text:
Ys I & II Chronicles – Guide and Walkthrough
DSPCPlayStation 2PSPTurbo CD
Guide and Walkthrough by Korzic
FAQ of the Month Winner: June 2013
This is a guide for:
Ys I & II Eternal (PC)
Ys I & II Complete (PC)
Ys I & II Chronicles (PSP)
Ys I & II Chronicles+ (Steam)
By Jeff David, aka "Korzic"
2.  Basic Gameplay
3.  Ys I Walkthrough
Port Barbado...........................[PTBRBD]
Minea..................................[MNATWN]
Zepik Village..........................[ZPKVLG]
Shrine.................................[MTNSHR]
Abandoned Mine.........................[ABNDMN]
Darm Tower.............................[DRMTWR]
4.  Ys II Walkthrough
Lance Village..........................[LNCVLG]
Ruins of Moondoria.....................[RNMNDR]
Sanctuary of Toal / Rasteenie Mine.....[STLRMN]
Ice Ridge of Noltia....................[ICRDGE]
Moat of Burnedbless....................[BRNBLS]
Ramia Village..........................[RMAVLG]
Shrine of Solomon......................[SHRSLM]
5.  Ys I Appendices
Equipment..............................[YS1EQP]
Inventory..............................[YS1INV]
Characters.............................[YS1CHR]
Enemies................................[YS1ENM]
Steam Achievements.....................[YS1ACH]
Time Attack............................[YS1TME]
Alen Smithy's Graveyard................[GRVYRD]
6.  Ys II Appendices
Record of Adol's Adventure.............[YS2RCD]
Mascots................................[MSCOTS]
7.  Frequently Asked Questions
Ys I Questions.........................[YS1FAQ]
Ys II Questions........................[YS2FAQ]
8.  Credits
9.  Contact / Disclaimer
Hi there!  Welcome to my guide for Ys I & II!  This guide was created to help
you get through the games, as there seems to be a fair deal of misinformation
concerning certain trouble spots, although this has gotten better recently.
Even if you're an experienced player, I hope you'll find something new or
interesting buried somewhere in here.
Anyway, allow me to explain just what the differences are between the versions
listed above.  The "Eternal" versions are remakes of the original Ys I and Ys
II (released in 1987 and 1988 respectively), and were released in 1998 and 2000
respectively.  In 2001, the Eternal versions received slight touch-ups a couple
years later, and were released in 2001 under the name "Complete".  For Ys I,
most of what was changed was the graphics, although the maps had almost
completely identical layouts (a couple of them had minor modifications).
Falcom also added text for Ys I when attempting to manually use most items,
something the Eternal version of Ys II also did.  Speaking of Ys II, there is
little difference between the Eternal and Complete versions - mostly, it's just
a couple of bug fixes regarding certain bosses.  In 2009, the Complete versions
were updated again and released to the PSP in Japan under the name "Chronicles",
and then localized in the US by XSeed in 2011.  This time, a more modern art
style and soundtrack were included (as well as an older soundtrack), but the
old Complete style art and music could still be selected, if desired.  Also,
while previous versions of Ys I allowed you to view enemy stats, they were
never in an organized place like they were for Ys II, but Chronicles rectified
that, also adding a section for the other characters.  Lastly, in early 2013,
XSeed released a modified version of Chronicles to Steam under the name
"Chronicles+", adding features to make them similar to Complete (like the old
game screen borders), but also kept the previous PSP content intact.  Being a
Steam release, the games also included achievements for finding certain easter
eggs within the game.  There was also another PC version of Chronicles, but
it's Japanese-only.  From what I hear, it's pretty much a 100% straight port of
the PSP version (even moreso than the transition from Complete to Chronicles),
so whatever applies to the PSP version throughout this guide likely applies to
that version as well, though I cannot confirm this.
In all, the versions are very similar to one another, the graphical changes
between Ys Eternal and Ys Complete aside (Ys II had no noticeable graphics
updates between versions, the Chronicles artwork style aside).  So, one might
wonder why I'm choosing to ignore the DS version of the game, as well as the
lesser known Japanese-only PS2 title.  The reason is simple: the games are not
official Falcom releases.  Not only that, but they contain slightly different
gameplay from these versions, adding in features not present in official Falcom
releases.  For example, the DS version supposedly includes a different method
of attacking (from what I hear, the bump system can still be used, but it's
less fluid), and even a different set of equipment that, if found, makes a
certain section of Ys I easier than what Falcom intended.  On the other hand,
the PS2 primarily adds certain abilities to all of the various weapons (for
instance, the Long Sword in Ys I supposedly can randomly take off 1/4 of most
enemies' HP when damaged - even most bosses), and even adding a combo system of
sorts.  Anyway, the point of all this is, it's much easier to write about 4
very similar versions of the games, much moreso than it would be to write about
two or more versions with such drastic differences in gameplay.  Besides, I
have yet to play either the DS or PS2 versions, so I wouldn't be able to
accurately write a guide concerning those.
So, one has to wonder what version of the game is preferable to play.  My
personal favorite is the "Complete" version (followed closely by Eternal),
though the Steam or PSP versions are much more accessible to most people.  If
possible, I would recommend the Steam version, as the PSP is not only small,
but it tends to suffer from loading times (certainly not the worst, but
definitely not the best).  The Steam version in particular offers most of the
things that Complete does in addition to the original PSP content, just that it
lacks mouse support, as well as a few convenient hotkeys (quicksave/quickload,
able to cycle through items, accessories, and magic better).  Plus, it's in
English, whereas Complete requires applying an English translation patch if you
don't understand Japanese, but that's little trouble (however, do not make the
mistake of thinking the Complete patches will apply to other versions on the PC
- they won't).  And of course, there are achievements, though you can still do
those things in other versions.
Before we get to the actual walkthrough, let's go over a few basics.  By far
the most important one is how to attack the various enemies - the bump system
the Ys series is famous for.  While you can deal damage to them by hitting them
head-on, you'll also take a bit of damage yourself, so you should instead try
to attack them off-center - that is, a little bit to their sides.  You can also
attack them directly from the back or sides, but they can turn around to face
you at a moment's notice, so I wouldn't recommend that course of action, if it
can be helped.  What you can sometimes do instead is attack them at a diagonal
angle, but this still tends to backfire if your positioning is off (moreso in
Ys I).  In general, you'll want to try and push them against an obstacle, as
your hits will land faster that way.  Throughout the course of Ys II, you'll
also receive magic, which usually provides a much safer combat alternative, but
for Ys I, you're stuck with attacking the enemies off-center (bosses excluded).
With regards to items and the like, weapons, armor, and accessories of course
need to be equipped first to be effective at all.  And while the majority of
other items you come across are used automatically at certain scripted spots,
several of them must be used manually, meaning you'll need to equip them first,
and then press the appropriate button (this is more of an issue in Ys II than
it is in Ys I).
Finally, here's a list of the default controls and what they do (though the
Eternal and Complete versions sometimes have more shortcuts than what's listed
here); for Steam, the "LH" is the default type 1 keyboard setting ("leftie"),
and "RH" is the default type 2 keyboard setting ("rightie").  Unless you play
with a controller, these can't be re-assigned except in the Steam version
(though a few of them in Eternal and Complete can be switched around in one of
the "Options" menus, but it's just the functions of the keys being swapped, not
actually being able to assign other keys).  Also, not everything is listed, but
it's mostly just the subscreen hotkeys being omitted (which are mostly present
only in Eternal/Complete):
Action    |   Eternal    |    Complete    |  Chronicles (PSP) |    Steam
Movement   |  Arrow keys  |   Arrow keys,  | Directional pad,  | Numpad (LH),
|    Numpad,   |     Numpad,    |   Analog stick    | W, S, A, D,
|  Left mouse  |   Left mouse   |                   | Q, E, Z, X
|    button    |     button     |                   |    (RH)
Walk     |    Varies    |     Varies     |  "Circle" button  |   Z (LH),
|(change under | (change under  |  ("X" button for  |   / (RH)
|  "Options")  |   "Options")   |   Japan version)  |
Confirm   |    Enter     |      Enter     |    "X" button     |   X (LH),
|              |                | ("Circle" button  |   . (RH)
|              |                | for Japan version)|
Cancel    |   Escape     |     Escape     |  "Circle" button  |   Z (LH),
(hold for   |              |                |  ("X" button for  |   / (RH)
fast text in |              |                |   Japan version)  |
Chronicles) |              |                |                   |
Use item   |    Enter,    |      Enter     | "Triangle" button |   C (LH),
| Right mouse  |                |                   |   _ (RH)
|    button    |                |                   |
Switch   |     N/A      |       N/A      |   "R" shoulder    |   S (LH)
accessory  |              |                |      button       |   [ (RH)
(Ys I)   |              |                |                   |
Switch   |     Q, W     |      Q, W      |   "L" shoulder    |   A (LH)
accessory  |              |                |      button       |   ] (RH)
(Ys II)   |              |                |                   |
Use magic  |    Ctrl      |      Ctrl      |    "X" button     |   X (LH)
(Ys II)   |              |                | ("Circle" button  |   . (RH)
Switch magic |   1, 2, 3,   |    1, 2, 3,    |   "R" shoulder    |   S (LH)
(Ys II)   |   4, 5, 6    |    4, 5, 6     |      button       |   [ (RH)
Switch    |    R, T      |      R, T      |        N/A        |     N/A
inventory  |              |                |                   |
Menu    |    Escape    |     Escape     |  "Start" button   | Escape (LH),
|              |                |                   | RShift (RH)
Status    |      S       |       S        |  "Select" button  | Tab (LH/RH)
Before I begin, let me make a quick note concerning the layout of this part of
the guide.  At the beginning of each section, I've made a quick list of the
primary objectives - that is, the stuff that absolutely needs to be done in
order to advance the story - so that anyone looking for help can find it easily
without needing to read too much.  Any optional objectives are listed below
that, but mostly only stuff pertaining to items and equipment (even then, some
stuff is omitted, such as purchasing certain weapons and armor).  Steam
achievements are for the Steam version only (obviously) and are not listed
there, so for a full list of them and their requirements, please refer to the
appropriate "Steam Achievements" portions of the guide.  With regards to the
inventory and equipment sections, I'll list only what is obtainable at the
moment (the mandatory items are indicated by a *), and any later stuff will be
listed during any future visits under the respective section of the game.  For
the characters, some of them are important only at certain points, and due to
the way the guide is set up, it's hard to clarify in list form when they're
important.  So, the asterisks next to them don't necessarily mean that they're
required immediately during your initial visit, just that they will be
important eventually.  Also, some characters appear in more than one place, so
for those, I'll usually just list them at the point you can first find them.
For a more detailed list of their locations, please refer to the "Characters"
section of the guide.
Also, if this is your first time through Ys I, I strongly recommend against
playing on the Hard or Nightmare difficulties.  If you're playing the Eternal
version, its "Easy" (if your version even has that difficulty, but if not, this
can supposedly be fixed with a patch from Falcom) is basically newer versions'
"Normal", whereas its "Normal" is basically newer versions' "Hard" (there are
some exceptions though, such as normal enemies' HP being the same regardless,
which seems to reflect Complete/Chronicles' Hard difficulty).  Aside from the
earlier enemies having differing HP in Complete/Chronicles (bosses excluded),
the only real difference between Hard and Nightmare seems to be how much damage
you take, but I don't think this applies to how much damage you deal (it
doesn't seem to differ for bosses, at least).  Anyway, some of the bosses in
this game give newcomers a hard time, even on Normal difficulty.  One of the
more notorious bosses is faced at about the game's midway point, and believe me,
Hard and Nightmare difficulties live up to their names.  If you're playing
either of the Chronicles versions, you'll also be presented with an artwork
choice, which refers to what art style the close-up scenes will use.  The
Complete option is more old-school and traditional, whereas Chronicles uses a
style you might expect to find in most anime.  Personally, I prefer the
Complete style, as I think it fits the mood better, but pick whichever you want.
Do note that in the PSP version of the game, the art choice is irreversible
without starting a new file, but you can change it whenever you want in the
Steam version of the game.
Anyway, let's get started.
Port Barbado                                                           [PTBRBD]
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
- Leave town and make your way north to Minea
OPTIONAL OBJECTIVES:
- Receive a free Short Sword from Slaff
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Barbado) - Short Sword
CHARACTERS (Barbado) - Doctor Bludo*, Nurse Ayla*, Slaff, Stephan, Jacob, Drake,
Old Man George, Fisherman Betelo, Fran, Arcia, Old Man Pastol, Marco, Torrance,
Rebecca, Danny, Cheryl, Mason the Trader, Sylvia, Gerald, Karin, Granny Daria
ENEMIES (Minea Plains - South) - Curloid, Oakrot
NOTE - Dr. Bludo and Ayla are both "required" in the sense that you can't avoid
speaking to them as you first leave the clinic, but beyond that, you don't need
to visit them at any point.  Due to the intro scenes, Slaff is automatically
listed (as well as an enemy a little later on known as a Rheboll), and thus
could also be considered required, but as soon as you gain control, you can
avoid him entirely, if you wish (same thing with the Rheboll enemy).
After the opening scenes, talk to Dr. Bludo and Ayla.  The doctor will mention
Slaff is in the portside warehouse (the big building in the southwest part of
town), so head there if you'd like some more information.  All you really need
to do to advance the game is just head straight to the next town, Minea.  If
this is your first time through the game, you should at least see Slaff for
some story bits.
Anyway, if you want a free Short Sword, talk to all of the villagers, and then
to Slaff.  Be sure to ask him about each of the four topics, and as you're
ready to leave, he'll give you the Short Sword as a gift - don't forget to
equip it.  He'll also suggest that you head to Minea, to gather more
information.  After receiving the Short Sword, head back to the clinic.  Speak
to Bludo again, and he'll make a comment about the sword.  It may seem
pointless, but it gets the game set up for a sidequest a short time later.
Like I said, this is all purely optional, but getting the Short Sword this way
does help save a little bit of gold, plus you get the "Sworded Details"
achievement if you happen to be playing the Steam version of the game.  However,
you'll need to do it before purchasing a weapon from Minea (even if it's just
the Long Sword), otherwise you've missed your chance and will have to buy one
(though the Long Sword is preferable anyway). Plus, if you're playing the PSP
or Steam versions, it gives you an excuse to help fill in the "Notes" section.
Well, that's all you need to do in Barbado for now, so as per Slaff's advice,
head to the north to enter the plains leading to Minea.  If you haven't already,
you may wish to equip the Short Sword.  Without it, you can't damage the
Curloids (small blue enemies) yet, just the Oakrots (trees).  Alternatively,
you can just bypass the enemies here, as they give little EXP, and the gold
they drop isn't really worth it.  If you do decide and fight, do note that you
can stand still for a bit to gradually recover HP, though this only works in
outdoor areas (with a couple exceptions).  Anyway, the path here is pretty
straightforward; just follow it northeast a bit, then loop around to the
northwest, then again to the northeast until you see the city walls of Minea.
The only way in is from the north side, and you'll have to go around the
western side to reach it.  Once you reach the northern side head east a little,
and you'll see a bridge leading north, which leads to the primary portion of
the Minea Plains, but you want to head south of the bridge, to Minea.  However,
if you try and explore that part of the Plains without first entering the city,
a man will come out and chide you briefly, mistaking you for a child.  After
that, though, you're free to explore the Plains at your leisure, but there
isn't much to do there at the moment, so head inside Minea.
Minea                                                                  [MNATWN]
- Purchase a sword, shield, and body armor
- Talk to the fortuneteller Sara, and agree to search for the Books of Ys
- Make your way to Zepik Village in the northeast
- Buy and return the Sapphire Ring to the one-eyed man, Donis
- Find the Golden Pedestal, and sell it to Pim
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Minea) - Sara's Crystal*, Sapphire Ring, Wing, Mirror,
Healing Potion, Short Sword*, Long Sword*, Chain Mail*, Plate Mail*, Reflex*,
Small Shield*, Middle Shield*, Large Shield*
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Minea Plains - North) - Golden Vase, Beastiary Potion
ENEMIES (Minea Plains - North) - Pikkard, Curloid, Oakrot, Rheboll
CHARACTERS (Minea) - Reah*, Prim, Fana, Julius, Archelle, Aurora, Cornell,
Johann, Hans, Haystack, Lucca, Boss Bangoa, Orman, Donis, Garreck, Ricardo,
Cezar, Miner Doug, Chest, Old Man Franz, Nikki the Dancer, Doctor Klaus, Nurse
Lisa, Theodore, Bron, Old Man Mash, Kain, Pim, Charme, Buck, Tabitha, Mayor
Marcel, Pamela, Rosetty, Dios, Old Man Betel, Lydia, Freddy, Martha, Old Man
Harrison, Charlotte, Ephy, Sara*
NOTE - Only one of a sword, body armor, and shield is required.  It doesn't
matter which ones you get or don't, so I marked them all (the Talwar isn't
listed because it isn't available yet).
Regarding characters, Doctor Klaus (#43) is potentially missable after a
certain point in the story, so if you're aiming for a full "Notes" list, you
may wish to head to the clinic in the far northeast corner of town right away
to ensure you get his entry (for a more detailed analysis of his AI, please
refer to the "Characters" portion of the guide).  As for Reah and Old Man Franz,
they are unimportant at this time, but they will be later (see the Abandoned
Mine section for details).  And as mentioned above, Julius is the one that
appears outside Minea to scold you if you continue further on the plains
without first entering town (even if you miss that cutscene, you can then find
him wandering outdoors inside town).
Inside Minea, talk to the townsfolk, if you wish.  The little girl just south
of the entrance comments that a fortuneteller is looking for a swordsman.  Hmm,
what could that be about?  Visiting her is all you really need to do at this
point, so skip a couple paragraphs if you just want to move on.  Also of
interest is Reah, a poet, in the northeast corner of town, who says her Silver
Harmonica has been stolen.  You won't be able to do anything about this for a
while, but keep it in mind for later.  Another area of interest is the clinic,
located in the northeast corner of town.  If you'd like, you can get fully
healed for 50 gold, or buy a Heal Potion to use later for only 300 gold (1,000
gold if you happen to be playing the Eternal version).  While both of these
options are nice, you can get healed relatively quickly for free by standing
still outdoors, and Heal Potions can be found inside the dungeons, albeit
rarely.
The bar (the big building marked by a foaming mug sign, right next to the
clinic) is also a good source of information, though most of it you can also
hear from other townsfolk.  In particular, be sure to talk to the bartender and
the two guys near him.  The bartender is initially suspicious of you (it seems
there's been some robberies lately), so talk to him first, or else the other
two patrons won't be particularly helpful.  The muscular man tells you about
Roda Trees, and how their seeds are supposed to be really tasty.  Seems like an
odd bit of info, but it'll prove useful later.  The one-eyed man tells you that
he recently lost a ring somewhere close by, and would like you to keep an eye
out for it.  Of course, you don't have to if you don't want to, but it gets you
a little extra gold, so let's get searching.
A little bit to the west is a blonde fellow who will mention he saw Pim pick a
ring up off the ground, and now he's apparently trying to sell it as his own.
Pim's shop is the one in the northwest corner of town, so let's go check it out.
Hmm, it seems as though he really is selling a Sapphire Ring, as well as a
couple of other items.  He also sells a Wing - an item that will teleport you
back to Minea - and a Mirror - an item that temporarily stuns non-boss enemies
(or you can use it around the various townsfolk to tease them - doing so gets
you the "Some Kind of Sorcerer" achievement).  You can also sell items (mostly
jewelry), but you don't have anything he wants just yet.  While the Wing and
Mirror items are useful (and pretty cheap, unless you're playing the Eternal
version), go ahead and purchase the Sapphire Ring for now.  While you can't
really do anything to avoid purchasing it to complete this sidequest, you can
bargain with Pim a little bit.  After enough refusals to buy (or later, sell)
an item, he will eventually give you a 10% discount, or in the case of items
sold to him, he'll give you a 10% bonus.  To do this, simply refuse to buy or
sell an item 9 times, and he'll give you the 10% for that purchase, as well as
any subsequent ones.  It should be noted that you have to do the procedure once
when you buy, but also once when you sell an item; after that, the 10% offer
will be available by default.  In this case, instead of purchasing the ring for
1,000 gold, you can buy it for 900.  Doing this also gets you the achievement
"The Pim's-Lower Approach".  Anyway, after purchasing the ring, return it to
the one-eyed man, and he'll give you 1,500 gold as a reward (if you didn't talk
to him earlier, you'll need to talk to him twice).  You also receive 150 EXP,
which should put you close to level 2 if you've been killing enemies.
Next, let's go visit that fortuneteller, and see what she wants; she's in the
southwest corner of town, the house with a weird symbol above the doorway.
Upon speaking to her, she first tells you to arm yourself with a sword, shield,
and body armor.  Whatever she wants, it sounds dangerous.  The weapon and armor
dealers are in the southwest corner of town.  If you did the Sapphire Ring
sidequest already, you should have enough gold to purchase the 1st set of
equipment.  However, the first boss is coming up pretty soon, and having at
least the second sword - the Long Sword - can help out a lot.  The Long Sword
costs 2,000 gold, and unlike Pim, you can't get the weapon and armor dealers to
lower their prices.  If you want some quick cash to purchase the Long Sword,
read on; otherwise skip the next paragraph, and purchase the remaining first
set of equipment and talk to Sara again.
Exit Minea, and head straight upwards to the next screen, killing the enemies
if you are able to.  On the next screen, cross the bridge, and head straight up
again, ignoring the bridge off to your right.  You may notice a couple of
chests on the right hand side of this screen, but you can't access them from
this side.  On the next screen, go up a few steps, and then head right at the
bridge.  Keep going right, and immediately after crossing the next bridge, head
down.  Head down until you see a small body of water off to the right.  At the
northeastern edge of this pond, if you look hard enough, there's a faint
sparkle (where the "L"-shaped indentation is).  Investigate it, and you will
discover a Golden Vase, which you can sell to Pim for 2,000 gold (2,200 if you
barter).  Before heading back to Minea, head directly left to the next screen,
and you'll find yourself close to one of those chests you couldn't reach before.
This one is already slightly open, so go ahead and grab the Beastiary Potion
from within.  Drinking it (equip it, then use it) will allow you to learn the
stats of the various enemies.  Please refer to the "Enemies" section for more
info on how that works.  There are a few other important spots on the Plains,
but there's nothing to do there at this time, including getting that other
treasure chest, which is locked.  So for now, head back to Minea and sell the
Golden Pedestal to Pim, and if you did the Sapphire Ring sidequest, you should
have enough to purchase the Long Sword, as well as the Chain Mail and Small
Shield.
Once you've gotten a sword, shield, and body armor (be sure to equip them),
head on over to Sara's.  She'll ask you whether or not you've heard of the
Books of Ys.  It doesn't matter how you answer, but she will then ask you to
search for them, to which you must answer yes to continue your quest.  She will
then give you her Crystal to help aid in this task, and suggests you visit her
aunt Jeba in Zepik Village.  You also receive 100 EXP, and combined with the
Sapphire Ring sidequest, you should now be level 2.
Before you head off to Zepik, if you have a little extra gold, I recommend
buying a Wing from Pim (200 gold, 180 if you barter), which will let you warp
out of dungeons back to Minea.  Also, if you're interested in a little extra
gameplay quirk in the Shrine (in the Steam version, it helps you obtain a Steam
achievement), pick up a Mirror as well (500 gold, 450 if you barter).
Alternatively, you may wish to buy a Heal Potion from the Clinic (300 gold),
but you can occasionally find one inside dungeons, and I generally prefer to go
without one early on.  In the event you happen to be playing the Eternal
version of the game, the prices of all 3 of these items are significantly
higher, so you probably won't be able to afford any of them at this point.  For
reference, the Wing costs 2,000 gold (1,800 if you barter), the Mirror is 1,000
gold (900 if you barter), and the Heal Potion is 1,000 gold (can't barter for
it).
In any event, once you have Sara's Crystal, exit Minea and make your way
towards Zepik Village.  Head straight up two screens, and then go right on the
next one.  From there, go up and to the right, and you'll be at Zepik.  If you
get lost, there are signs all over the field, so use those as a guide if you
need to.
Also, assuming you have the Beastiary Potion, now is a good time to get started
on learning the enemies' stats.  If you're aiming for a complete monster list,
be sure you also learn the EXP and Gold values of the enemies, which are only
listed on the "Notes" screen in either Chronicles version (otherwise you will
not get the Steam achievement).  Anyway, there are 4 types of enemies on the
Plains, 3 of which you'll likely encounter normally - Oakrot, Curloid, and
Rheboll.  The one that might elude you is the Pikkard, which can be found on
the screen south of the northwestern Roda Tree (they can also be found in Port
Barbado, but there's no way to kill them there).  We'll actually be visiting
that area in a bit, so don't worry.
Zepik Village                                                          [ZPKVLG]
- Receive the Shrine Key from Jeba
- Make your way north to the Shrine on the mountain
- Find the wandering minstrel, Luta Gemma
- Agree to help the Mayor re-obtain the Silver Bell
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT - Shrine Key*
CHARACTERS (Zepik) - Jeba*, Mayor Robels, Linda, Mark, Granny Edda, Iris, Clive,
Old Man Lahan, Palma, Old Man Cronen, Demi, Old Man Pablo, Granny Lucia, Elbert,
Granny Soya, Granny Tohbe, Old Man Corvo
CHARACTERS (Barbado) - Luta Gemma
CHARACTERS (Mountain Path) - Goban*, Lugan the Thief, Morgan the Thief
ENEMIES (Mountain Path) - Unugun
NOTE - About Luta Gemma, while he is actually a resident of Zepik, you'll first
encounter him in Port Barbado as part of a sidequest, then again on the
northern Minea Plains, and after you rescue him there, you can visit him in
Zepik anytime afterwards (but this is only if you complete the sidequest; if
you decide not to, you'll still run into him later in the game, so no need to
worry about missing him).  As for Goban, he is not required until a good deal
later in the game.  You do, however, need to speak to him first before his two
lackeys Lugan and Morgan can appear in the "Notes" list (actually, you can get
them to talk to you without speaking to Goban first, if you drag Feena there
with you during the escort mission).
The first thing you should do is make your way to Jeba's.  Her house is the
easternmost one right next to the lake (there's a box of vegetables outside her
door).  Go inside and speak to her, and she'll mention a Shrine on the mountain
to the north, and will give you the Shrine Key to help explore it.  If for some
reason you don't have Sara's Crystal yet, Jeba will not hand the key over, so
go grab that first.
Afterwards, chat up the rest of the townsfolk, if you'd like.  Of particular
note is the mayor's house in the middle of town, right next to Jeba's (marked
by an axe right outside the door).  Go inside and agree to hear out his request
(this actually isn't required to complete the sidequest), and he'll tell you
that the village's treasure, the Silver Bell, has gone missing.  He suspects
the thieves on the mountain nearby, and would like for you to negotiate it back
from them.  Also, there's a woman in white wandering around the outside of the
southernmost house.  She'll mention that her husband has gone missing, and has
a bad habit of sleepwalking lately, so she wants you to keep an eye out for him.
You don't have to do either of these tasks if you don't want to, but the second
one in particular rewards 500 EXP (unless you're playing the Eternal version,
in which case it awards nothing except additional scenes and dialogue), so
let's get that out of the way right now, as the first boss is fast approaching,
and the EXP is very valuable at this point.  If you're not interested, your
next destination is the Shrine, which can be found on the mountain via the
northern exit of Zepik.
You'll need to head all the way back in Port Barbado, and inside the clinic
talking to Dr. Bludo is a young man.  If he's not showing up, you'll need to
talk to the doctor yourself after you've obtained a sword, which will prompt a
small additional exchange.  You'll then need to exit and re-enter town, and
head back to the clinic.  This step may seem useless, but I suspect it's just a
precautionary measure to make sure you can complete this sidequest, as you'll
soon see.  Anyway, after he leaves, talk to the doctor and nurse (if you want,
it's not required), and you'll learn that was Luta from Zepik, and someone
found him wandering about in the fields for some reason.  Hmm, he's awfully far
from home, plus he refused the militia's further assistance, so you'd better
try and catch up with him, just to be sure.
If you'd like, you can return to Zepik at this point and talk with Luta's wife
again to learn that he still hasn't made it back home, but it's not required.
Seems he got lost again...  You'll find him on the Plains screen south of the
northwestern Roda Tree, the one with the Pikkards.  Starting from Minea, head
straight up one screen, and on the next screen go up until you reach the
signpost, at which point head northwest slightly.  This next screen is the only
one where you'll find Pikkards to kill, so keep that in mind if you're aiming
for a full beastiary.  More importantly, it is here where you'll now find Luta
running around somewhere (you should hear him being attacked), usually in the
far northeastern corner near the transition point to the Roda Tree screen.
You'll find him being attacked by a Curloid, so go ahead and dispatch it (if
you're still at level 1, you absolutely need a weapon equipped to kill it).
He'll express his gratitude, and you'll automatically end up back in Zepik,
where his wife will thank you as well.  You'll also receive 500 EXP (again,
there is no reward in the Eternal version, dialogue aside), which should propel
you to level 4, unless you haven't been killing much of anything.  If you want,
you can now speak to Luta inside his home for an interesting tidbit about what
compels him to sleepwalk.
Afterwards, exit Zepik to the north to reach the mountain.  Head up a little
ways, and you should see the Shrine.  Off to the right is where the Thieves'
Den is, as well as Darm Tower.  The mayor did say to try and get the Silver
Bell back from the thieves, so let's go and pay them a visit (it's actually not
necessary, so skip to the next section if you'd like).
The two lackeys aren't conversational when you first arrive, so go ahead and
speak to the boss.  He claims that even they have been victims of stolen silver
lately, and insists that they are not responsible for stealing Zepik's Silver
Bell, or the other silver, for that matter.  Feel free to check the treasure
chests if you're skeptical - they're both empty.  Hmm, if not them, then who's
responsible?  After talking to their leader Goban, go ahead and speak to the
two lackeys, if you'd like (they won't show up in the "Notes" list if you try
and talk to them first).  You can also wander into the room beyond, but there's
nothing you can do there right now.  If you'd like, you can go and relay this
encounter to Zepik's mayor, who will mention reports of a man in a black cape.
You can try questioning Goban about him, but he'll again insist that they are
innocent, and will eventually refuse any further interrogation if you keep
persisting (not that it matters).  You can also relay this info to the mayor,
but either way, there's nothing further you can do about this at the moment.
With that, let's finally head inside the Shrine.
Shrine                                                                 [MTNSHR]
- Kill Jenocres, and advance to the lower levels of the Shrine
- Free Feena, and escort her to Zepik Village
- Speak to Feena after she recovers
- Find the Silver Shield
- Find the Mask of Eyes, and use it to find a secret passage deep in the Shrine
- Kill Nygtilger, and find the Book of Ys
- Find the Silver Bell, and return it to Zepik's mayor to receive the Power
- Find both the Ruby and Necklace, and sell them to Pim
- Find the Shield Ring
- Receive a free Talwar from Slaff
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Shrine) - Ruby, Shield Ring, Necklace, Prison Key*,
Treasure Box Key*, Silver Bell, Ivory Key*, Marble Key*, Silver Shield*, Heal
Potion, Book of Ys (Volume Hadal)*
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Zepik) - Power Ring
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Minea Plains - North) - Piece of Paper
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Barbado) - Talwar
CHARACTERS (Zepik) - Feena*
ENEMIES (Shrine) - Uhnos, Bulner, Looter, Rescoyd, Lyus, Dinvel, Jenocres*,
Nygtilger*
NOTE - While Feena is initially encountered inside the Shrine, you don't
actually receive her "Notes" entry until you safely escort her to Zepik.
First off, I strongly recommend being at least level 4 before entering the
Shrine (unless you're playing the Eternal version, in which case level 3 with
the Long Sword will do).  If you don't have quite enough EXP, I suggest
completing the Sapphire Ring and Luta Gemma sidequests, or if you've already
done those (or just don't want to), kill some Unugun out on the mountain.
Anyway, once inside, you'll start off in a small room with some statues of a
winged woman.  Provided you have Sara's Crystal, the rightmost one should be a
golden color (if you don't have the Crystal, you'll need to grab it to proceed
any further).  Go ahead and touch it, and you'll warp to another area of the
shrine.  There are a couple of chests on this level, but you can only open the
one in the top right corner at the moment.  It contains a Ruby, which you can
sell to Pim for 1,200 gold (1,320 if you barter).  If you have enough gold,
consider returning to Minea now to sell it, so that you can pick up a 2nd level
armor or shield (or the Long Sword, if you didn't get it before).  If you
choose to buy armor, I recommend getting the Plate Mail, as you'll be coming
across a pretty powerful shield fairly soon (unless you decide you want to do
the Mine as soon as possible, in which case I recommend getting the Middle
Shield, as the Mine contains a pretty powerful body armor).  However, do note
that any armor you buy (even if it's a 3rd level piece) will not be of any use
for the first boss coming up, though it will be helpful for the remainder of
the dungeon.
At any rate, make your way to the northwest corner of the level (you'll need to
loop around the bottom of the screen to get there).  That locked door leads to
the boss, so use the Shrine Key you should've received from Jeba, and prepare
to face the first boss.  Do note that boss battles are inescapable once
triggered, and you're also not allowed to use any items, consumable or
otherwise (Heal Potions included); once you trigger one, it's a fight to the
death, so it's strongly recommended that you be at full health beforehand (for
this dungeon, you can actually stand still and heal on this topmost floor, if
needed), as well as doing a precautionary save in case you're not prepared
(which you should be doing fairly often anyway).
JENOCRES - Fenys Tovah's Redemption of Power
HP - 100
STR - 90
DEF - 76
EXP - 500
RECOMMENDED LEVEL - 4/5 (3/4 if you're playing the Eternal version)
STRATEGY - For a first boss, this guy is quite a doozy.  He constantly appears
and disappears in the midst of the flames, and naturally, he's only vulnerable
when he appears.  Unless you're playing the Eternal version, you need to be
mindful of your positioning when attacking him, so you don't accidentally
bounce into the flames (Eternal doesn't give you knockback upon attacking the
bosses).  On the bright side, unlike normal enemies, you don't need to worry
about attacking the bosses off-center.  Anyway, where he pops up is relative to
your position, at least until a second or so before he actually appears;
generally speaking, he'll try and appear a good deal away from you (though it
is possible for him to land on top of or right next to you).  To this end, you
may find it better to dance around the middle of the flames in order to have a
better shot at damaging him.  However, avoiding them can be quite the tricky
task, even moreso once the battle is halfway through, in which case the time
you have to weave between them is even smaller.  So, unless you're particularly
skilled at evading them, you should wait at the top or bottom of the screen for
an opening.  The top tends to work better, as the flame columns activate from
top to bottom, meaning you have more chances to move between the flames
unharmed and score a hit (though you may find it harder to get to the top
unscathed, in which case the bottom will have to do).  Once you defeat him,
you'll receive 500 EXP for your efforts.
Unless you're feeling exceptionally bold, you'll need to be level 4 with the
Long Sword to do any extra damage (level 3 if you're playing Eternal),
otherwise you'll need to be level 5 with the Short Sword (level 4 if you're
playing Eternal).  Since level 5 takes a while to reach (or even 4, if you're
playing Eternal), that's the reason I recommended buying the Long Sword.  You
can always grind out an extra level if you still find him too difficult - it
makes him a ton easier, but naturally, grinding takes a while.
NOTE - As mentioned above, in the Eternal version of the game, you can actually
reasonably deal with Jenocres one level sooner than in Complete/Chronicles,
likely because most of the enemies in Eternal up to this point give less EXP
compared to Complete/Chronicles.  Also, the 500 EXP reward for rescuing Luta
Gemma on the Plains was not yet implemented, so Jenocres likely had lower stats
to prevent too much grinding (Adol's stat increments appear unchanged upon
leveling up, so that isn't the issue).  Boss stats were not revealed until
Chronicles, however, so I've no idea what they might be in the Eternal version.
Besides, no matter what your defense value is for this battle, you will always
take the same amount of damage (how much depends on the difficulty - armor and
shields equipped make absolutely no difference here, even if you somehow
managed to buy the Large Shield and Reflex this early), so I suspect his
strength, at least, is a dummy value.
After the battle, the wall to the north will explode, revealing a staircase, so
let's see where it leads.  Do note that you'll no longer be able to stand still
to heal on this floor and below, so be sure to keep a close eye on your HP.
Anyway, on this floor, there's a couple of prison cells in the northeast corner,
and a locked chest in the southeast corner, but there's nothing you can do
about either of these just yet, so head down to the next level, which is in the
southwest corner.
On this level, you'll want to head immediately down, then right until you see a
doorway with two silver statues on either side.  Head inside that room, and
open the chest to find the Prison Key, but beware the Looters that appear once
you grab it.  Now, before heading back to the cells on the previous floor,
there are a couple other chests you may wish to grab first.  From the two
silver statues, head right a little and you'll see a doorway with just one
statue nearby.  Inside, head straight up, and to the right, you'll notice that
the path splits 4 different ways.  Take the one third one from the left, and at
its end, you'll notice a chest that's open slightly (again, beware the Looter).
Inside is the Treasure Box Key, and all of those locked chests you may have
seen before can now be open.  For now, exit this corridor, and take the path
directly to your left.  You should notice another chest in the southern area of
this one, so assuming you have the Treasure Box Key (if you don't, you'll need
to grab it first), go ahead and open it to find the Silver Bell.  Strange, why
is it down here?  Perhaps Goban really wasn't to blame for its disappearance.
Now, you can continue to explore even further into the Shrine if you wish,
however you'll get stuck a little ways in without inspecting the prison cells,
so go ahead and return to the previous floor.  As mentioned earlier, the prison
cells are in the northeast corner of this level.  Also, provided you have the
Treasure Box Key, the chest in the southeast corner can now be opened,
containing a Necklace you can sell to Pim for 500 gold (550 if you barter).
Back to the prison cells, the one on the left just contains a Looter, so avoid
it if you want.  The one on the right is holding a young woman hostage, so
unlock the door and speak to her.  After some dialogue, you will be presented
with the option to free her now, or you can come back later.  You need to free
her at some point, so you may as well do it now.  Doing it now also gets you
500 EXP, something you will not receive if you choose to put it off until after
you've collected the Book of Ys in here (even if you initially refuse, you'll
get the reward so long as you help her before that point).  Be sure to open the
chest for the Mask of Eyes, an item that lets you see hidden doorways (in the
event you choose to come back later, Feena automatically gives it to you,
meaning the chest will be empty).  Be careful when you equip this item, because
while hidden paths will become visible, enemies won't be, which is obviously
very dangerous.
Before we get Feena to safety (be sure to save your game first, because if she
dies, it's game over for you), you may be interested in a couple easter eggs,
some of which give achievements for the Steam version (and if you're not, just
skip this paragraph and the next one).  First, you can actually level Feena up,
provided you bought a Mirror back in Minea (if you didn't, it's too late to go
back and get one).  First, you'll want to severely weaken an enemy, but not
kill it (you may need to un-equip your weapon).  Any enemy will do, but I
recommend an Uhnos outside the cells, or the Looter in the left cell.  While
not 100% required for this, Feena is rather weak, so it may take a while
otherwise.  Next, you'll need to use a Mirror to freeze ("fascinate") the enemy,
and then move in such a way so that Feena walks right into it, hopefully
killing it off (it may help to push Feena into the enemy).  If you don't use a
Mirror, Feena will be the one taking damage, and you obviously don't want that.
You only need to do this once for the Steam achievement "Forever Level One To
Me", however, you can kill three additional enemies for another level (though
she'll always be listed as "Level 1", hence the achievement name), but no more
than that.  If you didn't use a Mirror around any other characters prior to
this, then you should also receive the "Some Kind of Sorcerer" achievement.
And in case you're wondering whether or not it's possible to use the Mirror to
help Luta kill enemies when you find him in the Plains, the answer is no.
Next up, in the northwest corner of this level (below the stairs leading back
up), there's a really narrow corridor you can enter.  Seems useless, right?
Well, when you're escorting Feena, you can actually push her in there, and once
she's tucked in nice and tight, you'll get some small dialogue, and then her
measurements will be listed amongst her other stats (no, I'm not listing them,
you pervert).  Now, there's two variations to this, however, only one can be
seen per playthrough, so you'll likely either need to save before doing this if
you want both achievements in one playthrough, or you'll have to do it "right"
the first time.  The first method is just as mentioned above, nothing special,
just push her to the back.  The second one is to first equip the Mask of Eyes,
and then push her in - this is the one that also gets you the "I Can't See You,
But I Can Feel You" achievement, otherwise you just get the "Hey Baby, What's
Your Width?" one.
Alright, that's all the notable extra stuff there is to do with poor Feena (for
the moment), so let's get her out of here.  Obviously, you don't want to keep
her here in the Shrine (you can attempt to take her lower, but the game won't
let you), so head back to the floor where you fought the first boss.  Be sure
to keep her close to you, otherwise she will no longer follow you, wondering
where you went.  If that happens, head back to her, and she should follow you
again automatically when you're close enough (if not, you may need to give her
a quick tap).  You also need to keep the enemies away from her, as there's no
way for her to defend herself (unless you use a Mirror, but as noted above, she
is pretty weak).  As you're making your way back to the golden warp statue
where you first entered the main part of the Shrine (northern part of the map,
in case you forgot), you can now pick up the Shield Ring just to the left of it
(assuming you got the Treasure Box Key).  As the description says, the Shield
Ring reduces all damage you take by half.  Do note that this and other rings
you may come across will not function during boss battles.  In addition, it
will never make it so damage is completely nullified, even if you're just
taking 1 without it equipped.
In any event, take the warp statue (preferably with Feena in tow =p), and exit
the Shrine.  You'll want to take her to Zepik, however, you can drag her to the
Thieves' Den for some amusing dialogue (though it's in no way required).  Also,
you can attempt to take her to the room inside the hideout, the one with the
mysterious door.  Curiously, Feena is absolutely terrified to head into that
room with you.  What in the world is that about?  If you'd like, you can also
show Goban that you found the Silver Bell (it's not required), but only if
Feena's not with you (and assuming you accepted the mayor's request, otherwise
he won't comment on it); the same thing can be done with the Mask of Eyes.
Anyway, once you're ready, head back to Zepik.  Make sure Feena is close behind
so you can actually enter (in Eternal, it is possible to enter without her
following, but there's little point in that), so if you got her lost somewhere
along the way, go back and get her.
Shortly upon entering, Feena will collapse, and you'll automatically take her
to Jeba's house to recover.  Best to let her sleep for now.  If you found the
Silver Bell already, you can go ahead and take it to the mayor (this is
completely optional, though), and he'll give you the Power Ring as a token of
his thanks; he'll also give you free healing at any time, should you need it.
Regarding the Power Ring, the description says it completely doubles the
wearer's strength, but this is actually inaccurate.  It doubles your damage
when equipped, *not* your strength; if you didn't have the strength before to
penetrate an enemy's defenses, equipping this still won't do you any good.  And
as with the Shield Ring, it makes no difference whether or not it's equipped
during a boss battle.  Anyway, at this point, you can go back and finish up the
Shrine (or you can even get started on the Abandoned Mine if you have the
Treasure Box Key, but that is not recommended), however, I suggest heading all
the way back to Port Barbado first for a new weapon.  Truthfully, so long as
you already have the Long Sword, it doesn't really make a big difference, but
there is a small story scene, plus an achievement for the Steam version, if
you're interested.  On your way there, you can stop and pick up that other
chest on the Minea Plains (if you have the Treasure Box Key, that is), though
there's nothing you can do with its contents at present (and aside from a Steam
achievement, it's not required at all, so skip it altogether, if you want).  To
get there, head left and then down from Zepik (near where you found the Golden
Pedestal).  From there, continue southeast past the pond.  On the next screen
head left, and past the giant Roda Tree (there's nothing you can do with it at
the moment), you should notice a small path leading upwards.  Follow it, and
you'll come to a small enclosed area with the chest, which contains a Piece of
Paper written in an archaic language.  Again, there's nothing you can do with
it right now, so continue to Port Barbado.  Head down to the militia building,
and speak with Slaff.  So long as Feena is safe and sound at this point, he
will lead you to a small warehouse, where he will give you a new weapon for
free, the Talwar.  Ordinarily, this weapon isn't available in Minea until after
you find the Book of Ys in the Shrine, and even then it costs 5,000 gold, and
is outclassed shortly after, so this is quite the bargain (there is yet another
place to obtain it for free, but it's a bit further in the game - more on that
later).  Getting it this way is also the only way to get the Steam achievement
"Seriously Sworded Details", so that's even more of an incentive to do it now
(as an aside, receiving the Short Sword from Slaff is *not* a prerequisite for
obtaining it this way).  If you'd like, you can swing by Minea's weapon shop
and show it off, but it's in no way required.
Again, at this point, you have two different paths you can take: you can go
back and finish up the Shrine, or you can go and tackle the Abandoned Mine one
screen left of Zepik, provided you have the Treasure Box Key (all of the Mine's
chests are locked).  The Mine is very dangerous at this point, and besides,
chances are you won't be able to kill the normal enemies there just yet (even
with the Talwar).  I strongly recommend heading back to the Shrine, but if
you're feeling gutsy and want to tackle the Mine now, skip to the next section.
Before heading back, you may wish to stop in at Minea's armor dealer, and pick
up some better armor if you haven't already (I recommend the Plate Mail or
Reflex, as we'll shortly come across a really good shield).  Additionally,
assuming you already saved Feena, you can swing by Sara's for some extra
dialogue, but it's by no means required.  Anyway, on your way back to the
Shrine, be sure and pay Jeba's house a visit, and you'll find that Feena is now
awake (all it really requires is a simple exit and re-entry into the village
upon initially dropping her off).  After the initial dialogue, be sure you
manually talk to Feena, as this is part of an extremely important process to
advance to a later part of the game, so you may as well do it now.  You can
also manually speak with Jeba, but aside from the initial conversation upon
finding Feena awake, it's not required.
There's nothing else to do at the moment, so head back inside the Shrine.  Back
on the second basement level (where you found the Prison Key), head down, and
then enter the doorway with only one statue.  At this point, you absolutely
need the Treasure Box Key to proceed further, so pick that up if you haven't
already (again, it's in the third path from the left).  Otherwise, take the
path all the way to the right, and it'll lead to more stairs leading down in
the southeast corner.  On this next floor, in the far northwestern corner,
you'll find a chest containing the Ivory Key.  You'll need it to help reach the
next boss, so be sure to grab it.  You may also notice another chest in the far
southeast corner of this floor, but there's no way to grab it at the moment.
Anyway, from the Ivory Key chest, head southeast a little until you see a small
corridor heading down, so pass through that, then head southwest until you see
a gold statue at the bottom of the screen (beware of the enemies clogging up
these narrow corridors - trying to attack them in such a state will very likely
end badly, so lure them out if you must).  While you need to take this path
eventually, for now, walk right a short ways right until you see another path
heading upwards, and follow it to find another golden statue.  Like the ones at
the beginning of the Shrine, these statues will also warp you to different
parts of the Shrine.  This particular one will take you to a small isolated
area containing a couple enemies, as well as a chest in the northern part
containing the Silver Shield.  It is very important that you grab this, or else
you will not be able to advance later on in the game.  Wait, a silver shield?
Why would a piece of stolen silver be down here?  At any rate, it is more
powerful than anything even in Minea's armory, so be sure to equip it.
Afterwards, head to the golden statue in the northwest of this area, as you may
have noticed you are unable to use the statue that warped you in here.
Now you can head back to the left, and to that other warp statue we passed
before.  It will take you to another small isolated area with some enemies and
a chest in the northwest.  The chest contains a Heal Potion, so grab it if you
need to.  Now, it seems like there's nothing else to do in this area, but see
that lone silver statue on the southern part of the screen?  If you look close
enough, to the right of it you can see a faint outline of a doorway on the wall.
