FAQ - Guide for Suikoden

Scroll down to read our guide named "FAQ" for Suikoden on PlayStation (PSX), or click the above links for more cheats.

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 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@     |FAQ Ver 5 - Written by A. Nickerson|  24 Mar, 1999
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============================================================================
 CONTENTS
============================================================================
 
 1. Copyright info
 2. Version history
 3. Introduction
 4. List of the 108 Stars of Destiny
 5. Other important characters
 6. List of Runes and Spells
 7. Notes on Restricted Runes
 8. Combination Attack Chart
 9. Combination of Spells
 10. List of Major Battle Groups
 11. The Party and Battle Systems
 12. The walkthrough - <*> General info
                        Errand Boy
                        Tax Collector
                        Escape
                        Planning ahead
                        The birth of a new army
                        Trickle of allies
                        Sylvan allies
                        Old friends
                        Dysfunctional Family
                        Interview with the Vampire
                        Death from above
                        The Saracen Foe
                        Last Bastion
                        The Coup de Grace
 13. Shopping List
 14. Tricks and other stuff
 15. Locations of paints, books, sound and window settings
 16. Commonly Asked Questions
 17. Acknowledgement and thanks
 18. Anything else worth mentioning

============================================================================
 COPYRIGHT INFO
============================================================================

    Ok, this FAQ took me a LONG time to write, so I'd appreciate it if you
gave credit where it is due. I'll let you use it for pretty much anything,
just please ask me first. Also, keep my name and this copyright part intact. 
Anyone who helped will be listed in the Acknowledgement and Thanks section,
which should also be kept intact.

    Suikoden is copyright KONAMI CO. LTD, 1997. Published by KONAMI,
developed by KONAMI COMPUTER ENTERTAINMENT TOKYO.

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

 1 - When this beasty FAQ was born.

 2 - Added the tip for defeating the Golden Hydras. Also added a 'g' that I
     left out.

 3 - An update as major as the previous one was minor. A torrent of
     information was supplied, and it was duly added. A list of specifics
     would be too lengthy to enter into here. I did change the end of the
     Walkthrough message from "Congratulations, you've won". When I wrote
     this a few months ago, I was in a bit of a hurry to get it finished,
     so I just put in the first thing that came to my mind. Just my luck, it
     was one of the lamest things ever. It's probably still fairly lame, but
     I'll let you be the judge.

 4 - Fixed the Acknowledgements list.

 5 - Added the Commonly Asked Questions section, as well as the date of the
     edit (rather long overdue, actually). Also fixed up something dumb I
     forgot to correct in the previous versions.

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

    I've tried to make this the most comprehensive and thorough FAQ for
Suikoden (judging by the size, it probably is). I've assumed some knowledge
of how to play the game, but I have added some control guides.
    I haven't added anything completely pointless like what all the weapons
are called at their different levels. If you really want to know you can
find out for yourself. I also haven't included character stats, since they
can change with levels and use of rune pieces. Also, please don't e-mail me
telling me that 'armour' is spelt 'armor'. I live in Australia, and 'armour'
is the correct spelling here. I've spelt everything this way, so just get
over it.
    I was playing the translated PAL version released in Australia, so I
don't really know about any version differences.

============================================================================
 LIST OF THE 108 STARS OF DESTINY
============================================================================

    This is a (rather lengthy) list of the 108 companion characters in the
game. It has their full name, star, and a description of how to recruit
them. This information is repeated in the walkthrough, but I've written this
for people who want it all in the one place. If you haven't taken the castle
yet, you will not be able to recruit many people. The only ones are the Hero
and his original party, Viktor, Mathiu, Camille and Tai Ho. The rest must
wait until you have the castle. Characters marked with a star are those that
will always be recruited (i.e. it is impossible not to recruit them)

 1. HERO MCDOHL - Tenkai Star *
  Of course, his real name isn't "Hero", but since you can call him anything
  (8 characters max.) this is what I'll refer to him as. He's the main
  character, so you obviously won't need any recruiting information. If you
  can't get him in your party there is something seriously wrong with your
  game.

 2. LEPANT - Tengou Star *
  Lepant is friend of Mathiu's, and can be fould in Kouan. To recruit him
  you first need to steal his sword (talk to Giovanni and then Krin), then
  you need to help him free his wife. After this, he'll join you if you talk
  to him.

 3. MATHIU SILVERBERG - Tenki Star *
  Mathiu runs a school in Seika, and is Odessa's brother. After the hideout
  in Lenankamp is attacked, Odessa will tell you to take an earring to
  Mathiu. He won't join you at first. You need to go up the stairs to his 
  school and talk to the student closest to the chart. Go out and talk to
  Mathiu, who will walk up the stairs. Follow him up the stairs and talk to
  him again. He'll tell you to go away, and after you go back down the 
  stairs you'll run into some soldiers. Follow them up to the school and
  fight them. Mathiu will join you after you accept leadership of the
  Liberation army.

 4. LUC - Tenkai Star *
  You will first meet Luc on Magician's Island, and you'll have to fight a
  golem of his creation. After leaving Magician's island, he will be out of
  the story for a while. Upon taking over the castle, Leknaat will deliver
  him as a gift to the army.

 5. HUMPHREY MINTZ - Tenyu Star *
  He is an ex-Imperial leader who had joined the original Liberation army.
  When the hideout is attacked he will disappear for a while. He will join
  when he, Flik and Sanchez come to the castle after defeating Kwanda.

 6. KASIM HAZIL - Tenyu Star *
  One of the five Great Imperial Generals, Kasim will join you after you
  defeat him at Moravia.

 7. KWANDA ROSMAN - Tenmou Star
  Another of the five Generals, Kwanda can be recruited after defeating him
  in a duel, if you spare his life.

 8. PESMERGA - Teni Star
  A warrior who is searching for Yuber, the Black Knight. You will find him
  in Neclord's castle, a short time after defeating Neclord.

 9. GREMIO - Tenei Star *
  The Hero's childhood protector, he will join at the start of the game.

 10. WARREN - Tenki Star *
  Warren is a Liberation sympathiser who gets caught by Kasim. Free him and
  he'll join you.

 11. KUN TO - Tenfu Star *
  A black market dealer who will join you when you travel to back to Kirov
  after collecting the fire spears. He'll be in the large house, closest to
  the docks.

 12. CLEO - Tenman Star *
  Another protector of the Hero who will join you at the start.

 13. VIKTOR - Tenko Star *
  Viktor is one of the strongest characters in the game, and has a major
  part to play (you'll see what I mean). He will join you when you escape
  from Gregminster.

 14. VALERIA - Tensyo Star *
  An ex-Imperial living in the woods, she will join you during your quest to
  save the elves.

 15. GRIFFITH - Tenritsu Star *
  An Imperial general who you will recruit after taking over the Northern
  Checkpoint.

 16. CLIVE - Tensyo Star
  Clive is pursuing someone (it doesn't say who) and is sometimes difficult
  to run into. He will occasionally turn up at the inn in Rikon, and can be
  recruited if you see him there. He seems more likely to appear if your
  castle is of maximum size.

 17. FLIK - Tenan Star *
  A member of the original Liberation army, Flik will disappear (like
  Humphrey and Sanchez) after the hideout is attacked. When he comes back, 
  he won't join you immediately. You'll need to take Viktor to Kaku and talk 
  to Flik (he's in the house to the left of the stairs). He'll join forces 
  with you then.                                                 
  
 18. CAMILLE - Tenyu Star *
  You need to recruit Camille before you can talk to Tai Ho, just talk to
  her at the bar in Kaku and she will join you.

 19. KREUTZ - Tenku Star
  Kreutz is a former enemy of Humphrey's, and is staying at the fortress of
  the Dragon Knights. Talk to him (with Humphrey in your party) and he will
  join.

 20. STALLION - Tensoku Star *
  A self-absorbed elf who can run extremely fast. He will join after you
  defeat Kwanda.

 21. KAGE - Teni Star
  A ninja-mercenary, Kage can be hired for 20,000 bits. You'll find him at
  the secret factory.

 22. FU SU LU - Tensatsu Star
  A warrior who wears a tiger mask and hangs around with the kobolds. He
  will join if you pay 10,000 bits for the food he's eaten.

 23. KIRKIS - Tenbi Star *
  Kirkis is an elf who enlists the aid of the Liberation army to help save
  the village of the Elves, he will join you after you accept.

 24. MILICH OPPENHEIMER - Tenkyu Star
  Milich is another of the five Great Generals, and he is a complete fool
  (in my opinion, at least). You can recruit him after you defeat his army
  and attempt to burn his roses. Spare his life and he will ask to join.
  Although there has been some debate about it, Milich is quite certainly
  male. Talk to the people in Bier Blanche/Antei before recruiting him and
  you'll get something resembling proof of his gender. Still, it is a bit of
  a fuzzy area.

 25. PAHN - Tentai Star *
  Pahn is another protector and friend of the Hero, and will join you at the
  start. He will leave prior to your escape of Gregminster, but must be
  re-enlisted after saving Lepant's wife, Eileen. If you don't forgive him,
  you'll be at a dead end until you do.

 26. SONYA SHULEN - Tenjyu Star
  The other Great General that you can recruit, you will need to travel to
  the basement of your castle after returning from the Floating Fortress. 
  She will be in the jail there, and you can recruit her.

 27. ANJI - Tenken Star
  Anji is the leader of the pirates, and can be recruited after being
  defeated by your party (which must contain Tai Ho and Yam Koo). If you
  don't beat all three by the end of the fifth turn, they will stop fighting 
  and tell you that "you've got a lot to learn".

 28. TAI HO - Tenhei Star *
  A fisherman who you need to recruit to get to the castle. To recruit him, 
  you will need to beat him at a game of dice with a default bet of 1,000 
  bits. He's at the bar in Kaku.

 29. KANAK - Tenzai Star
  Another pirate who will join along with Anji.

 30. YAM KOO - Tenson Star *
  A close friend of Tai Ho, Yam Koo will join you after you defeat the
  dragon in the castle on Lake Toran.

 31. LEONARDO - Tenpai Star
  The other pirate who will join along with Anji.

 32. HIX - Tenron Star *
  Hix is a teenager from the Warrior's Village, and will join when you enter
  Neclord's castle.

 33. TENGAAR - Tensui Star *
  Daughter of the chief of the Warrior's Village, Tengaar will join you once
  you save her from Neclord.

 34. VARKAS - Tenbou Star *
  Leader of the outlaws on Mount Seifu, he will join you after you save
  Eileen. He will be waiting on the first floor of the castle, and you will 
  talk to him automatically.

 35. SYDONIA - Tenkoku Star *
  Another outlaw from Mount Seifu, he will join with Varkas.

 36. EILEEN - Tenkou Star *
  Eileen is Lepant's wife, and will join after you save her from Kraze.

 37. LEON SILVERBERG - Chikai Star
  Father of Mathiu and Odessa, Leon lives at Kalekka. To recruit him is a
  rather annoying process, but here goes. When your castle is as big as it's
  going to get, he will tell you something about the Liberation army being 
  impressive, and will tell you to say that to Mathiu. From now on, talk to 
  Mathiu at every possible opportunity, eventually he will give you a letter 
  to take to Leon. Go back to Kalekka and hand the letter over to Leon, and 
  he will join.

 38. GEORGES - Chisatsu Star
  Georges is an idler at Kirov, and will join after you beat one of the
  records on his game. I found it easiest to win the 10 matches one, I don't
  know why this was.

 39. IVANOV - Chiyu Star
  A painter at Milich's castle, you can recruit him by talking to him after
  defeating Milich.

 40. JEANE - Chiketsu Star
  The runemaster at Antei, she can be enlisted after you have recruited 45
  other people.

 41. EIKEI - Chiyu Star
  A fighter who "only respects strength". He can be recruited once the Hero
  gets to level 40 or beyond, just talk to him at Teien.

 42. MAXIMILIAN - Chii Star
  An old leader of a bunch of knights, he can be enlisted by returning to
  the Northern Checkpoint after rescuing Viktor from Moravia castle.

 43. SANCHO - Chiei Star
  Servant to Maximilian, he will join up at the same time.

 44. GRENSEAL - Chiki Star *
  Soldier under Teo's command, he will join after the Hero beats Teo in the
  duel.

 45. ALEN - Chimou Star *
  Another soldier under General Teo, he will join at the same time as
  Grenseal.

 46. TESLA - Chibuu Star *
  Scrivener living in Antei, he can be enlisted after you recruit Kimberly.

 47. JABBA - Chieei Star
  Appraiser at Rikon, he will only join if you bring him something he can't
  appraise. Talk to the guy outside his shop a couple of times and he will
  tell you that Jabba can't appraise a "Nameless Urn". One of these is
  occaisionally dropped by monsters in the surrounding area.

 48. LORELAI - Chikatsu Star
  A fighter who is waiting at the inn in Kouan. She will only join if the
  hero is past level 25.

 49. BLACKMAN - Chitou Star
  A farmer in Kalekka, who is very protective of his sprouts. Just talk to
  him to recruit him, but he won't join if you walk on his garden (you can
  afterwards, though, if you need to be destructive. It's also pretty funny)

 50. JOSHUA LEVENHEIT - Chikyo Star *
  The Commander of the Dragon Knights. He will join after you save the
  dragons. Check Old Book Volume IV if you don't believe me about his last
  name.

 51. MORGAN - Chian Star
  A blind man at the temple of Qlon. Just talk to him to recruit him. He
  fights surprisingly well for someone who has apparently been blind since
  birth.

 52. MOSE - Chiziku Star *
  Head of the Liberation Army Secret Factory, Mose will join after you have
  collected the fire spears and Ronnie Bell has loaded them into Kun To's
  boats.

 53. ESMERALDA - Chikai Star
  Perhaps the most useless member of the army, Esmeralda doesn't do anything
  at all. To recruit her, take an opal to her room in the Antei inn. You can
  get opals from the monsters in Soniere prison.

 54. MELODYE - Chisa Star
  Melodye can change the cursor sounds. Exciting stuff. If you give her the
  sound crystal (found in Kalekka) she will join. You will need to bring her
  the "sound setting" items to get new sounds.

 55. CHAPMAN - Chiyu Star
  The armourer at Antei, you can just talk to him and he'll ask to join. He
  will set up an armoury in your castle, but he can only sell items from
  armouries you have already visited.

 56. LIUKAN - Chirei Star *
  An old hermit who is a great healer. Liukan will join after you rescue him
  from Soniere prison and take him to your castle.

 57. FUKIEN - Chijyu Star *
  Fukien is a priest at the temple of Qlon. He will join when you talk to
  him.

 58. FUTCH - Chibi Star *
  A Dragon Knight who [spoiler alert] will lose his dragon and be sent to
  your castle. He will join after Joshua.

 59. KASUMI - Chikyu Star *
  The ninja that warns you of General Teo's attack. She will join at that
  time.

 60. MAAS - Chibaku Star
  A blacksmith working at the human Great Forest village. Just talk to him
  and he will ask to join.

 61. CROWLEY - Chizen Star
  An old recluse who lives in the caves behind Qlon. He will only join once
  your castle is the biggest it will get. You'll know when this happens
  because after you sail into it by boat, it will show the picture of it
  with a big banner on the front. You can then go and recruit Crowley. If
  you can't find him, he is in the second secret room (see the walkthrough
  for more details).

 62. FUMA - Chikou Star
  Fuma is a ninja, and also a bit thick. He will be hiding behind the palace
  of the Dragon Knights on the right hand side, just talk to him and recruit
  him.

 63. MOOSE - Chikyou Star
  The blacksmith of the Warrior's Village, he will only join if your current
  party contains Maas, Meese and Mose.

 64. MEESE - Chihi Star
  A blacksmith at the Dwarves village, he will only join if you have already
  recruited Maas (he doesn't have to be in your party).

 65. SERGEI - Chisou Star
  The inventor of the elevator (or lift for us Aussies and Brits), you can
  recruit him after taking over the castle. He is waiting at the bar in
  Kaku. He will install his invention in your castle, it's a real time saver
  so you should recruit him as soon as possible.

 66. KIMBERLY - Chikou Star * 
  A counterfeiter living in Antei, you can recruit her by talking to her
  after taking Liukan to your castle. Mathiu should write a letter for her,
  and she will join (after a rather pointless sequence).

 67. SHEENA - Chimei Star
  Son of Lepant, he is at the inn at Seika, and can be recruited by talking
  to him while Lepant is in your party.

 68. KESSLER - Chisin Star
  Kessler is the leader of some theives on Mount Tigerwolf, and can be
  recruited during your visit to the secret factory.

 69. MARCO - Chitai Star
  Marco is a street gambler, and you will first meet him (yes, HIM. It's a
  guy, believe it or not) in Rockland. Your next meeting will be in the
  Warrior's Village, and he will join if you win 5,000 bits off him.

 70. GEN - Chiman Star *
  A shipbuilder living in Teien, he can only be recruited if you have been
  to the rapids on the way to Liukan's hermitage. After travelling there,
  just talk to him and he'll join.

 71. HUGO - Chisui Star
  The librarian at Qlon, he will join if you bring him the "War Scroll". It
  can be found in the caves behind the temple.

 72. HELLION - Chisyu Star
  An old woman with the power of Recall. Recruit her from Teien by talking
  to her and agreeing to her proposal.

 73. MINA - Chiin Star
  A dancer at Antei, she will join if you dance with her. The Hero needs to
  be equipped with Toe Boots, or else she won't let you dance.

 74. MILIA - Chii Star *
  The Vice-Commander of the Dragon Knights, she will join after you take
  Liukan to the sleeping dragons.

 75. KAMANDOL - Chiri Star *
  Neighbour and (alleged) friend of Gen, he can be recruited by taking Gen
  to his house.

 76. JUPPO - Chisyuu Star * 
  Juppo is a trickster who you will find in Lepant's mansion. Talk to him
  there and he'll walk off, but he'll be waiting in your castle basement
  after you save Eileen.

 77. KASIOS - Chiraku Star
  A singer in the employ of Milich, she can play any of the musical scores
  from the game. Whoopee. To recruit her, take Milich to her room at
  Scarleticia Castle, and talk to her.

 78. VIKI - Chitatsu Star
  A naive woman who can teleport you to any city you have visited. Very
  helpful. You will come across her while you are walking to the Kobold
  village through the Great Forest.

 79. RUBI - Chisoku Star
  A stray elf staying at Kobold Village. To recruit her, Kirkis must be at
  or beyond a certain level (40 or so). Then you can talk to her at the inn
  and she will join.

 80. VINCENT DE BOULE - Chichin Star
  Either a conman or a complete idiot, you will first encounter Vincent at
  Antei after being turned away from the Dragon's den. Talk to him and pay
  his bill, then travel back to the Dragon Knights. Talk to him again and
  follow his advice. He will then disappear for a while, and will show up
  again in the jail at Moravia Castle. To recruit him, travel back up to the
  jail after Kasim Hazil joins and then talk to him.

 81. MEG - Chikei Star
  Niece to Juppo, she is waiting for him outside the inn at Kaku. Take Juppo
  to her and she can be recruited.

 82. TAGGART - Chima Star *
  Servant of Warren, he will show up in your castle prior to your assault on
  Moravia castle. He will join you then.

 83. GIOVANNI - Chijou Star *
  Doorman employed by Lepant, he will join you after you save Eileen.

 84. QUINCY - Chiyu Star
  A hunter who is bludging around at Garan, she can be recruited after you 
  have found 80 other allies.

 85. APPLE - Chifuku Star
  Understudy of Mathiu, she will be waiting in his house after you defeat
  Kwanda Rosman. Talk to her and pick any response (it doesn't matter which)
  and she will join.

