Disgaea: Hour of Darkness Battle Walkthrough Version 1.5 By Jason Venter jasonventer[at]yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version History: (1.5) February 25, 2004 - Took the original text version of this walkthrough and overhauled its presentation so it will work as a plain text guide. This required adding the table of contents and also making it possible to jump about the guide using the CTRL+F function. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Table of Contents: [00g0000] General Comments/Introduction [00e0100] Episode I: Prince of the Netherworld [00e0101] Magnificent Gate [00e0102] Blessed Court [00e0103] Corridor of Love [00e0104] Hall of Caresses [00e0200] Episode II: Enter Flonne [00e0201] Forsaken Land [00e0202] Icy Breath [00e0203] Eternal Winter [00e0204] White Death [00e0300] Episode III: A Hint of Kindness [00e030i] Item World [00e0301] Gaudy Entrance [00e0302] Golden Courtyard [00e0303] Flashy Passage [00e0304] Lavish Hall [00e0400] Episode IV: Gift From an Angel [00e0401] Road of Flames [00e0402] Parched Ground [00e0403] Blazing Field [00e0404] Molten Labyrinth [00e0500] Episode V: Etna's Secret [00e0501] Absolute Zero [00e0502] Endless White [00e0503] Terrible Cold [00e0504] Ice Queen [00e0600] Episode VI: Laharl's Challenge [00e0601] Calamity Forest [00e0602] Ritual Site [00e0603] Witches' Den [00e0604] Writing Shadow [00e0605] Nightdwellers [00e0606] Heart of Evil [00e0700] Episode VII: On Being an Overlord [00e0701] Scorching Wind [00e0702] Column of Fire [00e0703] Raging Earth [00e0704] Crimson Plains [00e0705] Ember of Dreams [00e0800] Episode VIII: Reincarnation [00e0801] Theatre of Death [00e0802] Frigid Garden [00e0803] Freezing Souls [00e0804] Under the Moon [00e0900] Episode IX: Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth [00e0901] Valgipus IV [00e0902] Thurvean Sector [00e0903] Sphere VIII [00e0904] Cross-Point [00e0905] Primordial Soup [00e1000] Episode X: Angels, Demons, and Humans [00e1001] Fervent Melody [00e1002] Wasteland of Woe [00e1003] River of Lava [00e1004] Searing Tyranny [00e1005] Inferno [00e1100] Episode XI: Hero's Will, Overlord's Way [00e1101] Ghostly Whisper [00e1102] Rising Fear [00e1103] Crawling Terror [00e1104] Hero's Tomb [00e1200] Episode XII: War of the Netherworld, Part 1 [00e1201] Embryon [00e1202] Core Point No. 4 [00e1203] Star Cluster [00e1204] Sidereal Rift [00e1300] Episode XIII: War of the Netherworld, Part 2 [00e1301] Point Alpha-III [00e1302] Main Corridor 1 [00e1303] Main Corridor 2 [00e1304] Main Corridor 3 [00e1305] Bridge [00e1400] Episode XIV: What Lies Beyond the Battle [00e1401] Field of Virtue [00e1402] Paradise [00e1403] Angelic Choir [00e1404] Coliseum [00e1405] Divine Prison [00e1406] Inner Sanctum [00e1407] Hall of Justice [00e1408] Sacred Alter [00c0001] Conclusion [00c0002] Acknowledgements [00c0003] Copyright Concerns Search Tip: You can hop around this guide easily by copying the bracketed code listed above that corresponds to the area where you need help, then pressing 'CTRL+F' on your keyboard to bring up the box. Paste the code into that box, then search to skip immediately to the desired portion of the guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================= [00g0000] General Comments/Introduction ======================================= I really like this game. The tactical RPG is an endangered species and it's games like Disgaea: Hour of Darkness that make a person wonder why. There's a lot of depth, great opportunity to level up powerful characters, and a lot of things along that line... which this guide is going to ignore. As the title states, this is a battle walkthrough. Use it for assistance on the various battles in the game. If you want details on how to gain new classes and such, look elsewhere. Also, remember that the walkthrough was written based on my character configuration as I went through the game. Specifically, you'll want to get a dragon for your character party as quickly as possible. Additionally, the guide assumes you're leveling up properly. There are specific points where I'll tell you what level you should be at, or where I'll encourage you to level up a bit more if it's necessary to beat an opponent. Even when I'm not harping on it, though, level-building campaigns can be useful. As I go through the guide, I'll make notes of those areas that work most smoothly to level up your characters. Finally, you really should only consult this guide if you're stuck. Part of the fun of the game is seeing the plot twists and such. It's somewhat difficult to avoid plot twists in this game, so I don't even try. There are spoilers. With that said, let's get going! ============================================== [00e0100] Episode I: Prince of the Netherworld ============================================== This is a good warm-up area, with some pretty simple battles. You can level up a fair amount in the first few fights, and really should take the opportunity and do so. You'll not progress far in the game if you're afraid to stop and take a little time here and there to buff up your characters. The first area in particular is a good place to gain some levels. -------------------------- [00e0101] Magnificent Gate -------------------------- When you start here, you'll see two different Geo Symbols. One increases enemy strength and the other improves the experience points you gain for defeating your foes. The most fun you can have is busting them both to set off a combo and increase your Bonus meter; the experience booster only applies to the appropriately colored titles, which are far enough away that you'll have defeated most of your opponents by the time you can take advantage of it. Better to destroy them both, get the points for the combo, and then just move ahead swiftly to defeat your foes. You'll be learning the general strategies here that will serve you throughout the rest of the game. ----------------------- [00e0102] Blessed Court ----------------------- It's a race for the good squares! Or not. There are some symbols here that can increase defense and attack ability. The enemy will be heading for the same advantageous spots, though. If they beat you there, pick them up and toss them away, then snag the spot for yourself. Alternatively, you can simply destroy the symbols to remove all special effects in the stage. Just remember the whole time that you shouldn't have the magic users leading the rush. Laharl is a good choice for frontrunner, with Etna backing him up if he needs to be thrown somewhere. Follow them up with your other physical attackers, then in the rear you should have your cleric and any mages. -------------------------- [00e0103] Corridor of Love -------------------------- This is a pleasant enough stage that will force you to adopt a new strategy. There are several ways to take it on, depending on your particular style: 1. Have Laharl lead an assault that wraps around the upper left side of the stage. He should have Etna and a healer following him. When he clears out the top, then he and his friends should head back over near the start, and then everyone can head down to the water below. 2. Have Laharl lead an assault directly down toward the water. He should take a wizard with him, and the healer should follow halfway down the stairs while the remainder of your group forms a defensive line a few squares left of where everyone starts. When Laharl has cleared things up near the water, both groups converge on the enemies to the upper left. Again, the one you choose will depend on your style and also the members in your party. Levels are also a factor. Note that you can recover your energy down at the water, so a third option is simply to have everyone rush down there first, then follow the stairs leading to the upper left. -------------------------- [00e0104] Hall of Caresses -------------------------- You might find yourself screaming and thinking the game isn't fair if you don't approach this level exactly as you should. It's the first boss encounter, and Mid-Boss is the least of your worries. Of more concern are the two enemies standing on the tiles that triple their attack power. If you rush forward without noticing that, you'll find they can wipe out one or more of the members of your party instantly. If you rush them, you might still lose a few characters in the attempt before taking them out, and then you'll be in no shape to fight Mid-Boss. The strategy of the day is to have Laharl take out the geo symbols as quickly as possible. Have him rush forward to not quite the 'lip' of the rectangular passage where you begin. This should keep him out of the range of the particularly tough enemies. Make sure Etna is close by. Then in your next turn, move Laharl along the wall toward the symbols. Have Etna follow him so she can toss him as appropriate. This should get him all the way over to the symbols, and he should then work on taking them out quickly. Once the panels no longer work their magic, you'll have something resembling a chance. You still want to take out the enemy magic user, and your healer should keep a safe distance but be ready to do some serious healing. Once the low- level ruffians are accounted for, Mid-Boss will fall easily to a few attacks from Laharl, as well as anyone else who may be around. It's probably best to do most of the work with Laharl and just have a healer back him up from a distance. With this battle down, you've conquered your first episode. ================================== [00e0200] Episode II: Enter Flonne ================================== Flonne is a cute little angel with a high-pitched voice that will likely grate on your nerves. She was sent by the Seraph to assassinate Laharl's father, and it is this that causes her to meet Laharl. When he learns that she was sent as an assassin, he pursues her through a series of frozen stages. This world is relatively simple, and the second stage in particular is one you'll return to repeatedly when leveling up your crew. Bring plenty of fire magic. ----------------------- [00e0201] Forsaken Land ----------------------- If you're stupid like I was, you can find yourself still left with a good portion of your party but with no way to take out some of the enemies. To avoid this potential outcome, immediately take out the guys up top. The easiest way to do this is with fire magic, if you have any (and if you don't, go get some; you'll need it for the next few areas, as well). If not, you can also throw someone up onto the ledge to take out the few opponents. The other threat in this area is the zombies. Considering the fact that they're undead and they're used to the cold, you should know what to do: toast their butts with fire magic! -------------------- [00e0202] Icy Breath -------------------- The first thing you should