============================================================ SQUARE-ENIX's GRANDIA III Special Moves and Combo FAQ (US version) ============================================================ version 0.80 + Majority of information is included on Special Moves and with special combos/skill configuration tips. I will later complete missing Special Moves' descriptions and character phrases that go along. Please feel free to e-mail me of any errors I may have made, but do not e-mail me contributions of missing information -- I'll have it recorded soon enough! Cheers. version 0.90 + Did a spell check and added some descriptions, not many changes, thus far. version 0.95 + Added more Special Move descriptions, fixed Power damages on some of them, corrected errors and phrases for each character. Did another spell check and reformatted the Special Moves section, for an easier, cleaner look. Cheers. version 0.98 + Updated, corrected, checked, and clarified somethings. The phrases are now corrected, descriptions to specials, and edited a little bit on the Aerial Combo section -- now labeled "Advanced Aerial Combos." Will later update the Special Levels at which each character learns a new Special Move, and re-adding "Combo" back to the Characters' Special Moves section. Inserted character information/bios, and did minor changes to order listing. version 1.00 (Completed) + Fixed and updated skill settings, added on skill levels. Added a Personal Thanks section to those who e-mailed me concerning the Faq. version 1.00 (error correction) + Corrected errors on the information with the concern of the Master Book and Force Attack. Thanks to all who e-mailed me on not only errors present in my faq, but also to those who e-mailed me questions about the game. Cheers! ------------------------------------------------------------ I) Special Moves 1. Explanation of Special Moves 2. Learning New Special Moves 3. Learning Secret Methods II) Characters' Special Moves 1. Yuuki 1a. Aerial Slash 1b. Whirlwind 1c. Flash 1d. Blade Storm 1e. Invincible Aura 1f. Dragon Slash 2. Miranda 2a. Dagger Dash 2b. Earth Force 3. Alfina 3a. Comet Spike 3b. Stun Force 3c. Ripple Shot 3d. Holy Circle 3e. Energy Surge 3f. Armageddon 4. Alonso 4a. Thrust Crash 4b. Lancer Smash 5. Ulf 5a. Rockbreaker 5b. Force Wave 5c. Shadow Warrior 5d. Flame Spike 5e. Big Wheel 5f. Inferno Spike 5g. Red Lotus 5h. Dynamite Rush 6. Dahna 6a. Homing Shot 6b. Mana Capture 6c. Dancing Cards 6d. Mana Spring 7. Hect 7a. Crimson Shock 7b. Freeze 7c. Armageddon III) Special Skill Set-Ups 1. Yuuki 2. Alfina/Hect 3. Ulf 4. Dahna IV) Advanced Aerial Combos 1. Combo I 2. Combo II 3. Combo III V) Legal Information 1. Contact Information 2. Special and Personal Thanks ============================================================ I) Special Moves ============================================================ 1. Explanation of Special Moves What are Special Moves? Powerful attacks. Executing them will have the screen tint slightly dark, and play out an undisrupted, animation scene. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Learning New Special Moves Acquiring a new Special Move can only be done by raising a character's Special Level. One skill can be learned per Special Level. However, there is no guarantee that with each Special Level UP, a new Special Move will be learned. Also, after raising Special Level, a character must execute an IP Combo command to initiate the final step of learning a new Special Move. If a character does learn a new Special Move, then it will be executed automatically, without using any SP Gauge and added into the character's Special Moves listing. As a final note, Special Moves are learned at certain Special Levels for each character. Raising a character's Special Level also increases the SP Gauge by 10 SP. I'll have a list of the levels in a later update (hopefully). ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Learning Secret Methods Secret Methods can be learned for each Special Move -- up to 5 levels. Each level upgrades a specific attribute to the Special Move, from Power, Range, and Speed. Learning a new Secret Method is done, theoretically, in 2-ways. Either a random use of a Special Move or by using a Special Move to the its fullest potential (depending on situation). The second method seems far-fetched, but I assure you, it is not. I once learned the Ultimate Method for Ulf's Dynamite Rush (Ulf's final Special) from its initial state (no Secret Methods learned) in a single boss battle -- I guess it was the right time and place to use it. Other proof of the second method was of the usage of area- effective Special Moves on an enemy party of 1, compared to an enemy party of 5 and higher. However, one odd experience I had while playing was using Yuuki's Flash 19 times before learning a Secret Method. So either it was truly randomized or I did not use it in the right time and place... Enough with the theories. Choose to believe it or not, regardless, you'll need to use Special Moves repeatedly to learn Secret Methods. As for the Secret Method levels, a brief description is provided below. Special Move levels: Initial - No Secret Methods learned Level 1 - (P) Power upgrade Level 2 - (S) Speed upgrade Level 3 - (P) Power upgrade Level 4 - (R) Rate upgrade Ultimate Method - (P) Power upgrade Upgrade description: (P) Power upgrade Increases effectiveness of a Special Move. (S) Speed upgrade Reduces execution time of a Special Move. (R) Rate upgrade Reduces delay time after executing Special Move. ============================================================ II) Characters' Special Moves ============================================================ 1. Yuuki - "Got it!" "All right! We won!" "Come on... Were they even trying? "I'm a pilot, I don't have time for this!" 1a. Aerial Slash - "Here I go! Hyah!" SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Hack into an enemy from above. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 1b. Whirlwind - "Feel the bite of my blade! Whirlwind!" SpLv: 2 Combo: 1-hit SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Circle Target: Enemy Element: Wind Description: Conjure up a devastating whirlwind. Power: *** Effect: n/a 1c. Flash - "Hyah! I feel the power!" SpLv: 4 Combo: n/a SP: 25 Type: Strengthen Range: Self Target: Self Element: n/a Description: Consume the wind's power to move twice as fast. Power: n/a Effect: Combo attack hits are doubled. 1d. Blade Storm - "Hyah! Take this!" SpLv: 6 Combo: 10-hit SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Wind Description: Unleash a flurry of sword strikes. Power: **** Effect: Also damages nearby enemies. 1e. Invincible Aura - "Hyah!" SpLv: 7 Combo: n/a SP: 75 Type: Strengthen Range: Self Target: Self Element: n/a Description: Call upon the spirits for divine protection. Power: n/a Effect: Negates a certain amount of damage. 1f. Dragon Slash - "Dragon of Light, lend me your power. Dragon... Slash!" SpLv: 9 Combo: 1-hit SP: 99 Type: Attack Range: All Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Unleash the Dragon King's power. Power: ****** Effect: n/a ------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Miranda - "Right, I'll give it a try!" "That's pathetic. Come back when you learn how to fight." "Why don't you make it easier for everyone and just stay out of the way." 2a. Dagger Dash - "Get ready... for a little 'Slice and Dice!' Stings a little, doesn't it?" SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: 9-hit SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Unleash a series of dagger strikes. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 2b. Force Slash - "You're not even enough for a meal... but I'll fry you up anyways!" SpLv: 3 (initial) Combo: varies SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Fan Target: Enemy Element: Earth Description: Send a wave of blade strikes barreling through the ground. Power: *** Effect: n/a ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Alfina - "Stop right there!" "Heehee. We won! Thank goodness." "I feel a little guilty." "See? Told you I could do it if I tried." 3a. Comet Spike - "Oh Divine Comet, bringer of light... illuminate the darkness!" (disc 1) "Oh Divine Comet, slice through the pitch black night!" (disc 2) SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Send forth a burst of comet light. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 3b. Stun Force - "Sorry... this might hurt!" (disc 1) "I won't hold back!" (disc 2) SpLv: 2 Combo: 1-hit SP: 30 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Unleash a shocking flash of light. Power: * Effect: Paralysis. 3c. Ripple Shot - "Oh Blade of Light, go and strike our enemy!" SpLv: 4 Combo: 1-hit SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Line Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Create a ring of light to slice through enemies. Power: *** Effect: n/a 3d. Holy Circle - "Oh Divine Light, protect me." SpLv: 6 Combo: n/a SP: 60 Type: Strengthen Range: Self Target: Self Element: Non-Elemental Description: Draw forth protection from the spirit of light. Power: n/a Effect: Knocks back nearby enemies. 