Walkthrough Part 2

Items: Panacea Bottle, Lemon Gel, Dark Bottle, Fish, Dymlos, Food Sack L; Miracle Gel (x15) OR Magic Mist OR Black Onyx
Enemies: Mandrake, Poison Snake,

Back home in Lienea, Stahn is awakened by his sister Lilith. Go to the table and eat. Afterwards, Lilith will send you to buy a fish for dinner. First, put your dishes in the sink (above the table, on the right hand side), then leave. Go over to the shop, on the west side of town, and talk with the fishmonger. He's all out of fish, and tells Stahn to go to Neuestadt.

Most of the houses don't have anything of interest, but one of the houses in the top portion of the village (with two children inside) has a secret hatch leading to a storage room that has a Panacea Bottle, Lemon Gel, and Dark Bottle. Back to the fish.

You have four options here. You can go back to Lilith emptyhanded. You can catch a fish from the village pond (naughty boy!) or you can go to Neustadt. Now, if you do hike all the way down to Neuestadt, you can buy a fish that appears in your Valuables section. If you buy from the top vendor it'll be 100 Gald and he'll sell you a chunk of whale meat; if you buy from the bottom vendor it'll be 150 gald and it'll be a swordfish. For the life of me I can't figure out what difference any of this makes, so just talk to Lilith emptyhanded to continue on.

The next day, Lilith will wake Stahn up (again) and tell him that he has a visitor... it's Philia! Philia explains to Stahn that the Eye of Atamoni has been stolen (again) and joins you (again). She also gives you Dymlos back, so be sure to equip it/him (again), as well as a Disc (probably SW100100). In addition, there's no Disc equipped on Philia's Swordian either, so be sure to give her one.

Leave the house and talk to Lilith again. She'll give you the Food Sack L, which lets you hold up to 20,000 units of food. Now head south a ways and talk to Stahn's neighbors' daughter. If you choose the first response you'll get 15 Miracle Gels, and the second response will give you a Magic Mist. Pick the third response and she'll give you the Black Onyx, which boosts your maximum HP by 30%. That's the best one; take it and equip it on Philia right away. Finally, go to the shop and walk into the dark space between the two aisles to find the item shop. If you followed my advice earlier and bought extra equipment in Frostheim, sell it all off now to earn some money (Stahn gave all his money to Rutee on the Draconis so you don't have any cash or Lens). Then buy a bunch of Panacea Bottles; you'll need them.

If you've learned the Fire Storm spell (you should have by now), equip Dymlos on Stahn and go to the tablet at the right side of town. The answer to the first question is Fire Storm, and the second is Kick Attack; you'll then be able to use the Dragon Toss Sacred Skill.

Leave Lienea and wind your way south through the mountain passes. Although the enemies are wimps, they'll keep poisoning you, and, unlike most games, poison damage *can* kill you -- so be sure to use a Panacea Bottle whenever you get poisoned. If you happen to have bought an Antidote Charm or stolen one off of Lydon, equip it on someone. Keep going south and east, all the way across the continent, and you'll reach Neuestadt. (Beware, as one or two of the "bridges" of sand lead to dead ends; find your way around them.)

Items: SP075115, Igtenos, Lute, Crossbow, SW130130, Strong Halberd, Iron Knuckle, Holy Bottle, Miracle Gel, Fenface, Rune Bottle, Life Bottle, Pine Gel
Enemies: None

Take care of any business you have in Neuestadt (Mach Boy has honed his skills by running from rabid dogs, and you can challenge him again for more prizes... see "Mach Boy's Revenge" for tips and info), then go to the docks. Talk to the captain and you'll be given the choice of whether to recruit Garr or Rutee first. I picked Garr, but it doesn't really matter, as you have to recruit both eventually.

If you pick Garr, you'll set sail for Frostheim. Note that once you've landed, you can just go back on the ship and go to Neuestadt, Frostheim, Darilsheid, or even Cherik in Calvalese (not that there's anything to do there). You can't go to Aquaveil (I still think that sounds like the name of a toothpaste), however.

In Frostheim, if you're very low on Lens, a scene with Grid and his buddy will enact, after which you can pick up 100 Lens from the floor.

Check around the docks for the red-hatted peddler. Talk to him and he'll offer to sell you a Disc for 7,000 gald. Buy it; it's the useful SP075115. [Cidolfas note: I've never actually seen this merchant!] Then leave Frostheim and head southwest to the forest. Now that Lydon is gone, you can pass through here (it's just one screen). Continue west and you'll enter a forest scene. Go through here and out the other side, and you'll be right outside Cyril. Enter and go to Mary's house. Talk to her and Dalis (if he's alive), then leave and continue north to Heidelberg.

The shops in Heidelberg are all functioning now, so you can buy a few new pieces of Mythril armor. Head up to the castle and talk to Darzen and he'll get you in to see Garr. Garr joins the party, and you're done with this half of the mission (note that you now have Igtenos in your inventory, although you can't use it as it's lost its power). Head back to Frostheim and sail to Seinegald.

Searching for Rutee, you'll end up in Darilsheid. Leave town and head west, then south around the mountains. Go east, then turn northeast once you reach the end of the ice and you'll reach Cresta (just check your World Map under Valuables to see where it is). In Cresta, head over to the orphanage. The game will take over, and Rutee will join. Like with the others, Rutee's Swordian seems to be suffering from a case of "slipped Disc", so be sure to equip her with one. If you haven't gotten Garr yet, return to Darilsheid and sail to Phandaria to get him.

Once you've gotten both Rutee and Garr in your party, return to Darilsheid and enter the castle. Go speak with the King and he'll explain who he thinks is responsible for the theft of the Eye. Before you leave the castle, go down to the first floor and check the two treasure rooms in the back. They've been restocked with a load of powerful new equipment, including the SW130130 Disc and the Crossbow for Garr. After looting the entire place, leave the castle and go to Hugo's mansion in Darilsheid.

At the mansion, you'll find swarms of Oberon employees all looking for Hugo. Ignore them for now and go in all the rooms (the one you want is north, and faces a southern door as well) until Stahn comments about a book in one of them. Go read the book; it mentions "Libra IV". The wandering employees will all tell you to talk to their manager, who has a beard. Look around for him (you can see his beard; he has a slightly different sprite) and talk to him. (He's on the lower level, but kinda hard to make out.) He explains that Libra is an old Oberon factory on an island near Cresta. Return to the castle once more and talk to the king to charter a ship (if you want to use the ship for some other purpose, do so first, as talking to the king here means you can only go to Libra). Then head to the docks, jump on board your ship, and set sail for the Abandoned Factory.

Items: Rubber Suit (x2), ID Card B, Electrify, Reflex (x2), Oberol C (x3), Oberol EX (x3), Energy Bullet, Gale Staff, Fine Shield, Oberol G, ID Card R, Strike Axe, Elixir, Pine Gel, Silver Plate, Rare Gauntlet, Ankh Shield, Blessing, Pine Gel
Enemies: Black Knight, Blood Wolf, Blue Roper, Cave Shark, Dark Knight, Evilstar, Leon

When you first enter the factory, Rutee will ask Stahn if he thinks Leon is involved in this. Pick any answer; it doesn't matter. Then enter through the door. The fights in here are brutal; they're just Dark Knights (no big deal) and Blood Wolves (big deal). The Blood Wolves will constantly cast Thunder Blade on you, doing about 1000 damage with each hit. Run back and forth and hit any one of them that starts to charge up a spell. Use skills to attack, not spells, as you'll rarely get a chance to charge up a spell before getting Thunder Bladed.

