Breath of Fire III - Chapter 6: Guardian's Deceit

 

Now that the faeries are safe, head back to Rhapala and see if the boat has returned. At the Wharf, talk to Beyd who regrets to inform you that the ship is still MIA. He suggests you ask Sinkar about using the road, which we already did, but okay. At the pub, since you helped fix the Lighthouse, Sinkar tells you about their super-secret shortcut through the volcano and hands you the Guild Letter vital item to show to the guard on Mt. Zublo.

 

Being a volcano and all, we're going to want to do some prep work for the journey. Firstly, I strongly suggest a party of Ryu, Nina, and Garr/Momo. You're going to want to move Ryu's weapon back to the Moon Sword, Momo equipping her Ice Chrysm, if wanting to take her instead of Garr, and stop by the inoculation shop and purchase Flameblock for all three characters. Garr already has natural resistance to fire, with the addition of Flameblock providing him total immunity. Anyone apprenticing under Yggrasil MUST have Flameblock or the results will be disastrous. Finally, bring the Burn skill (Yes, that's right), Frost Strike, and Nina with Snooze and the Dream Ring equipped; she is going to be casting Iceblast constantly and we can use Snooze to recover her AP without having to leave and rest (Which removes your Flameblock inoculations). When you arrive at Mt. Zublo, climb the stairs and head right, past the guard, and keeping to your right-side, follow the linear road up several flights of stairs to the volcano's entrance that's not-so-secret-looking.

 

Mt. Zublo, besides the obnoxious Lizards, is quite obviously full of fire creatures, but they have some very unique qualities about them. Lava Man are very similar to Volts, whom increase in statistics and experience rewarded when hit with their associated element, except one small detail: they can be boosted a near infinite number of times (Experienced awarded maxes out at 15 boosts, though)! That's right: the more Lava Men are attacked with fire, the stronger and more rewarding they become. Granted, even at level 99, increasing their power enough to receive max experience is suicide without a perfect setup, but it is, without question, the best place to level in the game. More will be talked about this later on in the guide when we begin shooting for level 99. For now though, be safe and only fight one at a time and limit their boosts to keep yourself safe.

 

Vulcans are an oddity: they won't do anything at all but defend and are impervious to physical attacks (Although Spirit Blast CAN scratch them). Nina can Iceblast them to death with no opposition or you can use this to perform Snooze to recover as much AP as you need. However, any fire-based attack like Burn, Flare, Simoon, Flare Sword, ect. they come "alive", but not quite like Lava Men. They do receive an experience bonus, but actually become weaker! They lose all of their defense and are easily dispatched without magic. They will, however, "erupt" with the learnable Lavaburst skill in protest, though, and is one of only two basic enemies in the game that possesses it. Lavaburst is somewhere between Fireblast and Inferno in terms of fire-based damage and is a perfect addition to Momo. At 300 EXP for each character, the "awakened" Vulcans make an exceptional level builder at this point in the game and is quite feasible to reach level 30 easily with some time.

 

Besides the great experience, you can also nab Proteins from Vulcans. Without the Speed Boots, success can be fleeting, though, however, once you have Charm from Meryleep, you can snatch them with relative ease, and with the frequency that Vulcans appear, this is absolutely the best place in the game to farm them to raise your character's Defense stat.

 

Vulcans even have a rare piece of armor to drop, and considering this is one of only two places in the game to find it, it is surprisingly obtainable. Usuable by Ryu and Garr, it is capable of absorbing fire-based damage as HP, but makes you weak against ice (Keep this in mind!). Its defense of 38 will be the strongest we will find for quite a bit of time, but its 8 weight makes it a boon on Agility. Make sure to leave the volcano with at least one.

 

It probably goes without saying, but stay off the standing lava flows by maneuvering around them and time your movements past the erupting gas from the floor of the volcano or you will take damage. Thankfully, your party is not dumb enough to follow you onto the damaging lava, but will get caught on the gas (Garr!). From the entrance, turn the corner and follow downward, taking the second right you come across (That's not blocked by lava). There's a cave to enter, where after carefully navigating across the room, you can score the AsbestosArmr from the treasure chest that is one-of-a-kind (Not talking about Balio and Sunder again!). Weaker than the Scale Mail, it provides a 50% bonus in fire protection. Combined with Garr or Flameblock, that character will be entirely immune to fire damage, so make sure to equip it for the dungeon. Back outside the cave, head upwards, forced to cross over a spill of lava, there is a 800 zenny chest to claim.

 

Directly down and across from the armor cave and zenny chest, there is a path that turns right and out to a new area. Quickly run between the two lava flows and gas jets and turn south to see a downward slope with yellow erupting gases from the wall that will confuse any character it touches. Time your rush down the slope, turning right at the bottom, slowly making your way past another jet in the wall spewing out. Ignore the steps down, which take you back towards where we came from, and move south again, against the wall, but needing to dodge multiple confusing gas jets on the way, until eventually tumbling down a slope where you will be lucky to have gotten through unconfused. You're rewarded for your efforts with the valuable Ring of Fire accessory that absorbs all fire damage as HP and Nina or Peco should use (Can't use armor). With it, the AsbestosArmr, and hopefully, a Magma Armor, you have nothing to fear from anything left in the volcano. Hop off the side and use the rope ladders, then steps, to climb back to the top and exit to the upper-right.

 

Note: For confused characters, putting them in the lead of your party and moving them around randomly seems to relieve the status quicker than them following behind. Additionally, you can use Croc Tears, Panacea, or cast Remedy.

 

The following room of Mt. Zublo is a massive one filled with cooling magma below and your party on an upper-level. The path curving around the room is linear until it branches where a treasure chest can be seen below. From there, head upwards, then around to your left to eventually come to a path leading down into the magma overflow. Hug the wall to the upper-left and follow it around, forced to cross over some lava and take damage, to eventually find the Miracle gene in the alcove. This extremely unique gene combines your entire party into a giant Behemoth form with a massive amount of HP, high Power and Defense, but low Agility and requires an equally-heavy amount of AP.

 

The Thorn and Defender genes both further skyrocket the Behemoth's statistics and you can splice elemental ones to create ideal situations for yourself. The Behemoth's default MeteorStrike ability works exactly as a Breath-type attack would: using your current HP as damage to a 50% clip. A Miracle, Reverse, and Thorn splice creates the special Wildfire form that looks like a whelp, but has double Power, triple Defense (Has Charge skill to use!), and double Agility, but almost no HP. In addition, the Wildfire is completely immune to all elements, and unaffected by status changes or death. Combined with Ryu's equipment, this is an incredibly destructive form if it can stay alive.

 

From the Miracle Gene, keep hugging the wall and move further south to pick up Peco's Flame Talons in the magma-covered chest. Stronger than the Spiked Claws, but fire-based, let's wait until we're clear of the dungeon to use them. Return back up to where the path forked, this time, heading south, then taking a left and across to a chest with a Wisdom Fruit. Further to the right, near a narrow passage, a boss awaits us. If your AP is spent, don't be afraid to leave and rest (Reapply inoculations, if necessary) before proceeding. Light Bangle, Life Sandals, and Dream Rings equipped for the boss is encouraged.

 

Apparently, there is a crazy old man with rabies squatting on the Guild's secret road and he's none too pleased to see Ryu. He rants on with some gibberish and calls up two dragon-like creatures to stop you. Probably the hardest fight in the game thus far, but easily manageable with fire and sleep resistance. Begin by casting Shield with Ryu, twice, or if you have Momo, using Protect. The two dragons will use Snap to lower your defense, and prematurely casting Shield/Protect will save you from having to counter it. Ignore the two beasts and go straight for Gisshan, stealing his Magician Rod first, if you want. Gisshan attempts to put the party to sleep and confuse them, more of an annoyance than anything, but the twin dragons have a skill to learn and items to steal, so the quicker we can remove Gisshan, the better. Hit him physically with Double Blow, Super Combo, and basic attacks; Nina can cast Weaken on him, also. His casting of Vitalize won't be enough to save him.

