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_____________________________________________________________________________
THIS DOCUMENT IS BEST VIEWED USING NOTEPAD AT A 640x480 RESOLUTION
_____________________________________________________________________________
I know hardly anyone plays this game anymore, for those of you who
still play the NES/SNES RPG classics, then I hope you enjoy this file and
find out something new. I tried to include as many details as possible, and
to generally make this guide a time saver and secrets manual, with a minimal
ammount of spoilers. I personally like getting mail, so if you have anything
to ask about this or any Squaresoft RPG, mail me at reznoryte@hotmail.com
____________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents:
I. Characters
II. Walkthrough
III. Tricks of the Trade
IV Find Every Orb
V. Secrets Revealed
VI. FAQ
VII. Top Ten Challenges
VII. Epilogue Etc.
____________________________________________________________________________
I. CHARACTERS
hero (boy): Young hero, marked by the gods and decendent of the
Tribe of Mana. Father is legendary swordsman and
mother is guardian of all Mana. Taken in and raised
at an early age by the Elder of Potos village. "Your
sword skills will become unequaled. When a weapon is
in your hand, you will be unstoppable".
specialty weapons: Swords, Pole Arms
most powerful armor: Griffin Helm (def. +155)
Power Suit (def. +250)
Fairie Ring (def. +100)
ally (sprite):Young sprite native to the Upper Land, knowing the
language of the Moogles. Carried away by a river and
raised by the Dwarves of Gaia's Navel. Aggressive
and quickly excels at casting attack spells.
specialty weapons: Boomerangs, Bows
most powerful armor: Fairie Crown (def. +155)
Fairie Cloak (def. +250)
Fairie Ring (def. +100)
spells: -Gnome-
Earth Slide ;3 MP. drops large ball of mud on enemy
Speed Down ;1 MP. vines grip and slow down enemy
Gem Missile ;2 MP. shower of sharp jewels shreds foe
-Undine-
Freeze ;2 MP. send ice raining down on enemies
Energy Absorb;2 MP. enemie's hit points transfer to you
Acid Storm ;3 MP. corrosive rain weakens foe defenses
-Salamando-
Fireball ;2 MP. blazing fireballs pummel enemy
Lava Wave ;3 MP. tide of molten rocks drowns enemy
Exploder ;4 MP. blow up enemies using this spell
-Sylphid-
Silence ;2 MP. foes will become strangely confused
Air Blast ;2 MP. 3 gale-force winds blast the enemy
Thunder Bolt ;4 MP. burn up the foes with this sizzler
-Luna-
Change Form ;5 MP. shift enemies' shapes randomly
Lunar Magic ;6 MP. unexpected effects follow the spell
Magic Absorb ;1 MP. steal your foe's magic points
-Shade-
Evil Gate ;8 MP. a wave of night sweeps over enemy
Dispel Magic ;4 MP. stop enemy's effect spell
Dark Force ;2 MP. orbs of darkness attack the enemy
-Dryad-
Burst ;4 MP. ultraviolet rays crisp the enemy
Sleep Flower ;2 MP. send your foe into a deep sleep
ally (girl):Gentle but strong-willed young lady having studied the
arts of healing and ways to strengthen others. Born in
Pandora, where father works as counselor to the king
and who'se mother died when very young. In search of
her boyfriend abducted by the empire.
specialty weapons: Gloves
most powerful armor: Faerie Crown (def. +155)
Faerie Cloak (def. +250)
Faerie Ring (def. +100)
spells: -Gnome-
Stone Saber ;4 MP. give weapons the power of stone
Defender ;2 MP. improve your party's defense skills
Speed Up ;3 MP. increase hit and evade points
-Undine-
Ice Saber ;2 MP. transform enemies into little snowmen
Cure Water ;2 MP. restore ally's hit points partially
Remedy ;3 MP. cure poison and abnormal status
-Salamando-
Flame Saber ;2 MP. puts the power of fire in weapons
Blaze Wall ;4 MP. cast a wall of flames upon enemies
Fire Bouquet ;3 MP. reduces enemy attack power
-Sylphid-
Thunder Saber;3 MP. weapons strike with thunder's might
Analyzer ;1 MP. sniff out enemy traps and weak points
Balloon ;2 MP. imobilize enemies with a baloon
-Luna-
Moon Saber ;3 MP. increase hit points as you topple foes
Moon Energy ;2 MP. raise number of your critical hits
Lunar Boost ;2 MP. allies focus on attack, not defense
-Lumina-
Light Saber ;5 MP. weapons gain the power of light
Lucid Barrier;4 MP. protection from weapon attacks
Lucent Beam ;8 MP. blast enemies with rays of pure light
-Dryad-
Mana Magic ;10 MP. fully energize the sword of mana
Revify ;10 MP. restore life but not hit points
Wall ;6 MP. make a barrier that wards off magic
____________________________________________________________________________
II. WALKTHROUGH
1- The Rusty Sword
After falling off the log and into the pond, find your way onto the path and
follow it up to a point where it is blocked by underbrush. Enter the pond to
the left, and retrieve the sword. Use the sword to get through and follow
the path which leads to the village. Kill everything along the way. I recom-
mend reaching at least level 3 before entering the village. At the village,
go to the store and buy a bandana and equip it. Now save and go talk to your
friends at the elder's house (top right). You will fall into a hole and en-
counter the Mantis Ant. This is an easy boss, simply time your attacks so
that it doesn't hit you back right away. No need to worry about this battle
since you'll get revived if ever you die.
MANTIS ANT; 150HP,20MP
reward: Sword Orb
After this fight, Jema, a knight adresses you. Go talk to the elder and
visit the basement for the items it contains. Now you must head north to
see Luka, the guardian of the "water" mana seed.
*TIP* Most enemy spells can be blocked as follows; right before the spell
hits you, use a candy. If timed right, you will heal yourself instead of
receiving damage. This trick is useful throughout the entire game. You can
substitute candy for any of the girl's effect/heal spells.
2- Luka at the Water Palace
You can either use canon travel (which is free for now) just southeast of
the village, or take the long way around by walking. The canon travel is
free, but level building is important at this stage of the game, so I recom-
mend walking. If you walk, just go past the bridge and turn left then go up.
There are signs to guide you, so you should have no trouble. You'll come
across Neko, a feline items seller; don't buy from him it's too expensive,
but he'll be helpful later in the game. Right before the palace is a troop
of soldiers, talking to them will teach you about Dyluck and about the witch
Elinee. In the water palace, activate the switch that lets you pass across
the bridge and go talk to Luka. After you re-energized the seed and receive
the spear, you must go to Gaia's Navel.
3- Taken alive!
Head south back from where you came from. Along the way, some carnivorous
orcs capture you, but are rescued by a girl who flees before you have the
chance to ask her her name. Keep going south and enter Pandora. From here,
follow the west boundary of the village until you get to a bridge, cross it
and follow the path. The path will lead you to Gaia's Navel. This path is
rather long and full of enemies, and is a good spot to practise with your
new weapon and perhaps up it's level.
*NOTE* If you decide to explore PanDora and visit the castle, the girl will
join the team. This is not in your favor since the quest ahead will direct
you straight to a more difficult area.
3- Gaia's Navel
At the end of this path is a village; visit it for new armor and items then
exit. Go up to Gaia's Navel, a pond in the center of cliffs. Follow the
winding path down to the pond. Don't go up to the Enchanted Forest yet (near
he Canon Travel). At the bottom, enter the pond and then take the LEFT cave
entrance to avoid trouble.
4- The Caves of Gaia
The "drop" enemies in this cave will keep multiplying as long as one of them
is kept alive. This is especially good for level gaining; just kill off any
Blats and Kid Goblins that look threatening, and eliminate one drop at a
time. Make sure not to let your HP get too low, heal with candy. Explore the
cave and grab whatever you find along the way. At a certain point you will
be blocked off by lava... find a skull switch on a wall and hit it to drain
the lava. Cross the new area and keep exploring, you will find another skull
switch, hit this one too. In one small subcave of the lava-filled room, two
Kid Goblins guard a chest; kill them and open the chest to receive the Magic
Rope. You eventually make your way into an underground village of dwarfs.
