Legend of Dragoon Side Quests: Defeating the Dragoon Spirits

In order to take on the Dragoon spirits upon the request of Shirley, players need to be on the fourth disc with the ability to ride on Coolon in Zenebatos, the ancient Wingly city of laws.  Of the seven Dragoon knights from the Dragon Campaign eleven thousand years ago, only four are available to fight, obviously, because Rose, Zieg, and Shirley are already accounted for in the plot.  After completing Zenebatos, fly on Coolon to Deningrad.  From there, trek through Kashua Glacier and the snow fields to once again reach Vellweb.  Continue on to the spot where Shirley first requested your help.  She will appear again and vanish, leaving you to vanquish the knights.  Save at the nearby access point and enter the doorway.  There is no particular order in which to fight the Dragoon spirits, but there are certain methods to consider when fighting.  My team consisted of Dart, Albert, and Rose at levels 34, 33, and 32 respectively.  Make sure to go into each battle with full spirit point gauges for each player you intend to use.  Each battle earns 300G, 6000EXP, and the elemental stone of the Dragoon. 

Damia (9,500HP) – Blue Sea Dragoon Spirit

The easiest and shortest of the battles, Damia focuses on Diamond Dust and Dragoon additions, for the few attacks she delivered.  Start the battle using a Speed Down on her, followed by a Power Down.  Power Up should be used on Dart.  With this combination, have Dart blast Damia with Final Burst.  At this point, Dart was Dragoon level 5 and dealt more than 3200 hit points of damage.  As the Power Down only lasts three turns, not all of Dart’s Final Bursts will rack up that much damage.  Use Albert to dole out physical attacks while Rose takes care of item usage.  I equipped Dart with his Fire Sword and Amulet for more magic due to Final Burst usage and Rose and Albert with spirit point boosting items since curative items are not necessary.  For lower level players having difficulty, equip therapy or physical rings and designate one player as a healer.  Use Psyche Bomb X to deal some good damage too.

Belzac (16,000HP) – Golden Dragoon Spirit

While having a larger amount of hit points than his fellow Dragoons, Belzac is weak against magic attacks.  Throw a Power Down and Speed Down on Belzac, while using Power Up on Albert or Dart, whoever you choose as your magic dealer.  Equip this same person with an Amulet.  Blast away with Final Burst and Gaspless, and use Rose to fire away Psyche Bomb X.  When not in Dragoon form, have Rose defend, as Belzac’s physical attack can take Rose out in one hit.  Astral Drain does decent damage, about 1,000 hit points.  Make sure to use additions with high SP return so as to gain Dragoon form to use more magic attacks.  If need be, rely on those high-powered magical attack items collected from Zenebatos to get the job done.  Belzac is very slow, so consecutive hits really allow players to quickly whittle away hit points. Magic attacks such as Meteor Strike take away little HP, especially when in Dragoon form. 

Kanzas (12,000HP) – Violet Dragoon Spirit

This Dragoon is fast, lightning fast, so equip your choice player with a Bandit’s Ring or Dancer’s Ring.  Rose can be swapped out for Meru in this battle, as her Rainbow Breath and speed stat come in handy.  Magic attacks work, but not as well as additions from Albert.  For this battle, I equipped Albert with a physical ring, Rose with a therapy ring, and Dart with a bandit’s ring.  Albert is particularly weak to magical attacks, so casting Rose Storm will help lower damage.  Due to his speed, Kanzas blasts out attacks after almost every turn of each player on the team.  Use Dart’s turns for Final Burst or Dragoon additions, followed by strong additions like Moon Strike.  Rose is strong against these lightning attacks and does well striking with Hard Blade.  Rose is once again the healer and item user.  Remember, Speed Down and Power Down should be used right away on Kanzas, then Power Up and Speed Up on your player who deals the most damage.  Use Astral Drain when necessary.  Kanzas’ Dragoon attacks only deal damage to one player at a time, making it easier to heal, but depending on the move, the damage can be severe.

