Bloodstained Hands

Hidden Content will be indicated by yellow text. If you are looking for hidden cutscenes, extra boss fights, or additional game lore, look for content labeled with this colour.

Treasure will be highlighted with red text. I won't highlight all treasures, especially if they're particularly obvious, but I will label treasures that are either extremely useful, somewhat hidden, or ones that only become available after a certain point. Treasures that are both useful and considered Hidden Content will be labeled with Orange text.

Side missions will be labeled with green text. If a side mission is available at a certain point, I will label it with green.

Hopefully this will help you sort through the guide to find the specific content you are looking for. (And yes, I can indeed spell colour with a U. I'm Canadian eh, so get used to it. You'll also see things like "armour." It's perfectly acceptable English.)

After the opening cutscene of the game, you will find yourself in Rain's room upstairs in his house. Head down the stairs and speak to Matthew. He will direct you to collect several items from around the village. First is his pack, located at the Cyana Spring, which can be found in the upper-right-most corner of the village. Hiring a carriage can be done at the Pub by speaking to the man in the green cloak located at the bar. Collecting water from the well is done by activating the well. Return to Matthew in between each of these actions to progress the opening sequence. During this opening sequence, there will be an Academ available at the Inn who will tell you a story about the Pantheon, revealing some of the lore of the game. This person will not appear after this sequence. Once you have completed each of these tasks, speak to Matthew again to rest for the day.

The following cutscene is pretty straightforward, and simply requires you to follow Matthew and Grey outside, where you will eventually end up in the Sanctuary, starting your training and ending the opening sequence. There is an optional alternate ending available during this sequence, if you care to look for it. If you don't want to find it yourself, simply read below.

Alternate Ending
To trigger the alternate ending, do not follow Matthew and Grey outside immediately. Instead, go back upstairs to Rain's room, then search the shelf behind the stairs multiple times. Doing so will reveal an Iron Sword hidden in the shelf, which will automatically equip to Rain. Leaving the house with the sword equipped will trigger a fight with Gareth and his soldiers. If by some miracle you win this battle (which is possible if attempted on New Game Plus), a final cutscene will occur, which concludes with a Game Over screen, concluding the alternate ending.

The training sequence is even more straightforward than the opening sequence, so I won't go into too much detail. Simply find Shadow and speak to him to continue the sequence. It is worth mentioning the abilities you can learn at this point though. Early in training, Shadow will ask a series of questions to determine how he should train you. These questions will lead to you choosing your own path, one of three choices. I will detail each of them below.

Endurance Assassin - Selecting this option will increase your HP by 100 and your Defense by 10. You will also learn Cauterize, which can restore the HP of the user and cure them of most status ailments. Higher levels will heal more HP. If you choose this, Marisa will learn Venom, and Shadow will learn Shroud.

Stealth Assassin - Selecting this option will increase your Agility by 10. You will also learn Shroud, which when successfully applied will negate all physical damage done to the user for a short time. Higher levels will increase the success rate of using this skill. If you choose this, Marisa will learn Cauterize and Shadow will learn Venom.

Combat Assassin - Selecting this option will increase your Strength and Spirit by 10. You will also learn Venom, which deals poison damage and has a chance to poison most foes, inflicting moderate damage over time. Higher levels will increase the base damage of using the skill. If you choose this, Marisa will learn Shroud and Shadow will learn Cauterize.

Near the end of your training, Shadow will ask you to kill a guard. You can choose to kill him or refuse. Selecting either option will not immediately affect gameplay, but will have an effect of an interaction between Rain and Shadow at a later point in the game. After you have completed your training, you will meet Marisa and receive your first weapon from her. You can then accept missions from the Guildmaster, as well as learn about missions from the other Assassins. Collect your first mission from the Guildmaster, then leave the Sanctuary.

A quick note about some of the features of the Sanctuary. Near the entrance to the Sanctuary is a list with the names of the members of the guild. Activating this list will allow you to change your name. Regardless of which name you choose, other characters will refer to you by that name as though you had always had that name. There is also a small chest in the room at the bottom-left-most side of the Sanctuary containing 5 lockpicks. In this same room is an Assassin named the Alchemist who offers side missions after a certain point, and always has a small shop where you can purchase lockpicks, toxins, smoke bombs, and shuriken. It is recommended that you purchase a few more lockpicks before moving on.

Something to consider...
During your training, you'll pay a visit to the Belua Barracks, where a soldier is beating a prisoner. The soldier makes a comment about how the village is descended from criminals. He's not wrong, actually. Bit of lore here, don't you think it odd that there's a village so far from anywhere else in the world, sharing only one other feature with the landscape, which happens to be a prison? Truthfully, the prison is older than the village, and was build as a maximum security prison far from civilization. During the reign of one of the previous Emperors, the prisoners there were pardoned, with the condition that they settle the land there. Some of the prisoners settled near the ocean, where Cyana was built, and some of them left to build a village in the middle of the Caeli Forest, where Emerdala now sits. Through the generations, the villages stayed quite small, but due to the rich farmland, they grew prosperous, and the villagers changed their stripes through hard work and sacrifice. Rain and his family, as well as most of the rest of the villagers are descended from the original settlers, who were at one time prisoners sent to maximum security. The prison had been largely unused since then, until Gareth came to the village to collect Mia.

Now that you can leave the Sanctuary, it's time for your first mission. There isn't much that you can do to prepare for this one, except for fighting some wild battles outside Cyana to gain experience if you choose. You can rest in the beds at the Sanctuary to fully recover for free and change the time of day. Leave Cyana and head towards the prison. There's only one way you can go, so it shouldn't be difficult to find.

After passing through the small woods and entering the prison, you will find a guard. Speaking to him will trigger combat. Kill the guard, then head through the prison floor by floor. On each floor will be another guard that will walk towards you and instantly trigger combat on touch. Killing these guards will provide you with keys to the prisoners cells. Kill the guards, open the cell doors, then speak with the prisoners to free them. On one floor, one cell will be open and a cutscene will trigger as you approach.

Keep freeing the prisoners until you reach the top floor. Killing the guard here will give you a cell key as well as an armoury key. Open the cell and speak to Grey, who will join your party. Grey is a mage, and has a very weak physical attack, but starts with two spells that will level up with use. As you head back through the prison, reinforcements will arrive, and you will have to fight sets of three guards on each floor on your way out. Fight your way back to the main floor, but before you leave, head down the stairs to the Barracks. Open the cell door in the barracks using the Armoury Key you obtained earlier, then open the chests inside. One opens freely, and contains a Wooden Staff that Grey can equip. The other is locked, and requires lockpicks to open. Once opened, it contains 500 Gold. Collect your treasures, equip Grey with his new weapon, and leave the prison. Return to the Sanctuary and speak to the Guildmaster to finish the mission.

After a cutscene between Rain and Grey, speak to the Guildmaster again to receive your next mission. You will be tasked with killing a soldier in the Caeli Forest. To reach the forest, you must first acquire a boat. The reward you get for freeing the prisoners is more than sufficient to afford the boat, however you have an opportunity to receive more Gold first. Leave the Sanctuary, then head to the house at the upper-most edge of the village, next to the farmland. Inside the house is a woman with scarlet hair who will reward you for freeing her with 500 Gold. From here, go to the pub and speak to the same man you spoke to earlier to hire a carriage for Matthew. He will offer to sell you a boat for 800 Gold. Purchase the boat, then prepare to leave the village. You may wish to stock up on medicines and a few remedies, plus a stimulant or two from the local merchant located behind the pub.

Once you leave the village, cross the river with the boat you purchased and head into the Caeli Forest. This dungeon is pretty simple, and doesn't have too many alternate paths, although there is plenty of treasure in this dungeon worth collecting. In the first area of the forest, you will see a chest on a small plateau that cannot be accessed from your current location. Move on through this area until you get close to the next transit. While you are doing this, make a point to stop at each of the multi-coloured bushes along the side of the path. Activating these bushes will give you herbs, which can be used to make potions a little later on. Before you leave this area, look to the left of the map transit. There is a narrow, faint path that leads off to the side. You can follow this path now if you'd like, but you'll have a chance to backtrack later if you don't want to get it now. Following this path will lead to the second area of the forest, which then loops back to the first area on the opposite side of a bridge leading to the chest you saw earlier. Cross the bridge and open the chest, which requires lockpicks. Inside the chest you will find a Shadow Cloak, a tier 2 armour for either Rain or Marisa. Equip the cloak, then head back the way you came.

Following the main path through to the second area, you will find that this area has a path that cuts straight through the center of the map. Follow this path, but just before you reach the next map transit, search the chest directly north of the transit. This chest also requires lockpicks, but is well worth it, as it contains a Bronze Kunai. Equip this weapon to whichever assassin is only using the one Bronze Dagger, so that they can now dual wield. This should make combat much easier and increase your damage output significantly.

Continue on through the forest, entering the third area of the forest. Following the path through this area will lead to a fork in the road. You can either go back the way you came, you can go south through another transit to the world map, or you can go to the right and then up to carry on through the forest. At this point it is recommended that you stop in Emerdala for supplies and rest, so take the south road to the map transit. You'll find yourself on the world map in front of the village of Emerdala. Enter the village.

Once you enter Emerdala, you can rest at the Inn, stock up on supplies, and buy new gear. The Armoury offers headbands and gloves for both mages and assassins, as well as alternate weapon choices if you feel like switching things around. Speaking to a man at the Inn will reveal that there may be a treasure hidden somewhere in the village. Head to the upper-left-most corner of Emerdala, past the cave house, past the trees, right to the edge of the village. Behind a tree, if you are facing up, press the selection key. A lockpicking screen will appear. Pick the lock on the hidden chest, and you will find a Life Tome. Equipping this tome to Grey will teach him Life I while the tome is equipped, and when the spell has been used ten times in combat, the spell will become a permanent addition to his spell list. The last thing to do before leaving Emerdala is to head to the bottom-left-most cave house in the village. Speak to the woman there, and she will offer you an alchemy kit, as well as the option to buy herbs. Accept the kit, then speak to her again. She will offer you an optional side-mission, Green Thumb. Accept the mission, the leave the village. I would recommend purchasing some green herbs before leaving, approximately 10, so that when you discover red and blue herbs in your travels you can immediately turn them into potions.

Return to the Caeli Forest, then take the right-hand path. This path will lead back to the second area of the forest, but before you take the map transit, search carefully along the right-hand side of the path. A small chest is hidden among the trees, containing a Toxin. Continue through the map transit, then follow the path through the second area in a wide half-circle. At the upper-most edge of this path is another small chest, slightly concealed behind a birch tree. This chest contains a Stimulant. Follow the remainder of the path, through the transit to the third area again, then continue following the path until you reach the final transit and the final area of the forest.

Within the final area, the Caeli Grove, you will encounter a green-clad soldier fighting a silver-clad soldier. Before starting this fight, search along the edge of the trees on the right side of the clearing. There is a chest hidden here that requires lockpicks to open and contains a Sleep Badge. This will be useful in the next dungeon, and provides a comparable stat increase to the Light Gloves that Grey can equip. Interact with the green soldier to start your first boss fight. The fight is simple, and doesn't require any specific strategy. You'll receive another temporary party member for this fight. Once the soldier reaches a certain amount of health, he will heal and call for reinforcements. The reinforcements are weak, and shouldn't pose a challenge. Kill the soldiers, at which point a cutscene will take place, warping you back to the Inn at Emerdala.

