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| |
| Azure Dreams Fusion FAQ |
| v 1.0, 7-18-99 |
| By JJ Ukil (Jjukil@aol.com) |
| |
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Divisions
I. INTRODUCTION
What is Azure Dreams, and what is this document?
II. TRAITS IN FUSION
A. TRAITS IN FUSION 101
Guide to monster traits in fusion.
B. TRAIT DESCRIPTIONS
A list of all the monster traits.
C. TRAIT THEORY
A few notes about the best ways to use traits.
D. SUCCESSFUL TRAIT COMBINATIONS
Several fusions involving traits that will serve you well.
III. MAGIC IN FUSION
A. MAGIC IN FUSION 101
Guide to spells in fusion.
B. MAGIC DESCRIPTIONS
A list of all the spells and mixture magic spells.
C. MAGIC THEORY
Some notes about the best ways to handle magic.
D. SUCCESSFUL MAGIC COMBINATIONS
Several fusions involving magic that will serve you well.
IV. SUPREME COMBINATIONS
Some of the best overall fusions, and a note on making your own.
V. MONSTERS IN FUSION
Suggestions for fusing (and commentary on) every monster.
VI. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES
Copyrights, credits, disclaimers, etc.
----
I. INTRODUCTION
Hello and welcome to the Azure Dreams Fusion FAQ. This project has been my
sole obsession as of late, and while it is not nearly as extensive or
enduring as some of the multi-year FAQs out there it should still have
plenty of helpful material.
Azure Dreams is a very strange, very unorthodox, very good, and fairly old
RPG for the Playstation by Konami. In it you are confronted with the
Monster Tower, a monster-and-treasure-filled structure of who-knows how many
floor that the hero, Koh, is determined to get rich from. He will have
the help of Kewne, a faithful familiar with mysterious origins, as well as
monsters he raises on his own from eggs he finds in the tower. You are also
confronted with some real-life problems. The town the Monster Tower dwells
in, Monsbaiya, is extremely underdeveloped, and the residents crave culture
that goes beyond monster taming. The same goes for the hero's house. Also,
the young lad finds several of the residents of Monsbaiya to be a bit
more...entertaining than others, and he'll want to spend a lot of time with
them. (In other words, he wants girls...and in this game, if you try hard
enough you're sure to find plenty! =)
I realized as I began this that this game is really quite old. I'm not sure
exactly how old, but it's probably over a year. But the strange thing about
me is, I like overworking myself =) If it's something I enjoy, anyway.
So even if no one reads this I'll be happier for having made it.
However, I hope people will read it, because of what it contains. This FAQ
is a treat for anyone who ever thought Azure Dreams's monster fusion could
be really cool, if only they could work it right. It explains all of the
facets of fusion, from the commonly discussed to the lesser known to the
as-of-yet unmentioned. It tells you how fusing monsters works, how to get
the best combinations you can, and what to do with each one of those crazy
familiars to make them better. Along the way, it gives you some tidbits
about monsters that can be useful in things besides fusion.
It also sometimes gets repetitive. This is either because A) I want to
drive a point home or B) I wrote pieces of the FAQ at different times, and I
didn't go through looking for repetitiveness much because I could pass it
all off as A. ...uhm...I guess that won't work as well now. =P But it is
a benefit for those of you that want quick help on fusion--the really cool
points are outlined several times.
Another "flaw", in my opinion, is that this requires a fixed-width font to
read. It was formatted to fit in 640-480, because I don't like resolutions
above that, because...well, I don't know why that one is. You will need to
view this in a fixed width font yourself for one section (the magic table),
but it's otherwise pretty flexible.
Lastly...allow me to correct myself. This is probably NOT everything you
can do with fusion. It's just everything I've found so far. While I was
very thorough, and have hand-tested the vast majority of this document to
check its effectiveness for myself, I'm not perfect, and I probably didn't
think of everything that could be done. I will follow this by saying I am
not opposed to making a new version of this FAQ in the slightest. So if you
have some info you think I should see, send it over. (To Jjukil@aol.com.)
You can also send any questions you have about the FAQ, fusion, or Azure
Dreams in general to this address, as long as you do so without being rude
or incoherent. =) Once I garner enough cool info, I'll ship out version
1.1, and all the new stuff will be revealed. Sound fair?
Okay, let's dive right in, then, shall we?
----
II. TRAITS IN FUSION
This document was designed based on my belief that fusion helps your
monsters grow in two separate ways. You could probably tell what they are
through the Divisions above, but here they are again: magic and inherent
traits. I'll first cover inherent traits, which is the part I was more
familiar with when I started this FAQ. Then I'll cover magic, which I was
really finding out about along with you =) Finally, I get into the really
great combos and how to make your monsters the best they can be.
The first section is "traits" in fusion. This explains more about those
mysterious powers some monsters seem to have. Ever notice how hard it is
to kill a Block, or how easy it is for an Arachne to kill you? If so, I'm
sure you've noticed the Kraken's little treat. Well, they're all due to
inherent traits that are found in some kinds of monsters. Why are they so
important to fusion? Because they're not just inherent--they're
inheritable....
---
A. TRAITS IN FUSION 101
I will take only a short time on Traits in Fusion 101. Those of you new to
fusing, listen up. I intend to make this quick, dirty and helpful.
Many monsters you'll find in the tower (and later in your hatchery) have
special inherent traits. These range from immunities to a status ailment to
doing something special when attacking/being attacked to having one stat
doubled. These traits can be passed on by fusing monsters together--the
monster that comes out of the fusion will have the traits of both the
monsters that went in. The key to making your monsters as powerful as they
can be is successfully combining traits. A monster with one trait is
usually pretty cool because of it, but a monster with two traits is really
great. There are of course monsters that are great even without a trait,
but giving them a trait makes them even better. Additionally, if you
combine two bad traits or two traits that contradict each other, your
monster won't benefit much.
I'll now explain how trait passing works. Only one monster survives fusion,
but it has the traits belonging to both of the monsters fused. But what you
have to remember is, this is ALWAYS true. You can only bring together the
ORIGINAL traits of whatever monsters you put in. You can't keep adding
traits to a monster until it has them all.
If that didn't get through to you like that, here's an example:
-Fuse Dreamin with Noise. Result: Dreamin with Sleep-proof and Spell-
proof.
-Fuse this Dreamin with Zu. Result is NOT Dreamin with Sleep-proof, Spell-
proof, and Paralysis-proof. Result is Dreamin with Sleep-proof and
Paralysis-proof, because you just fused a Dreamin and a Zu, not all three of
the monsters.
Did that help? I hope it did.
Next, I'll give you the simple rules for what survives. The general rule
is, the monster coming out of the fusion is the one with the higher
experience. However, giving monster a Leva fruit makes it come out of its
next fusion no matter what you fuse to it (except Kewne). Fusing two
monsters with Leva fruits (or Kewne to one with a Leva fruit) is impossible.
Finally, if you fuse two monsters together of the same experience, the one
that survives is random. This mainly comes up when you're fusing two level
1 monsters. The easy solution is to kill a Pulunpa while the one you want
to survive is out of the bag and the one you want to forfeit is inside the
bag.
Finally, the genus the fused monster is the dominating genus of those
that went in. Fire beats Wind beats Water beats Fire, as it is normally.
---
B. TRAIT DESCRIPTIONS
This is a list of every trait in the game, naturally. Some traits I don't
know the function of. I listed them anyway, for documentation's sake.
The list is alphabetical because I don't feel like thinking of a real theme,
except for usefulness, which is really pretty subjective.
Atrocious: Killer trait. One of those unknown traits. It was once thought
that this raised AP by 2 every level; I tested that with a Picket quickly =)
It wasn't the case. But then I thought it might be doubling that Picket's
power. That didn't seem to be right either, though, as the Block I tested
it on didn't seem to have anything done to it. Like Growth Promoted, this
is a mystery.
Blinder-Proof: Unicorn trait. Self-explanatory. Blind isn't much of a
problem if your monster's light--just pick it up until it wears off. If
you have a supercharged heavy character, you might want to keep them from
getting blinded, if they don't have a better trait already.