 86. KAI - Chihi Star
  Stickfighting teacher of the Hero, he is waiting at Garan and can be
  recruited after you take over the castle.

 87. LOTTE - Chiku Star
  A magician staying in the upstairs room of the Rikon inn, she will join
  after you bring her cat to her. Her cat is that one running around in
  Kaku (how the hell did it get that far away?). You can chase after it and
  grab it, this is much easier if one of your characters is equipped with a
  Holy rune. Deliver the cat and she will join. By the way, she will only
  ask you to find her cat if you have found 45 other allies.

 88. MACE - Chiko Star
  Master blacksmith living in Seek Valley. He will only join if your active
  party contains Maas, Meese, Mose and Moose.

 89. ONIL - Chizen Star
  Another completely useless character, Onil can be found at Seika, in the
  house on the left of the stairs leading to Mathiu's school. Just talk to
  her and recruit her.

 90. KUROMIMI - Chitan Star *
  Kobold who is trying to save his people while you are trying to save the
  elves. He will join when you return to the Kobold village after the 
  village of the elves is burnt down.

 91. GON - Chikaku Star
  Brother of Kuromimi, Gon can be found in the bottom house at the Kobold
  village. Talk to him while Kuromimi is in your party and you can recruit
  him.

 92. ANTONIO - Chisyu Star
  A cook staying at the inn in Seika. After Marie has set up her inn at your
  castle. Talk to her three times (you don't have to stay three times). On
  the third time she will mention that she needs a cook. Go talk to Antonio
  and you will be able to recruit him.

 93. LESTER - Chizou Star
  Another cook, this time in Kirov. To recruit him, you will need to go into
  both houses on either side of Sarah and taste the stews within. Then, go
  to Kun To's house, and Lester will be inside. Talk to him and recruit him.

 94. KIRKE - Chihei Star
  A headhunter. He is waiting at Lorimar, but won't show up on your first
  visit (while you are there with Mathiu). After leaving, return immediately
  and he will be there. Talk to him and recruit him, saying you don't mind
  that all he can do is cut off heads (he actually sounds pretty useful).

 95. ROCK - Chisou Star
  The warehouse guard employed by Lepant. Talk to him during your break-in
  and you will be able to recruit him.

 96. LEDON - Chido Star
  One of the thieves under Kessler's command, he can be recruited by talking
  to him when you meet him at the secret factory.

 97. SYLVINA - Chisatsu Star *
  An elf, also Kirkis' girlfriend. She will join after you defeat Kwanda.

 98. RONNIE BELL - Chiaku Star *
  The "giant woman", Ronnie Bell will be found at the secret factory. She
  will join along with Mose.

 99. GASPAR - Chisyu Star
  A gambler, and one of your best sources of income (if not the most
  reliable). To recruit him, go to the basement of the Kaku bar after the
  "Three months" break (this occurs after defeating Kwanda and returning to
  the castle). Win 5,000 bits off him and he will join.

 100. WINDOW - Chisu Star
  A warrior-scion who doesn't want to be a warrior, he wants to build stain
  glass windows. To recruit him, get the Window Crystal from the first
  secret room (see the walkthrough for details) and take it to him. He is in
  the Item Store at the Warrior's Village. Give him the crystal and he will
  join. He can change the appearance of the window. It's not at all useful,
  or even interesting, but he is one of the 108 characters so if you want
  the best ending, you'll need to recruit him.

 101. MARIE - Chiin Star
  The owner of an inn in Gregminster, she will be kicked out after you leave
  and can be found at the inn in Seika. After taking over the castle, talk
  to her and you can recruit her. She will set up an inn in the castle. It
  won't be free, but cost you 30 bits per person.

 102. ZEN - Chikei Star
  The gardener at the temple of Qlon, he will join if you bring him red,
  blue and yellow flower seeds. You can buy them from the item stores at
  Teien, Rikon and the Warrior's Village.

 103. SARAH - Chisou Star
  Just some lady who is washing clothes, you have to go through a silly
  process to recruit her. I recommend putting a character with a Holy rune
  in your party, just to shave a few seconds off the time. She is in Kirov,
  and she will be washing clothes in about the middle of the town.

   I - Talk to Sarah and attempt to recruit her. She will as for some soap.

   II - Talk to the guy standing near the armoury. He will ask you to get
        him soy sauce in exchange for soap.

   III - Talk to the guy around the middle of the town (on the left of the
         house to the left of Sarah). He will ask you for some salt in
         exchange for the soy sauce.

   IV - Talk to the girl in the bottom right of the town. She will ask for
        a yardstick in exchange for salt.

   V - Go to the inn and talk to the guy in the room on the right. He will
       ask for sugar.

   VI - Buy some sugar from the item store.

   VII - Deliver the sugar to get the yardstick.

   VIII - Deliver the yardstick to get the salt.

   IX - Deliver the salt to get the soy sauce.

   X - Deliver the soy sauce to get the soap.

   XI - Take the soap to Sarah and find out she's already got some. Be
        really irritated and recruit her.

 104. SANSUKE - Chiretsu Star
  An expert on baths. Sounds useful, no? He is in the leftmost house in the
  humans Great Forest village. Talk to him and recruit him.

 105. QLON - Chiken Star
  Specialises in saying the names of places. After defeating Milich, talk to
  Qlon, who will join you in thanks for getting rid of the silly village
  names.

 106. TEMPLETON - Chimou Star
  A mapmaker who wants to map the entire world. After the elves village is
  burnt, exit and return. Templeton should be waiting and will be easily
  recruited. You will also get a map, which is extremely helpful.

 107. KRIN - Chizoku Star *
  A thief who apparently enjoys grinning stupidly. Anyway, he will be
  waiting in your castle after you save Eileen.

 108. CHANDLER - Chikou Star
  A merchant who is waiting outside the Fortress of Kwaba. Just talk to him
  after taking over the castle and he will join.

============================================================================
 OTHER CHARACTERS
============================================================================

    These characters are the ones that don't join your party (or in some
cases, do but not for long). They're basically other characters who have
pictures to go with their speech.

 TED - A 300 year old (!) boy who is the keeper of the Soul Eater. A friend
       of the Hero.

 WINDY - The court magician, who is after Ted and the Soul Eater.

 LEKNAAT - Seer and astrologist living on Magician's Island. Windy's younger
           sister.

 BARBAROSSA - The Emperor. Not much else.

 ODESSA SILVERBERG - Founder and leader of the original Liberation Army.

 KRAZE - Imperial Commander. A weakling in command.

 KANAAN - Self-absorbed idiot who takes credit for everything. High-ranking
          Imperial officer.

 YUBER - The Black Knight.

 NECLORD - A 400 year old vampire living in his castle south of the
           Warrior's village.

 HANZO - Leader of the ninjas at Rokkaku.

 ZORAK - Chief of the Warrior's Village.

 CHIEF OF THE DWARVES - Have a guess. They could have given him a real name.

 SANCHEZ - Part of the original Liberation Army (in Lenankamp) he will join
           your army as well. He's not one of the 108 though.

 AIN GIDE - An Imperial Officer. Extremely loyal.

============================================================================
 LIST OF RUNES AND SPELLS
============================================================================

    This is a list of all runes that are mentioned in the game, even if you 
can't actually find them in the game. I've taken the list of runes from the 
manual, as well as adding the extra ones not listed there (Cyclone, Rage, 
etc.). If a rune enables multiple spells, I've listed them as well.
    The number of spells each character can cast is based on their MGC
statistic. On the status screen, the numbers below the names (e.g. 1/4/2/1)
is the number of REMAINING spells. The ONLY way to recover spells is to
rest. Even if your character has gone up a level and is capable of holding
more spells, you will have to rest before you will be able to cast them.
    Regarding strengths of spells, I've tried to classify the attacking
spells as follows.

     - Regular Attack
    Medium power        - Slightly stronger than regular
    Strong              - High power
    Powerful            - Paramount power, extremely damaging

    These are based on my observations, it is not definite. Different
characters will have different strengths of spells, but it is all relative.

    SOUL EATER - The cursed rune, near the beginning of the game it will be
                 equipped permanently on the Hero by Ted.

        Deadly Fingertips - Removes one enemy from the battle. Does not work
                            on boss creatures.
        Black Shadow - Attacks all enemies.
        Hell - Removes all enemies from the battle. Does not work on boss
               creatures.
        Judgement - Powerful attack on one enemy.

    RUNE OF THE GATE - A rune with "the power to link worlds". Split in two
                       parts, with Windy and Leknaat owning one part each.
                       Obviously, it can not be used by your characters.

    DRAGON RUNE - Allows dragons to exist. Owned by Joshua. Again, it can
                  not be used by your characters.

    CONQUEROR RUNE - Mentioned only once, the Conqueror rune is owned by
                     Windy and apparently can take over bodies and souls.

    BLACK RUNE - Mentioned by Kwanda and Milich, it was apparently given to
                 them by Windy. It has some kind of power over animals.

    NIGHT RUNE - The Star Dragon Sword is apparently "the night rune
                 transformed". I dunno...I guess it's some kind of
                 anti-undead thing.

    SOVEREIGN RUNE - Uh...Barbarossa says something about a Sovereign rune
                     near the end of the game. I have no idea.

    SOUND RUNE - A rune that you'll need to give to Melodye if you want to
                 enlist her. Used to make sounds (obviously).

    WINDOW RUNE - A rune that makes stained glass windows (how?). Anyway,
                  you'll need to give it to Window to get him to join.

    WATER RUNE - Enables water spells.

        Drops of Kindness - Heals one character (300 HP)
        Fog of Deception - Lowers enemy accuracy
        Water of Kindness - Heals all characters (300 HP)
        Rain of Kindness - Heals all characters (300 HP)

        NOTE: The healing spells also cure poison.

    LIGHTNING RUNE - Enables lightning spells.

        Angry Blow - Attacks one enemy
        Rainstorm - Attacks all enemies
        Raging Blow - Strong attack on one enemy
        Ball of Lightning - Powerful attack on one enemy

    FIRE RUNE - Enables fire spells.

        Flaming Arrows - Attacks one enemy
        Firestorm - Attacks all enemies
        Dancing Flames - Medium power attack on all enemies
        Explosion - Strong attack on all enemies

    EARTH RUNE - Enables earth spells.

        Clay Guardian - Protection spell for one character
        Voice of Earth - Attacks all enemies
        Copper Flesh - Strong protection spell for one character
        Earthquake - Strong attack on all enemies

    WIND RUNE - Enables wind spells.

        Wind of Sleep - Incapacitates enemies for one turn. Does not always
                        work on all enemies.
        The Shredding - Attacks one enemy
        Healing Wind - Heals one character (Full HP)
        Storm - Strong attack on all enemies

    FLOWING RUNE - "Upgraded" water rune.

        Fog of Deception - Lowers enemy accuracy
        Water of Kindness - Heals all characters (300 HP)
        Rain of Kindness - Heals all characters (300 HP)
        Mother Ocean - Heals all characters (Full HP) will resurrect (?)

        NOTE: The healing spells also cure poison.
                                                    
    THUNDER RUNE - "Upgraded" lightning rune.
    
        Rainstorm - Attacks all enemies
        Raging Blow - Strong attack on one enemy
        Ball of Lightning - Powerful attack on one enemy
        Thunder God - Powerful attack on all enemies

    RAGE RUNE - "Upgraded" fire rune.

        Firestorm - Attacks all enemies
        Dancing Flames - Medium power attack on all enemies
        Explosion - Strong attack on all enemies
        Final Flame - Powerful attack on all enemies

    MOTHER EARTH RUNE - "Upgraded" earth rune.

        Voice of Earth - Attacks all enemies
        Copper Flesh - Strong protection spell for one character
        Earthquake - Strong attack on all enemies
        Guardian of Earth - Powerful protection spell for all characters

    CYCLONE RUNE - "Upgraded" wind rune.

        The Shredding - Attacks one enemy
        Healing Wind - Heals one character (Full HP)
        Storm - Strong attack on all enemies
        Shining Wind - Powerful attack on all enemies, heal all characters
                       (Full HP)

    RESURRECTION RUNE - Mixed rune, with attack, heal and resurrection
                        spells.

        Scolding - Attacks one enemy
        Yell - Heal character, approx 1/3 of health. Will resurrect and cure
               status ailments
        Scream - Heal all characters (300 HP). Will not resurrect
        Charm Arrow - Strong attack on all enemies

    KILLER RUNE - Increases likelihood of critical strikes.

    HAZY RUNE - Lowers enemy accuracy.

    COUNTER RUNE - Increases likelihood of counter strikes.

    GALE RUNE - Increases speed of character.

    FORTUNE RUNE - Doubles experience points received by character.

    PROSPERITY RUNE - Doubles amount of gold received from battles. There
                      are only two known ways to get this rune. The first is
                      in Sarady (see section 1 of the walkthrough) and it is
                      also dropped by Siren enemies in the Kirov area.

    DOUBLE-BEAT RUNE - Attacks two enemies in one turn. As far as I know,
                       Eikei has the only one of these. However, it can be
                       removed from him and re-equipped on anyone.

    HOLY RUNE - Enables dash. Hold  while on close-up areas.

    TRUE HOLY RUNE - Enables dash. Increases speed on world map. There's
                     only one of these and Stallion has it. You can't remove
                     it from him.

    CLONE RUNE - Powerful attack on one enemy. Leaves character unbalanced.
                 Can only be used by sword-armed characters who are not
                 otherwise permanently equipped (see "Notes on Restricted
                 Runes" section below).

    BOAR RUNE - Powerful attack on one enemy. Leaves character unbalanced.
                Can only be used by Pahn, Morgan and Eikei.

    SHRIKE RUNE - Bodyslam attack on one enemy.

    HATE RUNE - Throws fireball at one enemy.

    FALCON RUNE - Powerful attack on one enemy.

    TRICK RUNE - Makes a little bloke pop up and hit one enemy. Honestly.

    SUNBEAM RUNE - HP restorative rune. The rates of restoration are as
                   follows.

                    On world map : 1 HP / step. All characters.
                    On close-up  : 1 HP / 3 steps. All characters.
                    In battle    : 5 HP / turn. Holder only.

    PHERO RUNE - Makes a character of the opposite gender protect the holder
                 during battles. As far as I know, the only place you can
                 get one of these is from the Beast Commander enemies in the
                 Seika and Kouan area.

    TURTLE RUNE - Prevents status abnormalities.

    CHAMPION'S RUNE - Prevents most random battles. Note that large groups
                      of monsters or more powerful monsters will still
                      attack you.

    SPARK RUNE - This rune changes the attacking order. When the character
                 with this equipped does whatever you told them to do, the
                 character in position 1 (see below), provided that they
                 haven't already attacked, will perform their action. Next
                 is the character in position 2, then 3, etc.. This rune
                 basically disregards speed. As for the positions:
                    1  2  3
                    4  5  6
                 That's the order. Obviously, it's best to equip on your
                 faster characters, then load your party up with big, heavy
                 hitters. Very powerful strategy, since it overcomes the
                 usual slow speed of the tough characters.

============================================================================
 NOTES ON RESTRICTED RUNES
============================================================================

   Several runes (namely the Boar, Clone and Trick) are restricted as to who
can use them. In my opinion, these runes aren't terribly useful. Maybe I was
just a bit too impatient, but the Trick rune seemed to do pitiful damage and
the other two left you unbalanced (nice damage, though). Here's a short list
of the runes and their users.

   Boar - Eikei and Morgan (Pahn comes equipped with a permanent Boar rune)

   Clone -- Viktor, Kuromimi, Lepant, Humphrey, Kreutz, Flik, Kasim, Gon,
            Griffith, Milich, Pesmerga, Hix

   Trick -- Meg (Juppo comes equipped with a permanent Trick Rune)

============================================================================
 COMBINATION ATTACK CHART
============================================================================

    This is a list of the "Unite" attacks. Note that it is not necessarily
complete, since there are thousands of possible combinations and I couldn't
be bothered trying them all.