You need to equip the Mask of Eyes to actually reveal it and pass through,
however, so if you haven't spoken with Feena in the prison cell yet, you must
do so now.  Be very careful when equipping the Mask of Eyes, as one of the
Dinvel will very likely be lurking nearby, perhaps as soon as you enter the
passage (if that happens, you may need to warp back out of the room and try
again, as it can be rather difficult luring it away), and they can hit pretty
hard.  Once through, immediately un-equip the Mask of Eyes (well, if you want
=p), and you'll notice another warp statue to the north.  Again, ignore this
one for the time being, and follow the path to the right, and you'll eventually
come to another warp statue.  Take this one, and a little ways up you'll find
that chest you couldn't reach before when first entering B3, which contains the
Marble Key (again, be very careful of those Dinvel - in the event you need to
move around one, and it seems stuck at the end of the corridor when you're
trying to exit, chances are that you actually can safely hit it out of the way,
even if it doesn't seem like it).  Now that you have both the Ivory and Marble
Keys, you can finally reach the boss, so take the warp statue out of here (be
wary of the Lyus to the south after you warp - either kill it, or if you're not
able to, swipe it diagonally to the side and quickly pass it), and then head
left back to that other warp statue we ignored before, the one shortly after
going through that hidden passage.
Seems we've gone pretty far down, as this next level is flooded a little, but
it's not a hindrance.  Head to the left, and then up to a door.  This one
requires the Marble Key, and the one right after that requires the Ivory Key,
so be sure you have both in your possession.  Be sure to save your game, use a
Heal Potion if you need to (though honestly, you can probably get away without
it), and once you're ready, inspect the strange sculpture on the wall, which is
actually the next boss.
NYGTILGER - Sems Hadal's Redemption of Earth
STR - 175
DEF - 149
EXP - 5,000
RECOMMENDED LEVEL - 6/7
STRATEGY - Unlike the previous boss, this one is pretty simple.  It will chase
you around the room in a pretty wide circle, so it may be difficult to hit him
at times.  You just need to avoid hitting his head; hitting him anywhere else
is fine, though you should aim as far away from his head as you can manage.
Always keep moving - preferably in a small circular motion - and he'll
basically run circles around you (this is even more important in Eternal, as
he's likely to overlap himself slightly; plus, he changes directions every now
and then, in which case you should do the same).  In the event he does catch
you, he'll likely multi-hit you, perhaps even outright kill you if you're not
careful.  I actually like to try and aim pretty close to his head, as the
resulting knockback (if you're playing the Eternal version, there is no
knockback when damaging the bosses) usually puts you in a position to quickly
hit him again.  Naturally, this is a bit riskier, but it's still an easy battle.
Killing him nets you 5,000 EXP this time around, which will probably level you
up (or get you pretty close, at least).
You need to be level 7 before doing any extra damage with either the Long Sword
or Talwar equipped; in the event you grabbed the Silver Sword a bit early, you
can actually do extra damage at level 6 (though if you did do that, you're
probably at least a level or 2 higher).  To be honest, I actually prefer doing
this boss under-leveled, even though he takes a good number of hits that way
(as much as 100 on Hard/Nightmare), and you die within a few hits, but it at
least presents some semblance of challenge.  He's even more fun under-leveled
in the Eternal version, since there's no boss knockback, though you really have
to be on your guard at all times to survive that.
And it was mentioned earlier, but I must stress again that rings are
ineffective during boss battles, so even if you have the Shield or Power Ring
equipped for this fight, they will make no difference in how much damage you
take or dish out.
NOTE - A common problem with this boss is that some people say he moves
inhumanly fast, making the battle impossible.  While I personally have never
experienced this problem, it supposedly stems from a problem with V-Sync
(vertical synchronization), so make sure you have that turned on in your
graphics card settings if this boss seems to be moving way too fast.
On an unrelated note, the Eternal version lists Nygtilger as "Gulba Dabbie's
Redemption of Light", and the title seen above was listed as Vagullion's.  This
is likely a mistake, as Complete switched those two titles around, and as it
came later, it's the one I chose to go with.  It also helps that Nygtilger is
guarding the Volume Hadal Book of Ys, and Vagullion protects Volume Dabbie
(though in Vagullion's case, I think either the Light or Earth "Redemption"
title would've worked).
After the battle, you should notice that the wall to the north looks a bit weak.
Inspect it, and you will find a small room containing a chest.  Open it to find
your first Book of Ys, Volume Hadal.  Trying to read it is useless, as it's
written in a language Adol can't understand, so we better head back to Sara and
see if she can decipher it.  Before leaving, you must go back and escort Feena
to Zepik if you haven't already (it's no longer an option, meaning you'll no
longer get 500 EXP for doing so), as the game won't let you leave her behind.
Upon dropping her off, be sure to then exit and re-enter the village to see her
awake, and then speak to her manually after the initial dialogue.  If you have
already rescued her, feel free to leave the Shrine, and make your way back to
Minea (I recommend using a Wing, provided you bought one from Pim earlier;
otherwise, it'll be a long trek back).
Abandoned Mine                                                         [ABNDMN]
- Visit Sara's, and receive a Book of Ys from her friend Franz
- Report Sara's murder to Jeba, and ask her to read the Books of Ys
- Speak to Feena near the lake
- Find and return the Silver Harmonica to Reah
- Speak to the awakened southeastern Roda Tree, and receive the Silver Sword
- Find the Silver Armor
- Kill Vagullion, and find a Book of Ys within the Abandoned Mine
- Speak to Feena back inside Jeba's house
- Ask Jeba to read all 3 current Books of Ys, and speak to her again afterwards
- Speak to Goban in the Thieves' Den, and enter Darm Tower
- Find both the Timer Ring and Heal Ring
- Speak to the Roda Trees before returning the Silver Harmonica to Reah
- Find the Piece of Paper, and give it to Reah
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Minea) - Book of Ys (Volume Tovah)*, Talwar
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Minea Plains - North) - Silver Sword*
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Abandoned Mine) - Silver Armor*, Heal Potion x 2, Heal
Ring, Timer Ring, Roda Tree Seed*, Silver Harmonica*, Darm Key*, Book of Ys
(Volume Dabbie)*
ENEMIES (Abandoned Mine) - Nubbrow, Gryel, Othcross, Dynick, Menon, Karon,
Chelasken, Lemendy, Brayzal, Vagullion*
Now that we've finally found a Book of Ys, let's go and pay Sara a visit (if
you'd like, you can show the Book of Ys to Jeba before stopping by Sara's, but
it's not required).  Technically, you can put this paragraph and the next one
off for now and head straight for the Abandoned Mine, but it does need to be
done at some point, and doing it later could cause some confusion, so best to
get it over with now.  Anyway, upon entering her house, you'll notice that Sara
isn't there, but her good friend Franz is.  Speaking to him reveals that Sara's
been murdered.  Wow, that's quite a setback for us, however, we do get the Book
of Ys, Volume Tovah, that she was guarding (seems she wanted to see if Adol
really was the one she was looking for before entrusting it to him), as well as
a cryptic clue to head to the abandoned mine of Rastin.  If you haven't already
received the Talwar from Slaff in Port Barbado, you can go and do that now, or
you can now purchase it here in Minea.  To buy it from Minea, you must first
try to buy it at some point (doesn't matter when), and after you've obtained
the Book of Ys from the Shrine, speak to the weapon shop owner, who will now
have them in stock for 5,000 gold (and if for some strange reason you want to
see it offered here, but already have one, I think you need to talk to him
without the Talwar equipped).  I strongly recommend against buying it, however,
and instead you should get it either from Slaff in Port Barbado, or you can
even find it elsewhere for free later on in the game (you can't find it later
in the Eternal version, though).  Honestly, so long as you at least have the
Long Sword and are level 5 or higher (if you completed the Shrine, you should
be level 7, or at least very close to it), you can go without it, as you'll get
an even stronger weapon a short while later.
Aside from a couple bits of interesting dialogue (the little boy near Sara's,
and the armor dealer plus a clinic patient if you found the Silver Shield -
though in the armor dealer's case, you need to actually have it equipped),
there's nothing else to do in Minea at the moment (if you haven't already found
Dr. Klaus, now would be a very good time to do so, as you're unlikely to
encounter him later), though I do recommend buying a Wing before leaving (maybe
also a Mirror, as it might prove helpful in this next dungeon).  Before heading
to the Abandoned Mine, we should report the news of Sara's death to Jeba, as
well as see how Feena's doing (you don't have to do this right now, but it will
likely cause confusion if you decide to do this later).  So, head to Zepik and
speak with Jeba inside her house.  After the initial dialogue, speak to her
again (you'll get some extra dialogue when you talk to her again, but only if
you haven't seen Feena by the lake yet), and ask her to read the two Books of
Ys currently in your possession (you don't actually need her to read them just
yet, but you *do* need to at least ask her to).  Be sure to also speak with
Feena out on the lake's pier.  It is important to note that if you failed to
check up on Feena prior to this point, you'll need to do that first (remember
to manually speak to her after you find her awake), and then you'll need to
exit and re-enter town before doing the above steps.  Also, if you talk to the
other villagers at this point, one of the old ladies in the northeast part of
town will mention that there is an odd whisper coming from the Minea Plains (if
you've advanced the events with Feena and Jeba far enough, upon re-entering the
village, Jeba will also make a similar comment - neither of these clues are
required, though).  What could that be about?  That's all there is to do here
at the moment, though if you'd like, speaking to Goban at this point will yield
some interesting dialogue (it's not required).  Seems as though Sara is his
cousin, and he suspects that the man in the black cape you've been hearing
about (well, if you've paid attention =p) is to blame for her death.
At any rate, as Sara cryptically mentioned, your next destination is the
Abandoned Mine of Rastin.  If you don't know where that is, then from Zepik,
head one screen left, and you'll find it on the upper part of the screen
(curiously, the Eternal version actually has some additional land-blocks on
this screen, so you need to access it from either the upper right or upper left,
whereas Complete/Chronicles also lets you enter directly from below).  Be sure
you're at *least* level 5 with the Long Sword or Talwar before entering (level
6 if you still have just the Short Sword), otherwise you won't be able to
damage even the weakest of enemies inside (though honestly, unless you're doing
this dungeon early, it won't be an issue).  In the event you are doing this
place early, you'll need the Treasure Box Key from the Shrine to get anything
accomplished, so be sure you have that in your possession.  You'll want to kill
everything in your path here, as the boss of this dungeon requires max level
(level 10 - 51,200 EXP) - in order to do any extra damage (and that's only with
the right equipment), and unfortunately, it can take a while to accumulate that
much EXP.
From the entrance, head left until you see a box, and then down until the path
splits, where you'll want to head right.  There'll be another path split, so
take the right one again, and follow it up as far as you can, and in the top
right corner, you'll find a chest containing the Silver Armor (be careful of
the Nubbrow nearby), which you'll probably want to equip (as with the Silver
Shield, you can show this to Minea's armor dealer, provided you have it
equipped; Pim will also comment on it).  It is extremely important that you
grab this, as it is necessary to access the game's main dungeon (which is not
too far off).  If you want, there are a couple of other chests on this level.
Probably the easiest way to get them is, from the entrance, head as far left as
you can (you should see piles of rubble), and then follow the path down and
around until you come across a chest containing a Heal Potion, if you need it.
From there, head southeast as far as you can, and you should see another chest,
this one containing the Timer Ring.  Equipping this will reduce the enemies'
speed by half, so depending on your difficulty level, that can be a very
helpful thing indeed (but as with all equipment rings, it won't work during
boss battles).  That's all there is here, so let's head to the next level.
From where you found the Silver Armor, make your way southeast as far as you
can (you should pass through a makeshift doorway), and then follow the path
left to a bridge.  If you need to, you can use the bridge area to heal for free,
just as if you were outdoors.  Anyway, cross the bridge, and on the next screen
follow the path left, and to the north will be stairs leading down to the next
level (be careful of the Othcross lurking around).
On the second level, head right slightly, and then go down.  Ignore the first
fork to the left, but take the second path as far as you can, then head down to
find a chest containing the Roda Tree Seed (be very careful of the enemies in
this corridor - particularly the Menons (eyeball rock things) - as they can
easily kill you if you're not careful).  Hmm, didn't someone in Minea talk
about wanting to sample this?  Anyway, if you need healing, there's another
bridge area down and to the right you can use.  From the Roda Tree Seed chest,
head back up and to the right, and back where the path splits, go down and head
left into the second passage to find another chest, this one containing a
Silver Harmonica (again, beware the Menon nearby).  Hmm, these stolen silver
items are turning up in the weirdest of places...  If Goban and his crew really
were behind all of these silver thefts, then they'd probably at least keep them
stashed together, and not in places infested with demons.  Well, that's all we
need to do here for now, but if you'd like, there's one more item to pick up on
this level, near the top right corner.  From the Silver Harmonica chest, head
right all the way, and then up until you see a stationary Menon.  Go ahead and
push it out of the way (since it's stationary, you won't take immediate head-on
damage), but then either wait for it to move, or re-align yourself quickly to
avoid taking damage shortly afterwards.  Inside the room it was guarding,
you'll find a chest containing the Heal Ring.  Not only does equipping this let
you heal in places you can't normally, the places you can heal under normal
circumstances, you will recover HP at an even faster rate (as with the other
equipment rings, this will not work during a boss fight).
Now, you can continue deeper into the Mine if you wish, however, you will very
likely be unable to kill the boss with your current equipment - even if you're
max level with the Talwar (it *is* doable, but it takes a lot of skill and
patience - if you're playing on anything other than Easy, just forget about it,
and even then, I highly recommend against it).  So, for now, let's head back to
Minea (if you have a Wing feel free to use it, otherwise you'll need to walk).
It's not necessary, but you can show the Roda Tree Seed to the muscular man in
the bar, but he'll let you keep it.  So, what to do with it then?  If you visit
Jeba (again, this isn't necessary), she'll tell you that people once conversed
with the Roda Trees by eating their seeds (she'll only mention this if you've
done the previous events with her and Feena), so go ahead and do so by first
equipping it, then using it (in the Eternal version, eating it actually isn't
necessary, though you *do* need to have found it).  If you want, you can visit
the Roda Trees before returning the Silver Harmonica to Reah for some
additional scenes (provided you ate the Roda Tree Seed), but to continue,
you're going to need them awake.  To do that, return the Silver Harmonica to
Reah, who will now be on Minea's ramparts (the area can be accessed via the
entrance in the northeast part of town).  You'll receive 3,000 EXP for doing so,
then she'll play a little tune for you, and you'll see a brief scene showing a
giant tree (which, if you've been exploring the Plains, you should recognize as
one of the Roda Trees).  Once you've returned her harmonica, you can also give
her the Piece of Paper you may have found on the Minea Plains, though this is
not required.  To give it to her, simply equip and use it when standing next to
her, and when you leave, you'll see her play the harmonica again, and you'll be
treated to a short scene (which also gets you the Steam achievement "Poetry In
Motion".  Before leaving Minea, you may wish to grab another Wing if you used
one previously.  When you're ready, make your way to the Roda Trees and see
what that vision was all about.  There's one on the screen left of the Mine (in
the upper left corner), and also one two screens south of Zepik (again, in the
upper left corner).  You only need to visit the southeastern one, but feel free
to visit the other one for some additional dialogue, if you want.  The
southeastern one will grant you the Silver Sword (provided you returned the
Silver Harmonica, as well as ate the Roda Tree Seed), which you may remember as
being regarded as an Esterian fairy tale to defeat the monsters.  Well, that's
no fairy tale, so be certain you equip it (if you'd like, you can show it to
Minea's weapon dealer, but you need it equipped first).  Also, if you still
haven't found the Piece of Paper, just follow the small path just northwest of
this tree, and you'll find it in a locked chest (though as noted above,
returning it to Reah is completely optional).
Anyway, once you have the Silver Sword, you can tackle the rest of the Mine.
Back on the second level, from the entrance, head left and then straight down
as far as you can.  A short ways to the right along the upper wall you'll find
stairs leading down to the final floor of this dungeon.  Follow the path until
you reach a fork on the right side of the screen - there's nothing but a couple
of enemies leading up, so head left.  Keep to the upper wall, and you should
eventually come across a passage with a Brayzal (armored monster) guarding it.
You can safely bump into it first, but after that, either wait for it to move,
or quickly re-align yourself to avoid taking damage (and these guys hit hard,
so watch out).  Inside the room it was guarding, head right (be careful, as
there's another Brayzal moving around in here), and open the chest to find the
Darm Key.  You need this to access the boss of this dungeon, so be sure to grab
it.  Exit the passage, and continue to the far left side of the screen.  When
the path splits, the left one has a chest with another Heal Potion, if you need
it.  Otherwise, follow the path to the right, and after a few twists and turns
(beware those enemies, especially the Brayzal in the bottom left corner),
you'll eventually come across a large door with a strange symbol, which you'll
need the Darm Key for.
Now, before entering, make sure you're at max level (level 10 - 51,200 EXP).
If you've been diligent in learning the enemies' stats down here, you should be
pretty close, if not already there.  If you're not, kill some enemies - instead
of the Brayzal near the door, I actually recommend killing the Lemendy a little
bit earlier along the path (the last two you encounter).  In addition to being
easier to kill (you'll need to be at least level 7 with the Silver Sword,
whereas the Brayzal require at least level 8), if you're positioned properly,
you can head straight up and down, killing them with little trouble (though you
may have to chase them down in order for them to respawn at the proper points)
- all this for only 30 EXP less per kill than the Brayzal.  Once that's out of
the way, unlock the door and head inside.  Now, before trying to open the chest
in this room, heal up (use a Heal Potion, or equip the Heal Ring), equip your
Silver equipment (*especially* the Silver Sword), and be sure to save your game.
When you're ready, go ahead and try to open it, and you'll be greeted by one of
the most difficult bosses of the game.
VAGULLION - Gulba Dabbie's Redemption of Light
RECOMMENED LEVEL - 10
STRATEGY - This guy tends to give newcomers a lot of trouble, which is one of
the main reasons I suggest your first playthrough of the game be on Normal, not
Hard or Nightmare.  Anyway, he will appear briefly, and then disperse into a
multitude of bats, making it hard to damage him (if you're playing the Complete
version, you can score a free hit as soon as he appears, but this is not the
case for the Eternal or Chronicles versions).  When he disperses, you'll want
to try and lure him to one of the four corners of the room.  Doing this will
make it more likely that he'll reform there as opposed to the center of the
room, where he is significantly harder to dodge.  The other reason you want to
be in one of the corners instead of the center is because you have a better
chance of actually getting away from him unharmed (though if you can't make it,
you'll just have to push through the bats as fast as possible, as they can and
probably will multi-hit you, which can easily wipe you out if you're not
careful).  Getting him to actually appear (indicated by a red swirl) is quite
the tricky task, and I honestly know of no foolproof way to do so.  However,
one of the more effective ways I've found is to start above or below him
(provided it's reasonable to do so, of course), and *then* make your way to the
corner farthest away from you.  This will often get the bats to clump together
and speed towards you, which is the first chance he has of appearing.
Unfortunately, this method sometimes causes him to appear near the center of
the room, which is exactly where you *don't* want him to reform.  If you are
able to do so, it might be more effective to keep to one side of the room, and
move from the top corner to the bottom one in kind of a rectangular motion to
evade him (this can be pretty difficult on Nightmare), as this tends to keep
him pretty close to the walls; the downside is, he doesn't seem to clump
together as easily this way.  Anyway, in the event he fakes you out and doesn't
reform, you'll need to repeat the process and try again.  The good news is he
will not fake appear 3 times in a row, so if he's done it twice already, you'll
want to be ready the third time.  When he does appear, you need to be pretty
quick about damaging him (aim for his feet, not his upper body), although if
you're too close, you may find yourself passing right through him anyway.  Once
you damage him, get out of there quickly, as the bats will disperse again, and
you'll need to repeat the process several times to defeat him.  For your
efforts, you'll receive 5,000 EXP (which is pretty useless now, unless you're
crazy enough to try him under-leveled).
As noted above, you will definitely want the Silver Sword equipped for this
fight, and you'll also want to be level 10.  You'll probably also want to equip
the Silver Shield and Silver Armor, but they're not technically required for
this fight (however, they are required a short while later, so there's no good
reason not to have them).  While you *can* in fact win with lesser
levels/equipment, I highly advise against it, as you'll be in for an even
longer and more difficult battle (even on Easy, he takes no less than 64 hits
improperly prepared, even if you're level 9 with the Silver Sword equipped).
And I've said it before, but your equipment rings will do you no good during
boss battles.
NOTE - As noted for the Nygtilger fight, the Eternal version lists Vagullion as
"Sems Hadal's Redemption of Earth", whereas the title seen above was listed as
Nygtilger's.  This is likely a mistake, as Complete switched those two titles
around, and since it came later, it's the one I chose to go with.  It also
helps that Nygtilger is guarding the Volume Hadal Book of Ys, and Vagullion
protects Volume Dabbie (though in Vagullion's case, I think either the Light or
Earth "Redemption" title would've worked).
Once he's defeated, the chest from earlier will re-appear, so go ahead and open
it to find another Book of Ys, Volume Dabbie (curiously, if this is the first
Book of Ys you've found, Sara will actually still be alive, but you're unable
to show it to her, as she'll be in the private quarters of her house, which is
an area you can't explore until after she's dead).  Anyway, there's nothing
else you need to do down here, but if you want, you can now explore the top
left area of this room, which you may have noticed was sealed off before.
You'll find a locked door, as well as two strange pedestals.  What could this
room possibly be for?
Whenever you're ready, go ahead and leave the Mine (I strongly recommend using
a Wing, as it's a pretty long walk otherwise), and make your way to Zepik.  At
this point, you'll need to have found all 3 Books of Ys so far, so go do that
if you need to.  Once you have them, head to Jeba's, and ask her to read the
Book of Ys you just found (as well as any others you may not have done
previously).  Be sure you also talk to Feena (she must be back inside), and
once the above two steps are complete, talk to Jeba again, and she'll send you
off to Goban to search for the remaining Books of Ys within Darm Tower.  Before
you go, if you want, speaking to Feena again gives some extra dialogue, but
it's by no means required; same with Slaff in Barbado, but if you still haven't
received the free Talwar from him (and are still able to - meaning you didn't
purchase one in Minea), then his Darm Tower snippet will be overridden by that
event.  Anyway, when you're ready, head to the Thieves' Den and speak to Goban;
provided you did the above events with Feena and Jeba, and have found all of
the Silver equipment, he'll agree to let you in Darm Tower.
Now, before speaking to him in the passage, be sure you've done all that you
want to do, as talking to him there takes you to the final dungeon, and you
won't be able to come back to this part of the game.  If you're concerned about
missing anything, your inventory should have 3 empty slots on the top row, and
two empty slots in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rows (the bottom row only ever has two
items).  Your equipment screen should only be missing the far right column
(though unless you're playing the Eternal version, it's fine if you don't have
the 3rd equipment set - Timer Ring excluded).  If you're aiming for a full
"Notes" section in either Chronicles version, you should have characters #1 -
#86 filled in (though you'll still encounter #86 - Luta Gemma - within Darm
Tower), and you should have all enemy stats filled in for #1 - #20, as well as
#37 - #39.  Any sidequests listed above should also be taken care of now, so go
ahead and finish those, if you want.
Also, even if you're not aiming for a full playthrough, you may wish to grab
the remainder of the 3rd equipment set before speaking to Goban, as it'll prove
valuable during a certain point later on.  The Talwar you can either obtain
from Slaff for free in Barbado (after rescuing Feena), or you can choose to buy
it from Minea's weapon dealer for 5,000 gold.  To get him to sell it, you have
to first try to buy it at some point, and then talk to him anytime after you
finish the Shrine (be sure to have the Silver Sword unequipped - or heck, even
the Talwar from Slaff, if all you want is to see it offered - otherwise, those
texts take priority, and he won't have them in stock).  Of course, buying it
means Slaff won't give you the free one, so if you're aiming for achievements,
be sure you get it from him.  As for the Large Shield and Reflex, they can be
bought from Minea's armor dealer, for 6,000 and 5,000 gold respectively.
Alternatively, you *can* also find these items for free in Darm Tower (only if
you didn't get them before, though), but this is unfortunately not the case for
the Eternal version.  Even there, you can get away without having them, but you
may find it a little bit harder to proceed at a certain point if you don't have
them (especially the Reflex).
If you've been slacking off with the Feena and Jeba events up to this point (or
if you decided to tackle the Mine before finishing the Shrine), you may be
having some trouble entering Darm Tower, so here is a recap of what exactly
needs to be done.  It is important to note that if you're doing all this stuff
late, you need to exit and re-enter Zepik each time between steps #1 - #3 in
order to get Feena and Jeba in their proper positions:
1. After escorting Feena to Zepik, exit and re-enter the village at any time to
find her awake.  After the initial dialogue, speak to Feena manually.
2. After obtaining the Book of Ys from Sara's friend Franz (anytime after you
find the Book of Ys in the Shrine), report Sara's murder to Jeba.  After the
initial dialogue, speak to Jeba again, and ask her to read the Books of Ys (you
don't actually need her to read any just yet, but you *do* need to at least ask
her to).  You also need to speak to Feena outside on the lake's pier.
3. Once you've collected the first 3 Books of Ys, ask Jeba to read all of them.
You also need to make sure Feena's back inside Jeba's house, and speak to her
there.  Afterwards, speak to Jeba, who will send you off to Goban (if she's
still talking about something else, you either didn't ask her to translate all
3 Books, or you didn't do all of the above steps with Feena first).
4. Once you've done the above 3 steps, make sure you've found the Silver Sword,
Silver Shield, and Silver Armor, and speak to Goban first inside the Thieves'
Den, and again inside the passage leading to Darm Tower.  If you don't have all
3 Silver equipments, he'll refuse to help until you do.  For reference, the
Silver Shield is on B3 of the Shrine, by taking the second warp statue you come
across (in the southwestern corner of the map, the one on the right).  The
Silver Armor is on the first floor of the Abandoned Mine, in the northeastern
corner of the map (right below the entrance, though you'll need to loop around
to reach it).  And the Silver Sword is of course given to you by the
southeastern Roda Tree, after you've returned the Silver Harmonica to Reah (and
ate the Roda Tree Seed).
When you're ready, proceed to the passage within the Thieves' Den, and speak to
Goban (he will take your Wing, if you still have one), who will finally let you
explore Darm Tower.
Darm Tower                                                             [DRMTWR]
- Get caught in the cell trap, and receive the Idol from Dogi upon leaving
- Return the Idol to Raba, and use his Blue Necklace to get past the cell trap
- Re-obtain the Silver Sword after getting captured
- Kill Pictimos, and find a Book of Ys
- Find the Hammer, and use it to stop the eerie music in the Devil's Corridor
- Kill Khonsclard, and find another Book of Ys
- Find the Rod, and use it to traverse the mirror mazes
- Use the Blue Necklace to nullify the Evil Ring's curse, and free Reah at the
top of Rado's Annex
- Use the Monocle to translate the 2 newest Books of Ys
- Find the Flame Sword, and kill Yogleks & Omulgun
- Receive the Blue Amulet from Luta Gemma, and access the top of the tower
- Kill Dark Fact, and obtain from his cloak the final Book of Ys, then
- Re-obtain both the Silver Shield and Silver Armor after getting captured
- Find both the Battle Shield and Battle Armor
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT - Evil Ring*, Mirror, Heal Potion x 2, Talwar, Reflex,
Large Shield, Idol*, Blue Necklace*, Silver Sword*, Book of Ys (Volume Mesa)*,
Hammer*, Silver Shield, Rod*, Book of Ys (Volume Gemma)*, Silver Armor,
Monocle*, Battle Shield, Battle Armor, Flame Sword, Blue Amulet*, Book of Ys
(Volume Fact)*
CHARACTERS - Luta Gemma*, Dogi*, Raba*
ENEMIES - Riffligan, Jestona, Accumate, Normous, Genoid, Xomack, Vilvan,
Wilewarer, Irebolg, Molfess, Kelmarel, Selnarg, Chryolos, Twarth, Euchreas,
Bordisch, Pictimos*, Khonsclard*, Yogleks & Omulgun*, Dark Fact*
NOTE - The Talwar, Reflex, and Large Shield can only be found here if you
didn't get them prior to entering the Tower, otherwise the chests you find them
in will be empty.  If you're playing the Eternal version, those chests will be
empty no matter what.
Also, while re-obtaining the Silver Shield and Silver Armor is in fact optional,
it's highly recommended that you get them back; the same goes for finding the
Flame Sword.  If you don't have these items, you may find certain boss battles
to be much tougher, but it *is* possible to win without them.
Regarding characters, Luta Gemma can actually be found outside the tower, but
it's entirely possible to miss him then, but not so during the course of your
climb, so that's why he's listed here as a potentially "new" character (and now
required, at that).  If this is where you first encounter him, it shouldn't be
an issue for obtaining the "Notorious A.C." Steam achievement, but I cannot
verify this for certain.
As noted above, this is the point of no return, so once you enter this place,
there's no way to get back to previous areas of the game.  Also, if you haven't
already, I recommend keeping your status displayed on-screen, as this place is
huge, and maybe a little confusing for newcomers, so it might help to keep
track of what floor you're on (though for the Eternal version, most of the time
the floors aren't listed, except when you save).  I also recommend you equip
the Timer Ring for the majority of this place, as the enemies are pretty fast
(especially true for higher difficulties), but the Shield Ring is a good
alternative, if you're comfortable with the enemies' speed.
Anyway, the area to the left leads to the tower's basement, but there's nothing
to do there right now, so instead head down and to the right, then into the
second passage in the far northeast corner (just ignore the first passage for
the moment) to reach floor 2.  You should now be on one of the tower's
balconies.  You'll be encountering these areas a lot throughout this place, and
there are two things you should know about them.  First, as they are outdoor
areas, you can use them to heal for free if you're low on health (preferably
with the Heal Ring equipped, if you have it).  The other important detail is
that these screens almost always loop (the only exception being floor 6, and
that's because a wall divides that balcony into two separate sections), so no
matter which direction you take, the next door you come across will lead to do
a different part of the tower, and the one after that will be the room you just
came from.  Anyway, follow the balcony to the next screen, and you'll come
across a small section with a room guarded by enemies.  Dispatch them, and
inside you'll find 4 chests.  The most important of these is the bottom right
one, which contains the Evil Ring.  While it may technically be an equipment
ring, do *not* equip it right now, as it will quickly drain your health and
kill you, plus you won't be able to remove it as you are now (it's called "evil"
for a reason =p).  The other chests contain a Mirror, a free Talwar (only if
you didn't pick one up earlier, otherwise the chest will be empty - if you're
playing the Eternal version, the chest will be empty regardless), and a Heal
Potion.
Afterwards, take the balcony back to the first floor, and up into the other
passage you passed earlier (be careful of the enemy lurking inside), which
leads to floor 3.  Follow the balcony to the next screen (to avoid needless
repetition, I'm just going to omit most of the balcony parts now - I'm sure you
can figure out what to do on those screens =p), and at the bottom of this one,
you may notice a bunch of statues lining the wall.  There's nothing to do here
at the moment, but keep it in mind for later.  Continue northeast to the 4th
floor, and in the center path of the next room, there's a chest containing the
Reflex armor (as with the Talwar, it'll only be there if you didn't get it
before, and again, not in the Eternal version).  Otherwise, continue northeast
again to floor 5, and the center path on this floor will lead to the eastern
portion of floor 6, which contains the Large Shield in the southeastern corner
(again, only if you didn't get it before, and not in the Eternal version).
Even if you already have the Large Shield, this room is the only one where
you'll find the enemies known as Accumates, so you'll need to go there if you
want to completely fill in the beastiary.  Back on floor 5, you'll need to take
the northwest passage to the get to the western side of floor 6.  A short ways
down, you'll notice more of those creepy statues outside the doorway, and
walking into their vicinity will activate a teleport trap.  Unfortunately, you
need to get caught in the trap to make any further progress, so go ahead and do
You'll find yourself in a cell, but it seems like someone swiped your Silver
equipment...  If you have it, you should probably switch to the 3rd level
equipment at this point, or whatever your next best set is (but if you feel
comfortable enough, you can do without it, as you can re-obtain a couple of the
Silver items shortly).  Seems like you have a cellmate, so go ahead and talk to
him (Luta Gemma, if you didn't find him before), and he'll reveal that the
monsters caught him sleepwalking, and decided to toss him in here.  Talking to
him again reveals that he saw someone else in here, in that room with a bunch
of statues.  Interesting, but how the heck do we get out of here?  Seems the
bars and walls are way too strong, and there doesn't seem to be any sort of
ventilation to crawl through either.  After a little bit of waiting, you'll be
saved by a large muscular man known as Dogi (who you may recall as being one of
Goban's men).  If he's not showing up, you need to talk to Luta, as well as
search for at least one way out (the bars, and the walls in the northeast and
southeast of the room).  He'll mention the same thing as Luta, that there's
someone named Raba hiding in that hallway full of statues, and as you're
exiting, he'll give you the Idol to return to him.  Equipping this will make
you invisible to the monsters, but unfortunately, it does nothing to prevent
you from getting captured again.  If you talk to Luta again, he just says to
proceed ahead without him, as he's not a warrior like you.  Anyway, exit the
cell, then take the stairs in the northwest, and you'll find yourself back on
floor 1 (do be careful of that Riffligan as soon as you enter, as he's often
positioned right in your way).
Before you go seek out Raba, if you want a Steam achievement, go ahead and
activate the teleport trap two more times, and after Dogi busts you out of the
third cell, you'll receive "Adol the Wall-Crusher-Enabler" (for some silly
dialogue, try equipping the Idol both times while you wait for him to show up).
Actually, I think you can probably do this at any point in the tower for this
achievement, but it's best to do it now, since if you do it after re-obtaining
some of your Silver equipment, it'll just get swiped again.
When you're ready, head back to floor 3, the one with all those statues along
the bottom of the screen.  Hmm, there doesn't seem to be anyone around here,
but Dogi did say that someone was hiding.  Counting from the left, equip the
Mask of Eyes in between the 8th and 9th statues (you may wish to kill the
enemies before equipping it), and you'll discover a hidden passage.  Enter it,
then remove the Mask of Eyes, and you'll find Raba.  Speak to him, and after a
little history lesson, he'll give you the Blue Necklace as thanks for returning
his Idol (if you're playing the Eternal version, you need to speak to him again
to receive it).  This thing can nullify the teleport trap you encountered, as
well as the curse on the Evil Ring (more on that later, though).  But first,
you'll need to equip the Mask of Eyes to get out of this room (seriously, how
did Raba get in here without it?), and then go ahead and equip the Blue
Necklace.  Make your way back to the teleport trap on floor 6, and you'll now
be able to safely pass it (provided you have the Blue Necklace equipped -
simply having it in your inventory is not enough).
Continue northeast to floor 7, and in the far northwest corner, you'll find
Dogi again.  Talk to him (if you want), and he'll eventually mention something
about a Rod needed to reach the top of this place.  Before going to floor 8,
head to the southern portion of this floor, and take the first doorway you see.
You'll find some Genoids (purple enemies) in the upper part of this section, so
carefully bump them aside, and you'll find a chest, which contains your stolen
Silver Sword.  You absolutely need this in order to finish the game, so be sure
you grab it.  Do note that if you decide to backtrack and you get caught in the
teleport trap again, your Silver items will just get stolen again (even if
there's no more cells for Dogi to bust you out of); thankfully, they re-appear
in exactly the same spots as before, but better to avoid that scenario entirely.
Now, head back to the top of the room, and enter the passage just right of Dogi
to continue to floor 8.
In the far southwest corner of this room is the path to the western portion of
floor 9, where you'll encounter a boss.  However, I recommend heading to the
eastern portion of floor 9 first (take the northeastern doorway on floor 8 to
get there), as it contains your stolen Silver Shield, which you may find useful
for the upcoming boss fight (though honestly, you can do without it for now, if
you're careful enough).  Once there, head down and to the left, and then loop
back around to the right, and you'll find a small room guarded by another
Genoid.  Carefully dispatch of him, and inside you'll find a chest, which
contains your Silver Shield.  As soon as you open it, however, the statues
(Normous) will come to life and attack you, so be wary of that (do note this is
the only room where you'll find this enemy, so be sure to visit here if you
want a full beastiary).
You can continue exploring the tower, but you won't be able to advance very far
at the moment, so head back to floor 8, and make your way to the far southwest
corner up to floor 9.  After passing through the first door, you'll find
yourself in a room with a lot of bones strewn about.  Be sure to save your game,
get fully healed (instead of wasting a Heal Potion, I recommend using one of
the balconies to get back to full health), and make sure you have at least the
Silver Sword equipped (and probably also the Silver Shield and Reflex, if you
have them).  When you're ready, touch the door at the top of the room to face
the first boss of Darm Tower.
PICTIMOS - Manal Mesa's Redemption of Time
RECOMMENDED LEVEL - 10
STRATEGY - This guy isn't very hard, especially when compared to Vagullion, but
you still need to play it somewhat safe.  When he drops down, he'll immediately
hurl 3 sickles at you, which eventually boomerang back to him.  You'll want to
lure all 3 of them a safe distance away from him (usually by moving to the
bottom of the screen, but the sides will sometimes work), and then move in to
attack.  As soon as the first sickle comes back to him, get out of there
quickly, as he'll very likely throw it again immediately (especially true for
higher difficulties), and then repeat the process until he's dead.  If he
doesn't have all 3 sickles out in a timely manner, you're better not attacking
until he does, as you'll very likely get hit otherwise.  If you're still having
trouble finding an opening, something you can do is wait near the walls
(preferably near the bottom, but the sides work too, if he's close enough), and
when he hurls his sickles, they'll sometimes hit the wall, which delays their
return to him slightly.  Either way, you'll probably only get in a few hits at
a time, but the alternative is bouncing off him (though in Eternal, there is no
boss knockback) and hoping he doesn't throw his sickles far enough to reach you,
which is extremely risky.  Trust me, if one of those things catches you, it's
quite painful, though they do reduced damage if they just graze you.  You'll
receive 5,000 EXP for winning, but again, it's useless at this point (unless
you're somehow under-leveled).
As noted above, you definitely want the Silver Sword equipped for this battle,
otherwise you'll just be doing minimum damage (unless you somehow managed to
enter this fight under-leveled, in which case you'll be doing minimum damage
regardless of your weapon).  While it is entirely feasible to win this way, you
absolutely need the Silver Sword later on, so it's not recommended.
After the battle, you'll be able to head through the door at the top, and
inside you'll find a couple of chests.  One of them contains a Book of Ys
(Volume Mesa), and the other contains a Hammer; be sure to grab both of them.
Head back down to floor 8, and make your way to the eastern portion of floor 9
in the northeast.  If you haven't already, it's strongly recommended that you
find your Silver Shield again near the southeast corner of this floor (you'll
need to loop around from the southwest side).  Technically, you can skip re-
obtaining it if you want, but it'll prove very helpful for dealing with the
final boss.  Otherwise, make your way to the southern end of this floor, and
you'll find another small room leading to floor 10.
Once there, follow the path, and when it splits, head straight south (or just
head north to the western part of floor 11, and skip to the next paragraph)
through 3 doorways (ignoring the one off to the right in the small room you
come across), and then when the path splits again, follow it to the right,
which will take you to the eastern side of floor 11.  This room has some creepy
music, and you'll probably notice the veins in the passage right below you -
this is the Devil's Corridor, and you'll find out why shortly.  Be sure you
have a good chunk of health remaining, and when you're ready, enter the passage
with the veins and quickly make your way to the door just to the right; your
health will steadily decline while in this part of the room, so don't waste any
time.  Inside the small room, you'll find Raba again, who will give you a free
health refill.  Hmm, seems the monsters smashed his Idol, and forced him to
retreat in here.  Talking to him again reveals that he believes the eerie music
is the result of the wind being funneled in via some sort of pipe organ to fuel
this twisted trap, so you'll need to find where exactly it's coming from, and
put a stop to it to proceed further.  Believe me, even with a free heal from
Raba and a Heal Potion, you won't make it through the remainder of the Devil's
Corridor at present, as your health decreases even quicker the farther right
you go.  So, exit the room, and head back to floor 10 (be careful there's not a
Xomack clogging the stairs - if so, refresh the room and try again), and take
the passage in the far northwest corner.
Anyway, you should be on the balcony of floor 11.  If you've been paying
attention, you should notice that the pillars on this balcony look different
from the others.  These look like pipe organs, and Raba did speculate the wind
was being channeled in via something like this.  So, equip the Hammer you
should've found in Pictimos' lair, and use it to smash the second pillar to
your left (starting from the floor 10 doorway).  If you want, you can proceed
to the other room further along the balcony to find Luta injured and resting in
the top left corner - just follow the blood trail.  It's not required to visit
him at this point, but do keep this spot in mind - we'll need to come back here
later.  Talking to him reveals that there's a girl being held in the tower's
annex, and he asks you to go rescue her.
In any case, now that the pillar's been smashed, you can safely pass through
the Devil's Corridor on the other part of floor 11 (accessed via the far
southeastern corner of floor 10, if you didn't find it yet), so head back there.
Enter the veiny passage, and head all the way to the right (Raba's no longer in
that small room), then up to floor 12.  This floor has nothing of importance,
so just head southwest a tad, then loop around the bottom, and proceed to floor
13 in the far northwestern corner.  Here, you'll find Raba injured off to the
right-hand side (if you want, use a Heal Potion near him, and the effect will
be shown on both of you - it doesn't seem to actually heal him, though).  If
you want, talk to him, and he'll mention that there's a girl being held 3
stories up, but the only people that can get in are those with evil hearts.
Well, that certainly complicates things...  You may also notice a mirror in the
passage to the south, but there's nothing you can do with it at the moment, so
take the northwest passage to the western part of floor 14.  Follow the path,
and pass through the door to find yourself in a room with the floor starting to
melt away.  Save your game, get healed up (again, I recommend using the
balconies instead of a Heal Potion), and make sure you still have the Silver
Sword equipped.  Touch the door at the top of the room, and prepare to face one
of the game's more troublesome bosses.
KHONSCLARD - Grack Gemma's Redemption of Wisdom
EXP - 10,000* (5,000 x 2)
STRATEGY - If you don't know how to properly fight this guy, he can be just
about as bad as Vagullion.  He'll continually fire rocks at you in a circular
pattern, changing their direction every so often.  Unfortunately, I find that
the projectiles are far too numerous and fast to play a safe game of chicken
with this guy, so the only other "safe" alternative is to attack him in a
circular motion (attack the rocky part of his body, not the core), in the same
direction that the rocks are going; if he's firing clockwise, move clockwise
with him, and vice versa.  Even if you do this, the rocks seem to catch up to
you eventually (unless you're playing the Eternal version; for some reason, he
seems to fire at a slower rate there), so you've got to be mindful of how you
move.  Most of the time when I screw this up, it's from moving in too wide of a
circle, usually running into the rocks near the bottom.  To counteract this, I
generally try and move circularly along the upper section of his body (notice
that he's floating, which may screw with your depth perception a little), going
only a tad below his core, which tends to be just far enough to stay above
those rocks entirely.  Admittedly, this takes good rhythm (and a little luck)
to pull off with any degree of consistency, and that's a hard thing to do when
there are so many projectiles flying around.  When one hits you, that's usually
just the start of your troubles - if he's hitting you constantly, it's probably
best to back off temporarily, and wait for another opening in the rotation.  If
you do this right, you may find yourself finishing this battle with plenty of
HP to spare, but that's easier said than done.
If the above strategy is getting you nowhere, you can also try your luck moving
straight up and down to do steady damage (or in circles - whichever method you
find works better), and just pay no mind to how much damage you're taking.  Of
course, this method basically amounts to whose health bar depletes first, and
that's usually yours, especially on higher difficulties.  Anyway, once you win,
you actually receive a total of 10,000 EXP (the beastiary says 5,000, but a
glitch actually awards the EXP at two separate points - once right as he dies,
and once when your health is restored, which is when boss EXP is normally
awarded); too bad it's useless, unless you're somehow facing this guy under-
leveled (yes, it's very feasible to beat this guy that way if you have good
rhythm, even on Nightmare difficulty).
In the event you happen to be playing the Eternal version of the game, this guy
is actually a piece of cake, provided you remember one very basic function -
walking.  Most players probably never use this function intentionally over
running, but so long as you immediately get ahead of the rocks, walking in
Eternal makes it quite easy to stay ahead of them, provided you're moving
circularly in the direction they're being fired, and that you remember to
switch directions with him.  Doing so, it is much easier to come out of this
battle with very minimal health loss (if any), even if you're improperly
prepared.  Unfortunately, this tactic does not seem to be effective in the
Complete and Chronicles versions, as it seems the rate at which he fires is a
bit faster there (even on the Easy difficulty).
NOTE - While the Silver Sword is very much recommended for this fight (but
again, if you're under-leveled, you'll be doing minimum damage regardless if
you have it or not), whatever armor and shield you may have equipped makes
absolutely no difference here.  Much like Jenocres, this guy does fixed damage
to you (how much depends on the difficulty), even if you have the Silver Shield
and Reflex armor equipped (the best you can do up to this point), meaning that
his STR stat is probably just a placeholder.  And no, the Shield Ring still
won't help you during boss battles (or other equipment rings, for that matter).
After the fight, head into the room above, and open the two chests.  One of
them contains the Rod, which will allow you to use that mirror you might have
seen on the previous floor (if you feel like it, Dogi back on floor 7 will have
some small additional dialogue once you find it).  You'll also find another
Book of Ys, Volume Gemma.  Hmm, this is the second Book of Ys we've found here,
but how are we supposed to read them without the aid of Jeba?  Anyway, when
you're ready, return to floor 13, and in the room just below Raba, you'll find
a mirror against the wall.  Now that you have the Rod, touching one will warp
you to a different section of this floor.  And as you might have guessed, this
floor is a maze of these things.
Your stolen Silver Armor can be found within this maze, so let's grab that
first before moving on ahead (but if you want to skip it, jump to the next
paragraph - I strongly recommend that you get it back, though).  After touching
the first one, head south as far as you can (for now, ignoring the mirror in
the middle), and take the mirror at the very bottom (those Vilvan like to clog
the passages, so be wary of that).  Once you warp, take the mirror in the small
room to the south, and you'll be in a room with some Wilewarers (heavily
armored enemies).  These guys are quite dangerous, so if you have it, I
recommend equipping the Timer Ring, especially on higher difficulties.  Anyway,
make your way to the room on the right, and taking that mirror will lead you to
a small room with a chest guarded by a Wilewarer.  Now, if you're playing the
Eternal version, you can only open chests from the front, so you'll have to
take care of it first.  However, if you're playing the Complete or Chronicles
versions, you are also able to open chests from the back or side, which will
let you avoid this enemy altogether.  Either way, open it to retrieve your
Silver Armor, and then take the mirror back to the start of this floor.
Take the starting mirror, then head south and take the middle mirror we passed
earlier.  You should now be in a small room with two mirrors on either side -
take the one on the right.  Immediately after warping, take the mirror directly
above you (the other one further north just leads back to the small room you
just came from).  Head right, then follow this passage north to reach floor 15,
being careful of the Wilewarer wandering around in that small section (which is
actually considered another part of floor 14, strangely enough).
Head south a little, and off to the left, you should notice a small passage of
stairs leading to floor 16 (I'm sure you've noticed by now, but the way the
floors are separated can be a little confusing at times).  For now, you may
wish to ignore that and instead head southwest as far as you can, and you'll
come across a chest containing the Battle Shield.  This causes some armored
enemies (Irebolg) to warp in, so you may want to hurry up and equip it.
Dispatch of them, and then make your way back north to the passage we ignored
earlier.  After climbing the stairs, follow the passage until the path splits.
The path to the north leads to floor 17, and further up the tower, but trust me,
unless you want to do a ton of backtracking later, just ignore it for now and
head south.  Follow the path (watch out for those Irebolg), and in the far
southwestern corner, you should notice a passage leading left (you should see
light on the ground).  You'll be on a bridge with an Irebolg, so go ahead and
dispatch it; you can also use this screen to heal if you need to, as it's an
outdoor area.  Anyway, follow the bridge left, and you'll be inside Rado's
Annex.
