Legend of Dragoon - Chapter 16: Setups & Completion Notes

In this chapter, I'll go over recommendations for setting up your party members and ways to maximize your save file. Then, in the following chapter, I'll provide an item checklist for inventory reference.

 

General Recommendations

When it comes to optimum equipment in Legend of Dragoon, the acquisition of the Legend Casque and Armor of Legend, completely changes the perspective on character setups. Afterwards, with these overpowered pieces, defense of both types, combined with a 50/50 chance of evasion of each, plus status evasion, shifts the entire focus to offense and/or support. Needless to say, there's little to debate as to the best helmet and armor in the game for each character. For a more focused look on these two pieces of equipment, see the last section of Chapter 14.

Because of the addition of the Legend equipment, footwear for your characters changes direction from defense and evasion, purely to speed; the latter of which can only be raised through equipment. Early in disc 4, you can purchase the Magical Greaves in Ulara, with a +5% increase to both physical and magical evasion, with the excellent bonus of +10 speed. Normally, with the exception of Kongol or Albert/Lavitz, this would be your optimum footwear. However, because of the 50% evasion provided by the Legend equipment, this makes the evasion bonus of the Magical Greaves a moot point, for the most part. This leaves the +20 Speed Bandit's Shoes, for males, and Dancer's Shoes, for females, your best choice. Of course, there is only one Bandit's Shoes to be had, so you will need to make a tough decision as to whom this will be placed upon, with the others outfitted with Magical Greaves. My opinion: the Bandit's Shoes for Kongol, freeing his accessory slot, while the +10 speed from the Magical Greaves I think is sufficient for Albert/Lavitz, but you decide for yourself.

Accessories will be talked about on a character-by-character basis, but I'll just make a note that I have excluded the Phantom Shield from consideration. If your goal is to make your character indestructible, then the Legend equipment + Phantom Shield will surely get the job done, but honestly, usage of the Phantom Shield in conjuction is kind of like putting an immovable object in front of a indestructible force.

One last thing before getting into character specifics: when characters begin to acquire high-damage additions, such as Moon Strike, Hex Hammer, and of course, their ultimate additions, Dragoon form additions quickly get left behind in terms of damage. This is because of the damage multiplier provided by human additions that greatly outclasses the bonus in Attack from the Dragoon form; even with a perfectly timed Dragoon addition. With each character's ultimate additions, this continues to be the case even if using a "Special" Dragoon field aura versus an enemy of the opposite element. I'm noting this for those that want to get the most out of their offense. Basically, later in the game, if you're not interested in the extra defense and magical abilities of the Dragoon, exploiting a weakness through aura fields, or evading status effects, your best physical offense will come from human form.

Dart

Perception of Dart is a bit skewed because he is, generally, several levels higher than your other characters, the early availability of his best weapon, and because of his constant presence in battle, his additions max their levels quickly. That said, by endgame, with the need to combo his Soul Eater weapon with a Therapy Ring, he really begins to lag behind some of the other characters and it becomes apparent. However, Dart is a middle-of-the-road character, but more above average in all aspects than not. You could opt to free him of the Therapy Ring and deal with the 10% HP drain each turn (Which I find highly annoying), and equip him with an Attack Badge, Magical Ring, Bandit's Ring, or Amulet (Once he becomes the Divine Dragoon), or use his second-best weapon, the Claymore, instead. Doing the latter, however, will make Dart dependent on his Dragoon magic for big damage because of the -31 attack deference between it and the Soul Eater. Once he assumes the role of the Divine Dragoon, Dart becomes a magical powerhouse; not that Final Burst wasn't already powerful enough, with the addition of the strongest magic attack in the game: Divine Dragon Cannon, but at the expense of 50 MP. If you'd like to return Dart to the Flame Dragoon at the end of the game, see the very last section of Chapter 15.

 

Before Legend Equipment:

 

Dart has naturally high, or average, statistics in all areas, so choices of equipment is very subjective and dependent on the situation. For accessories, I generally start with the Wargod's Amulet, just as a default accessory, then move him to the Power Wrist and Attack Badge through the Madness Hero additions, before using the Holy Ankh with Moon Strike, and ending with the Therapy Ring once the Soul Eater is found.