3e. Energy Surge - "Oh nurturing Sun, bring courage and love to us all. Now, let's fight!" SpLv: 8 Combo: +40SP/+55SP/+70SP SP: 50 Type: Support Range: All Target: Ally Element: n/a Description: Offer a prayer to bolster the courage of your allies. Power: n/a Effect: Recovers SP. 3f. Armageddon - "Let your anger and your hate, be absorbed by the divine light. Your suffering is over." SpLv: Received after Hect leaves party. Combo: 1-hit SP: 99 Type: Attack Range: All Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Unleash Hect's flames of judgment. Power: ****** Effect: Lowers all enemy attributes. ------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Alonso - "All right, I'll give it a shot." "If this keeps up, I'll be mobbed to death by fans." "Another flawless victory! Want my autograph? Get in line!" 4a. Thrust Crash - "Hyah! Heard something snap there." SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: 2-hit SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Rush, jab, and gut the enemy. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 4b. Lancer Smash - "Hyah! Time to get down and dirty! Rawh!" SpLv: 3 (initial) Combo: 3-hit SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Skewer an enemy in mid-air, then throw it to the ground. Power: *** Effect: n/a ------------------------------------------------------------ 5. Ulf - "I've got it!" "Ha! I didn't even break a sweat." 5a. Rockbreaker - "This might... sting a little!" SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Pound an enemy with raw force. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 5b. Force Wave - "Hyah! Force Wave!" SpLv: 3 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 30 Type: Attack Range: Rim Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Belt out an explosive yell. Power: ** Effect: n/a 5c. Shadow Warrior - "Bet ya can't tell which one is me! Haha! Keep an eye on my shadow." SpLv: 7 Combo: n/a SP: 25 Type: Strengthen Range: Self Target: Self Element: n/a Description: Give your shadow physical form. Power: n/a Effect: It mimics your every move, doubling critical and combo attacks 5d. Flame Spike - "Hyah! Flame Spike!" SpLv: 5 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Fire Description: Leap up and spike a fireball. Power: **** Effect: n/a 5e. Big Wheel - "No one can stop me now! Ha! What a rush!" SpLv: 6 Combo: 1-hit SP: 50 Type: Attack Range: Line Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Swiftly roll over enemies. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 5f. Inferno Spike - "Hyah! Get ready to fry maggots! Inferno Spike!" SpLv: 8 Combo: 1-hit SP: 60 Type: Attack Range: Circle Target: Enemy Element: Fire Description: Leap up and hurl an enormous fireball at an enemy. Power: *** Effect: n/a 5g. Red Lotus - "Hyah! These flames are scorching hot! Ten-thousand degrees of death!" SpLv: 9 Combo: 1-hit SP: 75 Type: Attack Range: Line Target: Enemy Element: Fire Description: Catapult a ring of crimson flames at an enemy. Power: ***** Effect: n/a 5h. Dynamite Rush - "Hyah! I'm loaded with... Dynamite! Hyah! ...Ugh. I don't feel so good." SpLv: 10 Combo: 10-hit SP: 99 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Rip into an enemy with an explosion of energy. Power: ****** Effect: n/a ------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Dahna - "Oh, I see." 6a. Homing Shot - "Pick a card. Any card." SpLv: 1 (initial) Combo: ? SP: 25 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Fire a barrage of curse cards. Power: ** Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 6b. Mana Capture - "Pardon me, but, would you mind sharing? Heehee. Thanks." SpLv: 3 (initial) Combo: 1-hit SP: 40 Type: Support Range: Circle Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Convert life force to mana. Power: * Effect: Absorbs MP. 6c. Dancing Cards - "Oh Card of Light, here my call. Protect me!" SpLv: 7 Combo: 4 cards/6 cards/8 cards/10 cards SP: 25 Type: Support Range: Self Target: Self Element: Non-Elemental Description: Summon cards of light for protection. Power: n/a Effect: They will execute counter-attacks. 