Inside, head south between the cells, then follow the path to the left (the
enemies here are pretty tough, so be on your guard - again, the Timer Ring is
advised).  At the bottom, you should notice the light of a doorway along the
left hand wall, so enter the passage.  Climb the stairs within, and at the top,
you'll find an evil-looking door.  Remember what Raba said about only those
with an evil heart can open the door to this cell?  You'll need to equip the
Evil Ring to get inside (if you don't have it, it's all the way back on floor 2,
via taking the northeast passage on floor 1), but you've probably noticed that
doing so kills you shortly afterwards.  So, how can we safely enter this place?
First, equip the Blue Necklace that Raba gave you, followed by the Evil Ring -
make sure you equip the Blue Necklace *first*, as otherwise you'll still die if
you try and do it after equipping the Evil Ring (well, technically, that's only
true if you completely exit the subscreens).  Doing so will nullify the ring's
deadly effect (but it still obscures your vision occasionally =p), so go ahead
and touch the door once you've done so.  Once it's open, un-equip the Evil Ring
(be sure to do it *before* removing the Blue Necklace, otherwise you'll be dead
soon after - the Blue Necklace merely nullifies traps, but it doesn't destroy
them).  Anyway, head inside, and you'll find that Reah is the one being held
hostage, the troubadour from Minea.  Strange, what's she doing here?  Talk to
her, and she'll give you the Monocle to translate the Books of Ys.  If you'd
like, talk to her again, and she'll mention that the man in the black cape -
Dark Fact - can only be defeated by using equipment made of the same material
as his cape, something called Cleria.  Now that we have the Monocle, go ahead
and equip it (but if you haven't done so already, un-equip the Evil Ring first,
otherwise you'll be killed), and then use it.  Select the two Books of Ys found
within the tower (the yellow one and the green one), and be sure you read them
both.  As an aside, if you didn't return the Piece of Paper to Reah before
entering the tower, you cannot do so here (not that it really matters, story
bits and the Steam achievement aside).  Anyway, when you're ready, exit the
annex, and return to floor 16.
Now, before you climb the tower any further, it's strongly recommended that you
backtrack to Luta Gemma at this point.  Technically, you're not supposed to do
this until later, but believe me, doing it now saves you from even more
backtracking later.  If you don't remember where he is (or you simply didn't
find him again before), he's back on the western portion of floor 11.  It's a
little further back from the Devil's Corridor - specifically, the room further
along the balcony where you used the Hammer to smash the pillar to get through
that place (accessed via the northwestern passage on floor 10).  As it should
be fairly straightforward getting back to that point, I'll only give directions
to get back through the mirror maze.  Starting from the balcony entrance of
floor 15, head south (if the Wilewarer's blocking the passage, refresh the
screen and try again), and take the mirror at the bottom.  Instead of taking
the mirror right in front of you, take the one a little farther north, and
you'll be back in the small room with two mirrors.  Take the one on the left
this time, then go south through a couple doors until the path splits, at which
point head left as far as you can, and then take the mirror in the room to the
south, which will bring you to the other side of this floor, near Raba (if you
want, you can tell him about saving Reah; also, no, there's nothing you can do
about his request about the Books of Ys =p).
Anyway, once you've found Luta Gemma (just follow the blood trail inside the
western floor 11 room), be sure that you've used the Monocle to read both of
the Books of Ys you've found within the tower so far, and then talk to him.
He'll recognize Volume Gemma amongst the Books, and will give you the Blue
Amulet passed down in his family (if you're playing the Eternal version, you
need to speak to him again to receive it).  You need to have translated both
Volumes Mesa *and* Gemma at this point, otherwise he won't hand it over (even
though he only mentions the Book of Gemma, this is likely a precautionary
measure to ensure that you actually have all 6 Books when finishing the game,
otherwise it might be possible to skip Volume Mesa =p).  Curiously, as with
Raba, if you use a Heal Potion near him (this will work even if you're at full
health), it will show the animation on both of you.  Unlike Raba, however, if
you talk to him afterwards, he makes a comment about his leg feeling better (he
only makes the comment after he gives you the Blue Amulet), but he still says
he better stay off it for a while.
OK, *now* you can continue climbing the tower, so take that passage to floor 17
we passed earlier, in the far northwestern corner of floor 16 (no, I'm not
repeating the way back there =p).  Once there, you'll need to take the
southeast passage, but it's packed full of Kelmarel (scorpion enemies).  If you
still have a Mirror on hand, I strongly recommend using that to freeze them, as
you can then push through them unharmed.  If you don't have that, you'll need
to lure the enemies out of the passage to the top of the room, and try to make
sure they stay there (don't kill them, as they'll just respawn further inside
the passage).  There are 5 of these guys, but you may be able to get away with
only luring 3 or 4 out, and tanking the rest.  The other option is to equip the
Power or Shield Rings if you have them (doesn't really matter which, as you'll
take about the same damage with either one equipped), and power through, using
a Heal Potion when your health inevitably gets low.  This method doesn't work
so well on Nightmare difficulty, but on the other end of this room, in the
middle passage there's a chest containing a Heal Potion if you decide to go
through this way.  Personally, I recommend using the Mirror, but do whatever
you want.  In any event, once you're through, take the far northwestern passage
to floor 18.
If you want the Battle Armor to better prepare for the next boss fight, then
when the path splits, head right, and take the northeast passage to the eastern
part of floor 19 (if not, just make your way to floor 20 via the far
northwestern passage).  It's worth noting that this section is the only one
that contains the Chryolos enemies, so if you want a full beastiary, be sure to
take this path.  Anyway, follow the path until you see a room with two statues
outside.  Inside, there's a chest, but attempting to open it teleports you just
outside the room (hey, at least it's not all the way back to the B1 cells =p).
As with the teleport trap we encountered earlier, equip the Blue Necklace
(*not* the Blue Amulet) to nullify it, and you will receive the Battle Armor.
Go ahead and equip it, then make your way back to floor 18.  Head south as far
as you can, then take the far northwestern passage to reach floor 20 (you'll
pass through a small isolated section of floor 19 along the way).
Follow the path until you see some armored enemies (Twarths) bust down a wall
Dogi style.  These guys are extremely dangerous, especially on higher
difficulties (you need the Timer Ring equipped just to outrun them there), so
carefully wait until they move out of the hole they just made (trust me, even
if you're going for a full beastiary, you'll have a hard time killing them
right now), and then enter it.  Inside, you'll find two Twarths guarding a
chest.  As with the Silver Armor chest, you'll need to dispatch of these guys
first (or at least damage them to get them to move) if you're playing the
Eternal version.  If you're playing the Complete or Chronicles versions, you
can again safely grab this chest from the back or sides (so long as you don't
move below them first), but beware, as these guys will chase you as soon as you
open it.  Either way, it contains the Flame Sword, so be sure to equip it right
away.  Now you should be able to deal with the Twarths a bit more effectively,
but they're still quite tough to take down, so be careful.  Exit the room (do
be careful those Twarths outside don't ambush you as soon as you exit), and
continue to the northeast passage to floor 21.
You'll find yourself in another mirror maze, though I find this one to be a tad
simpler to navigate than the previous one.  There are two types of enemies here,
both of which are quite fast on harder difficulties, so in addition to the
Flame Sword, you might want to equip the Timer Ring, if you have it.  The first
enemy type is the Euchreas (sworded enemies), and due to the way they were
designed, they won't ever be directly against the left or right side of a wall
like other normal enemies; this also means they can't pass through those narrow
doorways, so be wary of that.  The Bordisch (orange ogres) behave like most
other enemies, just that they are quite fast, and are likely to be clogging up
the paths.  Anyway, make your way around to the first mirror off to the right,
but watch out for the Euchreas as you pass through the second southern doorway.
After you warp, take the southeastern passage, and follow it to another mirror.
You should be in a small room with two mirrors, as well as a Bordisch - take
the mirror on the left.  As soon as you warp, there will very likely be another
Bordisch coming through the doorway directly below you, so move off to the side
and dispatch it before heading through.  Follow the passage around to the
closed door, and inside you'll find another mirror just inside.  Before
entering this one, save your game, heal up (it should be safe to use a Heal
Potion now, though you can always heal on the balcony and try getting through
this floor unharmed, if you prefer), and make sure you have at least the Flame
Sword equipped (and preferably also the Battle Shield and Battle Armor, if you
have them).  When you're ready, touch the mirror to face the next boss.
YOGLEKS & OMULGUN - Amuda Fact and Fad Fact's Redemption of Mind
STRATEGY - Upon entering, you'll notice that there are two enemies to deal with
this time around; if you're on Hard or Nightmare difficulty, they'll move
towards you immediately, so get out of there quickly.  Anyway, both heads share
the same health bar, but you can only deal damage to the yellowish one (it's
orange in the Eternal version), the one with the ice crystals circling it.  You
need to time it so you safely move in between the crystals, and aim for the
head itself.  It's easier to do if you try and move in the same direction the
crystals are (if it matters, I find it easier to approach it from the bottom,
and move up as it's headed downward).  For example, if they're moving clockwise,
move in between them to attack, and keep your movement clockwise as you exit,
and vice versa.  When you score a hit, the heads will swap positions.  Not only
that, but the rotation of their projectiles changes as well, so keep that in
mind when trying to attack the ice crystal head again.  After a certain number
of hits, the heads lose a projectile, making it a little easier to find an
opening, but the rotation speed is increased slightly to compensate for this.
With 3 crystals, you just have to circle around and make it to the opening, and
then pull back.  When there are 2 crystals left, you again want to try and keep
with their rotation when attacking, then slip out the side (still keeping with
their rotation).  The last pattern is simple enough, but the crystal moves even
faster, so watch out for that.  If you're still having trouble with this boss,
you can try catching the heads as they cross paths, and then move back and
forth as they swap to try and score a few quick hits.  Of course, this exposes
you to both heads' projectiles, so it's extremely risky to do this, but it can
work out favorably, if you're lucky enough to come out relatively unharmed (on
Nightmare, I only recommend this if you have trouble dealing with the 4
crystals pattern, and then try to play it safe the rest of the fight).  When
he's dead, you'll again receive a useless (most likely =p) reward of 5,000 EXP.
As noted above, you definitely want the Flame Sword equipped to do more than
minimum damage to this boss (unless, of course, you're under-leveled, in which
case you'll be doing minimum damage even if you have it).  It's not technically
required, as you *can* in fact skip it entirely, but it's significantly harder,
especially since you're already on the defensive for most of this fight, and
naturally, being improperly prepared only makes that aspect worse.
After the fight, the big mirror at the top of the room will shatter, revealing
a passage.  Take the stairs up to floor 25 (it appears Falcom got lazy, and
didn't bother making floors 22-24 significant in any way =p), and you'll
encounter another door at the top.  If you didn't receive the Blue Amulet from
Luta Gemma, you'll just get thrown back, so make sure you have that, or else
you won't be getting inside (if you already have it, skip the next two
paragraphs).
In the event you don't have the Blue Amulet yet, I'm not giving you full
instructions on how to get back to Luta (he's now on the western part of floor
11, in the room further along the balcony where you smashed the pillar to pass
through the Devil's Corridor), but I'll at least give you directions for
getting through the mirror mazes in reverse - the rest is straightforward
enough, and has already been covered.  From the room where you fought Yogleks &
Omulgun (the twin heads), take the normal mirror in the top right of the room
to get back to the maze.  After you warp, take the mirror in the top right of
the room above you (if you want, take the mirror you're initially standing in
front of for a small shortcut), and you'll be back at the other end of this
floor.  Before backtracking through the other mirror maze, you'll also need to
have received the Monocle from Reah in Rado's Annex by this point, so be sure
to go see her if you still haven't done so.  Anyway, starting from the balcony
entrance of floor 15, head south (if the Wilewarer's blocking the passage,
refresh the screen and try again), and take the mirror at the bottom.  Instead
of taking the mirror right in front of you, take the one a little farther north,
and you'll be back in the small room with two mirrors.  Take the one on the
left this time, then go south through a couple doors until the path splits, at
which point head left as far as you can, and then take the mirror in the room
to the south, which will bring you to the other side of this floor, near Raba.
If you want, talking to him at this point reveals the clue about Luta's amulet
(but that's only if you failed to open the door on floor 25).
otherwise it might be possible to skip Volume Mesa =p).  Once you have the Blue
Amulet, return to floor 25, and you'll now be able to pass through that door
(if you want, show the amulet to Raba, but again, there's only new dialogue if
you failed to open the door first).
Enter the door, and you'll finally find yourself at the top of the tower.  Up
on the platform is the man in the black cape Reah warned you about.  Remember
what she said about needing equipment of the same material as his cape to be on
even footing with him?  She mentioned "Cleria", but what might that be?  Think
back to what has been stolen all throughout the game.  Even as you progressed
through the tower, someone was desperately trying to make sure you didn't have
any Silver equipment, and it should now be clear as to why.  Before stepping on
that symbol below the platform, be sure to save your game, make sure you're
fully healed (this should only be an issue if you had to backtrack), and be
absolutely certain you have at *least* the Silver Sword equipped, as well as
preferably the Silver Shield and Silver Armor (it will be better defensively
than the Battle Shield and Battle Armor for this fight).  When you're ready,
step on the symbol, and prepare to face the final boss of the game.
DARK FACT - Ruined Ys Priest
EXP - 5,000 / 0*
STRATEGY - Even for a final boss, this guy sure puts up one heck of a battle.
So much so, this is the other primary reason I strongly advise your first
playthrough not be on the Nightmare difficulty.  This guy tends to give even
Normal difficulty players a bit of trouble their first time through, so you'll
likely need a lot of patience to get through this, especially on higher
difficulties.  That said, there is a fair degree of skill involved, but that's
not to say luck doesn't enter the equation.
Anyway, he'll bounce all over the screen, using the edges to change angles like
a pinball.  In this manner, you should easily be able to predict his path.
Every time you hit him, a piece of the platform will disappear shortly after,
so you always want to be on the move - if you don't move out of the way when
the holes form, it's an instant death.  Even worse, he's constantly throwing
fireballs at you, which split into the 8 cardinal directions when they land,
making them rather troublesome to dodge (I find constantly moving in diagonals
helps with this, so long as you're not running directly into them).  However,
unless you're an expert at evading them (few people are, it seems), it's
generally recommended to tank the damage as best you can, and just focus on
damaging him.  You'll want to try and hit him at the edges of the screen as
best you can, because if you hit him a lot near the center of the platform,
you'll very likely run out of room to move, where he can dispose of you at his
leisure.  As he moves in the same way every time, you should be able to predict
his movements, and plan your hits accordingly.  If you do it right, this
strategy gives you the highest chance of success, because you should have
enough room to evade the majority of the fireballs.  Still, the fireballs are
quite numerous, and if you take too long, chances are you won't make it
(especially true for the Nightmare difficulty).
If the above strategy is getting you nowhere, a riskier strategy is to do your
best to keep up with him, and hit him at a diagonal angle for as long as you
are able (the easiest example being as soon as the battle starts, move to the
bottom right, and attack him as he moves northwest).  You'll want to be
slightly below him when doing this (remember, he's floating above you, which
may mess with your depth perception), and you'll also want to start from the
edge of the platform at the angle he's at, when possible.  If you do it right,
you'll score several consecutive hits on him in a short period of time, which
can be a huge help to you.  Of course, the downside to this strategy is that it
tends to severely limit your movement options, making it much more likely that
you'll be put in an unwinnable situation.  This strategy is my personal
preference, but on Nightmare, it's still nowhere near foolproof.  In that case,
I find the above strategy tends to work better, though sometimes I like to
throw in the diagonal attack at the beginning, and then switch to attacking him
at the edges (but that usually only works if I can still reach all 4 corners of
the platform after the diagonal attack).  Anyway, once you win, you get 5,000
EXP points, which is even more useless at this point, seeing as how there's no
further need to level (but if you're playing the Eternal or Complete versions,
you don't get any EXP, which makes sense - and yes, I realize this was likely
changed to be consistent with other bosses, but come on).
As was noted above, you absolutely need the Silver Sword to have any hope of
winning this fight.  It is actually possible to have advanced all the way
through Darm Tower up to this point without having re-obtained it, but this is
the one fight where you absolutely *must* have it equipped.  Sure, you can
technically damage him with the Flame Sword (or any other weapon, really), but
even if you could evade the fireballs for that long, you'll run out of places
to stand long before he's dead (even on the Easy difficulty).  As far as
equipping the Silver Shield and Silver Armor, the fight is in fact winnable
without having re-obtained them, but I highly recommend against that course of
action, as they reduce the damage here more than even the Battle Shield and
Battle Armor.  For Nightmare difficulty especially, having them equipped is
practically essential to victory.  Also, I must yet again point out that
equipment rings are in fact useless during boss battles, so using the Shield
Ring here (or any others) does *not* increase your chances of success.
NOTE - In the event you made it all the way to this fight under-leveled (which
is no small feat, even on Easy difficulty), you can actually take this guy down
at level 9 with little extra trouble (in fact, I'd venture to say even lower
than that would be doable, if there were a way to get here lower than that, but
that currently doesn't seem possible).  Due to the previous Darm Tower bosses,
you might think level 10 would also be required to reasonably damage him, but
it isn't, and that's likely due to the programming shenanigans with needing the
Silver Sword to effectively hurt him (notice how his defense is higher than
what your max strength is with the Silver Sword - it's probably another dummy
stat).  Unfortunately, your defense does in fact take a hit, as does your HP
(obviously), but the battle is still quite winnable.
After the battle, you should notice Dark Fact's cape still on the platform.
Check the right-hand portion of it, and you'll find the final Book of Ys,
Volume Fact, tucked inside.  Equip the Monocle and translate it, and once you
do, you'll be treated to the game's ending sequence.
Congratulations on finishing Ys I!  Onward to Ys II!
Unlike Ys I, Nightmare difficulty isn't quite so unfair in Ys II, so if you're
feeling bold enough, feel free to select it, even if it is your first time
through the game.  It is still somewhat difficult, but this game lets you use
magic at a certain point, which makes combat somewhat trivial at times.
Speaking of enemies, in addition to dealing collision damage, nearly all of
them have a "wind-up" attack; this is indicated by them glowing briefly, then
usually charging you (a couple of them shoot projectiles instead, though).
That aside, difficulty mostly seems to affect how aggressive the enemies are,
but the bosses are the ones most affected, as their attacks tend to take up
more of the screen, plus they're faster in general.
Other notable things pertaining to difficulty is that, on Easy, collision
damage only happens when an enemy hits you with a "wind-up" or projectile
attack.  This means that, unlike Ys I, hitting an enemy head-on is perfectly
acceptable on that difficulty, but others do require you to be aligned properly.
And if you happen to be playing on Hard, you just might find regular combat to
be tougher than on Nightmare.  The reason?  Projectile-shooting enemies
actually fire 3 projectiles at a time, whereas on other difficulties (even
Nightmare) they only fire 1.  I'm guessing this is probably a bug (in regards
to it not being present on Nightmare difficulty, at least), but regardless, it
can make those enemies a lot more troublesome.
Also, if you find yourself having trouble with the bosses, do note that you
won't reach the level cap mid-game like in Ys I (in fact, you may not reach it
at all, as the EXP you receive from normal enemies is scaled based on your
level), so if a boss is giving you a lot of trouble, you can usually just grind
a couple extra levels to make things easier (even on Hard or Nightmare).
Anyway, pick whichever difficulty and close-up artwork style you like, and
Lance Village                                                          [LNCVLG]
- Receive Banoa's Letter, and head to the Rall Family Wellness clinic
- Agree to rescue Dr. Flair from the Rasteenie Mine
- Get permission from Elder Cornell to enter the Rasteenie Mine
- Make your way to the Ruins of Moondoria north of Lance Village
- Find 500 gold hidden in a baby duckling's mouth
- Receive the Smoked Meat from Theo, as well as the Meat Pie from Lucy
- Speak to Lilia near the elder's house, and again in the field outside Lance
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Lance) - Banoa's Letter*, 300 Gold*, Herb, Wing, Apple,
Marle Flower, Elixir, Smoked Meat, Meat Pie, 500 Gold, Short Sword, Long Sword,
Talwar, Wood Shield, Small Shield, Large Shield, Chain Mail
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Moondoria Field) - Apple x 4, Marle Flower x 3
CHARACTERS (Lance) - Lilia*, Banoa*, Leonor Rall*, Nurse Sarina, Elder Cornell*,
Natasha, Guido, Jade, Gila*, Lazlo, Tess, Tran, Larsen, Bohtz, Sheila, Kris,
Ceres, Brody, Marina, Beth, Caesaria, Andy, Oseam, Kate, Lucille, Masontorch,
Colt, Tita, Esca, Lucy, Theo, Polo, Saffron
ENEMIES - None
NOTE - Lilia is not required at this time (even though she's automatically
listed due to the intro scenes), but she will be later; the same goes for Gila.
As for Nurse Sarina, while she does speak to you during a required cutscene,
you need to initiate the close-up scene with her to receive her character entry.
Regarding Kris and Ceres (the twin girls), they need to be spoken to separately
for their respective entries, even though the same conversation is initiated in
both cases.  As for Bohtz, he will disappear from Lance at a certain point in
the story (along with Lilia), but you'll find him elsewhere as part of the plot,
so don't worry if you miss him.
After the opening scenes, talk to Banoa (for a couple more discussion topics,
ask her about Ys, then Moondoria).  As you exit the conversation, she'll give
you a letter to take to Dr. Flair.  He apparently hasn't returned to the
village just yet, but she suggests you stop by the clinic anyway, just in case;
it's the building in the far northeastern corner of town, just above Lilia's
house (speaking of Lilia's house, you can examine one of the trees just outside
it to find height markings Lilia made when she was younger - a really nice
touch).  Enter the clinic, and you'll be greeted by Nurse Sarina and a panicked
Leonor, who asks you to rescue Dr. Flair, who's apparently trapped in the
Rasteenie Mine.  Well, that's no good.  Agree to help, and you'll receive 300
gold to buy some equipment.  You'll also learn that someone named Astal is
guarding the entrance to the Mine, so you'll need to stop by the elder's house
to receive permission to enter.
Before visiting the elder, there are a couple points of interest in Lance (or
just skip a few paragraphs to continue with the main game).  In the clinic, if
you talk to Nurse Sarina, you can get healed for 20 gold, though as she says,
it's better if you stand still outside and heal, or you can ask Banoa to rest
at her place for free.  You can also purchase Herbs for 30 gold each (up to a
maximum of three), which heal 50 HP, but there are a few places in the game
where you can find them for free, so I recommend saving your money, at least
for the time being.  If you're interested in a Steam achievement, see those
apples on the counter flap?  Well, open the flap (just push up against it) to
scatter them, and you'll receive the "Keep the Doctor Away" achievement.  If
you want, you can also climb the crates in the bottom right corner of the
clinic to see the pigeon loft where Leonor came crashing out of, but there's
not much to do up there.
Directly west of the clinic you'll find Jade's Oddities, an item shop.  You can
buy Apples and Marle Flowers here for 10 gold each (up to a maximum of three
each), which restore 15 HP and MP respectively (don't worry, you're not
supposed to have MP just yet); as with the Herbs, I recommend saving your money.
Additionally, he sells Wings for 100 gold (though you can only carry one at a
time), which can warp you to a few different locations this time around, though
obviously, it's limited to just Lance Village for the time being.  I recommend
purchasing one to save you some backtracking later, but it's by no means
required.  There's also a one-time only Elixir on display for 60,000 gold,
which can revive you from death once, but obviously, it'll be quite some time
before you can purchase that.
Right next door from Jade is Guido's Armory, where you can purchase some
weapons and armor (you need to walk through the counter flap to speak to him).
If you want, you can use the remaining 200 gold to purchase a Short Sword from
him, but you can actually receive one for free a short time later, so I
recommend saving your money.  He also sells some other cheap armor, but the
only one you can currently afford is the Wooden Shield, so feel free to
purchase that, if you want.  That's all you can do here at the moment, but the
billboard to the left of the elder's house mentions that he's looking to buy
some Iron Ore, so if you come across any later, he'll buy it from you for a
good price.
If you want a little extra spending money, there's a character named Brody a
couple houses west of Lilia's, but you'll need to butter him up with a few
gifts before he'll reveal its location.  What are gifts?  They are the
consumable items you find/buy during the course of your adventure, such as
Wings, Herbs, Apples, Marle Flowers, and a few others.  By equipping these, you
can give them to any non-enemy character you come across (after your initial
conversation), which will produce additional dialogue, in addition to unlocking
character mascots if you gift someone enough (just a little sprite you can
position to customize the game screen a tad).  If you want, you can even use
certain items to feed most of the animals (the pikkards and pigeons are
excluded from this, it seems); for example, the ducklings will eat Apples, and
later, Cruberries.  The easiest gifts to obtain are Apples and Marle Flowers,
and while you can buy them from Jade for pretty cheap, there is a location
where you can find a few for free outside Lance Village (though if you talk to
Lilia near the elder's house, she gives you one Apple for free).  Anyway, I
recommend waiting a little bit, but if you don't want to, then buy some
combination of 5 gifts from Jade or Sarina (remember, you can get a free Apple
from Lilia).  To give them to a character, equip the respective item, then
you'll get an option to give it to them, or talk to them normally.  Give 5
gifts to Brody (perhaps up to 2 more, if you shot him with fireballs later in
the game), and he'll reveal that the ducklings in the village will eat anything,
including gold, apparently.  It is crucial that he tells you this, otherwise
you will *not* find the hidden gold stash, which as Brody mentioned, is in the
bill of one of the ducklings, specifically one of the babies (they can be found
wandering around above the clinic).  In addition to 500 gold, if you're playing
the Steam version, you will also receive the "Bill the Duck" achievement.  I
recommend using the gold to buy the remaining first level armor from Guido, but
alternatively, you can save up to purchase the Long Sword a short while later
(though personally, I prefer to skip the Long Sword altogether, and purchase
the Talwar later on).
In addition to Brody, you can gift the characters Theo and Lucy a few times to
receive some special items.  These can also serve as gifts, but they're better
used as healing items, and if you're playing the Steam version, receiving and
eating these is part of the "No Reservations" achievement, though you can only
get 2 of the 4 items right now.  If you gift Theo (a brown-haired fellow who is
usually found just below the elder's house, the far northwestern building) 4
times, he'll give you the Smoked Meat (for fun, try gifting it back to him =p).
If you'd like, this item can actually be used to feed the cats in the village,
but it's purely optional; you may want to keep it in mind as part of a later
Steam achievement, however.  Anyway, Lucy is the little girl supervising the
pikkards in the far southwestern corner of the village, and after gifting her 3
times, she'll give you the Meat Pie (in addition to trying to re-gift it to her,
try giving it to Theo, who is her brother).  Once you use these (whether to
heal, or as gifts), you can gift the respective characters again to receive the
item again (though for Lucy's item, I think you need to fireball her to lower
her affection level, and then re-gift her).  Well, that's all the important
stuff you can currently do with gifting characters, but feel free to give
others gifts as well, if you're feeling generous (or you just want all the
character mascots =p).
Anyway, once you're through shopping, do as Sarina advised, and speak to Elder
Cornell to receive permission to enter the Mine; you'll find him sitting
outside his house, the one in the far northwest corner of town (if he's not
there, you need to head to the clinic and agree to help rescue Dr. Flair, or
else he won't show up).  He'll notice the Books of Ys you're carrying, and
suggests that you return them to the Priest statues found within the Sanctuary
of Toal, an area you'll find while exploring the Rasteenie Mine.  The entrance
to the Mine is within the Ruins of Moondoria to the north, so let's head there
Before leaving, if you haven't done so already, you can speak to Lilia
underneath the tree to the left of the elder's house.  She'll give you a free
Apple, saying it's good for your health, or as mentioned above, you can gift it
to one of the villagers.  More importantly, talking to her here will set up an
optional scene with her in the field just outside the village, so if you want
to see that, be sure to speak with her here first.  As an added bonus, speaking
to her manually (it doesn't matter when, just so long as you do it; however,
there's a rather long period where she's temporarily unable to be found, but
you can always do it later in the game) allows you to mess around in her bed
back in her house, which is one of the requirements for the "Juuuuust Right"
Steam achievement.  Her bed is the one you start the game in (the pink
checkered one in her house), and to enter, you simply press against one of the
sides for a few seconds (the same goes for leaving).
Head northwest of the elder's house to reach the village exit, which leads to
the Moondoria Field.  Head straight up until you see some stone pillars, at
which point you can head west for some optional things, or if you just want to
head to the Ruins of Moondoria, it's a little bit to the northeast.  Head all
the way left past the steps for a nice view of Esteria, where the events of Ys
I took place (if you press against the edge (you won't fall =p), you can even
see some dirt falling to the surface).  Anyway, head back right a little, and
head up the first set of steps, then follow the path left past another set of
steps to find a few Apples growing on trees, as well as a Marle Flower.  Go
ahead and grab them, if you want; do note that the Apples take 5 minutes before
they'll grow back, but the Marle Flowers around here grow back simply by
refreshing the screen.  Anyway, head right, and climb the second set of steps;
if you want, you can follow this section all the way right to find another
Marle Flower.  Head back left, and climb the final set of steps, then head
northeast a tad to the next screen, where you can find yet another Marle Flower
to pick.  More importantly, if you talked with Lilia underneath the tree back
in Lance Village, heading all the way up on this screen will initiate a small
cutscene with her.  This is completely optional, but if you want to do it, you
need to do it before exploring the Rasteenie Mine at all (technically, it's
after you use either transition point on the first Mine screen, so you could
still use a Wing to escape, and then fulfill the requirements for this scene),
as Lilia then switches locations in Lance Village, and the event no longer
triggers (even if you spoke to her under the tree by the elder's house earlier,
the cliff scene still won't activate after setting foot in the Mine).
Afterwards, you can find her here picking Marle Flowers, at least until you set
foot in the Mine; at that point, she can then be found by the well just south
of the weapon and item shops back in Lance.
Head back down to where you saw those stone pillars in the field earlier, and
northeast a little ways is the entrance to the Ruins of Moondoria.
Ruins of Moondoria                                                     [RNMNDR]
- Obtain enough strength to kill the rock golems guarding the Rod of Divinity
- Use the Rod at the Goddess Statue to receive the ability to use magic
- Find a Roda Fruit to help make Lilia's Medicine
- Speak to Astal to enter the Sanctuary of Toal / Rasteenie Mine
- Find the Ancient Tablet
- Receive a free Short Sword from Leggs
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT - Ancient Tablet, Rod of Divinity*, Roda Fruit*, Short
CHARACTERS - Astal*, Leggs
ENEMIES - Chrace, Cauction, Godaago*
If you didn't buy a weapon back in Lance, you can get a Short Sword here for
free.  If you already have one, equip it, and start killing some enemies in the
northwest section of the ruins.  If you don't have one, then from the entrance,
move northeast a tad, and then go right, taking the second small opening
between the walls (the one near the lake).  Head straight up, and right above
the alcove the rock golems (Godaago) are guarding, you'll come across another
opening in the walls.  Enter the opening, then head right and talk to the old
man, Leggs.  If you don't have a weapon yet, he'll give you a Short Sword for
free, but this is just for a limited time, which also awards you the "Revenge
of Sworded Details" achievement if you're playing the Steam version.  However,
do note that the moment you open the chest the rock golems are guarding, you
can no longer receive this (and in the event you bought a weapon before this -
even if it's just the Long Sword - he won't give it to you regardless).
Speaking to Leggs again reveals that he has a favor to ask of you, but he won't
actually tell you what it is until you reach level 6.  He wants you to retrieve
the contents of the treasure chest you passed on the way here, guarded by the
rock golems.  Unlike most normal enemies, they are completely immune to attacks
at lower levels, so you need a high enough STR stat in order to damage them.
With the Short Sword equipped, you can do this as early as level 6, but if you
buy the Long Sword early, you can do this as early as level 4.  Purchasing the
Long Sword requires backtracking to Lance at some point (as you won't have
enough gold right away, even with the hidden stash from the duckling), so I
prefer leveling to 6 with the Short Sword.  Sure, having the Long Sword also
makes the first boss reasonably doable a couple levels earlier, but at the same
time, you'll need those extra levels later, and besides, I recommend using the
Talwar over the Long Sword after the Mine.
Anyway, head back to the bottom of the screen, and then left along the wall
until you see some pillars (just ignore that other opening in the wall for the
time being; it leads to the Rasteenie Mine, but you won't be strong enough to
do much damage to the enemies there just yet).  Walk through the opening above
them, then head northeast at the fork, and follow the path into a small area
with a couple enemies.  On the ground near the upper left tree, you'll find a
Roda Fruit.  As you'll learn later, this is an essential ingredient for making
Lilia's Medicine, but you can also use it as another potential gift for someone,
or using it on yourself will fully restore your MP (when you have it, at least).
You can only carry one at a time, so if you do decide to use it for something
else, simply refresh the screen, and you can grab another then.
Head back to where the path forked above the pillars, and head left until you
see another opening in the wall (there should be a zombie-like enemy nearby, a
Chrace).  You might notice a small wooden chest in the area below this opening,
but there's no way to get it just yet.  So, head up, and follow the path right
until you see a Cauction (red goblin-like enemies) near a larger opening.
Before heading into that area, if you look along the wall in the bottom right
corner (close to where the Cauction was), you should see the Ancient Tablet, so
pick it up, if you want to (it's not required).  You can read it by equipping
and using it, which reveals there's a door that will only open after returning
the Books of Ys to their rightful owners.  Well, the elder requested you do
that anyway, but now you actually have a good reason to do so.  If you'd like,
you can also show this to Masontorch back in Lance, but it's purely optional.
When you're ready, head back to the opening to the left, and kill some enemies
until you reach level 4 - it shouldn't take you very long.  In addition, you
should've received about 200 gold from killing them, so if you didn't spend any
money earlier, you should now have enough to buy the Long Sword from Guido back
in Lance Village (if you didn't find the hidden 500 gold, remember to gift
Brody 5 times, and *then* search the baby duckling).  If you buy and equip that,
you should then be able to kill the rock golems guarding that chest, provided
you're at least level 4 (200 EXP).  As noted above, I prefer skipping the Long
Sword, but that means you'll need to be level 6.  However, as you may have
noticed, the enemies in this game give reduced EXP the more you level, so the
enemies out here are hardly worth the effort anymore.  So, upon hitting level 4,
it's preferable to grind on the enemies within the Sanctuary of Toal in order
to hit level 6 (400 EXP).
Head back to the opening with the pillars, and follow the wall down and to the
right, and go into the first opening you see.  You'll find a man named Astal
guarding the door, and assuming you talked to Elder Cornell back in Lance,
he'll let you inside (if you haven't talked to the elder yet, you'll need to do
so before proceeding).  Enter the door, and you'll be in the Sanctuary of Toal.
So long as you're at least level 4 with the Short Sword equipped, you should be
able to make quick work of the enemies here, so use the enemies in this first
room to grind to level 6 (it should only take about 4 complete trips through
the room).
Once you have at least 29-30 STR, head back to the rock golems, and you'll now
be able to kill them.  Open the chest they were guarding, and you'll find the
Rod of Divinity inside.  Show it to Leggs (if you want to), and he'll say that
touching the Rod to the Goddess Statue inside the nearby alcove will allow you
the ability to use magic.  Go ahead and do as he says, and you'll now have some
MP to use.  If you speak to Leggs again (as before, it's not required), he
reveals that there are 6 forms of magic to be found, but unfortunately, we
don't have any just yet (don't worry, we'll find some pretty shortly).
When you're ready, head back to the door Astal's guarding, speak to him if you
haven't done so already (remember, you need to have spoken with Elder Cornell
back in Lance first), and enter the Sanctuary of Toal.
Sanctuary of Toal / Rasteenie Mine                                     [STLRMN]
- Return the Books of Ys to the Priest statues within the Sanctuary of Toal
- Find a Mattock, use it to free Dr. Flair, and give him Banoa's Letter
- Find the Fire Magic within the Rasteenie Mine, and use it to kill Velagunder
- Find a Celceta Flower deep within the Mine to help make Lilia's Medicine
- Find the Light Magic deep within the Mine, and use it to find the Evil Bell
- Give the Roda Fruit and Celceta Flower to Dr. Flair to make Lilia's Medicine
- Give Lilia's Medicine to Banoa, and receive the Warp Magic afterwards
- Agree to investigate Gila's Basement, and ring the Evil Bell downstairs
- Receive the Scroll of Guidance from Priest Fact, and make your way to the Ice
Ridge of Noltia
- Find the Cleria Ring
- Find some Iron Ore, and sell it to Guido
- Clear Gila's Basement and the Sanctuary beyond of all enemies
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Rasteenie Mine) - Mattock*, Fire Magic*, Herb, Celceta
Flower*, Light Magic*, Evil Bell*, Iron Ore x 2
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Sanctuary of Toal) - Cleria Ring, Scroll of Guidance*
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Lance) - Lilia's Medicine*, Warp Magic*, Breast Plate,
Plate Mail
CHARACTERS (Sanctuary of Toal) - Priest Tovah*, Priest Dabbie*, Priest Hadal*,
Priest Mesa*, Priest Gemma*, Priest Fact*
CHARACTERS (Rasteenie Mine) - Flair Rall*
ENEMIES (Sanctuary of Toal) - Warrizor, Gnometh, Zolgell
ENEMIES (Rasteenie Mine) - Ripplet, Tolpi, Puroid, K'nocks, Carly, Orihalcus,
Velagunder*
NOTE - The Breast Plate and Plate Mail are only available from Guido if you
sell him the Iron Ore.  Even then, they're not available immediately, at least
not without entering and exiting a few buildings within Lance's walls.
Regarding Dr. Flair, even though rescuing him and making Lilia's Medicine are
both required events, in order to get his character entry, you need to speak to
him manually, whether it's in the Mine, or back in the clinic in Lance.
Follow the path through the Sanctuary of Toal, and along the bottom of the
screen, you'll come across a sealed door.  This is the one the Ancient Tablet
mentioned (if you found and read it), and it will only open once you return all
the Books of Ys to their respective owners.  So, continue following the path,
and you'll soon come across a larger door along the top of the screen.  This
one will open for you, so step inside and investigate the statue to speak to
Priest Hadal, who informs you that the source of the evil resides within
Solomon Shrine.  He'll also fully heal you, both your HP and MP (and as you're
indoors, you can't stand still to gradually heal your HP).  Anyway, exit the
chamber, then head right until you see stairs leading downward, which is the
entrance to the Rasteenie Mine.
Follow the tunnels until you arrive in a room with some small plant-like
enemies (Ripplets).  The stairs on the left-hand side of this room lead to
another section of the Sanctuary of Toal, so go ahead and enter.  Follow the
path, and in the southeastern corner, you'll find another large door, this one
leading to Priest Tovah, who tells you that you'll need all 6 forms of the
Priests' magic to defeat the evil plaguing Ys (actually, you only need to find
4 of the magics to beat the game =p).
Exit the chamber, and back in the Mine, take the tunnel on the far right.
Follow it until you reach a room with 3 tunnels to choose from; you'll want to
take the one in the bottom right corner, followed by the middle one in the next
room.  You should now be in a room with a Puroid (horned pink demon).  More
importantly, this room contains the only usable Mattock throughout the Mine,
and you'll need it to free Dr. Flair, so be sure to pick it up (there's a few
broken mattocks scattered about, as well as some unusable shovels, but those
are obviously no good).
Before heading off to rescue Dr. Flair, if you want, that other chest in the
Ruins of Moondoria can now be obtained, and it contains the Beastiary Potion.
If you don't know where it is, it's in a sealed-off area just above the field
entrance; you'll need to use the Mattock (equip and use it) on the heavily
cracked wall just northeast of the entrance.  Be sure to drink it (equip and
use it), and you can now learn the stats of the various enemies you come across.
Please refer to the Ys II "Enemies" section for more info on how that works.
Anyway, continuing from the room where the usable Mattock was found, exit it
and head back to the tunnel on the far left (there's nothing of interest in the
other one), then take the far left tunnel in the next room as well.  In the
next room, take the tunnel on the far right, and you should be in a narrow room
with a Puroid.  Carefully dispatch the enemy, and after heading through the
next tunnel, you'll find yourself in a room with a caved-in passage in the top
right corner.  Approach it to speak briefly with Dr. Flair, who says you'll
need a Mattock to get through.  So, assuming you found it earlier, equip and
use it to clear away the rubble, which awards you 100 EXP.
Now, you don't actually need to speak to Dr. Flair at this point if you don't
want to (as soon as you completely leave the Mine/Sanctuary, he'll
automatically return to the clinic regardless), but let's do so anyway.  After
giving him Banoa's Letter, he'll tell you that both a Roda Fruit and Celceta
Flower are needed to make Lilia's Medicine.  You should've already found a Roda
Fruit, but if not, he mentions that they can be found in the Ruins of Moondoria
(in the northern center area, next to a tree).  As for the Celceta Flower, he
says it only grows in dark areas, close to water.  Hmm, we haven't seen
anything like that yet, so hopefully there's some deeper in the Mine.  Also,
you may notice another caved-in passage off to the right, but there's nothing
you can do to clear it.  Anyway, as mentioned above, Dr. Flair will return to
the clinic automatically upon completely exiting the Mine/Sanctuary, but if
you're feeling generous, you can actually gift him a Wing so he doesn't have to
walk (but then, why can't you slip him the Wing through the hole in the rubble
instead of using the Mattock to break through? =p).  Of course, doing this
means you'll have to walk back to Lance, so do whatever you want.  In any event,
he won't take the Roda Fruit (or the Celceta Flower, if you're rescuing him a
little later) just yet, so let's continue exploring.
Head back to the last room with 3 tunnels, and this time take the one on the
far left.  You'll be in a room with stairs leading to another portion of the
Sanctuary of Toal, and another tunnel at the bottom - take the stairs.  On the
left-hand side, you'll find a large door leading to Priest Dabbie, who tells
you that so long as magic exists, so too will the demons.  Well, that's
certainly troubling...  Exit the chamber, but before heading back to the Mine,
there's a chest in the northeastern corner of this part of the Sanctuary, which
contains the Cleria Ring.  This is one of a few optional equipment accessories
you can find throughout the game, and equipping this one will sometimes nullify
the damage you'd otherwise take from an enemy.  It usually doesn't happen very
often, but you may find it useful, so pick it up, if you want.
Head back to the Mine, and take the tunnel in the bottom right corner (be
careful of the Ripplet).  In the next room, take the bottom right tunnel again,
and the bottom left one in the room following that (beware the Puroid).
Carefully dispatch of the Tolpi (a larger plant like enemy), and take the
tunnel to the next room.  Here, you'll find a chest containing the Fire Magic,
but the Puroid guarding it is kinda tricky to get around; you'll either need to
get lucky with its positioning, or lure it to a wider part of the passage to
safely dispatch it (either the part where the passage turns near the bottom, or
near the room entrance).  This magic is essential to be able to kill the boss
down here, so assuming you found and used the Rod of Divinity in the Ruins
earlier, you should be able to equip and use this right away (if you haven't
already, you first need to find and touch the Rod to the Goddess Statue in the
Ruins to acquire MP to use magic, otherwise finding this will do you no good).
Obviously, its main use is to kill enemies, but you can also use it to shoot
the various townsfolk for various reactions (shooting 50 townsfolk - or maybe
even the same person 50 times, I think - gets you the Steam achievement "What
the Legends Don't Tell You"), though if you're going for character mascots,
you'll need to give them 1 or 2 extra gifts to make up for your abuse.  Anyway,
in the Eternal/Complete versions, the "Ctrl" button is the default for using
magic, but in Chronicles, it's the "confirm" button.  For the Fire Magic, you
can hold down the button to charge it up; the longer you charge, the more
damage you do (until you begin to glow, that is).  However, it does drain your
MP at a slightly faster rate than using normal fireballs, so be wary of that.
To restore your MP, in addition to resting somewhere (no, standing outside
doesn't work for MP, just HP), you can use certain consumable items, such as
Marle Flowers, a Roda Fruit, and a couple others.  Also note that this magic is
an extension of your STR stat, so leveling up affects its damage as well (it's
not an exact damage conversion, but close enough, I guess), though there are
certain enemies that it just won't work for, like the Godaago in the Ruins, for
Back in the last room with 3 tunnels (no, there's nothing of interest in those
other tunnels), take the one on the far left this time.  You'll be in a small
room with a body of water, but there's no Celceta Flowers here.  There is,
however, an Herb, so pick that up if you need it (this one has a 5 minute
recharge time before growing back).  Ignore the tunnel on the far right
(nothing of interest there, either), and take the middle one.  You'll be in a
room with another Puroid, with tunnels along the bottom, and stairs in the
northeastern corner.  Take the tunnel on the far left, and in the next room,
take the stairs inside to another section of the Sanctuary (be careful of the
Tolpi).  In the southwestern corner of the Sanctuary, you'll find a large door
leading to Priest Mesa, who tells you that to reach Solomon Shrine, you need to
scale a mountain of ice, and then pass through a moat of lava.  Well, nobody
said this would be an easy journey. =p  Exit the chamber, and head to the
northeastern part of the Sanctuary to find another large door leading to Priest
Gemma.  Speaking to him reveals that if you could talk to the demons, it might
prove helpful.  Perhaps so, but how do we go about doing that?
Exit the chamber, and head back to the last room with the Puroid in it.  Now,
you should have been killing everything in sight during your trek through here,
so you should be level 10 or 11 by now.  If you have the Long Sword, level 9 or
10 (preferably 10) will be enough for the upcoming boss, but if you only have
the Short Sword, then level 11 or 12 (preferably 12) is required to deal
additional damage.  So if you need to, use the Puroid here to level up some
(you'll need to refresh the room each time upon killing it).  When you're ready,
take the stairs in the northeastern corner, and follow the path southwest to
another tunnel.  Pass through the doorway in the next room, and you'll find
yourself at another large door.  This one leads to a boss, so make sure to save
your game, get fully healed (use an Herb or some Apples, or re-visit one of the
Priests), as well as have a decent amount of MP (at least 15-20 should be good
- use a Marle Flower, or re-visit one of the Priests, if needed).  Unlike Ys I,
you're actually able to use consumable items during boss battles, so long as
you have them equipped beforehand (if you're on the Easy difficulty, you can
switch items and equipment mid-battle, but not on Normal and above); I
recommend equipping either Herbs or Apples.  In addition, make sure the Fire
Magic is equipped, and when you're ready, head inside the door, and move
forward a bit to awaken the first boss.
VELAGUNDER
LVL - 11
GOLD - 600
STRATEGY - For a first boss, this guy is pretty easy, especially when compared
to Jenocres (the first boss of Ys I).  That said, he can still be a little
troublesome on higher difficulties.  The first thing to note is that physical
attacks are completely ineffective here, and trying it will likely get you a
quick game over.  So, in order to damage him, you absolutely need the Fire
Magic; that said, having a weapon equipped is still beneficial here, as the
Fire Magic's damage is closely linked to your STR stat.  Anyway, he'll open up
his arms every so often, and shoot a couple waves of projectiles at you (if
you're having trouble getting his arms to open, it generally helps to not be
directly below him, at least not at first).  This is your opportunity to attack,
so let loose some fireballs (preferably fully charged ones) between his arms,
and then dodge the projectiles as best you can.  His arms will serve as shields
against the fireballs (you can destroy them, but it's not really worth it,
especially on higher difficulties), so you'll want to aim for the center part
of his body.  If you're on Easy or Normal, this is pretty easy, though on
Normal, sometimes the projectiles will clump together if you don't move around
very much.  On Hard and Nightmare, there will be even more to dodge, so in that
case, I recommend shooting a charged fireball, then quickly moving off to the
side (you can attempt to slip between them, but it's generally harder to do
consistently, especially since they now tend to slant a bit).  In either case,
you'll want to stick to the bottom of the screen as best you can (but be
careful you don't accidentally exit the boss fight, if you have that option
turned on in previous versions; for the Steam version, it seems to be enabled
by default).  Repeat the process a few times until he's dead (for his arms to
open, it generally helps to not be directly below him, at least not at first).
