Breath of Fire IV - Master Notes

I'm having the same problem I had in Breath of Fire III, that of knowing who to apprentice to whom.  So I'm going with the same solution I used then - writing down which stats are most important for which characters.  So;

Nina

Essentially, a battle mage with healing magic.  So, intelligence and AP are paramount.

Ryu
Needs high AP for dragons, as well as high strength generally.

Cray
Strength and HP.  Maybe some magic and AP for spells, but I mostly use him for chaining combos.

Ershin
Strength and defence.  Again, I use her for linking combos, but the actual attack power isn't so important.


Scias
Attack, AP, and intelligence.  Essentially a red mage.

Ursula 
Can't recall her strengths at the moment.

Breath of Fire IV - Masters

The Breath of Fire IV Master system is very similar to that in Breath of Fire III.  In short, throughout your journey, you will come across people who will offer to teach you various things, raising and lowering your stats as long as you're their apprentice.

Unlike in Breath of Fire III, you do not earn spells based on how many levels you spend serving under a certain master.  Instead, you earn them when you complete specific tasks.  This makes it a lot easier to play around with your character's statistics and bonuses.

Two masters, Momo and Stoll, raise certain stats without lowering others.  I see no reason not to leave characters apprenticed under one of these two as long as you have no other goals.

Masters are listed in the order that you meet them.

Rwolf
AP + 2
Power -1
Wisdom + 1 

You will find Rwolf in the Valley of Kurok, between Chamba and the Dam.  All you need to do to apprentice with him is agree with him.

Skill	Obtained
Eddy	Perform a 5-hit combo.
Plateau	Perform a 10-hit combo.
Magic Ball	Perform a 15-hit combo.
Flame Pillar	Perform a 20-hit combo.

Please note that you don't have to hit the exact numbers; you could perform a twenty hit combo and receive all of his skills.

 General tip; if you use the same type of skill one after the other, the number of hits will increase. While typing, I managed a 6-hit combo by having Ryu cast blind, Cray use snap, and Ershin use wild shot. The snap attack attempted to blind the enemy as well, which would have resulted in another hit if it had worked. The wild shot hit three times, then attempted to blind and lower the defense of the enemy, only one of which worked. It's easy enough to get ten hits early on, when you run into a Red Cap with five caps. Have Cray use Rock Blast, pray that at least four survive, and have Ryu use burn.

You'll also find a lot of information in this FAQ, including this important little tidbit;

After a fire spell, you need wind to create an explosion spell
After a wind spell, you need water to create a thunder spell
After a water spell, you need earth to create a disaster spell
After an earth spell, you need fire to create an eruption spell

Stoll
Agility + 1

You'll find Stoll in the hideout, after you've caught him for Marlock (unmissable, part of the story).  He will offer to teach you in return for all your zenny.  I highly recommend buying rather than trading weapons up to this point, and then going off and buying a bunch of healing items to use up the last of your cash.  As long as you have at least one zenny to give him, he'll accept you.

You can then liquidate your assets (by selling them) and get some cash back. Just remember not to sell the last of any unique item. Look at the table for why.

Skill	Obtained
Steal	Have 80+ items in your inventory.
Cowards Way	Have 120+ items in your inventory.

Not much to say about this one, really.   Hoard like a maniac.  Items in all categories count.  Like in Breath of Fire III you can't unequip weapons, so get a spare of whatever's cheapest.  That said, for a long part of the game, you can't reach him at all, and by the time you get him back, you'll have well over 120 items, so you probably don't need to be worried about that.

I put everyone except Nina (who was under Rwolf) under Stoll at this point.  It's not like they had anything better to do.

Una
  HP + 12
AP -2
Power + 2
Defence + 1
Wisdom -1

Una is in the Elder's House in Worent, on the second floor.  Speak to her after defeating Kahn for the second time, and she'll agree to teach you if you apologise.

Skill	Obtained
Pilfer	Do more than 1,500 damage in a Combo.
Super Combo	Do more than 3000 damage in a Combo.
Blitz	Do more than 10,000 damage in a Combo.