After the cutscene, leave Emerdala and backtrack through the Caeli forest, returning to the Sanctuary. When you get to the entrance to the Caeli Forest, you will be ambushed by a giant spider, and the first truly challenging boss battle will begin. Atlach Nacha is a giant spider, is fast, hits hard, has a critical hit chance, and a few skills that can be deadly. In particular, this boss makes use of Sleep magic, which can disable a party member for several turns. Having the Sleep Badge acquired earlier equipped to a player will resist this magic, and it is recommended to equip Grey with this item. There's no point in focusing on healing for this fight, as any health you recover will not be able to keep up with Atlach Nacha's strength and speed. Your best bet is to attack as much as possible, and focus on using Grey's Fire spells, as this boss has a weakness to Fire. It is recommended that you don't start this fight until you are at least level 7 or 8, and have Grey's Fire spell to at least Fire II. Kill the Atlach Nacha, then proceed to returning to the Sanctuary. Speak to the Guildmaster to turn in the mission and trigger another cutscene.

After the cutscene, you won't be able to leave the Sanctuary, but you can now accept missions from the other Assassins, as you have discovered mission locations. It is recommended that you don't take any of these missions just yet, as you'll have a faster method of transportation become available to you after the next story mission. Speak to the Guildmaster, where you'll be warped to outside the Caeli Forest near Emerdala.

Something to consider...
At this point, I've been asked before, "Why didn't the Guildmaster simply hire a carriage for you in the first place? What was the point of trekking through the forest?" The simple answer is that when he sent you on the mission, he knew a soldier was hiding in the forest, but he didn't know where. For all he knew, the soldier could have been closer to the Cyana edge of the forest. Now that the soldier is dead and your mission complete, there's no more reason for you to walk through the whole forest again. Hence, carriage.

Back in Emerdala, speak to Sebastian again at the Inn. He will join your party, and you can now use the boat docked to the East of the village. There is also some equipment at the Armoury in Emerdala that you can't get anywhere else that Sebastian can equip. Most notably, the Bronze Helm, as well as the Bronze Cuirass if you feel like switching from his regular armour. Leave the village and head East, and board the ship, where a short cutscene will take place. After the cutscene, you'll dock outside Amethyne.

Within Amethyne there are a number of shops with good quality equipment. It's recommended to upgrade your weapons at the very least. Iron Daggers and Katanas can be bought from the merchant on the left, and one of the merchants behind the Inn carries equipment for mages, including an upgraded staff and some spell tomes. This merchant will also explain how spell tomes work if you are unsure. The tomes may be too expensive to afford just yet, but you'll want to keep them in mind for later.

If you are having trouble affording the equipment at these shops, pay a visit to the Pub. Once you enter the pub, Sebastian will walk to the bar, indicating that he is not present for any conversations that take place in the pub. In the corner of the pub is a fellow Assassin named Sanguine, who offers missions to kill a target in a random location. During this mission, you can accept contracts from him repeatedly, but he will only offer you missions to kill a target within Amethyne, and his regular reward will be halved. If you accept missions from him, it is recommended you perform them at night, as your targets will be reinforced by guards during the day. In addition, Sebastian will not be in your party while you are carrying out these missions, as he has no knowledge of the Hidden Blades. Once Bombs Away is completed, Sanguine will return to the Sanctuary, and you will not be able to accept missions from him at the pub any longer.

Once you've upgraded your equipment, head through the city towards Castle Amethyne to the far north. You can feel free to stop and chat with the townsfolk if you'd like, and the church in Amethyne North is a good place to learn more about the lore of the world. Each day will be a new sermon, on a four day rotation, with the fourth day being a "day of reflection." Regardless, once you've explored the city to your satisfaction, head to the palace.

In Castle Amethyne, head to the end of the Great Hall. In the top left corner of the Great Hall, there is a small open doorway. Going through this doorway leads to the kitchen, where you can find a potion recipe page sitting on a table in the corner. Weave your way between the servants to grab the page, the return to the Great Hall. From there, head through the large double doors towards the Throne Room. In the Throne Room, speak with King Samson, who will lend you the support of Sebastian for the duration of your mission. With all that complete, leave the Castle, and make your way back out of the city.

Before leaving the city, you can also enter the Pub and speak to the bartender to receive the side-mission "Ringleader." The mission is fairly challenging at your current level, so it might be best to ignore it for the time being until gaining some more experience.

Outside the city, head towards Mount Fulmen. The mountain can be found far to the Northeast. There are two entrances, a path entrance and a cave entrance. The cave entrance leads to the base of an elevator that cannot be accessed yet. Take the path entrance instead. Make your way through the first region, collecting the small chest along the way. Once you enter the second region, one of the Fulmen Mines, you will see a locked chest in an isolated area. There is no discernible way to access this chest, but it's actually quite simple. Go up the small ladder to the upper ledge in the cave, then search along the wall to your right. You can walk through the wall through a hidden tunnel that will give you access to this area. From here, you can open the locked chest. The chest contains an Iron Axe, which is an improvement over Sebastian's currently equipped weapon, as he only has had access to Bronze weaponry up to this point. Equip the Iron Axe, then move on to the next region up the long ladder out of the cave.

The next few regions are straightforward, with a few small chests along the way, but one chest will be behind a stone that cannot be mined without a pickaxe. Ignore the chest for now, you'll be able to get it later. Carry on through Mount Fulmen, until you reach the peak. Before you enter the cave at the peak, check the open ledge to the right of the cave entrance. You'll find a locked chest with a Lightning Circlet for Grey. Equip the circlet, then enter the cave at the peak. Inside the cave, you'll encounter three sergeants that you'll fight after speaking to. Mid-way through this fight, a Lieutenant will reinforce the sergeants, unless you manage to kill all three in less than ten turns. Finish the fight, then activate one of the purple pillars in the cave. You'll be able to collect the key ingredient for this mission from those pillars. In this cave there is also a small chest, and a Bronze Pickaxe lying on the ground. Collect the pickaxe, then leave the area. If you want to go back and mine the stones throughout the mountain, you can, including getting access to the chest hidden behind one of those stones. Or, you can go through the other exit from the mines, and use the elevator for a shortcut to the base of the mountain. Regardless, leave the mountains and return to Amethyne.

Once back in Amethyne, enter the Inn and speak to the man seated at the table. You could have spoken to him before, but now he'll offer to make you bombs using the ingredient you gathered from the mines. While the bombs are being made, a cutscene will begin between Fang and Marisa. Following this cutscene, you'll receive the bombs. Leave Amethyne and head south, entering the blocked off passage. Activate each of the boulders in this pass, using one bomb each time to clear the pass. Once the pass is cleared, return to Amethyne, head through the city to the Castle, and speak to King Samson one more time. You may wish to unequip Sebastian first, as he is about to leave your party. After speaking to Samson, Sebastian will leave, and you will get access to the ship that took you to Amethyne. You can now travel freely between Cyana, Emerdala, and Amethyne, which means you can now accept missions from the assassins in the Sanctuary and complete them for extra gold. Leave Amethyne, board the ship back to Cyana, return to the Sanctuary, and speak to the Guildmaster to finish this mission.

This mission will require lockpicks, so it is best to resupply from the Assassin in the bottom left corner of the Sanctuary before leaving. In addition, there is a hidden cutscene available at this point that will not be available after this mission. To view the cutscene, leave the Sanctuary and enter Rain's house at night. A cutscene will play out between Rain and Marisa that goes into more detail behind Marisa's backstory. After this cutscene, take the ship back to Amethyne and head through the now-clear mountain pass to the south. Interact with the boat docked on the beach and you'll be transported to the Five Islands Port. Talk to the captain, and he will explain that in order to traverse the Five Islands, certain signal fires need to be lit at the top of the towers located on two of the islands. He will offer to take you to Rubana, so pay the fee and board the boat.

In Rubana, there is a shop with basic supplies as well as the first Blacksmith of the game. Blacksmiths can forge weapons and armour of their specified metal, in this case iron. In order to forge equipment, you need raw materials. Using the Bronze Pickaxe you acquired at the peak of Mount Fulmen, you can mine the stones in that region to obtain Iron Ore. At the blacksmith, you can convert two Iron Ore into one Iron Ingot, which you can then convert to Iron weapons and Armour. Your equipment is likely sufficient at this point, so you most likely won't need to use the blacksmith, but the mechanics are good to get familiar with for future cities.

Once you've arrived in Rubana, you'll see a guard with green armour standing outside the lighthouse. Speaking to the guard during the day will reveal that there is a letter inside the lighthouse that permits travel to the Tower of Unda, where one of the signal fires has been doused. The lighthouse is locked, however, so you'll need to return at night. You can sleep at the Inn or simply wait. At night, the guard will be asleep on the job, and you can pick the lock on the lighthouse door. Inside the lighthouse will be a letter on a table. Collect the letter, then leave and speak to the boat captain again. Giving him the letter will allow you to travel to the Tower of Unda. Pay the fee and travel to the tower.

Tower of Unda
The Tower of Unda uses a system of drains that block your passage. The left side of the room will have a drain with flowing water, whereas the drain on the right side is not flowing and can be passed. Enter the room on the right side and flip both of the switches on the wall. One switch will change the flow of water for the drain on the right, and the other switch will change the flow for both drains. Flipping both switches once will stop the flow from both drains and allow you to proceed to the next floor.

2nd Floor
The second floor is a little more challenging. There are three drains, with water flowing through the drain on the bottom right. Head to the chamber at the bottom left of the map, where you'll find two switches on the wall. One switch will rotate the flow of water between the drains, and the other switch will alternate the flow of water from the middle drain. Use the switch on the left twice to rotate the flow of water so that only the top middle drain is flowing. Then use the switch on the right to disable the flow from that drain. Your path should now be clear to the third floor.

3rd Floor
On the third floor, there are three drains, but only two of them will block passage. All three of them will be flowing. Go to the right side of the room, where you'll find two switches. One of these switches will switch the flow of water for the middle drain. The other switch will rotate the flow of water between the left and middle drain. Use the switch on the right first to disable the flow of water in the middle drain. Then, use the switch on the left to move the flow from the left drain to the middle drain. At this point, you can enter the next room, but before you do, go back and use the switch on the right once more so that the only drain that is flowing is the one on the right. Otherwise you'll get stuck. Once you've cleared the left and middle drains, enter the room on the left. In this room are two more switches. One of them will rotate the water between the left and right drains, and the other will rotate the water between all three drains. Ignore the switch on the right. Use the switch on the left two times, and the water will move to the middle drain, leaving the left and right drains clear and allowing access to the fourth floor.

4th Floor
On the roof of the tower, activate the switch in the center of the map to light the signal fire. That's all there is to do here, so leave this floor and make your way back to the entrance of the tower. Back at the dock, you can now travel to Topale, so speak to the captain and head to this new destination.

Once in Topale, go to the lighthouse and break in. There won't be a guard outside, so you can do this at any time of day. Inside the lighthouse will be a note. Reading this note will reveal that the letter you need to travel to the next island is being held by a sergeant, and that this sergeant is taking night patrols. Leave the lighthouse and make sure that it is night time. You may rest at the Inn to change the time of day if necessary. Once it is night time, search the bottom left part of the town of Topale. You should see a green sergeant. Interact with him to start a brief battle, after which you will acquire the authorization letter. Give this letter to the boat captain, who will then offer to take you to the Tower of Lux. Board the boat, cross the island and enter the Tower of Lux.