  CHARACTERS                 ATTACK NAME         # OF ENEMIES     UNBALANCED
  ~~~~~~~~~~                 ~~~~~~~~~~~         ~~~~~~~~~~~~     ~~~~~~~~~~

 Gremio + Pahn            Talisman Attack            One              No
 Hero + Kai               Master Pupil Attack        All              No
 Tai Ho + Yam Koo         Fisherman Attack           One              Yes
 Varkas + Sydonia         Bandit Attack              One              No
 Anji + Leonardo + Kanak  Pirate Attack              One              No
 Kuromimi + Gon           Kobold Attack              One              No
 Kuromimi + Gon +
  Fu Su Lu                Kobold +1 Attack           One              No
 Alen + Grenseal + Flik   Pretty Boy Attack          One              No
 Kirkis + Sylvina +
  Stallion                Elf Attack                 One              No
 Kirkis + Sylvina         Wild Arrow Attack          All              Yes
 Kirkis + Stallion        Wild Arrow Attack          All              Yes
 Kirkis + Rubi            Wild Arrow Attack          All              Yes
 Maas + Meese + Moose +
  Mose                    Blacksmith Attack          One              No
 Maas + Meese + Moose +
  Mace                    Blacksmith Attack          One              No
 Maas + Meese + Mose +
  Mace                    Blacksmith Attack          One              No
 Maas + Moose + Mose +
  Mace                    Blacksmith Attack          One              No
 Meese + Moose + Mose +
  Mace                    Blacksmith Attack          One              No
 Juppo + Meg              Trick Attack               All              No
 Kasumi + Kage + Fuma     Ninja Attack               One              No
 Pahn + Eikei + Morgan    Martial Arts Attack        All              No
 Gen + Kamandol           Fatal Attack               One              No
 Eileen + Lepant          Couple Attack              One              No
 Eileen + Lepant +
  Sheena                  Lepant Family Attack       One              No
 Kai + Liukan + Fukien    Flash Attack               One              Yes
 Gen + Sansuke            Carpenter Attack           One              No
 Futch + Milia            Dragon Knight Attack       One              No
 Hix + Tengaar            Warrior Attack             One              No
 Krin + Humphrey          Bumpy Attack               One              No
 Sonya + Cleo + Eileen    Beauty Attack              All              No
 Valeria + Cleo + Eileen  Beauty Attack              All              No
 Camille + Tengaar +
  Kasumi                  Pretty Girl Attack         One        Yes (Kasumi)

 NOTE: If characters involved in a Unite attack are dazed, they can still
       take part. Unless all characters are dazed, the attack will still
       happen. However, if one of the characters dies before the attack is
       performed, the characters that remain will do nothing that turn.

============================================================================
 COMBINATION OF SPELLS
============================================================================

    In the Old Book Volume II, you can read about combinations of spells.
It basically says that if two ultimate spells from harmonious runes are cast
simultaneously, you will get an extremely powerful combined spell. In
simpler terms, an ultimate spell is the paramount power of the rune, or the
fourth spell. Harmonious is runes that complement each other. This is a list
of the harmonies of runes, as shown in the Old Book:

    Fire + Earth
    Earth + Wind
    Wind + Water
    Water + Lightning
    Lightning + Fire

    Note that a Rage rune is counted as a Fire rune, a Mother Earth rune is
an Earth rune, a Cyclone rune is a Wind rune, a Flowing rune is a Water rune
and a Thunder rune is a Lightning rune.
    Simultaneously means at the same time for those of you who don't know.
You don't have to do anything about this, since the characters will do this
automatically.
    So, for anyone who wants to know, I've described each spell below:

 Fire and Earth: A large, white circle appears beneath the enemies and
                 starts to bubble. Flames and rocks shoot out of the ground
                 and annihilate the enemy.
 
 Earth and Wind: A bunch of rocks appears above the enemies and pulsates for
                 a little while. A large wave of wind comes and breaks it,
                 and they rain down across the ground.

 Wind and Water: Basically a Shining Wind spell, lights appear over both
                 groups of enemies, complete with swirling bits and stuff.
                 Blue rocks start hitting the enemies, and then there is a
                 bright light which whites the screen out. All of your
                 characters will be healed, and the enemies will be as good
                 as dead.

 Water and Lightning: A blue hemisphere surrounds your characters. Lightning
                      strikes an enemy (only one, unfortunately) and all of 
                      your characters will be healed to maximum. The
                      lightning will be directed at the enemy you attacked
                      with the Ball of Lightning or Thunder God spell.

 Lightning and Fire: A black triangle appears below the enemies, with flames
                     around the edges. Lightning begins striking the enemies
                     and basically kills them all.

    It's a great way to show-off if you want to, and it is also very
valuable when you're fighting bosses.
    In one of the Old Books, these combinations are mentioned. It also seems
to say something about triple combinations, but I have been unable to find
anything like this. Maybe it was just a translation error.

============================================================================
 LIST OF MAJOR BATTLE GROUPS
============================================================================

    This list shows how the 108 characters are divided in major battles, for
anyone who wants to know. I've listed the name of the group, the characters
in it and the power (if applicable).

 CHARGE ATTACKS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Knights Party ---------- Max, Sancho, Qlon --------- 30
    Lepant Family ---------- Lepant, Eileen, Sheena ---- 26
    Commander's Team ------- Hero, Pahn, Gremio -------- 26
    Old Soldiers ----------- Kai, Liukan, Fukien ------- 24
    Wild Geese ------------- Kreutz, Morgan, Kirke ----- 24
    Humphrey's Team -------- Humphrey, Alen, Grenseal -- 24
    Viktor's Team ---------- Viktor, Warren, Taggart --- 23
    Pirates ---------------- Anji, Leonardo, Kanak ----- 23
    Former Imperial Team --- Kasim, Griffith, Valeria -- 22
    Invulnerable Defense --- Kwanda, Eikei, Gaspar ----- 21
    Fellows ---------------- Blackman, Zen, Ivanov ----- 21
    Bandits ---------------- Varkas, Sydonia, Kessler -- 21
    Fishermens ------------- Tai Ho, Yam Koo, Kimberly - 19
    Warrior's Village Kids - Flik, Tengaar, Hix -------- 17
    Good Buddies ----------- Marie, Onil, Sansuke ------ 16
    Black Golds ------------ Maas, Meese, Moose -------- 15
    Carpenters ------------- Gen, Kamandol, Tesla ------ 14
    Secret Factory Team ---- Mose, Ronnie, Sarah ------- 14
    Kobolds ---------------- Fu Su Lu, Kuromimi, Gon --- 13
    Tricksters ------------- Juppo, Jabba, Meg --------- 6

 BOW ATTACKS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~
    Forest Protectors - Kirkis, Sylvina, Stallion - 21
    Experts ----------- Clive, Pesmerga, Mace ----- 19
    Adventurers ------- Lorelai, Quincy, Mina ----- 17
    Cooks ------------- Antonio, Lester, Rock ----- 14
    Engineers --------- Sergei, Hugo, Templeton --- 12
    Archers ----------- Rubi, Georges, Marco ------ 8

 MAGIC ATTACKS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Children of the Runes - Crowley, Luc, Lotte -------- 25
    Magicians ------------- Jeane, Hellion, Viki ------- 20
  * Soldier Beauties ------ Sonya, Cleo, Camille ------- 20
    Narcists -------------- Milich, Vincent, Esmeralda - 18
    Musicians ------------- Kasios, Melodye, Window ---- 14

 * - The Soldier Beauties team will be in Bow attacks until Sonya joins.

 OTHERS
 ~~~~~~
    Dragon Knights - Joshua, Milia, Futch
    Merchants ------ Kun To, Chapman, Chandler
    Ninjas --------- Kage, Kasumi, Fuma
    Thieves -------- Krin, Ledon, Giovanni
    Strategists ---- Mathiu, Leon, Apple

 For anyone who doesn't know about the "Others" functions, here goes:

    Dragon Knights are an "air strike" attack. Their power depends on the
     number of enemies you are facing, so use them at the start of a battle.
     They can be shot down by bow attacks, but if they are it won't affect
     the rest of your army one jot.
    Merchants will attempt to make the enemy defect to your side. They are
     more likely to succeed if the enemy has more soldiers than you (I have
     no idea why).
    Ninjas will discover the enemies next tactic, with a 100% success rate.
    Thieves will either discover the enemies next tactic or steal money,
     each with a 50% success rate. It appears to be random which one they
     perform.
    Strategists will boost the charge attack power. The number of them that
     you have determines how many boosted charges you can do (providing that
     you follow the plan).

     Remember, MAIN CHARACTERS CAN DIE during major battles. This is, 
needless to say, a very bad thing. I always advise saving the game before
major battles, just in case this happens.

============================================================================
 THE PARTY AND BATTLE SYSTEMS
============================================================================

    The party system used in Suikoden can sometimes be confusing, so it's
worthwhile making a few points known.
    From the 108 characters, most can be put into your active party (70 or
so, I think). The active party is defined as those who are currently in the
group (of course, this doesn't include someone like Kanaan, who doesn't
actually DO anything). You won't actually need to make a party until you've
taken the castle. Now, your active party will always contain the Hero, since
he is obviously the main character. Sometimes, characters will insist on
coming along (e.g. Viktor in the Neclord episode) but otherwise you are free
to choose as you wish. There can be a maximum of 6 people, but you don't
necessarily need to have that many (although there's no reason not to).
    As far as I remember, the "optional" characters don't actually have any
bearing on the story. They don't say anything, all they do is stand around
or fight. Since there are so many characters in Suikoden, this is the only
practical way to handle it.
    Resting will only rest those characters in the active party. Once a
character has been taken out of the active party, he/she will remain exactly
as they are until they are returned to the active party. This is a very
important thing to remember, since you wouldn't want to run off to a boss
battle and find half the people in your party are dead anyway.
    Now for the battle system. First, each character in the active party has
a range for their weapon. This can be S (short), M (medium), or L (long).
Each type has a few points to be made about it.

    S - These can only be used from the front row of your formation, and can
        only hit the front row of the enemy formation. The upshot is that
        usually they pack a fairly hefty punch.

    M - These can be used from either row of your formation, but can only
        hit the front row of the enemy formation. Damage is fairly average.

    L - These can be used from either row of your formation, and can hit
        either row of the enemy formation. This is offset by the fact that
        they are comparatively weak weapons. Also, a character with a long
        range weapon cannot perform counter hits, but their own hits are
        unable to be countered.

    Note that using runes to perform a physical attack (e.g. Boar, Falcon)
will disregard the ranges of the weapons. For instance, Pahn with his Boar
rune could use it to attack a back row enemy from the back row of your own
formation. The same comments apply equally to Unite attacks.
    Speed is an important factor in a battle. The faster you are, the more
likely you are to incapacitate or destroy the enemy without them getting a
chance to fight back. Based on my observations, striking order takes two
factors into account (this applies to enemies as well). First is the basic
speed of a character (e.g. Kasumi is faster than Kwanda Rosman). Second, it
also takes the current HP of the character into account (e.g. a character at
full health will strike earlier than they would at half health). The two
factors are used to determine striking order for everyone and everything
involved in the battle. If two or more characters from the same side will
strike in order, and are attacking different targets, they will attack
simultaneously. This is purely to save time, the characters would likely
have different speed ratings.
    When striking, as far as I know the chance to hit depends on the speed
and skill of the characters involved. For instance, Pesmerga would have much
more trouble hitting Sonya Shulen than Kage would. This is just guesswork
and speculation on my part, but it seems the only way other than having a
flat percentage possibility. It is also likely that Luck is used also. Note
that some status changes will affect the characters chance to hit (a bucket
on your head isn't exactly helpful when trying to hit someone). One final
point - runes and Unite attacks disregard everything here. They will always
hit regardless of speed or status.
    And finally, wounding. The damage done per hit is determined by a lot of
different values. The Attack and Power values of the attacker, along with
the weapon strength will be compared against the Armour and Defense values
of the defender. The damage inflicted is based on all of these values.
Critical Hits will sometimes be performed also (the camera will zoom in on
the pair of fighters). The likelihood of these (as far as I know) will
depend on the Luck of the attacker. They do approximately 2.5 times the
usual damage.
    So, after reading that you will hopefully have gained a greater insight
into the workings of the game. This isn't necessarily vital to the playing
of the game, but it helps you appreciate some of the complexity, and also
gives reasons as to why things will happen.

============================================================================
 THE WALKTHROUGH
============================================================================

    <*> GENERAL INFO
        ------------

 - In this game you will sometimes be given decisions to make. Decisions
   will be separated from the main body as shown:

 [?] These are 'fake' decisions. In other words, if you make the wrong one,
     it will simply ask you again. Note that these also include the ones
     that after a while will stop asking you (eg. when Pahn asks to join the
     Liberation army). If you are pig-headed and stubborn and continue to
     choose the wrong one, it will give up. You will most likely be left at
     a dead end and will have to go back to the person and choose the right
     one.

 [!] These are the real decisions, that will result in an immediate outcome.
     You will be asked this once and once only. For instance, when rescuing
     Eileen, you will get a decision to make about Kraze. That decision is
     one of these, and if you don't know what I'm talking about you'll see
     once you get there. They won't necessarily make a difference to the big
     picture, but you may want to be forewarned about them.

After each decision (of either kind) I'll include the outcomes afterwards in
{these brackets}. If none of this makes sense to you, you'll pick it up as
you go. I haven't included the "Recruit" or "Don't Recruit" decisions, as
well as a few other obvious ones. I've mentioned those I haven't separated
though.

 - I've divided the game into sections, each with a separate sub-heading.
   Under each sub-heading, I've listed items to get in the area and any
   characters that can be recruited. These characters are ONLY those that
   can be recruited, I couldn't be bothered with the ones you just meet.

 - Each boss will be given a separate section with information on how to
   deal with them. If the Deadly Fingertips spell doesn't work on it, I've
   called it a boss.

 - For major battles or duels, I've also given information on what to do and
   general tactics.

 - I've used up, down, right and left rather than north, south, east and
   west. This is just for simplicity, not because I think you can't
   understand compass points.

 - Occasionally, the game will have long (frequently critical) sequences
   with no convenient way to save. If one of these is coming up, I have put
   in [SAVE] to remind you that this will be your last chance for a while.
   Ignore it at your folly. These are usually before Boss or Major battles,
   not simply whenever you can get a chance to save.

 - The sections cover the following parts:

   Errand boy - covers from the start to your return from Magician's
                   Island.
   Tax Collector - covers your trip to Rockland and back, including the
                      Mount Seifu trip.
   Escape - covers Ted's injury to your return from rescuing Varkas and
               Sydonia.
   Planning ahead - covers your delivery of the blueprint to Sarady to
                       Odessa's death.
   The birth of a new army - covers your flight from Lenankamp to your
                                takeover of the castle.
   Trickle of allies - covers your recruiting of Lepant and related
                          characters.
   Sylvan allies - covers your discovery of Kirkis to your return from
                      defeating Kwanda Rosman.
   Old Friends - covers Flik's return to your defeat of Milich.
   Dysfunctional family - covers the return of Teo to his defeat.
   Interview with the Vampire - covers the Neclord episode.
   Death from above - covers your escapades with the Dragon Knights.
   The Saracen Foe - covers your defeat of Kasim Hazil.
   Last Bastion - covers your takeover of Shasarazade.
   The Coup de Grace - covers the rest of the game.

Ok, now on with the walkthrough...
 
     ERRAND BOY
        ----------

Items in this section: Medicine, Leather coat
Characters in this section: Hero, Gremio, Pahn, Cleo, 

    The game starts with you in a room with Teo waiting for a meeting with
the Emperor. You can walk out of the room past Teo if you want, but there is
no point. Just talk to Teo and you will be taken to the Emperor. After
talking first with Teo and then with you, the Emperor will ask you if you
would like to work for the Imperial Army.

 [?] Yes, your Highness.
        {Agree to work for him}
     I don't wanna.
        {Agree anyway, apparently you were joking}

    At the end of the conversation, walk down the stairs and through the
hall. Teo will tell you to introduce yourself to Kraze. Go in the door on
the left, and talk to him. Go back and talk to Teo, he will automatically
take you to the house.
    
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
SUB QUEST - FORTUNE OR PROSPERITY RUNE

    Now, you have a chance to get either a Fortune or Prosperity rune this
early on in the game. Both are achieved in pretty much the same way. If you
want a Fortune rune, leave the house now. If you want a Prosperity rune, go
and get Ted before leaving. Now, to get the runes, you'll have to go to
Sarady (where you'll deliver the blueprints later). This is actually more
difficult than it sounds, but with a little preparation it won't be such a
hurdle. The easiest way to do it is save first, then go over to Rockland.
Win a stack of money from Marco, then save again. Equip your character/s
with the best armour possible in Rockland. Gain experience by fighting 
monsters nearby. At first, the only one you'll stand any real chance of
beating is called a BonBon. If you encounter anything else, you may as well
try and run, since you'll certainly die if you stay. Once you've gotten a
bit more experience, you'll be able to tackle stronger opponents. Once you
think you're up to an acceptable level, go off to Lenankamp. Sharpen your
weapons, and upgrade armour if possible (can't remember if it's necessary).
Save once again, and head for Mount Tigerwolf. If your characters are as
strong as mine were, the mountain won't be much trouble. Once you reach the
map again, go straight up to Sarady. Enter the house in the top right corner
of the village, and talk to the guy inside. He will give you the crystal
that you came all this way for. Go back to Gregminster and continue with the
game.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

    Walk upstairs (if you went and got the Prosperity rune, Ted will have
already joined you, otherwise he joins here) Go into your room (the one on
the left, in case you don't know) and you will talk to Ted for a while. He
will ask you if he could help work for the Empire.

 [?] Of course.
        {Let him come with you}
     Gee, I dunno.
        {Listen to him whinge and then be asked again}

    You'll have to let him come along. Soon you'll have to go to dinner. Sit
in the only empty chair and Teo will make a speech. After this, you'll go to
bed automatically. Teo and Gremio will come during the night, and then Teo
will head north. When Gremio wakes you up in the morning, he will join you.
    You may want to save the game at this point. Go to the dressing table in
the Hero's room, and press  to read his diary - you can actually
read Pahn's and Sonya's diaries as well. Cleo's will be locked :). Anyway,
the Hero's diary is just a save point.
    Walk downstairs and Pahn and Cleo will join as well. Attempt to walk out
the door and Ted will join also. Head back to the castle and talk to Kraze.
He will tell you about your errand assignment and ask you a question to see
if you've been paying attention.

 [?] Northeast of Gregminster
        {Show that you've been listening, continue getting briefed}
     Northwest of Gregminster
        {Make him think you're an idiot, continue getting briefed}
     Somewhere on this earth.
        {Make him think you're a pompous brat, continue getting briefed}

    Whatever you say, eventually you'll end up going outside. After talking
to your friends, walk right to the stables and talk to Futch. He won't join
you yet, but he will take you to Magician's Island. Walk up along the path,
you can pick up Medicine and a Leather coat from the chests. When you find
Luc, he will create a golem that you have to fight.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Golem

    This is simple. Get Gremio and Pahn to do Talisman attacks, and everyone
else to attack normally. You should beat it in two or three turns.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After defeating the golem, Luc will take you to see Leknaat. Walk up all
the stairs, and after talking to her, follow her into the room. She will
give you the Astral Conclusions. When you walk out, she will give a Fire
crystal to Cleo and then Luc will teleport you back to the shore. After
Futch flies you back to the castle, report to Kraze.

     TAX COLLECTOR
        -------------

Items in this section: Boots, Medicine x2, Defense rune piece, 1,000 bits,   
                       Antique, Escape Talisman, Leggings,
                       Thunder rune piece
Characters in this section: -
    When you get to Kraze, Kanaan will be standing behind him. He will tell
you of your mission to Rockland, and Kanaan will come with you (he won't
fight, of course). On your way out of Gregminster, visit the rune master and
attach the Fire rune to Cleo. Leave Gregminster, and walk right on the world 
map until you should come to Rockland. You will see Marco here, and you can 
win a lot of money off him. He follows a set pattern here, so you should be 
able to work it out. Just bet 100 bits, and write down where the coin ends 
up. See the Tricks and Other Stuff section for the patterns, and when you 
can match it to a patten you can up the ante (to speak colloquially) and
choose the corresponding cups. 50,000 is tons of money for now, but you can
get more if you feel like it. Go to the armour store and outfit everyone.
Rest at the inn if you need it, then go into the large house at the top of
the town.
    Grady should meet you here, and tell you about the bandits. You'll be
given a decision to make:

 [?] Of course.
        {Go fight}
     We should return home first.
        {Get ordered by Kanaan to go fight}

    When you can, leave Rockland and walk right to Mount Seifu. Mount Seifu
is full of loot, grab it from the treasure chests as you go. You should use
the Defense rune piece on Pahn, he needs it the most. Eventually you will
get to a Queen Ant. It's not a boss (you can encounter them in Seek Valley),
but you can't beat it. Just defend, and after 3 turns your characters will
break off the fight. Ted will tell everyone to stand back, since he has an
idea. You'll be given another decision:

 [?] OK, Ted.
        {Let him do his thing}
     Don't be reckless, Ted.
        {Warn him, then let him do it anyway}

    Ted will enter battle alone, and will automatically waste the Queen Ant
with a Hell spell. After the short conversation, continue going through the
caves. 
    
        [SAVE] - It's unlikely, but some people may get beaten by Varkas and
                 his bandits.
        
    Make sure you use a medicine on anyone who's hurt before going up the
stairs. Walk up the aformentioned stairs and confront Varkas and Sydonia.
After a short talk, you'll fight five bandits. If Cleo can do a Firestorm
spell (unlikely) use this, but otherwise just put them on Free Will. After
beating them, you will fight Varkas and Sydonia.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Varkas
           Sydonia

    This shouldn't be too much of a problem. Get Gremio and Pahn to do
Talisman attacks on Sydonia, while Cleo does Flaming Arrow spells on Varkas.
It doesn't matter what the Hero or Ted do, but you may as well attack Varkas
first, then Sydonia. Sydonia may be faster, but Varkas does more damage. You
should beat them in a couple of turns
____________________________________________________________________________

    After this, you'll capture them and be taken automatically to the base
of the mountain. Go back to Rockland, and rest at the inn. If you walk up
the right hand side of the village, you will see some Imperial soldiers
beating up a little kid. You can fight them if you want, but it doesn't make
much difference. Go talk to Grady, and he will take Varkas and Sydonia off
your hands. He'll also give you 10,000 bits, but Kanaan will take it and
won't give it back. Head back to Gregminster, and make sure that Ted and
Pahn don't have anything valuable.
    Upon your return, Kanaan will take Ted to the palace. Go and get your
antique appraised (assuming you picked it up) and sell it. You may want to 
buy two pairs of Wing Boots for Cleo from the armoury. They'll make her 
extremely fast and will be a great asset. Keep in mind that they cost over
10,000 bits per pair. Go back to your house, and Gremio will cook a meal.
When you can, walk downstairs and you will find Ted on the floor. Everyone
will rush downstairs, and you will be asked to help move Ted.

 [?] Help
        {Help move Ted}
     Don't Help
        {Convince them you're in shock}

    Ted will end up in one of the beds in the house, and he will relate his
story of how he got his injury. When you can, talk to Pahn, who should be
waiting outside the door. He will leave saying he's going to buy medicine,
and you will head back inside. Ted will ask you for a favor.

 [?] What is it, Ted?
        {Ask him what he wants}
     No.
        {Refuse and be asked again}

    After accepting, Ted will tell you about the Soul Eater and ask you to
take it.