 

With Gisshan gone, steal Power Foods from both Charyb and Scylla, and examine them to attempt to pick up their Wall of Fire skill. Nina can then focus Iceblast on them, Momo attacking with Ice Chrysm, and whomever has Frost Strike performing it each turn. If you don't care at all about the items or Wall of Fire, and just want to end the battle quickly, transform Ryu into the Trygon form by splicing Flame, Ice, and Thunder genes together. Trygon is completely immune to fire and can breath-out Frost Breath for tremendous damage on the nutjob and his pets with Garr/Momo keeping Ryu's HP high.

 

Note: Wall of Fire is a single-target version of Fireblast, but is nearly equal to Lavaburst in terms of damage. It's okay if you don't get it here, we will see it again later in the game. 

 

Beyond the Gisshan battle is a sloping descent to the volcano's exit, but look for a well-hidden Life Shard treasure chest at the bottom.

 

Note: Free from the volcano's fire denizens, equip Ryu back with the Flare Sword and Peco with his new Flame Talons. If you need to return back to the western-world at any point, you'll have to hotfoot it through Mt. Zublo again (Hopefully with the Holy Mantle).

 

Angel Tower is to the south of the new Urkan Region, but let's first make an optional trip to Junk Town located in the north. Literally surrounded by junk, it's not necessary to visit here until much later in the game, but we can find find a few items and visit the shops if loaded with zenny. We'll also find out that the missing ship from Rhapala has broken down and been stranded here for repairs all this time. Four levels high, the stores are located on the third-from-top landing down and to the right of the stairs. At the weapon shop, go ahead and purchase the ShotgunShell for Momo since it is reasonably priced. You may consider the Thunder Rod for Nina, also, more so because it casts Jolt when used as an item, but be sure to save plenty of zenny for the next town. The electric-based Barbarossa sword and Gigantess spear have very high attack, but are incredibly heavy like the Claymore (As is the Thunder Rod), but if you have the zenny, by all means pick them up, however, the Barbarossa can eventually be found in a chest, but that comes much, much later.

 

The accessory/item shop has some really nice things! We already know how good the Titan Belt and High Boots are, but the Wisdom Ring and its +30 Intelligence are a must for Nina and Momo, or even Peco and Garr to bolster their magic defenses. We will, eventually, find one for free and they can be traded for at the next Manillo shop, to note. The Lion's Belt grants a +10 to a character's willpower, the hidden stat that determines whether they auto-revive at 0 HP. It, also, will be a freebie and tradable soon. Honestly, though, it's only useful for Garr who already has high willpower, and unless you put a lot of Moxas into a character to go with it, the +10 won't make much of a difference. The death-casting Belladonna item is new, as well, but we can steal some of those from an upcoming enemy. Remember: save plenty of zenny for the next town!

 

Across from the shops, head down the steps to Junk Town's lowest level. Enter the house to your left, then up the stairs in the backroom to take a Green Apple off the shelf. Back outside, walk behind the small building down from the one you exited, where you can vaguely spot a worker. There's a well-hidden satchel with a Tea Cup item to be found; another one of those "appears valuable" ones. Move around to the front and enter to pluck a MultiVitamin from the shelf here to bring a close to our brief Junk Town adventure.

 

To the far south, past Urkan Tapa and Angel Tower is this region's fishing spot with a frightening new catch: the Angler. As an item, the Angler casts Earthquake, but we have Dynamite for that. This spot's potential catches are below:

• Sea Bream (Sinker - 40cm)
• Black Porgy (Frog - 60cm)
• Angler (Worm - 100cm)
• Manillo (Coin - 200cm)

Note: Now able to catch Anglers, with three in-hand, along with three MartianSquid, and five Sea Breams, you can trade them for the Bell Collar at the Manillo shop near the McNeil Farm. An accessory that increases the encounter rate, I would not, personally, make the trade since it will become purchasable later, but you decide for yourself.

 

The Manillo shop of the Urkan Region has Wisdom Rings if you would prefer to trade than purchase. Otherwise, the level 3 fishing lures you might want, but not totally necessary and will eventually be sold in shops. Ginseng, that cast Might, are an outlier and hard to come by until the very end of the game.

 

Note: The random battlefields of the Urkan Region offer little we haven't already seen. You can still find Wisdom Seeds, Life, and Magic Shards in satchels, with the monsters being almost exactly the same as the Rhapala Region save for one we find in Angel Tower. 

 

Attempting to enter Angel Tower has us instead rerouted to Urkan Tapa for permission with Garr being required to meet with its Patriarch. The religious settlement is a convoluted series of multi-tier levels of walls and dwellings interconnected by sloping wooden boards. Thankfully, navigating them is optional due to the lack of items, however, if you climb to the very top, a building in the northwest houses an eerie statue that looks very similar to Garr. Speaking of Garr, you can get different dialogue from the residents with him as the party leader; all referencing him as a "Guardian" and "angel".

 

Up the first plank into Urkana Tapa you will clearly see the entrance to the equipment and item shop enclosed by four walls. Purchase the Halberd for Garr and a MithrilArmor for both he and Ryu, but only if they are not already using the superior Magma Armor. Pick up a Mithril Helm for both, also, and consider one for Momo, however, she will be leaving the party after Angel Tower, so decide for yourself whether to spend the zenny or not. There will be a freebie Mithril Helm in Angel Tower, but it's best saved for a rejoining Rei a bit later on. As for the MithrlShield, Ryu and Garr should both have one, but like with Momo, Peco will also be absent from the party after Angel Tower so decide whether buying one for him for one dungeon is in your budget. The item shop contains your basic items with no new ones, but make sure to be stocked up on Ammonia for Angel Tower. An update of what my current equipment looks like for the Tower is below:

• Ryu: Flare Sword, MithrShield, Mithril Helm, Magma Armor/MithrilArmor, Talisman, Light Bangle
• Nina: Magician/Thunder Rod, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Wisdom Ring
• Momo: ShotgunShell, Buckler, Mithril Helm, Crepe Cape, Wisdom Ring, Artemis' Cap
• Peco: Flame Talons, MithrShield, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Titan Belt, Life Sandals
• Garr: Halberd, MithrShield, Mithril Helm, Magma Armor/MithrilArmor, Titan Belt, Life Sandals

Note: To the bottom-left of the shop is a door that takes you inside a building that works as a makeshift-inn. Above it is the entrance to the inoculation shop. I highly recommend that the characters you take into Angel Tower, which must include Garr, should have Deathblock, with one character equipping the Talisman to go with it. You'll be glad you did.

 

At the ground entrance of Urkana Tapa, head to the right and enter the doorway on the far-side. The robed cleric, Hondara, will allow you to be his disciple if you learned the Backhand skill from Durandal back in Wyndia. It only needs to be in your skill notes; having it equipped isn't necessary. Statistic-wise, Hondara's usefulness is negated by the presence of Yggdrasil. The holy man provides a +1 AP/Intelligence, but reduces Power gains by -2. You get the exact same from Yggdrasil except a point more Intelligence and a bonus +1 in Defense, with only a minor loss of -1 HP. So, in that regard, there's no reason to ever master under Hondara except to learn his skills. However, he does have some nice passive benefits of increasing your death resistance by 50% and healing spells restore double the amount of HP on an apprenticed character (This is the "holy up" mentioned on the master list at camp). Talked about with Giotto earlier, I recommend not mastering under Hondara until later in the game because the Urkan Region is about to become inaccessible for a good portion of the game. Listed below are Hondra's taught skills:

• Purify (2): Recovers from poison. The same Ryu, Momo, and Peco learn.
• Kyrie (5): Instantly kills any monsters, usually undead, that are weak against holy (Those turned with Gloom, also). This can even work on a few bosses. Garr eventually learns this, too.
• Benediction (8): This, essentially, casts Raise Dead on the entire party which only has a 75% success rate. Costs a whopping 20 AP, also.

Note: For those who take their statistical gains extremely serious and want to spend as few levels with Hondara as necessary, Benediction can be learned from a monster at the very end of the game, so in actuality, you only need to waste five levels under him. Also, for those wondering, Hondara's "holy prop up" only relates to curative spells (Not items) on the character and does not increase the attack of holy-based weapons or abilities.

