Tales of Symphonia - Chapter 4: Angel Wings

At the Seal of Fire, the Triet Ruins, Lloyd and Genis will, once again, complain about the desert heat and Noishe will be scared off by an approaching enemy: two Fire Elements. After an easily-won battle, Kratos will teach the party defensive techniques that you can activate by guarding and pressing the directional stick downward. It costs a lot of TP, and needs to be timed correctly, but can reduce damage from enemy attacks and is best used against magic, in my opinion. After this scene, more than likely, the skit "Combo! Lloyd and Colette" will occur. This is a skit that is entirely unique to a character's affection. At this point, whoever has the most affection with Lloyd will get the skit, then after, anytime another character overtakes that one to have the most affection, their skit will occur; which would require a lot of work to see them all. Once you've seen the skit, Raine will be overly-excited by the sealed ruin door and obtain the Archeological Mania title (Int: 20%, TP: 10%). Then, Colette's palm will be the key to sliding open the door and you are free to enter.

 

Note: Hang around outside the Ruins for a bit and the skit "I'm fine.." should become available. Also, you can check the stone tablet Colette used to open the door with different characters for varying reactions.

 

The Triet Ruins are the perfect place to earn a new title for Genis. Since all of the dungeon's monsters are strong against fire magic, get into a battle and either control or command Genis to cast Fire Ball on them; which will generally result in Genis complaining that it's not working. Do this ten times and when the battle concludes Genis will gain the title: Study Harder! (Eva, Acc: 20%).

 

You can learn another title for Genis if he has reached level 11 and learned the Icicle spell. Once he has, enter a battle and cast, in no particular order, Fire Ball, Wind Blade, Stone Blast, Aqua Edge, Lightning, and Icicle. With all of these different elemental spells cast in one battle, Genis will acquire the title: Magic Cycle (Int: 20%, TP: 10%). 

 

New Monsters in the Triet Ruins: Fire Element, Fire Warrior, Brown Pot, Fire Bird

Note: Although you will have access to it for a long period of time, eventually, the Triet Ruins dungeon will no longer be available to enter, so it's important that you add all of the enemies to your Monster List and open all treasure chests.

Most of the monsters in the Triet Ruins, including the Fire Warrior to steal, can drop the Red Quartz item. This is one of the only ways in the game to obtain this item; and since the dungeon will, eventually, be unavailable to you, I recommend picking up as many as you want now. Life Bottles are also dropped by Fire Birds, and since they're quite costly if you didn't carry your Gald over, it's a nice idea to farm them a bit here.

At the left-right fork near the start of the dungeon, move left and blast the rocks around the chest in the lower corner with your Sorcerer's Ring and open it for a Lemon Gel, then enter the nearby door.

 

Although small, this dungeon is a bit of a puzzle involving needing to use the Sorcerer's Ring to light torches and raise platforms, however, some need to be lit in a certain order or you will not be able to reach a number of treasures. If you happen to light the wrong torch, simply leave the Ruins out to the world map, then reenter to reset things. In the room past the Lemon Gel, you must light the left-side torch first, or you will block your way to a treasure. Once you've lit the torch seen in the screenshot above, more below and fire up the torch in the lower-right that was partially obscured by the platform that was just raised. Note: One of the monsters in this room will also provide a Memory Gem item for the party.

Return the way you came and, this time, enter the center door from the fork. Crack open the chest with an Apple Gel to the south, then wrap around the pillar to the north, where there is an insect enemy icon patrolling, for chests with a Life Bottle and Bracelet armgear for Genis he should equip. From there, you've seen two stone blocks in the area. Push them both over the gap to the west to be able to cross over.

 

Passing over the blocks, light the torch in front of you, and follow the paths to pick up a Savory, a rare item that permanently increases a character's TP by 10%. Even if you want to use this item: don't. We'll be able to transform it into a better item before long. After the Savory, there is a chest with the weapon, Mumei, for Lloyd that is better than his current Knight's Saber, and one containing 1000 Gald. The Mumei is a one-of-a-kind weapon; so make sure not to sell or customize with it!