 [?] I'll take it, Ted. Don't worry.
        {Take the Soul Eater}
     No.
        {Don't take it, and get asked again}

    The Soul Eater will be transferred across to the Hero. You will hear a
crash at the door, and Cleo and Gremio will run out of the room. Follow them
to the front door, and you will find Kraze and Kanaan. They had been
informed by Pahn of Ted's whereabouts, and will ask you to send him out.
Cleo and Gremio will refuse, but Ted comes out anyway and offers to be a
decoy.

 [?] No.
        {Refuse, and get Ted to ask again}
     All right.
        {Accept his offer}

    Ted will be handed over to the Imperials, and you will be led out the
back door.

     ESCAPE
        ------
     
Items in this section: Medicine, Brass Armour, Antique, 700 bits,
                       1,000 bits
Characters in this section: Viktor

    You will find yourself outside the house in the rain. Walk over to the
inn, and Marie will talk to you and stash you in the top room. Despite what
Gremio says, wander about and attempt to leave the inn. You will run into
more Imperials, and the first guy will complain to you.

 [?] Shut up, you fool.
        {Insult him, and generally be conspicuous}
     (We'd better try to be inconspicuous)
        {Be conspicuous anyway}

    Cleo and Gremio will run downstairs and offer to hold them off while you
escape. Before you do, Viktor will come and save the day. Once outside, he
will lead you behind the inn, thank you for helping him, then walk off.
Follow him and talk to him. He will say that he has a plan.

 [?] I'm not sure I can trust you.
        {Refuse to hear him out}
     All right. Help us out.
        {Hear his plan}

    If you refuse to listen to him three times, he will stop asking, but you
will be at a dead end without listening to him. After he joins, make sure
you put him in the front row of the group, since he has a short-range sword.
Walk down to the gate, and Viktor will talk to the guard. The guard will get
out of the way, and you can walk out. Despite what Viktor says, that part
won't cost you any money. You will then be asked to fulfil your part of the
agreement.

 [?] It's a promise.
        {Agree to go to Lenankamp}
     I've never heard of Lenankamp.
        {Appear ignorant then go anyway}

    Head to Lenankamp. When you get there, Viktor will leave the party, and
head towards the inn. Follow him, and stay the night. It won't cost you any
money, by the way. You will hear Imperial soldiers at the door half way
through the night, and will be given a decision about what to do.

 [?] Let's fight.
        {Do nothing, you were obviously joking}
     I'm scared, let's run.
        {Attempt to run away, but fail}

    Whatever your choice, Odessa will appear behind the clock. Go talk to
her and the clock will move aside. When downstairs, walk into the meeting 
area, and you will be told about the Liberation Army. After a short talk you
will be given a decision to make.

 [?] Who says I'll join?
        {Appear to like the Imperials}
     Maybe I should join the Liberation Army.
        {Appear interested}

    No matter what decision you make, you will be told to stay until it is
safe up above. Try to leave the hideout and you will find a collapsed bandit
blocking your path. Talk to him and take him inside, and he will tell you
that Varkas and Sydonia have been captured and strung up to die. You will
get another decision to make.

 [?] It's our fault.
        {Confess that you captured them}
     This has nothing to do with us.
        {Be an idiot and be reprimanded by Cleo and Gremio}

    You'll end up on a mission to Rockland with Viktor. Put him back in the
front line of your group, and head up to the blacksmith. Sharpen everyones
weapon to Level 5 (unless you don't have enough money) and attach the
Thunder rune fragment to Cleo. Walk back up to Rockland. You may want to
stay at the inn here before you try anything else. Talk to the guy outside
Grady's house, and he will tell you to go away. Your group will walk off to
the side, and Viktor will say that he has a plan. After setting the house on
fire, Viktor will return and you can enter the mansion. Work your way
through, looting the house as you go. Once you get to the six guards next to
the door to where the bandits are tied up, you may sustain some injuries. If
Cleo can do a Firestorm spell, this battle will be over in one turn.
    Once in the backyard, talk to Varkas, and you will rescue both of the
bandits. Go back out of the house (you'll talk to Grady on the way) and the
bandits will leave you. Head back to Lenankamp and enter the Liberation Army
hideout.

     PLANNING AHEAD
        --------------

Items in this section: Circlet, Medicine x2, Gloves, Wind rune piece,
                       Antique, Clone crystal, 1,000 bits.
Characters in this section: 
    Upon your return, Odessa will ask you if you want to join the Liberation
army.

 [?] My father goes his way, I go mine.
        {Agree to join}
     Since I'm a member of the Imperial Army...
        {Be stubborn}

    Note that if you refuse, she won't automatically ask you again, but
you'll be at a dead end until you join. Those of you that refused will be
asked again.

 [?] I guess...
        {Join}
     I mean...
        {Don't join}

    Obviously, you'll have to join the Liberation army. You'll be given the
blueprints and told to deliver them to Sarady. Odessa will come with you.
She has a wind crystal (that you can't pilfer) and Medicine (which you can).
Hand the Medicine over to another character, just so you don't forget later.
Odessa's bow is already Level 5, so you don't need to get it sharpened. Head
to Mount Tigerwolf (go up from Lenankamp and a bit to the left and you will
find a bridge. You'll know where to go from here). Keep going and grab the
stuff from the chests on your way. Eventually you will reach Ledon's hut,
and will be asked if you want to stop.

 [?] Me too.
        {Agree to stop for the night}
     We'd better go on.
        {Stop anyway, since everyone else does}

    Once you're inside, Ledon will serve you some tea and you will be given
a decision about whether or not to taste it.

 [?] Not if it's bitter.
        {Refuse and be asked again}
     Just a taste, then.
        {Taste the tea}

    It's drugged and everyone will collapse. Kessler will come in, and after
a short discussion, will order Ledon to prepare an antidote. You will stay
the night for free, as repayment. When you wake up, talk to both Ledon and
Kessler. All of your group will get up, and Ledon will unlock the door. Keep
progressing through the mountains, opening the chests on your way. You will
soon end up on the world map.
    If you can't find Sarady, you're stupid. Look harder. When you get to
the village, head first to the item store and buy a Water crystal. Go to the
inn and stay the night. You will wake up, and you should talk to Odessa who
is standing outside. She will ask you several questions, and I'm too lazy to
put them in. Soon, Kage will come up to collect the blueprints. Head back to
bed (either of the empty ones), and you will go to sleep. In the morning,
head back to Lenankamp.
    Upon your return to Lenankamp, attach the Clone crystal to Viktor and
the Wind rune piece to Gremio. You may have picked up some Water rune pieces
from the Killer Slime enemies on the mountain. If you did, attach these to
the Hero. Head up to the inn, and you will find the innkeeper collapsed on
the floor. Odessa will run off to the hideout, and you should follow her. If
you want, you can fight two bunches of five Imperial soldiers by walking in
to the first two "sections" of the base. Odessa is in the third, and you
will need to fight to get to her. When you get there, you find that she has
been wounded protecting a child. She will give you two requests: one is to
give the earring to Mathiu in Seika, and the other is to throw her body in
the stream. You will have to decide about the second one.

 [?] I can't.
        {Refuse}
     As you wish.
        {Dump the corpse in the stream}

    If you refuse three times, Viktor will throw her body in the river
anyway. After her big death scene, Odessa will cark it and you can now use
the Deadly Fingertips spell.

     THE BIRTH OF A NEW ARMY
        -----------------------

Items in this section: Mega Medicine, Toe Shoes, 2,000 bits, Antitoxin x2,
                       Power rune piece, Pointed Hat, Medicine, Wind crystal
                       Hazy crystal
Characters in this section: Mathiu, Camille, Tai Ho, Yam Koo, Luc

    To reach Seika, you will need to pass through the Fortress of Kwaba. It
is directly below Lenankamp. Once you get there, Viktor will stop you and
suggest you think of fake names. They will all decide, and you will be given
your choice.

 [?] Masamune.
        {Call yourself Masamune, make everyone think you're an idiot}
     Piisuke.
        {Call yourself Piisuke, make everyone think you're an idiot}
     Schtolteheim Reinbach IV.
        {Call yourself Schtolteheim Reinbach IV, make everyone think you're
         an idiot}

    It obviously doesn't matter what you call yourself. You will head down
through the fortress and meet some soldiers. They will stop you, and accuse
you of being rebels. Ain Gide will come up, and Gremio will pretend to
attack you (it'll make sense when you see it). You'll be let past (because
Teo's son wouldn't be dressed like a bum). Once past, Gremio will ask you to
forgive him for the way he acted.

 [?] Unforgivable!
        {Don't forgive him}
     I understand, Gremio.
        {Forgive him}

    If you refuse to forgive him three times, he will stop asking and you
will continue to Seika. It doesn't make any difference if you do or don't
forgive him. Head to Seika (straight down from Kwaba) and head up to the
school at the far end of the town. Talk to the student closest to the chart,
then leave and talk to Mathiu waiting at the bottom of the stairs. He will
walk towards his house, and you should follow. Talk to him again, and you
will be told to go away. Start to leave, and you will run into some Imperial
soldiers. Follow them back to the house, and observe the scene. Gremio will
ask you what to do.

 [?] Help them, of course.
        {Fight the soldiers}
     Wait. Let's see what's happening.
        {Delay the fight}

    If you wait, the conversation will continue for a minute and then Viktor
will run forward. The soldiers will ask you who you are.

 [?] Survivors of the Rebel Army.
        {Sound resilient and dangerous)
     Just some good guys passing by.
        {Sound cool and nonchalant}

    It obviously doesn't matter what you tell them. You'll end up fighting
three soldiers, a Firestorm spell should take care of them. Go talk to
Mathiu after the fight, and he will tell you to keep the earring.

 [?] Why?
        {Ask him why (duh)}
     But Odessa...
        {Attempt to honour Odessa's request. Let him explain about earring}

    He will say what the earring represents, and ask you if you will take
over leadership of the Liberation Army.

 [?] I can't do it.
        {Refuse to accept}
     I'll do it.
        {Accept}

    If you refuse, you'll be at a dead end until you accept. After accepting
the earring, Mathiu will tell you to go to Kaku, which you should do. Kaku
is down and left from Seika. Once there, first stay at the inn, then go to 
the bar and talk to Camille, who will join you. Go downstairs and talk to 
Tai Ho. You will have to beat him at a game of dice, with a default bet of 
1,000 bits. Just keep trying and you'll beat him eventually. When you do, he 
and Yam Koo will head outside and prepare the boat. Go out and head to the 
armoury. Buy armour for all five of your characters and go down to the 
docks. Talk to Tai Ho and you will sail to the Toran castle.
    Once you get there, a short talk will ensue and Tai Ho will join your
party. Mostly the layout of the castle is fairly straightforward, but there
are a couple of places you may want to know about. The first room inside the
castle contains a chest behind a pool of water. You can reach it by walking
close to the wall from the left side. Inside the chest is a pair of Toe
Shoes, which you should equip on the Hero.

        [SAVE] - That Zombie Dragon is really annoying.
        
    In the eleventh screen, you will notice two seemingly unreachable
chests. The one near the bottom of the screen is accessible through a secret
tunnel which begins slightly below the entry on the left side of the room.
It looks something like this:

    X
    XXXXXX
         X
        XX

    The other one is simple. A little below the top right corner of the room
will be a simple straight horizontal secret passage.
    Once you reach the screen that appears with a screen title "The castle
of Toran", you will not be attacked by random enemies. After the two screens
of stairs, you will come to the Zombie Dragon (in the sixteenth screen if
anyone else was counting). You'll have to fight him to take over the castle.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Zombie Dragon

    It can be difficult to beat this guy sometimes, he can really take a
pounding. Cleo should use up all of her spells first, then attack regularly.
Viktor should use his Clone rune when he isn't unbalanced, and use a
medicine on the most injured person when he is unbalanced. The remaining
characters should attack regularly. The extra punch from the spells and the
Clone rune should allow you to defeat him.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After beating the dragon, the fog will disappear and you will be asked
to name the castle. You'll be given a couple of suggestions, but quite
honestly I think they're crap names. It doesn't matter at all, but I prefer
to have a good name for a castle. Just be creative, but you have an eight
character limit.
    After naming the castle, there will be a fade and everyone will be
standing in one of the rooms. Leknaat will appear, and deliver the Stone
Tablet of Truth, and Luc. Mathiu will suggest that you attempt to recruit
Lepant, and the screen will fade again.

     TRICKLE OF ALLIES
        -----------------

Items in this section: Shoulder pads, Medicine x2, 700 bits, Counter crystal
                       Speed rune piece, Leather armour, Fire rune piece,
                       White Paint, Water rune piece, Antique
Characters in this section: Sergei, Onil, Marie, Chandler, Sansuke, Maas,
                            Kai, Antonio, Rock, Lepant, Pahn, Varkas, 
                            Sydonia

    When you wake up, Gremio will come in and say that you should talk to
Mathiu. Mathiu (off to the right of your room, if you can't find him) will
explain about Lepant, then Viktor and Cleo will join. Mathiu will ask you
who else you want to take, I recommend Luc and Tai Ho.
    Now, it is obviously in your best interests to make your fighting in
Lepant's house as easy as possible. To achieve this, you should now embark
on a quick round-trip of the area, collecting allies and gaining experience
as you go. Sail to Kaku, and recruit Sergei from the bar. Walk up to Seika
to recruit Marie from the inn and Onil from the house to the left of the
steps leading to Mathiu's house/school. Head up to Kwaba and recruit
Chandler. Now, walk all the way down to the Great Forest. In case you don't
know where it is, from Kwaba walk right until you reach the trees, then
straight down. You'll come across it eventually. Get Maas from the smithy
and Sansuke from the leftmost house. Now, walk over to Garan, which is
slightly up and a fair way to the left of the Great Forest. Talk to Kai, and
get him to join. Now, follow the coast back to Kaku. Sail across to your
castle, and use your new lift to go to the second floor. Talk to Mathiu, and
replace Luc with Kai. Head down to the first floor and get Tai Ho's weapon
sharpened by Maas. Trot over to Marie and talk to her three times (you don't
have to stay three times). On the third time, she will mention that she
needs a cook. Sail back to Kaku, then walk on to Seika. Recruit Antonio from
the inn.
    All of this should have made you a bit stronger, so you're now ready to
tackle Kouan. It's directly down from Kaku, you may have passed it when you
were going to Garan. Once you get there, talk to Giovanni outside Lepant's
house (the big one on the left). He will be remarkably unhelpful, but you
have to talk to him. You may want to head over to the armoury and outfit
everyone, it will help a lot. Walk to the inn and talk to Krin. He will say
that he knows how to get you an audience with Lepant.

 [?] Tell me what you have in mind.
        {Hear his plan}
     I can't trust you.
        {Ignore him, with good cause}

    The only way to get in is by Krin, so you'll have to listen to his plan.
He will leave the inn, and soon Cleo will say that it's about time to go.

        [SAVE] - It isn't before a Boss or Major battle, but those dolls can
                 be annoying.

    Head over to the right wall of Lepant's house and talk to Krin. Once on
the roof, just walk along to the ladder.
    Lepant's house is fairly straight-forward, with the chests easily
visible. Once you see Rock, talk to him and recruit him. When you get into
the room with the dolls, you must avoid walking in their line of vision so
that you don't get caught. Below is an (approximated) ASCII diagram for 
people who don't know what I'm saying.

 +---------#------+
 |         :::::  |
 |@@@@   X::@@ :  |    Key:   X = Robot
 |@@@@   :: @@ : @|           @ = Blocked (not able to walk over here)
 |       :X   X: @|           % = The chest
 #::::   :: @@ : @|           # = Door
 |   :X  X: @@ : @|       +,-,| = Walls
 |@@ :::::: @@ %  |        :::: = Safe path
 +----------------+

    Sorry about how cramped it is, and I did this purely on memory, so I
can't guarantee the scale or the positions of the blocked parts. I am very
certain about the relative positions of the robots and the path shown,
though. Note that if you are caught by a robot, you will just be sent out of
the room, you won't die or have to fight.
    Once you're past there, it requires very little thought. Just progress
through the house, opening chests as you go (make sure you get the paint!).
Talk to Juppo on your way past, and he will go and shut off those dolls in
the upper room. When he refers to "the big one" is he talking about the
wheel in the next screen? I'm not entirely sure what he means here, but
anyway. Keep going and you will come to the aforementioned wheel. This is
complete luck, the place it lands on is entirely random. Just keep trying
until you get across. Walk through the corridor and grab Kirinji. Head back
out of the house (thankfully the wheel will automatically take you back to
the other side) and talk to Krin. He'll take you off to the inn.
    Once there, he'll offer you some tea. Sound suspicious? Well, your
characters won't fall for it this time. Lepant will come up and make a
ruckus. When you talk to him you'll be given a choice of responses.

 [?] .........
        {Give him a blank stare and get your friends to fill him in}
     Um, Mathiu recommended you.
        {Tell him yourself}

    He'll say he wants to help you, but he can't, and ask for his sword
back.

 [?] We need your help.
        {Be stubborn and ask him again}
     I understand. We'll return your sword.
        {Give him his sword back}

    If you don't give his sword back, he'll just keep asking you repeatedly.
Hand it over, and Giovanni will come in and report that Eileen has been
taken by Kraze. Lepant will storm off, and you should follow him (you may
want to rest and save first). He'll have gone off to the house in the top
right of the town, and you'll see him smite (I dunno...it's the best way to
describe what he does) the guards. Go in, and he'll smite some more. Before
you follow him again, go into the room in the bottom left of the house and
open the chest there. Go back to Lepant, and he will join you after you
remove one person from your party. Kick Tai Ho out, and fight six soldiers.
A Firestorm spell should take care of them adequately. Go upstairs, and 
follow the hall. Enter the left room first and grab the antique. Then go
into the other room and confront Kraze.
    Once you get there he will call six more guards to fight you. Another
Firestorm will wipe them out. Kraze will then call Pahn in. After a
heartfelt speech, Pahn will run towards Kraze and knock him away from
Eileen. You will then be given a decision.

 [!] You're the one person I can't forgive.
        {Kill Kraze, hehehe...}
     Get the hell out of here.
        {Let Kraze go}

    You'll only be asked once, and it actually doesn't matter if you kill
him or spare his life (it might to Kraze, though). If you let him go, you'll
never see him again anyway, so do whatever you want. Once the screen comes
back, talk to Lepant and he will join. Talk to Pahn, and he will ask to join
the Liberation Army.

 [?] I can't forgive you.
        {Refuse his plea}
     Pahn, lend us a hand.
        {Let him join}

    If you refuse to forgive him three times he'll stop asking, but you
won't be able to get anywhere until you let him join. Once everyone has been
recruited, head back to the castle.
    On the first floor, you will find Varkas and Sydonia. They will join up,
and a banquet will be suggested.

 [?] Let's do it.
        {Hold the banquet}
     Now wait a...
        {Attempt to refuse, but everyone will agree before you can}

    There will be a fade to a table. You can talk to everyone if you want,
but there's no real point. Walk outside, and you will be attacked by an
Assassin.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Assassin

    Ok, so he can hardly be called a boss, but the Deadly Fingertips spell
won't work on him, so I've given him a separate section. The Hero will have
to fight him alone, but you should still be able to defeat him in two or
three turns (one with a critical strike). He'll disappear in a shower of
rose petals. How sweet.
____________________________________________________________________________

    People will run out of the hall, and the Assassin will run off. After
the fade, there will be an argument between Pahn and Gremio as to who gets
to protect you tonight. Walk towards the bed and there will be another fade.