Tower of Lux
This is by far the most complicated dungeon in the game. There are several drains on each floor, with multiple switches that control the flow of water in different ways, blocking certain paths while revealing others. You will need to backtrack through certain areas in order to properly progress through this dungeon, and leaving the dungeon may prove challenging as well. With all that said, pay close attention to which floor you are on, and test out each switch you find to discover how they operate. To help show which drains should be active at which times, I will use the following system.

X - Indicates a drain that is NOT flowing
O - Indicates a drain that IS flowing

Every floor has drains laid out in a row, so for example, a layout such as this...

X O X O

...would mean that the drain on the far left and the third drain from the left are NOT flowing, whereas the second drain from the left and the drain on the far right ARE flowing. I will label the drains on each floor from left to right, from 1 - 4.

1st Floor
On the first floor, you will find four drains. They should initially appear as follows:

O O X X

Follow the path around the outer ring to the right, where you'll eventually find two green switches on the outer wall. The switch on the left will rotate the flow of drains 2 and 3, and the switch on the right will rotate the flow for drains 3 and 4. Use the switch on the left first, then use the switch on the right. This should leave you with a configuration such as this...

O X X O

Proceed to the inner ring, around until you reach a small room with two blue switches on the wall. The left switch will rotate the flow between drains 1, 2, and 3. The right switch will alternate the flow for drain 3. Use the left switch two times, then use the right switch once. The flow should now look like this...

X X X O

Head back to the first set of green switches and use the switch on the right to clear the flow from drain 4. You should now have a clear path to the second floor.

2nd Floor (first visit)
The second floor has a drain orientation as follows:

O X O X

As you make your way through this floor, you will come across a set of stairs on the outer ring. Ignore these stairs for now. Carry on through to the left inner-most room, where you will find a staircase and a blue switch on the wall. Activate this switch. This switch rotates the flow between drains 2 and 3. The flow of this room should now look like this:

O O X X

Your way back is now blocked, so head up the staircase in this room.

3rd Floor (first visit)
When you enter this floor, the drain orientation should be as follows:

O O X O

Immediately in front of you will be a blue switch. This switch will rotate the flow of water between drains 3 and 4. Do NOT use this switch yet. Instead, progress through to the center chamber. This chamber will also have a blue switch. This switch rotates the flow of water from drains 2 and 3. Use this switch. The flow should now look like this:

O X O O

Continue through this floor through the now-open left path. On the outer wall, you will find two green switches. The switch on the left will rotate the flow for drains 1 and 2. The switch on the right will rotate the flow for drains 2 and 3. Ignore the switch on the right and activate the switch on the left. The drains should now appear like this:

X O O O

Continue through this floor around the left side, where you'll find a staircase leading down. Head down these stairs back to the second floor.

2nd Floor (second visit)
On the second floor, you should find yourself at the base of the staircase we ignored earlier. The drains in this room should be as follows:

O O X X

Proceed into the middle chamber and through to the inner-most room on the right. Now that this room is clear, you can access the two blue switches on the wall. The switch on the left will rotate the flow of drains 2, 3, and 4. The switch on the right will rotate the flow of drains 1 and 2. The objective here is to clear the water from drain 1 while still leaving a way out of this room. Use the switch on the left two times to move the water from drain 2 to drain 4, then use the switch on the right. If you've done everything correctly, the drains on this floor should now appear as follows:

X O X O

Once you have this arrangement, leave this chamber and go back up the stairs you just used.

3rd Floor (second visit)
Backtrack your way through this floor, using the same switches you used earlier but in reverse order. Once you've reached the top of the stairs leading back down to the second floor, you'll want to use the switch on the wall here. This switch will clear the water from drain 4, granting access to the top floor. After using this switch, the drains on the 3rd floor should appear as follows:

O O O X

With no other way to go now, head down the stairs to the second floor.

2nd Floor (third visit)
On this floor, you should find yourself at the base of the stairs in the inner-most left chamber with the drain blocking your path. Use the blue switch on the wall to rotate the flow from drain 2 to drain 3. The drains should now look like this:

X X O O

With the left two drains clear, you can now go through the passages around the left side of the room and up the stairs to the third floor. On the third floor, the drain on the far right should be clear from your last visit, and you can simply progress straight up to the fourth floor. Just before you climb the stairs to the fourth floor, use the green switch on the wall. It will seem as though this switch does nothing, but now the path to the main floor is clear, making for an easy exit.

4th Floor
On this floor, you will see a red switch on the center column blocked by a blue flame. Before interacting with the flame, explore the top floor, especially on the top right corner. You will find a locked chest. Pick the lock to obtain a Steel Wakizashi, the first steel weapon in the game. Equip this weapon to an assassin of your choice, then go back to the blue flame in the center of the room. Interact with the flame to start a boss fight with the giant tortoise, Tarasque. This boss has 8000HP and incredibly high defense, but has a weakness to Lightning damage. The best strategy for this fight is to use Grey's Lightning spell as much as possible, using the assassins to keep his MP full with remedies and using medicines to heal any wounds, attacking in between. Once the Tarasque has been defeated, activate the red switch, lighting the signal fire and allowing full access to the Five Islands. With the fire lit, you can make your way out of the tower, and if you activated the last switch on the way to the top floor, your path should be completely clear.

Outside the tower, return to the port. Take the boat back to any town you wish, then speak to the captain again to take the boat to Gareth's Castle. Cross the island, then enter the castle.

Gareth's Castle
Upon approaching Gareth's Castle, you'll encounter Shadow waiting outside the gates. Talk to Shadow, then head inside. From the Great Hall, there are two staircases along the side walls, and a locked gate at the end of the hall. Go down the stairs on the right side first.

In the Barracks, you'll fight three soldiers and a mage, followed by a quick fight with a Lieutenant. Collect the key that drops from the Lieutenant, then loot the chests in this area. One contains a Bronze Spear, which you'll soon need, and the other is a locked chest containing Iron Armour, which you'll need for the same purpose. Go back up the stairs to the Great Hall, then cross the hall to the stairs on the left. Head down those stairs into the dungeon.

In the Dungeon, head towards the cell at the end of the room on top. Open the cell door with the key you just acquired, where you'll find Matthew. He will join your party, then Shadow will enter the dungeon and a brief conversation will ensue. Once Shadow leaves, be sure to equip Matthew with the Bronze Spear and Iron Armour you just obtained, then open the cells for all the other prisoners in the dungeon. Once that's done, leave the dungeon and head towards the large locked door at the end of the hall.

WARNING: When you enter the library you will not be able to save until the mission is complete. It is recommended you save now.

Enter the Library. Immediately to the right of the door is a large round table with books and papers on it. Examine this table to find the second Recipe Page. Once you've collected the page, weave through the library and talk to the green soldier at the base of the stairs. The soldier is Shadow in disguise, and after a brief conversation he will go up the stairs, then come down shortly after. He will inform you that in order to kill Gareth, he must be fought directly, then head back up the stairs. Follow him up to the Balcony.

Cross the balcony and fight the soldiers guarding the stairs. Head up the stairs to the Throne Room. In the Throne Room, fight the soldiers and the lieutenant guarding the door, then prepare for a difficult boss fight. Enter the double doors behind the throne to Gareth's Chambers. After a brief cutscene, the fight will begin.

Gareth is fairly tough, and has a multitude of abilities to help him in this fight, although the fight itself is fairly straightforward. Keep your health topped up with skills and medicines, use your strongest abilities, and prioritize Overdrive skills. In particular, Daunt is surprisingly useful in this fight. Gareth is not immune to Horrify, although he obviously will not flee from the fight. It will affect his damage output, however, so using Daunt can improve your survivability for a brief period. In addition, Matthew has the ability Blood Rage, which prevents him from being incapacitated every time he enables the ability. Once defeated, Gareth has a one in ten chance of dropping his weapon, giving you early access to a Steel Sword for Matthew.

After winning the fight, a brief cutscene will take place wherein Marisa will permanently leave the party. Her equipment will be removed and added to your inventory, and Shadow will join your party. You will be teleported out of Gareth's Castle, and at this point saving is re-enabled. Return to the Sanctuary and speak to the Guildmaster to turn in this mission.

Following a series of cutscenes, there are a number of things you can do from this point. First of all, there is a hidden cutscene in Rain's house. Simply enter Rain's House with Matthew in the party to reveal this cutscene. There are also two side missions that can be collected at this point, one of which is recommended to do immediately. Speaking to a man at the Pub in Cyana will give you the side mission "Fair Trade," which will reduce your travel time to the next village considerably once completed. There is also a side mission available in Rubana titled "Last Wish," gained by speaking to the blonde woman at the Inn.

There is a hidden treasure available at this point. If you return to Gareth's Castle, and return to the bedchambers where you fought Gareth, there will now be a locked chest at the foot of the bed. Picking the lock on this chest will reveal an Insanity Badge, which gives a slight attack boost and resists Insanity. This will be useful for the next dungeon.

Once you've completed any side activities, head to Diamo. Now that you can control the ship and take it anywhere, you may need to find this location, but you can use the Map you just acquired to get a lay of the land. Diamo is located far to the north-east, just north of Amethyne. Diamo is technically an optional village, and doesn't ever need to be visited to complete the base game, although it is required for certain side missions. Regardless, there are some valuable shops here, so head to Diamo and enter the village.

Within Diamo is a blacksmith that can forge steel weapons and armour, but he requires carbon to do so. You'll find carbon soon, so leave the blacksmith alone for now. There is a magic shop, however, and this shop contains some good equipment for both Grey and the Assassins. Specifically, this is the first place you can purchase the Synthesize tome, which teaches a powerful spell for Grey. Synthesize can be used to restore MP at the cost of HP. At low levels, it isn't outstanding, but can drastically improve your sustainability at higher levels, and can be used to restore the MP of allies instead of just the user when mastered.

Once you've finished equipping your characters, leave Diamo and head east along the island. You'll find a cave entrance at the base of the snowy mountains. Enter the cave and begin the trek through Glacio's Throat.

NOTE: It is recommended to equip the Insanity Badge we picked up earlier at this point. This cave contains Phantoms, ghosts that can use Insanity magic. This can be debilitating, especially if using a more active wait mode. My personal recommendation would be to equip Matthew with the badge, as he is the biggest threat to his allies when Insane.

Glacio's Throat
This dungeon is fairly straightforward, although the gimmick here is that certain paths will be blocked by stones. The iron ore can be mined using the Bronze Pickaxe you acquired earlier, but attempting to mine carbon will cause your pickaxe to break. To that end, you need to find a higher quality tool to progress further.

In the opening chamber, head left until you find stairs leading down. Go down these stairs and work your way through the next area, up another set of stairs, across a small path, then down again. There's only one real path to follow, so it should be pretty difficult to get lost here. Once you've found the right path, you'll find a pickaxe lying on the ground in a beam of light. Pick this up, and now you have the Iron Pickaxe which can be used to mine both Iron Ore and Carbon. Interestingly enough, if you failed to obtain the Bronze Pickaxe earlier, it will no longer be available at this point.

With Iron Pickaxe in hand, you can now mine any of the stones in Glacio's Throat. It is recommended that you backtrack through any areas you've already been to to mine as much Iron and Carbon as possible, collected any chests that were previously blocked off. After collecting the ore in all the previously visited areas including the first map, you can now leave Glacio's Throat and return to Diamo to forge some new weapons and armour. Steel weaponry will be extremely useful for the last stretch of this dungeon, so it is worth the departure. Visit the blacksmith, upgrade your equipment, then return to Glacio's Throat to continue your journey.