5- Village of the Dwarfs
Explore the village, save, and make your way to Watts the blacksmith (top
left cavern), who will reforge your sword for 100 GP. Visit the rooms to the
right. You are asked to pay 50 GP to see a short play, then an extra 100 GP.
Pay, then exit and visit the back room (via the right branch of the hall) to
get a refund. After this, the ground starts to shake, go into the main room,
and you are engaged in a battle against Tropicallo, an underground beast. To
beat him, keep moving to avoid his attacks, and as soon as he sticks his
head out of the ground, hit it!
TROPICALLO; 315HP,0MP
reward: Spear Orb
The sprite joins you once he is beaten, bringing along a boomerang and a
bow. Visit the blacksmith again, and reforge the spear and buy the Axe. Now
make your way to the canon travel area in the northwest section outside
Gaia's Navel. Here, equip the sprite with the bow, and yourself with the
sword. Step on the teleporter pad at the top of this area and you will enter
a misty forest.
6- The Haunted Forest; "So, we meet again!" / Elinee's Castle
In the forest, guys with bows are shooting at you; cut the bushes surround-
ing them and pound them dead. The sprite will be more efficient with the bow
here. Neko will be sitting near a ledge, you should save here. At one point
you enter a ring where the girl you met earlier is getting beaten up by two
wolves. Help her and kill the two enemies and she will join your team, and
bringing along a new weapon; the glove. After the teleporter, take the right
path and kill the Eye-Spy, then take the teleporter a bit further. Smash the
statues there with the axe, and return and take the left path. Keep explo-
ring the forest until you get to Elinee's castle. Enter the castle and
follow the simple maze which is crowded with difficult enemies. Rescue the
soldiers in the basement and save with Neko (translates as "cat" in jap!).
Also make sure to buy everything you can, including the cups of wishes and
Royal Jams; the next enemy is extremely tough! Go up until you reach the
boss of this area; Spikey. Equip youself with the bow when he is on the
ledge and with the sword when he is on the ground. When he uses magic, use
the same trick as for the Mantis Ant. He uses Fire Bouquet and Flame Breath;
both are quite powerful... reverse their effects using a Medical Herb. A
good technique that was suggested to me is to assign one character to the
second controller, and to let him get chewed on by Spiky while the other
2 attack full power.
SPIKY TIGER; 520HP,21MP
Reward: Boomerang orb
When he is beaten (may take a few tries), Elinee gives you the Whip and 50
GP. Head back to the Water Palace quickly by crossing the gap with the Whip.
7- Undine
At the water palace, Luka tells you about her friend Undine, an elemental
that might be able to help you. Get out of the palace and turn right into the
pond. Here are some rather tough enemies, best kill them with the whip. Enter
the cave at the end of the path. Inside, you must fight Tonpole. Crowd him
and set all the characters on their most agressive level and no charge
attacks, then keep hitting him not to give him any time to attack or to heal.
To get close to him, approach him at an angle so he can't lash at you with
his tongue.
TONPOLE; 770HP,6MP
reward: Glove orb
Once he's dead, Undine appears, gives the girl and the sprite the ability to
use magic, then gives you the Pole Dart. Again, return to Gaia's Navel and
enter the cave on the right to get your glove and your boomerang reforged.
>From here, enter the passage at the end of the main hall. In the room you
entered will be a dark orb; use the sprite's magic on it.
8- Crystal Cave / Underground Palace
This is a very difficult area; stock up on every healing item then dash
through the whole dungeon, first heading right and down from the first large
room to hit a switch, then back to the main room, and down and left to hit
the other. When both switches are activated, go back to the large room and up
the new stairs that have appeared. Ignore the horse-like monsters, in fact I
would advise to ingore all enemies but those in your way. When you reach a
gap, quickly cross it with the whip. This dungeon usually takes more than one
try just to get through, even at very high levels. At the end of this place
is Gnome and another Mana Seed. You must beat the Fire Gigas to get to the
seed. The Gigas is easy, simply attack him as soon as his physical shape
appears, and use the girl to heal.
FIRE GIGAS; 850HP,66MP
spells: Fire Ball, Exploder, Lava Wave
weakness: Undine (Freeze)
reward: Axe orb
For this Gnome gives you his powers - you also get to seal a second mana
seed so now you can raise your magic levels to 2. Exit the cave and make
your way out of Gaia's Navel and back east to Pan Dora village.
9- The Pandora Ancient Ruins
Once in Pandora, save and go to the southern exit of the town. The girl's
friend Phanna will be there then disapear. Now go to the ruins, where weird
people are wearing masks and being very quiet. Walk up to the gate and talk
to Phanna. She disapears into the castle. Enter the castle and go through
the maze, killing anything along the way. The path is long, but linear. At
the end is a large room with a staircase; climb the staircase and talk to
Thanatos. You then fall into a room below, in which you must fight a wall.
Use the sprite's Gem Missile against the middle eye and continuously attack
the side eyes while evading their attacks. Direct the girl's attacks to the
middle eye and use her to heal whenever needed. If the battle lasts too
long, the wall will start advancing to crush you against the back wall. If
this happens, keep whacking it with normal attacks.
WALL FACE; (sides) 330HP,99MP - (middle) 920HP,99MP
spells: Cure water, Energy Absorb, Acid Storm, Freeze
reward: Bow orb
After the fight, exit that area and head to Pan Dora where things will be
back to normal. Go to the castle and to the throne room, where the treasure
room is free for you to explore. Inside are each a Spear and Sword Orbs and
gold. After taking these, head to the Water Palace.
10- The Mana Thief!
At the Water Palace, you learn that someone has stolen the seed. Head to the
dwarf village, where Jema is, and hop into the moon-shaped hole in the
ground. In here, grab the Whip orb along the way and you will make your way
into a room where you must fight the enemy lord Kilroy. This robot spins
around, causing damage and transformations to the heros. Physical attacks
work well on him.
KILROY; 900HP,18MP
spells: Lunar Boost
weakness: Javelin
reward: Javelin orb
After you recover the seed and get the Javelin Orb, return to the Water Pa-
lace. There, some other thieves want the seed. You will have to fight Jaber-
wocky; he is quite easy. Just stay away from him, then approach, strike, and
retreat. Do this until he is dead.
JABERWOCKY; 950HP,90MP
spells: Acid Storm, Cure Water
reward: Whip Orb
After another "cut scene", Jema gives you a Glove Orb and tells you that you
must go to the Upper Land. You can go to the Upper Land via the Canon Travel
centre near Potos Village.
11- The Upper Land
This is home of the sprites and moogles. It seems a troop of pebblers have
taken over a nearby moogle vilage; find it and kill the pebblers. The moogles
will move back in, and Watts and Neko will also be there. Grab the Axe and
Whip Orbs in the chests. The sprite remembers a saying: "walk the seasons
from spring to winter, spring again and we can enter". Do just that; walk
counter-clockwise around the 4 areas that represent the 4 seasons. For help,
follow the flying beasts that can be seen hovering above you once in a while.
When done, a new passage is revealed. Save and return to it to fight the
boss. The boss is a bird, attack Spring Beak with spells and normal attacks
and use the bow when he is on a ledge.
SPRING BEAK; 720HP,90MP
spells: Thunderbolt
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Boomerang Orb
Finished, head north past the abandoned village and enter the temple. There
will lie the sprite's granpa. He will heal you and let you save. Activate
the seed and with your new magic (sylphid), exit and head southwest until
you reach a dark orb. Use the sprite's Sylphid magic on it to pass. The next
area may seem confusing, but just keep going north until you find a cave.
You'll also notice that the nearby Canon Travel is unoperational for now.
*TIP* Steamed crabs in the Upper Land sometimes give the expensive Faerie
Walnuts when defeated. Very useful early on when you don't have much cash.