 

Above Hondara's room the Patriarch, Sudama's, quarters are sealed off by a massive rock that only Garr can move. Inside, some head-scratching exchanges between the two are made, including the talk of "no more evil in the world" and Garr "sleeping" with his comrades. Admittance into Angel Tower is granted with Sudama giving his farewells to "Guardian" Garr. He will be a required member for the dungeon, naturally.
 

At the conclusion of Angel Tower, a major shift in the game occurs that would be wise to prepare for. Ryu and Garr will be your only party members for an extended period of time and will be confined to the western-side of the world with the Rhapala Region and beyond being locked to us for a considerable amount. This is why I have advised to leave Giotto and Hondara for later in the game. Choose carefully which masters you want Ryu and Garr to go forth with since their access to other ones will be heavily restricted for several dungeons. Nina, Momo, and Peco will retain all their equipment, skills, and level when they rejoin the party, so there's no need to remove them or preset a master beforehand. I would advise that if you are using Steal on a character other than Ryu or Garr, that you transfer it over to them, however. You don't want to be without it until they rejoin.

 

Note: For those that want to collect 99 of every item, now is your last chance to return to Wyndia and purchase Bread. After Angel Tower, the item can no longer be obtained.

 

Within Angel Tower, Trickers and LizardMn continue to persist. The AP-Depressing Spectres from the Lighthouse are also back and should be dealt with swiftly. New encounters include the easily-defeated, but confusion-inducing Cerebus. Their Howling can confuse the entire party and make things very difficult if you aren't using the Light Bangle or Life Sandals to help ward it off. Cerebus are the best source of Vitamins (The one with the "S" healing all party members) in the game for those that want to collect as many as you can, but you'll need Charm for any real consistency in their drop. You can steal Beef Jerky from them also, but that will eventually be purchasable.

 

The red-robed, bow-wielding Phantoms begin to show up inside the Tower and are tremendously dangerous. Able to Lucky Strike, they also cast Death with deadly accuracy if your defense is not bolstered with a Talisman or Deathblock. Use an Ammonia immediately to revive characters so they do not suffer from the effects of lowered max HP; Raise Dead is a waste of AP with resurrection not being guaranteed. They are weak against fire, so a hit from Ryu's Flare Sword and Garr's Pyrokinesis should be enough to down them in one turn. If you want to take the risk, you can steal Belladonnas from them. 

 

You'll need Momo in your party for the very beginning of Angel Tower to access some treasure, but can be switched out afterward, if you desire. Begin by climbing the stairs (You will be stopped if Garr is not present), but instead of climbing all the way to the top, you'll notice a broken part of the column along the side to your right. Hop off the edge to take the Ivory Dice chest, then drop down again, moving between the broken column at the bottom. You'll spot another chest you can leap off to that contains a Wisdom Seed.

 

Jump off again and head up and to your left to return to the stairs. Back before the Ivory Dice chest drop-off, you'll see a guard standing by a ledge. Near him, drop off four consecutive times to the bottom. To the south is a staircase leading into a mysterious room where a naked, blue-haired woman is suspended in a barrier of light. There's nothing to do here but observe she shares the same fashion sense as Garr with the green bracelets.

 

The stairs to the north carries you into Angel Tower itself. Down the first long flight of stairs, move up and switch Momo into the lead of your party. At the end of the corridor, have her blast the obviously cracked wall with her chrysm cannon to create a doorway. Follow the linear path downward to two treasures: Moon Tears and a Diamond Ring accessory. The Diamond Ring grants a 75% resistance to instant-death (100% for Peco or those with a Talisman or Deathblock inoculation).

 

Back at the base of the entrance stairs, head downward then around the corner and take the stairs to the next level. Just to the right is a small ascent up that you can follow out to a new area. Travel to the far-right-side of the hallway to see a stand-alone block outside a doorway. Place Garr into the lead of the party and have him push the block back to the left-side and deposit it up into the space seen in the above screenshot to create a makeshift-bridge on the upper-level. Return the way you came in: through the exit around the corner to your left, then down the small steps, before climbing the large set yet again. At the top, there is a doorway to your right that exits you out to the top of the area you created the walkway. Follow it around to the right-side, across the moved block, to pick up a Mithril Helm in a chest. If you didn't get a Mithril Helm for Momo, don't equip her with this one: it's best saved for when Rei rejoins our party in the near-future.

 

Retrace your steps back to where you found the moveable block and enter the doorway that was behind it. Move directly north down a long corridor to a door on the far-side. Inside is a Soul Gem to plunder. Head back out and then down the stairs in the middle of the open room to your lower-left.

 

At the bottom of the first set of stairs you see in the next area, search in the upper-left-corner for a Napalm treasure. 

 

Note: You will notice the encounter rate has been drastically increased in this room due to the nature of the puzzle. Even the Holy Mantle doesn't seem to reduce them.

In this massive room are several blocks that Garr must move perfectly into place to create a path across the platforms to the end of the dungeon. Move back up the stairs and proceed to the right-side of the room and down the stairs there. Stop and have Garr push the block slightly inward to where you see in the above screenshot (Don't push a block against a wall too much or it will shatter and you'll have to exit the room to respawn it). From there, continue downward, making a turn to the left. Follow the passage all the way to the bottom and look for the Skill Ink treasure tucked way to the far-left.

 

Back down the passage, look for a block on a narrow walkway just north of where you made the turn down from the previous block. Push the block upward and adjust it and the one above it like they are in the above screenshot. In position, go around to the right-side and push the other block downward and nestle it between the two platforms so that the stairs above can be crossed over to.

 

Retreat all the way back to the base of the stairs you found the Napalm. Head straight down, then to the right to be positioned next to one of the two blocks you pushed on the other side. Push it inward a ways, then north to be aligned next to the other. In the above screenshot, you can see where all three blocks must be positioned to access the exit. When prepared to complete Angel Tower, climb the small set of stairs you passed and navigate the positioned blocks to the stairs on the lower-right-end.

 

Garr suddenly requests that he and Ryu go further alone, to which your third member returns up the stairs. Search the epitaph, labeled "Guardian Garr" to the far-west-side of the massive monument. Garr is a dragon-slayer and the grounds of the Angel Tower are littered with the remains of those he and his brethren slayed. He tells the story of how 400 years ago Ryu's kind, the Brood, tried to dominate the world and the Urkan people pleaded with their God to give them the power to fight back. Garr is one of those that the God's holy power was bestowed and he's brought Ryu here to finish the last of his kind!

 

This duel will turn out quite differently from the one at the Contest of Champions since Garr seems to have spent time training under Durandal and forgot how to fight effectively, even though he claimed to be holding back at the Contest and this time it's for real, but anyway...You don't need any strategy. For overkill, splice the Miracle and Defender genes and he could never hope to overcome the Behemoth's massive HP and Defenses.

 

A defeated Garr questions why Ryu doesn't finish him off when the mysterious voice heard when Ryu was a whelp in Dauna Mine states that Garr is not his enemy. Ryu begins to lose control and transforms into what Garr calls the "Kaiser Dragon" and escapes from Angel Tower while it collapses around a bewildered Garr. Alone in darkness, Ryu is once again confronted by a purple-haired figure that declares they are different than the "others" and Ryu should not be with them.

 

Ten years later, inside the Dauna Mine, Garr is chasing a whelp within its depths. Through its fiery breath, Garr delivers a blow to reveal a much-older Ryu. The Urkan has spent all these years in search of him and asks for his forgiveness for what happened at Angel Tower (Your choice doesn't change anything). He leaves Ryu a new set of clothes and his equipment and asks that you follow him when ready. Leave through the upper-right exit, as you did as the whelp at the start of the game, to find Garr waiting. He has experienced an existential crisis after the events at Angel Tower and must know the truth about the Brood from God itself. Asking Ryu to let him live to see this through, he rejoins the party.

 

Note: The Passport item has become the Old Passport under vital items. 

