VALKYRIE PROFILE CHARACTER/TIPS FAQ

      (v1.1, 9-17-00)

 by Edward Chang (EdwChang@aol.com)



Revision History:

v1.1 Reevaluated some characters. Added a new Mythology section. Also 

     added some more tips. I intend to begin cataloguing the voice

     collection in the next update. Please do not send me any voice

     collection at this time.



v1.0 First version.



Table of Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Characters

3. Magic

4. Freya's Requests

5. Other Tips / Frequently Asked Questions

6. Mythology

7. Credits



1. INTRODUCTION



It's been awhile since I've written an FAQ, but here goes again. This

is a Character/Hints/Tips FAQ for the American release of Valkyrie

Profile, a fantastic RPG with action elements by Tri-Ace, the same

folks who did Star Ocean 2. This is NOT intended to be a walkthrough.

If you ARE looking for a walkthrough, I recommend that you look at

Steven Bruck's comprehensive walkthrough on www.gamefaqs.com. Please

note however that it is (as I write this) for the Japanese version,

so some names and places have been changed. To avoid confusion, I've

attempted to list these changes, although I've probably missed many.



ORIGINAL NAME       ENGLISH NAME

Rucio               Lucian

Meltina             Mystina

Aluze               Arngrim

Rezard              Lezard

Gannos              Gandar

Rolenta             Lorenta

Sohou               Suo

Jewel               Jayle

Badluck             Badrach

Bram                Brahms

Yumeru              Yumei

Frei                Freya

Rofar               Lawfer

Jake Linas          Janus

Belinas             Belenus

Sherad              Jelanda

Rourry              Llewelyn

Amy                 Aelia



And now a final note before we get started: this list may contain minor

spoilers; after all, because of the nature of the game, you know that

anybody you recruit is going to die. Also some characters may be

considered "secret" in the sense that you will have to go out of your

way to get them. Regardless, on with the show.

Each section will be structured in the following manner. Following the

character's name there will be a description of which Game Modes the

character is available in (Easy, Normal, Hard) and which Chapter they

will be recruited in. A short, very opinionated ^_^ text description

follows, and then normal attacks (if a fighter). Under each attack

there will be statistics of how many times the attack hits, what 

direction the attack is in, and how many points it adds to your combo

gauge (provided it successfully hits, of course). Following that will

be a description of the Purify Weird Soul move, if any, along with the

Charge Time that move adds. And as an end to the section, I will add

a Nitpicky Voice Commentary, a la my Star Ocean 2 FAQ ^_^. Final note:

The character list is in alphabetical order except for Lenneth, who

comes first.





2. CHARACTERS



LENNETH VALKYRIE

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 0



The main character. In a sense, you. Valkyrie is the only character

capable of equipping both bows (long range) and swords (short range),

and this is a very good thing indeed. Valkyrie has relatively good

stats. Her DME is a bit low towards the beginning. Her Nibelung Valesti

ranges from fair to excellent depending on which form you get (which

is determined by your equipped weapon). With the proper sword in her

hands, she is without a doubt the best character in the game.



NORMAL ATTACKS (sword)

Bolt Slash

1 Hit

Left Direction

25 Points

Lenneth swings down with her sword once, moving the enemy a bit to

the left. Standard attack.



Moment Slide

1 Hit

Up Direction

15 Points

Lenneth slides at the enemy. If they are light enough, they will be

tossed a bit into the air. This makes them very vulnerable to the next

attack...



Vertical Raid

2 Hits

Upper-Left Direction

24 Points

Lenneth swings her sword upward, hitting the enemy twice and knocking

them back into the air. This is the one I usually set as her counter-

attack.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL (sword)

"It shall be engraved upon your soul! Divine Assault:"

Nibelung Valesti (ver. 1)

8 Hits

53 Points

4 CT

Lenneth pulls of a Bolt Slash, Moment Slide, Bolt Slash, Vertical

Raid combo, then three ghostly spears impale the enemy in mid-air.

This is your "standard" Nibelung Valesti.



Nibelung Valesti (ver. 2)

9 Hits

59 Points

4 CT

Same as above, only Lenneth then grows wings, jumps into the air, 

creates a massive spear, then throws it at the enemy while it is

surrounded by a Dragon-shaped aura. You will get this version while

(I think?) three-hit swords are equipped, such as Radiance Blade,

Lightning Blade, Gram...



Nibelung Valesti (ver. 3)

10 Hits

65 Points

4 CT

"True" version of Nibelung Valesti. Only a very few weapons will

allow this, most of which are in the Seraphic Gate only.



NORMAL ATTACKS (bow)

Spread Shot

2 Hits

No Direction, Up Direction

20 Points

Lenneth fires two shots at the enemy, the second of which explodes

on the ground, tossing the opponent into the air.



Tri-Blast

3 Hits

No Direction

9 Points

Lenneth fires three arrows from her bow at once. They never all seem

to hit unless the enemy is really large, though.



Infinity Blast

4 Hits

No Direction

24 Points

(no description yet)



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL (bow)

"It shall be engraved upon your soul! Divine Assault:"

Nibelung Valesti (ver. 1)

12 Hits

84 Points

4 CT

Lenneth fires green spiral waves from her bow, the last of which

knocks the enemy into the air, and then three ghostly spears pierce the

enemy in mid-air.



Nibelung Valesti (ver. 2)

13 Hits

90 Points

4 CT

Same as above, only Lenneth tacks on the wings/Dragon Spear addition,

as in Nibelung Valesti Sword Version 2.



Nibelung Valesti (ver. 3)

14 Hits

96 Points

4 CT

"True" version of Nibelung Valesti. Ends with large explosion, as in

Nibelung Valesti Sword Version 3.



EVALUATION

Well, you don't really have much of a choice whether you want to use

her in your party or not. Good thing she's such a good character, then.

VOICE COMMENTARY 

I have heard several reviews saying the voice acting in VP is above par,

and I must agree. Most of the voice acting is not as wince-inducing as

some from SO2. Lenneth herself does a great job. Side note: In the

Japanese version, Lenneth was voiced by Touma Yumi, a voice actress

anime fans may recognize as Urd from Aa! Megami-sama, Freya from

Dirty Pair Flash, Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War, and Tokimi in

Tenchi Muyo, among many other roles.





AELIA

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 4



A spearswomen and compatriot of Kashel, Celia, and Gray. She seems

to be the bearer of the "Dragon Gem" which allows her to transform

into a Dragon. Aelia is an excellent addition to your party, provided

you can get her a good spear. Her Purify Weird Soul move is one of the

most damaging in the game, and one of the most impressive as well. One

weakness is that her moves do not charge up the Combo meter that well,

so you should always team her with someone who does (such as Arngrim or

Lenneth)



NORMAL ATTACKS

Roundkick

2 Hits

Left Direction, Up Direction

6 Points

Aelia delivers a roundhouse kick and a sweep kick in succession. The

Up component is fairly negligible compared to the left direction.



Sonic Edge

1 Hit

Left Direction

9 Points

Aelia throws her spear at the enemy. Somehow, it comes back ^_^.

If the enemy is "short" enough, this move will miss, so be careful.



Spinning Edge

3 Hits

Left Direction

24 Points

Probably Aelia's best normal move. She charges forward with her

spear in an odd cyclone-type maneuver, hitting the opponent three

times. My standard counterattack. This move can also miss if the

enemy is too "short", although less often than Sonic Edge.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"My soul burns. My power has awakened! Finishing Strike:"

Dreaded Dragon

1 Hit

45 Points

3 CT

Aelia uses the Dragon Gem to transform herself into a huge Dragon,

which subsequently fires a huge blast at an enemy, immolating it.

This is one of the more powerful moves in the game. You could be

doing as much as 12000 damage in Chapter 4, and 48000 damage in

Chapter 8, provided you have the right weapon.