12- Home of the 'Shrooms - Fung Castle
Enter the cave and finish off the enemies, then turn left and enter the
passageway. You are now in Matango, a place where peaceful mushrooms reign.
Visit the shop and purchase new armor, then see Watts to get your weapons
upgrades and finally, visit the king. After you have spoken to the king, use
the Inn and save, then exit through the previously inaccessible door and go
north through the outdoor mushroom maze. Enter the cave, and follow the path,
hitting switches along the way to finally reach a clearing outside, where the
Great Viper resides. Physically attack the big snake, and heal when needed.
Gnome's spell Thunderbolt works well on this enemy.
GREAT VYPER; 1330HP,8MP
spells: Gem Missle
weakness: Sylphid(Thunderbolt)
reward: Sword Orb
Go up and enter the new cave and talk to the creature. After you appear back
in the throne room and are done talking, go grab the Javelin Orb, then visit
the Canon Travel center in front of the caves of Matango. Talk to the canon
guy there, destination: Kakkara desert.
*EXTRA* A SoM "secret area" is situated in the INN of Matango. Simply scroll
the walls and the character will walk through and end up behind the counter!
13- Kakkara Desert
You will land in a barren desert at an undisclosed location. Head as far
north as you can (you will have to take a few left turns) and in about 3
minutes of travel you will fall upon a Tasnican sandship. They take you in
as workers. As the boy, talk to the pirate in the engine room and do as he
says. Once escaped, head to the right area of the ship and down a staircase
leading to the kitchen. In here, the sprite joins you. Now near the front of
the ship, enter a door. Inside, choose the left branch to save then go back
down and enter the room at the end of the hall. The ship comes to a stop when
the empire shows up. Gehstar and his bike will attack you as Mech Rider.
Strike from above to avoid the attacks, and use Gem Missile for good damage.
MECH RIDER; 980hp,18mp
spells: Speed up
weakness: none
reward: Whip orb
After the fight you'll again find yourself stranded. Talk to everybody and
you will eventually end up in Kakkara. Nothing of interest for now, just
take Canon Travel (right of village) and go to the Ice Country. You land
right in the middle of a snowy christmas village.
14- The Ice Country
Buy armor and visit Watts in the blacksmith shop, then save and exit the
village. Here are some tough but rewarding monsters; the wolves give lots
of experience, but try to avoid the floating puffs. Follow the trails, which
all ultimately lead to the same place. About midway, you will come across a
house with a frantic deer running around. Inside the house is a Spear Orb.
Keep following the path and you'll reach tough boss Boreal Face. Charge your
attacks cause he's nearly immune to all magic. Thunderbolt will inflict the
most damage, but not enough. Make sure to Heal often.
BOREAL FACE; 110HP,12MP
spells: Burst, Cure Water, Sleep flower
weakness:none
reward: Bow Orb
Go north to reach a "tropical" village. Check out the fireplace in the
center of the town to gain Salamando magic. From here, head north and when
the trail branches, go left to meet Neko and save. Go back and take the
right trail to go to the Ice Palace. Inside, follow the path which will
split; go right to get the Glove Orb (the only "good" item in this place so
don't break your head searching). Follow the maze, you'll get to a room with
3 mini-boss type monsters. They don't all wake up if you don't bug them so
try to kill them seperately. Keep going and you'll come face to face against
enemy lord Frost Cigas. He is weak against fire, so use Flame Blade and the
sprite's fire spells. After the battle, seal the seed and Cannon Travel back
to Kakkara Village.
FROST GIGAS; 1140HP,99MP
spells: Freeze, Acid Storm, Ice Saber
weakness: Salamando
reward: Boomerang Orb
*NOTE* If you want, save an extra log where Neko is, it might be useful when
you restart a new game (see Part 4 : Find Every Orb).
15- The Fire Palace
Back in Kakkara, save and exit the village. From here, go south once, then
west once, then north to get to the Palace. This place is somewhat compli-
cated and pretty long; cast Salamando on the first 2 dark orbs, and Undine
on the last one. There's an Axe Orb in this dungeon, make sure not to miss
it. In the room with the pillars, walk between the only 2 lit lanterns and
you'll fight Minotaur. Keep away and pummel him with magic, and make sure to
use the healing trick since his magic is very strong.
MINOTAUR; 1200HP,99MP
spells: Earth Slide
weakness: Thunderbolt
reward: Javelin Orb
After fighting the boss you'll get the Javelin's Orb, and you'll get to re-
enegize a new seed. Go back to Kakkara and talk to the town leader near the
dry well, he is glad you've returned the seed, but says he needs a Sea-
Hare's tail. Now once again visit Watts to upgrade your weapons, then enter
the Canon Travel center and head for the Empire.
16- The Empire
The Empire is composed of three towns; North Town, South Town and the Gold
Isle. You've landed in Southtown. What you must do here, is find a way to
get to North Town. Find the far northwestern house where old lady Mara /
tasnican spy resides. She says the code to sewer access is 364, so go east
to find the sewer access gate. Go through the sewers and kill the slimes
and fish (pretty tough, heal often!) to eventually find yourself in the
resistance's main base. Here you will talk to Krissie, then exit the house
and buy new equipment, since the armor here, while being expensive, isn't
half bad. Save and go northeast to the Ancient Ruins.
*EXTRA* There is an infamous SoM "secret area" in Southtown. At the bottom
of town where the trees are, scroll along the edge to find a crevice the
character can walk around in! Not too shabby!
17- The Empiral Ruins
Go up until you meet Phanna, and the girl will get pissed and slash at her.
Krissie will show up and take her to the hospital. Now enter the ruins,
which this time around are about 3 to 5 times as large as the previous ones.
Make sure to find the 3 treasure chests containing weapon Orbs (Bow, Spear,
and Sword). These are situated in the left and right towers, and in a small
room along the way (the door to this room is surrounded by spikes; hit a
switch on the bottom floor to deactivate them). At the end, you will be in
a large room where Dyluck is standing. Talk to him. After a bit, you will
have to fight Doom Wall;
DOOM WALL; (sides) 425HP,99MP - (middle) 1180HP,99MP
spells: Acid storm, Energy Absorb
reward: Whip Orb
Now you have another problem, a giant Vampire. He is not specifically di-
fficult but the battle can be very long. He casts attack spells often but
eventually runs out of MP. He jumps around the room when he's not flying,
which is when you have to hit him - time your attacks well.
VAMPIRE; 2550HP,99MP
spells:Dark Force, Freeze
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Boomerang orb
After this area, in the Resistance's base, Krissie is invited to the Em-
peror's tower... follow her there (after saving of course).
18- The Emperor's Tower
This is situated at the far north end of Northtown. The first time around,
everyone seems very nice, but after meeting the emperor, you find yourself
in a jail cell. Talk to the guards, who will throw you in a pit to fight
the Metal Mantis. This beast can effect-magic your characters, but has
fairly low HP. Whack it with all you've got for a quick victory and a
Glove Orb.
METAL MANTIS; 1220HP,40MP
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: GLove Orb
After killing the beast, make your way back up and save the members of the
resistance, then find a way up the top of the tower. Don't miss the long
room containing the 2 chests! This room is in the right wing of the tower
and is accessed from the outside. In the first room is a chest being guarded
by 2 Embermen; this contains a Whip Orb. Keep going up and walk into the
doorway (which doesn't look like a doorway), you will enter a new room with
an often missed Axe Orb! The last area is tricky, first go left and trip the
right switch. You'll appear to the right. There's a near-invisible switch on
the wall, hit it so you can pass. Atop the tower, Ghestar will attack you
again as Mech Rider 2. Beat him easily by constantly hitting him with random
spells, and hit him when he's close.
MECH RIDER 2; 1258HP,40MP
spell: Speed Up
weakness: Thunderbolt
reward: Javelin Orb
You'll get a Javelin's Orb. The tower will start to crumble, but at the last
minute, an old friend decides to show up for a visit. Drop him off at his
home in Matango (near a mountain range in the Upper Land).