Back at the fork, we want to take the right-side path now. You'll see a chest at the end of the hallway, but DO NOT open it! It's actually an enemy encounter, and although we can defeat it now, it's a very unique enemy and we will be better able to milk it for its rewards when we have to return here later on in the story.

 

Proceed through the door next to the Fake treasure chest. Wrap around to the left-side until you see another movable block. Drop the block into the space near the treasure and light the torch across to raise the final platform. The chest contains the Stiletto weapon for Kratos; which is one of only two of these in the game, and should replace his Long Sword. Follow the platform you just raised around to the north for a Circlet headgear treasure for either Raine or Colette. Until Raine can cast Photon, she doesn't need the increase in Int, so stick with the Ribbon equipped on her, for now; the same with Colette. A save point and warp tile is to the south of the Circlet. I suggest a party of Lloyd, Colette, Raine, and Genis for the upcoming boss.

At the center of the Seal of Fire, Colette will, of course, be put to a test and she will be a required member of the battle party. This battle will look intimidating at first, but isn't so bad; especially if you brought Genis. There are two enemies here: so make sure Raine gets them both with Magic Lens. Lloyd should target one of the Ktugachlings, with basic combos and finishing with the Tempest tech, while commanding Genis to cast Icicle, or if you are really over-leveled, Spread/Aqua Laser, for massive damage. With Raine casting First Aid when necessary, the only thing you really need to do is watch out for the larger Ktugach casting Eruption; which your controlled character should immediately use their Guardian/Damage Guard tech to protect against.

 

Having lifted the Seal, Colette will pray at the altar and the angel, Remiel, will again appear before her and the group. Remiel will grant her a portion of the angels' power and she sprouts a beautiful set of wings and learns the spell, Angel Feathers, which is useful throughout the entire game, but takes a bit of time to conjure. Remiel tells her that she must endure one night of pain for the transformation and then make her way east, across the ocean, to the next Seal. Now that Colette has gained her wings, she can also activate techs she could not otherwise; such as Ring Whirlwind. After the group converses a little, you can make your way out of the dungeon.

Exiting the Ruins, Colette will collapse and the group will agree to make camp from Kratos' suggestion. That night, Lloyd will have another chance to choose whom he would like to increase their affection with him. Only the first person you talk with will receive the bonus, however. For Kratos, respond: "I guess you're right.", Genis: "It was missing something." (The other option to decrease his affection), and Raine: "Colette is Colette.". Again, only the first person talked to counts even though you can talk to everyone. Lloyd will, at last, give Colette the completed necklace for her birthday, but unfortunately, it was broken sometime during the journey. Despite being happy by the gesture, something seems to be a bit off with our newly-winged friend.

 

You'll then be back out on the world map. Before going anywhere, look for the skit "To Palmacosta" to activate; it won't after the upcoming scene in Triet. Once you do enter Triet, a scene will automatically occur where Genis will injure himself and Raine applies some TLC and receives the "Sisterly Love" title. This title gives a 10% chance for increase in Str and Acc.

Check in at the inn again, and randomly, Lloyd will, once more, be awakened by a shadowy figure in his room. We won't be back in Triet for quite some time, so for future customization, let's head back over to the stores. Create another Flying Disc weapon with the remaining Chakram you should have in your inventory and Magical Cloths (Dropped by desert Thieves). Also, buy two more Long Swords. With those in your inventory, leave almost directly east of Triet to the next dungeon: the Ossa Trail.

