Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Gotta Catch 'em All, pt3

Artefact	Effect
Shuriken	Strength +1
Maneater	Strength +1
Double Axe	Strength +1
Ashura	Strength +1
Kaiser Knuckles	Strength +1
Flametongue	Strength +2
Ice Brand	Strength +2
Loaded Dice	Strength +2
Ogrekiller	Strength +2
Engetsurin	Strength +2
Sasuke Blade	---
---	---
Masquerade	---
Murasame	---
---	---
---	---
---	---
Power Wrist	---
Green Beret	Strength +1
Fang Charm	---
Twisted Headband	Magic +1
Heavy Armband	---
Giant's Glove	---
Dragon Whisker	Magic +1
Mage Masher	Magic +1
Rune Staff	Magic +1
Book of Light	Magic +1
Sages Staff	Magic +3
Wonder Wand	Magic +3
Rune Bell	Magic +3
Mage's Staff	---
Noah's Lute	---
---	---
Ultima Tome	---
Silver Bracer	Magic +1
Cat's Bell	Magic +1
Faerie Ring	Magic +1
Winged Cap	Magic +1
Candy Ring	---
Kris	Magic +3
Red Slippers	---
Dark Matter	Magic +5
Gold Hairpin	---
---	---
---	---
Main Gauche	Defence +2
Chicken Knife	---
Save the Queen	---
Drill	Defence +1
Buckler	Defence +1
Silver Spectacles	Defence +1
Sparkling Bracer	Defence +1
Black Hood	Defence +2
Arai Helm	Defence +2
Elven Mantle	---
Wonder Bangle	---
---	---
---	---
Rat's Tail	---
Teddy Bear	---
Moogle Pocket	Command Slot
Chocobo Pocket	Command Slot
Gobbie Pocket	---
Ultimate Pocket	---
Fire Ring	---
Blizzard Ring	Casts Blizzard
Thunder Ring
Cure Ring	---
---	---
Earth Pendant	Extra Heart
Moon Pendant	Extra Heart
Star Pendant	---
---	---

Total Bonuses

Stat	Gain
Strength	16
Defence	10
Magic	26

Yes, it's that time of year again, when I have another go at collecting every artefact in the game.  The above tables will be filled in as I go through this playthrough. I make no guarantees as to sticking with it.

I've gone back to my little Clavat now - Theia, the long-haired alchemist's daughter.

Winning Your First Blitzball Match

...because it's a matter of pride, dammit.

In Final Fantasy X, it is possible to win your first match against the Luca Goers.  This is the easiest way I've found to do it, that least relies on luck.  Of course, if you do get lucky, you may want to take that goal shot.

The general point of this method is to keep the score nil-nil for as long as possible, and use the Jecht Shot to score. 

The first thing you need to do is get the Jecht Shot on the S.S. Winno. If I recall correctly, you need to attempt this as part of the storyline, so just save first, and make sure you get it. It's not too tricky.

Now, for the actual match. During the first half, don't try to score.  Get the ball, and keep it on your own side (hit triangle while in possession of the ball, and change your movement to manual). Your goals here are to keep the score nil-nil, and level Tidus up to three, so he can use techs in the second half.  Keep Tidus way back by your own goal, and have him pass to the defenders to gain exp.  You'll get three for each successful pass.  You only need one or two, since he starts with some exp.

At half-time, equip Tidus with the Jecht Shot. You have three minutes before Tidus leaves, and your only goal is to have Tidus score, just once.  You can take out two defenders with the Jecht shot, so it's a lot easier.  Whatever you're doing at the three minute mark will be interrupted, so get your shots in early.

For the last two minutes, see how it's going.  If you've got a big lead, have fun with it, if not, play defensively.

A fair amount of this first match depends on luck.  If you get unlucky, it's easy to lose, but with a few lucky breaks like I had on my last match, you can get the score to 4-2 before Tidus leaves.  Like I did.  Ha!  Bite me, Bickson.  And then I had Wakka score, just because.

Updates

I'm giving up on the fishing in Breath of Fire III. It's seriously affecting my enjoyment of the game, to the point where I've spent the last few weeks playing other things instead. I haven't started any other big RPGs, but I've played bits of various platformers, and spent an happy hour or so killing random things on my Star Ocean III save file.

I've got a very respectable amount of fishing points, easily enough to get every reward in the game, except for that final damn title. So, I'm just going to go ahead and try to finish the game now.

