to go in the north door in
this area.  Hug the left wall as you advance and snag the SEAL OF LUCK hiding
by a pillar.  (Thanks to DarkBlood for pointing this out.)  There's a save
point beyond it; make good use of it.  Equip Mirror Bracelets if you have them
or just make sure you've got ways to combat Petrify.  Inside, we have one more
obstacle keeping us from Roger.  There's a couple of easy battles before the
big one.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Godhand             Class: Earth
    HP: 1960            MP: 0
    EXP: 4400           Cash: 4000
    Souls: 95           Drop: Thera Extract
                              Bandit Earrings

   Lenny in his new form can cause Petrify, which is a terrible,
   terrible status ailment.  If you don't have Mirror Bracelets but
   Lucia is in the party, you can use her Aromatherapy skill with
   Misty and Ocean Oils to protect everyone from status abnormalities.
   This is only for one turn, so it can feel tedious casting it over
   and over, but petrifaction is no laughing matter.  At least make
   sure someone is on hand with Heal magic or Soul Benediction items.
   You can also try and inflict Slow on him to give yourself a little
   more breathing room.  The Godhand is all raw power.  He can attack
   multiple party members with his Deadly Three attack, and if one of
   the bystanders happens to be petrified, things get ugly.  Shield
   magic or Lucia's aromatherapy will come in handy boosting your
   defenses, and Arc Cure is also a good idea.  Pile on the Wind-
   powered combos and watch your SP because this fight might drag on.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, everyone has their laughs at Roger's expense.  You can try to name
him if you want, but (like in the last game) he won't have it.  Next stop,
Cannes, to hear what Roger knows about Sapientes Gladio.  Before you head back
to Wales, talk to Croft outside the bar to rub your hunting prowess in his
face and get a new clue, TREASURE: LOVE.  It may look weird, but read it
backwards and it'll be clear.  Talk to Roger in his house and then flip the
switch on the right wall.  Take the elevator down and head left.  Roger will
unveil his airship to miraculous applause.  Heh.  He'll then fly us to Russia.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Petrograd                            [ep1]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Seal of Life      ___ Super Piroshki    Enemies: Pendulum
        ___ P-Attack Down 2   ___ Lottery Ticket             Quartzback
        ___ The Empress       ___ Espada                     Wormgaur
        ___ Mana Root         ___ Prism Band                 Victor
        ___ Pure Root         ___ Circlet                    R-3
        ___ Hit Area Expand   ___ Eligos
        ___ Seal of Wisdom    ___ Bell Bracelet
        ___ Furcas            ___ Halphas
        ___ P-Defend Down 2   ___ Night Oil
        ___ Strike Expand     ___ Lion Shrine Key
        ___ Lottery Ticket    ___ Pirate Earrings
        ___ Nibelung Scene 5

You'll get a scene.  Enter our newest enemy, the Mad Monk Rasputin.  Prepare to
forsake all your history schooling as we meet Anastasia next.  The Winter
Palace is pretty big, and it's easy to get lost if it's your first time
through.  Therefore, I've got a map:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winterpalace.jpg.  Be
warned that you're going to be making multiple trips through the halls, and
this map covers the whole palace, so there's places on it you won't be able to
get to yet.  For now, let's go item hunting, shall we?  Exit this hall to the
south.  Go in the second door on your right to find a chest with a SEAL OF LIFE
by the beds.  Exit the hall to the south and go to the next hall over since two
guards are blocking the staircase.  Before going in, check this corner for a
hidden chest with P-ATTACK DOWN 2.  In the first door on the left, check the
teddy bear for THE EMPRESS.  The chest by the bed contains a MANA ROOT.  Leave
and speak to Ewan in the third room on the left.  Go back to Anastasia's room
(the one with the save point).  Choose to sleep to move on.  She'll
automatically sneak out to Edgar's shop to get a camera.  Seems Kato's in town
as well...

Outside, you'll get a primer on Anastasia's special abilities, Snap Shot and
Album.  Whenever she's in a fight, she can take pictures of enemies to figure
their stats, replacing those annoying question marks we've seen up until now.
Fun fact: This is also the only special ability in the game that does not
require the Judgment Ring.  However, you'll only get to see this info when she
is in the battle party or through your library.  Certain enemies grant her
summoning abilities so make sure you snap as many pictures as you can.  Back to
matters at hand, the chest right next to you has a PURE ROOT.  North is the way
out of town.  Go south (looks like left from this camera angle) two screens to
be outside the palace.  Go to your left for a chest way back in the corner of
the screen for a HIT AREA EXPAND.  Check the lamppost closest to the screen for
a SEAL OF WISDOM.  Pierre and Gerard are in the right-hand corner.  Go to the
opposite side of this area, near the palace entrance.  North of the steps is a
chest with the FURCAS crest.  Exit this area through the archway, the way you
came.

Go back to the intersection and head right (towards the screen).  Anastasia
will spot Rasputin and hide.  Follow him to the next screen.  Make note of
where he goes next, then run towards the camera to the corner for a P-DEFEND
DOWN 2 in a chest.  Go over to the bridge and check the left lamppost for a
STRIKE EXPAND.  Go down the little stairs for a scene.  Anastasia will get into
trouble; guess who comes to the rescue?  Be sure to take a picture of the
monster when fighting, and you'll get her first summon attack.  Afterwards,
it's a party at Edgar's place.  There's a LOTTERY TICKET behind the counter but
nothing in the back room.  Outside, speak to the old man south of the shop on
the way to the palace; now that Karin's with you, he'll give you the NIBELUNG
SCENE 5.  You might want to go shopping before heading inside and, if you have
it, talk to the artist near the brothers to trade your limestone block for a
SUPER PIROSHKI.

A scene occurs.  Politics are fun, yes?  Go in the door past the save point,
then north to the next room.  Check the second flower pot for a LOTTERY TICKET.
The next room up has the ESPADA in a chest.  Head back to the save point and
go up the stairs to the east hall.  Enter the second door on the right and
speak to the woman on the right to play the Lottery.

   Lottery Member #11
   Ring: Reverse
     Prism Band            *The PRISM BAND is one of Joachim's special
     Replacement Man        accessories; luckily, winning it is a cinch.
     Hit Area Expand
     Mana Seed
     Tissues

Past the save point, go in the door to the left and then the north to meet with
the Empress.  Go into one of the two doors to the north; inside, check behind
the bed for a CIRCLET.  Now do as your mother says and go to your room.  (It's
the first door on the left in the west hall if you've forgotten.)  Enjoy your
history lesson; most of it is actually true (except for the part about Nicholas
being a good man).  Afterwards, form your team, of which Anastasia must be a
member, because you'll start getting random encounters in the halls.  Head out
to the main hall, go down the stairs, and go through the door to the north and
then through the next.  Go north yet again.  Through the door between the
stairs is a store room of sorts.  In the northwest corner is the ELIGOS crest.
Go back and up the stairs to the left-hand side of the room to grab a BELL
BRACELET.  Enter the door on the right-hand side.  In this hall, enter the door
to the far right.  Go south, then to the first door you see on your right to
confront Victor.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Victor              Class: Fire
    HP: 1800            MP: 200
    EXP: 5200           Cash: 4200
    Souls: 100          Drop: Halphas
                              Night Oil

   Victor will fight you with his Pendulum familiar.  He'll use
   Entrance to boost its magic power so you want to focus on killing
   it first so they can't work together.  Pendulums can poison you as
   well as inflict Reverse Ring; Victor knows Magma, can attack
   with his sword, and can inflict Seal.  This is where Blanca's Full
   Moon ability saves lives!  Once you've taken out the Pendulum, get
   to work on Victor.  Anastasia is Water class so she needs to be
   especially careful of Victor's magic.  He can pack a punch and hit
   multiple party members with Magma.  Try inflicting P-Atk or S-Atk
   Down if it's on your ring.  Hit him hard with combos and all your
   Water magic.  If you remembered to take a picture of the Pendulum,
   Anastasia can use Aqua Raise on him.  Be always mindful of SP since
   Anastasia's is low to begin with, and Victor will hang in there.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Pick up the LION SHRINE KEY afterwards.  Go up past the save point.  In the
second room on the right is a chest with PIRATE EARRINGS.  The door at the end
of this hall is the Lion Shrine.  Save if you like, then head up for a scene.
No fight with Rasputin this time, as it seems we can't break that shield of
his.  Yuri then flashes back to scenes of the first game before passing out due
to the curse.  Looks like we're not going to be welcome in Russia again for a
while.  Don't leave town yet because a Wolf Bout opponent has shown his face in
the alley where Anastasia met her first monster.  Equip a Feather Bracelet and
speak to it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    R-3              Class: Light
    HP: c. 500       MP: ---
    EXP: 400         Cash: 900
    Souls: 0         Drop: Feather Bracelet
                           Strike Expand

   The emoticon-using pooch from space can cause Panic (as all space
   creatures would among Earthlings).  Since Blanca's SP isn't too
   great, this could be a problem.  Cast Shield/Barrier and Rage and
   you're good to go.  If you didn't protect against Panic, Shield
   and Barrier will make his attacks super weak, giving you enough
   health to be able to sacrifice a turn to use a Pure item.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up.  Leave town; the soldiers won't let you do much else.
Head to the Goreme Valley.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Goreme Valley                         [egv]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Marax
          ___ Seal of Aura
          ___ Seere
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Blue Cape
          ___ Evasion Down 2
          ___ Attack Boost

Hey, it's Thomas Lawrence.  Er, Edward Lawrence.  (Does that name sound
familiar, you World War I buffs?)  Head into the valley.  That chest holds the
MARAX crest.  The brothers are here as well.  Head towards the entrance to get
stopped by Sarah.  This marks the start of King Solomon's Trials, which are the
pit fights reincarnated.  They're actually a mix of fights and puzzles. They're
worth your time to finish since Sarah will give you prizes for completing them.
See the sidequest section for strategy and prize lists.  You can do the first
four trials right now if you wish.

Inside, in the first door to your right, you'll find a chest with a SEAL OF
AURA.  Outside, head up the stairs.  What a beautiful sunset.  Remember your
last treasure clue?  Mash X around the pillar to get the SEERE crest.  In
the next room to the right, you'll find a LOTTERY TICKET on one of the tables.
Go up and talk to Lawrence and head inside.  There's a short hall to your
right down this corridor; inside is a chest with a BLUE CAPE.  Now continue
down the corridor to meet with Jovis.  Afterwards, look behind the altar in
this room for an EVASION DOWN 2.  Your destination is the door in the northeast
corner of this room.  Before going up to talk with Jovis again, head to the
right side of this room to meet the Ring Soul again for an ATTACK BOOST.  When
ready, speak to the bishop to get going.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Mirror Castle                          [emc]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Third Key                Enemies: Tweedledee
          ___ Glass Key                         Tweedledum
                                                Ogoroja
                                                Karin
                                                Yuri
                                                Amon

You'll be in the Graveyard to start.  Do any soul fusion business you might
have, then head through the door north of the Yuri Tree.  After a chat with
Jeanne, go through the northern door.  Take a few steps forward to get into a
scripted fight.  This castle is a one-time only visit, but there's really not a
lot to do.  I've drawn a map to provide a visual to help you see how the mirror
system that's in place here works:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/mirrorcastle1.jpg.  You'll
need to get used to it if you want to do a certain sidequest later.  Follow the
corridor through the door.  You'll pass some mirrors on your way around the
place, but we can't do anything with them yet.  At the end of the second
corridor, pass through the mirror-like archway to the right and through the
door to the north.  In the fireplace lounge, examine the mirror since there's
nothing through the door to the north right now except a save point.  You'll
have to fight your reflections, which makes for an odd but easy battle since
Mirror Yuri won't fuse and both are pretty weak.  You're now inside the mirror
part of the castle.  Karin explains how this works, and Jovis will fully heal
you.

Go through the north door to get a THIRD KEY in a chest.  Now go south through
the lounge.  Our destination is the mirror version of where we started in the
castle.  Go through the archway to your right and follow the corridor down,
ignoring all the mirrors.  When you get to the circular room, open the chest
for the GLASS KEY.  Backtrack and fight your way through the first mirror you
see to your left.  Now make your way back to the fireplace lounge and go
through the door to the north.  Heal and save, open the door, and step on the
circular pattern to get Amon to show himself.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Amon             Class: ---
    HP: 765          MP: 268
    EXP: 6800        Cash: 6000
    Souls: 105       Drop: Pure Extract
                           Seal of the Urn

   Yay for swanky new battle music!  Amon looks intimidating: he has
   no class and so no glaring weaknesses.  He's also immune to all
   ailments, so this is really a battle of pure strength.  Fuse Yuri
   and boost his attack stats with either Rage or Surge (depending on
   which fusion you chose).  Karin is best suited for acting solely
   as support.  Amon has two special attacks, Demon Rays and The End,
   and the standard combo; depending on your level, they might not do
   much damage, but it can and will add up.  This battle is not tough
   and shouldn't pose a real challenge as long as you don't forget to
   heal and protect yourself.  In other words, don't rush.  If you
   have the Fire fusion leveled up, Rage and Energy Charge will
   absolutely blow Amon away.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, Yuri meets up with an old friend from the first Shadow Hearts:
Albert Simon.  Leave it to Albert to make us feel like crap after beating him
in the first game.  You'll get Amon's soul afterwards and a scene with Nicolai
and Rasputin for more WWI history.  After Yuri and Karin talk, go to the
bishop's room (the one with the Blue Cape earlier) to start a whole 'nother
series of cutscenes until we're back in Petrograd.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Petrograd                            [ep2]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Mana Seed         ___ Plastron           Enemies: Jack
        ___ Nibelung Scene 8  ___ Silver Locket               Jill
        ___ Thera Root        ___ Ipos                        Agony
        ___ Lottery Ticket    ___ Talsmn. of Mercy            Necros
        ___ The Magician      ___ Haagenti                    Peryton
        ___ Attack Boost      ___ Moon Oil                    Night Queen
        ___ Leraje            ___ Mr. Swan
        ___ Leonardo's Bear   ___ Tissues
        ___ Andromalius       ___ Purple Bondage
        ___ Seal 2            ___ Silver Angel
        ___ Talisman of Luck  ___ Frozen Tuna
        ___ Strongoids        ___ Panoramic Lens

Make your way to the area where Anastasia tracked down Rasputin and took his
picture last time: the stairs by the bridge out of town.  Jeanne will
interrupt you to tell you that you can now attain level three fusions by
collecting certain items (Soul Drops), but more on that later.  Down the
stairs, speak to Prince Yusupov to gain entrance to the Gallery of the Dead.
Go back up the stairs and check the boxes here for a MANA SEED.  Back down,
examine the skeleton to get the NIBELUNG SCENE 8.  There's a map available for
this area: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/gotd.jpg.

Ahead is a gate and a lever, both with a Cyrillic/Russian character on them.
(ANSI doesn't like me using actual Cyrillic characters, so I'm going to try to
mimic them with an English equivalent to the best of my ability.)  Anastasia
will give you a grammar lesson each time you find one of these, and Gepetto
explains how to use them to get through this area.  Pull the lever and continue
on.  Examine the next skeleton you see for a THERA ROOT.  Go north when you
can.  Then head west, check the skeleton for a LOTTERY TICKET, and flip the "E"
switch.  Go back and head all the way north and check the right-hand corner for
THE MAGICIAN.  Go down and head right under the "E" gate.

You should notice a wolf in one of the cells ahead of you.  Equip a Bhodi
Bracelet before speaking to it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Necros             Class: Dark
    HP: c. 550         MP: ---
    EXP: 650           Cash: 1300
    Souls: 0           Drop: Talsmn. of Mercy

   Necros can paralyze you, and that's about it.  After you neutralize
   that special attack, he's a normal wolf, and you should be used to
   them by now.  If you didn't protect against paralysis, hope it
   doesn't take effect when he uses it since you can't battle with a
   paralyzed one-person party.  Use Rage and/or Surge to make short
   work of him.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up.  Go south according to your map and hit the "K"
switch.  Head all the way north and go as far east as you can to meet the Ring
Soul again to get an ATTACK BOOST.  Go south to get the LERAJE crest in a
chest.  Now go back to where you found the Magician card (northwest of the wolf
fight); the gate nearby should be raised.  Go as far west as you can to nab the
LEONARDO'S BEAR in the corner here.  Follow this path until you come to a room.

The exit is north and west, but it is blocked.  Go north anyway and turn right
to flip the "A" switch.  Back in the room, examine the coffins and the wall to
find out who is blocking our exit.  The sign on the other side of the wall
shows what gates are open and how many are left.  Check the southwest corner of
this room for the ANDROMALIUS crest.  Save if you want and head south.

Go left when you get a chance and open the chest in the corner for a SEAL 2.
Follow the path and examine the skeletons you find before the intersection
for a TALISMAN OF LUCK.  Start by taking the west path and follow it as it
loops around and around, checking the one metal gate you see for STRONGOIDS.
Take the north path to a chest with a PLASTRON and the "B" switch.  That gate
was down the east path, right next to the "P" switch.  Following this path will
take you back to the original intersection.  The southern switch, "b", is now
unblocked.  Flip it.

Head north back to the room with the save point.  Go east, south as far as you
can, west, then south to find the SILVER LOCKET.  Use the left path past the
save point to get back to the coffin room quickly; just follow it north.
Examine the middle coffin to give the man his locket.  Now you can exit these
tunnels by going north, then west.  Dimitri will meet you, and you can proceed
to the palace for a scene.  (Thank goodness the Tsar has more sense than his
wife.)

When you gain control, go left, down the stairs, and to the right.  The
brothers have set up shop next to a save point.  Stock up on Leonardo's Bears
if you want to play it safe with the next boss.  Head through the door south of
them and continue south to find a chest with the IPOS crest (give that to
someone ASAP).  Head right for a scene and a scripted fight.  Go south and
check the fountain for a TALSMN. OF MERCY.  Now head up the spiral staircase
after making sure you have all your Leonardo's Bears equipped.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Night Queen         Class: Water
    HP: 2380            MP: 420
    EXP: 9900           Cash: 8000
    Souls: 110          Drop: Haagenti
                              Moon Oil

   Take care of the two Peryton first.  As noted before, the Night
   Queen's special attack causes Instant Death.  If you didn't equip
   Leonardo's Bears, it's not the end of the world as long as you
   make sure the next person in line sacrifices their turn to revive
   the fallen party member.  She's vulnerable to P-Def and S-Def Down,
   so try to inflict it if it's on your ring to make your attacks
   worth more damage.  The Ipos crest you recently got has the
   extremely useful Arc Gale spell, which gives your entire party
   more turns in battle.  You can imagine how awesome that is; cast
   it as soon as possible!  Have your magic users buff everyone up
   and heal when needed.  The Night Queen has a variety of spells at
   her disposal and she knows your characters' weaknesses so she'll
   pick their opposing class to maximize damage.  This means Barrier
   magic is good to have here.  Arc Gale will give you enough turns
   to cure whatever ails you.  Use Heat Edge, Arc Rage, Surge, combos,
   and all that good stuff to bring the Night Queen down.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You get an amazing cutscene for winning.  Afterwards, talk to the guard walking
along this corridor to get the MR. SWAN Stud Card.  Head over to the east wing;
now we can finally snoop in Rasputin's bedroom (it's the sixth door on the
right).  Check both sides of the bed for TISSUES and PURPLE BONDAGE.  You can
shop for new equipment from the hefty man near the save point in the main hall.
Make your way back to the roof where you fought Veronica (north until you hit
the stairs, then east and south and up the stairs), and check the snow to the
northwest for a SILVER ANGEL, something you won't have a use for for a while
yet.  You'll get a scene when you go outside.  When you gain control, head
south and examine the FROZEN TUNA stuck in the snow outside the palace.  Go
give Pierre that Purple Bondage and your new Stud Card; I'm sure he'll love
them.  Make your way to Edgar's place and speak to him for Anastasia's
PANORAMIC LENS, supper, and a scene.  Head to the world map to Idar Flamme.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Idar Flamme                           [eif]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Mana Root         ___ Third Key          Enemies: Gigafilaria
        ___ Jupiter Fan       ___ Feather Bracelet            Megafilaria
        ___ Paralysis 2       ___ Hit Area Expand             Zamuza
        ___ Cosmic Bracelet   ___ Will Power                  Echidna
        ___ Soul Benediction  ___ Pure Root                   Hati
        ___ Strike Expand     ___ Seal of Speed               Mother Filaria
        ___ Bat's Gold        ___ Replacement Man             Asmodeus
        ___ Thera Root        ___ The World
        ___ Silver Bracelet

Ugh, I hate this place.  Thank goodness it's a one-time only visit.  There are
items scattered around these landmark-less tunnels, but if you ever want to get
to your destination quickly, just head north.  If you would like a map of this
area to follow instead, here's a link to one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme1.jpg.
Go up past the save point until you see a pod blocking your way.  Running into
it will get you into a fight with some normal enemies; just be aware that these
things are scattered around the tunnels as well as fake walls that disappear as
you approach.  Also, have Anastasia snap the Hati enemy in this area for the
Direct Press album.

