Encounter 1 – Isla Swamp
If you head directly north east from the start you will enter your first proper Encounter map. In case you forgot, Encounter maps can be returned to for training reasons. However, you should note that only Holmes has the privilege of using them – Runan never comes across any Encounters.
This Encounter is pretty simple and you can get used to using Holme’s group. Your new allies will be Holmes and Shigen. Holmes is the other main hero and if he dies you get a Game Over. Luckily Holmes is a pretty solid unit so no worries about him dying much. Holmes also has the Picklock skill so he can open small doors and chests – very useful if you dislike raising thieves. Shigen is a competent swordfighter and well worth using as well. He’s like Vega but with a less deadly sword. However his sword Dullahan has the effect of reviving him if he dies and thus Shigen can become an invincible warrior (while his sword lasts). Just a note, I recommend you train Shigen because he becomes slightly important later on, trust me.
Zombies and Glace Mummies should be no trouble. Glace Mummies give lots of EXP so let a weak character finish them off. Once this map has been cleared, you can return to it again if you want or continue with the main story.
Chapter 11 – Mage of Leda
When you land on Welt Island again, head south east first as the other path leads to Chapter 12. On reaching Verge, Kreiss and Arkis will activate the first part of the Leteena Event if they are both present. In case you don’t know, Leteena is a priest character and probably the toughest character to recruit – if only for the many conditions that you must satisfy. The first condition is to make Kreiss and Arkis visit Verge before Chapter 13 ends.
Oops, I forgot to talk about Katri, but it’s not too late yet! As I said a while ago, Katri is one of the four Shamans and her death causes an instant Game Over (currently the characters who must not die are Runan, Enteh, Holmes and Katri – all characters with a star besides their name). Katri is unique in that she can transform into a dragon using her Ring of Salia. So she can become the sacred dragon, Neuron, who is your definite trump card. Good things about using Neuron is that Katri is invincible in this form and she can also do some hefty damage – one of her attacks also does area damage. The bad things… Neuron cannot gain EXP and as time progresses Katri will revert to human form. This can happen right after you end your turn so be warned about that. If Neuron is not needed, I recommend making Katri use her map command to revert to a Sister. Saves any agony of her reverting when you least expect it!
Anyway, back to the chapter. Quite a nasty, dark and narrow map to deal with this time. Yarzam, the boss of Chapter 2, returns with his bandit cronies to terrorise Doras once again… Your new allies are Alicia and Samson, both who require assistance from the very start. Alicia is a mage and a very good one as well. Her personal weapon Brenthunder is pretty good and will probably come in very useful throughout the course of the game. Samson is just a worthy Axe Fighter.
The strategy to deploy for this chapter is mainly just rushing. You’ll need to rush to help Samson as he cannot protect Alicia forever, Luckily Samson has a few shield uses on him, as well as healing items so he will last a fair amount of time. However you’ll need to be careful of two things. Firstly are the reinforcements, which will come from the north and some from the south west (these ones will come to annoy Samson). Secondly, when passing through the northern passage, you’ll be attacked by enemies in Yarzam’s chamber. Some constant sniping and healing can deal with them. Also, the Thunder Sword might come in handy if Holmes needs backup.
By the time you get to Yarzam’s chamber, you’re more or less finished with the chapter. Yarzam isn’t too strong, but his Silver Sword might put a dent on some of your characters. This is where Brenthunder comes in very handy. Before opening the door, you should have Alicia nearby, ready to fry that Yarzam with her thunder magic.
Encounter 2 – Sora Port/Verge/Doras Village
Before beating up the pirates in Chapter 12, reinforcements will continuously appear all over Welt. You’re unlikely to pass straight to Chapter 12 without at least one or two Encounters, so let the training commence!
None of the enemies are very tough so just defeat them all to clear the map.
On your way to Chapter 12, there are two places that you will want to visit – Mars Temple and the Kingdom of Welt. If Maruju is present, he will obtain Sylpheed at the Mars Temple. If Mel and Roger are both present, she will get the Magic Staff there. At the Kingdom of Welt, if Sasha, Kate, Raffin, Estelle, Norton or Roger are present, Lord Marlon will let you pick, again, one of his four men. Of course, you will already have picked one of them as Runan, so Lionel comes to replace that character. Now, who to pick?
Narron – A weak Rook Knight, with Elite and can class change into the potent Gold Knight class.
Ruka – A Bow Fighter. To be honest, Holmes suffices for all your archery needs by now.
Ezekiel – If you didn’t pick him before and you wish to complete the Leteena Event, you must do so now. Else he’s just an average Axe Knight.
Lee – A skilled healer since he begins promoted. Can also use magic.
Lionel – A Spear Knight, on foot. I highly recommend using him since he turns out very good. Also, some of the later chapters are indoors and Lionel is one of the few character that can wield Lances indoors.
Once you’ve made your choice, it’s time to progress to Chapter 12, or Chapter 11 if you haven’t finished that already.
Chapter 12 – Youth of Blood
As Runan left for the Lieberia mainland, Holmes promises to rid Welt of all the nasty pirates/bandits occupying the land. This battle takes you face to face with the Isla pirates once again. Your new ally is just Attrom – a Fighter very similar to Xeno. In fact, he is pretty similar to Xeno and another worthy character to use. Attrom is needed to recruit Lyria and Renee.