Now that you can clear the stones previously blocking your path, the rest of the dungeon is open to you. There isn't much explanation required for the majority of this dungeon, as there is only one path to take, however there is a hidden treasure in the second map. Just as you enter the new, unexplored area, look to the left of the cave entrance. There will be a stone against the wall, sitting atop a path of snow that seems to lead into the wall. Mine the stone, then walk up to the wall the stone was blocking. You should be able to walk through the wall at this point. Walk as far left as you can, then walk up as far as you can. Interact with this space, and you'll find a hidden chest containing a Soul Tonic, an item which gives a permanent boost to Spirit or can be sold for a significant amount of gold.

Carry on through the rest of the dungeon until you reach the room with a large hole in the floor in the center of the room. Make your way around to the left side, but before you go up the ramps you may want to heal your allies, save your game, and prepare for a boss fight. Walking up the ramps will alert the Leviathan hidden in the bowels of the cave, and the boss fight will begin.

The Leviathan is very tough, very fast, and has command over two different elements. This boss deals a lot of physical damage, but can also use both water and ice magic, and has an overdrive skill that allows it to hit all allies at once. Water magic especially can be deadly to Grey, as it can cause Silence, preventing him from casting spells. Equipping Grey with a Water Badge (purchased in Topale or looted from an earlier chest) can mitigate this advantage. Keeping your allies in good health is a must for this battle, and prioritizing powerful attacks. The Leviathan doesn't have any specific weaknesses, so Grey will not be able to utilize any type advantages for this fight, making him somewhat better suited for support (assuming you've taught him Heal and Life). Bringing a healthy supply of medicines and stimulants can also make a significant difference, and with the recipe pages you should now have, they can be obtained fairly cheaply by purchasing herbs from the gardener in Emerdala to forge them.

Once the Leviathan has been defeated, you are free to leave Glacio's Throat, where you'll find yourself at the edge of the ice fields. If you need a hint to determine which way to go, the Map is extremely useful in this situation. Weave your way across the ice fields until you find the ruined fort on the other side. Approaching the fort will trigger a brief dialogue, at which point you can now enter the fort.

Fort Diamo
Inside Fort Diamo, a brief cutscene will trigger. After the cutscene, speak to the ghostly master at the center of the Fort. He will test your capabilities (poorly) by having a Guardian fight you. You will almost certainly die immediately. That's fine. You're supposed to lose. After the fight, there will be more dialogue (there's a lot of that during this mission), and you'll be able to rest in one of the beds in the basement of the Fort. Before you do, feel free to explore and see what the fort has to offer. In particular, there is a merchant in the basement who offers equipment for the assassins that cannot be purchased anywhere else. Once you've explored to your satisfaction, rest in any of the beds in the top left room.

A brief cutscene will take place with Shadow, along with some narrative dialogue, then you'll wake and find yourself training with the master and Shadow. Lots of dialogue will ensue, then you'll be instructed to follow the master to the training dummy in the top left corner of the fort. Speaking to him here will trigger the first real part of training, where you'll learn one of the Assassin Techniques you could choose from at the start of the game. This sequence will change depending on what technique you selected, so I will detail all the sequences below and how to get past them.

NOTE: Battle settings revert to the default during this sequence. Remember to reset them after the mission is complete.

Shroud
If you are learning Shroud, your goal will be to escape from the battle. You will be taught a low level version of Shroud which costs no MP to use and always succeeds. Use Shroud Zero, then attempt to escape the battle. Shroud should last 8 full turns, but if that isn't enough you can trigger the skill again, although you can likely take a few hits after it wears off without losing the fight. Once you've escaped the battle, you will learn the full version of Shroud, which although isn't as cheap or effective as the training version, can be leveled up to your satisfaction. Shroud is more useful against multiple enemies, as it last for 4 turns per enemy on the field at the time of use, plus a base of 4 turns. Once mastered, Shroud can be used on allies, protecting them from all physical damage.

Cauterize
If you are learning Cauterize, the objective of this fight is simply to escape. You will be poisoned and weak, but the Guardian will not attack you. Using Cauterize will cure the poison, granting you some time to escape, although the poison will apply again every 10 turns, so it is best to fill your wait gauge first before attempting to escape. Once you've successfully escaped, you will learn Cauterize I, which heals most status ailments as well as some health, and can be extremely useful at higher levels. Once mastered, it can be used on allies, and heals 50% of total health regardless of level, making it an effective healing method at higher levels.

Venom
If you are learning Venom, this fight should be fairly simple. Simply use Venom to poison the Guardian, then survive. You can easily use whatever skill you currently possess, be it Shroud or Cauterize to prolong your survivability. The poison will quickly kill the Guardian, ending the battle. Once the battle is over, you will learn Venom I, which can poison most enemies that are not unique as long as they have blood (ghosts and constructs are typically immune). In addition, the damage of Venom increases with each level, and once mastered will ignore the defense of the target. Venom also does not have any type advantages or disadvantages, making it an effective weapon against any enemy.

Once you've learned whatever skill you are being taught, you will wake the next day whilst having a meal with Shadow. Leave the basement and go to the right side of the fort to speak to the master, who will be in front of a log.

NOTE: There is an optional cutscene with Grey and Matthew in the basement of the fort at this time. After this mission the cutscene will no longer be available.

Speak to the master, who will then teach you the last remaining skill. Once you've learned all the skills, he will send you to find a book in the library. Go back to the basement, enter the library in the top right, then search the shelves in the top right corner of the room. You'll find a book called "Ethereal Entities." Read this book, then return to the master. There are other books in the library that provide additional lore if you have an interest in reading them as well, but they are optional. Once you've spoken to the master, go to the training dummy in the top left corner of the fort and activate it to end the day.

Once you wake, head to the courtyard and speak to the master. A longer cutscene will take place, after which you will be instructed to find Shadow and spar with him. Shadow can be found in the kitchen in the bottom left room of the basement. Speaking to Shadow will prompt him to ask what weapon you prefer, and after selecting a training weapon, your sparring match will begin.

Shadow
The fight will Shadow is sort of a rock-paper-scissors type of fight. Using Shroud to prevent physical damage is highly recommended, and using Cauterize to cure yourself of any poison that he inflicts with Venom. You can poison Shadow using Venom, although he will heal himself with Cauterize if you do so. He will also Shroud himself, making it difficult to hit him. Venom can ignore Shroud, but if you selected daggers for your training weapon, you can also use Throw Dagger to hit him even if he is Shrouded. Wooden weapons offer no Overdrive skills, so using Velocity is your best bet once Shadow is no longer shrouded and your Overdrive gauge is full. Depending on your level and how many times you've used Velocity, you may have even unlocked Momentum, which adds two additional attacks to Velocity. Regardless, you don't actually need to win this fight, but Shadow's reaction will differ based on the outcome of the battle.

Once the battle is over, a cutscene will take place where Shadow is promoted to the rank of Silencer. Rain will lash out at Shadow. Find Shadow in the basement of the fort, speak to him, then use a bed to rest. After resting, you will see one last cutscene where Rain will be promoted to the class of Silencer, and you can now leave the fort.

As a Silencer, you will gain access to the skill Concentrate, which raises Agility by 150% as well as restores MP each turn. This will help fuel the use of the skills you've just learned, although it isn't the most reliable source of sustainability. In addition to Concentrate, you will also learn the additional Overdrive skill, Lethality. Lethality does massive damage with one attack, ignores enemy defense, and has a chance to bleed any enemies with blood except for a few bosses. What makes Lethality so useful, however, is the capability to bleed any human enemy, including Generals and other bosses.

Once you've left the fort, backtrack across the ice fields and once again through Glacio's Throat. As you attempt to leave Glacio's Throat, however, you will be stopped by Fade, a man sent to track you. After a brief dialogue, a fight will begin with Fade.

Fade
Fade can be a very difficult boss due to his versatility, although he is statistically weaker than the Leviathan you fought earlier. What makes him deadly is his ability to use all the Assassin techniques you just learned, as well as a handful of other abilities. Using a wakizashi, he can also use Flurry, and he has several Overdrive abilities, among them Lethality. Defeating Fade gives a one in ten chance for him to drop his weapon, giving early access to a powerful Silver Wakizashi. Regardless, once you've won the battle, a cutscene will take place that reveals he knows more about the Guildmaster, at which point you'll kill him. You are now free to leave Glacio's Throat. Return to the Sanctuary and speak to the Guildmaster to complete the mission.

Before starting this mission, there is a side mission you can accept in Diamo. Head to Diamo and speak to the Innkeeper to accept the mission "Haunted." In addition, you can now face a hidden boss at this point, the Black Knight. You can find the Black Knight by returning to the Belua Prison near Cyana and climbing to the top floor. The Black Knight will be waiting there. Speaking to him will begin the fight. This boss will be far too difficult to face at your current level, and is of comparable difficulty to the final boss of the game, but gives an excellent reward for defeating him. The Black Knight is capable of using every physical skill granted by weapons, a plethora of Overdrive skills, and every mastered assassin technique (although Cauterize is a very rare usage for him). Once defeated, he will drop the legendary Clear Badge, which resists every negative status ailment, but decreases all stats by 10.

Once you're ready to begin the mission, head to Amethyne and speak with King Samson. He will instruct you to clear Mount Fulmen of Gareth's remnants. Travel to Mount Fulmen, and enter from the base of the mountain. In each section there are a few soldiers you'll need to clear, some by simply speaking to and some by fighting.

Mountain Base
There are two soldiers to speak to here. One can be found wandering around the middle section before the drop, and the other is on the plateau that leads back to the entrance. The first one will simply leave, the second one will fight you. Deal with these two soldiers, then enter the first of the Fulmen Caves.

Fulmen Caves 1
The soldier in this area is in the hidden section where you first found the Iron Axe. Simply go up the ladder, then explore the wall to the right. You can walk through the wall at one point, and progress through to speak with the soldier. Speaking to him will trigger a battle, and after the battle the soldier will leave.

Mountain Center
There are four soldiers to deal with here. The first group is on the bridge immediately to the left. Talking to them will trigger a battle. After killing these soldiers, continue across the bridge and jump down the ledge. The next soldier will be standing in front of the ladder. Speak to them to fight them as well. Climb the ladder to the upper plateau, and speak to the soldiers wandering around. They will attack, and you can kill them to move on. The last group of soldiers is close to the entrance to the next cave, off to the right. They will also fight you, then you can enter the next cave.

Fulmen Caves 2
There is one soldier in the bottom left corner of the map. Climb the ladder, circle around, and jump down the ledge. Speak to the soldier and he will leave without a fight. Then push the mine cart out of the way and continue on to the last section of the mountain.

Mountain Peak
There are four lieutenants on the peak of the mountain. You will have to fight all of them. The first will be immediately to your right upon entering the area. Speak to him to begin the battle, then carry on. The next is in the middle of the map blocking your path. Kill him, then continue towards the peak. There is one more blocking your path, and after you defeat him there will be one last lieutenant standing on the edge of the cliff to the right of the entrance to the last cave. Defeat this last soldier then enter the cave.

Fulmen Mines
If you haven't dealt with all the soldiers in the mountain yet, there won't be anyone here. Backtrack and deal with anyone you've missed, then return here. If you've dealt with all the soldiers, there will be a group of soldiers waiting in the mines. Speaking to their leader will trigger a fight, and this fight can be difficult if you're not prepared. The soldiers individually shouldn't be too much of a challenge, but this battle will see you facing five sergeants and a lieutenant. There is a simple way to make this fight considerably easier, and that is to prepare with wild encounters beforehand by having Grey use Focus until his Overdrive meter is completely full. Once you begin the fight, have Grey use his Overdrive skill granted by his weapon. If you have a Lightning Staff, it would be Storm, and if you have an Ice Staff, it would be Blizzard. This will hit all enemies with a powerful magic attack while potentially inflicting a status ailment on anyone it hits. From there, each of the sergeants can be killed with just a few hits, and it is best to save the Lieutenant for last. The more enemies you can kill early on, the less damage you will take from repeated attacks, and the more you can focus on the stronger foe.