6d. Mana Spring - "Oh endless spring, I call upon thee!" SpLv: 8 Combo: n/a SP: 75 Type: Support Range: Self Target: Self Element: n/a Description: Summon an eternal mana spring. Power: n/a Effect: Reduces mana consumption to 0. ------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Hect 7a. Crimson Shock - "Here I go. Hyah! Was that OK?" SpLv: n/a (initial) Combo: 1 SP: 40 Type: Attack Range: All Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Overwhelm surrounding enemies. Power: * Effect: Cancels enemy attack. 7b. Freeze - "Hear me evil-doers, stop! Freeze!" SpLv: n/a (initial) Combo: n/a SP: 75 Type: Attack Range: Single Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Create a powerful barrier. Power: n/a Effect: Continues to damage the enemy overtime and prevents movement. 7c. Armageddon - "Let your anger and your hate, be soothed by this divine melody. Your suffering is over." SpLv: n/a (initial) Combo: 1 SP: 99 Type: Attack Range: All Target: Enemy Element: Non-Elemental Description: Purify with flames of judgement. Power: ****** Effect: Lowers all enemy attributes. ============================================================ III) Special Skill Set-Ups ============================================================ This section is only a personal recommendation of how to set up a character's skills, in order to maximize offense, whether it be physical or spiritual. I myself use all my characters offensively, with the exception of Alfina, whom I also use for healing purposes. Now, the most common thing to do with setting up magic for characters is to have every one of them have the most powerful spells you could get and equally distributing healing spells, right? Well, I tossed that logic out the window. Another alternative is assigning a specific element for a character to master. This saves time, money, and effort, and will allow you to focus on the skills (what you should be focusing on to begin with). However, the only problem with this method is that you'll need that saved time, money, and effort, to put that into playing at the casino for a Master Book (just 1)-- which means playing 'til you earn 999,999 Medals (good luck with keeping your sanity). But, there's good news! You can find an Expert Book near the end of the game, use that in place of the Master Book. However, if you don't acquire the Master Book, you can't extract Force Attack to power up either Dahna or Ulf (you'll see why). Assuming you have leveled your characters to their maximum Skill Level (15) and all are level 60 or higher, you'll have no problem eliminating bosses, even Xorn. As a little note, all the set-ups listed contain Perception and Counter. I find that Perception is far more useful then Super Reflexes, and saves 1 skill slot. Dodging physical attacks for 0 damage and having a chance to damage, cancel, or set-up an Aerial Combo, is highly effective compared to taking damage -- reduced 50% or not; also, it beats the heck out of Endurance. Now, just as a reminder, there is only 1 Master Book obtainable in the game; and that's by winning it via the Casino. Later on in the Skill Set-Up and Advanced Aerial Combo sections, you'll notice it's an "either-or" situation when choosing who to give the extracted Force Attack skill to (Ulf or Dahna). In those sections, I've laid out the ground work, sort of speak, to help you decide. Either way, doing the damage is fun, so there's no actual wrong or right choice. Come to think of it -- you don't even have to burn the Master Book if you obtained it. Oh, well. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Yuuki - Physical/Offensive/Wind Mastery Skills: * Mighty Blow (body) * Warrior's Way (body) **** Berserker (tech) ** Fighter's Spirit (body) * Life Up (body) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) * Jolt Counter (tech) *** Unshakable Will (body) Equipment: - Spirit Sword - Spirit Armor - Warp Shoes - Spirit Ring - Tempest Egg - Slayer Book Magic: - Every/any Wind spell in your inventory. Key Special Moves: - Aerial Slash Cancel enemy specials. - Flash Increases combo attack hits, pair with Berserker, and use Aerial Combos as much possible. - Whirlwind Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. - Invincible Aura Pair with Flash. - Dragon Slash Use to greatly reduce HP and or to finish 1 or more enemies. Now, in order to fully maximize this, you will need Yuuki's Flash and another member set up an enemy for an Aerial Combo. First off, all you need is a Slayer Book for Yuuki. When in battle, use Flash immediately; because Flash not only doubles Combo Attacks its for normal and Aerial Combos (I think you know where I'm going with this), but Berserker (fully