Completion Project Update

I spent a lot of time fishing in Breath of Fire III this morning, then cracked and played Ehrgeiz for a bit. What I like about Ehrgeiz is not the fighting so much as the mini-rpg. I like the dungeon trawl, and the systematic kind of exploration. That's what I like about the .hack// games and Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. It appeals to my analytical side.

I'm not playing Ehrgeiz properly, as such - I'm just playing around with it for funsies, and, so that when I do it play it properly, I have an idea of how to do it well.

Things I've learnt so far include the fact that it is quite easy to get out of your depth very quickly, and a pain to go after your characters, especially since your inventory is with the other one.  Each floor doesn't contain enough monsters to level both of your characters up as much as they need, so I'll probably have to spend some time level grinding on each one.  I'll probably alternate; get Koji to two, Clair to three, Koji to four, Clair to five, and so on.

Another issue with the game is the fact that your inventory is tiny, especially since it includes food, healing items, weapons and armour, and piles of coins that you need to drop off at the bank frequently.

Oh, and the dungeon is randomly generated each playthrough.

I still like it, though.

UpaRupa

At one point in Breath of Fire II, your party is sent to catch an UpaRupa.

See?

'UpaRupa' or 'Wooper Looper' is the Japanese name for the Mexican creature, Axotlotl. They are adorably weird, and look oddly like how I imagine the link between humans and our last time as aquatic creatures.

Axolotl!

Axolotl also appear in Final Fantasy IX, in Qu's Marsh.

See?

Finally, the Pokemon Mudkip is also loosely based on the axolotl.

See?

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.

Completion Project Update - New Games!

Yesterday, I bought a ton of second-hand playstation games. I did mention this in another post, I think. I got Croc: Legend of the Gobbos, Casper, Spyro, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

A weird thing happened as I was paying. I asked if they had a copy of Ehrgeiz, and the person serving me told me that that game was "crap", and that it was called "energize" (he did confirm that it was the same game, since it had Final Fantasy VII cameos, so at least he knew which one I meant).

Dude. I didn't ask for your opinion, I asked if you had it. Keep a civil tongue in your head when you're working.

This is why I buy most of my games off Amazon.

If anyone's wondering, this was the Game store on New Street in Birmingham.

On a brighter note, for Casper, I intend to write a full, clear, walkthrough. It may not include everything, but it ought to get people to the end of that damn game. All the walkthrough's available are quite confusing, and the game's hard enough as it is.

Breath of Fire III, Part 13

I apprenticed Momo to Fahl, with the idea of apprenticing her to Deis later. Copied a few Ivory Dice in the Faerie Colony. I'll have Garr apprentice under Hachio once I've got the things working again. I also copied a Ring of Fire, and Nina finished with Yggdrasil and moved to Emitai while I was getting those dice.  She'll be done at level 30.  Rei finished with Meryleep, so I stuck him with Fahl as well, again in preparation for Deis.

Once I was done with all of that, I picked up some Deep Divers from the Manillo nearby, then headed back to Steel Beach.

I had a bit of difficulty learning Tornado from the Insectors.  They wouldn't use it until they'd already used up all their AP on Typhoon.  I had Nina learn 'Transfer' (the handiest skill in Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, incidentally, though not quite as good here), and use that on them at that point, which worked.  Then all of my characters failed to learn it, and the stupid thing ran away.  But still, the theory is sound.  I also found that, when alone, if they don't run away immediately, they'll use the skill, but I wasn't watching it that time.  Finally learnt it in another battle.

Oh hey, there's another statue of Ladon in Dragnier.

I like the mural, and the clear continuity from the previous games.

Shopping and Completion Project Update

I bought some new games today. Well, new-old games. Croc, Spyro, X-Men: Mutant Academy 2, Casper, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. All games I have fond (ish) memories of from my childhood, all for the playstation. I guess I'll have to make an updated Project List, and put it up at the side of my posts.

Last time I looked, they had Donald Duck: Quack Attack, which I seem to remember completing at the age of twelve or so.  I couldn't find it today, though.  I kind of want that and Ehrgeiz.

I want a DS too, for things like the Phoenix Wright games, Final Fantasy III, Time Hollow, and, maybe, Chrono Trigger.

Someday.

Breath of Fire III, Part 12

Since the Fairy Colony Weapons (Speed) shop is done, I've closed that down (after buying the good stuff, obviously), and set up the two kinds of item shops. I also have two copy shops now, but only one faery in each. I've all eight houses built, with one faery working in each, and the rest hunting, so I can get my twenty faeries (some of whom, I hope, will have high blue bars).

Also mastered quite a few of the masters.  Ryu is now with Deis, and will be done at level 47.  Nina still has a level or two to go with Yggdrasil, and then will master Emitai.  Rei's still working with Meryleep.

Momo and Peco have unlocked all of the forms, between them.  Peco's working on getting the Cupid's Lyre, and he'll be done at level 23.

I need to figure out what I want Momo and Garr to be working on.

Breath of Fire III, Part 11

Did a bit more fishing. I've got everything except whales now, although I'm still missing points on quite a few of them.