*TIP* The Emporer's Tower is a great spot for level building! Embermen give
loads of experience AND gold! Plus they sometimes drop armor! In 30 minutes
of fighting these guys, you'll gain about 10 levels, not to mention 50000GP!
19- Flammie the Dragon
Now that you have Flammie, you must learn to properly "use" him. To call
upon him, select the drum from the inventory and press B. He will dash out
of the sky and pick you up. Controlling him is easy - simply hold forward
to make him go forward and use the arrow pad to move him around. He can
also fly towards the screen. When you get close to the ground, the view
changes and the camera angle is set above Flammie. To obtain this effect
high in the air, press L. To use Flammie's map of the world, press -start-,
and a complete 3D model of the world will appear. To see the map as a flat
illustration, press L while in map mode and a slow-loading screen will
appear (it loads slow because it must figure out the relative distances of
everything, not to mention the SNES is only a 3 MHz system). Go to Tasnica.
*NOTE* Now is a good time to get the Moogle Belt and Midge Mallet. Find the
small island shaped like a diamond, then lower Flammie over a nice landing
spot to set you down. From there, visit the shop and obtain the Sea Hare's
tail and bring it to Kakkara village to trade it against the Moogle Belt.
Now visit Gaia's Navel and speak to the dwarf behind the large moon-shaped
hole in the ground. He is so happy to see you that he gives you his Midge
Mallet. Another interesting site is the Lighthouse Island, try to find it!
20- Tasnica and The Empiral Spy
Tasnica is just off a mountain range on a large chunk of land attached to
the main continent. Land on the tower protruding into the sea. Here, you
learn that there is an Empiral Spy inside the castle. There are no items of
interest in this place as of yet, so just head straight for the throne room.
Talk to the king and find out who the spy is - I think you'll be pleasently
surprised! Kill the Dark Stalker (the spy - he gives you a Sword Orb), and
explore the castle if you wish. The only thing you may want to visit is a
shop which is hidden in a room. To get to this shop, go to the room that has
a bar and two stories. Enter the bar (the whiskey type bar) and go down. You
will enter the wall! Go right alot, then up then left and talk to the dan-
cing person. There's nothing that great for sale, but you know. Now exit
this place and do has Jema told you; in the Lofty Mountains, find Sage Joch
who will teach you true courage. For this, on the mountain range of the main
continent, find the small village and land Flammie.
21- A Lot of Stuff to Do...
In this mountain village is a shop selling excellent gear for now. Buy what
you need and save. If you want, visit the temple to the north of town, but
head south to advance in the game. Follow the path and kill the easy-looking
but pretty hard monsters along it. You will cross a cave - it is the Palace
of Darkness... you can beat it now or nevermind it and come back to it. If
you decide to beat it now, see section 21a. If not, keep climbing the moun-
tain. At one point you MIGHT find Neko. His stuff is too expensive, so just
save. This is my favorute area of the game, very beautiful... My personal
favorite enemy is also here, the eggatrice - he's hilarious and fun to kill
since he goes "pop" when he dies. Climb and cross the gaps, and finally
enter the cave. Talk to "jehk" who tells you that Sage Joch is out to the
Palace of Darkness, right below the mountain (the cave you saw earlier is
the palace). So go back down the mountain and enter. Ok, here it starts!...
21a. Enter the cave, which has some medium-hard enemies. This area
is a little too complicated to chart out verbally so I'll
just give you some pointers; start off by going RIGHT, check
all the rooms for treasure chests (one contains a Glove Orb),
and after you remove the barrier from the main hall, don't go
back down right away - go find a gap to cross with the whip
and hit the switch, then use the Magic Rope to go back. Once
up the last flight of stairs, you must fight the Lime Slime.
Go right for his core and whack away at it, healing constant-
ly. You'll get the Javelin's Orb when you beat it.
LIME SLIME; 2888HP,99MP
spells: Dark Force
weakness: Salamando (exploder)
reward: Javelin's Orb
After that you can enter the seed room and meet shade, who'll
give his power to the sprite. Make sure to get the Orb, many
people miss it! Return to the top of the mountain, talk to
Jehk and he will now say that Joch is gone to the Gold Isle.
21b. Visit the Gold Isle, which is close to the main continent of
the Empire - it is easy to distinguish since it glitters.
Here you must visit the tower up north, but you need the key!
Visit southtown and find the Mara again, who will give you
the key to the tower. Go back to the tower, and follow its
pretty linear path. Oh yeah the guys are pretty tough so make
sure you've got good armor. Make sure to find the chests
containing the Axe and Spear Orbs. The boss here is Blue
Spikey; he's extremely tough. Pummel him with Gem Missile and
keep healing! His demise will get you a Boomerang Orb.
BLUE SPIKE; 1980HP,99MP
spell: Fire ball
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Boomerang Orb
Next story of the tower you have to beat the Gorgon Bull,
who is easier but still a threat. Zap him with your best
spells and whack him as he runs by, you'll get Bow Orb.
GORGON BULL; 2470HP,99MP
spells: Earth Slide, Defender
weakness: Sylphid (Thunderbolt)
reward: Bow Orb
The girl will receive Lumina. Seal the seed and go back to
the mountains and find Jehk. He tells you that now Joch is
at the Moon Palace.
21c. Go to the Kakkara desert, in which a large black void fills
one area. Land as close to the void as possible and walk up
from the Kakkara desert to a ship who will transport you to
the Palace. In here is a super large empty room with no
walls. You must find a crystal orb, and use Lumina magic on
it. To find it easily, start off at a landmark (a monster for
example) and run diagonally until you reach that same monster
again (the landscape loops). From here, go up a screen's
height and run in the same manner. You will eventually find
it and be sent to a room where Luna is. She'll give the girl
and the sprite her magic powers. Go back to Joch's.
Once back, Jehk introduces you to Joch, who speaks the ancient tongue. He
says that you must find your inner courage. Answer YES when he asks if you
will do it, then take the newly accessible path. The monsters in here are
nearly impossible to kill, so just pass by everything (no special items in
this area, no need to search). Use the Whip to cross ravines and use the Axe
to clear the path of rocks. You'll come across the Dopplegangers, clones of
your group. Once they're dead, Joch reveals his true identity. After all
this, use Flammie to make your way to the Tree Palace (bottom of map).
22- The Tree Palace
Suffice to say I don't like this place. It's the biggest maze I've ever seen
(followed by the Pure Land and NorthTown Ruins) and has no save points, so if
you die, you have to restart. This maze is complicated to explain but I'll do
my best. I'll divide this long area into 4 parts;
PART A: Fortress Rising
The monsters here are very hard, so make sure you have at least the Tiger
Suit and/or Tiger Bikini equiped. When you first enter, the Emporer, Sheex
and Phanna. Sheex is pissed so you have to fight him as Aegagropilon. Dispel
his Wall and blast him to get your Spear Orb.
AEGAGROPILON; 3019HP,99MP
spell: Burst, Wall, Sleep Flower
weakness: Sylphid
reward: Spear orb
After the battle go left and down the stairs to get Dryad's powers. After
the continent rises, use Flamie to go save somewhere, then go back to the
continent and decend onto it. Jema and some troops are down there securing
the area, but needs help getting inside.
PART B: Entering The Abyss
>From outside, go down the stairs on the left and through the waterway to get
to a flight of stairs. In this area little plants block you, and waterfalls
prevent you from walking up in some areas. In the first small room, use the
axe to get through, then take the high-stepper to reach the second level.
Open the chest to get the Boomerang Orb, and run to the door on the left.
Here's is a million things growing out of the ground. Chop them, but don't
hit the switch in the middle of the room unless you want them all to grow
back. Make your way all the way up then left, where a waterfall will block
your path. Try to run across and it won't work, but while being trapped in
the current, there's a switch somewhere along the left wall of the water-
fall, hit it! Now do the same for the next waterfall, but the switch will be
on the right wall this time. Go through the door and fight the enemy lord
Hydra, a 3-headed monster. Attack it physically and with your best magic,
and it should die easily.