supported) will double the amount, again. For a normal ground combo, Yuuki will be doing 12-hits, while for Aerial Combos, he'll be executing 16-hits in all critical damage! You can also combo Flash with Invincible Aura for an unstoppable, no-holds-barred, rampage. Now, some bosses are hard to knock up in the air, so who can you count on to do this for you? Why, Yuuki's sweetheart, Alfina. Activate Alfina's Holy Circle and let her combo an enemy. Either that, or have her cast Crackle on some of the lesser-than-heavy bosses. Before, during, or immediately after, execute a Combo command for Yuuki on the same target. Holy Circle knocks down any enemy it touches, attack while the enemy is falling to the floor, and it'll be juggled, attack even further (Yuuki's part) and it'll turn into an Aerial Combo. It's possible you can have Yuuki rack up 1~11 hits on the ground before executing another 16-hits when an enemy is projected into the air for an Aerial Combo. Max potential combo of 27, just from Yuuki, in one turn -- need I say more? Unshakable Will is self-explanatory, Yuuki will be undisrupted from executing any action -- trust me, you'll need it. Perception, Counter, and Jolt work hand-in-hand, dodge 'n hit. Another way to further damage an enemy without it being your turn; and it'll sometimes set-up the unlucky enemy that Yuuki counters, into an Aerial Combo for other party members. Mighty Blow and Warrior's Way work as enhancers for Yuuki. Yuuki's physical damage and defense will be increased, and every counter and Special Move cancel you do, will leave an enemy in the dust. Fighter's Spirit is there just to aid your Spirit Sword in recovering SP for more Dragon Slash or Flash & Invincible Auras. If your still wondering what Yuuki's purposes are in battle, there's only 1. * Attack. What's left to say about Yuuki is that USE ALL SEEDS ON YUUKI. Not to mention, use them only when he's low on SP. If you're facing bosses with a massive amount of HP, then start off using Dragon Slash (if you can) until your SP Gauge runs low/empty, only then, should you use the strategy provided above. Lastly, if you picked up the 'Bond of Trust', please us this for Yuuki whenever possible. It never goes away when used, so take advantage of it! The best scenario is Yuuki is just a hair behind a boss' IP Symbol, and the boss is about to unleash a devastating Special Move, and Yuuki is about to unleash Dragon Slash. You know that Dragon Slash can finish the fight, and you also know that one more attack from the boss can K.O. 1 or more party members, including Yuuki. That's when you use it! Though that scenario rarely happens, unless you get careless. ------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Alfina/Hect - Spiritual/Support/Water Mastery Skills: ***** Magica Exsorcista (mind) *** Meditation (mind) ** Water Mastery (mind) * Guru's Way (mind) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) Hect add-ons * Absorb Magic (mind) * Magic Up (mind) or ***** Magica Exsorcista (mind) **** Berserker (tech) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) ** Water Mastery (mind) Hect add-ons * Guru's Way (mind) * Absorb Magic (mind) Equipment: - Spirit Staff or Staff of Isis (Baton of Light) - Maiden's Dress (Hect's Dress) - Mysterious Clogs (Hect's Shoes) - Divine Charm - Lake Egg - Divine Book Magic: - Every/any Water spell in your inventory. Key Special Moves: - Comet Spike Cancel enemy specials. - Holy Circle Use to set-up Aerial Combos and to buy time for healing or executing other actions. Also used to disrupt enemies and inflict minor damage. - Ripple Shot Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. - Energy Surge Use to restore the entire party's SP Gauge. * Armageddon Use to greatly reduce HP and lower attributes of all enemies or to finish 1 or more enemies. + Crimson Shock Cancel enemy specials. Also use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. + Freeze Disable an enemy and inflict additional damage. [ * Indicates Special Moves shared with Hect] [ + Indicates Special Moves only Hect can execute] [( ) Indicates Items equipped onto Hect] As mentioned above with Yuuki's strategy, Alfina's main purposes fall under 3 areas. * Casting either Diamond Dust, Crackle Fang, or Absolute Zero to cancel and damage enemies. * Setting-up and chaining Aerial Combos. Use either Crackle to cancel/damage/juggle an enemy or Holy Barrier to chain/damage/combo an enemy. * Heal. You'll be using Alfina to heal the party the most, but