Helmets
- Wind Hat (+24 DEF, +7 Speed) - Dropped by Griffin at Cave of the Wind; Rare Finds in Tinto.
- Flame Helmet (+30 DEF, +4 STR, Fire Resistance) - Dropped by Commander inside L'Renouille.
- Horned Helmet (+35 DEF) - Rare Finds in Sajah Village.
The Wind Hat is going to be the best headgear for the vast majority of the characters in the game. When it comes to characters that can equip helmets, in my opinion, the Flame Helmet is superior to the Horned Helmet on almost all characters. The fire element is the most widely used element by enemies; including in the final dungeon and its boss. Adding resistance to it through the Flame Helmet allows a character to equip Power Gloves instead of a Fire Emblem for an accessory since more than one resistance items do not stack, or another accessory, if you prefer. The much higher defense of the Power Gloves over the Fire Emblem more than makes up for the +5 defense the Horned Helmet has over it. The only exception for this is Miklotov, whom has a Fire Emblem permanently equipped; in this case, go ahead and use the Horned Helmet.
Armor
- Master Robe (+33 DEF, +10 HP Regen, 10% Magic Repel, Protects Status) - Dropped by M-Knight inside Rockaxe Castle.
- Taikyoku Wear (+40 DEF, +10 Speed) - Rope-climbing mini-game, Rare Finds in Tinto.
- Robe of Mist (+47 DEF, Water Resistance, Does NOT provide Magic Repel) - Rare Finds in Rockaxe Town after being liberated near end of game.
- Dream Robe (+52 DEF, Hazy Rune effect) - Chest inside Greenhill Forest Path during liberation.
- Master Garb (+45 DEF, +15 STR, +15 TECH) - Dropped by Bronzem inside L'Renouille.
- Silver Armor (+55 DEF, +10 HP Regen, Dark Resistance) - Given by Muse armorer after liberation.
- Blood Armor (+62 DEF, -15 HP per turn) - Dropped by Chimera inside L'Renouille.
- Windspun Armor (+65 DEF, +15 Speed, Wind Resistance) - Rare Finds in Sajah Village.
When it comes to armor, despite its low defense compared to others, the Master Garb outshines all others with its excessive increase in STR and TECH; most of the time. Since there is only one Silver Armor in the game (Unless you got one from the guardian deity event or have sword Jowy from a Gameshark code), I highly recommend it for Riou who already has high STR and TECH stats, but only average defense. While you can negate the HP loss effect of the Blood Armor with a Flowing Rune on your weapon, I would not recommend it unless you have to have the extra defense for a Double-strike Rune character. Speaking of Double-strike, since heavy armor users can equip the Master Garb as well, the Windspun Armor, in my opinion, is only really useful for those Double-strike users, but in most cases, I still prefer the Master Garb. In fact, the only character I use Windspun Armor for is Miklotov. If you like the speed bonus and wind resistance, I would recommend using the Master Garb paired with a Wind Amulet accessory.
As for robe and martial-art-type users, it really is a character-by-character basis which is best. I don't use the Taikyoku Wear for any of my characters, but have it listed for any players that are interested in more speed for a character. The Dream Robe is a fantastic piece of armor but there is only one of them to be had (Unless to choose to get a second through the guardian deity event). It grants the user the effect of having a Hazy Rune attached, which greatly increases your evasion rate. Recommended users for it, in my opinion, are: Sierra, Wakaba, Genshu, Kasumi, or L.C. Chan. Keep in mind that the evasion from the Hazy Rune does not provide a chance to counter-attack. Then it comes down to the Robe of Mist for its defense or the Master Robe with its incredible bonuses. You can take a look at the next chapter where you will see which I prefer on each character. A good recommendation is if you are going to go with the Master Robe, it is perfectly paired with a Mother Earth Rune on your weapon for increased defense along with added HP regen.
Shields
- Mangosh (+19 DEF, 50% increase in chance to Counter) - Dropped by Shadow in Two Rivers Sewer, Rare Finds in Gregminster.
- Mole Shield (+22 DEF, +5% Magic Repel) - Whack-A-Mole mini-game prize (Normal).
- Silver Shield (+27 DEF, +10 HP Regen, Dark Resistance) - Rope-climbing mini-game prize.
- Earth Shield (+36 DEF, Earth Resistance, Protects Status) - Chest inside Rockaxe Castle.
The Earth Shield is obviously the best shield in the game, but you can only acquire one (Unless you get a bonus one from the guardian deity event) so you will be left to decided between the other three. The Mole Shield is also limited in quantity to only 3 and is best equipped to those with low magic defense (Hanna, Gengen, Futch, Valeria) and paired with a Water Amulet or Wind Rune on your weapon for increased magic repel. I sparingly use the Mangosh, but it has its use in setups, which leaves the Silver Shield for the majority of shield-users. There is also the Chaos Shield you can purchase, but in my opinion, the benefits of the Silver Shield far outweigh the extra defense and I don't consider it at all.
Accessories
- Fire Emblem (+7 DEF, +15 STR, Fire Resist, Male Human/Wingers-only) - Buy in Highway Village.
