Warping to the base of the Tower, Zelos goads Colette into following him to the vicinity of the Eternal Sword. They're quickly surrounded by angels and Pronyma captures Colette. Zelos IS a traitor! He was a triple agent: working with Lloyd's group, Cruxis, AND the Renegades! He's ultimately sided with Cruxis, whom he deems the winning side.
Mithos has promised to release Zelos as the Chosen, passing the title to Seles; that's all he cares about anymore is his freedom. Lloyd shouts that he still trusts his friend, only for the philanderer to mock him as a fool. At this point, two different battles can take place; each containing a one-of-a-kind enemy. As such, in order to complete the Monster List, you have to play through the game a minimum of twice to obtain their entries.
If Lloyd talked with Kratos on the snowy night in Flanoir, Zelos will stay behind and stand in the party's way of going after Colette. Taking on a treacherous, angelic Zelos, as you might expect, is a near-clone of the previous battle with Kratos; right down to his new Judgment spell (Which Zelos still doesn't get if he rejoins your party, to note) and strengths to thunder and light elements. Zelos doesn't seem to be nearly as quick as Kratos, though, making this a bit easier. Like the Kratos battle, save your Unison Attack to knock him out of his casting of Judgment; which is his strongest weapon. Have Raine bolster the party's attack and defense with Acuteness/Field Barrier or Keeness/Permaguard. Flare/Guard Bottles will work, too, if she's not in your active party. Stay focused on guarding his combos, counterattacking, and resisting the Judgment spell and the traitor will get what he has been searching for all along.
The afterward scenes are different depending on the battle. If Zelos, then he will ask the party to please destroy his Cruxis Crystal and he passes away; finally free from his wretched fate. All of his equipment, including weapon, are moved back to the party's inventory. Otherwise, Orochi and the others had come to support Sheena and the rest of the group in their battle and encourages them onward. Whichever, the party uses the still-active warp to ascend up the Tower of Salvation after Colette and Pronyma.
New Monsters inside the Tower of Salvation (Kharlan Tree Ruins): Bomb Plant, Bomb Seedling, Evil Orchid, Mocking Plant, Angel Swordian, Angel Spearman, Angel Archer, Angel Commander
At the start of the dungeon, only the four plant monsters can be encountered, then the angel-types showing up on further levels. Unfortunately, I've got some bad news to break for those that like to maximize the number of each item. The Bomb Plant, only found here, is the only place in the game you can find multiple of the Lavender (+1 Strength) item, and with no access to Colette's EX Skills, this is without a doubt the hardest item to get to drop. You're going to need to maximize your Technical Smash to improve your odds; although I managed to get a 63% Technical Smash and it STILL didn't drop. My advice is to bring Genis and have him cast Explosion or Spiral Flare and right before it strikes the Bomb Plant, have Lloyd use Beast or, even better, Raging Beast, to strike it and the Bomb Seedlings it spits out. With perfect timing, your Technical Smash should be extremely high if almost all of the monsters were destroyed at once. As you advance in the dungeon, you'll progressively lose party members, so it's best you do your item farming at the beginning near the save point, also.
Note: This portion of the Tower of Salvation is a one-time dungeon, and like always, it cannot be returned to. This is even more important due to the presence of multiple of the best pieces of equipment in the game and the fact that once you ascend a warp point, you cannot return back to the previous floor. That said, take your time and explore carefully for all of the items and fill the Monster List entries.
The party appears in a section of the Tower of Salvation that has been ravaged by the effects of the Giant Kharlan Tree's savagery. There's a critical save point nearby and a portal that is broken; which will be the case with all the portals going forward: once you ascend, you can't return to the previous floor. Also, you'll need to use the fire of the Sorcerer's Ring to scorch the Tree's remaining branches that will undoubtedly be blocking the routes. To start, head down the center path and through the door, burning the branch in your way. In the following room, there is a bridge that is see-sawing between the east and west-sides of the room. Jump onto it and you'll get dropped down to the level below and see a scene where Raine and Presea suggest dropping the large rock suspended above to even out the bridge. Near where where the bridge positioned you, open the chest for the one-of-a-kind Diamond Shell weapon for Regal. If you're using the Glory Arts, the Diamond Shell is significantly inferior, however.