only if you either didn't level your characters past level 60 or avoided every single optional encounter in the game. With Hect, however, you'll find yourself canceling attacks the most. To cover the basics of Alfina's/Hect's layout, Magica Exsorcista, Meditation, and Guru's Way will always be in either set-up. Magica Exsorcista will be to cancel enemy attacks, Meditation will be synergetic. Every time Alfina Guards against an offensive magic spell, she regains MP from guarding and absorbing MP from the damage inflicted Guru's Way is self-explanatory -- increase magic damage and resistance. As for the offensive skill set, cast Holy Circle and combo everything that moves to set-up Aerial Combos. Easy, huh? ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Ulf - Physical/Offensive/Fire Mastery Skills: (w/ Force Attack) ***** Force Attack (body) * Warrior's Way (body) **** Berserker (tech) * Life Up (body) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) * Jolt Counter (tech) (w/out Force Attack) * Mighty Blow (body) * Warrior's Way (body) **** Berserker (tech) ** Fighter's Spirit (body) * Life Up (body) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) *** Unshakable Will (body) Equipment: - Rashik's Hammer - Phalanx - Ninja Slippers - Golden Ring - Volcano Egg - Slayer Book Magic: - Every/any Fire spell in your inventory. Key Special Moves: - Rockbreaker Cancel enemy specials. - Shadow Warrior Increases combo attack hits, pair with Berserker, and use Aerial Combos as much possible. - Big Wheel Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. Also use to cancel multiple enemies. - Inferno Spike Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. - Red Lotus Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. - Dynamite Rush Use to greatly reduce HP or finish an enemy. Yep, you guessed it. Ulf's purpose in battle is the same as Yuuki's. The only difference, Ulf can play either an offensive support, or an entire entity of offensive by himself. The secret lies within Ulf's Shadow Warrior -- where Yuuki's Flash falls behind, Ulf's Shadow Warrior picks up. Since Ulf's Shadow Warrior doubles, not only combo attack hits, but criticals as well, and Ulf has the highest innate attack power of all the characters in the game (you can see where I am going with this) -- you guessed it again. With the Slayer Book maxing out Body Type skills, Force Attack will increase the amount of times criticals hit, from 1 to 4. Activate Ulf's Shadow Warrior and now you have 8 criticals for the price of 1 turn. Not to mention Ulf can keep up with Yuuki when it comes to combo damage, Shadow Warrior and Berserker will max out Ulf's normal combo up to 12-hits in 1 turn. Not to mention that Ulf's Aerial Finish (since it cannot be chained) contains of 2-hits. The first, which roughly multiplies Ulf's attack x5, and the second hit which roughly multiplies it by x10. Have Shadow Warrior activated and you'll be dishing out 2-hits for the first and the second will be the amount of 1-hit x10, doubled! However, don't worry. For those who don't acquire the Master Book (999,999 Medals), then you can use Ulf, as you would Yuuki. The advantage for Ulf, though, lies with Rashik's Hammer (if you picked it up, of course). With SP Cost reduced by 25%, and Fighter's Spirit packing in SP regeneration, bosses will have a tough time dealing with numerous casts of Dynamite Rush (especially if you have Alfina using an Energy Surge with the Ultimate Secret Method learned). Sucks to be the bad guy. For a final touch on Ulf, it is quite possible and highly difficult, to execute an 8-hit critical and Aerial Combo in one turn. (Later referred under the "Advanced Aerial Combo" section.) Now, to recap, Ulf's main purposes are as followed. * Heavy offense. Includes using Dynamite Rush and when stocked on SP or Heaven's Gate or Galactic Bang if low on SP. * Offensive support. Includes canceling enemy attacks, stalling an enemy with Shadow Warrior, or attacking multiple targets with Red Lotus or Big Wheel (if canceling attacks are needed). ------------------------------------------------------------ 4. Dahna - Physical/Support/Earth Mastery Skills: (w/ Force Attack) ***** Force Attack (body) **** Berserker (tech) * Warrior's Way (body) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) or (w/out Force Attack) *** Prayer (mind) *** Meditation (mind) ** Earth Mastery (mind) ** Water Mastery (mind) * Perception (tech) * Counter (tech) Equipment: - Power Cards (Sublime