Legend of Dragoon - Chapter 7: Meet the Gehrichs

Upon entering the Valley, talk to the nearby guard to show him your Pass for Valley and open the gigantic gate leading further in. Inside, Rose will talk about how the distorted gravity has been caused by a battle between Dragoon and Wingly magic.

Move Dart toward the west and jump across via the floating stepping stone. On the western formation, you can move north to find rock fireflies that can restore your party, or southeast to a chest containing the Speed Up item. This is another item that can be used an infinite number of times, but only once per battle; boosting a character's Speed for three turns.

 

Return back across the center, then use the next stepping stone to the northeast to access the eastern platform where you can pick up a Sachet item. Unfortunately, the stone you used to access this area fell, so you will have to use the one in the southeast corner to return to the entrance. From there, follow the center path to the north exit.

The giant Roc monsters you will frequently encounter inside this dungeon drop the most power wind elemental magic item, Down Burst. You can't buy these, so this is one of the few places to obtain one. If you manage to pick up a few of these, they will help out tremendously with the next boss.

 

The next area of the Valley contains many small, fragmented rock formations connected with moving stones used to navigate between them. Climb the tree branch and when the stone comes near Dart, use the action icon to move onto it, then get off at the first stop. Next, use the stone moving eastward, then catch the stone making its way north. Hop on the stone moving northeast, but this time, jump off at its second stop, then use the stone to move east onto a branch containing a Meteor Fall item. You'll then need to use the stones moving south that places you back at the beginning area. Follow the above steps again, but instead of taking the second stop that lead to the treasure box, dismount on the first option and follow the path to the next screen.

 

This area introduces gravity paddles that place Dart upside down and back-and-forth between the rock islands. You will notice them by their purplish-white appearance. Have Dart use the stone that is approaching from the northeast, and use it to move north. Ignore the paddle here and instead use the lower-left stone that will eventually stop on the island; when on it, get off at the first stop. Jump on the stone on the far-corner of the island to be taken up to the next screen. Use the stepping stone to access the small formation with the treasure chest containing the Talisman accessory. This rare accessory protects a character from instant death attacks. The upcoming boss has the potential to use one of those, so you may consider equipping it, but it's not entirely necessary. There are only two Talismans to be found in the entire game.

Return back down to the previous screen, then, use the stepping stone that took you to this island, but get off at the first stop instead of the one that takes you back down further. Activate the gravity paddle to be moved upside down onto an above platform, followed by using the nearby stone to gravitate downward; getting off, still upside down, then using another paddle to return right-side up. Don't use the paddle on this landform, but the stone on the south-end that takes you all the way up to a solitary island containing the Knight Helm treasure. This, eventually purchasable helmet, gives a large boost in magical attack, but offers nothing in the way of magical defense. It also gives you a bonus +20 SP when the character is magically damaged. Usable by only Dart, Albert/Lavitz, I would recommend that Dart get this and you keep the Armet on the the spear guys due to the +5 magical defense it provides.

 

Back down, this time, use the right-most gravity paddle, then upside down, use the other gravity paddle nearby to be placed on a center island. The stone to the left takes you back to the beginning area, which may be useful if you need to return to the rock fireflies to recover, but the right-handed stone takes you back upward toward the end of the dungeon. The party will discover that there is a fully-formed Virage waiting for them near the dungeon's exit. Although Shana is frightened, the group has no choice but to power through it if they want to reach the Gehrichs' hideout. Thankfully, a save point is provided nearby.

This boss isn't as bad as it appears to be. Like with the Virage back at Volcano Villude, only the head portion needs to be destroyed to win, but taking out the other body parts prevent it from using certain attacks. On that end, removing its left arm is vital as it has an instant death attack. The body uses an attack that can cause a myriad of status effects on the entire party, so it should be targeted second. If the latter attack gets multiple characters, using Shana's Gates of Heaven/Moon Light will be a must with Dart unable to transform into a Dragoon, otherwise, you will need some Mind/Body Purifiers. In my opinion, your best strategy is to throw magic items that hit all parts, like the Meteor Fall and Down Burst you could get inside the Valley, with Dragoon additions on the left-arm, then body. If you can disable the left arm, although it will eventually return, and avoid the body's status effects, the rest of the Virage is mostly harmless. You receive a rare Moon Serenade upon winning.