For your efforts, you'll receive 400 EXP, as well as 600 gold.
If you're having trouble finding an opening to deal damage, as mentioned above,
you can destroy his arms.  Generally, I advise against doing this, as it not
only drains your MP further (the damage they take is tracked separately from
the rest of his body), but the arms can take quite a beating, especially on
higher difficulties.  If you do decide to destroy them, it's probably best to
shoot at them diagonally, as the projectiles may otherwise end up pinning you
against a wall if attempting to shoot them straight from the side, so this
method allows you to damage them while keeping a safe distance away.  Even so,
you still need to damage him from the front, but destroying them at least
allows you to angle your shots, instead of being directly below him.
Do note that in order to deal additional damage, you'll need to be at least
level 11 with the Short Sword equipped, though of course, level 12 (or above)
is preferred.  With the Long Sword, this fight is doable as early as level 9,
preferably 10 (or above), but as noted earlier, it effectively puts you behind
a couple levels later on; besides, the Talwar can be purchased soon, making the
Long Sword quickly outclassed.
After the battle, the door at the top of the room can now be opened, so let's
see where it leads.  Follow the passage southwest, and once you see the third
Carly (pink enemy that kind of looks like a foot), head north, and when that
path splits, take the center path.  You should come across a small body of
water with flowers growing nearby - these are the Celceta Flowers we're looking
for.  Go ahead and grab one, and as there are 3 to pick, you can use one to
fully restore both your HP and MP.  Like the Roda Fruit, you can only carry one
at a time, but these have a 5 minute recharge time to grow back, so don't use
them carelessly.
Anyway, head back to the fork where the third Carly was, and head all the way
south.  Pass through the small passage to the right, and then follow the path
northeast until you see another doorway.  Head through this one as well, but in
addition to the Orihalcus (headless armored enemies) lurking inside, it's also
a bit darker than before, making this section pretty dangerous.  Once inside,
make your way as far northwest as you can, and then follow the path to the
northeast.  In the far northeastern corner, you'll find a chest containing the
Light Magic.  It's probably a good idea to equip this right away, as it'll help
you see a bit better down here (but it slowly drains your MP, so be wary of
that).  Equipping this will also reveal some hidden passages down here,
indicated by ripples along the wall once you're within range (though you don't
actually need it equipped to enter the passages).
The first hidden passage is just outside this darkened area with the Orihalcus,
just to the southeast of the doorway you passed through to enter that area (if
you're having trouble finding it, there's a little indentation along the bottom
of the wall).  Inside, follow the path to the right, and you'll find a chest
guarded by a K'nocks (green serpent-like enemy), which contains the Evil Bell.
Equipping and using this item will attract the attention of nearby demons and
summon them to you.  It may seem pointless, but it's necessary to reach Priest
Fact's tomb, which is still yet to be found.  There's one other hidden passage
down here (actually, there's another one a little earlier in the Mine, but it's
useless), so exit this room.  Head back southeast, and through the small tunnel
to the other side of the room.  A short ways to the northwest, the Light Magic
will reveal another ripple along the bottom of a wall (again, there's a little
indentation to help find it).  Inside, investigate the box up top, and you'll
find a piece of Iron Ore inside.  Actually, there are in fact two pieces to be
found in this box, but you can't get the second one until you sell the first
piece (unfortunately, you can only carry one at a time), so if you want some
extra spending money, keep this room in mind.
Well, that's all there is to do here, so assuming you returned all the Books of
Ys except for Volume Fact, rescued Dr. Flair, and found both the Celceta Flower
and Evil Bell, you can go ahead and return to Lance (if you still have it,
now's a good time to use the Wing).  Upon arrival, check the billboard if you
want (it's just south of the entrance), and assuming you returned the first 5
Books of Ys, there will be a request from Gila regarding demons in his basement.
Strange, why would they be down there?  You can also talk to the elder about
the location of Priest Fact's tomb, who says that Lance was once a part of
Moondoria, so it should be somewhere nearby.  Hmm, it'd definitely be a good
idea to check out Gila's request.
Before doing that, let's go see Dr. Flair about Lilia's Medicine, so head to
the clinic and speak with him.  On your way there, you might be tempted to stop
by Guido's and sell him the Iron ore immediately for 3,000 gold, but if you do
this a short while later, you can actually get him to up his offer to 6,000
gold.  Do note that the increased price only applies to the first piece you
sell him, so be sure to take advantage of it (if you sell it too soon, he'll
always offer 3,000 gold; plus, even if you got the 6,000 offer for the first
piece, the second one you sell will always be for 3,000 gold).  If you don't
care about that, selling it to him should still bump your gold up enough to
purchase the Talwar, or fairly close to it, at least (again, I recommend
against purchasing the Long Sword, but it's a decent alternative, for the time
being).  Getting back to Dr. Flair, upon giving him both the Roda Fruit and
Celceta Flower, he'll give you Lilia's Medicine, which he instructs you to give
to Banoa (remember, Lilia supposedly doesn't know that she's ill).  Head to
Banoa's house, and speak with her inside to give her Lilia's Medicine.  Go
ahead and leave, and after the cutscenes, Banoa will give you the Return Magic
(it works just like the Wing, at the cost of 20 MP), plus you'll also receive
300 EXP for saving Lilia.
Alright, let's go see Gila about his request now.  His house is in the
southwest part of town, right above the pikkard pen.  Inside, you'll find him
standing in front of a locked door (if he's not, then you need to return the
first 5 Books of Ys to the Priests), so talk to him, and agree to search his
basement for demons.  Head downstairs, and examining the exposed brick wall
reveals there is indeed an evil presence down here.  Ring the Evil Bell (equip
and use it), and demons will come crashing through the wall.  If you're playing
the Complete version of this game, after ringing the Evil Bell, it is important
that you do *not* head back upstairs until the demons break down the wall; for
some reason, movement was still allowed between the period the Evil Bell is
rung and the wall being destroyed, and walking back upstairs during this period
results in an unwinnable game (the game basically assumes the wall is broken
the moment the Evil Bell is first rung down here - even if you don't see it
happen - and so the event will never re-activate).  In any case, carefully make
your way to the tunnel in the north end of this passage (if the enemies are
clogging up the passage, ringing the Evil Bell may help lure a few towards you,
which should then make it easier to get around them), which actually connects
to another part of the Sanctuary of Toal.  This is right next to where we found
Dr. Flair earlier (as indicated by the caved-in passage off to the left, which
is unclearable).  In the northeast corner, there's a large door leading to
Priest Fact.  Speak to him, and he'll give you the Scroll of Guidance to use at
the various Goddess Statues, as well as open the sealed door seen in the first
Sanctuary area (before speaking to him, you need to have cured Lilia and
received the Return Magic from Banoa, otherwise the sealed door won't be open).
If you're feeling up to it, you can actually clear Gila's Basement and this
Sanctuary room of the demons, but it will take a good deal of kills before that
happens.  In addition to the regular EXP you get for killing the enemies, an
additional 400 EXP is awarded for clearing out both areas, as well as the Steam
achievement "Gila's Monsters", so it's definitely worth it.  If you do decide
to do this, it's recommended that you have either the Long Sword or Talwar
equipped, so you might consider putting it off shortly (you can clear it at any
point in the game).  For the first room, it's recommended that you don't
activate screen transitions until it's completely clear, otherwise the demons
could spawn endlessly, regardless of how much you kill (aside from the final
wave, they all don't need to be killed during the same visit).  Once the first
area is clear (about 60 kills, or so), you'll get a message saying there's
still an evil presence in the area beyond, which then enables the Sanctuary
area to be cleared, which only consists of a couple of Zolgells (slime enemies).
After killing both of them, you'll get a message saying the area is completely
clear, plus you'll receive an extra 400 EXP for your efforts.
In any event, head back to the Ruins of Moondoria.  You may have noticed that
the Scroll of Guidance is blank right now, so if you want to, go ahead and
touch the Goddess Statue here (it's not required).  This one will tell you what
you already know, that you need to journey to Solomon Shrine, and also to speak
to the other Goddess Statues for hints.  Even though it's not particularly
helpful this time, the latest hint you receive from them will be recorded to
the Scroll of Guidance, which you can then read again at any time by equipping
and using it.  Anyway, head back inside the Sanctuary near Astal (if you want,
you can pick up another Roda Fruit in the Ruins), and inside you'll find that
the small door along the bottom will now be opened.
Once you step through the ice-covered doorway at the end of this rather long
passage, you'll see a small cutscene involving the two mysterious entities from
the game's opening movie.  Watching this scene is the trigger for Guido to buy
the first piece of Iron Ore from you for 6,000 gold, so you may wish to do that
before continuing; you can then get the second piece from the Mine (same spot
as before; while you're down there, you can pick another Celceta Flower for
personal use), but he'll only buy this one for 3,000 gold, regardless of what
you do.  At the very least, I recommend buying the Talwar, as well as a 3rd
level armor or shield, if you have enough cash for it.  In order to buy the 2nd
and 3rd level body armors from here, you first need to activate a screen
transition anytime after selling the first piece of Iron Ore (anything aside
from Guido's shop will work).  This gets Lazlo started on the new armor, and at
that point, you simply need to enter and exit any 3 buildings within Lance
(Guido's shop will work this time, but places like Gila's Basement and the
clinic's pigeon loft won't; oddly, the village entrance will work), and then
enter Guido's shop again.  Inside, Lazlo should be standing off to the side,
next to some new armor on the stands (even if he's not there, you should at
least see the new armor displays), which you can then purchase from Guido.
If you haven't done so yet, now is a good time to go ahead and clear out Gila's
Basement.  Otherwise, that's all there is to do here for the moment (though
Lilia has some interesting dialogue if you speak to her after the Ice Ridge
cutscene), so let's explore the Ice Ridge of Noltia.
Ice Ridge of Noltia                                                    [ICRDGE]
- Find the Blizzard Bulb, and use it to form a path to the other side of a cave
- Find the Alter Magic, and use it to speak with the demons
- Find the Stone Shoes, and use them to climb up the icy slopes
- Find the Anti-Illusion Mirror, and use it to reveal the true door to
Tyalmath's lair
- Kill Tyalmath, and pass through to the Moat of Burnedbless
- Find both the Spirit Cape and the Hawk Idol
- Find the hidden 1,000 gold stash in Tyalmath's lair
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT - Blizzard Bulb*, Spirit Cape, Hawk Idol, Alter Magic*,
Marle Flower, Herb x 2, Stone Shoes*, Anti-Illusion Mirror*, 1,000 Gold
CHARACTERS - None
ENEMIES - Neeli, Gercard, Eggnid, Galgata, Gworter, Swoff, Tyalmath*
NOTE - While there are no new characters to encounter at this point, both Lilia
and Bohtz will go missing from Lance at a certain point (namely, as soon as you
enter the screen where you can find the Hawk Idol, as well as a Goddess Statue),
and it'll be some time before you encounter them again.  Thankfully, no
character in Ys II is permanently missable, so don't worry if you haven't
spoken to them yet (in Lilia's case, this is only important for entering her
bed).
Throughout this whole area, you'll probably notice some icy slopes; for the
time being, you can only slide down these, as they're too slippery to climb up
with your current equipment.  It's also worth noting that, while this is an
outdoor area, you can't stand still here to gradually heal - at least, not
without finding a certain equipment accessory in the area.  It should also go
without saying that Fire Magic is pretty effective for the majority of the
enemies here, but of course, you still need the appropriate strength for it to
be of much use.
Anyway, head straight up the first 3 sets of steps, then take the steps to your
left, ignoring the icy slope.  From there, take the steps just to the northwest,
and follow the path all the way left, where you should encounter a Gercard
(horned demons with a sword and shield).  Follow a few sets of steps downward
until you see some icy monsters (Neeli), and then take the steps to the
southwest, where you should see another Gercard.  From the tree it's next to,
head left a little ways, then take a couple sets of steps downwards, where
you'll find the Blizzard Bulb hovering above an icy stand, so go ahead and grab
it.  Just northwest of here, you may have noticed an area with some more icy
slopes; unfortunately, there's no alternative path to go where they lead, so
you'll need to re-visit this area once you have the proper tools, so keep it in
mind for later.
Make your way back up to where the first Gercard was (just take the steps all
the way back up, or if you prefer, you can loop around the bottom of the screen,
but that's slightly slower).  Head right a little ways, and after going down
the first set of steps, follow this path all the way right to reach some more
steps (you should encounter another Neeli along the way).  Climb them, and
follow the path until you reach a cave.  Inside, ignore the eastern section
(there's nothing over there, except a passage that leads to a dead end), and
head to the southwestern corner.  You should notice an icy draft coming from
the ground near a chasm, similar to how you found the Blizzard Bulb.  In order
to cross, you'll need to stand where the draft is, and use the Blizzard Bulb
(equip and use it) there to form an ice bridge leading to the other side of the
cavern.
Upon exiting the cavern, take the steps downward, and you should notice a
Gercard at their base, so go ahead and dispatch it.  If you want another
equipment accessory, then look closely at where it was standing, and you should
notice a set of footprints, so follow them left to enter a hidden cave (if
you're having trouble finding it, it's the area just to the right of the base
of the steps).  Inside, you'll find a chest containing another optional
equipment accessory, this one being the Spirit Cape.  Much like the Heal Ring
from Ys I, equipping this will allow you to stand still and recover HP, even in
areas (like this one) where you can't normally do so; using it in an area where
you can already heal gradually will help speed up the process a little.  Anyway,
exit the cave, and take the next set of steps downward.  Follow the path all
the way left, and take the second set of steps you see (the other set just
leads to a dead end; you may also notice a treasure chest along the bottom of
this path, but you can't get to it yet).  Follow the steps upward until you see
some Eggnids (green winged demons) near a cave.  The other paths here lead to
more dead ends, so go ahead and enter it.  There's nothing of note inside, so
just follow it outside to the left.
On the next screen, take the first set of steps downward, and just to the
northwest, you'll notice another icy slope near a Galgata (spiky shelled
turtle-like enemy).  There's a Goddess Statue at the top of this one, but as
with the other slopes, there's no way to climb up it yet, so keep it in mind
for later (well, if you want to - you don't need to visit this one, either).
For now, take the steps to the southeast of the icy slope (the path further
left just leads to another dead end) until you see another Galgata, this one
near a tree.  The path splits here, and while both lead to the next area, the
one off to the left leads to another equipment accessory, so let's head that
way.  Eventually, you'll come across a group of Gworters (cyclops), as well as
another Galgata, so go ahead and dispatch them.  You should notice an icy slope
leading downwards, so go ahead and slide down.  Before sliding down the second
one, grab the chest off to the left, which contains the Hawk Idol.  This is
another equipment accessory, and equipping this allows your fireballs to
automatically home in on any nearby enemies (though it will still sometimes
miss if the fireball has to arc too tightly).  I recommend having this
accessory equipped when you don't need to use the Spirit Cape to heal, as it
allows you to kill enemies safely from afar fairly easily - the downside is
that your fireballs won't automatically arc around environmental obstacles
(trees, stalactites, etc.), so you still have to be careful to not waste your
shots.  Anyway, slide down the other icy slope, and take the steps to the
southwest, where you'll find another cave.  As noted above, the path below just
loops around to a different section of this screen, but there's nothing of note
that way, so go ahead and enter the cave.  Inside, you'll find a bunch of ice
clumps, and the only way through is to destroy them with fireballs (which,
oddly enough, give 1 or 2 EXP each, depending on your level - as if them giving
EXP isn't awkward enough, it's actually scaled, just like normal enemies =p).
In order to minimize MP loss here, I recommend carving a path along the top -
this makes it so you only need to destroy a minimum of 5-6 ice clumps, if
you're careful.
Upon exiting this cave, head right to find a chest containing the Alter Magic.
Equipping this will turn you into a cute little Roo, which most characters -
even most enemies - mistake for a demon.  So, you can use this to speak with
the various enemies (it doesn't work on the bosses, unfortunately), who will
sometimes give you hints, or you can use it to mess with the various characters
you encounter (either way, using it is completely optional at this time, but
it's necessary for later events).  However, as with the Light Magic, this one
will slowly drain your MP simply by equipping it, so try not to use it
recklessly.  Anyway, head back to the left, and take the steps downward.
There's a Swoff here, but before killing it off, use the Alter Magic to speak
with it, if you want (it's not required).  Doing so reveals that it witnessed a
pretty female human being carried off by a flying demon.  That doesn't sound
good...  Anyway, you can then turn back to normal and dispatch it, if you want
(how heartless of you =p), or you can continue chatting with the other monsters
in the area (again, keep an eye on your MP if you do this).  Take the steps on
the left, and follow them until you reach another icy slope above you.  Again,
you can't climb this, but you should be able to see a door up there, so keep it
in mind for later.  Instead, head off to the right, but before climbing the
steps above you, there's a Marle Flower further to the right, so go ahead and
grab it, and use it to restore a little MP, if you need to (this has a 5 minute
recharge time before growing back).  Head up the steps, and when the path
splits, take the steps to the northwest to reach another cave (the other paths
are just dead ends again).  Inside, you'll find an Herb growing along the wall,
just to the northeast of the entrance, so grab that if you want (as with the
Marle Flower, this also has a 5 minute recharge time).  There's nothing else to
do here, so follow it outside to the right.
Off to the right, you'll find a Gworter, so go ahead and dispatch it, and
inside the chest it was guarding, you'll find the Stone Shoes.  Equipping these
will allow you to walk up those icy slopes you've likely encountered all
throughout this area.  For now, you need to head all the way back to the first
screen, and explore the area to the northwest of where the Blizzard Bulb was
found.  As it's a few screens back, instead of walking, I recommend using the
Return Magic (or a Wing) to warp to Lance, if you can spare the MP.  If you do
warp to Lance, talking to the villagers reveals that both Lilia and Bohtz have
gone missing, even though they probably should have returned by now.  Hmm, that
one demon did say it saw a pretty, young female being carried off...  Either
way, there's nothing you can do about this now, so let's move on.  Before
leaving, if you're particularly low on MP, you might consider getting healed at
the clinic, or resting at Banoa's; you may also wish to purchase some new
equipment, preferably either the Large Shield or Plate Mail, if you can afford
one (you probably won't be able to afford both yet - at least not without a
fair deal of grinding - but the next boss should be easily doable without them).
Before heading back to the Ice Ridge, now that you have the Alter Magic, you
can use it to speak to a certain demon within the Rasteenie Mine to get the
Steam achievement "Where's Aldow?".  The demon in question is the K'nocks in
the top left corner of the room where the Evil Bell was found deep within the
Mine.  Unless you missed the second piece of Iron Ore from before (same spot
where the first piece was found), there's nothing left to do down there, so
make your way back to where you first entered the Ice Ridge.
The area just northwest of where you found the Blizzard Bulb is where you want
to go (if you're coming from the Sanctuary, it's faster to loop around the
bottom of the screen), as you can now equip the Stone Shoes to climb up those
icy slopes.  Go ahead and do so, but be careful of the Eggnids as you're
climbing up.  Just to the northeast, take the steps leading to that chest you
may have seen earlier, which contains the Anti-Illusion Mirror.  This allows
you to reach the boss of this area, so be sure to pick it up.  Anyway, back on
the screen where the Hawk Idol is found, if you want, you can now climb the icy
slope just southwest of the northeastern cave to reach the Goddess Statue,
which reveals that the door seen earlier is a fake, so you need to find a way
to dispel the illusion and reveal the real door.  Assuming that you have the
Anti-Illusion Mirror in your possession, head back to the screen where the
Alter Magic was found, and west of the Marle Flower on that screen (if it's
grown back by now, feel free to pick and use it again), there's another icy
slope.  Climb up this one, and you'll find a door up top.  Trying to open it
just results in your body passing right on through, so equip the Anti-Illusion
Mirror, and use it in front of the door.  The real door will appear off to the
left, so go ahead and step inside.  Be sure to save your game, get fully healed
(use the Spirit Cape, or just use an Herb from the cave that led to the Stone
Shoes), and make sure you have a decent amount of MP (the 15 MP from the Marle
Flower should be enough, or if you have one, you can use a Roda Fruit to
completely replenish it), and make sure the Fire Magic is equipped; also, if
you have it, I recommend equipping the Hawk Idol, but it is by no means
necessary.  When you're ready, head to the very top of the screen, and prepare
to face the next boss.
TYALMATH
GOLD - 1,200
RECOMMENDED LEVEL - 18/19
STRATEGY - This boss is one of the easier ones, though he may still be a little
troublesome on higher difficulties.  Immediately upon initiating the fight,
this guy will attempt to pounce on you, so as soon as you see him leap, move
out of the way (he'll track your position temporarily, so even if you
immediately move to the bottom of the screen or something, he can still land on
you if you're not careful).  Shortly after he lands, he'll send waves of ice
along the ground in multiple directions, so you'll need to keep a constant eye
out to effectively move between them; naturally, being further away from him
gives you a better chance to read their direction, and dodge accordingly.  On
higher difficulties, this attack is harder to dodge, as not only will he send
out more waves, he tends to clump a few of them together, meaning you'll likely
have to move completely out of the way instead of trying to find an opening to
move between them.  He'll then either send out more ice waves, or leap in the
air and try to land on you again (if he happens to catch you with that attack,
it hurts quite a lot, and is likely to outright kill you, even with full HP and
good armor).  The best time to attack him is as soon as he lands (as with
Velagunder, physical attacks are completely ineffective, so you need to use
Fire Magic), as trying to shoot between the waves of ice is tricky, since they
can easily block your shots.  Having the Hawk Idol equipped makes hitting him a
fair deal easier, perhaps even arcing your shots between the ice waves, if
you're lucky (of course, that's easier said than done).
After taking off a certain amount of his HP, he starts to leave ice clumps
behind (at what HP threshold he does this, and how frequently, is dependent on
the difficulty level, I believe), making him a tad trickier to deal with.  If
you have the Hawk Idol equipped (which I recommend), then your fireballs tend
to be directed towards these, instead of the boss.  In order to counteract this,
I recommend either firing at him point blank (which obviously tends to be more
risky), or destroying the ice clumps as best you can before aiming for the boss
again (on higher difficulties, he tends to leave a lot of these behind, so
destroying them all may be tricky to do - it's probably better just to take out
only the most problematic ones, or avoid them entirely).  Anyway, once you win,
you receive 600 EXP and 1,200 gold for your efforts.
For this fight, being at least level 17 with the Talwar equipped is required to
do additional damage here, but level 18 or 19 is preferable (perhaps even 1 or
2 levels higher, if he's proving to be too difficult).  Even without clearing
Gila's Basement for extra EXP, so long as you clear everything in your path
through the Ice Ridge, you'll probably reach level 17 or 18 naturally.  If you
still have the Long Sword, you won't do much damage to him until level 20 or 21
(technically, level 18 or 19 with the Long Sword is when you start doing
additional damage, but that's still quite a slow battle).
Before heading through the door at the top of the room, you may have noticed a
treasure chest where Tyalmath initially leapt down from.  So, how to get to it?
In the top left corner of the room, there's a secret passage looping around to
it (the entrance is just a little below the top of the room), and it contains
1,000 gold; it's worth noting that this passage is only open after the battle
with Tyalmath, not before.
Anyway, head through the northern door, and you'll be in another cavern, one
that seems significantly warmer.  Head straight up, and if you need it, there's
another Herb growing behind the cluster of rocks (this one also has a 5 minute
recharge time).  From there, head northwest a little, and you'll find a cave
leading to the lava-filled Moat of Burnedbless.
Moat of Burnedbless                                                    [BRNBLS]
- Find the Colony of Lava, and use the Alter Magic to get Ruba to reveal Tarf's
- Offer to rescue Tarf from the demons, and receive the Whisper Earrings
- Use the Evil Bell to find the hidden Roos' Nest, and use the Roda Leaf within
to traverse the poisonous passage
- Find the Black Pearl, and using the Whisper Earrings, give it to Keith to
free both him and Tarf
- Escort Tarf back to the Colony of Lava, and cross the bridge to the other
side of the Moat of Burnedbless
- Kill Gelaldy, and make your way to Ramia Village
- Find another piece of Iron Ore, and sell it to Guido
- Receive the Raw Meat from Nash
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Moat of Burnedbless) - Iron Ore, Black Pearl*, Herb,
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Colony of Lava) - Whisper Earrings*, Raw Meat
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Roos' Nest) - Roda Leaf*, Roda Fruit
CHARACTERS (Colony of Lava) - Ruba*, Tarf*, Fred, Natalie, Noit, Rafa, Rex,
Chelnie, Favre, Elle, Meryl, Carson, Ischt, Kasim, Flonne, Darie, Nash
CHARACTERS (Roos' Nest) - Roodle, Brooce, Tallyroo, Touroose, Prooto, Roo-kie,
Rooroo, Droozy
ENEMIES (Moat of Burnedbless) - Preliguard, Onuman, Scollun, Xelbenoth, Gene,
Dirga, Topus, Magnute, Gelaldy*
NOTE - Tarf's character entry can be obtained outside the Colony of Lava by
manually speaking to him at any time in the prison area during the escort
mission, but as it's possible to miss this opportunity, he can be spoken to
manually back inside the village, or at a mandatory point later in the game.
Also, Noit disappears at a certain point later in the story, so he's
temporarily missable, but he's also found as part of the plot later on, so
don't worry if you miss him.  As for the Roos, you need to have Alter Magic
equipped to receive their entries.
At this point in the game, if you haven't been grinding a whole lot, the
enemies in this area may be a bit troublesome to deal with at first, even with
the Talwar equipped.  Even though the Ice Ridge boss can be dealt with
reasonably a level or two earlier, I recommend starting this area at least at
level 20, as it enables you to deal with both the lizard warriors and ape-like
enemies right away (the Preliguard and Onuman respectively - at level 19, you
can only do reasonable damage to the Preliguards).  Of course, later enemies in
the area require even more STR to deal with effectively, so starting off higher
than that certainly doesn't hurt.
Anyway, head northwest a little bit, and you'll get a message saying you feel
like someone's watching you, but there doesn't seem to be anyone around.
That's definitely odd, but let's keep moving northwest for now (or if you want,
you can actually discover what's watching you right away - if so, skip a couple
paragraphs for the solution).  If you'd like, you can also check out the
Goddess Statue here (as with the previous ones, this isn't required), which
reveals that there are creatures nearby who may be of help to you.  In addition
to some magical items, it's also suggested that there's another magic to be
found in this area, but that's not exactly true - the only new magic is the one
you should've already obtained from the Ice Ridge (Alter Magic), which will be
needed shortly.
At any rate, on the next screen head north past the Preliguards (lizard
warriors - be careful around them, as they tend to turn nearly invisible, but
you can then use Light Magic to see them better, if you want), and you should
see a passage along the eastern wall (it's near the first Onuman, an ape-like
enemy).  The passage in the northwest will eventually lead to a poisonous
corridor, and there's no point in going that way at the moment (even if you
already found the needed item to safely pass through, you won't be able to
proceed much further at present), so take the eastern passage.  Inside, follow
the path, and take the passage in the northeastern corner.  On this next screen,
the enemies have some interesting things to say, so equip the Alter Magic and
chat with them, if you'd like.  In any event, you'll need to loop around the
right side of the lava in this room, and take the passage in the northwestern
corner.  You should now be on a screen with some Scolluns (scorpion-like
enemies), so if you want to (again, it's not required), speaking to them also
yields some interesting dialogue about checking up on a bridge guard, Ruba.
What could that be about?  In any event, head two screens west, and on the next
screen, loop around and enter the northeastern passage (if you noticed, there's
also a blocked path in the southwest corner, but there's currently no way
through).  Along the way, if you want, speak to one of the Dirgas (shelled
enemies), and it'll ask you to check up on Ruba - do keep his request in mind.
Anyway, carefully dispatch the Scolluns on the next screen, and follow the path
Head northeast a tad, and you'll come across the Colony of Lava.  Step inside
the village, and if you'd like, you can stand still to heal for free (but not
for the rest of this area, as you probably noticed).  Now, most of the
villagers here will instantly clam up at the sight of Adol's red hair (and
consequently, you can't give gifts to most of them at this time, but their
character entries are still obtainable), but a few of them will still be
conversational, mostly the ones outside along the bottom.  Speaking to the
fellow just left of the entrance reveals that he too feels watched near the
Goddess Statue, and says there must be a way to lure whatever it is out of
hiding.  The guy right next to him says that there used to be sacred animals
known as Roos somewhere around here, but they were cursed by the demons, and
went into hiding.  In any event, your real destination here is the far northern
part of the village, where you'll find a blue-haired man guarding another
bridge.  This is Ruba, and if you first attempt to speak to him normally, he'll
claim that the bridge was damaged by the demons, and can't be repaired or
lowered at the moment.  Instead, you'll need to use the Alter Magic, and speak
to him as a Roo, who he believes to be a slave of the demons, sent to keep tabs
on him.  Doing so reveals that he's not letting you cross in order to have his
son, Tarf, returned to him unharmed.  After learning of this, change back to
normal, and speak to him again; after he explains himself, offer to rescue Tarf,
and he'll give you the Whisper Earrings to aid in the task.  After doing so,
the two villagers near him can now also become a little more friendly, meaning
they can now be gifted, but there's little point in that (unless you want their
character mascots right away).
Return to the screen with the Goddess Statue, and if you wear the Whisper
Earrings here (it's not required to use them here), you can hear the footsteps
of non-humans nearby.  So, go ahead and ring the Evil Bell, and you should see
a furry little creature come out from the northeastern corner to briefly
investigate the noise.  It is essential that you do this, otherwise you will
not be able to enter the area he emerges from (if he's not showing up, you need
to ring the Evil Bell in the northeastern part of the screen - however, doing
it to close to where it appears causes it to head straight back inside, though
you can still enter the passage afterwards).  Go ahead and follow the creature
back inside, and you'll be at the Roos' Nest.  In order to speak with the
creatures (Roos) inside, you'll need to use the Alter Magic, otherwise you
won't be able to understand them (as well as receive their "Notes" entries, if
you're collecting those; also, note that you are unable to give them gifts).
Of particular note, the one in the southern end mentions he saw demons taking a
human boy through the poisonous corridor.  Interesting...  Also, if you're low
on MP, you can speak to the stationary Roo near the tree in the northern end,
and he'll let you rest to fully recover both your HP and MP.  And speaking of
the tree, you can grab both a Roda Fruit and Roda Leaf from it.  The Roda Fruit
isn't needed at this point (but if you do grab it, note that this location has
a 5 minute recharge time, unlike the one from the Ruins of Moondoria), but the
Roda Leaf is; speaking to the Roos after grabbing it reveals that it allows
safe passage through the poisonous corridor.
Exit the Roos' Nest, and head back to the northwestern passage.  On the next
screen, take the passage in the northwestern corner this time, and you'll be in
a small room with no enemies; there is, however, another piece of Iron Ore
lying about in the northwest corner, so pick it up and sell it to Guido, if
you'd like.  Anyway, take the passage in the southwest, and follow the path
west (be careful of those Dirgas).  Follow the path to the northwestern passage,
but before you do, the reptilian enemies in the area (Topus) are a good spot to
grind for a bit, if you need to - I recommend at least getting to level 24
before proceeding.  On this next screen, if you don't have the Roda Leaf
equipped, you'll get a message saying it's too dangerous to proceed, so make
sure you're wearing it before continuing west (as one of the Roos mentioned,
just having it with you isn't enough).  As an aside, it is actually possible to
make it through here without the Roda Leaf, but you do need some healing items
to make it through alive (3 Herbs will just barely work at level 24 or so), but
as this place acts similar to the Devil's Corridor in Ys I (in that it delivers
more damage the farther you proceed), the timing for when to heal can be tricky,
so I don't recommend doing it.
After passing through the poisonous corridor, the path splits, so take the
passage directly to the west.  The Magnutes (magma creatures) on this screen
can shoot projectiles, so it's probably a good idea to finish them off quickly,
but you'll need physical attacks to do so, as they are invulnerable to your
fireballs.  There's an Herb growing behind the big rock in the northwestern
corner (if you can't find it, choosing to make Adol visible behind walls should
reveal it), so grab that if you need it.  More importantly, there's a statue at
the top of this screen, and examining it reveals a Black Pearl in its forehead,
so go ahead and grab it.  Upon doing so, a bunch of Magnutes will appear below
you, so carefully make your way past them (it may be easier to slip by them
with the Alter Magic).  Head back to the previous room, and this time take the
passage in the northeastern corner, and go northeast again on the next screen.
Along the northern wall of the next room, there's a crack, but as it's too dark
to see inside, equip the Whisper Earrings and examine it (if you're still using
it, you'll need to un-equip the Alter Magic first).  This is where Tarf is
imprisoned, and at the request of his friendly demon inmate Keith, he asks you
to find an object known as the Black Pearl.  Assuming you found it before,
you'll automatically hand it over, and Keith will use it to bust down the wall
Dogi style, but before you can speak with him, he shies away via another
makeshift exit.  After all the dialogue, agree to escort Tarf back to the
Colony of Lava, as he can't make it back on his own (whether you initially
accept or decline, you can warp back to the Colony of Lava and speak with Ruba
for some amusing dialogue - his reaction varies depending on whether or not you
agreed to help =p).  If you'd like, there's a message from Keith carved along
the wall just left of the prison bars.  Also, if you look at his stats, you may
notice that, aside from the Black Pearl, he has another random item equipped
(such as a Cactus, a Red Bell Pepper, or a couple other possibilities), but I'm
not sure what determines what item he has - not that it matters in any way (or
so I assume =p).  Anyway, you'll want to take the passage in the northeast
corner, as trying to go back the other way means passing through the poisonous
corridor again, and Tarf won't be able to survive that.  Before heading through
the passage (make sure Tarf follows you through), it is strongly recommended
that you save your game, as the enemies can kill him rather easily, which means
game over for you if that happens.
At this point, you can take Tarf back to the village immediately (unfortunately,
warping there won't bring him with you, so you have to walk; if you do warp
here during the middle of the escort mission, talk to Ruba for some amusing
dialogue =p), but there are a couple optional things you can do with regards to
him (if you don't care, then just skip a couple paragraphs to move on).  First,
if you have at least 7 gifts on you, you can go ahead and give them to him
(after speaking to him manually at least once, and assuming you agreed to
escort him), which will bring his level to 2 (also, depending on what you give
him, he may use it in the event he gets hurt).  Unlike Ys I, you can actually
warp somewhere else during the escort mission, so if you need to grab some
gifts, you can go ahead and do so; however, Tarf doesn't warp with you, and
will remain where you left him, so be sure not to carelessly leave him in the
midst of enemies.  Anyway, gifting him a total of 7 times enables him to fight
alongside you (via throwing pebbles at the enemies), but for the moment, he's
pretty weak.  While you can continue to level him up by giving him gifts for 1
EXP each, that is an extremely slow process, so you'll want him to deliver the
finishing blow to an enemy instead.  Instead of letting Tarf do all the work
(aside from being weak, his aim isn't very good, at least not at first), the
easiest way to do this is to whittle an enemy's health down until it has a
sliver left, and then to transform into a Roo, and speak to it (alternatively,
you can transform into a Roo and not speak to the enemies, but still act as a
shield - however, this consumes MP, where the previous method doesn't, at least
not as quickly).  This forces the enemy to stay in place temporarily, meaning
Tarf can score a free hit before it moves again, but it's best to clear out the
other enemies nearby, as they'll very likely head straight for him (trust me,
Tarf very likely won't outrun them).  For killing an enemy, he seems to receive
5 times its listed EXP value (while you can only ever get double - what a
cheater =p), but he doesn't require nearly as much EXP as you, so he'll hit
level 4 on his first kill (level 5 if you go back and let him kill a Magnute).
You can repeat this process to get him to level 25 (his maximum), at which
point you'll also receive the Steam achievement "Personal Trainer".
Next, much like Feena, you can actually learn Tarf's measurements (if I didn't
list Feena's, I'm definitely not listing these).  Why Falcom included this in
the first place, I have no clue, but doing this also awards a Steam achievement
if playing that version of the game.  Anyway, to do this, you need to escort
Tarf all the way to where you found the Iron Ore here in the Moat of
Burnedbless.  It may not seem too far, except that you have to circle all the
way around, as you can't go back through the poisonous passage with Tarf in tow
(just ignore his comments about going the wrong direction, even if they are
true =p).  On your way there, you can also swing by the Roos' Nest, where he'll
temporarily mistake the Roos for demons, chucking pebbles at them as well.  You
can also take him outside on the Ice Ridge, but he quickly heads back inside.
Anyway, getting back to measuring Tarf, you need to push him against the back
of that narrow corridor where the Iron Ore was found.  This can be a rather
tricky process, and I think it's necessary to use fireballs to force him around
some of the bends.  Upon doing this, you'll receive the Steam achievement
"Police Are On Their Way" - I hope it was worth it. =p
Well, that's all the optional stuff there is to do with Tarf, so let's get him
back to the Colony of Lava.  Unless Tarf is fully leveled (he's actually fairly
strong then - he even has 1 more STR than your base at that level =p), it's
best that you kill the enemies to make a safe path for him, as they will
otherwise target him, and believe me, he moves rather slow (plus he tends to
get caught on the terrain rather easily).  Anyway, if you didn't realize it yet,
the northeastern passage out of the prison cell area was actually pretty close
to his home.  So, make sure Tarf's following you, and from there, take the
passage in the northeast again, and follow the next screen back to the Colony
of Lava.  As soon as you step foot inside the village, Tarf will be re-united
with his father, which gets you 900 EXP.  Ruba decides to raise the northern
bridge against the demons' wishes, so head to the northern part of the village,
and speak to Ruba to have it lowered (that, or just approach the bridge
directly to initiate the conversation).  It's worth noting that the remainder
of the villagers become friendlier at this point, meaning they'll start taking
your gifts now.  Of particular note is Nash, a young man just outside Ruba and
Tarf's house (just southwest of the northern bridge), who upon giving him 5
gifts (unless you fireballed him, in which case it'll take 1-2 additional
gifts), he'll give you some Raw Meat (unlike Lucy and Theo, he doesn't react
differently if you try and re-gift it to him), which is another one of the
items needed to obtain the "No Reservations" Steam achievement.
When you're ready, cross the northern bridge, and take the passage in the
northeastern corner.  As soon as you enter this passage, if you return to the
Colony of Lava, you can talk to Tarf (and later, Ruba) inside his house to
fully heal both your HP and MP for free.  Anyway, on the screen northeast of
the village, head straight down past the first couple Xelbenoths (minotaur-like
enemies), and along the second path to your right, there's a small chest
containing 2,000 gold, so pick that up if you want.  Back near the start of the
room, follow the path to the right, and loop around to the passage in the
southwest corner.  Go ahead and enter, and follow it west, being cautious of
the Gene (fire elemental) inside; as you might it expect, it is immune to
fireballs, so you'll need to use physical attacks to kill it.  This next room
is good for a little grinding, so if you need to, I recommend using the Genes
here to reach at least level 26 or 27, if you're not already there.  At the
very least, you should have bought the Talwar from Lance by now, and probably
both the Large Shield and Plate Mail as well.  Anyway, along the northern wall
of this room, you'll find a large door, so save your game, make sure you're
fully healed and that you have a decent supply of MP (the Roda Fruit from the
Roos' Nest is good for this purpose, or as noted earlier, you can fully recover
both your HP and MP for free by speaking to Tarf in his house), and open the
door.  Inside, advance to the main part of the platform, and you'll see a giant
severed head occupying it, which is the next boss.
GELALDY
STRATEGY - This guy will immediately start chasing you around the room, and for
the moment, there's nothing to do but evade him.  You've probably noticed that
your fireballs are ineffective against him in this state, so you need to wait
for him to open his mouth, at which point he'll release a strange "worm" of
sorts to chase you around the room.  Be careful it doesn't trap you, as it will
likely kill you quickly (although, if you have an Herb or other consumable item
equipped, you can use it for a brief invulnerability period, and walk right
through it safely - this does not work for the head, however).  Anyway, your
goal during this period is to try and lead the worm as far away from the head
as best you can, as he'll eventually re-absorb it, and will repeat the cycle
again shortly.  As he's re-absorbing the worm, that's your chance to strike, by
shooting fireballs into his exposed mouth (be careful the worm doesn't block
your fireballs as you're doing this).  Maximizing the distance between the two
of them beforehand allows you more time to attack here, as it takes him longer
to re-absorb it.  In order to do this, you should try luring the worm to one
corner of the platform, and the head to the opposite side (preferably with the
head being in one of the top corners).  On Easy and Normal (not Hard and
Nightmare, it seems), shooting charged fireballs at the head is a good way to
keep the head away, as they can push it back slightly (though if you fire from
a bad angle, it sometimes won't work), but the ends of the worm will block your
shots (the rest of it won't, though), so be wary of that.  If you have good aim,
you can also sneak in a few fireballs at the corners of his mouth when he's
releasing the worm, but this requires pinpoint accuracy.  In order to
accomplish this, I recommend having the Hawk Idol equipped, and using it to arc
your shots to that point (it's not strictly necessary for this purpose, but it
makes things a lot easier).  This is quite tricky to do, because even if you do
manage to hit him like this, you still need to be at a good angle for your
shots to do full damage.
Once you damage him enough, he'll release a Gene every so often when opening
his mouth (if you're playing on the Easy difficulty, you can even use Alter
Magic to chat with it, but not the boss itself, unfortunately).  As with
Tyalmath, I believe difficulty plays a part as to when he does this, as well as
how frequently.  On Easy, I think he only ever does this once, but he seems to
have an infinite supply of them on higher difficulties, although there can only
be a certain amount on-screen at once (I think the number varies depending on
the difficulty level).  Anyway, as you should know, Genes are immune to Fire
Magic, so you'll probably want to dispatch of them as soon as possible (with
both Gelaldy and the worm on-screen, this can be a bit difficult to accomplish),
as they will also block your fireballs (especially if you have the Hawk Idol
equipped, as your shots may re-direct to them).  Anyway, once you win, you'll
receive 1,000 EXP and 2,000 gold for your efforts.
For this boss, level 25 is when you start to do minimum damage (with the Talwar
equipped, which you should definitely have bought from Lance by this point).
However, the additional damage isn't very much, so I recommend being at least
level 26 or 27.  While the damage output is still on the low end at level 26,
this battle is primarily one of patience, so hopefully it won't be too much of
an issue, though of course, being a level or two higher certainly doesn't hurt.
After the battle, head through the door up north, and take the passage in the
southeast.  Follow the path east, and in the northeastern corner of the next
screen, you'll finally see some sunlight again, so exit the cave to reach Ramia
Village.
Ramia Village                                                          [RMAVLG]
- Speak to Gorto, and agree to see Hadat about exploring the Shrine of Solomon
- Receive the Lila Shell from Hadat, and speak to Gorto again to enter the
Shrine of Solomon
- Receive the Cruberry Pie from Zalem
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT - Lila Shell*, Cruberry x 3, Marle Flower, Cruberry Pie,
Long Sword, Talwar, Hyper Cutter, Wooden Shield, Small Shield, Large Shield,
Breast Plate, Plate Mail, Reflex
CHARACTERS - Gorto*, Lloyd, Hadat*, Karen, Regg*, Zalem, Frau, Frith, Blitz,
Paulie, Tanya, Neal, Faye, Muto, Jill, Reise, Rimera
NOTE - Regarding characters, Regg will become important a short while later,
but not at the moment.  But as he can be spoken to here in Ramia right away,
this is where I chose to list him, instead of the next section when he's
actually needed.
OK, so your main objective here is to get Gorto to let you inside the Shrine of
Solomon.  Before we go and speak to him, there are a few optional things to do
here, if you're interested (if you're not, just skip a few paragraphs).
First, just a tad southwest of where you entered from, there are 3 goats.  If
you want, you can feed them either Herbs or Cruberries, and doing so 3 times
for each of these is part of the requirement for the Steam achievement "The
Hand That Feeds Them" (though Sara points out that after feeding an animal, you
can reload the file to keep your gifts, and the achievement counter will still
consider them as fed).  If you don't know where to find Cruberries, a couple
can be found growing along the fences in the village (one just below the goats,
and one just south of Hadat's house, the building furthest southwest), or the
little girl Rimera (outside, to the northeast of Hadat's house) can be gifted
5-7 times to receive one; however, getting one from her isn't worth it, as a
simple screen refresh gets the ones on the fence to grow back immediately.  By
the way, if you eat them, Cruberries restore 40 MP each, which is decent.
Anyway, the other requirement for the above achievement is feeding the cat in
Gorto's house (the building in the south, just east of Hadat's), which will eat
either Smoked Meat or Raw Meat; once you've fed all the animals here, you
should receive the achievement (if not, try feeding them more than once).
Next, let's visit the equipment store just to the west of the Moat of
Burnedbless entrance.  Inside, talking to Zalem at least once lets you enter
her bed in the bottom right corner, which is the second requirement for the
"Juuuuust Right" Steam achievement.  You can also gift Zalem 5 times to receive
the Cruberry Pie (again, it'll be 1-2 extra if you fireball her; you can also
try re-gifting the pie to her a couple of times for fun =p).  This is the last
food item you can receive, and eating it along with the Smoked Meat, Raw Meat,
and Meat Pie will get you the Steam achievement "No Reservations" (don't worry,
each of these items can be re-obtained by gifting the respective characters,
though in Lucy's case, you may need to fireball her to get another).  That
stuff aside, it's a very good idea to purchase the Hyper Cutter from her at
some point, although if you don't have enough money yet, the Talwar should
suffice for a little while.  You'll probably also want the Reflex at some point,
but that will more than likely have to be bought later.
If you decide to talk to the townsfolk, many of them will mention the demons
raiding the village and abducting people from time to time, and one of their
latest victims seems to be a girl named Maria.  You can speak to her mother,
Karen, in the house directly below Zalem's for a small scene.  There's also an
empty house on the far western side, apparently victims of one of the earlier
demon raids.  There's nothing to do inside the house, but there is a Marle
Flower growing outside it just to the left (like the Cruberries, this one grows
back upon refreshing the screen).  You can also visit the graveyard just below
the empty house, and read the headstones, but there's little else to do there.
Finally, Regg's house in the northern end (just east of the entrance to the
Shrine of Solomon) contains a healing well in his basement, which you can use
for free to fully recover both your HP and MP.  Even if you don't need healing
now, do keep Regg in mind, as he will become important later.
Anyway, climb the two sets of stairs in the northeastern part of the village,
and guarding a huge door at the top, you'll find Gorto.  Speaking to him
reveals that he's hesitant to let you inside the Shrine of Solomon, so he
requests that you first speak with Hadat for some assistance.  Hadat's house is
the wooden one at the base of the first set of stairs, so head back down, and
speak to him inside.  Assuming you spoke with Gorto first, he'll ask you to
look for his son, Sada, inside the Shrine.  Agree to his request, and he'll
give you the Lila Shell, which you can use to speak with him from afar for
guidance.  If you'd like, you can then speak to Hadat again and ask him about a
few discussion topics, but it's not required.  There's also a locked chest
inside his house, but there's nothing you can do about that now.  At any rate,
once you have the Lila Shell, go ahead and speak to Gorto again, who will then
unlock the first gate to the Shrine of Solomon.