Syuveil (10,000HP) – Jade Dragoon Spirit

Much like Albert, Syuveil has strong offense, weak defense.  As before, Speed Down and Power Down on him, while using Power Up and Speed Up on Dart equipped with Amulet.  Final Burst it up while Rose attacks with regular or Dragoon additions.  Albert can cast Rose Storm if you want, reducing Syuveil’s Wing Blaster to nothing.  The Special option works well here, allowing Dart to blast his Dragoon addition, but do not engage this mode until the desired status items have been thrown.  Use additions with high SP gain to quickly enter into Dragoon mode, especially for Albert.  During the ten or fifteen turns of battle, Syuveil never released his dragon, relying on Dragoon additions and Wing Blaster.  He does not invoke Rose Storm.  Psyche Bomb X makes a nice dent when used by the Power Up character too.

Overall, these battle were easy, taking only about ten minutes each.  Even at level 34, I did not need DS armor of any type and only used two Healing Rains.  Most of the time, I did not equip therapy or physical rings, and simply attached Wargod’s Sash or Spirit Rings to Albert and Rose to build their Dragoon levels.  If you find rough waters, rely on healing every other round, defending when needed, and blast away with Final Burst.  Good luck and dragonspeed.

Legend of Dragoon Side Quests: Defeating Magician Faust

The Magician Faust is an optional boss of the game, available after collecting the 50 Stardust from Martel and acquiring the Vanishing Stone.  Dominate the Wingly city of Zenebatos and take a ride on Coolon to Kashua Glacier.  Follow the path leading to Flanvel Tower and make your way through the winding tunnels until you reach the save point before the boss battle previously fought in the game.  Warp through the right-hand side port to arrive in a small, dark room.  Faust will appear, warning travelers to flee before he attacks.  Yet, with Vanishing Stone in hand, the now known apparition of Faust disappears, and Dart is allowed to descend into the Taboo area.  Follow the linear path to reach a Dragon Helm and a room with a save point and three Wingly warp tunnels.  The order of choosing does not matter; each path leads to a lower room with a large platform surrounded by three entrances.  The first and second entrances your character discovers will break away, leaving one route to Faust.  My final path was using the middle port, riding the tunnels until I reached a point with four options.  Choosing the rightmost tunnel lead to the last path to the platform where Dart and the others crash down into a dungeon where the real Faust appears.

Before battle preparations should consist of stocking at least five each of Angel's Prayer, Healing Breeze, Healing Fog, and Healing Rain.  MP healers and magic items will not be helpful, unless you want to spam Rose Storm like crazy.  When choosing a team, consider speed and magical defense.  I used Dart (Lv. 36), Rose (Lv. 33), and Albert (Lv. 35), despite his low MD, because Rose Storm saves lives and often determines the outcome of high-powered battles.  For equipment, I used Therapy Rings on Rose and Albert and gave Dart a Dragon Helm and Physical Ring to dramatically increase his HP.  Legend Casque is not required to defeat Faust, and I would dare say using one is cheating.  Dragoons are completely capable of handling this insane magician on their own.  Fully charge all SP gauges beforehand, mainly for Dart and Albert, and use additions delivering high damage and 100 SP gain.  Strategy is key to the battle.  Do not expect to attack every turn with every character, because you will achieve "game over" in less than five turns.  Most importantly, save before entering the final path; this battle may take a few tries to conquer.

Magician Faust (27,000HP)