Electric Shock: Kraken trait. This is one of few traits that's very
obvious in battle--the Arachne might just have a high natural attack, the
Noise might just be lucky all those times spells miss it, etc. But you'll
know when you fight a Kraken that it's special. =) Every time you hit
something with this trait it returns 1/4 of the damage you deal with an
electric shock, without using a turn of course. The problem is it takes a
lot of damage to make 1/4 of it count--damage you don't want your familiars
taking. This is better for the enemy than you. If you like it, give it to
monsters with high HP and low defense. Don't give it to a Block--it's
very futile.
Growth Promoted: Barong trait. Another unknown trait. It was long
believed that this trait raised your monster's HP gain per level, springing
it from 4 or less to up to 8. Even I thought this would merely double it
upon a level gain. Both are unfortunately incorrect. I just tested the
trait out on my Block, and it did nothing for it. Currently the true
function of this trait is unknown.
Hard: Block trait. This doubles a monster's current defense power
(everything it has and everything it gets). Use this on monsters with high
defense (Golems, Glaciers) or monsters with low defense (Killer, Zu) to
maximize the effect. Note that only the MAXIMUM defense power is doubled at
first. This applies to the initial fusion and every level--a familiar might
gain 1 Def. point on a level-up, but the maximum value will gain two. You
can counter this by leaving the tower or using the Shomoro herb, but that
herb is remarkably hard to find, since it's ONLY useful for this situation.
HP Increased: Naplass trait. HP is doubled in the manner of other
doublers: all HP, old and new, is doubled, but only the maximum starts out
doubled. The rest must be recovered, although it's much easier with this
trait--HP is recovered by standing or walking around! Good for monsters
with low (Golem, Troll) or high (Maximum, Barong) HP.
Lowering ATK (may not work): Viper trait. The most annoying and, for YOU,
useless trait in the game. Enemy Vipers are a pain on even the highest
power levels because with every attack they might lower your attack power,
making you weaker. However, when this trait is used against enemy monsters,
it has much less impact. Why? Because you're trying to live, and you're
trying to make the enemy die. If you're having success with these goals,
each individual enemy is going to feel the effect of having its AP lowered
FOR A COUPLE OF TURNS AT THE MOST, while you might be walking around with a
weaker attack for up to ten tower floors! That's why I hate this trait, and
I advise you never use it. (Except on, perhaps, the final boss. It still
wouldn't help, but with a familiar that could survive long enough it might
make things more entertaining. =)
Magic Attack Increased: Clown trait. This doubles a monster's spell
levels (all of them, not just attacking ones). You know what this talent
does as soon as you get a Clown--his LoDown level is twice his monster
level. Probably best used on things with DeHeal or DeForth, since this does
not greatly affect most mixed magic but healing magic is used directly.
MP Consumption Decreased: Cyclone trait. This halves the MP a monster
uses--while walking, attacking, using mixture magic or even using direct
magic. This is great used on anything =) But if you want a real answer,
it's better used on things with high MP (Kewne) but really best on something
that uses commands or magic that suck up a lot of MP (Golem, U-boat,
Barong).
Paralysis-Proof: Zu trait. The best status preventing trait, if you're
willing to give up one of the dramatic power-increasing traits. Several
things--traps, Blocks, Zus and probably more--try to paralyze you, but you
can stop them all with this trait. Best used on your main familiar if you
can afford replacing the secondary trait. (That's why I didn't use it on
Kewne--I liked MP Consumption Decreased too much.)
Poison-Proof: Nyuel trait. Poison will not work. Not good, since Poison
only comes in traps.
Quick: Picket trait. Agility is doubled; the familiar moves twice for
every move most monsters make. I HATE this trait because it doubles
agility, sure, but it also doubles MP consumption! Dragons and Cyclones,
though, can counter this with eating metal and halved MP consumption, so
you might consider sticking it on them.
Rust-Proof: Stealth trait. Prevents weaponry from rusting. This would be
phenomenal for Koh! I really wish he could fuse with monsters. As it is,
it's the second most useless trait in the game--that we know the function
of, anyway. Rust only comes in traps, you find replacement Troll weapons
lying around in the tower, you can't train them, the best one (the Bow gun)
probably doesn't rust anyway(I don't know, I haven't stepped on a Rust trap
with a Troll at all), and Trolls aren't good monsters in the first place.
Sleep-Proof: Dreamin trait. Self-explanatory and not really useful--the
Dreamin itself is the only thing that actively puts you to sleep, and traps
are a matter of luck. Don't worry about using this on a Naplass--contrary
to popular belief, they do NOT fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
Spell-Proof: Noise trait. Magic will not work on the monster that receives
this. Note that this ONLY includes status ailment magic--something like
Rise can still cripple monsters, and something like DeHeal can still heal
them. Not very useful, as only LoDown works for more than 15 turns.
Strength Increased: Arachne trait. This actually doubles a familiar's
attack power. It's best used on something with strong attack power (Killer,
Snowman) but can be used to bring up a semi-weakling's attack power (Nyuel,
Troll). Like with the Hard trait, only the maximum attack power is doubled
at first. The current attack power stays the same until you leave the tower
or use a Hazak herb on the familiar; this applies to the initial fusion and
every single level--you might only actually get 1 AP on a level, but when
you come back you'll have 2 like you should.
Unbrainwashable: Kewne's trait. Self-explanatory if you've fought a Blume.
I WISH you could give this to Killers! =) But, it's Kewne's trait so you
can't give it away. It's not too great for more than four floors anyway.
---
C. TRAIT THEORY
One thing you're going to have to accept right now--I know I had to--is the
greatest of the traits are indeed anything that doubles. These don't seem
like much sometimes, but they really are. Other traits cancel status
ailments or spells, and while that's nice it's not constantly useful. The
doublers are. Magic levels doubled is only great on occasion, mainly for
healing spells. Quick is just pathetic--the monsters run out of MP TOO fast
then. Everything else is unknown or unnecessary. So we've established the
general supremacy of doublers.
The question becomes when to double. Never double a mediocre stat. There's
no point to it. There may be a point to doubling a low stat; if you find
something with good defense but poor attack, double the attack and you have
a balanced warrior. (Note that poor does not include hopeless; do not
double a Picket's AP.) Finally, there is often a point to doubling high
stats. You get the most out of a doubler when it's doubling something
really high. Case in point: the Block. If you doubled a Pulunpa's defense
at level 1, it would have 8 defense, which is pretty high. But the Block's
defense is ALREADY 8. As a result of its doubler, its real defense is 16,
something phenomenal for level 1.
My general rule for trait-mixing is definitely to take opportunities to
maximize your power. Barongs have high HP, so double it for much more.
Golems have high defense, so double that. My secondary rule is if a
familiar has a need, cancel it. Barongs have low MP. Golems have low HP.
What you end up doing all depends on your style of play. You may even
prefer status prevention to doublers. It's your decision. Hopefully my
monster-to-monster suggestions will cover every style possible, but since
there are so many I have to doubt it. Use this as a guide, but experiment
yourself. It'll be more fun that way anyway.
---
D. SUCCESSFUL TRAIT COMBINATIONS
Now for some notable combinations. The first monster in each of these
should be the one that survives. Most of the time these are maximum
combinations(most HP, attack, etc.), but sometimes they're unique, just for
a theme or even for show. The descriptions will reveal all.
Killer/Arachne: The most offensive combo in the game. Do this for 50
attack power before you reach level 10. It's a lot of fun for you, although
the enemies are sure to hate it. =)
Golem/Block: The most purely defensive combo in the game. Golem defense is
the best there is, but with Hard it's double the best. You still have the
Golem's fairly low HP though.
Barong/Naplass: The most durable combo in the game. Barongs have
disgusting amounts of HP, for reasons now unknown to us. The Naplass has a
disgusting amount of HP because its trait doubles it. Give that trait to
the Barong and who knows how many HP you could garner....
Barong/Cyclone: Those happy little Barongs also spit out rare items, as
you might know from floors 16/26/36 of the tower. So once you get your
own, consider making them spit out more with this combo. Of course, you
might also consider cheating, and getting a LOT more items...(See Billy
Sauls's Azure Dreams FAQ for more about this.)