 

Shana will, once again, display a terrifying power that blows the Virage away.

Your party, now at the exit of the Valley, will disperse to discuss what is going on with Shana. Talk with everyone, then take the exit north back out to the world map. The Home of Giganto is nearby across the wasteland. Note: The Blue Bird enemy appears more frequently in this area outside the Valley, also, if you had Lavitz in your party, he got dumped, so you'll have to reuse the code again to add him. This will happen quite a lot for the rest of the disc, unfortunately.

 

Inside the Home of Giganto, Dart will immediately find himself under fire from a volley of arrows; although they will only cause him to stumble, and no HP is lost. Quickly enter the room on the left-side of the first area and in the upper-left corner you'll see a sparkle on the ground and an action icon where Dart can turn off the arrow trap. There is also a chest with 20 Gold in the lower-end of the screen.

Use the third from the top exit of the room to access a chest to the south of the entrance. It contains the valuable Bandit's Ring. If you didn't get one of these from the Drake boss fight early in the game, this accessory, usable only by men, grants a +20 to your Speed and should be considered for Albert/Lavitz.

 

Return to the upper-side of the entrance and snuggled in a grove in the center of the screen is a crate with the Fake Knight Shield accessory in it. This was for sale back in Kazas, but if you held off buying it, you have one for free now. As the name suggests, this is a weaker version of the Knight Shield accessory. Note: This area has several rare enemy drops, but with the dungeon being rather short, and receiving an additional character at its end, I will cover them last.

Moving north, Dart is caught in a pincer attack as the bandits close both exits and fire arrows at him. Run around and avoid the arrows the best you can, while attempting to flee in both directions, to eventually be thrown into a fight with a Gangster and Crafty Thieves. This is just a basic battle, however, there is something a little strange about the Crafty Thieves. If they manage to steal 50 Gold from you, then you defeat them to "recover" it, you don't actually get the money back; instead, you get a Bastard Sword placed in your inventory which only sells for 30 Gold. Really odd.

 

Haschel will notice that the thieves are using the martial arts from his own Rogue School. Demanding to know why, the Gangster will cough up that their leader, Gehrich, taught it to them. Haschel believes that this may very well be the man who was once his disciple but expelled from the school. He'll then bust and remove the obstacle obstructing your advance with his fist.

On the next screen, Haschel fools the group into leaving him to rest for a bit. Meru will stay behind, but will be knocked out as Haschel runs off to confront Gehrich by himself. Haschel will temporary leave your party, along with Lavitz if you had him, when the party regroups. Note: Don't bother adding Lavitz back until after the next boss fight because he will just be removed again when Haschel rejoins. Anyways, use the rock fireflies to recover, grab the Angel's Prayer in the crate down the steps by a suspicious-looking rock shaped like a face, equip the Talisman accessory on one of your characters, then save at the top of the stairs and prepare for a boss fight.

 

Haschel will be a required member of your battle party to face-off with the obstinate Gehrich and Mappi. Albert is the perfect compliment to Dart and Haschel with his wind elemental Twister Glaive against the earth elemental Gehrich. Both thieves are weak against magic, so Gaspless is a nice spell to use, as well as Haschel's Thunder Kid. If you brought one of the ladies, make sure to use the Material Shield on them and watch their HP as both opponents are heavily physical. Like in the previous battle, Mappi has an instant death attack, but doesn't seem to use it that often, from my experience, and if he does, hopefully he will target the character you equipped with the Talisman. If you've got them, throw Down Bursts and Rave Twisters for good effect, as well. Target Mappi first, whom has the lesser HP, to remove their vicious double-team attack and leave Gerhrich by himself as easy prey.