EVALUATION

Since Aelia is one of the hardier, more useful characters, I'd keep

her in my party. She's too good to transfer to Asgard. Also, it could

be just me, but I find that if you switch her attack order to

Sonic Edge-Spinning Edge-Roundkick, or Spinning Edge-Roundkick-Sonic

Edge, she'll be more effective in battle. Get her a good spear pronto.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Not bad. Not much to say about her.





ARNGRIM

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 0



The big muscleman you get right away, he is supposedly a fighting

genius, and it shows. He somehow carries a blade that proportionally

would look about 18 feet long. He's got fairly high attack power and

a lot of DME (but not too much... you can NEVER have too much DME in

this game).



NORMAL ATTACKS

Spinning Back-Knuckle

1 Hit

Left Direction

15 Points

Arngrim hits the enemy with a backhand. Short range, so make sure

somebody else doesn't hit the enemy out of the way before it connects.



High Wind

1 Hit

Lower-Left Direction

30 Points

Arngrim swings his sword downward, knocking down the enemy and pushing

them back.



Wrenching Swing

1 Hit

Left Direction

25 Points

Arngrim swings his huge sword horizontally. As you'd expect, this move

has good range, and it's a good combo finisher. It can miss short

enemies if they haven't been hit yet.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"I grow tired of you. Finishing Strike:"

FINAL BLAST

8 Hits

80 Points

6 CT

Arngrim charges through the enemy with a flame aura for four hits,

then causes an explosion under the enemy for four more hits. This is

great for charging up the Combo meter, and it does respectable damage

as well.



EVALUATION

Arngrim is a fairly good character, and since Asgard doesn't seem to

want him, keep him ^_^. In the beginning he's an extremely damaging

character, but towards the end his usefulness goes down a bit... still,

he's good in almost all situations.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Like Aelia's, not bad. You'll be hearing a lot of it in the beginning

of the game, so that's a good thing.





BADRACH

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 5 or 6 (random)



This rather shady character somehow invokes Valkyrie's mercy, and so

joins your party. He's an archer, sorta... he equips bows, but in

battle his animations look like he's holding a gun. Okay character,

I guess -- I rarely use archers.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Flare Shot

1 Hit

Up Direction

15 Points

Badrach fires a single shot at the enemy.



Fifth Way

12 Hits

No Direction

1 Point/Hit

Badrach fires a flurry of shots at the enemy. Not all of them will hit

unless the enemy is huge, however.



Lunatic Shot

15 Hits

No Direction

1 Point/Hit

Pretty much the same as Fifth Way, only the shots fly in a different

pattern and there are more of them.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Yer dead, pal! Deathblow:"

Sphere Strike

1 Hit

30 Points

2 CT

Badrach runs around the enemy, dropping little bits of (I assume)

explosive material, then fires his gun at the enemy for one large

blast. Damage a bit on the low side, but at least it has good CT.



EVALUATION

Okay for an archer, which isn't saying much. I favor mages over archers.

And by the time you get him, Valhalla doesn't really need any more

archers. Dead weight in my party.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Could be better. He certainly sounds like a criminal, I'll grant him

that. His few lines in the beginning sound a bit flat.





BELENUS

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 1



A nobleman from Lassen, Belenus sacrifices himself via Soul Transfer

and thus joins your party. He wields a sword. Okay for a warrior, not

as brawny as Arngrim, but still serviceable.



NORMAL ATTACKS

First Slash

1 Hit

Lower-Left Direction

15 Points

Belenus swings his sword downward, knocking the enemy down and back.



Rising Slash

2 Hits

Up Direction, Up Direction

24 Points

Belenus swings his sword back upwards, throwing the enemy upward if

they are light enough. Good for counterattack.



Piercing Crusade

2 Hits

Left Direction, Left Direction

20 Points

Belenus thrusts all the way through the enemy, finishing on the other

side. Respectable move, but guarded easily.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Feel my wrath. Finishing Strike:"

Extreme Void

2 Hits

30 Points

3 CT

Belenus causes the enemy to be surrounded by floating green rings, 

then a massive sword thrusts up from the ground and impales the enemy.

Okay damage, CT is on the low side. In other words, make this either

your first or your last attack in a special attack string.



EVALUATION

Belenus is an okay character, but I ususally transfer him early on,

even as early as Chapter 1. He's no great loss to your party, and

transferring him early will improve your performance rating.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sound like a nobleman, alright. His "Finishing Strike: Extreme Void"

is an especially good line, in my opinion.





BRAHMS

Modes Available: Hard

Chapter Obtained: Seraphic Gate



Brahms will actually join your party temporarily if you manage to get

the good ending, but only for one battle. If you want to use him, you'll

have to go through the Seraphic Gate, and you'll have to beat him first.

Brahms has an extremely high attack rating, and his moves are all very

good. Definitely one of the best characters.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Bloody Knuckle

1 Hit

Lower-Left Direction

30 Points

Brahms hits the enemy with a downwards kind of punch, knocking the

enemy down if they're light.



Deadly Raid

2 Hits

Upper-Left Direction, Upper-Left Direction

30 Points

Brahms hits the enemy with an uppercut. Dragon Punch, anyone? Floats

the enemy if light.



Immortal Blow

3 Hits

Lower-Left Direction, Upper-Left Direction, Upper-Left Direction

30 Points

This is basically a Bloody Knuckle and a Deadly Raid chained together.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Feel the power of Darkness! Finishing Strike:"

Bloody Curse

17 Hits

42 Points

2 CT

Brahms hits the enemy with more punch-uppercut combos, then causes

some red things (flames? claws?) to jut out of the ground, hitting

the enemy. Good damage, good Combo meter points, low CT.



EVALUATION

You can't transfer Brahms even if you wanted to, which you don't. His

attacks are all extremely damaging, and they charge up the Combo

meter extremely well. He will make your life easier in the Seraphic

Gate. Of course, you have to defeat him, first...

VOICE COMMENTARY

Okay, but it seems to shift in and out of a "gravelly" phase. Then

again, what is a Lord of the Undead supposed to sound like anyway??





FREYA

Modes Available: Hard

Chapter Obtained: Seraphic Gate



Freya will join you temporarily in all modes during Chapter 0. As

a Goddess, you'd expect her moves to be pretty good, and they are.

However, they are extremely slow, and difficult to combo without much

practice. Again, one of the best characters in the game.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Critical Flare

9 Hits

Left Direction

24 Points

Freya shoots a spread laser pattern at the enemy. I thought this move

couldn't be blocked, but it may, especially in the Seraphic Gate. 





Aerial Burst

3 Hits

Down Direction, Down Direction, Down Direction

21 Points

This is the only move you'll see in Chapter 0. Freya rematerializes in

mid-air and fires a downward burst at the enemy. 



Thunder Sword

5 Hits

Left Direction

50 Points

Freya fires a laser cannon-type blast at the enemy. Good move, extremely

high points for the Combo meter. However, this will miss short enemies,

so be warned.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Prepare to be cleansed! Divine Assault:"

Ether Strike

1 Hit

10 Points

6 CT

Freya materializes in midair, gathers together a lot of energy, and

fires it at the enemy for ridiculous amounts of damage. However, this 

move is extremely slow to recharge and does not add much to the Combo

meter. Therefore, use it last in a special attack string. 



EVALUATION

Despite being rather slow -- counter-attacks are a bit difficult to

time as well -- Freya is still one of your best characters. She can

charge up your combo meter to full almost all by herself. (Her moves

add up to almost 100, but they drain because her moves are slow and

far apart). I find that an effective way to pull off combos with her

in your party is to perform her first two moves, then start her third

move. As soon as she rematerializes, begin attacking with your other

characters. Again, you can't transfer her, so you might as well keep

her.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sounds suitably divine, don't you think? I just wish I didn't have

to hear the line "Do you wish to know the status of our Einherjar?"

over and over again. In the Japanese version, Freya was voiced by

Kawamura Maria, whom anime fans may recognize as the voice of Naga

from Slayers. ("Ohohohohohohoho!")





GANDAR

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 8



An officer mage who makes his first appearance when you recruit Aelia,

you'll have to fight him in the Palace of the Dragon before you can

recruit him. Luckily, he comes preloaded with some pretty good spells.