In this beginning section of the Tower, there are several new skits to view. They are: "Hurry!", "Remnants of the Giant Tree", "Priorities", "Genis Apprehensive", and "Zelos' Betrayal". The latter is only available if you fought the Gatekeeper and not Zelos.
From the Diamond Shell, climb back onto the bridge and try to move to the eastern-end of the screen, only for the bridge to dip downward to a door you can exit through. The next area is rather linear, but you'll reach a fork on the opposite-side of the room. Burn through a stubborn group of vines to the right-side of the screen and you'll be able to reach three treasure chests in a corridor. They contain three unique weapons: Ogre Ax for Presea, Southern Cross for Genis, and Hanuman's Staff for Raine. If you've got the Heart of Chaos and Pow Hammer DX for Raine and Presea, you can just add these to your inventory, but the Southern Cross will be Genis' best weapon until the very end of the game. With the weapons obtained, continue down the corridor stretching to the upper-left and climb the stairs. Then, climb the following set of stairs, too.
Exit back out to the open room and find another small room to the upper-right of the screen. It contains chests with an EX Gem Lv4 and the unique Star Mail for Lloyd or Kratos/Zelos; which also provides protection against fire. I exchanged Lloyd's Rune Mail for it. From there, return back west and descend the stairs.
Use the central corridor again to return to the screen with the now-impaled and weighted bridge. The counter-weight of the rock allows you access to the upper-portion of the eastern-side where you'll find a unique Star Guard chest for Presea only. Surprisingly, it doesn't protect against fire, but rather light and darkness-based attacks. Above is a warp point, which I will warn again, you cannot descend from, so make sure you have opened every treasure in this area before using!
You'll notice there is a single angel monster icon flying around the area. It's the only one, as far as I know, that can produce the Angel Archer enemy. This is because as your number of party members decrease, like you just saw with Regal, so do the number of monsters in battles, and the Angel Archers are the first to be pushed out of the table and become unencounterable much sooner than you would expect! So, make sure to save your game here and reload it to repopulate the monsters to fill out the Angel Archer's Monster List entry. Also, don't forget to have Raine hit all four angel types with a Magic Lens; she'll be lost soon. When done, use the warp tile to move onward.
March down the long, spiraling staircase and attempt to cross the passage at the bottom. A large remnant of the Giant Kharlan tree is blocking the way. Sheena's got the idea of creating her own mini-Mana Cannon to blast the monstrosity with the power of Tethe'alla's Summon Spirits. This seems to work, however, a remaining part of the plant grabs Sheena by the leg and attempts to pull her into the pit along with it. She promises Lloyd she will escape and catch up with him and just like with Regal, he has no choice but to relent and go after Colette. Sheena falls into the abyss as Lloyd presses on...
Another sacrifice sets itself up as Raine mans a stationary control panel and Lloyd runs for the door. With each lock Raine removes, pieces of the floor around the control panel fall away and Lloyd, and what's left of his party have to fight some basic plant enemies. Ultimately, there's nowhere left for Raine to escape to and she says goodbye to Lloyd, encouraging him to fulfill her dream and find what it means to live. Full of despair, Lloyd runs through the crumbling corridor and into the next portal.
Climb down the stairs and inspect the sealed door near the bottom. Presea, who's not smaller than Genis, says she is the only one who can fit through the perfectly-placed hole near the door and unlock it for Lloyd. Of course, the door mechanism activates a trap, but Presea manages to wedge her ax between the falling ceiling and the floor; almost creating a Presea sandwich in the process. As the door slides open, another one of those pesky tree roots grabs Presea and pins her against the wall. She encourages Lloyd to continue on before her ax breaks and the path is blocked. I guess the dagger on her person isn't real and she can't cut herself free, but anyway, Lloyd does his best Mega Man slide under the collapsing ceiling and enters the portal. Genis, surprisingly, has nothing to say about either the loss of his sister or Presea.
And then there were two. This next grid area is far-more open than the previous ones. Move: up, right, right, then, like usual, open the chest behind the debris for the unique Star Circlet. It, also, protects against fire, but we don't have anyone to equip it on, at the moment, but when we do, it's one of the best helmets in the game for the ladies.