Shrine of Solomon                                                      [SHRSLM]
- Use the Alter Magic to get the gate guards to let you inside the Shrine
- Obtain a Pass from the eastern sector, and use it to advance to the
northeastern part of the Shrine
- Using the Whisper Earrings and Alter Magic, learn the password to explore the
western section of the Shrine
- Find the entrance to the Subterranean Canal, and get turned into a demon
- Use the Light Magic to find the Sacred Cup in the western sector, and show it
to Regg to undo your demonic curse
- Find the Runaways' Hideout, and receive the Shrine Key from Lilia
- Explore the eastern section of the Subterranean Canal, and obtain the Silver
- Kill Druegar, and use the Silver Pendant at the Goddess Statue to warp to the
central part of the Shrine
- Find and explore the central section of the Subterranean Canal, and receive
the Floodgate Key from Keith
- Drain the canal waters, and make your way through the central canal section
to reach the Campanile of Lane
- Kill Zava, and attempt to save Maria from being sacrificed
- Obtain the Dreaming Idol, and show it to the Goddesses in the Goddesses'
- Speak to Tarf in Ramia about the Black Pearl, and after finding it in the
meeting room inside the Shrine, take it to the Goddesses' Palace
- Use the powered-up Dreaming Idol at the top of the Campanile of Lane
- Speak to all 5 runaways, and receive the Gold Pendant
- Speak to Sada in the eastern section of the Subterranean Canal, and receive
the Cleria Sword
- Use the Gold Pendant to reach the heart of the Shrine
- Kill Dalles, and make your way to the Core of Ancient Ys
- Find Lilia within, and use the Goddess Ring she gives you to dispel the
nearby barrier
- Use the Silver Harmonica from Goban to free the Goddesses, and speak to both
of them
- Kill Darm
- Find both the Ring of Ease and the Falcon Idol
- Find the Iron Shield
- Find the Battle Sword, Battle Shield, and Battle Armor
- Find both the Time Magic and Shield Magic
- Receive the Cleria Armor from Hadat after speaking with Sada
- Receive the Cleria Shield from Luta Gemma
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Shrine of Solomon) - 2,000 Gold, Pass*, Ring of Ease,
3,000 Gold, Roda Fruit, Sacred Cup*, Shrine Key*, Iron Shield, Time Magic,
Silver Pendant*, Celceta Flower, Battle Shield, Floodgate Key*, Battle Armor,
Battle Sword, Falcon Idol, Dreaming Idol*, Black Pearl*, Gold Pendant*, Cleria
Sword*, Shield Magic, Goddess Ring*, Silver Harmonica*, Cleria Shield
INVENTORY / EQUIPMENT (Ramia) - Cleria Armor
CHARACTERS (Shrine of Solomon) - Feena*, Reah*, Goban*, Luta Gemma, Lilia*,
Bohtz*, Noit*, Keith*, Sada*, Maria*, Kyle*, Boris*, Ed*
CHARACTERS (Ramia) - Tarf*
ENEMIES (Shrine of Solomon) - Zearot*, Ashveil, Baocar, Nashzar*, Malochius,
Allomod, Trover, Godrup*, El Endes, Nustarl, Bearot, Delpus, Dyphthelloid,
Ceabith, Rewillvan, Forkless, Gearot, Charront, Valkyria, Zavanite*, Druegar*,
Zava*, Dalles*, Darm*
NOTE - Regarding characters, while Bohtz and Noit can be found earlier in the
game, it's possible to miss their "Notes" entries then, plus they're actually
required now.  As for Tarf, he's listed here because he'll make his way to
Ramia at a certain point (namely, after you exit a certain building in the
central section of the Shrine), where he'll play an important role a short
while later (plus, it's actually possible to miss his character entry from
earlier, but not in Ramia).  And even Luta Gemma shows up for a mandatory story
scene, he doesn't speak to you unless you manually talk to him (at which point
he'll give you the Cleria Shield, which isn't actually needed), so that's why
he's not listed as required.
As for the enemies, the Zearot, Nashzar, Godrup, and Zavanite are marked as
"required" only because they need to be spoken to in order to proceed at
different points in the Shrine, not because you need to kill them (of course,
you can do that as well =p).  Speaking of Zavanites, I don't think killing the
ones during the Zava battle counts towards revealing their character entries
(probably due to them being linked to Zava's HP), so if you want that entry,
you'll have to repeatedly kill one of the normal ones (excluding the one that
gives you the Pass, as it's in an unkillable position).
As you should've gathered from Gorto and Hadat, this place is pretty big, and
quite easy to get lost in.  If you haven't been doing so already, it might be a
good idea to keep your status displayed on-screen, as this place is divided
into various sectors named after the Priests (they did use to rule here along
with the Goddesses, after all); I'll do my best to keep things simple, though.
Also, for the outside portions of this place (which is most of it), you can
stand still to heal for free if you don't feel like retreating elsewhere or
using healing items.
Anyway, as Gorto told you before, there's another gate before actually entering
the Shrine, and this one is guarded by some demons (Zearots).  You can't kill
them with your current equipment, and besides, it appears this gate is locked
as well, so how do we get in?  If you were paying attention during your first
encounter with Gorto, he sarcastically mentioned turning into a demon to gain
entrance, which is exactly what you need to do.  Equip the Alter Magic, and as
you approach the guards, they'll briefly interrogate you (if they noticed you
in human form, you'll need to refresh the screen and try again), but it appears
Adol already had an alibi in mind. =p  They agree to let you in, but tell you
to report to Zava, who's supposedly in the eastern sector (Mesa's) of the
Shrine.
Once inside, you're free to un-equip the Alter Magic for the time being, and
kill the various enemies.  The Baocars (mages) shoot projectiles at you every
now and then, but everything else right now is pretty standard.  Anyway, do as
the guards told you and head to Mesa's sector, as the path to the northwest
requires a password to explore further (none of the current password options
will work), and there's nothing of interest in any of the rooms around here (do
keep the center building in mind for later, though).  To get there, head east
from the entrance (which is considered Hadal's sector, by the way) and climb
the stairs, and then the ones just to the northeast.  On this balcony, head
left and all the way up, then follow the path east.
It's worth noting that the western section of this next screen is considered
Mesa's sector, but the eastern part is considered Gemma's.  At any rate, follow
along the balcony, and descend the stairs at its end (the start of Gemma's
sector).  For now, ignore the stairs to your right (or you can take them right
now and skip to the next paragraph, as this next stuff is optional), and
instead head northwest under the balcony you just descended.  You don't have to
just yet, but speaking to the Nashzar (purple armored demon) at the gate
reveals that there's a meeting going on ahead, but you need a pass to get in.
Hmm, sounds like something important is happening, so we better try to find out
what.  Anyway, these next little tidbits are also optional, but it does put you
close to some nearby gold.  From the Nashzar at the gate, head straight left as
far as you can (passing under the balcony along the way - you should be back in
Mesa's sector), and then climb the stairs just to the southwest.  Near the
entrance here, there's another Nashzar, and if you speak to him, he tells you
that this is Zava's room, so head inside.  Speaking to the woman (a Zavanite)
inside reveals that Zava is attending a meeting at the moment.  If you'd like,
you can then kill off the Zavanite (hopefully it won't be an issue, but you'll
need to be at least level 30 with the Hyper Cutter to even damage them); if you
do so, be aware that they are shielded from your fireballs, so you'll need to
use physical attacks.  It may take a while, but as they give good EXP,
repeatedly killing this one may be worth your while (though I prefer to use the
Dyphthelloids in the western canal area a little later on; they may give less
EXP, but they're easier to kill), plus it's a good excuse to learn its stats.
Back outside, descend the stairs and head south a little, and off to the left,
there are two entrances to the other part of this building, so go ahead and
enter one (it doesn't matter which).  Inside, there are stairs leading down in
the northern part of this room (there's nothing in that northeastern section
with the different colored walls), so go ahead and take them.  On the next
screen, exit the building to the south, but take the other entrance off to the
right.  Follow the path inside, and you'll come across a small chest containing
2,000 gold, so grab that if you need a little cash.
Head back to the beginning of Gemma's sector, back where you descended the
first balcony on the screen east of the Shrine's entrance.  There are stairs
off to the right leading to another balcony, so go ahead and follow that path
to the northeast.  There's a building up top, but there's nothing inside, so
ignore it and follow the path to the southeast, where there should be a Baocar
near the balcony stairs.  Go ahead and descend, and follow the path to a
doorway in the northwest corner.  Go ahead and pass through, and once you're
back outside, ignore the passage to your right (you can take it if you want to,
but it's basically a more roundabout way of getting to the same place), and
descend the stairs instead.  Head southwest (you can pass underneath the
balcony here - look for an archway), and follow along the bottom of this
building to the west, where there's another doorway.  Head inside, and at the
desk, there's another Zavanite (an unkillable one, at that), so equip the Alter
Magic and speak to it to receive the Pass.  With this, you're now able to enter
the northeastern section of the Shrine.
That's all there is to do over here, so head back between the two balconies at
the beginning of Gemma's sector (where we first started this area), and move
northwest between them.  Equip the Alter Magic, and assuming you received the
Pass, speak to the Nashzar, who will open the gate and let you through.  Head
north, and on the next screen (which is considered Fact's sector), take
whichever path you like (it doesn't matter which).  Do be careful of the
enemies here, the statues (Nustarl) especially, as they'll also try to hit you
with projectiles.  Anyway, from the fountain in the center, descend the stairs
just to the right, and enter the building along the bottom guarded by the
golden-armored Bearots (it's best to either just kill them, or use Alter Magic
to get by).  Approach the door inside, and you'll get a message saying there's
a lot of commotion inside.  This is where the meeting's being held, but to find
out what's going on, you'll need to equip both the Whisper Earrings and the
Alter Magic, otherwise you won't be able to understand what's being said.
You'll learn that some human prisoners have escaped, managing to swipe the
Shrine Key along the way.  More importantly, the password to the western sector
is revealed, which you'll need to overhear to proceed.  Before heading to the
western sector (where the password is used), there's another equipment
accessory to be found in this area.  From the fountain outside, head to the
building up north (you can't do much in the northeast building now, but keep it
in mind for later), and take either entrance.  At the bottom of the middle left
part of this room (the passage with a different colored wall), you'll find a
chest containing the Ring of Ease.  Equipping this will reduce the amount of MP
your magic uses by half, which can be very useful (especially when using the
Return Magic).
Anyway, back at the Shrine entrance (Hadal's sector), climb the stairs to the
west this time, followed by the ones just to the northwest.  On this balcony,
head right and all the way up, and then follow the path west.  This screen is
also split up into two sections, with the eastern part being considered Tovah's
sector, and the western part is Dabbie's.  This screen is full of some pretty
sturdy enemies, but they're not too bad (unless you still have the Talwar
equipped); however, do be careful of the enemies that kind of look like robots
(Malochius), as they'll also try and pelt you with projectiles.  Anyway,
descend the balcony here, and use Alter Magic to talk to the Godrup (red
armored demon) guarding the gate below.  It'll ask you for the password, which
you need to have overheard from the meeting in the northeastern section (Fact's
sector), otherwise the correct option will never appear.  Now, depending on
what version of the game you're playing, the password may vary a little.  If
you're playing Eternal, Complete, or the Japanese version of Chronicles, then
the correct password will be "tierra", but if you're playing one of the English
localized versions of Chronicles, the password will instead be "miikka".  Upon
stating the correct password, you'll learn that the human prisoners have
escaped, and seems to be hiding out somewhere in the Subterranean Canal.  The
entrance to the canal is the building just down the stairs to the southwest,
but before entering, there are some treasures to pick up in the area.
This first one you're not technically supposed to know about just yet, but it
will be needed a short while from now, so let's go and grab it now to save a
little backtracking later.  It's in Dabbie's sector to the west, in the
northernmost building.  Instead of descending the stairs to the canal building,
pass them, and climb the stairs just to the west.  Follow the path (be careful
of the Allomods, the centaur-like enemies), and once it splits, head north,
then descend the stairs just to the west.  Head north through one of the arches,
but ignore the doorways just ahead; while there is a useful treasure inside,
it's behind a locked door, and we don't have the key for it yet. Anyway, head
east, and climb the stairs to another balcony.  Follow the path west past the
Godrups, and enter the doorway.  Upon entering, you should receive a message
about the atmosphere here being solemn.  Notice the altar in this room?  As
this is Dabbie's sector, and we seem to be in a rather sacred area, go ahead
and equip the Light Magic, and suddenly a cup will appear on the altar, so go
ahead and grab it (the Light Magic is needed to get this, so if you somehow
missed that magic from the Rasteenie Mine, you'll need to go back and get it
first).
Now, these next two treasures are minor and completely optional, so skip to the
next paragraph, if you want.  Back outside, head back to the balcony with all
those Allomods.  Climb the stairs, and this time, head west at the fork (ignore
that doorway just south of the fork, as there's nothing inside).  Circle around
to a doorway with two Trovers (green halberd-wielding enemies) out front, and
inside, head downstairs.  To the east, there's another locked door you'll want
to keep in mind for later, but for now, head south.  Instead of heading outside
here, take the stairs leading down in the southwest corner, and follow that
path outside.  Head straight west to another doorway, and upon passing through
this building (just ignore that room in the northwest, there's nothing inside),
you should be back outside near another small chest.  This one contains a Roda
Fruit, so go ahead and grab it if you need to.  Head back through the buildings,
and back upstairs to the room with the locked door, and go outside there.
Climb the stairs to the east to a higher balcony, and follow it to the
northeast (ignore those two doorways along the bottom; the one on the right
with the locked door has some useful info a short while later, but nothing
else).  Upon descending the stairs (be careful of those Malochius), head east
to reach a small building.  Inside, there's another small chest, and this one
contains 3,000 gold.  If you haven't done so already, it's highly recommended
that you use this to help purchase the Hyper Cutter from Zalem (or if you
already have that, you might want to purchase the Reflex armor from her).
At any rate, make your way to the canal building, which is in the building
northwest of where the 3,000 gold stash is found (it's in the lower area just
southwest of where the password was used, if that makes things easier).  Upon
entering, you'll be greeted by the mysterious robed figure (Dalles) that's been
spying on you throughout your journey (if you enter with Alter Magic equipped,
his text will be different, but he'll see right through it).  Ignore his
request to leave, and move into the corridor above him (be careful not to bump
into him without Alter Magic, as he'll deal quite a lot of damage - and no, you
can't harm him in any way right now).  Seeing that you won't keep your nose out
of things, he decides to transform you into a demon before warping away.
Unlike the Alter Magic, you can't simply change back into a human (if you look
on the equipment screen, you'll see that the Alter Magic is cursed), and you
also can't speak to enemies like this, only attack them (with the exception of
the Zearots); the upside is, you won't waste MP by being in this form, plus you
can still use your other magics.  Anyway, if you use the Lila Shell to consult
Hadat for help, he won't understand you, and suggests you go see Regg.  Before
doing so, let's explore the Shrine a little further, as there's a warp
checkpoint nearby.  Continue through the corridor where Dalles transformed you,
and take the stairs down to reach the Subterranean Canal.
Inside, head down through the doorway, and after crossing the second bridge to
the right (crossing the third bridge leads to a strange door, but it can't be
opened yet), follow the path south (watch out for that Delpus).  At the fork,
take the bridge to the right, and follow the path until it forks again (again,
be careful of those Delpus), at which point head south.  At the next fork, head
south and across the bridge to the west, and west at the final fork.  At the
end of this path you'll encounter a human down here, Bohtz from Lance Village,
who was one of the people reported missing earlier.  As you approach him,
however, he gets scared by your demonic look, and slams the door shut.  There's
nothing else to do down here right now, so make your way back to Ramia (I
recommend using Return Magic, if you're able; before leaving, you might want to
make sure "Runaways' Hideout" is now in your warp list, otherwise you'll need
to walk back here later).
As Hadat said, you'll need to talk to Regg about getting rid of this curse -
his house is the one directly east of Gorto.  Speak with him inside, and he'll
say you need the Sacred Cup to help make holy water to undo the curse, so if
you haven't already, you'll need to grab that from Dabbie's sector within the
Shrine (the screen west of the Shrine entrance, in the far northwestern
building - use the Light Magic inside).  Once you have it, go ahead and speak
to Regg, and after the cutscene, you'll be back to normal (as well as an
automatic HP and MP refill).  There's nothing else to do in Ramia at the moment
(except to purchase the Hyper Cutter and Reflex armor, if you still haven't
done so yet), so head back to the Runaways' Hideout in the far southwestern
corner of the Subterranean Canal (I recommend warping there, if you have it
listed already).  Approach the door (as a human, not a Roo =p), and Bohtz will
open the door for you, saying Lilia's here along with a few others.  Noit from
the Colony of Lava is here as well (if you visited there anytime after gaining
entrance to the Shrine, various people comment on his disappearance), and
speaking to him reveals that the central part of the Shrine can be reached by
wearing something belonging to the Goddesses when touching a certain Goddess
Statue.  Anyway, Lilia's downstairs, and she'll talk to you as soon as you move,
so if you want to speak to the two people below her right now (don't worry,
you'll be required to speak with them later), you'll need to bypass her with
Alter Magic; the one on the left, Boris, makes an interesting comment regarding
a helpful green demon...  In any event, talk to Lilia (in human form =p), and
she'll hand over the Shrine Key to open the locked doors throughout the Shrine,
at which point Dalles will warp in, and turn the runaways to stone (if you want,
there's a close-up portrait of petrified Lilia).  That's not good, but at least
he spared you this time...  If you use the Lila Shell, Hadat says the holy
water won't work this time, as the person needs to be able to consume it, which
the runaways obviously can't do in their current state.  Also, if you head back
to Lance at this point and speak to Banoa, Adol can't bring himself to tell her
of Lilia's fate just yet.
After Dalles turns the runaways to stone, a very minor side event can now be
done in the Ruins of Moondoria.  Just east of where the Rod of Divinity was
found earlier, in the water near the wall is a swarm of mosquitoes.  If you
stand right next to them, they'll attempt to swarm you.  Let them do so (it's
easiest to just stand still and let them fly around you for a few seconds), and
lead them to a screen transition, and if done right, you'll get a one-time
message saying the mosquitoes are no longer following you; if you're playing
the Steam version, seeing that message will get you "Mosquitoes!!" achievement.
The screen transition can be something obvious like back inside the Sanctuary
of Toal, or back to the Moondoria Field, but I actually find warping to be the
best way (though the act of warping itself doesn't count as a screen transition,
you'll get it on the *next* screen you enter, if done right).  Either way, it's
highly recommended that you save before activating the screen transition, as
the mosquitoes move slowly, and you probably don't want to lead them along
again if you didn't receive the message (in that case, you probably didn't let
them swarm you long enough).  In addition to the above, if you happen to be
playing the Eternal version of the game, you can lead the mosquitoes to both
Astal and Leggs, which will trigger a few small additional dialogues from them
(I don't understand Japanese, but from what I'm told, they're just surprised
and annoyed by them).
In any event, now that you have the Shrine Key, you can open most of those
locked doors you may have seen earlier (all except the one in the western canal
area, which requires a different key).  This means that the huge door in the
center building of the Shrine's entrance area can now be opened, but before
doing that, you should check behind the other locked doors first.  Let's start
with the ones back above ground in the western section of the Shrine (the ones
there are purely optional, though, so skip ahead to the next paragraph, if you
want).  First, let's take one of the doorways below the building where the
Sacred Cup was found (it doesn't matter which one you enter.  Make your way to
the northwestern corner of this room, and beyond the locked door is a chest
containing the Time Magic.  For 6 MP per use (or 3 MP with the Ring of Ease
equipped), enemies are frozen in place for a few seconds, meaning you can
freely attack them for a short time, even if you're off-center.  Next up, head
to the doorway on the balcony above where the Roda Fruit is found in this
sector (in the southwestern section, with one Trover nearby).  Inside, head
straight up, and beyond the locked door here is the Iron Shield, which may be
useful for the next boss, which is coming up pretty shortly.  This last door in
the area doesn't contain any treasure, but you can learn a very important hint
(it's entirely optional, though); it's below the building where all those
Malochius are in Tovah's sector, the one on the right (the building west of
where the 3,000 gold stash was found, if that helps).  Unlock the door inside,
and you'll find an empty chest, as well as another Zavanite, and speaking to
her reveals that a Goddesses' Pendant has been transferred to the eastern
section of the Subterranean Canal (I know she says the western canal section,
but trust me, she's talking about the eastern portion - the western part is the
one where the runaways are, and there's nothing else to do there right now).
Hmm, Noit did mention needing to wear something belonging to a Goddess at a
Goddess Statue to reach the central part of the Shrine, so let's search for it.
To reach the eastern canal section, you'll need to head back to Fact's sector
(the northeastern screen), the area where the meeting is being held (which is
still going on, but we'll be back there later).  For now, head to the building
in the far northeastern corner of this sector, and step inside.  Head
downstairs, and unlock the door here, then head northwest, and take the stairs
down again to reach another part of the Subterranean Canal.  This section
contains fire-breathing enemies (Dyphthelloids), which can be dangerous, but
are a good source of EXP; I recommend using them to get to at least level 36.
Anyway, from the entrance, take the passage to the southwest, and cross the
bridge to the right.  It doesn't really matter which path you take, but the top
one is a little shorter, so follow that all the way west (ignore the fork to
the north), and take the first fork south.  Cross the bridge, and follow the
path northeast, and open the chest to find the Silver Pendant, which you'll
need shortly.  That's all you need to do in this area at the moment, but there
is a Celceta Flower hidden down here, as well as another petrified person who
will become important later (or, you can just skip to the next paragraph).
From the entrance to this canal section, take the southeastern passage again,
but this time, follow the path to the southwest.  Along the way, you'll come
across another bridge to your right, but just ignore it, and when you come to
another fork, step through the passage to the north.  Immediately head west,
and keeping along the bottom of the wall near the water, there's a hidden
passage leading to a small chest containing a Celceta Flower.  If you want, you
can visit the other petrified person now, but as with the runaways, there's
nothing you can do to help right now.  Anyway, head back outside this passage,
and follow the path directly to the south, then cross the bridge to your left.
Examine the statue at the end of the path, and you'll note that it's a
swordsman.  Hmm, didn't Hadat say his family's sword went missing along with
Sada?  If you use the Lila Shell (or talking to him in person, if you prefer),
he confirms that this likely is Sada, so that's just one more reason to undo
the petrification spell.  As noted above, you can't help him now, but you'll
definitely want to keep him in mind for later.
At any rate, return to the Shrine's entrance (Hadal's sector), and enter the
building in the center of the screen (or you can use one of the other doorways,
if you prefer).  Inside, unlock the huge door in the center, as well as the one
beyond that.  Step inside, save your game, and get your HP and MP fully healed
(a quick trip to the well in Regg's basement is advised, if you need it).  You
may also want to equip a healing item (I recommend Herbs, or one of the Meat
items), as the boss ahead can be a bit tough.  It may also be a good idea to
select the option to make boss fights inescapable, as this fight is one of the
easier ones to unintentionally exit (if you're playing either of the Chronicles
versions, you unfortunately do not have this option).  Approach the upper part
of this room, and a giant spider-like demon will emerge from the wall.
DRUEGAR
STRATEGY - As soon as the boss lands (unless you moved further up, it should
avoid landing on you), it will head straight for you, trying to pin you against
one of the walls.  Obviously, you don't want to get pinned (especially near the
door, as you're likely to accidentally exit, if you're able to), as it's very
hard to escape under normal circumstances (in a pinch, you can use a healing
item for a brief invulnerability period, and use it to walk right through his
center).  Occasionally, it'll also fire a ring of pseudo-homing projectiles at
you (kind of like how the Hawk Idol curves your fireballs, except this seems to
have a much wider arc); more than likely, these will head off-screen and not be
any further nuisance, but they can sometimes continuously circle around the
room if your positioning is bad.  The easiest way to avoid them is by being
near a wall as they approach, preferably one away from the boss.  In addition,
it will also lay eggs after a while, which shoot projectiles in various
directions when hatched (depending on the difficulty level, both the number of
eggs and projectiles varies).  You'll probably want to dispose of these as
quickly as possible (physical attacks or fireballs - preferably charged - will
work, though I find physical attacks are more effective) to reduce the number
of projectiles.  On higher difficulties, you may not be able to destroy all of
them in time with physical attacks alone, so I recommend using a combination of
physical attacks and charged fireballs (that, or hope for the best in dodging
the projectiles; as with the other ones, you'll want to try and have some
distance between them).
Anyway, this guy's weak point is the front of his head, in between the two
antennae (I have no clue what purpose they serve, except as a deterrent for
fireballs - especially homing ones).  As with the previous bosses, trying to
attack him physically leads only to an early grave, so Fire Magic is needed.
However, do note that you can't damage him as soon as the battle begins; you
need to wait until he starts moving around before any damage will register.
Anyway, as the boss never turns its head, you'll need to constantly try and
lure him away from the bottom of the screen, and shoot fireballs from
underneath him; it helps to try and keep him all the way near the top of the
screen, if you're able.  Of course, this is easier said than done, as he'll
likely lay eggs around the same time he's firing the ring of projectiles, which
makes for a lot of things to dodge.  So, unless you feel comfortable with the
amount of incoming projectiles, you should make destroying the eggs a priority,
and then move around to attack.  Once you win, you'll receive 1,500 EXP and
2,200 gold for your efforts.
Regarding equipment accessories, you may find that using the Hawk Idol hurts
more than it helps.  However, if you're good at arcing your shots, it may make
things easier, as you don't have to be directly below him to deal damage.  The
downside to using it is your shots are likely to be re-directed to either his
antennae or the eggs, which of course lessens the damage you do (fortunately,
the antennae go down fairly easily).  If you don't use the Hawk Idol, then the
Cleria Ring is probably your next best choice.
It's also worth noting that using the Time Magic on this boss will actually
stall him temporarily, meaning you can then switch to Fire Magic to score some
free hits.  However, you need to be on the Easy difficulty for this to be of
any use, as other difficulties do not allow you to change your magic around in
the middle of a boss fight (or any items or equipment, for that matter).
As noted above, level 35 or 36 (preferably 36, maybe even higher) is needed to
deal extra damage here (technically it's level 34, but the damage output still
isn't very good then), but that's only with the Hyper Cutter equipped, which
you really should have by now.  It's also recommended that you bought the
Reflex armor from Zalem, as well as found the Iron Shield in Dabbie's sector.
If you feel that level 36 isn't high enough, the Dyphthelloids in the eastern
section of the Subterranean Canal (where the Silver Pendant is found) give
double EXP up to level 38; and if *that* isn't high enough, the Zavanites (in
either Mesa's sector, or in Tovah's) give double EXP up to level 42.  While the
Zavanites technically give more EXP, I prefer to use the Dyphthelloids, as they
can be damaged both with physical attacks and fireballs, whereas the Zavanites
only take physical damage, making it ultimately a slower process.
NOTE - If you're playing the Eternal version of the game (this will not work in
the Complete and Chronicles versions), using Time Magic immediately at the
start of the fight will actually allow you to skip this boss, if you can touch
the door up top in time.  However, for this to work, you need to exit and re-
enter the fight first (probably because there's a brief period before the game
loads up the fight, hence Druegar's invulnerability at the start).  In order to
permanently skip him, you'll need to do this at least twice throughout the
course of the game.  But since bosses give fixed EXP no matter your level,
killing him could be useful for an easy level later in the game.
After the battle, open the door to the north, and approach the Goddess Statue
inside.  You'll learn that this statue can take you to the central part of the
Shrine, by wearing a pendant around your neck.  It also mentions two different
paths, but as we only have one pendant right now, we can only explore one of
them.  So, equip the Silver Pendant and approach the statue again to warp to
another part of the Shrine (even if you had the Silver Pendant equipped before,
the statue still needs to be approached twice).  After warping, exit the room,
and head south through the next passage.  Instead of taking either of the exits
leading outside (they contain nothing of interest), head up the stairs in the
northwestern corner of the room.  On the next screen, again avoid taking the
southern passage outside (it's another dead end), and instead take the passage
leading north (if you have the status displayed, you should now be in the East
Wing), and follow this one outside.
As soon as you step outside here, you'll get a message from Hadat, saying that
a little boy came to Ramia looking for you...  Unless you feel like doing some
backtracking, I suggest holding off on returning to Ramia for a little while.
Anyway, follow the path to the east (beware the Forkless - red lizard-like
enemies - as they can also shoot projectiles), and head inside the building.
As you make your way outside again, you'll hear a couple demons conversing.
Equip the Alter Magic (if you want to, it's not required here), and step
outside to chat with the two golden-armored Gearots (not to be confused with
the Bearots or Zearots).  They'll mention Keith is hiding nearby, likely having
swiped the key to the Water Control Room along the way.  Just what is he up to?
Anyway, head down the stairs to the west, and inside the left doorway is
another locked door.  Behind it is a chest containing the Battle Shield, so be
sure to grab that, if you want (it'll definitely help for the next boss battle
or two).  Back outside, head back up the stairs, and continue to the building
in the west (ignore the other set of stairs leading up).  Speaking to the
Gearot inside reveals that Keith is somewhere below.
Head downstairs, and you'll be in another section of the Subterranean Canal
(the central section).  Much like the Preliguards in the Moat of Burnedbless,
the Ceabiths (lizard-like warriors) have a tendency to turn invisible, so be
wary of that (as with the Preliguards, they can be detected via Light Magic, if
desired).  Anyway, it doesn't matter which direction you take, but for
simplicity's sake, let's take the southern path (though again, watch out for
those Ceabiths).  When it splits, follow it southwest over two bridges, and
then head straight up as far as you can.  There's another bridge just a couple
steps to the left, so cross that, and then the one on your right.  Follow this
path all the way around to the far northeastern corner of the map, and you'll
come across a green demon.  If you didn't manage to catch a glimpse of him
before, this is Keith, the one who helped you rescue Tarf from the Moat of
Burnedbless.  Talk to him (in human form), and he'll give you the Floodgate Key
to drain the canal waters so you can reach the Goddesses' Palace.  That's all
there is to do here right now, so head back to the western section of the
Subterranean Canal (I recommend warping to the Runaways' Hideout, if you're
able).  In the northern corner of this map, there's a strange door you may have
come across earlier, which you can now open (coming from the aboveground
entrance, simply head straight east over three bridges).  Inside, there's a
lever on the top wall, so approach that, and pull it to drain the canal; you'll
also receive 1,500 EXP for doing so.
Now that the canal is drained, all three sections of it are now interconnected,
which can get a bit confusing.  Your destination now is back in the central
section of the canal, but don't bother using the Silver Pendant to get back
there, as that's a pretty big and pointless detour.  Instead, exit the
floodgate room, and go west back across two bridges, at which point head south.
Follow the path around, and descend the steps to the canal floor.  At the split,
head north, then east at the next one (just below the floodgate room).  Follow
that path, and at the split, climb up the steps to the north to find a chest
containing the Battle Armor, which you'll very likely want for the next boss.
Descend the steps, and just a little to the right, follow the path north, and
climb those steps.  Take the path to the right, and descend the next set of
steps you see.  On the canal floor, follow the path to the north through the
arch, which should put you back in the central canal section.
Follow the path southeast as far as you can, and you should see a chest above
off to the right.  We'll come to that shortly, but for now, head west as far as
you can, and take the second fork to the south (for now, ignore the first path
to the south).  Climb the steps at the end, and at the end of the path, you
should see an indentation in the southwestern corner of the wall.  Step inside
to find a hidden room with a chest containing the Battle Sword, which you
should equip right away (you can also show this to Zalem for some amusing
dialogue =p).  While it's not required to find this, it's highly recommended
that you do, otherwise you'll need to be a few levels higher to do any decent
damage to the next boss (even with the Hyper Cutter).  In any event, exit the
room, and head back to the other path south we ignored earlier.  Climb the
stairs at the end, and follow the path all the way east to the chest we ignored
earlier, which contains the Falcon Idol.  This is basically an upgraded version
of the Hawk Idol, because not only does it home your fireballs, but upon impact,
a charged one will then split into a few smaller fireballs for added damage.
In any event, follow the path to the south, and head upstairs.  You'll find
Keith up here, and chatting with him (if you want, it's not required) reveals
that Maria (Sada's lover) is about to be sacrificed inside the bell tower (aka
the Campanile of Lane), but Zava is standing guard.  Not good...
This next screen contains some pretty dangerous enemies, but they're one of the
best sources of EXP at this point in the game.  And believe me, you will very
likely need to grind some to have a decent shot at the next boss.  The
Charronts (mages) shoot projectiles at you, and can only be damaged by physical
attacks.  The Valkyria (knights) you have to be especially careful around, but
at least you can use both fireballs and physical attacks against them.  If you
have it, you might consider using Time Magic to make things easier, preferably
in conjunction with the Ring of Ease to conserve MP.  In any event, I strongly
recommend using this screen to grind to at least level 44 or 45, perhaps even 1
or 2 levels higher (if you need to, I suggest using the Ceabiths in the central
canal to reach level 42 first, and *then* use the Charronts and Valkyria).
Outside the room where Keith is now, climb up the balcony to your left, and
though you don't need to visit there just yet, let's follow the path to the
southwest to reach the Goddesses' Palace.  Head inside, and approach the big
circle in the center to speak to the Goddesses' spirits, who tell you that the
other pendant is in possession of one of the petrified people, and that you'll
need the Dreaming Idol from the Campanile of Lane to help undo the curse.  They
will also fully heal your HP and MP, if you need it (though this will be
unavailable at a certain point in the game).  There are also steps on either
side of the room, but they just lead to the balcony of this place, which is
nice for an additional view of Esteria, but is otherwise pointless.  Anyway, as
the Goddesses' Palace is one of the six warp locations, now might be a good
idea to see Adol's visitor in Ramia (though you don't need to do this just yet).
Inside Hadat's house is Tarf, who apparently made his way here from the Colony
of Lava, spying on Dalles.  In any event, back on the screen with the Charronts
and Valkyria, make your way all the north, and enter the large doorway to the
Campanile of Lane.  Before proceeding through the door within, save your game,
and make sure you're fully healed (I recommend heading back to the Goddesses'
Palace again, if needed).  You'll probably also want to equip healing items
(again, I recommend Herbs or one of the Meat items).  When you're ready, head
inside the door to face one of the game's more difficult bosses.
STRATEGY - For the first phase of this battle Zava will sit back and let her
minions take care of you; trying to attack her directly will do you no good
right now.  Unlike normal Zavanites, their bat forms are immune to physical
attacks, and can only be harmed via Fire Magic, so be sure you have that
equipped.  They'll fly all over the place, trying to shoot projectiles at you
(how much depends on the difficulty, I think) in addition to dealing collision
damage (for fun, try running into them with the Alter Magic equipped =p).  The
best way to deal with them is to have the Falcon Idol equipped, as otherwise
you may find it hard to connect your shots (the Hawk Idol works too, but the
Falcon Idol's multiple homing ability makes it better for crowd control); the
one downside is that sometimes your shots will get harmlessly re-directed to
Zava, but it's usually not too much of an issue.  As they are capable of
shooting a lot of projectiles at once, it's best to not get trapped in a
corner; in fact, that's what you should be trying to do to them.  After several
charged shots, they should go down (if they don't, you're either under-leveled,
or you didn't pick up the Battle Sword), taking off a chunk of Zava's health
for each one you kill.  Once both are dead, Zava will send out 3 more, followed
by a wave of 4.  These two waves in particular can be quite hectic, but do your
best to keep them in a corner (or at least clustered together), as that way
your fireballs have a better shot of damaging the others (using the Falcon Idol,
of course).
Once the wave of 4 bats is disposed of, Zava herself will move to the center of
the room and constantly shoot small fireballs all over the place (again, how
much depends on the difficulty, I think).  She'll also send out one final bat,
but feel free to ignore this one, as Zava herself can now be damaged (if you
want, killing this Zavanite will still take off some of her health, but it's no
longer necessary).  Weave between the fireballs as best you can, and just pelt
her with fireballs of your own until she goes down; if you've made it this far,
this part shouldn't be very difficult (unless you're low on health from dealing
with the Zavanites, then it might be troublesome).  Once you win, you'll
It's worth noting that Time Magic is effective during this battle, especially
if you have trouble dodging all the projectiles.  However, as with Druegar, you
need to be on the Easy difficulty for it to be of any use, as otherwise you
can't alternate between magics.
Due to the presence of Zavanites in this battle, one might think that being
able to take care of their normal forms would be enough to dispose of them
quickly here.  However, this is not the case, likely because these particular
ones are linked to Zava's health, meaning that you need enough STR to deal with
Zava herself for them to go down relatively quickly.  In this case, level 43
with the Battle Sword is technically the minimum for dealing extra damage, but
disposing of the bats is still a little inefficient, so I'd recommend at least
level 44 or 45 to speed things up.  If you feel that's not enough, you can gain
a couple more levels using the Charronts and Valkyria without too much trouble.
With the Hyper Cutter equipped, I believe it's level 49 or 50 before you start
dealing any extra damage; while you can grind that high with a little patience,
it is strongly recommended that you instead grab the Battle Sword (if you don't
know, it's in a hidden room in the southwestern part of the canal section you
just came from).  In fact, if you want to reach max level (55 - 65,000 EXP)
before the final boss without too much trouble, accumulating around 54,000 EXP
(just a little bit over level 50) before killing Zava is highly recommended.
The remaining EXP will come almost completely in fixed amounts (including this
boss, that's a total of 10,700 EXP, which leaves you 300 short of max level -
however, that 300 EXP can easily be made up via the few normal enemies you'll
encounter during the final phases of exploring the Shrine), and trust me, it's
a far less tedious option than using just regular enemy kills for the remaining
levels.  However, do note that the remaining bosses are actually pretty easy,
so use your best judgment.
NOTE - In the Eternal version of the game, using Time Magic right away will
freeze Zava in her normal (non-boss) form temporarily, and you are actually
able to kill it off via physical attacks (just like her minions' normal forms,
this form is shielded from fireballs).  However, as it is her normal form that
you are attacking, the boss fight does not end upon killing it, and she has to
be dealt with as normal to continue with the game.  If you drank the Beastiary
Potion, this is why you see her portrait on the display screen during the fight,
but nothing like this for the other bosses.  Even more intriguing is that her
normal form has different stats than her boss counterpart (please refer to the
"Enemies" section for Ys II if you want to know them), and they can be learned
by repeatedly killing it, just like a normal enemy (with the exception of the
STR stat, as that is learned by taking a random number of hits from said enemy
in this version).  And since this form functions like a normal enemy, it means
you get scaled EXP for killing it, meaning that if you're under-leveled, she
can give up to 4,000 EXP (this form gives 2,000 EXP normally).
Do note that while killing this form of Zava is impossible in the Complete and
Chronicles versions (she can still be frozen temporarily, but physical attacks
no longer work), evidence of its existence can still be found there.  In
Complete, you are still able to learn that form's STR stat, but nothing else.
However, Chronicles changed learning an enemy's STR to be the same as learning
its other stats (meaning you can't learn any of them now), but her portrait
still appears on-screen.
After the battle, enter the room up top, and upon passing through the giant
archway, you'll hear the bell start to ring.  A little further up, you'll find
Maria chained up, but as she says, there's no way to free her.  Well, Keith did
say the bell is rung 5 times before the ritual is complete, so maybe there's
still time.  If you want, using the Time Magic in her presence displays a
curious message (in the Japanese versions, it says "Timestop understanding",
but the English localized versions changed it to "Maria is not amused!"; if
you're confused about its meaning, it should become clear upon finishing the
game); if you're playing the Steam version, doing this will also get you the
"Timestop Understanding" achievement.
Anyway, continue up the stairs in the northeastern corner, and inside the next
room, head southwest through the archway, and follow it around to the
northwestern corner.  Head straight east on the next screen, and enter the
passage along the bottom of the wall (marked by a small indentation), then head
up the stairs in the northwestern corner of the next room.  Again, head
southwest through the archway, and follow the path to the northeastern corner.
Head straight west on the next screen (you should hear the bell ring again),
and enter the passage along the bottom of the wall (again, there's a small
indentation).  On this next screen, you'll probably notice a chest in the
middle of this room, but there's a barrier preventing you from grabbing it just
yet.  So, follow the path around to the northeastern corner, and head upstairs
again.  Head southwest through the archway, and upon stepping outside, go
straight west until you reach another building (the bell should ring again out
here).  Back inside, follow the path around to the far northeastern corner, and
you should be back outside again near the top of this building (where the bell
will ring yet again).  Head southwest a tad, and climb up the steps to confront
Dalles again.  Unfortunately, he's still no match for you, and after a quick
chat, he rings the bell one final time before warping away.
There's nothing more to do up here, so head back downstairs, and back to the
top of the first building.  Head downstairs, and in the middle of this room,
the barrier around the chest is now gone, and inside you'll find the Dreaming
Idol, which the Goddesses said to bring to them to help undo Dalles'
petrification spell.  If you prefer, you can warp straight to the Goddesses'
Palace (provided you went there earlier, of course), but if you decide to walk
back, a quick check of the platform where Maria was held indicates that she
didn't make it after all...  Assuming you have the Dreaming Idol, head back to
the Goddesses' Palace (if you don't know, it's in the far southwestern corner
of the screen outside the Campanile of Lane), and approaching the big circle in
the center to speak to the Goddesses' spirits.  You'll learn that the Black
Pearl is also needed to undo the petrification, so you'll need to find that and
bring it to them.  Let's see, we last gave the Black Pearl to Tarf to enable
Keith to bust them out of the prison in the Moat of Burnedbless, so let's go
find him.
If you didn't realize it earlier, Tarf is the visitor Hadat told you about some
time ago as you were exploring the Shrine, so warp back to Ramia, and you'll
now find him inside Hadat's house.  Speaking to Tarf reveals that he seems to
have lost the Black Pearl somewhere, but he at least remembers having it when
entering Ramia (you *must* hear this from him; if he's only mentioning the bit
about Dalles, then you didn't visit the Goddesses' Palace after finding the
Dreaming Idol, which is also necessary).  Speaking to Gorto (you can actually
skip this step, if you want) reveals that he saw someone in a black cloak pick
up something off the ground.  Great...  In any event, head back inside the
Shrine, and if you return via the front gate, the guards will mention that the
meeting's finally over, thanks to something Dalles found (as with Gorto, you
don't actually need to hear this from them, should you decide to warp back in
or something - not that I'd recommend it in this case, as this is faster).  So,
head back to the meeting room (if you forgot, it's the center building in the
northeastern section of the Shrine - Fact's sector).  You should now be able to
unlock this door (if you get a message saying the meeting's still going on,
then you missed one of the above steps), and inside on the stand, you'll find
the Black Pearl again.
Head back to the Goddesses' Palace (preferably via warping, especially since
you'll be fully healed again anyway) and speak to the Goddesses again to merge
the Black Pearl with the Dreaming Idol.  They tell you to use it at the top of
the Campanile of Lane, so make your way back there.  Along the way, if you
investigate the platform where Maria was earlier, you'll notice that her body
is now gone.  Strange, Dalles did complete the sacrificial ritual earlier,
didn't he...?  Anyway, at the top, go ahead and use the powered-up Dreaming
Idol (equip and use it) inside the crest where Dalles was standing when you
encountered him here earlier.  Doing so will release everyone from Dalles'
petrification spell, and you'll also get 2,700 EXP for doing so.
At this point, return to the Runaways' Hideout (again, it's easiest to just
warp there if you can spare the MP), and speak to everyone there (as Boris says,
Lilia went wandering off on her own).  Upon doing so, Keith will arrive with a
Wing to get everyone home safely (unlike Dr. Flair, they won't use any Wings
you might've gifted them earlier =p), and before taking off, Bohtz will give
you the Gold Pendant.  Before visiting the Goddess Statue again, Ed mentioned
that someone else was turned to stone somewhere in the Shrine, so we should
make sure they're back to normal as well.
You'll want to head back to the eastern canal area, the one where you found the
Silver Pendant earlier - the person in question is in the far southwestern
corner.  While you can use the Runaways' Hideout as a starting point, I find
the fastest way to be to warp back to the Goddesses' Palace, and start from the
central canal entrance next to where the Falcon Idol can be found.  Starting
from the chest, head west, and descend to the canal floor.  At the path split,
take the path just to the northwest, and follow it all the way up.  Head
northwest at that fork, and at the end of the path, there's an arch leading to
the eastern section of the canal.  On the next screen, head straight south a
little ways, and you should eventually see steps on your right, so climb those.
Follow the path to the right, then go straight north as far as you can (those
Dyphthelloids still do a fair deal of damage, so be careful around them).  Head
northwest across the bridge, and then take the path to the southwest; you'll
eventually come to a bridge on your right, but ignore that, and go south at the
next split.  Cross the bridge to your left, and at the end of this path, you'll
find Sada, who you may have found before as a statue.  Speak to him, and after
learning of Maria's apparent death, he'll entrust you with the Cleria Sword.
Be sure you equip this, as it is absolutely necessary to defeat the remaining
bosses.
Sada also tells you that there's a powerful suit of armor back in his home, so
if you want, head back to Ramia, and tell Hadat the good news.  Upon doing so,
he'll give you the Cleria Armor, so be sure to equip that as well (actually,
this item can be skipped altogether, but it sure does help).  He also makes
mention of the Cleria Shield, but it's unfortunately not in his possession.  If
you haven't done so already, now is also good time to purchase the Elixir from
Jade's shop in Lance Village, if you're able to (if you're playing the Steam
version, you might consider getting the max money achievement "Spendthrift"
before purchasing this).  This is a one-time item, and equipping it will revive
you upon death, so use it wisely.
Anyway, head back into the Shrine, and now that you have the Cleria Sword, you
are finally able to damage the Zearots (guards) at the entrance (even then, you
have to be level at least level 47 to do any damage, which probably won't be an
issue if you made it this far).  Killing ten of them (for them to respawn, you
simply need to refresh the screen, or get as close to the Ramia transition
point as possible) will get you the Steam achievement "And Your Children's
Children" (as you kill them, they'll get numbers next to their name if you
speak to them via Alter Magic).  As these guys are very dangerous, I recommend
using Time Magic to help take them out (or you can use the last magic to make
quick work of them, which will be available shortly - however, using this
method doesn't award any EXP).  Also note that even if you kill them, the only
way through the door they guard is by speaking to them via Alter Magic, so a
screen refresh will likely be necessary.
Anyway, head back inside the center building of the first screen (Hadal's
sector), and make your way back to the Goddess Statue again.  Make sure you
have the Gold Pendant equipped, and touch the statue again.  Upon warping, head
downstairs on the next screen, and you'll find yourself back in the eastern
section of the Subterranean Canal, in a part that you may have noticed earlier,
but were unable to access.  Follow the path around to the bottom portion, and
climb the other set of steps leading up.  Head downstairs to the Shrine's
underpass, and in the southwestern corner, there's a large door.  Before
opening it, save your game, make sure your HP is fully restored (don't worry if
you're low on MP - you won't be needing it this time), and equip a healing item
(either the normal 3 Herbs or one of the Meats will do - I'd advise against
using the Elixir here).  Also, make absolutely certain that you have the Cleria
Sword equipped, as otherwise the upcoming boss is flat-out impossible.  It's
also a good idea to have the Cleria Armor from Hadat's house, preferably
coupled with the Battle Shield.  For equipment accessories, the Cleria Ring is
probably the best choice here, as anything magic-related will be useless.
Anyway, step inside the door, and you'll encounter Dalles once again.
STRATEGY - For all the trouble he's caused throughout the game, Dalles is
actually pretty easy.  He'll generally stick to one area of the room, shooting
a bunch of small projectiles in all directions (as usual, the amount depends on
the difficulty), so you'll want to weave in between them as best you can.  If
you wait too long, he'll do another attack, this time firing two strings of
laser-like projectiles, followed by a string of normal ones (on higher
difficulties, not only are there more projectiles, but four strings of the
laser-like ones).  This attack can be quite difficult to avoid consistently on
higher difficulties, as while the laser-like ones can be avoided fairly easily
(by moving around or between the strings, though one has to take into account
their slight angle due to Dalles' movements), the string of normal ones can be
problematic.  The best way to avoid those is to be outside the laser-like
strings altogether (before the attack, try to be above or below him, and move
to the opposite end of the room when you see the magic symbols around him - the
sign of this attack), or to be near the middle of the attack (while still
maintaining your distance, of course), which provides the next most maneuvering
room.  Anyway, he'll do both sets of attacks twice before warping away and
hurling the meteors circling him towards you, but they're pretty easy to avoid
(in this instance, at least).
As he tells you himself, magic is completely useless against him; trying to use
your sealed Fire Magic, you can still hit him at close range, but it won't
actually hurt him (and if you try to use Time Magic, he'll make it so *you're*
the one moving slow, and then summon a bunch of projectiles that zoom in on
your position before spreading all over the place - it is possible to squeeze
between these, but it is pretty hard to do, so it's obviously not recommended).