It's too bad you get him so late; in Hard Mode this means he's

virtually useless, since you have to train him up from level 1. In 

Normal Mode he's fairly good.



NORMAL ATTACKS

**For Gandar and all other mages, see below for Spells/Special Attacks**



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"My sorcery makes even gods tremble!"



EVALUATION

Gandar is an okay character, since you get him so late in the game.

If you really want an evil mage, go for Lezard.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sounds old and crochety, and possibly insane -- in other words, just

right.





GREY

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 5 or 6 (random)



Grey is evidently the spirit of a former companion of Kashell, Celia,

and Aelia, inhabiting an empty suit of armor. He was saved by Lemia

through Soul Transfer, but failed to do the same for her. Wields a

sword, good attacks, and fairly strong.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Razor Edge

1 Hit

Left Direction

15 Points

Grey swings his sword downwards, knocking the enemy backwards.



Mortal Razor

1 Hit

Up Direction

25 Points

Grey swings his sword back upwards. Simple enough.



Energy Cannon

3 Hits

Left Direction, No Direction, No Direction

15 Points

Grey charges through the enemy, then two wisps of... something fly

around and attack the enemy. Since the wisps cannot be blocked, you

may want to switch Grey's attacks so that this is the first attack,

and then use it as a combo starter.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"I invoke the power of the Glacial Blade! Finishing Strike:"

Icicle Disaster

8 Hits

58 Points

2 CT

Grey charges through the enemy while many wisps attack. The enemy

is then encased in a giant block of ice, which Grey shatters. Good

Combo meter points and extremely fast to recharge, this is one

of the better special attacks.



EVALUATION

Grey is a fairly good character. In Normal mode, he comes preloaded

with so many Capacity points that you can transfer him without using

him in a single battle! And you may indeed wish to do so, because

this saves you from having to train somebody up. It's a toss-up as to

whether you want to keep him in your party or not.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Grey sounds a little... dead. Okay, I know he's supposed to be dead.

But he sounds deader than dead. "Icicle Disaster" is pretty guilty

of this.





JANUS

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 2, 3, or 4 (random)



A knight from Crell Monferaigne who wields a crossbow, he was despised

by his countrymen for an unspecified reason. (The Status screen says

it was an assassination). He's an okay character, I guess, but as I

said before, I don't use archers that much.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Diseased Needle

2 Hits

No Direction

2 Points

Janus fires two bolts from his bow. Simple enough.



Tri-Stinger

3 Hits

No Direction

3 Points

Janus fires three bolts from his bow, while saying "Ha ha!". Simple

enough.



Restrain Flame

1 Hit

Up Direction

50 Points

Janus fires what seems to be an explosive bolt from his bow, tossing

the enemy upwards. This is his only move of any worth to the Combo

meter.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"For my honor. Finishing Strike:"

Guilty Break

9 Hits

72 Points

2 CT

Janus fires many shots in a row from his bow, ending with a large

explosion. Okay move. Since Janus is a bow-wielder, don't expect

too much damage from this move. On the other hand, it's quick to

recharge and is almost as good for charging the Combo meter as Arngrim's

Final Blast.



EVALUATION

If I manage to get him in an early chapter, I'll usually transfer him

when Freya asks for an archer. Otherwise, I don't bother training him

that much. Still, out of the archers he's probably the best.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Fairly good voice, although his tendency to chuckle to himself while

attacking is a bit unnerving ^_^.





JAYLE

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 5 or 6 (random)



A woman who disguised herself as a man in order to enter the knighthood.

Another swordsman with okay attack and a weird bouncy animation during

battle. DME a bit low. She's another good candidate for transfer.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Gleam Charge

1 Hit

Left Direction

25 Points

Jayle thrusts once at the enemy.



Round Dance

1 Hit

Up Direction

15 Points

Jayle swings her sword up, floating lighter enemies.



Hind Edge

1 Hit

Upper-Right Direction

10 Points

Jayle swings her sword backhand, causing the enemy to fly up. This

is a fairly good move because it actually knocks the enemy towards

your characters, making for easier combos.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"In the name of my lord! Finishing Strike:"

Eternal Raid

7 Hits

56 Points

4 CT

Jayle launches some lightning fast thrusts at the enemy, then causes

a horizontal beam to explode through the enemy. Be very careful! The

first 6 hits may miss flying enemies! (Harpys, for instance). Good

for charging up the combo meter, though.



EVALUATION

Again, Jayle is a good character to train, if only to transfer her

eventually. When Freya asks for a brave swordsman, Jayle is a good

choice.

VOICE COMMENTARY

I don't see how she passed as a male with that voice, but oh well.

Not grating on the ears, so it's passable.





JELANDA

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 0



The pampered brat of Artolia. She redeems herself with her treatment

of Arngrim. As the first mage you get (and only one for awhile), she's

pretty useful. However later she gets outclasses by the other mages.

Comes with only Fire Storm and the useful Heal spell.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"This is divine punishment!"



EVALUATION

In the beginning, Jelanda is invaluable. Later, she's pretty plain.

I usually send her up when Freya asks for the "negotiator".

VOICE COMMENTARY

Even after redemption, she still sounds kinda bratty. And wimpy too:

"No matter how many are defeated, more appear!" I found myself annoyed

with her.





JUN

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 2, 3, or 4 (random)



A samurai who wields two swords, although you only need to equip

him with one ^_^. Jun is a good character, if only because his

fighting style gives variety from everybody else's European sword-

style. His attacks come out fairly quickly.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Senko-zan

2 Hits

Left Direction, Up Direction

10 Points

Jun swings sideways at the enemy, and then jumps up, bringing the

sword up along the enemy. Will float light enemies fairly high.

Unfortunately, this means your other characters may miss, so be careful.



Koei-zan

1 Hit

Right Direction

5 Points

Jun charges to the other side of the enemy and then hits them in

the back, conveniently right into your other fighters. Good move,

bit slow.



So-enbu

2 Hits

Left Direction, Left Direction

24 Points

It says the move goes in the left direction, but if you pull this

move off after a Koei-zan it actually goes right. Jun hits the

enemy with his sword, whirls around, and then hits the enemy again.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Mugen no kensen! Blade art:"

Senko-jin

15 Hits

30 Points

2 CT

Jun hits the enemy from all sides with lightning-fast slashes.

Very cool-looking, and quick to recharge.



EVALUATION

Jun is a pretty good character. Like Aelia, all his moves don't do

much for charging up the Combo meter, so put him in your party

with somebody who does. You may wish to transfer him, but since he

doesn't overtly fit any requests perfectly, feel free to keep him.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Pretty good. His fake Japanese accent is a lot better than Suo's ^_^.





KASHELL

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 3



A compatriot of Aelia and Celia, who also seems to know Arngrim. He

wields an extremely large sword, not as big as Arngrim's, but still

pretty large. He also has a strange battle stance. Good character,

I guess, but too cocky for me.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Low Swing

1 Hit

Up Direction

10 Points

Kashell swipes his sword at the enemy, floating light ones.



Beast Tackle

2 Hits

Left Direction, Lower-Left Direction

30 Points

Kashell charges at the enemy with a thrust and then beats them down

with another swipe. Good counter.



Air Pressure

1 Hit

Upper-Left Direction

15 Points

Kashell leaps into the air, then flies diagonally downward with

his sword. Extremely unrealistic, but a good move nevertheless.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"I'll take care of this. Finishing Strike:"

Flashing Blade

3 Hits

69 Points

5 CT

Kashell performs his basic moves in sequence, only a lot flashier

^_^. Good Combo charge, slow to recharge.



EVALUATION

Other than his cocky attitude, which annoyed me, Kashell is an okay

character. I usually end up transferring him as well. Don't transfer

him until you visit the Oddrock Caves, however.

VOICE COMMENTARY

The voice itself is good, but the samples are extremely annoying ^_^.

"Now die!" is something I can go without hearing again.





