*********************************************************************** * * *+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++* * * * ___| | _ \ ___ \ * * \___ \ __| _` | __| | | __| _ \ _` | __ \ ) | * * | | ( | | | | ( __/ ( | | | __/ * * _____/ \__|\__,_|_| \___/ \___|\___|\__,_|_| _| _____| * * * *+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++* * * *********************************************************************** SECRETS FAQ For the Playstation Game Console Version 1.0 Last updated 8/14/2002 Last edited 8/9/2004 ||----------+----------|| || Table of Contents || ||----------+----------|| 0."Special" Two Year Preface by Hero 1.Introduction 2.Character info -Rena -Claude -Celine -Opera -Bowman -Precis -Ashton -Dias -Leon -Ernest -Noel -Chisato 3. Early Powerups -Stealing Dias' equipment -Weapons -Armor 4. Random Secrets · The best sword? · Leveling Tips · Ultimate boss strategies · Battlefield Glitch -DISCLAIMER This document is protected under US National and other International Copyright Laws. Violators will be prosecuted, and believe me, law enforcement officials will stop at nothing to find and arrest the guilty. You think you can get away with it? You think you`re safe behind your little computer? You won`t be. Every expendable resource will be used to find you, and the punishment will be severe, no slaps on the wrist here. Just ask Joe. Joe: I violated some copyright, and now I`m on death row! Copyright 2002 Hero and Red Get permission from one of us before using this walkthrough on your website. You`d be better off not claiming this FAQ is yours, so don`t. Don`t alter the FAQ or use it for any commercial purposes, or else. Contact Hero: Likeyoudon`talreadyknow.com Contact Red: Ontheedgeofforever@hotmail.com --------------------------- "Special" Two Year Preface --------------------------- Hero 6/2/2004 Well it has been two years since most of this content was written. As you may have noticed, it was co-written by me and Red here, and you can probably tell which parts he wrote because they always have some element of violence contained within. Originally, this was meant to be posted GameFAQs; now it has been relegated to my site where it will receive the attention it "deserves". ------------ Introduction ------------ Welcome to the Star Ocean 2: The Second Story "secrets" FAQ. In this FAQ we'll attempt to point out the more obscure facts and secrets of the game, as well as present a few challenges for "hardcore" fans and strategies as how to complete them. Some of the information in here will be from the old days of the Star Ocean 2 board, and I regret being unable to give credit to specific users due to it being a year or so back I aquired a lot of the information, but would instead like to give credit to the board and the users in general. +++++ -Red +++++ In addition, I`d like to say that this FAQ is organized by using special little dash marks that I`m sure you`ve never seen before. It makes it easier to read, so I`ve learned. ------ ~Hero ------ ------------------ [ Characters ] ------------------ Let`s meet the cast! This will be an overview of the characters, and there is some information you may, or may not know. And in the spirit of this FAQ the height and weight have been converted to more..... familiar measurements(if you live in the U.S., that is). Not that the conversion from metric to pounds and inches is a forgotten art, but I figured it was something extra to throw in. Note: Height has been rounded to inches. Rena Lanford Gender:Female Age: 17 Birth Date: May 13 Height: 5' 3'' Weight: 99 lbs. Favorite food: shortcake Favorite instrument: lyre One of the two main characters you can pick to play as. She comes from Expel, has blue hair, and in her character art holds a sword even though she never uses one. She throws some good punches early on but is weak later in the game. She is however one of the two healers in the game, and the better in terms of variety of healing spells. She's a bit carefree at first, but ends up in a struggle larger than she could ever guess. Claude C. Kenni Gender: Male Age: 19 Birth Date: January 23 Height: 5' 9'' Weight: 149.6 lbs Favorite food: steak Favotite instrument: Silver Trumpet The other main character. Claude is the son of Roxinis, a character from the original Star Ocean. He is a logical thinker that can always come up with a rational solution even in the worst of times. His wit is sharper than the majority of his swords, and he possesses the ability to act in an unselfish and unbiased way, often caring more for his friends than himself. He shows maturity beyond his years. In the beginning, he comes equipped with a phase gun, but after a short while, he discards it in favor of a less effective weapon with shorter range, the sword. Bowman Jean Gender: Male Age: 27 Birth Date: December 30 Height: 5' 9'' Weight: 171.6 lbs. Favorite food: daikon miso soup Favorite instrument: harmonica He's married, but that won't stop his playboy image. He's a pharmacist and a martial artist. He also possesses a few amusing voice clip. Bowman gives off that "man past his prime" persona, despite