Njomo
HP - 8
AP +1
Agility + 2

After Ahm Fen, head east towards the hut Njomo shares with her husband.  She will only let you apprentice with her once you've built at least one house in the Faerie Village. 

Skill	Obtained
Faerie Attack	More than eight Faeries in the Village.
Faerie Breath	More than twelve Faeries in the Village.
War Shout	More than sixteen Faeries in the Village.
Faerie Charge	More than twenty Faeries in the Village.

Momo
HP + 8

Momo is in the windmill in Wyndia.  There are no prerequisites to apprenticing with her.  Just agree to listen to her stories.

Skill	Obtained
Spray	25+ hours of playtime.
Clip	30+ hours of playtime.
Oracle	40+ hours of playtime.
Egghead	50+ hours of playtime.

Abbess
AP + 2
Power -2
Defence - 2
Wisdom + 4


The Abbess in Chek will become your master once you've met with a few of the dragons.

Skill	Obtained
Concentrate	Meet with more than 70 different enemies.
Sanctuary	Meet with more than 70 different enemies.
Celerity	Meet with more than 70 different enemies.

Marlok
HP + 16
AP + 3
Power -1
Defence - 1
Agility - 1
Wisdom - 1

Marlok will become your master if you go back to Synesta and show him the Tin Ball after he loans you the money for a Sandflier.

Skill	Obtained
Charm	Show him a Copper Ball or better.
Monopolize	Show him an Electrum Ball or better.
Roulette	Show him a Platinum Ball or better.

You buy the initial treasure from a Frogman in Sarai's Inn (a Lead Ball) and then upgrade it by exchanging it.  Yes, it's a straw millionaire game.   I won't post the upgrades here; I'll make a post about them later.

Kryrik
HP +25
AP - 2
Power + 3
Defence + 2
Agility - 2
Wisdom - 2

Kryrik is one of the sailors in Shikk.  After reaching Lyp, go back, and if you've performed a 25 hit combo, he'll allow you to apprentice to him.

Skill	Obtained
Megaphone	30+ Combo.
Spiritblast	40+ Combo.
Cleave	50+ Combo.
Disembowel	70+ Combo.

Easiest way I know to do this is Celerity, Vitalise, Vitalise.  Save first, because you can only use Celerity once every three hours.

Gyosil
HP - 8
AP + 2

Gyosil is in Lyp.  As long as you have over 3000 Fishing Points, he will agree to teach you.  You can read my general post on Fishing here, and you can see most of the points here.

Skill	Obtained
Ring of Ice	4000+ Fishing Points.
Spanner	6000+ Fishing Points.
Master's Rod	9500+ Fishing Points.

Lyta
AP + 1
Defence - 1
Wisdom + 1

Nun in Synesta Orphanage.  She will teach you after you have begun learning from Gyosil.

Skill	Obtained
Supplication	Ryu at level 20+.
Holy Strike	Ryu at level 25+.
Resist	Ryu at level 30+.
Benediction	Ryu at level 35+.

Kahn
HP + 20
AP - 4
Power + 3
Agility + 1
Wisdom - 3

After you get out of the Saldine Flats, head north again.  Kahn is waiting at Fish Head Beach.

Skill	Obtained
Focus	Fight 300+ Battles.
Shout	Fight 400+ Battles.
Tiger Fist	Fight 500+ Battles.
Flex	Fight 600+ Battles.

Bunyan
HP - 16
AP - 3
Power + 1
Defence + 1
Agility + 1
Wisdom + 1

Skill	Obtained
Backhand	Do over 3000 damage in a single attack.
Counter	Do over 5000 damage in a single attack.
Shadowwalk	Do over 8000 damage in a single attack.
Final Hope	Do over 12000 damage in a single attack.

To unlock these,I gave Nina the Palliate skill, learned from Lampkins (give them a panacea to heal them, then either moon tears or croc tears when they ask for water).  She used her Inspire (learned at level 26) skill to raise her wisdom to max.  Almost 40,000 damage.  Well, healing power, not damage, but Bunyan counts it the same.