Once you've defeated all the soldiers, return to King Samson at Amethyne, and he will give you the key item Black Sails. Return to the Guildmaster and speak to him to turn in the mission.

At this point you can take the ship anywhere you want. This reveals a new hidden boss fight with Bahamut. This boss is likely too difficult to face at your current level, but the fight can be made easier by purchasing and equipping Water Badges on all your party members. To fight Bahamut, sail through the Ocean's Maw and take the ship straight to the Five Islands region. In the center of the islands, there will be a ripple in the water. Interacting with this ripple will begin the battle. Bahamut has very high health and defense, but has a weakness to Lightning. Bahamut can use high level Water magic, and has an Overdrive skill that hits all enemies with a powerful Water attack. Defeating Bahamut will grant a significant amount of experience, as well as a Flesh Tonic and a Heart Tonic, giving a permanent boost to Defense and HP.

There is another hidden boss you can fight at this point, although it would be more accurate to refer to them as a gauntlet. All of them are very difficult, and it is recommended to fight them at a much higher level. Returning to Mount Fulmen at this point will reveal a series of glowing gems in each section, and a blue flame at the peak. Speaking to the flame will instruct you to defeat and collect each of the gems first. At the base of the mountain you will find a white gem, and interacting with it will trigger a fight with the boss Byakko. This boss has increased agility and uses Lightning magic, and drops the White Gem. In the next area, the first cave, you will find a glowing black gem. Interact with it to fight Genbu, who has increased defense and uses Earth magic. Defeating Genbu will give you the Black Gem. In the next area, you will find a glowing blue gem, which will allow you to fight Seiryuu, a dragon with increased attack and command over Water magic. Defeat Seiryuu to gain the Blue Gem, then enter the next cave. Interacting with the red gem here with start a fight with the vermillion bird, Suzaku. Suzaku has high spirit, and uses Fire magic. Defeating Suzaku will give you the Red Gem.

Once you've collected every gem, take them to the peak of Mount Fulmen and interact with the flame. Doing so will consume the four gems you just collected, and begin the fight with Kouryuu. This boss is extremely powerful, and has stats comparable to the last boss in the game, but does not have as many weaknesses. Kouryuu resists Light Magic, but has a weakness to Dark Magic, which you will get access to later in the game. Kouryuu has three main attacks. He will attack physically, which does lots of damage but is not his strongest attack. He will also occasionally use Light magic, which can easily kill a party member in one hit, but can be resisted by equipping Light Badges, which can be purchased later in the game. Finally, if he runs out of MP, Kouryuu will attempt to use Synthesize to restore his MP. This can be exploited, however. Synthesize will damage Kouryuu, and if you use Leech to drain an MP he restores, he will continue to use Synthesize. This will lock down his use of Light Magic, while hurting himself and preventing him from attacking. This fight can take a long time to finish, but once defeated he will drop the legendary All Badge, which resists all elemental magic but reduces the stats of the wearer. In addition, Rain will be given a choice of a bonus skill to learn. He can learn one of the three spellblade techniques used by enemy soldiers, giving him the ability to use type advantages and extra status ailments. This can be done once per playthrough, requiring a minimum of three playthroughs to acquire all the skills.

When you're ready, sail to Silvein, which can be accessed from an opening far to the south. Refer to the Map if you are having difficulty finding it. Enter the town of Silvein. The Merchant is open, and can be used to buy basic supplies, but the Armoury and Forge will be closed at this time. Make your way through the town, but make a quick stop to the house in the top-center of the town. Inside the house, sitting on a table will be the third Recipe Page. Collect the page, then leave the house. Make your way to the very center of the town, where you'll find a man standing in front of a cave entrance. Speak to the man and he will leave, then enter the cave.

Mines of Terra
Upon entering the mines, activate the cart in front of you. The cart will transport you to a small room in the corner. Leave this room, then activate the next cart, and you will be transported to another room across the mines. From here you can explore freely. Start by heading to the chamber in the bottom left of the mines. In this room will be a locked chest containing a Horrify Badge. This badge will be useful when dealing with the Ghouls in this dungeon, and is recommended to equip to Matthew if you so choose. From here, go to the center of the mines and find the lever with the red handle. Activate the lever to switch the tracks. Circle around to the room that is currently blocked by a cart with a cave entrance. Activate this cart to be transported back to the first cart you used. Use this cart to be transported back to the lever, then circle back again to enter the now-open room. Go through the cave entrance to the next section of the mines.

In this area, use the cart directly in front of you. Drop down the ledge, but don't activate the cart just yet. The cart can be by-passed, so walk around the cart and down the tracks until you find a ledge with a chest on it. Climb the ladder to the ledge, then pick the lock on the chest to reveal a Silver Shortsword for Matthew. Return to the cart you by-passed, then activate the cart to be transported back to the entrance. Walk down the tracks in the center of the room, then go to the right. Do not drop down the ledge yet. Activate the cart on the small set of tracks first, then drop down. Use the cart in this area to be transported back to the entrance again. Once more walk down the tracks in the center, go to the right, and now walk up to the room that you've just cleared. Go through the passage to enter the next area.

There are a few chest in this area, directly in front of you. Follow the path straight ahead, collecting the chests along the way. Circle around the top of the map, where you'll find a lever with a red handle sitting on the ground. Pick up this lever, then drop down into the central room. Head down until you find a silver slot. Use this slot to repair it using the lever you just picked up, then use it again to switch the tracks. Go to the right and use the cart here to transport back to the entrance. Circle around the map again, and this time go through the open passage that was previously blocked by the cart. You'll find a cracked brick wall with bombs next to it. Collect the bombs, then interact with the wall. From here, return to the entrance to the chamber. When you try to leave with the bombs, you will be able to place one of the bombs to blow up the passage. If you do this, you won't be able to backtrack, so you may want to save first. Place the bomb, blow up the passage, then make your way back to the brick wall. Interacting with the wall again will allow you to place the second bomb, but when you try to run you will be ambushed by a group of goblins.

This fight is fairly simple, but you do have a time limit. If the time limit is exceeded, the fight will be aborted and will trigger a game over. Defeat the goblins as quickly as possible, then leave the mines through the hole in the wall that you've blasted with the bombs.

Inside Astrid's Palace, you'll find yourself in a storage room with some locked chests. One contains a Stimulant, and the other contains a Heart Tonic. Loot the chests, then head up the stairs. The Great Hall will be abandoned, and there isn't anywhere else to go, so enter the Throne Room through the doors at the end of the hall. Entering the Throne Room will immediately trigger a fight with three soldiers and a mage. Kill the soldiers, and then a cutscene will take place with Astrid. After the cutscene, the battle will begin.

Astrid
Astrid is fairly tough, and after she takes enough damage she will trigger an ability that grants her increased defense and elemental resistance. She wields a katana, and can use flurry, and she does have Overdrive abilities than can be deadly. This is where your new Overdrive skill, Lethality, comes in handy. Lethality can cause Bleeding, which does a massive amount of damage to Astrid. You can also use Shuriken purchased from the Sanctuary to cause Bleeding, but they do very little damage on their own. Once you've defeated Astrid, she has a one in ten chance of dropping a Silver Katana.

Once you've beaten Astrid, a cutscene will take place where you will spare her once she offers to work with you. This concludes Stratagem and will begin the new mission, Turncoat. After the cutscene, leave the palace and return to the Sanctuary. Upon boarding the ship, another cutscene will take place between Rain and Shadow, where Shadow will criticize Rain for sparing her. He will also make a different comment based on whether or not you spared the first guard during the training mission. After the cutscene you will be transported outside Cyana. Enter the Sanctuary and speak to the Guildmaster. After a cutscene with the Guildmaster, return to Astrid's Palace and speak to Astrid to complete the mission.

After speaking to Astrid, she will give you the Silver Ring, which can be used to get through the Bronze Pass. Before doing so, however, there is a side mission that be accepted at this point, and it should be done immediately. Return to Silvein and speak to the blue-haired woman wandering frantically around the town. She will give you the side mission "Lost." Upon completion of this mission, you can mine the stones in the Mines of Terra, giving a decent source for Silver Ore. Also, monsters will no longer appear in the mines when entered from Silvein, so they can be freely explored without danger.

With the silver ore from the mines, you can craft silver ingots at the forge. Most silver weapons and armour will require a blend of both silver and steel, but steel can be easily forged by visiting the merchant in this town, who will sell both iron ore and carbon, which can be converted to steel ingots at the forge. Gather the necessary materials and craft some new weapons and armours, then leave the town.

There is a hidden raid boss available at this point, although will be very difficult at your current level. If you enter the Mines of Terra from Astrid's Palace and work your way back to the cave entrance that you previously caved in, there will be a hole in the floor. Examining the hole will begin a fight with the otherworldly being, Crevasse. Crevasse haunts the deepest depths of the Mines of Terra, and has command over every Dark spell in the game, using them to deadly effect. Having a Clear Badge equipped to a party member helps tremendously for this fight. Crevasse will usually run out of MP before the fight ends, and will resort to using default attacks, but is still deadly regardless. Defeating Crevasse will grant you a Soul Tonic and a Mind Tonic, granting a permanent boost to MP and Spirit.

Head towards the border between Silvein and Goldare, where you'll find a small building known as the Bronze Pass. Enter the building and show the guard the Silver Ring you obtained from Astrid. He will let you pass and you can now access the Goldare Desert. Cross the desert and look for the town of Goldare, then enter the town.

Goldare has a number of shops you can visit, including an armour shop where you can purchase upgraded equipment for your Silencers. There is also a magic shop with equipment for Grey. The magic shop also sells a number of unique tomes, but Grey cannot use them, so don't buy them yet. They will be useful later on.

Pass through the city and approach the Castle of Dawn. Upon approaching the castle, your party members will appear to be wearing armour that disguises them as soldiers of General Astrid. While disguised, party members that do not use heavy armour will be Encumbered. While Encumbered, Defense will be increased by 25%, but Spirit and Agility will be decreased by 25%. Grey, Shadow and Rain will all be encumbered. Speak to the soldier guarding the gate and he will let you enter the castle after showing him the Silver Ring. Inside the castle, there are two staircases you can take. If you try to take the one on the right, you will be stopped by the guards, who will direct you to the throne room on the other side of the hall. Head left and take the stairs down into the throne room.

Upon entering the throne room, you will start a battle with Dawn's personal guard, four captains and two mages. Using abilities such as Shroud, which benefit from more enemies on the field will be useful for this fight. After killing the soldiers, you will begin a fight with Dawn himself. Dawn is strong and fast, but after taking a certain amount of damage he will call for reinforcements and flee from the battle. Defeat the reinforcements, and once the battle ends you will see that Dawn has escaped through the stairs leading down from behind the throne. At this point, Rain and his allies will discard their disguises, removing their Encumbered status. Head down the stairs and enter the Veins of Ignis.