After Legend Equipment:

Basically the same: Soul Eater combo'd with the Therapy Ring. If you prefer not to use the Soul Eater, with the Flame Dragoon, Bandit's Ring for additional Speed or Attack Badge. As the Divine Dragoon, if not using the Soul Eater, or deciding against the Therapy Ring; the Amulet, or Magical Ring, is recommended to put the focus on Divine Dragon Cannon. Just keep MP restoration items on hand.

 

Albert/Lavitz

Albert and Lavitz are basically your typical high attack/defense, low speed/magic, character and should be treated as such. They also have a huge advantage in being able to obtain all of their additions at low levels, allowing access to their ultimate addition early in the game if you put in the work. However, the tradeoff is their additions are generally hard to handle, and take some practice to maneuver. Dragoon-wise, they have one of the best spells in the entire game: Rose/Blossom Storm, that halves all damage to the party for three turns. Also, don't sleep on Gaspless, even though their magic attack is relatively low, this spell can still cause some very nice damage. Despite saying otherwise in the game, Albert and Lavitz's Gaspless spell is equal in terms of power, just to note. In terms of damage % and SP gain, their Flower Storm final addition is, perhaps, the best all-around addition in the game. If you'd like to add Lavitz back to your party, see the section in Chapter 5.

 

 

Before Legend Equipment:

 

Magic defense is easily the bane of our spear-users here, however, if you can get the Bandit's Ring from the Drake the Bandit battle early in the game, it is not a bad option, either. Once I pick up the Chain Mail from the Nest of Dragon, due to the increase in magic defense, I keep this equipped on them all the way through disc 3 when you can pick up the Saint Armor at Kashua Glacier, then soon after, the Armor of Yore. In terms of accessories, I only use three: the Spirit Cloak, which I highly recommend you get one dropped by the Fire Spirit in Volcano Villude, or the before-mentioned Bandit's Ring, then on disc 3, the Spiritual Ring. Additional options: if you aren't using Miranda/Shana, or Meru, the Amulet for more MP to cast Rose/Blossom Storm during boss battles, or the Angel Scarf once you have 5000G to buy it in Lohan.

 

After Legend Equipment:

With no need to worry about magic defense anymore, this becomes pretty bare-bones. If you decide to use the Bandit's Shoes for them instead of Kongol, I would suggest the Attack Badge for their accessory, otherwise, the Bandit's Ring is still a solid choice.

Miranda/Shana

Miranda and Shana are your stereotypical healer characters, with low physical defense, high magical, and your best source of throwing your magic attack items. They do, however, have the largest max HP of the females and very good speed. Having no additions, they are absolutely abysmal offensively, and little-to-no help in random battles, but Godsends against bosses. Unfortunately, in Dragoon form they were provided very little offensive spells, until you obtain their summon magic, at a whopping 80 MP cost, and, despite saying otherwise, Gates of Heaven only heals the same amount of damage as Rainbow Breath (50%), with the addition of being able to revive fallen allies. The White Silver Dragon summon is the only spell that will completely restore the party's HP, but will not provide resurrection. Also, to note, Miranda/Shana come with an innate increase in physical accuracy. To add Shana back to your active party, see the section in Chapter 9.

Before Legend Equipment:

 

Physical defense and HP should be your priorities here, but myself, I actually prefer to use the Power Wrist to make their attacks a little bit more effective, then switch to the Attack Badge once available. That is me, however, and most players would be best served starting with the Knight Shield accessory, Elude Cloak, Physical Ring, or Amulet, and towards the end of disc 3, the very nice Giganto Ring.

 

After Legend Equipment:

When the Legend equipment is obtained, physical defense and HP no longer becomes an issue for our archers. Your focus should shift entirely to MP, with either the Amulet or Mage Ring, however, I still prefer the Attack Badge, personally. I would recommend the Amulet for Miranda/Shana, with the Mage Ring given to Meru. The reason being: The Mage Ring does not activate in Dragoon form, and with Meru's best addition only providing 100 SP, she'll spend much-more time in human form, allowing her to make the most of the Mage Ring's regen effect. Lastly, Miranda and Shana are the only ones with a debate as to what their best weapon may be. Their Detonate Arrow has a +10 attack over the Arrow of Force, along with being able to target all enemies, but the latter gives an additional 50% SP per attack. The increase in SP gives two+ Dragoon turns with each attack, opposed to one and a half from the Detonate Arrow. In overall usefulness, I think the Arrow of Force is the better choice, but you decide for yourself.