do here is have Lahrarl dash up the hill to the left. If he stands at the center of the three zombies, he can use Blazing Knuckle to take out three of them right from the start. From there, have a healer and your fire mage follow. You'll likely not need anyone else for this stage. It really is a snap. As it so happens, this is also a great place to level up any new characters you create from time to time. They can play around here to get up to level 7 or 8 before you move them on to any tougher encounters you have planned. If you're returning here with weak characters, note that the strategy is the same except you don't want Laharl saving the day. Just use physical attacks if leveling up healers, or fire if leveling up mages, or whatever else may be appropriate. Good stuff. ------------------------ [00e0203] Eternal Winter ------------------------ Prepare to meet one of the most annoying enemies in the game, the imp. This fellow can fly around just about anywhere, and he drops Hell Pepper attacks. This special attack can do some serious damage to several of your party members at once. Not only that, but it may also poison them so they suffer damage at the start of each turn. Therefore, your real strategy here is to have Laharl and any red mages take out the buggers as quickly as possible while healers back you up. When that's done, the zombies can be tended to. --------------------- [00e0204] White Death --------------------- You've finally caught up to Flonne. Depending on your levels and strategies, this encounter can be tough or relatively simple. Not unlike the stage before it, one of your main threats here is the formation of imps you'll quickly notice. Use fire magic to dispatch of them as quickly as possible. Laharl should be making tracks toward Flonne, and if it helps you can have Etna toss him in that direction. Flonne has also brought a dragon with her. While it's true that he's a threat, you really should tend to him last. Flonne is a priority because she has healing magic for her comrades (and because she can be dispatched of relatively quickly with a Hurricane Slash), and the imps are important because they can damage so many of your friends at once. Make sure to have your warriors provide protection from a frontal assault on your fire mage at least until he has defeated the imps. Afterward, the main one you need to take out is Laharl. He should have defeated Flonne by now, and your healers can spend the remainder of the battle dodging the dragon themselves and backing up Laharl with healing magic while he uses Hurricane Slash to defeat the dragon's lengthy life meter. ========================================= [00e0300] Episode III: A Hint of Kindness ========================================= This stage begins by forcing you to visit the Item World. Before you can enter the gate to the third area, you have to have a weapon equipped that has been leveled up to 10. The gatekeeper gives you Mr. Gency's Exit to assist you in this matter. The item is important, and should be reserved for only emergencies. Save, then go into the Item World. At this point in the game, the most obvious choice of a weapon to level up is likely Swordbreaker (at least, it was for me). -------------------- [00e030i] Item World -------------------- The Item World is a cool concept, but it can be a pain in the butt. You have to work all the way through ten stages in a row. Along the way, you'll sometimes have your attention called to certain foes with yellow life meters. In any such stage, immediately take out those enemies first. They are Item World residents, and they'll help a lot toward making the weapon you're leveling up improve. If you don't want to spend long here the easiest thing to do is run for the glowing orange portals. There's usually an enemy stationed on them, but you can take him out quickly and proceed to the next area. As I said, you need to defeat ten of these stages in a row, and they grow progressively tougher as you go. You can use the panels to your advantage on several of these stages, and panels where you are invincible do show up with surprising frequency. In such stages, hop from one panel to another and you won't take any damage. If for some reason you need to, you can use Mr. Gency's Exit for one safe exit back to the castle, where you can restore health and save before completing the rest of the ten stages. It's generally not a good idea to resort to this until you've cleared at least six of the ten stages. When you clear the tenth stage, you'll be offered a trip back to the castle, which you should accept. Save and then head off to the episode's scripted stages. ------------------------ [00e0301] Gaudy Entrance ------------------------ This stage looks easy, and for the most part it even is. Just note that there are more enemies than you are likely to notice at a glance. Two hide behind the walls on either side of the arch, and they can potentially cause trouble if you rush ahead without thought. The same strategy you generally follow--Laharl in the lead with support characters behind him--is the one you want to use here, as well. The only wrinkle is that one of the enemies might cast some healing spells if given the chance. Take out the enemy cleric and you'll be just fine. -------------------------- [00e0302] Golden Courtyard -------------------------- This level is interesting in that a Geo Symbol prevents you from progressing past the panels until it has been destroyed. Your enemies aren't quite so inhibited (or at least, it affects them less), so your first objective is to destroy the symbols that are keeping you so confined. It will fall easily to Laharl's blade and maybe some magic, so take care of that right away. The main enemies you should be fearing here are the brawlers, even if the manticore is a threat. Take out the small guys first, most likely with more magic and your weaker physical attackers. Have Laharl aim for the manticore. His Hurricane Slash attack is a good choice for this task, as always. ------------------------ [00e0303] Flashy Passage ------------------------ If you thought you'd seen a lot of brawlers up to this point, prepare to change your mind. This stage is just a winding hallway with brawlers on either side for quite a distance. Laharl should head out first, with any physical attackers flanking him. Just slowly advance along the hallway, keeping your healers at work behind you, and this won't be too hard. The only way you would likely have trouble is if you get hasty and the healers get within range of some brawler lances. Then things can quickly go sour. --------------------- [00e0304] Lavish Hall --------------------- Hoggmeiser is your opponent this time around, but as usual he's not so much the threat as his companions, a bunch of brawlers. You'll want to take them out as quickly as possible. The trick is to keep your party members from being terribly close to one another. Fan out just a bit as you move forward, and keep your healers and mages at a safe distance. Magic attacks should make quick work of the brawlers. Despite my best efforts, I had lost my healers and mages by the time I whittled the opponents down to only Hoggmeiser, but even if that happens to you, it's not the end of the world. Just have Laharl attack with his Hurricane Slash, and keep anyone else you have left at a safe distance. Why not just move in for the kill? Because Hoggmeiser has a special whirling attack that does area damage similar to Laharl's Blazing Knuckle attack. You'll really appreciate that after this fight, when Hoggmeiser decides to join your party. ======================================== [00e0400] Episode IV: Gift From an Angel ======================================== Because Archangel Vulcanus stole her pendant, Flonne's life is at stake. She enlists Laharl's reluctant assistance in exchange for 'something good,' and as a result you'll spend four thrilling stages working through fields of molten lava. ------------------------ [00e0401] Road of Flames ------------------------ Prepare for a rude awakening. The enemies in this area are much more persistent, and they've armed themselves with rather lethal attacks. If you've been relying on fire-related magic thus far, it's time to think about something opposite... like ice. The main threat here comes from the Killer Armor. You'll either want to have Laharl take it out immediately with some healing magic backing him up, or you'll want all your characters to carefully avoid it until the simpler underlings have breathed their last. The Killer Armor has a move called Power Slice that does an insane amount of damage to your characters, and many of them (particularly healers and wizards) simply aren't ready to cope with that sort of physical contact. ------------------------ [00e0402] Parched Ground ------------------------ Not much has changed now, except that there are more of the Killer Armor enemies. Your strategy should still be to avoid them when you're not hammering them with everything you've got. Group attacks are going to play a particularly vital role in this stage just because you really don't want a battle that drags on for too long; your life gauges can't afford that. ----------------------- [00e0403] Blazing Field ----------------------- You have two options here: leave the Geo Symbol in place and suffer humiliating defeat, or take it out as quickly as possible and perhaps defeat the opponents. Assuming you decide victory sounds good, it's your job to have Etna chuck Laharl over the gap so he can race for the symbol. Why? Because the symbol inflicts 20% damage to your characters each round. Then there's another panel to the left of that which makes each of your opponents half again as powerful. Not only that, but there are a lot of them. Therefore, while he's taking out the panels, your mage should be using magic to wipe out the opponents nearest the stage's starting point. If you make quick enough work of them, you can cross the rock bridge and meet up again with Laharl (who likely needs some medical attention at this point). Then everyone can be healed before you move toward the enemies that remain off to the side. -------------------------- [00e0404] Molten Labyrinth -------------------------- Vulcan is disappointed that Flonne made it so far, that she still lives, and he chucks aside her pendant. It ends up in the hands of a pleasantly surprised Mid-Boss, whom you soon encounter. Despite his admiration for Flonne's femininity, he won't give up the pendant without a fight. Thus begins one of the most difficult battles thus far. The simple fact here is that you may well end up repeating this battle a few times. There are several hazards. The mandrakes are actually the worst. There are quite a few of them, and their jackknife attack will make short work of your