LAWFER

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 2



A spearman who seems to be a friend of Arngrim (well, the closest

thing to friends which Arngrim seems to have). Apparently he's not

as skilled as Arngrim either. No matter, he's still a good fighter,

but I prefer Aelia when it comes to somebody to hold my Crimson Edge

spear ^_^.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Smash Axe

1 Hit

Left Direction

24 Points

Lawfer swings his halberd at the enemy.



Prisoner Fang

1 Hit

Right Direction

30 Points

Lawfer thrusts his halberd at the enemy. It says it goes in the

right direction, but I've never noticed this -- might as well be

"No Direction".



Triple Thrust

3 Hits

Lower-left Direction, Left Direction, Upper-Left Direction

Lawfer thrusts his halberd three times, once in each left direction.

This move seems especially good for breaking Combo Guards.



PURIFY WERID SOUL

"I stake everything on this single blow. Finishing Strike:"

Justice Stream

10 Hits

25 Points

2 CT

Lawfer thrusts his halberd a few times, then swings it sideways,

knocking the enemy into a conveniently-placed tornado. Good recharge

time.



EVALUTION

Lawfer is a pretty good character when you first get him. His moves

charge up the Combo meter fairly well. However, once I get Aelia I

usually ditch him or transfer him.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sounds pretty... British, doesn't it? Fits Lawfer's "noble heritage"

well.





LEZARD VALETH

Modes Available: Hard

Chapter Obtained: Seraphic Gate



Didn't you wish you could use this mad genius (TM) when you fought him?

Well, you can! But only in the Seraphic Gate. He's a pretty good mage,

depending on when you get to the Seraphic Gate... by the time I got

there my Mystina was ten levels higher than him, so I used her instead.

But Lezard comes preloaded with a full complement of useful spells.

Besides, he sounds cool.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Hahahahahahahahaha!"



EVALUATION

Pretty useful, and he gets style points too. You can't transfer him

anyway, so by all means use him.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Perfect. Sounds insane as usual. If you get the good ending, you'll be

hearing a lot of it.





LLEWELYN

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 1



Llewelyn is a young archer from Crell Monferaigne whose only use 

appears to be transfer when Freya wants an archer. He's also useful

for the boss battle in the Solde Catacombs, but that's about it.



NORMAL ATTACKS

First Shot

1 Hit

No Direction

5 Points

Llewelyn fires a single shot from his bow.



Twin Shot

2 Hits

No Direction, No Direction

10 Points

Llewelyn fires two shots from his bow. Imagine that.



Aiming Wisp

3 Hits

No Direction, No Direction, No Direction

15 Points

Llewelyn fires... yes! Three arrows from his bow!



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"In the name of all the Gods! Finishing Strike:"

Layer Storm

20 Hits

100 Points

2 CT

Llewelyn concentrates energy in his arrow tip, then fires many many

shots at the enemy. Although it says "20 hits", not all of them will hit

unless the enemy is extremely large. Good CT and excellent Combo Meter

charge, however.



EVALUATION

When people aren't misspelling Llewelyn's name, they aren't using him.

As noted before, he's only useful as a transfer when Freya requests an

archer.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Well, according to the credits, Llewelyn is voiced by a voice actress,

which I understand is a common practice for young male characters.

However, in certain samples, he sounds *too* much like a female.

Not bad, over all. Sounds like a teenager, alright.





LORENTA

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 4



Headmistress at Flanberg's school, you'd expect her to be a pretty

good sorceress. And she's pretty good. She's not the best, but she's

fairly good.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Depart now, you grotesque thing!"



EVALUATION

Not bad, I usually end up transferring her when Freya requests the

Sorcerer. She's worth training up for that reason alone.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Eh, she's passable. Sounds cultured enough.





LUCIAN

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 5



Yes, this is the same Lucian that you saw in the prologue. Now why

the heck was he in the prologue when everybody else wasn't? Well, I

ain't tellin' ya. You'll have to get the good ending to find out. But

I suspect you'll be able to guess. Anyway, Lucian is YAS (yet another

swordsman). Yawn. Fairly good, I guess.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Air Slash

1 Hit

Up Direction

25 Points

Lucian swings the sword at the enemy for a fairly high float. Not

bad, just make sure your other characters don't miss because the

enemy is floating.



Slanting Blow

1 Hit

Upper-Left Direction

15 Points

Lucian swings his sword upwards, pushing the enemy up and back.



Shining Bolt

12 Hits

No Direction

36 Points

Lucian somehow causes lightning to fly off his sword. Good move,

doesn't move the enemy. You are almost guaranteed to get Purple Gems/

Treasure Chests with this move. Good for counter-attack as well.



PURIFY WERID SOUL

"Valkyrie! Grant me power! Finishing Strike:"

Round-Rip Saber

5 Hits

40 Points

3 CT

Lucian hits the enemy once from each direction, then causes green

explosion waves to hit the enemy. Respectable move, fairly fast to

recharge, Combo meter charge is only average.



EVALUATION

Okay character, but if you want the best ending you MUST transfer him.

See below for details.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Standard "good-guy voice". He sounds so depressed, though. I guess

I understand that, but this guy is seriously in need of therapy ^_^.





LYSERIA

Modes Available: Hard

Chapter Obtained: 7



Lyseria is the woman encased in crystal in the Arkdain Ruins. I drove

myself crazy trying to find out what I was supposed to do there, but

it turns out that if you're playing Normal mode, you can't do anything.

Odin will tell you to go free her in Hard Mode, and you'll end up having

to fight her first... not a hard task.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"In the name of the gods, I heal thee!"



EVALUATION

You get her almost too late to be of any use, since she starts out at

Level 1. But since Odin said to, you might as well go get her. You may

want to transfer her, if you have enough Experience to give to her.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Is she supposed to sound so doomed? Then again, since she's been trapped

in crystal for thousands of years...





MYSTINA

Modes Available: Normal and Hard

Chapter Obtained: 5 (only if you beat Lezard in 4)



Mystina is a rival researcher to Lezard. She sounds petty and obsessive,

and she probably is. But who cares? Mystina is a good addition to your

party, if you can train her up so that she doesn't die. DME is low, like

all mages.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"You freaks have no reason to exist."



EVALUATION

Mystina is the mage I kept to the very end. She comes with some very

good spells, and she seems to be adept at casting them. Like Lezard,

she gets style points too.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sounds bratty and narcissistic... in other words, just right.





NANAMI

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 2, 3, or 4 (random)



A Shrine Maiden in Hai-lan who sacrifices herself so that another girl

may live. She's an okay sorceress -- her starting spells aren't that

great. I prefer Yumei, and you get them at around the same time.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Tenchu! Punishment from the Heavens!"



EVALUATION

Nanami is transfer fodder for me. In other words, I train her up just

enough, then send her up. No loss to the party.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Sounds like a little girl alright. I can't make out the Japanese words

in some of her quotes, though...





SHIHO

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 5 or 6 (random)



Shiho is a blind song maiden. Apparently you don't need to be able

to see an enemy to cast spells on them. As for spells, Shiho is only

okay. She seems preloaded for healing jobs; when you first get her, she

has NO attack spells. I kept her as a mainly support mage, and only

taught her one attack spell.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Evil has no place in this world."



EVALUATION

Not a bad character, outclassed by Mystina. I used her only when I 

needed a support mage.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Pretty good. I wonder why none of her samples are singing?





SUO

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 7



A samurai with a rather scary mask. He wields a Katana and has nice

red armor too. It's too bad that you get him so late in the game, which

means you probably won't use him much.



NORMAL ATTACKS

Shisen

1 Hit

Left Direction

25 Points

Suo swings his katana, like everybody else. Knocks enemy backwards.



Hyo-rappa

1 Hit

Left Direction

10 Points

Suo causes some kind of energy wave to fly from his hands. Looks

like a Hadouken from Street Fighter, almost.



Yasha-uchi

Right Direction, Right Direction

16 Points

Suo gets behind the enemy, then kicks it and swings his sword at it.