being 27. But that just makes it all the better. He beats on enemies and then shoves pills down their throat, which make suprisingly effective weapons. Will Bowman remain faithful to his wife, or pursue younger love? Opera Vectra Gender: Female Age: 23 Birth Date: August 24 Height: 5' 4'' Weight: 110 lbs. Favorite food: apple cider Favortie instrument: piano She comes from Tetragenes, has three eyes, and sports an interesting dress and jacket combo. She uses guns- fairly large ones, and makes a hobby of beating enemies with their stocks. She's looking for her boyfriend Ernest. A real "stand by your man" kind of girl. Although it is ironic that if you find Ernest it is easier to get her to pair up with someone else, as opposed to if you don't it is fairly difficult. Guilt issues? Who knows. All that's certain is that she kicks some serious ass. Celine Jules Gender: Female Age:23 Birth Date: September 19 Height: 5' 6'' Weight: 110 lbs. Favorite food: baby rabbit risotto Favorite instrument: violin Celine Jules, and what a set of jewels she has. She has something akin to a shower curtain around her, and looks like she is wearing a towl in her character art. A child of two respected mages in Mars Village, she has a very adventurous spirit, leading to much treasure hunting. She also has a thing for calling everyone "darling." A user of magic, she packs some decent spells. Also the first character you can recruit that uses some serious multi target spells. Precis Newmann Gender: Female Age: 16 Birth Date: Febuary 29 Height: 5' 2'' Weight: 94.6 lbs. Favorite food: chocolate crepes Favorite instrument: harmonica Precis is an hyperactive girl hailing from Linga. She creates many mechanical toys for her pleasure, including a robot named Bobot, and a mechanical hand, the latter of which also makes for a decent weapon, among other things. There`s no doubt she has a technical mind, and takes too many ritalin pills. Although it may not look like it, she can kill as ruthlessly and visciously as any other character. Use her if you wish, but you run the risk of shoving a screw driver in your eyesocket due to her voice. Whee whee! Ashton Anchors Gender: Male Age: 20 Birth Date: Septemeber 28 Height: 5' 11'' Weight: 176 Favorite food: hamburger Favorite instrument: piano Ashton is an unlucky man, who has an obssession with barrels. Why he likes barrels so much, or when this obssession started, is truly a mystery, although fans like to theorize about it. No one really knows, but if someone does, they`re probably lying. As a child, he was.....young. Other than that, nothing is known about his early years. In his adventures as a traveling swordsman, he eventually hooks up with some dragons, and they have a blast. He carries two swords, as well as two dragons, which can get quite heavy at times. It`s a wonder how he is one of the faster characters in the game. Ashton would certainly get a lot luckier if Expel was inhabited by some of the fangirls that are here on Earth. Dias Flac Gender: Male Age: 25 Birth Date: August 5 Height: 6' 4'' Weight: 180.4 lbs. Favorite food: chicken skewers Favorite instruments: cembalo He likes his swords sharp, his enemies dead, and his chicken skewered. His tragic past has turned him into a rather cold vagrant, with Rena being his only real tie to a happier past. He doesn't like Claude much at first but respects his fighting spirit. Dias absolutely hates bandits and has a firm sense of justice. His fighting style apparently is a blend of martial arts and swordsmanship, and he is definitely good at what he does. If you cross Dias don't plan on waking up tomorrow. Leon D.S. Geeste Gender: Male Age: 12 Birth Date: November 29 Height: 4' 6'' Weight: 79.2 lbs. Favorite food: carrot juice Favorite instrument: violin Leon is a scientist who originates from Lacour Castle. He works with his parents on various projects, and invents the Lacour Hope, the ultimate weapon of destruction. He`s a genius, especially for his age, and is as good as magic as he is with science. He gets bossed around a bit by the older characters, but he knows that one day, he will destroy them all. Not only is he an expert at dark magic and summoning evil demons to unleash their wrath upon innocent and unsuspecting enemies, he`s kawaii too. But don`t let that fool you, once he whips out his oversized book of Heraldic Arts, you`ll find your pants less dry than they should be. Ernest Raviede Birth Date: August 31 Height: 6' 4'' Weight: 198 lbs. Favorite food: hassaku tea Favorite instrument: cembalo Before it gets too long, he must whip it. When something comes along, he must whip it! Ernest's weapon of choice is a whip. And, he whips it good. This sucker's whip doesn't go limp, he could teach Indiana Jones athing or two. He's an archaelologist with a voice that makes him sound 50,has 3 eyes,but he still manages to have a girlfriend that is 12 years younger than him. Perhaps his whip is larger than most? Whatever the case, he is a big catch. A three foot trout is impressive, but there is no larger fish than Ernest. CRACK THAT WHIP, LICORICE WHIP! Noel Chandler Birth Date: Febuary 