health. Only Laharl can survive extended attacks from them, and even he will fall if he also happens to take a few hits from the Killer Armors. As possible, have your magic users support Laharl on the assault. Whenever you can, use offensive magic on multiple mandrakes, and back that up with any physical attacks you can manage. You'll quite likely find yourself facing Mid-Boss with only Laharl--and possibly one or two very weakened others--remaining. Be certain that he has lots of healing items with him. If you must, you can keep far away enough from Mid-Boss to refill your life meter from time to time. When Laharl moves in for the kill, he should attack from behind with Hurricane Slash, as per usual. ================================== [00e0500] Episode V: Etna's Secret ================================== This is the episode where you get to find out what terrible secret Etna has been keeping from Laharl, and just who she is working for and why. It's actually quite amusing, but first you have to get through several stages. Along the way, you'll find yourself the victim of several cruel turns, as Laharl isn't quite himself when nice things are around. ----------------------- [00e0501] Absolute Zero ----------------------- This and the next are the two hardest stages in this episode, oddly enough. In this particular stage, you really, really need to get Laharl over to the Geo Symbol as quickly as possible. Have him destroy it. Until that's happened, it's probably best not to bring out too many of your party members, just a healer and some guys to form a protective barrier around her. Why? Because the symbol sets things up so that every round, your party members suffer damage. Even after you've taken out the symbol, you have to worry about the Hell Pepper attack your enemies will be sprinkling around. Once it's safe to do so, try and keep your group split apart a little so they're not all hit at once with the poisonous powder. Laharl is still going to be your main attacker, and he should take out the enemies with Hurricane Slash if hitting one at a time, or Blazing Knuckle when appropriate. The others just need to back him up while keeping an eye on their life meters. ----------------------- [00e0502] Endless White ----------------------- The only real challenge here is the fact that Laharl's stats are cut in half after he had to endure the torture of hearing so many optimistic phrases from the Prinnies. The enemies aren't so difficult, though. The rest of your party members are at their usual best, so just have them move around attacking with group magic. Even in his weakened state, Laharl is likely a force to be reckoned with (assuming you have him well-equipped), so he should use Hurrican Slash as necessary. Keep your healers doing their job and this isn't really a difficult fight. ----------------------- [00e0503] Terrible Cold ----------------------- You haven't seen a stage this simple in ages, and it feels good. Laharl has formed a bit more resistance to the charms of nearly naked women, and even better, the Geo Symbol dictates that all but one panel renders whoever stands on it invincible. What this means is that you can fight for ages without taking any damage. However, so can your opponents. The trick I used was to form a line of characters wrapping around to that one panel where attack can be dealt. Then I had Laharl stand to the left of that panel while enemies were tossed over to it. He took out one, then would wait for another to be tossed there. For the most part, the enemies migrate over to that square if they are pointed in its general direction. It's an easy fight, though it can be time-consuming if you don't set your chain up properly. If you get cornered anywhere while constructing said chain, you can always lift your opponent, throw it, then move forward. If you want to use this area a little later on to build up your levels, no one would blame you. Note that you can throw enemies on top of one another and they will combine into one. Do this to all the enemies in the area and you'll face an enemy somewhere between level 104 and 112. Then just plop that enemy on the square that makes it vulnerable, and have the character you wish to level up finish off the villain. If the character of choice is too weak to do any damage, position Laharl behind him or her to deal the last few blows in combo formation, and the weak character will then be able to jump up a few levels (if the character is at level 1, it might jump right up to level 20 or so). ------------------- [00e0504] Ice Queen ------------------- Now you find out that one of your old enemies has been controlling Etna. He was one bad guy, and now you get to fight him. Fortunately, this really is a simple fight if you keep your wits about you. In general, your strategy should be to send Laharl forward first, followed by Etna, then a brawler or similar character, then a healer. Next you should have a mage of some sort to take out enemies from a safe distance. Though there are several ways to approach Madera, it seems like the direct approach works best. Just be sure to protect your flanks with a physical class, mostly keeping an eye to your left. Laharl shouldn't move from where you first place him, until it's down to just Madera left. At that point, space everyone out so they can heal the Prince while he dispatches of this scoundrel. ======================================== [00e0600] Episode VI: Laharl's Challenge ======================================== What better way to make sure you won't have anyone stabbing you in the back than to call your opponents to assault you? So figures Laharl. His plan has but one flaw: everyone in the Netherworld (his vassals included) seems to want the title of Overlord. So begins one of the more interesting episodes thus far. ------------------------- [00e0601] Calamity Forest ------------------------- It's not the enemies that are overwhelming here so much as it's the number of them. Though most of the foes you meet are wimps, there are so many of them that when you first begin, Laharl will barely be able to move. He should take out the enemies one at a time as he moves forward, until he gets to the end of the narrow ledge. Once there, quickly make sure he is backed up by another physical warrior, then a fire mage, and finally a healer. Have the mage do as much area damage as possible and make sure you take out the imps so they can't drop a lot of Hell Pepper. Most of your foes will come to you, so another trick is to keep Laharl's health up. By now, Mega Heal should be readily available to you, and you can bet you'll be using it. Other than the fact that the battle drags on for quite a while and you'll probably run out of SP, this isn't such a tough introduction to the episode. --------------------- [00e0602] Ritual Site --------------------- This is another relatively simple stage. You have only one opponent, a self- confident knight out to rid the world of demons. She's killed somewhere more or less than 2000 of them, and she plans to make your party the next bunch. To prevent your opponent from being successful in that endeavor, spread everyone out. There's nothing to be gained by moving in for the kill, as the knight has the power to kill most of you in one hit. Keep healers dancing around the edge of the knight's range of movement, and Laharl should hound the knight's flanks with Hurricane Slash while your offensive mages use their magic from time to time. It's a big area you have to fight in, so careful movement will make this battle a breeze. ---------------------- [00e0603] Witches' Den ---------------------- This is another of those time-consuming battles where not a lot else is happening. If it seems like this particular episode can drag on from time to time, that's because it can. Keep your wits about you, and have your mages liberally spread their offensive magic for as long as they remain alive. It's likely that your best efforts will not prevent you from losing a few in your group, but keep pumping those healing spells into Laharl and he can pretty much take out the majority of any remaining opponents by himself. ------------------------ [00e0604] Writing Shadow ------------------------ There's an alternate netherworld, and the guy you fight in this stage is the overlord who rules it. Only when you fight him now, he's split his power into ten fearsome dragons. You don't have a chance in hell of defeating him. The game makes sure of that. Therefore, just get your ten characters out into the playing field right away, and let them get slaughtered. Once everyone is dead, you won't see the 'Game Over' screen. Instead, the vassals that disappeared from the castle now make their entrance. It seems they came to the forest to ambush you, but instead they save your hide. Your whole party is back to full health now, but all you should do is throw out any one of your weaker characters for one round. Your vassals will now fight the enemy dragons for you. Though you'll probably lose that one character at the end of the first round, you can simply bring out another for the next round. In two or three rounds, your enemies will all be dead and your vassals will return to your castle. ----------------------- [00e0605] Nightdwellers ----------------------- The introduction to this stage is pure comedic genius, so I won't ruin it for you. Once that's past, it's time to get to work. The stump-like creatures are a true pain. Try not to ever intentionally line up your characters, as they'll just get stomped all over. There's a panel up near the top of the stage that causes you to warp all over the place each round, so that's going to cause some trouble. Focus on getting whatever enemies you can, healing your allies at each opportunity the warp provides if they need it, and keeping your mages out of the reach of anyone powerful. It's easier said than done, but if you play carefully, you should have Laharl left and in good health so he can take out the red ranger. ----------------------- [00e0606] Heart of Evil ----------------------- Considering he wore such heavy underwear while training, Mid-Boss hasn't gotten a lot tougher. In fact, he seems to be easier than he was the last time you encountered him. The problem is that he has plenty of assistance from his companions, who love Hell Pepper and pretty strong attacks. Your priority is to take out each of them first. Blessedly, Mid-Boss himself is mostly a pushover. He won't even engage until you've had time to take out most of his compatriots, and even when he does, he only has a fairly focused attack. Therefore, keep everyone away from his reach and don't pick an actual fight unless you do so with Laharl and have more or less taken out the annoying underlings. Because there are so many underlings, it's likely that you'll soon