 

Upon entering the Trail, a female voice calls out for the group to stop. Colette naively identifies herself as the Chosen and the foreign-looking woman moves in to kill her. Thankfully, Colette's clumsiness activates a nearby lever and the girl falls into a maintenance shaft below. You'll then have an important relationship decision to make. Selecting: "Leave her alone. She's an enemy." raises affection with Raine and Kratos, but lowers Colette and Genis'. While: "Well...I do feel a bit sorry for her." does the opposite of the first selection, but more importantly, provides a boost in Sheena, the assassin girl's, affection. Sheena's affection actually has a hidden use. A little later in the game, if her affection is high enough, she will join your party earlier. However, the usefulness in this is debatable since she joins soon thereafter anyway, regardless of the values. After this scene, you can put different characters in the lead of the party to get their reactions to the shaft the assassin fell into by examining it.

New Monsters on the Ossa Trail: Archer, Witch, Bear, Axe Beak, Mandragora

Colette can steal, and they also drop, Beast Hides from the Bear enemy; making it the best place in the game to obtain this item. Thieves also appear here and provide you another opportunity to pick up Magical Cloths for later customization. Witches carry Orange Gels to steal, which will be useful throughout the entire game, if you want to save Gald and stock up on them now.

From where you encountered the assassin, the path up the Ossa Trail is fairly linear, but with plenty of monsters in your path. As you climb, look on the left-side of the cliff to find a chest with a Battle Staff for Raine inside; much better than her current Rod.

 

Continue along the Trail eastward and you'll find a clearing with a save point and chests with a Apple and Melange Gel inside. On your way down the Trail, you'll find an Orange Gel treasure chest, and soon after, a boss is upcoming, so put Raine in your party if you need to use Magic Lens.

The "Clumsy Assassin" has made her way out of the underground and is looking to make good on her promise to kill the Chosen. The Assassin can combo like crazy, so be prepared to guard and then strike back at her. If Genis has any area spells yet, like Spread/Aqua Laser or Stalagmite, he can use these to great effect. Despite being a Wind Guardian, the Assassin's sidekick isn't weak against earth, just to note. Have Raine cast Barrier on everyone, backing up with First Aid, while Lloyd uses combos and then Tempest on the Guardian. Overall, this battle is fairly simple due to the bosses' low HP, and once one is defeated, ganging up on the other ends things quickly.

The Assassin having retreated, enter the underground area she emerged from. The skit "The Ossa Trail" should immediately become available to view. To the upper-left of the mine, look for a chest with the Fine Guard armor for Colette; which she should equip, and to the lower-right, the Black Silver customization item.

 

At the core of the mine, you'll find a spooky skull who will challenge you to battle if you talk to it. Like with the chest in the Triet Ruins, we need to save this battle for later. While very difficult, it is possible to win now, but we will need to get stolen, and dropped (Not guaranteed) items from it. So, it's highly recommend that we come back later for this. You can, however, open the chests with a Beast Fang (Slightly hidden but you can see some yellow peaking out.) and an EX Gem Lv1. Now, exit the underground and the Ossa Trail to the south. Kratos will stop you and the skit "Team Coordination" will occur which will allow the team to use Unite Attacks.

With Unite Attacks now available, we can easily obtain a new title for Lloyd. First, enter the U. Attack section of the menu, and with a party of Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Kratos, change their Unite attack (Easier to just set the first skill as this) to Sword Rain (Lloyd), Icicle/Stalagmite (Genis), Angel Feathers/Ring Whirlwind (Colette), and Fierce Demon Fang/Wind Blade (Kratos) and find a battle with a Bear. Have Lloyd charge in and do a basic combo ending with Sword Rain, then right before he finishes the move (Which pushes the enemy back a ways) activate the Unison Attack with the Z button. Have all four characters perform the listed moves, and with the addition of Lloyd's first combo, you should score over 20 hits. This rewards Lloyd with the Combo Newbie (Str: 30%, Acc: 20%) title. You probably got this title already, but it's easiest to get once you can use Unite Attacks, which is why I decided to list it here.