The first intersection you come to will have a chest in the upper left corner
with a MANA ROOT.  Continue up this path and turn right at the next
opportunity.  In the U-bend of this skinny path is a chest with the JUPITER
FAN.  Follow it until you come to a four-way split.  Take the lower right path
and fight your way through the pod for a chest with a PARALYSIS 2.  Go right at
the three-way intersection and right again at the next.  As it loops around,
it'll take you to yet another three-way after a pod fight; take the skinny path
leading right to a dead end with three chests to nab a COSMIC BRACELET, SOUL
BENEDICTION, and STRIKE EXPAND.  Go back to the intersection and take the upper
left path.  It will lead you to yet another three-way split.  Take the southern
path to a chest with BAT'S GOLD but then go back up to the split and take the
left path now.  Go south and then left at the next intersection.  Follow it to
a pod and another three-way split.  Take the northern path for two chests at a
dead end for a THERA ROOT and a SILVER BRACELET.  And that is it for treasure
in this hellhole.  Find the nearest main path (go to the last intersection and
turn left) and then go north as far as you can to reach a save point and the
Maigmel brothers.  If you need to return to the beginning of this stage for any
reason, ask them to give you a ride.  Exit to the north.

Here's a [somewhat condensed] color-coded map for this new area:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme2.jpg.  Head
right to the next screen and keep going as far right as you can.  North is a
THIRD KEY.  Go left and north to hit the purple switch by the fan.  Go left
again but instead of going through the new door, continue left to the next
screen.  Hit the light blue switch to the far left and go through the nearby
door north of you.  Go north, then west to hit the green switch.  Now go east
and hit the yellow switch.  South and then east is a chest with a FEATHER
BRACELET.  Straight east through the nearby door is another chest with a HIT
AREA EXPAND.  North is a save point.  Go south to the next screen.  Head right
to go enter that door you opened earlier.  Go east as far as you can and hit
the purple switch to the south.  That reveals a chest with a WILL POWER to the
north.  Now go west and hit the pink switch by the fan.  Go back a screen and
head north, then east to hit the other yellow switch.  Go west until you hit a
save point.  Heal and save.  Immediately after going through the yellow door
but before going to the next screen, you'll see a chest with a PURE ROOT to
your right.  You'll automatically be brought into a fight in the next room.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Mother Filaria        Class: Light
    HP: 700               MP: 230
    EXP: 3000             Cash: 2000
    Souls: 30             Drop: Mana Extract

   You'll have to fight four of these things total (two per fight).
   Focus on them one at a time.  Get in the habit of casting all
   your Arc spells at the beginning of each fight if you haven't
   already.  You'll need ones like Gale and Rage to keep on top of
   these guys since they know Cure.  Use combos and exploit their
   weaknesses to eliminate at least one before they can start healing
   each other.  If Anastasia's in your party, she can use her new
   Direct Press skill to halve these guys' HP.  Attack-wise, they
   can combo and know basic Light magic, so Dark fighters beware.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, check the left side of the room for a SEAL OF SPEED and run along
the wall on the right side to find a REPLACEMENT MAN.  Heal, save, and give
your fighter with the least SP that Will Power accessory you found (or any
others you might have) before moving on.

I have to say, there is something oddly funny about hearing the Mad Monk turn
Yuri's catchphrase on him.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Asmodeus           Class: ---
    HP: 2880           MP: 468
    EXP: 14,500        Cash: 12,000
    Souls: 150         Drop: The World
                             Warlock Earrings

   Get out those Arc spells.  As with Amon, Asmodeus has no real
   weakness since he's no class, but he is susceptible to S-Def Down,
   so you know what to do.  Asmodeus likes to spam a new kind of
   magic; the crest spells he uses each have a parameter effect
   associated with them, and they all hit for a good amount of damage
   and a large area.  He also has an attack called Bent Space that is
   pretty much the same without the ailment attached.  This is all
   made worse by the fact that he'll cast Surge on himself.  Be
   careful with combos and make sure you keep Barrier magic in place
   at all times.  Keep an eye on your SP as well since this fight
   might drag on, and Asmodeus has a normal attack with an SP
   Lowering effect.  Attack however you like.  As long as you watch
   your stats and make sure your party is protected, you can hang in
   there long enough to put this ugly demon out of his misery.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Rasputin still has enough life in him to put a downer on our party.  Poor Yuri.
Time to rinse and repeat Rasputin's punishment on Nicolai in Apoina Tower.
However, that will be the last stop in Europe, and there's still a lot left to
do before you leave.  If you'd like to skip to the fight, just skip the next
section.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Finishing Europe                        [efe]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Soul Drop     ___ Treasure: Sneak   Enemies: Martega    Svarozic
        ___ The Fool      ___ Asmodeus                   Mash       Erisvorch
        ___ Alloces       ___ Soul Drop                  Maya       Svarog
        ___ Silver Chair  ___ Talking Panda              Mocos      Veles
        ___ Soul Drop                                    Pripegala  Great Gama

First stop, Domremy.  Make your way into town and speak to old man Nagy walking
around further in to learn there's wolves terrorizing the village.  Then, go up
to the church and look for a glowing yellow item behind the altar.  It's your
first SOUL DROP.  Take that to an elemental altar in the Graveyard and use it
to get into a fight with a demon.  Defeating this demon will grant you the
highest level of the fusion you chose, level 3.  Be careful though because
those demons are no pushovers; they will boost their stats according to their
class' specialty (e.g. - the Dark altar monster will use Surge and the Air
altar demon will cast Gale).  They also have decent physical offense as well as
a good magic attack based on their class.  All their names are in the enemy
list for this section.  In the woods south of town, go south, west, south, and
east, and you'll find the wolves.  Equip your Cosmic Bracelet and confront
them.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Martega         Class: Dark          Mash            Class: Wind
    HP: c. 150      MP: ---              HP: c. 150      MP: ---
    Souls: 0        Drop: Mana Root      Souls: 0        Drop: Lottery Ticket

    Maya            Class: Light
    HP: c. 300      MP: ---
    Souls: 0        Drop: The Fool
    EXP: 999        Cash: 999

   Yeah, three-on-one.  Real fair.  They are going to combo you every
   turn and will even use combo magic.  Focus on one at a time.  Buff
   Blanca up with Shield and Barrier and use Rage or Surge when you
   can.  Cast your spells immediately because they can inflict Seal
   and Mental Break (unless you're wearing that Cosmic Bracelet).
   Maya is also capable of poisoning you; it's not so bad unless you
   get Deadly Poison.  Your defense spells will render their combos
   almost ineffective, damage-wise.  If they Seal Blanca before you
   can cast your magic, consider healing it because those spells really
   make a difference.  You should be at a high enough level after all
   the running around you did in Idar Flamme to be able to stand up to
   a couple rounds of attacks.  If not, just keep a closer eye on your
   HP.  Their HP totals are pathetically low.  With Shield and Barrier
   in place, you just need patience.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Blanca will learn Comeback for winning.

Next, head to Gepetto's apartment in Paris.  The landlady will be waiting for
you, but if you have a Lottery Ticket then she'll let you play in lieu of
paying rent.

   Lottery Member #10
   Ring: Slightly faster than normal
     Alloces               *The ALLOCES crest has a useful Arc Spell on it.
     Will Power             Watch the speed here closely since it is a little
     Hit Area Expand        fast.
     Pure Seed
     Tissues

In Montmartre, talk to Ernest to get prizes for your Wolf Bout stamps.

In the cathedral district, the junk shop owner has a special item for Gepetto
for 10,000 cash.  It's his special accessory, the SILVER CHAIR, which I have
never seen to be of any use.  It does raise his stats though.  He also sells
Hit Area Expands if you want some.

In the Wine Cellar, the Lucky Chest game now has a second round which you can
play for 300 cash.  The prize this time is a SOUL DROP.

In Southampton, you can battle the Great Gama again for a new technique.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Great Gama        Class: Light
    HP: c. 500        MP: ---
    EXP: 600          Cash: 10
    Souls: 0          Drop: Third Key

   You don't need your Leonardo's Bear this time around.  His new
   attack hits 15 times but for 1 or 2 points of damage, so it's not
   bad.  However, he will pull out a Third Key on his third turn.
   Make sure you block or are at full health with Shield in place!
   With his low HP, this'll be over quickly.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Make sure you stop by Cannes to talk to Croft and get a new treasure clue,
TREASURE: SNEAK.  This one's a toughie.  It's read similar to Japanese text
(which is read from top to bottom starting from the right), except this clue
should be read top to bottom starting from the left.

In Petrograd, the drunk man near the entrance to the Gallery of the Dead has
found something he'll part with for 100,000 cash.  It is the ASMODEUS crest.

Next, Sarah has four new trials set up in Goreme Valley.  Talk to Lawrence in
the altar room for a SOUL DROP.

Nothing left to do now but make sure you've finished all your item trading.
Trade the super piroshki you got in Petrograd for a TALKING PANDA by talking
to a man standing by the row of shops on the Champs-�lys�es in Paris.  Now it's
off to Apoina Tower.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Apoina Tower                          [ea2]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Belial           ___ Pure Extract       Enemies: Emptiness
        ___ Strike Expand    ___ Seal of the Soul            Danters
        ___ Attack Boost     ___ Hit Area Expand             Lemures
        ___ Murderer's Wt.   ___ Paimon                      Astaroth
        ___ Kidnapper's Wt.  ___ Galahad's Sword
        ___ Arsonist's Wt.   ___ Delay 2
        ___ Thief's Wt.

A scene occurs upon arrival.  The first three floors of the tower haven't
changed, and items haven't regenerated.  However, on the first floor, you can
go up the stairs to the left and through the doors outside to find two chests:
one with the BELIAL crest and the other with a STRIKE EXPAND.  Back inside,
head up the stairs to the right and make your way to the third floor.  Left of
the circular area (where the portal to the mistletoe was), you'll find the Ring
Soul hiding in a corner.  Catch up with him and get your ATTACK BOOST.

The fourth floor is the new stuff.  Unfortunately, it's a puzzle.  Yuri and
Gepetto muse over the scales and hint that you need counterweight.  You'll find
it in the other four cells: MURDERER'S WT., KIDNAPPER'S WT., ARSONIST'S WT.,
and THIEF'S WT.  Now check out the plaque on the wall.  You need to balance the
scales using the weights you picked up and the clues on the plaque.  If your
scale is so off that it hits the ground, you get attacked.  The math for this
puzzle makes my head spin, but here's an attempt at mathematical reasoning:

   - assume thievery has a value of 1
   - kidnapping is thievery x2
   - arson is thievery x4
   - murder is kidnapping x4 which is thievery x8 (2 x 4 = 8)
   - arson x3 is executable
   - so to balance the weight we need arson x3
   - since arson x3 is thievery x4 x3, we need a weight of 12 based on thievery
   - murder is thievery x8 and arson is thievery x4 so 4 + 8 = 12

The correct weights to place are the murderer and the arsonist.  Phew, I was
never very good at math or logic, but hey!  The doors are open!

Flip the lever up on the ground floor and climb the stairs.  Go to the left to
nab the PURE EXTRACT in the chest, then up the stairs across from you.  Don't
miss the chest at the top; it has a SEAL OF THE SOUL.  Before messing with the
switch, go north to get the HIT AREA EXPAND.  Flip the switch down and then go
back a level.  You can now access the switch to the north.  Flip it to the
lower level and then go back to the ground floor.  You should see a chest in
the upper right in one of the cages; inside is the PAIMON crest.  Go back up
two levels and flip that switch to the top.  You are now free to exit to the
right.

Use that save point to heal up.  Enter the door to the north to confront
Nicolai, who is single-handedly responsible for all the evil in the world.
What more incentive could you need to pick a fight?

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Astaroth           Class: ---
    HP: 3040           MP: 472
    EXP: 17,400        Cash: 15,000
    Souls: 150         Drop: Galahad's Sword
                             Delay 2

   Like Asmodeus before him, Astaroth spams powerful crest magic.
   The good news is that he's susceptible to S-Atk Down so get whoever
   has that on their ring to physically attack like crazy!  Make
   sure you cast your Arc spells, Gale and Barrier being the most
   important.  As long as you're careful with your combos, you can
   use them to rack up nice amounts of damage.  Astaroth can cast
   Barrier on himself so a Rage-powered physical approach is a good
   idea.  His normal attack is also associated with Delay.  Keep
   your defenses up, have a healer in the background, and watch that
   turn meter in case he causes Delay a lot.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

So ends the first disc.  Save and get ready for a change of scenery.


===============================================================================
                                     Disc Two
===============================================================================

   The second half of the game, three months later.  You know what this
   means: time for a change of scenery and for the story to get more
   confusing.  Away we go!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Brick Warehouse                       [jbw]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Dandy's Kimono   ___ Silver Rasp      Enemies: Akagi Soldier
        ___ Hit Area Expand  ___ Colorful Comb
        ___ Small Jug        ___ Cimeies
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Raccoon Friend
        ___ Seal of Speed    ___ Giant Pillar
        ___ Mana Root        ___ Huge Jug
        ___ Naberius

Poor Yuri hasn't gotten over his seasickness, and Alice isn't here to comfort
him this time.  You'll gain control of Blanca; make sure you've got the
subtitles on if you don't already.  They'll interpret what he has to say in the
following cutscenes, and it's worth it to read them for the entertainment
factor.  Take the DANDY'S KIMONO from the chest and go out.  Follow the walkway
and Blanca will spy a young man being attacked.  You'll control him for the
first fight and be able to jump in for the next few.  Afterwards, you can go
item hunting or skip the following paragraph and move on.

First, go left and up the little steps and enter the first warehouse you see.
There's a chest at the back with a HIT AREA EXPAND, a SMALL JUG in the crates,
and a LOTTERY TICKET by one of the benches.  The next warehouse up has a SEAL
OF SPEED by the crates above you and a chest in the back with a MANA ROOT.  Go
down the little stairs and north by the train car for the NABERIUS crest in a
chest.

Go to the right and head south until you see a save point with a chest nearby.
Grab the SILVER RASP, equip it, and go down between the wall and the lumber 
below you to save the swordsman's master.  Blanca will get the COLORFUL COMB,
his special accessory, for his trouble.

When Yuri wakes up, head out.  The top right warehouse, where you got the Mana
Root and such, houses a man selling contraband.  Upgrade your equipment and
make sure you buy the CIMEIES crest and the RACCOON FRIEND.  In the next
warehouse down, Joachim will find a GIANT PILLAR.  South along the tracks is a
man in a white shirt and green pants who is a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #9
   Ring: Normal
     Huge Jug              *The HUGE JUG will come in handy for party members
     Mirror Bracelet        with low SP if you're sick of trying to keep tabs
     Thera Extract          on them in fights.
     Thera Root
     Tissues

Exit to the south.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Yokohama Streets                      [jys]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Soul Drop
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Amdusias
          ___ Mr. Doctor
          ___ Shining Oil
          ___ Attack Boost
          ___ The Sun

Let's go item hunting again!  There's a chest north of the old man with a SOUL
DROP in.  Outside, check in between the wheelbarrows at the intersection to
your left for a LOTTERY TICKET.  (Thanks to Chinedu for pointing this out.)
Keep going left and check up past the guy in orange for a chest with the
AMDUSIAS crest.  Continue left to the next screen.  Check behind the black sign
by the brothers for the MR. DOCTOR Stud Card.  Give it and the Raccoon Friend
to Pierre for a new design.  Go down the street and look for a lady in a sunhat
standing still.  Talk to her three times to get the SHINING OIL.  Left of her,
down the side street, walk around the lamppost on the corner to meet the Ring
Soul for an ATTACK BOOST.  You'll also find THE SUN card by the side door to
this building (left of the post).  Exit down this street.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Battleship Mikasa                       [jbm]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Attack Boost      ___ Cabin Key         Enemies: Akagi Soldier
        ___ Vapula            ___ P-Attack Down 3            Spider Walker
        ___ Nibelung Scene 3  ___ Lottery Ticket             Flying Drone
        ___ Security Key 1    ___ Instant Death 2            Lt. Col. Terada
        ___ The Lovers        ___ Vine
        ___ Security Key 2    ___ Tent

First off, go into the warehouse to your left to find the Ring Soul yet again.
Get your ATTACK BOOST then open the chest underneath the stairs to the ship to
get the VAPULA crest.  Talk to the first guy you see in the ship to get the
NIBELUNG SCENE 3.  Downstairs, you'll get a scene and have to split your party
in two, with Yuri and Kurando acting as leaders.  Use square to switch between
them for the remainder of this section.  Grab the SECURITY KEY 1 and put it in
slot 1 near the door.  You can also view a map of the ship here, but you'll
need to do some thinking to interpret the characters if your Japanese isn't up
to snuff.

Enter and go south when you can, then right.  You'll find THE LOVERS Tarot card
by the pipes here.  Everything else here is locked so go back to the console
and put your key in slot 2 this time.  Switch to Yuri's party.  Go north and
right to get the SECURITY KEY 2 in the chest here.  Have Yuri put his key in
slot 1.  Switch to Kurando and take his key out.  Enter the open door and go
south, then left, then north and insert your key into slot 3.  Switch to Yuri,
put your key in slot 2, and go due left to find the CABIN KEY in a chest.  Go
south to find a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #8
   Ring: Up
     P-Attack Down 3       *The ring items are getting better!  You will really
     Kendo Mask             be glad you picked up the P-ATTACK DOWN 3.  Hit the
     Hit Area Expand        wedge before the needle gets too fast.
     Mana Root
     Tissues

Go right, south, left, and use your new key to open the cabin here.  There's a
LOTTERY TICKET on the little table.  Flip the "A" switch and check the nearby
jacket for INSTANT DEATH 2, your treasure item.  Go back to Kurando and go left
through the now open door.  Get the VINE crest in the chest in the corner and
flip the "B" switch.  You can't go into the captain's quarters past the doors
by the switch, but you will later.

Switch to Yuri, exit the cabin, and go right, north, right to get back to the
original console.  Have him put his key in slot one.  Now switch back to
Kurando and take his key out of the console to the right and north.  Go all the
way back to the console with slots 1 and 2.  Put your key in slot 2 and switch
to Yuri.