HYDRA; 3382HP,99MP
spell: Acid Storm, Freeze, Energy Absorb
weakness: Salamando
reward: Whip orb
PART C: One Hellish Maze
One tip for this maze, there are little borders around the place which let
you go down but not back up, so make sure which way you're going. Anyhow,
start by going downstairs and through the middle door, then take the left
elevator down. Go through the hidden door on the left and hit the switch to
get rid of the barrier, which you go through to get to a room where the Re-
sistance is staying. Krissie will heal you and Watts can upgrade your gear,
but you can't save. Go through the corridor to an elevator, and press the
switch on the right (this removes a barrier in a main room). Go through the
corridor until you get to a plate of 4 dots on the floor. Step on it to shut
off a barrier. Keep going until you get to the 4 colored light switches.
Flick them in this order: RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN. Now go down. Hit the
switch where the 2 Kimono Wizards are BEFORE going down or else you'll have
to restart everything. You'll get to the subway station. The enemies in here
are all easy except for the last ones; an eggplant and some spiny things
that kill you in one shot. For your sake, ignore them. When you exit the
train... well what do you know! Face to face with Kettle Kin, just kill him
like you did Kilroy and you'll get a Bow's Orb. Whew! Let's exit this dump.
KETTLE KIN; 1230HP,33MP
Magic:Lucent Barrier
Weakness:none - Earth Slide on lv.7 most effective
Reward:Bow Orb
PART D: Faceoff
Now you're outside. Talk to Jema and go through the entrance into the Grand
Palace. This place actually isn't that bad, just cast the appropriate spells
on their dark orb to remove the barrier in the main area. Don't miss the
Sword Orb in a chest near the Lumina dark orb. When you get out of this
place it's time to end this darn maze with a fight with the Snapdragon.
Easily killed with fire spells, or else just do the same trick as with the
guy in Undine's cave. You'll get a Javelin Orb for his defeat.
SNAP DRAGON; 1215HP,6MP
spells: Cure Water
weakness: Salamando
reward: Javelin Orb
Go downstairs where you'll find the Emporer dead. Tired? Cause now you have
to fight Hexas... just whack at it and you'll easily win and get a Whip Orb.
After one hell of a cut scene, you'll be riding Flamie.
HEXAS; 3465HP,69MP
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Whip Orb
Ignore the Mana Fortress and go back down to the Tree Palace to speak to
Jema and Phanna (inside) and most importantly; to buy armor from Neko
(you'll need it). Neko sells you the best stuff you can buy, but you need
at least 350K to buy it all, so you might need to sell some of your old
stuff first. Jema teaches you that there's still hope - just find the "Mana
Volcano" (it's really called the Pure Land, but looks like a volcano) and
find the Mana Tree itself. Save your game, and find the thing he's talking
about. Land right in the middle area where it looks like you shouldn't be
able to land.
23- The Pure Land
The monsters here don't even compare to the ones in the Tree Palace, in fact
their all as strong as the 1 enemy you encountered in there that probably
nearly killed you - in fact, that enemy IS here! Now, go through the long
maze, taking ANY course because there are no special items along the way. The
first enemy boss you encounter will be a Dragon Worm. Hit him with all you
got when he's in plain view and you'll get an Axe Orb. This guy's always
hiding so he's pretty tough.
DRAGON WORM; 3525HP,99MP
spell: Earth Slide
weakness: Salamando, somewhat Sylphid
reward: Axe Orb
After this, you'll come across a "save point" that says "If you can beat the
dragon to the right of this area, you can pass". Do just that. This is an
Snow Dragon and is weak against Salamando (just like the previous boss).
SNOW DRAGON; 3000HP,99MP
spell: Freeze
weakness: Salamando
reward: Bow Orb
Keep going you'll come across an Axe Beak, weak against Undine; kill him to
get the Javelin's Orb then keep going and save at the save spot.
AXE BEAK; 2800HP,99MP
spells: Fire Ball, Blaze Wall
weakness: Freeze, Acid Storm, Salamando
reward: Javelin Orb
Go left, kill the Red Dragon (weak against Undine), get the Glove Orb then
return, save and go on further. The next enemy boss is an extremely powerful
Thunder Gigas that's weak against Gnome (Gem Missle). Do not let him hit
you, because chances are you'll just instantly die. Pummel him with Gem
Missles (level 6 or higher recommended) and attack with the other charac-
ters. After this guy dies and gives you the last Sword Orb.
THUNDER GIGAS; 4462HP,99MP
spells: Air Blast, Thunder Saber
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Sword Orb
Save at the NEW save point, and go left to kill the Blue Dragon.
BLUE DRAGON; 3200HP,99MP
spell: "air" magic
weakness: Earth Slide
reward: Boomerang Orb
Go through the pass thing and you'll have found the Mana Tree. After the
big melodrama, you're ready to beat the fortress.
*HINT* In case you didn't notice, the pre-bosses in the Pure Land give away
the weakness of the upcoming boss, the ones announced by the save spots (ie:
Dragon Worm is weak against Salamando, and so is the Snow Dragon) Got it?
*NOTE* This is the only place in the game you can obtain the boy's best
helm, the Griffin Helm. This rare item is dropped by Griffin's Claws at
approximately 75/1 odds.
24- Intermission / Training
Because you're now ready to take on the Mana Fortress, you should try to get
your weapon and magic levels up. The best spots for gaining easy weapon
levels (and magic levels for the sprite), I found are; the area before Potos
Village (where you start off the game), the Upper Land summer area, and the
Wolf Forest in Ice Country. To get to the area before Potos, walk up to the
guy guarding the gate and keep hitting -select- to switch characters. Event-
ually one will make it through, then switch to him and the rest will follow
across. An easy way to gain the girl some magic levels is to go to the Wind
Palace (where the sprite's granpa is) and to keep casting low MP cost spells
on whoever, then when she's drained, to talk to the old guy. For easy
character levels, the easy place is obviously the non-boss areas of the Mana
Fortress and the Pure Land. Beware of fighting too long in the Mana Fort-
ress, sometimes characters will get stuck in walls and you'll have no way
out (even using the Magic Rope) and will have to restart it all!
25- The Mana Fortress
Pretty standard maze. The crystals blocking your path can be chopped down
with either the sword or the axe. Equip one character with one of these, and
another with the whip to get across the gaps. Not too far in the maze, you
have the choice of going down past a gap using the whip, or going left. Go
down, the left path leads to nothing. The first boss is a Vampire and very
easy to beat. Simply pummel him with Gem Missile and Lucent Beam, and attack
him when he lands.
BUFFY; 4200HP,99MP
spells:Dark Force, Dispel
weakness: Lucent Beam
After this boss, you can go left or right. Both paths lead the same way, but
the right path is much less troublesome. One area you will have to go up
passed a gap, or down to a maze of new rooms. Go up, the other way leads
nowhere. The second boss is a giant slime immune to all physical attacks.
Use Shade spells on him, or Gem Missile - he is fairly easy.
LIME SLIME; 5000HP,99MP
spell: Acid Storm
weakness: Dark Force
After passing through the areas where Terminators are situated, a room
will be shaped in a "no entry" type design. When you enter the warp plate
in the middle, you are in a large room. Ok next fight's tough; the faceoff
with Geshtar. Charge your attacks and forget magic because it'll mostly be
useless. You might need to revive characters a few times.
MECH RIDER 3; 4327HP,38MP
spells: Wall, Speed Up
weakness: none
reward: Spear Orb
When you take the right teleporter out of this room you have no choice
but to beat the game. The Dark Lich (thanatos's soul) is weak against Lumina
and nearly useless without his magic, so have the girl cast Lucent Beam and
the Sprite use Magic Absorb or Gem Missile for a quick victory.
DARK LICH; 6666HP,99MP
spell: Dark Force, Freeze
weakness: Lucent Beam
After a dramatic sequence, you come face-to-face with a huge mana beast.