     SYLVAN ALLIES
        -------------

Items in this section: Thunder rune piece x2, Pointed Hat, Skill rune piece,
                       Magic robe, Sunbeam crystal, Blue ribbon, Gauntlet x2
                       Escape Talisman x2, Needle, Water rune piece,
                       Fortune rune piece x2, Feather, Karate Uniform,
                       Sacrificial Buddha, Guard Robe, Killer Crystal,
                       Medicine x4, 5,000 bits, Mega Medicine. Gale Crystal,
                       Old Book Volume I, Steel Shield, Half armour
Characters in this section: Krin, Juppo, Giovanni, Eileen, Kirkis, Meg, 
                            Gaspar, Sheena, Viki, Valeria, Meese, Templeton,
                            Kuromimi, Kwanda, Sylvina, Stallion, Gon, 
                            Fu Su Lu, Lorelai, Apple

    When you wake up, Gremio will join you. You may notice that Krin, Juppo,
Giovanni and Eileen have now joined you. Go down to the docks and you will 
find Kirkis, who you will take inside. He will ask for the help of the 
Liberation army to save the forest.

 [?] Of course.
        {Agree, in a way}
     But...
        {Begin to point out that you're still microscopic}

    Mathiu will suggest a recon party. Temporarily, for the remaining three
members choose Juppo, Tai Ho and Lepant. Sail to Kaku, and head for the
basement of the bar. Recruit Gaspar by winning 5,000 bits off him in a game
of dice. Go to the inn, outside it you will find Meg. Recruit her, then walk
off to Seika. Recruit Sheena from the inn, then head back to the castle.
    Kick Juppo and Tai Ho from your party, and add Lepant (he left when you
recruited Sheena, in case you didn't know), Pahn and Viktor. Attach the Fire
rune piece that you have to Viktor. Now, remember that Water crystal you
bought way back in Sarady? Find it (Cleo had it in my game) and take it with
you. Sail off to Kaku, then continue on to Seika. Connect the Water crystal
to Kirkis (he won't be able to use many spells, but it can come in handy).
Walk down to the Great Forest, and after the fool has run off continue along
the path. Collect the treasure from the chests as you go, and recruit Viki
when she pops up behind you. You will soon reach Kobold Village, and Kirkis
will mention the lack of kobolds. Kuromimi will come up and mutter something
before going off again. Kirkis says to go to the Village of the Elves, which
is east. Despite what he says, the Elves village is south-east. Head right
first, then down. It's the big tree, pretty hard to miss.
    Walk in and climb the ladder. Observe the scene with Valeria. Forego
buying armour for the moment, but head over to the inn. Rest and save, then
go into the large house at the back of the village. You will be thrown into
the dungeon. Talk to Valeria, then approach the right-side bars. Sylvina
will come and let you out. Kirkis will say that you should head to Dwarf
country to gather information or something.

 [?] I agree.
        {Head to the Dwarves}
     Let's go back to the castle first.
        {Be told to go to the Dwarves anyway}
        
    Note that it matters little what choice you make, since you have an
unlimited amount of time. Evacuate the village of the Elves, on your way out 
Valeria will join you, remove Lepant from your party.
    On the world map, head up a bit and right and you will reach the Dwarf
Trail. Just work your way along it (be careful of the Dwarf enemies, they
can sustain a lot of damage). You will notice two chests, with large trees
near them. The paths behind the trees look something like this:

 X
 XX  - First Chest      XXX   - Second Chest
  XX                      XXX

    When you get to the mountain section, you will run into Kuromimi again.
He will mutter some more, and then run off. Just keep going along the path,
you don't need to save your game at the save point (you can if you're
paranoid though). Once you get to the world map again, head up and right to
the Village of the Dwarves. First, go and buy armour, then with whatever 
remaining money you have, go to the blacksmith and sharpen your weapons, and 
recruit Meese while you're there. If you want to sharpen all weapons up to 
level 9, you'll need a lot of money (in excess of 100,000) so you probably 
won't be able to. Don't worry if you can't. You should sharpen in the order: 
Viktor, Pahn, Gremio, Valeria, Hero, Kirkis. Make sure you keep 1,200 bits 
to stay at the inn later. Also, attach the Water rune piece to the Hero. 
Head to the large house (house? Doesn't look like one) in the top right 
corner of the town, and talk to the Chief of the Dwarves. He will, after 
some discussion, want you to prove human agility by breaking into their 
vault.

 [?] Let's give it a try.
        {Go to the vault}
     Better not try.
        {Don't go}

    You'll be at a dead end until you break into the vault.
    
        [SAVE] - Gigantes can be dangerous, particularly since you'll be
                 weak from all the enemies in the vault.
        
    Rest at the inn and head up on the world map. Talk to the dwarf guarding
the vault, then proceed into the depths. The layout of this is basic, so you
shouldn't have any trouble. When you get to the room with the levers, the
order is: Middle, Right, Left. You have to flip them in this order, or else
you can't get past. Be sure to grab the Sunbeam crystal from the chest on
your way past. After some more stairs and a maze-like room (you'll see why I
say 'maze-like', it's stupidly simple) your next "puzzle" is a room with
moving platforms. It's easy to work out, but for those of you who don't want
to think, you can reach the chest by going on the platform second from the
left. To get to the other side, from the start take the rightmost platform,
then the platform at the bottom of the ledge.
    After another silly little "maze", you'll get to a combination lock. The
combination is: Left, Right, Right, Left, Left, Left, Right, Right. Continue
through the vault until you reach a room shaped like an hourglass. Make sure
you grab the Escape talisman here, especially if you don't already have one.
Go downstairs (bottom middle) and start to walk along the corridor. Before
you get to the boss, make sure everyone has full health.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Gigantes

    This guy can be a pain sometimes. He's can do a strong attack on one
character or an annoying flame-ring spell on all. To fight him, get Viktor
to use his Clone rune, and Medicine when he's unbalanced. Get Valeria to use
her Falcon rune, and do Talisman attacks with Pahn and Gremio. Kirkis and
the Hero should attack regularly. If someone is in desperate need of healing
you should get Kirkis to do a Drops of Kindness spell on them. You should
beat the boss this way.
____________________________________________________________________________

    Once you beat him, go through the door behind him, and grab the treasure
from the rooms, including the Running Water Root. If you've got patience you
could walk all the way out of the vault, but it's much easier to use that
Escape talisman you picked up earlier. Go back to the Dwarves and talk to
the Chief. He'll start building a Firewind Cannon, and you should head back
across the Dwarf trail. On your way, you'll be stopped and shown the forest
burning. Oh well.
    Run off to the (now burnt) Village of the Elves, and endure the scene.
Leave and return immediately and recruit Templeton. You'll be given a map,
which will obviously help you navigate on the world map.

        [SAVE] - There's a lot to do after this, including a major battle
                 and a boss battle.

    Go back to Kobold village. You'll run into some Imperial soldiers.
Valeria will strike a deal with them for your safety, by offering herself as
their prisoner.

 [?] Stop it, Valeria.
        {Be given another of those talks about goals. Watch her leave}
     I'm sorry, Valeria.
        {Apologise. Watch her leave}

    You'll be attacked anyway, and Kuromimi will join your party. Your enemy
is six soldiers, but these are Veteran soldiers and are more dangerous than
the other soldiers you were previously fighting. Use Deadly Fingertips,
Clones and Talisman attacks to win.
    After beating all six, Gremio will say "We're losing". Didn't look like
it to me. Anyway, Mathiu will come along with the army and the Imperials
will be chased off. Mathiu will say that you should attack Kwanda Rosman.

 [?] All right, all troops forward.
        {Go attack}
     It's not time yet.
        {Get Mathiu to say something profound, then attack anyway}

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at Pannu Yakuta Castle

    Ok, since this is the first major battle I'll give a quick rundown of
what you do. The battle is turn based, using a paper-scissors-rock format.
That is, Charge beats Bow, Bow beats Magic and Magic beats Charge. Also you
have the Other menu, which contains miscellaneous "accessories" to the big
game of Janken.
    Kwanda will have 9,000 troops compared to your 7,105. Unfortunately, the
computer does not follow a pre-defined set of attacks, it seems to change
with each game. It does stay the same in your own game, so if you save it
before a battle, write down what they do and then reload, you'll be able to
win easily.
    It's your first battle, so you can be forgiven if you lose a lot of
troops. If you lose entirely, you'll have to reload your game from the Burnt
Village of the Elves.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    Once Kwanda is defeated, he will go back to his castle and attempt to   
use the Burning Mirror. The Chief of the Dwarves will destroy his little 
toy, and you will have to go in after Kwanda. Your party will be 
automatically chosen as Gremio, Viktor, Valeria, Kirkis and Kuromimi. 
Arrange them so all the short-range people are in the front row. Once you 
are inside the castle, you can rest if you enter the room on the right. You
may also want to save the game (you'll have to go back to the Village of the
Elves, though)
    When you've looted the place, go up the stairs and into the throne room.
There will be a big ugly dragon waiting for you.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Dragon

    Just follow the standard thing with Viktor. Valeria should use her rune,
and everyone else should attack normally. If anyone is mildly hurt, get
Kuromimi to use a Medicine on them, if they are seriously hurt use Drops of
Kindness from Kirkis. The dragon isn't too hard since it isn't very well
armoured.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After this fight, arrange your group's armour so that the Hero has the
highest AC (armour class if you don't know, I'll be using it a bit. It just
means defence value) as possible. Make sure he has full energy, then head up
the stairs behind the throne and face Kwanda in a duel.

############################################################################
DUEL GUIDE: Hero vs. Kwanda Rosman

    The first (of three) duels. It uses a barely recognisable Janken system,
but it's more difficult. Attack and Defend are self-explanatory, but a
Desperate Attack is different. It is an all-or-nothing attack, if the enemy
Attacks or does their own Desperate attack it will connect, but if they
defend they will dodge it and you will take the damage. In essence, if the
enemy is going to Attack, do a Desperate attack, if they are going to do a
Desperate Attack you should Defend, and if they Defend you should Attack.
    If you've gotten this far before you may have noticed that the enemy
will say something before every turn, and what they say determines what they
do. A duel guide is some of the sayings so that you'll know what to do. The
sayings are usually fairly clear, so if there is one not listed here you'll
be able to make an informed guess.

 Attack
 ~~~~~~

    Heh, now it's my turn.
    What's the matter? If you don't attack I will!
    At a loss are you? But I'll show now mercy!
    Taste the sharpness of my blade.
    Well done. But can you take this?
    Ha ha. You'll have to do better than that.
    You're better than I thought. But how about this?

 Defend
 ~~~~~~

    Can you break my invulnerable defences?
    Don't bore me. Show me what you can do.
    Carefully...

 Desperate Attack
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Victory is near. I strike with all my might.
    We're getting nowhere. Here I come!
    Impossible! You can't avoid my blows!
    Take that!

############################################################################

    After beating him, Kirkis and Kuromimi will go on about revenge. You'll
be given a decision.

 [!] Vengeance! Your time is up!
        {Kill Kwanda. Don't do this}
     Something's wrong.
        {Don't kill him}

    If you spare him, he'll talk about the Black rune that Windy gave him,
and ask you to let him die like a soldier.

 [!] You're right.
        {Kill him. Again, don't do this}
     I want you to join us.
        {Recruit him}

    After this, you'll end up talking to Mathiu. Sylvina and Stallion will
join, and Valeria, Kuromimi and Kirkis will join permanently. Mathiu will
suggest that everyone goes back to the castle. Tell him you have some
unfinished business, since now is a good time to collect a couple more
allies. Walk off to the Kobold village, and head to the inn. Talk to
Fu Su Lu and pay 10,000 bits for his food. After he joins you, head for the
house at the bottom of the town and recruit Gon. Go back through the forest
trail and walk to Kouan. The Hero should be of a high enough level to
convince Lorelai (waiting at the inn) to join. Walk up to Seika and recruit
Apple from Mathiu's school (it doesn't matter what you say to her). Sail
over to the castle and head inside.

  OLD FRIENDS
     -----------

Items in this section: Mega Medicine, Blinking Mirror, Silver necklace,
                       Antitoxin, Half Helmet, Magic Robe, Spark Crystal,
                       Magic rune piece, Black Paint, Red Paint,
                       Sound Setting 0, Window Setting 1
Characters in this section: Humphrey, , Flik, Hellion, Mina, 
                            Chapman, Jeane, Jabba, Lotte, Anji, Leonardo, 
                            Kanak, Gen, Kamandol, Kimberly, Tesla, Liukan, 
                            Milich

    Upon your return to the castle, you will get a message saying "Three
months after defeating Kwanda Rosman's army...". Before you go any further,
head to Marie and save your game. Go over to Gaspar and get as much money as
you can (you'll need it if you want to recruit the pirates in this section).
After getting 999,999 bits, go to the meeting room on the third floor. You
will find Flik there, whinging about how Odessa isn't here. Mathiu will come
in, and ask you if he may tell Flik about Odessa.

 [?] But Odessa's last request...
        {Be given a speech about something and he'll tell them anyway}
     You're right.
        {Allow him to tell them}

    Flik will storm off, and Mathiu will tell you to go and talk to him.
With Viktor (who will join automatically) sail to Kaku, then enter the house
on the left of the steps. Talk to Flik, and he will ask if you will join
forces with him.

 [?] No.
        {Refuse to join him, but get asked again}
     Of course.
        {Accept his offer}

    If you refuse, he'll just ask you over and over again, so accept and
head back to the castle.

        [SAVE] - Soon you will fight a major battle. It shouldn't be
                 difficult, but it's better to be on the safe side.
        
    Go to the War Room, and Flik will suggest you attack Garan.

 [?] Prepare to depart.
        {Go and fight}
     It's not yet time for battle.
        {Wait for a while}

    If you've already saved the game, go off and attack.
 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at Fortress of Garan

    The enemy only has 6,000 troops here, and unless you did horribly
against Kwanda, you should have more than them. You gained about 4,000 more
troops since your last battle. Use Krin and Giovanni to attempt to find
their strategy, and remember to use the Strategists if you need to charge.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After this battle, you'll be pitched immediately into another Major
battle.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at Scarleticia Castle (I)

    You'll be facing 12,000 troops with whatever you had left over from the
last battle. YOU CAN NOT WIN HERE. Milich will use an attack called
"Poisonous Pollen", and after one of these Mathiu will order the retreat. It
is an extremely damaging attack, and there seems to be no way to minimise
casualties.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    You'll be back at the Fortress of Garan, and a recon party will be
organised. Viktor and Flik will join automatically, and Gremio will ask to
join after Viktor tells him to stay behind.

 [?] Stay here, Gremio.
        {Try to get him to stay behind}
     Okay. Come with us.
        {Allow him to come along}

    You can refuse as much as you want, but Gremio has to come along. For
the remaining two people in your party choose Tai Ho and Yam Koo. This will
allow you to recruit the pirates. Follow the coast above you to Teien. Go to
the inn and recruit Hellion. Grab the Mega Medicine and the Blinking Mirror
from the chests. Make sure that the Hero holds the Blinking Mirror, you'll
want to have it no matter what your party is. Be sure to visit the item
store here so that Chandler can sell you Yellow flower seeds later. Go to
the blacksmith and sharpen all the weapons up to Level 12, this is why you
needed so much money. On the world map, go right to Antei. Recruit Mina from
the inn (make sure the Hero still has the Toe Shoes) and Chapman from the
Armoury. You'll also have enough recruits to get Jeane from the Runemaster's
shop. Go back to the armoury, and equip all of your characters with the best
possible armour (you won't need to keep the Toe Shoes anymore). Go down and
right to Rikon, and visit the Item store to add those items to Chandlers
available stock. Head upstairs at the inn and talk to Lotte. Go back out to
the world map and wander aimlessly. This is to serve two purposes: onee is 
to get all your characters to a decent level (at least 28) and to get a
Nameless urn. These are dropped by the Holly Fairy enemies, but it can be
annoying since they sometimes drop Needles instead. Try walking around in
the area a few screens left of Rikon, you should get one soon. While you're
there, drop into Soniere prison (right of Rikon) so that you can teleport
there later.
    Once you have gotten a Nameless urn and all your characters are at high
levels, use the Blinking Mirror. Talk to Viki and teleport to Kaku. Grab the
cat by chasing it into the area to the right of the bar. Sail back to the
castle and teleport to Rikon. Recruit Jabba and Lotte.

        [SAVE] - The Pirates may not strictly be "enemies", but they can be
                 painful sometimes.
                 
    Head up to Teien and get in the boat. Go up and left to the Pirates Den.
Walk inside and talk to Anji, who will challenge you to a fight.

 [?] Fight.
        {Rise to the challenge}
     Don't fight.
        {Be a wimp}

    You'll have to fight if you want to recruit them.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Anji
           Kanak
           Leonardo

    This battle will be pretty difficult, because quite honestly I don't
think you're supposed to be fighting these guys yet. Anyway, it's possible
to beat them if you follow this strategy. Flik will be able to take care of
Leonardo with two Raging Blows and a Rainstorm. Follow this pattern for him,
and get everyone else to ignore Leonardo. Tai Ho and Yam Koo should do
Fisherman Attacks on Kanak, and use Medicine on anyone who needs it while
they're unbalanced. Viktor should use his Clone rune on Anji and also use
Medicine while he's unbalanced. The Hero and Gremio should do regular
attacks on Anji, then Kanak after Anji is defeated. Once Flik has beaten
Leonardo, he should attack the same way as Gremio and the Hero. You should
just be able to defeat them within the turn limit.
____________________________________________________________________________

    Now that you've gathered all these allies, head back to Rikon and get in
the boat there. See that dot on the map way down near the bottom? Head
towards it. You won't be able to get there, since you will run into some
rapids. Go back to Rikon (you must have touched the rapids) and your
characters will say that you won't be able to cross them with a regular
boat. Walk up to Teien and go into the top left house. Talk to Gen, and he
will ask you what you want.

 [?] We have no business with you.
        {Get told to go away}
     We need a boat that can beat the rapids.
        {Enlist his aid}

    You can't get past the rapids without him, so get him to join you. It
doesn't matter which of Tai Ho or Yam Koo that you kick out since you'll
have to eject the other one shortly. Walk to the house right of Gen's, and
attempt to go in. Gen will call Kamandol out, and you will be invited in.
After the conversation, head down to Rikon. The engine will be unloaded
automatically, and while Gen and Kamandol work the remaining four will go to
the inn. During the night, Gremio will talk to your character (I assume that
the Hero is asleep). In the morning, walk out of the inn and you will
automatically talk to Gen and Kamandol. Board the boat.
    Head back down to the rapids, but now you will be able to cross them. At
Liukan's Hermitage, before talking to him go inside and get the Black paint.
Go back and talk to Liukan who will be whisked away by Milich. Instead of
getting back on to the boat, head out the side and get to the world map. Use
the Blinking Mirror and go talk to Mathiu. He will write a letter for
Kimberly and tell you to recruit her and Tesla, both living in Antei. While
you're here, remove Gen and Kamandol from your party and stick Pahn and Cleo
in. Teleport to Antei.
    Kimberly is in the house up and right of the inn. Talk to her and you
will deliver the letter. After a boring sequence she will join and tell you
that Tesla is in the town, but he is using the name Albert. Go up and left
from Kimberly's house and inside the house there. Talk to "Albert" and he
will be tricked into joining. Head back to the World map and use the
Blinking Mirror.
    Go and talk to Mathiu and you will be given the fake orders which will
allow you to enter Soniere prison. Before teleporting there, find the
Sunbeam crystal you picked up from the Dwarf Vault and attach it to Viktor
(you will obviously need to detach the Clone rune). Rest and teleport to
Soniere, and go inside.

        [SAVE] - Again, there isn't actually a boss as such, but there will
                 usually be a lot of guys to fight and no other chance to
                 save.
                 