Take Yuri's key out and go left, south, left, north to a console with slots 1
and 4.  Put your key in slot 1, switch to Kurando, walk through the door,
switch back to Yuri, and put your key in slot 4.  Switch back to Kurando and go
as far left as you can.  Down the stairs, you'll find a TENT in a chest and the
"C" switch.  Flip it and go down the other set of stairs.  Back to Yuri, go as
far left as you can, talk to the sailor here, and then go down the stairs to
meet up with everyone.  (Make sure you talked to the sailor so you know how the
doors work.)  Heal and save up ahead.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Lt. Col. Terada      Class: Water
    HP: 3360             MP: 0
    EXP: 18,600          Cash: 20,000
    Souls: 200           Drop: Demon Earrings
                               Seal of Vitality

   Take care of his buddies first; this is vital!  He is susceptible
   to P-Atk, S-Atk, and P-Def Down.  Imagine the fun you can have with
   that.  He's actually all physical attacks so don't even bother with
   Barrier magic or S-Atk Down.  His only attack (besides the basic
   gunfire combo), Rapid Fire, will cause Slow and inflict the Bind
   status.  This means that the afflicted person is immobilized until
   their next turn and any damage dealt to them is treated as bonus
   damage.  This is actually not a big deal since he should be the
   only enemy on the field (you took care of those soldiers, right?).
   Cast Gale to counter the Slow effect.  Use your Shield magic, pile
   on the Rage, try to inflict the physical parameter ailments, and
   have fun beating up on him.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

A couple of scenes take over afterwards.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Hojo Research Lab                        [jh1]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Petrify 2                Enemies: Hien
          ___ Treasure: Roamer                  Raiden
                                                Armored Fighter
                                                Carven

This is different.  The path here is pretty straightforward.  Just remember not
to open any chests you find since this is not Yuri's inventory, and he'll be
here to get them soon enough.  You'll have to do battle with Hien through the
door; this fight is actually boring since Ouka can't do much.  Next is a
shooting mini-game, which is explained for you.  You're under a time limit, but
it actually means nothing as far as prizes go because there are none that I can
tell.  Just follow the track along the floor and shoot anything that gets in
your way (even Kato, if you like).  After all the shooting ranges, Raiden will
challenge you.  Then you get to team up.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Armored Fighter      Class: Light
    HP: 2500             MP: 0
    EXP: 0               Cash: 0
    Souls: 0             Drop: ---

   Boring fight!  Use combos to pile on the damage and see their
   special combo magic move.  If you equipped the ring customizing
   items dropped by Hien and Raiden, they'll make this fight even
   shorter since the ailments will take effect nearly every turn.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, it's back to Yuri and co.  Diplomacy to the rescue!  Go back to the
Battleship Mikasa.  Go to the middle deck (don't worry, all the doors are
unlocked!), left two screens, and south to find what looks like a wolf.  Equip
a Mirror Bracelet before approaching it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Carven          Class: Earth
    HP: c. 700      MP: ---
    EXP: 1350       Cash: 1500
    Souls: 0        Drop: Petrify 2
                          Seal of Luck

   This wolf can petrify you, so there's really no way to win unless
   you wear a Mirror Bracelet other than hoping it doesn't take
   effect.  Use Shield, Barrier, Surge, and Wind magic to really
   embarrass him.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up.  Next, go to the captain's quarters to the far left
of the southern part of the middle deck.  The captain has a quiz for you.  See
the Quizzes section of the sidequests if you need a hand.  When ready, head
back to Yokohama Streets.  Loud Croft has made his way to Japan.  He's up a
screen and in the next side street.  Get your new treasure clue from him,
TREASURE: ROAMER.  This one is much easier to interpret than the last one.  Go
to Kawashima's place and then head out to the Foreigner's Cemetery.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Foreigner's Cemetery                      [jfc]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Sp-Defend Down 3         Enemies: Tsukiyomi
          ___ Valak                             Pera-pera
          ___ Pure Root                         Gaki
          ___ Calming Charm                     Noh Masks
          ___ Strike Expand                     Garan
          ___ Getitup!
          ___ Dispelling Charm
          ___ Fifth Key
          ___ Glasyalabolas

Check the grave directly north of you for a SP-DEFEND DOWN 3.  Continue along
the path to learn that Karin's woman's intuition never fails.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Tsukiyomi          Class: Light
    HP: 3600           MP: 444
    EXP: 19,000        Cash: 24,000
    Souls: 210         Drop: Valak
                             Seal of Aura

   This guy, er, gal is susceptible to lots of things: P-Atk and
   S-Atk Down, Slow, and Delay.  She's also got a big weakness to
   Dark class attacks.  Her normal attack can also cause Evasion Down.
   Cast all your Arc spells and have at it.  You might want to do
   the defense spells first since she can hit kind of hard, and they
   will render her attacks meaningless if you can inflict the
   parameter ailments as well.  Use Gale to get the upper hand and
   then wail on her with Rage/Surge-powered combos.  She has quite
   a bit of HP to take down.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

I love how no one questions Kurando's ability to fuse after they just beat the
living daylights out of him.  Anyway, he can join your battle party again with
his fusion ability and can finally become a worthy member of the team, though
his fusion's abilities are really limited.  As for the otherworld, it's not a
large area, but there is a trick to it along with branches and winding paths.
I have a map to help you get your bearings, with numbers marking the order in
which the paths should be taken:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld1.jpg.  The
brothers are up ahead.  At the fork, take the left path since the red gates
will teleport you back to the start.  Open the chest here for a PURE ROOT.
Through the next blue gate is a CALMING CHARM.  This one works on the first red
gate you saw, so teleport back to the start and use it.

The next chest you see has a STRIKE EXPAND.  Take the left path and, as it
loops to the right, check the northern side for a side path leading down to a
chest with a GETITUP! (this is easier to see on your navi-map).  Follow the
trail around, take the left path here and get the DISPELLING CHARM at the end.
Now, go all the way south until you're at the first fork.  Go left and use your
new charm on the red gate you see.  Check the left side of this path up a ways
for another of those little side paths.  There's a FIFTH KEY down this one.
Heal and save and make sure you've got a lot of physical fighters in your
battle party.  Garan's voice makes my throat hurt.  Ick.  Make it stop!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Garan             Class: Dark
    HP: 3720          MP: 500
    EXP: 21,000       Cash: 30,000
    Souls: 220        Drop: Oracle Earrings
                            Glasyalabolas

   First things first, get rid of the Pera-pera and cast your support
   magic ASAP!  Garan knows Mind Assault, which will completely drain
   one character's MP.  He's susceptible to S-Def Down, but you know
   what?  He's a mage so he has good defense against special attacks
   anyway, and it's much easier to go with a physical approach since
   you'll likely have no MP to cast magic.  The spells you'll need
   are Arc Barrier, Gale, and Rage.  Barrier is probably the most
   important because Garan is no novice when it comes to magic; he
   knows powerful spells and, like the Night Queen, he knows your
   characters' weaknesses and will hit for huge amounts of damage.
   Use combos but use them carefully since all of his magic can hit
   more than one fighter.  If your healer should get his/her MP taken
   away, use Thera Items rather than trying to get your MP back up
   to use Cure.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you not familiar with the real Yoshiko Kawashima, Yuri will
enlighten you.  After the next couple scenes (including the return of Yuri's
dad), you'll be forced to go to Nihonbashi.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Nihonbashi                           [jni]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ The Tower       ___ Judgment            Enemies: Great Gama
        ___ Daphne Fruit    ___ Extreme                      Shoki
        ___ Lottery Ticket  ___ Attack Boost                 Koshoki
        ___ Emcee's Desk    ___ Soul Drop                    Eleanor
        ___ Buer            ___ Nibelung Scene 6
        ___ Mana Extract    ___ Warning Device
        ___ Seal of Wisdom  ___ Stolas

Check the right side of the end of the bridge for THE TOWER card.  At the four-
way intersection, check the northwest door for a DAPHNE FRUIT.  Go west to the
park to see the Great Gama has set up his ring.  Check to the left of the man
on the street for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Before confronting teacher, go to the two
guys standing to the left of the area and steal their EMCEE'S DESK right from
under them.  The brothers are to the right of the ring; upgrade your equipment.
South of them is a chest by a tree; it holds the BUER crest.  Now go see Gama
to get a new technique.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Great Gama          Class: Light
    HP: c. 850          MP: ---
    EXP: 3000           Cash: 10
    Souls: 0            Drop: Fifth Key

   Same old, same old.  However, he'll pull out a Fifth Key on his
   fifth turn.  Cast Shield and be sure to block.  His new attack is
   nothing special.  Cast Rage and fight, fight, fight.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Go back to the four-way split and head east.  Grab the MANA EXTRACT by the pole
and enter the park for a scene.  Yuri's a smooth one, he is.  Afterwards,
you'll get in a fight.  This is actually a preliminary match so do the usual:
cast your Arc spells and attack however.  (A single four-person combo will
wreck absolute havoc.)  Before following the sound of gunfire, head back into
the park and grab the chest at the back for a SEAL OF WISDOM.  Everyone will
meet in the street.  Get supplies from the brothers if you need them and talk
to Sarah if you want to do a trial for some reason (none are new).  Equip
Leonardo's Bears while you're at it.  Talk to Karin to go.  You'll be in
control of the Mutant Apes to help clear the demon spawn.  It's all routine
until you get to the big guy.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Shoki             Class: Light
    HP: 4550          MP: 455
    EXP: 26,000       Cash: 34,000
    Souls: 23         Drop: Judgment
                            Seal of Vitality

   His normal attack can cause Instant Death.  If not wearing Leonardo's
   Bears, make absolutely sure the next person in line revives whoever
   fell.  This monster is susceptible to S-Atk Down and Slow.  Since
   he's basically a spawn of Astaroth, you'll see him cast crest
   magic and Meteor Fall.  Get Arc Barrier and Shield in place!
   Inflicting S-Atk Down will really come in handy because he packs a
   punch.  You also need to be careful with your combos.  It's not a
   difficult fight if you prepared and keep a close eye on your stats.
   If you didn't prepare, it just might take a little longer since
   you might have to do a lot of reviving.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

After the dust clears, speak to Naniwa.  If you've got a good perfect ring
success rate, he'll give you an awesome accessory: EXTREME.  Keinedon has
informed me that the actual percentage needed to achieve this accessory is 65%.
The Extreme is a Mind's Eye on steroids: everything disappears for a tripled
attack boost.  The plus is that you get a glimpse of the needle and hit areas
before they disappear.  This actually makes it easier to use than the Mind's
Eye if you know your ring.  Before moving on, revisit the last two areas since
we haven't been able to yet.

In the Foreigner's Cemetery in Yokohama, angle south of where you start to meet
the Ring Soul for an ATTACK BOOST.  Follow the walkway and check the north side
for a SOUL DROP by a grave.  The man right next to you will give you the
NIBELUNG SCENE 6.

In Nihonbashi in the Imperial Capital, a Lottery Member is now standing at the
end of the bridge on the right.

   Lottery Member #7
   Ring: Normal
     Warning Device        *The WARNING DEVICE prevents you from being
     Zodiac Bracelet        surrounded in a fight; it is necessary if you want
     Hit Area Expand        a full monster library and all of Anastasia's
     Pure Root              albums.
     Tissues

There's a wolf bout in the park.  Equip a Pocket Watch and speak to her.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Eleanor           Class: Water
    HP: c. 800        MP: ---
    EXP: 2000         Cash: 2500
    Souls: 0          Drop: Frilly Apron
                            Stolas

   Fangirl alert!  Her special ability is causing Small Ring, which
   isn't so bad unless your eyesight is terrible.  She also knows some
   good Water class magic.  Buff Blanca and attack as usual.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up.  Now you can enter the Hojo Research Lab.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Hojo Research Lab                        [jh2]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Loin Guard       ___ Pure Root         Enemies: Steel Soldier
        ___ Evasion Down 3   ___ Strike Expand              Beetle Walker
        ___ Thera Root       ___ Step Tripler               Flying Drone X
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Sp-Attack Down 3           Master Cylinder
        ___ Dragonsword      ___ Daphne Fruit
        ___ Hit Area Expand  ___ Seal of Luck
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Fifth Key
        ___ Strike Expand    ___ Tent

Take Kurando's cue and head over to grab a suit of armor.  Cue espionage music!
Head north and go left to get your orders.  A scene takes over in the elevator.
Go to the right, sit back, and watch everything go to hell.  Afterwards, go
back and check the device that held Nicolai for a LOIN GUARD.  Go back and exit
north.  Check the southwest corner of this room for EVASION DOWN 3 in a chest.
Go up the stairs and follow the walkway for a THERA ROOT at the end.  Exit to
the northeast.

Look familiar?  Head right and check the corner for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Exit
left.  South is the DRAGONSWORD.  You can also find a HIT AREA EXPAND by the
door to the north.  (Thanks to DarkBlood for pointing this out.)  Exit through
this northern door.  Check the #4 shooting range for a LOTTERY TICKET.  On the
next screen, check the first corner you see for a STRIKE EXPAND.  Go south when
you can for a PURE ROOT.  Continue west twice.  Here, go west for a STRIKE
EXPAND.  Then follow the path south twice.  At the four-way, go left to find
the STEP TRIPLER in a corner.  Examine the right side of the bed in the next
room for a SP-ATTACK DOWN 3.  At the base of the stairs in the next room is a
DAPHNE FRUIT.  Start climbing.  Check the 4/5 sign for a SEAL OF LUCK.  On the
third floor, you'll find a chest with a FIFTH KEY.  On the first floor is a
TENT in a chest.  Go east, heal, save, equip all your Leonardo's Bears, and
head for the lobby.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Master Cylinder       Class: Earth
    HP: 5040              MP: 520
    EXP: 29,000           Cash: 39,000
    Souls: 240            Drop: Priest Earrings
                                Lottery Ticket

   The most annoying thing about this boss is his ability to cause
   Instant Death with his nasty Dissolve attack.  He can also attack
   multiple party members with Super Rotation by landing on one of
   them and whipping those arms around.  Get whoever has P-Atk Down
   on their ring to attack like mad since that will neutralize some
   damage from his annoying attacks.  He can still do special damage
   with a Cannon attack so be sure to cast both Barrier and Shield.
   Attack hard and fast with Wind magic or Rage/Surge/Wind-powered
   attacks since he can take some punishment and dish it too.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Afterwards, it's back to Naniwa's.  Yuri knows all too well what Nicolai is
going through, as per the flashback to the first game of the weird demon
destroying Shanghai.  Nihonbashi is where you'll meet everyone.  Go north at
the intersection to get Joachim and Anastasia to appear.  Kurando and Blanca
are in the park with Yoshiko, and Lucia and Gepetto are at the wrestling ring.
As you leave, you'll meet Roger again.  This means we can go back to Europe any
time.  For now, let's go to the Forest of Wind.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Forest of Wind                         [jfw]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Seal of the Soul         Enemies: Towd
          ___ Hit Area Expand                   Enku
          ___ Mana Root                         Yomi Samurai
          ___ Strike Expand                     Yama Garan
          ___ Marbas                            Tengu
          ___ Poison 3                          Mutant Snail
          ___ Malphas
          ___ Blood Jewel

On the right side of the path on the second screen, you'll find a SEAL OF THE
SOUL.  A scene takes over in the next part of the forest.  Another trap,
another puzzle.  Pay close attention to the table with the candles.  The entire
area is set up like that.  To clear the area, you have to light the candles.
To light the candles, you have to pass through gates representing them only
once.  This is actually really simple, and I have a map detailing the path out:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld2.jpg.  The
brothers are here if you need anything.

First, take the left fork as far up as you can.  On the way, you'll find a HIT
AREA EXPAND in a chest and another with a MANA ROOT at the end.  From here, go
right and then take the southwest path.  At the next junction, go due east.
Now take the northwest path.  From the middle of the outside path again, go
right; there's a STRIKE EXPAND for you at the end.  Follow the other path here
down to the beginning to undo the seal.  Go down this new path to meet Garan
again.  Time to jerk his chain some more.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Yama Garan        Class: Dark
    HP: 5100          MP: 600
    EXP: 32,500       Cash: 45,000
    Souls: 250        Drop: Marbas
                            Poison 3

   Get the Enku out of the way.  Garan in his new form still knows
   his old tricks, plus some news ones.  He's immune to all ailments
   now, so you've got to fight with pure skill.  He is also completely
   immune to special damage so don't bother with offensive magic.
   Mind Assault is still a problem so cast your spells right from the
   start.  He's all magic attacks so Arc Barrier is a must.  Since
   magic doesn't faze him, you've obviously got to go for a Rage-
   powered approach.  Holy Edge will make this even better if you
   can get it in.  Even with Arc Barrier in place, he'll do awesome
   damage since he knows what to cast to maximize the pain.  Keep a
   healer at the ready!  Don't be afraid to use combos because of his
   magic; get everyone together before he gets a turn and the bonus
   damage will speak for itself.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

When in control, go back to the Forest of Wind since there is still some stuff
to find there.  First off, if you're looking to complete your monster library,
know that there is a rare monster here called Tengu.  They're tricky buggers.
They will always surround you and they will always run away first thing, making
snapping and beating them hard unless you know the trick.  Equip the Warning
Device so you can attack first and have Anastasia snap its photo for the
Falling Leaves album.  Next, either try to Seal it so it can't use Falling
Leaves or just wail on it with combos and powerful attacks to actually beat it
and get it in your library.

On the third screen of the forest, follow the side path going right.  At the
end of this familiar path, you'll find the MALPHAS crest.  As soon as you exit
and get back to the forest, don't move!  Hit X where Yuri stands and you'll
pick up a BLOOD JEWEL, one of Croft's treasures.  Go back to Inugami Village.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Inugami Village                         [jiv]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Soul Drop        ___ Lottery Ticket    Enemies: Kouneki
        ___ Valefor          ___ Sunrise Oil                Matsunaga
        ___ Attack Boost     ___ Seal of Aura
        ___ Silver Angel     ___ The Star
        ___ Clay Idol        ___ P-Defend Down 3
        ___ 10-day-old Rice  ___ Treasure: Done
        ___ Seal 3           ___ Dog Bone

The little shed ahead of you hides a SOUL DROP in a chest.  On the north side
of the village is a chest with the VALEFOR crest.  Directly west of here is the
Ring Soul with an ATTACK BOOST.  Check behind the rack to the west for a SILVER
ANGEL.  The brothers are south of here.  You can examine the tree by them to
find a talking ladybug, who is also a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #6
   Ring: Small
     Dark Angel            *The red wedge is at about 5:00 if you want the Dark
     Cosmic Bracelet        Angel accessory, which increases max SP.
     Thera Extract
     Hit Area Expand
     Tissues

Go up the path behind this tree.  Examine the weird-looking pillar on the way
to get the CLAY IDOL for Joachim.  You can also trade your talking panda to the
ventriloquist here for 10-DAY-OLD RICE.  Before entering the cave, make sure
your magic users have protection against the Seal status.  Kurando's mother,
Saki, waits inside.  She'll initiate an amazing cutscene.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Kouneki           Class: Fire
    HP: 5720          MP: 582
    EXP: 39,000       Cash: 46,000
    Souls: 260        Drop: Seal 3

   This boss can inflict the Seal status so watch out for the party
   members with your important spells.  If you didn't guard against
   it, heal them or just make sure you buff everyone early.  She's
   extremely susceptible to P-Atk Down and Water attacks.  She's still
   got powerful magic to use (not necessarily just Fire class) so
   make sure Barrier's in place.  This isn't a difficult fight as long
   as you don't let Seal get the better of you.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll get a couple scenes after it's over.  When in control, nab the LOTTERY
TICKET at the base of the stairs and ascend.  You'll be back downstairs with
Aunt Saki after your talk.  Go back upstairs to get the SUNRISE OIL in the
enclosure by the window and the SEAL OF AURA past the other enclosure by the
cabinet.  Check the fence to the right of the house for THE STAR Tarot card.
Back at the Fountain of Sukune, there's a wolf bout available.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Matsunaga         Class: Light
    HP: c. 900        MP: ---
    EXP: 3500         Cash: 4500
    Souls: 0          Drop: P-Defend Down 3

   This is probably one of the toughest wolf fights since he can and
   will inflict P-Def Down on Blanca.  Depending on how many times he
   uses it, you might need to keep a closer watch on your HP than usual.
   He'll cast Barrier and Surge on himself so if you're going to buff
   attack stats, use Rage.  It's probably best to go on the offensive
   most of the time.  Casting Shield will raise your defense power only
   to have it lowered, wasting your MP.  Barrier probably isn't worth
   the time either.  Rage gives you the best chance for success.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet gains more power for the win.  Before going to the Immortal
Mountain, return to Yokohama Streets to show Croft your latest find and to get
the last clue, TREASURE: DONE.  This is what he calls extra difficult?!  The
battleship one was harder than this!  Where have you been countless times that
has a pond with a rock?  The treasure is hidden in Mukyo-An in the Imperial
Capital.  You'll get the DOG BONE upon examining the stone object by Naniwa's
pond.  Try to take it back to Croft to find that he's had it with Yuri and
left.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Immortal Mountain                         [jim]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Pure Extract     ___ Attack Boost    Enemies: Blooming Phoenix
          ___ Samigina         ___ Huge Jug                 Lava Lump
          ___ Red Crystal      ___ Thera Extract            Samurai Ghoul
          ___ Blue Crystal     ___ Seal of Life             Scorpilus
          ___ Yellow Crystal   ___ Kogara-Maru              Lobo
          ___ Hades Fan        ___ Mana Extract             Neo Astaroth
          ___ Small Jug        ___ Flare Brooch
          ___ Orias            ___ Delay 3
          ___ Instant Death 3  ___ Astaroth

Arg, another pain in the rear dungeon crawling maze of level.  Yech.  I do have
a map for this area; it may not be the easiest thing to read, but it helps give
an idea of the layout of this place:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/immortalmountain.jpg
Check the left side of this path for a PURE EXTRACT.  At the fork on the next
screen, go right to find the SAMIGINA crest in a chest.  Go back and go left to
find the RED CRYSTAL.  Use it at the altar at the fork.  You'll warp.  At the
next fork, go west for the BLUE CRYSTAL.  Put the blue crystal in the altar you
first saw, not the one by the save point.  Warp and go south for a chest with a
YELLOW CRYSTAL.  Put your yellow crystal in the portal down the other path,
warp, and head north to find the HADES FAN behind a pillar.  Backtrack and
remove the yellow and blue crystals and the red one as well.