Equip the sword and have BOTH magic users cast Mana Magic on it to revive
it. It is possible to kill this beast without the Mana Sword, but it takes
VERY long! Use Defender and Speed Up on the boy and attack the beast when
it flies close enough to be hit. That's it!
THE MANA BEAST; 9999HP,99MP
spells: Wall, Lucent Beam
weakness: Mana Sword
*NOTE* Many non-boss monsters in the Mana Fortress give away great armor and
even weapon orbs, as well as lots of experience. Every character's best
armor can be found here (excluding the Griffin Helm), simply by fighting
enemies, who sometimes drop things when they die.
26- The End
Once you kill the Mana Beast, you've done it! Sit back and enjoy the great
(but kinda sad) ending. Hope you had fun! I'm sure this isn't the last time
you'll be playing SoM. Well... not unless you rented the game that is.
____________________________________________________________________________
III. "TRICKS OF THE TRADE"
These aren't so much as tricks as they are rules and tips to use throughout
the game. You can live without them, but using them make the game that much
easier and maybe even more fun to play.
1- SAVE OFTEN!!!
this is definitely the most important tip here. at some points,
Secret of Mana can be quite a hard game, and it is extremely
frustrating to play through a dungeon and beat an incredibly hard
boss, only to head to the next big event and die. everything must be
restarted. also, if unsure about a decision you've made or are about
to make; save on a new log. make sure to save at every save point
unless you are in terrible shape and know there is no way you can
complete an area anyhow.
2- GAIN LEVELS EARLY
also important to make the game much easier. the earlier you gain the
levels, the easier the game will be. a few level's difference can
make an incredible difference on the difficulty of enemies and
bosses. this rule also goes for magic and weapon levels. the spell
effects multiply in power at every level up, and high level spells
are much more effective than low level spells. weapon levels, I
believe are nothing but an added touch to the game; they are needed
at very few bosses and are virtually pointless on normal enemies...
but fun to watch, no?
3- BUY THE BEST ARMOR
often the reason monsters seem so difficult is because the player
hasn't updated his "armory" in a while. any armor that seems a decent
bit better than yours should be bought. if you can't afford it all
right away, still buy as much as possible and either return when you
have the money, or go on and find a new weapon dealer - trying not to
die along the way. remember, armor and inexpensive items are all you
need to buy in the game (also reforging weapons), so don't try and
save your money to see how much you can end up with at the end of the
game. that would be pointless. don't miss out on Neko's sale at the
Tree Palace before you go to the Pure Land!
4- STOCK UP ON ITEMS
even candies can be useful near the end of the game; they don't cure
much, but if you have a character at less than a hundred hit points
and are completely out of MP, it could save his life. same goes for
Royal Jam, Chocolate, Faerie Walnuts and Cups of Wishes. i find a
full stock of Faerie Walnuts is extremely important later in the
game, where spell fights usually determine the outcome of the battle.
The only items that i find not needed fully-stocked are the barrels
(very rarely used), and the medical herbs (effect spells from enemies
usually run off quickly, and the girl has a spell that does just the
same thing).
5- UPGRADE THOSE WEAPONS
have Watts reforge your weapons whenever you acquire a new orb.
having upgraded weapons not only allow you to up their attack levels,
but actually ups their very power and sometimes changes a character-
istic. for example, when certain weapons are upgraded, they have
secondary effects on the enemies (such as Tangle, Space Out, Petrify,
etc...) some even raise character stats.
6- USE THE SPELLS!
what good are 43 spells if you only use about 5 of 'em? take advan-
tage of enemy weak points (check them using Analyzer), then blow
them away using attack spells. use weapon-enhancing spells that work
against enemies of a certain area (use the reverse element of the
area; in Ice Country, use Salamando - in the Fire Palace, use Undine).
use effect spells like you don't care; ever notice what a combination
of Wall, Lucid Barrier, Moon Energy, Moon Saber, Lunar Boost (who
cares if you don't have any defense, you've got a Lucid Barrier!)
Speed Up, and Defender do? with all those spells, you can kick any
boss's ass in no time! an enemy just casted Lucid Barrier on himself?
reverse the spell using Dispel Magic then blast him to hell! one of
the best spells in the game is Luna's Magic Absorb - using it, you
never have to worry about the sprite's MP. economize the girl's magic
in long maze areas, but go nuts in places you know you can regenerate
after. make sure you keep a full supply of Faerie Walnuts, and have a
blast!
7- EXPLORE!!!
this one's pretty simple: look around everywhere - you don't want to
miss any good items and orbs! you should end up with all weapons level
8 upgrade before the Mana Fortress, and level 9 for everything but the
Axe later on. you should have the Midge Mallet, Moogle Belt and Magic
Rope too. don't just zip through dungeons; explore them.
_____________________________________________________________________________
IV. FIND EVERY ORB
Swords
------
1. Rusty Sword: Found at the beginning of the game in a pond.
2. Broad Sword: Received after defeating Mantis Ant in Potos Village
3. Herald Sword: From treasure chest in vault of Pandora Castle
4. Claymore: Won after defeating Great Viper in Forest of Matango
5. Excalibur: Found inside a treasure chest in Northtown Ruins
6. Masamune: Given by King after beating Dark Stalker in Tasnica
7. Gigas Sword: Found inside a treasure chest in Tree Palace
8. Dragon Buster: Won after defeating Thunder Gigas in Pure Land
9. Mana Sword: 1. Load up game that you want the ninth sword orb on.
(preferably already having 8th sword orb upgrade)
2. Fly over the Ice Country and land on the small island
to the east of it. This step is crucial.
3 You will appear in front of Neko. Create a save log.
4. Press reset code R,L,(start),(select).
5. Start a new game.
6. Go all the way to the Mantis Ant.
7. When all the dialogue is over (exactly when fight
begins), hold reset code for about 5 seconds.