    Save at the save point to the right, then head back the other way. Be
sure to pick up the Old Book from the chest on your way past. When you get
to the room with the lever, attempt to walk through the door to flip the
lever. Continue through the prison, it's very straight-forward. Sometime
during your visit here, you will need to obtain an Opal. These are dropped
by the Nightmare enemies, and can be difficult to obtain sometimes. Only
stop to try and get one if you're about to leave and haven't yet picked one
up.
    Soon after you get to the cells, you will have to fight sets of Veteran
soldiers. The first two are three each and the other two (which, by the way,
are optional) contain five each. To beat them easily, a Dancing Flames spell
will wipe all of them out, or a Firestorm and Rainstorm spell used on the
same turn (you can't combine these). Liukan is in the cell at the end. Walk
up to him to free him. An escape talisman won't work, so you'll need to walk
all the way out. Before you enter the lever room, check to see that you have
an Opal. If you don't, walk around fighting until you get one, but don't go
into the lever room yet.
    Before you exit the jail, ensure that Gremio isn't holding any vital
equipment. Better to be safe than sorry, since I'm still unsure as to what
does and doesn't appear in the vault. Whatever you do, don't leave Gremio
carrying the Blinking Mirror.
    Walk into the lever room and you will find Milich. Instead of fighting
you, he will throw a vial of "Spores of Agony" on the floor and then
scarper. Gremio will flip the lever, push everyone through the door and
close it, while staying on the other side. You'll be given a choice of what
to say.

 [?] Open the door, Gremio!
        {Attempt to get him to open the door. Fail}
     This is an order, Gremio!
        {Attempt to order him to open the door. Fail}

    No matter what you say, Gremio will be eaten by the spores. Don't worry,
if you get all the other 107 stars and keep them alive, he'll be back later.
By the way, you can now use the Black Shadow magic. Mathiu will come and 
open the door, and you will begin to leave. Viktor will run back and grab 
Gremio's axe, and keep it for a while (he'll give it to you later).
    Gremio's equipment in the Vault is still a bit of a mystery. Some stuff 
does appear, other stuff doesn't. As long as you took the precautions above
(don't say I didn't warn you) you won't encounter much of a problem.
    
        [SAVE] - This major battle can be a little difficult sometimes.
    
    Walk outside and talk to Mathiu. Liukan will join, and Mathiu will
advise that you attack Scarleticia castle.

 [?] All right. Let's begin assembling the troops.
        {Go fight}
     I just don't feel like it right now.
        {Be depressed and wait a while}

    There's nothing that needs to be done, so bite the bullet and attack.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at Scarleticia Castle (II)

    Thanks to Liukan's antidote, you can now fight Milich's army. He will
still have his 12,000 troops, and you will somehow have gotten 6-7 thousand
more. Where are these people coming from?
    If you find that the enemy is doing "Milich's Attack", this is a Magic
attack so you should use Bows.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After defeating his army, you'll be in front of Scarleticia castle. You
will have to decide on your party, with Viktor and Flik as fixed members.
Make sure you add in Pahn, but the other two don't matter. I took Kai for
the Master Pupil attack, and I also took Kwanda because he looks cool. Now,
walk through the castle and grab all the loot. On the left-hand side on the
lower floor, walk straight up through the doors and into the wall and you
should come across a "Portrait of Milich". You will be given a choice.

 [?] Milich, too, is a victim...
        {Open up the secret room}
     What a creep.
        {Ignore it}

    If you pick the first choice, a room will open up with a Window setting
and a Spark crystal. Make sure Pahn is at least Level 31 (preferably 32 or
33) before going on to the balcony. Everyone will run out and Mathiu will
say to burn the flowers. Milich will come along and squeal at you. After his
rune has melted, Flik will ask you what to do about him.

 [!] Gremio must be avenged.
        {Kill Milich. Bad thing to do}
     This man is not at fault!
        {Let Milich live}

    If you let him live, he will ask you to join the Liberation army.

 [!] I can't.
        {Refuse to let him join and never see him again}
     I understand.
        {Let him join}

    After your decision, Stallion will run up and warn you about the
Imperial army.

     DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY
        --------------------

Items in this section: Earth rune piece, Old Book Volume VIII, Antique,
                       Sound crystal, Window Setting 0
Characters in this section: Ivanov, Kasios, Qlon, Esmeralda, Kasumi, Georges
                            Sarah, Lester, Blackman, Kessler, Ledon, Kage,
                            Melodye, Kun To, Mose, Ronnie Bell, Alen,
                            Grenseal

    At the start of this section you'll be outside the castle. Before
proceeding, you may want to gather a few allies that are now available.
Talk to Sanchez to change party members, and make sure that your new party
contains Milich. You may also want to put Stallion in to save time on the
World map. Get the Opal you found from Soniere, and teleport to Scarleticia.
Talk to Ivanov (right side, bottom floor) and recruit him, then head
upstairs and recruit Kasios from the right bedroom. Go back to the World map
and walk to Antei. Recruit Qlon, then go upstairs at the inn and give the
Opal to Esmeralda. Use the Blinking Mirror to return to the castle.
    
        [SAVE] - This is VITAL. MAKE SURE YOU SAVE!    

    Rest and make sure Pahn has full health and that his AC is as high as
possible, then talk to Kasumi in the conference room. She will tell you
about Teo, and then join you. Mathiu will suggest a skirmish to test the
power of the enemy.

 [?] Fine.
        {Go and fight}
     But I'd rather not fight my father.
        {Attempt to refuse, but be told about duty and so forth}

    No matter how many times you refuse, Mathiu won't stop asking. You'll
end up in the fight.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle with Teo (I)

    Again, you can not win here. After three turns, the retreat will be
sounded. You seem to be able to minimise casualties by using the weakest
Charge groups.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After retreating, Pahn will stop and say that he will hold them off.

 [?] Pahn, I'll see you later.
        {Apparently, this is telling him to come with you. He won't, though}
     Good luck.
        {Leave him and run off}

    Pahn is determined to fight Teo, so you'll have to leave him there. Teo
will come up, and after a short speech will engage Pahn in a duel.

############################################################################
DUEL GUIDE: Pahn vs. Teo McDohl

    Teo can deal a lot of damage, but he takes hits like a sissy. Take
advantage of this.

 Attack
 ~~~~~~

    Did you see me coming?
    All you can do is defend yourself, Pahn? No mercy!
    My sword's not rusty yet.
    That was a good one, Pahn. Now it's my turn.
    Is that all you've got? Now it's my turn!

 Defend
 ~~~~~~

    Come on, Pahn. See if you can kill me.
    Good work, Pahn. I'll have to be more careful.
    I'll see that coming next time!
    I'm losing my cool. Better be careful.
    Strike me, Pahn!

 Desperate Attack
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My killer blade...
    Finish me with a single blow!
    Hmmm. Here I come again.
    Impossible! Take that!
    That's...no good.

############################################################################

    It is very easy for Pahn to lose this fight, but don't let him. If you
want the best ending, he needs to stay alive. If you win, Teo will order a
retreat.
    When it goes back to the Hero, you will be standing on floor 3. Go
upstairs and to your bed. Walk towards it and the screen will fade. Leknaat
will visit you during the night and tell you that you must keep fighting.

 [?] Why must I?
        {Ask her why, and be told about her sister}
     Perhaps, but...
        {Trail off and get the same answer}

    After the conversation, you will wake up in the morning. Talk to Flik in
the conference room and he will mention Fire Spears. To get them, you'll
need to travel to Kirov. If you've been there already, you'll know that
there's a "maelstrom" (which looks a lot like those rapids) blocking your
path. Go down and save your game (you don't want to have to get Pahn to
fight Teo again if you've already won) then go to Sanchez and form a new
party. It must contain Tai Ho, but you can choose the other four. You may
want someone with a Holy rune so that you can do the annoying item
collection (to recruit Sarah) faster, but it's not vital. If you insist on
me giving a recommendation, take Stallion, Kirkis, Kai and Kasumi. Go down
to the docks, and Gen will tell you about the high speed boat he's just made
(the geezer helped too) and ask you if you want to take it for a test ride.

 [?] Yes, I'll take a test ride.
        {Take it for a spin}
     Correction Maybe later.
        {Do a few other things first (eg. be gramatically challenged)}

    You'll have to take the boat. Tai Ho will pop out and say how impressive
the boat is, and then you'll get in. Kirov is a long way up and left of the
castle, hidden within a small archipelago. Use the map if you're lost. Once
you get there, talk to Sarah and collect the items needed to recruit her
(look at the Stars list at the start of this FAQ for the order). Taste the
stews in the houses on either side of her, then go into the big house near
the docks and talk to Lester, who will join up. Go to the inn and play a
card game with Georges, if you beat one of the records he will join you.
    Head out the little gap at the top of Kirov and go up to Kalekka. There
is no need to talk to Leon (first house) yet, so don't bother going in his
house. Work your way through the village, and be careful not to step on
Blackman's sprouts. Talk to him and recruit him. Go into the house in the
top right, and get the Sound crystal. Walk out the top exit of Kalekka, and
continue on to the Secret Factory. When you arrive, you will find Ledon and
Kessler talking to Ronnie Bell. You'll be given a decision on what to say.

 [?] Hey, it's Ledon and Kessler.
        {Get Ledon and Kessler's attention}
     Hey, giant woman.
        {Get Ronnie Bell's attention}

    All three will turn around, and Ledon will recognise you. Tai Ho will
ask if you know these two.

 [?] Yes.
        {Admit it}
     I've never seen them before.
        {Get Ledon to remind you}

    After a short conversation, Ronnie will lead you inside the factory.
Before following, talk to Ledon and Kessler to recruit them. Inside, talk to
Kage (he's hard to miss) and pay him 20,000 bits to recruit him. Go right
and talk to Mose, and he will ask you about Odessa. You'll be given only one
response (tough decision to make) and he will give you Fire Spears.
    Leave the Secret Factory and go back down to Kirov via Kalekka. Once in
Kirov, talk to Melodye (bottom left of the town) and give her the Sound
Crystal. Go into the big house and talk to Kun To, who will join. After
Ronnie has finished loading the spears into the boats, she and Mose will
join. Get into your boat and speed back to the castle.
    When you attempt to enter the castle, Tai Ho will step out and say that
he's tired. There will be a fade and you will find yourself in your bed.

        [SAVE] - Teo will make you pay for any mistake you make, so be sure
                 to save.
        
    Walk to the conference room. Talk to Mathiu, and he will ask for your
orders.

 [?] Order all troops to advance.
        {Go and fight Teo again}
     Let's wait a while.
        {Do some other stuff first}

    If you've already saved, rush off to battle with your shiny new toys and
prepare to deal some death.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle with Teo (II)

    The only way to use your new Fire Spears is to charge, and the only way
to inflict damage is with the Fire Spears. Boost the charge power, then
attack in the following order:
 Commander's Team (first in the plan)
 Lepant Family (strongest)
 Pirates (next strongest)
 Bandits (next strongest)
    This should finish them off.   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After winning, Teo, Alen and Grenseal will be standing in front of you.
After a short conversation, Teo will challenge you to a duel.

 [?] I accept.
        {Accept his challenge}
     I'd rather not fight you.
        {Be insulted, then fight anyway}

    Obviously, you'll end up in a duel.

############################################################################
DUEL GUIDE: Hero vs. Teo McDohl

    This is the easiest duel you will have to do. Teo has only half his HP,
and the Hero is (or at least was in my game) much stronger than Pahn. One
Desperate attack should finish him.

 Attack
 ~~~~~~

    We're getting nowhere. Here I come!
    Here I come, my son.
    Do you see how much better I am?
    Is defending yourself all you can do? You'll never win that way.
    You're soft...soft! This is how you attack!
    That was nothing. Now it's my turn.

 Defend
 ~~~~~~

    Show me what you've learned.
    Leader of the Liberation Army! No wonder you're careful.
    Come on! Show me what a man you've become.
    Is that all you've got?

 Desperate Attack
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    My deadly sword...
    My sword is the Emperor's sword. I'll show no mercy!
    The next one will be more painful.

############################################################################

    Teo will have his big death scene, and he will ask Alen and Grenseal to
join the Liberation army. After Teo dies, you will be able to use the Hell
magic from the Soul Eater.

     INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
        --------------------------

Items in this section: Sound Setting 1, Full Helmet, Mega Medicine x2,
                       Antitoxin x2, Medicine x3, Crimson Cape, Head Gear,
                       Boar Crystal, Champion's Crystal, Flowing Crystal,
                       Window Crystal, 5,000 bits, Escape Talisman,
                       War Scroll, Silverlet, Skill rune piece, Earth boots,
                       Old Book Volume II, Old Book Volume III, Green paint,
                       Earth rune piece, Magic rune piece, Cape of Darkness
Characters in this section: Kirke, Marco, Moose, Fukien, Morgan, Zen, Hugo,
                            Window, Quincy, Rubi, Eikei, Hix, Tengaar

    You will begin this section on the docks at your castle. Go up to the
conference room and talk to Lepant. Everyone will suggest that you attack
the Fortress of Lorimar.

 [?] Let's attack the fortress of Lorimar!
        {March to Lorimar}
     Let's wait a little longer.
        {Wait for nothing in particular}

    There is no point in waiting, so march to Lorimar. When you get there,
you will find it deserted. During the search of the fortress (automatic),
Viktor and Cleo will get into your party. Mathiu will ask you for the rest
of the party. For now, make your party Maas, Meese and Mose. Walk down
through the gate then return immediately. Recruit Kirke, then leave again.
    The Warrior's Village is a little down and left of Lorimar. Go there,
and watch the scene. Zorak will ask you to come inside, but don't follow him
just yet. Head right and recruit Marco by winning 5,000 bits off him. Enter
the house just above Marco and recruit Moose. Visit the item store so that
Chandler can sell you flower seeds, then enter Zorak's house.
    Talk to him, and endure the long conversation. When you can, move out
of the room and walk towards Tengaar. After she leaves, walk towards Hix.
When he finishes talking to Cleo and leave, enter the bedroom and talk to
Viktor. Viktor will say that he is staying up, and you will automatically go
to bed.
    In the morning, walk outside and you will find Neclord. After Zorak and
his three warriors are incapacitated, Viktor will run down towards Neclord
and the rest of your characters will follow.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Neclord

    Despite what the first impression gives you, you can hurt Neclord here.
You'll never win, but it's worth knowing. For instance, Kasumi can use her
Shrike rune and cause a few hundred points of damage. You won't be able to
survive long enough to kill him like this, so just resign yourself to
failing. The quickest way to die is to attempt to run away.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After your party is defeated, Neclord will take Tengaar away. You will
find yourself in Zorak's house again, and Viktor will ask you if "you've
come to your senses yet". Is this a translation error? Viktor was the one
who was determined to kill Neclord, not you. Anyway, go talk to Zorak and he
will mention the Temple of Qlon (that little git that says the name of the
castle?). Leave the Warrior's Village and use your Blinking Mirror.
    Once in your castle, form a new party. Replace the blacksmiths with
Milich, Kirkis and any other character (they'll be leaving when Hix joins
later). I took Grenseal, but it really doesn't matter. Now, you will need to
get your hands on Water, Lightning and Holy crystals. Kirkis should still
have a Water rune attached, you should transfer this to Milich. If you don't
already have the other two, you should be able to buy them from Chandler.
Remove Cleo's Fire rune and attach the Lightning one, and attach the Holy
rune to Kirkis. Viktor should still have the Sunbeam rune, leave it there.
    Now, you will want to sharpen all weapons as high as they will go. This
costs a ludicrous amount of money, but Neclord was the most annoying boss
for me so it's worth it. You won't need to sharpen the temporary character's
weapon, which will save you a bit. Keep getting money from Gaspar (you'll
get lucky eventually) and continue sharpening until the weapons are at Level
15. Although Viktor will get a new sword soon, it will retain the level of
his previous sword.
    Equip the characters (including the temporary one) with the best armour
possible. Buy all three flower seeds from Chandler, then teleport back to
the Warrior's Village. Rest if you need it, then head left on the World map. 
A few screens away is the Temple of Qlon.
    Once you reach it, go inside and talk to Fukien. He will join (not in
your current party, though) and lead you to the cave. Before going in, talk
to Zen (to your right) to recruit him. Go back in the temple and talk to
Morgan (right of the back door). Now head into the cave.

        [SAVE] - If you're not at a high enough level, the enemies in the
                 cave will give you a lot of trouble.

    The Caves of the Past have an annoying layout, but you'll be able to
work it out. Remember to dash everywhere. There are two secret areas which
you will want to know about. Their layout is as follows:

 X                               X
 X                               XX
 XX - First secret passage        X - Second secret passage
  X                             XXX
  X                             X
                                XXX
                                  X

    You will be able to recognise them by the straight part of the wall on
the bottom edge. The first passage is found in the fourth "main" screen,
almost directly below the entrance. It leads to the Window crystal, which
you should get. The second is in the eigth screen, counting the one that you 
re-enter twice. It leads to Crowley, but he won't join you yet so don't 
bother.
    Most of the items aren't all that important, but before you approach the
Star Dragon Sword, make sure you have found the Flowing Crystal, the Window
Crystal, the War Scroll and the Escape Talisman. When you walk up to the
sword at the end of the caves it will curse you and cast some big spell. You
will end up flying out of a shrine in a village with wooden houses. Walk up
and right, and you will see a boy run away from you. Walk to the well, then
follow the boy as he runs again. Talk to him, and he will ask you if you're
here to steal the treasure.

 [?] What treasure?
        {Admit that you have no clue what he's talking about}
     No.
        {Attempt to reassure him, I guess}

    You'll get the same answer no matter what you choose. He will be called
away, and Cleo will ask you a question.

 [?] He did remind me of Ted.
        {Agree that something weird is happening}
     No, it must be someone else.
        {Attempt to deny that it was Ted you just spoke to}

    Walk up and right and talk to the Village Chief. He will go inside the
house, and you should follow. You may want to open the chest before talking
to him again. When you do talk, Windy will appear outside, and everyone will
rush off to confront her. After a short conversation, the village will
spontaneously combust, and the old guy will teleport you all off to the back
room of his house. The Soul Eater will be transferred across to Ted, and you
will be asked to take him away. Run out the back door and follow the path.
    Yuber will pop down in front of you and attempt to cut you all into
little pieces. Before he can, Neclord will appear and tell him that Windy
wants him. After a fade, you will be standing in the middle of the charred
village. Before you do as Viktor suggests, go back along the path and get
the Boar rune from the chest. Go into the house to the right of the steps to
the shrine and get the Champion's Crystal. When you attempt to walk up the
steps, Viktor will ask you what to do about Ted.

 [?] We'll take him along.
        {Take him with you}
     We can't take him along.
        {Leave him behind}

    It doesn't matter what you choose, since he won't be able to cross over
if you take him along. When you appear back in the caves, walk down and you
will find the sword again. After a short conversation with it (yes, with the
sword) Viktor will pull it out. Use the Escape Talisman that you found to
go back to the surface.
    Talk to Hugo to deliver the War Scroll. You may want to rest in the bed
before continuing. Go back to the Warrior's Village, and you will find Zorak
with the warriors assembled. Before talking to him, head into the hardware
store and give the Window crystal to Window. Now go and talk to Zorak. All
the warriors will leave for Neclord's castle. Follow them, his castle is
down and a bit to the left of the Warrior's Village. When you get there, you
will automatically talk to Zorak, and Neclord will appear. He will say some
stuff, and you will end up going in. Before you can Hix will come and ask if
you can take him along.