Rose

The enigmatic Rose is a bit of a mixed-bag of things. She's a lot like Dart; very average, but with the second-lowest HP of all the characters, her physical defense also hindered by the female equipment choices, but possesses surprisingly high attack. In fact, at the very end of the game, with her final addition, and the Dragon Buster, she will outclass every character in terms of attacking power. Her Dragoon form, which excels very early in the game, becomes a bit of an albatross later on, and she works best in human form with her additions and item usage. However, Astral Drain, especially against light-based foes, can still be useful throughout the game, and Dark Dragon isn't a bad choice for the MP considering her other options.

Before Legend Equipment:

I get the Elude Cloak from the Yellow Bird outside of Bale very early in the game and keep it equipped to her until I obtain the Dragon Shield from the Divine Dragon on disc 3. The Physical Ring is also a very smart idea for Rose, too.

After Legend Equipment:

Several directions you can go in. My preferred is the Magical Ring to add effectiveness to Astral Drain and Dark Dragon, but the Attack Badge is a nice choice too, even though she hardly needs the attack boost. The Dancer's Ring combined with the Dancer's Shoes is also a very strong candidate for speed. Alternately, the Therapy Ring could be considered, but not really necessary.

Haschel

Haschel is the hidden gem of the party, in my opinion. Although unable to exploit elemental weaknesses, his magic is very underrated, and if focused on, can easily match Dart's. Unfortunately, until we can obtain the Legend equipment, other areas need to be centered on. His attack power, helped with the generally-high damage multiplier of his additions, makes for a very strong attacker and his speed provides him more chances to attack than the other male characters. When he obtains his best weapon, Destroyer Mace, final addition, and his HP falls into either yellow, or red state, he is the only one that can outclass Rose in terms of physical damage. The remainder of his statistics tend to fall on the lower-scale of things, and his low HP tends to get in him trouble, but if you're willing to work at it, early in the game, Haschel can get some very nice equipment (Beast Fang, Diamond Claw, Energy Girdle), and then once he gets a Phoenix Plume, his defenses become much-less of a problem.

Before Legend Equipment:

 

I start Haschel with the first Therapy Ring you find in Helena Prison, up until Meru joins the party, then switching to the Physical Ring, and the Attack Badge on disc 3. Later on, before the Legend equipment, I give him the Sage's Cloak from Ulara. Like previously-stated, Haschel can keep a constant edge on the other characters in terms of equipment if you take advantage of rare drops.

After Legend Equipment:

You could make the argument, in terms of offense, not to give Haschel the Legend equipment at all due to the huge increase in attack power he gets from half, or critical, HP which he will rarely achieve with it. However, having the second-highest damaging ultimate edition, Omni-Sweep, this really isn't that necessary for him to be a physical threat. To that point, I give him a Magical Ring to complement his Dragoon magic, but the Attack Badge is a nice half-way choice, too. Alternately, a Bandit's Ring is not a bad option for Haschel, either.

Meru

Despite her magic stat being lower than Miranda/Shana's, Meru will be your go-to for magical offense; in Dragoon form, anyway. Taking into account the MP cost, Freezing Ring is perhaps the best magic spell in the game, and with the HP and status healing Rainbow Breath, Meru is easily one of the best characters in the game coupled with her party-high speed. However, her HP and physical defense is significantly lower than the other characters, and she must be treated with kid gloves. In the beginning of the game, Meru will just barely be above Miranda/Shana in terms of offense, but once she obtains Cat's Cradle, and then finally, the 600% damage-increasing Perky Step addition, she makes for a very nice physical threat outside of Dragoon form, as well.

Before Legend Equipment:

 

Therapy Ring for the vast-majority of the game, giving her the Dragon Helm for a HP boost once you get it on the Mountain of Mortal Dragon. Honestly, I use nothing else. Toward the end of disc 3, a Giganto Ring could be considered, though.

After Legend Equipment:

With the physical threat gone, Meru can focus entirely on her magic offense. Mage Ring, Amulet, or Attack Badge are recommended, or a Wargod's Sash for increased SP gain, or Dancer's Ring to compliment her already high speed. Like talked about in the Miranda/Shana section, I prefer the Mage Ring over the Amulet for Meru due to the Mage Ring not activating in Dragoon form, and with Meru's best addition only providing her 100 SP, she'll spend much-more time in human form, allowing her to make the most of the Mage Ring's regen effect than Miranda/Shana would.