From the room you're in, take the exit off to the left side. Fight the Oberon employee if you want, then open the chest for a Rubber Suit. Equip it on Rutee or Philia, then leave this room. To the north are two doors; go in the one on the right. Flick the switch to reroute the conveyor belt, get the Oberol C from the chest, then enter the door. Look around down here for another suit of Reflex armor, then return to the main hall (the second room).

This time, take the door on the left into a room with a windy platform over a pit. Head to the lower-right and exit south into a small room. Talk to the Oberon employee and fight him. Defeat all the monsters and you'll get ID Card B, which can be used to open the blue door. Leave this room and head to the upper-left of the pit room. Descend the stairs, collect the Electrify Disc (it only gives you Thunder Blade, which isn't that great by now), then hop on the conveyor belt. You'll be taken into a square room with two more belts to choose from. Hop on the one leading south. If you hit the switch earlier, the conveyor will take you near a door. Open it with Key Card B, and go through into a three-pronged room. Collect another Rubber Suit and a third Reflex, then fight the Oberon employee. When defeated, he'll yield a tip to the password (actually, you don't really need to do this, since you have this FAQ ^_^).

At this point, I recommend heading back to Seinegald for healing. Just go back to the entrance and walk out of the factory. You'll be asked if you want to return to Darilsheid, say yes. Stay at the inn, save, and stock up on items (Life Bottles in particular), then return to the factory.

Head to the pit room, but this time use the upper-right exit. Continue across the plank and through the door to the second floor. The computers in this room will give you additional hints towards the password. After reading them, go south, then left. Fight the employee if you want, and be sure to get the Energy Bullet, Oberol EX, and Gale Staff in the room. The Gale Staff is a strong weapon for Philia, but don't equip it as not only can she not cast magic without her Swordian, it will heal the Blood Wolves (they're both wind-elemental).

Go right two screens. Examine the computer screen and you will have to input the correct color. You should be able to figure it out by now, but if not, the correct choices are the third option, then the fourth (Metallic Blue). This will cause the door to the north to open (if you input the wrong answers, you'll have to fight some guys). Go through and fight the employee for ID Card R.

After getting ID Card R, head right from the computer to the red door. Open it with your new key card and go through into a large junk room. Enter the room nearest you and get the Oberol EX and Fine Shield inside, then head northwest. There's an Oberol C hidden behind some junk (why they'd hide that, I have no idea), and an Oberol EX above it. Pop into the door for an Oberol G, then take the upper-left most door out of the junk room. Head north, fight the Oberon employee, then board the elevator.

The elevator will take you down into a natural cave like that near Sheeden. There's new enemies down here, and they aren't much easier. Be especially wary of the Evilstars, which will cast Icicle constantly.

Head south one screen, then left. Grab the Strike Axe (equip if it on Stahn if it's stronger than Dymlos), then head east two screens. Go through the cave door in the upper-right, on top of the steps. This room may look empty, but it's not -- there's an Elixir in a chest hidden behind the pillar. Collect it, then leave that room and head south. Get the Pine Gel, then go south to the next screen.

Cross the wooden bridge, then continue west across another bridge to the next screen. First, go north to get the powerful Silver Plate armor, then take the west route. Keep going for several screens until you reach a fork. Turn right and go into a circular room. Collect the two chests in here for Oberol C and (more importantly) a Rare Gauntlet, then go left. Follow the path across a really long bridge. Get the Ankh Shield to your left (you know a dungeon's long when you get a piece of equipment and a direct upgrade to it in the same dungeon ^_^), then continue right. When you see a cave going left, take it to reach a room with a save point and the Blessing Disc. Exit the cave and go back right. From here, it's just straight walking until you reach Hugo's gang. Hugo will leave Leon to get rid of you while he and the other Oberon leaders escape.

Although he's somehow gained about 12,000 HP in the few days since he was in your party, Leon is still a piece of cake. Just have Stahn trap him in the corner with constant Dragon Blades, while Philia casts Holy Lance (substitute some other spell if you don't have Holy Lance yet) repeatedly. He should go down easily. You can steal an Elixir from him if you wish. When you're done, sit back and enjoy the incredible cut scenes.

Items: Horn, (Gorgeous Cape) (Grow Fruit) Boot Disc, Thunder Spirit, Purity, Garnet, Wendiene, Pine Gel, Elixir, Orange Gel
Enemies: Basilisk, Imp Snail, Sporeshroom, Wisp, Dragon Knight

Eventually, you'll end up on the world map, outside Seinegald. Now that the Aethersphere has formed, the music has changed, and its shadows will float by. Head into Seinegald and go to the docks (you might have to talk to the King first, I forget). Talk to the captain and you'll sail over to Demon's Reef and enter Radisrol.

Unlike the first time you visited here, there's no enemies. Just head through to the control room where you found Clemente. This time, you'll meet with Raiker, the former commander of the earthbound troops. Raiker gives you the Horn, which you can use to summon Bernardo the Sea Dragon (LOL). He then asks you to find him an assistant.

Leave Radisrol and you'll be on the world map, on board Bernardo. You can now sail around pretty much anywhere and get off at any of the docks in towns. And while on any dock screen, you can summon Bernardo by using the Horn in your Valuables screen.

At this point, you should fill up those two empty spots in your roster by recruiting any two of the four other characters: Chelsea (found in the Heidelberg throne room), Bruiser (win in the Neuestadt Arena... see the "Recruiting Bruiser" sidequest), Mary (at her house in Cyril, but only if you didn't save Dalis), or Karyl (in the Moreau town square). Just talk to any of them and they'll join you (except for Bruiser, who requires a little more work). If you go for Chelsea, check behind the throne to get a Gorgeous Cape. If you manage to recruit Bruiser, you'll get a Grow Fruit when you win.

I mostly used Chelsea (because of her bow) and Bruiser (good fighter), but it's up to you. However, what most people don't realize is that you can change which two characters you pick... just recruit a third character and you can drop one of the other two. If you want that original character back again, just go back to where you found them and collect them again.

After you have six characters, you have to recruit an assistant. You have two choices for an assistant: you can talk to Otto's assistant in Darilsheid, or trek to Junkland from Cherik and talk to the man at the very top right. You get a different item later on depending on your choice; choosing Otto's assistant will eventually get you a Grow Fruit, whereas the Junkland guy will give you a Laser Blade. However, you can get the Laser Blade elsewhere, so I recommend getting Otto's assistant. You can now buy Pom Seeds off of Otto for 50 gald each; they make up a side quest in Lienea.

Return to Radisrol and go back to the control center. Raiker sends you to get a Boot Disc to power up Radisrol. Leave again and take Bernardo over to Fitzgald. West of Lienea, you'll see a large lagoon. Swim in there and enter the cave.

There are two ways to get through this dungeon. The easy way is to examine the first sword-shaped indentation and choose to leave Stahn behind; your friends will then collect the Boot Disc themselves. The hard way nabs you two extra Discs, though. To do that, leave someone else behind. (There are three rooms like this, and you have to leave three friends behind.) If you recruited one or two optional characters, it's obviously easier. At the last room is a ridiculously easy boss fight (at least if you equip the Fenface sword, or anything else for that matter, instead of Dymlos), and three chests holding the Boot Disc, plus the Purity and Thunder Spirit Discs. Purity is pretty useless, but Thunder Spirit is an upgrade to the Electrify Disc, so give it to Rutee.

Before eaving the temple, it's probably a good idea to wander around and have some fights to build up your new characters (especially Chelsea, she starts at level 2 or 3). Once you leave, you'll notice that there are more shadows from the larger Aetherspehre. Just head back to Radisrol and give the Boot Disc to Raiker. He'll restart Radisrol and raise it into the Aethersphere.