Slow, but effective.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"Body and soul shall be torn asunder! Ougi:"

Hyoso-hojin

6 Hits

48 Points

3 CT

Suo swings his sword once at the enemy, then causes several icicles

to sprout from the ground and beat down the enemy. Average for a 

special move. It seems that this move is Ice-Elemental, because depending

on an enemies' resistance the icicles may do just as much damage as the

sword strike, or not very much at all.



EVALUATION

Like Grey, in Normal Mode Suo can be transferred without being used

in a single battle. And since you get him so late, this may be a wise

move.

VOICE COMMENTARY

Unlike Jun, he doesn't even try for a fake Japanese accent! Oh well.

Not that awe-inspiring.





YUMEI

Modes Available: All

Chapter Obtained: 2, 3, or 4



What is it with Sorceresses from Hai-Lan? Oh well. Yumei is a mermaid,

and so she starts off with Water/Ice Spells, apparently. Okay character.

By the time you get to Chapter 5, you'll be almost drowning in mages,

so it's your choice as to which ones you want to keep, and which ones

you want to transfer.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

"I hope that wasn't too strong."



EVALUATION

Yumei is tailor-made for Freya's request for a nimble swimmer. I send

her up everytime.

VOICE COMMENTARY

She sounds a little unsure of herself... There's nothing wrong with

this, but I imagined Yumei as a more confident character.





3. MAGIC



Unlike warriors, mages can cast any of a number of spells. They can

only learn ten spells at a time, however. For this reason mages are a

little more "interchangeable" then warriors.



ATTACK SPELLS

Dark Savior

3 Hits

3 CT

15 Points

Up Direction, Up Direction, Up Direction

Three blades impale the enemy in a triangle pattern. Darkness-Elemental.



Fire Lance

2 Hits

3 CT

40 Points

Left Direction, Left Direction

Two fire spears hit the enemy. Fire-Elemental.



Fire Storm

1 Hit

2 CT

50 Points

Up Direction

An explosion takes place under the enemy. Good for charging up the

meter. Fire-Elemental.



Frigid Damsel

3 Hits

5 CT

45 Points

Up Direction, Up Direction, Up Direction

Three maidens with ice blades attack the enemy. Ice-Elemental, may

freeze enemies.



Icicle Edge

3 Hits

5 CT

15 Points

No Direction

Three Icicles fall from the sky. Not very effective for the Combo

Meter. Ice-Elemental, may freeze enemies.



Lightning Bolt

3 Hits

9 CT

24 Points

No Direction

Lightning shoots towards the enemy from the caster. Extremely slow

to recharge. Lightning-Elemental.



Mystic Cross

4 Hits

6 CT

40 Points

Left Direction, Left Direction, Left Direction, Left Direction

Stars of light hit the enemy. This spell seems especially good for

getting treasure chests/purple gems. Light-elemental.



Poison Blow

1 Hit

3 CT

5 Points

Up Direction

A cloud of poison appears under the enemy. Low on CT, but also low

on the Combo gauge. Seems to be very effective against mages.

Poison-elemental, may poison enemy.



Prismatic Missile

5 Hits

10 CT

No Direction

Multi-colored beams of light strike the enemy. Lightning-Elemental,

may cause many different status anomalies.



Sacred Javelin

5 Hits

3 CT

25 Points

Left Direction x 5

Spears of light drop from the heavens onto the enemy. Light-Elemental.



Shadow Servant

3 Hits

5 CT

45 Points

Up Direction, Up Direction, Up Direction

Three hooded phantoms pop up under the enemy. Dark-Elemental.



Stone Torch

1 Hit

3 CT

5 Points

Up Direction

A cloud of something -- energy? -- appears under the enemy. Poison-

Elemental, may petrify the enemy.



PURIFY WEIRD SOUL

When you Purify Weird Soul with a mage, two things may happen. The

normal thing that happens is that they cast a more powerful version

of their basic spell. Spell parameters remain the same, but there are

generally more hits, CT, and Combo points. Changes are listed below.



Dark Savior        9 Hits    6 CT      45 Points

Fire Lance         6 Hits    6 CT     120 Points

Fire Storm         3 Hits    4 CT     150 Points

Frigid Damsel      9 Hits   10 CT     135 Points

Icicle Edge        9 Hits   10 CT      45 Points

Lightning Bolt     9 Hits   10 CT      72 Points

Mystic Cross      12 Hits   10 CT     120 Points

Poison Blow        3 Hits    6 CT      15 Points

Prismatic Missile 15 Hits   10 CT     150 Points

Sacred Javelin    10 Hits    6 CT      75 Points

Shadow Servant     9 Hits   10 CT     135 Points

Stone Torch        3 Hits    6 CT      15 Points



But there's nothing exciting in that. However, if your mage is

equipped with certains scepters/staves, you may get a "Great Magic".

The description of the weapon will usually say "Allows the caster to

perform great magics". The downside is that many of these weapons

may break. The following weapons will allow Great Magic.



Element Scepter

Ether Scepter

Infinity Rod

Unicorn's Horn

Wand of Apocalypse

Wand "Mystic Sage"



Obviously, these weapons are of great value, and also fairly rare.

The advantages to Great Magic are many. They are much more damaging,

more visually impressive, and most importantly, hit all enemies. The

Great Magic you get depends on what your default spell is. Towards

the end of the game, bosses also tend to use Great Magic on you, 

unfortunately.



Absolute Zero

(from Frigid Damsel)

"If ye shall accept the benedictions of beauty, then, yea, let these

chains of aster surround thee. Absolute Zero!"

4 Hits

5 CT

64 Points

Lots of hail fall on the enemies, encasing them in ice. Finally

a last hailstone shatters the ice. Ice-Elemental.



Calamity Blast

(from Fire Lance)

"The time of exorcism is at hand! Venemous servants, unleash thy

dark flames! Calamity Blast!"

5 Hits

5 CT

20 Points

A cloud of fire appears in the sky and shoots fireballs at the

enemy for large explosions. Fire-Elemental.



Carnage Anthem

(from Stone Torch)

"Hark, it is an omen! As hymns resound thou shalt be offered as a

sacrifice upon the feasts of madness! Carnage Anthem!"

3 Hits

5 CT

48 Points

A flow of lava runs over the enemy. Poison-Elemental.



Celestial Star

(from Mystic Cross)

"Ye must desire rest from thy empty existence. Thou shalt have it.

Celestial Star!"

7 Hits

6 CT

70 Points

Feathers floating in the air become halos of light that shoot

down beams at the enemy. This is, in my opinion, the best Great

Magic. Light-Elemental.



Cosmic Spear

(from Dark Savior)

"If ye trust that thy eternal bonds may be broken, then let my

words be as a vengeful blade upon thee! Cosmic Spear!"

1 Hit

5 CT

50 Points

A gigantic spear spins in midair, then catches fire and careens

into the enemy. Dark-Elemental.



Crystal Strike

(from Icicle Edge)

"Surely thou can feel it. Thy days are numbered. Thy death is at

hand! Crystal Strike!"

2 Hits

5 CT

50 Points

The enemies are encased in a tetrahedron of ice, which is then

pierced on all sides. Ice-Elemental.



Dragon Bolt

(from Lightning Bolt)

"As the harmoniums of Asgard sound, their very melodies stir the

ancient lightning to wake! Dragon Bolt!"

4 Hits

9 CT

52 Points

A skeletal lightning dragon flies through all the enemies.

Hideously slow to recharge. Lightning-Elemental.



Gravity Blessing

(from Prismatic Missile)

"Hark! Lightning that writhes within the ashen depths, descend now

in a storm upon thy foe! Gravity Blessing!"

3 Hits

10 CT

48 Points

A sphere of gravity descends on the enemy. Way too slow to recharge,

damage not that great comparatively. Lightning-Elemental. 



Ifrit Caress

(from Fire Storm)

"I invoke the rites of fiery Muspellheim, and give thy soul up to

the inferno's embrace! Ifrit Caress!"

1 Hit

5 CT

50 Points

A circle of flame surrounds the enemy, then collapses inward,

burning everything. Fire-Elemental.