From the Star Circlet: up to a save point, up again, to the far-left, then south down to a debris-hidden EX Gem Lv3 treasure.
You'll wind up in a cross-shaped corridor afterward. Make absolutely sure you plunder the chests on the left and right-sides before proceeding further north. They contain an EX Gem Lv2 and a Star Bracelet. The last of the fire resistant Star equipment, the Star Bracelet will be one of the best armgear in the game for one of the five bracelet users. I didn't equip it to Genis, if you were curious.
From the Spirit Bottle: left, left, and up to find a save point. Continuing: all the way to the far-right, but ignore the warp point and head south to the bottom edge of the screen. Then: left, up, left, and procure the Ex Gem Lv4 in the chest. The portal you passed takes you to the finale of the dungeon, to note, so take care of any Monster List business you need to before using it. You won't see these monsters again.
The group reformed, you're given a chance to set up your party before you battle Pronyma. I gave the Star Gauntlet to Presea, Star Circlet to Raine, and Star Bracelet to Sheena. Pronya is weak against light and strong against dark, but I wouldn't trade any of your current weapons for light-based ones, in my opinion, but do give your best fighter the Topaz to automatically enchant their weapon with the element. You can, of course, bring Sheena to provide this effect, too. Presea and Sheena are recommended due to their armors protection against light and darkness that Pronya uses, but other elemental strengths aren't totally necessary, in my opinion. Raine is also highly recommended, and Genis, as well, if he can cast Prism Sword. Lastly, prepare for the boss with Regal cooking Pescatore if you bring Raine/Genis, or Meat Stew, if not.
Pronya has two sultry, sickle-wielding lackeys with her that are mostly just there to distract you with simple slashes and absorb damage. Throw Guard/Flare Bottles on your fighters, and between healing, Raine should target the Iduns with Photon/Ray/Holy Lance and if he has it, Genis will devastate with casting Prism Sword. Unfortunately, Pronya loves to target your mages and interrupt their spells; which is the biggest danger of this battle. If you're in need to emergency healing, don't be afraid to use Energy Tablets instead of relying on Raine. The old witch has a huge variety of magic this time, but the worst thing Pronya has is her own Prism Sword spell. Remember: only the last hit inflicts damage if you don't move, so time your Guardian accordingly. Also, if you see Pronya get the Acid Rain spell off, prepare to counter with Anti-Magic or Miracle Bottles to recover from the effect. If Sheena's with you, attempt to enchant light to your fighters with S. Seal: Light and throw the light-based Demon Seal at her. If Genis and Raine are both on the Technical line, activate a Unison Attack
combining Ray and Ground Dash/Cyclone for a crazy amount of
light damage on Pronya with Prism Stars. This will be a battle of attrition, so just do your best to protect your mages and destroy the two Iduns as quickly as possible. You'll get two Black Quartz and a Red Savory for winning.
After the battle, a groveling Pronya is flat-out murdered by a deranged Mithos! Unfortunately, during the battle, the transfer of Martel's mana to Colette has been successful. To his shock, Martel, speaking through Colette, vehemently opposes the actions of her brother! She proclaims that what he has done is wrong, and that her wishes were for all races to live in harmony together: the dream that she, Mithos, Kratos, and Yuan all fought for. Mithos is too far gone at this point and laughs maniacally.
This isn't a trial battle anymore: it's the real deal and he's pissed! Yggdrasill is weak against dark, but other than the Amethyst and Sheena's T. Seal: Darkness, there's not many ways you can exploit it. Sheena can subsequently summon Shadow for huge damage, though. Yggrasill's main attacks are casting Holy Lance and flying over to a character and bashing the ground, either sending them flying, or producing a multitude of lights rays to spread out around him. He's got a variety of other spells, as well, including the extremely deadly Indignation that was employed by Volt. Watch for the cone of light to appear on the floor, then immediately backstep out of it to avoid the spell. If a fellow party member is in its vicinity, manually order them to Guardian before the lightning strikes. With solid light protection, only his ground pound move should give you trouble besides Indignation, however, be prepared to fight more defensively when the boss goes into Overlimit mode and becomes increasingly more powerful. Keep pressure on him with combos to prevent the completion of his magic, adequately defending when he goes in for the ground slam, and backstepping out of Indignation are keys to victory. You'll pick up an Ex Gem Lv4 and Energy Tablets from the fallen Mithos.