So, you'll need to use physical attacks to do any damage, but as noted above,
you *must* have the Cleria Sword equipped to actually hurt him - anything else
will be completely ineffective (if you're so inclined, you could actually do
this with Alter Magic equipped; after all, you can't actually talk to boss
enemies, only attack them).  While you can try to attack him as soon as he
appears (do note that he has brief invulnerability at the start of the fight),
the projectiles will generally get in your way, so I usually find it best to
wait out his first set of projectiles, and move in quickly before he starts his
next attack (if done properly, he won't ever use the second attack, as he does
the patterns in the same order every appearance, given enough time).  So, after
weaving between the projectiles, quickly make your way straight to him (if
you're not quick, he's likely to get his next pattern off), being careful of
those meteors around him, as they change directions every so often.  Upon
damaging him, he'll send the meteors after you, but you should usually be able
to land at least two hits before he warps somewhere else (if you're lucky,
perhaps even 3 hits - and if you're *really* lucky, it's possible to get 4 hits
per appearance, but this pretty much requires using the meteors to push you
back towards him really quickly).  The meteors tend to move a bit more randomly
upon damaging him, so do your best to avoid them.  He'll re-appear shortly, and
you'll need to repeat the process several times before he goes down (it helps
to be near the center of the room so you can get to him quicker, though of
course this has the drawback of less reaction time to dodge the projectiles).
Once he's dead, you'll receive 3,500 EXP and 2,500 gold for your efforts.
NOTE - Despite the recommended levels listed above (you'll probably be at level
47 naturally), you can actually reasonably defeat this boss several levels
earlier, as you start doing extra damage as early as level 40 (of course, this
means you have to go through the rest of the game under-leveled, and that's no
easy task).  Even so, if you find that level 47 or 48 isn't enough, I recommend
grinding on the enemies outside the Campanile of Lane.  While the Zearots at
the Shrine entrance give more EXP per kill, it's a slower process, especially
as it's a bit tedious to respawn them; going back and forth outside the
Campanile of Lane can accumulate EXP quicker, as there are a fair amount of
enemies, plus just enough distance to make respawning them relatively painless.
After the battle, touch the golden orb at the top of the room, and you'll be
warped even further inside the Shrine.  Immediately after warping, there's a
chest to your left, so open it to obtain the Shield Magic.  This magic shields
you from all attacks, and if an enemy successfully deals collision damage to
you with this equipped, the enemy will be the one to take the damage, at
precisely a third of its total health (however, killing an enemy this way does
not award you any EXP, presumably because it pretty much kills itself).  The
drawback is that using this drains your MP pretty quickly (even moreso should
an attack hit you when using it), and even equipping the Ring of Ease doesn't
help reduce the cost.
At any rate, pass through the archway and step onto the platform, which will
take you down to the core of Ys.  Head to the next screen, where you'll
encounter Tarf; if you talk to him (you don't have to), he just says everyone's
waiting for him further inside.  Hmm...  At any rate, head inside the passage
just to Tarf's right, on the next screen, follow the path around to the
northeastern corner, where you'll encounter Maria.  Talking to her (again, you
don't have to), she reveals that she survived the sacrificial ritual due to her
bracelet absorbing the damage instead (if you gift Frau of Ramia Village, she
mentions that Maria's bracelet used to belong to one of the six priests).
Talking to her here (speaking to her in the Campanile of Lane does *not* work)
is the trigger for getting into her bed back at her place (the one on the
right), if you're interested in that (for the Steam version, it's the last
requirement for the "Juuuuust Right" achievement).  Of course, it requires
backtracking to Ramia (if you want to warp back, you'll need to head back to
the room with the elevator platform for it to work - otherwise, simply touch
the golden orb near where the Shield Magic was and backtrack), but you can also
report the good news to Sada (who's now in Ramia's graveyard, provided you
talked to Maria in the Core of Ys), Karen, and Hadat (as well as a few others).
Back in the Core of Ys, take the passage just to the right of Maria, and on the
next screen, you'll need to follow the path all the way to the far northwestern
corner (or pretty close to it, at least).  After doing so, backtrack to the
middle, and Keith will create a passage for you Dogi style.  Go ahead and enter,
and if you speak to Keith (again, it's optional), he'll tell you the Goddesses
are a bit farther in, as well as Gorto (if you didn't notice, there's a
different gate guard in Ramia Village).  Anyway, follow the path to the
northeastern corner, and enter the passage.  Head up a little ways, and you'll
encounter Gorto near a barrier.  Chatting with him (also not required), he
speculates that the Goddesses are likely past this barrier, but there doesn't
seem to be any way through (at present, it just pushes you back).  He did seem
to notice a movement off to the right, so we better check it out.  Follow the
path to the northeastern corner (along the way, you'll get a couple messages
saying someone is around), and you'll find Lilia.  Speak to her, and after some
brief dialogue, she'll give you the Goddess Ring, courtesy of two mysterious
girls she encountered earlier.  Head back to the barrier, and provided you have
the Goddess Ring (which you can show to Gorto, if you'd like), touching it this
time will now dispel it.  Follow the path to the far northwestern corner, and
step inside the warp symbol (by the way, those rotating crystals don't do
anything of note, but you can shoot fireballs at them for a neat ripple effect).
Upon warping, you'll find yourself back in the room where Vagullion was fought
in Ys I.  Strange, why are we back here all of a sudden?  As you can't open the
door off to the east, take the passage to the northwest.  You'll notice the
Goddesses being held in place on either side of the door here.  Touch the door
between them, and you'll promptly get pushed back by the other mysterious
entity from the intro video, but Goban and Luta Gemma come to your rescue with
the Silver Harmonica.  As there is nothing else you can do (not even Shield
Magic will protect you should you try attacking this guy as he is now), so go
ahead and play the Silver Harmonica (equip and use it) to break the curse on
the Goddesses.  Afterwards, go ahead and speak to both of them, who reveal
themselves to be Feena and Reah (in case you didn't pick up on it earlier =p).
After speaking to both of them, they'll imbue your sword with power; you'll
also receive 2,000 EXP, which will likely level you up (or very close to it, at
least).  Finally, the door to the final boss will be open, but before stepping
inside, speak to Luta Gemma first, as he will give you the Cleria Shield to
help with the upcoming battle (you can skip grabbing this, but it's obviously
Before stepping through the door, Goban did mention that Ys has returned to the
surface, and most of the characters will now have something new to say, should
you decide to visit them at this point (I mean, it's not like the world's in
imminent danger or anything =p).  Of particular note, the view has changed a
little on the far western portion of the Moondoria Field (just outside Lance,
the part of the island where Lilia found you in the intro scenes), as well as
the view on the balcony of the Goddesses' Palace (for obvious reasons, the
Goddesses' spirits are no longer there to heal you).
Anyway, getting back to the Core of Ys, stepping through that door next to the
Goddesses is the point of no return, so in case you want to do something else,
be sure to save before entering it.  Speaking of which, like other characters
you encounter, Feena and Reah can also be gifted (Goban and Luta Gemma as well,
but they're less significant in this regard).  Giving 3 gifts to Feena will
have her fully heal you if needed, so you'll want to use cheap gifts like
Apples or Marle Flowers to do so.  Gifting Reah at least twice will cause her
to wink at you during a certain point of the post-game scenes, but that's about
At any rate, save your game, get fully healed (this should be a non-issue, but
if you need it, either gift Feena 3 times for a full heal, or use anything
aside from preferably the Celceta Flower), and step inside the door.  Head
straight up, and Adol will automatically run across the collapsing platforms to
another warp symbol.  Before stepping inside the warp symbol, make absolutely
certain the Cleria Sword is equipped, because as with Dalles, the final boss is
impossible without it.  Having the Cleria Armor and Cleria Shield equipped
would also be a good idea, though it's technically not required.  In addition,
you'll want to equip the Goddess Ring if you haven't already, though this also
isn't necessary.  For items, I recommend having either the Elixir or a Celceta
Flower equipped, as they both can fully heal both your HP and MP.  You can also
equip the Shield Magic, as it makes this guy pretty easy (however, if you want
a decent challenge, I honestly advise against using it - that, or being no
higher than level 50).  When you're ready, step inside the warp symbol to
confront the final boss.
STRATEGY - Just like Dalles, most magic is ineffective here (as before, using
Time Magic here backfires on you, but Darm doesn't do anything special during
this time, aside from pelt you with various projectiles).  So, as noted above,
to even damage this guy, you absolutely *must* have the Cleria Sword equipped
(though again, feel free to attack him using Alter Magic to completely
humiliate him =p).  It's worth noting that he seems to have slightly increased
DEF (and of course, STR), but this is actually true of all bosses, just that
it's more evident in this fight in particular, as he seems to take a bit more
punishment.  Anyway, it's also preferable to be wearing the Goddess Ring, as
it'll briefly freeze him in place periodically throughout the fight; if that
isn't enough incentive, it also gives you a +2 increase in both STR and DEF,
and every little bit helps.  While you don't need to do this, it's the best
opportunity to land hits on him, otherwise he'll be moving all over the place,
making him hard to catch - even moreso on higher difficulties.
Almost immediately upon starting the fight, he'll send out a bunch of small
projectiles in all directions, so you may want to hold off on attacking him
right away (besides, in Eternal and Complete, he has brief invulnerability if
you decide to bump into him as soon as possible).  All the while, six bomb-like
projectiles will periodically appear in the center of the platform, and be
automatically thrown at you shortly afterwards.  These are rather easy to avoid,
but you do need to remember to keep an eye on them.  Anyway, after he does the
burst of projectiles, weave between them as best you can, and try to land a few
hits on him before backing off, as he'll send more projectiles out shortly
after (he alternates between a big burst and a small burst of these).  After
dodging the projectiles a few times, the Goddess Ring should activate, which is
the ideal time to strike.  Do note that if he's in the middle of shooting out
projectiles, the attack may be cut short, but the bombs in the center will keep
on coming, so keep a constant eye out for those, and back off if you need to.
Aside from dodging all of those projectiles, the biggest issue with this phase
is keeping up with Darm, as he loves to move away from you.  When attacking him,
try not to push him outside the platform, because if the Goddess Ring activates
while he's there, chances are you'll be unable to reach him, which is a wasted
Once you take off a little over half his health, he'll hover to the center
(he's invulnerable during this period), and you'll then have to deal with the
Black Pearl itself.  During this phase, he'll shoot out a few curving lines of
yellow projectiles over half the screen, followed by a small burst of normal
blue ones to mix things up.  To avoid this attack, you either need to get lucky
and be on the other side of him when this happens, or to keep in between the
flow of the lines as best you can, and hope no stray blue projectiles get in
your way.  His other attack during this phase is a huge energy beam that he
fires, briefly indicated by a small sparkling line before he lets loose.  While
he can move pretty much anywhere during this attack, his downside is that
whatever angle he chooses to fire at, he can't change it until the attack ends,
so to avoid this, get behind him if at all possible.  If this hits you, it'll
eat away at your Shield Magic pretty quickly, so be sure to avoid it at all
costs.  Also note that while the projectile attacks can be cut short by the
Goddess Ring, he can still fire his energy beam in that state, though of course
it's stationary.  In addition, the bombs are still present throughout this
phase, but as the projectiles leave you more space to work with, they're a lot
easier to dodge this time around.  At any rate, this form is more annoying to
hit, as not only is his movement more erratic, he's much more prone to flee to
the center or outside areas as the Goddess Ring activates, so do your best to
push him away from there, if you're able to.  Otherwise, this form is all about
patience, and once you win, the game decides to award you 5,000 EXP and 2,550
gold, even though the ending sequence starts immediately afterwards.  Thanks
Falcom, that's real helpful...
For a final boss, this guy is honestly a bit disappointing (even on Nightmare),
mostly because of how over-powered the Shield Magic is.  If you want an easy
fight, just equip that, as well the Elixir or Celceta Flower to completely heal
you (which is pretty much the equivalent of having 4 health bars - of course,
the Celceta Flower requires you to be paying attention to your health, but the
Elixir will activate automatically upon depleting your HP).  Of course, this
isn't a foolproof method, as there are a lot of things to dodge this fight, and
getting hit by them using Shield Magic drains your MP quicker (higher
difficulties take more MP off when you're hit, I believe), so you still have to
use caution.
NOTE - This boss can actually be reasonably dealt with as low as level 49, but
the damage you deal per hit is reduced a tad, which starts to add up with the
amount of HP this guy has, so you better be good at dodging his attacks if you
take him on that low.  To be honest, level 51 or 52 isn't that much of an
increase in terms of your damage output, but I think what really helps is the
increased DEF, especially on higher difficulties.  If you feel more grinding is
needed, I again recommend the enemies outside the Campanile of Lane, as the
gate guards just take too long to be worth slightly more EXP per kill.  However,
using enemies for gaining levels beyond level 51 or so can be quite the chore,
which is why I previously recommended using all that fixed EXP from Zava
onwards or so to get those last levels.
Also, if you want to have a full beastiary, this guy's stats are only listed
upon beating the game.  For the Eternal and Complete versions, this means one
could load up a previous save, and the stats would show immediately, as enemy
stats are tracked throughout all playthroughs.  The Chronicles versions,
however, track them only for your current playthrough, but as there's no other
way to get Darm's entry, it's given to you automatically at the start of your
second playthrough onwards.  Of course, the downside is having to get all the
previous enemies' stats again if you want to see a complete beastiary.
Once you win, the Black Pearl shatters and depletes your MP, and then you'll be
treated to the game's ending sequence.
Congratulations on beating Ys II!
This section contains lists of many of the things you can do throughout the
course of Ys I, as well as a couple of notable extras.  As there are quite a
lot of easter eggs and extra things to see and do, most won't be listed here
except in relation to the lists, but many of them are already touched upon
briefly throughout the actual walkthrough.
Equipment                                                              [YS1EQP]
Here's a comprehensive list of the equipment items in Ys I, as well as their
usage and where they can be found.  The English localized name from the
Chronicles versions is listed first, followed by the Romanized Japanese name,
if it's different.  If you need more detailed directions on where to find this
stuff, please refer to the walkthrough portion of this guide.
Short Sword
- Given to you by Slaff in Port Barbado as a reward for talking to all of the
townsfolk there
- Buy from Rosetty's Weaponry in Minea for 500 gold
USAGE - Equip to increase your base STR by 5.
NOTE - You can only receive this from Slaff by first talking to everyone in
Port Barbado, and then speaking to Slaff about all 4 dialogue options in the
close-up scene; he'll give it to you as you exit the conversation.  Doing this
gets you the Steam achievement "Sworded Details", but if you buy a weapon in
Minea (even if it's just the Long Sword), you can no longer obtain it this way.
Long Sword
- Buy from Rosetty's Weaponry in Minea for 2,000 gold
USAGE - Equip to increase your base STR by 15.
Talwar (Talwarl)
- Given to you by Slaff in Port Barbado after rescuing Feena from the Shrine
- Found in a chest on 2F of Darm Tower (Complete/Chronicles versions only)
NOTE - It's best to get this weapon for free from Slaff after saving Feena, as
it's the earliest point you can obtain it, plus it gives you the "Seriously
Sworded Details" achievement in the Steam version of the game.  If you want to
buy it from the weapons dealer in Minea, you first need to attempt to buy it at
any point, and then afterwards, speak to him anytime after finding the Book of
Ys in the Shrine.  Otherwise, you can find it in a chest on floor 2 of Darm
Tower, but only if you didn't get it before.  If you obtained it earlier, the
chest will be empty, but if you're playing the Eternal version, the chest will
be empty regardless.
- Given to you by the southeastern Roda Tree on the northern Minea Plains
- Found again in a chest on 7F of Darm Tower
NOTE - In order to initially obtain this weapon, you must find and eat the Roda
Tree Seed (equip and use it), as well as have returned the Silver Harmonica to
Reah - both are found on the second floor of the Abandoned Mine.  This item is
essential before being allowed inside Darm Tower, as the final boss is
impossible to defeat without it.
- Found in a chest on 20F of Darm Tower (where the enemies bust down the wall)
Small Shield
- Buy from Dios' Armory in Minea for 700 gold
USAGE - Equip to increase your base DEF by 5.
Middle Shield
- Buy from Dios' Armory in Minea for 2,000 gold
USAGE - Equip to increase your base DEF by 15.
Large Shield
NOTE - If you didn't buy this back in Minea, you can find it on the eastern
portion of floor 6 of Darm Tower (take the middle path on floor 5), but only if
you didn't get it before.  If you obtained it earlier, the chest will be empty,
but if you're playing the Eternal version, the chest will be empty regardless.
- Found in a chest on B3 of the Shrine
- Found again in a chest on 9F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, not the room
where Pictimos is fought)
NOTE - This item is essential before being allowed inside Darm Tower, but you
don't actually need to re-obtain it after you get captured (however, it's
highly recommended that you do).
Battle Shield
- Found in a chest on 15F of Darm Tower
NOTE - If you didn't buy this back in Minea, you can find it on floor 4 of Darm
Tower (in the center portion of the room), but only if you didn't get it before.
If you obtained it earlier, the chest will be empty, but if you're playing the
Eternal version, the chest will be empty regardless.
Silver Armor
- Found in a chest on 1F (Level 1) of the Abandoned Mine
- Found again in a chest on 13F of Darm Tower
As for this item's initial location, in the English localized versions of
Chronicles, the first floor of the Mine is referred to as "1F", but for the
Japanese versions of the game, it's simply called "Level 1", so be sure you're
on the correct floor.
Battle Armor
- Found in a chest on 19F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, accessed via the far
northeastern corner of floor 18)
NOTE - You must have the Blue Necklace (*not* the Blue Amulet) equipped in
order to open this chest without being teleported.
Power Ring
- Given to you by Mayor Robels in Zepik Village (after finding the Silver Bell)
USAGE - Equip to double your damage output (varies by difficulty).  This will
*not* work during a boss battle, just for normal enemies.
NOTE - This ring doubles your damage output, *not* your STR stat; if you didn't
have the STR to damage an enemy before, wearing this ring will do nothing to
change that.
Shield Ring (Ring Mail)
- Found in a chest on the top floor of the Shrine
USAGE - Equip to halve the damage you take (varies by difficulty).  This will
NOTE - Much like the Power Ring, this one merely halves the damage enemies do
to you; it doesn't double your actual DEF value (believe me, there's a
difference).
Timer Ring
USAGE - Equip to reduce enemy speed by half (varies by difficulty).  This will
NOTE - In the English localized versions of Chronicles, the first floor of the
Mine is referred to as "1F", but for the Japanese versions of the game, it's
simply called "Level 2", so be sure you're on the correct floor
Heal Ring
- Found in a chest on B2 (Level 2) of the Abandoned Mine.
USAGE - Equip to gradually restore HP in dungeons.  This will *not* work during
a boss battle, or in instances where your health is automatically being drained.
NOTE - In addition to being able to gradually recover HP in dungeons, if you're
already in a spot where you can heal normally, your HP will be restored at an
even faster rate when you have this ring equipped.
As for this item's location, in the English localized versions of Chronicles,
the second floor of the Mine is referred to as "B1", but for the Japanese
versions of the game, it's simply called "Level 1", so be sure you're on the
correct floor.
Evil Ring
- Found in a chest on 2F of Darm Tower
USAGE - Wear with the Blue Necklace to open the door at the top of Rado's Annex
(Tower of Lado).  Be sure to equip the Blue Necklace first, *then* the Evil
Ring (and vice versa when taking the ring off), or else you'll die.
Inventory                                                              [YS1INV]
Here's a comprehensive list of the inventory items in Ys I, as well as their
Book of Ys, Volume Hadal
- Found in a chest on B3 of the Shrine (after defeating Nygtilger)
USAGE - After learning of Sara's murder, ask Jeba to translate this for you.
It is part of an essential process of getting into Darm Tower.
Book of Ys, Volume Tovah
- Given to you by Franz in Sara's Fortunes in Minea (after finding the Book of
Ys in the Shrine)
Book of Ys, Volume Dabbie (Dabby)
- Found in a chest in the Depths (Mystic Chamber) of the Abandoned Mine (after
defeating Vagullion)
Book of Ys, Volume Mesa (Messa)
- Found in a chest on 9F of Darm Tower (western portion, after defeating
Pictimos)
USAGE - Use the Monocle given to you by Reah in Rado's Annex (Tower of Lado) to
translate this, as well as Volume Gemma.  After translating both of them, speak
to Luta Gemma on floor 11 of Darm Tower (the western portion of floor 11, along
the balcony where the Hammer is used to get through the Devil's Corridor) to
receive the Blue Amulet.
Book of Ys, Volume Gemma
- Found in a chest on 14F of Darm Tower (western portion, after defeating
Khonsclard)
translate this, as well as Volume Mesa.  After translating both of them, speak
Book of Ys, Volume Fact (Fukt)
- Found in the folds of Dark Fact's cape on 25F of Darm Tower (after defeating
him)
translate this, and you'll be treated to the game's ending sequence.
Treasure Box Key
USAGE - This key is needed to open most treasure chests.
Prison Key
USAGE - This key is needed to open the prison cells on B1 of the Shrine,
allowing you to rescue Feena.
Shrine Key
- Given to you by Jeba in Zepik Village (after receiving Sara's Crystal)
USAGE - This key is needed to unlock the door on the top floor of the Shrine,
leading further inside.
Ivory Key
USAGE - This key is needed to unlock one of two doors on B3 deep within the
Marble Key
Darm Key (Dahm Key)
- Found in a chest on B2 (Level 3) of the Abandoned Mine
USAGE - This key is needed to unlock the door leading to the Depths (Mystic
Chamber) of the Abandoned Mine on B2 (Level 3).
NOTE - In the English localized versions of Chronicles, the third floor of the
Mine is referred to as "B2", but for the Japanese versions of the game, it's
simply called "Level 3", so be sure you're on the correct floor.
Sara's Crystal (Sarah's Crystal)
- Given to you by Sara in Minea (after purchasing a sword, shield, and body
armor)
USAGE - This item is needed to use the warp statues within the Shrine.
NOTE - It doesn't matter what equipment pieces you buy or don't, just so long
as you have one of a sword, shield, and body armor when talking to her.
Roda Tree Seed (Seed of Roda)
USAGE - Eat this (equip and use it) to communicate with the two Roda Trees on
the northern Minea Plains.  This is part of a necessary process for first
obtaining the Silver Sword (received from the southeastern Roda Tree).
NOTE - In the English localized versions of Chronicles, the second floor of the
Silver Bell
USAGE - Return to Mayor Robels in Zepik Village to receive the Power Ring.
Silver Harmonica
USAGE - Return to Reah on Minea's ramparts to awaken the sleeping Roda Trees on
- Given to you by Dogi in one of the prison cells on B1 of Darm Tower
USAGE - Equip this to make yourself invisible to enemies (and allies - try
getting caught in the teleport trap a couple extra times, and use it then =p).
Return it to Raba, hidden in a small passage on floor 3 of Darm Tower (use the
Mask of Eyes between the 8th and 9th statues) to receive the Blue Necklace.
USAGE - This item is needed to traverse the mirror mazes on floors 13 and 21 of
Darm Tower.
Monocle (Glasses)
- Given to you by Reah at the top of Rado's Annex (Tower of Lado)
USAGE - Equip this to translate the Books of Ys, particularly the ones found in
Blue Amulet
- Given to you by Luta Gemma on 11F of Darm Tower (western portion, along the
balcony where the Hammer is used to get through the Devil's Corridor)
USAGE - This item is needed to pass through the door on floor 25 of Darm Tower.
NOTE - You need to use the Monocle to translate both Volumes Mesa *and* Gemma
before Luta will give you this item, otherwise he won't hand it over (in the
Eternal version of the game, you'll need to speak to him twice to receive it).
Sure, he only mentions the Book of Gemma, but this is likely a precautionary
otherwise it might be possible to skip Volume Mesa. =p
USAGE - Sell to Pim in Minea for 1,200 gold; 1,320 if you barter.
NOTE - If you want to receive a 10% bonus when selling this to Pim, you first
need to refuse his initial offer a total of 9 times, and then he'll offer the
bonus.  Once you do this for the first item you sell, all future offers will
already have the 10% bonus applied (but if you're buying items from him, you
need to repeat the process before receiving a 10% discount).  If you're playing
the Steam version, doing this the first time also gets you the Steam
achievement "The Pim's-Lower Approach" (doesn't matter if you're buying or
selling, I think).
- Buy from Pim's Pawn in Minea for 1,000 gold; 900 if you barter
USAGE - Return to Donis in Orman's Spirits in Minea for a reward of 1,500 gold
(if you haven't already, talk to the bartender first, then to the one-eyed man,
Donis).
NOTE - If you want to receive a 10% discount when buying this from Pim, you
first need to refuse his initial offer a total of 9 times, and then he'll offer
the discount.  Once you do this for the first item you buy, all future offers
will already have the 10% discount applied (but if you're selling items from
him, you need to repeat the process before receiving a 10% bonus).  If you're
playing the Steam version, doing this the first time also gets you the Steam
USAGE - Sell to Pim in Minea for 500 gold; 550 if you barter.
Golden Vase (Golden Pedestal)
- Found at the edge of a small pond on the northern Minea Plains (the screen
south of Zepik, in the northeast corner of the pond)
Heal Potion
- Buy from Klaus' Clinic in Minea for 300 gold (in the Eternal version, it's
1,000 gold)
USAGE - Instantly restores all of your health.  You cannot use this during a
boss battle.  One use only.
NOTE - If you're playing the Eternal version of the game, buying this item from
Klaus' Clinic costs 1,000 gold, but it was reduced to 300 gold in
Complete/Chronicles.
Also note that, in the English localized versions of Chronicles, the first and
third floors of the Mine are referred to as "1F" and "B2" respectively, but for
the Japanese versions of the game, they're simply called "Level 1" and "Level
3", so be sure you're on the correct floors.
- Buy from Pim's Pawn in Minea for 200 gold; 180 if you barter (in the Eternal
version, it's 2,000 gold; 1,800 if you barter)
USAGE - Warps you to Minea.  You cannot use this during a boss battle.  One use
only.
NOTE - If you're playing the Eternal version of the game, this item costs 2,000
gold (1,800 if you barter), but it was reduced to 200 gold (180 if you barter)
in Complete/Chronicles.
If you want to receive a 10% discount when buying this from Pim, you first need
to refuse his initial offer a total of 9 times, and then he'll offer the
discount.  Once you do this for the first item you buy, all future offers will
already have the 10% discount applied (but if you're selling items from him,
you need to repeat the process before receiving a 10% bonus).  If you're
Also, if you still have one in your inventory, Goban takes it away from you
before entering Darm Tower, claiming that using it inside will instantly kill
you (which is probably Falcom's way of saying it glitches out the game =p).
USAGE - This item is needed to smash the balcony pillar (equip and use it) on
floor 11 to safely pass through the Devil's Corridor (starting from the way
back to floor 10, it's the second pillar on the left).
version, it's 1,000 gold; 900 if you barter)
USAGE - Temporarily freezes enemies, as well as allows you to safely attack
them off-center.  Use it around townsfolk to receive varied reactions, as well
as the Steam achievement "Some Kind of Sorcerer".  You can also use it during
the Feena escort mission to allow Feena to kill an enemy, the first of which
gets you the Steam achievement "Forever Level One To Me".  You cannot use this
during a boss battle.  Three to five uses (randomly decided when you obtain
one).
NOTE - While using this item will in fact allow you to safely attack enemies
off-center while they're "fascinated", I find that sometimes they can still
damage you, though I'm not quite sure what causes this behavior (maybe it has
to do with you/them being at a bad angle).
Mask of Eyes
- Found in a chest with Feena on B1 of the Shrine (alternatively, if you wait
to rescue her, she gives it to you automatically)
USAGE - Equip to reveal hidden passages, but makes enemies and other characters
invisible.  This is needed to find a hidden passage on B3 of the Shrine
(shortly after the first warp statue), as well as a room on floor 3 of Darm
Tower where Raba's hiding (between the 8th and 9th statues).  You can also
equip it, and then push Feena into the really narrow passage on B1 of the
Shrine (slightly southwest of the stairs leading to the top floor), for the
Steam achievement "I Can't See You, But I Can Feel You".
Blue Necklace
- Given to you by Raba in a hidden room on 3F of Darm Tower (after returning
the Idol)
USAGE - Equip this to nullify certain traps.  It's needed to bypass the
teleport trap on floor 6 of Darm Tower, as well as nullify the Evil Ring's
curse to get to the top of Rado's Annex (Tower of Lado) to receive the Monocle
from Reah (equip the Blue Necklace first, *then* the Evil Ring, and vice versa
when taking it off).  You can also use it to safely open the chest containing
the Battle Armor on floor 19 of Darm Tower (the eastern portion, accessed via
the far northeastern corner of floor 18).
NOTE - If you're playing the Eternal version of the game, you'll need to speak
to Raba again after returning the Idol to receive this from him.
Also, this item only nullifies traps - it doesn't actually destroy them, so
even if you've already avoided them once, if you attempt to re-activate them
without this equipped, they will still function as normal (the Battle Armor
chest trap doesn't re-activate, for obvious reasons).
Beastiary Potion
- Found in a chest on the northern Minea Plains
USAGE - Allows you to see and learn enemy stats (varies by difficulty) after
killing them a certain number of times.
NOTE - For the Eternal and Complete versions, the number needed to learn a stat
is random (at least 5, it seems like, often more), so it may take a while
before you learn anything about them, but the bright side is that there's no
"official" listing, just what you see if you pull up your status (for those
versions, the "S" key), and it doesn't list the EXP or Gold stats, so it could
potentially take less kills than in Chronicles (usually not, though).  For the
Chronicles versions, it seems to be exactly 1 kill for their name, followed by
5 kills to randomly learn one of their other stats, meaning it's a total of 26
kills to completely fill in their entries.  Do note that the EXP and Gold stats
are only listed in the "Notes" section, but not on the main screen, so be wary
of that if you're trying to completely fill in those sections (especially for
the Steam version, which awards the achievement "Monster Masher" for unlocking
all non-boss stats).  Bosses are automatically filled in upon beating them (so
long as you drank the Beastiary Potion, that is), but there's no way to know
their stats in the Eternal or Complete versions, as they weren't revealed until
the Chronicles versions.
Also note that their stats vary by difficulty, but only the HP value visibly
changes (boss HP stays the same).  Their STR and DEF are also affected, but
it's not listed as changed, likely as the result of some formula that uses the
listed values as a base (for reference, these values seem to correspond to the
"Hard" difficulty, which is pretty much Eternal's "Normal" - when they were
first revealed, bosses excluded).
USAGE - After returning the Silver Harmonica to Reah on Minea's ramparts, you
can give this to Reah (equip and use it near her) for a small scene once you
leave.  If you're playing the Steam version, you'll also receive the "Poetry in
Motion" achievement.
NOTE - While you do encounter Reah again later in the game, you are unable to
return this to her then, so at the very latest, do it before entering Darm
Tower.
Characters                                                             [YS1CHR]
Here's a comprehensive list of the characters encountered in Ys I, as well as
where to find them.  The English localized name from the Chronicles versions is
listed first, followed by the Romanized Japanese name, if it's different.  Most
of them stay in one location throughout the game, but some of them change spots
at certain points.  Also, if you're playing the Eternal or Complete versions,
there is no option to view them in list form, as that option wasn't available
for Ys I until the Chronicles versions.  Thankfully, there's really only one
time you might want a list in those versions, and that's if you missed talking
to a character in Barbado, in order to get a free Short Sword from Slaff early
on (which is completely optional).  Otherwise, if you're playing the Steam
version, you may want to find all of them to receive the "Hello, My Name Is
Adol" achievement.
Anyway, on to the list.
#1 - Doctor Bludo (Buldo)
- You start the game with this entry
- Encountered in Dr. Bludo's Clinic in Port Barbado (far northeastern building)
#2 - Nurse Ayla (Ira)
#3 - Slaff (Slaghf)
- Encountered in the Militia HQ of Port Barbado (far southwestern building)
#4 - Stephan (Stephen)
- Encountered outside in Port Barbado (generally just west of the entrance)
#5 - Jacob
- Encountered on the roof of the Militia HQ in Port Barbado (far southwestern
building)
#6 - Drake
- Encountered in Orman's Spirits in Minea (big building just southeast of the
entrance)
NOTE - For the second location, you need to have spoken to this character in
Barbado at least once beforehand, as well as have escorted Feena to Zepik.  If
both conditions are met, you'll find him in Orman's Spirits in Minea for the
rest of the game, otherwise he'll still be in Barbado's Militia HQ.
#7 - Old Man George
- Encountered outside in Port Barbado (generally just outside Dr. Bludo's
clinic, the far northeastern building)
#8 - Fisherman Betelo (Petero)
- Encountered outside in Port Barbado (generally just outside the Militia HQ,
near the ocean)
#9 - Fran
- Encountered outside in Port Barbado (generally just south of the entrance)
#10 - Arcia (Arsia)
#11 - Old Man Pastol (Pastor)
- Encountered near the pikkard pen in Port Barbado (just southeast of the exit)
#12 - Marco
- Encountered outside in Port Barbado (generally just outside Daria's house,
the far northwestern building)
#13 - Torrance (Trance)
- Encountered in Torrance's house in Port Barbado (far southeastern building)
#14 - Rebecca
#15 - Danny
- Encountered with Cheryl outside in Port Barbado walking around Gerald's Pub
(middle southwestern building, slightly northeast of the Militia HQ)
NOTE - For the first location, you'll only find this character here before you
step foot inside Minea.  If you return to Barbado anytime after that point,
you'll find him outside with Cheryl, walking around Gerald's Pub in circles
(briefly stopping in front of the Armory, the far western building) for the
remainder of the game.
#16 - Cheryl (Sheryl)
- Encountered in Mason's house in Port Barbado (middle southern building,
slightly northwest of Torrance's house)
- Encountered with Danny outside in Port Barbado walking around Gerald's Pub
you'll find her outside with Danny, walking around Gerald's Pub in circles
(briefly passing in front of the Armory, the far western building) for the
#17 - Mason the Trader (Mayson)
#18 - Sylvia (Silvia)
#19 - Gerald
- Encountered in Gerald's Pub in Port Barbado (middle southwestern building,
slightly northeast of the Militia HQ)
#20 - Karin (Karrin)
#21 - Granny Daria
- Encountered in Daria's house in Port Barbado (far northwestern building)
#22 - Reah
- Encountered outside in Minea near the entrance to the ramparts (far
northeastern corner of town)
- Encountered on Minea's ramparts after finding the Silver Harmonica
- Encountered at the top of Rado's Annex (Tower of Lado) within Darm Tower
(area branching from the far southwestern corner of floor 16)
#23 - Prim
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just south of the entrance)
#24 - Fana
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just east of the entrance)
- Encountered with Reah outside in Minea near the entrance to the ramparts
(seems random)
NOTE - For the second location, in addition to not having found the Silver
Harmonica yet, I believe you need to have spoken with Reah at least once
beforehand before this character has a chance at appearing with her (as far as
I can tell, at least).  If she's not with Reah, then she'll be in her first
#25 - Julius (Jurius)
- Encountered on the northern Minea Plains, just north of the entrance to Minea
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally near Orman's Spirits, the big
building just southeast of the entrance)
NOTE - For the first location, this character only appears there if you try and
cross the bridge leading to the northern Minea Plains without first entering
Minea, meaning it's a one-shot opportunity to encounter him there.  Otherwise,
you can find him in his usual location in Minea, walking around outside near
Orman's Spirits (or somewhere close by, usually).
#26 - Archelle (Urschell)
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Klaus' Clinic, the far
northeastern building)
I can tell, at least).  If he's not with Reah, then he'll be in his first
#27 - Aurora
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Dios' Armory, the right
entrance of the far southeastern building)
#28 - Cornell
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Charme's house, the
building just west of the entrance to Orman's Spirits)
#29 - Johann (Johan)
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Pim's Pawn, the far
northwestern building)
#30 - Hans
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Buck's house, the
building just southwest of the entrance)
#31 - Haystack
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Rosetty's Weaponry, the
left entrance of the far southeastern building)
#32 - Lucca
- Encountered outside in Minea (generally just outside Sara's Fortunes, the far
southwestern building)
#33 - Boss Bangoa (Bangor)
#34 - Orman (Ohman)
NOTE - To get this entry, you need to talk to this character in the close-up
scene in Orman's Spirits; he's the bartender.
#35 - Donis
scene in Orman's Spirits; he's the one-eyed man.
#36 - Garreck (Gareck)
scene in Orman's Spirits; he's the muscular man.
#37 - Ricardo
#38 - Cezar (Cesar)
#39 - Miner Doug
#40 - Chest
#41 - Old Man Franz
- Encountered in Sara's Fortunes in Minea (after obtaining the Book of Ys from
the Shrine)
#42 - Nikki the Dancer (Nico)
#43 - Doctor Klaus (Clause)
- Encountered coming out of Klaus' Clinic in Minea (far northeastern building)
- Encountered in or near Betel's house in Minea (building in the southwestern
area, just east of Sara's Fortunes)
- Encountered running around outside in Minea near Freddy's house (far western
building, below Pim's Pawn) or Sara's Fortunes
NOTE - This character is the only one that's permanently missable (barring the
point of no return, of course), and on top of that, his AI can be a bit
confusing (I still don't fully understand it), so to avoid needless headaches,
just head straight to Klaus' Clinic during your first visit to Minea, and you
should bump into him as you enter (or just hang around the clinic entrance for
a few seconds).  Anyway, as far as I can tell, while there are multiple
locations you can catch him in, I've found that after his initial appearance
from the clinic, the other scenarios are interchangeable; that is, it doesn't
seem possible to find him in all the scenarios in one playthrough, just two, or
so it seems.  Also, these are one-shot scenarios that you can't re-do if you do
happen to see him but fail to talk to him, so make them count (in each one, he
makes his way outside town, though you'll never see him outside Minea, I think).
The first opportunity is when he comes out of the clinic when you first arrive
in Minea (though this only seems to happen if you're within a certain range of
the clinic's entrance, so it's technically possible to still have this
encounter occur late in the game - though I doubt most players will avoid this
place entirely).  The second chance occurs after having seen him/been in range
of the first one (even if you didn't catch him); if you return to Minea anytime
after visiting Zepik, you can find him wandering to and from Betel's house,
stopping inside briefly (do note that this opportunity actually seems missable
if you stayed out of range of the clinic's entrance entirely so far, and have
already finished the Shrine - even if you then activate the clinic entrance one,
it seems one of the next scenarios is your last chance instead).  The last
chance seems to be a either/or situation (seems random as to which), and it
happens after receiving the Book of Ys from Sara's friend Franz, at which point
he'll randomly be coming from either Freddy's or Sara's houses (but you can't
actually find him inside them), and then he'll promptly make his way to the
town entrance, so it's best just to wait for him there in these scenarios (if
he's not showing up at the entrance after a while, it might mean he's stuck
somewhere due to trying to avoid one of the townsfolk - I sometimes find him
stuck outside Harrison's house, the far eastern building just south of Klaus'
Clinic XD).  Anyway, this is the last known time he appears, and I don't think
it matters if you saw/heard him this time or not (if you haven't figured it out
yet, the doors opening/closing you might have heard is actually him moving
around), so if you missed it and the others, then you've likely missed him for
good.  Additionally, I don't actually know for sure what triggers these last
locations, but I've only ever seen it if I first saw him coming out of the
clinic after finishing the Shrine (which means delaying his initial appearance,
essentially), and then re-entering town after receiving Sara's Book of Ys.
#44 - Nurse Lisa
- Encountered in Klaus' Clinic in Minea (far northeastern building)
#45 - Theodore
#46 - Bron
#47 - Old Man Mash
#48 - Kain (Cane)
#49 - Pim
- Encountered in Pim's Pawn in Minea (far northwestern building)
#50 - Charme (Charm)
- Encountered in Charme's house in Minea (building just west of the entrance to
Orman's Spirits)
#51 - Buck
- Encountered in Buck's house in Minea (building just southwest of the
#52 - Tabitha
#53 - Mayor Marcel
- Encountered in the Mayor's residence in Minea (building in the southeastern
area, just west of Rosetty's Weaponry/Dios' Armory)
#54 - Pamela
#55 - Rosetty (Rosetti)
- Encountered in Rosetty's Weaponry in Minea (left entrance of the far
southeastern building)
#56 - Dios
- Encountered in Dios' Armory in Minea (right entrance of the far southeastern
#57 - Old Man Betel (Bethel)
- Encountered in Betel's house in Minea (building in the southwestern area,
just east of Sara's Fortunes)
#58 - Lydia
#59 - Freddy
- Encountered in Freddy's house in Minea (far western building, below Pim's
Pawn)
#60 - Martha
#61 - Old Man Harrison
- Encountered in Harrison's house in Minea (far eastern building, below Klaus'
Clinic)
(after your first visit to Zepik)
NOTE - For the second location, in addition to needing to visit Zepik, this
character only appears with Reah near the ramparts if you haven't finished the
Shrine yet, and the Silver Harmonica isn't found yet (after all, it's possible
to find it before finishing the Shrine).  Also, this seems to only apply for
the first visit to Minea after visiting Zepik (even if you entered Zepik before
Minea); afterwards, he'll be in his usual location (Harrison's house).
#62 - Charlotte
Minea); afterwards, she'll be in her usual location (Harrison's house).
#63 - Ephy (Epi)
#64 - Sara (Sarah)
- Encountered in Sara's Fortunes in Minea (far southwestern building)
#65 - Jeba (Jevah)
- Encountered in Jeba's house in Zepik Village (far northeastern building)
#66 - Mayor Robels (Roberth)
- Encountered in the Mayor's residence in Zepik Village (middle building,
slightly southwest of Jeba's house)
#67 - Linda
- Encountered in Edda's house in Zepik Village (far northwestern building)
#68 - Mark
#69 - Granny Edda
#70 - Iris
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just outside Luta's house,
the far southwestern building)
- Encountered in Luta's house in Zepik Village (only if you finish the Luta
Gemma sidequest)
#71 - Clive
near the lake)
#72 - Old Man Lahan (Rohan)
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just east of the Minea Plains
#73 - Palma (Parma)
#74 - Old Man Cronen (Kronen)
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just outside Jeba's house,
the far northeastern building)
#75 - Demi
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just outside the Mayor's
residence, the middle building slightly southwest of Jeba's house)
#76 - Old Man Pablo
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village on the lake's pier (southeast of Jeba's
house)
NOTE - If you've progressed the game to where Feena's out on the lake's pier,
this character seems to be temporarily unavailable.  He'll be back in this
location when Feena's back inside Jeba's house, so don't worry about missing
As an aside, if you want some actual dialogue from him (well, sort of =p),
speak to him after Jeba sends you off to see Goban.
#77 - Granny Lucia
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just outside Edda's house,
southwest of the Mountain Path entrance)
#78 - Elbert
#79 - Granny Soya
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just southeast of the
Mountain Path entrance, in the patch of trees above Jeba's house)
#80 - Granny Tohbe (Tove)
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just southeast of the Minea
Plains entrance)
#81 - Old Man Corvo (Corbo)
- Encountered outside in Zepik Village (generally just south of the Mountain
Path entrance)
#82 - Goban
- Encountered in the Thieves' Den (Bandits' Stronghold)
- Encountered in the Passage within the Thieves' Den (when entering Darm Tower)
#83 - Lugan the Thief (Rugang)
NOTE - To get this entry to show up, you ordinarily need to speak with Goban,
and then to this character.  Alternatively, you can bring Feena here during the
escort mission, and talk to him then without needing to speak to Goban first.
#84 - Morgan the Thief
#85 - Feena
- Encountered in the rightmost prison cell on B1 of the Shrine
NOTE - While you originally find Feena within the Shrine, you do not get this
character entry until you escort her to Zepik Village.  At this point, she'll
be in the second location, inside Jeba's house.  To find her awake at this spot,
you simply need to exit and re-enter Zepik anytime after rescuing her.  For the
third location, you must have manually talked to her inside Jeba's house, as
well as have received the Book of Ys from Sara's friend Franz in Minea (happens
anytime after finding the Book of Ys from the Shrine).  After talking to her
out on the lake, as well as reporting Sara's murder to Jeba and asking her to
read the Books of Ys, you will find her back in Jeba's house, where she'll stay
for the remainder of the game.
#86 - Luta Gemma (Luther)
- Encountered on the northern Minea Plains (the screen south of the
northwestern Roda Tree)
- Encountered in Luta's house in Zepik Village (only if you finish the
sidequest involving him)
- Encountered in the rightmost prison cell on B1 of Darm Tower
- Encountered on the 11F of Darm Tower (western portion, along the balcony
where the Hammer is used to get through the Devil's Corridor)
NOTE - You can only find Luta Gemma in the first three locations as part of a
sidequest.  First, you can find him in Dr. Bludo's Clinic if you've already
spoken to his wife Iris in Zepik Village at least once beforehand, and you've
talked to Dr. Bludo after receiving a weapon (if Dr. Bludo hasn't made the
sword comment yet, then you need to do that, and then exit and re-enter town
before Luta will show up).  After that encounter, you'll find him being
attacked by a Curloid on the northern Minea Plains, the only screen with the
Pikkard enemies south of the northwestern Roda Tree (usually, you'll find him
in the far northeastern corner, near the transition point to the Roda Tree
screen).  After killing the Curloid, you'll automatically be back in Zepik, and
until you enter Darm Tower, you can find him inside his house (the far
southwestern building).
Even if you don't do that sidequest, he must be found and spoken to a couple
times in Darm Tower.  The first is when you get caught in the tower's cell trap,
he'll be in there with you (if you get caught more than once, he won't be in
the other cells with you).  Later during your tower climb, you'll encounter him
injured on the western portion of floor 11, where he'll stay for the rest of
#87 - Dogi
- Encountered in the prison cells on B1 of Darm Tower
- Encountered on 7F of Darm Tower (in the far northwestern corner)
NOTE - For the first time you get caught in the teleport trap, in order for
Dogi to show up, you must talk to Luta Gemma in the cell with you at least once,
as well as search for at least one way out (the bars, and the walls in the
northeast and southeast of the room); after that, it's just a matter of time
before he arrives.  Afterwards, you can find him in the far northwestern corner
of floor 7, but you don't need to speak to him there (and even if you somehow
get captured again at this point, don't worry, he'll still come and bust you
out).
#88 - Raba (Rauba)
- Encountered in a hidden room on 3F of Darm Tower (use the Mask of Eyes
between the 8th and 9th statues)
- Encountered in a small room along the Devil's Corridor in Darm Tower (eastern
portion of floor 11)
- Encountered on 13F of Darm Tower (the first mirror maze)
NOTE - For the first location, you need to equip the Mask of Eyes in order to
enter the hidden room, and then un-equip it once inside so you can see and talk
to Raba.  As for the second location, you'll only encounter him locked up in
that small room in the Devil's Corridor before smashing the balcony pillar to
get through, so it is possible you may not see him there.  After clearing the
Devil's Corridor, you'll find him injured on floor 13, where he'll stay for the
rest of the game (though you don't actually need to speak to him there either).
Enemies                                                                [YS1ENM]
Here's a comprehensive list of the enemies encountered in Ys I, as well as
where to find them.  Their stats are also listed, which you can view for
yourself in-game by finding and drinking the Beastiary Potion (located in a
chest on the northern Minea Plains - equip and use it), then killing them a
certain amount of times.  For the Eternal and Complete versions, this number is
random (at least 5, it seems like, often more), and may take a while before you
learn anything about them, but the bright side is that there's no "official"
listing, just what you see if you pull up your status (for those versions, the
"S" key), and it doesn't list the EXP or Gold stats, so it could potentially
take less kills than in Chronicles (usually not, though).  For the Chronicles
versions, it seems to be exactly 1 kill for their name, followed by 5 kills to
randomly learn one of their other stats, meaning it's a total of 26 kills to
completely fill in their entries.  Do note that the EXP and Gold stats are only
listed in the "Notes" section, not on the main screen, so be wary of that if
you're trying to completely fill in those sections (especially for the Steam
version, which awards the achievement "Monster Masher" for unlocking all of the
non-boss enemy stats).  Bosses are automatically filled in upon beating them
(so long as you drank the Beastiary Potion, that is), but there's no way to
know their stats in the Eternal or Complete versions, as they weren't revealed
until the Chronicles versions.