Meteor Swarm

(from Shadow Servant)

"No mercy for the damned! Thus thou hast no escape from the grasp

of catastrophe! Meteor Swarm!"

7 Hits

5 CT

50 Points

A bunch of meteors hit the enemy (duh!). Another very good spell.

Dark-Elemental.



Petro Disruption

(from Poison Blow)

"Lo, ye shall look upon the calamities of heresy with beclouded

eyes! Petro Disruption!"

3 Hits

5 CT

51 Points

A giant skeleton emerges from a swamp and breathes a cloud of

poison over all the enemies. Poison-Elemental.



Seraphic Law

(from Sacred Javelin)

"Ye of detestable name and virtue, false apostle, thou are bade

back to the abyss. Seraphic Law!"

3 Hits

5 CT

21 Points

Motes of light gather into a gigantic laser beam in mid-air,

then shoot at the enemy. Light-Elemental.



SUPPORT SPELLS



Aside from attack spells, there are a number of support spells your

mages can learn. Unlike attack spells, these cannot be designated

as your primary spell (via the Ability menu), but they can be cast

at any time, provided you have no CT, via the Select Button menu

in battle.



Dampen Magic

6 CT

This spell prevents your enemies from casting magic for 5 turns.

This only affects magic spells, not magic special attacks (Great

Magic and others). Okay spell, but I prefer Reflect Sorcery ^_^.



Guard Reinforce

3 CT

This increases your party's RDM parameter by 50%. It lasts for

10 rounds, and sadly can only be cast once per battle.



Heal

5 CT

This heals your entire party for 80% of their maximum DME. This

spell is one of the best. It will save your life many many times.



Invoke Feather

5 CT

Recovers an unconscious character and gives them back 80% of their

DME. Good in a pinch, but I prefer using Union Plumes for the most

part.



Might Reinforce

Increases your party's ATK parameter by 50%. Lasts for ten rounds

and can only be cast once per battle.



Normalize

1 CT

Cures all status abnormalities. Great spell because it's fast to

recharge and does the work of both Banish and Prime Banish.



Reflect Sorcery

8 CT

This spell creates a barrier around your party that reflects

spells back at their caster. GREAT spell. This will save your life

in many a boss battle. The wall lasts for 3 turns.



Sap Guard

1 CT

This spell reduces one enemy's RDM parameter. The amount depends

on the enemy and it lasts for 5 turns.



Sap Power

1 CT

Reduces one enemy's ATK parameter. Like Sap Guard, the amount

depends on the enemy, and it lasts for 5 turns.



Shield Critical

6 CT

This spell prevents enemy's from using special attacks for three

turns. Unfortunately, success isn't guaranteed. Has a tendency

to fail when you need it the most.



Spell Reinforce

3 CT

Multiplies your party's MGC parameter by 1.5. It lasts for 10

rounds and can be cast once per battle. Not that useful unless you

have two or more spellcasters in your party.





4. FREYA'S REQUESTS



A large part of the game, of course, is training up your Einherjar

and sending them up to help in Asgard. Freya will make requests during

the Sacred Phases between chapters, and depending on how well you

follow these requests, you will get more Materialize Points/Artifacts

in the next Sacred Phase. You can send up to two Einherjar per

chapter, but you may not always want to do so. The following

are Freya's requirements; you are expected to fill them in the

next chapter. For instance, Freya's 1-2 Sacred Phase requirements

should be fulfilled in Chapter 2.



CHAPTER 1

Freya makes no requests between the Prologue and Chapter 1, but

this doesn't mean you shouldn't send anyone up. Belenus is a good

choice, because you should save your archers.



SACRED PHASE 1-2

Freya wants a warrior with Hero Value 50 and the Tactics, Leadership,

and Identify abilities.



CHAPTER 2

Well, if you sent up Belenus last chapter, you won't have any

warriors other than Arngrim. Luckily, you may get Jun and Lawfer,

or even both, during this Chapter. Send one of them up towards the

end of the chapter. It's a matter of preference, but I usually

send Lawfer up.



SACRED PHASE 2-3

Freya wants an archer this time, with Hero Value 65 and the Find

Trap and Survival skills. 



CHAPTER 3

This is the prime time to send up Llewelyn; I hope you've been training

him. You might also have Janus, who will have slightly higher

Hero Value; If Llewelyn hasn't gained enough levels to satisfy the

Hero Value requirement, send Janus up instead.



SACRED PHASE 3-4

Freya wants a Negotiator with Hero Value 80, Trick, Demon Int.,

and Hear Noise.



CHAPTER 4

Almost anybody will fit. But see below if you're trying to get

the good ending for some warnings. Anyway, whoever you choose to

send up, make sure they have all the required skills. Then use

Divine Item to create the "Angel Lips" decoration. This will give them

the Negotiation requirement.



SACRED PHASE 4-5

Freya requires a swordsman who has March, Attack Power, Resist

Damage, Defend, and is also a Swimmer and Nimble. Hero Value should

be 90 or above.



CHAPTER 5

You might think Yumei fits the bill perfectly. However, since she's

a mage, she does not have the Attack Power skill, so you would have

to send somebody else up. This wouldn't be a problem except if you

want the good ending (again, see below). Alternatively, you can

send up a swordsman with Nimble and these Skills (Lucian works,

IIRC), and equip him with the "Pearl of Karula" decoration for

the swimming requirement.



SACRED PHASE 5-6

This time, Freya wants a Sorcerer and a Swordsman with Monster

Intelligence and Hit. They also must be Brave. Hero Value should be

100 or above.



CHAPTER 6

Lucian works here too, if you didn't send him up last chapter.

Jayle is also a good choice. As for Sorcerer, you should be have

far too many by now, so choose one you don't use. Divine Item a

Flame Bandana for the Brave requirement, if they don't have that

trait.



SACRED PHASE 6-7

Freya will ask for a High-level Sorceror with Avoid, Undead

Intelligence, and Resist Magic skills. Hero Value should be 110

or above.



CHAPTER 7

Again, you should have plenty of sorcerors by now, so send any of

them up. It's a matter of personal choice.



SACRED PHASE 7-8

If you are getting the good ending, a special event will preempt

Freya's requirements. If I am correct, you will not have to send

up anybody during Chapter 8. If you are getting the normal ending,

then Freya asks fo a High-level Swordsman who is Brave and has

March, Fight, Counter, Leadership, and Formation skills who has a

Hero Value over 120.



CHAPTER 8

You should be getting plenty of warriors by now. If you're playing

Normal mode, you can send Suo up immediately since he comes with

enough capacity points to fulfill Freya's requirements.





5. OTHER TIPS / FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS



Q. How do I get the best ending?



A. There are only two basic requirements. You need to send Lucian

up during a certain period, and you need to keep Lenneth's Seal

Rating down. You can check on her Seal Rating by looking at her

Status screen; it's where the other characters have the Hero Value

reading.

Unforunately, it requires a lot of manipulation to get Lenneth's

Seal Rating down. This means you will have to do careful planning.



The factors for Seal Rating are as follows:

Transferring a character                               +12

Not wearing the Nibelungen Ring during a Sacred Phase   -2

Recruiting most characters                              -2

Going to the Weeping Lily Valley                       -15

Meeting Lucian in Gerabellum                           -15

Meeting Brahms                                         -10

Defeating Lezard in Chapter 4                          -15

Recruiting Mystina                                     -15

Recruiting Lucian                                      -20



The exact factor is that you must get Lenneth's Seal Rating below

37 at the end of Chapter 6. To do so, take the following steps.

For the first three chapters, you will not have to worry about much.

Keep Lenneth's Evaluation Rating fairly high, i.e., don't

steal too many artifacts.

When Chapter 4 begins, IMMEDIATELY send up somebody who meets

Freya's requirements. Since your Seal Value should be around 100

anyway, and since 100 is the max, this won't hurt you too much.