Updates

I'm still trying to max out my fishing scores in Breath of Fire III, and get the Gold Eggs to drop the Divine Helm. I'm only intending to get one, which I will then have the faeries copy, so both Rei and Garr get one, without me having to fight another few hundred of those damn Egg Gangs.

This is very long and boring work so I've been dabbling in other games inbetween times. This is so not cheating. I made the rules, after all.

I played my old save file of Star Ocean: 'Til the End of Time a bit, mostly just to run around and have Maria shoot things. I played through some of Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, again, mostly to run around and shoot things (okay, stab, I didn't get Lin yet). I finished the white chamber, which is freeware released by Studio Trophis (and rather fun). And I'm playing through the RPG mode of Ehrgeiz, which I may post up some basic tips for later. My main tip is, level grind. I find money and items hard to come by, and doing that means having more items to sell/save for later, and less need to use them on new enemies. I'm also making a rough exp chart, which I may post up.

Oh, and I played some Spyro.

Breath of Fire III - Ultimate Equipment Shopping List

A list of all the equipment you need to collect in order to fully equip all your characters in Breath of Fire III. There are individual lists, linked below, but this is here to make things a bit easier.

• Ryu
• Nina
• Momo
• Peco
• Garr
• Rei

Weapons

• GooKing Sword for Ryu - Stolen from GooKings in Myria Station.
• Ouroboros for Nina - Bought from the Faerie Village's Ability Weapon shop for 22,000 zenny.
• Atomic Bomb for Momo - Bought in Caer Xhan for 16,000 zenny.
• Dragonfang for Peco - Dropped by Reddrakes and Icedrakes in Myria Station Laboratory.
• Beast Spear for Garr - Examine Guardian Geist's ashes immediately after the battle.
• Holy Avenger for Rei - Dropped by Archmages in the Container Yard.

Armour

• Life Armour for Ryu and Rei - You can find one suit in the Desert of Death, and you can buy more from the Manillo at the Lost Shore, near Kombinat.  You'll need one Whale, one Spearfish, and three Barandy.
• Diana's Dress for Nina - Dropped by Revenants in Myria Station.
• Mist Armour for Momo - Dropped by Mistmen in Myria Station.
• AmberBPlate for Peco - Can be Bought in Parch in the Faerie Colonies Ability Weapon Shop.
• Gideon's Garb for Garr - Dropped by Armour in Myria Station.

• Aries Gloves for Ryu, Nina, Momo, Peco, and Rei - Stolen from Berserkers at the Container Yard.
• Giant Shield for Garr - Found in Myria Station.

• Dragon Helm for Ryu - Found in Myria Station after finding the Chimera.
• Silver Tiara for Nina and Momo - Found in Eden.  You'll need to have the Faeries copy it if you want one each.
• UV Glasses for Peco - Found in the Steel Grave.
• Divine Helm for Garr and Rei - Dropped by Gold Eggs in the Factory and Wraiths in Myria Station.

Kids with Swords

I played my first RPG, Final Fantasy VIII, when I was around twelve or thirteen. Now I'm twenty-two.

The heroes of Final Fantasy VIII were all seventeen or eighteen, and it's been very odd growing past that age. At first, the characters seemed impossibly mature to me - now they seem very young and out of their depth. I wonder how the older characters will look, in later games, as I grow past them? I've past Cloud's age (21) now. I'm the same age as Aeris (22)(I insist on calling her Aeris. Bite me, it's my blog and my playthrough). I've passed Alice Elliot (21). Soon I'll catch up to Yuri Hyuga (24).

I played Final Fantasy X and X-2 between the ages of fifteen and nineteen. That is, I started off at Rikku's age (15) and grew up through to Yuna's (19) in X-2.

I defended Yuna strenuously when her new look was criticised. I suspect that all teenager girls go through a stage like that, when their clothes become sexier and more revealing, as they realise that they're becoming women and not girls. It's not a bad thing. It can be dangerous, if they are encouraged in the wrong ways or by the wrong people in their budding sexuality, but it doesn't mean that Yuna has essentially changed as a person - no more than any teenager does during those years.

If it helps, though, think about how the monsters' hit points are represented, numerically. The characters don't see that - that's there for the player, to make things easier. Is it not possible that the revealing outfits are there purely for the player, that the in-game characters don't see them that way? After all, while people comment on her new outfit, they don't mention that it's overly revealing.

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.