Haschel knocks Gehrich back into a large statue, causing a side-effect of its gigantic arm, with hammer in hand, crumbling and following down towards the party. Suddenly, Kongol rushes in and protects the party by catching the falling debris and flings it aside with ease.

 

Now the frustrating part: both Gehrich and Mappi both have a chance to drop a piece of equipment for Haschel, which thankfully, can be purchased much later in the game. The chances of getting them both to drop are extremely low, as it took me around 15 battles to achieve it, so I don't recommend you try for both. Instead, be happy with either one, but you'll get more use out of the Diamond Claw and save 100 Gold over getting the Soul Headband.

Kongol's been following the group since Dart's defeat of Doel, wanting to join him to see what kind of future his leadership can create; hopefully one like Doel promised: where all species are equal. As he lay dying, Gehrich will reveal our suspicions to be true: the Emille in the Twin Castle is a fake and the real one is trapped somewhere inside. Haschel will then carry him off to be buried while the party goes underground to look for Lynn and Dart's Dragoon Spirit.

 

Before going down, search the ceremonial torch on the right-side of the stairs to find your 30th Stardust.

Below the throne, the group finds Lynn imprisoned and releases him. You'll then divide up to look for the Dragoon Spirit. Like the switch earlier, it'll be easily indicated by a sparkle in the lower-right corner of the screen near Shana. Dart finally has his Red Dragon DS back.

 

Kongol will then officially join your party. The Axe weapon and Lion Fur armor he is initially equipped with are one-of-a-kind, with his Bracelet being the very last one you will obtain. Kongol, earth elemental and weak against wind, is a physical powerhouse, but his magic attack, defense, and Speed are dangerously low. We can only make up for one of these at a time, for now, and I recommend that be with the Bandit's Ring. They also stiffed him with only three, easy to pull-off additions to use. I suppose that could be a positive, though.

For an additional scene, take Kongol underground and search the Giganto mummy. He'll tell you about the Giganto chieftain, who Kongol admired second only to his brother, Indora.

 

With the dungeon's completion and Kongol in our party, let's take a look at the rare drops at the Home of Giganto. First: in the throne, torch-lit area, the party can encounter Gangsters. They very rarely will drop Bandit's Rings and this is the only place in the game you can obtain more than the ones you already have.

Piggy's carry the infamous Sachet items; albeit rarely. If you want to farm special monsters later in the game, this will be your only source for them.

 

Lastly, Berserkers have the Energy Girdle armor for Haschel. I wouldn't miss the chance to obtain this armor as it will be Haschel's best for the vast majority of the game, although will eventually be purchasable late. When equipped, it provides an additional 50% SP gain, as well.

For another scene, Dart can inspect the Giganto mummy where he pressed the switch to stop the arrows. Kongol will explain what happened with the genocide of the Gigantos and how Doel saved him as a child and earned his loyalty.

 

Now, we need to trek all the way back to the Barrens. Here, Lynn will separate from the group to return to Donau and marry Kate. For completionists, it's imperative that you not go to Fletz, but follow Lynn to Donau. As you enter, the marriage ceremony is taking place. Kate will toss her Bouquet to the crowd, with an action icon appearing for Dart. If pressed in time, he will help Shana catch the Bouquet. If not, depending on whether Dart told Meru she would look good in a wedding dress when they stayed the night at the Twin Castle, Meru or Haschel will catch the Bouquet instead. Either way, the party receives the Kate's Bouquet item that is only available up until you confront the Emille imposter in Fletz. Also, if you visit the tavern, there is a Minitos there that says he saw a stone just like Dart's for sale back in Lohan. Hmmm.