Faust provides a veritable onslaught of magical attacks, ranging from small blasts from his wand to gigantic fire spheres hurled from the heavens that destroy unprepared parties.  Do not use magic against him; simply rely on additions, Dragoon additions, and healing items.  The first attack is up for grabs depending on your team selection and the speed of characters.  In my case, Albert attacked first, followed by Faust.  I tried different scenarios, using Special Mode, throwing Speed Down, defending on the first move -- my party died every single time.  Faust's first move is always a huge meteor that instantly kills Rose and Albert.  Dart is then forced to play catch up while fighting off the magician's powerful attacks.  Instead, immediately invoke Albert's Dragoon mode and use Rose Storm, protecting all party members from devastating HP loses.  Follow up transforming Dart and having Rose heal or defend, depending on character HP.  Rose remains to be the healer and item user for the rest of the battle, because she has a higher tolerance to magic attacks and can withstand a few attacks when not defending.  Albert should rarely attack in human form, as one magic blast can take him out.  He is there for Rose Storm, and the occasional attack when you need more SP.  Faust will attack a few times during one turn, up to four moves in a row, meaning defenses should be kept at maximum.  In Dragoon form, Dart's addition blasted over 1800 HP from Faust, while Albert reigns supreme at 2300 plus attacks.  Speed Down does not truly slow down Faust, although Power Down works wonders on his stats.  Use in conjunction with a Power Up on Dart to increase attack strength.  While whittling away his HP, Faust releases strong spells when his HP is at half, and again when it is at a quarter of the full amount.  In preparation for these spells, have Rose Storm invoked while defending with Rose and Albert.  Following this strategy, Faust will go down in about 30 minutes.

Your ultimate prize?  10,000 gold, 20,000 experience points, and the amazing Phantom Shield.  Plus bragging rights.  Totally worth it, right?

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne: Challenging Bandou Shrine

After obtaining all 24 Magatama, visit the Cathedral of Shadows to receive a special item needed to access Bandou Shrine.  Link to Assembly of Nihilo and travel northward toward the small shrine atop the sandy hill.  The gravestone will react and warp the demi-fiend to Masakados’ resting place.

Immediately upon entering, take the right path and enter the red shrine.  From the warp point, follow the spiral path until the pillar.  This is the first of four boss battles within the shrine.  Bishamon uses fire-based attacks, meaning ingest Gehenna or any other Magatama with strength against fire.  His attacks: Hellfire, Maragidyne, Dragon Eye, Tarukaja, Tempest, Dekaja, Debilitate, Makakaja, Megidolaon, and Prominence.

Upon winning, return to the beginning and take the left path into the yellow shrine.  Continue along the path, remaining north at the fork.  Spiral down to another fork and take the rightmost path to the second pillar to face Zouchou.  His attacks consist of Dragon Eye, Makakaja, Bolt Storm, Maziodyne, and possibly more, but I knocked him out witnessing only these moves.

Once the Kishin is defeated, return to the fork before the second pillar and take the left path to reach a cache cube containing 50,000 Macca.  Go back to the first fork encountered after entering the yellow shrine.  This time, turn west and follow the downward slope to reach yet another fork.  Turn north and spiral down toward the lowest floor of the shrine.  From the blue soul, head southeast onto the ramp to find the third pillar hiding Jikoku.  His attacks include Dragon Eye, Makakaja, Glacial Blast, Mabufudyne, Focus, and Bufudyne.

Head west back up the ramp, following around until the fork.  Continue south and take the next west turn.  Before entering the purple shrine, turn around to find a cache cube with another 50,000 Macca.  From the warp point, head south into the green shrine.  The last pillar remains at the end of the path.  Koumoku awaits, ready to use his wind element, although he mainly slammed me with a physical assault.  Moves shown are Rakukaja, Dragon Eye, Rakunda, Deathbound, Zandyne, and Mazandyne.

Head north, east, south, east, south all the way down until the stonewall, then east for a cube with 50,000 Macca.  Turn around and head west toward the blue soul, then north on the higher, flat path.  Head east at the next fork, and continue east until the stonewall.  Turn north and follow the path downward until the fork.  Turn west to reach the front of the inner sanctum.  Open the door to retrieve the prize from Masakados.  To leave, take the northern route back to the yellow shrine.

The strategy for winning is basically the same for each Kishin.  Build up team strength using Tarukaja, while Debilitate tears down enemy stats.  Provoke or Taunt boost attack even further, and the party should be able to take the extra damage if properly trained into the 80-level range. Deal out the attacks, healing with Medidiharan when needed and making sure to use Freikugel (mine dealt 2500+ damage).  Remember to equip Magatama resistant to each element of the Kishin currently being challenged, as well as using party members with magical resistance.  I start with Bishamon as the first battle, because he is the easiest to travel toward and proves to be the toughest.  Defeating him first decreases the chance of losing further into the shrine; no save points exist like in other dungeon areas.