For the stat listings, names are listed first by their English localized name
in either Chronicles version, followed by the Romanized Japanese name in
parentheses (if it's different).  As for HP, it varies by difficulty (early
enemies especially - bosses are completely excluded from this, however), so
I'll list them in order, starting with Easy difficulty (the max value is 255,
so some enemies on Hard and Nightmare will have the same amount).  The STR and
DEF values aren't shown to be recorded differently between difficulties, but
the damage taken/received does increase/decrease (I suspect there's separate
formulas for that, probably using the Hard difficulty (Eternal's Normal) as a
base).  The EXP and Gold stats also don't change at all, although some of the
early enemies do have slightly altered values between Eternal and the other
versions; when this happens, the Complete/Chronicles stats will be listed first,
followed by Eternal (as Eternal is likely the least played version).  Speaking
of Eternal, I believe the HP values coincide with Complete/Chronicles' Hard
difficulty (in Eternal, the only difference between Easy and Normal seems to be
the damage taken/received).
#1 - Pikkard (Picard)
HP - 4 / 5 / 8 / 12
DEF - 8
EXP - 1
- Encountered on the northern Minea Plains (on the screen south of the
NOTE - Technically, this enemy can also be found in the pikkard pen in Port
Barbado, though you can't actually get inside and kill them (if you could reach
them, I suspect they would be killable, as the Mirror still freezes them in
place like a normal enemy).  Also, the northern Minea Plains refers to the
primary section (north of Minea), not the portion in between Port Barbado and
Minea.
Speaking of these critters in Port Barbado, there appears to be 3-5 of them to
start out with (randomly determined when entering the village).  For each level
you gain, an additional one will be added to the pen.  So, at level 2 there
will be anywhere from 4-6 pikkards at a time.  There appears to be a maximum of
13, even though level 10 should theoretically have a maximum of 14 (though I
believe the minimum is then raised to 12, whereas level 9's minimum is 11 -
maybe there's some kind of sprite limit, or something).  Anyway, this can be
done at any point in the game, even in the very beginning, if so desired.
#2 - Curloid (Curloyd)
HP - 12 / 17 / 25 / 37
EXP - 4 / 2*
GOLD - 10
- Encountered on the southern Minea Plains
- Encountered on the northern Minea Plains
NOTE - This enemy gives 2 EXP in Eternal, but 4 in the Complete/Chronicles
versions.  Also, the southern Minea Plains refers to the area between Port
Barbado and Minea.  The northern Minea Plains refers to the primary section
north of Minea.
#3 - Oakrot (Oacrot)
NOTE - The southern Minea Plains refers to the area between Port Barbado and
Minea.  The northern Minea Plains refers to the primary section north of Minea.
#4 - Rheboll
versions.  Also, the northern Minea Plains refers to the primary section (north
of Minea), not the portion in between Port Barbado and Minea.
Also, in the Chronicles version of the game, you can learn this enemy's name by
asking Slaff about the Militia, but it still takes 26 kills to completely learn
its stats.
#5 - Unugun
GOLD - 25 / 14*
- Encountered on the Mountain Path
versions.  The Gold stat was also changed for some reason, giving 14 in Eternal,
but 25 in Complete/Chronicles.
#6 - Uhnos
EXP - 40
- Encountered on B1 of the Shrine
#7 - Bulner (Bolner)
#8 - Looter
- Encountered on B1 of the Shrine (in the left prison cell)
#9 - Rescoyd
HP - 50 / 70 / 100 / 150
#10 - Lyus
#11 - Dinvel
#12 - Nubbrow (Nubrrow)
HP - 90 / 126 / 180 / 255
- Encountered on 1F (Level 1) of the Abandoned Mine
#13 - Gryel
#14 - Othcross (Othclos)
#15 - Dynick
HP - 100 / 140 / 200 / 255
- Encountered on B1 (Level 2) of the Abandoned Mine
#16 - Menon
#17 - Karon
#18 - Chelasken
HP - 127 / 178 / 255
#19 - Lemendy (Limendy)
#20 - Brayzal
#21 - Riffligan (Refrygun)
- Encountered on 1F of Darm Tower
#22 - Jestona
#23 - Accumate (Acumate)
- Encountered on 6F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, the section where the Large
Shield can be found, if you didn't buy it beforehand)
#24 - Normous (Normass)
- Encountered on 9F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, after opening the chest
where the Silver Shield can be re-obtained)
#25 - Genoid (Zinoyd)
- Encountered on 9F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, the same floor where the
Silver Shield can be re-obtained)
#26 - Xomack
- Encountered on 10F of Darm Tower
#27 - Vilvan
#28 - Wilewarer
- Encountered on 14F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, a small section of the
mirror maze you pass through on the way to floor 15)
#29 - Irebolg (Irebowg)
127 HP (178 N, 255 H/NM), 256 STR, 144 DEF, 510 EXP, 280 GOLD
- Encountered on the Sky Bridge in Darm Tower (the bridge leading to Rado's
Annex, accessed via the far southwestern corner of floor 16)
#30 - Molfess (Molfes)
- Encountered on 1F of Rado's Annex (Tower of Lado) in Darm Tower
#31 - Kelmarel
#32 - Selnarg (Selnurge)
#33 - Chryolos
- Encountered on 19F of Darm Tower (eastern portion, the same floor where the
Battle Armor can be found)
#34 - Twarth (Towars)
#35 - Euchreas
#36 - Bordisch (Bordish)
#37 - Jenocres
- Encountered on the top floor of the Shrine
NOTE - This boss does fixed damage to you (varies by difficulty), regardless of
your DEF, so his STR stat is likely just a placeholder.
Also, this boss can reasonably be fought one level lower in Eternal compared to
Complete/Chronicles, plus he deals slightly less damage (though it's still a
fixed amount).  This leads me to believe that his Eternal version actually has
lower STR and DEF compared to Complete/Chronicles, but since boss stats were
not revealed in Eternal or Complete, I cannot verify this for certain (the
other stats appear to be the same, HP included).
#38 - Nygtilger
#39 - Vagullion
EXP - 5,000 EXP
- Encountered in the Depths (Mystic Chamber) of the Abandoned Mine (accessed
via the door in the far southwest corner of B2 (Level 3))
#40 - Pictimos
- Encountered on 9F of Darm Tower (western portion, not the area with the
Silver Shield)
#41 - Khonsclard
EXP - 10,000 EXP (5,000 x 2)*
- Encountered on floor 14 of Darm Tower (western portion, not the mirror maze
section)
your DEF (you could go without armor, and it wouldn't make a difference here),
so his STR stat is likely just a placeholder.
Also, this boss actually awards a total of 10,000 EXP, even though his entry
only indicates 5,000.  This is because the game mistakenly awards the EXP at
two separate points - once immediately after killing him, and once after your
HP is refilled (this is when you normally receive boss EXP).  Too bad it's
likely useless to you at this point, unless you somehow managed to get here
under-leveled.
#42 - Yogleks & Omulgun (Yogleks & Omrgan)
- Encountered on 21F of Darm Tower (after passing through the mirror behind the
door in the mirror maze)
#43 - Dark Fact (Dalk Fukt)
NOTE - Even if you manage to get here at level 9 (the current lowest known
level to finish the game), you actually do the same amount of damage to this
boss (when properly equipped, of course), so his DEF stat is likely another
placeholder value (unfortunately, the same cannot be said of his STR stat).
Also, in the Eternal and Complete versions of the game, he awards no EXP
whatsoever, but he gives 5,000 EXP in Chronicles, likely to keep consistent
with most other bosses (plus, Ys II's final boss always awarded EXP in
Eternal/Complete).  Of course, being the last enemy you face, it's a pretty
useless reward.
Steam Achievements                                                     [YS1ACH]
The Steam version of Chronicles has achievements for doing certain things
throughout the game, almost all of them being purely optional.  Most of them
have to be done at certain points in the game, so it's easy to miss some.
Here's how to unlock them.
Hello, My Name Is Adol
- Speak to every character in the game at least once
TIME LIMIT - None, though at least characters #1 - #85 need to be spoken to
before entering Darm Tower, possibly #86 as well.
NOTE - A couple of characters only show up in the "Notes" section (which is how
this achievement is tracked) under certain circumstances, even if you've
already spoken to them, so be sure they're actually listed (examples would be
Feena before taking her to Zepik, and speaking to Goban's cohorts without
speaking to him first).  Also, note that #43 - Doctor Klaus - is missable, so
it's best to catch him as soon as you enter Minea (coming out of the clinic).
By the time you enter Darm Tower, you should have #1 - #86 filled in, though
#86 - Luta Gemma - can be found earlier in the game as well.  Please refer to
the "Characters" section for Ys I if you need help finding someone.
Monster Masher
- Unlock all stats for every non-boss enemy
TIME LIMIT - None, though enemies #1 - #20 need to be killed before entering
NOTE - You need to find and drink the Beastiary Potion (equip and use it)
before the stats will start to be revealed.  Be sure you're also learning their
EXP and Gold values, as those are only listed on the "Notes" screen, not on the
main one.  In the Chronicles versions, you need to kill an enemy a total of 26
times to reveal all of their stats (1 for their name, and 5 for their other
stats, revealed in a random order).  Please refer to the "Enemies" section for
Ys I if you need help finding an enemy.
De-Fact-o
- Beat the game on any difficulty
TIME LIMIT - None.
NOTE - I believe you can obtain this and the "Into the Sky" achievement at the
same time, if your first playthrough is on the Nightmare difficulty.
Into the Sky
- Beat the game on the Nightmare difficulty
NOTE - I believe you can obtain this and the "De-Fact-o" achievement at the
Bump Master
- Beat Time Attack
NOTE - Time Attack is unlocked upon beating the game once (I think you actually
need to sit through the credits before the option is selectable from the main
menu, so don't quit prematurely).  Anyway, its difficulty is automatically set
to Normal, and your equipment and level is already set as well; basically, you
face them with the setup you're expected to have at that point in the game
(perhaps a tad lower for the first two if you grinded extra).  Anyway, you have
to complete it all in one go, so good luck; if you've finished the game on Hard
or Nightmare, this shouldn't be much trouble.
Sworded Details
- Speak to everyone in Port Barbado at least once, then to Slaff about all 4
discussion topics to receive a free Short Sword
TIME LIMIT - Before purchasing a weapon in Minea.
NOTE - As noted above, this achievement is unavailable the moment you buy a
weapon in Minea, even if it is just the Long Sword.
Seriously Sworded Details
- Speak to Slaff after saving Feena to receive a free Talwar
TIME LIMIT - After saving Feena, but before entering Darm Tower.
NOTE - If you buy a Talwar in Minea (first available after finishing the
Shrine), you can't get this achievement.  Also, there's a free Talwar in a
chest in Darm Tower (if you didn't get it from either of the above locations),
but the Steam description specifically mentions getting one *before* entering
the tower, so that won't work either (or so I assume, as I can't actually
verify this).
The Pim's-Lower Approach
- Refuse an offer from Pim 9 times (doesn't matter if you're buying or selling)
TIME LIMIT - Before entering Darm Tower.
NOTE - As noted above, I believe you can get this when you're first buying or
selling an item at Pim's (it shouldn't matter which), but it does need to be
during one visit, and the 9 refusals need to come from the same transaction
(for instance, you can't refuse to buy the Sapphire Ring 5 times, then a Wing 4
times, and expect to get the discount).  Also note that while it doesn't matter
if you're buying or selling to get this achievement, if you want both the
buying and selling bonuses, you need to do the refusals once when buying, and
once when selling; after you do it once, the 10% bonus is automatically applied
to all future offers of that kind.
Some Kind of Sorcerer
- Use the Mirror around a non-enemy character
NOTE - I'm not 100% certain on the time limit, but it *should* apply to the
characters within Darm Tower, as they also give reactions to you using the
Mirror.  However, it's probably best that you pair this with the "Forever Level
One To Me" achievement, as that requires using the Mirror when Feena's around
(the character's importance doesn't seem to matter, so long as they're listed
in the characters' "Notes" section).
Forever Level One To Me
- Use the Mirror to enable Feena to kill an enemy
TIME LIMIT - During the Feena escort mission, before entering Zepik.
NOTE - Under normal circumstances, you can't return to Minea for a Mirror
during the escort mission, so you need to have one in your possession before
the escort mission starts.  Anyway, probably the easiest enemy to use for this
is the Unugun, the enemies on the Mountain Path; another easy one is the Looter
in the prison cell left of Feena's.  After using the Mirror, you need to
manipulate Feena in such a way so that she walks into the enemy, but as she's
rather weak, it may be better to use an enemy against a wall (like that Looter
in the prison cell), and push Feena into it.  If done right, this eliminates
her knockback, meaning she can deal damage quicker.  You only need to level her
up once, but you can level her up again if you kill 3 additional enemies,
though this is kind of tricky to do if your Mirror only has 3 uses (it randomly
breaks after 3-5 uses, determined when you get it), but it's still possible.
Hey Baby, What's Your Width?
- Push Feena into a narrow corridor on B1 of the Shrine to learn her
NOTE - The corridor in question is just southwest of the stairs leading back to
the top floor of the Shrine.  Make Feena enter it first, and push her as far
back as possible.  I believe you can pair this with the "I Can't See You, But I
Can Feel You" achievement, provided you do this while wearing the Mask of Eyes
equipped.  Either way, it's recommended that you save your game before doing
this, as you can only do this once per playthrough (plus, her dialogue is
slightly different both times).
I Can't See You, But I Can Feel You
- Push Feena into a narrow corridor on B1 of the Shrine with the Mask of Eyes
equipped to learn her measurements
NOTE - As noted above, the corridor in question is just southwest of the stairs
leading back to the top floor of the Shrine.  Make sure you have the Mask of
Eyes equipped, then make Feena enter the corridor first, and push her as far
back as possible.  I believe you can pair this with the "Hey Baby, What's Your
Width?" achievement if you do this with the Mask of Eyes equipped.  Either way,
it's recommended that you save your game before doing this, as you can only do
this once per playthrough (plus, her dialogue is slightly different both times).
That Wacky Minstrel
- Speak to Iris in Zepik, encounter Luta Gemma in Barbado's clinic afterwards,
then save him from a Curloid on the northern Minea Plains
NOTE - As noted above, you need to talk to Iris at least once to get this
sidequest started.  After that, head to the clinic in Barbado, and provided you
spoke to the doctor after receiving a weapon, Luta should be there chatting
with Bludo and Ayla.  If he's not there, you need to speak to Bludo/Ayla after
getting a weapon, then exit and re-enter Barbado for him to show up (this is
likely to ensure you can finish this quest, as it would otherwise be possible
to do it weaponless at level 1, which is no good).  After witnessing the clinic
scene, head to the northern Minea Plains, specifically the screen with the
Pikkards one screen south of the northwestern Roda Tree.  You should hear Luta
being attacked somewhere on this screen (generally in the far northeastern
corner, near the transition point to the Roda Tree screen), so kill the Curloid
attacking him to complete this sidequest.
- Return the Piece of Paper to Reah after returning the Silver Harmonica
NOTE - As noted above, you can only give this to Reah after returning the
Silver Harmonica, so do that first.  To actually give it to her, equip and use
it when standing near her.  Also note that you *cannot* do this sidequest when
encountering her later in Rado's Annex, so be sure you do it before entering
Adol the Wall-Crusher-Enabler
- Get caught in the teleport trap in Darm Tower two additional times
NOTE - Even if you've already encountered Dogi further up the tower, he'll
still come and bust you out, so this achievement *should* be obtainable right
up to the end of the game, but I cannot confirm this for certain.  Do note that
if you've re-obtained any of your Silver equipment, it'll just get swiped again
upon getting captured, so it's best to do this achievement as soon as possible
(if you still have it, try using the Idol both times for some amusing dialogue).
Gold Is the New Silver
- Max out your gold
Esteria, We Hardly Knew Ye
- Unlock all other achievements
Time Attack                                                            [YS1TME]
First off, do note that this was a feature not present in the Eternal version,
only in Complete on upwards.  Anyway, upon beating the game once and watching
the credits all the way through, Time Attack is then selectable from the main
menu.  It's just going through the bosses in sequential order, with your levels
and equipment being pre-set for each one.  The difficulty of this cannot be
altered, but it appears to be set to Normal (unlike Ys II, which is set to Easy
difficulty), so it shouldn't be too much trouble.  However, if you die at any
point throughout this, you'll have to restart this mode from scratch,
regardless of which boss you died on.  Completing this in the Steam version
awards you the "Bump Master" achievement, but otherwise it's just a typical
time attack - see how low of a time you can get (my best is 3:19:87 at the time
of this writing, done on the Complete version).
Alen Smithy's Graveyard                                                [GRVYRD]
First off, a huge thanks to Nunuu for a lot of this information, as I very
likely wouldn't have known about this otherwise.  Do note that this reward is
exclusive to the Eternal version, and completely inaccessible in the Complete
and Chronicles versions.  Nunuu mentions that Adol "kind of" has dialogue at
certain points during this, so the blue boxes you see are probably his, but I
don't understand Japanese, so I've absolutely no idea what's going on. =p
Anyway, you can get to Alen Smithy's Graveyard (don't ask me who that is =p) by
beating the game and watching the credits all the way through, and then
starting a new game (loading up an old file will not work).  During this new
game, make your way to the Minea Plains screen that has the pikkards (the
screen south of the northwestern Roda Tree), and let them kill you.  Now,
instead of just loading up a file, press "Y", "S", and "Enter" together, and
you will find yourself in a strange area, with all of your equipment and items
taken away.  Follow the creature (it's probably a Roo from Ys II) to the right,
and you may see it enter a computer monitor in the top right, but no matter
what you do, you won't be fast enough to catch it.  You should see another
weird looking creature here, so talk to it and it will ask you a question.
Choose the top answer, and it'll lead you to the developers' room.  If you
choose the bottom answer, a mob of Roos and humans (Falcom staff's, maybe? XD)
will charge you, and the creature will give you another chance (get it wrong
this time, and you'll be instantly killed, kind of like if you had the Evil
Ring equipped without protection - do not do the "Y", "S", and "Enter" combo if
you die like this).  Regarding the creature, Nunuu says it's Gau, a creature
from Popful Mail, another Falcom game (which is apparently what the question is
about).
Anyway, inside the developers' room, there are several interesting things you
can do.  Talk to the guy that looks like he's working out a couple times, and
he'll return to his seat.  After he sits down, talk to him again, and choose
the top option to see a couple pictures of Elena from Ys III (use either the
"Escape" or right mouse button to exit them).  After seeing both of them, talk
to the guy on the other side of the room, in the top right.  He'll eventually
say something about Ys III (I think), and then the guy that showed you the
Elena pictures will subject you to a quiz (you need to get 8 right to exit it,
otherwise it seems to go on forever - good luck =p).  Also of note, the guy
above the exercising one will eventually show you a picture of Feena, provided
you've seen both Elena pictures.  The guy above him also changes dialogue
eventually after seeing the Elena pictures (but again, I've no clue at all
what's going on here).  Finally, if you talk to the sleeping guy on the ground
9 times, he'll get really pissed as you try to walk away, and do this really
cool-looking combo that completely obliterates poor Adol.
You can talk to the other staff members if you like, but that's the most
notable stuff you can do here, to my knowledge.  Aside from getting killed by
the guy sleeping on the ground, the only other way to leave is to load up a
previous file.  If you wish to come back, you can now do so any time you
receive a game over, though it's not recommended to do so when getting killed
by the Evil Ring's curse (Nunuu notes that you can, however, fall into the void
during the Dark Fact battle, and doing the "Y", "S", and "Enter" combo there
will show a "ghostly" Adol in the graveyard XD - it's only a visual effect,
however).
6.  Ys II Appendices                                                   [YS2APD]
course of Ys II, as well as a couple of notable extras.  As there are quite a
Here's a comprehensive list of the equipment items in Ys II, as well as their
- Buy from Guido's Armory in Lance Village for 200 gold
- Given to you by Leggs in the Ruins of Moondoria if you didn't purchase a
weapon earlier
NOTE - In order to receive a Short Sword from Leggs, you not only can't buy a
weapon from Guido (even if you save up for just the Long Sword or Talwar), you
can only get one from him if you do this before retrieving the Rod of Divinity
from the Ruins.  If you try to get it from him afterwards, even if you're still
weaponless, he'll just say his normal text regarding the Rod and magic, so be
sure to speak to him as soon as possible.
- Buy from Guido's Armory in Lance Village for 1,000 gold
- Buy from Zalem's Battle Best in Ramia Village for 1,000 gold
Hyper Cutter
- Buy from Zalem's Battle Best in Ramia Village for 10,000 gold
Battle Sword
- Found in a chest in a hidden room of the Subterranean Canal (central section,
after the canal is drained, in the far southwestern corner)
Cleria Sword (Clelia Sword)
- Given to you by Sada in the Subterranean Canal after undoing the
petrification curse (eastern section, in the far southwestern corner)
NOTE - This item is essential to beating the last two bosses, otherwise you
have no hope of winning.
Wooden Shield (Wood Shield)
- Buy from Zalem's Battle Best in Ramia Village for 100 gold
Iron Shield
- Found in a chest inside the Shrine of Solomon (Dabbie's sector)
- Found in a chest in the central part of Solomon Shrine (where you warp to
after using the Silver Pendant, in the East Wing)
Cleria Shield (Clelia Shield)
- Given to you by Luta Gemma in the Core of Ancient Ys
Breast Plate
NOTE - If you want to purchase this from Guido, you first have to sell him the
Iron Ore.  After that, you need to then activate a screen transition anytime
after selling the first piece of Iron Ore (anything aside from Guido's shop
will work).  This gets Lazlo started on the new armor, and at that point, you
simply need to enter and exit any 3 buildings within Lance (Guido's shop will
work this time, but places like Gila's Basement and the clinic's pigeon loft
won't; oddly, the village entrance will work), and then enter Guido's shop
again.  Inside, Lazlo should be standing off to the side, next to some new
armor on the stands (even if he's not there, you should at least see the new
armor displays), which you can then purchase from Guido.  Otherwise, this can
be bought immediately from Zalem, regardless of prior events with Guido.
- Found in a chest in the Subterranean Canal (western section, after the canal
is drained, just southeast of the floodgate room)
Cleria Armor (Clelia Armor)
- Given to you by Hadat in Ramia Village after receiving the Cleria Sword from
- Found in a chest inside the Rasteenie Mine
USAGE - Equip to receive the ability to shoot fireballs.  Small fireballs
normally drain your MP by 1 for every 5 shots (10 with the Ring of Ease
equipped), whereas charged fireballs take 2-3 shots (5 with the Ring of Ease
equipped) per MP, but deal more damage (how long you charge effects the damage,
and perhaps the MP cost).  This magic is essential to defeating most bosses.
NOTE - This magic's attack power is derived from your STR stat in some way (I'm
not exactly sure how), so even if you use this as your primary attack method,
be sure to keep your strongest weapon equipped.
Light Magic
- Found in a chest deep inside the Rasteenie Mine (after defeating Velagunder)
USAGE - Equip to reveal hidden secrets.  Drains MP by 1 gradually over the
course of 3 seconds or so (6 or so with the Ring of Ease equipped).  This magic
is needed to obtain the Sacred Cup in the Shrine of Solomon (Dabbie's sector),
but it's not necessary until that point, as the Mine's hidden rooms can be
entered without it, though using it does create a ripple effect to enable you
to see those entrances).
Return Magic
- Given to you by Banoa in Lance Village (after curing Lilia's illness)
USAGE - Equip to receive the ability to warp to safe places previously visited
during your journey.  Drains 20 MP per use (10 with the Ring of Ease equipped).
NOTE - While you technically never need to use this magic, it needs to be
obtained in order to receive the Scroll of Guidance from Priest Fact, at which
point you can enter the Ice Ridge of Noltia.
Alter Magic (Telepathy Magic)
- Found in a chest on the Ice Ridge of Noltia
USAGE - Equip to turn into a Roo, and vice versa to change back to a human.
This grants you the ability to speak with enemies (though it doesn't work on
bosses), effectively being able to avoid combat.  Drains MP by 1 gradually over
the course of 3 seconds or so (5 or so with the Ring of Ease equipped).  This
magic is needed to gain Ruba's trust in the Colony of Lava so he'll tell you
about the imprisonment of his son, Tarf.  It is also needed to speak with the
guards to get inside the Shrine of Solomon, as well as to get past certain
checkpoints within (at one point, it needs to be coupled with the Whisper
Earrings to overhear a crucial piece of information).
NOTE - When Dalles transforms you into a demon, you are unable to un-equip this
magic and turn back into a human, though it doesn't drain MP in this state (you
are still able to use other magic like this, however).
Time Magic (Time Stop Magic)
USAGE - Equip to receive the ability to freeze time momentarily (about 3
seconds or so).  Drains 6 MP per use (3 with the Ring of Ease equipped).  This
even works against Druegar and Zava, but using it against Dalles and Darm will
cause it to backfire, making you the one that's frozen temporarily.
NOTE - The Eternal version has a bug where using this upon re-entering
Druegar's room (after activating the boss fight at some point prior), you can
touch the door and skip the fight altogether if it's activated quickly enough.
In addition, it can be used at the beginning of the Zava boss fight to freeze
Zava in her human form, which can then be finished off via physical attacks.
However, to win the fight, you still have to deal with her as normal), but if
you kill off her physical form enough times (via exiting and re-entering the
fight), you can learn its stats (as this is the Eternal version, her STR stat
needs to be learned by letting her deal damage to you), which are actually
different from her boss form.  Do note that both of these bugs were fixed in
Complete on upwards, even though evidence of the Zava one still remains in
later versions.
Shield Magic
- Found in a chest in the Core of Ancient Ys
USAGE - Equip to be invulnerable to all enemy attacks, as well as reflect
collision damage (this does not include "wind-up" or projectile attacks) back
to the enemy for precisely one third of its total health.  This drains your MP
rapidly (about 2 per second or so; the Ring of Ease doesn't seem to slow its MP
consumption in any way), but decreases even faster when you're hit while using
this (how much depends on the difficulty, I believe).
NOTE - If this is equipped during a boss fight (under normal circumstances,
Darm is the only one this applies to), it cannot be un-equipped without first
completely depleting your MP.  However, doing this requires you to be on the
Easy difficulty, as higher difficulties do not allow you to change your
equipment in the middle of a boss fight.
Spirit Cape (Cape of Holy Spirit)
- Found in a chest in a hidden cave on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (the screen
after where the Misty Ice Drops were used, underneath the first set of steps)
even faster rate when you have this accessory equipped.
Hawk Idol
USAGE - Equip to be able to home your fireballs to nearby enemies.
NOTE - Equipping this has a tendency to curve your shots unfavorably if you use
it too close to an enemy at an odd angle (for instance, standing above an enemy,
but facing off to the side).
Falcon Idol
- Found in a chest in the Subterranean Canal (central section, after the canal
is drained)
USAGE - Equip to be able to home your fireballs to nearby enemies.  If a
charged shot is used, it splits into multiple homing small ones upon impact at
no extra MP cost.
NOTE - As with the Hawk Idol, equipping this has a tendency to curve your shots
unfavorably if you use it too close to an enemy at an odd angle (for instance,
standing above an enemy, but facing off to the side).  The upside is, if it
hits something (your shots can dissipate if they float around too long without
impact), the resulting small fireballs can potentially still make a missed shot
worthwhile, though of course not as much had the charged fireball connected
first.
Cleria Ring (Clelia Ring)
- Found in a chest inside the Sanctuary of Toal (the section containing Priest
Dabbie's tomb)
USAGE - Equip for a chance to nullify enemy damage when taking a hit.
Ring of Ease
- Found in a chest inside the Shrine of Solomon (Fact's sector)
USAGE - Equip to cut the cost of magic in half (does not seem to apply to
Shield Magic).
Goddess Ring (Goddess' Ring)
- Given to you by Lilia in the Core of Ancient Ys
USAGE - Equip to increase your base STR and DEF by 2.  If worn during the boss
battle with Darm, it'll hold him in place periodically throughout the battle,
enabling you to hit him much easier.
Here's a comprehensive list of the inventory items in Ys II, as well as their
- You start the game with this item
USAGE - Return to Priest Hadal in one of the Sanctuary of Toal sections.  This
must be returned before you can investigate Gila's Basement to find Priest Fact
to help reach the Ice Ridge of Noltia.
USAGE - Return to Priest Tovah in one of the Sanctuary of Toal sections.  This
USAGE - Return to Priest Dabbie in one of the Sanctuary of Toal sections.  This
USAGE - Return to Priest Mesa in one of the Sanctuary of Toal sections.  This
USAGE - Return to Priest Fact in the Sanctuary of Toal section near Gila's
Basement.  To even reach this place, you need to have returned the first 5
Books of Ys.  Only then can you accept Gila's request to investigate his
basement, where you then ring the Evil Bell to make your way to Priest Fact's
tomb.
Ancient Tablet (Ancient Slate)
- Found along one of the walls in the Ruins of Moondoria (the dead end with the
Cauction, directly south of where the Roda Fruit is found)
USAGE - Read this (equip and use it) to receive a hint on how to open the
sealed door within the Sanctuary of Toal.  It can also be shown to Masontorch
of Lance Village once obtained, but otherwise, the item is completely useless,
and serves no practical purpose.
Rod of Divinity (Staff of Divinity)
- Found in a chest in the Ruins of Moondoria (the one guarded by the rock
golems (Godaago))
USAGE - To reach this item, you have to be able to kill the Godaagos guarding
it, which requires a minimum of 29-30 STR (level 4 with the Long Sword, level 6
with the Short Sword).  Once you obtain it, touch the Goddess Statue near Leggs,
and you'll be granted MP to use magic.  Even though you can find the Fire Magic
before this point, you will be unable to use it without doing the above step,
as magic consumes MP, which you won't otherwise have.  This must be done before
facing the boss in the Rasteenie Mine.
- Found in a hidden room deep inside the Rasteenie Mine (after defeating
Velagunder - there are two pieces to obtain here)
- Found in a small corridor in the Moat of Burnedbless
USAGE - Sell to Guido for 3,000/6,000 gold.  Guido will initially offer you
3,000 gold, but if you decide to wait until after seeing the small scene with
Dalles and Darm when entering the Ice Ridge of Noltia, he'll up his offer to
6,000 gold.  However, this only applies to the first piece you sell him, and
then he'll change his price back to 3,000 for any other pieces you might find.
If you sold the first piece too early, there's no way to get the 6,000 gold
offer in that file.  Anyway, upon selling the first piece of Iron Ore, Lazlo
will get to work on some new body armors (after a screen transition anywhere
inside Lance's walls, except for back inside Guido's), which will be available
for purchase upon entering and exiting a few buildings within Lance's walls
(once Lazlo's in the shop, entering and exiting Guido's will work).
NOTE - As noted above, there are in fact two pieces of Iron Ore in the other
hidden room deep inside the Rasteenie Mine.  Both pieces are in the exact same
spot, but to get the other one, you have to sell the first piece to Guido, and
then come back for the second piece, as you unfortunately can't carry more than
one of these at a time.
Blizzard Bulb (Bulb of Blizzard)
- Found hovering above an icy stand on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (near the
southwest corner of the first screen)
USAGE - This item is needed to continue exploring the Ice Ridge of Noltia.  It
is used inside the first cave there to form a frozen path across the chasm in
the southwestern corner (equip and use it where the icy draft is).
Shrine Key (Palace Key)
- Given to you by Lilia in the basement of the Runaways' Hideout (located in
the western section of the Subterranean Canal, in the southwestern corner)
USAGE - Use this to unlock most of the locked doors located throughout the
Shrine of Solomon.
Floodgate Key (Canal Key)
- Given to you by Keith in the Subterranean Canal (central section, in the far
northeastern corner)
USAGE - Use this to access the floodgate room in the western section of the
Subterranean Canal.  Pull the level within to drain the canal waters, which
will allow you to reach the Goddesses' Palace and Campanile of Lane (the Bell
Tower).
Whisper Earrings (Earring of Whisper)
- Given to you by Ruba in the Colony of Lava (after offering to rescue Tarf)
USAGE - Equip this to hear faint sounds.  You need to wear this item to speak
with Tarf through a cracked wall in the Moat of Burnedbless.  You also need to
use them to overhear the password to the western portion of the Shrine of
Solomon from the meeting room (in Fact's sector, to the northeast).
Lila Shell (Shell of Lila)
- Given to you by Hadat in Ramia Village (after agreeing to look for Sada)
USAGE - This item lets you speak with Hadat from anywhere on Ys (equip and use
it), who gives you hints throughout your infiltration of Solomon Shrine.
- Given to you by a Zavanite inside the Shrine of Solomon (Gemma's sector,
sitting at the desk)
USAGE - This item is needed to access Fact's sector of the Shrine.  You need to
use Alter Magic to speak with the Zavanite in Gemma's sector (the right part of
the eastern portion of the Shrine) to receive the Pass, and then show it to the
Nashzar guarding the gate to Fact's sector.  This is an essential step to learn
the password to the western portion of the Shrine, and later, exploring the
eastern section of the Subterranean Canal.
- Found in a chest in the Subterranean Canal (eastern section)
USAGE - Equip this when touching the Goddess Statue in the Shrine of Solomon to
reach the central portion of the Shrine.
NOTE - Even if you found this earlier, you still need to touch the Goddess
Statue at least twice, as the Scroll of Guidance text takes priority the first
time, even if you're already wearing the Silver Pendant.
Gold Pendant (Golden Pendant)
- Given to you Bohtz in the Runaways' Hideout (after speaking to the five
remaining runaways after undoing the petrification curse)
help reach the Core of Ancient Ys.
- Given to you by Goban in the Core of Ancient Ys
USAGE - Play this (equip and use it) in the presence of the Goddesses to break
Darm's hold on them.
Evil Bell
Velagunder)
USAGE - Ring this (equip and use it) to alert nearby enemies to your presence.
This is needed to find the demons in Gila's Basement, which allows you to
access the Sanctuary of Toal section containing Priest Fact's tomb.
Scroll of Guidance
- Given to you by Priest Fact in the Sanctuary of Toal (after receiving the
Return Magic from Banoa)
USAGE - Approach a Goddess Statue with this to receive their wisdom, which will
then be recorded to the Scroll of Guidance for you to see again at any point
(equip and use it), should you forget.  While this item is essential to being
able to explore the Ice Ridge of Noltia (the sealed door leading there opens as
soon as you obtain this), you don't need to use it at any Goddess Statues until
the Shrine of Solomon.
Anti-Illusion Mirror (Mirror of Anti-Illusion)
- Found in a chest on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (the Stone Shoes are needed to
reach this)
USAGE - Dispels illusions.  This is used to reveal the true door to Tyalmath's
lair in the Ice Ridge of Noltia.
- Found embedded in a stone statue in the Moat of Burnedbless
- Found on a stand in the meeting room inside the Shrine of Solomon (located in
Fact's sector)
USAGE - This is first used to help Tarf and Keith escape the prison in the Moat
of Burnedbless (you need to use the Whisper Earrings to speak with Tarf through
a crack in the wall after finding this).  Later on, this is found again inside
the meeting room of Solomon Shrine in Fact's sector (the northeastern section),
which is used to power up the Dreaming Idol to undo the petrification curse.
To get inside the meeting room, you first must have obtained the Dreaming Idol
from the Campanile of Lane, and showed it to the Goddesses' spirits in the
Goddesses' Palace.  After that, you must speak to Tarf in Ramia Village (inside
Hadat's house), and upon doing so, you are then able to enter the meeting room.
The above steps must be done first, or else the meeting will still be going on,
and you won't be able to enter the room (even with the Shrine Key in your
possession).
Sacred Cup
- Found hidden upon an altar inside the Shrine of Solomon (Dabbie's sector, the
room with a different wall pattern - requires using the Light Magic to grab it)
USAGE - This is used to help undo the demonic curse Dalles places on you while
exploring the Shrine of Solomon.  After finding it (even if you know where it
is, the Light Magic is still necessary to obtain it), head back to Ramia
Village, and speak to Regg to undo the demonic curse.
Dreaming Idol (Dreaming Statue)
- Found in a chest inside the Campanile of Lane (after confronting Dalles at
the top)
USAGE - This is used in conjunction with the Black Pearl to undo the
petrification curse.  As noted above, you first need to confront Dalles at the
top of the Campanile of Lane, as a barrier will be blocking the chest until
that point.  Upon finding it, show it to the Goddesses' spirits in the
Goddesses' Palace.  After finding the Black Pearl inside the Shrine of Solomon,
take it to the Goddesses' Palace again to get it powered up, and then use it at
the top of the Campanile of Lane to return the runaways (and Sada) to normal.
Mattock
- Found along a wall inside the Rasteenie Mine
USAGE - Use this to clear away the rubble trapping Dr. Flair inside the
Rasteenie Mine.  It can also be used on a heavily cracked wall in the Ruins of
Moondoria to obtain the Beastiary Potion.
Banoa's Letter (Letter from Banoa)
- Given to you by Banoa in Lance Village (after the intro scenes)
USAGE - Give this to Dr. Flair so he can find a way to cure Lilia's illness.
NOTE - Curing Lilia is part of an essential process to moving on to the Ice
Ridge of Noltia, as the sealed door in the Sanctuary of Toal will remain closed
until you receive the Scroll of Guidance from Priest Fact (requires having the
Return Magic, which Banoa gives you after Lilia is cured).
Lilia's Medicine (Potion for Lilia)
- Given to you by Dr. Flair in Lance Village (after giving him a Roda Fruit and
Celceta Flower in his clinic)
USAGE - Give this to Banoa, who will give it to Lilia after a small cutscene
when you exit their house.
Stone Shoes
USAGE - Equip these to be able to climb up the icy slopes in the Ice Ridge of
Noltia.  Climbing those slopes is essential to reaching the chest containing
the Anti-Illusion Mirror, as well as reaching Tyalmath's lair.
Roda Leaf (Roda Tree Leaf)
- Found growing on a tree in the Roos' Nest
USAGE - Equip this to safely traverse the poisonous corridor in the Moat of
Burnedbless, which is needed to reach the prison where Tarf and Keith are being
held.  This item will do you no good unless equipped; simply having it in your
possession will not be enough.
- Buy from Jade's Oddities in Lance Village for 60,000 gold
USAGE - Equip this to be revived and back to full HP and MP upon death.  One
use only.  Cannot be re-purchased.  This item will do you no good unless
equipped; simply having it in your possession will not be enough.
- Buy from Jade's Oddities in Lance Village for 100 gold
USAGE - Warp to safe places previously visited during your journey.  Unlike the
Return Magic, this does not cost MP, but you can only carry one at a time.
This can also be used as a gift when speaking to the various non-enemy
characters throughout the game (of particular note, try gifting this to Dr.
Flair in the Rasteenie Mine).
- Buy from Ralle Family Wellness in Lance Village for 30 gold
- Found next to a body of water inside the Rasteenie Mine (pretty close to the
Sanctuary of Toal section containing Mesa's and Gemma's tombs)
- Found inside a cave on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (the one leading to the Stone
Shoes)
- Found behind a rock cluster between the Ice Ridge of Noltia and the Moat of
Burnedbless (the screen after Tyalmath's lair)
- Found hidden behind a rock cluster in the Moat of Burnedbless (the screen
where the Black Pearl is found, off to the west)
USAGE - Use to restore 50 HP.  Can carry up to three at a time.  This can also
be used as a gift when speaking to the various non-enemy characters throughout
NOTE - With the exception of Lance's clinic, all locations where this item can
be found require you to wait 5 minutes before they grow back.
- Buy from Jade's Oddities in Lance Village for 10 gold
- Given to you by Lilia underneath a tree in Lance Village (to the left of the
elder's house)
- Found growing on trees in the Moondoria Field (4 spots they can be picked,
all of them up the first set of steps and to the west)
NOTE - The Apples on the trees in the Moondoria Field require you to wait 5
minutes before they grow back.
Also, note that the Apple from Lilia is only available until you enter the
Rasteenie Mine (technically, after you make a screen transition within the Mine
- using a Wing doesn't count), as her location then changes to the well in
Lance Village, and the opportunity is lost.
Roda Fruit (Roda Tree Nut)
- Found on the ground in the Ruins of Moondoria (northern part of the screen,
near a tree)
- Found in a small chest inside the Shrine of Solomon (Dabbie's sector)
USAGE - Give to Dr. Flair to help make Lilia's Medicine, which is part of an
essential process to getting to the Ice Ridge of Noltia.  It can also be used
to completely restore your MP.  Can only carry one at a time.  This can also be
used as a gift when speaking to the various non-enemy characters throughout the
NOTE - The Roda Fruit in the Ruins of Moondoria grows back immediately upon
refreshing the screen, whereas the one in the Roos' Nest takes 5 minutes before
growing back.
Marle Flower (Mearl Flower)
- Found growing on the ledges in the Moondoria Field (3 spots they can be
picked - one near the apple trees, one up the second set of steps off to the
east, and one on the screen with the view of the Shrine of Solomon)
- Found growing on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (to the east of Tyalmath's lair)
- Found growing outside the abandoned house in Ramia Village
USAGE - Use to restore 15 MP.  Can carry up to three at a time.  This can also
NOTE - The Marle Flowers in the Moondoria Field and Ramia Village grow back
immediately upon refreshing the screen, but the one on the Ice Ridge of Noltia
takes 5 minutes before growing back.
Celceta Flower
- Found growing next to a body of water deep inside the Rasteenie Mine (3 spots
they can be picked, after defeating Velagunder)
- Found in a small chest in the Subterranean Canal (eastern section)
to completely restore both your HP and MP.  Can only carry one at a time.  This
can also be used as a gift when speaking to the various non-enemy characters
throughout the game.
NOTE - The Celceta Flowers in the Rasteenie Mine take 5 minutes before growing
Cruberry
- Found growing on the fences in Ramia Village (2 spots they can be picked -
one near the goats east of Maria's house, and one just below Hadat's house)
- Given to you by Rimera in Ramia Village upon giving her 5 gifts (requires 1-2
extra if you shoot her with Fire Magic)
NOTE - The Cruberries on the fences grow back immediately upon refreshing the
screen.  The one from Rimera can be gotten again simply by re-gifting her.
Smoked Meat (Smoked Meat of Quality)
- Given to you by Theo in Lance Village upon giving him 4 gifts (requires 1-2
extra if you shoot him with Fire Magic)
USAGE - Use to completely restore your HP.  Receiving and eating this is part
of the requirements to receive the Steam achievement "No Reservations".  Can
only carry one at a time.  This can also be used as a gift when speaking to the
various non-enemy characters throughout the game (for fun, try gifting it back
to him =p).
NOTE - Upon using this item, you can get another simply by gifting Theo again.
Raw Meat (Meat of Quality)
- Given to you by Nash in the Colony of Lava upon giving him 5 gifts (requires
1-2 extra if you shoot him with Fire Magic)
USAGE - Use to restore 150 HP.  Receiving and eating this is part of the
requirements to receive the Steam achievement "No Reservations".  Can only
carry one at a time.  This can also be used as a gift when speaking to the
various non-enemy characters throughout the game.
NOTE - Receiving and eating this is part of the requirements to receive the
Steam achievement "No Reservations".  Can only carry one at a time.  This can
also be used as a gift when speaking to the various non-enemy characters
NOTE - Upon using this item, you can get another simply by gifting Nash again.
Meat Pie (Meat Loaf)
- Given to you by Lucy in Lance Village upon giving her 3 gifts (requires 1-2
to her, or giving it to her brother, Theo =p).
NOTE - Upon using this item, you can only get another by fireballing Lucy 1-2
times (depends on if you gave her any additional gifts), and gifting her again.
Cruberry Pie
- Given to you by Zalem in Ramia Village upon giving her 5 gifts (requires 1-2
USAGE - Use to restore 100 MP.  Receiving and eating this is part of the
to her =p).
NOTE - Upon using this item, you can get another simply by gifting Zalem again.
- Found in a small chest in the Ruins of Moondoria (need to use the Mattock to
reach it)
USAGE - Allows you to see and learn enemy stats after killing them a certain
number of times.
Here's a comprehensive list of the characters encountered in Ys II, as well as
at certain points (mostly as part of the plot), meaning some are temporarily
unable to be found, but none of them are permanently missable.  If you're
playing the Steam version, you may want to find all of them to receive the
"Notorious A.C." achievement.
#1 - Feena
- Encountered in the Goddesses' Palace
- Encountered in the Core of Ancient Ys
#2 - Reah
#3 - Goban
#4 - Luta Gemma (Luther)
#5 - Jeba Tovah (Jebah)
NOTE - This character is not present at all throughout the course of Ys II.
#6 - Sara (Sarah)
NOTE - This character is not present at all throughout the course of Ys II (she
was murdered in Ys I, after all).
#7 - Dogi
NOTE - Aside from one of the ending scenes, this character is not present at
all throughout the course of Ys II.
#8 - Dark Fact (Dalk Fukt)
NOTE - This character is not present at all throughout the course of Ys II (you
killed him in Ys I, after all =p).
#9 - Priest Tovah
- Encountered in one of the Sanctuary of Toal sections when exploring the
Rasteenie Mine
#10 - Priest Dabbie (Dabby)
#11 - Priest Hadal
#12 - Priest Mesa (Messa)
#13 - Priest Gemma
#14 - Priest Fact (Fukt)
Rasteenie Mine (the one near Gila's Basement)
#15 - Lilia
- Encountered underneath a tree in Lance Village (just west of the Elder's
residence)
- Encountered in the Moondoria Field (the screen with the view of the Shrine of
Solomon, after speaking to her under the tree in Lance Village)
- Encountered next to the well in Lance Village (just northwest of Lilia's
house, after stepping foot inside the Rasteenie Mine)
- Encountered in Lilia's house in Lance Village (after curing her illness)
- Encountered in the basement of the Runaways' Hideout
NOTE - For Lilia to show up in the Moondoria Field, you must have spoken to her
underneath the tree in Lance Village beforehand, and then afterwards you head
to the top of the Moondoria Field screen with the view of Solomon Shrine for a
small cutscene.  However, you have a fairly small time frame to do this,
because as soon as you step foot inside the Rasteenie Mine (technically, after
using one of the Mine's transition points), her location changes to the well in
Lance Village, meaning she will no longer show up in the Moondoria Field (even
if you met the requirement to activate the cutscene, but failed to do so for
some reason).
Also, even though you start the game with this entry, you must talk to her
manually at least once (cutscene conversations do not count; beyond that, I
don't think it matters where you speak to her, just so long as you do) before
you can mess around in her bed back inside her house (push against the side of
it for a few seconds).