Once Radisrol stops, Raiker brings up a map and tells you to infiltrate Dycroft (named, of course, after Lara Croft's little known sister ^_^). Now that Radisrol is up in the air, all the places that were filled with water have drained out. Go back and explore them for all for a bunch of chests. You'll also find a bunch of sleeping pods in one room that you can use to rest, and, in the room just west of the command center, there's a teleporter that will take you down to Darilsheid so you can buy stuff. (Notice how all the town music has changed to the same thing? It's really annoying...)

Items: Thunder Scepter, Oberol G, SW180180, Miracle Gel (x3), Silver Plate, Emerald Ring, Slayer Sword
Enemies: Clay Golem, Dragon Knight, Impulse, Puropulse, Trent, Dark Mage, Healer, Killamari, Kubitoom, Neuroids, Phyloxin, Placenta, Warrior

Venture out from Radisrol, and you'll be on the new Aethersphere world map. This place is pretty cool; you can watch the actual continents from the ground float by below. There's no map you can get for here (i.e., one you carry in your valuables), but the place is pretty straightforward. The enemies can be kind of tricky, though, especially the Impulses (the big diamond- shaped things). They're immune to fire, so Dymlos won't work on them -- use Kick Attack and Philia's bomb attacks instead.

Circle around from Radisrol to the Aeropolis Ignasea. Cross the bridge and enter. In here, you'll fight some skeletal-looking enemies; they're big, but not that tough. Watch out for the Dark Mages, though -- they can cast spells, and have a wide-range missile attack (but you can destroy the missiles with a slash attack).

The teleporter to your left doesn't work (yet), so go right, then up. Step on the teleporter and you'll be teleported into the interior of the Aeropolis, on level 3. Head left until you get to an elevator, and ride it down to level 2 (check out the cool scaling here). Grab the Thunder Scepter, then ride back up to level 3. Now head back to the teleporter and go north. Take the first elevator you come to for Oberol G, then keep going to the one in the upper-right. Ride it down to level 2.

On level 2, head south into the lower-right corner, where there's an elevator and a teleporter here. Use the teleporter to warp to a room, then exit to the south. Grab the Silver Plate and Miracle Gel, then warp back to the girders and take the elevator down to level 1. Follow the path to the teleporter and warp. Head right to a fork in the hall, and keep going right. Collect the very powerful Slayer Sword from the chest, then take the north turn from the intersection. The gate to Dycroft is here, but it's already been destroyed by Hugo's forces.

You'll automatically be teleported back to Radisrol, where Raiker suggests getting the Sky Cruiser from Mikheil and flying it to Dycroft. Radisrol's inn opens up now, but you can always stay for free in the sleeping pods.

If you have Chelsea in your party, she'll declare that she's homesick. You can go back to Seinegald via the antigrav elevator, and head left and south to Janos. Take the east exit and head to the northeast to get back to Alba's cabin, where a scene will play out with Chelsea. I don't think it has any strategic significance, though.

Heal up and head back to Ignasea. Make your way down to level 2, but this time head left. Skip the first elevator you reach, and the teleporter after it, and keep going. Near the next elevator you'll see a chest; open the chest for the SW180180 (give it to Stahn), then go down the elevator. Head north a little and take the first teleporter you come to. Go left and collect the Emerald Ring, a very useful accessory that cuts your MP cost by 1/3. Teleport back, and continue up and right to another teleporter. Use this one to get a Miracle Gel, then go back to the elevator and head back up to level 2.

Head north and west a little and step on the teleporter there. In the room, follow the path to another teleporter and warp to level 3. Head down, right, and up. Use the upper teleporter to reach a chest with a Miracle Gel, then ride the elevator down to level 2. Proceed on to the next elevator and go down to level 1, then use the teleporter.

Go north to another Gate; this one leads to four other Aeropolises. First, use the little blue circle to teleport back to the entrance. You can now use the circle to warp directly to the Gate without having to go through the whole dungeon again. With that available, return to Radisrol for healing (and go back down to Darilsheid if you need items), then go back to the Gate.

Items: Arc Wind, Bear Claw, Strengthen, Rare Shield, Winged Boots (x2), Holy Bottle, Hourglass, Oberol G, Duel Helm, Burning Sword, Demon Arrow
Enemies: Dark Mage, Healer, Killamari, Kubitoom, Neuroids, Phyloxin, Placenta, Warrior, Cotton Dust, Discus, Gas Cloud, Mechscorpion, Puropulse, Rota, Rembrandt

In the Gate room in Ignasea, walk through the red panel. This will turn all the doors red. Step in the beam of light to warp to Josaia. This whole level is basically a giant bonus game; you have to collect all the egg-like things on each level to activate the elevator while dodging the monsters. Unfortunately, this isn't nearly as fun as it sounds, because it's almost impossible to dodge the monsters on the narrow girders. Fortunately, you can still run from fights. The small black squares which clang when you walk over them are barriers; when little yellow bits scroll across it, the barrier is on and monsters won't go past it. You turn the barriers on and off by walking on them. The monsters are still nearly impossible to dodge, but it does make it easier to avoid the last two or three on a level.

After four floors of this nonsense, you'll reach the top floor. Run around here to get the Arc Wind, Bear Claw, and Strengthen Disc (lets you cast First Aid; give it to Philia), then exit in the upper-right. Step on the blue teleporter to warp back to the Gate room. Like with Ignasea, you can now use the teleporter to warp from one end of the dungeon to the other without having to go through.

Return to Ignasea via the blue gate and go back to Radisrol for healing. Then return to Josaia, warp to the top, and exit back on to the Aethersphere map. Head north and east until you reach Mikheil (it's the only other dot accessible from where you are). Enter.

The main play mechanic here is riding the colored lifts back and forth. Every time you ride one of the lifts, all the other lifts of the same color will also move. You can also move the lift by actvating buttons of the same color. The brown lifts without arrows on them will not affect other brown lifts, though.

You'll start off with a puzzle right away. Start by making sure the switch is OFF. There are three lifts here (left, middle, and right). Ride the left one up, then the middle one down. Turn the switch OFF again, then ride the left one up again. Exit left and ride the lift to the teleporter.

After taking the teleporter, you'll be in another girder area. The enemies here are the same as before, with a couple of new additions -- the annoying Discus flying saucers (use jumping attacks or Spin Slash to hurt them, and don't stand under them) and the Mechscorpions (they can poison you, be careful). Head to the far lower-right corner of this level and take the elevator up to level 2.

On level 2, you'll have to cross appearing and disappearing blocks, but the game is pretty forgiving here. Ignoring the teleporter directly above you, head left across the blocks to another teleporter. Take this one and ride the lift across the gap. Throw switch D and head to the next screen. Open the chest for a Rare Shield, then ride the lift back. Look in the lower left for a hard-to-see chest with a Duel Helm; give it to Stahn. Teleport back to the girders. Return to the teleporter you skipped earlier (the one north of the elevator) and warp through it.

Ride the lift, hit switch C, and follow the path up and left. Pick up a hidden Winged Boots and cross another lift, until you get to a teleporter. Warp through it, head left, and take the elevator up to level 3. Cross the disappearing platforms and head down and right. You'll see two teleporters at the bottom; take the one on the left. Head left one screen, then up. Cross the lift, get the Burning Sword on the next screen (great weapon!), then go back to the teleporter. Teleport back to the girders and use the teleporter on the right (they both lead to the same place), ride the lift left, use the teleporter again, re-enter the right teleporter, and head right.