Cards w/out Force Attack) - Sage's Robe - Mysterious Clogs - Anne's Necklace - Gravity Egg (Holy Egg w/out Force Attack) - Expert Book or Master Book Magic: - Every/any Earth spell in your inventory. Key Special Moves: - Homing Shot Cancel enemy specials. - Mana Capture Use in battles against a large quantity of enemies. Also regains MP. - Dancing Cards Where the fun truly begins. - Mana Spring Use to deal endless amounts of spells. Simple as that. Assuming that you got a Master Book and burned it down to extract a Force Attack, you're in for a treat. If you didn't get a Force Attack, you're missing out on most of the fun of clobbering a boss with a 1-chain Aerial Combo to a victorious K.O. (if not 1, then 2). As you can see, Dahna is a support character, no matter how and which way you slice it. However, like Alfina, this doesn't mean Dahna can't dish it out either. Analyze the skill set-up, she has Force Attack, Berserker, Perception, Counter, and Warrior's Way. Warrior's Way will optimize potential of her to deal damage by physical attacks -- the physical and resistance comes as a plus to aid Dahna's already low innate defenses. Force Attack comes into play with the use of a Critical command. You see, the Dancing Cards will not strike unless Dahna is either attacked, or she attacks with a critical, but not with a combo. If you've learned the Ultimate Secret Method for Dancing Cards (9 Dancing Cards), stacked with the Power Cards (+180 ATK), have Force Attack in your skill set-up, and the Expert Book to max out Body Type skills, casted with Crystal Wall and... Well, you get the idea. A tank with a multi-rocket launcher with an endless supply of rockets. Remember, Dancing Cards consumes only 25SP, have Earth Mastery to lower Crystal Wall's MP cost to 50, max out Dahna's Special Level, and use Alfina's Energy Surge on the party when SP is low and... Well, you also get the idea here, too. Now, if you don't have Force Attack (the last time I'll mention it), then you'll have to play Dahna as you would Alfina/Hect -- only this time, less offensive spells and more Gravity to optimize area-effective Special Moves and spells (such as Ulf's Red Lotus or the Absolute Zero spell). You'll also be using Resurrection every once and awhile when you feel like reserving Revival Potions/Elixirs or just don't have any. Anyhow, Dahna's purposes are listed below. * Offensive support. Set-up Aerial Combos with Critical command and Dancing Cards. Use Gravity to raise potential of other party members' Special Moves and attack spells. * Support. Resurrect fallen members and use healing items or spells while Crystal Wall is active. ============================================================ IV) Advanced Aerial Combos ============================================================ The whole point of this section is to (as vividly as I can) recreate the steps to achieving high-damaging Aerial Combos, using every character. I have executed each one previously during my first and second time through the game. All examples are done with the assumption that you have learned the Ultimate Secret Methods for all Special Moves, have learned all the Special Moves, and have equipped your characters with the specified books, skills, and footware that allows warp movement (very important). Keep in mind that pulling off these combos will not only take precise timing, but also much luck. All three can be done at the beginning of a battle, as long as the random arrangement of your characters' IP Symbols fall in order and are distanced accurately apart. To note ahead, hits from Dahna's Dancing Cards will NOT count, towards the Combo Counter; so do not be aggravated if you cannot breach pass a 60-hit Aerial Combo -- I have only listed the total amount of hits landed. ------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Advanced Aerial Combo I Key Items: - Platinum Feather - Gold Feather (usage varies depending on IP Arrangement) Key Characters/Skills: Yuuki + Berserker Alfina + Berserker Ulf + Berserker Dahna + Berserker + Force Attack * Must have Yuuki's Flash activated * Must have Alfina's Holy Circle activated * Must have Dahna's Dancing Card activated * Must have Ulf's Shadow Warrior activated IP Arrangement: - Yuuki, at (COM) - Ulf, between Yuuki and Alfina - Dahna, slightly before Alfina - Alfina, moderate distance after Yuuki - ENEMY A, anywhere Combo Steps: 1) Have Yuuki combo ENEMY A 2) Have Ulf combo ENEMY A 3) Have Alfina combo ENEMY A 4) Have Dahna critical ENEMY A Scenario: * Yuuki at 4-hit combo, Ulf begins combo * Yuuki at 6-hit combo, Ulf at 4-hit combo, Alfina begins combo, Dahna begins critical * Yuuki at 8-hit combo, Ulf at 8-hit combo Alfina at 2-hit combo, Dahna launches critical * 9 Dancing Cards hit, followed by Dahna's critical, Yuuki at 10-hit combo, Ulf at 10-hit combo, Alfina at 4-hit combo, Dahna's critical hits * ENEMY A is knocked into the air, Yuuki performs Swallow Slash 16-hit combo, followed by Alfina's Mana Stinger 8-hit combo, followed by Ulf's "You're Finished!" 