#16 - Banoa
- Encountered in Lilia's house in Lance Village (far southeastern building)
#17 - Astal
- Encountered in the Ruins of Moondoria (guarding the door to the Sanctuary of
Toal / Rasteenie Mine near the center)
#18 - Leonor Rall (Lenore Ral)
- Encountered in the Rall Family Wellness clinic in Lance Village (far
- Encountered just outside the Rall Family Wellness clinic in Lance Village
(after rescuing Dr. Flair from the Mine)
#19 - Flair Rall (Fleah Ral)
- Encountered behind a caved-in section of the Rasteenie Mine (fairly close to
the Sanctuary of Toal section containing Dabbie's tomb)
- Encountered in the Rall Family Wellness clinic in Lance Village (after
rescuing him from the Mine)
#20 - Nurse Sarina
#21 - Elder Cornell (Kernel)
- Encountered outside the Elder's residence in Lance Village (after agreeing to
help rescue Dr. Flair)
#22 - Natasha (Natasia)
- Encountered in the Elder's residence in Lance Village (building just
southeast of the entrance)
#23 - Guido
- Encountered in Guido's Armory in Lance Village (building in the northern area,
just west of Jade's Oddities)
#24 - Jade (Jeid)
- Encountered in Jade's Oddities in Lance Village (building in the northeastern
area, just a tad northwest of the Rall Family Wellness clinic)
#25 - Gila (Zirah)
- Encountered in Gila's house in Lance Village (western building, right above
the pikkard pen)
#26 - Leggs (Legth)
- Encountered in the Ruins of Moondoria (in the northeastern corner, near the
Goddess Statue)
- Encountered in Astal's house in Lance Village (building in the southeastern
area, just a tad southwest of Lilia's house)
NOTE - Upon receiving the Gold Pendant from the runaways, this character will
switch to his Lance Village location, where he'll stay until the end of the
#27 - Lazlo (Roodle)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Guido's Armory,
the building just west of Jade's Oddities)
- Encountered in Guido's Armory in Lance Village (after selling the first piece
of Iron Ore)
- Encountered in Lazlo's house in Lance Village (building in the northwestern
area, just west of Guido's Armory)
NOTE - For the second location, as noted above, this character will appear in
Guido's Armory after selling the first Iron Ore, but only after entering and
exiting any other building within Lance (Guido's will not work, for some
reason).  After entering and exiting 3 buildings within Lance's walls, Lazlo
will be finished with some new armor.  At that point, he can still be found
inside Guido's shop briefly, but once you exit and re-enter Lance, he can then
be found in his last location, inside his house.  If you never sell any Iron
Ore (not recommended, but entirely possible), then the only location you'll see
him in is the first one.
#28 - Tess
#29 - Tran
#30 - Larsen (Rasen)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (near the entrance, northwest of the
Elder's residence)
#31 - Bohtz (Boats)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Bohtz's house,
the building east of the pikkard pen)
- Encountered in Bohtz's house in Lance Village (after rescuing Dr. Flair from
the Mine)
- Encountered in the Runaways' Hideout
NOTE - This character disappears from Lance at a certain point (namely, as soon
as you enter the screen on the Ice Ridge of Noltia where you can find the Hawk
Idol, as well as a Goddess Statue).  However, the next time you encounter him
will be in his second location, which is required to help advance the plot, so
don't worry if you miss him initially.  After lifting the petrification curse
and speaking to him and the other runaways, he'll be back in his second
location in Lance (inside his house), where he'll stay for the remainder of the
#32 - Sheila (Seela)
- Encountered in Bohtz's house in Lance Village (building east of the pikkard
pen)
#33 - Kris (Chris)
NOTE - Even though this character technically speaks to you alongside her
sister (#34 - Ceres), you need to initiate the dialogue with Kris to receive
this entry.
#34 - Ceres (Ceras)
sister (#33 - Kris), you need to initiate the dialogue with Ceres to receive
#35 - Brody
- Encountered in Brody's house in Lance Village (building in the southern area,
just east of Bohtz's house)
NOTE - Give this character 5 gifts (requires 1-2 extra if you shoot him with
Fire Magic) to get him to reveal the location of some hidden gold within Lance.
This must be done in order to find this stash, otherwise it'll never show up;
it's hidden inside the mouth of one of the baby ducklings found wandering above
the Rall Family Wellness Clinic).
#36 - Marina
#37 - Beth
#38 - Caesaria (Cezaria)
#39 - Andy
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just south of the entrance)
#40 - Oseam (Ohzam)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside the Elder's
residence, the building just southeast of the entrance)
#41 - Kate
#42 - Lucille (Lucir)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Gila's house,
the southwestern building right above the pikkard pen)
#43 - Masontorch (Mecentreti)
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Lazlo's house,
the building just west of Guido's Armory)
#44 - Colt
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Jade's Oddities,
the building just northwest of the Rall Family Wellness clinic)
#45 - Tita
#46 - Esca
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (generally just outside Brody's house,
the building just east of Bohtz's house)
#47 - Lucy
- Encountered outside in Lance Village (near the pikkard pen, just below Gila's
House in the southwestern area)
NOTE - Give this character 3 gifts (requires 1-2 extra if you shoot her with
Fire Magic) to receive the Meat Pie from her.
#48 - Theo
Fire Magic) to receive the Smoked Meat from him.
#49 - Polo (Poro)
residence, below the cart)
#50 - Saffron
#51 - Ruba (Ruvah)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (guarding the northern bridge)
- Encountered in Tarf's house in the Colony of Lava (building just southwest of
the northern bridge)
NOTE - Upon entering Ramia Village for the first time, Ruba will switch to his
location inside his home for the remainder the game, where you can speak to him
to rest up and get fully healed for free (just like Banoa in Lance).
#52 - Tarf (Talf)
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless prison area
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (near the northern bridge)
- Encountered in Hadat's house in Ramia Village (southwestern building, just
northeast of the graveyard)
NOTE - For his first location, you can actually receive his entry by speaking
to him manually anytime after freeing him and Keith from the prison, even
during the escort mission.  After escorting him to the Colony of Lava, he'll be
outside with Ruba temporarily, but as soon as you cross the northern bridge and
enter the first passage there, he'll be inside his home, where he'll offer to
let you rest up and get fully healed for free.  Upon entering Ramia, he moves
back to his second location for a little while (meaning Ruba's now the one
offering to let you rest in the Colony of Lava).  Once Hadat contacts you via
the Lila Shell (as you're exploring the central part of the Shrine - the area
where the Silver Pendant warps you), he then makes his way to Hadat's house in
Ramia (all the way to when you find him in the Core of Ys, of course).
#53 - Fred
- Encountered in Fred's house in the Colony of Lava (building just south of the
northern bridge)
#54 - Natalie (Natarie)
#55 - Noit (Noight)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally just outside Noit's
house, the building just north of the southern bridge)
NOTE - This character disappears from the Colony of Lava at a certain point
(namely, as soon as you step foot inside the main part of the Shrine of Solomon
after fooling the guards).  However, the next time you encounter him will be in
his second location, which is required to help advance the plot, so don't worry
if you miss him initially.  After lifting the petrification curse and speaking
to him and the other runaways, he'll be back to his initial location in the
Colony of Lava, where he'll stay for the remainder of the game.
#56 - Rafa
- Encountered in Noit's house in the Colony of Lava (building just north of the
southern bridge)
#57 - Rex
- Encountered in Rex's house in the Colony of Lava (building just northeast of
the southern bridge)
#58 - Chelnie
#59 - Favre (Fabre / Fable)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally just outside Fred's
house, the building just south of the northern bridge)
NOTE - Once Hadat contacts you via the Lila Shell (as you're exploring the
central part of the Shrine - the area where the Silver Pendant warps you), this
character will switch to his second location, where he'll remain until the end
of the game.
#60 - Elle (El)
#61 - Meryl (Melil / Malil)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally near the northern
bridge)
#62 - Carson
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (guarding the southern bridge)
#63 - Ischt (Ishto)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally just outside Ruba's
house, near the well and billboard)
#64 - Kasim
#65 - Flonne (Flone)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally near the pikkard pen,
just west of Tarf's house)
#66 - Darie (Darier)
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally just outside Rex's house,
the building just northeast of the southern bridge)
#67 - Nash
- Encountered outside in the Colony of Lava (generally just outside Tarf's
house, the building just southwest of the northern bridge)
Fire Magic) to receive the Raw Meat from him.
#68 - Roodle (Baeloo)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (near the entrance)
#69 - Brooce (Bruce)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (generally just below the tree)
#70 - Tallyroo (Tareloo)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (generally just east of the tree)
#71 - Touroose (Tuloo)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (right next to the tree)
#72 - Prooto (Plute)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (generally just southeast of the tree)
#73 - Roo-kie (Luke)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (generally in the far southern area)
#74 - Rooroo (Luloo)
- Encountered in the Roos' Nest (generally in the far southwestern area, near a
body of water)
#75 - Droozy (Neloo)
- Encountered sleeping in the Roos' Nest (just west of the tree)
#76 - Keith
- Encountered in the Subterranean Canal (central section, in the far
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (central portion, near the central canal
entrance used to reach the Campanile of Lane and the Goddesses' Palace)
#77 - Gorto (Goat)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (in the northeastern area, guarding the
gate to the Shrine of Solomon)
#78 - Lloyd
- Encountered in Gorto's house in Ramia Village (building just a tad southeast
of Hadat's house)
#79 - Hadat
#80 - Sada (Sadah)
- Encountered in the Subterranean Canal (eastern section, after undoing the
petrification curse, in the far southwestern corner)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (in the graveyard, after speaking to
Maria in the Core of Ys)
#81 - Maria
- Encountered in the Campanile of Lane (after defeating Zava)
NOTE - Even though you receive this entry automatically in the Campanile of
Lane, you must talk to her manually in the Core of Ys at least once before you
can mess around in her bed back inside her house (push against the side of it
for a few seconds).  Talking to her manually in the Campanile of Lane is *not*
sufficient for this purpose.
In addition to the above, by talking to her 4 times in the Core of Ys (she'll
change her dialogue slightly) you can receive the "Imprisoned Maria" mascot.
#82 - Karen
- Encountered in Maria's house in Ramia Village (building just southwest of the
Moat of Burnedbless entrance)
#83 - Regg (Rheg)
- Encountered in Regg's house in Ramia Village (building just east of the
Shrine of Solomon entrance)
#84 - Zalem
- Encountered in Zalem's Battle Best in Ramia Village (building just west of
the Moat of Burnedbless entrance)
Fire Magic) to receive the Raw Meat from her.
In order to sleep in her bed, it simply requires you to talk with her at least
once (just activating the close-up scene is enough for this purpose).
Also, by speaking to her on 4 separate occasions (meaning you need to at least
exit and re-enter her shop between each visit), you can receive the "I Heart
Zalem" mascot.
#85 - Frau
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally just southeast of the Shrine
of Solomon entrance)
#86 - Frith (Fris)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally near the goats, just
southwest of the Moat of Burnedbless entrance)
#87 - Blitz (Britz)
- Encountered in Blitz's house in Ramia Village (building just northeast of
Hadat's house)
#88 - Paulie (Poley)
#89 - Tanya (Tania)
#90 - Neal (Niel)
- Encountered in the guardhouse in Ramia Village (building just southwest of
the Shrine of Solomon entrance)
NOTE - For much of the game, this character is found in Ramia's guardhouse, but
once Tarf sees you in the Core of Ys, Neal switches to his post guarding the
gate to Solomon Shrine (as that's also the time Gorto disappears from Ramia).
#91 - Faye (Fye)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally just outside the guardhouse,
the building just southwest of the Shrine of Solomon entrance)
#92 - Muto
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (in the graveyard, just southwest of
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (in the northeastern area, near the
NOTE - Upon speaking to Maria in the Core of Ys, this character moves to his
second location, as that's when Sada is occupying the graveyard (presumably,
Sada wants some alone time due to Maria's perceived death).
#93 - Jill (Jil)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally just outside Maria's house,
near the billboard)
#94 - Reise (Lese)
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally just outside Blitz's house,
the building just northeast of Hadat's house)
#95 - Rimera (Rimr)
#96 - Kyle
- Encountered with Rimera outside in Ramia Village (just outside Blitz's house,
NOTE - After lifting the petrification curse and speaking to him and the other
runaways, this character will be in his second location, where he'll stay for
the remainder of the game.
#97 - Boris
- Encountered outside in Ramia Village (generally just outside Hadat's house,
the building northeast of the graveyard)
NOTE - If you want to speak to this character in the basement of the Runaways'
Hideout, you'll need to immediately equip Alter Magic to bypass Lilia, or else
she'll initiate the conversation where she gives you the Shrine Key, and Dalles
will appear right after that to turn the runaways to stone (meaning you'll have
to wait to talk to Boris).  Anyway, after lifting the petrification curse and
speaking to him and the other runaways, this character will be in his third
location in Ramia, right near the gate to Solomon Shrine.  However, upon
speaking to Maria in the Core of Ys, his location changes to just outside
Hadat's house (presumably because that's when Muto's position changes, due to
Sada mourning over Maria in the graveyard), where he'll stay for the remainder
#98 - Ed
- Encountered with Jill outside in Ramia Village (just outside Maria's house,
to wait to talk with Ed).  Anyway, after lifting the petrification curse and
speaking to him and the other runaways, this character will be in his second
location, where he'll stay for the remainder of the game.
Here's a comprehensive list of the enemies encountered in Ys II, as well as
chest in the Ruins of Moondoria behind a heavily cracked wall that you need the
Mattock to break down), then killing them a certain amount of times.  For the
Eternal and Complete versions, this number is random, usually not taking more
than 10 kills or so (but it can also be as early as the first kill before).
Hoever, the STR stat in those versions is only learned by them hitting *you* a
random number of times.  For the Chronicles versions, it seems to be exactly 6
kills for the first stat (probably 1 extra for the name, even though it's
listed automatically), followed by 5 kills to randomly learn one of their other
stats, meaning it's a total of 31 kills to completely fill in their entries.
Bosses are automatically filled in upon beating them (so long as you drank the
Beastiary Potion, that is).  Anyway, for the Eternal and Complete versions,
this item is a one-time only deal, as the enemy stats you learn carry over
across all playthroughs (making it useless to drink again, meaning you can only
find it in one playthrough).  For the Chronicles versions, however, only the
final boss entry carries over between playthroughs (as there's no way to view
it in your first playthrough after killing him), but everything else doesn't,
so you'll need to re-learn all other enemy stats every playthrough of the game
(well, if you're interested).  Luckily, the Steam achievement "Demon Duster"
only keeps track of non-boss entries, but if you want the satisfaction of
seeing a full beastiary, it'll need to be done as early as your second
playthrough (and thankfully, your second playthrough contains a few extra
cutscenes, so you have some incentive to play the game again).
parentheses (if it's different).  Enemy stats seem to be exactly the same
across all difficulties (except the bosses seem to get *very* slight STR and
DEF boosts, though their listed stats don't change), but they do get more
aggressive on higher difficulties.  For the EXP values, do note that you'll get
double an enemy's listed value if you happen to be below their listed level
(this only applies to normal enemies, as EXP from a boss fight is fixed).
Speaking of their listed value, you'll only ever get that when you're the same
level as the enemy, or one above it.  For any levels you gain after that,
you'll receive half the listed EXP, then next level you'll get a third, then a
fourth, fifth, etc.  The enemies keep giving continually reduced EXP (usually
rounded down, if needed) each level until it's 1 just per kill, or until you
reach max level, whichever comes first.  For example, a Ripplet (#7) will give
16 EXP at levels 1-7, 8 EXP at level 8-9, 4 EXP at level 10, 2 EXP at levels
11-12, and 1 EXP at levels 13-55.  This is likely done so the player can make
up levels fairly easily (if needed), but also to discourage power-leveling
early on in the game.  Regarding the enemy order, the Eternal and Complete
versions list the enemies by area, with the bosses at the end of said area.
This throws off the numbering for many of the entries, as the Chronicles
versions group all of the bosses together at the end of the list.  So, to make
things easier, I'll list them first by their Chronicles number, and when
applicable, their number in Eternal/Complete will be listed in parentheses.
#1 - Chrace (Crase)
HP - 20
LVL - 2
- Encountered in the Ruins of Moondoria
#2 - Cauction (Curksharn)
#3 - Godaago (Godargo)
NOTE - This enemy is completely immune to Fire Magic, so physical attacks must
be used.  However, you'll still need the appropriate STR before you'll be able
to even scratch them.
#4 - Warrizor (Wolizoul)
- Encountered in the Sanctuary of Toal (the sections containing Hadal's,
Tovah's, and Gemma's tombs)
#5 - Gnometh (Nomess)
- Encountered in the Sanctuary of Toal (all sections except the one containing
Fact's tomb)
#6 - Zolgell (Zolgel)
- Encountered in the Sanctuary of Toal (the sections containing Tovah's,
Dabbie's, and Fact's tombs)
#7 - Ripplet (Lyplate)
- Encountered inside the Rasteenie Mine
#8 - Tolpi (Tolpy)
#9 - Puroid (Puloyd)
#10 - K'nocks (Cnocks)
- Encountered deep inside the Rasteenie Mine (after defeating Velagunder)
- Encountered in Gila's Basement (after ringing the Evil Bell)
#11 - Carly (Cully)
#12 - Orihalcus (Olharos)
#13 (#14) - Neeli (Nieli)
- Encountered on the Ice Ridge of Noltia
#14 (#15) - Gercard (Gelkald)
#15 (#16) - Eggnid (Egnyd)
#16 (#17) - Galgata (Gulgata)
#17 (#18) - Gworter (Gworder)
#18 (#19) - Swoff (Svoff)
#19 (#21) - Preliguard
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless (before reaching the Colony of Lava)
#20 (#22) - Onuman
#21 (#23) - Scollun (Scorlun)
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless (both before and after the Colony of
Lava)
#22 (#24) - Xelbenoth (Zelvenorce)
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless (area northeast of the Colony of Lava)
#23 (#25) - Gene (Jyn)
be used.
#24 (#26) - Dirga (Dilga)
#25 (#27) - Topus (Tops)
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless (areas outside the poisonous passage)
#26 (#28) - Magnute (Magnuto)
- Encountered in the Moat of Burnedbless (near where the Black Pearl is found)
#27 (#30) - Zearot (Xaerot)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (guarding the entrance)
be used, but even then you must have the Cleria Sword equipped (plus, you need
to be at least level 47, or else you still won't do any damage).  Do note that
killing them via Shield Magic also works, but it doesn't award you any EXP
(probably because it's technically killing itself); however, you can still use
this method to learn its stats.
#28 (#31) - Ashveil (Ashverl)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (Hadal's, Mesa's, and Gemma's sectors -
just inside the entrance, and the screen to the east)
#29 (#32) - Baocar (Baochar)
#30 (#33) - Nashzar (Nashzal)
#31 (#34) - Malochius (Maloquios)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (Tovah's sector, the screen to the west
of the entrance (right half of that area))
#32 (#35) - Allomod
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (Dabbie's sector, the screen to the west
of the entrance (left half of that area))
#33 (#36) - Trover (Torober)
#34 (#37) - Godrup (Godoleb)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (Tovah's and Dabbie's sectors, the
screen to the west of the entrance)
#35 (#38) - El Endes (Elendeath)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (Fact's sector, the screen to the
northeast of the entrance)
#36 (#39) - Nustarl
#37 (#40) - Bearot
#38 (#41) - Delpus (Delpass)
- Encountered in the Subterranean Canal (western section, the one where the
Runaways' Hideout is found)
#39 (#42) - Dyphthelloid (Diphtheloyd)
- Encountered in the Subterranean Canal (eastern section, the one where the
Silver Pendant is found)
#40 (#43) - Ceabith (Carebiss)
- Encountered in the Subterranean Canal (central section, the one where Keith
gives you the Floodgate Key)
#41 (#44) - Rewillvan
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (central portion, the area after using
the Silver Pendant)
#42 (#45) - Forkless (Forcless)
#43 (#46) - Gearot
#44 (#47) - Charront (Charlont)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (central portion, outside the Campanile
of Lane)
#45 (#48) - Valkyria (Balkilea)
#46 (#49) - Zavanite (Zavaaz)
- Encountered inside a couple of buildings in the Shrine of Solomon (Mesa's and
Tovah's sectors - the screen east of the entrance (left half of that area), and
west of the Shrine entrance (right half of that area))
NOTE - Technically, this enemy also appears inside one of the buildings in
Gemma's sector (the one that gives you the Pass), but as you're unable to kill
that one, it's not listed here.  In addition, Zava technically summons several
of these enemies throughout the boss fight with her, but as they are linked to
Zava's health and stats (meaning you need the STR to deal with Zava, not this
enemy - this also means you cannot repeatedly kill those particular ones to
reveal this entry's stats), that location wasn't listed either.
Also, this enemy is completely immune to Fire Magic, so physical attacks must
be used (for the ones during the Zava fight, it's the other way around).
#47 (#13) - Velagunder (Belagunder)
- Encountered deep inside the Rasteenie Mine
NOTE - This enemy is completely immune to physical attacks, so Fire Magic must
#48 (#20) - Tyalmath
- Encountered in a cave on the Ice Ridge of Noltia (the one after using the
Anti-Illusion Mirror)
#49 (#29) - Gelaldy
#50 - Druegar
- Encountered in one of the buildings inside the Shrine of Solomon (center
building of Hadal's sector)
NOTE - In the Eternal version of the game, this boss can actually be skipped
altogether, though this was fixed in Complete and Chronicles.  To do so, you
must first activate the fight as normal, and then exit (make sure you have the
option to escape boss battles turned on).  Upon re-entry, use the Time Magic
immediately, and quickly touch the door at the top of the room, which should
now open.  I believe what's happening is that the use of Time Magic delays the
boss fight from immediately starting, and that's why the door can be opened
prematurely.  As noted, you need to do this upon re-entering the battle,
probably because Druegar's sprite is already loaded (though you can walk
through it briefly), so Time Magic doesn't get cancelled like it would when he
initially jumps down.  In any event, you must do this at least twice throughout
the course of the game if you wish to skip this boss completely.
Also, this enemy is completely immune to physical attacks, so Fire Magic must
#51 - Zava (Zaba)
- Encountered at the bottom of the Campanile of Lane
#?? - Zava
NOTE - This entry is Zava's "normal" form, which is not encountered under
normal circumstances, and thus isn't officially listed alongside the other
enemies in-game (you can only view this entry on the game screen when fighting
her).  As you can see above, however, these stats are separate from Zava's boss
form, so Falcom probably had a different plan for her initially, but forgot to
remove the remnants of it from the game.
Anyway, due to a bug in the Eternal version, you are able to fully learn its
stats, but this was fixed in Complete and Chronicles, though its existence is
still present (in Complete, you can learn its STR stat, but that's it; in
Chronicles, you are unable to learn any of them, but you can still see her
blank entry on the game screen - something that does not happen for bosses).
To learn her stats, you must use Time Magic immediately at the beginning of the
boss fight with her.  This will freeze her in her normal form temporarily
(presumably, she isn't quite finished transforming), so if you rush straight to
Zava, she can then be damaged briefly via physical attacks (like normal
Zavanites, this form is immune to Fire Magic).  Make sure you have the option
to escape boss fights turned on, and repeat the process to fully learn her
stats (for the STR one, you'll have to get damaged while she's in this state,
which can be kind of tricky to set up).  As this form is technically considered
a normal enemy (the boss fight won't end upon killing it, so you still must
deal with her normally), you could potentially receive a whopping 4,000 EXP
upon killing it, if you're under-leveled (of course, the EXP is scaled
downwards at later levels, but it's still an excellent source of EXP, at least
for a little while).
#52 - Dalles (Duless)
- Encountered in the Shrine of Solomon (the underpass, the area after using the
Gold Pendant)
NOTE - In order to damage this boss, you *must* have the Cleria Sword from Sada
equipped, as he is invulnerable to all other forms of attack, including Fire
#53 - Darm (Dahm)
throughout the game, almost all of them being purely optional.  Unlike Ys I,
most of them can be done even at the very end of the game, provided you don't
step through the door leading to Darm in the Core of Ys.  However, a few of
them are missable before that point, but not many.  Here's how to unlock them.
Notorious A.C.
TIME LIMIT - Before stepping through the door leading to Darm.
NOTE - While no character is permanently missable, some of them are unavailable
at certain points in the game.  Please refer to the "Characters" section for Ys
II if you need help finding someone.
Demon Duster
before the stats will start to be revealed.  In the Chronicles versions, you
need to kill an enemy a total of 31 times to reveal all of their stats (6 for
the first stat (the name is revealed automatically upon hitting an enemy), and
5 for the others stats, all revealed in a random order).  Please refer to the
"Enemies" section for Ys II if you need help finding an enemy.
Darm It!
NOTE - I believe you can obtain this and the "A Legend Is Born" achievement at
the same time, if your first playthrough is on the Nightmare difficulty.
A Legend Is Born
NOTE - I believe you can obtain this and the "Darm It!" achievement at the same
time, if your first playthrough is on the Nightmare difficulty.
Fireball Wizard
to Easy, and your equipment and level is already set as well; basically, you
(though for Ys II, they tend to over-level you, as well as give you some
equipment that would take some grinding to get at that point - for instance,
having the complete 3rd set by Tyalmath).  Anyway, you have to complete it all
in one go, but it's pretty easy in comparison to Ys I's Time Attack (it helps
that here it's on Easy difficulty, but Ys I's is on Normal, strangely enough).
Keep the Doctor Away
- Scatter the apples in the Rall Family Wellness clinic in Lance Village by
lifting the counter flap
Bill the Duck
- Give 5 gifts to Brody of Lance Village, then search one of the baby ducklings
above the Rall Family Wellness Clinic to find a stash of 500 gold
NOTE - For the gold stash to appear in the duckling's mouth, you *must* hear it
from Brody after gifting him 5 times (requires 1-2 extra if you shoot him with
Fire Magic), otherwise you won't be able to find it.
Revenge of Sworded Details
- Receive a free Short Sword from Leggs in the Ruins of Moondoria
TIME LIMIT - Before purchasing a weapon, or before obtaining the Rod of
Divinity.
NOTE - As noted above, if you purchase a weapon (even if it's just the Long
Sword), you will be unable to receive the Short Sword from Leggs.  However,
even if you go weaponless, you still need to receive it from him before
grabbing the Rod of Divinity, because that's when his dialogue will change, and
the opportunity will be lost.
What the Legends Don't Tell You
- Shoot the various characters 50 times with Fire Magic
NOTE - While the Steam description would have you believe you need to shoot 50
different people, you can theoretically fireball just one person 50 times.
However, if you plan to gift people, it's probably a good idea to save before
doing this, and reload once you receive the achievement, otherwise the people
you shoot will require extra gifts (though it's no more than 2, no matter how
much you shoot someone).
Gila's Monsters
- Kill all the monsters in Gila's Basement, as well as the ones in the nearby
Sanctuary of Toal area
NOTE - Before the ones in the Sanctuary of Toal can be completely cleared out,
you'll need to kill the ones in Gila's Basement first.  When clearing the ones
in the basement, it's recommended that you don't make any screen transitions
until they're all dead, because otherwise they could potentially respawn
endlessly.  Anyway, after about 60 or so kills, you'll get a message saying the
current area is clear, but more are still around somewhere.  At that point,
head to the nearby Sanctuary of Toal section (where Fact's tomb is), and
dispose of the two Zolgell nearby.  Doing this will trigger a message saying
there's no more enemies around, and you'll receive a fixed 400 EXP as a reward.
The Hand That Feeds Them
- Feed all the animals in Ramia Village at least 3 times
NOTE - There are 4 different animals you need to feed for this achievement.
First, you have the 3 goats near Frith, just southwest of the Moat of
Burnedbless entrance - they will eat either Herbs or Cruberries.  The other
animal is the cat in Gorto's house (the building just southeast of Hadat's
house) - it will eat either Smoked Meat or Raw Meat.  As noted above, you need
to feed each animal on 3 separate occasions, so if you prefer not to re-obtain
these items (especially the Meats), you can save before feeding them, and
reload your game afterwards to still meet the requirements for this.
- Receive and eat the Smoked Meat, Raw Meat, Meat Pie, and Cruberry Pie
NOTE - To receive the items in question, you have to gift 4 separate characters
a certain number of times.  For the Smoked Meat, you need to gift Theo of Lance
Village at least 4 times.  For the Raw Meat, you need to gift Nash of the
Colony of Lava at least 5 times.  For the Meat Pie, you need to gift Lucy of
Lance Village at least 3 times.  And for the Cruberry Pie, you need to gift
Zalem of Ramia Village at least 5 times.  If you happen to fireball any of
these characters, it will require 1-2 extra gifts, depending on how much you
shot them.  Upon eating these items, if you want another one, you can reload a
previous save, or you can simply re-gift the respective characters again
(except in Lucy's case, you'll first need to fireball her 1-2 times (depends on
if you gave her any extra gifts afterwards), and *then* re-gift her).
Timestop Understanding
- Use Time Magic in the presence of Maria
NOTE - I'm not 100% certain, but if you miss this opportunity during your
initial climb of the Campanile of Lane, you should still be able to do this
upon finding her in the Core of Ys (at the very least, the "Maria is not
amused!" message will still show up there).
Police Are On Their Way
- Push Tarf into the narrow corridor where the Iron Ore can be found in the
Moat of Burnedbless to learn his measurements
TIME LIMIT - During the Tarf escort mission, before entering the Colony of Lava.
NOTE - To reach this corridor with Tarf in tow, you'll have to take the long
way around, as you cannot safely take him with you back through the poisonous
passage.  Once you reach the corridor, I think you need to use Fire Magic to
get him all the way back there (you need to push him as far back as possible),
but it can still be quite tricky to do.
- Give Tarf 7 gifts to enable him to fight alongside you, and then let him kill
several enemies to reach level 25
NOTE - As noted above, you first want to give Tarf a total of 7 gifts during
the escort mission, at which point he'll level up and fight alongside you, by
throwing pebbles at the enemies (he will not do this at level 1).  The gifts
actually give him 1 EXP each, so theoretically you could do that a ton, and
level him up that way, but it is *far* easier to whittle down an enemy so it
has just a sliver of health left, and let Tarf finish it off.  It's easiest if
you talk to the enemy you're trying to kill (though make sure to keep an eye on
others in the area, or just kill them off beforehand), or you can just stand
between it and Tarf so it can't reach him (well, hopefully).  Tarf gets 5 times
the amount of EXP you'll ever get from said enemies (you can only ever get
twice as much...), and as he doesn't require nearly as much EXP as you, this
should be a relatively short process, though it's highly recommended that you
save while doing this.
Juuuuust Right
- Manually talk to Lilia, Zalem, and Maria to be able to sleep in their beds
NOTE - As noted above, you must manually talk to these three characters (as a
human, not a Roo =p) before being allowed to sleep in their respective beds
(push against the side of them for a few seconds).  For Lilia, I don't think it
matters when you speak to her, as even doing so manually for the first time in
the Core of Ys still works.  However, if you do happen to first speak to her
when she's in her house upon curing her illness, you need to approach Lilia
(not Banoa) to activate the close-up, and then exit and re-enter her house
before the game will let you inside her bed (the one on the right back in her
house).  For Zalem, simply activating the close-up scene in her shop for the
first time will be enough to sleep in her bed (as she does technically talk to
you then, and her shop can theoretically be skipped altogether), which is in
the bottom right corner of her shop.  For Maria, talking to her manually when
she's being held hostage in the Campanile of Lane will *not* work, so you
instead need to speak to her in the Core of Ys (I'm not sure, but I suspect it
has to do with actually touching their sprites during a non-required scene);
her bed is the one on the right back in her house in Ramia Village.
Mosquitoes!!
- After Dalles turns the runaways to stone, let the mosquitoes in the Ruins of
Moondoria swarm you, and activate a screen transition
NOTE - The mosquitoes are located near the water next to where the Rod of
Divinity was found earlier in the game (they may be hard to see), but as noted
above, they do not appear there until after Dalles turns the runaways to stone.
Anyway, stand near the water where they're flying around at, and they should
slowly make their way towards you.  Let them swarm above your head for a few
seconds, and once they do, you can then choose to slowly lead them to one of
the normal screen transitions here (to the Sanctuary of Toal, or to the
Moondoria Field), and upon switching screens, you'll get a message saying that
they're no longer following you (if you didn't get the message, then you didn't
let them swarm you for long enough).  However, instead of slowly leading them
to one of those transition points, I actually prefer to instead activate a warp
after they swarm me; if done correctly, the message should appear after the
*next* screen transition (apparently, warping itself doesn't count).
And Your Children's Children
- Kill 10 Zearots
NOTE - In order to kill this enemy, you either need to equip the Cleria Sword
from Sada, or the Shield Magic will also work (though you don't receive EXP
when using the Shield Magic).  As noted above, you need to kill ten Zearots,
the enemies guarding the main entrance to the Shrine of Solomon.  If you want,
you can keep track of how many you've killed by speaking to them via Alter
Magic, and there will be a number next to their name (though it is possible to
kill 9, even if one of the guards' names says 10 - this is because the first
set of guards isn't actually numbered, but even if you just kill one of those
initial two, its replacement will say 3).  In any case, if you're aiming for a
full beastiary, you should get this achievement naturally.
Where's Aldow?
- Find Aldow deep inside the Rasteenie Mine in the room where the Evil Bell was
found, and speak to him with the Alter Magic equipped
NOTE - Just in case it isn't obvious, Aldow is one of the K'nocks enemies in
the room where the Evil Bell was found - specifically, the one in the upper
left corner of the room.
NOTE - If you have any intention of purchasing the Elixir from Jade's shop in
Lance (it costs 60,000 gold), it is recommended that you get this achievement
first, and *then* purchase it, as otherwise it might be a while before you can
accumulate maximum gold.
Also, while this can probably be received after the Darm battle (or so I'd
assume - Darm does award gold, after all), it would require a bit of planning,
so I'd recommend getting this before stepping through the door leading to him.
Set Sail For New Adventure
altered, but it appears to be set to Easy (unlike Ys I, which is set to Normal
Record of Adol's Adventure                                             [YS2RCD]
Throughout the course of the Eternal and Complete versions of Ys II, you can
refer to the "Record" section in-game (selectable via the "Diary" option) to
get a summary of the events that have happened so far.  There are 51 known
entries for this section, but some appear to be missable, and some can appear
out of order if done later in the game, so be wary of that.  I can't confirm
what any of the entries say (I don't understand Japanese, and it's currently
inconvenient for me to install Complete's English translation patches), but you
can at least refer to this site for a complete listing of what triggers them
(you might need a webpage translator):
http://teilv.ojaru.jp/themeplay_of/ys2/ys2_adols_log.html
Mascots                                                                [MSCOTS]
Throughout the course of Ys II, you can receive character mascots for doing
certain things (but you do start the game with several of them, mostly just a
few characters from Ys I).  Most mascots are just the various character and
enemy sprites facing towards you, but there are a couple of special ones to be
obtained throughout the course of the game.  Do note that it's impossible to
get all mascots in one playthrough, so your current list automatically carries
over to later playthroughs as well (however, for the mascots that require
repeated actions, I think they must all be done during the course of one
playthrough).
As the normal character and enemy sprites are too numerous to detail in list
form (I think everyone except Jeba is accounted for in some manner or another),
I will write the basics for those here.  For the characters, you simply have to
gift them a certain amount of times, until they reach maximum affection, I
believe (in some cases, this doesn't necessarily mean hearing their last gift
dialogue, but I'd recommend doing so anyway, just to be on the safe side).  For
the enemies (not including bosses, unless you count Dark Fact from Ys I), you
simply have to kill them enough times so their stats are completely unlocked
(in the Chronicles versions, I don't think drinking the Beastiary Potion is
necessarily required for these mascots, but it certainly serves as a good
indicator).  Altogether, there are a total of 157 mascots, though 1 of them
(Chun-Lilia) is only obtainable in the Steam version (and for those wondering,
Sara informs me that the broom, duck, and cat sprites seen on that one
spreadsheet aren't "real" mascots, and were never meant to be obtainable,
unlike Chun-Lilia).  To view these, you select the "Mascot" option from the
display menu, and then you can configure where you want it to be displayed on
the game screen (if anywhere).
Anyway, here's a list of the special mascots (in the order they show up in the
in-game list), as well as how to obtain them.
Imprisoned Maria
- Speak to Maria 4 consecutive times in the Core of Ys
NOTE - You'll know this is unlocked when her dialogue changes slightly.
Photogenic Lilia
- Defeat any boss without taking a single hit
NOTE - I'm not 100% certain, but this should also apply to the Darm battle,
even with the Shield Magic equipped.
Gussied-Up Lilia
- Beat the game on the Easy difficulty
Maid Lilia
- Beat the game on the Hard difficulty
Priestess Lilia
- Beat the game on the Normal difficulty
Chun-Lilia
- Shoot Lilia with Fire Magic 300 times
NOTE - This mascot is only legitimately obtainable in the Steam version of
Chronicles; in all other versions of the game (PSP Chronicles included), it is
unable to be obtained through normal methods.  Sara informs me that having it
in any version aside from the Steam one will often result in your save data
getting wiped or corrupted, so if you decide to obtain it via hacking or
whatever, be wary of the risks.
Anyway, with regards to the requirement listed above, I do not know if Lilia's
location makes any difference, but I suspect it doesn't (I did it when she was
in the Core of Ys).  It's also currently unknown if you have to shoot her all
300 times in one sitting, or if you can safely activate a screen transition or
something midway through (or perhaps even have her change locations).  At the
least, I'd guess it would all have to be done during the course of one
playthrough.
Tailed Tarf
- Give Tarf 7 gifts to enable him to reach level 2, where he'll then fight
alongside you
NOTE - This needs to be done during the Tarf escort mission, before taking him
back to the Colony of Lava.
I Heart Zalem
- Speak to Zalem at least 4 separate times (10 in Eternal)
NOTE - This requires exiting and re-entering her shop between each visit.
Exploding Pumpkin
- Destroy 20 pumpkins in the Colony of Lava via charged Fire Magic
Swooned Feena
- Speak to all of the Roos at least once
NOTE - You must speak to the Roos using Alter Magic to get this mascot.
In Situ Tarf
back to the Colony of Lava.  Please refer to the Steam achievement "Personal
Trainer" for more information.
Safety Charm
- Speak to Priest Hadal at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
NOTE - This requires exiting and re-entering his tomb between each visit.
Luck Charm
- Speak to Priest Tovah at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
Success Charm
- Speak to Priest Dabbie at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
Health Charm
- Speak to Priest Mesa at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
Study Charm
- Speak to Priest Gemma at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
Prosperity Charm
- Speak to Priest Fact at least 5 separate times (10 in Eternal)
For those that don't feel like reading a whole bunch, I've made this section to
address some of the more common trouble spots in the games, as well as a couple
other minor things.  To keep things simple, I'll limit this section mostly to
actual gameplay, not technical issues or anything of the sort (I'm not really
good with that stuff, so please don't ask =p).  It should go without saying,
this section contains spoilers, so read it at your own risk.
Ys I Questions                                                         [YS1FAQ]
Here is the list of commonly asked questions for Ys I.
Q: How do I beat Vagullion?
A: First, make sure you're at level 10 (51,200 EXP).  Next, make sure you've
received the Silver Sword from the southeastern Roda Tree on the Minea Plains;
without this, you have little hope of winning.  To get it, you must've found
the Silver Harmonica and returned it to Reah, as well as found and ate the Roda
Tree Seed.  You also should've found both the Silver Shield and the Silver
Armor, as that's the best armor you can have at this point (while not
technically required for this fight, you'll need them shortly anyway).  I'm not
going to go into an in-depth strategy here on how to beat him (that's what the
walkthrough is for =p), but if you meet all of those requirements (*especially*
the Silver Sword one, though it requires level 10 to be of much use here), you
have a decent shot.  This battle takes a lot of patience, and frustrates many
newcomers, but it is very winnable.
Q: How do I get into Darm Tower?
A: Depending on how much you've kept up with Feena and Jeba throughout the game,
this could be quite the complicated issue, so I'll just copy and paste this
answer from the walkthrough.  If you're doing the Feena/Jeba stuff all at once,
be sure to exit and re-enter Zepik between steps 1-3:
Q: How do I open the door at the top of Darm Tower?
A: You need the Blue Amulet from Luta Gemma, who's all the way back on floor 11,
near the balcony where you smashed the pillar to get through the Devil's
Corridor.  Before paying him a visit, be sure you've spoken with Reah in Rado's
Annex, as well as have both Volumes Mesa and Gemma of the Books of Ys in your
possession.  Before speaking to him, use the Monocle from Reah to translate
both Volumes Mesa *and* Gemma.  Once you read both of them, speak to him to
receive the Blue Amulet (yes, I know he mentions just Volume Gemma, but trust
me, Volume Mesa is required as well).  If you're playing the Eternal version of
the game, you'll have to talk to him twice after reading the Books to receive
this from him.
Q: How do I beat Dark Fact?
A: Again, I won't go into an in-depth strategy here, but make sure you have at
*least* the Silver Sword equipped, otherwise you simply cannot win.  You'll
also want to have the Silver Shield and Silver Armor equipped to reduce damage
(though technically, they're not required).  Unless you're particularly skilled
at evading his fireballs, your best bet is probably to try and tank him, and
kill him as soon as possible (though this can easily backfire, and leave you
trapped later in the battle).  Also, speaking of damage reduction, the Shield
Ring will *not* provide any additonal DEF here, nor will any of the other rings
function; this is true of all boss battles in Ys I, not just this one.
Q: Are there any rewards for beating the game?
A: In Complete on upwards, you get access to Time Attack, but unfortunately
that's all there is.  However, in Ys Eternal, you can change the text box
design in one of the option menus, but more importantly, you are able to visit
the developers' room (something that was removed from Complete on upwards).
Please refer to the section "Alen Smithy's Graveyard" for more details.
Q: What's with those boss titles?
WARNING!  SPOILERS FOR YS ORIGIN AHEAD!
A: That is something Falcom added to the Eternal version of the game, though
nobody seems to know why.  Whatever the case, they were removed when Chronicles
was released, likely because Ys Origin was already released at that point, and
whatever backstories they had planned were likely changed.  The "Redemption"
titles are also accompanied by names of what I'd assume to be descendants of
the six Priests, so my theory is that, much like some members of the Fact
family had demonic power bestowed upon them in Ys Origin, it's entirely
possible that Falcom had planned to give these demons a human backstory in much
the same vein.  After all, we know that Cain messed with his sons in Ys Origin,
so the argument could easily be made that he manipulated other members of the
Priests' families to accept demonic powers as well.  Of course, Ys Origin
doesn't give any kind of indication to these demons' backstories (if there even
is any beyond them being faithful servants or whatnot =p), so this is all
speculation.
With regards to Dark Fact, it says he's a "ruined Ys Priest", but do not
mistake this as meaning he was meant to be the *original* Priest Fact.  Toal's
story in Ys Origin indicates that the Fact lineage was split into two - Hugo in
Esteria, and Toal in Ys up above.  It's implied that Dark was just a normal
descendant of Hugo, until he witnessed the death of his parents at the hands of
greedy people who wanted to mine "silver" (cleria), something that his parents
opposed.  So, it's far more likely that he is a "Priest" as a result of abusing
the powers that awakened upon witnessing his parents' death, rather than being
the true heir to Hugo's lineage (but I guess that's still possible).  Besides,
if you've played Ys Origin, you should know that Cain is the original Priest
Fact, and that Toal later replaced him.  If Dark was really meant to be one of
the original six Priests, then logically, he should've recognized you when
visiting his tomb in the Sanctuary of Toal in Ys II, but that obviously isn't
Ys II Questions                                                        [YS2FAQ]
Here is the list of commonly asked questions for Ys II.
Q: Why can't I use Fire Magic?
A: Magic requires MP to use, so you need to obtain the Rod of Divinity from the
Ruins of Moondoria (behind the rock golems), and then afterwards touch it to
the Goddess Statue near Leggs.  Once you do so, you will be granted MP.
Q: How do I beat the first boss?
A: He's invulnerable to physical attacks, so you need to have found the Fire
Magic, as well as be able to use it (detailed above).  Even though physical
attacks don't work, the Fire Magic is still closely linked to your STR stat, so
be sure to keep grinding (level 12 or so for this boss), as well as always have
your strongest weapon equipped.  For a more in-depth answer, please refer to
the walkthrough portion of the guide.
Q: Where do I find the Black Pearl to undo the petrification curse?
A: First, you need to have obtained the Dreaming Idol from the Campanile of
Lane, as well as have showed it to the Goddesses in the Goddesses' Palace.
Once that's done, speak to Tarf, who is currently occupying Hadat's house in
Ramia Village.  He'll mention that he lost it, which you can then find on a
stand inside the meeting room in Solomon Shrine (if you forgot, that's the
center building in Fact's sector, the screen northeast of the Shrine entrance).
You *must* do all of the above steps before you can re-obtain this, since
trying to enter the meeting room prior to that will result in a message saying
the meeting's still going on, so the game won't let you in yet.  After that,
take the Black Pearl to the Goddesses, and they'll tell you what to do from
Q: How do I beat Dalles?
A: Aside from the runaways, there is one other person in the Shrine that was
freed from the petrification curse.  In the eastern portion of the Subterranean
Canal (where the Silver Pendant was found), you'll find Sada in the far
southwestern corner (you may have found him as a statue earlier).  Speaking to
him will get you the Cleria Sword, so be sure to equip that when facing Dalles,
and he should go down without too much trouble.  If you need more assistance,
please refer to the walkthrough portion of the guide.
A: Like Ys I, you get access to Time Attack in Complete on upwards, but there
is more.  In addition to receiving Darm's boss entry (for the Chronicles
versions, this will have to be done in a separate playthrough), there are 3 new
scenes to view throughout the course of a new game (it has to be a game started
after clearing it once - loading a previous file without these settings will
not work).  First, there is an extra intro scene with the Goddesses.  Second,
there is a small scene with Lilia and the Goddesses right after receiving the
Gold Pendant from the runaways.  Finally, after entering the door leading to
Darm, there is a scene of the Priests' descendants trying to stop the demons
from aiding Darm.  Aside from that, you also receive a character mascot
depending on which difficulty you beat the game on.
A big thank you to these people for contributing to the making of this guide in
some way:
http://seldane.proboards.com (Ancient Land of Ys)
- A nice, friendly community of Ys fans.  It's where I pulled the V-Sync
suggestion for people having trouble with Nygtilger.  Various other info was
collected from many different people there, but at this point, I can't remember
what was collected, or from who.
http://teilv.gozaru.jp
- A Japanese Ys site with a lot of useful info.  In particular, this is where I
learned of the bug to get more EXP when rescuing Feena in Ys I, the bugs
concerning Druegar and Zava in Ys II, as well as the additional purpose of the
mosquitoes in Ys II Eternal.
http://www.ysutopia.net/projects/yscomplete/bonus
- A nice site with info concerning lots of optional things (unfortunately, some
of the info isn't entirely accurate).  I believe this is where I first learned
about many extra things, particularly for Ys II.
Nightwolve and Deuce
- They're responsible for creating the English patches for the Complete version
of the games, and probably for getting me into the Ys series as much as I am
today.  Deuce also used to have a website about some stuff in Ys I & II, which
is where I initially learned of the bonus food items.
- The programmer XSeed hired to help localize the games.  She shared with me
the unlock conditions for the character mascot "Chun-Lilia", as well as helped
clarify the conditions for the Steam achievement "The Hand That Feeds Them" in
Ys II.  She's been much more helpful than that concerning these games, but I
couldn't work much of it into the guide.
Johnathan 'Zy' Sawyer
- Seeing him work on his guide recently provided some much needed motivation
for me to continue work on my own, which had been collecting dust for a couple
of years prior - who knows how long this would've taken otherwise.  He also
helped clarify the conditions for the Ys II Steam achievement "The Hand That
Feeds Them".
Nunuu
- Her guide for Ys Eternal was a big help to me when first going through Ys I
(though it unfortunately contains a little bit of misinformation).  It's where
I learned how to barter with Pim in Ys I, as well as the suggestion to use the
Mirror in that narrow enemy-filled hallway of Darm Tower.  She also provided
some clues about how to unlock a few of the Ys II character mascots.
Franzise_D, Wyrdwad, Mehsophilis, SolDaeDra, AR788, MP83, Informed_User
- For various contributions concerning how to unlock some of the mascots.
XSeed
- For localizing these and other Ys games on the PSP and Steam.
- For creating the games in the first place. =p
If you wish to contact me concerning this guide, please send me an e-mail at
"zarimus@yahoo.com".  Comments and criticism are welcome, as are corrections,
especially ones concerning gameplay (please double-check these yourself first).
Please don't contact me with regards to technical issues trying to run the
games, because aside from the couple of things already listed in the guide,
chances are I won't be of much help.
If you wish to host this on your site, please contact me before doing so.  More
than likely I'll say yes, so long as you agree to the following:
- Don't sell this guide for financial reasons of any kind.
- Don't claim this guide as your own work, or otherwise alter it in any way.
- Ask for permission before hosting or using this in a public manner.
I hope you enjoyed the guide!