Head right one screen, then north two screens. You're now in a room with a very complicated puzzle. Don't worry about enemies attacking; they won't when you're in this room.The following solution will net you all the items besides the Holy Bottle (useless since you can use Philia's Cloak ability):

Hit the first switch and ride the green lift up. There are three switches at the right side of the room which you can get to easily. Look at the switches when they're off to see what color they control. Make sure the dark blue switch is OFF, and the red and yellow switches are ON. Now go back to just above the green lift and ride the red lift left. Ride the brown lift up and the red lift up. Go left on the dark blue lift, then walk up and around left; take the light blue lift right. Go down on the yellow lift, and down on the brown lift to pick up an Hourglass. Go down on the white lift, and up on the next white lift. Go right on the bottm brown lift to get an Oberol G, then go back left; now take the top brown lift and go down on the dark blue lift to exit.

After teleporting out of the puzzle room, you'll be on level 3 of the girders. Ride the elevator down to level 2, then head north and teleport. Head north, cross the lift, and go right another screen. Go past the southward path, to the far right of the screen, then head down. Hit switch H, then go left and hit switch G. Go back right, then down, then left twice. You'll reach a Save Point and a chest with Winged Boots; there's a blue chest with a Demon Arrow Disc hidden in the top left. Give it to Rutee. Save, then use the teleporter.

You're now up on level 4. Head down through the maze of disappearing blocks (take it carefully and don't fall; it's a long way back up, although you can just restart from the save point), then take the elevator at the bottom. Head north and enter the teleporter. Go north and you'll come across a blocked gate. This is a pretty tricky puzzle, what you have to do is to move the white block in the lower left (it's tough to see due to the pipes overhead) over to the track on the right-hand side. Position so it's lined up with the top of the track, on the left side. Now stand on the track, hold Circle, and move backwards to pull the plug out of the machine. Pull it as far back as you can, then let go. Quickly run over in front of the plug, walk up till you reach the block, and pull it left in front of the plug (if you don't make it in time, just try again). If you do it right, the block will prevent the plug from reaching the machine, thus holding the gate open. Heal up, make sure you have Rutee in the party, then go through to face Rembrandt.

You begin the battle with minimal HP and TP. Quickly use a Pine or Miracle Gel on Rutee to restore her TP, then have her cast Nurse to heal the party. Then use more Orange and Pine Gels to boost up your TP as you attack Rembrandt. Have Rutee use Thievery constantly on him until you succesfully steal; you'll get the SW280280 Disc when you win the battle if you do. Aside from the fact that you start out nearly dead, Rembrandt isn't that tough. When he gets low on life, he'll start using an air missile attack, but that's about it. Just don't forget to steal that disc from him!

After the battle, Stahn will send Marian back to the surface in an escape pod. You'll then board the Sky Cruiser, only to have it shot down by the Guardian Draconis (this is what, the third time you've been shot down in this game). Leave the crashed Cruiser, go back to Josaia, and warp to Ignasea. Return to Radisrol and go to the control room for your next mission. Ask the assistant about both missions, and then you will be told that the item, weapon, and armor shops have opened.

Go to the upper-left corner of Radisrol and you'll find the shops there. The weapons aren't that good (plus they're really expensive), but you can buy some great armor. Don't forget to sell your Lenses to earn extra cash; you max out at 9999, so be sure to sell whenever you get that many.

You now have two missions to complete: disabling the Guardian Draconis in Cloudius, and repairing Igtenos in Helraios. You can do them in either order, but I recommend doing the Helraios quest first, as you get Garr's Swordian from it, and can start using it right away.

Items: Ankh Shield, Warrior Symbol, Elven Bow, Juicy Beef (x8... aaah!), Oberol G, Oberol EX (x3), Score D, Card Key, Volcano, Flare Claw, Laser Blade, Flare Sword, Winged Boots, Igtenos
Enemies: Dark Mage, Healer, Killamari, Kubitoom, Neuroids, Phyloxin, Placenta, Warrior, Aile, Discus, Paghoul, Thelm, Ilene

To begin the Helraios quest, go to the teleporter room in Ignasea. Enter the green gate and warp to Rodeon. This place is kinda like Josaia, but not nearly as annoying ^_^. Actually, it's really fun. See the little gray things? Those are bombs; you can drag them around with the Circle button, then detonate them by shooting them with the Sorcerer's Ring, toasting any enemies near it! And whenever you blow up a bomb, a new one will pop out of the handy bomb dispenser, so you have an unlimited supply. Of course, if you want to just fight through all the enemies, you can do that too. They're easy.

Enter the dungeon and head northwest to the first transporter. Warp up to level 3, then take either the upper-right transporter or the left one (the one in the lower-right is a dead end). Head to the middle of the next level, grab the Ankh Shield, then take the transporter to the north. First go down to the bottom of this level for the powerful Elven Bow, then go to the upper-right and use the transporter. This will take you to a small ledge with the Warrior Symbol, an accessory that boosts your attack by 10%. After getting it, take the transporter back down, head to the upper-left, and exit.

Out on the world map, head along until you reach the next Aeropolis... the infamous Helraios itself. The enemies in here aren't particularly bad (although the ever-annoying Discuses are back), but it's home to an extremly difficult puzzle. Actually, it's not really difficult, it's just that there is a mistake in the clues that renders it unsolvable ^_^.

From the entrance, head forward until you reach a room with three doors. Take the door on the left, then go through the next door. Look along the bottom wall for four difficult-to-see chests (all with Oberol items), then continue south. In the next room, go right one screen. The big brown thing that looks like a photocopier is actually a flamethrower; if you run through it quickly, you can get by without being hurt (Philia's Cloak skill might also protect you from it). Continue into a room with a bunch of conveyor belts.

Walk up onto the silver platform near the conveyors. Step on the conveyor to your right. When you get off, go right again, then left, right, right, up, and up. Collect Score D (for Karyl) from the chest. Now ride back to the start, climb on the left platform, and go right, up, right, up, up, left, right, and up to get to the exit (the other chests just have Gels). Go through. Check out the side room for three pieces of Juicy Beef (WHY!?) and the Volcano Disc, which gives you a hefty stat boost *and* gives you three different fire spells. However, the Demon Arrow disc is still better for Rutee, and Strengthen is better for Philia. Now go in the middle room and collect the Card Key.

Now go all the back to the other room with three doors (the tiny one; where you took the door on the left). Take the middle door, use your Card Key to unlock the next door, and go through. The next hall has a whole bunch of side rooms; they all have Juicy Beef in them except for the second (which leads on) and the very last one, which holds the powerful Flare Claw for Bruiser. Collect the Juicy Beef if you want it, and be sure to get the Flare Claw. Then take the second door, head right, and go through the next door. Stay in the center of the room and run through the hall of flamethrowers into a room with a save point. Save, then go through the next door.

And here it is... the password room. You have to enter a four-letter password, but the problem is that the clues are actually wrong. In case you missed them, the clues are:

Last Password: Z-21 = E
First Password: 5
I-8 = A
19

The numbers correspond to different letters of the alphabet. Unfortunately, the second and fourth clues are both off by one letter -- they should be 6 and 20, which would give you the *correct* letters to spell out FATE. Yes, that's right

But before you enter it, be sure to enter GIFT. You'll get a message saying that a chest has been placed (on the other side of the door). You can also use HUGO and OGRE, but neither of them really do anything (OGRE gives you a Tekken 3 reference ^_^).