Block/Naplass: A very protective combo. Blocks take 1 damage most of the
time, but sometimes magic will slip past this. So why not have a backup
plan? Sometimes the best defense is even more defense!
Zu/Dreamin: Another protective combo, but in a different way. With this
you get a good warrior that cannot be immobilized until it has 0 MP. It
can still be confused, unfortunately, but you can't prevent that.
Weadog/Picket: Here's another gem from Billy Sauls's FAQ. So far this is
the only combination that will only attack twice if the first hit is not
enough. Most monsters attack twice even if there's nothing left to attack.
I think I know why this happens, but I'm not going into it here because I'm
probably wrong and it would take too long and it's not even related to
fusion. It's fairly impressive, but it still runs out of MP too fast.
Block/Arachne: I ended with this because it's probably the best combo out
there. With this, you get the ultimate warrior--double attack and double
defense mean most anything it fights doesn't live. It's quite powerful.
----
III. MAGIC IN FUSION
The next section explains how to handle magic when fusing monsters. Magic
is a great feature in Azure Dreams, but it is very limited by the other
things that use MP--namely, anything your familiar does. So the challenge
is finding good magic that's also economical. All the information you'll
need to do that--the basics of giving your monsters new spells, each spell's
description and mixture magic equivalent, a few advanced tips and some
successful magic combos--is in this section.
---
A. MAGIC IN FUSION 101
Again, this is going to be quick, helpful and painful. Well, hopefully not
too painful.
Even though not all monsters have spells when you get them, they all have
spells. Most monsters' spells are hidden away, though, and cannot be used
immediately. To "unlock" these spells, all you have to do is fuse the
monster with something else that doesn't have a spell. This brings up the
surviving monster's spell, starting it at level 1. So any monster that has
been fused will always have magic.
Spells generally aren't very good in Azure Dreams. They'd be fine if they
didn't use so much of your familiars' precious MP. The average cost for a
spell is 8 or 10, and some can be more than that but still not really do
much. The cool part of spells is mixture magic. Mixing spells with Koh's
weapon increases the power of Koh's attack, so you still do more damage.
But "mixed" spells don't, usually, use more than 1 MP. This is even better
than attacking, much less using the actual spells. And, in rare cases,
mixture magic can have special effects. Some of these effects are better
than most any magic you can name.
A note: spells increase in level every time your familiar gains a level IF
they have a white background behind their icon. If they don't, it means the
spell is not in its original genus and will not level up again until it is.
In addition, the effects of the spells are different--usually weakened--when
their genus is changed. This holds true for mixture magic, too, except that
sometimes the effect is BETTER on a different genus....
The key to success here is combining two spells that aren't exactly the
same. For example, combining Brid and Sled would be totally useless--they
both "mix" to be Flame Sword and they're both similarly powerful fire
attacks. So it's like having a duplicate spell, really. Make sure that
doesn't happen to you; you definitely want two different, powerful spells
with at least one powerful mixture magic.
As for which particular spells you want, I favor the healing spells--they're
the only really ones good for using directly, and they have a reliable
mixture magic too. Several wind genus spells mix into screen-killing
attacks, which are fun but cost some MP. When you get your hands on
DeMirror or DeWall, keep it and change its monster to wind genus right away,
through seed or fusion. In wind genus they become the most powerful mixture
magic in the game.
---
B. MAGIC DESCRIPTIONS
This is a chart of each magic spell and its effects, followed by its mixture
and ITS effects, for every genus. I did this to help both you and me in
figuring out how to get the best mix of spell and genus.
Explanations:
T stands for Thunder so W can stand for Water. The "mix" column indicates
which mixture magic the spell will yield by code. A list of what each code
stands for follows. All spells cost the same MP in every genus, so it isn't
listed 3 times.
Most spells go outwards in a line, to varying distances. Some hit in
special areas, though, and these are marked both here and below. Poison
hits a point of impact like the wall and goes approximately 3 blocks
outwards in a square, hitting everything in it. This is marked with
"Scr-hit". DeRock makes an obstacle appear in front of the direction the
target is facing. This is marked by "Sg-fnt".
===Fire Magic==
Name Gen. MP Effect Monsters(Natural/Hidden) Mix
Brid F 10 Fire bullet attack Kewne/Troll & Weadog FS
NeaBrid W Ice shower BS
NoaBrid T Thunderbolt WC
Sled F 8 Fireball attack Flame/Volcano & Killer FS
NeaSled W Chill runs over target BS
NoaSled T Mud slide buries foe WC
Breath F 12 Flame shower attack Dragon/Balloon & Maximum FS
NeoBreath W Choking waterfall BS
NoaBreath T Sand storm WC
Rise F 16 Fire pillar attack Griffon/Naplass & Tyrant FS
NeaRise W Ice pillar attack BS
NoaRise T Thunder pillar attack WC
Poison F 4 Causes poison; Scr-hit [none]/Barong HW
NeaPoison W Causes poison; Scr-hit SW
NoaPoison T Causes poison; Scr-hit TW
===Water Magic==
Name Gen. MP Effect Monsters(Natural/Hidden) Mix
DeHeal W 10 Bubbles heal HP Nyuel/Pulunpa BS
DeoHeal T Whirlwind heals HP WC
DeaHeal F Heat heals HP (slightly) FS
DeForth W 16 Water heals HP-FULL [none]/Manoeva & Mandara BS
DeoForth T Vortex heals 20+ HP WC
DeaForth F Fire heals 20+ HP FS
DeMirror W 8 Reflect all magic Arachne/Viper & Glacier AB
DeoMirror T Reflect water magic TB
DeaMirror F Reflect wind magic BB
DeWall W 8 10 turn Fire shield Snowman/Blume & Kraken AB
DeoWall T 1-2 turn Water shield TB
DeaWall F 1-2 turn Wind shield BB
DeRock W 6 Ice obstacle; Sg-fnt [none]/U-Boat SS
DeoRock T Wind obstacle; Sg-fnt GS
DeaRock F Fire obstacle; Sg-fnt FT
===Wind Magic==
Name Gen. MP Effect/Area Monsters(Natural/Hidden) Mix
LoBind T 12 Paralysis by thunder Block/Golem ES
LaBind F Paralyze Wind foe MB
LeBind W Paralyze Fire foe AW
LoBlind T 8 Blind target Unicorn/Stealth ES
LaBlind F Confuse (Water?) foe MB
LeBlind W Confuse (Fire?) foe AW
LoDown T 9 Lower target's level Clown/Picket & Garuda TW
LaDown F Lower AP (recoverable) HW
LeDown W Lower DEF (recoverable) SW
LoGrave T 12 Tornado crash attack [none]/Cyclone & Zu TW
LaGrave F Fire pentagram attack HW
LeoGrave W Meteor strike attack SW
LoSleep T 10 Wind puts to sleep [none]/Dreamin & Noise ES
LaSleep F Heat puts to sleep MB
LeSleep W Water puts to sleep AW
===Mixture Magic==
This section isn't done as categorically as the other one. This just tells
plainly what each one is. The first letters are the codes above for what
each spell "mixes into". If a skill has two names, the graphic changes
depending on if you have a weapon equipped. The power doesn't, except that
fists tend to be weaker than weapons. The rest is hopefully self-
explanatory. Remember that mixture magic is more powerful if you're using a
wand!
FS: Flay Finger/Flame Sword; Fire attack, single. 1/2 MP.
BS: Ice Finger/Blizzard Sword; Water attack, single. 1/2 MP.
WC: Thunder Finger/Wind Cutter; Wind attack, single. 1/2 MP.
BB: Burning Blade; Fire attack + Blind 100%, single. 1/2 MP.
AB: Aqua Blade; Ph. hit and waterfall, single. 1/2 MP.
TB: Thunder Blade; Wind attack + Paralysis 100%, single. 1/2 MP.
HW: Heat Wave; an up-close physical hit and a Fire bolt that travels
outwards in a line. @3/4 MP. (MP only seems to go down 3 out of every 4
uses.)