- Power Gloves (+16 DEF, +15 STR, Kobolds can't use) - Dropped by Zombie (w/hair) at Tinto Mines.
- Power Ring (+8 DEF, +20 STR) - Initially equipped to L.C. Chan, Find in Tinto.
- Goldlet (+18 DEF) Rope-climbing mini-game, Rare Finds in Rockaxe Town after liberation.
- Gold Necklace (+21 DEF, +5 M-DEF Kobold/Winger-only) - Chest inside Rockaxe Castle.
- Guard Ring (+7 DEF, +10 M-DEF) - Buy in Rockaxe Town.
- Gold Emblem (+10 DEF, +10 M-DEF, Male Human/Wingers-only) - Rare Finds at Kobold Village.
- Lucky Ring (+12 DEF, +20 Luck, Kids-only) - Dropped by Chimera inside L'Renouille.
- Magic Ring (+7 DEF, +15 Magic) - Rare Finds in Crom Village.
- Skill Ring (+9 DEF, +20 TECH) - Rare Finds in Tinto.
- Water Amulet (+6 DEF, +5% Magic Repel, Water Resist) - Dropped by Siren in Two Rivers Sewer.
- Wind Amulet (+12 DEF, +10 Speed, Wind Resist) - Dropped by Magus at Tenzan Pass.
- Winged Boots (+14 DEF, +10 Speed, Kobold/Wingers can't use) - Rare Finds in Kyaro Town and Gregminster.
- Speed Ring (+10 DEF, +15 Speed) - Rare Finds at Radat Town.
- Wing Ornament (+19 DEF, +12 Speed, Winger-only) - Buy in Crom Village.
Not going to go into much detail on the accessories as recommendations are different for every character and you can view the specifics in the next chapter; I will say a few things though. Guard Rings are listed here as they are the only way female and kobold characters can increase their magic defense. The Lucky Ring can be useful for extra defense and the Luck stat is combined with TECH to determine your critical hit chance; although TECH is the best stat to shoot for if you want critical hits. Speed is far more useful in this game than the original Suikoden. Besides turn order, the higher your Speed, the greater your chance to attack multiple enemies in one turn. Lastly, I would prioritize the two Power Rings in the game for kobold characters since they can equip neither the Fire Emblem or Power Gloves. Speaking of the latter, I recommend Fire Emblems over Power Gloves in most cases unless the character can equip a Flame Helmet.
Restorative Items
- Kindness Drops x7 (Full HP + Status Restore) - Convert Flowing Rune to scrolls.
- Kindness Rain x3 (300+ HP + Status Restore for Entire Party) - Convert Flowing Rune to scrolls.
- Dragon Seal Incense (50 HP Restored for party, Infinite use in battle) - Guardian Deity choice-only.
- Mega Medicine x7 (For Medicine Rune) - Dropped by Commander inside L'Renouille.
- Sacrificial Jizo (Revives at 1/3 HP once, then disappears) - Buy at your Castle.
- Matilda Course (Full Course + Mayo): Heals 650 HP + toasty (HP regen) status at 30% chance.
- Tinto Specialty (Full Course + Red Pepper): Heals 650 HP + berserk status at 60% chance.
- Sweet Syrup (Special Stew + Sugar): Heals 750 HP + hyper (Increase magic, backfire) at 30%.
- Mellow Stew (Special Stew + Mayo): Revives at 60% chance but restores 750 HP if not downed.
- Flaming Sea (Kaiseki Combo + Red Pepper): Revives a downed character with 1/3 of their HP.
I assume that most players prefer a third accessory rather than equipping restorative items, however, I prefer to go with one for all my characters just for all-around sake. In my opinion, the Tinto Specialty is particularly useful for its large HP recovery and ability to berserk the character at a high percentage. While the Mellow Stew only has a 60% chance to revive a downed character, I prefer it over the Flaming Sea due to the fact that it can also be used on active characters to restore their HP, while the Flaming Sea cannot.
Runes
- Rage Rune (Fire) - Dropped by Copper Sun outside of Muse after liberation.
- Flowing Rune (Water) - Drop by Shiu Lin outside Rockaxe after liberation, Gregminster Rare Finds.
- Wind Rune (Wind) - Buy in South Window.
- Cyclone Rune (Wind) - Given by Sarah at the inn in Gregminster.
- Mother Earth Rune (Earth) - Drop by Minotaurus outside L'Renouille. Gregminster Rare Finds.
- Thunder Rune (Lightning) - Dropped by Cockatrice inside Rockaxe Castle.
- Resurrection Rune (Holy) - Buy at the Greenhill Academy.
- Darkness Rune (Dark) - Buy in South Window after Miklotov and Camus join your party.
- Blue Gate Rune (Water) - Chest inside the Cave of the Wind, Chest upstairs of the Radat Town item shop (Accessible by failed Viki warp) , Dropped by Lucia after the battle at the Greenhill Forest Path.
- Alert Rune (After 4 turns, 50% increase in magic, but can also backfire) - Find at Banner Village.