Anyway, input FATE (I repeat, the password is FATE), and the door will open. Go through and collect the Laser Blade from the chest (assuming you put in GIFT first). It's a very strong sword, give it to Mary (if you have her) or Garr. Run by all the flamethrowers and head to the upper-right. Enter the room and collect the Flare Sword. Although it's not that strong, it's one of the few non-Swordian weapons that Rutee can use (the Laser Blade is another)... of course, she can't use magic while she has it equipped.

After you get the Flare Sword, take the upper-left exit from the hall o' flamethrowers. Heal up, then step forward. You'll confront Ilene, who will fight you. Ilene doesn't attack directly; she just sends out little bomb things (try using Fiery Wave or Missile Sword to take them out), and there's a cannon overhead that keeps shooting at you. Just dodge around the cannon and shoot at her with bows and Missile Sword. Rutee can steal a Mind Ring from her, although it's not that great.

When Ilene is defeated, she will jump out the window to her demise (but isn't Helraios surrounded by land? Oh well...). Philia and Garr will use the equipment to repair Igtenos, and you will finally get Garr's Swordian. He's automatically equipped with it (in the Swordian slot), but put a Disc on it. It's at a very low level right now, so don't equip it as your weapon; just let it gain some experience and go up levels. (Actually, giving it the Volcano disc almost puts it up to par with the other Swordians, plus gives it three nice spells. You might want to give it to Philia.) Anyway, after you get Igtenos repaired, open the chest by where Ilene was for a pair of Winged Boots and use them to warp outside. Return to Radisrol.

Items: Score C, Life Bottle, Miracle Gel, Pine Gel, Lemon Gel, Melange Gel, Orange Gel, Green Gel, Bronze Key, Earth, Rubber Suit, Silver Plate, Dark Seal, Iron Key, Gold Key, Guitar, Crescent Bow, Lucky Blade, Protect Ring, GC Rod, Elven Cape, Sacred Text 7, Tornado, Egg, Winged Boots
Enemies: Dark Mage, Warrior, Alra, Arachnid, Baneshroom, Cotton Dust, Evil Eye, Gas Cloud, Killamari, Kubitoom, Neuroids, Orse, Phyloxin, Earthworm, Baruk

To start the Cloudius quest, go to the Gate room in Ignasea and pass through the yellow gate to turn all the doors yellow. Step in the beam to teleport to Deimos, the obligatory dark dungeon where you can only see in a small circle of light. This is no big deal, however, because there's NO random battles in here! In fact, there's only three fights total, and they're easy.

Leave the Gate room in Deimos and head west into an intersection. Go south into a large room. Head down the short flights of stairs, then go left through the first passage you come to. Head down all the stairs and follow the long pathway until you come to a load of chests, which contain one of every type of Gel and a Life Bottle. Take them, then return to the main, large, room and take the upper-right passage. This will take you to a chest with Score C, which gives Karyl the March.

Return to the main room once again and look around for another circle of light surrounding a mouse. Walk up to the mouse and you'll have to fight -- it's actually some Aetherians. They should be easy by now; kill them all and you'll receive the Bronze Key. At this point, two more circles of light with mice in them appear, except these two will be moving around. Chase them both down and kill the mice for the Iron and Gold Keys.

After getting all three keys, head north back to the screen with the intersection, and take the north exit. Search the lower-left corner of this room for the Guitar for Karyl, then go up to the top and examine the door. Put the three keys in the keyhole to open it and go through. Go up the machine and examine it. Use the keys on it. The lights will all come on, and another door will open.

Return to the large room where the mice were, and go into the passageway in the lower-right. Follow it down, right, down, and left. Go past the open brown door and continue left into another large room. Search this room for four chests with a Rubber Suit, the Earth Disc, a Silver Plate, and a Dark Seal, then backtrack and go through the door you skipped earlier. Head south and exit the Aeropolis.

Back on the Aethersphere map, make your way to the plant-covered Cloudius (the only other dot on your map that can you access from here). This place is pretty easy; you spend most of the time on the girders, where you just fight the same old Kubitooms and Killamaris. In the plant-filled sections you'll come up against some more difficult enemies, including the Arachnoids (can poison you) and Alras, who incessantly cast Strong Hammer; get rid of them first.

In Cloudius, head south and step on the teleporter to warp to level 1. Go left and down a little, and enter the teleporter there to warp to a small grassy room. Collect the Crescent Bow from the chest, and read the plaque for a clue to an upcoming puzzle. Return to the girders and head to the upper-right, then left, and down. Ride the elevator in the lower-left up to level 2.

Head to the lower-right corner of level 2 and use the teleporter to warp to a room with another tablet and a chest (the Lucky Blade). After reading the tablet, go back to the girders and heap up to the north end of the floor. There's three elevators here; take the center one to reach a teleporter that leads to another plaque. After reading it, go back and take the elevator on the left to level 3. Head down and right to another elevator and go up to level 4.

Once on level 4, head up a little and then left. Enter the first teleporter you come to warp to a room with three chests, containg an Elven Cape, Protect Ring, and the very important Green Crystal (GC) Rod. While it's a terrible weapon, you need it to get to the bonus dungeon, so be sure to hang on to it. Then teleport back and head to the lower-left of level 4. Take the teleporter there and read the final plaque. Then go back and head up, then right, and up to another elevator. Ride it up to level 5. On level 5, head straight down to the bottom side of the level, then left, and up to another teleporter. Warp through.

On the right hand side of this room is a brown tablet. Make sure Stahn has Dymlos equipped, then examine it. Answer "Flare Tornado" to the first question, and "Force" to the second. You will receive the Hellfire Sacred Skill, which basically casts Force and Flare Tornado simultaneously. It's kinda inaccurate, and not really all that great. Anyway, after getting Hellfire, go up the stairs to a save point. Be sure to save, then head through the door to Cloudius's main puzzle. It's pretty cool (and, unlike the Helraios one, actually solvable), so try to solve it on your own. If you give up, here's the solution:

First, go through the door in the back and up the stairs to the roof. Open the chest for the Tornado disc. Now push the star sphere through the hole on the left (because "night's first star falls in the west"). It will shatter (if you push the sphere down the wrong hole, just exit south and come back up). Go back down to the main room. The Goddess "shines for light upon darkness", which is the moon. And since she "bides her TIME" silently, put the moon sphere over the clock icon on the south side. It will descend into the floor. The Fire Spirit (the sun) faces the Goddess, so put the sun sphere on the top side of the cross. Now all that's left is Saturn... but you don't have Saturn. What you have to do is take the small, unmarked sphere, and push it into the ring in the lower-left. The ring will rise up and form a Saturn sphere. Put the Saturn sphere on the east side of the cross. All the spheres should now be sunk into the floor. Stand in the middle of the cross and shoot the sun sphere with the Sorcerer's Ring. A white dome should appear.

Nothing seems to have happened, but you're actually done here. Go back past the save point (save again if you want) and warp back to the girders. Head down, right, up, and right to the upper-right corner and use the teleporter there. You should be in a room with a large tree (if not, you didn't solve the puzzle). Heal up, cross it, and go through the door to Baruk's chamber. After a lot of dialogue, you end up fighting.

Baruk is definitely the toughest of the Oberon guys. He has a wide-ranging throwing attack, and has a wicked right arm which stretches through half a screen length. Use a few spells to kill off his Earthworms (watch out, they can poison you), then start hitting him as fast as you can. Fiery Wave and Kick Attack are both good as they keep him in the air for a while and stop him from pounding on you. Use Nurse to heal, and don't bother with attack spells as you probably can't get them off.