I played around with the Shisu sidequest, but got bored in the end, after getting Lacquer Armour (the second best).  I did some levelling, and experimented with casting burn on Lava Men in Mt. Zublo.  It makes them more powerful, and give off more exp.  They were killing my party members in one hit after four spells, and only giving 196exp each, so I quit.  Played all the way through to the Black Ship.  Then I died on the ship, and managed to get the Shaman's Ring after all.

Few notes on the Black Ship.  The bolt enemies are hard to hit, and the lucky strikes can really hurt.  The big frogs and the little frogs also make a horrible team with all those status effects.  I'd suggest bringing Rei along with the Chain Formation - with any luck, you can take them out before it starts to hurt too much.

Oh hey, silly me, I can learn Disembowel from the Assassins in the Steel Grave.  No need to have Garr spend ten levels under Bunyan.

...there we go.  I'll put Garr under Hachio once I've got the transporters unlocked, then.

Peco's doing well.  I've got an Amber BPlate and a pair of UV Glasses for him already.  That's half his best equipment.

At some point, I ought to make a shopping list of things to get.  Not character by character, but all in one, so I don't have to refer to six different ones.

I've also maxed out the Faery Colony's Weapon (Speed) shop.

Shisu

At a certain point of Breath of Fire III, you'll need to make Shisu.

The ingredients are as follows;

Mackerel - caught at the fishing spot near Maekyss Gorge. It will only appear after talking to the couple there about Shisu, after having visited Parch and spoken to the Mayor. The Mackerel will always be the largest one you've caught, even if you've since sold your entire stock and caught another one (ask me how I know this). Aim for one 68cm or longer.

Shaly Seeds - use Peco to knock some off the tree behind the hut in Maekyss Gorge. You'll need fifteen, so twice should be enough.

Horseradish - on Ogre Road. Use Ryu's sword to slice them. You'll need seven. Enter and leave to make it grow again.

Vinegar - go back to the Cafe, near Momo's tower, and have Garr speak to the person by the well. Play the minigame to get vinegar. You'll need four, so once or twice should be enough.

Finally, speak to the lady at Maekyss Gorge again, then head back to Parch and speak to the Mayor's assistant. You'll be taken to another screen where you can make the Shisu.  The recipe is as follows;

Click on the Mackerel (again, you should have caught one at least 68cm long).  Add fifteen Shaly Seeds, seven Horseradish, and four Vinegar, then knead twice.  Note that you'll only get a visual the first time you click 'knead'.

You should get a Shaman's Ring for this.

The full list of rewards is as follows, in order from best to worst;

Shaman's Ring
Lacquer Armour
Barbarossa
Sage's Frock
Wisdom Fruit
Wisdom Seed
Ammonia

Peco's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Peco's best equipment is as follows;

Dragon Fang - 85 power, 1 weight.
Dropped by IceDrakes and RedDrakes in Myria Station Laboratory.

Amber BPlate - 45 defence, 4 weight.
Can be bought in Parch or in the Faery Colony's Weapon (Ability) shop.

Aries Gloves - 45 defence, 5 weight.
You can steal these from Berserkers at the Container Yard.

UV Glasses - 18 defence, 1 weight, resists blind.
Found in Steel Grave.

Garr's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Garr's best weapons are as follows;

Beast Spear - 150 power, 15 weight, drains 1/20 of HP each turn.
Search Gaist's ashes immediately after the battle.

Gideon's Garb - 82 defence, 10 weight, +10 to power.
Dropped by Armor in Myria Station.

Giant Shield- 45 defence, 5 weight.
Found in Myria Station.

Divine Helm - 26 defence, 2 weight, resists flame.
Dropped by Gold Eggs in the Factory and Wraiths in Myria Station.

Rei's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Rei's best weapons are as follows;

Holy Avenger - 198 power, 1 weight.
Dropped by ArchMages in the Container Yard.

Life Armour - 80 defence, 8 weight.
The armour will heal you, each turn and each step. You can buy it from the Manillo at the fishing spot near Kombinat, where it costs one Whalefish, one Spearfish, and three Barandy. You can also find it in the Desert.


Since this is also Ryu's best armour, it may be easier to have the faeries copy it than to find one and buy one, or to buy two.

Aries Gloves - 44 defence, 2 weight, +10 to power.
You can steal these from Berserkers at the Container Yard.

Divine Helm - 26 defence, 2 weight, resists flame.
Dropped by Gold Eggs in the Factory and Wraiths in Myria Station.

Momo's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Momo's best weapons are as follows;

Atomic Bomb - 198 power, 1 weight, 100% to hit.
Bought in Caer Xhan for 16,000 zenny.

Mist Armour -75 defence, 4 weight.
Dropped by Mistmen in the final area of Myria Station.

Aries Gloves - 44 defence, 2 weight, +10 to power.
Stolen from Berserkers at the Container Yard.

Silver Tiara - 23 defence, 1 weight.
Found in Eden.  As this is also Nina's best helmet, you may want to have the Faeries copy it.