During Chapter 4, then, visit the Weeping Lily Valley, Gerabellum,

and Brahms Castle. Choose not to fight Brahms; you will die if you

do anyway. Continue playing normally without transferring anyone.

The last Spiritual Concentration in Chapter 4 will tell you to go 

to Flenceburg. Do so, and you will end up in the Tower of Lezard

Valeth. Defeat him here, then finish the chapter. Before you enter

the Sacred Phase, remove your Nibelungen Ring.

When Chapter 5 begins, your Spritual Concentration will tell you

to go to Flenceburg. You will recruit Mystina there. Also in

Chapter 5, you will recruit Lucian. You must send up Lucian either

this chapter or the next. I prefer sending him up now (instead of

Yumei). Finish the chapter. Again, remove the Nibelungen Ring

before the Sacred Phase.

When Chapter 6 begins, play normally. If you did not send up Lucian

last chapter, do so now. If you've been recruiting all the characters,

you should be able to send up two people this chapter and still

keep a Seal Rating around 30 or so. Finish the Chapter with your

Seal Rating under 37.

That's it. After the Sacred Phase 6-7, you should see a scene

involving Frei, Lucian, and Loki. If you do, then you can play

normally until Chapter 8. Sacred Phase 7-8 should also contain

a special event. The final Spiritual Concentration in Chapter 8

should tell you to go to the Weeping Lily Valley. Do so after you

are done with everything else.



Q. How do I get my characters' Hero Ratings up?



A. Other than Traits, the only way (I think) to increase your

characters' Hero Ratings is to gain levels with them. Each level

increase will increase their Hero Rating by 2.



Q. I'm in the Cave of Thackus, and I can't get the stupid boss

to appear! What's going on?



A. You must do two things before you can get the boss to appear;

you must talk to the ghost, and you must operate the control panel.

When you see the ghost on the screen with a Memory Camp, talk to

the ghost until Lenneth says "This is the tool...". Then continue

on. On the screen with the falling water and the floating orb, shoot

the orb with an ice crystal. Then go to the screen directly above

it and operate the panel. Now when you go to the room with the

pentagram, you'll see an event and the boss will appear.



Q. I'm in the Palace of the Dragon. What the $(*&%! am I supposed

to do with the statues?



A. Depends which statues you're talking about. You should be able

to make your way through the palace by inserting the various stones

you acquire into the statues of the women placed around the palace.

This is relatively straight forward. In the room with four statues,

make note of which way they are facing. When you get to a very similar

room, rotate the statues so that they match the first room's 

configuration. This will open the door. In the room with eight

doorways, you will need to have seen the hallway with eight

paintings. Make note of the number of the paintings (the names

are not important). Now go through the doorways corresponding

to the paintings, from the lowest number to the highest, except 0.

Go through 0 last, and another door should open. Finally, as for

the statues that patrol the hallways and teleport you away: Jump

over the first one, then follow it when its back is turned. It

will open a doorway. The second one you can avoid easily.

For the third one, follow it to the middle of the hallway. Now create

an ice block in the middle of the hallway and jump on top of it.

When the statue returns, jump over the statue. Do this four times

and the statue will give up and "go to sleep" in the left side

of the hallway. Check the statue to receive the final stone.



Q. I'm in the Celestial Castle, and I've reached a dead-end. Help!



A. If the dead end is in the room full of butterlies, you must

kill all the butterflies. This will shrivel the vine and allow you

to continue on. There will be another butterfly room, this time

with freeze-laser-shooting orbs. If you get hit by a laser, another

butterfly will appear, so be careful. Kill all the butterflies

and again you can continue on.



Q. I'm in the Salerno Academy, and...



A. Don't say anything else. It's WAY too complicated to go into

here, so I recommend you check out Steven Bruck's Hard Mode FAQ

at www.gamefaqs.com.



Q. How do I get to the Seraphic Gate?



A. If you've played Star Ocean 2 and have done the Cave of Trails,

this will seem familiar. You must save at the final save point.

It doesn't matter which mode you're in. (However, the Cave of Trials

is best explored in Hard Mode. More on this in a bit). Now reset

your PS. On the Title screen where it says New Game and Continue

and so on, it should now say "Seraphic Gate". Select this mode.

Just don't save over the file that you saved previously, or you'll

have to start the regular game over.

Now as for why you should do so in Hard Mode, there are eight

sealed doors in the Seraphic Gate. Of course, all the best treasures,

as well as the Secret Characters, are behind these doors. To

open the doors you will have to obtain eight Flame Jewels. You can

only get these in Hard Mode. The Flame Jewels are located in the

dungeons that only appear in Hard Mode. The locations are:



Salerno Academy (Chapter 2)

Dark Tower of Xervah (Chapter 4)

Citadel of Fire (Chapter 5)

Sunken Shrine (Chapter 6)

Tombs of Amenti (Chapter 7, there are two in here)

Celestial Castle (Chapter 8)

Arianrod Labyrinth (Chapter 8)



Of course, there's good rewards to all this. Here are the things

that can only be found in the Seraphic Gate:



Eternal Garb (best armor in the game)

Razor Shaft (best bow)

Scout Orb

Soul Sword "Kusanagi" (best katana)

Wand "Mystic Sage" (best wand; not the best MGC parameter, but

                    allows casting of Great Magic)

Holy Wand of Telos (best wand in terms of pure MGC power)

Ethereal Divide (best spear)

Bloody Duster (best knuckle)

Demon Sword "Nefarious (one of the best Two-Handed Swords)

Dainslef (extremely good sword)

Ether Laser (best weapon for Freya)

Tri-Emblem (great accessory, Fire Damage -90%, RDM + 3000)

Angel Slayer (best sword in the game)

Secret Characters: Brahms, Lezard, and Freya



Q. Help! I'm getting slaughtered in the Seraphic Gate!



A. Of course you are. It isn't a secret dungeon for nothing. The

Seraphic Gate contains the toughest enemies in the game. I

recommend at LEAST Level 35 characters, and that's just for the

first floor (Yellow Area). If you do not have the Skills

Guts and Auto Item you WILL die. Make lots of Angel Curios. I hope

you have lots of Materialize Points, because as far as I know there's

no way to get more once you enter the Seraphic Gate other than

Converting your items.



Q. Okay, but I'm still getting slaughtered on the third floor.



A. Once you get there, you'll notice that enemies tend to be able

to slaughter you all in one shot. Angel Curios, Guts, and Auto

Item are a must! On the third floor will be Gabriel Celeste.

She's one tough boss. But she doesn't compare to the fourth floor

boss, Iseria Queen. Both of these can kill your entire party at

once. Just keep chipping away at their DME (of which they have a LOT)

and hope your Angel Curios don't break/you don't run out of Union

Plumes. Oh yeah, did I mention Auto Item? You may want to set Auto

Item so that it DOESN'T do Elixirs/Prime Elixirs/Noble Elixirs.

Most of Iseria Queen/Gabriel Celeste's moves will kill you in one

shot no matter how many DME you have. This way you can concentrate

the priorities on Union Plumes. Set Union Plumes to 100% in Auto

Item! You'll be virtually invincible as long as you don't run out.



Q. Any other tips you'd care to share?



A. Certainly ^_^.



Artifacts: Which artifacts to keep, which to send up? Well, since

the Memory Camps are always conveniently close by (in most cases),

save your game first, then take all the items. Now reset and send

up the ones you don't want. There are a few exceptions to this rule,

because some artifacts may seem useless, when they really aren't:



Bark of the Dryad: You can transmute it into the Dimension Slip

with the Creation Gem, which lets you avoid all enemies. Extremely

useful for the Seraphic Gate.

Bewitching Statue: Transmute it into a Unicorn Horn, then Transmute

that into the Unicorn's Horn staff. You'll need a Creation Jewel.

Eternal Lamp: You don't even have to equip it, it'll prevent your

characters from being frozen.

Fairy Bottle: By all the gods, keep this artifact! You can transmute

it into Orihalcon. Why Orihalcon? You can transmute Orihalcon into

the Creation Jewel, that's why.