After you defeat Baruk, open the hard-to-see chest on his throne for the Egg. After getting it, go up to the wall and throw the switch to destroy the Guardian Draconis. Examine Baruk's body to get a Winged Boots; use it to escape and return to Radisrol.

Items: Score E, Blizzard, SP100300, Duel Sword, Mercy, Silver Cape, Gourmet B
Enemies: Balrog, Druid, Evil Sword, Healer Knight, Hugo, Ogre

Once you complete both quests, you'll see a scene in which the Belcrant fires again, nearly filling in the rest of the Aethersphere. Head outside and you'll see that the map has changed a little, to say the least ^_^. Walk or teleport back to Radisrol. This is your last chance to buy the equipment here, so use a Charm Bottle if you have to to afford it (or just go back to some Aeropolis and fight battles).

Go into Ignasea and warp to Josaia. Leave there and the Sky Cruiser will be just outside. Go inside and you'll take off for Dycroft and land inside the Belcrant. If you want to go back to Josaia, just head off the right side of the screen and you can choose to fly back. Otherwise, head north and step on the teleporter to warp into the Belcrant proper.

Head to the far north edge of this level and collect Score E from the chest, then hop on board the elevator to the south. When it stops, head up a little and grab the Blizzard disc (good for Igtenos/Clemente; Atwight already has it) from the chest, and continue north more to the elevator. Ascend to the third floor. In the upper-right hand corner of this floor is the Duel Sword, the latest in the continuing line of ridiculously-powerful weapons. Also, on the mid-left-hand side is the SP100300 Disc. The elevator here is right next to the Disc.

There's no treasures on the fourth floor, so just head up to the top and jump on the elevator. On the fifth floor, collect the Mercy disc from the chest in the center, then head to the lower-left to find the elevator. On level 6, go to the right side to get the Silver Cape accessory, then step on the green dot in the center of the floor. You'll warp into a gray room with two arrows on the floor. Step on the up arrow and you'll be back on level 1... or so it seems. You're actually on a different level 1. Go back up to level 6 (all the levels are laid out the same, but minus the treasures) and step on the green dot. This time, you will appear in a wide room. Heal up, and go north to face Hugo.

Hugo himself is actually not that hard. He has Berselius, the Holy Swordian (although it looks more like a guitar than a sword), which allows him to cast Holy Wrath (big damage), but if you get up close to him, he won't cast the spell. I recommend using Stahn, Rutee, Chelsea, and either Mary, Bruiser, or Garr (depending on who you have). Send your fighter character in close to attack, while Chelsea keeps using her skills. Have Stahn hang back and cast the Explosion spell on Hugo; it does a lot of damage. Rutee should take care of healing, but make sure to have her steal from Hugo until you see her succeed -- you'll get the Mystic Symbol, which halves the charge time of any spell. Needless to say, it's extremely useful; I recommend giving it to Philia.

After Hugo is defeated, it will be revealed that he was under the control of Berselius. And since the game now needs a new villain, Kronos appears completely out of nowhere and assumes that role. He fires the Belcrant again, completing the Aethersphere, then drops you into the sea. You are rescued by Fayte and pulled ashore.

In Darilsheid, you'll meet with the king, who informs you that Radisrol has been captured by the bad guys. A messenger then runs in to tell you that Harmentz, Armeida, and Cresta are all under attack. Leave town (the place is all dark now) and go to any of the towns in question (Armeida, just to the north, is the closest, and Cresta is unreachable). Fight through all of the wimpy ogres, talk to the Seinegaldian captains, then fight back through the second wave until you've killed them all. Another messenger will show up and tell you to return to Darilsheid.

Back at the castle, the king will tell you go to the war room. On the first floor, take the stairs in the upper left corner, then go up another floor via the stairs on the right. The war room is behind the gold door. Just talk to Raiker's assistant and the meeting will begin. Raiker's assistant and some scientist guy will explain their plan to build a Multiplexed Lens Cannon to blow apart the Aethersphere. The meeting is dismissed, but you are asked to stay. Go talk to the assistant and he will give you two additional missions: repair the Draconis, and upgrade your Swordians. Like the two Aethersphere missions, you can tackle these in whichever order you prefer. However, I recommend you do the Swordian one first, as it's a bit easier and upgrades your Swordians for you.

Also, if you go to Phandaria and return to Cyril, you'll find Dalis recovered and walking around town. Go talk to Mary three times and she will offer to join you (and give you Gourmet B as well).

She's one of the better characters, so I recommend adding her to the team (in my case, I had Stahn, Rutee, Philia, Garr, Chelsea, and Mary on my final team). You can always get the character you dropped back later, if you want them.

Items: RC Rod, Vorpal Sword, Beam Shield, SP240360, SW350350, Hellfire
Enemies: Flame, Gas Cloud, Lens Golem, Ray, Red Roper, Skeleton, Smog, Whyte

Head north from Seinegald to the town of Armeida. If you haven't played the trivia quiz bonus game, you may want to stop into Armeida to do so (see the Trivia Quiz side quest). Otherwise, head northeast a little from Armeida and enter the cave there.

You're now in the Swordian R&D Lab, the obligatory volcano dungeon. Be sure to turn off all your fire spells, and turn all your ice ones (if you turn off all your spells except the ice ones, then you can *only* cast ice spells), and equip the Blizzard disc on Garr or Philia. You might also want to give a different weapon to Stahn than the fire-elemental Dymlos. Then put Rutee in the lead and give her Atwight and your best attack-boosting disc so she can do lots of water damage. (Different enemies absorb or are immune to fire, earth, and light; you might want to give Stahn Igtenos and a strong attack Disc.)

Head north and start across the bridge. Stop at the orange pillar and shoot with the Sorcerer's Ring to make a block rise out of the lava (up above, you can't see it). Then continue north to the next screen. Take the south fork on the bridge into a small cave. Open the chest for the RC Rod, the second of the two rods you need to reach the bonus dungeon, then examine the plaque. Answer "Explosion" to the first question and "Vortex" to the second, and Stahn will receive the Flame Vortex Sacred Skill (note: you must have Dymlos equipped, and have learned the Explosion skill).

Leave that cave and continue east. Grab the Vorpal Sword from the chest, then go north to a puzzle room. Here, you have to shoot the right pillars to raise the stepping stones. Fortunately, it's a lot easier than it seems. Just head north onto the first platform and shoot the pillar on the left. Go up one platform, then right three (don't step on any of the brown circles in the corner of each platform, or you'll be teleported back to the start). Shoot the pillar there. Pick up all three chests for three discs, then head to the topmost platform. Walk out on the stepping stones to the left and shoot the pillar, then exit to the north.

Head west, then south. Cross the lower bridge, and shoot the pillar to fill in the top bridge. Go back and cross it to reach a chest with the Beam Shield, then cross the southern bridge. Head north and enter the Swordian Lab itself. There's another puzzle here; this time you have to align all the mirror devices so that the beam from the cannon will go into the machine at the top (if you've played SaGa Frontier, there's a similar puzzle in Luminous). Number the devices like this:

1 2 3 4 5
  6 7 8 9
A B C   E

F   G H I

Then examine devices 2, 3, 8, E, G, and H to switch their direction. Use the control panel next to the cannon and the beam should go directly into the machine. Walk up and step on the glowing tile and you'll be teleported upwards. Head north into the Swordian Lab. You'll automatically upgrade your Swordians (or so it says, they haven't really changed). Unfortunately, Winged Boots don't work in here, so you'll just have to walk back out. When you get to the pillar / stepping stone room, just step on the brown tile at the north end to warp to the other side. If you haven't yet completed the Trash Mountain quest, do so now. Otherwise, go back and see the King.