Put the yellow crystal where you had the red.  Warp and head left to the altar
in the roundabout.  Place your blue crystal and warp.  Head south from here and
place your red crystal and warp at the first altar you see.  In this new area,
head south and hug the right wall until you see the telltale "?" over Yuri's
head.  Pick up the SMALL JUG and backtrack (taking your crystals with you) to
the first altar, where you placed the red crystal.

Put the blue crystal where you had the red.  In the roundabout in this section,
put the red crystal in the altar.  Up this foggy path is a chest to your right
containing the ORIAS crest.  Put your yellow crystal in the altar here and
warp.  You should spy a wolf at the end of this path.  You must equip a
Leonardo's Bear before talking to it!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Lobo              Class: Fire
    HP: c. 1000       MP: ---
    EXP: 5000         Cash: 5000
    Souls: 0          Drop: Instant Death 3

   The old King of the Wolves can inflict Instant Death.  There's no
   way you'll win without your stuffed bear.  Shield and Rage will
   make him a laughingstock.  He knows Fire magic as well, but it
   doesn't really seem to do much damage.  It's nothing a Thera item
   or Cure wouldn't fix right away.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Blanca will learn Aurora for winning.  And the plot thickens!  Backtrack all
the way to the altar with the blue crystal, taking all your crystals with you.
Replace the blue with the red.  Go up to the altar by the save point and put in
the blue crystal.  Go south at the fork to meet the Ring Soul for your last
ATTACK BOOST.  Take the other fork all the way to a roundabout.  Grab the HUGE
JUG on the ground to the right of the altar and put the yellow crystal in.
(Many thanks to Dan for telling me about this and the Small Jug.)  Now you can
move on to your destination.

First, take the far right fork to the next screen.  A THERA EXTRACT awaits in a
chest.  Go back a screen, take the western fork, and examine the right wall to
get a SEAL OF LIFE.  Go back and take the north path to find yourself in hot
lava.  There is an extremely well-hidden chest in the lower right corner of the
screen.  Open it for the KOGARA-MARU.  Cross the bridge.  Before crossing, open
the chest in the lower right for a MANA EXTRACT.  On the left side of the
bridge, you can find a FLARE BROOCH.  Save and heal before moving on.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Neo Astaroth        Class: ---
    HP: 6120            MP: 630
    EXP: 46,000         Cash: 47,000
    Souls: 270          Drop: Delay 3
                              Astaroth

   The only parameter ailment that works on him is Delay.  This can
   be an effective lifesaver if you find Neo Astaroth getting the drop
   on you.  If you can inflict it every turn, he'll never even get to
   attack!  This is not too likely with a low-level Delay ring item,
   but it will take effect a good number of times, giving you some
   breathing room.  Not much has changed from last time; he'll still
   spam crest magic and lower your defenses at the same time.  He'll
   also cast Barrier so take the physical route and pile on the Arc
   Rage.  Start using combos like mad when his health is in the red
   or else he'll use Cure Plus for about 800 HP.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

When you gain control, go to the Foreigner's Cemetery in Yokohama.  Yuri and
Kato will have a disheartening heart-to-heart.  Go to Azabu Kamiyashiki when
ready.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Azabu Kamiyashiki                       [jak]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Lottery Ticket           Enemies: Titanium Soldier
          ___ Locker Key 5                      Mecha Lord
          ___ Locker Key 1
          ___ Seal of Strength
          ___ Mind's Eye
          ___ Pure Extract
          ___ Slow 3

After moving in, know that you'll get soldiers charging at you around every
corner as well as in random encounters.  Enter the door to your right if you
just want to pick a fight.  The next door on the right is a locker room with a
save point.  Check the cabinet for a LOTTERY TICKET.  Upstairs, enter both
rooms to the left and right.  Soldiers in these groups will drop LOCKER KEY 5
and LOCKER KEY 1, and there's also a SEAL OF STRENGTH in the room to the right.
Use the keys downstairs to get a MIND'S EYE and a PURE EXTRACT.  Make sure
you've got competent magic users in your team and equip Pocket Watches before
entering the southern door upstairs.  Fight your way through to the big man,
Terada.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Mecha Lord        Class: Water
    HP: 6380          MP: 555
    EXP: 50,000       Cash: 48,000
    Souls: 280        Drop: Ashera's Earrings
                            Seal of Force

   The Mecha Lord is 100% immune to physical attacks.  How annoying
   is that?!  It's susceptible to all parameter ailments but since
   you have to physically attack to inflict them, it's not worth
   wasting your energy.  If you want to though, go for P-Atk Down or
   S-Def Down.  It's all physical attacks so cast Arc Shield and
   definitely Arc Surge.  It'll also try to inflict Reverse Ring.
   Combo with Fire magic and just chip away while watching your HP
   and SP.  If Anastasia's in the party, have her snap for the Power
   Cannon album.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Damn.  Yuri.  Is.  Pissed.  Later, after Roger breathes new hope into Yuri's
existence, go back to Azabu Kamiyashiki in the Imperial Capital to the locker
room.  There's a Lottery Member hiding in one of them.

   Lottery Member #5
   Ring: Reverse, Narrow
     Slow 3                *There's two red wedges, but they're insanely small.
     Ninja Gi               It might take a few tries to win the SLOW 3.
     Mana Extract
     Hit Area Expand
     Tissues

Skip the next section if you'd rather get right down to the black magic.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         Finishing Japan, Back to Europe                [jfj]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Bune                     Enemies: Peach Bat
          ___ Mr. Wrestler
          ___ Anne's Cross
          ___ Nibelung Scene 9
          ___ Research Paper
          ___ Dark Tower
          ___ Decarabia

In the Brick Warehouse in Yokohama, the guy selling contraband in one of the
warehouses is selling the BUNE crest.

In Yokohama Streets, there's a guy in a white suit standing in front of the
hotel.  He has a quiz for you, all about your monster library.  See the Quizzes
section for more.

In Nihonbashi, there's a man in a white shirt and green pants near the
wrestling ring who wants you to take the MR. WRESTLER Stud Card off his hands.

On the European map, Zurich is available.  Go there to see a scene between Yuri
and Karin over Alice's grave.  Yuri will hand over his mother's charm: ANNE'S
CROSS, which has grown infinitely more useful since the last game.

In Montmartre, Ernest will have disappeared, but Tetsu will give you your
prizes and a letter.

The junk store owner in the cathedral district has upgraded his wares,
including Strike Expands.

There's a man in Southampton that will give you the NIBELUNG SCENE 9.  He's
in the Hope & Anchor and is actually the guy that gave you directions to
Rhondda.  He also hints at how to get the last scene.  There's a man upstairs
that will give you a RESEARCH PAPER for your 10-day-old rice.

In Le Havre, return to The Sea Gull to see Yuma and John playing with a new
bat, Joachim's little sister.  She'll give him the DARK TOWER weapon and leave
him alone if he can prove himself to her.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Peach Bat        Class: Earth
    HP: c. 750       MP: ---
    EXP: 30,000      Cash: 10,000
    Souls: 0         Drop: Priest Earrings
                           Lottery Ticket

   You have five turns to beat up Joachim's little sister.  Well,
   that's how many you *should* have, but Joachim's little sister is
   a lying cheater, and Nyx e-mailed in to point out to me that she
   only gives you four turns.  Just attack like crazy; don't bother
   with Rage or anything since she'll downright murder you in the
   fourth turn.  This shouldn't be too hard with your new weapon.  If
   it is, try pulling a Third Key on her.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

The Lucky Chests game in the Wine Cellar is on round three.  Play for 500 cash
to win the DECARABIA crest.

In Goreme Valley, Sarah has some new trials for you.

You can also start a few sidequests now like Chasing Lenny and the Fort of
Regrets.  You cannot finish them yet though.  Go to the Queen's Garden when
ready.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Queen's Garden                         [eqg]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Thera Extract    ___ King              Enemies: Graffias
        ___ Knight           ___ Paralysis 3                Morgan
        ___ Hit Area Expand  ___ Strength                   Bethlehem
        ___ Pawn             ___ Moon Crystal               King Tamakos
        ___ Lottery Ticket   ___ Gusion                     Guardian
        ___ Queen            ___ P-Attack Down 4
        ___ Seal of Force    ___ Nibelung Finale
        ___ Flamberge

Roger will fully heal you if you need it.  Enter the villa and go to the room
directly north of you.  There's a chest here with a THERA EXTRACT and a KNIGHT
chess piece on the table.  Enter the west door to loop around to a chest with a
HIT AREA EXPAND.  In the room across from there is a PAWN piece in a chest.
Examine the clock in the corner for a LOTTERY TICKET as well.  Yuri will be
able to examine plenty of things in this room, all of which are important to
remember.  Here's a list:

   - the chair by the table should face the bookcase
   - the portrait of the man should be on its side
   - the bookcase's glass door is sitting on the floor
   - the flag on the wall is blue
   - the picture on the wall is tilted towards the flag
   - the sofa near the wall should face the entrance
   - there should be a vase on the little stand

Exit and go north.  Don't try to go up towards the save point through the north
door because that way lies an infinite hall for now.  Keep going around east.
Use the pawn to unlock the door to the west.  The chest here won't open until
you make this room similar to the last.  Use the list above to fix everything
and open the chest for the QUEEN piece.  There's also a chest by the right side
of the bed with a SEAL OF FORCE.  The door the queen opens is to the north of
here, so backtrack a screen and you'll see the door to the south.

In here, check behind the pool table for the FLAMBERGE in a chest.  You'll have
to place your knight piece on the board in the corner.  To this day, I still
don't get how this one is solved.  It's hard to tell which piece is attacking
the king and, knowing how the knight moves, choices two and three would both
work as far as I can see.  However, the correct answer is the third option
(getting it wrong gets you attacked).  (I have since been informed that the
third option is correct because it is apparently the only one that checkmates
the enemy king since the others do nothing offense-wise.  Thanks, M L!)  You'll
get the KING to take with you.  He goes in the fireplace in the room where you
got the knight.  As you loop around the east corridor, stick to the left (your
left) side and you'll find PARALYSIS 3 by one of the torches.  Place the king
and backtrack all the way north again.  The endless corridor will have
disappeared and you can move on.  Approach the statue.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    King Tamakos       Class: Wind
    HP: 6450           MP: 675
    EXP: 53,000        Cash: 49,000
    Souls: 290         Drop: Strength
                             Seal of Speed

   Ah!  The ugly Doll House boss from the last game is back!  It's
   weak to Slow and HP Down attacks.  If Anastasia's in the party,
   she can snap this guy to learn the Spirit Ward album and then use
   Direct Press to halve its HP.  It knows powerful magic like Bent
   Space, so get Arc Barrier up.  It will also cast Gale on itself.
   Either counter with Arc Gale or try to inflict Slow.  Earth Edge,
   Rage, Surge, and Earth magic will all do great damage.  The worst
   thing about this guy is Spirit Ward.  It'll cast it when its HP is
   in the red and send someone permanently out of the battle.  Start
   a huge combo when it gets low on health or just hope it doesn't
   send one of your strong fighters packing.  And if it does, bite
   the bullet.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll get the MOON CRYSTAL for winning.  Jeanne will stand you up in the
Graveyard afterwards.  You'll be back on the map, but we're not done in the
Queen's Garden.  Remember what the guy in Southampton said?  Go back to where
you fought the last boss, examine the altar for the GUSION crest, and check the
far wall behind the statue.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Guardian          Class: Light
    HP: 6800          MP: 720
    EXP: 75,000       Cash: 50,000
    Souls: 300        Drop: P-Attack Down 4
                            Seal of Life

   You can inflict P-Def and S-Def Down if you've got it on your ring,
   and you might want to.  This guy's a hard-hitter, and you want to
   take him out fast before he gets the upper hand.  You can also try
   Evasion Down if you find him dodging a lot.  Get Shield and Barrier
   in place because he can deal upwards of 400 damage with physical
   attacks alone.  He's also capable of lowering your attack power.
   The strategy you used in the last fight will work, just replace
   all the Earth stuff with Dark class offense.  You'll just need to
   keep a closer eye on your HP with this guy; use Arc Gale to ensure
   enough turns to stay one step ahead.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Karin gets the NIBELUNG FINALE and her last Sword Art, which is pretty cool.
And we're finally done with this place.  Go to Roger's basement and head east
to start the experiment.  Next, go see Aunt Saki.  Oh, but first, Yuri will get
pulled in the Graveyard again.  Go through the north door, then east twice to
meet up with Jeanne.  Delve even deeper by going east twice more to meet an old
friend.  Saki's in her house, downstairs.  You'll find Karin at the Fountain of
Sukune.  After all the scenes, the Asuka Stone Platform will be on the world
map.  This is also the time when all the major sidequests become available.
Make sure you enter the Asuka Stone Platform and view the scene with Jeanne on
the first level to make sure you can complete some of the more awesome ones.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              Asuka Stone Platform                      [jap]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Spiderweb          Enemies: Takaokami       Arahabaki
        ___ Seal of Strength            Hinogakutsuchi  Fuujin
        ___ Pure Extract                Lion Dog        Raijin
        ___ Dancer's Stars              Yatonokami      Kusunagi Sword
        ___ Ultra Belt                  Takemikazuchi   Yata Mirror
        ___ Evasion Down 4              Ashra           Yasakani Gem
        ___ Monk Earrings               Kukunochi       Susano-O
        ___ Devil Loincloth
        ___ Death
        ___ Getitup!
        ___ Seventh Key
        ___ Sp-Defend Down 4
        ___ P-Defend Down 4

Kato continues the Shadow Hearts tradition of final bosses who want to destroy
the world to save it.  Enter by way of the glowing portal.  Jeanne will remind
Yuri of what he's got to decide, and you'll be on level one.  The mechanism in
the center here controls the levels of the platform and how they rotate.  Yuri
will point out a switch that is marked on your map with a red dot.  Go north
and turn left at the third intersection for a SPIDERWEB in a chest.  Go back
and turn left at the next intersection down.  Go down at the blue symbol and
flip the switch.  Go up through the blue portal.

Head north according to the map and turn right at the first intersection to get
the SEAL OF STRENGTH in the chest.  Ignore the thing in the center for now and
go north past it.  Go left when you can, then left again, and left at the red
symbol for a PURE EXTRACT.  Go back to the central path and head as far north
as you can.  Go to the right, go right at the next intersection, north at the
green symbol, then south to get the DANCER'S STARS, Lucia's best armor.  Go
back to the center and spin the mechanism so the greens line up.  Go up with
the red portal.

Go south and to the right for an ULTRA BELT.  Backtrack and head north.  Ignore
the thing in the center and continue north.  To your left is an EVASION DOWN 4.
In the center, turn the mechanism yellow-down and go north.  The left path
yields MONK EARRINGS.  Go back to the center and line up the greens.  Go north
and make your way right to the yellowish/white portal.  Use it, go left, and
get Kurando's best armor, the DEVIL LOINCLOTH, in the chest.  Backtrack a level
and warp with the green portal (go south at the center to reach it).

South is the DEATH Tarot Card.  Turn the central ring blue-down and go left,
then south for a GETITUP!.  Go back and turn it green-down.  You'll
automatically be brought to the first level.  Before going to the far north,
go up a level on the red and make your way to the yellow/white panel by going
right, south, right.  After going down a level on the yellow/white portal, go
north to get the SEVENTH KEY in the chest here.  If you'd like one last
CRUCIFIX, go back down to the first level and make your way left to the blue
portal.  Go up to the fourth floor and it'll be in a chest south of you.  When
ready, go towards the newest portal to the very north of the first level.  The
decision Yuri must make here decides what ending you'll get.  You can either
pick one at will or based on the knowledge that *SPOILER* the first option is
considered the good ending and the second is the bad.  Both have their merits.
Move ahead for the last fight ... or not.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Fuujin       Class: Wind                Raijin       Class: Earth
    HP: 3540     MP: 620                    HP: 3780     MP: 620
    EXP: 65,000  Cash: 26,000               EXP: 65,000  Cash: 26,000
    Souls: 300   Drop: Sp-Defend Down 4     Souls: 300   Drop: P-Defend Down 4

   Fuujin is susceptible to P-Atk Down and Raijin is weak to Slow,
   Delay, and Evasion Down.  These two are going to do nothing but
   combo you for the entire fight, and they know to guard so you're
   going to be dealing less damage than you should.  The worst thing
   about this is that you can't inflict parameter ailments while
   they're guarding, and those ailments are key.  The best you can do
   is chip away at them until it's their turn.  You need to buff
   yourself against physical and special attacks because they'll use
   combo magic.  When you see an opening, if you can get whoever has
   P-Atk Down on their ring to attack Fuujin constantly, his combos
   will mean nothing, and if you can inflict Delay on Raijin, he will
   never get a turn.  Ever!  Delaying Raijin's turn will mean he can't
   attack or defend, making him a sitting duck.  With him gone, Fuujin
   can't combo or use combo magic and is left with a physical attack
   that does 1 damage for each hit.  Easy fight!
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Save and heal if you want/need to at the save point through the portal ahead of
you.  Make sure everyone is wearing a Crucifix before moving on!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Kusunagi Sword   Class: ---         Yata Mirror   Class: ---
    HP: 1590         MP: 0              HP: 1370      MP: 666
    EXP: 0           Cash: 0            EXP: 0        Cash: 0
    Souls: 400       Drop: ---          Souls: 300    Drop: ---

    Yasakani Gem      Class: ---        Susano-O      Class: ---
    HP: 1250          MP: 777           HP: 10,000    MP: 999
    EXP: 0            Cash: 0           EXP: 0        Cash: 0
    Souls: 300        Drop: ---         Souls: 300    Drop: ---

   You'll want to take out the three helpers first.  They will combo
   with Susano-O, and they will generally make things tough for your
   party.  Destroy the gem first because of its special abilities:
   Profound Purity (which cancels all support boosts from buffing
   spells) and Supreme Divinity (which heals its HP).  The sword is
   nothing but physical attacks, and the mirror has a special move
   called Frenzied Surge that is an All spell but with no bells and
   whistles.  I've also seen it buff the enemies' stats.  Susano-O's
   Final Revelation is an All spell that also drains MP.  His Howl
   attacks target one character, and each inflicts a different status
   ailment.

   Susano-O can actually call the three helpers to him and combo that
   way.  They will waste a turn combining and then unleash an attack
   afterwards.  Anyone who combos with Susano-O will be immune from
   attacks since they combine with him, and that is the real kicker and
   why they need to be taken out of the picture pronto.  To be honest,
   I don't see them do this very often and you shouldn't either since
   the helpers are easily dispatched.  A four-person combo by Susano-O
   isn't something you want to be caught in; surviving can be tough
   even with a high level and stat buffs in place.  Take the sword,
   mirror, and gem out ASAP!