When back in control of Lloyd, look for new skits to become available including: "Dear Friend" and "Martel's Memories". The former will only activate if Zelos is no longer in your party. Back out into the world, two other skits can be viewed now if you rest at an inn, they are: "Mithos' Cruxis Crystal" and "Maxwell". On the world map itself, if you've fully reconstructed Luin, skits involving it start to pop-up: "Raine's Statue", "Sheena's Statue", "Lloyd's Statue", and "Living Our Days to the Fullest". The "Sheena's Statue" skit is not available if Zelos is no longer with you. There's also another skit available on the world map, dependent on still having Zelos in your party called: "When this Journey is Over...". When you're ready, take the Rheairds to Ymir Forest and Heimdall.
Note: The Meltokio Arena is closed, so you can't battle Seles for a second time yet if Zelos is no longer a member of the party. The absence of an eighth party member has closed many other options, too, and it will be that way for a while longer. Also, if you haven't already, I highly recommend you pick up the powerful weapons from the reconstructed Luin to prepare for the game's finale.
The Elder of Heimdall awaits the party at the village entrance. He lets Lloyd know that Kratos is waiting for him in the depths of the Torent Forest. Lloyd requests that Genis and Raine please be allowed into the village to witness his battle with Kratos; which surprisingly, the Elder agrees, however, they cannot use any of the villages facilities. The party will then disperse around the village so Lloyd can contemplate his decision on whether to take his father's life or not in order to release Origin's seal. You can then view scenes with all the characters around the village, if you'd like, but to see Colette's, you need to first decline when she asks if you're ready to sleep. After resting, Lloyd will have a special scene with his "soulmate" or, if you picked Kratos in Flanoir, there won't be one at all. The next morning, look for the skit "Next Step" to occur, then enter the Torent Forest on the western-end of Heimdall, to the right of the windmill.
Note: After the events in the Torent Forest, the shops, many of Zelos' "hunnies", the two dogs for Colette to name, and the Cream Stew recipe in the Elder's home are going to disappear in Heimdall. In regards to the stores, every item in the weapon/armor and customization shops become missable with the exception of: the Northern Lights, Rune Staff, Dragon Fang (Potentially missable with the recent loss of the Power Greaves to buy), Gladius, and Rune Robe that continue to be available in Flanoir's newest inventory. The Rune Boots and Cape will still be accessible, but only via customizing. Most importantly, don't proceed unless you have two Draupnir from the customization shop; it's the best armgear in the game for two characters.
New Monsters in the Torent Forest: Alraune, Torent, Man-eater, Cutlass, Bellpepper Head, Carnivorous Plant, Gold Dragon
Taking a look at the monsters in the Torent Forest, we've got the last of the statistical item drops. The dryad-like Alraune drop, quite frequently, Red Savory that increase max TP by 10%. It's the best place in the game to obtain them.
Several new skits are available in this new dungeon. They are: "Forest of the Elves", "As Long As Genis Is Alive...", and "Recognition".
Return to the fork and to the east of the tree stump. You'll see the animal from the stump exit northeast, but ignore it for now and continue eastward and up to a treasure with a Crystal Dagger for Kratos/Zelos inside. This would be a nice weapon; it even grants slight TP regeneration, but if you've got the Last Fencer, it's long been outclassed. With it, backtrack the way you came and exit northeast after the creature.
Further east on the next screen, passing a small pond, then north, and east to a large fork with a dragon icon flying around. This will produce a battle with a Gold Dragon. It's unique in that it gives the highest battle EXP in the game, but not by enough to make much of a difference when you have to keep leaving the screen and returning to fight it again, in my opinion, anyway. Northeast of the dragon icon is the area's tree stump. Burn it, then follow the creature back west, past the Dragon, and exit to the north behind the animal. Note: A monster on this screen carries a Memory Gem, also.