Nina's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Nina's best equipment is as follows;

Ouroboros - 80 power, 5 weight, +10 to intelligence. Will cast Raise Dead when used as an item.
You can buy this from the Faerie Village's Weapon Shop (Ability). It's the final item, and costs 22,000 zenny.

Diana's Dress -72 defence, 4 weight.
Dropped by Revenants in the final area of Myria Station.

Aries Gloves - 44 defence, 2 weight, +10 to power.
Stolen from Berserkers at the Container Yard.

Silver Tiara - 23 defence, 1 weight.
Found in Eden.  As this is also Momo's best helmet, you may want to have the Faeries copy it.

Ryu's Best Equipment - Breath of Fire III

In Breath of Fire III, Ryu's best equipment is as follows;

GooKing Sword - 180 power, 4 weight.
You can steal this from a GooKing in the final dungeon. Steal its apple, so it doesn't run away.

Life Armour - 80 defence, 8 weight.
The armour will heal you, each turn and each step. You can buy it from the Manillo at the fishing spot near Kombinat, where it costs one Whalefish, one Spearfish, and three Barandy. You can also find it in the Desert.


Since this is also Rei's best armour, it may be easier to have the faeries copy it than to find one and buy one, or to buy two.

Aries Gloves - 44 defence, 2 weight, +10 to power.
You can steal these from Berserkers at the Container Yard.

Dragon Helm - 50 defence, 2 weight, protection against flame.
You'll find this in the final dungeon, after fighting Chimera.

Breath of Fire III, Part 10

I got Momo and Peco back, and spoke to the four kids in Wyndia. Then I apprenticed Rei to Meryleep, went back to Dauna Mine to get Bais and the Coupons. I want to apprentice Peco to Bais, since his levels are lowest, his stats are good, and I want the Chain Formation. It's very handy to have with Rei around - everyone can get extra turns, no matter how much you weigh down the other two.  Unfortunately, I need to find Lee and Wynn first, and for that, I need the damn passport.  I'll just have to try to keep Peco from levelling until then.

Incidentally, I love camping in Breath of Fire III and IV.  I like being able to check in with my characters.  I love the whole 'battle areas' aspect of the world map, too.

I bought some new weapons/armour from Syn City, and then headed to the Plant.

I got a ton of Scale Mail here, which will be sold to fund new weapons.  I also learned Flame Strike, and found the Force Gene.  Then I had to leave for my (real life) exam.

After the exam, I came home and finished out the factory.  This bit reminds me quite a lot of Mamon in the first Shadow Hearts game, crossed with Koudelka (with Repsol playing the part of Patrick).

Interestingly, up until Nina and Momo talk at camp, when Rei is shoved out to spend time with the other males of the party, Rei is always alone in the tent.  After that point, Momo's in there with him, and he seems to be more of a part of the group.  That's sweet.

Momo managed to master Fahl's spells (the only one I needed was Counter), so I put Garr with Bunyan (remind me to head back when he's level thirty).  I found all the triplets, and I intend to put Peco and Momo with two of them, put the game still isn't letting me into Wyndia.  I want that Chain Formation!

...gosh, doesn't Gaist look like DeathEvn?

I finally managed to get Peco apprenticed to Bais, and Momo to Wynn.  Remind me to check back when he's at seventeen, and she's at twenty-seven.

I also got the Faerie Village's culture level to 7, and started up a few shops - Weapons, with speed and ability, and Handyman, with Ability.  I spent some time in Mt. Zublo, levelling Peco up, and advancing the faeries a little more.  Finished with Bais, apprenticed Peco to Lee.

Damn, Peco is powerful.

Breath of Fire III, Part 9

First thing I did today was head to the faerie village, to start building it. I may or may not write a guide post on this - there's a huge number of guides out there already.

I started off with three faeries. One who was great at hunting (and not much else), one who was hugely intelligent (but bad at hunting), and one who was mostly strong, but not really.

I love how the appropriate bars flash when you assign them to a job.

I assigned one to hunting, one to clearing, and one to studying culture.

Did some fishing, caught two red catfish and a barandy. Bought a Katzbaiger from the manillo.

It took bloody ages to learn Mind Flay. And Timed Blow.

I love Rei. Poor Rei.

When they were separated, all he tried to do was get justice. Ryu searched for Rei and Teepo, but he also found friends, while Rei was alone.

Rei kept on searching for Balio and Sunder long after Ryu defeated them at Maekyss Gorge.

Imagine Rei's life before Ryu and Teepo. Ryu and Teepo always had someone. Rei had to be alone.

I got Nina. Work now!

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 7

I really like the fishing minigame in Breath of Fire III (and in the other games, but this one best). I also love the hunting minigame in Final Fantasy IX. D'you know what the silly thing about that is? I'm a vegan.

Played through to Rhapala. I've given up working on my post about enemy skills - just refer to this FAQ.

I got bored with training Beyd after he'd managed to get himself countered to death three times.  Luckily, I'd managed to net him an extra 12 or so attack and defence points and another hp, which really helped.