lose your mages and clerics, which means that you want to carefully choose the 10 characters you send to this battle. Madera and Hoggmeiser make two excellent choices. When it's down to just Mid-Boss, feel free to surround him and pound him into the ground. =========================================== [00e0700] Episode VII: On Being an Overlord =========================================== There have been two ice-based areas thus far, and it turns out this is the second fire-based one. Be sure to have made appropriate preparations. There are some great opportunities for easy, quick level building here, too. ------------------------ [00e0701] Scorching Wind ------------------------ How do I love this stage? Let me count the ways. Or not. Whether I count or not, though, it's pretty cool. Why? Because you can level up your characters extremely quickly. The whole area increases your experience by 100%. Pretty nice. Double experience on zombies means you can take them out quickly (though carefully; there are enough to be a hazard) and go up levels as you do. When I first got here, my brawler went up four levels while beating the stage. If you have anyone who needs leveled up, this is the new place to do it at. Note that when you first encounter this stage (if you're like me), your levels will probably be low enough that you do have to proceed with caution, even if later you'll stomp all over these guys on later level-building visits. To get these guys out of your way without too much trouble, make sure you use area attacks when the monsters are still in their huddles, get a healer or two ready to play nurse, and have Laharl take out the monsters to the left of the start. Have another fighter or two help him out, and never have too many of your characters set up in a straight line. The zombies have by now figured out how to rush straight lines, and you want them to hurt the fewest possible number of characters in a given round, right? Right. ------------------------ [00e0702] Column of Fire ------------------------ This stage is actually quite simple, but be prepared to lose some throwaway characters at the start. This is because until you take out a difficult-to- reach Geo Symbol, the monsters that surround the starting panel will hit for three times the usual damage. There's a strategy to fix this problem as quickly as possible, but it will likely take two rounds and thus any of your characters other than Laharl will be toast in that time. Begin by having throwaway character A (Etna works best if she's not one of your regular heavy hitters) move two spaces down from the blue square at the start. Now have throwaway character B move one square down from the start. Next, have Laharl appear to stand on the blue square. Now have throwaway character B pick up Laharl, but don't throw him just yet. Instead, have throwaway character A pick up throwaway character B (who is currently holding Laharl). You now will have a stack of three characters. Have throwaway character A toss throwaway character B up the pyramid of rock. When throwaway character B lands, he or she should be able to throw Laharl far enough that Laharl lands directly in front of the Geo Symbol. Have him use the Hurricane Slash on it, which should get it down to around 90 remaining HP. You have now ended your first turn. Do not bring out any more characters just yet. When the zombies go, they will instantly kill your two throwaway characters, and some will start toward Laharl but won't quite reach him. Then it's your turn again. Have Laharl finish off the Geo Symbol and when you're sure that's tended to, go ahead and bring out your heavy hitters (your mage can get in one solid round here) to finish off the zombies. ---------------------- [00e0703] Raging Earth ---------------------- This stage has the possibility to be an enormous pain in the butt if you're not careful. A narrow, red river of lava passes through its center. Zombies line one bank, your team the other. You can't throw anyone across because a symbol prevents lifting. You can't heal because another symbol has placed 'mute' in effect. You also can't pass around the side of the lava because there's a 'no entry' symbol. And finally, there's a symbol that takes 20% of your party's health each round. Though you can try to take out the symbols that prohibit lifting or entry to the other side, they have such a large life meter that it will take you several rounds. By that point, you could be almost dead. A better strategy is to just take out the monsters quickly. You can get them in two or three rounds if you do it right. Head down to the bank to lure them over, then hit them with your strongest physical attacks. There aren't many of them, so this should actually work pretty well. Laharl can practically take a single monster out by himself if you've been building his levels and equipping him well. You should be able to hit about two zombies a round between Laharl, Madara, and Hoggmeiser. ------------------------ [00e0704] Crimson Plains ------------------------ This stage is beyond easy. You only need to use your four strongest physical attackers. From the start, notice the green panels on each of four sides, as well as the red ones. The red panels increase your defense and attack power, while the green ones lower both of those attributes. Place each of your characters on the red panel, with the blue box at your center. Set each character so he or she is defending for the first turn. The zombies will come down from the hill to attack, and foolishly place themselves on the green panels. Note that the zombies will of course attack, and they will do some damage. However, you most likely won't have any reason to be concerned. Hoggmeiser should use his Spinning Slash move if you've got him out, Laharl should use Blazing Knuckle, and your other two can just do whatever. It shouldn't take long to wipe out the zombies (who will actually be hurting themselves with the spinning move, too). Even if you have to pull out more party members to finish off the last three or four, this stage is a breeze. ------------------------- [00e0705] Ember of Dreams ------------------------- I had quite a bit of trouble with this stage because I was impatient. You'll notice that at the center, there are green panels that add 100% to your defense. You definitely want to head there and use it as the base for your attacks. Get anyone out there who can move quickly, then let your weaker characters follow. When you reach the green tiles, you'll suffer a lot less damage at the hands of the zombies. Of course, the flip side is that whenever they come to that area, they receive the same protection from your attacks. The main zombie is the one that can hurt you the most, with a life meter on him that means you can't possibly take him down quickly. There's not really a set strategy that's going to work best here, because what you do will depend on how your party is configured. Just make sure to keep Laharl's health up as he does most of the dirty work and you'll probably be fine. Since you can't use human bodies as shields against the zombies--they spin right through them--there's not a lot you can do to protect your healers. All in all, not a pleasant fight, but a very winnable one if you take your time and plan your moves. Combo attacks are key. ===================================== [00e0800] Episode VIII: Reincarnation ===================================== Some of the prinnies have left the castle. This comes as a great surprise to Laharl, who appears to have forgotten the lore referenced earlier in the game. Remember, Etna said all prinnies are the same inside, whether in Celestia or the Netherworld. Laharl says the disappearance of the prinnies is a threat to his authority as Overlord, so your next move is to find where they've disappeared to. -------------------------- [00e0801] Theatre of Death -------------------------- This stage is annoying because there are more of the bouncing tree stumps. If you have your group lined up in rows, they can attack up to three of you at once. Keep that in mind as you place your characters. Of course, before you even worry about that, you'll want to take out the Geo Symbols. They're on the corner of the level opposite where you begin, and they decrease your defense by 50% while tripling your enemies' attack power. You need to leapfrog Laharl over there as quickly as possible, or the battle will be over almost before it begins. While Laharl is working on the panels, the characters you used to get him there will be left fending for themselves. Laharl has to work hard to get back because he'll have to go the long way. While he's working at attacking the guard at the stone bridge, the stumps will be surrounding any characters you have out. For this reason, it's usually a good idea to have Hoggmeiser and Maderas. They have the largest life meters by default. Then behind them, you'll want to have your healers. It's probably not a bad idea to use offensive magic if you have any--fire magic in particular--but my mage was dead long before he had a chance to attack. ----------------------- [00e0802] Frigid Garden ----------------------- This stage was easy for me, as I had a level 40 dragon on my team. If you don't have one, you want one. The dragon, if properly equipped, can do several hundred points' worth of damage to three enemies in a row using Ice Breath (even in ice levels like this one). The first stage in Episode 7 makes building the dragon's levels an easy task, too, as he can take out row after row of zombies for major bonuses. So like I was saying, this level was easy. It's just a bunch of the stump fellows, around 18 of them. If you have the dragon, take him out immediately, face him toward the mass of enemies to the diagonal left, and he can likely take out three of the stumps immediately. Follow him up with Laharl, who is likely at around level 35 by now. With a level 40 dragon and Laharl, you shouldn't have any trouble making quick work of all the enemies. If you want to make it go even faster, take your fire mage and a few physical guys and a healer along to the right while Laharl and the dragon take care of the guys to the left. That way, you won't have to backtrack to finish off the other stumps. ------------------------ [00e0803] Freezing Souls ------------------------ When you first look at this stage, you'll be thinking it's going to be horrific. But while it is difficult, it's not nearly so challenging as it might have been. Though you will notice there are panels that triple the attack power your enemies have and give them a boost in attack rate, these actually shouldn't come into play. Just begin as you normally would, by moving your troops down from the start area. Take out all the brawlers there as quickly as possible. If you give them a