 

Outside the Ossa Trail, you should see the "An Assassin" skit and if you hang around a bit, the "Raised by a Dwarf" skit, as well. The seaside village of Izoold is our destination to the southeast, but first, hug the mountains to the west, and in the forests before the mountains turn a corner, run around to find a well-hidden Lemon Gel chest. You don't need to hit the X button to find it; just simply walk over it to pick it up. Around this point in the game, you may also activate the "Light Eater" and "An Adult's Sense of Taste" skits with Colette from cooking a recipe at the end of battle. In addition, if Raine fails to successfully cook after a battle, the skit "Chef Raine" will prompt for you now.

New Monsters Outside of Izoold: Woods Worm (Forests), Fish, Sea Jelly (Beaches)

Wrap around the mountain and you'll see the Guidepost Monument for this area, too. Nearby, there is also a bridge that carries you over to the next continent. This presents the opportunity to diverge from the linear path and actually do the next intended storyline in a near-reverse order. However, I highly advise against this and going to Izoold to continue the story from there. The only positive to crossing the bridge is that Sheena, the assassin girl, will join your party early and you will have her for an additional part of the story that will provide some relationship growth for her. On the downside, this throws a wrench into activating certain skits in order as well as the party's destination becoming convoluted. It is, however, worth trying at least once, but this guide will cover the traditional direction of going to Izoold first. Note: If you cross the bridge and visit any of the towns and witness a story scene, crossing the ocean from Izoold will then become unavailable until you have fulfilled story requirements.

 

For the sake of guide completion, I'll cover the scenes you can only view if you choose to journey north instead of to Palmacosta from Izoold. Northeast, past the bridge, on the side of a mountain range, is the town of Hima. When you enter, you will encounter Sheena. If Lloyd agrees that you and her are friends, Sheena's affection rises, while denying you are will lower it. After, you'll meet Sophia at the inn and she'll ask you to search for Boltzman's Book to save Pietro. The choice "All right." increases affection with Colette, Genis, Kratos, and Sheena, with "Okay, but..." providing a boost for Genis, Raine, and Kratos. Note: Once you've viewed this scene, you are locked into this alternate path and you will be unable to journey to Palmacosta from Izoold.

In the southeast corner of the continent, past Izoold, out on the peninsula, is another relationship light ring; for Kratos, this time. Respond: "What's foolish about it?!" to increase Kratos' affection. Now, enter the oceanside hamlet of Izoold.

 

At the very entrance of Izoold, put Colette in the lead of your party and speak to the dog for her to name it, then take a rest at the inn nearby. Resting at the inn will give you the "Even If I Become an Angel" skit.

Enter the home to the right of where the Katz team is hanging out and search the object in the upper-right corner of the room to reveal the Wonder Chef. He'll teach the party the Rice Ball recipe which recovers a small portion of HP and TP when cooked.

 

Exit out to the harbor to the east. There's an item and seafood shop toward the upper-portion of the harbor, then a Katz in the center where Genis can play the Emotional Balloon mini-game. For those, like myself, that struggle with their short-term memory, this game can be rough, but thankfully, you can use your phone to take a picture of the starting screen with the correct button inputs that you can refer to. Beating the mini-game on easy nets you five Apple Gels, normal, five Life Bottles, and hard, five Lemon Gels; so, nothing rare, but you can obtain these rewards infinitely. There's also the Non-stop and Endless modes, but no rewards for those other than a high-score.

Return back to the central area and speak to the guy outside the middle house (With the beard and beanie), then enter the home to meet Lyla. She's searching for a guy named Aifread, which will be recognizable to series vets, and Lloyd and Genis will tell her that they've heard he returned to his hometown of Luin and Lyla will run off to the harbor. Find her, and her friend, Max, eaten up by unrequited love, at the end of the pier. Lyla's trying to manipulate Max into taking her love letter to Luin on his boat, which inevitably gets forced upon the party. Under no circumstances should you refuse this! If you do, you will not acquire the Lyla's Letter item and subsequently will miss out on a myriad of great rewards later on in the game. Before accepting Max's reluctant journey to Palmacosta, make sure you've taken care of everything you need from this continent as it will be quite a while before we can return. Most importantly, four Magical Cloth items from the Thieves in the area will be very useful.