 [?] You'll just be in the way.
        {Attempt to refuse}
     All right. Come with us.
        {Take him along}

    If you refuse, he will just ask again, so he will end up coming with
you. Kick out the temporary character, and you will automatically enter the
castle. You should go back out straight away, talk to Zorak so he'll let you
past, then use the Blinking Mirror to go back to your own castle. Sharpen
Hix's sword, and outfit him with armour. Detach Milich's Water rune and give
him the Flowing Rune. Rest at Marie's inn.
    Now, before you go any further, check that Cleo can cast a Ball of
Lightning spell, and Milich can cast a Mother Ocean spell. It is vitally
important that they can, and that they don't cast these before you reach
Neclord. If they can't yet, return to the caves behind Qlon and gain some
experience.
    Before you go back to Neclord's castle, teleport to Garan. You will now
have enough recruits to convince Quincy to join. Go to the Kobold Village
and recruit Rubi from the inn. Go to Teien and recruit Eikei (far right of
the town). Teleport back to Neclord's castle.

        [SAVE] - There is a save point on the lowest floor, left hand side
                 and down the stairs.

    The layout of the castle is pretty simple, you'll work it out. Once you
get to the third floor (floor, not screen) you will come to some paintings
on the wall. It is basically a combination lock. The combination is as
follows:

    From the left, I've numbered the paintings 1, 2, 3 and 4.
     3. "Chestnut Tree"
     2. "Girl in the early afternoon"
     4. "Peasant Girl"
     1. "King of the Night"

    Continue through the castle. When you reach a balcony where you are
outside and the sky is orange (i.e. near sunset), stop and check the levels
of your characters. I have defeated Neclord with everyone on Level 45, but
it helps if they are a bit higher. If you're desperate, you'll be able to
defeat him easily using my strategy with everyone on Level 48. This takes
some time, but it makes the battle much simpler. If you're impatient, 46
will do. Make sure everyone is at full health. Hand all the antitoxins to
Kirkis, all the regular medicines to Hix and all the Mega Medicines to Cleo.
Confront him and his crappy organ playing, and you will end up fighting him 
again.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Neclord

    Apart from the special cases mentioned in your other fight with Neclord,
no one will be able to hurt him until Viktor has attacked. Get the Hero,
Cleo, Kirkis and Hix to defend, while Viktor and Milich attack. From this
turn on, give any one person who needs it a regular medicine, and any one
person who is badly hurt a Mega Medicine. The first time all of your
characters are in need of healing, do a combined Lightning-Water spell. If
they all need healing again, just get Milich to do a regular healing spell.
As for attacking, the Hero should use all of his Black Shadow spells and
then attack normally. Cleo should use all the Raging Blow spells, then
attack normally. Everyone else should continue to attack regularly. When
Neclord turns into a swarm of bats and attacks someone, they will usually
end up poisoned. Get Kirkis to use an antitoxin on them and Cleo to use a
mega medicine on them if this happens.
____________________________________________________________________________

    Once you've killed him and rescued Tengaar, you'll have to get out of
the castle. An escape talisman won't work, so run all the way out (snore).
After the conversation at the doors, Viktor will ask for leave to go to his
hometown.

 [?] That could be a problem.
        {Tell him it could be a problem}
     All right. Come back soon.
        {Let him go}

    If you try to stop him, he will just ask again, so he will end up going.
Tengaar will join, and you should teleport back to the castle.

     DEATH FROM ABOVE
        ----------------

Items in this section: Goldlet, Old Book Volume V, Power Gloves,
                       Master Robe, Sound Setting 2, Mega Medicine, 
                       Old Book Volume IV, Window Setting 2, Gold Necklace,
                       Cyclone crystal
Characters in this section: Fuma, Kreutz, Milia, Joshua, Futch

    You will start on the docks. Walk up to the conference room and talk to
Mathiu. He will suggest that you attempt to recruit the Dragon Knights.

 [?] I'd rather not go.
        {Attempt to refuse}
     Let's go meet these Dragon Knights.
        {Agree to go}

    If you refuse, you will be reminded about the Liberation army needing
all the help it can get, and then be asked again. Once you agree, Flik and
Humphrey will join. Leave the screen and return, then talk to Sanchez and
form a new party. Put in Liukan (trust me), Milich and Kai. Sharpen weapons
and buy armour, you may want to attach a rune to Humphrey, I suggest a
Killer rune.
    The Dragon's Den is to the left of Antei, just follow the mountain. Once
you get there, talk to the Gatekeeper and you will be turned away. Return to
Antei, where you will find Vincent de Boule talking to the innkeeper. He
will greet you and introduce himself.

 [?] Greetings, sir.
        {Pull off an imitation of an aristocratic fool}
     Sure, I'll bet.
        {Refuse to believe him, with good cause}

    Whatever you say, Vincent will ask you to pay his bill and then scarper,
and you will be forced to pay 200 bits. No big deal.

        [SAVE] - Those enemies in the Dragons Den can be a pain (literally)
        
    Go back over to the Dragon's Den and talk to Vincent. He will lead you
aside to the big rock and say that there is an entrance behind it. Go in,
and proceed through the cave which is behind it. The cave as a simple
layout, you won't need any help getting through it.
    Once you come to a wider cave, Humphrey and Flik will come out and say
a few words. You will fall off the cliff and land in the middle of a bunch
of dragons. After talking to Milia and Futch, they will head left and you
should follow. Once on the world map, continue left and you will come to the
fortress.
    You can find Fuma outside the fortress on the right hand side, he's that
little red spot hiding behind the battlement. Go inside and talk to Kreutz,
who is on the lower level, top left corner. Rest and save, then walk
upstairs. Once you enter the room, you will automatically talk to Joshua,
and he will ask you what you want.

 [?] We need your help.
        {Try to enlist his aid}
     Please let me fly on a dragon.
        {Sound like a silly little kid and force him to confess}

    No matter what your answer, Joshua will tell you about what has happened
to their dragons. Liukan will come out and you will be led back to the cave.
Liukan will explain the situation and leave your party, and Milia will
replace him. Go back to the fortress and walk towards Thrash to be taken to
Seek Valley.
    Once you arrive, just follow the paths, it's a fairly basic layout. Once
you reach the four-way intersection, right is to Mace's house (you can't
recruit him yet, by the way), left is to a chest containing the Sound
Setting 2, and up is the continuing path.

        [SAVE] - If you don't know what you're doing, the Crystal Core will
                 be the end of you.
                 
    You will soon come to the Crystal Core.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Crystal Core

    In it's first form with it's orbiting crystal shards, it can only attack
one character at a time. Don't waste your magic on this form, and get Milich
to heal anyone who needs it. When you see it turn into a little red ball,
get Flik to use his most powerful spells, and the Hero to use Black Shadow
magic. Everyone else should attack regularly, except Milich who should heal
once per turn.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After defeating the Crystal Core, save at the Save point and continue
along the paths. When you reach the Moonlight weed, Windy will come in and
bring Ted with her. Ted will ask for the Soul Eater back.

 [?] Return Soul Eater.
        {Begin to give the rune to him}
     Don't return Soul Eater.
        {Begin to refuse to give it to him}

    Whatever you choose, there will be some silly magic animation, then it
will show Ted talking to you with no background. He will say that his body
has been taken over by the Conqueror rune, and will ask you to forgive him
for what he is about to do. Once he has finished talking to you, he will ask
for the rune again.

 [?] I will not give you the Soul Eater.
        {Refuse to give it to him}
     All right. I'll give it to you.
        {Agree to give it to him and get Windy's hopes up}

    Even if you agree to give it to him, Ted will regain control of his body
for long enough to command the Soul Eater to take his soul. It will do this,
and you will be able to use Judgement magic. Windy will run towards you but
the Soul Eater will push her back. She will disappear in an unimaginative
way, as will Ted. Milia will grab the weed, and you should head back to
Thrash.
    Joshua and Liukan are waiting in the castle, not with the dragons.
Before you talk to Joshua, open the chest on the left and get the Old Book
from the right-hand bookcase. After talking to them, they will say that 
Futch has gone alone to get the Black Dragon Orchid. It will show Black 
flying, and then Futch will appear in the garden. As Futch (who can dash, by 
the way), walk down a screen and run into the first plant on the right of 
the screen. Barbarossa will come, and tell you to go away. Run back to 
Black, and Futch will automatically take off. Windy will come and zap them 
both, and they will come hurtling back towards the ground.
    When the screen is shown again, Futch will be in a bed surrounded by
everyone, and Liukan will say that the dragons have been saved. The third
ingredient was a dragon's liver that came from Black, who was already dead
when they found him. There will be a fade, and it will show Humphrey and
Flik talking to you downstairs. Walk upstairs and talk to Joshua, who will
join you. He will request that you take care of Futch, which you will agree
to. Milia will offer you a ride back to your castle, which you may as well
accept.

     THE SARACEN FOE
        ---------------

Items in this section: Pink Paint, Taikioku Wear, Mega Medicine, Needle,
                       Mother Earth crystal, Old Book Volume VII
Characters in this section: Taggart, Mace, Crowley, Pesmerga, Leon, Clive, 
                            Griffith, Warren, Kasim, Vincent, Max, Sancho

    If you accepted Milia's offer of a ride, you will find yourself on the
docks in front of your castle. Walk inside, and after the conversation with
Kasumi and Krin you should go downstairs. Teleport to Kalekka and talk to
Leon. Now, go back to your castle and go up to level 4. You will find
Taggart there, who will tell you about what has happened to Warren and
Viktor, then join you. Mathiu will point out that the soldiers still need
proper training.

 [?] I don't know.
        {Be told about how wrong you are, until you agree}
     I agree.
        {Agree}

    After this, Mathiu will suggest that you go to bed. Before you do, talk
to Mathiu in his room, he should give you a letter to deliver to Leon. Form
a new party which contains Maas, Meese, Mose and Moose, as well as any
character with a Holy rune. Get a Champion's Rune (you should have one from
the Interview with the Vampire section) and attach it to one of the
blacksmiths.
    Teleport to the Dragon Knight's Fortress then fly to Seek Valley on
Thrash. At the t-intersection, take the right path and follow it until you
reach a hut, inside it you will find Mace. Recruit him, then return to the
castle. Teleport to Qlon and find Crowley. If you don't know where the
secret passage is, in the eighth "main" screen, run straight down from the
entrance, it should be very slightly to your right. Go back to the suface
and walk to Neclord's castle (you may want to teleport, but I had Stallion
so walking was quicker). Run all the way up to the organ and recruit
Pesmerga who will be standing there. Teleport to Kalekka and deliver the
letter to Leon.
    Teleport to Rikon. If you're lucky, you'll find Clive standing to the
left of the counter at the inn. If he's there, recruit him. If not, return
to the World map then go back to the inn until you find him. His appearances
are more frequent now that the castle is maximum size.
    Before you go to bed, it is vital that you choose and outfit the party
that you will take with you to Moravia castle. You will have to take Kasumi
and Krin, and their weapons desperately need to be sharpened. It doesn't
really matter who else you take here, but Milich will help with his Flowing
rune. You may also want to take Kai for the Master Pupil attack. I took
these two and Kwanda, but that was only because he was already equipped in
my game. You should take anyone who has already been equipped, it will save
you some money.
    Go to the fourth floor and go to your room. Mathiu will enter behind 
you, and inform you of the spy within the army. He will request to be in 
charge of maneuvers tomorrow.

 [?] No.
        {Refuse, but he'll just ask again anyway}
     As you wish.
        {Allow him to do what he wants}

    In the morning, you may want to save first.
    
        [SAVE] - The battle won't be a problem, but it is still a "major"
                 battle.
        
    Talk to Mathiu in his room. He will tell you that everything is ready.

 [?] Good. Let's go.
        {Go to battle}
     I forgot something.
        {Do some other stuff first}

    You've already done everything else there is to do, so go to battle. The
spy has informed the Imperials that the Liberation Army is out for maneuvers
today, but Mathiu will launch a surprise attack.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at the Northern Checkpoint

    If this battle poses any problems for you, how the hell did you get this
far anyway? If you insist on a strategy guide, just use a ninja and then
wipe all 3,700 of them out in one attack. You may want to try the Dragon
Knights, but they'll seem very weak in this battle. Don't worry if they get
shot down, you won't lose any soldiers and they'll be back next battle.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After you beat them, you will be asked what to do about Griffith.

 [?] Recruit.
        {Get him to join you}
     Cut off his head.
        {Get Mathiu to intervene before you can}

    Griffith will end up joining you, and there will be a fade back to the
castle. Put in the characters you chose the previous night, and it will fade
back to the Northern Checkpoint. Mathiu will run through the plan, and you
will walk to the World map. Head to Moravia castle (up and left a bit).
    Continue walking up until you get inside (you'll be stopped twice).
    
        [SAVE] - These enemies in Moravia castle are VERY dangerous. Talk to
                 the Record Keeper.
        
    This castle has the simplest layout of all of them in the game, so you
won't need any navigation help. Once you reach the jail, you will let Viktor
and Warren out, then there will be a fade to the throne room. Kasim will be
recruited (after a series of events) and you will end up on the World map.
    Return immediately and head back up to the jail. Recruit Vincent from
there (Vansan?) and get the Mother Earth crystal. Go back to the Northern
Checkpoint and recruit Max and Sancho. Grab the Old Book from the chest and
go back to the castle.

     LAST BASTION
        ------------

Items in this section: Chaos Shield, Guard Ring, Master Garb, Mega Medicine,
                       Thunder crystal
Characters in this section: Sonya

    Go up to the conference room and talk to Mathiu. He will eventually tell
you that he thinks you should attack Shasarazade. He will say that he can
prepare 500 boats by tomorrow.

 [?] That's impossible.
        {Be dumbstruck along with the rest of them}
     All right. Let's get to work.
        {Agree to his plan}

    No matter how many times you try to refuse, Mathiu will end up getting
his way. There will be a scene showing the various people around the castle
talking. At the end, it will show you in your room. Viktor will come in and
give you Gremio's axe. In the morning, save your game.

        [SAVE] - The battle can be tough sometimes.

    Go down to the docks, and you will see all the new ice boats. You will
be asked for your orders.

 [?] Wait a moment.
        {Go and do some stuff first}
     All Right. Move forward.
        {Attack}

    If you've already saved it, you should go and attack.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: Battle at Floating Fortress Shasarazade

    Although you are facing 17,000 troops, you will have a slight advantage.
Your first move should be the Dragon Knights, they will cut a nice big chunk
from the enemy. This will be the first battle where the ninjas will show how
useful they are, you should use one and then counter effectively. Although
you only have three ninjas, you will inflict enough damage each time to
finish them in three turns.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    Once you win, you will be standing in front of Shasarazade.
    
        [SAVE] - These two bosses pack a decent punch, and the regular
                 enemies aren't exactly docile.
        
    Walk towards Mathiu, and you will be required to choose a party with
Viktor as a pre-chosen member. I found that a ludicrously effective
combination was Milich with a Flowing rune, Kasumi, Kage and Fuma. If you've 
got enough money, you should go back to your castle and sharpen all of the 
ninjas weapons to Level 16. Viktor should still have his Sunbeam rune.
    Head inside the castle. There are a few chests along the way, and the
layout is linear. Continue along until you come to a three way intersection.
Left is to a chest, down is to the Shell Venus. Get the item out of the
chest then confront the boss.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Shell Venus

    This boss can take a lot of damage, but if you've brought the party I
did you'll be able to inflict a lot. The ninjas should do a Ninja attack
each turn, and the rest should attack. Save your Judgement spells for Sonya.
Milich should heal anyone who needs it. You'll win with ease if you follow
this plan.
____________________________________________________________________________

    Once you've beaten the Shell Venus, Viktor will close the floodgate. You
will want to grab the Thunder crystal from the chest, then leave the
fortress. As you are going, Sonya will come up behind you and ask you a
question.

 [?] What you are saying is not true.
        {Believe that you are right}
     That is...
        {Get interrupted by exploding oil barrels}

    Whatever you choose, the oil will be lit, and you will end up fighting
Sonya.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Sonya Shulen

    She is very fast, and can do a lot of damage. She can't take too much,
so it balances out. The ninjas should do Ninja attacks, the Hero should use
all his Judgement spells (probably one at this point) then attack. Viktor
should attack, and Milich should heal every turn. Sonya won't take too long
to beat.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After you beat her, Sonya will attempt to jump into the fire. Viktor
will stop her, and you should leave the fortress. You will find Mathiu on
the ground, and Flik being angry at Sanchez. Sanchez will admit that he was
a spy, and Flik will attempt to behead him. Mathiu will stop him, and you
will all return to the castle.
    Once you get there, go down to the dungeon and you will find Cleo
talking to Sonya. After Cleo leaves, talk to Sonya and she will ask what you
want.

 [?] I have no business with you.
        {Don't talk to her}
     I want you to join us.
        {Attempt to enlist her}

    After you ask her to join you, she will remind you that she hates you.

 [?] You have a point there.
        {Stop talking to her, and don't recruit her}
     I don't mind.
        {Allow her to join}

    Despite what she says, she will help you fight. Save your game at the
inn, and talk to Mathiu in the conference room. He will advise that you
march for the capital.

 [?] Let's wait and see what happens.
        {Get Mathiu to beg you to attack until you agree}
     March to the capital.  
        {Go and attack}

    There will be a scene showing the troops assembled. Leknaat will come in
and say a few words. Now, if all goes according to plan, Gremio will be
resurrected here. If he's not, we're both screwed. You because you won't get
the best ending, me because I left something out. Anyway, it will show
another scene of the different people in the castle.

     THE COUP DE GRACE
        -----------------

Items in this section: Windspun armour, Horned Helmet, Power Ring
Characters in this section: -

        [SAVE] - There's going to be the last major battle coming up soon.

 [?] Wait a minute.
        {Do some stuff first}
     All right. Let's go!
        {Attack}

    After choosing to attack, it will show a scene with Kanaan and Yuber,
and Kirkis will report that there are 100,000 enemy troops. Windy will
attempt to remove the monsters, but will be unable to. You will be given a
response choice.

 [?] The Soul Eater...
        {Suggest using the Soul Eater}
     Then what...
        {Trail off}
        
    If you suggest the Soul Eater, she will say that you must never use that
rune. Haven't you been using it the entire game? Anyway, Joshua will come
along and lend Leknaat power. They will remove 80,000 of them, then you'll 
be pitched into battle.
    A quick post-script to what Leknaat said about the Soul Eater - I tried
playing through the whole game without ever using the Soul Eater. Nothing
out of the ordinary happened.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
MAJOR BATTLE STRATEGY: The Last Battle

    Since the enemy has more troops than you, you may want to try recruiting
some of them with the Merchants. Regardless of whether or not it works, you
should next use the Dragon Knights, they will kill 5,000 of them (less if
the Merchants succeeded). Then just use the ninjas and counter however
appropriate. Remember to use the Strategists.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    After winning, you will meet Hanzo. He'll be there along with Zorak and
the Chief of the Dwarves. You will then go to Gregminster, and will have to
go after Barbarossa. Choose your party, which must contain Viktor and Flik.
Anyone good at Magic with strong attack-all spells is perfect for this
party. Definitely take Alen, but the others don't matter a lot. I took Cleo,
for her high Magic rating and long-range weapon, and Rubi since she also has
a long-range weapon and high Magic rating, and she starts at a high level.
Visit the armoury here, then leave and go back to your castle.
    In my opinion, these are the runes you should use. Viktor should keep 
the Sunbeam rune, it's a great help. Replace Flik's Lightning rune with the 
Thunder rune found at Shasarazade. You can't detach the Rage rune from Alen, 
but it's extremely useful in this anyway. If you took the characters I did, 
give Cleo a Flowing rune (take the one from Milich if you can't find any
others) and give Rubi a Cyclone rune. Ensure that all weapons are at Level
16, then visit Chapman.
    Make sure that everyone is wearing a Silver Cap, even if you have found
something that will give a better AC. The Silver Cap restores HP at 5 per
turn in battles, and is very useful. Otherwise, give them the best possible
armour.
    Before going back to Gregminster, rest and check the levels of your
characters. If any of them need experience (everyone should be Level 48
minimum) teleport to Shasarazade and fight some monsters. When you think
you're ready, rest again and go back to Gregminster.