Head northeast of the screen's entrance next. Follow the path east, under the arch of a tree branch, then north to an EX Gem Lv3 chest. A little further east is a save point at a multi-way fork. East is a treasure to plunder with another EX Gem Lv4 to be had.
Return back the way you came and take the path south, curving east. Fire at the tree stump and follow the creature east. You'll be on the final screen of the dungeon. There are no items, so simply proceed north, then before the exit, veer east onto the path with the tree stump. Kratos awaits just beyond this pathway. The battle isn't very difficult, although you can prepare by equipping the Rare Helm and Gauntlet for thunder and earth-based protections, and having Sheena cook Seafood Stew. Encountering Kratos beyond, Lloyd's "soulmate" will encourage him, and the duel begins.
Since this duel doesn't have an item restriction like the Kuchinawa one, it's incredibly easy. Kratos has significantly slowed from your previous encounter, so you can actually land a sustained combo on him. Besides his usual Demon Fangs/Lightning Blade and such techs which are easy to guard, for whatever reason, he seems to be obsessed with casting Grave most of the time. Unless caught off-guard, this is easy to backstep out of, or at least, Guardian. If you find this an issue, open the menu and equip the Ruby accessory to combo with the earth-resistant Rare Gauntlet. Use Flare/Guard bottles, if you want, and stay healed with Lemon/Miracle Gels and Kratos is easily defeated.
The duel concluded, Kratos acknowledges just how much Lloyd has grown. He asks why Lloyd doesn't finish him. Lloyd explains that he defeated the traitorous, Cruxis Kratos, but has forgiven their friend Kratos, who helped them. Kratos stands, sprouts his wings, and touches the monolith of Origin, releasing the seal. Upon doing so, he immediately collapses, but Yuan appears and shares some of his mana with Kratos to sustain him (How come this was never mentioned as being an option?). He's frustrated at not being allowed to die, but is grateful to his son for showing him that his life still has meaning.
Origin appears above the monolith, but disenchanted by Mithos' shameful actions, refuses to forge a pact with anyone again. Even Lloyd and Sheena's pleads to him to use the Eternal Sword to save the worlds is not enough. Colette manages to soften Origin's hardened heart just a little, but ultimately, it is Kratos' advocacy of Lloyd's pure heart and motivations that persuades Origin. Of course, the pact cannot be formed without first a battle. You're then given a reprieve to set-up your party. Origin uses a lot of thunder-looking attacks, but none of them are actually elemental (Besides the actual lightning spells he does use that you are familiar with). I highly recommend bringing Raine, even if you have Zelos, as a plethora of healing will undoubtedly be needed. Cook up some Meat Stew with Regal in preparation, also.
Defeated, Origin drops the excellent Reflect Ring accessory that increases a character's resistances to all elements. I swapped this with Lloyd's Blue Sephira, but this also makes a great accessory for Colette, or others that have low Intelligence. After the battle, Origin provides the equally-great Diamond accessory, that boosts ALL statistics +20, and I always give to Kratos, or if I have Zelos instead, I give it to Colette (Sorry, Zelos). Sheena also obtains the Summon: Origin tech that employs a deadly, lightning-looking triangle (Not elemental, though) out in front of it, massively damaging anything within it, but this is only available to Sheena during her Overlimit. The summon boosts both Attack and Defense for the party, temporarily, as well.
With perfect timing, a trail of light strikes up through the center of the Tower of Salvation, tearing it to pieces! The remains of the Tower crash to the Earth, like meteors, utterly devastating a defenseless Heimdall. Yuan exclaims that Mithos is attempting to seal off the route to Derris-Kharlan so he cannot be followed!
With the pact forged with Origin, a couple of new things have become available, however, due to the lack of an eighth party member (Or two if you're getting Kratos), most cannot be triggered until the entire party has reunited in the final dungeon. There is one thing you can still do, though, and it is very time-sensitive. If Zelos is still in your party, and you have had him philander around the world talking to his "hunnies", he can finally receive his special title. Simply return to Zelos' manor in Meltokio and speak with Sebastian with him in the lead of your party. Zelos will be granted the title of Gigolo (HP, Str, Def, Int, Eva, Acc: 20%, TP: 10%) for his scandalous efforts. If Zelos was Lloyd's soulmate and taken by Mithos, you can still obtain the title, but will have an extremely short window to do so, I will, however, remind you when the time comes. Note: If you're on a new game+ and already received the title, this event will not occur a second time.