I took Peco to the Lighthouse for the levels, along with Momo, to get the treasure.  This made the lighthouse much tougher than it needed to be.

I love the aussie dolphin, and the English translation.  It's awesome.  I wonder what they did in the original version?

Bit of advice on the Vulcans.  Firstly, you can steal proteins, which are awesome.  Secondly, you will double the experience gained if you use a fire spell on them.  This will, however, make them start attacking you, with horrible spells like Lavaburst (which can be learned).  I generally try to whittle their hp down as much as possible (with frost) before using a firespell on them.  After using a firespell, they also become vulnerable to physical attacks, which helps.

Once you have the fairy village up and running, these vulcans will be where you level up, and even without the Ivory dice, they're pretty handy.  You might be lucky, like I was, and manage to nab a set of Magma Armour as a drop from one of the monsters here.  With that and the Ring of Fire you've got two characters here absorbing flame attacks as HP.

Idea.  I can get the fairies to copy that ring when I come back here to level up.  And the ring of ice.  Be handy to have three or even six of each of those.

Ooh, creepy old man.  I'd forgotten him.

I suppose all the bits about the tower and the brood mean that the ending of Breath of Fire II, where Ryu waited too long, is canon.

Did some fishing to the south of Mt. Zublo, and bought two Wisdom Rings.  They raise your Intelligence by thirty!  Also, got Meryleep. 

Breath of Fire III - Ivory Dice

The Ivory Dice is an item in Breath of Fire III, which, when used on an enemy, doubles the amount of experience and zenny earned.

For example, using it on a Vulcan results in the following increases;

• 1 dice = 600 exp, 900 zenny.
  
• 2 dice = 1200 exp, 3600 zenny.
  
• 3 dice = 2400 exp, 7200 zenny.
  
• 4 dice = 4800 exp, 14400 zenny.
  
• 5 dice = 9600 exp, 28800 zenny.
  
• 6 dice = 19200 exp, 57600 zenny.
  
• 7 dice = 21845 exp, and a little over 57k zenny.

As you can see, the experience caps at 21845, while the zenny caps around 57k. Therefore, it is more profitable, when using a Vulcan (one of the most exp and ap rich random enemies of the game) to use six dice at a time, rather than seven. Because Vulcans are fairly easy to defeat and give extremely high exp and zenny in comparison to this, you will almost certainly be using Ivory Dice to level against them rather than anything else. They can be found in Mt. Zublo, near Deis. Remember to cast 'burn' on them at least once; if you don't, the given exp will begin at 60 per character instead of the 300 you're aiming for. Try to remember to steal a protein while you're doing this, too.

Ivory Dice can only be found in a few places. However, you can use the Faerie Copy Shop to create more. A fairy with a full Sky Blue bar has a better chance of success. Save before entering the village, as success or failure is not determined until you enter.

It takes the fairies exactly fourteen battles to copy one Ivory Dice. This means that it is possible to set up a production line - have fourteen fairies working to copy Ivory Dice at once. Simply set one, fight one random battle, then set the second. After the last one is told to start copying, the first one will finish. This is the most efficient way, since you can guarantee success by saving just outside of the village each time.

You can continue this production line for as long as you wish. Should you have more than one fairy completing their copying at once, there is a higher chance that at least one will fail.

You can use the copying production line to copy an expensive item too, and sell it if it's money you want more than levels.

Breath of Fire III - Stat Raising

You can steal various stat raising items from the following monsters.

Power Food - Foul Weed, Hobgoblin, Night Bat
Life Shard - Titan Goo, Ice Toad
Protein - Vulcan
Magic Shard - Reaper

Breath of Fire III - Training Beyd

In Breath of Fire III, on reaching Rhapala, you must spend some time training Beyd, a member of the Porter's Guild. It's not absolutely necessary to do this, as your party will be able to help him out in the upcoming battle, but I like to train him thoroughly.

First is equipment. I got him a Claymore and some Scale Mail. I also lowered Nina's defence as much as possible and made sure that Ryu had Backhand.

Beyd has three attributes to raise; HP, power, and defence. His defence will go up according to the number of times he's attacked while defending, his power will go up according to how much damage he deals to your party, and his HP will go up according to the damage he takes. The training will end after twenty turns, or when one party is wiped out.

Beyd will usually go after the person with the lowest defence, in this case, Nina with 33. Sometimes, he'll hit Ryu, in which case you should probably hope that Ryu doesn't counter.

Nina tends to get extra turns. You can use these to either cast weaken on Nina or Blunt on Ryu, or use a healing herb. Momo should heal, and Ryu should use Backhand or heal if needed. All of your characters should move before Beyd.

I had Nina smack Beyd a few times if his hp was high enough, particularly on extra turns, when Momo had healed him, but he was still defending.

During your final turn, go all out, and deal as much damage as possible.

After three or so full training sessions, Beyd should be strong enough.