chance, they'll massacre you. Taking out the brawlers will take a while, but Ice Breath helps a lot, and any of Laharl's area attacks. When you've got all the brawlers, head next to the Geo Symbols and trash them all. With that done, you can make your way over to the archers. The best trick here is to edge up just out of their range with Laharl and your dragon. Then in the next round, rush forward with the dragon (throw him if you must) and use Ice Breath on the row of archers. Laharl should follow just behind with Blazing Knuckle and you're almost done. Finish off the remaining stragglers in the next round. As I said, it's not hard after all. ------------------------ [00e0804] Under the Moon ------------------------ This battle isn't going to be that hard if you work quickly at the start. The three guys up near the upper left hand corner all have over 1000 HP, so you'll tend to them last. First, rush up and take out the guys nearest the start panel. You'll want all ten of your allotted characters for this battle to make sure things run smoothly. The villains are strong against the dragon's ice attacks, but Laharl can use the Hurricane Slash as normal (or any fire-based attacks) while your fire mage can work his magic with Mega Fire or Giga Fire. There are several of the cloaked fiends at the start, so you won't be able to take them all out at once; they're quite the hearty lot. Be sure to protect your healers so they can heal from round to round. When you get all but the last three, it's then time to surround your remaining opponents one at a time and lay into them with all your best moves. If you have the dragon, he should use physical attacks, primarily, unless there's an opportunity to hit two monsters at once. Again, the battle is simple if you work quickly. Otherwise it'll drag out and you'll run out of healing magic. When you finish it, be prepared for a tearful revelation. ======================================================= [00e0900] Episode IX: Captain Gordon, Defender of Earth ======================================================= The game just gets cheesier and cheesier as it goes, but that's just fine so long as it keeps being funny! In this episode, you meet a new character. The chapter is named after him, and you get to watch a nice little parody of Star Wars before festivities begin. --------------------- [00e0901] Valgipus IV --------------------- You shouldn't need strategic help with this one at all. Just go all out. The enemies are a short distance ahead of you in a 3x3 grid. All you have to do is throw some powerful magic at them. For me, it was a matter of having my fire mage start out with Giga Fire, then my wind mage threw Giga Wind into the mix. By then, only two enemies remained, and the dragon was able to take that number down to one. By the time Laharl came out with Nightsever, the enemies were all dead. They never even got to attack. Depending on how you have your party set up, a similar strategy should work just fine for you. ------------------------- [00e0902] Thurvean Sector ------------------------- This is a lot tougher than the last area, as you would of course expect. Make sure you return to the castle hospital to refill your magic before attempting this battle. The problem here is that all the enemies are spread out. Very few group attacks will do much good, and your real goal in the first ground is to find exceptions to that rule and take out as many of your foes as possible before they get moving. Note that there's no point in bringing out your healers until after the first round; they'll just stand around doing no good, and then they'll be slaughtered before you ever need their healing assistance. Remarkably, so will even the majority of your tougher fighters. The strongest asset here is definitely your dragon. Laharl does well, too. Other than the magic users, it's pointless to bring out much of anyone else, and you should only bring out the mages the first round so they can do as much damage as possible before they are wiped out. The latter portion of the battle will of course get easier as more and more of your opponents bite the dust, but until then be prepared for some tough going. The dragon's ice beam is a wonder here, as is Laharl's Blazing Knuckle attack. Just keep plugging away and you'll do fine. --------------------- [00e0903] Sphere VIII --------------------- This is another of those stages that isn't terribly difficult if you act quickly. You can take out around half the enemies in the first round. Notice first of all the red Geo Panels. They increase attack and defense by 50% and of course are a very nice place to be. Move your mages to the nearest two and then have them use small area magic (the second one down will get two at a time, such as the enemies are positioned) on the nearest brawlers. Follow that up with some physical attacks from Laharl and friends, and you can easily take out four brawlers right away. It's not so important to get Laharl and the dragon (if you have one) onto the panels, but you'll want to make sure your weaker members have that extra bit of protection. Most likely, it'll take two rounds before the nearest brawlers fall to you. Now use Laharl as bait in the next round. Have him run toward the next group of brawlers, then retreat back to the safety of the red panels. The brawlers should follow, and you can again lay into them with your strongest magic. Note that half of the second group of brawlers is much more difficult, because they have life meters three times as long as those of their companions. Don't lose your wits, do some smart healing, stay on the red panels, and you'll probably beat this stage with only minimal loss. --------------------- [00e0904] Cross-Point --------------------- This stage is a nice switch from the routine. When you start, the first thing you'll notice is the lime green hue that covers nearly the entire stage. There's one space that does not contain the glow, and it contains a Geo Panel that will mute all characters. Oddly enough, this is precisely what you want. Take a look at the enemies and the reason for this will be obvious: they are all magic users. Let them do their thing and you'll find they are quite fond of casting spells like Giga Fire that can really devastate your team. The only way you stand a chance is to take that out, which means having Laharl do the dirty work. You'll have to send out someone with good throwing range first. Have him move forward two spaces. Follow him with Etna, then Laharl. Now have Etna pick up Laharl, then the first character pick up Etna, so that you have a stack of the three characters. Now toss Etna (who is holding Laharl), and she should in turn toss him. When he lands, have him rush over to the Geo Panel (he should be able to reach it just barely), pick it up, and throw it somewhere on an unoccupied green square. That was the easy part. Now you need to pull out your toughest characters. Remember, magic is now useless, so focus on those with the highest attack power and defense. The wraiths can hit you with around 70 damage points apiece, so it's going to be a matter of teaming up on one of them at a time and working your way across the field. Laharl, meanwhile, may well be cornered by four of the fiends near the Geo Symbol. He should be able to survive while the remainder of your party takes out the ones near the start. Not all that challenging, really, so long as you have some tough physical characters. If you don't, it's time to level up before facing this stage. ------------------------- [00e0905] Primordial Soup ------------------------- This is the stage where Laharl and Gordon finally meet. As boss battles go, it's an absolute piece of cake. It should last you only four rounds, two while you take care of Thursday, two more while you take out Gordon. It's important to take out Thursday first because he is the one with the group attack, which does close to 400 damage to each of your party members. It'll take two rounds to get him, even with two mages out and the strongest attacks Laharl can manage. Be prepared for a loss or two. Once Thursday is out of the picture, Gordon is easy. He only damages one party member at a time, and the attack does less damage than you might expect. He hit my healer for around 300 and she just smiled at him and refilled her health. Then the rest of my crew hit him with everything they had. Like I said, a piece of cake. =============================================== [00e1000] Episode X: Angels, Demons, and Humans =============================================== Captain Gordon is now under your command, as are Jennifer and Thursday. Etna and Flonne decide it's time to go on a picnic, and of course Laharl and Gordon go along to protect them. Meanwhile, the Seraph has been told untruthfully by Vulcanus that Flonne killed humans, an unforgivable offense. You don't need to worry about angels just yet, though. Your greatest share of problems will come from pixies and dragons. ------------------------ [00e1001] Fervent Melody ------------------------ This stage is quite simple. Most of it is under the influence of blue Geo Panels, which dictate that attacks do no damage and that characters can't lift. This is just fine. Run down to the edge of the area that isn't under the influence of the symbols, making sure that your character is standing in the safety zone. Now just let the enemies come to you, and take them out with your best. They can't hurt you at all. The best trick is to block off all points of entry, so that they have no way to advance onto the blue. If they do get to the blue, just run over to the opposite side of the lave flow, and you'll be on the blue again with your opponent following and making himself vulnerable. This is a great new place to build levels. -------------------------- [00e1002] Wasteland of Woe -------------------------- This level looks like it should be devilishly difficult, but actually isn't. Most of the enemies fall quickly to powerful wind or even fire magic (despite the fact that you're in a lava field). Also useful is the dragon's Ice Breath attack, as enemies frequently end up in rows of three and will fall quickly to the icy blast. Meanwhile, Laharl should use his Hurricane Slash to take out one opponent at a time, and the healers can do the usual. Note that some enemies have the power to put your characters to sleep, so be sure to have your status spells ready in case someone important heads off to the land of Nod. The three dragon opponents you see here aren't a terrible threat, either; just be careful not to line your characters up in rows of three. ----------------------- [00e1003] River of Lava ----------------------- This stage is not all that difficult. There are only five enemies. The problem is that one of them is on a green panel that