Veins of Ignis
In this dungeon, there are some hazards to watch out for, but can give you a shortcut if you don't mind taking a bit of damage. In this first section, it's a straightforward path that leads through a hot, magma filled cavern, and there are spots on the floor that glow red with flame. These spots can be walked over, but doing so will Ignite the party and cause damage. Fire Badges will not resist this damage or the ailment, so it is unavoidable, but the spaces can be by-passed by taking the slightly longer route around them.

Something to consider...
These spaces can actually be very beneficial for grinding out spell levels. If you have enough remedies on hand, you can walk onto the fire tile, Igniting the party. At this point, you can access Grey's list of spells from the menu and use Cure to remove the Ignited ailment from each party member, and using Heal to recover the damage dealt. Using remedies will restore the MP that Grey spends on the spells. Using this method, a level 40 Grey can master both Heal and Cure from level I all the way to level X in an extremely short period of time, roughly twenty minutes or less.

Carry on through the veins, and enter the second section. In this area, there are fire tiles that you cannot avoid or go around. You must walk over them. This section is a large spiral, so circle around the map, dropping down the ledges once you reach the top of the map once more. As you descend the ledges, you will come across Dawn waiting near the exit. Speaking to Dawn will begin a fight with him again, once more at full health. It will take longer for him to retreat this time, but after taking enough damage he will once more retreat, calling for even more reinforcements this time. Defeat the soldiers and follow Dawn through to the third section of the veins.

This section has a very short path to the left that crosses fire tiles and drops down a ledge, and a much longer path to the right that circles around a small lake of fire. Taking the right path will result in more encounters, but it worthwhile as there is a locked chest down this path containing a Flesh Tonic. Take whichever path you desire, then leave this section through the exit at the bottom of the map.

The last section is very small, and consists of a ledge to drop down, preventing you from going back, as well as a ladder leading to the surface. Dawn will be at the base of the ladder, attempting and failing to climb it. Speaking to Dawn will reveal that the tendons in his wrist are severed from your previous battles, and he cannot escape. After a brief dialogue, the final battle with Dawn will begin.

Dawn
Dawn is extremely tough, boasting high stats all around. He wields a greatsword, and can use the ability Cleave, as well as the fire spellblade technique Firestrike. He also has command over a few Overdrive skills which can be deadly. Blitz will likely kill a party member outright, but is not as dangerous as Saber. If Dawn uses Saber, he will attack all allies at once, and can easily kill party members with mid-to-low health. Physical damage nullification can counter this, such as using Shroud or having Matthew equipped with a shield, although it can be difficult to plan around. At low health, Dawn has a chance of using half of his Overdrive meter capacity to use a Medicine, restoring half of his health. Finally, when Dawn has reached critical health he will once more call for reinforcements, summoning two captains and a mage. The mage can potentially heal Dawn, so it is recommended to deal with the mage as soon as he appears. Killing the soldiers before defeating Dawn is usually a good idea, as they are considerably weaker and more susceptible to status ailments, but can still deal a considerable amount of damage if left unattended. Once you've defeated Dawn, he has a one in ten chance of dropping his weapon, giving you a Silver Greatsword. There isn't anyone in the party who can use this right now, but it can be sold for a fair amount of gold, or saved for later if you so choose.

Once Dawn has been killed, leave the Veins of Ignis by climbing the ladder. From the overworld, head to the right and circle around the mountains back to the Bronze Pass. Go through the pass and return to Astrid's Palace. Speak to Astrid to turn in the mission.

At this point there are a number of side missions available, but it is best to complete this mission first as it will grant you access to a much faster mode of transportation once complete. Regardless, there is one last raid boss available at this point, and it can be found by going through the Veins of Ignis one more time. In the third section, with the lake of fire, circle around the lake until you see a blue flame floating over the lake. Interact with this flame to begin a battle with the Lindwurm. The Lindwurm has very high Strength and Agility, and makes use of both Fire and Earth magic. Lindwurm also can use Overdrive abilities that hit all allies, and can deal a lot of damage. Lindwurm's biggest weakness is Water, but beyond that there isn't much you can do to strategize for this fight. Simply keep your allies healed as much as possible and use your most damaging attacks until Lindwurm is deafeated. Upon defeating Lindwurm, it will drop a Heart Tonic and a Muscle Tonic, granting a permanent boost to HP and Strength.

There are three optional side missions that can be accepted from the Sanctuary at this point. Speaking to the assassins that normally give side missions will reveal that each of them has a special mission for you with a unique reward. Each mission will take you to one of the Generals castles, and is a variation on the repeatable missions they normally offer. Speaking to Sanguine will give you the mission "Slaughter," which rewards you with a powerful unique spell for Rain. Speaking to the Alchemist gives the mission "Ciphers," which is rewarded with the fourth and final recipe page (which can now be activated in the menu to condense them into a book). Speaking to Numbers will grant the mission "Treasure Hunt," and is rewarded with the Bone Lockpick, a lockpick that will never break.

Aside from these three missions, there is another mission available in Goldare. Speaking to the soldier standing guard in the village will give you the mission "Slayer." In addition, you can now enter any of the rooms in the Castle of Dawn, including going up the staircase that you were previously denied. At the top of this staircase is Dawn's Chambers, and there are two locked chests in this area. One contains a Necro Badge, which resists instant death. The other contains a Dark Badge, which resists damaging Dark magic, but no status ailments.

Once you're ready, head to Amethyne to continue the mission. Go through Amethyne and enter Castle Amethyne, then enter the Throne Room. King Samson will be waiting there with General Astrid, and speaking to Samson will begin a lengthy cutscene. This cutscene is the big reveal of the entire plot of the game, and takes quite a while to go through. Genuinely, depending on how fast you read, it could easily take close to 20 minutes or more. Grab a soda or something.

Something to consider...
There's quite a bit of lore in this cutscene, and I'll reiterate the main points here in case you want a reminder. The general idea is that magic in this world does not come from the caster. When someone casts a spell, they are summoning a spirit of the elements to manipulate the world around them. The spirit is given physical form by using the mages MP as fuel, and the mage directs the spirit to do a certain task or take a certain form by focusing their mind and creating clear intentions. With this in mind, you could summon a spirit of Air to simply empty a victims lungs of oxygen, suffocating them. But without a very clear picture in mind of what the mage wants the spirit to do, the spirit would likely just manifest as a burst of gale force wind instead. Once the spirit stops receiving MP from the mage, it is banished, unable to maintain a physical form in the mortal world without it.

However, there is a way for a spirit to remain in the mortal world. When a baby is conceived, they do not have a soul yet. A spirit from one of the realms of the gods can then inhabit the babe, cleansing the colour of its spirit and becoming the soul of the baby. Doing so, however, limits the power of the spirit to whatever power that human babe possesses. Essentially, this spirit is fueled by the life-force of the human, keeping it in the mortal realm for as long as the human lives. Once the human dies, their soul - now coloured by the actions of that human in life - returns to whichever realm it is most affiliated with at that time, no longer able to keep a physical form without the life-force of the human fueling it.

If someone were to attempt to summon a second spirit into their body, using their life-force to fuel it, the second spirit would not have its power limited and would fight for control. The second spirit would likely gain dominance, and the resulting struggle would almost certainly kill the human, banishing both spirits. Incidentally, this is what the Guildmaster attempted to gain more power. The attempt destroyed the Guildmasters body, but did in fact give him more power, as he was able to overcome the second spirit. This is also what Kain was attempting to do, although Kain had intended to create an amplifier that would allow him total control over the second spirit that he summoned.



Anyway, once the cutscene is over, you will be granted the Airship, which allows you to fly to (almost) any location you desire, ignoring terrain. This includes the capital city Sapphane, where the next mission will take place. Gaining access to the Airship before completing the optional missions available at the start of this section is highly recommended.

There is one last bit of hidden content available here. If you return to Emerdala, there will be a man standing near the entrance to the village. Speaking to him, he will offer to sell you bundles of medicines and remedies at a wholesale rate. You can select whichever bundle you like, or simply ignore him. He will not be available after the next mission.

There isn't much left for hidden content in the game at this point, so once you've fully prepared and completed whatever side missions you choose, fly to Sapphane. Sapphane can be found in the center of the map, close to the Five Islands. Land the airship in the field outside the city, then enter. You'll find yourself on the bridge outside of Sapphane. Cross the bridge, and standing in front of the gates to the city you will find Sebastian. Speaking to Sebastian will reveal the plan for the invasion of the city. Sebastian will stand aside, and when you are ready you can enter the city.

This is essentially the point of no return for the game (technically). After this mission you will be able to explore the world again and finish anything you missed, but once you enter the city you will not be able to leave until the mission is completed. It is highly recommended that you stock up on medicines, remedies, and stimulants, purchase the best equipment you can, finish any side missions, and learn any spells you missed from tomes earlier. Once you're fully prepared, enter the city of Sapphane.

Entering the city will immediately make it night time. You will have a few hours (game time) to enter the sewers beneath the city before morning. If you are still in the city when the sun rises, a game over screen will trigger. If you have lockpicks or the Bone Lockpick, you can simply pick the lock on any of the sewer grates found around the city. If, however, you do not have lockpicks, then head to the Residential District to the right of the main plaza. In one of the alleys will be a soldier. Speaking to him will trigger a battle, and he will drop a Silver Key. Using any of the sewer grates at this point will consume the key and allow you to enter without needing to pick the lock.

Where you enter the sewers from will determine how far you need to travel to get to the Imperial Palace. If you enter from the Residential District, you will have the furthest to travel, whereas entering from the Arena District will get you as close to the Imperial Palace as possible. If you enter from either the Residential or Plaza Districts, you can backtrack slightly to find a chest containing an Ultimate Toxin. If you don't get it now you can come back after the mission is completed to find it then, and you won't have to worry about encounters with soldiers. Carry on through the sewers, there's only one path you can take. Once you've looped through the area and find yourself in the top-left corner of the map, climb the ladder here to enter the Imperial Palace.

Imperial Palace
Exiting the sewers, you will find yourself in a cellar. Leave the cellar and you'll find yourself in the main hall of the basement of the palace. Cross the hall to the door directly ahead in the top-left corner. Enter this room to find the servants quarters. There isn't much you can do here, but on a table to the far right is a note. Reading the note reveals that there is a key to the basement hidden in a haybale in the dungeons.

Leave the servants quarters, then head to the room in the bottom-right corner of the basement. Through here is the dungeons. Examine the haybale in the far corner cell, and you'll find a Silver Key. Leave the dungeons and cross the hall to the door in the top-right corner, and use the key to unlock the door. Proceed through to the stairwell, then climb the stairs to the main floor.

From here, there are two paths you can take. If you take the exit on the left, you will end up in the Great Hall. All the doors here are locked except for the large set of doors on the main floor. Entering these doors will lead you into the Dining Hall, however when you approach the end of the hall you'll get ambushed by four Imperial Guards, and they'll likely get a pre-emptive attack.

If you don't want to get ambushed, there is another route you can take. From the Right Wing of the palace, examine the door at the end of the hall. Picking the lock on this door will lead you into the Kitchens, which are abandoned. The Kitchens lead directly into the Dining Hall through a door on the left. This door is locked, but picking the lock will allow you to ambush the soldiers that were initially waiting to ambush you. This method will cause you to only fight two of the soldiers on even footing, as opposed to four soldiers from ambush. Once you've beaten the soldiers, the remaining ones who were waiting in ambush will flee from the hall.

Once you've survived the ambush, or ambushed the soldiers yourself, a Captain will emerge from behind the throne. He will approach and begin a brief dialogue, followed by a battle. Defeating this Captain will give you a Silver Key. Leave the Dining Hall and enter the Great Hall. To the left of the entrance to the Dining Hall is a door leading to the Left Wing. Enter the Left Wing.