8. Load the Neko save Log.
9. Finish off the Mantis Ant, and get last Sword Orb!
Gloves
------
1. Spike Knuckle: The has it when she joins your team.
2. Power Glove: Won after defeating Biting Lizard in Undine's Cave.
3. Moogle Claw: Given by Jema after beating Jabberwocky in Water Palace.
4. Chakra Hand: Found inside a treasure chest in Ice Palace.
5. Heavy Glove: Won after defeating Metal Mantis in Emperor's Castle.
6. Hyper-Fist: Found inside a treasure chest in Palace of Darkness.
7. Griffin Claws: Won after defeating Red Dragon in Pure Land.
8. Dragon Claws: Defeat "Kimono Wizards" in Mana Fortress to obtain.
9. Aura Glove: Defeat "Wolf Lord" enemies in Mana Fortress to obtain.
Axes
----
1. Watt's Axe: Bought from Watts in the Drawf Village.
2. Lode Axe: Won after defeating Fire Gigas in Underground Palace.
3. Stout Axe: Found inside a treasure chest in Moogle Village.
4. Battle Axe: Found inside a treasure chest in Fire Palace.
5. Golden Axe: Found inside a treasure chest in Emperor's Castle.
6. Were-Buster: Found inside a treasure chest in Golden Tower.
7. Great Axe: Won after defeating Dragon Worm in Pure Land.
8. Gigas Axe: Defeat "Fiend Head" enemies in Mana Fortress to get.
9. Doom Axe: Defeat "Fiend Head" enemies in Mana Fortress to get.
Pole Arms
---------
1. Spear: Given to the boy by Luka at the Water Palace early on.
2. Heavy Spear: Won after defeating Tropicallo in Dwarf Village.
3. Sprite's Spear: Found inside a treasure chest in Castle of Pandora.
4. Partisan: Found inside a treasure chest in Santa's House.
5. Halberd: Found inside a treasure chest in Northtown Ruins.
6. Oceanid Spear: Found inside a treasure chest in Golden Tower.
7. Gigas Lance: Won after defeating Aegagropilon in Tree Palace.
8. Dragoon Lance: Won after defeating Mech Rider 3 in Mana Fortress.
9. Daedalus Lance: Defeat Mana Fortress enemy "Tsunami" to obtain.
Whips
-----
1. Whip: The weapon itself is received from Elinee.
2. Black Whip: From treasure chest in Dwarf Village (big hole).
3. Backhand Whip: Found inside a treasure chest in Moogle Village.
4. Chain Whip: Won after defeating Mech Rider 1 in Kakkara Desert.
5. Flail of Hope: Won after defeating Doom's Wall in Northtown Ruins.
6. Morning Star: Found inside a treasure chest in Emperor's Castle.
7. Hammer Flail: Won after defeating Hydra in Underground City.
8. Nimbus Chain: Won after defeating Hexas in Tree Palace.
9. Gigas Flail: Defeat Mana Fortress enemy "Terminator" to obtain.
Bows and Arrows
---------------
1. Chobin's Bow: Given to you by the sprite as he joins your team.
2. Short Bow: Won after defeating Wall Face in Pandora Ruins.
3. Long Bow: Won after defeating Jabberwocky in Water Palace.
4. Great Bow: Won after defeating Boreal Face in Ice Forest.
5. Bow of Hope: Found inside a treasure chest in Northtown Ruins.
6. Elfin Bow: Won after defeating Gordon Bull in Golden Tower.
7. Wing Bow: Won after defeating Kettle Kin in Ancient City.
8. Doom Bow: Won after defeating Snow Dragon in Pure Land.
9. Garuda Buster: Defeat the "Metal Crab" enemy in Mana Fortress.
Boomerangs
----------
1. Boomerang: Also received from the Sprite.
2. Chakram: Won after defeating Spiky Tiger in Elinee's Castle.
3. Lode Boomerang: Won after defeating Spring Beak in Sprite Village.
4. Rising Sun: Won after defeating Frost Gigas in Ice Palace.
5. Red Cleaver: Won after defeating Vampire in Northtown Ruins.
6. Cobra Shuttle: Won after defeating Blue Spike in Golden Tower.
7. Frizbar: Found inside a treasure chest in Ancient City.
8. Shuriken: Won after defeating Blue Dragon in Pure Land.
9. Ninja's Trump: Deafeat "Master Ninja" enemy found in Mana Fortress.
Darts
-----
1. Pole Dart: Gotten from the vault in PanDora castle.
2. Javelin: Won after beating Kilroy in Dwarf Village (big hole).
3. Light Trident: Found inside a treasure chest in Matango.
4. Lode Javelin: Won after defeating Minotaur in Fire Palace.
5. Fork of Hope: Won after defeating Mech Rider 2 in Emperor's Castle.
6. Imp's Fork: Won after defeating Lime Slime in Palace of Darkness.
7. Elf's Harpoon: Won after defeating Snap Dragon in Tree Palace.
8. Dragon Dart: Won after defeating Axe Beak in Pure Land.
9. Valkyrian: Defeat enemy "Whimper" found in Mana Fortress.
____________________________________________________________________________
V. SECRETS REVEALED
Screw What The Potos Guard Says!
--------------------------------
Not quite an original a trick, but still pretty cool! To sneak back into
Potos after you've been kicked out, wait until you have all 3 characters,
then walk up to the guard, and while you keep walking towards him, press
(select) (select)... eventually one will get through and the rest will
follow! This lets you access the game's first area, which is great for
weapon- and magic-level building. To get out, either call upon Flamie, or
try to get out in the same manner (difficult!)
Get Past Weapon Level 8
-----------------------
I've received alot of emails from people who were unable to raise their
levels past 8:00 even after obtaining all the orbs. To get all your weapons
to their maximum, here is what to do; First, equip 2 characters with weapons
already maxed out (8:99), and your third with the weapon which will not rise
in levels. Second, go to a good level-rasing area (such as the path to Potos
Village), and there you have it. Now all the weapon points will go towards
the weapon who will not go up. If it still doesn't work, try killing 2 or
even 3 enemies at a time, that will get it going for sure.
Power Bonus!
------------
This trick allows your characters to permanently have super strength, speed,
defense, or any other power from the girl's magic menu. Simply cast the
spell of your choice on any single character, sleep at the Inn and immedia-
tely save your game. Restart, and the next time the game is loaded, your
character will have that power permanently. You can do this with as many
power spells as you like, but some spells may interfere with others and
cause previous powers to disapear. Nevertheless, this trick is great for if
your character is already at its maximum power level and you aren't satis-
fied with his levels.
Solar Magic
-----------
Though Solar Magic was "proven" nonexistant, some still claim to have found
it. Apparently there are screenshots posted at www.mana.com - but seems no
one is able to access this. The perpetrator of this "Solar" lie is Daniel
Rusnak... you may mailbomb him at will (manamoon@aol.com).
Permanent Weapon Powers
-----------------------
Like the trick above, but gives the power to a weapon instead. Cast a spell
on a single character equiped with the weapon of your choice, and simply
go to the weapon selection menu and switch the powered-up weapon with a non-
powered up weapon equipped to someone else. I recommend casting Lunar on the
sword for constant HP regeneration.
High-Powered Attack, Low-Level Weapon
-------------------------------------
Equip one character with a low-level weapon, and another with a high-level
weapon. Assign each character to a different controller. Have the character
with the high-level weapon charge up to maximum, and with the second contro-
ller, bring up the weapon menu, and switch weapons with the other character
with the charged weapon. When released, the weapons will switch, and the one
with a low power level will perform a high-level attack!
Combo Group Attack
-------------------
This is great for boss fights as it will take off 999 HP even at lower
levels. It's all about timing. Have both the girl and the sprite cast an
attack spell (consecutively), and have the boy attack while the spells are
being cast. When the visual spell effects recede, the damage will have been
the cumulative damage from each attack in a single hit. The maximum inflic-
table damage will be of 999 HP.
Cumulative Attack #2
--------------------
Have the sprite cast consecutive attack spells. While this happens, the boss
is incapacitated and cannot harm you. Cast as many spells as it would take
to take off 999 HP and then let the damage happen, and repeat as needed.
Dash Attack
-----------
Point towards a nearby enemy, and press the Run button. As you dash by the
enemy, hit the Attack button for a "hit-and-run" type of attack. Or for a
quick attack and retreat, hit both the Run and the Attack buttons while
beside and enemy. After attacking, the character will dash away to safety.
Smoked Sprite
-------------
Buy a barrel and equip it on one character (the Sprite makes for a better
show). Now have the girl cast one of the Saber spells on him (flame saber
for a fiery effect). The barrel will glow red and the Sprite will seem be
cooking inside the barrel. Make him run around frantically for best comedic
impact.
Strafe
------
This is very useful, I have personally become accustomed to using it. It
lets you face the enemy and attack while being able to walk away at the same
time. Hold R and continue normally. It's as simple as that.
Super Magic Spells
------------------
Elementals reaching level 8:99 sometimes have strange effects. Get the
sprite's levels up to that level and cast random spells on enemies, sometimes
the spell effect or "look" will vary. Here are a few examples:
(any)Absorb = Bigger, more impressive looking
Acid storm = Somewhat different but can't put my finger on it
Air Blast = Becomes "Tornado"
Blaze wall = Flames are twice as high
Burst = Three times longer and, bigger
Cure water = Effect looks like a Royal Jam was used
Dark Force = Last 3 times longer, finishes with large explosion
Earth Slide = Smiley faces on rocks
Evil Gate = Large face is replaced by dozens of creatures running around
Exploder = Much bigger explosions
Fire Ball = Three dragons attack the enemy
Fire Bouquet = Bigger fireballs, and lasts longer too!
Freeze = Ice bombs are five times bigger
Gem Missle = Large, more furious, awesome!
Lava wave = Your foe seems to be sinking in lava
Lucent Beam = A lot more beams attack the ennemy
Sabers (any) = Last some time longer
Hidden Face
-----------
As in FF2, a face can be seen on the overworld of SoM. As you exit the Mana
Fortress, fly directly south and look to the right. As you fly on by, you
will see a small face if you look very carefully.