3-hit combo Normal Combo: 33 Critical Combo: 4 Aerial Combo: 27 Total Combo: 64 ------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Advanced Aerial Combo II Key Items: - Platinum Feather - Gold Feather Key Characters/Skills: Yuuki + Berserker Alfina + Berserker Ulf + Berserker Dahna + Berserker + Force Attack + Perception + Counter * Must have Yuuki's Flash activated * Must have Dahna's Dancing Card activated * Must have Ulf's Shadow Warrior activated * Must have at least 2 enemies on screen * Must have 1 enemy with moderate HP (ENEMY B) * Must have the other enemy target Dahna (ENEMY A) * Must have ENEMY A execute a Normal Attack IP Arrangement: - Yuuki, at (ACT) or (COM) - Alfina, at (ACT) - Dahna, moderate distance from (COM) - Ulf, slightly behind Dahna - ENEMY B, anywhere - ENEMY A, slight distance from (COM) Combo Steps: 1) Have Yuuki and Alfina combo ENEMY B 2) Have ENEMY A attack Dahna 3) Hope Dahna dodges and counterattacks 4) Hope ENEMY B is killed by this time Scenario: * Yuuki and Alfina combo ENEMY B * ENEMY A prepares to attack Dahna * ENEMY A attacks Dahna * Dahna dodges and counterattacks with Dancing Cards, at the same time, ENEMY B is killed, Yuuki and Alfina have not executed their entire combo * ENEMY A is knocked into the air, Yuuki performs Swallow Slash 16-hit combo, followed by Alfina's Mana Stinger 8-hit combo * While ENEMY A is still in the air, Dahna reaches (COM), choose the Combo command, and Dahna performs, Gatling Shot * While ENEMY A is still in the air, Ulf reaches (COM), choose the Combo command, and Ulf performs, "You're Finished!" Normal Combo: 9 Critical Combo: 4 Aerial Combo: 35 Total Combo: 48 ------------------------------------------------------------ 3. Advanced Aerial Combo III Key Items: - Platinum Feather - Gold Feather Key Characters/Skills: Yuuki + Berserker Alfina + Berserker Ulf + Berserker + Force Attack + Perception + Counter Dahna + Berserker * Must have Yuuki's Flash activated * Must have Ulf's Shadow Warrior activated * Must have at least 2 enemies on screen * Must have 1 enemy with moderate HP (ENEMY B) * Must have the other enemy target Ulf (ENEMY A) * Must have ENEMY A execute a Normal Attack IP Arrangement: - Yuuki, at (ACT) or (COM) - Alfina, at (ACT) - Dahna, at (ACT) - Ulf, moderate distance from (COM) - ENEMY B, anywhere - ENEMY A, slight distance from (COM) Combo Steps: 1) Have Yuuki, Alfina, and Dahna combo ENEMY B 2) Have ENEMY A attack Ulf 3) Hope Ulf dodges and counterattacks 4) Hope ENEMY B is killed by this time Scenario: * Yuuki, Alfina, and Dahna combo ENEMY B * ENEMY A prepares to attack Ulf * ENEMY A attacks Ulf * Ulf dodges and counterattacks, at the same time, ENEMY B is killed, and Yuuki, Alfina, and Dahna, have not executed their entire combo * ENEMY A is knocked into the air, Yuuki performs Swallow Slash 16-hit combo, followed by Alfina's Mana Stinger 8-hit combo, followed by Dahna's Gatling Shot * While ENEMY A is still in the air, Ulf reaches (COM), choose the Combo command, and Ulf performs, "You're Finished!" Normal Combo: 0 Critical Combo: 8 Aerial Combo: 35 Total Combo: 43 ============================================================ V) Legal Information ============================================================ SQUARE-ENIX, GRANDIA III and other names of products contained in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of Square Enix Co, Ltd. in Japan and/or other countries. All rights reserved. This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. Copyright 2006 D.Cung ------------------------------------------------------------ Contact Information E-mail: baion-fuicchi@hotmail.com (be polite). ------------------------------------------------------------ Special Thanks to: GameFAQs CodeBreakers Square-Enix Game Arts Sony Computer Entertainment 1UP Personal Thanks to: Adam Richmond Dartz Vu Luis Velazquez John Simich and You, the readers ============================================================