Now, this is quite a tough chapter. Attrom starts off very close to the enemy so you should make him retreat immediately. Then, have some strong units back him up with the others waiting behind. From there, the best strategy to use is all out offence. However you’ll need to be careful that nobody gets hurt too badly, since the enemy is prone to ganging up. During Turn 2, the boss, an Exorcist, will appear. If you’re good, you should be able to take him out before he summons too much Skeletons using his Summon staff.
Chapter 13 – Sene Sea Battle
If you successfully rescued Attrom, you’ll discover the pirates kidnapped his elder sister, Renee. Renee can be recruited, but not in this chapter. You’ll see why…
A sea battle! This chapter isn’t very challenging but there is a very nasty twist, or two. First, you should block the two planks that lead towards your ship. However, do not approach the enemy ship just yet! Once most of the enemies have been cleared, only then begin moving to the enemy ship. Once you step onto the ship, an event will activate and Krisheenu will join your party. Yeah, she’s surrounded by half a dozen enemies and her stats are terrible. She has 2 amulets that prevent one fatal hit each, but she still won’t last long even with them. About Krisheenu, she grows pretty lousily, but she is gifted with the Steal skill. Not that it makes her much worth using though.
Maerhen can also be recruited, but first you’ll need to beat the crap out of him. He’ll join you in the next chapter just fine. Maerhen is pretty crappy, but he has the Mug skill, which can come in very handy. The only other things to take notice are the Exorcist to the far left of the enemy ship. This one summons Harpies, which are quite annoying. You’ll either have to put up with the Harpies or risk sending a flying unit to slay the Exorcist – bearing in mind that the summoned Harpies are armed with bows… The other thing is the Sergeant, amongst Maerhen’s cronies. He’s going to be the one who does the most damage to Krisheenu so you’ll want to eliminate him as soon as possible.
Once the chapter is over, the second condition of the Leteena Event needs to be satisfied. This must be done after Chapter 13 and before entering Chapter 15. Kreiss must visit Verge with a Healing Drop in his inventory. This will activate an event if you are successful.
Chapter 14 – The Hero Holmes
This must be the easiest chapter ever, but it’s also quite fun! I’ll leave the strategy in your hands then.
If Plum was abducted in Chapter 10, you will be able to re -recruit her. The white L (or T) shaped building is where you will find her. Either Holmes or Barts can get her back, which at that time she will have gained the Dance skill. A very handy skill to have. There’s also an Arena if you fancy training some characters. As before, you should be prepared to fight some tricky contenders in the Arena. The white building to the far north east is home to a lady who requests 600G to help somebody who has fallen ill. You should spare the 600G if you’re feeling charitable. The person who enters the house gets a Luck boost and any curse is lifted from them.
Once the chapter is over, the chief will award you for your efforts by letting you pick 5 of his 50 or so chests. How uh, generous. Here’s what each chest contains:
| Gold Bag | Saint Proof | MAG Plus | Gold Bag | Armour Killer | Repeater Bow | |
| DEF Plus | Gold Bag | Far -Healing Staff | Gold Bag | WLV Plus | Gold Bag | |
| Magic Shield | LUK Plus | Gold Bag | POW Plus | Knight Proof | AGI Plus | |
| SKL Plus | Gold Bag | Gold Bag | Gold Bag | Hero Proof | Elixir | |
| Steel Shield | Gold | MHP Plus | Hellfire |
Anyway, my recommended five picks are: Saint Proof, Far -Healing Staff, Knight Proof, Hero Proof and Elixir.
Chapter 15 – Oasis Market
Did I say Chapter 14 was the easiest chapter? I forgot about Chapter 15 – now this has got to be the easiest chapter ever! Well, only if you have Mahter. You see, Sun and Frau mistake you for thieves and they come to attack you. You can recruit them by clearing the chapter without harming them, or having Mahter talk to Frau and then Frau talk to Sun. Those two girls are the only enemies on this map. Frau doesn’t really seem special to me, but if you would like a Pegasus Knight in your army she’s pretty decent. Sun is a recommended unit. She quickly learns Elite and grows to a very spectacular unit. It is very easy to train her in the Encounter maps to come and well worth your time.
Sun and Frau aren’t the only characters to recruit in this chapter. If you make Attrom enter the church, he will recruit Lyria. Lyria is another priest, like Plum, but she has an unique Song skill. Song can heal units and may allow them to move again, like a Dance effect (although chances of this effect are very slim). Along with the fact that Song increases in effectiveness (and range) as you use it, Lyria is actually quite a good support unit.
Despite a lack of enemies there are still a few things to do before approaching the gate. The building to the far north east is home to a secret shop. Hopefully you kept your Guild Key with you, if not it’s no big deal. The domed building with a red roof to the far east is home to the weapons craftsman. You can get some special weapons there if you have the required items. The building directly to the right of the church is a gambling spot. You can try your luck with the coin if you want. Finally, all across the market are people who are willing to teach you Terrain skills at a price. Personally I find them useless, but it’s your call. Here’s my little chart of where to find each skill (and some other buildings):
| 1 | 2 | ||||||||||||
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 9 | |||||||||||
| 5 | 14 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| 8 |
1 – Weapon Store
2 – Gamblers’
3 – Inn
4 – Church
5 – Inn
6 – City Fighter
7 – Arena Fighter
8 – Mountain Fighter
9 – Plains Fighter
10 – Forest Fighter
11 – Frontier Fighter
12 – Sea Fighter
13 – Weapons craftsman
14 – Anti-Evil
Once the chapter is over, head straight back to Verge if you are doing the Leteena Event. This time, Kreiss must have an Amulet in his inventory. If you are successful, another event should play.
Chapter 16
To be added