        [SAVE] - Ain Gide can still pose a threat to you, even when he's
                 outnumbered 6 to 1.

    Walk up towards the palace, and you will find Ain Gide (remember him?)
on the bridge. He won't let you past, so you'll have to fight him.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Ain Gide

    He won't be too much of a problem if you know what you're doing. Use all
of the spell combinations that you can think of, you'll be able to do
Fire + Lightning, Lightning + Water and Water + Wind. Use Judgement spells
as well. Viktor should attack normally, and anyone not involved in spell
combinations should use their most powerful remaining spells. Get Cleo to
heal and you should beat him easily.
____________________________________________________________________________

    After you beat Ain Gide, you will automatically walk up past his body.
It is worth going back and resting at an inn to replenish your spell stores.

        [SAVE] - Enemies in the castle can hurt you a lot.

    After doing this, go into the castle and progress your way through. Some 
people may have difficulty spotting the door in the top-left of the throne 
room, but other than that you shouldn't have any trouble.
    The annoying thing about the castle is that in addition to the random
enemies there are gits that jump out at you every now and then. They'll
be groups of soldiers, and there's no way to avoid fighting them (even if
you have a Champion's rune). You'll get there eventually. Search for the
save point (off to the left at a T-intersection).

        [SAVE] - This is it. You're almost up to the final battle. Save it
                 now, because you don't want to do anything dumb.
                 
    When you reach an extremely long carpeted hall, just walk back and forth
and let the Sunbeam rune heal you to full (you won't fight any enemies
here). Once everyone is full, head up and confront Barbarossa.
____________________________________________________________________________
BOSS TIPS: Golden Hydra
           Golden Hydra
           Golden Hydra

    GACK! He's ENORMOUS. However, don't be fooled by the size, or the fact
that there are three heads. He's easy to fight, and can only do one attack
per turn. He can do a powerful magic attack on one character, a strong
attack on all characters, or a heal on all heads. The Heal will resurrect
dead heads, and therein lies the challenge. The left head is the allegedly
the only one that can perform the heal, while the other two can perform
either of the attacks. Upon closer inspection, it appears the heads are
resistant against particular elements. The right head is immune to Fire,
and the middle head is immune to Lightning. It's likely (but not tested)
that the left head is immune to an element as well (possibly Earth).
Note that Fire + Lightning spells will damage the left head ONLY. The other
two nullify both elements.
    Now, as for strategy, take out the left head first. Use whatever means
you like (you may as well use your Judgement spells on this head) until the
head is destroyed. From here, it's fairly simple. Take out both heads
however you please, healing as appropriate. Keep in mind the immunities of
these heads and don't do anything dumb.
____________________________________________________________________________

    The Great Generals will run up after the battle, and Windy will pop in.
She will steal the Soul Eater from you (you will temporarily vanish, for
some reason). There will be some magic animation, then she will whinge about
how it didn't work. Barbarossa will speak for a bit, then grab her and jump
off the castle. You will now have to evacuate, but don't worry. There's no
time limit.
    On your way, you will encounter a large group of soldiers. Viktor will 
say that he'll hold them off while you escape.

 [?] Don't be ridiculous, Viktor.
        {Attempt to dissuade him}
     Hurry.
        {Let him do what he wants}

    You can't persuade him to come, so leave him and continue on. Soon Flik
will get hit by an arrow, and offer to stall the enemy some more.

 [?] I can't leave you here.
        {Try to stop him}
     Stay alive, Flik.
        {Let him stay there}

   Again, you won't be able to bring him with you. This is the final
decision you have to make, so sit back for the beginning of the End. Your
characters will run off, and it will switch to a few of the major characters
standing outside the castle. Note that even if they were with your party,
they'll still be here. They will exult in victory a bit, before it switches
to Mathiu and Liukan. Mathiu, still wounded, says a few sentimental things
before dying (at least I think he dies, the text is a bit vague). There will
now be a (rather lengthy) list of all 108 characters and what they did after
the war was resolved.
   Now is the bit that all you people who spent the time getting all
characters to resurrect Gremio have been waiting for. Sorry to disappoint
you, but I can't truthfully say that I thought it was worth the effort. If
you didn't resurrect Gremio, there will be a picture of the Hero in the
classic "walking off into the sunset" scene. If, on the other hand, you did
get Gremio, the Hero will be joined in the picture by Gremio. That is what
you've spent all your time for, which is bound to irritate a few. Still, it
is a fitting end.

============================================================================
 SHOPPING LIST
============================================================================

    This is a list of the shops that are in each town, and (where
appropriate) the items that you can buy are listed. Note that the items sold
at Gregminster will change, so Gregminster (I) is at the start of the game,
and Gregminster (II) is at the end. Obviously, the list for the Village of
the Elves is prior to it being burnt down, and the list for Kobold Village
is after the kobolds return. I have alphabetised it, because I'm a nice guy.

 Antei
 ~~~~~
                                      
  + Armoury - Half Helmet
              Head Gear
              Magic Robe
              Ninja Suit
              Toe Shoes
              Guard Ring
              Rose Brooch
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Needle
  + Inn (170 bits)
  + Runemaster

 Dragon Knight's Fortress
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + There will be a person inside the fortress who will be (in essence) a
    free inn.

 Great Forest
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Blacksmith Lv. 5
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Needle
               Counter Crystal
  + Inn (100 bits)
 
 Gregminster (I)
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Appraiser
  + Armoury - Bandana
              Headband
              Robe
              Tunic
              Leather Coat
              Wooden Shoes
              Wing Boots
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
  + Inn (30 bits)
  + Runemaster

 Gregminster (II)
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Appraiser
  + Armoury - Silver Hat
              Dragon Armour
              Master Robe
              Full Armour
              Earth Shield
              Cape of Darkness
              Guard Ring
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Sacrificial Buddha
               Escape Talisman
  + Runemaster

 Kaku
 ~~~~

  + Armoury - Pointed Hat
              Brass Armour
              Guard Robe
              Wooden Shield
              Cape
              Gloves
              Shoulder Pads
              Leather Coat
  + Blacksmith Lv. 5
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
               Escape Talisman
               Holy Crystal
  + Inn (150 bits)
 
 Kirov
 ~~~~~

    + Armoury - Half Helmet
                Head Gear
                Ninja Suit
                Dragon Armour
                Chaos Shield
                Silver Ring
                Silverlet
                Silver Necklace
    + Hardware - Medicine
                 Sacrificial Buddha
                 Fire Crystal
                 Fortune Crystal
                 Sugar
    + Inn (200 bits)

 Kobold Village
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    + Hardware - Medicine
                 Needle
                 Hazy Crystal
                 Wind Crystal
    + Inn (30 bits)

 Kouan
 ~~~~~

  + Appraiser
  + Armoury - Karate Uniform
              Leather Armour
              Steel Shield
              Boots
              Gauntlet
              Blue Ribbon
              Emblem
  + Inn (150 bits)

 Lenankamp
 ~~~~~~~~~

  + Armoury - Headband
              Pointed Cap
              Tunic
              Leather Coat
              Brass Armour
              Cape
              Circlet
  + Blacksmith Lv. 5
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
  + Inn (70 bits)
  + Runemaster

 Moravia
 ~~~~~~~

  + The record keeper will act as a free inn.

 Mount Tigerwolf
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Inn (70 bits)

 Pannu Yakuta
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + You can rest for free here if you talk to a lady in the room on your
    right when you enter the castle.

 Qlon
 ~~~~

  + You can rest for free here by walking into the bed in the top left
    corner of the temple.

 Rikon
 ~~~~~

  + Appraiser
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
               Earth Crystal
               Blue Flower Seeds
               Blue Paint
  + Inn (150 bits)
 
 Rockland
 ~~~~~~~~

  + Armoury - Headband
              Tunic
              Leather Coat
              Gloves
              Leggings
              Wooden Shield
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Escape Talisman
               Antitoxin
  + Inn (30 bits)
  
 Sarady
 ~~~~~~
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Water Crystal
  + Inn (50 bits)

 Seika
 ~~~~~

  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
               Water Crystal
  + Inn (100 bits)
  + Runemaster

 Teien
 ~~~~~

  + Blacksmith Lv. 12
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Killer Crystal
               Yellow Flower Seeds
               Yellow Paint
  + Inn (150 bits)
 
 Village of the Dwarves
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Appraiser
  + Armoury - Half Helmet
              Brass Armour
              Leather Armour
              Half Armour
              Fur Cape
  + Blacksmith Lv. 9
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Turtle Crystal
  + Inn (200 bits)

 Village of the Elves
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Armoury - Headband
              Pointed Hat
              Guard Robe
              Magic Robe
              Necklace
              Feather
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Antitoxin
  + Inn (200 bits)
  + Runemaster
 
 Warrior's Village
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  + Armoury - Head Gear
              Full Helmet
              Dragon Armour
              Full Armour
              Cape of Darkness
  + Blacksmith Lv. 15 (After you recruit him [Moose] he won't be replaced)
  + Hardware - Medicine
               Mega Medicine
               Antitoxin
               Lightning Crystal
               Champion's Crystal
               Red Flower Seeds
  + Inn (100 bits)

 Your Castle 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~

    Note that you will obviously have to recruit the correct people.
  
  + Appraiser
  + Armoury - varies, can be everything
  + Blacksmith - variable levels, up to 16
  + Hardware - varies, can be everything
  + Inn (30 bits)
  + Runemaster
  + Various unique services - eg. Window and Sound change, teleportation

============================================================================
 TRICKS AND OTHER STUFF
============================================================================

    These are a few things that you may want to know.

  Your quickest source of money is Gaspar. Once you have him and Marie in
     your castle, talk to Marie and save your game. Go over to Gaspar and
     bet as much money as possible. If you lose and still have money, bet
     again. If you win, accept his challenge. Repeat this until you are
     broke or have a healthy gain. If you are broke, reset by holding Start,
     Select, L1 and R1 for two seconds. If you have gained money, save your
     game and repeat. It can take some patience, but you will eventually get
     a lot of money. Too bad you can't get more than 999,999.

     NOTE - People have complained that this doesn't work. Perhaps I was
            just supremely lucky, but it still should come around
            eventually. For people who still can't get money of Gaspar, see
            below for patterns for Marco. It's not as fast, but more
            reliable.

  Around the place you will find various coloured paint. Give all of them
     to Ivanov (if he's in your castle, put them in the vault if he isn't)
     and he will paint a mural. After the mural is finished, Ivanov will
     give you binoculars, which can be used to rotate the camera in a battle
     screen (not the major battle screen but the team fights). Using the
     second controller (assuming you have one) you can press  and
      to move left and right respectively, and  and 
      to move up and down respectively. It's no use at all, but some 
     people want to know these things.

  You can display antiques that you have found in Sansuke's bath.
     Apparently, different combinations will activate pointless effects.
     Details are scant, so the combinations will be left up to anyone who
     feels the need to find out.

  Marco's patterns - courtesy of Cindy T.
     (they're broken into threes to make them easier to follow.)

       RLL LLL MRM RRR MLM MLL RMR RLM RLM
       
       RML RML MLL LL

       RLM MMR MLM MRM LM

       RMR RRM MLL LLL MRR RM

       RMR RLL MML RLR LRR
       
       LRR MRL RML RRR RLL MML
       
       RMM LRL RRL MLM RRR MRL RLM MMM MMR RLL RLL MRM RMR MMR
       
       RMM RML LLR LL

       LRL RM

       LRM LMM RML L

       MRR RRM LML MML MMM

       MRL ML
      
       MLR MMM LMM LRL RM

       MLM LRR LLM LLM MRL RRL LMR LMR MMM RLM MLM

       MML
       
       MRL LRR M
       
     She also has this to add:

      With Marco, there is _usually_ one pattern used in Rockland, and
      several different patterns used in the castle. I generally start
      by betting 100 bits for three cups (five on the patterns which vary
      farther in) and then bet 10,000 until I reach the end of the pattern
      I've got, and then 100 bits again (writing down additional bits of the
      pattern) until I either get sick of the music, have enough money, or
      reach the edge of the graph paper where I keep a record of the
      patterns. Whenever I find a new pattern, I keep a record of it. I
      seem to get odd patterns more often when I'm already rolling in money
      or am at a very high level.

     AN's note - Personally, I'd go 1,000 bits at the start. My eyes are
                 fast enough to follow at that speed, and 100 bits is
                 painfully slow. But then again, I'm usually a bit of a
                 speed freak (that's why I always go to Gaspar).

  This next part falls quite squarely into the "Other Stuff" category.
     Many of you would have noticed that, when you fight enemies, you will
     be given either a "Run Away" option or a "Let Go" option. In general,
     You will only get "Let Go" when fighting enemies several levels lower.
     "Let Go" is pretty self explanatory. This will ALWAYS work, so if you
     don't feel like fighting puny weakling enemies, pick this option. On
     the other hand, "Run Away" won't necessarily work. I'm still unsure as
     to whether your chance of running away is affected by the speed of the
     characters in your party. Nevertheless, think carefully before choosing
     this. By the way, you won't be able to run away from Boss battles. On
     the subject of evading battles, there are a few things to remember
     about the "Bribe" option. As far as I know, this will always work
     provided that you have enough money. Of course, you can't bribe bosses
     (I can picture your characters coming up to Neclord and saying, "Here's
     some money. Now, be a good vampire and go away.")

  You will no doubt be aware that some items are bought in multiples
     (Medicine, for instance, is bought in groups of 6). Also you will know
     that you don't have to use all of the items in the group at once, so
     you will frequently be left with things like 3 Medicines or 1 Antitoxin
     in your inventory. Well, here's something I stumbled across. Once Rock
     has made his vault in your castle, drop these "incomplete" items into
     the vault. Pick them back out again, and they will be completely
     recharged. The usefulness of this trick is debatable, but it's still
     worth knowing about.

============================================================================
 LOCATIONS OF PAINTS, BOOKS, SOUND AND WINDOW SETTINGS
============================================================================

    This is a list of the locations of the paints for Ivanov, the books for
Hugo, the sound settings for Melodye and the window settings for Window.
It's mainly for people who want to complete the game in its entirety, since
they are not much use.

    Paint
    -----

     White Paint - Chest in Lepant's house.
     Yellow Paint - Sold from hardware store in Teien.
     Blue Paint - Sold from hardware store in Rikon.
     Black Paint - Chest in Liukan's house.
     Red Paint - Chest in Scarleticia Castle.
     Green Paint - Chest in Neclord's castle.
     Pink Paint - Chest in Moravia Castle.

    Books
    -----

     Old Book Volume I - Chest in Pannu Yakuta castle.
     Old Book Volume II - Chest in cave behind Qlon.
     Old Book Volume III - The left-hand bookcase near Hugo at Qlon.
     Old Book Volume IV - The right-hand bookcase near Joshua at the Dragon
                          Knights Fortress.
     Old Book Volume V - Chest in Dragon's Den cave.
     Old Book Volume VI - Chest in Soniere prison.
     Old Book Volume VII - Chest at Northern Checkpoint.
     Old Book Volume VIII - Chest in Kalekka.

    Sound Settings
    --------------

     Sound Setting 0 - Chest in cell next to Liukan (Soniere prison).
     Sound Setting 1 - Chest in Neclord's Castle.
     Sound Setting 2 - Chest in Seek Valley.
     Sound Setting 3 - Dropped by Siren enemies at Shasarazade.

    Window Settings
    ---------------

     Window Setting 0 - Chest in Secret Factory.
     Window Setting 1 - Secret room in Scarleticia castle.
     Window Setting 2 - Chest in Dragon Knight's Fortress.
     Window Setting 3 - Dropped by the Sunshine King enemies at the Dragon's
                        Den.

============================================================================
 COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
============================================================================

    This section is to address all the questions asked about parts of the
game. As of now, it's still fairly small, but if questions keep popping up,
they'll find their way here. Watch this space.

Q: It won't let me pick up the cat in Kaku. What am I doing wrong?
A: As simple as it seems, it's a surprisingly common question. First, Lotte
   must have asked you to get the cat for her (you can't just grab it and
   cart it around early in the game). When attempting to catch the cat, it
   will always run away from you, but you still have to be right next to it.
   Two methods are to use a Holy Rune to chase after it, or trap it in the
   lower right section of the town (just above the bar). Press  to
   grab it.

Q: Gremio didn't get resurrected. What's going on?
A: Well, you need to have all 107 characters recruited (and alive) before
   Leknaat comes to visit you on the eve before the final Major battle.
   Check the Stone Tablet of Truth, and there should be no gaps, with
   Gremio's being the only greyed name. Once you've checked this, keep
   playing until Leknaat visits you. If all goes according to plan, she will
   resurrect Gremio.

Q: What is it with those stairs in the Great Forest Hardware Store?
A: Quite honestly, I don't know for certain. Allegedly, in the original
   Japanese version, there was a sub-quest to allow you to get up there,
   ending with fighting that guy who stops you heading up the stairs. It was
   deemed too difficult for us Westerners, and so was removed. Supposedly,
   up the stairs there was...something good. Further than that, I don't have
   a clue.

Q: I can't recruit Leon, because Mathiu always starts wars when I try to
   get the letter. When can I get it?
A: A good time is the night before going to Shasarazade. When Mathiu tells
   you to get some sleep, go off and have a chat to Leon. Return to the
   castle, and talk to Mathiu. He _should_ give you the letter (I'm writing
   this from memory, correct me if I'm wrong). Take it back to Leon to
   recruit him. If you're already after this point, I don't know off-hand of
   any other opportunities to get the letter.

Q: I got Gremio resurrected, and saw the "better" ending. Is that it? What
   was the point of going to all that trouble?
A: I'm told that having a saved game with Gremio alive will let you recruit
   him and the Hero in Suikoden 2. I don't actually know if this rumour is
   true or not.

============================================================================
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND THANKS
============================================================================

    Since V1 I've been getting a lot of feedback about this FAQ. Thanks for
all that (I think I've replied to you all personally, but I'm putting this
in just in case). Also, these people had some things to add.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cindy T. ([email protected])

   + A majority of the information for the V3 update. Included little bits
     I overlooked, as well as a great deal of information I never even
     imagined was in the game. Kudos to you for all your help.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frost Wolf ([email protected])

   + Reminding me about the "Run Away" and "Let Go" commands.
   + Helpful information regarding the Golden Hydras.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roman ([email protected])

  + For a tip about defeating the Golden Hydras.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

   I thought the FAQ was more or less complete at V1, but bits and pieces
keep coming in. The FAQ is now tentatively labeled "complete", but the odds
are that someone will have something more to add.

============================================================================
 ANYTHING ELSE WORTH MENTIONING
============================================================================

    For anyone who doesn't know already, the official Konami website can be
found at . Obviously, from there you'll be able to
get the most recent news about current and upcoming Konami games, although
it's mostly just sales pitch stuff.
    My e-mail is . Any feedback about this FAQ should
be sent there. For the most up-to-date versions of any of my FAQs, check
. I also submit them to
 but it may not necessarily be the most recent
version.
    Geocities seems to have a bit of a problem with Microsoft Internet
Explorer. People using any version of Netscape Navigator won't have any
troubles, but Explorer people might. To visit Geocities sites with Explorer,
the addresses are case sensitive (i.e. TimesSquare/Ring). I'm going to try
and get more information about this from the Geocities Staff, but for now
just bear this in mind.

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