turns him into a true force to be reckoned with... if you let it. Instead of doing so, skirt the outer edge of the level with a magic user, a healer who can fix status ailments, Laharl, and another heavy hitter. Take out the Geo Symbols as you go, and work your way to the upper right portion of the level. There you'll see one that reduces defense by 50%. Destroy a nearby symbol and throw the 50% one on the panel the other one was occupying. Continue around the level until the last enemy left is the one on the green tile near the center. Now hit him with everything you've got and you're done! ------------------------- [00e1004] Searing Tyranny ------------------------- This is a really easy stage, and another great place to build experience points. From the start, notice that there are three stumps lined up in a row to the right, and a cross formation of them to the left. You know what to do; have your mages go nuts on the formations, and your dragon and Laharl. If you have two powerful mages and your warriors are strong, that's half the enemies right there before they even get to attack. Obviously, this is a terrific place for offensive magic users to power up. It's good for more reasons than that, though. Note that the green tiles double the experience gained from enemies. And considering what level the enemies in this area are at, it should more than satisfy your experience-building needs for the next episode or two. Which is good, because the next stage in this episode is another boss battle. ----------------- [00e1005] Inferno ----------------- This stage is a nuisance, but it shouldn't provide a whole lot of trouble if you're at around the same level as your opponents. Even if you're a little lower, there are ways to win. First, note that the only one who should approach Mid-Boss directly is Laharl. He should use the Hurricane Slash. However, Mid-Boss isn't a big threat. Neither are the dragons, really. Therefore, save those targets for last. Instead focus your attention on the pixie-like monsters. There are quite a few of them, but work to get as many out of the way as quickly as possible. That way, they can't bombard you with their knife attacks. The dragons are a slight threat, as they also can hit multiple characters at once. Try not to line up your characters in rows, as usual when dealing with dragons. Focus on one dragon at a time, too. That way, you get one of the two killing machines out of the way quickly, then focus on the other. The whole time, Mid-Boss is darting around, using his attacks that range between 200 and 300 damage. As long as you don't hit him (in which case he'll counter-attack), your characters should do fine with a healer or two healing them. When just Mid-Boss is left, keep Laharl hammering away at his guard. Mid-Boss has quite a lengthy life meter. If your dragon is alive and well, he can strike from a distance with various attacks. It's just a matter of patience at this point. ================================================= [00e1100] Episode XI: Hero's Will, Overlord's Way ================================================= More of Vulcanus's manipulations come into play here. He's allied with the Earth Defense Force and expects them to take over the Netherworld for him. What an ambitious angel. The Seraph would surely not approve. Meanwhile, a new Defender of Earth has challenged Laharl. So begins another episode. ------------------------- [00e1101] Ghostly Whisper ------------------------- This stage is remarkably simple if you have two powerful magic users capable of 3x3 grid attacks. You'll be facing a total of 12 enemies, lined up in two rows. Start by moving forward your two mages and casting the 3x3 attacks on the same group of enemies. This should take out at least a few of them if your levels are sufficient. Now follow up with the dragon and Ice Breath, if you have it. Laharl can also use his group attacks to take out a few. When the first round is over, most of your enemies should be dead, and after that it's just a matter of finishing them off in the next round or two. It's unlikely that you'll even need any healers. --------------------- [00e1102] Rising Fear --------------------- This stage isn't so hard but for one thing: the trees obscure your view of the complete battlefield. It's far too easy to miss seeing one of the pumpkin- headed foes here, as they blend in so well. Then suddenly you see them, but only as they're hopping across a line of your fighters with knife blades pointed down. The trick is about the same here as always. Take down one opponent at a time, except when you're presented with good opportunities to use some magic on groups. Ice Breath is a miracle again, as always, provided you have a dragon. About the only enemy that will give you a lot of trouble is the swordsman, because of his extended life meter. Have Laharl take him on and he'll be gone within a few rounds. This fight isn't terribly challenging if you keep your wits about you, just a little on the tedious side. ------------------------- [00e1103] Crawling Terror ------------------------- As far as strange stages go, this one is contending for the cake. It's one twisting forest path along a hillside, and each of the enemies rests on a blue Geo Panel that increases its defense while also restoring health points on each turn. Also, lifting is prohibited. Get near, and the monsters unleash wind magic. The solution to this puzzle is to have Laharl make a mad sprint for the symbol that prohibits lifting. Do not bring out any other members just yet. Laharl should stay toward the center of the path. When he reaches the symbol, have him destroy it, but leave the other ones in place. Now let him rest on a blue panel until his life is restored. When that's done, have him race back to the beginning. When Laharl reaches the beginning, go ahead and bring out another heavy hitter for physical attacks, as well as a healer or two. Now go back along the trail. One at a time, remove the monsters from their panels and take them out. You'll wind your way along the trail doing this, resting on cleared blue panels as necessary to restore health. This really isn't such a challenging stage, just a time-consuming one. --------------------- [00e1104] Hero's Tomb --------------------- Don Joaquin is your foe in this round, but he's not alone. He brought some zombies, but those fellows are the least of your concerns. More important are the two Geo Symbols. Each triples the attack power of your enemies by three times, for a total of six times the usual strength. This is very, very bad. The strategy I found most successful took me several tries. From the start, move a character right one space, then forward three spaces. Now move the next character into position behind him. The next one should be one behind that, then Etna should move just to the right of the panel, and Laharl should emerge last. Now have the characters climb on each others' shoulders so Laharl is at the top and they are all towering over the spot where the first character moved. Start tossing so that Laharl ends up near the panels. He should throw the first one at a nearby enemy to instantly destroy it, leaving the enemies with three times their normal attack power. If all goes well, Laharl should survive the first round. In the next round, he should throw the second panel against an enemy, then rush back toward the start of the stage. Send a healer to meet him so his health can be refilled. The third round should be spent consolidating your position and healing, as necessary. Then from there, it's back to normal. Work to clear all the enemies out of the stage's right side. Then wrap back around toward start and move forward along the other side of the divide. When you reach Don Joaquin in this fashion, you'll find he's not terribly difficult. Make sure the zombies he hangs out with don't heal him. He goes down fairly quickly if everyone hammers away at him together. The hardest part of the fight is the very beginning. ===================================================== [00e1200] Episode XII: War of the Netherworld, Part 1 ===================================================== An earthquake is always a sign of a great catastrophe, according to Laharl, who is anticipating the prospect of more adventure after tremors rock the Netherworld. As the title of this episode foreshadows, though, this is no small catastrophe. It's the main serious of disasters that will bring the game to its close, in fact, through this and another two episodes. Get ready for the start of a wild ride. ----------------- [00e1201] Embryon ----------------- The threat here is twofold. First you have the greenish water, which does 20% damage to all allies who set foot in it. Then you have the members of the EDF. They each have around 1000 or more HP, and they're all armed with pistols. It can be a tough battle if you haven't powered up in the previous episode. Make sure your favorite characters are all over level 50 before attempting this. As far as general strategies go, it's a fairly straightforward stage. Avoid the water. Stay on the ledges and keep a string of good fighters, healers, and mages. The mages are particularly useful, as the enemies are abnormally susceptible to fire magic. Take advantage of that fact and the battle will be over much more quickly than it might otherwise. When the battle is over, Captain Gordon learns an important lesson. It's about time! -------------------------- [00e1202] Core Point No. 4 -------------------------- This stage is much more difficult than the previous one. There are several green Geo Symbols that combine to make the water 100% lethal to all allies. As if you wanted to go in the soup, anyway. What you do want to do, though, is find and destroy the red Geo Symbol. It prevents any skills from being used. Even worse, your enemies are now armed with axes that enable them to make quick work of your life meter. This is true even if you're using Laharl or the dragon. The best strategy is to move Laharl and another strong fighter such as a dragon over to the symbol, then destroy it as quickly as possible (no one else should leave the base panel just yet). Have Laharl throw it at a soldier if possible. This will allow you to use healing magic and strong offensive spells. With that freed up, you should be able to make quick work of the guys with axes. Your mages should be ready to launch a vicious assault coming out the gate, because if the nearby enemies survive another round, it could well be the end of the mages. Once your mages are free to work, they can also take out the gunmen up on the high island at the middle of the stage. Meanwhile, Laharl and that other fighter can work their way around fighting more soldiers. Hopefully, you can get a healer over to them in time to do some good. That, or