 

This section of the Dauna Mine is exactly the same as the start of the game (Absent the scared miners!). There are no items to find, and only empty rooms, so simply head for the lower-right exit to be outside the giant, chrysm-encased dragon skull where Ryu, as the whelp, was captured. This time, if you head to the top of the platform to the north, there are three treasures to raid for a Vitamin, Life, and Magic Shard. To the southwest of the room, you can use a control panel to direct yourself between two other floors via a lift. Select B1 and as the two ride upward, a vengeful shadow is shown watching...

 

B1 is an optional, but linear section we can pick up a few items. Just down onto the tracks is a chest with a Lgt.Clothing armor. It's totally inferior to the Magma and MithrilArmor, but does only have a weight of 1, which may be considered for Garr if he has been studying under Fahl and failed to gain any points in Agility.

 

To the south exits further onto the mine tracks. Continue to follow them to find yourself outside. Enter the small shack and pocket the 200 zenny from the shelf. The Manillo merchant sells your basic items, if needed, but has Titan Belt and High Boots accessories, also. Done, backtrack to the lift and select B2 this time.

 

Monsters begin to be encountered on B2 to put the new-look Ryu to the test. All are weak against fire, so his Flare Sword will be of good use. Despite this, make sure Ryu and Garr are both equipped with either the Magma Armor, AsbestosArmr, or Ring of Fire. GntRoaches, when paired with FireSlugs, will use the learnable Douse skill. Douse, determined by status resistance, attempts to make the effected target weak against fire. It can negate current resistance, so even with the above-mentioned equipment, if Douse connects, you will become weak against fire. Can be useful for Garr and setting up Pyrokinesis, I guess, but likely won't see much use. The Roaches have Jump to learn, also.

 

Without fire resistance, the innumerable FireSlugs will reek havoc with their Firebreath, which you may remember from the Dump, but with Douse in play, it becomes incredibly dangerous. Unlike the Dump, however, FireSlugs are frequently encountered in this first large room and is the best place in the game to obtain Moxa. Not an incredibly rare drop to begin with, adding in their number, frequency, and use of the Charm skill, farming Moxas can be very efficient here for those that want to boost each character's willpower.

 

Note: The humorous ZombieDr is found within the Dauna Mines, as well. Able to steal MultiVitamins, and pick up the Bone Dart skill if you haven't already, they are well-known for casting Vitalize on their entire group of undead friends, destroying them instantly!  

 

Just off the lift, there's a room to the right where Ryu and Garr can rest and save. A bit further down, still on the upper-level, to the far-right-side of the room, there's a doorway to a small room with a MultiVitamin chest. More importantly, notice the damaged wall here. When Momo rejoins the party, we'll need to return and blast it to obtain a very useful item!

 

Below is a large room with mine cart tracks, who's trajectory can be altered with switches, and a cart full of dynamite at the start that Garr can push. To find an item, start by hitting the switch to the lower-right of the cart, then down and to the right of it, flip the switch there that is at the bottom of the room. Head back to the cart and have Garr shove it eastward to create a walkway to the treasure you can access via climbing the slope directly to the south of the cart's start position. The chest contains the wind-based FeatherSword for Ryu that is one-of-a-kind and missable! If you destroy the dynamite cart before obtaining the treasure, it is lost forever! Despite it being stronger and lighter than the Flare Sword, I recommend keeping the fire-based one equipped for the duration of the dungeon.

 

To clear the obstruction and move further on, move back to the 2nd switch you flipped, in the south, return it to its previous position, and push the cart back to its starting location. Directly north of the second switch, activate that switch, this time, and push the dynamite cart to the north. Once you push the cart eastward to its destination, a boss fight will occur. To make things easier, have Ryu equipped with the Flare Sword and Garr with a Magma Armor and the Life Sandals and Light Bangle accessories. If lacking Magma Armor, give Garr the Ring of Fire in place of the Life Sandals. Pushing the dynamite into the large boulder results in its destruction, but the pursuing shadow makes its appearance. It demands to know Garr's intentions and where he is leading Ryu. Scoffing at the Guardian's wanting to take Ryu to meet their God, he insists that Ryu avenge his fallen people by killing Garr. When Ryu, and the voice in his heart refuse, a battle ensues.
 

The Dragon Zombie can be either laughably easy, or downright dreadful depending on your equipment and approach. Its got a Power Food to steal, so make sure to get that. Being undead, you can actually instantly defeat it if Garr has learned Kyrie or it was taught by Hondara. Otherwise, you're going to be contentiously hit with poison and confusion-inflicting attacks and the battle becomes chaotic. If Ryu has learned Restore, you can just stay in human form and cast it on the bloody thing for massive damage. If Ryu has a good mount of maximum AP, splice Eldritch and Thorn together to create a dragon that can cast Restore on the undead creature. In dragon form, Bone Dance is almost assured to confuse Ryu, but with the recommended equipment setup, Ryu's attacks will actually heal Garr if he is targeted and Garr can focus an attack on him in turn to knock him out of his daze. If you're lacking in AP, you can achieve a similar effect by using the Flame and Defender genes and attacking with Flame Claw. Garr can administer Antidotes, perform Pyrokinesis, or use Vitamins on the Dragon Zombie in support.

 

Note: The Dragon Zombie can very rarely drop the Dragon Tear, a rather useless item, however, it is incredibly hard to come by, but can eventually be gotten elsewhere. If you have Charm and Kyrie it may be worth trying for here.

 

After the battle, the remains of the malicious Dragon Zombie grants Ryu the power of the Shadow gene. Then, a mysterious blue-haired member of the Brood, the one that has been calling out to Ryu and restraining his dragon rage against others, bestows upon him the Fusion gene and refers to him as a "true dragon" puzzling both him and Garr. The Shadow gene is all about death, status afflictions, and their defenses. Innately, it diminishes healing spell effects while in the form, but provides 75% protection from status and death-based spells, however spliced with Thorn, this achieves a 100% shield. Its Shadow Breath, being death-based, causes no damage, but attempts to instantly kill all enemies. Together with the Flame gene creates the ability to cast Ebonfire; a unique, non-elemental spell.

 

The Fusion gene does nothing on its own, however, it can be spliced with other genes to create special dragon forms that utilize members of your current party (Think Karn from the original Breath of Fire and Shamans in II). Once the party has reunited fully, I will talk more in-depth about this. Proceed through the dynamite-blasted door to the far-end of the tracks to continue the journey through the Mine.

 

Keeping eastward across the tracks takes you to a ladder that eventually leads to a point outside the mine, but there's nothing to be found there. Instead, turn south and enter the door at the top of the platform. Take the door on the right inside the small corridor to enter another mining area. There are chests to the upper and lower-right paths containing a Lion's Belt accessory and Protein. Leaving the treasure room, follow the wooden walkway to the mine's exit; stopping by the control room and activating the lever inside to raise the steel platform before. Garr confirms that the dragon is gone to a worker, but hearing of the devastation brought on by himself, out of control or not, is hard for Ryu to handle.

 

A reward was promised to Garr for getting rid of the dragon problem, but we'll need to find the boss. To find his office, head down the slope and off to your right where there stands two buildings side-by-side. Entering the first, Garr is given 3000 zenny, with the guarantee that the dragon won't be an issue any longer. The miners warn that if headed down the mountain, a vicious monster is attacking people on the Ogre Road, and you may want to stop by the ominously-named Syn City first. Next door, Gary, one of the workers Ryu toasted at the beginning of the game, managed to survive but appears to be now be crippled. You can rest and save in the two buildings, also. Move down the slope to your lower-left and then south through the gates to exit the Dauna Mine. Automatically camped, Ryu has a nightmare of his actions in the Mine. Garr, again, apologizes to Ryu for the past, and reiterates his desire to take Ryu to meet his God for answers. They'll need to pass through the mountains, toward Wyndia, and finally back to Angel Tower.