   Buff up against special attacks and raise all the stats you want
   using Gale, Rage, and Surge.  Susano-O's attacks deal a good amount
   of damage, but he is slow, so you will have plenty of turns to heal
   your group after a devastating blow if you've got Arc Gale in place.
   Since this is the last fight, there is no reason whatsoever to
   hoard items in your inventory.  Hell, even if you have Seal items
   left over, use them if you get a chance!  You don't need me to tell
   you that he's got the most HP of any boss in the game; use all your
   keys to take a big chunk of it off!  Depending on what and how many
   sidequests you've done (if any), he can be a total pushover or a
   challenge.  Just remember to keep at least one member of your party
   on full-time healing/buffing duty and the rest piling on the hurt.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Enjoy, or lament, your ending and be sure to save your data when it's over.
Replaying from your saved data is well worth it since there are a lot of things
that carry over if you obtained them:

  - Black and White underpants
  - your crests
  - Anastasia's albums
  - your Stud Cards
  - Cornelia's dresses
  - the women's alternate costumes
  - Yuri and Kurando's fusions, as well as their levels/attacks
  - the monsters in your library and their data

There are also some new bonuses you get on a second playthrough:

  - theatre mode becomes available
  - you get to compare scores with your current and past games

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Sidequests
    
    Every character in your party has a sidequest devoted to them, so it's
    easy to pick and choose which ones you want to do and which characters
    you want to power up.  If you want the full meal deal, it's worth it to
    do all of them.  The sidequests here are grouped by character but some
    are dependent on others to complete so you'll have to jump around a bit.

    You can start several of these sidequests well before the endgame.  In
    order to finish all of them, you will need to go into the Asuka Stone
    Platform and view the first graveyard scene with Jeanne.  After that,
    you will be ready to kick the final dungeon's ass.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Deeper into the Neam Ruins                    [snr]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Seal of Wisdom   ___ Seventh Key        Enemies: Aerolite
        ___ Thera Extract    ___ Hieroglyphics               Onlooker
        ___ Delay 4          ___ Daphne Fruit                Talos
        ___ Strike Expand    ___ Bat's Gold                  Orobas
        ___ Shanghai Heaven  ___ Zodiac Bracelet
        ___ Pure Extract     ___ Orobas
        ___ Seal of Speed    ___ White Underpants
        ___ Eternal Key      ___ Chimera Claw

Go back to Roger's house and talk with him.  He'll tell you about the weird
goings-on he's seen in the Neam Ruins, and Anastasia will take the reins.  For
your trip, she and Kurando must be in the party.  The first four levels haven't
changed, and items haven't regenerated.  However, on the fourth (the level with
the blue and yellow blocks), you'll find a red block that wasn't there before:
after flipping the first switch to lower the yellow block, ride the blue block
down and the camera will show it to you.

This is the new area.  What a mess.  Ride the purple block, then the gold.  Hit
the switch, go back, and ride the new gold block.  Ride the purple down.  Go up
past the other blocks here to the northwest corner according to your navi-map.
The chest here has a SEAL OF WISDOM.  Go east and ride the purple up to a chest
with a THERA EXTRACT and another with DELAY 4.  Back down, go to the southeast
corner of this area, ride the purple up, and flip the switch.  Go back north
but turn right the first chance you get.  Ride the purple up, the gold over,
the purple over, the next purple down, and then the next.  If you need a
shortcut out for any reason, step on the purple block south of the chest with
the Seal of Wisdom and use the red to go up.

The chest here holds a STRIKE EXPAND.  Go left and north into the corner to
pick up the SHANGHAI HEAVEN.  Feel free to peek at it in your inventory.  Go
east and south to flip a purple switch.  Go back near the purple block to pass
under it.  You'll find two purple blocks here.  Ride the lower one, flip the
purple switch up here, flip the new green one, go back down, ride the upper
block, hit the yellow switch, and go back to the two purple blocks.  Ride the
lower one, hit the green and purple switches, go back down, and head for the
northeastern side of this level.  The chest here has a PURE EXTRACT in and the
one to the west has a SEAL OF SPEED.  Ride the nearby purple block up and flip
the green switch.  Go back down and return to the two purple blocks near each
other.  Take the lower one, flip the purple and green switches, go back down,
and then ride the upper block and follow the path to an ETERNAL KEY.  (Note:
this allows unlimited sweeps of the needle on a successful attack Judgment Ring
and is your only one.  To get the most out of it, turn on the Gamble Ring for
the person using it, hit the wedge, sit back, and enjoy.)  Take the lower block
up again and flip the green and purple switches.  Then return to the northeast
corner on the lower level and ride the purple blocks up here to a SEVENTH KEY.

Ride the northern purple block down and get the HIEROGLYPHICS in the chest.
Hit the white switch, go back up, ride the right purple block over, the blue
one over, and the purple ones over and down.  Cross the green block and grab
the DAPHNE FRUIT.  Ride the purple south and get the BAT'S GOLD.  Now get on
the red panel to the home stretch!  The chest behind you has a ZODIAC BRACELET.
Save and equip your party members accordingly: if you have any Crucifixes, put
them on!  If not, put Lucia in the party and give her a Cosmic and Zodiac
Bracelet.  Approach the altar when ready.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Orobas             Class: ---
    HP: 7500           MP: 860
    EXP: 75,000        Cash: 30,000
    Souls: 300         Drop: Crucifix

   The first thing he's going to do is cast Euthanasia, a Water class
   attack that inflicts just about every status abnormality there
   is.  Hope someone survived it and use them to heal/revive the
   others.  If you didn't have the means to protect against numerous
   ailments but Lucia is in the party, use her Aromatherapy skills
   with Misty and Night Oils.  This will protect everyone against
   everything for three turns.  You might also consider casting Aqua
   Resist to lessen Euthanasia's damage.  This monster is susceptible
   to P-Def Down; however, he'll use Mirage to dodge most physical
   attacks so magic combos work well.  He's going to use Hail Crest
   to lower your evasion rate.  The last major attack of his is called
   Dying, which instantly brings one character down to 1 HP.  Cast
   Arc Barrier and Arc Rage/Surge and chip away!  For me, there were
   times during this fight when Kurando was the only one dealing
   damage (with everyone around level 50); you need to constantly
   watch your stats, so this might take a while.  Have Anastasia take
   this monster's picture when you've got breathing room and she'll
   learn Euthanasia for herself.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

He'll turn into the OROBAS crest after getting spared by sweet little
Anastasia.  You'll be back in Wales automatically.  Go talk to Roger.  In an
absolutely heart-warming scene, Yuri will give the Shanghai Heaven back.
Roger gives you the WHITE UNDERPANTS in return.  Don't ask, don't tell.

Leave and then come back from the world map.  Roger will have started working
on his teleporter again.  Players of the first game know what this means: it's
time to do a Spin Ring 10 to send Roger to the moon, nearly killing him!  Roger
is fixated with his teleporter; you won't get anything else out of him until
you nail this damn ring.  The plus side is that you get Yuri's best weapon, the
CHIMERA CLAW, when you finally do.  (Note: I can't really prove this, but I
think the ring actually slows down for you if you miss it enough times.  The
strategy I use to nail it consists of counting the rotations.  It always speeds
up around rotations 6 and 8, but I noticed it going just a tad slower around
that time after I'd missed it more times than I can count.)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Tiffauges Castle                         [stc]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Ronove                   Enemies: Duergar
          ___ Petrify 3                         Peg O'Nell
          ___ The Devil                         Muscida
          ___ Daphne Fruit                      Henri
          ___ Crucifix                          Neo Amon
          ___ Seal of the Urn
          ___ Amon

There's a man by the entrance to Carla's in Florence that has a hot tip he'll
share with you.  After this, Tiffauges Castle in France will appear on the map.
Looks familiar.  This place uses the same mirror set-up as the Mirror Castle in
Yuri's soul, so you should know the basics of moving around.  The chest in the
second corridor holds the RONOVE crest.  When you get to a four-way
intersection, go north to the fireplace lounge.  Get the PETRIFY 3 from the
chest in the corner.  Continue north and go through the mirror at the very end
of this corridor.  In the corner of the mirror hallway is THE DEVIL card.  Go
back and look in the mirror by the little girl.  Go north and talk to the
little girl (Alicia in Wonderland) at the end here.  She's a Lottery Member.

   Lottery Member #4
   Ring: Invisible
     Demon Ward            *Like the last invisible ring you had, you'll get a
     Strongoids             glimpse of the wedges.  The red one is kinda small
     Pure Extract           but it's not impossible to hit.  It's at 8:00.
     Hit Area Expand
     Tissues

Go to the opposite end of the hall and look in the mirror at the end.  At the
end of this path is a chest with DAPHNE FRUIT.  The door here is locked so go
back up and look in the first mirror you see to your left.  Follow the corridor
south until you get to a four-way intersection.  In the lower left corner is a
chest with a CRUCIFIX.  Go south and nab the SEAL OF THE URN in the chest.  At
the split, go east and look in the first mirror you see.  Follow it to a split
and go south until you're in a room like where you first started.  There's a
wolf here.  Equip a Pocket Watch and speak to it.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Henri            Class: Earth
    HP: c. 1300      MP: ---
    EXP: 6500        Cash: 6000
    Souls: 0         Drop: Valuable Gem

   Henri will still try to inflict Reverse Ring.  He's stronger than
   last time though.  Buff Blanca and use Surge combined with Soul
   Comet and other Wind spells to snap him out of it.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet is powered up.  Go back to the four-way split.  Head ever northward,
and (after leaving the fireplace lounge) go through the first mirror on the
left.  Go up to the save point and use it to heal.  Keep going to a mirror.
Fight your way through.  Step on the familiar-looking symbol to meet Albert.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Neo Amon           Class: ---
    HP: 6660           MP: 777
    EXP: 54,000        Cash: 49,000
    Souls: 290         Drop: Amon

   This is very similar to the fight with Amon.  You need to rely on
   raw power boosted by Rage or Surge.  However, you can try to inflict
   P-Def Down as well.  He's got all of Amon's attacks along with some
   new ones like Red Crest, but it's nothing you can't handle.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll get Neo Amon's soul for winning and will, thankfully, be taken right
back to the world map.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Chasing Lenny                          [scl]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Bike Jacket

If you go to the beach at Cannes, you'll see children there.  They'll start
talking about a huge, bad-looking guy that washed up not too long ago.  Remind
you of anyone?  Hey, it's Lenny!  The kids say he went north.  Wow, that's
pretty vague.  The northernmost place on your map is Petrograd.  On the screen
with the drunk and the entrance to the Gallery of the Dead, you'll find an old
woman who wasn't there before.  Talk to her to learn Lenny went to France.
If you go to the Champs-�lys�es, you'll see a guy with terrible posture in the
middle of the sidewalk.  Talk to him and he'll tell you Lenny's gone back to
Cannes.  On the landing of the steps of Cannes leading down to the walkway with
the bar, you'll find a guy who knows Lenny but wants to test you on your
arithmetic first.  It doesn't matter if you pass his test or not because he'll
give up on you after three tries (Yuri is my hero for what he says if that
happens), but here's all the questions I've seen him ask for those who care:

   3 x 4 x 3 = 36             1122 + 1122 = 2244
   1002 - 40 = 962            33 + 44 = 77
   26 - 4 + 8 = 30            17 + 8 = 25
   2 + 9 + 2 + 3 = 16         6 x 6 + 6 = 42
   33 / 11 = 3                23 x 3 = 69
   84 / 4 = 21                12 + 33 = 45
   29 + 29 = 58               12 x 4 = 48
   12 + 5 + 8 = 25            89 + 16 = 105
   3 x 13 = 39                91 - 86 = 5
   4 + 4 + 4 + 5 = 17         24 - 8 + 8 = 24

He clues you in as to Lenny's whereabouts: St. Marguerite, where he got beaten.
("Where he got beat at"?  Why couldn't they test these guys on grammar?!)  Go
to where you fought him in the prison, and he'll give Yuri a BIKE JACKET, his
best armor.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               The Dark Seraphim                        [sds]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Reborn Droplet           Enemies: Dark Seraphim

If you're going to do any one sidequest to boost your attack power, make it
this one!  Well, actually, you have to finish a couple other chores before
attempting to unlock the strongest fusion monster.  You must have gotten all of
Yuri's grade 3 fusions and unlocked Kurando's final fusion as well.  After
that's taken care of, watch the Graveyard scene on the first level of the Asuka
Stone Platform and go to the Graveyard.  Check the Yuri Tree for a REBORN
DROPLET.  Before going any further, make sure you have plenty of Thera and Pure
Extracts and that Yuri is wearing a Flare Brooch and anything to increase
defense or attack power.  (The extracts can be purchased at the Winter Palace.)
Go through the northern door and then east twice.

After a series of flashbacks, Yuri's father will show himself.  Like in the
last game, he wants to test his son's strength to see if he can handle his
power.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Dark Seraphim        Class: ---
    HP: c. 3000          MP: ---
    EXP: 99,999          Cash: 50,000
    Souls: 350           Drop: Thor's Belt

   This monster only has two attacks: a normal combo and one called
   For Tomorrow, which damages you and heals it.  Because Yuri is
   alone, buffing him is going to be difficult; you'll have to do some
   fusion-swapping to get it done if you want to go all-out.  I'd
   stick with Shield and wouldn't bother with Rage or Surge since
   this monster's combo deals incredible damage, and you'll need to
   work to stay alive.  You have to realize that you'll really only
   be able to attack every other turn, and you must use a Thera
   Extract after it damages you, no matter what.  The plus side of
   this fight is that this monster is kind of slow.  Yuri should get
   two turns in a row most of the time, meaning you can heal and then
   attack right afterwards.  If you are fusion-swapping, use a Pure
   Extract as soon as you have a chance, though you should really
   only stick with a defensive demon since taking a turn to restore
   SP may not be a luxury you can afford.  Do not be afraid to pull
   out a Third or Fifth Key.  In fact, that may be the only way to
   win if you find yourself running low on supplies and HP.  Gordon
   has pointed out that switching to Fides and using Energy Charge
   in conjunction with a key will wreck some nice havok.

   iadler has written in to say that a level 7+ water fusion will
   know Cure All, and this makes a great substitute for Thera Extracts
   if you would rather not use them or couldn't afford them.  The
   fusion-swapping and single-fusion defensive strategies will both
   get the job done, which one you choose depends on your level more
   than anything.  A higher-level Yuri will obviously have more HP and
   SP, so he could fusion-swap without having to worry about replenishing
   SP.  You could also focus on boosting your HP so you can weather
   more attacks in a row.  In other words, pick your strategy and
   boost your respective stat.  And if you'd rather not win by pulling
   out a key, just level up some more and come back.

   Another note about this fight: J.D. Maison pointed out that the
   Dark Seraphim tends to buff itself when its HP is at about 25%.
   I've only seen this monster use its buffing spell maybe once or
   twice in my many playthroughs, but going all out with a key when
   its health is that low is never a bad idea.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

For winning, you get the ultimate fusion monster: the Dark Seraphim, which is
the old Seraphic Radiance with a new look.  This monster will make mince meat
out of anything in its way and can replace all of your Arc spells with his
For Everyone... technique, and For Tomorrow... is Arc Cure with a vengeance!
Its For the Child... move is an All spell that inflicts Bind and obliterates
anything on the field.  Thanks, Jinpachiro.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 The Doll House                         [sdh]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Thera Extract            Enemies: Torso
          ___ Petrify 4                         Bailey
          ___ Silver Angel                      Baal
          ___ Crucifix
          ___ Lottery Ticket
          ___ Baal
          ___ Crimson Thread
          ___ Seal of the Soul

There's a new face along the Yokohama streets, a man in a purple suit, that
will tell Gepetto about the mansion of a famous doll maker.  On the world map,
head to the Doll House and Gepetto will take over.  Outside the house, check
the right hand bushes for a THERA EXTRACT.  Put Anastasia in your party if you
are looking for Snap Shots; the Bailey enemies here give up the creepy
Nightmare album.

Head upstairs and open the chest here for a PETRIFY 4.  Enter the northernmost
room.  Check behind the couch to the left for a SILVER ANGEL.  Then read the
diary on the desk.  Pay attention to the dolls' names and their habits:

   Rebecca: always alone
   Illeana: tells nothing but lies
   Gina: loves to trick people
   Barbara: well-behaved
   Diane: quiet
   Tina: always with Emma
   Emma: always with Tina

If you talk to the dolls sitting around, they'll want to hear their names.
You'll get attacked if you guess incorrectly.  The doll behind the chair is
Rebecca since she's alone.  She says the first letter of the code is "B".  Exit
and enter the other room up here.  There's a chest south of the door with a
CRUCIFIX.  The doll directly east of here seems to care a lot about the other
one in the room.  She must be Barbara.  She'll say the third letter is "I".  Go
north, the southernmost doll is Gina since she was trying to trick you into
thinking she was Diane.  The final letter is "T", she says.  The other doll up
here is Emma since she was separated from Tina.  The fifth letter is "G".

Go to the room downstairs.  Go left to find a doll on a table.  I don't trust
her.  She must be, and is, Illeana.  The fourth letter is "D".  Go north and
check the fireplace for a LOTTERY TICKET.  The doll to the right doesn't say
much.  She's Diane, and the second letter is "R".  The last doll is at the
center table and must be used to having someone to talk to.  She's Tina and
tells you the sixth letter is "E".  Go to the west and input the code: BRIDGET.
Equip Silver Bracelets/Crucifixes on your magic users and head down.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Baal              Class: ---
    HP: 7200          MP: 860
    EXP: 75,000       Cash: 50,000
    Souls: 300        Drop: Flare Brooch

   This is a pretty routine fight for this stage of the game.  It
   knows powerful magic like Meteor Storm and Gale Crest, so it is
   capable of inflicting Delay and Slow, and it will cast Gale on
   itself.  Its combos hit for good damage, and your magic users will
   need to watch out for Mental Break.  Buff your party and attack
   however you like since this monster has no class.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll get the BAAL crest and the CRIMSON THREAD, Gepetto's best weapon.  There
is also a SEAL OF THE SOUL waiting for you should you return to the boss fight
area.  (Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.)  If you haven't done so yet, make
sure you've got all 9 Stud Cards.  If you take your last one to Pierre, Yuri
will step in and show off a design of his own, in crayon.  Pierre will sew it
for Gepetto, and he'll get his strongest Marionette attack: Advent, which is a
straight reproduction (with some cutesy elements added) of Alice's strongest
move from the last game.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  The Wolf Bout                         [swb]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Thera Extract            Enemies: Wolfman
          ___ Zagan
          ___ The Emperor
          ___ Seventh Key
          ___ Sp-Attack Down 4
          ___ Beast Medal
          ___ Charm Pouch

This sidequest will power up Blanca's special Manifestation skill and
ultimately net you his strongest weapon.  It is triggered automatically your
first time through Paris.  The idea is to fight every wolf you come across to
get stamps.  J.D. has pointed out that, while you do not have to fight these
wolves in order, Blanca and his skills will power up in a certain order
regardless, so don't pick your battles based on the rewards.  See Ernest in
Montmartre every third stamp you get, and he'll give you prizes.  There are 15
fights in all, and all of the strategies for each (except the final fight) are
in the walkthrough.  Below are their locations if you missed any.

  Tetsu: Montmartre, occurs automatically
  Kelly: Wine Cellar, shows up after you fight Veronica
  Jerome: Florence, on the north side of town
  Henri: SG Italian Branch HQ, shows up after you defeat Janus
  Philippe: St. Marguerite Island, occurs automatically
  R-3: Petrograd, in an alley
  Necros: Petrograd (Gallery of the Dead), see walkthrough
  Martega, Mash, Maya: Domremy, talk to Nagy and they'll be in the woods
  Carven: Battleship Mikasa, middle deck
  Eleanor: Nihonbashi, eastern park
  Matsunaga: Inugami Village, Fountain of Sukune
  Lobo: Immortal Mountain, see walkthrough
  Henri: Tiffauges Castle, see walkthrough
  Lobo: Forest of Wind, second screen

When you've met and beaten all of these wolves, return to Montmartre and you'll
see ... Ernest?