I tended to find myself in a little routine. Beyd defends at the end of his last turn, Nina uses a healing herb on him during her extra turn, and then smacks him, Ryu uses Backhand and Momo casts heal. Rinse, repeat. Nina's hit will raise his defence, Ryu's will raise his hp, and Beyd's own attack will raise his power. Of course, sometimes the idiot will hit Ryu, and get himself countered to death.

When you're done, tell Beyd 'to the Lighthouse!" and Zig will challenge him to a fight.  During this fight, when Zig is looking the other way and waving, you'll be able to help out.  If you hit Zig, he'll regain focus, and if you help Beyd out while he's looking, you'll have to start over. 

Beyd has around 250hp.

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. 

Linkstorm

A few things I've been reading recently.

Firstly, the TV Tropes page on Breath of Fire (and I must apologise for taking up your entire afternoon with that link; TV tropes is a major time sink).

An interesting article on the Princess Maker series (the only one of which I've played is Princess Maker 2).

A link to Cave Story, a game I've heard interesting things about.

And, finally, an article on Final Fantasy VIII, although I disagree - I think Final Fantasy II is the red-headed stepchild.

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 - Ryu's Dragon Genes

In Breath of Fire III, Ryu can collect various dragon genes. He can then combine these to morph into dragons with varying powers and abilities. There are eighteen altogether. Below is a list of where they can be found, in the order that they appear.

Flame

You'll get this one automatically, when Ryu is taken to Wyndia.

Defender

Gained automatically after Ryu transforms at Mt. Boumore.

Reverse

After using the lift and exiting Mt Boumore, you'll be able to find this in an ? spot on the southern side of the mountain.

Thorn

You'll find this at the crash site, after escaping from Momo's tower.

Frost

Behind the hut at Maekyss Gorge.

Thunder

You'll find this behind the hut to the north of Rhapala.

Eldritch

At the top of the lighthouse.

Miracle

In the Fire Cavern, in the room where you fight Gisshan, Scylla, and Charyb.

Shadow


Automatically, after fighting the Dragon Zombie.


Fusion

Automatically, after fighting the Dragon Zombie.

Force

In the Plant. In the room with the memo about Project AA, walk up the air vent and off the screen.  The Force gene is further up.

Gross

On the way out of the Tidal Flats.  You can't miss it.

???

Inside the hut to the west of Junktown.  It's behind a sheet.

Mutant 

The top right corner of Steel Beach.

Trance

Behind the Yggdrasil tree, near Kombinat.

Failure

In the top leftmost corner of the Colony (not the Faerie Colony).

Radiance

Once you've got the Portal Drives working, head to the Container Yard and walk across the crate to the right.

Infinity

Received after defeating the Dragon Elder.

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 3

Did some more fishing tonight. I got an iron helm for Ryu, but didn't bother with Teepo and Rei. I also googled a bit to find out what the maximum length was for each fish. I found this guide, which has some interesting info.

According to those lists, I'm fifteen points short on piranhas, twenty on puffers, twenty five on trout, and thirty on rainbow trout. I'm also fifty points short on manillo, but my jellyfish are fine.  Generally speaking, I find that the later fishing spots have bigger fish, and all of these can be found elsewhere.

While hunting for Trout and Rainbow Trout, I generally aim to get two or three at a time, exit, save, then return. I'm going for ten of each. That's five silver knives, at 700 zenny each, which will be lots of cash in Wyndia.

Okay done. I did get the iron helms for Rei and Teepo in the end.

By the way, I'm writing these posts as I play, as you may have guessed. I've just played through the sneaking-past-the-guards section, and saved in McNeil's mansion. Kali sleepy.

Edit:  Okay, when I woke up, I played through all of McNeil's mansion and fighting Balio and Sunder.  Now work!

Fishing in Breath of Fire III

Breath of Fire III also contains a fishing mini-game. There are only seventeen fishing spots in the world - or, at least, in the relatively small area of the world that your party explores - but there's a lot more depth to the game than in the first or second Breath of Fires.  I highly recommend this guide for more in-depth info.

You can buy your first rod, the Wooden Rod, and some bait, from the Item shop in McNeill.  You'll find the Bamboo Rod in Momo's Tower, after gaining Momo.  When you get Rei back, he can open a door in the guard's cabin at the Northern Checkpoint, where you'll find the Deluxe Rod. The Angling Rod can be purchased from the Faerie Colony's Handyman stores (either, but Ability gets it quicker) for 2000 zenny.  You'll find the Spanner in the Steel Grave, if you have Momo blast the door off its hinges.

Finally, to get the Master Rod, clear the game, and have over 9000 fishing points.  Then head to the ? spot to the west of Steel Beach, and talk to the fisherman there.

The most points you can gain for each fish are as follows;

Fish	Points
Jellyfish	100
Pirana	150
Puffer	200
Trout	250
Rainbow Trout	300
Red Catfish	400
Bass	400
Martian Squid	600
Black Bass	700
Barandy	900
Man o' War	100
Flying Fish	150
Blowfish	200
Sea Bream	250
Sea Bass	500
Black Porgy	400
Octopus	500
Angler	600
Devilfish	700
Spearfish	800
Whale	999
Mackerel	300
Manillo	500

Below is a list of the fishing points in the game, in (roughly) the order in which they appear. On each visit, the number of fish available is finite. However, they will be fully restocked should you leave and re-enter.