Breath of Fire III - Chapter 5: Life's a Beach

Before we leave the area, make one more stop in Genmel and visit our previous "captor" in the pub, Fahl. He's willing to apprentice you, but you're going to need to fight 30 battles in a row without resting to earn it. These battles can be anywhere; simply come back when you're done and Fahl will stay sober long enough to be your master. Like Bunyan, Fahl is all about offense and defense with no regard to anything else. Bonuses include: +4 to HP, +3 to Defense, and +1 to Power, but Intelligence and Agility is a staggering -3 reduction. For characters like Peco and Garr that are already diminished in those areas, and extremely hard to overcome for them, Fahl makes sense to further amplify their strengths. Another negative of training under Fahl is the reduction of your chance to dodge by 5. Fahl's taught skills are outlined below, most of which you likely already learned from enemies:

• Charge (2): A physical attack based directly upon your Defense stat, but tends to be dodged a lot due to Agility being a factor in its success. Perfect for a Fahl-trained character, especially Peco, the damage will continue to increase throughout the game and requires 0 AP. Several previous monsters like the Volt and ArmorBot you may have likely learned it from.
• Counter (4): The character takes a defensive stance and a reprisal is guaranteed if they are attacked during that turn. Forget about this, I can't find any scenarios where it would be more useful than taking another action. This actually works for Nina and Momo, too, who normally can never offer a reprisal.
• Resist (6): All damage for that turn is nullified, but can only be used on the casting character, and without the speed to act quicker than your adversaries, it's a waste of a turn. It was possible to learn this from the Stallion boss.

Now that Balio and Sunder aren't hindering out travels, we can freely explore the world again; including the Yraal Region finally. The first thing I recommend doing is heading back to Cedar Woods and apprenticing Peco, who is hopefully still at level 1, under Bunyan. Not only will Bunyan power up our onion knight, but knocking out his required 10 levels of skills while at a low level is ideal. In particular, Super Combo, gained at 8 levels, will make an upcoming, usually very annoying, portion of the game laughable. Head back to the very end of Chapter 2 to learn more about Bunyan and his skills. 

 

Once Peco is finished with Bunyan, feel free to switch him over to Fahl, or even D'lonzo to make up some Agility lost. The same goes for Garr, also, with Mygas being an option to gain some Intelligence for the two fighters with minor loses to their Power/Defense. 

 

Note: While in the Yraal Region, if you were unable to acquire the Gloom skill early in the game, and have learned Backhand from Durandal, now you can. Using Backhand on the Bats inside the Nue cave on Mt. Glaus will lower their HP to 1 and force them to use Gloom.

 

Let's talk about some items we can pick up using Steal we have been unable to optimize due to Balio and Sunder's blockade. At Mt. Boumore, the side near Genmel, or Mt. Myrneg, if you want, we can steal Clay Vases from the Tar Men. Another rather useless "appears valuable" item, it's best acquire by theft here.

 

Still on the Mountain, or outside Momo's Tower, we can lift MultiVitamins from Gongers. Although we saw it for sale at the Arena, which is no longer accessible, we will be unable to buy this item again for a long time, and other monsters rarely possess it, so it would be a good idea to stock up on these as they recovery the entirety of your HP.

 

Back at the Dump, both the Rank and PainWeeds have the Bat Amulet accessory to rob. This is the only place in the game you can obtain more one.

 

I talked about holding off on buying a BronzeShield because we can steal them off Orcs on either the backside of Mt. Boumore or the early floors of Momo's Tower. Saved us some zenny! Speaking of zenny, also in Momo's Tower, you can steal Breastplates from ArmorBots and Curiass from HyperBots. The former will net you a cool 500 zenny when sold, with the latter noted in case you held off on buying one earlier.

 

Still at the Tower, Ice Toads hold precious Life Shards to steal; although without the Speed Boots they can be a pain to swipe, at the moment anyway. Ice Toads are one of only two basic encounters you can steal Life Shards from in the game.

 

West of Eygnock Road, just off Mt. Myrneg, is a new fishing spot to try out. There is only one new fish to catch there, the MartianSquid, and you'll need either a Spirit or a Worm with tec to get it to bite. Below are the spot's catches, as always, with favored lure and sized needed for maximum points in parenthesis:

• Jellyfish (Any - 30cm)
• Bass (Any - 40cm)
• MartianSquid (Worm - 80cm) 

Note: North of Mt. Myrneg is another Yggdrasil tree. Peco can speak with it, but it does not function as a master like the one near the Plant.

 

Put Nina into your party and make for Wyndia when ready to continue the story. Stop by the weapon shop and purchase another Claymore; yes it's pricey, but we will earn our money back, I promise. You may consider picking up some Life Sandals as additional character accessories, also. Talk to the guard at the entrance of Wyndia Castle with Nina at the lead of your party to announce her return. A banquet is held for the protectors of the princess that night. Nina almost drops Ryu's secret of being a dragon to her father, who already knows of their frightening history, but Garr interrupts and asks for a Passport to the eastern lands of which the thankful King gladly issues to the party. Her friends having departed, Nina is alone in her room when a shriek and crash is heard downstairs. Search the princess' dresser for 120 zenny and use the stairs to check things out.

 

Move Nina down and to the left onto the blue-colored flooring. Nestled in the alcove are two shelves each holding Gems: don't forget to search both of them! Speak to the maid next to the broken plate to see what looks like Honey dashing past! Keep heading down across the blue rug and ascend the stairs at the end. Search the dressers on the first landing for a Healing Herb and the container in the upper-left-corner for a Coin fishing lure. For a scene, Nina can talk to her exhausted, bed-ridden mother. Up the next flight of stairs is the King's room where another Healing Herb is inside a dresser.

 

Note: The stairs on the opposite side of the Gem shelves lead to a library where you can learn a bit about dragons and the history of Wyndia, if curious.

 

Back down to the central floor, head down and to your left, following the hallway to a bedroom with a dresser containing a Panacea. Returning up the hallway, keep right, passing by the throne room, then the stairs up to Nina's room, and descending the stairs next to the guard who thinks he saw a rat. Continue downward, veering to your right, then down the stairs at the end to find yourself in familiar territory: the prison! Take the Vitamin off the shelf and return up; we still cannot access that treasure chest we saw earlier in the game locked up in the cell. The bottom-left staircase in the basement leads to the kitchen. Try to ignore the unsanitary conditions of mice and live chickens running around near the food preparation and snag another Panacea from the shelf in the corner.

 

Take the downward kitchen stairs into the wine cellar. Off the landing of the first row of casks, rotate the camera to spy a mouse hiding to the bottom-left of the second row. Answer yes and the mouse will give you the Cheese item. Another novelty recovering 20 HP, this is, perhaps, the most missable item in the entire game. Not only is it the only Cheese you can acquire, if you fail to get it now, the mouse will not be here later. Don't leave without this item! To locate Honey, head upward from the Cheese mouse and look behind the last wine cask in the same row to see her hiding.

 

Hurry after Honey back up to Nina's room and out onto the terrace. The scared chrysm robot is teetering on the edge and Nina tries to swoop in and rescue her, only for both of them to plummet off the balcony. Honey's chrysm power is enough to slow their descent, and Nina lands safely below, but Honey appears to be hurt. Cut to Ryu's camp where Momo is searching for Honey when Nina comes running in with her. Thankfully, she's just run out of chyrsm and Momo can recharge her. Garr talks with Ryu about what to expect at Angel Tower: in particular, that he may lose his life. Overhearing, Nina insists that she accompany them in order for Ryu to not be alone in his ordeal and our party is once again reunited. The Passport item has been added to your Vital inventory, to note.

 

Eastward bound, enter the Checkpoint where Garr very dubiously convinces the guards that Nina is, in fact, his daughter and not the princess. On the long bridge crossing into the Rhapala Region, Garr speaks candidly about wanting to Ryu to use his powers, to the dismay of Nina who wants to become stronger to protect him from having to do so. Garr would enjoy Dragon Quarter, I bet. Anyway, we'll talk in-depth about the new region soon, but for now, enter Rhapala to the southeast to pick up some items first.