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Wolfman          Class: Wind
    HP: c. 1800      MP: ---
    EXP: 70,000      Cash: 10,000
    Souls: 0         Drop: Sp-Attack Down 4
                           Lottery Ticket

   You need to buff Blanca ASAP because he packs a literal punch, but
   don't bother with Barrier.  He'll use Energy Charge a lot.  You
   must make sure you Block before his next turn when this happens.
   Rocket Fist is a goofy hard-hitting attack that does good damage
   even with Shield in place.  Always remember to heal first, attack
   second.  You will most likely need to heal Blanca's SP in this
   fight as well.  Don't charge into the fray or the Wolfman will end
   up catching you with your Shield down.  Take your time, and you'll
   whittle away his HP in no time.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet will turn into Red Comet, Blanca gets his BEAST MEDAL (his best
weapon), and the fighting finally ends.

Next, go to Domremy.  Everyone says they've seen Jeanne's ghost.  Go to the
church and Blanca will get a scene with Jeanne.  She'll give him his best
armor, the CHARM POUCH.

For a surprise, after you've beaten Ernest, return to Tiffauges Castle to where
you encountered Henri.  After finally seeing him in his human form, take his
advice and return to Montmartre.  There's a kid there that wasn't there before.
It's ... Tetsu?  Listen to what he has to say.  There's nothing else to do
except expect to see the Insect Bout in future Shadow Hearts installments.
Honestly, this little side trip is only here for those of you looking to get a
full library and to see Ernest get his comeuppance.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               The Fort of Regrets                      [sfr]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Engagement Ring
          ___ Ogress Mask
          ___ Broken Watch
          ___ Nautilus
          ___ Durandal
          ___ Microskirt

If you return to St. Marguerite, you'll find the locksmith out and about.
He'll tell you ghosts are haunting the storeroom, so go check it out.  You'll
uncover a secret passage and Karin will take over.  The ghostly professor down
here will explain how things work.  The first guy is found up and to the right.
It's Darcy!  (Remember him, Shadow Hearts players?)  Seems he's got the same
problem he did last time: no paper when he needs it most.  If you have tissues
(and you should), hand them over.  If not, go lose a Lottery Member's game and
come back.  The next guy is to the right.  He'll give you an ENGAGEMENT RING to
give to Irene in Le Havre.  She's the cranky old bat outside the Sea Gull.

On the next level, go left, up, and turn right the first chance you get to find
a Lottery Member.  You have to play this game three times to get the spirit to
go.

   Lottery Member #3
   Ring: Haste
     Mind's Eye            *The infamous Mind's Eye doubles attack power in
     Bat's Gold             return for a Blind Ring.  If you can't win it in
     Strike Expand          three tries, don't worry.  There's more out there.
     Thera Extract
     Tissues

Go left and up to find a little girl plagued by an OGRESS MASK.  Karin needs to
unload it on someone.  The other poor soul is to the right by the guillotine.
He can't remember his name and only had a BROKEN WATCH to help figure it out.
For unloading the mask, this was kind of tricky.  No one in Japan would
probably want it since they're not so rare over there.  If you'd been chatting
it up in the Paris cathedral district, you would have seen a Japanophile
hanging around outside the shop who'd taken special interest in Yuri since he's
half Japanese.  He'll gladly take the mask off your hands.  The other guy was
wearing a sailor's suit and said he was a soldier.  You could try checking the
cemetery around Domremy, but the Foreigner's Cemetery next to the ocean seems a
more likely place.  The man due west knows who you mean when you show him the
watch.

The professor is the only one left now, but he can't remember a thing.  He said
he was researching something earlier.  Go back to land (i.e. - the beach at
Cannes), and you can spy his partner: the old man by the docks.  Talk to him
and then go back to the prison.  He still can't remember anything.  Leave the
place entirely and then come back.  He'll remember!  If you've already done the
Neam Ruins quest, you'll have the Hieroglyphics to give to him.  If not, go
complete it and then come back.  Go back to Cannes' beach and examine the
weird-looking object lying there.  It's the NAUTILUS, Joachim's best weapon.
Professor Stein is up on the sidewalk.  Speak to him and then head back to the
prison.  The professor will finally move on, and Karin can continue to meet her
grandma, who gives her her best weapon, DURANDAL.  While we're getting
equipment for Karin, why not go to Florence and talk to Rooney?  If you have
10,000 steps on your pedometer, she'll give you the MICROSKIRT, Karin's best
armor.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 The Man Festival                       [smf]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Enemies: Murgh Korma     Chingri Korma     Egg Curry
          Murgh Masala    Chingri Masala    Poor Man's Curry
          Murgh Madras    Chingri Madras    Curry Sage
          Murgh Vindaloo  Chingri Vindaloo  Cutlet Curry
          Gosht Korma     Fish Curry        Great Question
          Gosht Masala    Hashed Beef Man
          Gosht Madras    Dry Curry Man
          Gosht Vindaloo  Curry Prince

This is it.  The goofiest sidequest Shadow Hearts: Covenant has to offer.  The
first cutscene with Gama is enough to tell you that.  Go to Nihonbashi in the
Imperial Capital and confront the Great Gama.  He will explain the Man Festival
after Joachim challenges him.  You'll now have to fight your way up the tower.
Truth be told, the battles are all really boring because they're easy and you
have to plow through so many, but I guess they're more for you to laugh at than
anything.  Whenever two party members or more are allowed, bring Anastasia if
you want to snap as many monsters as possible, though you won't get any albums
here.  After levels 10 and 20, you'll see a symbol on the floor that lets you
go back to the park.  Once you pass level 26, you'll automatically jump to
level 89.  After level 92, go back down to prepare for some one-on-one battles:

  - give Kurando a Pocket Watch
  - give Gepetto a Shell/Cosmic Bracelet
  - give Lucia a Pocket Watch
  - make sure Karin is wearing Anne's Cross or a Pocket Watch
  - give Blanca a Will Power
  - give Anastasia a Leonardo's Bear
  - make sure you fuse Yuri into something with high S-Def and that you have a
    way to restore lots of HP to counter Blood Loss
  - give Joachim a Leonardo's Bear

As long as you follow that set-up, the one-on-one fights should be much easier.
When you finally reach the top, Joachim puts his manhood on the line to fight
the champion of the Man Festival!

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Great Question       Class: Light
    HP: c. 2400          MP: ---
    EXP: 70,000          Cash: 10
    Souls: 0             Drop: Seventh Key

   Count his turns because he's going to use a Seventh Key on the
   seventh turn.  Joachim will be in his Grand Papillon form, but
   you still need to use Rage and Shield to pile on sufficient damage
   and to sustain it.  He's going to use all of the wrestling moves
   he taught Joachim, so if you didn't equip a Leonardo's Bear, you'll
   get knocked into the Milky Way.  Heal and buff above all else and
   make sure to guard on the sixth turn.  If you find the battle
   getting tough, use a Third or Fifth Key.

   Someguy e-mailed in to say that the Great Question is susceptible
   to Delay, so try putting your highest-probability Delay item on your
   ring to buy you some time in this fight.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

In a memorable scene, Joachim will take the title of the Great Question,
replacing his Grand Papillon form.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  Item Trading                          [sit]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Nemesis Fan
          ___ Dating Outfit

First off, I have to say that this was the hardest part of this walkthrough to
map out.  I never want to see a piece of dried straw as long as I live.  In
Southampton, there's a man standing on the castle battlements that's dropped a
piece of straw.  Yuri will try to return it, only to get the pleasure of
keeping it himself in the spirit of trading that the man believes in.  So
begins a tangled web of item trading that can end a myriad of different ways
but should end with a reunion with an old friend and Lucia's ultimate weapon.

Throughout your travels, if you talk to certain people, they'll notice the
tradable item you're carrying and will ask to trade with you.  It's hard to
tell who will give you what; sometimes they'll give you a tradable item in
return, sometimes they'll give you a normal item and you're done.  Therefore,
you can imagine how difficult this sidequest can be without it mapped out.  You
could be halfway through the game before you realize you made a bad trade.
Below are all the items (that I've found) and what you'll get for each.

  - Dried Straw gets you:
   - Underground Film from man in Florence

  - Underground Film gets you:
   - Limestone Block from kid in Cannes
   - Daruma Doll from man in Cannes

  - Limestone Block gets you:
   - Super Piroshki from artist next to the merchants in Petrograd

  - Daruma Doll gets you:
   - Holy Easter Egg from Edgar in Petrograd
   - Super Piroshki from man in Petrograd (east wing of Winter Palace)

  - Holy Easter Egg gets you:
   - Pure Root from man standing by Sarah in Goreme Valley

  - Super Piroshki gets you:
   - Burning Candle from hefty man in Goreme Valley
   - Talking Panda from man on the Champs-�lys�es (Paris)
   - Fine Tea Set from man in Florence (by the guy with the straw)

  - Burning Candle gets you:
   - Getitup! from woman near wrestling ring in Nihonbashi (how appropriate)

  - Fine Tea Set gets you:
   - Strongoids from man in Brick Warehouse
   - Talking Panda from woman in Yokohama Streets

  - Talking Panda gets you:
   - Third Key from man in Nihonbashi (at the intersection)
   - Third Key from woman in Nihonbashi park
   - 10-day-old Rice from man in Inugami Village

  - 10-day-old Rice gets you:
   - Fifth Key from bum in Le Havre
   - Research Paper from man in upstairs room of hotel in Southampton

  - Research Paper gets you:
   - 100,000 cash from the man in Southampton who gave you your Dried Straw
   - NEMESIS FAN from Margarete in cathedral district of Paris

Using this, you can choose your own way to finish this sidequest.  However, if
you want the easiest way to get the fan, follow the path outlined in the
walkthrough since it'll tell you who to trade with and when.  For quick
reference, here it is:

Dried Straw -> Underground Film -> Limestone Block -> Super Piroshki ->
Talking Panda -> 10-day-old Rice -> Research Paper -> Nemesis Fan

If you got the fan from Margarete (Moocher Yuri's babysitter from the first
Shadow Hearts) and have finished the Fort of Regrets, you'll have given her
reason to visit Roger.  Go see the old man and he'll show Yuri something
Margarete left behind, a skimpy DATING OUTFIT.  They'll try to give it to Karin
with no success.  Or not...  Equip it on her if you want to see how it looks.

If you finished your item trading without the fan, it is not out of your reach.
The item shop in the cathedral district will sell it to you for 500,000.
(Thanks to Chris for pointing this out.)  This will also trigger Margarete's
visit to Roger (so you can get the Dating Outfit) even if you didn't see her.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                The Black Forest                        [sbf]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Rose Bondage  ___ Aurora Oil         Enemies: Beatrice
          ___ Pure Extract  ___ Bride's Dress               Golden Beetle
          ___ The Chariot   ___ Black Underpants            Penangglan
          ___ Slow 4        ___ Seventh Key                 Gaap
          ___ Paralysis 4   ___ The Seven Stars
          ___ Gaap

Go back to Le Havre.  If you've played the Lottery with members 2-16, Joachim's
little brother Keith from the first Shadow Hearts will return to share the news
that he's taken over presidency of the lottery society.

   Lottery Member #1
   Ring: Fickle
     Rose Bondage          *The ROSE BONDAGE is Joachim's best armor.  Wait for
     Meteor Mask            the fickle needle to slow down over the red wedge
     Strike Expand          before you hit it.
     Pure Extract
     Tissues

Head into the Sea Gull to see a drunk.  He'll tell you about the Black Forest
in Germany and will mark it on your map.  Lucia won't stop begging until we go,
so let's get to it.  She'll take over once we get there.  The white flower will
tell you how things work:

  - talk to a red after a yellow, the red speaks the truth
  - talk to a blue after a red, the blue speaks the truth
  - talk to a yellow after a blue, the yellow speaks the truth
  - white flowers always speak the truth
  - black flowers will only try to get you to leave

So they follow a pattern: Yellow -> Red -> Blue -> Yellow -> etc.  If you
follow the wrong advice, you'll get warped back to the save point and the first
white flower.

Open the nearby chest for a PURE EXTRACT.  At the fork, talk to the red and
then the blue.  Go left, then up the middle path.  Talk to the white flower and
go right, open the chest for THE CHARIOT, go right, then left.  Talk to the
blue flower and then the yellow.  Go left, middle, open the chest to the right
for a SLOW 4, up the middle, and right.  Talk to the white flower and go right,
middle, right, left, left.  Here, talk to the yellow, then the red.  Go left
until you see more flowers.  Talk to the blue flower (not the black one!).  Go
right, left, and up the middle.  Save here!  If you want a surprise, follow the
white flower's suggestion and go right.  The correct path to take is actually
the black flower's: to the left because we want to get out of the forest, yes?
Equip Bhodi Bracelets/Crucifixes beforehand.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Gaap             Class: ---
    HP: 7500         MP: 860
    EXP: 75,000      Cash: 30,000
    Souls: 300       Drop: Paralysis 4

   It's susceptible to S-Def Down, can paralyze you, will cast Shield,
   and knows some powerful magic.  Use Lucia's aroma oils to buff your
   party.  If you're adventurous, you can use her Tarot Cards too.
   You'll definitely want Arc Gale since Gaap is fairly fast and will
   get lots of turns.  Go for a Surge-powered approach, especially if
   you can inflict the parameter ailment.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll get the GAAP crest upon winning.  We'll finally get that Adriatic
Magnolia for Carla too.  Lucia will get AURORA OIL back in Florence, which will
lead to some amazing stat boosts in battle.  Leave and return to Florence to
speak to Carla.  Go to Southampton to see the vain Mr. Lawrence on the castle
battlements.  If you still don't know who he is supposed to be after speaking
with him, check your library or take a history course!  He'll give Lucia a
BRIDE'S DRESS.  On a replay game, if you complete your monster library and talk
to Lawrence at any time, he will, for some odd reason, give you the BLACK
UNDERPANTS.

Go back to the Black Forest.  All the flowers will be gone, and all roads will
point to the same place.  Go to the third screen (the one with the three-way
split) and check the far right for a SEVENTH KEY.  Now go down the middle path
to get THE SEVEN STARS, Lucia's special accessory.  (Thanks to Heretic for this
info.)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 The Dog Shrine                         [sdf]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Dog Shrine Map    ___ Jin Stone         Enemies: Lobo
          ___ Rin Stone         ___ Zai Stone                  Otoroshi
          ___ Hei Stone         ___ Seal of the Urn            Waira
          ___ Tou Stone         ___ Ultra Belt                 Dog Guardian
          ___ Sha Stone         ___ Mana Extract               Hotoke Garan
          ___ Kai Stone         ___ Mumeiro                    Kouneki
          ___ Rei Stone         ___ Seal 4
          ___ Strongoids        ___ Autumn Kimono
          ___ Talsmn. of Mercy  ___ Gold Angel
          ___ Poison 4          ___ Prayer Robe

First, enter the Forest of Wind outside Inugami Village.  Before long, you'll
spy a white wolf.  Get out your Leonardo's Bear.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Lobo             Class: Fire
    HP: c. 1300      MP: ---
    EXP: 7500        Cash: 7000
    Souls: 0         Drop: Instant Death 4

   Without a Leonardo's Bear, you cannot win.  Cast Shield and Barrier
   and increase whichever attack stat you like.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Soul Comet gains more power.  Now, return to Inugami village and speak to Saki.
She'll have Kurando go on an errand to check the Dog Shrine.  She'll give you
the DOG SHRINE MAP and the RIN, HEI, TOU, SHA, and KAI STONES in order to get
around.  The Dog Shrine will now appear on the world map, and Kurando must be
in the party for the duration of your stay.  He'll explain how to get around at
the first stone altar.  It's a little confusing at first, but you get the hang
of it after a while.  Note the four gods of direction on the compass of the
map.  We're gonna go to the Red Phoenix room first.  Put the "|" stone in the
middle southern slot, the "+" in the middle, and the "-" in the middle left.
Go north, north, west, west.  Grab the REI STONE in the chest.  At the altar,
place the "-|" stone to the right and the "r" stone to the left.  Go north,
west, south.  In here are STRONGOIDS, a TALSMN. OF MERCY, and POISON 4.  Now
return to the very first altar and take all your stones with you.

Let's hit the Blue Dragon room next.  Put "|" in the southern middle, "-|" in
the middle, and "+" at the top.  Now go north as far as you can until you see a
chest with the JIN STONE.  Here, put "T" in the southeastern slot, "L" in the
southwestern, "r" in the northwestern, and "-" in the last slot.  Go north,
west, north, east, east.  Nab the ZAI STONE and the SEAL OF THE URN.  Backtrack
to the save point and take all your stones with you.

The White Tiger room is next.  Put "|" in the southern middle, "-|" in the
middle, "|-" in the northern middle, and "-" in the northeastern slot.  Go
north, north, north, east, east, and get the ULTRA BELT.  Here, put "r" in the
lower left and "T" in the lower right.  Go north, east, east, and put the "+"
stone in the altar here.  South and west is the tiger room.  Get the ZEN STONE
and the MANA EXTRACT and backtrack, taking all your stones with you.

Now we need to get to the Black Tortoise room.  Put "|" in the southern middle
slot and your new stone which looks like a shorter version of the one you just
placed in the middle.  Heal and save and go north twice.  Kurando will get the
MUMEIRO, his best weapon, and the psychic disturbance shows itself.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Hotoke Garan        Class: Dark
    HP: 6980            MP: 888
    EXP: 75,000         Cash: 50,000
    Souls: 300          Drop: Oracle Earrings

   This guy is really nothing new.  He's exactly the same as the last
   time you fought him so don't bother with parameter ailments,
   watch out for Mind Assault, and don't waste MP casting offensive
   magic.  Use Holy Edge, Arc Rage, and combos to finally put him
   down for good.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

You'll automatically be on the world map afterwards.  Go see Saki and then
leave the village entirely and come back.  Put a Bell Bracelet on Kurando
before going to the Fountain of Sukune.

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Kouneki           Class: Fire
    HP: c. 2500       MP: ---
    EXP: 70,000       Cash: 10,000
    Souls: 300        Drop: Seal 4

   Nothing's really changed here either except Kurando has some new
   moves, and he's all by himself.  This means that you should heal
   first above all else.  Seal isn't really a big deal since Kurando's
   new fusion is raw physical power.  If you put P-Atk Down on his
   ring, it'll take effect nearly every turn, meaning all you really
   have to watch out for is her magic.  If she uses Energy Charge,
   it's probably best to guard even if you have inflicted P-Atk Down
   five times over.  You know, just to be safe.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

Kurando gets to keep his last fusion for winning.  After this, go see Saki in
her house to get the best dialogue ever between her and Anastasia.  She'll give
her an AUTUMN KIMONO.  Talk to her again after this to learn what kind of
mother she really is.  Ho ho!  While we're in Japan, why not visit Kurando's
master and Yoshiko?  She'll have gotten a job recently, as a Lottery Girl.
She'll only let you play if you've played with everyone up to this point.

   Lottery Member #2
   Ring: Normal
     Thief Earrings        *Oddly enough, her ring is nothing special.  She's a
     Getitup!               novice when it comes to the Lottery!
     Strike Expand
     Mana Extract
     Tissues

While we're getting items for Anastasia, if you've found all five Silver
Angels, take them to Edgar in Petrograd to get her best weapon, the GOLD ANGEL.
If you go visit her family in the Winter Palace (her brother always cracks me
up), her mother will present her best armor, the PRAYER ROBE.  Gerard has also
set up shop nearby and sells Third Keys and extract healing items.  Stock up!


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           King Solomon's Key/Trials                    [sks]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Items: ___ Sabnock           ___ Gold Band          Enemies: Solomon
        ___ Blood Jewel       ___ Seventh Key
        ___ Third Key         ___ Silver Angel
        ___ Mr. Sax           ___ Ultra Belt
        ___ Gold Necklace     ___ Dragonfangs
        ___ Fifth Key         ___ Dark Angel
        ___ Step Doubler      ___ Electro Band
        ___ Mind's Eye        ___ Puppeteer's Cape
        ___ Warlock Earrings  ___ Solomon
        ___ Shax

After you receive Solomon's Key from Granny Lot in Le Havre, you can start to
fill it in with all your crests by selecting it from the Command Menu.  Placing
the crests is like solving a riddle based on the description of the monster
living in the crest and the drawings in the Key.  Correctly placing all the
crests in an area will power them up and add new spells.  Filling in all the
areas is important for the next portion of this sidequest.  I don't have a list
of all the crests' locations, but all of them are in the item checklists in the
walkthrough (except those that are already equipped on characters that join
your party), so scan them to see which ones you're missing, if any.  Below are
the solutions to each area of the Key.