16 Height: 5' 8'' Weight: 162.8 lbs. Favorite food: big tuna Favorite instrument: shamisen Noel. Enigma to the masses. Why are his eyes always scrunched up? Why does he prefer the company of small furry animals? What's so great about big tuna? No one knows. That's probably for the better. He's a healer and attack mage combined. This means he doesn't get the best of either, but gets variety if nothing else. Just remember. Touch his bunny and you get a backhand slap to the face. And some possible turf in your mouth. Although Noel's favorite food is big tuna, he secretly yearns for the biggest fish of them all. Chisato Madison Gender: Female Birth Date: October 22 Height: 5' 5'' Weight: 114.4 lbs Favorite food: Fruit Sandwich Favorite Instrument: Organ Chisato is a lady with flaming red hair, and a flaming personality as well. In fact, it seems there is FIRE in everything she does- especially her job as a news reporter in Central City. She`s willing to do anything to get the latest scoop, even play for the other team. Her choice of weapons are rather shocking, as most enemies will soon find out. But for some reason, she decides to tape them to the heel of her shoe. I guess it works for her, as she knows a wide variety of martial arts techniques, such as summoning a giant skull to spray tear gas on enemies and making missiles drop on spots in the battlefield where, just seconds before, an enemy was located. Remember, don`t ever lend her your deck of cards. |---------------------------| < Early Powerups > |---------------------------| -------------------------- Stealing Dias' Equipment -------------------------- After the boss battle in Heraldry Forest, unequip all of Dias' equipment. This will work only on Rena`s file. |--------| Weapons |--------| Making the Mefula on the first disc ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ If you didn't know, the Mefula is Ashton's "ultimate weapon." You'll need the reverse side skill, as well as a high customize skill level. You can't do this before you get to Linga because you need the vellum paper in order to use reverse side. Once you meet these requirements, follow these steps. You also need Damascus, if you don't have any fight in the desert area on the other side of XINE's mountain (the western mountains.) 1.Do reverse side till you make at least one fill up. 2.Sell ALL bounced checks made. 3.Use you fill up(s) till you get a Scyther. Reset if necessary. 4.Customize the Scyther with the Damascus, to make the Mefula. This will take a lot of reloading, patience is a virtue. Marvel Sword on First Disc ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ First off, you need to buy the Bandit Gloves, if you don`t have some already. Then pickpocket the old man near the east entrance of Mars Village. He will give you a treasure box, and the treasure box will give you a random item, one of which may be the Marvel Sword. If not, reload the file and try again. It may take a while, but if you`re desperate to have a powerful sword, then try it out. Also, after you get it, you can customize it with Orichilim to get a Silvance, which is a far better sword then the Marvel. Again, if it doesn`t work, reload. Eternal Sphere on First Disc You can get this right after you get the Sharp Edge from Gamgee. Talk to him right after the tournament in Lacour, and he`ll give the sword to you. Customize this with Mythril to get a Minus Edge, and customize it again with another Mythril to obtain the Enternal Sphere. ---------- Armor ---------- You can use blacksmithing to get better armor then most of the stuff that is availible to buy. Blacksmith Damascus to get a Core Plate. ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ This is the strongest armor you can possess on the first disc, besides the Battle Suit. You can use the Damascus to get the Chaos Mail, Bloody Armor and Bloody Helm as well, but these won`t be beneficial to you in the early going. Blacksmith Orhicalon for Barrier Armor, Barrier Shield, Neo Greaves, Hermits Helm ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ These will provide some elemental protection, and are much better than any armor you can buy. ----------------------- The Ultimate Sword ----------------------- It`s been long debated over which is the "better" sword- Levantine, with it`s 3000 attack power, or the Eternal Sphere, which sprays stars? However, few people have mentioned the Holy Sword Farwell. This, in fact, is the best weapon. Besides it`s obvious stat raising characteristics, it is more powerful then the Levantine. In case you didn`t get that, it does more damage then the Levantine. So at this point, you might be saying, "Wait a minute, you dumbass, 3000 is greater than 1900!" Well, first off, the Holy Sword Farwell increases your combat skills, but more importantly, it magnifies the power of your accessories, multiplying any attack boost into it`s own attack power. So equipping a Tri Emblem or Atlas Ring would great increase the power. The base strength of the HSF may also have something to do with the strength of the character, but one thing is for sure- it is definately more