 

On the left-hand-side, off Rhapala's entrance, next to the inoculation hub, is the weapon/item shop. Search the shelf for a Molotov before indulging. Pick up the Long Spear for Garr, Spiked Claws for Peco, and a QuarterStaff for Nina, however, if you rarely use Nina to physically attack, it's smarter to keep her equipped with the +3 Int Magician Rod, but buy one for your inventory. If you've been following along closely, you should be set for armor already, but if you failed to steal the two Scale Mails during the Contest of Champions, you may need to purchase some. Ryu and Garr should have one equipped, with the third in your inventory for upcoming purposes. If you had the third equipped on Momo, switch back to the Crepe Cape. For reference, here is what my current equipment looks like:

• Ryu: Moon Sword, Buckler, Knight'sHelm, Scale Mail, Speed Boots, Light Bangle
• Nina: Magician Rod/QuarterStaff, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots, Life Sandals
• Momo: Ammo, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, High Boots/Life Sandals, Artemis' Cap
• Peco: Spiked Claws, Buckler, Glass Domino, Crepe Cape, Dream Ring, Titan Belt
• Garr: Long Spear, Buckler, Knight'sHelm, Scale Mail, Bat Amulet, Life Sandals

 

There are two new fishing spots in the Rhapala Region, so it was important we stop by the item shop to be able to purchase second-level lures of each type.

 

Back out to the world map, hug the shoreline and look for an ? location that is an empty cabin up on a hill. Inside, take the Life Shard out of the chest of drawers, then circle around back and down to the rocky coastline to obtain Ryu's Thunder gene. Same as the Flame/Frost genes, but being electric-based, you can now splice all three genes together to access the special Trygon form. Able to use all three elemental Breaths, but not the Claws, unfortunately, it is also completely immune to the trio of elements, and boosts your HP, Power, and Defense more than the typical dragon form.

 

Down the hill outside the cabin on the world map, continue to follow the shoreline northwest to a fishing hole with two new ones to catch. Below are the hole's prospects:

• Man-o'-War (Any - 30cm)
• Flying Fish (Popper - 20cm)
• Sea Bream (Sinker - 40cm)

The second fishing spot is located on the coastline to the south of the bridge. There is one new fish, the Sea Bass, and it is the toughest one to catch thus far in the game. We need a new rod (Not soon, regretfully)! Catches are as followed:

• Man-o'-War (Any - 30cm)
• Flying Fish (Popper - 20cm)
• Sea Bass (Worm, Sinker, or Popper - 60cm)
• Octopus (Worm - 70cm)

Remember the very first Manillo shop west of the McNeil Farm? If you can fish up 9 Sea Bass, 4 regular Bass, and 3 Black Bass, you can now trade them for the Holy Mantle accessory that reduces encounter rate. You can get basic and Black Bass from the spot northwest of the Plant. You can buy the Holy Mantle, but much later in the game.

 

On the same coast as the fighting spot, is a ? area. Hanging out here is Giotto, a new master, but will only accept you if your fishing class is, at minimum, Rodmaster, which you should be well over if you have caught at least one of each fish by now. Giotto's tutelage grows your HP by 4, AP by 3, but drops the potential of your other statistics by 1. Giotto is a solid master for Ryu, who is well-rounded, and the AP greatly benefits his dragon forms, but in my opinion, I would not apprentice anyone under him until later in the game. Like several times already, we will be locked out of the eastern areas of the game for a long period of time and Giotto will be inaccessible to pick up his skills and then change masters. So, unless you are planning to pick up all eight of his levels in the next few dungeons, I would hold off. Information about Giotto's skills are outlined below:

• Trump (2): If you are at exactly 0 AP, you randomly draw from the same pool of spells as the Recall skill and cast them for free. You're unlikely to reach exactly 0 AP, so it's just another gimmick skill you won't use.
• Berserk (5): The character's Power is tripled, but goes out of control, attacking any target, including allies, at random, then dies after 3 turns. You can, however, use the Influence skill to designate a target.
• Sudden Death (8): This casts the Death spell on a random target on the battlefield, even allies, and is subject, like the spell itself, to the unlucky selection's death immunity. Of no use, whatsoever.

To the southeast of Rhapala is massive Mt. Zublo, but it is inaccessible due to a recent eruption. At the base, you can score a Protein by searching the path off to your right.

 

Locations out of the way, let's talk about the Rhapala Region's random battlefields. New satchels on them include the 20 AP-recovering Wisdom Seed, along with Ammonia, Life and Magic Shards finds. We're going to spend some time here, so search out those bags!

 

You'll undoubtedly encounter countless LizardMn in these areas. They will use either the Double Blow or Wind Strike skills; the latter we haven't seen before. It is a simple wind-based weapon attack, but can do heavy damage to those that heave a weakness to it. With cronies, it will cast Shield, which is a skill, but can't be learned and must be taught by Yggdrasil, bummer. You can steal their Broad Swords off them to pawn, also.

 

Note: LizardMn hold the first of extremely rare, but nearly-impossible odds to get equipment drops: The Flame Shield. Thankfully, there is another way to get this item later in the game, but even that, too, is not optimal, but it is better than this abysmal drop rate.

 

You can lift the "appears valuable" Gems item from the Trickers. It's the only enemy in the game that holds them.

 

Use Blind on the Trickers to have them perform the Target skill to learn. Target nearly guarantees a hit with a weapon attack, but drops the power of the attack by half. Useful for "nut" enemies or those who evade with low HP, but otherwise, has little usefulness. The loss in power does not benefit the accuracy-lacking Momo at all.

 

The Trickers have another "trick" up their sleeve: the Flying Kick skill. This is a very similar skill to Charge, but uses your Agility instead of Defense to apply physical damage; although misses frequently due to the accuracy of the attack based on your Agility stat, as well. Likely won't be of much use to the party until Rei rejoins.

 

Note: I recommend taking time to try to even up Peco and Garr's levels with Nina and Momo's. LizardMn, often accompanied by others, offer the most EXP at this moment. Make use of Monopolize if you want to keep Ryu's levels from getting too far ahead.

 

Back to Rhapala, around the corner and across the bridge from the row of shops is the inn. On the bottom floor is a bar. Speak to the red-vested, bearded man at the table, Sinkar, who directs you to the Wharf to ask his daughter, Shadis, about finding a ship. After, climb the stairs behind him and take the Panacea out of the chest of drawers. Outside the inn, take the stairs down and exit out to the Wharf to the upper-left.

 

How cool is this Dandy? Smooth like silk.

 

On the right-side of the docks you'll easily spot Shadis, the blonde in the short-shorts surrounded by some curious characters. They're involved in a personal squabble with the blowhard, Zig, bulling the four-eyed Beyd. Shadis leaves, but you can talk to Beyd about the boat which is not currently running, and other various topics going on in Rhapala. Shadis is waiting near the entrance of the Wharf, and you can inquire about the same topics, with her suggesting you talk to her father about using the road around Mt. Zublo.

 

Sinkar, in the pub, says that using the road is out of the question since the eruption of Mt. Zublo has made is inaccessible and that you'll just have to wait for the boat. Leave Rhapala to automatically camp. Everyone is concerned about making it to Angel Tower, except Nina who is plotting to stick her nose in the Guild's ongoing love triangle. Nina and Momo are both added to your party when you visit the Wharf. Talk to Beyd with Nina as the party's leader to confront him about his feelings for Shadis. Relocated, Nina proposes that Beyd get stronger, with their help, to be a strong figure for Shadis and the Guild, but he's too insecure and prefers to return to his bookkeeping.

 

Follow Beyd back to the usual location to find out that Zig is headed to the Lighthouse, which is, of course, full of monsters, to get it operational again and win Shadis' hand in marriage from her father in the process. Speak to Beyd with Nina again who this time agrees to the training. He hands over 1000 zenny and asks the group to buy him a weapon and piece of armor, requesting they be as light as possible, but let that go in one ear and out the other. We already have a Claymore and Scale Mail ready for him, so agree to begin training. That night, when he asks for you to give him the equipment, exit out of the equipment menu, then tell him you got nothing for him to receive an additional 1000 zenny! You can only cheat him once, however. I feel bad about it, though.