       Pal. of Trans.                                Enchanting Sea
        0            0: Astaroth                                0: Vepar
        |            1: Orobas                   0 - 1          1: Crocell
        1            2: Gaap                     |   |          2: Forneus
        |            3: Baal                     2 - 3 - 4      3: Focalor
    2 - 3 - 4        4: Asmodeus                                4: Uvall
        |            5: Amon
        5

        Frst. Passion                                Forsaken Hill
                     0: Furfur                                  0: Camio
    0                1: Gremory                       3 - 4     1: Phenex
    |                2: Andras                        |         2: Purson
    1 - 2 - 3        3: Zepar                 0 - 1 - 2         3: Paimon
    |   |   |        4: Sitri                     |   |         4: Marchosias
    4 - 5 - 6        5: Sallos                    5 - 6 - 7     5: Raum
                     6: Vassago                                 6: Barbatos
                                                                7: Agares

         Flame Desert                              Etrn. Boneyard
     0          0: Amy                     0 - 1             0: Glasyalabolas
     |          1: Beleth                      |             1: Bune
     1 - 2      2: Bathin                      2 - 3         2: Bifrons
     |   |      3: Haures                          |         3: Samigina
     3 - 4      4: Aim                             4 - 5     4: Murmur
                                                             5: Furcas

                             Wilder. of War
                                       0: Dantalion    5: Eligos
             0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5     1: Leraje       6: Balam
                 |   |   |   |         2: Halphas      7: Ose
                 6 - 7 - 8 - 9         3: Berith       8: Alloces
                                       4: Ipos         9: Sabnok

                              Bastn. Riches
                          6         0: Zagan        7: Decarabia
                          |         1: Shax         8: Seere
                      4 - 5         2: Malphas      9: Cimeies
                      |   |         3: Haagenti
              0 - 1 - 2 - 3         4: Valefor
              |   |   |             5: Belial
              7 - 8 - 9             6: Andromalius

                               Sprng. Wisdom
                           E         0: Foras        9: Marax
                           |         1: Gusion       A: Amdusias
                   B - C - D         2: Buer         B: Stolas
                   |   |   |         3: Orias        C: Botis
               0 - 1 - 2 - 3         4: Marbas       D: Naberius
               |   |   |   |         5: Ronove       E: Vapula
               4 - 5 - 6 - 7         6: Valak
                   |   |   |         7: Andrealphus
                   8 - 9 - A         8: Vine

Later, when you first enter Goreme Valley, you'll meet Sarah, an attendant of
King Solomon himself.  She scares the bejeezus out of Yuri and gets him to
undergo King Solomon's Trials, which are basically pit fights.  Some are as
simple as beating the living daylights out of all the monsters thrown at you;
some must be beaten under certain conditions.  You'll get prizes for completing
them.  Below are descriptions and strategies for the various levels of the
trials.  The pit fights are the best place to get Snap Shots and fill out
Anastasia's Album, so bring her along for most of them.

The following fights are available when you first talk to Sarah.

  Beginner, Level 1
  -----------------
   Conditions: choose any 1 person and win 5 battles in a row
      Enemies: Gatorback, Kheperer, Paladin, Gremlin, Langsuir, Clawed
               Commander, Ofnir, Otheon, Barghest, Propolis, Tammuz, Stray Wolf
        Prize: Sabnock crest
     Strategy: This is as easy as it gets.  Chose anyone you like and clean
               house.  Wearing a Pocket Watch or a Mirror Bracelet wouldn't be
               a bad idea.

  Beginner, Level 2
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win using a 28+ hit combo at least once
        Enemy: Godhand
        Prize: Blood Jewel
     Strategy: You'll want to use magic and skills that hit a good number of
               times, like Karin's Geuschbenst skill or Evil Ray.  It's not
               hard to do as long as you watch out how your spells hit (don't
               use Evil Ray twice in a row, for instance).  Here was my set up:

                 Gepetto used Evil Ray for 7 hits
                 Karin used Geuschbenst for 12 hits
                 Blanca used Soul Comet for 5 hits
                 Anastasia finished with Air Shot for 15 hits, totaling 39

               If you mess up, Godhand has enough HP for you to try again.
               After you get it, just finish him off as usual.  Watch for
               petrifaction!

  Beginner, Level 3
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 4 battles in a row with Reverse
               Ring in effect without missing a ring or curing abnormalities
      Enemies: Ducky Toy, Wooden Lion, Ekimmu, Clawed Soldier, Sting, Thug, Fat
               Thug, Gregor, Centipede, Roach Queen
        Prize: Third Key
     Strategy: Before starting this trial, equip Coral Pendants on your two
               fighters.  This way, you can take your time hitting your rings.
               Just remember that you cannot miss or cure any ailments or you
               automatically fail.  Note that breaking a combo by failing the
               button pushing sequence also counts as "missing a ring".

  Beginner, Level 4
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 6 battles in a row while poisoned
               without curing abnormalities or using items
      Enemies: Gatorback, Kheperer, Clawed Admiral, Skeeter, Death Snail,
               Zoism, Lambton Worm, Calamity Orb, Revenant, Statue, Domovoi,
               Fortune Stick, Katherine
        Prize: Mr. Sax
     Strategy: Definitely bring Arc Cure with you.  Since you can't use items,
               you must use magic to heal, and since you've got to go six in a
               row with poison, you will need to heal.  Make sure you've got
               enough MP to use it as well since you can't replenish it.

The following fights are available after defeating the Night Queen.

  Monk, Level 1
  -------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win using an 18+ hit combo at least
               once but without using special skills
      Enemies: Pendulum, Victor
        Prize: Gold Necklace
     Strategy: Keep your cursor away from that second option in the Action
               Menu!  If Yuri's in the party, don't fuse!  Even if you fuse and
               just use normal attacks, you'll fail.  Treat this fight like you
               did the first time you fought these guys.  The Pendulum most
               likely won't survive an 18 hit combo at your level so get to
               work on Victor when it's dead.  Here's how I pulled off the
               combo:

                 Gepetto used Gale Spark for 10 hits
                 Yuri knocked him down for 5 hits
                 Blanca used Gale Spin for 2 hits
                 Lucia finished with Air Shot for 15 hits, totaling 32

  Monk, Level 2
  -------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 3 battles in a row with Tight Ring
               in effect without missing a ring or curing abnormalities
      Enemies: Arachne, Castor, Pollux, Karin, Yuri
        Prize: Fifth Key
     Strategy: Wear those Coral Pendants again to slow the needle down so you
               make sure you don't miss a ring.  You don't need to worry about
               status ailments as these guys are all pushovers.

  Monk, Level 3
  -------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row
      Enemies: Andre, Pendulum, Wormgaur, Quartzback, Jill, Jack, Agony,
               Peryton, Night Queen
        Prize: Step Doubler
     Strategy: Definitely bring Anastasia to this fight because she can snap
               Andre for the Cash Steal album, as well as the Pendulum if you
               keep missing it.  The one bad thing about this trial is the
               Night Queen and her Instant Death attacks.  Blanca's Comeback or
               Amon's Revival abilities help to get you back on your feet
               quickly unless you wore Leonardo's Bears.

  Monk, Level 4
  -------------
   Conditions: choose one person to fight 5 battles in a row with Blind Ring
               in effect and without curing abnormalities
      Enemies: Oscar, Gatorback, Kheperer, Paladin, Quartzback, Wormgaur,
               Ogoroja, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Amon
        Prize: Mind's Eye
     Strategy: Pick your fighter and make their ring a Practice Ring!  This
               will ensure you enough tries to get a hit in for the price of no
               strike areas.  Or, if you prefer not to be cheap, make sure you
               fight with someone with whose ring you are familiar.  If you're
               not comfortable using Anastasia, make sure you level her up and
               come back to this trial because she can snap Oscar for the
               Remove album.  Plus, it's kind of amusing to see Amon get beaten
               by a little girl.

The following fights are available after Roger revisits you in Japan.

  Believer, Level 1
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 2, win 3 battles in a row with Reverse and
               Tight Ring in effect without missing a ring or curing
               abnormalities
      Enemies: Zamuza, Megafilaria, Echidna, Akagi Soldier, Gaki, Pera-pera,
               Noh Masks
        Prize: Warlock Earrings
     Strategy: Give your two fighters Coral Pendants and you should be fine.

  Believer, Level 2
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row while poisoned
               and with Fake Ring in effect without curing abnormalities
      Enemies: Megafilaria, Echidna, Hati, Gigafilaria, Spider Walker, Flying
               Drone, Akagi Soldier, Pera-pera, Noh Masks, Lt. Col. Terada
        Prize: Shax
     Strategy: This is the single most annoying trial ever.  Practice Rings are
               a must because that fight with Terada is a pain.  If you don't
               want to use that strategy, level up like crazy so your fighters
               can take more punishment.  Bring along someone with Arc Cure to
               help with the poison and Anastasia if you missed the Hati photo.

  Believer, Level 3
  -----------------
   Conditions: choose any 1 person and win 4 battles in a row with Small Ring
               in effect and without curing abnormalities
      Enemies: Echidna, Hati, Zamuza, Mother Filaria, Noh Masks, Pera-pera,
               Gaki, Asmodeus
        Prize: Gold Band
     Strategy: Make sure you pick someone who can hold their own in a fight by
               themselves.  Small Ring isn't so bad, especially since you can
               miss and still pass.  If you have Delay on your ring, Asmodeus
               will probably never get a turn in.  Just watch your SP.

  Believer, Level 4
  -----------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 12 battles in a row
      Enemies: Gargoyle, Arachne, Castor, Pollux, Centipede, Gregor, Meursault,
               Grimlock, Andre, Janus, Star Gazer, Grail Gazer, Oscar, Mother
               Filaria, Armored Fighter, Mini Tanukis
        Prize: Seventh Key
     Strategy: Definitely bring Anastasia if you're looking for snaps.  This
               trial was tailor-made for those looking to complete their
               library, and there are a number of albums to get, including
               Pillage Storm from the Mini Tanukis.  The monsters are all
               pushovers at your level.

The following fights are available before going to the Queen's Garden.

  Worshiper, Level 1
  ------------------
   Conditions: using Gepetto, Blanca, Lucia, and Anastasia, win 5 battles in a
               row without using Attack
      Enemies: Danters, Lemures, Emptiness, Koshoki, Steel Soldier, Flying
               Drone X, Mutant Snail, Armored Fighter
        Prize: Silver Angel
     Strategy: This is not meant to be hard.  It's really more a test of your
               memory to see if you remember you're not supposed to physically
               attack.  That Armored Fighter might make a worthy opponent to
               your P-Def-lacking mages, though as long as someone has Arc
               Cure, you're good.  And keep those Mana items at the ready.

  Worshiper, Level 2
  ------------------
   Conditions: using Yuri, Karin, Joachim, and Kurando, win 5 battles in a row
               without using Crest or Combo Magic
      Enemies: Koshoki, Beetle Walker, Flying Drone X, Towd, Enku, Yomi
               Samurai, Mutant Snail, Yama Garan
        Prize: Ultra Belt
     Strategy: No problem.  Everyone can use their special skills, and Yuri and
               Kurando can even use magic since it's not crest based, so if you
               need to buff up for Yama Garan, fusion-swap with Yuri.

  Worshiper, Level 3
  ------------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 3, win 5 battles in a row with Fast Ring
               in effect without curing abnormalities or using items
      Enemies: Gaki, Noh Masks, Pera-pera, Beetle Walker, Flying Drone X, Steel
               Soldier, Enku, Yomi Samurai, Towd, Shoki
        Prize: Dragonfangs
     Strategy: Equip Coral Pendants on your fighters of choice and it will
               neutralize Fast Ring, bringing the needle to normal speed.  Most
               of the enemies in this trial can inflict Judgment Ring
               abnormalities so if you don't want an Up Fast Ring, wear Pocket
               Watches.  You might also want to wear Leonardo's Bears for
               Shoki.

The following fights are available when the Asuka Stone Platform appears.

  Embodiment, Level 1
  -------------------
   Conditions: choose any 1 person and win six battles in a row
      Enemies: Titanium Soldier, Lava Lump, Samurai Ghoul, Raiden, Scorpilus,
               Hien, Great Gama
        Prize: Dark Angel
     Strategy: Make sure you pick someone who can hold their own in a fight
               against a bunch of enemies at once.

  Embodiment, Level 2
  -------------------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 6 battles in a row
      Enemies: Towd, Blooming Phoenix, Samurai Ghoul, Lava Lump, Titanium
               Soldier, Mecha Lord, Bethlehem, Graffias, Morgan, King Tamakos
        Prize: Electro Band
     Strategy: Not much to say except make sure you've got some powerful magic
               for when you fight the Mecha Lord.  Bring Anastasia if you
               missed the Spirit Ward album.

The following trial is unlocked for beating all the others.

  Creator
  -------
   Conditions: with a party of up to 4, win 4 battles in a row
      Enemies: Veronica, Clawed Commander, Lenny, Grand Papillon, Tin Lion
        Prize: Puppeteer's Cape
     Strategy: Joachim MUST be in your party!  The last enemy, the Tin Lion, is
               immune to absolutely everything, and it will instantly kill
               anyone it attacks by dealing over 10,000 damage in one hit!  The
               only thing that will hurt it is Joachim's Drain Touch.  Why?
               Drain Touch has no damage affiliation.  It isn't special or
               physical damage.  It just drains HP, which is just what you need
               to do.  If Joachim should happen to turn into a bat when you
               face the Tin Lion, you're screwed (as Gepetto would put it).  In
               case you don't want to trust your luck, J Z has informed me that
               the Tin Lion is susceptible to Petrify, so make sure you have
               people with Petrify on their Rings or use special attacks that
               can cause it, like Anastasia's Euthanasia.

After you've beaten all the trials and have filled in King Solomon's Key, talk
to Sarah, and she'll grant you an audience with Solomon.  Turns out the old
man is just bored and needs a fight to the death to liven things up for him.
Let's give it to him!  But first, you must equip your characters with
Crucifixes or Pocket Watches!  (J.D. Maison has pointed out that putting Lucia
in your party is a way to circumvent status ailments by using her aroma oils;
just make sure you can heal or prevent ailments on her as well if you do this.
Kind of like the strategy for Orobas I recommended earlier.)

  -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Solomon           Class: ---
    HP: 9350          MP: 999
    EXP: 99,999       Cash: 50,000
    Souls: 350        Drop: Seven-Eyed Mask

   I highly recommend coming into this battle having done most of
   the major sidequests, especially The Dark Seraphim.  If not,
   you'll just have to work a little harder to keep your stats up.
   Buff everyone as soon as possible!  You'll need Arc Barrier and
   Gale, without a doubt.  Blanca's Aurora ability will more than
   likely save your life as well.  If you have the Dark Seraphim,
   just cast For Everyone... and use For Tomorrow... in lieu of Arc
   Cure.  Solomon's major spell is Melt Crest, an All spell that also
   inflicts Bind while doing insane damage and inflicting nearly
   every Judgment Ring abnormality at once.  You must heal after
   this or else he'll just keep using it, driving your HP ever lower
   while making you scramble to keep it up, and you don't want to
   scramble.  He can also halve your SP with one slap of that wand
   so keep Pure items at the ready and make sure no one even
   slightly risks going Berserk.  Always keep Barrier in place as
   it will lessen damage, and always have someone healing!  (Blanca
   is probably best for that.)  In order to finish him efficiently,
   keep your support characters always working in the background
   and your main attackers never letting up in the foreground.
   Watch the turn meter as well and have an attacker heal if
   necessary before Solomon's turn is up.  It might take a while, but
   the old man will fall.  Pull out a Key if you're having trouble
   keeping up.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------

He'll turn into the SOLOMON crest, giving you the Melt Crest spell.  Talk to
Sarah if you still want to do any trials.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Quizzes                           [sqz]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   Items: ___ Foras
          ___ Steel Egg
          ___ Silver Angel

Certain characters you meet will want to test you to see how well you study
your inventory and monster library.  Answer ten questions correctly with ten
seconds for each question to show your stuff.

The first quiz is on the Battleship Mikasa after you finish the initial events.
Enter the captain's quarters to be put to the test.  His questions focus mainly
on your item inventory, and you get the FORAS crest for winning.  Below are all
the questions I've seen him ask.

  Which item cures all status and ring abnormalities in an instant?
    Daphne Fruit

  Which of Blanca's weapons is in the top 100 whetstones of the world?
    Whetstone Plus

  Which of the following accessories guards against Petrification?
    Mirror Bracelet

  Which of the following weapons used by Lucia sports a full-moon emblem?
    Luna Fan

  Which of the following items restores MP?
    Mana Leaf

  What pro-level accessory makes Hit Areas vanish but doubles Attack Power?
    Mind's Eye

  What kind of weapon is Joachim's Timber?
    Square lumber

  What's the coating on Gepetto's weapon, Copper Filament?
    Copper

  How many are there in a pack of tissues, the lottery consolation prize?
    8

  What's the name of the secret global organization running the lottery?
    The World Lottery Society

  Which is the most effective restoring item?
    Thera Extract

  Which of the following accessories protects against Poison?
    Shell Bracelet

  What creature's eggshell is Anastasia's weapon, Blue Serpent, made from?
    Reptile

  Which accessory is the savior that stops Instant Death from working?
    Leonardo's Bear

  What's the effect of the charming get-up for men, the Loin Guard?
    Increased Attack Power

  Which essential item in battle recovers the HP of unconscious characters?
    Talisman of Mercy

  What's the name of the practice sword Karin borrowed from Gepetto?
    Fleuret

  What is Yuri's special weapon, Phantom Claw, made from?
    Unidentified bones

  Which item increases Max SP, which shows a character's emotional stability?
    Seal of the Soul

  What's drawn on the front of the Seal of Force, which increases Power?
    An angel

The next quiz is available before you go to the Queen's Garden.  A jerk in a
white suit in front of the Yokohama Hotel will quiz you on your monster
library and give you a STEEL EGG for winning.

  Katherine, who shows up on Manmariana Island, is what kind of monster?
    A tussock moth

  What does the Clawed Admiral have on his head that young officers envy?
    A piece of red cloth

  What kind of toy is the monster Ducky Toy, which appears in Domremy?
    Drakes

  What's the name of the flag in the otherworld of the Foreigner's Cemetery?
    Pera-pera

  What does the monster Death Snail from the Ardennes Forest carry on its back?
    A skull

  The twin familiars Veronica summons are Castor, and who?
    Pollux

  What's the name of the armor worn by low-ranking Iron Soldiers on the Mikasa?
    Akagi

  What's the tough guy called who appears in Le Havre wielding square lumber?
    Thug

  On Manmariana Island, what's the name of Carla's cat that she got at a
  festival?
    Andre

  What's the worm-like monster possessing antibodies for Idar Flamme?
    Megafilaria

  Jill, the monster that appears in the Gallery of the Dead, was once what?
    A girl

  Blooming Phoenix, who shows up in the Immortal Mountain, has how many legs?
    1

  Veronica's pet monster, Oscar, is a mixture with what animal?
    A Doberman

  Tammuz, who shows up in the mine in Rhondda, is a human mixed with what?
    A scorpion

  What form is the vessel containing Astaroth's negative power, Shoki?
    A dog

  What's the name of the airborne weapon controlled by Dr. Hojo?
    Master Cylinder

  Veronica summoned a monster called Meursault.  What's its favorite thing?
    Liquor

  What's the name of the Imperial Army's unmanned airborne weapon on the
  Mikasa?
    Flying Drone

  Who is the most important member of the secret society group led by Lenny?
    Lenny

  Peryton, who attacked Russia, has the body of a bird.  What is its head?
    A deer

The last quiz is being held by the man who gave you the Mr. Wrestler Stud Card
by the wrestling ring in Nihonbashi.  This one is a Stud Card quiz.  Studying
for it is just a little strange, but he'll give you a SILVER ANGEL if you can
manage it.