Manual of Resurrection: If you're playing Hard mode, you won't be

able to get the Fairy Bottle. That's okay, the Manual of Resurrection

turns into Orihalcon too.



Transmutation: Transmutation is the only way to get certain

high-end weapons. When you reach the Tower of Lezard Valeth in 

Chapter 4, you'll find the Creation Gem. When you do this, you

can do the following.

First, transmute an Orihalcon into a Creation Jewel.

Now you can do all sorts of fun stuff! Transmute Broken Spears into

Crimson Edges for big fun. Also Broken Blades will turn into Glare

Swords. Both of these weapons have over 1000 attack power. You

might have some other stuff in your inventory that you can transmute

into Icicle Swords. Now your party can do huge damage. Lezard

should be a piece of cake. If you can get your hands on another

piece of Orihalcon, you can now transmute it into Gram, a sword

with 2000 Attack Power. Also if you have a spare Dark skill book

you can transmute it into Reverie, a skill you'll find nowhere else.

In case you're wondering, the stuff you can transmute with a 

Creation Gem and Creation Jewel are different, so keep them both.



Invincibility: This was detailed a bit above, but again: First set

Auto Item and Guts on all characters. Make sure they are maxed out.

For Auto Item, set Union Plume to 100%. Now equip two Angel Curios

on each character. Now the only way you will die is if 1. you

run out of Union Plumes or 2. Everybody's Angel Curios break and

their Guts fail all at the same time. In case you're wondering,

the probability of everybody's Guts failing at the same time is

one in 3125, if everybody's Guts is at skill level 8.



Combo Chains: So everybody's at CT 0 and you've managed to charge

up your Combo meter to 100. Congratulations! Now, what order should

they go in?

You should know how much each of your character's moves charge up

the Combo meter. At least one of your characters should have a move

that charges up more than 60 points. Arngrim is a good choice. So

is a mage with Mystic Cross. The first time you start a special

attack, your Combo Gauge will go to 80, which means you only need

20 points. The second time it will go to 60, and the third time it

will go the 40. The fourth time it will go to 0, but you can't do

anything anyway, so... make sure that a move that doesn't charge

the meter very well (Freya's, for instance) goes last in the chain.

Also, the later a move is in a chain, the more damage it will do.

Therefore, save moves like Ether Strike and Nibelung Valesti for later.



Magic: Short note, but a lot of people don't know that you can cast

certain spells on all enemies. If you use the Magic menu in the Select

Menu, you can cast a spell on all enemies (if the spell permits). The

following spells may be cast on all enemies in this manner: Mystic

Cross, Fire Storm, Icicle Edge, Poison Blow, Lightning Bolt, and Shadow

Servant.



Voice Collection: tri-Ace returns to their Voice Collection tradition.

It's located under the Sound Mode option. Anyway, if you play through

the game you will notice that there are still many blanks in the voice

collection. You will not be able to get all of them without going 

through Hard Mode AND the Seraphic Gate. You should also try to get the

good ending. Even after you finish Hard Mode, there will be four boxes 

left. Two belong to Gabriel Celeste and Iseria Queen, the bosses of the 

Seraphic Gate. The other two belong to Surt and Loki. You may ask, how

am I supposed to get their voices when it's impossible to save after

beating them? You aren't expected to. In the Seraphic Gate, you will

encounter two enemies, namely the Loki Shade and the Giant Lord. The

Loki Shade uses Loki's voice samples; the Giant Lord uses Surt's. You

can also use other enemies in the Gate to fill in your other samples:

the Lich has Genevieve's samples, Setkhefre has Akhetamen's, and the 

Dark Valkyrie has Hrist's. Incidentally, if you manage to get 100% of 

the voice samples for a person, press square while highlighting their 

picture and you will be shown a nice graphic of that character. I don't 

know what you get (if anything) for getting ALL of the voice samples, 

or even 70% as in Star Ocean 2. (I'm up to 60% as I write this, and

still nothing)





6. MYTHOLOGY



Valkyrie Profile, of course, is based loosely on Norse mythology. This

section will describe some of the aspects VP is based on and also some

differences between the original and the in-game mythology. I've 

endeavored to keep this section spoiler-free.



Valkyries: Valkyries were indeed the warrior-maidens who recruited souls

of warriors to fight in Asgard. However, there were a lot more than

three of them. When Odin describes Lenneth as "the greatest of the

three goddesses who govern fate" in the prologue, it seems that tri-Ace

here is mixing the Valkyrie mythos with that of the Norns, who were

the Norse goddesses of Fate. The Norns were very similar to the Fates

of Greek mythology. There were indeed three Norns, however, they were

names Verdandi, Urd, and Skuld (Aa! Megami-sama, anyone? ^_^). The

souls they recruit are indeed called the Einherjar.



Odin: Odin was indeed the cheif of the gods in Norse mythology.

However, he only had one eye. He sacrificed the other so that he

could gain the world's knowledge. And when he says "The head of Mimir

has told me...", he literally his the disembodied head of the jotun

Mimir, which tells him information about the world. His wife is

Frigga, who does not make an appearance in the game, apparently.



Freya: Interestingly enough, Freya is a Vanir goddess, and not an

Aesir as the game puts it. In the original mythology, the Vanir and

the Aesir, though rivals, were not true enemies, and they carried

out an "exchange-program" of gods. The two gods Freya and Frey were

the two Vanir sent to Asgard (by the way, Frey is supposed to be male).

Freya's necklace is indeed called Brisingal.



Surt: Surt is not a Vanir, but rather a Jotun, more specifically

a Fire Giant. In Ragnarok Surt kills the god Frey, but that doesn't

happen in the game. His realm is called Muspellheim (as in Ifrit

Caress, "I invoke the rites of fiery Muspellheim")



Hel: There are a few references to Hel in the game. Hel is not a Vanir

either, but rather the Queen of the Dead who presides over those doomed

in the afterlife. Her realm is also called Hel, not Niflheim (Niflheim

is the realm of ice, in opposition to Muspellheim"). She's also supposed

to be an old hag, not the extremely attractive rendition you may see

of her during a Sacred Phase ^_^;;;;.



Asgard, Midgard: Asgard indeed is the realm of the gods. However, it

also contains Alfheim (home of the elves) and Vanaheim, home of the 

Vanir. The human world is called Midgard. They are connected by 

Yggdrasil, the World Tree.



Loki: The trickster of the Gods, he is not half-Vanir, half-Aesir

as described, but instead fully Aesir. However, he is often in contention

against the Gods. In Norse mythology he is responsible for the death

of Baldur, though I do not believe Baldur makes an appearance in the

game.



Other Gods: Other gods will make an appearance during Sacred Phases and

such. These include Thor, god of lightning and smithing; Vidar, god

of silence and revenge (and son of Odin); Ull, god (not goddess) of

justice and duelling; and Tyr (who only has one hand), the original

god of war. Tyr sacrificed his hand to Fenrir so that the gods could

chain him.



Ragnarok: The battle of battles and the end of the Gods. In the game

your job is to make the Aesir win Ragnarok, but in Norse mythology the

gods weren't so lucky. Odin is killed by Fenrir, the wolf, who is

then killed by Vidar. Frey is killed by Surt, the Fire Giant. Loki

and Heimdall (the herald of the gods) will kill each other. Thor will

kill the World Serpent Jormungand, but will then succumb to the

Serpent's poison breath. The other gods also presumably die. Surt

destroys the world by setting it aflame. In the end a new world is 

created and the human race survives.





7. CREDITS



Thanks go to the following people/companies:

tri-Ace/Enix: For yet again making/publishing such a great game.



Elizabeth Hollinger and James Ratkos: For their Prima Strategy

Guide that helped me through the game.



Steven Bruck: For writing a very helpful FAQ for the Japanese

version of the game.



InterAct: For making the Gameshark. This let me test out 

characters' moves even after I sent them up ^_^.





End.



This FAQ is copyright 2000 to Edward Chang. You may distribute

it freely as long as nothing is altered and I am credited. Not for

sale.