Breath of Fire III, Part 14

Defeated the Elder, then did some level grinding. I set up two Copy Shops in the Faerie Colony, with three fairies each. I then set one up to copy an Ivory Dice, fought two battles, rinse, repeat. After they'd all been set up, they started churning out the dice at a rate of one every two battles (except for at a certain point, where it took four, instead of two). Doing it this way means you can ensure a higher success rate, by saving inbetween visits. Failure and Success aren't actually determined until you enter the Colony.

I apprenticed Garr to Hachio, and Peco to Ladon. They'll be done at levels 26 and 32, respectively.  Nina finished with Emitai, but I left her there for a while.

Okay, I've mastered every master.  Not bad.  I also did some fishing, and got Life Armours for both Rei and Ryu.  I'm trying to get maximum points for every fish, which is proving to be a long, tricky task.

Breath of Fire III, Part 8

Blogger ate the new bits of some of my posts in the night, so I rewrote them while fighting the thirty battles for Fahl. Apprenticed Garr to him.

Ryu's only one level off learning Bunyan's final skill, so I had him, Nina (who is maxing out Yggdrasil) and Garr (who just apprenticed to Fahl) train for another level in Mt. Zublo. Currently debating who to apprentice Ryu to next. Torn between Yggdrasil and Mygas.

No, I know, he can max out Hondara next. I'm saving Meryleep for Rei, although I suppose Momo could do it, since I've been keeping her under D'Lonzo for the agility anyway. Or maybe put her under Giotto for now, and under Deis later?

Masters only affect how much your stats go up by in future, not what they're at currently, after all. They won't actually lower them.

Also, a note on the Vulcans - Nina's Simoon spell works pretty well at waking them up.

The thing is, I want all my characters to be well-rounded. Perhaps I should just make a list of which stats to emphasize for each one, in order of importance?

Okay.

Ryu; AP needs to be high, and so does Power and Defence.
Nina; Intelligence and AP. Defence would be nice, and so would be HP. Speed, maybe, but she seems fast enough by herself, and I tend to use the chain formation with Rei in the lead anyway. So, Mygas, Yggdrasil, Hondara, Emitai, and Deis.
Momo; Power, AP and Intelligence. So, Deis. Since Deis severely lowers defence and HP, I should work on those early on. So, Fahl for a bit. I also had her master D'Lonzo, for speed, and to get Steal as early as possible.
Peco; Well-rounded. I'm thinking Giotto then Deis and Ladon.
Garr; Defence, Power and HP. So, Bunyan, Fahl, and Hachio.
Rei; Speed and Power. So, D'Lonzo, Meryleep, and then Fahl.

The helped. I should go apprentice Momo to Fahl now. Nina has a few more levels before she finishes Yggdrasil, then she can move to Hondara. Or, maybe she'll stay with Yggdrasil for a while for the defence boost.

Peco can stay with Giotto until Deis is unlocked. Garr is working on getting all of Fahl's spells.

Ryu just finished with Bunyan, and his Agility is looking low, as is his intelligence. His AP really needs a boost, though. I'll put him with Hondara, since I'll be unlocking him in a minute. Hondara will slow down his power-growth slightly, but Ryu can take that hit.

Oooooops. I forgot to speak to Bunyan twice, to get both of the skills I'd unlocked. I had the levels, but because I un-apprenticed Ryu (and then accidentally saved), Bunyan won't count it. Dammit. I'm going to have earn all ten again later.

Oh well, Peco or Garr can do it when I get to level-grinding with the Ivory Dice.

On the bright side, I did remember to unequip all my characters before getting to the end of Angel Tower.  And to give that fucktard Garr a crappy spear.

It seems that Urkan Tapa (and the factory and so on) are the last remnants of "St Eva"'s empire.  It also seems that the Guardians are Myria's children from Breath of Fire II.

I can't be the only one who finds the ZombieDRs the saddest thing ever, can I?  They try to heal their group, and kapowie, everyone's dead Dave.

I also unlocked Emitai after leaving the mine.  I'll apprentice Nina to him once she's done with Yggdrasil.

Breath of Fire III, Part 6

Played through Momo's tower, and got her apprenticed to D'Lonzo. I had sixteen weapons in my inventory, once I'd swapped out Ryu and Nina's for the spare bent sword and pointed stick. Also found the reverse and thorn genes.