  What does Oliver, the German Mr. Doctor, have in his left hand?
    Medical records

  Who is England's top bodybuilder and super-sleuth?
    Ashley

  What is the occupation of Russia's top bodybuilder Kalpin?
    Ballerina

  What instrument does the popular musician, O'Brien, play?
    Sax

  What can you smell if you rub the vest of the slightly shy masked wrestler?
    Curry

  How many world bodybuilders that appear on Stud Cards have their back turned?
    1

  How does soul man O'Brien, America's top bodybuilder, wear his hair?
   Afro

  What is the occupation of Italy's top bodybuilder, Miccoli?
   Chef

  What does Marcel, France's largest Sommelier, have in his right hand?
    A wine glass

  People call Enrique, Spain's top bodybuilder, the "Iberian ..." what?
    Red Tornado

  What does the ultimate matador, Enrique, have in his mouth?
    A rose

  Japan's top bodybuilder, Mr. Samurai, likes getting naked.  What's his name?
    Ogasawara

  What does France's top bodybuilder, Marcel, do for a living?
    Sommelier

  What field does Dr. Oliver, Germany's top bodybuilder, work in?
    Gynecology

  What color underwear does the Indian top bodybuilder, Mr. Wrestler, wear?
    Black

  How does super-sleuth Ashley like to spend his spare time?
    Reading

  How many bodybuilders that appear on Stud Cards have nothing in their hands?
    2

  What does chef and restaurateur, Miccoli, have in his left hand?
    A fry pan

  Which ballet did superstar ballerina Kalpin perform entirely solo?
    Swan Lake

  What color loincloth does the Last Samurai, Ogasawara, wear?
    Red

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Recaps
    
    To make things easier, I did a recap of the important stuff.  This way,
    you don't have to go looking all over for things spread out in the
    walkthrough, and there's a lot of stuff spread all over the place for
    this game.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               Ring Soul Locations                      [rrs]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You'll meet the Ring Soul a total of 16 times.  Each time, you'll get a
scene of his progressively funnier talks with Yuri and an Attack Boost item.
The exact locations of the Ring Spir- er, Soul are in greater detail in the
walkthrough.

  Apoina Tower: occurs automatically
  Paris: subway tunnels after leaving the Champs-�lys�es
  Le Havre: near the tree by Granny Lot's shop
  Rhondda Mine: see walkthrough
  Wales: to the right of Roger's house
  Manmariana Island: room with Libra, Aries, and Capricorn tiles
  Neam Ruins: southeast corner of room with Magimel Brothers
  St. Marguerite Island: see walkthrough
  Goreme Valley: east side of the room where Jovis sends Yuri to Mirror Castle
  Petrograd (Gallery of the Dead): see walkthrough
  Apoina Tower: third floor, to the left
  Yokohama Streets: by a lamppost
  Battleship Mikasa: in the warehouse to the left before entering ship
  Foreigner's Cemetery: left of entrance/south of walkway
  Inugami Village: north side of village
  Immortal Mountain: see walkthrough


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Ultimate Weapons/Armor/Unique Accessories            [rwa]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a list of each character's best equipment.  Most even have an accessory
specially tailored for them.  Yuri and Kurando do not since, as Harmonixers,
the one accessory they should be wearing all the time is a Flare Brooch.  There
are two of those, one for each.

  Yuri
  ----
   Weapon: Chimera Claw, do a Spin Ring 10 in Roger's house in Wales after the
           Neam Ruins sidequest
    Armor: Bike Jacket, track down Lenny from Cannes to St. Marguerite and
           he'll give it to you

  Karin
  -----
        Weapon: Durandal, finish the Fort of Regrets
         Armor: Microskirt, given by Rooney (president of the World Fitness
                Walking Society) in Florence when you reach 10,000 steps on
                your Pedometer
   Accessories: Anne's Cross, given by Yuri when visiting Zurich for the first
                time; Dating Outfit, given by Roger in Wales after finishing
                the Fort of Regrets and the item trading sidequest

  Blanca
  ------
      Weapon: Beast Medal, prize for finishing the Wolf Bout
       Armor: Charm Pouch, return to Domremy and Jeanne will give it to Blanca
   Accessory: Colorful Comb, acquired automatically in the Brick Warehouse

  Gepetto
  -------
      Weapon: Crimson Thread, complete the Doll House quest
       Armor: Puppeteer's Cape, prize for finishing Creator trial
   Accessory: Silver Chair, bought for 10,000 in cathedral district of Paris

  Joachim
  -------
        Weapon: Nautilus, acquired during the Fort of Regrets sidequest
         Armor: Rose Bondage, won from Lottery Member #1
   Accessories: Prism Band, won from Lottery Member #11; Gold Band, prize for
                Believer Level 3 trial; Electro Band, prize for Embodiment
                Level 3 trial

  Lucia
  -----
      Weapon: Nemesis Fan, finish item trading sidequest
       Armor: Dancing Stars, found in a chest on second level of Asuka Stone
              Platform
   Accessory: Bride's Dress, given by Mr. Lawrence in Southampton after
              visiting the Black Forest; The Seven Stars, in the middle of the
              three-way path when revisiting the Black Forest

  Anastasia
  ---------
        Weapon: Gold Angel, give Edgar all five Silver Angels
         Armor: Prayer Robe, return to Winter Palace and the empress will
                present it
   Accessories: Panoramic Lens, given by Edgar; Autumn Kimono, talk to Saki
                after obtaining Kurando's last fusion

  Kurando
  -------
   Weapon: Mumeiro, finish the Dog Shrine sidequest
    Armor: Devil Loincloth, found in a chest on the fourth level of the Asuka
           Stone Platform


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 Lottery Members                        [rlm]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Listed here are all the members of the World Lottery Association, what prizes
they offer, and where you can find them.  Check the walkthrough for detailed
locations and tips on nailing your wedge of choice.

  Lottery Member #16                        Lottery Member #15
  Location: Le Havre                        Location: Port of Southampton
  Ring: Normal                              Ring: Normal
    Bathin                                    Slow 1
    Hit Area Expand                           Hit Area Expand
    Daphne Fruit                              Talismn. of Mercy
    Pure Leaf                                 Thera Seed
    Tissues                                   Tissues

  Lottery Member #14                        Lottery Member #13
  Location: Rhondda Mines                   Location: Cannes
  Ring: Invisible                           Ring: Small
    Third Key                                 Marchosias
    Hit Area Expand                           Face Guard
    Daphne Fruit                              Hit Area Expand
    Mana Seed                                 Pure Seed
    Tissues                                   Tissues

   Lottery Member #12                       Lottery Member #11
   Location: St. Marguerite Island          Location: Winter Palace
   Ring: Fickle                             Ring: Reverse
     Slow 2                                   Prism Band
     Western Belt                             Replacement Man
     Talsmn. of Mercy                         Hit Area Expand
     Thera Seed                               Mana Seed
     Tissues                                  Tissues

   Lottery Member #10                       Lottery Member #9
   Location: Gepetto's Apartment            Location: Brick Warehouse
   Ring: Slightly faster than normal        Ring: Normal
     Alloces                                  Huge Jug
     Will Power                               Mirror Bracelet
     Hit Area Expand                          Thera Extract
     Pure Seed                                Thera Root
     Tissues                                  Tissues

   Lottery Member #8                        Lottery Member #7
   Location: Battleship Mikasa              Location: Nihonbashi
   Ring: Up                                 Ring: Normal
     P-Attack Down 3                          Warning Device
     Kendo Mask                               Zodiac Bracelet
     Hit Area Expand                          Hit Area Expand
     Mana Root                                Pure Root
     Tissues                                  Tissues

   Lottery Member #6                        Lottery Member #5
   Location: Inugami Village                Location: Azabu Kamiyashiki
   Ring: Small                              Ring: Reverse, Narrow
     Dark Angel                               Slow 3
     Cosmic Bracelet                          Ninja Gi
     Thera Extract                            Mana Extract
     Hit Area Expand                          Hit Area Expand
     Tissues                                  Tissues

   Lottery Member #4                        Lottery Member #3
   Location: Tiffauges Castle                Location: Fort of Regrets
   Ring: Invisible                          Ring: Haste
     Demon Ward                               Mind's Eye
     Strongoids                               Bat's Gold
     Pure Extract                             Strike Expand
     Hit Area Expand                          Thera Extract
     Tissues                                  Tissues

   Lottery Member #2                        Lottery Member #1
   Location: Mukyo-An                       Location: Le Havre
   Ring: Normal                             Ring: Fickle
     Thief Earrings                           Rose Bondage
     Getitup!                                 Meteor Mask
     Strike Expand                            Strike Expand
     Mana Extract                             Pure Root
     Tissues                                  Tissues


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                Important Items                         [rii]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plenty of sidequests and special skills have you collect [insert number here]
of [insert item here], and it gets really hard to keep track of it all.  Here's
a list of all the scattered items worth collecting.  I don't have the energy to
make a list of all the crests when you can just use the answers to the key in
the Solomon section as a checklist.

  Soul Drops
  ----------
   These are needed to acquire Yuri's level 3 fusions and are necessary to
   access the strongest fusion monster.

     - church in Domremy
     - prize for beating level 2 of Lucky Chests
     - talk to Lawrence in Goreme Valley
     - chest in Yokohama
     - by grave in Foreigner's Cemetery
     - chest in shack in Inugami Village

  Stud Cards
  ----------
   These are used to power up Gepetto's Marionette technique and will let you
   take the Stud Card quiz for a Silver Angel.

     Mr. Sommelier: automatically acquired in Gepetto's apartment
     Mr. Matador: automatically acquired in Gepetto's apartment if you have a
                  Shadow Hearts save file; otherwise, a woman south of the
                  fountain in Florence will give it to you
     Mr. Chef: prize in Lucky chests in Wine Cellar
     Mr. Detective: chest in Southampton
     Mr. Samurai: buy the sumo wrestler in the Cannes bar a drink
     Mr. Swan: talk to pacing guard in Winter Palace
     Mr. Doctor: behind black sign in Yokohama Streets
     Mr. Wrestler: given by man near Nihonbashi wrestling ring
     Mr. Sax: prize for Beginner Level 4 trial

  Nibelung Scenes
  ---------------
   These are used to teach Karin German sword techniques, powering up her
   special skill.  Since you must learn Karin's skills in order, you will
   always get each scene in a specific order.  This means that, should you skip
   someone, the list below will be slightly altered.  All you need to make sure
   of is that you visit everyone in this list, and you should be fine.

     Prelude: acquired automatically in Gepetto's apartment
     Scene 2: given by locksmith in St. Marguerite
     Scene 3: given by sailor on the Mikasa
     Scene 4: given by man in Southampton
     Scene 5: given by old man in Petrograd
     Scene 6: given by man in Foreigner's Cemetery
     Scene 7: given by man in Florence
     Scene 8: examine skeleton in Gallery of the Dead
     Scene 9: given by man in Southampton if you've all other scenes
     Finale: found in Queen's Garden

  Aroma Oils
  ----------
   These are used in Lucia's really useful Aromatherapy skill.

     Ocean: automatically given by Carla
     Misty: automatically given by Carla
     Grass: check fountain in Cannes
     Night: dropped by Victor
     Moon: dropped by Night Queen
     Shining: talk to woman in Yokohama three times
     Sunrise: upstairs of Saki's house in Inugami Village
     Aurora: finish the Black Forest sidequest

  Tarot Cards
  -----------
   Lucia uses these to read the fates of your party and those of the monsters
   you fight.

     The High Priestess: Lucia starts with this
     The Hierophant: Lucia starts with this
     The Hermit: Lucia starts with this
     The Hanged Man: Lucia starts with this
     The Moon: Lucia starts with this
     Wheel of Fortune: St. Marguerite, where you fought Oscar
     The Magician: Gallery of the Dead
     The Sun: by building on Yokohama Streets
     The Lovers: battleship Mikasa
     The Tower: Nihonbashi, by bridge
     The Star: fence outside Saki's house in Inugami Village
     The Devil: Tiffauges Castle
     The Chariot: in the Black Forest
     The Fool: dropped by Maya
     The Empress: check the teddy bear in Anastasia's room
     The Emperor: prize for getting stamps in Wolf Bout
     Strength: dropped by King Tamakos
     Justice: dropped by Janus
     Temperance: dropped by Oscar
     Judgment: dropped by Shoki
     World: dropped by Asmodeus
     Death: fourth level of the Asuka Stone Platform

  Silver Angels
  -------------
   Enigmatic drawings that Edgar collects.  They can be traded for Anastasia's
   best weapon.

     - roof of Winter Palace after defeating Veronica
     - behind rack in Inugami Village
     - behind couch in Doll House
     - prize for beating Worshiper Level 1 trial
     - prize for winning the Stud Card quiz

  Anastasia's Albums
  ------------------
   Here are all of Anastasia's attacks and what monsters you need to snap to
   get them.

     Aqua Raise: Pendulum
     Direct Press: Hati
     Cash Steal: Andre
     Remove: Oscar
     Pillage Storm: Mini Tanukis
     Falling Leaves: Tengu
     Power Cannon: Mecha Lord
     Spirit Ward: King Tamakos
     Nightmare: Bailey
     Euthanasia: Orobas


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                     Maps                               [rmp]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This game had twice as many sprawling areas as its predecessor, and I had to
draw maps for some of them.  Here's a list of links to scans of all the ones I
drew since I'm no good at doing ASCII maps.  They might be easier to follow
than my directions.

Ardennes Forest:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/ardennesforest.jpg

Paris Subway Tunnels:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/subway.jpg

Wine Cellar
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winecellar.jpg

Rhondda Mines:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/rhonddamines.jpg

St. Marguerite Island:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/stmisland.jpg

Winter Palace:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/winterpalace.jpg

Mirror Castle (first visit):
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/mirrorcastle1.jpg

Gallery of the Dead:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/gotd.jpg

Idar Flamme:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme1.jpg
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/idarflamme2.jpg

Otherworld:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld1.jpg
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/otherworld2.jpg

Immortal Mountain:
  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/sophialee/SHC/immortalmountain.jpg

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

7. Miscellaneous

   Credit/Thanks                                                        [mct]

    As always, thanks goes out to the developers of the game and the ones who
    keep Shadow Hearts going: Midway, Aruze, Nautilus, et al.

    Thanks to Alex's guide for this game for help with item and crest lists.

    Thanks also to the Shadow Hearts: Covenant message board at GameFAQs.com
    for help interpreting the third treasure clue.

    I need to say thanks to Joanna Gray's guide to the third installment of the
    Shadow Hearts series because it gave me a good idea of what a guide for a
    monster of an RPG such as this title needs to include.  A lot of how this
    walkthrough is set up is thanks to Joanna's work.

    Thanks to threetimes' excellent fusion FAQ on GameFAQs for clearing up some
    misconceptions on obtaining Yuri's final fusion.

    My brother Christopher gets credit for helping me beat that smartass
    arithmetic geek in the Chasing Lenny sidequest and for mapping out all his
    questions.  I still prefer what happens should you fail the test.

    My dad gets beaucoup thanks for venturing into the wild wilderness of the
    mall around Christmas time to get this game for me.  I couldn't have become
    obsessed with it without his efforts!

    Chris needs thanks for letting me know that the Nemesis Fan can be bought
    if the item trading is botched.

    Heretic gets a thanks for showing me that Lucia has another unique
    accessory.

    Thanks to J Z for letting me know the Tin Lion can be petrified.

    Thanks to Christoph for helping me discover the reason you want to keep a
    save file from the first Shadow Hearts on hand: an extra Stud Card in
    Paris.

    Thanks also to Chinedu for pointing out a lottery ticket I missed in
    Yokohama.

    M L needs some props for helping understand the chess puzzle in the Queen's
    Garden.  (Sorry it took so long to add in!)

    Thanks to Nyx for e-mailing an oversight with the Peach Bat.

    DarkRaven22, Kelly, Jinhee Lee, and Gordon need BIG thanks for taking the
    time to e-mail in small corrections.

    Thanks to Keinedon for letting me know about the exact percentage needed to
    win the Extreme accessory.

    J.D. gets thanks for adding some insight into the Wolf Bout and how it
    powers up Blanca, and Soloman and Dark Seraphim tips.

    Thanks to Someguy for the Delay tip on the Great Question.

    Thanks to Dan and DarkBlood for help in finding some items I missed.
    Apologies for taking so long to get the info added.

    Thanks to all the sites listed as hosts for this guide as well as anyone
    who happens to read this guide on said sites!  Say that five times fast!

 ----

   Author's Notes/Version History/Hosts/Legal Info                      [mal]

    If there's anything in this guide that doesn't sit right or if you have
    questions or comments about the walkthrough or the game, let me know at
    SophiaLee04 at yahoo dot com, and I'll try to respond to the best of my
    ability.  Just be sure to mention Shadow Hearts: Covenant in the title.

    Version History:
      1.22 - 07/10/10: I have been a slacker.  No excuses, just apologies.
                       I've added some items that I missed; nothing too major
                       or game-breaking, just about 5 little items scattered
                       throughout the game, specifically in Domremy, LeHavre,
                       Immortal Mountain, and the Doll House.  Also, a minor
                       correction in direction in the Brick Warehouse.

      1.21 - 11/13/09: With help from some e-mails, I got the Battleship Mikasa
                       section sorted out; we had some big directional errors
                       going on there.

      1.20 - 08/22/09: Fixed a really big glaring error in the Susano-O fight;
                       my bad for not catching it earlier.

      1.19 - 04/20/09: Long time, no see; I've gotten confirmation that the
                       percentage needed to win the Extreme from Naniwa is 65%.

      1.18 - 12/25/08: Fixed a demon name in the Solomon section and added some
                       stuff to the strategy for the Dark Seraphim.

      1.17 - 12/20/08: Fixed some glaring errors in the Asuka Platform section.

      1.16 - 10/22/08: I think I've done about all the damage I can do; I've
                       finished adding maps and have added a correction to the
                       Peach Bat fight.

      1.15 - 05/21/08: In light of Chaos Wars being held back again, I now have
                       more time to devote to finishing up this guide; all
                       that's left are the rest of the maps, but I'm also
                       getting little corrections here and there: it's been
                       pointed out that you only get two Stud Cards in Paris if
                       you have a save from the first Shadow Hearts; the info
                       regarding Karen's Dating Outfit has also been tweaked.

      1.14 - 02/01/08: Got a hot tip on Lucia's ultimate accessory under the
                       Black Forest section.

      1.13 - 01/19/08: Found out that the Nemesis Fan can be bought if item
                       trading goes awry.

      1.12 - 01/17/08: Made some changes in the Creator trial section; also, I
                       noticed more story development in the Wolf Bout subplot
                       and added it to that section.

      1.11 - 12/23/07: More basic revisions; the bulk of the walkthrough is
                       pretty much complete because I can't think of anything
                       else to add; the only thing left for this guide are the
                       maps I have yet to draw.

      1.10 - 09/16/07: Basic proofreading as well as added the maps section
                       like I promised; they're hand-drawn and I write small
                       but they should be legible.

      1.00 - 08/14/07: Walkthrough [finally] finished; I'll more than likely
                       find mistakes in it as soon as I submit it so if you see
                       any, feel free to let me know; I'm also considering
                       adding links to hand-drawn maps for the tougher-to-
                       follow areas.

      0.00 - 06/07/07: Walkthrough started.

    Hosts:
      Below are the sites that have permission to host this guide, so you
      should only be able to find it there.

       GameFAQs, http://www.gamefaqs.com
       Neoseeker, http://www.neoseeker.com
       HonestGamers, http://www.honestgamers.com
       Super Cheats, http://www.supercheats.com
       GamesRadar, http://www.gamesradar.com
       http://thenumber35.webs.com/

    Legal Info:
      This document was created for personal, private use.  It took several
      months to write and even more to proofread and finalize, so please
      respect the work involved and do not do anything with it that you
      shouldn't: namely, passing it off as your own or posting it anywhere
      without my permission.

    Copyright (�) 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Georgi Samaras