Fly back to Sylvarant and enter Dirk's House. Kratos provides the necessary materials to forge the Ring of the Pact; the ones you saw him hunting for in various optional scenes throughout the game. The two fathers then work to create the Eternal Ring (Key Item) for Lloyd, which is added to your inventory. At this point, either Kratos will be too wounded from his battle with Lloyd and stay behind with Dirk, or if you saw his scene in Flanoir, he will ask to accompany you into the final battle and rejoins your party (With new Judgment costume title). Either way, Kratos gives Lloyd his Flamberge and Dirk follows suit with his own forged icy blade to combine for the Material Blade weapon for Lloyd; which is non-elemental, by the way. This is, arguably, the best weapon in the game for Lloyd because of an intangible, despite being out powered by other weapons, but more on that in a minute. On stats alone, the Paper Fan could still be considered better, which is really unfortunate how they undercut the Material Blade's strength like they did. It should be at least a strength of 850, come on!
Note: You can never obtain the single Flamberge for your inventory, but it does appear in the Collector's Book.
Kratos' familiar Judgment costume. He's also gained the Judgment spell, which is identical to Colette's, however, it takes ages for Kratos to cast, so its usefulness is questionable. Kratos having finally rejoined, there will automatically be the skit: "Childhood Memory" where Kratos obtains the title of Dad (Int, Eva, Acc: 30%). If Kratos didn't join your party, go back inside and talk to the two dads for a scene.
Out on the world map, new skits can occur, but may not be immediately available due to missing one of your party members. They are: "Swords from Two Fathers", but Colette and Genis need to be in your party for it to occur. Another is "Separation of Derris-Kharlan" requiring Zelos and Raine. When you're prepared, fly back to Tethe'alla and enter the remains of the destroyed Tower of Salvation. The final battle looms ominously.
Only the base, with the Eternal Sword plunged within, remains of the Tower of Salvation. Lloyd takes hold of the Eternal Sword and asks it to take them to Derris-Kharlan in order to rescue their friend and stop Mithos' escape with the Great Seed. The sword recognizes Lloyd as its new wielder and he is granted the title of Eternal Swordsman (HP, Str: 70%, Def, Acc: 60%). If you fight a battle with this title equipped, and Raine is in your party, you'll activate the skit: "The Power that Transcends Time".
Since we're talking about ultimate attacks, I realized I hadn't brought up Genis' yet. If Genis knows the spell Indignation (T-Line) and has accumulated 50 uses of it, cast Indignation when he is in Overlimit to produce the spell: Indignation Judgment. Needless to say, this is the ultimate magic the little guy can produce!
With the final dungeon approaching, here's one last look at my suggested, current equipment for all of the characters:
- Lloyd: Material Blade, Star Mail, Star Helm, Rare Gauntlet, Faerie Ring, Reflect Ring
- Colette: Stardust/Tambourine, Mana Protector, Elemental Circlet, Draupnir, Rune Boots/Diamond, Rabbit's Foot
- Genis: Southern Cross, Warlock Garb/Rune Cloak, Star Cap, Draupnir, Spirit Symbol, Mystic Symbol
- Kratos/Zelos: Last Fencer, Rare Plate, Rare Helm, Star Shield, Diamond/Rune Boots, Emerald Ring
- Raine: Heart of Chaos, Heavenly Robe/Holy Robe, Star Circlet, Draupnir, Yata Mirror, Mystic Symbol/Blue Talisman
- Sheena: Money Bag, Shaman Dress, Hairpin, Star Bracelet, Rune Boots, Warrior Symbol
- Presea: Pow Hammer DX, Star Guard, Maid's Hairband, Star Gauntlet, Rune Cape, Holy Symbol
- Regal: Glory Arts, Phoenix Cloak, Aifread's Hat, Shield Ring, Elven Boots, Blue Talisman