SW: Snow Wave; an up-close physical hit and an Ice bolt that travels
outwards in a line. @3/4 MP.
TW: Thunder Wave; Lightning bolt arcs in a line. @3/4 MP.
FT: Fire Shoot; Summon Sazaku, attack all in a line. 2 MP.
SS: Snow Shoot; Summon Seiriu, screen attack. 2 MP.
GS: Gaia Shoot; Summon Biakko, attack all in a line. 2 MP.
MB: Mt. Burn; Explode 7x7 square in faced direction. 4 MP.
AW: Aqua Wheel; Tsunami, screen attack. 4 MP.
ES: Earth Shaker; Earthquake, screen attack. 4 MP.
---
C. MAGIC THEORY
I am not as versed on the methods of giving spells to monsters as I am in
giving traits to them. This is still quality advice, but there are almost
certainly other methods that I haven't covered. You should definitely do
some experimenting with magic to find your own best combinations. In the
meantime, here's what I've found to be the truth about magic.
Unlike traits, which are annoyingly straight-forward if you want real power,
magic can go in several ways. You can decide to have a power-healer or a
power-mixer. There are several ways to combine spells successfully. The
only thing you "have to accept" this time is actual spells, besides healing
spells, should be used only in emergencies. In every other case, mixture
magic is better, for one reason (MP) or several (damage too sometimes, or
effects).
Now the main problem with using direct magic is how much MP it takes.
If you really like it for some reason, there are three ways to counter this
problem. First, the Cyclone can easily halve your troubles right there if
you can afford the trait. Secondly there are three monsters with which MP
is not a problem: the Nyuel, the Dragon and the Picket. These monsters can
always regain 50 MP from eating common items: the Nyuel, any fruit or herb;
the Dragon, anything metal (coins, swords, etc.); and the Picket, just about
anything (scrolls, glasses, etc.). Finally, if you have spare Pitas (and
you probably will) your monster gains 1 maximum MP point if you use a Pita
on it while its MP is full. With these fixes, using direct magic can be an
option. Most direct magic still isn't good, though.
A little known fact about hidden spells is they never have to be unlocked.
If you fuse a high-level monster without a spell with a low-level monster
that has a spell, you will have the high-level monster with the low-level
monster's spell. The high-level monster's spell will never be unlocked.
This is the key to combining some of the best spells with some of the best
traits. You could give DeHeal and Sled to a Cyclone, and it would have some
very cheap (if somewhat weak) spells, never having to deal with LoGrave at
all. (This is just an example. It's not recommended, since LoGrave is
cooler than Sled.)
My final piece of advice involves spell levels and the Leva fruit. If you
find a monster with a natural spell and another monster you want to give it
to, you might not want to immediately fuse them--there's a better way if you
have a Leva fruit. Get the monster with the spell and level it up really
high, then give the other monster the Leva fruit and the weaker monster will
absorb the high-level spell. One quick way to level up the monster with the
spell is to climb to a high level with Koh, then hatch it in the tower. It
would start out the same level as Koh, and so would its spell. Just make
sure you fuse those monsters on the same tower trip you hatch the first one
in, or it will go away and you won't be able to use it.
Making monsters good for healing has a bit of a quirk. Note that magic
can't be used on oneself (except for enemy Nyuels, annoyingly). So that
healing monster will never be able to heal itself. There are two ways of
countering this. The Mirror shield reflects magic; this includes healing
magic. If you need to heal your healer, put on the Mirror shield, and take
it off for a second when you need to heal yourself. If you don't have a
Mirror shield, and you feel like spending MP, you could give your healer
DeMirror. Then you could heal Koh, cast DeMirror, and heal your familiar.
(Then you could give your familiar a Pita.)
Making monsters good at attacking is easy when you know which spells to
attack with. Again, you want mixture magic because it's cheaper and
generally more effective; again, Wind magic has some of the more effective
mixture magic. LoBind, LoBlind and LoSleep(which looks pretty cool), as
well as DeRock in Water genus, yield the screen-killers. One of the best
ways to make your monster an effective magical attacker is changing the
genus of DeMirror. Again I'll mention how effective Thunder Blade and
Burning Blade (the mixture magic of DeoMirror and DeaMirror) are in
handicapping the enemies--they cause paralysis and blind 100%, after all.
Mix DeMirror with a wind magic and keep the wind magic leveling up, and
you've got yourself a real winner.
---
D. SUCCESSFUL MAGIC COMBINATIONS
These monsters have two good spells that either support each other or give
the monster several options. Remember that the first monster listed should
be the one that comes out of the fusion. Also remember that these are just
my suggestions. Keep trying on your own, and maybe you'll find something
even better.
Nyuel/Arachne: Having DeMirror will let the Nyuel heal itself even if you
don't have a Mirror shield. It'll take a lot of MP, but you can replenish
the Nyuel's more easily than most.
Mandara/Block: The Mandara's spell should be unlocked, and the monster
should go back to Water genus after fusion--use a Sea seed for this.
DeForth is pretty good in any genus, but it's incredible in Water genus--
it restores HP to full! So give it a handy screen killer and it will become
an MP consumer, but very powerful.
Nyuel/Cyclone: The Cyclone's spell should be unlocked. This is like a
lesser version of the above--less power, but much less MP usage, and still a
ranged mixture attack. With this one you might want to level up DeHeal
first, but it doesn't weaken very much in Wind genus.
Block/Cyclone(with LoGrave): This gives the Block both the distance mixture
magics~. This is especially good because the Block can take the hits up
close and live a long time while Koh pelts enemies from afar.
Picket/Manoeva(with DeForth), then Picket/Griffon: This is the wackiest
mage you'll ever see. Put it on AI level 3 and it will heal you when
necessary and use common mixture magic otherwise. Put it on AI level 5 if
you've got a lot of items. It will go totally insane, Nearising everything
in sight until its MP is suddenly gone. This isn't useful so much as funny.
Picket/Manoeva(with DeForth), then Picket/Arachne: This, on the other hand,
is very useful--the best healing combination. Just make sure it's on Water
genus. Your crazy mage will go crazy healing you in rough battles. A
Mirror shield is not recommended with this monster, since spells meant for
you will just go back to it--not a good thing to have happen in battle.
Block/Arachne: This is the best attacking combination. LoBind becomes
Earth Shaker, a screen killer, and it will level up because the monster's
still on wind genus, which coincidentally makes DeMirror DeoMirror. And
DeoMirror becomes Thunder Blade. And I've already discussed the virtues of
Thunder Blade.
----
IV. SUPREME COMBINATIONS
These combinations combine trait success with magic success. Needless to
say these are some of the best monsters you're going to get. Some of them
take up to four fusions, so you may want to take those on in multiple tower
trips. Like before, make sure the first monster listed survives.
I won't go into it with another section, but there are two things to
remember about traits and magic I feel I should point out. First, remember
when to fuse what. The secondary trait leaves a monster as soon as it's
fused with something else. Magic stays forever. So you'll want to give
familiars all the magic you want before finishing them off with a trait.
Second, remember that monsters with hidden magic don't have to unlock them.
You can overwrite a hidden spell with a better spell, and mix a good trait
with good magic.
The Battle Cleric: Nyuel/Arachne
This is a simple combo with a pretty good result. You get DeHeal, DeMirror
so it can use it on itself, and the ability to replenish MP painlessly. Not
to mention the increased strength, which makes the Nyuel tougher in fights.
Irony: Zu/Unicorn
This monster isn't too useful but it's kind of cool because it's immune to
the status ailments it causes. Ha ha. Okay, if you don't really give a
@%!$, give it DeoMirror first and it can cause paralysis a lot more easily
and still be ironic.
Death Mage: Dreamin/Noise; Clown/Dreamin; Clown/Cyclone
This is one of the most powerful magic attackers. It has LoDown, which
mixes into the distance attack Thunder Wave, and LoSleep, which mixes into
the screen attack Earth Shaker. And it can do it all at double power and
half normal cost.