maybe you're like me and you taught the dragon healing spells. Either way, the hard part ends when the symbol is destroyed. ---------------------- [00e1203] Star Cluster ---------------------- This stage is another of those with the invincibility panel. This time, the difference is that if you stay on land, you're invincible, while if you go in the water you can be hurt. The only way to hurt the enemy, then, is if he is in the water. However, there's a panel lying around that boosts the enemy while he's in the water, so it takes twice as long as it should. The worst surprise of all, though, is the Geo Symbol that does 20% damage to all allies. Even though you're invincible, it still eats away at your life meter. The first thing you should do upon beginning this area, then, is to send Laharl on a solo mission. Have him head over to the panel that does 20% damage to all allies. Hopefully he's learned some healing magic to get him there. The enemies will block him off from time to time, so he'll have to toss them out of his way occasionally. Just make sure his health holds up as he crosses the stage. Since most of the stage has invincibility restrictions, the best way to destroy the symbol when you reach it is to toss it against an enemy's body. When that's done, go ahead and bring out your other characters near the start and have them toss enemies into the soup, then defeat them. Laharl can do the same thing from his end. You're likely to end up with only a few enemies left. At this point, Laharl should go ahead and destroy the panel that gives the enemy a nice life boost, then he can go ahead and destroy the invincibility panel. Otherwise, the last few enemies can last forever. Some of them have quite lengthy life meters. Like many areas at this point in the game, success depends a great deal on your patience and not so much on pure skill. ----------------------- [00e1204] Sidereal Rift ----------------------- There's not a lot to say about this boss encounter except that it's a standard battle. The enemies all have large life meters, so you'll want to use fire magic to take those out. However, your mages are at risk as soon as Kurtis arrives, because he has an astonishingly powerful area attack. Make quick work of the soldiers nearby with some focused magic attacks from any mages, with Laharl and a strong physical fighter backing them up, as well as some clerics. Once Kurtis is in the picture, things get much tougher. Hopefully you've taken out most of his companions. For now, just continue doing that. There's no point in spending your energy attacking the boss himself until the goons are gone. Also, stay spread out so that his area attack can't hurt you so much. The good news is that he'll eventually run out of SP. Once he does, Laharl can fairly safely move in for the kill with some Hurricane Slash attacks, or with something similar if you prefer. Your clerics should still have enough healing magic left to keep Laharl in more or less one piece. It will take awhile, but you'll wear Kurtis down and the battle will end. Kurtis, however, is far from finished. ====================================================== [00e1300] Episode XIII: War of the Netherworld, Part 2 ====================================================== Well, it looks like you don't get to keep Jennifer unless you're willing to follow her aboard the giant spaceship Kurtis took her to. Things are heating up nicely for a grand finale, but before you go anywhere further you're going to want to level up some more. ------------------------- [00e1301] Point Alpha-III ------------------------- As far as easy stages go, this one is the easiest. All you have to do is leapfrog over to the yellow square on the opposite side of the area. No point battling the cannons. I'd like to type more to make the strategy for this area look more comprehensive, but there's really no point; the stage is that simple. Of course, the alternative is to fight all the cannons and get totally wiped out, but that's no fun, is it? ------------------------- [00e1302] Main Corridor 1 ------------------------- Though not as simple as the last one, this stage is still relatively easy. There are around six enemies, and they have around 1500 HP each, but they fall just as easily here to powerful magic as they did elsewhere. You should be able to kill two in the first round and severely wound a third. Then be prepared for them to retaliate with gunfire before it's your turn again. Your healers can keep busy with some healing spells, and may need to cure status ailments, but this really is a three-round fight or even less if you've powered up. Don't worry; those difficult battles you love lie immediately ahead. ------------------------- [00e1303] Main Corridor 2 ------------------------- This stage is quite a bit more difficult, though it's basically just more of the same. You now have around eight of the android robots. Most of them have the usual amount of health, but one of them has twice that. He also happens to be the one that can do the most damage to your party. The good news is that if you have two powerful mages and work creatively with Laharl and the dragon, you should be able to take out the first row of enemies before they even get to attack. Not bad for a first turn. Then in the next round, you should be able to get one or both of the two guards, and reserve the last few rounds for the guy with the saber. If you do this, the fight will be relatively simple. If you take a little longer to get those first guys knocked out of commission, be prepared for a tough fight. ------------------------- [00e1304] Main Corridor 3 ------------------------- Oh, the horror! This level is extremely difficult, and at a first glance you might think it's impossible. However, following a few precautionary procedures and keeping yourself fighting the fewest possible enemies at one time can lead to success. Before you even enter the level, make sure you have three characters in your party that can move six spaces and throw several more. One of them can be Laharl. The other two should be expendable. Now, when you enter the stage you'll notice that it's all covered in red. The enemy has a total boost of 150% that means you're pretty much dead if they get to attack while that is in effect. There are three Geo Symbols, and the hall you're in resembles a cross. At the end of the long hallway, Kurtis awaits. Ignore him for now. Instead, send three characters out, one toward each of the three symbols. Each character should lift the soldier that is lined up with a given symbol, then chuck him so that he lands on the symbol and disables its effect. As soon as the symbols are destroyed, on the first turn, send a support team in the direction Laharl went. This team should include your dragon, if you have one, and also any mages. It's really best if you have two good mages at any stage this late in the game, but particularly in this one. Your goal is to destroy the two soldiers that are nearest Laharl. Also, keep the mages safe. In the next round, you'll want to move forward and take out the saber-wielding third enemy in this hall. Move steadily forward on him, with your characters pretty much filling that hallway. Note that at this point, your expendable characters in the other halls are likely dead, which is just fine. Those enemies will stay more or less in that position. As you are defeating the third enemy in this hall, Kurtis is likely to start moving toward you. That's what you want. Make sure not to move down to meet him, though, or you'll cause more soldiers from the adjacent hallway to join the fray, which you do not want. When Kurtis meets you, it should be pretty easy to take him out with some strong magic spells-make sure your mages are out of his range-and a few Hurricane Slash attacks from Laharl. With Kurtis out of the picture, your next goal is to head up the nearest hallway, being careful to advance slowly so the nearest enemies move toward you. Take them out one at a time, then finish up with the final hallway. In this manner, you should take only minimal loss and will successfully complete the stage. It's about the only strategy that works. ---------------- [00e1305] Bridge ---------------- This battle is quite the difficult one, though arguably a fair amount simpler than the previous stage. You're facing off against a bunch of angels. The problem is that they tend to combo you, and that some of them have the ability to cast Giga Heal, which is of course unfortunate if you've just about got an angel beat and suddenly his life meter is full again. For this reason, the battle will be a lengthy one. In the first round, go all out and kill as many of the angels as possible. Since they have large life meters and are spaced out, you'll be lucky to take care of two or three. From there, future rounds should be spent going after one angel at a time, so that in a single round you kill an angel and don't have to worry about its life being refilled the next turn. If you manage to survive long enough, the few healer angels that likely remain will eventually run out of magic. From that point on, they're easily tended to. If you're ready for a drawn out encounter, this battle isn't too tough. ================================================== [00e1400] Episode XIV: What Lies Beyond the Battle ================================================== The final episode has begun. Flonne is determined to return to Celestia to speak with the Seraph, Master Lamington. She is certain he was not the one behind this alliance between evil angels and humans. Laharl and crew decide to go along with her. As if there was ever any doubt that they would. Before you go, be sure to talk to your vassal, Ghoss, for the Diabolic Sword, an immensely powerful blade for Laharl. ------------------------- [00e1401] Field of Virtue ------------------------- This stage is very easy, a nice switch from those you've just experienced. The majority of it is covered in red, which doubles your experience points gained, so this also is the final good level-up spot. The main threat here, Mid-Boss, isn't even active until several rounds in. Focus on taking out his companions as quickly as possible. You can get one, perhaps two in the first round. With his new sword, Laharl does an insane amount of damage using his Hurricane Slash. Take advantage of that, and also use your mages and healers to back him up. When it's down to just Mid-Boss, be more careful. Laharl should be the only one to move in for attacks, with the healers keeping a safe distance and healing as necessary. Note that even if Laharl uses plain physical attacks, the exchange between blow and counter-blow will cause serious damage to Mid-Boss. However, the lengthy life meter Mid-Boss now possesses means it's a long battle. Remember