The 7 Secret Passages
---------------------
1- Scroll along the walls in the Inn of Matango. There is a secret hole in
a wall that leads to the doorway behind the counter.
2- Go to the southern-most pathway in Southtown. From here walk towards the
left until the character is blocked. You should have walked through the
trees and appeared in a small clearing.
3- In Tasnica, go to the left wing of the castle where there is a "bar", and
scroll the bottom wall while walking towards the right. You will enter a
secret pass, which leads to a merchant (who sells nothing of interest).
4- In tasnica, take the left branch and keep going until you reach the far-
thest room. You will notice a carpet that seems to go right into the wall
...it does. It will lead you to the right route.
5- Go to Todo Village and walk to the bottom bridge. Stand right in the cen-
ter and walk up. You will walk up onto the ice.
6- This will lead you to the Moon Palace even before you get Flammie. Start
off in Kakkara desert and walk outside into the desert. Walk as far north
east as possible. There will be a blocked path. There is a certain spot
in this area where you must stand, and run left. As you run, you will
pass the "gate" and appear in another screen. The spot to stand is some-
what hard to find, but once you've found it, there will be no problem.
Once past the gate, walk north and eventually you will get to Charon's
Ferry - but the game glitches and you must restart.
7- In the fight against the Mana Beast, as he charges you, run left and
down, and with the other controller have both magic users cast Mana Magic
on you. If timed properly, as the Mana Beast charges, you will be knocked
straight off the platform. You can walk around a bit until the game free-
zes, and some say they have walked far enough to see Charon's Ferry.
Could this be part of a trick to escape the final fight with your magic
users having Mana Magic?
Confuse Cure
------------
Those not used in controling a Confused character (handling the controls
backwards), there is a simple answer. Go to the controller settings menu
and reverse the commands. Now everything works as normal!
Screen Glitch!
--------------
This is hard to get to work, but I've seen it happen. Have the girl cast a
spell, and immediately call upon Flammie. The screens might overlap, or make
the spell freeze on the screen as your characters are getting picked up.
THIS IS IT FOR NOW, IF ANYONE KNOWS OF ANY OTHER SoM SECRETS, PLEASE INFORM
ME OF THEM AND I WILL ADD THEM TO THIS LIST ALONG WITH YOUR NAME AS CREDIT.
_____________________________________________________________________________
VI. FAQ
This section will answer questions about SOM that people have actually asked
me. The veteran SOM player probably will want to skip this section, as all
it does is help with certain areas and describe certain things. For help
getting through areas not covered here, read my walkthrough above, or send
me email (reznoryte@hotmail.com).
Q. I keep dying at the bosses and even get killed by normal monsters! what
can I do to prevent this?
A. Spend an hour or so gaining levels, switching weapons whenever its level
is maxed out, then use your new money to buy the best armor you can find.
Q. I finished with my axe at only level 8 even after getting its orb
from an enemy in the Mana Fortress, did I miss an orb earlier on?
A. It's possible; the most easily missed is the one in the Emperor's Tower,
and with that one you should have 7 before the fortress. The Fiend Heads
in the Fortress give 2 axe orbs. The last glove orb is also often missed.
You might have missed one exploring earlier, but if you think not, fight
Wolf Lords, they give 2 glove orbs.
Q. Sometimes I use Analyzer on a boss, and it says he is weak against
a certain elemental, then I use that elemental and it only takes off
1 HP from him! What's going on?
A. Ok, when this happens, you're probably not using the right spell from
that category. Say it says that a boss is weak against Salamando, then
you use Fireball, and nothing happens - use another spell, like say,
exploder. If that doesn't work either (and sometimes it doesn't), then
I'm stumped.
Q. I've upgraded all my weapons to level 9 but can't get their points up
past 8:99, what's wrong!??
A. This is my most asked question. And it's explained in "Secrets Revealed".
Q. The 9th Sword Orb trick doesn't work!
A. You probably didn't land on the island near the Ice Country. You probably
landed ON the Ice Country and tried getting there on foot. You HAVE to
land on the damned island!!!
Q. How do I do the free-money trick?
A. Can't, there is no such thing.
Q. Where do I get the Magic Rope, Midge Mallet and Moogle Belt?
A. The magic rope is in a room in the caves at Gaia's Navel, the two other
items you can learn to get by reading my walkthrough above (section 19).
Q. Where do I get the Black Rock?
A. Wrong game, dick rod! Read my Chrono Trigger Walkthrough.
Q. I can't manage to land Flammie on the "volcano" up north! I know I'm
supposed to go there, but it won't work.
A. First off, you can't land there any time before the Mana Fortress is
floating in the air, so go beat the Tree Palace and try again. Second, it
seems that everyone just tries to land beside the volcano, or on the
stream running down it's side; try landing on the green fuzzy area that
looks like you shouldn't be able to land on instead, then it'll work.
Q. Should I buy the Magical Armor?
A. Sure, if you want! (Note that Armored Men sometimes drop this when
defeated). Check out the instruction books to see if you want to buy any
other armor (they're all listed along with their defensive capabilities).
Q. How do I use the Magic Rope and what does it do?
A. You can only use it in caves and mazes, not including the Mana Fortress
and a few other places like that. If you know how to use any item, you
know how to use the rope (you're probably just not in the right place).
When in a cave or maze of some sort, just use it as you'd use any item!
Q. How come all my @&*$# games got erased!!!???
A. There seems to be a battery backup problem with certain Square games. In
SOM, although rare, the games will get erased for no reason at all. It
happened to me... 3 times!!! Once I was playing on my "level 99 character
/ level 8 magic / level 8.9 weapons" savelog, and all of a sudden the
screen just fizzled out, and when I resetted, every save was gone. It
happened twice ever since, and once to my friend (who started crying like
a girl). It also happened with FF2 and FF3 so I think it's the way Square
backs up their games on SNES. What can you do. Shit happens.
Q. Swords are cool and I want to make one and be like the Mana Knight and I
want to lob people's heads off randomly for no good reason! Ok?
A. Rock on! I have a weaponsmithing guide on my webpage (facility114.com).
____________________________________________________________________________
VII. TOP TEN CHALLENGES
Are you a true SOM freak? If you are you might enjoy trying to do these ten
feats only the biggest of SOM freaks would challenge. I Have personally
accomplished each of these feats, see if you can match me! Have a blast!
10-Getting every weapon upgraded to level 8
9-Beating the game with each character under level 30
8-Getting every single magic spell to level 8:99
7-Beating the Pure Land without buying the Magical Armor from Neko
6-Beating the Mana Beast without re-powering the sword
5-Finding the infamous "lighthouse" island
4-Getting level 8:99 of each weapon attacks to everyone
3-Beating the whole volcano where the Mana Tree is without saving once
2-Getting everyone to level 99
1-Playing so much your save logs get erased... THRICE!!! (it happened to me!)
EXTRAS:
-Getting the maximum ammount of gold
-Getting 4 of each item
-Getting everyone their optimum armor
____________________________________________________________________________
VIII. EPILOGUE ETC.
That just about sums everything up. I would like to thank the OLD Squaresoft
(Square before they fell into that 3D / Playstation crap) for making this
and many other great games. Let me say that until a few years ago, you guys
rocked! All that has to do with Squaresoft that's represented in this file
is copyrighted to, and probably patented to Squaresoft. One last word of
advice; when you walk around outside in your backyard or whatever, you may
come across strands of grass and bushes that you may be tempted to cut down.
Don't spend too much time doing this as chances are you won't find anything
of interest. Thank you and goodnight! Find my FFIII and SoM walkthroughs on
my official webpage! To receive the latest versions, send your request to
reznoryte@hotmail.com (homepage ; http://www.facility114.com)
_____________________________________________________________________________
IX. FAQ (cont.)
Q. Is this guide over yet?
A. Just ONE more line...
(C)JD Cyr, 1999