The Status King: Mandara/Unicorn; Mandara/Block; Mandara/Viper
This monster can be an MP drainer, but very interesting. It can cause four
separate status ailments--Bind, Blind, Chaos and weakened attack. The last
isn't too useful, though, so you might want to replace it with Electric
Shock Body, which gives fair results with the Mandara and is a KIND of
status ailment =)
Ultimate Boat: U-boat/Pulunpa; Manoeva/Pulunpa; U-boat/Manoeva;
U-boat/Cyclone
Finally, use a Sea seed to make this Water genus. This familiar requires
a full five monsters and multiple trips into the tower, but it is quite
impressive. The U-boat has several commands that are useful but consume a
lot of MP. Adding DeRock (and its mixture magic summon spells) and DeForth
give it more costly but helpful options. Finally, reducing its MP
consumption makes the commands less costly. This monster is flexible and
strong, but you might still have MP concerns--Scout and DeForth still cost
8 MP apiece, and only Pitas will restore them.
Health Promoted: Manoeva/Pulunpa; Picket/Manoeva; Picket/Arachne;
Picket/Cyclone
Finally, use a seed to make it Water genus. This familiar also requires
five monsters and two tower trips, but you will never get a better healer.
It has DeForth, the full-cure healing spell; it has DeMirror, so it can heal
itself; it has halved MP consumption, so it won't go to 0 MP without
warning; it has double speed, in case both you and your familiar need help;
and it can eat a freaking pair of glasses and restore 50 MP. If it weren't
for status ailments, I wouldn't be surprised if this and this alone could
get you through the tower. This represents my best creation so far.
Friendly Fiend: Manoeva/Pulunpa; Dragon/Manoeva; Dragon/Picket
Then go back and make it Water genus with a seed. This is almost as good as
the last one. It's a great warrior and can still constantly refill its MP,
but it can't heal itself unless you have a Mirror shield, and there's a
slight chance this will fail you when it has to do too much. If you're
worried enough about this, fuse it with a Cyclone instead.
Captain Deathsatan: Block/Arachne
Simplicity in itself, and yet probably the best monster in the game. You
get the two great traits of double attack and double defense, making for a
fine warrior. You also get a screen-killer and a mixture magic wonder if
you keep it on Wind genus. With these powers combined, this is Captain
Deathsatan. Just watch out for status ailments!
----
V. MONSTERS IN FUSION
The last section covered in this FAQ is specific advice about every monster.
It's hard to decide what to do with some of those more obscure monsters like
the Glacier, the Stealth, and whatever. Hopefully these descriptions will
help you decide how to bring out their real potential.
This is done in a kind of crazy organization style, so let me explain it
briefly. I go by Weedy's monster book, but have scrapped the unnecessary
monsters like the Lazy Frog and the transformations some undergo at level
20. It ends up to being 36 different monsters. Interesting, huh?
As for why I put in the statistics and spells for every monster, this was
both to prove some of my claims about monster strengths and weaknesses and,
for myself, to have a quick reference to the monsters' spells and starting
statistics. I also realized something interesting as I was doing it: the
only monsters with natural spells are those that evolve. Crazy, huh? =)
1. Kewne
HP 12, MP 100; Brid, Natural
AP 6, DEF 6
Kewne's greatest asset is his MP. It's really high. He can be at your side
for a long time. One thing I like doing is giving him Reduced MP
Consumption so he can be on your side even longer. It makes it pretty easy
to go through the tower, actually, since Kewne is really powerful and you
have that power for a lot longer. You might consider making him a mage, but
his spell is pretty powerful in mixture magic, and fire magic and fire magic
shouldn't go together. Other possibilities are giving him Picket's Quick,
since he has the MP to take it and a lot of power with double attacks, and
maybe MA Increased so his mixture is even more powerful. If you're looking
at a doubler, he has a lot of AP. All in all, Kewne is pretty flexible, so
you can do most anything with him and have it work out.
2. Dragon
HP 12, MP 60; Breath, Natural
AP 7, DEF 5
The Dragon's greatest asset is also its MP. It's not that it has much--60's
pretty low. But it will level up oddly and sometimes actually raise that
MP. Besides, it eats any metal item, not Pitas, to restore its MP. With
this in mind, I tend to fuse him with MP-consuming options like Quick and
DeForth. He could work well with Strength Increased too, since his AP to
DEF ratio is remarkably similar to Kewne's. (Well, they are both kinds of
Dragon.) One of the weird parts of this monster is even though it's big and
bad as a Dragon, it can always be lifted, unlike the enemy Dragons. This is
quite a blessing sometimes.
3. Flame
HP 9, MP 80; Sled, Natural
AP 5, DEF 5
Flames resemble initially weak versions of Griffons. (They get stronger as
they go along.) They start out with Sled, a pretty effective mixture magic.
This makes them better than some monsters, which run out of MP quickly
attacking. They also have better attack than defense, like many a fire
monster. You could easily fuse this with an Arachne to have a pretty good
attacker, then give it a healing spell to give the command-lacking Flame
many options. Besides, Water genus Flames look really cool =) Other
options include Magic Increased, which gives it a cheap distance attack and
more power with all its magic, and other generic fixes. Flames can be quite
powerful, but seem pretty rare at first--which is of course when they would
help most.
4. Griffon
HP 9, MP 80; Rise, Natural
AP 6, DEF 5
To me, the Griffon greatly resembles Kewne, except that it's weaker. It has
a natural spell, good attack power and average defense. I got one and used
it for a long time, even until it transformed into a Grineut. Since they're
pretty supportive, you COULD fuse it with a Cyclone and let it help you out
longer, but I think a Griffon would be cool with Double Attack. They need
to have one of their attacking stats doubled--HP, AP or DEF--to keep being
effective on the higher levels, because they end up increasing stats very
slowly. However, Magic Increased would make it a lot more powerful in
mixture magic for both the power and LaDown's cheap distance attack, so that
might work too. I don't recommend making this a healer--it's pretty set in
its offensive ways.
5. Troll
HP 6, MP 60; Brid, Hidden
AP 4, DEF 5
Ever notice how whenever you kill a Troll, you get a LOT of experience for
it--always more than anything else on the floor you first see it on, and
sometimes up to twice as much? That's because Trolls HAVE to be that
leveled up to compete with their companions. The sad truth is, Trolls suck.
They're very weak without high levels, they've got low MP--and Konami forgot
to change friendly Troll AI when it has a Crossbow! This means that if you
want to try to make it effective, you have to command them to make every
single hit! (It's really too bad, since I had such high hopes for that 1 MP
distance attack.) That said, don't fuse them. =) If you just like the
things, they could be helped by having ANYTHING doubled. If you find a good
weapon (+1 or +2), you might want to give them the Stealth's Rust
Protection. Don't make these things mages--they have NO MP to work with. I
don't recommend Trolls at all, in fact.
6. Balloon
HP 8, MP 70; Breath, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
Balloons have a fun command: Fly. It instantly raises you a floor in the
tower. However, this will only work if the Balloon's level is higher than
the tower floor it is on, so to make it really work you have to level them
up quite a bit. Besides, it takes 32 MP, which is way too much. Other
than that and their attack, which is a bit better than average, there's
nothing special about them. Don't worry about Halving their MP consumption
for Fly--even this can't help, since the cost is so high. Use Leolam fruits
if you really want to play with Fly--they'll drop the cost to 0 for about
15 turns. Since their MP is lower than usual, I suggest giving them an
Arachne, then turning them to Wind genus, so you'll have a low-cost
paralysis attack and a high-payload physical attack. These are really best
used as fluff monsters for unlocking spells. They're not too special.
7. Volcano
HP 9, MP 80; Sled, Hidden
AP 4, DEF 5
Volcanoes are deceptive little runts. They present themselves to you at the
tower at a pretty high level, where they have a better attack than anything
on the floor but the Griffon and, later, the Kraken. Then you take one home
and find it's nothing special--it doesn't have the great attack it seemed to
or a spell or anything. Their Rock command could help you escape a bad
situation, but the Garuda is better for that; more on that later. What am I
getting at? This is another fluff monster that you can fuse with anything
you want for the same results--a just-above-average monster. Have fun!