West of Cedar Woods
Contains: Piranha (6), Jellyfish (10), Rainbow Trout (4).

I found all of these pretty easy to catch. I used a Worm at first, then the Heavy Caro when I felt a bit more confident.

West of McNeil Farm
Contains: Piranha (8), Puffer (8), Trout (4), Manillo

Theoretically, you could catch everything but the Manillo with a Popper, but I find that the Trout will only bite on a Heavy Caro.

The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Silver Knife - RainbowTrout x2 + Trout x2
Iron Helm - Trout x1 + Pirana x2
Waistcloth - Trout x1 + Puffer x1
Spirit - Pirana x3
Baby Frog - Pirana x3
Popper - Puffer x3
Float - Puffer x3
Skill Ink - RainbowTrout x1 + Trout x1
Bell Collar - Angler x3 + MartianSquid x3 + Sea Bream x5
Holy Mantle - Black Bass x3 + Bass x4 + Sea Bass x9

East of the Arena
Contains: Puffer (6), RainbowTrout (8), Bass (6).

The Rainbow Trout here are much larger than the ones near McNeil, and this is the first place you can catch Bass'.

South of Momo's Tower
Contains: Flying Fish (12), Blowfish (4), Black Porgy (3), Octopus (4), Manillo

I found that the Octipodes go for the Heavy Caro, the Black Porgy for Toads, the Blowfish for Floats and the Flying Fish for Poppers or Old Poppers.  The Manillo, as always, goes for coins.  Of course, all of these fish will go for other lures - that's just what I had the best luck with.

The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Chain Cap - Bass x1 + Blowfish x3
Crepe Cape - Black Porgy x1 + Flying Fish x4
Spirit - Blowfish x3
Baby Frog - Blowfish x3
Popper - Flying Fish x2
Float - Flying Fish x2
Skill Ink - Octopus x2

North of the Plant
Contains: Piranha (8), Trout (4), Rainbow Trout (4), Bass (4), Black Bass (2).

I was able to catch everything here with the Bamboo Rod and a Heavy Caro.  That said, I couldn't get the Black Bass to bite until there was absolutely nothing else left (luckily, that was my intention).

East of Mt Myrneg
Contains: Jellyfish (10), Bass (6), MartianSquid (4).

Blogger ate my info overnight, so I can't quite recall what I wrote here.  I'll fill it in if/when I end up going back there.

North of Rhapala
Contains: Man o' War (10), Flying Fish (8), Sea Bream (4).

See above.

West of Rhapala
Contains: Man o' War (4), Flying Fish (4), Sea Bass (10), Octopus (4).

See above.

South of Mt. Zublo
Contains: Sea Bream (12), Black Porgy (6), Angler (2), Manillo

I seem to recall that the Black Porgies would bite on Toads while the Anglers liked Poppers, or possibly the other way around.  I shall have to test that again.

I would highly recommend catching the two Anglers and swapping them for a Wisdom Ring or two.  They raise your intelligence by thirty, which is rather a lot.

The Manillo's store is as follows;

Wisdom Ring - Angler x1 + Black Porgy x2 + Sea Bream x2
Lion's Belt - MartianSquid x2 + Bass x2 + Sea Bass x4
Ginseng - MartianSquid x1 + Octopus x2 + Sea Bass x3
Caro - Sea Bream x3
Frog - Sea Bream x3
Top - Octopus x2
Hanger - Octopus x2
Skill Ink - Black Porgy x1 + Angler x1

South of Dauna Mina
Contains: Red Catfish (3), Bass (10), MartianSquid (4).

Red Catfish will bite on a Frog, the MartianSquid for worm-type bait, and the Bass will bite on anything.

I didn't catch everything here, since most of the fish seemed to be too far out for my rod to reach easily.  I just got two Red Catfish, a MartianSquid and a few Bass, and called it a night.

West of Northern Checkpoint
Contains: Piranha (8), Trout (6), Rainbow Trout (6), Barandy (3), Manillo

The Barandy will bite on a Frog.  It doesn't look any bigger than the Trouts or Rainbow Trouts, but it has a lighter shadow.

The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Wisdom Ring - Black Bass x1 + RainbowTrout x5 + Trout x5
Lion's Belt - Angler x1 + RainbowTrout x9 + Trout x9
Ginseng - Bass x2 + RainbowTrout x5 + Trout x5
Caro - RainbowTrout x2 + Trout x3
Frog - RainbowTrout x2 + Trout x3
Top - RainbowTrout x3 + Trout x2
Hanger - RainbowTrout x3 + Trout x2
Skill Ink - MartianSquid x2 + RainbowTrout x1 + Trout x1
Katzbalger - Barandy x1 + Black Bass x2 + Red Catfish x1
Laurel - Barandy x1 + Black Bass x2 + Bass X1

Southeast of Ogre Road
Contains: Puffer (4), Trout (8), Black Bass (6).

