------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This file is best viewed under Notepad and/or the current version of Microsoft Internet Explorer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHINING FORCE: RESURRECTION OF THE DARK DRAGON Created by Sega Corporation, co-published by Sega Corporation, THQ, and Atlus USA. A character guide/FAQ by TSD, A.K.A. Stradivarius, version 0.51 Copyright 2004 Tianyi "TSD/Stradivarius" Gao. Creation Date: July 4th, 2004 First Release Date: July 11th, 2004 Current Release Date: August 18th, 2004 Contact information: E-mail - stradivarius369@yahoo.com AIM - Lord TSD AUTHOR'S NOTE: This e-mail address is not to be spammed. Since the posting of this FAQ, I've received countless messages holding nothing but attachments of files ending in .exe (executable), .com (command), and .pif (never heard of it). I am not an idiot, and I don't download files from mysterious people like 514@0834.com. If you're one of those involved in sending me these pointless messages, stop it. It's a waste of your time and mine, and, quite frankly, an insult to my intelligence. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction/Foreword 2. Character List - Locations and Rating Scores 3. Detailed Character Sections 3a. Melee Fighters 3b. Knights 3c. Ranged Fighters 3d. Offensive Magic-Users 3e. Support and Healing Magic-Users 3f. Miscellaneous Characters 4. Version History 5. Credits 6. Legal Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INTRODUCTION/FOREWORD ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER: This guide is nowhere near completion. Therefore, some parts of the guide indicated in the Table of Contents will not be present, though they most definitely will be in the future. Until then, take advantage of what there is. Do not contact me telling me that something's missing. You'll be ignored, and if I'm in a bad mood, promptly blocked. Sorry, but that's the way it is. Well, well, my first GameFAQs contribution. Yep, that's right. Haven't contributed a single code, secret, glitch, game save, or anything of the sort to this here site. Despite that, I'm a fairly dedicated Shining game fan, and I suppose the time has come for me to give a little something back to the great series for which I have developed somewhat of an expertise for. Anyway, for those who are not familiar with the history of the Shining series, I'll just give a brief summary: In 1991, Sega created Sonic Co. (A.K.A. Sonic Software Planning, Team Sonic) to produce another of the rather cliche RPG games of the era for the Sega Genesis/Megadrive, known as Shining in the Darkness. You're a brave knight, off to save the princess from some dark evil. Indeed, the dungeon-crawler-style game was and still is a great game, with a wonderful story and outstanding game play. Only consisting of three developers and a secretary, however, they went to Climax Co. for help. Together, they created Shining in the Darkness and, later, Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, also for the Genesis/Megadrive which was an overhead strategic RPG, following the success of Nintendo's Fire Emblem series (only released in Japan). Then on, Sonic Co. proceeded to produce the rest of the games by themselves, including Shining Force II, another Genesis/Megadrive game, and the Gaiden series for the Sega Game Gear, re-compiled into Shining Force CD for the Sega CD. When the Sega Saturn was released, they created the lesser-known action RPG Shining Wisdom and the dungeon crawler Shining the Holy Ark. When producing games for Sega, they used the name Sonic, but went under the alias of Camelot Software Planning when creating games for other companies. When the company reached the point of producing Shining Force III for the Saturn, they permanently changed their name to Camelot. During the production of SFIII, however, relations between Camelot and Sega became rather negative over a dispute about Sega's priorities. No more Shining games were produced by Camelot after that, or by anyone else, for that matter, until the recent release of Shining Soul and Shining Soul II for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. However, most fans agree that the two games are nowhere near as well-made as the ones by Camelot. Wow. Brief summary, yeah right. Well, you didn't have to read it. It was your choice. =P Anyhow, many thanks to Lady Moogie and Shining Force Central (www.shiningforcecentral.com) for being a great reference source to me in writing the above paragraphs. This game, most commonly referred to as RotDD, SF-GBA, or SF-Remake, is a remade version of the original Genesis/Megadrive Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, for the GBA. Opinions vary around whether the remaking was a good one; the purpose of this guide is not to discuss that. Rather, this guide is a detailed look at the characters of the game, and to offer my unbiased opinion, along with perhaps future others, on the usefulness of the available characters. AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER: The ratings and descriptions in this guide are based on the personal experiences of the author and contributors. The randomness of the level-up system may cause a slight give-or-take in the characters' stats. Therefore, use this guide only as a general reference, and know that the information given is not guaranteed to be always precise. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. CHARACTER LIST - LOCATIONS AND RATING SCORES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Character Name | Rating Score | Location/How to Obtain | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Max | 9.0/10 | Available the moment the game begins | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Ken | 4.0/10 | One of the initial recruits at the start | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Tao | ?.?/10 | One of the initial recruits at the start | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Hans | ?.?/10 | One of the initial recruits at the start | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Luke | ?.?/10 | One of the initial recruits at the start | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Lowe | ?.?/10 | One of the initial recruits at the start | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Gong | 6.0/10 | Talk to him in the village next to the GotA | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Mae | ?.?/10 | See Detailed Character Section | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Anri | ?.?/10 | Talk to her in Manarina | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Arthur | 9.0/10 | Talk to him before and after the OoL battle | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Balbaroy | ?.?/10 | Joins after the Shade Abbey Battle | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Amon | ?.?/10 | Joins after the Shade Abbey Battle | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Diane | ?.?/10 | Talk to her mother, then her in Bustoke | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Zylo | 9.0/10 | Visit him with the Lunar Dew | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Mawlock | 6.0/10 | Joins the main force after Elliot battle | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Hanzou | 9.0/10 | See Detailed Character Section | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Lyle | ?.?/10 | Talk to him in Rudo | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Musashi | 8.5/10 | See Detailed Character Section | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. DETAILED CHARACTER SECTIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The characters will be sorted into the broad categories of Melee Fighters, Knights, Ranged Fighters, Offensive Magic-Users, Support and Healing Magic- Users, and Miscellaneous. Characters who fit in two or more categories (I.E. Hanzou, Arthur, etc.) will be sorted into the category that is the most representative of the character. The ratings and critiques of the characters were all based off of personal experiences with the characters. In no circumstance were the analyses based on the opinions of outsiders. Consider them accurate. AUTHOR'S NOTE: Starting stats given are those of the author's, and can vary from game to game. They are not guaranteed to be the same for everyone. On the other hand, starting spells and equipment are preset, and will be identical in each game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3a. Melee Fighters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --- M A X --- ------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Swords STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Swordsman Level: 1 HP: 14/14 MP: 9/9 Attack: 7 (12) Defense: 6 (7) Agility: 5 Magic Resistance: 5% Movement: 6 Starting Spells: Egress [Level 1] Starting Equipment: Short Sword (+5 Attack) Steel Ring (+1 Defense) Promoted Class: Hero Potential Spells: Supernova [Level 1] - Level 12 Supernova [Level 2] - Level 16 Supernova [Level 3] - Level 20 Supernova [Level 4] - Level 26 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Available the moment the game begins. He's the main hero, duh. RATING SCORE - 9/10 ------------------- You have no choice whatsoever on whether or not to use Max, as the game forces you to include him in every battle. Unlike some other RPG heroes, however, this one can most definitely hold his own. At the beginning, he seems fairly average, with modest starting stats and stat gains. However, he has fairly consistent level-ups, unlike some other characters, which have monster gains one level, and absolutely nothing the next. After promotion, he will gain little during the first 10 levels, like almost all other characters. From level 11-20, he once again receives consistent and above average level-ups. Max is able to use every sword in the game, from the short sword that he starts with, all the way up to the legendary Chaos Breaker, at which point he may very well have the highest attack of the entire force (happened to me). His defense is above average, and his agility and magic resistance are both quite modest. His HP and MP are marvelous, and do not suffer from low movement like some other great melee fighters do. Lastly, Max possesses the great Egress spell, which allows instant retreat from battle should things get ugly, and the newly added Supernova spell, which hits one single character from three spaces away for an insane amount of damage. Train him well, and he'll become one of your best fighters, rather than a helpless being that must be protected throughout the game. ----------------------- --- B A L B A R O Y --- ----------------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Swords STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Birdman Level: 5 HP: 21/21 MP: 0/0 Attack: 13 (21) Defense: 13 Agility: 14 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 6 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Middle Sword (+8 Attack) Promoted Class: Sky Warrior? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Complete the Shade Abbey battle; Balbaroy will join. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. --------------- --- A M O N --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Swords STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Birdman Level: 5 HP: 16/16 MP: 0/0 Attack: 9 (17) Defense: 15 Agility: 12 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 6 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Middle Sword (+8 Attack) Promoted Class: Sky Warrior? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Complete the Shade Abbey battle; Amon will join. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. ------------------- --- H A N Z O U --- ------------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Swords STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Ninja Level: 1 HP: ??/?? MP: ??/?? Attack: ?? (??) Defense: ?? Agility: ?? Magic Resistance: 0%? Movement: 7? Starting Spells: ??? Starting Equipment: Doom Blade (+?? Attack) ??? Promoted Class: Super Ninja Potential Spells: ??? HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Hanzou is one of the two hardest-to-find characters in the game. Having him join is one of the more frustrating tasks in the game. However, it's still well worth it, both for those in need of a good character, and for those completionists who like to unlock every single little thing. In Waral, after the first battle, follow these steps: - Go to the castle, and locate the sign to the left of it. Read it. It will say "Floating on the sea." This is where the next sign is. - Use the small rowboat to travel to the church. Don't go inside it, however. On the wooden supports, there will be a wooden sign. Read that. It says "Not the bookshelf." - Row past the buoys, to the island where you woke up previously. Go into the pool in the middle, and row to the left side. There should be a sign that says "A cross atop the spire." - Row back into Waral, and enter the church. Search the wooden crate. It'll say "Practicing a secret ninja technique. Those wishing a duel should search the fish." - Go back onto the mainland area. Go up to where there are fish lying along the bank. Step onto the plastic-looking fish tile and face north. Hanzou will join after a short conversation. Phew, that was long. Do note that you cannot skip any of the steps. Not only are there for the clues, it's also necessary to do them all in that order. RATING SCORE - 9/10 ------------------- Hanzou comes fairly early, compared to the original, with much better starting stats, and the ability to be promoted. His weapon is certainly a force to be reckoned with, able to (rarely) kill an enemy in a single hit, much like Slade with the Gisarme in SF2. Anyway, he starts out good, and gets great level-ups. His spells are useful, and his movement is great for a non-centaur. Use him. Chances are, he'll be one of the strongest characters on the force by the end of the game. --------------------- --- M U S A S H I --- --------------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Swords STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Samurai Level: 1 HP: ??/?? MP: 0/0 Attack: ?? (??) Defense: ?? Agility: ?? Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Katana (+?? Attack) ??? Promoted Class: Swordmaster Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Detailed method to come. RATING SCORE - 8.5/10 --------------------- Musashi is a great melee attacker, and comes with an extremely powerful weapon that will last for the rest of the game. His attack is stellar, and grows at an alarming rate, as does his defense. His weakness lies in his agility and movement, however. Generally, he will be among those who tend to only get to move when most of the enemies nearby have already been slaughtered, and will lag behind even more due to his low movement. To realize his full potential, you'll have to give him the Agility Ring (+2 Movement) or the Turbo Pepper (+1 or 2 Movement), and perhaps the Speed Ring also. --------------- --- L U K E --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Axes(Primary)/Swords(Secondary) STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Warrior Level: 1 HP: 11/11 MP: 0/0 Attack: 10 (15) Defense: 8 Agility: 4 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 6 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Short Sword (+5 Attack) Promoted Class: Gladiator Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Detailed method to come. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. --------------- --- Z Y L O --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Hand-to-Hand STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Werewolf Level: 9 HP: 19/19 MP: 0/0 Attack: 32 Defense: 14 Agility: 16 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 7 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: No Equipment Promoted Class: Wolf Baron? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Obtain the Moon Stone in Bustoke to make the Lunar Dew. Go to the cell where he's imprisoned to trigger a cut-scene, after which he'll join. RATING SCORE - 9/10 ------------------- Zylo comes to you with great stats, and will remain one of your best for the entire before-promotion period. After promotion, however, he'll initially kind of "sag," being a hand-to-hand fighter. His attack will be average to below- average, due to everyone else receiving new after-promotion weapons. After leveling him to level 15 promoted, however, he'll climb back up into your top ranks, and will be a great melee fighter, his only weakness lying in his somewhat low defense. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3b. Knights ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --- K E N --- ------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Spears/Lances STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Knight Level: 1 HP: 8/8 MP: 0/0 Attack: 7 (13) Defense: 7 Agility: 5 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 8 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Spear (+6 Attack) Promoted Class: Paladin Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins in your initial group of recruits in the HQ after accepting the King's mission. RATING SCORE - 4/10 ------------------- Being the first and only knight that you'll have for the first half of Chapter I, he'll be very useful as an initial scout... in the first battle. In the second battle, he'll be basically immobilized by the mountainous terrain. After that battle, you'll receive Mae, who's an arguably better knight. Ken's HP is good, perhaps the best in your entire group of knights, and is therefore extremely hard to kill in battles with mainly magic-users and enemies with breath attacks. However, his defense is HORRIBLE, causing him to die easily once surrounded by strong melee-attacking enemies. Even worse, his low defense will make him much harder to heal. His attack is reasonably high, but not high enough to mask his other weaknesses. After you receive Mae, ditch him. ------------- --- M A E --- ------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Spears/Lances STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Knight Level: 2 HP: ??/?? MP: 0/0 Attack: ?? (??) Defense: ?? Agility: ? Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 8 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Bronze Lance (+9 Attack) ??? Promoted Class: Paladin Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins after the cut scene with Kane stealing the Light Sabre in Guardiana after it has been attacked. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. ------------------- --- A R T H U R --- ------------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Spears/Lances STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Knight Level: 4 HP: 11/11 MP: 2/2 Attack: 7 (16) Defense: 8 Agility: 8 Magic Resistance: 11% Movement: 8 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Bronze Lance (+9 Attack) Promoted Class: Paladin Potential Spells: Blaze [Level 1] - Level 15 Freeze [Level 1] - Level 20 Bolt [Level 1] - Level 25 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins when you talk to him after the Orb of Light battle in Manarina if you had talked to him before the battle also. RATING SCORE - 9/10 ------------------- Arthur is a pathetically weak knight when he first joins you. If you invest enough work into him, however, he'll grow to be much stronger... Much later. You see, Arthur begins as and will stay as the weakest knight for much of the game. Between level 10 and 20 unpromoted, Arthur will begin to catch up, and overtake some of the weaker knights, such as Ken. Still, however, he will not be as good as characters like Earnest or Pelle. After promotion, he takes a deep blow to his stats, most significantly HP and defense. Coincidentally, it is around the middle of the game that strong melee-attacking enemies show up. After he reaches level 10 promoted, however, he gains stats like a drunken maniac. It is not uncommon to see his stats raise by more than six points each level-up. If trained correctly, with luck, he'll suddenly become one of your best characters. Equip him with a strong weapon, and he becomes a killing machine. Arthur, due to his time staying at Manarina, has a slight bit of magical ability, unlike most other knights. He can learn the weakest forms of the three main branches of attack magic, I.E. Blaze, Freeze, and Bolt, at very high levels. They're useful for finishing off enemies, but are little more than a simple novelty, for enemies will rarely be hurt by magic by the time he learns the spells. The better side of that bargain is that he gains magic resistance, however little it is. Combined with his great ending stats, Arthur's a great character for those who are willing to invest a bit of time into making a great character. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3c. Ranged Fighters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- --- H A N S --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Arrows/Shots STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Archer Level: 1 HP: 13/13 MP: 0/0 Attack: 7 (15) Defense: 4 Agility: 6 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Wooden Arrow (+8 Attack) Promoted Class: Bowmaster? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins in your initial group of recruits in the HQ after accepting the King's mission. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. ----------------- --- D I A N E --- ----------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Arrows/Shots STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Archer Level: 6 HP: 15/15 MP: 0/0 Attack: 10 (23) Defense: 8 Agility: 13 Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Steel Arrow (+13 Attack) Promoted Class: Bowmaster? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Upon arriving in Bustoke, talk to Diane's mother, and then Diane herself. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. --------------- --- L Y L E --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Arrows/Shots STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Assault Knight Level: ? HP: ??/?? MP: 0/0 Attack: ?? (??) Defense: ?? Agility: ? Magic Resistance: 0% Movement: 5? Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: Elven Arrow (+? Attack)? ??? Promoted Class: ??? Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Talk to him in Rudo. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3d. Offensive Magic-Users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- --- T A O --- ------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Staves/Magic STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Mage Level: 1 HP: 11/11 MP: 8/8 Attack: 5 (9) Defense: 4 Agility: 6 Magic Resistance: 20% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: Blaze [Level 1] Starting Equipment: Wooden Staff (+4 Attack) Promoted Class: Wizard Potential Spells: Blaze [Level 2] - Level 4 Sleep [Level 1] - Level 8 Blaze [Level 3] - Level 12 Dispel [Level 1] - Level 16 Blaze [Level 4] - Level 20 Attack [Level 1] - Level 27 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins in your initial group of recruits in the HQ after accepting the King's mission. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. --------------- --- A N R I --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Staves/Magic STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Mage Level: 3? HP: ??/?? MP: ??/?? Attack: ?? (??) Defense: ?? Agility: ? Magic Resistance: ??% Movement: 5? Starting Spells: Blaze [Level 1] Starting Equipment: Power Staff (+? Attack) ??? Promoted Class: Wizard Potential Spells: Freeze [Level 1] - Level 5 Blaze [Level 2] - Level 8 Elude [Level 1] - Level 10 Freeze [Level 2] - Level 13 Freeze [Level 3] - Level 16 Bolt [Level 1] - Level 19 Freeze [Level 4] - Level 23 Bolt [Level 2] - Level 26 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Talk to her in Manarina to trigger a cut scene, after which she joins. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3e. Support and Healing Magic-Users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------- --- L O W E --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Staves/Magic STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Healer Level: 1 HP: 12/12 MP: 14/14 Attack: 7 (11) Defense: 5 Agility: 5 Magic Resistance: 17% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: Heal [Level 1] Starting Equipment: Wooden Staff (+4 Attack) Promoted Class: Vicar Potential Spells: Detox [Level 1] - Level 4 Heal [Level 2] - Level 7 Slow [Level 1] - Level 10 Quick [Level 1] - Level 13 Heal [Level 3] - Level 16 Slow [Level 2] - Level 19 Heal [Level 4] - Level 22 Quick [Level 2] - Level 25 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins in your initial group of recruits in the HQ after accepting the King's mission. RATING SCORE - ?/10 ------------------- I've yet to use this character, so no rating yet. --------------- --- G O N G --- --------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Hand-to-Hand/Magic STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Monk Level: 1 HP: 11/11 MP: 8/8 Attack: 11 Defense: 5 Agility: 6 Magic Resistance: 6% Movement: 6 Starting Spells: Heal [Level 1] Starting Equipment: No Equipment Promoted Class: Master Monk Potential Spells: Heal [Level 2] - Level 8 Heal [Level 3] - Level 16 Heal [Level 4] - Level 24 Aura [Level 1] - Level 30 HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Talk to him in the village next to the Gate of the Ancients. RATING SCORE - 6/10 ------------------- Gong is a monk, meaning that he is half healer, half melee fighter. However, he does not really excel in either area. He only learns two spells, one of which he most likely will never reach the level to learn. He can learn all four levels of Heal, but will not have enough MP to efficiently cast it. At Level 30, he'll learn the Aura spell, which would have been useful, had he learned it earlier. Most players will not get the chance to appreciate this spell, either because it's dwarfed in comparison to Narsha and Torasu's Aura 4, or because they won't even reach the level required to learn it. Gong starts with good attack, and will be around the same as Max's before promotion. However, after promotion, he rarely gets any more attack boosts, and will likely get little if none further attack boosts. Add the fact that he cannot equip any weapons. As the chapters roll by, Gong will appear more and more useless. If you happen to like monks or hand-to-hand melee fighters, use Gong, for he isn't all that bad. However, he isn't a worthwhile investment. You're better