8. Barong
HP 6, MP 60; Poison, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 4
The Barong is one of the most unique monsters in the game, and yet it's just
begging to be fused with something. The main things I'm referring to here
are in the combinations I mentioned before: the Naplass and the Cyclone.
The Naplass will give you insane HP and good mixture magic if you want a
fighter, while the Cyclone will give you twice the items if you want an ATM.
I recommend both, if you can find two. If not, use the Cyclone if you
want to play it straight, and the Naplass if you want to cheat with Billy
Sauls's FAQ like I did....
9. Weadog
HP 9, MP 80; Brid, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
Another ho-hum monster, the Weadog has a pretty good attack power; you could
Double it to get yourself a great fighter. But there are other candidates
for this with GOOD commands. Throwing meat takes 32 MP, and the item
restores 10 MP. Unless you really hate your Weadog, never EVER throw meat.
10. Naplass
HP 11(22), MP 80; Rise, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 6
The Naplass is quite interesting. It's a great fighter on its own, but its
HP Doubling trait really makes it valuable to fuse into other monsters with
other great traits. However, I recommend you keep one for yourself; its
stats are quite good. You could fuse it with a Block, but this will give
you LaBind instead of Rise. This is both good and bad: LaBind's mixture
magic is the extremely powerful Mt. Lava, but it won't level up again unless
you make the Naplass wind genus, at which point it goes back to being LoBind
and mixes into Earth Shaker, which isn't quite as powerful. Annoying, no?
Another option is to gear the Naplass TOWARDS being hit. Give it DeForth
and DeMirror, then fuse it with a Kraken. Naplasses can take hits that
would be fatal to lesser monsters and turn them into large amounts of pain
for the enemy with an Electric Shocked body. With DeForth and DeMirror it
can heal itself if it hurts too much. Lots of choices here.
11. Killer
HP 10, MP 60; Sled, Hidden
AP 8, DEF 5
Killers, of course, are good for Killing. They have incredible attack
power. This makes the obvious best choice for fusion the Arachne. This
will help it conserve MP, too, since it usually won't have to attack more
than once and gets a mixture magic. Be warned, though, that Killers have
low MP and somewhat low defense. Use them higher up in the tower. You
could try doubling other things on them instead, but I prefer other monsters
when I'm looking for balance. A note: Killers suffer from the plight of
many of the heavier monsters--once they get too powerful for even the
enemies to handle, sometimes status ailments will do the job instead.
Lighter monsters don't pose much of a threat when they are hit with a nasty
status ailment, because they can be picked up. But if a Killer gets
brainwashed, confused or even blinded, you're in big trouble. Consider
immunizing a powerful Killer to Blindness, or Paralysis if you're depending
on it to survive. I personally never bothered--again, I didn't go for
balance with this monster, and accepted the risk.
12. Tyrant
HP 10, MP 70; Rise, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 6
Tyrants are nothing special. They've got pretty good stats, but no special
commands, except for Berserk, which is great if you're into suicide. Still,
that doesn't mean you should overlook it--the stats are good and they're
fun little guys. Fusing one with a Naplass or an Arachne makes it
exceptionally strong for its size, and you could use other things too. Just
don't worry about a command that requires MP--Berserk is NOT worth it in the
slightest. If you need cash and get one of these eggs, consider selling it.
It's worth plenty, and it's not the BEST monster out there.
13. Maximum
HP 16, MP 80; Breath, Hidden
AP 8, DEF 9
Maximums are like better versions of Tyrants. They don't have ANY commands,
but they have incredible stats! Their HP seems like it might be as good as
Koh's, at first. It's not, but it's still great. I personally didn't like
them because of how much MP they used--they have no mixture magic and take
2 MP to attack, unlike any other monster in the game. This is easily fixed
with the Cyclone, or by giving it a cheap mixture magic that you can use
well. My favorite is fusing it with a Naplass--this unlocks mixture magic
and gives it double its already high HPs, making it a fine warrior. You
could throw in the Barong's Poison if you wanted a distance attack instead,
but this loses you another monster so be careful. Finally, they're too
heavy to lift, so you might need to make sure they can't be Blinded or
perhaps Paralyzed after they've gotten really powerful.
14. Snowman
HP 10, MP 90; DeWall, Natural
AP 5, DEF 5
The Snowman is really an incredible monster. In the tower it is formidable
because of its great strength and Water genus, which opposes Fire monsters
such as Kewne, who I usually used. When you take one home, you find it IS
pretty strong but it stands out for other reasons--it has a natural spell
and higher MP than anything but Kewne. Its special attack is what makes it
incredible, though. This attack not only breaks obstacles, but breaks
enemies--it attacks at around three times its normal strength! This can get
you out of many deadly situations and advance you a floor or two in the
tower you couldn't normally get to. Its stats are average for a while,
though, so it needs some help to be really good. Among the things you could
do are give it a healing spell (DeForth is, as always, recommended) for its
90 MP or fuse it with the Arachne, which would make it a GREAT attacker.
One bad spot is this is a heavy monster, so you might want to immunize it to
Blind or Paralysis at the higher levels. Finally, DeWall is a really cool
looking spell in any genus, and it mixes to become Aqua Blade--or Thunder or
Burning Blade. The last two cause Paralysis and Blind, respectively, so you
might consider switching the genus. Lots of choices here too.
15. Arachne
HP 9, MP 70; DeMirror, Natural
AP 6(12), DEF 5
Ah, the Arachne. Quite a good candidate for fusion. Or a normal familiar-
-you should consider this too, since their natural attack is good. But, for
when you find familiars with better natural attack power, apply this one to
them to really make them bad. If you are interested in using the Arachne
for a familiar and fusing it with something, consider one of the other
doublers--HP or Defense(this would be nice, since it would make for
DeoMirror and Thunder Blade, a terrific mixture magic). If you're not up to
those, the Cyclone is okay too, since the Arachne has lower MP than some
others. This familiar is the weakest of the doubler-carrying monsters,
since it has less HP and MP than the others. But this IS the only one that
can be lifted up, which can come in handy at the right times.
16. Nyuel
HP 10, MP 80; DeHeal, Natural
AP 4, DEF 5
The Nyuel disappointed me and impressed me at once. Its DeHeal spell is
pretty good, but not as good as it should be--mine was doing less than 30
HP at spell level 20. But, if you can spare the time to heal more than
once, it has another asset that is very good and its best: it can eat any
fruit or herb to restore 50 MP, not just the Pita. Obviously this means
Nyuels can have a lot of MP. Now if only they were even remotely
powerful....Good options include DeForth, Quick, Strength Increased and
DeMirror, and typical mage paths that keep in mind the Nyuel has DeHeal
locked. They aren't bad, but, since DeHeal and their stats are remarkably
weak, they aren't the best, either.
17. Pulunpa
HP 8, MP 40; DeHeal, Hidden
AP 4, DEF 4
Uhm. Well, this one's pretty useless in my book. I recommend fusing it
into other things; it's a good Water fluff monster. However, there is a
"hidden" facet about him: he has a hidden DeHeal spell. Just fuse him with
a "weaker" (lower level) monster to bring it out. THEN fuse THAT with
something else! =) Seriously--I tried leveling up the one I got at the
beginning. It never got any better. It had fair attack power eventually
but it always ran out of HP or MP quickly. So don't try using this as a
good warrior, because it's not and it never will be.
18. U-Boat
HP 9, MP 80; DeRock, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
From the weakest to not the strongest, but the second most useful. The
U-Boat has two powerful commands. First, it can sink and hide from enemies,
then pop up and attack them in the same turn; this makes it easier for them
to get the drop on the enemy. Second, it can Scout out the level and give
you a map equivalent to a Star Glass's. Finally, it has the insane spell
DeRock hidden, just waiting to come out when you fuse it. The actual spell
is useless about 95% of the time, but the mixture magic hits all enemies in
the room for 2 MP. It gets cooler if you give it MP Consumption Reduced, so
it can use all these cool options twice as often. Be sure to change it back
to Water Genus when you give it this so DeRock can continue leveling up.
Then there's always the doublers, but I advise against the attack/defense
ones for two reasons: U-boat stats are good already and balanced, and
you'll miss out on DeRock unless you fuse the U-Boat with something else
first. Don't miss out on that. It's great.