Kongol

Kongol is very similar to Albert and Lavitz, only his physical attack and defense is way higher, and his magic attack, defense, and speed are crippling low. His magic defense is so low that, without proper equipment selection, he can't stand against many of the bosses. Unfortunately, the game creators did him no favors by providing him with a lesser Dragoon addition, three magic spells, and only three, with his ultimate being the worst, additions in the game. Even with his physical might far-exceeding that of the other characters, and his final weapon, Indora's Axe, being the second-strongest weapon, his final addition's 300% multiplier prevents him from being the powerhouse he should be when compared to the rest of the characters.

Before Legend Equipment:

Bandit's Ring for the increase in speed, then, once you snag the Bandit's Shoes from the Death Frontier, either the Angel Scarf or Spiritual Ring to help with his magical defense woes. Also, keep him equipped with his initial Lion Fur until you find the Giganto Armor on the Mountain of Mortal Dragon to help, again, with his magic defense. If you can get a Magical Hat early as a rare drop on the Phantom Ship, or Angel Scarf from Lohan, this will make Kongol significantly more useful against bosses.

After Legend Equipment:

If you gave the Bandit's Shoes to Albert/Lavitz, he's going to need to keep the Bandit's Ring equipped, unfortunately. Otherwise, the Attack Badge and Wargod's Sash are my recommendations. The latter is my choice due to his final addition only providing 100 SP and lower speed limits his attack chances to build Dragoon forms.

Level 60 (Max Level)

 

Surprisingly, the maximum level you can achieve in Legend of Dragoon is 60. Doing so outside of the final dungeon would be hellish, but thankfully, they provide us with the perfect enemy within the Moon That Never Sets. In the Dragon section, best found on the very first screen that exits you back toward the Serdian town, you will commonly find the Triceratops monster. While tough, if you have maxed out your party's best additions, he will easily fall after two of them. When defeated, he rewards you with 2000 EXP, the highest for non-bosses, with the exception of the Rainbow Bird, but that's another story and not a viable alternative, in my opinion. Outside of the Moon, if you're looking for EXP, a very good location is the room with the healing spring toward the end of the Death City Mayfil. While not great, the high encounter rate, plus the ability to heal within the room, makes it an ideal location for EXP.

Maximizing Gold

The exact opposite of EXP is the case for farming Gold: it's best done so before you enter the final dungeon. It involves the 00PARTS special monster.

On the world map, on the road between Kazas and the path that use to lead toward Hellena Prison, you may recall the annoying 00PARTS monster that is frequently encounter here. With accuracy and speed boosting equipment, we can make short work of him before he has a chance to blast us with his instant death attack and run away. To best achieve this, form a party of Dart, Miranda/Shana, and Meru with the following equipment:

Dart: Fairy Sword, Sallet, Bandit's Shoes, Wargod's Amulet

Miranda/Shana: Long Bow, Magical Greaves, Dancer's Ring

Meru: Dancer's Shoes, Wargod's Amulet

 

With this setup, after throwing the Magic Signet Stone item, you should have plenty of accuracy to land your attacks, but also enough turns to do so before the items wears off. For additional advantage, you can also use the Speed Down/Up items. 00PARTS will drop the party 600 Gold, and with the frequency of the encounter, this is a quicker method than you would think.

Of course, while the fastest, 00PARTS is not the king of money making: that would be the Red Bird found right outside of Deningrad. They drop 1000 Gold, plus Phoenix Plumes you can sell for an extra 300. However, you may recall the Red Bird is not only immune to physical attacks, but has a crazy high magical evade. You can equip females with the Tiara helmet along with the Wargod's Amulet accessory to increase their magic accuracy, but the chance of your magic missing is still fairly high. Then you have to take into account you either need to purchase magic items or use Dragoon magic, which will require frequent trips to town to rest/restock items and battles to rebuild SP, nonetheless the transformation and magic animations playing. It's for this reason that I recommend 00PARTS for Gold over the Red Bird.

 

Within the Moon That Never Sets, however, you'll have to settle for a less effective method to acquire Gold. You can still find the 00PARTS in the core section of the Moon, but its encounter rate is very low, making it much-less of a target for Gold collection. Instead, in the Giganto section, a duo of Psyche Druids provides 167G each battle, with a Psyche Druid + Mad Skull party providing a little less than that. That's not great, but is your best option, in my opinion.