If you want some extra useful treasure, go down the hall to the door at the bottom of the Left Wing. You may wish to save before entering this room, and make sure your allies are fully healed. Adjusting some battle settings may also help here. Enter the room, where you'll find the Barracks, which are full of soldiers. They will immediately attempt to catch you, and interacting with any of them will start a battle with six Imperial Guards and two Imperial Mages. Using Shroud for this battle helps immensely, especially at the start of the battle. Shroud lasts for 4 turns per enemy on the field, plus a base 4 turns. With this algorithm, using Shroud when facing all eight enemies will cause it to last for 36 turns, and the only threat you'll have to worry about is spells from the mages. Focus on killing the mages first, as they can heal their allies and deal lots of damage, and if they manage to trigger an Overdrive skill will protect all enemies from being inflicted with any status ailments for 50 turns. Preparing your own Overdrive abilities leading into this fight can help deal with them. Specifically, having Matthew equipped with a silver weapon and a full Overdrive meter will allow him to use Saber, which can hit all eight enemies at once. If you then have Grey use his Overdrive ability, you can either use Bliss to allow Matthew to trigger Saber a second time, severely weakening the entire force, or simply have Grey use Incinerate instead (assuming he has a Fire Staff equipped), which will deal fire damage and inflict Ignited status to all enemies. From here, most of the enemies should be able to be defeated with only a few hits, and focusing on one at a time seems to be the best strategy. You can also use Venom to poison any of the enemies, which will gradually deplete their health every time an action is taken, and can quickly balance the scales during this fight. Once the fight has been won, loot the two chests in this room to find a Diamond Sword for Matthew and a Diamond Dagger for one of your Silencers. Not only will these weapons increase your damage, they also grant access to two powerful Overdrive skills, Rampage and Incision. Equip your new weapons, then leave the Barracks. If you do not collect these weapons now, they will not be available after this mission.

Cross the hall in the Left Wing to the door at the top of the map. Unlock the door using the Silver Key you gained earlier, and enter Kain's Chambers. Inside will be a General waiting for you. Kill the General, then collect a Gold Key from him. Leave the chambers, then return to the Great Hall. From the Great Hall, climb one of the sets of stairs to the upper platform, then unlock the set of double doors here. You may wish to save your game at this point. Walking forward will trigger a cutscene where you'll need to fight several sets of guards, gradually stepping closer after each encounter. You'll start by facing two guards, then four, then a set of six guards and two mages. If you're having trouble with this battle, refer to the paragraph before this one for strategy and tips. Once you've beaten all the guards, a brief scene will take place where Matthew kills two more guards himself, saving Mia, and a flash of light will occur. Matthew will now be wearing a new outfit with a gold cloak and updated cosmetic armour. His class will change to Warrior, and he will learn the skill Battle Cry, which raises all of his stats. After a little more dialogue, Kain will step forward, and the fight with the Emperor will begin.

Kain
Kain has even higher stats than Dawn, although this fight is fairly simple by comparison. For example, Kain will not call for reinforcements, although there are several breaks during the battle where various bits of dialogue will occur, and after each break Kain will fully heal. After the last of these breaks, Kain will gain access to an incredibly powerful Overdrive skill, Assault, which will allow Kain to attack six times in a row. Unless you have physical nullification abilities applied, or are extremely lucky, this will almost certainly kill whoever it hits. Additionally, Kain does have access to Saber, meaning he can hit all allies at once, dealing incredible damage. This fight is fairly straightforward, however, and you simply need to survive his attacks while dealing as much damage as possible. Kain is susceptible to Bleeding, so using Lethality works well against him and bringing a supply of Shuriken can make this fight a breeze. Once Kain is defeated, he has a one in ten chance of dropping a Diamond Spear.

Once Kain is defeated, a series of cutscenes will take place where Kain attempts to summon a Fiend, despite not knowing whether or not he is capable of doing so safely. Rain and his allies will be transported to Aether, where they will meet with the Celestials. The Celestials will reveal that Kain did not attempt to summon just any Fiend, but rather attempted to summon Mortalitus, the most powerful Fiend of all. In order to stop Mortalitus, Rain must find the "instruments of mortal judgement," a series of ultimate weapons that can damage the Gods. The locations of each of these weapons are revealed, and Mia will be given the Fiend Staff and a set of Celestial Robes. Mia will now join the party, giving you access to a Necromancer, capable of using Dark Magic. The party will then be transported back to the Sapphane Bridge, where the battle will have been concluded. Time seems to have passed differently in Aether, as three days have now passed. Sebastian will be outside the city, and after speaking to him he will join the party as well, this time at level 30 with the class of General. Sebastian will have learned the abilities Cover, Charge, and Fortify, and will grant Matthew the use of his archers, giving Matthew the ability Arrow Storm. At this point, you have too many party members, and two of them must be left behind. You will be transported to the party selection screen, and you can select three party members to take with you. Any members left behind will wait at the Sanctuary, and can be re-selected by using the list on the wall near the entrance to the Sanctuary.

There is a ridiculous amount of content that is now available, and warrants its own section. First of all, you can now enter the city of Sapphane during the day. There is a hidden treasure that you can now find. Head to the Residential District, then pass through the arch to the Academy Grounds. Enter the sewer from this area, where you'll find a small isolated section of the sewers with a hidden chest. This chest contains a Mind Tonic, giving a permanent boost to MP.

There isn't much left in the Residential District, although this city is now a viable location for any of the repeatable missions you can take in the Sanctuary. Head to the Market District. There is a hidden reference to Monty Python here. Talking to the elderly man standing in front of one of the stalls will reveal that he is named "Lumberjack." If it is not raining, he will say that on Wednesday's he goes shopping and has buttered scones for tea. If it is raining, he will say "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay." This is a reference to the Lumberjack Song by Monty Python.

In the Market District, the stall on the right has a merchant who will sell you every level of medicine, remedy, or elixir in the game, as well as stimulants and panaceas. The merchant in the stall to the left is a clothing shop, and will sell high level equipment for your Mages and Silencers, as well as every Badge in the game with the exception of All Badges and Clear Badges. Entering the shop next to this stall, you will find the Armoury, where you can purchase any piece of Diamond equipment you desire, although they are extremely expensive. The Pub next door has an optional side mission available by speaking to the Academ seated at the table in the upper section. This Academ will offer the mission "Exports," which is rewarded with a Diamond Weapon of your choice, and is worth completing right away if you can find out where to go. The Side-Mission Guide (not yet available) will detail each location you need to go to complete this mission.

South of the Market District is the Arena District. In this area, you can wager gold to watch two random competitors fight, or you can wager gold to compete yourself. Speaking to the orator beside the arena will give you the side-mission "Death Games," the last side-mission in the game. Completing this mission will be very difficult, but can be done by using Shroud effectively and timing when the status will dissipate. The reward for this mission is an Elixir Ring, a priceless item that can restore HP each turn while halving MP cost, or can be sold for 50,000 gold.

There is a hidden shop available in the game, and I will reveal its location here. If you travel to Topale, you can walk around the outskirts of the town by walking down the steps WITHOUT exiting the town, then walking to the right and around. Walk past the palm tree on the far right, then wait until 11:00PM. Between 11:00PM and midnight, a ghost will appear beside the palm tree, blocking access to this area unless you are already past the tree. Footprints will be revealed leading behind the town. Follow these footprints, then explore the back of the town. The easiest way to find the secret is to walk to the top of the map, then walk as far left as possible, hugging the edge of the map. Once you reach a tree blocking your path, walk directly down. You will be transported to a hidden map called the Smugglers Cove. Inside this map is a secret cache of treasure, guarded by a boat captain. Speaking to the captain will open the secret shop, where you can purchase equipment not found in any other shop. You can purchase stat-boosting tonics for 10,000 gold each, Life Rings, Mana Rings, and Experience Rings for 30,000 gold, Elixir Rings for 100,000 gold, and All Badges and Clear Badges for 10,000 gold. Special shout-out to AnneLaurant, who was the first person to find this secret and comment about it before this guide was released.

With Mia now available as a party member, you now have a class that can learn spells from the tomes we found earlier in Goldare. Return to Goldare and enter the Magic Shop to purchase the Vampire and Leech Tomes, which give Mia access to spells that can drain the HP and MP of foes.

The last bit of hidden content is back in Cyana. Now that you can freely switch party members using the list at the entrance to the Sanctuary, you can view special cutscenes between different party members based on who you leave behind. I will detail how to find each cutscene, with the pre-requisite that you leave these party members behind for their cutscene to become available. For each of the cutscenes involving Grey, you must first complete the mission "The Academy." If you are playing New Game Plus, these cutscenes also require you to leave behind the bonus character.

Sebastian and Mia
This cutscene can be found right in front of the entrance to the village. Mia and Sebastian will have a conversation about what each of their future plans are, and their opinions about Mia's use of magic.

Sebastian and Grey
This cutscene can be found at the Cyana Inn, in the room on the right. They will have a conversation revealing a tactic that makes use of Sebastian's "Cover" skill.

Sebastian and Shadow
This cutscene can also be found at the Cyana Inn, in the room on the left. They will have a conversation about different fighting styles.

Sebastian and Matthew
This cutscene can be found at the Cyana Pub. Matthew will challenge Sebastian to a drinking contest.

Shadow and Matthew
This cutscene can be found outside, near the farmers house. Shadow will talk more about the history of the Hidden Blades, and their original purpose.

Shadow and Grey
This cutscene can be found just outside the Cyana Pub. Shadow and Grey will resolve a conflict regarding how Grey views the assassins, and Shadow in particular.

Shadow and Mia
This cutscene can be found at the Cyana Pub. Shadow doesn't understand social etiquette.

Grey and Mia
This cutscene can be found at the Cyana Inn. Mia explains why she doesn't use elemental magic.

Matthew and Mia
This cutscene can be found in Rain's House. Matthew and Mia will talk about how they met.

I've been asked why there isn't a cutscene between Grey and Matthew, and that's because they already had their cutscene during the mission "The Test."

For this mission, you will need to acquire each of the legendary weapons. Although this is technically considered one mission, it requires you to complete four separate dungeons and leads into another mission within the Academy. It is recommended to complete the Academy first, as it gives Grey access to his ultimate weapon as well as Light magic, and does not have any battles, making it the easiest weapon to acquire. It can also be done immediately if you select Grey as a party member when you first select your party, as you are already outside Sapphane at this point and can immediately head to the Academy, located just past the Residential District. Regardless, I will detail how to complete the Academy separately. For this section, I will highlight each individual dungeon, how to find them, how to complete them, and what weapon they provide.

Nox Catacombs


Tower of Bestia


Sana's Oasis


Morbus Grotto

To start this mission, enter the Academy in Sapphane, located past the Residential District, and speak to the Academ on guard with Grey in your party. Grey will enroll at the Academy, and take temporary control of the party, leaving everyone else behind.

The first day, Grey will wake in the Bedchambers and be greeted by an Academ, who directs Grey to speak to the Maestro in the Great Hall. Take the portal on the floor to the hall, then speak to the green-robed Maestro seated at the far table. He will detail a few rules within the Academy, then direct Grey to head to the Library before teleporting there himself.