I'm tempted to test out every single gene combination, one day, and write down all the skills and so on that each one has, but that would be a huge task. Not as bad as playing every level of .hack//, but still a pain.

I explored the dump, got all the items, and got Momo up two levels, to learn Monopolize from D'Lonzo.  I then levelled just Momo up another two levels, in order to get Intimidate and Steal.  Mostly Steal.

Poor mutant.

Mutant onion!

I love Peco.

Apprenticed Nina to Yggdrasil, and headed back to the Plant.  In the Arena, I bought everyone knew equipment, left Peco with Balio and Sunder, and used Momo, since she has steal.

Played all the way back to Wyndia, and did a bit more fishing. 

Breath of Fire III, Part 5

Yep, done. Levelled Ryu up to 15 (eight levels under Mygas, one under Bunyan) and beat them. I didn't get any item drops though. Just, y'know, pride.

I learned all the same enemy spells and got the same items as before, although now I'm still missing a few points on jellyfish while my puffer fish is perfect. Currently, Ryu is basically carrying Nina through the Wyndian catacombs. He managed to learn Bone Dart from the Ghouls, too.

I've got something like 4000 zenny, without breaking into my stash of silver knives. I've also got sixty-something healing herbs, which Nina is using up.

After buying a bunch of weapons and armour and a midas stone in Wyndia, I had Nina unlock all of Durandal's spells before moving on.

In the Arena, I bought all of the weapons available, even the ones I didn't really need (again, for D'Lonzo).


Breath of Fire III really is a frightening game. Ryu spends his entire life being hunted. Balio and Sunder are nightmarish, when you think of how relentless they chase this little kid. Nevermind the Guardians, and the people who were burnt to death at the mine, and all the people who betray him, and his only friends being presumed dead...

I'm not surprised he disappeared for ten years.  I'm more surprised that he came back.

Breath of Fire III, Part 4

I had Ryu learn Frost from Mygas, then headed to Mt Myrneg. After picking up the items and learning Double Blow, I headed back to talk to Bunyan, to get him as a master. I'm currently pondering the idea of levelling Ryu up a few more levels, to get all of Mygas' spells, and then apprenticing him under Bunyan for the next bit of the game. Can't be arsed, really.

Got Meditate from Mygas, then headed up Mt. Myrneg.  Incidentally, Tar Babies freeze and die easy when hit by frost.

Edit; Okay, I'm pissed at myself. I'd forgotten that Balio and Sunder was the reason I normally took the time to learn all of Mygas' skills before heading onwards. I am incredibly tempted to start the whole game over. It's about seven hours worth of play time, with nothing too taxing. And I am a pefectionist. Plus, this way, I can be sure to steal those items from Balio and Sunder, too.

Yup, I'm hitting reset. Sorry Ryu.

I'll probably pick up on these updates once I reach that battle again.

Breath of Fire III, Part 2

A few notes - firstly, Mantraps are weak against fire, and Eye Goos give out more exp when blinded.

Oh hey, I won a pointed stick in that battle. That's all the equipment I wanted to steal (3 bent swords, 3 waistclothes, 2 pointed sticks).

Incidentally, on those random battlefields, you'll always find an item. I generally head to a corner, and, if I haven't found it by then, run around in a circle, keeping the edge of the field at the edge of the screen. They're perfectly square, and there's only a few places where the item can be, so you shouldn't have any trouble at all.

Incidentally, fishing will be unlocked in the spring.

Rei and Teepo find Rei in an old cabin in the mountain.

I wonder if this is what remains of the original township once McClean/McNeil took over? Kidding. But maybe. There's a Dragon Statue right outside, the only one left in the game. It doesn't talk.

At this point of the game, I just abuse pilfer. Around here, you can pick up healing herbs and antidotes, which is much better than buying them. Extra equipment and things can be sold. Except weapons, and the stuff I mentioned earlier. Y'see, later in the game, Rei and Teepo will be leaving your party, and you don't want them taking the good stuff. Give them the bent swords, since you can't totally remove a character's weapon.