Items: Magical Rouge, Bahamut's Tear, Score F, Winged Boots, Star Helm, Doom Blade, Dragon Fang, Thunder, Flare Rod, SW400400, Belselium
Enemies: Bone Knight, Earthworm, Ray, Smog, Whyte, Zombie

The Draconis mission takes place in Junkland. If you've never been there before, it's on Calvalese. Take Bernardo (or a ship) to Cherik. In here, enter the house north of the inn and examine the dresser to get a Magical Rouge. Leave and head north to Kalviola. Head west from Kalviola and follow the path across the continent until you arrive in Junkland. In Junkland, you'll find one of the folks who you could have chosen as Raiker's assistant, in the very top right. If you didn't take him, he sells you an item for 99,999 gald. It's a ?SWORD, which, when identified, turns out to be a Laser Blade. While powerful, it's not really worth the price of admission (and you already got another Laser Blade in Helraios). Do, however, go to the item shop and buy as many Neutralizers as you can; you'll need them.

Talk to the guy blocking the cave and he'll let you in. As soon as you enter Trash Mountain, use a Neutralizer, or you'll take massive damage from the gas clouds and vents. As long as the Neutralizer is active, you'll see a little cloud around you. If it disappears, quickly use another Neutralizer. Make sure to pick all the items up here, especially the Bahamut's Tear, as you can't come back later!

Head north, and go left at the first fork. You'll come to what appears to be a dead end, but just walk up to the wall and hit Circle to break it in with the Pickaxe. Head north and left until you come to another cracked wall. Break through there and go into a large room. Exit through the upper-left for the powerful Bahamut's Tear (should be Bahamut's Tail) halberd. Give it to Mary. Head back one screen (to the large room) and break through the wall in the upper-right. Head down there to collect Score F, then go back out into the hallway before the large room.

Continue left, then down. On the next screen, descend the rope to B1. Collect the Winged Boots from the chest, then go down another level. Head to the lower-right and open the chest for a ?HELM. If Philia has her Identify skill, just use that on the ?HELM to turn it into a Star Helm. If she doesn't, you'll have to use a Rune Bottle on it. After getting the ?HELM, go back to the very first fork. (You might just want to leave for healing at this point.)

Take the right fork, and break through the first cracked door you come to. Go north and collect the Doom Blade from the chest, the game's first Darkness- elemental weapon. It's strong, but since a lot of enemies in here absorb darkness, you might not want to equip it (on the other hand, the Rays are *weak* against darkness). After getting it, head back south and continue right past the open door to another cracked one. Smash through and head north until you get to a rope. Descend.

On B1, go right, and turn down when you get a chance. Head down and left until you reach an oval- shaped room. Take the exit to the left here to another screen. Go left a little, then down as far as you can. Head left and pick up the Dragon Fang from the chest, a strong weapon for Bruiser. Head back east and then north, and take the first turn to your left. Skip the cracked door (there's nothing behind it), and keep going left until you can't. Then go south to find another rope, and descend.

Go down and right until you reach a yellow rock blocking the path. Smash through the cracks in the back wall and loop around so you're on the right side of the rock. Drag the rock along up and right and push it into the hole in the floor. This will fill the hole, and allow you to walk across it. First go right and then down to get the Thunder Disc, which lets you cast Holy Wrath, as well as boosting your stats a lot. Then go back to the plugged hole, smash through the wall to the north, go through, and head due left.

You should now be in a small circular room. Break through the wall to the north to reach a large open room. Open the two chests for the SW400400 disc (equip on Stahn, of course) and the Flare Rod. Then go back out and continue left until you reach another hole in the floor. Head right a little, get the yellow rock, and use it to plug up the hole. Continue south and follow the path until you find the Belselium (it's a little gray triangle on the ground). Get it, then use a Winged Boots to leave.

Return to Seinegald and go to the Draconis repair site outside Darilsheid. Stahn will hand over the Belselium to the repair crew. If you haven't yet completed the Swordian R&D quest, do so now. If you have, go talk to the king.

Items: Lens (x3), Reverse Doll, Old Cane, Grow Fruit OR Laser Blade, Holy Symbol, Golden Frypan
Enemies: Ogre

Back in Darilsheid, go to the castle and talk to the King. Raiker's assistant will run in and tell you that the Multiplexed Lens Cannon needs more Lens power. The King sends you to get the three Prototype Crystals from Armeida, Harmentz, and Cresta.

Before leaving the castle, go to the war room and talk to the mayor of Armeida. He'll tell you that the Lens was stolen by bandits; that's why Armeida was taken over by monsters. Leave Darilsheid and head past Armeida to the forest you had to go through to get to Straylize Temple. Upon entering, head due right and talk to the bandit. He'll turn into an ogre and you have to fight him. Just beat him up and you'll get one of the Lens.

If you wish, head back down the path and go to Straylize Temple (with Philia's Cloak ability, it's not that annoying). Go to the right cathedral (the small one) and enter the back door; pick up the blue chest for a Reverse Doll (it keeps a character from dying once, but then breaks) and head all the way back out.

Now head southwest from Darilsheid, all the way to Harmentz. Go to the mansion at the top of town and talk to Walt. Agree to hand over all your money for the Lens. Before you leave, go to the lower-left room of the second floor and search the tall cupboard. You'll find the Old Cane that you sold him. Take it, then have Philia Identify it. It becomes the BC Rod, the final rod you need to open the bonus dungeon. Now leave the mansion. On your way out, Walt will run in and give you all your money back.

Two Lens down, one to go. Head east from Harmentz until you reach Cresta (the town with the orphanage). (There's a large crater nearby, but you can actually walk north of it and reach a bridge to the town.) Go talk to the mayor and he will tell you that the Lens is buried under a tree at the orphanage. Head over to the orphanage (the upper-left building), go inside and talk to the nuns, who tell you that there used to be a tree where the storage shed is now. Enter the storage shed. Walk up to the back wall and right until you hit the crates. Take one step left and four steps down. Hit Circle to dig and you'll get the Lens.

With all three Lens, head back to Darilsheid and give them to Lewein in the courtyard. Before you leave, check the tablet; you should be able to get the Assassin Sacred Skill from it. The correct answers are "Dragon Blade" and "Fiery Wave". After you give the Lens to Lewein, go talk to the king. There will be some scenes, and you will end up at the inn. Leave and go back to the castle courtyard.

After all is said and done, you can now finally control the Draconis. Just walk into it on the map and choose the second option to fly (the first one takes you to Dycroft). Before doing so, though, return to the courtyard of Seinegald Castle and talk to Raiker's assistant. If you got Otto's buddy, he'll give you a Grow Fruit; if it was the man from Junkland, you'll get a Laser Blade. Now you can get on the Draconis.

First, fly back to Lienea (north side of Fitzgald) and go talk to Uncle Bob. He'll give you a Holy Symbol, which regenerates your HP during battle. Equip it on somebody. Also, if you go to Frostheim (I think it's Frostheim), there's a peddler who will sell you the Golden Frypan for 70,000 gald. It's actually a weapon for Mary; although not too strong, it is a non-elemental weapon, making it quite useful in the bonus dungeon (where some enemies are immune to all elemental damage).

Now's probably a good time to go back and collect any of the Sacred Skills you missed (see the Sacred Skills list -- you can't get the ones in Heidelberg or Cloudius if you missed them, though). You can also check out any side quests you may not have done earlier, and if you go to Neuestadt, you can rerace Mach Boy for each of the three items again.

Finally, if you have Karyl, return to Sheeden Manor. Go upstairs and talk to Sakuraba to be treated to a solo; when it's done, Karyl will write Score G, the Golden Voice skill!