I didn't actually catch anything here on my first time through, since I had enough of all of those fish.  For future reference, though, the Puffers go for floating lures - that is, Old Poppers, Poppers, Tops, and Dogwalkers - while Trout and Black Bass go for worm and fish lures.  Worm lures are Worms, Spirits, Caros and Heavy Caros, while fish lures are Sinkers, Floats, Hangers, and Deep Divers.

Near Tidal Caves
Contains: Octopus (12), Angler (4), Devilfish (4), Manillo

I found that the Octipodes and Devilfish would bite on a heavy caro, while the Anglers will go for Floats, Hangers, and Deep Divers.  The Deluxe Rod helped a lot, here.

The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Hawk's Ring - Black Bass x3 + Bass x5
Artemis' Cap - Black Bass x2 + Angler x2 + Sea Bream x5
Speed Boots - Barandy x1 + Black Bass x1 + Devilfish x2
Soul Gem - Barandy x1 + Sea Bass x2
Bell Collar - Devilfish x2 + Angler x3 + Sea Bream x9
Holy Mantle - Black Bass x3 + Bass x9 + Sea Bass x9
Skill Ink - Octopus x2 + Devilfish x1


Far West of Steel Beach
Contains: Man o' War (3), Flying Fish (3), Blowfish (3), Sea Bream (3), Sea Bass (3), Black Porgy (2), Octopus (2), Angler (2), Devilfish (2), Spearfish (1), Manillo.

There is a fishing spot a little before this (just to the east), but I highly recommend coming here first, since the Manillo here stocks Top level lures.  I caught the Manillo first, and bought a Dog Walker and Deep Diver.  Alternating between those and that Heavy Caro I found way back at the beginning of the game made this fishing spot surprisingly easy.  The only fish who wouldn't go for those was the Black Porgys, who bit on a Fat Frog instead.

The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Demonsbane - Spearfish x1 + Black Bass x2
Aries Spear - Spearfish x1 + Sea Bass x9 + Sea Bream x9
Heavy Caro - Devilfish x1 + MartianSquid x1 + Octopus x2
Fat Frog - Devilfish x1 + MartianSquid x1 + Octopus x2
Dogwalker - Devilfish x1 + MartianSquid x1 + Octopus x2
Deep Diver - Devilfish x1 + MartianSquid x1 + Octopus x2
Skill Ink - Octopus x2 + Devilfish x1

West of Steel Beach
Contains: Sea Bass (12), Devilfish  (4), Spearfish (2).

Nothing too taxing here.  The Devilfish like Heavy Caros, the Spearfish like Deep Divers, and you'll probably catch a ton of Sea Bass while trying not to.

Near Maekyss Gorge
Contains: Puffer (6), MartianSquid (2), Mackerel (12)

This fishing spot will only appear once you've begin the Shisu quest.  It's part of the main plot, and the only time you have to fish.

The Martian Squids will bite on Heavy Caros, while the Puffers will go for Dogwalkers. Mackerels go for both.

Near Kombinat
Contains: Man o' War (8), Flying Fish (4), Spearfish (2), Whale (2), Manillo

I had no luck here initially, except with the Manillo, the Man o' Wars, and the Flying Fish.  You're going to need a Deep Diver - you can find one in the Colony, or buy one from the Manillo to the far west of Steel Beach.

Whales, Man o' Wars and Spearfish will go for Deep Divers, while the Flying Fish will go for Poppers and Old Poppers.  The Manillo's stock is as follows;

Royal Sword - Whale x1 + Spearfish x3 + Barandy x1
Life Armor - Whale x1 + Spearfish x1 + Barandy x3
Cupid's Lyre - Whale x1 + Barandy x2 + Red Catfish x5
Shaman'sRing - Whale x1 + Spearfish x3 + Red Catfish x5
Ivory Dice - Spearfish x1 + Red Catfish x1 + Mackerel x5
Skill Ink - Spearfish x1 + Devilfish x1

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.

Breath of Fire III, Part 1

...I was going to go to sleep, and play this in the morning, but I'm an unapologetic insomniac. So, yeah.

The game opens with a pretty unmistakable frieze of the team from the first game fighting Myria/Maria/Tyr. Two miners - one of them named Mogu - find a baby dragon in a cave, while mining. It kills them. Poor miners.

This bit of the game is really quite gory, considering these are very clearly people, not monster, being killed. And considering you can pick up one of their melted swords from their dead bodies.

I'd forgotten the bit about a voice from the mine calling out to Ryu not to kill people.

Rei reminds me so much of Cray. Or vice versa, I suppose. Cray's more of a jock though - he's very much a leader, and capable of caring for himself. So's Rei, really, but he seems softer, kinder, more brittle, perhaps? I think because he goes from being the strong, protective, elder-brother figure to someone who's basically just tagging along and being super fast.

I suppose Teepo is like a baby Zog. He has more screentime than Zog, at least.