off using other healers and fighters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3f. Miscellaneous Characters ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------- --- M A W L O C K --- --------------------- WEAPON OF CHOICE: Hand-to-Hand/Cards STARTING STATS -------------- Class: Card Master Level: 8 HP: 25/25 MP: 22/22 Attack: 24 Defense: 21 Agility: 11 Magic Resistance: 30% Movement: 5 Starting Spells: No Spells Starting Equipment: No Equipment Promoted Class: None Potential Spells: No Spells HOW TO OBTAIN ------------- Joins the main force after Elliot battle. In New Game Plus, he joins as you leave for the Gate of the Ancients in the carriage. RATING SCORE - 6/10 ------------------- Hm, it's tough to give this guy a rating, as he's quite an unusual character. Anyway, Mawlock is a mysterious Card user, who taps into the power of... cards. Most of the cards can be used in four ways: Copy, Effect, Move, and Imitate. Cards of your fellow allies can be used for any of the four functions; cards of enemies can only be used for the first two. The truth is, Mawlock is incredibly useful, and makes the game far too easy, in my opinion. He's able to utilize all 55 cards available in the game, for a wide multitude of effects. Further elaboration can be found in a card guide; I will not dwell any deeper into the specific cards. Mawlock has okay stats, though he lacks horribly in attack and speed. His other stats are fairly reasonable, though his MP could use a boost when you take a look at the steep costs of using the effects of cards (up to 50). His movement's rather low, but you generally do not to be near anyone to use your cards. As I said, Mawlock is very useful, but some consider him to be too strong, not stat-wise, but in the sense that he, and he alone can utilize one of the game's most powerful forces: the cards. It's hard to rate him due to this, so I rated him solely upon his stats. Needless to say, his stats are of little importance, and, so, do not heed this rating all that seriously. Should you use Mawlock? If you're a beginner, or if you're in one of the later play-throughs, yes. If you want a challenge, then no. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. VERSION HISTORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Version 0.51 ------------ - Detailed character section for Hanzou edited - Edited Version History entries due to slight inaccuracies in previous numbers Version 0.50 ------------ - Added Author's Note to heading - Detailed character section for Zylo started and completed - Character List updated Version 0.45 ------------ - Edited guide heading - Detailed character section for Balbaroy, Amon, and Diane edited - Introduction/Foreword edited Version 0.40 ------------ - Fixed some minor spelling and grammar mistakes - Additional content added to the introduction to the Detailed Character Sections - Detailed character section for Lowe started - Detailed character section for Max and Ken completed - Detailed character section for Gong and Mawlock started and completed - Character List updated Version 0.32 ------------ - Detailed character section for Tao and Anri started - Character List updated Version 0.30 ------------ - Added Author's Note/Disclaimer to Introduction/Foreword - Detailed character section for Ken and Mae started - Detailed character section for Arthur started and completed - Detailed character section for Hans, Diane, and Lyle started - Character List updated Version 0.20 ------------ - Detailed character section for Hanzou and Musashi started - Table of Contents format changed slightly - Character List updated Version 0.15 ------------ - Detailed character section for Max started - Detailed character section for Balbaroy and Amon started - Character List updated Version 0.10 ------------ - Basic guide structure and layout set - Guide heading - version, game information, author contacts - written - Table of Contents created - Introduction/Foreword written - Character List structure created - Detailed Character Section structure created ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. CREDITS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Credits to: ----------- - chengcc, Aldur, Arc_the_Lad, and Tarethen for contributing their ideas and character reviews - Rusty, A.K.A. Gamesnstuffguy, for allowing me to use his Spell Guide's information in writing the Detailed Character Sections - Moogie, for allowing me to use her site's information in writing the Introduction/Foreword (www.shiningforcecentral.com) - Sega and Atlus, for remaking the very first RPG that I was ever addicted to (though they could have done a slightly better job...) - GameFAQs, Neoseeker, and cheats.de for hosting my guide - My own boredom, which provided sudden inspiration, triggering my willingness to do something productive... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. LEGAL INFORMATION ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sites allowed to host my guide: GameFAQs.com, Neoseeker.com, and cheats.de If you see another site hosting my guide, make sure it's the most recent version, and contact me immediately. This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any website or otherwise publicly distributed without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. Copyright 2004 Tianyi "TSD/Stradivarius" Gao.