Items: Fragment (x4), Star Shield, Star Glove, SP300410, Star Cap, Terra, Soul Steel, Delis Emblem, Resist Ring, Shamisen
Enemies: Aerial Knight, Basilisk King, Dragontooth, Hellmaster, Nightingale, Wizard, Shadow, Leon, Kronos, Ultra Kronos

When you're ready to go to Dycroft, board the Draconis and choose the first option. After a few scenes, you'll land outside. If you want to go back to ground, just exit off to the right. Note that if you leave and return, all the items in the blue chests will regenerate, allowing you to collect the Star gear over and over.

Enter Dycroft and head north to the first intersection. Take the two side exits for a Star Shield and the Shamisen, the best weapon for Karyl. After getting both items, go north from the intersection and walk up to the mirror to get teleported. Head south one screen, then climb up the stairs to the east. Head right and use the mirror to teleport. Go south and open the two chests for the Terra armor and the first of four Fragments. Teleport back and continue east, following the path east, north, south, and west until you reach another fork. At this fork, go north (picking up the SP300410 along the way) into a small room with two chests, containing the second Fragment and the Star Glove. Get them, then go back south and continue through the hall to another mirror. Warp through it.

Go either left or right (it doesn't matter) and up the stairs. There's three mirrors here. Take the one on the left to get another Fragment, then use the middle one for a Star Cap. Finally, enter the mirror on the right. Head south, then left. Go up the stairs to the next screen. The background here is a different color (the enemies are still the same, though). Go south and step on the circle on the ground. You'll be teleported into a prison, with only Stahn left in your party.

Leave the cell and head right. Search the three cells in this area for the final Fragment, the Soul Steel bow (don't equip it, it does darkness damage and most enemies here absorb darkness) and one of your captured party members (probably Philia). After rescuing her, go back to your cell and head left. Check the first cell to the south to find Garr, then keep going west and head up the stairs. Go right a little ways and check the two cells for your remaining party members. After you have everybody, take the stairs in the upper left. Go left past the save point and exit through the door to the south.

You'll be back in the room with the stairs you came up, but now you have all four Fragments. Go south and step on the circle again. You'll receive the Delis Emblem, which somehow prevents you from being teleported. Head south and left. Walk past the row of mirrors and go south. Take the door at the bottom of the screen for the Resist Ring, then leave that room and go up the stairs to the right. Head right, then south to the next screen. Go right some more and ascend all the stairs. Head right past some more mirrors and go through the door. You're now in a room with a bunch of pillars with mirrors.

From the door, count two mirrors up and one left. Examine the mirror to smash it with the Pickaxe and reveal a staircase. Go through.

Items: Cutie Mitten, Star Cloak, Faerie Ring

You're now in a crystal area. Save your game at the Save Point if you want, then go into the door just ahead of you. Step on the plate and Stahn will be teleported away by himself.

There's no random battles in this area, but if you step in front of one of the mirrors, you'll have to fight a Stahn clone. They're not that hard, but it does get kind of annoying. To avoid these fights, push and pull the white coffin-like blocks along to cover up the mirrors.

Leave the first room and head right in the plus- shaped room. There's a door to the south in the east wing of this room, look along the bottom wall and you should be able to see it. Take it south, and go east through this hallway (collect the Cutie Mitten along the way from a chest). When the path splits north and south, go south, then head east to the next screen. Go south here, then left to the next screen. Continue left until you reach a huge crystal. Go up to it and examine it. The crystal will shatter.

After smashing the crystal, go back one screen to the right. Examine the planetarium-like device to flip it. Go right to the next screen, which should be dark (if it isn't dark, you didn't hit the planetarium). Had this room been light, you would have kept being teleported backwards. Open the chest for the Faerie Ring (halves TP cost -- give it to Rutee or Philia). Head east and keep pushing along the south wall until you end up in a lighted room with another circle on the floor. Step on it and you'll talk with the other characters. Rutee will give you a code that explains how to set the various colored crystals.

Leave the circle room and go back to the dark room. Exit to the right to find the yellow crystal. You can point the crystal in the four directions or upwards; to make absolutely sure which direction it's in, look for a little white mark along the circle on the floor. If it's in the center, the crystal is pointing upwards. Anyway, point the yellow crystal north, then go back left through the dark room to the screen that has the planetarium. Head to the southwest corner of this screen and go south into a room with the green crystal. Point it to the east. Leave that room and continue west, past where the huge crystal used to be, until you get to a room with the blue crystal. Leave it pointing upwards (if it's not pointing upwards, fix it). Go north and you'll be back in the first room. Head to the upper-right and go through the passage there to the clear crystal. Point to the west.

From the first room, go right once again, past where the chest with the Cutie Mitten was. This time, go north at the fork. Continue north to the next screen, with another planetarium. Turn it off, then take the southeast exit into a dark room. (Hit the planetarium if it's not dark.) Push along the north wall as you walk east until you get into a room with the purple crystal. Point it to the south. Go back into the dark room and open the chest for the Star Cloak. Work your way south, then right. Head north into a lighted room. Go right and you'll see two doorways. Take the top one to find the red crystal (point it east), and the south one for the light blue crystal (point it west).

Now go back to the room where you talked to your party earlier. If you've set all the crystals properly, the circle will teleport you back to where the rest of the party is, and they'll rejoin you. Equip the gear you got in the maze and save your game (you don't want to have to do all that again). Head right and go through the second door. Step on the teleporter.

You're now in the final area of Dycroft, but the enemies are still the same. Head right and down the stairs. Continue south to the next screen, and step on the design on the floor. All the lights will come on. Continue west and use the teleporter. Examine the panel on the wall to make a design appear. Teleport back, head east (DON'T step on the light switch), and go one screen north. Take the passage to the left and teleport. Head left, then up. Use each of the three teleporters to go to a room with a panel on the wall. Flip each panel. After you've flipped all three, go back to the main room and examine the panel there. It should rotate. You're now in a different room. Head north to a save point. If you save here, you'll activate the Talk option on the options screen, which lets you listen to all the overworld map conversations (the ones that were removed from the U.S. version). They're all in Japanese, though...

Continue north into a morgue. In the center of this room, Kronos will appear and taunt you. Before following him, set up your party with the final party you want to use. I recommend using Stahn, Rutee, Philia (all with their Swordians), and Chelsea. Then follow Kronos north to the Eye of Atamoni. Kronos will summon a zombified Leon, and you'll fight him. Fortunately, he's just as much of a pansy as he was the last time. Trap him in the corner with Assassin or Kick Attack, and keep casting Holy Lance on him.

Next, you'll fight Kronos himself, and he's a lot tougher. He keeps flying around, and casts Holy Wrath on you. If you're on Semi-Auto control, he shouldn't be too hard (just use jumping attacks), but if you're on Manual, he's more of a challenge. Run along the ground and try to hit him with jumping attacks. When he floats down low, you can hit him with simple standing upward stabs. Up high, you'll have to try Fiery Wave or Vortex. Chelsea is invaluable here because her bow can hit him in the air, as are Philia's spells.

After Kronos goes down, he will Reveal His True Form (TM) and turn into Ultra Kronos (dum dum dum!), complete with the requisite starry background. Ultra Kronos is actually easier than plain Kronos, though, because he doesn't fly. Just run over and use upward attacks against his head, while casting Holy Wrath on him. When he teleports, just run over to the other side. As long as you stay healed, he shouldn't be any trouble. And you have now finished the game! If that was too easy for you, try the bonus dungeon...