19. Blume
HP 9, MP 80; DeWall, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 4
Another disappointing monster. This one has a command that is GREAT against
you--who wants to lose their familiar!? But it's NOT so great when the
entire floor is occupied by the same strength level enemy and the effect is
for a limited time. This one is also not a good warrior. I fused mine with
something and got DeWall, which makes a pretty good mixture magic and would
be better in wind genus, but it was never one of my better familiars. You
could probably make it be, but it might be better waiting for something
better.
20. Manoeva
HP 10, MP 70; DeForth, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 6
From disappointing to the most useful monster in the game. Once you get one
of these, never EVER sell or fuse or do anything to lose it. If you find
out you have it in the Tower, get out now and take it home! This monster is
extremely unique, as its Transform command lets it change into any item or
monster in the game and inherit its commands for a limited time. It's also
the glitchiest monster in the game, because this command was poorly error-
checked. But you can take advantage of that glitchiness! THIS is why you
always want to have one--it lets you cheat! Find out more about that in
Billy Sauls's FAQ; there's too much to cover here. As for fusing the thing,
it's a pretty average warrior, but you'll definitely want to give it its
spell, DeForth, because it's a full-HP restoring spell. After you do that,
you can fuse it with an Arachne for a more MP-costing but more effective
Nyuel healer. Ultimately the best monster in the game. That's why it
appears three separate times in the tower. (Never mind that Trolls do that
too....)
21. Kraken
HP 8, MP 70; DeWall, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 6
I HATE THIS TRAIT! I HATE it! Grr!!! Anyway....The Kraken itself is
unforgivable, too, being slightly above average on attack and defense but
slightly below in HP and MP and having no command at all. It has a single
saving grace: DeWall pops up when it's fused with a magicless monster, and
DeWall is a reliable mixture magic. One thing you COULD do is fuse this
with a Naplass, which would get you DeWall and doubled HP so it could take
enough damage to give back some damage with its stupid, annoying trait.
With that this thing would, probably, be pretty GOOD. I don't know, though.
I wouldn't trust it.
22. Viper
HP 9, MP 80; DeMirror, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
AAARRRGGGHHH!!! Anyway....The Viper itself is unforgivable, too, being a
fairly average warrior (except for good attack power) and having an ability
that's hardly ever useful: You can let it eat monster eggs to refill its
MP. This would actually be cool if it were an item you ran across more than
once every five levels. Like its stupid, annoying trait, this is more neat
than practical. If you really wanted to fuse this with something, the best
choice is the Arachne, since it gets DeMirror upon fusion anyway and has
more attack to double than defense or HP. But don't worry about MP
conservation with this one--it can EAT EGGS for that!! *sighs*
23. Mandara
HP 11, MP 85; DeForth, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 6
Mandaras are actually pretty good. They have above average stats, though
none are phenomenal, and the Spin command, which confuses an enemy. If you
run across something you KNOW you can't handle but you know you would live
through a hit, use Spin on it--if it works, you've won, and if it doesn't,
you're no worse off than if you'd escaped as soon as you found it. They
get DeForth after fusion, which is good. Make sure you fuse it with
something, though, or it won't really shine and it won't have DeForth. If
you were going to use a doubler, I'd suggest the Naplass again, so you won't
miss DeForth or mess with its genus. MP Consumption Reduced also helps
this one--Spin and DeForth are both a little draining.
24. Glacier
HP 10, MP 80; DeMirror, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 6
I tend to not like Glaciers. But it's probably just because they annoy me
in the tower. They do have great defense, it seems, and their other stats
are okay. Their command is good for shoving dangerous enemies away from
you, although it takes 8 MP. (It has to. If it didn't, you could WAY
overuse it and cheat the game bad--enemies would never get to attack because
their own AI would unseat them.) And they get DeMirror from fusion, which
is powerful in mixture magic. I'd suggest fusing it with a Block, to
capitalize on the defense, or a Naplass, to further the defense in another
way. This is a heavy monster, so if you get it up to a really high level,
you might consider immunizing it to Paralysis or Blindness. If you get
unlucky and get one of these eggs instead of a Dragon, Golem or Maximum egg,
like I did, don't pass it up immediately, like I did. They're not THAT bad.
25. Clown
HP 8, MP 80; LoDown, Natural
AP 6, DEF 5
Clowns are strange little creatures. They have great attack power, and
decent defense. Yet they have Magic Attack Increased, of all things, as a
trait. It's very useful, of course, just odd. What I hate about these guys
is their spell, probably. They have LoDown, which is utterly useless alone,
although it's not too bad mixed and its genus variants are even better
mixed. My suggestion is to level them up fairly high, then fuse them with a
monster that already has a cool spell, then make sure whatever's left is the
non-LoDown spell's genus. This works particularly well when fusing a Clown
into a Nyuel or Dragon, who regain a lot of MP with more common items than
Pitas and can use their spells more often. There's no important reason to
keep the actual familiar--not unless you fuse it with something that has a
better spell, anyway.
26. Unicorn
HP 9, MP 80; LoBlind, Natural
AP 5, DEF 5
Unicorns start out as average monsters, and eventually graduate to become
below-average monsters. The average stats don't level up very high, their
normal magic is useful only in certain situations, and their mixture magic
costs actual MP, which means it doesn't cut down on how fast their strength
ebbs away. One has to wonder why the great monster tamer Guy chose this
THING as his familiar. Maybe because it was a challenge. If you want to
follow in his footsteps, Unicorns can be made unpathetic with either Magic
Attack Increased or Strength Increased. Both give them two good mixture
magic options, and the latter gives the Unicorn some desperately needed
strength. They aren't too flexible spell-wise, though, so this might be
as complex as you need to make their improvements.
27. Block
HP 10, MP 80; LoBind, Natural
AP 6, DEF 8(16)
Here's the best monster in the game for fusion. Alone, the Block is really
tough, sporting an average attack but the best defense in the game due to
his trait and natural defense together. But if you fuse him with another
Doubling trait, like an Arachne or Naplass, it really starts becoming a
master. I wouldn't go for a healer with this one--it has too much potential
as a killer. But you MIGHT want to give it another mixture magic first, if
your fusion doesn't give it one. LoBind and its offshoots mix for
screen-nuking magic--that cost 4 MP. You might also consider protecting it
(and yourself) from Blindness and Paralysis, since you can't lift it out
of dangerous status ailments, but you probably shouldn't waste its second
trait slot on something that doesn't add to its killing power. I have only
gotten one without cheating so far. If you get one, consider yourself
lucky.
28. Noise
HP 9, MP 70; LoSleep, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
Another average monster, except that this one has lower than average MP.
Don't even bother with the command. I might recommend it if it had a 100%
success rate, but even then I'm not sure. The trait's not bad sometimes,
though. One thing you could do would be to give it protection from Poison
or Sleep, so it wouldn't have to worry about many status ailments at all,
but this wouldn't really work well because the other traps might still get
it. It could be better to stick Spellproof on a Block, except that he has
MUCH more potential than a Noise.
29. Dreamin
HP 8, MP 70; LoSleep, Hidden
AP 3, DEF 5
I never really use these. They could be good mages, but so could things
with more MP, and Dreamins are pathetic up close. They attack about as well
as a Picket, but only once, and their command is like the Mandara's
Spin--great if it works, but what if it doesn't? Besides, it costs 12 MP
per use, something you'd never know from how often they'll use it on you in
the tower. If you have an inexplicable need to use this, I'd suggest
standard mage advancements--perhaps give it a healing spell, a wind spell
that turns into a screen attack, and MP Consumption Decreased. That's about
as good as a Dreamin is going to get.
30. Cyclone
HP 9, MP 80; LoGrave, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 5
Cyclones themselves aren't that great. They are only mediocre attackers and
defenders, and their command is useless--even IF your familiars get Anorexia
from a Cyclone, it wears off quickly. Once in a hundred games, you may need
to give a Pita to a monster just as it's anorexic, but I never have. Fused
with something, though, Cyclones get a pretty cool spell, LoGrave. That's
not much for mixture magic, but it'll do. You could make this a good mage,
giving it two new spells or keeping LoGrave. These are better fused into
other things with more power, though, since MP isn't just for spells in this
one.