At another point later on, you'll run into D'Lonzo, a master, who demands that you have 15 different weapons in your inventory. You'll really appreciate having two bent swords (so I need four, not three, silly me) and two pointed sticks, so you can have one in your inventory and one each on Ryu and Nina.

Baby Ryu has the cutest voice in the world. Just saying.

The Nue decides protecting her cubs in the cave behind her. She'd been bringing them food.

She hadn't realised they were dead. They looked like they'd been dead for a long time.

I apprenticed Ryu to Mygas, and did some fishing. Bought a Silver Knife from the manillo. It's worth getting a few of these. One, because Teepo can use them in the next bit of the game, and two, because you can sell them for a fair amount, and get good equipment in Wyndia for the price. I also got a few lures that I didn't have before, and I intend to come back for more silver knives and an iron helm. At this point, you can't get the Bell Collar or Holy Mantle. So, I basically just need trouts and rainbow trouts, but they can wait till after work.

Breath of Fire III - Masters

In Breath of Fire III, you can apprentice your characters to Masters. These masters will teach you new skills, based on how many consecutive levels you've gained under them, and will affect how your characters stats change as you level up. A list of them, in order of appearance, follows.

Mygas

After defeating the Nue, you'll find him at the tree stump to the west of Cedar Woods. Mygas wants all your money in exchange for his tutelage, so I'd suggest going to McNeil and buying expensive things, since there are no banks.

Mygas will cause your AP to go up one more point than it should at each level, while your intelligence will go up two points. He'll also cause your power and defence to gain one less point than they should.

He'll teach you frost after you've gained one level under him, meditation at four, magic ball at six, and typhoon at eight.

Bunyan

Once you've entered Mt Myrneg, head back to McNeil.  Do not head to the top of Mt Myrneg - after that point, you won't be able to get back to McNeil for a while.

Bunyan will lower your AP and intelligence by two per level, but will raise your HP and power by two and your defence by one.

Bunyan will teach you Risky Blow after two levels, Focus after five, Super Combo after eight and Disembowel after ten.

D'Lonzo

You can find her at the Coffee Shop, after escaping from Momo's tower.  She'll offer to teach you, if you have fifteen weapons in your inventory.

It is possible to have this many weapons the first time you meet her - you just need to buy every new kind of weapon available in McNeil, Wyndia, and the Arena, find the two chrysms in Momo's tower, steal bent swords and pointed sticks from Goblins and Man Traps around Cedar Woods, and fish up enough trout and rainbow fish to swap for a bunch of silver knives (one of which is for Ryu, the rest of which are for selling).  Since you can't remove a character's weapon totally, having bent swords to swap out for Teepo and Rei's weapons before they leave, and for Ryu's current weapon when you meet here (while leaving one in the inventory) will really help.  Two pointed sticks (one for Nina to use, one for the inventory) are also helpful, if you missed a weapon somewhere, since the most you can have at this point is sixteen.

D'Lonzo will teach you Monopolize after two levels, Intimidate after three, and Steal after four.  She'll lower your hp by one and your ap by two each level, but raise your power and agility by one each.

Yggdrasil

Once you have Peco, have him address the tree just to the southeast of the Plant.  If you agree to give it a wisdom fruit, Yggdrasil will become your master.

Yggdrasil will teach you Sanctuary at level two, Recall at five, and Shield at eight.  He will lower your hp by one and your power by two, but will raise your ap and defence by one and your intelligence by two.

Giotto

You'll find Giotto at an ? spot to the west of Rhapala, on the shore. He'll allow you to apprentice to him if you have over 2000 fishing points.

Giotto will teach you Trump after two levels, Berserk after five, and Death after eight. He'll cause your hp to go up by four points and your ap by three. However, he'll also send your power, defence, agility and intelligence down by one each.  I apprenticed Peco to him, in preparation for apprenticing him to Deis later.

Meryleep

After visiting the fairy realm, head to the ? point northwest of the checkpoint.  Have Peco kick the rock into the pool, and Meryleep will appear, demanding that you fetch her jewel.

Head east then south, to the shore opposite Mt. Myrneg.  There you'll see a small mountain with a tree on the northern side.  Go to the ? point by the tree, and have Peco knock the crow off the tree.  You should get the flower jewel.  Go back to Meryleep, and she'll accept you as an apprentice.