- Fury Rune (Grants permanent berserk status, attack up by 50%) - Rare Finds in Muse City.
- Violence Rune (Berserk status after taking half HP damage, follow up attack does x3 damage) - Find in Rockaxe Town.
- Balance Rune (Immune to becoming unbalanced) - Dropped by Spikebeak outside Two River.
- Spark Rune (Bearer's speed stat is given to entire party) - Drop by Double Head boss in the Sindar Ruins.
- Counter Rune (50% increased chance to counter when evading) - Initially equipped to Pesmerga.
- Barrier Rune (+1% magic repel added per 10 magic stat) - Dropped by RinRin at the Banner Pass.
- Gale Rune (50% increase to bearer's speed stat) - Dropped by Sickle outside of Muse City near the very beginning of the game. Initially equipped to Koyu.
- Sunbeam Rune (+15 HP regen per turn, recovers HP slowly by walking outside of battle) - Given by Crom Village mayor after defeating Neclord.
- Firefly Rune (All single physical attacks will be directed at the bearer) - Dropped by Air Lizard on the mountain pass between Tiger and Drakemouth Villages.
- Hazy Rune (30% increase chance to evade, but will not counter if activated) - Dropped by Shadow Dog outside the Mercenary Fortress.
- Killer Rune (50% increased chance to deal a critical hit) - Dropped by Woodpecker in Ryube Forest.
- Double-Beat Rune (Physically attack twice in one turn, 2x damage if countered) - Dropped by Cut Rabbit inside the North Sparrow Pass.
- Double-strike Rune (50% increase in attack, 50% increase in physical damage received) - Dropped by Eagle Man in the Unicorn Forest.
- Wizard Rune (Increases magic the higher your magic defense stat, but lowers magic defense by 50%) - Rare Finds in Two River.
Like with the accessories, recommendations are going to vary with each character, so won't go into much detail here; see the next chapter for the runes I use for my characters. Every character has an affinity for each element that you can view here; thanks to Suikosource for providing this vital information. The Gale Rune's availability is extremely limited so I recommend farming as many of these as you can and stashing them in Barbara's vault before the Mercenary Fortress is destroyed. There is only one Cyclone Rune to be obtained in the game so choose its user wisely. Stallion and Luc are the best choices.
Weapon Runes
- Rage Rune (Deals 50% of extra fire-elemental damage after normal attack) - Dropped by Copper Sun outside of Muse after liberation.
- Thunder Rune (Deals 50% of extra lightning-elemental damage after normal attack) - Dropped by Cockatrice inside Rockaxe Castle.
- Flowing Rune (+15 HP regen every turn) - Drop by Shiu Lin outside Rockaxe after liberation, Gregminster Rare Finds.
- Mother Earth Rune (+15 added defense, +5 HP regen per turn) - Drop by Minotaurus outside L'Renouille. Gregminster Rare Finds.
- Wind Rune (Adds +5% magic repel) - Buy in South Window.
- Cyclone Rune (Adds +15% magic repel) - Given by Sarah at the inn in Gregminster.
- Exertion Rune (Around 37% increase in physical damage every turn, which eventually maxes out at 220% increase) - Find in the Kobold Village.
- Kindness Rune (+1 attack for every hour spent in active party and stat-stone used on character, -1 attack if character remains dead at the end of battle. This eventually caps at a +127 increase and this counter raises even if the character does not have the Kindness Rune equipped) - Find at Lakewest Village.
- Friendship Rune (Attack rises with every character that is recruited, including non-Stars of Destiny) - Find in South Window.
- Magic Drain Rune (20% chance to restore 1 MP of lvl 1 magic with normal attack, lowers character's hit% by 15%) - Find in the Sindar Ruins.
- Poison Rune (Inflicts poison status at a 40% chance) - Initially equipped to Killey and Shilo, Dropped by Pest Rat boss in the Two River Sewers, Chest inside the Banner Pass.
- Silence Rune (Inflicts silence status at a 20% chance) - Dropped by Highlands group at the Muse-Highland Border very early on in the game.
- Sleep Rune (Inflicts sleep status at a 20% chance) - Buy in Rockaxe Town.
- Down Rune (Inflicts Knockdown status at a 30% chance) - Buy in Rockaxe Town.
The runes you attach to your weapons are vital to the all-around usefulness of your characters. Outside of the one-off rare runes like Exertion and Friendship, you are more often than not going to want to go with one of the high-grade elemental runes. Characters that are well-rounded in their stats you may want to consider the status effect-inducing runes. While poison is extremely ineffective in this game, and I personally only use it to give variety to my characters, the other three runes can be very useful. You may think that silence only works with enemies that use runes in battle, but in fact, when inflicted with the status, enemies are unable to use any attack that is magic-based. Like the Gale Rune, this rune has an extremely limited time frame you can acquire it, so you will want to farm several of these early in the game. Sleep is also useful as a sleeping enemy will receive double the damage from a physical attack. Lastly, Down often renders an enemy completely helpless for several turns; it can still evade though, for whatever reason. In the next, final, chapter of my coverage of Suikoden II, I will provide the setups I use for each individual playable character.