Cross the Barrens, then pass Fletz and use the Barrier Station to return to Southern Serdio, then to the nearby Lohan. The man that sold/gave Dart the Water Bottle earlier tries to swindle the party into buying a strange stone. Dart and Rose immediately are shocked to see that it is, in fact, a Dragoon Spirit and as Kongol gets close, it begins to resonate with him. Pay the 1000 Gold and he'll hand the Golden Dragon DS item over to you and Kongol has now become a fellow Dragoon. Unfortunately, like with his additions, Kongol is shorted and only gets three spells instead of four like the rest of the characters. Also, his Dragoon form only gets three rotations around the ring, which means, unlike the other characters, Kongol's last rotation should end at 12 o'clock instead of 10, but also makes completing it effortless. While in Lohan, you may want to consider dropping the 5000 Gold on the Angel Scarf accessory you can only find here.

 

If you make a return to Seles, you'll get a scene where Shana is reunited with her parents whom had been missing since Sandora's attack on the village. This scene becomes missable later on in the game.

A few others changes in Serdio: With the war over, the woodsman has returned to his shack at the Prairie so you don't have to worry about the horse starving to death. In Kazas, the Great Commander has now become the mayor of the city and magic is being researched to help the citizens, instead of for war. Back in Bale, everyone, especially his mother, are mourning the loss of Lavitz, but thankfully, the family from the Prairie is like a new family for her and some comfort.

 

Now at Fletz, the party arrives as the Moon Dagger ceremony is officially underway. Make a quick trip by the tavern and turn over your 30 Stardust and Martel will give you the Wargod's Sash accessory. This will increase your SP gain by 50%, but not much use other than when combined with a low-SP additions or for boosting Dragoon levels. This is the only one you will find in the game, too.

Inside the Twin Castle, you'll have to play a game of cat and mouse with the bandit guards to make it into the throne room where the ceremony is taking place. To start, you're going to need Princess Lisa's assistance, so make your way to the top of the Star Tower. You'll need to move when the center guards have their backs turned, then follow the moving guards from behind toward the stairs, then inside the door to avoid them, slipping through to the stairs when they pass back by. In the Star Tower, Lisa will join you in exploring the Castle looking for her sister, but you'll still need to employ the previous tactics to make it to the top of the Moon Tower.

 

Lisa will chase away the bandits guarding Princess Emille's room, allowing the group to search for clues. Have Dart inspect the painting to be transported to some weird, magical, holding space, with Emille on the opposite side of the room. Talk to your party members, then examine the glowing orb near Albert to create a bridge across the gap. Albert seems to have the magical touch in bringing Emille back from her deep, six month sleep. With the real Emille in tow, the rest of the bandit knights will cut and run allowing access to the throne room and the ceremony. Make sure to save for the upcoming boss fight, and I also recommend that you include Rose and another Dragoon that is not Kongol in your party for it.

The fake Emille, Lenus, is a Wingly, apparently, and she's a magical speedster. She likes to use several, low-powered, physical attacks but then combined with darkness elemental magic that will devastate Kongol and Lavitz/Albert; if you brought the latter, get Rose Storm cast as soon as possible. If Rose is with you, her high magical defense and innate element will allow her to resist most of Lenus' attacks. Thankfully, since Dart has his Dragoon Spirit back, we have a huge advantage here with Lenus being water elemental. Have Dart initiate the "Special" Dragoon command to create a fire aura battlefield that boosts his statistics and lowers Lenus'. Final Burst will then tear her apart! As long as you can keep up with her speed and stay healed from her magic attacks, Dart's Dragoon magic should be all you need to defeat her.

 

Being a Wingly, Lenus manages to escape using her wings with the Moon Dagger in her possession. King Zior will report that she has fled to Illisa Bay and has readied Tiberoa's mightiest ship, the Queen Fury, to pursue her. It is currently anchored in Donau and awaiting Dart's arrival. Before leaving for Donau and meeting Commodore Puler and boarding the Queen Fury, make sure you've got everything taken care of that you need in Tiberoa; especially getting Kongol's Dragoon Spirit. Once you set sail for Illisa Bay, it will be a while before you can return.