 

There are two very distinct ways to go about the Beyd situation: the easy way or the hard way. If you have learned Super Combo from Bunyan, I strongly advise you to take the easy way to save yourself some time and skip training Beyd completely by defeating him to end the session. If you do not have Super Combo, or if you want to do this "legit" here is what you need to know about training Beyd to take on that Bluto Zig:

• Make a party of Ryu, Nina, and Momo in the Normal formation. Give Nina the QuarterStaff, Titan Belt, and Backhand skill. If Momo does not know the Might spell, then remove all of Nina's armor. Beyd, with a Claymore, can kill Nina in Attack formation with no armor or with Might cast, so I do not recommend it even though it would be more advantageous.
• You have 20 turns to train, not counting EX turns. Training ends if Beyd's HP reaches 0 regardless of the turn number.
• Beyd's maximum HP raises the more damage he takes. Simply have Nina use Backhand each turn, which cannot defeat him, while Momo casts Heal on him when he is just about out of HP. Casting Protect isn't necessary since we want him to reach low HP. Ryu should never take an action and just select examine since his reprisal will undoubtedly kill Beyd.
• When Beyd's HP gets low, he will take a defensive stance. An attack during this period bolsters his defense. He's kind of inconsistent with this, though.
• The accumulative damage that Beyd makes on the party increases his attack. If Momo has it, cast Might on him to amplify his damage. He will routinely target the character with the lowest defense, namely Nina, but not always, and that is why it's important to have Ryu examining every turn. Without Might, Beyd will do very good damage against an armor-less Nina, but regardless, she will need to be healed. Ryu is perfect for this if he gets an EX turn.
• If you spent two sessions, of all 20 turns following these rules, Beyd will be more than enough of a match for Zig. Of course, even if not, we have some tricks we can use in his support.

This was my result of just one session. You can probably beat Zig with only this and some perfectly-timed interference. Preparation for the party's role in the duel will be nearly identical whether you are doing this the easy or hard way. For the easy way, we only need to equip Ryu with the Claymore, Titan Belt, having the Super Combo skill, and placing him at the spear of the Attack formation. Hard way, you're going to want the same setup, except instead of Super Combo, have Ryu with Double Blow, Nina for Agility, and Momo for potential support magic. During the duel, Zig and Beyd will exchange blows, with Beyd always going first regardless of his weapon or armor. If Zig performs a "Lucky Strike" on Beyd, he will showoff towards Shadis and your party gets a free turn (Possible for more with EX turns) after to attack Zig once or heal/buffer our bookworm squire (The latter needing to come before the attack hits Zig), but only if your characters' Agility is higher than 12 so they act before the duelists. The next attack that hits Zig, whether the party or Beyd, returns his focus back to the battle and you risk disqualification for any actions after.

 

Normally, any action by the party when the brute is not distracted instantly disqualifies Beyd, but, if that attack depletes the remainder of Zig's HP, the battle ends with a Beyd victory regardless. This is why Ryu landing a 7 or 8 hit Super Combo with the recommended setup should easily deal 250+ to Zig on the first turn and we need not train Beyd at all. All that said, when ready to duel, select "To the lighthouse!" when talking to Beyd at the Wharf. Note that you even if Beyd is defeated or disqualified, you can retry an infinite number of times because Zig isn't such a bad guy after all, I guess.

 

Zig: Super Combo'd! The battle is over before it even began. If you're not good at the timing of Super Combo, or just can't break the 250 HP threshold for Zig's defeat, consider using Focus (Another of Bunyan's skills) or having Momo cast Might on Ryu when Zig's goofing before attempting it. If doing things the hard way, keep a tally of the damage Beyd does to Zig and wait for it to reach around 150. Before that, when Zig goofs off after a Lucky Strike, have Ryu cast Protect, Momo cast Might, and Nina use a Vitamin on Beyd. If Momo doesn't have Might, double up with Protect. When Beyd's damage reaches 150, perform a Double Blow with Ryu to drop Zig to his knees, but honestly, after casting Protect and Might (Even more with EX turns), you could just let Beyd finish him off.

 

When Beyd is victorious, he and Shadis will grow a little closer and the game switches to the next day. Talk to the bandaged-up Beyd who won't be physically able to go to the Lighthouse for a while (Wouldn't Zig just go then to try to save face?). Anyway, he'll give you the Guild Badge vital item and request your help since you are in a hurry to get the ship back in port. Inside the two treasure chests are an upgraded weapon and armor based upon the ones you gave to Beyd. The Claymore rewards you with the fire-elemental Flare Sword (Buyable soon), with the Scale Mail, for whatever reason, becoming a Crepe Cape. If you gave a lesser piece of equipment, it is always one-step up from the other. For example: the Moon Sword will become a Claymore and the Breastplate is a Chain Cap, with it being a Scale Mail. The fire element of the Flare Sword is fine for the Lighthouse, with the upcoming boss even being weak against it. The entrance to the Lighthouse is located to the northwest of the Wharf, bringing Momo in your party to make things a bit easier.

 

Note: Be sure you bring the Blind skill with you to the Lighthouse. Also, you may consider Changeblock inoculations, along with the Light Bangle, Life Sandals, and Dream Ring accessories since we will be dealing with a few status-altering monsters and boss.

 

The Lighthouse is a fairly short run, only hampered by a potentially-infuriating puzzle. Most monsters we have already encountered, except for the Ghost and Spectre (The latter inside the Lighthouse itself). Both have Wisdom Seeds you can steal, but the odds are against you with this one. Ghosts will try to put the entire party to sleep and the Spectre will target your AP; both incredibly annoying. Target the Spectre immediately and let Momo cast Silence to try to prevent it from using Depress that after being hit with a number of times, will literally depress you so much you need to return to town to recover your AP.

 

Cross over the bridge onto the Lighthouse grounds and take the stairs up. At the top, you'll notice 3 barrels preventing access across a narrow route to the right, however, Momo can destroy them with her chrysm cannon to provide a shortcut, but is not necessary to complete the dungeon. In fact, we still need to go around to get an item, but the shortcut will be valuable if the Lighthouse's puzzle is failed. Ignoring the shortcut, climb the stairs to your left, then the ones to your upper-left, and move eastward to locate a Coin fishing lure.

 

Return back down the previous stairs, then move right, behind the building, and descend the stairs to see you are on the other side of the shortcut. Keep heading right, down a set of steps, then follow the thin walkway down to a hidden MithrlShield treasure chest equippable by Ryu, Peco, or Garr.

 

At the bottom of the steps, work your way across a series of wooden bridges and platforms further east and up the first stairs you see. In the corner, across from the lined up barrels, is an item bag containing an Agility-increasing Swallow Eye. I reiterate from earlier: always make sure one of these is in your inventory for a later master! To find the entrance into the Lighthouse proper, move up the ladder to your right, then proceed up the stairs and wrap around the corner to your left to locate the door. 

 

Directly inside is a signpost telling you about how to power the boiler and main valves needed to activate the Lighthouse. Descend the stairs, then the next flight to your lower-right, continuing downward flipping the blue switch on the control panel you pass and a staircase after. At the bottom, directly across from the doorway, look in the upper-right-corner for a concealed chest with the sleep-blocking Dream Ring accessory.

 

Enter the before-mentioned doorway to find yourself back outside. Search around for three Flame Chrysm treasure chests. Normally a Momo weapon, these are needed to fire-up the Lighthouse's boiler. Back inside, continue up and around through another doorway. Use the ladder and examine the chute to drop in a Flame Chrysm to start the boiler.

 

The nearby lever starts a precision-based mini-game to start the main valve. Simply put: when the curve hits the top of the graph, and all four points shine, pull the lever. Unfortunately, failure to do this means you have to insert another Flame Chrysm into the boiler. You should have four in your inventory, but if those are exhausted, you are forced to return to Rhapala and purchase them for 500 zenny; this is where the shortcut created by Momo can come in handy. Really though: it shouldn't take more than two tries if you know how it works. Every fifth wave hits the top of the graph; each time, so you only need count off 4, then wait for the fifth and press X when the top is struck. Timing must be precise, however. Leaving the dungeon and saving before attempting is recommended if struggling. 