Meryleep will teach you Charm after two levels, Shadowalk after five, and War Shout after eight.  Your agility will go up by two, but your hp, power, and defence will all go down by one.

Fahl

Talk to him in his bar (he's the guy Balio and Sunder had tying up Ryu and Nina) and accept his challenge.  Fight thirty battles without resting, then go back to him.  As far as I can gather, you must being the battles without resting after speaking to him.  So, y'know, rest and save first, then fight on random fields around the arena.

Fahl will raise your HP by four, your power by one, and your defence by three.  He'll also lower your agility and intelligence by three each.

Fahl will teach you Charge after two levels, Counter after four, and Resist after six.

Hondara

You'll find Hondara in the Hall of Prayer in Urkan Tapa.  He'll teach you after you've learned Backhand from Durandal.

Hondara will teach you Purify after two levels, Kyrie after five, and Benediction after eight.  He'll raise your AP by two and your intelligence by one, but he'll lower your power by two.

Emitai

You can find Emitai in a hut to the south of Dauna Mine, after exiting it as an adult.  Pay him 10,000 zenny, and he'll become your master.

Emitai will teach you Barrier after two levels, Mindsword after four, and Enlighten after eight levels.

Emitai will raise your ap and intelligence by four, but lower your power and defence by two.

Bais

When you are able to return to Wyndia as an adult, head back to the square and speak to the four children (now adults).  They'll challenge you to another game of hide and seek.  When you find each person, they'll become a master.

Bais is hiding in Dauna Mine.  Simply head back to B3, and look near the stairs in the top-left corner.

He'll teach you the chain formation after three levels, and will raise your power by one.

Lang

When you are able to return to Wyndia as an adult, head back to the square and speak to the four children (now adults).  They'll challenge you to another game of hide and seek.  When you find each person, and speak to them again at the square, they'll become a master.

Lang is hiding in the Wyndian Catacombs.  Head into the second area, from Wyndia city, and look behind the top-left tombstone.

After three levels, Lang will give you a Cupid's Lyre, an item that will allow you to recover your hp as you walk.  He'll raise your defence by one each turn.

Lee

When you are able to return to Wyndia as an adult, head back to the square and speak to the four children (now adults).  They'll challenge you to another game of hide and seek.  When you find each person, and speak to them again at the square, they'll become a master.

Lee is hiding near the Eastern Checkpoint. She'll teach you the Magic Formation after three levels, and raises your intelligence by one.

Wynn

When you are able to return to Wyndia as an adult, head back to the square and speak to the four children (now adults). They'll challenge you to another game of hide and seek. When you find each person, and speak to them again at the square, they'll become a master.

Wynn is hiding behind a house in Junk Town.  She'll teach you the HP formation after three levels, and raises your HP by one.

Deis

You'll meet Deis as part of the storyline.  Tell her that you "like [her] better this way", and then, later, have Ryu examine the wall of the temple again.

Deis will teach you Inferno after two levels, Blizzard after five, Myollnir after eight, Sirocco after eleven, and Celerity after fifteen.  She'll raise your AP and Intelligence by three each, and your Power and Agility by one.  She'll also lower your HP and Defence by three.

Hachio

Once you've gotten the Port Drives working again, head to Durandel's cabin, and use the one downstairs.  It'll warp you back to Wyndia's kitchen, where you can find Hachio.

Before offering to teach you, Hachio requires the following; Swallow Eye, Beef Jerky, Angler, and Martian Squid.

Hachio will teach you Might Chop after two levels, and Demonsbane after four.  He;ll raise your HP and Power by two, and your Defence by one, but lower your AP by two, and your Agility and Intelligence by one each.

Ladon

Once you have all eighteen dragon genes, speak to the wall panel in the far north of Dragnier, the one Garr was standing in front of.

Ladon will teach you Mind's Eye after three levels, Holy Strike after five, Ward of Light after seven, and Aura Smash after nine.  He'll lower your HP and AP by 6, but raise your Power and Defence by two, and your Agility and Intelligence by one.