Head to the Library, then speak to the Maestro again. He will instruct you to find and read four books. Once he leaves, the shelves will twinkle with a light where the books can be found. Three of the books are religious texts that can be heard preached from the church in Amethyne on a four day rotation, and the last book talks about magic and how it works in this world. You can skip all the text in the books by holding the dash button, but hints to later puzzles will be hidden in the books, so it is recommended to read them. The best order to read them in is The Pantheon, The Conflict, The Birth, and then the Fundamentals of Magic. Once you've read all the books, Grey will return to the bedchambers to rest.

The next day, return to the Great Hall and speak to the Maestro again. He will teleport to the Practice Hall to meet Grey there. Go to the Practice Hall, then speak to the Maestro. He will test Grey by having him practice his spells against a series of targets with only one weakness each. Interestingly, if Grey is below level 17 at this point, he will not be able to complete this section, as he will not have learned Water I yet.

Against the Fire Dummy, use Water. Against the Water Dummy, use Lightning. Against the Lightning Dummy, use Earth. Against the Earth Dummy, use Ice. Against the Ice Dummy, use Fire. And finally, against the Air Dummy, use Air. This represents the pentad of elements, and the neutral element. Once you've destroyed all the targets, the Maestro will ask Grey to meet him in the Great Hall. Return to the hall and find the Maestro at the far end of the hall, past the head table, standing in front of a seal. Speak to the Maestro, and he will describe the Celestial Staff and how the Fiend Staff was created from studying it. At this point, the day will end.

The next day, go to the Great Hall and speak to the Maestro. Grey will then be teleported to the Forbidden Labyrinth, where he must find some lost students. The first set of trials requires you to light certain totems based on a hint provided when you enter. I will detail each hint below and their solutions.

Q. The forces of creation shall light the way.
A. For this hint, activate the Earth, Water, and Air totems.

Q. The forces of destruction will shroud the past.
A. Activate the Fire, Ice, and Lightning totems.

Q. A pentad of elements, each surpassing the other.
A. Activate the Fire, Ice, Lightning, Water, and Earth totems.

Q. The neutral element, bane of the winged.
A. Only activate the Air totem.

Q. Power untamed, hot and bright, painful to touch.
A. Activate the Fire and Lightning totems.

Q. Formless and fluid, carriers of life.
A. Activate the Water and Air totems.

Q. Rigid and cold, the foundation for all.
A. Activate the Ice and Earth totems.

Q. Unity of power, a joined effort.
A. Activate all the totems.

Once you've passed this trial, you will find the missing students, but Grey will continue through the Labyrinth. The next section can be very difficult, but there is an alternate path that opens up if you fail too many times. The goal is to reach the end of the hall without getting touched by any of the butterflies. Enabling auto-dash from the System menu is recommended, or simply dashing at all times. The dark floor tiles are safe places to stand, and no butterflies will ever cross these tiles. The first set of butterflies are simply two blue butterflies that fly in a circle. The aren't too difficult to slip past, but timing is important. Approaching the task from the left side is easiest. The next set of butterflies also has two blue butterflies like the last two, but it also has a green butterfly that flies in a cross formation. Once more, hug the left side and get into the corner, then time your movement to the top-left corner when the green butterfly moves past. From here it gets very difficult. The third set is identical to the second, but now there is a red butterfly that circles the entire group, leaving no safe spaces to stand on. Careful timing is important here. When the red butterfly passes the bottom left corner of the circle, that's when you'll want to step out, then immediately move up as fast as possible. If you timed it correctly, you can slip straight past every butterfly in one motion.

The first two sections simply require some practice and patience, but the last section can be a little too difficult. So if you're struggling with the last part, simply keep trying. After six failed attempts, an alternate path will open up, by-passing the butterflies after the second section.

Once you've crossed the span, the room will light up and the butterflies will scatter, making them harmless. Open the chest at the end of the hall, which will grant a set of Celestial Robes. Opening the chest will open a portal that will return you to the Great Hall.

Back in the Great Hall, speak to the Maestro. He will ask Grey to meet him in the Practice Hall. Go to the Practice Hall, where Grey will be promoted to a Sage, and will learn Light I. Use Light to destroy the target that the Maestro summons, then follow the Maestro to the Great Hall. Speak to the Maestro in front of the seal from earlier, and he will disable the barrier, then give Grey the Celestial Staff. With this, the mission is complete, and Grey can leave the Academy through the Lobby, rejoining his allies.

To start this mission, head to the Throne Room in the Imperial Palace in Sapphane, where you previously fought Kain. On the floor in front of the throne will be a portal. Enter the portal, and you will be teleported to Abyssus, the realm of the Fiends. There are two enemies you will face throughout this dungeon, both named Fiend. One has a more aggressive, sharper appearance, and will use physical attacks (as well as physical skills on New Game Plus). The other has a more fluid appearance, and uses Dark Magic. They are weak to both Light and Dark magic, and are susceptible to several status ailments, but can still be quite dangerous and it is best to go prepared will lots of restorative items.

On that note, I will mention that preparation is key for this mission, especially for the final boss fight. You'll definitely want to have the best gear possible, and it is especially worthwhile to have at least one Clear Badge, which can be purchased from the secret shop (location revealed in the section "In-Between") or retrieved from the Black Knight in the Belua Prison. For items, it's a good idea to bring a healthy supply of medicines and stimulants, and possibly remedies as well if you don't have more self-sustaining abilities. There is a section in the "Tips and Tricks" page for the final boss fight, and in that section I detailed exactly how many items were used for that fight. Bringing approximately double that amount should be manageable, and give you plenty to get through the dungeon itself.

With that said, the dungeon is a blend of some of the harder puzzles throughout the game. The first map is simple, and just requires you to follow the light path to the other floating platform, then take the portal to the next map. The second map is very similar, but visibility is now limited and there are branching paths that lead to dead ends.

Once you get to the third map, things start to change. In this map, there is a path of light that fades in and out of visibility. Carefully walk along the path, pausing to check your progress occasionally. If you take a wrong step, you'll be teleported to the start of the area. This puzzle is drawn from Sana's Oasis, and should be fairly familiar. Once you've crossed the chasm, enter the next portal to go to the next map.

The fourth map has four torches on floating platforms, as well as four flames with different colours. The objective is to get each flame to a specific torch, but the only way to know which one goes where is through trial and error. In addition, the flames all have different movement patterns, and are controlled by the player. This puzzle is taken from the top floor of the Tower of Bestia. To solve the puzzle, move the green flame to the top-left torch, move the blue flame to the top-right torch, the red flame goes to the bottom-left torch, and the gold flame goes to the bottom-right torch. Each of the flames moves in the same way as the soldiers of the same colour throughout the Tower of Bestia. When all the torches have been lit, a tile of light will appear, granting access to the next portal.

The fifth map is dark, and visibility is limited. There is a barrier on the path blocking access to the next portal. There is another path, however, that leads to two torches that need to be lit. The light path is deliberately confusing, and is somewhat labyrinthian. Once you've made your way to each torch and activated them, the barrier will be disabled, and you can access the next portal.

The sixth map combines the previous puzzle with the fading path puzzle. You'll need to carefully make your way along the path of light that fades in and out, and make sure not to take a wrong step or risk being sent back to the previous room. Mid-way across the chasm, you'll find your path blocked by a barrier of light. Continue along a branch of the light path until you reach a torch on a floating platform. Activate this torch to disable the barrier in the middle of the path, then backtrack and cross the now-open path. From here, you can look ahead somewhat, where you'll see that there is another barrier blocking access to the portal, as well as another torch. Follow the light path to the torch and activate it to disable the barrier, then work your way to the other side of the chasm and enter the next portal.

The seventh map combines the barrier puzzle with the moving flame puzzle. Once more, your objective is to get the flames onto their unique torches, but this time you'll see that two of the torches are blocked by barriers. Only the far left torch and the far right torch are open. You'll need to move the green flame onto the torch on the far left, and the yellow flame onto the torch on the far right. Doing so will disable a barrier blocking a torch that the player can access. Activating this torch will disable the light barriers blocking the other two torches on the floating platforms. Now you'll want to move the blue flame onto the inner-left torch, and the red flame onto the inner-right torch. Doing so will disable yet another barrier blocking another torch that the player can access. Activating this torch will disable the barrier blocking the portal, and the player can move on.

The eighth map has the butterfly puzzle from the Academy, but now the butterflies are replaced with flames. In this case, the red flames will move in the opposite direction, making this puzzle slightly more difficult, but can still be accomplished by approaching it from the left side, and running straight ahead with the right timing. Once again, if the player fails this puzzle six times, an alternate path will appear, but is a slightly more complex version of the fading light path puzzle from earlier, as now the tiles will not fade in simultaneously. Once you've crossed the gate of fire, enter the portal to the second to last map.

The ninth map is simply a long bridge of light surrounded by flames. The encounter rate in this area is extremely high, as it is considered the heart of Abyssus. Using Bait can allow you to by-pass this area without any encounters, however. Mid-way across the bridge you will see a floating chest just out of reach. If you wait, a small path of light will be revealed leading to the chest, but the time in between when the path appears is very long. Step carefully, and open the chest to find an Experience Ring, which doubles the amount of combat EXP for the wearer, as well as doubles their spell usage for spell leveling, making it considerably easier to grind out spell levels (especially on New Game Plus). If you need a few extra levels before facing the final boss, this ring will come in handy. Return to the bridge in the middle, and make your way across to the final portal.

Once you've entered the last portal, you will find yourself on a floating platform facing the last boss in the game. You can backtrack if you need to, as there is a portal behind you, but when you're ready speak to Mortalitus to begin the final boss fight.

Mortalitus
This boss has three forms. The first form is fairly simple and easy, he doesn't have any particularly deadly attacks, and has relatively little health compared to many of the bosses in the game. The second version is a more powered-up version of the first, and should also be fairly simple, although his second form does have considerably higher health. The final third form is where it becomes truly challenging.

Mortalitus' final form boasts the highest stats of any enemy in the game, and he has access to Necro, Insanity and Sleep all at level IX, as well as a basic but powerful dark physical attack. More spells will become available to him as he takes more damage, and unlike his other two forms, this form has a powerful Overdrive skill called Dark XVII, which will instantly kill one party member and cannot be avoided or resisted. On New Game Plus, this form will have access to every single Dark spell in the game at level X, including Necro X which has a chance to cause instant death on every party member at once. Mortalitus has 350,000HP and can take quite a long time to kill, but he has several weaknesses which can make this fight much simpler.

Mortalitus is weak to both Light and Dark magic, so bringing either Mia or Grey will make use of this weakness. In addition, the ultimate Overdrive abilities, Backstab and Assault, will deal massive damage to him. It is feasible to deal close to 30,000 damage with a level 35 fighter class using Assault. Prioritizing Overdrive skills is definitely recommended. Mortalitus resists every element except for two. He can be inflicted with Insanity, but there is only a 20% of doing so successfully. Horrify will also work, but only has a 40% success rate.

There is a way to mitigate how effectively Mortalitus uses his status inflicting spells. Using Clear Badges is ideal, but there is another, less conventional method. If you have a mage equipped with a Diamond Staff, they will have access to the Overdrive skill "Clarity." This skill will protect all allies from every negative status ailment for 50 turns. While this does mean you won't be able to use the mages ultimate weapon, you can exploit this by having the mage use their Overdrive ability with the ultimate weapon first (Fiend for Mia, Celestial for Grey), and then equip them with a Diamond Staff after. They will keep the stat increases and status ailment, but will be able to use Clarity during the battle.

Once you've defeated Mortalitus, you'll have beaten the game! Enjoy the credits, and once they're done you'll be treated to a short cutscene (and if you beat Mortalitus on New Game Plus, you MAY even be treated to some post-game content).