 

Afterward, you can see the chrysm flowing through the channels. Exit through the door to your left, and pull the lever at the end to direct the flow to the top of the Lighthouse. Use the stairs leading upward, followed by taking a left to open the chest with a Skill Ink. Down and to the right places you near the entrance. If you really struggled with the puzzle, or if the battles have depleted your AP, I recommend leaving to rest and save. A boss is near.

 

Note: If you have a Flame Chrysm left, and using Momo, equip her with it for the boss. 

 

Around the corner from the entrance stair landing, the party spots a weird...thing...just sitting there. Trying to proceed past brings into view the massive Gazer. The giant eye then plops down on the strange figure and it holds the Gazer into battle position. Firstly, steal an extremely valuable Wisdom Fruit, then use the Blind skill on it. It has some immunity, but will eventually land. As with all googly-eyed creatures, blinding it will increase the rewarded experience. If you still have the one from Momo's Tower, use the Ivory Dice, also. Blinded and using an Ivory Dice will give 2000 EXP to each party member upon defeat.

 

The battle itself is fairly easy. The Gazer is weak against fire, so Ryu can Double Blow or Super Combo with the Flare Sword for huge damage, or splice the Flame/Defender genes together and deliver Flame Claw, but should cast Shield on the party before transforming. Garr can strike big with his Pyrokinesis ability and Momo firing Flame Chrysm. Gazer's main threat is using Hypnotize to try to confuse characters. Deal with this swiftly by either applying a Panacea, casting Remedy, or targeting them physically with Nina. Besides damaging yourself, Gazer's Eye Beam hurts the most, but will be completely nulled by a flame-elemental dragon, and it only targets one character unlike its basic attack.

 

With that eye sore gone, climb the long, winding sets of stairs to the top of the Lighthouse. Ryu can pick up the Eldritch gene there that the Guild workers have just let sit here for decades upon end, apparently. Spliced, the Eldritch gene grants healing spells to your dragon form: Remedy, Restore, and Vitalize. Further, when combined with an elemental gene, it adds that element's most powerful spell to your arsenal. Example: Flame/Inferno, Frost/Blizzard, Electric/Myollnir. The downside is that while the form's Intelligence increases by 30%, its power will dropped by 20 to 30% depending on the combination. Bottom line, however, is besides the useful healing abilities, which Ryu can already perform in his human form, magic is almost never a preferred form of dragon offense.

 

Flipping the switch to bring the Lighthouse back to life brings about an unknown shrieking for it to be turned off! A faerie, with a club, of all things, floats in and smashes the control panel! Further angered by it still not shutting off, it throws the Faerie Tiara item at Ryu and demands he come to their world, via the circle of flowers on the world map, and make things right! Well...okay. You'll then have to hike your way back out of the Lighthouse to the world map. Camp to rest and save, adding and preparing Nina and Momo for a boss that occurs in the faerie realm. Pick any circle of flowers and use the Tiara to enter.

 

Note: If you lost all your Flame Chrysm, make sure to purchase a new one for your inventory from the Rhapala equipment shop. You can also view a small scene with Sinkar at the pub where he promises you full use of the ship, or whatever you need from the Guild in the future. Lastly, if you found yourself struggling against Gazer, you may consider Changeblock inoculations for Ryu, Nina, and Momo.

 

You'll quickly find that the faerie world is almost completely barren except for a beach and a small shack. Enter the building to meet Cadis, the violent one with the club, and its two "dummy" friends. They are worked up over a "monster" or "it" coming to eat them because the Lighthouse is back on. Momo suggests we kill it for them, so head down to the beach and select to wait for nightfall (Nina and Momo are required even if you switch them out).

 

That night, the trio spots a shark fin in the water, accompanied by the typical ominous music. The group pounces on it as it emerges from the water, only to find they are clobbering an "innocent" pink dolphin. The girls run off to get the faeries and, left alone with Ryu, the dolphin becomes abusive and Australian (What?). Cadis points out that the dolphin is the cause of all their troubles, with some bravado being backed by Ryu and his friends, but the dolphin lashes out revealing a mechanical-looking form.   

 

The Dolphin is another simple boss, but has an important caveat: It is one of only three enemies in the game, all bosses, that uses the learnable, and very missable Tsunami skill. Have Ryu cast Shield, or Momo allocating Protect, and steal a Fish-head item, that is our first that permanently increases Intelligence, before beginning to examine every third turn to, hopefully, pick up Tsunami. Tsunami is a skill that attempts to cut the entire party's HP by half (Not elemental and may miss those equipped with the Light Bangle, Life Sandals, or Changeblock), so be prepared to cast Vitalize with Ryu if it lands more than once. It also uses the learnable Intimidate skill if you have yet to get it from D'lonzo. Once you have picked up Tsunami, splice the Thunder and Defender genes together and perform Thunder Claw with Ryu to massive effect; Nina can follow suit with Lightning and Momo supporting.

 

Note: In your possession, Tsunami is not likely to be useful for the AP it demands. Being a status-based attack, it will fail against bosses and most strong monsters, but may be of some consideration for large groups in random encounters.

 

Cadis gives Ryu a giant smooch, enough to send him to the floor, for eradicating their nemesis. We'll be spending WAY more time than we prefer at this place later in the game, but for now, we can return to our own world. Having been introduced to the faeries, a new master is available to us. Remember the forest northeast of the Plant in Eastern Wyndia? Put Peco in your party and let's head over there to finally explore.

 

The woods are filled with every type of Goo we've seen before (Including a very powerful one we haven't!). Move forward and have Ryu cut through the bushes in the narrow space to access a small spring. Wrap around to the back of it and take the Protein satchel before returning to the rock innocently before it. With Peco as the party lead, lined up with the rock, back up through the narrow space, all the way to the far-side, then run and bash the rock into the spring. The faerie, Meryleep, will emerge looking for her Flower Jewel that was stolen by a villainous crow. You may recall we picked this up from a tree outside the bandit's hideout in Central Wyndia, but do we want to hand it over yet?

 

Those with severe completionist tendencies have an important decision to make here: we can hand it over and gain Meryleep as a master, losing the item, or we can wait until later on in the game, when we can copy items, and make a duplicate to give Meryleep and keep one in our inventory. Although Meryleep teaches three of the best skills in the game, by far, her statistical bonuses are only for Agility, being a +2, while Power, Defense, and HP drop by 1. Apprentices get a +10 dodge bonus, also. So, unless you are desperate to start growing a character's Agility or picking up Charm, waiting isn't a big deal: we're not too terribly far way from being able to copy items. Meryleep's taught skills are below:

• Charm (2): A godsend for obtaining items, Charm increases the odds the targeted monster drops its item, sometimes by double, depending on that particular item's drop rate. It also boosts the odds of stealing from that creature. You're going to see this animation a million times, I promise.
• Shadowwalk (5): A guaranteed critical hit with perfect precision. One of the best, if not the best, offensive skill in the game, but eats up 8 AP. 
• War Shout (8):  Bolsters the entire party's power by 20%. Can stack with itself or other abilities like Might three times for a maximum 50% bonus. A ridiculously overpowered skill.

Watch out for the incredibly dangerous GooTitan lurking in the woods! Although it is rarely seen, it can overpower even a well-prepared party. If you encounter it, use Super Combo, or attempt to run. If you damage it enough, it will flee, often using the learnable Timed Blow skill just before that.  It fleeing, however, causes it to keep turning up as your next battle, so if you want to keep trying to learn Timed Blow, this presents an opportunity, but we'll be seeing the GooTitan in other areas for this.

 

There are a few other items we can collect around the area. Head left from the entrance, then slightly downward, there Peco can knock a rock over to collect a Vitamin. Move north across the bridge, then follow the path curving to the right to take the Scramasax chest.

 

To the right of the entrance, this time, and upwards Peco can shove over another rock to uncover a Hawk's Ring accessory that adds a +20 Surprise chance to a character; a muddied hidden stat that modifies whether you get first strike during battles. It's quite rare, too, but I'd rather have a Life Sandals equipped for the bare minimum accessory. Further up from there is a bag holding 800 zenny for us to pocket.