that if you let your characters get too close to one another, he can wipe them out with his special attack. Better to make sure he can only harm one character at a time with this extremely powerful area attack. Still, not a difficult battle at all. ------------------ [00e1402] Paradise ------------------ This level can be rather difficult, but it's far from the level you saw in the previous episode. Most of the field is covered in red, which means the warp symbols are in effect. You'll be bounced around from one place to another throughout the battle. The angels can do a hefty amount of damage, too. Wait to pull out your mages until the angels are near the base panels, then haul them out and take out an angel or two before your mages go down. If you're lucky, you'll even get three or four. Laharl's Hurricane Slash is a lifesaver, as always, and can sometimes take most of an angel's life meter with just a single use. As usual, the angels are packing plenty of healing spells. As possible, focus on one angel at a time. Fortunately, the warp symbols seem to work more in your favor here than normal, sometimes allowing a wounded party member to flee from the nearest angel and recover himself. The battle shouldn't last long, thanks in large part to Laharl's new sword. ----------------------- [00e1403] Angelic Choir ----------------------- This stage is really quite difficult. The problem arises from the fact that there are so many angels in the area that you can't help but take serious damage most rounds. Working in your favor are red panels here and there that recover your HP by 20% and increase your defense. However, that's only salvation for the toughest of physical characters. For any others, the best path is to avoid contact. The problem is that the angels can move quite far and their attacks extend a good distance from there. The best plan is to hit hard and fast in spurts. I found that it worked best to pull my mages out when a group of angels presented itself, then toss them back into the base panel that same round so no enemies could kill them. Then later, I would repeat. In this fashion, your mages can do good damage without worrying about being killed. Meanwhile, Laharl should be out doing what he can, using a red panel as a starting point. I also had my dragon out, and when he was surrounded, Dragon Furur worked wonders. If you have a dragon, using him is highly advised. Because there are so many angels, it's likely that you'll lose most of your team before this battle is over. If you can keep Laharl and the dragon alive, and also if your mages play it safe, you should be able to finish the battle as the victor, if only just barely. ------------------ [00e1404] Coliseum ------------------ This stage is rather difficult, but nothing you shouldn't be able to handle by now. What makes it so unique are the 'no entry' panels spread throughout the level. They turn what would otherwise be a straightforward arena into a maze. You're going to have to contend with those walls as you go, and in the meantime the only defense you have is offensive magic. In general, the best strategy is to lead off with Laharl, followed by your magic users and healers. He can lure enemies within the range of offensive magic, and you'll likely be able to repeat this to toast several of your enemies from afar. Note that--as has become the norm at this point in the game--you want to focus on one angel at a time so they can't heal between rounds. In no particular hurry, head toward the geo symbol that is prohibiting entry and destroy it. By now, you likely have only a few enemies left, so Laharl and whoever is left should take them on quickly. Note that of the few remaining, one likely has around 3500 HP. She's the most dangerous of the lot, but you should ignore her until you've removed the threat of her fellows. From there, Laharl should just lay into the remaining enemy with Hurricane Slash. Try and have a healer at a safe distance, ready to cast status spells in case Laharl is put to sleep. Patience will lead to victory. ----------------------- [00e1405] Divine Prison ----------------------- Though it looks like it will be a truly challenging stage, this one actually isn't half as hard as you or Laharl expect. The monsters are tough, to be sure, but if you have some good physical defense you'll do just fine. Forget about bringing out mages. Their attacks do little to no damage, even Giga Wind and Giga Fire. Better to just support Laharl as he takes down one monster after another. Of course, you need someone with good defense playing the role of healer, or he won't last long, either. For me, it was the dragon. Who you choose will depend on your particular party. Start by taking out the wing, then the guy that looks like Maderas, then the red-colored dragon, followed by the gargoyle and finally the manticore. As long as you don't run out of healing spells, you should do fine. ----------------------- [00e1406] Inner Sanctum ----------------------- This level is easy. All you do is hit the three angel guardians with everything you have. They really don't like fire magic. You should be able to take two of them out by the end of the second round, assuming they don't heal themselves, and then the third should easily fall to Hurricane Slash. You can use this stage to level up your characters for the final two encounters, if needs be. ------------------------- [00e1407] Hall of Justice ------------------------- There are more enemies here than you even want to know about, and Vulcanus is behind them all. The level wraps around itself, from the top where Vulcanus stands down around to where the base panel is. Each turn, angels will continue a steady march toward your starting point. When I rushed out to meet the angels, I was slaughtered. A better trick is to stay where you are the first four or five turns (just have Laharl stand on the base panel and 'defend') and let the enemies come to you. Then, when they're within easy range and in group formation, let loose with everything you've got. This way, you can possibly take out around eight of the enemies in a single turn. Just keep up the assault from there, with Laharl using his Hurricane Slash. Remember to keep your healers and mages active but safe. The goal here is to lose as few of your characters as possible, as you'll need them in a bit. Don't leave the large area at the bottom of the two staircases for anything. Let the enemies come to you. When they've all been defeated but Vulcanus, he'll start the decent. Vulcanus has some pretty serious attacks. Make sure when he gets within range that you let him have it with any magic your mages have left. They can make quick work of his life meter. If he gets down to the bottom, the mages will be the first to die, so you'll want to have used them for all they're worth. When he reaches the landing, Vulcanus begins by making dangerous charges. The important thing here is to not have two characters in a row anywhere. Instead, space everyone out. Vulcanus will destroy characters each turn, most likely, but if you space out he can only get one at a time. This way, Laharl can keep working at him with Hurricane Slash. Though Vulcanus has over 10,000 HP, he can only survive several rounds before he will be defeated. One more battle to go. ---------------------- [00e1408] Sacred Alter ---------------------- At last, you've reached the final encounter in the game, and your enemy is Lamington. Be prepared to watch in awe as your life meters are demolished in single hits. Lamington is surrounded by several angels, and if you try and take on everyone at once you will be ground into dust. Instead of foolishly rushing ahead and finding out how quickly the game's boss can kill your party, play it safe. Lure a few enemies down to you at a time. It's likely that Lamington will come down sooner than you'd like, but don't focus your attacks on him until you've taken care of all his associates. When that's been done, it's time to move the battle up onto the wider space up top. Note that Laharl is about the only one who should approach Lamington directly. You should use Hurricane Slash. Any other moves won't do significantly more damage, and will only cost more SP to use. While Laharl is applying that move, Lamington will be moving around to take out any of your companions. Hopefully you've leveled them all up a lot so they can take a few hits and heal themselves. Remember to keep them spaced out so Lamington can't use any group attacks. Though he is likely to take out most all of your friends, you can still beat Lamington if Laharl is at a high enough level. I had Laharl at around level 100 and it was sufficient, but it's likely a good idea to go a little higher than that to make things easy on yourself. Remember also to power up the whole party. This is a tough battle, for sure, but one that leveling up makes simple. ==================== [00c0001] Conclusion ==================== Well, you've reached the end of the game at long last, and now you can enjoy the ending. Of course, it's not really over. You've just gone through one cycle. Now you can go through again. You'll keep all of your powered-up weapons and all of the members of your party except those that the story dictates you haven't met yet. Now you can see about entering some of those hidden worlds, bribing more council members, venturing deep into the depths of the item world... the adventure is far from over, even if the story isn't. And remember, there are multiple endings. Have fun! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ========================== [00c0002] Acknowledgements ========================== This guide took me a lot of time to write. I played through the game as I did so, and my strategies were not stolen from other sources. Sometimes, that likely will be evident, as I'm sure I've missed some killer shortcuts for some battles. Still, I wanted to keep things fresh. The main people I have to thank for this guide are the folks at Atlus, who took a chance with a unique game. I knew from the moment I saw info about the game on IGN that I wanted it, and when I bought it (after selling games to finance the purchase, something I haven't done in years), I knew I'd made the right choice. Thanks to them for helping revive strategy RPGs here in the US. Thanks also to Nippon Ichi Software, of course, for designing the game in the first place! I never knew the company existed before this, and now I'm finding they've made all sorts of cool games. Finally, thanks go out to you for choosing my walkthrough for the game. I know you had choices, and I hope you feel you made the right one! ============================ [00c0003] Copyright Concerns ============================ Copyright 2004 Jason Venter This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.