I wonder if Teepo came from the mine as well? The miners said they found those eggs sometimes, and Rei said he found him in the same way. You'd think the miners would have been more prepared, in that case.

The world of Breath of Fire was mostly prosperous, apart from the war. In II, there was more murder and greed, and people enjoyed violence. In III, people are all sad and starving and orphaned. They're essentially scavengers, particularly the mechanics.  How sad, if III really is the latest game set within that world.

Plus, the Dragon Statues and St Eva's churches are long gone.

At this point in the game - that is, when you have Rei, Ryu, and Teepo - I generally level up a bit.  I'd recommend stealing a couple of bent swords from the Goblins (like three) and some waistclothes from the Boss Goblins. Plus, healing herbs from the Eye Goos.  A pointed stick or two wouldn't go amiss either.  I used the defence formation, which helped Rei not to kill things before stealing their stuff.

I got Ryu to learn Burn from the Mage Goos, Influence from Boss Goblins, and Blind from Rippers.  Teepo got Unmotivate, from the Goblins, just because.  Also bought a fishing rod and some worms.  Played through past the bit with Bunyan.  I want to get to a bit where it will let me fish.

Oh hey, 4am and I have work in the morning.  Joy.

Kali's Completion Project Update - Breath of Fire II and III

So, yeah, my file's gone. I've completed the game before, and I remember the three endings and the main plotpoints. I'll just go ahead and move on to III.

My posts will be left tagged with Work-in-Progress. I'll go back and finish them, next time I play Breath of Fire II.

Breath of Fire III is another one I've completed before, complete with best weapons and armour, and all genes found. I don't recall if I got every skill that time, but I will this time. I also intend to get the maximum number of fishing points possible.

My review of Breath of Fire III wasn't very positive. I found it slow-moving and heavy-going, and I recall that I felt it lacked characterisation, in many ways. So, it may be surprising that I'm looking forward to playing it. It may be my least favourite in the series, but being the least favourite out of my favourite series isn't a bad thing, really.

I'm also quite pleased to have found GBemul, which has Gameboy games, and Snessy, which has a number of old SNES games to play. I've found the first game I ever finished, Aladdin, on there, along with Super Mario World, a game I used to play all the time. I couldn't save it then either - it had the same problem as my Breath of Fire II cart, I'm guessing.

Altimate Rewrite of Final Fantasy VIII

I've been reading the Altimate Rewrite of Final Fantasy VIII for a while now. The author, Albert, disappeared for a few months, but he's back now. I've started reading again from the beginning, with the idea that he'd be a lot closer to the end by the time I caught up again. Plus, I'd forgotten some of the finer points of the narrative.

I love Final Fantasy VIII - it was my first RPG, and my first Final Fantasy - and I love the rewrite. Go take a look.

I'm generally not a big fan of fanfiction, but I like this.

Completion Project Update - Disasteriffic

...my GBA has frozen. At the moment, the only option I can see is to reboot it, and if I do that, I really don't want to start over, especially not knowing that this will probably happen again. Probably sooner.

....okay, I turned it off then on again, fast.  My old SNES games, when they wore out, would, occasionally, rarely, randomly save.

YES!  It saved!  Oh my god, I did not expect that to work.

Heeeeeeeeeeeey.

Oh, spoke too soon.  It froze again, and the sound went very odd.  I had to turn it off.  I'll try turning it on again later, see if it's saved, but I'm not holding out any hope there.

The game's available here, but I'm not sure about saving there, either.

Completion Project Update - New Games?

There's a few games I want to add to my project, generally old games I used to own, or ones that I can borrow. Things like Solomon's Club for the Gameboy, which can be played here. I admit, I have no idea what that game's about, or what the items are for, or what the point in collecting all those random things is, but I was mildly addicted to the stupid thing about twelve years ago.

There's a bunch of other retro games on there, but I haven't checked many of them out yet.  I have fond memories of Super Mario Bros 3, among others, so I might go search for that later.

Games I can (and intend) to borrow include Crash Bandicoot 2, Spiderman, a few Digimon games (I was never into this, but I am curious), and a couple more.  I kind of want to play Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and Pacman World again, too.  Maybe that old Tarzan game for the playstation. I might make an updated list one of these days.

Breath of Fire II - Unlimited Cash

To get unlimited cash in Breath of Fire II, you need to get the basic Carpenter into your Township. That is, when sent to fetch a carpenter from Capitan (as part of the main storyline) pick the one in the eastern house, the house that has a relatively "normal" design (judging by the game's other cities). He'll open a kitchen, where you can cook up items into new items. This sometimes fails, so you'll probably want to save at the Dragon Statue first.

Later in the game, when you have five houses (after the first three are built, pay the carpenter another thousand zenny, then walk in and out of town a few times until they're finished), invite Hanz to live in the fifth house. He lives in the house next door to Ryu and Bow's room in Hometown, and he'll open an item shop.

Hanz sells Cond.Ups for 1000 zenny each. The Carpenter will transform three of these into a G.Bar, which sells for 6000 zenny, doubling your money.

I didn't really have a problem with running out of money in the game, but it's nice to have options.