than 1900. If you still don`t believe me, go ahead and test it out yourself. More than one naysayer has been proven wrong, care to add yourself to the list? (Note: No one is keeping a list) Red Tenchi Some bag on the SO2 board ------------------------ Ultimate Boss Strategies ------------------------ Solo Iseria Queen Slaying This is for the crazy people that not only want to beat the game, they want to tenderize it. The point of this section is to give strategies as how to kill Iseria Queen with only one character. Beware. This may cause ulcers. And plenty of them. +++++ -Red +++++ Well, ket's get started, first with what you need to go about this. -Who is Iseria Queen, and how do I fight her? First, finish the last floor in the Cave of Trials. You will receive the Silver Trumpet. Compose with it till you learn The Evil Melody. As soon as you go back into the field you will be fighting her. -Fighting her alone? But I have 8 characters! Use mandrakes on the other 3 on your fighting team. -What items will I need? I recommend all the syrups you can get. You can buy some in Lacour. But fresh syrups are a different story. These restore your HP to the max, and are vital to sucess. Either reproduce ones you already own, or make them in compounding. Rose Hips+ Lavender, or, Lavender+ Aceras= Fresh Syrup (and a few other things, but you want the syrup.) Also, you will want to use care tablets. These will prevent you from being stoned when fighting her. Make them in compounding. Artemis Leaf+ Artemis Leaf= Care tablet (among other things.) -How Much HP does she have? 3300000 HP on Earth mode I believe. -Where should I fight her? The Cave of Trials beach. No obstacles, very large battle field. -Any other tips? Hold square while you fight her so you can see the whole battle field. This is key in dodging her attacks. ------ Dias ------ Suggested level: 200+ Equipment -Levatine Sword -Seraphic Garb -Valiant Guard -Duel Helm -Valiant Boots -Beserk Ring -Angel Armband Levatine Sword because of the attack power. You need every bit you can get. Seraphic Garb because its increasing defense effect, it'll reduce some of her hits to 0 damage if you're around 2000 HP. Valiant Guard because its the best shield. Duel helm for defensive power. Valiant boots for nice defense and increased speed. Beserk ring because it doubles your damage. Angel Armband just because it seems really nifty, plus it adds 200 magic- and magic defense is something you'll need. Suggested KMs -Airslash Quick execution, long range, and the best part is that it can attack from any angle. You'll need this to open up for stronger attacks. -Illusion I my opinion, the best multi hit KM in the game. Why? It only hits 4 times! But, it takes less than 2 seconds to competely execute. That means if you miss, big deal. Also some of the hits effect the area around Dias- so if something tries to escape you still get them. I hardly ever see any enemy block this move. And, you can chain them together very easily. 8 hits in less than 4 seconds isn't bad. Make sure its proficiency is high enough so it hits 4 times. | Slaying Her | First, hold square so you can see the field. Move up or down if she does her cross attack. Launch off a airslash or 2 to prevent her from doing Shadow Flare, which will take 6000 out of you. Don't worry about Meteor Swarm, it will heal you. Use a Care Tablet before you move in. You have a couple options now. Either you can dodge her crosses and other attacks for a long time and use airslash, or you can move in for the kill. If you're feeling aggressive, launch off a few airslashes. When it hits her rush in with an illusion. If you can, hit her from whatever side is closer to one edge of the screen. This is because once she gets in a string of illusions, the only way she can get out is by spinning around. The key to doing a lot of damage to her then, is by illusioning her in a row to the other side of the screen. You can take a chance and hit her while she is at the other side, but she may kill you. Then again, if you hit her and she tries to escape you can pull off another string of them till you get her on the other side of the screen. Use your best judgement. When she hits you and you have 6000 HP left, use a fruit syrup for HP and MP healing. Anywhere below use a fresh syrup to heal all your HP. Better safe than sorry. Also, be forewarned that her spell Word of Death hardly ever works. But when it does it will piss you off. | Where to find Equipment | Levatine Sword- Cave of Trials. Seraphic Garb- Cave of Trials. Valiant Guard- Cave of Trials Duel Helm- Master Blacksmith, Damascus. Need Magical Rasp. Valiant Boots- Cave of Trials. Beserk Ring- Have Claude metalwork ruby. Angel Armband- Last floor of Cave of Trials. |Odd battle field trick/glitch| *I highly suggest you do not do this on your original game, make a back up one. Play "Enter the Hero," and quickly save your game. Your game must be saved before the song ends. Then turn your console off. Turn it back on, and load. Make sure you don't go to the menu yet. Go into any town of your choice, and open the menu screen. Cancel, and voila.