31. Picket
HP 8, HP 65; LoDown, Hidden
AP 3, DEF 4
Pickets sport just about the worst stats monsters have. They're about as
weak as the Pulunpa, sometimes even outdoing them in weakness. But that's
no reason to overlook them! Their strength is not in their stats but it's
definitely there. One: their command is great for keeping items safe in
case you die, because it won't go away, unlike your other items. If you get
lucky, you could also use it to steal items back from enemy Pickets....Two:
Pickets can eat just about anything--including copper coins--and restore
their MP almost fully. They have a basically unlimited supply of MP, which
fits their speed boost. With that in mind, make them a mage, since magic is
independent of their lousy stats. They will serve you well.
32. Stealth
HP 8, MP 80; LoBlind, Hidden
AP 4, DEF 5
Yuck. These guys have low attack power and average everything else, no
natural spell, and another highly useless command. It's not hard at all for
the computer to spot invisible monsters. If you catch an enemy Stealth
disappearing, put a familiar on Standby and see for yourself. This one
seems useless to me. If you plan on using Trolls, you might want to keep
it around, but it's worth a lot if you sell it, so consider that. If you
want to use it, for whatever reason, I really don't know what you could
improve to make it worth something. The doublers wouldn't even be too
effective. Maybe you could give it some mixture magic, but you could give
familiars with actual STRENGTHS mixture magic instead. This one is worth
more to you sold or fused.
33. Zu
HP 10, MP 80; LoGrave, Hidden
AP 6, DEF 5
Zus have some pretty good stats and a up-close paralyzing command, good for
use in a last ditch effort. Unlike some other wind-genus monsters, Zus make
fine warriors. I suggest doubling its attack, as it seems pretty high
already when you find it and could Double to catastrophic proportions.
Besides, you'd get DeoMirror, which would ALWAYS paralyze on mixture magic
for less MP. Your Zu would thank you for that. =) Other possibilities
include the Block and a Fire genus and spell, so it would be stronger
against the big guys at the end of the tower. I see no reason to make it a
healer, or a high mage for that matter, so go for the offensive route here.
34. Garuda
HP 10, MP 80; LoDown, Hidden
AP 5, DEF 5
This is one of my favorite familiars. Garudas have Abduct, which they might
pull on one of your familiars sometime. It takes them away to a random spot
on the map. But friendly Garudas can take Koh away, too. So if you just
have a Garuda out, you can keep "Abducting" yourself to warp around the map!
It's great for a quick escape from a deadly situation. They have no traits
and no natural spells, so they're good to fuse into things you want to
unlock hidden spells in. I can't stop getting these monsters in the tower,
so you probably won't have too much trouble recovering from the loss of the
familiar. But the Garuda itself is good for several things, too--it makes
a just-better-than-average fighter OR a good backup monster, since it can
have two spells of your choice and that happy instant escape. You'll want
to fuse this with a Cyclone eventually if you really like Abduct, but they
aren't fantastic warriors without some kind of doubler. Your choice. I
chose the Cyclone....
35. Golem
HP 15, MP 70; LoBind, Hidden
AP 7, DEF 10
The Golem is really, REALLY begging to be fused with something. It's got
fine stats as it is, but some technical flaws that can be readily eliminated
with fusing. First, it has no mixture magic. This can be changed with just
about anything, and you can get a cheap Fire one and change its genus for
the better (for the higher levels, which this monster WILL be seeing) at the
same time. Second, its Charged Punch takes 8 MP, as well as 2 turns. The
first part can be changed quickly with Half MP Consumption. Third, its HP
starts out high, but doesn't get very high. This can be changed with HP
Increased. Finally, though this isn't exactly a flaw, the Golem has
extremely high defense, and doubling it is very profitable. My suggestions:
fuse it with a Cyclone and you get a very powerful attacker, physically and
magically; fuse it with a Golem or Naplass and you get a very powerful
defender, physically and, as a last ditch effort, magically.
36. Hikewne
HP 15, MP 120; Dark Wave, Natural
AP 7, DEF 7
Experienced players will wonder why the heck this monster's here.
Inexperienced players will wonder what the heck this is. Well, you might want to -SKIP THIS PART IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS IS-, because this guy
shows up late and is very important. Once you find this, you might at first
love it, but I'm covering this just to burst your bubble: it can't fuse.
Well, it CAN fuse, but it simply goes away, completely, as if it had never
been there and the receiver had never fused with anything. It doesn't even
unlock spells! As a monster, it seems to level up quickly and has the same
wacky stats as the Dragon--sometimes its MP will level up. Its spells rock,
too. But you can't double anything, you can't prevent any status ailments,
and you can't add spells. For that matter, you can't give its spells to
anything else. For these reasons, I don't use this thing anymore. It got
old real fast. Why did I cover it, then? Originally it was to say, "Never
ever fuse this, ever." =) But now it's to say that, if you feel like being
roundabout, there IS a way to fuse this! However, it's not really
profitable. If you take this monster's egg into the tower and duplicate it
(one of those cheats on Billy Sauls's FAQ...go check it out now!), then fuse
two of them together, the result makes weird things happen. First, the
resulting monster has absolutely no spells, which is insane. Second, if you
fuse this monster with another monster...it will unlock the second monster's
spell. However, under no circumstances will a Hikewne survive a fusion with
this second monster--it will always be absorbed. Quite an odd tidbit, isn't
it? I'll research it more, and, if I come up with something better, put it
in the next version of this FAQ.
----
VI. THE USUAL FAQ ENDNOTES
Credits
I am going to start these notes with a very large credit. Many MANY thanks
go to Billy Sauls. These thanks come for many many reasons. First, his FAQ
made my Azure Dreams replays much easier and fun. I didn't even know
what a Barong could do back then =) How ignorant I was! I'd also like to
thank him for letting me use his monster stats, so I didn't have to drudge
through getting them myself, and some various stuffs scattered about the
FAQ. Finally, I'd like to thank him for inspiring me to write an FAQ of my
own about Azure Dreams. I figured, if he can cover so much about the game,
I can cover that one part that I know about. Visit his website at
http://www.citynet.net/personal/billy/faqs.html for his FAQs on Azure and
Legend of Legaia and some other stuff.
I'd also like to thank Brian Ross. His Fusion section reminded me of a
couple of things to add at the last minute. Visit HIS website at
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~bwross/azure/. And Brian--please update soon! =)
Finally, I'd like to give a big thanks to Scott Spencer and Adam Smith for
figuring out how to beat the system. These are the guys that unlocked the
game-busting cheats, which are how I managed to get all these monsters for
testing....See Billy Sauls's FAQ for info on these; search for their names.
Their email addresses are leusugi@hotmail.com and alsmith@umich.edu,
respectively.
Copyright
This FAQ is Copyright 1999, JJ Ukil(Jjukil@aol.com). I do not want bad
things happening to it without my knowledge. You may not publish it,
reprint it for commercial use, modify and redistribute or reprint it, or
use information from it in another document without my written consent.
I welcome and highly encourage its distribution, but only unmodified and in
its current form. I would also greatly prefer you mention to me that you
are distributing it. I have found my work in odd places before, and it has
made me unhappy. I've found my modified work in odd places before, too, and
that has made me very unhappy. (Especially because the modification was
horrible.)
Disclaimer
Finally, I'd like to say again that this FAQ has no chance of being totally
perfect. Doubtless there are one or two errors, and doubtless I have not
covered every single aspect of this part of the game. Should you find an
error or another strategy, please mail me at Jjukil@aol.com, and I will add
it to the list of improvements for the next version of the FAQ. If the list
gets long or meaningful enough, I will make that version. However, I want
any emails you send me to be polite, coherent, and, in the case of new info,
informative. Flaming me for no reason will get you nothing, and I will tend
to respect your opinion less (read: not at all) if your strategy is phrased
rudely. Remember: polite, coherent, and informative. Thank you! =)
----
Well, that's about it! Hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks, Jjukil
